Rah Digga (file)

SANTA MONICA, California — While struggling to write the first single for her new album, Rah Digga got a vision from the big guy upstairs — big as in B.I.G.

"It was the part of the album where it was like, 'OK, I need this killer party record,' " Digga recalled recently. "I didn't really know what to do with the hook at that point, and then — bam! — he just descended like a guardian angel. It was like, 'Oh! "Party and Bullsh--." That's the hook!' And there it was, and the song's been doing quite well for me. I'm actually at the best place I've been my entire career, so thank you, B.I.G."

Digga's "Party and Bullsh-- 2003," produced by Just Blaze, has been a hot track on the mixtape circuit for a couple of months and will be officially released on the New Jersey rapper's second album, Everything Is a Story, due March 9.

The song borrows the chorus from Notorious B.I.G.'s "Party and Bullsh--," which was released on 1993's "Who's the Man?" soundtrack, and was later covered by Method Man on the "Rush Hour 2" soundtrack. Digga, however, remembers hearing it much earlier.

"Biggie was a very profound and influential MC for me," she said. "The very first time I saw him perform, he wasn't signed and he performed his version of 'Party and Bullsh--' at a showcase. When I saw him, I knew he was gonna be somebody. He just gave off superstar presence in the midst of no one knowing who he was or having a clue as to what he was performing."

Digga's version owes its success to more than just Biggie, though. The remix, which has circulated more widely than the original, features Eve and Missy Elliott.

The high-caliber collaboration hints at what to expect on Everything Is a Story, the follow-up to Dirty Harriet (see ). The lone female in Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad also collaborated with Mary J. Blige, Fabolous, G-Unit's Lloyd Banks, City High's Claudette Ortiz and Ghostface Killah, among others, on her album.

"I have Joe Budden and Young Zee," Digga added. "They're both Jersey natives, so we did a little Jersey collaboration. I'm working on [getting] Lil Jon. I'm feeling that whole 'Get Low' Southern crunk vibe, so I'm looking for that element and then the album will be complete."

Rah has already selected "Hot Tub," featuring Snoop Dogg, for the second single.   "It's very grown-up and sexy," she said. "You know how everybody has all those let's-go-to-the-club, in-the-club, we-on-our way-to-the-club and we-on-our-way-to-the-party songs? This is one of those after-the-club joints. It starts at the club and ends up outside the club, and that's all I'm gonna say."

Besides releasing Everything Is a Story, Digga plans to return to acting. In 2001, she appeared in "Thir13en Ghosts" with Mathew Lillard and Shannon Elizabeth as well as MTV's "Carmen: A Hip Hopera" with Beyoncé and Mekhi Phifer.

"I actually just scored a really big gig, but I can't disclose the info because the logistics are still being worked out," she said. "I put acting aside for a moment because I needed to focus on this album. My first album was released back in 2000, so it's been a while, and I really wanted to get this second one off without a hitch or any sophomore jinx going on. But Rah Digga is definitely doing more films."

• Rah Digga

Almost a year after he revealed he was making "sexier" songs, we'll get to see how much of a love daddy Wyclef Jean really is when he releases his third solo album, Masquerade, on June 18. ... Q-Tip and Spike Lee have been hard at work shooting what will be a 12- to 15-minute short film/video for Tip's second solo album, Kamaal the Abstract, due April 23. Filming began in December and will resume shortly. ... Beck will perform two shows in the Los Angeles area this week to warm up for his February 26 Recording Artists Coalition benefit with Eddie Vedder and Mike Ness. Beck's official Web site, www.beck.com, is giving away five pairs of tickets to each of the gigs in San Juan Capistrano (February 21) and Hollywood (February 24). ...

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P. Diddy, Rah Digga and female R&B quartet LovHer were among the guests who came out to support Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella family at a Roc-A-Wear fashion show in New York Thursday night. Jay and company partied up at the Metropolitan Pavilion while the men's and women's fall 2002 lines were introduced. ... "Rush Hour" star Chris Tucker will host the 33rd annual NAACP Image Awards on February 23 at the Universal Amphitheater. The ceremony, scheduled to air March 1 on Fox, will feature music-world appearances by Alicia Keys, India.Arie and the Isley Brothers as well as Steve Harvey, the Rock, Jamie Foxx and Angela Bassett. ...

There's nothing funny about the popular appeal of crossover heavyweight Jennifer Lopez — she'll be crowned Female Star of the Year by the film industry's power elite at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas. She and previously announced Male Star of the Year Will Smith will be honored at a banquet next month in recognition of their drawing power at the box office. ... The soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" — a filmed concert by the Band which featured a cavalcade of special guests including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters — will be remixed and released with bonus tracks on April 16. The movie will be released on DVD May 7. ...

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My Bloody Valentine founder Kevin Shields has recorded "Outro," an instrumental, for the compilation album You Don't Need Darkness to Do What You Think Is Right, which comes out April 1. Other artists who will appear on the LP include the Pastels, Future Pilot AKA and Jesus and Mary Chain partners Jim and William Reid recording as Sister Vanilla. ... Sting, Elton John, James Taylor and Ravi Shankar comprise the first wave of artists announced to perform at the Police-man's annual Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert, which will take place at New York's Carnegie Hall on April 13.

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Ja Rule and Charli Baltimore are setting out to be the hip-hop version of Mickey and Mallory — the clip for Ja's "Down Ass Chick," featuring Charli B-more, will be a takeoff of Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers," according to a source close to Ja. Over the course of the three-day shoot, which begins February 22 in L.A., he'll also film the remix video with Baltimore, Ashanti and Ashanti, according to Def Jam; Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti will direct both. ... If you're dreaming of becoming a professional DJ, it's time to take your skills out of the bedroom and into the classroom. For the next two months in New York City, celebrity DJs including Jam Master Jay, Kuttin' Kandi, Mista Sinista and Evil Dee will lead courses in disciplines such as battle, mixtape and performance (visit www.scratch.com for more information). ...

Indie music festival Noise Pop 2002 takes place next week (February 26-March 3) in San Francisco with performances by the Dismemberment Plan, New Pornographers and Big Star, among others, and to commemorate its decade-long tenure, a double-disc Ten Years of Noise Pop will be available locally and through the festival's Web site (www.noisepop.com). A portion of the proceeds from the album, which features cuts from past performers including Guided by Voices, the Flaming Lips and Creeper Lagoon, benefits the Popular Noise Foundation (www.popularnoise.org), a nonprofit charity that provides aid to the Bay Area music scene. ... Dixie Chick Natalie Maines will appear in the first celebrity edition of the TLC series "Trading Spaces," according to The Associated Press. Maines will race to redecorate a room in her mother's home (and vice versa) in 48 hours for $1,000 or less in an episode airing April 20. ...

P. Diddy, Rah Digga and female R&B quartet LovHer were among the guests who came out to support Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella family at a Roc-A-Wear fashion show in New York Thursday night. Jay and company partied up at the Metropolitan Pavilion while the men's and women's fall 2002 lines were introduced. ... "Rush Hour" star Chris Tucker will host the 33rd annual NAACP Image Awards on February 23 at the Universal Amphitheater. The ceremony, scheduled to air March 1 on Fox, will feature music-world appearances by Alicia Keys, India.Arie and the Isley Brothers as well as Steve Harvey, the Rock, Jamie Foxx and Angela Bassett. ...

There's nothing funny about the popular appeal of crossover heavyweight Jennifer Lopez — she'll be crowned Female Star of the Year by the film industry's power elite at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas. She and previously announced Male Star of the Year Will Smith will be honored at a banquet next month in recognition of their drawing power at the box office. ... The soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" — a filmed concert by the Band which featured a cavalcade of special guests including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters — will be remixed and released with bonus tracks on April 16. The movie will be released on DVD May 7. ...

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My Bloody Valentine founder Kevin Shields has recorded "Outro," an instrumental, for the compilation album You Don't Need Darkness to Do What You Think Is Right, which comes out April 1. Other artists who will appear on the LP include the Pastels, Future Pilot AKA and Jesus and Mary Chain partners Jim and William Reid recording as Sister Vanilla. ... Sting, Elton John, James Taylor and Ravi Shankar comprise the first wave of artists announced to perform at the Police-man's annual Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert, which will take place at New York's Carnegie Hall on April 13. ...

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Post-adolescent punks Sum41 are expected to begin working on the follow-up to last year's All Killer No Filler in late April, after their Tour of the Rising Sum sets in Texas on April 21, according to their publicist. The album is expected to surface late this year or early 2003. ... Eve, who's currently in Chicago filming "Barbershop" with Ice Cube, is ready to devote some time to her day job. Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti and his beatmaking cohort, 7, said they're gearing to go in the studio with Ruff Ryders' first lady at the end of the month. ... Nickelback, Default and Injected will head out on the spring 2002 incarnation of MTV's Campus Invasion Tour. An itinerary has yet to be announced. ...

Megaproducer Megahertz (P. Diddy, R. Kelly & Jay-Z, Nas) just completed a remix with P.O.D. of the band's "Youth of the Nation," the producer's rep said. ... FenixTX have dropped off the SnoCore Rock Tour due to scheduling conflicts, according to MCA Records. They have been replaced by Apex Theory. ... Face to Face will launch a national tour in April to support their new album How to Ruin Everything, which hits stores April 9 through Vagrant Records. The jaunt starts in Salt Lake City on April 4 and runs through May 3 in Scottsdale, Arizona. ... Industrial icons Ministry will release Sphinctour, a live album recorded during their 1996 tour, on March 19. The 11-track LP, which had been a widely circulated bootleg, includes harrowing cuts such as "Psalm 69," "Filth Pig" and "Thieves" and can be previewed at ministry.advancelisten.com. ...

Innovative prog-rocker Peter Gabriel is apparently "down wit' OPP" — he hooked up with Jersey hip-hoppers Naughty by Nature on a track called "Fight Back" for the group's guest-filled April 23 release, Iicons. ... Speaking of Naughty, the group's Treach was among the celebrities who hit New York hotspot Spa on Tuesday night to support Joi (Lucy Pearl), who performed songs off her next LP, Star Kitty's Revenge. The Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo (bandmate of Joi's husband, Big Gipp) and Kelis were also in attendance (click for photos from the performance). ...

Fuel have issued a cease and desist order to Toyota, corporate sponsors of the Fuel the Music Tour, demanding Toyota stop using that title for the rock outing. The band, who says it has fought to make a name for itself and wants it protected, was alerted after confused fans began emailing its Web site inquiring about the outing because a magazine ran an ad for the event on the same page as a picture of the group, who are not involved. ... A London High Court judge has ruled that Robbie Williams will have to pay 25 percent of the royalties from his "Jesus in a Camper Van" — around $75,000 — to Woody Guthrie's publisher, Ludlow Music. Williams, who admitted to parodying Guthrie's "I Am the Way" on the track, will also have to pick up Ludlow's legal fees, which amount to another $75,000.

• Ja Rule
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• The New Pornographers

As questions abound about the Flipmode Squad's possible split with Elektra Records, rapper Rah Digga has been tapped to appear at a Rock The Vote concert and rally at Wake Forest University on October 11.

Rah Digga, along with Daniel Cage and Hootie and the Blowfish, will perform at the event, which is being staged in conjunction with that evening's presidential debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush at Wake Forest's Wait Chapel.

Third party candidates, including Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan, are expected to attend the rally, which will include a screening of the nearby presidential debate from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (ET). Yahoo.com plans to Webcast the Rock The Vote concert and forum.

Rah Digga will be pulling double duty that evening, as she also is set to serve as the MC for "Loud Lounge," an interactive political talk show about youth-oriented issues and activism.

Outside the worlds of politics and music, Rah Digga is getting ready to start work on her first big-screen film, "13 Ghosts," a project that began shooting last week in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Directed by Steve Beck and produced by Joel Silver, "13 Ghosts" is a remake of the 1960 horror movie of the same title that was originally helmed by William Castle. In that film, a reclusive doctor bequeaths his haunted house to a broke relative. A fortune has been hidden in the dwelling, and the new caretaker has to deal with ghosts (whom he can see with the aid of special glasses) in order to find the stash.

According to Digga's publicist at Elektra, the rapper has been cast as a nanny named Maggie for "13 Ghosts," which is tentatively set for release through Dark Castle Entertainment in mid-2001.

• Rah Digga

Female Flip Mode Squad rapper Rah Digga has been tapped to perform a concert on May 2 for prisoners at New York City's Rikers Island Correctional Facility.

Digga's prison show is being coordinated by the city's Department of Corrections as part of a continuing program that uses hip-hop music to help curb inmate violence.

In June 1998, Fat Joe, Cormega, and the late Big Punisher participated in a similarly-organized show for Rikers Island inmates (see "Big Pun And Fat Joe Headed To Rikers Island").

MTV News recently caught up with Rag Digga and talked about her new album, "Dirty Harriet," and the title's reference to Harriet Tubman, the former slave who helped Southern slaves escape to the North in the pre-Civil War days via the Underground Railroad.

"Basically I just feel like now in the year 2000, I represent what Harriet Tubman did in her day," Digga said. "A strong rebel female who stood up and said, 'Look, there must be a better way... and either you could follow me or you could just basically be where you are.'

"And slowly but surely she acquired a following and she found freedom for slaves. Now, of course, that is not the case in the year 2000, but as far as applying it to music nowadays... I feel like I'm not trying to fit in. I'm not following any trends. I'm basically [being] me, as best as my style represents me, and being a leader, definitely." [RealVideo]

Rah Digga has just completed the video for "Break Fool," her second single from "Dirty Harriet," and is in discussions about possibly heading out on tour with Black Rob, Ghostface Killah, and Carl Thomas this summer.

• Rah Digga

Rah Digga, a.k.a. the "first female" of Busta Rhymes' Flip Mode Squad, hit record racks last week with her debut LP, "Dirty Harriet," which will make a healthy debut at number 18 on next week's "Billboard" album chart.

The project marks the New Jersey-bred rapper's foray into the solo arena after establishing herself via the Flip Mode Squad's "Imperial" album back in 1998 (see "Rah Digga Gets Hometown Key, Unleashes "Harriet").

"It makes me feel good to be recognized," Rah said of her chart debut. "And for as long as I've been considering myself an underground hip-hopper, it makes me feel good to know that there's, like, a whole other mass of people that's checkin' for me on top of the underground."

With "Dirty Harriet" originally slated for release in late 1999, Digga added that she is grateful to her patient fans for cutting her some slack.

"I know there are people who've been waiting for me since The Fugees' [song] 'Cowboys' and [other] various projects that I participated on back in the day," Digga continued, "and I'm just glad that now, finally, I'm able to service them with the album. I hope I gave everyone what they were waiting for." [RealVideo]

Rah Digga's current single is "The Imperial," featuring Busta Rhymes. In the coming weeks, the rapper plans to shoot the video for her next offering, "Break Fool," a clip that she says will probably have a club feel.

• Rah Digga

Busta Rhymes' female protégé Rah Digga was in her hometown of Newark Tuesday evening for a very special occasion. In addition to celebrating the release of her solo debut album, "Dirty Harriet," she received the key to the city that raised her.

• Rah Digga

P. Diddy's 33rd Birthday Party

• Diddy
• Joe
• Carl Thomas
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• Rah Digga