Naughty By Nature will headline the Hip-Hop Entertainment Showcase during the RainbowPUSH Wall Street Project Conference this year on Wednesday, January 15. Confirmed panelists this year include Ed Lover & Dr. Dre, Kennard Gibbs (Vibe), Dr. Benjamin Muhammad (Pres. of Hip-Hop Summit Action Network), Davey D., Carl Brown (CEO/FUBU), Willie Esco and Don Polk (CEO of Romar Group). The annual conference, which takes place at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City, designates one day to hip-hop and helps connects budding hip-hop entrepreneurs with Wall Street, offering numerous courses and workshops during the day. Panelists will focus on such topics as the mass appeal of media and censorship versus first amendment rights, hip-hop and youth politics and the business of hip-hop. The full itinerary is below: Dates: January 14 to 17, 2003 Location: Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers — phone (212) 581-1000 811 7th Avenue, at 52nd Street; New York, NY 10019 Panel to focus on the mass appeal of the media surrounding Hip Hop and the challenges of censorship vs. the first amendment” Moderator: Doctor” Bob Lee – 107.5/FM – WBLS Radio Station. Panelists: Dr. Dre & Ed Lover, Jessica Green – BET.COM David Horowitz – Y2G /FUBU Website, Kyle Donovan – NV Magazine Kennard Gibbs – VIBE Magazine 4:30-6:00PM Hip Hop Youth & Politics – Youth Formulating Political Ties & Strategies – Panel to focus on our youth and their concerns regarding their input in the political structure of today’s society and Hip Hop culture as a political springboard for change. Moderator – Ed DeJesus, The Source Youth Foundation. Panelist – Charles Fisher, Chairman & Founder Hip Hop Youth Summit, Toni Blackman, Hip Hop Ambassador to USA/Senegal, Davey D., William Juzang- Founder & President MEE (Motivational Educational Entertainment), Dr. Benjamin Muhummad- RUSH Communications, Vinnie – Naughty By Nature 4:30-6:00PM Business of Hip Hop – (Promoting/Marketing, Recording, Management & Apparel ) Panel to focus on the jobs and criteria that exist in the Hip Hop industry Moderator – David Olu, President, Super Hip Hop Conference & Expo, Panelist – Carl Brown – CEO, FUBU Records, Willie Esco – Clothing Designer, James McMillan, Esq. – Entertainment Attorney, Delante Moore – A&R Executive Interscope Records (Nelly’s Record Label), Don Polk – The Romar Group (Clothing Manufacturer), Jeffrey Sledge – Jive Records. 7:00-9:30PM Hip Hop Entertainment Showcase – This Showcase will highlight premiere comedy talent, spoken word artist and Hip Hop recording artists. Master of Ceremony – Mark Curry (“Hanging with Mr. Cooper”). Headlining – Naughty By Nature ABU – singing “Wall Street Money," HBO Def Comedy Jam – Jay Phillips, Mike Yard, HBO Def Poetry’s Flomentalz, Def Poetry On Broadway’s Black Ice.

According to the New York Daily News, a federal investigation over the past year investigating crime in the rap music business is focusing on a former crack kingpin from Queens, New York. Kenneth (Supreme) McGriff, who headed up a $10 million dollar a year crack operation in the 1980’s, is the central figure in the probe. McGriff, along with Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols and Howard "Pappy" Mason, led the Supreme Team. The Team controlled the Baisley Park Houses in Queens, peddling an estimated 25,000 vials of crack a week. Mason is serving life in prison. He was convicted of ordering the 1988 murder of police officer Edward Byrne. Four members of the drug gang shot the 22 year old rookie, who was guarding the home of a citizen who complained about the drug gang’s open air market. David McClary pumped 5 bullets into Byrne’s head. All four drug dealers involved in the murder were apprehended and convicted. Nichols turned informer when he was sent to prison for murder and racketeering. He entered the witness protection program. "We were very aggressive with them — including arresting both of their mothers," Federal task force head Leslie Caldwell Caldwell told the Houston Chronicle, adding that the mothers were "intimately involved in their drug operations." Caldwell is now heading up the investigation into the collapse of Enron. McGriff was hit with drug and weapons charges by the city’s special narcotics prosecutor in 1985. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years to life. Due to a technicality with the search warrant, McGriff only served 22 months in prison before his case was thrown out. McGriff is about to serve 5 years for a July 2001 weapons charge. "He became a player in the hip hop entertainment industry after he got out of prison," a law enforcement source told the Daily News. McGriff is listed in the credits of the movie, "Crime Partners 2000," starring Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg and Ice T. He is described as co-author of the screenplay and executive producer of the DVD only release. Ja Rule thanks "Preme" in the shout out’s on his latest album, The Last Temptation. "My n#### Preme you said it ‘we will not die until history records our greatness,’ the notes read. 50 Cent also pays homage to Preme on his song "Ghetto Qua’Ran," which names the main players of the Queen’s crack scene in the 1980’s. "Yo, when you hear talk of the south side, you hear talk of the Team / See n*ggas feared Prince and respected ‘Preme… When 50 mentions Prince, he is referring to Gerald "Prince" Miller, who took over as leader of the 200 strong Supreme Team. Miller was known for his violence and is now serving a life in federal prison. On "Look Who’s Back," 50 also asks, "50 who shot ya?/You think it was Preme, Freeze or Tah Tah?" Nas also pays homage to the Supreme Team on his debut album Illmatic. "Hung around the older crews while they sling smack to dingbats/ They spoke of Fat Cat, that n####’s name made bell rings/Black Some fiends scream, about Supreme Team, a Jamaica Queens thing.."

On December 29th Los Angeles’ best drummers and DJ’s will gather to celebrate and perform at the showing of "Keepintime: Talking Drums and Whispering Vinyl," a short documentary film that has won both national and international acclaim. Nu-Mark (Jurassic Five), Jrocc (Beat Junkies), DJ Babu Beat Junkie/Dilated Peoples), Madlib (Loot Pack), DJ Short Kut (Skratch Pickles/Beat Junkies) will all perform along side of the prolific drummers that are featured in the documentary. DJ Shadow will also be on site to perform a special set. Expected at the event are prolific drummers Earl Palmer the most recorded drummer of all time, Paul Humphrey who played on Marvin Gaye’s "Let¹s Get It On," and James Gadson who gained popularity for sharing the stage with D### and The Blazers, Charles Wright and Bill Withers. The film is dedicated to the late Roy Porter, who played on "Night in Tunisia" with Charlie Parker, and who was also supposed to be in the film but passed away before funding was found for the project. "Keepintime" won the Audience Award at the DFilm Festival in Seattle, and has been shown at various places around the world such as Rock Steady Film Festival in New York, South by Southwest, the Edinburgh Film Festival, Black August in Cuba, Digi Dance at the Sundance Film Festival, and locally at Track 16 in Bergamot Station. The film was also shown as part of DJ Shadow’s 18-city tour in Europe and the U.S, and was the headliner for the Getty Museums Deep Fried Live event this summer. DJ Shadow was responsible for editing together the soundtrack of the film, and also composed the theme. Brian Cross (B+), a Los Angeles-based photographer, and author of "It’s Not About A Salary: Rap, Race and Resistance in Los Angeles," organized the project with backing from Tokion magazine. "There hasn’t been the right space for this dialogue," Cross told AllHipHop.com. "Where DJ’s and drummers can actually interact and not just play on top of each other. The film explains the possibility and creates the chance to have a live performance. The intention is to do a series with hip-hop producers and the musicians who influence them." Cross recently completed "Brazilintime," which was funded by the Red Bull Music Academy. This film explores the links between Brazilian music and it’s cross-pollination with American soul. He intends to bring both the DJ’s and drummers from "Keepintime" to Brazil. The December 29th showing of the film will be the last chance to see all of the drummers and DJs together. It will also be recorded live for the production of a DVD.The event is expected to be sold-out, and many legendary musicians and performers will be in attendance. "The real possibilities in music are not being explored by the MTV’s or BET’s. We need to really listen to our elders. This is my way of ancestor worship," said Cross. Tickets to this historical musical event are $20. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are available at: www.Templebarlive.com, www.elrey.com, Aaron¹s Records, Fat Beats, and www.keepintime.com.

MC Hammer will star in a new WB Network television series, "The Surreal Life." The series puts fallen stars back into the spotlight as they share the former mansion of Country music legend Glen Campbell in San Fernando Valley, California, for ten days and nights. The show will cram seven stars from every genre of the entertainment industry including rap, heavy metal, movies, sitcom, drama and reality television, into one household. Emmanuel Lewis, Brande Roderick, Corey Feldman, Gabrielle Carteris, Vince Neil, and Jerri Manthey all join Hammer as they share bedrooms, bathrooms, go grocery shopping, do household chores and prepare their own meals. "The Surreal Life was a project we jumped at as soon as we heard the concept.," WB President Jordan Levin said in a statement. "The only thing that remained was to see if the cast participated in the spirit that was intended, and they did not disappoint." The stars have no transportation, cell phones or personal assistants and according to the WB Network, the cameras never stop rolling, capturing power struggles and personality clashes. The group goes on a camping trip, indulge in "Naked Sushi" night, a softball game, a backyard talent show and attend Corey Feldman’s Hollywood style wedding. "Picture Emmanuel Lewis and MC Hammer sharing bunk beds," Survivor II star Jerri Manthey told TV Guide Online. "MC Hammer was on top!"  

UPN has picked up six episodes of the drama series "Platinum," the story of two brothers who own a hip-hop record label. The television show was co-created by Sofia Coppola (daughter of famed director Francis Ford Coppola) and John Ridley ("Three Kings"). The show will be cross-promoted by MTV by airing music videos from the series on the MTV network. MTV will also rebroadcast each episode 8-10 days following the original broadcast on UPN. "Platinum taps into the growing popularity of the hip-hop culture with young adults, making it the perfect fit with UPN’s core 18-34-year-old audience," UPN Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff told AllHipHop.com in a statement "By forming this incredible partnership with MTV, which has helped bring hip-hop into the mainstream, we will be able to explore a whole array of different potential crossovers and tie-ins." The show centers around the two brothers who built their record label, Platinum from the bottom up. The series is set in New York. The show is a production of Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope Television and The Greenblatt Janollari Studio in association with CBS Productions.

Shure has released the Whitelabel, the latest addition to the Record Needlz family. The name refers to the pre-released or unauthorized records that crate-diggers treasure. The Whitelabel sonic signature features a solid drop bass, flat mids, and accented highs. The ergonomic industrial design features adjustable stylus overhang, reliable electrical contact, and improved stylus visibility. Whitelabel also features the high skip resistance and low record associated with Shure needles. Whitelabel is not a direct replacement for the M44-7 and according to company representatives, Whitelabel is optimized for sound and convenience. Whitelabel provides exceptionally good skip resistance, but may not meet the needs of extreme scratching and beat juggling. "Heads will turn," says Greg Needlz, Phonograph Product Manager. " Whitelabel combines 65 years of Shure audiophile technology with innovative features that meet the needs of today’s DJs and turntables." Shure Whitelabel Feature Specs: Industrial, ergonomic, and plays to the cartridge’s technological benefits of headshell mounted cartridges. Forward-Mass Design: Center of gravity is displaced closer to the cantilever for optimal performance. Forward-mass produces higher trackability, lower tone-arm resonance, better skip resistance and requires lower tracking forces. Adjustable overhang (50mm – 54mm): Unique to Shure products, adjustable overhang retains the forward and backward adjustment of a standard-mount headshell, providing maximum flexible adjustment between S-arm and straight-arm turntables. Electrical Contact: Engineered for optimized compatibility with most professional turntables, a rubber tension gasket and rounded gold plated pins limit possible damage caused by over-tightening cartridge to the tone-arm. Stylus Visibility: DJs can see exactly where they drop the needle. The Shure Whitelabel phono cartridge, retailing for ($175.00 MSRP), began shipping on November 12, 2002. For more information regarding Shure, visit www.needlz.com.

Officials in San Bernardino county are opposed to "The Night Hip-Hop Stole Christmas," a concert that is to take place Saturday (Dec. 21) at the National Orange Show Events Center. "Some artists draw a criminal element,’ Mayor Judith Valles told the San Bernardino Sun. "I recognize that young people like (hip-hop) and young people need a place to listen to their music.’ The event, which may draw up to as many as 5,000 people, was to host a graffiti art battle during the concert and that also has the police concerned. "Unfortunately, taggers leave a trail when they come and when they go," Chief Garrett Zimmon added. Zimmons’ was concerned that the surrounding buildings in the area may be vandalized. The graffiti battles were dropped because of the expense of the murals, not because of city pressure organizer Peter Varady said. Varady publishes the L.A. based Subterranean Periodical. Varady said that he hoped to attract real artists and not taggers, saying there was a distinct difference between the two. Zimmons’ admitted that acts of violence at hip-hop concerts in San Bernardino were rare. Still, the Events Center is considering boosting security from one guard per 100 attendees to two. That would be in addition to the police presence. "When they think of hip-hop, they think of weed and fighting and the bad stuff," Varady said. "We promote positive hip-hop. We have a certain crowd, people who are intellectuals, people who go to (hear) spoken word and poetry."