Kid Cudi drives through a trippy galaxy-on-earth with King Chip in his new music video for “Just What I Am,” and the tumblr-esque golden frame makes it at least 10 times better.
The Cudi-directed video is pretty simple, capturing the rapper and his friends at a party, pounding booze out of little red cups. Mac Miller and Steve Aoki make random appearances. Though I’m loving the rainbow flourishes and scratchy film stock a lot of commenters on YouTube are complaining about Illuminati imagery in the video:
Conspiracy theories aside, what do you think of the music video?
Watch it here
Kid Cudi is feeling pretty damn confident about his new album, tweeting: ”Mark my words, INDICUD will be the greatest album ever made. Know that I’m not lying.”
And here we get another little taste it will sound like, with “King Wizard.” The self-produced, NSFW track gets a little depressing when he questions whether or not life is a lie, but ultimately he’s the King Wizard so we really shouldn’t worry about him everyone.
A few weeks ago he premiered “Just What I Am” and we’re getting super stoked for his new album, which will be released before the year is up. He revealed: “Features thus far, Kanye, Pusha, Jaden, Kendrick Lemar, Chip, Cage, got something for Hov I wanna play him, still gotta link w 50 and Banks.”
Listen to it here:
We’re used to seeing rappers as hard edged guys that talk about guns, drugs, sex and prison. That’s why it’s so bizarre seeing them pose for their primary school photos as wide-eyed children. My fave photo is Usher’s because the cheeky little guy looks like he knows something we don’t know. I also have to give a shout-out to Lil Wayne who sacrificed time out of his precious day and is NOT happy about it. Clearly his school photographer didn’t use one of those inherently funny jingly stuffed animals to crack a smile.
For your next party: an unlikely collaboration between Steve Aoki, Kid Cudi and former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. They all dominate this dubstep-inspired track “Cudi the Kid,” though it’s getting a mixed reaction. What do you think of it? [Source]
Even if you’re not into The Hunger Games like me, you have to admit they’ve wrangled up some of the most current artists for the movie’s soundtrack.
Kid Cudi recently dropped his track for the franchise called “The Ruler & The Killer.” The song is appropriately dark and haunting and I can imagine the tributes stalking their prey to this cut. The rapping is reminiscent of chanting too, which only reaffirms that the 12 districts are unwilling pawns of the Capitol.
Cudi rhymes: “Keep your mind in motion, yeah / Explain, yeah/ Remember you belong to me / Come on, we should get it going / Now, what I want is specific, hey, hey / You putting on a show for me / The ruler and the killer, baby.”
We already heard Taylor Swift’s song Safe & Sound and Arcade Fire’s Abraham’s Daughter. What do you think of this one?
Listen to it here:
Let’s call this the Variety Post of andPOP. Even we miss a couple stories every week that we wish we could cover. Here are some quick hits from the past couple days.
1) Highlights from Project X premiere party
Project X is being labeled the party movie of the year and the premiere blowout certainly verifies that. The party included performances by Tyler, The Creator, A-Trak, The Hundred In The Hands, Drop The Lime, Jesse Marco and Kid Cudi. Okay, I’m hooked.
2) Baby Snooki
As we know, Snooki is probably going to turn her supposed pregnancy into a Jersey Shore spin-off. Jimmy Kimmel envisions the show as more of a Rugrats style cartoon, but it still has plenty of spit-ups, burps and baby herpes to go around.
3) Grimes’ premieres “Oblivion”
This airy video, directed by Emily Kai Bok, is for a track from Grimes’ first album “Visions.” The quirky pink-haired singer dances awkwardly in a football stadium. It’s definitely a chill track to replay over the weekend.
4) Jingle Punks
The Jingle Punks are a hipster orchestra that created an Oscar mashup of all the best songs over history. The live performance includes shoutouts to Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, James Bond and Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard.
5) New scene from The Hunger Games
With all the trailers and scenes being released for The Hunger Games, I feel like I’ve pretty much seen the whole movie. What’s left? Today they released yet another new seen to torment you. The short clip features Katniss’s mean archery skills.
6) Justin Bieber’s dad posts a birthday video
When I first saw this video I thought it was some sort of parody or spoof… but no, it’s really Justin Bieber’s dad, Jeremy Bieber. What do you get the boy with everything for his birthday? How about a tattoo of the initials “JB,” for Justin Bieber, though it conveniently stands for his initials too. The worst part is when his dad picks up his phone and says: “Hello Weezy, what’s popping?” Cringe!
The Arcade Fire really channeled the eerie and epic vibe of Hunger Games when creating the lead song to the soundtrack, “Abraham’s Daughter.”
The band’s frontman, Win Butler, told Entertainment Weekly:
“Our whole approach was to get into the world and try to create something that serves the story and the film. There’s something in the story of Abraham and Isaac that I think resonates with the themes in the film, like sacrificing children. So we made a weird, apocryphal, alternate-universe version of that, where it’s as if Abraham had a daughter — kind of a metaphor for Katniss.”
The band puts a lot of thought into their music and you can tell. The song, which was recorded last month, will be played over the film’s closing credits. They also contributed another song for the movie’s score called “Horn of Plenty.”
Hunger Games is certainly racking up a mega soundtrack considering we recently heard Taylor Swift’s song “Safe & Sound.” The T Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack also features the Decemberists, Kid Cudi and Miranda Lambert and will hit shelves on March 20.
Here is the full soundtrack, just to torture you:
The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond:
1. Taylor Swift – “Safe & Sound” (ft. the Civil Wars)
2. Taylor Swift – “Eyes Wide Open”
3. Arcade Fire – “Abraham’s Daughter”
4. Kid Cudi – “The Ruler & the Killer”
5. Miranda Lambert – “Run Daddy Run” (ft. Pistol Annies)
6. The Civil Wars – “Kingdom Come”
7. The Decemberists – “One Engine”
8. Glen Hansard – “Take the Heartland”
9. The Low Anthem – “Lover Is Childlike”
10. Punch Brothers – “Dark Days”
11. The Secret Sisters – “Tomorrow Will Be Kinder”
12. Birdy – “Just a Game”
13. Ella Mae Bowen – “Oh Come and Sing”
14. Jayme Dee – “Rules”
15. Carolina Chocolate Drops – “Reaping Day”
16. Neko Case – “Give Me Something I’ll Remember”
The 54th Grammys are on tomorrow night and is hosted by none-other than hip-hop legend LL Cool J – and if you can’t be there, might as well stalk those who are via Twitter.
We pulled together a little list of musicians, music critics, comedians and other accounts that are essential to give an inside look at music’s biggest night. Check them out below:
THE MUSICIANS:
@AdamLevine: Maroon 5′s frontman and The Voice judge is performing with the freakin’ Beach Boys and Foster The People.
@BlobTower: Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon – a Twitterholic and up for two major awards.
@BrunoMars: He’d catch a grenade for you and he snagged a few nods.
@CoryMonteith: That Canadian dude from Glee tweets as much as sings.
@Deadmau5: Toronto’s DJ with a nod and a performance this weekend.
@Drake: Stay tuned for lonely thoughts at the after parties.
@JustinBieber: An up-and-coming tween sensation that has some potential.
@KanyeWest: He’s up for seven awards and he likes to talk. A lot.
@KatyPerry: She’s performing, up for a few awards – and she’s Katy Perry.
@LadyGaga: Mother Monster is performing, up for a few awards.
@LLCoolJ: Host for the evening; stay tuned for a snapshot or two from behind the scenes.
@TheLonelyIsland: Everyone’s favourite SNL-group headed by Andy Samberg.
@LupeFiasco: Nominated for Best Rap Performance.
@MileyCyrus: She will be in attendance.
@NickiMinaj: She’ll be performing, nods for her collab with Drake and Best New Artist.
@Questlove: The Roots’ drummer that is “your favourite twitterer’s music critic.”
@Rihanna: She likes to Tweet That Tweet – let’s see what she has to say about Chris Brown’s performance.
@Skrillex: 24-year-old producer is up for Best New Artist.
@TaylorSwift13: No doubt this nominee will be Instagraming all night long.
@WizardCud: Kid Cudi might not be as philosophical since quitting weed, but remains vocal.
@ZooeyDeschenel: Fresh from her SNL-hosting gig Saturday, she’ll be all adorkable at the award show.
THE MUSIC CRITICS:
@AlanCross: Canadian music-history icon will keep us confirmed.
@GerrickKennedy: Music writer for the Los Angeles Times likes to tweeter.
@JianGhomeshi: Canadian radio personality loves his music.
@RobSheff: Rolling Stone’s resident music critic – knows a thing or two about the industry.
@RyanSeacrest: This guy is so addicted to hosting things that he’ll likely tweet as if he is hosting the damn show.
THE COMEDIANS:
@JimmyFallon: The Late Night host that’s a fan of everything – especially music.
@NealBrennan: New York comedian that is worth following year-round.
@RobDelaney: He tweets like breathing – why aren’t you following him already?
THE OTHERS:
@TheGrammys: Pretty self-explanatory
@Fave: One of the official Grammy bloggers.
@KickKickSnare: An official blogger for the Grammys – been snapping a lot of candid pics of the parties thus far.
@RedCarpet: E! Channel’s official red carpet twitter account with photos and commentary for every major red carpet event.
Shia LaBeouf lets Optimus Prime and Bumblebee sit this one out while he directs Kid Cudi in a short film called “Maniac”. This isn’ the first time the 25-year-old Transformers star collaborated with the rapper. Last year he directed Cudi’s music video for “Marijuana” which featured the avid rhymer partying and smoking weed in Amsterdam – a typical Kid Cudi scenerio.
This time around, “Maniac” is like a disturbed episode of Criminal Minds that didn’t make it past the cutting room floor. Inspired by one of his songs off Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Cudi is seen with fellow rapper Cage as they go on a murderous rampage throughout town. It’s mega-creepy and graphic for just a 10 minute shortie. Expect to be soiling your pants by the half-way mark.
Kid Cudi was busted for smoking in the venue at the MTV VMAs last night. Cudi could be seen live on TV lighting up as Lady Gaga went on stage to accept the award for Best Female Video.
Reps at the Nokia Theater quickly approached Cudi and asked him to put out the cigarette. He complied as a rep told TMZ, ”He was asked to put it out and he complied.”
Cudi didn’t get the memo that you can’t smoke in public and enclosed spaces. Nevertheless, it’s still badass….
Before Arcade Fire and Radiohead snag the spotlight, Kanye doesn’t hesitate to remind everyone that he’s still around with his new neon-infested music video for “All of the Lights” that includes appearances by Rihanna and Kid CuDi.
The Hype Williams directed video starts with a solemn black-and-white shot of a young black girl strolling through the snow-covered streets in the projects, while Elton John’s ivory tickles provide the instrumental. As the blaring, triumphant fanfare of horns welcome the chorus of Alicia Keys, Rihanna and friends… the acid light show begins.
Michael Jackson tributes continue with CuDi’s red-leather jacker (hello, Thriller) and Ye’s tribal dancing on top of a cop car (Black or White).
And yes, there is the blatant nod to Gasper Noe’s Into the Void intro, which is done in respect.
And on top of that, we get Rihanna in what appear to be a boob harness. Yes. A boob harness.
But, of course, would anyone expect anything less than classy from the man? It won’t disappoint with the cinematic presentation, as it isn’t over done or too spectacular… just a few cop lights, flash lights, spot lights and strobe lights to kick one into seizure after one dose.
Kid Cudi was arrested in New York City Friday for felony mischief and possessing a controlled substance.
TMZ reports the rapper took a woman’s phone and smashed it, and also broke the woman’s apartment door.
When police arrived to assist in the disturbance, they found a glass bottle of a controlled substance
Jason Derulo is like one of those multi-purpose Swiss Army knives that presents a new feature every-time you use it.
At any moment he can be a well-rounded singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor, and would technically boast a quadruple threat, but you can’t be too sure with a guy like this.
You never know when he’s going to show you another part of his versatility.
His most recent example of those surprise features, was his role in MTV’s made-for-TV-movie Turn The Beat Around which premiered on February 26. Derulo shows off his skills by playing a recording star, and also delivers a high-energy dance performance.
But his role on the TV screen is just a small ripple effect of the Miami-born’s overall talent- which people have begun to take note of.
It’s the reason why he’s been the opening act for Lady Gaga during her Monster Ball tour since November 2009. And it’s the reason why his two singles so far -Whatcha Say and In My Head- have both ranked in the top ten on a bunch of music charts across the globe. Whatcha Say has made the most headlines, grabbing the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and gaining double-platinum status in the U.S.
Oh yea, and this is all been accomplished before the release of his self-titled debut album, which drops on March 2.
It is not doubt that Kid Cudi has reached much success in the music industry in a short period of time. He has had three Grammy nominations and is featured on tracks with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West and Shakira. Now, Cudi is ready to take his success to a new level, as he is ready to hit the big screen.
According to MTVnews.com, Cudi, whose given name is Scott Mescudi, is making his acting debut in HBO’s new show “How to Make It in America”.
“The fact that everybody is finally getting to see me act and stuff is part of my dream coming true. It’s just really dope, and people could see me be silly. My album was so deep and serious, and that was just me showing my dark side,” Cudi said. “Acting is therapeutic — just being able to pretend to be somebody else for a little bit, it’s dope.”
Kid Cudi has left Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball early, according to rollingstone.com.
He vacates his opening-act slot on Lady Gaga’s current tour just five days after punching a fan during a solo performance in Vancouver. According to an official statement, the Grammy-nominated rapper took “an early leave of absence from Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour, in order to balance his schedule surrounding the recording of his next album and acting commitments.” Cudi will also now embark on his own solo tour, which kicked off in Reno, Nevada last night.
In addition to opening for Gaga, Cudi was performing his own shows during the Monster Ball’s off-days and after-hours. Cudi’s punching incident at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom on Dec. 12 was his fifth show in three days in the city. Video of the incident shows Cudi catching a wallet that was thrown at him during his performance and then throwing it back into the crowd. The audience member who caught the wallet was not the owner, so he threw it back at Cudi, who then lashed out with punches at the fan.
After a party at an abandoned Atlanta suburb house had Soulja Boy running from the police, the rapper told fans on Monday that he was in studio under the production of Kanye West, MTV.com reports.
The unusual pairing was enhanced by a previous rumour that West had fled to India after missing the BET hip-hop awards last weekend.
Soulja Boy was reportedly booked during the filming of the music video for his new track “Gangsta Muzik.” After spending a night in prison he was released on $550 bond.
Last night MTV’s expert panel capped off their top ten “Hottest MC’s” with long-time heavyweight Jay-Z coming out on top. The controversial list was compiled by Hip Hop critics and enthusiasts, and for the first time included the opinion of fans across North America. The criteria: lyrics, flow, impact, buzz, sales and intangibles.
The final list: 1. Jay-Z, 2. Lil Wayne, 3. Drake, 4. Kanye West, 5. Rick Ross, 6. Gucci Mane, 7. Young Jeezy, 8. Fabolous, 9. 50 cent, 10. Raekwon
A few names are mysteriously absent from the list, most notably, Eminem. The rapper should not only have appeared on the list, he should have been in the top five. His recent album wasn’t his best of all time but its popularity continues to grow, and his verse on Drake’s new ‘Forever’ remix was the best on the track.
Kid Cudi’s name has spread like wildfire in the music industry, and TI continues to maintain his popularity; yet neither of them appear on the list.
The line between electro-rock and hip-hop was never exactly straight in the first place, but this year has more or less witnessed its disappearance. The most recent installments in the collabo hall of fame popped up on Pitchfork this week.
First, there was Matt & Kim’s reworked “Daylight (Troublemaker Remix).” Now, this song is perfect just the way it is but with rap legends De La Soul on the remixed track, there is a whole other dimension of mind-boggling pop mastery.
The signature chorus (“Cause in the daylight I don’t pick up my phone”) is looped atop an amplified version of the song’s backbeat, with a spaced out synth riff to boot. In between, De La Soul spit their classic rhymes (“Leave your message after the tone/while I lay around actin’ like I’m too old for this shit”), transforming the song from hair-shaking hipster dance party to a groovy soul redub.
The song will be featured on the NBA Live 2010 soundtrack when the game is released on Oct. 6. It will also appear in every playlist I make for the next month.
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”.
