Nas launches Ill Will Records
After releasing two albums in 1999, one might think Nas was planning to take it easy in 2000. Not quite. With his fourth album, Nastradamus, only three months old and a new single featuring Ginuwine, "You Owe Me," just released, Nas is hard at work on his next project -- the launch of his own record company. Named Ill Will Records after an old friend who passed away, the company's first project will be an album titled Q.B.'s Finest.
The compilation will feature Mobb Deep, Capone and Noreaga and is expected to hit stores this summer. Nastradamus is approaching platinum status with more than 750,000 copies sold. Nas also is a part of Missy Elliott's record-breaking single, "Hot Boyz," which has spent 15 straight weeks at the top of the rap singles chart. The song also features Eve and Q-Tip.
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Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, has announced that he next will venture into the online arena with 360hiphop.com (formerly RS1W.com). The site will provide multimedia coverage of hip-hop culture, politics, lifestyle and music. The site will also become a center for hip-hop e-commerce with CDs, clothing and other merchandise available for purchase, as well as items from Simmons' own Phat Farm line. You can check out a preview of 360hiphop.com right now, but it isn't scheduled to launch until June. 
Ghostface Killah has decided to spend some time with friends while on his current tour to promote his sophomore album, Supreme Clientele. Ghostface will join Redman and fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man for a few dates on their spring tour, which kicks off March 22 in Atlanta. Ghostface, who appears on "Run 4 Cover," a track from Meth & Red's platinum Blackout!, will be on hand for that show as well as nine others, including stops in Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and D.C. New Jersey's Outsidaz crew is the opening act for the tour, which is Method Man and Redman's third significant outing in less than a year after opening up on the "Hard Knock Life" and "Family Values" tours. 
N.W.A's Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and MC Ren performed live together for the first time in more than ten years over the weekend. The trio, along with Snoop Dogg filling in for the late Eazy-E, taped a segment of the weekly USA series, "Jimmy and Doug's Farmclub.com" on Saturday. Highlights, interviews and backstage footage will be available soon on the web site, and the episode will air on March 27 at 11 p.m. EST. N.W.A reunited late last year for "Chin Check" on the "Next Friday" soundtrack, and plans are in the works for a full album, titled Not These N----- Again, before the end of the year. 
Run DMC's latest album has been delayed enough to make any fan frustrated. The group has had its share of setbacks -- DMC's voice and mood change, trouble clearing tracks with collaborators' record companies -- during the making of Crown Royal, but they have decided not to sit around and sulk about it. Run DMC apparently has set aside their differences enough to embark on a 24-city tour, which begins Sunday in Old Bridge, N.J. But if you live on the West Coast (or even west of the Mississippi River) you're out of luck, because the tour goes no closer to the Pacific than Peoria, Ill., before turning around, hitting Wisconsin and Florida, and eventually heading back to the East Coast. The tour makes two stops in Providence, R.I., and includes six dates in Massachusetts. There still is no new release date set for Crown Royal. 
World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed successfully defended his title for the 14th time by stopping South Africa's Vuyani Bungu in the fourth round Saturday in London. Hamed took a magic carpet ride into the ring and was escorted by none other than Puff Daddy, who also joined Hamed in the ring after his victory. Puff's appearance overseas begs the question: Aren't people who are out on bail usually prevented from traveling out of the country? Puff Daddy is facing weapons and bribery charges in connection with a shooting at a New York nightclub. We'll have to let The 411 Online's legal experts look into that. As far as the fight, Hamed hit Bungu with a right jab, and finished him off with a big left at 1:38 of the fourth round. Hamed is undefeated in 34 fights and has 30 knockouts. It was Bungu's first loss in 40 fights.
Da Brat was arrested and charged with one felony count of aggravated battery for allegedly pistol-whipping a woman at a club in Atlanta early Wednesday. Da Brat is accused of attacking a woman who was attempting to get into the VIP area at the Chili Peppers nightclub. The woman was taken to nearby Grady Hospital, where she received six stitches for a cut to the head. The victim was charged with one count of simple battery. Da Brat was taken into police custody and later released after posting $1,000 bail. She is scheduled to return to court on April 13. Da Brat's new album, Unrestricted, is due out April 11. Plans for Da Brat to join Mariah Carey on her nine-city tour also were announced recently. The tour starts March 16 in Los Angeles.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony were able to take the top spot in this week's Billboard R&B/Hip-hop albums chart with BTNHResurrection, their first album since 1997's The Art of War, but they could not dethrone the unstoppable Santana on the pop albums chart. Instead, Bone replaces Dr. Dre at No. 2 after selling more than 280,000 copies in its first week. Dre, whose quadruple-platinum 2001 only dropped to No. 4 despite several strong debuts, was just one of four holdovers from last week's top 10. Beanie Sigel's debut album, The Truth, was one spot back at No. 5 after selling more than 155,000 copies.
Meanwhile, Missy Elliott, Nas, Eve and Q-Tip continued their dominance of the rap singles chart, extending their record by coming in at No. 1 for the 16th straight week with "Hot Boyz."
Despite the fact that Jay-Z's latest single only appears on Roc-A-Fella labelmate Beanie Sigel's album, The Truth, Jigga has not abandoned his double-platinum platter, Vol. 3... The Life and Times of S. Carter. "Anything," a virtual sequel to 1998's "Hard Knock Life" available on the European version of Vol. 3, has been getting plenty of airtime on hip-hop radio and MTV since its release. Now, Jay is preparing to drop the Timbaland-produced "Big Pimpin'" featuring UGK as the third single from the disc. Everyone involved traveled to Trinidad with director Hype Williams last weekend to film the video during Carnival festivities. Meanwhile, the entire Roc-A-Fella roster plans to release an album as The Dynasty. The album, scheduled to hit stores this summer, will feature Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Amil and Beanie Sigel, whose album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard albums chart with 155,000 copies sold last week.
Foxy Brown was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle after crashing her car into a fence in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Monday night. Brown complained of neck and shoulder pain after the accident and was taken to Long Island College Hospital, where she was treated and released early Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for New York City's Department of Corrections told MTV that Brown crashed her 1999 Range Rover into a barrier at 22 Chapel Street around 6:10 p.m. EST. When police arrived on the scene, they discovered that Brown's driver's license had been suspended.
Coming up with a solid concept for a video is hard enough, but pulling it off without the star can be even tougher. Unfortunately, hip-hop has had plenty of chances to perfect the concept since the deaths of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. With that duo's large amount of posthumous releases, no stone has been left unturned -- animation, stand-ins, old footage, etc. But there's only so many clips you can use of the actual artist. Now, Loud Records faces the same problem after the death of Big Pun. Fortunately, Pun had plenty of friends. Lil' Kim, Mobb Deep, Funkmaster Flex, Raekwon, Jennifer Lopez, M.O.P., Soul For Real, DJ Red Alert, Fat Joe and the rest of the Terror Squad showed up to film cameo appearances for the first video from Pun's sophomore album, Yeeeah Baby. "It's So Hard" features Donell Jones and is scheduled to be released on March 14. Yeeeah Baby is due to hit stores on April 4.
DMX was arrested for aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, driving without a license, speeding, failure to signal, failure to notify the DMV of an address change and unlawful possession of marijuana in Cheektowaga, N.Y., early Friday following a Cash Money/Ruff Ryders concert in Buffalo on Thursday night. DMX was pulled over by authorities for failing to signal and for speeding after allegedly being clocked at 60 mph in a 45 mph zone on the Kensington Expressway. X was released after posting $2,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in a Cheektowaga court on March 21. The arrest didn't slow him down, though, as DMX participated in the Cash Money/Ruff Ryders show on Friday night in Philadelphia then traveled to Los Angeles to perform at the Soul Train Music Awards on Saturday. X also received a Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year honor at the awards.
DMX was named male entertainer of the year, Juvenile was named best new artist and Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson won best video for "What's It Gonna Be?!" at the 14th Annual Soul Train Awards, which were held this weekend in Los Angeles. DMX and Mary J. Blige won the prestigious Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year awards. X, Q-Tip and the Cash Money Millionaires also performed at the show. Other notable winners included Prince and Whitney Houston (Artists of the Decade) and Lauryn Hill, who won best R&B/soul single for "Ex-Factor."