J-Kwon

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

9 Mar 2005 05:58:00 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

Dave Matthews (file)
Photo: RCA

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 the voice cast for the second season, which debuts in July, as "Six," a sexy android whose function is to serve the carnal needs of a stumpy purple alien named Chode. She has the added value of being brainy as well, and acts as the unheeded voice of reason on Chode's smuggling vessel. ...

Several celebs are donating the clothes off their backs to benefit the Children's Defense Fund, Cure Autism Now, and the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund. The "Clothes Off Our Back" auction at www.clothesoffourback.org features clothing and accessories worn during the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globes, and movies such as "Be Cool," including Tyra Banks' Elie Saab gown, Leonardo DiCaprio's Prada tuxedo, Mark McGrath's Holland ESQ suit, Cate Blanchett's Judith Leiber handbag, Jimmy Jam's Stetson hat and Sarah Jessica Parker's Vivienne Westwood pants. ... The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers slapped an Illinois watering hole with a copyright-infringement lawsuit on Monday, after it was learned that the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love" was performed there by a cover band back in October. Each year, ASCAP files an average of 200 lawsuits against businesses that "present musical entertainment" to the public without permission, an attorney representing the organization said. ASCAP has issued licenses to more than 100,000 music venues nationwide; one is required if a bar or club wants to bring in a cover band or DJ to perform, for example. The bar in question, 602 North in Glendale Heights, could not be reached for comment. ...

If it's good enough for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, it's good enough for, um, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams? The British metal act and Canadian rocker will join forces this summer for the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour, in which they'll play shows at 26 minor-league baseball stadiums. The tour is scheduled to kick off with a June 1 date in Portland, Oregon, at PGE Park (home of the Beavers), and end on August 10 in Lansing, Michigan, at Oldsmobile Park (home of the Lugnuts), according to a Def Lep spokesperson. The stage will be setup in the outfield and fans will be encouraged to sit on blankets on the field or watch from the stands. ... British buzz band Aqualung have the first single from the soundtrack to the upcoming Ashton Kutcher/ Amanda Peet romantic comedy, "A Lot Like Love." The band's "Brighter Than Sunshine" will be heard in trailers for the film, which traces the lives of a would-be couple as they keep running into each other over the course of seven years. Other artists featured on the soundtrack are Jet, the Cure, Travis, Butch Walker and Hooverphonic. The film hits theaters April 22, the soundtrack is in stores April 12, and Aqualung's first U.S. album, Strange and Beautiful, drops March 22. ...

Mandy Moore will soon add another stamp on her passport when she plays host for a series of events benefiting UNICEF in Japan. Moore, who has already been tapped to be the face of Coach's international spring advertising campaign, will travel to the land of the rising sun next month to cut the ribbon at the handbag and accessory brand's flagship store in Nagoya. The limited-edition Coach Scribble Signature wristbands will serve as a ticket to the charity concert at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on April 9, which will feature Moore as well as N.E.R.D. ...

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

18 Aug 2004 09:21:00 EDT

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

J-Kwon (file)
Photo: Arista Records

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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J-Kwon

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

28 Apr 2004 05:45:00 EDT

J-Kwon (file)
Photo: Arista

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 05:34:00 EDT

Beanie Sigel (file)
Photo: Def Jam

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 Music's digital online music service, offering songs for 99 cents a pop, and now that they've teamed with United Airlines, travelers can trade in frequent-flyer points for songs at Connect.com. ...

To celebrate their 35th anniversary, ZZ Top will launch a North American tour on June 25 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Dates run through September 25 in Las Vegas. In addition, ZZ Top will play the Crossroads Guitar Festival at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on June 6 with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, B.B. King and Buddy Guy. ... Following the conclusion of the Headbangers Ball 2 Tour May 7 in Portland, Oregon, Damageplan and Drowning Pool will extend their road relationship another two weeks. The two bands have lined up a string of dates, beginning May 8 in Seattle through May 17 in Boulder, Colorado. ...

The as-yet-untitled new album from the Cure is scheduled for a June 22 release. The U.K. band's first album since 2000's Bloodflowers was recorded in London with producer Ross Robinson, best known for his work with nü-metal bands Korn, Slipknot and Soulfly. ... The first DVD to collect the videos of morose crooner Nick Cave is set to drop May 4. The 20-track "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Videos" features "Into My Arms," "Red Right Hand," "Deanna" and "Where the Wild Roses Grow," Cave's collaboration with Kylie Minogue. ...

New York publishers are involved in a bidding war for an ambitious and massive new proposal by cultural historian and recognized Beatles authority Mark Lewisohn, in which he would write a three-volume biography about the band to be published over the next decade. The project is expected to sell for at least seven figures. ... Shane MacGowan, ex-singer for the Irish folk-rock band the Pogues, suffered a fractured cheekbone after being attacked in a London pub on Monday, the Evening Standard reported. MacGowan was assaulted by two men, who kicked him, punched him and struck him with a metal bar. The singer was taken to St. Thomas' Hospital but left before being treated. A 20-year-old and a 21-year-old were arrested and released on bail. ...

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J-Kwon: Under The Influence

12 Apr 2004 08:04:42 EDT

Photo: So So Def

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

7 Apr 2004 12:57:00 EDT

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

Usher (file)
Photo: Gregg Delman

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 05:48:00 EST

J-Kwon (file)
Photo: Arista

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 after a Mudhoney song, features vibrant shots of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Tad, Pussy Galore, Laughing Hyenas and others. ...

Truth Hurts is shooting the video for her new single, "Ready Now," in Los Angeles on Tuesday with Fatima Robinson, who is coming off Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama." The song is the title track on the singer's new release for Raphael Saadiq's Pookie Entertainment label, due June 1. ... A sinus infection has postponed the spring Siouxsie & the Banshees tour to the fall. Frontwoman Siouxsie Sioux came down with the illness after a recent sinus operation. The trek was supposed to begin May 19 in Seattle and hit 14 theaters. Although a new itinerary has yet to be announced, the tour is expected to commence in September. ...

Cypress Hill have set an April 13 release date for "Still Smokin' - The Ultimate Video Collection." The double-disc DVD features live footage and videos for favorites like "How I Could Just Kill a Man" and "Insane in the Brain." ... Prince's very own digital music store is open for business. The Musicology Download Store launched Monday and offers most tracks for 99 cents, or 77 cents for members of the NPG Music Club after a lifetime membership fee of $25. The downside to the purple one's latest project is that it only sells the music that Prince owns, meaning there's no Purple Rain, 1999 or Sign O' the Times. ...

Dez Fafara's post-Coal Chamber project, Devildriver, has been added to Ozzfest's second stage for selected dates. Featuring Ozzy, Judas Priest, Slayer and Slipknot, Ozzfest is set to kick off July 10. ... The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network registered 30,000 new young voters in the Chicago area leading up to its summit on Saturday. The summit featured a panel with Kanye West, Ludacris, Twista, Common. ...

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

29 Mar 2004 09:21:00 EST

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

Janet Jackson's Damita Jo
Photo: Virgin Records

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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- Janet Jackson
- J-Kwon
- Aerosmith
- Dead Prez
- Bob Dylan

J-Kwon Out To Shock With 'Tipsy' Remix, Rips Omarion For 'Stealing' Beat

26 Mar 2004 09:44:00 EST

Hectic lifestyle, newfound fame not fazing 'Teen President.'
By Shaheem Reid

J-Kwon (file)
Photo: Arista

It's been a crazy 12 weeks for Jerrell "J-Kwon" Jones since "Tipsy" cracked Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. He's gone from being broke and unknown to shutting down malls and earning money to take care of his family.

"I got two kids," the self-appointed "Teen President" said last week in New York. "My reason for paper is not like everybody else's reasons for paper. My reason for paper is not to just ice me down or Sprewell my car up — which I did do some of those things, I'm not gonna sit up here and lie and act like I'm all perfect. But my kids mean a lot to me. My kids, my momma, my brother. [The money's] gotta spread around. That's why I gotta stay consistently on top of my game at all times."

While spending money isn't too big of a problem for him now, spending time is. Kwon lamented that the hectic lifestyle of performing and promoting his March 30 debut, Hood Hop, hasn't afforded him much time to see his two-year-old daughter and infant son.

"Right now the game is kicking my ass," he said. "My kids be like, 'Daddy, daddy,' but the game be like, 'I'll drop your record.' I gotta be there for [the kids] and be there for this. Parenthood is time-consuming. The game is, right now, time-consuming. My kids are with their mother, I thank her for holding that down. All I can do right now is send money. I know money ain't enough, because love is the most important. You don't want to walk home and your kids don't even know who you are. We're gonna figure something out. I'mma keep my kids on the tour bus or something."

Kwon doesn't have all complaints about his stardom. He likes to ham it up for the fans and rarely turns down requests for autographs or pictures. Sometimes he even seeks out the opportunity to grant them.

"Some people say, 'Dog, Kwon, something is wrong with you,' " he said shamelessly. "I really love it. If there is one person in a restaurant, I won't even eat there. It's gotta be filled up. I like when people go, 'Girl, that is not him.' 'Yes it is!' 'Girl, that is not him.' 'Yes it is!' "

J's high profile did get a little too out of hand initially. Some fans caught him unprepared in his hometown.

"After I shut my first mall down, it kept happening," he said with a smile, recalling an incident a little over a month ago that put shoppers in a tizzy. "The first one was in St. Louis. That's real big. I never expected it, I never seen it coming. Somebody said, 'Hey, that’s Kwon!' I looked back, it was at least five thousand girls. 'It is him!' I started to run. I was walking tough at first, but my one security [guard] couldn't hold it down."

Kwon is looking for some of his hometown compatriots to hold him down on a remix of "Tipsy" that he wants to release in the next couple of weeks.

"I'mma keep it so St. Louis, that's all I can say,' he hinted of the lineup. "I'mma try to keep it so St. Louis. I got [a few different] versions done. It's gonna shock people."

One person who might be in for a surprise when he hears the new version of the song is B2K's estranged lead singer, Omarion. For some reason, J said he took exception to the braided crooner singing over his beat to "Tipsy" on a freestyle.

"Omarion, you definitely not doing my remix," he said. "I don't mess with you dudes. The remix is dropping, you gonna be like, 'Man, Kwon got ignorant.' You gonna steal my beat right and get 50 spins a week on the radio? Then come off, 'One, to the two, to the three ... ?' I got something for you, shorty."

Despite J-Kwon's original version of "Tipsy" hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and his repeated explanations of the song's concept (see "J-Kwon's 'Tipsy' Road To Success Included Mooning L.A. Reid, Mocking Dupri"), the young MC said he still catches a little flack for the reference to drinking alcohol in the chorus.

"[When] I shot the video, it was not a bottle in my hand, it was not a red cup in my hand," he huffed. "Nothing that says drinking. I can't understand it. When the parents get the album, I want y'all to review it. Go 'head. If I do say something out of the way, look close to your teen and stop thinking I'm promoting something. They may be promoting it to themselves.

"I'm just really trying to help [parents] and put it out there that teens do it all," he added. "We could keep listening to Bow Wow and hiding it, or we can get real and start doing something about it. [The adults] be gone too much to know what we do. I know 'cause I'm a teen. I'm the Teen President."

Related Artists

J-Kwon

For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Brandy, J-Kwon, Kurt Cobain, Ying Yang Twins, Distillers, Poison & More

26 Mar 2004 05:52:00 EST

Britney Spears (file)
Photo: ABC/Virginia Sherwood

Britney Spears yelped in pain when she injured her knee at her Onyx Hotel Tour stop in Moline, Illinois, last week, and now MP3s of her cries are floating around on various fan sites, including EverythingBritney.net and WorldofBritney.com. Snippets of the minute-length audio clip include the singer saying, "I just went down ... Oh my god ... it hurts! You don't even ..."

Brandy's as-yet-untitled fourth album is slated for a June 22 release. The album's first single, "Talk About Our Love," co-written and produced by Kanye West, who is also featured on the track, is expected to surface at radio next week. ... The day after being released from a Massachusetts jail, Bobby Brown stood before a family court judge once again on Friday to answer her questions on how he plans to make future child-support payments to the woman whose complaint to the court put him in jail for a day on Wednesday. Brown had paid the $63,500 he owed in order to get out of jail, but April's payment is due on Thursday. If he misses that one, ex-girlfriend Kim Ward can file another contempt-of-court complaint and the process may start all over again. ...

Former Poison frontman Bret Michaels is going country. Michaels is reportedly close to signing a deal with a Nashville indie label and intends to record a countrified version of the hair-metal band's 1988 power ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." ... Now that "Jersey Girl" has hit theaters, Jennifer Lopez has plans to return to the small screen, this time to liven up "Will & Grace." She's shooting her guest part next week for the NBC sitcom's one-hour season finale, which will air April 29. ...

Outkast's Big Boi, Ween, J-Kwon, Jason Mraz and Me'Shell Ndegeocello have been added to Atlanta's Music Midtown 2004 lineup. The music festival takes place April 30 to May 2. ... A Mosrite Gospel Mark IV guitar that belonged to Kurt Cobain is being auctioned off April 17 at the 27th Annual Dallas Guitar Show and Music Fest. The solid-bodied axe comes in its original case, which has been whitewashed, though the words "Nirvana" and "F--- Elvis" are still visible. ...

Following the lead of the Ramones and Aerosmith, the Distillers have recorded a version of the "Spider-Man" theme for the "Spider-Man 2" video game, expected to hit stores in late June. ... New Era has launched a line of limited edition "59Fifty" baseball hats custom designed by a range of celebrities. Director Spike Lee and hip-hop personality Bobbito launched their hats in recent weeks. Coming soon are customized lids from Cam'ron, Fabolous, Fred Durst, Dizzee Rascal, Danny Masterson and others. Each issue is limited to 288 hats; they're available in boutiques in New York and Los Angeles and also online (www.59fiftyat50.com). ...

The next single from "salt shakers" the Ying Yang Twins is the crunk jam "What's Happnin!," featuring Trick Daddy. The video for the song was filmed over the weekend in Atlanta. ... Rob Zombie, Fat Joe, Cypress Hill, Ghostface Killah and Dead Prez guest star on Revolutions, the X-ecutioners' follow-up to Built From Scratch, due in May. The turntablist ensemble will hit the road in June, with dates to be announced soon. ...

"So Stupid," a bootleg song which samples a Kylie Minogue radio interview, was yanked from an unofficial Kylie Web site after the radio station threatened legal action. In the interview, the Aussie chanteuse snapped at a batch of stupid questions, including one about whether or not she's ever had plastic surgery. ... Scream-o quartet From Autumn to Ashes have parted ways with guitarist Scott Gross. This Day Forward's Vadim Taver is filling in until the band finds a permanent replacement. ...

Hair-metal supergroup Brides of Destruction, featuring Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns, will embark on the month-long Honeymoon From Hell Tour, beginning April 30 in Clifton Park, New York. The trek supports the band's debut, Here Come the Brides, which dropped March 9. ... Between 1989 and 1992, the pioneering British metal band Venom existed with only two original members, guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddon. For Venom's upcoming, yet-untitled disc, founding bassist/vocalist Cronos has returned, but the other two dudes have bailed. The band's new guitarist is a guy named Mykus, and Antton, who joined in 2000, will play drums. ...

Seal will launch a three-week tour on April 16 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada; dates run through May 7 in Gulfport, Mississippi. The outing will correspond with the expanded reissue of Seal's IV album as a DVD-A with surround-sound mixes of the songs, plus three music videos. ... Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago will release Smitten, the second album by his side project the Martinis, on June 8. The band also features singer Linda Mallari, bassist Paul Delisle and drummer Josh Freese. Tracks include, "Flyer," "You Are the One" and "People of the World." ... Southern California metalcore band Atreyu will release their second full-length album, The Curse, on June 29. Atreyu will perform on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest, and will be playing with new bassist Marc McKnight, who replaced Chris Thomson in early March. ...

03.25.2004

Bobby Brown is scheduled to be released on Thursday (March 25) from the Massachusetts jail holding him for missing several child-support payments. Brown paid the $63,000 he owed but is ordered to stand before Judge Paula Carey on Friday for further inquiry into how Brown plans to make future payments, since his reason for not making the earlier payments was that he had no job or assets. ...

Hilary Duff has pulled out of her deal to develop a sitcom for CBS. According to Duff's spokesperson, producers Nina Wass and Gene Stein ("Less Than Perfect") failed to come up with a script the singer/actress liked. ... Howie Day was arrested early Thursday in Madison, Wisconsin, for allegedly using physical contact to stop a woman from leaving his tour bus and another from calling the police. After being jailed on charges of disorderly contact, criminal damage to property and intimidation of a victim, Day was released on $850 bail. The singer, who is touring with the Barenaked Ladies, was ordered to appear in court on April 1. ...

Aretha Franklin was released from Sinai-Grace Hospital on Wednesday, five days after she was admitted for a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics. The legendary singer released a statement thanking her doctors and the many friends who supported her, including Chaka Khan, Clive Davis, and Ron and Lee Maten. Franklin went home just in time to celebrate her 62nd birthday with friends and family, "taking it real easy," on Thursday. ... Marc Anthony has responded to tabloid reports about his broken marriage to Dayanara Torres and alleged relationship with Jennifer Lopez with a heated personal message on his Web site. "Let me start by saying that even having to write this letter goes against everything that I believe in, for I have always cherished and protected my privacy," the letter begins. The singer later adds, "The specifics about my marriage and who I was with while I was separated is nobody's business. But I would like to make clear that the fact that the demise of my marriage is being blamed on infidelity is laughable." About Lopez, he writes, "The fact that Jennifer Lopez has been unjustly dragged into this is wrong. In no way, shape or form did she have anything to do with the rupture of my marriage. I want to make that 100 percent clear." ...

Ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has written a book called "Of Grunge & Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy!," which is scheduled for release in September. The book, part memoir, part political dissertation, will be published by Akashic Books/RDV Books. Novoselic is currently actively involved with various political organizations including Music for America, which encourages young people to vote. ... Korn have released a remix of their latest single, "Y'All Want a Single," with commentary from Howard Stern on www.korn.com. The embattled disc jockey has used the anti-record and radio industry track as something of an anthem in recent weeks, as he has been waging a war against the FCC and Clear Channel, which pulled Stern's morning radio show off its stations last month. ...

Kim Mathers, Eminem's ex-wife, was back in a Macomb County Jail Tuesday after dropping out of a court-mandated drug-treatment program. Mathers was released from jail to the program on March 1 but left well short of her 90-day term. The sentence stems from her guilty plea to drug and traffic charges. ... Downhill Battle, the group that organized the "Grey Tuesday" online protest in support of Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, have launched a virtual record label for outlawed music. BannedMusic.org will offer peer-to-peer network downloads of albums targeted by the RIAA and publishing companies for not having been legally cleared. The site is currently offering The Grey Album, the Metallica/ Jay-Z mash-up The Double Black Album and a mix-CD history of sampled music. ...

Bassists who are miffed about not being called to audition for Metallica can seek solace in being invited to try out for Disturbed. Of course, the two audition sessions are open, so everyone's invited, but that's beside the point. The first audition will be in Los Angeles on Saturday at a rehearsal studio called the Swinghouse and the second will be in Chicago on April 4 at the club Oasis One Sixty. The band's former bassist, Fuzz, left in December because of personality conflicts. ... Courtney Love's glass coffin from her "Mono" video, in which she arises from a fairytale-like beauty sleep, is being auctioned off on eBay. The highest bidder will also be the proud owner of the pink "sugar" satin pillow, flower wreath, and pink assorted flowers which were inside. ...

In January, Elvis Costello started shopping around a book proposal, and his witty write-up has paid off. Costello now has a two-book deal in place with Simon & Schuster, which said in a statement that he "resisted the rewards for writing a traditionally scurrilous and scandalous biographical memoir" and will instead focus on a work of semi-fiction, due next year, that takes its cue from the styles, themes and characters found in his lyrics. His second book, "How to Play the Guitar, Sing Loudly and Impress Girls ... or Boys," would be a "work of comic philosophy" about taking a more punk approach to learning music. ... Mudvayne — Chad Gray, Greg Tribbett, Ryan Martinie and Matt McDonough (no stage names this time around) — are working on their third album in a rented ranch in northern California. The band will appear on Sunday's episode of HBO's "The Sopranos," in a scene where AJ attends a Mudvayne concert. ...

Following in the footsteps of Culture Club, ABBA and Billy Joel, George Michael and his former musical mate Andrew Ridgeley are fielding offers from producers wanting to do a musical about their '80s group Wham! ... System of a Down have recruited Bad Acid Trip, political rapper Saul Williams and Hella drummer Zach Hill to open up their Armenian Genocide awareness benefit on April 24 in Los Angeles. ...

A retooled lineup of punk pioneers MC5, featuring Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson along with a rotating cast of special guest musicians, will hit the road for a tour this spring. Dates will be announced shortly, but confirmed collaborators include Evan Dando, Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Marshall Crenshaw. Meanwhile, "Sonic Revolution," a documentary on the band's history and influence, will be released on DVD on July 6. ... The first single from the Roots' upcoming Okayplayer compilation will be "Take It Back" from rapper Skillz. The collection, due in May, includes new music from artists affiliated with the Philly hip-hop group. ...

Lou Reed will be one of several artists presenting new fiction works at "Where's My Democracy?," a reading supporting the political-action committee Downtown for Democracy, in New York Thursday night. Other readers include authors Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer and Colson Whitehead. ...

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