The motivation behind bullying and school shootings is the focus of a new single from a Texas-based group mentored by Geto Boys member Willie D.

The trio, known as Huntzville, is taking the issue head on with its debut song “Backpack Fulla Guns” as members D-Boi, Lil’ Fly, and C-Lean approach things from the mind of a student, preparing to commit a high school shooting.

“Not so long ago, the repercussions of bullying meant you got sent to the principal’s office or home. Today, bullies are being sent to the cemetery, often accompanied by other students and teachers,” Willie D told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “Where are the parents? I’ll tell you where they are. Many of them are standing at the door, waiting for their child to walk through the door, so they can smack them across the head, just because they feel like it. Many of these parents stand in complete denial, causing their son or daughter to become bullies, themselves. Most children learn abusive behavior from the violence and abuse they experience at home. In an effort to seek what they errantly perceive as a feeling of power, or being “superior,” such children bully, tease, put down, harass, or otherwise torment one or more victims.”

The release of “Backpack Fulla Guns” comes years after Seattle-based rock collective Pearl Jam brought the issue to the mainstream with its hit song “Jeremy.”

Unlike Huntzville, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder sung the 1992 track from the point of view of someone who observed the shooter before and during his shooting.

Since its release, “Backpack Fulla Guns” has garnered controversy.

However, group member D-Boi urges listeners to reserve judgment until they give the song an honest hearing.

“The single has a lot of meaning behind it. It’s not just a bunch of killing people. It’s not just mindless violence,” he said. “We wanted to put a mirror up through this song, to show society that they’re not doing enough about this. These shootings are going on all over America, and they are a worldwide problem. Our job with the song is to remind people we need to take care of it, or it is going to keep happening.”

“Backpack Fulla Guns” is the first single from Huntzville’s forthcoming album Disrupting The Ordinary, which is slated to hit stores in early 2009.

The three-man unit was discovered by Willie D, who signed Huntzville to his Relentless Music record label after receiving one of their demos from a music business seminar.

No stranger to controversy, Willie D knows firsthand the consequences of putting out eyebrow-raising material.

Nevertheless, the rap veteran stands behind Huntzville as he cites a deeper root to the problem of bullying.

Group member Lil’ Fly referenced Lori Drew, a 49-year-old mother from Missouri, made headlines after she used a phony MySpace persona to bully a thirteen-year-old girl into committing suicide.

The incident landed Drew in legal trouble in what became the first criminal trial ever held involving cyber-bullying.

For Willie D, Drew’s case further reinforces the need to examine the effect parents have on kids in regards to bullying.

“Many of the parents are bullies, themselves, so they see nothing wrong with it,” Willie D said. “Some maladjusted parents even co-opt with their child to abuse, torment or put down other children. Many parents vicariously pass on this behavior.”

In

the last eight years, Busta Rhymes has seen his fair share of

controversy. But not until this year was the drama tied directly to his

music.

It

all started when Busta dropped the second single from his forthcoming

album B.O.M.B., due out in March 2009. The Hip-Hop vet, often regarded

as part of a lyrical elite, offered us the Autotune-infused “Arab

Money,” complete with an accompanying dance. While most of us shook our

heads at the gimmicky song, we went along with the joke.

Most

mainstream Hip-Hop fans couldn’t begin to imagine the controversy that

would ensue. Many failed to realize that, while acceptable in the hood,

most people of Middle Eastern decent consider the mispronunciation of

the word Arab (Ay-rab) used in the song a racial slur. It didn’t help

that the “Arabic” lyrics sung by producer Ron Browz on the hook

amounted to no more than gibberish. Needless to say, the Arab community

was not happy.

By

the time the video was released on December 2, the outrage grew to a

fever pitch. Award-winning British DJ Steve “Smooth” Sutherland was

suspended from his position at Galaxy Radio after listeners complained

about his decision to air the song on November 29.

Commenting

that he felt the utmost respect for Arab culture, Busta Rhymes

dismissed the protests to the song, stating that he had no knowledge of

any complaints coming directly from the Arab community. Still, Busta

made efforts to rectify the situation. The video version of the song

included an accurate pronunciation of the word “Arab.” As for the clip

itself, Busta recruited several rappers who practice the Muslim faith

including Akon, Swizz Beatz and DJ Khaled.

A

posse-cut remix featuring Diddy, Swizz, T-Pain, Akon and Lil Wayne took

things one step further, incorporating Arabic lyrics in the song.

Yet

despite Busta’s best intentions, those efforts only made matters worse.

The Arabic lyrics added to the song included the Quranic verse which

opens the first Surah of the Holy Quran, making it not only culturally

offensive, but also religiously wrong. The Muslim faith prohibits

singing or citing a Quranic verse in music. It only stands to reason,

then, that many were even more outraged by the fact that artists who

identified themselves as Muslim would become involved.And

that’s when the debate started. How would African-Americans feel if

someone of a different race made a “Negro Money” song, one blogger

asked. Iraqi rapper The Narcysist responded by creating the song “Real

Arab Money,” in which he challenged the stereotypical view of his

culture presented in Busta’s song and video.

Upon

learning of The Narcysist’s song and complaints, Busta Rhymes reached

out to the young Arab rapper, a self-professed fan. The two discussed

the song’s origin at length, and the fact that it had always been

Busta’s intent to show his respect for Middle Eastern culture rather

than to mock it.

With an apology and a request that the song and video be pulled from rotation, Busta avoided a bigger backlash.

A group of Chicago rappers have come together to create the second modern take on the 1989 empowerment posse cut “Self-Destruction.”

The new version, released yesterday (Dec 19), features Syleena Johnson, Twista, Crucial Conflict, Phil G, Kenny Bogus, Straw, Pugs Atomz, and KRS-One, who’s Stop The Violence Movement inspired the original song.

“Self Destruction 2009” was organized by CoalMine Music executive Joanne Coalman, once an active member of the Chicago division of Stop The Violence.

The song was recorded as a deterrent to the rising crime statistics in Chicago, which saw a 2.9 percent in crime indexes from January to August of this year, as compared to the same time frame in 2009.

The song is now available for free online.

Earlier this year, KRS-One re-launched his Stop The Violence campaign by uniting over 55 artists in LA to record “Self-Construction.”

The song featured contributions by David Banner, The Game, Ne-Yo, Talib Kweli, Method Man, Styles P, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Cassidy, MC Lyte and 50 Cent.

1. The N***er Controversy

N***er. An ugly word and a lightning rod, to be sure, especially in light of Barack’s historic run.  It came front and center when legendary rapper Nas decided to title his album just that-N***er.  Despite more than one precedent of media with that title, including civil rights activist Dick Gregory’s autobiography, there was a firestorm of controversy surrounding that decision, with boycotts threatened, and discussion reaching fever pitch.  Nas and his milkshake walked red carpets of award shows with shirts emblazoned with the word, much to the chagrin of everyone trying to bury the word and revel in all their Barackedy goodness.

After months of public support, pressure from retailers (money talks) forced the good folks at Def Jam bowed to the pressure and Nas removed the N***er from the title.  In its place was no title but a visceral image that in reality said all that needed to be said regarding the album’s mission. Amazingly, with all the weight of such an album title and the pressure attached, Nas delivered a high quality appropriate and relevant album, and all the hysteria regarding it’s advent disappeared.

2. The Jay-z/ Beyonce Wedding…Finally

Denial.  “We’re just friends,” they said. Attending awards shows together and leaving through separate exits.  Being careful not to be photographed together.  Such was the phantom relationship between Shawn Carter and Beyonce’ Knowles.  Secret lovers, that’s what they were.  The thing is, it was probably the worst kept secret in the industry.  Although no one probably knew the extent of their love, but everyone knew it was more than meets the eye.

In 2008 Mr. Carter finally decided to make an honest woman out of the hottest chick in the game wearing his chain and the pair wed amid much fanfare.  From the moment they applied for a marriage license in Westchester, the media became treasure hunters, with false reports of the marriage becoming commonplace. By the time Jigga put a ring on it, we were all secret weddinged out, but Black love is always something to celebrate. May their marriage last at least as long as the press’/gossip columns’ speculation about their relationship.

3. Remy Ma Jailed

The most expensive $3000 in history became even more expensive as femme fatale Remy Ma lost her freedom in the wake of her attempted murder trial. The free Remy T-shirts were to no avail as she was convicted in the shooting of her childhood friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph following the misplacement of $3000 during a birthday celebration in Manhattan.  Remy Ma was convicted of two counts of first-degree assault, attempted coercion, and criminal possession of a weapon. She was found not guilty of gang assault and witness tampering.

Despite her conviction, Remy, and long rumored beau, Rapper Papoose decided to move forward with getting married. Then it got even crazier.  Reports of sneaking handcuff keys into prison and assorted innuendo gave the affair a circus like atmosphere. Although originally facing 25 years in prison, Remy was sentenced to eight years. Papoose, a day after a failed marriage attempt, had to be removed from the court for outbursts following the sentencing.

4. R. Kelly Acquitted

After nearly a decade of legal wrangling, repeated trial delays, and additional allegations, R. Kelly finally went to trial for the infamous sex video. Despite damning video evidence, Kelly was acquitted of all charges after only seven hours of deliberation.  The lack of testimony from the alleged victim and her family played a major role in his acquittal. Neither Kelly, nor the alleged victim testified during the trial, but both denied their involvement in the sex tape to a grand jury in 2002. During the trial, only one witness, Lisa Van Allen, testified to having knowledge of Kelly’s alleged relationship with the 13-year-old girl.

The verdict marked the end of a sensational four week trial which polarized the community.

5. Da Brat Going To Prison

In a shocking turn of events, rapper Da Brat was sentenced to three years in prison on assault charges stemming from a November 2007 altercation in a club.  That altercation involved Da Brat striking budding model and Atlanta Falcon’s cheerleader Shala Stevens with a champagne bottle.  The assault caused lacerations and swelling to Stevens’ face, and caused permanent disfigurement, leading to a loss of employment as Steven’s was scheduled to appear on an episode of Tyler Perry’s House Of Paine.

The assault took place at a club owned by Jermaine Dupri, who had been the creative force behind much of Da Brat’s commercial success. In addition to the three years, Da Brat, whose real name is Shawntae Harris, will be subject to seven years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

Which one of these runner ups was the most shocking?  Chime in below and look out daily from now until New Year’s Eve for 2008’s Biggest Stories!

Multi-platinum artist DMX was extradited to Phoenix on Friday (December 19) to face charges of animal cruelty.

The Yonkers native was apprehended on December 9 in Miami at the home of producer Scott Storch.

DMX, real name Earl Simmons, was wanted by Phoenix police for failing to appear in court on December 5 to answer charges of animal cruelty, drug possession, and ID theft.

The charges stem from a May 9 raid of DMX’s Arizona home. Police seized 12 pit bulls, and reported some were dehydrated and underfed.

Although there was no evidence of dogfighting, 3 pit bull remains were found partially buried throughout the property.

The rapper was also charged with two counts of marijuana possession and two for drug paraphernalia found on the property.

The day before DMX’s capture, Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio offered a $5000 reward for any information that lead to the artist’s capture.

Less than 24 hours later, a Georgia woman supplied the tip on X’s whereabouts.

Due to his flight risk and previous no-shows, a judge has now ordered DMX’s bond raised to $120,000 in cash.

According to the deputy that escorted DMX back to Phoenix, the rapper took time to explain how much disdain he has for Sheriff Arpaio’s tactics against him.

DMX is tentatively scheduled to release a Hip-Hop (Walk With Me Now) and gospel (You’ll Fly With Me Later) album simultaneously in January 2009.

The holidays will be a lot more pleasant for hospitalized California youth, as rappers Crooked I and Glasses Malone take time out to participate in the eighth annual YouthScore Inc. Operation Secret Santa project.

The event will take place today (December 20) at St. Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach, California.

Malone and Crooked I will be among a group of celebrities aligning with teens to distribute toys to kids spending the holiday season in the children’s hospital.

YouthScore’s dedication towards making life better for Long Beach youth serves as a major reason for Crooked I’s involvement with the program.

“YouthScore is one of the few program’s that has always been active in caring about the youth in Long Beach having positive and creative opportunities to express themselves, so I’ve always supported them because their cause is a focused on out community,” said Crooked I, who has championed YouthScore for five years.

The Secret Santa Project is one of a series of efforts initiated by YouthScore Inc., an organization known for providing opportunities for at-risk youth by supporting and nurturing their natural gifts while creating usable job skills.

Since its inception more than eight years ago, YouthScore has contributed goods and/or services to its projects through its alliance with Long Beach County supervisor Don Kanabe, and the Long Beach Fire Department.

The organization has successfully given out more than 500 individuals toys through donations from local organizations such as Albertson’s, Los Angeles Midnite Mission, Food Finders, Ralphs, K-Mart, Pepsi and others.

In addition to Crooked I, the program has worked with numerous entertainers that include Goodie Mob, Warren G, Xzibit, Ahmad, Ghostface and Cappadonna, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Kel Mitchell, Pink, Kobe Bryant and more.

Rapper Jayo Felony, Hip-Hop producer Soopafly and actor Kel Mitchell will also take part in this year’s group of celebrity Operation Secret Santa volunteers.

Representatives from LRT Music Group and Ballyhoo Public Relations will also be on hand for the event.

Philadelphia rapper Rosco P. Coldchain has been arrested in connection with the murder of a local man, sources have confirmed with AllHipHop.com.

A source who wished to remain unidentified told AllHipHop.com that the rapper, notable for his affiliation with hit production team The Neptunes, is being questioned in connection with the incident.

While details are sketchy, the unidentified victim, a male in his teens or early 20’s, was gunned down near Cottage Street and Wakeling around 7:30 pm last night (December 18).

The victim died a short time later at Frankford Hospital-Torresdale.

Sources have told AllHipHop.com that another victim has also died in the shooting, although this has not been confirmed.

Police stopped two men in the area after the shooting and questioned them, one of whom turned out to be Rosco P. Coldchain, born Amin Porter.

At press time, Coldchain is in prison, but police have yet to charge him with any crime, as they investigate the deadly shooting.

In October, Rosco. P. Coldchain –  who admitted in past interviews that he earned his  nickname due to his fondness for weapons – released his mixtape titled There Will Be Blood.

The rapper was originally signed to Pharrell Williams’ Star Trak imprint around 2000, after a chance encounter with Williams on a Philly’s Most Wanted video shoot Philadelphia.

Rosco P. Coldchain’s career has consistently been derailed, due to his frequent trips to jail.

In addition to this work with The Neptunes, Coldchain has worked with artists like The Clipse, DJ Premier, Havoc of Mobb Deep and others.

Police could not be contacted to give an official statement or details surrounding the arrest of Rosco. P. Coldchain.

Don’t look for Rev. Run or his family to abandon faithful viewers of their hit show Run’s House anytime soon.

The popular MTV reality series has been given a green light for a sixth season, the rap icon revealed to AllHipHop.com today (December 19).

“It reminds me of Lucille Ball or the Cosbys. You do it if you love it,” Rev Run told AllHipHop.com. “It’s my ministry. It helps people. People’s parents love it. You don’t want to let go of what you’re called to do until God tells you to move on. It’s a labor of love and I enjoy it.”

While agreeing to a sixth season was a no-brainer for Rev Run, it was the idea of a spin-off that solidified the deal.

The new show, titled Daddy’s Girls will focus on Rev. Run’s daughters, Vanessa and Angela as they run their popular Pastry shoe and apparel line while making a life in Los Angeles.

“The thing that excites me most is the fact that after five seasons of Run’s House, that was the end of my contract and I was most proud that I must’ve managed it well enough that they’d come back and offer me Daddy’s Girls and Run’s House,” said Rev. Run, who was amazed at his good fortune.

“That was a moment that I was like ‘Wow.’ You feel like you did very good with kids and changing flavors and tastes,” Rev Run commented. “To be going into six seasons of Run’s House is mind-blowing to me. And then for them to add another show to it, Run’s House and Daddy’s Girls, it just felt like ‘Whoa. This is great.’”

The sixth season of Run’s House will begin filming in January. Although Daddy’s Girls will focus on Vanessa and Angela, the show will introduce viewers to the girl’s cousin Jessica and neighbor Alycia.

And while he won’t have a constant physical presence on Daddy’s Girl’s, Rev. Run will be accessible to his daughters via the telephone advice and mentoring, along with “meddling a little bit too much as an overprotective dad at times.”

“Those are the type of things you’ll see,” he said. “Maybe I’ll call a little bit too much and stuff like that, which is the way I am. I’m just very protective of them.” With Daddy’s Girls comes the chance to create what Rev. Run calls a natural extension of Run’s House for viewers. “It follows the same positive note. It’s not just girls running amuck in LA. It’s young African-American women with business sense and morals,” he said.

The Simmons sisters won’t be the only ones gracing the small screen with a show of their own.

Family matriarch Justine Simmons will be back on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) next month with her hit show Brown Sugar by Justine Simmons.

Inspired by the Justine’s love of 1930’s and 1940’s jewelry, items featured on the show include brown and white diamonds, white gold and sterling silver According to Rev. Run, the series, which premiered earlier this year, was tailor-made for his wife.

“She’s doing wonderful. That is a big deal. It’s a perfect fit for her,” the entertainer said, adding that Brown Sugar allows Justine to come into her own with something she enjoys. “We do quite a few things, but this one fits her so wonderfully because she gets to be herself. She has fun. She designs the jewelry.”

Daddy’s Girls will premiere at 10:30 p.m. Jan. 5 on MTV.

Brown Sugar by Justine Simmons will air Jan. 20 on HSN.

The sixth season of Run’s House will debut sometime in 2009.

Grouch and Eligh, members of the Oakland underground collective Living Legends, have embarked on a Christmas-themed tour of the entire West Coast.

Dubbed “How the Grouch Stole Christmas Tour,” the 13-city tour spans Oregon, Washington, California, and Nevada.

Along with DJ Fresh, the duo will perform joint tracks as G&E and solo sets featuring their own individual albums.

Accompanying them will be rising Bay Area group The Bayliens, and Hip-Hip violinist Paul Dateh.

The tour will also serve as an introduction for the March 2009, G&E LP entitled Say G&E.

Confirmed producers for the project include Flying Lotus and AmpLive of Zion I.

On the emcee end, the group has enlisted Blu, Mistah Fab, Sage Francis, Slug, Pigeon John, Michael Marshall, and Gift of Gab.

The Living Legends collective has been active in Oakland’s underground scene since the mid 90s.

The group has released ten albums, two of which received awards from Billboard as the Top Independent Albums of the Year (Creative Differences and Classic).

Among their members is the critically acclaimed Murs, who released his first major album Murs for President in September.

The Grouch’s latest album, Show You the World, was released this year and helmed by the first single “Artsy.”

The new video for the second single “Mom and Pop Killer” debuted this week.

The Grouch’s “Bay to LA” will also receive mainstream attention this week courtesy of its inclusion in a national commercial for the PSP.

The remaining dates on the tour are as follows:

Dec. 19, 2008 – San Jose, CA @ VooDoo Lounge Dec. 20, 2008 – Pasadena, CA @ Terrace Restaurant Dec. 22, 2008-Las Vegas, NV @ Revolution and the Mirage Dec. 23, 2008–Pomona, CA @ The Glass House Dec. 27, 2008 – South Lake Tahoe @ Whiskey D#### Saloon Dec. 28, 2008 – Reno, NV @ Club Underground

A notorious character famous for threatening various figures in the entertainment industry now faces five years in prison for his antics, AllHipHop.com has learned.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Anton Dunn, also known as Trashman,” pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce.

Dunn was infamous for posting threatening messages on YouTube donning nothing but a black ski mask, to conceal his identity.

U.S. prosecutors hit Dunn with criminal charges after he posted an anonymous video on YouTube claiming employees at Gerber had poisoned baby food at his direction.

Dunn made the claim in several other YouTube posts and that it was “too late” to do anything because the tampered food had already been shipped.

The messages resulted in a flood of consumer calls to Gerber alerting the company to Dunn’s videos and expressing alarm about the safety of Gerber’s food.

In addition to the Gerber threats, Dunn, 43, of Manhattan, was responsible for posting a number of other odd, threatening messages.

In one post, he claimed responsibility for the June, 2007 murder of rapper Stack Bundles, who was gunned down in his hometown of Far Rockaway, Queens.

In another rant, Dunn threatened the life of popular radio host/TV personality, Wendy Williams.

“Even bogus threats of harm to consumer products can lead to great harm to the affected company and needless alarm to wide numbers of individual consumers,” acting United States Attorney Lev. L. Dassin told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “This case demonstrates our commitment to investigate and prosecute such pernicious conduct.”

Dunn faces up to five years in prison as well as a maximum fine of $250,000 dollars.