Dre’s latest music video plays out more like short film, really. The seven-and-a-half-minute video for “I Need a Doctor,” directed by filmmaker Allen Hughes, takes us on a journey through Dre’s career using inserted pictures and video from his past. In the present Dre remains alive on life support as Eminem thanks him for his support over the years. Em raps, “You picked me up, breathed new life in me, I owe my life to you.” A ghostly Skylar Grey sings the hook. Notice all the HP product placement? How could you not. The recently announced Pre 3 and TouchPad make Touch-to-Share magic at the 4:20 mark (how ironic for the man who produced The Chronic).
Category Archives: Music
‘No Ordinary Family’ to feature a Jim Powell tune
If you’ve been following ABC’s new superhero show No Ordinary Family, you would know that Jim Powell is a fictional character played by the show’s male lead and executive producer Michael Chiklis. The actor best known for his role as Vic Mackey in FX’s The Shield will soon contribute to his new show in a way you would likely never expect. According to EW, the March 1 episode titled “No Ordinary Love” will feature a song recorded by Chiklis and his band. “Till I Come Home” is described as a sentimental tune that will during a “tender moment” between Chiklis’ TV daughter Daphne Powell (Kay Panabaker) and her boyfriend Chris. Interestingly the song was originally produced by Chiklis to pay tribute to U.S. troops and his cousin’s service. “I’ve been a musician my whole life,” he told EW. “I’m really enjoying making music again and this is a real band! Also, this was written and recorded in my house! This is not a product of the machine … it’s just heartfelt, homegrown music. More to come too.”
If you’re not watching No Ordinary Family, you should be. After a rocky start, the characters have settled into their roles and the bubbling plot is overflowing with strong mythos-driven intricacies. Though the initial 13-episode order was extended due to decent ratings early on, a season 2 renewal is far from a sure thing. Check it out, and tell your friends about it. It would be too sad to see a show of this (sci-fi) caliber to fall by the wayside.
Update: The song’s landed on iTunes.
[Via EW]
Music video: Kanye West – “All of the Lights” (Featuring Rihanna & Kid Cudi)
The music video for Kanye West’s All of the Lights has arrived. ‘Ye tapped long-time collaborator Hype Williams to direct, and he also managed to bring featured artists Rihanna (her supple breasts) and Kid Cudi into the mix. The video plays out in a unique manner. It begins in black-and-white, following a little girl walking around a city while the interlude plays behind her. The interlude fades out about one minute in, bright colors frantically flash over the still girl, and the vocals come begin. Before West, Rihanna, and Cudder show up, RiRi belts out the chorus as the corresponding lyrics fill up the screen in various colors, shapes, sizes, and style. After Cudi concludes his bit, the horns come back and we are left without an appearance from Fergie. The chorus sounds again along with the stylized words, and then the video name drops all of the song’s contributors including John Legend, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, Alicia Keys, and La Roux. The final fifteen seconds involves a barrage of–what else–flashing lights. If you haven’t picked up My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy yet, what is wrong with you?
Music video: Britney Spears – “Hold It Against Me”
It’s true, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Britney Spears since her 2007 meltdown. But I’ve never seen such anticipation for music video like this before. Spears shot the video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund and choreographed by Brian Friedman, in late January and since then “HIAM” and anything relating to it has been trending on Twitter ever since. People couldn’t stop talking about Britney’s followup to her comeback effort (2008’s Circus). The Max Martin/Dr. Luke dance track is lively and technically sound; Spears’ autotuned voice adds some flavor to it. The music video is odd, to say the least. Though the choreography is enjoyable, Åkerlund decided on too many frantic cuts so it was hard to watch Britney do her thing. I did enjoy the battle of the Britneys sequence, and I’m sure you will too. Check it out above, and download the track right here. Her seventh studio album Femme Fatale releases March 25.
‘Glee’ kids best Elvis Presley’s Billboard Hot 100 record
You knew it was only a matter of time before the barrage of Glee singles would prove their strength in numbers on the Billboard charts. Back in November 2010 Glee posted 93 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 list. This week the Glee kids finally passed Elvis Presley’s all-time record of 108 chart entires. As of today, 113 songs from the hit FOX series have made their way to the chart, besting the likes of Elvis, James Brown (91 songs), Ray Charles (74), and Aretha Franklin (73). While Elvis’ chart-topping songs gathered steam between 1958 and 2003, Glee managed to post their record-breaking amount in less than two years. It all began with their fantastic rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” in June 2009. The only significant difference between the Glee singles and tracks produced from other famous artists is that the Glee tracks are covers borrowed from said artists. Though you might find this news tainted with unoriginality in terms of where the Glee songs are coming from, that shouldn’t take away from the monumentality of it all.
In related Billboard news, this week Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” became the 1,000th song to top the Hot 100 chart in its 52-year history. Says Gaga, “It is a tremendous honor. To be the 1000th no. 1 on Billboard…I would be silly not to say this is the greatest honor of my career.”
[Via Billboard]
Single: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West)
California Gurls. Teenage Dream. Firework. Still have at least one of these Katy Perry songs stuck in your head at some point every day? Get ready for another extremely catchy-Katy tune to probe your brain. This week the pop star released an official remix of her fourth single off Teenage Dream. It’s called “E.T.” and she managed to attach rap overlord Kanye West to the bass-heavy track. His second dirty verse includes this rap: “Tell me what’s next, alien sex? I’m-a disrobe you, then I’m-a probe you. See, I abducted you so I tell you what to do.” Yeah, you won’t find the smart quips we’re used to hearing from ‘Ye off his smashing record Twisted Fantasy here, but it’s definitely worth a listen. Better you preview it here first, then decide if you want it for keeps. A music video featuring Perry and West is in the works.
[audio: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West).mp3]Happy Valentine’s Day
On this Valentine’s Day the brilliantly talented John Legend released this sweet cover of “Secret Heart,” a beautiful track originally performed by Ron Sexsmith. And now, it’s my gift to you.
Download: John Legend – “Secret Heart”
[audio: John Legend – Secret Heart.mp3]2011 Grammy winners: Lady Antebellum rules the night, Arcade Fire takes home top prize
Last night’s Grammy Awards proved to be an exciting night filled with some stellar performances and surprise wins. The most memorable performances include the opening ode to Aretha Franklin (performed by Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, and Jennifer Hudson), Lady Gaga’s high energy rendition of her new single “Born This Way,” Muse’s flashy “Uprising” performance (what a fantastic song, they deserved the win), the unofficial rap group comprised of Bruno Mars, B.o.B., and Janelle Monae, Mumford and Sons with the Avett Bros., Eminem and newcomer Skylar Grey welcoming back Dr. Dre, Mick Jagger (he’s still got it), and Arcade Fire not one but two performances. In the end, though, my favorite performance of the night has to go to Cee-Lo’s “Forget You” duet with Gwyneth Paltrow and a whole bunch of muppets. The man was dressed as a colorful armored peacock, props! From egg hatching to peacocking, all in all it was an entertaining show to say the least. It also happened to be the highest rated Grammy broadcast since 2004 attracting 26.7 million viewers with a 10.0 adults 18-49 rating.
Now let’s cover the night’s big winners. Lady Antebellum took home five Grammys including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Album; “Need You Now” was all over the place. Though Eminem headed into the show with a whopping 10 nominations, Recovery only nabbed him two wins (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance for “Not Afraid”). Lady Gaga, John Legend, and Jay-Z each took him three trophies, while Esperanza Spalding pulled off the night’s biggest upset to steal Best New Artist from Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, Florence & the Machine, and Drake. Alt. rock band Arcade Fire also surprised many by taking home Album of the Year against big names like Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and the night’s shiner Lady Antebellum. Their encore performance at the end of the telecast solidified their highly deserved win.
Jump after the break to view more winners, or simply head over to the official Grammy site to see them all. Continue reading 2011 Grammy winners: Lady Antebellum rules the night, Arcade Fire takes home top prize
Single: Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
After posting online teaser artwork and lyrics to her long-awaited and hyped new single “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga finally catered to her mass following of Little Monsters by releasing the track in full before she performs it live at the Grammys this Sunday. In essence the thumping track is an anthem for the gay community. During the outro she whispers, “Same DNA, but born this way.” It’s certainly a catchy tune that will grow on you over time. Interestingly, the song took ten minutes for Gaga to compose. She told Vogue, “I wrote it in ten f—ing minutes, and it is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception.” Her second album also titled Born This Way is due out this May. Listen to the song above, download it at iTunes here. Hop after the break to see the tease and final cover art. Continue reading Single: Lady Gaga — “Born This Way”
Meet singer/songwriter Skylar Grey
“Love The Way You Lie” is a Grammy-nominated song performed by all-star rapper Eminem and Barbados native Rihanna. Great song, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you like to know the the true artist who originally invented it? Her name is Skylar Grey and if you haven’t heard of her yet that’s because she’s just now stepping out of her songwriter role and into the artist spotlight. But you’ve certainly heard her. In addition to writing RiRi’s smash hit, the 24-year-old talent has been credited with penning T.I.’s “Castle Walls”, Diddy-Dirty Money’s “Coming Home” and most recently she’s showing off her vocal chops in the hooks for Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor” and Lupe Fiasco’s “Words I Never Said.” After living a life under her birth name Holly Hafferman experimenting with music since 2003 (she’s the one featured in Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go”), Skylar Grey admits today that “I’m not primarily a songwriter for other people. I really am an artist.” And she’s proving that on the Dre and Lupe cuts for sure.
Let’s back track to “Love the Way You Life” for a minute. Contrary to what you might have thought, the track that’s currently featured on Rihanna album Loud actually started out as a demo track written and performed by Grey. “I wrote the demo initially for myself because I thought, ‘Oh, I have this big song, and now I have a little bit of a launching pad to put out my own stuff,'” she says. “As soon as Rihanna and her team heard my demo, they were like, ‘Oh, we want it for Rihanna’s album,’ so I had to make the decision if I was going to let them have it or not. But I did and so it was on Rihanna’s album, too.” “I still felt like it would be cool to let people hear my version of it, too,” she says and so there it is embedded above for you to hear. She’s damn good, isn’t she?
She’s on her way to stardom. Mega-producer Alex Da Kid recently signed her to his record label Wonderland Music and she’s going to the Grammys expecting to scoop up to five awards for “Love the Way You Lie.” Masterful pianist, singer/songwriter in the making–watch out for Skylar Grey. Sneak a better look at her after the break.
[Via Popeater] Continue reading Meet singer/songwriter Skylar Grey
Single: Lupe Fiasco – “Words I Never Said” (Featuring Skylar Grey)
Single: Dr. Dre – “I Need a Doctor” (Featuring Eminem & Skylar Grey)
It’s happening, it’s really happening. Dr. Dre’s Detox is for real and it’s coming out this year. Need proof? Two singles off the record are out now. We’ve had “Kush” since November, and today we got “I Need a Doctor.” The new track is dominated by Eminem, with up-and-coming artist Skylar Grey belting the hook and Dre closing things out with a single verse at the end. Producer Alex Da Kid had mentioned When it [the track] comes out, it will probably be the biggest song in the last 10 years.” Though the song is definitely growing on me, I don’t know if I’d go that far. When the song released earlier today it instantly skyrocketed to the #1 spot on the iTunes top ten chart, so what do I know? People are diggin’ it, so give it a preview at Dre’s new website and download it at iTunes. Detox is expected to drop this April, God-willing.
[Via Rap-Up]