Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in March 2000
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

The second solo album by the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who died in a 2002 car accident, will finally see the light of day. The long-awaited 12-track album, Eye-Legacy, will hit stores November 11, according to XXLmag.com. It features previously unreleased vocals from the TLC rapper and collaborations with Chamillionaire, Lil Mama, Bobby Valentino and Missy Elliott, who appears on the first single, "Let's Just Do It."

The LP is being released through Mass Appeal Entertainment, in conjunction with the Lopes family. It will also feature songs from Lopes' 2001 solo debut, "Supernova," which was never released in the U.S. UrbanNetwork.com reports that a duet with late rapper Tupac Shakur called "Legendary" will also appear on the disc.

"We hope people understand the message in Lisa's music and appreciate her as not just a member of TLC, but as a solo artist as well," the Lopes family said in a statement. "This album is Left Eye's musical gift to her fans and adds to the beauty of her legacy."

A percentage of the proceeds from the album sales will go to the Lisa Lopes Foundation and her orphanage in Honduras, according to UrbanNetwork. In April 2002, Lopes was vacationing in the Central American country when the SUV she was driving flipped over. Lopes was the only fatality among the eight passengers in the vehicle. She was 30.

In May 2007, VH1 premiered "Last Days of Left Eye," a documentary culled together from video footage Lopes took during her trip.

• Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
• TLC

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Whenever an anniversary of the death of a beloved musician comes around, it's always difficult to believe that they've been gone for so long. Last year made a decade since Tupac Shakur left us and last month marked 10 years since the Notorious B.I.G. passed away. Wednesday (April 25) is five years to the day TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died. She was 30.

Like 2Pac and Biggie, Left Eye, of course, left a whole legacy of music and memorable media moments to remember her by. But what we didn't know until now is that the self-proclaimed "crazy" third of TLC left even more behind. The hip-hop singer documented the last month of her life in video form, and that footage will soon be made available for the public to see in the VH1 doc "Last Days of Left Eye."

Lopes died in a car accident on April 25, 2002, while in Honduras, where she had gone for spiritual and physical healing. She went there on a 30-day pilgrimage with family and friends and was killed just a few days before her scheduled return to the U.S.

"Last Days of Left Eye" tells her story not just in the Honduras — she originally went there in 1997 to study with controversial natural healer Dr. Sebi and kept returning — but also the beginning of her life, her career and into its tragic conclusion.

Much like MTV Films' "Tupac: Resurrection," "Last Days of Left Eye" lets the pop star tell her own story through interviews she taped in the Honduras as well as a slew of unreleased home videos, photos and famous footage from the vaults of television outlets such as MTV. Laurin Lazin, who directed and wrote the Tupac movie, also directed and wrote the Lopes project.

Left Eye rarely shied away from a camera or microphone — well, except after some well-publicized TLC no-shows, and another time when she went missing for a few days, but it turned out she was just spending some quality time with her boyfriend (footage of which is in the movie).

Still, over the course of Lopes' career, fans got to feel that they knew her intimately. That was one of the keys to TLC's success — not only were they talented, but they were easily one of the most publicly identifiable groups of their generation, thanks also to TLC's efforts to raise awareness about contraceptive devices.

"Last Days," though, gives some new insights that even devout Lopes fans may not have known about. How did Left Eye become such a rebel? She talks in depth about her childhood and how she became the woman we came to know. Maybe the most revealing chapter in the film deals with her infamous relationship with fiance/ NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Rison. Lopes breaks down the violent night of fighting that led to her burning down his Atlanta mansion — "I was just trying to barbecue his tennis shoes," she later explained — and reveals more about the trials of their relationship.

Left Eye was drawn to go to the Honduras for the final time after Arista Records declined to release her solo LP, Supernova. She was upset and needed to take a break, and Honduras seemed like the perfect refuge where she could reflect. She had been involved in a separate car accident in which a local boy — who had the same last name as the singer — was killed. Left Eye said that "spirit" was chasing her, and she started foreshadowing more death. The footage of her in the Honduras goes almost to the exact moment of the other car accident, in which she was killed. She was driving an SUV with six other people when she lost control of the vehicle. Left Eye was the only one victim.

Last week in Atlanta, VH1 held a screening of the movie as part of the Atlanta Film Festival with several of Left Eye's friends and admirers — Monica, Ron DeVoe of New Edition, 112, Big Boi, Rico Wade, India.Arie and Cee-Lo were all in attendance. Lopes' family, who supplied much of the footage to VH1, was there as well. After the movie, many took time to reflect on the late singer's life.

"A lot of people were coming up to me and asking me about different things in the movie, but I was learning a lot from it myself," Cee-Lo said of the event.

Lopes would have turned 36 on May 27. "Last Days of Left Eye" debuts on VH1 and VH1 Soul on May 19 at 9 p.m.

For complete coverage on the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes tragedy, see Remembering Left Eye: The Lisa Lopes Reports.

• MTV News: Remembering Left Eye

• Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
• TLC

A monument to Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes will be erected on land the TLC rapper purchased in the Honduran town of La Ceiba before she was killed in a car accident there a year ago. The memorial will be unveiled on May 27. ...

Michael Jackson, who went to war last year with Sony Music, is now suing his old record label Motown, seeking unpaid royalties and rights to his catalog. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Motown Records and its Universal Music parent company of reneging on the terms of a 1980 agreement that settled an acrimonious split from Motown by Jackson and his brothers in 1976. ...

Stevie Wonder, Musiq, Erykah Badu and Babyface are scheduled to join P. Diddy, Nappy Roots, Jaheim and Maze, among others, at the three-day Essence Music Festival. Taking place July 3-5 at New Orleans' Superdome, the festival covers five stages and will be emceed by a variety of hosts including Jamie Foxx and A.J. Jamal. Previously announced appearances by Nelly and the St. Lunatics and Luther Vandross have been canceled, as Vandross remains hospitalized following last month's stroke and Nelly is spearheading a national bone-marrow drive to save the life of his sister Jackie Donahue, who is suffering from leukemia. Various other celebrities will be involved in the "Jes Us 4 Jackie" program, which will set up nine donor test locations on June 21 in New York, Los Angeles and Nelly's stomping grounds of St. Louis. The drive will be publicized in public service announcements on radio and television. ...

AFI are shooting a video this week for "The Leaving Song, Pt. 2," the next single from their major-label debut, Sing the Sorrow. ... Alien Ant Farm have set an August 19 release date for their as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2001's ANThology. Robert and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots produced the album. ...

After doing two movies in the U.K., Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, has relocated to Hollywood to advance her film career. "I did a BBC drama, where I play a very loose woman, to put it that way, so maybe something more straight this time," Brown said of the sorts of roles she is looking for. When asked the odds of a Spice Girls reunion, she said, "I doubt it. Maybe when we're like 40." ... Rev Run will double as Father Fashion when his Run Athletics clothing company launches its men's active wear line in the fall. The urban outfits will consists of T-shirts, fleece wear, caps and jogging suits. ...

This fall, shooting begins on the film "Miss June," a new adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth," starring Courtney Love as Lady Macbeth. The movie will be produced by Luc Besson and directed by Vincent Regan. ... June Carter Cash, wife of Johnny Cash and member of pioneering country group the Carter Family, is in critical condition in a Nashville hospital following complications from heart surgery on Wednesday. June co-wrote Johnny's 1963 hit "Ring of Fire," about the couple's love for one another, and married the man in black five years later. ...

Organizers of the U.K.'s long-running Glastonbury Festival are asking for help selecting which of the main-stage artists they've captured on film since 1994 should be included on an upcoming Glastonbury DVD. Music fans are being invited to visit www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/dyn/dvd/ and vote from an extensive list of performers that includes Beck, Beastie Boys, the Verve, Oasis, Foo Fighters, PJ Harvey, Page & Plant, Prodigy, Radiohead, Tori Amos, Hole, Moby, Coldplay and the White Stripes. This year's festival, featuring Radiohead and R.E.M., among several others, will take place in late June. ...

Punk, hardcore, indie rock and metalcore merchants Reggie and the Full Effect, Black Cross, Midtown, Bouncing Souls, the Explosion, Burnt By the Sun, the Hope Conspiracy and A Static Lullaby are just a few of the bands scheduled to take part in this summer's Krazy Fest 6. Initial Records' annual event will take place the weekend of August 1 at the Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Former Marvelous 3 singer Butch Walker, who has produced albums for Injected and SR-71, will work with Sevendust on the band's fourth release, due in the fall. Sessions will begin in two weeks in Walker's Ruby Red Studios in Atlanta. ... Walker recently logged three songs with Bowling for Soup, including "Punk Rock 101," the follow-up single to "Girl All the Bad Guys Want." The song will be included on a three-song EP, along with "Smile" and a cover of A Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran." ...

05.09.03

Lil' Mo has changed her mind and decided to respond to the musical barbs thrown at her by Ja Rule. On a new freestyle released to mixtapes, the singer raps over the beat to 50 Cent and Notorious B.I.G.'s "The Realest N---as": "Used to be homie, used to be my ace/ Now I wanna smack the taste out your mouth." Meanwhile, Mo's song "4 Ever" and her response record to 50's "21 Questions," "21 Answers," are getting major burn on the airwaves. ...

Artists Queen Latifah, Mya and Tyrese, and actors Adrien Brody, Josh Hartnett, Colin Farrell, Harrison Ford and Samuel L. Jackson are among the presenters for the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. The 12th annual show will be taped May 31 at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium for broadcast June 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Justin Timberlake and Seann William Scott will host the show. ...

P.O.D. have started to record their new album in a Los Angeles studio with Howard Benson, who also produced the band's last album, 2001's Satellite, and 1999's breakthrough, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. The LP, due in November, marks the first with new guitarist Jason Truby, who replaced founding member Marcos Curiel in February. ... Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin will host a candlelight vigil and prayer service for Luther Vandross on May 19 in Detroit. Vandross, who suffered a stroke on April 16, has yet to regain consciousness and remains in critical condition. Franklin will be joined by the Four Tops, the Ebenezer Mass Choir and others. ...

Videos by Christina Aguilera, Moby and No Doubt were big winners at the Music Video Production Association's annual awards show Thursday in Los Angeles. Other winners included Joseph Kahn for Rap Video of the Year for Eminem's "Without Me"; Michel Gondry for Alternative Video of the Year for the White Stripes' "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"; and Francis Lawrence for Pop Video of the Year for Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River." ... Renaissance rapper Wyclef Jean has started to record the follow-up to last year's Masquerade in New York's Platinum Sounds studio. Titled Preacher's Son, the album, expected to drop this fall, will be Clef's first LP for new label J Records, home to Alicia Keys and Busta Rhymes. ...

Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken and the other 10 "American Idol" finalists have been added to the lineup for KIIS-FM's Wango Tango concert May 17 in Pasadena, California. Kiss, Nelly and Christina Aguilera are headlining the festival. ... While there are no promises (yet) of a personal patchouli pack in every stateroom, there will be jam bands up the yin yang on the inaugural Jam Cruise, departing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on January 6. In addition to visiting ports of call in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, travelers will get to noodle dance for four days and four nights to Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, the Disco Biscuits, Galactic, Mofro, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and others. More information is available at www.jamcruise.com. ...

Thirteen old-school hip-hop videos are collected on the DVD "Lyricist Lounge: Hip-Hop Video Classics." The DVD, which features Run-DMC'S "Walk This Way," Chubb Rock's "Treat 'Em Right" and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend," among others, is due July 7. ... Mack 10 just released his "Mack 10 Ghetto, Gutter & Gangsta" DVD. Besides concert clips of the Mack and the members of the Westside Connection, the release contains behind-the-scenes footage of the West Coast MC and some of his friends, like E-40 and MC Eiht. Mack is currently working on the soundtrack to "Ghetto, Gutter and Gangsta," and like the DVD, it is said to contain appearances by Ice Cube and WC. ...  

Mars Volta, the band composed of ex-At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler (vocals) and Omar Rodriguez (guitar), will release their debut full-length album, De-Loused in the Comatorium, on June 24. The disc will be an epic concept album about a friend of the band's who took his own life. ...

• TLC
• Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
• Michael Jackson
• Nelly
• AFI

P. Diddy and Voletta Wallace at the fifth annual B.I.G. Night Out
Photo: Soul Brother

NEW YORK — In a perfect world, the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Big L, Big Pun, Aaliyah, Left Eye, Freaky Tah and Jam Master Jay would have all been with their mothers Tuesday night at the fifth annual B.I.G. Night Out. However, the harsh reality is that all the stars have passed on — most of them by violent means — leaving their families and friends to mourn.

But as the rappers' loved ones and associates who came out to participate in the yearly event put on by the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation filed in to the Metropolitan Pavilion, hardly any somber feelings were expressed. Attendees including Jay-Z, Iron Mike Tyson and the Rev. Al Sharpton came to rejoice. (Click here for photos from the event.)

"When I think about these events, I always say we're celebrating the lives of these artists," the Rev. Run, standing next to DMC, said. "They're not really dead. A little while ago I heard 'Sucker M.C.'s' playing [in the background]."

Every year the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation holds a black-tie dinner to raise funds for children's school equipment and supplies and to honor the memory of the Notorious B.I.G. (For the event, B.I.G., in addition to referencing Biggie's name, stands for Books Instead of Guns.) This year, not only was homage paid to Biggie and his mother, Voletta Wallace, but also to deceased superstars Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah Haughton, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Lamont "Big L" Coleman, Christopher "Big Pun" Rios, Raymond "Freaky Tah" Rogers and their mothers.

"We don't need to focus on why these people are gone, we need to focus on why we're here and what we can do," Run continued. "To come and honor Jay's mother is a tremendous thing. We rehearsed in Jay's living room. The turntables were at Jay's house. We spent nights at Jay's house. We left from Jay's house to go on tour. We sent buses to Jay's house to pick up all of the Hollis Crew to take them to Madison Square Garden."

"Their strength has helped us as a hip-hop nation to carry on," P. Diddy said in praise of the mothers.

"It's sad to say they've lost a lot of their sons, their daughters, through terrible tragedies," Ms. Wallace said of her fellow mothers in attendance. "Their children have contributed a lot to society but for some reason, those mothers are not being acknowledged and recognized. [Tonight] is just the foundation's way of saying we love them, we're thinking about them, their courage, their strength and [to say], 'Keep up the good work.' "

For some of the parents of the departed icons, keeping up the good work means turning toward the good book.

"I believe we have to leave it in the hands of God to correct us and help us so we can go on and live day by day," Connie Mizell, mother of Jam Master Jay, said about how the mothers should deal with the loss of their children. "If we suffer too long we won't be any good for the rest of the family. We can't fall by the wayside just because [our children] are gone. Jay's always there. There's not a day I don't smile and think about something he said or did. I want the other mothers to know that I'm coping. ... I'm doing more than coping, I'm OK." 

While Mrs. Mizell took her time in the spotlight to advise prayer, Big L's mother called to end the brutality. "I've lost two sons to street violence," Gilda Terry said. "It's a little harder for me tonight. There's so much going on in this world, we don't need the street violence, especially from our young people. They don't care about life anymore, it needs to change."

Seemingly, what will never change is the relevance of the artists' music. Even today, their classic material is standing the test of time.

"They spoke for the people, they spoke from the heart, they were revolutionaries of their time," Diddy said of why their music continues to be so popular. "These cats were the last of a dying breed with their words, actions and energy." 

"I was just saying it's a trip that music has changed so much in the last six years," Biggie's widow, Faith Evans, said. "And for these people to not be here ... it doesn't seem like they're not here. When you hear their songs it's certainly timeless. It's a proud feeling for myself and certainly all the mothers." 

With the exception of Afeni Shakur, all the invited mothers were in attendance and received the B.I.G. Heart Award and proclamations from New York City and New York State.

Hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari and Faith performed, however the highlight onstage was Patti LaBelle, who sang the Lord's Prayer. Before she began singing, the legendary crooner asked audience members, such as Mike Tyson, her "dog" P. Diddy and Foxy Brown, if her wig looked all right.

"Bless your wig," the Rev. Run yelled back to the stage.

"Ameeen," she sang minutes later, garnering a standing ovation.

— Shaheem Reid with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

• Notorious B.I.G.
• Diddy
• Faith Evans
• Run-D.M.C.
• Big L

Suge Knight
Photo: Tha Row

Suge Knight and his record label, Tha Row, have wrapped production on their first release of the year, and on March 25 they’ll extend an official invitation to the public to attend their gangsta party.

Knight will release the soundtrack to comedian Eddie Griffin’s upcoming biopic, "Dysfunktional Family." And even though Jay-Z, Ashanti and Juvenile have all contributed tracks, the majority of the album is comprised of new music from Knight’s own musical clan.

In addition to the first single, "Still Tha Row" by Crooked I and Virginya Slim, the album also includes "Too Street 4 T.V.," the first song the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes recorded as her alter ego, N.I.N.A.

According to a spokesperson for the project, the Miramax film "Dysfunktional Family" is a humorous, behind-the-scenes look at Griffin as he goes out on a series of stand-up dates and attends a family reunion.

The soundtrack to the flick is scheduled to be released on March 25, with the movie coming out right behind it on April 4.

Tha Row's rep also mentioned that the label has solo albums by N.I.N.A., Kurupt and Crooked I on tap for 2003.

Dysfunktional Family track list, according to a label spokesperson:

• Crooked I and Virginya Slim – "Still Tha Row"
• Kurupt – "I'm Back"
• Crooked I, Eastwood and Danny Boy – "Dysfunktional Family Theme"
• Jay-Z – "Hovi Baby" (remix)
• Juvenile, Skippa and Young Buck – "I'm a Gangsta"
• Eastwood and Crooked I – "We Ballin'"
• Eastwood, Crooked I, Ja Rule, Danny Boy – "Who Wants to F---"
• Crooked I, Eastwood, Danny Boy and Eddie Griffin – "I Thought U Knew"
• Michel’le – "I Know Where I’m Going"
• Skippa – "I’m on Tha Radio"
• N.I.N.A and Danny Boy – "Too Street 4 T.V."
• Ganxsta Ridd – "1 Call" (Real Talk)
• Eastwood – "Tha Formula"
• Spider and Eddie Griffin – "Dys-Funk-Tional"
• Eastwood, Spider, Ganxtsa Ridd - "Tha Row (Y'all Hoes)"
• Mack 10 - "Like It or Not"
• Ashanti - "All-My"
  Related Artists
  • Marion "Suge" Knight
  • Jay-Z
  • Kurupt
  • Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1469788/20030205/knight_marion_suge_.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1469788/20030205/knight_marion_suge_.jhtml 6 Feb 2003 10:02:00 EST T-Boz, Chilli break it down like late groupmate would have wanted.
  By Shaheem Reid

  
  TLC
  Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

  Three girls with three different personalities, giving three dimensions to the group, all coming at you on wax. That's the way Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes perceived herself and friends Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and that's how she conceived the title of TLC's fourth album, 3D.

  On Friday (September 13), Arista Records previewed tracks from the LP, which is due on November 12. Completing the album, which was unfinished when Left Eye was killed in April (see "Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes Killed In Car Accident"), was an emotional task for T-Boz and Chilli.

  "We promised to deliver the album, but it was a little bit of lip service, because we didn't know what we were going to do," said Arista head honcho L.A. Reid, who said that Left Eye will appear on five out of the 12 to 14 cuts that will make 3D.

  One song dedicated to Left Eye, "Turntable," serves as an inspirational life lesson on wax. Produced by Rodney Jerkins, the song tells people to persevere with the cards that life deals them. "Don't ask yourself why," Chilli advises while backed by guitars and martial drums. "Just point to the sky."

  On the other hand, the title track, produced by Dallas Austin, is all about bringing the noise. The bombastic, booty-shaking drum and bass on the song are reminiscent of Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad."

  Austin also produced the uptempo "Quickie," which will be the first single. The track playfully broaches being disappointed by a man who can't hit a home run in the bedroom because of lack of stroke in his bat.

  Left Eye starts the song off by telling everyone that she and girls are about to give a lesson on "Left pimping." "I'm T-Boz and I got it like that," her groupmate says as the song starts to flow. "Left Eye's dope/ She got it like that/ Chilli's fly/ She got it like that."

  From there, T-Boz sings about getting turned on by a guy who speaks proudly of his prowess over the phone, only to later be frustrated by his lack of stamina. "No, n-n-n-no he didn't," a scandalized Left Eye says before she takes guys to task for needing some "ginseng for the ping-ping" and raps about being "that imperial bitch."

  The female locker room verbiage is amped up further on "Girl Talk," produced by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement. The trio warn that it's a new day and when guys make that connection with a girl, they better work it or their lovers will spread the word on who's half-stepping. Left Eye exhorts that guys have to earn their pass, while her singing cohorts disclose, "Girls talk about the booty too."

  "I just want to have good times in your arms tonight/ If you feel my body/ It will free your mind," they sing on the sexed-down midtempo track "In My Arms Tonight." The Neptunes pull out the piano, drums, strings and synthesizers and mix in the old-school sensual feel of Michael Jackson and Prince on the song, which also features Chilli painting the scenario of a dream evening: "Let's ride tonight and forget what we've ever known/ No promises and nothing is set in stone." (Oddly enough, the Organized Noize camp uses a bevy of futuristic, Neptunes-sounding blings on "Give It to Me While It's HOT.")

  "Hands Up," which T-Boz co-wrote about a real-life situation, goes back to chastising guys. The Babyface & Darryl Simmons-produced ditty centers on time: Boz's man, who is having too good of a time, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. After telling T-Boz that he would be attending his Tuesday card game, he decides to hit the club. Unbeknownst to him, Boz and her girls have hit the same hotspot on the same night.

  "You had your hands up in the air/ Hoochies everywhere, all on you," she laments. "It's like I almost don't know you/ Tryin' to shake your ass, playa/ You don't even dance/ What's up with you?"

  A dirty dog is also the center of disdain on "So So Dumb," where the girls convey disgust for a dude who tries to cheat on his girlfriend with one of her friends.

  Missy Elliott and Timbaland both were at the helm of the control boards for "Dirty." The cut, which features the duo's bass-layered jungle rhythms, also serves as a way of honoring the spunky Lopes.

  "TLC is forever," T-Boz and Chilli insist. "When you come up in here, get your back up off the wall. Left Eye would want us to break it down like this." Missy comes in toward the end of the party, telling everyone, "Left Eye gets a moment of silence."

  For complete coverage on the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes tragedy, see Remembering Left Eye: The Lisa Lopes Reports.

  Related Artists
  • TLC
  • Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457526/20020913/tlc.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457526/20020913/tlc.jhtml 13 Sep 2002 06:14:00 EDT
  Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
  Photo: Jason Campbell

  The memory of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes will live on when TLC release their fourth album, 3D, on November 12, with the first single, "Quickie," arriving next month. Dallas Austin, Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, the Neptunes and Organized Noize are among the producers on the LP; its title and artwork were dreamed up by Lopes, who was killed in a car crash in April before the record was completed. ... Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and former All Saints star Nicole Appleton have gotten engaged, the latter told Reuters on Friday. Gallagher was last married to actress Patsy Kensit, while Appleton is the former fiancée of Robbie Williams. ...
  
  Phantom Planet were forced to cancel Friday and Saturday's (September 13-14) shows in Albany, New York, and Worcester, Massachusetts, respectively, because singer Alex Greenwald has laryngitis. The band's tour with Superdrag continues through September 20, after which they'll open 12 shows for Elvis Costello. ... Just weeks after his #1 Hits collection hits stories, Elvis Presley will be celebrated again with the release of the covers album A Tribute to the King, due October 22. The 13-track compilation features covers by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson & Leon Russell, Fine Young Cannibals, Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran. ... A Montreal radio station ceased playing a parody of Celine Dion's "I'm Alive," in which the singer is referred to as "annoying," after husband/manager Rene Angelil accused them of violating copyright laws. Angelil has also warned the station's parent company, the Radio Energie network, and eight other of its stations not to play any Dion songs in the future. ...
  
  While in Los Angeles for a show with his side project, the Minus 5, this week, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck stopped by Pete Yorn's studio to record mandolin parts for the singer/songwriter's second album. Buck and Yorn last collaborated on the radio version of "Strange Condition," from Yorn's debut, Musicforthemorningafter. ... AFI have begun recording their follow-up to 2000's The Art of Drowning. Garbage's Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and Jerry Finn (Blink-182, Green Day) are producing. ...
  
  To celebrate the release of the turntablism documentary "Scratch" on DVD Tuesday, Mix Master Mike and DJ Z-Trip will perform at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles. Z-Trip's film "How to Rock a Party" is included in the two-disc DVD, along with extended interviews with Mix Master Mike, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow and others. ... "Scrubs" star Zach Braff will direct the video for Lazlo Bane's "Superman," which is the show's theme song and the first single from its soundtrack. Due September 24, the album features the Eels, Butthole Surfers, Shawn Mullins and others, as well as Men At Work's Colin Hay, who will appear on the show on September 26. ...
  
  A three-disc, 65-song box set celebrating the struggle for freedom in America, Freedom: Songs From the Heart of America, will be released on November 19, featuring songs from Bruce Springsteen ("Chimes of Freedom"), Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A-Changin' ") and Johnny Cash ("Song of the Patriot"). Also included on the set — a companion to an 8-hour PBS special hosted by Katie Couric and narrated by Christopher Reeve — are inspiring numbers from Simon & Garfunkel, Sly Stone, Keb Mo', the Isley Brothers and Woody Guthrie. ...
  
  09.12.02
  
  Disturbed will shoot the video for their next single, "Remember," during a concert at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on September 17, the same day their second album, Believe, is released. The group will also promote the disc with in-stores at Tower Records on L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard on September 16 and at Rolling Stones in Chicago on September 19. ... The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, DJ Shadow's The Private Press, Björk's Vespertine and Doves' The Last Broadcast, are among the LPs that will vie for the second annual Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music at a concert/ceremony at Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theater on October 29. Judges including Beck, Alanis Morissette, Metallica's Lars Ulrich and the Neptunes have narrowed a list of more than 70 albums down to 10 finalists, all of which must have sold fewer than 500,000 copies in order to qualify. ... Carlos Santana will give the first glimpse of his upcoming album, Shaman, at the Latin Grammy Awards, where he'll perform the song "America" with album collaborators P.O.D. The Latin Grammys air on CBS on Wednesday, September 18. ...
  
  Just a few weeks after the Los Angeles Times' bombshell story on the murder of Tupac Shakur, "Biggie & Tupac," the new documentary by "Kurt & Courtney" filmmaker Nick Broomfield, will be released to theaters. The film, which includes interviews with the Notorious B.I.G.'s mother, Voletta Wallace, as well as protégé Lil' Cease and then-imprisoned Death Row head Suge Knight, opens in Los Angeles and New York on September 27 and in select cities soon after. ... Ten years after his virtual duet with the late Frank Sinatra on "I've Got You Under My Skin", U2's Bono will pay tribute to the Chairman of the Board by covering "That's Life" for the soundtrack to "The Good Thief." The film, directed by Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game"), is due out in March. ...
  
  "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson will be joined by hosts Ryan Seacrest, Brian Dunkleman and judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson (what, no Simon Cowell?) on the season premiere of Fox's "Mad TV" on Saturday (September 14). Variety said that a deal is close, though not confirmed, to bring Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini to the big screen for a feature film "mixing real-life adventures with scripted hijinks"; a Fox spokesperson would not comment on the report. ... "Word Up!" photographer Ernie Paniccioli's three-decade pictorial history of hip-hop, "Who Shot Ya?" will hit shelves on October 22. The book features more than 200 color photos of artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Eminem, Tupac Shakur, Will Smith, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah and the Notorious B.I.G. along with text by journalist and one-time "Real World" cast member Kevin Powell. ...
  
  New Found Glory will release "The Story So Far," a DVD featuring interviews, performances and behind-the-scenes footage, on October 15, according to the band's Web site. Also included will be videos for "My Friends Over You," "Head On Collision," "Dressed to Kill" and two versions of "Hit or Miss." ... Matchbox Twenty have set a release date for their third studio album, More Than You Think You Are. The follow-up to 2000's multiplatinum Mad Season will be released on November 19. ... The Ramones tribute We're A Happy Family is now set for release on November 12. The LP, co-produced by Rob Zombie and Johnny Ramone and featuring covers by U2, Metallica and Marilyn Manson, among others, had previously carried a tentative November 5 release. ...
  
  Former Extreme/Van Halen singer Gary Cherone is hoping that three's a charm as he preps the first album by his new group, Tribe of Judah. The band's single, "Thanks for Nothing," hits radio soon, with an album, Exit Elvis, set for release on October 22. ... The Cult will release an 86-minute DVD entitled "Live From Los Angeles" on October 8. The movie, filmed at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on October 4, 2001, features versions of favorites such as "Love Removal Machine," "She Sells Sanctuary," "Sweet Soul Sister," "Fire Woman" and "Peace Dog," as well as post-concert footage of the band.

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  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457468/20020913/tlc.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457468/20020913/tlc.jhtml 13 Sep 2002 02:12:00 EDT Posthumous second solo album due in October.
  By Shaheem Reid

  
  Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
  Photo: Arista

  Suge Knight, who recently signed a distribution deal with Koch Records, plans to release the long-talked-about second Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes solo album on Tha Row in October, according to a spokesperson for the storied exec.

  Left Eye's first solo venture, Supernova, was released overseas by Arista Records last year and streamed on her Web site, www.eyenetics.com (see "Left Eye Plans To Stream Delayed Album"), as it was not released in America. Frustrated, Left Eye aligned herself with Suge at the top of this year (see "Left Eye Signs With Suge Knight's Tha Row") and was recording an album for Tha Row under the moniker N.I.N.A. shortly before her death in April (see "Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes Killed In Car Accident").

  No details on the N.I.N.A. project have been released as of yet, and Knight was unavailable for comment.

  Left Eye will also be heard on the new LP by her group, TLC. Arista Records has set a November 12 release date for that album (see "T-Boz, Chilli To Complete Fourth TLC Album").

  Aside from Lopes' posthumous release, Knight is also planning to put out the debut from Cali wordsmith Crooked I (see "Suge Knight Speaks Upon Leaving Prison For Death Row"). His song "So Damn Hood," which features Sisqó, has garnered some play on radio and underground mixtapes. A new, different single from Crooked I is on the way soon, reps for Tha Row said.

  For complete coverage on the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes tragedy, see Remembering Left Eye: The Lisa Lopes Reports.

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  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457328/20020905/lopes_lisa_left_eye_.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1457328/20020905/lopes_lisa_left_eye_.jhtml 6 Sep 2002 07:56:00 EDT Arista hopes to have Fan Mail follow-up in stores later this year.

  
  TLC
  Photo: MTV

  TLC's remaining members will press on and complete the group's fourth album despite the loss of their friend and group mate Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, according to Arista Records.

  Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas are keeping mum about the album's title, but as with the trio's previous releases it was Left Eye who conceived the name. Arista hopes to release the album later this year.

  The girls started working on the disc late last year but had to break when T-Boz's sickle cell anemia required her to be hospitalized for two months. The trio were getting ready to resume recording, according to longtime producer Dallas Austin, when Left Eye was killed in an April 25 car accident (see "Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes Killed In Car Accident").

  "I've done about six or seven songs," Austin said the day after Left Eye's passing. "[We also have] pieces of four or five more things that haven't been finished. Everybody was getting ready to start back working in the next week or two."

  He said TLC have had more input in the new disc than on albums past. "The girls were pretty much more involved in pulling in producers and writers," he explained. "Where [on the last three albums] it was usually molded by me saying, 'This is the sound,' this one was being pieced together a little different, which was cool. We were doing this album, then the greatest hits. Sitting down, you'd be like, 'I didn't know we had this many hits just after three albums.' "

  Lopes' personal publicist and friend Jay Marose said he's heard a handful of the songs and that TLC's fans will be pleased when the album comes out.

  The new songs are "not unlike the hits from [1999's] Fan Mail," he said Friday. "It's connected even more. Fan Mail, that's who they were at that time. There was so much in there that was really personal. This was the next step in that. The Lisa, Chilli and T-Boz that we got to know in Fan Mail, this record was a deeper, better version of that. The first track I heard blew me away. It had a bit of controversy."

  Aside from the work they did with Austin, TLC recorded songs with Raphael Saadiq and were scheduled to hit the studio with Babyface as well as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

  For complete coverage on the Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes tragedy, see Remembering Left Eye: The Lisa Lopes Reports.

  — Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

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  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453803/20020506/tlc.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1453803/20020506/tlc.jhtml 6 May 2002 04:00:00 EDT
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  ]]> http://www.mtv.com/bands/l/lopes_lisa/news_feature_050602/index.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/bands/l/lopes_lisa/news_feature_050602/index.jhtml 6 May 2002 02:03:30 EDT

  Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Run-DMC, More At Fifth Annual B.I.G. Night Out

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  ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1470491 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1470491 12 Mar 2003 02:54:28 EST