Author: Simon Vozick-Levinson (91-100 of 821)

Nov 3 2010 04:57 PM ET

Kanye West responds to George W. Bush about Katrina controversy: 'I definitely can understand the way he feels'

Tags: , News

Kanye-West-BushImage Credit: Will Ragozzino/Getty Images; Janet Mayer/PR PhotosKanye West has responded to former president George W. Bush’s recent statement regarding his controversial post-Hurricane Katrina remarks. West’s surprising reply: Now that five years have gone by, he can sympathize more with the man he once said “doesn’t care about black people.”

Bush recently told Matt Lauer that hearing West say those words during a Hurricane Katrina benefit telethon was “a disgusting moment.” He recalled telling his wife at the time that West’s comments were in fact the single worst moment of his presidency. Today, an interviewer from a Houston radio station asked West for his thoughts on the matter.

“I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me, where I got accused of being a racist,” West replied, referring to the aftermath of his run-in with Taylor Swift last fall. “For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. With him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing, him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. For me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, I think we’re all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I’m more open, and the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went [through] — and now I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level.”

That’s an extremely gracious way of looking at things, to say the least. Listen to the radio clip after the jump (via Rap Radar), then let us know: What do you think of Kanye West’s new attitude toward Bush? READ FULL STORY »

Nov 2 2010 01:05 PM ET

Kim Kardashian is making an album

kim-kardashianImage Credit: George Pimentel/Getty ImagesKim Kardashian is famous for a number of reasons, but singing is not particularly one of them. Until now! People reports that the socialite reality star has been busy in the recording studio with The-Dream. According to a top-secret source quoted in the story, “They’re working on some fun music.”

The-Dream is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in contemporary R&B. And hey, who doesn’t like fun music? So I’m withholding all snark for now, at least until we get to hear what Kim K sounds like on record.

But how about you? Do you have any interest in hearing a Kardashian/Dream collab? Sound off in the comments.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com:
The-Dream brings love and lust to New York City
Kim Kardashian begins her gradual transformation into P. Diddy

Nov 2 2010 12:18 PM ET

Taylor Swift's amazing sales: Who else has sold a million in a week?

Taylor-Swift-million-in-a-weekWhat do Lil Wayne, the Backstreet Boys, and Garth Brooks have in common? They’ve all released albums that sold over one million copies domestically in their respective first weeks on shelves. If industry projections are accurate, Taylor Swift is about to join that elite group thanks to Speak Now‘s spectacular debut week.

The instant-million club is a strange place. The very first member was Garth Brooks, whose Live Garth set sold 1.08 million copies when it debuted back in 1998. At the time, no album had ever sold that many copies in its first sales frame. (The soundtrack for The Bodyguard had previously sold 1.06 million during one week in 1993, a few months after its release.) Swift’s victory this week brings things full circle in a couple of ways, then — not only is she the first country artist since Brooks to join the club, but she’s joining at a time when moving a million is similarly unheard of. In 1998 and 2010 alike, this is a rare accomplishment worth noting.

Things were different for a brief, wild period around the turn of the century. Brooks ushered in an era where pop stars routinely broke the million mark. It started in May 1999, when the Backstreet BoysMillenium sold 1.13 million in a week, but the following year was the really crazy one. In March 2000, *NSYNC shattered the previous record with an astounding 2.42 million-copy opening week for No Strings Attached. (*NSYNC’s record still holds today, by the way.) Britney Spears joined the club that May by selling 1.32 million copies of Oops!…I Did It Again. Eminem followed suit in June with 1.76 million copies of The Marshall Mathers LP, the first rap album in this category. Limp Bizkit became the club’s first (and last) hard-rock members that October, selling just over 1 million copies of Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water. In November, BSB lapped everyone else, scoring a second instant-million badge for Black & Blue (1.6 million). Finally, the Beatles rounded out the busy year by selling 1.26 million copies of their compilation 1 during Christmas week (again, somewhat after the week of release). READ FULL STORY »

Nov 1 2010 02:05 PM ET

MC Hammer disses Jay-Z: Watch the ridiculous video here

MC-Hammer-vs-jay-zImage Credit: Steve Snowden/Getty Images; Gustavo Caballero/Getty ImagesMC Hammer is so angry at Jay-Z that he’s accusing the younger rapper of consorting with Satan, complete with a totally absurd dis track and video clip.

The kerfluffle dates back to September, when Jay-Z referenced Hammer’s well-known financial history on Kanye West’s “So Appalled”: “Hammer went broke, so you know I’m more focused/I lost 30 mil’, so I spent another 30/’Cause unlike Hammer, 30 million can’t hurt me.” Hammer retaliated by talking tough on Twitter about Jay-Z’s alleged deal with the devil, a masterful use of the “random non sequitur” rhetorical tactic.

Now Hammer is continuing to push this nonsensical theory with a little tune called “Better Run Run.” It’s a terrible song, but the video is actually pretty hilarious — though it should be noted that we are definitely laughing at, not with, Hammer and his hurt feelings.

Check out the clip after the jump. Skip the first snoozy minute and a half to get to the part where a Yankee-cap-wearing guy who looks sorta vaguely like Jay-Z (not really) is pursued through the woods by another dude in a budget-store demon costume. Later, “Jay-Z” and Beelzebub hang in a recording studio. Oooooh, scary!

Is MC Hammer — excuse me, “King Hammer,” as he now laughably refers to himself — serious with this trash? Watch for yourself and decide. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 1 2010 10:49 AM ET

Eminem and Nicki Minaj team up for 'Roman's Revenge': Listen here!

eminem-minajImage Credit: John Shearer/EM/WireImage.com; Bob Charlotte/PR PhotosEminem‘s semi-reclusive reputation means that any time he guests on a younger artist’s track, it feels like a big moment, somewhere between a seal of approval and a passing of the torch. That goes double when the collab in question is with highly buzzy rookie Nicki Minaj. So when an Em-meets-Nicki track called “Roman’s Revenge” hit iTunes just in time for Halloween this weekend, hip-hop heads went nuts.

The track finds both rappers indulging their most foul-mouthed, antisocial alter egos. Nicki comes out roaring against an unnamed “has-been.” She also drops the C-word (in reference to herself) — whoa. After that caustic opener, Eminem gets his turn. Super-sexist threats of degrading violence are pretty played out for Em at this point, but he goes back to that well yet again. Yawn. Whether his slick, tricky flows compensate for the tired subject material is a question I leave up to you.

Next, Nicki returns to that same aging rival from her first verse: “Word, that b—- mad ’cause I took the spot?/Well, b—-, if you ain’t s—ing, then get off the pot.” She doesn’t name any names, but just about everyone is assuming she has Lil Kim in mind. Whoever it is she’s snapping at, her off-the-charts energy in this verse is exactly why her star has risen so dramatically this year.

Eminem tries to up the ante further with his second verse, going right for the gratuitous gay-bashing from line 1: “All you little f—–s can suck it.” Ugh. Really, Marshall? You did “shocking” and “taboo-breaking” so much more intelligently 10 years ago. This kind of phoned-in hatemongering, in character or out, is just boring. It also kinda undermines Minaj’s frequently stated appreciation for her gay fans.

Check out “Roman’s Revenge” after the jump (very NSFW language, obviously) and see what you think. Who “wins” this track, Nicki Minaj or Eminem? Does it make you more or less excited to buy her debut album, Pink Friday, on Nov. 22? READ FULL STORY »

Nov 1 2010 09:51 AM ET

Rihanna dodges cupcakes in 'X Factor' food fight: Watch here

Tags: , TV

Rihanna is one busy bee. Right after appearing on Saturday Night Live this weekend, she popped up on last night’s U.K. edition of The X Factor.

Her performance of current hit “Only Girl (In the World)” on X Factor bested the SNL version for a few reasons. Most important was the sound mix: SNL‘s was as perversely muddy as it is for most musical guests, while X Factor actually made it possible to hear the synth stabs that are this song’s reason for being.

Also, Rihanna got caught up in a food fight on X Factor. She was performing on some sort of banquet-table set; about halfway through the song, her backup dancers started hurling baked goods at one another. It was pretty entertaining. Watch the clip after the jump, where the chaos starts about halfway through.

Which “Only Girl” performance did you like better, SNL or X Factor? Let us know in comments. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 1 2010 09:30 AM ET

Matt and Kim exclusive: Hear their catchy tune 'AM/FM Sound' here!

matt-and-kimImage Credit: Matt HoyleLovable indie-rock duo Matt and Kim will return tomorrow with their third full-length album, Sidewalks. Back in April, singer Matt Johnson told me they’d been putting in “13-hour days, six days a week” in the studio. “We’ve been pretty stressed out, but I know we’re making something really special,” he added.

Now you can hear the fruits of their labor right here on the Music Mix. Sidewalks standout “AM/FM Sound” is a jaunty electro shuffle with a catchy “oh-hey-oh” hook. Hit the jump to stream the tune, which we predict you might want to do several times in a row. No word on whether the music video for this one will include any blurry nudity.

If you like what you hear, check out the “secret” MySpace show that Matt and Kim are playing tomorrow night. It’s in South Burlington, VT, but the whole thing will be live-streaming at MySpace Music starting at 9:30 P.M. Eastern this Tuesday.

What do you think of “AM/FM Sound”? Let us know in comments! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 29 2010 04:48 PM ET

Lil Wayne headed 'straight to the studio' after leaving prison, says label head

lil-wayne-babyImage Credit: Arnold Turner/WireImage.comLil Wayne is expected to finish his Rikers Island sentence next Thursday, Nov. 4. That very day, the rap megastar will likely make a bee-line for one of his favorite places on Earth: the recording studio.

“Me knowing Wayne, he’s going into the studio,” Cash Money label head Baby (a.k.a. Birdman) tells the Music Mix. “He hasn’t been able to rap for months. I think after seeing the family, popping a few bottles, it’s back to basics. Family first, that’s what we believe in, that’s what we’re loyal to. After that, I think the same day he comes home, he’s going to go straight to the studio.”

Wayne’s first priority when he enters the booth for the first time since March will be working on his long-promised project Tha Carter IV. Baby expects that album to arrive in the first quarter of 2011, though no release plans have been finalized.

Baby is also looking forward to working with Wayne on a sequel to Like Father, Like Son, the collaborative album that the mentor and protégé released in 2006. “We’re planning on putting that out Father’s Day weekend,” he says. So what should fans expect to hear next June? “Just me and Wayne being us, the father-son thing. [We're] bringing that Cash Money/Young Money sound, that traditional hard-body rap, the music that we do together — that gangsta s—, straight up.”

The next year is shaping up to be a busy one for the label. Along with Tha Carter IV and Like Father, Like Son 2, Baby anticipates new releases from Cash Money/Young Money artists including himself, Drake, Jay Sean, Bow Wow, DJ Khaled, Tyga, Lil Twist, and more. Drake’s sophomore full-length will likely drop next summer. “He’s in the lab right now,” says Baby. “You never know with Drizzy — [the album will be done] whenever he’s ready.”

(Follow The Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More on the Music Mix:
Lil Wayne sends fans a letter from solitary confinement
President Barack Obama listens to Miles Davis, the Rolling Stones, and Lil Wayne

Oct 27 2010 10:49 AM ET

Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' on track for year's biggest sales week

taylor-swiftImage Credit: Christie GoodwinTaylor Swift‘s Speak Now has been selling so fast since it hit shelves Monday that it’s now being projected to post the biggest one-week sales of any album this year. Industry tip sheet Hits Daily Double estimates that Speak Now will move between 800,000 and 900,000 copies by the end of this sales frame, possibly even more. If true, that would be absolutely huge. Swift would handily beat 2010′s current one-week champ, Eminem, whose Recovery sold 741,000 in June. Ditto for last year’s record-holder, Susan Boyle, who moved 701,000 in December 2009. If Hits‘ projection turns out to be conservative, Swift might even have a real shot at challenging Lil Wayne’s fabled million-album week from 2008.

Earlier this month, the Music Mix surveyed a few retail experts. The consensus then was that while Speak Now would undoubtedly be a very strong seller, it probably wouldn’t get anywhere near a million in week 1. That’s what the music industry’s uncertain fortunes have done: Even an act as obviously popular as Taylor Swift isn’t expected to put up the kind of Nielsen SoundScan numbers that were comparatively commonplace 10 years ago. If she does get within striking distance of Lil Wayne’s milli, Swift will have secured herself a place in a very elite class of 2010 pop star.

Bear in mind that Hits‘ projections, while usually pretty accurate, are just ballpark figures. We won’t know for sure if Speak Now is one for the record books until the official sales tally is released a week from today. Still, even having this kind of estimate floating around is a big win for Taylor Swift. What do you think of her chances? How many copies do you think Speak Now will sell in its first week when all’s said and done?

(Follow The Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More on the Music Mix:
Taylor Swift: Could Speak Now sell a million in a week?
Taylor Swift’s Speak Now: The 10 best lines from her new album
Eminem’s Recovery: How did this album get so huge?

Oct 26 2010 01:57 PM ET

Kanye West and Jay-Z are making a full album together

jay-z-kanye-westImage Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.comKanye West and Jay-Z‘s collaborative Watch the Throne project has grown into a full-length album. West originally announced this summer that he and his mentor were recording a five-song EP together. But in a new video interview with MTV, West revealed they have enough music for a longer release.

“We’re putting out a whole album now,” West said. “We did like five [songs] so far, and then a few of them kind of were out there, and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay!” He was presumably referring to tracks like “Monster” and “So Appalled,” which he has offered as free downloads. “But we’ve got some more, and we’re going to the south of France at the end of this month just to record our ideas.”

Thus far no specific release plans for the project have been announced. Think we’ll ever get to hear Watch the Throne? Speak up in the comments.

(Follow The Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Did Kanye West really have his teeth pulled out and replaced by gold and diamonds?
Kanye West says Taylor Swift, Ray Charles didn’t deserve Grammys
Kanye West and Jay-Z announce collab EP, drop all-star “Monster”

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