Angie Martinez
Photo: Elektra

A week after signing on to be a judge on second season of "American Idol," New York DJ/hip-hop artist Angie Martinez has bailed on the show, citing her discomfort with squashing the hopes of would-be Kelly Clarksons.

"Being asked to join 'American Idol' as their newest panelist was an honor," Martinez said in a statement (see ). "However, after judging the first few auditions, I've decided to leave the show because it became too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream, especially when I realized that many of them have supported my career."

"Some girl burst into tears when Angie rejected her at the auditions, and Angie quit," Martinez's manager explained. "She just couldn't crush the contestants' dreams."

Just a week ago, Martinez was confident that her hard-knock lessons in the music biz would actually help her separate the wheat from the chaff. "The truth is that the music business is mean and honest and brutal," Martinez said last week of taking her seat alongside brutally honest British judge Simon Cowell. "So if you don't have somebody like that on the panel, then you're not doing a good service. 'Cause then you go out into the real world and the music business and you're in for a surprise."

Martinez is expected to appear on the first two episodes of the show as a special guest judge, but later episodes will find the judge's table pared down to the original three — Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. And even though Cowell has tried his best to break Abdul's spirits, Martinez's rep promised that his client's quitting "had nothing to do with Simon."

• Angie Martinez

Angie Martinez
Photo: MTV News

Resident "American Idol" bully Simon Cowell will have another judge to contend with when the hit television talent show starts auditions this week. Cowell, and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, will be joined by New York radio personality and hip-hop artist Angie Martinez.

The long-time host of WQHT Hot 97 said that she was excited when the producers of "American Idol" approached her to audition for the fourth judge spot (see "Angie Martinez Joins Gang Of 'American Idol' Judges"), but she had to admit to them that her busy schedule had prevented her from watching the show's first season. Not a problem: The show's staff gave Martinez an archive of the past episodes and a synopsis of the show's highlights in order to get her ready for her role.

But is Martinez prepared to go head to head with Simon Cowell? While she doesn't foresee any verbal sparring with the abrasive Brit, Martinez does feel that Cowell's presence is a necessary evil for the interactive talent show.

"Well, Simon is brutal," she conceded. "But the truth is that the music business is mean and honest and brutal. So if you don't have somebody like that on the panel then you're not doing a good service. 'Cause then you go out into the real world and the music business and you're in for a surprise."

Having recently released her second hip-hop album, Animal House, Martinez knows the harsh realities of the music business firsthand. Her second single, "Take You Home," featuring Kelis, has just been released to both radio and video outlets, and the double-duty MC/DJ admits that juggling both roles has been difficult. Her moonlighting gig on "American Idol," though, may actually help Martinez multi-task.

In the course of attending "American Idol" auditions in Atlanta (October 27), Nashville (October 30), Miami (November 2), Austin, Texas (November 6), and Los Angeles (November 17), Martinez hopes to squeeze in a little self-promotion for her own record. "I have to hit the road anyway for 'American Idol,' " Martinez explained. "I'll be, in the daytime, judging and, in the nighttime, I'll be in the clubs doing shows and on the radio promoting my album. So it's helping me out on the artist side, too."

Martinez plans to record her third album this winter before heading to Los Angeles to finish up the "American Idol" search in March.

The radio jock is taking the pressure of her upcoming television role in stride. "I'm just gonna go in and be honest and have some fun and, hopefully, find someone that moves me."

• Angie Martinez

Angie Martinez
Photo: Elektra

"American Idol" contestants will have a new personality critiquing their performances next season.

Recording artist Angie Martinez, popular DJ at New York's WQHT Hot 97, will join Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and the eternally bitter Simon Cowell when the show starts up again in January.

A spokesperson for Fox, the network behind the hit talent show, said Wednesday (October 23) they were still negotiating with Martinez. Her camp confirmed the deal.

Martinez, who appeared with Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Da Brat on Kim's Grammy-nominated "Not Tonight/Ladies Night Remix," released her second album, Animal House, in August (see "Because It Felt So Empty Without Him: Eminem LP Back At #1"). Up Close and Personal, which features Jay-Z, Big Punisher and others, dropped in 2001.

Rappers often go to break news or clear up rumors on Martinez' afternoon radio show, which she's held since 1994 (see "Jay-Z Challenges Nas To Pay-Per-View Battle During Radio Takeover").

Only one of the celebrities from "American Idol's" first season, Brian Dunkleman, will not be returning. Fox is currently searching for a new co-host to join Ryan Seacrest, who, like Martinez, is a radio DJ.

"American Idol" launched the talent search for the second season on Monday in Detroit.

Kelly Clarkson, the winner for the first contest, is enjoying a massively successful single in "A Moment Like This" (see
" 'American Idol' Kelly Clarkson Crushes Singles Chart Competition").

• Angie Martinez
• Kelly Clarkson

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

After a few weeks of being unseated by new releases, and because it just felt so empty without him, Eminem will settle in atop the Billboard 200 albums chart again next week.

Neck-in-neck with him — as has been the trend since they both appeared on the chart together — is Nelly, who takes second place. The Eminem Show sold more than 170,000 copies, while Nellyville came in close behind with over 160,000 units moved, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (August 28).

Sort-of-punk grrrl Avril Lavigne's Let Go moves up a couple of spots to #3, right ahead of the Clipse, whose prayers must have been answered because their Lord Willin' is a new addition to the top five after selling more than 120,000 copies in its first week (see "Lord Willin', The Clipse's Time Has Come"). Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's The Rising rounds out the top five, dropping two spots to #5 with nearly 120,000 copies sold.

James Taylor is at #6 with October Road, followed by Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 10 — featuring Britney Spears, Blink-182 and B2K — at #7. Linkin Park's Reanimation holds strong at #8, and Toby Keith's Unleashed enters the top 10 at #9.

Norah Jones' Come Away With Me moves up three places to #10 after selling another 70,000 copies, bringing its total to just under the 1 million mark. The 22-year-old Jones has been steadily climbing the charts since she released her debut in February.

Several new releases bow in the top 20, including Animal House by Angie Martinez (#11), Something Worth Leaving Behind by Lee Ann Womack (#16) and Tropical Storm by Beenie Man (#18).

In the world of improved placement, there are a few decipherable moves and some more mysterious. Although the album has been out and on every rock radio and video outlet for almost a year, System of a Down's Toxicity jumped 13 spots to #28 with nearly 34,000 albums sold, a more than 6,000-copy increase over the previous week. One year after Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash, sales of her last album, Aaliyah, have increased enough to result in a 30-spot jump to #123 on sales of nearly 10,000 copies.

Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards may be heavily promoted, but you wouldn't know it from the way many artists scheduled to attend performed at record stores last week. Ashanti's self-titled album slips to #19, the Vines' Highly Evolved falls 11 spots to #40, Michelle Branch tumbles to #60, Ja Rule's Pain Is Love backslides to #126 and the Strokes' Is This It takes the biggest dive, 21 places to #135.

Other notable debuts this week include the side project of Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Tripp Eisen of Static X, the Murderdolls, whose Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls enters at #102. Sleater-Kinney's One Beat comes in at #107, and Black Sabbath's double live album culled from '70s concerts, Past Lives, debuts at #114.

• Eminem
• Clipse
• Nelly
• Avril Lavigne
• Bruce Springsteen

Jay-Z
Photo: MTV News

It's amazing what a few weeks of R&R can do for you. Especially when you're a huge rap star like Jay-Z.

The big kahuna of the Roc recently took a break from the hip-hop industry's never-ending roller coaster by vacationing in St. Tropez. The South of France resort town, a favorite of Europe's socialite set, must have recharged Jay's appetite for competition because, upon returning to New York, he took over radio station WQHT Hot 97 for several hours over a two-day period to sound off on all his naysayers.

For two consecutive days this week, Jay-Z guested on Angie Martinez's afternoon show, speaking out on rumors of civil unrest within the Roc-A-Fella camp — which he scoffed at, insisting, "How could I leave the Roc? I am the Roc" — as well as his falling-out with former mentor Jaz-O (see "Jaz-O Reminds World Where Jay-Z Got His Blueprint"). More significant, though, was Jay-Z's reaction to the ongoing beef with rapper Nas. Echoing a challenge that he made in the current issue of The Source magazine, Jigga suggested that the two rivals settle their differences with a pay-per-view rhyme battle. He added that each party could pony up $1 million for the wager, with all event proceeds going to a charity of the winner's choice.

By day two of Jay's marathon interview, he reported that boxing promoter Don King had already faxed in a proposal to organize the event. Don't call up your local cable-providers just yet, though — as of press time, Nas had not accepted, nor even responded to, Jay-Z's three-rhyme challenge.

Nas is currently in the studio recording his next album with help from Murder Inc.'s Irv Gotti (see "Nas Kills The Speculation: 'It's Murder!' ").

For a history of the beef between Jay-Z and Nas, check out "Nas And Jay-Z: Grade-A Beef."

• Jay-Z
• Angie Martinez
• Nas

Nas
Photo: MTV News

Concert boycotts, calling out other rappers, exposing alleged dirty radio politics and under-the-table payoffs: Nas has done it all in the past few days. Some have chalked up the usually reserved street poet's actions and words of late to straight wildin' out, some say he's just awakening, others have been saying the King of Queensbridge has snapped. He can't even explain it.

"I don't know why I'm saying this, I don't know what's gotten into me, but one thing I know is that I love the music too much and I try to stay real to it," Nas said Friday in Hershey, Pennsylvania, just before his performance as part of Usher's Evolution Tour. "When I see people faking the funk, I can't have it."

New York radio station Hot 97 wasn't having it last Wednesday when it held its annual grand slam concert Summer Jam. While Nas was the scheduled headliner for the Uniondale, New York, event, he declined to show up when the station, he said, would not let him perform the song "Ether." Instead, he went on Hot 97's rival Power 105.1 and went on a tirade about the day's events.

Hot 97 defended itself the next day and said it didn't have any beef with Nas performing "Ether," but rather it was perturbed by a mock lynching of Jay-Z that was supposed to take place during his set (see "Nas A No-Show At Summer Jam, Denies Planned Mock Lynching Of Jay-Z").

"What I was about to do was no different than what Eminem would do onstage when he brings out dolls of Britney Spears, of his own moms," Nas rebutted. "Or what [Dr.] Dre did when he had a lawsuit against Michigan from them not allowing him to express himself.

"They conspired together to make sure I wasn't dissing any other rappers, but for some reason they promote other rappers dissing Nas every time," he continued. "I just want to figure out what's happening with that. I want to prevent that from happening with any artist in the future, not to be exploited or put in slavery by any radio station or anything for that matter. This is supposed to be our freedom of speech, our time to voice our word to the world and they're giving us limitations — well, giving me limitations — because it seems like every time you turn on that station it's a new rapper talking about me and they promoting it like it's the best thing since sliced bread."

Nas was indirectly referring to Cam'ron's appearance on Hot 97 in the wake of Summer Jam night. While on Power 105.1, Nas said Cam was a "good" lyricist but added his latest album was "wack." The Harlemite, not too far removed from his impromptu performance at the concert, hit the studio and recorded a scathing comeback, where he raps over Nas' "Hate Me Now" for a portion of it and, among other things, threatens Nas by saying, "Take your daughter to R. Kelly and have my way with her face."

"To talk about people's moms and daughters, that's how you reach down and try to hurt somebody's feelings," Nas said of Cam's rhymes. "He's lost. He's looking for a way to sell records but he doesn't understand that he's getting used by Hot 97 for ratings and to speak up for [Funkmaster] Flex, who don't care about nobody except for himself. They got a dummy to be a dummy and go up on the radio and speak out against me. It's unfortunate because they're using [Cam'ron] and he's not even a part of my fight. My fight is against any power structure that's gonna try to hold the freedom of speech and that fight is not over yet."

One fight that Nas also hinted isn't over — though he iterated he wants it to stay strictly in the verbal form — is with Flex. On Friday afternoon, during a pre-taped interview on New York radio station 107.5 WBLS' "The Wendy Williams Experience," Nas accused Flex of taking money under the table to play records (a claim that Flex has heard before and has denied in several interviews) and basically put up a bounty, saying, "If you a real man, take Flex's chain and give it to me. If you a real man, when you see Flex take off his chain and I got something for you. If you a rap artist, that's real, smack that n---a man!"

"I didn't mean that, because as a real man I'm not gonna promote any violence," a remorseful Nas said of his diatribe. "I'm not gonna ask for any harm to be done to Flex. I was outraged, I was angry and I'm man enough to say I really don't want nothing to happen to him because he's not fit for it, he's not built for it. He's just a mouth that gets paid to do whatever he wants to do ... I take that statement back."

On Saturday, Nas did have his chance to perform in front of some New Yorkers who traveled down to New Jersey as the Evolution Tour made a stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

With no one threatening to censor him, he hit them with one verse of "Ether" then abruptly ended the song, saying, "Nah, I'm done with that, I need new competition, I'm moving on," as the crowd chanted for him to finish.

"I been through a lot of things in my life and I'm going through a lot of things right now, but I can't let all the negativity get to me," he also told the audience during his performance. After his finale of "One Mic," the onlookers gave him a standing ovation that lasted a little over two minutes.

For a full-length feature on the battle between Nas and Jay-Z, check out "Nas And Jay-Z: Grade-A Beef."

• Nas
• Cam'ron
• Funkmaster Flex
• N.O.R.E.
• Nelly

Redman
Photo: Def Jam

Redman and Angie Martinez are going to have to wait until this summer for their crack at hosting the first televised Online Hip-Hop Awards. Originally set to tape on May 3, the show has been postponed until this summer so organizers can work on production details, according to the show's publicist. In addition to Redman and Martinez, Wyclef Jean is scheduled to perform at the awards, while Missy Elliott will receive the ShiNE Anti-Violence Award for her charity work in domestic abuse education and prevention (see "Redman, Angie Martinez Bring Online Hip-Hop Awards To TV"). No new date for the ceremony has been set. Fans can still vote in 17 categories at www.sohh.com.

• Redman
• Angie Martinez
• Missy Elliott

Angie Martinez
Photo: Elektra

Redman and radio DJ-turned-rapper Angie Martinez are set to bring this year's Online Hip-Hop Awards to television for the first time.

Wyclef Jean is the first announced performer for the May 3 awards show, which will also feature Missy Elliott receiving the ShiNE Anti-Violence award for her work educating youth about domestic abuse. Fans can vote in 17 categories at www.sohh.com.

Martinez, a longtime fixture at New York's Hot 97 radio station, released her first album, Up Close and Personal, this week (April 17). Her Neptunes-produced single "Dem Thangz" is #81 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart. Redman is finishing his next album, Malpractice, which is set for release on May 22.

The fifth-annual awards show, which has previously only been webcast, will be held at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York on May 3. This year's live webcast will be followed by a television broadcast on MuchMusic USA, though the date has yet to be set.

• Angie Martinez
• Redman
• Wyclef Jean
• Missy Elliott

Puerto Rican Day Parade 06.11.2006

• Fat Joe
• Nina Sky
• Beenie Man
• Angie Martinez
• Don Omar

Fat Joe's 'Crush Tonight' Video Shoot

• Fat Joe
• Ginuwine
• N.O.R.E.
• 3LW
• Angie Martinez