If there was an important musical moment in the 1970s and ’80s, chances are, Bob Gruen was there. You may not know his name, but you do know his photography. We insist. Picture John Lennon in your mind. Is he wearing a T-shirt that proudly proclaims the name of his American hometown: New York City? Is he staring down the lens on the roof of a Manhattan high-rise? So yeah… You have Bob Gruen to thank for that.
Election Day is finally here! There were seemingly endless months of commentary, satire, parodies and intense arguments with loved ones that made it seem like you were choosing sides for the American Civil War instead of a president. But that’s over, because today We The People cast our ballots for red, blue, green or Honey Boo Boo! Stave off that voting postpartum with five politically charged music videos that celebrate your new-found surge of political empowerment – which, let’s be honest, will go hibernate the next two to four years in some of us.
The Blackeyed Peas – “Where Is The Love”
The 2003 chart-topper crossed B.E.P. over into the pop world and introduced us to Fergie. But The Black Eyed Peas didn’t just milk their new level of fame. They used the popularity of the hit to address global social injustices like war, pollution and intolerance in the music video.
There’s More! Black Eyed Peas, Dixie Chicks, John Lennon after the jump.
We still can’t believe Beastie Boys‘ Adam “MCA” Yauch is gone. He kept his word on never selling out to corporate, though, and even in death he’s honoring that promise. DNA Info reports that MCA’s last will and testament specifically instructed that his image, music and any art he’s created be prohibited from use in advertisement. Considering the number of ads where deceased stars like John Lennon, Kurt Cobain and Louis Armstrong have appeared well past their death, this ban is completely understandable. The rhymes from “Triple Trouble” take on a whole new meaning now. “Cause I’m a specializer, rhyme reviser/Ain’t selling out to advertisers/What you get is what you see/And you won’t see me out there advertising.” Read more…
This weekend, the world welcomed baby Blue Ivy Carter, the offspring of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and possibly the most important baby on earth right now (or ever, who knows?) into its open arms. After months of speculation, second guessing, and red herrings, the baby girl is finally here and now we’ve got a whole new set of questions to deal with. For starters: When are we going to see baby Blue Ivy? Do you think she’s made of gold or magic or sparkles? Does she have super powers? Will she grow up to fulfill Mom and Dad’s musical legacy? And if so, how long do we have to wait to hear the chosen one’s voice on a record?
With all these questions in mind, we tracked down some other famous babies with musician parents, found out how long it took them to get from the womb to the recording studio, and employed the law of averages to try and figure out when we can expect Blue Ivy’s first number one song. According to the following cross section, we’re expecting Blue Ivy to lay down her first album by age 11…
Cee Lo Green rang in the New Year on Saturday night in controversial fashion, stirring up John Lennon fans by changing the words to the late Beatles‘ iconic song, “Imagine.” On stage at Times Square on New Year’s Eve, instead of singing the original, “Imagine there’s no countries / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to kill or die for / And no religion too,” Cee Lo decided to change the last stanza to, “And all religion’s true.” Not only did Cee Lo take it upon himself to essentially change the whole meaning of the song — which envisages a world without any borders, including race, sex and religion, that relies on common humanity to bind people — he also did so wearing a lavish fur coat and sunglasses, which only added to the vitriol Cee Lo received.
Fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration; @ElayneBoosler Tweeted, “If Cee Lo Green is going to sing ‘nothing 2 kill or die 4′, he shouldn’t b wearing FUR when he does. Shallow asshat. #tailsofjoy,” while @Ash_Brew wrote, “John Lennon is turning over in his grave as Cee Lo Green butchers ‘Imagine’ in Times Square,” and @Franky_1189 said, “Thanks Cee Lo Green, you just destroyed an amazing song and ended 2011 on a horrible note. Literally. #imagine.” Cee Lo allegedly Tweeted an apology, “Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world were u could believe what u wanted that’s all,” however the remorseful Tweet appears to have been since taken down and replaced with a simple “Happy new year everyone!!!!!!”
Yesterday, we brought you the first installment of our two-part VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20, reflecting on A Tribe Called Quest?s ground-breaking second album, The Low End Theory. After assembling all four group-members in a joint-interview for the first time in almost fourteen years, we were able to share exclusive stories from their recording sessions at Battery Studios and, with help from hip hop expert Sway, cultural critic extraordinaire Nelson George, and international journalist Boss Lady, lauded the album’s effortless ability to resonate with the masses. In today?s Part II, we delve further into The Low End Theory?s sonic framework, the roles of MC Phife Dawg and Q-Tip, and come full circle to set the group?s highly-speculated relationship issues straight.
THE HIP HOP BEATLES
?Coming off the first album, the question was ?well, what does HE do??? recalls Phife, hyper-aware of what listeners thought of his seemingly-small contribution on the group?s debut project. Often referred to as his lyrical coming out party, The Low End Theory truly did give Phife the platform to hunker down and fully transition from (what Jarobi would describe as) being ?young and crazy? to a focused, rhyme-writing, studio-attending MC. His high-pitched, witty lyrics complimented Q-Tip?s smooth vocal delivery, and Phife wound up on 9 of the album?s 14 tracks, a drastic and well-deserved upgrade from the four he appeared on with People?s Instinctive Travels?.
There’s more! Follow along to read the conclusion of VH1 Album-Versaries: The Low End Theory at 20.
VH1 Presents Mixtape Festival: Train, NKOTB, TLC, The Script + more! Tickets on sale now at MixtapeFestival.com!
