• Sam Smith Sings "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Following Grammy Nominations [LISTEN]

    2014 has been a landmark year for Sam Smith, and as of last week, he is officially a six-time Grammy nominee. With the holiday's soon approaching, he chose to sing a stripped-down cover of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," which was made famous by Judy Garland in the 1994 musical Meet Me In St. Louis. Smith stays faithful to the original against sparse chords on a grand piano with his voice angelic as always. The song is now available on iTunes.

  • John Lennon: Remembering the 'Imagine' Singer with 10 Inspiring Quotes [PHOTOS]

    John Lennon had established himself as a superb solo artist by the time 1980 rolled around. The Beatles disbanded a full decade earlier, and Lennon had found a way to captivate listeners without his writing partner Paul McCartney. He released five LPs in the '70s, including his debut, "John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band" and his masterpiece "Imagine." There was a five-year hole in his recording career from 1975-80, but in November 1980 Lennon came back with "Double Fantasy."It was the former Beatle's final album. Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman 34 years ago today, Dec. 8. It is a loss that still perplexes fans and admirers to this day. Even the singer's killer has awakened from his delusional haze, telling the parole board in July, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory."This year's anniversary is not a milestone. It is not a nice, rounded-off number like 30 or 35, both of which are far less important than 25 and 50. But while Lennon's death left a void in popular music, it also robbed the world of a truly beautiful mind that never hesitated to comment on the state of the world. He did not just say, "War is bad," he opted for the positive and tried to spark a movement from that: "Give peace a chance."So, yes, 34 means little. But it is difficult to look at 2014 and not think about what kind of wisdom Lennon could offer if he were still with us. What would he tell us about unrest stemming from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases that we are missing? What insights could he offer on gay marriage rights? And do not forget the NFL. There is no shortage of moral problems and quandaries in today's social media society. Would Lennon even bother with Twitter?We will never know the specific answers to those questions. Thankfully, Lennon spoke his mind often during his 40-year stay on Earth, and those snippets of wisdom remain a guiding light for fans of peace, creativity and love.

  • Father John Misty Shares Trippy Video For New Song "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C For Two Virgins)" Ahead Of New Album [WATCH]

    Last month, former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman announced his second Father John Misty album, I Love You, Honeybear. The follow-up to 2012's Fear Fun, the effort is due out Feb. 10 via Sub Pop. Tillman performed a cut from the album, "Bored in the USA," along with a 22-piece string orchestra section on The Late Show With David Letterman, and now he's released another cut from the album, titled "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C For Two Virgins)," accompanied by a trippy video that he directed and his filmmaker wife Emma shot on an iPad.

  • Ma$e Loses Cover Art Lawsuit Over Instagram Photo Following Performance for a Crowd of Less Than 50 People in London

    Former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e has been ordered to pay after losing a cover art lawsuit over an Instagram photo. The news comes on the heels of the rapper's underwhelming performance for a crowd of less than 50 people in London.According to reports, model Stephanie Delgado accused the Harlem rhymer of appropriating an Instagram photo of hers and using it as the cover art for his single "Why Can't We" without permission. Following her accusations in April, Delgado sued Ma$e over her claim.As noted by "TMZ," Ma$e was ordered to pay her $7,500. Delgado was reportedly awarded the money in default as Ma$e apparently never responded to her claim.Delgado was originally seeking damages in the area of $60,000, but was not awarded that sum because she was unable to prove earnings matching what she was asking for in previous photo shoots.Just last month, Ma$e was forced to perform in front of an intimate-sized crowd after fellow New Yorkers Fat Joe and Foxy Brown dropped out of their London gig. Joe was not able to get in the country and Brown pulled out with no explanation. The "Ill Na Na" rapstress jumped on Instagram during the performance and took shots at Ma$e's underwhelming crowd. She did not mention why she bailed on performing, though.

  • Chris Rock On The Breakfast Club: 'Top Five' Comedian Talks Upcoming Film, Bill Cosby, Eric Garner/Mike Brown, DJ Envy Beef, And More

    Chris Rock stopped by Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club this morning to promote the upcoming movie he wrote, directed and stars in called Top Five, which is due out in theaters on Dec. 12. Rock took the time to chat about the film, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta's Karlie Red's role in Top Five, the Bill Cosby controversy, what it means to be relevant, the state of Hollywood, the potential of a post-racial society, why he loves 12 Years A Slave, his beef with DJ Envy, why he only listens to music on his iPod, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:

  • Drake and Diddy Fight? Toronto Rapper Reportedly Hospitalized After Brawl at DJ Khaled's Birthday Bash

    There are some interesting reports coming out of Miami that Drake and Diddy, aka Sean Combs, got into a scuffle last night, Dec. 7, at a club following the Art Basel event. The pair attended an after-party for DJ Khaled's birthday when the incident occurred, "MTV News" noted. Rumors surfaced that the fight was over Diddy's girlfriend Cassie, and DJ Sam Sneaker tweeted that Drake ended up in the hospital because of the brawl."MTV News" was not able to confirm the reports that the fight was over Cassie or that Drake was hospitalized. It did confirm with a witness that the brawl occurred, though. DJ Sneaker offered a few tweets about it, and he responded to a post by Lil Duval claiming that the story was made up.Drake and Diddy have yet to comment on the alleged incident.

  • 'Rolling Stone' Calls Kanye West's '808s & Heartbreak' One of the Most Groundbreaking Albums of All Time

    "Rolling Stone" recently recognized a few albums that have changed the game, and among them, Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" was named one of the "most groundbreaking albums of all time."Since its release, West's 2008 album has proven that hip-hop is not always about trap beats and toting guns. West's ability to try something different and succeed so effortlessly has made the album a standout in his discography."Kanye West's Auto-Tune-heavy, emotionally naked fourth album came after a brutal year during which his mother died and his engagement broke up," the legendary music-based magazine wrote of the album. "But the album's cavernous sound and exposed-soul lyrics confused even those who had been aware of West's recent trials."Its core aesthetic was like nothing in Hip Hop: freshly butchered feelings enumerated in detail, but masked by digital processing; beds of spare synths used to balance a mix of singing and rapping. However, over time it served as a new template for up-and-comers in Hip Hop and R&B. Drake cited West as his budding sound's 'most influential person' when he was hustling mixtapes, while artists like Future further tweaked the idea of using Auto-Tune as a way to convey emotions that evoke too much feeling when spoken of explicitly."

  • Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and Usher Perform for Sting, Al Green at 2014's Kennedy Center Honors

    Sting, Al Green and Tom Hanks were among some of the artists who received recognition at last night's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony Dec. 7. The 2014 class also included ballerina Patricia McBride and comedian Lily Tomlin. Earth, Wind & Fire, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Mavis Staples performed a few of Green's hits, while Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen celebrated Sting.According to "USA Today's" coverage, Stephen Colbert opened the show by taking a respectful jab at politics and pop culture, which he is always ready to do."Tonight, Washington puts the arts above politics, because no matter what party you belong to, everyone wants a selfie with Tom Hanks," he said.
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