Before you settle back into your La-Z-Boy this Sunday to watch the big game, let’s take a moment to recap some of the best and worst music-related Super Bowl commercials ever to grace your TV screen. Let’s just hope that The Flaming Lips don’t embarrass themselves in their much-hyped Hyundai ad this year.

THE GOOD

Who better to talk about the gritty determination that defines Detroit than the poster bad boy of the Motor City, Eminem? This brooding car ad actually instilled a spot of Motown pride amid the general goofiness that usually defines Super Bowl commercials. Good job, Rabbit. Continue reading ‘The 5 Best and Worst Music-Related Super Bowl Commercials Of All Time’

The internet was buzzing yesterday with talk of an altercation between Chris Brown and Frank Ocean at a Los Angeles area recording studio. Apparently, the two vocalists and their friends got into a scuffle over a parking space that eventually lead to punches being thrown. Now that statements have been taken from the majority of people (Chris Brown fled the scene and did not speak with police right away), it seems most signs point to Chris Brown having actually started the incident.

According to TMZ, the accounts being given to police claim that Brown threw the first punch after Ocean refused to shake his hand. This lead to the eventual scuffle between groups, but police say neither singer was involved in the larger incident.

Given the nature of the attack, Ocean may be pressing charges against Brown, which could create a very interesting situation given Brown’s current probation. Reuters quotes Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore as saying that Ocean “is desirous of prosecution in this incident,” so it seems such action is imminent.

Chris Brown still has yet to publicly comment on the altercation, but he did post a painting of Jesus Christ on the cross to his Instagram yesterday with the message “Painting the way I feel today. Focus on what matters!” Continue reading ‘Frank Ocean May Press Charges Against Chris Brown; More Fight Details Emerge’

Hip-hop is no stranger to violence, whether it’s in boastful lyrics, videos, or the actual past lives of emcees who’ve escaped the streets and struggles of the inner city. Sometimes, though, it gets too real. Cut to Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where Rick Ross barely escaped a barrage of bullets in an apparent drive-by shooting on the morning of his 37 birthday. Ross and girlfriend Shateria L. Moragne-el were reportedly on their way to a birthday breakfast when a gunman from another car opened fire on Ross’ 2011 Rolls-Royce. Ross sped away, only to quickly crash into a nearby apartment building. Though the bullets pierced the window of a nearby diner, neither Ross, nor his girlfriend, nor any of the diner patrons were injured. The night before, Ross has been celebrating his birthday with P. Diddy at the LIV nightclub in Miami. Continue reading ‘Rick Ross Targeted In Attempted Miami Shooting’

With an album on the way for release later this year, Pusha-T has given us all something to hold us over until then. He has released an 11-track mixtape titled Wrath of Caine, which features contributions and support by Rick Ross, Wale, and French Montana. The mixtape also features production from Young Chop, The Neptunes, and Kanye West. Check out the entire mixtape here!

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OurStage artist Yonas has just released the official video for his new single “Clockwork” off of his upcoming EP The Black Canvas, which drops on February 4. “The black sheep in life is the person that stands out amongst the crowd,” Yonas describes. “The black canvas is the art that stands out amongst the industry.” Check out the video below.

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If you read or watched our exclusive interview with Red Cafe earlier this week you’ll remember him discussing how much he believes in the material on his American Psycho mixtape. One of the highlights of that release, “Fully Loaded,” was finally given the video treatment last night and this morning you can view the official clip right here on the OS magazine! The song features Cafe and guest vocalist Trey Songz talking about their love of ladies them deem to be ‘fully loaded.’ I’d go ahead and describe what that means, but I think it will be more enjoyable if you just watch the video below.

American Psycho is available now. Click here to download a copy today!

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Bad Boy’s Red Cafe has been one of hip-hop’s best kept secrets for the better part of a decade. 2013 will see the release of his label debut, but for now the emcee has offered a new American Psycho mixtape to maintain the hype generated from recent appearances on tracks from the likes of French Montana until the official release. Click here to stream and download American Psycho.

Recently, OurStage had the opportunity to speak with Red Cafe about American Psycho, the people the who helped create it, and the advice he has for young talent trying to make it in music. You can view a video interview and/or read his responses below. Continue reading ‘Exclusive Q&A: Red Cafe’

Taking a moment to reflect, it’s a little hard to imagine that a decade has come and gone since 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ exploded onto the hip hop scene. That releases would go on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide and launch 50 Cent into superstardom, but with every great triumph comes and even greater need to do better next time around. 50 kept rapping throughout the 2000s, but he never found the same level of success that he did with his debut. This of course lead some to say he fell off, but after the clip you’re about to see I think it’s evident nothing could be further from the truth.

Marking the first single and video to surface from his forthcoming 2013 full length release, “Major Distribution” was unleashed earlier today to instant praise from fans and critics alike. The track features assistance from heavyhitters Young Jeezy and Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion, if you’re weird), but the true star of the show remains 50 with each listen. His charisma feels new again, and it’s unlikely any other single would have had a similar impact. You can experience the song below: Continue reading ’50 Cent Releases “Major Distribution” Video Featuring Snoop Dogg and Young Jeezy’

Lupe Fiasco has strongly voiced his political opinions regarding President Barack Obama in the past, but this past Sunday, during a concert set up by StartUp RockOn celebrating the President’s inauguration, he may have gone too far. After playing a wandering half-hour version of his anti-war track “Words I Never Said,” which included vocal statements about his lack of support for the President and violent drone strikes in the Middle East, Fiasco was escorted offstage. Hypervocal, the company that co-founded StartUp RockOn, offered a statement claiming that they are “staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act.” Of course, it seems unlikely that the voicing of Fiasco’s political views was not a factor in the organizer’s decision to remove him from the stage.

If you dig Lupe Fiasco, check our OurStage artist ADRIAN.

You can see footage of the “fiasco” below.

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Hello, hip hop heads! Welcome once again to another installment of Mixtapes Mondays. The new year is now three weeks old, so this time around we decided to highlight three new releases that are guaranteed to make your work week pass by a bit quicker.

After spending so much time listening to, discussing, and reviewing Ace Hood last week it felt good to be buried in new releases this week. Of the dozen-plus new albums that had bloggers buzzing, I found three that stood out as something truly special. One comes from a recently freed man, another from an OS artist you’ll soon be seeing everywhere, and the third the type of release only a legend could create. If you are an aspiring urban artist, submit your OS profile and most recent mixtape to jshotwell@ourstage.com with the subject “Mixtape Mondays.” Continue reading ‘MIXTAPE MONDAYS: Gunplay, 38 Hott, Master P’