What do The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli and Mary J. Blige have in common? They're all labelmates on MCA Records and all could be in danger of label homelessness and/or contract limbo if MCA follows through with plans to close. Citing lackluster sales and the departure of the label's president of eight years, MCA may be calling it quits as early as the end of this year.

According to industry insiders, the current plan is to eliminate the MCA Records brand and move the majority of the label's staff and some of the roster under the banner of fellow Universal Music Group label Geffen Records. Reportedly, the MCA brand name is no longer viable and has become "tarnished" by a history of acquisitions and mergers during the past few years.

If the plan (which is still in negotiation) is executed, it is expected that the majority of MCA's staff will be brought under Geffen Records, thus transforming Geffen into a full-service label. Geffen, best known for rock artists like Nirvana and Guns N' Roses, currently has a small roster that includes Cold and Counting Crows. It remains unclear where all of MCA's artists will wind up, though the plan indicates that some will go to Geffen, some will be cut, and the others may fall under Interscope. Geffen and MCA are also former homes to Killah Priest and The Genius, while MCA's current roster of hip-hop artists include Common, Rawkus Records and newcomers Field Mob.

MCA (Music Corporation of America) began its doomsday march in January 2003 when then president Jay Boberg called it quits after eight years at the label, citing the label's decline in sales. The company apparently was relying on Shaggy's 2002 album, "Lucky Day," to redeem them but the release has sold only about 250,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The company has had a long history of mergers and acquisitions which partially account for the brand's marketplace demise. After Seagram acquired MCA Inc. in 1995, MCA Inc. was renamed Universal Studios and the MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. In 1999, MCA Music Publishing was renamed Universal Music Publishing. MCA Records is the last company to bear the MCA name.

Former and current artists of the label have often complained of the company's lack of promotion and marketing and have publicly blamed MCA for unexpectedly low sales. Though The Roots and Common have received Grammy accolades and praise, the acts continue to fall short in radio play, video play and album sales compared to other Hip-Hop acts. Reps for these Okayplayer acts would only say that, though no one is sure of the final outcome, The Roots and Common will definitely NOT be dropped. The Roots still owe two studio records according to their contract though it's not confirmed what label they are going to be under. Inevitably, the label closing could spell big trouble for these popular Hip-Hop acts.
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Being as though this is the sixth annual hip-hop appreciation week, who better than KRS-One to speak on such this as Eminem, the state of hip-hop and where he sees us in the future.

Preparing to release his new album “Kris Styles” on June 24th on Koch Entertainment and a new book on “Ruminations” in July, KRS-One proves that he’s got staying power in what he calls a “hop-hop culture”. “I presented the idea of hip-hop being a culture 10 years ago in pieces for Fresh, Source, XXL ... even when I was ethics editor at Blaze. Now the mainstream has accepted hip-hop as a culture. Harvard University is now doing a hip-hop archive. What we're moving toward is self-government. That's very scary to the entertainment industry, which just wants to use us as slaves: "Give me your talent, and I can fling you whatever bone I think you're worth. So this is the struggle”, he said during an interview with Billboard.

When asked about Eminem who has often been referred to as the “Eminem Factor” KRS-One said, “I praise Eminem's efforts, actually. I'm quite sure he gets a lot of criticism being white -- "the new Elvis," as he's called. But he is the sum of the hip-hop equation: Hip plus hop equals Eminem. This is going to do wonders for white youths' self-esteem and blacks' understanding of the white struggle. More hip-hop movies have to come out now that Hollywood sees it can make money on hip-hop without people getting shot in theaters.” When asked about the future of hip-hop he said, “Our day is coming. It's inevitable that the president in another five years will be a hip-hopper. The mayor of Chicago will be somebody who has grown up on N.W.A., Chuck D, even Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown. All of it will make sense then
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Busta Rhymes has been officially charged with misdemeanor assault and battery charges following a run-in with an overzealous fan during a spur-of-the-moment performance in a Massachusetts saloon last December.

Rhymes, aka Trevor Smith Jr., decided to hop on stage at Jake's Twin Saloons in Fall River and surprise the patrons with a little hip-hop. Things apparently got out of hand when a female groupie tried to grope him.

Mark Mechan, a lawyer for said groupie, Celine Giguere, claims the 31-year-old rapper flipped out and went unnecessarily on his client. Mechan told the New York Post that Rhymes grabbed Giguere, shoved her against a table and growled, "If you ever touch me again, I will f--king kill you."

A lawyer for Rhymes says Giguere's allegations are bogus, and suggested she's looking for a quick buck from his innocent and generous (he did put on a free show, after all) client. "This is a bunch of people looking to get a million bucks from a famous person," attorney Robert Kalina scoffed at the charges.

It remains to be seen if Rhymes will have to face the music for his Twin Saloons showdown. But he's not the only one in hot water. Giguere was hit with misdemeanor assault and battery charges for her part in the ruckus, as well, and is also scheduled to do some face time with a judge.

An arraignment date for both Rhymes and Giguere has been set for June 24. If either are convicted, they could face up to a year in the slammer.