50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

50 Cent and Dr. Dre helped Game concoct a classic album on The Documentary. And although things between Fif and Game went sour, the G-Unit General said he's open to working with Dre again to break another MC.

"We were actually talking about a new artist, working together on a new project," 50 Cent told MTV News. "I said, 'Just because we had a car accident, that doesn't mean we're not going to drive again — it just means we had an accident with that one.' He laughed at me. He said, 'All right. I'll give it a try,' because he was unsure about how I would feel about helping with [another new artist]," he continued. "Obviously Dre can create the best possible production for the artist and groom him to the right space. But going to introduce him to the general public would be something you want 50 to go do."

Since their falling out post-Documentary, 50 has vowed never to work with Game again. And even though Game has reunited with Dre for the Detox LP as well as his own R.E.D. Album, 50 says he wouldn't consider jumping on a record featuring Game.

"No," Fif said flatly when asked what his response would be to Dre's request for a reunion collaboration. "No, I wouldn't do it. I'd be on a record, on a song, on the [Detox] album, but not on that record [with Game]. That's not making a song, that's making an event — things for people to talk about. ... So there's a verse there that you think would be great for both of us, I just say, 'Erase his verse and put something in better than that.' "

50 briefly addressed the role Dr. Dre played in his and Game's feud on Before I Self Destruct's "So Disrespectful."

"I said, 'I gave Game hits, he told me to suck di--/ Start screamin' Westside and Dre ain't say sh--!' " 50 recited.

"It was an absolute true statement and Dre approved because it was true," 50 continued. "He heard the record and was like, 'Whoa! Out the park with that.' He likes it, he doesn't care. Creatively, you're right, 'cause he didn't say anything when that took place — or not anything that the public heard."

• The Evolution Of: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent
• Dr. Dre
• The Game

Dr. Dre
Photo: MTV News

Songs that leaked from Dr. Dre's Detox recording sessions earlier this year revealed that Nas and R. Kelly are among the artists in consideration to appear on the long-awaited opus. And T.I., Lil Wayne and Drake are among the MCs believed to be ghost-writing for the album.

But if Dre gets his way, a certain renowned Brooklyn rhymesmith will be pulling double-duty on Detox, both writing and delivering a guest verse.

"Well, actually, Jay-Z's just been in the studio doing some writing," Dre told MTV News on Friday while promoting his new Beats by Dr. Dre/ HP notebook collaboration. "Hopefully I'll get him to perform on the record. Jay, come holler!"

Detox is the follow-up to Dre's 2001 album and will complete the trilogy that began with 1992's The Chronic.

In May, a snippet of a Detox track was released on a Dr. Pepper commercial that features Dre. The song, tentatively titled "Sh-- Popped Off," features production similar to a track that leaked in February with Tip referring Dre.'s vocals. "It's the D.R. ... Made the West side worldwide, no PR/ Gangsta-rap God, I'm the end-all, be-all/ California love from the Bloods to the C-Dogs."

Earlier this month, Dre told ABC News he'd like to finally put the finishing touches on Detox by the end of this year in time for a 2010 release. "Hopefully, I'll get it done at the end of this year, and we can hear it next year," the normally press-shy producer said.

• Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre
Photo: A.J. Mayers/ MTV News

Dr. Dre's perfectionism has been one of the main reasons behind Detox's legendary delay, but his high standards haven't stopped him from lending his ear to projects outside the studio.

Dre partnered with music mogul Jimmy Iovine last year to introduce Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, in partnership with Monster Cable. Now, the West Coast sound architect is taking his zeal for production to personal computers. The HP Envy 15 Beats limited-edition laptop is set to arrive October 22 and will feature the same technology applied to Beats by Dre headphones. The black notebook computer — retailing at $2,299 — will come bundled with mixing software and a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Fellow producers Timbaland, Polow Da Don, Pharrell Williams and Will.I.Am also helped fine-tune the machine's sound.

"Sound is the heartbeat of music," Iovine told MTV News about their latest collabo. "And Dre is the heartbeat of sound. He set the standard for many, many people."

"If I spend a year in the studio and spend all this time tweaking [my production] and making sure it sounds right, my main concern is for you to hear it the way it should sound," Dre explained to MTV News. "The way it was meant for you to hear it."

Also this month, Beats by Dr. Dre is set to release a Lady Gaga-inspired line of headphones called Heartbeats. Diddy told MTV News recently that he might partner with Iovine and Dre for his own line as well.

"I feel like I'm in great company. I'm in the best company of the world," Diddy said of uniting with the pair. "I feel like how A-Rod felt when he got traded to the Yankees."

• Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Maui and Sons

While Dr. Dre had hoped to drop his long-awaited Detox album this year, the hip-hop icon recently revealed to ABCNews.com that he's still cooking up the beats.

In an interview to promote his line of Monster headphones, the reporter casually asked Dre what upcoming projects he had. "Only my album that I've been working on for the last 10 years, that's it, Detox record," he laughed.

While he didn't go into any specifics, Dre said, "Hopefully, I'll get it done at the end of this year, and we can hear it next year."

Asked what was causing the holdup of the album that would be his first solo effort since 1999's 2001 album, Dre admitted, "motivation, other things getting in the way." Detox was originally slated for release in 2004 but has been pushed back numerous times as Dre worked on music for affiliated artists including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and the Game, as well as Gwen Stefani and Mary J. Blige.

A snippet of music from the album debuted earlier this year during a commercial for Dr Pepper. Back in August 2008, 50 Cent told MTV News that he'd recorded some material for Detox with Dre and joked that they were so good "I want the records back." At the time, even 50 didn't know when the album might drop, but he was keeping hope alive.

"Hopefully, he'll get it done and put it out," 50 said. "I'm waiting for the Detox. All I can say is, Dr. Dre is the best producer in my eyes. Just the consistency over the years. ... He knows what he wants. He's such a perfectionist that it becomes difficult for him to put it out."

• Dr. Dre

Eminem
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Eminem had a doctor on hand for the making of Relapse, but for the upcoming sequel it looks like Slim is turning elsewhere for help.

Dr. Dre produced Eminem's comeback album, save for "Beautiful," which Em produced himself, but the rapper announced in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid over the weekend that Just Blaze will likely land five beats on Relapse 2. Mr. Porter, a member of Eminem's crew, D12, is expected to helm two tracks on the project, Em said.

"I definitely feel like I'm in a little different space right now," Em said about the album during the Shade 45 radio interview. "With the last record, it had a lot to do with me getting sober and just my eyes being open again and my brain went into overdrive. With Relapse 1, I was just trying to prove to myself that I could do it again. It was a [reintroduction] and what made me in the first place with the zany, loony, ridiculous sh--. I felt like a lot of that album, I kind of wanted to [spit] rapid fire and [do] punch lines." The combination of Eminem and Just Blaze, best known for his work with Jay-Z, should make for some interesting music. The New Jersey producer has brought out the best from some of hip-hop's most talented lyricists, from Hova ("P.S.A.") to Fabolous ("Breathe"). Throughout his career, Eminem has worked predominantly with Dre for production, with the rapper taking on a larger role himself behind the boards with each subsequent release.

50 Cent will again share the mic with Eminem. The two recorded tracks for each other's albums in Las Vegas, Eminem revealed. Em didn't offer many details, but he said one of the songs will feature the two stars going back and forth trading lines with each other.

Relapse 2 is tentatively set to be released by the end of the year; in April Em said the album was almost completed. The sequel project comes close on the heels of Relapse, which was released in May after the rapper's five-year hiatus. That album was dark and deeply personal as Eminem at times vividly portrayed how he became dependent on drugs.

From the sound of it, the follow-up will see Eminem return to his lyrical dominance. "I been so in the zone with this next album" he said.

• Eminem
• 50 Cent
• Just Blaze
• Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre's <i>The Chronic</i>
Photo: Death Row

One of the most iconic rap albums of all time, Dr. Dre's 1992 solo debut, The Chronic, will be re-released on September 1. The digitally remastered version of the multiplatinum gangsta rap landmark, with such hits as "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" and "Let Me Ride," will feature all 16 original songs and seven new tracks uncovered in the Death Row Records vaults, according to the label's new CEO.

"There's a couple of crown jewels on Death Row, one is The Chronic, the other is the entire Tupac collection and Snoop's camp, but Dre was the first artist released on Death Row and, in my view, the greatest hip-hop producer ever," said Lara Lavi, CEO of the Canadian company WIDEawake Entertainment, which purchased the storied California gangsta rap label's catalog in a bankruptcy auction last year for $18 million. "I think he's a genius, so we decided to honor Dr. Dre, honor the authentic O.G., and put out a digitally remastered album back to the original sound Dre intended."

Among the additional songs on an accompanying DVD are "Poor Young Dave," (featuring Snoop), "Slippin in the West" (featuring CPO and Kurupt), "Smoke Enough Bud" (featuring Jewell and Snoop), "Foo Nay Mic" (featuring CPO), "Dog Collar" (featuring Snoop, Lady V, KV, Big Pimpin, 6'9", Twin and Badass), "Touchdown" (featuring Snoop and Threat) and "Would You Ride" (featuring Kurupt, Amber, Tyrone, Daz and Snoop).

The bonus disc will also contain a 30-minute interview with Dre from 1997. In the interview, never before seen in its entirety, he discusses hip-hop and the music business. The album will also feature liner notes from one of Dre's longtime colleagues, filmmaker and producer Quincy Jones III.

Lavi said that part of the impetus behind the first effort from the re-launched label was a desire to update The Chronic after years of subpar versions of the album released as the label's catalog got handed around to various distributors, some of whom she said used poor-quality MP3s as source material. A companion DVD will feature a collection of the official videos released from the album and alternate versions, as well as a trailer for an upcoming movie titled "Saigon, CA," cut to some of the songs from The Chronic.

"It's about first-generation Vietnamese kids in Southern California during the Death Row era who are all listening to Death Row and are involved in black-market activity," Lavi explained.

In addition to the extras on the Chronic disc, she said there will also be a link to the new Death Row Web site, where six more songs from the vault will be available as well as information on a remix contest that will result in a promo-only vinyl album that will be serviced to club DJs.

Lavi said Dre has not been involved in any of the plans for the Chronic reissue, which she promised will be the first of four releases from the new Death Row this year. Among the other projects is a four-CD box set of previously released and some unreleased master recordings due out around Thanksgiving that will feature songs from late TLC member Left Eye, Danny Boy, Crooked I, the Outlawz and Tupac, as well as a Snoop collection called The Lost Sessions Volume 1," (October 13) and That was Then, This is Now, a compilation of old material and new songs from Danny Boy.

"Lots of fans of urban music are frustrated now with the Auto-Tuning and the predictable beats," Lavi said. "We think there's a thirst for the authentic O.G., the sound that made hip-hop great."

A spokesperson for Dr. Dre could not be reached at press time.

• Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre, Eminem and 50 Cent
Photo: Aftermath

Fire Starter: Slim Da Mobster

We all know Dr. Dre has an ear for beats, but the West Coast superproducer also has a keen sense of recognizing upcoming lyrical talent.

Dre's The Chronic launched Snoop Dogg's career, and his second solo album, 2001, helped solidify Eminem as a serious talent to pay attention to in the game. With his third opus on the way, the good doctor has tapped South Central rookie Slim Da Mobster to contribute to Detox, alongside heavyweights like Lil Wayne and T.I.

"I'm not even focused on my album right now," Slim told us in Los Angeles. "I'm all about his album. 'Cause the better I do on that, the better it is for the situation with my album."

Da Mobster might be new on the scene, but the Los Angeles rhyme-spitter impressed Eminem so much that he pushed to have him ink a deal.

After getting the co-signs from the big homies Dre and Em, 50 Cent was the next to jump onboard behind the young rapper. Now, Slim Da Mobster has his music featured on the G-Unit boss' Web site, ThisIs50.com.

To add to the repertoire, Slim is managed by industry veteran John Monopoly, who helped usher Kanye West from producer to breakthrough artist.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Swizz Beatz, Slim Da Mobster, Raekwon

• Dr. Dre
• Slim Da Mobster
• 50 Cent
• Eminem

50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — No fair; 50 Cent is cheating.

Well, it's not really cheating when you have producers such as Dr. Dre, Timbaland and Polow Da Don working on your album. Fif is stacking the deck for his current incarnation of Before I Self Destruct. Fif is on his third different production of the album, and he said the third time's the charm.

"I feel like my album is as close to perfect as it's gonna get," 50 told MTV News last week. "I'm reaching the point to where if I have to continue to write it, I'll be overkilling it. That's why I gave myself other writing assignments, like the War Angel [mixtape], like the '90s [tape] Sincerely Southside Part 2 and our actual G-Unit mixtape I'm doing with [Lloyd] Banks and [Tony] Yayo."

Fif said reconnecting with Timbaland for Before I Self Destruct has been a unique experience.

"When me and Timbaland go in, a lot of times it's a compromise," Fif said. "He's doing things that's a little different production-wise from what I would usually do. Like 'Ayo Technology' — you never heard me rap with that cadence. That beat was actually for Justin [Timberlake]. It was golden, some sh-- he had on the side, and he gave it to me. I went and did it. Justin laid the hook to it."

Timbo will go in the studio and mumble a melody and tell Fif to pen lyrics with that flow, which 50 said is easy for him.

"I could put lyrics to any melody," the G-Unit General said. "I can write a rap song, I can write an R&B song, I can write whatever type of song. If you put a note on it where I can hear it, man, I can write that. We did that, and that's how I came up with that new cadence for 'Ayo Technology.' We did that a couple of times while we was on there working [on Before I Self Destruct]. It's fun that way to have him participate with me.

"Even if you ain't got the words," 50 added. "You're up there, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.' Tim will be like, 'I can't believe that. He was able to make everything I just made a noise into a real cadence.' I seen him take pens or pencils into a cup and put it into a shaker. I'm sure nobody else has shaker sounds like that. ... I seen some interesting things from Timbaland."

Polow also worked on the new album, but he had music prepared for 50 before the MC came to the studio. Before I Self Destruct drops in September.

Stick with MTV News to see more from our exclusive interview with 50 at his G-Unit offices in Manhattan.

• MTV News Raw: 50 Cent

• 50 Cent
• Dr. Dre
• Timbaland

An image from the Eminem, Dre and 50 Cent video shoot for "Crack a Bottle"
Photo: Paulrosenblog.com

The three-headed monster is on its way.

The video for Eminem's "Crack a Bottle," featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, hit the Web late Monday, and although none of the platinum rappers appear in the clip, the song has plenty of references to each star.

The video opens with a homeless woman seated on the ground next to a shopping cart filled with her possessions. The woman experiences a maniacal fit before reaching out for a paper bag that conceals a 40-ounce bottle of liquor. Once the bottle is free from the bag, it splits open to reveal an apartment building and the camera zooms in on room 313 — which also happens to be Detroit's area code.

Enter Slim Shady. Well, not exactly. But despite the rapper's absence, the scene is straight from the depths of Em's (at times) warped mind. A businessman, gagged and tied to a chair in a dilapidated room, is taunted by a mentally unstable version of himself. Images of an innocent-looking girl and, oddly, an elephant flash onscreen before the man escapes and Em's verse ends.

The camera then pans up to room 213 — Compton's area code — which contains an L.A. tattoo parlor. Dre's lyrics sprawl across a beautiful woman's body as she sits in the ink artist's chair. Pit bulls, lots of smoke and other Cali symbols appear on the screen, as well as Shady Records artist Cashis.

As the third verse begins, the camera moves up to the top floor of the set to room 718, which undoubtedly is 50's suite — the number is a nod to Queens' area code. Fif's room is decidedly flashier than the others to match his club-friendly lyrics. And there are more girls and cash in 50's scene than smoke in Dre's.

When 50's verse ends, the camera pulls all the way back to the woman from the beginning of the video. She reaches for the bottle but finds that it's empty. For good measure, she tosses the bottle, smashing it into pieces.

Back in February, Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, wrote about the clip on his personal site, saying it would be done in two weeks. The video was directed by Syndrome, the production company that also helmed Em's "3 A.M." "Crack a Bottle" was one of the first Relapse tracks to leak, but it is the third official single, behind "We Made You" and "3 A.M."

When "Crack a Bottle" first premiered, all three artists — Em, Dre and 50 — claimed the track, but the song ultimately landed on Em's album. Next up for the trio are the releases of 50's and Dre's long-delayed albums, Before I Self Destruct and Detox, neither of which has a release date as of press time.

• Eminem's 'We Made You' Video & Analysis
• A Look Back At Eminem's Career

• Eminem
• Dr. Dre
• 50 Cent

Dr. Dre in the new Dr Pepper commercial
Photo: Dr Pepper

Almost 10 years ago on the "Up in Smoke" tour, we saw Dr. Dre drinking cognac onstage, and he announced a line of cognac and vodka drinks last year. A few years ago, he did a Coors Light commercial. Now the production legend has moved onto a lighter drink of choice: Dr Pepper.

Dre appears in a new Dr Pepper commercial, in which he takes over things at an outdoor party. The Doc walks in and tells viewers in a voiceover, "Scientific tests prove when you drink Dr Pepper slow, the 23 flavors taste even better. For me, slow always produces a hit." He adds later, "Slower is better — trust me, I'm a doctor."

Dre then makes his way over to the DJ booth, where the guy on the wheels of steel is playing a techno beat that the Compton native doesn't seem to be feeling. Dre politely tells the DJ to "step aside" from the turntables and throws on one of his beats, a track that was made during the Detox recording sessions with co-producers the Buchanans, a rep for the Buchanans told MTV News.

The track used in the commercial leaked onto the Internet in February and was labeled "Topless." A source told MTV news that the song is officially titled "Sh-- Popped Off." The song features T.I. referencing Dre's raps: "It's the D.R. ... Made the West side worldwide, no PR/ Gangsta-rap God, I'm the end-all, be-all/ California love from the Bloods to the C-Dogs."

In March, when asked by MTV News about the song, Tip declined to confirm his work with Dre.

"I heard about that," Tip said coyly about the track, which is expected to appear on Detox. "Did I really reference vocals for Dr. Dre? Did Dr. Dre confirm I referenced vocals for Dr. Dre? I cannot confirm or deny my involvement with the Detox project, but if I had the chance to work with the great Dr. Dre, it would be an honor and a privilege, and definitely be a pivotal moment and highlight of my career."

Meanwhile, Dre continues to work on Detox. 50 Cent and Eminem appeared on BET's "106 and Park" this week and said Dre has completed 10 songs for the project.

• Dr. Dre
• T.I.

2007 VMA: Winners Gallery

• Justin Timberlake
• Timbaland
• Rihanna
• Robin Thicke
• Jennifer Hudson

On The Set Of "In Da Club"

• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• Dr. Dre
• Busta Rhymes

2001 Grammy Nominations

• Destiny's Child
• Bon Jovi
• Macy Gray
• Sisqó
• Dr. Dre