DMX may be heading to court again, but this time by the other end of the law. Following his June 28th arrest on obscenity charges at the St. Kitts Music Festival, the Ruff Ryder has considered taking legal action against the show’s promoters if they decline to publicly apologize for the melee. DMX maintains that he had a verbal agreement with festival officials prior to the start of his performance that there would indeed be the use of "b*tch," "n*gga" and the ubiquitous "motherf*cker" throughout his show. And he’s armed with videotaped proof that he did have permission to spit profanity on stage, as long as the curses were within the context of a song. In a transcription of the taped conversation obtained from MTV, X and his entourage apparently smooth out the last-minute details of his p####-mouth performance with festival organizers before the show began. Initially, it was evident that the St. Kitts authorities were looking to censor DMX’s signature street style. "I can’t do that," X said. Then he added, "OK, let me know now if [the curse words] are good or not, because if there are any problems with me cursing, I won’t perform." "I don’t curse for nothing," he added during the impromptu meeting. "But in the song, there are curses. So you’re not going to arrest me, right?" The men then finalized the agreement with a handshake. DMX’s manager wants the St. Kitts Music Festival organizers to personally apologize to his client as well as publicly admit their fault to the press. Profanity has been a big no-no on the Caribbean concert circuit and an even bigger adjustment for many artists. Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg, Foxy Brown and Beenie Man were all cited for their on-stage obscenities at the Reggae Sunfest festival in Jamaica in 2001.

Police are seeking witnesses in the shooting death of a man outside of the Roc The Mic Tour during Canada Day celebrations at Ontario Place. Msemaji Granger, 24, was with four to ten friends at Tuesday’s concert. As Granger was leaving the concert he was shot several times by two men at close range. The shooting occurred during fireworks celebrations, explained Det. Kerry Watkins. The shooting occurred as hundreds of people watched fireworks during Canada Day celebrations at Ontario Place, said Det. Kerry Watkins. Watkins said that Granger was not a random victim, but was targeted. Granger died of gunshot wounds to the head and upper body and died later in the hospital. "To assist with this investigation, we would like to speak to those friends. None of them have been located at this time. We are appealing to anyone who witnessed this shooting to please come forward.” said Det. Sgt. Cory Bockus. In a separate incident the previous day, a man was arrested at Six Flags, after he brought a loaded .357 revolver and a bullet proof vest to the Roc The Mic concert in Buffalo New York.

Rapper Cormega signed female rapper Donà, the first artist on his independent record label, Legal Hustle Records. Donà (pronounced Donya) is finishing up her debut album My Brother’s Keeper and is featured on Cormega’s third album, the upcoming Urban Legend album. “Donà is incredible! I can’t even explain how she rhymes," Mega said. "When you hear her, you’re gonna be curious to see how she looks because she sounds like she’s real gutter and ugly.” In between recording the Urban Legend album, the Ayatollah-Cormega EP and Donà’s debut album, Legal Hustle will drop a compilation titled Cormega Presents Legal Hustle, which will feature cuts from the Ayatollah-Cormega EP as well as exclusive unreleased songs from Cormega’s catalog. A DVD is also in the works that will feature behind the scenes footage of Cormega in the studio, at concerts and will feature never before seen videos from The Realness and The True Meaning including “The Come Up” featuring legendary producer The Large Professor, “Built For This,” “Get Out My Way” and “RU My N*gga.”

Emmy Award winning actor Ving Rhames will narrate a new documentary titled "Beef," that chronicles various rap battles and rivalries throughout the history of hip-hop. The DVD is the third installment in a 12 part series by QD3 Entertainment and Image. The first two installments, "Thug Angel," which was a documentary on the life of Tupac Shakur and "The Freshest Kids," a history of breakdancing, were received to critical acclaim. "Beef," which was directed by Peter Spirer, examines the history of various beefs and features rappers speaking of their favorite beefs and what or whom they have issues with now. 50 Cent, DMX, Ja-Rule, Mobb Deep, Ice T, NWA, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Jay-Z, Nas, KRS-One, MC Shan, Busy Bee, Kool Moe Dee and others are featured on the documentary, which features exclusive and rare archival performances. "Beef" is slated to hit stores in September.

Sean "P.Diddy" Combs was hit with a $25 million dollar lawsuit from a former president of Bad Boy Entertainment, who claims that the mogul forced him to sign over a 25% interest in the company. Kirk Burrowes, 40, claims that Combs burst in his office at Bad Boy brandishing a baseball bat, forcing him to relinquish his percentage of the company. "The allegations are pure fantasy," Combs told AllHipHop.com. "Kirk Burrowes hasn’t been employed (with Bad Boy) for seven years and now he makes up a fictional story for financial gain." The civil racketeering suit, which was filed in Manhattan Federal Court, named Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment and Kenneth Meiselas, an attorney for Bad Boy and claims that Combs never followed through on a profit sharing agreement. The lawsuit also claims that Burrowes was "improperly fired" and that Combs thwarted his management deal with Mary J. Blige. "He should be ashamed of himself," Combs said.

A New Rochelle man was charged with grand larceny after he allegedly tried to extort $25,000 from Lil Kim, in return for forking over her diamond "Queen Bee" necklace. John Acheson, 31, was charged with two counts of attempted grand larceny and attempted coercion and is facing up to four years in prison. Acheson called Kim’s attorney, Mel Sachs on June 23, stating that that he had her missing necklace. Acheson said that "he would return the necklace if he were paid $5,000 up front and the balance of $20,000 at a meeting," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. The jewelry was subsequently found in wrapped in a rag in a United Airlines employee locker room. Police have yet to arrest anyone in the actual theft of the jewelry as of press time.  

Death Row Records CEO Marion Suge Knight was arrested for possible parole violation on Friday. According to reports, Knight allegedly punched a parking attendant outside a Los Angeles nightclub. Knight was arrested Friday in Los Angeles for the altercation, which took place June 21. He was jailed and denied bail Authorities said that Knight was upset that his car wasn’t available. California’s Board of Prison Terms will hold a hearing in the next month and a half to decide whether or not to uphold or dismiss the allegations being leveled at Knight. Knight is being held at Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

Inebriated Rhythm and the city of Boston will present the first annual Hip-Hop Peace and Unity Festival in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 19, to celebrate hip-hop’s cultural diversity. The free event will feature a roundtable discussion conducted by KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane and Pharoahe Monch, with city businessmen, servicemen and congressmen from Boston, hoping to ensure that city officials provide a constructive outlet for local youth. There will also be a fundraiser to raise money for youth programs that have been hampered by cut backs to community social programs. Rappers in attendance include Skillz, PMD, EDO G, Shuman, Electric, Dezmontero, L da Headtoucha, T-Max, Checkmark, Illin P and others. Peace & Unity Events: Date: July 19th, 2003 Time: 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM Where: Boston, MA, City Hall Plaza (located next to Fanueil Hall) Cost: Free Admission Hip-Hop Appreciation Lecture- Date: July 18th, 2003 Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Where: 543 Columbia Rd. (directions can be found at www.strandtheatreboston.com) Cost: $15-$20

In an interview with Los Angeles Times writer Chuck Phillips, Irv Gotti broke his silence surrounding the allegations that his Murder Inc. company and various spin-off businesses were involved in money laundering with Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a notorious Queens, New York drug dealer. Gotti stuck to the claims that he was simply helping out a friend, helping to finance the $300,000 film, "Crime Partners," which included the purchase of a $75,000 Range Rover for McGriff. "I never saw Supreme with no bags of cash. To be honest with you, though, I can’t swear he never sold drugs after he got out of prison. I’m not going to sit here and say I definitely know he didn’t. But I’m going to tell you this: If he did, he wasn’t doing it very good. Because he was always broke. That much I can attest to. The Supreme I know in 2003 isn’t the rich, powerful drug dealer with the $200,000-a-day crack enterprise the government busted in the 1980s. The Supreme I know did not have a dime." Gotti said that paying for McGriff’s flights to various cities, in which McGriff traveled under assumed names, was merely a goodwill gesture, because McGriff may have been heading back to prison at the time. Gotti also said that the SUV was simply a gift to a friend. "It was a gift. If I know my friend is going to jail and he wants a Range Rover, and it’s the last thing he gets to do is drive around in the Range Rover, I’ll buy it," Gotti said. "He may never get out the rest of his life. Understand? I’m feeling bad for the guy. My goal is to do all I can for a close friend of mine as he gets psyched up to deal with incarceration." Gotti flatly denied wrongdoing, saying that the government was wrong in their allegations and that he frequently purchased gifts for his mother, father, brother and other close associates. Gotti said that he met McGriff in 1995, while he was shooting/directing a video in Queens. "The first conversation we had, he talked about how inspired he was to make a movie. He asked me if I knew about Donald Goines, the great street novelist. Then he bought me some Donald Goines books and told me to read them: "Black Gangster," "Whoreson," "Crime Partners." You know how big Stephen King books are in the horror flick world? That’s how big he thought Donald Goines was going to be in hip-hop. From the moment Supreme got out of jail, he wanted to buy the rights to a bunch of Donald Goines books." Gotti said that he did not need to do anything illegal to earn money when so much legitimate money was floating around in the music industry. While Gotti is banking on Ashanti’s forthcoming CD, Chapter 2 to be a smash, he said that the probe was hindering his business. "It’s crippling me. You have no idea. The bank cut us off. The landlord kicked us out. I love America, man, but this here, I don’t understand. Still, I have faith. I believe when the prosecutors finish reviewing everything, they will learn I did nothing wrong." In related news, a man labeled as the star of the film "Crime Partners" was arrested on June 13 in Los Angeles during a routine traffic stop. Police found two unregistered loaded handguns in a Cadillac Escalade that was driven by one of Bryant’s "bodyguards." Two men were arrested for possessing the firearms. Bryant was arrested for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, after officers found four tablets of Ecstasy on him. According to the Los Angeles Times the Escalade was registered to Ja Rule. The rapper was not charged with any crimes and the vehicle was later released to him.

A movie based on the life of hip hop phenomenon, 50 Cent, may be in the works. Terry Winter, a member of the creative team responsible for HBO’s Sopranos, is discussing a script with 50 Cent. “I’ve started developing a film with Terry. It’s similar to 8 Mile but based on my life,” said 50 Cent to the World Entertainment News Network. 50 Cent recently performed at the BET Awards and is teaming with Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, et al on this summer’s Rock The Mic tour. In related news, 50 Cent and Snoop just completed a video for the single P.I.M.P., the remix to the song of the same name featured on 50 Cent’s 5x platinum album, Get Rich Or Die Trying.

DMX was arrested last night for swearing during the a performance in the Caribbean, local police said. Organizers the annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which takes place on the Caribbean of Saint Kitts, said that they warned DMX that obscenities were not to be used on the stage because of laws barring it in the former British colony. According to his road manager, Ali Samii, DMX never agreed to tone down his language and continued his usual performance, complete with various obscenities. He was arrested after the show and was released on bail until Monday, where he will appear at Basseterre Magistrates Court.

Lil Kim’s estimated $250,000 worth of jewels was recovered by a United Airlines worker in a a locker room for airline employee’s yesterday. The jewels, which were found wrapped in a rag, disappeared on June 20, as she headed to Los Angeles for the BET Awards. "I’m deeply gratified that Lil’ Kim’s unnerving experience has ended with the recovery of her irreplaceable jewelry," her attorney Mel Sachs, told Newsday Saturday. "This was some ordeal to go through." Investigators said an investigation was underway, but there were no arrests made.

Obie Trice has been added to the line up of the "Roc The Mic" tour, which features his Shady Records label mate 50 Cent and Roc-A-Fella head, Jay-Z. "It’s good for me," Trice said. "It’s hot for me to join a tour like that with 50 and the rest of them cats. I’m definitely excited about it, you know? I want to give the fans a good time and let them feel it and give them some live music. I hope to get out of this tour a fan base — you know, people who are feeling Obie Trice, who know who Obie Trice is and are waiting for him." Trice was brought to the attention of Shady Records executive Paul Rosenberg by Bizarre, after the D-12 member heard his independently released singles "Mr. Trice" and "The Well Known A######." The introduction led to a skit on D-12’s double platinum debut, "Devil’s Night," as well as two songs on the quadruple platinum soundtrack to "8 Mile." Trice, who will perform his own set for each show, said that he was looking forward to joining the 46 city tour. "I’m the opening act for the whole tour," Trice continued. "I look at it as lovely. It’s lovely. It’s a big tour. I don’t have an album out yet and it’s good exposure." Trice is preparing to release his Eminem produced debut album, "Cheers" for Shady Records. "I don’t have a particular style," Trice said modestly. "I want people to know that Obie Trice is gonna bring you good music." Below is a listing of the "Roc The Mic" tour dates: 6/25 (WED) Hartford, CT Meadows Music Theatre 6/26 (THU) Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Saratoga Performing Arts Center 6/27 (FRI) Mansfield, Mass. Tweeter Center 6/28 (SAT) Scranton, PA Montage Mountain Amphitheater 6/29 (SUN) Darien Center, N.Y. Darien Lake Six Flags 7/2 (WED) Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion 7/3 (THU) Camden, N.J. Tweeter Center at the Waterfront 7/5 (SAT) Virginia Beach, Va. Virginia Beach Amphitheater 7/6 (SUN) Bristow, Va. Nissan Pavilion 7/7 (MON) Wantagh, N.Y. Jones Beach Theater 7/9 (WED) Cincinnati, Ohio Riverbend Music Center 7/10 (THU) Columbus, Ohio Germain Amphitheater 7/11 (FRI) Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Blossom Music Center 7/15 (TUE) Moline, Ill. Mark of the Quad Cities 7/16 (WED) Tinley Park, Ill. Tweeter Center 7/17 (THU) Minneapolis, Minn. Target Center 7/18 (FRI) Milwaukee, Wisc. Bradley Center 7/19 (SAT) Maryland Heights, Mo. UMB Bank Pavilion 7/20 (SUN) Bonner Springs, Kan. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 7/22 (TUE) Englewood, Colo. Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater 7/23 (WED) West Valley City, Utah USANA Amphitheater 7/24 (THU) Nampa, Idaho Idaho Center Amphitheatre 7/25 (FRI) Marysville, Calif. Sleep Train Amphitheatre 7/26 (SAT) Mountain View, Calif. Shoreline Amphitheatre 7/27 (SUN) Las Vegas, Nev. Thomas & Mack Center 7/28 (MON) Phoenix, Ariz. America West Arena 7/29 (TUE) Albuquerque, N.M. Tingley Coliseum 7/31 (THU) Dallas, Tex. Smirnoff Music Centre 8/1 (FRI) Selma, Tex. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 8/2 (SAT) The Woodlands, Tex. C.W. Mitchell Pavilion 8/3 (SUN) Beaumont, Tex. SE Texas Entertainment Complex 8/4 (MON) New Orleans, La. New Orleans Arena 8/5 (TUE) Atlanta, Ga. HiFi Buys Amphitheatre 8/7 (THU) Tampa, Fla. St. Pete Times Forum 8/8 (FRI) Sunrise, Fla. Office Depot Center 8/9 (SAT) Orlando, Fla. TD Waterhouse Centre 8/10 (SUN) Charlotte, N.C. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 8/11 (MON) Antioch, Tenn. AmSouth Amphitheatre 8/13 (WED) Raleigh, N.C. Alltel Pavilion 8/15 (FRI) Holmdel, N.J. PNC Bank Arts Center 8/16 (SAT) Wantagh, N.Y. Jones Beach Theater 8/17 (SUN) Manchester, N.H. Verizon Wireless Arena 8/18 (MON) Montreal, Quebec Bell Centre 8/19 (TUE) Hershey, Pa. Giant Center 8/20 (WED) Noblesville, Ind. Verizon Wireless Music Center 8/21 (THU) Clarkston, Mich. DTE Energy Music Theatre

Wu-Tang star Raekwon and his Ice Water label make the cover of Insomniac Magazine’s Hip Hop Business Issue. Raekwon and the co-owners of Ice Water, Inc. talk turkey about their business venture with Universal Records. The special Hip Hop Business Issue of the 7 year old nationally distributed industry magazine, Insomniac, provides deep information for anyone interested in learning about the business side of the most powerful genre in music today. Other features include investment and financial advice from West Coast rebel artist, Paris. Interviews with acclaimed music industry authors, and articles on Hip Hop & Technology, Music Distribution, entertainment lawyers, what major label A&Rs are looking for, alternative promotions techniques and much more. "Insomniac’s Hip Hop Business Issue is required reading for anyone in or trying to get into the music business. This issue was published to educate fans, entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the inner workings of the Hip Hop industry," explains Insomniac’s New York rep, Tony Samuel to AllHipHop.com. For more information on this issue visit www.InsomniacMagazine.com. In related Wu news, Masta Killa will drop his solo debut, No Said Date in the fall on his own indie, Little Shoes Music/Nature Sounds. The project will be distributed nationwide by Caroline and will feature production handled by RZA and Allah Mathematics. The Wu member is also working on a tour, which is said to feature Killah Priest, Inspektah Deck and Allah Mathematics.

Hip-hop mogul/activist Russell Simmons is under investigation for aggressive lobbying tactics in his bid to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws in New York City, officials said Wednesday. The Lobbying Commission is investigating the music mogul for the amount of money he contributed in influencing state officials. Executive Director David Grandeau told Reuters, anyone who spends more than $2,000 must register with the commission and Simmons, along with former New York democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo and others will be probed. Simmons and his HipHop Summit Action Network have fervently fought to abate the mandatory sentencing required by the laws. In addition to organizing a protest, Simmons personally attended a state legislature meeting and was rumored to be close to blows with Republican State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Bruno was none to pleased by Simmons and his requests, as he told reporters after the meeting in response to Simmons protest: "We took too much time doing that." In more positive news, Simmons will play host at a "Say Yes to the Test" rally at the Studio Museum of Harlem. The event is sponsored by Abbot Laboratories and is part of a $35 million effort to persuade people to take HIV tests in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is standing up to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) and their decision to investigate Snoop Dogg, after he appeared at Tuesday’s BET Awards in an armored vehicle surrounded by armed guards. CCRKBA Executive Director, Joe Waldron, questioned why the agency isn’t also as vigilant against United States Senator, Ted Kennedy, who pleaded guilty to leaving a fatal car crash on July 25, 1969. "And that brings us around to Sen. Kennedy," Waldron said. "On July 25, 1969, he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crime, the fatal car crash at Chappaquiddick. That guilty plea under federal gun law not only disqualifies Kennedy from owning a firearm, it also prevents him from having an armed bodyguard." "Kennedy has employed armed bodyguards in the past," Waldron said. "Some years ago, Kennedy bodyguard Chuck Stein was arrested at the Russell Senate Office Building with a handgun, two submachine guns and 146 rounds of ammunition. In all fairness, it would seem that ATF agents might also investigate whether Kennedy continues to have armed bodyguards, unless, of course, they have gone to the Doggs." Waldron was harsh on Kennedy, saying that the two had more in common than most people observe. "Snoop Dogg and Ted Kennedy not only have armed bodyguards in common," Waldron observed, "they both have criminal convictions that disqualify them from owning firearms. That probably explains why Sen. Kennedy doesn’t want the rest of us to own a gun." CCRKBA is an organization with more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide and bills itself as one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. The non-profit organization’s goal is to preserve firearm freedoms by lobbying elected officials and supporting local gun rights activists throughout the country. "It would be a sad day, indeed, if a millionaire rap artist was subjected to a different standard than a millionaire politician," Waldron concluded.

Mystikal pleaded guilty today (June 26) to extortion and sexual battery charges claiming that he forced his hairstylist to perform sexual acts on him and two bodyguards. "I’m glad that it’s getting behind me," Mystikal said after copping his plea. Mystikal was facing an aggravated rape charge, which could have landed him in prison for life. By pleading guilty to the lesser charges, the rapper was sentenced to five years probation. He still faces a September 25 sentencing date for sexual battery. Persecutors said that Mystikal confronted his hairdresser at the rapper’s Baton Rogue home when she came over to braid his hair. He accused her of stealing checks and allegedly told her to "get into the bedroom and take your clothes off." Prosecutors alleged Mystikal promised to not press charges if the woman did something "degrading." The platinum selling rapper allegedly told the woman to give oral sex to him and his two bodyguards, Leland "Pokie" Ellis, 37 and Vercy "V" Carter, 35. The three men videotaped the sexual acts, which Prosecutors said included intercourse. Mystikal’s attorney, David Bourland said that the rapper didn’t agree with all of the charges aimed at him, but did agree that sexual battery took place, hence the guilty plea.