Destiny's Child are releasing their new album, Destiny Fulfilled, one day early — on Monday, November 15. The group's record label cites consumer demand, Internet leaks and CD piracy as its reasons for pushing up the release. ...

Thirty-five was live. After attending the New York premiere of Jay-Z's "Fade to Black" film at the Ziegfeld Theater, P. Diddy celebrated his 35th birthday with a party at Cipriani's in lower Manhattan. Usher, Mariah Carey and Clive Davis all helped P.D. party. ... Wedding bells tolled last week for Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. The couple wed October 30 in Santa Barbara, California, at a ceremony inspired by the animated cult classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas." ...

Not everyone thinks Jessica Simpson's scented body-care line Dessert is so sweet. The singer is being sued for breach of contract to the tune of nearly $190,000 by a Los Angeles company called Cosmojet, for products it manufactured and sold to Dessert but for which it was not paid in full. Simpson's business partner Randi Shinder said that the company had refused payment on a portion of a shipment that didn't meet its "high product standards," while the singer's rep pointed out that Simpson has no involvement in the day-to-day operation of the business, so she would have no knowledge of and no responsibility for billing and payment. ... Meanwhile, Britney Spears' foray into the perfume world has been pretty successful. According to Elizabeth Arden's first-quarter results, released Thursday, Spears' Curious fragrance, which launched in September, "has exceeded both retailer and industry expectations," and is currently the #1 fragrance in U.S. department stores. ...

MTVU has announced the winners of the 2004 Woodie Awards, which are given to artists who have made an impact on the college music scene over the last year. Modest Mouse were the big winners, taking home the Woodie of the Year and the Best Video of the Year awards. Other winners include Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, the Killers and N.E.R.D. ... The supergroup calling itself Band Aid 20 has just added Paul McCartney and Bono to its ranks. The former Beatle will play bass on "Do They Know It's Christmas?," the original version of which benefited Ethiopian famine relief, while the U2 frontman will reprise his line, "Well tonight, thank God it's them instead of you." The new version will also benefit famine relief in Africa, specifically in Sudan. ...

Michael Jackson has a new accuser. A Louisiana man named Joseph Thomas Bartucci Jr. is suing the singer for sexual assault and battery based on an incident he says took place in May 1984, which he claims he didn't recall — having repressed the memory — until watching Court TV in November 2003, when he learned of the current criminal charges against Jackson. Bartucci, who was 18 at the time of the alleged abuse, claims he's suffered a list of ailments as a result, including scarring, aggravation of pre-existing heart problems, eyesight impairment, suicidal tendencies and post-traumatic stress disorder. Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mesereau said in a statement: "These issues will be fully litigated in a court of law. There will be no further comment regarding this matter." ... The Ruff Ryders are up and riding again. The crew consisting of DMX, Drag-On, the LOX, Infa.Red and Cross, among others, are back in the studio recording another compilation. Tentatively titled Ruff Ryders: Ride or Die Vol. 4, the album is slated to drop in early 2005. The release will be the group's first on Artemis Records. ...

What's a hip-hop artist with a successful sneaker line to do when the weather gets cold? Roll out a line of signature boots! Bryan "Baby" Williams is teaming up with Lugz Shoe Company (with whom he launched his "Birdman" collection last spring) to put out a line of boots called the "Birdman Nightwing" on November 5. The leather boots will come in a range of colors and heights, including a high boot with fur. The ad campaign will feature the debut of the "Never Fold" concept, focusing on strength, self-discipline and tenacity. Commercials will start airing this month, featuring Baby in situations where he "never folds." ... The Roots are back in the studio recording their next album. According to drummer ?uestlove, the LP will be titled Game Theory and is due in August. The set will be the hip-hop band's seventh, and will serve as the follow-up to this year's The Tipping Point. ...

The live video for the song "Pantomime," from Incubus' forthcoming DVD "Live at Red Rocks," due November 23, has been posted on the band's Web site (www.enjoyincubus.com). Meanwhile, Brandon Boyd and company have added a drumhead, baseball cap and Incubus "Chuck" mask — all autographed — to the auction block for their Make Yourself Foundation charity. Fans can bid on these and other items at www.makeyourselffoundation.org. ... For his follow-up to 2001's Rockin' the Suburbs, ivory-tickling rocker Ben Folds has recorded a tribute to the late Elliott Smith, with whom Folds toured in 1998 when he fronted the trio Ben Folds Five. Folds' as-yet-untitled second solo album is expected to drop in February. ... First season "American Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini has landed a role in the upcoming Beach Boys-based musical "Good Vibrations," which opens on Broadway on January 27 (preview performances will start December 20). Guarini has also been composing new music and is in final discussions with a new record label about his next album. ...

11.04.2004

We're getting toward the end of the year, and that means another posthumous Tupac album is on the way. As previously reported, Loyal to the Game will feature a substantial production contribution from Eminem, who built tracks around previously unreleased Tupac vocals. Em is also said to be rapping on this project, as are his G-Unit homies. Raphael Saadiq, Scott Storch and DJ Quik also produced songs on the set, due December 14. ...

The release date for Snoop Dogg's forthcoming R&G: Rhythm & Gangsta - The Masterpiece has been pushed up to November 16. According to his label reps, the high demand for the album was the deciding factor in moving its release up a week. The disc includes the hit single "Drop It Like It's Hot," featuring Pharrell. ... Nelly will make an appearance on country star Tim McGraw's second NBC special, set for broadcast November 24, the night before Thanksgiving. The two artists paired up for the unlikely hit collaboration "Over and Over," which appears on Nelly's Suit album. ...

The fall line of Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. bag collection is now available. The collection includes clutches, handbags, totes and travel gear, in a choice of patterns called Icon Pebble, Donegal and Rasta Ribbons. The bags can be bought at LeSportsac's Web site. ... After switching her new single from "Autobiography" to "La La," Ashlee Simpson has also updated her plans to make her next video, which she was originally slated to shoot this week. Now Simpson will shoot the clip November 11 and 12 in Los Angeles with director Joseph Kahn. ...

Michael Jackson lost a round in court Thursday (November 4) when his defense team tried to get Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon removed from the singer's child-molestation case, claiming that Sneddon was a little too gung-ho in prosecuting him, to the point that he was overstepping the bounds of his office. But the California attorney general (who weighed in earlier this week with a written argument) and the judge in the case disagreed. Judge Rodney Melville ruled that Sneddon hadn't been overzealous, and if he were to become so, the judge would see to it that it was taken care of. Jackson is scheduled to start his trial on January 31. ... Madonna is starring in a PSA for Israel's Tourism Ministry, in which she says the country is a safe place to visit. The 30-second video was taped during the singer's recent trip there and will be shown at the World Tourism Fair in London next week. ...

The gang from UPN's "All of Us" bump into Xzibit — literally — at a basketball game when they're searching for a missing child, in an episode scheduled to air November 9 at 8 p.m. ET. Xzibit sends a member of his staff to look for the child, while telling the child's father, "And when you do find him, give him a copy of this, my new album, Weapons of Mass Destruction. It's for the kids." ... Sure, Jimmy Eat World may have just released a new album, Futures, but they're getting ready to add to their discography again. In early 2005, they'll release an EP, featuring four tracks that didn't make Futures' final cut. ... The new Disney/ Pixar superhero comedy "The Incredibles" doesn't blast into theaters until Friday, but you can own a little piece of the film right now. Currently available for download on the iTunes Music Store is The Incredibles: The Remixes, a three-song EP featuring music from the film, reworked by acts like UNKLE and the Greenskeepers. ...

The Pixies have launched a digital-downloads store that will offer nearly every show from their current North American tour in MP3 format on Musictoday.com. The shows are downloadable from the site for $11.99. Meanwhile, Disclive, the company that sold Pixies live CDs from the first dates of the band's "warm-up" tour, has announced another set of upcoming live dates that will also be available in limited-edition runs of 1,000. ... First Avenue, the downtown Minneapolis nightclub famous for helping Prince launch his career, has closed its doors after 34 years. The club was home to a wide spectrum of rock and funk acts over the years, but it was the movie "Purple Rain" that brought it to national attention as the local venue where Prince first honed his eccentric, new wave-soul sound. First Avenue's closing was announced on its Web site Tuesday. ...

A monument will soon mark the place where Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson — better known as three-fifths of the Beach Boys — grew up. On May 20, a tribute to the group will be erected at the end of 119th Street in Hawthorne, California. The Wilsons' actual boyhood home was razed years ago to make room for the Century Freeway. The monument design will be chosen from 16 entries by a panel of city officials and Wilson family members. ... Ex-Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have reunited for a song on Chamberlin's upcoming album, Life Begins Again from the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. The Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley and ex-Catherine Wheel singer Rob Dickinson also contribute vocals on the album, due January 25. ...

• Destiny's Child
• Diddy
• Jessica Simpson
• blink-182
• Britney Spears

50 Cent performs at the 2003 VMAs
Photo: John Shearer

50 Cent has a new mansion with a club, swimming pools and man-made waterfall just waiting for him when he's done touring. Most people would probably never leave home if they had a posh pad like that, but 50 acts like he doesn't ever want to go home.

According to sources within the camps of Mobb Deep and the LOX's D-Block crew, both factions have been in talks with the G-Unit and are close to finalizing plans for a tour that would roll out as soon as three weeks from now with all three street-credible crews on the bill.

No details or tour dates have been officially disclosed by any of the artists' record labels, but a title for the tour that has been thrown around is Beg for Mercy, which is also the name of the G-Unit's November 18 release (see "50 Cent, G-Unit Plan To Make Fans Beg For Mercy On New LP"). They just put out a video for "Stunt 101" featuring Brandy as a car salesperson.

Mobb Deep are in the studio finishing up their LP, which they hope to drop early next year. The D-Block crew are also in the lab, with Jadakiss, Styles and J-Hood all working on solo LPs.

• G-Unit
• Mobb Deep
• 50 Cent
• L.O.X.

<I>The S. Carter Collection</I>

Name: Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek

Mixtape: The S. Carter Collection and The Best of Memphis Bleek

Hometown: "Cough up a lung for Marcy, son"

Joints to check for: "Young, Gifted & Black," "If Hov Can't," "Pump It Up" freestyles for Jay-Z; "The Truth," "9 MM" and "Remember the Roc" freestyles for Memphis Bleek

Previous mixtapes: Over the years there has been an incessant flow of "Best of Jay-Z" bootlegs put together by various DJs, however this is Bleek's first

The 411: Anybody who thinks "the Jordan of the rap game" has lost footing like the NBA's Jordan will probably be pleasantly surprised when they pop in The S. Carter Collection mixtape. Originally intended as a freebie for customers who buy his Reebok sneaker when it goes on sale April 18, the CD has already made its way onto the streets. While Jay brings old gems such as "You're Only a Customer" and "This Life Forever" out of the vault, the real jewels are Jay's new freestyles. Which brings us to the next question posed to the owner of the rap game's number 23 jersey: Is Jay really going to retire soon like his b-balling namesake?

Jay-Z is once again leaving "reasonable doubt" about his possible retirement. Ever since Hov released his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt, he's been threatening to quit the rap game, renewing his claim with every other album's release. But in recent months he's told everyone who would listen that his next LP, The Black Album, would definitely be his swan song.

Whether or not he lives by this declaration is still up in the air, but his boastful talk on the opening of "If Hov Can't" on his S. Carter Collection mixtape will give fans hope that Jay's planning to stick around.

"I could make four more albums off of memory," he says over the pounding, piano-driven beat of 50 Cent's "If I Can't." "I'mma do this till I'm 80." Jay goes on to lament his frustrations with the press who want to know "What's up with the daughter of Mathew [Knowles]" and people who complain about what he rhymes about. "I tried to be modest on Blueprint 2/ But y'all don't respect modest, y'all respect my dollars/ You gotta believe I think like a artist/ But my bills through the roof/ Can't do numbers like the Roots."

Later, Jay playfully raps over the same melody as B2K's "Bump, Bump Bump," saying, "N---a your sh-- is trash/ When I see you, I'mma beat your ass/ You better stop playing with me," before once again hinting that his days on the mic won't be over anytime soon.

" 'Just retire,' they screaming from the peanut gallery," he later raps, addressing his detractors. "Not till my salary is like the real Mike Lowery's/ I kill sh-- till I catch Will Smith, then I'm running Spielberg down ... / You don't even know me and you mad/ How it feel to be a hater?/ Now I know exactly how it feels to be a Laker."

A few years ago, Jay's talks of retirement couldn't be taken seriously because he didn't have a roster that could sustain his layoff. But with the addition of the Diplomats, M.O.P., Freeway and the rest of State Property over the past couple of years, Jay doesn't have to represent as the label's franchise player anymore.

But one of Jay's oldest artists, Memphis Bleek, doesn't want anyone to forget that he's been holding things down for the Roc from the very beginning. For that reason, he just put out his Best of Memphis Bleek CD to help generate buzz for his June release, M.A.D.E. Included in the mix are snippets of such lyrical highlights as "Coming of Age," "Celebration" and "Who Want What."

New on the platter is "Remember the Roc," on which Bleek reflects on his life and talks about other rappers who come at his team, using Just Blaze's soulful soundscaping as a harmonic backdrop. And while Bleek unwaveringly waves the Roc-A-Fella banner, he also attempts to spread the word about his new clique, Get Low, which includes Geda K, Calico and Living Proof.

The Roc-A-Fella crew freestyle features a bevy of well-known instrumentals from songs like "The Watcher (Part 2)," "Lose Yourself" and "Hail Mary."

Team Roc aren't the only hip-hop heavyweights putting out mixtapes this week. Mobb Deep just dropped their long-talked-about Free Agents CD on Landspeed Records. (The title might be a little misleading — the duo of Havoc and Prodigy signed to Jive Records not too long ago and have an album due this summer.) And Cutmaster C worked in conjunction with the LOX to put together Welcome to D-Block, which mostly consists of the trio's musical endeavors with crew member Jae-Hood.

For a full-length feature on mixtape culture and the role of mixtapes in making a rapper's career, check out "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Mondays, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Jay-Z
• Memphis Bleek
• Mobb Deep
• L.O.X.

Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Epic

Jennifer Lopez has set a release date for her next record after the first single was leaked on the Internet and eventually made it to the radio on Thursday.

The album, due November 26, is titled This Is Me ... Then and features the Bronx heartthrob in a more hands-on role, co-writing more material than ever before, according to her Epic Records spokesperson.

The first single, "Jenny From the Block," was plucked from the Internet by a pop station in Hartford, Connecticut, and later distributed to other stations owned by Infinity Broadcasting.

Styles and Jadakiss from the L.O.X. are featured on the track, which was produced by Troy Oliver (J.Lo), Corey Rooney (Destiny's Child) and Tone & Poke (Cam'ron) and samples the Beatnuts' "Watch Out Now," Herbie Mann's "Hijack" and KRS-One's "South Bronx."

Lopez will shoot a video for the track, although no details have been finalized.

The singer's spokesperson said Lopez plans to take a break from acting to tour behind This Is Me ... Then in April.

Currently, Lopez is shooting "Jersey Girl" with writer/director Kevin Smith and co-star Ben Affleck, who previously worked with J. Lo on the forthcoming "Gigli," a comedy due next year (see "Jennifer Lopez Making A 'Dirty' Movie").

• Jennifer Lopez
• L.O.X.

Styles
Photo: Ruff Ryders/Interscope

MOUNT VERNON, New York — This might be the only time the usually poker-faced Styles ever sweat.

It was about 100 degrees in the shade near his hometown, and the rapper was going through the Ruff Ryders Thug Workout with some of his Double R affiliates.

"You gotta do push-ups when you on the road to get yourself right, in case you gotta slam somebody or something," he advised while performing the exercise in the back yard of one of his associates, his feet pointed on a piece of wood held up by two cinder blocks and his arms going up and down on two milk crates (see " 'Ruff Ryders' Thug Workout' Takes 'Tae Bo' To The Street").

About the only thing hotter than Styles basting in the sun is Styles when he's on wax. The LOX member's Swizz Beatz-produced "Good Times," off his just-released solo debut, A Gangster and a Gentleman, has given him yet another radio hit, following up the success of "The Life."

"Originally it was for Swizz's album," Styles said of his stimulant anthem "Good Times." "He wanted me to do a song on that topic. He had the beat and the hook for me. So I did it and everybody liked it so much, he let me get it for a single for my album. I just did what I do. I'm glad to be doing this good. I [attribute] it to lucking up and hard-working people around me. I guess it's about time. I overpaid my dues."

And as much as the streets supported the track, Styles said he wouldn't be getting any love on the airwaves if he hadn't made a few modifications to the track, most recently changing the sampled chorus from "I get high, high, high" to a girl singing, "I get by, by, by."

"I gotta do it for videos," he explained after doing a few pull-ups. "They won't play 'I get high,' so I made it 'I get by.' If I don't do it, I don't get my video played. From the original verses, I had to make them clean so they could play it on the radio. Then I had to make a cleaner version of that for the video. It's part of the game. Long as they spinning it, I appreciate it."

Besides his fellow LOX members Jadakiss and Sheek (the trio have been recording their third album), NBA superstar Jalen Rose also pops up in the clip as a DJ. "That's my boy," Styles said as if it were common knowledge. "That's my dog. He just been my man for years. Basketball, rap, you know how they intertwine. I'm a fan of his, he's a fan of mine. I got a lot of NBA friends."

The MC has also been rubbing shoulders with some of his peers. He's been in the studio doing guest spots on projects by Donell Jones, Scarface and Lil' Kim, and Angie Stone appears on his next single, "Black Magic."

"I'm spreading my wings," he said of diversifying his album with a little singing. "I want to give them a gangster and a gentleman. I been giving them gangster for a long time; I wanna throw a little bit of gentleman in it. I know everybody didn't expect my album to be how it was. They probably expected it to be all hard and nobody could relate except dudes. So that's why I switched it up.

"[Black Magic] is for everybody in the struggle," added Styles, who also features songbird Lil' Mo on his album. "Poor people, homeless people, brothers in jail who ain't coming home. Kids without school clothes. The meaning of the song is showing how people maintain through all the stress and pain."

One of Styles' most sorrow-filled times came last Mother's Day when he lost his younger sibling to a car accident. The track "My Brother" is a tribute to him.

"It was easy to make the words," he recalled about recording the song. "It was difficult to go in and say it sometimes."

As he finished his last rep (or as he says, "clip") on the pull-up bar, Styles was as thirsty for a sip of water as he is for a platinum plaque. "It's f---ng baking out here," he said, wiping his forehead.

• Styles
• L.O.X.

Jadakiss
Photo: MTV

Sometimes when you talk to Jadakiss, it's hard to get a straight answer out of him. Take discussing the casting of the video for his next single, "Knock Yourself Out," for example.

"I might not get kids this time," explained the MC, who featured dancing children in his video for "Put Your Hands Up." "I might get midgets, or some fat girls to do the [Harlem] Shake." Produced by the Neptunes, "Knock Yourself Out" features Jada "miseducating them like Lauryn Hill" as he promises one member of his harem a blank check to buy jewelry, among other things.

"I just called [the Neptunes] up," Jadakiss recalled nonchalantly of the cut's origins. "I needed them [to appeal to] the bitches and the clubs. It's still grimy, though." The rapper is more serious when discussion turns to his first solo LP, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye. Originally scheduled for a May release, the album was pushed back to August 8 despite the strong buzz created by "Put Your Hands Up," the instant underground classic "We Gon' Make It," and his many guest appearances on R&B tracks. The delay is only helping to build anticipation, Jadakiss explained.

"The same thing happened with Big's [Life After Death] and it went seven times platinum," he said. "It's comin' now. The wait is up. I'm happy with it." While he was not able to secure an Eminem appearance as planned ("Jadakiss Finishing Up Solo LP; Joined By Eminem, Nas, Dre"), 'Kiss recently finished a track called "Ugh Huh" with his longtime compatriot DMX, and Nas finally laid down his rhymes for "Show Discipline." "Dirty South Scenario" features Fiend, 8Ball and Yung Wun and was produced by Swizz Beatz. Swizz also supplied the haunting, piano-powered track "Jada's Got a Gun," with a chorus that plays off of Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun." Jadakiss, who spent a few weeks recording some tracks in Los Angeles, also teams up with Snoop Dogg, spreading California love on "Cruisin'." Here, Jada keeps the party going by scoping girls at the Beverly Center before spreading bullets around like chicken pox. "We Gon' Make It," an underground hit last year, featured Jada and his fellow LOX member Styles interchanging lines about street mayhem. The two MCs plan to do a whole album following in the vein of that song.

"We sit there and write the whole thing together," Jadakiss said of how the track developed. "He says the parts he wants to say, and I say what I want to say. When we throw the beat on, we make the whole sh-- pop." The song's beat caused controversy earlier this year when Ras Kass threatened to sue the track's producer, the Alchemist, claiming he had been sold the same beat ("Alchemist Responds To Claims Of Double Dealing").

"That controversy is with Alchemist and Ras Kass," Jadakiss said. "He played the beat for me, I paid him his money and I laid my vocals on it. I ain't got nothing to do with that other sh--. I ain't get a call from Ras Kass, no nothing, so I'm good. The album is my only concern for the next six to eight months." Jadakiss will soon be heard alongside Prodigy and Butch Cassidy on "Livin' the Life" from the compilation Violator the Album: V2.0, due July 24 ("Busta Rhymes Leading Violator 2.0 Charge"). 'Kiss is also being rotated on Jermaine Dupri's white-label release "Hate in Your Blood," which also features Freeway.

• DMX
• Jadakiss
• L.O.X.
• Ras Kass
• N.E.R.D.

"How High" Movie Premiere

• Method Man/Redman
• Kelis
• Musiq Soulchild
• L.O.X.
• Wu-Tang Clan