Tag: Things That Are Free! (1-10 of 29)

Jul 12 2012 01:06 PM ET
Jul 5 2012 11:25 AM ET

Tina Fey makes her rap debut on Childish Gambino's new mixtape 'Royalty'

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Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

How did you spend your Independence Day? Community star Donald Glover performed in London (TURNCOAT!) to celebrate the release of his brand new, absolutely free mixtape Royalty. Go ahead and download it here.

Royalty follows up Gambino’s 2011 label debut Camp, an incredibly accomplished compilation that ranked as one of the best releases of last year. Save for a few moments, the only voice heard on Camp was Gambino’s, but Royalty flips the script by inviting along seemingly everybody the rapper/comedian has ever met. The guest list includes Wu-Tang Clan icons RZA and Ghostface Killah (appropriate considering Gambino got his nom-de-hip-hop from the Wu-Tang Name Generator), a handful of fellow underground sensations (Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul), and even Beck, who raps as though he never stopped.

The re-emergence of Beck on the mixtape (he also produces two tracks) would be a pretty big headline were it not for the debut of a woman new to the rap game: 30 Rock creator and former Glover employer Tina Fey, who drops in on the album-closing track “Real Estate” and is in fact the last voice heard on Royalty. Give it a spin below (and skip forward to the 4:50 mark if you want to get right to Fey’s contribution).

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Jun 11 2012 03:23 PM ET

Will Smith revives 'Summertime' on DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie's new mixtape

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Image Credit: Pixplanete/PR Photos

The quest to find the official song of the summer comes around again every year, and every year there are plenty of noble candidates. But every one of them still has to go toe-to-toe with one of the most indisputable summer jams of all time: DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Summertime.”

In fact, before we move on, let’s go ahead and bask in its greatness, shall we? Pour the lemonade and watch the video below.

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Jul 18 2011 11:34 AM ET

Kanye West makes surprise cameo with Q-Tip at hip-hop festival in Brooklyn: Watch the video here

When New York rhymer Q-Tip and his A Tribe Called Quest dropped their classic hip-hop set Midnight Marauders in 1993, Kanye West–an avid fan of the trio–was 19.

So you can imagine the joy he felt last Saturday when his teen idol brought him, now a full-on star himself, up on stage as a surprise guest at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival to perform Marauders‘ standout single “Award Tour.”

A Chicago native, West looked right at home on the outdoor NY stage. In his retro chic tank top and snapback cap, Kanye didn’t just rock with Tip, but also hopped off the stage and into the crowd to perform the title track from his last album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Check out the clips after the jump.

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Jul 15 2011 01:18 PM ET

Chris Brown's 'Today' performance draws biggest crowd of all Summer Concert Series' concerts: Watch it here

Al Roker tried to take a quick head count, but there were just too many fans out at New York City’s Rockefeller Center this morning for Chris Brown to track.

Roker and fellow Today show anchor Matt Lauer estimated that 18-20,000 folks made their way to the show’s midtown NY stage to see the young star, besting any other performer’s audience attendance for their Summer Concert Series (including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Bruno Mars). Today screamed the news on Twitter, writing “The crowd for Chris Brown concert is now the biggest @todayshow crowd ever!”

The love Brown got was so great that authorities were forced to shut down an additional two blocks to accommodate those who wanted to catch a glimpse of his set, which included “Yeah 3X,” his 2008 smash “Forever,” and his latest single “She Ain’t You.”

Considering the negative press (much of it earned) that Brown’s received in the last two years, some may be surprised that he’s such a draw. Guess that goes to show what real fans and a truly solid album can accomplish. Check out his go at “Forever” after the jump.

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Mar 22 2011 11:09 AM ET

Britney Spears' 'Femme Fatale' officially streaming online: Read our review here

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Britney Spears’ extensively leaked seventh studio album isn’t due until March 29, but fans can cherchez la Femme right now on AOL, where it’s currently streaming in full (click here to listen.)

For Adam Markovitz’s complete review of the record, including his picks for its best tracks, see our issue on stands this Friday. But just like Brit, we love a tease—so find a partial version of his take below: READ FULL STORY »

Dec 28 2010 02:53 PM ET

Alicia Keys and husband Swizz Beatz release 'Speechless,' dedicated to their new son

Speechelss-Alicia-KeysImage Credit: http://www.MonsterMondays.comContrary to the song’s title, Alicia Keys has plenty of words to describe the joy her first son, Egypt, has given her since he arrived last October. She does just that in “Speechless,” a new release in producer and husband Swizz Beatz’s weekly Monster Mondays web offerings. “There ain’t no medal prize [that] can compare to you,” she beams on the track. The production samples Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress” from his recent My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which samples from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “Will You Still Love Me.”

As sweet as its lyrics are, the track is a bit bland. Alicia’s piano work over the sample does little to separate it from the original, nor does the added drum pattern. And rapstress Eve doesn’t do much to help either, delivering a ho-hum verse about generally falling in love. Keys made sure to tell her fans that this is not an official single or and doesn’t reflect the work direction of her forthcoming album. “‘Speechless’ is a little freestyle treat 4 the holidays,” she tweeted. “It’s not a new album, not a single. It’s something special 4 U!”

Have you heard the track yet? What do you think of it? Let us know.

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

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 27 2010 06:13 PM ET

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Have we heard it all already?

Kanye-WestImage Credit: George Napolitano/FilmMagic.comEarlier this week, Kanye West‘s forthcoming fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, became available for iTunes presale. Along with that came the unveiling of the album’s track listing. Officially released singles like the defiant “Power” and self deprecating “Runaway” are there. And several songs released through West’s free weekly G.O.O.D. Friday series like the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Monster” and “So Apalled,” which features Jay-Z, also made the cut. Not to mention “Devil in a New Dress” and “See Me Now” with Beyoncé–which he dropped rough versions of this summer. And then on Saturday in his culture-clashing short movie, Runaway, Kanye debuted huge chunks of “Dark Fantasy,” “Gorgeous,” “All of the Lights,” “Hell of a Life,” “Blame Game,” and “Lost in the World.” Add all of those up and that’s the entire album.

Bummed out there won’t be any “new” tracks or surprises when you unwrap the packaging come November 22? You shouldn’t be. For one thing, Kanye’s only given us two whole finished tracks that we can probably expect to remain as they are on the album: “Power” and “Runaway.” The cuts featured on Runaway function more so as abbreviated songs to score the movie. We never even heard him rap on “Blame Game”–just John Legend’s crooning over keys. As for the G.O.O.D. Friday gems, Kanye laughed at the idea that those were finished when he leaked them in an interview with MTV after the movie’s premier. “Even though the track listing [is out],” he started, “People, they think that they’ve heard these songs. No, the have not heard these songs.”

And let’s not forget that Kanye is known for adding songs and creating new mixes of tracks at the 25th hour. When his debut album, The College Dropout, was almost entirely leaked by hackers early in 2004, he went back in the studio to best the bootleggers and thirsty bloggers, adding new instruments and drum patterns to it before it had to be submitted to his record label. And just as Graduation, his third album, was due in the summer of 2007 he cranked out “Flashing Lights.” So who’s to say that what we’ve heard is it?

As they do with all pre-ordered albums, iTunes warns on Kanye’s that “the pre-order contents listed here are subject to change without notice and the final product received may differ.” In this case, I expect exactly that.

Do you feel like Kanye spoiled the album for you? Or do expect a couple a new nuggets in your Fantasy meal? Let us know in the comments section.

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

More on the Music Mix:
Kid Rock on Steven Tyler’s ‘American Idol’ judgeship: ‘I think it’s the stupidest thing he’s ever done’
Sugarland leads this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart
Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’ on track for year’s biggest sales week
Kanye West and Jay-Z are making a full album together

Apr 14 2010 12:41 PM ET

Wiz Khalifa's 'Kush and Orange Juice' mixtape blows up

Wiz_KhalifaA year ago, Wiz Khalifa was in the process of parting ways with Warner Bros. Records. Today the Pittsburgh rapper has one of the most devoted grassroots fan bases going. His latest independent project, a free mixtape titled Kush and Orange Juice, hit the Web about an hour ago. Khalifa’s supporters immediately pushed the hashtag #kushandorangejuice to the No. 1 spot on Twitter’s trending topics list, and “Kush and Orange Juice mixtape” swiftly broke the top 10 of Google’s hot search trends. (UPDATE: Kush and Orange Juice download” is now No. 1 on that list.) Time for rap aficionados to start paying attention to this guy if they aren’t already.

So how is Kush and Orange Juice, anyway? Pretty solid! Wiz’s on-mic persona is all about having fun. When I saw him perform at a SXSW showcase last month, his permanent grin stood in sharp contrast to the somber ice grills sported by most of the other rappers on stage. As usual, then, he makes his life sound like one long party on this mixtape, recounting endless tales of pot smoke and pretty women. Not the deepest subject matter, but Khalifa’s easy charm, steady flow, and way with a sing-song hook make these tracks difficult to resist. He’s smart about turning his underdog status into a plus, too. “Know we belong on the top, but we ain’t tripping/’Cause we’ll get there in a minute,” he repeats on flute-laced standout “The Statement.” Is it any wonder so many fans want to come along with him?

Khalifa has posted several download links for Kush and Orange Juice to his Twitter account. Check one out and let us know if you’re among his growing legion of followers.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Wiz Khalifa: Deal or No Deal, his buzz is growing
Why is Sir Ian McKellen muttering about “sexual gladiators” on the new Scissor Sisters single?
Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy kicks off her ‘crazy’ country career: A Music Mix Q&A
Drake’s new “Over” video: Watch it
Justin Bieber’s performance on ‘SNL’: how did he do?

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