Last year saw the long-awaited release of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, an album that was first discussed in earnest some time around 1994 and finally hit store shelves 14 years later. It provided an easy metaphor for work that seemed to be forever delayed (one of the many reasons it was ultimately disappointing). With Axl's opus finally out in the open, the anticipation turned to Dr. Dre, whose Detox has been talked about for just as long. Dre revolutionized the way the public thinks about commercial rap with 1992's The Chronic, and since that record was released he has been teasing out a project called Detox. All the while, Dre has continued to produce for other MCs and oversee his label Aftermath Entertainment, but Detox remains incomplete (so much so that there are next to no inklings about what it could possibly sound like).

But 10 years ago, Dre provided a brief peek into what Detox might ultimately become. On this day in 1999, Dre released 2001, a confusingly-named collection of street anthems that not only resurrected G-funk but also helped to elevate Eminem (who had a star turn on "Forgot About Dre") and re-establish Snoop Dogg as a major player on the mainstream hip-hop scene. It's strange to consider now, but the middle years of the '90s were not particularly kind to Snoop, who had broken out huge with Doggystyle but floundered a bit when his follow-up Tha Doggfather failed to meet expectations. Master P ended up drawing him to the No Limit roster, and after the tired Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told, the one-two punch of 2001 and Snoop's own No Limit Top Dogg brought him back into the spotlight. He has Dre — and the killer cut "The Next Episode" — to thank.

Last night, Ozzy Osbourne took some time off from jamming with Metallica and headed to Worcester, Massachusetts to invade WWE's "Raw," the sports entertainment company's long-running weekly live show. Osbourne was accompanied by wife and manager Sharon, and he presided over the two hours with an iron fist, making matches, cutting promos and referring constantly to "Crazy Train." He also made copious plugs for his upcoming book "I Am Ozzy," his forthcoming autobiography that hits stores in January. (Sample text: "I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at f---ing two miles per hour." The rest of it must be awesome.)

In the show's best segment, Ozzy, Sharon and seven foot giant the Great Khali sat in as judges on a segment called "Raw's Got Talent." Comedy act Santino Marella bit the head off of a Batman action figure in a pale homage to Ozzy's notorious bat-biting incident. But then "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters came up and flexed his ample muscles rhythmically to "Crazy Train," which drew big cheers from the crowd and genuine laughs from Ozzy.

WWE has been recruiting guest hosts for its Monday night show for a few months now, and Ozzy is one of the few musicians to step into the ring for the show. (Snoop Dogg and the men of ZZ Top already beat him to the punch.)

If nothing else, last night's show reminded everybody of the greatness of Ozzy's output, particularly "Crazy Train," which is always good for one more spin.

By Eric Ditzian

Last week, before Justin Timberlake enlisted his musical buddies for an all-star charity concert, the singer hit the links at a Las Vegas golf course for a celebrity tournament to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of care centers dedicated to pediatric care with no financial obligation on the part of patients and their families.

(Click here for more photos of Justin Timberlake on the links at his charity golf tournament!)

This year's celeb golfers included ex-'NSYNC-er Chris Kirkpatrick, Smokey Robinson, Kenny G, comedian George Lopez, Alice Cooper, boxer Oscar De La Hoya and Alfonso Ribeiro of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" fame.

"The Shriners organization is a top-notch organization," JT said later on the red carpet before jumpstarting the concert at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino. "I think they get voted #1 charity of the year every year. The obvious satisfaction comes from the money we get to raise and getting to see where it actually goes."

Timberlake then took the stage to perform and emcee a show that featured performances from Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Jay Sean, Ciara and, for the first time in six years, TLC. While JT clearly reveled in a chance to whack a couple drives with celebs and rock out on stage with top-notch artists, he told MTV News the most gratifying part of the whole philanthropic effort is spending time with the beneficiaries of Shriners' efforts.

"I think that's the most rewarding part," he explained, "is getting to see the kids and hang out with the kids and goof around."

On tonight's episode of "Raw," World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship television program, they will welcome a very special guest host: Rapper/actor/entrepreneur/wrasslin' enthusiast Snoop Dogg. It's hardly Snoop's first foray into a WWE ring, as he was the "Master of Ceremonies" for a match at Wrestlemania 24 in 2008. (He also appeared on a few episodes of "Raw" leading up to that event.) In the past few months, the "Raw" show has welcomed various celebrity hosts, from Bob Barker to Seth Green to Shaquille O'Neal. Each one has played a different role, with some even getting involved in the in-ring action. While not a trained wrestler, Snoop is no stranger to violence in the squared circle: He delivered a segment-ending lariat to heel wrestler Santino Marella at Wrestlemania 24. Though Snoop's plans have been kept under wraps, it's certain that his nose for television and his ability to cut sharp, hilarious promos should make for great wrestling television as "Raw" builds to the "Bragging Rights" pay-per-view event.

Snoop is hardly the first musician to step onto WWE programming. The company got huge in the early 1908s thanks to a lot of musical crossover (most notably with Cyndi Lauper). In more recent years, Kevin Federline helped promote his hip-hop album by getting involved in a feud with wrestler/MC John Cena (the two wrestled on "Raw" on New Year's Day in 2007, leading to a Federline victory). Kid Rock was a special musical guest on this year's Wrestlemania, making him the latest in a long line of guests for that big event, including Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Limp Bizkit, John Legend, Ice-T, Mötorhead, Alice Cooper and Nicole Scherzinger.

Who would you like to see step into the WWE ring? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!

"Well, actually, Jay-Z's just been in the studio doing some writing. Hopefully I'll get him to perform on the record. Jay, come holler! I'm just pushing forward, trying to get it right."

-Dr. Dre, opening the door for the Hottest MC in the Game to come in and drop a verse on Dre's long-awaited album Detox. The album, which the producer hopes to complete in time for a release some time in 2010, will finish the trilogy that began with his breakthrough album The Chronic back in 1992. So far, very little music has been heard, save for the track that made its way into a Dr. Pepper commercial and a few leaked session tracks from earlier this year. But possible collaborators on Detox include R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg, the Game, Drake, Lil Wayne and now Jigga. In between sessions in his lab, Dre has been hard at work perfecting his Beats by Dre headphones and a custom laptop designed for music playback.

By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

You could almost guarantee Gucci Mane was gonna crack the Hottest MCs list this year, but you just weren't sure where he would place.

Truth be told, ATL's brightest new star is in plenty of folks' top fives. Yes, La Flare isn't your traditional master of ceremonies, but no artist this year has more effectively merged the underground with the mainstream. He's broken through in '09 and shined through the clouds of controversy that have continued to dampen his career.

A longtime presence in the mixtape playground, the People's Champ (sorry, Mr. Wall) continues to assault the streets ("Awesome" with Snoop Dogg, "Wasted" with Plies and it's remix with OJ da Juiceman) while loudly becoming the go-to guy for aiding R&B heavyweights back to the top of the charts. He brought punch to Mariah Carey's stalker tale ("Obsessed") and gave Mario his biggest hit since Ne-Yo shared his pen game ("Break Up"). At press time, he was even trying to save Omarion's career. Good luck with that one, Gucc!

Earlier this morning, Wake-Up Video celebrated the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi and today's International Day of Non-Violence. But I'd be remiss if I didn't also offer up a tip of the cyber-hat to another anniversary today, as October 2, 1950 marked the debut of Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" comic strip. The simple three-panel daily told the story of Charlie Brown and the various satellite characters that make up his strange childhood. It was a funny, sweet and always painfully existential exploration of growing up in post-war America and spawned an infinite number of animated series, merchandise tie-ins, books and films. In a poetic bit of irony, the final "Peanuts" strip ran in newspapers on February 13, 2000 — the day after Schultz died.

"Peanuts" not only gave life to Charlie Brown but also to Snoopy, his devoted dog and the sometimes more-famous face of the franchise. Snoopy lived a life of fantasy and adventure, but always came back around to reality. It's no wonder why rapper Calvin Broadus chose the name Snoop Doggy Dogg (and later simply Snoop Dogg) as his nom de MC. Throughout his career, he's always had one foot anchored in the reality of the streets and the other planted in a fantasy world he has created for himself. It's what makes Snoop one of the most successful and beloved rappers of all time. Charlie Brown knew that life was a test of will filled with extreme highs and devastating lows, and so does Snoop, whose "Ups & Downs" (from the 2004 album R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece) sums up the "Peanuts" philosophy perfectly.

Later this month, "The Simpsons" will jump into its 21st season with yet another entry in the fantastic "Treehouse of Horror" franchise. To celebrate the upcoming milestone and to pay respects to some great hip-hop icons, Format and Moxy Creative have teamed up to produce a series of limited-edition posters that depict 10 famous rappers "Simpsonized." The results are pretty great. As you can see in the posse shot below, some real heavy hitters are represented: Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Flavor Flav, Andre 3000, Eminem, Eazy-E and Fat Joe have all been converted into cartoon versions of their former selves.

In addition to the posse poster, each MC gets his own individual poster, complete with a customized "O" in the "No Homer" logo (a clever play on the hip-hop catchphrase "No homo"). Kanye gets the shriveled heart from the 808s & Heartbreak cover, while Flav gets a giant clock and Slim Shady gets a pill.

Though "The Simpsons" has featured dozens of guest stars from the music world during its long run, very few rappers have actually shown up on the show (50 Cent famously made a cameo a few years back). While these posters aren't endorsed by the show, let's hope it's a catalyst for getting a few more hot lyricists actually animated and into the program. Knowing what his real world counterpart is capable of, can you imagine what cartoon Weezy would do? Make it happen, Al Jean!

Kid Cudi has been working on his album for quite some time, and it's had plenty of release dates and production delays. But it looks like his premiere solo LP could actually be on its way, as Kanye West unleashed Cudi's album art on his blog yesterday.

The album, which is called Man on the Moon: The End of Day, features production by West and Just Blaze and guest spots from the likes of Common, Snoop Dogg, Clipse and MGMT. Cudi has kept himself busy touring with Asher Roth on the Hangover Tour and getting nominated for a Video Music Award for his excellent cartoon-assisted clip "Day N' Nite."

With Jay-Z going a little artier for the cover of his upcoming album The Blueprint 3 and Cudi and Kanye clearly possessing an interest in interesting visuals, could we be entering the golden age of hip-hop album art? The old model for covers for rap records relied on menacing photos of the artist. But in the past year, more and more rappers are expanding their visual horizons: Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, T.I.'s Paper Trail and the Roots' Rising Down all dipped their toes in interesting artistic ideas. But Cudi has definitely thrown the gauntlet down for any other MC looking to keep his album cover interesting.

By Steven Roberts

CHICAGO -- I grew up on Snoop Dogg. Outside of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” I think “Nuthin’ But a 'G Thang” was the probably the first rap song I knew the words to. Thinking of Snoop riding down the block on somebody’s handlebars wearing a Penguins jersey, khakis and Chucks in the “Gin & Juice” music video brings a smile to my face. I remember watching his performance of “Murder was the Case” at the 1993 VMA Awards like it was yesterday.


So, when I found out I as going to Lollapalooza this year, Snoop was the one person I needed to see. I had never seen him live and I didn’t care if I slogged my way through rain and the heat and saw nothing else. What better place to see Snoop then at Lollapalooza with tens of thousands of people?


I grabbed a camera so I could be in the press pit for his performance; snapping photos was secondary, I needed a front row seat! Once I got down there, I couldn’t see how far back the crowd stretched from the front of the Chicago 2016 stage. People in the crowd were chanting “we want Snoop,” and a certain pungent aroma was in the air. I knew it was only a matter of a time.


I could feel my mouth stretch from ear-to-ear as Snoop hit the stage. Photographers are allowed to snap photos for three songs in the press pit. I don’t remember any of the songs that played, but I think I snapped about 200 pictures of Snoop wearing his yellow Lakers T-shirt.