The Big Pink’s new album Future This is out this week, and the fact that they’ve sampled Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” on one of their new tracks got us thinking about other unlikely samples in the world of music. Of course, The Big Pink have been on the other end of the sampling equation, too — in an equally unlikely piece of inspiration, Nicki Minaj sampled their track “Dominoes” for her song “Girls Fall Like Dominoes.” As unexpected as both these pieces of sampling were, though, they still pale in comparison to some of the truly outlandish examples from the world of music over the last 20 years or so. Like the ones you’ll find after the jump, for instance.
About this time last year, we ran an overview of some of the more interesting music videos of 2010, videos that would never have been shown on MTV, but nevertheless represented some fascinating and innovative filmmaking. At the time, we noted that “now that we get so much of our entertainment online, and MTV barely airs music videos anymore, the rules have changed.” In 2011, that’s more apparent than ever — and so, we’ve repeated the dose this year, looking at everything from a short film that barely features and music at all to a video that features men with heads for penises. Some of these are raunchy, some of them are disturbing, and some are just plain weird — but they’re all noteworthy, and they all make for interesting viewing. (And, just in case it’s not clear that a post entitled “The Year In NSFW Music Videos” is NSFW… well, it is. So don’t blame us if your boss catches you watching these.) Read More »
Last week it was Chicago, and this week we’re staying in the vicinity of Great Lakes and heading a couple of hundred miles east to Detroit. The Motor City, of course, has a long and proud musical history. Amongst other things, it was the HQ of Motown Records, the birthplace of Detroit techno, and home to a load of fantastic bands — everyone from the Stooges to the White Stripes (who were, lest we forget, fairly awesome for at least their first three records). This all means that there’s about a gazillion songs about the city — as ever, though, we’re just picking five of our favorites, which await you after the jump. What’d be on your list? Read More »
We talk a lot, here at Flavorpill, about our favorite characters from books, film, and TV. And, although we’ve made a habit of compiling mixtapes for everyone from Nancy Drew to Josef K, it isn’t often that we consider the music world’s own fictional creations. After the jump, we attempt to right that oversight with an incredibly subjective roundup of music’s most memorable characters. Add your suggestions in the comments; if we get enough great ones, we might just publish a follow-up post of reader picks. Read More »
1. Instead of that Zombieland sequel that everyone has been talking about, word is that Fox and Sony Pictures Television are developing a “potential half-hour comedy” that’s based on the film. We wonder how much this decision has to do with the runaway success of the second-season premiere of The Walking Dead. [via /film]
2. Richard Branson unveiled his $209 million spaceport yesterday, which will serve as the new headquarters of his space-tourism company, Virgin Galactic. The first flight, which could happen as early as next year, will include Branson and his children as passengers. [via The Daily Beast]
3. Eminem is blaming a four year long stretch of writer’s block and a huge chunk of memory loss on his use of Ambien. “It fucking creeps me out. Letters all down the page – it was like my hand weighed 400 pounds. I have all that shit in a box in my closet. As a reminder that I don’t ever want to go back.” [via NME]
4. Screenwriter Michael Alan Rubin is suing the people behind The Hangover Part II, claiming that they ripped off a script that he wrote about his own “wild personal experiences in Asia.” Even if that’s true, we’re not sure that we’d admit to being the inspiration behind Ed Helms’ character. [via Vulture]
5. The casting calls for Season 5 of True Blood have begun, with Alan Ball and co. currently on the lookout for their Nora (a double agent within the Vampire Authority and one of Godric’s progeny) and Salome (as in the character from the Bible — but also “a powerful ancient vampire”). [via EW]
Last week, Forbes published their annual “Cash Kings of 2011″ list, counting down hip-hop’s top 20 earners. The winner was Jay-Z, who has raked in $37 million over the past year. But now, Rolling Stone has come up with their own “Kings of Hip-Hop” list, another top 20 that includes most of the same names but places Eminem at #1. The difference between the rankings is that, while Forbes only takes into account rappers’ earnings, RS has a more holistic (and music-focused) view, incorporating all of the following criteria: “album sales, rankings on the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, YouTube views, social media, concert grosses, industry awards and critics’ ratings.”
So, which list gives us a better idea of who’s most influential in hip-hop? It depends whether we’re taking a short of long view. Rolling Stone definitely does a better job of picking out rappers who have released popular and acclaimed albums recently — that is, 2011′s biggest hip-hop stars. What Forbes gives us is a ranking of musicians-turned-moguls (or moguls-turned-musicians) who have proven their staying power by becoming a personal brand. In other words, Eminem is having a very good year, but Jay-Z will be around forever. Check out both lists after the jump and weigh in Eminem vs. Jay-Z in the comments.
Music is an ever-changing field. To keep up with the times, you must adapt to them, or be left behind. Musicians in particular suffer under the yoke of modernity, since something new is happening literally every moment — not to mention that they tend to be creative types with a million different ideas up their sleeves. Whether temporary or permanent, out of necessity or on a whim, these musicians have changed their sounds, styles, and minds in huge ways that have affected their music, their fans and in many cases, their world. Click through to check out our list, and let us know which of your favorite musical transformations we’ve missed in the comments!
Ever gluttons for punishment, Rolling Stone just published their list of the “Best Songs of the Aughts” list. Setting aside the use of the word “aughts” and the fact that RS‘s moment of cultural relevance passed in about 1974, the one thing that did stand out was that for a magazine less than eager to embrace hip hop when it was still a genuinely fresh and underground genre, Rolling Stone has produced a hell of a hip-hop-centric list here. Of the top 20 songs featured, exactly half are hip-hop tracks, and the rest of the list leans heavily on the genre. Of course, the hip-hop artists chosen are pretty much a roll call of the mainstream — 50 Cent, Kanye West, Eminem, MIA. But it got us thinking: what does your favorite rapper say about you? As ever, our stereotyping action is meant as a bit of fun, so put away the Glock and see what label applies to you.
It’s been great fun exploring the world of film music over the course of our epic Greatest Soundtracks Ever series, but all good things have to end, and with this sixth and final part, we’re looking at recent history –- specifically, everything from 2000 until the present day. It’s gotten harder and harder to get these lists down to ten as the decades have passed, so as ever, let us know what we’ve missed in the comments section.
We were excited to hear that Lil Wayne recently wrapped production on an episode of MTV’s Unplugged — mostly because it marks the show’s first hip-hop performance since Jay-Z’s acoustic concert in 2001 (not because we want to hear a stripped version of “Mrs. Officer”). We hope that Wayne’s appearance will pave the way for a new generation of rappers to grace the show’s stage. This news and Lupe Fiasco’s performance on Sunday night’s MTV Movie Awards got us thinking about our favorite hip hop performances on the network. Our top ten is after the jump.
