Q-Tip
Photo: Jerritt Clark/ Getty Images

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Independent Album: Kamaal the Abstract

Headliner: Q-Tip

Songs We Can't Stop Playing: "Blue Girl," "Feelin' " and "Damn You're Cool"

Essential Info: A decade later, and Q-Tip finally gets to put his album out. On September 15, Kamaal the Abstract officially sees the light of day.

"In 1999, I just came out of putting out the song 'Vivrant Thing' and 'Breathe and Stop' off the Amplified album. Clive Davis signed me to Arista," Tip told us last week. "I'm a student of the game. I know what Clive did. He put out an album with Miles Davis called Bitches Brew in the '70s. It's considered to be the first fusion album of its kind. I said to Clive, 'I want to do the hip-hop album that's kind of like fusion in that way.' He co-signed it. In 1999, I started putting it together."

Before Tip could get the LP out, Davis got fired from his post. Tip had the option of going with the legendary mogul to J Records, but his old managers, Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen, convinced him to stay at Arista because L.A. Reid was taking the post.

"He heard it, he dug it," Tip said of Reid. "We passed it out to press. L.A. was like, 'I need a single.' So we went in and started working on a single. I went in, worked on some songs. Played it for him. He kinda didn't say anything."

Tip said Reid just sat there smoking a cigar trying to gather his thoughts while the new material was being played. Unable to come to an agreement on a single, Tip left the label. He said he feels somewhat vindicated to see that Andre 3000 became successful years later using a similar idea to Kamaal the Abstract with The Love Below.

"To see the success of that, it made me feel like, 'Damn, I might have been a little too early, but at least I know I wasn't wrong, because dude did it and rocked with it and it was great.' "

The first single from the album is "Barely in Love." "It's an uptempo song basically speaking about two people who ain't got no business falling in love," Tip said. "The power overtakes you, and you do it anyway. The other [single], 'Even If It Is So,' it's a song about somebody I knew, or know. She was really smart and articulate. She danced. She was a stripper. She had a kid, and she was dating this dude. He was stepping out on her. A little shorty from around my way. I would always talk to her and give her words of encouragement. So I wrote the song about her. I produced both songs. Actually, I produced all the songs on the album."

Kamaal the Abstract track list, according to Q-Tip's Camp:

» "Feelin' "
» "Do U Dig U?" (featuring Gary Thomas and Kurt Rosenwinkel)
» "A Million Times"
» "Blue Girl"
» "Barely in Love"
» "Heels"
» "Abstractionisms" (featuring Kenny Garrett, a.k.a. Truth)
» "Caring"
» "Even If It Is So"
» "Make It Work" (bonus track)
» "Damn You're Cool" (bonus track)

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• Q-Tip

Sway and Q-Tip
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Q-Tip has been a poignant voice in the hip-hop community for decades now. Lately, the outspoken Tip has several issues with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (such as his position on homelessness and his quality-of-life plan) and has been speaking out on Twitter, telling his fellow New Yorkers not to re-elect the mayor to a third term.

The Queens legend said he was disappointed that Bloomberg discouraged 50 Cent from performing at his own "40 Day" über-block party this Sunday in Queens. "[Bloomberg is] not right for the spirit of the city," Tip told Sway earlier this week. "50 Cent is a success story we all should applaud. However you feel about him, you can't deny him. He had something going on in his old neighborhood — our old neighborhood, because I grew up there too. He wanted to perform there. He can have the benefit but he can't perform."

The event, also called "Family Day," is a free gathering of people in the neighborhood, taking place outside of the "40 Projects," a.k.a. the South Jamaica Houses development. According to 50 and G-Unit, there will be music, plenty of food and many of Fif's big-name celebrity friends mingling with the folks. The party is sponsored by Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project and 50's G-Unity Foundation.

When the New York Post published a story last week saying that the police were worried about violence breaking out if 50 staged a surprise performance at the party, the mayor himself responded, saying Fif assured him that he wouldn't perform.

"I think that's a shot to morale," he continued. "It's a shot to somebody's morale, who's 15 or 16 years old. That's an impressionable soul who sees 50 Cent, how he's not able to see him perform in a way. I think the [city's officials] are aware, but they think [50's] performance may cause rabble-rousing, or get people to act out. That's just an old way of thinking about folk, especially black folk. That's what it all boils down to, essentially."

• Q-Tip
• 50 Cent

Q-Tip
Photo: MTV News

While November 4 was obviously a day of celebration for many people around the country, when Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, veteran rapper Q-Tip cheered the day for another, more personal reason: the release of his second solo album, The Renaissance. Fans of the A Tribe Called Quest MC could further rejoice: It was his first solo LP to come out in nine years, after false starts shelved two previous, completed albums.

"I believe in what I'm doing, and I love this music, so those things in combination were motivation for me to keep going," Q-Tip told MTV News, explaining how two full-length albums — Kamaal the Abstract (2001) and Open (2005) — were both recorded, mastered and held up by his record labels. "I'm not a quitter."

In that way, The Renaissance is a triumph for Q-Tip. Kamaal the Abstract was recorded with a live band and featured Q-Tip experimenting with hippie-era pop influences, while Open was a free-flowing, deliberately non-commercial rap escapade. Both were never released, primarily because industry executives were cautious about his chances competing with the new, younger stars of the day — the Nellys, Jeezys and Soulja Boys. Tip's persistence in the face of such indifference, though, is one of his charms.

Indeed, Q-Tip has had his ups and downs in the industry, first emerging as one of the most iconic voices of the early '90s hip-hop scene. He seemed to reinvent himself in 1999, with the release of his first solo album, Amplified, which found him discovering a new take on club-banging hip-hop. Since then, people have questioned whether a 38-year-old veteran of another era has a place in today's rap world.

But several signs in recent years point to a rap renaissance, if you will: the emergence of Kanye West as one of hip-hop's biggest stars; the ascendency of the late J Dilla as an underground idol (Dilla's early work was in conjunction with Q-Tip); and the celebration of "throwback" artists like the Cool Kids, Kid Cudi and Pacific Division, who clearly take their cues from Q-Tip's Native Tongues heyday.

Tip also sees the climate in hip-hop changing. "You have some people who have cracked through, a Kanye or an Andre 3000 or a [Lil] Wayne, who I think is lyrically just a monster," Tip said. "Eventually, the tide is starting to give way back to how things were, when people are starting to pay attention to the quality of the music, not on, 'I'm not a good rapper, I'm a good hustler,' you know?

"I just want to put out something dope; that's the credence that I've tried to follow and stick to through the years," Q-Tip explained. "Sometimes it's questionable, I guess, but for the most part, people invest in you because of your taste barometer, so I try to keep mine in the red."

Tip maintains that barometer by diving into the culture of music the way he has since he was a young man. He regularly ducks into hole-in-the-wall record stores to keep up on his beat shopping. Before leaving on the 2K Sports Bounce Tour, his most recent tour with the Cool Kids, he live-streamed his impromptu, hours-long, jam-band rehearsals to any and all viewers. And he DJs a weekly Friday night party at an underground New York hot spot that has quickly become one of the city's best.

"I love DJing because it puts me in a position where I have to pay attention to what people want to hear, in a very direct way," he said. "Clubs and DJing and parties is like the church of hip-hop. It brings in so many different people from different backgrounds, colors and denominations for one cause. I think that's pretty powerful and influences me when I'm making music."

Tip knows that he probably won't sell as many records as some of his counterparts, or may not dominate in emerging music-industry markets like ringtones and commercial endorsements. But having seen it all in his 20 years in the music business, he seems genuinely at peace with that.

"I just think people should do what they feel," he said. "You can't please everybody all the time, obviously. You just gotta do what inspires you, what motivates you. And if you do that in an honest way, people can't help but respect it."

• Hitting The Record Store With Q-Tip

• Q-Tip
• A Tribe Called Quest

Chromeo and Vampire Weekend perform at the mtvU Woodie Awards last week
Photo: MTV News

The 2008 MTVU Woodie Awards taped last week, and the night, as usual, was filled with hot talent. Paramore, All-American Rejects, All Time Low and many others were in attendance — but the focus during the show was on the performances, specifically special collaborations between artists that were organized for the event.

And this year's show did not disappoint with its ambitious team-ups: world-pop outfit Vampire Weekend and dance-rock mavens Chromeo; Swedish chanteuse Lykke Li (who's been covering A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It") with Tribe Called Quest MC Q-Tip; and two rising hip-hop stars (and buds themselves), the Cool Kids and Asher Roth.

We snuck into rehearsals, where Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig told MTV News: "I think we're all excited. This is our first time to play with any other musicians since way back in the day, when we collaborated with John Atkinson of [Brooklyn indie outfit] Aa," apparently forgetting about the show last summer when Andrew W.K. joined the band onstage for a Tom Petty cover.

After the rehearsal, Chromeo's Dave 1 assessed, "It's about 70 percent there. They play with a little different swing than I heard in my head. We still have to work on it — we just put it together now. ... Pete [a.k.a. bandmate P-Thug] and I are going to take our instruments home to practice."

The Cool Kids and Asher Roth had a different approach to rehearsals: The Kids' Chuck Inglish stood onstage and proclaimed, "I don't think we should rehearse it!" while cohort Mikey Rocks added, "Let's just go with it when we get up there — we get the basic premise." The duo met the up-and coming Roth when he came to Chicago to work on some tracks for his upcoming record. "We're the same age and we do dope music," Asher said of what the two artists have in common. "When you do things the way we do, it makes it easy," Inglish added.

But not all of the night's collaborators knew each other ahead of time: the Woodie rehearsals brought together Lykke Li with Q-Tip for the very first time, but Li's covering "Can I Kick It?" during her live sets certainly broke the ice. Q-Tip said he hadn't known who Li was before, but he's "glad it happened and found out who she is — her album is amazing."

All seemed to go well for the pair during the rehearsals, too. "He's like a pro," Li said. "It was real easy — it took one minute to get it all together."

And with rehearsals over and done, the stage was set for the big show.

The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards will premiere in full on mtvU, mtvU.com and the HD channel Palladia on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET

• Q-Tip And Lykke Li, Vampire Weekend And Chromeo: Odd Collaborations Rule At The mtvU Woodie Awards

• Paramore, All-American Rejects, More Take Home Timber At The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Q-Tip
• The Cool Kids
• Asher Roth
• Chromeo
• Vampire Weekend

"Twilight" Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

After two weeks at #1, AC/DC's Black Ice — which has already broken the 1 million-sold barrier — has been bitten by the "Twilight" phenomenon.

The vampire flick opens next Friday, but before hitting the local cineplex, fans of the much-anticipated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel hit their local record stores to pick up a copy of the movie's soundtrack, which features tracks by Muse, Perry Farrell, Paramore and Linkin Park.

The "Twilight" soundtrack debuts at #1 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart, having sold about 164,700 copies in its first week on store shelves. It becomes the year's third soundtrack to top the chart, following this summer's "Mamma Mia" soundtrack and the "Juno" set, which was released in 2007, but climbed to #1 in January. According to the latest sales totals compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, AC/DC's latest falls one spot to #2, with 159,500 week-three scans reported.

"Twilight" was among 17 new releases impacting next week's chart, and one of four to enter in the top 10. Following the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which holds at #3 with just under 110,000 sold, Hinder's Take It to the Limit bows at #4, after selling 81,400 units. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli's Incanto opens at #8 with 62,200 copies scanned, and country star Brad Paisley's Play debuts at #9 with 53,700 sold.

Meanwhile, Pink's Funhouse drops three spots to #5, with 72,900 scans, while John Legend's Evolver falls two positions to #6, selling another 72,000 copies. T.I.'s Paper Trail holds for a second week at #7, thanks to almost 68,800 scans. Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 rounds things out at #10, with 39,100 sold.

A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip enters the chart at #11, after selling 34,200-plus copies of his latest, Renaissance, while Sarah Brightman's Winter Symphony debuts at #38, with 13,500 sold. Shiny Toy Guns' Season of Poison follows at #47, with sales reported at 12,200, and rapper UNK's Second Season makes its debut at #104, with 5,200 copies sold. Travis' Ode to J. Smith follows at #122, with week-one sales reported at about 4,600, while Switchfoot's The Best Yet trails at #123, with 4,500 sold.

• AC/DC
• Paramore
• Perry Farrell
• Travis
• Switchfoot

Radiohead's Thom Yorke
Photo: Jo Hale/ Getty Images

Radiohead have announced their tour plans for 2008, but if you're expecting a traditional itinerary ... well, then you really don't know Radiohead. The band has started sketching out cities and dates for next year on its Web site, but the info is only complete for three shows — and tickets are on sale for all of them: June 18 in Milan, Italy; June 20 at Germany's Hurricane Festival; and June 22 at the same country's Southside Festival. The band is also booked for Denmark's Roskilde festival and Belgium's Rock Werchter Festival, both of which will be held July 3-6. Paris; Barcelona, Spain; Dublin, Ireland; London; Berlin and other major European cities are also on the menu. ...

Seems all that "Tattoo" talk has gone to Jordin Sparks' head. The "American Idol" victor — whose new self-titled debut isn't doing so hot in record stores these days — told the San Francisco Chronicle that she decided to get a tattoo of her own after shooting the video for her latest single, "Tattoo." Sparks first asked her mother — "I would feel really bad if I did it without telling her," she said — who replied that she would get a tattoo with her daughter after she turns 18 on December 22. The singer said the tattoo will feature her brother P.J.'s name "in a nice script." ... Ashley Tisdale's performance at the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting in New York on Wednesday apparently went off with a hitch — video circulating online seems to show the "High School Musical" star lip-syncing "Last Christmas" out of step with the pre-recorded tape. Could Ashley have something in common with another Ashlee? ...

Amy Winehouse's father is speaking out regarding the singer's recent cancellation of the remainder of her 2007 concert dates and public appearances, according to BBC News. Mitch Winehouse reportedly said his daughter is "sorry for fans," that her decision to rest is "is in her best interests" — and that "all options" were being taken into consideration over whether she would go to rehab, where she had reportedly been treated earlier this year. Amy Winehouse nixed the rest of her '07 tour plans on Tuesday, saying in a statement, "I can't give it my all onstage without my [husband] Blake [Fielder-Civil]." Her husband was arrested in the U.K. earlier this month and formally charged with one count of "attempting to pervert the court of justice," or the U.S. equivalent of obstruction of justice, in connection with an alleged $400,000 plot to fix a trial. ...

Deerhunter, the Black Lips, Mastodon and more are featured in "We Fun: Atlanta, Ga.: Inside/Out," a new documentary that is acting as the companion piece to "Athens, Ga.: Inside/Out," which came out in 1987. The flick's MySpace page has much more info, including ways to help donate to the production. ... Rare silk-screened, autographed gig posters relating to the Arcade Fire, Spoon and Superchunk are being featured in Merge Records' new eBay auction benefiting Oxfam America and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. The revered indie label, which calls Chapel Hill home, is also putting up M. Ward, Destroyer and Robert Pollard posters — the Arcade Fire one is already going for $531. ...

Expect to find Lil Wayne, Cee-Lo, Bilal, Floetry's Marsha Ambrosius and Q-Tip on the upcoming album by Solange Knowles. Solange & the Hadley Street Dreams, due in 2008, will also feature, more bizarrely, a sample from long-running down-tempo duo Boards of Canada. ... The Warner Music Group posted a big loss on Wednesday (November 29) — a 58 percent drop in its quarterly profit, according to Reuters. Sales from digital music were up 25 percent during the quarter, but the decline in CD sales dwarfed that gain. U.S. album sales are down 14 percent this year. ... Moby tracks might not be as prized these days as they were back in 1999, but the musician is giving some of them away for free all the same on a new portion of his Web site. He's giving away music to be used by indie and nonprofit filmmakers, film students and people — so long as it's used in a non-commercial or non-profit film, video or short. ...

Critics' albums-of-the-year lists are popping up left and right, but what about the King of Horror's two cents? Stephen King — who is a member of Rock Bottom Remainders, the literary all-star squad that also features Matt Groening and others — rolls out his own list in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, which streets December 7. Steve Earle's Washington Square Serenade is his favorite album of the year, with Wilco's Sky Blue Sky and Lyle Lovett and His Large Band's It's Not Big It's Large following behind. Rounding out his list are Ozzy Osbourne's Black Rain, John Fogerty's Revival and Southern Culture on the Skids' Countrypolitan Favorites. ...

Nick Bollea, Hulk Hogan's son, was driving around 100 mph when he crashed his car in late August, according to reported police records released Tuesday, but his attorney is denying the claim. "The scientific evidence doesn't support anything like that," Morris "Sandy" Weinberg told the St. Petersburg Times. The report also says Bollea — who was cited for operating a vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of .02 percent or higher, among other infractions — told police he didn't know what road he was traveling on or in which direction, and that he had been driving 30 or 40 mph. Earlier this month, Bollea was charged with reckless driving in the crash that critically injured his friend and passenger John Graziano, who suffered a broken skull and has been comatose since the accident. ...

Ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle was arrested Tuesday for not properly registering as a sex offender — the second time he's been busted for not doing so — according to The Associated Press. The musician (real name: Thomas Delmer Pyle) — who in 1993 pleaded guilty to charges of attempted capital sexual battery by an adult on a victim younger than 12, among other charges — is being held on $50,000 bond at a jail in Florida after being arrested at one of three addresses he gave to police. On November 19, Pyle was arrested on the same charge after he didn't register a new permanent address. The address on Pyle's driver's license reportedly doesn't belong to him — the musician has a house in North Carolina but has told police he wants to register at an address in Florida. Pyle left Skynyrd in 1992 after playing with the band for 17 years. ...

Jennifer Love Hewitt got engaged to boyfriend Ross McCall, a Scottish actor, last week during a trip to Maui, according to UsMagazine.com. A date reportedly hasn't been announced yet for the "Ghost Whisperer" star's wedding.

11.28.07

Lindsay Lohan was dealt a setback Wednesday (November 28) when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled her deposition in an ongoing lawsuit can be videotaped, according to TMZ.com. The site says Judge Michael Stern ruled that Raymundo Ortega, who is suing the starlet for $200,000 in damages stemming from an October 2005 car crash, can videotape Lohan's deposition as part of his lawsuit against her. Her lawyers had argued against the motion, saying such a videotape would sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Last month, Lohan countersued Ortega, who has accused her of negligence and drinking when she hit his parked van in West Hollywood, California. A trial date for both suits is set for April 7. Also in October, Britney Spears landed a courtroom win last month when a judge ruled that her pending deposition in her child-custody case will not be videotaped. ...

John Legend is one event-full dude. He appears on one of the covers of Black Enterprise's December issue, has a TV concert special on the way and is also booked to co-host the kickoff party at this year's Florida Entertainment Summit, which begins Thursday and ends Sunday. Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and others are also participating in the summit. ... The Killers have presented fans with a new Christmas charity single, the successor to last year's "A Great Big Sled." All proceeds from "Don't Shoot Me, Santa," which was made available Tuesday as a digital download, are going to Bono's (RED) campaign, as "Big Sled" proceeds did last year. They've shot a video for the track too. ...

"High School Musical" fans can breathe a little easier — Zac Efron will be back for the third flick, according to Us Weekly. Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale were reportedly confirmed for "High School Musical 3" earlier this month, and the magazine quotes director Kenny Ortega as saying, "All of the original cast will be back." But, he added, "I have a feeling this will be the end [for the current stars]. This franchise may move to another generation!" Hudgens also commented on the upcoming flick, saying, "It's their senior year, so there's going to be graduation — and prom!," according to the magazine. ...

Autographed materials and other swag items relating to Foo Fighters, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, the Killers, Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Slash, Bright Eyes, Beck, the Flaming Lips, Feist, the Arcade Fire, Marilyn Manson, the Rolling Stones and a fleet of other artists will be up for bidding at the 19th annual Rock for Kids Charity Auction, which will take place Friday in Chicago. Rock for Kids gives free music lessons to underprivileged kids in the Chicago area. ... And Incubus are hoping to inject their Make Yourself Foundation charity with an influx of cash via a new auction of their own. The band has put more than 50 items up for bid on eBay, including Brandon Boyd's 2006 Mini Cooper, a custom Xbox, sneakers, a pool cue and more. Incubus have so far raised more than $600,000 for their nonprofit this year. ...

Alicia Keys has been tapped to co-host "My Night at the Grammys," a two-hour special hyping the upcoming awards show. The CBS special will also feature Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Billie Joe Armstrong, Beyoncé, Bono, Ricky Martin and Usher sharing their Grammy memories, with Melissa Etheridge and Faith Hill also co-hosting. "My Night" will air at 8 p.m. on Friday, while the awards ceremony itself will take place February 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center. ... Think you're the perfect match for Bow Wow or Omarion? The guys are launching a contest in which two winners will score a dinner date with them. To enter, contestants have to make a 30-second video of themselves explaining why they would be the perfect "Wifey" for either Bow or O, and submit it here. The winners will also get autographed copies of the two's December 11 album, Face Off, which they're celebrating with a day-of appearance at Circuit City on Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street in New York. The first 500 people to buy the album at the location will get a wristband allowing entry to the autograph signing. ...

Unreleased tracks by Nas, Rihanna, Fabolous, Method Man, Redman, Bobby Valentino and Ne-Yo are being compiled onto Def Jam Sessions Vol. 1, due December 18. The so-called "ultimate bonus track collection," as a press release dubs it, features leftover cuts from the artists' latest albums and includes Nas' "The N ..." and "Where Y'All At" (from the Hip Hop Is Dead sessions); Rihanna's "Haunted" and "Cry" (Good Girl Gone Bad); Fab's "I Shine, You Shine" and "Chirp Back" (From Nothin' to Somethin'); Meth's "OD" (4:21 ... the Day After); Red's "F--- Da Security" and "Let's Go" (Red Gone Wild: Thee Album); Valentino's "Wreck" and "Let's Go" (Special Occasion); and Ne-Yo's "That's What It Does" and "Spotlight" (Because of You). ... Free agent Joe Budden previewed selections from his forthcoming independent album/mixtape, Mood Muzik 3: It's About to Get Worse, on Tuesday night at New York night spot the Plumm. The recently liberated Def Jam artist was on hand, as were rappers Joell Ortiz and Benzino. The first two installments of the Mood Muzik series were more acerbic, but the sharp-tongued MC still delivers a few lyrical uppercuts on the new disc, such as on "Ventilation": "I'm looking in his casket like he had no face/ I was at a loss for words like 'Fiascogate.' " ...

It's been almost a year since Brandy was involved in a multi-car freeway crash that claimed the life of a woman, and since the singer hasn't been charged yet, she could wind up in the clear, according to TMZ.com. The window of opportunity for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office to file charges expires December 30, on the first anniversary of the accident — the site reports that the office is planning to wait until the last minute to make its decision. ... Yahoo and AOL might scrap their Internet radio services following a 38 percent increase in royalties to air music, according to Bloomberg.com. SoundExchange, which represents artists and labels, started collecting the mandated increased fees in July, after which Yahoo and AOL stopped directing users to their radio sites. Yahoo's Launchcast saw an 11 percent drop in the number of people using the service, while AOL Radio's audience took a 10 percent plunge. ...

Magnetic Fields, Mountain Goats, Blitzen Trapper and Cursive fans, make some noise ... the bands are anchoring the lineup for next year's Noise Pop festival. The 16th installment of San Francisco's indie-rock gala will happen February 26-March 2 and also feature Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan's Gutter Twins, whose Saturnalia debut is due in stores March 4. The Twins have also booked a Valentine's Day gig at New York's Bowery Ballroom. ... A Perfect Circle mastermind Billy Howerdel's new project, Ashes Divide, are targeting March for the release of their yet-untitled debut. He produced and engineered the effort in Los Angeles, playing all guitar, bass and keyboard parts. Drumming was handled by Josh Freese, another APC vet, and Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, the Killers) engineered the disc. ... The Black Lips are hoping their 2007 hype carries over into next year: The Atlanta garage-rockers — or "flower punks," as they prefer to call themselves — are plotting a tour that will run from February 1 in Denver through March 22 in Atlanta. ...

Controversial hip-hop shock jock Troi "Star" Torain announced his return to the radio airwaves on Wednesday at a press conference held at Bryant Park Hotel in New York. Toran, who hosted top-rated morning shows at Hot 97 and Power 105 before unceremoniously departing from both stations amid clashes with management and disputes with a number of contemporaries — including Dame Dash and DJ Envy — will make his return as a part of the new independent station Pulse 87 (87.7). The Top 40 station will premiere in early January, followed by the debut of the new "Star & Buc Wild" show. ...

Natavia Lowery, the former personal assistant of ex-Ramones co-manager Linda Stein, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to Stein's murder. The Associated Press reported that Lowery, who initially denied knowing anything about the brutal slaying of Stein — who was found facedown in a pool of blood in her $3 million Fifth Avenue apartment on October 30 after her head and neck had been struck a half-dozen times — blamed a masked man at first, according to newly revealed court documents. But in a signed statement, Lowery claimed that Stein blew marijuana smoke in her face, brandished a cane and made derogatory remarks about black people. "I snatched the cane and hit her repeatedly with it," said Lowery, who is black. Her attorney said outside court that police coerced a false confession from his client by grilling her in an interrogation room for 12 hours and that the purported murder weapon has not been found. Police said surveillance tapes show Lowery leaving Stein's apartment shortly after the assault. ...

The Ozzy Osbourne pre-concert sting that was staged last month in Fargo, North Dakota — and resulted in dozens of arrests — is continuing to pay off for the police. According to North Dakota news site KXNet.com, Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney is selling T-shirts cops wore in the raid and using the money to raise money for the United Way. During the Halloween Eve sting, which was disguised as an Osbourne party, police wore "security" tees that featured a festive Halloween skull, and the image of a sheriff's-badge star could be seen in its right eye socket. "The T-shirt just became the image and look of what happened with that event, and people wanted one," Laney said, according to the site. "Initially we weren't going to do anything with it, but as I thought about it, I thought, 'Hey, what a way to give back to the community through something that happened — something positive.' So we'll give [every] penny raised to the United Way." ... In even more unusual Osbourne news, his wife, Sharon, made a macabre revelation on "Extra" on Monday — they have a suicide pact in place in the event that either she or her husband faces a terminal illness. "[When] you know you're going to die, we would want to choose the time where we want to leave," she said. "I would go with my old man, and he would come with me." But, Sharon added, "Not if it's in the next five years." She also addressed her feud with Courtney Love, saying that she can't address her allegations that the rocker hooked her son, Jack Osbourne, on drugs because the situation is "now in legal hands, so we can't talk about it, because it's gone to that stage."

• Radiohead
• Amy Winehouse
• Lil Wayne
• Cee-Lo
• Ozzy Osbourne

A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Common and Lupe Fiasco onstage at the 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors
Photo: WireImage/S Lovekin

Lupe Fiasco may have never uttered a more farsighted statement than the one he delivered to MTV News from the red carpet at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors taping last week.

"[Q-Tip] was really adamant [about selecting me to be a part of the A Tribe Called Quest tribute]," he said. "And then there's a little sub-story about why he was so adamant that we'll get into, I guess, after the awards. He's kind of giving me a hazing, giving me a reprimand."

What exactly he's referring to has been dubbed "Fiascogate" by the hip-hop blogosphere, and it stems from his flubbed performance during the Tribe tribute at the Honors show, a post he created some time ago about A Tribe Called Quest on Okayplayer.com, his claims (like the one above) that Q-Tip was adamant about him performing in the tribute — and subsequent reactions to all of the above.

In the post, Lupe wrote that he's not too familiar with Tribe's catalog, specifically 1993's classic Midnight Marauders,, which he claimed he'd never heard all the way through. Instead, Lupe — whose style is aesthetically very similar to Tribe and their "Native Tongues" contemporaries like De La Soul — said he grew up on West Coast gangsta rap more than East Coast "backpack" rap.

But the real controversy began when Lupe flubbed the lyrics to one of the album's standout tracks, "Electric Relaxation," during his performance. He also tripped up on Tribe's posse cut "Scenario." But rather than letting it go, Lupe let loose.

On Monday afternoon, before the show aired on television, he posted on Okayplayer again, rather aggressively explaining — in all caps — his mistake. And if you haven't been paying attention to the way Fiasco-gate has played out, below we'll take you step-by-step. [Editor's note: For readability, we have edited some of the following posts and put most all-caps posts into normal case.]

Saturday, October 6, 5:07 a.m.: Several news outlets, including MTV News, report about Lupe Fiasco's stumbling over his lyrics during the Tribe tribute. Messageboards react. Lupe responds in a thread on Okayplayer titled: "...Becuz Q-Tip Is My Friend And He Asked Me To..."

"So I've explained this to a lot of people...let me name-drop a few:

"#1 Fab 5 Freddy #2 Q-TIP!!!! ... that's right the leader of the group himself!!! #3 Common #4 ?uestlove

"and more ... ahem ...

"I DID NOT GROW UP ON ATCQ!!!...

"The little ghetto kid from the mean streets of the West side of Chicago grew up on Spice 1, 8Ball & MJG, N.W.A and Snoop Dogg. I wasn't a backpacker rap enthusiast! I never claimed to be. I grew up on gangsta rap! Have I listened to [Midnight Marauders] in its entirety? ... no!!! ... (sorry ?uest). Get off your high horses and your sacred cows. Some of ya'll make me sick. ...

"And fyi when [the Tribe tribute] was initially offered to me, I turned it down because I felt it was out of place for me to be honoring them, because while I was fully aware of their impact in hip-hop I wasn't really aware of their music like that ... but guess who wanted me to be a part of it ... hmmmm ... how about ... Q-Tip!!!

"So now are you going to hate on [A Tribe Called Quest] because they wanted somebody who didn't really know their music to honor them by covering some of their music? ... think on that [Okayplayers].

"P.S.: I forget the words to some of my own songs on stage ... hey it happens."

Saturday, October 6: Lupe clarifies his remarks to HipHopDX.com from the set of his forthcoming video, "Superstar."

"The label brought the idea to me and I told them that I didn't think it was cool because I didn't grow up on them," he explains. "People are going to think that's phony. I think people who know that I haven't listened to the Midnight Marauders album are going to look at me and say it's phony. They gave me mad press kits on Tribe and I was like, 'I know who they are!' But now this was becoming [even more] phony because I had to beef up and play a role [pretending] that I know them. Just for the sake of putting on a facade for my fans? I'll never do that."

Sunday, October 7, 12:01 a.m.: Some messageboard users are none too pleased by Lupe's post, with many calling the MC all kinds of disparaging names. Although Lupe has plenty of supporters as well, Phonte of North Carolina group Little Brother is not one of them. The rapper applauds Lupe as a peer before criticizing his thread in a post on Okayplayer titled: "Since Ahmir and None of Y/Our OG's Are Willing To Say This, I Will."

"You f---in' up, my n---a. Straight up and down.

"What's even more amazing is the same cats on this site defending your arrogance and ignorance on this topic are the same ones who would be ready to FLIP if the statements you made about MM were said by a Webbie, Plies or Soulja Boy.

"I purposely remained silent during Fiascogate just to see how it all would play out and to see how my man would gain control of the situation, but with you forgetting the lyrics to a classic song from a classic group on national television while paying tribute to them, the 2nd plane has officially hit the tower.

"You're my homeboy and a colleague that I hold in high regard. I'm a fan of your work. Even more so, we've chopped it up on numerous occasions so you know that everything I say is coming from a place of respect and concern. [Regarding your comments about growing up on gangsta rap], that's fine, but your music and more importantly your image leans more towards Native Tongues than killaman-killaman-saykillamankillaman-wit me glock. If it walks and talks like a duck, most people would call it one. You can't blame [Okayplayers] or anybody else for putting you inside a box that you were willing to sit comfortably in and benefit from."

Phonte then responds to most of Lupe's statements in the Okayplayer post in turn, concluding by saying:

"More than anything, it seems to me that Tip knew you were one of the only available celebrities that would translate to VH1's audience and do his legacy justice. ... You and Pharrell are the only celebrities who are (seemingly?) cut from Tribe's cloth and would make sense in the context of the show.

"Normally cats would be forgiving of a slip-up, but when that slip-up was preceded by several months of bragging about how 'I've never heard the album and really don't care to,' well ... you do the math.

"Just some words of concern, fam.

"Best of luck with 'The Cool' and I hope the remix comes out dope.

"Your Homie, Peer, and Fan,

Tigallo"

Tuesday, October 9: A Village Voice story on A Tribe Called Quest makes its way around the Web. In the story, Q-Tip pays his respect to Lupe and mentions being briefed on the rapper's comments about never having listened to Tribe.

"I dig Lupe, and somebody hit me today, showed me something that he said online about how he'd never heard Tribe," Tip says. "He said something like, 'I never heard Tribe and never listened to Tribe,' which I thought he was just saying to stir sh-- up. I know he doesn't believe that, and I certainly don't, and it's all good. I have love and respect for him."

Later that day, in an interview with New York radio station Hot 97's Miss Info, Q-Tip says that he did not beg Lupe to perform, but that Lupe's name, along with others, was presented to him in a shortlist by executives at VH1. Out of the list, Q-Tip selected the rapper, along with Common, Pharrell and Busta Rhymes.

"I'm not trying to make this any bigger than it is, but I just want to clear up one thing," Tip says. "We never hunted him down and begged him to be a part of the show or anything like that. His name was pitched to us by VH1, and we said 'OK cool.' The only time I spoke to Lupe about the Hip Hop Honors performance was on a conference call, which we did with the other artists too, like Busta and Common, to plan the performance. When VH1 brought his name up, based on what he had said about us before, I thought it was ironic and it kind of humored me.

"All that stuff he said about never listening to a Tribe album before and having no interest in doing so, it doesn't make sense to me. As I said on the show itself, it was listening to N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton that inspired us to make [1991's] The Low End Theory, and years later I spoke to Dr. Dre and he told me that hearing The Low End Theory inspired him to make The Chronic. That's what music does. That's what artists do, they seek out information of all kinds. But no, I never hunted him down to be part of the tribute. That didn't happen."

Wednesday, October 10: In an interview on Vibe.com, Lupe steadfastly refuses to back down. He further tries to explain his slip of the tongue by strangely reasoning that MC Hammer had greater prowess than Tribe.

"[Tribe] didn't sell 10 million records, so why would people think they had a blanket on the world like that? MC Hammer was way more popular to me than A Tribe Called Quest," he says. "Those hip-hop elitists who think [Tribe] hold the crown and the copyright to hip-hop ... I listen to 8Ball & MJG and I think they're better than [Tribe]."

Later in the day, Lupe appears on DJ Kay Slay's satellite-radio show and, when asked about his comments regarding Hammer and Tribe, the rapper says he'll be sending a cease-and-desist letter to Vibe and suing the magazine for presenting the interview out of context. According to Lupe, the online interview was conducted before the Hip-Hop Honors show. He later tells Kay Slay he's not mad at anyone over the incident — Phonte, Q-Tip or outlets that picked up the Vibe story.

"First, let's rewind," he tells Kay Slay. "First, I just want everyone to know I'll be suing Vibe for defamation of character. Shout to Q-Tip, shout to A Tribe Called Quest, shout to Phife Dawg, shout to Shaheed. So be clear: Vibe magazine — and this is where this comes from — took one of my interviews from a month ago that's supposed to come out next month. And the pretext to that interview was talking about the elitism in hip-hop and how that people feel that you have to have. ... I don't know the lyrics to certain songs to Midnight Marauders. And then I'll turn around and ask someone, 'Do you know the first verse to "Lay It Down" on 8ball & MJG's Comin' Out Hard?' [Editor's note: "Lay It Down" actually appears on the duo's 1994 On the Outside Looking In album.] But I'm a country bama because I don't know that? Do I attack you because you don't know that? ... Vibe magazine took that and made it seem as if I was responding to Q-Tip, my man, my brother ... this is a quote from a month ago."

(MTV News' requests for comment on the matter from Vibe had not been granted at press time.)

Thursday, October 11: Vibe's Web site updated the Lupe story by placing a disclaimer above the text revealing that the interview had in fact been completed before the Hip Hop Honors event.

"The interview with Lupe Fiasco regarding his feelings about Tribe and Midnight Marauders was conducted prior to his Hip Hop Honors performance," the statement reads. "The article should have made clearer that Lupe Fiasco was responding to statements he'd previously made, not his Hip Hop Honors performance."

And that's the story for now — until the posts start heating up again ...

• Stars Spread The Love At VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Snoop, Pharrell, Diddy, Ciara And More At The 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Lupe Fiasco
• A Tribe Called Quest
• Q-Tip

Common performs at the 4th Annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors show
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

NEW YORK — Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Hip-hop addicts were OD-ing this weekend as rap concerts monopolized the Big Apple. The Roots, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Common and Q-Tip kept the b-boys saying, "Hoooooo!" and the fly girls doing the wop.

Friday night at the Nokia Theater, the Roots headlined a concert in conjunction with VH1's Hip Hop Honors show, where not only did they perform, but they backed Big Daddy Kane and MC Lyte.

Black Thought showed mind-blowing breath control as he channeled the spirit of Kool G Rap during a cover of the lispy legend's "Men at Work."

"Dope 'cause I'm a death wish, not even Bob Hope's," he rapped. "Rhymes are rugged, soul flooded, cold-blooded/ You ain't better, you're butter, so just shut it/ Here to perform, having a brainstorm, make a rain form/ How rap groups run to keep the name warm/ Putting heads to beddy-bye like Freddy so get ready/ 'Cause I'mma get crazier than Crazy Eddie."

Thought also imitated the entire Wu-Tang Clan for "Protect Ya Neck." MC Lyte paid homage to her brother Milk Dee with a verse from "Top Billin' " (that's Milk's voice looping in 50 Cent's "I Get Money") and brought back classics like "Paper Thin" and "I Cram to Understand U."

After presenting Black with a pimp cup for his birthday (and a cake at Thursday's Hip Hop Honors — see video at left), Big Daddy Kane made the theater go dizzy with a handful of classics from "Set It Off" to "Warm It Up, Kane" to "Smooth Operator." Big Scoob came out for "Raw," during which he and Kane did an electric dance routine that included splits and midair chest-thumping.

On Saturday night, Boost Mobile held its annual Rock Corps concert at Radio City Music Hall. Yung Joc, Hurricane Chris and Swizz Beatz (Swizzy brought out Jadakiss and Eve) were the appetizers, and later NYC favorite Fabolous came out for a handful of joints, including "Make Me Better," "Baby Don't Go" and "Keepin' It Gangsta." For "Gangsta Don't Play," reggae icon Junior Reid came out. Keyshia Cole's set was as brief as a cup of coffee, but she did have one of the biggest pops of the night with her hit "Let It Go."

Co-headliner Busta Rhymes tried to make the most of his 15 minutes — yes, 15 minutes for Bus is sacrilege — teasing the crowd with snippets of his monster hits, such as "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Break Ya Neck." Ludacris' time was limited as well, but he did squeeze in "Number One Spot" and more.

Sunday (insert fatigued intake of breath here) was the last night of shows. It all pointed back to the Nokia Theater, where Common and Q-Tip — who have joined forces for a side project called the Standard (album due in 2008) — performed separate sets at a concert presented by 2K Sports.

Tip opened, and fans were hoping to be surprised by a reunion of A Tribe Called Quest — but the Abstract Poetic went it alone.

"New mutha----in' York," he yelled, excited to be in his hometown.

"We're winning, by the way: 8 to 3," he added, pointing to the Yankees logo on his hat. Although nothing can compare to seeing Tip and Phife Dawg do Tribe joints in their entirety, the music is so beautiful, everyone was excited to hear Tip do half a record here and there, such as "Check the Rhime." Tip did Phife's rhymes on "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation." And let's not forget, Tip does have two very big solo tracks: "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop."

Common was theatric, poignant and potent during his show.

"Go!," "U, Black Maybe," "Testify" and "Drivin' Me Wild" riled fans up. He then started paying tribute to hip-hop, with a bevy of covers such as N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" and Nas' "N.Y. State of Mind." Then he gave fans the ultimate moment with an off-the-head freestyle cipher that included KRS-One and Q-Tip.

"We do this here, and you know we don't stress/ I got my n---a Common and KRS," Q-Tip rhymed.

"Right here, this is the Teacha/ I wanna hear a shout from Nokia," spit KRS, who had just minutes earlier surprised everyone with "The Bridge Is Over" and "South Bronx."

Common followed with a warning to sucka rappers: "I put you on a stretcher, you can call me love 'cause love's gonna get ya/ When it comes to this, MCs, you know I gotta snuff ya, and when it comes to this you can't tell me nothin'."

Later, at the end of "Misunderstood," Common listed some people who he thought were misunderstood: Tupac, Malcolm X, Kurt Cobain, Lauryn Hill, Michael Vick and the Jena Six. He finished his set with "The Light."

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

• Stars Spread The Love At VH1 Hip Hop Honors

• Common
• Ludacris
• Q-Tip
• The Roots
• Busta Rhymes

Britney Spears
Photo: Alexander Tamargo/ Getty Images

Britney Spears suffered a setback in her child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline during a hearing on Monday (September 17). An anticipated "secret witness" — who turned out to be one of the singer's ex-bodyguards — came forward to file a declaration to the court and make himself available to testify on "issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use and safety issues involving the children post-rehab," according to his attorney Gloria Allred. Spears' attorney chose not to cross-examine Tony Barretto, so the ex-bodyguard did not take the stand, which "shocked" Allred, she said. "Since neither the court nor Ms. Spears' attorney chose to examine our client from the witness stand regarding the particulars of his highly explosive and relevant declaration, it stands unrefuted and unchallenged," Allred told reporters outside the courthouse. However, contents of that declaration were not made public Monday, nor were the court's minutes from the closed hearing, so there's no word on how the declaration was received. Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told reporters he didn't see a quick end to the custody dispute, since the next hearing isn't set until November 26, with another court date to follow in December. "I don't see it being resolved before that time," he said. To make matters worse for Spears, she lost two members of her team on Monday. Attorney Laura Wasser is no longer providing her with legal representation in the custody battle, Wasser confirmed to MTV News — the singer has new representation in Marci Levine, according to Levine's office. Shortly after Wasser threw in the towel, Spears' management company, the Firm, quit as well, according to People. "It saddens us to confirm media reports that we have terminated our professional relationship with Britney Spears," read the statement. "We believe Britney is enormously talented and has made a terrific record, but current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job. We wish Britney the best." ...

Meanwhile, the level of absurdity surrounding the Spears/Federline saga has reached a new height. As the former spouses' custody battle continued in Los Angeles Superior Court, another story started to unravel outside the courthouse: that of an alleged contract hit on Federline's life. According to the FBI's Los Angeles office, a "non-specific," "low-credibility" and "uncorroborated" threat on Federline's life was received. "Since there was no federal jurisdiction, we shared the information with the local authorities," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told MTV News. "We take every threat seriously. But there was no specificity, no corroboration, and it could not be substantiated." The LAPD, who seemed to take the threat a little less seriously, laughed when asked about it, telling MTV News, "We do not have a current investigation." Federline's rep had no official comment, but his lawyer told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday, "Until I see what the alleged threat was, I can't speak to that." ...

Dave Grohl has opened up to U.K. newspaper The Guardian about the death of his former Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. "Kurt dying shocked me into running away from music for a while," he divulged. "I started Foo Fighters because I didn't want to retreat. I couldn't imagine joining another band and sitting behind the drum set, because I would always think about Krist [Novoselic] and Kurt." Grohl also revealed that while one of the Foos' earliest songs, "I'll Stick Around," was not directed at Cobain's ex-wife, Courtney Love, he wouldn't be surprised if similar comparisons are made over "Let It Die." The song, featured on the Foos' new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, features the lyric "A simple man and his blushing bride/ Intravenous, intertwined." The tune was "written about feeling helpless to someone else's demise," Grohl said. "I've seen people lose it all to drugs and heartbreak and death. It's happened more than once in my life, but the one that's most noted is Kurt. And there are a lot of people that I've been angry with in my life, but the one that's most noted is Courtney. So it's pretty obvious to me that those correlations are gonna pop up every now and again. I still remain a little secretive about it all." ...

Even at Sunday night's Emmys, where he wasn't nominated for anything, Kanye West couldn't win. The rapper notorious for loudly expressing his award-show-freeze-out frustrations playfully lampooned his sore-loser reputation during a skit in which actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office") beat Kanye at a game of "Don't Forget the Lyrics" based on 'Ye's song "Stronger," with the loser doomed to retiring from show business. After West slipped up and sang "that's how long I've been on you," comedian Wayne Brady joked that Mr. West picked "the wrong time to speak properly," pointing out that the lyric ends with the words "on ya." A smiling West exclaimed, "I never win!" The consolation? West had a front-row seat for the Los Angeles ceremony, right next to multiple winner Tony Bennett. Later on in the evening, he popped over to Justin Timberlake's concert at the Staples Center for a rendition of West's "Stronger," according to TMZ.com. ...

The stars of "High School Musical" are still in negotiations for a third flick, Corbin Bleu told People magazine. "Truthfully as long as it's a good script and as long as everybody is being paid fairly, I would be more than happy to go and have one last hurrah," he said. The 18-year-old actor also revealed that he's never actually been to an "HSM" premiere due to various scheduling conflicts. ... Comic book fan Ghostface Killah is partnering with Adult Swim for a free tour set to hit college campuses next month. The trek, which will feature Witchdoctor as the opening act, will begin October 1 at the State University of New York in Albany and run through an October 19 gig at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Indie-rockers ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Dethlok — the once-fictional animated band featured on the Adult Swim program "Metalocalypse" — are joining forces for a separate free trek, but shows have not been announced beyond the October 29 start date. ...

Will Ferrell isn't your typical actor, so it makes sense he wouldn't be your typical charity donor either — he's raising money for a friend's cancer foundation by auctioning a cameo spot in his new flick, The Associated Press reports. Online bidding for an appearance in "Step Brothers" began Monday and ends September 26, and the opening bid was $5,000. The winner will be announced September 27; get to meet with Ferrell at the Cancer for College golf tournament dinner at Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California; and shoot a scene with the actor in October. The proceeds will go to Craig Pollard's Cancer for College foundation — Pollard and Ferrell were fraternity brothers at the University of Southern California. ...

Apparently Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor plans to disband the group's current lineup following the final gig on its current tour, which is set for Tuesday in Honolulu. Reznor told Honolulu's Star-Bulletin that he wants "to switch things around a bit." Nine Inch Nails, he said, "as a rock band configuration [has] done it and we've done it again. I see other ways I can present the material in concert, more challenging, something new. I don't want it to go stale." The band has been touring together for more than two years and currently includes drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Aaron North, bassist Jeordie White and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini. ... Marilyn Manson is teaming up with a French family-run distillery, Matter-Luginbuehl, to produce thousands of bottles of his own brand of absinthe, called "Mansinthe." Production on the line started last month, and so far, 6,000 bottles have been made. No word on when "Mansinthe" will be commercially available, or for that matter, where. ... Former Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges have collaborated with Celine Dion for a track slated to appear on the singer's forthcoming Taking Chances LP, due November 13. The duo wrote and produced one track for Dion, called "This Time." ...

Live Nation, which runs the House of Blues chain, has either canceled or moved to alternate venues five heavy-metal concerts previously scheduled at House of Blues clubs located on Walt Disney Co. property in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Anaheim, a gig that had been booked two months earlier and was set to feature Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity on September 7 was moved to a different venue; a show that was supposed to feature Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, the Red Chord and the Absence on September 13 was also shifted to a different club; and Obituary's planned September 26 concert has been canceled. Two other shows, scheduled for the House of Blues in Orlando, have been moved as well. John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation, said in a statement that "House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues." ...

After months of delays, the free-download site SpiralFrog finally launched on Monday, offering users the chance to choose from more than 700,000 songs and 3,500 videos from a number of independent labels and Universal Music Group acts like Amy Winehouse, Timbaland, Rihanna and Fall Out Boy. The ad-supported site requires users to wait 90 seconds while downloading tracks and sign in every month to answer some questions about their buying habits. Unfortunately for iPod users, the site doesn't work with the biggest-selling MP3 player, and users can't burn the songs onto CDs.

09.14.07

Kanye West's Graduation is proving to be quite the bear. The album leads with 781,000 copies sold over the 603,000 moved by 50 Cent's Curtis according to projections, Billboard reports. "It's just a few days out," Fiddy told the news outlet, qualifying the numbers. He said the music industry "would consider me to be a hip-hop favorite because of my sales history, and people like to root for the underdog." He also took some time Thursday to sound off about Sunday's VMAs on New York's Hot 97, saying he was shorted compared to 'Ye — even though West has also been complaining he didn't get enough airtime during the show. Fif also managed to take a swipe at his record label, Interscope, during the VMA rant: "As far as the VMAs were concerned, Kanye received the upper hand. I ain't going to front. He had four looks — his song 'Stronger,' his new record 'Good Life,' he had a performance with Soulja Boy, 'Crank [That],' and then he came out with me. So I feel like Def Jam is doing a better job of promoting the CD than Interscope. Interscope is just relying on my base and the actual music. I was on the VMAs for one minute and 20 seconds. I should've just stayed home." ...

Last weekend, Britney Spears had the VMAs to worry about — this weekend, it's her kids. On Friday (September 14), a Los Angeles Superior Court judge postponed making a ruling on whether court documents relating to the singer's divorce and custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline should be sealed or open to the public. "Access Hollywood" and People magazine were among the media outlets representing the public's interests. Outside the courtroom, Spears' divorce attorney Laura Wasser spoke to reporters, telling them this is a frustrating time for the singer. "I think she just wants to be a mom," Wasser told reporters, "and both of her kids' birthdays are this week, and I think she would've liked to celebrate with them without having to worry about the entire nation — the entire world — being concerned about what's going on with her personally and her custody battle with Mr. Federline." On Monday, the judge will hear Federline's order to show cause for primary physical custody of the couple's two children: Sean Preston, who turned 2 on Friday; and Jayden James, who turned 1 on Wednesday. ...

Earlier this week, the "American Idol" judges had at Britney Spears' VMA performance — now "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba is following suit. "When I watched it, I think they gave her a great place to make a comeback," she told Newsweek. "It was more mature than we've seen in the past. The thing that was unfortunate is that the center of the performance was Britney, and she was only giving about 30 percent. That's why it fell short. The backup dancers focused all the energy right to Britney, and she was the weakest link. ... I think fear got the best of her." ... Jamie Foxx got a place on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Friday, and when he chatted with reporters at the induction ceremony, he inevitably gave his two cents on Spears' performance. "I think Britney's gonna be fine," he said. "I think that she was courageous to get up there and do her thing. I wish her well for that." ...

Common and Q-Tip will co-headline this year's 2K Sports Bounce Tour, which will kick off September 22 in Milwaukee and conclude October 14 in Los Angeles, according to Filter magazine. Q-Tip is featured in "NBA 2K8" as a playable character and is on the video game's soundtrack as well. ... Mark Ronson — who manned the ones and twos inside the Palms' Pearl Theatre during last weekend's Vegas VMAs — has slapped two U.S. tour dates onto his itinerary: October 3 (Los Angeles) and October 5 (New York). ...

A fire broke out at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Friday afternoon, injuring four people, according to Austin360.com. The flames erupted inside a trailer located behind the beverage-vendor tents between two of the festival stages, and Pete Yorn's set was stopped as the fire was extinguished. All four people were transported to Brackenridge Hospital, and two are in critical condition. ...

Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher attended a Kabbalah conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday to celebrate the Jewish New Year, according to The Associated Press. She reportedly didn't speak with the media, and the conference was closed to TV cameras. ... Master P visited Monroe Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday and spoke to roughly 800 students about the importance of education, good financial management and a vision for success, AP reports. The rapper was approached by math teacher Bonnie Mwanda, who reportedly heard he would be in town and thought his success might be an inspiration for her students, many of whom come from similar backgrounds as the hip-hop mogul. "If the principal tells me y'all have a good year, I'm going to bring Romeo back to do a concert," he told the students, according to AP. ...

Fred Durst has been keeping a relatively low profile these days, but the Limp Bizkit frontman was given a 120-day suspended jail sentence after pleading no contest to seven misdemeanors way back on August 16, AP reports. He was also ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and fined $1,500 for assault, battery and reckless driving, for deliberately hitting two people with his car in Los Angeles in October 2006. Moreover, Durst was hit with a restraining order, is not allowed within 100 yards of the two victims — whose names have not been revealed — and cannot possess a firearm. ...

Elton John made a surprise appearance onstage during a Prince concert at London's O2 arena Thursday night. BBC News reports that John joined Prince for a cover of the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road." After the two-hour-plus show, Prince ducked into the O2's smaller theater and played another two-hour gig, which included covers of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and another Beatles song, "Come Together." ... Led Zeppelin fans are getting more time for a chance at tickets to see the band perform a one-off reunion gig November 26 at London's O2 arena. Organizers behind the concert — a tribute to late music icon Ahmet Ertegun — are extending the lottery-application process to Wednesday, Billboard reports. The Web site set up to handle registrations received 89.5 million attempts in a 12-hour period on Thursday, according to the news outlet. ...

Members of underground-rock heroes Shudder to Think will reconvene for a one-off gig at New York's Mercury Lounge on Monday, Pitchfork reports. Frontman Craig Wedren and guitarist Nathan Larson — whose conflicts were part of the reason the band broke up in the late '90s — will get together with drummer Kevin March for the gig, although bassist Stuart Hill will not be accompanying them. ... Glassjaw have booked three California dates for next month. The reunited band will play October 28 in Hollywood; October 29 in San Diego; and October 30 in Pomona, California. ... Iconic punk band Operation Ivy's 1991 self-titled compilation LP will be reissued on November 6 on Hellcat. The classic release has been remastered and will also be available for download for the first time. ... PJ Harvey's White Chalk album has shifted from a September 25 release date to October 2. ...

AT&T's Blue Room, the site where political comments made by Pearl Jam during Lollapalooza were censored a month ago, has announced a new policy to avoid repeating that controversial practice during its webcast of this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival. According to AT&T spokesperson Steven Schwadron, "AT&T has developed an AT&T Blue Room policy to maintain integrity of the live performances featured on the site. AT&T will not edit any audio during the live webcast, of performances. We may edit visual content — either through camera angle changes or video blackouts — if there is strong sexual content. Also, we are going to have a clear viewer-discretion messaging both before and during the webcasts. The terms and conditions of the site, which users accept when they choose to view the webcast, requires users to be at least 13 years of age." ...

It's been 42 years since Johnny Cash's arrest in Starkville, Mississippi, for picking flowers from a resident's garden. But a judge who is reviewing the matter could potentially pardon the late musician, according to BBC News, and the city plans to instead honor him with the Johnny Cash Pickin' Festival from November 2-4. Cash wrote the track "Starkville City Jail" — which he performed at his legendary live At San Quentin prison LP — after spending a night in the city's prison.

• Kanye Lectures On The Importance Of Graduation

• Kanye West
• Justin Timberlake
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Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Madonna arrived in Malawi on Monday (April 16) with David Banda, the Malawian boy she is adopting, to continue her charity work in the country, Reuters reports. The visit is fueling rumors the singer wants to adopt a second child. ...

Jennifer Lopez hopes to tour in support of Como Ama Una Mujer, she told MTV Europe — and reveals that she'll have more music out before the year is up. "I have an [English-language] album that's coming out this year that I'm finishing up right now," she said. "First single in June, so it's a big musical year for me." ... Two Anna Nicole Smith diaries up for auction over the weekend failed to sell, ABC News reports. They're now available for a minimum big of $25,000 apiece at Dallas' Heritage Auction Galleries. ...

Senator Hillary Clinton isn't about to get embroiled in the Sanjaya Malakar hubbub, The Associated Press reports. When asked about the "American Idol" hopeful on a New Hampshire radio station, the Democratic presidential candidate diplomatically replied, "Well, you know, people can vote for whomever they want. That's true in my election, and it's true on 'American Idol.' " ... Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire and other "Spider-Man 3" castmembers strolled down the red carpet at film's world premiere in Tokyo on Monday, Reuters reports. ...

Lil Jon even represents Atlanta on ice. He's currently blogging about his love for hockey's Atlanta Thrashers at NHL.com, and revealed that while it's his 8-year-old son that actually plays the game, Jon's got his own place on the NHL team. "[Atlanta goalie] Kari Lehtonen actually has my picture on the back of his helmet," Jon wrote in a recent post. "We always go in the locker room to say 'what's up' to him before a game." Jon admits that he hasn't been following the Thrashers' every move this season, but he's tuning back in for the playoffs — and hopes to see the team bring the Stanley Cup to ATL. The Thrashers are currently in the first round of playoffs, down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series. ...

M-1 of Dead Prez appeared on Fox News' "Your World With Neil Cavuto" on Friday afternoon to debate hip-hop's role in the Don Imus scandal. The political-minded MC said drawing a parallel between rap lyrics and the racially insensitive remarks that cost Imus his job is like "comparing apples and oranges." Cavuto countered, "If Imus uses the expression and then you use the expression, you've both said 'ho,' " but M-1 noted that he didn't use the word "ho" in his lyrics. The rapper added that there's "something wrong" with offensive language being used whether it's by Imus or in hip-hop, but asserted that there is a difference between Imus' words and rap lyrics due to the "historical relationship of oppression" between black and white Americans. ...

Barry Gibb, the former Bee Gee who in 2006 bought the Johnny Cash Tennessee house that burned down last week, says he and his wife will rebuild a new home nearby. "Linda and I have decided to build our own home on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home and the original foundations shall be kept intact and preserved for the people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville," he said in a statement obtained by AP. ... A woman injured in a car crash involving Godsmack frontman Sully Erna has had her condition upgraded to serious, according to North Andover, Massachusetts' Eagle-Tribune. Lindsay Taylor, 25, was in a coma and on life support following Wednesday's collision. Taylor was a backseat passenger in a Toyota Camry that was struck from behind by a Hummer H3 driven by Erna, who was not injured in the accident. The crash remains under investigation by state police, but so far, no citations or charges have been filed against any of the drivers involved. ...

Nickelback have raised almost $400,000 for Amnesty International and International Children's Awareness Canada via their aptly titled new single "If Everyone Cared." ... Ben & Jerry's will be releasing a new ice cream inspired by Queen. Called Bohemian Raspberry, it's the latest in a series of music-themed flavors, including Phish Food and Cherry Garcia. Sales of the ice cream will benefit the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was established to combat AIDS worldwide. ... DJ Clue, Ray J and Lance Armstrong were among the partygoers who helped Q-Tip celebrate his birthday in New York on Saturday. The surprise party was held at a downtown Manhattan loft. ... Richard Gere is getting some serious flak in India after kissing and hugging Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty at a recent AIDS-awareness event, AP reports. Angry throngs burned effigies of the American actor in New Delhi and Mumbai, while protests broke out elsewhere in the country. ...

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge warned prospective jurors in the trial of Phil Spector on Monday that the proceedings will not be a chance for them to have their "15 minutes of fame," AP reports. The prospective jurors were to be directly questioned by lawyers on Monday afternoon, with a focus on the questionnaire answers they provided when screened a month ago. ... The Village People's policeman is off the hook, AP reports. Victor Willis was arrested last month after his girlfriend accused him of choking and threatening her. Maria Velasquez, a spokeswoman for the San Diego City Attorney's Office, said the case would not be pursued for "evidentiary reasons." ... Don Ho, the man who came to personify Hawaiian music, died on Saturday in Honolulu at age 76. Ho, best known for his kitsch classic "Tiny Bubbles," with which he opened and closed each show, died as a result of heart failure, according to The New York Times. Ho was a tourist staple on Waikiki at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber hotel for more than 40 years, performing his signature song and telling jokes and hosting his own ABC variety series, "The Don Ho Show," from 1976-77. His daughter, Hoku, who released her own hit album in 2000, was often featured in his live show.

04.13.2007

Gwen Stefani as a brunette? The singer told Harper's Bazaar that she's considered coloring her hair brown — "Then I said, 'Nah, I'm gonna milk this blond as long as I can." The singer also spoke up on the future of her career. "Some days, I think there's no way to get away with this any longer," she said in an interview published in the magazine's May issue, on newsstands April 24. "I still feel like that sometimes, even though it's been 20 years. But then some days, I just feel really inspired and I really believe in everything. It's like the 15 minutes just keep getting longer." ...

Keeping up with the Joneses got that much more difficult Friday (April 13) with news from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas that Shia LaBeouf has officially been cast in the fourth installment of the "Indiana Jones" series. "We are excited about bringing Shia into our Indy family," Spielberg said in a post on IndianaJones.com. The announcement ends weeks of "Will he or won't he?" speculation, much of it fueled by LaBeouf himself. The 20-year-old "Disturbia" star had previously denied his involvement when news of the casting first leaked and recently told MTV News, "I haven't been presented with the idea. I haven't been approached." In the Friday post on IndianaJones.com, LaBeouf said, "I was hoping the rumors were true, so I couldn't be more thrilled. To be cast in an Indiana Jones film is like grabbing the brass ring and holding on for the ride. I can't wait to take that giant step in front of the Indy cameras." "Indiana Jones 4" will be released worldwide May 22, 2008. ...

A judge has granted C-Murder permission to attend his first book-signing event to promote his street-lit novel "Death Around the Corner." The rapper, currently under house arrest, will participate in the signing during the New Orleans Jazzfest on May 5 at the one of the city's largest black-owned bookstores, Community Book Center. ... A judge has delayed a custody hearing over Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead's baby, The Associated Press reports. The decision was made to allow the deceased model's mother, Virgie Arthur, more time to negotiate a private-visitation arrangement with Birkhead. In related news, two Smith diaries will be auctioned as scheduled on Saturday, despite her former partner Howard K. Stern's claim that they are stolen property. ...

Ozzy fans, be on the lookout: Select copies of his Black Rain album will contain a code giving the owners first chance at seats for Ozzfest. The specially marked copies will be available at retail stores May 22 but can be preordered in the meantime. The code is good for two tickets, with supplies limited, and will be effective four days before the general public has access to tickets on June 12. ... James Blunt is in the clear. The singer/songwriter will not be charged for allegedly driving over someone's foot after leaving a party in February, AP reports. ...

Fred Durst misses being the frontman for Limp Bizkit, and according to a blog post, he'd like to head out on the road and stage "a landmark event." Durst said, "I would love to do a tour with the original Limp Bizkit" lineup, which no longer includes guitarist Wes Borland, who left the band to launch his own project, Black Light Burns. Limp haven't toured the States since 2003. "Imagine that me and Wes could work things out together and be a band again, friends again," Durst wrote in the post. "We had so many wonderful times. I am proud to say that I have learned so much from my mistakes and it has taken a long time to evolve to this place where I finally let myself be healed. Without Limp Bizkit, I would have never gotten here. Without Wes, I wouldn't know what it is like to work with the best." ...

Julian Lennon, the eldest son of John Lennon, has sold his stake in his father's compositions for the Beatles, according to The Wall Street Journal. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a source told the paper that the shares of the catalog were "significant." The deal for the songwriting income generated by the Lennon compositions was made with Primary Wave Music Publishing, which last year paid an estimated $50 million for a 50 percent stake in the music-publishing catalog of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. ...

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has spoken out against the Live Earth gigs, saying that it might be hypocritical to stage the event, aimed at raising climate awareness worldwide, when it could have an adverse affect on the climate. "Private jets for climate change, not sure about it, that seems to be a bit on edge really," he told the BBC. Ashok Sinah, a director of Stop Climate Chaos, responded to defend. "They have to reduce carbon emissions, we have to reduce carbon emissions, and in just the same way that we may look at a pop star and say, 'You use more carbon than I do,' people from Africa could look at us and think, 'We don't go flying around everywhere.' I have met people in Africa who haven't even made a phone call, let alone get on a plane." Sinah also noted that the concerts were just the beginning of a larger overall campaign. "We have got to make sure that the people that come to us post-concert are actively engaged and get involved in the campaign." ...

Trey Anastasio pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance on Friday, avoiding a possible 14-year prison term. AP reports that Anastasio, 42, accepted a plea deal in his felony drug case that will require the singer to serve 12-15 months in New York's drug court program, during which he'll make weekly court appearances, submit to drug testing and perform community service. The charges stem from a December arrest in which police claim he was found in possession of heroin and an anti-anxiety drug prescribed to someone else and was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. ... Heather Locklear's second rock marriage has officially ended. The actress' divorce from Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was finalized Wednesday, according to an AP report. She filed for divorce from Sambora in February 2006 after 11 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

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Woodie Awards Biggest and Brightest Moments

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• Emmanuel Jal
• Debbie Harry
• Mark Hoppus
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Woodie Awards 2007 Winners and Presenters

• Annie Lennox
• Q-Tip
• Fall Out Boy
• Talib Kweli
• Motion City Soundtrack

Woodie Awards 2008 Performers

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• Chromeo
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Inside San Fran's Outside Lands Festival

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• The Duke Spirit
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• Thievery Corporation
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Jay-Z, Coldplay, More At All Points West 2009

• Jay-Z
• Coldplay
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• MGMT
• Vampire Weekend

Paramore, All-American Rejects, More Take Home Timber At The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Paramore
• The All-American Rejects
• Lykke Li
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MTV.com Exclusive: Q-Tip

• Q-Tip

Common, KRS-One, More At Smirnoff Signature Mix Series Launch

• Common
• Q-Tip
• DJ Premier
• Just Blaze
• KRS-One

David Banner's Heal The Hood Hurricane Benefit Concert At B.B. Kings - 09.19.2005

• David Banner
• Talib Kweli
• Memphis Bleek
• Keyshia Cole
• Q-Tip

Omarion, Lindsay Lohan, Loon, Brian McKnight, Others On Teen People's Red Carpet

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• Loon
• Maroon 5
• N.E.R.D.
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