Early 1990's Hip-Hop collective Digable Planets have announced that they have reunited and are working on a new album.

Butterfly, Doodlebug (Cee Knowledge) and Ladybug Ms. Mecca formed the group in the early 90’s while attending college in Massachusetts.

The group's debut release Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time & Space) was an instant classic and spawned the lead single 'Rebirth of Slick' (Cool Like Dat)’, a top 20 pop hit.

The release earned the group a Grammy for best 'Duo or Group', making them the first Hip-Hop group to receive the award in that category.

Digable Planet's follow up album Blowout Comb was also a critical success and while it contained memorable recordings including "9th Wonder," the album never met the commercial success of the group’s debut.

The group disbanded in 1995, with each member remaining active in the creative community.

“We just stopped wanting to be around each other,” Butterfly told AllHipHop.com. “Everybody seems to want there to be some kind of conclusive event or something like that, but all you have to do is think about your own relationships in your life, things happen over the course of time that make you want to not be around somebody. And then maybe you get back with them at some certain time but it’s not no cataclysmic event and sh*t like that, it’s not that dramatic.”

Butterfly formed his live band Cherrywine and recently was featured in an off-Broadway play. Butterfly also composed music for Pepsi and Fila commercials as well.

Doodlebug released a few records with The Cosmic Funk Orchestra and Ladybug Ms. Mecca announced plans to release a solo album last year.

No album title or release date was available for the group’s new album as of press time.

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Pharrell Williams has ditched his duties as host of the 2004 MOBO Awards, Europe’s premiere award show for outstanding black music.

The cancellation left organizers scrambling for a host for the event which tapes tomorrow (September 30th).

"I fully support the MOBO Awards and unfortunately due to scheduling problems I will be unable to host the show," Williams said in a statement. "I look forward to coming to the UK later this year and hope to work with the MOBO Awards in the future."

Mos Def, who is in London filming the movie “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” has been tapped to replace Williams as host.

Williams’ was to present with Misteeq star Alesha Dixon. According to sources, he wasn’t happy with the organizations choice of co-host.

Williams wanted someone he was familiar with, but in the end, Dixon announced that she could not host the awards either, due to a concert engagment in Dubai.

The MOBO’s were involved in a mild controversy when nominees were announced, to the amount of American artists who were nominated for awards.

Jay-Z, Outkast, Usher, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and other artists were nominated, but none are scheduled to attend the actual awards show.

The annual urban music ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall will be broadcast on the BBC October 6th.
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For those fans disgruntled that Mase missed his “Welcome Back” concert on September 25, the Bad Boy has a very good reason, albeit a tiny one.

His wife Twyla Betha has given birth to a baby boy.

According to sources with Bad Boy Records, the baby was born about 2 weeks ago and he cancelled a number of dates, including the "Welcome Back" show. "It was important for Mase to be there when the baby was born because his father wasn't there for him," a source told AllHipHop.com.

Mase, real name Mason Betha, is very tightlipped about his personal life, but his DJ, Craig sent his congrats to his friend.

The DJ told AllHipHop.com, “First of all congrats to Mase and the whole Betha family on the new baby boy. I don't have kids to know how it feels but it must be a great feeling to bring a new born in the world [but], as his DJ [I say its time to] Get back to work.”

Mase’s absence fueled unfounded rumors that the rapper retired again.

Promoters from the ‘Welcome Back” show [see previous AHH story 'Dip Set Replaces Mase At ‘Welcome Back’ Show; Mase Retires Again?'] have stated that they plan to sue Mase to recover funds lost on the concert, which reportedly undersold tickets. Perhaps, this news is cause for a change of heart

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On the Game’s next single “Higher”, which has been leaked to radio, something interesting has been raised more than a few eyebrows and has had the hip-hop community up in arms. But the words that are shaking up the industry aren’t from the Game, they are from the good doctor Dr. Dre.

It seems that Dre wanted to make a point on this song and his punching in of one line has become larger than the song itself. “I could say what muthafuckas want/you thought Dre retired?/left me his 6-4 and his Dayton wires/These niggaz waste a rhyme/Doc got something to say, be quiet/(Dr. Dre) Look out for Detox.” What does this mean? Don’t really know but hopefully the good doctor reconsidered his stance on not putting out Detox and opted to give the fans what they really want.


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Illegally downloading the new Britney Spears track could land you in prison for up to three years.

Under a new bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, users of peer-to-peer networks sharing more than 1,000 copyrighted files could face jail time, according to Reuters. The bill similarly targets movie bootleggers who illegally record films that are still in theaters.

The government will enlist federal agents to educate the public on the specifics of copyright laws and send warnings to Internet users suspected of participating in illegal file-sharing.

The Motion Picture Association of America as well as the recording industry, which blames illegal file-trading for the decline in CD sales, are reportedly pleased with the bill's passage. Consumer groups, conservative groups and libraries, meanwhile, expressed apprehension that the bill, by broadening the copyright law, would unnecessarily involve the government in the entertainment industry's battle, according to Reuters.

"The Internet has revolutionized how Americans locate information, shop and communicate," Texas Republican Representative Lamar Smith, a sponsor of the bill, told Reuters. "We must not let new Internet technologies become a haven for criminals."

More than 3,000 individuals accused of copyright violations have been sued by the recording industry in the past year, but only a few have had cases brought against them by the Justice Department.

In June, the Senate approved a similar bill, the details of which are being reworked before the president can sign it into law. This week, the Senate reportedly plans to consider a measure that would allow the peer-to-peer networks themselves to be sued for copyright violations.