The RZA, who’s Bobby Digital release Digital Bullet moved over 60,000 copies its first week out and debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Hot Albums chart, has said that a flood of Wu releases will hit us for 2002. According to sources, The RZA will drop The Flood March 12th, 2002 on Koch/In The Paint. Koch also announced that that a Wu-Tang Killa Bee’s release is scheduled to drop November 20th. Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef are both preparing their releases, as well. Ghostface Killah’s Cuban Linx II: Bulletproof Wallets, is due in stores November 13, followed by Raekwon’s R.A.G.U. in February 2002. In connected news, KOCH is increasing the releases from their In The Paint label. In 2002, we can also expect new releases from Afu-Ra, B-Legit, Haystak, recent signing Dyme and another KRS-One album in June.

Lil Cease, Banger and Suif Jackson, a bodyguard for group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. were arrested Friday and charged in connection with a shooting outside of a deli, according to police. Jackson, 31, was arrested just after midnight Friday morning as he was getting out of a car witnesses had placed at the scene of the crime according to police spokesman Detective Eugene Canapi. Lil Cease, whose real name is James Lloyd and Banger whose real name is Antoine Spain, were later arrested at La Guardia Airport, police said. All three men were charged with attempted murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Two 9 mm handguns found in a hidden compartment in the car were registered to rapper “Lil’ Kim,” who also is a member of the “Junior M.A.F.I.A,” police said. An argument with 21 year old Michael Goody, 21, is what sparked the shooting. Police arrived on the scene after receiving several 911 calls saying that three men had fired shots out of the car and driven off. Goody was hit once in the right leg and was taken to Brooklyn Hospital where he was listed in stable condition, police said. In March, Lil Cease was busted after cops allegedly found a small amount of marijuana in the Jaguar he was driving on 151st St. in Manhattan. Police took the time to question him and another member of the Junior M.A.F.I.A. about a shooting in February outside of New York’s Hot 97. In that case, the Judge djourned the case with contemplation of dismissal, if he stayed out of trouble, those charges would have been dropped.

Dr. Dre will release the self-titled debut of soul crooner, Truth Hurts (Real name: Shari Watson) in October. While Dr. Dre will hold down much of the production duties, look for R. Kelly, Organized Noize, DJ Quik, and Tim & Bob to also contribute selections. Truth Hurts will not only release her debut this year, but she will also be making her debut on the silver screen, as she makes cameo appearances in Ali, starring Will Smith, and she will also play Snoop’s main squeeze in the The Wash, which also stars Dr. Dre. Truth Hurts will deliver the first single from The Wash Soundtrack, “Benefit Of The Doubt,” which is due to hit stores in September.  

Pras of The Fugees recently sold a comedy pitch to Walt Disney, for an estimated high six figures. Pras will also star as the main character in the comedy, tentatively titled "Indiana Jackson." The flick revolves around baller Jackson, who travels to Ethiopia to help find a priceless antiquity. A female lead has yet to be cast to play Pras’ sidekick, Precious Stone. Pras has been keeping busy in the film world lately, appearing in "Mystery Men" and "Turn It Up," as well as producing and starring in an upcoming action comedy titled "The Last Ride." Pras also attended Russell Simmon’s Hip-Hop Summit. While there, he confirmed with Allhiphop.com that a Fugee’s album was in the near future.  

Wyclef Jean‘s father, The Reverend Gesner Jean, was killed yesterday in a freak accident. The elder Jean was pinned against his garage door by an unoccupied 1991 Bentley owned by Clef. Police in South Orange were called to The Reverend’s house at 7:32 p.m., after Wyclef’s sister, Melky, heard a noise in the family’s garage. Police arrived on the scene and found the 60 year old Jean wedged between the rear of the Bentley and the garage wall, according to Capt. Sal Andreano. The Reverend Jean was alive when paramedics rushed him to St. Barnabas Medical Center with serious chest trauma. He was pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m., due to asphyxiation. "Basically, it was an accident," Wyclef Jean said yesterday. "This is something that rarely happens, but it happened. It was a freak accident." The incident is under investigation, but detectives have found no signs of foul play. The car was checked by a mechanic and was not malfunctioning. The first time the Reverend saw Clef perform was at Carnegie Hall, when Wyclef had an assembled an all star cast that included Whitney Houston and Eric Clapton. Visitation will be from 6-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Cotton Funeral Home, 130 Main St., Orange. Funeral services will be from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at Good Shepherd Church of the Nazarene, 1108 South Orange Ave., Newark. "It’s not a sad time. My dad is being reunited with God," said Melky said.

Juvenile, who in the most recent edition of XXL dissed Cash Money Records, may find it a little more difficult severing his ties than he anticipates. In the issue of XXL, Juvenile leveled claims that Bryan "Baby" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams, both owners of Cash Money Records, cheated him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the article, Juve says that the label betrayed him, breaching the trust that he thought they had. Juvenile also said that if he did any recordings from this point forward, it would be for his own label, U.T.P. (Up Town Projects.) allhiphop.com caught up with Baby, the CEO of Cash Money, who for the first time went on record with a response. "Man Listen. No one leaves Cash Money Records," Baby said. "There is only one way to leave Cash Money Records. The way you walk in, aint gonna be the way you walk out." While the other artists on the label have not mentioned any discontent publicly, Juvenile claims that both B.G. & Turk contacted him to sign with his new label. He also made it clear that his problems weren’t with any artist on the label, just the two heads of the Cash Money Millionaires. Juvenile’s latest album, Project English was finally released on August 21st, after almost a year of being delayed. The first single, "Set It Off," has no appearances from any of the Cash Money members, and according to Juvenile, that will not be the last time it happens.

Construction began over the weekend in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on an arts center honoring Tupac Shakur. Family of the slain rapper and political leaders in DeKalb County gathered Saturday to break ground on the Tupac Amaru Center for the Arts. Shakur’s family has lived in Stone Mountain for nearly a decade. Expected to open in March 2003, the center will feature a performing-arts studio space and an art gallery. Art that Tupac’s fans have sent his mother, Afeni Shakur, will adorn the walls initially. “The center is a reason to give our children hope, instead of being in pain,” Afeni Shakur said. The center is the first of it’s kind. The Tupac Amaru Center for the Arts will also include a garden commemorating Shakur, who was shot dead in Las Vegas in 1996, and other victims of violence.

The Outlawz deny allegations that they tried to pick a fight with Puffy while rehearsing for MTV’s 20th anniversary at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. This contradicts reports from mainstream media like the NY Post (Pagesix.com) and the Fox News Network who claimed the group “tried to revive the old feud between East and West Coast rappers” and declared Outlaw member Napoleon was a “fan” of Tupac. Group member EDI said in an interview with Allhiphop, “We lost two of the greatests of all time and it’s ridiculous to assume we came to rekindle old beef. We are telling everybody from our mouths, that there is no beef.” Instead, he said the group has been focused on working on their new album, Novakane, set to drop in Oct 23. Below is the exclusive press release from The Outlawz. OUTLAW RECORDZ August 3, 2001 The Sensitivity Of The Tupac and Biggie Legacy Continues New York, NY… Hammerstein Ballroom, in response to the glut of stories that ran regarding the words between The Outlawz and P. Diddy at the MTV 20th Anniversary party on Wednesday, August 1… miscommunication erupted. A spokesman from Outlaw Recordz feels their side of the story needs to be heard. The Outlawz were invited guests of Treach from Naughty By Nature because Treach was close with Tupac and he felt that the Outlawz should be there to shed a tear for their mentor and family member (the number one selling rap artist of all time) the late Tupac Shakur. During sound check for the MTV 20th Anniversary Hiphop medley… The Outlawz and Treach from Naughty By Nature came on stage for Tupac’s tribute at the end of the medley. Napoleon from The Outlawz received the mic from P. Diddy so he could represent for Tupac. After the tribute was done P. Diddy received the mic back. However, Napoleon from The Outlawz felt the need to pay respect to other fallen Hiphop artists such as: Easy E, Big Pun, Freaky Tah, Big L, etc. Both entourages thought there were words being exchanged and there weren’t. Unfortunately it turned into something that it really wasn’t. Because of the sensitivity of the history, people who weren’t involved overreacted. Afterwards both camps went behind closed doors and cooler heads prevailed. A spokesman from Outlaw Recordz adds, "It was Hammerstein Ballroom’s security who asked The Outlawz to vacate the premises because of the sensitivity of the situation." EDI from The Outlawz spoke with Allhiphop.com and said the following, "we lost two of the greatest rappers of all time and it’s ridiculous to assume that we came to rekindle old beef."

A small group of about 30 well wishers converged at the Riverside Church in Harlem to pay their last respects to Anthony "Poetic" Berkley, rapper with the Gravediggaz. While Poetic died on Sunday, July 15, 2001 in California after a two-year battle with metastatic colon cancer, his wife, Dee decided to have a memorial service in New York City. Prince Paul, partner Frukwan, Allhiphop.com’s Jigsaw, singer Esthero and others were on hand. Jigsaw, editor-in-chief of Allhiphop.com, spoke about Poetic from the aspect of a hip hop fan and human perspective. "I was a fan of Poetic, like a real fan," he said, "So when we were approached to help with Poetic’s plight, we did everything that we could. That’s how we do when we believe in something." According to Poetic’s wife, Allhiphop.com conducted the last interview on Poetic prior to him dying. Producer Prince Paul of the Gravediggaz and Stetsasonic spoke frankly about his personal relationship with his friend. "One thing I learned from Poetic was the strength," he said. "He’s a guy that never lost hope. When you see Prince Paul, you see Poetic." Prince Paul spoke from memory about Poetic without a prewritten statement. The last and arguably most moving testimonial on the program came from Frukwan, currently the only member of the Gravediggaz. Frukwan spoke at length about his relationship with Poetic, even at one point, began rapping to his partner. "He’d get in the booth and you couldn’t tell [he was sick]," he said. Often looking to the ceiling of the majestic church, Frukwan said hip hop music was one of the last things motivating Poetic, because they recorded two albums worth of material. Aside from his alias, "The Grym Reaper, he said he dubbed Poetic "Tony Titanium," because the metal was "as hard as Poetic’s will to live." Frukwan said that his mission was to bring awareness to Poetic and "make his existence meaningful." Frukwan and publicist Lisa "Chase" Patterson both chastised certain individuals in the industry for not support one that was deemed a friend at the height of the Gravediggaz popularity. "I once saw an artist friend of Poetics give a 100 dollar bill to a 5 year old for their birthday, and this same "friend" did nothing to help Poe in his time of need," Patterson said in a prepared statement. Poetic’s wife Dee Dee thanked all the people in the room in a brief speech. “I hope that if we learned anything, we learned about courage” she said softly. “He showed it to us while he was alive, and proved it to us in his death.” In tears she continued, “Regardless of everything I hope that his death was not in vain. Love is a powerful thing….looking at him I just wonder how each of us would have reacted in his place.” After the memorial people mingled and reflected on the love for Anthony "Poetic" Berkely, a man that went from being homeless to doing world tours to representing much that is wrong with the recording industry. The new album Nightmare in A-Minor (Echo International), is set to drop August 23 with the first singles being "Rest in Da East" b/w "Nightmare in A-Minor." To Donate Send Money To: Washington Mutual Anthony "Poetic" Berkeley Fund 3901 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, Ca 90807 email: planetmeridian@aol.com For More information contact: Meridian Entertainment 201.521.9742 (fax) 201.521.9745 email: planetmeridian@aol.com

Star, drew the wrath of Jay-Z and Q-Tip, after the self proclaimed "hater" of New York’s Hot 97 poked fun at Aaliyah’s plane crash, which took the young singer’s life. Star was giving the address to send Aaliyah’s relative’s flowers, while dubbing in sound effects of plane crashes and people screaming. Most people did not see the humor, including his co-host Miss Jones, who cursed on air and walked out, refusing to work with Star for the remainder of the day. Right now it’s 850, Ms Jones has left the building, said that she would not work with me today, all because of this Plane Crash," Star continued."Is that so bad? Come on, show me some hate, call me and show me how much you hate me, some of you just lost focus," Star said while sounds of a crashing plane played in the backround. Later on in the day during the Angie Martinez show Q-Tip, (Kamal) called in where he read a letter addressed to the radio station. In the letter he stated that he was grieving for the loss of Aaliyah and that he would no longer support their morning show because of the insensitivity displayed earlier in the airing of script. Jay-Z, CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records also called in to express his disgust with Star’s insensitivity. When the heat was put on, Star changed his usual demeanor and apologized several times to the fans, friends and family of Aaliyah, especially Dame Dash of Roc-A-Fella, who recently used Star and partner Bucwild in a movie featuring Jay Z and was allegedly seeing Aaliyah. If you are upset over Star’s comments and think he should be removed from the radio show, send an email to ir@emmis.com or call 212.229.9797 (HOT 97) or 818.784.4718 and let them know/

It seems that despite efforts from Russell Simmons himself, the beef between Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss continues. After the two artists met in an undisclosed Harlem location and supposedly worked out their problems, Beanie Sigel said otherwise on Philly radio station Power 99fm. Beanie called Power99 and said that he beef wasn’t squashed for several reasons. He said that he refuses to let Jadakiss get the diss rhyme in on him. More important, he claimed that when the two artists agreed to meet in Harlem, it was far from one on one. According to Beans, Jadakiss came with 40 heads, as compared to Beanie’s six. He told the Philadelphia listeners that Jadakiss called to meet at a children’s fundraiser in the part. Even still, Beans claims Jada’s crew made in apparent that they were all packing weapons of some sort. Beans said that while it is true that both of the artists did meet, the whole meeting was fake, doubting Jadakiss’ sincerity to squash the beef.

Suge Knight was released from prison Monday and returned to Los Angeles after serving almost five years for violating his probabtion on the night of Tupac Shakur’s murder in Las Vegas. "I’m stress-free,” Knight said. "I want to try to do better things. You know what they say: ‘Demonstration is better than conversation.’ Watch me. I’m going to the studio tonight.” There have been huge billboards that make the office building Death Row is housed in look small around the area that say "Welcome Home Suge." There are also billboards in the area advertising Tha Dogg Pound 2002, with two red paws over Daz and Kurupt’s faces. "Better days is coming, man,” Knight said. "It’s like we’re getting ready for the Super Bowl. We going to start having some fun again.” Knight was paroled on April 20 from Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif., and transferred to a federal prison in Sheridan, Ore., to finish the remaining months of his sentence. When asked about recent allegations brought up by Rolling Stone and VH1’s "Behind The Music," which claim that he had involvement in the murder of Biggie Smalls, Knight said I’m God’s child and God always reveals the truth. Those stories are full of lies. It’s amazing what these people can say about you when you’re in prison.” He has contacted a Libel Attorney and is looking into possibly suing both companies. Sources told allhiphop.com that Snoop Dogg and crew would be absent from The Source Awards due to Knight’s presence, and his anticipated entourage that he will be bringing.

Ladies, strike another extremely eligible bachelor from your list. Allen Iverson, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, and his fiancee and babies’ mama, Tawana Turner, got married Friday, August 3rd. Iverson AKA "Jewelz" has his controversial debut album hitting stores later this year on Universal Records. Reportedly, they got married in New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia, with a star-studded audience looking on. Their invitation only told guests that the ceremony would be "in the city of Philadelphia." It directs guests to call the wedding planner for the exact address. But media types guessed that could be a ruse to keep away fans and the media. In recent weeks, some friends had told reporters that the wedding would probably take place in the couple’s hometown of Hampton, Va., with their children Deuce, 3, and Tiaura, 6, in attendance. Wherever it was, join us in raising a virtual glass of the bubbly to wish the happy couple well.

Jay-Z‘s latest effort The Blueprint is set to hit stores on September 18th and is said to feature no guest appearances, just Jay Hova himself. This upcoming one man show is unlike last year’s "The Dynasty, Roc La Familia" where Jay handed the mic over to his Rocafella sidekicks Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek to shine along Jay on the LP. The new album will feature songs Jay wrote during his "creative burst" when he banged out 9 songs in merely two weeks. As the album’s first track "H to the Izzo" continues to get adds on various radio stations throughout the U.S., Jay-Z is currently in Los Angeles, California filming the video for the single. Although the Jiggaman uses the softer Jackson 5 sample "I Want You Back" on the track, on the latest DJ Envy mixtape, Jay himself warns that the new album has "all questions answered" and "the boy is gonna handle his business, TRUST ME". He will most likely be addressing matters concerning all of the beef, true or not, that has had Young Hova’s name involved in it in the past months. Jay-Z is also up for three Source Awards for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Lyricist of the Year. After release of the album, Jay has a theatre tour in mind hopefully coming to a city near you.

At the Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, the Wu-Tang Clan — minus an incarcerated Ol’ Dirty Bastard and a sidelined Cappadonna, who missed a flight — showed up in full force, squelching any talk of friction in the rap family. "It’s the Wu," Ghostface Killah said, pointing to the golden "avenging eagle" that adorned his giant Wonder Woman-style bracelet. He said the bird’s wings, which are shaped in a "W," represent unity in the Wu-Tang Clan. "Love, baby," Raekwon said. "Love is the elevation of understanding. We’re getting older, we’re growing as a family. We’re regular, we’re sincere, we have hearts. That’s what keeps us together — the fact that we know we put something together that struck the world." "We’re gonna keep popping it off until the day cats don’t have no more air in their lungs," RZA said. Although they’re not breaking up, all of them said they’re putting together individual projects. Method Man, who’ll be featured heavily with Redman on the soundtrack to their "How High" comedy in December, said he’s taking his time on a third solo album. "I’m not really working but I’m working," he tried to explain. "When I get the feeling, I go in. It’s an in-and-out thing." While LPs by U-God, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, and GZA are also coming way down the line, RZA, using his alter ego Bobby Digital, will drop Digital Bullet on Tuesday. Raekwon and Ghostface have been working together on their respective albums, R.A.G.U. (February 5) and Bulletproof Wallets (November 13). As they did with Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ghostface’s Ironman albums, both artists will perform on the bulk of each other’s tracks. "We’re gonna give the people what they want," Raekwon said. "Check for a lot of stories, a lot of loops, raw rhymes. We’re gonna take it there. "R.A.G.U. — I just looked in the refrigerator one day and peeped it," he continued. "When you break down Ragu, its like ‘Rae And Ghost Uniting.’ We ain’t been around in awhile. We the source of a lot of things that jumped off. A lot of that jewelry that y’all be calling out, we’re the source of all that." "Bulletproof Wallets, that [title] came to me," Ghost said. "I was in a zone one day. That was like a year ago. It sounded tough, so I just wanted to stick with that. We’re slang artists — that’s how we paint our pictures." Ghost’s musical Picasso impression can be heard on the single "Never Be the Same," which features rhymes about being driven to tears by a cheating mate. The smooth, midtempo track is bolstered by Rae and Carl Thomas, who sings the hook. Ghost’s "Good Times" is also circulating around; it samples the theme song to the cut’s TV show namesake. Method Man said it’s not clear when the Clan will unite on wax for their fourth album. "We gotta take our time with it because it’s not a game," he said. "We know people, if they don’t listen to anybody else out there, they listen to Wu-Tang and what we’re saying. That’s why it takes so long." And although it may be awhile before we see ODB again, RZA said the Clan’s wildest member is staying strong. "The god ‘Ol Dirty is going through his trial and tribulations," RZA said of his incarcerated cousin. "We’re all in his corner. The situation is definitely a no-good situation, but the god is holding up his head, he’s clearing up a lot, so it’s gonna be all good."

Xzibit, who’s Restless L.P. is certified platinum is going to hit the road with Tha Liks and D-12 at the end of this month. "We are thrilled with the success of this album to date. We are just getting started and so is Xzibit as he goes back on the road to do what he does best," exclaims Steve Rifkind, CEO Loud Records. Tha Liks are working on their new album X.O. and it will be released in the spring on Loud. Here are the dates: Feb. 27-28: Chicago (House Of Blues) March 1: Detroit (Majestic Theater) March 4, 6: New York (S.O.B.’s) March 8: Boston (Avalon) March 10: Detroit (St. Andrews Hall) March 13: Atlanta (Tabernacle) March 14: New Orleans (House Of Blues) March 16: Dallas (Russian Tea Room) March 18: Denver (Gothic Theater) March 19: Boulder, Colo. (Fox Theater) March 21: Las Vegas (House Of Blues) March 22: Anaheim, Calif. (House Of Blues) March 23: San Diego (Open Air Theater) March 26: San Jose, Calif. (SJSU Events Center) March 28: Seattle (Showbox) March 29: Portland, Ore. (Pine Street Theater) March 31: Fresno, Calif. (Fresno State University) April 1: San Francisco (Maritime Hall) April 9-11: Los Angeles (House Of Blues)