Jay-Z

Top 10 Concert Films Every Music Writer Should Own

For music fans, there's nothing better than seeing your favorite band or checking out an up-and-coming act in person. While the records serve as a tangible finished product that fans can jam on until eternity, the live show experience explains more about a band than their recorded work. With concert ... More >>

Barack Obama Wins 2012 Election: KDOC-TV Psychic Who is "Ignorant," "Knows Nothing"

The 2012 United States presidential election was called at 5:48 a.m. today (Pacific daylight savings time).Jamie the Psychic, who describes herself as "the worst person to call when it comes to politics," announced Barack Obama as the winner while she appeared on The Daily Buzz (or, as the hip kids ... More >>

John Harrington Incorporates Jazz and Jay-Z on Stop Time's New Album

[Editor's Note: Spare Notes is a new Weekly music feature highlighting outtakes and personal stories from bands who just finished working their asses off to put out new music.]John Harrington is a staple on the Orange County jazz scene.   For the first two years, Harrington was the musical dire ... More >>

Snoop Dogg Finally Smokes Too Much Weed and Creates a Reggae Album as Snoop Lion

This week, we've been convinced that Snoop Dogg has finally, once and for all,  smoked too much weed. The iconic, Long Beach-born rapper is currently working on a reggae album titled Reincarnated with EDM wiz Diplo as the executive producer. Under his new found moniker Snoop Lion, a music ... More >>

Tyga at The Observatory, March 29, 2012

​TygaThe ObservatoryMarch 28, 2012 Warning: This review contains explicit language, and your children should not read this--too bad you let them attend this concert.If you were at the Observatory to see Tyga perform at his sold-out show, you heard a lot--and I mean a lot--of  "Rack City," ... More >>

Lil Wayne's New Shoe Line: Will it Suffer the Same Fate as These Companies?

​Today, Lil Wayne announced his latest foray into the fashion business with the announcement of his yet-to-be named shoe company. Weezy has had success with his Trukfit brand streetwear brand and getting into sneakers seems to be the logical progression for the New Orleans-bred rapper. Just to rem ... More >>

It's Not Them, It's You: Stop Projecting Your Financial Woes onto Jay-Z and Kanye

Who are these regular dudes?​Let's pretend to pretend that you've never heard of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Partly because this appears to be the only way people can enjoy them -- especially the latter -- anymore. "Real rap fans," as they say, are so sick of these two, and rap production has gotten ... More >>

NBA Lockout is Finally Over: Our Top Five Terrible Songs by Athletes

​I don't believe in God, but if I did, I'd be thanking her right now for salvaging the upcoming NBA season. I mean, I tried to watch hockey, I really did, but I just can't hang with that shit. And my dad was born in Canada, so I should be able to get through more than three minutes without asking, ... More >>

Wale at Yost Theater Last Night

​For most hip-hop acts, there is a threshold that must be crossed before entering the realm of  Jay-Z-esque fame, that awkward cliff hanger that most artists find themselves lining up for, only to spend forever peering over onto success, rather than toppling into it. Wale, with two critically ... More >>

Top 10 Noel Gallagher Songs While in Oasis (Bonus: and His 10 Funniest Quotes!)

​ Things you should know by now: Noel Gallagher is a rock & roll star. He is no longer in Oasis. Although his little brother Liam was the face and main voice of Oasis, Noel was the leader. Noel only sang lead vocals on about 15 percent of the songs, but he wrote about 95 percent of them. Noel ... More >>

Kanye West At the Call Of Duty XP

Kanye WestSeptember 3, 2011The Stages At Playa Vista, Los AngelesAfter attending a certain number of music-centric events, your manner of dress starts to adhere to somewhat of a formula. For concerts -- jeans and a t-shirt; for day-long festivals -- shorts and a t-shirt, both designed to maximize mo ... More >>

Pablo Dylan is a Wannabe Rapper: So What?

​I like internet snark as much as the next person, but sometimes there's just too much hate in the world. Take the case of Pablo Dylan, Bob's 15-year-old grandson who just wants to rap. If you listen to "I'm On One" after the jump, you'll see that it's not any different from any boy band staple, a ... More >>

Lil Wayne Flirts With Retirement, Nicki Minaj Gets Hit in the Face With a Suitcase

by minusbaby​Needless to say, it hasn't been a good week for Young Money Entertainment.We all know how notoriously noncommittal rappers can be about retirement (read: Jay-Z) but Lil Wayne has been flirting with the idea for a while--according to MTV, he announced during a radio interview with Ho ... More >>

Top Five Asian-American Rappers

Last month, OC Weekly's Justin Shady created a list of the Top Five Worst Black Rappers and Top Five Worst White Rappers. The following is a list of five Asian-American rappers or rap groups who have found moderate to great success in crossing the color line of hip-hop. Like the two previous lists, ... More >>

Girl Talk Is the Best at What He Does

Audiences aren't sick of mash-ups yet, not when they're as sophisticated as Gregg Gillis' work

Four Songs to Be Remixed Into Anthems If the Kings Move to Anaheim

​The Maloof Brothers-owned Sacramento Kings are ditching their outdated digs at Arco Arena (which has recently been renamed Power Balance Pavilion) for greener pastures at Anaheim's Honda Center. The move, which would make them the Anaheim Kings and bring yet another NBA team to ... More >>

Gwyneth Paltrow, About to Sign a Record Deal?

​Page Six is reporting that Gwyneth Paltrow is "close to signing a deal with Atlantic Records." So that's what that embarrassment at the Oscars was all about! Page Six further states that the music is in the genre we like to call "country pop."

Why is Lil Wayne a Genius? We Explain His Appeal (Plus, His New Video for 'Six Foot Seven Foot!')

www.myspace.com/lilwayne​Lil Wayne is a genius, and not simply because he spends seven days a week in the studio, recording some of the most lyrically intricate, metaphor-laced verses in the history of the rap game off the top of his head, no pen, no pad. 

Have You Seen "Food Party"?

You have to be in the right mood for Food Party, a YouTube cooking show hosted by a sprightly girl named Thu Tran, who with sock puppets, potato puppets, and talking plates manages to dazzle and confuse you when you least expect it. To say that it takes Pee Wee's Playhouse and puts it through the ... More >>

The Ultimate Comic-Con Playlist: 25 Songs For Geek Ears Only

Batman image: DC/Mike Allred​Lost in the pomp, glamour and sweet smells that swirl around the attendees of San Diego Comic-Con</sarcasm> are the mind-numbing blocks of boredom as you wait in line for panels, autographs, food, bathrooms and opportunities to sexually harass booth babes. O ... More >>

Five Songs That Get Comedian Heather McDonald In The Mood

​Although Heather McDonald has a steady gig as a writer and producer of E!'s show Chelsea Lately (where she does a spot-on mimic of celebs such as Drew Barrymore, Celine Dion, The  Kardashians, Amy Winehouse, Renee Zellweger, The Octomom, and various Real Housewives), she hasn't stopped doi ... More >>

Dr. Dre to Join Jay-Z at Coachella?

Twenty year anniversary's comin' up for this one.​The latest wacky, unsubstantiated Coachella rumor comes from Rolling Stone, which means it's maybe true! At least, it's something we don't feel dirty for repeating.

Coachella Curfew Pushed Back an Hour... Small Comfort for Robert Smith

Beth Stirnaman / OC WeeklyHe looked better with the lights out.​Coachella ended abruptly last year, with the Cure getting the plug pulled in the middle of their third encore at about 33 minutes past midnight. The sounds went out, the band kept playing, and then the lights shut off. Our reaction wh ... More >>

Lil Wayne Eludes Jail with Toothache, Bonnaroo, Crossroads Guitar Festival, Bright Eyes

Lil Wayne eludes jail--for now--with toothache. Or something like that. Hilarious. Jay-Z, the Dead Weather and Phoenix are among the Coachella acts performing at Bonnaroo, which also has Dave Matthews Band (yawn), Weezer, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Flaming Lips, Regina Spektor, Kid Kudi, Miranda ... More >>

Today in Music News: 'Thom Yorke????,' Jay-Z with U2, 'Hope for Haiti Now,' Kate McGarrigle

Oh, so that's why the Coachella poster reads "Thom Yorke????"Coachella-headliner Jay-Z to collaborate with U2 on Swiss Beatz-produced Haiti charity track. Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief, which airs Fri., 8 p.m. ET/PT, features a slew of stars playing New York, London ... More >>

Nielsen Music Year-End Stats Are Scary (Part 1)

​The past year produced plenty of quality music but you wouldn't know it perusing the Nielsen SoundScan's sales tallies, which landed in my inbox today. Other than Kings of Leon, Jay-Z (who probably would serve his legacy best by re-retiring) and Eminem, whose best album, The Slim Shady LP, came ... More >>

Today in Music News: Unreleased Michael Jackson Track, Cold War Kids, Soundgarden Reunion, Drake with Jay-Z

Michael Jackson to be next 2Pac? "Unreleased Michael Jackson song hits the web."Vampire Weekend, Spoon and OC's Cold War Kids on Pitchfork's guide to upcoming releases for winter 2010. Chris Cornell tweets Soundgarden reunion. More details courtesy of Spin. And New York Times. And even though I ... More >>

Showgazing: KeysNKrates at Commonwealth Lounge

​There's two ways you can describe a vibrant, ground-breaking band. You can try piecing together the components of their sound, or you just talk about the way they make you feel. The first option is complicated and often involves a pile of stumbling adjectives, niche comparisons and a lot of ... More >>

Release the Sounds: 50 Cent, 'Before I Self-Destruct'

​The cover of this album kinda says it all. 50 Cent's empire is crumbling. Some would say it's been a long process beginning around about 2007. You can almost time it with the public's growing disinterest in the record industry's profits.  Since the less-than-stellar release of his last album ... More >>

[CD Review] Jay-Z, 'The Blueprint 3' (Roc Nation)

Black Keys Hip Hop Project: Good Thing or Great Thing?

James Carney​We may be a day or so behind on this one, but in a quest to find some ever-elusive liner note credits for Black Key's Thickfreakness album, we stumbled onto something a hundred times better. Up until now, things were staying pretty quiet on the whole "rap-rock" front, at least for the ... More >>

To Do Tonight - 6/11

Thursday Night Cheese & Wine Tasting, 5:30 p.m.Get an informal education on wine and cheese while enjoying a flight of the evenings' tasty offerings. Three tasting flights of two wines and three cheeses are offered each week for $15 per flight, and are described to you at tableside by friendly ... More >>

TONIGHT: Tyler Weinrich at Chain Reaction

Publicity photos are more powerful than you might think--I had never heard of Sacramento's Tyler Weinrich before today. and I probably would have never bothered to check out his music, at least at this point in time, if not for that amazing picture. More to the point, I'm intrigued by all the tantal ... More >>

[CD Review] Shortwave Set, 'Replica Sun Machine' (Wall of Sound)

[Trendzilla] The Twin Towers of Fashion

Lady Sovereign Drops 'So Human'

Drops? You like that? I'm hip with the kids.Anyway, 5'1'' female British emcee released her new single, "So Human," today. The track is available for download here.Or you hear it for free here.The tune samples the Cure's "Close to Me," and while I'm on the fence about hip-hop butchering some of my f ... More >>

Rappers or Republicans?

In May, we posited that southern hip hop and Fox News share much in common. Possessing both an anti-intellectual streak and a populist one, they’re beloved by red-staters and hated on by the coastal elites, be they liberals, hipsters, Ghostface or Nas. The piece concluded: If you're still not conv ... More >>

Billion Dollar Babies

Rappers' billfold braggadocio is getting ridiculous

Steve Aoki at Detroit Bar Dec. 28

Steve Aoki celebrates another smooth transition. A lot of people talk shit about Steve Aoki (a.k.a. Kid Millionaire), especially in OC. He's just a trustafarian, some say (pops founded the Benihana restaurant chain). His DJ skills are wack and his selections mediocre, others claim. He's a marketing ... More >>

Hits!

The Noize Music

Hits!

Rhino Records

CD Review

Kanye West, Graduation (Island Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella)

Thug-Adonis Veneer

T.I.

This Week In Nightlife

A problem with no solution

Eight Days

Hell in a Shoebox

Tentation's haughty, wealthy asshats and Anna Nicole look-alikes

Virgin Megastore

College Admissions

Take the Kanye West aptitude test

Up From the Underground

Aceyalones intellectual hip-hop