Two days after appearing in court on previous charges, police arrested rapper Busta Rhymes, 34, for driving under a suspended license. He was initially pulled over after police say he blew through a red light in lower Manhattan.

On Tuesday, Rhymes appeared before a Manhattan Criminal Court Judge to strike a plea agreement for two assault complaints. In the first complaint, he is accused of beating his former driver, 39-year-old Edward Hatchett, on Dec. 26, in an argument about back pay. In the second, Rhymes is accused of assaulting a fan last August, after the fan allegedly spit on Rhymes' car.

In his appearance Tuesday, Rhymes rejected a prosecutor's offer of six months total jail time for both counts, but he was considering a judge's deal, which would allow him to remain free on community service if he pleads guilty of misdemeanor assault. If he accepts the judge's deal - which includes community service, youth lectures, and anger management - the charges will be cleared in six months.

When Rhymes was stopped Thursday morning, he was released on $3500 bail and driving down West Broadway in lower Manhattan. After he allegedly ran the red light, police discovered he was driving under a suspended license, a violation which carries a 15-day maximum sentence. Rhymes was due for a hearing Thursday night; according to WABC-TV in New York, he waited at Manhattan District Court for 19 hours before receiving a hearing, which took only minutes to conclude. He was charged with driving under a suspended license and aggravated driving. His lawyer declined comment. At press time, it was unclear whether this arrest would affect Rhymes' prior cases.

The 79th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday will include a record five nominations for black actors and actresses. Regardless of whether Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith or Djimon Hounsou take home statuettes - though odds makers favor at least two of them doing just that - 2007 will certainly be remembered as the year when black folks crashed the Oscar party in full force.

Newsweek magazine recently noted that the "Black Oscars," the informal awards black actors give to each other the night before the big show, has been cancelled this year. The sheer volume of black Oscar nominees have made that other traditional event suddenly irrelevant. In fact, there has even been some buzz that maybe the Academy is overcompensating for the many past snubs of black actors and actresses, if such a thing is possible.

In the midst of all this Oscar excitement, VIBE.com takes a look back at six of the most notable black performances to be completely overlooked by the Academy, as well as six nominees who we feel were snubbed for their statuettes. If you've missed any of these films, you'd be insane not to add them to your Netflix queue post haste and take in the excellence that black actors and actresses have delivered to celluloid long before the Academy decided to take notice.

Overlooked:

Samuel L. Jackson in Jungle Fever (1991)

The Cannes Film Festival actually created the Best Supporting Actor award for Jackson based on his portrayal of crack-addicted Gator Purify in Spike Lee's interracial romance. He starred in the film just weeks after completing drug rehab, and was obviously channeling his own inner demons in delivering the greatest performance of his career. Did Academy voters simply not receive their screeners that year?

Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday (1999)

Though Foxx nabbed the Best Actor award years later for Ray, the performance that proved his acting chops was this Oliver Stone-directed football film. As egomaniacal quarterback Willie Beamon, Foxx outshined co-stars Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, James Woods and Dennis Quaid, and many critics believed he deserved a supporting actor nod for the performance.

Regina King in Ray (2004)

Meaty roles for African American actresses are few and far between, which makes it all the more shameful that King, one of the finest character actresses in the business, wasn't acknowledged for her incredible performance as Ray Charles' doomed mistress and backup singer.

Marlon Wayans in Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Your eyes are not deceiving you. While known for their gross-out comedies, the youngest Wayans brother is also the most talented. He proved it by playing a drug-addled sidekick longing for his mother's love in director Darren Aronofsky's mind-bending drama. If Marlon ever returns to the dramatic route, there may still be an Oscar in his future.

Don Cheadle in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

From the second Cheadle appeared onscreen this film became his. As Mouse, the pint-sized homicidal sidekick to Denzel Washington's Easy Rawlins, the seasoned stage actor turned heads in Hollywood and rocketed to leading man status. Pity he had to spend years stealing scenes from more acclaimed actors before the Academy finally took notice.

Harry J. Lennix in Titus (1999)

Doing Shakespeare on the big screen is hard. And Titus Andronicus is one of the Bard's least known and most controversial plays. So how is it possible that Lennix - who dominated the screen as master manipulator Aaron the Moor and completely upstaged both Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange - didn't even get a supporting actor nod for this challenging and complex role?

Nominated but Snubbed:

Morgan Freeman in Street Smart (1987)

Morgan Freeman might now be known as "Mr. Good Guy" on film, but his first (and most deserving) Academy Award nomination came for his portrayal of Fast Black, a street pimp who terrorizes journalist Christopher Reeves. Sean Connery's one-liners were the comic heart of The Untouchables that year (garnering the award), but no actor made a greater transformation into character than Freeman, who could be teddy-bear warm to Reeves one moment, and ice cold the next - such as when holding a knife to a hooker's eyeball, in one memorable scene.

Adolph Caesar in A Soldier's Story (1984)

This Pulitzer-winning play made an incredible transition to the screen, drawing such disparate young talents as Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend and David Allen Grier. But it was hard not to be chilled to the bone by the performance of the late Caesar, who played possibly the most self-loathing black man to ever grace the screen. Lou Gossit, Jr. received a much-deserved award for An Officer and a Gentleman only two years earlier, but Caesar's portrayal of Sgt. Waters puts that drill-sergeant performance to shame.

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993)

Bassett and Fishburne delivered probably the best one-two acting punch of any movie in history in bringing the volatile relationship of Ike and Tina Turner to the screen. Fishburne's portrayal of the violent and drug-addicted Ike was as frightening as it was enthralling, and Bassett's physical transformation into Turner is up there with Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter) as one of the all-time great screen portrayals of a real musician. While it's possible to accept Tom Hanks taking the Best Actor nod for Philadelphia, the same can't be said for Holly Hunter snatching the Oscar from Bassett for a role (The Piano) in which she didn't say a single word.

Sophie Okonedo in Hotel Rwanda (2004)

An incredibly moving story about the Rwandan genocide. A career-defining performance for Okonedo. And the award goes to Cate Blanchett for a good imitation of Katharine Hepburn? WTF?

Denzel Washington in Malcolm X (1992)

The great disgrace. Al Pacino received the Best Actor award that year for behaving like he had Tourette's in the almost laughable Scent of a Woman, while Washington was snubbed for the most versatile and complete performance of his career, portraying the late civil-rights leader/black nationalist from his criminal youth to the time of his death. Usually epic performances like these are guaranteed awards for their leads. Between this snub, their complete dismissal of Delroy Lindo's great performance as numbers-runner West Indian Archie and their neglect of Sam Jackson's performance in Jungle Fever, it's hard not to believe the Academy doesn't really have it in for director Spike Lee.

Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Akon, Robin Thicke and the Black Eyed Peas will join over 100 other performers from around the world in a seven-continent concert to raise global warming awareness. The performances, called Live Earth: The Concert for a Climate in Crisis, will occur on July 7, 2007, over 24 hours. On Thursday, Al Gore, Cameron Diaz, Williams and others unveiled the plans for the concerts, which are expected to be viewed by over 2 billion people across the world via television, radio and the internet. Proceeds will go towards The Alliance for Climate Protection, a Gore-helmed initiative to fight global warming.

While Gore heads the project, several musicians reached out to him about the concert first, including the Black Eyed Peas, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pharrell Williams.

"This atmosphere is being abused," said Williams in a press conference held yesterday. It's something we need to take seriously. I'm thrilled to be a part of the planning [of this concert]. [This is] an integral moment of the history of our planet."

The performances will occur in Antarctica, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, London and cities to be announced in Brazil, Japan and the United States. More information and a list of performers is available here.

Foxy Brown was arrested last night for assault and battery. Police said she threw hair glue and spit at a beauty store employee working at Queen Beauty Supply, in Pembroke Pines, Fla., and subsequently fought with a police officer. She was charged with battery and resisting an officer with violence.

According to the police report, Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was "utilizing beauty products in the bathroom of the business" when beauty store employee Hayssamn Ghoneim told her the store was closing. Brown allegedly threw hair glue at Ghoneim, then spat on him while he was calling 911 for police assistance. The reporting officer writes, "I responded and observed the saliva stain on the victim's shirt," and says when he attempted to arrest Brown, she struggled. There were no injuries. According to the report, Brown wants to prosecute the officer for battery.

Brown was previously ordered three years' probation and anger management classes for scuffling with manicurists last August in New York. Last month, she recieved "excellent" probation report after appearing in Manhattan Criminal Court. She is currently being held on $1,500 bond in a Pompano Beach, Fla. Jail.

Beyonce, sporting a pink and yellow bikini designed by her company House of Dereon, has become the first musician to cover Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. The 25-year-old singer will head off the issue's music theme, which features bikini'd models posing with male musicians such as Kanye West, Gnarls Barkley and Kenny Chesney. An online gallery can be viewed here.

Beyonce is also the second African American woman to ever cover the issue alone. The first was Tyra Banks, who was an SI cover girl in 1997. This year, Banks, flew to the Bahamas to recreate that appearance, wearing the exact same polka-dotted bikini - but with extra fabric to accommodate Banks' body, which is different now than it was ten years ago. "I was about 140 pounds on that cover," Banks told the Associated Press, "and I'm 161 now. I'd say I looked like a stripper when I put it on. They covered the sides of my chest so that it wasn't so much hangin' out." Banks told the AP she considered dieting before the photo shoot to get her old body back, but decided not to. "I think there's more power in embracing what I am now," said Banks.

The Beyonce "Swimsuit Issue" hits the streets next week.

Former 106 & Park host Free has signed on to co-moderate the "Get Your Money Right" Financial Empowerment Tour, held annually by the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). The tour, which will be making seven stops in 2007, includes an interactive panel of hip-hop artists, executives, financial experts and Russell Simmons, Co-Chairman of HSAN. Free will help lead the panel in financial discussions varying from the basics of banking to understanding credit scores.

"In our communities across the nation, the misunderstanding of what exactly Financial Empowerment can and should mean continues," said Free. "We shall set out to inform our audiences at these summits about becoming 'financially literate' and remaining 'financially sound,' declares Free.

The agenda of the "Get Your Money Right" tour is to encourage and motivate young people to become financially literate. The 2007 tour will stop in Houston, Tex., March 3; Detroit, Mich., April 14; Toronto, Ont., in August; Greensboro, N.C., September 8; Washington, D.C., September 29; Miami, Fla., October 20 and Atlanta, Ga., November 3. Free, who affirms that she is excited and honored to be a part of this year’s HSAN movement, admits, “I’m coming to learn, too, so lets get empowered together!"

R. Kelly has been hospitalized for appendicitis in Miami, according to his lawyer, and was operated on the same day. He is in good condition, but the hospitalization will force him to miss a Wednesday court date in his child pornography case.

Kelly, 40, was charged with 14 counts of child pornography in 2002, after he allegedly videotaped himself having sex with a girl, who prosecutors say was as young as 13.

According to Asst. Cook County State's Attorney Shauna Boliker, Kelly was in Miami to perform at a Super Bowl party. He was scheduled to appear before Criminal Court Judge Vincent Gaughan for a status hearing.

Under a ruling by Judge Gaughan, Kelly is legally allowed to travel out-of-state. Prosecutors were informed he would miss the court appearance on Tuesday.

Joe Hunter, 79, who was Berry Gordy's first hire and a pianist for Motown session band the Funk Brothers, died at home in Detroit on Friday. And Billy Henderson, 67, co-founder of the Spinners, also died Friday, from complications of diabetes. Hunter also suffered from diabetes, though the exact cause of his death is not yet known.

As a member of the Funk Brothers, Joe Hunter's skills on the piano helped define the Motown Sound, and later won him three Grammys, two for providing the soundtrack to the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. He was Motown's first employee in the late 1950s, where he was hired to back up Motown groups like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Hunter's virtuosity helped put the classic in classic material, in such songs as Marvin Gaye's "Pride and Joy," Martha and the Vandella's "Heat Wave" and "Come and Get These Memories."

Billy Henderson formed the Spinners in 1954, while he was still a high schooler in Ferndale, Michigan. The group joined Motown's roster in 1969, and charted at No. 14 with the Stevie Wonder-written "It's a Shame." But they didn't achieve great commercial success until they signed to Atlantic Records in 1972, and dropped "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," and "The Rubberband Man," all top ten hits. Henderson remained in the group until 2004, when he was fired after suing The Spinners' business manager for financial records.

On Saturday, legendary Cuban-American trumpeter Pedro Knight died at age 85 in Arcadia, Calif. He, too, suffered from diabetes, though his family has requested the details of his death be kept private. He was born in 1921 and played with the famous combo Sonora Matancera, which sometimes featured his wife of over 40 years, the legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz, who lovingly dubbed Knight "Cabecita de Algodon" (translation: cotton head") after his wily white mane. Knight came to the US in 1960 to escape Fidel Castro, and in 1961 settled in the Bronx, New York. After Cruz died from brain cancer in 2003, Knight's health reportedly suffered. Funeral arrangements are being made in New York.

Nas "Where Are They Now? ('90s Remix feat. Redhead Kingpin, The Original Spinderella, Rob Base, Father MC, Monie Love, Mike G (of the Jungle Brothers), EST (of 3XDope), Chip Fu (of the Fu Schnickens), Positive K, Das EFX, Lords of the Underground, Dres (of Black Sheep)"

Nas "Where_Are_They_Now_(80s Remix feat. MC Shan, Raheem, Doctor Ice, Kangol, Kool Moe Dee, Sha Rock, Tito, Grandmaster Caz, Lique, Dana Dane, Pebblee Poo & Just Ice)"

Nas "Where Are They Now? (West Coast Remix feat. Breeze, Kam, King Tee, Candyman, Threat, Ice-T, Sir Mix-A-Lot and the Conscious Daughters)"

Whitney Houston, 43, is trying to speed up her divorce from Bobby Brown. According to papers filed Dec. 28 in Orange County Superior Court, she has requested a default judgment in the case, shortening the process significantly, and stated there are "no issues of division of community property," meaning they did not seek court intervention in dividing their assets. Houston filed for divorce last October, seeking an end to their 14-year marriage, and full custody of their 13-year-old daughter, with visitation rights for Brown.

Houston has recently graced tabloids after paparazzi caught her dining in LA with Ray-J on Jan. 21, though speculation that the pair are dating remains unconfirmed.