Prince (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Prince, who won Best Original Score for "Purple Rain" in 1984, will return to the Oscars stage for the first time in two decades on Sunday as a presenter. Leonardo DiCaprio, John Travolta, Sean Penn and Kate Winslet have also recently been added as presenters. ...

Lil' Mo is getting ready to have her second little one. The singer is currently in a hospital in Odenton, Maryland, giving birth to her daughter. Meanwhile, Mo will release her next album this spring through Cash Money Records. ... Ryan Cabrera and Vanessa Carlton are performing together in Los Angeles for a private event where fans will get a one-of-a-kind cell-phone ringtone converted from one of Carlton's live songs. To get into the show, you have to win a sweepstakes called "Sweeten Your Tone" sponsored by the makers of Swedish Fish, Sour Patch and Chiclets. Enter before March 31 at any of the candies' Web sites. ...

Two Bacon Brothers, a man from a land Down Under, a "Barely Breathing" musician, and a pint-sized singer/songwriter joined forces on Tuesday night to raise money for the victims of the tsunami disaster. Kevin Bacon and brother Michael, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Duncan Sheik, Toby Lightman and others performed their own sets on the stage of New York's Canal Room before gathering together to sing the Beatles tune "With a Little Help From My Friends." P.M. Dawn also played a set. ... Hitting shelves on April 16 is "Scratch: All the Way Live," the DVD follow-up to 2001's turntablist documentary "Scratch." The concert film captures a Scratch Tour stop at Los Angeles' House of Blues, and features performances by Mix Master Mike, The X-ecutioners and DJ Z-Trip. ...

The Wallflowers aren't content to stand on the sidelines anymore and are getting back in the game with Rebel, Sweetheart, due out May 24. Their new album is produced by Brendan O'Brien, and the first single, "The Beautiful Side of Somewhere," will be released to radio next month. Other songs include "Days of Wonder," "The Passenger," "Here He Comes (Confessions of a Drunken Marionette)," "God Says Nothing Back" and "All Things New Again." ... The Kaiser Chiefs are gearing up to hit American shores to support their debut album, Employment, due March 15. The trek begins March 13 in Seattle and wraps up March 26 in Boston. ...

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus will release his third solo album, Face the Truth, on May 24. Malkmus won't be touring behind the 11-track disc anytime soon as he's expecting his first child, but select U.S. dates are in the works, including a March 18 appearance at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. ... Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon will launch his first U.S. solo tour on March 17 at South by Southwest. The outing, which will feature Astralwerks Records mates 22-20s and the Golden Republic (on East Coast dates), wraps up April 1 in New York. ... Ex-Helium frontwoman Mary Timony will release her third solo effort, Ex-Hex, on April 19. The follow-up to 2002's The Golden Dove, the record was produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty and will see Timony returning to a more guitar-oriented sound. ...

02.22.2005

Kanye West and a small entourage checked out "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" composer/songwriter Jon Brion's performance on Friday at Largo in Los Angeles. Apparently this wasn't the first time the Grammy-winning rapper has stopped by to watch Brion play at his weekly residency, but if Kanye would have stuck around for the second set, he would have witnessed inventive bluegrass takes on Radiohead and Strokes songs. ...

Jessica Simpson was treated for dehydration due to a stomach virus at a Chicago hospital on Monday while in town to shoot a segment for Friday's "Oprah." Simpson's stay was brief, and she returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Her rep said the singer is "already feeling better." ...

Jay-Z announced Tuesday (February 22) that he's opening an education center focusing on music, sports and fashion. The S. Carter Academy in New York will open in the spring, with enrollment starting in March, around the same time a commercial with Jay and New York Knicks star Jamal Crawford promoting the facility is scheduled to start airing. ... Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on charges of murder and racketeering in the Murder Inc. drug-money scandal, has been put in solitary confinement at the Manhattan Detention Center. According to his lawyer, prosecutors requested that McGriff be taken out of the general population because he is a "problem" inmate. The defense has since complained about the move, causing the judge in the case to look into the matter. McGriff is due back in court on March 18, the same day as Irv and Chris Gotti. ...

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is going solo — in his personal life, anyway. The singer announced Sunday that he is separating from his wife of 17 years, Teresa, according to The Associated Press. He has two kids with Teresa: Chelsea, 16, and Taj, 13. In a statement released by his publicist, Tyler announced the split and said, "We're just a family trying to work through a difficult time." ... Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and Aerosmith's Joe Perry are among the musicians who have designed Gibson guitars to be auctioned off to benefit the Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research. The auction will be held May 3 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles and online at www.juliensauctions.com. ...

Phil Lesh has been tapped to host the fifth annual Jammy Awards, to be held April 26 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The awards, which honor the world's best jam bands, will be given out in eight categories, including Live Performance of the Year, Archival Live Album of the Year and New Groove of the Year. ... Erykah Badu has recently been in the studio with the Neptunes working on her next album. The follow-up to 2003's Worldwide Underground is expected to be released later this year. ...

After more than two decades playing together and a sold-out reunion concert on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, the Jayhawks have called it quits. Singer Gary Louris told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that "we haven't completely closed the door, but ... I'd say it's dead." The band released five major-label albums over the course of its career, with its last recorded work being 2003's Rainy Day Music. ... Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana will join Beyoncé and Josh Groban as performers at Sunday's Academy Awards. The two will perform the Best Song from a Motion Picture nominee "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" from "The Motorcycle Diaries." ...

Henry Rollins is taking his talking show "Caught in the Zipper" to the Zipper Theater in New York for a slew of dates. The volatile singer/spoken-word artist will perform there March 22-27, March 29, and March 31-April 2. ... Glenn Danzig will reunite with his old Misfits bandmate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at shows February 28 at the Roxy Theatre in Boston, March 1 at the Spirit Performance Center in New York, and March 2 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The duo, who performed together for the first time in 20 years at two surprise West Coast dates last year, will play a 30-minute set of Misfits favorites after Danzig's regular set in support of his new album, Circle of Snakes. Danzig also recently completed Black Aria II, the follow-up to 1993's classical album Black Aria, and is writing a movie adaptation of "Gerouge," one of the comic-book titles distributed by his Verotik publishing company. ...

• Prince
• Ryan Cabrera
• Lil' Mo
• Vanessa Carlton
• Kevin Bacon

Fabolous (file)
Photo: Elektra

Between renegotiating with his label, the label's CEO getting the boot and his recording home going through a merger, Fabolous had all the time he needed to work on his next album, Real Talk, which helped him breathe easy.

"I explained my complaints to them last time, like, 'Yo, I can't be rushed,' " Fabolous, while sitting in New York's Hit Factory studio, said of the drama he went through when he released his last LP, Street Dreams, in 2003. "I can make two or three singles then the rest of the album be trash, but I don't want to do that. I want to sit down with an album and make it thorough."

With the exception of a few tracks (one of which will be produced by Lil Jon, while another is supposed to feature nine other rappers) the Brooklyn flosser is done with his album. He's also finished with the video for the first single, "Breathe."

"It's a good New York look," he said of the clip. "I have the whole of New York behind me. You can see the city skyline. The rest of the video we're riding through New York, you get some shots of people seeing me."

The record was produced by Just Blaze, who gave the song a rock edge. "Just Blaze played [the beat for me] and I said, 'I need this one right here. That sounds like one of them joints Jay-Z was supposed to pick and you forgot to play for him.' I said, 'Jay is gonna be mad at you for not playing that one.'

" 'Breathe' has a New York feel to the song," he added. "Somebody's harassing you, you tell them to breathe. A chick is on your back, you tell her to breathe. The song is a new beginning because people never heard me in this kind of state. They used to hearing me on a smoother, R&B record. This was a new record to let them breathe, too."

Although he experiments with new flows and sounds, Fab does cover familiar ground on the album. Constant collaborator Lil' Mo is along for the ride once again via a record called "Holla at Somebody Real."

"I heard the record and said, 'Mo would get on this record and destroy it,' " he thought back. "I know her voice, I know her tone. It's just matched [with the beat]. It just was magical. Right now we have our chemistry and I'mma keep doing it until I feel like, 'Nah, this ain't it. Me and Mo ain't doing no more.' But until then, I'mma [mess] with her, that's my girl."

On the record, Fab raps about being so busy that "sometimes it's hard to get in touch with myself." He's trying to weed through the many women he encounters and find one who's special.

"You're really trying to find somebody real that's compatible," he explained. "Especially in my position, it's hard to find somebody real that you're gonna really be with."

Another guest on the Real Talk bill is reggae star Sean Paul. He appears on "It's Alright." "It was a good vibe, we've been kicking it for a minute," Fab said. "We were on the Rock the Mic Tour together. We built a relationship there, we always wanted to work together."

The pair's schedules conflicted while Paul was in New York, so Fab had to record his part then send the track down to Jamaica for his cohort to finish it up.

Real Talk, which also has a guest spot from T.I., is slated for an October 26 release.

• Fabolous
• Sean Paul
• Lil' Mo

Missy Elliott
Photo: MTV News

Violator Management has once again called upon its artists to participate in one of the company's star-studded compilations.

V3: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly will feature appearances by such acts as Missy Elliott, Lil' Mo, Tweet and Mobb Deep, according to a spokesperson for Jive Records. While the lineup for the album is still being solidified, the project's rep said that the G-Unit will rap on a track called "Gangsta Sh--" and the first official single will be a still-untitled cut featuring Busta Rhymes, Mystikal and a new MC named Dirtbag.

In addition to the participation by Violator acts, V3, which is scheduled to be released on December 9, will also include the reunion of a Tribe Called Quest on a song titled "(ICU) Doin' It."

In 1999, Violator released Violator: The Album and in 2001 the company put out Violator: The Album V2.0.

• G-Unit
• Missy Elliott
• Lil' Mo
• Tweet
• Mobb Deep

50 Cent
Photo: Walik Goshorn

HARTFORD, Connecticut — The Meadows Music Centre was on fire Wednesday night, not only because of the sweltering summer temperature, but also because a hip-hop heat wave had just taken over the town.

Jay-Z handled the pressure, 50 Cent made people believe the hype, Bonnie shook her bon-bon and the Chairman of the Board was left lying in a pool of blood. The Rock The Mic Tour, one of hip-hop's most anticipated shows in years, officially opened the curtain on its road trek.

Co-headliner Jay-Z knows that even though he'll be taking the stage last during the tour, his is not necessarily the name with the most drawing power. After all, 50 Cent Mania is in full swing and fans have been vocal about riding hard for him. So Jigga pulled out all stops on his performance. He not only brought out his omnipresent crew and a "special friend," he also treated fans to what's a rarity for him: backup dancers. Yes, backup dancers.

Hov's lauded performance was preceded by footage of helicopters on stage's giant screens. Then the stage lights slowly began to illuminate, revealing the set, which mirrored a military compound, complete with jungle vines hanging from the rafters, a bunkerlike structure and Hov's DJ, Just Blaze, surrounded by sandbags.

Dancers dressed in fatigues marched out to the beat of Hova's "Takeover" and stepped into formation until their leader made his grand entrance. Wearing dark shades, a black military officer's shirt — complete with a colorful array of medals — and matching shorts, Jay kicked off his set with "Jigga My N---a."

Jigga's dance troupe did a brief jig behind him before exiting. Dame Dash, the Roc's other boss, later came from backstage to dance as "I Just Wanna Love You" was ending. The heads of the label slapped each other five and shared a few laughs over Dash's crazy footwork.

Jay teased the crowd a little, playing a snippet of the beat to "'03 Bonnie and Clyde." But then Just Blaze quickly switched up the track, keying up the commanding horns of Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love." Jay's dancers returned moments later, accompanied by Beyoncé herself.

The surprise of the night took the show full throttle when B started singing "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh" while simultaneously doing the hydraulic butt shake from her video. Beyoncé strutted around the stage with the confidence of a model on the runway and then stood by as Jay rapped his verse.

But the woman who has snatched back her bootylicious title belt from Jennifer Lopez wasn't the only guest Jay would bring out to help him rock the mic. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Freeway and his fellow State Property members, the Young Guns and Peedi Crakk, also made appearances.

Everyone onstage disappeared for a wardrobe change as 1 a.m. started creeping up. Jay and the Roc came out a few minutes later to the beat of "Excuse Me Miss," having replaced their regular Roc-A-Wear street gear with dress suits.

"It's the Roc in herrre," Jay rhymed in his laid-back tone, with his crew posing and doing lounge-singer impersonations behind him. But you knew Jay couldn't end the concert on too smooth of a vibe, so at the last minute he took off his jacket for the finale, "La-La-La," his current single and the remix to "Excuse Me Miss."

Jay had a tough act to follow. 50 Cent's electric performance shocked the audience into submission, creating a frenzied legion of monster-fans, hell-bent on devouring every line of every song. Yelling in approval and thrashing their arms to the beats, the devotees rhymed along with the tunes as if they were the ones onstage.

Like Jay, the Queens MC also featured a guy in a suit: Old Blue Eyes. Before 50's performance, a man appeared on the screens impersonating the late Frank Sinatra.

The actor, dressed in a black suit and bow tie, welcomed everyone to the "50 Cent Show" before singing the Sinatra classic "New York, New York." A video montage then came on the screen, warmly highlighting some of the most legendary sights in the city. The serenity was stopped short, however, when somebody shot Frankie Baby. Another montage displaying some of New York's more unattractive scenery, such as drug addicts and shootouts, flashed as the G-Unit took the stage, launching into the song "U Not Like Me" against a set of the New York City skyline.

"You're not like me," sang 50 and the crew, dressed in New England Patriots jerseys and hats, almost drowned out by their excited fans.

"Wanksta" was up next, and then Cent addressed Murder Inc. "I smell p---y," 50 said, with his back turned toward the audience, grinning mockingly. "Is that you, Ja? I smell p---y, is that you, Irv? I smell p---y, is that you, Black? I smell p---y, is that you, Tah?" The mid-tempo beat cut off and the soundscape for "Back Down" thundered in. After his round of disses, 50 turned to give praise to one of the loves of his life with "High All the Time."

The show was flowing smoothly as "In Da Club" played, but then a glitch in the musical matrix occurred as the Unit left the stage and the video for "Many Men" came on the screens. The wrong track was being played, though, because all that was heard was the beat and no verses.

Even though some people were obviously bewildered, 50 quickly recovered from the error and took the enthusiasm to the highest point of the show with "What Up Gangsta," "21 Questions" and "Magic Stick" before he closed out with "Blood Hounds."

The Roc The Mic Tour highlights weren't limited to the headliners. Openers Lil' Mo, Fabolous and Missy Elliott all had brief sets filled mostly with big singles, and then Busta Rhymes came on.

Rhymes showed that there is no such thing as an off night for him by raising the bar with his animated rapping, yelling and crotch-grabbing along with Spliff Star. Proving that his stamina on the mic is boundless, he performed both his and P. Diddy's lyrics from "Pass the Courvoisier," and with most of the Flipmode Squad conspicuously absent, he also rapped their parts on "I Know What You Want."

The ladies in the crowd helped him out with Mariah Carey's parts on the chorus, but they totally bastardized her lyrics on the bridge. Bust kept his humorous nature, though, jabbing the audience.

"Ya'll don't know the words to the song? Cut that sh-- off," he said, looking surprised. He then told the crowd to go buy his latest album after the concert was over, and then it was.

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

• 50 Cent
• Jay-Z
• Missy Elliott
• Beyoncé
• Beanie Sigel

The Isley Brothers
Photo: DreamWorks

After more than 49 years in the music business, the Isley Brothers scored their first #1 album debut. The group's new record, Body Kiss, sold 155,000 copies its first week on shelves, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (May 14), besting their 2001 album, Eternal, which debuted at #3.

The Isleys' top position on next week's Billboard albums chart has a lot to do with the roster of guest talent on the LP. Eleven of 12 tracks were produced and arranged by R. Kelly, and the disc features Snoop Dogg on the song "I Like" and Lil' Kim on the title track.

The #2 position on the chart will go to Norah Jones' Grammy-sweeper Come Away With Me, which climbs three places to #2 with more than 138,000 copies sold. Sunday being Mother's Day and Jones being featured in People's "50 Most Beautiful" issue could have played a part in the disc's high placement in its 63rd week on the chart. To date, Come Away With Me has sold close to 6 million copies.

Former professional surfer turned bluesy acoustic songwriter Jack Johnson rides the #3 slot with On and On, which sold in excess of 132,000 records its first week out. Cher remains at #4 with The Very Best of Cher, which, after six weeks on the chart, has sold more than 120,000.

50 Cent drops from #1 to #5 this week. Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold 120,000, bringing the rapper's grand total to more than 4.5 million in just 14 weeks.

Atmospheric female-fronted hard rockers Evanescence continue to hang on to the #6 slot with their debut album, Fallen (101,000), which is nearing the platinum mark after 10 weeks on the chart.

Celine Dion's latest offering, One Heart, is #7 (almost 96,000), just above the soundtrack to the "The Matrix Reloaded" (93,000). The double-disc set features the new P.O.D. song "Sleeping Awake," their first with new guitarist Jason Truby, as well as new tracks by Rob Zombie, Deftones, Team Sleep and more.

The last two positions in the top 10 are filled by Kelly Clarkson, the "American Idol" popularity contest winner, whose glossy debut, Thankful, drops six slots to #9 (93,000), and the soundtrack to the film "Lizzie McGuire" at #10 (92,000).

The biggest chart plummet goes to Lil' Mo's Meet the Girl Next Door, which free-falls from #17 to #43. American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs also suffers a major decline, descending from #2 to #11. Madonna's American Life, which debuted two weeks ago at #1, drops from #8 to #15. Bone Crusher's Attenchun! skids 13 spots to #24, and in its second week, Kelly Price's Priceless falls 17 to #27.

Noteworthy debuts include Blur's Think Tank, which checks in at #56, Richard Thompson's Old Kit Bag at #121, Anthrax's We've Come for You All at #122 and Tomahawk's Mit Gas at #137.

• 50 Cent
• The Isley Brothers
• Norah Jones
• Evanescence
• Celine Dion

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. ...

05.08.03

"Jackass" star Steve-O will "perform" on the second stage of Lollapalooza, joining Cave-In, the Music, Kings of Leon, Burning Brides, Pharoahe Monch, the Mooney Suzuki, 30 Seconds to Mars and the Bellydance Superstars. The Distillers and Cold are the latest acts to join the main stage, which will also feature Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, Incubus, Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle, Jurassic 5 and the Donnas. ...

Want to play with Christina Aguilera? She's going to be more available to her fans than ever, starting Monday, when the "Sims Superstar" Expansion Pack hits stores. The singer is one of several celebrity likenesses with which gameplayers can interact. Other famous folks in the game include Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol. ...

Beyoncé Knowles will go in front of the cameras on Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles to shoot the video for her upcoming single "Crazy in Love." There is no word yet on whether the track's guest performer, Jay-Z, will also appear in the Jake Nava-directed clip. ... Jay-Z will open a sports bar in New York called 40/40 on May 28. The name is a reference to baseball players who have hit 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in a single season. The restaurant will be located at 6 W. 25th Street, and will feature big-screen TVs, video-game consoles and a cigar room. ... Fat Joe has teamed up with New York restauranteur Jimmy Rodriguez to take over a seafood restaurant in the City Island area of the Bronx. The as-yet-unnamed restaurant will open up in early June with a celebrity-filled party. Rodriguez is the owner of famed Bronx Latin supper club Jimmy's Bronx Cafe, as well as two successful offshoots, Jimmy's Uptown and Jimmy's Downtown. ...

Fabolous has a couple of remixes ready to touch down. While he retooled his current single, "Can't Let You Go," with a new beat, lyrics and hook, the alterations to his Street Dreams album's second single, "Into You," weren't as drastic: Tamia is now singing on the hook instead of Ashanti. ... Brian Littrell will be in need of a good caddy next month. The Backstreet Boy will test his golfing skills June 30 in Lexington, Kentucky, in a charity tournament against University of Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith, among others, to raise money for Saint Joseph's Hospital as well as his own Brian Littrell Healthy Heart Club for Kids. ...

Seminal punk band the Buzzcocks are hitting the road to support their self-titled album, which dropped March 18. The trek kicks off May 29 in New Orleans and runs through June 20 in Chicago. A brief stint opening for Pearl Jam (June 21-July 9) immediately follows. ... Paul Westerberg will follow up last year's Stereo and Mono albums with two more releases. The blues album Dead Man Shake is due in the summer (like Mono, under the Grandpaboy alias), while Folker is due in the fall. ...

Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev Run, Andrew Cuomo and a handful of state senators were among those who joined Russell Simmons at a press conference Thursday morning (May 8) in New York to give Governor George Pataki a June 4 deadline to repeal the Big Apple's strict Rockefeller drug laws. Simmons promised to call upon the hip-hop community to do PSAs and utilize other media outlets to spread the message. ... An 10'x11' billboard promoting the Deftones' new, self-titled album (May 20) that was hanging outside Los Angeles' famed Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip was stolen over the weekend. An overzealous fan is suspected of pilfering the poster, which was one of three murals commissioned by Maverick Records. West Hollywood police are investigating. ...

Skid Row are experiencing the need for speed. No, they're not turning into a death metal band, bassist Rachel Bolan is embarking on a side career as a race-car driver. Bolan is competing in races in the Legends Series, which is a part of a Charlotte, North Carolina, semi-pro organization called 600 Racing. Bolan's racing will not interfere with Skid Row, who have a new album called Thickskin due this summer. ... Producer Damon Elliott (Pink, Destiny's Child) is developing the first artist to sign to his label, singer and rapper Keyshia Cole, whose debut is due in the fall. Elliott has also produced tracks for the upcoming Mya and Jessica Simpson albums. ...

• Lil' Mo
• Ja Rule
• Eminem
• Luther Vandross
• P.O.D.

If you haven't heard enough warbling from the "American Idol 2" finalists, you're the only one. But you're also in luck. This week the top 10 release The All-Time Classic Love Songs.

On the disc, you'll find the ubiquitous "God Bless the USA" as performed by the kids, plus "On the Wings of Love" by Clay Aiken, "Killing Me Softly With His Song" by Kimberly Caldwell, and of course "Superstar" by Ruben Studdard.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, powered by singer Karen O and a formidable buzz, release their debut full-length album, Fever to Tell, featuring tracks like "Rich" and "Tick" that reveal Karen O's true power as a front woman. Other songs, such as "Modern Romance" and "Maps," show the band's dimensions beyond the now near-meaningless label "garage rock revivalists."

Depeche Mode's Martin L. Gore delivers the second installment in his cover song series, Counterfeit 2. This time Gore takes on Iggy Pop's "Tiny Girls," Nico's "The Song of the Lonely Girl," Lou Reed's "Candy Says," and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Lover Man." The first single from the album will be a cover of David Essex's "Stardust."

Trey Anastasio of Phish fame lets his Plasma flow on a live double CD featuring songs performed during last year's tour along with previously unreleased tracks, including a cover of Bob Marley's "Small Axe" and Phish's "Magilla." Meanwhile, Howie Day presents the Madrigals EP and Lil' Mo returns with Meet the Girl Next Door and the first single "4Ever" with chronic collaborator Fabolous.

The compilation Gotham Garage: The Best New Rock From New York showcases, well, what some might call the best new rock from New York. You'll get songs by the Fever, the Improbable and Charm School. Charming.

Out Tuesday, April 29:

• Accelerators - Fuel (Revel Yell)
• Agerman - Truth (Roc Diamond)
• Amazing Transparent Man - Taking Back the Covers (EP, Springman)
• Trey Anastasio - Plasma (2 CDs, Elektra)
• The Band - The Moon Struck One (Simply the Best)
• Jeff Beck - Best of Jeff Beck (Simply the Best)
• Big Ross/T-Rock - Ya'll Ain't Ready (Image)
• Black Dynasty -Reality Check: Deep East (Community)
• Black Lipstick - Converted Thieves (Peek-A-Boo)
• Bone Crusher - Attenchun (Arista)
  Read: "Bone Crusher Serves 'Scared' Rap Competitors A Steaming Slice Of ATL"
• Boz Boorer - My Wild Life (Raucous)
• Brazen - Orphaned (Sticksister)
• Rip Carson - Singles Collection (Hepcat)
• Chap - Horse (Lo)
• Howie Day - Madrigals (EP, Sony)
• Dirty South Mafia - It's a Robbery (Attitude)
• Divinyls - Pleasure & Pain (Simply the Best)
• DJ Skully - Champion Sounds (7-Live)
• Doubledrive - Blue in the Face (Roadrunner)
• Dynamo Productions - Analogue (Classic/Illicit)
• Ellis - Tigers Above Tigers Below (Rubberneck)
• FBC - Born to Hustle (Shot Callin')
• Fear Cult - Visionary Complex (Cleopatra)
• 400 Blows - Black Rainbow (Rehash)
• Generation X - BBC Live — One Hundred Punks (Strange Fruit)
• Gerhardt - Plays With Himself (Stickman)
• Girl - Anthology (Castle)
• Goldcard - Goldcard (Off)
• Martin L. Gore - Counterfeit 2 (Warner Bros.)
• D.B. Harris - Can I Return These Flowers (Nighttime)
• Heatseekers - In Praise Of (Ohev)
• HGH - Seb's Hotel (Stickman)
• Hitman Sammy Sam - The Step Daddy (Universal)
• Martin Horntveth - Skull (EP, Smalltown Supersound)
• Incognito - Who Needs Love (Dome)
• Influents - Some of the Young (Adeline)
• Jets - Bolt of Lightning (Krypton)
• King Johnson - Hot Fish Laundry Mat (Landslide)
• Cledus T. Judd - Six Pack of Judd (Sony)
• Kitty Kallen - Our Lady Kitty Kallen (Sepia)
• Katatonia - Viva Emptiness (Peaceville)
• Kevlar - Great Collapse (Sticksister)
• King JC - Ana Off My Chest (Playalistic Entertainment)
• KVLR - On Planted Streets (Sticksister)
• Langhorns - Mission Exotica (Bad Taste)
• Last Rough Cause/Society's Rejects - Skins N' Punks (Step 1)
• Lil' Mo - Meet the Girl Next Door (Elektra)
  Read: "Lil' Mo Wants To Drop Beef With Ja Rule And Focus On Family"
• Locust Fudge - Business Express (EP, Sticksister)
• Todd Londagin - Introducing Todd Londagin (Artists Only)
• Lousy - Babylon District (Knockout)
• John Martyn - Live at the Bottom Line, New York 1983 (United States)
• Matchbox - Rockabilly Dynamos, Vol. 1 (Raucous)
• Ian McNabb - Ian McNabb (Castle)
• Alan Merrill - Double Shot Rocks (Orchard)
• The Mighty Wah! - Nah=Poo: The Art of Bluff (Castle)
• Moondogs - John Peel Sessions (DeTour)
• Motorpsycho - Roadwork, Vol. 2: The Motor Source Massacre (Stickman)
• Motorpsycho - Serpentine (EP, Stickman)
• Motorpsycho - It's a Love Cult (Stickman)
• Jamie Obstbaum - Area (Orchard)
• Officer May - Smoking in a Minor (Ace Fu)
• Palaxy Tracks - Cedarland (Peek-A-Boo)
• Tom Paxton - American Troubadour (Empire Music)
• Peter Perrett - Live With the One (United States)
• Phunk Junkeez - Rock It Science (Suburban Noize)
• Pipas - A Cat Escaped (Matinee Recordings)
• Pistol River - Memory Like Mine (Orchard)
• Kelly Price - Priceless (Universal)
  Buy Now: Priceless (Universal)
• Prince EP - For the Six (Lightyear)
• Rock-A-Hulas - Bad Seed Is Coming to Town (Animal)
• Rumblers - Hold on Tight (Switchblade)
• Ruthless - Ruthless 4 Life (Dirty South)
• S. Diggie - Changin' da Game (Orpheus)
• Sad Cafe - Saving Grace (Castle)
• Santana - Magic Rhythms (Prism)
• Senses Fail - From the Depths of Dreams (EP, MCA)
• Derek Sherinian - Black Utopia (Inside Out)
• Sign of 4 - Dancing With St. Peter (Navarre)
• Slope - M (Sonar Kollektiv)
• Slut - Sensation (EP, Sticksister)
• Sons of Hercules - Right Now (Suprema)
• Star One - Live on Earth (Inside Out)
• Stiff Little Fingers - Radio One Sessions (Strange Fruit)
• Strawbs - Blue Angel (Witchwood)
• Sticky Fingaz - Decade (Riviera)
• Subtitle - I'm Always Recovering From Tomorrow (EP, Gold Standard)
• A Sudden Sway - Seventysix Kids Forever (Cherry Red)
• Sunride - Great Infiltration (People Like You)
• Suzy K. - Circle (Lightyear)
• T Nutty - Last of the Flowheecanz (Murder Creek)
• They Came From the Stars - What We Are Doing Here (Lo)
• 13 Cats - 13 Tracks (Cleopatra)
• .38 Special - Very Best of the A&M Years 1977-1988 (Interscope)
• John Travolta - Collection (Madacy)
• Uproar - And the Lord Said (Step 1)
• Ursa Minor - Silent Moving Picture (Smells Like)
• Vanilla Muffins - Drug Is Football (Knockout)
• Lou Volpe - Can You Hear That (Cap)
• Rick Wakeman - Real Lisztomania (United States)
• Wakeman & Cousins - Hummingbird (Witchwood)
• Watchers - To the Rooftops (Gern Blandsten)
• Ray Wilson - Change (Inside Out)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell (Interscope)
  Buy Now: Fever to Tell (Interscope)
• Zeno - On the Road (True Life)
• Various artists - American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs (RCA)
• Various artists - Chicano Rap Oldies (Sideshow)
• Various artists - Female Tribute to Creed (Reverberations)
• Various artists - Gotham Garage: The Best New Rock From New York (Orchard)
• Various artists - Old School R&B (Thump)
• Various artists - Pickin' on Willie Nelson: A Bluegrass Tribute (CMH)
• Various artists - Rock N Roll Reunion 1960–71 (one release for each year, Madacy)
• Various artists - Stickin' It to You Again (Stickman)
• Various artists - String Quartet Tribute to Pearl Jam (also Pink Floyd and Marilyn Manson, Vitamin)
• Various artists - Tribute to Rascal Flatts (Big Eye)
• Various artists - Tribute to Tim McGraw (Big Eye)
• Various artists - Wu Tang Collective (Empire Music)

• Lil' Mo
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Phish

Lil' Mo
Photo: Elektra

Given her past success as a songwriter and radio host, Lil' Mo has a couple of career options once she retires from singing, and listening to cuts off of her upcoming Meet the Girl Next Door, you might think Mo could be a relationship counselor.

" '10 Commandments' was something for the streets to let them know what's real over here," the Washington, D.C., transplant said of her white label single featuring Lil' Kim. "I think that was a good lead record to let [ladies] know how to keep your man. Stop telling all your homegirls all your business and problems. The ones that be like, 'Girl, he ain't no good' are the main ones trying to holla [at your man], 'So, you gonna call me?' Sometimes you have to think for yourself."

"4 Ever," the first official single from Meet the Girl Next Door (April 29), has even more advice for the ladies. "I know a lot of chicks are like, 'How should I tell my man I'm tired of being his girl and I want to take it to the next step?' There are people out here that will just be somebody's girlfriend and have their baby, but all chicks would like to be wifed," Mo said. "Not wifey, but wifed! That’s every girl's dream from when we're little, being a wife. '4 Ever' was about how to lock him down."

"Can you live with it, loving me for life, to have and hold forever?" she sings on the chorus before telling her man to "ride or die." Mo wrote the song after she tied the knot in the summer of 2001.

"I was giving ladies rules and regulations on life," she said of both songs.

And Mo is no hypocrite; she lives by her own set of rules. Two years ago she met her husband at a D.C. gas station, initiated a conversation and asked for his number.

"I met him March 28," she remembered. "In May he proposed to me, by August 29 we were married. When you find your soul mate it doesn’t take forever to find out you're gonna be together forever. We both were like, 'I done been hurt, I been through the run of the mill.'

"I'm the wife," she continued, starting to laugh. "It's on paper: if you leave me today, I'm getting a check! Nah, I'm just playing. Ride or die, till death do us part."

Not too long after the singer engaged in nuptials, she was with child. Her daughter, Heaven, is 8 months old.

"That’s the little version of me," Lil' Mo said of her littler Mo. "She's already more gangsta than me. It feels great. If you're emotionally, physically and financially ready, I'd advise everybody to find a soul mate and have a child.

"I did my whole album in my eighth month of pregnancy," she added. "Every day for three weeks I was singing and writing. She loves music now. If I could, I would have every baby while I'm doing an album. She's so calm, she came out sleeping through the night. She's just the perfect baby."

Mo, who called on the likes of Chucky Thompson, Precision and the Megahertz to produce on her LP, said that having a family helped her see that she doesn't want any part of a beef with Ja Rule. A few weeks ago Mo went public, voicing disdain for what she called Murder Inc.'s ungratefulness for her performances on Rule 3:36's "I Cry" and "Put It on Me." Rule came back on his recent freestyle tirade, levying barbs at her.

"Two hit record smashes," she lamented of her collaborations with the Incster. "Those two records ruled 2001. The whole world knows that. After those records, Jay-Z started calling, I did a Tupac record. If I speak the truth, I can't apologize. I helped that brother sell 3 million records, and I don’t have a plaque [for Rule 3:36]. I did 'Parking Lot Pimpin'' and Jay-Z sent me a plaque for every song he's done, a thank you card and a bottle of Cris."

But even though she was called out on wax, you won't see Mo retaliate.

"I'll let them do them, and all I can say is God bless, 'cause I know that [Ja Rule] has a family," she rationalized. "Timeout from being a thug. Let's just all be about family. I don’t want to be so deep in this 'keeping it gangsta' that my daughter grows up without a parent. It's getting out of hand. I can't be around bad company. I have a daughter, I have a husband, I have better things to do."

• Lil' Mo
• Ja Rule

Ja Rule
Photo: Murder Inc./Def Jam

Rappers, singers, execs, kids — nobody's safe from the wrath of Ja Rule on his latest dis freestyle.

After hitting the streets last week with a freestyle aimed at Eminem, Rule has returned with a fresh set of salvos for the Shady/Aftermath team, Lil' Mo, Busta Rhymes and Violator management CEO Chris Lighty, among others.

Not surprisingly, Rule starts off lyrically laying the smack down on 50 Cent, referring to his foe as "loose change." 50's team of "peons" are then addressed.

"Gay Dre Young/ Suge told me you used to take transvestites home/ ... No wonder Feminem be cross-dressing in pumps and tight little dresses," Rule says about the dynamic duo of Dr. Dre and Eminem. "The rapper that sings and blings" even calls out singer Truth Hurts, saying he can't tell whether she's a man or woman.

Truth isn't the only songstress who gets caught in the Murder Inc. hailstorm of barbs. Lil' Mo, a former friend of the camp, is called a bitch, and Rule asks when she last had a hot song, answering himself with "never." (Mo had publicly accused the Inc. of being ungrateful for her contributions to songs such as "Put It on Me" and "I Cry.")

"No" is the answer to whether Murder Inc. had anything to do with the two shootings at the offices of Violator Management in recent weeks. Rule's rhymes imply that Chris Lighty and Busta Rhymes went to Russell Simmons with those accusations.

"They shootin'! Ah, Chris, you shook/ And got Bus rhyming the same old hook," Rule says over the beat to Nas' "Made You Look." The freestyle ends with Rule unfavorably foreshadowing the destiny of Eminem's daughter.

A source within the Murder Inc. camp said the track is just for the mixtape circuit and hinted that it may not be the last we hear of the Inc.'s ongoing musical feud with the Shady/Aftermath camp.

As for the Inc.'s in-store releases, Murder princess Ashanti is in the studio finishing her next LP. She's slated to drop in July and has already completed 15 songs for the project. Caddillac Tah is also ready to release his debut, Pov City Hustler. He shot the video for his first single, "I Got'cha Ma," in Los Angeles last week.

Meanwhile, Ja is still pushing his new video, "The Reign," which includes a dramatization of the federal investigation of the Inc.'s offices. A spokesperson for the FBI said Rule and company may have broken the law by using paraphernalia resembling that of the bureau's in the video without permission. Although the violation could be considered a misdemeanor offense, the FBI rep said they have no plans to take action.

• Ja Rule
• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• Dr. Dre
• Busta Rhymes

Fabolous live at Madison Square Boys & Girls Club
Photo: MTV News

BROOKLYN, New York — Lil' Mo is just a good friend and he "ain't hittin' it," he loves hip-hop and the perks that come with being a rap star and he's so busy that he hardly has any time to watch music videos. These were the answers to the questions a group of teenagers asked Fabolous Wednesday in his hometown. (Click here for photos from the event.)

Fab was visiting the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club continuing his Street Dreams promo tour of kid-friendly facilities around the country, which began in late February (see "Fabolous Lines Up Free Tour Of Boys & Girls Clubs").

"It feels good to be back in Brooklyn, [giving] back to Brooklyn kids," Fab said, shortly after a sit-down with a little over 20 youths. Although the teens were allowed to ask the young rhyme slinger anything they wanted to, the wise-cracking prince of metaphors took time out to give words of inspiration.

"I definitely wanted to do something in Brooklyn for a long time," he added. "I really haven't had a chance to since a performance a year or two ago. A lot of people think [that] kids are not focused, but kids are definitely focused, especially [those] that go to some of these Boys & Girls clubs. They have goals and dreams too," he explained. "They just need a little inspiration or motivation. That's what the base of this tour is. The kids see me and are like, 'Fab is from the same predicament I'm in and he made it happen.' I was trying to be a ghetto inspiration or 'hood motivation. These kids have been very appreciative wherever I've been."

Later on, Fab gave new meaning to "In Da Club" as he warmed the crowd up, playing 50 Cent's dance anthem for the screaming fans at the Boys & Girls Club's gymnasium. "I can't deny it, you know I'm a rider," Fab rapped for the kids as the beat to his smash hit "Can't Deny It" kicked in. "Oh, oh, oh," the fans started screaming, bouncing their hands. The kids' hometown hero kept his momentum going with "Keepin' It Gangsta."

From there, Fabolous slowed down the pace with "Trade It All," only to bring the tempo back up again with "Young' n (Holla Back)" and "It's My Party." The kids who weren't busy partying seemed to be in shock that they were actually watching a rap star perform at their recreational haven.

Fab's protégé Mike Shorey, came out for the finale of "Can't Let You Go" before Fabolous thanked the crowd and quickly darted out because he was running late for a radio appearance on Funkmaster Flex's show.

But as hectic as Fab's evening was, the 23-year-old's morning had been equally as busy. He spent the a.m. hours in court facing gun charges stemming from an arrest in Brooklyn in January (see "Fabolous Arrested Twice In Two Days"). Those charges were dismissed without prejudice according to his lawyer, Alberto Ebanks. This means he hasn't been completey exonerated, but the district attorney has four-and-a-half months to build and bring a case in front of a grand jury. At the moment there are no further court dates pending.

"It's good," Fabolous said of the outcome. "I was innocent. This was a situation where it was just gonna take some time to prove I was innocent. It's definitely a disappointment that stuff like this has to happen, but it's definitely a big load off my back.

"Some of the Boys & Girls Clubs didn't want to get involved with [my tour] because they didn't know what the outcome [would be] or have a lot of knowledge of the situation," he added. "All they had was little articles in the newspapers that was really propaganda. Now that the situation is over, maybe [the clubs] would be interested in the future to work something out."

While Fabolous may have the attention of the kids, adult fans need not feel neglected. During his run of Boys & Girls clubs, Fab will also perform at nightclubs in several of the cities he visits.

Fab's newest album, Street Dreams, was released Tuesday.

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

• Fabolous
• Lil' Mo