OS Member Fat Trel has become the first emcee brave enough to release a freestyle over Lil Wayne‘s “Wowzers” beat.

You may recall “Wowzers” from Weezy’s I Am Not A Human Being Part II, but what you didn’t know is that someone could ride it as well as Fat Trel has with this release. Wayne might have offered up a solid track with the original, but Trel goes in deep on these bars and really showcases hispotential for true greatness. He has found plenty of success reaching fans here on OurStage, so we’re not surprised to see him shine now. Click here to stream (and download) “Wowzers.”

Do you have new music and an account on OurStage? If so, let us know! Send an email to jshotwell@ourstage.com with your latest news, music, video, tour, etc. and we’ll try to get them featured here in the magazine.

Young Money mastermind Lil Wayne found again himself in the hospital yesterday with reports of yet another seizure.

TMZ broke the news – and for the record they are the same publication that not long ago reported that Lil Wayne was on his death bed – that the rapper was taken to L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Hospital late Tuesday night after suffering a single seizure. Doctors examined Wayne, but ultimately released him early Wednesday morning. The rapper later tweeted, “I’m fine. Thank u.”

Wayne suffered a series of seizures in mid-March, but has since been presumed to be in better health. It has long been believed that Wayne’s addiction to codeine syrup is one of the causes of his seizures, but whether or not that was a factor in this situation cannot be confirmed.

The return of 98 Degrees continues to roll out this morning with the release of a new ballad entitled “Lonely.”

Taken from the group’s forthcoming comeback release, “Lonely” is a piano and hand claps-led ballad about that titular ugly feeling. It doesn’t exactly pack the kind of emotional punch or infectious hook radio fans will want to hear on repeat, but it is a strong song nonetheless. You can stream the song on MTV.

98 Degrees new album, 2.0, will hit stores May 7.

Paramore are still grinding away at the promotional efforts for their recently released self-titled album. Between radio appearances, in-stores, meet-and-greets, and touring, the group barely has a moment to themselves these days. That’s okay, of course, because sometimes you have to sacrifice privacy when you have the number one album in the country. A price, yes, but a relatively small one in the big picture of life.

Recently, Paramore debuted a cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Landslide” while performing acoustically as part of a radio appearance. The station thought to capture the set on camera, and now we can all enjoy footage from the performance, courtesy of YouTube. You can view the cover, as well as a performing of “In The Morning,” below. Continue reading ‘Paramore Cover Fleetwood Mac Acoustic’

The creative process is subjective. No two artists think or create the same way, and it’s in the various methods we all use to develop new ideas that our individuals styles begin to take shape. Drake has rarely let people into those moments of brilliance, but a new video online this morning gives us a glimpse into his studio life in 2013.

A new studio update from Drake has been released featuring the creation of his recent Internet release, “Girls Love Beyonce.” Drake works with friends on lines, finds inspiration in vaporizers, and ultimately lays some bars in the booth. He does not say whether the song will make it onto his new album, but we can only hope. You can view the video below. Continue reading ‘Drake Posts “Girls Love Beyonce” Studio Video’

Warm up your hashtag trigger finger, because this week Free Ticket Friday is back. Win free tickets to any US-based show you want (as long as we can get them – see official rules), just by tweeting at OurStage or interacting with us on Facebook. Yeah, we can’t believe it’s that easy either. Here’s what you have to do:

TWITTER ENTRY:

1. Follow @OurStage on Twitter.

2. Retweet the #FreeTicketFriday tweet (posted at 1PM on Fridays).

FACEBOOK ENTRY

We’re also giving you the opportunity to win over Facebook:

1. Make sure to “like” the OurStage page.

2. Interact with our Facebook contest post (Like, Share, or Comment)

Once you interact with the contest links you’ll be automatically entered to win a pair of tickets to the US-based concert of your choosing. Past winners have already snagged tickets to see Green Day, Maroon 5, The Killers at Madison Square Garden, and Jay-Z at one of his historic first shows at the Barclays Center. If you’re on Twitter or Facebook all the time anyway, why not win some free tickets while you’re at it?

Click here for the official rules.

Every great artist needs a subject for their art, and in the case of Henry Hargreaves the subject happens to be food. Not just any food, mind you, but the food of rock stars and other musicians over the last few decades. You see, Hargreaves has been building a collection of imagery based on the rider requests of these musicians over the years. Check out all the photos here and a write-up by the artist, via Vice, below.

Continue reading ‘Photographer Captures What Famous Musicians Eat Backstage’

Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly, one half of popular early ’90s group Kriss Kross, has passed away. He was 34.

Kelly was found unresponsive at his Atlanta-area home, and later died at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday, May 1. No cause of death has been revealed at this time, but from what we can gather there does not appear to be any hint of foul play.

The mother of the deceased and the So So Def family issued this statement on Thusrday morning:

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1. To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris – the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party. Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him.”

Kriss Kross had a few hits, but none were as big as “Jump.” Click below to enjoy that classic one more time. Continue reading ‘Kris Kross’ Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly Dies at 34′

Dido has released a new music video for her latest single, “End Of Night.”

Set against thick, repetitive synth lines and old school drum samples, “End Of Night” is an atmospheric journey into an emotional night. Dido’s angelic voice pierces the instrumentation to pull on your heart strings, and it’s that same level of soulful emotion that is conveyed through the official video. You can view the clip below.

Dido’s new album, Girl Who Got Away, is available now wherever music is sold. Continue reading ‘Dido Releases “End Of Night” Video’

OS Member Never Shout Never has had a career unlike any other. Starting as a solo project by frontman Christofer Drew, NSN went from Internet obscurity, to major label deal, to independent artist with a label to call his own in less time than it takes many to finish college. Now, the group is prepping to release their second full length independent album, and this morning we learned the title.

According to a tweet sent by Drew recently, the new Never Shout Never album will be titled Sunflower. It will be the first NSN release to hit shelves since November 2012′s Indigo, as well as the first album since Drew famously went sober earlier this year. No material has surfaced at this time, but we expect to hear new music soon.