Not to sound like a "hater", but most of the rap music coming out this year is mediocre at best, and horrendously wack at worst. For a myriad of reasons, it seems as though the more commercialized hip-hop gets, the weaker the actual records are. As such, I was looking forward to the 3rd annual VH1 Hip-Hop Honors show, after being seriously impressed by last year's, and specifically Big Daddy Kane's insanely dope performance.

Hosted by Ice-T, this year's edition featured tributes to pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa, who still dresses like a crazy intergalactic warrior, the God Rakim, MC Lyte, Russell Simmons, the Beastie Boys, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Wu-Tang Clan.

The show's format is straightforward but effective -- short speach by somebody, video tribute/retrospective, performance by younger cats covering a classic, then the honoree rocking it live. The Beasties killed it early, with a dope medly that incorporated both "So Whatcha Want" and "The New Style." MC Lyte is still nasty on the mic, this time flanked by Lil Kim (in her first post-prison set), Da Brat, and Remy Ma, (with Yo-Yo introducing). Common introduced Rakim, who rocked it appropriately with Kid Capri on the wheels. Eazy's kid Lil Eazy did his thing with Young Jeezy as hypeman, while the Ruthless one's wife (who looked GOOD) watched on from the crowd - even DJ Yella was in the house. Cube did a few joints but unfortunately just his new stuff, while the Wu did a strong medley at the end but Ghostface was notably absent.

Really the only weak parts of the show was when the less skilled cats (I'm looking at you Diddy) got on the mic in attempt to pay homage by butchering old hits. Also, we didnt really need the charisma-less trio of Black Thought, Talib Kweli, and Styles P doing short routines all night long. Overall though it was a great night, a total love-fest for rap fans over 30.

Next year they should make it an hour longer (2 just seems kinda brief), get rid of the scrubs, and give some props to The D.O.C., Too Short, and DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse. Check out pictures and video clips at the official site here.

With its release only weeks away, the anticipation for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is reaching Snakes On A Plane proportions. This "commercial" for the movie's soundtrack--featuring fiery, dueling keytar solos--only heightens these fuzzy feelings.

Whether by wily marketing or life imitating art, UK soul songstress Amy Winehouse is doing a heckuva job promoting the first single off her forthcoming album. On the track, dubbed "Rehab," the aptly named Winehouse rejects suggestions that she needs rehab herself, but doesn't deny she's got a problem with the sauce. In a recent interview with the UK's Sun newspaper, Winehouse admitted to being a "nasty drunk" who has lost a lot of weight recently because "I drink a lot and sometimes forget to eat."

Winehouse also said that she'd recently punched a female fan in the face for making a snide comment. For the cynics out there who think it's simply promo pablum, this YouTube video of Winehouse's recent duet with TV show host Charlotte Curch of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" says it all: slurred words, random grunts, and glossy eyes.
Subject matter aside, the track is dope and features the New York-based horn section from the bands Antibalas and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. If the 23-year-old singer can avoid her demons, her forthcoming album could make her one to watch.

In keeping with the Stones Throw-related posts (see below), it should be noted that Otis Jackson Sr. -- father to both Madlib and Oh No -- has a brand new album out. The family patriarch was a soul singer back in the day, and recorded with the likes of David Axelrod and H.B. Barnum, among others. The Art of Love sounds kind of like a late-era Barry White effort, with plenty of twinking keys, wah-enriched guitar licks, and romantically-minded crooning. A lot mellower than the brash, synthesized sounds of "Today's R&B", it's more on the smooth jazz/quiet storm tip. The younger Jackson's also produce one track each. Check it out here.

This isn't just an excuse to post a sexy photo of the world's most famously beautiful woman (although the photo does speak for itself). According to Fox News, Johansson is currently in the studio working on a record consisting entirely of Tom Waits songs with the obvious title Scarlett Johansson sings Tom Waits and a possible release this Spring on Rhino Records.

Now, the world has no shortage of actress-turned-songstress records (everyone from Jennifer Love Hewitt to Beverly D'Angelo to Brittany Murphy has taken a stab), but the results are usually dubious at best. Is it wrong to be excited about this? What's next, Zooey Deschanel Sings Harry Nilsson?

A few MP3.com editors bum rushed backstage at the Adult Swim and Stones Throw party this past spring at SXSW. For many of us it was dream made in hip-hop heaven. Blunts, a variety of juices, Elijah Wood bumming cigarettes from us, and several deep convos with Mablib, Oh No and Dudley P. Several of our co-workers were pissed and jealous at our golden opportunity, but fortunately we can share the moment.

Check out this nine minute teaser from Stones Throw - and make sure your speakers are up!

EMI, Slayer's label in India, has pulled the metal band's album Christ Illusion from store shelves in reponse to protests  from India's small christian community over its cover art and track titles.

But aren't we lucky? Visitors to MP3.com can listen to Slayer's Christ Illusion  free, now, in full.  Bloodletting not required.

Everyone knows Andre, the "eccentric," "artsier" member of Atlanta mega-stars and crossover hip-hop trailblazers OutKast. While his partner in rhyme Big Boi indulges in the usual rap-related lifestyle -- rugged lyrics, in-home stripper pole, pitbull kennel -- Mr. 3000 is all about pushing the envelope. Whether that means recording all of his music seperately, doing suspect love jams, naming his kids after numbers, or dressing like Farnsworth Bentley. Easily one of the most popular acts on the planet, thanks largely to the runaway success of Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/A Love Below, the duo put up two major bricks recently with their throwback film and album Idlewild. The LP got beat first week out by Danity Kane, and has yet to go gold, while the movie was generally panned by critics and ignored by the masses.

It seems like this double disappointment has affected Andre's already fragile mindstate, as he has emerged with some pretty bugged-out statements to the press this week. Frankly, we started to get worried a few months ago when he announced that he was going to "rework" Miles Davis' landmark album Kind of Blue. Then, just yesterday, it was reported that the decidedly non-gangster rapper stays strapped 24/7, stating matter of factly "Of course I carry a gun. I don't advertise the fact, but I need to have a gun with me at all times. I don't see what's wrong with that. To me it makes sense. I would want my son to have a gun when he gets older. It's just something you've got to have if you want to live and be safe."

The next day, perhaps in an effort to downplay the uncharacteristic gun-talk, Esquire's "Best Dressed Man of 2004" comes out of left field with fashion praise for...Prince Charles? "My style icon is Prince Charles. I like the way he wears his suits, and he has great overcoats and good buttoning." Wow. In between target practice and royal polo games, keep an eye out for Andre getting animated; he's doing voicework for the upcoming Charlotte's Web flick, and is developing a new show for the Cartoon Network.

Columbus Day marks the explorer's "discovery" of America, but others have a different take on this annual government holiday. One of those contrarians was The Goats, the defunct Philly hip-hop group and one of the most slept-on political rap outfits of all time. Comprised of rappers OaTie Kato, Madd, Swayzack and a host of Philly instrumentalists, the Goats had a whirlwind run in the early 1990s, releasing two albums and playing live shows that were equals parts drunken hilarity and wicked beats. Much like the deceased comic Bill Hicks, much of the Goats' lyrical fodder remains eerily relevant today: President George Bush, censorship, the war in Iraq, civil liberties, the police state, and social conservatism. To mark Columbus Day, here's Swayzack's verse from "Tricks of the Shade":

"Learning the tricks of the shade, the trades of the trickiest
The stickiest motherf***ers in the history of hypocrites
Columbus destroyed more Indians than Hitler killed Jews
But on his birthday you get sales on shoes
And this is all old news but I'm afraid you can't find it
If ya snooze ya lose so I choose to rewind it
He offered guns for gold but behold the real scam
Using shady treaties trading trinkets for land
They shoulda scalped his a** before he even touched sand
Everything was grand until 1609
That's when the swiny swindlers started freezin' and starvin'
But who do they turn to when the times get hard and
I beg ya pardon punk but that sh**'s shady
You want relief from the chief after you raped his lady
But maybe your time's up 'cause here comes the Swayzack
After 500 f***in' years here's the payback."

Both OaTie and Madd have moved on to separate projects, working on Jimmy Luxury and Incognegro, respectively, while Swayzack is MIA. The pair has expressed an interest in reuniting, putting up a new Web site that features a missing persons report for Swayzack. If it ever happens, the establishment will likely catch wreck.

Here's a music video for the Goats' "Typical American":

From the cubicles of some twisted graphic-design nerds comes this brilliant piece of interweb goodness.


Warning: Somewhat NSFW due to cartoonish violence and Roxy Music album art.

Haters may complain about Jay-Z's money-minded messages and his business moves upstairs at Def Jam, but the fact remains that dude is one of the best emcees to ever do it. Many doubted the legitimacy of his "retirement" and have been waiting for him to bring it on an actual solo single, instead of just random remix verses, collabos with wifey, and the only good song on Memphis Bleek's last album. And now, the wait is over.

Teaming up with longtime associate Just Blaze, Jay goes to town on "Show Me What You Got," the official jump off single for Kingdom Come, which is arguably the most anticipated new album this year. Just gets his hands dirty, digging in the crates and mining some classic breaks that anybody who grew up in the golden era will surely recognize. Listen to the song here, and read the "making of" breakdown here.

Aging hip-hop heads take note:
Legendary Strong Island duo EPMD have buried the hatchet and are reuniting for a series of concerts this fall. Both Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith have been putting out new solo material, but struggling for sales. PMD is doing features on indie rap stuff and the E-Double has been pretty low-profile ever since that weird jumping/falling out of a third-story window incident a few years back. On October 14th, they will be performing at BB Kings in New York, their first show together in 8 years. They are also being saluted at VH-1's Hip-Hop Honors special, and will be embarking on a world tour.

Sure this video has made some laps around the blogosphere, but that in no way detracts from its awesomeness. What could be better than how to flip square Wendy's burgers from an anonymous 80s rapper? Maybe a shake machine lesson from Phoebe Cates.

With the gigantic success of franchises like X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman, it makes perfect sense that Hollywood is working on a bunch of new superhero flicks. It was recently announched that Robert Downey Jr. has been cast in the role of beloved metallic icon Iron Man, and of course his industrialist alter-ego Tony Stark. Both have battled with substance abuse issues, and both have bounced back from some pretty extreme lows. While it's good to see RDJ back on top, we feel like the powers that be may have overlooked an even more ideal candidate -- Ghostface Killah.


Arguably the most consistent and critically acclaimed member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghost has been calling himself Tony Stark for atleast a decade now, and in fact named his first album Iron Man. He already has his own action figure on the market, and his appreciation for elaborate metalwork is well established. I don't know who's calling the shots here, but at the very least somebody should holler at the man for a cameo, if not just have him perform the theme song and/or entire soundtrack.

David Hasselhoff is one of those pop culture head scratchers. Why is he so popular? He was not what made BayWatch so, well watchable. That honor goes to the list of female cast members such as Pamela Anderson, Krista Allen, Alicia Rickter. Yasmine Bleeth, Kelly Packard, and all the others. Actually there were plenty of oiled peaks and stuff for those so inclined, but again I am not convinced Hasselhoff headed up the sun-baked boy toy department either. In any event, we all know that Hasselhoff is huge in countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Why do our brethren from the Aryan motherland and beyond adore Hasselhoff so much? Yo no say, but check out this classic surrealist adventure starring our former Knight Rider.

Today is a sad day for Cassidy fans. The Philadelphia rapper was involved in a serious accident on Wednesday night (October 4) in New Jersey, leaving him in critical condition. It seems Cassidy was a passenger in an SUV heading to a recording studio in Yonkers, New York. The vehicle was struck by a gentle-ride U-Haul that apparently swerved into on-coming traffic. Cassidy sustained fractured skull, as well as numerous broken bones in the left side of his face.


For more information stay tuned to MP3.com News.

Audio: Stream Cassidy's "Anthem"

To the generation that grew up on 80s and 90s hip-hop, beatboxing shares space in the guilty pleasure department with singing in the shower: everyone does it, but most of us probably should never do so in public. Although it's popularity has stagnated over the years, technology has pushed beatboxing to new heights. Long gone are the days when beatboxing consisted of lip snaps and heavy breathing from the likes of Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and Buffy from the Fat Boys.
With plenty of help from technology, primarily live sampling software Abelton, Kid Beyond takes beatboxing where his moniker suggests. In an opening slot for DJ Krush in San Francisco last weekend, Beyond played a remarkable set.
Beyond built every song he played on the fly with his mouth, using Ableton and some effects pedals to loop different pieces of the song. Within 30 seconds into each track, he had a half-dozen loops going, over which he would sing a melody, rap, or simply "scratch."
And he took the fifth element of hip-hop well outside the genre's boundaries, playing a drum-and-bass cut, a techy house track, and even a cover of Portishead's "Wandering Star." Here's the evidence from Kid Beyond's San Francisco performance:

Aside from adopting a style fusion based on Rattle and Hum era U2 and Abbey Road Beatles, The Killers will be beaming into your home for three consecutive nights in attempt to remind you that they are in fact the universal buzz band. Actually I suppose they are above a buzz now - more of a shirtless roar. Anyway, the honorable Jimmy Kimmel has invited The Killers to perform on his program from Tuesday, October 3rd until Thursday the 5th. The group will perform some tracks from their latest release, Sam's Town, in addition to songs from their ridiculously successful debut. Oh, and rumor has it the great bearded ones will appear in a comedy segment with Kimmel himself. Oh joy of joys!

More info: MP3 News Breakers
Video: "When We Were Young" - The Killers

I have to thank Pitchfork for surfacing this video, although I am not sure I can thank them enough. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you filled a room with American Apparel women, and instructed them to make-out? I am willing to bet that you have. Well my friend your fantasties are now video reality. Check out this video for Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler." directed by Saam Farahmand.