"...record labels in recent years have made a point of introducing new, little-known acts as proteges of established stars. In some cases the two musicians might have grown up on the same block. Or perhaps they had shared the struggle of performing in the same unknown group. Either way, it's a rich backstory that can be woven into any future marketing effort.

But what if the new singer doesn't have any long-lost pals who've gone platinum?

For an increasingly desperate industry, that is but a minor obstacle. These days, label executives routinely shop their new prospects around from one star to another, trying to convince them to act as a mentor. Then the newcomer is marketed as a devotee, or a card-carrying member of the star's 'camp.'"

“He’s very likable, very versatile, very outgoing,” Sands said. “He’s a very down-to-earth, soft-spoken guy.”

"When 50 Cent himself showed up in the Hot 97 studio of Funkmaster Flex on a recent Thursday-evening shift, the pair spent precious airtime stoking the feud. 'I gotta ask you about this wack rapper Benzino,' Funkmaster Flex said, referring to The Source co-owner Raymond Scott by his performing name. Hearing it, 50 Cent began to murmur menacingly.

A few days later, on allhiphop.com, Scott upped the ante, asserting that Flex 'talks a lot of trash [on the air] and when he leaves, he has a group of security guards, but one day he is going to slip, and when we do collide you are going to hear about it.'

People really do get hurt for less beef than this, especially around Hot 97, where broadcast taunts have preceded flying bullets, and especially around The Source, which has picked countless fights since its birth in 1988. But given the number of hits they're taking--tens of millions in credit claims and lawsuits, arrests, even murder charges against key staffers--it's amazing that Scott, fellow co-owner David Mays, and rookie editor Dasun Allah can put out a magazine at all. Just keeping track of the major court cases advancing this month is a task."

"Last weekend at the Save Tookie Rally, DJ T-Kash who does the Friday Night Vibe asked for all of us in media to try and find ways to keep the situation surrounding Tookie Williams in front of people... He suggested we be creative and use the same tools we use to let folks know about Nikes and parties to keep people informed about Tookie..

In case you aren't aware, Clear Channel has launched a 'Kill Tookie Williams' Hour on its number one rated station here in LA. They are going all out by making racist comments, dissing not just Tookie, but Black people in general etc etc.. This isn't shock radio. its regular talk radio where millions tune in to get news and information..

In any case here's a small contribution to hopefully combat that... It's an extended version of Snoop and the Dogg Pound's song with Snoop's remarks from last week's rally attached at the end... I think he sums things up nicely..."

Scott Chernis is ColorLines' cover photographer who has also photographed jazz and blues musicians in New Orleans and the Bay for the last 10 years. He's selling prints of his photos to benefit the Hurricane Katrina Relief effort for displaced musicians and their families. Only $30! (Ed. note: WHAT?!!!) That makes a great gift. Go to Scott Chernis Photography to check them out.

"See, the problem with hip-hop activism is that too many people look to the artists as the political voice of hip-hop, and that is 100% wrong. Artists are artists. They are not necessarily activist. With the exception of a few, the artists that many look at as the political conscience of hip-hop, are not themselves organizers. Most are not involved with political organizations, thus they are not accountable to anyone other than themselves or their record label.

If you examine the history of political movements and their leadership in this country, you will find that the leaders are always part of something bigger. They don’t stand alone. They always have an organization behind them. You name the leader and I bet you that you cannot find one that was not part of a larger body. With hip-hop we make the mistake too often of looking at artists as leaders. We do so because they have the microphone and everyone’s attention, but that’s a major mistake since they lack the political education and organizing experience that is required of a political leader."

On a good day in a little corner of West Oakland, over the crow of backyard roosters and the low whoosh of cars passing on Interstate 880, you might hear a little bit of New Orleans heaven. Drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste is laying down that famous second-line beat with a smile on his face and an extra little snap on his rolls. His band, the Meters, one of the most celebrated in the Crescent City's storied musical history, is finally back together.

"God gave us a gift," Modeliste says, "and we should be doing it."

For many hip-hop, funk and rock fans, the reappearance of Modeliste with his original bandmates -- keyboardist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli and bassist George Porter Jr. -- at April's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was a stunning moment.

It was billed as a farewell show. But after their set, Modeliste teased the crowd, saying, "We'll see you again." (They play two dates this weekend at the Fillmore.) As New Orleans tries to recover from Hurricane Katrina, many see the band's return as a sign of hope for the suffering city's cultural revival.

But bringing the beat back wasn't easy.

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Over three decades, perhaps the only thing that has remained constant in hip-hop is change. The music's always-evolving sound has spanned break-beats to rock guitar riffs, sinuous gangster funk to the grinding Eurodisco soundscapes of crunk and riffed on just about every other musical form along the way.

These days, hip-hop's newest dictum seems to be less is more.

A spate of recent recordings arranged over minimalist beats and reliant upon "homemade" sound effects such as whispering, snapping, whistling and slamming doors has quietly ascended the charts.

Sometimes called "intimate club" music, the burgeoning subgenre has become one of the hottest styles in hip-hop...

"Saturday night, Marsha and I attended a Nine Inch Nails tribute concert for relief and emergency workers as part of the Voodoo Music Experience, an annual New Orleans festival. The concert was held on the banks of the Mississippi River in weather that turned crisp after darkness fell.

Earlier, as the setting sun silhouetted tankers and container ships gliding down the river toward the Gulf, we had been entranced by Worms Union, a local punk drum ensemble, one of whose members wore the most commonly seen T-shirt at the festival. It featured, just above a musket, a skull emblazoned with a fleur-de-lis; circling the skull and gun was a simple message: Defend New Orleans..."