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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marley Marl
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — "Can you feel it?/ Nothin' can save ya/ For this is the season of catchin' the vapors."

In 1988, Biz Markie rapped about him and his music family, the Juice Crew, making the ultimate I-told-you-so, ashy-to-classy hit song, "Vapors." And why wouldn't he brag? Biz was on fire, teammate Big Daddy Kane had a hit record worldwide and the rest of their crew's core members — Kool G Rap, Marley Marl, Masta Ace and Roxanne Shanté — had established themselves in the game as well. Also in '88, the Juice Crew made one of the most definitive hip-hop posse cuts of all time, "The Symphony," which appeared on Marley Marl's In Control Volume 1 compilation that year.

Now, the team's rise is being documented and brought to the silver screen to mark the 20th anniversary of the Juice Crew's breakthrough. The movie is aptly titled "The Vapors."

"Right now, it's in the casting stage," Marley Marl, the legendary DJ and producer behind many of the Juice Crew's collective and solo hits, said about the film last week at Hammerstein Ballroom. Marley, who hails from Queensbridge and also works on outside projects for LL Cool J, was getting ready for a special gig: spinning as Nas' DJ during a recent concert.

Blackfilm.com had previously reported some casting choices for the film, including David Banner as Biz Mark, "ATL" co-star Jackie Long as Big Daddy Kane, Keke Palmer as Roxanne and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Marley. Marley Marl told MTV News the filmmakers have talked to a slew of talent but insisted that no definitive casting choices have been made.

"We're not reaching out — a lot of stars are reaching out to us because that's an important movie in hip-hop history," he further explained. "It's basically me, Big Daddy Kane and Biz's life story leading up to 1988. How we got there. How we made the golden era pop. ... A lot of ups and downs, a lot of personal sh--. It is what it is."

Marl, who dropped his most recent project, Hip-Hop Lives, with KRS-One last year, was politically correct when asked who he wanted to play him in the film.

"The best actor possible," he smiled. "We gonna tally it up at the end and see who it could be. We need the movie 'Vapors' to make its point, and a lot of the young kids to know what birthed the golden era. That's what it is. It's a 2008 release. My boy Furqaan [Clover] is directing it. I told him the idea, I fed it to him, and like within two weeks I started reading about it. So it's moving very, very quickly. They got the investors. This is something that everybody's excited about, and it should be one of the pinnacle [hip-hop] movies. You got 'Scarface,' 'Krush Groove,' whatever in your [DVD] rack, [you'll eventually] have 'Vapors.' "

Marley is currently working on the film score to the movie "The Wendy Williams Experience," a biopic revolving around the controversial radio personality. Clover is directing that as well.

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, reviews, interviews and more.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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• Marley Marl
• Juice Crew
• Biz Markie
• Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane performs at the Paradise Theater on Friday
Photo: Walik Goshorn

NEW YORK — Circa the late 1980s, Hurricane Chris — the kid who can be heard lately singing "Hey Bay Bay" — was just a bayyy-bee. And when somebody said, "Superman that ho," chances are they were referring to the actual Man of Steel thwarting one of the Legion of Doom's dastardly plots, not the new dance by a rapper named Soulja Boy.

On Friday night at the Paradise Theater in the Bronx, rap's golden era was back in full effect with a party and concert held in hip-hop's birthplace. There was a tribute to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and while the Grandmaster himself wasn't present, the fab quartet of four MCs (founding member Cowboy passed away in 1989) — Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, Rahiem and Scorpio — didn't just sit back and let everyone tell them how beloved they are. Nah, the FF actually took the stage and performed.

Melle Mel's fanny pack gave away his age — after all, who under age 40 that doesn't play in the NFL wears one of those outside the gym? — but he showed youthful energy with his boys, sliding from side to side on several records and even leading the audience in a three-step (not the same old two-step). The highlight was their performance of "The Message" and bringing out the Sugar Hill Gang for "Rapper's Delight."

Big Daddy Kane's dance steps were undeniably a fan's delight. Kane, who performed before the Furious Five, had most of his hits handy, but he really tore down the house when his former backup dancer Scoob Lover made a surprise appearance. Scoob's fancy feet showed he can still spar with movers like Omarion, especially when he did the classic step of holding his right foot in his hand and using his left leg to jump over it. Kane joined in, standing in front of Scoob in the handshake position and both doing a split. "Come get some, you little bum!"

KRS-One came out later, showing that when you have skills, you can rap over anything. He dropped lyrics to "You Must Learn" over classical music, and "The Bridge Is Over" and "Black Cop" especially did it for the people. Marley Marl was KRS-One's DJ for the night and fellow Queensbridge native/ former KRS foe MC Shan, who stood next to Marley enjoying the Teacha's set. Shan had opened the night's festivities.

Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh closed the concert with the tag-team precision of wrestling legends the British Bulldogs. Rick did "Hey Young World," then Doug joined in for "The Show and "La-Di-Da-Di." Then the Ruler fell back and let Doug do his own songs like "Freaks" with Lil' Vicious.

The party continued at a separate event Saturday night at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Times Square, where Roxanne Shante held a 1987-themed party. Dookie-rope chains, flattops with blond streaks and even custom-made Dapper Dan suits could be seen in the crowd.

MC Shan came out once again and performed as did Just-Ice, Kangol from UTFO, Bow-Legged Lou from Full Force, Smooth Da Hustla and his brother Trigga Da Gambla, Lovebug Starski, Mobb Deep's Havoc and Roxanne herself.

Seen a great show? MTV News wants your photos, videos and reports from all the latest concerts for our new You R Here community. Check out the site to read, rate and comment on reviews from around the globe. We'll put the best stuff on our You R Here blog, and even in on-air news!

• KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Furious Five, more live at the Paradise Theater

• Big Daddy Kane
• Melle Mel
• KRS-One
• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

The Roots' Black Thought performs at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday
Photo: Lovekin/ WireImage.com

NEW YORK — All the Roots' ?uestlove could think of Wednesday night was that game time was only 24 hours away. ?uest and his band were rehearsing on a small stage at Montana Studios, getting ready for the big stage at Radio City Music Hall.

"When I did the Jay-Z Madison Square Garden show, he and I were joking about how not to get nervous for a night that big," ?uest said during a break. "We said we were going to pretend it was Boston and not Madison Square Garden. Being that tomorrow is the equivalent of that special night for me, I'm going to treat it like Boston. I handpicked these 70 songs we're going to do over six hours over a two-night period. For me, this is a dream and chance to amalgamate my unit with some of the people who we've admired for years."

"Let it roll, get bold, I just can't hold," Big Daddy Kane started rapping, facing ?uest. "Back or fold, 'cause I'm a man with soul/ In control and effect, so what the heck/ Rock the discotheques, and this groove is what's next."

Surprise guest Kane was one of the trump cards ?uest planned to lay on the table Thursday night during the Roots' first performance at Radio City.

Before leaving, Kane ripped through a practice run of his set's closer — and a record he said is key for NYC — "Warm It Up, Kane," garnering big smiles from everyone in the room. He did his set in one take.

Inside the studio, ?uest's musical directing was seamless, like a graceful point guard leading the fast-break charge. "No, Jeff, turn it down some. Turn it down just a little bit," ?uest said from behind the drums, directing Jazzy Jeff and his band on the soundscape for Raekwon's "Verbal Intercourse."

If Kane was to be the Roots' trump card, no doubt Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface Killah would be their two aces. In addition to Ghost having his own set, where Erykah Badu would be singing the hook on "Chez Chez LaGhost," Tony Stark and longtime partner Raekwon were to join already advertised guest Nas for the classic posse cut.

Later, it was Badu's turn to get down with her brothas. Her voice sounding strong as ever, the singer started freestyling until being interrupted by ?uest. "Are you definitely going to do that tomorrow?" he asked her. " 'Cause I'll commit that to memory."

"I'm not used to that memory sh--," she smiled. "Man, let's just have fun."

"We're like a studio husband and wife," Badu explained later during a break in rehearsal. "If I'm having a good day, [?uest] can lead. If not, we're arguing about the set list or the breaks. But for the most part, he's my brother. ... We usually have the same thought or idea."

Badu went on to explain she had a trick up her sleeve for the show.

"Shhh," a giggling Badu said, lowering her voice so ?uest couldn't hear. "Everything we've rehearsed tonight, I'm not doing any of that. I'm gonna do something totally different. I like to look back at him, and he can't do anything about it. I'm gonna do that tomorrow night. This rehearsal will self-destruct when we walk out. I promise."

Little did Erykah know, her friends would soon find themselves improvising on Thursday night to a couple of snafus and some no-shows.

The show started out on a high enough note — Black Thought setting the table with "Thought @ Work," then Nas, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, coming on to "Made You Look."

Nas didn't miss a step as he rapped the album version of "Ain't Hard to Tell," and then the Roots switched the beat to the remix. There was a short misstep during "The World Is Yours," where he seemed to be fumbling over his words, but many in the crowd either didn't catch it or didn't care, continuing to rap along. He closed with "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)."

"The Roots are a one-of-a-kind class act," Nas said minutes later in his dressing room. "They're all we got on a level like that with the instruments. Black Thought is a hard-body lyricist; he did his thing. I never had a band behind me before, so working with the Roots on that show was a first for me on a concert level.

"When I first got the call about it, I was like, 'Cool,' " he added. "But I didn't know how I would do because of the band, it was live. I didn't know which joints would sound good. But ?uest has the knack for that."

"Tonight was special, man," Common said about an hour after his set. "I performed here [at Radio City] a few times, but with R&B acts. I felt tonight was like real. Hip-hop was in the place. I felt the Roots playing, and the MCs that were coming were some of my favorite MCs: Nas, Big Daddy Kane and Talib and Tariq [Black Thought]. I just felt hip-hop, and I was proud."

Common turned out to be the show's second wind — jumping in the crowd, freestyling off the dome, kicking a stool over during "Testify" and, of course, covering all types of ground on the stage like a cornerback on the football field.

"?uestlove, he got his request line going," Common joked after the performance. "He'll say, 'We gotta do this, we gotta do that,' and he'll pick out some obscure stuff you'll only know if you're a music lover. I be having to nix some of his stuff out."

Talib Kweli, who arrived a few minutes late, came on after Common. After that, the aces the Roots had planned on, Rae and Ghost, were no-shows. The last 45 minutes of the three-hour show was basically improv, with friends such as Alicia Keys, Badu, Dave Chappelle and Jay-Z standing on the sideline.

Extended Roots member Rahzel came out to close the show with his magic mouth, beatboxing and singing records like Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" and Aaliyah's "If Your Girl Only Knew."

"That's when the tightness of the band comes in to factor," Black Thought said after the show. "We're able to play off one another and throw things in there and not come off like you're stalling. We performed, like, three or four other songs than the Roots had intended to perform to smooth out a couple of the transitions. We changed a couple of things in the set too because of how it flows, a couple of things in Kane's set, a couple of things in Nas' set."

The show ended when Chappelle, Keys and Badu came onstage to share hugs with the band as the audience filed out.

In the Roots' dressing room, ?uestlove was visibly upset that the show had not come off as planned. The usually jovial leader of the crew looked dejected. Black Thought was more positive.

"I feel like there were a lot of people here tonight that it was their first time seeing us perform," he said. "So they didn't really have any standard — maybe a performance on TV — but they didn't have anything to judge it [by]. So I feel like we make a pretty good first impression. Then I think there were some diehard Roots fans in the place who may have caught wind of what the set list would be or what we were rehearsing and realized what we performed tonight was not it. So they might have been a little confused. We had a couple of no-shows, a couple of people who came in like a bat outta hell off the flight, but I feel people got their money's worth."

The Roots take another stab at it Friday night (May 19) for their second sold-out show at Radio City. Erykah Badu and Mos Def are the most well-known names advertised on the bill.

Black said they'll probably try to do some things differently on Friday.

"Just probably try and cover more within the time we have for the soundcheck," he said. "[Get] some of the kinks worked out sonically so we could concentrate on what set we're gonna do and what transitions. I think [Friday] is going to be a lot smoother, a lot more low-key. It's a lot of vocalists, singers who don't come with the same ego and nonchalantness of an MC."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• The Roots
• Big Daddy Kane
• Ghostface Killah
• Erykah Badu
• Raekwon

Jay-Z
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

They are kings among kings, according to MTV's hip-hop brain trust: Our 10 Greatest MCs of All Time. We asked some of the legends how it feels to be one of the elite.

LL Cool J (#10)
"It's wild flattering. Secondly, it's like making it to the Hall of Fame. I don't even know what to say. It's a blessing to know that I could be on Farmers Boulevard [in the New York City borough of Queens] beating on a green garbage can and always hearing it different, and wanting to say it different and seeing it different lyrically, and visualizing it different. And for us to go all the way down the road now, and for people to acknowledge me as one of the best, it's a blessing. 'Cause I know it doesn't have to be like that. I don't even have to have a career right now. I'm probably one of the most grateful guys in hip-hop. [That's] not fake humility — 'cause I'm confident in what I do, I feel like I put it down — but I'm very grateful."

Ice Cube (#8)
"That's one of my first dreams: Out of all this, I wanted to be a respected MC. That was my first thing I thought I could get out of the rap game, something I could control: my lyrics, my delivery and to be respected. It's like, 'Play your hardest and someday you'll be in the Hall of Fame,' just by being named in the [company] of some of the greatest MCs who ever spit. It's something you don't think about until you're kinda there. It feels good that it's me.

	Jay? Nas? Biggie? Pac? Our experts say Hov is king. Find out where your favorites rank and tell us what you think.

"To be a great MC, you have to be a good observer of people and situations. Master the language. You gotta always try to be as creative as you can. Some people write rhymes and they're easy; I never liked to write easy rhymes. I always liked to bend my brain. I wanted everything to cut through the heart. The passion, the flow. The flow is 35 percent of it. You gotta have the flow and your love. The more love you have for it, the better MC you gonna be."

Big Daddy Kane (#7)
"I feel that's what an MC wants: the recognition of being that hot MC. Like, 'You heard what he said?' Most of my career, that's been my thing, [to be] Mr. Break Your Rewind Button. I appreciate it."

Nas (#5)
"That's everything. Being acknowledged, first of all, is all I wanted. When I got in the game, I knew what I was doing, I was putting a lot into what I was writing. But I just knew only a certain amount of people would get it — people who could relate to the stories I was telling. But I never thought it would grow and I would have a career to continue on and get acknowledged for the new stuff I was doing. And as I went along, I was growing and the [number of] people that were listening to me was growing. Then after a while, you realize your thing is about to be a legacy. When you say it's over, you'll always have that legacy. And I realized a lot of dudes don't survive that length of time."

Rakim (#4)
"It's a blessing, man. Especially the road I took. I'm a conscious rapper. I try to stay away from a lot of things: Not wanting to cross over and go pop. Try to stay true to my roots and for them to bless me with that title. It makes it all worth the battle. It's like the first time you sit down with the notebook, you want to be with the greats. I came up under Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee. I used to think, 'If Melle Mel heard this, or if Caz heard this, what would he think?' "

Jay-Z (#1)
"I'm not an artist; I'm a hustler. The industry didn't accept me right away — I felt it was my enemy. But as the years went by and I came to make friends in the industry and feel more accepted, every time something like this happens, it's a great thing for me."

• Jay-Z
• Nas
• LL Cool J
• Ice Cube
• Big Daddy Kane

Kevin Covais
Photo: Fox

He may have been a loser on "American Idol," but Kevin Covais is still a winner at home. The Long Island, New York, singer was presented with the key to his home county Thursday — now declared "Kevin Covais Day" — by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, The Associated Press reports. "It's just great being back home," Covais said. On Friday (March 31) the 16-year-old is expected to return to Island Trees High School in Levittown, where he'll be welcomed back with a pep rally. ...

Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee have split after seven years of marriage. "Kimora and I will remain committed parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each other," the hip-hop mogul said in a statement issued Friday, according to AP. "We will also continue to work side by side on a daily basis as partners in all of our businesses." ... If that sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth left you asking what artist Daniel Edwards was thinking, TriggerStreet.com might have your answer. The online film festival, created by Kevin Spacey, is currently hosting a short documentary called "The Several Severed Heads of Daniel Edwards." The Goodnight Films production features interviews with Edwards and a look at his previous controversial work, depicting late baseball legend Ted Williams as a cryogenically preserved severed head. ...

Big Daddy Kane has been tapped as the headliner of the second annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, set for June 24, and at least one person in the New York City borough is pretty psyched. "I am proud that the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is entering its second year," Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said in a post on the festival's Web site. "By highlighting messages of empowerment and unity, the festival proves that we not only know our hip-hop roots, but that in Brooklyn those roots run deep. And with Big Daddy Kane in the house, we know Brooklyn won't be half-steppin'!" Fans can register for tickets to the event at BrooklynBodega.com. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is launching a new program in which cell-phone users can make $4.99 donations by texting the word "heal" to 50555. Donors will then have access to limited-edition ring tones by Pearl Jam (their memorable cover of Victoria Williams' "Crazy Mary"), OK Go, Tegan and Sara and others. ...

The Rollins Band are mapping their return, according to a post on frontman Henry Rollins' Web site. Rollins, guitarist Chris Haskett, drummer Sim Cain and bassist Melvin Gibbs "have been practicing on and off for months now, slowly getting it together," Hank wrote. "We are back together and are planning on getting some shows in by August. Nothing is booked yet. It's been really cool being back in the practice room with these guys after all these years." Rollins Band's last studio album with that lineup was 1997's Come in and Burn. ... After one month in Los Angeles, New York's French Kicks have returned home with a finished album under their arms. It's called Two Thousand and was produced in L.A. by Doug Boehm. The LP features 10 tracks (with titles including the Yoda-esque "So Far We Are" and "England Just Will Not Let You Recover") and will be in stores in July. The Kicks will preview some tunes from the new disc on a brief tour that kicks off April 11 in Baltimore. ...

Brooklyn trio Blood on the Wall have been picked to open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs beginning April 3 in Washington, D.C., and ending April 29 in San Francisco. The band is supporting Awesomer, which was released late last year. ... Before joining Thursday on the road beginning April 25, Me Without You will enter the studio with Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo) to start working on the follow-up to 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, which Wood also produced. ...

The Accident Experiment, former P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel's band, will kick off their tour May 6 in Longview, Texas, to promote their debut album, United We Fear, due May 9. Five.Bolt.Main and Element Eighty are opening on the trek, which wraps up June 10 in Manchester, New Hampshire. ... Frank Zappa will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the sixth annual Jammy Awards, set for April 20 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Blues Traveler, Stephen Marley, Guster, Mad Professor and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins's side project Banyan are among the artists scheduled to perform at the event. Tickets are available at Jammys.com. ...

This summer will see the arrival of "Latin American Idol," Reuters reports. The "Idol" franchise currently comprises 33 versions, each for a specific country; "Latin American Idol" will be the first regional singing competition. Auditions will be held in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina, where the show will be taped in Buenos Aires.

03.30.06

Three 6 Mafia have discovered another perk of winning an Oscar: it's brought them a lot closer to Paris Hilton. The Memphis, Tennessee, duo's Juicy J told hometown newspaper Commercial Appeal that he and partner DJ Paul were in the studio with Hilton on Tuesday working on a song for her upcoming debut album. "We let her listen to a dance track and she really liked it and plans to record it tonight," Houston told the paper Tuesday. ...

Bad Boy Records rapper Black Rob (born Robert Ross) was sentenced to up to seven years in jail for grand larceny Thursday (March 30) in New York. Rob was picked up on a fugitive warrant February 24 after skipping out on an agreement to turn himself in January 24 to begin serving a two-to-six-year sentence on the charges. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office said the rapper was given the maximum sentence on the charge due to his flight. He will begin serving immediately. ...

In conjunction with their five-night Demon Days Live stint at the Apollo Theater in New York April 2-6, the Gorillaz are ushering in "a mobile musical adventure." By simply using their Motorola phones at the shows, fans will be able to download exclusive Gorillaz wallpapers, animation and a demo of an unreleased mobile game starring the animated stars. 'Rillaz mastermind Damon Albarn and a host of friends will perform the band's platinum-plus Demon Days in its entirety at the gigs. ...

Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows wouldn't be happier if he had scored a date with Jenna Jameson. This summer the band will join its heroes from Guns N' Roses and Metallica during a string of 10 shows in Europe. The jaunt begins June 3 in Nürburgring, Germany, at the Rock Am Ring Festival and concludes in Paris June 20. Avenged will play right before Metallica at three of the shows and will be the main support for Guns for two others. ... Two weeks after joining the surviving members of Alice in Chains onstage at a tribute to Heart for VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!," Phil Anselmo hooked up with Alice guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Avenged Sevenfold drummer the Rev and cover band Metal Skool to perform Pantera's "Walk" Monday night at Hollywood's Key Club. Cantrell also joined the band for Alice's "Man in the Box." ...

Working with fellow "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell may look like it's tough for Paula Abdul, but the singer/choreographer has signed a deal to continue with the popular show for the next three years, according to The Associated Press. Abdul, the "Idol" judge who always finds something nice to say about each of the performers, said in a statement that the contestants "truly inspire and amaze me each week. Of course, I also look forward to putting Simon in his place for years to come." ...

Ruben Studdard — who took home the "American Idol" title at the conclusion of the show's second season — is doing his part to help teenagers step off the streets and into the music industry. The AP reports that Studdard is creating an after-school program called the Music Alternative Project, which seeks to steer kids away from gangs by teaching them the ins and outs of the biz, from songwriting and production to mixing and marketing. An estimated 100 students from across Alabama will be enrolled each year in free after-school music courses. The project will also provide weekend instruction and activities during the summer months. Birmingham's Audiostate 55 Recording Studios will serve as the program's home base. Henry Panion, a music professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will act as director of the project, and Studdard has expressed interest in teaching some of the courses. ...

Johnny Cash's 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood will be auctioned off in Florida Friday as part of the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Event. Jet-black with black leather interior (of course), the sedan has logged 50,000 miles and, except for a two-year-old paint job and rebuilt transmission, boasts all original parts. Full documentation, including the Tennessee title and tags that prove Cash's ownership, are included in the sale. ... World Wrestling Entertainment will use Danko Jones' "Baby Hates Me" as the opening music for WrestleMania 22. The big event is scheduled for Sunday in Chicago. ...

Sunny indie rockers the Concretes have one busy spring planned. They release their new album, In Colour, Tuesday. And as April albums apparently bring May tours, their three-week North American stint in support of the LP begins May 4 in Toronto and ends May 24 in San Diego. ... Ex-Unicorns members Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur, now known as the Islands, set out on their first headlining tour in April. Fresh off a run of live shows with Metric, the duo plan to hit venues across North America with their opening act Why?. The Islands' debut album, Return to the Sea, — which features contributions from Canadian scenesters from bands including Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade — hits U.S. stores Tuesday.

• Britney Spears
• Big Daddy Kane
• Rollins Band
• Three 6 Mafia

Big Daddy Kane at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors
Photo: Getty

NEW YORK — It was a moment that made grown men yell and jump up and down like girls at a Scream Tour show: Big Daddy Kane, in all his glory, not only leveling a platinum-tongue assault of classic lines, but taking off his cool for a few seconds and dancing at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors.

The 37-year-old Smooth Operator's brief but potent dance steps were the hands-down highlight of the second-annual awards show, broadcast Monday night (see "Kanye, Snoop, Common Join Ice-T, LL, Big Daddy Kane At VH1 Hip Hop Honors"). He even jumped in the air and landed in a split.

"I want to entertain," Kane said last week at the Hammerstein Ballroom while rehearsing for the show. Kane not only performed but was honored by T.I., the Roots' Black Thought and Common. LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, the Furious Five, Salt-N-Pepa, Notorious B.I.G. and the movie "Boys N the Hood" were also recognized.

"I want you to leave there sweating and out-of-breath, saying, 'I enjoyed myself,' " Kane said about performing, whether it be at the VH1 event or on his many dates throughout the year.

Kane looks back on his career with a wide grin. He's proven himself to be one of the greatest MCs ever with his lyrical and delivery innovations alone. Add in his style and you have a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

"A couple of highlights of my career, looking back ... I had fun working on films," said the rapper, who appeared in 1993's "The Meteor Man" and "Posse." "That's really the direction I would like to go further into. I enjoy all the dancing things with [my backup dancers] Scoob and Scrap. That ain't really my thing, but it's fun to do it, you know."

If you're wondering why Scoob was the only original Kane backup dancer to appear at the Hip Hop Honors, Kane said Scrap has been "MIA for about eight years, but I'm sure he's doing fine, and I wish the brother well."

Kane said he doesn't have a new LP on the horizon but is open to making one if the right opportunity presents itself. He has laid down vocals for the new Foxy Brown project (see "Jay-Z Jumps On Three Tracks For Foxy Brown's New Album") as well as the new Kay Slay album.

The Brooklyn native's wish of delving deeper into movies is also starting to take shape: He just finished a flick called "Dead Heist."

"It's an action flick about a bank robbery gone wrong because people inside the bank are infected with this disease," he described. "I play this military cat that's sent in to kill off the people that's infected. ... They got me playing Ram-bro."

Kane did not have a release date for "Dead Heist" as of yet.

• VH1's Hip-Hop Honors Award Shows

• Big Daddy Kane

Linkin Park will play three rescheduled Projekt Revolution Tour shows in between Summer Sanitarium dates. The added shows are July 22 in Rochester, New York, with Mudvayne, Cold and Jurassic 5; July 29 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with Mudvayne and Cold; and July 30 in Wichita, Kansas, with Mudvayne. ...

While on a break before going to Europe to support By the Way in August, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will write and record two or three songs for an upcoming greatest-hits album. The band completed a North American tour leg, with Snoop Dogg in tow, last weekend. ... Tommy Lee has confirmed the end of his engagement to Prince's ex-wife, Mayte Garcia. In his Web journal at joysmayhem.com, the rocker originally wrote, "I'm a free man by the way. NO more probation/court/drama, etc. ... I'm a single man these days ... uh oh!" The reference to his love life, however, has since been deleted, while the line about his probation status remains. ...

Maybe Moby really is made of stars — he's the music coordinator for the new multimedia show at New York's Hayden Planetarium, which used to host weekly laser-light shows set to the tunes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and others. Moby's show, in which he'll mix his own music with that of Radiohead, the Flaming Lips and Massive Attack, should debut in October. ... Pharoahe Monch, KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane will be on hand for the inaugural Hip-Hop Peace & Unity Festival in Boston on July 18 and 19. The festival, organized to celebrate diversity and promote positivity, will include roundtable discussions with hip-hop artists and local government officials in an effort to come to a mutual understanding about the origin and culture of hip-hop. There will also be a fundraiser for Boston youth programs that have been subjected to recent cutbacks. ...

Love crooner Daniel Bedingfield will appear on the CBS soap opera "Guiding Light" on July 9 to perform his ballad "If You're Not the One." The dance mix for the song is already used in the promos for CBS Daytime's "Hot Enough for You" ad campaign. ... Thursday have made a new song called "For the Workforce, Drowning" available through their Web site. The track will appear alongside Thrice's "Under a Killing Moon" on a limited-edition clear vinyl split 7" single set for release July 1. The song was recorded during the sessions for War All the Time, Thursday's first full album since jumping to a major label, which drops September 16. ...

Robbie Williams appears in a three-minute public-service announcement sponsored by UNICEF to help fight child trafficking. "It's short, but it's definitely not sweet," he says in an introduction preceding the film, which is based around a poem by Simon Armitage, describing the sale of children into prostitution as if they were an exotic fruit. The film can be viewed at endchildexploitation.org.uk. ... Williams is also reportedly looking to collaborate with journalist Chris Heath on his autobiography, which he would work on throughout his European tour. This would be Williams' second autobiography; his first, "Somebody Someday," took fans behind the scenes of his 2001 tour. ...

To offset cutbacks the state of California made to its educational system, hometown boys Hoobastank have planned a July 15 benefit at a new Calabasas middle school that now can't afford to open. The money raised will be used to hire teachers. Hoobastank's second album is due September 30. ... Britpop band Starsailor have finished their follow-up to Love Is Here. The new album, Silence Is Easy, is slated for release in September, with the title track set to be the first single. Other song titles include "Music Was Saved," "Fidelity," "Shark Food," "White Dove" and "Four to the Floor." ... Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Christopher Walla, who has worked with Hot Hot Heat, will produce Blue Sky Mile's Initial Records debut. The band will begin tracking at the end of July at Hall of Justice studios in their hometown of Seattle. ...

06.25.2003

Linkin Park are scheduled to play a pro skateboarding contest this weekend in Las Vegas, and JC Chasez and Pink will be among the celebs there to help the winners celebrate. The Boost Mobile Pro of Skateboarding will take place Friday through Sunday, boasting the richest prize purse in the history of professional skateboarding — more than $250,000. Linkin Park's performance follows the wildcard skate-off, and takes place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's the Joint on Friday. ...

Expect lots of bands changing places — at least musically — on the upcoming "Freaky Friday" soundtrack. Bowling for Soup cover Britney Spears' "... Baby One More Time," Simple Plan remake the Turtles' "Happy Together" and Lillix contribute their cover of the Romantics' "What I Like About You." The Donnas also provide an unreleased song, while the film's star Lindsay Lohan makes her recording debut on the soundtrack. The LP is due in stores July 29, and the film hits theaters August 6. ...

Mya, appearing as herself, will sing her new single "My Love Is Like ... Wo," on the NBC soap opera "Passions." The episode is scheduled to air July 24. ... A recent acoustic performance by Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with an interview with the band, will air at 11 a.m. PT Thursday on KCRW.com and KCRW-FM in Los Angeles. An edited version of the show will air July 20 on the weekly program "Sounds Eclectic," which is distributed to public radio stations nationwide. ...

First the West Coast All Tomorrow's Parties festival was postponed until September, and now its cross-country counterpart has followed suit. The East Coast ATP Festival, curated by Stephen Malkmus and scheduled for September in Asbury Park, New Jersey, has been bumped to next year. ... R.E.M. have set an October 28 release date for In Time: Best of R.E.M. 1988 - 2003. The compilation will feature two new tracks, "Bad Day" and "Animal." ...

The Dandy Warhols are hitting the road beginning August 24 at Los Angeles' annual Sunset Junction Street Fair, but in the meantime, the group is planning a more innovative tour. To promote the August 19 release of Welcome to the Monkey House, the group is a launching an Internet tour. The Warhols' Odditorium Web site — a collection of short films and music — will travel around to different Web sites, ranging from gaywired.com to virginmega.com, beginning July 1. ... Steve Turner, Mark Arm's right-hand man in Mudhoney, has released his solo debut, Searching for Melody, on newly formed Seattle indie Roslyn Records. Backing up the guitarist are Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard (who will play bass on the project) and Seattle studio wiz Johnny Sangster. ...

Death Cab for Cutie have announced that Transatlanticism will be the title of their new album, due in October. In related news, Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard and DNTEL's Jimmy Tamborello are gearing up for an Australian tour with their project the Postal Service that's set to begin July 3. ... The new album by Vertical Horizon, Go, will be released on September 23. The first single, "I'm Still Here," goes to radio in July. ...

• Linkin Park
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Tommy Lee
• Moby
• Big Daddy Kane

Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi" was named Favorite Song at Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards on Saturday in Santa Monica, California. B2K (Favorite Music Group), No Doubt (Favorite Band), Ashanti (Favorite Female Singer) and Nelly (Favorite Male Singer) won the other music prizes, while Adam Sandler was the only multiple winner, for Favorite Movie Actor and Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie. ...

Fans who want to get the inside track on Mariah Carey can now join her Internet-based fan club Honey B. Fly. For $35 a year ($45 overseas), members will receive access to pre-sale concert tickets, music and video exclusives, a faux-autographed photo and T-shirt, and an exclusive membership card that can be flashed for special access to retail and concert events. ... R. Kelly appeared in a Chicago court on Monday (April 14) to ask permission to leave the jurisdiction to shoot his next video. The R&B singer — free on bond since being indicted on child pornography charges last June — has to get the court's consent to leave the state of Illinois. Permission was granted for Kelly to go to Barstow, California, for 12 days for the shoot, but the judge increased his bond by $250,000. Meanwhile, the prosecution finally finished discovery. Kelly is due back in court May 29. ...

Lightning may not strike twice in nature, but it does in hip-hop. Four years after going platinum with a guest appearance on Mobb Deep's street anthem "Quiet Storm (remix)," Lil' Kim has recruited the Queensbridge duo for the newly recorded remix of her current hit, "The Jump Off." ... Hip-hop trailblazers will come out to perform and celebrate the birthday for Cold Crush Brothers member Grandmaster Caz on April 19 at Amazura in the Jamaica section of Queens, New York. Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh and Kurtis Blow have been advertised as performers, with DJ Kool Herc, Grand Wizard Theodore and Raheim of the Furious Five as special guests at the event being called the Old School Jumpoff. Roxanne Shanté has been tapped to host. ...

Eminem's "Lose Yourself" won Oustanding National Single on Friday at the annual Detroit Music Awards. The Grammy-winning soundtrack to "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," the documentary about the Funk Brothers, won Outstanding National Album, while local singer/songwriter Liz Larin took home trophies in six of the 10 categories in which she was nominated. ... Publishing company Minder Music Ltd., which claims to hold the copyright to a song sampled in "Let's Get High," hasn't forgotten about Dre or his cohort Eminem. Originally filed in July 2000, the complaint requesting damages in excess of $3.5 million was amended last week. The suit alleges that "Let's Get High," from Dr. Dre's 1999 LP 2001, illegally culls from the 1980 song called "Backstrokin'." Attorneys for both sides will have a chance to respond to the newly amended complaint before a court date is set. ...

A spokesperson for the Broadway musical "Aida" says that it is Toni Braxton and not Destiny Child's Michelle Williams who is going to be the next actress to play the lead role. Braxton starts a four-month run on June 30. The play's rep says that Williams has expressed interest, but that there have been no negotiations as of yet for her to be a part of the production. ... Veteran punk band MxPx are releasing their 11th album, tentatively titled Before Everything and After. Dave Jerden (Alice in Chains, the Offspring) produced the record, due June 24. ...

Superjoint Ritual, the side project of Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo, will release the follow-up to their debut album, Use Once and Destroy, in July. The band launches a tour on April 30 in Austin, Texas, which runs through May 24 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. ... The Japan extravaganza Summer Sonic Festival, happening August 2 and 3 in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, will feature a wide variety of alternative and rock acts including Blink-182, the Strokes, Radiohead, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Puddle of Mudd, Blur, New Found Glory and Travis. The bill also includes classic rock acts like the Doors, Cheap Trick and Blondie. ...

Lou Reed's latest project on Edgar Allan Poe started as a play before being released as a double CD. So it was inevitable that The Raven would make it back to the stage this summer. Reed will kick off a tour with two New York shows April 21 and 22, then hit Europe before returning Stateside June 4 in Vienna, Virginia. Dates run through June 29 in Seattle. ... The man accused of selling tickets to a phony Björk show in San Diego claimed he was guilty of no such thing in court Wednesday. Alex Conate denied charges of grand theft for allegedly selling $14,000 worth of tickets to a January 15 concert that was never booked. After collecting money from the roughly 350 tickets sold, the 25-year-old man took off for Hawaii, where he was arrested. ...

Icelandic oddities Sigur Rós are planning to release the soundtrack to "Hlemmur," the documentary film they sold on their last U.S. tour, though it's unknown whether the LP will be available domestically or exclusively as an import. Hlemmur is the second soundtrack for Sigur Rós, following 2000's collaboration with Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, "Englar Alheimsins (Angeles of the Universe)." The band is planning to return Stateside in October for a collaboration with Radiohead. ...

04.11.03

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has been tapped to star as Robert Johnson in "Love in Vain," an HBO Films biopic based on the life of the blues legend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which will start production in the fall, will feature Diddy in his most prominent role yet; he made smaller contributions to "Monster's Ball" and "Made." ...

Incubus and Sony Music have a reason to feel "stellar" — the band has settled a lawsuit with its record label for a reported $8 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The group had sued the company on February 6 for not releasing them from their recording contract. A week later, Sony filed a countersuit to keep the band with the company for another four records. ...

Judge Vincent Gaughan granted a continuance in the case against R. Kelly, who was scheduled to appear in court Friday (April 11). Due to a scheduling conflict, the hearing will now take place on Monday, at which point the prosecution is expected to finish with discovery. ... Hip-hop's Queen Bee is giving a sting to the animated sci-fi flick "Those Who Walk in Darkness," which was spawned from an animated Web series of the same name. Lil' Kim, who also lent her voice to the upcoming animated comedy "Lil' Pimp," plays a cop named Soleda who battles superhuman villains sometime in Los Angeles' distant future. ...

Tommy Lee's wrongful death trial took a break on Thursday so that the rocker could appear in a Malibu court for a probation progress report related to his 1998 conviction on charges of attacking then-wife Pamela Anderson. The rocker has completed half of his court-ordered community service but was trying to get credit for attending charity benefits. ... Also in Wednesday's testimony in the wrongful death trial in Santa Monica, California, a detective called to the stand dismissed claims by the drowned boy's parents that the party had been alcohol-fueled. Judge Richard Neidorf hasn't ruled if Anderson would be allowed to testify for the plaintiffs. If she did, it's likely to be next week. ...

According to the bankruptcy court filing, Britney Spears' failed New York restaurant Nyla owes money to more than two dozen creditors, to the tune of nearly $400,000. ... Blackstreet will perform on April 19 in Petersburg, Virginia, at the Fort Lee Army base for an expected audience of 9,000 soldiers and their family members. This free concert will be the R&B quartet's first Stateside performance to promote their latest album, Level II. ...

When faced with an alien invasion, who would you rather have on your side: a couple buddies from the local Starbucks, or a few of Staten Island's finest hip-hop street soldiers? Well, if you ask the Hollywood folks behind the upcoming movie "Scary Movie 3," the answer is a resounding "Shaolin!" Yes, according to a Wu-Tang Clan source, the third installment of the popular horror comedy is likely to include a scene in which Method Man, RZA, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon battle extraterrestrial invaders in a parody of the Mel Gibson film "Signs." ...

Singer Eva Narcissus Boyd, better known as Little Eva, died on Thursday at age 59 after a long battle with cervical cancer, according to Reuters. She is best known for performing the song "Loco-motion," which became a #1 hit in 1962. ... 311 have set a July 22 release date for their seventh studio album, Evolver. Ron Saint Germain (Creed, Soundgarden) is producing the LP, which will include such new tracks as "Creatures for a While," "Seems Uncertain," "Beyond the Gray Sky" and "Crack the Code," along with enhanced footage of interviews and a mini-documentary on the making of the album cover. 311 will promote the release with a U.S. tour kicking off July 15. ...

Blues Traveler's John Popper was popped Sunday with possession of marijuana in Sweetwater, Texas. He was released on bond the following day and charged with a misdemeanor for holding less than two ounces. ... To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Virgin Records will re-release David Bowie's Aladdin Sane, the classic LP that features "The Jean Genie" and "Watch That Man," on June 24. The expanded, digitally remastered reissue of the 1973 LP, Bowie's final studio recording with his group the Spiders From Mars, will include an additional CD of bonus tracks, new photos and expanded liner notes. ...

Long Island rockers Glassjaw had to cancel their current European tour due to singer Daryl Palumbo's ongoing battle with Crohn's Disease. No rescheduled dates have been announced. ... The Presidents of the United States of America are recording a new album, their first in two-and-a-half years, at the same studio where their breakthrough eponymous debut was tracked. Speaking of which, the LP that featured the hits "Lump" and "Peaches" will be reissued this summer. ...

• Avril Lavigne
• Nelly
• R. Kelly
• Lil' Kim
• Big Daddy Kane

R. Kelly
Photo: Jive

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — R. Kelly sings to the heavens about needing a hug and on Thursday night he was embraced (Click here for photos from the show).

The legally troubled crooner was showered with love by the thousands that flooded the Continental Arena for the Powerhouse, the first big concert put on by New York radio station 105.1.

At the top of the show when the evening's scheduled performers — including Nas, Ja Rule and Fat Joe — were announced, an eruption of cheers echoed throughout the arena, so it was no surprise when the sentiments carried over during the introduction of Kelly's first major arena performance since his arrest in June on child pornography charges (see "R. Kelly Arrested On 21 Counts Of Child Pornography").

Kelly — who returns to record stores on January 28 and to court on February 7 — didn't start onstage when the spotlights first hit him. He stood out in the crowd, silent for a few seconds while the people cheered. From the look on his face, the reaction almost drove the singer to tears.

"We thuggin', rollin' on dubs," he stiffly began to sing, waving his hands, trying to keep his composure. He then left the stands, and Fat Joe, who performed earlier in the night, returned to the stage to rap his Kelly-assisted hit, "We Thuggin'."

"I got four honeys in the drop," Kelly continued, now onstage with Joe. The two hugged at the end of the song and the fat gangsta left with a few words of encouragement: "Give it up for the R. That's my muthaf---in' n---a!"

Kelly then took a boom box and sat at the front of the stage with his legs dangling off. He thanked the crowd for their support and fought back tears. "I wanna try something different tonight," he said, collecting himself.

For the next several minutes, Kelly teased the crowd. He turned the dial on the radio until he arrived at a station playing one of his jams. The audience would hear and sing a few seconds of "Honey Love," "Sex Me," "Bump 'N Grind" and "Slow Dance" until Kelly stopped at "It Seems Like You're Ready" and actually sang a verse.

He briefly let the crowd sing "12 Play" and later a brief part of "Your Body's Calling." When the audience sang the chorus to "F---in' You Tonight," Kelly began to chuckle before once again turning the station.

More teasing would come as Kelly scrolled through his catalog on the boom box. When he arrived at "Feelin' on Yo Booty," people urged him to sing, but he playfully mouthed the words, "I can't do that," and made the cut motion with his finger going across his neck. He then pointed toward the backstage area with his thumb as if someone told him the song was taboo.

R. finally performed a whole song for his finale, the party-friendly remix to "Ignition." "Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce," he sang, now walking around with his mic and boom box. Before he left, Kelly used the radio one last time, playing snippets of tracks from his dead peers including Left Eye, Marvin Gaye and Big Pun. He quickly exited the stage while "Heaven I Need a Hug" played.

Kelly wasn't the only industry heavyweight who's had recent problems with the law to turn up for the show. Irv Gotti made his first appearance at a public event since the offices of Murder Inc. were raided a couple of weeks ago by the NYPD and federal agents (see "Drugs, Friends & Allegations: Inside The Murder Inc. Raid"). He did not address his problems as he accompanied Ja Rule and Ashanti onstage for their performances.

In fact, Gotti showed no signs of having any problems, yelling "I love my f---in' job," towards the end of the Inc.'s show, which capped off with "Mesmerize."

The night ended with surprise guest spots. Headliner Nas, who performed street bangers like "Ether," brought out Jadakiss and Ludacris for the remix of "Made You Look." AZ had joined his former partner in the Firm earlier.

Other surprises at Powerhouse were Erick Sermon bringing out his partner in EPMD, Parrish Smith, along with Redman, Method Man, Keith Murray and the long lost K-Solo. An old-school set was also featured. Along with Doug E. Fresh, who was on the bill, Greg Nice, Big Daddy Kane, and Dres from Black Sheep gave surprise performances.

Notable in her absence, though, was Eve, who had been scheduled to play the concert. No reason was given for her departure from the bill.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• R. Kelly
• Nas
• Ja Rule
• Fat Joe
• Ashanti

KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Furious Five, more live at the Paradise Theater

• KRS-One
• Big Daddy Kane
• Furious Five

Performances From Pre-Grammy Parties

• Kanye West
• The Fugees
• John Legend
• Alicia Keys
• Fantasia

• Big Daddy Kane