DMX performs at Hot 97's Back to School Jam Saturday
Photo: SoulBrother

DMX was onstage at New York's Nassau Coliseum for a total of 15 minutes Saturday night during the Back to School Jam concert co-sponsored by hip-hop radio station Hot 97. But a lot can happen in 15 minutes.

According to police, an unidentified 29-year-old woman was struck in the head with a metal folding chair during an onstage altercation that involved several concertgoers and members of DMX's entourage. The victim was treated at Nassau University Medical Center in nearby East Meadow for a laceration she'd sustained to her head.

Police spokesperson Detective Sergeant Herb Daub of Nassau's Third Squad Detective Unit told New York Newsday that DMX "ran back, jumped off [the] stage" during his brief set, "and started a fight with the sound person" when the sound was cut midway through his performance.

(Click here for photos of DMX, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and more at the show.)

DMX headlined the Hot 97 event, which also featured appearances by Yung Joc and Lloyd Banks — with surprise guests 50 Cent and G-Unit. Jim Jones, Foxy Brown and Funkmaster Flex were also slated to appear but were unable to make it past the security checkpoint, according to the show's promoters, Big League Entertainment. Banks took the stage just prior to DMX and performed for 30 minutes; his set was abbreviated due to time constraints levied by the venue.

Management at the Nassau Coliseum repeatedly attempted to cut off 50's microphone in hopes of speeding up the performances. The G-Unit leader, however, switched microphones and began taunting DMX and Jones in hopes of winning the crowd over for more time. After stirring up the audience for an additional 15 minutes, 50 finally relented and G-Unit's set came to a close. There were no altercations as G-Unit exited.

DMX took the stage to perform next and experienced similar problems with his microphone being cut off. The promoters said the issues getting artists into Nassau Coliseum resulted in an overall time crunch. The artists, they told MTV News, were asked to shorten their sets by 15 minutes. DMX, like 50 Cent, attempted to rally the crowd in his favor but grew frustrated with the sound man and began to destroy equipment onstage. The rapper then stormed off, according to a witness.

Police said DMX and his associates exited the stage around 11:45 p.m. but returned minutes later, throwing bottles of water into the crowd.

"A member of the audience picked up a steel folding chair and threw it onstage," Daub explained. "It was thrown back off by a member of DMX's entourage and it struck the victim in the head."

Officers were called to Nassau Coliseum by a witness to the chair-hurling incident, and a special-operations team was summoned to clear out the venue. Several witnesses came forward to discuss the incident with detectives. The alleged suspect was described as a black male with dreadlocks. Police are asking that anyone with additional information come forward, and an investigation has been launched.

Neither DMX nor a spokesperson for his label, Sony Urban, could be reached for comment at press time.

In related news, a heavy metal concert in Sedalia, Missouri, on Saturday ended abruptly — and with the gig's two headliners, Drowning Pool and Fear Factory, still left to play — when a female audience member was hit in the head with a beer bottle that had been thrown from the stage by one of the afternoon's performers.

According to the Sedalia Democrat, the Delicious Rox Festival 2006, which boasted a bill 19 bands deep at the Dodge Arena at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, halted just after 10 p.m. Police were called in to help shut the concert down. The show's promoters pulled the plug on the gig because of an insurance stipulation requiring the concert's cancellation in the event a fan sustained an injury.

Police did not reveal the victim's name or provide an update on her condition. The promoters broke the news to the audience following Fozzy's set, and local law enforcement officials called in additional officers to keep the crowd under control. Refunds will be offered through the promoters' Web site, AndaroManagement.com.

[This story was originally published at 8:43 am ET on 10.02.2006]

• DMX, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, More At Hot 97's Back To School Jam '06

• DMX
• 50 Cent
• Jim Jones
• Foxy Brown
• Funkmaster Flex

P. Diddy enters his Gulfstream IV-SP jet
Photo: MTV News

MORRISTOWN, New Jersey — You've heard everyone from Jay-Z to Fabolous to Busta Rhymes reference the new Mercedes Maybach in their songs, but for hip-hop's preeminent trendsetter, even those hot wheels aren't hot enough.

"I don't own a Maybach," P. Diddy said nonchalantly Friday, standing in the middle of an airplane hangar. "That's for guys with new money that don't know what to do with it. I like the classics." (Click for photos of P. Diddy's jet.)

Diddy is pulling out his classics as well as his favorite vehicles from other years for a taping of Spike TV's upcoming show "Ride With Funkmaster Flex."

There's a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2002 Ferrari and the biggest toy of them all, Diddy's 16-seat Gulfstream IV-SP jet that maxes out at 550 mph.

Having access to one of these babies exudes top-rate baller status. Owning the jet outright can cost up to $35 million, but rather than incur this cost, Diddy simply shells out dollars to own a fraction of the aircraft, which is the equivalent to time sharing. To rent a Gulfstream IV and a flight staff for 25 hours can cost up to $299,000.

"It's crazy being on it and seeing it," Flex marveled of his buddy's aircraft. Inside the plane there are leather seats with small TV screens next to them. There's a bathroom, a dining area with a table, a long couch and a kitchen with a microwave.

"Do we have to go up?" Diddy, flanked by rapper Loon, asked the show's producer. At first the Bad Boys seemed gung-ho about letting the camera crew tape them flying, but when Flex started showing a fear of flying, Diddy lost the feeling.

"If he's not going up, I'm not going up," Diddy insisted. "It might be in the air for us not to go up. You gotta go with the gut. If it's in his gut not to go up, maybe we shouldn't go up."

"No, I'm just shook," laughed Flex, who had shown up in his own 1966 Chevy Impala, trying to convince Diddy to fly. It was to no avail, though. In the end they decided to keep the show on the ground, turning their attention once again to P. Diddy's cars.

"If you don't have a girlfriend, throw on a white T-shirt, some jeans, drop the top and drive slow," Diddy said, looking into the camera and testifying to magnetism of his cherry red Chevy. "I guarantee you within 20 miles [you'll find someone]. I only drive this three times a year, but it looks nice in your garage."

Speaking of girlfriends, Diddy also had his prized Ferrari on hand from the "I Need a Girl (Part 2)" video.

"When you're doing 200 [mph], it only feels like 85," Diddy said, cracking a smile, referring to the "gift" from his children.

"I got Nelly, Lil' Kim, Ja Rule, 50 Cent — some of the biggest celebrities and their rides," Flex said of the lifestyle show, which came into existence after he shot a $50,000 pilot with his own money and introduced the show to executives at TNN, which is now called Spike TV. (MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns Spike TV.)

Some of the other celebs flossing their tricked-out rides include Eminem, Ludacris and Queen Latifah. On the show, Flex will also lend a hand to some of the celebs, either enhancing their vehicles or totally restoring them like he did for 50 Cent's 1965 Chevy Impala.

"Ride With Funkmaster Flex" premieres August 16 on Spike TV. It will air on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with an encore on Sundays at 11 p.m.

• Diddy
• Funkmaster Flex
• Loon

Funkmaster Flex
Photo: Franchise

NEW YORK — Funkmaster Flex was arrested and charged with third-degree assault on Sunday for allegedly attacking a woman outside of radio station Hot 97 three days earlier, police said.

Though a police spokesperson could offer no details on the victim, a representative for radio personality Stephanie "Steph Lova" Saunders said it was the female jock who pressed charges against Flex.

Saunders has worked as a VJ for MTV2 and also worked for Hot 97 (WQHT-FM) from April 1999 to June 2001. She has since found residence at the station's rival, WWPR-FM, better known as Power 105.1, hosting a weekend show and filling in on weekdays. Neither Lova nor Flex had any comment.

The Funkmaster, born Aston Taylor, is a popular on-air personality at Hot 97 as well as a recording artist and club DJ. Police said he turned himself in around noon on Sunday to face the misdemeanor charges. He appeared in front of judge later that day and was released on his own recognizance.

Since emerging on the New York radio scene earlier this year, Power 105.1 has become the bitter rival of Hot 97, engaging in a ratings war for hip-hop and R&B listeners. Things came to a head in June when Nas boycotted Hot 97's annual Summer Jam and appeared on Power 105.1 during the time he was supposed to be headlining the concert (see "Nas A No-Show At Summer Jam, Denies Planned Mock Lynching of Jay-Z"). It was Lova who was interviewing the Queensbridge MC when, among other things, he threw acidic salvos at Hot 97 and Funkmaster Flex.

[This story was updated at 6:00 P.M. EST on 09.23.02.]

• Funkmaster Flex

Funkmaster Flex
Photo: Franchise

ENGLISHTOWN, New Jersey — The way these rappers plead their cases, they all should have tried out for the "L.A. Law" reunion special.

Wyclef Jean swore up and down he had the goods to stun hip-hop's #1 Stunna, Baby of Cash Money. Busta Rhymes told everybody that compared to his toys, theirs were busted. Baby contested that Busta and 'Clef were cheats. At stake, a year's worth of bragging rights.

"They violated," Baby protested backstage at Saturday's second annual Funkmaster Flex Celebrity Car Show. "I could have brought a jet, a G-4 here if they wanted to pull off expensive surprises." (Click for photos from the event.)

Celebs such as DMX, Lil' Kim, Queen Latifah, members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Foxy Brown, Cam'ron and the Diplomats and the aforementioned ballin' blabbermouths all gathered at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park to either compete or just see who had the flossiest vehicles on display.

"This is crazy," Jadakiss said early in the day after admiring Busta's arsenal of steel on wheels, which included a silver 2003 Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, a yellow Hummer H2, a red Ford F150 Harley Davidson truck and two Lamborghini Murcielagos — one lime green, the other bright orange, and each with a toy replica of itself inside.

"This makes me want to go to the studio [and] go up to Interscope and open up about three or four more budgets," Jada continued, marveling. "I see how it's going down. There's some beautiful machines out here. Busta looks like he's holding it down, too. It's real close between Baby, Busta and 'Clef. That's about it right now. I think the trophy's going to float around between any of them three right now."

Soon after Jada, his Ruff Ryder family member DMX made his way in to sniff out what he was up against. X had Chevrolet Impalas from 1963 and 1964, and one had a picture of Aaliyah spraypainted on the hood.

"I ain't seen nothing yet," DMX said of the cars being shown off. "I'm going to check out my joints. My mans and them are already here, and they already told me the competition is none. You can eat off the bottom of my car, dog. You could flip my car upside down and eat off chrome.

"I'm a connoisseur, man," X continued. "I've got a few joints, man, from like 1930 to like 1970. [My favorite one] is not finished all the way, but it's my '57 Cadillac Fleetwood. From the back door to the tail is chrome."

While X loves the vintage rides, 'Clef decided to make his car show appearance a mixture of old-school faves like a pink Cadillac Eldorado, modern-day staples like his Bentley and Ferrari F350, and futuristic-looking hot wheels like a motorcycle wrapped in Spider-Man colors and the McLaren F1, which has a steering wheel and driver's seat placed in the middle and passenger seats on the left and right.

Wyclef was so confident that he would wrest the car show title from last year's winner, Baby, that he was in full Don King promotional mode. He had what seemed to be an endless array of models sporting thongs, short-shorts and T-shirts with his name printed on them. And when Baby and the Cash Money Millionaires arrived (late) and stood on top of the uniformly painted red Hummer H2, Mercedes G-Wagon, Cadillac Escalade and a Corvette with Louis Vuitton signature leather on the roof and interior, the long-haired music man wanted to shut things down.

"The #1 Stunna has just been terminated," 'Clef, standing in the back of his monster truck, shouted into the mic across the car area, which was covered with a tent. Baby, without a mic, suffered through Wyclef's playful tormenting and gloating. Later, at the backstage area, the platinum-mouthed CEO had plenty to say to 'Clef face to face.

"I'm still the man, and I'm gonna be the man regardless," affirmed Baby, who also accessorized his cars with ostrich interiors and rims that went as big as 25 inches. "They after my neck, but listen, I came with my game right. Since I'm the champion, I made the rules. I said, 'If you come with any Lamborghini and Bentleys, you're disqualified,' because I wanted to keep this one for the 'hood. I wanted to do it for everybody. Bentleys, we'd be going out of the category, 'cause I could come in with five Bentleys. I wanted to show artistic this year. We buy $40,000 cars, $50,000 cars like that and let the neighborhood join in."

"Everybody wants to go for Baby," said Flex, the show's host, conceding the obvious. "What I like is that it's friendly competition, and it's men who love their cars and love to put them together. What's starting to happen as we go in the years, it becomes more like traditional car shows. We have judges that will check your vehicles. We have people that will see whether it's a go. And the creativity gets bigger and bigger."

So does the amount of money the stars empty out of their vaults. A member of 'Clef's camp said the refugee rhymer claims to have spent over $3 million on the vehicles he brought. He wasn't taking any shorts.

"What happened is, this year, I'm coming for the champ," Wyclef said. "Watch my move — let me show you my move for the Birdman," he added, laughing, and threw a flurry a phantom punches toward the ground, much to the amusement of Baby, who was standing nearby with Busta Rhymes.

While competition among rapper's rides took most of the spectators' attention, Foxy Brown, who took the stage after Cam'ron, concentrated on battling on the mic.

"Hands down, I'm the best!" shouted the BK master blaster during her set. "Like I ain't the bitch who had Jay-Z and Nas and now I got Puff Daddy, holla!" she carried on. "The imperial serial rap murderer/ I'm jacking a beat, call me the track burglar/ Every time I spit I'm committing a crime/ This bitch don't say sh-- in her rhyme."

  By this time, Lil' Kim, whom many felt was the object of Fox's indirect disses, was standing inconspicuously backstage hearing the venom. It was nothing but war chants from the crowd by the time Fox performed "Oh Yeah," with the entire audience crying out to coincide with the chorus. Baby took time out from his car battles to get onstage with Foxy and Loon for the remix to "Stylin'," which closed out the lady killer's show.

When the car show closed out, Wyclef lived up to his prophecies and new champ was crowned.

"Baby is a veteran when it comes to this, but once in a while a young kid got to come along and knock him out," 'Clef continued with his jaw-jacking. "Flex, give me my trophy. [The] F1 McLaren's doors do not go up like a Lamborghini. The car opens like the Birdman's wings."

Unfortunately for Baby, the Birdman's wings were clipped this year.

• Funkmaster Flex
• Busta Rhymes
• Wyclef Jean
• Jay-Z
• DMX

Nas
Photo: MTV News

Concert boycotts, calling out other rappers, exposing alleged dirty radio politics and under-the-table payoffs: Nas has done it all in the past few days. Some have chalked up the usually reserved street poet's actions and words of late to straight wildin' out, some say he's just awakening, others have been saying the King of Queensbridge has snapped. He can't even explain it.

"I don't know why I'm saying this, I don't know what's gotten into me, but one thing I know is that I love the music too much and I try to stay real to it," Nas said Friday in Hershey, Pennsylvania, just before his performance as part of Usher's Evolution Tour. "When I see people faking the funk, I can't have it."

New York radio station Hot 97 wasn't having it last Wednesday when it held its annual grand slam concert Summer Jam. While Nas was the scheduled headliner for the Uniondale, New York, event, he declined to show up when the station, he said, would not let him perform the song "Ether." Instead, he went on Hot 97's rival Power 105.1 and went on a tirade about the day's events.

Hot 97 defended itself the next day and said it didn't have any beef with Nas performing "Ether," but rather it was perturbed by a mock lynching of Jay-Z that was supposed to take place during his set (see "Nas A No-Show At Summer Jam, Denies Planned Mock Lynching Of Jay-Z").

"What I was about to do was no different than what Eminem would do onstage when he brings out dolls of Britney Spears, of his own moms," Nas rebutted. "Or what [Dr.] Dre did when he had a lawsuit against Michigan from them not allowing him to express himself.

"They conspired together to make sure I wasn't dissing any other rappers, but for some reason they promote other rappers dissing Nas every time," he continued. "I just want to figure out what's happening with that. I want to prevent that from happening with any artist in the future, not to be exploited or put in slavery by any radio station or anything for that matter. This is supposed to be our freedom of speech, our time to voice our word to the world and they're giving us limitations — well, giving me limitations — because it seems like every time you turn on that station it's a new rapper talking about me and they promoting it like it's the best thing since sliced bread."

Nas was indirectly referring to Cam'ron's appearance on Hot 97 in the wake of Summer Jam night. While on Power 105.1, Nas said Cam was a "good" lyricist but added his latest album was "wack." The Harlemite, not too far removed from his impromptu performance at the concert, hit the studio and recorded a scathing comeback, where he raps over Nas' "Hate Me Now" for a portion of it and, among other things, threatens Nas by saying, "Take your daughter to R. Kelly and have my way with her face."

"To talk about people's moms and daughters, that's how you reach down and try to hurt somebody's feelings," Nas said of Cam's rhymes. "He's lost. He's looking for a way to sell records but he doesn't understand that he's getting used by Hot 97 for ratings and to speak up for [Funkmaster] Flex, who don't care about nobody except for himself. They got a dummy to be a dummy and go up on the radio and speak out against me. It's unfortunate because they're using [Cam'ron] and he's not even a part of my fight. My fight is against any power structure that's gonna try to hold the freedom of speech and that fight is not over yet."

One fight that Nas also hinted isn't over — though he iterated he wants it to stay strictly in the verbal form — is with Flex. On Friday afternoon, during a pre-taped interview on New York radio station 107.5 WBLS' "The Wendy Williams Experience," Nas accused Flex of taking money under the table to play records (a claim that Flex has heard before and has denied in several interviews) and basically put up a bounty, saying, "If you a real man, take Flex's chain and give it to me. If you a real man, when you see Flex take off his chain and I got something for you. If you a rap artist, that's real, smack that n---a man!"

"I didn't mean that, because as a real man I'm not gonna promote any violence," a remorseful Nas said of his diatribe. "I'm not gonna ask for any harm to be done to Flex. I was outraged, I was angry and I'm man enough to say I really don't want nothing to happen to him because he's not fit for it, he's not built for it. He's just a mouth that gets paid to do whatever he wants to do ... I take that statement back."

On Saturday, Nas did have his chance to perform in front of some New Yorkers who traveled down to New Jersey as the Evolution Tour made a stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

With no one threatening to censor him, he hit them with one verse of "Ether" then abruptly ended the song, saying, "Nah, I'm done with that, I need new competition, I'm moving on," as the crowd chanted for him to finish.

"I been through a lot of things in my life and I'm going through a lot of things right now, but I can't let all the negativity get to me," he also told the audience during his performance. After his finale of "One Mic," the onlookers gave him a standing ovation that lasted a little over two minutes.

For a full-length feature on the battle between Nas and Jay-Z, check out "Nas And Jay-Z: Grade-A Beef."

• Nas
• Cam'ron
• Funkmaster Flex
• N.O.R.E.
• Nelly

While he wasn't able to lure Foxy Brown from Def Jam, P. Diddy just bolstered the lineup of his Bad Boy label with seminal Southern rap duo 8 Ball & MJG, who recently signed with P.D.'s company. ... On August 3, we'll find out who the year's biggest balla is when Funkmaster Flex hosts his second annual celebrity car show at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Flex said that playas such as P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes and Wyclef Jean will submit vehicles and try to snatch the championship from hip-hop's "#1 Stunna,"Baby of Cash Money, who was last year's winner. ...

Nearly seven months after it was recorded, Incubus' home video "The Morning View Sessions" will be released on VHS and DVD. The laid-back performance video, which more resembles an informal jam session than an actual concert, was recorded at Sony Studios in New York the day the band's fourth album, Morning View, dropped. ... Kelly Osbourne will sing her cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" at her live debut at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango festival June 15 in Pasadena, California. The song will be featured on The Osbournes Family Album, due June 11. ... A few weeks after dropping the greatest-hits package Work in early June, electronic duo Orbital will release the next volume in the Back to Mine chillout compilation series. Highlights on the mix include the previously unreleased Orbital track "Ska'd for Life" and material from PJ Harvey and the Divine Comedy. ...

05.17.02

The man who insists he invented the remix, P. Diddy, is working on new material with Justin Timberlake. Diddy's production partner Mario Winans said their team has fashioned an uptempo Justin solo track that will burn the dancefloors. ... Britney Spears is offering 10 pairs of choice seats for each stop on her summer tour, as well as passes to soundcheck at select venues, through an online auction at www.britneyspears.com beginning Friday (May 17). Proceeds from the auction will benefit the singer's children's charity, the Britney Spears Foundation. ... Look for Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston to share a toast on the beach in the upcoming video for Ja Rule's "Down Ass Chick" remix. Houston's own video shouldn't be out before too long; her label, Arista Records, said her next LP is scheduled for August 6. ...

Sevendust have recruited their pals in Creed to donate an autographed guitar and drumsticks for an eBay auction to benefit the family of Cameron Gallion, the 14-year-old who appeared in Sevendust's "Praise" video. Gallion died of cancer last February. ... The members of Sum41 may be flippant jesters about most things, but they're pretty stone-faced when it comes to protecting wildlife. The group recently set a letter to Manitoban Minister of Conservation Oscar Lathlin on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, urging him to force the Suarez Bros. Circus to release six polar bears, three of which were caught in Manitoba. ...

Beck has finished recording his as-yet-untitled next album with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead). Due September 24, the record is said to be acoustic pop in the vein of 1998's Mutations. ... One of Beck's favorite bands, Icelandic experimentalists Sigur Rós, are nearly done with the follow-up to Ágætis Byrjun and are eyeing a fall release. On the band's Icelandic record label Web site, singer/guitarist Jon Thor Birgisson described the material as having "far fewer little slick things and much less sweet stuff" than their acclaimed debut. ...

Korn, System of a Down and Eminem may have been bested by Web warriors recently, but R.E.M. didn't wait for Internet pirates to raid their latest sonic treasures. The band has posted 10 electronic remixes from Reveal on remhq.com, drawing upon the talents of Matthew Herbert, Marc Bianchi, Dahoud Darien and more. ... Garbage are back working on a B-sides collection after setting aside the project to record last year's Beautifulgarbage. The band is asking fans to e-mail suggestions for the album to garbagefanmail@qprime.com. ... Fans can vote on the set list and the theme of the set design for Alanis Morissette's upcoming concert special on the Oxygen network on www.oxygen.com. The show will air June 23. ...

Our Lady Peace have set out on a North American tour this week to promote their fifth album, the Bob Rock-produced Gravity, due June 18. The Canadian rockers, whose single "Somewhere Out There" is currently #9 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, will play radio festivals and club dates before ending the trek July 7 in Omaha, Nebraska. ... Before heading out on the Warped Tour, the Alkaline Trio will hit the studio to begin recording the follow-up to last year's From Here to Infirmary. The album, which will proceed a solo recording from singer/guitarist Matt Skiba, is due in the fall. ... Pop singer/songwriter Brendan Benson will open on the White Stripes' upcoming tour beginning May 28 in Tucson, Arizona. Benson is promoting the just-released Lapalco, which he recorded with Jason Falkner

• Diddy
• Eightball & MJG
• Funkmaster Flex
• Busta Rhymes
• Wyclef Jean

While he wasn't able to lure Foxy Brown from Def Jam, P. Diddy just bolstered the lineup of his Bad Boy label with seminal Southern rap duo 8 Ball & MJG, who recently signed with P.D.'s company. ... On August 3, we'll find out who the year's biggest balla is when Funkmaster Flex hosts his second annual celebrity car show at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. Flex said that playas such as P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes and Wyclef Jean will submit vehicles and try to snatch the championship from hip-hop's "#1 Stunna,"Baby of Cash Money, who was last year's winner. ...

Nearly seven months after it was recorded, Incubus' home video "The Morning View Sessions" will be released on VHS and DVD. The laid-back performance video, which more resembles an informal jam session than an actual concert, was recorded at Sony Studios in New York the day the band's fourth album, Morning View, dropped. ... Kelly Osbourne will sing her cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" at her live debut at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango festival June 15 in Pasadena, California. The song will be featured on The Osbournes Family Album, due June 11. ... A few weeks after dropping the greatest-hits package Work in early June, electronic duo Orbital will release the next volume in the Back to Mine chillout compilation series. Highlights on the mix include the previously unreleased Orbital track "Ska'd for Life" and material from PJ Harvey and the Divine Comedy. ...

05.17.02

The man who insists he invented the remix, P. Diddy, is working on new material with Justin Timberlake. Diddy's production partner Mario Winans said their team has fashioned an uptempo Justin solo track that will burn the dancefloors. ... Britney Spears is offering 10 pairs of choice seats for each stop on her summer tour, as well as passes to soundcheck at select venues, through an online auction at www.britneyspears.com beginning Friday (May 17). Proceeds from the auction will benefit the singer's children's charity, the Britney Spears Foundation. ... Look for Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston to share a toast on the beach in the upcoming video for Ja Rule's "Down Ass Chick" remix. Houston's own video shouldn't be out before too long; her label, Arista Records, said her next LP is scheduled for August 6. ...

Sevendust have recruited their pals in Creed to donate an autographed guitar and drumsticks for an eBay auction to benefit the family of Cameron Gallion, the 14-year-old who appeared in Sevendust's "Praise" video. Gallion died of cancer last February. ... The members of Sum41 may be flippant jesters about most things, but they're pretty stone-faced when it comes to protecting wildlife. The group recently set a letter to Manitoban Minister of Conservation Oscar Lathlin on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, urging him to force the Suarez Bros. Circus to release six polar bears, three of which were caught in Manitoba. ...

Beck has finished recording his as-yet-untitled next album with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead). Due September 24, the record is said to be acoustic pop in the vein of 1998's Mutations. ... One of Beck's favorite bands, Icelandic experimentalists Sigur Rós, are nearly done with the follow-up to Ágætis Byrjun and are eyeing a fall release. On the band's Icelandic record label Web site, singer/guitarist Jon Thor Birgisson described the material as having "far fewer little slick things and much less sweet stuff" than their acclaimed debut. ...

Korn, System of a Down and Eminem may have been bested by Web warriors recently, but R.E.M. didn't wait for Internet pirates to raid their latest sonic treasures. The band has posted 10 electronic remixes from Reveal on remhq.com, drawing upon the talents of Matthew Herbert, Marc Bianchi, Dahoud Darien and more. ... Garbage are back working on a B-sides collection after setting aside the project to record last year's Beautifulgarbage. The band is asking fans to e-mail suggestions for the album to garbagefanmail@qprime.com. ... Fans can vote on the set list and the theme of the set design for Alanis Morissette's upcoming concert special on the Oxygen network on www.oxygen.com. The show will air June 23. ...

Our Lady Peace have set out on a North American tour this week to promote their fifth album, the Bob Rock-produced Gravity, due June 18. The Canadian rockers, whose single "Somewhere Out There" is currently #9 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, will play radio festivals and club dates before ending the trek July 7 in Omaha, Nebraska. ... Before heading out on the Warped Tour, the Alkaline Trio will hit the studio to begin recording the follow-up to last year's From Here to Infirmary. The album, which will proceed a solo recording from singer/guitarist Matt Skiba, is due in the fall. ... Pop singer/songwriter Brendan Benson will open on the White Stripes' upcoming tour beginning May 28 in Tucson, Arizona. Benson is promoting the just-released Lapalco, which he recorded with Jason Falkner

• Diddy
• Eightball & MJG
• Funkmaster Flex
• Busta Rhymes
• Wyclef Jean

Alicia Keys is thinking about her next album. The five-time Grammy winner will start writing the LP in July, she said at Urban Aid 2 in New York on Tuesday. ... Guitarist Aaron Kamin returned to duty with the Calling Tuesday in Melbourne, Australia, after suffering a severe electric shock during sound check in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 4 that forced the group to cancel that evening's show. In a post on the band's Web site, singer Alex Band said Kamin was "pale as a ghost" after receiving the jolt and "had gotten the strings of the guitar melted in the palm of his hand and fingers." ...

"The Kingpin" of New York radio, Funkmaster Flex, is readying his new album, 60 Minutes of Funk, Volume 5: The Mixtape for release sometime this year. "I always go for the big dogs: DMX, Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Fat Joe. Those are the people I wanna have, and those are the people I'm going to continue to have," he said on Tuesday. ... Blink-182 fans will get an even closer look at the band on May 7 when the group releases the home video "Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder," the sequel to 1999's "Urethra Chronicles." The package will include interviews, tour highlights and videos for "The Rock Show," "First Date" and the original version of "Stay Together for the Kids," featuring footage of a wrecking ball slamming into a house which was removed by the group's label after the events of September 11. ...

Counting Crows' Adam Duritz appears on "Songs About You" from former Dogs Eye View singer Peter Stuart's first solo album, Propeller, which is available at his official Web site, www.peterstuart.com. ... Goo Goo Dolls have announced a handful of dates for their upcoming tour in support of their latest release, Gutterflower. The outing thus far kicks off in Long Beach, California, on Saturday and finishes up in Chicago on May 29. ...

"Top Dog/Underdog," a play by Suzan-Lori Parks which features Mos Def in a starring role, was awarded the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for drama. ... Rufus Wainwright has a cameo role in the April 30 episode of NBC's "Frasier." Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the romantic crooner will be disappointed, however — only Wainwright's voice takes the spotlight, as he plays a teenage boy named Jeremy who phones in to Dr. Crane's radio show. ...

Ill Niño frontman Cristian Machado is featured as a guest vocalist on "One," a track from Soulfly's next album, III, due June 25. ... The Violent Femmes are reissuing their 1983 self-titled debut, which featured time-tested classics such as "Blister in the Sun" and "Kiss Off," as a double-CD set, according to the Los Angeles Times. The second disc will feature 26 tracks, 23 of which have never been released. ...

04.09.02

Getting sent to the principal's office may not be such a bad thing after all if Eve or Ricky Martin rule the school. Along with more than 1000 civic leaders and celebrities, the First Lady of Ruff Ryders and the hip-swiveling pop star will serve as principals for a day as part of an education initiative in New York City taking place April 19. ...

Outkast, Nickelback, P.O.D., Godsmack, Alien Ant Farm, Sevendust, Default and Injected will take the stage for the third annual Rolling Rock Town Fair, taking place July 27 at the namesake beer's birthplace of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Last year's concert featured Stone Temple Pilots, Staind and Incubus, among others. ...

Sheryl Crow, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Five for Fighting, Ryan Adams and John Mayer will perform at the second annual Fan Nation concert April 27 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. Each of the acts will participate in autograph sessions at a special interactive tent. ... No Stranger to Shame, the second album from Kid Rock DJ Uncle Kracker, will hit shelves in mid-summer. Among the tracks slated for the follow-up to 2000's Double Wide is a version of Kracker's concert staple, Dobie Gray's 1973 hit "Drift Away," featuring Gray himself on backing vocals. ...

Sarah McLachlan and her drummer husband Ashwin Sood welcomed their first child Saturday, a baby girl named India. McLachlan and the baby are doing well. ... SoCal punks Lit are going back to school — Paloma Valley High School in Menifee, California, that is, to host a fund-raising concert on April 10, called the Punk Rock Prom. Proceeds from the advance sale of 1,500 tickets have helped the school — located in Riverside County, adjacent to Lit's home turf of Orange County — meet its financial goal of building a new athletic complex. ... Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn will hit the road for a few weeks to promote his 2001 solo album, H-Wing. The tour begins May 5 in Montreal and ends May 18 in Ferndale, Michigan. ... Goldfinger will release their fourth full-length album, Open Your Eyes, on May 21. The band recently filmed a "Twilight Zone"-like video for the title track first single. ...

Trance wizard Paul Van Dyk has remixed "Be Angled," the latest single from fellow German electronic artists Jam & Spoon. ... Charleston, South Carolina's Jump, Little Children recently filmed a hometown show to be the centerpiece of a DVD titled "J,LC Return to the Farm," due this summer. Meanwhile, the band, whose 2001 album, Vertigo, is a favorite at college radio, will sing the national anthem at a Boston Red Sox game May 1. ... Ohio roots rockers O.A.R. will release the double-disc live album Any Time Now on May 7.

• Alicia Keys
• The Calling
• Funkmaster Flex
• blink-182
• Mos Def

Cam'ron
Photo: Epic

Add DJ Kay Slay to the list of turntable kings, like DJ Clue and Funkmaster Flex, who are putting out star-studded compilations on major labels.

With the ink barely dry on his Violator Records contract, Slay said he's ready to begin work on his debut, The Street Sweeper Vol. 1, next month.

"It's some long-awaited sh--," the Harlem native said. "[Head of Violator A&R] Eric Nicks had stepped to me a year and change ago and said they think I'm gonna be the next cat to rise in the music game DJ-wise. When they got situated [with their new partnership with Sony Music], they was gonna come back to me. They kept their word." Although the album's plans are in the early stages, Slay says he's going to have a track featuring several up-and-coming artists called "New Jack City." He's also invited members of the Violator camp — like Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and Noreaga — as well as the Lox, Black Rob, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Too $hort and Ludacris to rhyme on the LP. The DJ will provide the beats for some of the songs and has reached out to his friends DJ Premier, Ty Fyfe and Rockwilder to lay tracks as well.

And while pairing the hottest rappers and producers on a compilation is far from an original formula, Slay insists that his album will stand out from his peers' offerings.

"Unlike the Clue album, I'm not gonna talk over it," Slay said, referring to Clue's habit of giving shout outs while playing records. "I want the people to enjoy just the song. Its going to be something like how Flex's album was, but I'm trying to make the songs hotter. I got some ideas, some different concepts I don't see that none of these [other DJs] have really grasped yet. My album is going to be totally different." Change is something Slay embraces. He says the segue from the freewheeling world of street mix tapes and CDs to the more structured domain of record company releases is going to be more of a help than a hindrance.

"Being that I'm an open-minded brother, I don't think it's gonna be a problem. When I make a mix tape, I might make a mistake that nobody else picks up. On an album, any mistakes I might be making, somebody's gonna be there to correct it." Slay's roots go back to 1978, when the self-proclaimed drama king was a 12-year-old drama prince learning the ropes of scratching and cutting.

"It was all so simple then — it was all about the music" Slay said. "Now it's about the business and staying hot. At the same time you're trying to stay hot, you gotta be looking at what you gonna do next to stay ahead of the game." Kay jumped out the game in the mid-'80s to go "the other direction" with his life because he felt there was more cash to be made elsewhere. After seeing the large contracts that record companies were shelling out to the elite mix masters in the '90s, Slay decided to step back into music a few years ago, building his reputation and using the streets as a conduit to getting his own deal.

He encountered his fair share of haters upon his return. "A lot of cats had the conception that I was a new DJ and they was going to bully Kay Slay" he said, laughing.

Slay puts out between one and three mix CDs or tapes a month, most of them double LPs, and they've become some of the most popular of their genre over the past couple of years. Slay often blasts back at fellow DJs on his releases, sometimes including real phone arguments between him and his foes.

"I had to lay my street game down. That was my plan, anyway — if them cats don't let me in, I'm'a have to throw some streetness in this music." Slay said his record deal will have an impact on his street product, but probably not until after the album drops.

"It can't go down the way it used to," said Slay, who insists his street CDs and tapes are solely for promotional purposes, not profit. "They should be looking forward to getting an exclusive Kay Slay joint here and there, but not as frequently."

• DJ Clue
• Funkmaster Flex
• DJ Premier
• DJ Kayslay

Funk Master Flex
Photo: MTV News

Turntable gurus Funk Master Flex and DJ Swamp have pulled every DJ stunt short of stopping time — until now.

Flex, MTV's house DJ, and Swamp, Beck's resident spinmaster, filmed a scene in Hollywood last week for the upcoming sci-fi adventure thriller "Clockstoppers." Staged at the Giant club, the scene features Flex as the master of ceremonies at a DJ competition. The flamboyant Swamp, a real-life past champion of the esteemed Disco Mix Club battle, performs a few moves for the audience, which includes film stars Jesse Bradford and French Stewart.

"Clockstoppers," directed by Jonathan Frakes, follows a young man who discovers a wristwatch that allows him to stop the world around him. Paramount Pictures is producing the film, which is expected to hit theaters later this year.

Flex, a popular recording artist, longtime DJ at New York's Hot 97 (WQHT-FM) and founder of Franchise Records, recently released 60 Minutes of F---, Volume IV, The Mixtape, a compilation of new hip-hop material from DMX, Nelly, Eminem featuring D-12, and Lil' Kim.

Swamp is recording solo material and also worked on two tracks for the upcoming Crystal Method album, Tweekend (see "Crystal Method Break Beats With Morello, Weiland On Tweekend").

• Funkmaster Flex

Woodie Awards 2009 Performers And Presenters

• 3Oh!3
• Asher Roth
• Cam'ron
• Clipse
• The Dead Weather

Check out the Prom Highlights

• Ciara
• Gavin DeGraw
• Diddy
• Bow Wow
• Omarion

P. Diddy's Jet Photos

• Diddy
• Funkmaster Flex
• Loon

• Funkmaster Flex

• Funkmaster Flex