All That Music & Video

The Prodigy are a successful English electronic music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex, England. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method, as well as other acts they are pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, and are known for high-quality live performances. They have sold over 17 million records worldwide which is unequalled in dance music history.[1]

Their music consists of various styles ranging from rave, hardcore, industrial and breakbeat in the early 1990s to electronic rock with punk vocal elements in later times. The current band members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim Reality (MC/vocalist). Leeroy Thornhill (dancer/very occasional live keyboards) was a member of the band from 1990 to 2000, as was a female dancer/vocalist called Sharky who left the band during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include “Charly”, “Out of Space”, “No Good (Start the Dance)”, “Voodoo People”, “Firestarter”, “Breathe”, “Smack My Bitch Up”, “Omen” & “Warrior’s Dance.”

The name displayed on album covers changed from “The Prodigy” to “Prodigy” between Music for the Jilted Generation and The Fat of the Land in 1997 and back again with the release of Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned in 2004. However, Howlett has stated that the title has always been “The Prodigy”. The change was made only to fit within the displayed logo, according to Howlett.[2][3]

As reported on Pitchfork in March 2007, the group have signed to Music With a Twist, a subsidiary of Sony Music Label Group, concentrating on LGBT music acts.[2] Beth Ditto appeared nude on the front cover of the UK music magazine NME (cover dated June 2, 2007). During the summer of 2007, Gossip was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour 2007,[3] which traveled through 15 cities in the United States and Canada. The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Hosted by comedian Margaret Cho and headlined by Cyndi Lauper, the tour also included Debbie Harry, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes, The Cliks and other special guests. Profits from the tour went to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Gossip are based in Portland, Oregon and have played with bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre, CSS, Erase Errata, Mika Miko, Panther, Comanechi, and Mates of State. Gossip also opened for the Scissor Sisters for three dates on their November 2006 tour, but singer Ditto complained to NME magazine that she disliked performing for an audience who didn’t “know their Ramones. “[citation needed]

On June 24, 2007 Gossip closed the Glastonbury Festival, playing the final set on the John Peel stage during which Ditto gave a tribute to the late John Peel. Gossip also performed the following year, on the Pyramid Stage.

Gossip launched the Live in Liverpool album in the UK and the U. S. in April 2008. The album was produced by Rick Rubin. The album also features a DVD of their live performance. A new studio album called Music For Men was released on June 22, 2009.

Jay-Z premiered the video for ‘D.O.A. (Death of Autotune),’ the first official single off his highly-anticipated upcoming album ‘Blueprint 3,’ right after the BET Awards Sunday night.

The gritty video, directed by Anthony Mandler, features appearances by Jigga’s buddy and Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James, record executive Lyor Cohen, who plays the rap icon’s driver in the video, and fellow Brooklyn, NY, native, actor Harvey Keitel.

Not only does Hova say goodbye to the autotune craze, but the mogul sets a rack of colorful clothes on fire and proclaims that he might wear all black for the remainder of the year. Uh-oh … sounds like Jay is over ringtone rap and vocoder-laced hooks.

Friendly Fires met at St Albans School. At age 14, the members formed their first band, a post-hardcore outfit called First Day Back[3][4] which existed until they began university. During this time lead singer Ed Macfarlane released his own music (under his own name) through the electronica label Skam, and Precinct Recordings. Upon leaving university they formed a new band inspired by dance music, “lush shoegaze melodies”[5], and classic pop songwriting[5]. The name Friendly Fires originates from the opening track of the Section 25 LP Always Now. The band consider German techno label Kompakt, Carl Craig and Prince to be their greatest influences.
In late 2007, they became the first unsigned band to appear on Channel 4′s Transmission programme[6]. Their single Paris achieved ‘Single of The Week’ in The Guardian newspaper, NME magazine, and also on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show. They have toured extensively, with past performances taking place throughout the UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the USA. In May 2008 their song “On Board” was featured in North American television commercials for Nintendo’s Wii Fit. “On Board” is also featured in the trailer for the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5. “White Diamonds” is featured in one of the episodes in the second season of the American television series Gossip Girl.
The album was certified silver in the UK; the band was nominated for a Best Breakthrough Award at The South Bank Show Awards and for ‘Best Dancefloor Filler’ at the NME Awards. They were also second on the bill on the NME Awards Tour 2009.

Although it’s hard to remember radio without auto-tone T-Pain deserves honorable mention for bringing it back to life—in a major way. “Thr33 Ringz” showcases T-Pain’s silly and somewhat versatile nature. Yes there are the obligatory club hits and dance tracks but he also tries his hand at rapping. He was after all a “rappa ternt sanga” when he first hit the scene so trading in voice distortion for raw rap lyricism seems natural.
The funky and fun “Freeze” is made more youthful with the addition of Chris Brown while “Chopped and Screwed” featuring Ludacris is suitable for the grown and sexy. Other fun tracks are “Blowing Up” featuring Ciara. Showing his playful flirty side T-Pain coos over the medium-toned dance beat: “You’re like techno-music. Electronic. Baby let’s do this.”

Kanye’s assistance on “Therapy” is so hilarious it’s downright perfect. Although we will have to forgive him for mentioning a couple of those other blog sites in his flow. Another interesting feature choice is “Reality Show” with Musiq Soulchild, Raheem Devaughn, and Jay Lyriq. T-Pain and neyo soul may sound like a crazy idea but it actually works.

Not surprisingly the guestlist on “Thr33 Ringz” is more than a little packed. It’s practically over flowing. It is a circus after all and when’s the last time you heard of a circus with just one star?

In the span of three short years, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career. West paired his beats with tongue-twisting raps and a self-assured, flamboyant personality. His dapper fashion sense set him apart from many of his rap peers, and his confidence often came across as boastful or even egotistic, albeit amusingly so. This flamboyance, of course, made for good press, something that West enjoyed in spades during his sudden rise to celebrity status. He was a media darling, appearing and performing at countless awards shows (and winning at them, too), delivering theatrical videos to MTV, and mouthing off about whatever happened to cross his mind. He frequently spoke out against the rampant homophobia evident in much rap music, posed for the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus Christ, and even claimed during a televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” West courted controversy, no question about it, but his steady presence in the celebrity limelight couldn’t eclipse his musical talent. His production abilities seemed boundless during his initial surge of activity, as he not only racked up impressive hits for himself (including “Jesus Walks” and “Gold Digger”), but also collaborated on smash hits with the likes of Jay-Z and Ludacris. As his career progressed throughout the early 21st century, West shattered certain stereotypes about rappers, becoming a superstar on his own terms without adapting his appearance, his rhetoric, or his music to fit any one musical mold.
Coming out of left field (i.e. Chicago, a city rarely praised for its hip-hop exports), West was an unlikely sensation and more than once defied adversity. Like so many others who were initially inspired by Run-D.M.C., he began as just another aspiring rapper with a boundless passion for hip-hop, albeit a rapper with a Midas touch when it came to beatmaking. Indeed, it was his beatmaking prowess that got his foot in the industry door. Though he did quite a bit of noteworthy production work during the late ’90s (Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Mase, Goodie Mob), it was West‘s work for Roc-a-Fella at the dawn of the new millennium that took his career to the next level. Alongside fellow fresh talent Just Blaze, West became one of The Roc’s go-to producers, consistently delivering hot tracks to album after album. His star turn came on Jay-Z‘s classic Blueprint (2001) with album standouts “Takeover” and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” Both songs showcased West‘s signature beatmaking style of the time, which was largely sample-based — in these cases, the former track appropriating snippets of the Doors‘ “Five to One,” while the latter sampled the Jackson 5‘s “I Want You Back.”
More high-profile productions followed, and before long word spread that West was going to release an album of his own, on which he planned to rap as well as produce. Unfortunately, that album was a long time coming, pushed back and then pushed back again. It didn’t help that West experienced a tragic car accident in October 2002 that almost cost him his life. He capitalized on the traumatic experience by using it as the inspiration for “Through the Wire” (and its corresponding video), which would later become the lead single for his debut album, 2004′s The College Dropout. As the album was continually delayed, West continued to churn out big hits for the likes of Talib Kweli (“Get By”), Ludacris (“Stand Up”), Jay-Z (“’03 Bonnie & Clyde”), and Alicia Keys (“You Don’t Know My Name”). Then, just as “Through the Wire” was breaking big-time at the tail end of 2003, another West song caught fire, a collaboration with Twista and comedian/actor Jamie Foxx called “Slow Jamz,” which gave the rapper/producer two simultaneously ubiquitous singles and a much-anticipated debut album. As with so many of West‘s songs, the singles were driven by somewhat recognizable sample-based hooks — Chaka Khan‘s “Through the Fire” in the case of “Through the Wire,” and Luther Vandross‘ “A House Is Not a Home” in the case of “Slow Jamz.”
In the wake of his breakout success, West earned a whopping ten nominations for the 47th annual Grammy Awards, held in early 2005. The College Dropout won the Best Rap Album award, “Jesus Walks” won Best Rap Song, and a songwriting credit on “You Don’t Know My Name” for Best R&B Song award was shared with Alicia Keys and Harold Lilly. Later that year, West released his second solo album, Late Registration, which spawned a series of hit singles (“Diamonds in Sierra Leone,” “Gold Digger,” “Heard ‘Em Say,” “Touch the Sky”). The album topped the charts, as did the “Gold Digger” single, and Late Registration eventually won a Grammy for Album of the Year.
West‘s production work continued more or less unabated during this time; particularly noteworthy were hits for Twista (“Overnight Celebrity”), Janet Jackson (“I Want You”), Brandy (“Talk About Our Love”), the Game (“Dreams”), Common (“Go!”), and Keyshia Cole (“I Changed My Mind”). West also founded his own label, GOOD Music (i.e., “Getting Out Our Dreams”), in conjunction with Sony BMG. The label’s inaugural release was John Legend‘s Get Lifted (2004), followed one year later by Common‘s Be. In addition to all of his studio work, West also toured internationally in support of Late Registration and released Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios (2006) in commemoration.
After retreating from the spotlight for some time, West returned to the forefront of the music world in 2007 with a series of album releases. Consequence‘s Don’t Quit Your Day Job and Common‘s Finding Forever, both released by GOOD, were chiefly produced by West; the latter proved to be particularly popular, topping the album chart upon its release in July. And then there was West‘s third solo album, Graduation, which was promoted well in advance of its September 11 release (a memorable date that pitted Kanye against 50 Cent, who in one interview swore he would quit music if his own album, Curtis, wasn’t the top-seller). A pair of singles — “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Stronger,” the latter an interpolation of Daft Punk‘s 2001 single “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” — led the promotional push. It became his third consecutive chart-topping album, and its success culminated in eight Grammy nominations. West was the victor in four of the categories, and he performed two songs during the ceremony, including Late Registration‘s “Hey Mama,” chosen in honor of his recently deceased mother. That loss, compounded by a breakup with his fiancée, informed 2008′s 808s & Heartbreak, a major change of pace that saw West singing most of his emotionally pained lyrics with the assistance of Auto-Tune.

KANYE WEST “PARANOID” feat: RIHANNA Dir: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

In February 2006, Drake released his first mixtape Room for Improvement. It was made available via his website and official MySpace page. From the success of his first mixtape, he later began releasing more, capitalizing from the buzz.

In 2007, he released Comeback Season to much critical acclaim and praise. It was from here on where Drake started gaining popularity when he did his first song with Lil Wayne, a remix of the already popular song “Man of the Year” which Wayne didn’t rap in but had ad-libs in the end of the song. Also in 2007, Drake became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to have his music video featured on BET when his first single, “Replacement Girl” was featured as the “New Joint of the Day” on April 30, 2007.   In 2008, he released Heartbreak Drake, another popular mixtape release which helped gain more acclaim and buzz for Drake. After the minor success of Heartbreak Drake, Drake collaborated on a mixtape titled, Thomashow Time, which featured his friend and fellow rapper Thomashow. So Far Gone, which included Drake’s mentor Lil Wayne, and members of Young Money, was released in 2009.

While working on his mixtapes and his album, Drake worked with Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Little Brother, Mary J. Blige, and Jamie Foxx. Drake has also written for Jazz Cartier, Bishop Brigante, and Dr. Dre.

He achieved success before signing to a major record label, according to his management Hip Hop Since 1978.  In June 2009, it was revealed that an unauthorized album entitled The Girls Love Drake and credited to Drake was up for sale on iTunes. A lawsuit is planned against the label. 

On the Billboard Hot 100 chart of July 4, 2009, both “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl” by Young Money Entertainment entered the top ten at positions 3 and 10 respectively. Drake is only the second artist to have his first two top ten hits in the same week. The first was fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado who entered the top ten in 2001 with “I’m Like A Bird” the same week as Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”, a remix of which included a credited contribution from Furtado.

On June 29, 2009 it was confirmed Drake signed a record deal with Young Money Entertainment.  This followed what Billboard purported to be “one of the biggest bidding wars ever”.   He plans to release his official debut album, Thank Me Later, in late 2009, and has confirmed collaborations with the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Danny! and Lil Wayne.  Drake is currently touring with Wayne and other rap artists on the Young Money Tour.