He will be, on the big screen at least. Andre 3000 is set to play Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming biopic All Is By My Side. The film is currently in preproduction in Wicklow Ireland, and the shoot should take around 6 weeks in total. There is no release »»
Even though an Andre 3000 solo album is in the works, he says that Outkast isn't going anywhere. In a recent interview he said: "So I think when I hear things on the Internet that Outkast is over, I think, that's a shame. Because I don't have the pow »»
After facing two felony drug charges, Big Boi has narrowly escaped serving time in jail. He has been sentenced with three months of drug testing, community service, and must give $2000 to charity. This August, a K-9 dog sniffed out drugs the 36 y »»
The title track led the charge, giving us a cathartic feeling of hope that these men and women who sacrificed their lives to try and save others, that their deaths weren’t in vain. This song is so epic, so important and so meaningful even today... well, it’s not coincidence President Obama used it as a campaign song. It’s the number one song of the 21st century, and we’re all the better for it. ... »»
Each of these albums (or songs) from the past ten years, I can listen to right now and be satisfied. Here’s why... »»
At this moment, I'm full of hope—it's oozing out of my pores and I'm expelling it though belches. That's how hopeful I am. ... I tried to narrow down the things that I'm really, really hopeful about, when it comes to music. I got it down to a list... »»
Something momentous happened on Tuesday. It was something that was a long time coming and that I wasn't quite sure that I'd be alive to see. It meant a lot to blacks and whites and even resonated with people in other countries. I mean, this guy has really impacted countless lives. I'm just glad that I'm going to be able to tell my kids where I was when »»
Now that I've calmed down and stopped anticipating my missing issue, it's probably time to critique the batch of albums those folks at EW have deemed "new classics," specifically when it comes to hip-hop. ... »»
The Dirtball - Crook County
Suburban Noize (5/13/08)
Rap rock
Hailfar and bustification, jessup! This here good ol' boy from up in the woods of Oregon state (believe you me, brother, they might be on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon but them Oregonians is country as a chicken coop) what calls himself The Dirtball shore can spit out them rhymes.
This here saltine rapper has the kinda flow that them slow-talkin so-and-so's from Houston can only dream about. Ain't this the kicker, though: I was playin' The Dirtball's new rekkid, Crook County for Ralphie from up the street, and as soon as the beat hit he says to me, "Hell, I know this one. I still play this game on the N64 all the damn time." Ralphie, now, he ain't quite right on account of his daddy used to use him for a toilet when he was a pup, but damned if he didn't get this one dead to rights. This Dirtball feller rhymes better than any cracker got a right to, but the hooks jes' plain ain't there mister.
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Raheem DeVaughn – Love Behind the Melody
Jive Records (01/15/08)
R&B / Neo-Soul
It's really hard to get a handle on the Grammy-nominated talents of the self-professed "R&B hippie neo-soul rockstar", Raheem DeVaughn. Love Behind the Melody is actually his second release, coming about 2½ years after his debut effort, The Love Experience. DeVaughn has worked with some of the most respected talents in the industry and, despite moving a respectable 250,000 units of his first album, this is something of a re-introduction to the masses.
"Woman" is the first single and it's a positive, radio-friendly ode to all the broads out there. The problem with it—and many of the songs here—is that it's a little simplistic, lyrically. Think of it as a decidedly 2008 take on the rudimentary wordplay from two or three soul generations ago.
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