Category Archives: Music

Snoop’s “Gin and Juice” undergoes the soothing spoken word treatment (NSFW)

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You all remember the track “Gin and Juice” from Snoop Dogg’s 1994 album Doggystyle, right?  Well the song was recently given the spoken word treatment and I can’t stop listening to it.  Dim the lights, close your eyes, and click play to immerse yourself in a soothing experience featuring splashing ocean waves, light piano keys, and a deep, reassuring voice.  Like what you hear?  Click the download link for keeps, and head over to YouTube to hear The Gourds’ country version of the track.

Download: Snoop Dogg – “Gin and Juice” (soothing spoken word)

[audio: Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice (soothing spoken word).mp3]

[Via @feliciaday; Bridgingtheverse]

Kid Cudi acknowledges his dark past and promises a brighter future in Complex cover story

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In the October issue of Complex Magazine Kid Cudi opens up to his fans by journeying back to his not-so-distant dark past.  Beyond opening up about his heavy drug use, his night in jail, and the big reveal that he has a daughter, Cudder talks about his competition (or lack thereof), the meaning behind the tracks “REVOFEV”, “Wylin’ ‘Cause I’m Young”, “Erase Me”, and “Mr. Rager”, and the encompassing theme behind his upcoming second studio album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (11/9).

On why he opted to create another dark album, instead of making a fun collab: “When I started making records like “Erase Me.” I wanted this album to be fun, but the dark sh– was my life at that time. I was fighting not to write that sh–. It got frustrating writing a collab album—I just lost interest, and it became more of a task, rather than something I wanted to do. That’s not how it’s supposed to feel. The day it becomes work, you need to retire.”

On MOTM2: “I want my sh– to be like you’re reading a novel, not a Dr. Seuss book. I felt like the last album was too short. This one is a little bit longer, it’s 18 tracks and counting. It’s just ten times better on all levels. The story’s deeper, darker, with no holding back. It’s beautiful, man. It’s an emotional album.”

Head over to Complex to read the explicit three page interview.  Look in the gallery below for some stills from the photoshoot and after the break to find a behind-the-scenes video.

[Via DatNewCudi; Complex]

Continue reading Kid Cudi acknowledges his dark past and promises a brighter future in Complex cover story →

Kanye West covers XXL magazine, sheds light on Swift incident

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Kanye West is featured in the October issue of XXL magazine.  In addition to gracing the cover wearing his signature heavy chain, Kanye penned his very first article for the magazine and was the creative director of a 40 page section of the special collector’s issue.  In his article “The Exclusive Story by the Man Himself” Kanye sheds light on the publicisized and highly critisized Taylor Swift incident from last year’s MTV VMAs.  Popeater managed to pluck out some choice quotes from the article.

“I stress that the incident wasn’t about Taylor personally. And it definitely wasn’t about race. Where I messed up is, at the end of the day, it’s your show, Taylor. It’s your show, MTV.”

“The relationship with the public and with your fans is like the relationship with your girlfriend. How could I not, at a certain point, be like, ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been at the awards show. I’m sorry.’ Not that I don’t deserve to get beat up or change who I am inside, to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”

“I knew I wasn’t in a great spot publicly after the incident, but I would just block it out and work as hard as possible and let my work be my saving grace. In a way, I had thrown a Molotov cocktail at my own career, and it gave me an opportunity, for the first time, to go away and find out who I was. Because I felt very alone.”

Ohh, dark stuff huh?  You can pick up the October issue of XXL on September 28.  The zine also includes stoires on Kid Cudi, Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label, and the top 10 producers-turned-rappers of all time.

[Via Popeater; XXL]

G.O.O.D. Music Day did not happen; now what?

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September 14 came and went without big record releases from the likes of Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music label crew.  So where do the album releases stand now?  Kanye’s hotly anticipated album (still yet-to-be-titled) will drop November 16.  The two singles out now are “Power” & “Runaway.”  Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager will release a week earlier on November 9.  The lone single from Cudder’s album is “Erase Me.”  The Roots-produced John Legend record Wake Up! is due on September 21; listen to the first single “Wake Up Everybody” (Featuring Common and Melanie Fiona) for a taste.  Consequence’s ConsTV, Tony Williams’ King or The Fool, and Big Sean’s Finally Famous are unfortunately stamped with TBD.  In the interim, however, you can download Big Sean’s latest mixtape Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG.  And finally, rapper GLC’s Love, Life & Loyalty is expected to release this fall.  In related G.O.O.D. Music news, Pusha T of the Clipse has formally announced his integration with the label.

Single: Kanye West – “Runaway” (Featuring Pusha T)

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At the MTV Video Music Awards Kanye West debuted (what we can only assume is) the second single off his upcoming yet-to-be-titled album.  It’s called “Runaway”, it features Pusha T (of the Clipse), preview and download it below.  (FYI–this is CDQ, not the live televised version).

In related ‘Ye news.. During the VMA pre-show MTV aired a trailer for his “movie companion” to the album.  It’s a brief look into what he’s been up to in Prague; there’s deer, a feathered woman, and a title card that reads “Runaway.”  Things are still up in the air as to how it will tie into the LP, but I like what I see so far.  Look after the break to watch the trailer.

[Via YouHeardThatNew; MTV, here & here; thanks Corey] Continue reading Single: Kanye West — “Runaway” (Featuring Pusha T) →

2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed

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Last night the MTV Video Music Awards made big winners out of Lady Gaga and Eminem.  Gaga, who was nominated for a record-breaking 13 moon mans, was awarded Best Female, Pop, and Dance video for “Bad Romance” and Best Collaboration for “Telephone” (featuring Beyonce).  Eminem took home Best Male and Hip Hop awards for “Not Afraid.”  Video of the Year–you guessed it–went to Gaga for–right, again–“Bad Romance.”  When she accepted the top prize (covered in meat, mind you), Gaga announced the name of her second record (it’s called Born This Way) and she even recited a line from a new song: “God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track baby. I was born this way.”  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

11.4 million viewers tuned into this year’s VMAs making it the third most-watched telecast in MTV history.  See MTV?  People want music videos, not crap reality shows.  The over-the-top performances really made the show worth watching.  Eminem started things off with a bang by performing his smash hit “Not Afraid” followed by “Love the Way You Lie” with a surprise guest appearence by a red-headed Rihanna.  The Bieb followed with “Baby”, “Somebody to Love”, and a drum solo.  Next his mentor Usher lit up the stage (literally) with an amazing dance routine for “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” and “OMG.”  I really didn’t mind that he dropped most of his vocals from the performance; he is a dance god.  And that light up floor was beyond cool.  Florence + the Machine performed “Dog Days Are Over”, proving to be a huge contender in the music industry.  That Florence Welch can sing.  A bit later young miss Taylor Swift took the stage barefooted to sing her song about the Kanye West incident that happened last year.  The song was introduced by a brief video recap of the incident; without that you might not have been able to tell it was even about the controversial night.  I will have to scan the lyrics to find clues; anywho, let’s all move on from that fateful night, shall we?  Swift looked great and the performance was classy, per usual.  Drake, Mary J. Blige, and Swizz Beatz did “Fancy”, and boy did they sound great together.  This marked Drake’s first time performing at the VMAs, and he proved he can work the crowd.  I’m looking forward to what he’s got in store for next year.  Linkin Park nailed it with a fun performance right outside the Griffith Observatory.  And then came Mr. West.

Comedian Aziz Ansari hopped onto stage to give a hilarious introduction to the main (and closing) event.  Anticipation built as Kanye walked onto stage donned in a red suit to meet his sampler.  As ballarinas began to flutter around the stage, Kanye dropped the heavy beat to a never-before-heard track called “Runaway”.  And the chorus goes: “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags, Let’s have a toast for the assholes, Let’s have a toast for the scumbags, Every one of them that I know/Let’s have a toast to the jerkoffs, That’ll never take work off/ Baby, I got a plan, Run away fast as you can.”  With “Runaway” Kanye acknowledges his past mistakes in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, but at the same time retains his comeback stature.  In other words, it was a runaway success.  Can’t forget to mention fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Pusha T who added a worthy verse to the mix.  Any “booos” that might have lingered before the epic performance had quickly turned into “Kanye, Kanye, Kanye” cheers by the time the song was over.  Jump after the break to watch the performance, complete with Aziz’s intro.

A few more highlights.. Host Chelsea Handler did a great job (when she came out wearing that house I was in stitches, plus seeing Chuy there was a nice treat); house DJ Deadmau5 looked freakin’ sweet in his LED mouse head piece; Nicki Minaj’s pre-show performance (featuring will.i.am) was a ton of fun; and how amazing did MTV do up LA’s Nokia Theatre? Continue reading 2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed →

G.O.O.D. Friday: Kanye West – “Good Friday” (Featuring Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson)

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You know the drill.  Another Friday comes along, ‘Ye publishes a new track.  The appropriately titled “Good Friday” features vocal stylings from fellow G.O.O.D. Music artists Common, Kid Cudi, and Big Sean.  Pusha T is expected to be inducted into Kanye’s music label any day now (update: it’s official), and famed soul artist Charlie Wilson is just coming for the ride.  (Uncle Charlie reprises his role from the terrific “See Me Now” track.)  Preview and download below.  Note: Kanye’s blog is currently “under construction.”  In its place is a new portal that provides you with cover art and download links for all G.O.O.D. Friday songs dropped to date.  And speaking of cover art, this week’s is too much NFSW to post on the homepage, so click after the break to see it in full.

Download: Kanye West – “Good Friday” (Featuring Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson)

[audio: Kanye West – Good Friday.mp3]

[Via KWBlog] Continue reading G.O.O.D. Friday: Kanye West — “Good Friday” (Featuring Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson) →

Universal granted rights to Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’, film trilogy and TV series coming soon

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Big, big news for fans of The Dark Tower.  Deadline reports that Universal Pictures and NBC Universal Television Entertainment have been granted the rights to the enormously epic Stephen King book series (there are seven in total).  It is going to be adapted for the big and small screen with director Ron Howard at the helm.  He will be joined by his A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code cohorts Akiva Goldsman (writer, Fringe) and Brian Grazer (producer, 24, Friday Night Lights, Arrested Development).

The unprecedented plan to adapt The Dark Tower to the screen has me choked up in excitement.  A feature film will introduce the characters and universe to viewers.  A TV series will follow the first movie and act as a bridge to the second movie.  Next the sequel will hit theatres, then a second season will air on TV.  Instead of acting as a bridge to the final movie in the trilogy, season 2 will focus on the backstory of a young Deschain (the main character).  The last movie will pick up where the sequel left off, following a mature Deshain completing his journey.  Whoever is going to play Deshain (rumor has it it’ll be a big name star) will be required to carry on his role in both the feature films and the TV series.  Deadline points out that by using the same sets, cast, and crew on the movies and TV series the production team will contain costs on what promises to be an expensive undertaking.  It’s been confirmed that Howard will direct and Goldsman will scribe the first feature film and TV season.  Goldsman, Grazer, and King will serve as producers.

King originally approached JJ Abrams and Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse with the idea of adapting The Dark Tower for the screen.  According to Deadline they “never cracked the sprawling plotline and all the characters”, so Goldsman wasted no time contacting his partner-in-crime Howard with the notion of helming the project.  Howard recalls Goldsman’s pitch: “Akiva said, ‘Stephen will not let go of it, but it’s like nothing else you’ve ever read.”  Howard continued, “It was frustrating because it’s one of those works where you read it, and then at odd times, the imagery and sensations just pop up in your mind.  This is going to be an amazing life experience for us, trying to do justice to the story and the universe.”

Howard shared with Deadline his thoughts on how his approach with adapting The Dark Tower compares to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Ring series: “What Peter did was a feat, cinematic history. The approach we’re taking also stands on its own, but it’s driven by the material. I love both, and like what’s going on in TV. With this story, if you dedicated to one medium or another, there’s the horrible risk of cheating material. The scope and scale call for a big screen budget. But if you committed only to films, you’d deny the audience the intimacy and nuance of some of these characters and a lot of cool twists and turns that make for jaw-dropping, compelling television. We’ve put some real time and deep thought into this, and a lot of conversations and analysis from a business standpoint, to get people to believe in this and take this leap with us. I hope audiences respond to it in a way that compels us to keep going after the first year or two of work. It’s fresh territory for me, as a filmmaker.”

King also commented on today’s news: “I’ve been waiting for the right team to bring the characters and stories in these books to film and TV viewers around the world. Ron, Akiva, Brian along with Universal and NBC have a deep interest and passion for the The Dark Tower series and I know that will translate into an intriguing series of films and TV shows that respect the origins and the characters in The Dark Tower that fans have come to love.”

A shooting schedule has not been mapped out yet, but you can be damn sure I’m keeping my hear to the ground and will report back any and all information regarding the plans moving forward for The Dark Tower adaptation.  For a major studio to sign on and agree to telling a story on two vastly different platforms is a rare, unprecedented feat.  With Howard, Goldsman, and Grazer on board, I have no doubt the upcoming epic will impress.

Update: Stephen King sat down for an exclusive interview with EW and shared more thoughts on the project.  Look after the break for the goods.

[Via Deadline; EW, here & here; IGN] Continue reading Universal granted rights to Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’, film trilogy and TV series coming soon →

Seacrest debuts new Rihanna single [Update: iTunes DL link]

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Are you a fan of Rihanna’s music?  If you answered “yes” in your mind (or out loud if you’re that enthusiastic) then you’ll more than likely dig her brand new single called “Only Girl (In The World)”.  Ryan Seacrest debuted the track yesterday on his radio show.  Stargate, who also helped Rihanna make “Please Don’t Stop the Music” and “Hate That I Love You” into smash hits, also produced this track.  Though it’s not yet available to download on iTunes just yet, Seacrest has it streaming at his site.  Take a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below.  Rihanna’s upcoming fifth studio album Loud promises to take a detour from the sullen Rated R theme (think “Russian Roulette”) and head straight back into RiRi’s upbeat, fun roots (think “Umbrella” ella, ella).  Loud‘s expected release date is November 16.

Update: Def Jam has released the cover art for the single.  She’s totally nude under that dress!  And look at that long red hair!

Update 2: Today (9/14) the single has landed on iTunes.  And it’s already climbing the Top Ten chart (currently it’s at spot #4).  Purchase and download it here.

[Via RyanSeacrest; EW-MusicMix]

The Key of Awesome takes on Em & RiRi’s “Love the Way You Lie”…with children

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The Key of Awesome, the comedy group behind the amazing Ke$ha “Tik Tok” parody, takes on the hit single from Eminem’s Recovery.  Lil’ Megan Fox and Tiny Dominic Monaghan do a great job at spinning the domestic-violence theme of the original music video into a cute story between two school children in an ongoing argument.  And credit must be given to the actors for hilarious impersonations of Eminem and Rihanna.  “Did you just call me a doo-doo pie?  Well that’s alright, I know you are but what am I?”  Good stuff.

[Via EW-MusicMix]