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Eminem Could Create The Next Great Lollapalooza Hip-Hop Moment

Posted 2/9/11 11:30 am EST by in Music


Though the official lineup won't be released until April and none of the official sources have confirmed it, Eminem is rumored to be one of the headliners at this summer's Lollapalooza festival. According to the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, Eminem will join Foo Fighters and Muse as three of the six headliners for one of the summer's biggest music festivals, which will again take place in Grant Park in Chicago (this time on August 5-7).

If Slim Shady does indeed play the festival (and again, it has not been confirmed by Em's people nor by the festival's promoters), he will not only continue a recent tradition of having a true crossover megastar as a headliner (taking the spot owned by Lady Gaga in 2010) but also will put another notch in the belt of great hip-hop moments at the festival. Though Lollapalooza is remembered first as an alternative rock festival (reasonable, considering the very first version was anchored by Jane's Addiction and subsequent lineups have provided breakout moments for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins), but hip-hop has always been a key component of Lollapalooza. Though there have been years where quality rap music was absent, there have been a number of excellent hip-hop moments through the years.

Ice-T & Body Count
For the very first Lollapalooza (which was a touring festival — it didn't move to its more European approach in 2003), Jane's Addiction frontman and festival organizer Perry Farrell wanted to bring in people from all corners of the music world. He brought in Ice-T, the rapper turned rap-rock innovator whose guitars were rock festival-friendly but whose street-wise savagery was pure gangsta.

Ice Cube
In the summer of 1992, the wounds from the Los Angeles riots were still fresh, and if rap music was indeed the CNN of the street, nobody was a better reporter than Ice Cube. He brought his lyrical fury to Lollapalooza in '92, where he tapped into exactly where rap music was and test-drove material from his forthcoming game-changing album The Predator.

A Tribe Called Quest
Though the Beastie Boys were probably the more high-profile hip-hop act on 1994's lineup, A Tribe Called Quest solidified themselves as a stellar live act who added explosive energy to their sometimes staid albums. If nothing else came out of Lollapalooza in 1994, it was the emergence of Q-Tip as a next-level star.
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Westside Connection Demand You Bow Down: Wake-Up Video

Posted 10/22/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


You don't see a whole lot of hip-hop supergroups any more. Why is that? Is it because most artists already have a posse of their own and feel a stronger need to promote within the family than on the outside? Or is it because they tend to go horribly awry? The Firm couldn't deliver despite a great lineup and spectacular buzz, and Gravediggaz could only manage one album's worth of greatness. Remember the promising-but-flat Def Squad, or the stillborn collaboration between Jay-Z, Ja Rule and DMX? Whatever the case, there was at least one trio of stars who managed to deliver when they formed like Voltron and delivered one of the last great releases of the '90s gangsta era. On this day in 1996, Westside Connection — consisting of Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC (aka the Gangsta, the Killa and the Dope Dealer) — dropped their debut album Bow Down.

Prior to their full-length debut, the three Los Angeles-based members of Westside Connection appeared on a few tracks together (most notably on the song "Westside Slaughterhouse," from Mack 10's 1995 self-titled debut). The trio's debut album was immediately gobbled up by the hip-hop community, as it not only featured some great interplay between three great lyricists but also sported some top-shelf Dr. Dre-biting late period G-funk (especially on the title track and the media evisceration "All the Critics in New York"). Strangely, Bow Down also represents one of the main mile markers of the beef between the group and Cypress Hill (there are several references throughout the album, though "King of the Hill" is the clearest diss).

Bow Down went on to sell nearly two million copies, though Westside Connection didn't put out a second album until 2003 (and Mack 10 left the group shortly thereafter). Still, "Bow Down" remains a stellar keepsake from the gangsta era, and the video shows all three members in their west coast finest.


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Kanye West's 'Runaway' Adds Him To The List Of Hip-Hop Filmmakers

Posted 10/8/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Kanye West has spent the last few years proving that he has tremendous skills when it comes to music production, rapping, singing, performing live and appreciating art and design. When "Runaway," his short film that just premiered a few days ago, finally gets a full audience, West will be able to confidently add "film director" to his incredible resumé. Plenty of rappers have made the transition from spitting behind the microphone to acting in front of the camera (and some, like Tupac and Ice-T, have done it with incredible skill and grace), but there are a select few MCs who have successfully made the transition from the recording studio to the director's chair.

In fact, it's an extremely small fraternity that only includes a select and elite group of performers.

Ice Cube
The paragon of excellence when it comes to a rap-to-film transition, Ice Cube made the transition from angry young man to powerful Hollywood player. He has produced a number of huge hits on film and television (including the recent TBS hit "Are We There Yet?") and has found himself in the director's chair twice. The first time, it was for the under-loved film "The Player's Club" (which Cube also wrote), and he recently directed the sports documentary "Straight Outta L.A." for ESPN.

RZA
The Wu-Tang Clan chief has been slowly working his way up the ladder in the film world, appearing in a number of films as an actor and providing film scores for the likes of Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino. His directorial debut "The Man With the Iron Fist" will be hitting screens soon, and there is supposedly an unreleased film surrounding RZA's Bobby Digital character lying around his house somewhere.

That is indeed exclusive company, and should Kanye acquit himself well with "Runaway," will the offers to direct other projects be that far behind? Hey, we hear "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" could use some help.

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Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Korn And Ice Cube Help Us Look Back At Lollapallooza

Posted 8/6/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


The 2010 Lollapalooza festival is about to begin in Grant Park in the heart of downtown Chicago. Once things get started with These United States (who have the honor of playing the first set of this year's festival), the music won't stop until Soundgarden and Arcade Fire both wave goodnight following their festival-closing sets on Sunday (August 8). Along the way, there will be huge performances care of Lady Gaga, Green Day, Phoenix, the Strokes, the Black Keys, Erykah Badu and dozens of others, and MTV News will be delivering the goods on every last note.

Ever since the first Lollapalooza way back in 1991 (which Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell put together as a farewell tour for his seminal band), the festival has morphed and evolved along with the popular tastes of the day. There has rarely been a better barometer of what's going on in the rock universe than the Lollapalooza lineup, be it the rise of grunge (1992), the explorations into dance music (1997), flirtations with metal (1996) or the growing influence of hip-hop and R&B (2008). MTV News has been on the ground with many of the Lollapaloozas of the past, so all this week, MTV News' James Montgomery has been preparing for this year's festival with a series he called "Lollapalooza Lookbacks." Check out the noisy trip down memory lane below.

1992: Soundgarden Stand on the Verge of Greatness
No band has ever played Lollapalooza more than Soundgarden (in addition to this weekend, they also hopped on in '96 and '92), and in 1992, they were crossing the country with the touring festival just as they were starting to pick up steam on the back of Badmotorfinger. But guitarist Kim Thayil was also into the idea of catching up with bands he liked. "I'd like to come and see Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.," he told MTV News in 1992.

1997: Korn Can Take the Heat
Lollapalooza 1997 will probably always be remembered as the "electronica year," as acts like the Orb, Orbital and the Prodigy owned the main stage. But just as it was for many bands in the past, Lollapalooza provided a proving ground for Korn, who were only just building up the nu-metal wave. Drummer David Silveria summed up the experience of playing the touring summer festival nicely. "I think it means, like, spending the summer in hot-ass Africa," he joked.

1992: Ice Cube Goes Buck Wild
Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell has always said that he wanted his festival to be a celebration of all types of music, and he has largely stuck to his guns. Read More...

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Bizzy Bone Becoming The Latest Rap-To-Metal Crossover

Posted 7/23/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


After years of hits, trials and tribulations, Cleveland's own Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have managed to retain a hardcore following in the hip-hop world. Now it appears as though one of its key players is trying to branch out. Bizzy Bone has signed on to the roster of Sumerian Records, a small Washington, D.C.-based imprint known best for hardcore and post-hardcore bands like Asking Alexandria, Veil of Maya and the Faceless. Bizzy is about to release his latest album Crossroads 2010 (a reference to his group's 1996 smash hit "Tha Crossroads") via the label, and the album is a fusion of rap and rock styles featuring a number of players from the Sumerian roster contributing music. (You can check out samples of the music at Bizzy's official MySpace page.)

Bizzy Bone isn't the first rapper to dip his toe into the world of hard rock and metal. What other hip-hop denizens have made the journey into the world of guitars? Glad you asked!

Run-DMC
Two years before Rev Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay teamed up with the men of Aerosmith for the genre-bending re-creation of "Walk This Way," the trio dropped "Rock Box," which appeared on their 1984 self-titled debut. "Rock Box" not only had a ton of heavy riffage care of Eddie Martinez (who worked with David Lee Roth and Meat Loaf) but was also the first rap video ever played on MTV.

Ice-T
Perhaps the first rapper to ever completely cross over into the metal world, Ice-T made the transition from stone cold pimp to in-your-face power player. "Cop Killer," from Body Count's debut album, remains the blueprint all other rap-rock crossovers followed later.

Beastie Boys
New York's favorite sons have always managed to keep one foot in everybody's old school, be it straight hip-hop or savage hardcore. Read More...

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LeBron James' New Team Will Have A Hip-Hop Flavor No Matter Where He Ends Up

Posted 7/8/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


Today is the day. LeBron James, the most coveted free agent in the history of the NBA, will announce where he will be playing basketball for the next few years during a special show tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Obviously the sports world is waiting with bated breath for James to make his intentions known, but the entertainment universe is also tuning in. Considering what a huge cross-cultural star King James has been, his new home will most certainly have an effect on the local music and culture scenes, which is why so many hip-hop personalities have gotten involved (including Fat Joe, Diddy and friend and partial New Jersey Nets owner Jay-Z).

In fact, signing James is so important to the handful of teams still in the hunt for his services that most of them have already signed other top-tier free agents in order to provide James a convincing supporting cast with which he can win an NBA championship. But if LeBron should sign with any of the teams below, what will be the best hip-hop association to make?

New York Knicks
Complimentary Player: Amar'e Stoudemire
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Method Man and Redman
The Knicks have been preparing to court James for more than two years, steadily clearing salary cap space, hiring a new coach and turning over most of the roster. They recently inked a deal with Amar'e Stoudemire, the big man from the Phoenix Suns who will provide defensive assistance and low post support. James is Method Man in this instance because he is both incredibly talented and wildly charismatic. Stoudemire is Redman because he is skilled, unpredictable and has the tendency to disappear for long stretches.

Miami Heat
Complimentary Players: Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Westside Connection
The Heat want James so bad that they not only are cutting deals with their established superstar Wade (who already has one championship with the team) and former Toronto Raptors swingman Chris Bosh. If James shows up, they'll be the new Westside Connection (though they'll probably have to be called the "South Beach Connection" or something like that), with LeBron as Ice Cube, Wade as Mack 10 and Bosh as WC (if only because he's the guy people know the least about).
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Happy Birthday, Ice Cube!

Posted 6/15/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


If you should bump into Ice Cube in the next few hours, give him a high five and offer to buy him a delicious iced coffee, because the man born O'Shea Jackson turns 41 years old today. The Los Angeles native in the 20-odd years since he first burst onto the scene as the primary mouthpiece of N.W.A, Cube has continuously evolved from angry young man to hip-hop innovator to budding actor to multi-media mogul. Longevity is not a common thing in the hip-hop world, and the fact that Cube has stayed in the limelight for the duration of his career qualifies him for an automatic bid to whatever hall of fame he chooses.

Cube got his first big break as the primary lyricist for N.W.A. He not only wrote his own rhymes but also most of Eazy-E's as well. Business-related issues with manager Jerry Heller drove Cube to quit the group in 1989, which not only created the opportunity for Cube to record his debut solo album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted but also got the wheels in motion on fellow N.W.A member Dr. Dre's landmark album The Chronic. Cube's solo debut was an incredible moment for hip-hop, as he managed to channel the rage and realism that fueled his N.W.A work into a smart, envelope-pushing brew of rhymes over beats by the Bomb Squad (the team that had created the noisy panic attacks for Public Enemy). AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted not only represents Cube at his lyrical peak but also the Bomb Squad at their most adventurous and lively.

A string of top-shelf albums continued as Cube perfected the art of gangsta rap. Death Certificate, The Predator and Lethal Injection all combine sonic ingenuity with Cube's savage grace, and his work with Westside Connection (a collaboration with friends WC and Mack 10) was also on point. As the '90s wore on, Cube's natural charisma made him a perfect fit for Hollywood, and he scored breakout roles in high-profile flicks like "Higher Learning," "Anaconda," "Three Kings" and the "Friday" series, which gave Cube his reputation as a stellar comedian. Not just content to act, Cube has also worked as a writer, director and producer, having just broken into television with a sitcom version of his hit family comedy "Are We There Yet?"

Though he has been more focused on movies than anything else in the past decade, his hip-hop work remains on point. Following the missteps of the War and Peace albums, Cube has delivered a handful of memorable tunes from his last two albums (as well as the upcoming I Am The West), proving that he hasn't lost his touch. His 2008 record Raw Footage was especially tight, and the single "Do Ya Thang" is vintage Cube: Street smart, savvy and full of swagger.

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The Lakers Still Have Ice Cube's Support: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 6/7/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


You sound like you got some doubt. Let me put that to rest. We got the team to win it all this year. Put your money on the Lakers."

-Legendary rapper Ice Cube, remarking to MTV News' Shaheem Reid that he is absolutely sure that his hometown team is going to win the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are tied at one game apiece after Sunday night's (June 6) victory by the Celtics. The series now moves to Boston, where the Celtics will try to repeat the dominance they showed back when they won the NBA championship in 2008. Then again, the Lakers remain the defending champions and still have Kobe Bryant, the only player in the Finals who can shift a game entirely by himself.

Cube is pretty positive about the Lakers' dominance, but that doesn't mean that he isn't nervous. Like most basketball fans, he hopes that the referees don't play too heavy a part in the outcomes of the games. "I don't know if they telling them how to ref these games, but it's just ridiculous sometimes when I see these refs making sure that the series is extended," Cube told MTV News. "Games are leaned towards this team or that team. Every year is the same old dance. Everybody can pick two or three games where you knew the league had their hand in it. It ain't about the series. It's about 'Will it go to Game 6 or Game 7?' That's all the league cares about."

In addition to rooting for the Lakers, Ice Cube is busy preparing for the release of his latest solo album I Am the West, which hits stores on July 13. The Lakers and the Celtics continue their best-of-seven series on Tuesday night in Boston.

Who are you rooting for in the NBA Finals? Let us know in the comments!

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The N.W.A Movie's Dream Cast Includes Drake, Jamie Foxx, Kenan Thompson

Posted 5/4/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


We appear to be in the epoch of the hip-hop biopic. Last year brought us "Notorious" (about the life of the Notorious B.I.G.), while films about Tupac, Run-D.M.C. and the Juice Crew are all in different states of production. Yesterday came the news that the next rap legends to be immortalized on film will be N.W.A, who will be the subject of a film called (fittingly) "Straight Outta Compton." It's a story that will make a perfect film, as N.W.A rose up from the underground, made a colossal impact on the music world and then burned out just as quickly (which makes for a comfortable story arc).

But who will step into the difficult roles of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, Yella and especially Eric "Eazy-E" Wright? If we were producing "Straight Outta Compton," here are the first actors who would get offers. And if we were to put together another version of N.W.A in the same mold (or for some reason cast a radio play about the group), here are the MCs we would want involved.

Ice Cube
Actor: Percy Daggs III. Best known for playing Wallace on "Veronica Mars," he's a guy who could really break out in a juicy role like Cube's. He has just the right amount of toughness to carry off Cube's rage but retains the heart of gold that Cube stored behind all that bile.
Rapper: Malice. If there is anybody who has been carrying on Cube's legacy as the guy who invented gangsta rap, it's the man who serves as 50 percent of the Clipse.

Dr. Dre
Actor: Kenan Thompson. The "Saturday Night Live" cast member is secretly a great actor looking for the right role — and what better one than the thumping beat and bellowing voice of the good Doctor?
Rapper: Dr. Dre. The guy is still a monster behind the decks, and it begins and ends with that.

MC Ren
Actor: Nick Cannon. Read More...

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'American Idol,' Justin Bieber And The NBA Playoffs: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 4/30/10 7:00 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


It's Friday again, and that means two things. First, you need to think about leaving work early so you can get a good seat for "A Nightmare on Elm Street," paint your face for tonight's NHL playoff game (that would be the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Montreal Canadiens) or just tuck into a nice juicy steak. But while you're planning your escape, you should really catch up on anything you might have missed this week at the MTV Newsroom blog, which closed out the month of April with a heaping helping of tributes to Siobhan Magnus, more speculation about Conan O'Brien's new show and at least one endorsement of the Los Angeles Lakers.

» This week on "American Idol," the nation said goodbye to Siobhan Magnus, who took her eclectic taste in fashion and headed back to her glassblowing studio in Massachusetts.

» Hopefully Magnus will stop by the MTV Newsroom next week to teach "American Idol" expert Jim Cantiello a useful skill, just like fellow reject Tim Urban did.

» "American Idol" also featured the music of Shania Twain this week, and while that was an unusual choice for a theme, it didn't come close to that time people sang No Doubt songs.

» In news that doesn't involve "American Idol," Insane Clown Posse member Violent J weighed in on the fervor surrounding the "Miracles" video and implored everybody to "peep the giraffe" (which is, amazing, not code for anything).

» Justin Bieber paid a visit to Australia this week, and was met with crazy fans and canceled appearances.
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