Live Stream: Jay Z & Budweiser's Made In America Music Festival

It's official! Jay-Z can do no wrong.

Today is the first day of the 2nd annual Budweiser sponsored Made In America Music Festival that Mr. Carter spear-headed. Philadelphia serves as the setting for this melting pot of musical tastes. This year Hov has a line up that makes Lollapalooza look like a high school talent show.

Not only is the 2 day weekend extravaganza being headlined by Beyonce & Nine Inch Nails, but it boasts a line-up that features Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Miguel, Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Harris and a ton of other very musically inclined individuals and groups.

Public Enemy is there dammit!!!

For those not lucky enough to make it to Philly for the weekend, here is the live stream for the event. This is a stream from the Rocky & Liberty stages. For streams of the Skate and Freedom stages, click the link up above. If you close your eyes, you almost feel like you're in a mile-long line for the porta-potty. You're welcome.

Fall TV Preview: Watch The Mindy Project. UPDATE

Listen people, I'm not a big fan of the whole, "I'll just binge watch that show when it hits Netflix," generation. This is mainly because when shows really start to hit their stride, nobody is there to see it.  Happy Endings went from "mediocre comedy" to "hilarious TV" at the start of the 3rd season, and I feel like I was the only one watching it.  Then it got cancelled. At least Community will get the 5th (4th A) season it deserves.

New Music: Classic Kobe Edition

Quality music seems to be coming out at a feverish rate lately. Maybe artists are trying to make that last ditch effort to get a summer anthem on the airwaves (yeah, like Robin Thicke would ever allow that). Whatever it may be, I like it. and I hope it continues. Once again, my lazy ass doesn't feel like producing 8 separate posts for the heat I discovered this week, so I lumped them all in one. Enjoy.

The Curious Case of Miley Cyrus

The 2013 Video Music Awards (the VMAs for all you cool cats) aired on MTV (Music Television for all you old cats) this past Sunday, and I didn't watch. I'm sorry, I just refuse to legitimize a music award show produced by a network that has the word "music" in its name and devotes less than 10% of its programming to music, but that's another post for another time.

So there I was, watching Low Winter Sun on AMC (consider this my official endorsement), and around the 9:04 mark, all hell seemed to break loose on Facebook. The focus of the outrage, Miley "Don't Call Me Hannah Montana" Cyrus' performance.

Lady Porn (Let's call it what it is.)

50 Shades of Grey:  The Bizzaro Affect.

So, I was there in 2008 San Diego for the big Comic Con reveal of Twilight.  Not because of Twilight, because I'm a nerd and was there with a bachelor party for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reunion. We do it big.  A friend of mine and I got lost, (the place is huge) and we wound up coming out on the back end of the convention center.  There were hundreds of women out there screaming and shouting, so we thought something amazing was happening.  We pulled one of the lovely ladies aside (which ranged in age from 12-60) and asked, "What's all this about?"

Daily Throwback: Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

Today the Shuffle God must have sensed that I am about engaged in warfare on the battle ground known as...well, let's just call it "the second job" (don't want to burn bridges, you never know where future advertising dollars may come from). This is the definition of a "struggle song."  Many of you may remember it from being the theme song to the very entertaining, but short-lived, HBO show How To Make It In America. I don't know about you, but I can definitely relate. Dollars is ALWAYS what I need. You're welcome...hey, hey!

Bat-Fleck Rises!

So, Ben Affleck is the new Batman.

I'm not upset about this, but as of right now, the internet is ablaze with nerd rage.

POOF: Father MC

Welcome back to my homage to VH-1's Behind The Music. The focus of my attention this time is Father MC.

New Music: A Bunch of Stuff

Good evening. I realized I've been so busy getting others to post, that I've been neglecting my readers...all eight of you. So, I decided to neglect my wife for a few minutes and hit you with a post.  I only got a few minutes before she hits me with a few hard "sighs" and asks me "whatcha doing?", which really translates into "get the f-ck off the computer, dickhead...NOW!!!", so I'll make it quick.

I figured what better way to get re-acquainted with my audience than to scour the interweb and find a new song to hit you with. Instead I found five. Usually, each new song gets it's own post, but as the old black lady from YouTube says, "ain't nobody got time for that!" You get a five pack today, you're welc...oops not yet.

The Return of Deltron

Deltron: Event II.

This is an album I’ve really been looking forward to.  Hands down, Del is one of my all-time favorite rappers, but he hasn’t had a whole lot of commercial success.  Don’t get me wrong, Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz was huge, but NOBODY attributes that to Del.

The A.D.D. Report: Volume 1

J. Powell, you nice but I'm here to make your audience not wanna read another noun or verb from you. That's a Kendrick Lamar joke for those who didn't get it.

I'm River. You may remember me from such blogs as the ONLY ONE I have on this site. I can't even remember the name of it because its been so long.

Every writer has that way of writing which is unique to them. I will be known for my A.D.D. style and randomness. This blog will cover a little bit of everything. So without any further ado...

Daily Throwback: Talib Kweli ft. Mos Def, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes, & Kanye West - Get By (Remix)

Since it is Sunday morning, it looks like the Shuffle God decided to hit us with a little bit of inspiration. This song was bananas, it almost made me "quit smokin' and quit drinkin'"...almost. The line-up to this remix is bonkers! We got five very legendary, very distinct, and very diverse sounds homogenizing on a beautiful Nina Simone sample. Coach K and Team USA couldn't give you a better starting 5. You're welcome.

 

New Music: Joe Budden - Lost Control (Kendrick Lamar Response)

The Kendrick Lamar saga continues on to the weekend.  So far, we've heard responses from a whole slew of emcees, including Astro, JR Writer, Cassidy, Papoose, Fred The Godson, Joell Ortiz and even Knicks swingman Iman Shumpert. I figured Jumpoff Joey wouldn't go long without putting his two cents in, and here we have it.

I can hear the fire in Joey's bars, I like it. It seems like Kendrick got the response he wanted, so far everyone seems to be raising the bar. It took Hov's The Takeover to wake up the sleeping lyrical giant in Nasir back in 2001, and now Kendrick's verse on Control has not only brought out the beast in some of New York's finest, but it seems to have evolved the qualifications needed for one to be able to put "lyricist" on their resume.

Just listen to Budden's response, this is clearly Mood Music Budden, not Love & Hip-Hop Budden.  You're welcome.

POOF: Snow

Welcome to another edition of Poof. This week's subject is none other than the ivory Canadian reggae man, Snow. Yeah, you heard me, Snow. I bet you didn't think you would hear that name mentioned outside of a cheesy VH-1 nostalgia/countdown shows about forgotten fads from the '90s. Let's begin, shall we.

Daily Throwback: Aaron Hall - I Miss You

The Shuffle God is feeling sappy today with this one. Former Guy front man (if you don't count Teddy Riley) Aaron Hall, was supposed to be the next Charlie Wilson. He quit Guy, dropped like 2 songs, and disappeared, making himself eligible for a future installment of Poof.  This was that joint though. As for the video, seeing Aaron Hall's ol' ex-con face ass crying all dramatic is a little rough.  You're welcome.

POOF: MC BRAINS

Today I am introducing a new segment called Poof.  I call it Poof because with my track record, it could be gone at any time. I kid, I kid. This segment will be dedicated to musicians who seemed like they had potential, but just fell off the map, disappeared...poof! Let's face it, we all know this is just another excuse for me to share some of my "guilty pleasure" songs. The first artist I will showcase is former Motown Artist MC Brains.

Daily Throwback: Limp Bizkit ft. Method Man, Redman, & DMX - Rollin' (Remix)

The Shuffle God dug in the crates today and found Freddy Durst and his little red hat. Limp Bizkit wasn't half bad. The had the best rock/hip-hop collabos of their era. They were able to blend into the hip-hop culture without sounding contrived or desperate (cough...Fall Out Boy...cough). I mean look who's on this remix; Meth, Red, and X, a platinum plus line-up. In 2013 terms, that roster would be the equivalent of Tyler the Creator, Childish Gambino, and J. Cole jumping on the remix of an Imagine Dragons track. Too bad Fred Durst kept constantly playing himself in public, and Limp Bizkit couldn't stay relevant for long. What's Freddy doing now you ask? He's coming off the bench for a label that features Paris Hilton and Justin Beiber's best friend. Now that's just a goddamn  shame. You're welcome.

New Music: Bone Crusher ft. Raheem DeVaughn – Vibration

Good evening. I've got a new one from...wait, does that say...Bone Crusher? Yes it does! Mr. "I Ain't Neva Scared!" trades his normal "head-bussa" style in for a more smooth, laid back approach, and I have to say he does a good job pulling it off. This song definitely does not sound like it was created by the man pictured above. Rappers are rarely capable of successfully re-inventing their styles, but Crusher seems to have fit into his new lane nicely. This song has beer and back deck written all over it. You're welcome.

Live From The Tent: My Lollapalooza 2013 Wrap-Up

So, I did some pretty cool shit this weekend and helped film tape video (my old television production professor would kill me if she read that, sorry Liz) artist interviews at Lollapalooza for the iHeart Radio website. I've been feeling pretty fancy for the past 24 hours since the festival ended, but reality is gradually settling in. I figured before all the fairy dust wears off, I should hit you guys with a rundown of my 2 day experience. The euphoric juice of being a legit member of the media for 48 hours is draining fast, so I'm doing it rapid fire style.  Ready...set...go!