1. As Gawker gleefully reports, it’s definitely time to take off those yellow rubber bracelets. Lance Armstrong has stepped down as chair of the Livestrong charity and lost his Nike endorsement deal just a week after a US anti-doping agency released their report on his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
2. Obligatory Janis Joplin… Read More
Juggalos rejoice! The new Insane Clown Posse album is finally out this week — it was due earlier this year, but record company wrangling resulted in its release date being pushed until the end of summer. Of course, beyond their selective appeal to Faygo devotees, ICP are largely known to the general public because of the immortal couplets from their 2009 single “Miracles,” which will go down in history as one of the most ridiculous and somehow awesome songs ever made. In celebration of their new record, then, here’s a selection of the most gloriously awesome lyrics that hip hop has given the world. Your suggestions are of course welcome. (And just to pre-empt any of the accusations that have a magical way of appearing in our comments section every time we say anything remotely negative about hip hop: we’ve done this before for ’80s pop songs and we’ll most likely do it for other genres in due course. So there.) … Read More
After a few months of interchangeable summer festival lineup announcements featuring ’90s alt-rock reunions and trendy indie acts, it’s always refreshing to hear what traveling hip-hop celebration Rock the Bells is planning — and this year’s just-released roster doesn’t disappoint. The biggest news, as far as we’re concerned, is the return of Missy Elliott, who will appear alongside longtime collaborator Timbaland as “very special guests.” Also on the agenda is Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s 20th anniversary reunion, for which they’ll play their classic 1995 album E. 1999 Eternal in its entirety. Other noteworthy bookings include Salt-N-Pepa, Kid Cudi, Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Ice Cube, A$AP Rocky, Deltron 3030, Slick Rick, Yelawolf, and just about as many Wu Tang members as you’ve come to expect from Rock the Bells. In 2012, the festival will visit three cities, hitting OS Events Center in San Bernardino, California on August 18th and 19th; Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on August 25th and 26th, and PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey September 1st and 2nd. See the full lineup after the jump. … Read More
The humble hoodie has been in the news over the last couple of months — largely because of its sad association with the tragic death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, but also this week because of a rather silly controversy about the fact that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wore one to a meeting with prospective investors in New York. That particular hullabaloo led to an article in Forbes proposing a “hooded blazer” as a sort of trans-generational compromise on business attire. We’re not sure if this was serious or not — although by God we hope not — but either way, the whole thing got us thinking about hoodies in popular culture, and we thought we’d take a brief look at how the hooded sweatshirt has evolved from a simple and practical garment into something that apparently both the scourge of society and the thing for young CEOs to be seen in. … Read More
We’re not sure exactly what’s behind the recent nail art explosion, but as long as it continues to produce amazing pop-culture tributes on a tiny, personal scale, it has our attention. Last week, we brought you the blood-flecked fingertips of a Dexter groupie and some Arrested Development Mr. Banana Grabber press-ons in our roundup of amazing TV-inspired nails. Before that, we went highbrow with literary nail art paying tribute to everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Harry Potter. Now, nail art superfans, are you ready to rock ‘n’ roll? Today’s haul of musician-inspired nail art includes a dazzling riff on David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, a set of crazy Nicki Minaj claws, and even a perfectly executed Daniel Johnston manicure. … Read More
After a relatively quiet couple of weeks, all is good on the streaming front again. There’s plentiful worthy music to be had for free on the internet this week, and as ever, we’ve searched far and wide to bring you the best — or, OK, to be honest, we’ve headed over to Spinner, who seem to have a monopoly on the goodness this week. Anyway, read on after the jump to get a piece of the action — everything from a new Wu-Tang album to the Bronx dressed up in nudie suits. Oh yes! … Read More
Today at Flavorpill, we were impressed by Kate Middleton’s incredibly appropriate Canada Day hat. We streamed a rather promising song from the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album. We were thrilled by the news that Bridesmaids is now the highest-grossing Judd Apatow-produced movie of all time after knocking aside Knocked Up.… Read More
Today at Flavorpill, we decided that Jennifer Lawrence makes a more convincing Katniss than we orignally thought she would. We argued over who is the best book villain of all time. We read about what Aaron Sorkin reads. We discovered one creative way to claim a parking… Read More
We’ve lost track of all the homemade, stop-motion/Lego music videos out there. But this clip for Wu-Tang Clan’s “Da Mystery of Chessboxin” is just too perfect to ignore. The video transposes medieval knights and royals, ghostly Grim Reaper types, and the Clan themselves onto a Lego chessboard that becomes a battleground. Add to that some rudimentary but well-placed effects and you’ve got one of the most fun, appropriate DIY music videos we’ve seen in a long time. Watch it after the jump. … Read More
Wu-Tang fans might be surprised to hear that the RZA’s latest work of art isn’t a piece of music. Victory or Death is a limited-edition set of canvas prints that samples and remixes Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. In his version, the RZA replaces George Washington, and he’s proudly flying he flag of Wu.
“It didn’t begin 20 years ago… more like 200 years ago. And when you see the piece we’re making right here, you’re going to know what I’m talking about,” RZA has explained. “We’re about to rewrite and change history.”
After the jump we talk to the RZA (and his buddy King Tech) about the meaning behind the project. … Read More
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