• 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend Kicks Off With Celebrity Basketball Game: See Photos of MVP Kevin Hart, Win Butler, Common & More

    Last night kicked off NBA All-Star Weekend with the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, marking the first time it has ever been played in an NBA arena. The evening began with a tribute to the late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott, who passed away last month at the age of 49. The NBA Celebrity All-Star Game was one of his favorite events to cover, so they honored him by presenting his two daughters with a basketball signed with personal messages from the players.

  • Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Killswitch Engage on New 'Game of Thrones' Mixtape

    Snoop Dogg and Method Man are among two rap artists who will contribute tracks to the "Game of Thrones" compilation, 'Catch the Throne: The Mixtape, Vol. 2.' On the other end of the musical spectrum, metal acts like Anthrax and Killswitch Engage will also be featured on the 15-track effort. The popular HBO series returns April 2 and each song from the mixtape, out in March, will be used during the show's fifth season.

  • Grammys 2015: John Legend & Common Close Out Grammys, Selma Tribute With "Glory" Performance [WATCH]

    John Legend and Common closed out the 2015 Grammys and the Selma tribute with an emotional performance of their song "Glory." Following Beyoncé's moving rendition of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" by the Rev. Thomas Dorsey, the two men took the stage, backed by a gospel choir and orchestra with images from the film flashing on a screen behind them. Legend sang from behind a grand piano as Common stood on a platform, delivering his verses. "Glory" made for a strong close to the ceremony and a fitting message for Black History month.

  • Grammys 2015 Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominees, Who Should and Will Win

    Predicting hip-hop at the Grammys has been notoriously difficult, but the best Rap/Sung Collaboration category has been one of the easiest. Like the other categories in Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song, the Grammys go for star power, but with Rap/Sung Collaboration, they do not deviate from what the charts and the radio say is what the kids are listening to. The 2015 nominees are a little different, with inclusions from Common, Schoolboy Q and ILoveMakonnen with the assist from Drake, but otherwise star power rules the day. The argument of who should win and who will win will rage on long after the Grammys are over and is always divisive, but we took our best crack at it.

  • Kanye West Receives Visionary Award at BET Honors, Jokes About Kim Kardashian During Speech [WATCH]

    Kanye West received the Visionary Award last night (Jan. 24) at this year's BET Honors ceremony. Dame Dash, who had some words for Yeezy back in July, introduced the rapper and presented him with the award. There was no bad blood to be had at the event and West accepted the award with a dynamite speech. Jay Z, Common, Kendrick Lamar and West's wife, Kim Kardashian, paid tribute to the artist in a video montage.

  • 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.

  • Pharrell, Sam Smith, John Legend & Common To Perform at Grammys

    The Grammys is the biggest night in music as all of the biggest names around join together to celebrate what happened in the past year and give out awards, deservingly or not, to each other. As part of the celebrations, many of those artists perform live, at times together, creating some of the most unlikely of pairings. The Grammys already announced several of the performers that include established legends Madonna and AC/DC with new pop acts Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande. The academy has added to the performers list, giving the night a needed hip-hop and R&B flavor. Usher, Sam Smith, John Legend, Pharrell and Common are the new additions.

  • Martin Luther King Speeches Sampled in Popular Music: Gwen Stefani, Andre 3000, Common, Will.i.am and More

    No one was a better narrator or public speaker during the 20th Century than Martin Luther King Jr., and no speech was better than his landmark "I Have A Dream" speech, the work that best sums up the goals and ideals of the Civil Rights leader. Understandably, the hip-hop community and the rest of popular music respects the accomplishments of Dr. King and the impact he's had on the world, in entertainment and otherwise. Check out these six tracks that pay tribute to King as we celebrate martin Luther King Day at Music Times.

  • Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech and More Included on Epic Spotify Playlist with Music by Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, John Legend and More

    Spotify and the role it plays in the spread of music in the modern era will continue to inspire controversy and legal battles into the future. No one, listeners or musicians alike, can deny that the streaming service's playlist in honor of Martin Luther King on the Civil Rights leader's national holiday is spot-on. Spotify has assembled an epic playlist of King's most influential speeches and the music inspired by his actions, available for listening now.

  • Common Drops Verse on Stacy Barthe's 'Live for Today' [LISTEN]

    Fresh off of his Golden Globe win — and as of this morning, Academy Award nomination — for his song "Glory" from the movie "Selma," Chicago rapper Common has dropped a new verse on Stacy Barthe's "Live for Today," which you can check out below. As its title implies, the song is about seizing the day and not waiting around for moments of greatness to come, with Common asking, "I know the world is changing / But I'm still in my mind, where the peace be?" The true highlight of the track, however, is Benny Cassette's excellent production, which is based around a killer bassline and some jazzy electric piano chords. You can check out Stacy Barthe's "Live for Today" featuring Common here, via "Hot New Hip-Hop":

  • Ranking The 2015 Academy Awards' Best Original Song Nominees

    This morning, the nominees for the 87th Annual Academy Awards were revealed, including the nominees for Best Original Song. Though there were plenty of songs that were widely assumed to be shoo-ins, such as Lana Del Rey's "Big Eyes" and Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat," they were passed over for some pretty left-field choices (most surprisingly, only one of the songs on this list was also nominated for a Golden Globe). Here are the five Academy Award nominees for Best Original Song ranked, from worst to best.
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