POP/SNEAK PEEK : G. LOVE SHOWS BROTHERLY LOVE WITH SONG TO SLAIN COP.

Not many musicians write songs about slain police officers, but that's what hip-hop/blues man G. Love did on his latest album.

The track, ``Slipped Away (The Ballad of Lauretha Vaird),'' is dedicated to Vaird, a Philadelphia police officer and mother of two slain while on duty early last year. Two rap performers and a third man were charged in the killing that took place during a botched bank robbery.

``She just seemed like a real good person,'' Love (a k a Garrett Dutton) said. ``I read all the articles on the murder in the papers, and it moved me.''

G. Love and Special Sauce's third and latest album is ``Yeah, It's That Easy'' (OKeh/Epic). Love, 25, began playing on street corners in his hometown of Philly, then hooked up with a Boston rhythm section before he was signed to Epic.

``Last night, I realized new people are coming to the shows,'' Love said from a tour stop in Austin. ``These two teen-aged girls came backstage and said they'd heard us for the first time on the radio the other day. I never even considered that my music might be played on the radio.''

Another track on ``Yeah, It's That Easy'' is ``Lay Down the Law,'' dedicated to a friend who was struggling with heroin addiction.

``Heroin doesn't do anything for you,'' said Love, who this week headlined an all-ages show at the House of Blues. ``It takes the life out of people. The best drug is peace of mind.''

Love said his music, which has been dubbed a mongrel hybrid of hip-hop and Delta blues, is not necessarily about chops.

``It's not perfect, but we put our heart and soul into it,'' he said. ``I don't think I have any God-given talent, but I have passion.''

Kudos all around

This seems to be the month for milestones in the magazine world.

First, there's Music Connection's 20th anniversary issue, featuring an engrossing look at the history of clubland in Los Angeles.

Then, the Source, the Rolling Stone of the rap world, offers its 100th issue, complete with an inside look at the selling of LL Cool J, the rapper who has stayed on top the longest.

Meanwhile, Virtually Alternative, the subscription-only radio trade publication, has its terrific ``20 Years of KROQ: The Station That Started It All'' special edition out now. The issue, with articles devoted to such longtime KROQ personalities as Jed the Fish, Kevin and Bean, Tami Heide and Rodney Bingenheimer, also offers a day in the life of the station.

Venice at the Mint

Venice, the local pop-rock band whose members include sons of the Lennon Sisters, appears Saturday in two shows at the Mint in Los Angeles. Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: G. Love & Special Sauce fuses hip-hop and blues styles on ``Yeah, It's That Easy.''