By: Rizoh R&B singer Brandy Norwood was involved in a multiple-car accident that claimed the life of a 38-year old woman, according to reports. The accident allegedly occurred at 10:30 AM on December 30, 2006 on the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles. While driving her 2007 Land Rover, Brandy accidentally struck a 2005 Honda in front of her, which in turn crashed into a 1989 Toyota. The 2005 Honda, driven by 38-year old Awatef Aboudihaj, then spun sideways and struck the center divider. As Aboudihaj’s Honda came to a halt, it was pummeled by an oncoming 1988 Acura. Aboudihaj was taken to a hospital, where she died of injuries, according to reports. Brandy, who went unscathed in the accident, was terribly disoriented after the accident. A witness who talked to TMZ.com claims that Brandy repeatedly blamed herself for the accident, even walking back and forth in front of speeding lanes. In a statement released through her publicist, Brandy also confirmed her involvement in the fatal car accident and wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno Despite Snoop’s current legal woes (he pleaded innocent to charges of deadly weapons possession after he was stopped by airport security with what they said was a collapsible baton in his luggage), the rapper is still planning to host his annual Snoop Bowl in Miami during Super Bowl weekend. Snoop Bowl III will feature California’s Snoop Dogg All-Stars coached by Snoop against an All-Star South Florida team coached by Oakland Raider Zach Crockett, his brother, former Minnesota Viking, Henri Crockett and Green Bay Packer Al Harris. "This game is not only about working with the kids through football, and helping them learn all of the positive values that come with it, but it’s a way for the kids to see a different part of the country and to meet their peers from other places who are just like them," commented Snoop Dogg. "This game is all about the kids and making sure they know that we care and want to see them succeed both on the field and off." The game will take place on February 3 at the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami and presented by Amp’d Mobile. Last year’s Snoop Bowl II entertained over 20,000 fans and raised more than $50,000 in charities. Snoop Dogg’s All-Stars won 31-6 over Detroit’s PAL All-Stars.

Label name: Quannum Projects Founded (Date): 1991 Founders: Blackalicious (Chief Xcel & Gift of Gab), Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truthspeaker and DJ Shadow. Backstory: The independent label Quannum Projects was first conceived in 1991 as a collective by the artists Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lateef, Lyrics Born and the journalists DJ Zen (Jeff Chang) and Jazzbo (Joseph Patel), under the moniker “Solesides Records.” Now headquartered in San Francisco, Quannum has grown to be one of the nation’s leading independent labels, having sold over 2 million records since its inception. Before evolving into Quannum in 1997, Solesides released such seminal recordings as Shadow’s "Entropy" and Blackalicious’ "Alphabet Aerobics," as well as Latyrx’ "Lady Don’t Tek No" and "Balcony Beach," leading a wave of independent hip-hop from Northern California and beyond. Quannum then went on to massive grassroots success with the release of Blackalicious’ debut Nia in 2000. That same year marked the arrival of a new group into the Quannum fold, Portland’s Lifesavas, whose debut album Spirit in Stone quickly became a hip-hop classic. The collective earned critical and commercial success most recently with Lyrics Born’s masterpiece Later That Day… (2003) and the follow-up remix project Same !@#$ Different Day (2005), notably with the hit single “Callin’ Out.” The Quannum family has continued to expand with releases from such diverse artists as São Paulo’s Curumin, vintage keyboard guru General Elektriks, the electronic hip-hop duo Apsci, LA-based MC Pigeon John and the Bay Area’s own skateboarding legend Tommy Guerrero. The label has also secured numerous licensing deals and partnerships with companies such as Coca Cola, Motorola Toyota, Nike, Adidas, HBO, ESPN, EA Sports and the major motion pictures Abandon and Collateral Greatest Achievements : Our commitment to the preservation of quality music is our strongest achievement. In our 10+ years, we’ve built a strong core audience and introduced the world to Lyrics Born, Lifesavas, Pigeon John, Blackalicious and a plethora of quality music on our own terms. We are proud of every single release in our catalog. Current and Future projects: 2006 was a phenomenal year for us. We released 4 albums by new and classic Quannum artists including: Pigeon John And The Summertime Pool Party Honeycut The Day I Turned To Glass Tommy Guerrero from the soil to the soul Lyrics Born Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live! 2007 is primed to be another year of solid releases including the long awaited sophomore release from Lifesavas Gutterfly, to the debut album from Joyo Velarde, a new collabo project helmed by Lateef the Truthspeaker and Gift of Gab called Underdogs and a few other gems we’ll save for later! Goals and Purpose : First and foremost we are about quality hip-hop. We are at our core a hip-hop label that was founded in order to release a caliber of music that otherwise had no outlet to be heard. In the last 3 years, our catalog has grown to include other types of music that are not hip-hop in the traditional sense, but we’ve still maintained quality. Each and every release contains a level of musicality that can’t be found many other places. We hope to continue to grow and expand our roster to include other like-minded artists who share the Quannum aesthetic and commitment to quality. Within the Game : The game is constantly evolving and constantly changing. Definitions of what is hip-hop and what makes you relevant to the game is getting harder and harder to define. It goes without saying, that the beauty of hip-hop is the foundation upon which it sits; that being creativity and innovation. Quannum embraces this foundation to the fullest. That alone keeps us relevant in the game. It always has and it always will. CLICK HERE TO READ THEPIGEON JOHNINTERVIEW CLICK HERE TO READ THELIFESAVASINTERVIEW

By: Rizoh So says faith-based Web site LoveGodsWay.org. The site’s Gay Bands column warns parents to "keep watch over their children’s listening habits, especially in this Internet Age of MP3 piracy," before posting an endless list of "gay bands to watch for." Some hip-hop artists mentioned include: Lil’ Wayne, Ghostface Killah, Jay-Z, Eminem, DMX, Lil’ Kim, and Tech N9ne.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno Jamie Foxx has won an Oscar, an American Music Award, is nominated for some Grammys and is now working his way towards taking over the airwaves. The comedian recently announced the upcoming launch of his new Sirius Radio channel, The Foxxhole, an exclusive urban comedy, entertainment and lifestyle channel. "The Foxxhole will break new ground in comedy, blurring the lines between stand-up, sketch, and music," Foxx said. "SIRIUS Satellite Radio gives me the opportunity to create urban entertainment and programming like you have never heard on the radio." The channel will feature urban comedy bits from a large number of comedians, and will create groundbreaking approaches to presenting comedy to radio listeners, as well as showcase music, skits, radio theater and more. Look for it on Sirius channel 106 this Spring. In the meantime, you can check out Foxx touring in support of his album Unpredictable.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno Looks like Akon is already having an amazing 2007. His new album, Konvicted, was just certified platinum just five weeks after it dropped. His hits with Eminem (“Smack That”) and Snoop Dogg (“I Wanna Love You”) obviously helped push his album over the edge, but now he’s going to get a bigger push from everyone’s favorite white girl. Gwen Stefani announced her national tour dates in support of her new album, The Sweet Escape (which also features a tune with Akon). Stefani has tapped both Akon and Brit emcee Lady Sovereign to roll with her during the tour. The tour launches on April 22 in San Diego and will run until June 23, ending in Irvine, California. Here’s the tour dates: Sun-Apr 22 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre** Tues-Apr 24 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center** Wed-Apr 25 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Arena** Fri-Apr 27 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre*** Sat-Apr 28 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion Mon-Apr 30 Salt Lake City, UT The E Center Wed-May 2 Denver, CO Pepsi Center Thu-May 3 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion Sat-May 5 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Centre Sun-May 6 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Tues-May 8 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre Wed-May 9 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre Fri-May 11 Atlanta, GA HiFi Buys Amphitheatre Sat-May 12 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Mon-May 14 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion Tue-May 15 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Thu-May 17 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion Fri-May 18 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Sun-May 20 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Mon-May 21 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena Wed-May 23 Boston, MA Tweeter Center Thu-May 24 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center at The Waterfront Sun-May 27 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel and Casino*** Tue-May 29 Montreal, QC Bell Centre Wed-May 30 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Fri-June 1 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills Sat-June 2 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center Mon-June 4 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Tues-June 5 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center Thu-June 7 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center Fri-June 8 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Sun-June 10 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre Tue-June 12 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place Wed-June 13 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome Fri-June 15 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place Sat-June 16 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre Mon-June 18 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre Tue-June 19 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre Fri-June 22 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Sat-June 23 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater ** Akon only *** Lady Sovereign only

By: Rizoh Lil Jon, the unofficial Mayor of Crunkston, GA is stuck between a rock and a rap tune on his fourth album. We’re talking about Jon’s forthcoming rock/rap LP, Crunk Rock. Jon told Billboard News that the disc will feature a rock side and a rap side. "It’s not a compilation. But it’ll have a lot of appearances, like how Dr. Dre does his records. There’ll be a hip-hop side and a rock side. It’s a mixture of all the sh*t I’ve done. Like Run-D.M.C. rapping over a hard rock track, I’m going to go back to some of those hard guitars over hip-hop beats. I won’t do a Metallica song, but I’ll take a Metallica riff and put it over a gangsta beat," Jon told Billboard. Guest spots and actual recordings are still being fleshed out, but some confirmed features include Ciara, Three-6-Mafia (or shall we say Two-6-Mafia), and R.Kelly. Crunk Rock, due out later this year, is Lil Jon’s first venture as a solo artist.

Label name: Stones Throw Records Founded (Date): 1996 Founders: Peanut Butter Wolf Backstory (What’s the story behind the launch of the label? How was it launched? Why was it launched?): Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw to release music by his slain partner Charizma. Wolf and Charizma recorded a large amount of music for Hollywood Basics, a Los Angeles based label funded by Disney that released the first music by DJ Shadow and Organized Konfusion amongst others, in the early 90s before Charizma died in 1993. Stones Throw’s first release was the Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf 12” “My World Premier.” Greatest Achievements (What are the label’s proudest moments? Going platinum? Releasing a classic? Signing a legend?): 1) Finally issuing the Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf album “Big Shots” in 2004 2) releasing Madlib and MF DOOM’s collaboration “Madvillainy” 3) releasing music by the late, great J.Dilla 4) continuing to work with Dilla’s mother, Maureen Yancey, to keep Dilla’s music alive 5) working with Madlib to release music that runs the musical gamut back, front and side to side. Current and Future projects (What current projects are you pushing and what’s planned for the next year?): J.Dilla’s rarely heard masterpiece “Ruff Draft”, Percee P’s debut album “Perseverance”, Madlib’s long awaited solo album, Guilty Simpson, Koushik, Baron Zen Remixes, Arabian Prince compilation, Heliocentrics, Whitefield Brothers and more. Goals and Purpose (What kind of impact are you hoping to make on the industry? What goals do you have for the label?): Release timeless music. Within the Game (How does the label fit within the current climate of hip-hop? Or does it even fit in at all? What’s the label’s personality in relation to the rest of hip-hop?): We’re trying our damndest to release hip hop that will withstand the test of time. If Ghostface can rap over “Know The Ledge” in 2006 and make it sound fresh and ill, it’s certainly possible. CLICK HERE TO READ THEALOE BLACC INTERVIEW

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno The 27th Annual Golden Rasberry Awards (or Razzies) announced its nominees for the worst of 2006 and the Wayans brothers and “Little Man” were all over the place. Their comedy flick “Little Man” leads all nominations with seven, alongside Basic Instinct 2, which also garnered seven nominations. Not only did “”Little Man” get a nod for Worst Picture and Worst Actors for Shawn and Marlon Wayans’ performance, but also Worst Screen Performance (Shawn Wayan & either Kerry Washington or Marlon Wayans), Worst Remake/Rip-Off (rip-off of the 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon “Baby Buggy Bunny”). Worst Director (Keenan Ivory Wayans), Worst Screenplay (written by Wayans Brothers) and also a Worst Actor nod for Rob Schnieder’s performance. The award show will be held on February 24 at Hollywood’s Ivar Theatre the night before the Oscars. Other movies with multiple nominations include Lady in the Water, Bloodrayne and Wicker Man. For the full list of nominees, check out www.razzies.com.

By: Rizoh Nearly one month after his death, the hardest working man in showbiz is yet to find a resting place. HHC has learned that James Brown’s body has been relocated from his Beech Island, S.C., home where it had been since December 30, to a temporary site, but his lawyer isn’t disclosing the new location. Brown’s estate trustee and counsel Buddy Dallas declined to offer any explanations for the relocation. He, however, said that Brown’s final resting place had not yet been selected. James Brown’s six adult children are planning to put the body in a mausoleum, according to widespread reports. The dynamic Godfather of Soul died on December 25, 2006. He was 73 years old.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno The last we heard from Musiq was in 2003 when he dropped Soulstar, a solid album that was totally off the radar and immensely under promoted by Def Jam. Some fans still think that his last album was 2000’s Juslisen. But now Musiq returns with the “Soulchild” back to his name and a new album, Luvanmusic, which hits stores on March 13. Musiq has also joined a new label, Atlantic Records. "I’m excited to be an Atlantic recording artist for the simple fact that it’s a label of great tradition and legacy, which has been responsible for signing some of the greatest artists of all time – from Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, and John Coltrane to Gerald Levert, T.I., and James Blunt,” Musiq said.“Just to be added to this great list of artists is enough in itself. I look forward to working with the Atlantic team to continue the legacy." His first single, “Buddy”, is already creating a buzz on radio and he plans on touring behind the album’s release this spring.

By: Rizoh Fans will soon have the opportunity to receive promotional and personal text messages directly from Snoop Dogg. Thanks to The Snoop Dogg Chronicles powered by The In Crowd and 9 Squared, Inc., a division of MonsterMob Group PLC. Now, don’t get the impression that you’d be chatting with Snoop all day about football and females at no charge. In fact, you don’t have to receive text messages from Snoop if you don’t wish to. The service allows subscribers to receive three text messages weekly from any celebrity of their choice, including west coast wordsmith Xzibit, Andy Milonakis of MTV, John Salley of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period." Wireless carriers including Verizon, Cingular, Sprint, T Mobile, Alltel, and Dobson are on board to distribute the personalized messages to their customers, resulting in the ability to reach over 150 million cell phones. "The ongoing popularity of the fusion between the mobile industry and the entertainment industry among wireless users is exploding right now," says Ted Suh, Chief Marketing Officer at 9 Squared, Inc. "Offering a subscription to receive personal messages from a nationally recognized personality such as Snoop opens the door for another engaging, fun way that users can enjoy their wireless experience." What will they think of next?

Founders: Jason Goldwatch & Peter Bittenbender Backstory (What’s the story behind the launch of the label? How was it launched? Why was it launched?): It all started with a road trip, and a camera. While documenting a journey across America, Decon’s two founding-brothers decided to make a film and also put together a ground-breaking CD/DVD called "One Big Trip" The success of this project led to the creation of the creative hub that is the Decon label and multimedia agency – the motto – take risks, live creatively. Greatest Achievements (What are the label’s proudest moments? Going platinum? Releasing a classic? Signing a legend?): Finding "One Big Trip" on the evening news at Sundance when "fake pills" used to promote the movie at Sundance where suspected to be laced with LSD. Where they? No one really knows. Reuniting A Tribe Called Quest for the 2006 Annual 2K Sports Bounce Tour. Current and Future projects (What current projects are you pushing and what’s planned for the next year?): Music projects: Aceyalone & RJD2 "Magnificent City", Dan The Automator "2K7", Wax Tailor "Hope and Sorrow". Multimedia projects: Team Ice Cream Skate Video Vol 1, Dilated Peoples "Release Party" DVD/Bonus CD, Pharrell’s "In My Mind" DVD. Goals and Purpose (What kind of impact are you hoping to make on the industry? What goals do you have for the label?): Not just to think outside the box, but to constantly change the box – innovate, create and then sell sell sell! Within the Game (How does the label fit within the current climate of hip-hop? Or does it even fit in at all? What’s the label’s personality in relation to the rest of hip-hop?): The label has always been about pushing the underground over ground, and then feeding off the next generation of innovation to recreate that cycle again and again. a.k.a. "who needs radio?" CLICK HERE TO READ THE WAX TAILOR INTERVIEW

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno A Tribe Called Quest’s reunion tour last year, was just that – a tour and nothing else. Fans were hoping for a reunion album to go along with the whole vibe, but that’s not happening at the moment, so Q-Tip is gearing up to drop his new album, The Renaissance. The album is set to drop this Spring and features appearances from Common, D’ Angelo and Andre 3000 plus a band that Tip himself put together. "I wanted a hip-hop sonic feel, something pure to the sound of hip-hop with real drums, real emotion and people taking solos," Tip told Billboard Magazine. "In that sense this record feels like we’re moving in a new direction … something hip-hop should do." The album is the official follow-up to Tip’s 1999 album, Amplified that featured the hits “Vivrant Thang” and “Breathe and Stop.” He did record a follow up in 2001 called Kamaal The Abstract, but it was apparently shelved because Arista didn’t know how to promote the project. Look for Tip to tour solo in support of the new album later this year.

By Quibian Salazar-Moreno In an effort to help students achieve their college dreams, Alicia Keys announced that she will be giving away $5,000 college scholarships as part of the The Open Doors Scholars Program which is part of Frum Tha Ground Up, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit organization started by Keys’ road manager, D.J. Walton, who went to college in Jacksonville. Keys will be giving scholarships to students in four cities – Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta and Harlem in New York City. "We’re just looking for standout students who are definitely college-bound and need a little bit of help financially to really achieve their dreams," Keys told the Associated Press. Keys also recently announced that she is considering packin’ a gat. She’s gearing up for the release of the film, “Smokin’ Aces”, where she plays an assassin and had to learn how to use a gun for the role. "I’ve never owned a gun, but I’m seriously considering owning one now,” Keys said. “God forbid, if anything happened I would be prepared." “Smokin’ Aces”, which also stars Common, hits theatres on January 26.