Christina Aguilera
Photo: MTV News

When informed of the title of Snoop Dogg's latest single, "From Tha Chuuuch to Da Palace," B2K's J-Boog mused, "In a minute, nobody's going to be speaking English anymore."

If music's growing leniency toward spelling is any indication, he could be on to something.

Scan the latest charts and you'll notice dozens of misspelled words, including some of the year's hottest singles — Nelly's "Hot in Herre," Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," Aaliyah's "I Care 4 U," 3LW's "Neva Get Enuf," LL Cool J's "Luv U Better" and Nappy Roots' "Po' Folks," to name a few.

And it's not just pop and rap. Country star Shania Twain's new single is "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!," while R&B singer Daniel Bedingfield's is "Gotta Get Thru This."

So what prompted this unusual trend? Elementary school teachers everywhere will be happy to know it's not a case of our entertainer role models forgetting their ABCs.

Artists say it's about making songs their own.

"'Dirrty's spelled D-i-r-r-t-y was a way for me to kind of personalize it," Christina Aguilera explained of her sexy single, which she also considered spelling "Dirtee" and "Dirrdy." "I felt like having two r's, kind of like grrr, like when you say it you want to go, 'Dirrrty,' 'cause that's how it's supposed to be. Gritty, like the video, [with] underground, illegal stuff going on."

With thousands of new songs written every year, misspelling the titles has also become a way to stand out from the pack. According to an All Music Guide search, more than 30 artists have recorded a song called "Dirty." Only one has recorded a "Dirrty."

"I think what it does is it makes the song, or at least the title, inherent with the artist," explained producer Jimmy Jam (Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey). "When you see 'Hot in Herre' with two r's, you know it's Nelly. But you know there could be another song called 'Hot in Here.' When you see it spelled his way, you know it's Nelly."

Actually, there are two "Hot in Here"s by other artists, according to AMG. And, in the age of the Internet, "you have to pay attention to how the songs are spelled," Jimmy Jam pointed out. A recent Yahoo search for "Hot in Here" turned up 4,490,000 pages, while "Hot in Herre" turned up a more manageable 38,800 pages.

Misspellings are all the rage these days, but it's been around in music for decades. Bands have long spelled their names incorrectly, even the biggest band of all time, the Beatles. Now there's Korn, Musiq and Puddle of Mudd, to name a few.

As for song titles, though, the most influential misspeller was Prince, dating back to "Jack U Off" from his 1981 album, Controversy. Now all of his titles, liner notes and Web postings are written in his own shorthand spelling, as seen on 1999's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, which featured "Hot Wit U."

"I'm still trying to figure out what Prince does," said K-Ci of K-Ci & JoJo. "But I love it."

Hip-hop artists were quick to disregard traditional spelling, particularly N.W.A, whose 1987 self-titled album featured "Tuffest Man Alive" and whose 1998 disc, Straight Outta Compton, has "F--- Tha Police," "If It Ain't Ruff" and "I Ain't Tha 1."

Nowadays you'd be hard-pressed to find a rap album without "tha," "ya," "watcha," "gotta" or "wanna" on it, and the trend doesn't look to be going away anytime soon. (Interestingly, one of hip-hop's most influential groups, Run-DMC, never misspelled, even avoiding the common "sucka" on 1984's "Sucker MCs.")

"It gives a song a great deal of identity," explained K-Ci. "Like me, when I'm writing lyrics on a sheet of paper, if it's 'I Love You,' I don't write it like that."

Jimmy Jam, who said he doesn't think he's ever released a song that was misspelled, believes there's room for both proper and improper English.

"[Janet Jackson's] 'All for You' was going to be the number 4 on the original track sheet, but before we put it out we asked which way and she said normal," Jam recalled. "If it's for a gimmicky song, then I think she feels it's kind of cool, but if it's straightforward, let's do it normal. We don't want people to trip out on it."

'Cuz trippin' out would B badd.

• Christina Aguilera
• Jimmy Jam
• K-Ci & JoJo
• Snoop Dogg
• Avril Lavigne

K-Ci & JoJo
Photo: MCA Records

There's no hidden meaning in the title of K-Ci & JoJo's upcoming album, Emotional.

"We have a lot of songs dealing with a lot of emotions," K-Ci explained of the duo's fourth record, due November 26. "K-Ci & JoJo do songs about what goes on in relationships, it don't necessarily have to be about our personal experiences. We just want to write songs people can relate to."

For instance, Emotional's Rodney Jerkins-produced mid-tempo first single, "It's Me," is about discovering your lover is a gold digger. Nzingha Stewart (Bilal, Common) directed the video.

One subject that didn't come up in writing material for the album is K-Ci's arrest last year for indecent exposure (see "K-Ci To Serve Probation, Pay $945 Fine For 'Jingle Ball' Incident"). The singer said the incident was a misunderstanding and he hasn't thought about it much since.

"What happened was, if you know K-Ci & JoJo, you know I love to go into the audience," he explained. "And what happened was I jumped in and got back onstage, and without my knowledge they had ripped my belt off. My pants were soaking wet and falling down and I don't know what happened, but I would never do anything like that. There wasn't nothing but kids in the audience. I'm a proud father of two children and I would never disrespect someone else's children."

"This Very Moment," a ballad K-Ci likened to their hit "All My Life," will be the second single. Written and produced by backup singer Tim Owens, the song will also appear on the soundtrack to the LL Cool J film "All About Eva."

Other producers on Emotional include Mike "Smoove" Bell, Babyboy and Babyface, who collaborated on "Down for Life."

"Face respects our talent, that's why I love working with him," JoJo said. "He'll put you on that street, but you need to know when to stop and when to go and how fast to drive. He lets you get involved and be yourself."

K-Ci & JoJo will promote the follow-up to 2000's X (see "K-Ci & JoJo Celebrate 10 Years With X") with a tour set to kick off next year with Gerald Levert and Dave Hollister. "We're going to call it Ladies Night or Ladies Only," JoJo said.

The duo, brothers Cedric and Joel Hailey, have also written more than 100 songs with Dalvin DeGrate and DeVante Swing for the first album from Jodeci in seven years, due next spring.

"It's going to sound like [classic] Jodeci," K-Ci said. "We don't want no outside producers, nothing but ourselves."

• K-Ci & JoJo

K-Ci
Photo: Eufloria

Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey will serve two years of probation and pay $945 in fines for an incident at last year's KIIS-FM Jingle Ball that led to him being charged with lewd conduct.

Hailey, who pleaded no contest to the charges in May, was sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday. He's due back in court on July 20 to pay his fine, according to a spokesperson for the court.

On December 16, about 150 people fled the Jingle Ball at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and told officers that the singer had "grabbed himself at different stages of erection," according to official records (see "Police Hunt K-Ci For Allegedly Exposing Himself Onstage"). About 4,000 people, including hundreds of children, were at the show, which also featured Christina Aguilera and 98°.

• K-Ci & JoJo

Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey
Photo: Eufloria

Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey pleaded no contest Thursday to four lewd conduct charges stemming from an incident in December when he allegedly exposed himself during a Los Angeles concert.

His lawyer told the Los Angeles Times, "It was in his best interest to put this matter behind him. He's regretful of what happened. He just got caught up in the moment." The K-Ci & JoJo singer had maintained his innocence as late as May 1 — at a K-Ci & JoJo show at New York's Beacon Theater that night, K-Ci said to the crowd, "Have you ever been falsely accused? Have you ever been falsely accused, my brother? But I'm all right. I'm all right" (see "K-Ci & JoJo Heat Things Up, But Pants Stay On"). On December 16, about 150 people fled the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball at the Shrine Auditorium and told officers that the singer had "grabbed himself at different stages of erection," according to official records (see "Police Hunt K-Ci For Allegedly Exposing Himself Onstage"). About 4,000 people, including hundreds of children, were at the show, which also featured Christina Aguilera and 98 Degrees.

Hailey, who was not present when his lawyer entered the plea, will probably receive community service when he's sentenced on June 5, the newspaper said.

K-Ci & JoJo are on tour, and will play the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan on May 9.

• K-Ci & JoJo

K-Ci & JoJo
Photo: Eufloria

NEW YORK — Singing siblings K-Ci & JoJo stopped off in their "second hometown" Tuesday night at the Beacon Theatre, and the performance was everything fans have come to expect from the 10-year vets — soulful crooning, twice as many gyrations as singing riffs and K-Ci taking his clothes off.

The duo, dressed in burgundy and green, started their show with "Ooh Yeah." Singing about all the "K-Ci & JoJo haters," they came out and were greeted by women who left their seats to come to the front of the auditorium.

"I touched it!" screamed an overly enthused fan who reached up and copped a feel of JoJo's family jewels while he sang "Last Night's Letter." And while ladies stayed excited throughout the show, the heat was turned up during one of K-Ci's solo portions of the set. Taking his shoes and shirt off, a bare-chested K-Ci began a fiery version of his remake of Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now." He climbed to the top of one the 10-foot-plus-high speakers on the stage and shook his moneymaker for the swooning fans. Then he climbed down and went into the crowd, singing as he walked up the aisles.

"Lady, I wanna let you know/ I can't be in two places at one time," he sang as security guards tried to hold back the women attempting to grope him. K-Ci, the more flamboyant of the brothers, then motioned for people to get out their chairs and climbed into the first few rows, walking on the armrests of the chairs, dripping sweat on the audience while giving them an up-close and personal performance. He ended the song in dramatic fashion, making his way back onstage and lying on the floor.

"Y'all thought I was going to take off my pants, but I fooled y'all," he joked as he stood up, referring to the lewd conduct and indecent exposures charges he was hit with after a December concert in Los Angeles (see "Police Hunt K-Ci For Allegedly Exposing Himself At Concert ").

"You'se a bad muthaf---er," JoJo told his brother as he came back onstage. JoJo then sang Jodeci's "Lately" before engaging his brother in a friendly battle for the crowd's affection. JoJo went through a few minutes of scatting, while K-Ci was able to sneak in a few screams of "Yeaaaaaaahhhhhh!" The two even playfully tussled on the floor, with K-Ci teasing JoJo by taking his microphone.

K-Ci momentarily stopped the show to make an announcement. "This may be the last time you see K-Ci & JoJo perform together," he said with a smile. "Jodeci! You know what I'm talking about." Judging from the crowd at the Beacon, the Jodeci reunion album is highly anticipated. K-Ci & JoJo's medley of several Jodeci songs, including "Stay," "Feenin'," "Come & Talk to Me" and "Cry for You," got the biggest response of the night.

"That's' what I'm talking about," one of the women in the audience said. "Take me back to '91 (the year Jodeci's first album came out). That's what I been waiting all night for." The night took a serious tone as the concert ended. Coming back into the crowd, K-Ci started a sermonlike testimonial, standing in the aisles he requested be cleared.

"I know you heard a lot of stuff about me," he said. "Some good, some bad, but I don't care about none of that sh--." He then stood on the armrest of an empty chair and took the crowd to church. "Have you ever been falsely accused?" he defiantly asked. "Have you ever been falsely accused, my brother? But I'm all right. I'm all right." "I grew up in a poor family," he begin to sing, "and all we had was God." He then joined his brother onstage and went into a raucous extended version of "Life." The Hailey brothers ended their almost 90-minute set when JoJo brought a preteen girl onstage and the two gave her a rose, serenading her with their song "All My Life." Earlier in the evening, Case opened the concert, and, ironically, exposed a bit of himself to the crowd. During his finale of "Touch Me Tease Me," he unbuttoned his pants and gave the audience a peek at his underwear.

Jon B. was next, and he tried to get the crowd pumped up by enticing them with snippets of Shyne's "Bad Boys" and Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s "Player's Anthem" before he came out. Equipped with a DJ, Jon infused hip-hop into parts of his set, playing the keyboard while his record spinner played parts of rap songs like Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments." Brooklyn rapper AZ joined the singer on "Layaway," and a few couples began dancing in the aisles as Jon closed with his current single, "Don't Talk." The K-Ci & JoJo Tour 2001 ends May 27.

• K-Ci & JoJo
• Jodeci

Case
Photo: Def Jam

Def Soul singer Case, whose Open Letter hits stores April 24, has been given a liberty most artists don't get: on-the-job training.

After selling more than a million copies of his Foxy Brown-featured "Touch Me Tease Me" (which first appeared on the soundtrack to "The Nutty Professor"), Case's 1996 self-titled debut flopped.

He was given the proverbial "one hit wonder" tag.

"It never really bothered me," Case, born Case Woodard, said with a smile. "I love to be the underdog. When people were saying that, I kinda liked that, because I knew what I had up my sleeve." Case's bag of tricks included a new, smoother musical direction (the first time out, he sang over many hip-hop flavored loops) and future hits, such as the nuptial anthem "Happily Ever After," which he was writing for his second LP, 1999's Personal Conversation. "I was the first to get signed to Def Soul," Case said of the Def Jam subsidiary whose roster includes Sisqó, Musiq Soulchild and Kelly Price. "That's why my relationship with them is different. As they messed up, I messed up. We grew together. Now I'm at the space where I wanna be, as far as the music that I'm doing, and they're where they supposed to be, as far as the business side of it." On his latest project, Case's comfort level was the highest it's been.

"[The first album] wasn't me at all," said Case, who grew up in Brooklyn and Mount Vernon, New York. "I had my vision of what I wanted to do, then I had this person's vision, and this person's vision. What happens is, you end up losing what you're trying to do. The second album, I had a little bit of that, but not as much. That's why I look at this as my first album. Def Jam literally gave me the money and said, 'Don't come back till you're finished.' When it goes like that, whether the album goes good or bad, you have nobody to blame." Just as his second LP does, Open Letter finds Case addressing the people he's known most intimately. "I didn't really have a game plan going into this album," he said. "I had the title of the album maybe four or five months before we started. I wanted it to be a whole bunch of letters to specific people. Instead of mailing the letters and mailing them, I put 'em on the CD, so everybody could hear them. It wasn't bashing nobody like, 'I'ma get you.' It was just like you're in a relationship and something might happen, and you might not [say] everything you want to say." On "Love of My Life," Case sings about the one that got away because of not being able to communicate. "It was this girl I was dealing with, you could tell she liked me and wanted to get with me," said the singer, who credits fellow Mount Vernon native, Al B. Sure, for helping him develop his songwriting and music arranging skills. "I was mature enough to handle it then, but it was just something about that situation. Neither one of us knew how to move on it. I liked her and wanted to get with her, but I was scared to say the wrong things. She was scared. It stayed there until we drifted apart." Case, who used to date Mary J. Blige, is seeing his heartache pay dividends as the album's first single, "Missing You," is garnering heavy spins on the radio. His second single, "Not Your Friend" (whose video will be shot in Los Angeles on April 6 and 7) is a little livelier and more uptempo. The cut finds his girlfriend's girlfriend trying to have an affair. Tim & Bob, who contributed five tracks to the album, produced both of those tracks. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson also help out; Case is so close to "Uncle Charlie" that he has Lil Gapper tattooed on his arm, signifying his honorary membership in the group.

Case will promote his album with a tour starting April 8 in Austin, Texas, and winding up in San Diego on June 2.

Case tour dates, according to his publicist:

• 4/8 - Austin, TX @ University of Texas
• 4/9 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theater
• 4/20 - Lubbock, TX @ West TX Canyon Amphitheatre
• 4/21 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
• 4/22 - New Orleans, LA @ Lakefront Arena
• 4/26 - Miami, FL @ Sunrise Theatre
• 4/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Hi Fi Buys Amphitheatre
• 4/29 - Nashville, TN @ Hi Fi Buys Amphitheatre
• 5/2 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
• 5/4 - TBA
• 5/9 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theater
• 5/10 - Moline, IL @ Mark of Quad Cities
• 5/12 - Columbia, MO @ Hearne's Arena
• 5/13 - Springfield, IL @ Prairie Capital Convention Center
• 5/16 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
• 5/19 - Hartford, CT @ Connecticut Expo Center
• 5/20 - Pittsburgh, PA @ I.C. Light Amphitheatre
• 5/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater
• 5/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Universal Amphitheater
• 5/27 - Santa Clara, CA @ Great American Theme Park
• 6/2 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheater

• K-Ci & JoJo
• Jon B.
• Dave Hollister
• Case

K-Ci
Photo: Kwaku Alston

K-Ci & JoJo will ride the momentum of a "Crazy" few months into a 17-city North American tour to kick off April 19 in Houston.

The R&B duo will promote its third album, X, named after the 10 years the two brothers have been singing together, including their work in the group Jodeci.

Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey have seen both highs and lows recently. Their single "Crazy," which appeared on X and the "Save the Last Dance" soundtrack, has been their biggest hit since 1996's "All My Life," the sultry ballad from the triple-platinum album Love Always. But the brothers have garnered equal attention for K-Ci's alleged display of his genitals at a radio station festival in December. Los Angeles police investigated the singer for several months and arrested him on March 13 on 23 counts of indecent exposure and one count of lewd conduct (see "K-Ci Charged With Indecent Exposure, Lewd Conduct"). He is scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on April 11, eight days before the tour begins.

K-Ci, who recently declared his innocence, also faces charges of nuisance, infliction of emotional distress and negligence in a civil case filed by one of the families in attendance at KIIS-FM's Jingle Ball, December 16 at the Shrine Auditorium.

Before heading out on tour, K-Ci & JoJo plan to continue work on an upcoming Jodeci album, which the duo recently said would be released by the end of the year.

K-Ci & JoJo tour dates, according to MCA Records:

• 4/19 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theater
• 4/20 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Myriad Arena
• 4/21 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
• 4/22 - New Orleans, LA @ Lakefront Arena
• 4/26 - Miami, FL @ Knight Center
• 4/27 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
• 5/3 - Syracuse, NY @ Turning Stone Casino
• 5/4 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
• 5/5 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
• 5/9 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
• 5/11 - Merrillville, IN @ Star Plaza Theatre
• 5/13 - Springfield, IL @ Prairie Capital Convention Center
• 5/16 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
• 5/18 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal
• 5/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater
• 5/26 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheater
• 6/2 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheater

• K-Ci & JoJo

Three months after he allegedly displayed his genitals onstage in Los Angeles, Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey was charged Tuesday with 23 counts of indecent exposure and one count of lewd conduct, law-enforcement officials said.

The K-Ci & JoJo singer will be arraigned in a Los Angeles courtroom April 11. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the indecent exposure counts and six months behind bars and a $1,000 fine for the lewd conduct count, according to Deputy City Attorney Phyllis F. Henderson.

MCA Records, K-Ci & JoJo's label, would not comment, because the case is pending litigation. Henderson could not release the name of Hailey's lawyer, because the singer has not appeared in court. Representatives for Hailey were unavailable for comment.

Hailey recently declared his innocence, noting, "If y'all know K-Ci, y'all know K-Ci didn't do it. I wouldn't do nothing vulgar like that in front of kids, because I have children myself — an 8-year-old and a 2-year-old. I would not allow my child to see anything like that." Police have been investigating the incident since the evening of December 16, when about 150 people stormed out of KIIS-FM's annual Jingle Ball at the Shrine Auditorium and told officers on patrol that Hailey "grabbed himself at different stages of erection," according to records.

About 4,000 people, including hundreds of children, were at the concert, which also featured Christina Aguilera, 98 Degrees and Third Eye Blind.

One of the families that issued a complaint, Robert and Robin Garcia and their teenage daughter, Rachel, is suing Hailey for nuisance, infliction of emotional distress and negligence. A date has not been set for the case.

Several popular musicians have faced indecent exposure charges in the past, but none has actually served significant jail time for the offense.

The most famous case was Doors singer Jim Morrison's arrest for allegedly simulating masturbation and oral sex during a Miami concert in 1969. The case dragged on for nearly a year before the charges were dropped.

The late Lynn Strait of the hard-rock band Snot was arrested at an Ozzfest stop in Massachusetts in 1998 after emerging naked from a prop toilet — part of fellow Ozzfest performers Limp Bizkit's stage set. Strait was killed in a car accident before the case got to court.

And Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong paid $141.85 bail after he was arrested in Milwaukee in 1995 for exposing his buttocks.

• K-Ci & JoJo

K-Ci
Photo: Kwaku Alston

Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey's alleged indecent exposure incident may be "dead as stink" in his eyes, but criminal and civil charges are still pending against the K-Ci & JoJo singer.

At Monday's Soul Train Awards, Hailey spoke about the accusations for the first time, saying, "If y'all know K-Ci, y'all know K-Ci didn't do it." The ceremony was his first public appearance since the December 16 concert at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, where he allegedly exposed his genitals and then fled the scene.

"All I can say is, any listeners know I wouldn't do nothing vulgar like that in front of kids, because I have children myself — an 8-year-old and a 2-year-old. I would not allow my child to see anything like that. But that's dead as stink now. I don't even think about it no more." Hailey was charged with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, after several families stormed out of KIIS-FM's annual Jingle Ball and told officers on patrol that the singer "grabbed himself at different stages of erection," according to police records.

One of those families, Robert and Robin Garcia and their teenage daughter, Rachel, of Anaheim, California, later sued Hailey for nuisance, infliction of emotional distress and negligence. The Garcia family's lawyer did not return phone calls, but a clerk at the Los Angeles Superior Court, where the suit was filed, said no date has been set for the case.

As for the criminal charges, the Los Angeles Police Department is still investigating the incident and Hailey has not yet been arraigned. A spokesperson for the LAPD said officials were having trouble confiscating videotape of the K-Ci & JoJo performance.

Hailey and JoJo (brother Joel Hailey), who released the K-Ci and JoJo album X last year, are working on a new album with their original group, Jodeci.

• K-Ci & JoJo

Shaggy
Photo: Jason Campbell

Though their lead is shrinking, the Beatles will continue to hold onto the #1 spot on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart, staving off dancehall Hotshot Shaggy by a margin of 12,000 copies.

According to sales figures issued by SoundScan on Wednesday, The Beatles 1 sold more than 215,000 copies last week to maintain its position atop the charts, with Hotshot selling some 203,000 copies to finish at #2.

One of the biggest chart moves comes from the "Save the Last Dance" soundtrack, which features tracks by K-Ci & JoJo, 112, Lucy Pearl, Q-Tip, Pink and more. The companion album to the box-office-topping film managed to pop and lock its way to the #3 spot with 172,000 copies sold, up from 76,000 copies and the #11 spot last week.

Despite the sales increases posted by Hotshot and the "Save the Last Dance" album, The Beatles will likely face their stiffest chart competition next week, as Jennifer Lopez's just-released second album, J.Lo, may put an end to The Beatles 1's seven-week run at #1.

The rest of the next week's top 10 features most of the usual suspects from the last few weeks, with Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 5 at #4 with 112,000 copies sold, followed by Creed's Human Clay (102,000), Sade's Lovers Rock (88,000), and Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (85,000).

Rounding out the remainder of the top 10 are Dido's No Angel at #8 (78,000 copies sold), Outkast's Stankonia (78,000), and Lenny Kravitz's Greatest Hits (78,000).

Fledgling rap-rockers Crazy Town look to crack the upper echelon of next week's Billboard 200, as the Los Angeles group's debut, The Gift of Game, moved up to #16 from #23 on the charts, fueled by the hit single "Butterfly." Crazy Town's recent success with The Gift of Game has been a study in patience and endurance; the album was initially released in October 1999 but didn't reach the Billboard 200 until nine weeks ago.

Other movers and shakers on the charts include a pair of movie-related albums. The "Coyote Ugly" soundtrack jumped up from #110 to #39, benefiting from last week's release of the film on video and DVD, while the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack climbs from #59 to #41. The only record set to debut in the new Billboard 200 comes courtesy of country stalwarts Alabama, whose When It All Goes South will enter the charts at #37, with more than 37,000 copies sold during its first week in stores.

• The Beatles
• Shaggy
• K-Ci & JoJo
• 112
• Lucy Pearl

K-Ci & JoJo

• K-Ci & JoJo