Thirteen years after his death, we check in on the ongoing investigation.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: Courtesy of VIBE

Thirteen years ago Tuesday (March 9), hip-hop lost one of its most beloved, charismatic and talented MCs to ever put rhymes to a beat.

The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, as he left a Soul Train Music Awards afterparty. To date, the assailants remain at large.

Investigations into the murder of the Brooklyn rapper are ongoing, and a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, and others against the city of Los Angeles and other defendants is also pending.

	Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

The ongoing quest to punish the people behind Biggie's death, however, continues to leave those involved frustrated.

Ms. Wallace declined to comment on the status of her lawsuit but issued a brief statement to MTV News: "I thank you for the opportunity to touch [my son's] fans and for the network's continued support of me and the family, but it's been 13 years, I miss my son, his children miss their father, and the murderer is still at large."

Theories abound about the murder of the iconic rapper, which occurred only a short distance from the Petersen Automotive Museum where Biggie, Diddy and their entourage were celebrating just moments before. According to author Randall Sullivan's book "LAbyrinth," associates of Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, who was embroiled in a feud with Diddy's Bad Boy Records, conspired to kill Biggie. The book, based on extensive research conducted by Sullivan and interviews the writer held with former Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole, an investigator into Biggie's murder, those involved in the hit on Biggie were dirty cops.

"They say some cops become gangbangers; well, these guys were essentially gangbangers who became cops," Poole told MTV News.

Rafael Perez and David Mack, Poole alleged, were just two of the many LAPD officers who were on the payroll of Death Row Records. According to Poole, the officers' primary sense of duty and allegiance to the police force was tainted by their involvement with Death Row. The two eventually went to prison but on charges unrelated to the investigation into the Notorious B.I.G. murder.

Poole maintains there were clues that pointed to each man that should have been looked into further. "I've put away guys for life with less evidence [than I had on Perez and Mack]," Poole said.

Through a complex web of deceit intended to shield the LAPD from a controversial scandal, Poole said, members of the force, including the chief at the time, suppressed efforts to look into policemen who were connected to Suge Knight and Death Row.

Poole eventually resigned in protest, amid his frustrations that the investigation was being sabotaged.

A representative for the LAPD declined to comment when contacted by MTV News about the status of the rapper's murder investigation. At one point, the FBI picked up the investigation but later announced it had stopped its pursuit. A representative for the FBI also declined to comment when contacted by MTV News.

Ms. Wallace's wrongful-death lawsuit remains open. The case was brought to trial at one point, but days later it was declared a mistrial after it was discovered the detective who took over as lead investigator in Biggie's murder hid evidence. The mistrial was announced July 7, 2005, however, no further advancements have been made since in pushing the case to trial again.

Poole alleged that police initially sought to slow down the investigation into Biggie's murder in order to keep the lid on possible LAPD involvement in the crime. Now, he said, the new administration and Los Angeles' power players are striving to keep the truth buried for fear that civil-lawsuit payouts could bankrupt the economically challenged city. In any event, the former detective said he's ready to be a witness in Ms. Wallace's case and will testify whenever he is called upon.

For now, Poole waits, haunted by a puzzling case in which he seems to have too many pieces gathered to not complete the full picture.

"I want this thing solved before I die," he said. "Every detective has a case that they think about each and every day, and this is the case right there. This is the case I think about every single day before I go to bed. It never goes away. It'll haunt me for the rest of my life. The day it's solved, I'll be able to relax."

• Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

• Notorious B.I.G.

New stills give a glimpse of the crazy getups Beyonce and backup dancers wear in the clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga in "Telephone"
Photo: Interscope Records

The premiere of the "Telephone" video is only a few days away, but Lady Gaga is giving her little monsters one more taste of what they can expect from the 10-minute clip.

In new photos released online on Monday, we get a better idea of what her backup dancers and guest star Beyoncé will look like in the video, which was directed by "Paparazzi" mastermind Jonas Aklerlund. In a photo posted on the Vevo blog, Gaga is wearing an American flag getup that had been seen in previous pics, and she's surrounded by male dancers in similarly '70s-inspired looks.

In another photo posted on Lady Gaga's official site, Beyoncé wears a military-style, jewel-encrusted blue top. And yet another still posted on the fansite F--- Yeah Lady Gaga shows B in the same top, staring at a bright red telephone she is holding.

Gaga has said that "Telephone," which premieres Thursday night on E!, picks up where "Paparazzi" left off. According to reports, Beyoncé breaks Gaga out of jail in the Tarantino-inspired clip, which also features Gaga's pals Semi Precious Weapons. The slow leak of photos and tiny pieces of information has helped Gaga build anticipation for the video.

"What I like about it is it's a real true pop event," she told Phoenix's 104.7 KISS FM last month. "And when I was younger, I was always excited when there was a big giant event happening in pop music and that's what I wanted this to be."

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga

More than a decade after the Notorious B.I.G.'s death, our Mixtape Daily team is still hashing it out.
By Shaheem Reid and Rahman Dukes

Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: Getty Images

Legacy Salute: Biggie's Best, Part 1

Tuesday (March 9) marks the 13th anniversary of the death of the Notorious B.I.G. There aren't enough accolades to give the Brooklyn bone-crusher. Biggie helped mold one of the greatest eras in hip-hop with a versatile style and gift for wordplay that has him perennially listed in the top three when you ask most hip-hop fans to name the greatest MCs of all time. Here, your favorite hip-hop team chooses some of Frank White's pre-eminent musical accomplishments.

Best Album
Shaheem Reid: Life After Death
How do you distinguish extreme excellence? How do you look at two albums by the same artist — both of which you feel are in the top 10 greatest hip-hop creations ever made — and put one over the other? Ready to Die vs. Life After Death is a subject I've debated going on 10 years now. No argument has a clear-cut winner. Both albums are classics. Both have stood the test of time. You can't logically dis a song on either LP. There might be some records you prefer over others, but Big didn't have anything wack on his albums. For me, though, I go with Life simply because I feel that it was Biggie at his best. He had evolved. He grew. Big touched all bases from the 'hood to Hollywood in two immaculately put-together discs — a feat that no other MC has been able to duplicate since. Nothing could ever replicate the initial euphoria that Ready brought, but Life was the master with his craft fully perfected.

Rahman Dukes: Ready to Die
Nothing can replace that feeling hip-hop heads in New York City experienced in the days leading up to this release. I specifically recall the Friday before RTD was set to shock the world. It seemed like every car from Brooklyn to Queens was pumping "Juicy" and "Unbelievable." Back then, albums were on cassette tapes and not bootlegged. Imagine hearing this flawless masterpiece for the first time in its entirety. The East Coast ran hip hop in the '90s, and Ready was the icing on the cake. The movement the album set off in the Tri-State Area was the first to do it, only duplicated years later when 50 Cent dropped Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Hmm, that title Get Rich or Die Tryin' sounds eerily similar to ... you know the rest.

Best Single
Unanimous Choice: "Hypnotize"
"Hypnotize" had the million-dollar video with the mermaids and the car chases, but it's way more than the visual production that puts this record slightly above our other favorites Big singles like "Big Poppa" and "One More Chance." "Hypnotize" was so hot in its heyday that it felt like the walls in the club would just melt when the DJs pulled it back (sometimes up to 10 times in a row). We were absolutely devastated that Big was gone, but this record helped us get through it. Big left us three and a half minutes of pure jubilation to celebrate his life and legacy.

Best Album Cut
Reid: "The What" from Ready to Die
The Bad Boy/ Wu-Tang Clan pairing was too much. "N---as know soft like the Twinkie fillin'/ Playing the villain/ Prepare for this rap killin'/ Biggie Smalls is the illest/ Your style is played out like Arnold and that 'What you talkin' bout Willis.' " Big was as merciless as an NFL linebacker attacking the blindside of an unsuspecting quarterback, wonderfully cocky and as humorous as eight episodes of "Def Comedy Jam" all in just a few bars. You put that with a hungry and focused Method Man, who lyrically spat broken glass all over the track, and you wonder why Diddy — in his infinite wisdom — never pushed the button on this classic with radio adds and a video.

Dukes: "Everyday Struggle" from Ready to Die
B.I.G. was a true master at making some of the most hard-core tracks come off as commercial material. If you tune out exactly what he was saying on songs such as this one, you'd think it was something that you could expect to hear on regular rotation. But then there are lines like this: "I got my honeys on the Amtrak/ With the crack in the crack of her ass/ Two pounds of hash in the stash/ I wait for hon to make some quick cash/ I told her she could be lieutenant, bi--- got gassed." It's a bit explicit, but I'm sure you get my point.

Best Guest Appearance
Reid: Jay-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest"
Another tough one. Big was prolific not just with his own projects, but with doling out the love on his peers' records as well. I had an inner conflict trying to figure out if I should go with Shaq's "You Can't Stop the Reign," where the swagga was off the Richter, or Puff's "Victory." But in the end, I had to give it to his back-and-forth with Jigga. Both MCs were relentless, neither one wanting to let the other get the upper hand. In the end, Big and Jigga made the best tag-team duo since Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh on "The Show."

Dukes: Shaquille O'Neal's "You Can't Stop the Reign"
I think the beauty behind this monster is that this record came out around the time when B.I.G. was in rehab and took a break from the rap game. The wordplay on this song is historical. "A lime to a lemon/ My D.C. women bringin' in to G-minimums/ To condos with elevators in them/ Vehicles with televisions in them/ Watch they entourage turn yours to just mirages/ Disappearin' acts, strictly nines and macs/ Killers be surreal, Copperfield material/ My dreams is vivid, work hard to live it/ Any place I visit I got land there/ How can players stand there and say I sound like them, hello." Ten years since the release of this song, nothing comes close to what Big had to say. The irony is that he gave such a jewel away to Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq, you owe the Christopher Wallace estate big time for this one.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Tyga

• Notorious B.I.G.

Here's a little of what you can expect from the latest offering from Damon Albarn and crew.
By James Montgomery

Gorillaz
Photo: EMI Music / Jamie Hewlett

Much like Lazarus, Superman and, uh, Sayid from "Lost," Gorillaz are back from the dead with their first new album in nearly five years, a post-apocalyptic parable called Plastic Beach.

Of course, not everyone in the band bit the bullet at the end of the promotional cycle for their last album, 2005's massive Demon Days — just guitarist Noodle, who perished at the conclusion of the band's "El Mañana" video (she's since returned in cyborg form), but there was a definite sense that things were winding down in 'Rillaz land, with co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett even telling MTV News that the group was "retiring ... we're going to do it hip-hop style, like Jay-Z."

But, much like Jigga, that retirement didn't stick, and the proof is Beach which hits stores on Tuesday (March 9). Much like everything the Gorillaz do, it's a sprawling, kitchen-sink affair, with an orchestra's worth of musicians and an army of guest vocalists taking part in things. There's a whole lot to keep track of, which is why we've prepared this cheat sheet — a list of the who's, what's and where's that make the album tick.

Humble Beginnings
After spending much of 2007 working on Monkey: Journey to the West, a Chinese-style opera that premiered at the Manchester International Festival, Albarn and Hewlett announced plans for a new Gorillaz album, tentatively called Carousel. That eventually morphed into Plastic Beach (Albarn reportedly got the inspiration for the album while sitting on the beach, noticing all the trash in the sand) and recording began in June 2008. In September of last year, Albarn premiered three brand-new tracks — "Electric Shock," "Broken" and "Stylo" — on BBC Radio 1. In December, Gorillaz appeared on the U.K. cover of Wired magazine and in January their official site underwent a face-lift, making it clear that the Plastic Beach era had begun.

A Cast Of Hundreds
It wouldn't be a Gorillaz production without more than a few co-stars, and Plastic Beach has 'em by the bucketload. First single "Stylo" features vocals by Mos Def and Bobby Womack (not to mention Bruce Willis in the video), and the album features contributions from Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from the Clash, the Fall's Mark E. Smith, British rappers Bashy and Kano, De La Soul and Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, to name just a few. There are also musical flourishes provided by Chicago's Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental and Arabic Music too.

Return To The Road
Gorillaz have performed live in the past — including a sold-out run of shows at Harlem's Apollo Theatre and a Grammy duet with Madonna — but longtime plans of a worldwide holographic tour never materialized. But, this time around, things may be different — the band have already been confirmed as headliners at the 2010 Coachella Festival, and if Beach is a success, the lure of the open road may prove too much to resist.

• Gorillaz

'American Idol' judge brings his fiancée onstage during lengthy 'Tonight Show' interview.
By Kyle Anderson

Simon Cowell appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"
Photo: NBC

Simon Cowell paid a visit to NBC on Monday night's edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." During the conversation, the "American Idol" judge and the late-night host discussed Cowell's looming departure from "American Idol," his upcoming wedding and whether or not he is "grumpier" this season than last.

"I thought I was in a good mood," Cowell told Leno, who then ran the clip of Cowell's reaction to Haeley Vaughn's rendition of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" last week. (The 16-year-old singer's rendition was deemed "a total mess.") "Maybe [I'm] a teensy-weensy bit more grumpy," he admitted.

"I'm always kind of upset at what I said, so when I watch that back I have to apologize to that girl ... whatever her name was." He then paused for a beat and added, "Kidding!"

On the flip side, the sharp-tongued Brit mentioned that he was a fan of Crystal Bowersox, the mother from Ohio who bounced back from illness last week to deliver a stirring rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long as I Can See the Light."

"I tell you who I like, I like this girl Crystal," Cowell said. "When I first saw her, I described her as a busker, and I liked the way she handled that, because she admitted that's what she was. But she's got some confidence now. She was ill, she's got over that, she's got a great voice. She's different. I like her."

Cowell told Leno that he felt totally secure in his decision to leave "Idol" at the end of this season, and that he has been advising the producers about finding a replacement. "I basically advised them to find the worst possible person," he joked. "You don't want to leave and have the show be successful after you leave."

They also discussed the rumored feud between Cowell and new judge Ellen DeGeneres. "I thought we were getting along, but then she moved to the other side of the table," he said. "We get along fine, though I did take it quite personally when she moved away from me. I'm kidding! But she's getting nearer and working her way back."

"So by the end of the season, she'll be in your lap?" Leno asked.

"That's what normally happens," Cowell quipped. "That's what happened with Paula. She ended up on my lap — off the show as well."

Cowell confirmed to the host that he was indeed engaged, and though he told Leno that he was not comfortable talking about his personal life, the host still called his fiancée, "Idol" lead makeup artist Mezhgan Hussainy, onto the stage. Upon her arrival, Cowell kissed her and allowed her to share his chair.

Leno also asked Cowell if he misses Paula Abdul, who left the show over a contract dispute before the current season started. "I miss Paula," Cowell admitted. "I talk to Paula all the time. She was great fun, and it is a different show without her. Something will happen with me and her at some point."

He wouldn't confirm Abdul's involvement in the American version of his talent show "The X Factor," which will debut on Fox in 2011. But he did say that he would definitely work with Abdul in the future.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

MCA is on the mend after cancer treatment, but the group may 'reevaluate' new album.
By Gil Kaufman

Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch
Photo: Mark Von Holden/ Getty Images

After being diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland last summer, the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch is on the mend and thinking about music again. The MC, who underwent surgery and treatment in the fall, told Entertainment Weekly that he's ready to get back to work.

"I feel better," Yauch said on Friday at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles. "It was touch and go there for a while, but I am finally getting my energy back."

Yauch announced on July 20 that the discovery of the cancer would necessitate the canceling of all of the Beasties' planned summer-festival appearances and push back their new album, Hot Sauce Committee, Part One, while he underwent treatment. According to a band spokesperson, because the cancer was discovered early and localized in an area that does not affect Yauch's vocal cords, it is believed the surgery was successful. While a the album, originally due out last September, is not yet officially rescheduled, Yauch said he expects it to drop this September.

"It was really disappointing to have to hold the record and postpone the tour, but doctor's orders," he told EW. "We may or may not [release the album], depending on how my health is come September. We want to but we have to play it by ear." Either way, the B-Boys are planning on taking another listen to the tracks they had prepped to see if some tweaking is in order.

"I was just talking to Adam [Horovitz] and Mike [Diamond] today on the phone and we were talking about working on it a bit," Yauch said. "We finished the record over a year ago, so we want to take a look at it and reevaluate and make sure it is what we want to put out there and that we are still happy with it. I don't think we will change it up too much."

A spokesperson for the group could not be reached at press time to confirm a new release date.

• Beastie Boys

'We've been playing shows with Gaga since 2006,' frontman Justin Tranter says.
By Matt Harper

Semi Precious Weapons' Justin Tranter in the music video for "Semi Precious Weapons"
Photo: Razor & Tie Music

Lady Gaga may be busy prepping the release of her eagerly anticipated new video "Telephone," but it seems she still has time to help out a band of fellow New Yorkers — the fashionista superstar has been quietly working to introduce the world to Semi Precious Weapons.

However, these dirty rockers are not new to the game — Semi Precious Weapons have been a staple of the New York party scene for a few years now, bringing their unique formula of rock music, high fashion and "good old-fashioned filth."

Now the guys find themselves playing to different sort of crowd. "The last four months for us have been insane," lead singer Justin Tranter told MTV News recently. "We've gone from a band that plays in bars, driving ourselves to every show, selling our own merch ... to opening for [Lady Gaga] all over the world."

It doesn't stop at opening for Lady Gaga — the current first lady of pop also helped the boys get signed to a major label and is providing an assist on their upcoming album as an executive producer. So why all the goodwill from Gaga? Well, not too long ago the roles were reversed.

"We've been playing shows with Gaga since 2006," Justin recalled. "Her first couple of shows as Lady Gaga in NYC were opening for us."

Although the tables have now clearly turned, the boys from Semi Precious Weapons couldn't be more appreciative of the opportunity that they've been given. "We pretty much owe our lives to Lady Gaga!"

But just because SPW are opening for Gaga and now have a major label deal, don't expect their raw rock sound to be tempered — they promise to keep their edge plenty sharp. "People don't really know what rock and roll is anymore," the band stated plainly. "You can't call it rock and roll unless it's dangerous, unless it's offensive."

• Semi Precious Weapons

Adopted son Michael Bryan, 18, committed suicide on February 26.
By Gil Kaufman

Marie Osmond (file)
Photo: Steven Lawton/ FilmMagic

The Osmond family gathered in Provo, Utah, on Monday for the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Bryan, Marie Osmond's son who committed suicide on February 26.

"He was a man of his word. He wasn't a talker, he was a doer. He was reliable," said Bryan's sister, Rachel Blosil, 20, who struggled through tears to eulogize her younger brother, The Associated Press reported. "He knew my hopes, he knew my dreams, my secrets, things that nobody knows. He was my best friend."

Bryan was one of five children adopted by Osmond and ex-husband Brian Blosil, who divorced in 2007 after 20 years of marriage. Osmond announced in 2007 that Bryan had entered a rehab facility but did not reveal his reasons for treatment.

Marie Osmond had not planned to speak at the funeral, which was attended by more than 450 mourners at a chapel near the Provo temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but as the service drew to a  close, People magazine reported that she changed her mind.

"I'd just like to say thank you to everybody," said Osmond, 50, who spoke to a gathering that included her seven surviving children and Michael's biological mother. "As you see, I have amazing support from great men, my family, my brothers. God was very wise when he put me into a family with honorable men, because they have served as examples for my children."

Osmond said she wanted to use the occasion to "honor my children," adding, "I'm so proud of each and every one of you. I'm proud of my son, and I honor his birthmother who's here today, who gave me the greatest gift. Thank you for those beautiful 18 years."

Osmond was then joined by her brothers as they sang the closing hymn, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

Police in Los Angeles said Bryan died of an apparent suicide after jumping from the eighth floor of his apartment building. An official cause of death is still pending as officials are awaiting results of an autopsy and toxicology tests. A note was reportedly left behind, but police have not revealed its contents.

Also choking up during the service was Marie's longtime musical partner and older brother, Donny, 52, who had to pause to gather himself while delivering the invocation. "Bless my sister," he said, crying. "Bless my sister and her family."

Bryan was described as an accomplished musician who played five instruments, wrote original songs and worked with special-needs kids. He was in his first year of studying apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. He had planned on a career in retail marketing and design.

"He was an intricate part of our family," said Stephen Craig, 26, the eldest of Marie Osmond's children. "Each member of our family and every person here is better for having met him."

A running joke at the funeral was the jockeying by each sibling to claim that they were Michael's favorite. "My brother Michael loved me the most," claimed 7-year-old sister Abigail. "My brother was funny, and he made me laugh. I liked playing the game Colors with Mike in our pool. My brother wrote a song about me that said I made him very happy. See, he did love me the most!"

After the funeral, a private moment was held at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo, where Bryan's silver coffin was interred, and the family wrote handwritten messages onto orange balloons before releasing them into the air.

'It's evident that nobody's safe,' Lloyd Banks says about rappers not being above the law.
By Shaheem Reid

Lil Wayne at court Monday
Photo: Ray Tamarra/ Getty Images

Now that Lil Wayne has been sentenced to one year in prison following several delays, the reality is setting in for his fans and friends. No one in the hip-hop community wants to see Weezy leave, and rappers also realize they need to run tighter ships in Wayne's absence.

Young Jeezy said he'll not only miss Wayne's work ethic and music, but also his friend's rebellious attitude.

"Wayne, like I like to call myself, is a trap-aholic," Young Jeezy told MTV News last week in New York, hours before he brought Weezy onstage at Madison Square Garden as a surprise guest during Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 Tour. That performance — which also included Nicki Minaj and Drake — would be Wayne's last before he went to jail.

"He stays in the studio, he stays working," the Snowman added. "We'll definitely miss that. At the same time, we'll definitely miss what he brings to the game as far as him just being Wayne and doing what the f--- he wanna do. We definitely gonna miss that. But it's just an eye-opener to all of us. Instead of targeting the hustlers and the people trying to make it in the streets, now that the streets is dried up, now [the police] are targeting the entertainers and the athletes, what have you. Real talk, not trying to preach to the choir, we gotta be careful out here. What I mean to my culture is more than me proving a point."

Diddy echoed Jeezy's sentiment that police are keeping a very close eye on the hip-hop community.

"I think we gonna miss a certain energy that Wayne has," Diddy said. "The beauty about it is, he'll be back, and hopefully he'll come back a better person. Whenever we get in trouble, we're in the public spotlight. So hopefully there's a lot of kids out there who could learn from any mistakes that we may have put ourselves in, even if we're not guilty of the crime sometimes. We are human. People have to learn: 'Make sure you know where you're going, who you riding with, what the situation is.' We're targets. I'm just happy he doesn't have to do a lot of time and that he'll be out, and hopefully he'll use the time wisely and use it in a positive way."

"It's evident that nobody's safe. That's reality," Lloyd Banks added about rappers not being above the law, with Lil Wayne going to jail on the heels of T.I. and Gucci Mane. Banks himself has an assault case pending in Canada. "People make mistakes, have poor judgments sometimes, and things happen. Hopefully, all those artists can bounce back from it stronger and use that time [in jail] to be more creative. Come back home and get right back to where they was at. It's something that's always been around. We been talking about [rappers going to jail] since Tupac."

• Lil Wayne Goes To Jail: Celebs React

• Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case

• Young Jeezy
• Lil Wayne

MC, finishing up prison sentence, also suggests that he might tour this summer.
By Shaheem Reid

T.I.'s "I'm Back"
Photo: Atlantic/Trap Muzik

On the day the hip-hop nation lost one of its beloved and prolific megastars, another one has returned.

Just hours after Lil Wayne was sentenced to one year in prison on weapons charges, T.I. gave the world notice that he's returning with a vengeance. The King of the South announced to a select group of DJs in a conference call that his new album is coming out on August 24 — and, as expected, he released his new single, "I'm Back."

"I ain't never let you down, I'mma shine on sight," Tip raps on the song. "Keep your mind on your grind and off of mine's, all right?/ Hard, I'mma ball on those squares, I flow/ A quarter million dollar cars everywhere I go ... No matter what they doin' they don't do it like me ... recognize I'm back."

Later in the first verse, Tip lays the fiery, brash delivery he's beloved for.

"You ain't got a pimp bone in your body," Tip chastises, throwing thunder at fraudulent MCs. "I can tell you ain't never bought a key or caught a body/ N---a probably just seen Wayne, Gucci Mane, me and Boosie all go to prison/ Now he flip his whole image/ N---a trippin'/ Listen, dude, for you that ain't in the cards." The song was helmed by new Grand Hustle producers the Trackslayerz, and is available for download at T.I.'s Web site.

An hour before the song hit the Internet, Tip held the conference call, for which he did not take questions but reflected on the song and announced his album's release date, according to audio of the call posted on DJ Judge Mental's Web site. There is a title for the LP, but he declined to reveal it.

"I appreciate the support and how hard I was going in during the brief hiatus," Tip said. "The support don't go unnoticed and I don't take it lightly. This marks a special day for us, because we putting out the first song off the album — not an official first single, just something to keep the streets warm. It's properly entitled 'I'm Back.' It's a lot of things that needed to be spoken on. In my absence, it was a lot of things that went down, a lot of matters that needed to be addressed. This was the greatest platform for me to do it. It was the first song I did when I came home. You get me fresh out the box going in. I'm sure you guys will enjoy it."

Tip spoke for a little over three minutes. He said that he should be traveling from city to city this summer.

"It ain't gonna be long before all this is behind me," he promised, referring to his prison sentence on weapons charges, which is expected to end within the next few weeks; he was released to a halfway house in December and last month made his first public appearance since heading to prison. "Middle of April, beginning of May. Y'all gonna start seeing me. Y'all already know, once again it's on. Like we always do this time."

The call ended with a final pledge of excellence from Tip.

"As long as there is air in my esophagus, champ, I'mma keep going," he said. "Nothing is gonna stop that. Nothing short of a 12 gauge is gonna stop me from doing what I do, champ. I just wanna say thank y'all and we gonna keep movin' on."

• T.I.