Op dinsdag 17 november aanstaande vindt de release van X-Factor zangeres Miss Irma Derby's nieuwe single 'Shelter You' plaats. “Shelter You” is een funky dance track en de 1e single van het opkomende album van Irma, waarvan de titel helaas nog onbekend is. De track is geschreven en geproduceerd door Wolffman, die ook al eerder samen werkte met rapper Snoop Dogg. Miss Irma, die “Shelter You” ook heeft meegeschreven, laat met haar eerste single horen welke kant zij wilt opgaan met haar album. Soulful vocals, funky dance tunes en een mix van lekkere club DJ’s, dat is wat je kunt verwachten. De release van haar single 'Shelter You' wordt gepresenteerd tijdens het event “Wethouse At Tuesday Special Edition” op de Pureliner boot te Amsterdam. Klik hier voor meer info! Op PP2G.TV kan jij alvast de trailer bekijken! anF9Y3I_ anx9ang_ Miss Irma Derby viel dankzij het RTL televisieprogramma X-FACTOR op bij Wolffman Entertainment en het Hilversumse Mandy Records. Tijdens de opnames van X-FACTOR bracht zij de single "Resolution" uit. Gedurende haar avontuur bij X-FACTOR viel zij onder de hoede van coach Angela Groothuizen.

Will Smith heeft de eerste stappen gezet om zijn droom om president van Amerika te worden, te verwezelijken. De acteur/rapper heeft zijn wens om de eerste zwarte president van Amerika te worden nooit onder stoelen of banken gestoken. Die wens lijkt nu (gedeeltelijk) uit te komen. Presidentskandidaat Barack Obama heeft Will namelijk gevraagd zijn persoonlijkheid te spelen in een film over het leven van Obama. Waarom de zwarte presidentskandidaat voor Smith koos is simpel: "Will and I have talked about the idea of him playing me because he has the same ears as me! He would be perfect." Smith is nog steeds overtuigd ooit Het Witte Huis te zullen betrekken. Het eerste wat hij aan zou pakken, als president van de US, is de gezondheidszorg wereldwijd: "The basis of human sanity is physical survival. So I'd start with universal healthcare and shelter."

Rap duo Dead Prez will be headlining a charitable UK tour later this month which is to be titled, “Bigger than Hip-Hop Tour” the tour will include UK acts Blak Twang, Klashnekoff, 1Xtra's Rodney P and Skitz. The aim of this tour is to blend charity and political consciousness and will begin April 27 and conclude May 4 in London. A third of the proceeds will benefit children in Ghana through the organization AfriKids, Justice for Colombia which is a coalition of various British organizations with the aim of peace and social justice for the South American country, and the anti-racism organization Love Music Hate Racism which will also support the event and will introduce speakers that will cover the topic of tolerance. Dead Prez consists of M-1 and Sticman their first album "Food, Clothes, and Shelter" debuted in ’97 more recently M-1 released his first solo album Confidential in March

Short news... 50 Cent Gives To The Homeless, But Gets Sued For $21 Million. Plus More News On Other Hot Artists FAT JOU GEARS UP FOR NEW ALBUM A couple of years ago, Fat Joe was very content with his new nickname, "G.N." — that's "Grammy-nominated" — when he got his first nod from the academy. But he feels it will soon be time to switch up his moniker. "Change that to G.W. — Grammy winner," he chuckled last week in New York. While Joe is still reaping the benefits of his and the Terror Squad's Grammy-nominated single, "Lean Back", the rotund rhyme marvel is looking forward to his next solo LP, Things of That Nature. He pushed the release date back from the crowded fourth quarter to March and he's been working in the interim. "We went and got real crazy, real crazy!" Joe said. "I got this joint I did with Just Blaze, Scott Storch gave me a joint and Nelly is doing the hook. We're taking it to the streets and the club." The record crafted by Just Blaze, "Safe to Say," will be the one he leaks to the streets, while Joe is leaning toward the Scott Storch track with Nelly as his first official single. That song is called "Get It Poppin'." While Joe is handing off the gift of music to the adults in the clubs, he's giving the gift of education to the youngsters. On Tuesday (December 21) in New York, he'll be going to the Bronx and donating 30 computers to P.S. 146, his former elementary school. "It's my favorite school I ever went to," Joe said. "I always felt I been blessed and I gotta look back out for them. It's something I wanted to do for a long time and I never got to do because I been so busy. We got around to it. It's an amazing thing, this is my neighborhood. It should be incredible. The kids are going to enjoy that. Elementary, that's how you gotta get them, young. Get them educated and literate." In addition to the computers, Joe is also donating some furniture and a rug to the school's multimedia center. The room will be named after his late sister, Lisa Cartagena. "It's an honor," he said of the school paying homage to his sibling, who passed away years ago while giving birth. "But I guess it will be more sad. My sister died young and she ain't deserve to die. It's crazy because that was the school me and my sister and brother used to go to. It's a good school and it's across from my block. I learned a lot there and it was a beautiful environment." SNOOP SUES Snoop Dogg has reportedly sued a woman and her legal team for attempting to extort $5 million from the rapper in exchange for concealing an alleged assault against the woman at a show last year, according to a lawsuit filed in Superior Court on Dec. 10. The lawsuit alleged that the defendant, identified as “Jane Doe,” and her attorneys threatened to offer specifics about the alleged assault for money to The National Enquirer and a book publisher if Snoop refused to shell out the requested $5 million. Snoop, born Calvin Broadus, maintained that he played no part in the alleged assault during a 2003 performance, according to the lawsuit. The West Coast rapper sued for punitive damages and prevention of future threats. Snoop’s publicist Meredith O´Sullivan offered no additional information about the alleged assault, the Associated Press reported, and also declined to name the woman’s attorneys. 50 CENT SMACKED WITH A GIGANTIC LAWSUIT G-Unit's 50 Cent appeared in court to issue official statements for a civil suit, stemming from an incident with New York Post photographer James Alcorn, who claimed that 50’s entourage assaulted him last year. Alcorn is reportedly suing 50, born Curtis Jackson for $21 million, alleging that the rapper appointed seven unidentified men to physically attack him. Alcorn said he suffered “severe and serious injuries, mental shock, and psychological trauma” as a result of the alleged attack, which occurred back in August 2003. 50 gave his formal deposition last Thursday (Dec. 16) in Manhattan. According to an attorney for 50, the Queens-bred rapper testified that he was not associated with the accused security guards. 50 said his manager (Chris Lighty) hired the guards through Violator Management, which also handles the careers of Missy Elliot, Clipse, Busta Rhymes, Capone and N.O.R.E, Lil Scrappy and others. Civil-rights attorney Sandford Rubenstein, Alcorn’s lawyer in the civil suit, said he believed 50 was guilty by association and should shell out a significant amount of dough for his connection to the bodyguards, even though he wasn’t directly involved. Alcorn was reportedly standing outside a store where 50 and several of his bodyguards had just purchased an $18,000 watch in Manhattan's Diamond District. 50’s bodyguards allegedly attacked the photographer after he took a picture, according to Alcorn’s accounts. He claimed a member of 50's security detail, who was wearing a cast, knocked him into one of two Chevy Suburban's that were parked in front of the store. Alcorn said the bodyguards weighed about 350 pounds each. He said the men pulled him away from the car, dropped him back in the street and pulled off. 50 and his entourage have been hit with several lawsuits since the rapper's debut, Get Rich Or Die Tryin' hit stores in February 2003. "When you got money, you got to go through this stuff," 50 told Celebrity Justice. IN RELATED 50 CENT NEWS Looks like 50 Cent isn't the bad guy that his image portrays, actually the rapper gives back to the less fortunate. And this holiday season, 50 has teamed up with the New York Jet's defensive tackle #91 Josh Evans to give homeless families in New York an all-free superstore. Evans and 50, in conjunction with sports agent Glenn Toby and the Book Bank Foundation, plan to transform NYC's Bowery Mission into a free, one-day holiday superstore for the homeless at the 2nd Annual Josh Evans/Book Bank Foundation Holiday Clothing Drive to be held on Thursday, December 23, 2004. "There are currently over 35,812 children, families and adults surviving in the New York City shelter system," says Glenn Toby, Total Entertainment Athlete Management CEO and The Book Bank Foundation founder. "As one who personally experienced freezing holiday nights at one time as a homeless child, I understand how one toy, coat or simple remedy for a dry, stubborn cough that's given with respect can impact the spirit of a child and family... especially during the holiday season." Many companies in fashion, toy and pharmaceutical industries have donated products, so that over 300 homeless women, men and families may "shop" at no cost as they select from a huge variety of brand new clothing, toys and over the counter medicine. According to a press release, many other people from the Hip-Hop, NFL and fashion communities, who have made contributions, will be in attendance. And not only will the less fortunate be able to shop, but will also be able to take advantage of on-site chiropractic services as well as partake of a hearty and bountiful holiday feast. PETEY PABLO & PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS DROPS PLAYBOY MUSICLos Angeles Hip-Hop group People Under The Stairs and North Carolina native Petey Pablo are featured on the soundtrack to the video game, Playboy: The Mansion. Players purchase stereos and select music from different areas of Huge Hefner’s legendary Playboy Mansion and can customize the music for different rooms. Makers of the game said they hope players will also turn the game into their personal jukebox. Playboy: The Mansion is slated to launch in January 2005. JA RULE Police in South Peoria, Illinois are investigating a shooting during an after party for The Inc. rapper Ja Rule. The chart topping rapper performed Sunday (Dec 19) at Peoria’s Civic Center Exhibit Hall. The after party was hosted at Club Ignition. Hundreds of club goers scrambled for safety when gunshots ran out near in a stairwell entrance. A 19-year-old man was shot in the hip. The shooting occurred after an altercation on the dance floor of the club. MORE HIP HOP SLANG REACHES THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY The Oxford English Dictionary has added 2,000 new words to the online version of their dictionary. New additions to the list include the terms “thugged out,” “crack ho,” “po’ boy,” “beat down” and “hoochie.” Editors stressed that they had a responsibility to put the words into the dictionary because the terms are used in American vernacular so frequently. CRUNK CHRISTMAS Music Choice, the cable music network, will kick off “Crunk Christmas,” an hour-long show hosted by Disturbin Tha Peace’s I-20. The hour-long show will air on Music Choice’s Rap channel in The States and is commercial free. Lil’ Scrappy, Ludacris, Trick Daddy, Lil Jon & Tha Eastside Boyz and others will be featured during the show, which runs on December 24th, with repeat broadcasts throughout Christmas day.

Maybe deep down inside, everyone — even pop stars, rappers, actors and professional wrestlers — wants to be Santa, at least for a little while. That might explain why so many celebrities are passing up their day jobs to walk a mile in the big guy's black boots this holiday season. For Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z and others, home is where the heart (and the giving) is. Jay is once again expected to spend his Christmas in Brooklyn, New York's Marcy Projects, where he hands out toys to children from his old stomping grounds. Aguilera — who grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Wexford, Pennsylvania — visited the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh earlier this week, where she signed autographs and posed for photos with women and children who call the shelter home. LL Cool J actually dressed for the season, playing Santa at Russell Simmons' annual holiday party. P. Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Da Band were also on hand for the event, staged for 250 disadvantaged New York children who participate in various city art programs. New Orleans' Cash Money Millionaires once again got into the spirit of the season early, serving up Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings to families in that city's Magnolia Projects, and this year Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah handed out 1,000 sleeping bags to New York's homeless. "We're just giving somebody a little warmth over their back," Ghostface Killah said. "There's too many millionaires out here for the world to be starvin' like that". Still others are taking the holiday spirit on the road, helping men and women serving their country far from home. Ben Affleck visited members of the Navy and Marines stationed in the Persian Gulf on the USS Enterprise on Monday. The actor signed autographs, posed for photos and enjoyed a meal during his time with the troops. Meanwhile, members of the WWE took their show to troops stationed in Iraq and Kuwait as part of Operation USO Care Package, which turns civilian donations into packages for soldiers abroad. Chris Benoit, the Big Show, Torrie Wilson, Sable, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Bradshaw, Farooq, Rikishi, Rhyno, Dawn Marie and WWE owner Vince McMahon were among those who made the trip this week to deliver the USO packages and provide a bit of entertainment for the troops. Footage from the visit will air on a Christmas night edition of "Smackdown" on UPN. The WWE's Kurt Angle was in Kuwait earlier this month — alongside NASCAR driver Mike Wallace and comedian Robin Williams — to open a new USO center at Camp Wolverine. Former "Saturday Night Live" star and current host of "Tough Crowd" Colin Quinn is also on his way to the Persian Gulf, along with fellow comedians Laurie Kilmartin and Jim Norton, for a holiday comedy tour. The three will meet with troops, tour facilities in the area and — of course — perform during a brief trek stretching from just after Christmas into early next year.

Ghostface Killah Confirms Wu-Tang Clan Will Reunite In 2004 Just like the "W" Wu-Tang symbol they beam up on the cover of their album The W, the Wu-Tang Clan have given the signal that they're ready to reunite in 2004. "The word is up, the word is up," Ghostface Killah said last week, confirming that the Wu-Tang Clan are in the planning stages of a new album and possible tour next year. "We still got a few other things we gotta sit down and talk about, but the word is up. I got the phone call not too long ago," he said. "I'm all for it. As long as everybody is in the same state of mind and the mind is right, then Wu can do whatever we want to do." Ghostface is leary of half-stepping a Wu reunion. He said the last two albums weren't up to par because the dynamics of the group had changed. "I was 23-years-old when I first did Enter the 36 Chambers. Growing old, you have a lot of other things on your mind. Everybody just gotta be in sync. We all have to make sure we are all 200 percent properly in the same state of mind and know what direction we're going to." The rapper was speaking from the Bowery Mission, a homeless shelter and church, where he was passing out sleeping bags to the homeless. In association with Troop (yes, the old-school clothing line), Ghostface donated 1,000 sleeping bags to help curb the chill of sleeping on the city streets for the winter. "It's giving somebody a little warmth. It gets cold. And instead of having to be wrapped up in cardboard and stuff that night." Passing out sleeping bags might seem like an odd altruistic gesture and Ghostface agreed that it's not a solution. But he added that if nothing else, it is a start. "You've got to crawl before you walk," he said. "There are too many millionaires out here for the whole world to be starving out here." Meanwhile, Ghost has his own album to worry about, The Pretty Toney Album, which is due out in February on Def Jam Records. "This one is a little offspring of Supreme Clientele," he said. The RZA produced its first single, "Run," which features Jadakiss. Raekwon and Ol' Dirty Bastard will also be on the album. Outside of the Wu, Ghost has recorded with Missy Elliott and hopes to recruit Busta Rhymes by the time it's finished. For now, he's worried about samples. "Last time Bulletproof Wallets], I had a lot of stuff I had to take off because of dealing with the sample issue," he said. "Sometimes that will go ahead and crush your album a little bit."

The Bizzy Bone is connected to the ... rest of Bone. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Bizzy have reconciled after the rapper was ousted late last month for walking off the stage on opening night of the Grey Goose Tour in New York. "We got mad at the nigga 'cause he fainted onstage and all that, but it was all good as long as he took care of himself," Layzie Bone said Friday. "He went and detoxed himself for a couple weeks. He focused on getting his health back. Nigga been having anxiety attacks and sh-- like that, but we expect him to be on the next tour." Contrary to his hostile comments to the New York Times the night of the show, Layzie downplayed Bizzy's behavior at the Times Square club. "Basically what happened was we consume alcohol and do things like that and he got a little bit too tipsy and couldn't make it through the show, but it was always the plan that he wasn't going to be on this tour anyway," he explained. "He had other things he was doing, like a movie that he's filming right now with Michelle Pfeiffer and things like that. And so we came out to get a little money while he was getting that money over there." It wasn't the first time the group has been at odds with Bizzy. Two years ago he refused to help promote BTNHResurrection because of a dispute with the group's label. Bizzy, who has performed on one other stop on the tour so far, joined Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in Miami for a video shoot earlier this week and will join the Grey Goose Tour's second leg, which begins October 22. "All we really want the world to know is that we are family," Layzie said. "A family goes through what they go through — it just so happens that the world gets to see ours. Why is everybody scrutinizing our family? I bet everybody in their own family got their own problems, but they stay family, and that's how we do it." Bone Thugs shot the video for "Money, Money," the second single from Thug World Order, due October 29, with director Darren Grant (Destiny's Child, Boyz II Men). "We did a Robin Hood thing, where we took from the rich and gave to the poor," Layzie said. "We did a lick on some big-time moneymakers, politicians and all that, and took their money to shelters and hospitals to the kids, tried to make it positive but still street." Of course, the Cleveland rappers also kept some money for themselves. The video ends with Bone Thugs partying on a yacht, a more fitting scene for the song, which was produced by Self Service (Sticky Fingaz). "We always gotta have a money anthem," Layzie said of the single, on which he croons the chorus "Money, money/ Mighty dollar, dollar/ Gotta get my grind on, grind on/ I don't wanna be broke no more." "It's on the same vibe as you gotta get up and get out and get somethin'. You can't sit on your ass." By the sounds of it, Bone Thugs have done nothing of the sort. Layzie said the group has two more albums recorded, with plans to release the next one in June. That's after releasing a whopping five singles from Thug World Order. Following "Get Up and Get It," featuring 3LW, and "Money, Money" will be "Home," which samples Phil Collins' "Take Me Home"; "All the Way," described as "some snapping fast type of sh--"; and the inspirational "What About Us." "It's talkin' about the war on terrorism and all the wars they fightin' in the world when we got our own problems in American they can't solve," Layzie said of the fifth single. "We trying to keep it political. We gettin' a little older, so we ain't talking about no bullsh--." Bone Thugs, who hope to stay on the road for the next two years, also have individual projects on their plates. Bizzy's film debut, "Jacked," recently hit video stores, while Krayzie just shot "Ghetto Cowboy." Layzie's prepping the next release on the Mo Thugs label and also just finished a movie, the urban drama "Ballin'." "It's about a little kid having aspirations about playing baseball in the major leagues, but he gets sidetracked, so he ends up ballin' on another level, which in the end costs him his life," Layzie said. Mo Thugs IV, the Movement, due January 14, features Layzie with Skant Bone, Emmortal Thugs, Ken Dawg, DJ Ice and others. The first single, "All Life Long," is a collaboration between Layzie and Felecia.

Beans, Freeway, Oschino, Sparks, Chris and Neef make self-titled debut. Things are getting done Beanie Sigel's way. The gutter griot, who vows to not change his thuggish ways on or off wax, is seeing his first starring vehicle, "State Property," hit silver screens, and he's giving an in-depth introduction to the world of his Criminal Records group of the same name. "They're spitting fire," Sigel said of the six-man team from Philadelphia who released their self-titled debut on Tuesday (January 29). "I believe their story. It ain't like I just met Freeway. I heard him and was listening, like, 'Yo, Freeway spitting.' He was around for a year before he even signed. Go to his 'hood — what he's rapping about is real. Oschino, he just came home. He beat two murder raps. I don't know nobody that beat two murder raps. Sparks, he hangs out with the winos. That's why I got them, whether people think they hot or not. Once you be around them, you feel them." The first single, "Roc the Mic," features Beans and Freeway. Their kinetic wordplay (guns, drugs and "turning the club out" are the tune's favorite topics) and production team Just Blaze's equally energized beat have the track heralded by critics as Beans' greatest chance to touch the mainstream to date. "It's just basically letting everybody know we're here," said Freeway, who missed his chance to appear in the movie "State Property" as he was in jail when it was filming two years ago. "Still, watch what you say to us. We're trying to do our thing. Just leave us alone, let us make our music. I ain't even know that was gonna be the first single." Freeway, whose name is derived from his reputation for transporting illicit substances, tells of his adventures with a solo cut, "International Hustler." He's humbled, however, on "Sun Don't Shine," which also features Oschino and the crew's final two members, the Young Guns: Chris and Neef. "Tell me how we know, this life we lead will take us places we don't wanna go," Sparks says on the chorus to "It's Not Right." Chris joins Free and Beans as they reflect on some of the treachery brought on by their lives as hustlers. "You know why I got the most personality?," asks the S.P.'s most charismatic member, Sparks. "I been through so much bullsh--. You know what it comes from? It comes from my dad not being there, no conversation with mom, duke. I strayed to the streets. You meet a bunch of muthaf---ers and go through so much sh--, you gotta have a personality. You gotta smile through all the bull." On the hook, Sparks rhymes over slow piano jabs and guitar plucks. "Now I really wanna change but I'm chasing change/ Trying to ease the pain, shelter for the rain, I don't wanna hurt no mo'," he says as loop of a woman bellowing "It's not right" drives home the mellow, dramatic mood. "Got Nowhere" also includes a loop of woman in apparent distress. "Ooh ooh, I got nowhere to goooooo," she pleads. Beans expresses more woe: "I'm caught up in the system where the blind leads the blind and this artist only speaks on the sign of the times/ And I pop pills, sip purple rain to escape my pain ... " Making that song was especially somber for Beans and Free, as they wrote it in Miami the night Aaliyah died in a plane crash. Free said she was flying to Miami to work on a remix to her single "More Than a Woman" with them. Still, the guys had to keep their eyes on the prize. Little distracted them while they put their LP — which was originally going to be just an EP — together. "We worked every day," Chris said of the album's production. "We'd be going up to New York every day and come back down to Philly. 'Cause that little ride ain't nothing, that little hour and a half. When we get together, we get stuff done fast. When we're home, we get stuff done too. We've got our little studio time and do stuff on our own. We bring that to the table, too. We give them a whole lot of stuff to pick from. We're focused."