bigted

I'm just happy that the Grammies wasn't a popularity contest this time where the lesser talented artists would win, it shows that marketing schemes might get high sales but that don't guarantee a lot of awards, this takes away some dissapointment I had for Will not getting nominated, he still got an AMA though this year that 90% of those who outsold him didn't get so that makes up for it too, a lot of those Mike Jones, Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris', 50 Cents, etc. didn't win any awards over the last year even though they sold millions....

This is probably one of the better years for the top music artists winning Grammies, it wasn't just about who had the highest selling album in who won unlike over the past few years, 50 Cent and Eminem sold as much as Mariah did but they didn't win anything but she won 3 which is great 'cause she's a lot better quality artist than them, the icing in the cake would've been for "Lost and Found" to have been nominated and winning best rap album 'cause it was the best by far but I'll take Kanye over everyone else that was there except Common anyday even though his ego gets on my nerves sometimes...

Yeah it's been long time, the 18th Letter is coming back!! :yeah:

Well 50 Cent and Eminem "lost big" but they're nobodys anyway, lol, it's nice to know that high quality talent prevailed in the winners, seriously that was a waste of nominations... :paperbag:

De La Soul won a Grammy, I thought I'd never say those words but it's been a long time coming!!! I'm not trying to be a hater or anything but since 99% of this board don't like G Unit anyway I'm gonna say I'm happy to know that 50 Cent got snubbed of winning anything!!! Bow Wow's girl Ciara got shut out too...:kekeke: :stickpoke: :wickedwisdom: I didn't see 50 perform or even present an award either, was he even there? It feels good to know that he's quickly becoming irrelevant in the music industry, Will beat him a couple months ago at the AMAs and now he's shut out at the Grammies.... :davidblaine: So is Kanye gonna start ranting that he didn't win album of the year?

http://nahright.com/news/2006/02/08/rakim-...ummer/#comments As a few people who were in attendence have mentioned, during his January 30th show in NY Rakim announced that he will be releasing a new album this summer. That article also mentions that he stated about his doomed stint on Aftermath that "he would have taken his talent elsewhere" if he could do it all again. It sucks that those two couldn’t bury their egos long enough to finish the project, because who knows what might have been. Let’s just hope some stuff from those studio sessions makes it’s way to the public some day. After reading the comments from people who made the show on the 30th, I have repeatedly kicked and slapped myself for not buying tickets early enough. Luckily for me, they have added another date on February 27th, and I’m so in there it’s not even funny.

I bet the Jam Session was probably more entertaining than the Grammies, I tried watching some of that last night but I thought it was boring: The Roots and Jermaine Dupri Rock L.A. For The Grammys Wednesday - February 8, 2006 by Carl "H.D." Chery As Kanye West, Mariah Carey and John Legend prepare to take the stage, Jermaine Dupri and The Roots are hosting parties in celebration of the 48th annual Grammy Awards. 'Ye, Carey and Legend, who are nominated for eight Grammys each, are also slated to perform during the ceremony tonight. West will team up with Jamie Foxx for a rendition of "Gold Digger" while Legend, Ciara and Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas are among the stars scheduled to take part in a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. Meanwhile, Jay-Z will join forces with Linkin Park to perform "Numb/Encore." Mary J. Blige is also expected to perform. Dave Chappelle, Ludacris, Queen Latifah, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Terrence Howard are among the night's presenters. The Grammys got an early start with a slew of shindigs starting yesterday (February 7). At the stroke of midnight, the Fugees performed a Pre-Grammy concert on the legendary intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles. The performance was also broadcasted live on the radio for Hot 97 New York listeners. Later in the day, legendary record executive/J Records founder Clive Davis hosted his star-studded Pre-Grammy party at Beverly Hills' Beverly Hilton Hotel. Davis' Pre-Grammy parties have previously featured performances from Kanye, Diddy, Wyclef, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, among countless others. Meanwhile, the Roots held their third annual Grammy Jam Session, hosted by Black Thought, Don Cheadle and Dave Chappelle. The session was open to aspiring vocalists, musicians and emcees. Jay-Z, Common, Erykah Badu, Jeremy Piven of HBO's "Entourage," Legend, Martin Luther, Will Smith, Mos Def, Will.I.Am, Spike Lee, Talib Kweli, Kelis and Floetry are all featured on this year's guest list. Post celebrations are also being planned. Carey and Dupri are set to hold their LG Mobile Phone-sponsored post Grammy celebration in Beverly Hills. Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Usher, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Simpson will be on hand for the event. But before Mariah or Kanye can celebrate, both are facing stiff competition in their respective Grammy categories. Among the nominees for Best Rap Song are 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" featuring Olivia, West's "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," The Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk With My Heart," "Hate It Or Love It" by The Game featuring 50 Cent, and "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop. The Best Rap Album Category includes Common's album Be, Elliott's The Cookbook, Eminem's Encore, 50's The Massacre and West's Late Registration. West's "Gold Digger" is up against Common's "Testify," T.I.'s "U Don't Know Me," 50 Cent's "Disco Inferno" Ludacris' "Number One Spot" and Eminem's "Mockingbird" for Best Rap Solo Performance.

:word: I'm going with no too, I wanna be surprised 'cause the way things look with JJ+FP only doing a handful of tracks in the last 12 years, it seems like they ain't much "Potnas" anymore, FP was at the Grammy's Jam Session with The Roots and Jazzy wasn't there, Jazzy performs at a party at the Super Bowl and FP wasn't there, they don't seem to be rolling that much anymore, no matter who's on the album I'll be dissapointed if FP ain't on there...

This better not turn into another rap war!! Busta needs to reach out to other positive brothers like Chuck D, LL, and JJFP and stay away from the G-Unit clowns who rather run the streets than focus on music, I hope the industry bans G-Unit, I'm sick of hearing about them all the time, everybody talks about the negativity they do and they ignore talking about the positive things that real mcs like Will do, people love controversey so much, that's why things are the way they are...

Damn AJ I didn't know you could still post in this topic since I locked it up already 'cause to me it's obvious that none of our opinions are gonna change, we like who we like, I'm trying to keep the peace here, I realise some cats here like Eminem, Puffy, 50 Cent, and Jay-Z, etc. even though I don't that much so I don't try to bash them so hard even though I won't listen to them myself, see my view didn't change but for me to constantly show it down someone's throat how much I think 50 sucks ain't gonna stop them from like him so what's the point of doing that, tell it to me? I try keepin' that to myself and show love to my favorites like LL, Public Enemy, KRS, Nas, etc, at the end of the day we're all JJFP fans here though that's the only thing we might have in common, a lot of us like different artists... I think dissing who's we feel is wack ain't gonna solve anything, show love to who you do like and leave it at that, everybody gotta chill... :davidblaine: I don't feel like tellin' how much Eminem sucks to somebody who likes him, it's corny, 'cause I don't like it when people tell me Will sucks, I try to look more at both sides of the fence, it ain't fun to constantly beef, life's too short... I'm done posting here in this topic now, I don't wanna repeat myself anymore, I'll let you have the last say if you want, peace!...

I think the other rappers who are beefing like the G Units and Murder Incs of hip-hop need to look at this and get inspired to come together instead of continue beefing with each other, especially after Busta's bodyguard got shot, hip-hop needs another "Stop The Violence" movement, rappers need to put their differences to the side and just make music together 'cause that's why they got deals...

Haven't they learned from what happened with Pac and Biggie?!!! The sad thing is that if it wasn't the bodyguard who died, Busta would be dead right now, there's speculation that they were shooting at him but the bodyguard got in the way, he probably took the bullet to save Busta, I just don't get it, he tried to reach out with G Unit trying to bridge the gap between gangsta hip-hop and postive hip-hop but I guess that gap will never be shortened, I pray for Busta's life, I have a feeling somebody from G Unit might've threatened him, that's why he ain't tellin' the police the truth... Now if these rappers are still gonna run the streets when they have record deals, they don't deserved to be signed 'cause they're a bunch of fools that're wasting their talents to do lame kid stuff, they need to grow up!!!

Well don't be surprised if your boy Yayo was involved in it since he just came out of jail recently anyway.... :paperbag: Busta should stop rolling with G Unit, he don't deserve to be in the middle of the drama like this, obviously these artists are so ignorant that they rather stay shooting in the streets instead of making music, I hope they get locked up so that true artists who live a clean life could get a chance to take their place on top of the music world, this is ridiculous, if these rappers got beef they should keep it on the mic, they should look at Jay and Nas, that's how they have to be, they have to squash beef and get together and use their talents in a positive matter damn it!!! Busta needs to step up and say who did it or I'm gonna lose respect for him, someone died, whoever did it needs to be locked up whether they're famous or not, they need to pay for their crime but then again maybe Yayo threatened Busta so I could understand why Busta wouldn't say anything...

What does Murder Inc have anything to do the shooting of the bodyguard? They weren't there at the scene of the shooting at the scene of the music video, Tony Yayo was there though, Busta Rhymes was collabing with G Unit for the song and Swizz Beatz was there 'cause he produced it, maybe one of them shot the bodyguard but maybe Busta doesn't want to admit that, Busta was the peace maker so it wasn't him but it had to be one of them, that's why he's afraid to admit it, it's a damn shame to see what hip-hop has become, Busta tries to bring the peace of hip-hop by collabing with G Unit but yet violence happen....

I don't understand why Busta wouldn't tell who did it if he was a witness, do y'all think maybe Yayo might've done it? :hmm:

Well didn't JJFP win the first rap grammy? The grammies have to mean something, not much to me though, even if JJFP never won any they'd still be legends to me so I don't sweat that TI's nominated 'cause I don't listen to him, he's a rapper I pay no mind to, I mean damn you don't need to kill yourself over somebody you don't like getting nominated for an award, it's only music, chill, it's like when some of us here trip out if somebody says we don't like an artist we don't, lol, sometimes I think some of us take this too seriously like we'd disown our girlfriends/boyfriends if we found out they listen to an artist we don't like!!!, "Oh my god, you got 50 Cent's new album, I hate you, I never wanna see you again, hip-hop is sacred, how could you bring that devilish CD into our household!!!" lol....

I think Will once said that in one of his interviews that people don't liked to be preached to when they go to shows, don't forget that hip-hop is entertainment most importantly, it's not a religion, even I don't want to hear every rapper just make songs about the war and all the problems of the world all the time, sometimes I wanna hear something that'll just make me nod my head.... Most people in the general public think conscious hip-hop is boring, if we banned 50 and Ja Rule and just had PE and Arrested Delevopment, not many people would be exposed to hip-hop anymore which is something that I don't know I'd want to happen, I think those who truely love hip-hop will wanna learn the history gradually so if they're introduced by 50 Cent and then discover Run-Dmc later on I have no problems, it's just like those who got introduced to hip-hop by Vanilla Ice probably started to check for more talented mcs gradually but if it wasn't for Vanilla Ice they wouldn't know hip-hop so if you think about it you can't be mad at Vanilla Ice either, a lot of kids wouldn't know hip-hop if it wasn't introduced to them, gradually if they really got love for hip-hop they'll look into it more.... There's definately a lot of wack songs on the radio now but I put my energy to download music on the comp, buy mixtapes, and play my CDs and I'm happy, if you don't like what they play on the radio, don't listen.... You or me can't really speak for everyone's opinion though, you say that all hip-hop heads don't listen to 50 Cent and Ja Rule, I'm sure a lot of people who have LL Cool J and Will Smith CDs in their collection also have Ja Rule and 50 Cent CDs in their collection too including me, I own some of their earlier albums, so that means I ain't a hip-hop head to you right? I post on an underground hip-hop site and there's lot of them who like mainstream and underground rappers,not just underground/ol' school rappers like maybe you'd think... I don't think Ja Rule and 50 Cent are the greatest lyricists in the world but they definately got some skills and they express what's on their minds as artists, Mary J. collabed with both of them before if I'm not mistaken, I don't think the queen of hip-hop soul would work with somebody who's talentless, right? Treach of Naughty By Nature said in interviews before that he likes both of them, I don't think he'd say he likes them if he thought they were talentless, Mary J. and Treach hold more credability than you when it comes to opinions, I don't like Eminem but he definately has to have some talent if legends like Rakim and KRS say they like him right? Now that doesn't mean I'll say Eminem, Ja, and 50 are my favorites but I ain't gonna call them talentless, if my favorite mcs could be open minded, why can't I be open minded? ... If they're so talentless why don't you put your energy into making a CD that's better than theirs instead of sitting there and complaining so much? Put your energy expressing who you do like instead of bashing who you don't like so damn much!!! You could think Nelly, 50, Ja Rule and them ain't hip-hop all you want, I could care less but you can't expect everyone to feel that way like you, every hip-hop fan has their own opinion, we're not programmed to all like the same artists, that's what makes it unique, celebrate what you do like, and don't put so much energy into what you don't like Did you buy Public Enemy's album "New Whirl Odor" that came out months ago? I hear so many people out there complaining about how wack the rap scene is but yet they let their kids listen to 50 Cent and they don't buy the new Public Enemy album, if fans would put energy into what they do like instead of hating, we won't have no problems in hip-hop right now, that's why I like that Will mentioned in the song how Rakim and Lauryn Hill are putting it down the most instead of saying that specifically who's lost, that'd cause more hate, take a lesson from your favorite mc man, you focus on the positivity of the game, not the negativity, Will's intent of making the song "Lost and Found" was not just to bash mcs that use their talent to waste but to inspire them to use their talents in a more positive way, now I think definately if 50 is a friend of Will's like Will says he is, he should take that advice and use his talents in a more positive way instead of putting down other brothers so much.... The sad thing is though you see people react more to negativity than positivity, if he dissed Rakim, Rakim would respond right away and diss back, but Will gives Rakim props but yet Rakim don't say thank you for the compliment, that's what's wrong with the rap game right now, if enough high quality artists rallied around Will I think there could be a change for the better with more diversity to the game, I'm sick of hearing rappers always complaining about how wack hip-hop is now but yet they don't put that same energy into supporting the new albums that Will and Public Enemy put out, I'm tired of hearing every rapper beefing with each other, there should be more love instead of division, hip-hop is gonna gradually lose popularity because we're so divided right now...

Update: Bodyguard Went For The Gun, Busta Rhymes Won't Snitch To Cops Wednesday - February 8, 2006 by Carl "H.D." Chery Following his bodyguard's killing, Busta Rhymes promised that justice will prevail but reportedly won't talk to cops. According to police sources, authorities now believe that Israel Ramirez was killed when he grabbed the assailant's firearm outside Brooklyn, NY's Kiss the Cactus Production studio while Busta stood nearby. Claurice Lara, Ramirez's sister, says Bus told her he was present when the shooting took place. "Busta said he was there when it happened," Lara told The Daily News. "He said he would do everything in his power to get justice." Busta (born Trevor Smith) spoke to cops when the shooting occurred and told authorities he was inside when the shots were fired. According to The Daily News, sources say he has refused to talk since witnesses have placed him on the scene of the shooting. "Busta Rhymes' form of justice apparently doesn't mean talking to cops," a police source told the Daily News. Word is the rapper promised to pay for the funeral bills and said he would try to help provide for Ramirez's three children. He didn't give details on the shooting. "I think he knew something that he wasn't able to tell me," Lara told The Daily News. "But that's up to him. That's his conscience. If he's a God man, like he swore to me he was on the phone, I think he'll do the right thing." Cops are still hoping to talk with Tony Yayo, who reportedly came and drove off with the shooter. Yayo has retained an attorney and is tight-lipped on the incident. Investigators were analyzing video footage taken inside the studio prior to the shooting and were looking to subpoena surveillance tapes that may have filmed the shooting. Police are also hoping fans and hangers-on who taped the video shoot will come forward with key footage. According to The Daily News, Ramirez didn't carry a weapon. His family said he usually sported a bulletproof vest when working with Busta, but didn't wear one because he didn't expect violence at the video shoot. Ramirez's funeral is slated to take place in New York's Church of Ascension. Busta is expected to attend. Ramirez's killing apparently isn't the only incident Busta was involved in this past weekend. Reports are surfacing that Busta and his four bodyguards assaulted a photographer shortly after leaving a Manhattan restaurant this past Friday (February 3). Photographer Justin Baggoo claims the rapper quickly became hostile when he attempted to snap a photo. "When [busta] saw me, he rushed to me and one of the bodyguards came around me and grabbed me," Baggoo told The Daily News. "He grabbed me by the hand and they started to check me. [busta] just came directly to me, and then he grabbed me by the hand and one of the bodyguards took the camera from me and it hit against a glass [wall] on the bank." Baggoo claims Busta's bodyguard pushed his hand on the wall, causing his $10,000 digital camera to fall and crash on a ledge. "[busta] was telling me he did not want his picture to be taken," revealed Baggoo. "I was scared." Baggoo also contends that one of the security guards twisted the lens and snatched the disk out of the camera before the group walked back to the SUV. The photographer says he then called 911 before one of the bodyguard returned, warning him not to start trouble by alerting the cops. Once he hung up, another guard gave him back the disk. Baggoo later told cops, "I was just to the point where I wanted them to leave me alone. His picture wasn't worth it." A representative for Busta Rhymes had no comment.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1523876/2...?headlines=true Jay-Z, Nas Say They're Out To Show An Alternative To Battling 02.07.2006 8:57 PM EST It's January in Connecticut, and although a few hundred people are all seeing the same thing, none of them can believe their eyes: Jay-Z and Nas — the two men who once engaged in arguably the greatest lyrical battle of all time— are Literally, the two are standing on a table in the Foxwoods Resort Casino's Hard Rock Cafe while a DJ plays songs by both hip-hop legends. "Girls, Girls, Girls" comes on and everyone is dancing. When "Made You Look" follows, nobody stops partying. The record spinner drops Jay's "Streets Is Watching," sending everyone into a euphoric frenzy. "Hate Me Now" comes on and shakes the building. With smiles spreading and liquor flowing, Jay throws what appears to be a few thousand dollars into the crowd. Unbelievable. Jay and Nas went public with their behind-the-scenes animosity for each other in 2001 when Hov dropped "The Takeover" and Nas came back with "Ether." Although in recent years both have said they were done with the feud, they haven't exactly been eating Thanksgiving dinner of each other's houses. Last October, Jay-Z and Nas were seen publicly together for the first time in almost 10 years, coming together twice onstage to declare unity. But this time it's different. It's been a couple of months since they first shocked the world, and now the alliance has become official: Nas is signed to Def Jam, and he and Jay are on the same team. Tonight at Foxwoods, they actually look like friends. "We was there and vibing on the table," Jay recalled of his night of revelry with Nas and Island Def Jam employees and executives. As he spoke to MTV News' Sway, Nas was sitting right beside Jay. It was the first time the two had ever sat together for an interview. "It was so surreal," Hov continued. "I was looking at the crowd, and they was in shock. It wasn't planned. I didn't say, 'At 12:45 we're gonna get on the table and wild out together.' " And while it's impossible to plan a special moment like that one, you also can't plan out the course of a relationship, he pointed out. "It's not a date you can say, 'We're friends today,' " he explained, getting a big chuckle from Nas. "But you can say it's respect , and from respect, anything is possible." Nas agreed that even though he and President Carter were each other's toughest opponents in a war of words, they never lost respect for one another. "In the midst of a battle, you never know how it's gonna turn out," Nas explained. "All you know is that you're gonna fight to the finish. In the middle of it, that's how it was. It was always respect, it wasn't that he wanted to gun me down or I wanted to gun him down. It was never that. That's not how real bosses move or real men move." Now that Nas is officially partnering with Jay-Z, the two said, they'll definitely be working together — a duet at the very least is imminent. "It's bigger than both of us," Jay said. "It's not really about us. I mean it is, but it really isn't. It's more about the culture, about showing people another way, because we staged was something that stopped the world. Now everyone emulates the battle. 'If I do that, I can get attention drawn to me.' Now everyone is emulating the end result. So now we have to show them another way." See more of this historic in-depth interview Wednesday night on MTV News' "All Up in the Grammys," which begins at 7 p.m. As this year's Grammys approach, you can get all the latest news on the show, the scene and the nominees in our Grammy news archive. On the big night, February 8, be sure to tune in to MTV at 7 p.m. for our "All Up in the Grammys" preshow. Plus check out videos of the nominees and more right here on MTV.com. — Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Sway

Well supposedly there was an argument between Swizz Beatz and Tony Yayo, Yayo said something to Swizz Beatz dissin' Cassidy and then they started arguing...

This was posted a couple days ago but it's messed up how this happened...

that's dope man, enjoy it!! :1-cool:

I think everybody needs to stop saying the 'N' word, no matter how they spell it...

Yeah I was watching, it was a fitting tribute: 4 Presidents Join Mourners at King Funeral By ERRIN HAINES Associated Press Writer LITHONIA, Ga. - Four U.S. presidents joined more than 10,000 mourners Tuesday in saying goodbye to Coretta Scott King, praised by President Bush as "one of the most admired Americans of our time." "I've come today to offer the sympathy of our entire nation at the passing of a woman who worked to make our nation whole," President Bush told King's four children and the crowd that filled New Birth Missionary Baptist Church for the funeral of the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "Coretta Scott King not only secured her husband's legacy, she built her own," Bush said. "Having loved a leader, she became a leader, and when she spoke, Americans listened closely." Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin stressed that King spoke out, not just against racism, but about "the senselessness of war and the solutions for poverty." "She sang for liberation, she sang for those who had no earthly reason to sing a song," with a voice that was heard "from the tintop roofs of Soweto to the bomb shelters of Baghdad," Franklin said. Former President Carter echoed that theme of a peaceful struggle for justice in a service that grew increasing political as other leaders questioned what the Bush administration was doing to continue the Kings' dream. The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr., spoke directly to the current administration's foreign and domestic policies. "Our marvelous presidents and governors come to mourn and praise ... but in the morning will words become deeds that meet need?" Lowery asked. "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor," he said, in a take-off of a lyric from Stevie Wonder's song "A Time to Love," which drew a roaring standing ovation. The comments drew head shakes from Bush and his father as they sat behind the pulpit. Coretta Scott King, who carried on her husband's dream of equality for nearly 40 years after his death, died Jan. 30 at the age of 78 after battling ovarian cancer and the effects of a stroke. Former Presidents Clinton and Bush, poet Maya Angelou and the Kings' children were also among the more than three dozen speakers during the funeral. The eulogy fell to the Kings' youngest child, Bernice, a minister at the megachurch. She was 5 when her father was assassinated in 1968 and is perhaps best remembered for the photographs of her lying in her black-veiled mother's lap during her father's funeral. Stevie Wonder and Bebe and Cece Winans were also slated to perform. "I don't want us to forget that there's a woman in there, not a symbol," Clinton said, standing behind King's flower-covered casket. "A real woman who lived and breathed and got angry and got hurt and had dreams and disappointments." Angelou spoke of King as a sister with whom she shared her pain and laughter. "Those of us who have gathered here, ... we owe something from this minute on, so this gathering is not just another footnote on the pages of history," Angelou said. "I mean to say I want to see a better world. I mean to say I want to see some peace somewhere," she said to roaring applause. Outside the suburban church Tuesday morning, the lines to get into the funeral and to attend the final viewing of King's body started forming before 3 a.m. "There's one word to describe going to go see Coretta - historic. It's good to finally see her at peace," said Robert Jackson, a 34-year-old financial consultant from Atlanta whose 10-year-old daughter, Ebony, persuaded him to take her to the church. More than 160,000 mourners had waited in long lines to pay their respects at public viewings since King's body was returned to Georgia - on Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where her husband preached in the 1960s, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Tuesday morning, and during the weekend at the Georgia Capitol, where King became the first woman and the first black person to lie in honor there. "She made many great sacrifices," said Sean Washington, 38, who drove from Tampa, Fla., with his wife and children from a disability center, to attend the King's funeral. "To be in her presence once more is something that I would definitely cherish, no matter what." The funeral followed a day of tributes at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Gladys Knight performed and television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, former Atlanta mayor and King lieutenant Andrew Young and others shared their memories of King. "For me, she embodied royalty. She was the queen. ... You knew she was a force," Winfrey told an audience of 1,700 at the musical celebration in King's honor. "She leaves us all a better America than the America of her childhood," Winfrey said. At a service Monday night, the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton galvanized the crowd with fiery speeches that blasted the government and public figures for trying to make the King legacy their own while doing nothing for world peace or poor black Americans. "We can't let them take her from us and reduce her to their trophy and not our freedom fighter," Jackson said. After the funeral, King's body will be placed in a crypt near her husband's tomb at the King Center, which she built to promote his memory. Between the tombs is the eternal flame that was placed there years ago in Martin Luther King Jr.'s honor. On the crypt, inscribed in black, is the Bible passage First Corinthians 13:13, which reads: "And now abide Faith, Hope, Love, These Three; but the greatest of these is Love." ___ Associated Press Writer Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

:word: That idiot writer obviously has limited history of hip-hop if he thinks that "The Score" was the 1st album :stickpoke: I got Hot 97 on my radio so I could stay up tonight and listen to it :kool2: