Never let it be said that Busta Rhymes doesn’t move with the times. As well as being the first release from his forthcoming album ‘E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event) 2: End of the World’, ‘Why Stop Now’ sees Busta hitching his wagon to Google Music, the search engine giant’s would-be iTunes killer. Both the single and the soon to be unleashed album will be distributed exclusively via Google’s recently launched online service, which aims to be a more artist-centric alternative to Apple’s all-conquering offering.
“This isn’t just for music, this is for the world. It’s a statement,” Busta told CNET of his decision to hook up with Google. “And being part of something like that is a milestone, and a turning point for me in my career. It says so much in so many different dynamics. I’m so proud of this alliance and this union and just being a part of the most powerful search engine in existence, and the fact that they are making such a conscious effort to provide and facilitate a platform for artists that gives us the empowerment and the strength for being that much more independently driven. It just really does a lot for the faith of the future of the music, not just creatively, but professionally.”
But enough about Busta Rhymes: Internet Pioneer, what’s the track like? Despite the presence of Chris Brown, this is very much the Busta show. He drops some dizzyingly dextrous verses over a starkly minimal Sak Pase production that combines humming bass with finger-snap percussion. After decades in the business it’s clear that Busta hasn’t lost his flow and it’s hard to imagine any other MC matching him word for word. All in all, it’s an encouraging sign for the forthcoming album, his first since 2009, regardless of how he chooses to release it.
Just last year, The Guardian posed the question: ‘Is Skrillex the most hated man in dubstep?’ This apparent distaste for the artist otherwise known as Sonny Moore seems to spring from a combination of his success and his lack of underground bona fides. The former lead singer of the decidedly un-dubstep flavoured From First To Last, Skrillex definitely comes from a very different place than most of his knob-twiddling peers. Case in point, he recently popped up on ‘The Path Of Totality’, the latest album from (old) nu-metallers Korn. While that makes a certain amount of sense considering his rock background, ‘Breakin’ a Sweat’ is a further indication that Skrillex is thoroughly unconcerned with satisfying the narrow expectations of dubstep genre-Nazis.
On paper, a collaboration with venerable ex-Doors men Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek ought to be as ill-advised as Lou Reed’s bewildering recent team up with Metallica. In practice, it works out surprisingly well.
Existing fans of Skrillex shouldn’t be too concerned. Apart from some twirling Doors-y keyboards and a few lyrical callbacks to his conspirators’ earlier work, this is very much business as usual. Rubbery bass, hard-hitting beats and whooshing synths – the key ingredients that have contributed to Skrillex’s rapid rise – are all in effect. It’s big, brash and precision-tooled for the stadiums that are quickly becoming the man’s natural habitat.
It’s unlikely the Skrillex’s latest track will do much to appease the scenesters, but you have to admire its audacity. The purists may quibble, but seeing as Skrillex plays to more people in a single night than many of his griping contemporaries manage in a year, it’s hard to imagine he’s all that bothered.
The biggest boss in Hip-Hop has started 2012 ablaze with the release of a new mixtape – Rich Forever. Almost 20 tracks of new material featuring production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League to Lex Lugar and vocals from Diddy through to Nas. The first track to receive video treatment is ‘Stay Schemin’ which includes raps from Drake and French Montana. The melodic, slow moving track produced by The Beat Bully features a colourless hook sung by French Montana. The record seems accustomed to Drake with similar sounds and a format that wouldn’t feel out of place on his previous album ‘Take Care’. The Canadian excels on his verses while Rozay adds classic adlibs and the signature husky voice to the chorus. Years of mixtapes and spending time working on the underground scene, French Montana is starting to become a popular feature artist at the moment. Having released a mixtape in late 2011 with Waka Flocka, Montana is on his way to reaching the same commercial success as his peers.
Ross, who suffered two seizures in quick succession in October 2011, is working on his next album ‘God Forgives, I Don’t’. The album was set for a release in December last year but has been pushed back until early 2012. The ‘Rich Forever’ mixtape, serving as a warm up for fans, is following the similar strategy that Lil Wayne executed last year before his release of ‘Carter IV’ by reaching over half a million downloads already on Datpiff.com. The generosity of a free mixtape seems to work in favour of a forthcoming album in terms of publicity, in terms of quality however, we will have to see. Rich Forever is available to download for free here.
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Share the soundtrack of your day with friends
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It’s your music, so switch to a music player that lets you do more. Download Shazam Player for free on the App Store and try it out for yourself!
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Mötley Crüe/Def Leppard/Steel Panther Wembley Stadium December 14th 2011
Last month we headed to London’s Wembley Stadium, for an extremely large slice of all out rock and roll, served just the way we like it.
In a bill that brought together – for the first time on one touring bill – the legendary Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe; not discounting Steel Panther who opened the show. With their tongue in cheek lyrics and over the top outfits, the Steel Panther boys certainly know how to put on a show. And most importantly, they have enough catchy tunes to ensure they deserve their place amongst tonights heavyweights.
While the headline duties were taken by Def Leppard, this was arguably due to them having a home advantage. And what can you say? This band have been filling stadiums for decades and will surely continue. With a setlist that lent heavy on their 1987 classic ‘Hysteria’, the band tore through ‘Rocket’, ‘Animal’ and a pre-encore airing of ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’.
However, in our humble opinion, the gigs standout performance came from Mötley Crüe. This isn’t a band that are used to opening for others, which seemed to spur the dysfunctional rockers on. Backed by amazing visuals and fire blasts, the Crüe tore through a set littered with their greatest hits. If Satan had a guitarist, it would almost certainly be Mick Mars; who seemed to channel the power of Beelzebub as he shredded out ‘Saints Of Los Angeles’, ‘Shout At The Devil’ and ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’.
We can’t go without mentioning Tommy Lee’s jaw dropping 360 Drum Ride. Which can only be described as part drum lesson, part roller coaster. It sees the drummer perform a beat perfect drum solo, whilst being transported 360 degrees. Check out the video below for a brief demo, however this is nothing to seeing it in the flesh. Especially for one lucky member of the crowd, who Lee picked out to join him for the ride.
Dizzee Rascal has seen in 2012 with the release of a new free mixtape. Titled Dirteetv.com, it shares its name with Dizzee’s new online video channel and features a host of guest appearances from the UK scene.
Among the names lining up to lend support are Kano, Newham Generals, Scufizzer and Example. Even UK hip hop DJ and Ali G inspiration Tim Westwood pops up with a few audio drops. Produced by Dizzee’s Dirtee Stank team, the mixtape is the first release from Mr Rascal since his decision to take a break from music last year.
As to what direction Dizzee will be taking on his comeback proper, it’s anyone’s guess. Speaking to Radio 1 he said that he had no intention of moving away from the charts and back to his underground roots. “I think some people think that I was pressured into it but it was my choice,” he said. “I like making big pop records. It was something I wanted to try my hand at. When I did ‘Dance Wiv Me’, ‘Bonkers’ and ‘Holiday’ it was all experimental, that was all I wanted to do, and it’s worked, so I don’t see any reason not to do it.”
For his comeback, the experimentation could be going in a very different direction. Dizzee has reportedly been collaborating with Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden and has spoken of his desire to work with Foo Fighters frontman and ‘Nicest Man in Rockä) Dave Grohl. If Dizzee is taking the rap-rock route, let’s hope the results are more Run DMC meets Aerosmith than Ja Rule meets Metallica.
