Jul 15 - 50 Cent To Executive Produce Scrappys New Album?;Free Gets The Cover of KING Magazine

— by Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Bridget Bland

Producer: Dame Grease

CDs: Gangsta Breed

Representing: Harlem

411: We know Grease from his 10-plus years making beats for mixtapes and soundtracks, but just in case you haven't been up on what he's been doing lately, here's a reminder: With help from his DJ Suss One, Grease's currently helping DMX make a comeback.

Joints To Check For

"The Industry" remix by DMX. What else is new? DMX is fed up with the music industry and vents over his friend's newly constructed beat. "The industry don't give a f--- about you/ The industry couldn't make a dime without you/ I'm sick of this industry sh--/ The industry playing you like a industry bi#ch." Look for DMX's Here We Go Again, previously scheduled to drop Tuesday, later this year.

Untitled track featuring 50 Cent, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Tony Wink, Nas, Jay-Z and Big L. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Grease didn't go in the crates and pluck some obscure verses you've heard before for this one; you'll recognize most of these raps from other songs. For this track, which might remind you of Swizz Beatz's soundscape from "Banned From TV," Grease pieced the rappers' bars together to make a gangsta chorus.

"God by My Side" by Postaboy. Whatever happened to Posta? About three years ago the "106 & Park" freestyle battle champ signed to Fo'Reel Entertainment, and as Nelly's labelmate, it seemed like the company's platinum plaques wouldn't only be shipped out to St. Louis. Well, label problems delayed the release of his debut, and then Posta was struck with an even bigger blow when he was diagnosed with cancer. Here he documents his struggles while fighting — and beating — the big c. "The world saw me battle on the mic, but it's bigger than music/ Lately I had to battle for my life ... Not in a million years I'd imagine it'll happen to me."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

DJ Suss One and Dame Grease's Gangsta Breed
DJ Drama and Slim Thug's Boss Basics
Big Mike and Peedi Crakk's P. Crakk 4 Prez
DJ Mello's D Block: Street Musik
Swishahouse's Paul Wall Mixtape
Pete Rock's Gettin' Sirius: Live From Shade 45 Volume 1
Cutmaster C's "True Stories" DVD

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

Chamillionaire featuring Lil' Flip - "Turn It Up"
Memphis Bleek - "Game Dis" freestyle
Chops featuring Bun B - "Getcha Head Right"
Kool G Rap - "Playas Play"
Mobb Deep - "Not Hurtin' Nothing"
Young Gunz - "Game Dis" freestyle
Nas featuring Jully Black - "Material Things"
"I'm in Love With a Thug" - Sharissa
"Run It" remix - Chris Brown featuring Juelz Santana

Celebrity Favs

Bow Wow says he's one of many who's been hooked on R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" series. The teen titan also says he was glad to see Kells go #1 last week.

"I just think the guy is a musical genius," Bow said. "I think the guy is very creative. I don't think nobody would ever think about doing a first single and it be like five of them. And it's like five more to go — he's not even done yet. So that's even crazier. I just really respect him for what he does musically and not only that, he is like my favorite R&B singer. When you mention R&B music, he is the only guy I like. I don't really care much for nobody else."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Guys harboring crushes on Free, co-host of BET's "106 and Park," are going to be grinning ear-to-ear in the next couple of weeks. She'll be taking her clothes off — well, not all of them — for the cover of beloved men's mag King. She'll be following in the footsteps of Kelly Rowland, Trina and Mya.

In the issue, Free talks about her most talked about asset, her b00ty, saying she likes rubbed so much that she massages it herself before going to bed because it relaxes her.

We've been hearing about Free's debut LP for the past few years, but now it appears that she's gotten out of her contract with Elektra and is shopping around her 16-track album. The 30-something-year-old — yes, she also sheds a little insight on her age for the first time in the mag — said, "It is tough coming from the couch, but for me I know in my heart that when [the fans] hear what I do, when they listen to the words, there's not gonna be a question. Once you hear what I do, you know that I had to be in this."

You can get a taste of the s3xy lady's ski1ls on the Ying Yang Twins' "Wait (The Whisper Song)" remix. She talks about s3x on that one.

Lil Scrappy has been popping up in an abundance of G-Unit videos, leaving fans wondering what exactly is going on. Well, Scrappy and 50 are managed by the same company, Violator, but is there something more to the collabos? Is Scrap going to leave Lil Jon's BME label to join the G-Unit? Scrap says no. But, phoning in from Denver while on tour with Jon and 50, Jon and 50 might executive produce his upcoming LP, Bred to Die/ Born to Live.

"They gonna talk about that," Scrappy said. "It's kinda in the works. It's no contracts, but n---a's is finnin' to talk about that. So you know, whatever happens, happens. 50 is my dog. If I wasn't signed to Jon, I'd be signed to G-Unit. He's my n---a, not even on no business sh--. The whole G-Unit, really. Buck is like my brother from another father."

Regardless of whatever paperwork is filled out, Scrappy says most of the G-Unit will appear on his Bred.

Scrappy's current single is "I'ma King" with T.I. and the P$C off the Hustle & Flow soundtrack. Scrap also says he's anticipating the release of Young Jeezy's Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Both T.I. and Jeezy appear on a song called "Bang."

"It's a real vibe," Scrappy said about working with the two other Atlanta street soldiers. "Them n---as is one of my real inspirations from the South. When you feel like a n---a done came up similar to you and y'all have the same feelings and aspects and perspective and feelings on life — you gotta win and ain't no games — that's the n---as you wanna be around. Because you around winners.

"When they get to the studio, they just go," he added. "Me and T.I., we don't even write. That verse I did on 'I'ma King,' I just spit. That's how I been doing because it flows better and it comes from the heart. Jeezy really don't have to write, but he takes his time and does his thing. When we connect, we connect. N---as is bringing back that real gangsta sh--. Letting n---as know what the real is."

DJ Drama has worked with Scrappy, Jeezy, T.I. and virtually every big name in the South. Drama and his crew, the Aphilliates, just solidified a label deal with Atlantic; the first release will be Gangsta Grillz: The Album.

Drama says to expect heavy hitters like Tip and Jeezy as well as new talent the Replacementz, a two-man group from Atlanta by way of Chicago.

"It's gonna be a themed album," Drama said. "Gangsta Grillz as an album is gonna come with a concept I can't give away yet. ... It won't be a regular compilation of songs, and it won't be four rappers spittin' 16s that have nothing to do with each other saying my name on songs. Gangsta Grillz mixtapes are already certified in the streets, and if I'mma go mainstream, I'mma keep it certified."

Lil' Flip squashed his beef with T.I., and now it looks like he has another one cooking, this time with fellow Houston native Slim Thug. Both Thugger and Flip were unable to be reached, but according to a source close to the conflict, Slim took offense to Flip referring to himself as the boss in one rhyme. It's also being said that Slim may have perceived one of Flip's other lines as a subliminal jab. Wrong or right, Slim takes shots at Flip and his crew the Squad on new mixtape Boss Basics.

For more on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out the feature "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."

↪ http://www.mtv.com/bands/ .. monday/071805/