rap music

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'French Eminem' Ignites Censorship Fight

Canceled concerts fuel national censorship debate

(Newser) - A rapper slammed for backing violence against women has sparked a censorship debate that’s reached the upper levels of France’s government, the BBC reports. OrelSan, the “French Eminem,” was dropped from a music festival after former presidential candidate Segolene Royal warned she might pull public funding....

Once-Homeless Rapper Now on Mercury Shortlist

Speech Debelle has been compared to Lauryn Hill, Tracy Chapman

(Newser) - A rapper who spent four years homeless in London is one of five female artists on the shortlist for Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize, the Independent reports. Speech Debelle, kicked out of her house at 19, spent time in hostels and other drug-infested stops on the wrong side of London's...

Third Time's a Charm for Jay-Z, Rap's Cash King

Mogul discusses business, music as release approaches

(Newser) - As he comes full circle with the Sept. 11 release of The Blueprint 3, exactly 8 years after the original Blueprint, Jay-Z discusses his journey from the projects of Brooklyn to the top of Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash King list with Billboard. “We—Usher, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, myself—are becoming...

Foreign Policy 101: Jay-Z's Feud With The Game
Foreign Policy 101:
 Jay-Z's Feud With The Game
OPINION
Jul 14, 2009 10:41 AM CDT

Foreign Policy 101: Jay-Z's Feud With The Game

(Newser) - What does the burgeoning beef between rappers Jay-Z and The Game have in common with US foreign policy? Plenty, writes Marc Lynch in Foreign Policy. Like America, Jay-Z is a hegemon: “Nobody, but nobody, in the hip-hop world has his combination of hard power and soft power.” But...

Drake Album 'Compulsively Listenable'
 Drake Album 
 'Compulsively 
 Listenable' 
MUSIC REVIEW
Jun 29, 2009 5:20 PM CDT

Drake Album 'Compulsively Listenable'

Lyrics, though awkward, manage not to be petulant

(Newser) - Somehow, rapper Drake recorded an album concerned mostly with “the stresses and travails of fame, even if he recorded the damn thing when he wasn’t famous in any meaningful way”—and then became famous thanks to said album, writes Tom Breihan for Pitchfork. Though he’s “...

Buzz Aldrin Raps With Snoop Dogg

Astronaut pairs with unlikely collaborators to benefit charity

(Newser) - What’s next for a man who’s walked on the moon? For 79-year-old astronaut Buzz Aldrin, it’s recording a rap song, USA Today reports. “I'm not too good at carrying a tune, but I do have rhythm,” says Aldrin, who collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy,...

Drake Is Next LL Cool J: Jamie Foxx

(Newser) - Drake is not only dating Rihanna and prepping to sign with a new label for his debut album in the next few days. The Canadian-born singer is also winning support from the likes of 50 Cent and Jamie Foxx, MTV and Sohh.com report. "He can go as gangster...

Black Music Month Still Matters
 Black Music Month Still Matters 
OPINION
Jun 18, 2009 2:29 PM CDT

Black Music Month Still Matters

Young musicians' education is priceless

(Newser) - Black Music Month, also known as June, used to celebrate visionaries like Duke Ellington and Billie Holliday. “In an age in which Auto-Tune and ringtone hits dominate, should we even be celebrating Black Music Month?” asks Erin Evans in The Root. “The answer, of course, is yes.”...

Hip-Hop Busts Out in China
 Hip-Hop Busts Out in China 
Jun 2, 2009 1:30 PM CDT

Hip-Hop Busts Out in China

Youths find freedom through rap

(Newser) - You might not expect to hear freestyle rapping in Mandarin, but that sound is growing in China as youths grab hold of the outlet hip-hop offers, Time reports. “This music is free and creative. We can say what we want,” says one rapper. “There are no restrictions....

Tone Loc OK After Collapsing Onstage

'80s rap superstar rushed to Fla. hospital

(Newser) - Tone Loc is on the mend after collapsing during a concert early this morning in Pensacola Beach, Fla., the News Journal reports. The 1980s rapper, 43, fell victim to the heat and the stress of a 12-hour journey from California, his manager said. The mastermind of megahits Funky Cold Medina...

Lil Wayne Pupil Drake Thrills in NYC
 Lil Wayne 
 Pupil Drake 
 Thrills in NYC 
Concert Review
May 28, 2009 10:53 AM CDT

Lil Wayne Pupil Drake Thrills in NYC

Kanye, record execs come to hear buzzed-about rapper

(Newser) - Child-actor-turned-rapper Drake had fans and luminaries like Kanye West enthralled at a small New York show Tuesday, where the as-yet-unsigned artist tried to live up to the buzz.
  • “Drake's greatest gift is his ability to translate his love of rap's many styles into his own music,” Chris Ryan
...

Producer Kanye: New Jay-Z Album 'Anti-Auto-Tune'

(Newser) - Kanye West says Jay-Z’s new album, Blueprint 3, will not feature the Auto-Tune effects West himself has relied on in the past, MTV reports. “We actually removed all the songs with Auto-Tune off of his album to make the point that this is an anti-Auto-Tune album,” said...

Eminem's Relapse Tops Charts
 Eminem's Relapse Tops Charts 
May 27, 2009 1:19 PM CDT

Eminem's Relapse Tops Charts

New album pushes Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown to no. 2

(Newser) - Eminem's new album Relapse has sold more copies in its first week of release than any other album this year. The Detroit rapper's first album in nearly five years sold 608,000 copies and is his fifth straight No. 1 album. His last disc, 2004's Encore, sold 711,000 in...

Fans Cheer TI at 'Bye Bash' Before Prison

48 hours before prison, Atlanta rapper sells out arena

(Newser) - TI returned to his native Atlanta to play a sold out "Goodbye Bash" last night, just two days before he reports to a federal prison for a weapons conviction. Many of his fans expressed support for the convicted rapper, whom they described as a role model, reports the Atlanta ...

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam
 Jay-Z 
 Leaves 
 Def Jam 
May 21, 2009 3:53 PM CDT

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam

(Newser) - Jay-Z confirmed to RapRadar today that he has left Def Jam Records after more than a decade. The news follows an unconfirmed report on HitsDailyDouble that the rapper bought out his contract for $5 million. Jay-Z, 39, owed Def Jam one more album, but he was eager to move on...

'Great White' Pratt Releases Rap Single

The only thing truly historic is how bad the lyrics are

(Newser) - Spencer Pratt is a celebrity, and he wants the world to know it. The Hills “actor” and newly minted “rapper” released his first single, aptly titled “I’m a Celebrity,” last week. Pratt—aka “The Great White”—dubbed himself “a part of music...

Jersey Gang Lawyer Charged in Witness Murder

(Newser) - A flamboyant, high-profile New Jersey gang lawyer has been charged with murder for his role in the death of a key witness against his clients, according to law enforcement authorities. Former prosecutor Paul Bergrin, 53, is accused of leaking the name of a confidential witness to gang members who shot...

Fans High on Eminem's 1st Sober Show

Rapper excited to play show he'll remember later

(Newser) - Some 2000 lucky Eminem fans got to see a rarity last night: a mini-concert in which the rapper was sober, MTV reports. “This might actually be one of the best shows I’ve ever done, ‘cause when I get offstage, I’m actually going to remember it,”...

On Relapse, Eminem Still Nasty, Still Genius

(Newser) - Eminem’s new album, Relapse, is as crude as you might expect, but his unflinching examination of his drug addiction has floored some critics. Overall, people love it or hate it.
  • "The power of Relapse comes from Em aiming his beat-downs at his truest target, himself," Rob Sheffield
...

Hills' Pratt on Rap Bona Fides: 'I'm the White Jay-Z'

(Newser) - The Hills’ Spencer Pratt has designs on the rap genre, MTV reports. “I’ve always known that I secretly am the hottest rapper in the game,” said the exceedingly white reality star, who plans to record an album on the heels of his single, I’m a Celebrity....

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