We all knew Ol Dirty has been too quiet lately, so of course he is back in the news. Ol’ Dirty Bastard was arrested Saturday for the ninth time in just over a year for possesion of crack and weed. Police said Dirt had 20 bags of crack and an envelope of weed in his pocket when they pulled him over for running a red light at 2:28 in the morning in a 1994 Mercedes Benz in the Queens Village neighborhood of Queens. If convicted, he faces a minimum of three years in prison and a maximum of 25. Officials are charging Dirt with intent to sell.  

If any of yall peeped out The BlairWitch Project, you probably caught the trailer for a new movie called Ghost Dog in which Forest Whitaker (of all people) plays an action hero. The RZA did the soundtrack and the score for the movie, which will drop November 9th on his label, Razor Sharp. The RZA will also make a cameo appearance in the flick.

Tim Westwood, the UK Hip-Hop DJ was wounded in a drive-by shooting. When Westwood was leaving an event in South London, a motorcycle carrying two males pulled up to his Range Rover and fired a number of shots into the vehicle. Tow other passengers were wounded. The bullet entered and exited Westwood’s arm, and into his friends leg. He has been under armed guard in a London hospital. Listen to what P-Diddy had to say about this nonsense.

Word has it that Jay Z had an off the hook party over the 4th Holiday. A couple hundred people showed up, including Sandra Bullock (?), Puff Daddy, Busta Rhymes, and Lyor Cohen. According to Blaze, Jay’s new summer home houses steam and massage rooms, a sauna, a tanning salon, indoor and outdoor pools, and a 100-seat state-of-the-art screening room. Puff also had a lil sumfin out in East Hampton, where neighbors have been complaining about Public Enemy #1.The NY Daily News also reported that the East Hampton jakes towed about a dozen of P-Diddy’s guest’s cars.  

Will Smith and his brother Harry Smith are about to hook Philly up. Will Smith who seems to have no end to his money is pursuing a movie soundstage and recording studio on the southern end of the Avenue of the Arts, where Broad Street meets Washington Avenue. When complete, it will also include apartments, shops, and space for television and radio stations. Mayor Rendell said: "The concept is extraordinarily exciting, it would be [exciting] any where in the city of Philadelphia, but especially at the mouth of the Avenue of the Arts." Financing still must be secured and land still has to be acquired, Rendell said, but "when you have Will Smith as one of the big co-venturers, it gives us the ability to do things we wouldn’t otherwise be able to do." The Smith brothers are partners in a local investment company called Treyball Real Estate (named for Will’s son, Trey). They also are building a hotel. The city may offer some public financing, Rendell said, since the city likely would own or operate the soundstage component, but that remains a matter of negotiation.

Puffy Combs has reached an out-of-court settlement with Steve Stoute, the record executive who accused the rapper/producer and two bodyguards of barging into his New York office April and beating him with various objects (a champagne bottle, a chair and a telephone). The New York Daily News reports that Combs will pay Steve Stoute "producer and management fees" amounting to $500,000! Stoute, a Universal Records executive who has worked with Nas and Mary J. Blige, was offered an out of court settlement for 2 million in cash, turned THAT down, and said he wanted as much as $12 million shortly after the alleged incident. According to the deal, Stoute will be in a long-term business alliance with Combs, rather than paying him some dough to never hear from him again. Stoute suffered a broken arm, broken jaw and cuts on his face and head. "Puffy and Steve have made peace," an unnamed source told the paper. The insider added that Combs and Stoute planned to sit together at Madison Square Garden Monday when the NBA Finals head back to New York.

Eminem has been added to the Vans Warped Tour in place of Cypress Hill, who suddenly dropped out of the tour just two weeks before it was scheduled to begin. The tours founder said that Cypress Hill told him Wednesday afternoon it was backing out so it could record songs for a new album, and found a replacement–Eminem in less than two hours. Slim Shady is now double platinum, and should make a nice addition to the tour, which also features: Ice-T and Black Eyed Peas. The tour kicks off in San Antonio June 25th.  

Hip-Hop’s own Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde, Kool Keith, is being tapped for Sprite’s latest advertisements. Word has it that Dr. Doom will play a villian in a series of commercials against some female MC’s. Frankie Joe just released his latest album, Dr. Doom, in which he pokes fun at the Pen and Pixelish graphics by holding a hambuger with a rat in it, 3D style.

Master P gets larger and larger. Peeps at the WCW informed allhiphop.com that one of the most successful rappers in the history of the genre — in 1998, he was the 11th highest grossing entertainer in the world — has signed a one-year contract to perform at multiple WCW events. WCW also snatched up Philly DJ, DJ Ran. Looks like they are trying to bring in a more Hip-Hop crowd. Master P is currently at work on his third movie, tentatively entitled "Blue Light." "The signing of Master P clearly demonstrates the extensive worldwide appeal, audience and reach of World Championship Wrestling," said WCW President Eric Bischoff. "They also represent a natural direction as we continue to expand and broaden the scope of our entertainment field."

Master P made his debut in the WCW last night on the Great American Bash Pay Per View special. P made his way out to DJ Ran bumpin one of his more popular songs (which I can’t remember–they all sound the same to me..). Mr. Perfect and Bobby Duncam Jr. were scheduled to fight Ray Mysterio Jr. and Conan, both of whom have been yellin Rowdy Rowdy and Bout it Bout it for the past year. Mr. Perfect and Bobby Duncam came out to a Country song, proclaiming "I Hate Rap, I Hate Rap!"…Ray and Conan came out to their usual NWO/Wolfpack music, and big upped P and his crew (Ray was rockin the No Limit Gear…talk about good marketing on P’s part…not only does he introduce himself to over 2.8 million viewers in one night, he also is introducing his clothing label..). After P took some heckling from the Country Boys, the match took place. In the middle of the match, one of P’s boys jumped in and knocked out Mr. Perfect, effectively introducing the newest star into the WCW, and into the world of classic wrestling beefs. Make sure you tune into WCW Monday Nitro, and WCW Thunder on Thursday’s, to find out what P is doing.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is becoming a hot topic in Hip Hop. After being mentioned by the likes of Nas, AZ, The Cocoa Brovas, we know have an underground group, Screwball putting out“Who Shot Rudy?” where the mayor gets bucked at City Hall to the delight of the crowd, because of recent cases in which white police officers killed or brutalized minorities. Akiba Solomon, national affairs editor at the hip-hop magazine The Source, says that rap music – like folk and rock – has a tradition of political commentary, including criticism of public figures. “Hip-hop in general is how young, urban, mostly African American and Latino people feel,” she said. “Giuliani definitely fills a role. It’s not necessarily him personally, but what he represents.” Giuliani said “The one about shooting me? I didn’t like that one too much, I did not consider it one of the better songs of the year. The others I haven’t heard.” He added: “I stopped worrying about threats and stuff like that a long time ago when I was U.S. attorney.” Giuliani said the violent lyrics of “Who Shot Rudy?” are troubling, particularly if children hear the song. Kyron Jones, the 24-year-old who wrote “Who Shot Rudy?,” said the song arose from his own troubles with the law, including a stint in jail. He also said that a friend shot was by police on two occasions without being arrested. As for the mayor, Jones said: “I don’t want anybody to go out and shoot him. I’m just voicing the thoughts of my people."

Ja Rule, Jay-Z and DMX are going to be performing at a radio-station-sponsored arena show this Thursday (June 24) in East Rutherford, N.J. Q-Tip (who is now solo), Busta Rhymes, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Nas and the duo of Method Man and Redman also are going to be at the Hot 97 Summer Jam, sponsored by the New York station.

Sources say LaFace Records label founders Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds are going to be selling the remaining 50% of their company. Billboard reports that Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), which distributes LaFace through its Arista label, is said to be in negotiations to purchase the label for $125 million. BMG already owns half of LaFace. BMG declined to comment on whether it is seeking full ownership of the imprint; however, the company likely has the first option to purchase the remaining interests. If the deal closes, one scenario has BMG offering a senior creative role to Reid. It is unclear what sort of personnel changes or reorganization would happened at LaFace if and when it is sold. LaFace’s roster includes Outkast, Goodie Mob, Toni Braxton, Usher, and TLC, among others.

The three men charged in the murder of Freaky Tah are being held without bail. Meanwhile, members of a second Queens hip-hop crew, Hellrazorpham, denied any tension between the two groups, even though the cops say the beef is the root of the shootings. The two suspects, Kelvin Jones, 29, of Albany, N.Y., and Ryan Frith, 24, of Queens, are each charged with second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. Jones has confessed to shooting Tah, whose real name is Raymond Rogers, while Frith admitted he was driving the van the men allegedly used the night of the murder. A third man, Rasheem Fletcher, 22, of Queens, was arrested by police April 2 on the same charges. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and also is being held without bail. Freaky Tah left behind his fiancée, Shannon Roquemore, and two children, Kahlil, 8, and Shantanice, 4. Police said Thursday night they believe Rogers’ murder was part of an escalating feud between the Lost Boyz and unsigned Queens rappers police called the Hellraisers. Sources say Jones confessed he mistakenly thought Rogers was the cousin of a man he suspected had killed his half-brother, Michael Saunders, allegedly a Hellraisers associate, in December. That murder, as we reported earlier, was in retaliation for the robbery of one of the Lost Boyz in November. Three days after Freaky Tah’s death, Roger Paggent, another associate of the Hellraisers, was shot dead in Ozone Park, Queens. Police are investigating that shooting.

Kurupt’s Label, ANTRA Music has announced that it has entered into an agreement with A&M Records terminating the joint venture between them. As a result of the agreement ANTRA Music has acquired all rights to the joint venture artists Kurupt and Baby S. The termination agreement further provides for certain cash payments by A&M to ANTRA Music. The transaction will result in a seven figure non recurring profit in the quarter ended June 30, 1999. Joseph M. Marrone, ANTRA Music Group CEO and Mob Lawyer, is currently negotiating a new distribution affiliation that will be announced shortly.