Ghost Like Swayze

Straight gangsta.

Patrick Swayze is entering the rap game? Oh wow:

Swayze recently said he was experimenting with “rap rhythms as an emotional undercurrent for ballads.”

It's been said over and over again, but this time it's for real. Rap is officially mainstream.

Alabama?

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker had a new child recently. The child's name, apparently, is Alabama. As much as we may like Indiana Jones, or as cute as we may find Dakota Fanning (unless she is scaring the bejesus out of Robert DeNiro), the only state names that work as people names are Georgia and Virginia.

*Cue Family Guy reference:*

Junior: Mama, what's wrong with you?
Mama: What's wrong with me? My name is Florida! Florida! That's the name of a state! Why is my name Florida? [Crying] Oh, Lord!
Junior: Dynomite!

Gwen Stefani Is Pregnant

Good for her. In fact, I kinda want to shake Gavin Rossdale's hand for keeping Ms. Stefani out of the studio for some time. I don't really care though (especially after spending 5 minutes trying to make a MILF joke sound tasteful), but because this article cited her age, I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Gwen Stefani is older than Mariah Carey. I mean think about it, Carey debuted back in 1990 and is currently 35 years old. No Doubt's first album didn't drop until 1992, and they didn't blow up until Tragic Kingdom, which came out in 1995, but Gwen is 36. I don't know, maybe it's just a perception thing. Maybe I'm just getting old myself, but wow. You'd at least think that in light of 15 year-long rollercoaster career, Mariah Carey was at at least 40 and that Gwen was just under 30, especially with that teeny bopper garbage she keeps putting out.

Nuthin' But a G(uantanamo) Thang

Apparently Dr. Dre and Eminem music is being used to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

One detainee says he was forced to listen to music from Eminem and Dr. Dre for 20 days.

FACK alone should prompt condemnation from Amnesty International.

Lazy Sunday

I copped this from Okayplayer, but I've been looking for it for a while. "Lazy Sunday" was featured on the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live. One of the better skits I've seen on the show in a while. Enjoy.

My favorite line:
"You can call us Aaron Burr, from the way we're droppin' Hamiltons"

A Great Day In Atlanta

Based on the iconic 1958 photograph, A Great Day In Harlem, showcasing 57 of the day's biggest and greatest jazz musicians off the day on a stoop in Harlem, photographer Amanda Marsalis was commissioned to take a picture of Atlanta's finest hip-hop artists and producers. You can check out a flash version of the picture here. Noticeably absent are Jermain Dupri (despite what the original MTV.com article says), OutKast, Lil' Jon, Big Gipp, and Cee-Lo. Also, what's with the like, seven unknowns? Somebody's cousin showed up to the shoot and they jumped in at the last second?

And speaking of the ATL, have you heard the Dallas Austin produced song commissioned by the City of Atlanta for its new pro-tourism marketing campaign? Well apparently there has been a bit of a backlash.

“If you ask me, rap’s just crap without the C,” explained San Antonio. “When Dallas Austin made ‘The ATL’ into one of them rap songs, he was pretty much tellin’ folks like me that we ain’t no longer welcome in Atlanta no more. It’s too bad, cause my wife was wantin’ to check out that Ikea place.”

What's really funny is that there is no rap in the entire song. I guess a bunch of black people singing over looped drum beats is close enough for this guy. Rednecks make me laugh.

I gag at both versions though. I'm sticking with J.D. and Luda.

Jay Doz Raps from Here to Iraq About Who's Gonna Make Kanye Snap

Well now that Dave has posted his Grammy picks, I guess it's time for me to post mine. Note that bolded selections are who I feel who should win, and that selections in gold (brownish yellow?) are the artists who, well, will be taking home Grammy gold.

Album Of The Year:
The Emancipation Of Mimi — Mariah Carey
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard — Paul McCartney
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. — Gwen Stefani
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb — U2
Late Registration — Kanye West (while I think Ye should win, an O.D.B. moment would certainly be worth sitting through this year's Grammys)

Record of the Year:
We Belong Together — Mariah Carey
Feel Good Inc. — Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams — Green Day
Hollaback Girl — Gwen Stefani
Gold Digger — Kanye West

Song of the Year:
Bless The Broken Road — Rascal Flatts
Devils & Dust — Bruce Springsteen
Ordinary People — John Legend and Will.I.Am of BEP
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own — Bono and U2
We Belong Together — Mariah Carey et al.

Best New Artist:
Ciara
Fall Out Boy
Keane
John Legend
SugarLand

Best Pop Album:
Extraordinary Machine — Fiona Apple
Breakaway — Kelly Clarkson
Wildflower — Sheryl Crow
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard — Paul McCartney
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. — Gwen Stefani

Best Rock Album:
X&Y — Coldplay
In Your Honor — Foo Fighters
A Bigger Bang — The Rolling Stones
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb — U2
Prairie Wind — Neil Young

Best Alternative Rock Album:
Funeral — The Arcade Fire
Guero — Beck
Plans — Death Cab For Cutie
You Could Have It So Much Better — Franz Ferdinand
Get Behind Me Satan — The White Stripes

Best R&B Album
Illumination — Earth, Wind And Fire
Free Yourself — Fantasia
Unplugged — Alicia Keys
Get Lifted — John Legend
A Time To Love — Stevie Wonder

Best Contemporary Album
Touch — Amerie
The Emancipation Of Mimi — Mariah Carey
Destiny Fulfilled — Destiny's Child
Turning Point — Mario
O — Omarion

Best Rap Solo Performance
Testify — Common
Mockingbird — Eminem
Disco Inferno — 50 Cent
Number One Spot — Ludacris
U Don't Know Me — T.I.
Gold Digger — Kanye West

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
Don't Phunk With My Heart — The Black Eyed Peas
The Corner — Common Featuring The Last Poets
Encore — Eminem Featuring Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
Hate It Or Love It — The Game Featuring 50 Cent
Wait (The Whisper Song) — Ying Yang Twins

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
1,2 Step — Ciara Featuring Missy Elliott
They Say — Common Featuring Kanye West & John Legend
Soldier — Destiny's Child Featuring T.I. & Lil Wayne
Numb/Encore — Jay-Z Featuring Linkin Park
Rich Girl — Gwen Stefani Featuring Eve ;=-(O_O)

Best Rap Song:
Candy Shop — 50 Cent
Diamonds From Sierra Leone — Kanye West
Don't Phunk With My Heart — Will.I.Am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap, Fergie
Hate It Or Love It — 50 Cent and The Game
Lose Control — Missy Elliott

Best Rap Album:
Be — Common
The Cookbook — Missy Elliott
Encore — Eminem
The Massacre — 50 Cent
Late Registration — Kanye West

Best Producer (non-classical):
Danger Mouse
• Demon Days (Gorillaz) (A)
Nigel Godrich
• Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (Paul McCartney) (A)
Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis
• Be Blessed (Yolanda Adams) (T)
• Dance With My Father (Celine Dion) (T)
• Harajuku Girls (Gwen Stefani) (T)
• Never Too Much (Mary J. Blige) (T)
• Nobody Cares (Deborah Cox) (T)
• Pure Gold (Earth, Wind And Fire) (T)
• These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (Jessica Simpson) (S)
Steve Lillywhite
• How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (U2) (A)
• Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz) (A)
The Neptunes
• Already Platinum (Slim Thug Featuring Pharrell) (T)
• Hollaback Girl (Gwen Stefani) (T)
• Let's Get Blown (Snoop Dogg) (T)
• On & On (Missy Elliott) (T)
• Say Somethin' (Mariah Carey Featuring Snoop Dogg) (T)
• Touch (Omarion) (T)

And I agree with Dave, how in the world was Kanye West not nominated for Best Producer? Everything he touches is gold. Grammy gold, maybe?

"Black Guys Love Me"

So says Lindsay Lohan, referring to her recent encounters with P. Diddy, Dame Dash, and 50 Cent. And it seems she likes a bit of the sexual chocolate herself (as seen above). The folks at SOHH ponder her appearance at a 50 Cent video shoot:

Her purpose for being there? No one knows.

Maybe she came by to pick up one of these?

Mary J. Blige to Play Nina Simone in Biopic

= ???

It seems that the queen of hip-hop soul is slated to play the high priestess of soul in an upcoming musical biopic (wow, that's a new concept). I don't know how I feel about that. Stylistically and ideologically, I think someone like Erykah Badu would have been a better fit.

And if you've never listened to Nina Simone before, be sure to peep songs like "Backlash Blues," "Four Women" (which was impressively updated by rapper Talib Kweli), "Sunday In Savannah," and "Mr. Bojangles." Her voice is haunting, and I expect to be disappointed by Mary J's tentative performance. Don't get me wrong, I like Mary, but she is no Nina Simone.

Canibus Is Back

Last we heard, Canibus temporarily left the rap game to join the Army, graduating from Ft. Knox back in 2003. Well, it seems that he was discharged for getting caught smoking his namesake, so now he's back. You can read more at SOHH.

The only orders he'll be taking from now on will be from Iron Mike:


Your main objective is to do nothing but eat, eat, eat emcees, for lunch, breakfast, dinner... that's your agenda baby.

Pimp C Is Free

It appears that all that "Free Pimp C" ruckus actually worked, and half of Houston's UGK will be out on parole.

I blame the Ying Yang Twins.

And If You Ain't No Punk...

She gives me money!

According to Access Hollywood and TMZ.com, Lachey reportedly had the papers drawn up by a lawyer before the pair exchanged vows in 2002, when he was the more popular of the celebrity duo. But Simpson allegedly refused to sign the documents.
...
Several publications put the couple's joint worth at around $50 million, and under California law, Lachey would be entitled to half of whatever the couple made after their marriage, unless they reach a settlement.

To paraphrase Kanye West:
If you aint no punk holla We Want Prenupt
WE WANT PRENUPT!, Yeaah
It's something that you need to have
Cause when she he leave yo ass she he gone leave with half

Magic Stick Indeed

50 Cent, having already milked the hell out of his name and G-Unit through clothes, a feature film (I still don't know how it got two thumbs up from Ebert & Roeper), and even a video game, is not content to stop there apparantly. He wants to get into the adult toy industry as well. Says 50:

"I need to make a 50 Cent condom, and a motorised version of me. A motorised version of me will definitely have to be waterproof, so you could utilise it in the tub. A lot of them vibrators aren't waterproof.”

Now I can't get that creepy image out of my head.

School Spirit

Now that the college football season is winding down, I thought I'd share this oldie but goodie.

Some of my favorites include Tulsa/R. Kelly, Kansas State/Master P, and Ole Miss/Jurassic 5.

And yes, this is somewhat of an excuse to gloat over UGA's victory over the Yellow Jackets.

Andre 3000 to Become An Aussie?

Via SOHH:



I blame Erykah Badu.

In other OutKast news, there are conflcting reports about the duo's new project. Some report that the film and soundtrack (which will serve as OutKast's next LP) will be pushed back until 2006. Others report that both projects have been shelved completely. I guess we will have to wait and see.