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.

This guy is very solid - emcee/producer/dj from the Bay, his debut dropped last year and its really strong; heavy jazz vibe with lots of choice samples, live Hammond and bass work, scratches, etc. Lyrically he's positive but not really over-the-top with it, just smart, non-offensive hip-hop. Check out the podcast here and his own site here.

Well it seems the world is ending...don't believe me? Check out this clip from All My Children where they call out Mike Patton, Mr. Bungle and other Patton related bands. I never thought this day would come - run for the hills, run for your life!

What has happened to simple barnyard animal inspired mobiles
and singing “Mommas Gonna Buy You a Mockingbird,” or whatever that song is called? Apparently in this age of over stimulation and homogeny through popular culture, parents must ensure their children are pigeonholed in future social cliques (or at least predestined to purchase certain genres) by bombing them with instrumental versions of everything from the latest club banger and the “realest” hip-hip to radio friendly contemporary country and rock.

Nippaz with Attitude offers up all kinds of super hip products for urban infant on the move including music, clothes and music. Perfect for all the disposable cash your baby has lying around from modeling, their record deal, or the funds made off illicit substances. So whether your baby is player, a slacker or a corporate tycoon, he or she will find all their musical needs met with titles like Rock Baby, Hip Hip Baby, 80’s Baby, and yes even Ibiza Baby.

The definition of Goth has changed dramatically throughout the ages. From the explosive, seizure inducing anti-Catholicism of Bauhaus and the Eraserhead tainted world of the Cure, to the heroin soaked pirate act of Sisters of Mercy and up to the up the present day eyeliner rock of Hot Topic bands like Das Ich. But one constant remains; Goth has tapped the shoulders of disenfranchised and counter-cultured youths throughout the world for almost three decades, and continues to thrive in all its overly melodramatic glory.

In celebration of this fact, Rhino Records is releasing a box set titled A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box. Three CDs containing 53 classic Goth tracks and a DVD featuring essential music videos
from the likes of The Cure, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Mission UK, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Siouxsie & The Banshees.

First there was your boys D4L rockin "laffy taffy", running the ringtone game and reinforcing the notion that southern people cant rap. Then webstar upped the ante with "chicken noodle soup", inspiring 10970 people (seriously) to upload themselves dancing to it on youtube. Not to be outdone, cadillac don and j money step out of nowhere with "inside peanut butter outside jelly"

Even the underground dudes are getting into it.

what is going on here??

not to date myself, but I think its obvious these guys did it best

MF Grimm's got a comic book