Due to technical difficulties, The Operative from Damage Control will be filling in for your man Danny "D Butters" Rudder on the Beat Bomb column for a minute, so let's blow some stuff up like Michael Bay.

The Voodoo that who do? In between chewy pieces of Kung Pao chicken, The Operative got the skinny on D'ANGELO's new album from the Chinese food delivery guys who frequent Virgin Records' Beverly Hills offices. Seems the bigwigs are tight lipped on the project, but that the Brown Sugar Daddy kicked some new stuff at an intimate gathering in New Orleans at some juke joint called the Superdome. Considering the soulman spilled his guts for XXL Magazine (big up to Sheena and the crew, info at xxl@harris-pub.com), and sneaking out to cut a duet for close pal LAURYN HILL for her new Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album, due out any time now, the secrecy seems ... wacky. Adding fuel to the fire, the new LP, entitled Voodoo, was recorded at old JIMI HENDRIX haunt, the Electric Lady Factory in NYC. Come with the album already, Maxwell did a sophomore turn in just two years!

Clarification on the all-female Wu group: be very afraid. FIVE DEADLY VENOMS will feature the likes of LIN QUE (the rapper formerly known as ISIS), formerly harmless N-TYCE, FINESSE from the lamented Finesse & Synquis, CHAMP MC, and J-BOO (we don't recognize the name either). No matter what, this promises to be a fascinating debut, with a mix of styles and chemistry that would make Dr. Frankenstein say, "daaaaaaaaaamn!"

The Operative spin-kicked his way into the LA House of Blues where he bumped a number of groupies out of the way and got a table across from old schooler JERMAINE JACKSON at the Roy Ayers concert. While sipping on a tasty mix of cranberry and pineapple juice, it was overheard that MICHAEL JACKSON hisself has approved a Jackson 5 reunion ... but that Jermaine ain't down for it? What, tired of singing backup on "A-B-C", not enough chances to segue into "Do What You Do?" More on this as it develops.

Speaking of ROY AYERS, this OG Westsider Rider has been busy in the studio, dropping gems on ERIC BENET's new album, due out late '98 or early '99. The groovy young soulster Benet, who shuns claims that he's staked out permanent squatter's territory under STEVIE WONDER's trousers, also mentioned help on the project from WYCLEF JEAN and RAPHAEL SAADIQ between hugs for fans and winning smiles.

While we're all riding the Conjunction Junction, SAADIQ himself confirmed, "you will never see Tony! Toni! Tone! together again." His solo and producing work will continue unabated, but Tony! the Lonely seems happy about the split, sipping on Jack & Coke and crashing Benet's set on the Club Benson & Hedges Tour.

Hook it up -- said tour is also the site of a hip hop reconciliation. RUN-DMC had some form of undisclosed beef with KURTIS BLOW (both of whom are on this years state-to-state also-smoking-groove), which is odd in that Run was known as the "Son of Kurtis Blow" for a time. They hadn't spoken, according to Kurtis, in years and started off the tour icily, avoiding each other in separate dressing rooms and the whole nine. On stage in Detroit, Kurtis apologized first and was brought out on stage the next night in Dallas by the Kings of Rock in a love fest that brought the house down.

Branching briefly into the world of film, the Operative sat down with a team of highly trained online cosmetologists, who confirmed that WHITNEY HOUSTON was hitting the silver screen again, producing and starring in "Friends and Lovers," adapted by the novel of the same name by ERIC JEROME DICKEY. Seeing as how she's only once appeared in a movie that didn't do at least $70 million domestic (The Preacher's Wife) and banged it even on TV with BRANDY, chances are this'll be a hit with the Waiting to Exhale crowd.

Finally, the Operative wipes a tear from his eye as he will see the reunion of the FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP's original quartet -- the formerly imprisoned SELF JUPITER (rumored to have the cell underneath Geronimo Pratt), the chaotic MIKAH-9, possibly the most fearsome MC on the west coast (and KRS had best watch his back) named PEACE and underground superhero ACEYALONE at Los Angeles' Whisky a Go Go. It'll be a beautiful moment in hip hop history.

That's all the news that's fit to be stolen, and this is the Operative signing off from the City of Lost Angels.

-- theoperative@innocent.com