A decade ago, the notion of British hip-hop was one without a lot of weight. Since then, the likes of the Streets and Dizzee Rascal have made it a concept with a lot more substance; but with the emergence of Tinie Tempah, the UK may have found its first bona-fide international superstar. His debut album, Disc-Overy, has been out for just over six months overseas, and the rapidly rising rapper is already selling out arenas. The album makes its US debut on May 17, featuring three new tracks, including a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa that’s pretty much a guaranteed mega-hit.
With Tinie beginning his first major excursion into the States, we caught up with him for an exclusive interactive video interview — where you control the questions. Click through to quiz the new face of UK hip-hop on what it’s like to start from scratch, his label Disturbing London, and his advice for aspiring artists. While you’re at it, find out why his he’d like to add Adele, Drake, and Lykke Li to a list of collaborators that already includes Ellie Goulding and Kelly Rowland.
Last month, The New Oxford American Dictionary named Sarah Palin’s accidental portmanteau “refudiate” the word of the year. The term beat out the other 2010 coinages up for the prize — “Gleek,” “retweet,” “vuvuzela,” and “nom nom.” But it seems to us that one source of the best new terms of 2010 was woefully neglected: the Billboard Hip-Hop chart. From weird mash-ups to interesting abbreviations, rap lyrics a are a source like none other to pick up new vocabulary. So we’ve compiled the year in the best new rap neologisms. Some of them are freshly minted, some of them simply had a surge in popularity this year.
1. Lou Reed has directed Susan Boyle’s music video for her cover of his song “Perfect Day” — the same track that he was wrongfully accused of refusing to allow her to perform on America’s Got Talent. [via Vulture]
2. Hugh Jackman was asked to host this year’s Academy Awards, but he said no because he’s too busy preparing the Wolverine sequel. May we suggest Tina Fey instead? [via Deadline]
3. A newly-released Lil Wayne joined Drake on stage in Las Vegas over the weekend for a performance of “Miss Me.” (video) [via P4K]
4. Planters’ animated mascot Mr. Peanut is getting both a new vintage-inspired look (complete with a gray flannel suit) and a new voice courtesy of Robert Downey, Jr. [via NYT]
5. An upcoming Christie’s auction of the art of Playboy includes 80 photographs, more than a dozen contemporary works, and 24 cartoons, most of which have appeared in the publication. [via Yahoo!]
Rappers, generally speaking, aren’t universally known for their forward-thinking feminist viewpoints. Nope, mostly women in rap songs are video hos or strippers or gold diggers, celebrated not so much for their intellect as for their cup size. But that doesn’t mean that all rap songs are about detailing a woman’s measurements and Gucci nails — there’s actually a strain of hip-hop that prizes the ladies who know how to hold a conversation, run a business, and read books — at least comic books. Below the jump: a countdown of rap songs about ladies who can work a spreadsheet, not a stripper pole.
This week’s installment of our regular mixtape series brings brilliant tidings from established artists experimenting with new sounds (Cut Copy, M.I.A.) or returning with their signature masterwork (Ra Ra Riot, Jenny Lewis) and new bands we’re falling deeply in love with (The Naked and Famous, Rai Knight). There’s also a Drake cover. Right Click + Save As to find the one you love (or download the entire collection) after the jump.
1. In case you missed it, Bill Murray took a dip in a dumpster last night on Letterman. (video) [via EW]
2. Things that could land a girl in therapy: Having Drake bring you up on stage at a concert and then decide not to kiss you at the last minute. [via Vulture]
3. Madonna‘s 14-year-old daughter Lourdes will have a role in her mom’s directorial debut, W.E. [via Janet Charlton's Hollywood]
4. Brad Pitt will star in an adaption of World War Z, Max Brooks’ horror novel about the zombie apocalypse. [via MTV News]
5. A screaming match with her neighborhood nemesis (the same one she beaned with a BlackBerry in 2007) has led to another arrest for poor Foxy Brown. [via NY Post]
In this age of the mash-up and the sample, artists are constantly suing one another for copyright infringement. But here’s a new twist on that common refrain: Playboy has reportedly filed charges against Drake. It seems the naked-lady empire owns the 1975 track “Fallin’ in Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, which they say the rapper illegally sampled on his song “Best I Ever Had.”
Perhaps even stranger than the story itself is where it first surfaced: MissTilaOMG.com, the site best known as the online home of Tila Tequila’s rantings about Lady Gaga and the Illuminati. Despite the fact that the blogger included scanned versions of the official documents, we weren’t even entirely convinced that the story was true until MTV confirmed it with Playboy’s lawyer. But before Hugh Hefner and Drake hash it out in a court of law, we’re sure the court of public opinion will want to weigh in. After the jump, listen to both “Fallin’ in Love” and “Best I Ever Had” and let us know what you think: Is Drake guilty?
1. Last night the crowd went so crazy at a free Drake/Hanson concert at New York’s South Street Seaport that cops had to shut it down. [via Brooklyn Vegan]
2. It looks like killing our childhood obsession with The Karate Kid once wasn’t good enough. Thanks to a better than expected box office, there’s already a sequel in the works. [via Deadline]
3. So this sucks: Twihards might be denied the pleasure of watching Bella’s unborn vampire hybrid human baby break her ribs and suck the life out of her in childbirth. [via Jezebel]
4. You can now pre-order the Jack White/Conan O’Brien live LP. [via PopCandy]
5. The Walkmen will release a new album, Lisbon, on September 14. Says Hamilton Leithauser: “The instrumentation is very simple, and then there’s a very loud vocal and a softish drum. There is a slapback guitar on everything.” [via Pitchfork]
, has been out for just over six months overseas, and the rapidly rising rapper is already selling out arenas. The album makes its US debut on May 17, featuring three new tracks, including a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa that’s pretty much a guaranteed mega-hit.
