Today was not a good day for Ice Cube, as The Chicago Police Department issued the rapper/director a public apology for issuing alerts that described the alleged suspect of sexual assaults in the area as resembling the former N.W.A member. The police released the alert Sunday, only to have Chicago broadcast stations simultaneously run clips of Cube’s videos during their report on Monday night. "We acknowledged the information should not have been on the alert," Police spokesman David Bayless said in a statement. "We took immediate corrective action. We apologize to Ice Cube for what was an honest mistake and came with no ill intent." A spokesman for the rapper said cast members from "Barbershop 2," which is being filmed in Chicago, saw the broadcast footage on WBBM-TV. Ice Cube did not release an official statement. In addition to working on the sequel to Barbershop, the rapper is in the studio working on his Aftermath debut.

The Black Eyed Peas recently inked a worldwide co-publishing deal with Cherry Lane Publishing, after a bidding war between several publishing companies over the rights to their latest album, Elephunk. "This year, we’ve been aggressively diversifying our client roster and signing the Black Eyed Peas fits perfectly into our business model," says Cherry Lane President, Aida Gurwicz, "We’re looking forward to exploiting the many opportunities for the band’s increased exposure that this record promises." Each group member is planning solo albums as well. Group member Taboo recently revealed that he will be working on a Spanish language project in the near future.

Nationally syndicated radio personality Doug Bans will bring E-40, Floetry Nivea and CoCo Budda to his "Let’s Jam, Jam Session" in Sacramento, California. The performances are part of a freestyle competition taking place at the Sacramento Convention Center in the Community Theater from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sponsored by McDonalds, CoCo Budda will emcee the event, in which the finalist will be awarded a throwback jersey, a year’s worth of Big Macs and $1,000 cash. After two rounds of battles, two finalists will be selected for a final on-air showdown, which will take place on Oct. 3 at New York’s Apollo Theater.

Busta Rhymes will host a one hour special titled "Party With Spike" on the soon to be launched Spike TV, on August 11. The special, which was shot in June, features Busta at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Chicago, Illinois. The rapper is joined by Fred Durst, Kid Rock, Carmen Electra, Pamela Anderson and Kelsey Grammer. Anderson and Grammer both have animated series on the network, which is billed as the first network for men. The network was scheduled to launch two months ago, but was held up by a lawsuit filed by acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. Lee claimed that the networks name was too similar to his own and would damage his reputation. Lee and Viacom settled out of court two weeks ago and the injunction against the network was lifted. In related news, Busta Rhymes will star alongside Xzibit in the film "Blood Money." Rhymes will play a character named Joshua Pope, who returns to Alabaster County, Alabama, to claim his inheritance after the death of his father. Rhymes’ character finds trouble when he figures out that local law enforcement authorities have turned the police station into a front for prostitution and protection. When Rhymes’ character comes into town, the local sheriff senses he may be trouble and the drama begins. "Blood Money" is slated to hit theaters at the end of this year.

As The Rock Steady 26th Anniversary celebration kicks off in New York on July 24th, this years event will feature themes that weren’t present in past anniversary celebrations. "When we first started performing downtown we were performing in places like Danceteria and Rochies and all these places that had people that were into rock," long-time RSC member Crazy Legs told AllHipHop.com. "It’s like a whole different scene and a way of dressing. You had the punk rockers that were down and right now you have a scene that’s not a culture class but an acceptance of each other and a blending culture." The three day celebration features a benefit basketball game, a film festival, an MC battle and the introduction of the first fashion show ever held at the celebration, the "Punk Rock Rap Fashion Show." "We need to show all the elements when it comes to the rap scene in New York," Crazy Legs continued. "If we dont support it, who is? We gonna wait for someone else to recognize what else is dope in New York. Im not down with that sh*t." The celebration will also feature a free outdoor concert on July 26, at New York’s Pier 54. Performers on the bill for the free concert include M.O.P., Freddie Foxxx, Canibus, Non-Phixion, Evil D, Tony Touch, Jedi Mind Tricks, Soul Purpose, Tony Touch and Q-Unique. "You dont really get that representation for the people that appreciate those artists on the radio," Crazy Legs said of the selection of rappers. "I feel that they have their own following. I’de rather just support the scene over and underground." Here is a full listing of events: July 24th Thursday Event: Benefit Basketball Game Time: 11:00AM – 3:00PM Location: The Cage. 6th Avenue on the corner of 4th Street. Event: End Of The Weak MC Challenge Time: 9:00PM -2:00AM Location: S.O.B’s, 204 Varick Street at West Houston. Directions 212.243.4940 or www.sobs.com July 25th Friday Event: H20 Film Festival Time: 1:00PM – 5:00PM Location: 410 West 16th Street. Between 9th & 10th Ave. Directions: 212.242.6555 Event: Brisk Flava Styles b-boy/girl Battle. 2 on 2 invitational. "Punk Rock Rap Fashion Show". The Rock Steady Crew 26th Anniversary marks the introduction of its first ever fashion show titled "Punk Rock Rap". This is an event that recognizes the fusion of street and skate culture and celebrates their unity under the banner of hip-hop. Highly acclaimed set designer and graffiti artist, Ernie Vales, has designed a stage that visually conveys and represents authentic hip-hop style and street flavor. Models will include B-boy/girls and street skaters. Time: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM Location: The Manhattan Center. 311 West 34th Street between 8th & 9th Ave. July 26th Saturday Event: Out door Concert Time: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM Location Pier 54. 14th Street on the Westside Highway. NYC, NY July 27th Sunday Event: Concert B-boy/girl Battle finals Time: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM Location: Manhattan Center, 311 West 34th Street between 8th & 9th Ave.

A Monroe, Louisiana City Councilman is planning to question the city’s obscenity laws after Trina allegedly groped an audience member at a performance on July 12. City Councilman Ben Katz said that he was "appalled" after a local newspaper ran photos of Trina’s performance at the Monroe Civic Center, in which she straddled an audience member and unzipped his pants in front of the crowd. "I saw pictures of acts I consider to be unsuitable for young people," Katz told the News-Star. "The pictures embarrassed me and I found that kind of act to be a disgrace. That kind of act shouldn’t be seen in our public facilities. If it isn’t an obscenity, we certainly need to revisit our standard for obscenity." Other officials said that they had no tolerance for "conduct of that nature" and said that if they knew prior to the performance, they would have taken steps to prevent it. The council meeting begins tonight (July 22) at 7 p.m. at Monroe City Hall.

Atlanta’s Pastor Troy recently finished up a song with veteran R&B singer, Carl McIntosh, lead singer of the London based group Loose Ends. The two collaborated on a song, "Sittin’ On Thangs," which samples Loose Ends hit "Hanging On A String." McIntosh was in the United States when a friend played him Troy’s version of the song, which originally featured LaTasha Scott of Xscape singing the hook. McIntosh liked the remake and agreed to come in and sing the hook for the song, which will be a single off of the upcoming DSGB album, Til Death Do Us Part. Fans of Troy will be able to see the session and other concert footage, interviews, videos and behind the scenes footage on his upcoming uncut DVD, which will hit stores late next month.

With a single riding the charts and a new album on the way, Bow Wow is gearing up to hit the road on the "Unleashed Tour" and getting ready for a busy summer. "The Unleashed tour is going to be crazy," Bow Wow told AllHipHop.com. "I’m just gonna try to make my tours better and better each year and I must say, this one right here is gonna be hot." In addition to finishing "The Johnson Family Vacation" that stars Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Solange Knowles and Vanessa Fox (formerly Vanessa Williams), the teenager is preparing a new film, "Mr. President," inked a deal with Warner Brothers for an upcoming sit-com and would like to make it to the NBA. "I’ve been having second guesses on college, because I’m too busy right now," Bow Wow continued. "I was thinking about it. I definitely want to pursue my goals and go to the NBA. So if I want to go to the NBA, I know I have to go to college." And Bow Wow does appear to be busy. He recently launched a clothing line, Shago (which is a derivative of his real name, Shad Gregory Moss) and is preparing to release his third album, Unleashed, which hits stores August 19.

50 Cent and Marc Ecko have teamed up for 50’s signature line of apparel, G-Unit Clothing Co. The line, which will be in stores for the holiday season, will all feature a 50 Cent price point, which means a pair of jeans may retail for $40.50, in honor of the company’s founder. Ecko compared the two’s combination to Nike and Michael Jordan coming together to form the Air Jordan sneaker. "It’s not new for a rapper or pop artist to launch a clothing line, but what is new is that a design-driven company like us is partnering with an artist to offer the marketing and merchandising," Ecko told The Associated Press. "The simplicity is what will be refreshing to the market," Ecko said.

Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HHSAN) will host a summit August 1-3 in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 13th annual Birmingham Heritage Festival. Rev. Run, Lil Wayne, Floetry, David Banner, Lil Flip, The Big Tymers, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boys and others are all confirmed to attend. Panel discussions on financial education, community development, opportunities in the music business and other discussions will take place, along with performances from the artists that are participating. HHSAN will also continue their drive to register 20 million voters in five years. Event organizers said that the two events combined are expected to draw over 150,000 people.  

Fabolous is planning to sue the city of New York for $5 million dollars for false arrest, after he was arrested on March 24 on criminal weapons possession charges. Fabolous and four other people were arrested after a show at New York City’s Webster Hall. His body guard, Rodger Renrick, claimed ownership of the gun and provided proof that he was licensed to carry it, Fabolous’ attorney Alberto Ebanks told MTV. Ebanks says that Renrick was only licensed to carry the 9mm gun in Massachusetts, but the fact that he claimed ownership of the gun should have cleared Fabolous and the other men of any charges. MTV obtained a letter from Ebanks, dated March 27, urging the prosecutor on the case to reconsider the charges filed against Fabolous. "This unwarranted arrest has tarnished my client’s image, may affect his present and pending endorsements and will certainly have a negative impact on his long-term marketability and earning potential," Ebanks wrote. "More importantly, as our client is an icon to many young and impressionable fans, this unjustified prosecution could potentially glamorize a lifestyle that Mr. Jackson neither maintains nor condones." Fabolous’ claims civil rights have been violated, emotional distress, malicious prosecution, police misconduct, false imprisonment and a variety of other violations. "The actions and motivations of the music task force are questionable," Ebanks said. "The law requires that police act on probable cause if someone commits or is about to commit a crime. Police action on anything short of this is impermissible, intolerable and illegal."

Contrary to published reports, rapper Bubba Sparxxx will not be joining the "White Boyz Can’t Rap" tour. Sparxxx, who is preparing his sophomore set, Deliverance, will be hitting the road to promote the release with dates in conjunction with MTV. "People have been asking me ‘where have you been and what took you so long?’ In this day and age, people are putting out an album every year. That not something I’m going to do," Sparxxx told AllHipHop.com. Sparxxx hopes to lose the comparisons made between himself and rapper Eminem with this release, saying that the only thing the two have in common is their skin color. "Anybody with common sense know that the similarities between me and Eminem begin and end with the simple fact that we are white," Sparxxx said. "I mean we don’t look alike, we don’t sound alike, we come from different parts of the country. We got different perspectives on what we think hip-hop should be. I have tremendous amount of respect for Em, but it just got kinda tired." In addition to the MTV dates, Bubba is hosting local "Bubba-Q’s" with local radio stations across the country. The correct dates to catch Bubba live are as followed: 27-Jul in New York @ BB Kings 28-Jul in DC @ 9:30 Club 29-Jul in Philly @ Trocadero 30-Jul in Boston @ Roxy

After Sean "P.Diddy" Combs ended his 10 year relationship with Arista, spent months with no home for his Bad Boy label and endured speculation that his company was losing money and about to be sold outright, Diddy has come back strong with the Bad Boys II soundtrack. According to soundscan figures, Bad Boys II, the first release under his new deal with Universal, is on pace to sell over 250,000 units the first week on the shelves, and is expected to debut at #1 on Billboard’s pop charts. Those sales could be further inflated by the weekend, when the movie, which stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, debuts. The album features new music from Loon, Jay-Z, the Notorious B.I.G., Carl Thomas, Black Rob, 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Fat Joe, Beyonce and others. "I came to them honestly. I said, ‘Can you help me out? When I come back on the scene, I want to come back in a big way with a big soundtrack,’" Combs recently told the Associated Press. "I wanted to set it off with a bang." The CD is powered by the song "Shake Ya Tailfeather," which features Diddy, Murphy Lee and Nelly. That record is currently #25 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles. Combs is currently finishing up his first untitled dance album, which features Nellee Hooper, Felix Da Housecat, Deep Dish and others.

Former No Limit soldier and 504 Boyz member Magic has left the tank and has signed a deal with independent label Koch. The rapper said that he intends to "tell all" about his days with Master P’s label. "I had a great run on No Limit. I had good days and bad days," Magic said. "On this album, I let the world know the truth about what it was like to be a No Limit soldier." Magic, whose last two album’s were certified gold, has already completed has latest effort, On My Own. The album is slated to hit shelves on Tuesday, August 26th.

Legendary rapper Rakim has split with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment record label, due to what Rakim’s management deemed "creative differences." "Rakim and Aftermath have mutually decided to part ways," Rakim’s manager Zach Katz told AllHipHop.com. "Rakim is presently in talks with three powerhouse record companies." Recently at the BET Awards, Rakim presented with Baby from Cash Money Records and boasted that his album would be in stores by the end of the summer on Aftermath. MTV reported last week that Dre and Rakim had finished 16 songs and were working to finish seven more, before picking a single to release. "He can bring the best out of me, and I want to make sure that I bring the best out of him," Rakim told MTV of Dre. "He goes in the studio from 3 [p.m. and] goes home 6, 7, 8 in the morning, so to me, that’s all right. My man wants to work, so let’s get it poppin’." The legendary rapper had been signed to Aftermath for almost three years and fans have been anticipating the release of Oh My God, despite the constant delays.

Sir Richard Branson, boss of the Virgin empire is looking to expand his aviation business into the United States, he announced today. And what did he do to ensure maximum publicity for his announcement? He dressed up as Eminem. The 53 year old tycoon, whose empire spans around the globe and includes Virgin Records, the Virgin Megastore chains, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Airlines, came out dressed as Eminem with two scantily-clad dancers. Further mocking Eminem, he then took a chainsaw to the traditional British Airways first class seat. Branson’s airline is hindered by American law, but he said he hopes to purchase a minority stake in another low cast airline. “We have been waiting for 20 years for the law to change (in America).We want a 49% economic share and will bring in another partner to get things going.”

Sprite has announced has revealed the second year for the Liquid Mix Tour, a seven-hour festival that caters to several demographics of teens and youth. This year the tour will feature an eclectic mixture of rap, rock and alternative music to match a diverse crowd. The main stage of the tour features the likes of N.E.R.D., songbird Kelis, O.A.R., The Roots, Talib Kweli, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Skillz. A second stage will boast Slightly Stoopid, Jessy Moss, High Speed Scene, Spymob, The Wylde Bunch, Borialis and Red Wanting Blue. Skillz, a Virginia-based rapper on tour for the majority of 2003, stated that this is another exciting move for him. “I’m just ready to hit the road again. Being on tour with The Roots is a major part of [my love of touring]. You never know what’s gonna happen with those guys. Talib [Kweli] is gonna be out there too. Its funny, because I just came off tour with 50 Cent and now I’m back out again,” Skillz told AllHipHop.com. “What makes it so special to me is that we hit Virginia Beach later on next month. That will be like the first show I’ve done in Virginia in like two years. And with N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes band] on the bill? That’s gonna be crazy!” The 20-city festival tour will offer lower prices than other such events with ticket prices at $10. The event will also offer “evolving, environment where fans, artists and athletes participate in the event’s free expression and free exchange of music, culture, sport and activity.” Sprite Liquid Mix is produced by Sprite in conjunction with Creative Artists Agency. SPRITE LIQUID MIX TOUR DATES (Subject to change): August 14th Denver, CO Universal Lending Pavilion 15th Denver, CO Universal Lending Pavilion 17th Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre 21st Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl 22nd Los Angeles, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 23rd San Francisco, CA Chronicle Pavilion 26th Dallas, TX Smirnoff Centre 27th Houston, TX Cynthis Woods Mitchell Pavilion 29th Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre 30th Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 31st Washington DC Merriweather Post Pavilion September 1st Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center 3rd Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 4th Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center at the Waterfront 5th Columbus, OH Germain 6th Chicago, IL Tweeter Center 7th Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Center 9th Pittsburgh, PA IC Light Amphitheatre 10th Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheatre 12th Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre 14th Boston, MA Tweeter Center

New York lyricist Jean Grae has signed with indie Babygrande to release her second LP, Veteran’s Day. “I’m ready, [but] still humble,” She told AllHipHop.com. “I’ll start battling people real soon again.” The underground community received a creative smack in when Grae released Attack of the Attacking Things, her critically acclaimed CD. However, didn’t she didn’t continue the relationship with her initial label Third Earth, instead opting to sign with Babygrande. The newly founded label also boasts a roster with Canibus, Jedi Mind Tricks, Cherrywine and Supernatural. Grae indicated that the Veteran’s Day was far more than ironic, its part of her mantra from being in the rap game since 1996 as a member of Natural Resources. “Its definitely at a different level from the last album,” she said. “We didn’t have any budget at all [with the last album] and we definitely have the finances to back it up to get a better sounding album to get a better mix.” So, the rapper is steadily working towards the daunting task of living up to the expectations chronicled in Rolling Stone, BET.com and AllHipHop.com as well. However, the rapper hopes to expand her listenership and maintain those that have been with her since those earlier days. Veteran’s Day is slated for release on Veteran’s Day Nov. 11.

Ruff Ryders has inked a deal with Virgin Records where the Yonkers-based company will recruit artists and release future compilations through the union. Still, DMX will remain at Def Jam records and Eve, the Lox, Jadakiss and Styles will stay at their Interscope Records. Drag-On will release his second LP, Hell And Back, on Sept 16 as the first album. The next month, Jin is scheduled to release Almost Famous, his debut, on Oct 7. “Ruff Ryders has consistently pinpointed not only hot trends but true artists. They have an incredible ability to capture the sound of the streets, while appealing to both purists and mainstream audiences,” said Virgin CEO Matt Serletic in a statement. “We’re really excited to team up with Virgin to take Ruff Ryders to the next level,” said Ruff Ryders co-CEO Waah Dean.