Headless Ponch

2008-12-29T17:44:00.001-08:00

obama has the stuff

Chicago Gamer 007

2007-03-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have not posted in what has to be a month or so. Many reasons led to this: me being lazy, lack of games, lack of time, and probably most importantly not a damn thing to write about. I could have written about my life designing unreal levels, but that would have been filled with terms like dynamic lightning or static meshes. Which trust me you won't want to hear about (unless you like imaging blocks moving).

But I respond back because I do have something to say now. Recently my bud Andy lent me his Nintendo Wii. It took me awhile to convince because that meant I would get Zelda and that meant I would beat it and that meant I would beat it before him. So out of his stubborn ways he refused to give it to me for shallow bragging rights. But he came to his senses because I beat him down that I was the true Zelda master and that he was just a passing poe going out into the moonless night....

....That and he was busy reviewing games for his website so his Wii was sitting unplayed on his desk. It did take me long before I dove into Zelda was it was handed to me. Stupid homework and the lack of energy was just not there. To me Zelda is just not a sit down and play for thirty minutes game, its a long passionate affair that lasts seven hours a day for weeks. Knowing this I convinced myself that I must start this game when I have at least three hours to kill.

Here are my first impressions: controls are weird and unnatural, game is way to slooooooowwww to begin, and man did I like Wind Waker's world more.

Here are my impressions after ten hours: controls are actually good, okay finally I feel like we are getting somewhere, this world still lacks some imagination.

Here are my impressions after twenty hours: controls are slick as hell. I can't go back to the old games now. The sword swiping/nunchuking/thrusting actually works once you discover the complex moves. Wow these dungeons filled with new items and challenging puzzles are amazing. GIVE ME MORE. The world still sucks.

Report back later when I finish the damn game.

CHICAGO GAMER COMPLETE

New Address

2007-02-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

We have switched to Wordpress because it looks better and it has some things that Blogger can't offer.

New Address

Switch your bookmarks!

Sonic Youth /// Webster Hall /// 2/16/07

2007-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

This post originally appears on Angry Citizen. The writer has given us permission to repost the material on Headless Ponch.

Watching Sonic Youth perform live is like listening to a new Sonic Youth album. You know their performance or album will be good, really good, or amazing and never coming close to a disappointment. As a matter of fact, they lull you to sleep with a consistently steady performance level and uncanny ability to nail song after song without giving off the appearance of stagnation or going through the motions. If you ask me, which you didn't, it's an amazing feat many bands will never pull off, let alone for the duration Sonic Youth has been chuggging along. They are so consistently good, as a fan you can often slip into a hazy state similar to a person suffering from a psychological trauma. Somehow they appear mundane, even though that's the furthest thing from reality. Maybe I'm the only one that has suffered through "Sonic Youth Syndrome?" But alas, more times than not, by the end of their live set or album they manage to impress me in overt and subtle ways that inevitably shake me out of my "Sonic Youth Syndrome."

On Friday night, as expected, Sonic Youth marched through most of their underrated album Rather Ripped. Of the albums released in '06 Rather Ripped consistently proves to be one of the better releases based on its ability to provide continued revelations, while other more heralded album have worn out their welcome. "Pink Steam" and "Or" have grown on me to the point where they have become two of my favorite Sonic Youth songs, which is no small feat. Last time Sonic Youth played New York, fans of Daydream Nation were treated to "Teenage Riot" and "Eric's Trip." This time around the lucky fans in attendance were blessed with "Candle" and "Silver Rocket." Of course, the highlight of the evening was the blistering rendition of "Silver Rocket." It's always fun to speculate which song Sonic Youth will reach back for and play live. They'll always play one old favorite or obscure song you did not, or could not fathom before hand. With a catalog as diverse and deep it's often futile to speculate but more rewarding to sit back and wait paitently for that one song. Next to "Silver Rocket", that one song I was not expecting but was delighted to hear was, "Skip Tracer." If Lee hit the stage, sans Sonic Youth, performed "Skip Tracer" and exited stage I would have walked home a happy man. Yeah, a little over the top, but it's Lee. I have a strange and complex attraction to Lee Ranaldo's songs and his disturbingly hypnotic voice. Rats, one of the better cuts off Rather Ripped stands up strong against his previous output, however shamefully limited that output has been. I was hoping to hear "Mote" or "Wish Fulfillment," but no dice. There wasn't much on stage banter aside for Moore calling Mark Ibold, Mark Arm, before quickly correcting his error. A hearty laugh was had all around and everyone's attention quickly shifted back to the music. I've come to the inevitable conclusion that it's impossible to walk away from a Sonic Youth concert disappointed. Sonic Youth never disappointed an audience is the most scientifically accurate and proven theory next to Einstein's Theory of Relativity and "Sonic Youth Syndrome."

Read the original post on Angry Citizen, as well as looking at more pictures.

Buck The World Tracklisting

2007-02-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

G-Unit's Young Buck is set to release his sophomore album Buck The World on March 20th. A tracklisting has been announced.

1. Intro
2. Bad Influence (w/ 50 Cent) [Prod. By Dr. Dre]
3. Get Buck [Prod. by Polow Da Don]
4. Middle Finger To The Law [Prod. by Dr. Dre]
5. I Know You Want Me (w/ Jazze Pha) [Prod. by Jazze Pha]
6. Don't Fuck Wit Me (w/ Linkin Park & D-Tay) [Prod. by Mike Shinoda]
7. Do It Myself [Prod. by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League]
8. 4 Kings (w/ T.I., Young Jeezy & Pimp C) [Prod. by Jazze Pha]
9. Haters (w/ Kokane) [Prod. by Vitamin D]
10. Celebrity (w/ 50 Cent) [Prod. by Danja]
11. Paid The Cost [Prod. by Jonathan "JR" Rotem]
12. Say It To My Face [Prod. by Diaz Brothers]
13. I Ain't Fuckin' Wit Ya (w/ Snoop Dogg & Trick Daddy) [Prod. by Hi-Tek]
14. Never Snitch [Prod. by Key Kat]
15. Take It There [Prod. by Lil Jon]
16. Pain In My Eyes (w/ 8Ball & MJG & Lyfe Jennings) [Prod. by Jake One]
17. Listen When I Talk [Prod. by Eminem]
18. Tears (w/ Trey Songz & Bun B) [Prod. by Needlz]
19. Wounded Soldiers (w/ 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & Tony Yayo) [Prod. by Dr. Dre]

Dre, Hi-Tek, Justus League, and Needlz? Buck loses all my respect if this album bricks critically or commercially.

In other related Buck news, he and Game apparently got into a fight this weekend.

Arcade Fire Sneak Fans Into Show!!!

2007-02-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

Win Butler is a hero. A fan of Arcade Fire wrote a long winding post about how he recently got into an two Arcade Fire shows in London.

The first night he was able to get in because some employees for Merge felt bad that he and his friend from Canada (London from Canada, wow) didn't get in. So they got them in for free.

The next night is just truly magical though. It outlines why Arcade Fire is the best band now. Long story short: fan tries to get in again, but can't land any tickets; Win sneaks out of the venue and motions him to come in; fan feels bad for others ticketless, so he brings the whole troop along; as Win and the 10 fans sneak into the venue, a tout tells them it is not allowed; then Win and fan fend off the tout as everyone sneaks in -- it even ends with a punchline.

Read the post here. (Arcade Fire write back on their Myspace wall!!!)

Visit here to see when you can buy Arcade Fire tickets for their upcoming North American tour. Chicago Theater -- here I come.

Video: Mike Jones "Mr. Jones"

2007-02-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

The new single from Mike Jones off his upcoming album The American Dream. The irony with me posting this after just posting the J-Zone article.

J-Zone Points Out The Problems With Hip Hop

2007-02-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

J-Zone made a long and excellent post on his myspace dissecting the current state of hip hop. "It seems there's not many funny artists no more. Like on some Biz Mark, Humpty Hump, The Afros shit. Not afraid to go to the extreme and have fun. God forbid you use your imagination or rap about something not involving hiphop, the hood, you bein the shit, the end of the world or what color your car interior is."

Read the full post here.

Video: Prodigy "Stuck On You"

2007-02-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Prodigy's new single off his upcoming album Return of the Mac.

Live Earth Update

2007-02-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone has reported that Kanye West, Police, and Genesis have been added to the so far terrible lineup.

Watch Or Listen To Bloc Party Live

2007-02-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the Bloc Party overload of late, but you can watch or listen to a full show they recently did on NME. The gig takes place at the Carling Academy in Bristol and was shot on February 7th.

Watch/Listen to the show.

Audio: Feist "My Man My Moon"

2007-02-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

Leak week continues. Well one song isn't really too bad of a leak. That one song is "My Man My Moon", the first song off Feist's upcoming release The Reminder. Neko Case has been ousted. Feist's voice is just that much more seductive. Neko is like Virginia Madsen in Sideways -- more casual and more of a 'friend' -- whereas Feist is like Sandra Oh -- more 'you and me, lets do it right now.' I mean that in a good way, Leslie.

The Reminder is set to hit US and Canadian record stores on May 1st.

Stream/Download here (Prefix).

Ja Rule's New Hairstyle

2007-02-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

Yikes. Anybody else think he looks like Nas in this one?

Arcade Fire Hitting The SNL Stage

2007-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Once again you will have to gather all your patience and use it while watching Saturday Night Live. Why? I don't know, watching the best band in the world seems like a good reason. Arcade Fire are set to to rock SNL on February 24th -- that's next week.

The band are currently in the middle of a 5-night stay in New York. I have only heard great things including Win handing out chocolate and other sweets shaped as hearts to the fans.

So far celebrity sightings have been Fab from the Strokes, Drew Barrymore, Andy Samberg (SNL), Spike Jonze, David Cross, and Kirstin Dunst.

Beyonce Re-releasing B'Day

2007-02-15T16:00:00.000-08:00

While on the shoot of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Beyonce *deep breath* is reissuing her sophomore album B'Day. It *wipe sweat off forehead* will feature three new tracks, including "Beautiful Liar" and "World Wide Woman."

B'Day is way underrated.

Watch her photo shoot below.

Video: Cam'ron "Cuurtis"

2007-02-15T15:49:00.000-08:00

Wilco Give Tracklisting For Sky Blue Sky

2007-02-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Chicago based band have given the full tracklisting for their upcoming album Sky Blue Sky. Sky Blue Sky is the band's 6th studio album and will be released May 15 via Nonesuch.

1. "Either Way"
2. "You Are My Face"
3. "Impossible Germany"
4. "Sky Blue Sky"
5. "Side With the Seeds"
6. "Shake It Off"
7. "Please Be Patient With Me"
8. "Hate It Here"
9. "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)"
10. "Walken"
11. "What Light"
12. "On and On and On"

You can also catch Wilco playing at Bonaroo this June. Read more here.

Live Earth Benefit Concerts Announced

2007-02-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Former vice president Al Gore and others have joined forces to create Live Earth (the Concert for a Climate in Crisis), a set of 7 concerts to raise awareness about global warming. It will take place on July 7th and you will be able to catch Bloc Party and Bon Jovi to name a couple.

Sounds a lot like Live 8, eh? I really wonder if these work. People going probably tell their friends and family 'it is for the climate and I'm glad I could be part of it. I can't wait to hear Californiacation though!'

I'm positive the majority of the artists do want to raise awareness and do a good deed, but there are still the Will Smiths out there. "This is Switch and it's off my new album Lost & Found in stores now!" Read more here.

Side note: Bon Jovi rocked Live 8.

I don't know why the format is screwed up. Sorry.

Queens Of The Stone Age Album Coming In June

2007-02-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

Queens of the Stone Age have left a post on their web site discussing details on a new album. Once you put away all the 'trying to be funny, look at us we are loose dudes' thing, you find out a title and release ~~date~~ month. The tentative title is Era Vulgaris and June is the hopeful launch date.

I know these guys have gone through some roster changes, so I'm sorry if the above picture has some old members in it. But who really cares?

Bloc Party Make A 102 Jump On Billboards

2007-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

...From where Silent Alarm peaked. The band's second album A Weekend In The City grabbed the 12th spot on the Billboards, selling 48,000 copies. How do you think Neon Bible will do?

Fall Out Boy were #1, selling 260,000. Beyonce posed for the cover of the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Just thought I'd sneak that in there.

New Biggie Hits Collection Being Released

2007-02-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

Bad Boy is issuing a Notorious B.I.G. greatest hits on March 6th. It marks 10 years after the still shocking death of the renowned MC. ~~But how many songs are going to be on this?~~ Turns out 17. He only released two albums while he was with us. Diddy do you really want to keep 'connecting' us to Biggie or does that new yacht need some revamping?

I really do hate greatest hits. It ruins the idea of an album and neglects the work put into making the album not just a collection of songs, but a story. Especially with someone like Biggie who put together albums. Read more here.

1. Juicy
2. Big Poppa
3. Hypnotize
4. One More Chance (Remix)
5. Get Money
6. Warning
7. Dead Wrong
8. Who Shot Ya
9. Ten Crack Commandments
10. Notorious Thugs
11. Notorius B.I.G
12. Nasty Girl
13. Unbelieveable
14. Niggaz Bleed
15. Running Your Mouth (New track)
16. Want That Old Thing Back (New track)
17. Fuckin' You Tonite

Village Voice Cover Rascist?

2007-02-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

TV On The Radio member Martín Perna wrote a letter to the Village Voice commenting on their recent cover illustrating Bob Dylan running over Kyp Malone (member of TV On The Radio) -- meaning Modern Times was better than Return To Cookie Mountain. Yeah, kind of ridiculous. The more I look at it, the more wtf comes to mind. Read the letter here. Don't be afraid of hip hop America; you got to watch out for those indie folk, I'm telling you.

Fabolous Sets Release Date

2007-02-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

From Nothin' To Somethin' has been prolonged, but will see the light of day on March 27th. It is Fab's first Def Jam release and will feature production by Timbaland and Jazze Pha. Read more here.

Stream/Download to "Return Of The Hustle (Feat. Swizz Beats) (Produced by Just Blaze)"

Same old, same old.

Power Outage Yesterday

2007-02-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

The blog was only updated with one post yesterday because of a power outage. I don't think 50 got popped or Alex Turner got Lily Allen pregnant, so I don't think we missed too much.

I won't give these pieces of news the full post treatment because...they are old. So here are just some quick links.

Andrew Bird announced tour dates
Bonaroo lineup announced
Rhymefest's new album is a musical; that really deserved a full post
Michael Jackson on American Idol?
Prefix interviewed Papoose

We will be back on form today.

PS - Check out the Powercast if you already haven't.

New Little Brother Mixtape For Free

2007-02-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

You can download the new Little Brother mixtape Justus For All for free at Certified Hip Hop, along with the running order.

Another download source is Justus League themselves. Look at the bottom right for the link.

Video: The Go Team! "Junior Kickstart"

2007-02-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Flaming Lips Go The Retirement Home Route

2007-02-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

If you are feeling depressed you didn't get tickets to Arcade Fire you can always have a backup plan. What is a better one than the The Flaming Lips? They have announced a slew of Southeast shows for the spring. Read more here.

04-11 Athens, GA - Classic Center
04-12 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
04-13 Pompano Beach, FL - PB Amphitheater
04-14 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
04-17 Myrtle Beach, FL - House of Blues
04-18 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
04-19 Norfolk, VA - The Norva

White Stripes Sign To Warner Bros.

2007-02-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

Even though V2 records had that big fiasco, label employee The White Stripes contract was up. Jack and Meg have signed to Warner Bros. though. The albums will not be distributed through Jack's own label Third Man.

It's a one album deal. Will we see a new Stripes record this year? We really really hope so.

Arcade Fire Announce North American Tour!!!

2007-02-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

We have been waiting so long for this.

02-13 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-14 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-15 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-16 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
02-17 New York, NY - Judson Memorial Church
04-26 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre
04-28 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
05-01 Atlanta, GA - Civic Center
05-02 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
05-04 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
05-05 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
05-07 New York, NY - TBA
05-08 New York, NY - TBA
05-09 New York, NY - TBA
05-10 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
05-12 Montreal, Quebec - Arena Maurice Richard
05-13 Montreal, Quebec - Arena Maurice Richard
05-15 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05-16 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05-18 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-19 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-20 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
05-27 Portland, OR - Schnitzer Concert Hall

Video: Jay-Z "Minority Report"

2007-02-12T16:47:00.001-08:00

Bhm208
Uploaded by skaybn

Audio: Nas, Kanye West, Rakim, KRS-One "Classic (Nike Remix)"

2007-02-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

~~Who did the beat?~~ DJ Premier did it. 50 wishes he had something like this. This was the song the MC's performed at the 25th anniversary for the Air Force ones. By the way, Rakim still leaves the mic flaming.

Stream/Download here (Link courtesy of Nah Right).

In other KRS-One related news, read this story about him leaving his producers on the street.

David Cross and Stephen Malkmus - The Plug Awards

2007-02-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

This write-up originally appears on Angry Citizen. It is used with permission granted by the Angry Citizen himself.

The 2007 Plug Awards was a disaster in terms of execution but redeeming due to the musical acts and the work of host, David Cross. There's a lot to discuss about the Plug Awards like J Dilla winning artist of the year, but for now I'm going to focus on one aspect of the show. That being the interview between David Cross as James "JJ" Lipton and Steve "Jebediah" Malkmus. David Cross is a certifiable hero in the "indie rock" set as evidenced by his duet with Johny Marr a few months ago, which I was lucky enough to record (watch it here). Cross continued to build on his folk hero status by portraying "JJ" Lipton and conducting a hilarious interview with a shy (or coy) but game Malkmus. Below are three videos spanning most of the interview in which we learn so many golden nuggets such as Jebediah's favorite curse word, dickweed, and favorite curse phrase "we're in a shit storm of trouble."

View more pictures from the Plug Awards.
Visit the original post on Angry Citizen.
View the whole list of winners at Brooklyn Vegan.

Ponch Powercast

2007-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

OMG! It's the first ever Ponch Powercast, the official podcast of Headless Ponch! Joe Williams from Musicsucks.net and I each give a new artist to look out for. We review the new albums by Bloc Party and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Then Joe recaps seeing Camera Obscura live.

Thank Joe for being able to edit the songs in so they are crystal clear.

Expect the Powercast to happen definitely once a month, possibly twice.

Download the Powercast (32:38).

New Artists This Week
--> So Many Dynamos
--> Ntelligence

Soundtrack to Powercast #1
--> "Mighty Wings" Cheap Trick
--> "Search Party" So Many Dynamos
--> "How Does It Feel" Ntelligence
--> "Hunting For Witches" Bloc Party
--> "Satan Said Dance" Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
--> "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" Camera Obscura

Read Joe's post on the Camera Obscura show including pics and a video.

What do you think of the newcomers? And give us an overall feeling from the podcast.

Arctic Monkeys Play Secret Show

2007-02-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Arctic Monkeys returned to the music world last night by performing at their old stomping grounds. The band stormed through a 15 song set at the Leadmill venue in Sheffield, which included six new songs. View more pictures and watch some bad quality youtube videos here.

The lads are set to release their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare on April 23rd. Read about Favourite Worst Nightmare here.

50 and Cam'ron Update

2007-02-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

Cam'ron called Connecticut radio station 93.7 and said that after he and 50 had their altercation on Hot 97 that 50 called Flex stating he didn't want beef with Cam. What? Stream/Download here.

Rolling Stones' New Guitar Gods

2007-02-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone granted a new set of wailers the title Guitar God. In no order:

Tom Morello
Jack White
John Mayer
Derek Trucks
John Frusciante
Luther Dickinson
Nels Cline
Warren Haynes
Jim James & Carl Broemel
Adam Jones
Kaki King
Mike McCready & Stone Gossard
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Ed O'Brien & Johnny Greenwood
Chuck Garvey & Al Schnier
Matt Pike
Jack White

Didn't they list Jack White in their original list? I thought he was around #29. Who do you guys think they missed?

Metro Distortion has a video for each nominee. Read an excerpt from the new RS cover story.

Video: Justin Timberlake "What Goes Around..."

2007-02-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

Justin Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson in the same video? Move over Brangelina, this is the hottest thing in Hollywood. This is the director's cut of Justin Timberlake's new video "What Goes Around..."

The Weekend Isn't Over

2007-02-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

A Weekend In The City was overall disappointing but people are still holding on to Bloc Party hoping for more Silent Alarm type quality tunes.

During the recording process of A Weekend, the band managed to piece together 22 songs! 22-11= 11! That is right, you can serve yourself to another albumful of Bloc Party. By putting together all the B-sides, the internet has made Another Weekend In The City or as other call it The Weekend Isn't Over.

Some have already said it's better than the actual wholecost product. Decide for yourself, by downloading the whole album here (Thanks Mike). And pick up the artwork along with a couple of tracks at I Guess I'm Floating.

Video: The Bird and The Bee "Again and Again"

2007-02-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Bird and The Bee made up of beautiful vocalist Inara George and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin released their debut self titled album on Blue Note in January of this year. I just got hold of it, and full review will most likely come from it.

Poll Winner: Best Outkast Album

2007-02-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

ATLiens was voted as the best Outkast album by racking up 28% of the votes. ATLiens would be my second pick behind Stankonia. It is the cool and truest hip hop album in the 'Kast echelon.

I like Stankonia the best because it was the perfect mix of all the sounds Big Boi and Dre were trying to pull together. Aquemini was them really getting funky and different, but still hadn't quite mastered it yet. Stankonia they mastered that super funky crossover sound that had all races, species, and sexes going bonkers.

Speakerboxxx/Love Below placed with 23% of the votes. Spbx/TLB was Outkast still going really out there, but I thought they just lost the touch and both Dre and Big Boi made highly inconsistent albums. If they collaged them for one album, maybe their best. Maybe.

The poll clearly illustrates the consistency of Outkast's discography, since pretty much every album was in the race.

Full results:
1. ATLiens 28%
2. Speakerboxxx/Love Below 23%
3. Aquemini 18%
4. Stankonia 15%
5. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik 13%
6. Idlewild 3%

Video: The Killers "Read My Mind"

2007-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Killers shot the video for "Read My Mind" in Tokyo. Brandon Flowers and co. try to ease up and be silly, since their more serious efforts haven't been taken in too fondly. It is better than that "When You Were Young" garbage video. Look at more pictures of the video here.

Audio: Cam'ron Returning The Favor To 50

2007-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Just earlier today, 50 dropped a diss to the Dipset camp -"Funeral Music" - in full video form. Cam'ron was not going to let it sit out, and has immediately fired back with an untitled track. Yes, he samples the 'Cuurrrrtiiissss' thing over and over. Download/Stream here. (Link courtesty of Nah Right).

Both of these tracks are wack. Where are Nas and Hov when we need them?

Edit: The above link was only the first half. Download the full track here (Thanks to HipHopGame forums).

Fader Is Giving Out New Mixtape For Free

2007-02-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

Fader magazine is currently giving out a new free mixtape hosted by Freeway. What We Do: The Movie features new tracks from Freeway along with Beanie Sigel, Young Gunz, and more. Read more here along with a download link.

Video: 50 Cent "Funeral Music (Cam'ron Diss)"

2007-02-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

No beef? Right. This is 50's answer to...Cam'ron calling him by his first name on public radio.

Lets Have A Professional Handle It

2007-02-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

"1974 all over again," stated Roots drummer ?uestlove. He is speaking about his collaboration with R&B legend Al Green. The two have been working on Green's next studio album for up to two years now.

"If it were up to me and it was absolutely totalitarianism, I would live all my derivative fantasies out on this record. It would be 1974 all over again," the creative ?uestlove said.

?uestlove went on to say that he feels like veterans in the game feel like they have to evolve with the ever changing music world, but in actuality they should stick to what they do best. Read more here.

Audio (On Youtube): Timbaland Responding To Stealing Allegations

2007-02-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Timbaland sort of sets the the record straight about him stealing a song written by Finnish artist Janne Suni (Thanks Prefix), in which he used for the Nelly Furtado song "Do It."

Decide for yourself if you already haven't by watching the video below.

Audio: Timbaland feat. The Hives "Throw It On Me"

2007-02-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

Timbaland and The Hives have collaborated for "Throw It On Me" which appears on the producers upcoming solo album Shock Value.

The track sounds like something either I'd hear a) if a local band tried to get on an iPod commercial or b) a song I'd hear at 2 in the morning with blood shot eyes as I manuever my roser on Madden. Neither of them being good things. Listen to the track here.

Dre, The Wash Was Not Good

2007-02-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

Dr. Dre has inked a deal with New Line which allows him to produce movies through his brand new sub-group Crucial Films.

I don't know if this is Dre's niche if his films will show the same low level talent as The Wash did. But he has said that he wants to get in on scoring the films. That is the side of the Doc we like. Read more here.

Feist Releases New Album Details

2007-02-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Canadian songwriter Feist has told NME that she will be releasing her follow up to the wonderful Let It Die, The Reminder, on April 23rd for the UK and May 1st for the US.

Indie gals are the best to look at. Read more here.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Tracklisting

2007-02-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

1. Still Strifin(Intro)/Prod. Raekwon & Mark Batson/
2. No Peace/Prod. RZA & Cilvaringz/
3. Rock Stars And Smoking Barrells feat. Inspectah Deck & GZA/Prod. RZA
4. Black Book feat. GZA, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck & L-Baggs/Prod. Dr. Dre
5. Loose Change/Prod. Scram Jones
6. State Of Grace/Prod. RZA
7. No Matter How Hard You Try feat. Inspectah Deck & Lucy Clarke/Prod. RZA
8. Networkz Are Global(Skit)
9. The Brass feat. Ghostface Killah & John Frusciante/Prod. RZA
10. Time Is Money/Prod. Dr. Dre
11. House Of Flying Daggers/Prod. DILLA
12. Little Afrika feat. RZA, Method Man, U-God & Masta Killa/Prod. RZA
13. Kareem Khan feat. GZA/Prod. RZA
14. RZA & Chef in studio(Skit)
15. Thug World/Prod. RZA
16. That's That feat. RZA & Busta Rhymes/Prod. Dr. Dre & Mark Batson
17. Secret Indictment/Prod. RZA
18. Playin' To Win(Year Of The Dragon) feat. GZA, Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah/Prod. RZA, Co-produced by Dr. Dre
19. Terms & Conditions(Outro)

Looks solid. Kudos to Sumish.

The Roots Already Working On New Album

2007-02-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

?uestlove of the Roots has told Billboard that the hip hop group are already working on a new album, only months after they released their previous album Game Theory. What does the new stuff sound like?

"We are using a lot of synthesizers, but I don't know if I could call this the electronic album or not," ?uestlove stated. He went on to add that they already have five or six songs done, with the majority being synth heavy. Read more here.

Diddy & Sienna Miller?

2007-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Diddy's reaction to the paparazzi spotting him going into a buidling with Sienna Miller is priceless.

Buck The World Artwork

2007-02-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

That is the official cover for Young Buck's upcoming album Buck The World. Right when I saw it, I thought it looked like a D'Angelo cover.

In a recent interview, Buck stated he wanted the album to be called F*ck The World and the cover to illustrate him giving the finger. But he said because of the changes it will be "On Wal-Mart shelves now."

Buck wasn't afraid to express what he thinks this album is going to do on the charts saying it will "Break big numbers." Most people will agree with me when I say that Buck is the best MC in G-Unit -- excluding 50.

Buck the World is set to hit your local Wal-Mart and Target on March 20th.

(Click picture for more clarity)

Bol Reveals Himself

2007-02-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite bloggers, Byron Crawford, showed his face for the first time ever in an interview with Erik Parker.

Bol, Crawford's common name, doesn't really answer to many of the questions fired at him. He seems apprehensive. He is usually so opinionated on his site, but maybe he doesn't have the face for TV.

His site is still bookmarked though. Watch the interview.

Midlake Hates Us

2007-02-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

Midlake frontman Tim Smith was recently interviewed by Canadian music site Chart Attack. He reveals how he feels about the internet (alright, maybe reveals isn't the best word).

"I hate reading that stuff [blogs, etc.]. Just tell me how the album is selling. I don't like the negativity. You get a little bigger and then you get more enemies. You're no longer these guys who are just trying to push and do it and be a band. And everyone respects you when you're just starting out, even if you suck."

The writer mentioned that Smith is an extremely polite and kind person. But that really hurts my feelings Tim. What did we do to you? You made plenty of end of the year lists. We tried to build a buzz for you.

I think he has been hanging out with Jack White too much. Read the interview here.

New: Tha Dogg Pound - "Anybody Killa"

2007-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

Westsiiiiiideee. A new Dogg Pound song off their next album Dogg Chit. This is what The Game needs to be rapping over.

Tha Dogg Pound featuring The Game "Anybody Killa" (Link courtesy of Different Kitchen)

Arctic Monkeys Announce Album Release Date

2007-02-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

The Arctic Monkeys have announced a release date, title, and tracklisting for their sophomore album. A post on the British lad's official site reads:

Arctic Monkeys are pleased to announce that their new album entitled
'Favourite Worst Nightmare,' will be released 23rd April. The track listing will
be;

01. Brianstorm
02. Teddy Picker
03. D Is for Dangerous
04. Balaclava
05. Fluorescent Adolescent
06. Only Ones Who Know
07. Do Me a Favour
08. This House Is a Circus
09. If You Were There, Beware
10. The Bad Thing
11. Old Yellow Bricks
12. 505

The first single off the album is going to be "Brainstorm" which will be released April 16. These dates are going to be UK dates, so we assume the US dates will be the usual one day after.

Chicago Gamer 006

2007-02-05T15:38:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the Super Bowl and the mighty Bears losing it, I decided to talk about football and the games that continue to sell. For some reason people either view sports games as either blasts of fun or trivial trite that should never be spoken in the same breath as say a Resident Evil.

I can see both point of views. What you cannot argue is how fun football games are. Most sport games just do not translate well to the controller. But ever since Tecmo Bowl for the NES, football and videogames go together like salsa and chips.

Over the generation cycles one game franchise has reigned supreme, the almighty destroyer of sales charts Madden. Madden like it or loathe it, is a well designed game. Action is fast and sublime. Mastering the playbooks takes practise, but never is it insurmotable. Sim modes are deep and boasts some of the best multiplayer in gaming right now.

So why do so many people just not like it. Well I credit this to three factors. First people see it as a casual game that is not in the same league as hardcore games. This point of view is completely false. The game takes great skill to be good at and is just as in depth as any game in their respective genres. Casual/hardcore is a oldie term that needs to go away.

Two the game comes out every year. I hate annual sequels. I feel the rolling of the eyes that gamers have when EA releases the next version. This handicaps the game the new feel to make it exciting. Word of advice. Buy a Madden game every three years. By that time enough new features and touches will make the game feel better.

And the last point is that the game symbolizes the hatred many people have for conserative EA. EA wants money. Just like every other company. Madden bleeds Benjamins. Get over it.

For the record while Madden is a good product, the lack of competition has lowered its usual quality. Madden was at its best battling the NFL 2K series. Come to think of it NFL 2K1 is the best damn football game ever.

Prince Makes Everything Better

2007-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised this is Headless Ponch's first Prince topic. Anyways, Prince ~~played~~ rocked the hell out of the Super Bowl halftime show.

At first, I thought "Let's Go Crazy" had some sound issues, but it obviously got resolved. He tore through a ten minute set which included "Baby I'm A Star", "Purple Rain", and covers of Jimi Hendrix and Foo Fighters. Yeah, definitely a wtf... at first.

Prince defiantly showed why everything needs more Prince when he did "Best of You" by the Foo Fighters. Originally, this song is all Vh1-ed up, leaning towards a rebellious secretary crowd. But when Prince does it, it sounded like a classic out of his back catalog. Everything really needs more Prince. Imagine FutureSex/LoveSounds with more Prince? Now we are talking about a great album.

"Purple Rain" had a ridiculous solo that was impossible not to air guitar to. Plus, it was raining adding a ironic effect.

As for the game, we got the bad Rex. And what's up with abandoning a successful running game with Thomas Jones? It seemed like everytime he got a carry he moved the chains. The last half was just an overall snoozefest, with the Bears offense doing the same repetitive scheme.

1st - 1st down with Thomas Jones
2nd - 5 to 10 yard Completion, building a drive
3rd - Hold on a second, isn't Rex Grossman your quarterback? Interception!

And what an anticlimatic way for Peyton to get his first ring?

New Poll: Best Outkast Album

2007-02-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Since hearing 3000 on the remixes, I have revisited my Outkast collection. I've always pulled for Stankonia. But what is your favorite 'Kast album?

Vote on the sidebar to the right.

Interview: Skyzoo

2007-02-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn start waving your flags. Skyzoo is the reason. Skyzoo has worked with 9th Wonder, and is currently working with DJ Premier, illmind, and more on his upcoming debut LP.

Skyzoo took some time out and let the mic sizzle, while he chatted to me. We talk about how he met 9th Wonder, how the idea for Cloud 9: The Three Day High (currently in our Sounds of the Moment!) came about, and his opinion on the recent news covering Little Brother.

Listen to the interview (20:02)
Read guest contributor John's live review of Skyzoo.

What do you think of Skyzoo? Leave comments below.

Big Boi & 3000: Go Take Care of Business Now

2007-02-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Andre 3000 is giving Outkast fans hope again. After Idlewild was an overall bad experience -- bad sales, bad album -- many were ready to grab the shovel from the garage.

But, wait a second. Dre has been appearing on a couple of remixes...rapping! When he rapped on Idlewild, say "Mighy O", he did not sound like he was having fun. The energy was lacking.

The remixes he has appeared on are Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's," Lloyd's "You," and UNK's "Walk It Out".

My favorite is "Throw Some D's," where 3000 does perfect stutters and flowing perfectly with the beat. ~~This is a bad rip too~~ (Thanks Ian). ~~Imagine a high quality one?~~ Yeah, ~~that~~ this is what we are talking about.

XXL hit it right on the button. Idlewild flopping must of finally knocked some sense into Dre. Now he needs to get together with Big Boi and prove that Outkast is still the band that were powerful enough to make us adopt a sub-language.

- "Walk It Out (Remix)" featuring Andre 3000, Jim Jones
- "You (Remix)" featuring Andre 3000, Nas

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Fiasco

2007-02-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

This is one of best PR moves ever.

Response from the accused:

That is even better.

Paris Hilton Hits Two Birds With One Stone

2007-02-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

Paris Hilton was doing her thing to Biggie's "Hynotize" in a club alongside sister Nicky. Some dude was filming the two and managed to get Paris to call some random guy a "fat fag". Then Nicky is worried about some guy hitting on her and tells everyone, "Don't worry, he's a fag." I thought Nicky was supposed to be more polite.

Then out of nowhere Paris drops "We're like two n******!"

Then after that Paris is talking about a lady she ran into, whom she recalls to be a "fuckin' hoodlum, broke, poor bitch, from like Compton." Then she puts the icing on the cake with "Public school bitch."

Wow. These two could of topped Kramer and Isaiah Washington.

Kele Okereke Airs Out Again

2007-02-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

Bloc Party head honcho Kele Okereke is continuing his 'assault' on the music world. First it was Jack, now he has broadened his horizons by attacking the whole indie/rock genre.

In an interview with MTV, Okereke stated "I'm finding it hard to believe that singers in other bands have a mind."

He did applaud Arctic Monkey frontman Alex Turner for making "talking about every day life very in vogue and fashionable."

All this PR is occurring near the release of Bloc Party's second and disappointing album, A Weekend in the City. The lightbulb must of dinged for Kele when he took sometime to listen to his band's new album. Read more here.

Video: Arcade Fire @ Porchester Hall

2007-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, Neon Bible rocks.

Glad I got that out of my system. Arcade Fire played Porchester Hall last night, being spectated most notably by Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Rakes' Alan Donohoe. It was the band's 4th London gig in a five gig lineup.

After assuring the crowd that they are indeed the best band in the world, Arcade Fire set up in the foyer of the venue for an acoustic sing-a-long of "Wake Up."

At first, frontman Win Butler was setting up his megaphone in the foyer. When three security guards noticed what the band were trying to do, they tried to shoot down the idea and tell everyone to pack their bags and go home. Win refused to let the guards deny him of his duty.

"One of the guards was literally manhandling Win, who was pretty pissed off and shouted 'Don't fucking touch me' before shrugging off the attention and defiantly placing his mic stand at the bottom of the foyer stairs," reported an NME journalist.

Then after the band finished up their foyer performance, they led the crowd back into the hall for a cover of the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton." Read more here.

Look for Chris Martin on the left hand side of your screen at six seconds in.

Video: RZA On The Late Late Show

2007-02-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Skyzoo @ Bowery Ballroom 1/24/07

2007-01-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

John is the writer on Angry Citizen. He is going to coincede his live reviews with us. So when he posts his reviews on his blog, they will also appear on here.

I got the idea from what Stereogum does with Village Indian.

Opening up for Clipse last Wednesday was Brooklyn's own Skyzoo. Skyzoo is a young gun on the scene trying to make a name for himself, which he's been doing by working with members of the Justus League and 9th Wonder. The hardest move has to be opening a show and rhyming to a sea of faces who aren't familiar with your material. You know when you see a new artist on stage and you can tell he or she has been on stage maybe five times in their life. There's that unmistakable look of desperation mixed with confidence on their face.

Hard moves aside, Skyzoo hit the stage, lifted up the crowd, and put us on his shoulders for the next thirty minutes. Skyzoo had the look of a veteran short on desperation and long on confidence. He was going all out connecting with every single audience member. If possible he would have walked the floor spitting rhymes for each and every individual present. But he couldn't on account of everyone being on his back.

He's also worked with Dilla and Premo to name a few. His flow definitely harkens back to '90's NY hip-hop without a whiff of nostalgia. He's all forward thinking and moving with an aesthetic reminiscent of O.C., AZ and even Murs based on his style and 9th Wonder beats. Skyzoo is at the point where he’ll continue to climb the ladder or fade into mix-tape obscurity. Who knows if he’ll progress past the mix-tap game, either way he’s worth checking out. Did I mention he's from Brooklyn?

Read the original post on Angry Citizen.
View more pictures tooken by Angry Citizen.

Video: The Game, Kanye West "Wouldn't Get Far"

2007-01-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Game and Kanye made a video for "Wouldn't Get Far" which mocks the usual rap video.

Kele Okereke Spits Trash About Jack

2007-01-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

Kele Okereke, the lead singer of Bloc Party, has lashed out at Jack White. Okereke states in the new NME that he was amazed "when Jack White said it wasn't his job to be critical about foreign policy because he was being paid to be an entertainer. I thought that was treacherous because it's complicit with the capitalist society."

I was not aware of this quote from Jack, but whatever. Not everybody has to be Bono, in fact, Bono has been losing his inner Bono. I like Jack because he continues the legacy of the blues in a more badass manner than anyone in the game right now. It would almost seem weird to me if Jack started busting out Kele like lines. For example, what would you think if Jack busted out "Tonight, make me unstoppable," {A lyrical excerpt from the new Bloc Party single "The Prayer"}? Those lyrics just fly right over me with their complexity. Read more here.

***********************************************

Listen to the new and unknown Bloc Party track "Secret" here.

Kevin Federline Pokes Fun At Himself

2007-01-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

Kevin Federline made a commercial for Nationwide, that will air during the Super Bowl.

iConcertCal: iTunes Just Got Better

2007-01-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

Spotted on I Guess I'm Floating:

iConcertCal is a free iTunes plug-in that developes a schedule around tour dates by reading your iTunes library. So if you had the Fratellis' "Flathead" (which appears in the new iPod ad) in your library, the plug-in would generate all the available tour dates possible and add them to your schedule. If you don't have Bloc Party in your library, then you won't have Bloc Party dates on your calendar. Get it? Good.

You Still Drink That Jimi Hendrix Drink?

2007-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

Spotted on AllHipHop:

Jimi Hendrix did not even get a chance to take over the beverage industry. Jay-Z is endorsing yet another company. Cherry Coke is his new product to work with. The mogul is going to help design a cityscape design for the can, as well as doing a commercial, and also appearing at the launch of the new Cherry Coke.

Jameel Spencer, the CMO of Rocawear, stated, "Besides just recording, he's making TV commercials and campaigns for brands." Hey Jameel, don't you mean 'Besides making TV commercials and campaigns for brands, he is recording.' That rings more truth.

Justus League Do Have A Kryptonite

2007-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Certified Hip Hop:

A shockwave of news is shocking backpackers and hip-hop heads everywhere. Little Brother producer, 9th Wonder, has stepped out of the trio. 9th had garnered a lot of attention in the group for sampling old 60s and 70s soul and bringing back an old-school vibe.

It doesn't end there. The other two members and MCs, Phonte and Big Pooh have denied rumors that Little Brother had been dropped from Atlantic Records. Instead they are currently trying to break away from the label.

"First, I want to say that Little Brother has not been dropped from Atlantic. At
this time we are in the process of negotiating our release from the label due to
a difference in philosophies," stated Big Pooh.

It could be easily argued that the group would of had to go in a new direction if they wanted to continue. 9th's sound can get repetitive when you listen to albums he has worked thoroughly on.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie Trailer

2007-01-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

Coming March 23.

Brian Eno Is Working With Coldplay

2007-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Pitchfork:

The always excellent producer Brian Eno revealed during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Front Row program that he will be producing the next Coldplay album and the two parts have already started working.

"I think [the album] will be very original and very different from what they've done before," Eno stated.

The Coldplay inside me is raging.

Clipse @ Bowery Ballroom Pics

2007-01-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Brooklyn Vegan:

View more pictures here and try to make it their show at BB King's on the 26th of April.

*****************************************

In other Clipse related news, Clipse have collaborated with Capitol 1254 to make a Clipse New Era cap.

Kanye West's New Apartment

2007-01-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Dezeen:

Kanye hopes to have his new Manhattan apartment finished sometime in February. It is designed by extreme minimalist Claudio Silverstrin.

Before you enter:

Chicago Gamer 005

2007-01-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

They don't call the Chicago the Windy City for nothing. The chilly gusts of air cut your face and make you feel like they have plummeted it in the Artic Ocean. No surprise my dumbass has forgotten both gloves and hats with only my coat to protect me from the howling winds. To perserve my heat I contort to a hunchback Rizzy the Rat position.

Just like the city has fallen over a frozen spell so has my gaming life. This is what I get when I go to college and have no money, resources, or time to do things. Instead I wishfully think about games I could be playing. This means me living out the games...

Take for example the newly released DS game Hotel Dusk Room. An interesting film noir game in which you try to solve a mystery in an adventure game mold. Lately I have tried to do the same. I pop my collar on my jacket, talk in a raspy voice, and try sly but unsuccessful hits on women. They are probably turning me down because my acting is an equivalent of a home made movie audition.

If living out does not work than there has to be another way. Sure enough I discover that DePaul actually has a gaming room specifically design to house newly released games. I have always known this actually, but in a moronic spin have never actually used it besides a couple Geometry Wars sessions. Ha so this is the treasure cove I have discovered and will devour.

There is just one itsy bitsy problem. Gaming to me is either a social occasion (read: Halo LAN parties) or a total isolated experience where I marathon longer than people averagely sleep. If I want to play Rogue Galaxy great, but that means I have to play next to I-eat-Cheetos-so-loud-guy or Watch-me-guys-I'm-playing-up-to-eleven Guitar Hero player, whom just so happens to be playing that loud making my game inaudible.

Single player gaming I dunno is a private thing to me. I hate when someone comes in and watches or askes the dreaded question, "What are you doing?" The concept of me explaining the plot of game is simple, but explaing what I am actually doing is so complex and convoluted you sound like a jackass before you start. For example, "Oh I'm just playing Okami where I press down the R1 button to call down a scroll that lets me draw things on the map that changes it. Now there are thirteen types of brushstrokes..." I have lost you there I'm sure. Man I went on a rant there, I apologize.

My solution is my birthday, headphones to zone out Guitar Hero prick, and a little social growth to get over my isolated views. Probably won't work though.

Van Halen Have Bills To Pay

2007-01-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Stereogum:

It has been reported that David Lee Roth is most likely going to join his former band, Van Halen, for a 40-date amphithetre tour. This would be the first time in over 20 years Lee Roth joins his old family.

In honor of the flamboyant frontman, we will list our favorite quotes to come out of his mouth.

"I used to have a drug problem, now I make enough money."

"Music is like girlfriends to me; I'm continually astonished by the choices
other people make."

"Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up
right alongside it."

"I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass."

You Still Drink Fiji?

2007-01-23T18:51:00.001-08:00

Spotted on Stereogum:

If you still drink Fiji water, you are so not cool anymore. Beverage Concepts and Authentic Hendrix announced a drink that exclusively has the rights to Jimi Hendrix.

"Beverage Concepts is committed to providing in our beverage line the same level of excitement, undefined coolness, rock 'n roll feel and unprecedented taste that is synonymous with the Jimi Hendrix image," explained Beverage Concepts CEO Josh Glass. "We are especially pleased to announce this partnership with Authentic Hendrix here at NAMM, where we are surrounded by Jimi Hendrix fans and by music lovers from around the globe."

No release date has been stated of yet.

The hard rocking beverage industry shouldn't be too much of a fight for Hendrix -- just watch out for Seagal.

Christians Do Not Want Your Kids Listening To Music Anymore

2007-01-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

According to this crazy Christian propaganda site, most popular musicians nowadays are gay.

"One of the most dangerous ways homosexuality invades family life is through popular music. Parents should keep careful watch over their children's listening habits, especially in this Internet Age of MP3 piracy."

The Spores
Scissor Sisters
Rufus Wainwright
Merzbau
Ravi Shankar
Wilco
Bjork
Tech N9ne
Ghostface Killah
Bobby Conn
Morton Subotnik
Cole Porter
The String Cheese Incident
Eagles of Death Metal
Polyphonic Spree
The Faint
Interpol
Tegan and Sara
Erasure
Le Tigre
The Gossip
The Doors
Phish
Queen
The Strokes
Sufjan Stevens
Morrissey(?questionable?)
The Pet Shop Boys
Metallica
Judas Priest
The Village People
The Secret Handshake
The Rolling Stones
David Bowie
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Man or Astroman
Richard Cheese
Jay-Z
Depeche Mode
Kansas
Ani DiFranco
Fischerspooner
John Mayer
The Indigo Girls
Velvet Underground
Madonna
Elton John
Barry Manilow
Indigo Girls
Melissa Etheridge
Eminmen
Nirvana
Boy George*
The Killers
Lou Reed
Lil' Wayne
Motorhead
Jill Sobule
Wilson Phillips
DMX
Lisa Loeb
Dogstar
Thirty Seconds to Mars
Lil' Kim
kd lang
Frank Sinatra
Hinder
Nickleback
Justus Kohncke
Bob Mould
Clay Aiken
Arcade Fire
Bright Eyes
Corinne Bailey Rae
Audioslave
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Panic at the Disco
Elton John(really gay)

Ghostface? The Strokes? Arcade Fire? These guys know their stuff for real!

By the way, you guys didn't spell "Eminmen" right.

FREE Download: Jay-Z 1989-1994 Early Tapes

2007-01-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

If you already didn't know, Hova didn't always have that cool as the other side of the pillow flow. In these early mixtapes he was more "animated like say a Busta Rhymes."

1. 1991 Freestyle @ Big Daddy Kane's B-Day Bash
2. '93 Freestyle
3. It's That Simple
4. Livin' It Up
5. Originators and Originators 99
6. Many Styles
7. My Kind of Girl
8. Can I Git Open
9. Hawaiian Sophie
10. What's In a Name
11. I Can't Git With That
12. Show and Prove
13. In My Lifetime (1st Version)

Full Album (Thanks to legendz @ the HipHopGame forums)

Support Clipse Already

2007-01-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Brooklyn Vegan:

Clipse make the best album in 2006 and they have to downgrade their shows to smaller venues. Originally, the duo were supposed to play Webster Hall but were than billed to the smaller Bowery Ballroom.

Now they cannot even sell out Bowery. The gig is scheduled for this Wednesday so go pick up your tickets here ($25). Kidz In The Hall and Skyzoo are among the supporters. Skyzoo made a great mixtape with 9th Wonder last year.

-NobodySmiling interview with Skyzoo.

Going Back To Cali?

2007-01-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

The answer to the above question should be most certainly yes. Coachella looks to be taking this festival thing serious and they unloaded us with a giant and quality list of artists that are confirmed to play the California music festival.

Bold = See this artist if you attend or you will regret it.

Björk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Tiesto, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Happy Mondays, the Decemberists, Faithless, Gotan ProjectThe Good, The Bad and The Queen, Paul Van Dyk, Arctic Monkeys, The Roots, Jarvis Cocker Sonic Youth, Crowded House, Placebo, Satellite Party, Stephen Marley feat Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley, Kings of Leon, DJ Shadow, Kaiser Chiefs,Konono No. 1, LCD Soundsystem, Nickel Creek, Travis,Damien Rice, Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, Infected Mushroom, the New PornographersPeeping Tom, Placebo, Rufus Wainwright, The Rapture, Explosions in the Sky, Richie Hawtin, !!!, Benny Benassy, Felix Da Housecat, Hot Chip, Jacks Mannequin, Julieta Venegas, Lily Allen, Lupe Fiasco, Ozomatli, Peaches, Ghostface Killah, Jose Gonzales, Amos Lee, Brazilian Girls, Fountains of Wayne, Regina Spektor, VNV Nation, Coco Rosie, Cornelius, Gillian Welch, Junior Boys, Pharaohe Monche, Roky Erickson and the ExplosivesSoulwax, Sparklehorse, The Kooks, Tilly and the Wall, Andrew Bird, Peter Bjorn & John The Frames, Gogol Bordello, Comedians of Comedy, Justice, MSTRKRFT, We Are Scientists, Yeva, Grizzly Bear, Amy Winehouse, Avett Brothers, Circa Survive, The Coup, The CribsCSS, Digitalism, Erol Alkan, Evil Nine, Girl Talk, Klaxons, Noisettes, Spank Rock, Tapes ‘n Tapes, The Fields, Tokyo Police Club, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, DJ Heather, The Feeling, Fratellis, Mike Relm, Silversun Pickups, Busdriver, Brother Ali, Nightwatchman (Tom Morello), Bojones, Mika, Pop Levi, Anathallo, Fair to Midland (Thanks Prefix)

Edit #1 - Pitchfork reports Jesus and Mary Chain are playing!

That is not even every act. More surprises to come.

Q-Tip Readying New Album

2007-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

Spotted on Billboard:

The respected MC from A Tribe Called Quest is working on a spring release titled The Renaissance. The always smooth MC hopes to steer hip-hop into a new direction by putting together what sounds like a band.

"I wanted a hip-hop sonic feel, something pure to the sound of hip-hop with real drums, real emotion and people taking solos," he told Billboard. "In that sense this record feels like we're moving in a new direction ... something hip-hop should do."

Q wants the album to be mostly guest free stating that "Sometimes guests don't really warrant an appearance." But he has put together a dangerously awesome trio to work with -- D'Angelo, Andre 3000, and Common (Could anybody post a current pic of D'Angelo for us).

Arista decided not to release the 2001 album Kamaal The Abstract, but Q-Tip owns the album and is going to officialy release it. Bonus tracks will be included for those folk who have the leaked copy from years back.

Q also spoke on the tour he did with A Tribe Called Quest last fall saying it felt good but doesn't think it is likely the group will reform for new material.

Hillary Is A Go

2007-01-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

She has announced that "I'm in and I'm in to win." The Democrats are touching all cultural and sexual bases -- Obama (Black), Hillary (Women), Richardson (Hispanic), and Edwards (Old-fashioned canidate - white, business haircut).

This looks better than '04's choices. The Democrats just had to pick anybody but Bush and they were basically a shoe in.

Interview: Isis of Thunderheist

2007-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

I interviewed Isis who is the MC of the hip-hop duo Thunderheist. Thunderheist has been creating a buzz around the underground scene.

We talk about her solo career, the real problem with hip-hop at the moment, and when we will see the first full length album by Thunderheist.

Listen to the interview

We are working on subscribing our interviews and podcasts to iTunes.

Thunderheist's web site // Isis' Myspace

Chicago Gamer 004

2007-01-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

Funny how fast you get to know somebody by just having a conversation with them. Take a couple days ago I met a fellow gamer in my History of Animation class. I figured he was a fan by the way he dressed: baggy, shaggy, and sleepy. We both had a mutual friend in the class so we kind of became friends by default that we both wanted to talk to her. After plenty of conversations where we really were not actually having conversations we decided to get some dinner after class.

Steve, with his black thick as peanut butter hair, and I enter the DePaul Student Center to get the quickest bite to eat ever. The only reason we decided to get to eat was 1) we were starving 2) we were hoping Lauren our friend would join us. She didn't so all we could do was one-line comments followed by two minute silences. Cold to a icicle I veered to chicken noodle soup. Bad decision...

But, Steve and I sat down. After some quick talks we got to the conversation of Final Fantasy. If man, girl, monkey, sea creature says they like Final Fantasy they have just made a friend. I figure that if you like FF that means you are laid-back, imaginitive, and lack most social skills. Just the friends I am hoping for.

Soon enough we were joined by some of his friends: a moping gent, a loud brash WoW addict, and his bored girlfriend whom got excited once we moved to Pokemon and Zelda. Spirited debates, laughter, and all over some nice greasy nachos. The awkard dinner became actually fun. Lauren missed out on the fun.

CHICAGO GAMER COMPLETE

Reasonable Doubt

2007-01-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

"Thriller" Fall Out Boy featuring Jay-Z [Via: Nah Right Lite]

Jay, cmon man.

DJ Donna Summer

2007-01-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Stack up on bottled water and get all of your best girl friends to come over NOW! Why? DJ Donna Summer aka Jason Forrest is giving away a free mashup album -- Bootybreaktranceclub-Core Mix (Note: the cover art with the link above doesn't have lettering on it. Cover the kid's eyes). Think Girl Talk but more electronic based. Booty is one long 60 min song. Most of the songs used are tracks from Japanese DJs in the trance-core scene but highly renowned acts such as Lynard Skynard and Outkast are also included.

My personal favorite moment is when 2 Live Crew hits the album at 11:44.

Ryan, this should be right up your alley.

Thanks to Prefix for finding it.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2007 Announced

2007-01-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

Indie cats Pitchfork Media have announced the dates and prices for the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival. Be prepared for aviators, critics standing still with their arms crossed, and a humid Chicago summer on July 14 and 15th.

Pitchfork still are the best when it comes to pricing. You can catch one day for $25 and both days for only $35.

Os Mutantes, Spoon, and Art Brut are a few acts who played at last year's festival. With the power that Pitchfork holds, you can expect more great artists. Of Montreal, Deerhoof, and Arcade Fire are all releasing records...

Tickets go on sale March 12 via Ticketweb.

*****************************************

Check out Musicsucks.net's interview with the Islands Alex Chow.

Chris Martin Will Be On Graduation; Brion Returning

2007-01-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Spotted on XXL:

Kanye West has stated that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin will be appearing on his third album, Graduation, due out later this year. Martin will contribute and appear on the song "Homecoming" which is strongly believed to be the first single for the album. West has not been afraid to step out of the hip-hop norm and recruit oddball guests such as Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

Mastermind Jon Brion, who produced many tracks on Late Registration, West's second album, is set to return for Graduation.

I Have a Soft Spot for Coldplay

2007-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Everybody has guilty pleasures. It's inevitable really. Some people like to tune the air guitar for The Corrs' "Summer Sunshine" and others like to close the door and act all emotional to some Goo Goo Dolls. It's ok -- you are human my friend.

Coldplay is my achilles heel.

Parachutes, the debut album from the English quartet, is a quick dose of melodic acoustic pieces. Chris Martin sets up the same format for almost every song -- tiptoing drums, a slow acoustic strum, a lazy bass, and usually Martin letting his fingers get some exercise on the piano. Man, that sounds boring to the highest degree, doesn't it? Luckily, the band triggers more uprising tunes just at the right moment. "Yellow" remains to be one of the best songs of the millenium to me. Nike commercial guitars and lyrics like "look at the stars, look how they shine for you," -- sounds like generic British music -- yet it has been on repeat. Weird.

A Rush of Blood to the Head, the second LP, had a high amount of pressure put upon it. Parachutes received a Mercury Music Prize nomination, and the general assumption was that Coldplay had the talent to go somewhere. Coldplay were also hearing rumors about a split. A Rush of Blood delivered. The music had a new energy. The music now seemed like it fitted an arena, instead of clubs. I spent a summer on the beach listening to this album over and over. I do wish "Clocks" wasn't in Peter Pan trailers and Kodak commercials though. It always seemed like when I heard the famous piano progression I'd hear an overvoice saying a catch line like "Let life treat you right." Cue the epic ending of "Clocks".

X&Y had even more hype to pull through than A Rush of Blood did. Chris Martin was in the position to make Coldplay the band on the top of the mountain. Maybe, just maybe, U2 would be knocked off the thrown which they had ruling only because of default. No one had really challenged them on a commercial level in a long time. The pattern continued with X&Y -- Coldplay made their sound bigger. Every song now had a keyboard/synthesizer in the backround to build an exaggerated atmosphere. X&Y is also the album in which Coldplay's influences are blended together the most -- U2 and Radiohead. Edge guitars are heard on almost every song. "Fix You" loaded more ammo in Coldplay's movie soundtrack arsenal. Specifically, the end of movies. You, Me, & Dupree didn't waste time with that idea. X&Y was Coldplay inflating their sound to the fullest.

Nothing hits the spot more for me than Coldplay. I know the rock-a-meter for me is not too high when two of the three discs in my stereo at the moment are Coldplay. Maybe John Mayer and Jason Mraz will enter soon. As my brother in-law says, "Joe, you have lost your man card." I'll tear it up to hear "In My Place" a few more times.

4 To the Floor

2007-01-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

This track is old news, and from ages ago (2003, I believe?), but this is key. This might just be the song that converts you over to the realm of funky-ass minimal techno/house/whatever.

Matthew Dear - Dog Days

Matthew Dear, and his various aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw) is one of my favorite electronic musicians around today. With a myriad of artists that are frustratingly indistinguishable from one another, Matthew Dear sticks out. Whether if he is layering over his affected vocals under his own name, or administering a full-on techno sleaze workout as Audion, his sound is always recognizable.

He has been gaining a lot of notoriety with his Audion moniker, whose "Mouth to Mouth" (Spectral) was one of the biggest club hits of 2006, being played by every (worthwhile) DJ imaginable. With good reason. His tracks are always just repetitive enough to make them wholly infectious without being grating. Unless you really dislike hard jacking body-moving beats. Which you might.

TRL Getting the Ax?

2007-01-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

MTV really wants to forget about the original purpose of the channel and continue down the Exposed road. New York Daily News reports that TRL could be coming to a close simply because no one watches it anymore. Nielsen media has the viewership for the music countdown show at a mere 393, 000 -- down from almost 600,000 in 2001.

What is Vanessa not good enough for you (I'm so glad we found a way to get a picture of her on the blog)? Damien has improved since he started a few years back.

An MTV rep did not comment.

In true spirit of TRL, here are some of our favorite moments.

I like how Liam tries to keep a straight face when he says it is about being real.

At 2:32 we have a head shaker and at 3:27 we have a tear dripper.

The Peacemaker

2007-01-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

AllHipHop
The Nation written in 2005

Sigur Ros Working On New Album

2007-01-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

The experimental Icelandic group posted on their web site that the band has begun to record the follow up to 2005's Takk. Bassist Georg Holm is not sure if the band is going to abandon or at least spin their lush anthemic sound they've used throughout their career.

"We have finished recording a few songs but some more things need to be done. We don’t know exactly where the album is heading yet. We are really just experimenting at this stage."

The band noted that they are also giving old songs that never saw the light of day a chance.

"Some of the songs we recorded are old songs which we had written a while ago, unreleased material which we never got a chance to finish. We decided it was time they were recorded.”

A target for release is not yet settled, but there is hope for a new Sigur Ros album in 2007.

Nas Looking To Drop Again In 2007

2007-01-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

Nas is in the zone. With a #1 release in his bag with Hip Hop Is Dead, the Queens born MC wants to release another album this year. This is out of shape for Nas, who customly waits at least two years excluding his 1999 release Nastradamus -- we all know how that worked out.

"New album is in the making right now," Nas said on the set of his new video for "Can't Forget About You." " '07, new Nas album, I can't wait. I'm not finished. I feel like something is starting right now. This is a momentum and a movement that's happening out here. I gotta make sure I stay the captain of this ship and push it forward. I'm here at Def Jam, I'm renaming it the Black Oasis. You bring Nas into any situation like the situation that's at Def Jam and you gonna get nothing but the top of the line."

Nas went on to elaborate more on Hip Hop Is Dead and the message behind it.

"Ah, man, going into the year the way I went into the year was real good," he said. "The irony of a title like Hip Hop Is Dead being #1, what is that? That's what it's all about. At the end of the day, it's real big. It feels like a good time. I'm excited, I'm loving the rap game, the potential that it has to grow. A lot of people thought that because I was hating the state of the rap game, I was hating rappers. I don't hate. It's just that there were a lot of rappers that were corny. There's always going to be corny rappers. They didn't understand the message. People were not getting it. It's a slow process, but it's all good. We're going to keep grinding, keep giving them more, showing them more. This is a record that's going to take time. We gonna push it on them for the whole year."

So is the next one going to be like More Fish -- the second part of an album? Hip Hop Is Saved? Hip Hop Is Resurrected?

It's All G.O.O.D.

2007-01-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

The G.O.O.D. music label, which was started by Kanye West, has closed its offices at Sony Music. But Kanyeezy says the label is far from done.

"It was said that because G.O.O.D. Music didn't have an office at Sony anymore, that there was no more G.O.O.D. Music," West said while on the set of Game's "Wouldn't Get Far" video. "We got GLC about to drop. Consequence is about to drop. John Legend is almost platinum. He beat the sophomore slump, we know his career is gonna last as long as he wants it to. Common's album is about to drop. The whole thing was never about marketing, it wasn't about clothing — it was about making good music. I feel we still deliver that. We come to do our job."

Kanye also briefly discussed his next album Graduation ,which is yet to have a release date.

"You remember, you didn't find out about the Nas joint until real late," he continued. "I waited till the last listening session a couple of weeks before the album came out. I played it in a room with 300 people and Nas' voice hit the track and it was like, 'Ah, man.' Another surprise might be there might not be anybody on it. There are a few rappers I really love and I would love to work with, but I'mma figure out what I'mma do for my album."