The Internet is all in a tizzy over the rumored collaboration between Britney Spears and Gucci Mane. But while we wait for that mind-blowing duet to drop, let us direct your attention to an equally worthwhile musical Gucci get-together: "Gucci Rag Top" by Kid Sister, featuring Atlanta's ice cream man.
"Gucci Rag Top" is one of the standout tracks on Kid Sister's new Kiss Kiss Kiss mixtape, put together by esteemed DJ/producer Nick Catchdubs.
The track finds Kid Sister very much in her element, going H.A.M. on a dizzying electro beat, à la J.J. Fad, with some eclectic guitar stabs in the background, calling to mind early Beastie Boys. Gucci jumps into the action midway through to declare his haters inferior and brag about the minutia of his car's interior.
It being a Tuesday afternoon, you, dear reader, are likely in a post-lunch food coma. So we thought we'd make that food coma positively hallucinogenic by directing your attention to "Expecting To Fly," a totally trippy new video from Metric.
A little background info. Metric is a Canadian indie-rock band fronted and fueled by the charismatic presence of frontwoman Emily Haines. This long-running group, with tangential ties to Broken Social Scene, makes nervy, New Wave-ish pop. A good place to start is their '09 album, Fantasies, which features standout songs like "Gold Gun Girls" and "Satellite Minds."
"Expecting To Fly" is a cover of a song by the seminal classic rock band, Buffalo Springfield, which featured legendary older dudes Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Metric's cover of the track is sort of atypical for them; it's a piano-driven dirge, full of dreamy atmosphere, sort of reminiscent of Mazzy Star.
The video, directed by Christopher Mills, really ups the dreamy factor. We see a collage of imagery, one blurring into the next. It's sure to make your post-lunch daze that much more memorable.
In case you haven't checked your calendar, tweens and suspicious older women, the Justin Bieber movie "Never Say Never" will be released in just 16 short days. To help remind you, JB and company debuted the new poster for the movie, and we have to say something about it.
First of all, holy symbolism, Batman! On the poster, we see our brave protagonist Justin Bieber standing tall, one foot planted in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario (where it's all dark and gray and stuff), and the other foot in New York City, where the sun shines bright and dreams come true! No comment about that ambiguous white glow emanating from between Justin Bieber's legs.
Second, anyone else picking up on an "8-Mile" vibe? The posters look nothing alike, but "8 Mile" was all about Eminem's struggle to make it as a rapper and get out of Detroit, the poster tagline reading, "Every moment is another chance." While probably not as gritty, "Never Say Never" looks like it will follow a similar journey, taking Justin Bieber from the mean streets of Stratford to the golden carpool lanes of Hollywood--"Find out what's possible if you never give up." Justin Bieber is hard, you guys.
P.S. On the small chance you don't already have one, here's a cool countdown clock I made for myself everyone for the release "Never Say Never." Are the hearts too much? Be honest.
Last year saw the emergence of a new generation of Decaydance Records artists, with acts like The Ready Set and Hey Monday moving into the spotlight ahead of some of the label's more established acts. But don't throw dirt on the old guard just yet: They still might have some kick left in 'em.
Let's begin with Panic! At The Disco. Now a duo, with Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, the band returns at the end of March with its new album, Vices And Virtues. The album's first single, "The Ballad Of Mona Lisa," dropped the other day.
The original lineup of Panic! split over creative differences, with Urie and Smith interested in pursuing a pop sound while Ryan Ross and Jon Walker retro-rocked out with Young Veins. "The Ballad Of Mona Lisa" certainly sounds polished, going from quiet to loud to arena rock over an insistent beat. It will be interesting to hear whether Vices is as straightforward as this, or if it goes back to some of the off-kilter pop of the band's debut, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.
Don't panic, we've got more Decaydance-related news, this bit regarding the label's founder and chief, Pete Wentz. The former Fall Out Boy is taking his new act, Black Cards out on tour this summer. He'll be opening for pal and Gym Class Hero-gone-solo Travie McCoy on the latter's Sgt. Schlepper's Who Needs Hearts Club Band Tour.
Panic! At The Disco's Vices And Virtues is scheduled to drop March 29. Travie McCoy and Pete Wentz hit the road in March. You can get ticket info at McCoy's site, here.
Madge obviously still has a soft spot for blondes with edge--duh! she was the original--but Tay-Tay's bad behavior (the actress and The Pretty Reckless frontwoman has reportedly been suspended from "Gossip Girl") is rumored to have contributed to the switch.
But, we totally love Kelly Osbourne! She's adorable, she seems down to earth, she has a healthy appreciation for fashion and isn't afraid to do it HER way. AND she has a British accent. We know Madonna is charmed by the Queen’s English! Congrats, Kelly! We look forward to seeing you in this major coup of a role.
+ Tell us: What do you think of Kelly Osbourne as the new face of Madonna’s Material Girl line?
Sorry folks, we can't leave the photos of Nicki Minaj game alone, it really does seem to need us. Here we have the Harajuku Barbie living the glamorous life in France, rocking, by my count, her third hairstyle of the week. (Check out links to those below.)
I'm always impressed by this kind of complete and total hair reinvention. Then again, my only two hairstyles are washed and unwashed, so maybe I shouldn't be applying for a job at the local Vidal Sassoon anytime soon.
Nicki Minaj, as we all know by now, is in Europe promoting Pink Friday and being her fabulous self. Last week the "Roman's Revenge" rapper started out with some lustrous black locks, switched it up to a pink beehive and then turned up this morning with some blinding blonde ambition.
The most important question here is, what did Nicki Minaj's fans think?
I'd say that's a thumbs-up. We won't have to wait long to see Nicki Minaj (and her hair) back on these shores. She will appear as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
+ Lady Gaga's personal stylist has described the singer's just-wrapped video for her new single, "Born This Way," as the "most amazing thing ever...Total next level." (Gaga Daily)
+ Nicki Minaj's European (working) vacation continues on. The rapper made her first appearance on French television recently. Ooh la la. (That Grape Juice)
The defining factors of our generation: iPhones, Facebook, hipsters...and rehab. Aaron Carter is the newest name added to a long list of young stars to recently enter a treatment facility. Aaron's rep said the singer, who is currently working on a new album, is planning "to heal some emotional and spiritual issues." And you know what? We think that's great. Getting a helping hand is always a step in the right direction.
Well, it usually is. We've all seen what Lindsay Lohan has gone through after her various trips to rehab. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse. We're hoping that the worst of it is over and the new and improved Linds we're seeing these days stays new and improved.
We're also hoping that maybe Aaron Carter can follow in the footsteps of Demi Lovato. She's stayed pretty quiet since entering a treatment facility back in November of last year, and that seems like a really smart move. It's kind of like "Fight Club"--the first rule of rehab is you do not talk about rehab. Actually, most of life's important lessons are kind of like "Fight Club."
Get well soon, Aaron Carter. Come back healthy and give us another guilty pleasure like "Aaron's Party." There's no way I'm the only person waiting for that.
Here we have Willow Smith on the set of her new video for "21st Century Girl," the follow-up to her YouTube viral video-spawning, dance-move-birthing, pop sensation "Whip My Hair."
Willow, with her outlandish, awesome fashion sense, sick dance moves and catchy-as-a-cold songs, truly is a "21st Century Girl." But it doesn't look like she enjoys sharing this century very much. Look at the devastating side-eye she's throwing at the girl next to her. It's like she's saying, "I know you're not trying to upstage me on my own video set with that costume jewelry."
Man, whatever, Willow is probably just a little bit tired. It takes a lot of energy being a preteen, hit-making dynamo. If you're looking for a peppier version of her, you won't have to go far. Just check out this video she posted to her Facebook page where she plays a short snippet of "21st Century Girl," adding a little impromptu dance accompaniment.
She'll have to keep her energy levels up for the foreseeable future. Willow Smith performs at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 13 and then goes on tour with none other than Justin Bieber, hitting Europe in March.
When you listen to Ro Danishei, check out her videos and peer at her photo shoots, you get a sort of weird feeling, like you may be looking at the next Lady Gaga or Ke$ha blossoming right before your eyes.
That might seem a bit reductive--she's blonde and she makes pop music, so obviously she's like Gaga and Ke$ha. But if you dig a little deeper, the connections go beyond hair color and a taste for keyboard-driven pop.
Like Ke$ha, Ro is a showbiz lifer, cutting her teeth in the long-forgotten girl group Candy Coated Chaos. According to Ro, the group had its roots in the same New York City/New Jersey club scene that birthed Lady Gaga.
Last January, Ro moved to Los Angeles and began working on solo material with producer Simon Curtis (among others). The result, a year later, is her debut album, End Of The Rainbow. It's an incredibly assured solo debut, featuring songs such as "Blackout" and "The Show Must Go On" that give off the same sweaty, dance-pop scent of Gaga tracks like "Just Dance."
Consummate MTV music fans obsessively covering pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from MTV headquarters in New York. Plus, trends, LOLs and stuff we love.
