Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five Inducted Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Hip-Hop history was made last night (Mar. 12), as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As Hip-Hop pioneers, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were one of the first Hip-Hop groups to incorporate deejaying and emceeing in a group.
The groundbreaking group went on to create such hits as "The Message," "Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel," and countless others.
Rap mogul and Def Jam Records president Jay-Z introduced the group during the introduction ceremony. Jay read their induction speech from his Blackberry. "Thirty years later rappers have become rock stars, movie stars, leaders, educators, philanthropists, even CEOs," Jay-Z said. "None of this would have been possible without the work of these men."
Formed in the South Bronx, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five have come a long way since their first single "Superrappin" hit the streets in 1979.
The annual event took place at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel and other inductees included R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, and Van Halen. 
Give R. Kelly A Call At The Chocolate Factory!
It seems as if R. Kelly has taken a page from Mike Jones’ book as the R&B singer has a phone number for anyone to reach him. While you don’t get to speak to Kells personally, you do get to hear a message from the singer as he previews songs from his new album, Double Up:
“What’s up yall’, this Kells, I’m glad ‘yall called. I’m in the studio right now…since ‘yall called, I’ma give ‘yall a snippet of what I’m about to hit ‘yall with. Hold on, turn it off…this song called ‘Blow it Up’ with Jeezy…and I got Young Dro on here, they killin’ it.”
Following this message is a brief sound byte of the song Blow it Up. After the song finishes playing, R. Kelly comes back on:
“Can’t give ‘yall the whole song. This next song I’m doin, it’s called ‘Leave ya name,’ you feel me?”
The song Leave Ya Name plays out like a musical version of an answering machine message. In a similar fashion, R.Kelly previews the songs Double Up ft. Snoop Dogg, Freakin’ In the Club, Put Some Money on It ft. Rick Ross, Hookin’ Up with Kanye West, and Rock Star with Ludacris.
As for the album, Kells promises the fans that it is “about 70% hip hop,” though it is not exclusively upbeat hip hop tracks, and will include some slow R&B.
After the message ends, you can leave your own message for R. Kelly. If you’re calling from a cell phone, the messaging system will text you with information following the call.
The phone number to reach the Chocolate Factory Hotline is 312-278-3965.
The album Double Up is set to be released May 29th.
Jim Jones is still celebrating the chart topping success that came from Baallin. Now, he's got his sights on bigger things, new music and Timbaland beats.
"I been thinking about my next album, thinking about the music I wanna hear, the production...All my albums been about my life, so I'm not worried about the content. I'm living fast, having fun, so it's always a story to tell. But I been thinking about the music — the production, where I want to take it. Every album I've evolved or I've felt like I've evolved. I don't know if everybody else felt like that, but I wanna take them all the way there next time. ... I'm not trying to offend nobody, but y'all know what I am capable of," he told MTV recently.
He also went on to speak on a producer that he's wanted for some time.
"Right now I would like to get a Timbaland beat...That's something I been thinking about for years. The boy got it! Let me get some of that Timbaland music. I'm just trying to have fun...It feels good, me getting called to get on people's records is amazing...I hope they keep calling."
He also made time to speak on the current beef between his label and 50 Cent.
"I been telling people that this music game is built on aggressive competition," he noted. "Just like basketball is a full contact sport. Sometime you might catch a elbow or a little foul pick. Most people that play the sport, they kill each other on the courts, afterwards it's all good. If that's the direction we going in, I'm good with it."
So, how does he feel about the way Cam is handling the situation?
"Cam could never do no wrong in my eyes...If that's how he's feeling, that's how he's feeling. That's my brother. But it was two dons going at it — 50 and Cam — nobody else got in it. It's all good. Me, I'm into my money."
Camron Makes Another Hot 97 Appearance
Cam'Ron has hit up Hot 97 once again to talk shit about 50. Last night he talked with Angie Martinez in the studio and he of course had more words for Curtis. Audio Cam revealed that the C.U.R.T.I.S. disses are coming in a six part series. And we're only on part 2. 
Ice Cube continues his push on to the small screen with a new hour long reality television series on A&E titled Good in the Hood. Ice Cube will introduce each episode, which features a different reformed gang member, drug dealer or criminal, who takes on the responsiblity of rehabilitating another person with similiar circumstances.
Good in the Hood is being executive produced by Ice Cube & long time collaborator Matt Alvaraz, along with Dave Broome, Colleen Conway and Rob Sharenow.
"One of the most powerful elements in the show is the personal connection of the two subjects." People who are still in thrall to drugs or violence are more apt to respond to someone who has walked in their shoes," Co-executive producer Rob Sharenow told Variety.
Last year, shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention and reruns of The Sopranos helped improve A&E's viewing audience by 4% among adults 25-54, 13% among adults 18-49 and 24% among adults 18-34.
"This show is a way to demonstrate what is going on in a positive way in the urban community," Ice Cube said in a statement.
Good in the Hood is Ice Cube's latest foary into reality television.
In 2005, the rapper rapper/actor/filmmaker teamed with R.J. Cutler and produced the series Black.White, which was broadcast on FX and featured a white family and a black family sharing a home in the San Fernando Valley.
Aftermath Signee Joell Ortiz Is No Sellout, "Dr. Dre Makes You Bigger, He Doesn't Change You"
Though the days of artists yelling "please listen to my demo" may be fading, don't tell that to Joell Ortiz. This Brooklyn lyricist caught the ear of Dr. Dre after the super producer heard his CD and in no time Ortiz went from ashy to classy. While J.O.'s "not eating Spaghetti O's out the can no more," he can still eat up your favorite rapper without breaking a sweat.
"My deal didn't come from me running around New York all crazy everyday rhyming everywhere. Mine came from Dre getting the CD and saying 'play that again, he's crazy, let's fly him out,'" Ortiz said
"The mistake that people make is that they start rhyming about what happens to them, cars, house, etc. None of that helped you get here," Ortiz continued. "I rap for the audience who loves the art. You ain't gonna hear flossy shit from me cause that's not my style. I'm raising the bar. Dudes are out here doing 16's, I'm doing 125's."
Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz will be delivering fans his frist album via Koch Records. The Brick (Bodega Chronicles), which takes it's title from O's 125 bar verses, features guest spots from Big Daddy Kane, Maino, Ras Kass, M.O.P. and Immortal Technique and beats by Showbiz (of D.I.T.C.) and The Alchemist.
"I wanted to drop an indie [album] to get my fan base up, but it so happened that Dre was feeling it and they came at the same time," the rapper explained. "With The Brick, I wrote it when I was still on the grind, before the deal. People been beating me in the head with 'you gotta bring New York back' but New York never died, you can't kill it."
"This album got that early New York feeling, cause we've been shying away from what we do [lately]," Ortiz said. "I'm a nice MC, not a rapper, an MC. I know what's missing and I'm trying to start something here."
With The Brick serving as a preview to his Aftermath project, some may suspect that Ortiz would be feeling the pressure of trying to live up to a Dr. Dre co-sign. But for Ortiz, it's just another day in the studio.
"What I found out about Dre is, he makes you bigger, but he doesn't change you. He makes you a better artist but it's still you, he says. " I don't know how not to be hip-hop. I don't know how to sellout, dude. When you're lyrical like I am, you gotta be nice and say something. I just want people to say I'm consistent, that I broke down barriers and that I'm nice, and not just for a Spanish rapper. It's my turn. They better put their rain jackets on 'cause it's about to be a storm."
The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) hits shelves on April 24.
Lupe Fiasco to Testify in Business Partner's Drug Conspiracy Trial
Lupe Fiasco is reportedly expected to testify in a drug conspiracy trial involving a partner in his first & fifteenth imprint.
According to the Chicago Tribune, producer Charles "Chili" Patton and his wife Inita were charged in 2003 for allegedly running a drug enterprise supplying over 900 grams of heroin. The drugs purportedly had a street value of nearly $950,000 at the time.
The couple's trial began in Cook County Court on Wednesday (February 28) with prosecutors claiming in their opening statements that Patton was the mastermind in a conspiracy that involved cellular telephones and coded language, picked up by police listening in on wiretaps.
Former Chicago Police Lt. Robert Grapenthien testified that investigators had a wiretap on Patton's cell phones for about a month when on March 25, 2003, they heard him set up a drug sale with Jerry Warren. The day before Patton was heard making Amtrak train reservations for him and Lupe Fiasco.
Jerry Warren, who was convicted in the case in October, set up a meeting in Hyde Park, which was under police surveillance, Grapenthien revealed. After receiving the drugs, authorities pulled over Warren's pickup truck and found a plastic bag containing drugs, he said.
Patton's lawyer, Todd Pugh, countered the prosecutor's accusations by painting his client as a hard working man who was striving to be successful.
"Charles 'Chili' Patton was targeted because he was a successful African-American businessman," Pugh told jurors. "He is a young African-American man from the West Side of Chicago with braids in his hair, which lives in a middle-class home in Olympia Fields with his wife and three children. You will not find one speck of heroin in Charles Patton's hands."
Prosecutors also claimed Inita Patton played a major role in finding a storage facility in south suburban Glenwood where authorities found more than 6 kilograms of heroin. Police found a key to the storage unit while conducting a May 2003 raid on the Pattons' home.
Inita's lawyer, Glenn Seiden, said her client allowed a friend to store his furniture in the storage unit and did not know drugs were in the locker.
The Pattons' trial is expected to last several weeks. According to prosecutors, the couple could face 15 to 60 years in prison if convicted.
THREE 6 MAFIA ‘ADVENTURES’ COMING TO MTV
The show is called “Adventures in Hollyhood,” premiering tonight at 10:30pm (E/P), and it follows Juicy J, DJ Paul and their entourage as they pick up from Memphis and head to Los Angeles.
The series, shot over a two-month period, chronicles their exploits as they try to cash in on their Oscar, work on their new album, try to get along with their new neighbors, and find out if it’s harder out here for a pimp.
The duo admits that even a year later, they have still not come down from their big Oscar win, and hope that fame will bring viewers to their show. And in describing the series, the two likened it to life immediately after winning the Oscar:
“The first week after we won the Oscar we partied, drank, met some new girls – we still had the old ones, too. We had a lot of fun,” DJ Paul said. Juicy J added, “It’s real. We just kicked it; we cut the cameras on and partied. It’s everyday life with Three 6 Mafia.”
The duo say they left Memphis with both good wishes and not-so- good wishes, with some fans calling them sell-outs for heading to LaLa Land.
“Coming from Memphis and moving to Hollywood it’s different; it’s kind of weird. We passed out flyers, but maybe they didn’t want to come to a rap party,” Juicy J said.
The show, premiering tonight at 10:30pm Eastern/Pacific with eight episodes lined up, also features the rest of their crew: Big Treice, their personal assistant; Computer, their internet consultant; and finally Project Pat, Three 6 Mafia's rap protégé and underground hip-hop superstar. And also has appearances by rap cohorts such as Lil’ Jon and Chamillionaire, and other celebrity friends
Meanwhile, the two are still doing what they’ve become famous for – writing and recording songs for soundtracks – perhaps in hopes of getting another movie award. They wrote an original song for “Rocky Balboa” and “Jackass 2” and are currently working on some other projects.
“We have some other stuff in the works,” Juicy J said, “but I don’t want to say anything because the checks haven’t cleared yet.
The funny duo are counting on those witty answers and antics to get a good following for series, but in answering the question of pimp hardship, the two acknowledge that Hollywood is bit harder than home.
“It’s harder out here for a pimp,” DJ Paul confirmed. “This place is high out here for a pimp; everything’s more expensive.”
Viacom Inc. Sues Google For $1 Billion Over YouTube
Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. filed a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday (March 13) for a reported $1 billion for its use of copyrighted material on its YouTube website.
Timbaland Moves "Shock Value" Release Date To April 3rd; Says It's A "Greatest Hits Album"
Where can you hear the hottest new songs by Justin Timberlake, Dr. Dre, Nelly Furtado, 50 Cent, Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls, Fall Out Boy, Elton John, The Hives and more all in one place? Timbaland's Shock Value (Mosley Music Group/Blackground/Interscope), which is now set for release on April 3, 2007."
I wanted to make sure this thing was ready to drop, and pushing it back a week gave me time to do some last minute polishing. Look at all these people on Shock Value...this isn't a dj compilation, it's a greatest hits album," says Timbaland of his album
Just before the album's release, Timbaland, one of music's most acclaimed innovators, will be coming off his special guest stint on the first leg of Timberlake's 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow World Tour, which concludes its North American swing at the end of March.
WHITNEY HOUSTON BACK IN THE STUDIO
Whitney Houston has officially begun work on her comeback album under music mogul Clive Davis.
BET's Spring Bling '07 Returns to Sunny Florida
WHAT: Spring breakers from across the country gather in sunny Florida for BET's weekend getaway, SPRING BLING '07. With whirlwinds of top performances by the best in hip-hop and R&B, outrageous games, car shows, competitions, and newly added surprises this year's beach fest will be the best yet.
SHOW HOSTS: BET VJ's: Terrence & Rocsi (106 & PARK), Julissa (BET HOST), Alesha Renee & Lamorne (HOTWYRED), Danella (THE BLACK CARPET), Big Tigger (BET VETERAN), and more celebrity surprises
WHERE: Singers Island at Riviera Beach West Palm Beach, Florida 33404
WHEN: Tapings - Friday, March 23, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Saturday, March 24, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Sunday, March 25, 2007 @ 11 a.m. Premiere Telecast - April 5th-8th 2007 (check Local Listings for Times)
EVENT INFO: http://www.bet.com/ AUDIENCE Free audience ticket requests for persons 18 and older who TICKETS: are able to present a valid state ID, school ID or passport may be submitted via email to audience106@bet.com with the text "SPRING BLING" in the subject line.
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