Damon Albarn (file)
Photo: MTV News

So what does an animated hip-hop supergroup with a platinum-selling debut do for an encore? If you're Damon Albarn of Blur, who conceived the virtual group the Gorillaz, you make wholesale changes to the lineup, naturally.

Albarn, who collaborated with beatmaking producer Dan the Automator on the Gorillaz's 2001 self-titled debut album, has found a new production partner for the group's upcoming sophomore record: Danger Mouse, the DJ behind the Jay-Z and Beatles mash-up, The Grey Album (see "Grey Album Producer Danger Mouse Explains How He Did It").

Currently, both Albarn and Danger Mouse are in England co-producing the next Gorillaz album, which is slated to be released in the spring. Like the first studio set, the next LP is expected to feature a diverse collection of guest vocalists and MCs. The only confirmed guests thus far are De La Soul, according to Danger Mouse, who said that he and Albarn were still unsure of what tracks were going to make the final cut.

"We're pretty deep into it," he said of the project. "We're both very excited about what's happening musically and I think it'll surprise a lot of people. But I don't really want to describe a sound for people to expect."

The Gorillaz album will once again include a visual component, but it wasn't clear if the same artist, Jamie Hewlett, creator of the "Tank Girl" comics, would be handling those duties this time around.

• Gorillaz
• Danger Mouse & Jemini

And you thought Ashton Kutcher was merciless. For her brother Bryan's birthday on Monday, Britney Spears had him "arrested" by undercover cops and FBI agents in Beverly Hills, California. Bryan, who works with his sister's management company, was handcuffed and taken into custody, while Britney acted shocked and horrified. But the phony police actually took him to his own birthday party, where all was revealed. ...

The 16-year-old who carjacked Eminem's mom early this year has been sentenced to at least four years and three months behind bars. The incident occurred January 22 when James Antonio Knott dragged Debbie Nelson from her car on Detroit's 8 Mile and stole her vehicle. Nelson suffered bruises and a broken foot. Knott, who didn't realize he was assaulting Eminem's mother, was also fined $3,473. ... Nas' trial on a second-degree assault charge has been set for April 30. The charge stems from an incident at a nightclub in New York's West Village in December 2003, in which Nas allegedly struck a man with a bottle. ...

An electric guitar owned by Kurt Cobain from 1990-92 sold for $117,500 at an auction held in Dallas last weekend. The guitar was the first of the Nirvana frontman's instruments to go on sale since his death a decade ago. ... The recording industry unceremoniously canceled its "Clean Slate" amnesty program for illegal file-sharers earlier this month. On Friday, lawyers for the RIAA asked a judge to dismiss a complaint filed by a California man claiming fraudulent business practices, because the Clean Slate program, which stipulated that file-sharers who admitted their guilt in writing and deleted the infringing files would be protected from the costly copyright-infringement lawsuits, was no longer in effect. Critics of the program had argued since its inception in September that a trade organization could not legally offer protection from lawsuits filed by the copyright-holding record labels. ...

Suge Knight is working with various rappers and record labels to put together a hip-hop compilation benefiting the financially troubled families of U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq. "I'm not taking any kind of political stance on the war, however, with so many soldiers now in Iraq for more than a year, I'm concerned about the families they've left behind," Knight said in a statement. The album will be released before Christmas, he added. Meanwhile, the mogul's next project, Kurupt's Against the Grain, is due June 29. ... Sevendust had to cancel a show in McAllen, Texas, on Sunday after their tour bus caught fire on the way. A store clerk helped extinguish the flames and no one was injured. The Atlanta rockers are touring in support of the CD/DVD package Southside Double-Wide Acoustic Live, which drops May 4. The set was recorded in Athens, Georgia, in September. ...

The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins checked out the Darkness' brand of spandex-clad rock Sunday in Los Angeles, along with the Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit. The next day, the U.K. phenoms made perhaps the shortest appearance ever on the syndicated radio show "Loveline," when they abandoned ship after roughly 20 minutes. Apparently the callers' questions about STDs, masturbation and other sexual topics made the band "uncomfortable." Now in England, the Darkness are writing for the follow-up to Permission to Land before taking on the European festival circuit in July. ... Japanese beatboxer Dokaka has lent her percussive vocal talents to Björk's untitled next album. The LP, expected to drop later this year, follows 2001's Vespertine. ...

Members of the Ramones, Dictators, Television and Dead Boys will play Ramones songs to celebrate the band's late frontman, Joey Ramone, who died of lymphatic cancer in 2001. The fourth annual Life's a Gas - The Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash will take place May 19 in New York. Ramone would have been 53 on May 19. Also on the bill that night are Alkaline Trio, the Dickies, Supersuckers and Bebe Buell. ... Danger Mouse has teamed up with indie rapper Murs to record a remix of the song "To a Black Boy," from the '60s group the Free Design. The track is dedicated to Marcus Dixon, an 18-year-old black scholar and high school athlete who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Georgia for having sex with his 15-year-old high school girlfriend, who is white. The song will appear on the compilation Free Designed Redesigned Volume 2, which also features remixes by Belle & Sebastian and Madlib. ...

Busta Rhymes will release a DVD titled "Everything Remains Raw" on May 18. The DVD features live footage from several performances over the last year. ... Three months after reducing its suggested retail price for CDs from $18.98 to $12.98, the Universal Music Group has bumped the cost to $13.98. Attempting to stimulate a business that had been down for three years, Universal expected merchants would pass the discounts on to consumers and other labels would follow suit. Neither has happened, according to the conglomerate. ... Broken Sounds, the label founded by New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert and Ian Grushka, dropped its maiden releases Tuesday: Memories of Better Days, from melodic punk rockers Breakdance Vietnam, and Only Time Will Tell, from hardcore quintet Suffocate Faster. Both bands will play select dates on this summer's Vans Warped Tour. ...

04.19.2004

After submitting a book proposal to New York publishers earlier this year, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have now fielded at least one offer — reportedly in the $1 million range — for their proposed how-to, "Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's Secrets for a Happy (and Sexy!) Marriage." "Nick and I would love to do a book about 'Newlyweds,' about surviving it and what goes into it, what to expect," Simpson said. "I think people expect marriage to be perfection, and that's not what it is. You see that on the 'Newlyweds' — we fight all the time. That's what makes a marriage healthy. We are no scholars on relationships, but I think we're definitely in a groove." However, the couple's literary agent said that they're going to pass on the current offer on the table. ...

Lil' Kim was in federal court Monday (April 19) in New York for a pretrial hearing. Kimberly Jones stands accused of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to investigators about her involvement in a February 2001 shooting. Judge Gerard E. Lynch set a schedule for discovery. A trial date has been set for November 15. ... Jay-Z and Damon Dash showed up to the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia on Monday to lend support to Beanie Sigel in his trial on attempted murder charges. Beanie's trial is scheduled to wrap up Tuesday. ... Sigel is almost done making his third LP, The B-Coming, now slated for July. The first single, "Wanted," features Cam'ron and samples Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." ...

Lucky Nites, a potent potable made possible by Lil' Flip, will be available May 1. According to Flip, the pineapple-flavored alcoholic beverage tastes like an amaretto sour, but "way stronger." ... Puddle of Mudd have been tacked onto the Nickelback/ 3 Doors Down tour, beginning June 30 in Milwaukee. The 18-city trek concludes July 30 in the Woodlands, Texas. ... Something Corporate were forced to tone down their show Saturday in Waltham, Massachusetts, much to the dismay of their fans, because some members of the audience were passing out from the heat. As authorities unplugged the band's equipment, the group nevertheless played on, ending its set with "If You C Jordan" accompanied only by singer Andrew McMahon's piano and Brian Ireland's drums. ...

Vince Neil has been hit with a lawsuit from the Nevada prostitute whom he pleaded no contest to assaulting. Filed last week, the suit from Andrea "TrixXxie Blue" Terry claims that the Mötley Crüe singer attacked her after she and another prostitute refused to have sex with him until they were first paid. Her suit also accuses her former boss, brothel owner Dennis Hof, of being negligent because the panic button in her room wasn't working. She's asking for at least $20,000 in lost wages and other costs stemming from the incident, which happened last July. ... Courtney Love has gotten a breather in her round of court dates. Though the singer had two back-to-back dates last week in Los Angeles on separate drug charges, a hearing originally scheduled for Monday to address her New York charges of third-degree assault and reckless endangerment, stemming from a club gig where she allegedly threw her mic stand into the crowd, hitting a fan in the head, has been postponed. Her new hearing is scheduled for May 13. ...

Don King and company partied hard over the weekend in New York. On Friday, King and sports management/entertainment company CMX held a reception at the St. Regis hotel, where Ray J, Heavy D and Drew's mom Jaid Barrymore were among the guests. On Saturday, King and CMX held an afterparty for the Chris Byrd vs. Andrew Golota heavyweight title fight at the 40/40 Club. The club's owner, Jay-Z was on hand, welcoming guests like New Jersey Net Kenyon Martin and telling everyone to "enjoy." ... Instead of "Must See TV," fans of the Polyphonic Spree are calling Tuesday "Must Spree TV." The 29-member robed choir will appear on NBC's "Scrubs," with one of the 29 playing a key role in the episode. Later in the evening, the out-there ensemble will perform on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." The televised face time, along with a stint opening for David Bowie and on the Lollapalooza tour, is in support of the band's second album, Together We're Heavy, due July 13. ...

After two albums and more than a decade together, Boy Hits Car have put it in park, permanently. The Los Angeles quartet could not continue after guitarist Louis announced that he was leaving to pursue other interests. The band's final show will be Saturday at the Whisky in Hollywood. ... Systematic, the first group signed to Lars Ulrich's imprint Music Company, have broken up following an April 9 show in Livermore, California. The band's second album, Pleasure to Burn, was released last year. ... Warren Zevon's ex-wife Crystal has sold a proposal to write a book about her late singer/songwriter husband. To be called "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Life and Times of Warren Zevon," the memoir will be published by Harper Collins imprint Ecco Press. ...

• Britney Spears
• Nas
• Nirvana
• Björk
• The Ramones

Ben Jelen is just releasing his first album this week, but he's already ready to Give It All Away. His debut features the single "Come On," as well as a little Matrix magic on production.

Sugarcult's ode to love and California, Palm Trees and Power Lines, drops alongside the "Kill Bill Vol. 2" soundtrack, which features "A Few Words From the Bride," a.k.a. Uma Thurman, and music by Johnny Cash.

Autopilot Off's Make a Sound hits this week, as does Danger Mouse — the producer behind the Beatles/ Jay-Z mash-up, The Grey Album — and Jemini's Ghetto Pop Life, featuring guest appearances by the Pharcyde and Tha Liks.

Finally, in DVD news, Cypress Hill release The Ultimate Video Collection and RZA comes to you Live From Germany.

Out Tuesday, April 13:

• Rabih Abou-Khalil - Morton's Foot (Justin Time)
• Autopilot Off - Make a Sound (Island)
• Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - BARK (True North/Rounder)
• Blue Rodeo - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (Rounder)
• Gary Burton - Generations (Concord Jazz)
• Sam Bush - King of My World (Sugar Hill)
• Crossfade - Crossfade (Columbia/Earshot)
• Danger Mouse and Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life (Lex)
• Dropbox - Dropbox (Realign/UME)
• Ex-Girl - Endangered Species (Alternative Tentacles)
• Frank Gambale - Raison D'etre (Wombat)
• Gutbucket - Dry Humping the American Dream (Cantaloupe)
• Ben Jelen - Give It All Away (Maverick)
  Buy Now: Give It All Away (Maverick)
  
• Living Things - Resight Your Rights (DreamWorks/Interscope)
• Allison Moorer - The Duel (Sugar Hill)
• Name Taken - Hold On (Geffen)
• The Oxford Collapse - Some Wilderness (Kanine)
• Radford - Sleepwalker (Universal)
• Joe Satriani - Is There Love in Space? (Epic)
• Satyricon - Volcano (Red Ink/eatURmusic)
• Bob Schneider - I'm Good Now (Shockorama/Vanguard)
• Slow Pain - L.A. Blues (Thump)
• Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power Lines (Fearless/Artemis)
  Buy Now: Palm Trees and Power Lines (Fearless/Artemis)
  
• The Tubes - White Punks on Dope (Acadia)
• Turbo Tabla - Bellydance Overdrive (Ark 21)
• The Vestals - The Vestals (Warming House)
• Doc Watson - Sittin' Here Pickin' the Blues (Rounder)
• Adrienne Young - Plow to the End of the Row (TK)
• Various artists - Golden Era of Rock 'N' Roll: 1954-1963 (Hip-O)
• Various artists - Jazz Lounge 2 (Water Music)
• Various artists - "Kill Bill Volume 2" soundtrack (Maverick)
• Various artists - Old Skars & Upstarts 2004 (Disaster)
• DVD: Cypress Hill - "The Ultimate Video Collection" (Sony)
• DVD: RZA - "Live From Germany" (Nutech)

April 20:

• Drowning Pool - Desensitized (Wind-Up)
  Read: "New Drowning Pool Singer Says He Had A Vision Before Tryout"
  Buy Now: Desensitized (Wind-Up)
  
• Hanson - Underneath (3CG)
• Prince - Musicology (Sony)

• Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (Verve)
• Joey McIntyre - 8:09 (Artemis)
• Patti Smith - Trampin' (Sony)
• Various artists - "American Idol" Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics (RCA)

• Buckethead - Population Override (Ion)
• Kimberley Locke - One Love (Curb)
  Read:
• Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)
• Various artists – "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)

• Alanis Morissette - So Called Chaos (Maverick)
• Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary)

• Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Arista)
  Read:
  Buy Now: Under My Skin (Arista)
  

• Ben Jelen
• Danger Mouse & Jemini
• Sugarcult
• Satyricon

Black Eyed Peas (file)
Photo: Interscope

The Black Eyed Peas have re-recorded "Let's Get Retarded" as "Let's Get It Started" for use in promotional spots for the NBA playoffs. Four different commercials will air new verses of the song pertaining to basketball. ... Xzibit will play fictitious rapper 10-Large in an upcoming episode of "CSI: Miami." The episode, titled "Rap Sheet," was taped at the end of March and is scheduled for broadcast May 10. ...

Nickelback won Group of the Year and Fan Choice Award at Sunday's Juno Awards, Canada's version of the Grammys, but it was newcomer Sam Roberts who was the big winner, taking home trophies for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Rock Recording of the Year. 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' won International Album of the Year. ... Nelly Furtado, who won Single of the Year for "Powerless (Say What You Want)," has set dates for a U.S. tour beginning April 30 in Chicago and ending May 19 in Los Angeles. She's then heading to Europe for more touring. ...

The Roots are shooting the first video from their upcoming album, The Tipping Point, Monday (April 5) and Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York. Directed by the Saline Project, "Don't Say Nothin' " follows Black Thought through several characters to represent the various styles on the album. The Tipping Point, due June 29, includes a cover of Sly Stone's "Everybody Is a Star," a version of which will also appear on the upcoming tribute album Sly2K. ... Grey Album DJ Danger Mouse is among a crop of artists just added to the annual Bonnaroo Festival, set for June 11-13 in Manchester, Tennessee. Other new artists rounding out the lineup include Nellie McKay, the X-ecutioners, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Rachael Yamagata. ...

Ozzy Osbourne filed a complaint last month with the Medical Board of California against his former physician, whom he alleges over-prescribed addictive drugs in 2002 that affected his behavior on "The Osbournes." Other patients of Dr. Kipper have filed similar complaints. ... “Let's Rock,” a one-hour documentary on the Clash's Joe Strummer, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 7. The film, which trails the late singer/guitarist as he tours and promotes his 2001 album with the Mescaleros, Global a Go-Go, was directed by his longtime friend Dick Rude. ... Sonic Youth, My Morning Jacket, On the Speakers and Jesse Malin are among the artists slated to play the Great Bamboozle, a three-day festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, June 4-6. ...

Alien Ant Farm have started work on their still-untitled follow-up to truANT and are scheduled to begin recording this summer with an eye on releasing the disc early next year. When finished, they hope to hit the road to preview some of the new material. ... Ashanti and Eve have joined Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone, Patti LaBelle, Deborah Harry and Cyndi Lauper on the lineup for the seventh annual VH1 Divas concert. The concert, broadcast live April 18 from Las Vegas' MGM Grand, will feature appearances by Usher, Mischa Barton, Tyra Banks and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. ...

Spike TV will follow eight contestants who will work for Sugar Ray on the band's spring tour for a reality series called "On the Road." The winner will get a record-company job for one year. The outing, which also features Lola Ray (whose Tuesday debut is the first release on Good Charlotte's D.C. Flag Records label), kicks off April 3 in Tempe, Arizona, and wraps up May 6 in Hollywood. ... "Thunderstruck," an Australian film that revolves around AC/DC's 1991 tour, has been selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is about five fans who decide that if any one of them dies before age 40, the survivors will have him buried next to the grave of late AC/DC singer Bonn Scott. ...

Artist Pushead, who designed artwork for numerous Metallica albums, including St. Anger, has created a line of miniature statues of his works. Currently, the online Metallica store and other retailers are selling the "Damage Inc." and "Damaged Pirate" statues, and in August models will be available for "Sad But True" and "Eye See Your Skull." ... Beatallica, a band that crosses the music of Metallica with that of the Beatles, have released a self-titled eight-song EP on their Web site, www.beatallica.com. Song titles include "Blackened in the USSR," "Got to Get You Trapped Under Ice" and "Leper Madonna." Before you cry "Danger Mouse copycat!," keep in mind that Beatallica write original riffs and lyrics in addition to ripping off their heroes, and they've been doing so since 2001, when they released the spoof A Garage Day's Night, also available for free download. ...

04.02.2004

In between shooting scenes for her movie debut, "Coach Carter," Ashanti has been writing for her third album. "We're looking for a release in late summer," she said. "And we're going to be putting together a tour hopefully late summer too." ...

The Hot Boys' Turk had attempted-murder charges against him lowered from first-degree to second-degree at a preliminary hearing Thursday, after a police officer testified that several cops wearing black masks broke into the rapper's apartment but neither identified themselves nor produced a warrant. ... Bow Wow and his "Johnson Family Vacation" co-star Solange Knowles have more career moves in common than the movie. "We both have development deals with UPN for a sitcom, but separately, so it's kind of cool that we're on the same network," Solange said ... Bow Wow, meanwhile, has another new venture in the works. "I'm trying to be an entrepreneur; I'm going to open up a clothing store called Fly in Atlanta," he said. "We're going to be selling all the hot stuff. What's hot, we're going to have it." ...

Don't be surprised if heavy-metal godfathers Black Sabbath take the stage at this summer's Ozzfest. Bassist Geezer Butler has already signed on to replace Rob "Blasko" Nicolson, who left Ozzy's solo band in December, and when asked on the syndicated radio show "Rockline" on Wednesday whether there have been discussions about a reunion, Osbourne none-too-coyly replied, "I think so." ... A bottle of red wine named after a 1974 Bob Dylan album is expected to hit store shelves this fall. Planet Waves, described by Italian vintner and Dylan fan Antonio Terni as "a mysteriously Dylanesque encounter between the severity of Montepulciano and the softness of Merlot," has the blessing of the bard himself, and follows Visions of J, named after the classic song "Visions of Johanna," which won Terni the top prize at an Italian food festival three years ago. ...

Government officials near Slipknot's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, turned down the band's application to play a concert at the nearby 7 Flags Event Center on April 27. The Clive City Council members voted 3-2 against granting the band the noise permit it would have needed to stage the show. The council nixed the request because it doesn't grant noise permits for weekday events. ... Ex-Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson will release his second record with his group the New Earth Mud, titled This Magnificent Distance, on June 29. The first single is "40 Days." The band will play Bonnaroo on June 11 and will open for the Allman Brothers Band in July. ...

Esteemed Princeton University professor Cornel West plans to drop his second rap LP, Street Knowledge, in June. When West, 50, was a professor at Harvard University, he released his first rap album, Sketches of My Culture, which prompted criticism from university President Lawrence Summers and West's subsequent departure from the department. ...Sevendust will release the live acoustic DVD/CD package Southside Double-Wide Acoustic Live on May 4. The discs were filmed and recorded last year at the Georgia Theater in Athens, Georgia, and include versions of "Bitch," "Too Close to Hate," "Black," "Xmas Day," "Broken Down" and a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." The DVD contains more than two hours of live footage and lots of extras. ...

Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago will hit the road together for a 33-date tour that launches June 12 in the Woodlands, Texas. Dates run through August 15 in Auburn, Washington. ... The annual Plea for Peace Tour is set to begin April 19 in Minneapolis. With a revolving lineup that includes Cursive, Mike Park and spoken-word poet Saul Williams, the seven-week trek features voter-registration kiosks, and a dollar from each ticket sold will be donated to a charity of the artists' choice. ...

Swedish garage rockers the Division of Laura Lee are hopping the pond for a two-week trek with fellow countrymen the Sounds, beginning April 19 in Washington, D.C., to support their second album, Das Not Compute (due May 11). ... Metalogy, Judas Priest's four-CD box set, will arrive one week later than expected. The retrospective 65-song collection's new release date is May 11. ... In Florida, the record industry must file individual lawsuits against suspected peer-to-peer pirates instead of lumping them together in a single complaint, a more costly and time-consuming process, according to a ruling made Thursday by a federal judge in Florida. The decision echoed one handed down by a Philadelphia judge early last month. ...

• Black Eyed Peas
• Xzibit
• Nickelback
• Nelly Furtado
• The Roots