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Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Invites Neil Diamond, Snubs LL Cool J

Posted 12/15/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


With any hall of fame, there are always going to be arguments about who belongs in and who doesn't, and there will typically be outrage about people who have been overlooked. Every hall of fame has its mysterious choices (baseball has Phil Rizzuto and Jim Rice, basketball has Adrian Dantley, football has Rickey Jackson), but this year's batch of inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pretty confusing. The new class includes Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Dr. John and Darlene Love.

Taken in a vacuum, that's not a horrible group of musicians (Waits' inclusion is especially inspiring, considering he has been consistently turning out great work for decades without a lot of mainstream recognition). But when you look at the nominees that got denied (especially LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and Bon Jovi) and the groups who continue to get overlooked (Kiss, Rush), it seems especially insane that this is the group. By rule, the Hall of Fame can only really induct old guys (you're only eligible 25 years after the release of your first album), but these picks seem especially tired and distant. Neil Diamond is a particularly ridiculous inclusion. Sure, the guy has had some hits and is a "legend," but was there ever a time when he was considered a vital, cutting-edge artist?

Meanwhile, people like LL Cool J got left out in the cold. It's impossible to underestimate the man born James Todd Smith and his influence on popular music. Unlike a lot of early hip-hop crossovers, LL came from a background that was heavily focused on lyricism (rather than samples or one-off novelties). He showed the world just how well hip-hop can work in a live setting (Beastie Boys also made waves doing this, but they always had arena-rock moves to fall back on), and he was at the forefront of the integration of rap and R&B. His latter-day work has been less planet-moving (he has focused more on acting in the past few years), but there are still gems buried in albums like G.O.A.T., The DEFinition and Exit 13. Plus, the dude wrote that amazing song for the "Deep Blue Sea" soundtrack and Diamond didn't.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame generally lack integrity, but a guy like LL should have been automatic and not left on the outside looking in.

Who do you think should have gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Let us know in the comments!

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The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees: Beastie Boys And Bon Jovi Lead Our Picks

Posted 9/28/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


Any sort of hall of fame is bound to be a polarizing institution, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is no different. The new batch of nominees for the 2010 class were released earlier today, and it's an eclectic list that is bound to spark a ton of debate over the next few months (right up until the actual inductees are announced in December). Bon Jovi, Donovan, Alice Cooper, Dr. John and Neil Diamond have all been nominated for the first time, and they are joined by Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Chic, Laura Nyro, Joe Tex, Chuck Willis, the J. Geils Band and Tom Waits.

That's a pretty wide range of people, ranging in styles from classic rock to metal to hip-hop to soul to folk to whatever it is that J. Geils Band used to play. If I had a ballot (and believe me, I do not), I would cast my lot for four of those nominees.

Beastie Boys
These guys absolutely must get in, as they seamlessly straddled the worlds of rock, hip-hop and pop music (don't forget that they opened for Madonna once) while impressing everybody in those respective genres. Old-school hip-hop people respect them, and the rock world has always loved them for their always-present hardcore leanings and their association with Rick Rubin. As a bonus, they remain relevant, as their coming-soon album Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 is hotly-anticipated.

Bon Jovi
Can you believe that the band who brought us Slippery When Wet has been doing their thing for as long as they have? Read More...

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Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson!

Posted 6/30/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


Can you believe that Mike Tyson turns 44 years old today? The man who struck fear and terror in the hearts of heavyweights all over the world hasn't boxed since 2005, but he is still in the middle of something of a career renaissance ever since his memorable (and hilarious) appearance in the hit 2009 comedy "The Hangover." (The James Toback-directed interview flick "Tyson" also helped.) Despite all of his legal troubles and public embarrassments, Tyson is indeed a living legend and has much to celebrate.

Like most fighters, Tyson's latter-day fights (basically everything that happened after he bit Evander Holyfield's ear) have diminished his profile somewhat, but make no mistake about it: At his peak, Mike Tyson was the most dangerous man on the planet. Obviously, the dude could hit hard, but the thing that stands out on old fight tapes is the man's speed. For every punch most guys threw, Tyson could throw five or six in the same amount of time. Combine that with laser-sharp accuracy and his incredible commitment to training, and you've got yourself the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in history. (And yes, in the mythical fight between Muhammad Ali and Tyson in their respective primes, Tyson takes the victory — probably by knockout.)

At under six feet tall (and he was always listed an inch or two taller than he actually was), he was sort of small for a heavyweight, which meant that he usually gave up a reach advantage and had less of a body frame on which to pack on muscle. But that didn't stop him from scoring multiple championships.

So in honor of the baddest man on the planet, go back and watch the dude's 12 round decision victory over Donovan Ruddock in 1991 (it's one of the most underrated fights of all time). Or short of that, just toast Tyson with a little LL Cool J under the chin.

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M.I.A. Makes A Bid For The Lamest Feud Of All Time

Posted 6/1/10 1:05 pm EST by in Music


M.I.A. has been in the news an awful lot in the past week, but it's not because of her excellent new single "Born Free," the controversial video for said track or her hotly-anticipated album /\/\/\Y/\. Rather, she has been on the lips of music fans and media followers alike, as her feud with writer Lynn Hirschberg has continued to escalate. Following what she thought was an unfair profile in The New York Times, M.I.A. tweeted Hirschberg's personal phone number last week. And just to let everybody know that she means business, M.I.A. released the dis track "I'm a Singer" over the weekend.

Here's the thing: Not only is "I'm a Singer" a pretty weak track (both as a dis and as an M.I.A. song), but it's also totally unnecessary. Hirschberg has no real recourse (she has already called M.I.A.'s tweeting of her phone number "unprofessional" and "unethical"), and, ultimately, she's just a writer. There's no need for a beatdown.

In fact, in extending the feud a few extra days (and however much it cost to record "I'm a Singer"), M.I.A. has jumped onto the list of the lamest celebrity feuds of all time. Like M.I.A., some of those pit musicians against the media (remember The Source co-owner Benzino's lame jabs at Eminem early in his career?), while others are over disagreements over the actual work (Ice-T calling Soulja Boy's music "garbage" or former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker's limp protest against Michael Jackson's "Christ-like" poses during the 1996 BRIT Awards). Sometimes it's about family (the constant dust-up between Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain) and sometimes it's out of left field (Lynyrd Skynyrd took offense to Neil Young's "Southern Man," which lead to "Sweet Home Alabama" and a general sense of mutual respect). Sometimes it's even about patriotism, like when Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines criticized George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, which prompted Toby Keith to absolutely lose his mind (he famously used a doctored photo of Maines standing next to Saddam Hussein as a backdrop during concerts).

(Click here for more photos of lame feuds, including those involving Courtney Love, Eminem, Ice-T and LL Cool J!)

Which celebrity feud do you think is the lamest? Let us know in the comments!

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Tiger Woods' Return To The Masters Requires LL Cool J And Panic! At The Disco

Posted 4/5/10 2:40 pm EST by in Music


After a seemingly endless absence from golf (and from the public spotlight in general), Tiger Woods has returned to the game that made him into one of the most recognizable celebrities on the planet. The Masters, one of golf's crown jewels, kicks off on Thursday (April 8), but Woods hit the links today for a bit of practice in his first public display of golf in months. Following his public apology and a series of low-key interviews, Woods is ready to get back to business, and the golf world couldn't be happier. Despite his long layoff, Woods is expected to be a top contender in this year's tournament, and some experts are saying that he should be considered the favorite to win another iconic green jacket (it would be the fifth in his career) and his first major win since his epic defeat of Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open Championship.

Like any great athlete making a comeback, Woods will need a handful of theme songs. He need look no further than the video playlist below, which features hits like Shout Out Louds' "The Comeback," Mase's "Welcome Back," Hall and Oates' "How Does It Feel to Be Back" and Baby Bash's "Baby I'm Back." Once he has made his entrance, he's got plenty of golf-themed songs to fall back on, including Michael Martin Murphey's "Big Iron" (not actually about golf clubs), Panic! at the Disco's "That Green Gentleman" (not actually about Masters winners) and Deftones' "Be Quiet and Drive" (not actually about opening tee shots).

To really get things started, Woods needs to turn to an old chestnut in LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out," which not only opens with the immortal line "Don't call it a comeback/ I've been here for years" but is also the portrait of a hungry guy looking to get back on top — not unlike Tiger himself.

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Kanye West, Ludacris, Public Enemy And ... Slayer? 25 Years Of Def Jam Videos

Posted 10/14/09 11:16 am EST by in Music


Last night's annual "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors" show tipped its pimp hat to Def Jam Records, perhaps the most influential hip-hop company in history. When Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons launched Def Jam from Rubin's NYU dorm room 25 years ago, they surely could not have anticipated that they would nurture some of the greatest talent the hip-hop world has ever seen, from LL Cool J and Public Enemy to Ludacris and Young Jeezy.

In addition to more than two decades of killer music, artists on the Def Jam label have also focused on having a keen visual sense. As a result, some of the clips the label has put out over the years have become cornerstones of the video genre. From the punk-rock simplicity of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" to the grimy savagery of Redman's "Blow Your Mind" and Onyx's "Slam" to the widescreen gloss of Young Jeezy's "My President" and Rick Ross' "Magnificent," Def Jam videos have been eclectic and occasionally surreal but always memorable.

Def Jam's video history reveals some interesting wrinkles in the label's history. For example, Slayer's iconic album Reign in Blood was originally put out by the label (not shocking, considering Rubin's affinity for metal) and "Raining Blood" makes for a fascinating entry in the label's history. And even though Def Jam was always primarily identified as an East Coast label, they put out one of the bigger records of the early-'90s West Coast gangsta era in Warren G's Regulate ... G-Funk Era, which meant that the clip for "Regulate" (featuring a breakout performance from Nate Dogg) was a Def Jam original.

So take a look at the 20 videos that make up Def Jam's history, from oft-forgotten clips like Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" and EPMD's "Headbanger" to more high-profile clips like Sisquo's "Thong Song," Ja Rule's "Holla Holla" and, of course, the Beastie Boys.

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Jay-Z Reinvents Rap With 'Unplugged'

Posted 9/8/09 10:00 am EST by in Music


By Gigi Abrantes

Since he first dropped his debut album in 1996, Jay-Z became an instant classic on the hip-hop scene. Now that he is about to drop his 11th album The Blueprint 3, MTV News takes a look back at the history of one of the greatest artists in rap history with The J to Z of Jay-Z.

In the wake of the release of The Blueprint in 2001, Jay-Z rocked an unusual scene when he performed on MTV's "Unplugged." Backed by the live instrumentation and jazzy grooves of the Roots, Jigga stepped outside of his comfort zone to create a live experience that is rarely seen in hip-hop.

"I go by a lot of names, people call me a lot of names," Jay said to open the show. As soon as singer Jaguar Wright began singing the hook to "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," the crowd knew which moniker the rapper would answer to. Dressed in a casual white tee featuring an image of Che Guevara, Hova turned a normally intimate experience into a full-on hip-hop hype show.

Normally featuring rock bands from Eric Clapton to Nirvana since its first inception in 1989, "Unplugged" was strange territory for a rap artist. Though LL Cool J turned in a famously passionate set, the acoustic world was generally no-man's land for the hip-hop community. But Jigga once again proved he operates under a different set of standards. He embraced the intimacy of the "Unplugged" stage and took rap to new heights, reinventing his studio recordings and presenting them in unexpected ways.

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Taking Back Sunday Conquer New York City One Venue At A Time

Posted 8/19/09 12:26 pm EST by in Music


When Taking Back Sunday stopped by the MTV News offices on Monday (to chat with us as well as to visit with Alexa Chung), they were fresh off their latest New York City gig: Live from Macy's in Herald Square. The group played the iconic department store to plug the new clothing line D*Coded, but it also became part of some wish fulfillment for the Long Island natives. "We're trying to play as many iconic New York venues as we can," explained bass player Matt Rubano, noting that they've already got Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall (site of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards) under their collective belt. But what famous New York spot did they jokingly say they're most looking forward to?

Of course, Matthew Fazzi's giant keyboard dominance comes care of a recent incident following a concert in Dublin, Ireland, and he'll remain hobbled for the first part of their upcoming road trip with Blink-182 and Weezer, a tour leg that begins Sunday night in Toronto. Despite their clear affinity for the Big Apple, the band won't be around for this year's VMAs, as they'll be on tour in California the night of the show. In addition to endorsing the clothing line, Taking Back Sunday have a number of other irons in the fire, including a live album (featuring their performance from this year's Bamboozle festival) and a possible all-acoustic album that will channel the great "MTV Unplugged" performances of years past like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and LL Cool J. "That LL Cool J episode is old-school and awesome," said Rubano. "He's not wearing a shirt and you can see his giant deodorant cakes, but he still kills it."

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LL Cool J Hears Michael Jackson Singing To Him In His Sleep: The MTV Quote Of The Day

Posted 8/11/09 5:28 pm EST by in Music


"The crazy thing is, I had a dream. Michael Jackson wrote that for me in a dream. That's crazy, right? I had a dream, and homeboy wrote it for me in a dream. I saw it on a paper. I woke up and just jotted it all down on paper. Michael Jackson, that's for you, baby. I love you."

-LL Cool J in the outro to his latest track "Billie Jean Dream (Michael Jackson Tribute)." The veteran rapper says that the lyrics to the entire track, in which LL raps over the beat from "Billie Jean," were written entirely by the late Jackson in a dream he had. While the man born James Todd Smith isn't the first rapper to pay tribute to the fallen superstar (he joins the Game, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and, uh, Ron Artest), he is the first to claim that his particular tribute was written by Jackson himself. He put the song up for free up at his Web site and has also launched a contest to find the best MJ tribute tracks (the winner will receive promotion on the site). All kidding aside, "Billie Jean Dream" is a pretty great track that finds LL in top form.

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The 2009 Home Run Derby: The Music Tells Us Who Will Win

Posted 7/13/09 11:05 am EST by in Music


It's officially the halfway point of summer this week, as the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is tomorrow at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The week will feature a number of musical guests, including a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" care of Sheryl Crow and a performance by David Cook at tonight's Home Run Derby.

While the actual All-Star Game is perpetually a snoozer even for hardcore fans, the Home Run Derby is always a reason to tune in to ESPN. This year's contestants are an eclectic mix of old saws and newcomers, and since it's regularly impossible to project just who is going to win (past victors include not-quite-legends like Garret Anderson and Wally Joyner), the only real way to judge who will come out on top is to judge each contestant by his entrance music.

Yes, just like the WWE, just about every player in baseball has a song that plays over stadium PAs when they come to the plate. Some choices are inspired, some inexplicable. So here's how the field will likely shake out, based solely on each individual's taste in tunes.

8. Brandon Inge (Detroit Tigers; Korn, "Coming Undone"): Inge would have picked up some points by having the only rock song on this list, but he loses everything he might have gained by attaching his name to one of the least badass tunes in the Korn catalogue. Why wouldn't he go with "Right Now" or "Got the Life"?

7. Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies; Ludacris, "Last of a Dying Breed"): Howard is one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and the intro to "Last of a Dying Breed" is fittingly epic, but the track is full of over-blustery boasts like "Soldiers couldn't cause more disasters on D-Day" and "Luda's got more records than a DJ."
Read More...

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