Tour tickets available for a price
The hottest ticket this summer is clearly the "Up In Smoke" tour featuring Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, M.C. Ren, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Warren G, Xzibit and now Kurupt, who was officially added to the lineup Wednesday. Although many venues are already sold out, plenty of tickets for shows from coast to coast can be found on

Eminem holds on to No. 1 spot
Eminem will hold on to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard album chart for a third straight week after The Marshall Mathers LP sold 598,000 copies. In three weeks, the album has sold more than 3 million copies. Meanwhile, John Guerra, the man Eminem allegedly assaulted after witnessing him kissing his wife, Kimberly Mathers, in the parking lot of a Warren, Mich., bar, filed a civil suit against the rapper June 9 for assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He is reportedly seeking at least $25,000 in damages. And the attorney who first turned up the heat on Eminem was sent a threatening letter from a Slim Shady fan that referred to him as "our Christ" and "Boss of Bosses." Warren city attorney George Constance claims that the letter didn't bother him, but he sent his wife and family away to an undisclosed location.

Black Rob turns himself in
Black Rob turned himself in to police Tuesday and was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. He will be held without bail at least until Aug. 29 when a pre-trial hearing begins. Black Rob had been considered a fugitive since he failed to appear in court May 26 to face the charges, which stem from a May 21 incident in which police witnessed Rob handing a gun to a passenger in his car. Police originally thought they had found several tablets of Ecstasy while searching the car, but an NYPD spokesperson said that Rob is not facing any drug charges. Black Rob's gold debut album, Life Story, was released in March.

DMX says he's "totally innocent"
In response to allegations that he was responsible for a hit-and-run accident in New York last week, DMX has released a statement maintaining that he is "totally innocent." Last week, Aisha Smith claimed that DMX was behind the wheel of a 1998 Ford Expedition that crashed into her Honda near 12th Avenue and 56th Street in Manhattan. Smith and other witnesses also claim that DMX then began swearing, refused to pay for damages, and fled the scene. However, DMX alleges that Smith was at fault and that when he got out to see if everyone was okay, the driver said, "You are DMX. You have money. I don't have any money." DMX said he offered to work out a "mutually agreeable resolution of the situation," but Smith "seemed hellbent on some immediate monetary consideration."

Shaq retires from the rap game
Shaquille O'Neal revealed to EUR recently that his hip-hop career is over. "I'm not making another rap album. I'm through with rap," Shaq told EUR. "Being an artist was not about selling out to make a little money on the side. My thing was just to fulfill my dreams and rhyme with all my favorite artists, and that's what I did. Except for 2Pac. I've been with Mobb Deep, B.I.G., Big Pun, Fat Joe, Jay Z, Nas, JD, Peter Gunz and Lord Tariq, so I'm happy." Shaq's most successful album was his 1994 debut, Shaq Diesel, which went platinum.

Foxy Brown is hospitalized
Foxy Brown was admitted to a New York hospital last week as a result of food poisoning, not a drug overdose, according to her publicist. Radio stations in New York reported Wednesday that Brown was hospitalized after overdosing on Ecstasy. However, officials from Def Jam said they were not aware that she had been hospitalized. Brown's publicist said she became ill after eating at a Brooklyn restaurant. Brown currently is in the studio working on her third album, which is expected to be released late this year. Her first two albums, 1996's Ill Na Na and 1999's Chyna Doll, were certified platinum.

Eminem faces additional charges
An alleged altercation with a member of the Insane Clown Posse's entourage -- just hours before the well-publicized incident involving his wife -- has resulted in more weapons charges being brought upon Eminem. Slim Shady, whose record was clean before this weekend's incidents, now faces one felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon and a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a firearm in public after confronting Douglas Dail at a car audio store in Royal Oak, Michigan. Prosecutors claim that he instigated an argument with Dail, who works with longtime Eminem nemesis Insane Clown Posse, dropped his handgun, picked it up and continued to hold it while arguing. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of 90 days, while the felony charge carries a maximum sentence of five years. Meanwhile, Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP sold 794,000 more copies to hold on to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the second straight week. Eminem's album sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, a record for a solo artist.

Report: DMX involved in hit and run
According to the New York Post, DMX is being sought by police for questioning after he allegedly slammed into a car and then fled the scene, saying he wouldn't pay for the damage. DMX apparently was coming from a party at Float celebrating the launch of Missy Elliott's new record label. Shana Webb, one of four women in the car DMX allegedly hit, told the Post that his Ford Expedition smashed into the side of the Honda Accord she was riding in on 12th Avenue near 56th Street. "He was screaming, 'Why don't you look where you're going? What were you doing?' when he was the one who hit us!" said Webb, who is an intern at Vibe magazine. Webb claims that DMX then turned to a friend in the back seat and tried to get him to "take the heat" for the accident. When Webb tried to get insurance information from him, he allegedly cursed at her, jumped back in the vehicle and left the scene. Police sources said that one of the women wrote down the license plate number of the Ford and it was registered to Earl Simmons, DMX's real name. X was arrested in May near Buffalo for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license, and is appealing a 15-day jail sentence for the infractions. However, the Department of Motor Vehicles said his license is no longer suspended.

Jay-Z case will go to trial
A New York judge on Wednesday, June 7, rejected Jay-Z's motion to dismiss assault charges against him based on a videotape that his lawyer said proved he was nowhere near the fight. According to a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office, Jay-Z will return to court Sept. 13 to set a date for the trial, where he will face allegations that he stabbed Untertainment Records owner Lance "Un" Rivera at a club in New York last December.

Daz releases independent album
In an interview with 92.3 The Beat's Julio G, Daz revealed that he is no longer with Death Row and is ready to work with Dr. Dre, Snoop, and the rest of The Chronic crew again. In fact, he's even trying to be a late addition to the "Up in Smoke" tour lineup. "Holla at Dr. Dre everybody and tell him to take me on that "Chronic" tour," Daz said during the interview. In the meantime, Daz has released a new album, R.A.W., independently. "All I gotta do is sell 100,000 records, and I'll be a millionaire. If I go platinum, I'm a billionaire. No more points. It's all about dollars." You can watch the whole interview on WestsideTV.com.

KRS-One will do free show
Last week, KRS-One backed out of a show in Philadelphia after only performing for a few minutes because of a bad sound system, angering fans, promoters and Pegasus, the night club that had to refund all the concert-goers' money. Now KRS has decided to make it up to all involved by doing a free show at the club on June 18. All fans who show up at Pegasus before 11 p.m. will be admitted free. Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit PhillyHipHop.com.

Eminem faces 2 felony charges
Eminem was charged Tuesday with felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon for allegedly pulling a gun and fighting with a man outside a Warren nightclub early Sunday. Eminem allegedly instigated the incident when he pulled an unloaded gun on John Guerra, who he saw kissing his wife outside the Hot Rocks Cafe in the Detroit suburb. In a letter to the Detroit Free Press, Kimberly Mathers explained that the whole incident was a misunderstanding. "My husband came up to Hot Rocks to check up on me, why is still unknown to me because if I was to cheat on him it wouldn't be in a neighborhood bar where he knows I am," said Mathers, who pleaded not guilty Monday to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, in the letter. "Had he asked any questions before he flew off the handle, he would have realized that everyone with me (both male and female) were only friends. The fact that he just jumped to conclusions has gotten him and myself in trouble." Eminem pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday afternoon during a court appearance. He was released on $100,000 bail and will be allowed to leave the state to tour. The "Up In Smoke" tour kicks off June 15 in San Diego. Eminem's next court date is July 11. Although Eminem faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, Macomb County prosecutor Carl Marlinga said he probably faces no more than 17 months in prison if convicted because he has no prior offenses. Marlinga said he opted not to charge Eminem with using a firearm while committing a felony because the gun was unloaded and because Eminem admitted ownership of the gun when police found it on his friend. If convicted of a felony firearm charge, Eminem would have faced a mandatory two-year prison sentence.

Drama sent to jail for 90 days
Drama began a 90-day jail sentence Monday, June 5, for a parole violation, according to his management company, Tight IV Life. Of course, it might end up being time well spent. Most of the lyrics for his debut album, Causin' Drama, which was released Feb. 8, were written while he was serving a three-year stint on drug charges. The album's second single, "Doubletime," is scheduled to hit stores this month.

Wu-Tang Clan working on third album in L.A.
The Wu-Tang Clan is in a studio in Los Angeles working on its third album. Members of the group, who also recorded much of 1997's Wu-Tang Forever in L.A., have been seen all over California during the last few weeks. Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa joined RZA for a May 21 performance at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, and Deck and U-God were spotted shopping at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 3.

Chuck D verbally attacks Queen of England
According to several news reports from overseas, Public Enemy's Chuck D verbally assaulted Queen Elizabeth II during a performance Friday, June 2, in Dublin, Ireland, and accused her of being responsible for Princess Diana's death. "F--- the Queen," he said during one of several stops in the action. "They all think the rest of the world is stupid, but we all know that they killed Diana." While criticizing the British occupation of Northern Ireland, Chuck referred to the Queen of England as "some b---- across the water." Flavor Flav voiced his support as well.

Outkast album pushed back again
Outkast's highly anticipated fourth album, Stankonia, has been pushed back again and now is expected to be released in September. At the opening of the "Roots, Rhymes and Rage" hip-hop exhibit last November, Andre and Big Boi announced that their new album would be in stores in December. Although that seemed to be a surprisingly quick turnaround for the Atlanta duo, which has released albums in 1994, 1996 and 1998, Stankonia was penciled in for a Dec. 14 release date. But the day came and went, and the next date that seemed to stick was June 6. But as the date neared, no single arrived and the only news out of the Outkast camp dealt with their new label through Elektra, Aquemini Records. When contacted by The 411 Online, a LaFace official said that the record now is slated for a Sept. 26 release, but declined to give a reason for the delay.

MC Serch confirms 3rd Bass reunion
In an interview with Hookt.com, MC Serch confirmed that he and former 3rd Bass partners Prime Minister Pete Nice and DJ Daddy Rich are reuniting for a new album. "We're working on it right now and it should be out soon," Serch told Hookt. "We've just started the recording process." It will be 3rd Bass' first album since 1991's gold Derelicts of Dialect. Their 1989 debut, The Cactus Album, also went gold.

L.L. Cool J shoots new video
L.L. Cool J has lined up Hype Williams to direct the video for the first single from his new album, The G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). Williams and L.L. will get together June 17 to shoot the video for "Imagine That," which reunites Uncle L with La Shawn, his partner from the hit single "Doin' It." The G.O.A.T.'s release date recently was pushed back to Aug. 8 to allow L.L. enough time to film two upcoming movies (Kingdom Come and Rollerball) and still promote the album. L.L. told MTV that pushing the record was important to him. "I wanted to make sure that I was available," he said. "I want to go to the radio stations, I want to go to the 'hood and be at the little record store on the corner and sign autographs and talk to the people myself."

Ice Cube gets into shape
Ice Cube has been working out twice a day to get in shape for his next movie, Ghosts of Mars. Cube has the lead role in the action flick, which has plenty of fight scenes and at one point calls for him to run on top of a train. Cube has been working out at Gold's Gym and plans to take a trainer on the road with him when the "Up in Smoke" tour starts June 15.

Eminem arrested in Michigan
Eminem and three other people were arrested early Sunday morning after an altercation outside of a Detroit-area nightclub. The disturbance began around 2 a.m. when a crowd in the parking lot of Hot Rocks Cafe recognized Slim Shady as he left the club with his wife. An employee of Hot Rocks told MTV that Eminem started the fight after becoming upset when a friend kissed his wife on the cheek. After discovering an unloaded gun on the ground, three bouncers held Eminem until police arrived. The gun allegedly belongs to either Eminem or his friend, and both men were arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon. Two others, Robert Lee Brown and Eminem's wife, Kimberly Ann Mathers, were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Prosecutors will decide Tuesday whether to formally charge him. Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP currently is the No. 1 album in the country after it sold a record-setting 1.76 million copies in its first week.

Snoop's radio show gets syndicated
The NBG Radio Network announced Wednesday that it has signed a contract to syndicate "Big Snoop Dogg Radio," a weekly four-hour radio show hosted by Snoop Dogg currently airing on Power 106 in Los Angeles. The show features Snoop's favorite hip-hop, R&B and old school cuts as well as hits from some of today's rising stars. Listeners get to hear world premieres of Snoop Dogg's own material as well as debuts from artists currently signed to his new record label, Dogg House Records. The show also highlights many top artists during live in-studio interviews and performances, giving listeners an exclusive inside look into the world of hip-hop.

Eminem sells 1.7 million
According to sales figures released by SoundScan on Wednesday, Eminem's sophomore album, The Marshall Mathers LP, sold 1.76 million copies last week, the best first-week sales in hip-hop history and second only to 'NSync's 2.4 million a couple of months ago. The numbers also give Slim Shady the record for biggest one-week sales by any solo artist, beating the previous mark of 1.3 million set just last week by Britney Spears. The Marshall Mathers LP secured the No. 1spot on the Billboard 200 by more than 1 million albums. Eminem eclipsed the hip-hop record set by Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album in 1993. The highly anticipated Doggystyle sold 803,000 copies in its first week. DMX's And Then There Was X is the most recent hip-hop album to flirt with the million mark, selling 698,000 copies in its first week in December 1999. Both he and Def Jam labelmate Jay-Z had hoped to become the first to accomplish the feat. Jay-Z's Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter fell far short, selling 462,000 copies just one week after DMX's debut.

Master P launches telecom company
Master P formally will announce a new venture into telecommunications in a press conference scheduled for Thursday, June 1, at 10 a.m. at the Windsor Court Hotel in his hometown of New Orleans. No Limit Communications will offer a wide range of prepaid telecom products, including local home phone service, long distance calling cards, cellular, paging, Internet and e-commerce. NLC is a joint venture between Master P and Alliance Network, a New Orleans-based competitive local exchange carrier. "The fastest growing segment of the prepaid telecom industry is the young urban consumer, which matches up to the demographics of Master P's core audience and fan base," said Alliance Network president & CEO Don Angle in a press release.

M.C. Ren not thrilled with remake
Austin rock band Dynamite Hack has turned N.W.A's classic "Boyz N The Hood" into a slow, tongue-in-cheek hit of their own, but not everybody in the N.W.A camp is happy about their success. Although the band approached Eazy-E's estate and Dr. Dre before using the song, which has been getting airplay on rock radio stations as well as MTV, M.C. Ren heard it for the first time just recently and wasn't impressed. "That was killing me, man. I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone," Ren told RollingStone.com after they played it for him. "I can't take it... If they have success with it, that's cool. I can still respect them for trying. But I can't take no song like that." Ren wasn't the only one turned off by the song. In fact, Dr. Dre's rumored response to his first listen was, "Turn this thing off," but apparently he ended up giving his approval after advising them to change some of the lyrics.

Wu-Tang Clan fires manager
The Wu-Tang Clan has fired its manager, Michael Caruso, after an article in the Village Voice that revealed he was a mob informant who was using Wu-Tang security to protect himself. Caruso was listed as Cappadonna's personal manager. After confessing to drug trafficking, home invasion and other crimes, Caruso escaped a prison sentence by turning state's evidence against Limelight club kingpin Peter Gatien (who was eventually acquitted). The Voice reported that Caruso is currently a cooperating witness against a former business partner, Miami club king Chris Paciello, who is awaiting trial in September.

First snakes, now werewolves
Ice Cube took on a giant snake and won in the sleeper hit "Anaconda." Now he'll take on a different freak of nature in his next film. Cube has signed on to star as a werewolf hunter who must save San Francisco from being overrun by the beasts in director Gregory Dark's new movie, "Stray Dawgz." Cube will start work on "Stray Dawgz" in the fall after completing the "Up In Smoke" tour and filming "Ghosts Of Mars."

Black Rob misses court date
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Bad Boy's Black Rob after he failed to show up in a New York court on Friday, May 26, to face weapons and drug charges, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Rob was arrested May 21 when police allegedly saw him pass a .22-caliber handgun to a man in the passenger seat of his car while parked on the side of the road signing autographs. Police searched the car and found several tablets of Ecstasy.

Whodini resurfaces for Census 2000
According to EUR, Whodini made an appearance at Detroit's State Theater on Sunday, May 28, to help increase local awareness of Census 2000. The old school MCs headlined an event called "The Superparty" and LaFace Records artist Sam Salter was also on the bill.

Puff Daddy settles lawsuit
Puff Daddy has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to a woman who was injured during a stampede at a 1991 City College of New York concert. The settlement with Nicole Levy closed the last of several lawsuits that were filed against Puff, Heavy D and CCNY in connection with the event, which left nine people dead. Levy had filed a $2 million lawsuit against Puffy, claiming that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a condition called Graves' disease because of the incident.

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