Recently I was asked by ESPN and ABC to appear on the NBA Xmas pre game holiday show to talk ball and music. Having studied as a sportscaster many years ago, before being sideswiped by hip hop in the early 80's, I've always considered myself able to hang with anyone doing sports talk. In fact it was my parlaying of the organization of sports with the disorder of rap, hip hop, and black music in general that kept me interested. Alongside this I'd also felt the rock world at that time was parallel to the sports scene. Very much put together. I kept a inner grudge at the white boys that ran both scenes that seemingly kept black cats out from running the backstage. So for myself a combination of both worlds infused inside hip hop and rap would make it a healthy business to be in for fifty years or so, as well as enjoying the fun of making, playing, and listening to the growing music.

What I meant by the dominance of the organization of rock was the constant arena tours - the theater and club circuits were solid. Merchandise and swag were a solid business, rock groups had logos, TV shows, history timelines, standards of musicianship, special radio broadcasts, and magazines full of journalists who knew beyond rock itself, at least they knew where it spawned from, although rarely admitting it above a written whisper. This was a barometer I thought.

Here I was at the end of 2005, comparing the ESPN setup with MTV, BET, M2 etc. And there was none. No contest. I was on a panel where I had to raise my representation of hip hop and blackness to a higher standard, and this was just sports?! Recently I'd felt close to that feeling, talking music, and that's when Professor Griff and I had an eloquent mature discussion about the craft in the studios of MUCH MUSIC in TORONTO.

You know what I'm tired of? I think the Notorious B.I.G. records where cats are making remixes and such is tacky to his legacy. Really if you examine all the previously rejected lyrics that have resurfaced in these new songs, you'll find more murder, blood and death than a lil bit. It's wack to me. I wonder really what his mother thinks when lyrics that reflected his earlier 1994-1997 party and BS self pop up in society like bad acid reflux? Again I thought Biggie was headed towards a refreshing extension, career wise.

I know people think that I may have had a grudge with BAD BOY, and the B.I.G. estate - not true. Sean 'The Diddy Puffster' and I have had always mutual respect for each other. Class dude as far as I ever saw him. Also I know he was a major factor in BIGS growth from album one to album two. That's why it's hard to hear the previously vaulted lyrics splattered all over the airwaves.

For all those headz who don't really care about the industry rules or the history of the business: 'The Ten Crack Commandments' lawsuit was not a suit but instead a songwriting claim, hello? Really, to the other writers who co-wrote on the 'Shut Em Down' composition, all the 'player ball getting money' attitude didn't wash with them. Myself I wanted to drop the point of a crack promoting song with my un-authorized voice in it, and issue a warning, but the flossing was like waving a steak in a lion's den. All she wrote, and the rest is history (which headz choose sometimes to ignore). In fact it became more of a Def Jam-Arista master use dispute. Dj Premier was pissed, but I tell you what, when Puffy wanted to use the JB Blow Your Head sample (which isn't ours anyway) I was the first person he called. He didn't really have to, but he did. Class gesture, that's why I know deep down he doesn't dig it.

Yeah well here's some more news for you

Got into a big thing on Flav's new show FLAVOR OF LOVE on VH1. I actually dig this show, keeps me laughing. I mean I wasn't a fan of those Fantasy Island shows, nor The Bachelor but this show has me in ironic stitches. Again some folks say its not in line with PE, but FLAVOR's line is a different drum. Always. I never and don't expect Mr. Drayton to be an ad-libbing, second voice, hype man character for the sake of paying his billings. He must expand and do his thing, as long as he doesn't disrespect his family, something that I did my best to keep VH-1 from airing.

The seams of the original threads of rock and roll, rhythm and blues had unsoulfully reached a climax with disco in 1979. Five years prior, the founding holy trinity of Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash had tinkered new arrangements with pre disco soul and funk 7' 45s and extended play 12' vinyl on broken down record players in the midst of busted educational musical curriculums. Hip hop rose from these ashes of dis-enfranchisement with the added form of rap music. Truth is that rap music never has been a music to itself. It's the vocal application of rap on top of music, largely urban soundscapes.The beauty is that the twenty-six years of rap and hip hop have the artistry of records at it's root indeed. What better place than ITunes to reach back to this root? While introducing a truly Bronx jam -American artform with incredible talents and recordings and at the same time identifying sample, sound, and melodic reminder from the song vaults of rhythm, blues, and soul right here.

I dig the Lebron James' commercial with him playing simultaneous roles. Especially the pops and the ultra-cool one who can't take it anymore. Lebron is an example of a millennium cat who has soaked so much massive media as a growing child to man, that acting is a natural response. With so many audio-visual examples acting today can be considered a higher form of mimicking. What you see is what you can do. Great job still.

Speaking of sports, KOBE BRYANT's eighty-one points I heard about while in FRANCE. The look on the faces after breaking the news like ' yo, Kobe hit eighty-one last night' brought totally a different, in fact, ugly look on the told faces.

Up over here in CANNES, FRANCE as MIDEM takes place with the world of music, and independent companies converge in one place. Did the AirAmericaRadio show five AM in the morning on SKYPE, the world phone system through the computer.

Second year in a row Ipods were the hottest item. Hotter than the music sold itself. A fact is that CDs won't disappear but will be de-emphasized, maybe not to the level of cassettes but people trying to sell CDs are participating in a crumbing industry.

I thought EMINEM remarrying his ex-wife had to be an incredible love story of the music decade. Kudos to him, that's the most realist stuff he's ever done.

While over in FRANCE it was learned that Wilson Pickett had passed away. Off the heels of Lou Rawls and Richard Pryor it's seeming like more famliar names are checking out. Could be that many of the names carved a way for themselves from the path civil rights had made through the American mainstream. These people were accepted for the talents they truly were. I would say 1964 was a benchmark year with civil rights setting A huge pick as a movement. Many black stars emerged by doing their thing and not having a thing dictate how their thing should be.

For the Public Enemy comic book updates peep www.americanmule.com which is brilliantly orchestrated by creator Adam 'ILLUS' Wallenta

College lecture season is here again, with yours truly hitting Arkansas and Notre Dame this week, so I'm finishing my notes and this was the reason this Tdome was a bit late. Quite frankly I'm trying to nail at least two a month this year.

Although they appear to be a terrible team I've had much fun watching the KNICKS this year. It's probably because of Larry Brown and the three rookies Channing Frye, David Lee, and 5-9 Nate Robinson , as well as Steph Marbury who I've always dug. Nate Robinson's a dunking fool. I could only imagine. In high school 77-78 I could dunk tennis balls, cans, and occasional volleyball on a running or standing start but not a basketball.

SLAMjamz had a bit of a buzz going on at MIDEM especially in the form of our First half SLAMpler which consisted of 20 tracks- 20 videos- 20 MP3s...a triple double. David Snyder aka C Doc has set a superman standard by knocking out nineteen of twenty in a five month period. The upcoming KYLE JASON Paris Sky video recently shot with TiJANA BASS in Paris is a piece to behold...keep peeping www.slamjamz.com

Keep on keeping on - Happy New Yeah 2006... Here we go... get ready yall!

Mistachuck@rapstation.com Catch the radio shows, Chuck D's Worldwide Throwback and Underground Countdown show on Radio@AOL And On The Real w/ Gia'na Garel on AirAmericaRadio.com sunday nights 11-1AM EST

Mistachuck@rapstation.com www.publicenemy.com Www.SLAMjamz.com The 21st Century Record Label ..from 45s to mp3s -taking you past the future.