The Source Award Show to Air August 20 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) on UPN

Spotlighting hip-hop music's most popular recording and performing artists, lyricists and producers, while also recognizing the genre's synergy with R&B and its impact on motion pictures, the nominations for ``The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards'' were announced Tuesday at the Peninsula Hotel in New York.

On hand to announce the nominees were hip-hop artist, producer and record-label founder Sean ``Puffy'' Combs; rap artist Queen Latifah; R&B star Mary J. Blige; fashion model Tyson Beckford; and Interscope Records executive Steve Stoute.

Nominations for ``The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards'' -- the first-ever network television awards show dedicated to the genre -- were determined by the editors of The Source magazine and are comprised of the leading hip-hop contributors from the previous year.

The winners, to be determined by consumers and a panel of influential radio DJs, will be announced in a star-studded awards show at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 18, subsequently airing as a special presentation Friday, August 20 (8-10 p.m., ET/PT) on UPN.

To be eligible for nomination, recorded material must have been released between April 1, 1998, and March 31, 1999.

The nominees are:

Artist of the Year, Solo
Jay-Z (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
DMX (Def Jam)
Master P (No Limit/Priority)
Busta Rhymes (Elektra)
Snoop Dogg (No Limit/Priority)

Artist of the Year, Group
Outkast (LaFace/Arista)
The Roots (MCA/Universal)
A Tribe Called Quest (Jive)
Gang Starr (Noo Trybe/Virgin)
Goodie Mob (LaFace/Arista)

New Artist of the Year, Solo
Big Pun (Loud/RCA)
Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia)
Juvenile (Cash Money/Universal)
Noreaga (Penalty/Tommy Boy)
Eminem (Aftermath/Interscope)

New Artist of the Year, Group
Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz (Codeine/Columbia)
Black Star (Rawkus)
Flipmode Squad (Elektra)
Harlem World (So So Def/Columbia)
Black Eyed Peas (Interscope)

Single of the Year
"Can I Get A ..." -- Jay-Z w/Ja Rule & Amil (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
"Ha" -- Juvenile (Cash Money/Universal)
"Still Not A Player" -- Big Pun w/Joe (Loud/RCA)
"Whatcha Gonna Do" -- Jayo Felony w/DMX & Method Man (Def Jam)
"It Ain't My Fault" -- Silkk The Shocker (No Limit/Priority)
"Money Ain't A Thing" -- Jermaine Dupri w/Jay-Z (So So Def/Columbia)

Album of the Year
Jay-Z, Hard Knock Life (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
DMX, It's Dark and Hell is Hot (Def Jam)
Outkast, Aquemini (LaFace/Arista)
8Ball, Lost (Suave House/Universal)
Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse/Columbia)
Master P, MP Da Last Don (No Limit/Priority)

Lyricist of the Year
Big Pun (Loud/RCA)
DMX (Def Jam)
Jay-Z (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
Redman (Def Jam)
Dre of Outkast (LaFace/Arista)

Producer of the Year
Swizz Beats
Beats By The Pound
Track Masters/L.E.S.
DJ Premier
DJ Scratch

R&B Artist of the Year
TLC (LaFace/Arista)
R. Kelly (Jive)
Mya (University/Interscope)
Brandy (Atlantic)
Dru Hill (Island)

Video of the Year
"I'll Bee Dat," Redman (Def Jam), director: Little X
"What U See," Xzibit (Loud/RCA), director: Gregory Dark
"Turn It Up," Busta Rhymes (Elektra), director: Paul Hunter
"Is It You? (Deja vu)," Made Men w/ Master P (Restless),
    director: Dave Meyers
"What's It Gonna Be," Busta Rhymes w/Janet Jackson (Elektra),
    director: Hype Williams

Live Performer of the Year
Outkast (LaFace/Arista)
Busta Rhymes (Elektra)
DMX (Def Jam)
Method Man/Redman (Def Jam)
The Roots (MCA/Universal)

Movie of the Year
Player's Club (New Line)
I Got The Hook-Up (No Limit)
Belly (Artisan)
He Got Game (Touchstone)

Honorees were also announced in three categories:

Lifetime Achievement Award
-- Russell Simmons

Pioneer Award (three winners)
-- Kool DJ Herc
-- Afrika Bambaataa
-- Grandmaster Flash

The Source Sports Athlete of the Year Award
-- Shaquille O'Neal

According to David Mays, publisher of The Source, ``We are proud to recognize so much talent within the hip-hop genre, which is not only the top-selling musical format in America but also the dominant sound of youth culture. The climate in hip-hop today is one of collaboration and appreciation across geographic lines.''

The Source, begun a decade ago as a simple one-page newsletter, is now the number one selling music magazine on America's newsstands. Among the brand's divisions and activities is The Source Youth Foundation.

Founded primarily to provide assistance and opportunities to the hip-hop community in the areas of education, sports and recreation, arts and entertainment, and entrepreneurial spirit, the Foundation is committed to help non-profit organizations that benefit youth, and to address some of the ills that many artists rap about in their songs.

``The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards'' is a production of Tall Pony Productions and Source Entertainment. David Mays, Anthony Eaton and Michael Elliot are the executive producers.

The Budweiser Superfest is about to kick off. Singer Jesse Powell is co-headlining the tour with Next, Deborah Cox, The O'Jays, and Frankie Beverly & Maze. The dates are as follows:

DATE 6/25 & 6/26 6/27 7/2 7/3 7/5 7/8 & 7/9 7/10 7/11 7/14 7/16 7/17 7/18 7/21 7/23 7/25 7/28 7/29 7/30 7/31 8/1

CITY Los Angeles, CA Oakland, CA Memphis, TN Dallas, TX Houston, TX Chicago, IL Nashville, TN Detroit, MI Cleveland, OH Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC Baltimore, MD New York, NY Atlanta, GA St. Louis, MO Miami, FL Birmingham, AL Greensboro, NC Charlotte, NC Jackson, MS

VENUE Universal Amphitheater Concord Pavilion Mid South Coliseum Starplex Compaq Coliseum Arie Crown Theater First American Music Theater Pine Knob Amphitheater CSU Convention Center Apollo of Temple MCI Center Civic Arena Madison Square Garden Fox Theater Keil Center Knight Center Boutwell Walnut Creek Amphitheater Blockbuster TBA

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THE URBAN LADIES DO A SHOOT!


This past Saturday (May 15), platinum-selling hop-hop ladies Lil’ Kim, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot, Da Brat and Aaliyah converged in a New York City photographer´s studio for a fashion shoot. The resulting shots will accompany an article about hip-hop´s influence on pop culture, which will appear in the August issue of Elle magazine. We’ve learned that Mary J. was also scheduled to appear at the shoot, but pulled out at the last minute due to illness. High fashion photographer Elfie Femotan lensed the eight-hour shoot, which took place in the Greenwich Village section of New York City.

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SRCUBS VS. PIGEONS!
The Yonkers rap trio has come up with an answer for TLC's runaway hit No Scrubs -- a diss of fellas who, among other things, still live at home with their moms and holler at women from "the passenger side of their best friend's rides." The Thievz's No Pigeons -- the brainstorm of producer Funkmaster Flex, a DJ on New York's powerful Hot 97 FM -- is set to the TLC song's music but flips the scripts on the ladies. Rapper King Kirk rhymes: "In front of the club, I seen this girl, like, yo, love?/Thought she said thug, but she called me a scrub/Scrub? Wha? She must of thought it was a joke/You broke pigeon head freak, you're lucky I spoke/This ain't my Benz, yeah, it's my man's, yeah/But this ain't my car like that ain't your hair." The song has become one of the most played in New York and is starting to get airplay all over. The Thievz are on a nationwide radio tour to promote the song, which is No. 80 on this week's Billboard Hot 100 and will be released as a commercial single and video from Columbia Records within two weeks. The group is debating whether to include it on a subsequent pressing of its current album, Street Cinema, or save it for the next album.

King Kirk says men and women have been requesting the song from radio stations. "It's all love, everywhere we go, even from the females that call up," he says in a telephone interview from Miami's WPOW (96.5 FM), where he has just been on air. "That's because everybody understands. They know pigeons who sit around clubs waiting for drinks and for guys to take them home. Independent women know what we are talking about. If you ain't a bird, there's nothing to be mad about." In street parlance, women are often called chickens or chickenheads, but King Kirk says the Thievz had to take it a step further for the particular women they are addressing. "My motto is KFC is good, so they can't be chickens. They have to be pigeons, because that's the worst possible bird." Antonio "L.A." Reid, co-president of LaFace, TLC's record label, says his company was first approached about putting out the answer song but declined because "we're not greedy, and since we have the original record, it would be degrading to TLC to have it come out on LaFace." But in the spirit of fun, the company allowed the music track to be used. "I haven't seen anything like this since the Roxanne days," says Reid, referring to the battle of the sexes set off in 1985 by UTFO's Roxanne, Roxanne, which inspired Roxanne Shante's Roxanne's Revenge and was followed by other Roxanne songs.

"It's been many years since something has sparked that kind of emotion in people and has been the subject of so many conversations in beauty salons, barbershops or Wall Street investment bank meetings." No Scrubs spent six consecutive weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100, and Reid says it could have stayed longer if the label hadn't limited the number of singles available commercially in an effort to sell more albums. Whether No Pigeons matches that success or not, King Kirk says, at least his group has balanced the scales a bit. "Now if a guy says 'What's up' to a girl, and she says 'scrub,' the guy can throw 'pigeon' at them and it's all even. Then they both have two words they can go home laughing with."

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Our girl Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott is causing quite a media frenzy with her recent revelations in the July issue of Spin magazine. "I go through battles where I´m like, ´Dag, I´m still cussing on albums, and I don´t wanna cuss no more,´´´ she told the magazine. "I´m trying to get it together. I stopped doing a lot of things - I won´t drink and I don´t smoke. But I don´t want people to be like, ´Okay, now she´s Reverend Elliott.´´´ What is getting attention is how Missy, who has been described "as a devout Baptist who goes to church", raps about raunchy behavior and foul language. Missy, who has worked with Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, among others, has generally steered clear of controversy. But with notorious rap personality Eminem (Marshall Mathers) rapping on her new album about beating up a pregnant woman, and a song titled "She’s A Bitch" riding the charts, many industry skeptics are concerned about how sanctified the Virginia native really is. According to a record company spokesperson, Missy has had a change in her personal life, but they’re not making a big deal out of it. According to a recent article in Time Out New York magazine, Missy has shed 30 pounds, and stopped smoking marijuana, due to a conversation she reportedly had with God. Missy’s sophomore album, Da Real World, will be released on June 22, and will feature collaborations with Timbaland, Destiny’s Child, Lady Saw, Da Brat and Aaliyah, among others. Also check for our Missy "BMM" feature this week!

Early retirement seems to be the latest trend in rap, despite the general youthfulness of the artists. Following the recent announcement from Mase, No Limit Records first lady Mia X says her forthcoming album, Superior, will be her last. The New Orleans native plans to pursue studies in entertainment law in order to educate young artists about the music business. "I don´t want to practice," Mia told us, "I want to do seminars for up-and-coming artists... Every CEO they run across is not going to be as as fair as (No Limit mastermind) Master P. I want to teach them how to make investments and how to take care of their money." Mia´s own bad experiences as a young artist inspired her decision to stop rapping. She´s looking into programs at New Orleans´s Tulane University, which would allow her to spend more time with her two children. Still, Superior won´t be released until 2000 because Mia wants her final effort to be flawless. In the meantime, she spent some time in Los Angeles placing the final touches on No Limit albums by Master P, Silkk The Shocker, and C-Murder´s new TRU album, as well as an album by Mercedes, the long-awaited Rear End, which is due out June 29. "Her vibe is like hardcore, explicit, hip-hop R&B," offers Mia who appears on the song "Hit ´Em." "You guys are going to have to ask yourselves, ´Can you handle the ride?´"

112 is working everyday and they've been doing a lot of writing. In fact, they've even written a few songs for the group N'Sync and sent the songs to N'Sync. Mike said, "That's another thing that 112 does. It just makes us a real hard group to hang with. We definitely try to do other things." He also talked about how close 112 is and that they definitely stress unity. He said, "We're at the mall together, we're watching movies together. We're trying to stay as close as possible. I see these guys 365 days out of the year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, all that." He also said they were not afraid of catching any heat for writing songs for a White R&B group. You know, some Black folks aren't too happy about White guys singing R&B music. But Mike said that music is music and for the most part, people appreciate music. Forget the color line. He added, "If a song sounds good, it sounds good and people need to be open-minded. It's a new age and we just gotta go with the flow with what's real and what's hot. The Lord put us here on this planet for all of us to be together and that's something that we stress. We stress unity, not with just 112, but with the whole world. That's one of the messages that we have, let's be unified. Let's do something together. If we're gonna sing, let's all sing together and for one cause. Let's just be together. And too, it's about money. Making money. Let's do what's going to make money."

Lemisha Grinstead of 702 will have her first born sometime next month. Lemisha & her high school sweethart will get married before the year is out. Her birthday is also next month. She isn't the only one with a boyfriend though. Irish of the group is dating Ray J. Brandy's brother & a recording artist as well. They've been dating almost two years. The groups latest single "Where my girls at?" is doing great currently a top 10 hit! The album will be out June 15.

Leonardo DiCaprio will star along with Monica in the re-make of Love Story. Leo is currently taking shating lessons because the role requires hockey playing. If Leo pulls out of the project due to his other projects, Mark Wahlberg will take the role. But right now it looks like Leo is gonna due the film, it starts shooting this fall!

The Queen Of Hip Hop/Soul Mary J. Blige is currently putting the finishing touches on her fifth album, tentatively titled Mary. MCA Records has scheduled August 24 as the release date for the albums, which will feature a number of celebrity guests, including Lauryn Hill, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Jay-Z, and K-Ci Hailey. Blige is currently mixing the album in Los Angeles and New York. The album credits producers such as Lauryn Hill, Malik Pendleton, Ike Lee III, Kevin Dean and Lewis Tillman, and Chunky Thompson, among others. Sources close to the album tell us that Mary J. covered First Choice's 1980s club classic "Let No Man Put Asunder" for the new album. Most of the recording was done at Electric Lady studios in New York City. Mixing and mastering should be completed by the week of May 24. Mary J. has just done a cover photo shoot for Essence magazine & a shoot for Vogue.

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