The Black Lips’ Cole Alexander Talks Lorde, Drake, Macklemore

Damn, Cole Alexander from the Black Lips gets down to it on why he’s not into Drake, Lorde or Macklemore…full interview at the AV Club, excerpts below.  He then clarified his remarks with Creative Loafing Atlanta, saying “I didn’t realize my detractors held the stereotype that rap is simply a black thing. That ignorance is just a black thing. I never got that memo. There are plenty of white rappers on the scene singing dumb shit and I love it. Really, trap is just my preference in hip-hop. I don’t completely dislike conscious rap… Also, those interviews aren’t verbatim, but I was trying to explain that I come from an upper middle class neighborhood. So I’m not some artist claiming I have had some crazy struggle.”

Lorde’s “Royals”:

It’s hard to say I actually hate it, but it’s a bit confused. I was looking over the lyrics and in the song she seems to be criticizing what’s going on in pop music, like when people are talking about excess opulence, gold teeth, and Maybachs. In the lyric she says she’s “Never seen diamonds in the flesh / I’ve cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies / And I’m not proud of my address in the torn-up town / No postcode envy.” Most of the people that are rapping about Maybachs and diamonds come from really “torn-up towns.” I’m going on assumptions, but I feel like a lot of these guys are from Compton or these fucking ghettos like Memphis, and their parts of town are way more torn up than hers. That’s a mere assumption from seeing her in interviews and stuff, but I feel like they come from worse parts and they aspire to get Maybachs and diamonds because they come from ratchet-ass ’hoods where they have no hope. I think it’s a bit righteous of her.

Drake:

I grew up in a decent suburb in Atlanta, but I do think sometimes in hip-hop, you can hear it in his voice. He didn’t have that pain in his voice, but it’s a subtle nuance. I’m sure he has some struggles in his life like everyone does, but I just don’t like Drake. He seems kind of fake to me.

Mackleore’s “Thrift Shop”

Again, I kind of feel like it’s confused. There’s that one line where they’re like, “That’s a cold-ass honky.” I really don’t like that line. First of all, it’s a racist word. I feel like white people, when someone says something racist against them, they’re not very offended. They’ve never had to deal with racism so it’s almost a kind of white guilt, or a subtle kind of action.

Naomi Zechner – Young Thug Got Trapped By A Major Label

A thorough explanation of Thug’s rise to popularity and label confusion.

…Young Thug signed another deal with Atlantic Records imprint Artist Partners Groupjust weeks after Gucci Mane returned to jail last September, it’s not clear if he knew that by doing so, he was creating an arranged marriage of sorts between them and Gucci Mane. “Gucci was in jail,” the Atlanta publicist said. “I think at that point, [Thug and his team] felt like the Gucci contract was void. Thug is a real street kid — paperwork and legal shit, it don’t register to him like that.”

Read the whole thing at Buzzfeed.

Wu-Tang Clan To Release One Copy Of Their “Secret Album”

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Don’t think that “one copy” will be a regular retail price, either. From Forbes:

Somewhere on the outskirts of Marrakech, Morocco, inside a vault housed beneath the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, there sits an engraved silver-and-nickel box with the potential to spawn a shift in the way music is consumed and monetized.

The lustrous container was handcrafted over the course of three months by British-Moroccan artist Yahya, whose works have been commissioned by royal families and business leaders around the world. Soon, it will contain a different sort of art piece: the Wu-Tang Clan’s double-album The Wu – Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, recorded in secret over the past few years.

Like the work of a master Impressionist, it will truly be one-of-a-kind—in lieu of a traditional major label or independent launch, the iconic hip-hop collective will make and sell just one copy of the album. And similar to a Monet or a Degas, the price tag will be a multimillion-dollar figure.

“We’re about to sell an album like nobody else sold it before,” says Robert “RZA” Diggs, the first Wu-Tang member to speak on record about Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, in an exclusive interview with FORBES. “We’re about to put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music. We’re making a single-sale collector’s item. This is like somebody having the scepter of an Egyptian king.”

Wu-Tang’s aim is to use the album as a springboard for the reconsideration of music as art, hoping the approach will help restore it to a place alongside great visual works–and create a shift in the music business, not to mention earn some cash, in the process. The one-of-a-kind launch will be a separate endeavor from the group’s 20th anniversary album, A Better Tomorrow, which is set for a standard commercial release this summer.

You can read a lot more about it here.

Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment Signs Eric Bellinger

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From Billboard:

Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment has signed Grammy Award-winning songwriter Eric Bellinger, Billboard has learned exclusively. Under terms of the new deal, the Warner Music Group-distributed 300 Entertainment will release, market and promote Bellinger’s debut solo album, “The Rebirth.”

Best known as the songwriter behind hits for Chris Brown (“Love More,” “Fine China”), Usher (“Let Me See”) and Justin Bieber (“Right Here”), Bellinger initially released double-CD, 32-track “The Rebirth” digitally in February through YFS (Your Favorite Song), the indie label operated by Bellinger and his manager/business partner Nieman Johnson. The set’s buzz single, “I Don’t Want Her” featuring Problem, currently stands at No. 35 on Billboard’s Rhythmic chart.

“300 will be the umbrella; they have so many resources that we can plug into,” Bellinger tells Billboard about the new alliance. “Lyor told us, ‘We really like ‘I Don’t Want Her’ — you just need help pushing it. That’s where I come in.’ Nieman and I are still going to push YFS, signing artists as well as other writer/producers.”

You can heck out more on the story here.

Kanye West Buys Kim Kardashian 10 Burger King Restaurants As A Wedding Present

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Spotted on the Daily Star:

Which is perhaps how Kanye West, 36, got the inspiration for her unusual wedding present.

The oh-so-romantic rapper is planning to buy his fiancée, 33, a chain of Burger King eateries in Europe.

He owns several Fatburger joints in Chicago through his company, KW Foods LLC, and sees the meaty treats as a sizzling hot investment for his future missus.

We’re told: “As always, Kanye is thinking outside the box when it comes to gifts for Kim.

“She owns all the jewels anyone could ever want, so he is taking the practical route by investing in businesses for her instead.

“He knows the fast food industry is reliable and lucrative, plus BK is international so he thinks it’s the perfect fit for Kim.

“Kanye wants to buy her 10 restaurants across the UK, Italy and France, making her a real international businesswoman.

“That’s where he sees her future career, away from reality TV.”

TRAILER/BEHIND THE SCENES: Sevyn Streeter Feat. Kid Ink – Next

It looks like Sevyn Streeter is trying to turn the heat up on her image, because — in addition to lap-dancing on stage — she’s getting buck-naked for her latest visual (which, ironically enough, is being premiered on 106 & Park this evening) for the Kid Ink-assisted ‘Next’. You can check out the trailer below; above are some behind the scenes pics from the shoot.

Pharrell Covers April 2014 GQ Issue

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Pharrell lands on the GQ’s April/Special issue. You can read the full cover story on GQ’s site before it hits the newsstands. Below is a except from the issue (as well as a behind the scenes video clip), where Pharrell talks about the Oscar snub.

You were nominated for an Oscar that night, but didn’t win. How badly did you want it?
Well, trust me: when they read the results, my face was…frozen. But then I thought about it, and I just decided just to…let it go.

UK Music Download Prices Could Rise In 2015 From Corrected Tax Loophole

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By closing a tax loophole, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne might end 99p song downloads in his latest budget. Currently, UK consumers have low foreign rates for books, music and apps purchased online, as reported by the Guardian on Sunday.

Rowena Mason reported:

The chancellor will bring in new laws making sure that internet downloads are taxed in the country where they are purchased, meaning web firms such as Amazon and Apple will have to charge the UK’s 20% rate of VAT. At the moment they are allowed to sell digital downloads through countries such as Luxembourg, where the tax rate is as low as 3%.

Sources: Mixmag, The Guardian

Belgian Newspaper Portrays The Obamas As Apes, Apologizes

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From Al Jazeera:

A Belgian newspaper apologised Monday following outcry over an image showing US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces photoshopped to look like apes. The image was printed alongside another that implies President Obama sells marijuana.

The images appeared in Flemish newspaper De Morgen‘s Saturday edition, in a satire section called “The Obama Herald”. The paper joked that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent in the photos. The controversy comes ahead of an official visit by President Obama to Belgium. He is scheduled to arrive in Brussels Tuesday.

The apology from De Morgen’s editors came in an article entitled, “Is De Morgen Racist?”. They called the image a “tasteless joke”, explaining, “We wrongly assumed that racism is no longer accepted, and that in this way it could be the subject of a joke”.

Aretha Franklin To Work With Andre 3000 & Babyface On Upcoming Album

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From Billboard:

The fellas love Aretha Franklin: Denzel Washington helped the Queen of Soul celebrate her 72nd birthday in style, and Andre 3000 and Babyface are working on new music for the icon.

Franklin held an exclusive and small party Saturday in New York City for her birthday, which is on Tuesday. Washington entered the Ritz-Carlton Hotel quietly, though the crowd got excited after realizing it was the Oscar winner under a baseball cap.

Franklin thanked the actor for attending. Just hours earlier, she saw him onstage in the Broadway play, “A Raisin In the Sun.”

Her longtime musical collaborator, Clive Davis, also attended.

The singer was all smiles at the event. She said in an interview that she’s working on new music with rapper Andre 3000 and singer-songwriter Babyface.

“Babyface is working on the tracks,” she said.

He’s also guest starring with Toni Braxton in the Broadway musical “After Midnight,” which celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem. Their stints in the show run through March 30.

“So, I’m just waiting for him to finish that so he can finish my tracks please,” Franklin said.

“And I think Andre 2000 – is it two or three? 3000 is going to be doing some of the tracks with him.”

When asked what she wants for her birthday, Franklin said. “I’m looking for a record deal for my granddaughter Victorie, and my son Kecalf.” They both performed recently at the BET Honors special, which paid tribute to Franklin.

“I would be happy with that,” she said.

Earlier this month, Franklin performed at the White House alongside Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott and other soul singers.

“What a shoutin’ good time we had,” she exclaimed. “The White House is still rocking right now!”

Malaysian PM: “Flight MH370 Ended In The Southern Indian Ocean”

From CNN:

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down over the southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday, citing a new analysis of satellite data by a British satellite company and accident investigators, and apparently ending hopes that anyone survived.

A relative of a missing passenger briefed by the airline in Beijing said, “They have told us all lives are lost.”

Razak based his announcement on what he described as unprecedented analysis of satellite data sent by the plane by British satellite provider Inmarsat and the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch. He didn’t describe the nature of the analysis.

But he said it made it clear that the plane’s last position was in the middle of the remote southern Indian Ocean, “far from any possible landing sites.”

He begged reporters to respect the privacy of relatives.

“For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking,” he said. “I know this news must be harder still.”

A Facebook page dedicated to the only American aboard the flight, Philip Wood, said of relatives that “our collective hearts are hurting now.”

“Please lift all the loved ones of MH370 with your good thoughts and prayers,” a post on the page said.

You can read more on the story here.

Drake’s OVO Fest Scores $300,000 In Funding From The Ontario Government

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From Global News:

TORONTO — Rap star Drake is getting cash from taxpayers in his native Ontario to stage his two-day OVO FEST in Toronto this summer.

The event, scheduled for Aug. 3 and 4, was awarded a $300,000 grant from the Celebrate Ontario program administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

Capacity at OVO FEST — held at the provincially-owned Molson Canadian Amphitheatre — is limited to about 16,000 fans per day.

According to Ticketmaster, two-day passes are priced between $124.80 and $347.50 and individual tickets are available for $66.50.

Provincial funding for OVO FEST is $7,000 more than the 10-day TD Toronto Jazz Festival received and $3,000 more than the 10-day Royal Agricultural Fair was given.

It also puts Drake’s event on par with the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 4-14), the Stratford Festival of theatre, Rogers Cup tennis tournament (Aug. 2-10) and JFL42 comedy festival (Sept. 18-27).

The fifth annual OVO FEST will feature performances by Drake, Outkast and special guests.

In previous years, Eminem, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, Diddy and Kanye West have made surprise appearances.

According to Forbes, Drake earned more than $30 million in the last two years.

The 27-year-old rapper was born and raised in Toronto. OVO FEST is named for his company, October’s Very Own.

Celebrate Ontario grants are intended to help festivals and events “enhance programs, activities and services that will lead to long-term improvements. This support helps grow tourism in the province by making it easier for festival and event organizers to offer new and improved experiences that will attract more tourists and increase visitor spending.”

While dozens of Celebrate Ontario grants are handed out, only a handful top $300,000. These include the Canadian Tulip Festival, TD Ottawa Jazz Festival and RBC Bluesfest.

ET Canada‘s New Year’s Eve at Niagara Falls received $184,500 this year.

Frank Ocean Reneges On ‘F*** Off’ Check To Chipotle

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Frank Ocean acted like he was hot sauce, but really … he’s mild.

As TMZ first reported, Chipotle sued Ocean, claiming they paid him the $212,500 as an advance to record a song for one of their commercials … and then he bailed. Ocean responded to the suit by posting a photo to Tumblr of the settlement check … with “F*** OFF” in the memo box.

But we found out … Ocean didn’t have the guac to carry through on his gangster move. A rep for Chipotle tells TMZ the settlement check they received from Ocean did NOT have the expletive in the memo line.

As the rep put it, “Nice stunt, Frank!”

Fast & Furious 7: Paul Walker Will Remain In The Film With The Assistance Of CGI, Special Effects

Spotted on NY Daily News/Confidential:

Shooting has now resumed for “Fast & Furious 7,” and Confidenti@l has learned exactly how Paul Walker will remain in the film.

“They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base,” one source close to production tells us. “Paul’s face and voice will be used on top using CGI.”

Our insider adds that this is option number one producers and Universal Pictures have decided on, and that the studio feels confident fans of the franchise will feel satisfied with the result.