Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum, 29 October 1946, in Bethnal Green, London) was the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac.

Green inspired B. B. King to say, “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.”

In 1967, Green decided to leave Mayall’s Bluesbreakers after appearing on just one album (just as Clapton had done) and form his own blues band.

He was a heavy blues player, adored by his fans, who saw Fleetwood Mac as more edgy and faithful to the blues than The Rolling Stones.

Their self-titled debut album was a huge success in the UK and reached #4 in the charts. It also featured hit single “Black Magic Woman”, written by Green. The song was later covered by Santana and became a worldwide smash.

He could offer more than the blues: “Albatross” (Fleetwood Mac’s first number one hit), “The Green Manalishi” (almost heavy metal), “Man of the World” (although when Green sings “I wish I never was born” you believe him) and “Oh Well” (a riff to die for).

Peter Green was very uncomfortable with all the acclaim and as his mental stability deteriorated. He quit Fleetwood Mac in 1970 and faded into obscurity, taking on a succession of menial jobs and selling his trademark 1959 Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard to Irish guitarist Gary Moore.

Green was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the mid 70s and he spent time in psychiatric hospitals undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

There was a resurgence in the late 70s and early 80s but then suffered a relapse in 1984 a lived a tramp like existence for a further 6 years until being rescued by his brother.

Green has appeared on stage as recently as 2003 but now lives in Sweden where he has said that the medication he takes to treat his psychological problems makes it hard for him to concentrate and saps his desire to pick up a guitar.

Blues guitar hero. Not forgotten.

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This is my first movie. I will get better. I just love to listen to this instrumental to hear a freshly-strung stratocaster being seduced by an outrageously talented blues-man at the top of his game. No overdubs here this is just one Stevie Ray even though it sounds like two!

It’s so simple – here are the chords: Em G Am Em Bm Am G F C D Em

Now why didn’t I think of that?

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Pink Floyd are possibly unique amongst bands as having lost it’s central character – not once but twice – and still kept going. This is why I chose the picture of the short-lived 5 man set up (from 1968) when Dave Gilmore was brought in to help with live performances as Syd Barrett’s behaviour and playing became increasingly erratic.

Barrett was the major songwriter and performed on the first album, A Piper at the Gates of Dawn. His eventual replacement by Gilmore saw the creative mantel pass to other members of the band, both together and individually, with Waters eventually emerging as the dominant songwriter.

Their early stuff with Barrett was great psychedelia. And through the 70s they began to re-find their feet with albums like “Atom Heart Mother” (cows and wind instruments) and “Meddle” (”Across the Universe” inspired). Then later on their two mega-selling releases “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”.

Maybe I am alone in enjoying the “Pink Floyd The Wall” film and they still had it going on with that double album. But the last Waters-inspired album “The Final Cut” wasn’t too well-received and Waters announced in December 1985 that he was departing Pink Floyd, describing the band as “a spent force”.

But in 1986 Gilmour and Mason began recording a new Pink Floyd album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” and then with Wright in 1994 , The Division Bell. A bitter legal dispute ensued in the late-eighties with Waters claiming that the name “Pink Floyd” should have been put to rest.

On 2nd July 2005, the band reunited once again for a one-off performance at the London Live 8 concert. There was something very appealing in seeing four old men playing together live for the first time in two decades and for once, not hiding behind light shows and pyrotechnics as they had in the past.

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Christopher Maurice Brown was born May 5, 1989. One of two children, he was raised in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia, son of Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown. Brown was influenced by the artists his parents played, such as Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist. His paintings include some of the world’s best known and most expensive pieces.

Van Gogh cut off the lobe of his left ear during a seizure on 24 December 1888. Brown recently stated: “I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that’s for some of the older people.” Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet was sold for 82.5 million US dollars. It’s current whereabouts are unknown. Chris’s second studio album, Exclusive, sold nearly 300,000 copies in its first week domestically, 140,000 copies more than his debut album.

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Beyond the Rave is a vampire story set in England’s underground rave scene. The movie follows the last hours of freedom of local soldier Ed, who is flying out to Iraq in the morning. With the help of his best friend Necro, he spends his last night in the UK tracking down his missing girlfriend Jen, last seen partying with a bizarre group of hardcore night-time ravers led by the mysterious Melech. But as he catches up with Jen at a party, Ed discovers that Melech’s crowd, who are hosting the event, are looking for more than a night of fun, and that not everyone will make it through to dawn.

I went to a few bad raves in my time…

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Visit the forum!

Chat, talk, leave messages, ask questions about music … or anything else. This is your forum. Let us know what you think by leaving a message on the forum. Create a thread either by clicking the “New Topic” link or contribute to any of the existing threads by clicking the “Post Reply” link. It’s easy! Go for it!

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Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential guitarists ever and holds a special place in my heart as I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall in the eighties.

Born in Seattle, Washington of African, European, Cherokee Indian and Mexican descent, Jimi only released three studio albums Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968).

Despite years of hard work touring the States playing back-up guitar for various R&B bands including Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, the Isley Brothers, King Curtis and Curtis Knight, he found fame and fortune in London, UK with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

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David Bowie was born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, south London.

He first caught the public’s attention in the autumn of 1969 when ‘Space Oddity’ reached the top five of the UK singles chart but this was only after a few years of flirtation with the London music scene.

In 1963, having moved to more suburban Bromley he joined The King Bees. He is also to be in a number of other bands in the ’60s, such as The Konrads, The Manish Boys, George And The Dragons, and, most famously, The Lower Third.

However, his first appearance on British TV came, aged 17, in 1964, when he was defending his choice of growing long hair. In the same year, Davy Jones And The King Bees released the single “Liza Jane’ which didn’t chart.

David regularly appeared at London’s legendary Marquee club, at this venue, David and The Lower Third supported The High Numbers, later to become The Who.

In 1966, now named, David Bowie joined the trendy British label, Deram, in 1966 - made famous by The Moody Blues. ‘Rubber Band’ was his strange first single on this label, and the B-side, ‘The London Boys’, related to drugs, peer pressure, and teenage angst.

Other tracks recorded at this time also, included ‘Sell Me A Coat’, ‘When I Live My Dream’, ‘There Is A Happy Land’, ‘Karma Man’, ‘The Laughing Gnome’, ‘Love You Till Tuesday’ and ‘Please Mr Gravedigger’.

“I never got the feeling from David that he was ambitious. I remember he’d buy antiques if he had a hit, when he should have saved the money.” – Marc Bolan.

All was to change in 1969, David’s father died and had to sort out his dad’s estate at the tender age of 22. This was also the year Bowie first met his future wife Angie. He had a small role in the film, ‘The Virgin Soldiers’, and ‘Space Oddity’ reached number 5 in the UK charts - the week man first walked on the moon.

No idea about where the above picture came from. Why Manchester Square? All I know is that EMI’s headquarters were there at the time, the site of the “famous up the stairs” shots of the Beatles was taken in 1963 and again in 1969 that adorned the Beatles Red and Blue compilation albums.

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Led Zeppelin formed in September 1968. Led Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar/keyboards) and John Bonham (drums).

Keith Moon and John Entwistle suggested that a possible supergroup containing themselves, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term Entwistle used to describe a bad gig. The group deliberately dropped the ‘a’ in Lead to aid pronunciation. Jimmy Page had already been a bassist and guitarist in the Yardbirds, John Paul Jones was a session musician, John Bonham and Robert Plant were musicians from the Birmingham area. They came together through mutual connections.

Their manager, Peter Grant, secured an advance deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band. Atlantic signed Led Zeppelin without having ever seen them, largely on the recommendation of Dusty Springfield. Under the terms of the contract, the band alone would decide when they would release albums and tour, and had final say over the contents and design of each album. They also would decide which (if any) tracks to select as singles. “Stairway to Heaven” was never released as a single, although others were without the band’s consent.

Led Zeppelin I, the band’s first album, cost £1,750 to produce (including artwork) and by 1975, it had grossed $7,000,000.

During much of the seventies the group was considered the biggest and best rock group around.

On 10 December 2007 the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited for a one-off concert in memory of Ahmet Ertegün, with Jason Bonham (the late John Bonham’s son) on drums. The concert was to help raise money for the Ahmet Ertegün Education Fund, which pays for university scholarships in the UK, US and Turkey.

Recently both Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have both revealed that they are prepared to embark upon a world tour with Led Zeppelin or at least the odd gig, however due to Robert Plant’s tour commitments with Alison Krauss, such plans will not be announced until at least September 2008.

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Amy Jade Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of Enfield, north London on 14 September 1983.

She has dominated the 50th Grammy Awards – the Oscars of the music industry – taking home five of the most prestigious awards, including three of the “Big Four”: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Comment news, vews, comment on Amy Winehouse. Have your say and discuss! Follow the link to Amy Winehouse forum.

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Kisean Anderson (Sean Kingston) was born February 3, 1990 in Miami, Florida. Although he was born in the United States, he was predominantly raised in Kingston, Jamaica, after moving there at the age of six. His stage name “Sean Kingston” pays homage to Kingston, Jamaica.

“Beautiful girls” was the first single from his debut album Sean KingstonThe song uses digital pitch correction technology on the vocals. The beat for the song is derived from Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me”.

“Me Love” was the second single. It is produced by J. R. Rotem and is actually a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “D’yer Mak’er”.

Having celebrated his 18th birthday on Sunday, February 3, Sean Kingston has created a new version of Alice Cooper’s song, “I’m Eighteen” and his fifth single. Sean recorded the song in Los Angeles for the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth voting initiative, Declare Yourself, to encourage America’s 18-year-olds to register and vote in the 2008 presidential primaries and general election. The single is currently available as a free download on iTunes.

This is the song that Johnny Rotten mimed to at the Sex boutique, which got him the job of lead singer of the Sex Pistols.

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Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, Lupe Fiasco, was born February 16, 1982 and rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. Jay-Z describes him as a “breath of fresh air”.

On his website it says:

Hip-hop music, once a platform for creative expression and friendly competition, has, sadly, become a popularity contest. With record sales down and ringtone dollars up, rookies searching for that “one big hit” seem solely concerned with being deemed “cool.” Lyrics have side-stepped, giving way to dance-instructing “rappers” more concerned with sparking the new “Macarena” than being hailed as an MC.

Nas’ 1996 album, It Was Written, which he heard at the age of 17 inspired him to pursue a rap career.

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Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados. In 2003, one of her friends introduced her to music producer Evan Rogers whilst on holiday in Barbados. Rogers helped her record material in the states which was sent to various people including Jay-Z who signed her to Def Jam Records.

Three hugely successful albums later, international star Rihanna will be the headliner for Smile Jamaica-Africa Unite, a concert which takes place at James Bond Beach in Jamaica on Saturday, 23 February 2008, in tribute to Bob Marley.

The event is an effort of the Marley family to unite Africa with members of the African Diaspora through music so that Bob’s message of love, confidence in self and hope, will be perpetuated. It’s a combination of two ventures, the Smile Jamaica concert which was held in 1976, and the Rita Marley Africa Unite initiative which will be held in Jamaica for the first time. The concert is even more special this year with February officially designated Reggae Month by Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

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Pharrell Williams was born April 5, 1973. He is a producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brand Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear, though in most music videos, his clothing covers the logo.

Pharrell entered a high school talent show with some friends where they were discovered by Teddy Riley, whose studio was close to Pharrell’s school Princess Anne High School. Teddy Riley, the driving force behind Guy and BLACKstreet, gave us No Diggerty. Princess Anne is Prince William’s aunt.

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Cool new female hip hop artist who has an album in stores and also hosts her own reality television series – Diva. Check out her myspace page which includes interviews with Redman and a host of other stars and may also double as a lesson in how to make it in the music industry. She’s as happy with a microphone in her hand whether interviewing or rapping.

She knows how to work hard and the music’s good.

http://www.Keldamuzik.com
http://www.Golddiggaent.com

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Born June 8, 1977. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, and his third album Graduation in 2007. His albums have received numerous awards (including six Grammys), critical acclaim and commercial success.

Some would say one of the few rappers today with a noticeable sound and something to say.

His father was Ray West, a former Black Panther and photojournalist and is now a Christian counsellor, his late mother, Dr. Donda West, worked as a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University.

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The most amount of hits for a hip hop related page on MySpace at the moment are landing on Roundtable Entertainment Group LLC and their three main artists – Aynjul, Conflict and Jason.

Roundtable’s MySpace site says that

RoundTable Entertainment Group LLC encompasses a broad range of business including recording, music publishing, artist management, television and film production, marketing, and advertising.

We see ourselves as a movement that focuses on providing talented aspiring artists with a platform on which their art and vision can convey the sentiments of a generation.

We feel that we serve as a voice for the voiceless, be it through Hip-Hop, Soul, or Rhythm and Blues. RoundTable has become a lifestyle that reflects reality and truth. By taking music back to its pure essence, we will lead it to a position in our culture where it can once again make an impact on society…

Check out “Keep on Pushing” by Aynjul, it’s a bit good. Here’s what they say about her:

Los Angeles is the city of angels, but Hip Hop has an angel of its own. This young epiphany has flown into Richmond by way of Decatur, Georgia on gossamer wings, and is creating quite a stir in the Hip Hop arena.

Not just another pretty face. Aynjul is here to stay! Aynjul’s music is a deeply personal quilt running the gamut from affairs of the heart to socio-political issues. With lyrics set against a sonic backdrop, the remarkable talent paints a portrait of a woman’s passage into adulthood.

Following in the footsteps of MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, and Lauryn Hill, Aynjul has become a creative force that provides hope and empowers our Hip Hop culture. A prolific song writer, and an incredible artist, this Aynjul’s voice is one to which we all should listen.

Richmond, Virginia to take on the world! I hope they make it.

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“I play Common’s son in American Gangster. It’s a phenomenal film,” T.I. said of the movie, which also stars Denzel Washington. “It’s one of the most prolific black gangster pictures ever to hit the screen. Tremendous amount of acting. Everybody’s going hard. It’s like when a hip-hop fan hears a song like [Khaled's] ‘We Takin’ Over’ and you hear all your favourites and you hear them at their best. That’s what American Gangster is like for film. Cuba Gooding Jr., Common, RZA, Russell Crowe, Idris Elba. Everybody is doing their thing, everybody is going hard.”

T.I.’s new album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. is still in the Top 10 on the sales chart more than six weeks after its release.

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A California native, Money grew up in a musical family with both her father and sister looking to be future singers. Raised on everything from jazz to gospel, r&b to rock ‘n roll, Money’s biggest influence was Prince. While taking dance classes at the famed Millenium Dance Studios in Los Angeles, Money met choreographer Dave Scott (You Got Served, Stomp The Yard) and his partner, stylist coordinator Keisha Gamble. Both saw potential in Money and quickly became in charge of her artistic development. Scott later introduced Money to the legendary Walter Milsap III, a meeting which would change her life forever.

Walter Milsap III is a household name among musicians from all genres, Milsap has been creating, writing, and producing music for well over a decade. Having worked with Brandy, J. Lo, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce to name but a few, Milsap can recently be seen on Timbaland’s Shock Value album with a solo production of the track “Fantasy” featuring Money. Milsap and Money were only in their 2nd week of recording together when they decided to come with a fresh and different sound to their next track hence “Fantasy” was born. Recorded just last February, Milsap took the song with him to a scheduled meeting in Las Vegas with Timbaland. Milsap played the track for Tim and right away Timbo wanted Money to fly out to meet with her. Impressed with her style, voice, and overral vibe, Tim asked her to be on his upcoming album Shock Value. Before she knew it Money went from the very beginnings of her career to a having a full feature on one of the year’s biggest album.

Money’s MySpace site

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Visit the XM MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/xm to review contest details, and enter their original song with the opportunity to become the next hip-hop star. All entries for the competition must be submitted between now and August 31, 2007.

The entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of music editors and industry artists who will select five finalists and post their entries on the XM MySpace community page for open voting.

Video blogs will be posted regularly, featuring advice and trends in the urban music industry from DJ Enuff, founder of Heavy Hitters DJs; Rene McLean, chief executive officer of The Power Summit; and Bryan Leach, senior vice president of Urban J Records and president of Polo Grounds Music. Video blogs with behind-the-scenes advice on hip-hop and radio industry will also be available by on-air talent from XM’s urban channels, including: Mz. Kitti, DJ “Funkregulata” Celo and DJ Furious Styles from RAW (XM 66), XM’s uncensored hip-hop channel; Lisa Lisa, Tiff Square, and Nina Nine from The City (XM 67), XM’s hip-hop and urban channel. Members from the MySpace community can then view blogs and vote for their favorites among the top five finalists.

Three finalists will then be selected for superstar treatment, including a free trip to The Power Summit, held Oct. 24-27 in the Dominican Republic, to perform for an intimate audience of the top record industry elite and biggest DJs in the country. Past performers include Kanye West, Eminem, 50 Cent and Alicia Keys. Leo G, program director for XM’s RAW channel, will be among the panel of on-site judges to watch the performances, provide on-the-spot commentary and award a grand prize finalist. The live performance will be broadcast live on the XM MySpace community page reaching MySpacers around the globe.

For more information or to submit for the opportunity to be a hip-hop music star, visit http://www.myspace.com/xm.

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Chat, news, views about Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams collectively or individually. Follow the link to have your say on CRS!

Having already released one song via an online mixtape, CRS (Child Rebel Soldiers), the hip-hop supergroup featuring Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, is hoping to do an entire album.

“Us Placers,” which samples Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser,” was performed by Fiasco earlier this month during his set at Lollapalooza in Chicago. “Now [our labels are] working it out, whoever is going to pay is going to pay a whole hell of a lot. Everybody is excited, [but] ‘Us Placers’ is the only record we have.” Says Lupe referring to record companies noticing the momentum the track has received from the internet.

Fiasco has pushed back the release of his sophomore album, “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool,” from October 30 to November 20. Work is continuing on the album with producers from his 1st & 15th camp, including Pro and Soundtrack. Previously, Fiasco had avoided big-name producers (”It’s too expensive,” he says), but “now we’re doing CRS, [so] I can get all the music for free.”

The rapper says he is going to stop releasing mixtapes and may not have many more studio albums in him.

“I’m just wearing down,” he admits. “I’m never doing mixtapes again, not even Internet ones. My whole energy for making hip-hop music is slowing down. I’ve been doing it for seven years. I still don’t think I’m famous. I’ll do what I have to do to promote my next album, but I’m not enthused about doing seven albums. I’ll do my three, and then I am going to keep moving to the next phase of life and maybe grow trees.”

Chat, news, views about Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams collectively or individually. Follow the link to have your say on CRS!

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“He’s the biggest Wu-Tang fan in the world,” RZA enthused. “He knew all the kung fu shit! That’s deep! I told him I would be honoured if he played his father’s song.”

While they were at it, the Clan also dragged John Frusciante along for the ride. The Chili Pepper plays lead on the Wu rendition, which is simply called “Gently Weeps” and isn’t a cover in the straight sense. Instead it features the Clan rapping over the cover version recorded with Dhani and John, acting out a heroin dealer/heroin user saga. Method Man portrays the victim, while Ghostface turns in “one of the best lyrics I’m ever heard him say” (according to RZA) as the dealer.

It wouldn’t be the first time that this song has been used in a rap tune. It featured in 2004 the Grey Album where DJ Danger Mouse used an a cappella version of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and coupled it with instrumentals created from unauthorised samples from The Beatles (more commonly known as The White Album). The Jay-Z track that he sampled “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was “What More Can I Say”.

8 Diagrams, meanwhile, now has a release date of November 13 on SRC (both this and the whole Beatles thing having been confirmed by the Wu publicist).

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This could just be rubbish…

Kanye West reportedly issued a challange to 50 cent during an interview on a radio station last Friday. 50 quickly accepted the challange on a TV appearance saying ” I accept the challenge. Kanye, he’s not going to want to show up. Just don’t be asking me if I am a conscious rapper. I know exactly what I am saying - so I am conscious”

“I don’t have beef with anyone,” West said on MTV. “What am I going to debate about? I’m going to go in the studio and make music. When I heard the thing about the debate, I thought that was the stupidest thing. When my albums drops and 50’s album drops, you’re gonna get a lot of good music at the same time.”

More importantly, Kanye West has announced the tracklisting to his forthcoming record Graduation. The record, featuring collaborations with Mos Def, DJ Premier, Lupe Fiasco, and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, will arrive on 9/11.

1. “Good Morning”
2. “Homecoming” (Featuring Chris Martin)
3. “Stronger”
4. “Champion”
5. “Good Life” (Featuring T-Pain)
6. “I Wonder”
7. “Even More Broke Phi Broke”
8. “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
9. “Drunk and Hot Girls” (Featuring Mos Def)
10. “Ev’rything I Am” (Scratches by DJ Premier)
11. “Good Night” (Featuring Mos Def & Al Be)
12. “Big Brother”
13. “Graduation”
14. “The Glory”
15. “CRS” (Featuring Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell)

The last track “CRS” (Featuring Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell) stands for “Child Rebel Soldiers” the supergroup who recorded the track “Us Placers” from Kanye’s mixtape which has been gaining great interest on the internet.

Many are questioning whether 50 Cent’s Curtis will outsell Kanye West’s Graduation. But 50’s ready to bet his career on it.

“They would like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favourite,” says 50.

“Let’s raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I’ll no longer write music. I’ll write music and work with my other artists, but I won’t put out any more solo albums.

“And I bet this, when Kanye West’s sales come in, he’s gonna have a 70% decrease [the second week] ’cause Def Jam is gonna buy records to keep him closer to 50 Cent,” he added. “So watch the first week and then watch the second week. Watch his ass drop off the planet.”

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Lupe Fiasco debuted three new songs recently (Aug 5) at Lollapalooza, Chicago, including Superstardom, the first single from his upcoming second album. An Oct. 31 release date is probable for his new album Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, although that date may change.

Fiasco dedicated Superstardom, which features vocalist Matthew Santos, to the Lollapalooza crowd, telling them, “Ya’ll are my superstars. I just want to jump down there and get everybody’s autograph.” The artist also played the new cut Paris, Tokyo.

He also played, interestingly, a snippet of US Placers, the Thom Yorke-sampling song by the supergroup CRS which features Kanye West and Pharrell Williams which has attracted great interest on the internet despite having virtually zero publicity.

Once he’s finished in the studio, Fiasco will perform at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle in early September.

Raised on the west side of Chicago, Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (Lupe Fiasco) is the youngest of nine brothers and sisters. He came to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album which received three Grammy nominations. Journalists and weary music fans have dubbed him a “hip-hop saviour.”

However, Lupe says, “I don’t believe I’m the saviour of hip-hop or bringing hip-hop back or anything like that — I just feel like it’s me doing me! I don’t really think I’m doing anything too different. I may be switching it up a little bit, but I really don’t see it like I’m reinventing the wheel.”

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Hip hop is thriving in the Palestinian territories and Israel.

For example, there’s SAZ, a Palestinian, from a working class Tel Aviv suburb of Ramle, and Sagol 59, a jewish Israeli, whose 2000 release Blue Period was the first album by a solo hip-hop artist in Israel

Tehy can be found freestyling together here in a recording from Israel’s most popular radio station, 91.8fm, available for download for a limited time through this link.

Sagol and SAZ have performed numerous times together. The event they were promoting was part of a series of Sulha performances that were launched last year in New York City to urge Arab-Israeli dialogue. The word “Sulha” is an Arabic term for a conciliatory agreement between two parties facing a dispute.

Here was what the two rappers had to say after the event.

“I’m not here to do ‘Kumbaya, Kumbaya’ with Sagol,” SAZ said. “But I write music as a minority in Israel with hope. Sulha is just another way to spread the message out. My music is not just for Arabs, my music is for the world. I participate in the Hip Hop Sulha because besides being a Palestinian or a Muslim, I am human.”

“We’re trying to have a simple dialogue. We’re not delusional. We’re not trying to solve all the problems in the world. Everyone should do something within their capacity to initiate progress,” says Sagol 59.

Corner Prophets, is a cultural initiative he co-founded by Sagol to inspire Israeli and Palestinian children to use music as a channel for finding a common ground. Corner Prophets organises several hip hop and art-related events in Jerusalem. There’s some good video and audio there.

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After releasing his mixtape compilation Guess Who’s Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. A one million U.S. dollar record deal later, 50 Cent’s commercial debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 872,000 copies in the first four days. He became one of the highest selling rap artists in the world.

He says, “The music business is going to change. It’s going to be less marketing dollars. They (executives) gonna start doing single deals, because they make the money with ring tones, as opposed to doing full albums.

“If it keeps going the way that it’s going, there won’t be another 50 Cent. There won’t be another person that makes it.”

In 2006, 50 Cent was recognized for his wealth by Rolling Stone, placing him second behind Diddy in the rap industry.

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How do get to be top of the world at 17? Never underestimate the power of knocking on the right person’s door several times. Well, not knocking, actually, emailing…

17-year-old Sean Kingston has become a singing sensation with his schoolboy clothes, doo-wop backing singers, a classic Sam Cooke sample and songs that have become popular without whilst avoiding industry formulas.

When Kingston learned that J.R. Rotem, the Los Angeles-based producer whose clients include 50 Cent, Rihanna, Dr. Dre and Britney Spears, was looking for artists for a new label, he e-mailed him, sending the same message five times a day until he finally replied.

Kingston tells the story on his MySpace video: “I sent him a message like ‘Yo, please take your time out to check out my music, man. That’s all I’m asking for. I’m not asking for much. I just really want you to listen to my music and tell me what you think. I mean, I’ve been through a lot. I mean, I just really want you to take your time out to listen to my music.’ I copied and pasted that message and I sent it to him five times a day until one time he hit me back and was like, ‘Yo, you’ve been sending us a lot of messages. We’re really going to take our time out to check out your music or whatnot, and we’re going to tell you what we think.’”

Kingston set a new MySpace Album Listening Party record with more than a million plays in one day, and has been the top artist on MySpace for six straight weeks. “Beautiful Girls” is the most-played song on radio, is the No. 1 video on iTunes, the No. 1 song on both AOL Music and Yahoo! Music, and for three weeks was the No. 1 Verizon ringtone, with more than a million sales. And his debut CD, “Sean Kingston,” has just been released.

When asked, “What are you gonna do when you’re 18?” the youngster replied, “I’m just planning on dropping good new albums and making great new albums for the fans, because I make feel-good music.”

“No foul language,” Kingston told The Today Show before performing his hit single, “Beautiful Girls,” for a cheering audience on the Plaza at Rockefeller Center. “I’m going to stick with that, man, because I think I’m a role model to the youths and the kids out there. There’s a lot of kids out there that like what I do, so I don’t feel like me putting profanity in my lyrics is the right way to go,” he said.

Kingston writes all his own music, saying he draws his inspiration from a life that has seen its share of trouble. “I’ve been homeless. I’ve been through so much, I feel I’ve got a lot to express.”

Born Kisean Anderson in Miami, he spent his first six years in Jamaica before his family moved back to Florida. At the age of 15, both his mother and his sister were imprisoned on federal charges of tax evasion and identity theft. Kingston slept on a bench in a bus stop for a week until he found refuge with an aunt in Boynton Beach, Florida. Kingston himself spent 21 days in detention when he was 11 years old for breaking and entering.

Kingston also paid tribute to the great Bob Marley by performing his classic “No Woman, No Cry” on the Plaza. His grandfather is Jack Ruby, who produced Bob Marley, and iconic Reggae artist Buju Banton is his uncle. “Music”, says Kingston, “is in my blood.”

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The Eagles are planning a long-awaited new album and a tour. Original member and guitarist Joe Walsh says that their first new studio album since 1979’s The Long Run — expected to be titled The Long Road To Eden and has been reportedly in production for several years – is “almost out. We’re just finishing vocals and mixing it. We’re all finally signing off on it.”

Walsh says that all of the band members – himself, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit – wrote songs for the album, which he says “go in some really, really new, different directions. It’s hard to compare to anything that I hear out there now.” For his songs, however, Walsh “went rock’n’roll,” including one “extended” track with “a middle full of guitar statement” and another that’s “full-on rock’n'roll. I didn’t want us to be too ballad-y here. We need some stuff we can play live, so I made sure there was that element in the record.” Walsh says the band plans to tour extensively in 2008.

Walsh says, “I don’t think I would cancel being an Eagle and resurface with a solo career. I love being in the Eagles, and we’re not really done yet.”

It would be the Eagles’ seventh studio album. All previous albums have gone Platinum; Hotel California 16 times Platinum; The Long Run 7 times.

Their 1976 album Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is the best selling album of all time (beating Michael Jackson’s Thriller) and is 29 times Platinum.

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The mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur is trying to stop his former record label selling unreleased recordings as part of a bankruptcy settlement.

Afeni Shakur is seeking an injunction in a bankruptcy court claiming Death Row Records is attempting to sell material that belongs to his estate.

Unreleased material should have been turned over to the estate as part of a 1997 agreement, her lawyer said. The court is expected to consider the request in the next month. At the same time, it will decide whether Death Row should be allowed to release an album with the unreleased tracks to help pay its debts, according to Ms Shakur’s lawyer Donald David.

After Tupac’s death, Death Row and the rapper’s family settled for an undisclosed sum amid allegations that the label had defrauded Shakur. But Death Row’s fortunes - and those of its owner, Marion “Suge” Knight - started to slide after the shooting in 1996.

In 2005, Suge Knight was ordered to pay $107m (£51.8m) to a woman who claimed she helped found the record label, but was forced out once Knight realised how lucrative it had become.

Knight sought bankruptcy protection in April 2006, claiming debts of more than $100m (£48.5m) for both himself and the record label. Last month, the rap mogul placed his seven-bedroom home on the market for $6.2m (£3m) as part of his financial overhaul.

Afeni Shakur was an important member of the Black Panther Party editing and writing columns for the Panther Post with cunning that it misled the FBI to believe that the Black Panther Party was defunct, while in fact it was growing. While pregnant with Tupac, she was incarcerated for withholding information that could have led to the arrest of leading members of “Panther 21″. While in prison, Afeni Shakur reportedly obtained a court order to have one boiled egg per day because the food within the jail was unfit for an expecting mother. Since her son’s death she has overseen Tupac’s unreleased material. By bringing in the best producers Tupac has sold millions of albums posthumously. Afeni has revealed this month Tupac recorded 147 songs when he was on Death Row Records.

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Someone once said rap was the new punk rock.

Early hip hop was an independent truth from the streets and has often been credited with helping to reduce inner-city gang violence by replacing physical violence with hip hop battles of dance, rap and art.

During the early 1990s however, a commercial strain emerged with many rappers boasting about drugs, weapons, misogyny, and violence. Socially and politically conscious hip hop has long been disregarded by mainstream America in favour of a gangsta, bling/ego, indulgent rap and R’n'B.

Unfortunately, what started on the streets in reaction to events of social injustice and individual and communal alienation is now, according to many observers, an orgy of ego and excess.

Rewind back to late seventies UK. Punk bands stood aggressively against the excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Windswept guitar histrionics, gushing key boards, lyrics full of mystical allusions and song titles bearing no relation to the music.

The icons for the era would be Yes, ELP and King Crimson. But more credible characters weren’t without blame, as one modern critic has said, “without doubt the most singularly pernicious and damaging influence on the shape and future direction of pop is the Who’s ‘Tommy’. After ‘Tommy’ no one wanted to say in 3 minutes what they could drag out over as many hours. It introduced the era of the rock opera and the concept album, the most celebrated vehicles of rock’s demented pretensions.’

But the critics of the day were seemingly fooled; “listening to an early test pressing round Bob Fripp’s flat the other day, it was impossible not to be awed by the sheer scope and size of the music. It has scale and grandeur unparalleled in rock, and its inner complexities rival those of the great classical composers. You get the feeling that if Wagner were alive today he would be working with King Crimson.”

So what has this got to do with now? Well, there are parallels between what we have now and what punk was reacting against. The great and the good of Hip Hop and R’n'B seem to be intent on highlighting their wealth and possessions in their music and videos. They have a tendency to seek out others of a similar standing and talent to perform collaborations and, even worse, supergroups. We even have a mimicking of the dreaded concept album with the insertion of meaningless skit or filler tracks in rap albums.

If you’re not bored with the bling-dulgence of rap and R’n'B there’s the boy bands, the girl bands, the re-issues, the re-unions, the stadium bands, the c*ck rock and c*nt rock.

“Sometimes the most positive thing you can be in a boring society is absolutely negative.”
Johnny Rotten

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Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis will share the same release date.

Pushing back of both stars’ third albums have meant a release coinciding on September 11th.

Graduation reportedly features Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jon Brion, among others. The album’s lead singles, “Cant Tell Me Nothing” and “Stronger,” are currently being play on US radio.

50 Cent has questioned West’s sexual orientation. “He said because he was raised by his mother, he has feminine ways,” said 50. “That right there is who Kanye West is to me. That statement is stuck in my head. He said it like he meant it”.

“He puts together witty phrases and he’s a great talent as a producer. By listening to the record, I don’t know who he is — I know he’s been in a car accident, that’s what I know.”

He has also described the rapper’s music as non-threatening “I feel like Kanye West is successful because of me. After 50 Cent, [hip-hop fans] was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first thing that came along. That was Kanye West, and his record took off.”

He has also disagreed with West’s infamous statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

In response Kanye West has either maintained a dignified silence and has actually praised 50 Cent claiming that he deserves more credit at award ceremonies.

Talking about the 2004 Grammys, he said, “I remember being there and Evanescence won… and it’s like ‘who?’” Kanye told MTV’s TRL. ”

“When that first album came out, it was 50 Cent by a mile. How could you have the audacity to let anyone [else] win? He was a sure win for any competition he was in so anything he didn’t win that year, he was robbed.”

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AC/DC’s “Back in Black” (1980) last year sold 440,000 copies and has thus far sold 156,000 this year. Those numbers would make most contemporary CDs a success. Metallica’s self-titled 1991 album is altogether the second-biggest selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era, which began in 1991. “Metallica” sold 275,000 copies last year.

Bon Jovi’s greatest hits collection “Cross Road” last year sold 324,000 copies, while Guns ‘N Roses “Appetite for Destruction” (1987) sold 113,000. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” (1996) continues to be a holiday favorite; it was bought 289,000 times last year.

Greatest hits compilations account for the majority of vintage best-sellers. Artists that commercially peaked in the ’80s or ’90s that have had lucrative best-of collections include Garth Brooks, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim McGraw, Creed, Queen, Tom Petty, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Def Leppard, Aerosmith and Lionel Richie.

U2, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band and the ever-touring Jimmy Buffett also all continue to sell large amounts of old records. Michael Jackson still has a desirable back catalogueue. His best selling “Thriller” moves over 60,000 copies a year and his “Number Ones” collection yielded 162,000 sales last year.

“Young fans aren’t excluded from catalogue sales – especially the ones who really get interested in music,” says Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts at Billboard Magazine.

Not everything maintains long-term success. Asia’s self-titled 1982 album was the biggest seller of 1982, but only sold 5,000 copies last year. Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut, also self-titled, was 1986’s top album, but now sells about 7,000 a year.

The same trajectory has befallen past mega-hits like Ace of Base’s “The Sign,” Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and the Spice Girl’s “Spice.” And one of the best selling artists of all time, Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut sold a measly 5,000 copies last year. The Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium” managed only 9,000 sales.

And conversely, some critical hits that were trounced on their initial release by the likes of ‘N Sync can claim a measure of commercial superiority. The Flaming Lips’ “Soft Bulletin,” often hailed as one of the best albums of the `90s by critics, sold a solid 38,000 copies last year.

Radiohead’s legendary “OK Computer,” currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, last year sold 94,000 copies. Nirvana’s “Nevermind” has done even better; it sold 143,000 copies in 2006.

Current events can alter the charts. When Ray Charles died, his older albums spiked for months, says Mayfield. A new album from Alanis Morissette would surely increase sales of her 1995 disc “Jagged Little Pill,” one of the best selling albums of the past 20 years.

Likewise, recent reunions of the Police and Genesis can be expected to increase sales of their catalogues. The Police’s 1986 compilation “Every Breath You Take” has already doubled its already strong 2006 sales by selling 107,000 copies so far this year.

Many well-regarded albums continue to do healthy business, including: U2’s “Joshua Tree,” Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic,” Beck’s “Odelay,” Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang,” the Clash’s “London Calling,” Weezer’s “Weezer,” and the Pixies’ “Doolittle.” Each sold at least 20,000 copies last year.

Still, many albums that are consistently revered on critic top-ten lists of the `80s and `90s have not sold much. Joy Division’s “Closer,” the Smiths’ “The Queen is Dead,” My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless,” and REM’s “Murmur” all sold 12,000 copies or less last year.

Many of rap’s most historic albums don’t enjoy the catalogue sales that those from rock’s heyday do. Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” sold 15,000 copies last year; Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” sold 22,000; and Run DMC’s “Raising Hell” sold far less than both.

So far this year, catalogue sales are down 11.7 percent, but that’s stronger than overall sales, which are down 14.7 percent. It’s a major portion of the music business. This year’s total catalogue sales may accounts for about 40 percent of all albums sold physically and over 60% of all download sales in the U.S.

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The 10-track CD was available free yesterday’s newspaper which usually sells 2,300,000 copies in the UK (an edition containing a giveaway of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells album earlier this year sold 2.6m copies, while the edition that carried news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales sold 2.8m copies).

“It’s all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible,” said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron. “The Mail on Sunday is the biggest distributor of albums in this country, we are saying to retailers we would be happy to engage in dialogue.”

One music store executive described the plan as “madness” while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores.

“It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career,” The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. “It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.”

Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with each ticket sold for his upcoming string of concerts in London.

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In a recent interview with Billboard, he confirmed that he has re-united with Goodie Mob for a new CD. They broke up after 1999’s World Party.

Cee-Lo is also working on Gnarls Barkley’s sophomore album with Danger Mouse which is due for release in December. Cee-Lo told Billboard that the duo will not market or promote the project like they did with their debut album, St. Elsewhere. The duo will also not be embarking on a tour to support the album.

“Gnarls is something we want to salvage. It’s not to be exploited or auctioned off to the highest bidder,” Cee-Lo explained. “It will be revered and sought after. Somebody from my generation has to be the Dylan and Tom Waits – these iconic figures who never exploit themselves or stretch themselves too thin.”

Cee-Lo started his music career in his church. He’s delved artistically into drawing, dancing, DJing, and fashion throughout his life, not wanting to be narrowly defined as an artist. He also announced that he has been working on his third solo album. No release date has been set.

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What’s more, it may be launched to tie-in with Beatles tracks finally going on sale on Apple’s iTunes Store, possibly as a one-month exclusive before becoming available through rival digital music services.

Apple Inc’s Steve Jobs’ highly public nod to the Beatles (playing “Lovely Rita” on the iPhone) during his January 9, 2007 Macworld keynote fuelled widespread speculation about a deal to sell Beatles songs on iTunes. Of the matter, Steve Jobs said “We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.”

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