Ok, we all knew this was coming so I ask you, of all the super heroes out there who is the most lethal one?? I’m talking marvel and DC… the whole lot!

I know it’s been done in that whole Marvel vs DC series of comics and we all remember Amalgam comics (when DC and Marvel characters were combined in an alternate universe) but my point is this- I believe Batman to be the most lethal hero out there, simply put he is a man at the top of his game. It’s the same reason Lex Luthor is such a threat to humanity, in the end the most righteous and villainous characteristics emerge not from super human beings but simple human nature. Anyhow there are peeps out there who thought Wolverine could best Batman… sure… but why don’t we let the comic do the talking.

Oh and a special thanks to April and Staci for this one.

Click on the image for a full sized version.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

They say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I don’t know who “they” are but I’m going to assume they were talking about Lady GaGa. After all, it seems the entire musical universe is clamouring for a piece of her instant stardom.

It started with Kanye, Common and Kid Cudi, or at least that’s where I first caught on. They roughed up her acoustic version of “Poker Face” to the point of making it tolerable, even enjoyable. (I’m not even going to touch the fact that she has gone acoustic, except to say that watching the video is possibly more painful than the hangover of the drugs she has to be on.)

Despite the very obvious gibes at GaGa’s not-so-double entendres, “I Poke Her Face” is actually an incredible step up from anything the songstress has released on her own.

“Just Dance” was nearly my demise last summer as it somehow circulated more frequently than Sarah McLachlan on the soft rock radio station I listened to at my 9-5 desk job. So I made it my mission to publicly rally against her budding career for the rest of 2008, hoping she would have drifted off the airwaves come December. But now it’s June, and she has three more singles revving up for a summer of heavy rotation.

I could feel my protest deteriorating as 2009 wore on. I found myself joylessly bashing the ridiculous rhyming in “Disco Stick” while flinging my hair around to its beat at the club.  Just the other day, someone asked me if I’d heard “Paparazzi”.

“Never!!!” I nearly shouted. Little do they know, I had listened to it on MySpace earlier that day. And now here I was, humming the chorus to a song called “I Poke Her Face.”

It was about this time I officially gave up the ghost. Perhaps not all angles of Lady GaGa are quite as horrible as originally perceived, and there commenced the hunt for more gems. And more. And more. Because my god, it seems that everyone and their dog has taken it upon themselves to spin their own take on GaGa. There are mash-ups and electro-house remixes and syncs with just about every Britney Spears song in recent memory.

It was one day when I wasn’t hunting, though, rather glibly perusing the Interweb for some new gym music, that I came across my old pal Skratch Bastid. I caught him opening for Buck 65 last year and was impressed to the point of paying $10 for his burned CD of remixes. It served me well for a month or so before Mstrkrft and Girl Talk caught my eye. (Sorry, Bastid.)

But the man is back, and guess who he’s back with? GaGa. Yep, right there on his brand new website at the top of the page he has posted a remix of “Chillin” by Wale ft. Lady GaGa. I should have known, but I guess I was in denial that such a stand-up Canadian would stoop to the low of our Southern neighbor’s tasteless ways.

In the name of research, I played the song. And in the name of all things holy, I loved it. This was my first brush with Wale, who also seems to have spread like wildfire. (“Chillin” popped up as a suggested listen when I was YouTubing Eminem’s “3 A.M.”) At this point, though, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Wale has received rave reviews from every hip-hop lover I know, and my relationship with Lady GaGa was now so complicated even Jerry Springer couldn’t sort it out. By default, then, I ended up listening with an open mind.

And to be honest, if I hadn’t seen her heavily-banged blonde head bobbing in the background, I wouldn’t have know it was Lady GaGa. She is all non-chalance, waiting patiently behind Wale - instead of air-humping the camera like usual - allowing him to spit a sick verse about his shoes, his cars, and, somehow, McLovin’.

I could say Lady GaGa has grown on me, after all these months in denial, but I would rather say this was my first crack at her. Either way, I’m officially hooked.

My name is Emma Renda and I listen to Lady GaGa. Whew, that felt good. Thanks for listening.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

It seems that Radiohead is annoying all of their famous fans these days. Recently, Miley Cyrus went on a radio show and unleashed her plans to “ruin” Radiohead by telling the world that the band snubbed her at the Grammy Awards.

Miley explained that she was a huge fan of the band and expected to meet them after sending her manager over to talk to them and arrange an introduction with the starlet. Sadly for Miley, she was turned down as the band told her manager that they “didn’t really do that.” Miley ended up leaving the awards early because she was upset by the incident and didn’t want to stick around to watch Radiohead perform.

Yet Miley is not the only star that has a beef with the band. Kanye West is another temperamental superstar who was also snubbed by the band. West told audiences at his VH1 Storytellers taping that he too was dissed by the band at the Grammy Awards, according to mtvnews.com.

Radiohead addressed the disputes on their blog where front man Thom Yorke wrote; “Wish us all a safe journey, if you still like us and you’re not one of those people I have managed to offend by doing nothing.”

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Perhaps time does heal all wounds. According to E! News, Kanye West is set to perform and close the MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday.

Last year, after the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, West vowed to never perform at the awards after being relegated to a small stage and shut out despite five nominations.

Now, West has appeared to have forgiven and forgotten and will join Britney Spears in the 25th anniversary edition of the VMAs. West’s decision to perform may be less about moving on and more about self-promotion as the rapper’s new single “Love Lockdown” is expected to be released on Monday.

Producers have confirmed Spears is opening the show but they are keeping mum about whether or not the pop star will perform.

Other singers set to perform or appear are Christina Aguilera, Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, T.I., Pink, Kid Rock, the Ting Tings, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne and Katy Perry.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Rap rivals KANYE WEST and 50 CENT will go head to head on 11 September (07) when their albums are released simultaneously.

Last month (Jun07), West decided to release his third album Graduation early, on 21 August (07), to avoid a sales war with 50 Cent’s new disc Curtis.

After originally planning to release Curtis in June, 50 Cent delayed the album until 4 September, then last week (ends13Jul07) it was postponed again until 11 September.

And now West has decided to release Graduation on the same day, according to a representative from his record label Def Jam. (ES/WNWCSO/SH)

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Hip-hop star KANYE WEST will collaborate with dance duo DAFT PUNK on a track for his upcoming album.

The rapper will team up with the French house DJs – Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter – on a single called Stronger, which will feature on his new album Graduation.

West also announced to MTV his plans for a new tour called Glow In The Dark.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Hip-hop star KANYE WEST is releasing his third album Graduation early, to avoid a sales war with rival rapper 50 CENT.

50 Cent has delayed the release of his disc Curtis from June to September, claiming the quality would be affected if it was released in the summer.

The new date coincided with West’s album, and MTV reports Graduation will now hit stories in late August – several weeks before its original release date.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Rapper KANYE WEST has branded himself the MEL GIBSON of the music world – and believes the pair miss out on awards because they are outspoken.

The hip-hop star is adamant his albums are “the best,” but fails to pick up any gongs because critics want him to stop publicly expressing his views.

Speaking to MTV, he says, “My favourite movie this year was Apocalypto and I love Mel Gibson.

“Sometimes I feel a little like Mel Gibson. (People say to him) ‘OK, Mel Gibson, we know (your movie is) the best, but if you shut up, maybe we can give you an award.’ That’s how I think that’s how people feel about me sometimes: ‘OK, (your album) was the best.’ Apocalypto was the best movie. It’s probably some complete bulls**t that got nominated over it.

“Around the time of the awards, if you want to ask me what’s the bulls**t that got nominated, I will tell you. It’s my opinion, it doesn’t mean it’s good or bad. I’m a movie buff.”

West stormed the stage at the MTV Europe Music Awards last November when he was beaten to the Best Video gong by French duo Justice Vs Simian, complaining, “My video cost $1 million. Pamela Anderson was in it.”

In November 2004, West also blasted the music of country singer Gretchen Wilson, after she triumphed in the Best Newcomer category at the American Music Awards.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Rapper KANYE WEST’s mother is to pen her memoirs, revealing everything about her struggles as a single mother.

DONDA WEST’s book RAISING KANYE: LIFE LESSONS FROM THE MOTHER OF A HIP-HOP SUPERSTAR will feature unseen photographs of the young West and anecdotes about his mother’s experiences as a manager.

The tome is expected to his US book stores in May.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Hip-hop star KANYE WEST has laughed off reports he is flying an Indian banquet from Wales to New York City, insisting another person is paying for the extravagant meal.

The British Raj restaurant in Rogerstone, south Wales said the rapper had ordered a $3,900 Indian takeaway, including a rare five foot Ayre fish, to be flown to him in New York City on Tuesday.

However, the star’s publicist GABE TESORIERO said his client wasn’t even in New York and hadn’t ordered the lavish meal; “There is no meeting in New York. There never has been.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Hip-hop star KANYE WEST has ordered a $3,900 Indian takeaway from a Welsh restaurant to be delivered to him in New York City.

The TOUCH THE SKY rapper has requested a five foot Ayre fish and a curry banquet from the British Raj restaurant in Rogerstone, south Wales.

The restaurant’s head chef KAYSOR AHMED will escort the food to New York City, via London, on Tuesday.

Manager MASUD AHMED enthuses, “We are all very nervous about the meal, especially Kaysor. We just hope that everything goes well on Tuesday and that we provide good food.

“When it is all over then I’ll feel relief. But this sort of thing happens once in a blue moon so we are very pleased to be able to do it.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Controversial rapper Kanye West is taking on a new project by sponsoring a car in the BMW World Finals.

The event helps support the Kanye West Foundation and United Nations World Food Program charities.

In a statment made to AllHipHop.com, West says, “The ability to make a positive difference in the world has always been a dream of mine, and Kanye West Foundation is the realisation of that dream.

“To be able to spread the word about both the Kanye West Foundation and the UN World Food Program in such an exciting setting is particularly gratifying.”

Ottawa native Philip Major, 17, will race in the BMW World Finals, which takes place between November 24-28 in Valencia Spain.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

It’s not surprising to hear that Kanye West went crazy after losing an award. He’s done it before and he’ll do it again.

While it’s not surprising, it is always entertaining, and last night at the MTV Europe Music Awards was no different.

West was up for Best Video for “Touch the Sky,” which features an appearance by Pamela Anderson.

The trophy went to Justice and Simian for “We Are Your Friends” and then West characteristically went berserk.

He jumped onstage and said he should have won for his video because “it cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons! If I don’t win, the awards show loses credibility.”

MTV Canada has posted the clip over here. You may need to be Canadian to see it, otherwise wait till it airs in your country.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Yakov Arabov, known throughout the hip-hop world as Jacob Arabo or Jacob the Jeweller, was arrested on money laundering charges, the Associated Press reports.

Arabov made jewelry for stars like Kanye West and Elton John. According to police, he was also connected to a drug and money laundering ring that spawned many states.

The New York jeweler was arrested on Thursday, and made a brief court appearance. Bail was set at $100,000, which Arabov paid.

His lawyer said his client did not want to comment, saying the day had been difficult enough on him due to the arrest.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Listen to “Number 1,” by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams:

Windows Media

Real

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Kanye West and the Red Hot Chili Peppers may tour together this summer, according to MTV.

Nothing is confirmed, and neither camp would say who would be opening for whom, or if the tour would be a co-headlining tour.

“I think we’ll be doing some legs with Kanye, but I don’t know if that’s confirmed yet or not,” Chili Pepper Flea told MTV. “I think we’re going to do a month or two with him. I think it’s going to happen, and I hope it happens. He’s a great artist … and we always try to get the best people to play with that we can.”

They would team up for an arena tour, that would start in August and run through the winter, MTV reports.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Kanye West and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin recorded a song together last week while they were in London, England for the Brit Awards.

The pair teamed up at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

Martin was in the studio working on a BBC project, and West was in another recording booth working on the Mission Impossible 3 soundtrack.

According to reports, they had an “impromptu jam session.”

No word yet on whether or not the song will be released, or which artist would release it. One report suggests West may release it on his third album, tentatively titled Graduation.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance

Jermaine Dupri has opened his own restaurant called Cafe Dupri. If you live in Atlanta, you can stop by at just about anytime of the day, as the restaurant will remain open for 22 hours every day.

Amerie is getting ready to release her next single. The title track, called Touch, will be released August 8th and feature a remix from TI. Her official web site is telling us to expect an even racier video compared with her first single, 1 Thing. andPOP spoke to Amerie several years ago with the release of her debut album.

G-Unit member Young Buck has been charged with assault stemming from an incident at the Vibe awards where he apparently attacked Jimmy James Johnson who supposedly attacked Dr. Dre earlier that evening.

Kanye West fans will have to wait a little while longer as the artist’s sophomore album, Late Registration, is being pushed back to an August 15th release date. The first single, which can already be heard on radio stations around the country is Diamonds.

Read more at andPOP. andPOP - POP Culture with Substance