Former DeBarge frontman El DeBarge is serving time behind bars following an encounter with police in Los Angeles.

According to reports, the R&B crooner (born Patrick Eldra DeBarge) was charged with possession of a controlled substance after his arrest on Monday (October 27).

The incident marks another setback for DeBarge, who was arrested and jailed earlier this month after two warrants for his arrest were discovered by authorities.

The singer was charged with several offenses last year, including vandalism, drugs and domestic violence.

Prior to his legal troubles, El DeBarge emerged as a fixture on the ‘80s R&B scene as the lead singer of DeBarge.

The group – which was comprised of the vocalist’s brothers Mark , James and Randy and sister Bunny – were known for a string of pop and R&B hits that included “All This Love,” “Love Me in a Special Way” and “I Like It.”

As a solo artist, El DeBarge is best known for the 1985 hit “Rhythm of the Night,” which was a hit single taken from The Last Dragon soundtrack.

El Debarge is also known for his 1986 hit “Who’s Johnny” as well as “Secret Garden,” his 1990 collaboration with Quincy Jones, Barry White, Al B. Sure! and James Ingram.

Over the years, music from the crooner and the DeBarge family has been sampled by various rappers, which include the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur and AZ.

He has also worked with rappers like Warren G., DJ Quik and others.

El DeBarge is currently being held without bail.

He is due in court on today (October 28).

The recent release of Coldplay’s “Lost” remix featuring Jay-Z has inspired a new project which crafts previously released material by both acts, into completely new material.

The project, titled Viva La Hova, is the brainchild of frequent collaborators Mick Boogie and Terry Urban.

The nineteen track mixtape will be available for download at midnight tonight at www.vivalahova.com.

“Jay and [Coldplay frontman] Chris [Martin] represent all that is right with modern music and art and have collaborated a few times in recent years to great results,” Mick Boogie told AllHipHop.com. “So why not extend that concept over an entire album? I thought when Danger Mouse did the Grey Album, it was just remarkable. And while I didn’t like every song on there, when it was on, it was absolutely some of the most amazing stuff I had heard. Same with the Jay-Z/Linkin Park project. So we tried to take a collaboration that was already organic and make it real and also extend that quality level throughout the entire project.”

In addition to landing their own talent as producers, Mick and Urban recruited the talents of progressive and up-and-coming producers who they felt best grasped the concept they were aiming for.

The beatsmiths, including 9th Wonder, The Amps, Cookin’ Soul, G####, The Kickdrums, and nVMe were each assigned samples and snippets of Coldplay songs from which to create new tracks.

The results where then painstakingly matched up with Jay-Z lyrics to create the finished songs “No Love “Hola Blanco,” a combination of Jay-Z’s “Hola Hovito” and Coldplay’s “White Shadows.”

“As we began piecing together the correct verses to match the correct beats, it became clear how truly amazing this project really is,” Mick Boogie boasted “This is what real music is supposed to sound like. The lyrical elegance of Shawn Carter, the vocal magic of Chris Martin, the finely tuned instruments of Coldplay, the creative visions by our team of producers, and lastly, our analysis of which Jay verse best fit each track. If you love Jay-Z and you’re not into Coldplay, this is for you. If you love Coldplay, but don’t mess with Hip-Hop, this is for you. If you love all good music, this is definitely for you. We hope this project bridges the gap between genres, fans, and generations.”

Mick Boogie and Terry Urban previously collaborated on similar mashup projects, including The Graduate, a combination of Kanye West lyrics and 9th Wonder beats.

Check out a preview of Viva La Hova in the Media Zone.

AllHipHop has learned that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) have broken up a Tennessee plot to assassinate Presidential hopeful Barack Obama and maim or murder dozens of African-Americans in the Tennessee area

The plot, allegedly masterminded by two area skinheads, involved plans to rob a local gun store and target a majority-Black high school in Nashville, according to federal agents.

The Associated Press reports that Jim Cavanough, special agent and head of the Nashville ATF field office, said that the two skinheads planned to shoot 88 African-Americans and decapacitate 14 others; the numbers having some significance in white supremacist ideology.

Once their local carnage was complete, the two cohorts planned to take their mayhem national, culminating in the eventual assassination of Barack Obama.

According to Cavanaugh,”they said that would be their last, final act-that they would attempt to kill Senator Obama. They didn’t believe they would be able to do it, but they would get killed trying.”

Mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is not among those who feel the Auto-Tune vocal effect has ran its course, and plans to showcase 2008’s biggest trend on his forthcoming album.

Although the album is in its early stages, Diddy disclosed that the Auto-Tune champion himself, T-Pain, worked with him on innovative ways to present the controversial music tool.

Adding to the melting pot, the Bad Boy founder is experimenting with elements of electro music popularized by Afrika Bambaataa and Cybotron in the early 80s.

“It’s electro Hip-Hop soul,” Diddy told InTouch Weekly about the unnamed project. “T-Pain gave me permission to use the vocoder, the Auto-Tune, and he showed me various tricks that nobody knows but him and myself.”

In reference to T-Pain’s own forthcoming November 11 release Thr33 Ringz, Diddy is confident the singer/songwriter will continue to maintain his stranglehold on the market.

“We had a great time in the studio. He’s definitely an up and coming genius,” he stated.

Since garnering massive hits for T-Pain over the last 2 years, the Auto-Tune has become a staple of mainstream Hip-Hop through other artists such as Lil Wayne (“Lollipop”), Kanye West (“Love Lockdown”), Snoop Dogg (“Sexual Seduction”), and G Unit (“Rider Pt. 2”).

That fact continues drive massive debate in the Hip-Hop community, with the trend inspiring both passionate advocates and detractors.

In addition to T-Pain, Diddy’s forthcoming third solo album will also feature production from Pharrell Williams, The Hitmen, and the Surf Club.

At press time, the album does not have a release date.

Eminem’s highly-anticipated sixth solo album, Relapse, will be released on December 23, according to Amazon.com. While concrete details about the album are shrouded in mystery, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, 50 Cent, and T.I. are among those confirmed to have worked with the Detroit star. Already starting to make media rounds, Eminem’s new LP will mark his first studio album in 4 years, and will debut during the biggest shopping week of the year.

Hip-Hop star T.I. has been tapped by NBC to remix the network’s famous 75-year-old “Peacock” Chimes, as part of the ongoing “Chime In” campaign.

The rapper joins the likes of the B-52’s, who have created a dance styled take on the chimes and B.B. King, who plays the notes on his guitar.

Other artists participating in the campaign are Clint Black, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and the Airborne Toxic Event.

Each one of the spots will air at the top and bottom of the hour, according to representatives for CNN, who added that the network is attempting to make their commercial breaks more “entertaining.”

In related news, T.I. is the star of a new upcoming TV documentary titled Walking With Guns, which premiered yesterday in Atlanta.

The hour-long film, which was produced by former United Nations ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew young, focuses on T.I.’s recent conviction for attempting to purchase unregistered machine guns and silencers in March.

The documentary follows the rapper as he visits hospitals and meets with the victims of gang violence, as well as his recent excursions around the country to speak about the danger associated with possessing guns.

Walking With Guns, part of the Andrew Young Presents: series, is slated to air around the country starting November 1.

T.I. will begin serving a one-year sentence in federal prison in March of 2009, after he pleaded guilty to illegal weapons possession.

Chicago police have confirmed that they have found the body of a child that is the same age and race as Jennifer Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.

According to sources, the body was found inside of the white Chevy Suburban that police were seeking, which was owned by Hudson’s murdered brother, Jason Hudson.

The vehicle was discovered at 1313 S. Kolin Ave. in the Lawndale section of Chicago by police.

At press time, the medical examiner has not made a positive ID on the body. 

Over the weekend, Hudson and her family offered a $100,000 reward for the 7-year-old’s safe return.

News of the body is latest chapter to unfold in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Hudson’s 57-year-old mother Darnell Donerson and 29-year-old brother Jason Hudson.

The pair were found dead Friday (October 24) in their South Side Chicago home.

That same day, the entertainer’s nephew, Julian, turned up missing.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Julian King and asked people to look out for a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859.

The Suburban was found a few miles from the scene of the crime, according to reports.

Julian is the son of Hudson’s sister, Julia.

According to media sources, the Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed that Hudson identified her mother and brother’s bodies yesterday.

Authorities have taken one person in to custody regarding the case.

William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, is known as a “person of interest” in what has been described as a “double homicide investigation.”

He has not been charged in the crime and has denied involvement in the killings, although he has stopped cooperating with police conducting the investigation.

At this time, police do not have a motive for the slayings, which they label as “domestic related.”

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama his expressed his condolences via a statement issued over the weekend.

“Michelle and I were absolutely heartbroken to learn about this unimaginable tragedy and we want Jennifer to know that she is in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time,” Obama said Saturday (October 25).

Singer Jennifer Hudson spoke out this morning (Oct 26), addressing her fans

for the first time since the gruesome discovery on Friday (Oct 24) of the bodies of their

mother and brother at the South Side Chicago home where she grew

up.Speaking via a blog on her MySpace page, the Academy Award winning

actress thanked fans for their concern and asked for their continued

support.“Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian

King back home safely,” Hudson wrote. “If anyone has any information about

his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately. Once again thank

you all for being there for us through this tough time.”Her

statement came one day after her sister Julia Hudson, the boy’s mother,

issued an emotional plea for the child’s safe return, joined by Julian’s

father Greg King.“All I ask, I don’t care who you are, just let the baby

go. Please,” Julia said during a press conference held at the Pleasant

Gift Missionary Baptist Church. “My biggest fear has already happened.

My greatest hope is finding my child. I have to believe he is ok. My

family is a God-fearing family. That’s why we are here today.”“I just

want my son,” continued Julia Hudson, whose estranged ex-husband was

named in the Amber Alert issued for Julian Friday. “That’s all I have to

say. Please let my baby go. He didn’t do nothing to nobody. He don’t deserve

this. I know he’s out there. Just let him go.”Chicago authorities

have brought in the FBI to assist them as they continue to search for

Julian, who has not been seen in nearly 48 hours. His mother explained that

she last saw him Thursday night, as the family gathered to celebrate her

31st birthday. She then took the boy back to the home on S. Yale Avenue,

where she lived with her mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson,

the two victims of Friday’s tragic events.The Chicago Police

Department explains that the FBI’s involvement is to investigate the

possibility that Julian has been taken across state lines, which would make

his kidnapping a federal offense.“We’re doing that as a precautionary

measure,” explained Chicago PD superintendent Jody Weis. “From what we know

right now, it appears to be some type of domestic situation, but that’s very

preliminary. We just have to follow the evidence.”At this time, no

one has been charged in connection to the deaths of Mrs. Donnerson and her

son, despite the coroner’s ruling of both deaths as

homicides.William Balfour, who in Friday’s Amber Alert was listed as a suspect in a “double homicide investigation,” was transferred to the

Illinois Department of Corrections today “based on his active parole

violation unrelated to this investigation,” according to police

spokeswoman Monique Bond.Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith added

that Balfour, who is still considered a “person of interest,” would likely

remain in state custody until his case was examined by the Illinois Prisoner

Review Board.At this time, an active investigation continues around the

Hudson family home. While authorities intend to conduct a citywide

search for Julian, today the effort has been focused “in the immediate

vicinity” of the Englewood section of Chicago where Hudson grew up, with

neighbors joining the search.“There’s a lot of forensic evidence,” Bond

said. “We have to work the evidence and try and solve this case. Most

importantly, we want to find the child.”