Tag: Hip-Hop/Rap (1-10 of 725)

May 23 2013 10:37 AM ET

Ciara tosses Nicki Minaj-featured 'I'm Out' into summer-jam sweepstakes: Hear it here!

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Remember Ciara? It’s cool if you don’t. Though she had a ridiculous opening run when she first came on, unleashing killer singles “Goodies” and “1,2 Step” in the back half of 2004. She’s run into diminishing returns since then, but her new single could be a game-changer.

“I’m Out” is the second single from her upcoming fifth album, Ciara, and it’s exactly the type of electro-kissed swaggering sass factory that makes for a great summer jam. (You know, the sort of songs Beyoncé used to make). And though Nicki Minaj can be poisonous on her guest spots, she puts in her best appearance in months on “I’m Out.” Considering how irresistible Ciara’s previous single “Body Party” has been, this could be the renaissance that she has been looking for since her debut.

Go ahead and give it a spin below. It’s huge, and it could only get bigger from here.  READ FULL STORY »

May 23 2013 09:53 AM ET

Charts: Vampire Weekend score second number one, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis stay atop Hot 100, Daft Punk headed for big debut

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Image Credit: Alex John Beck

If we’re in the midst of an indie rock recession, nobody told the dudes from Vampire Weekend.

The New York quartet just had their best sales week in history, as their third album Modern Vampires of the City moved about 134,000 copies in its opening week, easily netting them the top position on this week’s chart. It’s the second time the band has debuted in the catbird seat, as their second album Contra pulled off the same feat with 124,000 copies sold back in January 2010.

It was a big week for debuts, as the top three albums were all in their first week of release. Country icon George Strait’s 28th album Love Is Everything took the number two slot, while Demi Lovato’s Demi moved roughly 110,000 copies on her way to a number three debut.

Meanwhile, the Billboard Hot 100 has Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Can’t Hold Us” as its number one for the third straight week. But Macklemore should keep his eye on the rearview, as Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” continues to surge and could be at the top spot by next week. Still, “Can’t Hold Us” has proven to be surprisingly robust, and its association with the NBA playoffs can’t hurt. Could “Can’t Hold Us” hang on for an extended run to become the official song of summer 2013? It’s entirely possible. That thing’s got legs.

Perhaps the most notable new entry on the Hot 100 is Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” which represents the French duo’s first track in the Billboard top ten. “Get Lucky” is quickly becoming one of the chart’s most-streamed songs, and it has been rapidly picking up radio spins around the country. It’s Daft Punk’s best chart showing by leaps and bounds: Their previous peak was number 61 (both “One More Time” and “Around the World” hit that number).

It could be a big summer for Daft Punk, as “Get Lucky” continues to climb while the group’s new album Random Access Memories could sell as many as 300,000 copies, which would easily nail down the top position on the album chart.

Read More on EW.com:
Album Review: Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
Demi Lovato’s new album ‘Demi’ now streaming online — read EW’s review here
Album Review: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

May 20 2013 12:38 PM ET

Singer and producer Romanthony, best known for Daft Punk's 'One More Time,' has died

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Singer, DJ, and house music producer Anthony Moore, who went by the stage name Romanthony, passed away last week at his home in Austin at the age of 46. His family confirmed his passing today, and said the cause was kidney disease.

Though he released four albums of his own, Romanthony is best known as the voice behind Daft Punk’s “One More Time.” Though it was completed in 1998, the track wasn’t released as a single until 2000, and later appeared on Daft Punk’s 2001 album Discovery. (Moore also provided vocals for the album’s closing track, “Too Long.”)

Moore also operated his own label, Black Male Records, through which he released his albums and singles. His music was nominally all filed under the “house” genre, but it was hardly confined to it, also reaching into techno, funk, hip-hop, and beyond.

Listen to “One More Time” and Romanthony’s solo release “Make This Love Right (Tronic Dub)” below:

READ FULL STORY »

May 16 2013 11:41 AM ET

Kanye West pulls a Kanye West, goes on lengthy rant against paparazzi, SNL skits, and more at Adult Swim upfront

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Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Wishing you knew what’s on Kanye’s mind? You’re in luck!

During his one-hour performance at last night’s Adult Swim upfront presentation in New York’s Roseland Ballroom, the man who’ll be the musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live finale tore into a winding rant that included such gems as “I ain’t doing no mother—-ing SNL skits” and “I drop your baby and you sue me and sh–.”

The meat of his monologue, which Complex managed to grab videos of, had to do with West’s relationship with fame and the press. “I ain’t no motherf—-g celebrity,” he said in a plea to get the paparazzi off his back. “I ain’t running for office.”

Read on below for a fuller account of his rant (hat tip to Complex), as well as a grainy YouTube clip of the affair.

READ FULL STORY »

May 15 2013 12:07 PM ET

ODB, Eazy-E getting holograms for Rock the Bells tour fest

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Image Credit: Al Pereira/Getty Images

Get ready for a summer full of H.W.A: Holograms With Attitude.

The touring hip-hop festival Rock the Bells announced its 10th-annual lineup, and a cursory perusal indicates it’s in line with previous iterations, with a mix of exciting new players (Earl Sweatshirt, Black Hippy, Flatbush Zombies) and venerable veterans (Jurassic 5, Common, Rakim).

That’s until get to the bottom of the list, however, and see that this year’s Rock the Bells will include not one but two holograms — Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Eazy-E, to be specific. Way to bury the lede, Rock the Bells!

Billed as “special guests,” the resurrected late greats will offer up “original virtual performances,” whatever that means. ODB — also known as Big Baby Jesus and Dirt McGirt, among other names — will be hitting the stage with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan, who are in the festival’s lineup. He died of a drug overdose in 2004. Eazy-E, was originally a member of gangsta-rap pioneers N.W.A., but he’ll be joining his mentees Bone Thugs N Harmony. That group’s 1996 hit “The Crossroads” was written in honor of Eazy-E, who died of complications from AIDS in 1995.

So, where can you catch these rapping apparitions? Rock the Bells will be taking place at the following dates:

READ FULL STORY »

May 9 2013 12:36 PM ET

Snoop Lion really was a P.I.M.P.

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Image Credit: C Flanigan/Getty Images

There are a lot of things that we wouldn’t be surprised to learn about Snoop Lion, but after all these years, to learn that his rap about being a motherf—ing P.I.M.P. was really true is shocking. In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Mr. Lion admits that he was in fact a pimp in his heyday.

READ FULL STORY »

May 8 2013 07:42 PM ET

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis make Billboard history with 'Thrift Shop' and 'Can't Hold Us'

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Macklemore and Ryan Lewis made history on Wednesday when their single “Can’t Hold Us” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, following “Thrift Shop”‘s rise to the top in February. The Seattle-based rap collaborators are now the first duo to have their first two singles on the Hot 100.

Both tracks appeared on the rapper/producer duo’s album The Heist, which was released in August 2012.

Among all artists, not just duos, Macklemore and Lewis is the first act to see its first two singles reach No. 1 since Lady Gaga hit the scene with “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” in 2009.

Read more:
Macklemore rapper talks pizza parties, social change, video for ‘Thrift Shop’
Seven things to know about ‘Thrift Shop’ hitmakers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
‘Harlem Shake’ hits number one, ushers in new world of YouTube-fueled charts

May 6 2013 07:29 PM ET

Inaugural BottleRock brings Black Keys, Kings of Leon, and Anthony Jeselnik to Napa Valley

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Image Credit: Michael Kovac/WireImage

Music festivals continue to grow, and between now and the end of the summer, there is essentially a major one every single weekend. The expanded menu requires a lot more diversity, both in the types of acts booked on the main stages and the other attractions offered on the grounds. Gone are the days when you could just set up a PA and invite some dudes with guitars—now there have to be multiple hooks to convince people to make the journey to your field.

Enter BottleRock Napa Valley, a new festival that launches its inaugural entry this Wednesday, May 8, and runs through Sunday May 12. The music lineup is impressive, and will include sets from the Black Keys, Zac Brown Band, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kings of Leon, Flaming Lips, Jane’s Addiction, Train, the Shins, Alamabama Shakes, and dozens more.

Perhaps BottleRock’s biggest secret weapon, though, is its comedy lineup: READ FULL STORY »

May 2 2013 12:26 PM ET

Did Kanye West just announce that his new album is coming out next month? Signs point to yes

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Image Credit: Pieter-Jan Vanstockstraeten/Getty Images

Only Kanye West could tweet two words capable of shaking up everything we thought we knew about music, 2013, and life in general: “June Eighteen.”

That short missive is all that remains of ‘Ye’s once-boisterous Twitter feed. All of his prior tweets have been deleted, giving his cryptic message an extra-mysterious aura.

So what does it mean? Well, the obvious answer is that it could be the release date for his next album. West has been conspicuously absent from the spotlight while holing himself up in his studio in Paris all spring, fueling rumors that his follow-up to 2010′s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy might be imminent.

Just this week, Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg claimed that Island Def Jam recently had a listening session for the album at their New York offices. “Everyone at the label that listened to the album loved it,” said Rosenberg. “I’ve heard it’s dark, but it’s really good.”

Also fanning the flames is Daft Punk’s recent Rolling Stone interview, where the French robots confirmed that they’d reteamed with West in the studio. “It was very raw,” Thomas Bangalter said. “He was rapping — kind of screaming primally, actually.”

READ FULL STORY »

May 2 2013 09:21 AM ET

Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu slink through 'Q.U.E.E.N.' video: Watch it here!

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The sexy, slinky, impossibly funky grooves of Janelle Monae’s new Erykah Badu-assisted single “Q.U.E.E.N.” demanded a next-level video, and the forward-thinking Monae has certainly delivered.

Last night, Monae pulled back the curtain on her new clip, which takes place in an alternate future that casts Monae and her musical accomplices as exhibits in a living museum, imprisoned there because of some sort of unsavory undermining of authority (or maybe they just got freaked out by Badu’s hair).

The video was directed by Alan Ferguson, who previously directed the clip for Monae’s “Many Moons” and has also guided spots for Beyoncé, Katy Perry, and Fall Out Boy.

Check out the clip below, which stars Monae as herself and Badu as “Badoula Oblongata,” which is a fantastic alter ego. READ FULL STORY »

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