J-Kwon

Rapper J-Kwon Is Alive And Well

04 Mar 2010 16:47:00 EST

'Tipsy' rapper hadn't been heard from in a month, prompting his record label to search for him.
By Shaheem Reid

J-Kwon is alive and well, according to his manager and publicist.

On Wednesday, we reported that his friends, family and business associates were highly concerned because no one had been able to reach the St. Louis-born rapper for about a month. His record label, Gracie Productions, even set up the Twitter page @WhereIsJKwon so fans could write in with any info they had.

A few of Kwon's business associates were even going door to door Wednesday in hopes of locating their missing friend. The 24-year-old must have seen the news, because he reached out to his loved ones. According to his rep, the rapper sent his apologies to anyone he worried.

Kwon's manager and co-CEO of Gracie, Dorian Washington, issued a statement Thursday afternoon (March 4): "I am very happy to let everyone know that I personally spoke with J-Kwon today, and he is OK. He'd like to send a sincere apology to his friends and everyone who showed concern this week. He was taking some time to himself as he sometimes does, not realizing that people would start to worry after a while. A few days out of touch versus a month is quite a difference. Right now, he just wants to keep doing what he's doing and will be more available for those who care about him. We thank you again for your outreach, and we are relieved to know he'll be all right."

J-Kwon rocketed into the rap game in 2004 with the club hit "Tipsy." He is scheduled to release a self-titled album at the end of the month.

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J-Kwon

Rapper J-Kwon Missing, Label Says

03 Mar 2010 14:51:00 EST

'If anyone has seen J-Kwon or has access to him, please let him know,' label says in statement.
By Shaheem Reid

St. Louis native J-Kwon, who made a huge splash in 2004 with the hit "Tipsy," has been missing for almost a month, his label says. Gracie Production released a statement Tuesday night asking for help finding the MC.

"J-Kwon is a big part of the Gracie family, and we are obviously increasingly worried and want to make sure he is OK," Gracie Productions CEO/President Tony Bucher said in the statement. "We've already received thousands of e-mails from fans and supporters who are worried about J-Kwon, and we want everyone to know how much we appreciate the love and support. If anyone has seen J-Kwon or has access to him, please let him know we are worried about him, and to please let us know everything is ok."

Bucher and Gracie Productions have also gone as far as setting up a Twitter page @WhereIsJKwon so fans can write with any info they may have.

According to a rep for Gracie Productions, Kwon was working on a self-titled album to be released on March 23. Last year, via the indie, the 24-year-old rapper put out the albums Hood Hop 2 and Hood Hop 2.5.

J-Kwon's biggest project was the original Hood Hop, which came out in 2004. Powered by the party anthem "Tipsy," the then-17-year-old gained national exposure and even performed on "Saturday Night Live."

"I'm 17, so I can't get into the club," he explained to MTV News in 2004 about the controversial song. "I used to stand outside and see people so tipsy, so drunk, they basically did like a two-step away from the club. I took all that and was like, 'OK, what does every teen think?' When I say, 'Teen drinking is very bad, but I got a fake ID though,' people think I'm actually promoting drinking to teens. Nah. When I say, 'Everybody in the club getting tipsy,' I mean we ain't drinking but everybody else is. That's what we see, not what we do. A lot of critics come at me about this. If I was promoting teen drinking, believe me, I would've sold the song for an ad."

Kwon had a hard-knock life to begin with. He was kicked out of the house at age 12 and became homeless. In 2003, he auditioned for L.A. Reid and Jermaine Dupri, who were at Arista at the time.

"When I went in for the deal I was like, 'What if they don't sign me? Forget them. If they don't sign me, I'mma keep rolling.' That's how I approach every situation," he told MTV News. "So I'm rapping for L.A. and at the end of the verse, my line was something like, 'You don't like it, L.A., bite me,' and I turned around and mooned him, straight up."

Hood Hop was the only J-Kwon album released under the So So Def imprint before the rapper and the label parted ways years later.

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J-Kwon

For The Record: Quick News On Dave Matthews Band, Britney Spears, Madonna, J-Kwon, Nelly, Get Up Kids & More

09 Mar 2005 17:58:00 EST

DMB's bus driver pleads guilty in bus-dump case, Britney threatens to storm back on the scene, Get Up Kids call it quits.
By MTV News staff report

If you get caught pouring human excrement and urine all over a bunch of tourists, sometimes it's just best to fess up. And that's what Dave Matthews Band tour bus driver Stefan Wohl did on Wednesday (March 9), when he pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct and discharging contaminates to cause water pollution, which stemmed from an August incident in which Wohl emptied the bus' septic tank while driving across the open grating deck of the Kinzie Street bridge in Chicago. According to The Associated Press, Wohl, who managed to hit passengers on a boat below the bridge with the waste, was sentenced to 18 months probation and 150 hours of community service, and was fined $10,000, which will be paid to the conservation group Friends of the Chicago River. ...

Britney Spears is threatening to storm back on the scene, according to a recent post on her Web site: "I feel as though I have been very quiet and still lately. 'The calm before the storm' ... I can really relate to that statement right now." Then again, in the five months since she's announced she was taking a break, the singer's released a greatest-hits collection, co-directed a video, leaked a song on the radio, posed for two magazine covers (Redbook and Allure), participated in her husband's Details cover story, and started writing regularly on her Web site — so much for being quiet. ... Madonna's follow-up to "Truth or Dare," an as-yet-untitled documentary about her Reinvention Tour, looks "very likely" to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, to be held May 11-22, according to the singer's rep. The documentary was directed by Jonas Akerlund, who chronicled her tour and the "new" Madonna. A theatrical release is planned for later this year. ...

J-Kwon has teamed up with fellow St. Louis rappers Nelly and Chingy for Louisville Slugger, the follow-up to his 2004 debut, Hood Hop. The album, due this summer, will also feature Ebony Eyez, a female rapper from the Lou who performed "Get XXX'd" (from the "XXX: State of the Union" soundtrack, due April 19) with J-Kwon at last week's Soul Train Awards. ... Moby will launch a tour in support of his upcoming double album, Hotel (March 22), on April 11 with a show in Norfolk, Virginia. The 16-date swing is currently scheduled to hit Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto and Chicago, ending with a May 8 date in San Diego, according to his spokesperson. Buck 65 will open on most of the dates. ...

Missouri's emo stalwarts the Get Up Kids announced this week through a statement posted on their Web site that they'd be throwing in the towel. "After 10 years, close to a hundred recorded songs and several trips around the world, the Get Up Kids will be playing their last shows this summer," the statement reads. "We feel it's best to let the last 10 years speak as a document for what the band was. We can look back and say that we are proud of everything that we accomplished. In the end, we will always remember this as a good time; we hope that you remember it that way, too." The Get Up Kids' final performance will go down July 4th weekend in the band's hometown of Kansas City, Missouri ... The punk rock breast-cancer benefit site Shirts for a Cure — which helps raise money to provide financial assistance and therapy to underprivileged women fighting breast cancer — has added a number of new shirts for sale. Exclusive tees from the bands Alkaline Trio, Coheed & Cambria, Dillinger Escape Plan, Funeral for a Friend and Head Automatica will soon join shirts from Motion City Soundtrack, the Get Up Kids, Hot Water Music, My Chemical Romance, Bouncing Souls, Thursday and Avenged Sevenfold. Check out shirtsforacure.com for more information. ...

RZA — who has scored "Kill Bill," "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai" and "Blade: Trinity" — is stepping in front of the camera with his first full-fledged acting gig in the upcoming Jennifer Aniston/ Clive Owen movie "Derailed," in which he plays an ex-con mailroom clerk named Winston. But now that the Wu-Tang mastermind has the acting bug, what he really wants to do is direct. He's been talking to Quentin Tarantino, Jim Jarmusch and John Woo to get advice, and has his first film project already planned out. "I'm ready to come out of the can," RZA said. "I got some scripts passed over to me, but I want to do one I wrote myself, 'The Man With the Iron Fist.,' " a kung-fu movie. ... British funk act Jamiroquai will issue album number six, Dynamite, on May 24. No word on whether the album's title is a nod to the film "Napoleon Dynamite," which prominently featured Jamiroquai's song "Canned Heat" during one of the film's most memorable scenes. ...

"So What the Fuss" will be the first single off of Stevie Wonder's new album, A Time to Love, due in stores on May 3. It'll be the first studio album in a decade for the legendary singer . ... Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' annual fund-raiser for his Tiger Woods Learning Center, Tiger Jam VIII, will take place on May 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Wonder, according to an event spokesperson. Counting Crows will open the show. ... The All-American Rejects will be hitting the road this spring for a nine-week headlining tour kicking off March 29 in Atlanta. The band will be plugging songs from its sophomore album, still untitled, which is set to be released this summer. ...

03.08.2005

In the April issue of Allure magazine, Britney Spears admits that she let herself go in recent months and that the beginning of her marriage to Kevin Federline has been somewhat rocky. The singer said that she was grateful that paparazzi shots revealed she was gaining more pounds than usual because "it made me see that I needed to lose weight." Pointing to her stomach, she told the magazine, "As you can see, I still have the honeymoon aftereffect ... I was just lounging around and eating and laying out and just didn't have a care in the world." That didn't help the honeymoon transition into a successful marriage, she said, because "hardcore" reality set in after the first three weeks. "Before we got married, we were on tour, and we were like kids, ordering room service, saying, 'Let's go out tonight.' And then all of a sudden, you have the kids," she told the magazine, referring to Federline's children, Kori and Kaleb, "you have the diapers, get the dogs to the vet. It's this whole reality, you know. But we handled it fine, and now things are starting to go really smooth." However, she's no longer hoping to have a child of her own in the immediate future. "I'm not pregnant," she said. "It's not something I've striving for." ... (See photos of Britney Spears in April's Allure.)

R. Kelly lost another round in court on Friday, when a Chicago judge rejected his bid to declare the Illinois child-pornography statute unconstitutional (and thereby dismiss the charges against him). Kelly's defense tried to make the argument that if it's not illegal to have sex with a 17-year-old, since that's the age of consent, it shouldn't be illegal to take pictures of a 17-year-old engaging in a sex act. Cook County Assistant State Attorney Shauna Boliker, however, successfully argued that the state lawmakers broadened the scope of the pornography statute and that the charges should stand. Kelly is due back in court on April 21. ... The diamond wedding ring Michael Jackson gave to ex-wife Debbie Rowe is on the block on eBay with a starting bid of $50,000. "This beautiful ring was given to Debbie and she would love someone to have it who appreciates the beauty and intention in which it was given," reads a note on the auction site. The bidding on the platinum ring — which has a two-carat, center-cut diamond surrounded by 14 brilliant-cut diamonds — is being sold on a reserve basis, which means the buyer must meet an unspecified target price. There were four early bids, but as of Tuesday (March 8), no legitimate bids had been made for the sale, which ends Thursday. ...

A week after confirming their split with guitarist Tripp Eisen — who was recently arrested on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child — Static-X leader Wayne Static announced on the band's Web site on Monday that former guitarist Koichi Fukuda has rejoined the group. Fukuda played on the band's debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and toured with the group for two years before leaving to spend more time with his family. Fukuda has been recording with Static-X since October and will perform live with them at the Galaxy in Santa Ana, California, on March 25. ... Hilary Duff, poet? Well, at least for one night, when she guest stars on "George Lopez" as a feminist named Kenzie who enters a poetry slam. Her episode airs Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Tweet has just finished shooting a video for the theme song to the updated version of "Kojak," which premieres March 25 on USA. Ving Rhames plays the title role. The clip for "When I Need a Man" was directed by Antti J. Jokinen (Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This"). "What I wanted to do was give Kojak a great intro," Tweet said in a statement. "I wanted to make a statement with this song — 'Don't mess with Kojak.' " The track will also appear on Tweet's album It's Me Again, out March 22. ... Carmen Electra is going to be a sex slave — for her new role on the Sci Fi Channel's half-hour animated series "Tripping the Rift." Electra is joining

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J-Kwon Shows His Soft Side By Reminiscing About His Two Baby Mamas

18 Aug 2004 21:21:00 EDT

Rapper releasing laid-back 'You & Me' as next single.
By Corey Moss

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Everybody in the club gettin' ... sensitive?

Yes, the man behind the party anthem "Tipsy" is going soft. For his follow-up single, the St. Louis rapper is releasing the slow-flowing "You & Me."

"That's a real laid-back ballad, for the women and all that," J said recently. "I get sensitive too."

In "You & Me," J-Kwon spends each of the three verses looking back at the good and bad times he had with three different ladies. "Both my baby mamas and my ex-girl, I put it all in one song," the 18-year-old rapper said.

J is shooting the video later this month in Los Angeles, although he's not sure what the concept will be just yet. "[My manager] takes care of that," he said. "I'm just gonna show up and get my cool on." A spokesperson for his label also had no details on the video.

Along with continuing to promote his debut album, Hood Hop (see "J-Kwon's 'Tipsy' Road To Success Included Mooning L.A. Reid, Mocking Dupri" ), J-Kwon is reading scripts and hoping to shoot a movie in the fall.

"Y'all are going to be checking me out in the movies soon," said the rapper, who idolizes Denzel Washington. "I don't want to do [straight] comedy, I want to do comedy slash drama slash anything. I'll do horror, whatever."

J is also planning to get in the studio as a producer and already has his first target — JoJo (see "JoJo Going Hip-Hop, And Maybe Even Hollywood" ). "I like her song," he said. "I wanna do some like pop slash rap."

For a feature interview with J-Kwon, check out "J-Kwon: Under The Influence."

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For The Record: Quick News On J-Kwon, Beastie Boys, Kanye West And Slum Village, Travis Barker, Judas Priest & More

28 Apr 2004 17:45:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

More than just a J-Kwon music video got shot Tuesday in St. Louis — so did a police van parked near the set. The rapper was filming a video for his next single, "Hood Hop," in his hometown when shots were fired from a passing vehicle blocks away. No one was hurt. Police had been brought into the area to control the crowd of fans who had gathered at the shoot. A spokesperson for the rapper had no comment. ...

The recording industry took legal action against another 477 file-sharers Tuesday. Sixty-nine of those suspected of copyright infringement come from 14 different universities in 11 states, including Brown, Georgia Institute of Technology, Gonzaga, Princeton, Texas A&M, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. ... The video for the Beastie Boys' new single, "Ch-Check It Out," was directed by MCA's alter ego, Nathaniel Hornblower. The single hits the airwaves Wednesday (April 28), while the clip is expected to surface on Friday. ...

Kanye West will appear on "Selfish," the first single off Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit, the new album by Slum Village. The group's follow-up to 2002's Trinity (Past, Present and Future) is due June 1 and also features an appearance by Ol' Dirty Bastard on the cut "Dirty." ... Following his foray into the world of fish tacos, Blink-182's Travis Barker will launch his label, LaSalle Records, next month with the release of What Are You Listening To?, the debut album by the Kinison. The second band signed to the imprint, the Nervous Return, have just finished recording their debut and can be seen on the side stage of the upcoming Blink-182/ No Doubt summer tour. Barker's other band, the Transplants, who'll start work on their second album next month, will release their LP on LaSalle. ...

Cat Power, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, J Mascis, Chavez and Har Mar Superstar are joining forces to curse out cancer. They're all set for the F--- Cancer Benefit, taking place May 11 at New York's Bowery Ballroom. Proceeds from the show will benefit Jackie Farry, a staple of the New York indie-rock scene who has worked with the Breeders, Hole, Stereolab, the Lemonheads and Elliott Smith. ... The fourth annual Siren Music Festival is set for July 17 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The lineup of Death Cab for Cutie, Blonde Redhead, Har Mar Superstar, TV on the Radio, the Fever, the Constantines, and the Fiery Furnaces is expected to draw a crowd of over 150,000. ...

After a quick break following the end of their U.S. tour on May 8 in Baltimore, the Raveonettes will start work on their follow-up to last year's Chain Gang of Love. The Danish band plans to hit the studio in late summer and have the album out by early next year. ... Judas Priest have announced three summer non-Ozzfest shows in North America: July 26 in Nampa, Idaho; August 4 in El Paso, Texas; and August 18 in Toronto. Venues have not yet been announced. Last week, Hatebreed announced they would open at least two shows with Slayer and Priest. ...

The ex-bassist for Soilent Green, Scott Williams, was the victim of a murder/suicide on Monday in Gretna, Louisiana. According to TV news reports, neighbors heard shots, then called police, who arrived to find two dead men, one man with a gunshot wound to the head and the other to the chest. ...

Testament have hired Painmuseum guitarist Mike Chlasciak (ex-Halford) as a temporary tour replacement for Steve Smyth, who quit earlier this month to join Nevermore. Testament continue to work on the follow-up to their last album of new material, 1999's The Gathering. ... There's no question that the cover art for the upcoming Great White compilation album, Double Dose — a shark in flames — is in horrible taste. But don't blame the band, whose stage pyrotechnics burned down the Station nightclub in Rhode Island last year, killing 100. "Great White is disgusted by the cover and certainly did not approve it or the album's release," the group said in a statement. "We are demanding the immediate cancellation of this release and are taking all legal avenues available to stop it." Double Dose is scheduled for a May 11 release. ...

04.27.2004

The man who tells everyone to move like he does may soon have to "Stand Up" for himself in court. Aspiring rap group I.O.F. have recently filed a lawsuit in United States District Court Southern District of New York alleging that Ludacris and Kanye West stole the hook for "Stand Up." The group members say that they passed off four demo tapes to Cris and West on separate occasions, and that one of the records featured, "Straight Like That," was recorded in 2000 and has a chorus similar to that of "Stand Up." Ludacris' label, Def Jam, had no comment on the suit. ... Meanwhile, Luda is taking a page out of Funkmaster Flex's book and will host his own Urban Car & Bike Show this summer. The event, showcasing tricked-out and souped-up cars, trucks and lowrider bikes, takes place at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta on June 19 and 20. ...

Radiohead canceled a show in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday (April 27) because frontman Thom Yorke was suffering voice and throat problems. A doctor diagnosed Yorke with hoarseness of voice, a significant upper-airway infection and associated heavy inflammation of his vocal cords, and told the singer that he could suffer irreparable damage to his voice if he played the show. Yorke is currently on antibiotics, and Radiohead are still expected to perform this weekend at the Coachella festival in Indio, California. ... A fan was shot outside the Bell Center in Montreal over the weekend after leaving a 50 Cent concert. Apparently following 50's M.O., the man wore a bulletproof vest to the show, and hence he survived. Police apprehended two suspects shortly after the shooting. ...

Halle Berry has filed for divorce from her husband, R&B singer Eric Benet. The couple was married for about three years and separated in October. This is Berry's second divorce; she was previously married to baseball player David Justice. ... The youngest member of the Pointer Sisters has been charged with cocaine possession. June Pointer Whitmore was arrested last week outside the Hollywood apartment of her older sister Bonnie, who was not charged in the case. Whitmore has not performed with the Pointer Sisters in more than three years. ...

While many musicians have already banded together to fight AIDS in Africa, some are now grouping to combat the emerging crisis in India as well (India is second only to South Africa in terms of the overall number of people living with AIDS). Perry Farrell, Michelle Branch, Damien Rice and Macy Gray are performing June 8 at UCLA in a benefit for the Global Fund and the American India Foundation. The performance will be filmed for television broadcast and will be released on DVD. ... Dave Matthews has canceled plans to throw a July 4 weekend festival in New York because of "logistical issues," he said in a statement. "We assure you that we will continue to look for suitable opportunities and locations for DMB festivals in the future," he added. The Dave Matthews Band is currently working on a new studio album, but no release date has been announced. The band will launch a summer tour June 17 in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and will remain on the road through September 8 in West Valley City, Utah. ...

The Darkness, who just completed a tour of North America, will return in late May for another 14 shows. The first date is in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on May 30 at that WBCN River Rave; shows run through June 25 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. ... 311 have recorded two new tracks, "How Do You Feel?" and "First Straw," for their Greatest Hits '93 - '03, due June 6. The compilation will also feature the band's hit cover of the Cure's "Love Song," along with "Down," "All Mixed Up," "Beautiful Disaster," "Do You Right" and more. 311 will promote the album with a summer tour with the Roots. The outing begins June 20 in San Francisco and wraps August 1 in Tampa, Florida. Midway through the tour, 311 will play a free show in their hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, on July 16. ...

Thrice shot a video for their single "The Artist in the Ambulance" on Friday in Los Angeles with director Brett Simon and Refused TV, and now they're asking fans to send in photos to be used in a collage in the video. More information can be found at www.thrice.net. ... Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison makes an appearance on House of Secrets, the second album from female-fronted L.A. metalheads Otep. The LP, due July 27, follows Otep's 2002 debut, Sevas Tra. A reunion of sorts will take place this summer, as both Otep and Slipknot are slated for this year's Ozzfest. ...

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For The Record: Quick News On Beanie Sigel, J-Kwon, Britney Spears, Strokes, P. Diddy, Xzibit, Pixies & More

22 Apr 2004 17:34:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

A judge on Thursday (April 22) ordered the jury in Beanie Sigel's attempted-murder trial to continue deliberating despite the jury's assertion that it can't reach a verdict. The judge chastised jurors for not paying attention during the trial after they asked to see all the evidence again. What was expected to be a speedy trial will now enter its third day of deliberations on Friday. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Damon Dash and others in the Roc-A-Fella and State Property camps were once again on hand in court. ... It's not just music, J-Kwon is really living his words. In two weeks, the 18-year-old "Teen President" will take his film crew to the 'hood. He's shooting the video for his second single, the title track off his Hood Hop album. ...

Britney Spears' mom is in Boston helping with the interior design of the Britney room at the real Onyx Hotel. Lynne Spears is tinkering with the idea of decorating it in an "early Britney" style, to reflect her childhood room at their home in Louisiana. Ten percent of the revenue generated by the room will go to the singer's charitable foundation. ... Christina Aguilera is doing an ad campaign for Virgin Mobile, for the continuing "The Devil Makes Work for Idle Thumbs" series. Though the ad will be filmed in Los Angeles this weekend, it's to be shown only in the U.K. Two versions of the commercial will air starting in mid-May. ...

To kick off the 2004 NBA Playoffs, the league is throwing a party in Los Angeles on Friday, where attendees can take in the Lakers-Rockets game on a panoply of TV monitors. Those expected to attend include Macy Gray, Ice Cube, Xzibit, B2K, Fred Durst, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lisa Leslie and Vince Vaughn. ... If you've ever wanted to toss balls in the face of two members of the Strokes, now's your chance. On Tuesday, singer Julian Casablancas and drummer Fabrizio Moretti will compete in the next installment of Xbox Game With Fame, by playing "ESPN Major League Baseball" and the tennis game "Top Spin," respectively, against fans online. Between 4 and 6 p.m. ET, log on to www.xbox.com and enter the Xbox Live arena. The Strokes, using the gamertag newyorkcitycops, follow Fefe Dobson, Everlast, Outkast and New Found Glory, previous artists who've gone head-to-head with their fans. ...

The Pixies are steadily adding dates to their fall North American tour and have confirmed stops in Berkeley, California (September 24); Atlanta (October 13-14); St. Paul, Minnesota (November 11); Toronto (November 24); and four nights in Chicago (November 13-16). ... P. Diddy is focused like a sniper on his acting career with the play "A Raisin in the Sun," but he isn't neglecting his other businesses. On Wednesday it was announced that Combs will be partnering with fellow fashioner Zac Posen for Posen's clothing label. Meanwhile, Diddy says Sean John will release a women's line soon. ...

Supergroup Camp Freddy, featuring Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, Cult bassist Billy Morrison, Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum and singer Donovan Leitch, took over the airwaves of Los Angeles station Indie 103.1 Saturday evening to launch their weekly radio show. Sorum calling in from his Las Vegas hotel room and Carmen Electra doing the weather were among the highlights. ... Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland has more than his own legal issues on his mind. He posted a rant on his band's Web site, saying that he was "disgusted with the music industry" because of the current climate of censorship. "Since making my last record two years ago, I've encountered more censorship in the past three months than in 10 active years with S.T.P.," he wrote. "Let's hear it for the lambs! Censorship is Nazism." ...

Courtney Love's got more legal trouble on her hands — the managers of her New York condo have filed a lien against her, claiming she owes nearly $18,000 in common charges, late fees and other costs. The singer paid $2.64 million three years ago for her 4,123-square foot apartment in SoHo but told Rolling Stone recently that she's facing foreclosure on both this home and the one she has in Los Angeles. ... In the meantime, Love is facing off with the Foo Fighters, as she's been added to the lineup for Atlanta's Music Midtown fest, which takes place April 30 to May 2. Among the headliners are Jessica Simpson, Twista, Ludacris, Big Boi and Hoobastank. ...

Brownsville's finest, M.O.P., are living up to their name. They've recorded a rock-rap album titled Mash Out Posse that will hit stores on their own label, Family First, in June. This LP is different from their Roc-A-Fella debut, Ghetto Warfare, which is due in the fall. ... A Perfect Circle will release the DVD "Lost in the Bermuda Triangle" on May 4. The disc, a companion to the band's single "The Outsider," features an extended and unedited version of the song's video, plus previews of the upcoming Bikini Bandits films "The Golden Rod" and "Bikini Bandits Save Christmas." ...

Music fans rioted during an impromptu show by the Libertines at Stoke-on-Trent, England, leading to the destruction of the venue in which the band was booked. The show was supposed to be a launch party for singer/guitarist Pete Doherty's side project Babyshambles, but when the band took the stage the fans became unruly, dragging down drapes that covered the ceiling and surging against a wall until it collapsed. ... English electronic-music duo Orbital will throw in the samplers this summer, ending a 17-year career. The group, which features brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, decided to split because the siblings were no longer seeing eye to eye musically. Orbital's swan song, The Blue Album, will come out June 21. ...

After an intense bidding war, publishing house Crown coughed up seven figures for the North American rights to an ambitious Beatles project, a three-volume biography about the band to be published over the next decade by Beatles authority Mark Lewisohn. Said one publisher who pulled out of the bidding when it got too expensive: "To call it just a book is missing the point. This would treat the Beatles as important figures of the 20th century, as if the history of the Beatles is the history of the '60s in its entirety." The first volume will center on the years 1940-1963, the second volume on 1964-1967, and the third on 1968 to the present day. ... Wednesday 13, the frontman for the Murderdolls (whose roster includes Slipknot's Joey Jordison), is working on a solo album, which he plans to release this fall. The singer will also launch a solo tour in the summer. ...

04.21.2004

After serving 10 months on a parole violation, Suge Knight is getting out of prison this week. The rap mogul served the bulk of his time at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, after a parole board determined that his punching a parking valet was a violation of the terms of his 2001 parole. Knight had already served time at Mule Creek for committing a 1996 assault in a Las Vegas casino, itself a violation of probation for sentences on assault and gun charges. ...

Prince taped a private performance for MTV on Tuesday night in New York that was open to local members of his NPG Music fan club. He played songs from his new album, Musicology, with his New Power Generation band, plus a solo acoustic set (on a purple guitar) that included "Cream," "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" and "Sometimes It Snows in April." Later, he celebrated the release of Musicology with a party that attracted the likes of Stevie Wonder, Maxwell and the Roots' ?uestlove. ... Just as Prince is undergoing a revival, his old mate Morris Day of the Time is prepping the release of a new album, It's About Time, due June 22. The record contains old live recordings of classic hits from the Time and Day's solo career, plus four new songs written by Day and original members Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir. ...

Mario Winans had an album-release party Tuesday night at New York's Lot 61. Foxy Brown, Carl Thomas, the Isley Brothers and members of Bad Boy's Da Band showed up to give Yellow Man his props. ... The compilation LP Totally Hits 2004 will feature the previously unreleased Justin Timberlake song "I'm Lovin' It," which was recorded during the sessions for Justified but left off the record. The disc, which comes out May 4, will also include singles by Alicia Keys, Sean Paul, Kelis, Maroon 5, J-Kwon, R. Kelly and others. ...

Is Clear Channel Communications the evil empire? A U.S. district court judge in Denver is letting a jury decide. Judge Edward W. Nottingham concluded that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the world's largest concert promoter reduced airplay on its radio stations for artists who used the company's competition. Denver-based Nobody in Particular Presents accused Clear Channel of engaging in illegal monopolistic practices in a complaint filed in August 2001 and will have their day in court August 2. ... To christen the takeoff of a new partnership between Sony Connect and United Airlines, Sheryl Crow will perform a 40-minute acoustic set in an airplane flying between Chicago and Los Angeles on May 4. Upon landing, Crow will play a party celebrating the arrival of a new Sony digital Walkman. Soon after, fans can purchase the performances on mileageplusmusic.com. Sony Connect is Sony Mus

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J-Kwon: Under The Influence

12 Apr 2004 08:04:42 EDT

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Usher Remains At #1; Janet Jackson's A Bridesmaid

07 Apr 2004 12:57:00 EDT

Damita Jo settles for #2 with 381,000 sold.
By Joe D'Angelo

Despite a well-publicized "wardrobe malfunction" and a media blitz that included morning shows, the late-night circuit and everything in between, Janet Jackson won't unseat Usher from the top spot on next week's Billboard albums chart.

Miss Jackson continues her sex streak on her eighth album, Damita Jo, though unlike on her past two risqué records, 2001's All for You and 1997's The Velvet Rope, she'll make her debut in a different position: #2. The more than 381,000 copies of Damita Jo that sold last week, however, just about splits the difference between the first-week totals of her previous #1 debuts, which amounted to 605,000 and 202,000, respectively.

Another massively successful week for Usher boosts the total sales of Confessions above the 1.5 million mark. With "Yeah!" continuing its prevalence on airwaves, the R&B singer sold more than 485,000 copies of his fifth album last week.

With a single called "Game Over," the fun is just starting for Lil' Flip. The Dirty South rapper's third album, U Gotta Feel Me, which follows 2002's The Undaground Legend, sold more than 198,000 copies last week to bow at #4.

The blues loom over the #5 and #6 spots, but it's doubtful the classic-rock artists occupying those positions are sobbing. Aerosmith's Honkin' on Bobo, an album that juices up their love of the traditional genre with old-time rock and roll, sold more than 160,000 copies to best Eric Clapton's latest album by 33,000 copies. The guitar great's Me & Mr. Johnson, 14 covers of pioneering bluesman Robert Johnson's best work, will place at #6.

Thanks to the party anthem "Tipsy," J-Kwon's Hood Hop will enter the chart at #7, selling more than 125,000 copies.

The remainder of next week's top 10 will find Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 15 slipping a spot to #3 (with more than 225,000 copies sold); Norah Jones' Feels Like Home falling three places to #8 (103,000); Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits moving from #3 to #9 (96,000); and Kanye West's College Dropout dropping a deuce to #10 (85,000).

Hoobastank's The Reason will crack the top 20 for the first time since its release four months ago. The band's second album will advance six places to #19 to extend its hot streak to six weeks. Last week's tour kickoff with the Lostprophets and the popularity of "The Reason" have boded well for the band with the funny name.

Unconventional and drastically different albums by artists who themselves are unconventional and drastically different stake claim to the #27 and #28 spots, where we find DJ Kay Slay's second label-sanctioned mixtape, The Streetsweeper Vol. 2: The Pain From the Game, featuring contributions from Eminem, 50 Cent and LL Cool J, just ahead of Bob Dylan's live Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Concert at Philharmonic Hall by less than 1,000 copies.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include Shakira's DVD/live album set, Live & Off the Record, at #45; the TV soundtrack Music From the O.C.: Mix 1, with cuts from Spoon and Jet as well as Phantom Planet's "California," the show's theme song, coming in #52; the Who's Then and Now at #57; RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta, the latest from politically charged rappers Dead Prez, at #60; metal stalwarts Soulfly's fourth album, Prophecy, at #82; and Blast Tyrant, the first album in three years from melodic hardcore vets Clutch, at #147.

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For The Record: Quick News On J-Kwon And Chingy, Jack White And Loretta Lynn, Omarion, Scary Spice & More

30 Mar 2004 17:48:00 EST

By MTV News staff report

Cheers to the Lou. J-Kwon has kept his promise to keep the remix to his hit "Tipsy" "so so St. Louis." He just finished a new version of his track featuring Chingy and Murphy Lee. ...

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux has ruled that all civil suits filed regarding the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, will be handled in federal court. The judge announced his ruling on Monday, stating that the federal court system has authority to handle cases involving accidents in which 75 people or more died and a defendant lives in a different state than the one in which the accident took place. ... Country legend Loretta Lynn's first album in four years, Van Lear Rose, features a guest appearance by the White Stripes' Jack White, who also produced and arranged some tracks. After the Stripes' White Blood Cells was dedicated to Lynn, the singer opened for the band and sang several duets with Jack at a New York show last year. Preceded by the single "Portland, Oregon," Van Lear Rose is due April 27. ...

Ja Rule, Omarion, Courtney Love, MC Lyte, Ice-T and Jermaine Dupri were among the celebs who came to New York's Spice Market on Monday to celebrate the release of Janet Jackson's new album, Damita Jo. ... Missy Elliott's "Pass That Dutch" and Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" will be the leading contenders at the 13th annual Music Video Production Association Awards with six nominations each. Dave Meyers ("Pass That Dutch"), Floria Sigismondi ("Fighter"), David LaChapelle (No Doubt's "It's My Life"), the Malloys (Metallica's "St. Anger") and Sophie Muller (Pink's "Trouble") will vie for Director of the Year at the ceremony, May 20 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. ...

Queens of the Stone Age will release a limited-edition EP called Stone Age Complication on April 20. The disc will feature six B-sides, half of which will be covers: the Kinks' "Who Will Be the Next in Line," Subhumans' "Wake Up Screaming" and the Cramps' "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love." The collection will also feature the U.N.K.L.E. remix of "No One Knows" and the two originals "Born to Hula" and "The Bronze." Only 25,000 copies of the EP will be printed, and the disc will only be available at select retail outlets. ... Metallica fans in Sweden are trying to convince government officials to erect a stone in memory of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. The fans have named the project "Cliff in Our Minds." Burton died in a 1986 bus accident near Ljungby, Sweden. ...

Ryan Adams has released a three-song EP called Moroccan Role which is only available through iTunes. The disc features the previously unreleased tracks "Ah Life," "I'm Coming Over" and "Don't Even Know Her Name." ... Reunited San Francisco thrash metal band Exodus will launch a North American tour on April 10 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The dates, which run through May 9 in Santa Ana, California, will be to support the band's new album, Tempo of the Damned. ...

Erich "Mancow" Muller, a syndicated shock jock from Chicago, has sued a listener for filing multiple indecency complaints against his morning show. Mancow is accusing Chicagoan David Smith of filing more than 60 FCC complaints and pressuring sponsors to leave the show, and is seeking $3 million and a court order to stop him from filing more complaints. Mancow has been fined for six different shows as part of the FCC's recent crackdown on so-called offensive broadcasting. ... Dax Shepard from "Punk'd" is making his second guest appearance on "Life With Bonnie" this week. Though he last played a young director on an episode that aired just a month ago, Shepard this time takes on the role of a plastic surgeon who leaves his mark on Bonnie Hunt. The episode, called "Nip, Tuck and Roll," airs Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Members of the Spice Girls and 98 Degrees are turning up the heat for the Broadway production of "Rent." Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, will be taking on the part of Mimi, starting April 16, and Drew Lachey, a.k.a. Nick's brother, will be taking the part of Mark, a role Joey Fatone once filled. Brown's stint will run through September, the month Lachey joins the cast, which means they'll overlap for a few weeks. ... The Polyphonic Spree have set a July 13 release date for Together We're Heavy, the many-membered group's second album. Tripping Daisy/ PJ Harvey collaborator Eric Drew Feldman produced the album for the Spree, who are about to hit the road with David Bowie. ...

Swedish melodic death-metal band In Flames will launch a tour with Killswitch Engage on May 3 in Pontiac, Michigan. Dates run through May 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In Flames' new album, Soundtrack to Your Escape, comes out April 6; the third Killswitch Engage record, The End of Heartache, will be released May 11. ... Late-'80s industrial/thrash band Prong will begin a tour of North America on April 29 in Sacramento. Dates run through May 29 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The stint will be the band's first in eight years. Prong's latest LP, Scorpio Rising, came out in November. ...

03.29.2004

It's no April Fool's Day joke — Michael Jackson is receiving a humanitarian award, despite the current child-molestation charges hanging over his head. The African Ambassadors' Spouses Association, is honoring the embattled singer for his worldwide humanitarian efforts, as he's reportedly given more than $50 million over the years to various charities, including some that feed the hungry in Africa. Jackson is expected to accept the award in person at the ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 1. ...

In support of their debut album, Tough Luv, Roc-A-Fella's Young Gunz will join the next leg of Kanye West's spring tour. Their run begins April 3 in San Francisco, goes down the West Coast and ends up in Detroit on April 16. The rest of the Kanye tour runs through the beginning of May. ... Lance Bass may not be going to space anytime soon, but he's going to drop from the sky — for a good cause. The 'NSYNC singer is among the hundreds of people currently signed up for Operation Freefall, a national skydiving event created to raise awareness about sexual assault. The event, sponsored by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and SOAR (Speaking Out About Rape), is scheduled to take place April 24 across 37 drop zones. More information is at Operationfreefall.com. ...

Jan Berry, one half of '60s surf rock duo Jan and Dean, died Friday in his home when he stopped breathing after suffering a seizure. He was 62. With Dean Torrence, the pair were pioneers of the West Coast genre, penning the hits "Deadman's Curve," "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Surf City" with the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. A car accident in 1966 left Berry partially paralyzed with severe brain damage. ... PJ Harvey's sixth album, Uh Huh Her, will be released in June. Tracks on the disc, the follow-up to 2000's Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, include "The Life and Death of Mr. Badmouth," "Shame," "The Pocket Knife," "The Letter" and "Cat on the Wall." ...

The Suffolk Wildlife Park in England has named a baby giraffe after the Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. Also, councilors in the band's hometown of Lowestoft, Norfolk, have suggested that a road be named after the group. ... Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam are the first crop of artists announced to honor the late country rocker Gram Parsons with a couple of concerts July 9 and 10. Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons will take place at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California, and at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City. The bizarre circumstances surrounding Parsons' death from a lethal alcohol and morphine combination in 1973 are chronicled in the upcoming film "Grand Theft Parsons," starring Johnny Knoxville and Christina Applegate. ...

The latest albums by the White Stripes, Kid Rock, Iggy Pop and Obie Trice, among others, will battle it out for Outstanding National Major Label Album at the annual Detroit Music Awards, taking place April 23 at the State Theatre. Rock's "Picture" and "Feel Like Makin' Love," Eminem's "Sing for the Moment" and "Superman," the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," and Iggy's collaboration with Sum 41, "Little Know It All," are competing in the Outstanding National Single category. ... New York radio station Z100 has just announced the initial lineup for its annual celebrity blowout Zootopia, taking place May 21 at Madison Square Garden. Scheduled to appear at the concert so far are Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas, William Hung of "American Idol" and Liz Phair. The station says more acts will be added shortly. ...

This year's Reading and Leeds festivals will be headlined by the White Stripes, the Darkness and Green Day. The tandem events, which take place August 27 to 29 in Reading and West Yorkshire, England, will also feature 50 Cent, the Offspring, the Hives, the Streets, Franz Ferdinand, Lostprophets, Morrissey, Ash, the Libertines and others. ... "Touch Me I'm Sick," an exhibit of photos by grunge lensman Charles Peterson, will be on display from April 1 to May 1 at the Powerhouse Gallery in New York. The show, named

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New Releases: Janet Jackson, J-Kwon, Aerosmith, Dead Prez, Bob Dylan, Trapt, DJ Kay Slay, NKOTB & More

29 Mar 2004 21:21:00 EST

Mix LPs from Dirty Vegas, 'The O.C.' also on tap.
By Abbey Goodman

Janet Jackson's name hasn't been in the papers for a while, so we'll throw her a bone and mention that her new album, Damita Jo, arrives Tuesday, featuring the flirty first single "Just a Little While." Now, if only there was something she could do to get some publicity ...

Moving on, DJ Kay Slay's The Streetsweeper Vol. 2: The Pain From the Game features songs by Eminem, 50 Cent, Cam'ron, Lil' Jon, David Banner, LL Cool J, Ghostface Killah and Scarface. And there's still more mixtape news: The first entry in The Trip, a new series of mix CDs compiled by guest musicians, is put together by Dirty Vegas, the group best-known for the dance single "Days Go By." The album includes U2's "Even Better Than the Real Thing," Tears for Fears' "Sowing the Seeds of Love," Run-DMC's "Walk This Way," Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

Music From "The O.C.": Mix 1 features the TV show's theme song, "California" by Phantom Planet, as well as "Move On" by Jet, "Caught by the River" by Doves and "The Way We Get By" by Spoon. New Kids on the Block's lead hottie Jordan Knight assembles the Kids' greatest hits on NKOTB: The Remix Album. It's got "the right stuff," including "Hangin' Tough," "Please Don't Go Girl," "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" and "Step by Step." Also this week, Menudo graduate Robi Rosa returns to the game with Mad Love.

Aerosmith's Honkin' on Bobo is a covers album of blues standards by such artists as Muddy Waters, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and even Fleetwood Mac (with one exception: the group's own "The Grind"). And in other blues news, Eric Clapton releases Me & Mr. Johnson, an album that covers bluesman Robert Johnson's songs.

J-Kwon makes the scene with Hood Hop, Dead Prez remain RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta and Lil' Flip says U Gotta Feel Me. Meanwhile, Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Live at Philharmonic Hall drops alongside the Final Straw, Snow Patrol's latest LP.

Out Tuesday, March 30:

Aerosmith - Honkin' on Bobo (Columbia)
Read: "Blues Album Makes Aerosmith Feel Like Kids Again"
Buy Now: Honkin' on Bobo (Columbia)
Michael Bublé - Come Fly With Me (143/Reprise)
Shirley Caesar - Be Careful of the Stones You Throw (Liquid 8)
Eric Clapton - Me & Mr. Johnson (Warner Bros.)
Clutch - Blast Tyrant (DRT)
Dead Prez - RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta (Columbia)
Buy Now: RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta (Columbia)
Destiny - The Tracy Chapter (LifeForce/Victory)
Dirty Vegas - The Trip (Family)
Buy Now: The Trip (Family)
DJ Kay Slay - The Streetsweeper Vol. 2: The Pain From the Game (Columbia)
Read: "Mixtape Mondays: DJ Kay Slay, G-Unit, Usher, Kanye West, Brandy"
Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Concert at Philharmonic Hall (Sony)
Final Word - Fools Like You (Indecision)
Fragile State - Voices From the Dustbowl (Bar de Lune)
J-Kwon - Hood Hop (Arista)
Read: J-Kwon Out To Shock With 'Tipsy' Remix, Rips Omarion For 'Stealing' Beat"
Buy Now: Hood Hop (Arista)
Janet Jackson - Damita Jo (Virgin)
Read: "Janet Jackson Making Sexiest Album Yet, Producer Says"
Buy Now: Damita Jo (Virgin)
Jordan Knight - NKOTB - The Remix Album (Empire Musicwerks)
Tracy Lawrence - Strong (DreamWorks Nashville)
Toby Lightman - Little Things (Lava)
Lil' Flip - U Gotta Feel Me (Sucka Free/Columbia)
Charles Lloyd and Billy Higgins - Which Way Is East (ECM)
Raul Malo, Pat Flynn, Rob Ickes and Dave Pomeroy - The Nashville Acoustic Sessions (CMH)
Gordon McGilvery - All in the Family (Canyon)
The Minus Tide - Anakuklosis (Action Driver)
Gerry Niewod - Facets (Native Language)
No Turning Back/The Deal - Split(Reflections)
Noxagt - The Iron Point (Load)
Omar - Best by Far (Spun)
Pepper - In With the Old (Volcom Entertainment)
Phat Phunktion - You and Me (Nardis)
Pitbull Daycare - Unclean (Cleopatra)
Robi Draco Rosa - Mad Love (Columbia)
Runner & the Thermodynamics - Runner & the Thermodynamics (Ace Fu)
Snow Patrol - Final Straw (A&M)
Sometree - Moleskine (Magic Bullet)
Soulfly - Prophecy (Roadrunner)
Maylay Sparks - Graymatter (BBE/Rapster)
Tanya Stephens - Gangsta Blues (VP)
Talla 2XLC - Tranceology (Hypnotic)
Clark Tenakhongva - Hear My Song, Hear My Prayer (Canyon)
Texas Terri Bomb - Your Lips ... My Ass (TKO)
Thug Lordz (Yukmouth and C-Bo) - In Thugz We Trust (West Coast Mafia)
Trapt - EP (Warner Bros.)
Buy Now: EP (Warner Bros.)
UPO - The Heavy (Nitrus)
Aaron Watson - The Honky Tonk Kid (EMM)
Various artists - Africanism Vol. II (Defected/Africanism)
Various artists - DJ Garth: Revolutions in Sound (Grayhound)
Various artists - Fast Lane (Trouble on Vinyl/MRI)
Various artists - "Home on the Range" soundtrack (Walt Disney)
Various artists - L'Apericlub Saturday Night Sessions (Bar de Lune)
Various artists - Music from "The O.C.": Mix 1 (Warner Bros.)
Various artists - Park Hyatt Tokyo Airflow (Milan)
Various artists - Pianostrings Tribute to Billy Joel (Tribute Sounds)
Various artists - "The Prince & Me" soundtrack (Hollywood)
Various artists - Pure Dance Party Vol. 2 (UBL)
Various artists - Secret Life of Trance 2004 (Bulletproof/MRI)
Various artists - Smooth Jazz Tribute to the Steve Miller Band (Tribute Sounds)
Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Dido (Vitamin)
Various artists - A Tribute to Counting Crows (Tribute Sounds)
Various artists - A Tribute to Jonny Lang (Big Eye)
Various artists - A Tribute to Stone Temple Pilots (Tribute Sounds)
Various artists - A Tribute to Van Halen (Tributized)
DVD: Shakira - Live and Off the Record (Epic)
DVD: Simply Red - Home: Home in Sicily (Milan)
DVD: Barbra Streisand - The Concert: Live at the MGM Grand (Columbia)

April 6:
- Barry Manilow - 2 Nights Live (BMG)
- Paul Oakenfold - Greatest Remixes (Topaz)
- Tamia - Still (Elektra)
April 13:
- Various artists - "Kill Bill 2" soundtrack (Maverick)
April 20:
- Hanson - Underneath (3CG)
May 4:
- Kimberley Locke - One Love (Curb)
  Read: " 'American Idol' Finalist Kimberley Locke Is Radio's '8th Wonder'"
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- Dead Prez
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