• G. Dep
• The Diplomats
• Mase
• Junior M.A.F.I.A.

G.Dep
Photo: Bad Boy

"G. Dep, it stands for Ghetto Dependent," the rapper said of his moniker. "So you know I'm a child of the ghetto. G. Dep, I had to shorten it up. I didn't wanna be 'Ghetto Dependent' everywhere. It takes a little too long to sign, so I kept it real short."

Dep's connection to the ghetto runs deeper than his stage name or even the title of his debut LP, Child of the Ghetto, which drops November 20. When P. Diddy wanted to meet him to discuss signing to Bad Boy a couple of years ago, Dep insisted P.D. meet him in the hood at his Harlem, New York, project building.

"He was like, 'Yo, dog, I got the silver car coming to get you,' " Dep remembered. "So, I'm standing out there waiting for the silver, maybe Expedition or something. He came through in the silver Bentley with [22-inch rims]. It was crazy. It was nighttime, and the car just lit up the block. It looked like daytime when the dude came through."

After catching the ear of neighborhood acquaintance Black Rob with a demo in 1998, the two forged a friendship, and Dep appeared on two songs on Rob's debut the following year. In between that time, Diddy made him an official part of the Bad Boy family (see "Shyne, Rakim Help G-Dep Step Out Front").

With musical siblings Loon, Kain, Mark Curry and the Hoodfellaz, Dep's been traveling the country the past few months, learning about recording and performing (see "DMX, Diddy, Busta Rock Philly; Beanie/Jada Beef Takes Center Stage").

"It's probably harder working with [Diddy] preparing for a show," said Dep, who's been nicknamed the Deputy by his rhyming clan. "'Cause he makes sure everything is [running] like clockwork. You gotta know what you gotta do. Play up your position, know your part and everything goes smooth."

Dep's part in P.D.'s sets includes a solo spot with his current single, "Special Delivery," and a posse performance with Diddy and Rob on "Let's Get It" (see "G. Dep Delivers Harlem Shake In New Video").

"I learned people, how they work," he said of his time on the road. "We got a little closer running with Puff. That gave us a little glue. We know what we gotta do. Everybody's together now."

• G. Dep

Fabolous
Photo: Elektra

The latest wave of hip-hop battles has nothing to do with who's the nicest on the mic or even which DJ is sharpest when it comes to cutting up records. Rappers are currently engaged in fashion one-upmanship — more specifically, striving to rock the hottest athletic jersey.

More than ever, hip-hoppers from Nelly ("#1") to Jermaine Dupri ("Ballin Out of Control") to Dr. Dre (Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair") have been sporting the pro sports tops in their videos and TV appearances. Jerseys have become as much of a fashion staple for them as iced-out jewelry or models on their arms. (Click for photos of artists sporting their new and vintage jerseys.)

DJ Clue calls himself the king of the jerseys. "I've been wearing jerseys for years, going around from town to town, collecting," he said. "I got real deep into it. I've got hundreds of jerseys, home and away."

"The jersey is definitely a trend," said Clue's protégé Fabolous. "The kids see it on the older guys. They're cool, they're comfortable. A lot of kids watch sports."

Fab is upping the ante on the competition by wearing jerseys from the 1970s New York Yankees, 1980s San Francisco 49ers and defunct squads such as the Virginia Squires and Houston Colt .45s.

"The old-school jerseys are classics," Fab said. "When people see them, they're like, 'Woooo!' "

"Those are collector's items," concurred G. Dep, who rolls with various members of the Bad Boy family, often wearing the same team's jerseys (many times the same player) to show unity. "It's good to have some originality [rather than] rock a regular jersey that 49 other n---as got. Throwbacks are more personalized. It's gotta be a competition 'cause everybody wants the throwbacks."

"You gotta take it back, man," Ludacris advised. "Everybody's getting tired of the same old stuff. So they're trying to take it back as far as possible."

On his latest album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z rhymes about "Jump on the track like duhn, duhn, duhn/ With the throwback jersey and the fitted [ball cap]." In his video for "Girls, Girls, Girls," he wears a 1982 San Diego Padres top and 1947 Washington Redskins jersey.

"I've got a bunch of old throwbacks [in my closet]," said Jay, who wore jerseys during every show on his Hard Knock Life tour in 1999. "I'm keeping consistent with the music. Everything is keeping it simple. I've got the old Pumas on now. We're all throwbacks at Roc-A-Fella. We're bringing gold back."

As some rappers and DJs will tell you, during your spending excursion on memory lane, make sure to get the most obscure gear, especially if you're going to wear it in your videos.

Dupri (Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At") and P. Diddy ("Bad Boy for Life") wearing the same 1973-74 "Pistol Pete" Maravich Atlanta Hawks jersey is a fashion no-no.

"First you've got to get the exclusive joints," Fab said. "Then you get your favorite player."

Reubin Harley routinely helps customers get the "exclusive joints" at the Mitchell & Ness Sporting Goods store. "They tug you like, 'Look, I want this first,' " Harley said. The company makes the throwback gear, with jerseys averaging about $200 to $300. Mitchell & Ness has serviced everyone from the aforementioned artists to Jadakiss, Mick Jagger and athletes Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson.

"Exclusivity — they want to premiere it, then let the streets kill it," Harley said. "As soon as [the clothes get shown in videos] we can't keep enough inventory in the store."

"The NBA old-school jerseys are the hottest thing in the country," said Mitchell & Ness owner Peter Capolino. "I can't make enough of them."

Mitchell & Ness owns licensing for old-school jerseys for NFL, MLB and NBA teams. The company has an extensive research center, which includes more than 1 million magazines that serve as a reference tool for jerseys' designers.

"Outkast really made Mitchell & Ness famous," Capolino said. "About 1998, '99, they started wearing the Houston Astros rainbow jersey [from the '80s]. They went from Astros to the Cubs. Those guys must own $25,000 in Mitchell & Ness products.

"Fat Joe is a regular," he continued. "But the problem with Fat Joe is that every time I see him he keeps getting fatter. I make something in a chest size 56 and he's a chest size 60. [He's gone from] 56 to a 64 since I've known him."

With winter coming, the next level of competition is shaping up to be jackets — Fabolous wears a St. Louis Browns (the team that later became the Baltimore Orioles) jacket and hat in the video for "Young'n." Meanwhile, one of Jay-Z's artists, Freeway, sported Julius "Dr. J" Erving's 1975-76 season Philadelphia 76ers warm-up during his guest spots on this year's Blueprint Lounge tour

• Jay-Z
• Nelly
• Fabolous
• Fat Joe
• Jermaine Dupri

Black Rob, Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre, and G.Dep on the set of "Special Delivery"
Photo: Bad Boy

NEW YORK — In G. Dep's "Special Delivery" video, which filmed here last weekend, Dep and his Bad Boy labelmates act as a delivery service not unlike Federal Express.

"We spent a lot of time in Harlem distributing packages, making special deliveries to everyone," director Nick Quested explained. "We tossed packages out of 12 cars going up 145th Street, with everybody running, trying to get them.

"This time Puff Daddy was down to do a story," Quested continued. "A lot of times he likes to do performance videos, which aren't really my thing. I was happy to combine the Bad Boy flavor of the stage set with a tight little story." (Click for photos from the shoot.)

During Saturday's shoot, the Bad Boys confined themselves to a soundstage located across the street from the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in the borough of Queens.

One of the day's first scenes is a performance by Dep and P. Diddy, who wear matching orange shirts and blue khakis, jackets and baseball caps. When the music begins, the Bad Boy CEO mouths, "I go by the name of P. Diddy" as he stands on a white set highlighted by his label's name in blue and orange neon lights. "He goes by the name of G. Dep."

After the song's fadeout, P.D. takes the director's chair to give the footage the once over. "Right here, deputy," he says to his protégé, beckoning for G. to sit besides him. "Y'all like me in that?" Diddy asked the small gathering around the monitor.

The shot is just OK. Diddy, the song's ad-libbing co-star, wants a little more energy from the track's main attraction.

"We gotta show them how to rock to you," he coaches, leaning into Dep. "Your style is so unorthodox."

Even though Dep loosens up during the next take and prances around, Diddy decides to lead by example.

As the director yells for action, P.D. starts to pop a little, then puts his hands on his hips and begins gyrating. Before Quested yells cut, Diddy will pull out an arsenal of dances, including his patented spins, the Robot, the Harlem Shake and the Crip-Walk.

"It's crunch time now," Dep said of his song and video before changing outfits. "We did the party thing and had the craze going on with 'Let's Get It,' so we needed something with the same type of vibe. I'm not talking about anything in general in the lyrics. I'm just talking about keeping your mind on the dancefloor and having fun."

Dep, whose debut, Child of the Ghetto, hits stores November 20, said that one of the things he has absorbed from working with Diddy is that everything — down to the tilt of a cap — has to be perfect.

"He doesn't try to take over," Quested said of Diddy's control-freak reputation. "He just tries to make sure everything is up to the Bad Boy standard. There's a lot of pressure, but it's an enjoyable experience because they only want to make the best videos.

"They raise the bar and you have to be ready to go," he added. "Diddy's also the cheerleader, so he's gonna amp everyone up. When he comes on set, the energy level changes dramatically."

Dep's relatives and musical kin filter in as evening arrives. The Hoodfellaz, who've been waiting for their cameo appearance, pass the time cracking jokes in the dressing area and cat-calling to the models. The one guest star who's needed immediately for a shot, Black Rob, is nowhere to be found. He eventually shows up and dances for the cameras. P.D., on the other hand, is on his way out.

"As soon as Puff leaves, it's gonna be off the hook," Quested joked. "We're gonna grab a few cases of beer and have a big party."

Although they're too young to drink, three teenage boys are the shoot's highlight. As in "Let's Get It," the video in which Dep made his debut, all eyes are on the Harlem Shake.

As a camera hovers overhead to capture their fluid movements, the boys are seemingly boneless as they shake it up, walking on heels and toes to dance a variation of the Twist.

How does Quested motivate his dancers? "I tend to beat them," he laughed. "That's the best way. They have to fear for their lives."

• G. Dep
• Diddy

P. Diddy
Photo: Bad Boy

New York's Hot 97 has taken the Notorious B.I.G. lyric "True playa for real/ Ask Puff Dad-dy" to heart. The media Goliath now known as P. Diddy will perform as part of the radio station's Player's Ball on November 8, Hot 97 (WQHT) announced.

A spokesperson for the mogul could confirm only P.D.'s participation at the event, though a Hot 97 spokesperson said Diddy will also bring Black Rob and G. Dep to perform at the show and wouldn't be surprised if more members of the Bad Boy family came along.

Taking place at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Player's Ball is the latest step in Diddy's stage workout regimen. In September, he took everyone by surprise by performing "Bad Boy for Life" on top of an 18-wheel truck as part of his arrival at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York (see "Britney, J. Lo, 'NSYNC Turn To Jungle, Ja Rule, Jacko For VMA Performances"). He also made an impromptu onstage appearance with 112 in August when they opened a New York date on Janet Jackson's All for You tour.

Of his scheduled appearances, he performed with other rap luminaries in a segment dedicated to hip-hop at MTV's 20th birthday party (see "MTV's B-Day Party: Stars From Aaliyah To ZZ Top Celebrate Channel's 20th") and rapped a two-song medley as part of the Source Awards show in Miami (see "P. Diddy, D12 Tape Performances For Source Awards"). He also broke out the bells and whistles for a full-scale concert in Jamaica as part of the Sashi Experience charity event (see "P. Diddy, Bad Boy Family Booked For Jamaican Charity Event"). All of those events took place in August as well.

Diddy laid down his game plan in late June, saying he would be popping up at clubs, small venues and surprise appearances to warm up for a tour he hopes to launch in January (see "It's A Beautiful Day In P. Diddy's Video 'Hood"). His last series of U.S. outings, the No Way Out tour, broke box-office records in 1997 and 1998.

Hot 97 said no acts outside of Diddy's camp are scheduled to be involved in the Player's Ball other than Funkmaster Flex, who will spin records throughout the night.

The Player's Ball is a swanky two-day, one-night fiesta where contest winners (who must be at least 21 years old) are put up in the Taj Mahal and given a pass to the evening's performance.

For fans who aren't able to cop free tickets from Hot 97, they go on sale Friday through Ticketmaster outlets.

For a feature interview with P. Diddy, check out "P. Diddy: All In The Family".

• Diddy
• Black Rob
• G. Dep

Black Rob
Photo: Bad Boy

Black Rob, Robbie O, Banco Popular or plain old Robert Ross. No matter what you call him, the Harlem native must feel that his career is almost star-crossed.

When he first got signed to Bad Boy, he had to play the bench, sitting in the wings for years while Notorious B.I.G., Mase, the LOX, Total, Faith and 112 received much of the label's attention. Then when Bad Boy CEO P. Diddy finally gave him his shot to drop his debut, Life Story, he was met with several album delays. Although it went on to sell over a million copies, early bootlegs ate the LP's sales when it finally dropped in March 2000. The biggest bane of Rob's life, however, has come via the judicial system. He said he's finally licked his problems, though, by beating weapons charges in June.

"I don't have any black clouds over my head," Rob said earlier this month, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's been my problem in this game. Whether it was [that] I had to go to jail, I just got out of jail or I was on parole and I had to wake up and go see [my parole officer]. There was just so much BS. I had to get away from all that." And if you're going to escape, why not lay low in a Jacuzzi? The Harlemite said that's what he's going to do when he's not in the studio working on his new album, which he's contemplating calling either Permanent Scars or The Rob Report. Planning to go down to Miami's South Beach next month to finish up, Rob — who has begun work on the LP with producers Ty Fife, Buckwild (who provided the track for "Whoa!"), Bad Boy in-house beatmaker Yogi and the Luniz — said he's evolved.

"I'm concentrating on putting together a lot of songs I felt I had to make," he said. "I beat the trial and I'm on parole but I'm not focusing on the trial or being in jail 'cause I did step my game up as far as living in the streets. I do have something else to talk about. Not just 'I'll rob you' or 'I'mma smack you.' My mind is advanced now." That acute mental state has secured his spot as P. Diddy's current franchise MC.

"He knows when I'm focused I'm unstoppable," Rob said matter-of-factly. "When I'm focused I could really be a factor." It's no coincidence that when P. Diddy wants to create a buzz in the streets that his label is coming with some heat, Black Rob is there. Rob's anthem "Whoa!" resuscitated Diddy's label, which had been left decimated by the commercial disappointment of PD's Forever and the departures on Mase and the LOX in 1999.

This year, Rob is playing the role of a thugged-out Energizer bunny again. His guest spots alongside his CEO on "Let's Get It" and Diddy's latest single "Bad Boy for Life" are helping to get the word out that they're coming to lock things down again. "I'm probably the most energetic person on this label," Rob said. "I'm up all night. I just came from the club. I'm built a different way. Puff always dug that about me." Funny how the tables turn. A few years ago, Rob and PD barely had a relationship. Now, the two of them have basically started a new Bad Boy family that includes G. Dep, Mark Curry, Loon and the Hoodfellaz.

"[Back in the days] I didn't know Puff like that, I didn't know Biggie like that," he said. "I couldn't go to these cats and talk about nothing, they was on another level. Just like now I'm on another level and probably a lot of the younger cats around here now feel they can't talk to me. It's just a star status thing. "But I hang with these [new] cats," he added. "I knew them for years. I brought G. Dep in the game. We can combine and make Bad Boy something real special. With the Hoodfellaz and Mark Curry, we been making records together for years. Loon, [I knew him] from Harlem. This thing right here is family for real. I can't wait 'til we start touring and brothers get to see what it's like to be out in the world and getting money."

• Black Rob
• Diddy
• G. Dep

G-Dep
Photo: Bad Boy

G-Dep has been getting all his shine taken lately. Those adorable kids in his video for "Let's Get It" stole the show with their Harlem shimmying. Then, instead of getting his name seared into viewers' consciousness by having it listed in the video's credits, the song and video were reserviced as a Three The... track just as it started taking off.

But turnabout is fair play. G-Dep has done his share of prop pilfering; it's how he became a Bad Boy in the first place. After his good friend and fellow Harlemite Black Rob politicked him onto a clean-up hitter's role on Mase's 1999 posse cut "Down the Line," P. Diddy became so enamored with Dep's on-beat/off-beat conversational flow, he wasted no time making another addition to his roster. Now Dep is ready to evolve into the star of the show with his debut, Child of the Ghetto, due in early August. Although "Let's Get It" — which was originally credited as "G. Dep featuring P. Diddy and Black Rob" — is on the upcoming Bad Boy Compilation 2001 ... The Saga Continues, it will also be a track on Dep's album, according to a Bad Boy spokesperson. Another one of Dep's labelmates featured on Child of the Ghetto is Shyne, who engages in a murderous exchange of clout speaking with his rhyme cohort on "Keep It Gangsta." (RealAudio excerpt) "Who them n----as with big guns and big di---," Shyne asks on the chorus before going into a freestyle about coming back to life as a rapper, the strife of going to court and being "two shells from hell." Rakim, Kool G Rap and Carl Thomas also recorded with G-Dep for the LP. The first single from Child of the Ghetto will be "Special Delivery." No word yet on when the song will hit airwaves.

• G. Dep
• Shyne
• Rakim

G. Dep Video Shoot

• G. Dep
• Black Rob
• Diddy