In a YouTube world chock full of parodies, both intentional
and not so much, Weird Al Yankovic is still the crownholder. The permed-out vet is back with Straight Outta Lynwood, a new album of parodies of songs by Green Day, Usher, and R. Kelly, but he saves his "best" work for Chamillionaire's smash hit "Ridin,'" flipping its "ridin' dirty" chorus into "White and Nerdy." The track includes amusing lines like, "I spend every weekend at the Renaissance Fair/Got my name on my underwear," and the video is Weird Al as his best: mildly funny lyrics over a familiar and catchy beat, mostly making fun of himself. Enjoy.

Rap books are a huge industry now, as hip-hop becomes even more mainstream/global every year. Generally, they tend to be a mixed bag. Some of them are super-informative and interesting, others are basically just extended press releases and puff pieces. This one looks pretty solid.

Jerry Heller was Eazy's business partner at Ruthless Records, the label that brought the world N.W.A, Bone Thugs, and many other crucial rap artists. He was also an old school music industry guy, who rolled with the likes of Bill Graham, Clive Davis, and all those cats, and helped bring people like Elton John and Pink Floyd to the states in the 1960s. Ruthless is his just-released memoirs, in which he speaks on his long history in the game and his close friendship with Eazy.

He's got a pretty shady reputation, with Dre, Cube, and others accusing him of financial mismanagement, but he's got a LOT of good stories. Check out this audio interview of him talking with noted Bay Area writer Davey D.

Lupe Fiasco's career has already been a internet-propelled rollercoaster ride, and his first album just dropped last week. For months now, rap blogger types and elitist music nerds off all stripes have been hyping this kid up to be "the next big thing." Essentially a Kanye-lite (what up Rhymefest), his lyrics are adamantly anti-gangsta and proudly middle-class. Instead of cocaine and Bentleys, he raps about cartoons and skateboards. He is quick to call himself a nerd, and seems to relish being the antithesis to the thugged-out trapstar image so prevalent in hip-hop today. He is also overtly positive, a practicing Muslim, and prone to rocking "golden era" style production. Nothing wrong with that.

Unfortunately, the same internet that helped make his career is also threatening to shut it down before it really starts. First the album got leaked. Twice. Then he got into an e-beef with resident rabble-rouser/shock-blogger Byron Crawford. And now, less than a week after Food & Liquor hit the stores, an old track emerges (from 2003) that paints a much different picture of the emcee. "Pop Pop" is basically full of everything he (and his fanbase) claims to be against, full of swift rhymes about dripping with jewels, busting shots with the Tek, and serving fiends, all set to some really anemic keyboard club beat.

It's all good (and pretty normal) to switch your style up a bit over the years, but going from a fake gangster to a fake nerd in the span of just three years is a bit disconcerting. Maybe this will bite into his album sales and maybe it won't, it's too early to say. It's just funny that cats are trying to play up their dorkiness to drum up hype - and it works. Then again, it's likely that his fans will just label any detractors as "haters" and go about their business, sort of like when Game's Change of Heart dump tape went public.

Audio: Stream Lupe's Food & Liquor
Audio: Stream Lupe's Touch the Sky Mixtape
Video: Watch "Kick, Push" and "I Gotcha"

What is happening in Rap these days? Why is everybody producing tracks about dances that are not actually dances (see "snapping"), and food related rhymes? Webstar has New York City drinking ladles full of "Chicken Noodle Soup", and now from out of nowhere comes the ultra low budget "Fried Chicken Song". And why the chicken theme – what’s up with that? Where’s the beef, or vegetables, or even quiche?

Anyway, check out Ms. Peachez as she fries up some buttermilk battered goodness.

FIRST 200 ABSOLUTE JANET JACKSON "FANATICS" WIN RESERVED SEATING TO A SPECIAL LIVE PERFORMANCE IN NYC ON 9/29!

 All are welcome, but only a few deserve the reserved seats  

To enter to win your reserved seat, please send an email no later than 6PM EST, Tuesday, September 26th to janetperformancetix@yahoo.com.

Your email should include:

-Your full name

-Your phone number

-Your date of birth (18 and older guys, sorry)

-You must type this out beneath your date of birth: "If I win this reserved seat to see the fabulous Janet Jackson perform and promote her new album 20 Y.O. (releasing on 9/26), I PROMISE that I can be in New York on 9/29 between 5:30 and 6:30 AM EST for the show. I also authorize Virgin Records to email me in the future for Janet Jackson related news only."

-And lastly, please provide us with the reason(s) why you should be in the list of the first 200 ABSOLUTE Janet Jackson fanatics with reserved seats.

This is your chance to share how much you love your girl Janet Jackson!

("Cuz I think she's cute" won't cut it guys!)

You will ONLY be notified if you won 1 of the 200 reserved seats. If you are chosen as a winner YOU MUST HAVE LEGAL ID FOR ADMISSION TO THE SHOW!

This contest is brought to you by Virgin Records

Janet Jackson on MP3.com

Tired of the corny rap thats been flooding the market recently? You know, lyrics that just repeat one lame phrase over and over, set to beats that sound remarkably like preset ringtones? I know I am. Thankfully not everybody is caught up in the lowest common denominator steez.

Despite naming themselves after a long dormant mediocre Canadian sketch comedy troupe, hip-hop duo Kidz in the Hall are one of the most promising new groups on the scene today. So new, they don't even have a page on MP3.com yet. They are part of the new Rawkus movement, and their debut album School Was My Hustle is pretty dope. Check them out here.

Active in hip-hop since the late 1980s, Bay Area super-rapper Motion Man is an emcee's emcee -- hyperlyrical, crazy charismatic, and largely slept on despite his abundant skills. Beloved in the underground, he has appeared on several classic Kool Keith albums, was one of the first guests on Sway & King Tech's Wake Up Show, recorded extensively with KutMasta Kurt, and even got busy on Linkin Park's platinum-selling remix album a few years ago. He is about to drop his second solo joint Pablito's Way, which is some of the best hip-hop we've heard all year. Motion goes off on the mic, Kurt's beats are banging, and the guest spots (Too Short, Gift of Gab, Mistah FAB, Q*bert, etc) are all on point.

New videos

Motion Man on MySpace

So, really this is the quote of the day. When asked about her usage of Christian symbolism and attaching herself with silver cuffs to a 20-foot-high mirrored disco crucifix Madonna stated "I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive today he would be doing the same thing."

Hmmmm. That is interesting. So if Christ were to fulfill his scriptural obligations he would return to Earth, release dance-floor friendly pop, and gouge his followers for hundreds of millions in ticket sales, and then comfortably affix himself to a reflective cross “to encourage mankind to help one another and to see the world as a unified whole.”

Well I am glad Madonna, the woman who once rolled around a stage proclaiming the joys of being a virgin in sexual role playing games, a woman who adopted drive-by teachings of the esoteric interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, knows what Jesus would do. Just kind of makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, no?


Video: check out Madonna videos here

Despite their long history, multiplatinum collabos, and Westside kingpin status, its been about five years since Dre and Snoop actually recorded together. The Doggfather's upcoming album Blue Carpet Treatment looks to change all that though, with the good Dr. producing several tracks and rhyming on atleast one, entitled "Imagine."

Snoop claims the new album will be more "hood" than his recent stuff (i.e. Pussycat Dolls singles and T-Mobile Sidekick commercials) and also features guest spots from Nate Dogg, Ice Cube, and Stevie Wonder.

Here's some gems from back in the day:

"Deep Cover"
"Nothin But a G Thang"
"Gin and Juice"

NBA center Shaquille O'Neal, whose Miami Heat won the NBA championship this past season, signed a deal today to allow users of BurnLounge--think Amway for digital music--to sell songs from his seven albums. That's right, the one-time Fu-Schnickens sidekick has seven hip-hop albums: 1993's seminal Shaq Diesel, 1994's Shaq-Fu: Da Return (guess who's back), 1996's You Can't Stop the Reign (seriously--don't even try it), 1998's Respect ('cause a 7'1", 340-pound man has a hard time commanding it), 2001's Shaquille O'Neal Presents his Superfriends (running out of boasts, better hook up some collabos), in addition to 1996's must-have The Best of Shaquille O'Neal (oxymoronic moniker gone wild).

Here's a taste of the lyrical skills of Shaq-Fu, from 1998's "Blaq Superman":

"Enter the mind of a rhyme extraordinaire
Opposition crumbles under the wear and tear
I'm slammin' emcees like Ric Flair
Chillin' in the city where it's sunny but the Mic I don't share
So if you step up like a stair it's guaranteed to get hectic
Cause my style is electric like the chair."

He's no Rakim, that's for sure. But given his NBA counterparts who've made ill-forsaken moves in the hip-hop game, including Ron Artest, Frenchman Tony Parker, Cedric Ceballos, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, and Shaq nemesis Kobe Bryant, among others, it could be a lot worse.

Before TV on the Radio appeared on Late Night with Lettermen, and began a quiet revolution to reclaim the right for music to be both popular and good, singer/guitarist Kyp Malone was making music in San Francisco (most famously in a group called Rocket Science...). Fortunately his ties to the SF music scene are strong, as is evident from one particular group that will be opening for the mighty TVOR at several California dates. The group is The Ohsees (formerly OCS), and is lead by SF mainstay John Dwyer.

Dwyer is a legend in his own right. He has fronted or played in a ridiculous number of bands, for example: Coachwhips, Dig That Body Up It’s Alive, Pink & Brown, Zeigenbock Kopf, Burmese, Yikes, Revenge SF, and many more.

We recommend catching the Ohsees at one of the TVOR shows listed here.

In the meantime check out this video from the album The Cool Death of Island Raiders.

According to the blogoshere and marketing teams, Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco is something akin to the second coming of Jay-Z, which should be interesting since Hova is in fact reanimating his career. Will there be some sort of pay-pre-view celestial battle for the hearts and minds of hip-hoppers throughout the universe? Will the fresh contender take down the mighty Beyoncé-dating Goliath? Can a song about the love of skateboarding from a potentially over-hyped newbie win out over raps about the hard knock life of a Def Jam CEO who wears flip-flops? Not that there is actually any tension between the two – I am just blowing smoke.

The truth is that Jay-Z has endorsed Lupe Fiasco for years. If you do not believe me check out Lupe’s bio at this site. And trust me; his PR team is bleeding the recommendation dry.

In any event, Lupe has been getting truck loads of buzz after releasing the widely popular tribute to skating, “Kick, Push.” The song is from the Lupe’s debut album, Food & Liquor, which is available for streaming here at MP3.com. Listen to it, kick it around, and let us know if it reminds you of Chi-town’s other Jay-Z endorsed producer turned rapper Kanye West.

Stream: Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
Video: Lupe Fiasco - I Gotcha

Man! I realize that sampling somebody's record without permission is "wrong" or "illegal" or what have you, but this is ridiculous. '70s one-hit wonders The Knack are suing '80s rap legends Run-D.M.C. for sampling "My Sharona" on "It's Tricky" --- in 1986!!!!

In addition to the Kings from Queens, these crybabies are also going after Arista Records, Rush Communications, Rick Rubin, iTunes, Napster, and Amazon, among others. They claim they've "suffered actual damages, including lost profits, lost opportunities, loss of goodwill, lost publicity, attorneys' fees and interest."

We all know that Willie Nelson smokes a little pot from time to time. Hell, I once spoke with Don Ho after one of his surreal performances in Honolulu, and the tiny bubble maker made several references to his hot-boxing marijuana with the country outlaw – at the White House no less.

In any event, Willie was busted yesterday by Saint Martin Parish, LA police after being pulled over. Apparently the police officer was treated to a classic Jeff Spicoli moment when the tour bus doors opened and a heavy fog rolled out. The nosey, or potentially jealous officer then searched Nelson’s tour bus discovering a pound and a half of premium green, and some magical mushrooms to boot -- sounds like 73 year old Willie has not slowed his roll one bit.

Fortunately Johnny Law went easy on Shotgun Willie by only citing him and some various band members with misdemeanor drug possession. Nelson and entourage were released while the fuzz made off with their stash.

It's a marketing consultant's worst nightmare: You coming up with a catchy name for a new product, the big-wigs give it the green light, put millions of dollars behind it and roll out the promotional blitz. Full steam ahead. And then you find out that the name is slang for the male genitalia. You know, Big Willy. Timmy and the Twins. One-eyed wonder weasel.

That's apparently the predicament that Microsoft finds itself in with Zune, its new MP3 player and companion music store. Turns out the word "zoune" is French-Canadian slang for the male member, while the variant "bizoune" refers to its female counterpart. A Microsoft spokesperson assured Canada's CanWest News Service that the words are very much slang and are not commonly used anymore. "Microsoft did do extensive customer research in Quebec," the spokesperson said, saying "Zune" wasn't at risk of becoming an embarrassing double entendre. "It's quite a stretch," she said.

Ahh, heck, it's just Canada, right? What are they gonna do?

Say what you will about Diddy--can't rap, can't sing, ushered in the bling-bling, and probably knows
who killed Biggie but won't say--the dude can promote like nobody's business. In a press release sent out today, the man who took to MySpace to announce that his girlfriend was expecting twins unveiled a marathon promotional tour in advance of the October 17 release of his new solo album, Press Play.

The tour doesn't include any concerts, but it will feature
several motivational speeches at urban high schools by the rap mogul and celebrity endorser of zit cream. It will also see Diddy receiving the Key to the City from several cities, a symbolic honor often reserved for those who have accomplished great feats, like a hometown hero returning after winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Other cities will recognize "Diddy Day" upon the rapper's visit. Diddy's cross-country trek kicks off next week in Philadelphia, a city that loves its egomaniacal celebrities and substance-free pomp. Oh, wait....

Press Play boasts a star-studded guest roaster, with Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, Big Boi, Timbaland, Brandy, Cee-Lo, Ciara, Keyshia Cole, Nas, and Twista making appearances, while Kanye West, Just Blaze, Pharrell Williams, Havoc from Mobb Deep, Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, and Rich Harrison produced it.

So I went on a lengthy road trip over the weekend, and my homie broke out "Paul's Boutique." Now Im an old fan from way back, and I copped the yellow cassette of this the day it came out, but I hadnt listened to it in full for many many years. Driving up highway 5 through Cali, this album still sounds as good if not better than it did back in 1989. Dudes might be on some Ralph Nader/Dalai Lama ish nowadays but listening to it reminded me of just how fresh they were way back when .

Heres some choice moments from the early years:

Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun
Random early footage

Conspiracy buffs that happen to be Beatles fans will finally have their day. This month Lions Gate will release a new documentary titled The U.S. vs. John Lennon. The film dives into John Lennon and his various political actions, happenings and anti-U.S. government opinions. And how his desire for a world propelled by peace rather than genocide and war profiteering may have ultimately caused his death.

Was Mark David Chapman a sleeper agent for the U.S. government? Did the powers that be fear the potential Lennon had to motivate people for radical change? The U.S. vs. John Lennon may not answers those questions, but it promises to illustrate the hatred our government harbored for a man that just wanted us all to give peace a chance.


Video: The U.S. vs. John Lennon: Trailer
The U.S. vs. John Lennon: Official Site

New video from Queensbridge coke rappers Cormega & Lake.

The mighty TV on the Radio recently appeared on Late Night with David Lettermen. The Brooklyn based outfit has come along way in the past few years, but I am not sure anyone expected to see Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone bouncing about the stage of Late Night like the possessed Orisha devotees. It was incredible and may be the televised signal of change in popular music. Maybe that is wishful thinking, but once upon a time we celebrated experimentally minded musicians rather then today’s glorification of product spokespersons.