Jay-Z Performs at Madison Square Garden.. Just Call Him King Hova - 6:16 p.m.
I only had one ticket.. before I go any further let me say, "Thank you, Lisa!" If it wasn't for her asking, "ummm aren't you going to the Jay-Z concert?" I would have shrugged it off and weeks later would have had sore fingers trying to win tickets through radio giveaways, or even worse, been on the outside looking in and acting up.. like them. When you attend a rap concert you have to be prepared for all things ghetto occuring: fights, searches that end in a karate chop to the balls, and police looking at you sideways as if you and Rodney King have something in common. Sad to say, but that's what's up. For that reason you get there ahead of time, like an hour before show time. That way you avoid any madness that might go down. Truth be told, I wasn't thinking about that b.s., the only thing on my mind was chicken fingers and beer. That's the real reason I wanted to get there early. The show starts at 8:00 pm. I'm on the escalator in Tower C., look at my watch it's 6:49. Look ahead and this chick with a wide buffalo butt has a pink "JAY-Z" printed across the ass of her jeans, like that G-Unit girl. Now I don't want to laugh, but the J is way over here and the Z is stretched toward her hip. This girl in front of me falls out on the escalator laughing loud and hard. Now I'm waiting for this Big Ass and I do mean BIG ass Jigga fan to turn around and put the smack on ol girl. She didn't. Hah! I felt sorry for her, she tried to play it off like she didn't hear all that laughing.. nothing wrong with being a fan, next time leave those jeans at home. Chicken and beer, where is it?. Damn, that sounds like a Luda commercial.

7:30 - Wiping the grease off my fingers. Damn that was good. A group of white and puerto rican girls are behind me noticing how empty the arena is. It isn't even half full. This is that concert Jay bragged about being sold out in a day. Don't worry girls, it's a CPT thing.
7:53 - There's a fight in the crowd. Nothing big. Two guys get escorted out.
8:11 - No Jay-Z. CPT.
8:28 - Did I mention that Funkmaster Flex is warming up the crowd?
8:37 - No Jigga.
9:00 - The arena is 3/4 full (it filled up a 1/2 hour later.) No one's onstage and a fight breaks out. The entire arena is looking and ohhin and ahhingg. Again, it's a fight between two guys and they are taking turns wearing each other out. If this was 10 years ago, somebody would have been jumped by 30-50 Decepticons, but that's another story. They're escorted out. And the lights dim.. right on time. The show begins.

The boxing announcer famous for the line, "Let's get ready to rumble," comes out onstage and does this whole thing about Queenssss, Brooklynnnn, and Manhattannnn being in the house. I'm thinking, J went and got the original goods.. and then he says it.. "Introducinggggg the reigning World Rap Champion Jay-ZZZZZZZZ!" Jigga busts out to the tune of "What More Can I Say," dressed in this black and gold military style jacket, jeans, and points to his B.I.G. T- Shirt when he says.. "When I'm saying B.I.G's verse I'm only biggin up my brother.." The stage is plain and black. There is only one guy from Marcy Projects onstage, and he is tearing Madison Square Garden apart. This place is filled to capacity and everyone is wilding out. What more can I say? That's real talk.

The concert was billed as Jay-Z and Friends. He can hold a concert down for self, that's why people are here. But the buzz was about who the friends were gonna be. I saw this as possibly being his last show, he had to go out HUGE and dragging Bleek and Sigel onstage was not gonna do it.

Friend #1 - The Roots - Jay and The Roots have been tight ever since Unplugged and he had them come out early to back him for "Hovi Baby" and "Nigga What." They fell back as he got into "Big Pimpin" and the South showed how hard their beats are as mid-song Jay flowed over David Banner's "Like a Pimp." It just dwarfed the original. Just Blaze was on the turntables and he started playing slices from Biggie and Tupac's albums: "Hypnotize," "Hail Mary," "Hypnotize," "Ambitions of a Ridah," Jay performed the ode to Aaliyah "I Miss You" and then..

Friend #2 - Afeni Shakur and Voletta Wallace - Tupac and Biggie's mothers came out, side by side, and accepted checks Jay gave them for their respective charities.. it was a charity event. Isn't it sad that their sons petty differences caused them to lose their life? This is the only reason they're onstage, really. Their sons died senseless deaths and they're stepping up for them. Afeni spoke briefly, thanked NYC and Jay's people, sounding clear and sure about herself. No doubt her blood ran through Tupac's veins. Biggie's mother is more reserved.. you could barely hear her and the crowd basically spoke for her as they chanted 'Biggie" "Biggie" "Biggie." Then it was back to the show as..

Friend #3 - Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek - Bleek was already onstage doing hype man duties, but now his mike was turned up as Beanie Sigel trotted out and they all performed "You, Me, Him and Her" You know.. "Jiggaman/ More better /more cheddar /foes knock the man off your polo sweater.." There are a lot of celebrities, rap and otherwise, with criminal cases against them these days. For some reason Beanie Sigel's feels more serious.. maybe because it's a murder charge. *duh* He umm, killed his verse though. Jay asked him if he wanted to say anything to the people since they haven't seen him in awhile. I can't remember what he said because..

Friend #4 - Freeway - Free came out dressed in red and performed a hyperactive rendition of "What We Do" with Sigel and Jay. It was during this set that Dame Dash came out. He danced around a little, then he and Jay hugged, as if to say this shit is BIG. Dame still looks like an afterthought. No longer do you link him and Jay together like peanut butter and jelly, it's strictly business.

Friend #5 - Young Guns - Chris and Neef did their breakout single "Can't Stop." Now it was starting to feel like the friends were gonna be the Roc-A-Fella fam. *bleggh* .."Girls, girls, they love usss. We stay fresh to def.. nothing less." The song ends and Jay says how, "it's getting real rowdy up in here, it's getting really rowdy."

Friend #6 - MOP - I forgot they were signed to the Roc. Mufuckas gonna dry up on the vine, release material to let people know your alive. Call 50 a mixtape whore, but sometimes he uses it to real effect. Even MTV caught on to the latest. When Jay said it was getting rowdy I was hoping to hear dipset.. dipset. dipset..dipset..dip... set..dip..... set. At least a "Get Em' Girl!" and Cam'ron comes out in all pink. That didn't happen. Dipset is still on Jay's shitlist, he just collects the checks... what little they generate.

Friend #7 & 8 - Missy and Twista - Missy looking really tiny (height-wise), came out and did some chorus duties for "Is That Your Chick?" Then the music dropped and Missy and Jay stood alongside Twista as he did his verse acapella. People were cheering, but I refuse to believe they understood a word he said. After that, the stage is cleared and Jay says he hasn't even started... "I'm only like a 1/4 of the way through." You could hear the sigh of relief go through the arena. The Roc fam is not who we came to see, that's like watching the bench players play in the NBA championship.

Friend #9 - Beyonce - The plain backdrop lifts and a bunch of dancers, all dressed in short black sparkly mini-skirts, are revealed. The Roots are back on musical duties and center stage is Beyonce Carter.. I mean, Knowles. The Roots start the "Crazy in Love" beat and it's on. Beyonce's singing was pretty ordinary, but her hook circa 2003 are her dance moves and glam girl looks. In the same manner as the video, Jay joined her center stage for his verse. Then he fell back and let her have the stage for self. She did "Baby Boy" (more tight dancing) and "Summertime"..

Friend #10 - Ghostface - I couldn't believe that Tony Starks was able to grace the stage for "Summertime," you know how Sean Paul gets treated. Anyway, Ghostface had a long burgundy velvet robe with his name written on the back in sparkles. That wasn't the killer.. it was the amount of jewels around his neck. Call him the son of Slick Rick. His entire chest was filled with thick gold jewelry, ropes, medallions, fingers had rings. He looked so ridiculous, it looked right. That's what he does, make everything extra cheesy, like pepperoni pizza and macaroni.. that flavorful kind of way. When the song was over, Beyonce had to force Ghostface to leave the stage. He wanted to keep talking, saying who knows what.. Beyonce is nudging him, like "Ok, we're done." And finally just walked off, so he had to follow her. Give somebody mic time and look what happens.

Where He Came From - The stage is cleared, and Jay says he's gonna take it back to the essence. The sounds of "Dead Presidents" fill the arena and he comes out dressed in a black pin-stripe suit and white derby. The monitors are all in black and white.. and yes, during this and Beyonce's performance, The Roots are banging away. They are so tight, you have to look over to realize this all live music.. no instrumental tracks over hard to hear vocals. Jay gets into "Can I Live".. this is hardcore Jay-Z material.. in the middle of the performance a fight breaks out on the floor. Jay is looking like, "oh shit, niggas is gonna go crazy and ruin this." He ignores the chairs being thrown, the punches to the head of some dude and security does what they've been doing all night.. escorts them out. All these fights have been regulated to three of four people, while everyone just looks at them amused. Didn't nobody come here to fight, they want to see if Jay is really here with friends.

Friend #11 - Foxy Brown - Jay does the first verse of "Ain't No Nigga" and the absence of Foxy's voice on the chorus is noticeable. The second time around, you hear her voice real softly, then she bursts out onstage in a short fur coat and mini skirt. Tearing her verse up. The crowd well.. you can guess. She's all up on Jay, but you can see he's thinking.. "uh, I got a woman."

Friend #12 - Mary J Blige - If you don't own Reasonable Doubt  you are not a Jay-Z fan. The pure, unadulterated, non-industry tainted lyricism he's capable of is fully displayed on that album. He still knew the importance of meshing the music with R&B, Mary supplied that on "Can't Knock the Hustle".. and she quietly walked out onstage last night to do it again. Man. Mary did her damn thing, for real. I haven't heard her sing as well as she did last night in a long time. After she and Jay finished, he gave her the stage for self and she took it back to "Happy," "Family Affair," and before going wayyy back to "My Life," mentioned once again, The Roots. Yup, they were still supplying the music. Mary asked everyone to give them a hand, but no one seemed that interested. She was getting mad, talking about, "Give up some love, damn!" Then she vibed out on "My Life" and ended with "Not Today" from her new album. Eve didn't come out, but that's the next single and video for sure.

Friend #13 - Pharell - What's an album without a Neptune beat? Who is Jay-Z's new, close buddy? Pharell Williams. With this Black Album  Jay-Z seems to have gotten a lot of respect for Pha_Real. It's all in the Neptunes ability to keep the hits coming, fast, furious and consistent. When Mary left the stage, Jay and Pharell walked out as The Roots tapped out "Frontin." By this time it's 11:00 p.m. The show got started late, but arenas are strict on time, they have highly paid workers on the clock. Before they started the song Jay jokingly mentioned something about paying overtime if he has to.. in the middle of "Frontin" *ZAP* The sound goes off. They're still performing, people are still singing along, but there is no amplification. The Roots are still banging away. 2 minutes go by like this.. long enough for some people to start booing. As the song ends, the sound comes back on and Jay-Z smiles. He says how he was about to REALLY go backstage and pay somebody for the time. I don't know if that was the problem, but the show went on. He and Pharell did "Give It To Me" and at the end of the record, as they walked off stage, these four things that looked like space pods dropped from the ceiling to the stage. Everything is blacked out. And then it happens..

Friend #14 - R Kelly - From all black to all white.. out comes Jay-Z and R Kelly, both of them dressed in white from head to toe. Kelly has on the derby and a 3/4 white parka with the fur collar. Jay has on a 3/4 bubble with a ski cap and they're bouncing to the sounds of "Best of Both Worlds." Listen to me. I have never seen this nigga Jay pimp strut so fucking hard. I'm sounding like a groupie, but its just a fact. This kid was icing it. The look, the lean, everything, just dripping with cocky "what nigga" attitude. When the song ended they both froze and stood on opposite sides of the stage as the crowd cheered and screamed like they caught the holy ghost. They're standing there. Frozen. Still frozen. Still fucking frozen. "Shake Ya Body" dropped and it was over. Now I'm dancing with the chick next to me, it's a party. From there Jay does this freestyle, can't remember what he said.. then they did "Get This Money," "Somebody's Girl," and the earthshaker.. "Fiesta."

This is how the "The Best of Both Worlds" summer was supposed to go down.. "Damn that tape, damn that freak in me. Who gives a damn about her being 14? The booty was right and I like to pee.." That's RK speaking. After "Fiesta," Jay-Z walks off, and R. Kelly looked surprised when Jay told him to go ahead and do his thing.. "take them back." "That's real nice of Jay to let me have some time up here," Kelly said. Then he didn't go way back, he went Chocolate Factory,  turned the "Ignition" and when he finished, again said.. "Oh, I can do some more.." Like honestly, surprised or a good acting job. So he does this freestyle acapella song about a girl being butt naked in the kitchen cooking vegetables and chicken and him having her up on the counter hitting it by the butter rolls. Yup, I was laughing.

Then it's stepping time, his song for the grown and sexy, "Step in the Name of Love" comes on and everyone is vibing. Mid-song R. Kelly starts showing how stepping is really done, with some kick step and sliding. All he needed to do was the moonwalk, then you would have really known he was having fun.

No More Friends - As far as guests go, that was it. I had predicted that either R. Kelly or Nas would show up for the show. The Nas idea went out the door when Jay was performing and he goes.. "Who's the best MC's Biggie, Jay-Z, and.." shook his head and said, "Uh Uh." Damn, shame they can't shake hands like men. That would have been a real display of maturity, and set an example for the rest of the hip-hop community. They both talk about the negativity in the music, set the example. What is their beef about again? What's the deal with Cam'ron getting no love? And Dame being regulated to the sidelines? One thing is clear, Jay-Z is unmatched in this game right now. There isn't an artist you can name that would have wrecked a 3-hour show the way he did last night. With all the guests going on and off stage, it never felt disorganized. Everything flowed and tied into one. Without Jay it would have been just another concert with random guests, and that's barely half of his catalog. In the realm of rap, just call him King Hova. With his.. temporary retirement.. it's up for grabs. Who's gonna take the crown? You need hits every six months, a grown man's mentality, and the ability to hit the big shot in crunch time.

December 4th - When R. Kelly left the stage, Jay walked out in a New Jersey Nets jersey. He confirmed the rumor that he is trying to bring the Nets to Brooklyn.. "I'm in heavy negotiations" were the exact words. Then he said he had fun, but the party was over, he just wanted to vibe for a minute. "December 4th" came on, he performed it. Mid-song, threw the jersey in the crowd, which I believe said "Carter" on the back (edit* it was Martin's) After the song, with one hand in the air, lights off, a shower of sparkles on the top of the set, he faded to black.

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Dave Mays Steps Away from the HSAN - 2:23 p.m.
Citing Russell Simmons supportive response to Eminem's "racist lyrics," Dave Mays, publisher of The Source has resigned from the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network board of directors.

Russell Simmons, Chairman of the HSAN responded to the Eminem tape saying, "These lyrics are disgusting, but the oneness of hip-hop culture has transformed many young people in trailer parks around the country away from their parents’ old mindset of white supremacy. We believe Eminem’s apology is sincere and forthright. He continues not only to be an icon of hip-hop, but also has evolved into a good soldier who gives back money, time and energy to the community, encouraging this generation of youth to reach their highest aspirations."

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, emphasized, “Hip-hop culture transcends race. We, therefore, must be careful as to how the race card is played to divide people rather than to encourage unity in the struggle for freedom, justice and equality for all.”

Dave Mays responded, "Russell Simmons' rush to defend Eminem over his racist lyrics is disturbing and disappointing to me. This is not the Russell I've known and admired for many years as a strong leader of the hip-hop movement." Dave Mays says he won't rejoin the board until financial ties between Russell Simmons, Eminem and Interscope Records are made clear. Benzino added.. "First and foremost Eminem owes a true apology as well as a more detailed explanation to the Black community and to Black women for these offensive lyrics. Perhaps Eminem can be a more powerful force in uniting poor people from the trailer parks to the projects. But we must use this situation to explore that idea more closely."

Russell Simmons says he's not going to get into a fight with Mays over the issue, but he dig the knife in a little bit.. "As Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, I accept Dave Mays’ resignation from the Board of Directors with regret. We wish Dave Mays and The Source magazine well. We expect and look forward to Eminem’s continued rise in popularity and even greater contributions to our community."

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Lil Kim/50 Magic Stickiness Explained
Last Monday, your boy Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent was in the San Francisco Bay Area promoting Beg For Mercy. During a stop at the Universal Records office he answered questions from the press, and they took notes-a-plenty. A page of those notes from Daveyd.com explains why Lil Kim's "Magic Stick" wasn't supported by 50 after her album release.

50 explained he initially wrote the song for Trina, that's what "the baddest bitch" line references in the chorus. The song was to be recorded for his album. When they sat down for the collaboration process, Trina started adding a bunch of other things that diluted the song's original intent. 50 had something written for her, but she refused to say it, so he scrapped the idea. Can anyone say, bad career move? This is pre-50 mania, Trina's probably thinking who the f- are you? You need me. Now she's collabing with Chingy.. you figure that out.

50 connected with Lil Kim after Atlantic Records president Craig Kallman heard about the breakdown with Trina. Trina is signed to Slip-n-Slide which is connected to Atlantic Records. Kallman was initially going to sign 50 to Atlantic Records, but Irv Gotti is said to have whispered in his ear that 50 would bring him all types of trouble, basically salting the deal. Kallman later saw that he made a mistake.. and asked 50 to get on Lil Kim's album. 50 offered up "Magic Stick" which he licensed to Lil Kim for an undisclosed amount of money. These things are worked out by management, later when Kim found out how much she was paying she freaked out. 50 said the price he charged was payback for Atlantic passing on him.

This is where 50 says the beef started - Kim being upset with paying him big $$$.

I have to disagree, his not performing or willing to be in the video is what she was really upset about. Then she made it worse by performing the song minus 50 at concert appearances, just looking really desperate to link up with the hot boy of the moment. Despite there being other single worthy songs on the joint, the album died on the fumes of this disagreement. You've seen Kim in Old Navy ads though. Feeling that?

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Welcome to All Michael Jackson News, All the Time - 3:45 p.m.
Everyone knew Michael Jackson would become the lead story on all the news channels and papers, but the amount of coverage I witnessed this weekend was beyond ridiculous. From Friday night until Sunday afternoon it was nothing but Michael "Wacko Jacko" Jackson stories being served up. They are tearing in to this man in the worst way. Why even waste time on a trial? Let's just put him away now.. RIGHT NOW. The law says that you are presumed innocent before proven guilty. In Mikey J's case, and in so many other criminal cases, that's never how it's seen by a jury or the public. If you've been arrested you must have done something wrong. So with not even a court hearing talking heads are dishing out jail time and pontificating on this being the end of Michael Jackson's career.. as if before the allegation he had one in first place.

The only people happy about Mike's problems are Kobe Bryant and Paris Hilton, finally they can catch a breather. All of a sudden Kobe's romp in the hotel room looks like nothing. Groupie love, is how G-Unit puts it. And Paris Hilton was all but ready to jump in the Hudson river after her sex tapes went worldwide (she says she's so embarrassed the party girl stuff is over.) The day after the MJ case came out, this chick asked me if I thought he would serve time.. I'm like WTF? All I know is that he's been accused. What do I base my answer on? Then this this guy wants to talk details, I suggested that he read a counterpoint to what the mass media is spinning ie. consider that "Was Michael Jackson Framed Story?" Dude took a look at the number of pages and left a dust trail in the hallway. He wasn't interested in the least in reading it, not even a paragraph. So he'll continue to think about the case with a head full of headlines and opinions based on how freaky he believes MJ looks. And yes, he looks freaky, scary and really.. sad. It doesn't mean he felt the kid up, but ..uhh, yeah he does look bizarre. Yikes! That's why I used the MJ 1.0 pic in the first post.

In today's NY Post there is a story about police finding "love letters" from Michael Jackson to his 12-year-old accuser. Supposedly the boy told police where to find these letters. On the other side, Michael's lawyers claim to have tapes of the boy and his family saying that nothing ever happened. Why he would have tapes of them saying that is a mystery. Latoya Jackson was on Larry King Live this weekend (or was it Michael in disguise), besides claiming to be a new woman with many new projects in the works, about her brother she said, "I think it's (the case is) overly exaggerated. I think it's too much emphasis on it. I think that they should let him live his life and do as he chooses. Michael is a brilliant person. He's a wonderful person and I think, most of all, he is a fabulous father. He's a wonderful, loving father." I wouldn't expect her to say anything else.. I also didn't expect to hear the large number of fans calling into the program asking when her new album is coming out and when she's going on tour.

I'm off track.. what I wanted to point you to was Michael Jackson's official news site. With the blizzard of stories out there, his reasons for launching it is as follows: "I have set up this website to serve as a source of official communications on my case. Any statement that does not appear on this website must be considered unauthorized." He goes on to say, "You are right to be skeptical of some of the individuals who are being identified in the mass media as my friends, spokespeople, and attorneys. With few exceptions, most of them are simply filling a desperate void in our culture that equates visibility with insight. We will not engage in speculation. We will not provide running commentary on every new development or allegation du jour. We intend to try our case in the courtroom, not in the public or the media."

I'm not comfortable that he's echoing my sentiments, I guess we're on the same page as long as it doesn't involve calling youngsters "Rubba Rubba" and playing pocket pool.

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Vibe Awards?
I was at the movies, set the vcr and the timer didn't go off. *bahhh*

Michael Jackson's Ranch Raided by 70 Cops - 2:35 p.m.
Hey Mike.. So I'm eating lunch yesterday, chicken and broccoli w/ garlic sauce, hot and sour soup, watered down soda (that's how I like it) and all of a sudden a CNN news flash runs across the screen.. "Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch has been raided by police no more information at this time, but we'll keep watch on this story."

I spit out a mouth full of rice, garlic sauce all over the table. Not again, Mike. It felt like deja vu.. No.. It was deja vu. Remember that kid who claimed you had spotty, zebra balls, and didn't he say you like.. rubbed them on his chin or something? That was crazy. Good idea to settle that case. Even better, that the photos the police snapped of your jewels didn't make it on the internet - although that was before dot com went mainstream. If that happens this time, your ass will literally go worldwide.

What's with this new case? Another kid is making sexual abuse claims, the cops are all over the ranch. This is bad publicity, Mike. And just look.. it's the same day that your new album hit the racks. It was probably a bad idea to sign off on that $200 million loan giving Sony the rights to the Beatle and Elvis catalog if you default. Ever since that time, you've claimed said that Sony has been half-assing with the promotion of your projects. You having ownership of that publishing is totally unacceptable to the suits. The Beatles and Elvis are as profitable as all those Tupac vocals floating around, well even more so.. but you know me and the hip-hop, it's gonna pop up somewhere in a reference.

The point is.. there is no way Sony signed that option thinking they actually wanted the money back. When the lawyers scribbled that in the fox grin was on and you didn't catch it. They wanted you to default, so why help you to pay the loan back through your album sales? Better to have you go further in debt. Which is insane in the first place. How do you go broke when your bank statement once said $325 million available in savings - $25 million in checking?

I hear the kid says the alleged abuse happened two months ago. What I want to know is what parents are still leaving kids at the ranch, even after you've been branded as Wacko Jacko? Even after you've been on network TV saying that you sometimes sleep in the bed with them.. just sleep. Who are these people and why are they surprised when Lil Johnny says that you grabbed his little ass? I told you before that I was with you, even though I don't understand why you want to look like Liz Taylor.. that sometimes your just downright wacky, especially at the summer barbecues. The dance you do with your kids wearing the veils, it's just strange. It's also strange these allegations come up on the day your Number One Hits album is in the stores.

So here's hoping that the cops find nothing as they search your entire ranch, presumably for kiddie porn, pictures, and mini-condoms. That way if the kids's claim doesn't stick, they can say.. well, what about this? I'm hoping that this all all false, man. I can't be sending letters to the county jail. It's just too sad to address the joints inmate #ABCEZLIKE123

All the best - C.G.

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Vivica Fox Creeping in Connecticut
What's crazier than MJ? The idea that Vivica Fox was caught trying to break into 50 Cent's house in Connecticut. That's exactly what WBLS radio host Wendy Williams claims to have happened this past Sunday. Do I have quotes? Umm.. yeah. *pressing play on the tape*

"50.. Alright, give me a "this just in." Let me do this authentic style. THIS JUST IN. It's being alleged.. I just through that part in there, everybody. It's being alleged that Vivica Fox was arrested on Sunday night for trespassing on the Connecticut estate of rapper 50 Cent. The rapper, who purchased a home just last month from Mike Tyson, was not home at the time, but attending the American Music Awards when the incident took place.

Security *nasty cough* .. Security at the residence spotted Vivica's Range Rover parked in front of the home and called the local authorities. When the authorities arrived Fox was seen trying to enter the rear of the home, where she was arrested.. *laughter* .. This is very chicken-like. What the hell are you doing woman?"

"Let me finish.. Local authorities tell us that Fox was in violation of a restraining order that the rapper had requested last week. Shut the f- up! What?!? What?!? Shut up! I am gagging. ..I.. I said.. Fox was in violation of a restraining order that the rapper requested last week. A court date has not been set, but we'll keep you posted as we learn more."

*stops tape* Let that sink in.

Tracy Morgan Gets His Own Show - 2:21 p.m.
Tracy Morgan has been on the comedy scene for over a decade. Like most comics he began performing in local clubs hoping for that big break. The first potentail break for Morgan was a part on The Uptown Comedy Club  where he performed as characters named Biscuit and Super Papito. Not familiar with either of those.. his role as Hustle Man on Martin  is a good idea of how he approached those parts.

For the past seven years Tracy Morgan has been a part of the cast of Saturday Night Live. SNL is known for sparking the solo careers of talented comedians. Though he is respected by his peers, and will have you crying tears if given the chance with an open mike, Tracy Morgan has yet to make it to the next stage in his career. When asked about his early roles on SNL, Tracy said his biggest role each week was the guy waving in the background during the closing credits.

At present, it's said he has a bunch of "standout characters" on the show, but whenever I turn it on SNL his parts seem just as tiny as before. They really don't make the best use of his talents. That should change on December 2nd, with the debut of The Tracy Morgan Show on NBC.

Tracy, who in real life is married with 3 kids, plays an auto mechanic married with 2 kids. The owner of a garage he has to deal with his "dysfunctional family of mechanics": John Witherspoon (pops from Friday) and Bernard (also known as Heavy D.. yeah, that Heavy D.) His wife is played by Tamala Jones and the flaky pimp from Friday After Next  will make appearances on the show as Freddie (minus pimp attire.)

I'm hoping that this becomes a "must watch" show. There are so few of them at this point.. if you weren't around last year, here's an appearance Tracy Morgan made on the now defunct Opie and Anthony Show. Listen to it or Download It (Real Audio 1.7mb)

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Two Steps Away from the Peace Tour
That little sitdown with Louis Farrakhan seems to have caused Irv Gotti to reflect on the name of his label. Last week, it was announced that Murder INC would now be known as The INC.

Does that mean that we'll no longer hear him screaming "It's Murdaaaa!"? I doubt it. How weak does "It's The I-N-C" sound? This could be a precursor to further changes at "The World's Most Talented Label," such as Ja Rule returning to his rap singing ways. Ja's new album, Blood in My Eye  was purchased by 140 thousand faithful fans, a steep drop from his last release which did 350 thousand in the first week. The difference isn't that great considering the pressure he's been under lately, but watch how that numbers ski slopes this week. It's only gonna get worse. For that reason, with the name change, I'm predicting a new album with the old school Ja Rule to be released next summer. They'll middle finger everybody and hinge a bet that it's what the people really want and expect of them.

The Murder in the INc was always said to mean that they were saying that they murder the tracks.. murdering the industry with hit after hit. That's about as true as FUBU's "For Us By Us" original definition of "us" meaning all races of people. Urbandictionary.com defines FUBU as "referring to the founders purpose: clothes designed by African-Americans for African-Americans. Many items from the clothing line display the number "05", which stands for the five childhood friends from Queens who founded the company." Who knows where they got that from but it fits my argument, so today it's true.. And Murder INC, with it's loose ties to the leader of an infamous Queens, NY based drug ring, silently bigged that up with the "murder" tag. How do I know that? I don't. Let's just add two and three together and make an ass of you and me.

While we're making name changes.. with Farrakhan's influence, when does Irv drop the Italian mobster moniker, become Irv X and how much are tickets for The Peace Tour? Hey, I'm not mad at him.. steps in positive imaging are always welcome, just getting at the basics.

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So Jessica Lynch Wasn't Raped? - 2:46 p.m.
Jessica Lynch, the American female soldier, after being rescued from the clutches of the evil Iraqi army, was propped up on the media's shoulders for all the world to see with the declaration.. "Now this" .. "This is what you call a hero." Well, Jessica has some news, pipe Mariah Carey's "Hero" through your head while you read on..

In a shocking revelation it's been revealed in the authorized biography "I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story," that she was raped when her Humvee flipped over and Iraqi soldiers pounced on her like savages. Author Rick Bragg writes, "The records also show that she was a victim of anal sexual assault. The records do not tell whether her captors assaulted her almost lifeless, broken body after she was lifted from the wreckage, or if they assaulted her and then broke her bones into splinters until she was almost dead." "Jessi lost three hours," Bragg wrote. "She lost them in the snapping bones, in the crash of the Humvee, in the torment her enemies inflicted on her after she was pulled from it." Jessica Lynch says she has no recollection of being raped. Rick Bragg says that's because she lost her memory after the impact of the crash.

If you've only read the headlines about her rescue in April, you might not be aware that Iraqi doctors have been credited with saving her life. Dr. Jamal Kadhim Shwail was the first doctor to examine Jessica when she was brought to Nassiriya's military hospital by Iraqi special police. Dr. Shwail says she was unconscious and in shock from loss of blood. "We only had a few minutes to save her life. We found a vein in her neck to give her fluids and blood." He also described her as wearing her full uniform, including boots and none of her clothes had been unbuttoned or removed as the book claims. Shwail continued, "It was our duty to look after her and we did. Now people are saying she was raped ... it pains us."

Another doctor who performed surgery to fix her fractured leg says he cleaned her body, including her most intimate of areas, before operating, and found no signs of sexual assault. The doctor said, "If she had been raped there is no way she could have survived it. She was fighting for her life, her body was broken. What sort of an animal would even think of that?"

How about the kind that likes to make up wild stories to whoop people into a frenzy? You see.. this rape story could be a case of a writer drunk off heavy liquors and going crazy with the pen. The stories of being an American Hero have been slammed by none other than Jessica Lynch herself. This rape story may fall in line with that. She says the government has been using her as a symbol for the war. In an interview with ABC TV Jessica said "It hurt in a way that people would make up stories that they had no truth about."

The Pentagon's initial story was that she had been beaten and stabbed by her Iraqi captors. This after shooting it out with Iraqi soldiers like a female Rambo - or that crazed maniac in Matrix 3. Lynch says, "I did not shoot, not a round, nothing. I went down praying to my knees. And that's the last I remember." The Pentagon later changed that story to the Humvee flipping over, the one most people agree with. What they haven't changed is the story about bursting in the hospital with video cameras and guns drawn; the incident which spawned the photo above. They claimed they had to bravely fight into and out of the hospital. Lynch says, "I don't think it happened quite like that." Dr. Jamal Kadhim Shwail, one of the Iraqi doctors that cared for her says, "They attacked the hospital at night. There were explosions outside which broke the windows. The patients were terrified. The Americans knew the Iraqi military had gone so why they didn't come for her quietly, I don't know."

All Jessica Lynch knows is that she's grateful for the soldiers who came for her, but doesn't understand why she's been propped up to look like a hero. In the book she says, "I'm just a survivor." What she doesn't know or want to take credit for is being filled in by this author, Rick Bragg.. and officials who seem to be saying whatever the public will eat up. Anything to get those flags whipping in the wind.. they've got to be wishing that Jessica Lynch lost her voice though. That way she could sit in front of the television cameras, be quiet and not contradict the official accounts. She'd have to resort to holding up scraps of paper with words no one would pay attention to.. cause you know, she's been very injured. Words like.. "That's a Damn Lie," "What!?!," and "Nigga, Pleez" .. Sharpton would pay full attention to that last one.

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Black Friday aka The Clash of the Titans
Late last week, word began to spread that Jay-Z's "The Black Album" and G-Unit's "Beg For Mercy" were available for anyone with an internet connection. Yup. 2-3 weeks before the release dates, two of the most anticipated albums of the holiday season were online. It should have come as no surprise, there isn't an album in existence that isn't floating somewhere in cyberspace.

In response Roc-A-Fella and Interscope pushed up the release dates to November 14th. It took only elementary astrononomy to see that the stars had unexpectedly aligned in a collision pattern - one that pits the reigning champ against the new kids on the block. I should say new kid on the block (singular), but even though we're talking a G-Unit album, 50's strong allegiance to them makes the success of the project as important to his career as it is to jumpstarting theirs. Who knows if this wasn't the plan all the time.

When G-Unit's album was pushed to November 18th, I found it kind of an odd move. They were originally gonna be up against Ja Rule's new joint. That would have been a mismatch of Gigantor proportions. Like Mike Tyson fighting a Sumo Wrestler (not really, but he might be fighting Roy Jones Jr.)

So why match up against Ja Rule, where's the fun in the obvious? It was reported in the Source that 50 and Jay rubbed each other the wrong way on the Roc the Mic tour. I didn't hear this anywhere else, but they said during one of the concert dates 50 ran out onstage during (or afeter) one of Jay's sets and was like, "F-ck that, who ya'll really came here to see?" Jay laughed it off in the interview saying that 50 was a smart guy, knowing that controversy would create interest. In a recent interview with Angie Martinez 50 hinted at some established rappers who aren't comfortable with being number two.. with not being the Hot Boy. Angie steered him out of the beef weeds and 50 instead began praising Jay.. saying how great he was, how he respects him.

What other established rappers could be jealous of his fame? Duh. When a beef isn't obvious to the public, it often gets the tap dance treatment.. and Angie and Funkmaster Flex want everyone to hold hands and get along. So wasn't gonna get that one out. But if you're 50 (or Interscope) how do you prove your dominance. Personal beef or not it's all about $$$, first week numbers, over the counter sales are what matters in this game.

Even if doesn't run that deep, all eyes in the music industry will be fixed on this one, to see who comes out on top. I'm gonna put my money on... umm.. uh.. Jay-Z. Just because it's his swan song and G-Unit has soaked our ears all summer. I'm gonna ride with that, Jay-Z. With G-Unit performing in Times Square this Thursday though.. that's 150,000 mininum off the strength of the MTV connection. This is gonna be one to watch. Place your bets.

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Al Sharpton to Host Saturday Night Live - 2:28 p.m.
The latest poll numbers show that Al Sharpton has a mini-me percentage of the vote in the New Hampshire and Idaho democratic primaries. You'd never know it from the response he gets during debates. Last night, CNN aired their Rock the Vote debate, a cheezy attempt to grab the young adult crowd (don't they know that Rock does donut numbers, it should be Rap the Vote.)

While some candidates chose to do their Cool Dad act (John Kerry) Others went stuffy Professor (Joe Lieberman) Others just seemed creepy( Wesley Clark) Whenever Al Sharpton got up to answer a question, people would be laughing and on on the edge of their seats. This one girl asked him.. "What's the first thing going through your head the morning you wake up in the White House?" Sharpton answered.."Well, I think the first thing going through my head would be to make sure that Bush has all of his stuff out. And that we changed the locks on the door, so none of his crowd can come back." That had the crowd screaming and hollering, if this was the 80's they would have doing that Arsenio Hall.."WooF, WooF, Woof" thing. When they settled down he followed it up with the real answer..

"We need to have an authenticity in politics -- one of the reasons I'm running. We need politicians that believe in something.. You need people that don't say what they want people to feel they believe in, but people that stand for something.. The Sharpton White House would stand for something. It would fight for things that are fundamental and that are basic for every American citizen. And I'd wake up in that White House every day saying that people that wanted me to be here are depending on me to fight for ordinary average people to have equal opportunity and equal justice in this country."

At another point in the debate the moderator tried to clown him, by suggesting he might have been hitting the bottle.. The question was: a poll last week showed that young people, 18 to 29, are actually more conservative than their parents. And, actually, 61 or 62 percent of them said they agree with the job George Bush is doing. What are the Democrats doing wrong?

Sharpton: Well, I think that first of all, a lot of young people don't understand what George Bush is doing. And a lot of them have been confused because a lot of the Democrats have played this game of trying to be Republican-like. I say that we've been...(APPLAUSE) I think that we've had too many elephants running around in donkey jackets that are not real Democrats. When we stand up...
Moderator: By the way, I think someone's drinking right now, because I think I heard that before. (LAUGHTER.. Sharpton attempts to answer) Thirty seconds to break.
Sharpton: I think that when we stand up as real Democrats and show young people that we have to have a job-creating president, that we have to have a president that wants to build alliances with the rest of the world, it is in their interest, they could not side with Bush. They would side with their future.
Moderator: We got to go to break.
Sharpton: Anyone up here is better than George Bush.
Moderator: We got to go to break. We'll be right back.

Not to say the White House should be painted black. It's just interesting to see how he's exceeded the expectations of those who thought he'd trip over his tongue during these debates. What it comes down to is the mass audience being exposed to the man, free from the twisted up characterizations of the press.. but let's be real.. I don't believe he's being taken seriously or his views are actually being digested. This new audience just enjoys his one-liners. That's why he'll be hosting Saturday Night Live on December 6th. Who would have ever predicted that? He might actually get something out of this Presidential run.. like a TV show, titled (duh) The Al Sharpton Show. At the minimum, he'll be invited to more parties in D.C., everybody loves a good laugh. While their laughing maybe he can slip in some principles from Sharpton's Top Ten reasons he's running for President.

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Louis Farrakhan Suggests a Peace Tour - 1:46 p.m.
"What I see is you and 50 Cent onstage together. If you and 50 got together and put down this beef you would heal so many wounds in the community. You would change minds. I see a tour. A Peace Tour. You can do "Clap Back" and 50 can do "Wanksta," but it would be in another state of mind. I see world hunger ending from the deepest ocean to the highest mountain peak. My vision is clear, brother. I'm focused. I see Aids being cured with a vitamin pill. I see Saddam Hussein and brother Bin Laden having lunch with George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. I see a million people at Miami beach for a barbecue.. the Million Male/Female Barbecue. I'm not too keen with the idea of seeing my sisters with their butt cheeks hanging out of a thong, but I understand the state of mind the devil has us in. As long as there's no pork on the grill, I'll look past the Freak Fest activities.. What do you think Ja? Let's make it happen."

And so it went.. on the uncensored version of the Louis Farrakhan/Ja Rule interview. If you've been on the computer within the past 12 hours, you know that MTV aired the sitdown interview between Ja Rule and Louis Farrakhan last night. It was basically Ja Rule explaining to Farrakhan how the beef got started, explaining his upbringing, and why he felt the need to "Clap Back."

This is where things get sticky. Why now? Is this a promotional op for his new album? Until today, Ja Rule's name was mentioned in the past tense.. as in Ja Who? Despite his claim that the people.. we.. were dying to hear him respond to 50's attacks on his character.. well,he's off by at least eight months. This beef is more like stale bread than something that needed to be addressed with the ferocity he put into it in this interview and on "Blood in My Eye." When "Wanskta" was released.. when he saw himself being clowned in videos, that's when he should have come full throttle. He helped give 50 authenticity by ignoring him, and not realizing that people were becoming tone deaf and oversaturated from yet another half R&B/half rap-a-long tune. Ja was right when he said people thought he was scared of him.. when he sees 50 he's looking at the monster he helped create - Dre and Eminem did the rest.

Because this is such a dead issue.. there is only so many times you can call someone a bitch before you sound like the bitch.. I say "Yes" to a cease fire. I say "Yes" to a sitdown between them. Farrakhan dug up a jewel when he said it would change people's minds. If these two stood side by side and cheezed for the camera, let the past be what it is, that would be the story of the year. There has been conflicting news regarding 50's willingness to do so.. which might seem ignorant. Then you think, someone tried to murder him.. If you believe the man's hand your shaking was associated with that incident would you be smiling, or have any desire to give him a new life on the charts? ..Or does time and money heal all wounds? Look at that pic.. Farrakhan says, "hmmmmm." -- by the way, he did suggest a Peace Tour. If you missed it. Hopefully -- if Allah permits -- I'll have audio for you tomorrow.

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Diddy Runs the City.. and the Kenyans Do Too - 1:37 p.m.
I have never set my alarm clock to make sure I was up in time to see the NYC Marathon, but there I was yesterday morning, fumbling for the remote when the clock buzzed off. The sun shines through the window, the TV pops on.. it's Diddy Runs The City time!

Even though I was eager to see how Puff would do, I was also hoping it wouldn't become ALL about him. There were 35,000+ runners in that race, it would've be a slap in the face to many of them, who are serious runners. I guess you could say it's like an extremely nice lyricist who can't create a hit, then along comes a mush mouthed MC with catchy choruses and they blow up big time. Yesterday the serious runners put on a show. Maybe it was the realization that Puffy was not gonna be at the front of the pack that caused me to watch in amazement at those who were running at damn near top speed for the entire 26 miles. The lyricists did their thing.

See Shorty on the left, she was caught up in a pack of 4 chicks at mile 12 or 13. She seemed to be struggling a bit, falling back, then all of a sudden she took off. You could see the determination in her face, and her stride was like a freakin machine. In no time flat, Margaret Okayo of Kenya had them eating Fila dust. She's no stranger to running marathons having won and set course records in the 2001 Suzuki Rock 'N' Roll, 2001 NYC Marathon, and the 2002 Boston and Milan marathons. Yesterday, she broke her own 2001 NYC Marathon win by two minutes, finishing in 2:22:31 - that's a mile every 5 1/2 minutes.

The mens winner, Martin Lel finished at 2:10:30. His win was just as dramatic, and the ease at which he won was crazy. He simply wore out the one guy - last year's winner - by pumping the speed up until son said the hell with it.. starting grabbing his neck.. his back.. I think the doc calls it cramps. Whatever the medical term, Martin took full advantage and sped to the finish line.

While the front runners were putting on a show, the cameras would occasionally flash back to the world famous Shiny Suit Man. That is when you saw the difference between a professional and someone who trained for two months and put on some sneakers. Your boy P.Diddy was jogging, and struggling at that.. not only with the race itself but also the f-ing reporter who at one point ran alongside him and stuck a microphone in his face to ask him why he's running and how he's doing. If it was possible to reach inside the tube and bitch slap a mutha this was the time for it. Puff being the eveready promo man, didn't miss the chance to give out the 1-800 number for anyone wanting to make late donations to the cause.. always on the job.

Puff ran for the kids, and they came out to support him. I wish I had taped this.. these kids ran onto the course with Go Diddy posters, nearly surrounding him.. Puff could barely move. So what does he do? Gives the kid a shove, Lil Man went flying, probably hit a parked car or something. Was it such cruelty that caused his legs to cramp up? Hmmm.. who knows, but he was in serious pain. Through it all I had no doubt that he was gonna finish, there was just too much on the line. It wouldn't have mattered if it took him until midnight, even if he tripped and broke his ankle, the jokes and ridicule would have been unrelenting. It had gone beyond the kids, he pumped it up so much he had to do it for pride.

As it is.. some people are sick to their stomach with the Diddy Runs the City news.. How he did it.. the $2 million raised and all that. I'm on the other side, where you gotta respect the mental and physical game it takes to block out the pain and actually cross that finish line. That's why you see the Kenyan crew up top, they have people scratching their heads wondering how they do it.. not running marathons.. I mean endorsing Fila. Are we bringing that back?

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