The Source Entertainment Announces Nominees for ``The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 2000''

Business Wire, June 28, 2000

Entertainment Editors/Music Writers

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 28, 2000

Second Network Broadcast Will Air August 29 on UPN

Legendary Hip-Hop Artist Dr. Dre Tops The List With 5 Nominations

And Chart Topping Sensation Eminem Nominated For Lyricist Of The Year

Honoring hip-hop's most popular recording and performing artists, lyricists and producers, while recognizing its unique synergy with R&B and its impact on the entertainment industry, nominations for "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 2000," the first ever awards show dedicated to the genre of hip-hop, were announced today by David Mays, president of The Source Enterprises, the media holding company for The Source, now recognized as young America's most credible and trusted brand. The company has successfully embraced all areas of entertainment, including magazine publishing, new media, television and music production.

It was also announced that the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Dre and Ice Cube and the Pioneer Award to Grand Wizard Theodore. Hosts and The Source Sports Athlete of the Year will be announced shortly.

Last year, the special delivered UPN its highest Total Viewers ever on a Friday night. It also ranked No.1 in New York and Miami and was No. 1 among Total Teens and No. 2 among Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 in its time period.

The nominations for "The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 2000" were determined by the editors of The Source magazine and comprised of the leading hip-hop contributors from the previous year. The winners, to be determined by the public and a panel of influential radio DJs, will be announced in a star-studded awards show at the Pasadena Civic in Pasadena, California on August 22, subsequently airing for the second consecutive year as a UPN special on August 29 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT). To be eligible for nomination, recorded material must have been released between April 1, 1999 and March 31, 2000. The nominees are:

Artist Of The Year, Solo
1.       Dr. Dre
2.       DMX
3.       Jay-Z
4.       Snoop Dogg
5.       Nas

Artist Of The Year, Group
1.       Mobb Deep
2.       Hot Boys
3.       The Lox
4.       Bone Thugs N Harmony
5.       Method Man & Redman

Album Of The Year
1.       Dr. Dre "Dr. Dre 2001"
2.       Mobb Deep "Murda Muzik"
3.       Jay-Z "Vol. 3...Life And Times of S. Carter"
4.       Ghostface Killah "Supreme Clientele"
5.       Hot Boys "Guerrilla Warfare"
6.       Ruff Ryders "Ryde Or Die Vol. 1"

Single Of The Year
1.       "Whoa!" Black Rob
2.       "Still D.R.E." Dr. Dre f/Snoop Dogg
3.       "Jigga" Jay-Z
4.       "Bling Bling" B.G. f/Cash Money Millionaires
5.       "Hate Me Now" Nas f/Puff Daddy
6.       "Quiet Storm Remix" Mobb Deep f/Lil' Kim

New Artist Of The Year, Solo
1.       Eve
2.       Mos Def
3.       Beanie Sigel
4.       Black Rob
5.       Lil' Wayne

New Artist Of The Year, Group
1.       The Youngbloodz
2.       Tha Eastsidaz
3.       Made Men
4.       The Outlawz
5.       Dead Prez

Lyricist Of The Year
1.       Jay-Z
2.       Eminem
3.       Common
4.       Nas
5.       Beanie Sigel

Live Performer Of The Year
1.       Method Man & Redman
2.       DMX
3.       Hot Boys
4.       Puff Daddy
5.       Ice Cube

Producer Of The Year
1.       Dr. Dre & Mel-Man
2.       Swizz Beats
3.       Mannie Fresh
4.       Timbaland
5.       Rockwilder

Music Video Of The Year
1.       "Guilty Conscience" Eminem f/Dr. Dre (Directed by
           Phillip Atwell)
2.       "Da Rockwilder" Method Man & Redman (Directed by Dave Meyers)
3.       "Vivrant Thing" Q-Tip (Directed by Hype Williams)
4.       "85" Youngbloodz f/Big Boi (Directed by David Nelson)
5.       "Hate Me Now" Nas f/Puff Daddy (Directed by Hype Williams)

R&B Artist Of The Year
1.       D'Angelo
2.       Mary J. Blige
3.       Sisqo
4.       Destiny's Child
5.       Jagged Edge

Movie Of The Year
1.       The Wood (Directed by Rick Famuyiwa)
2.       In Too Deep (Directed by Michael Rymer)
3.       Next Friday (Directed by Steve Carr)
4.       Any Given Sunday (Directed by Oliver Stone)
5.       3 Strikes (Directed by DJ Pooh)

"The Source has been instrumental in society's growing recognition of hip-hop as the dominant youth culture," stated David Mays, president of The Source Enterprises. "We look forward to even greater success for our second network awards show and to rolling out additional extensions of The Source brand later this year."

The Source Enterprises, now a multi-platform entertainment conglomerate, began a decade ago as a simple one-page newsletter. Today The Source is the best-selling music magazine on America's newsstands, with 440,000 in paid circulation and three million readers per month. Since its founding, The Source, an award-nominated publication by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), has become a multi-media entertainment brand with the creation of a sports magazine, The Source Sports, television production company (The Source Entertainment), radio network, music compilation library (CD compilations include "The Source Hip-Hop Hits, Volume 1" (1997), "Hip-Hop Hits, Volume 2" (1998) and "The Source Awards 1999" (1999), all of which have been certified gold, as well as "Hits From the Vault" (1998)), and internet network (thesource.com). Among the brand's activities is The Source Youth Foundation, established to assist non-profit organizations that benefit youth in communities all across the country.