Snoop Dogg (file)
Photo: Anthony Madler

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — A week after pledging West Coast unity at a press conference for his tour with the Game, Snoop Dogg took his mission a step further Wednesday (April 13) by hosting a hip-hop peace summit and squashing all of his own beefs.

Rappers from Game and Xzibit to the D.O.C. and Young MC met behind closed doors in a hotel conference room to discuss a unified future for West Coast hip-hop.

"I felt we should come together as one, organize, unify and start making records with each other and be about a cause," Snoop said afterward. "It's time for us to start standing up for something. It's called Protect the West. We're all moving together, we ended all our beefs."

Snoop, wearing a Protect the West T-shirt, said he ended his longtime feud with Suge Knight, as well as beefs with Jayo Felony and Kurupt, who has now rejoined Tha Dogg Pound.

"Anybody who thought they had a problem with me or had a problem with me in the past, I called them up and told them I don't want any problems," Snoop said. "I ain't got time to beef. I'm 30-something years old with three kids at the pad and they're trying to see their daddy."

Knight wasn't in attendance and was not available for comment, but Snoop insisted the Death Row Records founder was supportive of the Protect the West cause. "It's not an individual move, it's not about me and him personally, but we need to end all personal beefs because business doesn't move with beef," he said.

Kurupt was in attendance, as was Nate Dogg, Warren G, Daz Dillinger, Suga Free, Lil' Eazy-E and comedian Steve Harvey, who worked with Snoop on putting together the event.

"A lot of people had tensions from old crews, street activities, in general just hatin'," Daz said. "Everyone who had beef was in one room, and everyone who left today, beef should be squashed."

"It was a very positive vibe up in that room, I was pleasantly surprised," Young MC said. "What I was doing was a different genre and a different era than a lot of cats up there, but I still have love for everybody."

Snoop called Wednesday's gathering a business meeting more than a summit.

"It was me relaying to them that the banging in the business ain't making us no money," he said. "If we come together and move as one unit, money will be there and the opportunity to shine will be there. ... What it's all about is saying, 'I'm from the West Coast, you're from the West Coast, let me get your number, we could probably do some music together.' "

"Some of us don't even know each other," added Suga Free. "Some of us don't even mingle with each other, but we're in the same business. Why is that? ... The West Coast, we need some unity. We need some education out here with the artists that are touring and flying around the world like Snoop and Game are."

Snoop, who said he was motivated to host the summit because he feels West Coast hip-hop doesn't get the attention it deserves, encouraged his peers to follow in the footsteps of rappers in the South.

"Why are they so successful?" he asked. "Well, they all work together and have great harmony. This is the West Coast, we built on gangsta, gangsta, gangsta, but sometimes we gotta know when to have peace. It ain't always cool to be gangsta to your homeboys. And if you from the West Coast, no matter if you're Blood, Crip, Spanish, we all homeboys."

Snoop and Game, who come from rival Los Angeles-area gangs, said last week their How the West Was One Tour, which kicks off Friday in Utah, should serve as an example of how West Coast rappers can come together to benefit each other (see "Snoop, Game Pledge Unity, Promise 'No Funny Business' On Tour").

• Snoop Dogg
• Marion "Suge" Knight
• Xzibit
• Game
• Young M.C.

Outkast (file)
Photo: WireImage

The story line of this year's Grammy Awards became evident the minute the nominees' names were announced by Pharrell, Moby, Evanescence's Amy Lee and the other celebrities in attendance: Hip-hop has invaded the Grammys.

In the five years since Lauryn Hill took home the Album of the Year honor for her folksy solo effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, hip-hop has steadily increased its presence at the annual music celebration. But this year's developments are especially head-turning: Six of the 10 total nominations for Album and Record of the Year are by hip-hop artists, the most ever (see "Jay-Z, Beyonce, Outkast, Pharrell Nab Most Grammy Nominations"). For the 46th annual Grammy Awards, hip-hop didn't just come knockin', it bum-rushed the door, kicked up its feet and called the place home.

It hasn't always been like this, of course. Rap music wasn't recognized as its own category until the 1989 ceremony (honoring music released in 1988), even though the genre already had its mainstream success stories — Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, to name a few. The rap category back then was limited to only one award — Best Performance — that didn't differentiate between solo artist or group, male or female. (Click for photos.)

In addition, even as hip-hop was quickly establishing itself as a burgeoning pop-culture phenomenon, the bestowment of its award wasn't televised, instead relegated to the pre-show portion of the ceremony. Will Smith, a.k.a. the Fresh Prince, and his partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff, won Best Rap Performance that first year, but they boycotted the event because of the perceived slight. "We got straight A's, we're selling plenty of albums and we're making an impact," Smith told MTV that year. "We think we're being denied what is rightfully ours."

Young MC would accept the award the following year — on camera — before rap disappeared from prime time again for a couple of years. A second rap category was introduced in 1991, Best Rap Solo Performance. The winner? MC Hammer for "U Can't Touch This." Indeed, even as rap's stature was beginning to increase in the eyes of the Grammy committee, the nominations early on tended to acknowledge hip-pop over hip-hop — DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Young MC, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Salt-N-Pepa were nominees over groups now considered hip-hop legends. "A Tribe Called Quest should have got a Grammy because it was groundbreaking," Pharrell Williams recently said. "[Nas'] Illmatic deserves to be recognized. [Jay-Z's] Reasonable Doubt deserves to be recognized. Wu-Tang Clan's first album deserves to be recognized."

Through the mid and late 1990s, that situation started to improve with at least a handful of hip-hop artists championed by the streets earning recognition in the rap awards. In 1996, Method Man's duet with Mary J. Blige, "I'll Be There for You/ You're All I Need to Get By," was a radio hit, a club banger — and a Grammy winner. That same year, even though Naughty by Nature won the Best Rap Album of the Year award (the first year the award was given), Tupac and rambunctious rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard were nominated as well. ODB — Grammy nominee! Of course, in 1998 and 1999, Will Smith would win Best Rap Solo Performance for his sugary pop hits "Men in Black" and "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It."

The true measure of hip-hop's success could only happen once it penetrated the general music categories of Album and Record of the Year. That didn't occur until 1996, when Coolio was nominated for Record of the Year for his song "Gangsta's Paradise." Three years later, it would be Hill's victory for Album of the Year that would announce hip-hop's arrival at the adult table. Even though she was portrayed by the Grammys more as an R&B singer than a hip-hop artist, hers was a victory for the rap genre with which she still identified. "This is crazy 'cause this is hip-hop music, you know what I mean?" she said, almost disbelievingly, when accepting her Album of the Year prize.

Her victory signaled the convergence between hip-hop and the mainstream, and the Grammys would never be the same again. Eminem's arrival would earn him a Best Album nomination in 2001 and 2003, and he won Best Rap Album for each of his three LPs in 2000, 2001 and 2003 (while his duet with Elton John at the Grammys in 2001 would prove to be a historic moment for the ceremony). Outkast would follow suit with nominations in 2002 for both Album and Record of the Year, for their breakout album, Stankonia, and its hit single, "Ms. Jackson."

All of which culminates in this year's spate of awards, where Missy Elliott and Outkast battle with Evanescence, Justin Timberlake and the White Stripes for Album of the Year; and Outkast, Eminem, the Black Eyed Peas and Beyoncé with Jay-Z look to take home the trophy for Record of the Year (with Coldplay as the lone rock entry).

"This is a reflection of culture in America today," said Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. "Hip-hop is not just something on the outside, it's in the mainstream. You know when Madison Avenue embraces any genre for advertising purposes and when the style and clothing are available everywhere that you really hit the mainstream. So hip-hop belongs where it is."

Still, things aren't pitch perfect. "50 [Cent] ain't got nominated for Album of the Year? Are y'all serious?!" an indignant Kanye West asked recently when told who this year's nominees were. Indeed, 50 Cent is up for five nominations this year, including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album. But his major-label debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin', sold the most copies of any album released in 2003, and he was left off the shortlist of Best Album nominees. 50's lead single, "In Da Club," was recently acknowledged as the most ubiquitous radio single of the year and it was left off the list of potential Records of the Year. This while still earning the ovation of critics, as well.

Overlooking 50 Cent may have as much to do with the way Grammy voters perceive him as anything else. Perhaps they are less inclined to bestow honors on artists who find their success so quickly and suddenly, and who express the violent, brazenly sexual themes that 50 does. After all, even though Eminem swept the rap categories, he wasn't considered for the major Album and Record of the Year awards until his second straight multiplatinum LP — when the phenomenon of Eminem was too strong to deny him recognition. All of which shows that no matter how forcefully hip-hop took its place in the Grammys' house this year, it can still find room to get more comfortable.

MTV's live Grammy coverage kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday with "Backstage at the Grammys," then check in with MTVNews.com throughout the night for analysis, insight and up-to-the-minute coverage.

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

• OutKast
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
• Will Smith
• Lauryn Hill
• Jay-Z

Sir Mix-A-Lot
Photo: Columbia

Nostalgia tours don't always have to feature Ringo Starr or hair bands.

More than 20 years after "Rapper's Delight" broke through to radio, hip-hop has its own legends — and nothing befits a legend more than a comeback trek.

A healthy number of the rappers who first brought the genre to radio and video are still touring the country and releasing new music. Here's a rundown of who's doing what and why you should know.

(Tour dates are according to various booking agencies, artists' management and venues.)

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Breakthrough single: "It Takes Two" (1988)
Catchphrase: "Don't cheer me, just hear me out, 'cause I got the clout — shout!"
Famous fashion accessory: Big gold chains, lots of 'em.
Forgettable moment: Cover of Edwin Starr's "War."
Most recent record: Break of Dawn (1994)
Current projects: Unknown.
Tour dates:

10/17 - Harrison, AR @ University of Arkansas

Related Artists

• Tone-Loc
• Run-D.M.C.
• Sir Mix-A-Lot
• Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
• 2 Live Crew

]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445924/20010801/tone_loc.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1445924/20010801/tone_loc.jhtml 1 Aug 2001 06:51:00 EDT
Young M.C.

Sonicnet Music News

Getting your best-known hit crooned on a ubiquitous Priceline.com TV commercial by William Shatner might make some artists wonder what kind of monster they've created.

Not Young M.C., whose Grammy Award-winning single, "Bust A Move," made him a pop sensation in 1989.

"I still get love from that song," the rapper said. "I am 33 years old. I could die tomorrow, and people will remember that song."

Now, the rapper, who followed up his platinum debut album, "Stone Cold Rhymin'," with "Brainstorm" (1991), "What's The Flavor?" (1993), and "Return Of The 1 Hit Wonder" (1997), is preparing his fifth LP, "Ain't Goin' Out Like That," which is due on September 12.

In the years since his debut, record company executives have pushed Young M.C., who also helped pen Tone-Loc's smash hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina," to sound like rap's then-current hitmakers. He said he resists that pressure, as well as the pressure to follow current musical fads.

"I've been on both sides of the table," Young M.C. said. "Back when my album came out, record companies were telling artists 'I know you have your record finished and everything, but could you please make a song that sounds like "Bust A Move?"'

"I found in black music [now], it's about who produced it and where the sample came from," he continued. "It gets away from the song itself." Several songs on the album, such as "After Dark," have layered meanings, something he feels is another rarity in the genre.

"'After Dark' is more than just surface," he said. "Double entendres are rare in rap. You can't be subtle.... You have to hit it from the back."

Even though he was bucking some trends on "Ain't Goin' Out Like That," the rapper also was cautious with his new project. For the first time, he shopped tracks to radio station executives before choosing his first single, he said.

His choice was "What It Look Like," a song "about people who front," the rapper said. The song is tentatively due this month. In the lyrics he chides people who struggle to maintain a lavish lifestyle. It's about "not being irresponsible and not going out like that," he said, adding that the radio folks called the song "refreshing."

Young M.C. also said the entire album has a bicoastal vibe.

"I hear a lot of West Coast, so you will hear that," he said. "But I grew up on the East Coast, so you will hear that in my lyrical flow."

Related Artists

• Young M.C.

]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435293/20000802/young_mc.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435293/20000802/young_mc.jhtml 2 Aug 2000 01:00:00 EDT

August 19 [10:00 EDT] -- Two years after scoring with the single "Freak Like Me," Adina Howard is back, with a little help from some high profile friends.

Howard is back on the airwaves with, "Freak And U Know It," the fist single from her new album, "Welcome To Fantasy Island."

When the album arrives in November, listeners will find K.C. Haily of Jodeci and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on the record, as well as a track penned by Missy Elliot.

While in Los Angeles for the radio station-sponsored Summer Jam, which benefits local anti-violence and AIDS charities, she talked with Young MC, who also has a new video out called "On & Poppin'." [500k QuickTime]

The two talked about the changes that artists go through after releasing a debut album.

"Money brings ugly people around and I had to clean house and get rid of my first manager," Howard said.

"Because after you make an album and it does well, there's so many more things that go into making the next album beyond the artistry," Young MC added. "The first album you make because you sing well or you rap well, or you write well, but after that, it just goes. There are just so many other things you have to consider." [1MB QuickTime]

Young MC apparently took those things into consideration while recording his new album, the rather honestly titled "Return of the One Hit Wonder," which is in stores now.

Related Artists

• Adina Howard
• Young M.C.

]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430189/19970819/howard_adina.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430189/19970819/howard_adina.jhtml 19 Aug 1997 10:00:00 EDT Young M.C. - Bust a Move

Bust a Move

• Artist: Young M.C.
• Label: Delicious Vinyl
• Album: Stone Cold Rhymin'

]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=19435&vid=115899 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=19435&vid=115899 26 Oct 2006 12:00:00 EDT