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DJ Premier Banned Justin Bieber from the 2011 BET Cypher
DJ Premier, the man behind the turntables who made a name for himself as the production half of the critically-acclaimed Gang Starr, announced on air today that he banned Bieber from participating in the cypher. Breaking down the process for joining the cypher, Preemo said, “They’ll give me the list [of artists]. We have arguments upon arguments. Shout to [President of Music Programming and Specials] Stephen Hill. Shout to [BET producer-writer] Jesse Collins. Believe me, we be arguing over who should be on it and all of that. Lots of big fights over the phone.”
He then went on to talk about Bieber’s request to join, stating, “I was like, ‘Yo, as long as he got a dope rhyme, let him spit.’ But then we heard, ‘Oh, he wants Luda to write his rhyme.’ I was like, ‘Oh no, no, no, no. If you ain’t writing your own rhyme, you can’t do it.’ So Justin, you gotta take a backseat. Write your own rhymes, honey. You gotta call him honey on that one.”
Maybe next year, Shawty Mayne.
[You can listen to a recording of Premier’s talk over at Rap Radar. If you missed the cyphers, you can watch all of them right here.]
Listen: Coldplay – “Princess of China (feat. Rihanna)”
There’s no doubt in my mind that “Princess of China” will wind up all over the radio. But hey, look on the bright side; at least you’ll know all the words when Coldplay’s next stadium tour rolls by!
Listen: The Roots – “Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)”
“Make My” enlists the help of fellow Def Jam emcee Big K.R.I.T., who spits the first verse on the track before being followed by Black Thought. Mellow, rock-infused production by frequent collaborator Khari Mateen and The Roots themselves rounds out the song, which will be available for purchase on iTunes starting November 1st. Check out the album’s tracklisting after the break.
(Via Okayplayer)
MiaoMix Monday #4 [Folk]
This week for MiaoMix Monday I put together a playlist made up of folk songs. This mix consists of contemporary folk music like fuzz folk or folk rock. I’m not the biggest expert on folk music, but it makes me feel a lot more calm when I listen to it and these are some of my personal favorites. Some of you will probably recognize some of the artists here, such as Neutral Milk Hotel or The Tallest Man on Earth, but hopefully some of you will find your new favorite band.
Fleet Foxes – “He Doesn’t Know Why”
Brett Dennen – “Ain’t No Reason”
The Tallest Man On Earth – “I Won’t Be Found”
S. Carey – “In The Dirt”
Dan Mangan – “About as Helpful as You can be Without Being Any Help at All”
M. Ward – “For Beginners”
Horse Feathers – “Curs in the Weeds”
Gold Leaves – “The Ornament”
Neutral Milk Hotel – “In the Aeroplane over the Sea”
The Wonder Years B-Side
The Wonder Years just released a brand new b-side for Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing (check out Frank’s review for the album here). This acoustic cut is titled “Living Room Song” and was made available exclusively to those that purchased the Japanese version of the album. Check out the song below.
Interview: Phil The Thrill
Check out my full interview with Phil below.
Hey Phil, what’s up? How’s it going?
Phil The Thrill: Good, good, good.
I’ve just been reading about Steve Jobs. Man, that’s terrible.
Phil The Thrill: Crazy, crazy. I mean, they knew it was gonna happen eventually, but it was just all of a sudden it seems like.
Yeah… ah, the man’s a genius. So I hear you’re 22 years old and from Newport News, Virginia, is that correct?
Phil The Thrill: Yessir.
Actually, where have I heard of that place from? Is that…Michael Vick’s hometown?
Phil The Thrill: Yeah, yeah. Michael Vick, Allen Iverson.
Oh, okay. How’s the music scene there?
Phil The Thrill: It’s… pretty scattered. This area is known as Hampton Roads, the 757. I’m not sure how familiar you are with this part of Virginia but Missy‘s from here, Timbaland‘s from here, Pharrell‘s from here,The Clipse are from here. So yeah, we have a pretty crazy rich tradition as far as music goes. It just seems like they’ll move away and you know, it’s hard to really get them back to reach out to artists that are coming up now. But as far as tradition goes, we’re definitely on the map when it comes to music, period. And then 45 minutes up the road is where Trey Songz and Chris Brown are from.
Man, that’s nice.
Phil The Thrill: Yeah, man, it’s crazy.
So where did your rapper name, Phil The Thrill, originate?
Phil The Thrill: It’s actually been a name that’s stuck with me. It’s actually been my nickname since I was around twelve years old. I was an athlete playing basketball and football and you know, when little nicknames happen to you when you’re a kid… they’d just be like “Oh, Phil The Thrill!” It sticks and through high school, when everyone would have AIM screennames, I was like lemme use my nickname. It stuck with me then and when I went on to play college basketball, it stuck with me there. So it became my Twitter name and once it sticks, I’m not going to try to change that just because I’m doing music. It’s my nickname and what people know me as. (more…)
Mixtape: Mac Miller – I Love Life, Thank You
The new mixtape is Mac’s sixth mixtape, following But My Mackin’ Ain’t Easy, The Jukebox: Prelude to Class Clown, The High Life, K.I.D.S., and Best Day Ever.
DOWNLOAD: Mediafire (85.76 MB)
Mac’s debut album, Blue Slide Park, will be released on November 8, 2011 via Rostrum Records. So far, two tracks from the album have already been released: “Frick Park Market” and “Smile Back”, both songs that are very similar in style to Mac’s previous work. With his relationship to fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, Mac’s freshman debut should provide a number of fun songs that will do well on the charts.
Listen: The Fray – “Heatbeat”
Now, they’re back and ready to release their third album, Scars and Stories, on February 7, 2012 via Epic Records. To start things off, the band has released a brand new single titled “Heartbeat”, premiering the new song while opening for rock legends U2. Frontman Isaac Slade’s easily recognized falsetto anchors the soaring chorus of the song, which is now available for purchase on iTunes and can be listened (but not downloaded) directly below.
Video: 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Rap Cyphers
The best part of the yearly BET Hip Hop Awards can now be enjoyed in its entirety online. Rapping over beats spun by DJ Premier, some of the hottest MCs in the game right now freestyle to show off their lyrical prowess. This year, we were treated to rhymes from Eminem‘s Shady Records family, Rick Ross‘s Maybach Music Group, and newcomers such as Compton’s talented Kendrick Lamar, Philadelphia up-and-comer Gilbere Forte, Southern king Big K.R.I.T., and many more.
All the cypher videos can be watched below. If you’re low on time, make sure to check out the Shady 2.0 cypher directly below. Primo, drop that beat!
The Black Keys’ New Album
01. Lonely Boy
02. Dead and Gone
03. Gold on the Ceiling
04. Little Black Submarines
05. Money Maker
06. Run Right Back
07. Sister
08. Hell of a Season
09. Stop Stop
10. Nova Baby
11. Mind Eraser
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