After dominating music in 2012 the Brits reign has crept into the new year. It’s a British family affair with Paul McCartney and Mumford & Sons headlining Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this summer. Hopefully Manchester, TN can handle all that bloody talent at once. Read more…
After lots of speculation and one cruise, the lineup for this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been announced. Blur, the Stone Roses, Phoenix and Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to headline the three-day fest that spans two weekends (April 12-14 and April 19-21) for the second consecutive year, which is very exciting but also a little underwhelming. Don’t get us wrong, the top of the lineup is an interesting combination of legendary acts and artists with upcoming release we can’t wait to hear, but after l2012′s even greater mix of genres closing out each sweltering day, we can’t help but feel this year’s fest is dominated by the WGWGs.
That’s not to say that the second and third (and fourth and fifth) tier acts aren’t fabulous: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, and, oh yeah, Wu-Tang Clan, plus the return of the Postal Service (!) and VH1 favorites like Tegan and Sara, Jessie Ware and our January You Oughta Know artist, Allen Stone. Well done, friends!
Some diehard Wu-Tang Clan fans almost pooped their pants last night. We’re sure of it. At some point last night the legendary group made an announcement on their Facebook page that tens of thousands of hip-hop heads have been waiting to hear for years. “New WU TANG CLAN Album coming soon,” read the update. As of now, 22,924 people “liked” the status, which means a whole lot of people want some new Wu in their life. Wu-Tang forever. Read more…
The clock is winding down for the RZA directed flick The Man with the Iron Fists. The Wu-Tang Clan‘s master producer embraced his obsession with kung-fu, which led to the Quentin Tarantino approved upcoming film that RZA also stars in. For the soundtrack dropping October 23, RZA called on hip-hop vets for the first album that will be released through his new label, Soul Temple Records. All Hip Hop reports acts like Ghostface Killah,Talib Kweli, Method Man, Pusha T and Kanye West have songs on the 16-track soundtrack. And for a touch of soul Corrine Bailey Rae and Res lend their vocals to the male squad. Read more…
Go shorty, it’s your birthday, we gon’ party like it’s your birthday. Not only did 50 Cent drop 5 (Murder By Numbers) for free today, it’s the Queens rapper’s 36th birthday. Nine years ago he rose to massive fame with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ at the age of 27. Along with his crazy story of being shot nine times and his distinctive flow from having his jaw wired shut, 50′s success was also partly due to his ongoing beef with Ja Rule that ultimately ended Ja’s very popular career. Fifty’s war with the Murder Inc. rapper eventually simmered out, but 50 saw an opportunity in beef with his peers–if he was constantly dissing others on wax then he’d remain relevant because people would be listening. Thus began 50′s countless diss records and feuds. It’s only right that we celebrate his birthday by highlighting the top 10 beefs of his career. Happy Beef-day, Fiddy! Read more…
Wu-Tang Clan‘s beat master and resident martial arts aficionado, it was only a matter of time before RZA got a ninja flick of his own. And alas, here we have it! RZA makes his directorial this fall with The Man with the Iron Fists, and if this eye-popping first trailer is any indication, it should be all his kung fu dreams fully realized.
Co-written with Eli Roth and presented by king of the shlock Quentin Tarantino, the film finds RZA and his fellow co-stars (Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu) tangled-up in some sort of bloody adventure in feudal China. This is RZA’s first go behind the camera, but having starred also in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes and with Denzel Washington in American Gangster, he is an old pro when it comes to being on-screen. By the looks of the trailer, he really goes for it with this one, bringing all the blood and high kicks and fancy knives you could dream of.
And better yet is the soundtrack, which is rumored to feature new tracks by Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan, The Black Keys, Wiz Khalifa, and RZA himself — the sort of all-star line-up that could get even a hemophobe excited! Wu-Tang have been sampling kung fu films on their albums for years now, and RZA helped arrange the soundtrack for Tarantino’s Kill Bill. The bar has been set high.
Kanye West, The Black Keys contribute new music to RZA’s The Man With the Iron Fist [CoS] Read more…
Rapper Method Man - whose name is synonymous with all things marijuana – is going to be speaking out on his favorite topic. No big surpise, seeing as the Wu-Tang Clan member has rapped about weed, made movies about getting high, and named an album in honor of days associated with the drug. But after being arrested in May for possession of marijuana – obviously – the rapper will be preaching about the evils of getting high to an audience of fifteen New York City teens as part of his plea bargain.
Method Man – whose name even references a slang term for his fave drug – is apparently “thrilled” to do his part for the community. What we wouldn’t give to be a joint in his pocket fly on the wall for that learning session. [TMZ. Image: Getty]
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