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Flag Day Is Best Celebrated With Black Flag, Pink Flag And 'Flagpole Sitta'

Posted 6/14/10 2:20 pm EST by in Music


Today is Flag Day! Though it's something of a second-tier holiday in the United States, it does mark an important event in the history of the country. On this date in 1777, the Second Continental Congress (the same one that drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence nearly a year earlier) officially adopted the flag of the United States of America. Flag day wasn't established until a proclamation by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and even then, there wasn't an official Act of Congress establishing the holiday until 1949.

There are a handful of states and localities where Flag Day is formally celebrated with parades and events, but generally it passes without much bluster. However, if you really want to get into the spirit of Flag Day, you should have an all-flag music day. What are the best flags in music? Check out the list below.

Black Flag
The definitive California hardcore band, Black Flag not only delivered punishing slabs of speedy punk but also brushed up against metal, jazz and noisecore styles. The group is best known for launching the career of its iconic frontman Henry Rollins, their classic album Damaged and their manic almost-hit "TV Party."

Anti-Flag
Perhaps the most political of any of the current bands on the punk rock circuit, Pittsburgh-based Anti-Flag have put out 10 full-length albums' worth of blistering punk power and left-wing stances. Lead by frontman Justin Sane, the group is known best for their 2006 album For Blood and Empire but most certainly hit their peak with the well-balanced and experimental The Bright Lights of America.

Wire's Pink Flag
This classic British band emerged from the U.K. punk scene in the late 1970s and raised a lot of eyebrows with their blend of punk minimalism and new wave experimentation. Read More...

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R. Kelly Delivers His World Cup Anthem, Blows Minds

Posted 5/19/10 5:35 pm EST by in Music


Though the baseball season is in full swing and the playoffs in the NBA and NHL are at a fever pitch, the biggest sports story of the summer is without a doubt the World Cup, the worldwide soccer tournament set to kick off next month in South Africa. Over the course of a month, the best teams in the world will duke it out for international bragging rights for the next four years. An event this size demands some huge songs, which is why the World Cup will have a handful of official anthems that viewers will hear repeatedly over the course of all the matches. One of them, K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag," has already been making the rounds for several months, and now R&B superstar R. Kelly has delivered his own version: A collaboration with the Soweto Spiritual Singers called "Sign of a Victory."

This isn't the first time Kelly has been associated with an international sporting event, as he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics (of course, that shouldn't be confused with the Kelly classic "Sex Olympics"). While Kelly has been more interested in constructing freaky sex anthems, "Sign of a Victory" is something of a throwback to his early work (it's more "I Believe I Can Fly" than "Echo"). It has an epic, cinematic quality that features a powerful marching drum roll, multiple layers of voices and one of Kelly's best vocals in years (though why he resorts to using Auto-Tune in the bridge is sort of a mystery. "I can feel the spirit of the nations," Kelly sings during one of the verses. "I can feel the rising beat within." It's incredibly catchy, massive and — somehow — truly uplifting.

Kelly will perform the song live at one of the World Cup venues in Johannesburg when the opening ceremonies kick off on June 11. He'll be joined by the Soweto Spiritual Singers as well as K'Naan, Shakira, John Legend, Angelique Kidjo, Alicia Keys and the Black Eyed Peas.

Does "Sign of a Victory" surpass "I Believe I Can Fly" as the greatest R. Kelly sports anthem? Let us know in the comments!

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Wale And K'Naan Will Be Live Tonight!

Posted 3/31/10 6:00 pm EST by in Music


Sure, the elimination episode of "American Idol" may be on tonight, but if watching Didi Benami get sent home isn't your bag, then luckily MTV.com has you covered. Tonight at 9:30 p.m. Eastern (6:30 p.m. Pacific), Wale and K'Naan will kick off their new tour live from the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza in Manhattan, and it will be streaming right here. Tune in to see the duo to run through all their hottest hits, like "Pretty Girls," "Chillin'" and "Wavin' Flag" live in front of a pack of rabid New York fans.

Click here to RSVP for the MTV.com livestream with Wale and K'Naan, and stay tuned to MTV.com and this space for all the big hits and surprise live moments.

What do you think of Wale and K'Naan's performance? Let us know in the comments!

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Wale And K'Naan Will Be Performing Live On MTV.com!

Posted 3/30/10 6:00 pm EST by in Music


On Wednesday night (March 31), hip-hop stars Wale and K'Naan will throw down together at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza in Manhattan. But the pair's performance will also be streaming live on MTV.com. Tune in at 9:30 p.m. Eastern (6:30 p.m. Pacific) for the duo to run through all their hottest hits, like "Pretty Girls," "Chillin'" and "Wavin' Flag." It will represent the first date of a two week tour that will see the pair hitting cities like Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Both K'Naan and Wale have had breakthrough years. Since the release of his hit album Troubadour last year, Somali rapper K'Naan has been collaborating with everyone from Mos Def to Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett to Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. He'll get his biggest exposure this summer when the 2010 World Cup launches, as "Wavin' Flag" has been chosen as the official song of the worldwide soccer tournament.

After years of being a mixtape legend, Wale dropped his debut album Attention Deficit in November of 2009. That topped off a run that saw him collaborate with Lady Gaga and serve as the frontman of the house band at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. His live presence is legendary, making this a can't-miss trek.

Check out the preview of the concert below, and stay tuned here and to MTV.com for more details.

Click here to RSVP for the MTV.com livestream with Wale and K'Naan.

What do you hope to see on the livestream with Wale and K'Naan? Let us know in the comments!

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The 2010 World Cup Will Be Scored By Somali Rapper K'Naan

Posted 12/4/09 1:24 pm EST by in Music


Soccer may not be as big a pastime in the United States as it is in the rest of the world, but that doesn't stop the World Cup from being one of the biggest and most exciting events in the American sports universe once every four years. The tournament — which will begin properly in June 2010 but whose draw was unveiled today — should be especially exciting for the U.S. team, as they had an incredible run in the qualifying rounds (including a pair of great upsets over Mexico) and are fielding one of the best teams they've ever had. Plus, they've managed to get themselves into a group where they can be competitive against the likes of England, Algeria and Slovenia.

The 2010 version of the World Cup will be hosted by South Africa, and the official song (which was just selected this week) is Somali rapper K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag." The track comes from Troubadour, K'Naan excellent album that dropped earlier this year. When MTV News caught up with him back when the album was first getting heat, he noted that people often perceived "Wavin' Flag" as one of the heavier tracks on the album, though the spirit is quite positive. The "Celebration Remix" created specifically for the World Cup (which you can listen to here) is even more positive, featuring the joyous chorus "When I get older/ I will be stronger/ They'll call me freedom/ Just like a waving flag."

K'Naan busted out a version of "Wavin' Flag" at a very special performance celebrating Black History Month earlier this year. Check out a clip below, and get yourself prepared for the international showdown on the pitch.

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Somali MC K'Naan Says Piracy 'Has Reasons, It Has Roots'

Posted 4/30/09 5:26 pm EST by in knaan, Somali Pirates!


K'Naan

By Kathleen Newman-Bremang

If you've tuned into CNN or any other major media outlet in the past few weeks, you've probably heard a thing or two about Somali pirates. Well, Somali-born rapper K'Naan thinks the coverage of piracy has been a little one-sided.

When the MC sat down with MTV News this week to discuss his album Troubadour, the rapper/activist accused the media of taking a "sensationalist" approach to reporting the recent hijackings — including the capture of a U.S. ship captain — as well as the continuous violence taking place off the coastline of his home country.

"I don't think [the media] have been fair and accurate. [They show] a bunch of crazy black people in the water with guns: 'Oh look at that!' " he said. "That's about all major media has been doing. CNN has the resources to go in a little bit deeper than that, and Anderson Cooper as a journalist knows that there's got to be something more to this scenario."
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