Blake Lewis
Photo: Michael Becker/ Fox

On his possible path to the "American Idol" title next week, Blake Lewis has already notched a lot of firsts for the show.

He was the first contestant to rock a tuxedo T-shirt; the first to brave songs by the Cure (via 311), Jamiroquai and Maroon 5; the first finalist with visible tattoos; the first one to rap (see " 'Idol' Gets Its First Taste Of Hip-Hop — Thanks To A Rock Band"); and the first person — possibly ever — to add a beatbox breakdown to the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancin'."

Ah, yes, the beatboxing. The kids seem to love it, but Simon has said it was a bit much and kind of gimmicky for him, and Randy has complained that Lewis doesn't really need it. But Lewis can't resist adding a little bit of mouth-magic to his songs — even Bon Jovi tunes (see " 'Idol' Recap: Blake's Brave Choice Is 'Brilliant'; Jordin Is 'Criminally Heinous' ") — so we wondered what professional beatboxers make of Lewis' skills. We polled some of the greatest voicestrumentalists around to get their take.

Who: Doug E. Fresh
Beatbox cred: Considered one of the greatest beatboxers of all time, Fresh is best known for his landmark 1985 single "The Show/ La Di Da Di," featuring Slick Rick.
Nickname: "Original Human Beatbox" (the name of an early single).
His take: Fresh said he's been following the ascent of Lewis all season and he loves what he's seen. So much, in fact, that he's in talks to make an appearance on next week's finale (though a spokesperson for the show would not confirm his appearance at press time). "I've seen the kid, and I love him," Fresh said. "I'm really happy about it, and I think that including me in the show will really help shed light on where the art started and the history of beatbox."

Who: Michael Winslow
Beatbox cred: The "Police Academy" movies, Weird Al's "Eat It" video.
Nickname: Man of 10,000 sound effects.
His take: The actor/ standup comedian, who's been beatboxing for nearly 30 years, gave Lewis props for doing his thing. "I have to congratulate him on doing it at all," Winslow said. "It's not entered mainstream culture, and it's mainstream now because of him." Winslow, who does occasionally watch the show and has seen Lewis interject his signature air scratches and beatboxing into songs by Thicke and the Bee Gees, said — Simon be damned — the kid from Washington does a "credible" job. He also thinks Lewis should definitely use some beatboxing on his inevitable first album.

Who: Kenny Muhammad
Beatbox cred: Has performed with Rahzel, Squarepusher, Matisyahu, Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone and beatboxed with the New York Symphony Orchestra.
Nickname: The Human Orchestra.
His take: "I can't believe he made it to the next round!" said Muhammad, who tuned in to "Idol" Wednesday night during a break from recording his debut album. "The other chick [Melinda Doolittle] got snubbed. As far as him doing the human beatbox, he doesn't take it seriously. He isn't a serious human-beatbox artist. He's an amateur. He's using it as a gimmick to let people know he's hip, to get that edge so he can get over by doing that. He's not really laying it down and his attitude doesn't really say, 'I believe in this.' "

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Blake Lewis: The Accidental Idol
• 'Idol' In 60 Seconds

• Final 12 "American Idol" Performances

• Doug E. Fresh

Jamie Foxx performs at Houston's Essence fest on Sunday
Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

HOUSTON — "Perm in your hair or even a curly weave/ With that New Edition Bobby Brown button on your sleeve."

There may not have been any New Edition buttons to be seen in the crowd — as LL Cool J once rapped about in "Around the Way Girl" — but there were definitely a couple of "Candy Girl" shirts over the Fourth of July weekend in Houston. All six members of New Edition were in town, as were LL; Mary J. Blige; Doug E. Fresh; Earth, Wind & Fire; Chris Brown; Keyshia Cole; Jamie Foxx; Jaheim and many other stars for three days of concerts and seminars at Essence magazine's 12th annual Essence Music Festival.

The Essence Fest — which took place July 1-3 at Reliant Stadium — featured a bounty of soul, classic hip-hop, and an off-the-chain Bobby Brown.

"New Edition and Bobby Brown, I hope I [perform] before that," Foxx said early Sunday afternoon after getting offstage as a keynote speaker. "After that, it's going to be smithereens. This music is coming back. I been hearing some record execs, and they trying to get back to the R&B thing. Tonight we'll have a chance to sit and reflect [on] when the music just made you want to do the running man."

" 'My Prerogative' — it was crazy," Chris Brown said of Bobby's solo work. " 'Every Little Step,' all that. I was only 2 or 3 years old, so I didn't know all the words, but I could hum the songs. I used to watch the videos when I was younger and try to get the steps. He brought a lot of energy to the game and showed that young kids could do it."

Sunday night was Bobby Brown's opportunity to bring back his whole King of the Stage persona. Away from the arena, Brown isn't nearly as ferocious as he's purported to be. In the wee hours of Saturday night, Brown was in his hotel lobby with some friends and family expressing how disappointed he was to have missed Blige, who performed Saturday. He joked about how his daughter, Bobbi Kristina, hasn't learned how to penny-pinch yet, and he also weighed in on some of his favorite comics — Eddie Murphy was at the top of the list. Passers-by might not have known it was him if it weren't for his New Edition fitted cap and the pictures he was taking with fans.

When he's at the arena, however, Bob is every bit the wild man people loved in the '80s and '90s.

"Bobby, go this way. Bob, we have to go this way. Bobby," Brown's manager and brother pleaded an hour before Brown was due onstage to "reunite" with New Edition. Brown's actually been performing spot dates with his former group for the past few months, jumping onstage for some of their old songs as well as some of his solo classics (see "New Edition Reuniting Again — And This Time, Bobby's On Board").

"We're going to go [right] because they told me to go [left]," he said. "That's what I do. I start trouble. Who's in the mutha---in' house? This is how Bobby bes Bobby."

Instead of following the schedule and going upstairs, Brown went to the side of the stage where Foxx was standing behind a closed curtain. For a few seconds, it looked like Brown was going to jump onstage with Foxx, but a woman in his entourage urged him to calm down. Instead, Bobby went over and talked to Blige, who watched Foxx from the side as well. MJB, who headlined the show Saturday night, looked shocked to see Bob, but nonetheless had a big smile for him as they chatted.

Foxx kept fans on their feet with some selections from his Unpredictable LP but really made people laugh when he walked to center stage wearing dark sunglasses and started a spot-on imitation of Ray Charles, segueing into a snippet of "Gold Digger."

While Foxx was the center of attention in front of the crowd, backstage, all the focus was on some late arrivals. Magic Johnson was greeted by the Reverend Jesse Jackson when he arrived. Chris Brown, who arrived late upon returning from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, lost his opening spot on the main stage and was relegated to a smaller-stage performance in another part of the stadium.

Hundreds of kids missed the rest of the mainstage show to get a good spot for Brown's set, which was cut short because a few girls started to faint. The excitement was too much.

On the big stage, New Edition kept the electricity going. While Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell and Mike Bivins were dressed up in white suits, Brown jumped onstage during "Jealous Girl" and "Mr. Telephone Man" in jeans and a blue suit jacket. It didn't take Brown too long to work his way out of the jacket and jeans, although he did manage to keep a tie on with his T-shirt.

The side of the stage filled with celebrity onlookers; Mary J. Blige watched New Edition with her husband, Babyface rolled in and Play from Kid 'N Play floated around.

"We did the damn thing as usual," DeVoe said in triumph.

"We're only one song into Bobby's set and he's already close to being naked," Tresvant joked while Brown belted his solo hits.

The group's dressing room looked like a 1980s reunion, with Dana Dane, Whodini, Biz Markie, MC Lyte and the Sugar Hill Gang all coming in to meet up with New Edition. A few feet outside the dressing room, Slick Rick and Geto Boy Willie D exchanged pleasantries.

The Essence Festival closed Monday night with Cole, Frankie Beverly and Maze, and Toni Braxton.

Several speakers, such as Monique, Louis Farrakhan and Foxx, spoke on social topics during the weekend seminars. Essence also introduced an initiative aimed to educate and inspire black youth. The magazine debuted a commercial for a program called "Essence Cares," which features Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Diddy, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte and others.

"What Essence Festival does, if you look at the country overall — you would look at it as far as society — our strongest and weakest link is African-Americans," Foxx said. "We're strong in great things — music, business sometimes. But ... Essence gives us a chance to get our mental together. In this situation, you give young black kids an opportunity to see young black doctors, businessmen. It gives you an opportunity to see something else [other than singers and rappers]."

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

• Chris Brown Singing, Dancing And More
• The Many Faces Of Mary J. Blige

• Mary J. Blige
• LL Cool J
• Bobby Brown
• Jamie Foxx
• Keyshia Cole

T.R. Love at Fresh Fest 2005
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — There might never have been an Anger Management 3, a Rock the Mic or even a Survival of the Illest Tour if it weren't for Fresh Fest.

Some 21 years ago, Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Whodini and the Fat Boys were among the groups participating in the trek, which was the first hip-hop road show to gross heavy box-office numbers.

On Friday night, the Fresh Fest returned with a lineup of hip-hop legends ready to resuscitate the tour, armed with a catalog of timeless music from the '80s and early '90s.

"We'd be able to go on the road, do four nights a week — sometimes five — for three to four months straight," Jalil Hutchins of Whodini said Friday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom. "[We'd] pull up in your town, hit the hotel, go do some radio, go do a soundcheck, come back, eat, do the show, go to the afterparty. [We'd hook up with] a couple of chicks, and then hit the road and come back and do that again and again and again. Now I do one show, kiss a chick and I'm through."

Whodini, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Dana Dane, Biz Markie, Nice & Smooth, Chubb Rock and former members of the Sugar Hill Gang all took the stage for the kick off of what promoters say will be a 20-city tour.

"I think the world has gotten nostalgic," Slick Rick said. "Hip-hop is pushing 40, but the older generation is not being catered to at all. We're hoping that we can open up a market that can push for this older, mature hip-hop tip."

"There's definitely an audience that wants to hear it," Big Daddy Kane said. "I think what's more important is the support. As long as radio is supporting it and making it seem like the big event it is — but if they trying to pass it off like it's some old-school show, and categorize cats and plant in the young generation's mind that 'That's the past,' [it's not cool]. But if radio and media support it, and instill in the younger generation that's this is where it comes from and this what you need to keep it alive, then it can be effective."

As it turns out, Kane was one of the show's main headliners, but he left a little before his showtime because of a dispute with the show's promoter over payment. A spokesperson for the promoter, Blackberry Entertainment, said the company did not have the full cash payment that had been agreed upon with Kane on hand, and the rapper refused to accept a check. Kane could not be reached for comment at press time.

Despite a lackluster turnout (the house was approximately one-third full), show-openers Nice & Smooth brought the energy like they were playing in a sold-out stadium. Their set was highlighted by Gregg Nice's spastic dances (he wore a T-shirt that said, "Rehab is for quitters") and outbursts like "Whop-bababloo-bop-a-bop-bambu." For "How to Flow," Nice got his Farnsworth Bentley on, dancing with an umbrella and yelling, "Make it rain, brother!" Smooth Bee might have had the stage prop of the night though: a guitar, which he pretended to play for "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow."

The prize for surprise guest of the night went to the Bronx duo: They didn't have Guru on hand when they performed "Dwyck," their collab with Gang Starr, but they did have Joeski Love come out to perform his 1986 hit, "Pee Wee's Dance."

After Chubb Rock delivered a brief set, Dana Dane entered the stage for hits like "Nightmare" and "Delancey Street." He too had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, bringing out Kwame for "The Rhythm" and D-Nice for "Call Me D-Nice."

Whodini might have been the night's show stealers, handling their business with showmanship like it was '88 all over again. The group was actually the first rap act to have dancers for their performance. "At that time it was costly to bring dancers on the road with you," Jalil explained earlier in the night. "We kept it because we felt hip-hop was rapping, scratching and dancing. We used to slay a lot of crews with that. Then we turned around one day and everybody in the game had dancers. It was crazy."

Back in the day, Whodini were also known for pulling disappearing magic tricks during their concerts (á la Harry Houdini), driving mopeds onstage and holding their DJ up in the air while he scratched records. The group members didn't pull those tricks out of their bag, but they kept the small crowd moving with records like "Freaks Come Out at Night" and "One Love."

Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh closed out the concert, with Doug starting out with Lil' Vicious for "Freaks." Slick Rick made his grand entrance for "The Show," and then took a break from performing to take off his platinum jewels and throw on his gold chains and Kangol. Slick, who has slimmed down considerably, looked almost like he did back in the day while hitting the audience with "Children's Story."

"It was good, you know," Slick said after the show outside the Hammerstein. Nick Cannon, who could be spotted in the venue all night dancing and rapping along with the records, pulled up to the Ruler and shook his hand. Busta Rhymes, Jin and Redman were also in the audience.

"[It was] old-school cats just having fun, people reminiscing the good old days, good vibes. The crowd likes to see the two of us doing our thing," he added about himself and Doug E's headlining stint. "It's always magic."

Promoters for Fresh Fest say they have a 20-city tour planned with the lineup that hit the Hammerstein on Friday, but have not yet released any more dates.

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

• Photos from Fresh Fest

• Slick Rick
• Doug E. Fresh
• Nick Cannon

Big Boi & Missy Elliott at the Outkast VMA afterparty on August 29, 2004
Photo: Sandra Rose/Nubuzzphoto

MIAMI — Sunday night after the VMAs, the A-list parties outnumbered the amount of Moonmen Jay-Z won. Heck, the A-list parties seemed to outnumber the problems Jay-Z raps about in his current hit record.

Outkast had people doing the A-Town stomp at Mansion, and P. Diddy held an extravaganza at the Ice Palace, where Doug E. Fresh, feeling like he's still "the world's greatest entertainer," jumped on the mic. Fat Joe celebrated his birthday with Lil Jon at the Opium Garden, while Jadakiss celebrated going platinum and his VMA pre-show performance at Crobar with MTV's LaLa. Even D12 had people lining up for their post-show pool parrrrr-tay at the Delano.

So with so many stars in town and so many functions to attend, what do you do? "Get out early and hit as many as you can," advised Miami native Trina.

But with a logjam of cars in the streets and traffic at most party doors unbearable if you get there late, you could really only hit one or two functions. The shindig everybody — including Ludacris and our own Sway, John Norris and SuChin Pak — had to hit was the afterparty held in honor of Usher Raymond IV.

Two nights earlier, to get to Usher's private yacht party, you had to drive onto a ferry, take the ferry to an island, and then follow a man in a golf cart to another checkpoint. There you would get out of your car and pile into a golf cart, where a woman would drive at top speed to the boat, giving you minor heart palpitations with all the near misses of poles and trees ("Don't worry, I've been working here 11 years, I know this island pretty well," she said).

All that adventure seemed like a breeze compared to what it took to get into the Shore Club for Usher's VMA soiree Sunday night. A bouncer screamed and howled at people, telling them to back up from the barricade as they tried to politick their way in with the woman holding the guest list.

While outside it was a zoo, inside it was more like a circus. "What is that? A lion?" one guest asked the beast's trainer as the animal lie calmly on a red carpet. "No, it's actually a panther," the woman, clad in body paint and a bathing suit, answered the astounded man.

In the back VIP area, Usher was living like a king. There was a table that seemed a mile long, and food and liquor covered almost every inch of it like a tablecloth. At the head of the table was an actual throne, flanked by bodyguards dressed in black who kept watch while King Raymond stood up and took pictures.

Seemingly a little overwhelmed by the never-ending line of bodies trying to get near him, he took a breather and was alerted that "the performance was about to start."

"Y'all have to see this," he announced. "Everybody come on."

Usher led the VIP section to an Olympic-size swimming pool, where Christina Aguilera was led in to say hi to Mr. Entertainment. A few minutes after they started talking, the Neptunes came in and joined them. Everyone started taking photos.

Then the theatrics. Acrobats climbed to the top of two structures that hung over the pool and then flipped and swung from ropes. Woo ha!

The spectacle turned back toward the floor at poolside, but the spotlight wasn't on Usher and his pals, or even on Lil' Kim, who was walking nearby. A muscle man wearing black paint and shiny black pants with lights going down the sides had walked up and cleared a path from himself. He looked to be close to seven feet tall, but that's because he was wearing PowerSkips — springy, pogo-stick-like devices that allowed him to flip and do back flips over people, which he did.

As the man walked around, you got a real sense of how huge Shaquille O'Neal really is. The Diesel walked by with his wife, towering over the man standing on PowerSkips.

A little later, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson walked in as Usher was on his way out. In the hotel lobby, the R&B star met producer Just Blaze, who had fought his way in only to see the star of the night was about to jet. The two discussed some future shows they may do together before Usher, seemingly exhausted, flopped down on a couch because of some bad news: his ride wasn't there.

The Maybach pulled up to the door less than a minute later, but Usher couldn't leave just yet. One more well-wisher — video director X — had to give him props.

Back on the streets of Miami, even in the wee morning hours, it seemed like no one wanted to go home. 8Ball, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and producer Rich Nice all dined separately in the same Cuban restaurant, and while walking outside you could easily bump into Dres from Black Sheep, DJ Kay Slay or Talib Kweli.

08.29.2004

The night before the big show, it seemed like all of Miami had one thing on the brain: partying.

The streets of the South Beach strip crawled with more people anxious to get their groove on than the myriad clubs, bars and hot spots could bear. Lines snaked down the block for the Blender magazine bash, held at the ultra-fine Japanese restaurant Nobu in the Shore Club hotel, where partygoers scarfed sashimi with the likes of Tony Hawk, the Neptunes, Christina Milian, Bam Margera, Nick Lachey and Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.

A few blocks away, Paris Hilton, who also made the rounds at the Stuff magazine party earlier in the evening, served as late-night hostess of her own bash at Mansion, thrown to honor fashion photographer David LaChapelle's strides in directing videos such as No Doubt's VMA-nominated "It's My Life."

Jay-Z is still in a San Tropez state of mind. The man who once referred to himself as Young Yacht on the radio (because of his preferred mode of transportation) broke out the big boat on Saturday for a private reception of around 75 people.

P. Diddy, meanwhile, invited 50 or so fabulous people to his Miami mansion Saturday night, including Bruce Willis, Hilary Duff and Busta Rhymes.

Pitbull, a performer on the "2004 VMA Pre-show by the Shore," had his own list of guests coming out and showing support when the Cuban MC got on the mic at his album-release party for M.I.A.M.I. at Crave. Fellow hometown upstart Jacki -O came through, as did rap's most acclaimed yellers, Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins.

And oh yeah, let's not leave LL Cool J out. He's not up for any Moonmen, but he gets an award for best promotional item. At a few of the parties this weekend, girls dressed in special T-shirts have shown up to put the word out about L's upcoming DEFinition LP. The shirts didn't have "Coming Soon" or a release date plastered on the front — instead, they had mini TV screens across their chests playing his "Headsprung" video.

• Miami After Hours: Kanye, Paris, Juvenile, Lil Jon, Jada, More
• VMA '04 Red Carpet Fashion
• VMA '04 Backstage: Usher, Kanye, Jay And More
• VMA '04 Onstage: Usher, Jessica, Shaq, Christina, Nelly, Fat Joe, Alicia, Stevie, Outkast, More
• VMA '04 Behind The Scenes

• Usher
• OutKast
• Diddy
• Doug E. Fresh
• Fat Joe

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

Eminem is working with Russell Simmons to help spread the word about what a positive effect hip-hop can have on urban communities politically, socially and economically. Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will be sponsoring their latest Hip-Hop Summit on April 26 in Slim Shady's hometown of Detroit.

Taking place in Cobo Arena, Em and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be two of the event's co-hosts. D12, Rev. Run, Redman, Method Man, N.O.R.E., the D.O.C., Doug E. Fresh, Petey Pablo, Slum Village, the Bass Brothers, Cam'ron and the Diplomats, and Keith Murray are among those confirmed to attend.

"For me, Detroit symbolizes hip-hop in a lot of different ways," Eminem said in a statement released Thursday (April 17). "Everybody who's been involved in Detroit hip-hop culture here has spent years trying to bring light to the city the same way Russell worked to bring hip-hop to the attention of the world and the same way the mayor is working to put Detroit back in the spotlight. It's the struggle to be heard and to be recognized. It's our time, both hip-hop's and Detroit's."

"It's a big deal and there's gonna be all these artists performing, there's gonna be 18,000 people and the summit is going to be during the NAACP convention," Simmons explained on Tuesday. "You're not going to believe how dramatic and life-transforming it can be for some of the kids who come. Our commitment is to help empower the youth of today, who are the most gifted and talented generation of young people that we've ever been blessed to have. Assembling in Detroit, amidst its rebirth under a dynamic, young 32-year-old hip-hop mayor, is a great tribute to the power of hip-hop."

Simmons' reps say the theme for this year's summit is "The Remix: Rebuilding ... Refocusing ... Reinvesting ... Resurgence." During the NAACP festivities the next night, Simmons will receive a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

On July 12, Eminem will also be at the center of a major shindig in his hometown. He'll be headlining his only scheduled U.S. concert this year at Ford Field (see "Em's Hometown Concert In July Might Be The Eminem Show"). 50 Cent, D12 and Missy Elliott are also on the bill.

• Eminem
• Russell Simmons
• D12
• Redman
• Method Man

Prince
Photo: Steven Parke

NEW YORK — Alicia Keys, George Clinton, ?uestlove and Doug E. Fresh were among the surprise guests to appear onstage with Prince early Wednesday morning at Times Square's The World nightclub.

Free for members of Prince's NPG Music Club, $40 for nonmembers, the show began at 2 a.m., a few hours after a full concert uptown at the Lincoln Center (see "Prince 'Goes There,' Avoids The Obvious At New York Gig").

With bassist Larry Graham (who appeared briefly at the previous show) and saxophonist Candy Dulfer joining most of Prince's core band — Renato Neto on keys, John Blackwell on drums, Maceo Parker on sax and Greg Boyer on trombone — the freeform funk session began with a Prince oldie, "Joy in Repetition." As the slow groove morphed seamlessly into funk classics like James Brown's "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" and a repeat of "Pass the Peas," the lineup altered randomly as well.

Clinton, whose P-Funk All-Stars had played the club earlier in the evening, stuck around to play while most of his gang headed for Cleveland. Dr. Funkenstein wandered out early in the show, rasping, "We do this/ This is what we do" over a basic funk groove. P-Funker Gary Shider also hung back and later provided vocals on Sly and the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music."

Original beat box rapper Fresh, a veteran of Prince aftershows, moved the jam to a lengthy old-school rap interlude including "La-Di-Da-Di" and returned later to engage Blackwell in a beat box/drum duel. Musiq Soulchild joined the crew for "Just Friends." At some point — so much was going on that it was difficult to pinpoint exactly when — ?uestlove took over on drums and Rhonda Smith took over on bass.

While Prince played bass on "777-9311," Keys whirled in like a welcome storm, improvising lyrics. Admitting an inner dialogue she enjoyed earlier, she recalled herself saying, "Self, if you were to die tomorrow, God forbid, what is the one thing you would want to do tonight?" And with that she sat with Prince at the keyboards to sing her own energetic version of "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and played on "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker."

The show ended at 4:05 a.m., with Prince asking (rhetorically, one would assume), "Did we turn it out?"

• Prince
• Alicia Keys
• George Clinton
• Doug E. Fresh

Slick Rick
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — What do you call the group of people who influenced old-school hip-hop pioneers? Probably the First School. Hip-hop trailblazers Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Run-DMC's DJ Jam Master Jay, Crazy Legs and some of the people who inspired them in their youth were all present Wednesday night at the Puck Building for the inaugural Hip-Hop Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

"It's an honor, kid," one of the honorees, Slick Rick, said before the ceremony. "I finally get a little recognition, it can't hurt. When I was growing up, I never thought we would be so close to the root of this whole thing. It's an honor, a great feeling to be part of something that made history and see it spread. [Hip-hop] is taking over big time."

Prior to the ceremony, it felt as if the Puck Building were full of living pin-ups from an old issue of Right On! or Word Up! magazine from the mid-to-late '80s. Luminaries such as Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, Roxanne Shante, U.T.F.O.'s Kangol Kid, the Real Roxanne and Special Ed all spoke on their origins in rap.

There were a few friendly disputes as to which year certain things happened, who originated the term "hip-hop" and who came first, the break dancer, the MC or the DJ. The highlight, however, was a brief catty exchange between Roxanne Shante and the Real Roxanne as they told of how their beef on wax started.

"I never worried about what other people were doing," Shante said. "That's why I was able to last and the other Roxannes faded away."

Unfortunately, many of the Hall of Fame's first 15 inductees, including the father of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One and Russell Simmons, were absent from the proceedings. Deceased MCs Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur and late graffiti great Dondi were also among the inductees.

Those who were there took their time in the spotlight to salute those who made them want to choose their career paths. "In the early '70s I decided to sacrifice my teenage years," Grandmaster Flash said in his acceptance speech about beginning his life as a DJ. He credited DJ Kool Herc as his greatest influence. "After 27 years — the first [year] didn't count 'cause nobody was understanding me — I guess I wasn't so crazy after all, 'cause you people [get it]. This one's for us."

Doug E. Fresh took that one-for-all motif to heart when he was officially inducted. "I cannot accept this award," Fresh told the audience. "This award has to go to my brotha Busy Bee. Because I'm a legend, but this is the muthaf---in' man, the Chief Rocker. I can't get an award like this first. I'll get mine last. As a kid watching him, you don't understand what this man did for me and my family, so I'm telling you, my brotha, that's from me to you."

Jam Master Jay didn't give up his award when he accepted it on behalf of his group Run-DMC, but he did give props to Russell Simmons for helping them with their image, Grandmaster Flash for inspiring him to spin records, and the Cold Crush Brothers for giving Run and DMC ideas on how to rock the mic.

"Everybody says 'if it wasn't for you cats,' but we know that's bullsh-- because we know there was cats before us," Jay said. "We just was the people that were able to put the real beats from the street — which y'all brothers was doing — and put it on TV, let people hear it on wax. It had to be Sugar Hill Gang to bite off my man Grandmaster Caz. It had to be a Puff Daddy to bite off of the Sugar Hill Gang. It goes around in circles."

Organizers of the event said they are currently trying to secure a location for the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame museum.

The Hip-Hop Hall of Fame is part of the Hip-Hop Super Conference & Expo, which is taking place at the Puck Building through the rest of the week, and is the brainchild of David Olu. Olu, who lectures about the culture around the world and created the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame board game two years ago, said the inductees were chosen by people voting at the Web site www.hhsc2002.com the past few months. Notorious B.I.G. was the favorite, getting 60 percent of the nods.

• Slick Rick
• Doug E. Fresh
• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
• Roxanne Shanté
• The Real Roxanne

Electronica maestro Moby recently shot yet another video, his third, for his single "Bodyrock" while in New York City to DJ at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

-- Tina Johnson and David Basham

• DJ Red Alert
• Doug E. Fresh
• Moby
• Run-D.M.C.

Tom, Michelle, Kanye, Twista And More At New York's "M:i:III" Premiere

• Kanye West
• Twista
• Remy Ma
• Keyshia Cole
• Doug E. Fresh