MTV's Mixtape Monday - Feb. 13th '06

Artist: DJ Clue

Representing: Queens, New York

Mixtape: Fidel Cashflow 2006: The New Regime

411: DJ Clue drops albums almost as infrequently as Michael Jackson or Dr. Dre, but he insists his The Professional, Part 3 is coming out sometime in April. No disrespect, but we'll believe it when we see it, Clue. One of DJ Clue's signees is in the middle of making a power move — (and one of the industry's worst-kept secrets is about to come to to the light — in a couple of weeks) as Fabolous is close to finalizing a deal that will see him leave the Warner Music Group and go to Def Jam. Clue says Fab's contract is almost done.

Joints To Check For

* "What Y'all Want" by Fabolous. "Actually, he just recorded it not too long ago," Clue said. "We were in the studio working on his mixtape — he's got a mixtape coming out next week — so we had recorded it for the mixtape. [Fab's contract with Def Jam] is almost official, but it's not, like 100 percent inked and signed. But it's almost there. It should be official within the next couple of weeks."

* "Dear Mr. President" by Game. "Game's track isn't new," Clue explained. "We recorded it a while back. So the whole concept of the song was how people just put him and 50 [Cent] against each other, and how someone got shot and what it could go to, how that's really what the press wants to see. The press wants to see beef, the press wants to see 50 Cent shooting at Game or Game shooting at 50. In reality, it ain't that serious for no one to be dying over."

* "Sorry Ms. Jackson" by Styles P. and Jadakiss. "It's basically Styles and Jada going back at 50, I guess," Clue offered. Since he didn't elaborate, we will. The LOX are indeed dissing 50 once more, this time using Outkast's "Ms. Jackson" beat and chorus. OK fellas, both sides need to put the feud to bed for real. What more can they say about each other?

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

* DJ Fatal's 2 Pac: The Lost Tape
* DJ Delz and T. Waters' The Day After Tomorrow
* DJ Gyvis' The Brooklyn Documentary
* Special Teamz's The Mixtape Beyond
* BeyondRest and Big Dave's Do Not Tailgate
* D.O.E.'s The Mascarade
* Big Mike's Big Boy Game 10.5
* Big Mike, Sheek Louch and Supa Mario's - Still a Wolf
* DJ Smallz and Kay Slay's - Southern Smoke Pt. 24
* JT the Bigga Figga's "Video Discography" DVD

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

* Bailey - "Stomp Yo Couch"
* The Game - "360 Degreez"
* Styles P - "Crime Connection"
* Young Buck and Spider Loc - "B---h Boy 2"
* Red Café, Paul Wall, Fabolous - "Jeep Sh-- (Bling Blaow Pt. II)
* Inspectah Deck - "A Lil' Story"
* Icarus - "When You All Alone"

Celebrity Favs

DJ Mick Boogie has the job of all jobs: Not only does he get to play records, he also gets paid top dollar to see every single Cleveland Cavaliers home game. Boogs is his hometown team's official DJ.

"There are many perks involved with DJing for an NBA team," he said, "especially a team as supportive and creative as the Cleveland Cavaliers. Obviously, increased visibility is amazing from a marketing perspective. You're reaching a whole new audience. The opportunities for side projects and corporate sponsorship are definitely there. It also enables you to build stronger relationships with the players, which leads to more parties, CDs and other things."

Boogie releases a variety of mixtape series throughout the year, but what are his favorites from other DJs?

"I definitely enjoyed Green Lantern's Invasion series, although I liked his older CDs a bit more," he said. "Drama's Gangsta Grillz series has really changed the game ... and strengthened the bond between artists and mixtapes. The Grillz series made it possible for me to have my Dirty Work series. Lastly, although it doesn't have an actual series name, Neil Armstrong's series of old-school CDs are among the best CDs in the game, and are timeless."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Ghostface Killah's Fishscale comes out on March 28 on Def Jam, and as the flashy king of slanguage tells it, he and Island/ Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid did not meet under the best circumstances but they have a relationship that works.

"He caught me in the hallway barkin'," Ghost said recently in New York. "N---as on the streets was telling me that they didn't know my last album, Pretty Tony, was out. I wasn't barking on L.A., but I was barking on [some employees]. Reid heard the commotion, came out of his nearby office and asked Ghostface what the problem was and how could he help.

"I had to tell him, 'I'm a live n---a. They treating me like a bird," Ghost explained. " 'I'm a legend. This is what I do. This is how I eat.' "

"He was like 'Yo, I'm new here too. I'm trying to make it work, too. But I'm glad you can come out and talk to me because that's what I need,' " Ghostface continued. "He likes to have a relationship with the artists, and that was the best thing any executive ever [said]. Then when I started visiting him on the one-on-one tip, he made a n---a feel like family. "

Pete Rock, MF Doom and the late J Dilla (a.k.a. Jay Dee, see "Jay Dee — Producer For Common, Busta And Tribe — Dies") are among the Fishscale producers that Ghost hasn't worked with before.

"I didn't get no tracks from RZA," Ghost said. "RZA was doing his thing and I took it like I'm messing with a bunch of new n---as. I had RZA all my life."

Even though there are no RZA beats, Ghost said the whole Wu-Tang Clan, including ODB, are all featured on the Fishscale LP. Ghost's next album, on the other hand, might just be a collaborative effort between him and Doom. The two met while Ghost was on the Projekt Revolution tour with Linkin Park. Someone slipped Ghost a MF Doom beat CD, only it wasn't labeled MF Doom — it had the mysterious Metal Fingers name.

"I didn't know who Metal Fingers was," Ghost remembered. "So my manager was like, 'I'm gonna find him,' and it turned out to be MF Doom.

"He's a soul baby. He loves good loops," the hip-hop Ironman said. "Him, Mad Lib, they all in that camp. I got some beats from Mad Lib too, but I didn't use them yet. But Doom, he's a underground warrior. They love him for his beats, lyrics, everything. Being in the studio, he knows what I like. We are almost the same n---as. We are almost the same soul babies. I like to be different. I like a few beats n---as is putting out now, but I like old hip-hop. He's got a lot of that sh-- in his box and in his heart and soul."

Ghost says he's already recorded five or six records for the duet album with Doom and plans to do at least three more records with him for the project. There is no word yet on which label will release the album or when it will be out.

Jermaine Dupri says that when he and LL Cool J were in Atlanta recording "Control Myself," he was unsuccessful in trying to get the G.O.A.T. to go to a local strip club, but he was able to get LL to revisit a flow from one of his classic records.

"The 'Going Back to Cali' flow [that LL uses on 'Control Myself'] was my idea," Dupri said. "You gotta think about it like this: Every rapper takes from somebody. They pull from a rapper's song or flow they like. That's been the trend for the past 10 years. When LL came to Atlanta, [Nelly] just did 'Grillz,' and it wasn't out like that. I said, 'LL, look. [Nelly] took your flow from 'Candy.' "

Dupri said he reminded Cool J that the MCing legend has so many flows in his catalog that he's only used once and retired.

"He did the 'Going Back to Cali' flow one time and let it go," JD continued. "He never ran it into the ground. I said 'Look, it's been almost 20 years. Bring that flow back.' It took him a minute to come around to what I'm saying, but we got there".