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Assessing Coachella 2012: Expected Headliners Lead An Awesome Undercard

Posted 1/10/12 12:27 pm EST by in Coachella, Dr.-Dre, Radiohead, Snoop-Dogg


Here's my take on the lineup for Coachella 2012, which was revealed Monday night: At least it's not the fake one that was making the rounds in November.

Back then, the rumored headliners were No Doubt, Foo Fighters and Radiohead, with acts like Chris Cornell, Feist and LMFAO (!) on the sub-ledger. It was a pretty good guess (I mean, they got Radiohead), but would have made for a pretty bland weekend … which is why it comes as a great relief that the actual Coachella lineup does not feature a single member of Berry Gordy's extended family. Instead, we get headliners the Black Keys, the aforementioned Radiohead and the double-bill of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg — all solid, all worth the price of admission and all filling various slots (the new kings of rock, the established, professorial legends and, uh, the hip-hop act) — and an undercard that ranks amongst the best in the fest's history.

Of course, the usual suspects are all accounted for (Bon Iver, Beirut, the Shins, Florence and the Machine, Justice, et al), but it's the spate of reunited acts — always a Coachella tradition — that really makes this year's edition truly special: Britpop titans Pulp, the gauzy, gorgeous Mazzy Star, doomy instrumentalists Godspeed You! Black Emperor and a pair of proto-punk stalwarts — art-damaged Texas thrusters At The Drive In and Sweden's Refused, who, with their oddly prescient 1998 album The Shape Of Punk To Come, basically predicted the next ten years of angular, angsty rock — all of whom elevate Coachella 2012 to can't-miss status. Read More...

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Hip-Hop All-Stars In The Booze Business: We Rate The Product

Posted 7/19/11 5:30 pm EST by in Lists, Pharrell


Pharrell Williams

By Zachary Swickey

Pharrell Williams, hip-hop producer and connoisseur of all the finer things in life, is the latest musician to plunge into the liquor business with the announcement of his own alcoholic beverage, which is designed specifically for women.

Dubbed “Qream,” the lady drink will come in two flavors – Strawberry Qream and Peach Qream – when it hits shelves nationwide later this month. Partnering with one of the world’s largest spirit makers, Diageo, Pharrell not only helped develop the flavor of the ultra-premium cream liqueur, he also designed the bottle and will serve as the brand’s cultural ambassador through its advertising campaign.

In a statement to AllHipHop, Pharrell said, “Qream was created for contemporary women who work hard and want to relax with friends at the end of the day. I want them to reward themselves ‘deliciously.’ Women make up half the population and Qream is about celebrating that power.”

Pharrell knows a thing or two about swooning ladies, so he may be the perfect guy to develop a premium cream liqueur for the fairer sex. However, the booze business has plenty of other rapper-branded drinks to give Pharrell and Qream a healthy amount of competition.

Below I provide my opinion on the most notable and tasty. Read More...

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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.
Read More...

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Snoop Dogg Sends Prince William An Early Wedding Gift: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 12/1/10 3:00 pm EST by in Music


"When I heard the royal family wanted to have me perform in celebration of Prince William's marriage, I knew I had to give them a little something. 'Wet' is the perfect anthem for Prince William or any playa to get the club smokin'."

-Veteran rapper and pop culture buff Snoop Dogg, explaining his latest single "Wet," which he debuted on Tuesday night (November 30) on his official website. The track, which is also slated to appear on his forthcoming album Doggumentary Music (scheduled to hit store shelves in March), is an ode to oral sex that will undoubtedly function better as a bachelor party anthem than it will as his entrance music at Westminster Abbey.

In fact, that's exactly what it's for. According to the Daily Mail, Prince Harry (brother of William) has apparently made attempts to lock down Snoop (as well as U.K. rapper Tinie Tempah) for an upcoming stag party.

In addition to celebrating the impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, "Wet" also serves as the jump-off to a contest that Snoop is hosting at his website. The grand prize is a "Royal Trip" for two to the U.K., and all you have to do to enter is to film yourself dancing to "Wet," upload the clip to YouTube and alert Snoop via Twitter or Facebook. He'll decide on the grand champion himself.

This isn't the first time Snoop has plunged headlong into current pop culture obsessions. Earlier this year, he dropped a sweet track called "Oh Sookie" that paid homage to Sookie Stackhouse, the main character from the hit book series and HBO show "True Blood." And at the beginning of 2010, Snoop appeared on the long-running daytime soap opera "One Life to Live," where he not only played himself but also performed a remix of the show's theme song. Even 20 years into his career, the Dogg remains on the cutting edge.

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Happy Birthday, Snoop Dogg!

Posted 10/20/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


It's October 20, which can only mean one thing: It's time to celebrate the birthday of one Calvin Broadus, known best to the rest of the world as Snoop Dogg. The veteran rapper/actor/entrepreneur turns 39 years old today, and it's staggering to think about everything that Dogg has done over the course of his career. It's an incredible body of work that includes some truly killer records (including modern classics like "Gin and Juice," "Murder Was the Case," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Sexual Seduction" and the recent "I Wanna Rock"), memorable film roles (notably appearances in "Training Day," "Bones," "The Wash" and "Starsky and Hutch") and countless business successes (there are Snoop Dogg-branded skateboards, video games, porn films, action figures, hot dogs and pet products). He also provides a voice for Tom Tom GPS products, which is amazing.

But Snoop's side projects are often overlooked, which is a shame, because some of those records are spectacular. Obviously his collaborative projects with Dr. Dre and Pharrell are excellent, but he has also done a handful of full-length collaborations that have been great. In 2004, he delivered an album with a group he called 213, which was a three-way dance between himself, Warren G and Nate Dogg. The trio's first and only album The Hard Way is a delight, full of throwback jams and old-school G-funk workouts like "Twist Yo Body," "Absolutely" and "So Fly."

Snoop also made two albums with Tha Eastsidaz, a collective consisting of Snoop, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc. Their self-titled debut is even more of a throwback than the 213 record, and their follow-up Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way expands the sounds even further (both those albums very much sound like the types of albums you believe that Snoop would have liked to listen to growing up in Los Angeles). In honor of Snoop's birthday (and his incredible spirit of collaboration), check out Eastsidaz' "G'd Up."


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Snoop Dogg Wants To Cash In The Katy Perry Favor: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 9/3/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"We're trying to get together and do something on my new album ... so [I'm] definitely in contact with her. She's a sweet girl and I had fun making the record with her. Like I said, I'm looking forward to her being on my record as well."

-Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, discussing his current status with his "California Gurls" collaborator Katy Perry. Snoop was ubiquitous this summer as the guest rapper on the track, which was the debut single on Perry's chart-topping second album Teenage Dream. The rapper would like to get her back on his upcoming album Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary, a throwback to his landmark 1993 debut that featured gangsta rap cornerstones like "Gin and Juice" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)?"

Though Dr. Dre produced the original Doggystyle, the album's sequel will have at least some input from Swizz Beatz. In a recent video message dispatched via Swizz's Twitter account, Snoop talked about working in the studio with the New York producer. "Man, this is big Snoop Dogg coming to you live from the studio somewhere," Snoop said in the clip. "With Swizzle, and he just laced my boots up for my new record. He gave me some gangster sh--, some Crip sh--, some R&B sh--, some hip-hop sh--, some hard sh--, some mean sh--."

No release date has been set yet for Doggystyle 2, though according to the video message there are as many as 18 tracks already in motion. Meanwhile, Perry's album Teenage Dream is on top of the Billboard album chart, and its second single "Teenage Dream" is steadily climbing up the Hot 100.

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Kanye West's Twitter, 'Jersey Shore' And Snoop Dogg's New Friend: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 7/30/10 5:30 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


Wiz Khalifa just left to head back to the bakery (that dude must love muffins), and it turns out the clock on the wall says it's time to wrap things up for the week. We spent the bulk of the last few days in front of the television, as there were a number of shows that kept us attached to the warming glow. But didn't it feel good to welcome Snooki, Don Draper and Tim Gunn back into our lives? Come on, you know it did. And in case you didn't see any of your favorite shows and had to record them on your DVR instead, you should really get to work catching up with them. But before you do that, scroll down to check out any of the fantastically enthralling stories you might have missed this week on the MTV Newsroom Blog. We'll be back on Monday for more news, analysis, opinions and insights, and get excited as we prepare for next weekend's Lollapalooza.

» Kanye West found a new thing to conquer this week: The board rooms of social networking companies.

» "Jersey Shore" made its big comeback this week, starting with an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange.

» In case you forgot about what happened last season (and needed some rapid-fire video to tide you over until "American Idol" comes back), Jim Cantiello happily provided "Jersey Shore In 60 Seconds.

» The premiere was, of course, staggeringly awesome, as this handy bar graph proves. Science!

» Kings of Leon had an unfortunate run-in with some pigeons last weekend, leading to an early exit and a place on the list of most absurd concert exits.

» Not all the run-ins with animals were negative this week, as Snoop Dogg partied with a blinged-out sea lion.
Read More...

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Snoop Dogg Rolls With A Seal At Sea World

Posted 7/27/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


Throughout his long and storied career, Snoop Dogg has been responsible for classic hits ("Who Am I? (What's My Name?)," "Gin and Juice," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Sexual Seduction"), incredible collaborations (with legends like Dr. Dre, Tupac, Mariah Carey and Eminem), amazing feats of cross-promotion (Snoop has endorsed clothes, malt liquor, hot dogs, skateboards and just about everything in between). But as far as we can tell, he has never once spent quality time with a blinged-out seal at an aquarium.

Until now, that is.

Snoop paid a visit to SeaWorld San Diego (following a recent concert in the area) to spend some time with Clyde the Sea Lion. Snoop also interacted with a number of other animals at SeaWorld and also made an appearance with Clyde at the park's Sea Lion and Otter Stadium venue.

"SeaWorld San Diego's Clyde the Sea Lion wanted the rapper to know that he too can bring the bling," a press release from SeaWorld read. "Clyde said he'd be happy to collaborate with Snoop Dogg on one of his future hip-hop songs!" It's unlikely that Clyde will be appearing on any future Snoop Dogg releases, though there's no reason why he couldn't provide some backing barks on a remix of "Gangsta Luv."

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Eminem And Snoop Dogg Recognize Vince 'ShamWow!' Offer's Street Cred

Posted 6/16/10 5:00 pm EST by in Music


On Tuesday (June 15), Eminem unveiled a brand-new viral clip for his upcoming Recovery album that features Vince Offer, the razor-faced pitchman otherwise known as the ShamWow! Guy. It's pretty funny, though it would've been hilarious if it was still 2008.

Still, we can't blame Em for being late to the party. It seems that the entire hip-hop world is just discovering Offer, who had previously achieved a modicum of fame with his abrasive late-night infomercial for the ultra-absorbent ShamWow! (our favorite line: "Made in Germany ... you know the Germans always make good stuff!") but became a stoner god (and a bonafide celebrity) with his over-the-top spot for Slap Chop ("You're gonna love my nuts!"). Shoot, just a few weeks back, Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Offer by working his Slap Chop spiel — "Fettuccini, linguini, martini, bikini" — into his verse on Katy Perry's massive "California Gurls."

And all of this is making us wonder: Is Offer poised to be hip-hop's next big star (or at least its next go-to posse member)? He's already got Em and Snoop in his corner, and there are several compelling reasons why he could make the leap from pitchman to hype man with ease. Here, we've even laid them out for you — and we won't even charge $19.95 (plus shipping and handling) just for reading.

Vince Already Has His Own Remix
And it's actually pretty awesome. In 2009, DJ Steve Porter took Offer's "Slap Chop" infomercial, chopped and screwed it a tad, and the "Slap Chop Rap" was born. Featuring Auto-Tuned vocals, cheesy disco beats and footage lifted from the "Breakin'" films, it has since become the stuff of YouTube lore, having been viewed more than 10 million times.

Vince Is Fearless
In 2004, long before he was a late-night king, Offer was hawking something else: His just-completed debut film, "The Underground Comedy Movie." Read More...

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Lakers Destroy Celtics At Star-Studded NBA Finals Game Six

Posted 6/16/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


Well, that was pretty authoritative. Only two days after falling behind the Boston Celtics three games to two in the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to their home court at the Staples Center on Tuesday night (June 15) and doled out a good old-fashioned ass-kicking. In besting Boston by a score of 89-67 (and really, the game wasn't even as close as that), the Lakers have forced the first Game Seven in the NBA Finals since 2005 (when the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Detroit Pistons in one of the most boring Finals series in history). The absolute last game of this stellar NBA season will take place this Thursday, June 17, once again in Los Angeles.

Since the Lakers attract a celebrity-heavy crowd and Tuesday night's contest was a possible closeout game, the stars were in full effect in the seats at the Staples Center. Sure, Jack Nicholson was there (as he always is) and Josh Brolin was in his usual seat, but there were a number of other stars there to cheer for both sides. Christina Aguilera kicked things off with a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (something she first started doing quite a few years ago), while Snoop Dogg and Diddy watched from the crowd. Elsewhere, Dane Cook and Maria Menounos (both Boston natives) showed up wearing Celtics gear, a lonely spot of green in a sea of yellow and purple. Several members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers were there, including drummer Chad Smith and Flea (who was only a few seats down from First Lady Michelle Obama).

Leonardo DiCaprio? Check. Terrell Owens? In the building. David Arquette? Present. Eli Roth? Yup. But perhaps the greatest sighting was this one.

That's Rick Rubin sandwiched between Lenny Kravitz and Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, all looking fantastically hairy and strange. Also in that picture: A guy who kind of looks alarmingly like Lou Reed, a dude who likely enjoys getting mistaken for Kevin James and fake Piers Morgan. Expect the same sort of star power at Game Seven, which kicks off Thursday night, June 17 at 9 p.m. EST.

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

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