Is the Hip Hop Industry Dirtier Than the Dope Game?

Dr. Dre's mother went from digging for coins in the sofa to living in a million-dollar house, thanks to his success as a rapper and producer who launched Eminem, 50 Cent, Eve, Busta Rhymes and The Game.

But without Verna Griffin, Dre's group NWA might never have been born. The streetwise Griffin, who delivered Andre Young at the age of 15, didn't like it when he hooked up with Eric Wright, who had a lot of material things but no apparent job. "I was worried ... that Andre would be drawn to the glitter of what drug money could buy," she writes in her upcoming memoir, "Long Road Outta Compton." "Fast money is not good money."

Instead, Dre convinced his pal to form the seminal gangsta rap group with him, and Eric became Easy E.

Griffin was shocked by their lyrics, which were criticized for promoting violence and disrespecting women. But "when I looked on the past," she writes, "I could remember my boys standing outside having a friendly conversation when, all of a sudden, I'd ... see the police with all of them spread-eagle up against the police car. This harassment was for no obvious reason except they saw black boys grouped together, and presumed to be up to no good. It was then I realized that the lyrics were just stories about things that were actually happening."

Griffin always worked full time, and sewed the children's clothes to make ends meet. But thanks to Dre's generosity, her life became easier. Dre got her a house, gave her an allowance and, she writes, "would say, ‘Why are you working?' I told him that I would quit as soon as I got enough money to buy new tires. The next thing I knew he [got] me a Jaguar.

"I am rich," she concludes, "but with a wonderful family."

Meanwhile, Dre pal Bruce Williams is about to drop "Rollin' With Dre: An Insider's Tale of the Rise, Fall and Rebirth of West Coast Hip Hop." Long known as "the man next to Da Man" at Dre's Aftermath label, Williams reveals:

When Dre played the beats for "California Love" for Tupac Shakur, he asked if the late rapper wanted to take a copy so he could write lyrics to it. "I'm ready to go right now," said Tupac, who proceeded to go to the mic and rap completely spontaneous lyrics in "the exact ... cadence and inflection" after hearing it once.

THAT WOMAN IS STILL BITTER AT TONY YAYO!

The mother of the 14-year-old boy harassed by rapper TONY YAYO has slammed the G-UNIT star for signing up for an upcoming book tour promoting teen literacy - because he shouldn't be hailed as a role model. The So Seductive hitmaker - real name Marvin Bernard - pleaded guilty to intimidating the son of Jimmy 'Henchman' Rosemond, who manages his hip-hop rival The Game, in a New York court last month (Feb08). Yayo, a close friend and collaborator of 50 Cent, had charges of assault dropped after his co-defendant Lowell Fletcher admitted the rapper had nothing to do with the attack. However, Yayo did confess to "glaring" at the teenager in a way "meant to threaten physical violence", reports sources. He was ordered to undertake 10 days of community service and, as part of his sentence, is to front the New York campaign spearheaded by Glenn Toby's Book Bank Foundation to encourage youngsters to read more. But Cynthia Reed is furious the 29-year-old has been allowed to take part in such a promotion and has vowed to protest at the five-day event, which begins on Monday (10Mar08). In a statement addressed to the founder of the foundation, she says, "Shame on you Glenn Toby for letting Marvin Bernard's punishment look like willful charity. "Crimes against children should never be legitimised just because a person is an entertainer. A public apology is appropriate at this time, not only from Tony Yayo but from 50 Cent for denying this event ever happened."