LOS ANEGLES, CA (08.22.03)--If you missed Wendy Williams last night on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, don't worry, Real-Hiphop.Com has a copy of the interview. Wendy was on the show last night to promote her book "Wendy's Got The Heat". The book is currently #9 on the New York Times Bestseller List. In addition to promoting her book, the New York City On-Air personality went into some racy gossip including her beef with Whitney Houston and her interview with Jennifer Lopez when she made her J-Lo cry. Also Wendy had some pretty interesting information about Queen Latifah and Q-Tip. To view the video use the clips below.

WENDY WILLIAMS ON ABC  real media   windows
WENDY WILLIAMS PART 2  real media   windows

DETROIT, MI (08.22.03)--Eminem is currently recording a new album with D12. No title or release date have yet been revealed.

In related news, Eminem's mom, Debbie Mathers, has reportedly been offered her own reality series on MTV. According to the British magazine called, Now, MTV originally tried to get Eminem himself to star in his own show, but quickly set their sights on his mother, when he declined the offer.

If the show does become a reality, it would reveal the inner workings of Mather's relationship with her estranged son.In the meantime, fans can check out Eminem's newly-launched clothing line called Shady Ltd. He has been nominated for a MTV Video Music Award in the category of Viewers Choice for the song "Lose Yourself."

NEW YORK, NY (08.21.03)--The Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle, the hot vehicle for athletes and entertainers, has become the hot vehicle for car thieves, too. Escalade had the highest theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles for the 2000 to 2002 model years, according to a report out Thursday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, a research arm of the insurance industry. Its theft frequency of 10.3 per 1,000 insured vehicles is four times the average for all vehicles. Escalade, one of the best-selling luxury SUVs, replaced Acura Integra at the top of the list. Escalade "is a vehicle of choice for a lot of celebrities," says Kim Hazelbaker of the institute. "It has become a pop culture vehicle. And it has an incredible wheel-and-tire package that is popular with thieves."

The $50,000-plus Escalade has been glamorized in rap songs and music videos. And it's the vehicle of choice among professional football and basketball players, who often customize the SUV with thousands of dollars' worth of stereo equipment, DVD players, video games, small TVs and expensive wheels. Police agencies around the country report sometimes-violent carjackings of Cadillac Escalades. Thieves don't seem deterred by the Escalade's OnStar system, a vehicle information service that can track a vehicle through satellite and cell phone technology. General Motors says it gets 400 to 500 vehicle tracking requests a month, and most are recovered. It had no numbers on Escalades recovered. Escalades also have an engine-immobilizer anti-theft device, which requires a key embedded with the proper computer chip to start the engine. GM blames the theft rate on the Escalade's popularity. "Theft patterns follow the market trends," says Kerry Christopher, a Cadillac spokesman.

Popularity doesn't seem to explain No. 2 and No. 3 on the list Dodge Stratus and Mitsubishi Mirage. Neither vehicle is a big seller.

ST. LOUIS, MO (08.21.03)--It seems like buying energy drinks is the way to go these days. On heels of Russel Simmon's "Def Com" and Ice T's Drink, Real-Hiphop has learned that Nelly is stepping into the drink game. Riding on the success of his hit single "Pimp Juice", Nelly has now launched his very own brand of energy drink named, you guessed it, "Pimp Juice". The bright green drink, made with ten percent apple juice, contains vitamins, taurine and guarane. It also "mixes perfectly with numerous vodkas," according to Nelly's Team Lunatics company. Portions of the proceeds from Pimp Juice sales go to Nelly's not-for-profit organization, 4Sho4Kids.

OAKLAND, CA (08.20.03)--There's seems to be more trouble brewing for the embattled Murder Inc label. Just days after 2 employees of the record label pleaded guilty to pending charges, the Ceo of the company Irv Gotti was arrested during a R. Kelly concert. The producer, whose real name is Irving Lorenzo, was booked that night at the Alameda County Jail in Oakland for possession of a controlled substance and released on bail.

According to Russ Giuntini, a prosecutor with the Alameda County district attorney's office, Gotti was stopped at a security checkpoint backstage at the Network Associates Coliseum, where R. Kelly was performing that night. Police found a single MDMA tablet, commonly known as ecstasy, in Gotti's pocket along with some prescription Viagra tablets.

Gotti has been under investigation by federal prosecutors for money laundering and fraud charges involving his record label and his relationship with convicted drug dealer Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff.

Real-Hiphop.Com has learned that Irv was scheduled to appear in court yesterday morning but there is no word on the outcome of his appearance. Despite the charge, Gotti is not facing any jail time for the misdemeanor.

NEW YORK, NY (08.19.03)--In response to the backlash against its threats to target individual file-traders, the Recording Industry of America says it won't unreasonably prosecute people who have illegally downloaded only a small number of songs.

"[We are] in no way targeting 'de minimis' users," RIAA president Cary Sherman(left) said in a statement yesterday. "[We are] gathering evidence and preparing lawsuits against individual computer users who are illegally distributing a substantial amount of copyrighted music."

Sherman didn't specify what a "substantial" number would be.

After waging a largely unwinnable war against file-sharing services like Napster, the RIAA announced its intent to focus on individual users this spring. It successfully sued four college students who were running their own smaller, local versions of Napster, eventually settling with each for between twelve and seventeen thousand dollars.

At the time, the RIAA said the number individual suits would escalate, and carry penalties of up to $150,000 per illegally downloaded song.

Sherman's statement responded to congressional allegations that the RIAA's campaign is "excessive." "We assure you that we will approach these suits in a fair and equitable manner," he said, while cautioning that his organization's lenience doesn't mean that "a little illegal activity is acceptable."

YONKERS, NY (08.19.03)--Real-Hiphop.Com has learned that Fox Searchlight Pictures has snagged the rights to the DMX produced film, "Never Die Alone," an urban thriller that is currently in post-production.

The movie is based on the 1974 book of the same name, which was written by cult writer Donald Goines. DMX's Bloodline Films and Contentfilm have lined up some heavy hitters to produce the flick.

The movie is being directed by the critically acclaimed Ernest Dickerson, who as director of photography for Spike Lee, helped Lee to shoot visually stunning movies.

LOS ANGELES,CA (08.19.03)--Hip-Hop superstars are teaming up for what could be a rap super group. According to MTV.com, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent recorded enough tracks to fill an entire album while both were on the Roc The Mic tour.

Under the name of DPG-Unit, they also also joined forces with Daz Dillinger, Soopafly, Young Buck, and Lloyd Banks to record nine other songs in a three-day period during the tour. Although they don't have an official record label just yet, the members have considered using 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.

Snoop's cousin Daz is very excited about the recordings. He said of the group, "We're gonna take over the whole world." He added, "We be having a good time. We're trying to make it a whole album, just unite together and keep it cracking."

Meanwhile, Snoop appeared on 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P" remix, which is currently Number Six on Radio And Records urban chart.

LOS ANGELES,CA (08.18.03)--REAL-HIPHOP.COM has just recieved word that another Tupac album is on deck to be released later this fall. The name of the album is "Nu-Mixxx Klazzics". Unlike the other cds that have been released by Death Row Records, this collection is of old Tupac songs being remixed. The first single from the album is a new version of the track "Life Goes On," originally released on 2Pac's 1996 Death Row debut, All Eyez on Me. The new album is set to be released October 7, 2003. Check out the entire track listing:

1. "2 of Amerikas Most Wanted"
2. "How Do You Want It"
3. "Hail Mary"
4. "Life Goes On"
5. "All Eyez on Me"
6. "Heartz of Men"
7. "Toss It Up"
8. "Hit 'Em Up"
9. "Never Had a Friend Like Me"
10."Ambitionz az a Ridah"

SOMERSET, NJ (08.18.03)--New Jersey was the site of the 3rd Annual Funkmaster Flex Car Show. The estimate count for the day was nearly 10,000 people (counting inside and outside). In fact, there were so many spectators that many people with tickets got turned away and were asked to come back once others departed the exhibit center. There was no shortage of star-power at the event as the notables included BUSTA RHYMES, 50 CENT, WYCLEF, FAT MAN SCOOP, VINNIE AND K-G FROM NAUGHTY BY NATURE, and JAZZY JOYCE. Among the cars featured at the show was a Pink Range Rover, Wyclef's Navigator and Busta Rhymes "Bat Mobile" (it has been rumored that Busta bought the original Bat Mobile). The event went on without a hitch and there were no major incidents. To view some of the pictures of the event use the clips below.

FLEX CARSHOW SLIDESHOW HTML

QUEENS, NY (08.18.03)--It seems like Ja Rule's 6 month hiatus is almost over. Ja-Rule is planning to release an EP before he releases the second installment of Venni Vetti Vecci, which the rapper claims will be a double album.

The EP is titled Blood In My Eye and will address the numerous beef's that he has with rappers like 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, D12, Dr. Dre and most recently Tupac sound-alike, Houston based artist The Realest.

Rule claims the EP was not recorded with album sales in mind, but a chance to be himself, reminiscent of the first installment of Venni,Vetti,Vecci.

NEW YORK (08.15.03)--A massive power outage knocked out power yesterday in the NYC area. The lights began to flicker around 4:12 PM EST and totally went out about 5 minutes later. As a result of the power outage many tv stations and radio stations were totally offline. Amount the major stations were NBC-NYC, WBAI, and WBLS. TV and Radio Stations were not the only media units affected by the power outage. Websites were also affected by the outage. Fan2Fan.Com, who holds their servers in the NYC area also were affected. In fact, the website has been down since yesterday. Real-Hiphop.Com has also received reports that as the night fell in the NYC area, many looters were arrested for robbing a number of Electronics and Food stores in the Brooklyn and Bronx areas. The initial reports are stating that a lightning storm is the cause of this massive outage that spread all the way to the Cleveland, OH area and up north in the Ottawa, Canada area. Real-Hiphop.Com will keep you posted as the information comes in.

NEW YORK (08.15.03)--Vanilla Ice has recently been voted to a top ten list. But unfortunaly, the list that the one-hit wonder has made is the one of the WORSE MUSIC ARTIST OF ALL-TIME. Blender Magazine has released a list of the 50 Worse Artists. The good news is , Ice was #8! A few rap artists made the list including Master P, Arrested Development and Benzino. In explaining why the magainze exposed this list, Blender's editor, Andy Pemberton, said: "If I were any of these groups, I would be angry about making the list - but they should be better. It's their fault they're on it." Here is the full list-

50 WORSE MUSIC ARTIST HTML

NEW YORK (08.14.03)--Just when it appeared that Puff and the MTV staff had a handle on the continuous fighting amoung band members, this weeks flare up was the worse by any comparison. It seems that there is an ongoing feud between band members "Fred" and "Ness". Ness' argument is that "Fred" is disrepectful and that he doesn't listen. However, Fred argues the fact that "Ness" is power hungry and that he does not understand how to speak to people. The two had it out on tv yesterday. Despite the violence, both members will remain in the group putting to rest all the rumors that Ness was leaving Da Band. To view the altercation, use the links below.

BAND FIGHT  real media   windows

LOS ANGELES, CA (08.13.03)--REAL-HIPHOP.COM has obtained a copy of the infamous letter that the rap group ABOVE THE LAW has written to the source. It appears that the rap group is upset with the recent line-up in last month's top 115 Rap Artist. Here is the letter:

"The Magazine of Hip-Hop music, Culture, and Politics," That is a very strong statement to make and apply to a magazine for and about the culture, in which we live, eat and breathe. With all the "beefing" in music and now in Hip-Hop publications, We think The Source has concentrated more so on "politics" then the actual music and cultural aspects of Hip-Hop. We are very disappointed in your recent issue (August 2003 #167) celebrating your 15-year coverage of "top 115 artists". Regarding your selection of "top" artists for clarification purposes, you stated that in making the final cut "we took into consideration QUALITY OF MUSIC, INFLUENCE, LONGEVITY and RECORD SALES. These are all-important aspects indeed, but we believe you have concentrated more on "record sales" and "hype" in regards to your selection of artists for this list.

To read more, use the links below:

LETTER TO THE SOURCE MAG HTML

NEW YORK, NY (08.13.03)--Real-Hiphop has learned that a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Sean "P.Diddy" Combs was filed in a Manhattan court yesterday. Two men are seeking $25 million (U.S.) each, claiming that they were assaulted by Diddy's security guards outside his recording studio last year. Puffy's spokeperson has denied the pair's allegations, dismissing them as "ridiculous" and "totally baseless".

The lawsuit alleges that P.Diddy's security guards threatened and physically assaulted the two men, causing injuries and leaving one of them unconscious.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (08.12.03)--It seems that the thought of naked pictures circulating on the internet has finally got the best of Eve. The 26 year old rapper from Philly has released a statement urging her fans not to get caught in the hype of the pictures. Eve has admitted in the past that she use to be a stripper before her rapping career took off in the late 90's. But insist that the picture is someone else. Her spokesperson says, "It's not a picture of her. She is upset that there's a false photo of her going around. The woman in the picture does not have Eve's two paw-print tattoos. She's had those forever." Eve has even threaten to sue the issuer of the picture stemming from the embarrassment that she has experienced. Real-Hiphop.Com has obtained a copy of the picture. To view the picture please use the link below.

EVE'S ALLEGED NUDE PICTURE JPEG

OAKLAND, CA (08.11.03)--C-BO and Yukmouth disses 50 Cent on "Thug Lordz" on Yukmouth's third solo LP, Godzilla, due out August 5th 2003. With disses towards Ja Rule, Master P, Snoop Dogg and now 50 Cent, this seems to be the summer's most controversial rap LP.

"Yeah, that nigga 50, he's hot, but I've heard he's a snitch and he ran up under that whiteboy I heard is a bitch," C-BO raps. "I've heard they ran him out of New York and he's coming to Cali."

"The boss wants you dead, then it's off with your head," Yuk continues, refering to his boss, J. Prince's, beef with 50 Cent. "Especially a bitch nigga that talks to the feds, especially a bitch nigga that walks with the feds."

THUG LORDZ  real media   windows

BROOKLYN, NY (08.11.03)--Furious hip-hop mogul Damon Dash is threatening to release a song criticizing a store which refuses to sell his Rocawear clothing line.

The owner of Roc-A-Fella Records warned that both upmarket Los Angeles store Fred Segal and department manager Karen Meena, could see themselves immortalized in his next piece of work.

Dash's fury arose after Meena told Dash that because Rocawear was stocked at Bloomingdale's and other stores, Fred Segal preferred to stock more exclusive brands like Triple 5 Soul and others.

Meena made matters worse when she described Rocawear "too urban."

An eyewitness reports the outraged multi-millionaire proceeded to lecture the offending lady on why his label was far superior to its rivals, and berated her for using terms she did not understand.

When Meena finally said, "I'm not going to sit here and argue with you," Dash hit back with, "You're just a store manager - I run a corporation."

This was when Dash, currently giving ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's ailing career a helping hand, ranted, "I can one-up you. I'll put out a record trashing you and Fred Segal."

Dash's spokesperson says, "When Damon asked why Fred Segal didn't carry Rocawear, she said it was 'too urban.' He said, 'Why is my line too urban, because it's run by an urban person?' He said she was very disrespectful."

ATLANTA, GA (08.08.03)-Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flint has joined Ludacris in his fight against Bill O'Reilly, recently announcing a "national day of prayer" -- for the slow death of the contentious Fox News personality.

Last year, Luda was fired as spokesperson for Pepsi after O'Reilly labeled the animated emcee a "thug rapper with obscene lyrics immersed in sex, drugs and violence." Ludacris eventually got the last laugh when a Russell Simmons' boycott led to the soda giant coughing up $5 million to the rapper's not-for-profit foundation.

Almost a year later, Larry Flint, now a candidate in the California Gubernatorial recall election, has called for a "National Prayer Day" to pray for O'Reilly's death. Flint's political website even features a sample of the "prayer." The page introduction calls O'Reilly "a puritanical prick who displays contempt for American ideals such as freedom of speech" followed by the parody prayer.

"Dear (God/Allah/Buddha/other entity of your choice), we ask you to afflict Bill O'Reilly with a brain aneurysm that will lead to his slow and painful death."
"He has attacked some people that we really love, like Ludacris and porn star Jenna Jamison. Bill O'Reilly treated them terribly and tried to ruin Ludacris' career - really awful stuff," Sean Carney, the event coordinator and a Hustler Magazine editorial assistant told CNSNews.com.

Meanwhile, Ludacris continues to garner corporate support, recently from Nike Basketball. Luda will be "acting a fool" when he performs at the Nike Battlegrounds Finals in New York on August 9. The finals will later air on MTV on September 6. Still riding on the success of 2 Fast 2 Furious movie and soundtrack, Luda is also gearing up for his third LP, Chicken & Bear scheduled to drop on October 7. The first single and video is P Poppin [real broadband | real dial-up]. Other power moves include a track with 50 Cent entitled, "Blow It Out Your Ass" and the chart-topping success of his camp's latest addition, Chingy, who debuted last week at no.2 on Billboard's Top 100 Charts.

NEW YORK, NY (08.08.03)-- For the third consecutive week, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs dominates the charts with the #1 blockbuster soundtrack, Bad Boys II. The Bad Boys II soundtrack went platinum within the first week of its release, and is the first soundtrack since the Eminem-driven 8-mile collection to debut in the #1 position on the Pop Albums charts. Bad Boys II is Combs' first release since inking a venture deal with the Universal/Motown Group.

The multi-genre album boasts new, first-rate tracks from top-selling artists (Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Foxy Brown and more), and exclusively features the popular underground Notorious B.I.G., 50 Cent collaboration, "Realest..." Other unique pairings include: P. Diddy re-teaming with Mary J. Blige; Lenny Kravitz, the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Bad Boy's up and coming rapper Loon, who also pairs up with Snoop Dogg on a track. The soundtrack also showcases Bad Boy's newest addition, the six-member group Da Band (featured on MTV's current season of "Making The Band II.").

Bad Boys II is also receiving wide-spread praise from music critics: Vibe magazine says that Puffy "showcases his ear for talent and his gift orchestrating..." Rolling Stone gives the album 3-stars and declares, "This is how to do a hip-hop soundtrack."

Bad Boy Records is currently readying the next singles, Fat Joe & P. Diddy featuring Dre's "Girl I'm A Bad Boy" and "Show Me Your Soul" by Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell, P. Diddy and Loon. The next release from the hit-making record company will be Bad Boy's Da Band with their debut album in stores September 23rd.

LOS ANGELES (08.07.03)--Investigators believe the shootings of people with close ties to rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight were designed to get at Knight himself. In the most recent slaying, shooters ambushed Wardell "Poochie" Fouse, a longtime Knight confidant late last month. Gunmen fired 10 shots into his back as he rode on a motorcycle in Compton, Calif.

Previous victims include Knight's best friend and chief bodyguard, and the man who created the logo for Knight's label Death Row Records. He was shot to death near a take-out stand in South Central Los Angeles. All of the killings are unsolved.

Police suspect that at least three of the shootings were ordered or carried out by two gang members who have a feud with Knight, according to the Los Angeles Times. One of them is reported to be a former Death Row bodyguard whom Knight fired.

Knight has said he doesn't believe anyone is after him. He was recently sentenced to 10 months in prison after a parole board found that he struck a Hollywood nightclub valet.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Knight was placed on probation after being convicted in 1992 of pistol-whipping a man in a recording studio. In September 1996, Knight violated that probation and was imprisoned for five years after being caught on videotape, along with Shakur and others, beating a gang rival in the lobby of the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

Shakur was shot and killed three hours later as he was riding in a BMW with Knight, who was wounded in the attack.

Knight was paroled from prison in 2001, but served 61 days behind bars earlier this year for associating with a known gang member in violation of his parole.

QUEEN,NY (08.06.03)--Every hiphop fan has seen some form of the infamous Hennessy Ad that features the legendary MC, Rakim. Love it or Hate it, every true hiphop fan has some reserve about seeing the rapper once labeled "THE GOD" endorsing an alcoholic beverage. In an interview with XXL Mag, Nas takes a second away from blasting the media and focuses on the fact that Rakim had to do the ad. Blaming the ad on the current state of the hiphop game, Nas is quoted as saying:

"this is a gansta business, so it's like all artist go through it. And the sh-t is straight slavery. It's suppose to be business, but it's some real f-cking crazy sh-t. It's really f-cked up, you kno? It's f-cked up when you got legendary artists that gotta do f-cking alcohol ads. I understand though, a nigga gotta feed his family. He gotta feed his family."

Nas also comments on the positive side of the rap game stating that the new rappers in the game are fresh and are taking the game to the next level. When asked if him and Jay-Z would ever do a song together, Nas replied: "I don't want nothing to do with him." To view the entire interview check the September issue of the XXL mag.

NEW YORK (08.06.03) -- Singer and rapper Missy Elliott was recently accused of snubbing Madonna on the set of the duos' Gap commercial. Elliott issued a statement to New York Magazine on Monday (August 4) explaining that she wasn't herself the day of the shoot because of a personal crisis.

Elliott explained, "Madonna came to me and asked what was wrong, and I told her in a roundabout way. She called her spiritual adviser over the day of the shoot; he gave me, like, the red string, and he prayed for me. The rest of the shoot was fine...I would never disrespect her."

Reports were circulating that Elliott refused to get out of her limousine on the set even after Madonna tapped on the window and that Elliott initially turned down Madonna's invitation to do lunch at her house.

In related news, Elliott is presently featured on the lead single from Timbaland & Magoo's forthcoming set, Under Construction 2. The song "Cop That Sh-t" is Number 32 on the urban Radio & Records National Airplay chart.