08.17.06 - AP/Music News

Monica is getting autobiographical on her new album, The Makings of Me. The disc, which will be out Sept. 26, is the first record from the R&B singer since 2003's After the Storm . Producers and artists who collaborated with Monica include Dem Franchize Boyz, Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri.

According to J Records, the album will delve into some of the 25-year-old singer's more painful moments, including the suicide of an ex-boyfriend. But the album also includes some upbeat jams -- the dance track "Everytime The Beat Drop" , which features DFB, is the first single.

" "Beat Drop" , for me, is a real good representation of where I'm from," Monica, an Atlanta resident, said in a recent statement. "We all just want to dance and have fun. This is what I live. What I dance to. What I listen to when I'm in my car. So I thought, 'Why wouldn't I sing over it?'"

08.17.06 - AP/Music News

A judge on Thursday agreed to dismiss criminal charges against a former hip-hop radio disc jockey who insulted a rival DJ's wife and young daughter in on-air rants. Justice Ellen Gesmer adjourned the case against Troi Torain, known as DJ Star , for six months. At that time, charges of endangering a child's welfare and weapon possession will be dropped as long as he has stayed out of further trouble. Assistant U.S. Attorney Penelope Brady said her office agreed to this resolution "because it serves the best interest of the 4-year-old victim by sparing the victim any further attention."

Torain called the outcome a victory for freedom of speech. "I never should have been arrested in the first place," he said in a telephone interview. "This was not a crime." Torain was arrested May 12 amid an uproar over his comments. The arrest came after he was contacted by police and ordered to surrender a 9mm handgun and target-practice permit. His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, had argued that he made the comments only after DJs at a competing hip-hop station barraged him with threats and degrading and sexually offensive remarks.

08.17.06 - AP/Music News

Manuela Testolini Nelson, better known as the second wife of Prince , has filed for divorce from the pop superstar, his attorney has confirmed. Patrick Cousins, Prince's general counsel, said Wednesday the case was pending. He had no further comment. Edward Winer, attorney for Nelson, issued a statement Thursday saying it was a difficult decision for Nelson to seek the divorce and that she hoped for a "cooperative resolution" and a quick end to the case.

08.17.06 - E! Online Music News

DMX has X-ed out a plea deal from prosecutors in White Plains, New York, stemming from last month's arrest for a series of traffic violations, his attorney, Murray Richman, confirmed Thursday. The Yonkers-born hip-hop hero, whose real name Earl Simmons, was ticketed June 2 after for making unsafe lane changes and driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban at "unreasonable speeds." He was also cited for driving without a license and not wearing a seatbelt.

DMX later failed to turn up for two court hearings on the matter, leading City Court Judge Barbara Leak to issue a warrant for his arrest. The rapper's co-counsel, Stacey Murray, blamed the absence on an illness, but the clearly irritated judge didn't bite and threw DMX in the slammer for a night. The rapper was subsequently released on $25,000 bail.

A chastened DMX showed up on time for a routine court session on Monday. After turning down the plea deal, the Grand Champ spoke to reporters afterward, expressing bewilderment at the case against him. "I don't feel good about this at all," he said. "It's not fair--$25,000 for traffic tickets? Come on. Let's keep it real." Richman declined to discuss details of the D.A.'s offer, but when asked whether he expects the case to go to trial, the attorney demurred.

08.17.06 - Yahoo! Music News

Jay Z and his return to music is expected to be confirmed shortly, with the news that he's back in the studio with Timbaland. The retired hip-hop superstar has been linked with a host of big-name producers in recent months, as the rumors escalate about his return to the hip-hop game. However, Timbaland, who has contributed to the majority of Jay's most acclaimed works, including The Blueprint and The Black Album , has now confirmed that he's back in the studio. Speaking to the BBC, Timbaland said: "Hip-Hop is too easy for me. I've got to do something that's challenging. The only thing I got coming out is Jay-Z. . .I'm not trying to do anything new. I'm trying to do pop. I'm trying to bring top-40 into the hood."

08.17.06 - Yahoo! Music News

Thousands of Beyoncé fans have begun a petition to have her new video banned. The pop superstar has launched her solo comeback with "Déjà Vu," the first single from her new album B'Day , which also features her boyfriend Jay-Z. However, the video has not impressed many of her supporters, with over 2,000 apparently signing an online petition that demands it be re-shot.

08.17.06 - AP/Music News

J.C. Chasez has enlisted the help of former *NSYNC bandmate Justin Timberlake for two tracks on the follow-up to his 2004 album Schizophrenic. The boys reunited to co-write and produce "God Bless America" and "Until Yesterday" , the first single from Chasez's upcoming effort. "We had a lot of fun," Chasez tells AOL Music. " "Until Yesterday" is a lot of Beatles-meet-Freddy Mercury. That guy was so operatic and entertaining, and the song is a soap opera".

Though the former boy-banders both release their new records later this year, Chasez says it didn't put them off collaborating. "The records are two different worlds. They really are," he says. "We're not competing in any way, shape or form. It's hard for people to imagine but we have two very different stories to tell and we had a lot going on in our lives the last four or five years that we've been apart. You really can't play one record on my album that sounds like any one of his records."