Don’t call him Britney’s hubby or Moesha’s friend’s baby daddy, Kevin Federline – known beyond the tabloids for his movements to Hip-Hop music – is in the works for releasing his debut rap album. The dancer turned Hollywood fixture, has spent the past few years in a life resembling the Truman Show. While previously dancing in Britney’s shadow, Kevin has managed to hold his own with a fan base and website that sees two million pairs of eyes regularly.

One of the few truthful rumors circulating about Kevin Federline is the spring release of his album – title pending. While he’s window shopping labels currently, his need for the major label politics is questionable. His debut single “PopoZâo” is doing astronomically well in cyberspace. Curiosity has yet to kill this cat. AllHipHop.com spoke with the busiest husband in show business to talk about his newly conceived rap career. So does

the man envied by many men think he’s got the skills to pay the bills, or is he just another pretty face? Read on.

AllHipHop.com: How did you come into the understanding of the phrase “PopoZâo”?

Kevin Federline: Actually it was the producer I was working with at the time. He is engaged to a girl that lives over there in Sao Paolo; so he spends a lot of time out there. When he comes out, he’s always playing me these like new Brazilian dance tracks, and I kinda like over time just started picking up the language from their mannerisms when him and his wife are talking and stuff. I asked him one day when I heard the beat for “PopoZâo,” “How do you say big butt in Portuguese?” and he was like “PopoZâo.” So I’m like alright well how do you say “get your ass over here and shake it on the floor for me?” So we did this little thang in Portuguese and we ran with it.

AllHipHop.com: Did you reach out to Disco D or did he reach out to you?

Kevin Federline: I reached out to Disco.

AllHipHop.com: Well Disco D said you’re a pretty gifted freestyler; who were your influences growing up?

Kevin Federline: Man, I listened to a lot of Bay Area stuff like E-40 and Dru Down, even like Cypress Hill was big to me back then. Even before that, Kool Moe Dee and NWA; just so much Hip-Hop on my agenda when I was like 13 or 14 years old. It was crazy.

AllHipHop.com: If you had to pick a crew to join- could be from any point in Hip-Hop history- which crew would it be?

Kevin Federline: Back in the day, I would’ve probably rolled with Digital Underground. Nowadays, I don’t know, there are so many people on fire right now so I don’t even know. It would be a privilege to go over to Interscope with their crews like G-Unit and Dre. Then again, it would be real cool to go over to the East Coast and go with Jay’s crew, who’s really hot right now. Both crews are hot. Then you’ve got the South; you’ve got Jermaine. God, it’s just so diverse, I wouldn’t know which way to go. So I’ll have to do it by myself to make me feel better.

AllHipHop.com: Would you see yourself collaborating with any of them?

Kevin Federline: Oh yeah, definitely. I’d love to do a joint with the Game or even Missy or Ludacris – people from out there.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about the album. Being that your life is always in the public eye, how personal will the album be?

Kevin Federline: It gets pretty personal, you know. I talk about certain situations from when I was younger. I talk quite a bit about the media and how I feel about it. The album’s pretty personal to me. There’s a lot of dance records on there, but the stuff aside from the dance records is giving people a chance to really know who I am and what I went through.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite track on the album?

Kevin Federline: Wow. I’ve got a track on the album called “Down South,” and that’s probably my favorite track right now. It’s real gritty like that Bonecrusher [shouts] “I ain’t neva scared!!!” Really, really, really gritty like that.

AllHipHop.com: Who did the production on that?

Kevin Federline: My man Note. He’s the next Timbaland man, the next big thing. People aren’t ready for this guy.

AllHipHop.com: Since you have both, which weighs more in music: looks or skills?

Kevin Federline: I think the skills are really gonna work out on this. And the fact that everything I’m doing or saying on my album is real. There’s no fake agenda about it. It’s really me. Most of my blood, sweat, and tears were put into this album.

AllHipHop.com: There are a couple of titles for the album floating around. What’s the official title?

Kevin Federline: The title? I haven’t done that yet. I’m still working on the album too. It’ll probably come out around late April. The name has yet to be revealed, it’s not The Truth or any other name that was floating around. That’s all tabloid rumors.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve been doing pretty well with the number of hits online for your single. How do you feel the internet has played a role in your career?

Kevin Federline: Man, I think it’s huge. I think it’s actually been helping me out so much. We opened my website like December 15th or 16th and within a week we had like 2 million hits. The internet is like the way of the future for music right now.

AllHipHop.com: If you weren’t here, where would you be?

Kevin Federline: On Mars [laughs].

Hailing straight from the “Lou,” Penelope has lived the true meaning of the word “grind.” As a teen, she scored her first record demo with “The Crew from the Lou.” While coming up during the legendary, “St. Louis Grind- Time,” she was known as being one of the deadliest female rappers. Her onstage persona was so memorable that it got her signed to the St. Lunatic’s, Fo’ Reel Entertainment. During that same year, Penelope began recording her solo album as well as appearing in the video, “Jang-a-lang,” with home-town homies, Nelly and the St. Lunatics.

Before her star could rise any higher she was indicted by the FBI on charges of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.

Her brother was also murdered. After doing 48 months, Penelope lived in a half-way house and worked at Gold’s Gym.

Timing is an odd thing. Penelope now has a new record deal and is about to drop her new album featuring the single, “Louie, Louie.” The Kingsmen sampled phrase, has now become an ode to the Gateway of the West.

AllHipHop.com spoke to Penelope about her early days during the “St. Louis Grind,” her indictment and how she is dealing with her new success.

AllHipHop.com: You were in “The Crew from the Lou” and a few other group while growing up. Now you’re still stay solo. Do you feel that you work better with others or on your own?

Penelope: Yeah, I was in a few groups when I was younger. I think that I work better solo. I like working with people. I like to work with someone that is creative and always coming with new ideas. It doesn’t matter if they’re male or female. I like working with people that are positive and about work.

AllHipHop.com: In your career, you’ve already opened for big name rappers, like Tupac and Ice Cube. What types of things have you learned from them?

Penelope: I learned to rock a crowd. I learned how to get them going and keep up the intensity. I like the studio, but I’m a stage person. Everyone was memorized be Tupac, especially while on stage.

AllHipHop.com: What rappers did you look to for inspiration when you were younger?

Penelope: I listened to all kinds of cats. My cousins and uncles introduced me to Run DMC and MC Lyte. I’m an “old school head.” That’s when Hip-Hop was at its best.

AllHipHop.com: You came up with Nelly and the St. Lunatics during the St. Louis, “Grind-Time.”

Penelope: In St. Louis, everything is local. Someone that we all know would open for a performer coming to town. It’s a big hustle. There are a lot of groups. Other than me and Chocolate Thai, we were really the only females that could get down with the guys in battles. When Nelly got his big break, he really opened doors for a lot of St. Louis rappers.

AllHipHop.com: You were signed the St. Lunatics’ Fo’ Reel Entertainment before going to prison. Do you and the St. Lunatics have a relationship that extends past rapping?

Penelope: When I was in prison, Murphy Lee kept in touch with my family. We look out for each other.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve been through a lot. When your career was about to take off; you served time in a federal prison for the conspiracy of drug trafficking and your brother was also murdered. When during that time did you decide to take you rap career seriously and make it happen?

Penelope: I was rapping before prison, but I thought that it was all over when I got indicted. Back then I didn’t have the desire that I do now. God put me in a situation where I was able to perform while in prison. I’m always doing stuff with music. No matter what, my brother was the one that kept pushing me. We set up a studio after his death. I was worried for a minute that I wasn’t going to be able to record the album. Then, I got a call from Shawn “Tubby” Holiday. The next thing that I knew, I was on the phone with 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. I dropped some bars and they loved it. I’ve been working on tapes since. I’ve definetly been given a second chance. I work for a non-profit organization, Hip-Stee. It’s my opportunity to take the best things and my life and be grateful for them. I give back.

AllHipHop.com: When record companies were fighting over your contract, did you feel that you had finally made it?

Penelope: I got with Tubby when I got out of prison. He was letting record companies hear my demo. He set up a meeting with L.A. Reid. That’s when the bidding war started. I was originally going to sign with Atlantic, but I as really feeling the people at Universal more. The Lunatics are on Universal, so we keep it at home in STL. I can get help when I need it. I’ve changed though. I got my first deal when I was 13. I wouldn’t have done things right. At those times, you don’t think about longevity. You think about buying stuff. Now that I’m older I think differently. I reach out. I work with an organization that helps people that are incarcerated with children. Often at times they don’t know where they are. Getting this record deal couldn’t have come at a better time.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of people feel that there are a handful of memberable female rappers. Do you feel competition from other female rappers?

Penelope: I’m not trying to go up against them. We all have different styles and stories. I’m from St. Louis and have been in prison. I’m talking about what I’ve been through. We all have different struggles. What’s gonna’ make people listen to the album is different experiences. I am the way I am because it was how was raised. Everything that I saw coming up was street. I’m a little harder than a lot of female rappers out. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wearing Timberlands, but it’s still hard. I believe that what ever you go through, you should write about. I was raised around pimps and drug dealers. It made me a hustler at anything that I do. I’m hungry for it.

AllHipHop.com: Some female rappers, such as Lil’ Kim, Trina and Jackie-O, are accused of only sending, “be sexy messages” to younger females. What kinds of messages do you want you female audience to get from you music?

Penelope: To think for their-selves and to do what they believe in. Stand strong; women are running more and more business and industries everyday. Why not a female president? We need to stand for what we believe. I’m going to stand for what I believe.

I have positive massages on my album. I like party music, but I still have that “Keep your head” up vibe. I’m going to be a role model whether I want to be or not. But if I do the opposite of what I say, what does that say about me? Do what you believe and do what you do.

AllHipHop.com: What kinds of things do you see happening in 2006 for you?

Penelope: I’m taking baby steps. I’m growing and developing. I ‘m looking forward to the future as a whole. I want to learn the business side of the industry. I’m humble, so it helps me too be able to touch a lot of people. I’ve started a production company [M.O.N.Y.]. My manager and I are partners. We’re going to get things rolling.

In the early 90’s, De La Soul encouraged fans to lace up their roller-skates. The Alkaholiks just suggested calling “grandma a b*tch” – but only when they were drunk. Both were about having fun. Surprisingly, both groups are still in tact. But stemming from their arrival on King Tee’s seminal albums, Tha Liks are soon to venture off to solo junctures.

Before they go however, Tha Liks offer a celebratory “Last Call” to the fans known as Firewater. Their first indie release, this album already has some critics calling it near their best work. Never ones to be mushy, Tash and E-Swift spoke to AllHipHop.com on the making of Firewater, some old touring adventures, and their solo future endeavors. Raise your glasses high, and pay tribute to three amigos who had that dynamite sound.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of the original artists on Loud Records seem to have been forgotten. With SRC, did Steve Rifkind reach out to you?

E-Swift: Yeah, I talk to Steve a lot, and he was the one who suggested [releasing Firewater on Koch] as a business decision. But Steve is cool, we still fam.

AllHipHop.com: Was the motivation behind putting this one out on Koch to get more on the back-end?

E-Swift: Being on Koch is more of a partnership, as opposed to actually working for [a label], it’s always going to make more sense.

AllHipHop.com: 21 & Over really seemed to appeal to the pre-drinking age crowd when it came out, is there some master plan to reintroduce yourselves to the new generation of young Hip-Hop heads that listen to Chingy and the Ying-Yang Twins?

Tash: That s**t is crazy because a lot of the old heads we pulled in on the first album are older now, they’re into R&B now, they listening to Usher and stuff like that. We’re just going to put it out there for the world and whoever listens listens. All we need is promotion from Koch, and some word of mouth from the older heads to pull younger cats in.

AllHipHop.com: The average Alkaholiks album consists of partying, bragging, and chasing after “the twos,” since this is a farewell album are there any plans on changing the subject matter?

E-Swift: Nope, two’s and brews!

Tash: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

AllHipHop.com: While recording The X.O. Experience E-Swift said the formula was to “get Tash and J-Ro together and just bounce. Like back in the day when we’d sit at my house all day, drinking forties while recording.” What was the formula this time?

Tash: We did it in LA this time around. Part of the reason we relocated for The X.O. Experience was we got family, friends, chicks get away from, and distractions like that. I’m lying, we went for the party atmosphere! Actually I’m in Vegas right now.

E-Swift: Tash bought a house out in Vegas. So that right there lets you know what kind of atmosphere was going down when we recorded X.O. Experience.

AllHipHop.com: Can you remember the last CD, Hip-Hop or otherwise that you paid for?

E-Swift: I just bought the new Mary J. Blige album, [The Breakthrough] it was tight. I always bang out a little Mary.

Tash: I think a long time ago, like before we started going on the first tours, I bought License To Ill by The Beastie Boys.

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of touring, what has been the illest overseas spot that you guys rocked?

Tash: Croatia.

E-Swift: Damn, I was just about to say that.

Tash: It was this spot called Stonia, it had way more magnitude than the smaller spots. At this point in our career it’s good to get that real big crowd energy, but I still like rocking the underground shows too.

AllHipHop.com: Legend has it that there was an old EMU SP-1200 beat machine that passed down from Dr. Dre, to DJ Pooh, to E-Swift, did you teach Madlib anything with it after y’all hooked up with The Lootpack?

E-Swift: I don’t know if [DJ] Pooh got that SP-1200 from Dre or not but as far as that other story goes, yep I definitely stole it from DJ Pooh. As far as Madlib, he was making the Ill beats when I met him, I didn’t teach him nothing!

AllHipHop.com: You’re going to be working with Madlib on a solo project, since this is the last album as Tha Alkaholiks, what are the other solo plans?

E-Swift: Yep, me and Madlib already got started on our album.

Tash: I’ve got a lot of projects coming out. I’m working on a movie called A Day In The Life that’s coming out on Lions Gate Films. It’s got Mekhi Phifer and a couple other people too. Plus I’m also dropping the solo album Expensive Habits, so be on the look out for that.

AllHipHop.com: What about J-Ro’s solo album, Rare Earth?

E-Swift: Rare Earth is finished it already dropped overseas, then it’s gonna get released over here.

Tash: Yep, and that s**t is dope too.

AllHipHop.com: It was rather surprising that Babu and Defari were released as Tha Likwit Junkies in 2005… when that crew name used to mean so many others. How did you all feel?

E-Swift: We all the Likwit Crew, but ideally we would like for all of the different members to pair up. As far as Defari and Babu though, that’s props, they s**t was tight.

AllHipHop.com: E-Swift, was it your decision to share production duties with outsiders on the last few albums?

E-Swift: Both. The quality of the song dictates which track is getting used, it’s no set in stone decision. But, I still do a majority of the production on this album.

AllHipHop.com: Tash, you’ve really jumped up on this LP. What do you attribute that to?

Tash: I just do what I do, I just go with the beats. Why, do I sound mad?

E-Swift: More like you got a chip on your shoulder or something to prove.

Tash: My style is as far as whatever Swift hit me with I just flow. It all depends on how the track is.

AllHipHop.com: What was the motivation behind “Chaos”… why did you all pay tribute to the artists with so many interpolations of Hip-Hop classics? Why Dangermouse?

E-Swift: That’s just the flow of that record. J-Ro started his flow off like that and it kind of trickled down it wasn’t planned. That’s just how it happened we didn’t go into the booth planning to rework the classic joints. As far as Dangermouse, we had linked up with him before and thought that the track was tight, we didn’t sit down thinking, “We need a Dangermouse track too.”

AllHipHop.com: Back in the day, you guys toured with the Insane Clown Posse, was there any exchange from the camps? Did their fans show any respect for your work? You’ve got 40’s… and they’ve got Faygo…

E-Swift: It was just couple a shows and spot dates, but they [ICP] was definitely insane!

Tash: We got love, we weren’t getting sprayed with nothing! If anything we sprayed their fans with beer. A lot of artists wouldn’t have done that, but we humble. Well, scratch that, we ain’t humble, but we work hard, you know whatever it takes. The first major tour after that was with A Tribe Called Quest, we just rented a Cadillac and followed the tour busses. S**t, we still doin’ that, we just did 20 dates on a West Coast Tour. A lot of other artists need the five-star hotel and all that.

AllHipHop.com: You mean turning “Hollywood” and asking for no blue M&M’s on the rider?

Tash: We got a big ass writer too! Yep, but we keep the blue M&M’s, throw in some chicken, broads, beer and all that s**t!

E-Swift: Yeah, but it’s an old ass writer, we still got DAT machines still on there.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of the artists who came out at the same time you did are saying, “Hip-Hop is dead,” any thoughts on that?

E-Swift: I don’t think Hip-Hop is dead, it’s alive and kicking, but the ratio of bad rappers to good has changed. It’s definitely a lot more bad rappers, but that’s because there’s a lot more rappers, in general.

George Benson, once sang “I knew back then, what I know now/If I understood the what, when, why and how/Now it’s clear to me, what I should have done/But hindsight is 20/20 vision.” Dilated Peoples on the other hand, have flipped it and with their fourth release titled 20/20. Here, they are using foresight and leaving the past in the past. Evidence and Rakaa had already formed Dilated Peoples after crossing each others’ paths at various Hip-Hop shows before DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies became the third member of the group.

After dominating the late 90’s indie world with such twelve-inch classics as “Work the Angles”, Capitol Records came calling. Having only tasted mediocre crossover success since, Dilated Peoples wear the backpacks placed on them by the industry with pride. Admitting this, a laughing Babu says “I’ll wear my backpack with pride, preferably Louis Vuitton, I have no problem with that.” Another Louis Vuitton Don, Kanye West checked in on the 2004 album’s “This Way”, but still undershot the response the group probably intended.

Back at it, Babu and Evidence spoke to AllHipHop.com about the vision behind 20/20. Old topics are revisited, and you’ll get some insight into one of the few artists with independent freedom and major backing. Even Barbara Walters is starving for 20/20, read up.

AllHipHop.com: How you feeling today?

Evidence: I’m good. $**t I am great, excited about this new album.

Babu: I am excited [too].

AllHipHop.com: I can hear it in your voice. The new single, “Back Again” is doing quite well. How is the promotion for that going?

Evidence: Just as good.

AllHipHop.com: As far as 20/20, what can we expect?

Babu: You can expect us to be doing us.

Evidence: We made this album for our true fans.

AllHipHop.com: Though MTV supported Neighborhood Watch, those true fans you speak of, seemed to reject it…

Babu: Yeah, you’re right with that last album we could’ve lost a lot of our fans, but our fans are loyal, and they rode it out with us while we tried our hand at something a little different. Our fans feel as though they know us personally, and we respect their opinion and that is what we take to heart.

Evidence: We took a lot of chances with that album, if nothing else it brought us new fans.

AllHipHop.com: You once said in the past that the first two albums showed where you came from philosophically, and that the new album shows where you come from literally. Can you explain that?

Evidence: We made some pretty bold statements and got political, but this time around we are back to making good f**kin’ music, and I felt the need to bring the attention back to lyricism.

AllHipHop.com: It’s as if rappers have taken the helm, and MC’s are fighting for position. How would you describe the difference between a rapper and an MC?

Evidence: An MC is the master of ceremony or the mic controller. The one who holds down the party second to the DJ; a rapper on the other hand, brings flavor.

AllHipHop.com: How do you respond to the critics who point out the teeter-tattering Dilated Peoples does between underground and mainstream?

Evidence: You know, half of the time I don’t pay attention to the critics. In most cases, they don’t know our music, or from which we came. There are still people who don’t even know we are from L.A. Because of our sound being similar to the underground sound of the Bay, they think were from there. So if the facts aren’t straight; what the hell does their critique mean?

Babu: It can be upsetting at times because some of our new fans that are not familiar with us prior to “This Way” may buy, based upon a review and that gets to us at times.

AllHipHop.com: You all are down with Okay Player; do you interact with a lot of the other artists or people on message boards?

Evidence: Not really, there are some hot acts over there, like ?uestlove and Black Thought – those are my boys. But I haven’t been in touch with the people from Okay Player in some time.

AllHipHop.com: Are you feeling The Boondocks?

Evidence: What’s that?

AllHipHop.com: You’ve never seen The Boondocks; the cartoon created from the comic strip?

Evidence: No, I don’t get much television time in.

Babu: I have seen it, and I was laughin’ my ass off, but I am not avid watcher.

AllHipHop.com: With three creative minds, not to mention artistry with testosterone flowing how have you all withstood the pressure?

Evidence: Understanding my position. I have a dual role of producer and rapper, but most importantly, I understand I’m in a group.

AllHipHop.com: It’s been said that you, Joey Chavez and Alchemist function as a unit. With the individual shine that Al has gotten through his resume and solo albums, has it made you step your game up?

Evidence: Hell yeah, he is doing his thing right now, perfecting my skills is a must right now.

AllHipHop.com: Looking back, what ever happened with that Eminem beef?

Evidence: It’s done! I don’t talk about it anymore, but I will say this: I didn’t have anything to do with it originally, and didn’t authorize the money made from it.

AllHipHop.com: Gotcha. Some say Hip-Hop in its truest form is being choked out by the mainstream; what do you think?

Babu: Hip-Hop as a culture is beautiful, and the music is phenomenal. Things go wrong when you have people who don’t understand or live the life, it gets all messed up in their repackaging efforts. To do our part, we’ve always maintained creative control at Capitol [Records].

AllHipHop.com: How have you been able to do so because you all still have the mindset of independents?

Babu: Yeah, something like that. We’ve been [at Capitol] longer than some of the employees, and seen some of the executives come and go. We’ve been out there finding out for ourselves from day-one and that’s what’s helped us live up to the expectation and foundation laid. We are probably the only artist sitting in on promo meetings and looking over shoulders. We have been self-managed from the inception. We just hired a management team to ease some of the load. We are firm believers in not letting anyone else project an image of us out to the masses that is not a true representation.

AllHipHop.com: That said, what happened with the Volvo commercial, that wasn’t really you guys, right?

Babu: There’s a crazy story behind that situation. Dave Myers who is one of the top directors in the game, he was working on a commercial for Volvo and they wanted to use the song, and have us to in the commercial. We all went back and forth with Volvo and we thought all was fine. Then we get phone calls telling us the commercial was out. Volvo went out and got actors who favored us and went with their own concept. That was crazy, but it all ended up well because Dave directed the video and we came up with what hot concepts for the video.

AllHipHop.com: Babu, one of the impressive independent releases of 2005 was The L.J.’s project you did with Defari. Still, don’t you think it was a little strange to use the Likwit Junkies’ name and not include The Liks, Lootpack, King Tee, or Phil Da Agony?

Babu: You know, Defari and I had been working together and the album just came together. It’s a crazy hot album. It was nothing personal. Those are my dudes too.