When The Elite Meet

By Melissa August, Amanda Bower, Beau Briese, Rhett Butler, Kathryn Hoffman, Ellin Martens, Julie Rawe, Sora Song, Heather Won Tesoriero, Josh Tyrangiel

Last week, as Bush met with a less than friendly E.U. in Sweden, Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons hosted a hip-hop summit in New York City. The two events shared a lot of common ground.

LONELY ADVOCATE

EUROPE Bush plugs missile-defense plan; opposed by members of the E.U., NATO HIP-HOP Louis Farrakhan urges rappers to clean up their lyrics; opposed by ODB

TIGHT SECURITY

EUROPE Police seize a grenade launcher and explosives in summit city two days before Bush's arrival HIP-HOP Attendees frisked in hotel lobby

NAME CALLING

EUROPE President dissed HIP-HOP Simmons called bad mouther by rival Conrad Muhammad

HOT-BUTTON ISSUE

EUROPE The international Kyoto Protocol, to curb greenhouse-gas emissions HIP-HOP The Senate's Media and Marketing Accountability Act, to curb artistic expression

FASHIONABLE PARTY CRASHERS

EUROPE Cheeky anti-Bush activists HIP-HOP Ex-Nation of Islam members in natty suits and ties

ROYAL ONLOOKERS

EUROPE Swedish King and Queen leave capital to meet the Prez HIP-HOP Will Smith, ex-Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, stops by with wife Jada

POWER POLITICS

EUROPE Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, on the European Union: "It's one of the few institutions we can develop as a balance to U.S. world domination." HIP-HOP Rap activist and former Public Enemy front man Chuck D, on hip-hop artists: "We have finally realized our collective power around the planet."