By Cara Alwill

After a rocky past couple of months, rapper Nas and singer Kelis were spotted together Monday night at Marquee nightclub in New York City. This is one of the first times the former couple have been seen getting cozy since Kelis filed for divorce in April (while seven months pregnant with the couple's first child). According to sources, the pair seemed friendlier than they have in recent months and arrived at Nas' birthday celebration together.

Since the divorce filing, the ups and downs of their relationship have been made very public, especially through outlets like Twitter and gossip blogs. Back on June 4th, Kelis took to her Twitter account and expressed some very raw feelings. She tweeted, "This lovely day I would like to touch on cheaters. Why be cowardly? Why not go after what you really want? Also we can discuss w----s. I mean the nasty, sub-par tricks that participate in the cheating. Well let me say this: Both parties that are gross. And in reality they deserve each other."

After the birth of their son, Knight, in July, things seemed to be looking up as the couple proudly boasted about their new baby. Nas announced to fans, "My son's name is Knight. That's what I named the young God, Knight. Y'all heard it first. Don't believe nothing you hear in the media. I love y'all. Don't listen to that bulls---. I love y'all, that's why I'm here."

With all the back and forth, it has become more difficult to tell what is on the agenda for Nas and Kelis. On September 8th, just days before Nas' birthday soiree at Marquee, Kelis tweeted "I'm in a great mood today. Downright giddy. I dunno why but its good!" Could a reunion be in the cards? Maybe Twitter will reveal future secrets.

Before streaming video and iPods, before Blu Ray and IMAX, there was only one way to see the sort of illusions we take for granted: stage magic. A strange combination of theatricality, science and hucksterism, stage magic set the precedent for the early cinema and — just as the book The Prestige suggests — was intricately involved in the harnessing of electricity and other scientific breakthroughs (Nikola Tesla thought of himself as a bit of an illusionist). But the most famous stage magician, Harry Houdini, focused less on sleight of hand (though he was adept at it) and more on escapology and will power. In a trick that later inspired the likes of David Blaine, Houdini spent part of August 5, 1926 in a "casket" submerged in the pool of the Hotel Shelton in New York. He stayed there for just over 90 minutes, besting one of his rivals by a half hour. It was one of several "Buried Alive" tricks for Houdini and sadly one of his final public illusions: He met his tragic death on Halloween in 1926.

His name carried on with Whodini, the lyrical magicians who helped bring hip-hop to a mass audience in the early 1980s. Though one of the members (Ecstasy) tended to dress like Zorro, the group did tend to nod toward magic imagery — one of their early singles was called "Magic's Wand," and their most popular album was named after Houdini's greatest feats: Escape. That album contained the group's signature song, "The Freaks Come Out at Night." Check out the video, which also contains a great intro: an a capella version of "Friends," which you may recognize as an oft-used sample in tracks like Nas' "If I Ruled the World" and Tupac's "Troublesome 96."

By Rya Backer

It's been a pretty whirlwind 24 hours for us Beastie Boys superfans. Yesterday, a stop was placed on our hopes and dreams of the release of a new album (whispers are that it's really great), a festival tour peppered with a few individual shows in between and general press blitz mayhem when MCA delivered the very sad, very sobering news that he needed to take time out to be treated for cancer.

In a move that could be classified as either a really incredible coincidence or a really incredible diversion tactic (let the legend get treated, radiated and recuperated in peace!), the Boys have released a full-version of "Too Many Rappers," featuring Nas. When Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 drops, it'll be the sixth track on the album, because you were wondering.

This song is really exciting for a lot of reasons. Allow me to elucidate:

» This is the first full-length song we've heard from the new album. No, the two minute bites from "Lee Majors Come Again" and "B-Boys in the Cut" do not count. Nor does the Bonnaroo performance video for "Too Many Rappers." I remember hearing a bootleg of "That's It, That's All" before To The Five Boroughs came out, and it sounded amazing. Then I heard the real song and, well, I've got nothing nice to say, so I won't say anything at all about it (my mom brought me up right). Which brings me to my next point...

» I think "Too Many Rappers" is incredibly fun and good! Hooray! I just consulted my extensive Beastie Boys iPod library, and I couldn't really find another song "Too Many Rappers" resembles. Maybe "Drums of Death," but that was Mike D. rapping on an U.N.K.L.E. track. And the fuzz bass reminds me of "Gratitude." The point is it sounds new and different and great.

» Nas has a great cameo. The last time they teamed up with another rapper was when Q-Tip joined them on the Ill Communication classic "Get It Together," though I don't recall Tip ever giving Christian Louboutin a shout-out.

So MCA, until you're back in top form, this'll hold us over.

This Sunday is Father's Day, so you still have time to get out and get your cards purchased and your barbecue equipment/ties/books about baseball purchased. Music history is full of father/kid collaborations, some awesome (Wilco's Jeff Tweedy jamming with his son Spencer) and some creepy (Nat King Cole's posthumous collaboration with daughter Natalie). Here are my five favorite family duos.

Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus: Billy Ray certainly had his own success in the early '90s, but he is enjoying a renaissance thanks to his ubiquitous daughter. Their collaboration "Ready, Set, Don't Go" is a surprisingly sweet ballad that deals directly with fatherhood.

Nas and Olu Dara: Jazz musician Olu Dara (born Charles Jones) has always had something of a complicated relationship with his son Nas (born Nasir Jones). But their collaborations have been nothing short of excellent. Dara played cornet on Nas' "Life's a Bitch" (from his landmark debut Illmatic) and most recently dropped in some vocals on "Bridging the Gap" (he also showed up in the video).
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By Adrienne Day

There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't necessarily get addressed in our Newsroom blog. Here's a look at some top stories making headlines today.

It's Grammy time, and here are our predictions for the winners! (Hint: We're betting heavily on Coldplay.) Also, could M.I.A., Leona Lewis, Rihanna and other female artists up for awards turn the Grammys into ladies' night?

Is Nas' message stronger than his music? We listen to the controversy surrounding the rapper's Untitled, up for a Best Rap Album Grammy.

Day26 clue us in to the mood of their new album — sexy! — and to their dream-team collaborators: "Kanye West, Lil Wayne, T.I., Jeezy, Luda, T-Pain ... we want to work with you."

John Carpenter is back in the director's seat: We hear that the "Halloween" mastermind is set to direct "The Ward," starring Amber Heard, who plays a woman trapped in a haunted mental institution.

We were definitely proud of the people contributing to Mixtape Monday as we reflected on 2008. This thing of ours we call the mixtape game thrived in 2008, even though many said it would die out.

You can count record sales, concert tickets, the spins on a single, how many diamonds your favorite rapper has in his change, but one thing you can't mathematically measure is an artist's passion for the game. That's why DJ Drama still does for the streets despite his arrest in a mixtape raid last year. That's why Rick Ross and Young Jeezy still do it, alongside their quests for multi-platinum plaques. That's why 50 Cent and the G-Unit still do it, despite all their fame and wealth. Even the legends with nothing left to prove — such as Nas and LL Cool J, who are heralded as two of the greatest rappers ever — still catered to the streets this year. It's all for the love of the game.
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Nas has joined some of his hip-hop peers such as Juelz Santana and Busta Rhymes who became first-time voters in the 2008 election. The Queens MC — who's on tour in Oslo, Norway — was so excited about the election that he got in the booth earlier today and recorded a new song called "Election Night," apparently in the wee hours of the morning. DJ Green Lantern produced and sent MTV News a copy of the record.

"I'm currently on tour in Europe with Nas and we were at dinner last night talking about how crazy it is that we're not in the states on Election Day," Lantern wrote in an e-mail. "Someone quoted his verse from 'Black President,' when he said 'What's the Black Prez thinkin' on Election Night?' And Nas said, 'Set up the mic — I'm gonna speak on that.' And the result is 'Election Night.' "

Continue reading the story behind Nas' new song "Election Night."

I've known Young Jeezy for a few years now, and he really speaks the truth. Last week in Houston, he told me and my partner in Mixtape Monday, Rahman Dukes, that he enhanced a song we previewed a while back called "My President." The record is on Jeezy's upcoming album The Recession.

The Snowman recruited Nas for the last verse to give the song a steroid-like boost. One of my favorite lines from Nas? "She ain't a politician/ Honey's a pole-itician." And I have to big-up his reference to Hulk Hogan. Jeezy told us that Nas "went in," and indeed Esco did.

Jeezy comes off as well. And while the record definitely addresses his hopes for Barack Obama, Mr. 17.5 expanded the subject matter, talking about his relationship with UGK and even the rims on his Lambo, among other topics. Bruce Wayne has nothing on him. [In Jeezy's raspy voice] Haaaaahaaaaa!

Read more about the hip-hop community's role in this year's presidential election here.

A Tribe Called Quest, the Pharcyde, De La Soul. The date is ... last Saturday?!

The 1994 — excuse me, 2008 — Rock the Bells Tour is well under way, and I was there at the Los Angeles installment to catch up with a truly epic bill of hip-hop greats, both old and new. This year’s lineup is no joke, combining the aforementioned, fully reunited legends with contemporary, sure-to-be-hall-of-famers like Nas and Mos Def, and of course several up and coming “kids" (Kids in the Hall and Cool Kids, to be exact) to form a monumental trifecta of hip-hop’s past, present and future. Laugh it up, you lucky New Yorkers, but the rest of the country will be just fine without Jay-Z.

Hip-hop artists are genuinely the hardest workers in showbiz, as every artist we spoke with had all sorts of projects in the works. Expect more from Murs, Rakim, De La Soul, Method Man, Ghostface and Raekwon (but don’t let all the other reunions get your hopes up for catching a glimpse of Wu-Tang).

Read the rest of this post on the You R Here blog ...

Going four years strong, the annual Rock the Bells has really stepped up the competition for similar hip-hop festivals like Atlanta’s Birthday Bash and Hot 97’s Summer Jam. Featuring all-star lineups, first-string secret guests and A-list reunions, Rock the Bells has quickly become the latter-day Woodstock of hip-hop, the lyrical Lollapalooza, the Coachella of “C.R.E.A.M.”

While this year’s show hosted much-anticipated reunions from celebrated groups the Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest, as well as a high-profile performance from the controversy-laden Nas backed by a full live band, the night’s secret guests stole the show. No questions asked. Needless to say, New York was more than well represented, as virtually every headliner and guest hailed from the East Coast, constantly reminding fans of the true birthplace of hip-hop.

The first headlining slot went to the renowned De La Soul, who after two decades in the game proved their much-deserved place in hip-hop history with ease. Digging deep into their catalog of hip-hop classics (but surprisingly skipping “Me, Myself and I”), De La Soul drove the crowd wild when they brought out Black Sheep for an animated, participatory performance of “The Choice Is Yours.”

Read the rest of this post on the You R Here blog ...

Plus check out a full report on MTVNews.com ...