Looks like Kanye West is readying his next music video. The followup to the “Power” painting will be a haunting tribute to the “Monster” track on West’s incredible My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This 40 second preview of the video was originally obtained by Hip Hop Connection but was recently taken down from the site. I managed to find another copy hanging out in YouTube, so make sure you check it out before it gets squashed again. In it you’ll see West interacting with dead girls, Jay-Z rapping amidst dead girls hanging from the ceiling like chandeliers, and Nicki Minaj spitting her sick verse erotically crawling on the floor. Rick Ross also plays a part in the video, and you can click here to see a brief behind-the-scenes glimpse into his on-screen duties. With all of this leaking at once, I’d like to think the final, official version is ready for a release soon.
Category Archives: Music
Music video: Dr. Dre – “Kush” (Featuring Snoop Dogg & Akon)
With the release of a brand new music video, Dr. Dre’s Detox release is becoming that much more of an imminent reality. The music video for the lead single “Kush” features Dre, Snoop, and Akon partying it up but all the guests are frozen in time. These neat special FX mixed with the thumping bass of this catchy track make for an enjoyable video.
Music video: Coldplay – “Christmas Lights”
I’ve been jonesing for some new Coldplay content for some time now, and when I heard the band released a new tune just in time for the holidays I was ecstatic! The song called “Christmas Lights” is great, but the music video for it is even better. Watch the four piece alt rock band led by talented vocalist Chris Martin deck the halls in this wintry wonderscape video. Download the track at iTunes.
2011 Grammy nominations are in
Today the 2011 Grammy nominations were announced. Leading the pack in a big way is rapper Eminem with 10 nominations; his comeback album Recovery and hit singles “Love the Way You Lie” and “Not Afraid” were recognized. Em shares the coveted Album of the Year nomination with Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), Lady Antebellum (Need You Now), Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster), and Katy Perry (Teenage Dream). Bruno Mars (7 noms) and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga (6 noms each) and B.o.B and John Legend (5 noms each) follow Eminem for most nominations. Cee-Lo Green’s “F–k You” did get nominated for Record and Song of the Year and it better win at least one of those categories! Other notables nods went to Sara Bareilles, Florence & the Machine, Drake, The Roots, and La Roux. Jump after the break to see a shortened nomination listing (click here to see all nods) and let the speculation begin. The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards airs live on February 13, 2011 at 8PM on CBS.
Music video/short film: 30 Seconds to Mars – “Hurricane”
This 30 Seconds to Mars “music video” is so many things. It’s creepy, disturbing, and rich in scope. “Hurricane”, a prominent song off 30STM’s latest studio album This is War, is epic by itself and it absolutely warranted an equally epic 13 minute long video to accompany it. Frontman Jared Leto (under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins) wrote and directed the video which he describes as a “very sexual…surrealistic nightmare dream-fantasy.” It’s split into three chapters (Birth, Life, and Death) and as MTV explains it “weave[s] three separate narratives together” by following the members of band “each battling their personal demons and unlocking secret fantasies.” Unfortunately many of the cut-away scenes are covered up by “CENSORED” banners because an unspecified network said they’d refuse to air the video if these overly provocative images were left in. Leto told EW that “We always knew there would be some images that would have a tough time getting through. But we didn’t expect this kind of pushback that we’re getting now.” If you’re interested, hop on over to Leto’s blog to browse the specific parts that the network found unsuitable. Hopefully Leto will be able to share an uncensored director’s cut with his fans through some other medium, but for now we’re forced to watch the edited version embedded above.
Kid Cudi performs “REVOFEV” on Conan
Watch Cudder perform the catchy anthem off his sophomore hit album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. It’s definitely one of his best performances to date; I’ve never seen him so happy and full of joy before and its totally infectious through his crooning chorus. (Yep, that’s collaborator Dot Da Genius on the keys.)
[Via DatNewCudi]
Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard
There’s no denying the popularity of Mr. West. In just one week his latest outing My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy sold nearly half a million copies–496,000 to be exact, according to Nielsen SoundScan–and perched itself atop the Billboard 200 chart at the No. 1 spot. Ye’s pursuit of perfection, along with rave reviews, certainly contributed to this impressive early sales figure. Right behind him at the number 2 spot is female rapper Nicki Minaj; her debut album Pink Friday sold 375,000. Pretty good start, wouldn’t you say? Rounding out the top ten are Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, Jackie Evancho (O Holy Night), Rihanna (Loud), Justin Bieber (My Worlds Acoustic), My Chemical Romance (Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), Ne-Yo (Libra Scale), and Glee‘s Christmas album. Look after the break to see the rest of the corresponding sales numbers.
[Via EW-MusicMix] Continue reading Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard
Black Eyed Peas’ ‘The Beginning’ out now
Support the Peas a pick up a copy of their latest album The Beginning. iTunes offers three versions: the standard CD, a deluxe version that includes three bonus tracks, and that same deluxe version with five popular songs from The E.N.D. You can purchase a physical copy of the deluxe version at Amazon. I can’t get over how cool that album art is! All pixelated like that, the Peas never looked better.
Download 8-bit DJ Hero today!
OK now this is neat. One Eric Ruth, retro games enthusiast, has created an 8-bit playable version of DJ Hero for the PC. And the 70s and 80s mashups sound pretty incredible in chiptune form. They include Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”/Huey Lewis & the News’ “I Want A New Drug” (demonstrated in the video above) and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”/Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” (see it in action after the break). There are six mashups to play using keyboard keys. And if I must be honest here, the NES-influenced remake is more addicting than Activision’s modern take. Go on and download the game for free at Ruth’s website; there you’ll also find a “pixel force” edition of Left 4 Dead.
Update: Reader “laus_hel” has pointed out that the game is no longer available to download from Ruth’s website. Bummer! But there must be other ways of finding it…
Watch The Exorcist’s Linda Blair whip her hair back and forth in this unlikely mashup
Who knew the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist would come in so much handy 37 years after its theatrical release? Watch Linda Blair perform Willow’s smash hit!
And on a related note, in case you missed it, check out Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young perform a unique rendition of the catchy song after the break. Continue reading Watch The Exorcist’s Linda Blair whip her hair back and forth in this unlikely mashup
Black Eyed Peas will rock the Super Bowl halftime show into the future
BEP’s frontman will.i.am confirmed to Rolling Stone that rock-and-roll/future-flow group will perform live at Super Bowl XLV during the halftime show. “They could have picked anybody…but it says something that they picked us,” will told the magazine. Not only is this good promotion for the group (The Beginning releases November 30 and a worldwide tour is planned), but it also means I’ll have a reason to tune into the halftime show this year! Super Bowl XLV will be played in Dallas, Texas on February 6, 2011.
[Via RollingStone]
Music video: The Black Eyed Peas – “The Time (Dirty Bit)”
The official music video for the first single off The Black Eyed Peas’ next album is now available for our viewing pleasure. The video for “The Time (Dirty Bit)” continues the 8-bit theme streak by featuring will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Fergie morphing in and out of pixelated form. If you’re a fellow technologically savvy nerd like me (admit it and be proud!), I’m sure you will catch the BlackBerry Playbook make a number of brief appearences in the video. Each member of the Peas holds up the unreleased tablet and focuses it on their respective pixelated doppelgangers to reveal animated versions of themselves roaming in the real world–much like a QR code-assisted augmented reality app would accomplish. Anyway, enjoy the music video to this thumping single. The Beginning drops November 30.
[Via Dipdive]