De la Soul’s Dave
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

NEW YORK — It's that time of year again: The weather is getting colder, days are becoming shorter and legends of hip-hop are being honored.

The 2008 VH1 Hip Hop Honors premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET, and rehearsals were held Wednesday and Thursday at the Hammerstein Ballroom to make sure the honorees were recognized in style.

Those being honored this year include Slick Rick, the late Isaac Hayes, Too Short, De la Soul, Cypress Hill and Naughty by Nature. This is the fifth class of legends to be nominated; past honorees include Snoop Dogg, the Wu-Tang Clan, Run-DMC and Rakim.

Fellow hip-hop heavyweights Big Boi, Wyclef Jean and Public Enemy came out to rehearse alongside newcomers like Estelle and the Gym Class Heroes.

"We're here to be a part of something historical," Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy told MTV News. "It's like the all-star game of hip-hop."

The group practiced their tribute to Cypress Hill with Mack 10, Jim Jones and Fat Joe. The West Coast collective is notable for being the first mainstream Latino hip-hop group.

Another West Coast act being honored is Too Short, whose career has been anything but. The MC has been in the game for more than 20 years, spawning hits such as "Short Dog the Pimp" in the late '80s and a guest spot on Snoop Dogg's "Life of Da Party" earlier this year.

"Short to Oakland is like Jay-Z to Brooklyn," Mistah F.A.B. said.

A video was played during the rehearsal in which Naughty by Nature recalled being accosted by New York crowds early on in their career because they were from New Jersey. They eventually grew to be loved, no matter where they performed.

"They're the anthem kings," Big Boi said of Naughty by Nature. "From 'O.P.P.' to 'Hip-Hop Hooray' — every time they put out a song, they had an anthem that the whole globe was singing, man."

While Slick Rick and De la Soul rehearsed their sets, Wale, Busta Rhymes, Spliff Starr, ?uestlove, Bun B and Biz Markie mixed and mingled. The ballroom was more like a family reunion then a rehearsal.

The only non-rap artist being celebrated is Isaac Hayes, and while the late musician never spit a bar, his work helped inspire many MCs. From the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Warning" to the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," Black Moses had a lasting effect on hip-hop.

While Biz Markie played a sample of one of Hayes' songs, a cipher featuring Mos Def, Busta Rhymes and others broke out. The Biz playfully stopped the beat, interrupting the freestyle session causing participants to yell, "Yo, keep playing that!"

• Honoring Hip-Hop's Heroes

• Stars Descend On The VH1 Hip Hop Honors Red Carpet

• Isaac Hayes
• Slick Rick
• De La Soul

Lauryn Hill performs at the 2006 Rock the Bells concert
Photo: MTV News

SAN BERNARDINO, California — Southern Californians are notorious for arriving late and leaving early, but an estimated 20,000 hip-hop fans didn't want to miss a second of Saturday's Rock the Bells festival.

Tributes were paid and history was made, as hip-hop living legends, surprise guests and a record-breaking performance gave the fans a whole lot more than they could have ever imagined.

(Click here for photos from the concert.)

Fans have come to expect the unexpected from Rock the Bells, now in its third year. But when special guest Lauryn Hill took the stage, fan reaction was lukewarm, to be kind.

Earlier, Talib Kweli got the crowd moving to his blend of street poetry and socially conscious flow. Mos Def followed, serving up a satisfying but extra-long performance, which left many in the audience starving for the headlining heavyweights, Wu-Tang Clan.

So when a live band began playing smoothed-out jazz grooves, many fans unwillingly put down their "W" hand signals. Hill emerged onstage to light applause and "Wu-Tang!" chants — not exactly the raucous ovation expected for the woman many regard as the greatest female MC of all time. She told the crowd that she just wanted to come by and do a song or two, delivering "Doo Wop (That Thing)," "Lost Ones" and the Fugees' "How Many Mics."

Then the fans got what they'd been waiting for. Wu-Tang's rabid army of fans didn't need any cues to thrust their "W" hand signs proudly into the air, as sirens wailed and the Shaolin warriors brought the ruckus as hungrily as ever.

Before assaulting the stage, Method Man called this show a "Dirty-versary," dedicating it to the late Wu soldier, Ol' Dirty Bastard (see "RZA Eulogizes At ODB's Funeral: 'He Was A Unique Soul' "). The fans waved and nodded to every beat and verse, as Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and onetime tourmate Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine joined in.

The day had already featured several surprises. Earlier, De La Soul's Posdnuos and Trugoy had brought out some fellow backpacker vets not on the lineup. Dres of Black Sheep joined De La Soul for "The Choice Is Yours" and Phife Dawg came out for a medley of A Tribe Called Quest hits, including "Buggin' Out," "Check the Rhime" and "Award Tour."

De La gave way to Redman, who, in between moving the crowd with hits like "Time 4 Sum Aksion" and "Diggy Doc," told the crowd he had partied too much and left his luggage in Brick City. He asked whoever could spare some "extra drawers and socks" to meet him at his dressing room. Upon finishing his set and returning to his trailer, Red was later seen smiling broadly with women's thongs draped over his head.

Not counting Red's dressing-room antics and the mainstage performers, much of the festival's action came from the adjacent VIP ballroom, where rapper Supernatural set out to make history by breaking the "Guinness Book of World Records" mark for longest freestyle. Supernat's goal was to break the standing record of eight hours and 45 minutes and flow for nine hours. He designed the stage to match his living room — complete with coffee table, leather couches, bottles of Heineken and Hennessy — and a dictionary for inspiration.

With DJs Rhettmatic, Icy Ice and Rocky Rock among others rotating turntable responsibilities throughout the day, Supernat looked to the crowd to keep him going. He placed a dry-erase board by the stage for audience members to jot down ideas and even asked some to hand him items in their pockets that he could work into his rhymes. Fans gave him money, fake cannabis and even batteries.

Supernatural didn't need the batteries, as he spit then spit some more, building up a serious rasp in his voice while pumping up the swelling audience as it witnessed history. When the beat ended, Supernatural had his record — freestyling straight for nine hours and 12 minutes.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Lauryn Hill, Wu Tang Clan, Mos Def And More At Rock The Bells | 08.05.2006

• De La Soul
• Mos Def
• Lauryn Hill
• Talib Kweli
• Wu-Tang Clan

Handsome Modeling School (file)
Photo: Terry Richardson

So, you're a decent looking guy or gal, but you're having a little trouble luring members of the opposite sex? You say the closest you can get to accessing your inner Casanova is scented incense and frozen dinners? Well, fear not because, to paraphrase John Kerry, help is on the way for those who strive to be more handsome.

Those urgently in need of assistance can send a check to the Handsonian Institute, and receive a five-DVD series on achieving optimal handsomeness. But if you're slightly less desperate, you can just pick up the second Handsome Boy Modeling School album, White People (out November 9). In addition to sporting some booty-shaking hip-hop, soul and electronic grooves, the disc can help give listeners the pizzazz they need.

"If you put the record on and it makes you want to strut, then that strutting may attract that lady down the block," explained ultra-suave Modeling School co-founder Nathaniel Merriweather, better known as hotshot producer and former Gorillaz member Dan Nakamura. "And then that lady down the block may bring something else on, and before you know it, you're back at the house, you pop on the Oates joint, and the clothes just fly off."

The "Oates joint" Merriweather referred to isn't some newfangled, ginseng-enriched health snack, it's the Handsome Boy Modeling School track "Greatest Mistake," a light-dimming ballad featuring John Oates (of '70s/'80s chart-toppers Hall & Oates), ex-Tarnation frontwoman Paula Frazer and Jaime Cullen. So what's Oates doing in a modern music primer for handsomifacation?

"Oh, come on!" said Modeling School co-founder Chest Rockwell (a.k.a. veteran hip-hop producer Prince Paul). "Oates is one handsome man."

"He was one of the original proponents of the moustache," added Merriweather. "His look far predated the Selleck."

Oates is only one of the celebrity guests on White People. "Saturday Night Live" alums Father Guido Sarducci and Tim Meadows both make spoken-word testimonials to the school, and a host of musicians lend their voices, including the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, RZA, Linkin Park vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Jack Johnson and De La Soul.

Though not all of the guests were graduates of the Handsonian Institute, they were eager to work with Merriweather and Rockwell, and eagerly participated in the album's unconventional duets (Deftones' singer Chino Moreno doubled up with underground hip-hoppers EL-P and Cage on "The Hours," Bennington and Shinoda joined forces with hip-hop veterans Jazzy Jay and Grand Wizard Theodore on "Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2"). "We just tossed up the Handsome sign, which is kind of like throwing up the [Batman] signal," Merriweather explained. "The Handsome people are the ones who can see it, and they respond."

The duo's first album, So ... How's Your Girl? was released in 1999 and featured several of the guests that appear on the new LP, along with Beastie Boy Mike D., Sean Lennon, DJ Shadow and legendary MC Biz Markie.

The first single from White People, "The World's Gone Mad" melds electronic beats and playful rapping with sedated rock vocals and a lazy reggae rhythm, and features reggae legend Barrington Levy, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. "We approached Alex, and it turned out his band was influenced by Dr. Octagon, which I was involved in," Merriweather said, "so he was way into it. And Barrington Levy, he's just the man. So we called him up and of course he was interested, too. People who are handsome just fit in."

"The hard part is choosing who to use for which song," Rockwell said. "But making that choice is kind of like, 'Well, do we take the Rolls Royce or the Bentley today.' "

When Handsome Boy Modeling School enter the studio, the only thing sharper than the Boys' suits is their uncanny ability to manipulate genres to suit their needs. Throughout White People, Merriweather and Rockwell toy with dusky trip-hop ("I've Been Thinking"), blend eerie screamotronica and rap ("The Hours") and fuse classical, hip-hop and rock ("Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip-Hop Like This)").

"The only question we asked ourselves in the studio was, 'Would I want to get dressed to this song?' " Rockwell said. " 'Would I want to make love to this song?' And if it's good, it's like making love with mirrors on the ceiling. You can't beat it."

Having completed an album that's quirky, creative and clever, the only real danger for Handsome Boy Modeling School lies in their presentation. The shtick about the Handsonian Institute is such a major part of their image that their stellar beats and rhythmic hybrids might not be taken as seriously as they deserve to be.

"Plugging the Institute is always a risk," Merriweather agreed. "It's the same problem we have sometimes when we show up at a runway show. The models sometimes get mad because less attention is paid to them because of us. But we can't help it. It's what we're all about."

• Handsome Boy Modeling School
• Pharrell Williams
• Linkin Park
• De La Soul
• Hall & Oates

Good Charlotte (file)
Photo: Jason Campbell

Good Charlotte fans, whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, they've got an album just for you. The band's new The Chronicles of Life and Death is available in two versions — "Life" and "Death." Both feature the same 10 songs, but each carries a different bonus track, so fans who want the best of both worlds will have to shell out the cash for two separate discs.

R.E.M. are releasing two versions of their 13th studio album, Around the Sun — a regular version and a special edition packaged in a box with a variety of posters. "Leaving New York" is the album's first single.

Fatboy Slim gets back in the game this week with Palookaville, his first studio album since 2000's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars; the Barenaked Ladies get Barenaked for the Holidays, offering covers of holiday classics and an original composition, "Elf's Lament"; R&B crooner Raphael Saadiq drops Ray Ray on his own label, Pookie Entertainment; Cake release the Pressure Chief; De La Soul set The Grind Date; and hard rockers Helmet return from a seven-year absence with Size Matters.

Also out this week are albums by actors Minnie Driver (Everything I've Got in My Pocket) and William Shatner, who bravely titled his album Has Been. Musicians releasing albums include the Moldy Peaches' Kimya Dawson (Hidden Vagenda), the Explosion (Black Tape), Tom Waits (Real Gone), Everclear (Best of Everclear), Korn (Greatest Hits Vol. 1), Gene Simmons (Speaking in Tongues) and Blues Explosion (Damage).

Out Tuesday, October 5:

• C.C. Adcock - Lafayette Marquis (Yep Rock)
• Gabriela Anders - Last Tango in Rio (Narada)
• Anúana - Christmas Songs (Koch)
• DJ Baby Anne - Mixtress (Zone/System Recordings)
• Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays (Desperation/Warner Bros.)
• John Barrowman - Swings Cole Porter (First Night/Red Ink)
• John Bayless - Christmas Rhapsody (Koch)
• Jay Bennett - The Beloved Enemy (Undertow)
• Blues Explosion - Damage (Sanctuary)
• Bonk - Western Soul (Racing Junior)
• Cake - Pressure Chief (Columbia)
• Cantinero - Championship Boxing (Artemis)
• Cast Iron Filter - Falls of Rough (Wicked)
• Amy Correia - Lakeville (Nettwerk)
• Sean Costello - Sean Costello (Artemis)
• Kimya Dawson - Hidden Vagenda (K Records)
• Dennis DeYoung - The Music of Styx - Live With Symphony Orchestra (Rounder)
• DeVotchKa - How It Ends (Cicero)
• DJ Irene - Rockstar (Moist)
• De La Soul - The Grind Date (Sanctuary Urban)
• Deryl Dodd - Stronger Proof (DualTone)
• Dolorean - Violence in the Snowy Fields (Yep Roc)
• Dream Theater - Live at Budokan (Rhino)
• Minnie Driver - Everything I've Got in My Pocket (Rounder)
• Dry Kill Logic - The Dead and Dreaming (Psychodrama/Repossession)
• Katrina Elam - Katrina Elam (Universal South)
• Scotty Emerick - The Coast Is Clear (DreamWorks Nashville)
• Val Emmich - Slow Down Kid (Epic)
• Everclear - Best of Everclear (Capitol)
• The Explosion - Black Tape (Virgin)
• Fatboy Slim - Palookaville (Astralwerks)
  Read: "Infidelity, Smashed Face Force Fatboy Slim To Get Serious"
  Buy Now: Palookaville (Astralwerks)
• Fates Warning - FWX (Metal Blade)
• The Federation - The Federation (Virgin)
• Future Leaders of the World - LVL IV (Epic)
• Good Charlotte - The Chronicles of Life and Death (Epic)
  Read: "Good Charlotte Get Serious With The Chronicles Of Life And Death"
  Buy Now: The Chronicles of Life & Death (Epic)
• Helmet - Size Matters (Interscope)
• Hem - Eveningland (Rounder)
• Andrew Hill - Dance With Death (Blue Note)
• Robyn Hitchcock - Spooked (Yep Rock)
• Hope of the States - The Lost Riots (Epic)
• Hot Snakes - Audit in Progress (Swami)
• Impossebulls - Slave Education (Music Video Distributors)
• Liz Janes - Poison and Snakes (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Kaki King - Legs to Make Us Longer (Epic)
• Korn - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (Sony)
  Read: "Korn Borrow Other People's Hits For Their Greatest-Hits LP"
  Buy Now: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Sony)
• The Late B.P. Helium - Amok (Orange Twin)
• Julie Lee - Stillhouse Road (Compadre)
• Th' Legendary Shack Shakers - Believe (Yep Roc)
• Lil' Tweety - All Eyes on Me (Thump)
• Samara Lubelski - The Fleeting Skies (The Social Registry)
• mewithoutYou - Catch for Us the Foxes (Tooth & Nail)
• Mono - Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (Temporary Residence)
• David Morales - 2 Worlds Collide (Definity)
• Mosquitos - Sunshine Barato (Bar/None)
• Vincent & Mr. Green - Vincent & Mr. Green (Ipecac)
• Nightwish - Once (Roadrunner)
• Joe Poovey - The Late Great Me (Koch)
• Michel Portal and Richard Galliano - Concerts (Dreyfus)
• Q and Not U - Power (Dischord)
• R.E.M. - Around the Sun (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Around the Sun (Warner Bros.)
• Nelson Rangell - All I Hope for Christmas (Koch)
• Paul Reddick - Villanelle (NorthernBlues)
• Suzzy and Maggie Roche - Why the Long Face? (Red House)
• Brenda Russell - Between the Sun and the Moon (Narada)
• Raphael Saadiq - Ray Ray (Pookie)
• William Shatner - Has Been (Shout! Factory)
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd - The Place You're In (Reprise)
• Judi Silvano - Let Yourself Go (Zoho)
• Gene Simmons - Speaking in Tongues (Simmons/Sanctuary)
• Nikki Sudden - Treasure Island (Secretly Canadian)
• Supersuckers - Live at the Magic Bag (MidFi Field)
• Tobymac - Welcome to Diverse City (ForeFront)
• Dan Treanor and Frankie Lee - African Wind (NorthernBlues)
• Tweenies - The Christmas Album (Koch)
• Uncut - Those Who Were Hung Hang Here (Paper Bag)
• Utada - Exodus (Island)
• Tom Waits - Real Gone (Anti/Epitaph)
• Way Out West - Don't Look Now (Distinctive)
• Matt Wertz - Twenty Three Places (Windmill)
• Wiggles - Rockin' Santa (Koch)
• Holly Williams - The Ones We Never Knew (Universal South)
• Various artists - "Around the Bend" soundtrack (Rhino)
• Various artists - Blues Lounge (Putumayo)
• Various artists - Brown Eyed Handsome Man: Saint Louis Salutes the Father of Rock & Roll (Undertow)
• Various artists - Christmas Grass Too (Koch)
• Various artists - Japan for Sale, Vol. 4 (Tofu)
• Various artists - Mary Had a Little Amp: Music's Biggest Stars, Childhood's Greatest Songs (Epic)
• Various artists - Maybe This Christmas Tree (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - "Saw" soundtrack (Koch)
• Various artists - A Songwriter's Tribute to George Strait (Compadre)
• Various artists - Take Action! Volume 04 (Hopeless)
• Various artists - Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynryd Skynyrd (Sanctuary)
• DVD: Alice Donut - "London, There's a Curious Lump in My Sack" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: The Exploited - "Beat 'Em All" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Samantha Fox - "All Around the World" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Master P - "Decisions" (Koch Vision)
• DVD: Meat Loaf - "Live With the Melbourne Symphony" (Sanctuary)

October 12:

• Camper Van Beethoven - New Roman Times (Vanguard)
• Celine Dion - Miracle (Sony)
• Duran Duran - Astronaut (Sony)
• Chris Isaak - Chris Isaak Xmas (Warner Bros.)

October 19:

• Michael Jackson - The Ultimate Collection (Sony)
  Read: "Michael Jackson's Ultimate Box Set Has Demos, Hits, Live DVD"
• Jimmy Eat World - Futures (Interscope)
  Read: "Jimmy Eat World Say If You Don't Like Futures Right Away, Don't Bother"
• Le Tigre - This Island (Universal)
• Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill (Anti)
  Read: "Elliott Smith's Final Album Due In October"

October 26:

• Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues/ Lyre of Orpheus (Anti)
• Leonard Cohen - Dear Heather (Sony)
• Donnas - Gold Medal (Atlantic)
  Read: "The Donnas Take Charge With Gold Medal"
• Simple Plan - Still Not Getting Any (Lava)
  Read: "Simple Plan Less Simple On Second Album"

November 2:

• AFI - AFI (Nitro)
• A Perfect Circle - Emotive (Virgin)
• Duran Duran - The Singles 1986-1995 (Capitol)
• Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (Capitol)

• Good Charlotte
• R.E.M.
• Fatboy Slim
• De La Soul
• Helmet

De La Soul at NYU
Photo: MTV News

With the fall semester in full swing, most college kids are already up to their ears in lectures about economics and English. But how about taking a class on becoming a music mogul with De La Soul and Russell Simmons as your professors?

That's the concept behind "Conversations with Today's Hitmakers" lecture series. Held at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, the year-old weekly seminar enlists artists and music executives to give students practical advice on making it in the music industry. Last year's series included Simmons, Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone, dance-music icon "Little" Louie Vega and veteran music impresario Clive Davis, who founded the department last year.

"This is an important part of the curriculum because it allows students to meet face to face in an intimate setting with some of the leading executives, producers and performers in the music industry," said assistant professor Jason King, who moderates the seminar. "There's no better way to learn about how the industry works than from the people who run it."

De La Soul recently took center stage to speak the class about their experiences in the industry. When asked for advice, the group's Maseo said, "The industry is always going to exist as what it is: the music business. You have to protect yourself and do your best to know your business. When it comes to down to the music, it's about staying true to the art form. Whether you sell one or a million records, [the music] should matter. You should do it from your heart."

The group's David "Trugoy" Jolicoeur even revealed one of the secrets to his success. "Trugoy is 'yogurt' spelled backwards," he said with a laugh. "I'm a big yogurt fan — fruit on the bottom, strawberry."

The series will also host a hip-hop journalism panel and a special lecture celebrating the 10th anniversary of Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek. In addition to De La Soul, this semester's seminar will feature appearances from music executive Andre Harrell and Virgin Records director of marketing Leota Blacknor, among others. The classes are reserved for NYU students.

• De La Soul

Photo: La Face

• Twista
• R. Kelly
• De La Soul

De La Soul's Posdnuos live at the Cornerstone 60 release party, 05.25.2004
Photo: Tim Moore/The Industry Cosign

NEW YORK — When was the last time you saw 35-year-old men and women jump up and down like Kris Kross? When was the last time you saw jaded music-industry folk thrust their arms up and down like high school kids at a prom afterparty? And when was the last time De La Soul, Brand Nubian, Black Sheep, Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun performed together? On Tuesday night, all three occurred at club LQ as Cornerstone Promotions celebrated its 60th mixtape.

The Cornerstone mixtapes, which come out every month, have been a hit in the music industry, as DJs from Whoo Kid to Green Lantern have hosted the CDs (the discs act as a promotional tool for artists and various companies, including Sprite). The party was promoted as a heavyweight industry shindig with members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Talib Kweli, Lil' Kim, Kanye West and the Roots among those supposedly on the guest list, but by midnight the only A-list artists who had showed were Maxwell, Nas and his bride-to-be, Kelis.

That was cool, though. DJ Clark Kent kept people on the dance floor, playing selections from the golden hip-hop era of 1994-96, and unbeknownst to many of the party attendees, many more MCs would be coming through, not just to schmooze, but to rap.

The Cocoa Brovaz, the duo still affectionately called by their former moniker, Smif-N-Wessun, started out the night of "surprise" performances (some members of the press were tipped off about the roster of acts that would take the stage).

Once the bass line from "Sound Bwoy Bureill" dropped, some men started yelling, "Bo, bo, bo," as they made the symbol for a gun with their fingers and raised their arms to the air.

	Cornerstone 60 release party photos

"You can't test the champi-unnn sound/ You gettin' bucked down, recognize my Boot Camp Clik outta Bucktown," the crowd chanted along with the duo as they performed their hip-hop/dancehall hybrid. "We got a special guest," the group's Tek informed the crowd as the horns from Black Moon's "I Got Cha Opin" remix started to play. Then Black Moon frontman Buckshot came out and started firing off his classic quotables from the song.

"Me and my crew walk the streets at night like looking for the right one, bay-bay/ If it's payday I'm at your doorstep ..." rapped the gravelly voiced MC, who wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with Frank Sinatra's 1938 mug shot.

Buck followed up with "How Many Emcees?" then walked off the stage. Buck quickly returned as the beat for his group's debut record, "Who Got Da Props?," started.

"This is my first song," he told the crowd. "I wanna take y'all back."

"Put up, what up, BO BO BO!" he spewed with ferocity, making the crowd jump up and down. Some of the old-schoolers in the crowd even took their dancing way back, doing the famous project stomp.

After Buckshot and his Boot Camp Clik made their way offstage, the night's emcee, DJ Tony Touch, told everyone to keep their eyes on the stage. C.L. Smooth (his partner Pete Rock was DJing at another gig in New York) then entered and tried to catch wreck, but he had some temporary mic problems and had to leave the stage. When he returned, C.L. made sure his final exit would be on a high note, as he performed "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" for the finale of his brief set.

Then it was on.

Brand Nubian came out for their set of timeless joints, starting off with fire, "All for One." Save for the wrinkles on the face of the still-fresh-to-death Grand Puba, and Lord Jamar shearing off his signature dreads for a Caesar haircut, the Nubes looked almost exactly as they did back in the early '90s when they had New York on lock like the G-Unit and D-Block do now.

Puba, who was known as one of the flyest b-boys in his heyday, still had his smooth swagger as he set off the first verse with famous lines like, "I gets headaches from the wack/ So then I take a Bufferin and I max."

The Grand Man was given time to shine on his own, with his biggest solo song ever, "360." No one could stop dancing when they heard the Gladys Knight sample of "what goes around come back around again."

"Now big up to my Brooklyn mob," Puba rapped before being answered back with the fervent crowd response of "Brooklyn! Brooklyn!" "Big up to my Uptown mob," he continued, and was again answered by the crowd, this time with "Uptown! Uptown!"

Puba's crew got a chance to rock on their own as well. The second his record was over, the beat dropped for Sadat and Jamar's tag-team effort, "Punks Jump Up to Get the Beat Down." The record could've been renamed "The Crowd Jumps Up to Get the Beat Down," as people's feet started to leave the ground once X and the former star of "Oz" started rapping.

After Brand Nubian, De La Soul came out, but their set seemed too short like Todd Shaw, because after performing verses from "Buddy" and "Oooh," they brought out one of their Native Tongues crew brethren, Dres of Black Sheep. Dressed in a sweater vest and short-sleeved button-up, Dres did his own stirring of the pot with Black Sheep's two big hits, "Flavor of the Month" and "The Choice Is Yours." On the latter, he had even more people jumping with the famous sing-along lyrics, "Engine, engine number nine/ On the New York transit line/ If the train jumps off the track, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!"

Maybe some of these groups can pick up where their careers tapered off during their peaks. The Boot Camp Clik have a DVD and mixtape out now, Brand Nubian have a new LP scheduled for August and Black Sheep are due to put out another LP this fall.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• De La Soul
• Brand Nubian
• Black Moon
• Black Sheep
• Cocoa Brovaz

Due to exhaustion, Jane's Addiction have canceled their brief tour with Marilyn Manson. Only five dates had been confirmed, including New Year's Eve at New York's Madison Square Garden. ...

A Chicago-area businessman who hired rapper Bow Wow to pass out toys to an elementary school is protesting the rapper's decision to opt out of the event. Harold Ward says he arranged for Bow Wow to pass out toys to the Ira F. Aldridge School Friday (December 19) but that the rapper canceled his appearance to instead make promotional appearances for a radio station and retail store. Ward and the principal of the school, Deborah Jackson, are organizing a protest of Bow Wow's appearance at WGCI radio and their Pepsi Jam concert later in the evening. ... In Macomb County Circuit Court on Thursday, Eminem's ex-wife, Kimberly Mathers, pleaded guilty to possessing 25 grams or less of cocaine and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. The charges stemmed from an incident in June, during which Mathers was pulled over and searched. In exchange for pleading guilty to the two offenses, the prosecutor dropped a third charge of driving with a suspended license, as well as a charge of maintaining a drug house. The latter was leveled in September after police busted a party and confiscated marijuana and ecstasy. ...

In an effort to find a new bassist, Disturbed have posted a message on their Web site. Applicants should send a demo, an 8x10 photo and contact information to: JBM, 4042 N. Pulaski, Chicago, IL 60641. On November 7, Disturbed's management confirmed that former bassist Fuzz had quit. At the time, the group was in the studio writing songs for its third record. ... Ashanti, Puddle of Mudd, Metallica and Westside Connection will perform at the New Year's Eve celebration on FOX's "American Party" program. The event, which will be hosted by Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton of "The Simple Life," will also feature Hootie & the Blowfish, Keith Urban and DJ Funkmaster Flex. The program will air live and begins at 11 p.m. ET. ...

Lil' Wayne has pushed back the release of his next solo album, The Carter. With albums by his fellow Cash Money members Big Tymers and Juvenile already slated for December, the release date change is understandable. The Carter will now be out March 9. ... The third record by Junkie XL (a.k.a. Tom Holkenburg) will be a double disc packed with guest vocalists, including Robert Smith of the Cure, Chuck D, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Terry Hall of the Specials, and Solomon Burke. The album, Radio JXL: A Broadcast From the Computer Hell Cabin, will be out February 10 and will also feature songs with old vocal tracks by Elvis Presley and Peter Tosh. ...

Staind will perform at the Chevy Truck Snowboard Grand Prix Friday evening (December 19) in Park City, Utah. The band will play at the Mountain resort an hour before the superpipe finals. ... De La Soul's final installment of their comeback trilogy Art Official Intelligence will come out in 2004, three years after the release of its predecessor, AOI: Bionix in 2001. In an interview with The Toronto Sun, Posdnuos said it would be more of a tribute to DJs, with only a few songs containing raps. MC lovers needn't fret, however: De La Soul's eighth album, also promised next year, will be more straightforward. ...

Draw up your sleeping bag and canteen of hot cocoa — 10,000 Maniacs are telling Campfire Stories. The two-disc compilation, subtitled The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings of 10,000 Maniacs, will include smash singles, unreleased demo tracks and rare cover songs. It hits stores January 27. ... Thirty-two years after the Who played a three-hour set that ended in the destruction of Pete Townshend's guitar and Keith Moon's drum set, the band will return to the Isle of Wight. The group, whose Townshend and Roger Daltrey are the only original members, have signed on as the third headliner to the 2004 Isle of Wight Festival, set for June 11-13. They'll join previously confirmed headliners David Bowie and Stereophonics. ...

The Allman Brothers Band will celebrate their 35th anniversary with an eight-night run at New York's Beacon Theatre, starting March 18 and ending March 27. In conjunction with the shows, the band will release a yet-untitled double CD of last year's residency at the Beacon, which will include 15 songs that were on the "Live at the Beacon Theatre" DVD, which came out in September, along with four additional songs. ...

12.18.03

Janet Jackson will strut her stuff across the 50-yard line when she performs at the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII February 1 in Houston. The big game will air live on CBS. Last year's halftime show featured Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting. ...

Of course you saw this coming. After hearing its brand name shouted out in one of 2003's most popular songs, Outkast's "Hey Ya!," Polaroid has recruited Andre 3000 and Big Boi to bring out Polaroid cameras with them during their live shows. One hopes the company read all the press on the group in which Andre swore off touring — and convinced him hitting the road would actually be a good thing. ... After 40 years of practice, who other than the Rolling Stones should have had the most successful tour of 2003. The Stones' Licks Tour grossed nearly $300 million this year, according to Billboard. Bruce Springsteen placed second, while the Dave Matthews Band, Kiss/ Aerosmith and Summer Sanitarium (featuring Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Mudvayne) came in at seventh, eighth and ninth. ...

Mr. Cheeks has severed ties with Universal Records and is putting out his next LP independently. The former Lost Boyz frontman is currently recording tracks for the March release Ladies and Ghettomen. The first single is called "What We Do," but we'll hear new Cheeks lyrics before that: He has a dis track going at none other than 50 Cent hitting the streets soon. ... "O-kaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!" Lil Jon had a double-platinum party Wednesday night at Club Lobby in New York to celebrate the success of his LP Kings of Crunk. Ja Rule, David Banner and former New York Knick Anthony Mason showed the yelling producer love. ...

Audioslave's Tom Morello and System of a Down's Serj Tankian and their Axis of Justice organization are hosting a benefit concert Thursday (December 18) in Hollywood for striking grocery workers in Southern California. Morello (a.k.a. the Nightwatchman), Tankian, Audioslave's Brad Wilk, Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Phantom Planet, the Chambers Brothers' Lester Chambers and the Coup's Boots Riley will perform, while workers will speak about their struggle. ... Clay and Ruben are returning to TV. "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken will play himself and perform two songs in an episode of NBC's "Ed" slated to air next month. Then in February, winner Ruben Studdard, also playing himself, will guest star and perform on UPN's "One on One." ...

John Mayer is turning to the electric blues for a pair of shows on December 28 and 29 at New York's Irving Plaza. Mayer is teaming up with legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy and Double Trouble, the former backup band for late guitar virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan, to play two nights of blues classics. ... Jamie Lynn Spears, who already stars on Nickelodeon's sketch comedy show "All That," is in negotiations to star in her own series for the channel, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Britney's 12-year-old sister will play a boarding school student in the comedy. ...

Sensitive rocker Conor Oberst and his group Bright Eyes are heading on a 10-day tour in February that will feature solo and collaborative performances among Oberst, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and young confessional crooner M. Ward. The tour starts in Oberst's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, on February 19 and ends in Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 29. ... After three albums in seven years, Remy Zero are no more. Brothers Shelby and Cinjun Tate, who was briefly married to "Charmed" actress Alyssa Milano, are expected to release new material next year. ...

The much ballyhooed debut by Velvet Revolver, the supergroup featuring ex-Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum and fronted by Scott Weiland, is now expected to drop in late April, after previous predictions saw its release in February. The album is currently in the final mixing stage. ... Cypress Hill have set March 23 as the release date for their upcoming album, 'Til Death Do Us Part. ...

• Bow Wow
• Jane's Addiction
• Eminem
• Disturbed
• De La Soul

Jay-Z
Photo: Def Jam

Plenty of tours have brought together rockers and rappers, but until now they've been more rock than rap.

In August Jay-Z's gonna flip the script, hitting the road with his Roc-A-Fella family, Mos Def and De La Soul and bringing along 311 and Hoobastank. Dates for the Liquid Mix Tour have not been announced.

"A lot of urban tours haven't been selling through, and that's why Jay-Z has chosen to do this kind of a bill," a Rock-A-Fella spokesperson said.

311 frontman Nick Hexum had a more artistic take on the show: "More and more people are very diverse [these days]. There's always new things to try. It's a lot of fun."

Though profitable rock and rap tours like Anger Management and Family Values are a fairly recent development, guitar-slingers have been experimenting on the road with hip-hop acts for years.

In 1991 Public Enemy and Anthrax embarked on the "Bring the Noize" tour with Gang of Four and Sisters of Mercy; in 1993 the Beastie Boys traveled the country with Henry Rollins; and in 1997 Rage Against the Machine hit the road with Wu-Tang Clan and Atari Teenage Riot.

• Jay-Z
• 311
• Hoobastank
• Mos Def
• De La Soul

De La Soul
Photo: Mo Daoud

Rumors of Tommy Boy's demise, it seems, have been exaggerated.

"We just opened the new doors at Tommy Boy on Monday," label founder Tom Silverman said on Thursday. However, the company — which was built largely on the strength of hip-hop acts such as De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Digital Underground and Coolio — has sold most of its sonic assets and is shifting its focus to its other strength, dance music.

Warner Music Group, Tommy Boy's longtime partner, acquired the 21-year-old label's recorded music and music publishing catalogs for a little over $10 million, along with the majority of its hip-hop roster: De La Soul and Prince Paul are going to Elektra, while Tony Touch, Coo Coo Cal and Everlast are headed to Warner Bros.

"It was either buy or sell for either party," Silverman explained. "Based on the economy and where we were and where Warner was and where the contract was, it worked out best for us if we sell. When I did that, they bought the company, but they left me the name and some of the artists. We're taking all the dance acts and [Memphis MC] Indo."

Amber, Thunderpuss and Masters at Work are among the dance artists who'll stay under the Tommy Boy banner, while Silverman will remain Tommy Boy's CEO. Despite the multimillion-dollar payoff, he couldn't retire from the music biz — it's in his blood.

"I love it too much," he explained. "That's what I'm into. It's what I've been doing for 22 years. It's what I really like to do. The hip-hop business really changed and became very expensive and risky and not as profitable. I saw that coming a while back, so I created a company that's much smaller, under 20 people. We can make money selling 125,000 records or less. We can make money selling 50,000 records if we're real careful about our spending. With a small company, we can be more creative and have more fun and not be caught up in bureaucracy."

Although he's frustrated at what he calls a stale time in rap, he's hoping to once again break a superstar act but is going to be "very selective" in his search.

"I'm still interested in hip-hop, but I want the next sh--," he said. "I want something that's gonna take it somewhere fresh if I'm gonna get behind it. I can't compete with Def Jam, it doesn't make sense. That's a no-win game."

At one point, Silverman could not lose, putting out records by acts such as hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa and Stetsasonic in the mid '80s. But it was his late 80's and early 90's run that put Tommy Boy in the annals: Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, Coolio, House of Pain and Digital Undergound were all introduced to the world by Silverman.

"I think Tommy Boy is a hip-hop icon in itself," Naughty's Vinnie said of the label. "They were groundbreaking and one of the first labels to step up for hip-hop like that. Coolio, Digital Underground, all of them, it was all love [between us]. It wasn't a cutthroat kind of thing. We were fighting for each other, because it was an intimate situation."

"We were hip-hop history, and unfortunately a lot of hip-hop is history at this point," Silverman said. "I'm interested in hip-hop only if it can reinvent the future, not if it's a reflection of the past. Much of the hip-hop that's out there right now is closer to what mainstream R&B was in 1981 — when we started — than the true essence of hip-hop."

• De La Soul
• Naughty By Nature
• Digital Underground
• Coolio

Stars Descend On The VH1 Hip Hop Honors Red Carpet

• Busta Rhymes
• Kid Rock
• Cypress Hill
• De La Soul
• Eve

Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Maroon 5, More At Kanye's Pre-Grammy Party, 2.6.06

• Britney Spears
• Kevin Federline
• Maroon 5
• Chingy
• Christina Milian

MTV.com LIVE: De La Soul Photos 09.28.2004

• De La Soul

De La Soul -Live at MTV.com

• De La Soul

• De La Soul

• De La Soul