Virgin

The emotional impact of a certain alleged cardiac arrest takes a fair bit of Friday to sink in, although wellies don’t have anywhere near the same trouble. With groundsheets buried in gloop, Mr. Hudson & his soulful Library are right up against it on The Other Stage. That it’s still sheeting down come eleven raises the question of whether it’s Hudson or his affiliation with Mr. West that’s attracted such a colossal crowd. Kanye doesn’t show, despite lurking about backstage for the most part of the day, although Hudson delivers an awe-inspiring down-tempo set filled to bursting point with soothing steel drums and sublime vocal harmonies. Maybe the self-confessed Champion may have his eggs in the right basket this time, what with Supernova set to explode this summer. Whilst at least in the eyes, if not the hearts of many Jay-Z triumphed over adversity during his headline slot on the Pyramid Stage last year, Pharrell and his geek-chic N*E*R*D team take more like bricks than ducks to water as their vacuous rap’n’roll doesn’t power through technical glitches. From one set of international superstars to a somewhat more subdued bearded bunch, Fleet Foxes couldn’t look more at home if they were holed up in a log cabin down the back end of nowhere. They’re terrified and it shows, yet their superlative harmonic wonderment remains fortified in front of their biggest show to date and quite how White Winter Hymnal is yet to be included in every hymn book is a travesty.

Whilst the yanks provide many of the bricks to Eavis’ Pyramid over the weekend, over on The Other, the fruits of White Lies’ endless labours seem to have finally ripened, as their apocalyptic anthemia blasts out, soaking the throng in washes of majestic grandeur and crashing choruses. Their time is now. With a splattering of special guests smeared all over this year’s bill, they range from practically homecoming heroes Klaxons to the downright disappointment of Supergrass spin-off Hot Rats. However, The Park Stage truly puts the special back, airing a debut festival show from Jack White’s new venture, The Dead Weather. Fronted by sultry Kills woman Alison Mosshart and flanked by Raconteurs bandmates, White installs himself in the background, glaring out from behind a rather modest drum kit. Bashing it half to death, they’ve staked themselves out as quite possibly the coolest collective of all time. Their highly-anticipated dirty blues debut record may leave a fair bit to be desired but in the flesh, Hang You Up From the Heavens is utterly devastating.

From the devastating to the dishevelled, the newly crowned Princess of Red Light Pornographic Dance Fight Pop Lady Gaga looks about as out of place down on the farm as she does fully clothed and with twelve varieties of soft drink on the old rider and almost as many costume changes, she’s eclipsing the diva tendencies of La Roux and her ginger fluming fringe. Cavorting about on motorbikes and a clan of robotically choreographed muscled torsos, she slurs her way through the polished sleaze of Beautiful Dirty Rich and Poker Face as if Michael Eavis is paying special rates. Unquestionably the all-out show of the weekend. And to top it all off, a secret early morning masquerade show down in Shangri-La equipped with firework bras. Ideally imperfect. The Pyramid photo pit’s buzzing with bigger lenses than those aimed up Gaga’s numerous skimpy skirts come Neil Young as his cult Americana blasts out across the main arena bowl, rattling rib cages with giddy guitar solos whilst standing every last hair up on end. But it’s over on the Acoustic Stage that jaws are dropping the mud as Kinks man Ray Davies delivers unsung Glastonbury moment upon moment, firing off the likes of Sunny Afternoon and All Day And All Of The Night at will. Returning for no less than three encores in which Waterloo Sunset and Lola are unleashed on the baying throng, he makes as strong a claim as any to the most gifted songwriter on site all weekend long. A Well Respected Man indeed. And on that triumphant note, it’s off to get down and dirty all over again down in the gender-blurring murky clubs and dingy night boxes of the outer reaches of Shangri-La and Trash City. Lord help us.

Glastonbury is on the horizon folks and it’s looking gigantic. This year Worthy Farm boasts more stages than you can shake a stick at and enough live entertainment for anyone to die happy. So, what sets shouldn’t you miss and which hidden (and less well-hidden) treasures are waiting? Here’s a list of 10 bands not to miss:

Mr Hudson (Other Stage – 10.50am Friday)

By now you will probably have heard of Mr. Ben Hudson because Kanye West has been shamelessly promoting him at his every turn. Sure, he may be on his record label but you don’t find Kanye generally peddling shit to the masses. Mr Hudson has an inspired voice and brings an electronic edge to his music. He has the potential and the hype to become not just a huge but a monster act so it’s worth nursing that Friday morning hangover at the Other Stage.

Hot 8 Brass Band (Jazz World stage – 3.50pm Friday)

So by 4 in the afternoon you’ll probably be wanting the sun to be out and some party music to set you in the right mood for the evening. Well, the Hot 8 Brass Band is here to answer your prayers with a heady mix of feel-good tunes and an inspired cover of ‘Sexual Healing’ in their back catalogue. Brass bands have never been so cool.

Lady GaGa (Other Stage – 8pm Friday)

Simply put this is a ‘marmite’ set. Our favourite finger-flicking pop star will either sink or swim on the 2^nd biggest stage at the festival. Something tells me that the weather and alcohol consumed beforehand will have a big bearing on whether Lady GaGa emerges from her set triumphant or tragic.

Neil Young (Main Stage – 10pm Friday)

When Michael Eavis booked Neil Young, people moaned that it was contradictory to his assertion he wants to bring the young people back to Glastonbury. Do you know what though – any young person who knows anything about music will have been influenced/listened to/heard of Neil Young. He wrote the book on guitar rock and Eavis clearly agrees, pencilling him in for a 2 and a quarter hour set. That should be enough time for classics like ‘Cortez the Killer’, ‘Rockin in the Free World’ and enough guitar solos to send your head dizzy. He may be 63 but wouldn’t you be bloody proud to be headlining the best festival in the world at that age?

Baddies (John Peel Stage – 12pm Saturday)

Here’s a band who readily admit playing Glastonbury is a life-long ambition. This set is likely to be abrupt, riotous and hectic if frontman Mike Webster’s chipped tooth is anything to go by from recent shows. You can still catch this band while they’re considered ‘new’ and ‘cool’ if you get down to the John Peel Stage early on Saturday or catch them on Sunday at the Dirty Boots stage if you like your gigs intimate.

Special Guests (Park Stage - 7.50pm Saturday)

A few weeks back Emily and Michael Eavis announced a very special guest will play the Park stage which even they’re scared to announce due to health and safety fears. Currently this 7.50pm spot remains unfilled and I’ve come up with 3 bands doing the rumour rounds.

• 1) Arctic Monkeys – Reading Festival might not like this but who cares. The Monkeys embark on a European tour a few days after Glastonbury so they should be in the right area.
• 2) Radiohead – yes they will headline again soon but a sneaky spot on the Park Stage might just remind Worthy Farm goers of their excellence and the band do have a soft spot for Eavis…
• 3) The Libertines – OK this is a bit outlandish but the forecast of a reunion show from messers Doherty and Barat is promising. Pete’s already on the bill so you don’t have to worry about him failing to show up and where better to roll out the old classics again?

Kasabian (Pyramid Stage – 8pm Saturday)

Kasabian are a band who raise their game for the big occasion. You only need to look back to their epic Other Stage headlining spot in 2005 to know they relish having all eyes on them. This penultimate spot should be no different, as Serge and the gang aim to blow Bruce Springsteen off the stage before he’s even arrived. Expect a combination of older tunes ‘L.S.F’ and ‘Empire’ mixed with newer, more experimental tracks like ‘Vlad the Impaler’. Should be epic.

Enter Shikari (Other Stage – 3.45pm Sunday)

On paper this shouldn’t work and that’s why it’ll be so bloody good. Enter Shikari will try to tame a gigantic field with their mix of dance, grime, metal and devastating techno. Vocalist Rou Reynolds will also do his best stage gymnastics throughout and probably end up vaulting off a stack of amps so even if you don’t like the music, don’t miss this.

Roots Manuva (Jazz World Stage – 7.15pm Sunday)

There are few more seminal UK hip-hop acts than Rodney Smith, a.k.a Roots Manuva. This set on the Jazz World stage has the ability to mesmerise your already fried brain. With enough special guests on his albums to compile a dictionary it may also be time for another surprise showing.

Blur (Main Stage – 9.50pm Sunday)

One of the biggest bands of British pop history reforms at the grandaddy of all festivals – how can this not be memorable? Even if Albarn and co. are out of tune and out of practice this will probably spank 95% of the other acts playing at Worthy Farm for the mere spectacle. But let’s be honest, they won’t be out of tune and they’ll presumably have 80,000 people hanging on to their every note so they can’t really lose.

• Photo courtesy of Geoftheref’s Photostream

Back in November of 2008, I had a chance to hear Melanie Fiona’s album sampler. At the time she was selected by Kanye West, personally, to open for him during his European Tour, what made this shocking was that she had never had an album released and her single wasn’t in heavy rotation…yet. But hey when you have ?uestlove and Jay-Z vouching for you and showing up to your showcase, not having an album out, doesn’t seem all that important. Fast forward months later and her single Give It To Me Right is getting mad spins as well as having the likes of Talib Kweli, Raekwon and Busta Rhymes on the remixed versions. We were able to catch up with Melanie for a quick interview.

Killahbeez: Hi Melanie, thanks for taking the time in doing this interview. Why don’t you start by introducing yourself for folks out there that aren’t familiar with your style of music?

Melanie Fiona: Melanie Fiona…singer/songwriter/supergirl. My debut album is releasing this spring through SRC Universal Motown Records. My single Give it to Me Right is currently being added to radio and is available on iTunes. At the risk of putting myself in a box, I’ll call my music pop soul.

KB: I’m a fellow Canadian and I read that you are also from Canada, Toronto to be exact. Toronto is quite well known for the different communities it has in the city and essentially a true melting pot, has this influenced your music?

MF: Canadians Rock!!! Toronto is definitely one of the most culturally diverse cities I have ever seen. Growing up in a Caribbean household, and interacting with so many different types of cultures really influenced the music I do. I knew I wanted to make music for all kinds of people, and you hear that in the songs. Some songs reflect my culture… so they might have a reggae/calypso feel. Others might have licks of hip hop, r&b, pop, rock… I think there’s something on there for everyone.

KB: Yeah that definitely comes through on the sampler that I was given. You mentioned your debut album, which is called The Bridge, is slated to be released in the Spring. Could you talk about what people can expect to hear as well as the album name?

MF: The album is called The Bridge. I feel like it bridges the gap between genres of music, ethnicities, age groups, and genders. People can definitely expect to hear soulful music with live instrumentation, and memorable and relatable stories.

KB: Speaking of memorable. The lead single Give It To Me Right is hella sexy and empowering for women, was that the focus of writing this song?

MF: Thank you! It is very empowering…I feel so strong every time I sing or perform that song. It was written by a super talented songwriter and producer on the album, Andrea Martin. She knows me very well, professionally and personally, it’s a real reflection of the type of woman I am. I feel like there should be no shame in expressing what you want, and not settling for the things you don’t. I feel proud to know that it will empower people…not just women, but everyone who feels the same.

KB: Keeping with Give It To Me Right, the song is sampled from the Zombies Time Of the Season, how was that sample or record introduced to you to be used for Give It To Me Right?

MF: Well I was already a fan of that song from time! It’s a classic! When we started working on the music for the album, we knew we wanted to pay tribute to the ‘old’ by putting a ‘new’ spin on it. That sample is familiar and easy to vibe with… it was the perfect fit for the lyrics.

KB: You recently came off of the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West over in Europe. What was that experience like and how did that opportunity to work with Kanye come about?

MF: It was amazing! Kanye and I had never met before the tour. My management presented my music to him when he was looking for his opening acts. He really liked the music and gave me the opportunity. It was unbelievable. Here I am this unknown artist, with no music out, and I’m opening for Kanye!!! I learned so much from the tour, and from watching him perform night after night. He’s one of the best I’ve seen. It was such an honour cause he’s one of my favourite artists as well.

KB: Did he give you any guidance or tips?

MF: The best advice he gave me was “Whatever you gotta do to make people remember you, do it. Don’t be afraid to do it.” Priceless words of wisdom!

KB: Definitely. And a man true to his words. So is Mr. West doing any work on The Bridge?

MF: Maybe on album 2 or a future remix…[Laughter]. I would love to work with him!

KB: In addition to that tour, you also recently did a showcase in New York and had dudes like ?uestlove and Jay-Z out to show support. Did you know they were there? How’d that make you feel that you had that kind of support from fellow peers?

MF: Man! It was really overwhelming when I found out they were in the building. I’m signed to Jay-Z’s management company so it was a really honour to have his support that night. And ?uest is not only a great friend but an artist and musician I have admired for years. It was one of the happiest nights of my life….There was so much love in the room that night.

KB: Wow. That’s pretty awesome. So taking this on a tangent. What 5 albums can’t you live without?

MF: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Legend- Bob Marley
Portrait of a Legend- Sam Cooke
Full Moon- Brandy
The Best of Sade- Sade

KB: And your musical influences?

MF: Those are most of the influences with the exceptions of other greats like Whitney Houston and India Arie.

KB: Changing topics to fashion. What are some of your favorite pieces / pieces you couldn’t live without?

MF: As for staples in fashion, I’d have to have wicked pair of high heels, a fresh pair of kicks, a comfy hoodie, leggings and a dress that makes me feel like a woman! But my favourite article right now in my closet are my Tory Burtch leather knee boots.

KB: Any particular designer that you love to follow?

MF: Not one in particular, but any that can marry vintage and current…my style is something old and something new.

KB: Ahhh…similar to your music. Well this concludes the interview. Any closing comments for folks out there on why they should pick up The Bridge?

MF: I just really want to say thank you to everyone whose shown support. I really do this, not just for myself, but (also) for what I think you want to hear. When the album drops, GO GET IT!!! I promise you will not be disappointed…. It’s just good, classic, timeless music. Much Love!

KB: thanks again.

MF: Thanks for the interview!

Check out more of my interviews at www.killahbeez.com and follow me on Twitter, @Killahbeez.

• For more information on Melanie Fiona visit her MySpace page

Noah Callahan-Bever said it the best: “Kanye West is performance art. He’s an idea. A brand. A mission. An inspiring, infuriating, over-the-top and constantly evolving contradiction of values that are articulated sometimes abstractly.”

The most influential hip-hop star in the world right now has teamed up with Nike to release what is the most anticipated spring sneaker this year. It’s called the “Air Yeezy”. It’s designer? Mister Kanye West of course.

For months we have been getting sneak peaks of the sneaker and it’s different colorways - going back to the 2008 Grammy’s and the Glow in the Dark Tour, where he first debuted the sneakers. The blogs were going crazy about the collabo between nikeXwest. It was almost inevitable that you got your hand on the latest details of the shoe.

Finally, after almost two years of not knowing when the shoe will release we now know the first 3 color ways and release dates for the shoe. April will be the first release date for the Yeezies followed by May, then lastly June. No prices have yet been released. But I’m sure it will cost a pocket full of coins to get your hand on these exclusive sneakers. They come in a variety of colors and the legit “Y’s” on the sneaker let you know you have the real deal.

So this Spring when Kanye is killing the festival scene make sure you cop a pair of the Yeezies to wear, I know I’ll have my pink and black ones on this summer…

Read the full interview with Kanye talking about the Yeezies with Complex magazine:

http://www.complex.com/SNEAKERS/Features/Air-Yeezy

Kid Cudi’s story is proof that there’s just no denying a good song. Day ‘N’ Nite was written years ago and the lyrics are so catchy it has hip-hop fans going craaaaazy!!! He caught the ears of the likes of DJ A-Trak and Kanye West which landed him a spot on GOOD Records which is founded by none other then Mr West. Cudi went from an employee at the Bape store to an artist to watch this Spring. After several remixes and constant radio rotation, the Day ‘N’ Nite track finally gets the visual treatment it deserves by Ed Banger representative and video director So_Me. The half animated video continues with the surreal, hazy, drugged out feel of the track. Ed Banger also directed Kanye’s Good Life video. Brilliant art!

I mentioned to you before that I was heading down to Washington DC to cover Barack Obama’s inauguration. What I didn’t mention was that I went to DC with two film producer friends who decided to drop acid during the inauguration. Thus, though I personally shied away from the soggy Altoids and auras, our story is unique. It’s hard enough to walk through a million people comfortably. But try walking through a million people while your friends are envisioning people with lobster claws instead of hands.

Meanwhile, throughout the day, my sober self absorbed the energy of the people covering every inch of the Mall and snapped shots as Obama’s thundered over the loudspeakers. The children that day were particularly cute, mostly because you know they may not know the historical symbolism of January 20th in American history, but still they stood proud and shook their flags mightily with their tiny gloved hands, and giggled “Go Obama!” between speeches. Meanwhile, I shivered through Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman’s performance, sympathetic of their freezing fingers during their performance, as they refused to record any of their tracks beforehand and couldn’t play well with gloves. As Mr. Ma said to the NY Times, “I really wanted to do something that was absolutely physically and emotionally and, timing-wise, genuine. We also knew we couldn’t have any technical or instrumental malfunction on that occasion. A broken string was not an option. It was wicked cold.” For the love of music and Obama I suppose….

I grew up in DC so I know it is one of the most racially segregated regions in America. When I lived there in the late nineties, you could literally draw a line down some of the blocks between where white people live vs. black people, rich vs. poor. Since I moved from DC eight years ago, the terrain has changed drastically, areas have been gentrified, Chinatown now looks like America’s mall of the future, and there’s Starbucks in SE DC. Impressive. But January 20th on the Mall was one of the few days in DC’s history where no lines could be drawn between races. Blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos stood together amicably. I stood for a while behind a man wearing a Russian bomber jacket which proudly read (in Russian), “I Am An American!” All 100 percent of my half-japanese, French, German, Catholic self felt like I fit in with the rest of my American compatriots as we feted our first Black President.

We walked about 10 miles that day, starting at the frozen solid Reflecting Pool (which my LSD-inspired friends tried to skate over), passed the Washington Monument and the parade route, and weaved in and around the Mall. When we neared the pristine, iced-over river near Georgetown, the sun was glowing over the glacial river. As a grand salute, my compatriots literally got down to their knees, gazed out at the sun-flecked ice and prayed. While it shoudn’t take psychedelics to see the godliness in things, seeing the sparkling sun over top winter treetops after President Barack Obama newly risen to office felt like the physical embodiment of all the hope that Obama had been urging on about for all these months. A metaphorical ‘Yes We Can….’

That night, I doned my best dress to head to the Youth Ball, as I was pretty positive this would be my once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Kanye West and Obama in one sitting. But good things can only last so long; the ball was closed due to over-capacity per the Fire Marshall’s instructions, and after an hour and a half waiting in the cold, I headed home without those celebrated Kayne or Obama sightings.

Overall though, the trip was a damn good trip, all puns intended. I’ll remember the excitement in peoples faces surrounding the Reflecting Pool for years. I’ll remember the heartfelt prayers. And I have pictures that will last a lifetime.

more pictures of the inauguration

“To read a poem in January is as lovely as going for a walk in June,” said Sartre. Instead, we’ve got Lily Allen and friends (no, not the TV show, thank the lord – wasn’t it ghastly?) It’s the week’s singles, here to see the end of the start of the year off in a flash of rhythmic brilliance. Rock, pop and rap make it into the mix, let us know your favourite.

Lily Allen – The Fear
As she’s in the paper more often than the crossword, it doesn’t even feel like she’s been away. But Digital Spy is glad she’s back, giving 8/10 for this “smart, relevant, affecting pop music”. Suite101 notes that it “shows a maturity that could be risqué”, while Penny Black Music coarsely suggests it is “not so whiney-sounding” as past material. The lyrics are intelligent and slyly mocking and it manages to sound like right now – it’s a 7/10 from us.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

Bloc Party – One Month Off
There are some great tracks on Intimacy, but it isn’t dripping with singles like past albums. Rate Your Music users give it 7/10, with one spotting it is “very Bloc Party”. This is referring to the choppy guitars, but Pitchfork bemoans its “superfluous power-ballad key changes”. The Daily Tube describing it as a “driven punk track” and indicates the band’s ability to “force a political analogy into any song”. It’s lacking the bite of previous efforts, but is still punchy enough to inspire attention. It claims 6/10.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

Kanye West – Heartless
Having gained universal plaudits for his autotuned singing efforts on his new album, Kanye returns to rap verses here, with cringe-worthy lines like “How could you be so Dr Evil?” About believes its “bleak, cold atmosphere” is “above the ordinary” and awards 8/10. Urban Review calls it a “wicked tune, nice production style and well penned” and sends another 8/10 its way. New Music Review gives 8/10 and calls it both an “excellent song” and an “excellent track”. Well, it must be excellent then, we hand it 8/10.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

Ida Maria – Oh My God
The Norwegian rock chick returns with more infectious fluff, which This Is Fake DIY claims “rollicks, rolls and generally sounds as fine as a purely pop mess can”, marking 7/10. Unreality Music loves the “gravelly vocals and frantic crescendos Ida builds up to”, while City Life is equally friendly, giving 6/10 and calling it “simultaneously nervous and furious”. This is harmless stuff, but its attempted edginess ruins damages its fun factor and it only gets 5/10 here.

MySpace / iTunes / last.fm / Amazon / Spotify

What can we expect from this year’s Glastonbury Festival? It is almost a given that the heavens will open for at least two of the five days, Pete Doherty will turn up late and someone will fall into one of the many festering toilet pits, but I’m talking about the music, and to be more specific, the headliners.

In the midst of an even longer wait for 2009’s festival - and wanting to play the Gallagher brothers at their own game - Michael Eavis was quoted this week as saying ‘We’ve got four headliners at the moment. If they all confirm, then I’ve got two headliners for Saturday’. Ah, so he’s got TWO headliners this year then, interesting. A brand new feature for a festival that is quickly becoming out of fashion with ye olde faithful and in fashion with a new generation of multi-coloured-welly-donning youths.

I’m slightly concerned; is Eavis trying too hard to make Glastonbury Festival fashionable? I thought one of the main attributes of the festival was the fact that it stuck its proverbial middle finger in the establishments face and said a big fat NO to conformity?

Well, as much as it pains me to say it, I think its high time we all came to realise that Glastonbury Festival is now commercial. There… I’ve said it. Eavis (Michael and Emily) appear to have been trying to spruce up the whole Glastonbury experience over the last decade, and it’s a totally different festival to the one I first attended in 1999.

Yes, there are some positive signs of improvement to the experience as a whole:

1. People aren’t jumping the fence to gain access to the site anymore.
2. The new ticket regime this year seems to be fairer than previous years, giving buyers more chance of being able to log onto a website that was previously harder than getting into a nun’s knickers.
3. More and more donations are going to Greenpeace and Oxfam every year, so it’s fair to say that Eavis still gets top marks for his green message.

However, what’s all this ‘you wont know who is playing until you have bought a ticket’ nonsense? Michael please, give us a chance mate! Last year attendance was at an all time low because you wanted to look ‘cool’ and added Jay-Z to the Saturday slot when you could have drawn thousands more with Muse, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin to name a few world-class bands.

Is watching someone rap to a CD classed as a real Glastonbury experience? The majority of people said it was refreshing but I think in the backs of their minds they knew it was a slight letdown. Now I’m not saying Jay-Z isn’t a good artist, rather that he doesn’t belong at Glastonbury Festival just for the sake of having something different in front of our eyes. Are the days of booking the best acts in the world gone? Is there any thought going into booking these headlining slots?

Last year I had more fun watching bands on the Park Stage than I did on the Pyramid Stage. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think having ‘The Boss’ as a headline this year is the way to go. Landscape rock dinosaurs will draw the crowds for all the wrong reasons.

As I stand with the Fields of Avalon before me, I want to know that in one hand I have a slightly warm can of Carling, and in the other I have a festival programme that boasts the best acts on the planet. Reading/Leeds, V and Isle of Wight are nicking all the good acts now it seems; The Prodigy, Kasabian and Radiohead? What choice do we have at Glastonbury so far? Bruce Springsteen and Kanye West – do me a favour! We need acts to bring an excitement back to the Pyramid Stage. What Eavis has got to be careful of is having people watching the headline acts out of interest rather than love. It shouldn’t be such a gamble, should it?

With new plans to move the ‘fallow year’ back until 2012 to avoid the Olympic clash, it seems Eavis would be better off taking time out now to seriously rethink things. I hope I am proven wrong, but Eavis, you are too old to start trying to be cool now.

• watch Eleanor Conway at the 2008 UK Festival Awards

Mister Kanye West released his fourth album back in November and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the art that he has produced. Kanye is singing on every song on the album with a little help from the auto-tune. Soothing melodies that tell about heartbreaks, love and misery and moving on with life - this is what this CD is made of. Ending  with a 6 minute freestyle which he compares his life to the story of Pinnochio. Saying over and over again ‘I wanna be a real boyyyy.’ The song that connects with me most would have to be Robocop,which tells a tale of a  self-consicous woman who is snooping around on her man and becomes more like robot who commands orders. If you don’t already have this piece of brilliance pick it up. It shows a sensitive side to the formerly arrogant Mister West which is uncommon.

5 music stars: *****

Bringing you another CD giveaway contest. This giveaway is a special Chi-town giveaway as it consists of Chicago natives Kanye West and Common. This is a double CD giveaway as we’re giving away 808s & Heartbreaks as well as Universal Mind Control.

In order to be eligible for the contest, all you have to do is comment on the Killahbeez site. That’s it. Just leave a comment and you’re automatically entered. Can you enter more then once, you betcha. At the drawing date a few Killahbeez members will select a number, if that number corresponds to your comment below then you will be contacted.

We are giving away three copies of each CD. So again to enter, just comment on the thread located on the Killahbeez site. Contesting ends on December 14th.

As everyone knows Kanye West’s upcoming album 808’s & Heartbreaks is dropping on November 24th and admittedly I can’t really see this album doing too well unless he pulls the biggest prank over everyone and drops completely different material than we’ve all already heard. Will this be Kanye’s Electric Circus - the 2002 album from Common that made everyone go “Whaaaaaaat the ffjdkfjkdjfdfkdfjd!!!”? With that said here’s the official commercial, I guess you can call it.

Rapper Wale from Washington DC has just signed with Interscope. He is the next best thing in hip-hop with a debut album to be released Spring 2009. His mix-tapes are wonderful and I often listen to his music when I need that signal of hope. Jay-Z, Mark Ronson and Lily Allen have already worked with him and with production on his debut album by Kanye West we are sure to be in for a treat.

People - just watch the video and remember this artist!

(interview by Hip-Hop Official)

The mastermind of our times, Kanye West, has just released his second single from the highly anticipated album 808 and Heartbreaks. Heartless describes a woman in a relationship that has broken a man’s heart and doesn’t seem to be affected by it at all.

The animation is amazing and even shows a glimpse of Mister West California house. Kanye took to his blog and stated: “This video was rotoscoped, we recorded real people and then had 65 animators in Hong Kong draw over every cell.”

Kanye has also said that his album should not be under a “hip-hop/RnB” genre when it hits shelves. He said: “It should be under “pop-art” or whatever catergory Pink Floyd is in.”

The album is slated for a November 24 release.

Well let’s start off with the fact that they all have chart topping singles out right now…

You know record labels want to make few extra coins this holiday season - with the economic crisis in America taking away a lot of business profit. So Island Def Jam is making a bold move - they are moving the release date forward of The Killers’ Day & Age, Ludacris’ Theater of the Mind and Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak.

The albums were scheduled for release in both physical and digital formats on Tuesday November 25th, but they will now be seeing a Monday the 24th date.

Many fans are excited about the new early releases, but the question is: will it make any difference?

Kanye West’s Love Lockdown hit #3 on the Hot 100, The Killers’ Human scored #6 on Billboard’s Modern Rock, and Ludacris’ One More Drink with T-Pain is a still #34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop. I’m grabbing all 3…

Britney Spears won the Act of 2008 and the the Album Of The Year awards at last night’s MTV Europe Awards at the Echo Arena in Liverpool - proudly sponsored by none other than Virgin Trains. Those world conquering MTV types took the train to Liverpool this year as the city celebrates being European Capital Of Culture 2008. And which most famous Scouser took home the Ultimate Legend Award? Why Sir Paul of McCartney of course. How fitting. And God-like person Bono was even on hand to present the award. With such royalty in attendance it seemed a shame that princess of pop Ms Spears wasn’t on hand to receive her two awards - maybe she was a bit busy with other stuff in the US - you know, family commitments and all that…

Luckily the lovely Pink (or is that P!nk?) made an effort to show up, pick up an award for most addictive track (So What?), start a pillow fight with a bunch of audience members and then shower everyone in feathers. Presumably she heeded the good advice to leave the barrel of tar at home.

30 Seconds To Mars also picked up 2 awards (Rock Out and Video Star), Kanye West was crowned Ultimate Urban and Lil Wayne was the Artists Choice. The Killers also treated us to a performance of their very Giorgio Moroder-sounding single - Human, Kid Rock managed to squeeze two numbers in for the price of one with a mash up of new So Hot and old All Summer Long and bootylicious Beyonce belted out her newie If I Were A Boy. Jared Leto had the crowd standing to attention for a certain Barack Obama while Kanye and Estelle performed American Boy to the President-Elect’s giant mugshot on a big screen. Watch Kanye & Estelle’s performance.

Okay, okay, enough already. We know you Americans are now once again officially the greatest people on the planet ever after 8 years of shame - never more delightfully represented by spoon-wielding Katy Perry in a sequined Barack Obama tshirt - and we really, really love you but what about the rest of us!? Yes okay thank you for the nod in the direction of McCartney, but what about some of our slightly more, uh… hip acts? Come on the European voters - spread the love around a bit…

The Ting Tings and Duffy kept it up for the Brits by performing That’s Not My Name and Mercy, Marks & Spencers’ man band Take That debuted their new single Greatest Day while Liverpool locals The Wombats did a brilliant cover of our Olympic Games representative and MTV award loser Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love. That’s more like it.

So did we win any awards? Err, well - yes. And which esteemed Brit act took the honour of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with McCartney to showcase the best of what this country has to offer right now? Who did legions of ‘the kids’ vote for as Best Act Ever? Rick Astley. Rick bloody-rolling-Astley. I ask you. Did this have something to do with the democratic but slightly cheeky power of the world wide interweb? Unfortunately Rick wasn’t around to collect his gong but MTV pulled a cracker and got the lovely and gorgeous Perez Hilton - star of Virgin Radio 999 in Toronto - to take it in hand and keep warm for him.

MTV Europe Awards - you have been Rick Rolled. It could only happen here. Oh thank heavens for a slice of Perez and Virgin Train back home to the Old Smoke.

Wesley Pentz aka Diplodocus aka Diplo, has been on the scene for a minute killing it with his unique style. Arguably he’s best known for 1. Releasing one of the illest mixtapes ever with M.I.A called Piracy Funds Terrorism and 2. For dating M.I.A. But really, what he should be recognized for is introducing North America to Baile funk. In ’06 he formed his label, Mad Decent, which brings us to today as Abe Vigoda, Telepathe, Boy 8-Bit and Diplo are on 24-city tour throughout North America.

On Thursday night I got the opportunity to check them out, but admittedly I was only able to show up for parts of Boy 8-Bit’s set, but got to see Diplo’s amazing set. With that said I can’t comment on the other two acts, but when I walked in Boy 8-Bit had the crowd dancing pretty hard with his unique 8-bit like stripped sounds, hence the name. One of the joints he played had me gettin’ loose and that was the “Township Funk” remix, the build-ups and dips in that track on a great stereo system is amazing.

At around 11pm, while Boy 8-Bit was still spinning, a make shift DJ booth with lights was wheeled into the middle of the dance floor. Had everybody anticipating and wondering if Diplo was going to be spinning on this spot. They wouldn’t have to wait long as he jumped on shortly after it was wheeled out and the crowd lost their shit.

He started the set playing reggae, reggaeton mixed with RnB and transitioning into hip-hop. When his remix of N.E.R.D’s “Everyone Nose” came on, the crowds were freaking it hard on the dance floor. From there he would mix in Naffie’s “Satisfaction”, a little AC/DC, Santogold’s “Creator” before going into Lil’ Waynes “A Millie”. The song would set off a string of what I would like to dub as some serious hood anthems. Playing “Money In Da Bank”, “Hustlin”, “Hip Hop”, “Paper Planes”, and “It’s Going Down” to name a few tracks. To change it up he went from Yung Joc straight into MGMT’s “Electric Feel”, now how’s that for a complete 180, somehow it worked though.

The set would go on for about an hour and a half before he was told he had to shut down, but then was told to do two more songs. As he was selecting his tracks, my home girl, Shiva, shouted out “PLAY SOME SLOW SONGS!”. To which he obliged and dropped The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes For You” flavored with his drums of course and followed it up with Ginuwine’s “Pony” before ending the night with the final track B.O.B from Outkast.

Probably one of the nicest dudes I met as he hung around to share some of the Girl Guide cookies he had with him and take pictures with his fans.

The night was absolutely amazing as he was able to mix it up throughout the night dropping songs you wouldn’t expect but adding his recognizable drums overtop of the tracks. Definitely check this out if this hits your city. Oh and I just got word for those out in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area, Diplo is doing a pre-show set at Commonwealth in DC before his show at Black Cat. A big thank you goes out to Sealed With A Kiss for hooking this show up. As always check out www.sealedwithakisspresents.com for upcoming shows, as they’re always bringing in talented acts. Check out more reviews at www.killahbeez.com.

Check out the rest of our pictures here.

Tour Dates:
10-16 New York, NY - Webster Hall
10-17 Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs)
10-18 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret Musée Juste Pour Rire
10-20 Ottawa, Ontario - Babylon
10-21 Toronto, Ontario - Circa Nightclub
10-22 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10-23 Chicago, IL - The Abbey
10-24 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-25 Lawrence, KS - The Granada Theatre
10-27 Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
10-28 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10-30 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard’s on Richards
10-31 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
11-01 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
11-03 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11-04 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11-05 Phoenix, AZ - The Brickhouse
11-07 Austin, TX - Emo’s
11-08 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
11-10 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
11-11 Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
11-12 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
11-13 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
11-14 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom

Estelle premiering her latest video for the song “Come Over” which features Sean Paul. This video is directed by renowned director Lil X, he’s worked on videos for a long laundry list of artists, such as: Usher, Ghostface Killah, Common, Jay-Z, Aaliyah and Kanye West to name drop a few.

“There are two arguments going on in your head,” Estelle answers when asked about her getting up close and personal with Paul on the video. “I can’t be fake, but how can I do this without feeling like a slut?”

“Come Over” is the fifth U.K. single and the second U.S. single from Estelle’s second studio album Shine.

Musiq Soulchild dropping a new video for the single “IFULeave”, which features Mary J. Blige. The video is directed by Sanji, the man responsible for the dope ass Pharcyde video “Passin’ Me By”, he’s also worked with artists such as Johnny Gill, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Esthero, and Lauryn Hill to name a few artists. Staying true to form all his song titles on the upcoming album are multiple words fused into one, as is the case with this song. The album, On My Radio (his fifth major studio album), is currently scheduled to be released on December 9th. The album will feature guests Common, Chrisette Michele, Kanye West, Shawty Lo, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks.

“I’m not a Business man..im a BUSINESS mannnnnnnnn”- Jay-Z

The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh album by American rapper Jay-Z. This will be his last album with record label Def Jam before he begins recording with Live Nation - when he will become his own boss. Production will be done by Kanye West and producer Timbaland. I’ve been a Hova fan since Reasonable Doubt (best album he ever released) so I’m more then excited to see what Mr Carter will stir up this time.

His first released single Jockin’ Jay-Z is already a big radio hit in the US and is blasting on everyone’s iPod.

Catch this YouTube clip of the new song which he premiered in NewYork City at Kanye’s Glow In The Dark show.

Since I started blogging on music.virgin.com I get alot of messages on my MySpace about what I should post about and what artists to watch for. I also get emails from several people who visit our blog and they asked me why there aren’t any rap music reviews. Okay folks I have read your emails and I agree that music is all about diversity.

American rapper T.I. will be releasing his album on September 30, 2008. The album’s title, Paper Trail, comes from T.I.’s decision to write down all of his lyrics on paper. About 50 tracks have been recorded during production, including a collaboration with Fall Out Boy on a track called ‘Out in the Cold’.

Special guest appearances include Justin Timberlake, Rihanna,Usher, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Swizz Beats. Production from Kanye West and Just Blaze has been confirmed as well.

Critics are calling Paper Trail T.I.’s best work thus far. I’ve already have heard the album and I’m giving it 5 stars - it’s amazing!

Check out his MySpace.