A Son Unique,
the final studio album by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, will arrive Nov. 7 via Damon Dash
Music Group. The disc hits shelves a week before the anniversary of the Wu-Tang
Clan member’s death on Nov. 13, 2004. The rapper, who signed with Roc-A-Fella/Def
Jam in 2003, suffered a sudden heart attack after taking what proved to be lethal
amounts of cocaine and Tramadol, a prescription pain killer. He collapsed and
died inside Wu-Tang’s Manhattan, N.Y., studio, 36 Records, just two days before
his 36th birthday. A Son Unique features an all-star lineup, including
RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Method Man, Macy Gray, Missy Elliott, N.O.R.E.,
Pharrell Williams, and Fame from M.O.P.The
Game has been tapped to participate in Hip Hop Hold ‘Em, a new television
series that gives a fresh spin on the poker phenomenon, with celebrities from
the sports, music, television, music, and fashion industries. West Coast rapper
Daz Dillinger, former 106 & Park co-hosts AJ and Free, New Jersey Nets rookie
Marcus Williams, New York Knick Jalen Rose, former Knicks star John Starks, and
songstress Lil Mo’ are among those competing for their favorite charities in a
game of "No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em." The series is produced by Premo Pictures,
a subsidiary of Czar Entertainment and IMG Media. Taping for the first show will
take place tomorrow (Sept. 28) at Metropolis Studios in New York, while the series
debuts nationally on Oct. 6.Cheryl
"Salt" James-Wray of Salt-N-Pepa will be a guest speaker at the C3 Youth
Ministry Friday Night Service on Friday (Sept. 29). Salt will address youth at
New York City’s largest church, the Christian Cultural Center (CCC), which has
over 25,000 members. The former rapper will also host a dialog titled "Let’s
Talk About God" and will share her experiences in the music industry, life,
and her spirituality. As part of Salt-N-Pepa, Salt has sold over 11 millions records
and had hit singles with songs like "Let’s Talk About Sex," "Push
It," "Shoop," and "Expression." The group refocused their
music on religion and more worldly issues with their 1997 album Brand New.
In 2003, Salt teamed with Christopher "Play" Martin, one half of Kid-n-Play
and New York Knicks player Allen Houston to create a gospel Hip-Hop musical titled
Rise. CCC, located at 12020 Flatlands Avenue in the Canarsie section of
Brooklyn, is a non-denominational church, which provides various services to inner-city
youth including senior citizen services, ministries for single men and women,
literacy groups various educational ministry services. For more information, visit
http://www.cccinfo.org.