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Kendrick Lamar Teases Fourth Album With Instagram Post


Kendrick Lamar

Hip-hop megastar Kendrick Lamar has teased the possible imminent release of his fourth album with a solitary Instagram post.

The 29 year old rapper’s account, as of Thursday morning (March 23rd), bore only the roman numerals ‘IV’ having been otherwise completely deleted. The number refers to the canon of traditional albums that he has released thusfar - 2011's Section.80, 2012's Good Kid m.A.A.d. City and 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly – not counting 2010’s Overly Dedicated mixtape and 2016’s untitled unmastered outtakes record.

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Teases Fourth Album With Instagram Post

Coachella Announces Beyonce, Radiohead And Kendrick Lamar As Headliners For 2017


Coachella Beyonce Knowles Radiohead Kendrick Lamar

The 2017 line-up for the prestigious Coachella Festival in three months’ time has been announced, with Radiohead, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar revealed as the headliners.

Spanning the two weekends of April 14th-16th and April 21st-23rd, Coachella returns for its 18th edition and will once again be held at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

The organisers announced on Tuesday (January 3rd) that its landed a superstar name for the Saturday nights in the shape of Beyonce, who released her lauded album Lemonade less than a year ago. While she's helped her husband Jay-Z headline, and then appearing with her younger sister Solange during her slot in 2014, Bey has never played the festival in her own right.

Continue reading: Coachella Announces Beyonce, Radiohead And Kendrick Lamar As Headliners For 2017

Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, The Game: Ice Cube Pulls Out All The Stops For Coachella 2016


Ice Cube Dr Dre Kendrick Lamar

Ice Cube said he had some tricks up his sleeve for Coachella 2016, but no-one was expecting all this. The rapper managed to reunite with all surviving NWA members, including Dr Dre, on stage at the festival in Indio, California as well as introduce some very special additional guests.

NWANWA are reunited at Coachella 2016

Say what you like about rappers, but there's a tight bond between stars in the hip hop world - be it a bond of beef or a bond of brotherhood, and Ice Cube was certainly displaying the latter at Coachella's second weekend.

Continue reading: Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, The Game: Ice Cube Pulls Out All The Stops For Coachella 2016

Kendrick Lamar Takes On English Teens In Friendly Rap Battle


Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar surprised young rap fans at a hip-hop workshop in Manchester this week by dropping in unexpectedly, which ended up in a friendly rap battle.

In a clip from the workshop, organised by Reebok Classic and Brighter Sounds at a small community centre in the English city, the 28 year old megastar can be seen watching on and encouraging several teenage attendees as they take turns on the mic.

Eventually, the Compton-born star himself jumps in and gets involved. Going up against a multi-Grammy Award winner and platinum selling hip-hop god might seem like an intimidating prospect, but the English teens seemed to hold their own while taking some light joking from Lamar in the process.

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Takes On English Teens In Friendly Rap Battle

Rapper Kendrick Lamar Teases New Music With Videos Of Him In The Studio


Kendrick Lamar

Fresh from the surprise album he released earlier this month, Untitled, Unmastered, that is currently riding high in the US Billboard chart, American rapper Kendrick Lamar appears to be back in the studio working on new music.

Kendrick LamarThe popular rapper is back in the studio

Lamar’s producer, Dave Free, uploaded a series of Snapchat videos of the Crompton rapper in the studio but, as yet, there has been no other information about the new tunes or when they might be available publicly.

Continue reading: Rapper Kendrick Lamar Teases New Music With Videos Of Him In The Studio

Kendrick Lamar Surprise Releases New Album 'Untitled Unmastered'


Kendrick Lamar

Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar has surprised his fans by releasing a new album, called untitled unmastered, that appears to be a companion piece to last year’s critically acclaimed and wildly popular masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly.

The new record, Kendrick’s fourth, is available to buy and stream from all major sites now. All of the eight tracks are called ‘untitled’, with calendar dates next to them which indicate when they were recorded. All tracks appear to have been recorded in 2013 or 2014, with the exception of the seventh track which appears to have been finished only this year.

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar in concert in 2015

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Surprise Releases New Album 'Untitled Unmastered'

Kendrick Lamar Speaks About Playing Unreleased Material At Awards Shows


Kendrick Lamar

Following his significant haul of prizes at the Grammy Awards earlier this week, Kendrick Lamar has spoken about the motivation behind his decision to perform previously unreleased material at the ceremony.

In an interview with 2 Dope Boyz, a hip-hop fan site, the 28 year old rapper says that he regards television as an opportunity to perform his music in different ways, as he originally wanted it to appear on his albums.

“You see all these performances on these late night shows… I got a chamber of material from the album that I was in love where sample clearances or something as simple as a deadline kept it off the album,” he said. “But I think probably close to ten songs that I’m in love with that I’ll still play and still perform that didn’t make the cut.”

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Speaks About Playing Unreleased Material At Awards Shows

Kendrick Lamar Scoops The Most Awards At This Year's Grammys


Grammy Awards Kendrick Lamar Taylor Swift Mark Ronson

The music event of the year took place last night (February 15th 2016) with Taylor Swift and Mark Ronson scooping the top prizes but Kendrick Lamar taking home the most awards altogether at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Here's a rundown of the ceremony in brief.

Mark RonsonMark Ronson wins Record of the Year for 'Uptown Funk'

Record of the Year, of course, went to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for 'Uptown Funk' which also earned Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and the Dave Audé Remix won Best Remixed Recording for a Non-Classical song. It was Taylor Swift who landed the coveted Album Of The Year, however, with '1989' also becoming Best Pop Vocal Album. Swift also won an award alongside Kendrick Lamar for Best Music Video with 'Bad Blood', marking the rapper's fifth accolade of the evening.

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Scoops The Most Awards At This Year's Grammys

Adele To Perform At The Grammys


Adele Kendrick Lamar Grammy Awards

The Hello singer will join Grammy nominee frontrunner Kendrick Lamar on the stage to belt out a few of her tunes.

AdeleAdele will flex her performing muscles at the Grammys next month

Adele is a 10-time Grammy award winner but didn’t qualify for the 2016 nominations because she released her music after the required deadline.

Continue reading: Adele To Perform At The Grammys

What Awaits Kendrick Lamar In 2016? Here's A Quick Preview...


Kendrick Lamar

He's already leading Grammy nominations with no less than 11 nods, but this rapper has a lot more than that in store for the coming months. From festivals to yet more award shows, 2016 will be just as busy as 2015 - if not more so, still hot on the heels of his hit album 'To Pimp A Butterfly'.

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar has a lot to look forward to

On January 6th 2016, the People's Choice Awards will take place where Lamar will vie for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist as well as Favorite Song for 'Bad Blood' shared with Taylor Swift. Following that, he's up for Outstanding Male Artist at the NAACP Image Awards on February 5th, and then on to the NME Awards on February 17th to try and bag awards for Best International Solo Artist and Best Album supported by HMV.

Continue reading: What Awaits Kendrick Lamar In 2016? Here's A Quick Preview...

Kendrick Lamar Speaks About His 11 Grammy Nominations, "I Want To Win Them All"


Kendrick Lamar

For Kendrick Lamar 2015 has been one very successful year. The rapper released his third album To Pimp A Butterfly in March and it went on to debut on top of the Billboard charts. But the 28 year old’s year was really topped off when he received 11 Grammy nominations and now he’s got his sights set on taking home all the awards.

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar is up for 11 Grammys at next year’s ceremony.

Speaking about his 11 nominations to the New York Times Lamar said: “Being acknowledged for your work is always a great accomplishment, whether it’s people in my city, kids in the street, all the way up to the Grammys.”

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Speaks About His 11 Grammy Nominations, "I Want To Win Them All"

Kendrick Lamar Reacts To President Obama's Praise


Kendrick Lamar Barack Obama

It’s not every day that one of the most powerful men in the world tells you that one of your songs has been their favourite track of 2015. But that was exactly what happened to Kendrick Lamar when Barack Obama named his tune How Much A Dollar Cost? as his top track of the year.

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar thinks President Obama's praise is "great"

And what do you then say to the President of the United States when he reveals this? You responded with a cool, calm and collected: "That’s great."

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Reacts To President Obama's Praise

Taylor Swift, The Weeknd And Kendrick Lamar: Favourites For The 2016 Grammy Awards


Grammy Awards Taylor Swift The Weeknd Kendrick Lamar

The Grammy Award nominations for 2016 have finally been announced, with Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar predictably leading with a total of seven nods each. There's a massive 83 categories altogether, so here's a summary of what's going on in the main four.

Taylor SwiftTaylor Swift is a top contender in the main categories

Taylor Swift is pretty much a Grammy staple these days having been nominated every year since 2012. She hasn't won anything the last two years, but we'd be surprised if she loses out in 2016. Single 'Blank Space' is up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, while 'Bad Blood' featuring Kendrick Lamar could also bag Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video, and album '1989' is looking at Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Continue reading: Taylor Swift, The Weeknd And Kendrick Lamar: Favourites For The 2016 Grammy Awards

Florence + The Machine And Kendrick Lamar Added To 2016 BST Hyde Park Line Up


Florence and the Machine Kendrick Lamar Mumford And Sons Take That

Florence + the Machine and Kendrick Lamar are the latest headliners to be announced for next year’s BST Festival in Hyde Park. The two acts will share the bill on Saturday July 2nd, with Florence headlining the night. Also on the line-up are Jamie xx and Blood Orange.

Florence + the MachineFlorence + The Machine are heading to BST Hyde Park.

Florence + the Machine headlined the Friday of this year’s Glastonbury festival after the Foo Fighters were force to pull out. Their latest album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful hit the number one spot in the UK earlier this year.

Continue reading: Florence + The Machine And Kendrick Lamar Added To 2016 BST Hyde Park Line Up

Common, Kendrick Lamar Lead The Charge On MTV's #THETALK Campaign For Martin Luther King Day


Common Big Sean Ava DuVernay Kendrick Lamar Jordin Sparks Penn Badgley Pete Wentz

Today, in honour of Martin Luther King Day, MTV is returning to its progressive, socially conscious days with a special twist on its programming. For twelve straight hours, the channel will air all its shows and music videos (all two of them) in black and white, in an effort to draw attention to racial tensions in the US.

Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar (pictured), Common and a host of other celebrities want Americans to have #thetalk.

Commercials will still air in colour though, presumably because capitalism trumps social justice.

Continue reading: Common, Kendrick Lamar Lead The Charge On MTV's #THETALK Campaign For Martin Luther King Day

Kendrick Lamar Samples Isley Brothers On New Track, 'I' [Listen]


Kendrick Lamar Dr Dre

Kendrick Lamar has returned with his first single since 2012. Entitled 'i', the song samples The Isley Brothers' song 'That Lady', previously used in tracks by The Beastie Boys and Charles Hamilton. The song premiered on US radio station Power 106 on Tuesday morning (September 23, 2014).

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar is back with a new single, 'i'

The song had a more upbeat, mainstream feel to the songs on Lamar's acclaimed album Good Kid Maad City and uses the 1973 soul hit as a driving base. It also features the sound of car horns and a jazz breakdown. 

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Samples Isley Brothers On New Track, 'I' [Listen]

Why Did Drake Dis Macklemore Whilst Hosting The 2014 ESPY Awards?


Drake Macklemore Kendrick Lamar

Seven months has not been long enough for Drake's wounds, inflicted at the Grammy Awards, to heal. The 27-year-old rapper hosted the ESPY Awards (Excellent in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) on Wednesday (16th July) and performed two new sports themed songs. Unfortunately for another rapper, Macklemore, Drake included some blatantly obvious and envious references to his success.

Drake
Drake at the ESPY Awards last night.

Read More: Everything You Need To Know About Drake's Views From The Six.

Continue reading: Why Did Drake Dis Macklemore Whilst Hosting The 2014 ESPY Awards?

With That Grammy Nonsense In The Past, Kendrick Lamar Is Focussing On 2014's New Album


Kendrick Lamar Schoolboy Q

The last few years have been somewhat of a ride for Kendrick Lamar, who received critical acclaim with Section.80, then matched that critical acclaim with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, added fiscal success to the mix.

Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar was widely considered to have been robbed, even by Mackelmore, who 'robbed' him

The Grammys were expected to be Lamar’s, but a surprising win for Mackelmore has distracted people from the facts: Kendrick is the most active rapper out there at the moment, and despite a text from the unexpected winner suggested he was robbed, the wheels of the brand keep rolling.

Continue reading: With That Grammy Nonsense In The Past, Kendrick Lamar Is Focussing On 2014's New Album

Does Schoolboy Q's New Album 'Oxymoron' Live Up To Its Hip Hop Buzz? [Video]


Schoolboy Q Kendrick Lamar

Schoolboy Q's long-awaited third studio album Oxymoron has been released this week and as fans all over the world are loading up their mp3 players and stereos to get acquainted with the hip hop star's latest work, we've had a snoop around all the reviews.


Continue reading: Does Schoolboy Q's New Album 'Oxymoron' Live Up To Its Hip Hop Buzz? [Video]

Feud Fallout: Macklemore Needs Damage Control, Drake Needs Free Publicity


Drake Macklemore Kendrick Lamar

Despite the success of his debut album The Heist, it’s safe to say that Ben Haggarty, aka Macklemore isn’t really the most beloved rapper out there. His Grammy win over the Kanye West, Drake and most of all Kendrick Lamar (whom it seemed like everyone was rooting for) only made the situation worse.

Macklemore, Grammy Awards
Macklemore's "nice guy" image is a bit chipped at the edges.

Maybe the rapper was trying to placate those same critics, by instagram-ing an “apology” text message to Lamar after the show, but the idea completely backfired. It could have come and gone and Haggarty’s reputation would have stayed relatively unscathed, only he had to go and commit the biggest sin for a celebrity – over-sharing.

Continue reading: Feud Fallout: Macklemore Needs Damage Control, Drake Needs Free Publicity

Unsurprisingly, Kanye West Isn't Happy With Yeezus' Album Of The Year Snub At The Grammys


Kanye West Grammy Awards Macklemore Taylor Swift Daft Punk Kendrick Lamar

Kanye West isn't afraid to make his feelings be known and as you may expect, the rapper had plenty to say after the nominations for the 2014 Grammy Awards were revealed last week, with his latest album Yeezus only getting two nominations in the rap categories. Rather than count his blessings, Kanye let his feelings be known at a recent stop off in Phoenix, Arizona, where he queried what the Grammys are "trying to say."

Kanye West
Kanye can't believe he only has two Grammy nods

A video of Kanye's near-15-minute rant made its way on to KissFM's Instagram page and website, with the opinionated rapper questioning why on earth he has been overlooked in favour of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sara Bareilles and others Kanye would never consider to be on his level. Informing the crowd, the rapper raved, "Yeezus is the top 1 or 2 album on every single list, but only gets two nominations from the Grammys. What are they trying to say?"

Continue reading: Unsurprisingly, Kanye West Isn't Happy With Yeezus' Album Of The Year Snub At The Grammys

Hip Hop Returns In A Big Way To This Year's Grammys, With Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar And Macklemore Topping The Nominees List


Jay Z Kanye West Kendrick Lamar Macklemore Drake

Hip hop artists don’t tend to have a great relationship with the Grammys, with people like Jay Z and Kanye West having openly boycotted the ceremony after being snubbed for awards. This year, however, is the year of hip hop if anything. Jay Z is the undisputed king of the nominees list with nine nods to his name, including the coveted Best Rap Performance, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song, for his Magna Carta Holy Grail hits "Tom Ford," "Part II (On the Run)," and "Holy Grail," respectively, MTV reports. This comes after two years of Mr Carter boycotting the awards. In 2002 he refused to attend the Grammys, explaining: “I am boycotting the Grammys because too many major rap artists continue to be overlooked.”

Jay Z, Ziggo Dome
Was it Jay Z's boycott that fixed the situation?

He boycotted the 2011 and 2012 awards for the same sentiment. Hov did make the 2013 Grammys in a big way, however and it looks like he will also make an appearance at the 2014 awards.

Continue reading: Hip Hop Returns In A Big Way To This Year's Grammys, With Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar And Macklemore Topping The Nominees List

Jay Z And Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Lead The Grammy Nominations, But There's Little Love For Justin Timberlake And Kanye West


Jay Z Macklemore Justin Timberlake Kanye West Daft Punk Kendrick Lamar Taylor Swift Robin Thicke Bruno Mars Lorde Imagine Dragons Drake Eminem

The nominees for the 2014 Grammy Awards have been announced and after a year when hip-hop comebacks and newcomers have dominated the music scene, it is rap that leads the way in the Grammy nominations for next year. Jay-Z leads the nominations with nine nods in total, followed closely by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar, both of which have seven nominations each.

Jay-ZMacklemore
Jay-Z and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are among the most celebrated artists this year

It isn't just hip-hop being honoured at the awards show, as the two most coveted categories: Record of the Year and Album of the Year, only have two rap representatives in them (three if you count T.I.'s verse on 'Blurred Lines,' which is up for Record of the Year), with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick and The Heist by Macklemore both up for Album of the Year. Daft Punk are up for both categories, with 'Get Lucky' and their album Random Access Memories earning recognition from the Grammy committee. The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles and Red by Taylor Swift make up the rest of the album list and 'Blurred Lines,' 'Locked Out of Heaven' by Bruno Mars, 'Royals' by Lorde and 'Radioactive' by Imagine Dragons completing the Record of the Year category.

Continue reading: Jay Z And Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Lead The Grammy Nominations, But There's Little Love For Justin Timberlake And Kanye West

Breakaway Comes To Dallas Tomorrow With The Return Of Empire Of The Sun


Empire of the Sun Bassnectar Kendrick Lamar Juicy J Wu Tang Clan Matt & Kim

Breakaway Festival 2013

Breakaway Festival will very soon arrive in Texas bringing music of all genres to the 21,000 capacity FC Dallas Stadium this weekend (September 21st 2013).

Aussie glam-pop twosome Empire of the Sun will headline the event for the second time, having previously performed alongside Bassnectar and Kendrick Lamar at the Breakaway in Columbus, Ohio last weekend (September 14th 2013). Memphis rapper Juicy J and Spanish DJ Danny Avila are the only other two acts to return for a second run, and they will be joined by hip hop legends Wu-Tang Clan, indie couple Matt & Kim and - Justin Bieber's bestie - rapper Lil Twist. 

Continue reading: Breakaway Comes To Dallas Tomorrow With The Return Of Empire Of The Sun

Get Ready For The Second Half Of London's 2013 Star-Filled ITunes Festival


Lady GaGa Rizzle Kicks Arctic Monkeys Kings Of Leon Jimmy Eat World Elton John Tom Odell Kendrick Lamar Primal Scream Haim Gabrielle Aplin Bipolar Sunshine Dan Croll Katy Perry Icona Pop

We're almost halfway through an incredible 30-day iTunes Festival with some legendary shows still to come from the likes of Elton John, Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry.

One of London's most fabulous concert venues, The Roundhouse, is holding the biggest artists of the year between September 1st - 30th and it's only going to get better from here.

The festivities kicked off with Lady GaGa, who certainly garnered much 'Applause' with her electric set which saw her don little more than seashells in strategic places as she bellowed out a taster of her upcoming album 'Artpop'.

Continue reading: Get Ready For The Second Half Of London's 2013 Star-Filled ITunes Festival

Kanye West Announces First Solo Tour In 5 Years, And He's Taking Kendrick Lamar Along For The Ride


Kanye West Kendrick Lamar Kim Kardashian

Kanye West is hitting the road, and he's bringing hip-hop's brightest new thing Kendrick Lamar with him, later this year; the first time he's been out on tour to support his solo material since 2008. Yeezy will be heading out in support of Yeezus this fall, hitting his first stop of the tour on October 19 in Seattle, Washington before finishing off on 7 December in Houston, Texas.

Kanye West Tour
Kanye West hasn't been on a solo tour for half a decade

This marks the first time that Kanye has been on a solo tour in five years, when he took his 'Glow in the Dark' tour on the road. Since then, he retreated from live shows following his Taylor Swift VMAs fiasco in 2009, although he did head out on the road in 2011 with Jay-Z in support of Watch the Throne. However his only solo performances have come in the shape of festival performances and one-off shows, like his controversial performance for Kazakhstan dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Continue reading: Kanye West Announces First Solo Tour In 5 Years, And He's Taking Kendrick Lamar Along For The Ride

Music Midtown Festival Continues To Grow After Successful Rebirth


Red Hot Chili Peppers Journey Queens Of The Stone Age Imagine Dragons Phoenix Jane's Addiction Weezer 2 Chainz Kendrick Lamar Arctic Monkeys

Music Midtown 2012 Logo

It looks like Atlanta's Music Midtown festival is on its way back up as 2013 brings us the biggest line-up since its return from a six year hiatus.

We are back to where we started with Midtown, which takes place on September 10th - 21st at Piedmont Park, as we see a 2 day, 2 stage event just like its debut in 1994. We've still got a long way to go before it's back at its peak with 3 days and 6 stages, but the line-up hasn't far off doubled from last year and another stage has been added too. The excitement when it was announced that Midtown was making its return in 2011 is hard to beat, but we reckon this year's line-up could reel in an even more impressive overall ticket sale.

Continue reading: Music Midtown Festival Continues To Grow After Successful Rebirth

New Single "Control (HOF)" Sees Kendrick Lamar Calling Out Big Competitors


Kendrick Lamar Jay Z J. Cole Big Sean Drake

Kendrick Lamar is rising to the top and won’t let anybody stand in his way, the rapper has made that much clear by calling out a bunch of rappers on his latest track “Control (HOF)”. Actually, name dropped would be a more accurate description, because the list of… um… homeboys includes quite a few big names.

Kendrick Lamar, Way Out West Festival
Lamar might have "mad love" for them...

In the new track, which you can listen to via NME, Lamar raps: "I'm usually homeboys with the same nigg*s I'm rhyming with/ But this is hip-hop and them niggas should know what time it is/ And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha-T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller/ I got love for you all but I'm trying to murder you n****s".

Continue reading: New Single "Control (HOF)" Sees Kendrick Lamar Calling Out Big Competitors

Lollapalooza 2013: The Key Bands That You Cannot Afford To Miss


Lollapalooza Kendrick Lamar The National DIIV Azealia Banks

Most of us are still cradling our weary heads from the Pitchfork Music Festival, but it's time to dust ourselves down, pull on our favorite band t-shirts and head to Chicago for one of America's - no, the world's - biggest music festivals.

That's right guys, Lollapalooza is here and this year's line-up is one of the most ingenious collections of live music for 2013.

Here's the bands that you simply cannot afford to miss.

Continue reading: Lollapalooza 2013: The Key Bands That You Cannot Afford To Miss

Lollapalooza 2013 To Be Equipped For All Weathers For Another Memorable Weekend


Lollapalooza The Cure Mumford And Sons The Killers Nine Inch Nails New Order 2 Chainz Palma Violets Deap Vally Foals Alt-J Kendrick Lamar Ellie Goulding Vampire Weekend

Lolapalooza

Get ready for a magnificent time as Chicago brings you another rollicking year of Lollapalooza with a legendary line-up of mixed genre music from The Cure to Mumford & Sons.

Since it's revival in 2003, Lollapalooza has been bringing you the very best of rock, metal, punk, hip hop and dance from all the major music legends to the up-and-coming rookies of the business. Taking place at Chicago's Grant Park from August 2nd - 4th 2013, the festival this year features a bedazzling headline roster of Las Vegas indie rockers The Killers, West Sussex goths The Cure, Grammy winning folk four-piece Mumford & Sons and long-running industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. There will also be a huge range of activities to occupy yourself with over the weekend from the Samsung Galaxy Experience where you can check out the latest gadgets, to art stations where you can become a comic strip or be transformed into a work of pop art.

Continue reading: Lollapalooza 2013 To Be Equipped For All Weathers For Another Memorable Weekend

MTV Video Music Award Nominees: Will Macklemore Clean Up?


Justin Timberlake Macklemore Bruno Mars Robin Thicke Taylor Swift Miley Cyrus Drake Calvin Harris Kendrick Lamar Lana Del Rey Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards 2013 have been announced, with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Justin Timberlake leading the field. Armed with their videos for 'Can't Hold Us' and 'Thrift Shop,' the hip-hop duo will square off against JT at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on August 25, 2013.

Both acts received six nominations, with Timberlake getting nods for his 'Suit and Tie' and 'Mirrors' promos. Elsewhere, Bruno Mars appears to have every chance of taking home the prize of 'Video of the Year' with 'Locked out of Heaven,' though Robin Thicke's controversial clip for 'Blurred Lines' and Taylor Swift's 'I Knew You Were Trouble' will also be popular.

The VMAs - one of the biggest events on the pop music calendar - represents the first time a major awards show has been held in Brooklyn. The place has been a mecca for art and culture for years, though the Barclays Center appears to have truly put it on the map.

Continue reading: MTV Video Music Award Nominees: Will Macklemore Clean Up?

As Fans Gather For 'T In The Park,' Police Crack Down On Drugs


Mumford And Sons Rihanna The Killers Yeah Yeah Yeahs Of Monsters and Men Kraftwerk Kendrick Lamar Kesha The Proclaimers Alt-J T In The Park

The sun is shining, the line-up is terrific; T In The Park 2013 is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary with thousands of fans and seven stages. Performers during the three day festival will include Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, The Killers, Ke$ha, Kendrick Lamar, Emeli Sandé, The Proclaimers, and many more massive mainstream names. The recently revived German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk will also be making their festival debut in a hotly anticipated set that is rumoured to include 3D visuals, as well as My Bloody Valentine.

Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk To Bring Their Machine-Like Electronica To T In The Park.

T must surely rival similarly huge English festivals Glastonbury and Download for the strongest line-up of the year, with Mercury Prize winning Alt-J, New York's Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Frank Ocean, Paloma Faith and Icelandic newcomers Of Monsters and Men also playing across the weekend to celebrate two decades of the Scottish event. Festival director Geoff Ellis said, according to BBC's Newsbeat, "It doesn't feel like 20 years since we started and it's a milestone." The festival, which has been held annually since 1994 has been held at Balado airfield in Kinross-shire since 1997 and now attracts 85,000 fans and 35,000 campers to the second largest greenfield event in the UK.

Continue reading: As Fans Gather For 'T In The Park,' Police Crack Down On Drugs

Bonnaroo And Ustream Announce 2013 Webcast Line-up Featuring Paul Mccartney, Mumford And Sons And Many More

Posted on13 June 2013

Bonnaroo And Ustream Announce 2013 Webcast Line-up Featuring Paul Mccartney, Mumford And Sons And Many More

Despite Stevie Wonder, Hip-Hop Will Rule At Hangout Festival, Gulf Shores


Kendrick Lamar Stevie Wonder Kings Of Leon Tom Petty Macklemore Drake Public Enemy

The Hangout Musical Festival returns to Gulf Shores, Alabama, this weekend with a pretty varied line-up including Stevie Wonder, Kings Of Leon and Tom Petty as well as a number of notable hip-hop acts. Though the headliners will no doubt draw sizeable crowds, the lies of Kendrick Lamar and the outstanding Public Enemy are the most interesting performances on offer.

Lamar, hip-hop's current golden child, hits the stage on Saturday (May 18, 2013) playing tracks from his critically acclaimed major label debut good kid, m.A.A.d city. Watch out for singles Swimming Pools and Poetic Justice (with Drake) and the superb Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe. 

Legendary group Public Enemy, who were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will take to the stage rather early on Saturday (1.30pm). The hip-hop outfit are still a live force to be reckoned with and you shouldn't miss these. 

Continue reading: Despite Stevie Wonder, Hip-Hop Will Rule At Hangout Festival, Gulf Shores

Is James Blake Looking To Strengthen His Hip Hop Connections With A Kendrick Lamar Collaboration?


James Blake Kendrick Lamar

On his upcoming second album, Overgrown, UK electronic saviour James Blake includes a collaborative effort with Wu Tang Clan pack leader RZA in what is a stand out track on an album filled with stand out tracks. Blake's flirtation with hip hop has been long withstanding and it seems that now he has finally hooked up with a hip hop artists everyone is seemingly after a piece of the young producer.

James Blake
James Blake can hopefully expect to pick up a few more awards with the release of Overgrown.

Hip hop's fastest rising star, Kendrick Lamar, is one of the names being thrown around the rumour mill more and more and thanks to an article from PigeonsAndPlanes.com, it is looking more and more likely that the two young upstarts may be heading to a studio together sometime soon. Blake's collaborator on the newly launched label 1-800-Dinosaur, Dan Foat, spoke with the website about the potential for a collaboration and whilst he said that at the moment both parties are too busy to agree on anything, there is still widespread interest among the two groups to work together. He said, "The TDE setup is inspiring and something I’d like to replicate with 1-800, they’re like a modern day Death Row. It’s a long ball game."

Continue reading: Is James Blake Looking To Strengthen His Hip Hop Connections With A Kendrick Lamar Collaboration?

SXSW Memorable Moments: Drunk Bully Gets Knocked Out (Video)


Justin Timberlake Prince Nick Cave Kendrick Lamar Depeche Mode South by Southwest

Ok, so this year's SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, featured intimate performances from the likes of Prince, Justin Timberlake, the Sound City Players, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Green Day and Kendrick Lamar, though one memorable moment from 2013 appears to be making all the headlines. "Drunk bully gets knocked out" is a video that began pulling in the YouTube views midway through the festival, after one attendee captured an incident on the Austin streets on a smartphone. Of course, we don't condone violence, but isn't there something sweet about seeing a drunken bully stumble around hitting innocent bystanders, only to be given a taste of his own medicine? Sure there is.

After reading the video title, you just know what's going to happen. The only thing left to do is try and guess which of the SXSW festivalgoers gives the drunken bully a face full of fist before it actually happens. Eagle eyed watchers will have spotted the guy with the grey t-shirt asking his friend whether he has his back, around 10 seconds into the video. From there, he plans the whole thing out, waits for his moment, and BOOM. 

Continue reading: SXSW Memorable Moments: Drunk Bully Gets Knocked Out (Video)

SXSW Movers And Shakers: The Biggest Names And Best New Acts At South By Southwest 2013


South by Southwest Macklemore Solange Knowles Bastille Kendrick Lamar Nick Cave My Gold Mask Purity Ring Blue Hawaii Haim Metz

As the annual South by Southwest festival heats up over there in Austin, Texas, we’ve cast a jealous eye over the line-up and picked out five of some of the bigger names that you really should start queuing nice and early for and thrown in five hype bands for you, too, so you can get all hip with your friends, upon your return and start laying down all those “saw them first lines,” when they blow up next year.

First up, the acts that have already broken, that you really need to check out, or at least pretend that you did, if you were stuck in that queue for BBQ wings…

1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – their ‘Thrift Shop’ song really blew up, especially online, where they challenged Carly Rae Jepsen’s chart record for ‘Call Me Maybe.’ No one can predict whether or not Macklemore’s going to be a one hit wonder or whether he’s got more up his sleeve, he’s known for putting on a good show, and all six of their shows are likely to be rammed.

Continue reading: SXSW Movers And Shakers: The Biggest Names And Best New Acts At South By Southwest 2013

3rd Day Of Yahoo! Wireless Festival 2013 Announced! Legends Of The Summer Feat Justin Timberlake And Jay Z

Posted on12 March 2013

3rd Day Of Yahoo! Wireless Festival 2013 Announced! Legends Of The Summer Feat Justin Timberlake And Jay Z

A Week In Music - Stevie Nicks Stars In Sound City: Real To Reel, Palma Violets Can't Match The Hype, Kendrick Lamar's Slick New Video For 'Poetic Justice'


Dave Grohl Stevie Nicks Sound City Players Dermot O'Leary Palma Violets Kendrick Lamar Peace Carly Rae Jepsen Atoms For Peace Tom Odell

Sound City - Reel To Reel Cover

Albums of Note... Dave Grohl managed to rally a group of rock’s big players together to record an album designed to accompany his Sound City documentary – about the legendary LA recording studio of the same name. Amongst the stars making an appearance on Sound City: Real to Reel are Sir Paul McCartney, Josh Homme and Stevie Nicks; the latter of whom provides one of the album’s highlights:

“[The] tracks that do command attention… are worth wading through the mire for. One can only assume, for instance, that Lindsay Buckingham and the rest of Fleetwood Mac will be kicking themselves upon hearing 'You Can't Fix This,' because this is simply the greatest Fleetwood Mac song that never was.”

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Stevie Nicks Stars In Sound City: Real To Reel, Palma Violets Can't Match The Hype, Kendrick Lamar's Slick New Video For 'Poetic Justice'

Busy Night In The M.A.A.D City: Kendrick Lamar Plays Letterman Show Then Plays 2 NYC Gigs


Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is well and truly a star on the rise, and he proved his huge credentials with a tip-top performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Kendrick Lamar in Glasgow 2013

Kendrick Lamar dominated the M.A.A.D. City last night

Continue reading: Busy Night In The M.A.A.D City: Kendrick Lamar Plays Letterman Show Then Plays 2 NYC Gigs

New Kendrick Lamar Video For Poetic Justice + Emeli Sande Next To Me Remix (Watch & Listen)


Kendrick Lamar Emeli Sande

Where do you find Kendrick Lamar? Just near something good, that’s where. The 25-year-old rapper can’t a put a foot wrong lately, and now he’s dropped his new video for Poetic Justice feat. Drake – the single from his critically acclaimed album Good Kid M.A.A.D. City. Where else can you find him? Next to Emeli Sande (also good). He collaborated with the Brit Award-winning singer in a remix of her hit, Next to Me. See? Good, it’s always good.

Kendrick Lamar Performing at a Concert in Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom

Kendrick Lamar performs in Gasgow, Scotland

Continue reading: New Kendrick Lamar Video For Poetic Justice + Emeli Sande Next To Me Remix (Watch & Listen)

Bonnaroo Festival 2013 Lineup Announced: Our Top 5 Picks Beyond The Headlines


Tom Petty Sir Paul McCartney Mumford And Sons Bjork Cat Power ZZ Top Kendrick Lamar

This year’s Bonnaroo Festival takes place in Manchester, Tennessee, on June 13-16 and the lineup is boasting some pretty heavyweight talent, with the likes of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mumford & Sons and Sir Paul McCartney stealing the headline slots. Beyond the draw of the top billing, though – who should you go and see if you manage to bag a ticket to Bonnaroo 2013? Here’s our Top 5 Bonnaroo Bets.

1. Bjork – We can’t remember the last time there was an opportunity to see Bjork in such a superb festival setting (okay, we probably could, if we cast our minds back a little but it’s far from a frequent occurrence). The eccentric Icelandic songstress always puts on a fabulous show, both visually and sonically, setting fire to all of your senses, whether you are a hardened Bjork fan or simply wandering past the stage, wondering what the hell might be going on.

2. Cat Power – OK. This one comes with a warning. When she’s on form, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) will provide you with one of the most emotionally charged, cathartic live music experiences that you’re likely to experience. On a bad day, though, it can be torturous to witness. All part of the Cat Power charm, of course, but a gamble, nonetheless.

Continue reading: Bonnaroo Festival 2013 Lineup Announced: Our Top 5 Picks Beyond The Headlines

Bonnaroo 2013 Lineup Announcement

Posted on20 February 2013

Bonnaroo 2013 Lineup Announcement

Bjork, Paul McCartney And R Kelly: Variegated Lineup For Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival


Sir Paul McCartney Mumford And Sons Bjork R Kelly Wu Tang Clan The National The Lumineers David Byrne Kendrick Lamar Nas ZZ Top

The Bonnaroo festival line-up has been released and it's something to get yourself excited about. Not got a ticket? You'll definitely want to get yourself one once you see who'll be performing. 

The Bonnaroo festival info page is a veritable delight of explaining Out There and In Here. Out There is out here, where we are now, beyond the limits temporally or spatially of the festival itself, but In There, in the festival, the festival organisers want it to be a haven of positivity, safety and, above all, supreme amounts of fun. They describe it as "4 of the best days ever" and "an escape into Excitement. Music. Art. Discoveries. Trees. Fresh Air. Green Grass... Friends (Old / New). Adventure. Overwhelming happiness. Hugging a stranger by accident. Sharing and Generosity. Bonnaroovian Dancing. Hyperbolic verbiage..." and the list goes on. Sounds good, right? Well, the line-up is even better, and suitable for all genres you may find yourself remotely interested in. 

Here's the best of the list, from the headliners down to the early stars: Paul McCartney, Grammy winners Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bjork, R Kelly, Wu-Tang Clan, The National, The Lumineers, David Byrne, St Vincent, Passion Pit, The XX, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Of Monsters and Men, Nas, ZZ Top, Beach House, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala, Gaslight Anthem, Billy Idol, Foals, Local Natives, Alt-J, The Tallest Man on Earth, Earl Sweatshirt, The Vaccines, Frank Turner, Purity Ring... and once again, the list goes on. Check out the website to see the rest.

Continue reading: Bjork, Paul McCartney And R Kelly: Variegated Lineup For Tennessee's Bonnaroo Festival

Wireless Festival Moves To The Queen's Olympic Park With Justin Timberlake And Jay-Z To Headline


Justin Timberlake Jay Z Rita Ora Calvin Harris Snoop Dogg Frank Ocean Kendrick Lamar Emeli Sande John Legend Dj Fresh

It has been said over and over, but 2013 truly is the year of the comeback. Justin Timberlake has been going all out on his return to music and having unveiled the first track of his new album, The 20/20 Experience, 'Suit and Tie' with Jay Z, his musical resurrection was nothing short of a revelation. Continuing to keep up the momentum JT will be headlining London's Wireless Festival in the Queen's Olympic Park this summer, along with Jay. 

As the Guardian reports, the prior venue for the urban festival - Hyde Park - had suffered with noise complaints. At the Queen's Olympic Park (where the Olympics were held), there's few more appropriately grand locales for the festival. If you were excited about the headliners, the rest of the acts will delight you too; Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Emeli Sandé. Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Calvin Harris, Dj Fresh and Rita Ora, are just the tip of the iceberg.  

With such great acts, there's a price to go with it. For two days you'll be paying £110, or £57.50 for just either the Friday or the Saturday. Solo tours for many of the performers could reach £50 easily, so it's excellent value for money. They go on sale on Friday morning so snap them up while you can.

Continue reading: Wireless Festival Moves To The Queen's Olympic Park With Justin Timberlake And Jay-Z To Headline

"I Can't Believe I'm Alive" Rick Ross Raps About Drive-By Shooting Already?


Rick Ross Kendrick Lamar

Most people, if they’d just survived a drive-by shooting, would probably stay home awhile, possibly start scouting for security firms, if they knew they’d been an intended target. Possibly do some online shopping for bulletproof vests and alternative body armour. Not Rick Ross, though. Rick Ross heads to the studio to rap about the drive-by shooting. Rick Ross reworks a song by rapper of the moment Kendrick Lamar, entitled ‘B*tch Don’t Kill My Vibe.’ None of which has helped quell the speculation that the whole thing was staged.

Rick Ross’ street cred has been a bone of contention in the rap community, according to The Hollywood Gossip and not everyone’s convinced that Ross would really have dodged the “hail of bullets” that were reportedly aimed at his Rolls Royce but landed, instead, in the windows of local businesses. Ross eventually crashed his vehicle into a local apartment building.

He’s since been in the studio and recorded a remix of “B*tch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ which includes the lyrics “I can’t believe I’m alive / disrespectful to n*ggers who wanna take me alive / wishing death on you n*ggers we never see eye to eye.” Ross goes on to say “I’m just raising the bar,” which will no doubt irk whoever was shooting at him, presuming it was a genuine drive-by shooting that occurred early Monday Morning (January 28, 2013) on Las Olas Boulevard.  

Continue reading: "I Can't Believe I'm Alive" Rick Ross Raps About Drive-By Shooting Already?

The Lonely Island's New Song - Yolo, Features Adam Levine And Kendrick Lamar (Video)


Kendrick Lamar Adam Levine The Lonely Island

They do satire and they seemingly do it perfectly. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, aka The Lonely Island presented their latest twist on modern culture, reversing the meaning of YOLO to heed caution against, well, everything.

Although Andy Samberg has left Saturday Night Live, his return, alongside his cronies to premiere their latest project was welcome. Since then, and at the time of writing, the video has accumulated 8,677,972 hits on YouTube and shooting to the top of the iTunes Top 10 Comedy Songs chart.

Continue reading: The Lonely Island's New Song - Yolo, Features Adam Levine And Kendrick Lamar (Video)

Florence Welch Gives Kendrick Lamar Fans A Treat With Impromptu Tube Performance


Florence and the Machine Florence Welch Kendrick Lamar

Fans travelling home from Kendrick Lamar’s London show recently were given a bonus extra performance after they found themselves sharing a London Underground carriage with Florence Welch!

Welch had been spotted at the show beforehand on Sunday night (January 20, 2013), but opted to take the tube instead of a private car. Keeping a low profile was never going to work with that shock of red hair, and she soon found herself being serenaded by a bunch of fans singing her hit ‘You’ve Got The Love.’ However, rather than shy away, Welch opted to play up to the crowd: “Florence jumped on the Tube after Kendrick and, as you can imagine, every carriage was packed” a source told The Sun. “At first she tried to keep a low profile but it didn’t take long for a few people to recognise her. They started singing 'You’ve Got The Love' but instead of bailing at the next stop, Florence joined in. It was brilliant.”

Welch wasn’t done there either, as if we didn’t already know that she was a fan of Lamar, she moved onto one of his tunes next; “She finished You’ve Got The Love before changing to the Kendrick Lamar song Backseat Freestyle” the insider said. Welch is a known fan of hip-hop, and can count A$AP Rocky and Drake among her pals.

Continue reading: Florence Welch Gives Kendrick Lamar Fans A Treat With Impromptu Tube Performance

A Member Of Epic Proportions: Kendrick Lamar Reveals New Video


Kendrick Lamar

“I pray my d*ck get big as the Eiffel Tower so that I can f*ck the world for 72 hours.”

The words of Kendrick Lamar there: a man who clearly hasn’t considered the physiological consequences of having such an, uh, utensil before getting down on his knees and sending his thoughts skywards. Quite apart from the fact it’d be nigh on impossible to walk around, the foolish rapper would also most likely have to content with suffering a massive hemorrhage anytime he felt even slightly aroused. He’s not thought this through.

That aside though, his new video of ‘Backseat Freestyle’ from last year’s critically acclaimed album good kid, m.A.A.d city is an aesthetically gritty affair that sees Lamar walking around Paris, France as well as his native Compton, California in black and white. Looking generally pretty street, on a few occasions he allows a few scantily clad women to take center stage, jiving about, grinding up against cars, that sort of thing. Standard hip-hop fare then, that is apart from an amusing interlude which sees one fellow getting rather irate at how long his Domino’s pizza order is taking to arrive. From the  size of him you could hardly say that he needs it – that said even he has a way to go to reach the proportions that Lamar seems to so desire for his genitalia. "Martin has a dream" he sings, in reference to Martin Luther-King, before returning to his own "dream". Thank god Martin's was of slightly more magnitude. 

Continue reading: A Member Of Epic Proportions: Kendrick Lamar Reveals New Video

Scrufizzer Announces Kendrick Lamar Uk Tour January 2013

Posted on17 December 2012

Scrufizzer Announces Kendrick Lamar UK Tour January 2013

'Red' Alert: Taylor Swift Spends Second Week Atop Billboard Albums Chart


Taylor Swift Meek Mill Kendrick Lamar Rod Stewart Mumford And Sons

Taylor Swift’s latest album Red has remained steadfast at the top of the Billboard albums chart for a second week. Swift’s popularity appears to know no bounds, as she has made a successful and seamless transition from her country roots into the pop arena. She seems equally at home at the Grand Ole Opry as she does wooing a crowd of teenagers at an MTV Awards event. This dual appeal has translated nicely into CD sales for Swift, who shifted 344,000 copies of Red in the last week in the United States.

The rapper Meek Mill made a seriously impressive dent in the chars with his major label debut, Dreams and Nightmares, and sold approximately 165,000, according to MTV News (sourced from Nielsen Soundscan). It may be a long way off Swift’s total, but it still landed him the number two slot, in a week where sales were affected by Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast of America. The previous week, it had been another rapper snapping at Taylor’s heels (albeit from a distance!). This week, Kendrick Lamar has slipped down to number five with good kid, m.A.A.d. City, making room for Rod Stewart’s Christmas album Merry Christmas Baby.

Mumford & Sons, who impressed with their initial ascent to the top of the US charts with Babel, have dropped to number seven with sales of 44,000. We’re predicting a third week at the top for Taylor; this week’s releases seem to contain little in the way of a threat to the 23 year-old global star.

Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Review Roundup


Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is the artist on everyone's lips at the moment. A Bona fide member of the Black Hippy crew, along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, Lamar's latest album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is receiving rave reviews.

"The West Coast rapper's major-label debut studio album, "good kid, M.A.A.D. city" (Top Dawg Entertainment/ Aftermath/Interscope), breathes life into the game with the art of storytelling," say Billboard.com in a positive review, which goes on to say "An ethos of freedom -- of both internal and external -- builds throughout the album, as Kendrick tells of his story through the creative outlet that saved him from an alternate life ending." Popular review site Pitchfork gave the record an impressive 9.5, and slapped their "best new music" label firmly on it's cover, saying: "All this weighty material might make good kid, M.A.A.D city sound like a bit of a drag. But the miracle of this album is how it ties straightforward rap thrills-- dazzling lyrical virtuosity, slick quotables, pulverizing beats, star turns from guest rappers-- directly to its narrative."

Elsewhere, Metacritic compiled 19 reviews and awarded the album 91/100, which well and truly categorizes it as "universally acclaimed". Section.80, Lamar's previous release was a great success, but it looks as though the West Coast boy has stepped up his game to deliver a true hip-hop masterpiece. Go buy it!

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Review Roundup

Kendrick Lamar Prepares To Storm US Billboard Charts


Kendrick Lamar

The UK is set to see the Kendrick Lamar show in full, following occasional appearances in London, including one where he supported Canadian superstar Drake. Lamar’s album good kid, mAAd city is currently the toast of the hip hop community, and is expected to make a huge dent in his native US’ Billboard Charts this coming weekend.

You can see the full list of dates below, but we’re not expecting tickets for the four dates revealed to hang about for long, given the impact he’s likely to have in the next few weeks. The venues he’s playing to in January 2013 all have capacities of between 1500 to 2000 people; we’re pretty sure this means he’ll be back soon after to play a right load of air hangars. Good on him, we’re listening to the album even as we type and, an infatuation with his own penis aside, it’s coming across as a pretty smooth old listen indeed, a little like Kanye’s much vaunted studio proclamations but mixed with something a little more understated.

The impression that Lamar’s debut has made on the public looks like it’s going to fall some way short of beating Taylor Swift to the Billboard albums top spot, but then with projected seven-figure sales predicted for Red, it was always going to be a tall order. Billboard are expecting sales of 220,000 plus to lock him down at second spot however. Those tour dates:

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar Prepares To Storm US Billboard Charts

Kendrick Lamar Announces Uk Tour In January 2013

Posted on25 October 2012

Kendrick Lamar Announces UK Tour In January 2013

Rising Rapper Kendrick Lamar Lists His Top 25 Albums


Snoop Dogg Kendrick Lamar Dr Dre The Notorious B.I.G

Kendrick Lamar, a member of the Black Hippy crew (with fellow L.A. luminaries Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul), caught the attention of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre and now he's scaling the heights with some aplomb.

Now, in-between sell-out shows and writing new music, Lamar has taken time out to reveal some of the albums that influenced him to become a world renown rap artist. The list, compiled by Complex Music, has some seminal albums in its ranks, with Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' featuring prominently. "That was probably the first rap album I remember them playing in the house from top to bottom," Kendrick recalls. "Songs that I actually remember as a kid. That's the start of them house parties I always talk about growing up." Another of Hip Hop's most important albums was 1994's Ready To Die, from Notorious B.I.G, and this also features on the list. "[What resonated with me was] the storytelling, just the storytelling, how in-depth the storytelling was. The storytelling and the flow. The one thing about West Coast music, we had storytelling, it wasn't crazy in-depth like that, but we had it. Our stuff was more laid back, more flow and feel good, more how records felt. His was just grimy. Stories was crazy. Flows was crazy." Lamar explained. 

Have a squint at the other records that defined Compton's latest export:

Continue reading: Rising Rapper Kendrick Lamar Lists His Top 25 Albums

Kendrick Lamar Finds Detractor In Rapper Shyne


Kendrick Lamar Shyne

BEEF! Get ready to start grabbing the attention of your mates, forming a tight circle around the two involved in the potential scrap and whooping and hollering inanities at them, because Kendrick Lamar and rapper Shyne could be about to get it onnnnnn. Well, maybe.

There’s some certainly been some mud flinging going on from Shyne’s side over Twitter, after he bucked the trend of praise for Lamar’s new album good kid, m.A.A.d city and instead decided to slag it off. Fight! Fight! Fight! "Yoooo! Kendrick Lamar is talented with a lot of potential but his album is traaaaash," Shyne tweeted before comparing it to the creatively starved Game and 50 Cent's debut projects. "The game Documentary even 50 get rich or die trying lived up to the hype and were classics. Good kid is trash!"

It’s going to take more than that to get under K.Dot’s skin, the artist not giving a reply. However his Top Dawg Entertainment label mate and Black Hippy rhyme partner Schoolboy Q jumped in for him, writing: "We all know @OriginalSHyne AIN'T EATIN!!!!! N*gga ain't had a hot verse since '01." According to MTV, Shyne fired back with a tweet that included a since-deleted homophobic slur and told Q, "When mobsters talking rappers be quiet!" Is it going to get physical? Probably not.

US Album Releases, October 23, 2012: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Bat For Lashes And More


Could Taylor Swift have what it takes to topple Mumford & Sons from the top of the US albums chart, with her new album Red? Of all of this week’s releases, Taylor looks the likely candidate to upset the current chart positions. Taylor has become headline news over the last few years. As she has gradually traversed the boundary from country to pop – and even sneaks in a spot of dubstep in this latest full-length outing – she appears to be welcomed with arms as open at the Grand ol’ Opry as they are at the annual MTV Awards parties.

US Album Release Round-Up - October 23, 2012

The major label debut from Kendrick Lamar has already been hailed as one of the most significant hip-hop albums of the year. Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City was leaked online last week, ahead of its official US release today. A review from the UK’s NME magazine remarked that he may have lost some of his edge since releasing his 2011 mixtape, but the 25 year old from Compton certainly hasn’t forgotten his roots. With the success of single ‘Swimming Pools’ already under his belt, Good Kid… looks set to be a huge hit for Lamar.

A strong contender from across the pond comes in the form of Bat For Lashes, from the UK. Natasha Khan has been causing a bit of a stir with the cover to her latest album The Haunted Man, as she’s not wearing much in the way of clothing. Well, she’s not really wearing anything in the way of clothing. Discussion of her high-class Kate Bush-esque songs should soon eclipse the chatter about her nudity though. Her last album, 2009’s Two Suns was a huge success in her homeland, though it only reached 141 in the US album charts. Could The Haunted Man be the album that Natasha needs to break America?

Continue reading: US Album Releases, October 23, 2012: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Bat For Lashes And More

Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, M.A.A.d. City: The Most Significant Hip Hop Album Of 2012?


Dr Dre Kendrick Lamar

The Black Hippy rapper Kendrick Lamar releases his first major label studio album today, entitled Good Kid m.A.A.d. City.

The album was leaked online last week and Twitter has already been awash with comments from eager fans who simply couldn’t wait for the official release. Or, you know, simply couldn’t be bothered to pay for it.

The album has already been tipped to become one of the most popular hip-hop albums of the year, according to examiner.com. The Observer’s reviewer, Hermione Hoby describes Good Kid… as “probably the year’s most significant hip-hop release.” That’s a pretty weighty accolade for the 25 year-old, who is mentored by Dr. Dre (who gets a co-sign on the album) but with five mixtapes and an independent album release under his belt, he’s plenty experienced enough to deal with the attention. Like Dre, Lamar has a wealth of life experience to draw on in his lyrics, having grown up in Compton and often refers to the “harsh realities we in,” laying it all bare, just as Dre once did.

Continue reading: Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid, M.A.A.d. City: The Most Significant Hip Hop Album Of 2012?

Kendrick Lamar

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Kendrick Lamar

Date of birth

17th June, 1987

Occupation

Musician

Sex

Male

Height

1.68




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