Muggs

To track down Cypress Hill member Muggs at the group's headquarters, you have to maneuver through a labyrinth of one-way streets and alleys to a dead-end corner of an industrial strip just east of downtown Los Angeles. With its dilapidated front stoop, the two-story building looks like an abandoned warehouse--not what you would expect for the home base of one of hip-hop's most respected and successful groups.

Here at Game Day, we believe you're never too old to play with toys, even if you saw the original "Star Wars" in a theater the first time it came out. So when we spied Hasbro's Mighty Muggs line of dolls upon its release last November, we were smitten -- even if they aren't our usual video game fare.

Here at Game Day, we believe you're never too old to play with toys, even if you saw the original "Star Wars" in a theater the first time it came out. So when we spied Hasbro's Mighty Muggs line of dolls upon its release last November, we were smitten -- even if they aren't our usual video game fare.

Carmine "Bud" Mennella, the trainer of J. Fred Muggs, the chimpanzee who helped save NBC's long-running "Today" show from ratings gloom in the 1950s, died in Tampa, Fla., Sunday. He was 80 and had suffered from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Mennella had aspired to a career as an opera singer but was impeded by terrible stage fright and instead went to work as an NBC page. At the network he met his partner, LeRoy Waldron, with whom he later opened a pet shop in Glen Rock, N.J.

Carmine "Bud" Mennella, the trainer of J. Fred Muggs, the chimpanzee who helped save NBC's long-running "Today" show from ratings gloom in the 1950s, died in Tampa, Fla., Sunday. He was 80 and had suffered from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Mennella had aspired to a career as an opera singer but was impeded by terrible stage fright and instead went to work as an NBC page. At the network he met his partner, LeRoy Waldron, with whom he later opened a pet shop in Glen Rock, N.J.

On his second Soul Assassins album (due in stores Tuesday), Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs gathers an impressive roster of talent to rhyme over his penetrating production. He tailors his beats to match such respected lyricists as Kool G. Rap and GZA/Genius, and the results are almost always spectacular. Although the album has no real agenda other than to showcase Muggs' production and the rappers' impressive braggadocio skills, it's a powerful collection of hard-core hip-hop.

The Missing Muggs: One familiar mug was missing Tuesday among all the smiling faces on the celebrations marking the "Today" show's 40th anniversary--chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs. A svelte 13 pounds when he made his debut on the show in January, 1953, at age 10 months, Muggs reportedly is now a big, round 175 pounds. "With his size now, I'm not sure it would be practical to have him here in person," an NBC spokeswoman said.

Harold (Red) Grange, 87, football's legendary Galloping Ghost, has been diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease. He is in an extended-care facility in Lake Wales, Fla., but his wife, Muggs Grange, said he should be home in a few weeks.

DJ Muggs vs GZA the Genius "Grandmasters" (Angeles/Fontana) * * * 1/2 DJ MUGGS gave Cypress Hill its dusted and eerie sound, while GZA was one of the most respected members of the Wu-Tang Clan because of his innovative and captivating storytelling as well as his vast vocabulary and his clever turns of phrase.

*** 1/2 Cypress Hill, "IV," RuffHouse/Columbia. Cypress. Hill's 1991 self-titled debut album is one of the decade's most influential hip-hop records. Rappers B-Real and Sen Dog and producer Muggs created their own niche in the segmented hip-hop market by introducing an abundance of marijuana references and a warped, psychedelic production style into their street-level entertainment. The album thrust the Los Angeles-based crew into hip-hop's elite.

On his second Soul Assassins album (due in stores Tuesday), Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs gathers an impressive roster of talent to rhyme over his penetrating production. He tailors his beats to match such respected lyricists as Kool G. Rap and GZA/Genius, and the results are almost always spectacular. Although the album has no real agenda other than to showcase Muggs' production and the rappers' impressive braggadocio skills, it's a powerful collection of hard-core hip-hop.

To track down Cypress Hill member Muggs at the group's headquarters, you have to maneuver through a labyrinth of one-way streets and alleys to a dead-end corner of an industrial strip just east of downtown Los Angeles. With its dilapidated front stoop, the two-story building looks like an abandoned warehouse--not what you would expect for the home base of one of hip-hop's most respected and successful groups.

LAWRENCE Muggurud is not quite who you think he is. He's DJ Muggs, all right, arguably the world's greatest hip-hop producer, creator of the unforgettable cinematic beats behind Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man," House of Pain's "Jump Around" and Ice Cube's "Check Yo Self." But behind the hip-hop there's another persona: that of a space rocker.

Rappers Craig Mack and Salt-N-Pepa make guest appearances on "Time or Healing," an album by the Sounds of Blackness celebrating the Minneapolis soul-gospel vocal ensemble's 20th anniversary, due May 6. "Spirit," the song featuring Mack, is being remixed by the Fugees and will be released as a single on April 1. . . .