Eminem will perform at Grammys
In a move designed to silence critics of Eminem's Grammy nominations, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that the controversial MC will perform with Elton John at this year's awards ceremony. Eminem was nominated for four Grammys, including album of the year. Since the nominations were announced, several groups, including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Family Violence Protection Fund, protested his "homophobic" and "violent" lyrics. However, the NARAS hopes that the pairing of Slim Shady and John, who is openly bisexual, will keep some of the critics at bay. The duo will perform Em's hit song "Stan," with John filling in for Dido on the hook. "We view this moment not only as musically significant, but also as an opportunity to help tear down some of the unfortunate walls of division that Eminem's lyrics have built," NARAS president and CEO Michael Greene said in a statement. However, both GLAAD and FVPF released statements after the announcement was made expressing their disappointment. The Grammys will take place Feb. 21 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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Puff Daddy's lawyers opened their defense Thursday with testimony from the Bad Boy CEO's personal assistant and a security guard who disputed previous witnesses' claims that both Puffy and Shyne fired guns during a Dec. 1999 incident at Club New York. Trenton Stewart, who was working security at the club that night, said that he heard the sound of two distinct guns firing. Puffy and Shyne both have been accused of firing 9mm handguns in earlier testimony. On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that they had located Matthew "Scar" Allen, the man who allegedly argued with Puff Daddy at the club just moments before the incidents that led to Puff, Shyne and bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones' arrests. Allen, who will serve as a rebuttal witness after the defense closes its case, prepared a sworn, handwritten statement on Jan. 3 that prosecutors released Wednesday. "Puffy was saying goodbye and high-fiving everybody," Allen wrote in the statement. "At one point he reached over me and knocked me and the glass I was holding into the bar. At the time I didn’t realize who it was that had just knocked me and so as I turned around I pushed him off of me and realized it was Puffy. He started saying, 'What's up, what's up' and I said, 'F--- you.'" After the well-documented money-throwing incident by one of the men at the bar, Shyne allegedly pulled out a gun and began firing. "At that point, Puffy had a gun in his right hand as I was running out," Allen's statement continued. "I could see both Shyne and Puffy firing guns -- the reason I know both Shyne and Puffy fired is because I saw the fire coming out of their guns." Three people were injured by the gunshots.
A couple of pioneers have set aside some time to celebrate hip-hop. First off, KRS-One announced that May 14-21 will be designated Hip-Hop Appreciation Week. "Our theme this year is charity," KRS said in a released statement. "The purpose of Hip-hop Appreciation Week is to decriminalize hip-hop's public image... This, we believe, is the beginning of hip-hop's preservation and further development." Earlier this week, the Universal Zulu Nation and its founder, Afrika Bambaata, announced plans to celebrate Hip-Hop History Month in November as a tribute to what they recognize as hip-hop's date of birth, November 12, 1974. "When we made hip-hop, we made it hoping it would be about peace, love, unity and having fun so that people could get away from the negativity that was plaguing our streets," Bambaata said in a statement on the Zulu Nation's web site. "Even though this negativity still happens here and there, as the culture progresses, we play a big role in conflict resolution and enforcing positivity."
As The 411 Online reported 
During the course of two years, Run DMC's comeback album has gone from highly anticipated to practically an afterthought. Why? For starters, VH1's "Behind the Music" exposed the internal rift that led to DMC's virtual absence from the project. The constant delays haven't helped, either -- Crown Royal recently was pushed back once again from Feb. 27 to April 3. Now comes word that tracks with guest appearances by Slick Rick, ODB and Ja Rule were dropped because, as Arista's Pete Ganbarg explained to Entertainment Weekly, "they didn't fit with the rest of the record," while cuts featuring Sugar Ray, Kid Rock, Everlast, Fred Durst and Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins survived. Now, it's understandable that MCs like ODB and Ja Rule, who came into their own after Run DMC's prime, might not be necessary additions to Crown Royal, but an old school collaboration with Slick Rick would be welcomed by any hip-hop fan, especially when the rock-rap theme started by Run DMC and Aerosmith more than 15 years ago appears to be dominating the album. For those fans that still will pick up the album despite the obvious attempt to cross over and the fact that DMC is M.I.A., you might find the guest spots by Nas, Mobb Deep's Prodigy, Method Man, Jermaine Dupri and Fat Joe to your liking -- unless of course they decide to drop those hip-hop pairings from the lineup before April 3. 
The Consumer Electronics Association has announced that 
Kool Mo Dee joined Super Bowl XXXI MVP Desmond Howard and four-time NBA champion and "BET Live" host John Salley as a panelist Friday on Fox Sports Net's "The Last Word." The host, Jim Rome, while noting that the MC officially had dropped the 'e' from the "Moe" in his name, engaged the panel in discussions about NASCAR and the Westminster Dog Show, Kool Mo Dee still managed to get in another shot at L.L. Cool J. While on the topic of "talking smack," Howard reminisced about his youth. "I remember when I was a kid I used to listen to Kool Mo Dee battle with L.L. Cool J on record, but it was just friendly competition," he said. "No one ever shot at each other and they're both still alive today." When the topic shifted to Michael Jordan and how he handled himself on the court, Mo Dee made the point that the NBA's greatest player couldn't visibly berate his inferior competition or else he'd be viewed in a negative way, much like "I was always perceived as the bully in the battle with L.L. Cool J, because I was superior." 
Lauryn Hill has settled a lawsuit over the production credit on her 1998 Grammy-winning debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. New-Ark Entertainment, consisting of Vada Nobles, Rasheem Pugh, Tejumold Newton and Johari Newton, claimed in the suit that Hill had promised to give them credit for their production work on the album, but when the album came out, Hill was listed as the only producer. Hill's lawyers claimed that the musicians from New-Ark were simply hoping to cash in on the album's success. New-Ark was seeking co-writing and co-production credits, as well as one-third of the profits from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which has sold more than 7 million copies. 
In a move 
Def Jam Records has announced plans to release 
Luther Campbell plans to release one final album, Somethin' Nasty, on March 27, and then retire as an artist. "I'm really trying to make a decision whether I want to go into politics," Luke told Launch. "I'm really trying to make a decision if I want to go into that... I just really want to concentrate more on my business, you know, developing new artists, and pretty much doing these movies. That's what I really want to do now. I really can't do movies, produce movies, and rap at the same time." Among the artists he will develop is Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James. Luke attempted to bring 2 Live Crew back together for the sendoff, but Lil' Joe Records would not grant Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice permission to appear. However, Mr. Mixx produces several tracks on the album. Marquis and Kid Ice, meanwhile, launched a tour in San Antonio on Feb. 9 that runs throughout the month in a variety of western, southern and Canadian cities. The next show is Feb. 14 in San Bernardino, Calif. There's no better way to spend Valentine's Day than to take your date to a 2 Live Crew concert, huh? The group's most recent album, a greatest hits collection titled Private Personal Parts, was released in April 2000. 
During a hearing last week, a judge granted a lawyer's request to push back