December 8 Thursday * December 8, 1994 tte D l^J JJ") urn vry c—i n~i} /CT\ viy \zy cr~i The Battalion • Page 3 £*p||!!l liF igable Planets step ly Rob Clark he Battalion en Digable Planets stepped on the scene in 1993, it was more than just an ordi nary debut. Spurred by the success of the Grammy-award winning single “The ibirth of Slick†and the familiar “cool like ‘dat,†orus, their debut album “Reachin ... A Ftefuta- on of Time and Space†went gold. Simply put, their style is like no other. Greatly luenced by jazz, the Planets put introspective po- Itical lyrics over the funkiest vibes in years. The ong leadership of lead rapper Butterfly combined ith Doodlebug’s rhymes and Ladybug’s strong fem- une perspective gives the group three distinct voic- 3 that bring unique ideas to the table. With perhaps only De La Soul and A Tribe Called best, Digable Planets are a major force in revolu- onary rap. Back for a second dose, the Planets returned in 'ctober with their second release, “Blowout Comb.†more back-to-basics album, it showed the maturity fthe group through its whirlwind tour of success. In a phone interview. Doodlebug said while the pending.†roup has enjoyed its success, the true focus of the understand:! roup doesn’t lie in award inscriptions, e because thes “Getting those Grammys, it was like damn — it said. “If the; arprised us,†he said. “We were happy, and it made it would bead: urparents real happy. Their children were suc- it would be w: Jessful, so that was really nice.†But Doodlebug said awards are only good for be moment, and what an artist does following e Thompson/TniBo University.’ an, a former 10 met withAl opose the reassii 3 always beent: be men were r,i ise if they were appened.†ampus. group who will e housing sure out front jazz shadows such acco lades is cru cial. “It’s just piece of metal, he said. “What’s it gonna do for me? Next year the same crowd won’t even rec ognize my existence. Next year they’ll be on some new sh-t. “It doesn’t help black people; doesn’t help my family. The only reason I can see it helping is if later on my career plummets and I can hock it somewhere.†Despite their suc cess, Doodlebug said the band has been labeled unfairly as just a mixture be tween jazz and rap, the always ambiguous “jazz hop†cat egory. “Jazz hop — I would never even acknowl edge its exis tence,†he said. “What the hell is that? That’s a bullsh-t term that they use.†Doodlebug said the group’s jazz influence means more than just a sound. “Jazz is a major thing in our culture; a major thing that black people get credit for cre ating,†he said. “From jazz comes other musical forms. From R&B, soul, blues, all the way up to ’70s style to what we’re doing in the ’90s. It’s like a mother and father thing. A mother has a child, the child grows up and has a child. “You learn so much from it, and it definitely inspires me musically as well as culturally.†But for rap music in 1994, Doodlebug said it has lost its focus. “The rap game is now industrial strength,†he said. “The industry has taken over. The fun days of hip hop were the days back in the Latin quarter when Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One were hot and Biz Markie and the Juice Crew. Those were the fun days ‘cause the industry hadn’t really caught on yet.†Now that rap is hitting worldwide. Doodlebug said those fun days are over. “Like this gangsta sh-t,†he said. “It’s so bullsh- t. I’m not saying there are no gangstas out there but it’s gettin’ to the point of them being pimps.†Doodlebug said the creative flow of rap is often interrupted by the business involved. “It’s a f-cked up game and I don’t like it,†he said. “Show business is 99 percent business and 1 percent show . . . Rap is no fun to me no more. Everybody’s a cutthroat. Everybody wants to kill each other just for a spot on the Billboard charts. Who gives a f-ck? Rap was selling before Billboard even had a rap chart.†Doodlebug said the popularity of rap has had one major drawback on today’s youth. “Everything is conned in this country,†he said. “School is like the foundation for con artists. You don’t learn nothin’ in school. You learn how to get over, how to get that A, B or C. The educational system is real f-cked up. Kids don’t want to read books; that’s not cool. What is cool is listening to rap.†r ce Cube’s return a lackluster one with remix/B-side album was a reason, thought they'*#/ Rob Clark he Battalion Ice Cube “Bootlegs and B-Sides†Priority Records ** (out of five) Yawn. ho are wantire# Rapper Ice Cube has fallen into the trap of releasing a to- LP has aboui eases. want to sublis I lay have a te I one to leasetii * 3SLP is direcl ; to their difficult to pre-| want to live, is based ontbf preferenct lally meaningless album. Bootlegs and B- Sides†consists of three new tracks and 10 B- sides and remixes. Cube should know ter than releasing an album side of Ice Cube. But the origi- like this. The only other nal message plays second fid- prominent B-side/remix rap al- die to the new and less appeal- bum was Public Enemy’s ing version of the music. “Greatest Misses,†which fol- There are two bright spots, lowed the title by missing wild- however. The remix of “Check ly. Yo Self†puts Grandmaster A typical example of the ex- Flash’s synthesized groove of treme lack of creativity on the “The Message†to Cube’s album is the remix of “What rhymes. While recalling the Can I Do?,†from Cube’s, 1993 old-school days of rap, it also “Lethal Injection†album. The shows Cube’s versatility as a always original rap phrase vocalist. “how ya like me now?†is added But the best has to be the into the chorus for no apparent remix of “It Was a Good Day.†reason. Not only is it arguably Cube’s But the most disastrous best song, but the background remix is of “When I Get music is far better than the to Heaven,†one of original. Cube’s best from The sunny, Saturday-after- “Lethal Injec- noon feel sounds more like a tion.†With the Jackson 5 song than that of a lyrics “They won’t gangsta rapper, but somehow it call me a nigger works. And the light vibe re- when I get to heav- fleets Cube’s lyrics of a surpris- en,†it showed a ingly conflict-free day in South somber, intro- Central Los Angeles. With his record sales dimin ishing, this meaningless album is the last thing Ice Cube needed. His much-antici pated “Helter Skelter†al bum with Dr. Dre will be re leased next year, and perhaps that will get him back on track. But until he returns to the days of classic albums like “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted†and “Death Certificate,†Ice Cube just might melt away. Stern talks man down from suicide attempt "Who better to help someone who is psycho logically disturbed than Howard Stern, who himself is psychologically disturbed?" —Howard Stern s .iiawoti NEW YORK (AP) — The caller said he was ready to plunge off the George Washington Bridge. Howard Stern, fielding the call live on his national radio show, knew that the man had called the right place. “Who better to help someone who is psycho logically disturbed than Howard Stern, who himself is psychologically disturbed?†Stern said Wednesday after police hailed his role in getting the distraught fan safely off the bridge. Stern was thrust into the unaccustomed role of hero after Emilio Bonilla, 29, of New York, walked to the middle of the bridge and called the radio personality on a cellular phone. Bonilla had climbed over the bridge’s railing and was threatening to jump, saying he was depressed. “Let me thank you for calling in,†Stern quickly told Bonilla. “I always wanted to help someone who was about to jump off a bridge.†The pair spoke for seven minutes. Once con vinced the call was legitimate. Stern seized the opportunity to plug his upcoming movie, “F*rivate Parts,†as Bonilla giggled. “When I mentioned the fact that I had a movie coming out and that he would miss it if he died, it caused him to laugh,†Stern said later. “But it also caused him to say, ‘Hey, wait a second. Maybe I should stay around for the movie.’†Lt. Stanley Bleeker of the Port Authority po lice responsible for the bridge was listening to the show and immediately sent officers to the scene. Another Stem listener, Helen Trimble of Brook lyn, got out of her car and wrapped Bonilla in a bear hug. She quoted him as saying over and over, “I’m gonna jump, man.†While Stern kept the man smiling, police pulled Bonilla to safety. He was charged with co caine possession and reckless endangerment and taken to a hospital for evaluation. Typically, Stern proved a less-than-gracious hero. When an officer grabbed the cellular phone to say Bonilla was safe. Stem shouted, “I’m a hero. Call the newspapers!†At his news conference, Stem made disparag ing remarks about homosexual men and Hispan- ics. He also said the incident should convince the Federal Communications Commission, which has fined him $1.67 million for indecency, of what a great guy he is. Officials at the Port Authority, where officers routinely risk their lives with far less publicity, were not amused, though they said they had no reason to think the incident was a hoax. PEOPLE I N THE MEWS ainion editor Photo editor Dorts editor >life editor ephanie Dube, id Kari W hlte '' ni. Tiffany Moor 6 ' ameron, Blake « ■lev Stavinoha 1 y • Doreen r, Stewart AMDnivergJ Editorial cm wsroom ph on Snoop Doggy Dogg, Carey take top Billboard awards UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — Snoop Doggy Dogg and Mariah Carey took top honors Wednesday at the fifth annual Billboard Music Awards. The Swedish quartet Ace of Base was named best new artist during the ceremony at the Universal Am phitheater. Billy Joel Eric Clapton Actress Heather Lock lear and come dian Dennis Miller were hosts of the t w o - h o u r event, broad cast on Fox Television. Scheduled performers in cluded Melissa Etheridge, Tom Jones, The Offspring and Toad The Wet Sprocket. Da Brat was named the best rap per; R. Kelly received the award for the best rhythm and blues singer, and Kenny G was named best contempo- rary jazz artist. The best album rock track was “Shine,†by Collective Soul. Snoop Doggy Dogg The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Bil ly Joel were honored with special awards. Winners were based on worldwide record sales, radio airplay and mar ketplace tallies as compiled by Bill board magazine from Dec. 4, 1993, to Dec. 3, 1994. Musicians show support for human rights program BOSTON (AP) — Musicians Peter Gabriel and Michael Stipe were among the 4,000 people who attend ed Wednesday’s Reebok Human Rights Award program, where four young people were honored for help ing make their countries better. Among the honorees were Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary, 25, who launched a literacy program 10 years ago so his fellow Nepalese could stand up for their rights. Others were Rose-Anne Auguste, a 30-year-old Haitian nurse; Adauto Belarmino Alves, a 29-year-old gay rights and AIDS activist from Brazil; and Samuel Kofi Woods, 30, who monitors human rights violations in Liberia. Each will receive $25,000. A “youth in action†award went to Peter Gabriel Iqbal Masih, who at age 4 was chained to a loom in a carpet factory in Pakistan. Iqbal, now 12, speaks to school groups about the ordeal. The Reebok award was estab lished in 1988 to give international recognition and economic support to young activists who are relatively unknown outside their native re gions. Sexual harassment suit against Barker dropped LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Bark er may have been involved in off- the-set hanky panky with Dian Parkinson, but a judge said there’s no proof that cost Parkinson her job on “The Price is Right.†Superior Court Judge Edward M. Ross dismissed the wrongful termi nation claim from Parkinson’s $8 million sexual harassment lawsuit Tuesday. He let stand Parkinson’s sexual harassment and emotional distress claims, and that part of the lawsuit will go to trial, said her attorney, Laurence Labovitz. Parkinson sued Barker and Mark Goodman Productions Inc. last June, alleging that Barker coerced her into having sex with him between De cember 1989 and June 1993. She said she was forced to quit her job showing products on “The Price is Right†as a result. Barker, the show’s host, acknowl edged the two engaged in “hanky panky†but said Parkinson initiated it.