The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

A chorus that goes, "Chicken Noodle Soup, with a soda on the side," might sound like straight gibberish to you, but DJ Webstar and Young B's "Chicken Noodle Soup" has the kids in uptown New York dancing harder than when the Harlem Shake was en vogue. The two new dances? The Chicken Noodle Soup and the Toe Wop.Meanwhile, Diddy is giving his own ode to the dance craze that's sweeping Harlem with "Get Off." Puff said "getting off" simply means to dance uninhibitedly."I was inspired by the hyphy movement and the crunk movement," Diddy said. "I was like, 'Yo, New York has a movement that's been going on here for a long time that maybe people don't know.' It's like the sista of that. Like how crunk is the brother to hyphy, we got a movement. ... When kids hear something, they gotta release and get off and do their thing. This right here is that next-level, high-octane, that uncut, raw [version] of that. So what you seeing, that Chicken Noodle Soup, you seeing all that. This is something that's been going on in Harlem for a long time. This is the uptempo version of that. Get your sweat on, get off." ...


When you hang around Diddy long enough, his hustle ethic is going to rub off on you. Cassie sings and dances in her video for "Me & U," and in her follow-up clip, she rocks the mic in another fashion."My next single is 'Long Way to Go,' " the beautiful Bad Boy princess recently said in L.A. "I'm rappin' on the record, so look out for that one. We're probably doing the video in the next two or three weeks, so look out for it. The song is about a guy that's trying to get with me, but he's got a long way to go." ...

Honorary G-Unit member Lil Scrappy is putting out a sequel to 50 Cent's "How to Rob" — and he's holding up the music industry."I'm jacking everybody," Scrappy said. "Even 50 and [Lil] Jon — they getting it too."At first I wasn't into talking about anybody," Scrap added later, "but I remember back in the day when a n---a ain't had nothing. He would do anything to get a little paper. I want to be where real hip-hop is. A lot of people say hip-hop is dead. Well, I'mma kill it for 'em. You gotta think: I'm a dude who can get crunk and spit."Coincidentally, Scrap is getting ready to film a movie with Mekhi Phifer and Stacey Dash that centers on a crime mob that robs rappers and basketball players. They begin filming in late August in L.A.Scrappy's Bred 2 Die, Born 2 Live comes out in late September, and he has two mixtapes, G 69 and Keepin it G, coming soon. Also, expect a Scrappy mixtape tour this summer. ...

After 10 years in the game, Cham is a baby no longer. The Kingston, Jamaica-born reggae star is actually starting to get recognition in the U.S. with "Ghetto Story," an underground smash that gives a snippet of his life's hardships. Cham's struggles have resonated with the people, and he's getting spins on MTV, BET and radio."It's my biggest hit ever," Cham, who smoked the clubs three years ago with the dancehall classic "Vitamin S," said from Jamaica.Even some of the biggest names in the music industry have become Cham fans. Alicia Keys recently laid down vocals for a remix of "Ghetto Story," as did Akon on a separate version.Cham said working with Akon was meant to be because the two struck up a friendship years ago when A was supposed to be on the "Vitamin S" remix. At one point, Cham was even considering signing to Akon's Konvict Music imprint. But for the Grammy Award-winning Keys to get on his record was a welcome shock."Yo, that's like a giant," Cham marveled. "That link, I was on the road with Dave Kelly, my producer and close friend. He told me, 'Yo, you're going to get Alicia Keys on the "Ghetto Story" remix.' I was like, 'Are you sure?' Because she doesn't get on any and every project." Keys obviously kept her promise and sang on the record."What she's singing about surprised me," he said. "That's real respect, 100 percent. I think she loved the record for real. You can hear it in her voice and what she went through as a kid. If you came through struggles, you're gonna feel it. You can hear the punch, the pain. It's a beautiful thing. She's saying she ate white rice and honey. I never heard of that before, but I'm going to try it. In Jamaica, when we had no meat to eat with the rice, we ate white rice and butter."Cham's LP, Ghetto Story, comes out August 15 and also features a guest appearance from Rihanna. Cham and Keys just finished the video for the remix in Jamaica. ...Lastly, look for Pharoahe Monch to be coming back this year. He worked on Diddy's upcoming LP, Press Play, and has Puff spitting like never before. Monch also just signed a deal with SRC/ Universal to release his next LP, Desire.