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DJ Jazzy Jeff Turns 50: Celebrating His Best Contributions to The Fresh Prince, Including "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff" and "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble"
Happy birthday to one of the most underrated figures in hip-hop: Jeffrey Allen Townes AKA DJ Jazzy Jeff. Music Times felt that the DJ deserved a shout-out on his 50th anniversary. How is he one of the most underrated hip-hoppers? For one thing he was the DJ and the guys with the microphones nearly always get an undue level of credit. Secondly, he was the DJ for Will "the Fresh Prince" Smith, who was bound to be the center of attention no matter what he does. Third, Jeff wasn't just a famous DJ...he was a highly influential one as well. Music Times has gathered five songs from the DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince catalogue that showcase the other guy in the group. -
ESPN Counts Every Jay Z Athlete Shout Out; Michael Easily Dominates Competition...As Always (Kudos to Bo Outlaw)
No genre incorporates pop culture as much as hip-hop and few genres of music embrace professional sports as much as hip-hop (shout out to '90s rockers representing Seattle and Los Angeles). Few rappers have catalogues as deep as Jay Z's, so ESPN decided to track down every reference made to an athlete across Jay's discography and graphed it out for viewers. No surprise that Michael Jordan is the most popular topic. -
Grammys 2015: LL Cool J Hosting Again after Breaking Viewership Records for Last Three Years; Emcee's 10th Time as MC
Color us surprised: LL Cool J will be serving as the host for the Grammy Awards. In case you couldn't tell, that was in jest: The rapper and actor has served as the emcee for four consecutive years now, dating back to the 2012 rendition of the awards ceremony. This will mark the tenth time overall that Cool J takes hosting duties. -
Meghan Trainor Just Short of 200,000 Albums with 'Title,' Mark Ronson and Jazmine Sullivan Both Debut High for RCA Records
It's that time again, where Music Times break down the difference between the Billboard 200 and who actually moved the albums. This week's crown belongs to Meghan Trainor of course, who came up just short of the 200,000 album mark with Title. As we mentioned yesterday with the 200 roundup, it's the biggest sales debut from a solo performer since Susan Boyle released her first album during 2009. -
Ariana Grande Playing NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show; Will Big Sean, Iggy Azalea, Jessie J or Others Make Guest Appearance?
The NBA has announced at least part of the entertainment for its All Star Game weekend, naming Ariana Grande as the headliner for the halftime show of the big game. The game will take place on February 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York, just a week after the pop star is due to perform at the Grammys in Los Angeles. -
Rihanna and Richard Pryor: Both Stars Involved in Lawsuits over Unlicensed Images on T-Shirts...Check Out Respective Cases
You can't just stick anyone's face on a T-shirt. Particularly if you want to sell that apparel later. Celebrity faces on tees are a trend this week thanks to two lawsuits, one involving the mug of vocalist Rihanna and the other featuring the face of deceased comedian Richard Pryor. The former came to a decision this week and the latter is just getting fired up. Check out the details. -
Oscars 2015: "Glory," "Everything Is Awesome" and Other Best Original Song Nominees All Get Huge Sales Boost over Last Week
To the victor goes the spoils. Or, in the case of the nominees for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, to the nominees go the spoils. Every one of the five tracks nominated for the Oscar—"Glory" by John Legend and Common, "Everything Is Awesome" by The Lonely Island and Tegan & Sara, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" by Glen Campbell, "Grateful" performed by Rita Ora and "Lost Stars" performed by Adam Levine—all saw boosts in downloads following their nods last week, rising a total of 102 percent between them according to Billboard. -
Meghan Trainor and 'Title' Interrupt Taylor Swift's '1989' Party on Billboard 200, While Kidz Bop and Mark Ronson Debut in Top 10
The rate at which Taylor Swift has been at the top of the Billboard 200 has been chopped down to 75 percent this week as Meghan Trainor takes the crown with Title. The album moved 238,000 equivalent albums, marking the highest debut for any solo performer since Susan Boyle during 2009. The "All About That Bass" vocalist joins One Direction and J. Cole as the only performers to interrupt Swift since 1989 came out 12 weeks ago. We'll see what happens next week with regard to that streak. -
State of The Union Address: Music Times Helps President Obama Find Some Middle Class Music to Boost His Favorite Speech Theme
President Obama touched on plenty of themes during his State of The Union address but nothing was as popular as that of the middle class, and helping those in lower tax brackets reach it. Music Times found bands that specialize in the topic, including Middle Class Rut, The Middle Class and more. -
The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" at 50: Ranking The Original (Bob Dylan) and Covers (Stevie Wonder, William Shatner, More)
On this date 50 years ago The Byrds recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man." That band wasn't the first to do it—Bob Dylan wrote the original version of the song and recorded it just five days prior to The Byrds entering the studio with it—but it would end up that the latter ended up more famous than the first. The song reached no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been cited as the birthplace of "folk rock" (fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and everything to follow are thankful). Many acts have gone on to cover the track (aside from The Byrds) so Music Times gathered a few of the more famous versions and ranked them accordingly. -
Rocklahoma 2015 Lineup: Godsmack, Tesla and Linkin Park to Headline...No Indication Leg Injury to Prevent Chester Bennington from Appearing
Rocklahoma, one of the largest purely rock festivals in the United States, has announced its lineup for 2015, according to Loudwire. Headliners will include Linkin Park, Tesla and Godsmack. -
Björk's New Album 'Vulnicura' Released Nearly Two Months Early after Weekend Leak; CD and Vinyl Release Will Still Accompany March MoMa Event
We just got done talking about how so many performers have opted to drop their albums by surprise rather than wait for an official release date, with the purpose of dodging leaks. We can't confirm why Björk opted to drop Vulnicura early but lo, the Icelandic alt musician has. BBC News reports that the album appeared on file-sharing websites over the weekend, forcing her to move the album up by nearly two months. -
Madonna 'Rebel Heart' Leaker Arrested in Israel; FBI and Lahav 433 Reports Former Vocal Competition Contestant Hacked Multiple Stars' Computers
Album leaks are an unfortunate trend in music right now, perhaps the reason why so many performers are opting to release their albums by surprise for download rather than issue an official release date. Some performers you just can't screw with however: The outrage from the Madonna camp led the FBI and other international bodies to investigate the leak of demos from her forthcoming album Rebel Heart and led to the arrest of a former contestant on an Israeli television vocal competition. -
Damon Albarn: 'Everyday Robots' Vocalist Writing Music to 'Alice in Wonderland'-Themed Musical for Manchester International Festival
Damon Albarn is traveling down the rabbit hole that is musical theatre for the upcoming Manchester International Festival. The Blur frontman is working on the instrumentals to a new musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland titled wonder.land, which treats the magical world of Lewis Carrol's original novel to the digital treatment. The plot centers around a child named Aly who escapes to the internet to avoid her unhappy reality and encounters the famed characters of the original novel, including the Red Queen and Cheshire Cat. -
Gwen Stefani Solo: No Doubt Vocalist Announces First Individual Show in Six Years at Los Angeles Orpheum...Is Full Tour Coming?
Everyone knew it had to be coming but that doesn't mean that the formal announcement is any less exciting for fans: Gwen Stefani has booked her first solo performance in six years, announcing a one-off gig at the Orpheum in Los Angeles on February 7. The pop vocalist had previously announced that she'll be looking to release a new album during 2015.
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