SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TEXAS AND NORTH CAROLINA - Just 48 hours ago, he had no weekend plans, but last night Jitta On The Track, the winner of the OurStage/Real Hip-Hop Network “Rise” Competition, played his first date on Drake’s “Club Paradise” Tour. While Twitter buzzes about his performance in Houston, Jitta took a minute to give us a shout from his tour bus. More soon:
As the wave of 90s nostalgia seems to be reaching an all time high, Rob Thomas and Co. return with North, their first LP since 2002′s More Than You Think You Are.
While the band has not been completely dormant over the past decade, this will mark their first full length studio effort after releasing the 2007 compilation Exile on Mainstream (a collection of previous hits featuring six new songs).
“The title refers to us finding our way,” guitarist Paul Doucette tells Rolling Stone. ”We went into this record with a lot of material. Many different songs that could have taken us in many different directions. It sort of overwhelmed us for a bit. But, at a certain point, we figured it out. We figured out where ‘North’ was.”
The album is due out September 4th, but fans can expect the first single in a few weeks.
IT’S OFFICIAL!! @MatchboxTwenty new album title is NORTH. comes out sept. 4th! first single SHE’S SO MEAN to come in the next couple weeks!
— Rob Thomas (@ThisIsRobThomas) May 17, 2012
Rapper, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social media kingpin 50 Cent recently weighed in on Obama’s backing of same sex marriages. In an interview with XXLMag, 50 Cent stated that he supported the President’s decision, saying, “I think everyone should be happy. You know, I think a fool is going to go against same sex marriage at this point.”
50 joins a growing list of rappers including T.I., Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj who have all condemned opposition to same sex lifestyles. “What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business,” Hova said in an interview with CNN. “[It] is no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”
The reaction to Obama’s comments would appear to follow a trend in hip-hop of more openness and anti-homophobia. Blog-hyped rapper Lil B made waves in April of 2011 with the announcement of his full length LP “I’m Gay (I’m Happy).” Up and comer A$AP Rocky also made his stance on homosexuality clear in a piece from Complex Magazine, saying, “I used to be fucking homophobic. That shit is ignorant. You will lose a lot of time and friendship being homophobic.” Rappers stating indifference to homosexuality is one thing. But hip-hop’s historically homophobic image makes recent comments from rappers like these all the more remarkable.
Watch the full clip of 50 Cent talking to XXLMag below.
Andy Samberg and his cronies at Lonely Island hit a milestone this week with 100 digital shorts for Saturday Night Live. To celebrate they created this montage of hilarity starring Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and a shirtless John Hamm with a sax. Enjoy.
Hot on the heels of President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage, Jay-Z came out in support of gay rights. In an interview with CNN, Hova called the President’s stance “the right thing to do as a human being.” Huzzah! Watch the interview below.
Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, died this week after a long battle with cancer. The GRAMMY-winning singer worked hard for the money, delivered lasting hits like “Last Dance,” “Love To Love You Baby,” and “MacArthur Park” throughout the ’70s and ’80s. She was sixty-three at the time of her death. R.I.P
Even in the midst of loss, people find a way to let a little light in. Let’s minimize the sadness of losing great artists like Donna Summer and Adam Yauch by watching this awesome recreation of “Sabotage” by some pint-sized Beastie fans.
So Rihanna unfollowed Chris Brown this week, and it may have something to do with these lyrics he contributed to a remix of Kanye West’s “Theraflu”: “Don’t fuck with my old bitch it’s like a bad fur / Every industry n**** had her / Trick or treat like a pumpkin just to smash her / Bitch is breaking codes, but I’m the password.” Russell Simmons came to RiRi’s defense in a blog post charmingly titled “Get Off Rihanna’s Dick!” Read it here.
Time doesn’t heal every wound, just ask Nancy Sinatra. This week the singer lashed out at stepmother Barbara Sinatra on the fourteenth anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s death, claiming she was barred from her father’s deathbed. Watch out Barb, sounds like those boots were made for kicking ass, too.
Photo: Darrow Montgomery
Chuck Brown, one of Washington DC’s most prominent musicians and a mainstay of the Go-go music scene, passed away on May 16th at the age of 75. Brown had been hospitalized since April for pneumonia.
Brown was credited as the “Godfather of Go-go,” a subgenre of funk and R&B that enjoyed popularity in Washington DC from the late 60s to the early 80s. While go-go music never found a large audience outside of the DC metropolitan area, Brown did experience chart success during his decades-long career. Brown and his group The Soul Searchers had their biggest hit in 1979 when their song “Bustin’ Loose” topped the R&B charts for four weeks. “Bustin’ Loose” was also notably sampled in Nelly’s smash hit “Hot in Herre” in 2002.
Brown came from extremely humble origins, working odd jobs at a young age. In his teens, Brown became caught up in a some criminal activities. Originally incarcerated for aggravated assault, Brown was eventually charged with murder after the man he attacked died in hospital care. While in prison, Brown reportedly traded a few cartons of cigarettes for his first guitar.
While popular success would prove fleeting for Brown and Go-go music at large, he continued to have a vital career. Brown scored his first GRAMMY award nomination in 2011 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals with Jill Scott and Marcus Miller for the song “Love.”
Listen to Chuck Brown’s “Bustin’ Loose” below.
TMZ reports that the Queen of Disco passed away this morning in after a long battle with cancer. She was in Florida at the time of her death.
Donna Summer, born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, defined the disco movement of the 1970s and 80s with hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls,” “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.”
Her infectious smile and effortless vocal delivery brought a sense of pure joy and happiness to the music industry that has been unrivaled since. Her pop craft combined with an inherent sense of rhythm and funk allowed Summer to reach a wide variety of audiences, with a style of dance music that was more accessible to the mainstream than anything to come before it. And it appears we’ve lost another star too soon, as Summer was reported to have been working on a new album at the time of her passing. So in the spirit of disco, one final dance for the Queen.
Niño Lobos
Not too long ago, Niño Lobos (translation: Wolf Boys) were just two guys, delivering tortillas by night and taking college courses by day. But then they decided to start a band. Now, like Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, they’ve become something fierce. The Boise band’s youthful blend of hip hop and electro pop claws into your brain with hooks upon hooks. “Hey Girl” has got a fat funk bass line, stabs of reverb guitars and some serious girl problems. “She got me like Stiffler in ‘American Pie’ / Scratch me up like Wolverine.” But it’s “Taking Over Stereos” that could be and should be a monster hit. Part dance rock, part hip hop, the track is a free-flowing, adrenaline-fueled blowout. Over a compressed, percolating beat the duo name-checks anyone from Cypress Hill and Jonah Hill to Lupe Fiasco, Mr. T, Gorillaz, Run-DMC and more. If Niño Lobos keep dropping tracks like this one, some of those dudes will be name-checking them.
YouTube and music have gone hand in hand for a while now, helping break new stars (Gotye), and giving music lovers one more place to stream poor quality versions of their favorite songs. But perhaps YouTube’s greatest contribution to the music industry all started with the Chinese Backstreet Boys and their hilarious rendition of “I Want It That Way,” the video that spawned a sensation.
Six and a half years later, YouTube is no longer just a teenager, but hilarious lip syncing videos can still win over the crowd. Another sports team has lip synced another top 40 gem and have become mini-superstars themselves.
We did a little round up of some of the best/funniest/most clever music-centric vids on the web, read on for the rest:
Continue reading ‘I Can Feel The Music In Memes: Songs As Internet Video Sensations’
The same week that North Carolina approved an amendment banning gay marriage and President Barack Obama came out in support of gay marriage, singer Tom Gabel from the punk band Against Me! made his own bold announcement: “he” will become a “she.” And, in a sign of support for Gabel’s transgender journey, media outlets ranging from Rolling Stone to Wikipedia, have already begun calling the singer “she.” So far be it from us to not follow suit. Gabel, who has suffered from gender dysphoria for years, will undergo hormone treatments and electrolysis. She will go by the name of Laura Jane Grace in her new life, and will remain married to her wife, Heather. Just try and stop ‘em, North Cackalack!
Are all your old No Doubt MP3s worn out from overuse? Fear not, a new album is on the way. This new webisode from No Doubt shows the band hard at work in the studio, recording their track “Push & Shove.” Check it out below, and curse Gwen Stefani for looking younger than ever.
Very sad news this week. Founding Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, better known as MCA, passed away from cancer this week at the age of forty-seven. Anyone alive during the ‘80s knows the influence Yauch and his bandmates Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond had on bringing hip hop to the mainstream through hits like “Sabotage” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” Yauch was also known for his humanitarian efforts as well as the films he produced through his company, Oscilloscope Laboratories. Musicians from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to fun. paid tribute to Yauch in concerts over the weekend. Check out Coldplay’s version of “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” below.
If we knew the cast of Taxi, we probably would be laughing at this. But, since we’re far too young and fresh-faced to ever have watched that show, all we can say is, “Keep your day job, Draper.”
![](http://blog.ourstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MIA-sort-son-WikiLeaks_image_article_paysage_new.jpg "MIA beck\")
The foolish folks at Beck’s Beer are letting M.I.A. design a new label for their brews. We all know how much the pop star loves sparking controversy. So what’ll it be? Photos of Sri Lankan atrocities? Her middle finger? At least we’ll be wearing beer goggles this time.
![](http://blog.ourstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kanye-west-runaway-400x300.jpg "kanye-west-i don\")
Hot on the heels of his new single, “I Don’t Like,” Kanye West has announced an expanded list of things he can’t abide. It includes: cargo shorts, “big ass” striped scarves and unruly sideburns. Read the entire list here, so you don’t risk offending Yeezy next time you’re out and about.
Moving at the speed of hype, 17-year-old Daytona Beach, FL native Kitty Pryde has been taking over the internet at a breakneck pace. Taking her name from a character from the X-Men comics, Pryde is the latest in a string of female MCs who have come to prominence in the past few months including Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea, and Kreayshawn. The “jail bait Hailey Williams of Rap,” Pryde has also drawn comparisons to hipster songbird Lana Del Rey; both seemingly came out of nowhere and have built buzz with the tumblr crowd thanks to a handful of woozy youtube videos.
Pryde’s output has been scant so far. That said, having a lone EP, The Lizzie McGuire Experience, and two singles to her name hasn’t gotten in the way of her rise in popularity. With write-ups in The Fader, Vice, Pretty Much Amazing, Idolator, and many more in the past two days alone, her ascent has been dizzyingly fast.
Watch the video for her latest single “Okay Cupid” and see what all the fuss is about.
