Cee-Lo performs at the Goodie Mob reunion in Atlanta
Photo: Maurice Garland for MauriceGarland.com

ATLANTA — A downpour couldn't cool Atlanta's excitement for pioneering Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob's reunion show on Saturday night, which was billed as "Remember Atlanta." Cee-Lo, Khujo, Big Gipp and T-Mo hit the stage at Masquerade Music Park for the first time as a complete unit in a decade (although the group did not formally disband until 2002).

And while Cee-Lo may have had a highly successful career both as a solo act and with the Grammy-winning duo Gnarls Barkley, each member of the group got plenty of shine.

	Goodie Mob Reunite In Atlanta

The show opened with Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" — an appropriate beginning since this four-man collective has survived many rocky times over the years. From Khujo's 2002 car accident that cost him his right leg (he proudly displays his artificial limb in red shorts) to rumors of rifts between the group members, Goodie Mob showed just how strong they are as a unit on Saturday night.

The first song they performed was "Goodie Bag," followed by "Get Rich to This" (featuring a guest appearance from Backbone) and a remixed version of "Git Up Git Out" — Cee-Lo rapped his verse over Spandau Ballet's "True" while fans waved their hands from side to side to the beat. Next came "Dirty South" followed by "Sesame Street" and "Black Ice." Sadly, Outkast's Andre 3000 wasn't there to rap his verse on the song, but instead the female DJ cut straight into Gnarls Barkley's 2006 hit "Crazy."

After finishing the song, Cee-Lo told the crowd in between chuckles that he was a talented young man and could do karate and tap dance. He also said that he could do a great Frankie Beverly and Maze impression, and the band broke into Maze's classic "Before I Let You Go," with Cee-Lo displaying his impressive vocal abilities yet again. The show also featured guest appearances from Sleepy Brown, Lil Will and Outkast's Big Boi, making a truly historic night for Atlanta's music scene.

To Goodie Mob's credit, they put on a real performance, making sure the audience got its $40 worth. They were all decked out in bright red outfits (color-coordinated but not matching) that displayed their personalities. Gipp's had a cape on the back, Cee-Lo's shirt had rows of sequins around the neck and T-Mo sported a red-and-white-striped shirt with a red visor; the backing bandmembers and road crew dressed the part as well.

After Cee-Lo thanked the audience for attending, he asked if they were ready for new Goodie Mob and Outkast albums — the crowd burst into cheers and applause. To some, it was like 1999 all over again.

• Goodie Mob Reunite In Atlanta

• Goodie Mob

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

• Young Jeezy
• Killer Mike
• T.I.
• Ludacris
• Bobby Valentino

Lloyd Banks (file)
Photo: Appio

Roc-A-Fella had better watch its back: 50 Cent is developing a dynasty of his own.

With skills to match the G-Unit's main man, Lloyd Banks will follow in 50's footsteps by debuting at #1 on the next Billboard 200 albums chart. Last week Banks sold more than 433,000 copies of his debut, The Hunger for More, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (July 7).

And though as a collective, the G-Unit's Beg for Mercy debuted with fewer sales than either rapper's debut, considering it hit shelves at the same time as Jay-Z's The Black Album and Tupac's Resurrection, the 376,000 copies it sold is nothing to scoff at.

While certainly impressive — only five other albums had greater first-week sales in 2004 — Banks' draw can't touch that of 50, whose Get Rich or Die Tryin' moved more than twice that number after its first week in stores last year. Still, since then, no other hip-hop artist has had a better first week.

Banks' massive debut might surprise some, but the man himself is through being fazed with his success. "I didn't know, but 50 knew," Banks said. "He told me it was gonna happen, so I could be cocky and feel confident in every move we made. I never was shocked because it's hard to be shocked when somebody's telling you, 'We're gonna look to the corner and jump out and they gonna mob you and run up to you for autographs.' "

Usher's Confessions remains at #2 for a fourth consecutive week after selling more than 148,000 copies during its 15th week in stores. Brandy's Afrodisiac bows at #3 with more than 131,000 copies sold. The R&B singer's fourth album was produced mostly by Timbaland and includes the hit single "Talk About Our Love," which features Kanye West.

Lil' Wayne's fourth album, Tha Carter, makes a big splash at #5 with more than 116,000 copies sold. It's a notch higher than the perch his last album, 2002's 500 Degreez, sat upon after its first week, though that album sold some 25,000 more copies.

With their Curiosa touring festival less than three weeks away, the Cure land at #7 after selling more than 90,000 copies of their self-titled 13th album. The Dave Matthews Band's live CD/DVD The Gorge, the group's fourth concert album since its last studio LP, 2001's Everyday, caps off the top-10 debuts at #10, having sold more than 83,000 copies.

The rest of the top 10 finds Jadakiss' Kiss of Death dropping three to #4 (with more than 122,000 copies sold); the Beastie Boys' To the 5 Boroughs slipping three to #6 (91,000); Gretchen Wilson's Here for the Party moving from #6 to #8 (87,000); and the soundtrack to the country's top box-office draw, "Spider-Man 2," dropping two spots to #9 (84,000).

Country duo Big & Rich will continue their steady climb, placing at #13 with Horse of a Different Color, which enjoyed a 33 percent spike in sales last week. The pair's forward strides are offset by JoJo's stumbles. In her second week, the teen-pop singer's self-titled debut plummets from #4 to #17. That's still better to than the 57 percent hit taken by Wilco, whose A Ghost Is Born dives from #8 to #31.

Feedback, an eight-track covers EP by veteran prog-rockers Rush, takes the #19 spot, while Breaking Benjamin's second album, We Are Not Alone, lines up right behind at #20.

Other notable debuts include Atreyu's The Curse at #32; Slum Village's Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit at #37; Uncle Kracker's Seventy Two & Sunny at #39; Maroon 5's 1.22.03 Acoustic EP at #46; Akon's Trouble at #52; Goodie Mob's One Monkey Don't Stop No Show at #85; Midtown's Forget What You Know at #109; Earshot's Two at #127; and Tiger Army's Tiger Army III: Ghost Tigers Rise at #146.

For more on Lloyd Banks, check out the feature "Nipping At 50 Cent's Heels."

• Lloyd Banks
• Usher
• Lil Wayne
• Jadakiss
• The Cure

Brandy (file)
Photo: Appio

This week's bundle of new releases is ruled by R&B and hip-hop heavy hitters.

G-Unit member Lloyd Banks has made appearances on albums by Eminem, 50 Cent, Mobb Deep and Mya and was crowned the 2003 Mixtape Artist of the Year — all before releasing an album of his own. We'll see what his future holds after his solo debut, The Hunger for More, lands this week.

Brandy's fourth album, Afrodisiac, was produced by Timbaland and Kanye West. The LP deals predominantly with losing love (her divorce) and finding it (her new boyfriend, L.A. Clipper Quentin Richardson) and how each has made her stronger. New Orleans rapper Lil' Wayne weighs in with his fourth studio effort, Tha Carter, which follows the former Hot Boy's last disc, 2002's 500 Degreez.

On the rock front, British goth legends the Cure release their 13th studio album — self-titled, oddly enough — which is the band's first release since 2000's Bloodflowers. Things are looking brighter for Uncle Kracker, who proclaimed in 2002 that he was No Stranger to Shame. The rocker, who cut his teeth on the turntables behind Kid Rock, releases Seventy Two & Sunny this week. Kid Rock acted as executive producer, while Kenny Chesney and Poison's Bret Michaels lend vocals to select tracks.

Philadelphia's Burning Brides release their second album, Leave No Ashes, the follow-up to 2001's Fall of the Plastic Empire; Concrete Blonde release Mojave, the follow-up to 2002's reunion disc, Group Therapy; and Canadian rock staple the Tragically Hip release their 10th album, In Between Evolution.

Also out this week are new releases from Orange County punk veterans the Vandals (Hollywood Potato Chips), New Jersey punks Midtown (Forget What You Know), Arizona punks Authority Zero (Andiamo), Detroit rappers Slum Village (Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit), and Sweden's the Concretes (The Concretes).

Out Tuesday, June 29:

• Akon - Trouble (Universal)
• Alexisonfire - Watch Out (Equalvision)
• Atreyu - The Curse (Victory)
• Authority Zero - Andiamo (Lava/Atlantic)
• Baby Bash - Ménage a Trois (Empire Musicwerks)
• Lloyd Banks - The Hunger for More (G Unit/Interscope)
  Read: "Lloyd Banks: Nipping at 50 Cent's Heels"
• The Big Screen - Yours Today, Mine Tomorrow (Undecided/Victory)
• Brandy - Afrodisiac (Atlantic)
  Read: "Brandy Album Preview: Singer Opens Up On Afrodisiac — Or Does She?"
• Breaking Benjamin - We Are Not Alone (Hollywood)
• Burning Brides - Leave No Ashes (V2)
• Concrete Blonde - Mojave (Eleven Thirty)
• Concretes - The Concretes (Astralwerks)
• Cottonbelly - NYC Sessions 1993-2004: X Amounts of Niceness (Wrong/Red Dance)
• The Cure - The Cure (I Am/Geffen)
  Buy Now: The Cure (I Am/Geffen)
• Eric Darius - Night on the Town (Higher Octave)
• Dave Matthews Band - Live at the Gorge (RCA)
• Earshot - Two (Warner Bros.)
• Emerson Drive - What If? (DreamWorks Nashville)
• Forty-Fives - High Life High Volume (Yep Roc)
• From First to Last - Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Body Count (Epitaph)
• Goodie Mob - One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Goodie Mob/Koch)
• IQ - Dark Matter (Inside Out)
• Jing Chi - 3D (Tone Center)
• Lafayette Gilchrist - The Music According to Lafayette Gilchrist (Hyena)
• L'Arc en Ciel - Smile (Tofu/Red Ink)
• Christopher Lawrence - All or Nothing (Kinky Beat/Pharmacy Electronic)
• Ramsey Lewis Trio - Time Flies (Narada Jazz)
• Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter (Universal)
• Jesse Malin - The Heat (Artemis)
• Eleni Mandell - Afternoon (Zedtone)
• Marah - 20,000 Streets Under the Sky (PHIdelity/Yep Roc)
• Melee - Everyday Behavior (Sub City)
• Midtown - Forget What You Know (Columbia)
• Kevin Moore - Ghost Book (Inside Out)
• Mr. Complex - Twisted Mister (Raptivism)
• Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm (Neurot)
• Joe Nichols - Revelation (Universal South)
• Reverend Horton Heat - Revival (Yep Roc)
• Chris Robinson & the New Earth Mud - This Magnificent Distance (Vector)
• Nina Sky - Nina Sky (Universal)
• Slum Village - Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit (Capitol)
• Something for Kate - The Official Fiction (Red Ink)
• Squad Five-0 - Late News Breaking (Capitol)
• Stockholm Syndrome - Holy Happy Hour (Terminus)
• Swingin' Utters - Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Gary Taylor - Eclectic Bohemian (Thump)
• Tiger Army - III: Ghost Tigers Rise (Hellcat/Epitaph)
• Time in Malta - Alone With the Alone (Equalvision)
• The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution (Zoë/Rounder)
• Tres Chicas - Sweetwater (Yep Roc)
• Umphrey's McGee - Anchor Drops (SCI Fidelity/Hanging Brains)
• Uncle Kracker - Seventy Two & Sunny(Lava)
  Buy Now: Seventy Two & Sunny (Lava)
• Unearth - The Oncoming Storm (Metal Blade)
• Dave Van Ronk - ... And the Tin Pan Bended and the Story Ended ... (Smithsonian Folkways)
• Vandals - Hollywood Potato Chips (Kung Fu)
• Venomous Concept - Retroactive Abortion (Ipecac)
• Bobby Watson - Horizon Reassembled (Palmetto)
• Keller Williams - Stage (SCI Fidelity/KW Enterprises)
• Ray Wilson - The Next Best Thing (Inside Out)
• Dwight Yoakam - Dwight's Used Records (Koch)
• Various artists - "America's Heart & Soul" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - BET Award '04 Nominees (UTV/UME)
• Various artists - "CSI: Miami" soundtrack (Hip-O/UME)
• Various artists - Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 5 (Hopeless)
• Various artists - "Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways" soundtrack (Hip-O/UME)
• DVD: Pato Banton & Reggae Revolution - Spreading the Good News Live (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Hammerfall - One Crimson Night (2003) (Nuclear Blast)
• DVD: Kris Kristofferson - Breakthrough (Oh Boy)
• DVD: Placebo - Soulmates Never Die - Live in Paris 2003 (Astralwerks)
• DVD: Threshold - Critical Energy (Inside Out)

July 6:

• Poco - Indian Summer (Lemon Records)
• Runaways - Flaming School Girls (Cherry Red)
• Angie Stone - Stone Love (J Records)
  Buy Now: Stone Love (J Records)

July 13:

• Jimmy Buffet - License to Chill (RLG)
• Roots - The Tipping Point (Geffen)
• They Might Be Giants - Spine (Zoë)

July 20:

• Faces - Five Guys Walk Into a Bar (Rhino)
• Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope)
  Read: "Hives Album Preview: Out Of The Garage, Into The Laboratory"
• Ashlee Simpson - Autobiography (Geffen)
  Read: "Ashlee Simpson Is Not Trying To Be Like Her Sister"

• Lloyd Banks
• Brandy
• The Cure
• Lil Wayne
• Uncle Kracker

Outkast's Dungeon Family compatriots Goodie Mob will release a new studio album, featuring guest shots from Sleepy Brown and Bone Crusher, in May. The influential group will record without Cee-Lo, who acrimoniously left Goodie Mob to pursue a solo career. Not that there's any residual animosity — the name of the album is One Monkey Don't Stop No Show. Cee-Lo, meanwhile, will release his second solo LP, Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine, on March 9. ...

Erykah Badu made the rounds at the Grammys this past weekend with a noticeable change in her physical appearance: The singer is pregnant, a rep for Badu confirmed. This will be her second child — she already has a little boy, named Seven, with Andre 3000. ... While he's still in the studio recording the follow-up to 2001's Malpractice, Redman will give the streets a little taste of his work-in-progress when he drops a new mixtape next week. Ill at Will Volume 1 features about a dozen songs, including two already making the rounds on other DJs' mixtapes, "I C Dead People" and "Saga Continues." ...

Diana Ross pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of alcohol on Monday and was sentenced by a judge in Tucson, Arizona, to spend two days in jail. The ex-Supremes frontwoman was arrested in December 2002 after police saw her driving in a lane of oncoming traffic. Her blood-alcohol level registered more than twice the state's legal limit. Ross must serve her jail time before March 9 and will have to enroll in a treatment center for alcohol abuse by August 9. She will remain on probation for a year and must pay approximately $800 in fines. ... U2 have hired Steve Lillywhite to produce their new album. Lillywhite produced the band's first three LPs and contributed to the production of three others. He quit his job as the joint managing director of Mercury U.K. to take the gig, and he'll start working on the album next week. ...

Mischa Barton isn't the only star from "The OC" to become a video vamp — her co-star Samaire Armstrong (who plays Anna Stern) is following suit for Hanson's next clip, "Penny & Me." The band shot the video this week with director Chris Applebaum. "Samaire truly embodies the essence of the character we always envisioned for Penny when we first wrote the song," Taylor Hanson said in a statement. The Oklahoma brothers' new album, Underneath, is due April 20. ... Nick Carter may have a horror film coming up, but his first movie role is going to be as himself. The Backstreet Boy has a cameo in the upcoming made-for-MTV movie "Monster Island," a send-up of the monster movies of the '50s and '60s. "Monster Island," starring Carmen Electra and Adam West, airs on March 7 at 7 p.m. ET. ...

Rapper Freeway gives props to his old neighborhood with his posse Ice City, named for the section in Free's native Philadelphia where he and groupmates Peedi Crakk, Hydro, Face Money, Bars and Indie 500 grew up. Their debut LP, which features appearances by Beanie Sigel and Joe Budden, is expected to drop in May on Sure Shot Records, the indie label that's also scheduled to issue a record by Ghostface Killah's side project Theodore Unit this summer. ... Public Enemy have a busy year ahead of them. The pioneering hip-hop group is expecting to drop two albums in the next 10 months. The first, a soul record titled How You Sell Soul to a Souless People Who Sold Their Soul, is due in late spring or summer, while a more traditional PE album, New Whirl Odor, will follow in the fall. ...

Meg White sports a white bunny suit on the cover of Whirlwind Heat's import single "Pink," due February 23. The White Stripes drummer posed for the photo while the two bands were recently touring together in Japan. The B-side of the song, which appeared on Whirlwind Heat's debut album, Do Rabbits Wonder?, is a cover of the Beck cut "Fume." Jack White's Third Man imprint released Whirlwind Heat's LP in April. ... Seminal goth-pop band the Cure will re-release their first five albums with lots of bonus material in May. Three Imaginary Boys (1979), Boys Don't Cry (1980), Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981) and Pornography (1982) have all been digitally remastered, and none of the expanded tracks will duplicate songs from their recently released box set, Join the Dots: B-sides and Rarities, 1978-2001. Additional Cure reissues will be released later in the year. ...

Phish have lined up three shows in Las Vegas in April. The gigs will run from April 15-17 and will include material spanning the band's career. ... The Beta Band have set a May 4 release date for their third album, Heroes to Zeros. The bandmembers produced the project themselves and enlisted Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) to mix it. ...

02.09.2004

Don't expect to see what happens inside the courtroom for the next hearing in the Michael Jackson case, set for Friday. Judge Rodney Melville rejected a bid to place cameras in the courtroom this past Friday, on the same day prosecutors filed court papers saying they had changed their minds on the subject and now objected to cameras for pretrial hearings. The judge offered no reason for turning down the request, while news organizations had argued in court papers that images of orderly proceedings would counter any images of a circus outside the courthouse. ...

Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was sent to jail without bail on Friday after she admitted to her probation officer that she had recently used cocaine. Mathers, who was sentenced to two years' probation on January 21 for cocaine possession and driving without a license, tested positive for the drug in a January 29 urine test. She faces up to five years in prison for violating her probation. ... The Distillers will launch an 18-city spring tour of North America in support of their latest album, Coral Fang. The five-week trek begins March 12 in Anaheim, California. ...

At the NBA All-Star game Sunday in Los Angeles, Nona Gaye will sing along to her father Marvin Gaye's famous performance of the national anthem from 1983, the last time the game was played in L.A. Viewers will see Marvin's performance through a digitally enhanced video. ... Metallica have been chosen by the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy to receive a 2004 Governor's Award for Creative Excellence and Outstanding Achievement. The award will be bestowed upon the headbangers at the Governor's Awards Gala, a fund-raiser that will take place March 15 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The event will include a cocktail reception, silent auction, formal dinner and awards presentation, which will also pay tribute to Mickey Hart and Chanticleer. ...

Southern California hardcore vets Bad Religion are planning to drop their next album, The Empire Strikes First, on June 8. The LP follows the quintet's 2002 LP, The Process of Belief. ... Remixes of hits by Stacie Orrico, Gorillaz, Fischerspooner, Dirty Vegas and the Chemical Brothers featuring K-OS will be featured on the double-disc compilation Freq.beats, due February 24. Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, BT, David Gahan and the Postal Service are also included. ...

New York art-rock trio Blonde Redhead will release their sixth album on March 23. The LP, Misery Is a Butterfly, will be their first since 2000's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. ... The Brides of Destruction, featuring Sunset Strip stars of the 1980s Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns) and Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe), will release their debut album, Here Comes the Brides, March 9. ...

Southern Rock mainstays Lynyrd Skynyrd started a tour Friday in Everett, Washington, and have dates scheduled through August 28 in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The band has a concert album, Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve, scheduled for release in June. ... Von Bondies bassist Carrie Smith needed stitches Sunday night after she fell down and smacked her head during a set by Funeral for a Friend at a show in Cardiff, Wales. Smith was taken to a hospital for treatment and was released the same night. Earlier in the night Von Bondies, the Rapture and Franz Ferdinand all performed. ...

• Goodie Mob
• Redman
• Diana Ross
• Hanson
• U2

Jay-Z may have retired from the rap game, but he's working double duty this week to help his protégés shine.

First up there's The Roc Files Volume 1, featuring Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Foxy Brown and the Jigga Man himself. Then, Memphis Bleek's M.A.D.E — an acronym for Money, Attitude, Direction and Education — finally hits shelves and, wouldn't you know it, Beanie and Jay turn up on that LP as well.

Raekwon reunites with some of his Wu-Tang buddies — Ghostface Killah and Cappadonna — on The Lex Diamond Story, and Santana's Ceremony — Remixes & Rarities features what its title promises plus three unreleased tracks, "Manana," "Curacion" and "Let Me Love You Tonight."

Sarah McLachlan's Remixed finds her ethereal songs electrofied by beatmakers BT ("Hold On" and "I Love You") and William Orbit ("Black"). Meanwhile, the Goodie Mob hit us off with some Dirty South Classics, And Then ... Joe drops his new material as well.

Finally, Outkast release a DVD of their funked-up and freaked-out videos. Hey ya!

Out Tuesday, December 16:

• B-Legit - Word Pimpin' (Outbac)
• Broken Bottles - In the Bottles (TKO)
• Down South Georgia Boys - 'Til Death Do Us Part (Universal)
• Goodie Mob - Dirty South Classics (La Face)
  Buy Now: Dirty South Classics (La Face)
  
• Joe - And Then ... (Jive)
• Sarah McLachlan - Remixed (Arista)
  Buy Now: Remixed (Arista)
  
• Memphis Bleek - M.A.D.E. (Def Jam)
  Read: "Memphis Bleek Gets Past Bleak Period, Now Has It M.A.D.E."
  Buy Now: M.A.D.E. (Def Jam)
  
• Raekwon - The Lex Diamond Story (Universal)
• The Rum Diary - Poisons That Save Lives (Substandard)
• Santana - Ceremony — Remixes & Rarities (Arista)
• Scarling - Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole (EP, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Spits - The Spits (Dirtnap)
• Year Future - Year Future (EP, Gold Standard Laboratories)
• Various artists – "Cold Mountain" soundtrack (DMZ/Soundtrax)
• Various artists - The Roc Files Volume 1 (Def Jam)
• Various artists – "Something's Gotta Give" soundtrack (Soundtrax)
• Various artists – "Wicked" original Broadway cast recording (Decca)
• DVD: Outkast - The Videos (Arista)

December 23:

• B2K - "You Got Served" soundtrack (Sony)
• Juvenile - Juve the Great (Universal)
• Various artists - "Big Fish" soundtrack (Sony)

January 6:

• Clarence Clemons - Live in Asbury Park Vol. 2 (Valley)
• Paul Weller - Under the Influence (UTI)
• Justin Timberlake - Live From London (BMG)
• DVD: Coldplay - Unauthorized (Music Video Distributors)

January 13:

• Crystal Method - Legion of Boom (V2)
• Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico - Bataclan 72 (Pilot)
• Runaways - Waitin' for the Night (Cherry Red)

January 20:

• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine (Arista)
• Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)

January 27:

• Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse (Elektra)

• Memphis Bleek
• Raekwon
• Santana
• Sarah McLachlan
• Goodie Mob

Cee-Lo
Photo: Appio

HOLLYWOOD — "They don't dance no mo'," Goodie Mob sang on 1998's Still Standing, and now, it looks like they won't be writing, rapping or recording together anymore, either. Cee-Lo says that Goodie Mob have broken up.

"I am sorry to say, it hurts my heart to say, but there is no more Goodie Mob," Cee-Lo said shortly after his performance at the Shortlist Award ceremony, where his debut solo album had been nominated for the prize (see "N.E.R.D. Win Shortlist Prize").

"We had professional and personal differences," he explained. "I guess I'll go with the typical 'The best of luck to everybody,' you know what I'm saying?"

Smoking a cigarette and wearing black shades (and matching black nail polish), the heavily tattooed singer and MC seemed at ease with the decision to lay the Mob to rest. The group hadn't released an album together since 1999's World Party, a decidedly more commercial-leaning affair than their two previous and more socially conscious records.

"It's probably our fault, but it's deteriorated over a matter of time," he explained. "But no grudges [are being] held. It's all justifiable [and] understandable, that we made our pinnacle as a collective and now it's time to venture out with individual endeavors.

"I loved Goodie Mob for what we were, and for what we accomplished," he continued. "I'll never be able to top it. It was a captured moment in time. I was proud to be a part of it."

Goodie Mob — Cee-Lo, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp — emerged on the hip-hop landscape with 1995's Soul Food, a rich, organic-sounding album that put Atlanta's Dungeon Family on the map. Songs like "Cell Therapy" and "Dirty South" attempted to raise consciousness with an eclectic mix of self-examination, spiritual yearning and politics balanced by a tinge of gangsterism. 1998's Still Standing followed suit, though World Party's mostly celebratory jams were seen as an ideological about-face by many fans. None of the group's albums, though lauded by press and peers alike, ever achieved the commercial success of the albums from their friends in Outkast.

Fresh off an appearance on Santana's massive-selling Supernatural opus, Cee-Lo returned to what he saw as Goodie Mob's roots in spirit (if not sound) with his multi-styled solo album, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections. With the Mob now officially over, he plans to push forward as a solo artist.

"[My solo work] is not a drastic change or something separate from Goodie Mob, it's a continuation," he explained. "My music still revels in that same revolutionary spirit, so the spirit of Goodie Mob is always with me.

"I feel like I succeeded with exactly what I wanted to do, which is distinguish myself from all that is mediocre, all that is monotonous," he said of his first solo outing. "It didn't matter, because I've never sold a lot of records in my whole career. I wasn't tripping off that. I wanted people to know what was possible and I wanted to prove to myself what was possible as well. Now, I've set sail and I'm off, man."

Cee-Lo plans to spend some time on the road with Pharoahe Monch next month, then finish up work on his next album, which he hopes to release in June. He's invited Dre from Outkast and Pharrell of the Neptunes onboard to produce tracks and will again tackle many of the cuts himself. He's also hoping to pass the mic, but only a couple of times.

"Eminem, when you see this, man, I want you to come share a piece of music with me," he offered. "Of course, I'm going to get Outkast on this album — but not too many [collaborations]. I don't like my albums to come across like compilations. I am capable of making an album."

As of right now, he's planning to call the record Bright Black.

"It means smart black music," he said, smiling. "Not stereotypical, not ignorant, [but] smart music."

As for the rest of the former Goodie Mob crew, a spokesperson at Arista Records could not confirm their plans at press time. She did, however, note that Khujo, who suffered a horrible auto accident over the summer that caused the lower half of his right leg to be amputated (see "Goodie Mob's Khujo Badly Injured in Car Accident"), is currently in good health and good spirits.

• Cee-Lo
• Goodie Mob

Goodie Mob's Khujo
Photo: LaFace

Goodie Mob member Khujo was in a car accident on Monday night and remains hospitalized in Atlanta, according to sources close to his camp. He had his right leg amputated below the knee due to the injuries he sustained.

The Goodie Mob's record company, Arista, has not yet commented or issued a statement to the press, and the full extent of Khujo's condition has not been released. On Tuesday night at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, Big Boi of Outkast told the world of his friend's accident and wished his fellow Dungeon Family member well.

"I just got off the phone with Dre. He's in Atlanta comforting Khujo right now," Big Boi said of his partner's absence at a backstage press forum. "He's in good spirits despite losing a leg."

The Mob's last album, World Party, came out in 1999. One of the foursome, Cee-Lo, released his debut solo LP, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections, this spring. Khujo and the rest of the members were said to be working on solo projects as well.

• Goodie Mob

Musiq
Photo: Def Soul

Though Musiq has dropped "Soulchild" from his moniker, the Philadelphia native says you can expect nothing less than heartfelt melodies when he goes on the road this spring.

"I'm going out with Cee-Lo," Musiq said Tuesday before his performance at Urban Aid 2 (see "Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Ashanti, Diddy, More Roc The Mic At Urban Aid 2"). "I wanna call everybody out to come out and represent, because it's gonna be something really good. We [did] a show not too long ago, and it was real cool."

Musiq, who's talked to the Roots about collaborating in the future, says he and the Goodie Mob MC vibed right off the bat when they crossed paths.

"I met Cee-Lo a while back when he did his show at the House of Blues in L.A.," he explained. "I always wanted to do something with him. When the opportunity came, his name came up, and I definitely called it out."

Musiq will have a final tune-up performance at his album release party for Juslisen (see "Musiq Soulchild Croons Conversation Pieces On Juslisen") at B.B. King's in New York City on May 1. From there he heads to Hartford, Connecticut, to meet up with Cee-Lo for the commencement of their tour at the Webster Theater.

Musiq's tour schedule, according to Def Jam Records:

• 5/3 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
• 5/7 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 5/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
• 5/10 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
• 5/11 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 5/12 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
• 5/14 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room
• 5/16 - Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
• 5/18 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
• 5/19 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
• 5/21 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
• 5/23 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club
• 5/24 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 5/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 6/2 - Washington, DC @ Nation

• Musiq Soulchild
• Goodie Mob
• Cee-Lo

Soulja Boy, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg And More At The 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards

• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Ludacris
• Snoop Dogg
• Goodie Mob
• OutKast

Goodie Mob Reunite In Atlanta

• Goodie Mob