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Five Rappers Who Should Follow DMX Into MMA

Posted 9/30/09 5:38 pm EST by in Music


Rappers testing their mettle in the sports world isn't new (remember Master P's brief attempt to break into the NBA with the Hornets?), but DMX's sojourn into the world of athletics might be the most intense yet. X will head to Alabama in December to step into a cage for a mixed martial arts fight. His opponent is a guy named Eric Martinez, a member of X's management team who actually has one professional MMA win under his belt.

X has never fought before, though he's no stranger to the UFC, as Chuck Liddell, the organization's most high-profile champion during its rise, used a DMX song as his entrance music for many of his biggest fights. As more and more former NFL players turn to the fight game (1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker just signed a fight contract), rappers won't be far behind. Here are the five other MCs who should learn a little jiu-jitsu and step into the cage.

Juelz Santana
The former Dipset member participated in BET's "The Iron Ring," a reality show that combined hip-hop and MMA. Though his team didn't come out on top in the end, Santana showed a nose for the game and has deceptive size that could help him master a little kickboxing.
Entrance Song: "Mic Check," because this is pay-per-view!

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50 Cent Gives New Fat Joe Album No Stars: The MTV Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/30/09 4:40 pm EST by in Music


"I listened to Fat Joe's records. It hurt. I told you people not to listen to his music. Some people didn't listen, and look what happened: Young Buck tried to ride his motorcycle [while] listening to Fat Joe, and look what happened! Fat Joe's record is the worst thing that ever happened to hip-hop. I love hip-hop. It's because his music sucks so bad it's gonna kill people!"

-50 Cent in a funny video that rips rival New York rapper Fat Joe's upcoming album J.O.S.E. 2. For the clip, which was released on the Internet last night, the man born Curtis Jackson dressed up in bandages and made it sound like his voice was broken and weepy, suggesting that Joe's music had actually caused him physical harm. In the very funny clip, 50 also shows footage of skateboarders wiping out and also blames their misfortunes on Fat Joe's music. Fat Joe responded quickly via Twitter. "Tell 50 to get off my d--- already," the Bronx native wrote. "He was sick that my album is so Hot. That real music, not that wack s--- him and clowns are making!!" J.O.S.E. 2 hits stores next Tuesday, October 6, while 50's oft-delayed Before I Self Destruct is currently slated for November 17.

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Pearl Jam Hit The Top Of The Charts For The First Time Since No Code

Posted 9/30/09 4:21 pm EST by in Music


It looks like that Target deal paid off, as Pearl Jam have found their way to the top of the Billboard 200. The band moved 190,000 copies of their latest album Backspacer, which was available exclusively at Target stores (as well as on iTunes and via the band's Web site), in its first sales week. It marks the first time since the band has been at the top of the album chart since 1996, when the band released No Code to strong initial sales but mixed reviews. No Code remains both the band's most experimental and maligned album, as the singles were loose affairs (including the moody "Who You Are") and the album tracks brought together a lot of disparate elements.

But even though the two albums have similar cover art, Backspacer is pretty far away from No Code in a sonic sense. The band's new album represents a calmer, breezier Pearl Jam, comfortable in their own skin and just looking to knock some tunes out in the garage. They spent most of this century being difficult to love: 2000's Binaural and 2002's Riot Act were full of spiritual and political unrest, while 2006's self-titled album was an attempt at a reinvention that sounded rushed and busy.

But Backspacer is just right. In a live setting, Pearl Jam play with a joyous energy that transcends their collective age and the occasional heaviness of the material. But on record, they sometimes sound burdened. Backspacer changes all that, putting the focus squarely on the hooks, thrills and camaraderie that comes from being a musical family for so long. They even got the single right: No veteran band has ever delivered a better statement of purpose than Pearl Jam have with "The Fixer."

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RapRadar's Elliott Wilson On Hottest MCs: 'Fabolous Stuck To The Script'

Posted 9/30/09 3:03 pm EST by in Music


By Elliott Wilson, Founder and CEO of RapRadar.com

They say persistence overcomes resistance, and never has that been more evident than in the case of Fabolous. BK's finest young rapper has spent most of his career being overshadowed by rap heavyweights like Jay-Z, but it's his consistency that has kept him in the conversation for the past eight years.

What did F-A-B-O do so special in 2009 to finally be recognized as one of the game's hottest MCs? Man, he just stuck to the script. Loso's Way is another solid album in the guest-spot master's catalogue. Street bangers ("Imma Do It", "Lullaby") merged with commercial muscle ("Throw it in the Bag," "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere") packed with personal tales of betrayal ("Pachanga") and fatherhood ("Stay"). And on top of all that, as far as rap artists goes, he's the Twitter king. Salute him.

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Happy Birthday, T-Pain

Posted 9/30/09 2:02 pm EST by in Music


It sometimes seems like singer, producer and Auto-Tune aficionado T-Pain has been around a lot longer than he actually has. But his first music only came out back in 2005, and the guy is only 26 years old. He'll almost certainly be spending his birthday — which is today — in style, as it seems like every time we see him he's either hanging out in a strip club, buying ladies dranks or rolling up to awards shows on elephants. But what do you get a guy who has everything, including a "big ass chain," his own Auto-Tune-centric iPhone app and a fine collection of top hats?

Regardless, Pain hasn't slowed his output, as he's constantly appearing in videos, guesting on songs and working on his own album Revolver, which is expected late this year or early next. But if there's any one collaborator who should buy Pain a cupcake on his birthday today, it's Busta Rhymes. Pain guested on Busta's track "Hustler's Anthem '09," and it's one of the strongest songs from Rhymes' latest album Back on My B.S., which came out earlier this year. The track is hot, but the video is even hotter: A super-saturated Hype Williams joint that taps into Busta's classic court jester vibe. So blow out your candles, T-Pain, and be proud that if nothing else, you've brought Busta back to his technicolor greatness.

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Jennifer Hudson Delivers Memorable 'Over The Rainbow' At 'The Wizard Of Oz' Celebration

Posted 9/30/09 12:55 pm EST by in Music


To celebrate the 70th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz," the landmark 1939 film that launched the career of Judy Garland and gave songs like "Over the Rainbow" a permanent place in the American songbook, Netflix threw a party in New York's Central Park. There was a screening of the film (newly remastered thanks to its trip to Blu-Ray) as well as a free concert featuring performances of some of the more iconic songs from the film. The show was headlined by Oscar winner and "American Idol" runner-up Jennifer Hudson, who delivered a soulful, gospel-tinged take on "Over the Rainbow," backed by a band lead by Roots drummer and "The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon" musical director Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson.

The show also featured a performance of "If I Only Had a Brain" (the song made famous by the Scarecrow in the film) care of Julianne Hough, the dancer, singer and two-time winner of "Dancing With the Stars" (with Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno and race car driver Hélio Castroneves in consecutive seasons). Her song was not quite as memorable as Hudson's, but she still captured the delicate combination of whimsy and sadness that makes that song (and many of the tunes from "The Wizard of Oz") so excellent.

Hudson had a lot to live up to, as not only did she have the Garland version of "Over the Rainbow" to live up to, but she also had to contend with Ashanti's version, who performed the song as a cast member of the TV movie "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." (Ashanti also made her version available on iTunes this week.) What do you think? Did Hudson create the new standard or will nothing ever top the original? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Kanye West's Girlfriend Amber Rose Sports Incredible Lip Bling

Posted 9/30/09 12:37 pm EST by in Music


Fashion Week in Milan was full of forward-looking clothes and stunning looks, but perhaps the most amazing accessory worn by anybody during the event came courtesy of Kanye West's girlfriend Amber Rose. She accompanied West to the amfAR event that was hosted by Janet Jackson (and where West got into a bidding war with a designer over a fantastic leather jacket), and was dressed in sleek black save for one part of her outfit: Her lip ring. The piercing, located squarely in the middle of her bottom lip, contained a giant diamond in the middle of it.

Even with the huge piece of bling, Rose's outfit was decidedly understated for the forward-thinking fashionista. Her getup at the VMAs was particularly stunning, as she showed up to the big event wearing a snakeskin body suit that looked like it was physically impossible to actually put on without being sewn into it.

Kanye is a flashy dresser but has never been known as a guy concerned with jewelry the way that a guy like Lil Wayne is. But it looks like he's leaving the flashy rocks to his significant other.

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Adam Lambert's Album Tops Amazon Charts Without Single, Title

Posted 9/30/09 11:25 am EST by in Music


Adam Lambert's album won't be available in stores until November 24, but you can already pre-order the record on Amazon. It currently sits at the top of the Amazon sales charts, which is not necessarily unusual for a pre-order (especially one as high-profile as an "American Idol" runner-up), but it's a slightly more amazing feat for two reasons.

First, most of the details about Lambert's album is pretty much unknown. There is no title, no single and no complete track listing yet. We do know there are a handful of producers working on the album, including Rob Cavallo, Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke and Claude Kelly) and that the song Lambert cut for the soundtrack to the upcoming film "2012" totally blew away Queen guitarist Brian May. The buzz around Lambert is truly huge if he's able to sell an album that doesn't yet exist, and the only guarantee is that his name will appear in the sleeve.

The other thing that makes Lambert's Amazon chart dominance amazing is that he has topped a number of high-profile artists, many of whom just released new music this week. Lambert's album stands above new records from Barbara Streisand, Madonna and Mariah Carey (as well as the Beatles). Those are artists with massive followings and plenty of buzz, but clearly Lambert's fans are speaking louder. They're so desperate to hear the album that they're will to buy something that doesn't yet exist.

Dominance on the Amazon sales chart doesn't necessarily mean that the album will be massive, but clearly the anticipation for Lambert's album is massive and will only get bigger between now and the day his record drops.

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'Dancing With The Stars' Results: Kathy Ireland Exits, Aaron Carter Dominates

Posted 9/30/09 10:27 am EST by in Music, Television


It's only the second week of the season, but there are already some slight upsets flying around the set of "Dancing With the Stars." After Monday night's episode resulted in a great deal of parity among the dancers, there was no clear frontrunner nor obvious choice for a dismissal, so when Kathy Ireland was given the boot, it wasn't especially shocking. Debi Mazar narrowly avoided elimination, a little surprising considering she scored higher than the likes of Chuck Liddell and Kelly Osbourne. What's more amazing: Tom DeLay has clearly emerged as a sentimental favorite among viewers despite his checkered past. (Also, he's not a very good dancer.)

Guest judge Baz Luhrmann (director of such dance-heavy films as "Moulin Rouge!" and "Strictly Ballroom") didn't bring a whole lot to the table (though he did bring Mya back out for this week's encore performance, which was well worth seeing a second time). The only other standout this week was Aaron Carter, who backed up his cocky statements about winning with a head-turning performance with partner Karina Smirnoff. That dance also featured a supremely bizarre cameo from a handful of Muppets (including Animal on drums!), which combined with Lady Gaga's interest in Kermit the Frog and Weezer's upcoming cover of "The Rainbow Connection" means that everybody's favorite felt friends are having quite a pop culture moment at the end of 2009.

Carter, Mya and (oddly) Donny Osmond remain the favorites, with Mazar and snowboarder Louie Vito seemingly on the chopping block next week. The Newsroom favorite remains Liddell (especially considering how hilarious he looks when dressed for the ballroom), but Carter emerged as the new frontrunner — and he clearly has the determination and focus to get him to the end.

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James Dean Sets A Tragic Precedent: Wake-Up Video

Posted 9/30/09 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


The image of a young male movie star dying before his time has happened so often that it has become a cliché. The landscape is littered with heartthrobs who have run headlong into tragedy and caused heartbreak for friends, family and fans. But the icon who originally set the tragic precedent was James Dean, who died in a car accident on this day in 1955. A great enthusiast of fast cars and races, Dean was test-driving a new Porsche Spyder on a California highway when college student Donald Turnupseed swerved into Dean's lane and collided with him head-on. Dean died of his injuries a few hours later, and was ironically stopped and ticketed for speeding only a few hours before his collision. Though he had only really completed three starring roles by the time he passed away, his entire filmography is considered classic canon: "Rebel Without a Cause," "East of Eden" and "Giant" (which was released after his death) earned Dean a pair of Oscar nominations for Best Actor and gave him a reputation as one of the finest actors of his generation.

Since his death, Dean has become a metaphor for tortured artists, studious actors, rebels, the sexually-liberated and thrill-seekers. He is name-checked in countless songs, films and television shows, and his movies have been parodied ad infinitum. One such tribute? Former "American Idol" judge and MC Skat Kat collaborator Paula Abdul's video for her chart-topping 1991 hit "Rush, Rush." The clip was an homage to "Rebel Without a Cause" that cast a young Keanu Reeves in the Dean role.

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