It's official: In a move surely to perplex Beatles thieving mix-master Danger Mouse, New York City hip-hop troupe the Wu-Tang Clan have now formally attained the first ever license to a Fab Four tune. The license was successfully nabbed for the Clan's previously detailed street-wise interpretation of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which features contributions from Dhani Harrison, son of late Beatle and song author George Harrison, and Red Hot Chili Pepper axeman John Frusciante. But in a MySpace blog post, the Wu-Tang give a shout out to not just Dhani Harrison, the Harrison Estate, and the Beatles, but also Erykah Badu, thanking her for "helping bring this song to life!!"

8 Diagrams, Wu-Tang's forthcoming record set to dispatch the landmark cover, will, as according to the MySpace post, now drop Dec. 4, roughly three weeks later than its originally scheduled Nov. 13 release date due to "the magnitude of the sample and the History being made."

Libertines Collect 'Best Of' On 'Heroes'

Are you longing for the days of ole, when co-frontman Pete Doherty's blossoming drug habit was adorable and innocent, serving up a brash balance to pal Carl Barat's dapper swagger within Brit rock outfit the Libertines? Well, despite a few rumors and a one-off acoustic reunion show, the Libertines reunion hasn't arrived, but in times of need snuggle up to Time for Heroes - The Best of the Libertines, a 13-track collection landing stateside Dec. 4 courtesy of Rough Trade. Compiling tunes from Up the Bracket and 2004's self-titled effort, plus an assortment of singles and B-sides, Time for Heroes arrives as hype behind Doherty's Babyshambles is gathering in anticipation of sophomore effort Shotter's Nation. But for fans still awaiting the Libertines reunion, well, if Doherty is sentenced to prison, Barat may stop in.

Time for Heroes tracklisting:

1. "Up the Bracket"
2. "Time for Heroes"
3. "Mayday"
4. "Don't Look Back Into the Sun"
5. "Tell the King"
6. "What Katie Did"
7. "Can't Stand Me Now"
8. "What a Waster"
9. "The Delaney"
10. "Boys in the Band"
11. "Death on the Stairs"
12. "I Get Along"
13. "What Became of the Likely Lads"

M.I.A. Adds Dates with Cool Kids

Taking full advantage of finally breaching the American envelope, M.I.A., a.k.a. Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, has announced an additional string of North American tour dates in support of her latest LP, Kala. Toting Chicago's Cool Kids for the bulk of the outing, which will roll on Oct. 18 at New York's Terminal 5 venue, M.I.A. will hit cities like Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle, and Chicago. The duo's tour, which will be peppered with a few solo M.I.A. dates, will wrap Dec. 1 at Philadelphia's Electric Factory venue.

M.I.A./Cool Kids tour dates:

10/18, New York, NY (Terminal 5)
10/19, New York, NY (Terminal 5) #
10/20, Toronto, ON (Kool Haus) #
10/26, New Orleans, LA (Voodoo Music Experience) #
10/27, Las Vegas, NV (Vegoose Festival) #
10/29, Miami, FL (Studio A)
10/31, Atlanta, GA (Earthlink Live)
11/2, Houston, TX (Club V/Verizon Wireless Theatre) *
11/3, Austin, TX (Hogg Memorial Auditorium/University of Texas)
11/4, Dallas, TX (House of Blues)
11/7, San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore Auditorium)
11/8, San Francisco, CA (Mezzanine)
11/9, Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)
11/11, San Diego, CA (Canes)
11/14, Vancouver, BC (Commodore Ballroom)
11/15, Portland, OR (Roseland Theater)
11/16, Seattle, WA (Showbox)
11/20, Minneapolis, MN (First Avenue)
11/21, Chicago, IL (House of Blues)
11/23, Chicago, IL (Vic Theatre)
11/24, Detroit, MI (Majestic Theatre)
11/26, Montreal, QC (Metropolis)
11/29, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
12/1, Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)

(* w/ Paul Wall)
(# M.I.A. w/o Cool Kids)

Drummer Steve Hewitt Leaves Placebo

After manning the sticks for Brit rockers Placebo for over 11 years, Steve Hewitt has left the band due to what frontman Brian Molko claims to be "personal and musical differences." "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage, and in couples - in this case a triple - people can grow apart over the years," Molko said in a statement posted to the band's website. "To say that you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate, considering all that you've been through and achieved together. There simply comes a point when you realize that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak."

Calling the split "amicable," the post continues and clarifies Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal are not immediately seeking a replacement for Hewitt, but will enter the studio next spring to begin efforts on Placebo's sixth LP.