April 25, 2024

Review Category : TMZ Music News

Common And Lil Herb Tell The Truth About Chicago On ‘The Neighborhood’

by 1 min ago

Common is setting out to paint a picture of what life’s like for a young black kid in his native Chicago with his upcoming album, Nobody Smiling, and his newest release from the project does just that.

“The Neighborhood,” which dropped on Thursday (July 17), opens with James Fauntleroy singing a capella: “A thousand lives ago, we were young and we didn’t know we were trading our crowns for our souls.”

After 30 seconds of the crooner’s soothing voice describing a dark picture, the No I.D.-produced beat for the track drops, and Com launches into his first verse. “The hustlers was the tastemakers and trendsetters/ They the ones that fed us, hoping that the Feds don’t get us/ The era of Reagan and terror of Bush,” he raps at one point.

The song’s second verse is delivered by Lil Herb, A generation removed from the veteran rapper, but a fellow Chi-town native, he weaves similar tales: “Ain’t nobody stop the violence, why everybody keep lyin’/ N—as throw up peace signs, but everybody keep dying,” the up-and-comer laments.

Also on Thursday, Com dropped a teaser for the video for “Diamonds,” featuring Big Sean.

Nobody Smiling is set to hit stores on July 22.

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Check Out This Footage Of A 19-Year-Old Kanye West Rapping

by 36 mins ago

Throwback Thursdays don’t get much better than this.

Complex, by way of DJ Eclipse, got a hold of some footage of a 19-year-old Kanye West rapping at the 1996 grand opening of a new location of legendary New York City record store Fat Beats.

Looking a little younger and thinner — naturally — Yeezy showed promise and glimpses of what was to come. “Tryna flex the technique, you get blasted with a TEC/ That sh– is mad ironic like Alanis Morissette,” he rapped.

Check out a description of that memorable day from Eclipse, who was the store’s general manager:

The original location of Fat Beats launched on July 14, 1994 which means FB just turned 20 years old! Business was doing so well 2 years in that Joseph Abajian decided to move the store from it’s small 9th St. basement space into a 2nd floor location on 6th Avenue. August 1996 (day?) was the grand opening of the 406 6th Avenue location. It was also the beginnings of our independent movement which had recently started bubbling about a year before.

Yesterday I started converting old Hi8 video tapes to DVD and came across some interesting footage from that day. Now we had a lot of the usual suspects in the place that day such as ILL BILL, Arsonists, Lord Finesse, Adagio, Breeze Brewin, A.L. Skills, Percee P, J-Live, Mr. Live, Chino XL, Al Tariq, Black Attack, Xzibit, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Rawcotiks, Ak Skills, Rob Swift, Roc Raida, DJ Spinna and ...

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Want To Win The Next World Cup? Have A Ton Of Sex, Says A Doctor

by 37 mins ago

“Women weaken legs!” said boxing manager Mickey Goldmill in the original “Rocky.” And that single line has influenced generations of horny athletes since 1976.

But the advice to repress all sexual desire — and channel that energy towards a sport instead — may actually be as bad as it feels. All four 2014 World Cup teams that enforced sex bans were eliminated early (and only Chile made it to the quarterfinals).

Abstaining just doesn’t lead to winning, so we spoke with Dr. Michael Sachs, a consultant for the Association For Applied Sports Psychology, to learn why this myth is a myth.

Sex Can Help You Focus

Maybe Russia’s goalkeeper would’ve had an easier time with that laser pointer if his team hadn’t banned hooking up. “For somebody that’s used to having regular sexual relationships with regular means, to be asked to abstain could inhibit one’s ability to perform,” Sachs said, “because you’re physically changing the rules and psychologically doing something distracting.”

In other words, if you’re getting lucky regularly, the night before a game is no time to shut that down. Suddenly going celibate messes with your head and ruins your concentration. “If part of your regular routine is having sex and it’s part of your lifestyle,” Sachs told us, “then that might be physically and psychologically positive in terms of training and preparing for competition.”

The flip side? The night before a game is also no time to break a dry spell for the exact same reason. ...

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Is Punk Dead? Probably, Because Etsy Is Selling A Punk Rock Starter Kit

by 11 mins ago

There’s nothing punks hate more than inauthenticity. People that don’t fully buy-in to the punk ethos, or who don’t follow specific punk rules are immediately shunned as #posers by true punks. But now, even posers can blend in and rage against the machine with these handmade items!

Seriously, when punks get a load of this Punk Starter Kit on Etsy, they’re probably going to have a cow. A punk cow. With a studded bracelet. It’s basically the opposite of everything the punk lifestyle stands for—including the fact that it’s on the notoriously cutesy, girly site Etsy.

Here’s an excerpt from the post on Etsy:
“Did you recently see some punks at the mall, thought they looked sick and want to join the freak show?”

Is “freak show” really the appropriate label to use as a marketing tool here?

The post continues:
“Well now you can with the kit that has everything you need for the other punks to stop calling you a poser.”

Yes, because clothes, patches and spikes are all it takes to transform from a suburban Spice Girls stan into an avid Sex Pistols fan.

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Here’s verbatim what the kit includes:
- Bootstrap studded with small (your’re just starting out) 77 cone studs
-Bondage belt
-Studded bracelet with bondage wring
-Studded wristband
-Totalitar and Varukers patches
-Mystery goody!

Oooooh wonder what the mystery goody is? Could it be a book about anarchy? A Sid Vicious poster embedded with tiny, handmade spikes? But wait, there’s another extra that this Etsy user has included as an added bonus…

“PLUS: List ...

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Drake Finally Got His Kiss From Skylar Diggins And Sparks Flew — Literally

by 28 mins ago

This was a long time coming, and it was on live TV, so no one can deny that it happened. It wasn’t a kiss on the lips or anything, but to quote Drake, “I’ll take what I can get.”

The Toronto rapper’s obsession with WNBA player Skylar Diggins has become the butt of a few jokes over the past few months (plus, her boyfriend got a little annoyed), but they put all of that behind them when Drake hosted the ESPYs on Wednesday night.

Drizzy started by reading a poem about Diggins called “Can I Dig In?” — yep, he’s a clever one — and then she showed up behind him on stage, of course. She addressed his creeping, calling it “craziness” and finally consented to one kiss, if he’d stop all of it forever.

When it finally happened…sparks flew. And then they walked off the stage holding hands. Watch in the video above.

Related: This Was Rihanna’s Face While Watching Chris Brown And Drake At The ESPYs

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork
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Ariana Grande’s Response To Her VMA Noms? All These Pretty Emoji

by 39 mins ago

So Ariana Grande finally woke up from cuddling with her fluffy ponytail and saw that she was nominated for three — count ‘em! three — 2014 MTV VMAs. Her reaction? Tons of gushing — and emojis.

I don’t know about you all, but I’ve been watching Ariana’s Twitter feed since the VMA nominations dropped, waiting for her to chime in after her last sleepy tweet: “goodnight for now (and good morning to some, I guess) haven’t slept properly in weeks. … i love u.”

After waking up in a green, green glade surrounded by forest creatures (I imagine), Grande was given the joyful news by a golden-haired prince on the back of a white horse, bearing a silver envelope on a bejeweled plate (again, this is speculation here). Her response:

The lovely emjoi included a heart with an arrow bursting through it, which seemed appropriate.

Arianators — who have already been up for hours voting for Grande’s “Problem” for “Best Female Video,” “Best Pop Video” and “Best Collaboration” — responded with proportionate glee.

The overwhelming sentiment? Why try for one when you can have three?

CLICK: 2014 MTV VMA Voting Is Open Now!

“U DESERVE THEM ALL,” tweeted @irwinsgirl13, while @Niki_Styless opined, “You deserve it queen.” @ariianasunshine confidentially stated, “YOU WILL WIN 3,” and Ariana was soon awash in a sea of “love you”s “yaaaaas”s and, probably, tears. Definitely tears.

Oh! And need we remind you that Grande is performing her new single

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Bask In ’90s Awkwardness With These ‘Whoa!’-Worthy Forgotten ‘Blossom’ Moments

by 1 min ago

“Blossom” fans, this one’s for you. Today, we spotted a classic behind-the-scenes clip from the ’90s sitcom staple: Joey Lawrence — better known as Blossom’s lovably dim-witted brother, Joey Russo — coaching his younger brother and mini-me stand-in Matthew Lawrence on his signature “whoa!” catchphrase.

Which, of course, led us down a black hole of “Blossom” clips on YouTube. Enjoy the #ThrowbackThursday behind-the-scenes moment and two other “Whoa!”-worthy moments from the show.

1. Joey Lawrence Help His Little Brother Master ‘Whoa!’ Catchphrase

Matthew can’t quite pull it off like Joey does, and watching him struggle to master his brother’s effortless mono-syllabic phrase is almost as adorable as when Joey steps in to help him. The brothers are well-known for their loving relationship, and apparently, it goes way back; Matthew appeared on “Blossom” several times to play “Young Joey,” and this particular clip is taken from the episode “This Old House” which will air July 24 on Hub Network, in case you track that sorta thing.

2. Blossom Jumps Up And Down And Screams While Meeting Will Smith In An Elevator

Everybody’s dream celebrity crush during the Blossom era was the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, a.k.a Will Smith… a.k.a… Joe Piscopo? In the clip, Smith tells Blossom that he used the popular SNL comedian’s name for his hotel alias—a nice inside joke for audiences at the time.

3. Blossom Has An Extremely Awkward Make-Out Sesh With Johnny Galecki TKTK

Although he’s now a member of “The Big Bang Theory” cast, Johnny Galecki ...

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Jeezy’s ‘Seen It All’ Brought Tears To Jay Z’s Eyes: Watch

by 1 min ago

With additional reporting by FLX

Jeezy has grown. When we were first introduced to the Snowman in the early 2000s, he was a fresh-out-the-trap mixtape star, who hung his hat on his drug-dealing past. In many ways, Jeezy is still the same, but there are some subtle changes.

First off, he dropped the “Young” from his rap name, and on his upcoming September 2 LP, Seen It All, Jeezy is electing to play the wise, veteran hustler who will give you all the game you need to avoid the pitfalls of the streets.

The Atlanta rap champ gathered selected press to listen to a portion of his new LP in Manhattan’s Jungle City Studios earlier this month, where he previewed tracks like the braggadocious “Black Eskimo” and “Enough,” on which he promises that if you grind hard enough, you can take care of your family.

One track in particular, “No Tears,” with Future, seemed to get resounding approval from the room. The sentimental track balanced a 1980s soft-rock vibe with Future’s reggae-tinged delivery. “I can never let a tear fall down my face, I’m losing all my friends like every single day,” he croons.

Then, of course, there’s the LP’s title track, “Seen It All,” with Jay Z. The newly released single has drawn critical praise, due to the soulful beat provided by Cardo and the sheer honesty that Jeezy and Jay present.

Both rappers recount their hustling days, with Hov opening up about his drug dealing past and putting the story ...

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Could You Survive ‘The Purge’? Our Flowchart Has The Answers

by 3 mins ago

By Kristy Puchko

This weekend sees the release of “The Purge: Anarchy,” a horror-thriller set in an America where once a year all crime is legal for 12 menacing hours.

It might be darkly fun to imagine what you might do if the law would allow. Perhaps you’d loot your favorite store? Or at long last punch out that bully from grade school? But in reality how many of us could actually get through a night when murder was not only allowed, but encouraged? To answer this query, we’ve created this handy flowchart that spells out exactly how likely you are to survive the annual Purge.

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‘Teen Mom 2′ Bonus Scene: Jenelle And Nathan’s Future Is (Almost) Perfect

by 33 mins ago

Jenelle and Nathan found out they’re having a baby boy on last night’s premiere of “Teen Mom 2.” But as the couple celebrated the news and discussed their future, they realized that the road not yet taken might be a little bumpy.

“I’m happy that I have you, I have Jace and then the new baby on the way,” the expectant mom tells her beau in the bonus scene, below. “I really want to get divorced ASAP. I want to go to school.”

“I just want the baby to be healthy and us to be happy — as a family with Jace, with your daughter. Getting our lives together — our family together.”

But while Jenelle gushes about the future, Nathan reveals he has something weighing on his mind — something that may even prevent him from seeing the birth of his child.

“It seems like everything’s perfect now, but then…” he says, before trailing off.

+ What is it that’s troubling Nathan? Watch the couple’s entire candid conversation to find out, and be sure to tune in to a new episode of “Teen Mom 2″ Wednesday at 10/9c!

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