It's a motley crew releasing new albums this week, with Melissa Auf Der Maur dropping her first solo project, Truth Hurts and the Baha Men seeking a return to the spotlight, and an electronic band getting dreamy.

Melissa Auf Der Maur, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist, tries her hand at a solo career with her debut album, Auf Der Maur. Auf Der Maur has brought along some friends to help out, though, including members and former members of Queens of the Stone Age, Hole, A Perfect Circle, Helmet and the Offspring.

Truthfully Speaking, it's been two years since Dr. Dre protégé Truth Hurts released her last album. Well, she's Ready Now, and releasing her sophomore album this week.

Holla at the Baha Men. The group is letting its dogs out again with a new album, Holla! The Men have released three albums since 2000's immensely successful Who Let the Dogs Out, but none have had a comparable runaway hit.

Like Kraftwerk? Have a fondness for electronic music and synthesizers? Tangerine Dream may be right up your alley. They release Dream Mixes 4 this week.

Flying under the radar this week are albums by Downset (Universal), Melissa Ferrick (The Other Side) and Katey Sagal of "Married With Children" fame (Room).

Out Tuesday, June 1:

• Aa - Big A Little a (Narnack)
• Afterlife - Speck of Gold (Bar de Lune)
• Amp Fiddler - Waltz of a Ghetto Fly (PIAS America/Genuine)
• Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (Fatcat)
• Another Dead Juliet - Here Lies (Trash Art!)
• Asura - Lost Eden (TV Matters)
• Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  Read: "Ex-Hole Bassist Follows Orders From The Aliens In Her Head"
  Buy Now: Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  
• Backstabbers Incorporated - Kamikaze Missions (Trash Art!)
• Baha Men - Holla (S-Curve)
  Buy Now: Holla (S-Curve)
  
• Blue-Eyed Son - West of Lincoln (Eenie Meenie)
• Gary U.S. Bonds - Back in 20 (M.C.)
• Brydge - Crossover (X-Ray)
• BT - Music From and Inspired by the Film "Monster" (DTS)
• Eugene Cole & Persuaded - Jesus Is the Balm (Jabez/PGE/Brody)
• Cosmic Rough Riders - Too Close to See Far (429/Savoy)
• Crimson Spectre - Crimson Spectre (Magic Bullet)
• Joe Diffie - Tougher Than Nails (BBR/C4)
• Sandy Dillon - Nobody's Sweetheart (One Little Indian)
• Downset - Universal (Hawino/Liquid 8)
• Ronnie Earl - Now My Soul (Stony Plain)
• A Faith Called Chaos - Forgive Nothing (Volcom Entertainment)
• Farewell My Enemy - Casting for Funerals (Rise)
• Fear My Thoughts - The Great Collapse (Lifeforce)
• Melissa Ferrick - The Other Side (Right On)
• Fluke - Puppy (One Little Indian)
• Gift - Sumthin' Amazin' (X-Ray)
• Grandadbob - Waltzes for Weirdoes (MRI/Lax Recordings)
• Mic Harrison - Pallbearer's Shoes (Valley Entertainment)
• He Is Legend - He Is Legend (Tribunal)
• Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle - Night Light (Hybrid)
• Heart & Soul (Nexus) - Parkes Stewart (Comin' Atcha/PGE/Brody)
• The Honorary Title - Anything Else But the Truth (Dog House)
• Joss - If Not for the Hovering ... (Delmore)
• Ana Laan - Orégano (Liquid 8)
• Lackloves - The Beat and the Time (Rainbow Quartz)
• The Like Young - So Serious (Parasol)
• Misery Signals - Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (Ferret)
• Miss Kittin - I COM (Astralwerks)
• My Revenge! - Less Plot, More Blood (Thorp)
• Greg Osby - Public (Blue Note/Metro Blue)
• Jesse Powell - Jesse (Liquid 8)
• The Power & the Glory - Call Me Armageddon (Deathwish Inc.)
• Duke Robillard - Blue Mood (Stony Plain)
• Dexter Romweber - Blues That Defy My Soul (Yep Roc)
• Bobby Rush - Folkfunk (Deep Rush)
• Katey Sagal - Room (Valley Entertainment)
• Saigon - Warning Shots (Sure Shot)
• Bobby Sanabria - Quarteto Ache (Zoho)
• Seldom Seen - See Me Now (East Side)
• W.C. Spencer - Blues Explorer (Catscan)
• Steep Canyon Rangers - Steep Canyon Rangers (Rebel)
• Tangerine Dream - Dream Mixes 4 (TDI Music)
• Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B (Nuclear Blast)
• DJ Tiesto Just Be (Nettwerk)
• Truth Hurts - Ready Now (Pookie Entertainment)
  Buy Now: Ready Now (Pookie Entertainment)
  
• Twelve Tribes - The Rebirth of Tragedy (Ferret)
• Two Lone Swordsmen - From the Double Gone Chapel (Warp)
• Tyshena - Take as Is (X-Ray)
• White Lights -Gifts From Strangers (Two Sheds)
• Zug Izland - 3:33 (Ax & Smash)
• Various artists - Homeward Sound: A Bluegrass Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel (CMH)
• Various artists - Cypress Thrill (X-Ray)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Enya: Dreams (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath (Magick)
• Various artists - Guitar Tribute to Bob Seger (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Outbreak Presents: Biological Warfare (MRI/Outbreak)
• Various artists - Record of Shadows Infinite (Crucial Blast)
• Various artists - Soho Lounge (Organica/tpz)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Duran Duran (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Guns N' Roses (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Jet (Vitamin)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to A Perfect Circle (Vitamin)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Blink-182 (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Jet (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Sevendust (Tributized)
• Various artists - A Tribute to the Strokes (Tributized)
• Various artists - Tribute to Brooks & Dunn (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Tribute to Snoop Dogg (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Josh Turner (Big Eye)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Norah Jones (Big Eye)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Twista (Big Eye)
• DVD: "Lyricist Lounge: Dirty States of America" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Corn on Macabre - "The Final Chapter" (Magic Bullet)
• DVD: John Kay and Friends - "Live at the Renaissance Center" (Rainman)

June 8:

• The Calling - Two (RCA)
  Read: "The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands"
• Corrs - Borrowed Heaven (Atlantic)
• Gene Simmons - A--hole (Sanctuary)
• Velvet Revolver - Contraband (RCA)
  Read: "Velvet Revolver Album Preview: GN'R + STP = Uphill Battle"
  Buy Now: Contraband (RCA)
  
• PJ Harvey – Uh Huh Her (Island)
  Read: "PJ Harvey Album Preview: Heartache, Madness Haunt Uh Huh Her"

June 15:

• Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
  Read: "Beastie Boys Album Preview: Political Bleats And Old-School Beats"
  Buy Now: To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
  
• Phish - Undermind (Elektra/Asylum)
  Buy Now: Undermind (Elektra/Asylum)
  

June 22:

• Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare (Jive)
• Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (Nonesuch)
• Brian Wilson - Gettin' in Over My Head (Rhino)
• Stevie Wonder - A Time 2 Love (Motown)

• Auf Der Maur
• Truth Hurts
• Baha Men
• BT
• Downset

Truth Hurts
Photo: Interscope

An Indian composer has won a court injunction halting the sale of Dr. Dre protégé Truth Hurts' debut album and single based on claims that the hit song, "Addictive," sampled one of his compositions without credit.

A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled on Monday that "Addictive" must be removed from shelves unless composer Bappi Lahiri's name is added to the credits, according to Lahiri's attorney, Geoffrey Spellberg.

Likening the unauthorized sampling of the song to "cultural imperialism," Lahiri filed suit against Dre, his Aftermath Records label, and parent company Interscope/Universal Music Group, citing uncredited use of the Hindi song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai," composed by Lahiri for the 1987 Indian film "Jhoothi."

Lahiri is seeking compensatory damages in excess of $1 million as a result of the failure to give credit and the loss of his ability to properly promote his music in the United States, Spellberg said. The figure represents a combination of the profits Lahiri's attorneys said the sales of Truth Hurts' music has reaped for Universal along with the losses suffered by their client. Universal was given the choice of pulling all product from the shelves or affixing a sticker with Lahiri's credit on copies of the album still in stores. An Interscope spokesperson said the label had no comment on the judgment.

The composer claimed that the song's producer, West Coast rapper DJ Quik, sampled more than four minutes of Lahiri's track on "Addictive"; Truth Hurts' debut album, Truthfully Speaking, has sold more than 324,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

In September, an attorney for the Indian label that released Lahiri's original version filed a $500 million copyright infringement suit against Dre and Universal/Interscope in Texas (see "Dr. Dre, Interscope Stung With $500 Million Lawsuit Over 'Addictive'"). The lawsuit was recently transferred to Los Angeles and is awaiting a trial date, according to Spellberg.

Dre's attorney, Howard King, said he had not seen Monday's verdict and was not involved in the hearing. "Because Dre didn't write, produce or perform on the song, but the album happens to be on his label, he was named as a defendant," King said. "He had zero to do with the creative elements and the use or non-use of any particular work."

For his part, Quik said he stumbled upon the track on television.

"I woke up one morning, ... I turned on the TV and landed on this Hindi channel and just turned it up real loud," Quik explained last summer. "There was a commercial on, and I just got up and went into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. ... Before I knew it, I was grooving. ... [The beat on the TV] was just in my body. I went back in there and looked at the TV — there was a girl on there belly dancing, just like real fly. So I pushed record on the VCR."

According to a statement from Lahiri's lawyers, a similar version of "Addictive" with credit to the songwriter has been marketed by Universal in India. "Since Universal does give the credit when selling into the Indian market where Mr. Lahiri is hugely popular, and then fails to give credit on U.S. sales, it appears to us that Universal is only interested in providing the appropriate musical credit if Universal perceives a financial advantage," wrote Lahiri's co-counsel, Anthony Kornarens, in a statement issued after the ruling Monday.

Unless the stickering takes place or Universal mounts a successful appeal, the injunction will stand until a June 17 trial date.

• Truth Hurts

Truth Hurts
Photo: Interscope

Truth Hurts, and the lawsuit her record label has been slapped with can't feel too good, either.

An Indian film and music company is suing Interscope Records and its parent company, Universal Music Group, to the tune of more than $500 million over the use of an unlicensed sample on "Addictive," the first single from Truth Hurts' debut LP, Truthfully Speaking.

A lawyer retained by Calcutta's Saregama India Limited filed a copyright infringement lawsuit — which also names as defendants the album's producer, Dr. Dre, and his Aftermath Records imprint — in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, on September 12.

"Addictive" uses a sample of the 20-year-old song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" by the popular Indian artist Lata Mangeshkar without permission from copyright holder Saregama India Ltd., attorney Dedra S. Davis claims. Not only was a snippet of Mangeshkar's soaring vocals borrowed, but the hook, melody and rhythm were also lifted, Davis alleges.

"When you hear it, it's like, 'Oh my God, they didn't even try to get original with it,' " she said. "[They didn't] try to change it up or anything like that."

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November 22. Saregama India Ltd. has a British subsidiary branch within the court's jurisdiction in Texas, which is why the case is being heard in Houston.

Davis said she issued Universal Music Group a cease-and-desist letter prior to filing the suit, which the label conglomerate ignored. Additionally, Seregama India Ltd.'s copyright manager asked UMG to stop using the sample because the lyrics of "Addictive," in which rapper Rakim drops the F-bomb in his rhymes and Truth sings the lines "I like it rough" and "He makes me scream," were potentially offensive to some Indians' cultural and religious sensibilities. The letter only serves as evidence that UMG was made aware of Seregama India's claim as copyright holders of the song, and the objectionable content doesn't factor into the lawsuit.

Coincidentally, UMG's foreign subsidiary Universal India sought and was granted permission to license the song for an unrelated use as a cover 12 days before Truthfully Speaking was released June 26, furthering the suit's claim that "the defendants clearly and admittedly knew their activities were, and currently are, infringing on [Seragama's] copyrighted work."

A Universal Music Group spokesperson had no comment on the matter.

The 90-year-old production and distribution company is seeking monetary damages based on profits from the sale of Truthfully Speaking, the single "Addictive," attorney's fees and punitive damages amounting to $500 million. Truthfully Speaking has sold more than 273,000 copies, according to SoundScan.

The complaint states that "the defendants' infringing conduct has also caused, and is causing, substantial and irreparable injury and damage to [Saregama] in an amount not capable of determination, and, unless restrained, will cause further irreparable injury, leaving the plaintiffs with no adequate remedy at law."

DJ Quik, who produced "Addictive," said he stumbled upon the track one night on television.

"I woke up one morning, ... I turned on the TV and landed on this Hindi channel and just turned it up real loud," Quik explained this past summer. "There was a commercial on, and I just got up and went into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth. I'm brushing, and before I knew it, I was grooving. ... [The beat on the TV] was just in my body. I went back in there and looked at the TV — there was a girl on there bellydancing, just like real fly. So I pushed record on the VCR."

— Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

• Truth Hurts
• Dr. Dre
• DJ Quik
• Lata Mangeshkar

Truth Hurts
Photo: Aftermath

R. Kelly's recent legal problems threw quite a monkey wrench into Truth Hurts' game plan.

The singer had big aspirations for the second single from her album Truthfully Speaking, "The Truth," which features the legally embattled crooner.

"We knew what song we were going to use, then all that drama happened with R. Kelly," she explained on Wednesday about following up her smash "Addictive." "We always felt that ['The Truth'] was just as strong, it was just a little more urban. A lot of people felt it was stronger. [But then] that issue came up and kind of destroyed our hopes of what we was going to do with that song" (see "Truth Hurts Onslaught Includes R. Kelly Duet, Dre Remix").

Truth's dreams haven't been completely shattered, though: She's putting out her second single as planned, and even shot a video for the clip recently in Los Angeles with director Brian Barber.

"We kind of went with a couple of different concepts," she said of the vid, in which Kelly will not appear ("Nah," Truth said, "I don't know what he's doing.") (For full coverage of the R. Kelly sex tape scandal, see "The R. Kelly Reports.") "One of them was the 'Two Can Play That Game' thing. We didn't want to do that whole bitter girl thing, we wanted a twist to a man cheating on a girl and a woman's reaction to that. So we kind of followed the guidelines of that movie. It has a little comedy in it. It's gonna be cute.

"We tried to reenact the scene that they did where Vivica Fox and Mo'Nique and her homegirls were sitting there talking about men," she continued. "We have Mo'Nique in the video in that little part. Two or three of my girlfriends were in it. We had so much fun, we didn't even know we were working."

Away from the camera, Truth is very familiar with grindin'. She recently came off the Smokin' Grooves Tour (see "Outkast, Roots, Lauryn Hill Close Out Smokin' Grooves Tour") and she's going back on the road with Jaheim as the opening act on the Seagram's Gin Tour.

"It's been cool," she said about promoting her album. "It hasn't picked up the way we hoped it would, but as far as the reaction from people, it's a lot of respect given and that's more important to me than record sales."

Just when beat surgeon Dr. Dre will be giving people a taste of his own musical medicine is still far away from being determined, but his singing protégé said he's going to offer quality material.

"It sounds good, it sounds excellent, actually," Truth said of the little she's heard from the Dre album. "I like the direction he's going in. I've only heard a few [songs] and they were tracks in the making. The tracks were ridiculous. I think he's actually getting started now, getting into the groove of it. It takes him a while, he has to get in the whole mindset. It sounds a little more future than what Dre has been doing, but they are still ghetto, of course. Still his stee-lo. And he's working with other producers."

After the Seagram's Gin run, Truth, who also wants to get back into acting, says she's going on a tour of the House of Blues venues that will hopefully kick off in December. From there, it's back in the lab for her second album.

"I'm about to start it," she divulged of her next release. "They want it out by next summer. That's how Dre works."

• Truth Hurts
• R. Kelly

Nelly
Photo: Universal

The Eminem Show isn't getting top billing in Nellyville.

After five weeks at the top, the Detroit rapper was dethroned by his St. Louis peer, whose second album sold more than 714,000 copies in its first week, enough to claim the #1 position on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (July 3).

Sales of Nelly's follow-up to 2000's Country Grammar more than doubled that of Eminem's latest LP, which sold over 307,000 copies to give it a six-week total in excess of 3.6 million copies.

Despite the step down, Eminem can still take comfort in knowing that he continues to trump much of the competition. Coming closest to Slim Shady's sales is N.O.R.E.'s God's Favorite, the third solo album by half of Capone-N-Noreaga, which sold more than 118,000 copies to come in at #3. Rounding out the chart's top-10 debuts is the first offering from Truth Hurts, Truthfully Speaking, which lands at #5 after selling more than 89,000 copies.

Avril Lavigne will continue her ascension, peaking at #4 thanks to the pop hit "Complicated," from her debut album, Let Go, which sold more than 112,000 copies last week.

Rock took a back seat to rap on the chart, as Korn's Untouchables (79,000 sold) was pushed from last week's #2 debut position to #7, and Papa Roach's Lovehatetragedy (74,000) will slide from #2 to #8. Each album saw a dip in weekly sales totals of more than 52,000 copies.

Rapper/actor Will Smith may need another week to become heir to the top 10 positions, as his third solo LP, Born to Reign, debuts at #13. Perhaps the opening of his "Men in Black II," which features the single "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)," will help drive the album to a more regal location for the former Fresh Prince.

The rest of the top 10 includes Ashanti's self-titled debut, moving up a notch to #6; Totally Hits 2 dropping five spots to #9; and Pink's Missundaztood holding at #10.

Wyclef Jean's Masquerade fell victim to a second-week sales slide, dropping from a #6 debut to #17. The multitalented musician's weekly sales totals fell from 81,000 to 43,000, giving Masquerade the distinction of being the LP to move the farthest in either direction among top 20 albums.

Longer distances are traveled down in top 40 territory. Our Lady Peace's Gravity lived up to its name by falling 22 places to #31, and Paulina Rubio's Border Girl plummeted 27 spots to #38 in its second week.

Conversely, Enrique Iglesias was able to rejuvenate his Escape. On the heels of a new single, "Don't Turn Off the Lights," and appearances/performances on the "Today" show and "TRL," the LP will move up more than 21 places to #36 seven months after its release.

Other notable debuts include Shedaisy's Knock on the Sky at #23; Soulfly's 3 at #46; Nonpoint's Development at #52; the various-artists collection This Is Ultimate Dance at #61; Epitaph's Punk-O-Rama Vol. 7 at #67; Ozzy Osbourne's first live album in 12 years, Live at Budokan at #70; comedian Steve Harvey's recommendation-fest Sign of Things to Come: Steve's Picks of the Year's Hottest R&B and Hip Hop at #73; Queensbridge rapper Cormega's True Meaning at #95; Reel Big Fish's Cheer Up! at #115; Sonic Youth's Murray Street at #126; Joe Satriani's Strange Beautiful Music at #140; Halford's Crucible at #144; Trance Party Vol. 2 at #177; the re-release of Nickelback's debut album, Curb, at #182; and Home Grown's Kings of Pop at #189.

For a full-length feature on Nelly, check out "Nelly: Still Fly."

• Nelly
• Eminem
• N.O.R.E.
• Capone -N- Noreaga
• Avril Lavigne

It's getting hot in herre, so lay down all your dough ... and then you too can bump all these new summer releases.

First up, Nelly's Nellyville. The follow-up to Country Grammar finds the St. Lunatic, with the help of producer Jay E, espousing the power of Pimp Juice and imploring us to take off our clothes.

Someone else who must have gotten into the stash of the Juice is Will Smith, who is releasing Born to Reign just one week before his summer blockbuster "Men in Black 2" hits theaters. The album features the hit "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)," which also gets airtime in the movie.

Veracity abounds as Truth Hurts gives us Truthfully Speaking and Cormega offers True Meaning to the mix. Vida Blue, the new project from Phish's Page McConnell, release their self-titled debut album, while rock and roll vets Sonic Youth release Murray Street, their first record in two years.

Perhaps the most puzzling release this week is comedian Steve Harvey's Sign of Things to Come, a collection of his favorite hip-hop and R&B songs which brings a whole new meaning to "Rub the stump."

Out Tuesday, June 25:

• A1 - A1 (Columbia)
• Alpha Blondy - Merci (Shanachie)
• Arkham - Mahkra (Volcom)
• Ash - Free All Angels (Kinetic)
• Asia - Anthologia: 20th Anniversary: Geffen Years 1982 - 90 (Geffen)
• Astrobotnia - Part 1 (EFA-CAR)
• Atjazz - Labresults (Prime/ Shelter)
• B Rich - 80 Dimes (Atlantic)
• Baby Face Assassins - Ruby Red Eye (Activate)
• Broken Bones - Bonecrusher (Relapse)
• Brooklyn Bounce - Restart (Radikal)
• Ray Brown - Some of My Best Friends Are ... Guitarists (Telarc Jazz)
• Burning Inside - The Eve of the Entities (Crash)
• Butthole Surfers - Humpty Dumpty LSD (Latino Bugger Veil)
• Cirrus - Counterfeit (Moonshine)
• Marc Copley - Limited Lifetime Guarantee (RCA)
• Cormega - True Meaning (Landspeed) Read about it ... Cormega Getting Inventive With His Second Chance At Rap Fame
• Craw - Bodies for Strontium 90 (Hydra Head)
• David J - Guitar Man (Heyday)
• Deadly Venoms - Still Standing (Rocks the World)
• Deep Banana Blackout - Release the Grease Live (DCN)
• Deep Purple - Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters (Mercury)
• DJ Yousef - Mixer Presents: Next School (DMC)
• The Domino Kings - The Back of Your Mind (Slewfoot)
• Dream Evil - Dragon Slayer (Century Media)
• D.S.P - In the Red (Ninja Tune)
• Entwine - Time of Despair (Century Media)
• Epidemic - Epidemic (Elektra)
• Fatboy Slim - Live on Brighton Beach (Southern Fried/ Ministry of Sound) Read about it ... Fatboy Slim Turns Beach Party Into Album, Possibly Tour
• Freestylers - Pressure Point (Mammoth)
• Eyra Gail - Eyra Gail (Twenty-Four Seven)
• Vincent Gallo - Recordings of Music for Film (Warp)
• Genaside 2 - Return of the Redline Evangelist (Copasetik)
• Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez - Presents ... Disco Heat (Urban Theory)
• Go Go Market - Hotel San Jose (Innerstate)
• Greenwheel - Soma Holiday (Island)
• Halford - Crucible (Sanctuary)
• Steve Harvey - Sign of Things to Come (MCA)
• Juliana Hatfield - Gold Stars 1992 - 2002 (Zoe)
• Helloween - Dark Ride (Nuclear Blast)
• Her Sanity - Xclusive (Motown)
• Home Grown - Kings of Pop (Drive-Thru/ MCA)
• Bruce Hornsby - Big Swing Face (RCA)
• Kosma - Early Works (Infracom)
• Glenn Kotche - Introducing Glenn Kotche (Locust)
• Arto Lindsay - Invoke (Righteous Babe)
• Manifesto Jukebox - Remedy (BYO)
• Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane (Octone)
• Mr. Lif - Emergency Rations (Def Jux)
• Heather Myles - Sweet Talk & Good Lies (Rounder)
• Nelly - Nellyville (Universal) Read about it ... Nelly's Guided Tour Of Nellyville, Complete With Pimp Juice
• Neurotica - Neurotica (Koch)
• Nickelback - Curb (Roadrunner)
• Nonpoint - Development (MCA)
• N.O.R.E - God's Favorite (Def Jam) Read about it ... Noreaga Hopes To Leap The Borders Of The 'Hood In A Single Bound
• Orange Goblin - Coup De Grace (The Music Cartel)
• Orbital - Back to Mine (DMC)
• Original Sinners - Original Sinners (Nitro)
• Jeffrey Osborne - Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters (A&M)
• Ozzy Osbourne - Live at the Budokan (Epic) Read about it ... Osbournes Wreak Havoc On Japan In Budokan DVD Extras
• Ozma - Double Donkey Disc (Kung Fu)
• Play - Play (Columbia)
• Psychic TV - Origin of the Species Vol. 3 (Invisible)
• Randy - Cheater (Hopeless)
• Rayvon - My Bad (MCA)
• Reel Big Fish - Cheer Up! (Jive)
• Rollins Band - The Only Way to Know for Sure (Sanctuary)
• Rosey - Dirty Child (Island) Read about it ... Rosey: From Dealmaker To Songmaker
• Joe Satriani - Strange Beautiful Music (Epic)
• Seven Nations - And Now It's Come to This (Razor & Tie)
• Shedaisy - Knock on the Sky (Lyric Street)
• Skeleton Key - Obtainium (Ipecac)
• Slum Village - Dirty District (Sequence)
• Will Smith - Born to Reign (Columbia) Read about it ... Will Smith Drops Samples For Guitars On Born To Reign
• Sonic Youth - Murray Street (Geffen)
• Soulfly - 3 (Roadrunner) Read about it ... Soulfly Go For Heavy, Come Up With Silence On 3
• Stereo - Rewind + Record (Fueled by Ramen)
• Geoff Tate - Geoff Tate (Sanctuary)
• Terminal Sound System - RH-8SB (Release)
• Terror 2000 - Faster Disaster (Nuclear Blast)
• Tricky - A Ruff Guide to Tricky (Island)
• Truth Hurts - Truthfully Speaking (Geffen) Read about it ... Truth Hurts: Battling Bubble Gum With Dr. Dre
• Union Underground - Live ... One Nation Underground (Columbia)
• Various artists - Café Electronica (Water Music)
• Various artists - Carte Blanche Vol. 3 (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - Global Dance Mix (Thump)
• Various artists - Global Psychedelic Trance Vol. 8 (EFA-CAR)
• Various artists - Hit Dance Party (Logic)
• Various artists - Hopelessly Devoted to You (Hopeless)
• Various artists - Miracle Hits (Medalist Ent.)
• Various artists - Punk-O-Rama Vol. 7 (Epitaph)
• Various artists - "The Road to Perdition" soundtrack (Decca)
• Various artists - Sample This, Too! (BYO)
• Various artists - "Sunshine State" soundtrack (Roadrunner)
• Various artists - This Is Ultimate Dance (J)
• Various artists - Ultra Dance Vol. 2 (Ultra)
• Vida Blue - Vida Blue (Elektra)
• Wayne Warner - Wayne Warner (B-Venterous)
• Kenny Wayne - 88th & Jump Street (Electro-Fi)
• Steve Wynn - Fluorescent (Innerstate)

• Aerosmith - O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (Columbia) Read about it ... Aerosmith Talk 'Girls Of Summer,' Hits Disc, DVD Reissues
• Cypress Hill - Stash (Columbia)
• Nas - From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes (Columbia)
• Jerzee Monét - Love & War (DreamWorks) Read about it ... Jerzee Monét: Workin' For Her Big Break
• Jessica Simpson - This Is the Remix (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Men in Black 2" soundtrack (Sony) Read about it ... Will Smith Preps Next LP, New Tracks For 'MIB2'
• Various artists - So So Def Presents: Definition of a Remix (So So Def/ Columbia)

• Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way (Warner Bros.) Read about it ... Red Hot Chili Peppers Relax, Let The Magik Flow On New LP
• Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic) Read about it ... Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama, Plan New York Dates

• Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff (RCA) Read about it ... Dave Matthews Band's 'Lillywhite Sessions' To Be Busted In July
• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit) Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court
• Swizz Beatz - G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (DreamWorks) Read about it ... Swizz Beatz Unveils Metallica/Ja Rule Track, Sets 'Guilty' Single
• The Vines - Highly Evolved (Capitol) Read about it ... The Vines Branch Out On Highly Evolved Tour

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• Nelly
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• Truth Hurts
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Truth Hurts
Photo: Interscope

Truth Hurts warns she's about to let loose a fistful of music to build excitement for the June 11 release of her debut, The Truth Hurts.

She's finishing up her official second single with Dr. Dre and labelmate Shaunta, she's putting out a duet with R. Kelly and she also has a remix of her current hit, "So Addictive."

"Dre did the remix without me," she said. "I walked in one day after he was finished; I was so excited I started jumping up and down. I don't get that excited over my own songs — he really took it to another level. He took another part of the Indian sample and added it to the beginning and to the middle. I can't explain it. He used another part of the sample to bring in the energy of it. It's even more club than the original. Rakim added another rhyme to the beginning, and that rhyme is hotter than the rhyme that's on the original. It's just amazing."

She's equally enthusiastic about a song she's now crafting with her producer and label CEO.

"It's crazy. Ridiculous! It has an opera vibe to it. We're thinking about putting that out along with the R. Kelly joint just to see what people think."

The Kelly song she's talking about is her album's title track, in which the two play lovers on the outs. The cut starts off with Kelly knocking on the door, demanding that she let him in.

"I tried to keep the peace/ But your lies is killin' me," she scolds. "Your ass in these streets/ Always on them late-night creeps." Meanwhile, Kelly tries to wriggle his way back into her good graces, telling of a scenario in which he got caught up with friends and was practically accosted by "10 or 11 strippers."

Making that song "was a different experience," she said, bursting into laughter. "R. Kelly is different, and I'm gonna leave it at that. He got a dose of my personality and he wrote from there. The song came off like it was supposed to.

"We're gonna throw that out there to see what people say because we had planned that to be my second single," she continued. "Not just because of R. Kelly, because the song is crazy. The song is preaching. It's really my character. We really wanted to throw that one out there next. We don't have no issues with it."

Truth, originally from St. Louis, did have some quandaries with moving to Los Angeles. She said there was a lot of fakeness going around and that it wasn't all on the set of a movie. Hence the origin of another song off the LP, the Organized Noize-produced "Bullsh--."

"I'm not used to the whole L.A. vibe," said Truth, who on the cut sings about B.S. pouring "down like rain" and heartless and spineless people getting caught up in the hype. "L.A. is a little different. That song was inspired by some of the things I was going through. The Hollywood side is the biggest side of L.A. That's the part you really have to tolerate being on the music side. I will say this — I'm glad I met Dre because Dre is the opposite of that."

On another track, "Tired," she sings in a laid-back, jazzy tone but ferociously warns family and friends, "They don't want me to turn into a crazy ghetto bitch!"

"I'm a very nice person until I'm driven," she said, giggling. "Especially in relationships and everyday family life. You get to the point where n---az start driving you insane."

• Truth Hurts
• Dr. Dre
• R. Kelly

Dr. Dre
Photo: MTV News

On March 27 I was summoned to go to Encore Studios in Burbank, California, to interview Dr. Dre, his new songstress Truth Hurts and the legendary Rakim, the newest addition to Dre's Aftermath roster. Needless to say, I was more than excited to do these interviews — I was honored. The day was filled with plenty of stars, including DJ Quik and Xzibit, and the energy in the building was both extremely creative and explosive, to say the least.

When I first arrived there was hardly anyone there, so the staff and I took that time to case the joint and feel out the best spot to do the interviews. The whole time I was wondering who would actually show up — Dre has always been hard to buckle down, and throughout his career Rakim has been notorious for ducking an interview or two. In addition to the MTV appeal, I was really banking on the hip-hop credibility that King Tech and I built over the years to be an added draw to ensure their arrival.

No sooner did I give birth to the thought than Rakim Allah himself walked through the kitchen, which seemed to be the central location to lounge. We greeted each other with a hand shake and half of a hug. For the first few moments, all I could do was absorb the presence of the man who single-handedly changed the face of MC'ing in hip-hop and also inspired me to continue to rap over a decade ago. Soon after, it didn't take long for us to indulge in a conversation about the evolution of rap.

He commented that rappers had different motivations in the past: It wasn't only about the riches back then, it was very important to improve on your skills as a rapper and to innovate — not just duplicate — what the hottest rapper was doing at the time. It's funny, but the whole time he was speaking, I was imagining the video for his song "Move the Crowd," while reciting the lyrics from his song "Lyrics of Fury" in my mind.

Rah's demeanor was everything you might imagine it to be: cool, calm, collected and wise beyond his years. We cracked a few jokes about how hard some of these MCs try to be with their lyrics but lead a life different from their subject matter. It was just a good energy. I really felt like I was talking to somebody I knew already, and as legendary as he is, he has to be the most humble man I ever met. He would greet everybody like he was as thrilled to meet them as they were to meet him. I even watched him volunteer to carry a woman's bags to her car — everybody was flabbergasted.

We swapped a few more philosophies and chopped it up a bit. In the end, this interaction made the interview seem like a dialogue between friends; at least to me it did.

Rakim hasn't lost any of the qualities that made him so respected and mysterious. And for everybody out there wondering, I eventually heard some of his music, and mark my words: "Oh my God!" (see "Rakim Out To Change The Game Again, With Help From Dre").

Later in the day, I was lounging on the patio in front of Encore Studios, which, by the way, is a gated lot. I'd just finished an in-depth interview with Truth Hurts, where I discovered that we had a lot in common — we have mutual friends and we both lived in the Bay Area, but the shocker was that we were both signed to Giant Records at the same time. To my surprise I also learned that she'd studied to become an opera singer and that she is a songwriter as much as she is a singer. Truth definitely paid her share of dues, from being in a group that couldn't quite get off the ground to leaving that group to have a child. Before hooking up with Dre she had it bad, which explains why she was skeptical before actually taking him seriously. Our conversation was very raw and uncensored — she doesn't hesitate to speak her mind, hence the name "Truth Hurts." (see "Truth Hurts: Battling Bubble Gum With Dr. Dre").

I was going over my notes outside at a patio table when I heard the roar of a Ferrari engine coming through the gates. I was pleasantly surprised to see the most celebrated producer in hip-hop bounce out of the silver and black rocket on wheels (I guess the rumors are true — he does like fast cars). To tell you the truth, I was still riding high from the Rakim interview, and would have been satisfied if Dre hadn't shown up, but the fact that he did gave me a feeling similar to the one I had when I first met Prince Ken Swift of the original Rock Steady Crew years ago in Cali — they are both legends walking.

Dre greeted me with a "What's up, Sway?" and I was like, "What's up, Dre?" I gave him the skinny of the events of the day and we both glowed when I mentioned the interview with Rakim. He said that initially it was a feeling-out process in the studio when he and Rakim got together, but that eventually it became a unified working environment. He said he almost wants to treat the Rakim project like he's a new artist, and hit the public with something that they never heard before. I was thinking to myself that it doesn't hurt knowing that these two guys are the best that ever did it.

Listening to Dre talk and watching his actions, the thing that I admired most was that after all that he has accomplished, he is living in the "now" and he is as excited about every project coming out on Aftermath as a parent is with their first-born child. He rushed me to the engineering board and started playing me some Rakim beats that were all banging, and believe me, I would tell him and you if they weren't.

Dre said he was just as enthusiastic about the Truth Hurts project as he was with any of the others. He also said that he had just left Eminem's house in Detroit and that his project is definitely a step beyond anything else that Em has done (see "The Doc's Diagnosis: Eminem Still Crazy"). Dre really seemed at peace with himself and has a definite vision of what he wants to do with his company. And he has placed himself in a very creative atmosphere (see "Dr. Dre's Final Album Will Be Hip-Hop Musical").

DJ Quik greeted me on the way out, and I told him that he owed me an interview, especially since he came up with Truth's first single, "Addictive," featuring Rakim. He was cool with it; he is always upbeat with me, which makes it hard to believe some of the beefs he's had.

Xzibit snatched me into a side studio and played me his entire new album, Man Vs. Machine. Needless to say, most of the songs were hard-hitting and grimy, but some stuck out more than others. The one I remember most is a song called "The Answer."

All in all, this day marked a high point in my career and in my journey as an evolving constituent of the hip-hop community.

—Sway Calloway

• Dr. Dre
• Rakim
• Truth Hurts
• DJ Quik

• Truth Hurts

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