• Snoop Dogg
• Tha Dogg Pound
• Ice Cube
• DJ Quik
• Too Short

Kanye West
Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

Kanye West, Hawthorne Heights, AFI and A Tribe Called Quest have been tapped to perform at the 36th annual Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, to be held Labor Day weekend, September 2-4, at the Seattle Center in, um, Seattle. Yellowcard, Feist and Mates of State are also on the bill. A full lineup is expected to be announced July 11, and tickets will go on sale July 15. For more information, check out Bumbershoot.org. ...

He's been attached to several movies in development over the years, but finally Fred Durst seems headed for the director's chair. The Limp Bizkit rocker has signed on to helm "The Education of Charlie Banks," an indie drama starring "The Squid and the Whale" actor Jesse Eisenberg in the title role and "Happy Endings" star Jason Ritter, according to Variety. The movie — which starts shooting in June in Providence, Rhode Island — is about a Vassar College student who gets paid a surprise visit by a kid from his old New York neighborhood. ...

Following the path of Linkin Park and Jay-Z — who won a Grammy for their 2004 mash-up album, Collision Course — Atlanta's Dem Franchize Boyz and Korn will join forces in a Los Angeles studio Wednesday (April 12) for a collabo of their own. The plan is to combine DFB's "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" with Korn's "Coming Undone," though a spokesperson for Korn said it's not clear just what will happen with the tune once it's recorded. ... Dilated Peoples, DJ Shadow, Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, Money Mark and Madlib are all slated to perform at a three-day benefit concert and art auction in Los Angeles May 24-26. The performers are friends of Keith Tamashiro, a graphic designer who recently suffered a brain aneurysm. Tamashiro has worked on album covers for those artists as well as Damian Marley, Herbie Hancock and Jay Dee. ...

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame has unveiled the inductees that will be honored at its 28th annual awards banquet, set for September 16 in Atlanta. R.E.M. score the group prize, Jermaine Dupri is this year's songwriter inductee, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers will be recognized in the performer category, and Dallas Austin will be honored in the non-performer group for his work as a producer. The museum, located in Macon, has previously inducted artists including TLC, Ray Charles, James Brown and the B-52's. ... Head Automatica's forthcoming Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance)-produced LP, Popaganda, has been set for a June 6 release. The band recently shot a video for the disc's first single, "Graduation Day," at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. The track features backing vocals from MCR's Gerard Way. ...

Guster and the Barenaked Ladies are teaming up for a four-day cruise that will include group and solo performances, karaoke and jam sessions. The Ships and Dip Cruise through the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean will leave from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 15 and return on the 19th. Other acts will also be announced. ... After garnering much buzz in the past year, Jamie Lidell is re-releasing last year's Multiply as Multiply Editions May 30. The new set will have remixes by the likes of Feist collaborator Gonzales labelmate Luke Vibert, as well as live songs recorded in London and Paris. Lidell will also go out for an April tour with another labelmate, Jimmy Edgar, hitting New York, Los Angeles and Toronto along the way. Lidell will cap off the tour at Coachella. ...

Two years after canceling a Glastonbury performance because of a breast-cancer diagnosis, Kylie Minogue may perform at the legendary English summer concert event. According to The Associated Press, organizers have invited the Australian singer back for the 2007 edition of the concert. Minogue has not yet announced whether she will accept the invitation. The festival, held on fields surrounding a working farm, is taking a scheduled break this year so that cows may graze through the summer. ... Things have gone from bad to worse for former Village People "cop" Victor Willis. The 54-year-old singer from the disco group was in court Monday in San Francisco where a judge said there's enough evidence for Willis to face trial on drug-related charges, according to The Associated Press. Willis is being held without bail in connection with three cases, the first involving two felony charges, a probation violation and possession of cocaine, the second also involving cocaine possession as well as a charge of being a felon in possession of a gun. The third case stems from a March 26 stop by police for a traffic violation. In that arrest, Willis and his passenger, a prostitute, were both arrested for possession of narcotics. Willis was hit with an additional charge for providing false information. ...

04.11.2006

Mandy Moore, like any actress, has kissed plenty of frogs in her career — but she tells Cosmopolitan in the magazine's May cover story that one of her top screen kisses so far has come from "Scrubs" star Sarah Chalke. "I'm not going to lie," Moore told the mag. "I've never kissed a girl before, so that was a lot more awkward. But she was maybe one of the best kissers." Also making Moore's top makeout list (at least onscreen) are boyfriend Zach Braff (also for "Scrubs") and Adrian Grenier ("Entourage"). "It's awkward kissing a guy who's not your boyfriend. But I guess kissing handsome men isn't the most awful gig on earth." ...

No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont and his wife, Mieke, became first-time parents Thursday. According to a spokesperson for the band's label, the Dumonts are "happy, excited and having a blast with their new little one," son Ace. ... Carrie Underwood was a big winner at Monday night's fan-voted CMT Awards, scoring two trophies. The "American Idol" season-four champ took breakthrough video and female video prizes for "Jesus, Take the Wheel." Bon Jovi also scored, winning in the collaborative video category for "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which teamed the band with Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles. ... No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont and his wife, Mieke, became first-time parents Thursday. According to a spokesperson for the band's label, the Dumonts are "happy, excited and having a blast with their new little one," son Ace. ... Maggie Gyllenhaal, 28, and Peter Sarsgaard, 35, are engaged and expecting a baby, The Associated Press reports. The acting duo have been dating for four years. ...

The Latin Grammys will be held in New York for the first time ever, it was announced Tuesday. The 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards will be broadcast live Thursday, November 2, at Madison Square Garden. ... The Raconteurs don't even have a record out, but they're already being forced to change their name — at least in Australia. From now on, Jack White's new foursome will go by the Saboteurs Down Under, after it was discovered that an Aussie jazz band had already laid claim to the Raconteur handle. Reps for White confirmed the name change, and in a statement, the White Stripes frontman said the decision was made "in the spirit of espionage and subversion." Whatever you call the band, its debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, will hit stores May 16. ...

Columbia Records will release WWE: Wreckless Intent, a compilation featuring the entrance themes of World Wrestling Entertainment's biggest names, May 23. The disc features Saliva's "I Walk Alone," which ushers in Batista; Brand New Sin doing "Crank It Up," which signals the Big Show's trip to the square circle; and Rey Mysterio's entrance song, "Booyaka 619," performed by P.O.D. Others on the disc include Three 6 Mafia, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Theory of a Deadman and Motörhead. ...

Trapt and Shinedown will launch a 28-date co-headlining run April 19 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Mercy Fall, Halestorm and Evans Blue sharing opening duties. Dates run through May 27 in Anthony, Texas, with more gigs to be added in the coming weeks. Trapt's Chris Brown said the band plans to start writing new material this fall, then return to the road again for another spate of dates before heading into the studio toward the end of this year to track its third album. Trapt's sophomore disc, Someone in Control, was released in September. ...

Scottish group Arab Strap lost approximately $6,000 Sunday night in Philadelphia when cash was allegedly stolen from their tour manager's purse at Nick's Roast Beef restaurant. Anyone with information regarding the theft is asked to contact Philadelphia police at (215) 686-3093 or 3094. This is the second incident to hit the Arab Strap tour. Last month supporting act A Whisper in the Noise were attacked in Seattle during an attempted robbery. ...

Fefe Dobson has set a new release date (June 20) for her second record, Sunday Love, which was previously primed for release last fall. The first single, "This Is My Life," was co-written by Billy Steinberg (the Veronicas, Celine Dion) and produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, P.O.D.). ... Eels will launch their Live and in Person! No Strings Attached 2006 tour — apparently a reference to the band's last jaunt, which featured a strings session — May 25 at Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre. The trek, with Smoosh opening, ends with Lollapalooza in Chicago in early August and includes a free show at the World Financial Plaza in New York June 13. The latter gig will be a thank-you to the Big Apple fans who appear on the recent live CD/DVD Live at Town Hall. ...

Toad the Wet Sprocket will play their first shows together in several years this summer, including some dates with Big Head Todd & the Monsters billed as Todd and Toad. Toad singer Glen Phillips will play a solo set at all the shows and will also play several dates without his band, beginning May 4 in Burlington, Vermont. Phillips' fourth solo album, Mr. Lemons, is due May 2. ... Former Meat Puppets singer Curt Kirkwood, Son Volt and Drive-By Truckers are teaming for a spring tour that kicks off April 30 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trek ends May 9 in Seattle. ...

• Kanye West
• Hawthorne Heights
• R.E.M.
• Jermaine Dupri
• Kylie Minogue

Dilated Peoples
Photo: Capitol

"George Bush doesn't care about Filipinos."

No, Kanye West has not modified his notorious soapbox rant. This jibe is in fact courtesy of DJ Babu, proud Filipino-American and producer/turntablist for the Los Angeles hip-hop trio Dilated Peoples. Babu may poke fun at his crew's reputation as one of the few socially conscious voices in rap music, but it's a reputation, a responsibility even, that these SoCal b-boys take very seriously.

"A lot of people are afraid to get involved [in social issues] because this is entertainment," said Dilated MC Rakaa shortly before the release of the band's new album, 20/20. "But ultimately [when] you have a platform, you have people's attention. Just try to do the best you can. I wouldn't necessarily say, 'Get out there and turn a good time into a political rally,' but maybe you can find a way to entertain people and at the same time interject something positive and constructive."

Entertaining people with a beat-heavy blend of positivity, humor and social commentary is something Rakaa, partner-in-rhyme Evidence and Babu have been doing since the late '90s. Already a fixture on the West Coast, the DPs are just now experiencing the kind of recognition they feel is their just due — thanks largely to a growing army of loyal fans and the success of their 2004 radio hit "This Way," produced by and featuring the aforementioned Mr. West, as well as John Legend.

Steady radio play, combined with consistent rotation of the accompanying video, brought Dilated mainstream recognition. But the experience left the group with a bitter aftertaste. In their eyes, their label, Capitol Records, pushed the single more aggressively than Neighborhood Watch, the album from which it came.

"It was a mixed blessing," Rakaa said of the single's success. "It exposed us to a lot of people, but unfortunately, the overall campaign for the album didn't follow through. I love 'This Way,' but I just wish people would've gotten a sense of what the entire Neighborhood Watch album was about and not been so focused on the single."

A heated Rakaa went even further. "There's very few cats at the record labels that are part of hip-hop culture or even like rap music," he claimed. "Most of those cats are offended that they have to sell our record. They would love to sell flowery acoustic-guitar music all day, because that's what they personally enjoy listening to. They put on their Birkenstocks and go outside, cross their feet and just tool away," he said, strumming an imaginary guitar. "But don't front and then sleep on my project and not give it the same respect that you're going to give to the next record just because you might not happen to agree with it."

Fueled by frustration and guided by hindsight, Dilated Peoples recorded their fourth studio album, aptly titled 20/20.

"The 20/20 campaign is us bringing the Dilated sound to the forefront. These three cats," Evidence proclaimed, referring to himself and his bandmates, "are responsible for our new album, responsible for our new artwork, and responsible for picking our video director."

"We kept it in-house," Babu added. "The majority of production is us three right here. And we're really proud [of the record]."

The album's jump-off single and video is "Back Again," a defiant, Alchemist-produced banger signaling DP's dedication to hip-hop at its most fundamental level.

"I feel like the album is just uncut, pure, baking-soda free, like concentrate," Rakaa boasted. "Something's got to hit the water and make those ripples, and that's what we're here to do. Cats are going to try to dilute [what we do] and labels are going to try to sign [imitations] all over the place. But let them follow. Let them do what they do. We do what we do."

• Dilated Peoples

Arctic Monkeys' <i>Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not</i>
Photo: Domino

Arctic Breeze: The British music press is no stranger to hyperbole, but after topping the charts and picking up a key Brit Award (for Best British Breakthrough Act) in their homeland, the Arctic Monkeys could be on to something. The Stateside release of their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, is frill-free, but songs like "Mardy Bum," "Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But ..." and "Red Light Indicates the Doors Are Secure" are fun for the whole family.

Diddy on Their Minds: In what could be one of the weakest disses ever recorded — if you could even call it that — Dilated Peoples take one of Diddy's famous lines ("Don't worry if I write rhymes/ I write checks") and turn it into — don't look! — "Don't worry if I write checks/ I write rhymes." Whichever way they're facing on "Back Again," the good-natured Peeps — who featured Kanye West on their 2004 single "This Way" — get a few lay-ups by Talib Kweli and a bunch of underground talent: Dr. Greenthumb, Defari, Capleton and Krondon.

Wicked World: Stumble across the Wicked Wisdom Web site and you probably wouldn't guess the band is Jada Pinkett Smith's metal project, for which she is apparently going by the name Jada Koren. But judging from the track list of the Wicked's self-named debut, there's little doubt as to who this record's about: "Something Inside of Me," "Bleed All Over Me," "Set Me Free" and "Don't Hate Me." (Also feeling wicked this week is Bird York, whose 12-track Wicked Little High features her "In the Deep" contribution to "Crash.")

Hello William: So what's William Orbit been up to since producing Blur's Think Tank in 2003? Well, cultivating some Depeche Mode archival releases, but also fine-tuning his first solo record since 2000's Pieces in a Modern Style. His new one, Hello Waveforms, features Tricky's brother Finley Quaye — Orbit produced his Much More Than Much Love — plus the Sugababes and his old Strange Cargo pal, Laurie Meyer. Let's hold off on the astronomical puns this time around, people.

Unrepentantly Indie: Death Cab for Cutie's hop from career-long label Barsuk to major label Atlantic for last year's Plans helped generate that many more radio spins of "Soul Meets Body." But Chris Walla & Co. are going covert again for The John Byrd EP, which cobbles together live cuts from the band's Transatlanticism tour. Gaining them a few extra indie-cred points, Death Cab tack on an unreleased cover of Sebadoh's "Brand New Love."

Not to be confused with Sebadoh's Jason Loewenstein is Tim Loewen, who plays bass on the new Destroyer album, Destroyer's Rubies. New Pornographer contributor Dan Bejar expands his side project into a full ensemble this time around, turning to Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola and saxophone player Scott Morgan on tracks like "A Dangerous Woman Up to a Point," "Priest's Knees" and "Sick Priest Learns to Last Forever."

Identity Crisis: An album of songs sung by '80s action-star/cyborg Robocop might come across as rather, uh, one-note, but luckily there's Nuremberg, Germany's Robocop Kraus to take up the mantle. The man-machine would probably have trouble understanding one track in particular on They Think They Are the Robocop Kraus: "You Don't Have To Shout" revolves around Mathias Rust, who flew took off in a plane in Hamburg and landed in Communist Moscow — smack-dab in the middle of the Red Square — at age 19.

Back to cases of mistaken identity, that's not Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" who's putting out The Day the River Sang. It's the John Stewart of your parents' (or grandparents') generation, the Kingston Trio guy. One standout track is "New Orleans," on which Stewart reminisces about the Katrina catastrophe amid a spare piano.

And speaking of veteran musicians paying tribute to the Crescent City, Kinks leader Ray Davies provides a similar reflection on "The Tourist," which is centered around his home in New Orleans.

Heavy on the Visuals: As the tension builds over the major-label debut by metal's latest and greatest hope, Atlanta's Mastodon, their former label, Relapse, has been emptying out the archives. Call of the Mastodon, issued earlier this month, huddled together the band's earliest recordings, while this week's "The Workhorse Chronicles" DVD has a startling 30 tracks (the band's only put out two albums so far) and loads of interview material.

Eels also dump a bundle of tracks onto Live at Town Hall, for which E is backed with a string quartet and two multi-instrumentalists. The concert release comes as a digipak or as a standalone DVD with additional songs, four short docs and more.

Elbow are also feeling the video bug: A limited edition of their Leaders of the Free World comes with a bonus DVD, and they're distinguishing the special package with an olive-green cover.

But while many are transforming audio content to video this week, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (Bad Seeds, Dirty Three) head in the opposite direction with their soundtrack to "The Proposition." Cave wrote the screenplay to the Australian indie flick, which stars Guy Pearce and Emily Watson; the funereal musical accompaniment features a lot of tribal drumming and extended drones.

Cracker Vs. Cracker: One, two, three, four, Virgin and Cooking Vinyl declare a Cracker war. The major label — which released Cracker's first four albums — wants fans to get Get on With It: The Best of Cracker. Virgin advertises the "first single-disc compilation of their best songs," which has the original versions of classics like "Euro-Trash Girl" and "Low," as being "produced in collaboration with the band!" Cooking Vinyl, however — they who put out a 2002 Cracker live record — say Greatest Hits Redux is "the officially sanctioned greatest-hits package," even though the songs themselves are re-recordings. To make matters worse, the track lists are nearly identical ... who said a little competition wasn't good for the marketplace?

Song Titles of the Week:

"Engrish Bread," "Push the Eagle's Stomach" and "Fishstick Gumbo" from Man Man's Six Demon Bag

New Releases:

• Adair - The Destruction of Everything Is the Beginning of Something New (Warcon)
• Agnes Chan - Forget Yourself (with DVD; Bungalo)
• Arab Strap - Last Romance (Transdreamer)
• Architects - Revenge (Anodyne)
• Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Arctic Monkeys"
• Bad Wizard - Sky High (Howler)
• Bleeding Kansas - Dead Under Decor (Abacus)
• Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - "The Proposition" soundtrack (Mute)
• Chicago Underground Duo - In Praise of Shadows (Thrill Jockey)
• Coldcut - Sound Mirrors (Ninja Tune)
  Buy Now: Sound Mirrors (Ninja Tune)
• BJ Cole - Trouble in Paradise (DualDisc; Silverline)
• Cowboy Mouth - Voodoo Shoppe (Eleven Thirty)
• Ray Davies - Other People's Lives (V2)
• Death Cab for Cutie - The John Byrd EP (Barsuk)
  Read: "Death Cab For Cutie Live EP Due March 1; Next LP In The Works"
• Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies (Merge)
• Dilated Peoples - 20/20 (Capitol)
  Buy Now: 20/20 (Capitol)
• Jimmy Edgar - Color Strip (Warp)
• Eels (With Strings) - Live at Town Hall (digipak; Vagrant)
• Elbow - Leaders of the Free World (limited-edition version with DVD also available; V2)
• Evans Blue - The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume (Hollywood)
• Ex-Boyfriends - Dear John (Absolutely Kosher)
• Folly - Resist Convenience (Triple Crown)
• Stephen Fretwell - Magpie (Interscope)
• Gamble Brothers Band - Continuator (Emergent)
• Tony Gilkyson - Goodbye Guitar (Rolling Sea)
• Jesse Harris - Mineral (digipak; Secret Sun)
  Buy Now: Mineral (digipak; Secret Sun)
• Head Like a Kite - Random Portraits of the Home Movie (Pattern25)
• Hell Is for Heroes - Transmit Disrupt (Burning Heart)
• Janis Ian - Folk Is the New Black (Cooking Vinyl)
• Bob James - Urban Flamingo (Koch)
• Arden Kaywin - Quarter Life Crisis (Arden Kaywin/PEGA)
• Kidz Bop Kids - Kidz Bop 9 (with comic book; Razor & Tie)
• Nils Landgren and Joe Sample - Creole Love Call (Highnote)
• The Lashes - Get It (Red Ink/ Epic)
• Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Strings and Things (Ubiquity)
• Lilys - Everything Wrong Is Imaginary (Manifesto)
• The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Andrew Hill - Time Lines (Blue Note)
• Man Man - Six Demon Bag (Ace Fu)
• Marley's Ghost - Spooked (Sage Arts)
• Metal Hearts - Socialize (Suicide Squeeze)
• Midstates - Blocking Twilight (Reincarnate Music)
• Willie Nile - Streets of New York (Reincarnate)
• William Orbit - Hello Waveforms (Sanctuary)
• Anna Oxygen - This Is an Exercise (Kill Rock Stars)
• Lori Perry - I Found It in You (Alliant Music Group)
• Gianluca Petrella - Indigo4 (Blue Note)
• The Product - Scarface Presents the Product: One Hunid (Koch)
• Remembering Never - God Save Us (Ferret)
  Buy Now: God Save Us (Ferret)
• Robinella - Solace for the Lonely (Dualtone)
• Robocop Kraus - They Think They Are the Robocop Kraus (Epitaph)
• Shanice - Every Woman Dreams (Playtyme)
• The Slackers - Peculiar (Hellcat)
  Buy Now: Peculiar (Hellcat)
• Slave to the System - Slave to the System (Spitfire)
• Souls She Said - As Templar Nites (Dim Mak/ Vice/ Atlantic)
• John Stewart - The Day the River Sang (Appleseed)
• Street Drum Corps - Street Drum Corps (Warcon)
• Teddy Thompson - Separate Ways (Verve Forecast)
• Torture Killer - Swarm! (Metal Blade)
• The Derek Trucks Band - Songlines (Columbia)
• Two Gallants - What the Toll Tells (Saddle Creek)
• Wicked Wisdom - Wicked Wisdom (Suburban Noize)
  Read: "Jada Pinkett Smith Lives Out Her Axl Rose Dreams"
• Bird York - Wicked Little High (Narada)
• Various artists - Kidz Bop 9 (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - Take Action! Volume 5 (enhanced; Sub City)
• Various artists - Texas Unplugged - Vol. 2 (digipak; Palo Duro)
• Various artists - "Madea's Family Reunion" soundtrack (Motown)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• APB - Something to Believe In - 20th Anniversary Edition (two CDs; Young American)
• Billy Bragg - Billy Bragg: Volume 1 (box set), Brewing Up With Billy Bragg, Life's a Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Live & Dubious/ The Internationale and Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (Yep Roc)
• The Byrds - Preflyte (Sundazed)
• Califone - Roomsound (Thrill Jockey)
• Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash - 16 Biggest Hits (Columbia/Legacy)
  Buy Now: 16 Biggest Hits (Columbia/Legacy)
• The Chieftans - The Essential Chieftains (two CDs; RCA/Legacy)
• John Coltrane - Coltrane Live in Paris (Passport Audio)
• Cracker - Get on With It: The Best of Cracker (Virgin)
• Cracker - Greatest Hits Redux (Cooking Vinyl)
• Flamin' Groovies - Bust Out at Full Speed: The Sire Years (box set; DBK Works)
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Twelve Inches (ZTT)
  Buy Now: Twelve Inches (ZTT)
• Merle Haggard - Hag/ Someday We'll Look Back, Mama Tried/ Pride in What I Am, Sing Me Back Home/ The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde and Strangers/ Swinging Doors and the Bottle Let Me Down (Capitol)
• Merle Haggard - Live From Austin TX (New West)
• The Knickerbockers - Rockin'! With the Knickerbockers (Sundazed)
• Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes and Mott (Columbia/Legacy)
• Santana - Santana III: Legacy Edition (two CDs; Columbia/Legacy)
• Seven Dub - Dub Club Edition: Rock With Me Sessions (Collision Cause Chap)
• Various artists - Essential Irish Drinking Songs and Singalongs (two CDs; RCA/Legacy)
• Various artists - Original Irish Tenors: The Legendary Voices of Celtic Song (RCA/Legacy)

DVDs:

• GG Allin and the Murder Junkies - "Terror in America - Live 1993" (Music Video Distributors)
• Syd Barrett - "Under Review" (Music Video Distributors)
• Blow Monkeys - "Animal Magic - Blow Monkeys Live" (Cherry Red)
• Eels (With Strings) - "Live at Town Hall" (Image Entertainment)
• Europe - "Live From the Dark" (special edition with bonus CD; Music Video Distributors)
• Iron Maiden - "Death on the Road" (three DVDs; Columbia)
• Kid Dynamite - "Four Years in One Gulp" (Jade Tree)
• Mastodon - "The Workhorse Chronicles" (Relapse)
• Elvis Presley - "The Memphis Flash: Elvis Presley, Sun Records and How It All Began" (Music Video Distributors)
• Third World - "Music Hall in Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
• Turbo - "The History: 1980-2005" (Music Video Distributors)
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson - "Music Hall in Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Metal's Darkside: The Hard and the Furious, Volume 1" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:

February 28:

• Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely (Victory)
  Buy Now: If Only You Were Lonely (Victory)
• Kid Rock - Live Trucker (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Live Trucker (Atlantic)
• Ne-Yo - In My Own Words (Def Jam)
  Read: You Hear It First: Jay-Z's Picks
  Buy Now: In My Own Words (Def Jam)

March 7:

• Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
  Buy Now: Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
• Juvenile - Reality Check (Atlantic)
• Matisyahu - Youth (Epic)
  Buy Now: Youth (Epic)

March 14:

• E-40 - My Ghetto Report Card (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: My Ghetto Report Card (Warner Bros.)
• Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree: Limited Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour Edition (Island)
  Read: "Fall Out Boy Promise An 'Event' Video For 'Sixteen Candles' "
  Buy Now: From Under the Cork Tree: Limited Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour Edition (Island)
• Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV (Atlantic)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Hard-Fi"

• Arctic Monkeys
• Death Cab For Cutie
• Dilated Peoples
• Mastodon
• Nick Cave

William Hung's <I>Inspiration</I> CD.
Photo: Koch

Believe it or not, "American Idol" reject William Hung tops the new releases this week. If you've seen the show, you know that Hung's musical Inspiration comes from Ricky Martin's "She Bangs." And that is seemingly all one needs these days to get a record deal. While the "Idol" finalists are busy slaving away in front of Simon, Paula and Randy, Hung is living it up as an ersatz pop star on his debut record, which includes cover songs of material by Ricky Martin (of course) as well as Elton John, R. Kelly and the Village People.

The "Johnson Family Vacation" soundtrack features songs by Ashanti, Ghostface, Musiq, Joe Budden and one of the film's stars, Bow Wow. Last week's "SNL" musical guests Toots and the Maytals offer True Love, an album of collaborations on favorite Maytals tracks that includes contributions by No Doubt, Ryan Adams, the Roots, Eric Clapton, Bootsy Collins, Keith Richards, Ben Harper and Jeff Beck.

Blondie come back again with The Curse of Blondie, while Calexico's Convict Pool, a collection of cover songs and some original material, shares shelf space with They Might Be Giants' five-track EP Indestructible Object, Paul Oakenfold's Perfect Remixes Vol. 1, and Ben Kweller's On My Way.

R&B songstress Tamia releases More alongside Dilated Peoples' Neighborhood Watch, Todd Rundgren's Liarsand Henry Rollins' Nights Behind the Tree Line.

Finally, what would a new releases roundup be without a mention of Barry Manilow? Don't answer that. But Manilow releases 2 Nights Live! this week, a two-disc set that includes all his hits, including "Mandy," "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and "I Write the Songs."

Out Tuesday, April 6:

• The Advantage - The Advantage (5 Rue Christine)
• Trey Anastasio - Seis de Mayo (Elektra)
• And One - Aggressor (Metropolis)
• Architecture in Helsinki - Fingers Crossed (Bar/None)
• Atom and His Package - Hair: Debatable (Hopeless)
• Audio Learning Center - Cope Park (Vagrant)
• The Beautiful Mistake - This Is Who You Are (Militia Group)
• Jack Blades - Jack Blades (Sanctuary)
• Blondie - The Curse of Blondie (Sanctuary)
• Blue County - Blue County (Curb)
• The Butchies - Make Yr Life (Yep Roc)
• Calexico - Convict Pool (Quarterstick)
• James Carter - Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge (Warner Bros.)
• The Damnwells - The Bastards of the Beat (Red Ink/Epic)
• Dark Lotus - Black Rain (Psychopathic)
• Decree - Moment of Silence (Metropolis)
• Dilated Peoples - Neighborhood Watch (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Neighborhood Watch (Capitol)
  
• Disillusion - Back to Times of Splendor (Metal Blade)
• The DT's – Hard Fixed (Estrus)
• Dujeous? - City Limits (Third Earth Music)
• Edguy - Hellfire Club (Nuclear Blast)
• Elf Power - Walking With the Beggar Boys (Orange Twin)
• End - The Sounds of Disaster (Ipecac)
• Fear - Before the March of Flames Odd How People Shake (Rise)
• Haymarket Riot - Mog (Thick)
• William Hung - Inspiration (Koch)
  Read:
• In Flames - Soundtrack to Your Escape (Nuclear Blast)
• Kate Jacobs - You Call That Dark (Bar/None)
• John Wilkes Booze - 5 Pillars of Soul (Kill Rock Stars)
• Ben Kweller - On My Way (ATO/RCA)
• Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle (Kemado)
• Local H - Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (Studio E)
• Russell Malone - Playground (MAXJAZZ)
• Barry Manilow - 2 Nights Live! (Arista/BMG Heritage)
• Matt Marque - Nothing Personal (Atavistic)
• Mocean Worker - Enter the MoWo! (MoWo! Inc.)
• Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic)
  Buy Now: Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic)
  
• Mozaik - Live From the Powerhouse (Compass)
• Charlie Musselwhite - Sanctuary (Real World)
• Paul Oakenfold - Perfect Remixes Vol. 1 (Topaz)
• Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic (Polyvinyl)
• Old Time Relijun - Lost Light (K)
• On Air Library - On Air Library (Arena Rock)
• Pit Er Pat - Emergency (Overcoat)
• Pre Thing - 22nd Century Lifestyle (V2)
• Pulley - Matters (Epitaph)
• Henry Rollins - Nights Behind the Tree Line (2.13.61)
  Buy Now: Nights Behind The Tree Line (2 13 61 Records)
  
• Todd Rundgren - Liars (Sanctuary)
• Ron Sexsmith - Retriever (Nettwerk)
• Slow Train Soul - Illegal Cargo (Tommy Boy)
• Spinning Images - DNA (Starpolish)
• Split Shift - Tension (Elektra)
• Spymob - Sitting Around Keeping Score (Ruthless/Epic)
• Joan Stiles - Love Call (Zoho)
• Tahiti 80 - A Piece of Sunshine (Minty Fresh)
• Tamia - More (Elektra)
• Teada - Give Us a Penny and We'll Be Gone (Green Linnet)
• They Might Be Giants - Indestructible Object (Barsuk)
  Buy Now: Indestructible Object (Barsuk)
  
• Throbbing Gristle - Mutant TG (Novamute)
• Tight Phantomz - Nightfool (Southern)
• Toots and the Maytals - True Love (V2)
• Truman - Payne Avenue (Geffen)
• Vehemence - Helping the World to See (Metal Blade)
• The Warren Brothers - Well Deserved Obscurity (Savoy Jazz/429)
• Winnerys - And ... the Winnerys (Rainbow Quartz)
• Shannon Wright - Over the Sun (Quarterstick)
• Mary Youngblood - Feed the Fire (Silver Wave)
• Zeke - 'Til the Livin' End (Relapse)
• Various artists - The '90s (TVT)
• Various artists – "The Alamo" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Buzzin' Fly Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - Electric Gypsyland (Six Degrees)
• Various artists – "Ella Enchanted" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists – "Johnson Family Vacation" soundtrack (Def Jam)
• Various artists – "The Passion of the Christ": Songs Inspired By (Universal South)
• Various artists - Pink Panther's Penthouse Party (Virgin)
• Various artists - Tracks and Fields (Kill Rock Stars)
• Various artists - Urban Themes (TVT)
• DVD: Kenny Chesney - "Road Case: The Movie" (BNA)
• DVD: "Reggae Nation: The Real Spring Break" (Image Entertainment)

• Ben Jelen - Give It All Away (Maverick)
• Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power Lines (Artemis)
• Various artists - "Kill Bill 2" soundtrack (Maverick)

• Drowning Pool - Desensitized (Wind-Up)
  Read: "New Drowning Pool Singer Says He Had A Vision Before Tryout"
  Buy Now: Desensitized (Wind-Up)
  
• Hanson - Underneath (3CG)
• Prince - Musicology (Sony)

• Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (Verve)
• Joey McIntyre - 8:09 (Artemis)
• Patti Smith - Trampin' (Sony)
• Various artists - "American Idol" Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics (RCA)

• Buckethead - Population Override (Ion)
• Kimberley Locke - One Love (Curb)
  Read:
• Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)
• Various artists – "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)

• Alanis Morissette - So Called Chaos (Maverick)
• Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary)

• Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Arista)
  Read:
  Buy Now: Under My Skin (Arista)
  

• Tamia (R&B)
• Dilated Peoples
• Henry Rollins
• Blondie
• Modest Mouse

Public Enemy's Chuck D.
Photo: Rusty Skelding

ROYAL OAK, Michigan — While his sidekick Flavor Flav is in prison for parole violations, Public Enemy's politically charged leader Chuck D isn't about to let fans forget him.

Chuck repeatedly paid tribute to his clock-wearing court jester with testimonials and recorded vocals during the group's performance Friday at the Royal Oak Theatre.

"Flavor Flav is still locked up in New York because of traffic violations. Let me hear from the Detroit Tigers fans who don't like the Yankees. F--- the Bronx. F--- the Yankees. They did this to him," the rapper said, referring to all things New York, where Flav was arrested and imprisoned.

Afterward, he whipped off the hooded sweatshirt that had been hiding his face and bounced around the stage like a boxer practicing for a round in the ring. The energy level in the room hit the water-damaged roof for "Welcome to the Terrordome."

Two members of the Security of the First World book ended the stage, wearing bulletproof vests and holding swords. Their militaristic dance steps provided a backdrop to a handful of Public Enemy's songs. Professor Griff traded vocal licks with Chuck D.

A good chunk of the show was devoted to Public Enemy's political and social stances. Early in the show, Chuck shared his distaste for the president by flipping off a member of his posse wearing a rubber mask of George W. Bush during the song "Son of a Bush." The Bush stand-in was accompanied by two "Secret Service" agents who followed him as he and Chuck D criss-crossed the stage. The crowd screamed as the "president" flexed his biceps and raised his arms in victory. Near the end of the song, he dropped to his knees and prayed.

The rapper told fans he is opposed to the United States interfering with other countries' problems.

"They send people like us to war … They're trying to become kings of the world like some new Hitler. We need to shoot this sh-- down," he said before seamlessly going into "Shut 'Em Down."

The set list reflected Public Enemy's history, touching on hits such as "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Bring the Noise," as well cuts off of the group's latest album, Revolverlution. Nearly in sync, fans lifted their index fingers in response to "Public Enemy No. 1." Like its opening bands, Public Enemy suffered from a muddy sound mix that hindered performances and in-between banter.

The crowd was a diverse mix: Rockabilly cats mingled with rap fans, and gothic-clothed concert-goers camped out at a bundle of televisions.

Chuck D saw the concert as a way of teaching the crowd about music. He explained that "Detroit was always underrated on the rap" scene, before name-checking hometown rappers Insane Clown Posse and Esham. The rapper offered a vocal missive about Michigan's musical history that included mentions of Motown, soul, Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper.

"Let's bring some soul to the f---ing place. With Revolverlution, we're coming full circle," he added.

Chuck dedicated the "rest of this night to Flav," encouraging the crowd to show their love for his hypeman.

"I miss my man Flav. Really. How many of you miss Flav? I'd like to dedicate at least a moment of silence for Flav." Instead, the band played snippets of Flav's songs. "I had to do that for Flavor Flav, for real."

Last Wednesday, Flav (born William Drayton) was sentenced to nine weeks in prison for multiple parole violations, which include missing appointments with his parole officer and failing to pay fines for traffic violations.

Midway through the set, Griff took over the mic as Chuck took a break offstage. Griff and Public Enemy's band used the opportunity to share their influences, many of whom were rock artists.

During a Rage Against the Machine song, Griff, too, took a political stance, taking aim at Bush as well as the war with Afghanistan and trouble with Iraq.

"President George W. Bush stole the election like his father and his grandfather all did to get where they are today. I'm not doing this to ignite the Bush fans. … We got into a war that we American people know nothing about."

Chuck D re-entered the stage for "Can't Truss It" and "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need" to close out the set.

Openers Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious and Impossebulls offered a mixed bag of performances.

The Impossebulls, a rap collective that dubs itself the first band to record an album exclusively using the Internet, hit the stage as ticket-holders were still filing in. Dilated Peoples — Evidence, Akaa and DJ Babu — inspired the crowd to rap along to most of the set. Those closest to the stage punched their arms in the air to the beat. But DJ Babu's turntable skills surpassed the rappers' performance.

Blackalicious' set, on the other hand, was consistent. Gift of Gab and Lateef, accompanied by DJ Chief Xcel and two back-up singers, waxed poetic between songs, eliciting an enthusiastic response from the crowd. "This is what we wake up and feel. This is how we feel all day," Gift of Gab said. He lived up to his name, taking deep breaths so that he could rap at lightning speed.

Lateef, who called his music "history in progress," rapped "Sky Is Falling" as he crouched down near the ground. He introduced Gab into the song by waving his arm sharply toward him. Facing each other, Gab wiggled his arms and fingers at Lateef like a puppeteer leading his toy. "Alphabet Aerobics" was clearly a crowd favorite. As Gab shared Blackalicious' version of the alphabet, the female back-up singer walked around the stage like a ring girl, carrying cards on which individual letters were printed.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Public Enemy
• Dilated Peoples
• Blackalicious

Dialated Peoples' Evidence and Rakaa
Photo: Capitol

Dilated Peoples' new album, which deals with such subjects as unity, retaliation and war, is a powerful commentary on the post-September 11 world.

Of course, Expansion Team, released Tuesday (October 23), was recorded long before the terrorist attacks on the U.S., so the way it relates to the tragedy is merely an accident. Or is it?

"We just did it honestly," the hip-hop trio's Rakaa (a.k.a. Iriscience) said of the album. "Songs like 'War' and 'Self Defense,' the spirit of them were in our hearts. Sometimes we're in control of the brush and sometimes we're just conducting. We're like a vessel receiving divine intervention, channeling energies we don't even understand."

Expansion Team was an even darker album, Rakaa said, until the group opted to pull a song called "Target Practice" and "some other ideas" from the record after September 11.

Dilated Peoples did, however, pick "Worst Comes to Worst" as the album's first single before the attacks. In fact, they shot the video in front of the World Trade Center on September 4. (Two versions were sent to video outlets, one with the buildings in the background, and one without.)

The track, which includes the verse, "I got worldwide family all over the earth/ And I worry 'bout 'em all for whatever it's worth/ From the birth to the hearse, the streets, the guns burst/ Words I disperse are here to free minds/ And if mine are needy I need to feed mine," has certainly taken on a new meaning.

"It's really sticking with people at a time when we are coming together and unity is a big thing," Rakaa said.

"War," a 90-second number that opens to the sounds of sirens and gunshots, includes anti-war sentiments like "War is a war that can never be won/ War is the way Johnny got his gun," and is rapped over haunting chants and the lone beat of a snare drum.

"It's not about war in particular," Rakaa said. "It's more about illustrating the fact that a fight to end a war is still a war. It's like what Tracy Chapman said: 'Why are missiles called peacekeepers?' "

Expansion Team was recorded over several months in various cities. Dilated Peoples took recording equipment on the road with them and recorded while touring with the Roots and Jurassic 5.

Aside from resulting in a collaboration with the Roots' Black Thought, the sessions also gave the group some added inspiration.

"We have a great respect for Jurassic and the Roots," Rakaa said. "Being around them gives us a little bit of spark. It raises the bar, 'cause you have to grow just to keep up with cats like that."

Growing is actually the overall theme of the record and the Dilated Peoples' new label, also called Expansion Team.

"The label is an expansion of Dilated Peoples, and as people and performers, we never want to stop growing," Rakaa said. "Also, in sports, when a new expansion team comes into the league, it stretches the whole league. They are another team the league has to plan for, figure out how to defend, figure out how to beat. We changed the game up by coming into the game."

Dilated Peoples actually came into the hip-hop game in the mid-'90s when Rakaa and fellow lyricist Evidence met freestyling at open mic sessions around Los Angeles. In the spirit of their favorite groups, Run-DMC and EPMD, they added a DJ, Babu, soon after.

After garnering worldwide attention with underground singles such as "Work the Angels," Dilated Peoples signed to Capitol Records and released their debut album, The Platform, in 2000.

The album garnered critical acclaim, but didn't reach the masses until a remix of the record's "Ear Drums Pop," with vocals by Everlast, launched a feud between the former House of Pain rapper and Eminem (see "Dilated Peoples 'Searching For' Eminem On Battle Track").

For Expansion Team, Dilated Peoples chose to work with whoever was around and wanted to collaborate.

"It was like opening up your cabinets and grabbing spices to make something really tight off what you have," Rakaa said. "The album was a freestyle. We didn't have a blueprint of who we were going to work with or who the producer would be, we just worked until it felt right."

By the end of the summer, the trio had recorded with Black Thought on "Hard Hitters," Tha Liks on "Heavy Rotation," DJ Premier on "Clockwork," ?uestlove on "War," and the Alchemist on "Worst Comes to Worst," "Panic" and "Live on Stage" (see "Tha Liks, Black Thought Join Dilated Peoples' Team").

"Working with [DJ Premier] was a highlight of my career," Rakaa said. "He's not just a name or someone who can make beats. He's a producer. He's actually conscious of how you're hitting his beats, how you're projecting your voice. He kept working until we all felt it."

Dilated Peoples celebrate the release of Expansion Team with a performance Tuesday (October 23) at the Palace in Hollywood. A full tour will follow, though dates have not been announced.

• Dilated Peoples

Black Crowes' Chris Robinson
Photo: V2

SEATTLE — More than 200,000 music fans braved rainy patches and crowded performance areas to pour into the multivenue Seattle Center grounds Friday through Monday for the 31st annual Bumbershoot festival. The $16-per-day ticket price — for such acts as David Lee Roth, Cake, Guided by Voices and Mos Def, along with scores of smaller-caliber bands and a plethora of artists in nearly every creative medium — proved a bargain.

The weekend kicked off with a Memorial Stadium hip-hop showcase featuring Mos Def, Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples. Dilated kicked out the jams with a high-energy set of favorites and a sneak preview of their upcoming album, Expansion Team. Seeming loath to release the stage to the next act, they led the massive crowd in a bouncing call-and-response session of hip-hop aerobics.

The energy came down a notch when J5 hit the stage. Although they delivered an easygoing vibe, the Los Angeles collective demonstrated less SoCal chill and more urban grit in person than they do on record. Turntablists DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist pumped addictive beats and the audience responded appropriately.

Perhaps the night's biggest surprise was headliner Mos Def, who Mos Definitely ran half an hour late. The reason became apparent when he hit the stage. The artist sometimes considered hip-hop's conscience has begun playing more rockcentric shows, and this one required a full backing band. Once the beats-happy crowd got used to the idea, wah-wah guitar and all (the less enthusiastic headed for the exits), hundreds jumped for classic tracks off last year's Black on Both Sides filtered through a Hendrix/Chili Peppers/Rage Against the Machine kaleidoscope. Mos' band contained members of black rock groups Funkadelic, Living Colour and Bad Brains.

A different sort of rock emerged from the same stage Saturday, when the bluesy, whisky-soaked Black Crowes played to an equally packed stadium. Frontman Chris Robinson is an anomaly in the current climate of shoegazers and Fred Durst-y nü-metallers: a reborn, Southern-fried Jagger, all sexy prancing and dirty lyricism. Barefoot and clad in a voluminous red scarf, unbuttoned-to-the-navel shirt and second-skin bell-bottoms, Robinson (and band) delivered a hard-charging selection of tracks from the Crowes' recent Lions before pleasing the crowd with older favorites such as "Remedy" and "Hard to Handle."

Lines snaked around the Key Arena for joke-rockers Ween, who indulged their astonishingly enthusiastic fans with such inspiring ditties as "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)," "Waving My Di-- in the Wind" and the always-endearing, country-tinged "Piss Up a Rope."

Many shows saw as many as 500 ticket holders left grumbling in line as venues reached their capacity, a problem the festival tried to alleviate by requiring free, limited-number wristbands (available at kiosks) for the more popular shows.

On the other end of the Center, quietly elegiac rockers Low and the aching, otherworldly cult figure Cat Power played to a rapt audience in the Opera House. Even the notoriously skittish Power was buoyant, running through gorgeously stripped-down covers of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Free Bird." Power posed the rhetorical question "What would Keith Richards do?" as she exited the stage with Richards-esque hip swivels.

David Lee Roth whiplashed a full arena straight back to 1984 as the festival hurtled forward Sunday, proving himself just as loud, lewd and double-jointed as ever. Rock's long-reigning showman doused the audience in Jack Daniels and belted out Van Halen classics while showcasing his genital area and undiminished mid-air toe-touching abilities.

On Monday, a far more subdued Cake followed G Love and Special Sauce with a solid set of new and old. After enlisting a large portion of the high-energy crowd as backing singers, the group introduced "mountaineer dancers" Project Bandaloop, whose acrobatic Spider-Man antics above the band provided the set with its finale.

High-wire acrobatics like these — not to mention underground heroics, top-40 hall-of-famers and surprise guests, including former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who joined Los Angeles rockers Bluebird for three songs on Friday in the Liquid Lounge — are what keep Bumbershoot fans coming back for more after three decades.

• The Black Crowes
• Mos Def
• David Lee Roth
• Jurassic 5
• Guided By Voices

Dilated Peoples
Photo: Block

Dilated Peoples have finished recording their second album with a who's-who of underground hip-hop producers, including DJ Premier, ?uestlove and the Alchemist.

Expansion Team, due October 23, also features some guest MCs, including the Roots' Black Thought on "Hard Hitters" and Tha Liks on "Heavy Rotation," according to the group's label publicist.

The hip-hop trio of Rakaa, Evidence and Babu will release "Worst Comes to Worst" as the first single from the album.

Dilated Peoples' follow-up to 2000's The Platform was produced by Evidence and Babu, along with their special guests. DJ Premier (Gang Starr, Limp Bizkit) produced "Clockwork," ?uestlove (the Roots, D'Angelo) produced "War" and the Alchemist (Big Punisher, Everlast) produced "Worst Comes to Worst," "Panic" and "Live on Stage."

Other guest producers include Joey Chavez (Aceyalone), Juju (Beatnuts) and Da Beatminerz (Bahamadia).

The California group will promote Expansion Team on a European tour with Linkin Park set to begin September 11 in Hamburg, Germany, followed by a headlining tour of North America in October. Dates will be announced soon.

Meanwhile, fans can catch the trio at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle on August 31 (see "Mos Def, Black Crowes, Ween To Play Bumbershoot Fest") and the Street Scene festival in San Diego on September 7 (see "Outkast, Offspring, P.O.D., More To Play San Diego's Street Scene").

• Dilated Peoples
• The Roots
• DJ Premier
• The Alchemist

Mos Def
Photo: Priority

The Black Crowes, Mos Def, Ween and David Lee Roth are among approximately 500 artists slated to perform during Seattle's 31st annual Bumbershoot festival over the Labor Day weekend. Mos Def, Dilated Peoples and Jurassic 5 will kick it all off August 31 at the Hip-Hop 101 showcase. The festival will be held at the 74-acre Seattle Center.

Also on the bill are Taj Mahal, Rufus Wainwright, Neko Case, Loretta Lynn, Marshall Crenshaw, Meshell Ndegéocello, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Built to Spill, Cat Power, Low, Reverend Horton Heat, Galactic, the Rollins Band, King Sunny Adé and His African Beats, Jon Brion and the Funky Meters.

The So Many Roads tour, featuring Ratdog, Rusted Root and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, will converge with Bumbershoot on September 2. Additions to the festival this year include an electronic-music venue called the Electro-Deck, a street-dance stage and a new indie-rock hub at Experience Music Project's Sky Church. Tickets go on sale Friday via bumbershoot.org.

• The Black Crowes
• Mos Def
• Ween
• Dilated Peoples
• Jurassic 5

Lauryn Hill, Wu Tang Clan, Mos Def And More At Rock The Bells | 08.05.2006

• Wu-Tang Clan
• Lauryn Hill
• Mos Def
• Talib Kweli
• Method Man

MTV.com Exclusive: Dilated Peoples Photos

• Dilated Peoples