Gucci Mane
Photo: MTV News

Artist: Gucci Mane

Representing: The Eastside of Atlanta

Mixtape: Writing on Da Wall

411: He has his face on almost as many mixtape covers as Lil Wayne and the streets have been shouting his name for a while — Gucci Mane is home and he doesn't want to stop working.

"I was very excited about the new popularity I had," Gucci said about the fresh batch of fans he gained during the past seven months he spent in jail. "I got a bigger audience to dig my new stuff. I'm always making music, so to do it in front of bigger audience so more people can tune in ... I got more listeners now."

While he was incarcerated, Gucci's camp and friends launched a campaign to help keep his name in people's ears. He had over an album's worth of material circulating through the underground, including tracks he recorded for himself or guest appearances on other artists' songs. He wasted no time in getting back out there after he was released from the big house.

"My new mixtape is called Writing on Da Wall," he explained in Atlanta recently. "I started working on it when I got out of jail. ... I put some of the best verses I think I ever wrote on it. I'm gearing them up for my album ... I just went hard in on 'em. Me and DJ Holiday came up with a concept and put a lot of lifetime experiences on them songs."

"Gucci is one of the best artists I've ever worked with because he has a creative mind," Holiday said. "He paints a picture."

The Gucc and Holiday hooked up last year for the E.A. Sports mixtape which spawned the shameless hood hit "Bricks." Holiday later helmed the remix of the record.

"You gotta respect the grind of n---as," singer Sean Garrett said. "Gucci came up, he's been grinding. DJ Holiday's been grinding. I seen a lot of these cats three, four years ago. Same with me, I've just been working since I got back to Atlanta."

Joints to Check For

» "First Day Out." "It's a banger, man," Gucci said. "It might be the intro to the mixtape. It's stupid crazy for 12, 16 bars, man — just a gangsta intro for Writing on Da Wall to start the pace off right."

» "Heavy Trafficking." "That was another banger right there," Gucc explained. "My boy Zaytoven produced it. No hook, just raw stuff — raw music, gangsta rap at its best."

» "Going In." " 'Going In' was three verses and a hook," Mane said. "It's an original song, original track for the mixtape. Fat Boy on the beat. On this mixtape, you're hearing what's going on my life, what's going on in the streets of Atlanta, what's going on in the world."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» Backwoods Fam - self-titled
» DJ Good Money - Fresh Out the Bakery
» Big Mike & Styles P - Phantom Empire
» Evil Empire - Interstate Trafficking 7.0
» DJ 31 Degreez & Young Buck - Still Ten-A-Key 2
» Evil Empire Presents Rick Ross - Maybach Season

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Shawty Lo (featuring Mya) - "About My B.I."
» Q-Tip (featuring Kanye West and Consequence) - "We Fight, We Love" remix
» UGK - "The Pimp and the Bun" and "Steal Your Mind"
» Cassie (featuring Akon) - "Let's Get Crazy"
» Pleasure P (featuring Ghostface) - "Boyfriend Number 2" remix
» Ludacris and Shawnna - "Drunk As F---"

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

A 50 Cent mixtape is coming, according to DJ Whoo Kid. Apparently Fif is in Las Vegas now working with Dre on Before I Self Destruct, and somewhere along the way, he's going to put aside material for a street CD.

"I heard they locked it down this weekend," Whoo Kid said. "[The album] is still in the oven. It's so many records, so it's kind of hard to choose which one to really showcase immediately out there. But as he's doing his "Pimpin' Curly," annihilating Rick Ross, he's working on a mixtape and getting it cracking out there. Same with Banks. Banks killed iTunes with his freestyle, so we're trying to figure out how the next couple of weeks are going to work out. But mixtapes are in the works. You know mixtapes are in the works. [Banks] don't play when it comes to freestyles."

Whoo Kid said the entire G-Unit are in "hungry dog" mode.

"Rabid on the equipment," the DJ said. "You don't wanna go over there, it's vicious. You see how bad it gets with 50 when it come to revenge and beef — I'm scared to go over there."

Speaking of scared, Eminem's camp is wary of Whoo Kid getting anywhere near the new Slim Shady record "We Made You." The Queens native laughed that they are afraid of him leaking the track.

"They're stressing me not to come to the studio so I don't Bluetooth their computers," Whoo Kid laughed. "They're mixing it down in Vegas. It might be today, tomorrow — but it's definitely gonna come out." ...

Only for the fans of lyrics — Keith Murray and Canibus are recording an independent rap album together, with Erick Sermon supplying the beats.

"What happened was, I think Keith Murray and Canibus were doing shows [and came up with the idea]," Sermon explained. "They've been doing shows for the last six months back and forth. I guess somebody stepped to them about putting something together. They called me to do the album. I think they're two songs deep so far, but it's kinda ill to hear them. Keith Murray is out-there, lyrically, and now Canibus is a step way further out-there than he is. It's a dope mixture."

Sermon promised that there will be no commercialism on the album — the duo aren't going for airplay, they just want to capture the underground audience.

"It's only for heads," E said. "I don't think there's gonna be one radio record on there, just rhymes and concepts."

Expect the concepts to get really weird — Canibus has made records where he raps from the perspective of the AIDS virus, while Murr can go interplanetary like he did on "Escape From the World." Sermon says the two are definitely going for the jugular.

"The whole thing that made EPMD dope, that's what made Redman and Method Man dope — you kinda battle each other in between. You get busy. We do a track together and I'm like, 'Damn, he said something!' You go right. ... If Canibus says something, Murray gonna try to [say something better]. But it's friendly so far. What I've experienced so far has been really, really crazy."

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

• Mixtape Monday Video: Gucci Mane, Erick Sermon & More

• Gucci Mane
• 50 Cent
• Canibus
• Keith Murray

Common's <i>Finding Forever</i>
Photo: Universal Music Group

Jimmy Hoffa, head of the Teamsters Union, went missing 32 years ago Tuesday (July 31). So, in the spirit of the anniversary, here are the artists you should be keeping an eye on this week:

The Big Five:

Common's Finding Forever
For his seventh studio effort, the smooth Chicago MC partnered with the expected (Kanye West), the unexpected (Lily Allen), the ubiquitous (Will.I.Am), the hard-to-find (D'Angelo) — and even the recently passed (J Dilla). Showing even more variety, Com proves he is like no other by sampling 2Pac, Gil Scott-Heron and Mountain all over the course of one track: "The People." Other tunes include "Black Maybe," "Break My Heart" and the album-closing "Forever Begins" (shouldn't that be the first track?).

Korn's Untitled
The last album the band owes Virgin Records is littered with 13 songs, including "Innocent Bystander," "Hushabye" and "B---h We Got a Problem" — which, surprisingly, didn't get the album-title honor as well. But if you're the type of Korn fan who always wants seconds, make sure you gobble up the deluxe edition — it's packed with a fold-out poster, postcards and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes clips and photos. Plus, if you're in need of an extra shirt after seeing the band play at the Family Values Tour, there's a tee that buyers of the deluxe edition can redeem online too.

Various artists' Kidz Bop 12
This franchise has nothing on the Now series — roughly half the installments from the latter, including the recent 25th volume, have debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. But Kidz Bop has held its own, with its chapters often earning gold certification. This one's got Avril Lavigne ("Girlfriend"), Kelly Clarkson ("Never Again"), Maroon 5 ("Makes Me Wonder"), Daughtry ("It's Not Over" and "Home") and more.

The Starting Line's Direction
After an album on Drive-Thru and another on Geffen, the Pennsylvania pop-punk band is switching gears again with its first effort for Virgin. While frontman Kenny Vasoli has said he looked to Bob Dylan and James Brown for inspiration (cough, cough), modern-rock production pro Howard Benson took the gang under his wing for the effort, which includes "Way With Words," "Something Left to Give" and "Somebody's Gonna Miss Us."

Keith Murray's Rap-Murr-Phobia (Fear of Real Hip-Hop)
Convoluted album title aside, the vet is back in a big way this week — his fifth studio LP (and first in four years) was executive produced by Erick Sermon and features Tyrese and Junior (on the first single, "Nobody Do It Better"); plus Method Man, Redman, his Def Squad troupe and more. It could be his most beautifullest album yet.

Four Mo':

Mandisa's True Beauty
Little more than a year after getting the boot from "American Idol," the former finalist is getting love from the Christian-music market with her first album. The set includes a rendition of gospel group Mary Mary's "Shackles (Praise You)" — Mandisa covered it on "Idol" too — as well as another gospel track, "Only the World," but True Beauty is generally being considered an R&B release.

Sean Kingston's Sean Kingston
With 50 Cent and Rihanna collaborator J.R. Rotem producing every track on this effort, you might mistake it for a rap or R&B album — but front to back, this is a pure reggae release. Hear the 17-year-old Kingston — and nephew of reggae hero Buju Banton — chilling out on "That Ain't Right," "Got No Shorty" and "Take You There."

Placebo's Extended Play '07
Chalk this one up to smart marketing: Knowing full well that many of the young fans on the Projekt Revolution tour probably aren't familiar with the 10-year-old band, Virgin has lumped together five of the group's classic songs in the form of a new introductory EP. But the fans get appeased too — rounding out the disc are three unreleased live recordings.

DevilDriver's The Last Kind Words
Dez Fafara and his band of groove metallers just hopped onto this year's Ozzfest — perfect timing to promote their third release for Roadrunner. In case "Head on the Heartache (Let Them Rot)," "Monsters of the Deep" and "Horn of Betrayal" aren't heavy enough for you, Last Kind Words copies sold at Hot Topic have an extra track — "Damning the Heavens" — while a live rendition of "Grinf---ed" comes with iTunes orders.

Song Title of the Week:

"For Evan's Sake" from Weedeater's God Luck and Good Speed

Album Cover of the Week:

Shivaree's Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs

Other Notables:

1990s' Cookies
After Glasgow rocker John McKeown burned out on his other projects the Yummy Fur — which boasted members who went on to join Franz Ferdinand, by the way — and the Girls and the Mars Hotel, he channeled his energy into this new squad. For their debut set, the former Strokes and Babyshambles tour partners came up with "See You at the Lights," "Pollokshields" and "You're Supposed to Be My Friend."

Alan Vega's Station
The man better known as one-half of seminal experimental-punk duo Suicide tracked his 10th studio LP in New York from 2004-2006, playing all the instruments and recording the whole shebang on his own. Tracks on the politically charged album include "Warrior, Fight Fa Ya Life," "13 Crosses, 16 Blazin' Skulls" and "Freedom's Smashed."

Entombed's Serpent Saints
And in case that's not enough impious music for you in one week, look no further than these Swedish metallers and their first album in four years. Indisputably uplifting songs include "The Dead, the Dying and the Dying to Be Dead," "Warfare Plague Famine Death" and "The Kingdom Coma."

New Releases:

· 1990s - Cookies (Rough Trade)
· A Shoreline Dream - Coastal (EP; Latenight Weeknight)
· Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold (Caroline)
· Luka Bloom - Tribe (Cooking Vinyl)
· Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone)
· Tammy Cochran - Where I Am (Shanachie)
· Common - Finding Forever (Universal) [Buy Now]
Read: "Kanye West, Lily Allen Finding Something In Common"
· Crionics - Neu Throne (enhanced; Candlelight)
· Dave Davies - Fractured Mindz (Koch)
· DevilDriver - The Last Kind Words (Roadrunner)
· Duo Dynamic - Unrest for Peace (River Bend)
· Ellegarden - Eleven Fire Crackers (Nettwerk)
· Entombed - Serpent Saints (Candlelight)
· Five Finger Death Punch - Way of the Fist (Firm)
· Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding - It's Now or Never (Rykodisc)
· Charlie Hunter Trio - Mistico (Fantasy)
· Jeff Kashiwa - Play (Native Language)
· Kia Shine - Due Season (Universal) [Buy Now]
· Sean Kingston - Sean Kingston (Epic) [Buy Now]
Read: "Sean Kingston Is Glad He Got Dissed By Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz On MySpace"
· Korn - Untitled (deluxe edition with bonus DVD also available; Virgin) [Buy Now]
Read: "Korn Are Cracking Up Over Eighth LP's 'Gothic Feel,' Munky Says"
· Mandisa - True Beauty (Sparrow)
· Keith Murray - Rap-Murr-Phobia (Fear of Real Hip-Hop) (Koch) [Buy Now]
· Naked Eyes - Fumbling With the Covers (Oglio)
· Chase Pagan - Oh, Musica! (Militia Group)
· Polly Paulusma - Fingers & Thumbs (One Little Indian)
· The Phantom Family Halo - The Legend of Black Six (Cold Sweat)
· Powerspace - The Kicks of Passion (Atlantic)
· Josh Rouse - Country Mouse, City House (Nettwerk)
· Shivaree - Tainted Love: Mating Calls and Fight Songs (Zöe/Rounder)
· Soulive - No Place Like Soul (Stax)
· The Starting Line - Direction (Virgin)
· Tokyo Rose - The Promise in Compromise (Sidecho)
· Alan Vega - Station (deluxe edition; Mute)
· Weedeater - God Luck and Good Speed (Southern Lord)
· Whitechapel - Somatic Defilement (Candlelight)
· Yo-Yo Ma - New Impossibilities (Sony Classics)
· Various artists - Kidz Bop 12 (Razor & Tie)
· Various artists - "Arctic Tale" soundtrack (Bulletproof)
· Various artists - "Hot Rod" soundtrack (Legacy)
· Various artists - "The Bourne Ultimatum" soundtrack (Decca)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material: · 40 Below Summer - Rain (Crash)
· Bizzy Bone - The Best of Bizzy Bone (Real Talk)
· Deep Purple - Come Taste the Band; Made in Europe; and Stormbringer (Friday)
· Dr. Hook - Greatest Hooks (Capitol/EMI)
· Ella Fitzgerald - Love Letters From Ella (Concord)
· Jimmy Eat World - Clarity and Static Prevails (Capitol/EMI)
· Bob Marley and the Wailers - Roots, Rock, Remixed (Quango/Fontana)
· Placebo - Extended Play '07 (Virgin)
· Elvis Presley - Viva Las Vegas (RCA)
· Raspberries - Live on Sunday Strip (deluxe version comes with bonus CD and DVD; Rykodisc)
· Johnny Rivers and His L.A. Boogie Band - Last Boogie in Pars: The Complete Concert (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 1: 1967 (five-CD box set; Hip-O Select)
· Various artists - Down Home Saturday Night (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Various artists - Old Town School of Folk Music Song Book, Vol. 2 and 3 (two CDs; Old Town School)

Music DVDs:

· David Bowie - "Glass Spider" (limited-edition set with two CDs; Virgin/EMI)
· The Lovin' Spoonful - "Do You Believe in Magic: The Music of John Sebastian & the Lovin' Spoonful" (Standing Room Only)
· Ratt - "Videos From the Cellar: The Atlantic Years" (Rhino)
· Various artists - "Los Zafiros - Music From the Edge of Time" (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - "Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops" (Universal)

Coming Attractions:

August 7:
· Constantine Maroulis - Constantine (6th Place)
Read: " 'American Idol' Vets Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis Can't Stop Rockin' "
· Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
· UGK - Underground Kingz (two CDs; Jive) [Preorder]
Read: "Ex-Con Pimp C Juiced For UGK Album, Says He Has Lessons To Teach"

August 14:
· Blaqk Audio - Cexcells (Interscope)
Read: "AFI Members Have Another Fire Inside: Side Project Blaqk Audio"
· Wayne Wonder - Foreva (VP)
· Various artists - "High School Musical 2" soundtrack (Disney)
Read: " 'High School Musical' Stars Dish On Sequel's Showstoppers, Love Triangles"

August 21:
· As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us (Metal Blade) [Preorder]
· Cartel - Cartel (Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Pop-Punks Cartel Show Off Grandma's Digs, Borrow Benz For 'Cribs' "
· Talib Kweli - Ear Drum (Reprise) [Preorder]
Read: "Stung By Criticism Of Last LP, Talib Kweli Promises No Sting Samples This Time"
· New Pornographers - Challengers (Matador)
· Swizz Beatz - One Man Band Man (enhanced; Motown) [Preorder]
Read: "Beyonce Hitmaker Swizz Beatz Defies Radio Rules With Two-Minute Single"

• Common
• Korn
• The Starting Line
• Placebo
• Keith Murray

Photo: Jive

• Clipse
• Pharrell Williams
• Akon
• Keith Murray

Photo: Bad Boy

• Notorious B.I.G.
• Busta Rhymes
• Lil' Kim
• Diddy
• Keith Murray

50 Cent (file)
Photo: Interscope

Mixtape Monday Game and 50 on the pitfalls on fame; the Mobb Deep/ Keith Murray beef nears the 10-year mark.

• G.A.M.E.
• 50 Cent
• Mobb Deep
• Keith Murray

P. Diddy
Photo: Bad Boy

Composed of all new songs — a rarity in the soundtrack format — the audio accompaniment to the film "Bad Boys II" will land at #1 on next week's Billboard albums chart.

Singles "La-La-La" by Jay-Z and "Shake Ya Tailfeather" by the superstar collaboration of Nelly and P. Diddy propelled last week's sales to more than 324,000 copies, according to SoundScan. The LP also features contributions from Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent (see "P. Diddy Finally Makes Da Band Debut On 'Bad Boys II' Soundtrack").

Ludacris protégé Chingy follows the soundtrack with his debut, Jackpot, which sold more than 156,000 copies. With the single "Right Thurr" and songs such as "He's Herre" and "Wurrs My Cash," Chingy is poised to punctuate the summer with the St. Louis-speak introduced last year by Nelly's "Hot in Herre."

Two country acts round out next week's top-10 chart debuts. Brooks & Dunn's eighth album, Red Dirt Road, will take the #4 spot, having sold more than 114,000 copies; while Pat Green's Wave on Wave, which features a guest appearance by living legend Willie Nelson, will place at #10 with more than 52,000 in sales.

The top LP of the last two weeks, Ashanti's Chapter II, will fall to #5 (108,000), allowing Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love to surpass it for the moment in the chart's battle of the divas. The "Crazy in Love" singer will drop from #2 to #3 with more than 130,000 copies sold.

The rest of the top 10 will find Evanescence's Fallen dropping three spots to #6 (73,000); 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' slipping a couple of notches to #7 (67,000); Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father moving four spots down to #8 (63,000); and, Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, taking a step back to #9 (61,000) with its more than 6.6 million copies.

Mariah Carey pal Da Brat makes her presence known at #17 with her fourth LP, Limelite, Luv & Niteclubz. Her "In Love Wit Chu," which features Cherish, helped the album sell nearly 39,000 copies in its first week in stores.

After three albums for Jive Records, Keith Murray's first and last LP for the Def Jam label, He's Keith Murray, will debut at #40; while Macy Gray's third album, The Trouble With Being Myself, the follow-up to 2001's The Id, will place at #44.

Staind's 14 Shades of Grey debuted at #1 when it was released in late May, only to fall from the chart's upper reaches soon after. But while the band's fourth album may be down, it's not out. The follow-up to 2001's super-successful Break the Cycle has sold an average of about 35,000 copies per week while steadily advancing in the last four weeks, moving from #28 to #21. The slow and steady pace can be attributed to the LP's second single, "So Far Away."

Good Charlotte's The Young & the Hopeless also made some significant strides. The 10-month-old LP with four singles to its name will move from #35 to #29, while its weekly sales increased by more than 3,000 copies.

Mexican singer Thalia's English-language debut will take a major plunge on next week's chart. Following a #11 debut, the LP will drop 50 spots after sales diminished by more than 60 percent.

With the passing of salsa singer Celia Cruz last week, her best-of collection Hits Mix will re-enter the chart at #163 with a weekly sales increase of more than 5,000 copies.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include the Used's odds-and-ends collection Maybe Memories at #84; 1970s funksters War's The Very Best of War at #133; pop-punks RX Bandits' Resignation at #148; Jacksonville, Florida, rockers Shinedown's debut, Leave a Whisper, at #159; Pearl Jam's latest live LP, recorded at State College, Pennsylvania, on May 3, at #169; and New York Yankee Bernie Williams' Journey Within at #175.

• Jay-Z
• Nelly
• Diddy
• Chingy
• Ashanti

Keith Murray
Photo: FYI Media

NEW YORK — First rapper Keith Murray serves a three-year prison sentence for a crime he says he didn't commit, and now, just as he's getting his rap career back on its feet, he gets dropped from a deal with the biggest rap label in the world.

"It's bittersweet," Keith Murray said of his luck on Wednesday, one day after He's Keith Murray, his first album since 1999, was released. Sitting down and watching TV in rapper/producer Erick Sermon's home recording studio, the slightly dejected rapper seemed just a shadow of the animated MC who rapped his most well-known hit, "Most Beautifullest Thing in This World," from on top of a car back in 1994.

Murray, who signed with Def Jam last year after getting out of jail in 2000, was released from the label two months ago amid rumors that he'd choked two Def Jam employees, causing them to be hospitalized.

"I'm not that dude," Keith scoffed when questioned about the alleged incident. "I don't run around here doing this or doing that. If something occurs between me and you, there was something that made it happen. I'm not running around here, scaring n----s and putting n----s under pressure, that's not even me. I want people that get a whiff of this interview to know this sh-- you be hearing in the news is hearsay. I'm not that dude at all."

The verbally adept MC said simply that he was let go after having a verbal confrontation with one of the company's male employees. According to Murray, after the argument the employee then told label execs that he felt threatened. Def Jam will only confirm that Murray is no longer with the company and declined to give any details or a statement.

"[The employee] put a letter into human resources saying he couldn't work with me and he's scared of me and he can't work under those circumstances," Murray ruminated. "Universal and Def Jam have been going through certain issues with Murder Inc. and with TVT [Records] so I guess they didn't want no controversy at their label. They didn't want the controversy [and] all the unpredictability of the situation getting any worse from the letter he wrote."

Keith isn't totally crestfallen, however. He's regrouped and is now working on a new LP. The Def Squad member isn't seeking out a new deal, though. He's decided to put the project out independently so he can earn more of the profits.

"I've always had aspirations to go independent but when I came home [from jail], I needed money," he said. "I had to go get a record deal and I felt Def Jam was the best place to be. I went to Def Jam because of the mom-and-pop attitude they had, but when I got there and started working with each department [I realized] they're no longer mom and pop. They're all corporation.

"My career wasn't growing where I had intended it to grow," he added. "So I said in the back of my mind, 'I gave away all my power again. I wish that I would get off.' I would tell [Def Jam president] Kevin [Liles], 'I understand that you got 102 artists on your label, but I need attention, I need development. If y'all don't want to get on the same page with me, then let me go.' "

Well, we all know the saying about being careful what you wish for. Murray now has his out.

"I don't wanna go to a major label," he explained of his next business move. "I don't wanna sit there and work my brain and contribute my intellectual property to somebody that's gonna get an 86 percent [profit] in sales, give me an advance, give me a recording budget, and make me pay for my own travel to promote my work for them to get paid. At this point in the game I'm not trying to compete with those that want fame or the glitter. I want the money. It's all about me reaping benefits from my intellectual property."

Murray says that he's been getting beats from Erick Sermon and Rockwilder and that he should be done recording his fourth studio album in a month. He wants to get the LP out this year after he secures a distribution deal for his new indie label.

"The new album is more about not worrying if the label's gonna push it, if this person's gonna like the record," Murray said, denying any notion that he harbors ill will toward Def Jam. "It's me, full fledged, it's free. It's mentally free. [The album] is what I feel."

• Keith Murray

If you had just awakened from a five-year coma, you could learn an awful lot about modern mainstream hip-hop by listening to the soundtrack to the film "Bad Boys II." The disc, the first P. Diddy offering since his new distribution deal with Universal Records, offers a broad swath of original performances and collaborations. The first single, Jay-Z's "La, La, La," is receiving strong airplay.

Diddy himself surfaces with Lenny Kravitz and Loon on the Neptunes-produced "Show Me Your Soul," with Nelly and Murphy Lee on "Shake Your Tailfeather" and Fat Joe and Dre on "Girl, I'm a Bad Boy." One of the most intriguing cuts is "Realest N---as," which features a recording of the late Notorious B.I.G. matched up with 50 Cent. The album also includes songs by Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Mario Winans and Foxy Brown, Snoop Dogg and others.

A hip-hop heavyweight who didn't contribute to the soundtrack, Ludacris, plays a major role in one of the other top releases of the week, the debut by 23-year-old Chingy, called Jackpot. The disc, the first on Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace Records, features production by Trackmasters and cameos by Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Murphy Lee and DJ Quik. The single "Right Thurr" has been a club hit since last fall and is burning up at radio.

Keith Murray's first album in five years, He's Keith Murray, sees the rapper making a re-entry in grand style. The disc features tracks with Redman, Busta Rhymes and Erick Sermon and five skits with Jamie Foxx.

Cold aren't the only hot hard rock band out of Jacksonville, Florida. A shining beacon on the metal radio landscape, Shinedown offer moody guitar rock that sounds like a hybrid of Creed and Alice in Chains. Their debut, Leave a Whisper, features the single "Fly From the Inside," which is receiving strong support from alternative and active rock radio.

On www.berniewilliams.com, Paul McCartney said this of Yankees star center fielder Bernie Williams' album, The Journey Within: "I was blown away by his talent. Go Bernie. It's a homerun!" The disc's release coincides with the 74th All-Star Game and features jazz and Latin numbers as well as covers of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" and Billy Joel's "And So It Goes."

Frontman Ken Andrews hopes he has more luck with Year of the Rabbit than he did with his last band, Failure. The group's self-titled debut is a galactic mixture of fist-tight riffs and tuneful vocals reminiscent of a more commercial Queens of the Stone Age. And if it doesn't work out, Andrews can continue his side career as a producer, working with bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, A Perfect Circle and Tenacious D.

GWAR frontman Dave Brockie's second solo disc from DBX, Songs for the Wrong, follows up his 2001 album, Diarrhea of a Madman. Long Island alt-rockers Diffuser present their sophomore disc, Making the Grade. The My Bloody Valentine-influenced group Medicine return from an eight-year absence with the noise-tinged pop album The Mechanical Forces of Love. And Pearl Jam pal Pete Droge releases his fourth rootsy rock album, Skywatching.

Here's the full rundown of what's coming out this week:

Out Tuesday, July 15:

• Beehive & the Barracudas - In Dark Love (Swami)
• Si Begg - Director’s Cut (novamute)
• Brainstorm - Soul Temptation (Metal Blade)
• Dave Brockie Experience - Songs for the Wrong (Metal Blade)
• Bukshot - They Still Don’t Love Me (Pale Horse/Mob Style)
• Cheap Sex Launch - Off to War (Punkcore)
• Chingy - Jackpot (Capitol) Read: "Chingy Set To Hit The Jackpot With Ludacris, Murphy Lee"
  Buy Now: Jackpot (Capitol)
  
• Cranes - Live in Italy (Instinct)
• Rob Crow - My Room Is a Mess (Absolutely Kosher)
• Deadweight - Stroking the Moon (Alternative Tentacles)
• Diffuser - Making the Grade (Hollywood)
• Pete Droge - Skywatching (United Musicians)
• Evil Jake - Be My Ex-Girlfriend (Evil)
• The Fondas - Coming Now! (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Friends Forever - Killball (Load)
• Honeyrider - All Systems Go (Orange Sky)
• The Incredible Moses Leroy - Become the Soft.Lightes (Ultimatum)
• Left Front Tire - 42 Ways to Lose a Friend (Yep Roc)
• Lordz of Brooklyn - Graffiti Roc (Tunnelvizion)
• Medicine - The Mechanical Forces of Love (Wall of Sound/Astralwerks)
• The Methadones - Career Objective (Thick)
• Keith Murray - He's Keith Murray (Def Jam)
• Nicotine - School of Liberty (Asian Man)
• Patrick Park - Loneliness Knows My Name (Hollywood)
• Pole - Pole (Mute)
• RX Bandits The Resignation (Drive-Thru/MCA)
• Shinedown - Leave a Whisper (Atlantic)
• Chris Standring - Groovalicious (Pyramid Media)
• Throwdown - Haymaker (Trustkill)
• Tokyo Rose - Reinventing a Lost Art (SideCho)
• Twisted Method - Escape From Cape Coma (MCA)
• Warlord - And the Cannons of Destruction (Metal Blade)
• Bernie Williams - The Journey Within (GRP)
• Year of the Rabbit - Year of the Rabbit (Elektra)
• Various Artists - Across 155th St. - The EBC/Rucker Park Soundtrack (DreamWorks)
• Various Artists - Pure Trance 2 (Water Music)
• Original Soundtrack - Bad Boys II (Bad Boy) Read: "50 Cent, Biggie, Justin Timberlake On 'Bad Boys 2' Soundtrack"
• Original Soundtrack - Hip Hop Story (Pyramid Media)
• Original Soundtrack - Johnny English (Decca)

July 22:

• Jane's Addiction - Strays (Capitol)
  Read: "Jane's Addiction Breathe, Gush And Pump All Over Hypersonic"
  Buy Now: Strays (Capitol)
  
• Kiss - Symphony: Alive IV (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Symphony: Alive IV (Sanctuary)
  

August 5:

• Various artists - The Neptunes Present: Clones (Arista)
  Read: "Summer Music Preview: Neptunes' Star Trak Presents ... Clones"

August 19:

• Tamia - Still (Elektra)

September 2:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)

• Jay-Z
• Chingy
• Keith Murray
• Bernie Williams
• Shinedown

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

Eminem is working with Russell Simmons to help spread the word about what a positive effect hip-hop can have on urban communities politically, socially and economically. Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will be sponsoring their latest Hip-Hop Summit on April 26 in Slim Shady's hometown of Detroit.

Taking place in Cobo Arena, Em and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be two of the event's co-hosts. D12, Rev. Run, Redman, Method Man, N.O.R.E., the D.O.C., Doug E. Fresh, Petey Pablo, Slum Village, the Bass Brothers, Cam'ron and the Diplomats, and Keith Murray are among those confirmed to attend.

"For me, Detroit symbolizes hip-hop in a lot of different ways," Eminem said in a statement released Thursday (April 17). "Everybody who's been involved in Detroit hip-hop culture here has spent years trying to bring light to the city the same way Russell worked to bring hip-hop to the attention of the world and the same way the mayor is working to put Detroit back in the spotlight. It's the struggle to be heard and to be recognized. It's our time, both hip-hop's and Detroit's."

"It's a big deal and there's gonna be all these artists performing, there's gonna be 18,000 people and the summit is going to be during the NAACP convention," Simmons explained on Tuesday. "You're not going to believe how dramatic and life-transforming it can be for some of the kids who come. Our commitment is to help empower the youth of today, who are the most gifted and talented generation of young people that we've ever been blessed to have. Assembling in Detroit, amidst its rebirth under a dynamic, young 32-year-old hip-hop mayor, is a great tribute to the power of hip-hop."

Simmons' reps say the theme for this year's summit is "The Remix: Rebuilding ... Refocusing ... Reinvesting ... Resurgence." During the NAACP festivities the next night, Simmons will receive a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

On July 12, Eminem will also be at the center of a major shindig in his hometown. He'll be headlining his only scheduled U.S. concert this year at Ford Field (see "Em's Hometown Concert In July Might Be The Eminem Show"). 50 Cent, D12 and Missy Elliott are also on the bill.

• Eminem
• Russell Simmons
• D12
• Redman
• Method Man

Fabolous
Photo: Jason Campbell

DOSWELL, Virginia — Two young men were shot after a show by Fabolous, Keith Murray, Freeway, Beanie Sigel and Cam'ron and the Diplomats on Saturday night.

The concert, part of BET's College Hip-Hop Fest at Paramount Kings Dominion amusement park, had been over nearly an hour when a scuffle broke out in the parking lot and the men, 18 and 21, were wounded by gunshots, according to the Hanover County Sheriff's office spokesperson Lieutenant Doug Goodman.

Thanks to information provided by witnesses, police questioned two men in connection with the shooting and recovered a weapon. David Gleason McKoy, 23, is being held in jail without bond on two counts of malicious wounding and two counts of possessing a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Goodman said the shooting occurred around 9 p.m. in the parking lot after an altercation between McKoy and the two victims, whose names have not been released. Police said the victims and McKoy knew each other from their hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia. One of the victims was shot in the torso and the other in the shoulder.

Approximately 20,000 fans attended the sixth annual all-day festival, which also featured a Greek step dancing show from a number of fraternities and sororities, as well as a DJ battle and hip-hop karaoke. Lt. Goodman said the shooting was the only violent incident at the event, which had proceeded smoothly up until that point.

• Fabolous
• The Diplomats
• Keith Murray
• Beanie Sigel
• Freeway

Fabolous' "From Nothin' To Somethin' " Album Release Party

• Fabolous
• Swizz Beatz
• Keith Murray

Nelly, Kim, LL, Sean Paul, More On Source Awards Red Carpet

• Nelly
• Lil' Kim
• LL Cool J
• Sean Paul
• Clipse

MTV Exclusive: Keith Murray In The Studio

• Keith Murray