• Aretha Franklin's son: probably a really bad Christian rapper. [NYMag]

• More than 1/5th of blacks surveyed believed that the reputation of Memphis, Tenn., suffered after Martin Luther King's assassination there in 1968. Only 1/10th of whites believe this. Oh. Okay. [JS]

• White people portraying black people in television and film is "risky [and] rarely successful?" Agreed. [PI]

• Legislating sagging pants is "selective law enforcement" and is completely ridiculous? Agreed. [SS]

• Thanks for the new Outkast, Kanye! [KW]

Andre 3000/Benjamin, who has been making the rounds doing publicity for his new film with Will Ferrell, Semi-Pro, which debuted at No. 1 this weekend, told MTV that fans should get ready for a lot more music from him in the near future. In addition to a collaboration on John Legends new album, he has plans to record a solo album, due in the fall, followed by another Outkast album with Big Boi.

By his own admission, Andre hasn't laid down tracks for either album. Only two songs have been conceived, and both exist only "in my head," he said.

No worries, he calmly said — it's the finish line that counts.

"After I finish promoting 'Semi-Pro,' I'm going to the studio and kind of staying in there for a while," he promised. "[I'll] bang out something!"

It's obvious from "Player's Ball" that the Outkast boys were talented, but there was really no way to forsee what they would become — both in terms of their music and their public personas. Looking at this kid in a jersey could we ever have pictured him performing at awards shows wearing green, furry costumes? I think not.

Also, I know that I said I would go easy on the Christmas songs, but, well, did you really believe me? Some people might not know that "Player's Ball" was originally written for the LaFace Family Christmas Album. I've been saving it for December.

It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to watch Andre 3000 and Big Boi together on the screen (in a video, not Idlewild) and hear them together on the same song. It feels like it's been so long! Well, even when OutKast is missing from the scene for a week, it's still too long. Here's the "International Player's Anthem" with UGK, and a bunch of random cameos.

Is Big Boi going to adapt and write some lyrics to Swan Lake, or will the Atlanta Ballet suck it up and choreograph something elegant to "Player's Ball"? I don't know who's responsible for making the 180 degree turn, but it's official. Big Boi and the Atlanta Ballet are teaming up for a string of performances next year. Janet Collins is probably rolling in her grave.

[EURweb]