Big Daddy Kane at B.B. King's Bar and Grill in New York on November 14
Photo: Dmitriy Goldin

"Rap soloist, you don't want none of this." What if Rakim did listen to a lot of cats in the streets back in the day, and took Big Daddy Kane's lyrics from "Set It Off" as a stone-cold dis? We might have seen the greatest battle of all time. Or, what if Kane decided to test the blast master KRS-One? What a showdown that would have been.

Last Friday night in New York, BDK was sitting back in chill mode, fantasizing about two dream battles with his peers.

"It would have to be Rakim and KRS-One," Kane answered, when asked whom he would have wanted to battle back in the day in a dream face-off. When asked how the battles would go, Kane displayed the humor that enhanced his obvious lyrical and style acumen in the late '80s and early '90s.

"How would it go?" he asked, before impersonating a boxing commentator. "Out comes Hardy. Griffin retreats back to his corner." (Kane's real name is Antonio Hardy, and Rakim was born William Griffin.)

A big burst of laughter immediately filled the room ("Mad Money" Murph, whom you've heard shouted out in plenty of Kane's records, was there as well). Then, getting a little more serious, Kane explained the rationale behind his dream battle.

"It's the type of thing where, if you gonna battle somebody to prove your greatness, you wanna go to somebody that shares that same seat with you," he said. "Those are probably two of the ones who I felt like [could present a challenge]. Also, [Kool] G. Rap, but I've always felt like G. Rap was like a brother. With us, it was friendly competition."

Kane was in New York on Friday celebrating his 20th anniversary in the rap game. Not only was he partying at B.B. King's Bar and Grill, Daddy Kane was also rapping, sounding as great as he did two decades ago.

"Well, who's gonna come, we will see," he said backstage before his performance. "That's based on surprises, but I know on my part, I'm here to have fun and do the damn thing. I wanna entertain and make sure people have a good time. It's a celebration that means a lot to me."

A little before showtime, friends and famous fans of the Prince of Darkness such as Ice-T, Sugar Hill Gang's Wonder Mike, Greg Nice, XXL Editor in Chief Datwon Thomas, Tony Rock, AZ, Roxanne Shanté, Positive K (who performed his classic "I Got a Man"), DJ Polo, DJ Enuff, Miss Info and Busta Rhymes crammed into the jam-packed building — everybody wanted to hear those hits.

"My best album is probably my second one, It's a Big Daddy Thing," the MC said. "I like a lot of the songs on there. It was put together ... just the structure of the album was tight." He said that Long Live the Kane was his favorite to make, though, because it was his first.

One of Kane's closest friends and collaborators in rap, Biz Markie, was the first to touch the stage on Friday night. The diabolical one set it off with hits such as "Something for the Radio," "Going Off" and "Pickin' Boogers." Roxanne Shanté then got onstage with Biz and the MC-turned-doctor blessed the mic with some throwback flavor on "Def Fresh Crew": "I'm Shante, he's Biz Markie/ Side by side, you know it's we/ No, I don't speak French, when I say 'we'/ I mean us two, not 'Yes, sirree'/ Everyone knows that I am much better/ Come on Biz Markie, get it together/ Talk to the girls, you know they are wack/ Tell those crabs they sound like cats."

Biz killed it, wowing the crowd while finishing off with "Nobody Beats the Biz," "Vapors" and "Just a Friend."

When it was time for Kane to come on, a live band, dressed in black suits and red shirts, played the beat to "Another Victory." Kane arrived onstage, wearing a black vest, red dress shirt and jeans.

His first four records were unmerciful: "Set It Off," "Warm It Up, Kane," "I Get The Job Done" and "Smooth Operator." The second verse of the latter was rapped over Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

Later, when Kane asked the crowd what year they wanted him to take it back to, a man in the crowd yelled, "Take it back to them bad Reagan years." As the show progressed, BDK told the audience, "No excuses now that Barack is in the White House," before going into "Ain't No Half Steppin'."

Kane's finale included cameos from Masta Ace, Craig G and Marley Marl, but unfortunately no Kool G. Rap. The Brooklyn King's send-off was "Raw," which made everyone in the crowd look forward to the 25th anniversary.

• Big Daddy Kane Celebrates His 20-Year Anniversary In The Game In New York

• Big Daddy Kane
• Rakim
• KRS-One
• Busta Rhymes
• Ice-T

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea in 1999
Photo: MTV News

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• AC/DC
• Jane's Addiction
• Metallica
• Beastie Boys

50 Cent
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Artist: B.O.B.

Representing: ATL

Mixtape: Hi! My Name is B.O.B.

411: This dude's name has more meanings than we can list: "Business Over Bullsh--," "Bring One Blunt," "Bring One Broad," "Never Been One Better" ... you get the picture. He really used brain power when coming up with a hip-hop moniker. Nevertheless, the word on this cat has been so positive over the past couple of years that T.I. signed him up to Grand Hustle Records. B.O.B. is actually featured on a major cut on Tip's Paper Trail LP called "On Top of the World." The song also features Kanye West.

"We did that hook, man, a year ago," said B.O.B., who has been called a mixture of Q-Tip, T.I. and Andre 3000. "During the process, we were getting the [deal] with Grand Hustle. T.I heard the hook, and he sat and thought about it for while. He got in the booth and was like, 'What y'all waiting for? Let's do it.' It turned out dope."

Clothing company LRG was so enthralled by his swag, they started using B.O.B. on billboards across the country.

"My sound is really alternative," said the teenager, who was formally introduced with his debut single, "Haterz Everywhere," earlier this year. "You can't really place it in a category. It covers genres from rock to hip-hop, techno, swing music. It's everything. It's gonna change music. I know it's gonna change music. 'Haterz' is just a tiny spec. But it's a broad range of music. It's good because when people get to know B.O.B., they'll love him."

His debut is called The Adventures of B.O.B. (he insists he wasn't familiar with The Adventures of Slick Rick — he is only 19). On to the mixtape.

Joints to Check For:

"Haterz Everywhere." "All the credit for this song goes to all the haters," B.O.B. admitted. "I've been promoting that record for two years. It's had a long stretch. I lapped that song, did a victory lap, then another one. It's crazy how it went that long, because it started a whole hater epidemic. My homie Maino has song called 'Hi Hater,' and this dude in the Bahamas [Collie Budz] got the song [that goes,] 'I'm blind to you, haters.' "

"Grip Your Body." "This record is featuring Amy Winehouse," he said. "We finin' to put that on the iTunes EP called 12th Dimension. We got a lot of dope songs that ain't on the mixtape. It's been getting good feedback. Amy Winehouse is saying, 'I just wanna grip your body.' I say, 'Well, go head and grip it.' I'm about to get things wet like the dishes."

B.O.B. also insists that the Amy vocals aren't sampled, she sang them for him. "They sent me the track," he said. "We couldn't get her directly in the studio. But she sent it. I recorded it last year, and we decided to release it this year."

"Lonely People." "I recorded it with Jim Johnson," B.O.B. explained. "He's doing his thing. I owe [him] a lot of my inspiration for taking my production game to a whole 'nother level. We went to New York for a session, and I played him the [original] Beatles record ["Eleanor Rigby"]. He was, like, 'Yeah, that's crazy. We need to flip that.' That's another song I think is a real underground banger."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ Blazita - New York, NY Vol. 10
» DJ D-Nice - The Wackness
» Snoop Dogg and DJ Drama - The City Is in Good Hands
» DJ Green Lantern Presents Charles Hamilton - Outside Looking
» Big Mike, D-Block and Poobs - Jedi Knight School

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Bishop Lamont - "Grow Up"
» Tank (featuring Shawty Lo) - "Poppin' "
» Lloyd (featuring Nelly) - "Lose Control"
» Busta Rhymes - "Missile"
» Nas - "You Can't Stop Us Now," "Testify" and "Breathe"

Celebrity Faves

Yeah, people are still talking about the Ice-T vs. Soulja Boy Tell'em flap. The issue is much larger than the two artists; it's about the generation gap. What does the man the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust voted the Greatest MC of All Time have to say? Jay-Z noted that it's essential to have the ying and the yang.

"Well, I think there's a balance, right?" Jay said while he was in the U.K. to headline the Glastonbury music fest. "I think the newer guys have got to respect the foundation and what's been laid down for them. The older guys have got to respect what's coming up next. So, I know that sounds like a non-answer but that's just the truth. In hip-hop, it's all about balance. You've always had [Jazzy Jeff] and Fresh Prince when you had Rakim. There's always been a balance in hip-hop, and I think it's always needed. So, as long as we respect each other, 'Old school, new school, no school rules.' Doug E. Fresh, I guess."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From the Underground

Not that we're bringing back bad memories, but we know you all remember several months ago when R. Kelly dropped that freestyle, "I'm a Beast." Nobody knew exactly who Kelly was aiming his pied piping-hot fury at, but some were inferring that maybe he threw a subliminal message at none other than the neighborhood Snowman, Young Jeezy. "Say you'se a 'go getta'/ Go get your own sh--, boy," Kelly rapped.

Far be it from us not to get clarity. A while back, we asked Jee about the line. He said that the innuendo is preposterous.

"Hell, nah," Jeezy smiled, sitting in his Dirty South studio. "Come on bruh. I ain't even thinking about that. But at the same time, I don't know what going on with that. I'm not in that world. But me and dude always seen eye to eye, so I wouldn't even understand that. But that's what music is. ... But he did a song called 'Go Getta' too, so why couldn't he say it? He wasn't saying, 'Jeezy, you ain't no go getta.' That's a damn lie. I know he wouldn't do nothing like that.

"That's when you know it's getting crazy, when you listening to what that man said," he added. "It's R&B. I seen dude since then. C'mon man, that ain't the case."

Mr. 17.5 has more important issues at his mind. He's thinking about the country. Young wants nothing more than to see >Barack Obama take office. He released a single called "My President Is Black" on his Web site.

"I just think, if you got voice to speak, you should touch on those subjects," he said.

"If we the ones speaking," he continued, addressing his fellow musicians, "we gotta make some sense sometimes. You can't just take your power, your God-given gift, and talk about bullsh-- all the time." ...

50 Cent thinks we could see another MC sell a million copies in the first week before 2008 is over: him! He plans on dropping his next solo LP, Before I Self-Destruct, within the next few months.

"Fourth quarter," he said of the release date. "I got some music. But I'mma make music until I reach a closing date. I'mma stay creative and continue to try and progress.

"I want to focus on the positive, and I feel I'm one of the more vocal people in hip-hop," he added. "Even when it's not about music, people pay attention to me, because I have something to offer. I'll continue to create quality music at a pace they haven't seen."

This past Fourth of July, 50 supplied the perfect music for the holiday weekend barbecues, his latest mixtape, Sincerely Southside. Fif inserts his vocals on classic R&B songs such as Yarbrough and Peoples' "Don't Stop the Music" and Alicia Myers' "I Want to Thank You."

"I did that when I was on the movie set [of 'Microwave Park],' " he said. "That's why Banks and Yayo wasn't on it. ... That music is timeless. Undeniable music. To put it in a row where it's some of my favorite songs there and add a piece of me to it, I think it's exciting. I can bear listening to it, regardless of the setting I'm in. Everything I'm listening to isn't hip-hop music."

The Queens warlord also promised that a G-Unit Gangsta Grillz with DJ Drama is still on the horizon.

"The DJ Drama tape is probably gonna come, obviously after the G-Unit album," he explained.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: 50 Cent, Young Jeezy & More

• 50 Cent
• Jay-Z
• Ice-T
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Young Jeezy

• Ice-T
• Soulja Boy Tell'em

Ice-T
Photo: MTV News

One day back in the early '90s I was walking around South Central L.A. with Ice-T. We were talking and taping, the usual deal. T was already a rap heavyweight at that point, one of the pioneers of the West Coast gangsta style. (He'd actually been born in New Jersey, but then sent out west to be raised by an aunt after his parents died when he was just a kid.) He was the perfect guide to the Crenshaw ghetto. At one juncture he pointed out some Crips in the distance, which I have to say was a skin-tingling white-boy thrill. At another, though, while we were just standing there on the street, a lady came rushing up crying "Tracy! Tracy!" That being T's given name: Tracy Marrow. I believe the woman may have even reached up a hand and patted his head. It was cute. But you could see a tremor of gangsta anxiety ripple across T's face — how uncool is this? He quickly recovered, though, and was soon back in monologue mode, tossing off smart, funny sound bites right and left as we ambled down the boulevard.

Toward the end of the afternoon we were joined by Darlene Ortiz, T's awesome girlfriend. (Check out the cover of the 1987 Rhyme Pays, his first album.) We wandered around some more, then T pleaded rap-star commitments and he and Darlene got in his car and drove off. He had the only low-rider BMW I've ever seen.

Few rappers have made their way through as many showbiz scenes as Ice-T has. After recording one of the first really hard-core rap tracks ("6 'N the Mornin'," in 1986), he dropped the brilliant "Colors" into Dennis Hopper's 1988 movie of that name, then made the move into feature films himself as an actor in the 1991 drug-biz picture "New Jack City." T had always been a metal fan (the title track of Rhyme Pays sampled Black Sabbath); but it was still a surprise when he started his own thrash band, called Body Count, which made its debut on O.G.: Original Gangster, the 1991 album that still stands as his masterwork. Body Count's most famous track, "Cop Killer," released the following year, landed T on a cultural hit list informally maintained by such censorious figures as Tipper Gore, wife of Al, the then-vice president. It also cost him his label deal with Sire Records.

He's soldiered on, though, continuing to make both albums and movies. And since 2000, he's been a TV star, too. On "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," T plays a character named Fin Tutuola, who's not only a detective, but also a Republican. Talk about your karma chameleons.

Enjoy digging through The Loder Files? You'll find more here, and there's much more to come from the vaults — check back every Tuesday!

• The Loder Files: A Trip Inside The MTV News Vaults

• Ice-T

Usher
Photo: ABC

Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, passed away at an Atlanta hospital on Friday, a rep for the singer confirmed to MTV News. The cause of death was not immediately known; People.com reported that the funeral will take place this week at the Taylor Funeral Home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ...

Britney Spears spent more than two hours at the Los Angeles office of Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, on Monday (January 21) for an ongoing deposition in the former couple's custody battle, according to People.com. Spears was videotaped driving up to the office, accompanied by friend Sam Lufti, at around 10:40 a.m. PT and left at around 1:20 p.m. The deposition is expected to continue on Tuesday.

1.18.07

Lindsay Lohan has gotten a harsh assignment as part of her community service for misdemeanor drunk driving. The Associated Press reported that the 21-year-old actress will be working two four-hour days at a morgue as part of her court-ordered program meant to show drivers the real-life consequences of drunk driving. Lohan — who must serve 10 days of community service as part of her plea deal — worked at an American Red Cross blood-services facility in a Los Angeles suburb in November. She has also been ordered to spend two days working in a hospital emergency room. ...

A New York judge told Foxy Brown on Thursday that she's going to have to provide medical proof for why she should be let out of jail to repair her defective cochlear implant, a surgically implanted hearing device. AP reports that acting Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson told the rapper (born Inga Marchand) that she needs more information before deciding if she can let Brown out of jail to fly to California for treatment and a repair of the implant. Brown, who was sentenced to a year in jail in September for probation violation, recently petitioned the court via a handwritten letter to allow her to travel for treatment, saying that her hearing condition is worsening in jail and that she faces serious, potentially permanent hearing loss if the issue isn't resolved. Assistant District Attorney Cindy Chung had objected, saying Brown had not shown any proof that the procedure could not be done in New York and calling the request a "desperate and frivolous petition." Before being led out of court, Brown reportedly told the judge she had done a lot of thinking in jail about how to control her emotions and make better decisions, saying, "I have too much talent to throw it away. ... I know I will make you proud and my family proud." The seemingly nonplussed judge replied, "I'm glad you're learning some very hard lessons that needed to be learned." ...

Britney Spears, who has done little to promote her Blackout album aside from appearing in the tabloids on a daily basis, has landed a paying gig. Spears will host a party for the Scandinavian Style Mansion at a private residence in Beverly Hills, California, on February 16, party organizer Claus Hjelmbak confirmed. "She's going to do the press line and be there for a few hours," Hjelmbak told MTV News. She was a guest for a similar party for the Mansion featuring items from luxury brands on December 1. "Even though she wasn't the host, she was so sweet to everybody and so generous with her time," Hjelmbak said. "She made all these little kids and all my clients feel amazing." ...

Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was in court Friday (January 18) to enter a plea of innocent to charges of assault and conspiracy. According to The Associated Press, Winehouse was not in the London courtroom to hear Fielder-Civil confirm his name and enter the plea, but she did show up afterward in a silver BMW, surrounded by bodyguards who shielded her from the paparazzi. Despite rumors that the couple could be headed for divorce, Winehouse was seen whispering, "I love you handsome ... gorgeous one," to her husband as he was led away. Fielder-Civil, 25, who is accused of attacking a pub landlord, and then later conspiring along with several other men to convince the man to withdraw as a witness in the trial, has been in jail since November. Fielder-Civil is due back in court on February 29 to enter a plea on the charge of obstructing justice. AP reports that the landlord in the case, James King, denied the conspiracy charge during his appearance on Friday. ...

Dreams come true: Paramore are set to co-headline a tour with their idols Jimmy Eat World. The trek will launch in March, with dates to be announced shortly. "If it all ends tomorrow, we will be happy knowing that we got a tour with the band that gave us a reason to play music," Paramore singer Hayley Williams said in a statement. "We got to know them last December while playing festivals together. They put on a great show and we think it's going to be an awesome bill," added Jimmy Eat World singer Jim Adkins. ... Every Time I Die, Chiodos, Motion City Soundtrack, Meg and Dia, Thrice and the Bled are featured on the audio portion of the Take Action! Volume 7 CD/DVD compilation, which is scheduled for a March 4 release. ...

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. — the site of a recent bid by talk-show host Stephen Colbert to have his portrait enshrined alongside some of America's legendary presidents — is about to unveil an exhibition honoring hip-hop. "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" will open February 8 and feature photographer David Scheinbaum's portraits of famous rappers, paintings by Kehinde Wiley of LL Cool J and Ice-T based on famous European and American paintings from the 17th-19th centuries, and a poem by Nikki Giovanni that will be transcribed onto the walls of the exhibition by artist Shinique Smith. There will also be four portrait murals created by a pair of Washington graffiti artists that will be featured in the hallway between the galleries. ...

Velvet Revolver's Slash recently told Illinois' Northwest Herald that the band will begin working on its next LP in April. Slash is also planning to record a solo album sometime in the next year or two, he said. ... Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' three-night solo acoustic run at the Mohegan Sun Arena and Cabaret in Uncasville, Connecticut, next month will be filmed for the rocker's first-ever solo DVD. There's no word yet on when the effort will be ready for mass consumption, but we'll keep you posted. ... Chevelle and Finger Eleven will hit the road together next month for a spate of live gigs. The first is set for February 19 in Flint, Michigan, and so far, shows are booked through March 18 in Providence, Rhode Island. More dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. ...

Hard as it may be to believe, Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore has recorded the score to an adult film, according to Wired. "Extra Action (And Extra Hardcore)," which hits stores March 18 and was directed by Richard Kern, is an hourlong film that features "unpretentious, unadorned and definitely undressed" women, asked to "roll around and do something interesting for a few minutes." ...

Seal has signed on as the headliner of Musicians on Call's fourth annual Benefit Concert & Auction, which will take place January 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square. Among the items up for bid from the organization, which brings music to patients in health-care facilities, are two front-row concert tickets and a one-on-one piano lesson from Gavin DeGraw, a Fender bass signed by Sting, an acoustic guitar signed by Bon Jovi, and a meet-and-greet and two tickets for a Daughtry or Carrie Underwood/ Keith Urban show. ... Against stiff odds, Tanya Andersen has beaten the Recording Industry Association of America again. The single mother, who became a folk hero among the thousands of targets of the association's downloading lawsuits when the RIAA dropped its 2005 suit against her for lack of evidence, got word on Tuesday that a judge had ruled in her favor once more. Wired News reports that an Oregon judge ordered the RIAA to pay the 42-year-old Andersen's legal-defense fees from the copyright-infringement case, upholding a September ruling that the organization had appealed.

1.17.08

Mary J. Blige "lives" again: The R&B singer belted out two songs — "Just Fine" and "Hurt Again" — along with her band and taped appearances for upcoming episodes of "One Life to Live." In the eps, slated to air February 15 and 18, Blige acts as a surprise guest at a birthday party for one of the show's characters. "It's absolutely amazing to be integrated into a soap opera I've watched since I was a little girl," she said in a statement. Blige previously performed songs on the soap in summer 2006. ...

Remy Ma's case was adjourned again on Thursday (January 17), because her lawyer is ill. The hearing for the rapper, who is facing charges of charges of gang assault and witness tampering, had originally been scheduled for January 10. ...

Universal Motown has fine-tuned its new-releases schedule, and some of the year's most anticipated albums are right around the corner. Coming down the pipe are Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (March 18), David Banner's The Greatest Story Ever Told (March 25), Q-Tip's The Renaissance (March 11), Ashanti's The Declaration (March 25), Erykah Badu's New Amerykah (February 26) and, finally, Nelly's Brass Knuckles (June 24). ...

Christmas trees have been tossed out and menorahs packed away for next year, but Amy Winehouse and super-producer Mark Ronson — who teamed for Winehouse's lauded Back to Black album — are sketching out plans for a holiday album, according to Rolling Stone. "We're talking about making a holiday record, with Christmas songs on one side and Hanukkah songs on the other," Ronson told the mag. "She's got songs called 'Kosher Kisses' and 'Alone Under the Mistletoe.' " Winehouse and Ronson both have Jewish roots. "She's writing songs, and we talked about getting a studio," he added. "I have to finish a few other things first, but I imagine we'll go into the studio this year." One of those "things" is apparently Daniel Merriweather's yet-untitled new album, according to a separate Ronson interview with BBC News. ... BBC News. ... The pressure is on. The Directors Guild of America reached an agreement with the major studios on Thursday, turning up the heat on the Writers Guild of America to settle their walkout, which began in November, according to the Los Angeles Times. The three-year directors' contract was an improvement over what the studios had originally offered writers, and now that it is complete, there is pressure for the WGA to use the agreement as the basis for its own new contract. ...

Scarlett Johansson is the latest celeb to pay a visit to troops overseas. The "Nanny Diaries" actress will hang with soldiers in the Persian Gulf for five days, signing autographs and visiting military installations along the way, as part of a United Service Organizations/ Army Morale Welfare Recreation entertainment tour. "I've wanted to go over and visit for some time, and now my moment has arrived," Johansson said in a statement. "It's one thing to reply to a letter or extend your thanks to service members in a speech, but it's another thing to visit them and spend time with those that do so much for us back home." ... Zac Efron, Denzel Washington, Emile Hirsch, Forest Whitaker and father-to-be Matthew McConaughey will present trophies at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 27. The show, which has a waiver from the striking Writers Guild of America, will air January 27 on TNT and TBS. ...

John Legend sure is busy. In addition to performing at a MusiCares event on February 8 and at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in March, the singer/pianist will also play an acoustic set mid-flight onboard Delta Air Lines' new Grammy plane. The Recording Academy, Delta and CBS — the network that is due to air the Grammys on February 10 — have put together a contest that starts Thursday, with winners flying from New York to Los Angeles for the ceremony, and also catching rehearsals beforehand. To enter the sweepstakes, which ends January 29, check out the Web site of your local CBS TV affiliate and see if it is one of the 16-plus participating stations. ... The new season of "American Idol" is under way, of course — but don't forget about last year's winner, Jordin Sparks. The 18-year-old singer is continuing to promote her self-titled debut, which was released in late November, with a chat and performance of "Tattoo" on Fox's "Talkshow With Spike Feresten" on Saturday night. Jordin Sparks has had a poor outing, barely cracking the Billboard albums chart's top 10 in its first week of release. ...

These are the worst of times for EMI. Shortly after news broke that up to 2,000 staffers at the beleaguered major label might be laid off soon, Reuters reported that one of the label's biggest veteran acts, the Rolling Stones, have inked a deal to release a film soundtrack on a different label. The one-off pact with rival Universal Music Group for the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's upcoming documentary on the band — "Shine a Light," which is due in March — has prompted speculation that the Stones may be the latest act to jump ship from EMI. ... Your time-wasting days may be over. Hasbro, the company behind the game Scrabble, has asked Facebook to remove its popular version of the word game Scrabulous, claiming that it infringes on Hasbro's copyright. ... Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will donate the proceeds from their Tuesday concert at NYC's Bowery Ballroom to Planned Parenthood of New York City, according to Pitchfork. ...

Ginuwine still has beef with King Music Group Inc. The R&B star — who sued the record label in early October, claiming he was tricked into signing a contract with a label that didn't even exist — has filed a breach-of-contract and fraud complaint against the company and its purported founder, Michael Bourné. Ginuwine had previously reached a settlement with King Music Group, according to the complaint, but now he says the terms of that agreement have also been breached, in addition to his original contract. "King Music Group and Bourné's latest breaches have resulted in significant damages and numerous lost professional opportunities for Ginuwine, as well as his inability to record new material," the complaint states. According to Ginuwine, per the terms of his original contract, he was to receive $1.75 million, including a $500,000 advance, to record his first album for King Music. But he claims he didn't receive any payment from the label, and that there was no corporate record for King Music Group Inc. anywhere in New York, California, Florida or Tennessee. ...

While Britney Spears is "happily dating" one paparazzo, Adnan Ghalib, some others aren't so lucky. Four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after chasing the pop singer's car in Southern California on Wednesday night, according to The Associated Press. Los Angeles police offers also pulled over Spears and interviewed her, but let her go after her license checked out OK. Authorities said the four paps were following too closely behind Spears' Mercedes, were driving at unsafe speeds and made multiple dangerous lane changes, according to AP. ... Kiefer Sutherland, who started serving a 48-day jail sentence for DUI and probation violation December 5, will be released Monday, according to "Entertainment Tonight." The "24" actor celebrated his 41st birthday, on December 21, behind bars. ...

Live Nation has been slapped with a lawsuit by a man who alleges he was beat up by a member of Mötley Crüe and security during the band's concert with Aerosmith in Tampa, Florida, on November 22, 2006, according to The Tampa Tribune. Gerald Schneeman of Rockford, Illinois, reportedly claims that while standing in front of the Ford Amphitheatre stage, he was hit in the head with a guitar by a Mötley Crüe bandmember — who was not named in the suit — after which the musician leapt off the stage and took down Schneeman. The suit goes on to say that once Schneeman was on the ground, security assaulted him and dragged him from the venue. Schneeman alleges he suffered bodily injury, scarring and disfigurement, although details of his injuries were not listed in the suit, according to the Tribune.. ...

Michael Derderian, the co-owner of the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, where 100 people were killed in a 2003 fire during a Great White show, was granted early release from prison by a state parole board on Wednesday, according to an AP report. Derderian, 46, who went to prison in September 2006, is set to be freed in October 2009, after serving more than three years of a four-year sentence. Families of some of the victims had asked the parole board to force Derderian — who has been disciplined several times for breaking rules at his work-release job and in prison — to serve his entire sentence because he ran a dangerous business and allegedly did not show enough remorse for his role in the deadly fire.

• Usher
• Lindsay Lohan
• Coldplay
• Britney Spears
• Foxy Brown

Snoop Dogg at the 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors
Photo: Scott Gries/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — Q-Tip might refer to himself as "The Abstract," but there was nothing hard to understand about his and A Tribe Called Quest's performance as a part of the fourth annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors tribute held at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday night (October 4) in Manhattan. The show is set to air Monday at 10 p.m. ET on VH1.

The legendary Queens, New York, trio (rounded out to a quartet once again with Jarobi back in the fold for the night) were the main honorees, and the love movement was in full effect as Pharrell, Common, Lupe Fiasco and Busta Rhymes came together to pay homage to Linden Boulevard's finest.

"[Tribe] brought a real sense of the tribal aspect and togetherness to hip-hop," KRS-One said of the group on the red carpet before the show.

Those feelings poured out onto the stage for sure.

Common kicked the set off, beginning with the group's first-ever single, "Bonita Applebaum," and walking past — and touching — a bevy of beauties.

Pharrell and Lupe then traded verses on "Electric Relaxation," before the Chicago MC tripped up a few words on the track.

(Check out pictures of Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Eve, Ne-Yo and more at this year's Hip Hop Honors.)

Prior to the show, Lupe told MTV News that Q-Tip was adamant about having him spit for them as a sort of "hazing." The young rapper wouldn't clarify specifics, but it likely had to do with a post on the Internet that circulated about Lupe not being all the way familiar with one of ATCQ's landmark albums, Midnight Marauders. Tip, it seems, put him to the test.

But if Lupe didn't pass, Busta definitely did and with flying colors.

The longtime Tribe associate roared onstage for the conclusion of "Scenario," decked out in a vintage Leaders of the New School outfit, and brought the place down.

Queens had its day, but Uptown — Harlem, that is — was also in the house without a doubt.

Producer Teddy Riley and veteran exec Andre Harrell pioneered the new jack swing era and Uptown Records run, respectfully. Appropriately, Diddy introduced the duo's video montage; the Bad Boy CEO interned at Uptown before starting his own empire, and his marriage of hip-hop and R&B was an extension of the trend Riley previously kicked off.

Ne-Yo and Keyshia Cole performed the Riley-produced Michael Jackson hit "Remember the Time," and then T-Pain went from rapper-turned-singer to TR impersonator, as he put his own vocal acrobats to Keith Sweat's "I Want Her."

Riley reunited with Blackstreet member Chauncey Black as the two hit the stage to briefly perform the group's "No Diggity."

Whodini and "Wild Style" director Charlie Ahearn and Fab 5 Freddy were also honored.

Jermaine Dupri (who used to dance onstage at early Whodini shows), Nelly and Nick Cannon paid tribute to the "Freaks Come Out at Night" group. Nelly impressed with a mean doo-wop back and forth with one of the Whodini members during a boogie session.

Missy Elliott and Snoop Dogg continued the '90s invasion that was started last year by the Wu-Tang Clan. The lone female among the honorees, however, wasn't lost within the testosterone-fueled performances.

Missy collaborators Eve, Tweet, Ciara and Keyshia Cole paid tribute to the Virginia native; Tweet rocked alongside Timbaland for "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," while Eve performed "Work It" and her verse from "Hot Boyz." There were no trash-bag sightings, à la the Hype Williams-directed "Rain" video.

Nelly Furtado, with gold tresses matching her gold bangles and bracelets, also performed, rhyming over Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On." Missy was the only honored artist who didn't also perform herself.

Snoop was the sole West Coast artist on the bill, but the L.A. rapper brought a gang of homies with him. Bow Wow, Pharrell, Ice-T, T.I., Daz and B.G. all joined him; first T.I. and B.G. rode on Snoop and Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover." T.I. was in the spirit, decked out in a full khaki suit, Chucks and a Dodgers cap.

It then turned into a full gangster party when the Doggfather went into "Drop It Like It's Hot."

Host Tracy Morgan kept the laughs going throughout the evening with a number of jokes in televised sketches.

"Have you ever been hit in the head with a cell phone by Foxy Brown?" the actor, dressed like a cab driver, asked a passenger. "Then you ain't hip-hop."

"Do you have beef with 50 Cent?" he continued.

But on this night, it was nothing but love.

Chuck D, LL Cool J, Chris Rock, Kool Moe Dee, actress Kerry Washington, Salt-N-Pepa, Michael Eric Dyson and Melle Mel were also on hand, among others.

• Stars Spread The Love At VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Snoop, Pharrell, Diddy, Ciara And More At The 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Snoop Dogg
• A Tribe Called Quest
• Missy Elliott
• T.I.
• Pharrell Williams

N.W.A's MC Ren and Ice Cube in 1990
Photo: MTV News

Stop us if you've heard this one before.

A rapper releases an enormous hit record, fans go crazy, the song skyrockets into the greater pop stratosphere ... and then everyone the song wasn't intended for — from politicians to school principals to talk-show hosts to religious activists to social-rights organizations — decries hip-hop as a virus attacking civilization's immune system.

And no, we're not just talking about the Don Imus incident (see "Hip-Hop On The Defensive After Imus Incident; Sharpton Calls For 'Dialogue' With MCs" and "Hip-Hop Hits Back At Imus, Critics: T.I., Snoop, Fat Joe, Common Weigh In"). Sure, the recently fired shock jock stirred up the latest controversy over hip-hop's lyrical content as he attempted to defend his insensitive remarks aimed at the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team.

Imus told his listeners that rappers routinely "defame and demean black women" and if his remarks had been in a song, it would more than likely have been a hit.

Probably not, I-Man.

Still, major dust-ups over hip-hop lyrics seem to occur every four years or so — whether it's the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination taking Eminem to task over what it believed were homophobic lyrics or Ice-T and his rock band, Body Count, tangling with Time Warner over perceived endorsements of violence against police. And through it all, MTV News has been there — when Luke Skyywalker exited a Florida courthouse after his First Amendment case, sitting down with Tupac to discuss Congress analyzing his songs, and getting the word from Young Jeezy about his banned Snowman T-shirts.

Now, with Russell Simmons, Oprah Winfrey, the Reverend Al Sharpton and anyone with a blog weighing in on what rappers should and shouldn't say, we look back — in this exclusive MTV News video timeline — on the artists, the songs and the words that have stirred up such strong emotions.

(For an even more in-depth examination, watch "Hip-Hop Lyrics Under Fire: A Look Back in Anger.")

1989: N.W.A vs. the FBI

» Offending line: "F--- tha police, coming straight from the underground/ A young n---a got it bad 'cause I'm brown," from N.W.A's "F--- Tha Police."
» History: These five Cali natives gave just about everyone the middle finger on their debut LP, Straight Outta Compton, but saved the biggest kiss-off for the Los Angeles Police Department. The FBI and Secret Service even sent a certified letter informing N.W.A's label of the authorities' displeasure with the song.
» Defense: Ice Cube and MC Ren claimed they were just writing about reality as they saw it in their neighborhood.
» Outcome: "F--- Tha Police" helped push their largely underground album — with little video or radio play — into a double-platinum success. However, the controversy led to many show cancellations and even greater scrutiny from legal authorities.

1990: 2 Live Crew vs. the American Family Association, the State of Florida and the Supreme Court

» Offending line: "I'm like a dog in heat, a freak without warning/ I have an appetite for sex, 'cause me so horny," from 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny."
» History: 2 Live Crew hit it big with the massively raunchy track "Me So Horny" from their As Nasty as They Wanna Be LP. But a lawyer with ties to the AFA filed a motion with Florida's then-governor calling for the album to be deemed "obscene" and any sale of it a crime — which led to the arrest of a Florida record-store owner and, later, three members of 2 Live Crew.
» Defense: Luke invoked his First Amendment rights and even noted Harvard Professor Skip Gates testified the song had merits based on oral African traditions.
» Outcome: Luke took the case to the Supreme Court, where it was eventually dismissed. Luke went on to record his solo debut, Banned in the U.S.A., featuring the popular title track.

1992: Ice-T and Body Count vs. Time Warner

» Offending line: "I got my 12-gauge sawed off/ I got my headlights turned off/ I'm 'bout to bust some shots off / I'm 'bout to dust some cops off," from Body Count's "Cop Killer."
» History: Ice-T had a successful rap career but had garnered little attention for his hard-rock side project, Body Count, until they released the highly controversial "Cop Killer." Their label at the time, Warner Bros., and its parent company, Time Warner, denounced the track, threatening to drop the group from its recording contract. A group of police responded by recording "Role Model," a dis track (of sorts) aimed at Ice and his crew.
» Defense: Ice rallied against the corporation over what he claimed were censorship issues.
» Outcome: Ice-T eventually removed the track — by his own choice, he has said — and eventually parted ways with Time Warner.

1993: Tupac Shakur/ Snoop Dogg and Death Row/ Interscope vs. Congress

» Offending line: "Cops on my tail, so I bail till I dodge 'em/ They finally pull me over and I laugh, 'Remember Rodney King?' and I blast/ On his punk ass," from Tupac's "Souljah's Story."
» History: Born into the Black Panthers, 'Pac had a strong sense of anti-establishment long before Vice President Dan Quayle and activist C. DeLores Tucker targeted his and Snoop's work. Quayle, meanwhile, made ripples in the media while campaigning with President George H.W. Bush and said that Tupac's words have "no place in society."
» Defense: Tupac turned the tables on politicians by explaining they also played a role in creating the reality his lyrics depicted.
» Outcome: After protests and considerable public uproar, Time Warner eventually dropped both Interscope and Death Row Records. The two labels immediately entered into a partnership with Universal; Death Row fell apart in the wake of founder Suge Knight's legal problems, but Interscope's relationship with Universal thrives to this day.

1996: Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown vs. social activist groups

» Offending line: "I used to be scared of the d---/ Now I throw lips to the sh-- / Handle it like a real b---h," from Lil Kim's "Big Momma Thang."
» History: Sex sells, yes, but these two Brooklyn, New York, beauties upped the ante with their explicit expressions of sexuality (to put it mildly) and a get-it-by-however-means mentality. Decency groups heavily targeted Kim and Foxy over the messages they felt the rappers were sending to teen girls.
» Defense: Kim and Fox claimed they were empowering women with their message.
» Outcome: Both rappers weather that particular storm but have suffered significant legal setbacks over other incidents.

2000: Eminem vs. the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Organization for Women

» Offending line: "My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/ That'll stab you in the head whether you're a f-- or les," from Eminem's "Criminal."
» History: Em burst on the scene in the late '90s, but when his sophomore project, The Marshall Mathers LP, was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2001 Grammy Awards, GLAAD and NOW protesters rallied outside the venue for days (see "Eminem Protesters Few But Passionate"). In a display of solidarity and support with the rapper, Elton John angered many in the gay community by performing Eminem's "Stan" with the mercurial MC during the awards show (see "Eminem: Performance With Elton Was Statement Enough").
» Defense: Em claimed his lyrics were misunderstood.
» Outcome: Although Em didn't win the Album of the Year Grammy, in his interview with Kurt Loder immediately following the broadcast, the rapper said he felt vindicated after performing alongside John and braving the controversy.

2002: Ludacris vs. Bill O'Reilly

» Offending line: "I'm DUI, hardly ever caught sober/ And you about to get ran the f--- over," from Luda's "Move B---h."
» History: Ludacris' raunchy sense of humor garnered the multiplatinum rapper thousands of fans and even an endorsement deal with Pepsi. But after O'Reilly got wind of a few of Luda's lyrics, he mounted a protest from his cable-news program to call for the soda giant to drop the "Gangsta" rapper from its ad campaign.
» Defense: Luda, with the help of Russell Simmons, trumpeted his notable charity work and pointed out O'Reilly's detachment from the culture.
» Outcome: O'Reilly's viewers mounted pressure on Pepsi, and eventually the company dropped Luda (see "Ludacris Barks Back At Pepsi, O'Reilly; P-Roach Antics Not An Issue For Soda Giant"). Ludacris' career has continued to thrive, although he hasn't landed an endorsement deal since and he's remained a target for O'Reilly as well as Oprah, largely because of his high profile after winning a Grammy Award and appearing in the Oscar-winning film "Crash."

2004: Nelly vs. the women of Spelman College

» Offending line: "I said it must be ya ass 'cause it ain't ya face/ I need a tip drill, I need a tip drill," from "E.I. (The Tip Drill remix)."
» History: Propelled largely by its video play on the now defunct late-night show "BET Uncut," Nelly's "Tip Drill" video stirred up the female students on Spelman's campus, largely owing to the image of Nelly swiping a credit card through the buttocks of a female stripper in the video.
» Defense: Nelly claimed the women in the video participated willingly.
» Outcome: Spelman student leaders removed Nelly's affiliation from a bone-marrow drive at the school.

2005: Young Jeezy vs. public schools

» Offending line: "Get it, I'm Jeezy the Snowman/ I'm iced out, plus I got snow, man," from Gucci Mane's "Icy" (featuring Jeezy).
» History: Jeezy's trademark ad libs may have caught on quickly, but his Angry-Snowman T-Shirts took the 'hood by storm. From Harlem to Hotlanta, kids could be seen rocking the menacing Snowman tees, even in school.
» Defense: In interviews, Jeezy claimed the Snowman was just a cool dude and the character represented upward mobility (see "Young Jeezy Explains Symbolism Of The Snowman").
» Outcome: His response didn't satisfy school administrators, who deemed his Snowman a blatant endorsement for kids to sell drugs. The Snowman controversy has cooled down, but Jeezy is still hot.

2005: Cam'ron's "Stop snitchin' " stance vs. the police

» Offending line: Nothing.
» History: Cam angered police and public officials when he refused to cooperate with authorities — a tacit endorsement of the "stop snitchin' " attitude — following his 2005 shooting in Washington, D.C. (see "Cam'ron Says He's Not Sure Incident Was A Failed Carjacking After All"). The murder of Busta Rhymes' bodyguard Israel Ramirez at a video set in February 2006 followed a similar pattern (see "Busta Rhymes Issues Statement On Bodyguard Shooting").
» Defense: Cam said business interests and the way he was raised prevent him from speaking with authorities and revealing further information.
» Outcome: Critics say Cam's silence speaks volumes; they feel he's encouraging inner-city residents to continue their stance against cooperating with police. The MC recently appeared on "60 Minutes" to further explain his stance.

Amid all the controversies of the past three decades, one thing is certain: Hip-hop lyrics will continue to enthrall fans and enrage critics for many years to come.

• Hip-Hop Lyrics Under Fire: A Look Back In Anger

• Tupac
• N.W.A.
• Snoop Dogg
• 2 Live Crew
• Lil' Kim

Kevin Federline's <I>Playing With Fire</I>
Photo: Reincarnate Music

This week's crop of new releases aren't all that scary, per se — unless you've been fearing those K-Fed and Kellie Pickler debuts and think that tough lass Lady Sovereign could kick your butt. But it does give us an opportunity to put a musical twist on trick or treating. And, for the "hell" of it, we've provided 31 entries to make this 31st extra special.

Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire

• Trick: Uh ... yeah.
• Treat: Britney Spears makes an appearance on "Crazy," and there's a hidden track called "Middle Finger" — wait, is that part of the trick?

Lady Sovereign's Public Warning

• Trick: Speaking of middle fingers, the temperamental Lady Sov is more than happy to show hers.
• Treat: Missy Elliott turns up on an album-capping remix of Sov's white-hot single, "Love Me or Hate Me."

Gorillaz's "Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades" DVD

• Trick: The amount of money you have to pony up to collect all the components of the comprehensive Demon Days "multimedia experience," of which this is a part.
• Treat: Forty selections, 3-D features, a bonus CD-ROM with 16 games, — that's bananas!

Ice-T's Gangsta Rap

• Trick: A mouthful of appearances by a "Who's that?" of rap, including Marc Live, Kryst and Smoothe Da Hustler.
• Treat: It's his first straight-up rap album since 1999. And did you know that the T stands for "treat"?

Deftones' Saturday Night Wrist

• Trick: C'mon, dudes, throw in the towel already.
• Treat: Really cool cover art and a song called "U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start."

Pitbull's El Mariel

• Trick: A guest spot by Trick Daddy (on "Born N Raised").
• Treat: Assorted contributions from Lil Jon, Fat Joe, Pharrell, Rick Ross, Wyclef Jean, DJ Khaled, Mr. Coolipark and the Neptunes — good God, that's impressive.

Isis' In the Absence of Truth

• Trick: The band's recently released DVD, "Clearing the Eye," easily could have been appended to this disc.
• Treat: Some of the best sludge/dirge/doom/melodic/cheese-free metal you'll hear all year.

Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl

• Trick: "I have no idea what I'm doing," which she let slip before an "American Idol" performance, pretty much says it all.
• Treat: A jewel case comes with the CD!

Ron Artest's My World

• Trick: Historically, basketball-player-turned rappers haven't fared too well. Yeah, we're looking at you, Shaq.
• Treat: Mike Jones makes an assist, and DJ Kay Slay spins some beats.

Flavor Flav's Flavor Flav

• Trick: Just watch this.
• Treat: Knowing that a rapper who once spat against the establishment can also write a song called "Unga Bunga Bunga."

Coheed and Cambria's "The Last Supper: Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom" DVD

• Trick: Frontman Claudio Sanchez is putting out an LP by his side project, the Prize Fighter Inferno, the same day — ha.
• Treat: On top of Coheed's May performance at the New York venue, they've chalked up a fan's perspective of the show, plus three videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

Prize Fighter Inferno's My Brother's Blood Machine

• Trick: This is a side project from Coheed and Cambria, who are putting out a DVD the same day — ha.
• Treat: This gives Coheed fans a chance to see the band's ongoing narrative through the eyes of a different character, who is alternately known as Jesse and the Prize Fighter Inferno.

Sunn0))) & Boris' Altar

• Trick: Kurt Cobain amigo and Earth guru Dylan Carlson plays on "Her Lips Were Wet With Venom" — a song that only appears on the vinyl version of this collaborative affair.
• Treat: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil comes out of the cave to provide a few licks on "Blood Swamp" and pen the liner notes.

Lyrics Born's Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live!

• Trick: The San Francisco underground hip-hop hero is taking stock of his career with a live album recorded in ... Australia.
• Treat: An hour's worth of live material, three new slices and smart lyrics that'll make you feel born again.

The Who's Endless Wire

• Trick: No Keith Moon. No John Entwistle.
• Treat: The band's first new LP in almost 25 years gives fans their due: Nineteen tracks, plus a bonus DVD with limited editions.

The Who's "Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970"

• Trick: A lesser-quality version of this thing — minus the remastered surround sound by Pete Townshend, the 40-minute Townshend interview and two songs — came out just over two years ago.
• Treat: Keith Moon. John Entwistle.

Every Time I Die's "Sh-- Happens: The Life. The Stage. The Road. The DVD."

• Trick: Bonus home videos that will bring out your inner smartass.
• Treat: Two hours' worth of metal madness, including footage from a Christmas concert and the Warped Tour, plus a behind-the-scenes/don't-try-this-at-home treat for the tricksters out there: Bandmembers actually setting their hair on fire.

Various artists' "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" soundtrack

• Trick: Borat.
• Treat: Three videos, a sing-along clip, audio snippets from the movie and excerpts from the score by Sacha Baron Cohen's real-life (seriously) brother Erran.

Battle of Mice's A Day of Nights

• Trick: A project drummed up by two lovers, the band/relationship went so swimmingly that Josh Graham (Red Sparowes) and Julie Christmas (Made Out of Babies) wound up having to record some of this LP in separate rooms.
• Treat: You want raw? You got it. "The sonic philosophy of the band reflects a huge, primal range of emotion: love, lust, jealousy, whiskey and blind rage," Christmas said in a press release.

Aiden's Rain in Hell EP

• Trick: Have you seen these guys? They dress up for Halloween every day of the year.
• Treat: Covers of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" and the Misfits' "Die, Die My Darling," plus a lengthy DVD to boot.

Bad Religion's "The Riot: December 29, 1990 at the El Portal Theater in Lovely North Hollywood, CA" DVD

• Trick: Yeah, if Bad Religion come to your door, make sure to take them up on that treat.
• Treat: This special-edition set immortalizes the band's chaotic show, plus some footage of the make-up gig they staged about a month later for the fans who were turned away by police.

Willie Nelson's Songbird

• Trick: Rabble-rouser Ryan Adams is all over this sucker, producing and performing on every track, including renditions of songs by Leonard Cohen, Gram Parsons, Jerry Garcia and the Red-Headed Stranger himself.
• Treat: Dude, it's Willie Nelson.

Tupac's "The Complete Live Performances: Live at House of Blues Los Angeles & Club 662 Las Vegas" DVDs

• Trick: Were these really the only two concerts 'Pac ever performed?
• Treat: Finally, a Tupac DVD that isn't a documentary. Plus, guest spots by Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, Outlawz and K-Ci & JoJo.

Icy Demons' Tears of a Clone

• Trick: Can a clone really cry?
• Treat: Woodwinds, rich percussion and kraut-inspired electronics — a treat indeed.

My Morning Jacket's "Okonokos: The Concert" DVD

• Trick: A double-CD live album last month, and now this, a separately sold third disc to go along with it? Come on, get real.
• Treat: These guys dressed up in Victorian outfits, decorated the stage like a forest, tapped one of Pink Floyd's lighting guys and covered Duke Ellington for this show. Now that's far out.

Anders Parker's Anders Parker

• Trick: This guy's put out a pile of albums under his own name as well as Varnaline, and released LPs with Space Needle and Gob Iron. Get it straight, man.
• Treat: He borrows lyrics from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Paul Westerberg — all in one song ("Winter Coat") — and roped in members of Wilco, the Mekons and Gigolo Aunts to help out.

Gob Iron's Death Songs for the Living

• Trick: What, more Anders Parker? Sheesh.
• Treat: He's got Son Volt's Jay Farrar as a partner on this project, and they revitalize a spate of folk classics, mixing in some fresh instrumentals along the way.

Cross Canadian Ragweed's Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom

• Trick: The DVD is sold separately — what, is this becoming a trend?
• Treat: With no overdubs or vocal tweaking, this is the Oklahoma alt-country act at its most honest.

My Latest Novel's Wolves

• Trick: Yet another band from Glasgow, Scotland.
• Treat: This album was named, in part, after graphic-novel master Neil Gaiman's "The Wolves in the Walls." Plus it's got a song called "The Job Mr Kurtz Done."

Mixel Pixel's Music for Plants

• Trick: Wait a second, plants can't hear!
• Treat: If you like the Moog, you are in for a treat indeed.

Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose

• Trick: Ha, Meat Loaf.
• Treat: There is no treat.

Song Title of the Week:

"Your Tearz Are My Ice Cream" from Experimental Dental School's 2 1/2 Creatures

New Releases:

• 40 Below Summer - Last Dance (Crash)
• The Accursed - Seasons of the Scythe (Screaming Ferret)
• Aiden - Rain in Hell (EP with DVD; Victory)
• Ron Artest - My World (Lightyear); Read: "Ron Artest Battles In Basketball/Boxing Game, Funds His Own Rap LP"
• Bang Tango - From the Hip (Perris)
• The Bangkok Five - Who's Gonna Take Us Alive? (Execution Style/ Universal)
• Battle of Mice - A Day of Nights (Neurot)
• Birdman & Lil Wayne - Like Father, Like Son (Cash Money)
• Blenders - Songs From the Soul (Oarfin)
• The Blue Van - Dear Independence (TVT)
• T. Graham Brown - The Present (Aspirion)
• Burden Brothers - Mercy (Kirtland)
• Tracy Byrd - Different Things (Rocket Science)
• Jeremy Camp - Beyond Measure (BEC)
• The Catz in the Hatz - Resilience (Rhombus)
• D Christopher - A Moment of Your Time (Universal)
• Coko - Grateful (Compendia)
• Bootsy Collins - Christmas Is 4 Ever (Shout! Factory)
• Colour Revolt - Colour Revolt (EP; Tiny Evil)
• Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat (Militia Group)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom (live; with DVD; Universal South)
• Brian Culbertson - A Soulful Christmas (GRP)
• David & the Citizens - Until the Sadness Is Gone (Friendly Fire)
• Dead Poetic - Vices (Tooth & Nail)
• Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick); Read: "Deftones Plan Tour With Deadsy Before LP Drops On Halloween"
• The End of the World - You're Making It Come Alive (Flameshovel)
• Endwell - Homeland Insecurity (Victory)
• Experimental Dental School - 2 1/2 Creatures (Cochon)
• Feathers - Synchromy (Hometapes)
• Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire (Reincarnate); Read: "Federline Moving Songs From The Lab To Clubs For Testing"
• Figgs - Follow Jean Through the Sea (Gern Blandstein)
• Flavor Flav - Flavor Flav (Draytown)
• Four Letter Lie - Let Your Body Take Over (Victory)
• Gob Iron - Death Songs for the Living (Transmit Sound/ Legacy)
• The Honeydogs - Amygdala (CC)
• Ice-T - Gangsta Rap (Melee)
• Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone (Eastern Developments)
• Isis - In the Absence of Truth (Ipecac)
• Phil Keaggy - Roundabout (Tag)
• Kylesa - Time Will Fuse Its Worth (Prosthetic)
• Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
• Laibach - Volk (Mute)
• Michael Landau Group - Live (two CDs; Tone/Unconscious)
• Phil Lesh and Friends - Live at the Warfield, San Francisco, CA (Image)
• Low Frequency in Stereo - The Last Temptation of ... the Low Frequency in Stereo (Gigantic)
• Lyrics Born - Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live! (Quannum)
• Mad Tea Party - Big Top, Soda Pop (Whose That)
• Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (Arista)
• Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (Virgin)
• Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head (Black Dove)
• Mixel Pixel - Music for Plants (Kanine)
• Craig Morgan - Little Bit of Life (Broken Bow)
• Moros Eros - I Saw the Devil Last Night and Now the Sun Shines Bright (Victory)
• My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings (Peaceville/Snapper)
• My Latest Novel - Wolves (Bella Union)
• Willie Nelson - Songbird (Lost Highway)
• Newsboys - Go (enhanced; Inpop)
• Niobe - White Hats (Tomlab)
• Anders Parker - Anders Parker (Baryon)
• Kellie Pickler - Small Town Girl (19/ BNA)
• Pitbull - El Mariel (TVT); Read: "Pitbull Barks About Parties, Politics On October's El Mariel"
• The Prize Fighter Inferno - My Brother's Blood Machine (Equal Vision); Read: "Coheed And Cambria Singer Steps Into The Ring With Prize Fighter"
• Qwel & Meaty Ogre - Freezerburner (Galapagos)
• Residents - The Residents Present Tweedles! (Mute)
• Ben Riley's Legendary Monk Septet - Memories of T (Concord)
• Kate Russell - Powerful Stuff (Aspirion)
• Joe Satriani - Satriani Live! (two CDs; Red Ink)
• Scars of Tomorrow - The Failure in Drowning (Victory)
• Spider Rockets - Ever After (self-release)
• SunnO))) & Boris - Altar (Southern Lord)
• Sunny Sweeney - Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame (Independent)
• Tea Leaf Green - Rock 'N' Roll Band (Sci Fidelity)
• Terra Diablo - Terra Diablo (Nocturnal)
• This Moment in Black History - It Takes a Nation of A--holes (Cold Sweat)
• To Live and Shave in L.A. - Noon & Eternity (Menlo Park)
• Claude VonStroke - Beware of the Bird (Dirtybird)
• We Are the Fury - Venus (One Big Spark/ East/West)
• The Who - Endless Wire (Republic; limited-edition version with DVD also available)
• Women & Children - Paralyzed Dance, Tonight (Narnack)
• Your Black Star - Sound From the Ground (Reignition)
• Various artists - Anjunabeats Volume Four: Mixed by Above & Beyond (Anjuna Beats)
• Various artists - Lullaby Renditions of Led Zeppelin (Baby Rock)
• Various artists - Trustkill Takeover Volume II (Trustkill)
• Various artists - The Voices and Faces Project, Vol. 1 (Voices & Faces)
• Various artists - "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - "Flushed Away" soundtrack (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - "Happy Feet" soundtrack (Atlantic)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Animal Collective - Hollinndagain (Paw Tracks)
• Randy Bachman - Anthology (Friday)
• Bad Brains - Live at CBGB 1982: The Audio Recordings (MVD Audio)
• Clint Black - Killin' Time/ Put Yourself in My Shoes (Hux)
• Blackbeard - I Wah Dub and Strictly Dub Wize (Caroline)
• Collage - Moonshine (enhanced; Metal Mind)
• Sonny Curtis - Beatle Hits Flamenco Guitar Style (El)
• Desmond Dekker - ... In Memoriam 1941-2006 (MVD Audio/ Secret)
• Sheena Easton - The Lover in Me (Cherry Pop)
• The Exploding Hearts - Shattered (Dirtnap)
• Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver (with two bonus discs; Metal Blade)
• John Fogerty - The Long Road Home: In Concert (Fantasy)
• Buddy Guy - Can't Quit the Blues (box set with three CDs and one DVD; Silvertone/Legacy)
• John Lee Hooker - Hooker (four-CD box set; Shout! Factory)
• Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later ("O.G." limited-edition version with DVD; Lench Mob)
• Millie Jackson - It Hurts So Good (Southbound)
• Louis Jordan - The Aladdin "X" & Vik Recordings 1953-55 (Rev-Ola Bandstand)
• Joy of Cooking - The Complete Joy of Cooking (two CDs; Acadia)
• Kinks - Arista Years and RCA Years (seven- and six-CD limited-edition box sets; Velvel)
• The Knife - Deep Cuts (enhanced) and The Knife (Mute)
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Killer Rock 'N' Roll (Varèse Sarabande)
• Lil' Romeo - Greatest Hits (Koch)
• Arthur Lyman - Mele Kalikimaka (Empire Musicwerks)
• Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration (Columbia/Legacy)
• Mobb Deep - Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep (Loud/Legacy)
• Opeth - Ghost Reveries (special-edition digipak with DVD; Roadrunner)
• The Paris Sisters - The Complete Phil Spector Sessions (Varèse Sarabande)
• Sandi Patty - The Voice of Christmas (Word)
• Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek (Gotee)
• Peggy Scott - She's Got It All: Rare 70's Soul (Shout! Factory)
• Nina Simone - The Nina Simone Collection (three CDs; Metro) and Remixed & Reimagined (RCA/Legacy)
• Chris Thompson - If You Remember Me: The Very Best of Chris Thompson (Renaissance)
• Vader - Reborn in Chaos (Metal Mind)
• Michelle Williams - Heart to Yours/ Do You Know: Master Series (two CDs; Music World)
• Various artists - Big Blues Box 2 (three-CD box set; Fuel)
• Various artists - Death Row's 15th Anniversary (Koch)
• Various artists - The Hi Records Story (Hi)
• Various artists - Hip Hop Forever III - Mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff (enhanced; Rapster)
• Various artists - Ultimate Jazz Christmas (Blue Note)

Music DVDs:

• AC/DC - "A Classic Album Under Review: Back in Black" and "Thunder Rock: Interviews" (MVD Visual)
• Bad Religion - "The Riot: December 29, 1990 at the El Portal Theater in Lovely North Hollywood, CA" (MVD Visual/ L.A. Access)
• Beatles - "She Loves You" (MVD Visual)
• Black Crowes - "Freak 'N' Roll Into the Fog - The Black Crowes All Join Hands" (Blu Ray)
• Johnny Cash - "Johnny Cash in Ireland" (Mercury/Universal)
• Coheed and Cambria - "The Last Supper: Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom" (Columbia/ Equal Vision)
• Alice Cooper - "Live at Montreux 2005" (Blu Ray)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - "Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom" (Universal South)
• Cutting Crew - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Bob Dylan - "1966 World Tour (The Home Movies)" (MVD Visual) and "Ralph J. Gleason Presents: Dylan Speaks - The Legendary 11965 Press Conference in San Francisco" (Eagle Vision)
• John Entwistle - "Thunderfingers: A Tribute to the Legendary John Entwistle of the Who" (MVD Visual)
• Every Time I Die - "Sh-- Happens: The Life. The Stage. The Road. The DVD." (Ferret)
• The Farm - "Back Together Now! Live" (MVD Visual)
• Tennessee Ernie Ford - "A Ford Show Family Christmas" (Kultur)
• Gorillaz - "Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades" (with bonus CD-ROM; EMI)
• Joy Division - "Under Review" (MVD Visual)
• Kiss - "Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection - Vol. One 1974-1977" (two DVDs; VH1 Classic)
• Ronnie Lane - "The Passing Show: The Life & Music of Ronnie Lane" (Eagle Vision)
• Phil Lesh and Friends - "Live at the Warfield, San Francisco, CA" (two DVDs; Image)
• Little Steven - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Barry Manilow - "First & Farewell" (two DVDs; Rhino)
• Freddie Mercury - "Lover of Life, Singer of Songs" (EMI)
• Van Morrison - "Live at Montreux 1980 and 1974" (Eagle Vision)
• My Morning Jacket - "Okonokos: The Concert" (ATO/RCA)
• Omarion - "Invitation Only" (MVD Visual)
• Roy Orbison - "In Dreams" (Orbison/Legacy)
• Pendragon - "And Now Everybody to the Stage" (MVD Visual)
• Pink Floyd - "Shine On: Interviews" (MVD Visual)
• Joe Satriani - "Satriani Live!" (Red Ink)
• The Style Council - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Tea Leaf Green - "Rock 'N' Roll Band" (Sci Fidelity)
• Trick Daddy - "The Real Entourage" (Body Head)
• Tupac - "The Complete Live Performances: Live at House of Blues Los Angeles & Club 662 Las Vegas" (two DVDs; Eagle Vision)
• The Who - "Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970" (Eagle Vision)
• Young Jeezy - "Thug Motivation" (MVD Visual)
• Various artists - "Stop the War Coalition Benefit Concert" (MVD Visual)

Coming Attractions:

November 7:

• James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (limited-edition version with bonus CD; Atlantic)
• Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones (RCA)
• Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (Koch); Read: "NFL Players Shooting Jump Shots During Games? Blame Jim Jones"
• Dave Matthews Band - The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1 (two CDs; RCA)
• Ol' Dirty Bastard - A Son Unique (Def Jam)

November 14:

• Army of Anyone - Army of Anyone (Firm)
  Read: "Army Of Anyone Want To Be Judged By Their Fifth Album, Not Their Debut"
• Fat Joe - Me, Myself and I (Virgin); Read: "Fat Joe On September Release: 'Bet The Kitchen Sink On Me' "
• The Game - Doctor's Advocate (Geffen); Read: "Game Says Song On New LP Makes Him 'The One-Man N.W.A' "
• Plus-44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating (Interscope); Read: "Plus-44 Address Blink Breakup On LP, Want Fans To 'Hear The Truth' "
• Tenacious D - "The Pick of Destiny" soundtrack (Epic)

November 21:

• Jay-Z - Kingdom Come (Roc-A-Fella); Read: "Jay-Z's 'Retirement' Is Finally Over: New Album Due In November"
• Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (Roadrunner); Read: "Killswitch Engage Turn On The Heavy For Glass-Shattering As Daylight Dies"
• U2 - U218 Singles (limited-edition; with DVD; Interscope)

• You Hear It First Gets Grimey

• Kevin Federline
• Lady Sovereign
• Gorillaz
• Ice-T
• Pitbull

Jay-Z
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Former 2 Live Crew member Marquis Ross (a.k.a. Brother Marquis) filed suit against Jay-Z and Ice-T in New York on Monday, claiming that he wrote a song with similar beats and lyrics to "99 Problems."

According to The Associated Press, the lawsuit filed by Ross in U.S. District Court in Manhattan requests royalties from the song, which appears on Jay-Z's 2003 release, The Black Album. Jay-Z holds a copyright on the track, which was based on a song of the same name released by Ice-T on his 1993 album, Home Invasion. The earlier version credits Ice-T and DJ Aladdin as songwriters.

Ross alleges that the chorus of Jay-Z's song is similar to the lyrics and beats he wrote for the Ice-T song, for which he was not credited. He claims in the suit that Ice-T refused to pay him royalties on the tune until 2005, when he made a "partial payment" of $10,000. Ross is requesting back royalties and punitive damages.

Representatives for Ice-T and Jay-Z could not be reached for comment at press time.

• Jay-Z
• 2 Live Crew
• Ice-T

'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Premieres Around The World

• Michael Jackson
• T-Pain
• Ice-T

Lil' Jon, Big Boi, Rza And More At VH-1's 2006 Hip Hop Honors

• Lil Jon
• OutKast
• Salt-N-Pepa
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Remy Ma

Nick Lachey, Shakira, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy, More Arrive At The 2006 VMAs

• Shakira
• Fall Out Boy
• AFI
• Danity Kane
• New Found Glory

Snoop, Pharrell, Ciara, Danity Kane, Luda, More Mingle At VMA Forum

• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams
• Method Man
• Danity Kane
• Chamillionaire

Ludacris' Killer Appearance On "Law & Order: SVU"

• Ludacris
• Ice-T

Jay-Z, Diddy, Mariah, Game, Lil Jon, Fergie, Others Party In Miami

• Diddy
• Pitbull
• Christina Milian
• Lil Jon
• Game

Mariah, Diddy, Jay-Z, More at "The Emancipation Of Mimi" Release Party, 4.21.2005

• Mariah Carey
• Jay-Z
• Ice-T
• Christina Milian
• Jermaine Dupri

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2005 Induction Ceremony

• U2
• Bruce Springsteen
• Justin Timberlake
• The Pretenders
• Ice-T