She’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and briefly Marilyn Monroe. Lana Del Rey opens the Born to Die “National Anthem” video singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” And who is Mr. President? A$AP Rocky smokes a cigar while toting a gold grill. In a bit of revisionist history LDR and Rocky are modern day Jackie O and JFK with two adorable kids. As Jackie Kennedy LDR reinvents the First Lady as one born in the generation of bling. Hence, “money is the anthem of success.” Read more…
Music Videos
B.o.B And Taylor Swift Do It For The Underdogs In Their New Video For “Both Of Us”
If you were to take a quick glance at the Billboard Hot 100, you would have no idea that our country is still digging its way out from the biggest pile of economic rubble since the Great Depression. Now, that’s not to say that pop music needs to be anything other than escapist in nature, or that people should be turning to the radio when they feel the need to wallow in depression; after all, that’s what cable news is for! Rather, it’s more to note that most pop-leaning artists (and the labels that support them) have largely turned a blind eye to the recent woes of our country, certainly more so than, say, country-leaning artists have.
Enter B.o.B and Taylor Swift, who collaborated on the song “Both Of Us,” which is the third single of Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr.’s latest LP, Strange Clouds. On an album chock full of supsterstar cameos —shout-out to Morgan Freeman!— this particular pairing on this particular pairing is nothing less than inspired. The song revolves around regular day folk undergoing hardships, like not having enough food in the fridge, or having to make the difficult choice between having their cars repossessed or paying their rent on time, and B.o.B’s hard scrabble rhymes are perfectly accentuated by Taylor’s uplifting lilt on the hook. It’s not exactly what most would describe as a “summer jam,” but truth be told, the way it stands in such contrast to today’s fluffier material is exactly what makes it stand out.
Tamia’s Back With A “Beautiful Surprise”
Tamia is truly one of the most underrated R&B artists out today. We’ve loved the five-octave range soul singer since her debut album in 1998. After a three year hiatus, Tamia is back with her first single, “Beautiful Surprise,” from the upcoming album of the same title. There’s not much going on in the video, not that there needs to be with a voice like Tamia’s. She’s sprawled across the floor solo for the majority of the time as the radiant sunlight beams on her glowing skin. “For you to wake up, holding me/Telling me you loving me/You got my heart on lock,” she belts out. Read more…
A$AP Rocky Is JFK To Lana Del Rey’s Jackie O In “National Anthem” Trailer
What Lana Del Rey says, she means. As promised LDR enlisted rap newcomer A$AP Rocky to play John F. Kennedy to her Jackie O. An odd pairing at first thought, but not when you think about LDR’s artistry, which is completely unconventional. It’s hard to pin down exactly what the Anthony Mandler directed video’s concept is from the trailer, but it so darn intriguing. JFK (Rocky) is gazing at the stage as he’s surrounded by loud applause when Jackie O (LDR) stares back at him. He blows his cigar smoke and flashes of an American flag whiz by in a split second. This brief sequence of events repeats itself for the entirety of the three minute long clip. What could it all mean? Read more…
Slaughterhouse Celebrate The Good Life In “My Life” Video
So, Slaughterhouse’s “My Life” video is awkwardly weird…at first. There, we said it. Yet even with all of its awkwardness it’s lovable. Sure, instead of a six and a half minute video it could have been four. At the start of the video Joell Ortiz is watching Eminem on Rappers Are Richer Than You, a Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous-esque program. Since Eminem doesn’t have a verse on the track we probably could have bypassed the wonky show where Em owns 300 Chrysler 300s, and is chills with T-rex dinosaurs as pets in his mansion. But then we wouldn’t have the classic clip of Em dipping his hands in a white bowl while the narrator says, “By bathing in the tears of other rappers.” That alone is worth the two minute Eminem Show intro. Read more…
Artist Of The Day: Rita Ora Is The Real Deal
The temperature isn’t the only thing heating up this summer. Rita Ora‘s career is clearly about to boil over. The soulful Roc Nation rookie is already hot back home in the U.K. where her Drake-penned single “R.I.P.” reached No. 1. The Tinie Tempah featured record is the second chart-topper for the Kosovo-born, London-raised Rita whose own guest spot on DJ Fresh‘s track “Hot Right Now” landed her atop the UK Top 40 back in February.
Despite capping all the accomplishments of the past four months by opening up for Coldplay’s European tour, 21-year-old Rita is determined to go global. Boss man Jay-Z‘s ringing endorsement plus heavy-hitter collaborations with producers like Will.I.Am, The-Dream, and Stargate to name a few, almost guarantees Rita’s eponymous debut album will officially usher in the Ora era in the States.
It’s “No Lie” That 2 Chainz And Drake In A Video Together Will Get People Hype
What’s going on in 2 Chainz’s “No Lie” video featuring Drake? We haven’t quite figured that out, but we can’t stop watching. Shot in black and white, the camera lens captures the illusion of paint dripping down the wall and the same paint being poured onto a beautiful muse. This has to be the only place where a polygraph test, skateboarding and masquerade masks paired with a wedding dress exists in the same room. Director X is no stranger to creating aesthetically pleasing videos that don’t have meaning that one can easily pinpoint. “No Lies” is beautiful artwork within cinema. Read more…
Katy Perry’s Life Is A Fairy Tale In Her “Wide Awake” Video
Hard to believe, but it’s been two whole years since Katy Perry‘s video for “California Gurls” premiered. During that time, Perry has experienced a number of highs (see: her six #1 songs) and lows (see: her divorce from Russell Brand), so it only makes sense that her new music video for “Wide Awake” starts off where her whole Teenage Dream run began: The video shoot for “California Gurls.”
Our story begins at the end of the “California Gurls” video shoot with the director calling it a wrap, at which time Katy heads back to her dressing room to remove her pink cotton candy colored wig. As she briefly contemplates her own reflection in the mirror — we are to presume that this is one of the few moments in her life where she is truly alone, not flanked by PR flunkies/makeup artists/record label suits/various hangers-on, and therefore free to get a little introspective — she is whisked through the looking glass (so to speak) and transported into a magical realm that blends elements of Snow White, Zach Snyder‘s Sucker Punch, Jim Henson‘s Labyrinth and the Lord Of The Rings. You see, she’s on a quest to find true love, but as you can tell from an exceptionally dramatic crane shot, it’s not going to be easy.
90s R&B And Hip-Hop Make A Come Back “This Time” With Melanie Fiona And J. Cole
It’s like the 90s R&B era all over again in Melanie Fiona’s “This Time,” and we’re loving it. For the traditional rhythm and bluesy record expressing how much better she’d be in the relationship if she had a do-over, she teamed up with Roc Nation rapper J. Cole for what feels like the nostalgic time when R&B and hip-hop collaborations saturated the airwaves. Not to compare Fiona to another artist as she’s rightfully owning her lane, but we couldn’t help but notice the Mary J. Blige “What’s the 411?” similarities. The baseball hat and oversized jacket? Totally a great nod to MJB. Read more…
Jamie-Lynn Spears Sings A Song For Britney In Nashville
Jamie-Lynn Spears looks up to —and looks a whole lot like— her big sister in this video of her performing her a song, “I Look Up To You,” performed last night at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley Bar and Grill. “You can imagine who I wrote it about,” she said, making no secret that it’s Britney she’s singing praise to. “I hope y’all like it a lot.”
“Scared little girl, sitting in a big old world,” she sings. “You’ve outgrown your room, it all happened way too soon. They took away your innocence, we forgot our strong defense.”
And so, for her history of breakdown and near demise, Jamie-Lynn sees a picture of — well, someone who very much needs a kind and nonjudgmental song like this. Jamie-Lynn doesn’t really get to the point of explaining what exactly she looks up to in Britney; rather, she mostly just sounds endlessly understanding, singing, “Whether you’re the sunlight shining down, or you hide behind a cloud, I look up to you.” It’s sweet gesture, even though it’s creepy that she looks so much like a pre-breakdown Britney while doing it. Not to mention, invoking her sister is also probably a helpful way to garner attention for her country singing career to-be.
Jamie-Lynn Spears’ First Country Song Is Probably About Her Sister [PopDust]
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