Beanie Sigel and Freeway
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Beanie Sigel and the Goodfellas are all back together at the table breaking bread — well, except for maybe Beans himself and the man to his left.

"It's a beautiful thing," Freeway said, as he passed on the endless plates of food from Italian restaurant Macelleria in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.

Free and Sigel were fasting due to Ramadan, but most of the State Property crew (save for Oschino and Neef Buck, whom everybody insisted were still down despite their absences) were eating lunch before a late-night performance at S.O.B.'s. The collective has been together making music for the past several months but has only now decided to come up to the surface and speak about it.

Here they are again, world.

"We all been doing this together for a minute," Free said, as he watched Peedi Crakk devour some fries. "When we get together, we make good music. It's strength in numbers. We gonna put something on the streets for y'all real soon."

"This what they been wanting," said Young Chris, who sat at the head of the table. "People been wanting it for a long time. Due to the Roc-A-Fella split, people thought State Property split up. But we been all good. Been like that since day one. Everybody is neutral. We all here, man."

"This is perfect timing," added Omillio Sparks, the most charismatic and slept-on team member. "Even though it's the recession with the economy all twisted, you need music like this back in the streets to make the people feel like it's some sense of hope. Barack the vote, and we're back."

As of now, the State Property soldiers are free agents. They've been making dozens of records — some of which have been intentionally leaked online — out of their own pockets. Beanie is still very much the leader of the organization and said he's weighing his options for the family.

"The plan right now is to make sure ... the State Property project gets finished up," Beanie said. "Find a home for that and make sure everybody's individual projects be set up properly, so we can move forward from there. The State Property album will be good to put things back in perspective and showcase us as artists. At the same time, we got Chris working on his solo project that's long overdue. Peedi's working on his solo project. Sparks, Freeway, me ... we wanna make sure we line up our ducks in order so when this State Property thing pops off, and pops off the way we expect it to, everybody can come right behind it and not miss a beat. We've been sprinkling songs out there and letting people know the best is yet to come, but we're not missing a beat."

"This is gonna be the best State Property album," Peedi promised. "Everybody had time to grow individually. After the last album, we had a good two or three years apart, and we've all been independently putting out mixtapes and trying to create the most we can on our own time. Collectively, we're way more powerful. Nobody is a weak link."

The release-date order as of now goes Young Chris' Now or Never at the top of the year (he just got out of his Def Jam contract but is still signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella imprint); Peedi Crakk's A Night in the Life on Amalgam Digital probably in March; then everybody else from there. Beanie and Freeway are both signed but are unsure of their status with Roc-A-Fella. They are sure of their disappointment over the way their last solo LPs were promoted.

"It's like being on a team with Jordan and you don't get a chance to make it to the championship, you don't even get a chance to play in the game," Sig said about the commercial failures of his The Solution and Freeway's Free at Last under the watch of former Def Jam President and CEO Jay-Z. "That's how I feel. It's like we're mechanics that helped get a car started up and pushing, somebody gets in the car and just pulls off on you, leaves you on the side of the road. That's how it feels."

Still, Sig harbors no harsh feelings for Jay-Z and even dreams of a Roc reunion.

"Its no fault to nobody, I guess, but it's just frustrating," he continued. "You got that within yourself, those expectations. We love Jay. We love him. Jay don't owe nobody anything, but it's frustrating because the public got questions, and they want answers. When they start asking questions, you can't answer or you don't wanna answer honestly. What can you say?"

• Beanie Sigel
• Freeway
• Young Gunz
• Peedi Crakk

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera (file)
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera's fate on two counts of sexual assault is in the hands of the jury. Tuesday saw the presentation of closing arguments, during which Pamela Mackey, an attorney for Margera -- Bam's uncle -- argued that he had been in his "goofy, outrageous and vulgar" persona during his August 2006 Colorado mall autograph signing, during which he is accused of having groped three young girls. ...

Tony Yayo will stand trial beginning January 10 in connection with the case in which he is alleged to have roughed up the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond in March. According to Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon, the judge combined the cases of Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) and a man known as an "honorary" member of the G-Unit, Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher, who was also allegedly involved in the assualt, but whose relationship to Yayo Leemon declined to discuss. ...

Big brother and little brother teamed up Monday night: Jay-Z made a surprise guest appearance at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston during Kanye West's set at the JAMN 94.5 Monster Jam Concert. Kanye also brought T-Pain — who played his own set earlier in the night — for "Good Life." Lil Wayne, Fabolous, J. Holiday, MIMS and Akon also performed at the concert. ...

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz broke his foot during the band's performance Sunday night at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans. Wentz uploaded a gory close-up photo of his severely bruised and swollen foot to his profile page on FriendsorEnemies.com. "For anyone who was at the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, you got to see me jump around," he wrote. "Ended up breaking the bone that connects my shin to my foot; no shows will be cancelled. I am currently trying to get a 'rocker' boot so I can have a walking cast. Currently, my foot is the size of a small car. If you see me at a show, come sign my cast." ...

Don't expect to see Britney Spears gracing the cover of Maxim anytime soon — the magazine has ranked her #5 on its list of the Five Unsexiest Women Alive. One slot ahead of her is Madonna, who Spears seems to be emulating these days, and they're followed by Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse and the list-topper, Sarah Jessica Parker. ... Some people might not find Madge too sexy these days, but according to a new tome, "Madonna: Like an Icon," Tupac Shakur was more than just hot for her in the past — they actually dated. The book's author, Lucy O'Brien, claims the Material Girl dated 'Pac for one year in her mid-30s before the rapper's untimely death. O'Brien quotes a friend close to the singer, saying ultimately, the rapper's friends quashed the fling. "She was going out with him," one of Madge's friends said. "But homegirls were saying to [2Pac], 'I can't believe you're going out with a white girl.' " Madonna was then subsequently dumped, according to the book. ...

Linkin Park's outreach project, Music for Relief, has set its sights on a new challenge: helping Southern California recover from the devastating wildfires. The band has contributed $50,000 to Direct Relief International — a Santa Barbara nonprofit that has been providing medical supplies to victims — and the donation was matched by SanDisk Corporation, a flash-data-storage-card company. "The wildfires are an unfathomable tragedy," LP bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell said in a statement. "Being able to help victims of a natural disaster like the wildfires is exactly why Music for Relief was founded." The band is also encouraging its fans to make their own contributions through the Music for Relief Web site. ...

Common's still riding strong with his latest album, the recently released Finding Forever, but while he's looking forward, his former label is looking backward with a new compilation of early cuts. ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common, being issued by Relativity/ Sony Legacy, compiles 15 songs from 1992-'97 — but the enhanced disc has four video extras too: for "Take It EZ," "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "Retrospect for Life" (featuring Lauryn Hill) and "Invocation." It's set to street November 27. ... The Roc is in the building: Freeway hosted a listening session at S.O.B.'s in New York Monday night for his sophomore set, Free at Last, due November 20. The Philadelphia rapper previewed collaborations with 50 Cent, Rick Ross and Jadakiss, before Beanie Sigel hit the stage with him to perform their Just Blaze-produced classic, "Roc the Mic." ...

Reggae singer Beenie Man was released from a Kingston, Jamaica, jail on $21,000 bail on Monday after appearing in court on tax-evasion charges, according to The Associated Press. Authorities say the singer (born Anthony Moses Davis) owes about $661,000 in overdue taxes in Jamaica. He's due back in court December 3. ... The estate of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. filed a federal court motion on Monday claiming that prison inmate Waymond Anderson, who once implicated a former police officer in the killing of the rapper, was lying when he recently recanted his testimony. AP reports that the motion seeks access to phone and prison visitation records for Anderson, who is serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case. In an August 20 deposition Anderson said he lied about the alleged police involvement as part of a scam involving the slain rapper's family members and attorneys to win a monetary settlement from the city. The estate argued in its filing that the records will discredit Anderson's story and reveal who was behind his "wholesale assault on the truth." ...

A 20th-anniversary edition of the A Very Special Christmas album — featuring performances by No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and U2 — will be released November 20. The package benefiting the Special Olympics will also feature the first-ever DVD collection of videos in the series' history, including performances from the 1998 and 2000 Christmas at the White House specials. ... Two anti-poverty groups co-founded by Bono, the ONE Campaign and Debt AIDS Trade Africa, will merge their operations in the U.S. to create a single organization that will be known as ONE. Reuters reports that the organization will continue to focus on poverty-relief efforts in Africa and the U.S., according to a statement from Bono, in which he said, "ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: Extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st century makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it. ... What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts. One goal. One team." And in yet more U2 news, National Geographic Cinema Ventures will release a new film, "U2 3D," in late January. The movie will play in 3-D only, in select theaters worldwide. Filmed in South America during a series of U2 concerts on their Vertigo Tour, the film is the first live-action movie ever shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3-D, and strove to capture the intimacy between the band and its audience. ...

Slayer and Halloween are a match made in hell, and this year the metal titans have partnered with MySpace to spook fans into buying their new concert DVD, "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted," which also features performances by Lamb of God, Mastodon and more. One of the clips from the DVD, Slayer's performance of their Grammy-winning song "Eyes of the Insane," will stream all day on MySpace TV on Wednesday. ... SoLow.com, which rewards visitors for making the lowest unique bid for prizes it offers, is giving one lucky fan a chance to spend Thanksgiving with the Osbournes. The winner will also get tickets to Ozzy Osbourne's concert in San Diego, as well as a few hundred bucks in cash and a hotel room in Los Angeles. ... Tom Cruise, meet the Sex Pistols. The actor and the notorious punk-rock legends are both slated to appear — and perform, in the case of the Pistols — on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday night (October 30). Republican presidential hopeful Representative Ron Paul rounds out the odd lineup. ... Forbes has released its list of the top-earning dead celebrities, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain no longer sits at #1 — that spot now belongs once again to Elvis Presley — the King's estate generated $49 million in the past year, while Cobain's name doesn't even make the list. At #2 is John Lennon, whose drew $44 million in 2007, while fellow Beatle George Harrison takes #4 with $22 million. Other musicians on the list include Tupac Shakur at #8 with $9 million and James Brown at #11 with $5 million. Bob Marley is at #12, having made $4 million this year. ...

In the end, nobody at the University of Florida got zapped. Andrew Meyer, of "Don't tase me, bro" fame, will not face any criminal charges for disrupting an appearance by Senator John Kerry at the university, according to AP. And the two police officers suspended while state officials investigated the incident — which became an instant viral phenomenon that spawned remixes, T-shirts and a short-lived cultural catchphrase — have been reinstated after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that they acted properly when they tased the 21-year-old. ... If it's good enough for Radiohead, it's good enough for Paste. For the next two weeks, the music magazine will be offering one-year subscriptions to readers for whatever price they decide to pay. There's a minimum payment of $1, but anyone who ponies up more than the $19.95 the magazine typically charges for a year will be thanked in print in a future issue. ...

It's a long way from "Gangsta's Paradise" to "Oh!" but Coolio is willing to make the trip. The rapper has signed on to appear in a reality show called "Coolio & the Gang" for the women's cable network Oxygen that will begin airing in the second quarter of 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program will follow the Grammy-winning MC as he raises six teens by himself while trying to maintain his rap career and launch a clothing line in what is described as a real-life version of "My Three Sons." ... The Who are about to launch a subscription service for serious fans, who will get access to a huge library of video and audio content for $50 a month. According to a post on the band's Web site, beginning Monday, superfans will get a free, exclusive double-CD (View From a Backstage Pass) of live performances from 1969-'76 that will not be available in stores, a personalized Who e-mail address, discounts in the Who store, exclusive full-length videos, and streaming and paid download access to every Who song ever recorded.

Pierce Brosnan is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for alleged battery stemming from an incident that happened at a mall in Malibu, California, on Friday, TMZ reports. Robert Rosen, a photographer, claims that after he complimented Brosnan on his James Bond films, the actor began cursing and hit Rosen in the ribs. In response, Rosen kicked the actor, he claims.

Entertainment legend Robert Goulet died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital, AP reports. Goulet, who was 73, had been awaiting a lung transplant after discovering last month that he had acquired a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. The self-deprecating Goulet was a Broadway star, Grammy Award-winning singer, TV show host and actor, appearing toward the end of his career in films like "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear," "Beetlejuice" and "Toy Story 2" (he voiced Wheezy the Penguin).

10.29.07

Gwen Stefani, a Southern California native, is reaching out to victims of the wildfires by donating proceeds of her Tuesday concert at San Diego's Cox Arena to local charity the San Diego Foundation, which is helping the community recover from the ongoing disaster. Stefani announced the effort on San Diego radio station 93.3 KHTS on Monday morning (October 29). "San Diego has always been so supportive of me throughout my entire career ... living in Orange County, it has always been like a second home to me," she said on air, according to a press release from her label. "When I heard about the devastation of the fires at first I felt I should cancel my show out of respect, but then it occurred to me there might be a more useful solution." San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders thanked her, according to the press release, saying the Foundation will use the funds to support its After-the-Fires Fund 2007 effort. ...

Kanye West is bringing his ego to the bookshelf. Following in the steps of his mother, Donda — who released her own book about the artist, "Raising Kanye," earlier this year — 'Ye has put his swagger to paper for "Thank You and You're Welcome," which he co-authored with J. Sakiya Sandifer. According to 'Ye's Web site, the book is a collection of "Kanye-isms" — "the creative, humorous and insightful philosophies and anecdotes used in creating my path to success," he said in a post. "It captures the same wit, playful irony, and piercing insight found abundant in my lyrics." It can be preordered on EchoTunes.com. ...

It seems OiNK's demise has given way to a new torrent site, according to Torrent Freak. Called "BOiNK," the site will be hosted by the Pirate Bay and will launch sometime this week. ... Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High will be expanded with five bonus tracks, three of which are live cuts. The embellished set is due November 20. In other re-release news, the Smashing Pumpkins' latest, Zeitgeist, will be re-released and packaged with a full-length DVD documentary, titled "Inside the Zeitgeist." Due in stores Tuesday, the set will also include three bonus cuts: "Ma Belle," "Stellar" and "Death from Above." ...

Since she was 13 years old, Jordin Sparks has been wearing a sexual-abstinence promise ring that her parents gave her — and the "American Idol" winner says she doesn't plan to take it off anytime soon. "I wasn't ever forced into [wearing the ring]," she told UsMagazine.com. "It's all about making the right choice and not putting yourself in that situation." Sparks, who admitted, "Temptation is always there," said her dream guy will have to have "nice teeth. They could be athletic and sing ... and play an instrument." ... Paris Hilton's planned trip to Rwanda caught a snag when Playing for Good, the foundation coordinating the trek, postponed it last week. But the heiress recently insisted to "Extra" that the trip will happen next year. "I feel like there's a lot I can do, and a lot I can do to help," she added. "I know [Rwanda] went through a lot of traumatic experiences, and I feel like if I go there, I can help save some people's lives." ... Lindsay Lohan's planned New Year's Eve party has just gotten a whole lot quieter. While UsMagazine.com reported last week that the starlet would be hosting this year's bash at red-hot Las Vegas club LAX, the news source now says she's backed out. A representative reportedly told UsMagazine.com that she will no longer be hosting the event, as the actress continues to focus on her work and sobriety. ...

Ozzy Osbourne is auctioning off the quad bike that nearly killed him. The 350cc Banshee still has a dented front bar and split rear guard from the 2003 accident, and is expected to fetch $3,000 in an upcoming sale of memorabilia by the star and his wife/manager Sharon. Bidding begins November 30 in Beverly Hills, California, with some of the proceeds earmarked for Sharon's colon cancer charity. ... Metallica played two acoustic performances over the weekend as part of the 21st annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The band's set included a number of covers, including Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate," Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains," Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page." John Mayer, Regina Spektor, Neil Young and others also performed at the event. ...

Sum 41 have been forced to cancel the remaining dates on their Canadian trek, as frontman Deryck Whibley is having back problems. Whibley is suffering from a herniated disc and has been ordered by doctors to avoid performing for the next six weeks, according to Pollstar.com. He is recovering at the Los Angeles home he shares with wife Avril Lavigne. ... Taking Back Sunday's Mark O'Connell recently underwent back surgery to remove a broken disc. "A disc broke off my spine, and they had to remove part of it," he wrote in a statement. "Everything turned out really great, just recovering right now and it's hurting a little. They said if I take care of myself really well, I'll be just fine." ...

Natalie Portman can't shake her "Garden State" music jones. The actress is putting together a charity mix tape for iTunes called Big Change: Songs for FINCA, which will benefit the organization that works to alleviate poverty in developing countries, according to Entertainment Weekly. The $7.99 album, due Tuesday, will feature exclusive songs and mixes from Norah Jones, M. Ward, Devendra Banhart, the Shins and Beirut. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Porter Wagoner died Sunday from lung cancer at age 80, according to a Reuters report. The Grammy-winning singer, known for his flashy rhinestone suits and blond pompadour hair, had been a member of the Grand Old Opry since 1957 and scored such hits as "Last Thing on My Mind" and "Green Green Grass of Home." He was also known for championing Dolly Parton in the early days of her career by singing a series of duets with the fellow country legend.

• Tony Yayo
• Jay-Z
• Kanye West
• Fall Out Boy
• Britney Spears

Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images

• Jay-Z
• Jadakiss
• Lil Wayne
• Eminem
• Freeway

Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Jay-Z and Dame Dash
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

NEW YORK — Dame Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke laughed on Monday (October 15) when they came up with a new crew name on the spot: "Block-A-Fella." The "Block" in question refers to their new social-networking Web site, BlockSavvy.com, which has also served as a platform for Dame to blog and, maybe most significantly, resurrect Roc-A-Fella Records material from when Dash and Burke were tight with Jay-Z.

They were so tight that a few years ago, Dame wanted to pay tribute to his onetime inseparable buddy by having several artists on the label remake some of Hov's tunes from his various albums. The project was called Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

"We made this a while ago when [we still co-owned] Roc-A-Fella," said Dame, who later formed the Dame Dash Music Group with Burke after the three principal players sold their remaining 50 percent stake of the label to its parent label, Island Def Jam, in December 2004.

"We got Juelz [Santana] ... Young Gunz ... Rell, Jimmy Jones, Kanye West, Beanie [Sigel]," Biggs added of the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt collection.

(Hear the tribute tracks for yourself! Check out reworked versions of the Reasonable Doubt cuts "Politics as Usual," "Regrets" and "Can I Live," as well as a new rendition of the In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 song "You Must Love Me.")

"At the time, I was looking for platforms to showcase the artists," Dash chimed in. "This was my [mental] state three, four years ago. I was always looking for projects to showcase the artists and move as a team. We had the talent. Cam'ron did a record too. Everybody did renditions of Jay songs. Some from Reasonable Doubt, some from other records."

The entire project was sparked by the original Reasonable reaching a milestone, its 10th anniversary, last year.

"Honestly, Reasonable Doubt was very important to us — despite the fact that people are paying homage to it without us, and I'm seeing stuff on television," Dash said, referring to the "VH1 Classic Albums" episode that broke down the making of the classic Jigga debut. "[But] we're not getting interviewed, which is cool.

"It's a piece of us. It's the only thing we still own that has anything to do with Roc-A-Fella," he continued. "So back then, and being a part of the DNA of Roc-A-Fella, I was always trying to figure out a way to celebrate it. I knew the 10th anniversary was coming up. I said, 'Let's do an album with all the relevant artists doing a rendition of Jay records.' But Jay said he didn't like it, so we scrapped it. ... You know what it was, he said the best record was Jimmy's, so he didn't want to put it out."

Although there aren't any current plans to release the album conventionally in stores, the duo have posted the project up on their Web site.

"We felt like we might as well, why not?" Dame shrugged. "I don't know, I'm living more on the virtual/digital side."

When he thinks back a decade, to the making of Hov's first LP, Dame tells the story of how a couple of decisions and maybe one or two missed studio sessions could have changed history.

"Nas and AZ was supposed to be on 'Bring It On,' they kept not showing up," Dash recalled. "That's when we wanted to put out the Firm. They didn't show up. We was meeting and they was saying, 'Yeah,' but they wasn't showing up. We would be waiting and we would be getting offended. So we brought Sauce [Money] and [Big] Jaz on the song."

"Jay didn't want to rap over that beat," Biggs offered of "Can't Knock the Hustle," "but I called him and said he should rap over the beat, because it would come out hot regardless."

"He didn't want to do it, so I had to get Mary J. [Blige], and [I] gave her 10 grand out of a paper bag," Dash added. "She did it for us. I knew her when she was young."

Some of the tracks on Beyond a Reasonable Doubt feature Cam'ron rapping over "Show You How" — which appeared on The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse — while another has Beanie Sigel redoing In My Lifetime, Vol. 1's "Where I'm From" and Freeway taking on "Politics as Usual."

"It was so ill, because he was talking about struggles in the street," Biggs said about the Jay-Z original. "We did that song before Jacob [the Jeweler] was out. Remember the line, 'to Tito in the district'? When we really started buying jewelry, we would go to Tito. Everything about Reasonable Doubt was [the] reverse of what you think. Like 'Can't Knock the Hustle' — he wasn't talking about hustling, he was talking about the music business [being] the hustle. He was talking to everybody else like, 'Don't knock us.' 'Cause that's the new hustle. That's why it's so funny — people don't understand the genesis. It was representation of us and our life together. 'Regrets' was my favorite song on the album. I liked 'Regrets' and 'Cashmere Thoughts.' He wasn't gonna put 'Cashmere Thoughts' on there — he only put it on there 'cause it was my favorite."

" 'Dead Presidents II' was mine," Biggs said of his favorite Reasonable Doubt track.

Biggs and Dash's post-Roc life, as you know, has also involved fashion and films. Their most current project is "Mr. Untouchable," an upcoming documentary on the life of Harlem, New York, drug kingpin Nicky Barnes that arrives in theaters October 26.

But as far as music goes, it's still up in the air how many more albums Biggs and Dash will put out. They don't see the biz being lucrative anymore.

"We got heat. Nicole Wray's album [Lovechild] is hot, ODB's album [A Son Unique] is hot," Dash said of the label's two LPs, which have been kicking around for quite some time but haven't been officially released. "Everybody acts like they doing us a favor by putting it out.

"We got deals everywhere," he added when asked about a recent deal he struck with Koch Records to distribute his music. "It's not about the deal, it's about the frustration and hassle. We turned into real business men. We're here to make money, and it seems like the money ain't there."

You can hear the entire Beyond a Reasonable Doubt LP on www.BlockSavvy.com.

• Jay-Z
• Freeway
• Jim Jones
• Juelz Santana
• Memphis Bleek

Photo: MTV News

• Jay-Z
• Freeway
• The Fixxers
• Cee-Lo

Ludacris and Ne-Yo
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Scott Wintrow/Getty Images/Midway

Basketball video games have incorporated hip-hop for years, but a new NBA game out next week may be the most beats-and-rhymes-drenched title yet.

"NBA Ballers: Phenom" will feature 35 original tracks from rappers and R&B artists such as Bubba Sparxxx, Chingy, Mannie Fresh, Freeway and Ne-Yo.

If that's not enough of a hip-hop connection, the game forces the player to steer their hoops hopefuls down a number of forked story-line paths, taking advice from an in-game version of Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups or getting pulled toward the life of an off-court celebrity by none other than Ludacris. Will you put in more hours practicing your jump shot? Or do you raise your profile by participating in a benefit car wash with cheerleaders?

"NBA Ballers: Phenom" features an over-the-top street-balling brand of basketball that allows players to pick up one-on-one and two-on-two games against NBA pros in the hopes of making their mark and eventually getting picked #1 in the NBA draft.

Players who choose to have their phenoms build some hip-hop credibility (this would be the Ludacris path, no doubt) can enter a rap battle. According to the game's developers, lyrics for both sides of the clash were written by freestyle veteran Jin.

The game plays out as a story, a mode of play that is popping up in a number of sports games as developers reach the limits of realistically portraying the sport yet want to attract gamers. Midway did this with last year's "Blitz: The League," a non-NFL football game in which contests were connected with a story about the decadent lifestyle of pro players. Sony used a similar tactic with fall's "NBA '06," which let gamers engage their character in off-court activities such as getting endorsements and doing motion-capture moves for a video game.

"Ballers" attempts to one-up other recent story-driven sports games and test the limits of sports gamers' interest in off-court activities by letting the player walk city streets, making celebrity friends and seeking challenges. Help the local barber out and he reveals that he's Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace's dad, who gives out his son's cell phone number. The two ballers head to a playable basketball showdown at Wallace's mansion.

"NBA Ballers: Phenom" is developed and published by Midway and will be available for Xbox and PS2 next week. The first 500,000 units sold will include a bonus second disc acting as the game's soundtrack. The songs featured in the game, many of which will also be on the soundtrack, are:

• 4th World - "It's on You"
• Abstract Rude - "L.A. City"
• Ali - "Y'all Ain't Ready"
• B. Lloyd - "Take It to the Hoop"
• Basement Beats - "I'm a Baller"
• Bubba Sparxxx - "Pull Up and Pop"
• C.I. - "Put It on the Line"
• Camp Lo - "I Wanna Be"
• Chingy - "The Lifestyle of a Baller"
• Freeway - "The Only Way"
• Gena - "Just Begun"
• Goodie Mobb - "Break Bread"
• Heavy Mojo - "Got to Get It"
• Jeff Lacey - "I B-Ballin' "
• Jelly Joe - "Gimmie Dat"
• Jin the Emcee - "Choices"
• Juice - "Gotta Come Up"
• Kaine Cioffie - "Ballers"
• Kanjia - "Keep It Movin' "
• KoKo - "What It Iz"
• Mannie Fresh - "#1"
• Nappy Roots - "You Don't Want It"
• Ness Lee - "Super Star" and "The Blacktop"
• Ne-Yo - "Ballin' "
• Northern League featuring Ming + FS - "We Hot Now"
• Phife Dawg - "I Got This"
• Planet Asia - "Back 'Em Down"
• Point Game - "I'm a Playa" and "It's a Shame" (featuring Ness Lee)
• Raskal - "Raise Up"
• Rock City - "Ballin' Out"
• Shak-C - "Let's Ball"
• Smoke & Numbers - "Go Hard or Go Home"
• Ty Jilla featuring Raskal - "They Know Me"

• Ludacris
• Ne-Yo
• Bubba Sparxxx
• Chingy
• Freeway

50 Cent
Photo: Walik Goshorn

HARTFORD, Connecticut — The Meadows Music Centre was on fire Wednesday night, not only because of the sweltering summer temperature, but also because a hip-hop heat wave had just taken over the town.

Jay-Z handled the pressure, 50 Cent made people believe the hype, Bonnie shook her bon-bon and the Chairman of the Board was left lying in a pool of blood. The Rock The Mic Tour, one of hip-hop's most anticipated shows in years, officially opened the curtain on its road trek.

Co-headliner Jay-Z knows that even though he'll be taking the stage last during the tour, his is not necessarily the name with the most drawing power. After all, 50 Cent Mania is in full swing and fans have been vocal about riding hard for him. So Jigga pulled out all stops on his performance. He not only brought out his omnipresent crew and a "special friend," he also treated fans to what's a rarity for him: backup dancers. Yes, backup dancers.

Hov's lauded performance was preceded by footage of helicopters on stage's giant screens. Then the stage lights slowly began to illuminate, revealing the set, which mirrored a military compound, complete with jungle vines hanging from the rafters, a bunkerlike structure and Hov's DJ, Just Blaze, surrounded by sandbags.

Dancers dressed in fatigues marched out to the beat of Hova's "Takeover" and stepped into formation until their leader made his grand entrance. Wearing dark shades, a black military officer's shirt — complete with a colorful array of medals — and matching shorts, Jay kicked off his set with "Jigga My N---a."

Jigga's dance troupe did a brief jig behind him before exiting. Dame Dash, the Roc's other boss, later came from backstage to dance as "I Just Wanna Love You" was ending. The heads of the label slapped each other five and shared a few laughs over Dash's crazy footwork.

Jay teased the crowd a little, playing a snippet of the beat to "'03 Bonnie and Clyde." But then Just Blaze quickly switched up the track, keying up the commanding horns of Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love." Jay's dancers returned moments later, accompanied by Beyoncé herself.

The surprise of the night took the show full throttle when B started singing "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh" while simultaneously doing the hydraulic butt shake from her video. Beyoncé strutted around the stage with the confidence of a model on the runway and then stood by as Jay rapped his verse.

But the woman who has snatched back her bootylicious title belt from Jennifer Lopez wasn't the only guest Jay would bring out to help him rock the mic. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Freeway and his fellow State Property members, the Young Guns and Peedi Crakk, also made appearances.

Everyone onstage disappeared for a wardrobe change as 1 a.m. started creeping up. Jay and the Roc came out a few minutes later to the beat of "Excuse Me Miss," having replaced their regular Roc-A-Wear street gear with dress suits.

"It's the Roc in herrre," Jay rhymed in his laid-back tone, with his crew posing and doing lounge-singer impersonations behind him. But you knew Jay couldn't end the concert on too smooth of a vibe, so at the last minute he took off his jacket for the finale, "La-La-La," his current single and the remix to "Excuse Me Miss."

Jay had a tough act to follow. 50 Cent's electric performance shocked the audience into submission, creating a frenzied legion of monster-fans, hell-bent on devouring every line of every song. Yelling in approval and thrashing their arms to the beats, the devotees rhymed along with the tunes as if they were the ones onstage.

Like Jay, the Queens MC also featured a guy in a suit: Old Blue Eyes. Before 50's performance, a man appeared on the screens impersonating the late Frank Sinatra.

The actor, dressed in a black suit and bow tie, welcomed everyone to the "50 Cent Show" before singing the Sinatra classic "New York, New York." A video montage then came on the screen, warmly highlighting some of the most legendary sights in the city. The serenity was stopped short, however, when somebody shot Frankie Baby. Another montage displaying some of New York's more unattractive scenery, such as drug addicts and shootouts, flashed as the G-Unit took the stage, launching into the song "U Not Like Me" against a set of the New York City skyline.

"You're not like me," sang 50 and the crew, dressed in New England Patriots jerseys and hats, almost drowned out by their excited fans.

"Wanksta" was up next, and then Cent addressed Murder Inc. "I smell p---y," 50 said, with his back turned toward the audience, grinning mockingly. "Is that you, Ja? I smell p---y, is that you, Irv? I smell p---y, is that you, Black? I smell p---y, is that you, Tah?" The mid-tempo beat cut off and the soundscape for "Back Down" thundered in. After his round of disses, 50 turned to give praise to one of the loves of his life with "High All the Time."

The show was flowing smoothly as "In Da Club" played, but then a glitch in the musical matrix occurred as the Unit left the stage and the video for "Many Men" came on the screens. The wrong track was being played, though, because all that was heard was the beat and no verses.

Even though some people were obviously bewildered, 50 quickly recovered from the error and took the enthusiasm to the highest point of the show with "What Up Gangsta," "21 Questions" and "Magic Stick" before he closed out with "Blood Hounds."

The Roc The Mic Tour highlights weren't limited to the headliners. Openers Lil' Mo, Fabolous and Missy Elliott all had brief sets filled mostly with big singles, and then Busta Rhymes came on.

Rhymes showed that there is no such thing as an off night for him by raising the bar with his animated rapping, yelling and crotch-grabbing along with Spliff Star. Proving that his stamina on the mic is boundless, he performed both his and P. Diddy's lyrics from "Pass the Courvoisier," and with most of the Flipmode Squad conspicuously absent, he also rapped their parts on "I Know What You Want."

The ladies in the crowd helped him out with Mariah Carey's parts on the chorus, but they totally bastardized her lyrics on the bridge. Bust kept his humorous nature, though, jabbing the audience.

"Ya'll don't know the words to the song? Cut that sh-- off," he said, looking surprised. He then told the crowd to go buy his latest album after the concert was over, and then it was.

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

• 50 Cent
• Jay-Z
• Missy Elliott
• Beyoncé
• Beanie Sigel

Peedi Crakk, Biggs and Freeway
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

When not onstage, Freeway has been on the freeway the past few weeks, touring as part of the Def Jam Vendetta Tour, which ends in a couple of days.

Three weeks ago, however, the Philadelphia native got a chance to stay planted in his hometown while filming his latest clip with fellow State Property member Peedi Crakk.

"We just shot a big video for 'Flipside,' " Free said on Monday. "We shot it in the 'hood, we kept it all Philly. (Click to see photos.) It's a block party thing. I'm having a block party on my block and the cops shut it down. Then we go to Crakk's block [and] the cops shut his party down. Then we take it to the rooftops. We got Jay-Z, Biggs and Damon Dash in the video. My man Killer Mike came through and showed us love. It was big. It feels good, man, seeing everybody come out to the old neighborhood."

Free and Crakk will soon be jumping full steam into the State Property 2 LP along with Beanie Sigel, the Young Guns and Oschino & Sparks. Originally, Sigel was supposed to drop his third solo album, The Becoming, this summer, and round up the rest of State Property for a group album around the time their movie of the same name came out. But as we've seen before with the Roc, plans can quickly change and new projects can easily get jumpstarted.

In fact, one song off of State Property 2, "When You Hear That," featuring Beanie, Peedi and guest star Dirt McGirt, made its way onto the radio and mixtapes a few weeks ago, just a few days after being recorded.

"The streets need it," Free explained of SP 2. "Plus, it's good for all the artists, like Oschino & Sparks, who people know but haven't heard too much from. This is going to open up the door. You gonna hear a lot of everybody together, but it's gonna be different combinations too."

The bearded mic barbarian said his clan is going to deliver a more focused collaborative effort than they did last time around.

"The first joint, [the record label] was saying it was going to be a soundtrack, then it was going to be a regular album. N---as didn't sit down and concentrate on that. That was just songs we had and they put together. This one, we're sitting down, concentrating, everybody's working together and it's gonna be crazy."

Free has also been working on solo material while on tour. He has a studio on his bus and has knocked out 12 cuts for the follow-up to Philadelphia Freeway, which he hopes to drop later this year.

"All my experiences, I put it down," he said of the album's thematic flow. "I didn't even sit down and pick a direction — I just started knocking joints out. It's coming out crazy. Everywhere I've been going, I've been getting tracks from the n---as sitting in the gutter. The ones popping in the 'hood. If I told you their names, you wouldn't even know who I was talking about. I've been in the slum, I've been digging deep."

Even though the Def Jam Vendetta Tour will soon be closing out, Free's tour bus will be racking up mileage nonetheless. He and many of the members of the Roc-A-Fella family will be accompanying Jay-Z on the Roc the Mic Tour, which commences June 26 in Hartford, Connecticut (see "50 Cent And Jay-Z Announce Roc The Mic Tour Dates").

• Freeway

M.O.P.' s Billy Danze live
Photo: Walik Goshorn

With a slew of albums to release, the upcoming Roc Army Tour and corresponding concert film to plan, and his budding career as a director to focus on, it's no surprise that Roc-A-Fella CEO Dame Dash is a little out of the loop when it comes to some artists in his stable — even Jay-Z.

"I don't know about 50 and Jay's tour," Dame Dash said in response to news of 50 Cent's blockbuster announcement on Monday (see "50 Cent Says He And Jay-Z Will Unite Onstage, In The Studio"). I know they were in talks, but I ain't really have nothing to do with it. I'm gonna go talk to Jay today. I'm gonna let Jay speak on Jay's tours."

The usually outspoken CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records is busy tying up loose ends on the Roc Army Tour, which is slated to ramp up this spring. The Jiggaman won't be featured on the outing, but most of the roster's other MCs — including Cam'ron and the Diplomats, Memphis Bleek, M.O.P., Beanie Sigel, Freeway and the rest of State Property — have all signed on.

"We have tentative dates," Dash said in an uncharacteristically subdued tone. "It's basically starting at the end of May. It'll be a six-week tour ending at the end of June. Then we gonna take it to Europe and Japan. We're gonna bring the ruckus. We gonna show what happens when we all clique up. The show is gonna be like an ensemble of hits after hits. It's not gonna be your regular show."

Fans will be privy to the action they miss during the tour as, once again, Dash will have movie cameras with him on the road, filming behind-the-scenes footage to be used in the sequel to the concert documentary "Backstage."

"You know I [film] everything," he said. Dash, whose directorial debut, "Paper Soldiers," was recently released on DVD (as was the Roc-A-Fella film "Paid in Full"), is planning to helm another sequel in the coming months as well.

Soon after the scriptwriting is done, Dame is planning to direct "State Property 2," which will also star Beanie Siegel, although at the end of the original movie, the Philly rhyme beast appeared to meet his demise at the hands of former Roc artist Amil.

"Nah, remember what he said. He said, 'That was all bullsh--. I ended up going to jail,' " Dame said, explaining how Beanie's still kicking in "SP2." 

Far from meeting a grisly end is Dash's career in Hollywood. He wants to start his own film distribution company, but that won't be up and running for some time. He still needs a little help to put out the hip-hop spoof "Death of Dynasty," which he also directed last summer.

"We're gonna premiere that at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 7," he said. "After that I'll probably get some distribution and release it theatrically."

Obviously Dash hasn't forgotten about his record label. He says he has some "ridiculous" signings on the horizon, and starting in June with Memphis Bleek's M.A.D.E., Roc-A-Fella will be flooding the market for the rest of the year with releases by Cam'ron, Julez Santana, M.O.P., Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z, whose The Black Album is said to mark his graceful bow from the mic.

"I don't know," Dame said about whether he thought Young Hova would really give up rapping. "You never know with Jay. He's always hungry. We all are. We're all cakeaholics."

• Jay-Z
• Cam'ron
• M.O.P.
• Freeway
• Beanie Sigel

Fabolous
Photo: Jason Campbell

DOSWELL, Virginia — Two young men were shot after a show by Fabolous, Keith Murray, Freeway, Beanie Sigel and Cam'ron and the Diplomats on Saturday night.

The concert, part of BET's College Hip-Hop Fest at Paramount Kings Dominion amusement park, had been over nearly an hour when a scuffle broke out in the parking lot and the men, 18 and 21, were wounded by gunshots, according to the Hanover County Sheriff's office spokesperson Lieutenant Doug Goodman.

Thanks to information provided by witnesses, police questioned two men in connection with the shooting and recovered a weapon. David Gleason McKoy, 23, is being held in jail without bond on two counts of malicious wounding and two counts of possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Goodman said the shooting occurred around 9 p.m. in the parking lot after an altercation between McKoy and the two victims, whose names have not been released. Police said the victims and McKoy knew each other from their hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia. One of the victims was shot in the torso and the other in the shoulder.

Approximately 20,000 fans attended the sixth annual all-day festival, which also featured a Greek step dancing show from a number of fraternities and sororities, as well as a DJ battle and hip-hop karaoke. Lt. Goodman said the shooting was the only violent incident at the event, which had proceeded smoothly up until that point.

• Fabolous
• The Diplomats
• Keith Murray
• Beanie Sigel
• Freeway

Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Nas, Busta, Others Get Hot In Puerto Rico

• Jay-Z
• Busta Rhymes
• Alicia Keys
• Nas
• Freeway

On Stage & Behind The Scenes With Jay, 50, Beanie, More

• Jay-Z
• 50 Cent
• Beanie Sigel
• Memphis Bleek
• Freeway

• Freeway