A$AP Rocky at Public Assembly in February (more by Dylan Johnson)

A$AP Rocky is currently on his arena tour with Rihanna which hits the NYC area on April 28 at Prudential Center and May 4 and 5 at Barclays Center, and after recently scheduling a smaller Highline Ballroom show during it which he quickly cancelled, Rocky has announced another huge tour to go down this summer. It's a co-headlining tour with Wiz Khalifa and support comes from Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era, Rockie Fresh, Trinidad Jame$, B.o.B. and Berner. Smoke DZA opens some dates in select cities (but not the NYC-area dates) too.

That tour, dubbed the "Under the Influence of Music Tour" hits the NYC area for big amiphitheater shows at PNC Bank Arts Center on August 2 in Holmdel, NJ, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 6 in Wantagh, NY and Comcast Theatre on August 8 in Hartford, CT. Those shows happen about a month before A$AP Rocky plays the Jay-Z curated Budweiser Made In America Festival in Philly. Tickets for all shows on the tour go on sale Saturday (4/27) at 10 AM. Citi Cardmember presales start on Tuesday (4/23) at 10 AM and Live Nation presales start Friday (4/26) at 10 AM for the Jones Beach and Comcast Theatre shows. A four-ticket promotional offer for the PNC Bank Arts Center show starts Monday, April 29 at 10 AM.

Meanwhile, Joey Bada$$ just brought his tour with Flatbush Zombies and The Underachievers through NYC for shows at Highline Ballroom (4/18) at Gramercy Theater (4/20), and he also has upcoming dates at The Roots Picnic (6/1) in Philly (tickets) and Hot 97 Summer Jam's Festival Village (6/2) in NJ (tickets). Check out a video of Joey rapping his verse on A$AP Rocky's "1 Train" at yesterday's Gramercy Theater show.

Wiz Khalifa's new live EP with Curren$y is also available on iTunes now.

All dates are listed, along with the tour trailer video, tour flyer, and A$AP Rocky's video for "Fuckin' Problems," below...

Continue reading "A$AP Rocky announces big summer tour w/ Wiz Khalifa, Joey Bada$$, Trinidad Jame$ and more (dates)"

by Andrew Sacher

Though the attention being paid to futuristic R&B has been more prevalent than ever in the past two years, it's also been interesting to look back on the ways the sound did exist in years prior. And even more exciting to see some of those artists making comebacks. Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream was one of last year's better albums, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't tempt me to dust off my copy of FutureSex/LoveSounds. And only a few months after doing that? Boom: The 20/20 Experience. Another thing I went back to last year was Cassie's only album -- her 2006 self titled debut -- specifically it's opening track/huge hit, "Me & U." The thick bass and airy vocals of that track are way more similar to the post-Weeknd world of R&B than I remembered, and it more than holds up.

Cassie had been dropping some singles here and there since her '06 album, but almost seven years later, there was still no sign of another full length release. However, like JT did in March, Cassie ended her lengthy absence last week with the release of her free mixtape, RockaByeBaby. It might be "just a mixtape" (whatever that really means at this point anyway), but RockaByeBaby serves as a worthy followup to Cassie, and as a whole release, it might even be better. The album is stacked with guest appearances (Jeremih, Pusha T, Fabolous, Meek Mill, Too $hort, and others) and the producers are no slackers here either (Mike Will Made It, Young Chop, and more), but it's not over-saturated with guests. Even the verses from some of the weaker rappers (Wiz Khalifa) work pretty well here. And some of the samples used are noticeably big songs (Kendrick Lamar's "m.A.A.d City," Tyga's "Do My Dance"), which can be a turnoff, but she uses them well.

Overall, the thing really feels like an album. Too often with mixtapes I find myself filtering through 20-something songs for the 10 good ones, but RockaByeBaby has no fat to trim. Its 13 tracks (12, not including the intro) clock in at 37 minutes, and they're all strong. The collaboration with Jeremih, "Sound of Love," is an early standout, with both singers bouncing off of each other really nicely. A little surprisingly, Fabolous' guest verse on "I Love It" is actually one of the most memorable moments of the album. And the chorus of "Paradise" (with its "pair of dice" pun) is one you'll find yourself humming after the album ends.

Download RockaByeBaby for free over at DatPiff and stream it in its entirety below...

Continue reading "listen to Cassie's comeback mixtape, 'RockaByeBaby'"

Phoenix at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 4/5/2013 (more by PSquared Photography)

Two days after announcing the existence of the second edition of Jay-Z's of Made in America festival, here comes the initial line-up. Set to go down August 31 - September 1 at Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, look for appearances from Beyonce, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel (who is collaborating with Kendrick), Solange, The Gaslight Anthem (who just announced two huge NYC shows), Phoenix (who just played MHoW and SNL), Drake, 2Chainz and more.

So far no details on ticketing. Full line-up is below...

Continue reading "Made in America fest initial 2013 line-up: Beyonce, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, Kendrick Lamar, Gaslight Anthem + more "

Frank Ocean performing at 2013 Grammys

The 2013 Grammys went down last night (2/10), and here's a quick recap of some of the winners and videos of performances.

The big ones: Gotye took home Record of the Year for "Somebody That I Used To Know" (beating The Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, fun., Frank Ocean, and Taylor Swift), Mumford & Sons won Album of the Year (beating The Black Keys, fun., Frank Ocean, and Jack White), and fun. took Song of the Year and Best New Artist (totally robbing Miguel's "Adorn" and "Call Me Maybe," and Frank Ocean (!), respectively). Other wins included Skrillex for Best Dance Recording (sorry Al Walser), The Black Keys for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album, Gotye for Best Alternative Music Album (beating Fiona Apple, Bjork, M83, and Tom Waits), Usher's "Climax" for Best R&B Performance, Beyonce's "Love On Top" for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Miguel's "Adorn" for Best R&B Song, Frank Ocean for Best Urban Contemporary Album, Robert Glasper Experiment for Best R&B Album, Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Niggas In Paris" for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and their song, "No Church In The Wild" (feat. Frank Ocean and The-Dream) for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Drake's Take Care for Best Rap Album, Dr. John's Dan Auerbach-produced Locked Down for Best Blues Album, Jimmy Cliff's Tim Armstrong-produced Rebirth for Best Reggae Album, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo score for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Bjork's Biophilia for Best Recording Package, The Beach Boys' long-awaited The Smile Sessions for Best Historical Album, Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and Mumford and Sons' "Big Easy Express" for Best Long Form Music Video. There were many other categories too and you can check out the full list of winners HERE.

And of course, during the Awards Ceremony a number of artists gave performances, which you can watch videos of below. You can see Miguel and Wiz Khalifa doing "Adorn," Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z doing "Suit and Tie" and then JT doing "Pusher Love Girl," The Black Keys, Dr. John, and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band doing "Lonely Boy," Jack White doing "Freedom At 21" with his all-guy band (he also played "Love Interruption" with his all-girl band but no video of that at the moment), Frank Ocean doing "Forrest Gump" with a thematically appropriate visual backdrop, a big tribute to Levon Helm with Elton John, Mavis Staples, members of Mumford and Sons, Alabama Shakes, and others, and finally, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Z-Trip, Tom Morello, and Travis Barker doing "Whaddup" with a small piece of Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Til Brooklyn."

Continue reading "Frank Ocean, Miguel, Bjork, Mumford, Black Keys, Jack White & more win & perform at Grammys (videos)"

Check out the entire list of 2013 Grammy Nominations below...

Continue reading "2013 Grammy Nominations announced (full list)"

Obama hugs Bruce Springsteen (pre-election night)

A selection of tweets reacting to Obama's big win last night....

":)" - Grizzly Bear

"YES" - Amanda Palmer

"yeah!!!!" - Laurel Halo

"FUCK YES" - HEALTH

"fuck yeah." - Colin Meloy

"FUCK YEAH AMERICA!!! #OBAMA" - King Tuff

continued below...

Continue reading "Artists react to Obama's win"

by Andrew Sacher

Kendrick Lamar at Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Chase Turner)

Kendrick Lamar is set to release his major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, on October 2 via Interscope/Aftermath/Top Dawg. In an interview with WGCI's 107.5's "The Morning Riot" (via HipHopDX), Kendrick revealed that the album will feature few, if any, guest appearances. So it looks like the extent of Dr. Dre's (who runs Aftermath and was featured on Kendrick's song, "The Recipe") involvement is still up in the air. The album's first single, "Swimming Pools (Drank)," which was produced by T-Minus, recently dropped and you can stream it below.

Kendrick will be supporting the album on a tour this September and October, which hits NYC for a show on September 15 at Terminal 5. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet, but check Ticketmaster for updates. He'll also be in the NYC area even sooner with Schoolboy Q when their tour supporting Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa hits Jones Beach on August 2. Might be worth waiting for the T5 show though...

In other news, after Lady Gaga showed up to watch Kendrick Lamar at Pitchfork Festival, Kendrick told The Source that Gaga is "a real good friend." Don't tell Marilyn Manson.

A list of all dates on Kendrick Lamar's upcoming tour and the "Swimming Pools (Drank)" song stream are below...

Continue reading "Kendrick Lamar readies 'good kid, m.A.A.d. city' (hear a song), touring, playing T5 (dates), is friends w/ Lady Gaga"

by Tim Griffin

Eddie Vedder & Beth Ditto @ Rock Werchter 2012 - 6/29/2012

"Rock Werchter is a Belgian annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, since 1973. It is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe (the other four being Exit, Sziget Festival, the Glastonbury Festival and Roskilde Festival). The 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 festivals received the Arthur award for best festival in the world at the International Live Music Conference (ILMC). It can host 85,000 guests daily, of which 67,000 combine all four days, to add up to a total maximum of 139,000 different attendees." [Wikipedia]

Day two of Belgium festival Rock Werchter kicked off for me with the still-reunited, classic California punk band X playing on the main stage. I stayed for their entire, great set which means I missed Belgium band School is Cool who were playing on the other side of the park. Judging by the bubbles seen on several attendees leaving that stage though, it looked like missed a fun time. Other bands on the second day, of this festival that featured so many big names, included Pearl Jam, Lana Del Rey, Jack White, Deadmau5, The Gossip, Beirut and many others

I couldn't make it to every band on all three stages each day, obviously, but I at least have a good excuse for missing Mastodon: I was getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the fest (many thanks to FIAF and Rock Werchter for the hospitality - and WAFFLES!). They took me behind the fences and gateways, to get a glimpse all that goes on to keep things moving. The scale and logistics were pretty mind-expanding. Some bullets:

• Rock Werchter goes for 4 days at the end on June, but initial setup begins in early May.
• More than 8000 are directly employed by the festival, with thousands more as subcontractors.
• More than 25% of the staff are directly engaged in security and safety of the venue and audience.
• Most staff are sourced locally to ensure direct local benefits from the festival.
• Rock Werchter is practically a small town, with everything but a school system on site (medical services, residences, offices, supply depots, repair stations, food services (including storage and preparation), and even on site garbage sorting and recycling.
• Thousands of large steel road plates are used throughout the facilities to protect the ground from vehicle traffic, and thousands of square meters of field and audience areas are also similarly protected using plastic and wood flooring.

No pictures from backstage, but more from who was playing on the stages, along with Pearl Jam's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Rock Werchter 2012 - day 2 pics (Pearl Jam, Jack White, Gossip, X, Lana Del Rey, Katy B, Kreayshawn, Bat for Lashes, Wiz Khalifa, more)"

We try to keep tabs on various festivals around the world here on BrooklynVegan, many of which you'll eventually see pictures from. Today we focus on Belgium.

Pukkelpop goes down from August 16 - 18. That festival includes The Stone Roses, Bjork, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Refused, Wilco, The Hives, The Shins, The Afghan Whigs, Lykke Li, Hot Chip, Feist, Flying Lotus, tUnE-yArDs, Chromatics, Cloud Nothings, The Tallest Man on Earth, Baroness, Ceremony, A-Trak, Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, and more. The full lineup is listed below. Tickets for the festival are on sale now.

Rock Werchter, which falls a bit more on the mainstream side, happens in Belgium even sooner, running from June 28 - July 1. That lineup includes The Cure, Jack White, X, Mastodon, Garbage, The xx, M83, Metric, Amon Tobin, Skrillex, Perfume Genius, Bat For Lashes, Michael Kiwanuka, Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, Regina Spektor, Florence + the Machine, The Vaccines and more. Tickets for the festival are on sale now sold out.

The full lineups for both Pukkelpop and Rock Wercher are listed below.

Continue reading "full 2012 Pukkelpop & Rock Werchter lineups"

Nas @ Rock the Bells (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

That didn't take long. We just announced the intitial lineup. Check out the almost-full thing below...

Continue reading "Rock the Bells 2012 full lineup (Nas, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, Dipset, Schoolboy Q, Missy Elliot, Wiz Khalifa, much more)"

"If you a real hip-hop head RT!! #RocktheBells2012" - Nas

Turing hip-hop festival Rock the Bells announces:

Boost Mobile in association with Guerilla Union have announced the return of the ROCK THE BELLS 2012 FESTIVAL SERIES powered by BlackBerry. The world-class platform will feature an array of seminal and flourishing artists over an expanded two-day period in four major North American markets, including headliners Kid Cudi, J Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Atmosphere and more, with special guests Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

The only touring hip-hop festival will kick off in San Bernardino, CA on August 19 and 20 at the NOS Events Center. The festival will then make its way to Mountain View, CA on August 25 and 26 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre and will wrap on the east coast in Newark, NJ on September 1 and 2 at PNC Arts Center.

ROCK THE BELLS and non-profit organization Hip Hop and Hope for Haiti have joined forces to shine light on the disaster-stricken country and to provide continued relief efforts; that of which have progressively decelerated.

In addition to what is listed above, Hit Squad is also playing. Full lineups TBA soon (possibly at the launch party happening in California tonight)

UPDATE: Full LINEUP ANNOUNCED.

The list of dates with on-sale dates is below...

Continue reading "Rock the Bells 2012 dates, venues & some artists announced"

"Some musicians just bring marijuana to mind. Willie Nelson has never hidden his taste for it. And in the rap world Wiz Khalifa, the "Black and Yellow" rapper from Pittsburgh, has never been coy in his rhymes about his love of illegal smokes.

So it came as little surprise when the police in Winston-Salem, N.C., gave tickets to Wiz Khalifa and members of his band for possession of marijuana after a concert on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported, the second time in two weeks the rapper has been charged with possessing the drug." [NY Times]

Wiz Khalifa on stage w/ Snoop @ Coachella last weekend

If Wiz Khalifa couldn't play on 4/20, he could at least put tickets on sale on the date. Wiz is headlining Jones Beach (WOAH!) on 8/2. Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar (who also played with Snoop & Dre at Coachella) will open. Tickets on sale at noon

Schoolboy Q (and Danny Brown) also opens for Childish Gambino (who also had Kendrick Lamar (and Danny Brown) as a guest on stage at Coacehlla) at Summerstage and at Celebrate Brooklyn.

Tickets are also on sale at noon for Sigur Ros's Celebrate Brooklyn show.

Tickets are also on sale at noon for M. Ward/Yo La Tengo's Celebrate Brooklyn show. Yo La Tengo played a surprise show at Le Poisson Rouge last night.

Tickets are also on sale at noon for Glassjaw's full album show at Irving Plaza.

Tickets on sale at noon for Bloc Party at Terminal 5 with The Drums who headline Webster Hall this weekend.

Dre & Snoop @ Coachella - Sunday, 4/15/2012

Coachella is over. The Sunday headliner setlist, and a few more pictures (all first seen on the BrooklynVegan Instagram) (more pictures coming later HERE), beow...

Continue reading "Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg @ Coachella setlist & pics (hologram Tupac, Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar & more included)"

by BBG

Wiz Khalifa orders vaporizer balloons on stage (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)

I'm predicting that December 5th at Terminal 5 will be partly cloudy. I seriously can't imagine any other forecast considering the teaming of two of the biggest consumers of the sticky-icky in one place, Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Terminal 5 is one of a few cities selected as part of a round of dates to promote the soundtrack to Mac and Devin Go To High School. The collaborative LP is the companion to the film of the the same name which features Wiz as a valedictorian who is taught the ways of the world by a ladies man (Snoop). I am guessing the film is fictional. The LP drops on 12/13 with the first single "Young, Wild & Free" with Bruno Mars which you can listen to alongside the list of tour dates below.

In related news, Snoop Dogg has also recorded the theme song for new show "Weed Wars", which is about medical marijuana. The series premieres on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 10PM on the Discovery Channel.

And, also below, you can catch up on the latest news in the latest edition of the Double G News Network, hosted by anchor Nemo Hoes. In this edition they discuss Siri on the Apple 4S ("You ask a question, and the bitch comes up and gives you answers"), and ask the all important question "Siri, can I put my meat on your grill".

Continue reading "Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa touring in support of soundtrack"

photos by Dana (Distortion) Yavin & Graeme Flegenheimer

Scissor Sisters

Bootsy

Eminem

BONNAROO 2012 PRE-SALE BEGINS FRIDAY, JUNE 17TH, 2011 AT 12:00 PM EASTERN.

Thanks to all who joined us for the tenth Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival! We had so much fun that we want to give you the opportunity to buy tickets to the 2012 festival!

Starting Friday, June 17 at 12:00 PM Eastern we will offer a limited number of specially priced general admission tickets for $209.50 plus service fees.

These pre-sale tickets will be available in a limited quantity through Friday, July 1, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern or while supplies last.

There is a limit of (10) general admission tickets per order.

Ticket fees are $23.35 per ticket, which includes a $6.00 facility fee, $3.00 contribution to Coffee County, $1.00 charity donation, and service fees.

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 Day 3 in pics (Bootsy Collins, Black Keys, Eminem, Scissor Sisters & more) +++ Bonnaroo 2012 on sale!"

Wiz Khalifa @ Rock The Bells 2010 (more by Eric Townsend)

We're now up to four announced ticketed shows happening at Williamsburg Waterfront this summer. Thievery Corporation are playing the outdoor North Brooklyn space on Friday, June 24th, and tickets go on sale this Friday at noon which is also when Death Cab For Cutie/Frightened Rabbit tickets go on sale. The other two, which are already on sale, are Sonic Youth and Kid Cudi.

Wiz Khalifa, who plays the Roots Picnic on June 4th, and Monmouth University on July 29th, will play Central Park Summerstage on July 25th. Tickets go on presale Thursday at 10am, and then general sale Friday at noon.

Tickets go on AmEx presale today (5/4) at noon for Ratatat's upcoming show at the same Summerstage venue.

It's always confusing that, except from a promoter/series/financial/whatever point of view, "Central Park Summerstage" and "Rumsey Playfield" are actually the same venue even though you have to do two separate searches on Ticketmaster to find all the ticketed shows happening there. Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs are playing two Rumsey Playfield shows this year. The sold out 5/31 one was announced a while ago (with Brandi Carlile and The Secret Sisters opening), and the 9/26 one (with no openers announed yet) goes on presale Thursday at 10am, and then on general sale Friday at 10am.

In related news, Bon Iver's recently announced Prospect Park show is now sold out.

Full press release below...

Continue reading "Roots Picnic 2011 lineup announced"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Raekwon - "Molasses" f. Rick Ross & Ghostface Killah (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pharoahe Monch - "Clap" (MP3)

Lupe Fiasco has sold-out his previously discussed record release party at Webster Hall on March 8th, but the Chi-city MC has added another, and for free. Lupe Fiasco will appear at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 2/27 as part of a free, RSVP-only event at the venue. RSVP is currently open. Lupe's new LP Lasers hits store shelves on March 8th. Stream the new track "All Black Everything" at his site.

If you didn't get tickets for Webster Hall, that means you are free and clear to check out Raekwon at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 3/8 (tickets). The show is a record release party for the Wu-Tang great, as Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang will drop the same day as Lasers (March 8). Raekwon recently dropped a new video for title track and a new song, "Molasses" featuring Ghostface and Rick Ross. Download "Molasses" above or stream it below alongside the new video.

Pharoahe Monch has a new disc on the way, W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), and he'll celebrate that with a March 24th show at SOBs. Ticket info is forthcoming. W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) is due via Duck Down on 3/22 and features "Clap" available for download above and streaming below.

Still not many Diplomats reunion tour dates popping up, but in addition to the NYC & Philly shows previously mentioned, there's now also Chicago, and a March 25th show at Northern Lights in Clifton Park which is on sale. The list of dates is below.

Tickets recently went on sale for a Wiz Khalifa show at Roseland Ballroom. Kid Cudi's total number of sold out Roseland shows is three.

Big Boi and People Under the Stairs are on the lineup of the just-announced Governors Ball Music Festival.

And last but not least, Southpaw has a couple of interesting hip hop shows in the coming weeks including the imperial Rah Digga with Eternia on Thursday (2/24, tickets) and the one and only Big Daddy Kane with Brand Nubian as part of a benefit on March 25th (tickets).

All streams and some video is below.

Continue reading "a free Lupe Fiasco show, Raekwon video, new Pharoahe Monch, updated Diplomats dates & other hip hop news"

Tickets go on sale at noon for the 2nd PJ Harvey show at Terminal 5.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the 3rd Cut Copy show at Terminal 5.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the only Queens of the Stone Age show at Terminal 5.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Atmosphere show at Terminal 5.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Tame Impala/Yuck show at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Twilight Singers show at Webster Hall.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Wye Oak show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets go on sale at noon for the Smith Westerns show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are still on sale for the show Darwin Deez is playing at Bowery Ballroom this weekend.

Wiz Khalifa is playing Roseland Ballroom on Tue, Mar 29. Tickets go on sale at noon.

Tickets go on sale at noon and 1pm for five Steve Martin shows in NYC.

Florence & the Machine tickets go on sale at noon.

John Vanderslice & Damien Jurado tickets go on sale at noon.

TV on the Radio tickets are already on sale.

Drums tickets go on sale at noon.

Bonnaroo (June 9-12 in Manchester Tennessee) has announced the 2011 lineup (slightly early), and like the rumored Lollapalooza lineup, Eminem is among the headliners. Bonnaroo also has Grammy winners Arcade Fire and the Black Keys, in addition to Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, The Decemberists, Florence & the Machine, Girl Talk, Beirut (haven't seen them in a while), and many more. Full list below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2011 lineup is here"

by Ryan Barkan

Super Bowl XLV (45): Dallas Cowboys vs...oh wait....The Green Bay Packers vs the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dallas' brand new, state of the art, big ass stadium. The Packers won, bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to small town America and less sales back to Wiz Khalifa. I wonder if Jerry Jones was faking all of those smiles? Enough of the sports talk. This feature is the return of the long lost "Week In Music Licensing" post.

The real winner tonight - Detroit. A town that has been down on its luck, due for something inspiring to happen. Well here you go. Laura R. Charron tweeted that "#Detroit area agrees that #Chrysler200 had THE BEST commercial." Decide for yourself:

Continue reading "music & commercials of Super Bowl XLV (Eminem, Jon Spencer, Ozzy, Bieber, Bowie, RAC, Kenny G & more)"

Lupe Fiasco is currently in Australia as part of the Big Day Out Festival, touring with names like Iggy Pop, Deftones, Grinderman, and countless others. After returning back to the states, he'll get ready to welcome his new LP Lasers into this world, due on March 8th. The Chicago MC will celebrate the release with a date at Webster Hall the night before it hits the streets and tickets go on sale at noon today (1/28). Lupe recently released the first single from the LP, the Modest Mouse-sampling "The Show Must Go On" via iTunes.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for Rick Ross at Best Buy Theater on March 4th, and fortunately if you can't make that show you can make it out to see him support Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj at Nassau Coliseum on March 27th as part of the I Am Music II tour. Ticket info for that show hasn't been released yet. All dates below.

Those of you who want to see Lil Wayne but might prefer to see him in a much (much) different setting than the third of three hip hop acts (instead with Motley Crue, Waka Flocka Flame, Insane Clown Posse & Bruno Mars?) can catch the recently freed MC at Bamboozle 2011 in New Jersey. Tickets are still available for the festival in multi-day, and single day pass increments.

And lets say, for some godforsaken reason you felt like a double dose of Insane Clown Posse.... that can be arranged. Insane Clown Posse has taken time off of their busy wrestling schedule to shower New York City with Faygo on April 29th at Gramercy Theater. Tickets are still available all of you Juggalos and Juggalettes!

Full Bamboozle lineup and all Lil Wayne tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Lupe Fiasco adds record release show, Rick Ross playing NY before tour w/ Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne (who plays Bamboozle w/ Insane Clown Posse) -- lineups & dates"

by BBG

Ghostface Killah at Rock The Bells (more by Andrew St. Clair)

CMJ is almost here, and as usual hip hop is well represented with appearances from the greats as well as those on the upswing. Ghostdini (aka Ghostface Killah) obviously is one of the former, and he'll headline BB Kings on 10/22 with Sheek Louch (of D-Block), and Frank Dukes. Tickets are on sale, or you can get in with your CMJ badge.

Audible Treats have announced their 2010 showcase at Sullivan Hall in NYC, and once again it's chock full of interesting indie hip hop. Veterans Black Sheep will join Nottz, Diamond District, Big Pooh (ex-Little Brother), Chip Fu (of Fu-Schnickens), Rah Digga, Von Pea, Moe Green, DaVinci, and The Left (Apollo Brown, DJSoko, Journalist103). The show goes down on 10/21 and tickets are on sale.

Von Pea of Tanya Morgan will play two shows at SOBs in the coming months, with the first happening on 9/29 when he supports Pac Div along with STS and Beyond Belief (tickets). Then less than two weeks later, Von Pea will play the venue again with J-Live in tow to celebrate the release of his new record Pea's Gotta Have It. Tickets are on sale.

And while we're on the subject of former members of Little Brother, Foreign Exchange (aka ex-Little Brother member Phonte and producer Nicolay) will play a CMJ how at BB King's on 10/23 with Darien Brockington, Zo! and a live band in tow. Tickets are on sale. Darien Brockington, who also contributes to Foriegn Exchange, will also be at SOBs in the coming weeks as part of a collaborative show with R&B singer Yahzarah on 10/14. Tickets are on sale.

Duck Down will team up with Blacksmith Music (Kweli's label) for the Duck Down vs Blacksmith CMJ Showcase with appearances from Jean Grae, Pete Rock, Strong Arm Steady, Pharoahe Monch, Skyzoo & !llmind, Marco Polo with Torae & Ruste Juxx, Team Facelift and Boot Camp Clik (Sean Price, Buckshot, Smif N Wessun, Heltah Skeltah & 9th Wonder). Sounds amazing. Tickets are on sale for the 10/19 show at LPR.

The Duck Down CMJ show is part of a "15 Year Anniversary" tour for the label. All dates below.

And for those of you planning next week, keep in mind that Talib Kweli will play Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday (9/28) with Res and K-Salaam. Tickets are on sale.

And speaking of Pete Rock, BB King's will host a night curated by the year 1992, as Pete Rock & CL Smooth will team with Brand Nubian and Das EFX for a show at BB King's on 10/20. Tickets are on sale. Pete Rock & CL Smooth reunited at Brooklyn Hip Hop Fest earlier this year.

Eric and Parrish are making more dollars at Knitting Factory on November 19th, as the duo known as EPMD will team up to tear down the joint with D-Money. Tickets are on sale.

Joell Ortiz of recent Slaughterhouse fame will play SOBs on 11/9. Tickets are on sale.

Pittsburgh weed kingpin Wiz Khalifa will play the Best Buy Theater on November 13th as part of a huge US tour dubbed the Waken Baken Tour. Tickets are on sale. All dates below.

Statik Selektah & Termanology's new collaborative LP, 1982, gets an album release party on October 25th at SOBs. Tickets are on sale for the show, which will feature support from REKS & more special guests TBA. Dig on the recent video by 1982 featuring Bun B & Masspike Miles, "You Should Go Home", below.

Some videos and tour dates below...

Continue reading "upcoming hip hop shows & tours -- CMJ, Duck Down & more "

photos by Eric Townsend, words by BBG

"Can't NOBODY FUCK WITH A TRIBE CALLED QUEST LIVE! ROCK THE BELLS NYC WAS MAGIC!" -Carringtonworld

"#np tribe called quest-steve biko(stir it up)....what yall know about #RocktheBells 2010 live from nyc huh? -"NotoriousDIZZ"

"Some of my rap top 10 will be live on stage: slick rick, lauryn hill, wu tang, rakim, krs one, tribe called quest. nYc represent, represent" -LeRoyLive

A Tribe Called Quest on Governors Island Saturday

Linden boulevard represent, represent
Tribe called quest represent, represent
When the mic is in my hand, I'm never hesitant
My favourite jam back in the day was "Eric B. is President"
-[A Tribe Called Quest - "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)"]

More pictures (and video) from the show are HERE and below (, and one more set still on the way)...

Continue reading "Rock the Bells @ Governors Island - pics & video (part 1) (A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, Rakim & more) "