Snoop Dogg performs for "VH1 Storytellers" on Thursday in New York
Photo: FilmMagic / VH1

NEW YORK — You call it promoting an album. Snoop Dogg calls it going out with the homies and having the time of his life.

This week in New York, the Dogg has been everywhere from the "The Late Show With David Letterman" to a recent album-release party for Ego Trippin'. On Thursday night, he even taped the latest episode of "VH1 Storytellers." Snoop threw the VH1 rulebook out the window when he told the audience that he didn't have a tale to tell about the first track he performed, "Whateva U Do."

Obviously this wasn't going to be the normal show where the audience sits down to listen to the artist's musical selections and hear some nice antidotes. Snoop was intent on making the show a full party, and his music — including hits like "Gin & Juice" and "Drop It Like It's Hot" — would not allow anyone in the crowd to stay in their seats. People stood and danced all night. The Dogg was backed by a band — "The Snoopadelics" — that included Teddy Riley; DJs Quik, Battlecat and Jelly; Soopafly on piano; a horn section; backup singers; and Tha Dogg Pound on hypeman vocals.

The Long Beach legend did have plenty of stories to share later on, from his days riding shotgun with Dr. Dre and being medically cleared to use marijuana (he claimed to have glaucoma) to a quip about his children telling him he didn't make songs that kids wanted to dance to. "I said, 'N---a, what you talkin' about?' " Snoop said to the crowd with a grin.

Snoop, in fact, has come up with a foolproof dance song called "Life of the Party," which had guest stars Mistah F.A.B. and Too Short walk up from the crowd for a must-see show.

Another surprise was when Snoop and company performed the Everlast country song "My Medicine." The fact that Snoop Dogg performed a country song is still taking time to settle in, and the fact that he did a country song that got the whole audience to clap their hands and bop like they were in church was a sight to behold.

"I love country music," he said. "Love Johnny Cash."

Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson came out for "Can't Say Goodbye." The song is about a man who is trying to be there for his family, but he refuses to let the streets go. Once the tune started, an emotional Snoop made the band stop and restart. "That record makes me wanna cry," Snoop said.

The best moment of the show was unscheduled and may not even make the show's cut due to some red tape. The Dogg and his Pound did a rendition of Morris Day and the Time's "Cool." Snoop said he couldn't perform the song on TV because the "man who owns it wouldn't clear it." (According to ASCAP, the writers of that song are former Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson and a man named Prince.) The band — which sounded better than the recorded tracks — kept their consistent, overachieving sound up, jamming on instrumentals for "Cool" for five minutes before Snoop started singing.

"Teddy, tell me when to come in," said Snoop, who had Daz and Kurupt mimicking the Time by using their hands as a fake mirror, which Snoop pretended to look in. The three began doing Day's patented hop dance.

"Are we hot?" yelled Snoop. "No, we're cool," everyone said in unison. By this time, Riley had left his post on the keyboard and began directing the band like it was a 100-piece symphony. Riley then joined Tha Dogg Pound, laying a towel over Snoop's back. Much like James Brown, the Dogg was definitely not ready to leave.

After "Cool," Snoop sat on a stool and kept singing, "Paid the cost to be the boss," while the band played. Then he freestyled, bringing some melody to cuss words. "We just some real mutha----as," said Snoop. He and Riley went back and forth — Snoop in his real voice, Riley using the auto-tune device at his keyboard.

"VH1 Storytellers: Snoop Dogg" premieres March 31.

In other Snoop news, on Friday morning (March 14), it was announced that the Dogg would not only be appearing on the soap opera "One Life to Live," but he would also be remaking the show's theme song. He told the hosts on "The View" that he loved the program since he was a kid. He would watch it when he was at home on suspension from school.

"I like Bo Buchanan, he's off the hook," Snoop smiled about a character on the show.

He also commented on the Eliot Spitzer scandal, joking that if the disgraced governor would have come to him to get hooked up with a woman, he would have been OK.

"It's too late for advice," Snoop said. "I would have somebody who was real discreet and wouldn't have disclosed his game."

• Snoop Dogg
• Teddy Riley
• DJ Quik

Snoop Dogg
Photo: MTV News

LOS ANGELES — Could Snoop Dogg's smile get any wider? Definitely not. The legendary rapper just got the stamp of approval from one of the world's greatest and best-known athletes: David Beckham.

Yep, their friendship isn't something made up just for the Dogg's E! reality program, "Father Hood."

"I have all of Snoop's albums, and that's definitely one of his best ones," one of Beckham's associates enthusiastically said to Snoop's business partner, Ted Chung, as he stepped outside of the control room where the new LP, Ego Trippin', was playing. Beckham, Arch Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, Snoop and a host of the Dogg's friends were still vibing inside.

"I ain't no groupie or nothing, but that n---a there is the biggest thing to hit L.A. since Shaq," one of Snoop's homies said of the soccer superstar minutes later, leaving to get his digital camera. No way this moment wasn't going to be captured.

After a round of photos Beckham and company left.

"I'll see y'all later, Church!" Beckam said to Snoop.

Ego Trippin' comes out next month, and indeed, Beckham's friend's summation that it will be a gem in Snoop's legendary catalog didn't seem off. The Long Beach, California, rapper turned the album in to his record label Friday and still couldn't get enough of it that night. He gave it one more spin as his friends DJ Quik and Teddy Riley arrived.

"We're known as QDT," Snoop later told MTV News, sitting next to Quik and Teddy. "Compton's finest, if you ask me. ... We've always played for the same team, we just never wore the same uniform.

"Before I was making records, I was buying [Riley's] records," Snoop said. "I was inspired by the whole movement that he had with the New Jack Swing and the R&B records from Al B.Sure, and Keith Sweat ... He's a guy that you sit back and wait for his records to come out, so you can see what you're going to do next."

The three legends have officially forged a musical friendship, kinship and business partnership. QDT want to work together the way Timbaland and Justin Timberlake make albums together and have gone to write, produce and cameo on records for other artists.

Their first project is Ego Trippin'. It started out simply enough: Snoop called in DJ Quik — who has some of the best ears in the business — to mix for the album's early recording sessions. Meanwhile, Riley — who'd been on a year-long sabbatical — met Dogg at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors, where Snoop asked Riley for some beats. He went home and started making a myriad of tracks. Snoop loved the three he heard, and everything blossomed from there.

Riley was given the task of coming up with Ego Trippin's second single, a follow-up to the monster track "Sensual Seduction."

"We redid Morris Day and the Time's 'Cool,' " Snoop said with a smile. "People are gonna trip when they hear how I'm singing on there. Teddy had me sing the whole thing by myself."

"Coooool. Ain't nobody bad like me," Doggy sings on the track. "I got diamonds on my fingers and a couple on my toes. ... I'm just cool. So cool. Ain't nobody bad like me."

Elsewhere, on what will probably be another single, tentatively titled "I'm Alright," the vocal duties are shifted to Raphael Saadiq. (It seems Snoop went back on last year's promise that he'd have no guests on this album.)

"I'm alright, I'm alright, we allllright./ ... Waste of time, go your way, and I'll go mine." The record is about Snoop 86ing a girl.

In the studio, Dogg started dancing, rhyming and sliding on the floor to the sounds of his own music. Don Juan got up and joined in with his own moves. Out of nowhere, Ray J popped up. But that's far from random: Snoop has more famous friends than a dog has fleas, and everybody's welcome to join him.

They just might serve as a muse to one of his rhymes.

"Me and Leonardo DiCaprio," he raps on a song called "Hollywood Nights." "He keep a bad ho. I keep a bad ho."

Pharrell Williams and Too Short also contribute to the LP. This time around, not only did Snoop get people like Shawty Red to write his song lyrics, he brought in a team of aspiring MCs to pen his rap lyrics too.

"I'm into giving people chances," he explained. "They wrote what they thought Snoop Dogg should be saying. It turned out wonderful."

Maybe he should have named the project I'm Not Ego Trippin'.

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• Snoop Dogg
• DJ Quik
• Teddy Riley
• Pharrell Williams
• Raphael Saadiq

Xzibit
Photo: David Livingston/ Getty Images

Xzibit has pimped his career.

With Full Circle, due October 17, the rapper is six records deep, but he feels brand new. "Not only because the audience is broader," X explained, referring to his "Pimp My Ride" fans, "but because of the energy. The way that I'm coming out on this record, it feels like a rebirth. A lot of the politics and bullsh-- that went behind making so many records in the past don't exist anymore."

In other words, Xzibit has cut ties with his former label and gone back to being an indie rapper (with Koch distributing Full Circle).

"I took a strong stand to get away from Sony Records," X explained, detailing how he believes the label failed to promote his two most recent releases. "I sold 2 million records on Loud, which was one-tenth of the size of Sony [2000's Loud release Restless has been certified platinum by the RIAA]. Going over to Sony, they can only push my records to gold [500,000 shipped]. And I'm not going to sit here and believe it was the music. It was the people behind the music.

"So I refused to put another record on there and that's where 'Pimp My Ride,' film and television and everything came from," he continued. "I'm going to show you that I can do something else. We had to pull some strings to get off of Sony ... so I'm taking this as an opportunity to not let music run me. I run the music. I reorganized, rearranged some things — and man, it is so much better."

A spokesperson for Columbia Records did not return a request for comment.

As an independent artist, X has never worked harder on an album, but he believes the reward will be much better, creatively and monetarily. "It's a difference between 15 cents a record or 7 dollars or 8 dollars a record," he said.

To assist in making Full Circle, Xzibit enlisted Keith Shocklee of the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy, Ice Cube) to co-executive produce, and friends like the Game, DJ Quik, T-Pain, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, King Tee, Donell Rawlings and Jelly Roll to contribute production or guest spots.

Longtime collaborator Rick Rock produced the first single, "Concentrate," which samples a Buddhist chant. "It has a lot to do with tranquility, with having peacefulness and everything coming together, moving in one motion," X said. "I think that was the feel to this whole album. Not to get religious on anybody, but it was a good element to provide for the first single."

Full Circle is full of classic Xzibit boast tracks, but it also goes in a few more serious directions. On "Black and Brown," for instance, he addresses the tension between Latinos and African-Americans in Los Angeles, much like Snoop Dogg's "Vato" does (see "Snoop Reclaims His Old Doggystyle, Goes Gangsta For 'Vato' Video").

"I come to this with some experience, because I had altercations with Latin dudes," he said. "I could have come with, 'Man, f--- this, we can perpetuate the cycle.' Or I can sit back and show a different perspective, show a different sign of something that is learned with maturity and learned with some kind of sense about yourself."

On "Rampart Division," Xzibit raps from the perspective of police officers working some of L.A.'s most dangerous neighborhoods. "We got to say, 'F--- the police,' but now we get to hear what the police have to say back to us," X said. "I actually didn't even have to do any research, because as crazy as the song sounds, I actually just took real things that happen in the news. It's not like I'm making it up.

"When the flak comes — 'cause I know you're all coming — when it actually falls on me, all I got to do is just point out places that it actually happened," he said.

• Xzibit
• Game
• DJ Quik

DMX
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

A judge issued an arrest warrant for DMX (real name Earl Simmons) on Wednesday (June 28) after the rapper failed to appear in court, The Associated Press reports. "We have granted him a number of courtesies. It ends now," City Court Judge Barbara Leak said in a White Plains, New York, court. DMX's lawyer said the rapper was ill but that he would be in court Thursday. ...

Britney Spears has refused to pose nude for magazines in the past, but she said yes to Harper's Bazaar, which photographed the six-months-pregnant singer Thursday for a feature story and cover of the August issue. Photos from the shoot have already leaked online, and they reveal the singer holding her baby, lying on a terry-cloth-like robe and glamming it up in a black dress to match her new black hair. The issue hits newsstands July 25. ...

Rihanna kicks off her three-month summer tour — her first road trip as a headliner — Saturday in San Diego. The singer will be joined by Field Mob at the beginning of the trek, which makes stops in cities including Las Vegas (July 3), Cleveland (July 10), Toronto (July 16), New York (August 1), Chicago (August 10) and Detroit (September 3) before wrapping up at the Los Angeles County Fair on September 16. While she's on the road, Rihanna will also take the stage at the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica (July 22), and Fashion Rocks events in Los Angeles (September 6-7) and New York (September 8). ...

Juvenile is bringing his raps to several U.S. military bases this summer. Juvi and openers the Youngbloodz will begin performing for the troops Friday at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Oahu's Kaneohe Bay. After that they'll head to Korea for five dates, ending July 11 at Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek, South Korea. ... Lauren "LC" Conrad says she's not doing "The Hills" because she wants to be famous — she wants a job in the fashion industry. The "Laguna Beach" alumna told Seventeen for its August cover story that she hopes to create her own line, "specifically for younger girls — more fun, trendy things." But in order to make that dream come true, "you have to have a name," she said. And in order to make the show work for her, she's quit drinking. "You either have a social life or a successful career. ... Now I barely go out." LC says she's also learned that she has to be "on" all the time now, even when the cameras are off. "You can't be rude if someone comes up to you and you're just in a bad mood," she explains. "I have days where I don't want to talk to anybody. I just want to go to the grocery store and get my soup — but I can't do that without having to smile. I mean, you only get one chance to make a first impression." (Check out photos of LC in Seventeen.). ...

Waiting until July 4 to play Ozzfest's second stage wasn't working for Ozzy Osbourne, so he's decided to step into the small time three days early. Ozzy is giving up his mainstage headlining spot to make his second-stage debut Saturday at San Francisco's Shoreline Amphitheatre. ... Korn have a buy-two-get-two-free deal for fans who pick up their "Live on the Other Side" DVD. The first 70,000 copies of the disc include a voucher for two free lawn tickets to the Family Values Tour, redeemable after the purchase of two lawn tickets. ... DJ Quik surrendered to authorities in San Bernardino County, California, on Thursday and is currently in custody, serving a 150-day term for violating a probation order, according to court records. Quik was sentenced in 2005 to two years of supervised probation on charges related to a 2003 incident in which his sister alleged she was assaulted by the rapper. ...

The short, intense life of musician Jeff Buckley is headed for the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer/ director Brian Jun ("Steel City") will write and direct a feature based on Buckley's life that will be co-produced by the late musician's mother, Mary Guibert. Buckley, an emotional singer whose three-and-a-half-octave range gave his vocals a haunted, angelic quality, drowned in Memphis in 1997 at age 30. No release date or casting details have been announced. ...

Phish are bringing a little bit of Brooklyn, New York, to Burlington, Vermont, next month. The world premiere of the band's "Live in Brooklyn" concert film — shot in Coney Island on June 17, 2004 — will be hosted at Burlington's Waterfront Park on July 9. The rain-or-shine free screening starts at 8:15 p.m. Fans who can't get to Burlington (or who just prefer watching the show in multiplex comfort) can see the movie on the big screen July 10 at 9 p.m. BigScreenConcerts.com has a list of participating theaters. The "Live in Brooklyn" DVD is in stores July 11. ... Muse's Black Holes and Revelations is also due July 11, but the British band's fans don't have to wait any longer to hear the album. Their latest batch of new music is streaming in its entirety at the band's MySpace page. ...

Does bad karma smell this bad? A judge has ordered Boy George (born George O'Dowd) to spend five days working for New York's Department of Sanitation, AP reports. The singer's community service is the result of his falsely reporting to police that his apartment had been burglarized earlier this year.

06.27.2006

Britney Spears has made it clear that she wants the press to give her a break, and she told OK! Weekly magazine that she's beginning to think her pleas aren't falling on deaf ears. "With the media, it's like, 'You really just have to leave me alone right now.' I think they are getting the picture. It's a blessing and I'm really thankful for it." The pregnant singer, who poses in the magazine to accent her baby bump, says she's not sure how she'll balance family life with her music career. "I'm still trying to figure that out — taking it day by day," she explained. ...

Michael Jackson is going through another shake-up. While awaiting his civil case with former business partner Marc Schaffel, the singer has severed ties with much of his team. Jackson has fired his accountants, business managers and his Bahrani attorneys, hiring New York counsel and naming his publicist as manager instead. The singer is still planning to put out an album, which he says will be coming out in 2007, and he plans to tour within the next several months as well. And he won't be staying in the Middle East much longer — he plans to relocate to Europe in the near future, his representative said. ...

Paris Hilton frolics on a beach with a hot guy in the video for "Stars Are Blind," but she doesn't want you to think she's the kind of girl who cozies up to strangers. "It was kind of embarrassing, making out with some guy on the beach," she said. "And I'm worrying that [paparazzi] are going to use the pictures and make up some lie when it's really just a music video, so that was kind of uncomfortable." Hilton says she has readied another version of the video that will explain everything. "You see more of the love story and how I know the guy." ...

New mom Gwen Stefani knows what time it is — time to debut a line of L.A.M.B. watches. The singer/designer will have 28 timepieces in stores this July, with more due in time for the holiday season. The watches, which include pieces inspired by L.A.M.B. clothing as well as more classic signature pieces designed by Stefani, will debut at Nordstrom's before hitting department stores and boutiques worldwide. ... 50 Cent and Jermaine Dupri were named Songwriters of the Year at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards on Monday. The rapper and the producer were each lauded for their contributions to five hit songs. LL Cool J was presented with the ASCAP Golden Note Award, while 50's "Candy Shop" took the Ringtone of the Year prize. ...

"Promiscuous" is a hit in the U.S., "Maneater" is tearing up Europe, and now Nelly Furtado is contemplating which single she'll release next. "There's this hot track that we're thinking about," Furtado told MTV Radio. "It's called 'Te Busque.' It's a Spanish track featuring Juanes from Colombia." But U.S. fans shouldn't count out "Maneater" yet. "Maybe 'Maneater' will come to the States after it's done invading Europe," she said. ... The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday not to weigh in on the contract dispute between TVT Records and the Island Def Jam Music Group regarding Ja Rule's recording career, The Associated Press reports. Island Def Jam was originally ordered to pay TVT $132 million for backing out of a deal that would have the independent label releasing Ja Rule music. A New York appeals court voided the decision in June 2005, reducing the damages to $126,000. Lawyers for TVT sought to have the appeal overturned by the Supreme Court. ...

The Arcade Fire have recorded 15 songs for their new album and hope to make a trek to Budapest next month to record a few more with a full orchestra. That's according to frontman Win Butler, who took a break from the recording process — currently under way in a church in the band's home city of Montreal — to post an update on ArcadeFire.com. In addition to big-upping the World Cup, Butler also wrote that the bandmembers are focusing on learning to play new instruments, including "a big f---ing pipe organ. ... It's going to be really interesting [to see] how we're going to fit all of these new sounds on a tour bus." There's still no release date for the follow-up to the Arcade Fire's breakout 2004 album, Funeral, but Butler promises that he'll know more very soon. "The next couple of weeks we will be pulling our hair out," he wrote. "I will say hi when we come up for air." ...

For the first time in more than 35 years, former MC5 members Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson will share a bill with fellow Detroit rock pioneers Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The bands are playing this year's All Tomorrow's Parties Festival, curated by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and set for December 8-10 at Butlins Minehead in Somerset, England. ... British rockers Starsailor have set an August 22 release date for their third album, On the Outside. Rob Schnapf (Beck, the Vines) produced the album in Los Angeles. ...

Leigh Nash, who used to sing for Sixpence None the Richer — remember "Kiss Me"? — is releasing her debut solo album, Blue on Blue, August 15 on her own One Son Records. Nash worked with Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright) on the release. ... Stacie Orrico will follow up her self-titled 2003 release with Beautiful Awakening, due August 29. The first single is called "I'm Not Missing You." ... Barenaked Ladies have released online the 16 individual studio tracks for their new single, "Easy," allowing fans to easily remix the tune. The band will do the same for four more new songs and then release a benefit EP collecting its favorite fan remixes of each. The band's full-length Barenaked Ladies Are Me is due September 12.

• Lauren 'LC' Conrad In 'Seventeen' Magazine

• DMX
• Britney Spears
• Rihanna
• Juvenile
• Jeff Buckley

• Snoop Dogg
• Tha Dogg Pound
• Ice Cube
• DJ Quik
• Too Short

DJ Quik
Photo: Arista

DJ Quik is a wanted man.

A $50,000 arrest warrant was issued last week by Fontana, California, police for the rapper/producer on charges of felony burglary and assault.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on November 2 during which Quik, whose real name is David Blake, allegedly broke into the home of his sister, Debra Armstrong, 42, and assaulted her. A police spokesperson said two children and another adult friend were also home at the time and witnessed the incident.

Fontana police said on Monday (December 1) they don't know where the 33-year-old Quik is but they have contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to help locate him. Quik could face up to 10 years in jail if convicted of both crimes.

Police said the delay between the date of the alleged assault and the issuance of the arrest warrant was a result of needing to gather sufficient evidence.

Quik started out as a West Coast rapper in the early '90s but he's gained fame lately for his skills behind the soundboard. He produced the anthemic club single "Addictive" for singer Truth Hurts last year and has most recently produced tracks for Talib Kweli and Jay-Z.

• DJ Quik

DJ Quik
Photo: MTV News

Gangsta rapper DJ Quik is moving from bitches and hos to crescendos and allegros.

The man behind songs like "Sweet Black Pu---" and "Born and Raised in Compton" is conducting an orchestra for the score of the upcoming Chris Rock comedy "Head of State."

"It's another avenue for me and I love it," Quik said Monday. "[It's] strings and brass and orchestration mixed with hip-hop. And the main vignette in the movie I did with Nate Dogg doing the singing."

Aside from scoring the movie, due in theaters March 28, DJ Quik will contribute at least one song to the soundtrack. In "Head of State," which marks Rock's directorial debut, the comedian plays a Washington, D.C., alderman unexpectedly selected by the Democratic Party as its presidential candidate.

As for Quik, in what little time he's had outside of the film ("transcription of all the pieces takes most of my time"), he's produced tracks for new albums by Talib Kweli, Beanie Sigel and Nate Dogg.

The latter song, titled "Get Up" and featuring Eve, will be the first single from Nate's latest star-studded, self-titled release (see "Snoop, Eve, Xzibit To Appear On Next Nate Dogg LP").

"It's Parliament-Funkish, but without sampling," Quik said of the track. "After hanging with George Clinton, I get it. I know how to produce these records and make them sound authentic. He showed me some things."

DJ Quik has also been in the studio with a few artists from his Bungalo Records label, including Butch Cassidy, Suga Free and newcomer Amir, a soulful 26-year-old rapper of Persian descent.

"I was in a studio with Butch, and Amir was in another session and he opened up the possibility of doing some production," Quik explained. "So we talked a little bit and he was hungry, and I listened to his projects and it was another kind of music for me, the whole Persian and Arabic thing."

After working with Amir, Quik said he began studying music from other cultures, which eventually lead to him discovering the sample for Truth Hurts' "Addictive," which he co-produced with Dr. Dre (see "Dr. Dre, Interscope Stung With $500 Million Lawsuit Over 'Addictive' ").

DJ Quik expects Amir to draw comparisons to Eminem because of his skin color, but he promised the rapper has his own unique style.

Like Slim Shady, though, Amir is both personal and controversial with his lyrics. Songs on his debut, Images of My Mind, due early next year, include "Bombs Over Saddam," "What's My Life Worth" and "Bloody Murder."

Quik is particularly fond of the Erick Sermon-produced "My Life Is Done." "It's like his autobiography, how he was getting into trouble and what he used to do to get his kicks, like sniffing gas out of go-karts."

After Amir's album is released, Bungalo Records will focus on Suga Free's follow-up to Street Gospel (1997).

"[It's] Richard Pryor's lyrics over some Dr. Dre-type production," Quik said of the rapper's new material. "It's real interesting. It's comedy, but really street, really vulgar, on the pimp thing. He's a real rhythmic dude. He can beat on the table and rap at the same time without missing a beat. That takes a lot of talent."

• DJ Quik

Truth Hurts
Photo: Interscope

Truth Hurts, and the lawsuit her record label has been slapped with can't feel too good, either.

An Indian film and music company is suing Interscope Records and its parent company, Universal Music Group, to the tune of more than $500 million over the use of an unlicensed sample on "Addictive," the first single from Truth Hurts' debut LP, Truthfully Speaking.

A lawyer retained by Calcutta's Saregama India Limited filed a copyright infringement lawsuit — which also names as defendants the album's producer, Dr. Dre, and his Aftermath Records imprint — in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, on September 12.

"Addictive" uses a sample of the 20-year-old song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" by the popular Indian artist Lata Mangeshkar without permission from copyright holder Saregama India Ltd., attorney Dedra S. Davis claims. Not only was a snippet of Mangeshkar's soaring vocals borrowed, but the hook, melody and rhythm were also lifted, Davis alleges.

"When you hear it, it's like, 'Oh my God, they didn't even try to get original with it,' " she said. "[They didn't] try to change it up or anything like that."

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November 22. Saregama India Ltd. has a British subsidiary branch within the court's jurisdiction in Texas, which is why the case is being heard in Houston.

Davis said she issued Universal Music Group a cease-and-desist letter prior to filing the suit, which the label conglomerate ignored. Additionally, Seregama India Ltd.'s copyright manager asked UMG to stop using the sample because the lyrics of "Addictive," in which rapper Rakim drops the F-bomb in his rhymes and Truth sings the lines "I like it rough" and "He makes me scream," were potentially offensive to some Indians' cultural and religious sensibilities. The letter only serves as evidence that UMG was made aware of Seregama India's claim as copyright holders of the song, and the objectionable content doesn't factor into the lawsuit.

Coincidentally, UMG's foreign subsidiary Universal India sought and was granted permission to license the song for an unrelated use as a cover 12 days before Truthfully Speaking was released June 26, furthering the suit's claim that "the defendants clearly and admittedly knew their activities were, and currently are, infringing on [Seragama's] copyrighted work."

A Universal Music Group spokesperson had no comment on the matter.

The 90-year-old production and distribution company is seeking monetary damages based on profits from the sale of Truthfully Speaking, the single "Addictive," attorney's fees and punitive damages amounting to $500 million. Truthfully Speaking has sold more than 273,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

The complaint states that "the defendants' infringing conduct has also caused, and is causing, substantial and irreparable injury and damage to [Saregama] in an amount not capable of determination, and, unless restrained, will cause further irreparable injury, leaving the plaintiffs with no adequate remedy at law."

DJ Quik, who produced "Addictive," said he stumbled upon the track one night on television.

"I woke up one morning, ... I turned on the TV and landed on this Hindi channel and just turned it up real loud," Quik explained this past summer. "There was a commercial on, and I just got up and went into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. I'm brushing, and before I knew it, I was grooving. ... [The beat on the TV] was just in my body. I went back in there and looked at the TV — there was a girl on there bellydancing, just like real fly. So I pushed record on the VCR."

— Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

• Truth Hurts
• Dr. Dre
• DJ Quik
• Lata Mangeshkar

Following a string of radio festival appearances and a free show in Sacramento, California, Papa Roach will host three in-store performances in as many days, to promote their new album, lovehatetragedy. June 18, the day of the LP's release, finds the quartet in Los Angeles, then it's off to Minneapolis and Long Island, New York. ...

Dave Matthews Band will include a bonus DVD of live footage, including a performance of "When the World Ends" and a 5.1 surround sound version of "Bartender," with their upcoming Busted Stuff, due July 16. The CD will also include a link to a special band Web site when played in CD-ROM drives. ...

C-Murder's second-degree murder trial finally has a date. The rapper is scheduled to stand trial September 17 to face charges that he shot and killed a 16-year-old at a nightclub in Louisiana six months ago. ...

Ashanti and DJ Quik will host the 15th annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Celebration June 17 in Beverly Hills. Stevie Wonder will present the Heritage Award to Earth, Wind & Fire, and City High, Mary Mary and Chanté Moore will attend. ... Also in Beverly Hills, Elton John, Sting and B.B. King will perform at the 15th annual Carousel of Hope benefit October 15. Halle Berry will present Sidney Poitier with the Brass Ring Award at the dinner. ...

Disturbed will film a video for "Prayer" in Los Angeles the week of June 24. The track, the first single from their next album, will be directed by the Brothers Strause. ...

Electro-Shock Blues Show, an Eels live album recorded in 1998, will be released on singer E's E Works label on July 8 via the band's Web site, www.eelstheband.com. The group's previous Internet-only live album, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, will be discontinued. ...

Fu Manchu, Speedealer and Brand New Sin will hit the road starting July 2. ... Death metal band the Haunted will head into the studio on August 26 to record their third album. ... Sick of It All will release a live album in August called Live at a Dive on Fat Wreck Chords. ... Morbid Angel bassist/vocalist Jared Anderson has left the band for undisclosed reasons. ... The Crown is also down one member — the band's frontman, Tomas Lindberg, has parted ways with his group, also for undisclosed reasons. ... Deicide frontman Glen Benton will be working with a new band called Vital Remains. Benton refuses to comment on the future of Deicide ... In Flames will be putting their as-yet-untitled album out in September. ...

The Pharcyde's Tre Hardson will drop his solo debut, Liberation, September 10. The 17-track LP touts cameos from Saul Williams, Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, MC Lyte and N'Dea Davenport. ...

Paul Oakenfold has signed on to score the upcoming British thriller "Psychoville," his first film project since last year's "Swordfish." Meanwhile, Oakenfold will play more than a dozen dates (ending July 13 in Denver) to promote Bunkka, his debut studio album, due June 18. ...

Former Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar will release the ThirdShiftGrottoSlack EP on August 13. The disc will consist of "Damn Shame (Memphis Mix)," a remix of a track originally on his 2001 solo album, Sebastopol, and four previously unreleased songs: "Greenwich Time," "Station to Station," "Kind of Madness" and "Dues." ...

Brandywine, Maryland, will host one of the best-named concert events of the summer, the Moe or Les Festival, on July 12 and 13. moe. and Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade will headline a bill that also includes jam bands Strangefolk and the All Mighty Senators. ... Shivaree will release their second album, Rough Dreams, on September 17. ...

• Papa Roach
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Ashanti
• C-Murder

Belle & Sebastian
Photo: Matador Records

After five years of waiting for a new full-length solo effort, DJ Shadow's fans are finally treated to the follow-up album to Entroducing ... This time the innovative DJ offers The Private Press, an album that took him 15 months to complete and was created entirely from sampled music.

Also out Tuesday (June 4) is young newcomer Avril Lavigne's debut Let Go, an album devoted to urging people to be themselves, as evidenced on such songs as "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi."

Me'Shell Ndegeocello's Cookie: An Anthropological Mixtape shares shelf space with Belle & Sebastian's Storytelling and the Roots' resident human beat box, Scratch, and his The Embodiment of Instrumentation.

And how about those soundtracks to go with the summer movie blockbusters? This week's notables are "Getting There," the latest Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen adventure which bills the twins as "Sweet 16 and licensed to drive"; and music from and inspired by "Scooby-Doo," featuring Outkast, Kylie Minogue and Lil' Romeo, which might just be better than the movie itself. Ruuh-oh!

Out Tuesday, June 4:

• 281 Boyz - Chopped & Screwed 2003 (Ichiban)
• Atreyu - Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses (Victory)
• Audiovent - Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris (Atlantic) Read about it ... Lil' Incubus? Audiovent's Boyd, Einziger Say No
• Aurora UK - Dreaming (Groovilicious)
• Beachwood Sparks - Make the Cowboy Robots Cry (EP) (Sub Pop)
• Belle & Sebastian - Storytelling (Matador)
• The Bevis Frond - What Did for the Dinosaurs (Rubric)
• Yume Bitsu - The Golden Vessyl of Sound (K)
• Bloodlet - Three Humid Nights in the Cypress Trees (Victory)
• Boom Box 2000 - Boom Box 2000 (Orange Twin)
• Brand New Sin - Brand New Sin (Now or Never)
• Chris Brokaw - Red Cities (Atavistic)
• Pieta Brown - Pieta Brown (Rubric)
• Clan of Xymox - Remixes from the Underground (Metropolis)
• Preston Clarke - Lane Change (Biscuit)
• Cordelia's Dad - What It Is (Kimchee)
• Danzig - 777: I Luciferi (Spitfire)
• Da Outfit - Lost Underground (Strictly Rhythm)
• Dead Poetic - Four Wall Blackmail (Solid State)
• Deerhoof - Reveille (Kill Rock Stars)
• John Digweed - MMII (WSM)
• Dillinger Four - Situationist Comedy (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Dirty Vegas - Dirty Vegas (Capitol) Read about it ... Days Go By, And Still You Can't Get Dirty Vegas Out Of Your Head
• Dismantled - Dismantled (Metropolis)
• DJ Irene - Phonosynthesis (Warlock)
• DJ Quik - Under Tha Influence (Ark 21)
• DJ Shadow - The Private Press (MCA)
• Doves - The Last Broadcast (Heavenly)
• Engorged - Engorged (Death Vomit)
• Enon - High Society (Touch & Go)
• E.S.T. - Strange Place for Snow (Columbia)
• Glory Fountain - The Beauty of 23 (Lajoy)
• Go Jimmy Go - Soul Arrival (Moon Room)
• The Hellacopters - Cream of the Crap Vol. 1 (Gearhead)
• High Contrast - True Colors (Breakbeat Science)
• Hometown News - Wheels (VFR)
• In Extremo - Sunder Ohine Zugel (Unbridled Sinner) (Metal Blade)
• Jack Ingram - Electric (Sony/Lucky Dog)
• Interpol - Interpol (Matador)
• J-200 - A Trip From Grace (Loose Booty)
• Donell Jones - Life Goes On (La Face)
• Tommy Keene - The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (spinART)
• Willie Kennedy - Cape Breton Violin (Rounder)
• The Kennedys - Get It Right (Jiffyjam)
• Sherry Goffin Kondor - Mellow My Baby: Soothing Songs (Sugar Beats/Rounder)
• Lackloves - Star City Baby (Rainbow Quartz)
• Avril Lavigne - Let Go (Arista) Read about it ... It's Not 'Complicated' — 17-Year-Old Avril Lavigne Was Born To Rock
• Shannon Lawson - Chase the Sun (MCA Nashville)
• LMNT - All Sides (Purple Leopard)
• Lollipop Lust Kill - My So Called Knife (Artemis)
• Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan (Mammoth)
• Luce - Luce (Nettwerk)
• Manowar - Warriors of the World (Metal Blade)
• Matthew - Everybody Down (Rykodisc)
• Tift Merritt - Bramble Rose (Lost Highway)
• The Miracles - Tears of a Clown (Park South)
• Coco Montoya - Can't Look Back (Alligator)
• My Vitriol - Finelines (Epic)
• Myracle Brah - Super Automatic (Rainbow Quartz)
• Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape (Maverick)
• Marykate O'Neil - Marykate O'Neil (Seventy-One)
• Teddy Pendergrass - Pure Love (Park South)
• People Under the Stairs - O.S.T. (Om)
• Archer Prewitt - Three (Touch & Go)
• Rearview Mirror - All Lights Off (Gobstopper)
• Rotten Sound - Murderworks (Death Vomit)
• Saeed & Palash - Tide:Edit:07 (Star 69)
• Scratch - The Embodiment of Instrumentation (Ropeadope)
• Seelenluft - Out of the Woods (Klein)
• Sev - All These Dreams (Geffen)
• Side Walk Slam - Give Back (Tooth & Nail)
• Silkworm - Italian Premium (Touch & Go)
• Spaceheads - Low Pressure (Merge)
• Speedealer - Second Sight (Palm Pictures)
• Speedy J - Loudboxer (Mute)
• Swearing at Motorists - This Flag Signals Goodbye (Secretly Canadian)
• The Takers - If the Blues Were Red (Rubric)
• Thuunderboy! - Thuunderboy! (Table of the Elements)
• Trammps - Dance Fever (Park South)
• Trouble With Sweeny - Play Karen & Others (Basement Life)
• Vader - Revelation (Metal Blade)
• Steve Vai - Elusive Light & Sound Vol. 1 (Favored Nations)
• Various artists - "Bad Company" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - The Best of Broadway Musicals (Park South)
• Various artists - The Best of "Star Wars": Collector's Edition Soundtrack (Park South)
• Various artists - Celebrate America (Disney/Vista)
• Various artists - "Cherish" soundtrack (New Line)
• Various artists - Chilled Grooves (Water Music)
• Various artists - Cuts: Session 1 (Groovilicious)
• Various artists - "Enough" soundtrack (Varese Sarabande)
• Various artists - "Getting There" soundtrack (Trauma)
• Various artists - If the 21st Century Didn't Exist ... (Five Rue Christine)
• Various artists - Price for Peace (American Journey)
• Various artists - "Scooby-Doo" soundtrack (Lava) Read about it ... 'Scooby-Doo' Soundtrack To Feature Lil' Romeo, Kylie, Shaggy (Zoinks!)
• Various artists - Smooth Grooves: At the Club (Rhino)
• Various artists - Soundbombing III (MCA)
• Various artists - "Spider-Man" score (Soundtrax)
• Various artists - Total Hits 2002 (Rhino)
• Vegas - Retro Lounge Vol. 2 (Park South)
• Yid Vicious - Forverts! (JAM/Knitting Factory)
• Roger Wallace - The Lowdown (Lone Star)
• Anna Waronker - Anna by Anna Waronker (Oglio)
• The Young Dubliners - Absolutely (Higher Octave)
• Young People - Young People (Five Rue Christine)

June 11:

• Korn - Untouchables (Epic) Read about it ... Korn: The Untouchables
• David Bowie - Heathen (ISO/Columbia) Read about it ... Foos' Dave Grohl, Moby Are Bowie Buddies On New LP
• Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage (Universal)
• They Might Be Giants - No! (Rounder)
• Various artists - The Osbourne Family Album (Epic) Read about it ... Osbournes Unveil F---ing Family Album

June 18:

• Papa Roach - Lovehatetragedy (DreamWorks) Read about it ... Papa Roach Distance Themselves From Rap-Metal Peers On New LP
• Swizz Beatz - G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (DreamWorks) Read about it ... Swizz Beatz Unveils Metallica/Ja Rule Track, Sets 'Guilty' Single

June 25:

• Boy George - Night Out (Moonshine)
• Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip (Island/Def Jam) Read about it ... Jerry Cantrell Conjures Ghost Of Alice In Chains On New LP
• Solange Knowles - Solo Star (Columbia) Read about it ... Solange, Beyonce's Lil' Sis, Says She's No Destiny's Child

July 2:

• "Men in Black 2" soundtrack (Sony) Read about it ... Will Smith Preps Next LP, New Tracks For 'MIB2'
• Jerzee Monet - Love & War (DreamWorks) Read about it ... Jerzee Monét: Workin' For Her Big Break

July 9:

• Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic) Read about it ... Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama, Plan New York Dates

July 16:

• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit) Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court

• Avril Lavigne
• Dirty Vegas
• DJ Quik
• DJ Shadow
• Audiovent

Snoop, Cube, More On The Set Of The "Cali Iz Active" Video, 04.22.06

• Snoop Dogg
• Xzibit
• Tha Dogg Pound
• Ice Cube
• DJ Quik

Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, T.I., Game, Remy Ma, Nick Cannon At The 2005 'Vibe' Awards Red Carpet

• T.I.
• Game
• Ludacris
• Mary J. Blige
• Nick Cannon