Here’s an audio/video mixtape from some of the best MJ mixes I’ve heard recently. How many times can we say “RIP Michael?!”

SIDE A : The MJ Warm Up

Track 1. Come On Come On Come On/Lemme Show You What It’s All About: Love the five-part Minding Michael podcast series from Qool DJ Marv Aural Memoirs & da Buttamilk Archives. Featuring the MJ hits I had forgotten along with those beloved pop standards, this podcast is not to be missed. My favorites are Part One, “A Good Time,” for its melancholy, and Part Three, “Grab Your Belt Buckle/Music’s Taking Over” for the disco hits that make you move even when you’re sitting down. “Roughly 75 percent of these songs, I’ve never played in public,” Qool DJ Marv wrote about Minding Michael. “This is my translation of Michael as a fan and DJ, as a boy who grew up with stronger together black family vibes and Black is Beautiful all up in my head, and as a man who still embraces that exuberant idealism by perpetuating it and sustaining it through the magic of the music in the mix.” (Ranging from 47 mins. to over an hour long)

Track 2. Shake It, Shake It, Baby: Eclectic Method’s The Michael Jackson Video: Don’t be deterred by the Peter Jennings intro to this MJ memory lane video mix. For my money, the highlight comes midway through the video when London-based Eclectic Method mashes up “Blame It On the Boogie” with “Black or White,” and then moves seamlessly into “Rock With You” on top of “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Favorite parts of this video show not one, but TWO Michael Jackson videos that stream simultaneously. Shows just what a versatile dancer and performer Michael really was! (4:51 mins)

Track 3. You Can’t Run Away From/This Love I Got: Can’t even remember hearing Jackson Five do “Ready or Not Here I Come,” but you can groove to it here on Norwegian DJ and Producer Teddy Touch’s Memories MJ Tribute mix. Love mixing freestyling and beats with MJ’s classics. (40:04 mins)

SIDE B (The Flip Side)

Track 4. And Don’t Go Around Breaking Young Girls’ Hearts: If you like it when Michael Jackson goes all electronic on you, check out this Billie Jean remix from Philadelphia’s DJ Apt One. Guaranteed to make you move! (6:06 mins)

Track 5. Let Us Realize that a Change Can Only Come/When We Stand Together As One: Believe it or not, there are a handful of viral music videos out there that feature performances by inmates from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, a maximum security prison in the central Philippines. (The prison management has inmates do choreographed dances there for exercise.) The CPDRC did a Thriller video remake in July of 2007, and a “We Are The World” Michael Jackson Tribute just days after Michael passed away. Neither performance needs any introduction. (4:26 and 3:39 mins)

Track 6. Never Can Say Goodbye: DJ Ayres did this Michael Jackson Mix for The Rub, a party that creates long lines around the block of Brooklyn’s Southpaw the first Saturday of every month. The mix is a great chronological history of Michael’s music from “Maybe Tomorrow” (the ’70s) to  “Butterflies” (2001). (53:47 mins) –AFS

Abbie Fentress Swanson is a freelance radio radio reporter (and music addict) based in Brooklyn, New York.

New York-based writer, publicist, and activist April Silver says she continues to get feedback about a piece she wrote in response to this performance by Lil’ Wayne and Drake at the BET Awards 2009. Director Byron Hurt also responded, and wrote the following to BET’s Debra Lee on June 29:

“Sunday night’s BET Awards show was a disgrace. It’s sad and unfortunate that your network, owned by Viacom, continues to crank out mediocrity and perpetuate negative stereotypes of black men, women, and children. Although you likely received high ratings for the awards show, there is no honor in reinforcing the status quo’s opinion of black people. Your tribute to Michael Jackson and the overall show had its great moments, however, BET failed to deliver a solid, quality show. Rather than “raising the bar” and presenting African-Americans as a creative, proud, dignified people, BET lowered the bar for the entire world to see. The BET Awards drew a huge audience to watch a tribute to Michael Jackson, but left millions of viewers feeling disappointed, embarrassed, and reduced to classic stereotypes.

“During the most blatantly sexist performances of the night, the executives at BET failed to act and display intelligence, courage, and leadership. Show executives watched, approved, and applauded as artists Lil’ Wayne, Drake, and Cash Money brought young, under-aged girls onto the stage to dance and serve as window dressing while they performed ‘Every Girl,’ a song that reduces girls and women to sex objects. In a culture where one out of four girls and women are either raped or sexually assaulted – and where manipulative men routinely traffic vulnerable women into the sex industry – it is not okay that BET allowed this to happen. BET owes its entire audience – particularly girls and women around the world – an apology for its failure to intervene. BET should also take immediate steps to ensure that this kind of sexist performance does not happen again. Sunday night’s show epitomizes why so many black people worldwide are fed up with BET and feel strongly that your network inaccurately represents black men and women.”

# # #

“Last night, live at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, a room full of head-bobbing, consenting adults bounced to Drake and Lil Wayne’s back-to-back performances of the hit songs “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl.” I watched, underwhelmed. I wanted more “Michael” in what was supposed to be this award-show-turned-Michael-Jackson-tribute. I watched, ever puzzled by the Lil Wayne phenomena that has captivated the music industry. I watched, wondering when the set was going to end.

“Then the little girls came onstage…literally the little girls. “Are those children?” I asked out loud, in disbelief. Then the camera panned the audience. Everyone was still head-bobbing as the little Black girls huddled around these superstars.

“‘Are those little girls on stage…for this song?!?!‘ I, still in disbelief, lost breath and forced myself to exhale. ‘Why are these little girls featured on this performance? Is somebody going to stop this?’ Again, the show was live, though for a nano-second, I was hoping that a hunched-over stage manager would bust through from back stage to scoop up the children, rescuing them from harm’s way…from being associated from this song. But instead, what those girls witnessed from the stage was hundreds and hundreds of adults (mostly Black people) staring back at them, co-signing the performance. These girls, who all appeared to be pre-teens, were having their 15 minutes of glam on one of the biggest nights in televised Black entertainment history, with two of pop culture’s biggest stars at the moment, with millions of people watching. They must have been bubbling with girlish excitement, shimmering like princesses all night. Pure irony: one of them wore a red ballerina tutu for the special occasion. And we applauded them.

“But did no one care that Lil Wayne’s song Every Girl is about grown men and their sexual escapades with women? Did the meaning and intent of the song matter to anyone, this song whose hook and other lyrics required a re-write in order to get air play? ‘I wish I could love every girl in the world.‘ That’s the radio-friendly version of ‘I wish I could f–k every girl in the world.‘ But Lil Wayne’s BET performance was the clean edit of the song. Perhaps he (and the show producers) thought that there was nothing wrong in featuring the children in the clean version. Perhaps we were supposed to see the whole bit as cute and innocent. Absolutely not. There’s no other way to cut it: in presenting little girls in a performance of a song that is about sex, group sex, and more sex, BET and Lil Wayne set the stage for child pornography. It doesn’t matter what version of the song was played, much like a man who batters women is still an abusive man, even if uses flowery phrases while battering.

“In the song, Lil Wayne mentions superstar Miley Cyrus, but Cyrus gets a pass on this lyrical sex escapade because, as he acknowledges, she is a minor. Huh? Why, then, is he comfortable with featuring four minors, these four little Black girls, in the show? How deep exactly is this inability of some men to respect women, and how deep is Lil Wayne’s disregard for the safety of little girls?

“I’m told that one of the girls is Lil Wayne’s daughter. That doesn’t matter. In fact that makes it worse. Last night we were reminded that there are few safe spaces for our little girls to be children; that some of us are willing to trade their innocence for a good head nod. BET and Lil Wayne are beneath low because, in effect, they have given premium assurance to these and other little girls that their best value, their shining moment, their gifts to display to the world, all lie within a context that says they are fuckable.

“The programming at BET has been heavily criticized by artists, concerned citizens, college students, parent groups, social justice organizations, media reform activists, and many others for over a decade now. Their programming seems hell bent on broadcasting the worst pathologies in the Black community. Some have joined the anti-BET movement by simply tuning out. Others have been more pro-active. National letter-writing campaigns and other activities designed to shame and/or pressure the network into improving its programming have been in play for some time now. Boycotts have been called as well. Two years ago, for example, the network found itself in the line of fire as it planned to air the very controversial series “Hot Ghetto Mess.” Advertisers, such as State Farm Insurance and Home Depot, responded to pressure and requested that their ads be disassociated with the series (though, their ads could be placed in other programming slots). None of this has made a difference. In fact, it seems to have emboldened the network, for it is now expanding. In the fall, BET is due to launch another channel.

“As a social entrepreneur and activist, my entire life/work has been dedicated to standing up for what’s right, especially within the culture of hip hop. When identifying what cancerous elements exist within the Black community, many fellow activists agree with Chuck D (of Public Enemy), and even Aaron McGruder (of The Boondocks), when they targeted BET as one of those elements. That said, I didn’t think that we would ever have to take the network to task for what amounts to child pornography.

“But millions of Black people are not offended by the network and welcome anything BET has to offer, no matter how much it continues to unravel the fabric of our community. Imagine, if you will, BET as a human being and the viewers as the community. You would have to imagine BET as a drug dealer, with his swag on…perhaps outside standing atop a truck, the community crowded beneath him. Imagine him throwing nicely wrapped gifts into the crowed, or giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving. Or maybe it’s Mother’s Day and he buys dinner and teddy bears to all the single moms and grandmothers around the way. Despite his best efforts and despite the approval of his fans, he is still a drug dealer, pimping death to the masses.

“Proverbs is full of sacred text that teaches us that there will always be fools amongst us. Some of them will be highly paid, protected, and given world-wide platforms to show off what they do best. And these fools (be they performers, corporate executives, or others), will have fans and loyal supporters, and a place to call home, like a BET.

“But as long as there will be fools amongst us, there will also be wise ones – a small group of people concerned about the long term health and well being of the community. This small group will often go unheard and they will be outmatched. They will struggle over which problem to address first: the child pornographer, the batterer, the pimp, the prostitute, the thief, the slumlord, or the system that enables it all. They will get tired and their defense will pale in comparison to the almost crushing offense. And they will be betrayed from within. Historically and universally, this is what happens in the struggle for what is right. But eventually, with continued pressure, something will shift. A radical new thinking will emerge, and the fools will lose their stronghold.

“The sure expectation of victory, however, can not be understated. It is a concrete ingredient in the struggle against the death that is being paraded in our community…as necessary as letter writing campaigns, economic boycotts, symbolic and actual protests, and other pressure-oriented activities. It is indeed possible to bring more life into our community.

Copyright 2009, by April R. Silver. Silver is a social entrepreneur, activist and writer/editor. She is also founder of the communications agency AKILA WORKSONGS, Inc. Her first book is the critically acclaimed anthology “BE A FATHER TO YOUR CHILD: REAL TALK FROM BLACK MEN ON FAMILY, LOVE AND FATHERHOOD.” Contact Info: silver@aprilsilver.com or www.aprilsilver.com.

###

BET responded July 3 in a statement to AllHipHop.com:

“BET Networks deeply regrets the performance by Young Money at the BET AWARDS ‘09 (featuring Lil Wayne, Drake, Gudda Gudda and Mack Maine). Elements of the performance were unplanned and should not have happened.”

BET also said it found viewers’ opinions, like Hurt’s and Silver’s, useful. “We have edited Young Money’s performance for all BET Awards ‘09 encore presentations,” a representative said.

BET Awards 2009

I recently released Kiss the Sky, a novel about a black rock musician. Then I did an event with an actual black rock musician who read my book and said that the part about Michael Jackson was so eerie. I had forgotten all about it. But I found it…written years ago… and yes, eerie.

Tell me what you think about MJ and your memories… I am getting creeped out watching all the old footage, especially the ones of Diana calling Michael “sexy” while they are are both wearing those dark spangly shirts…

I wish he’d been happy. I find it hard to believe he was.

Peace,
F

____________________________________________________

Excerpt, Kiss the Sky, Atria Books, 2009
(Written from the P.O.V. of the main character.)

Drifted into a drowse and thought about the way music was my whole life.

My great grandfather sold Billie Holiday reefers, back when she was a bad little girl and he was a dirty old man. A withered up little yellow man. Always looking at the girls of school-age. A sailor, in and out of port. In town just long enough every time to get great-grandma pregnant. And wasn’t it just like me to love Billie, all of her, even her vices.

Then there was my first musical love, Michael Jackson. I was six, and to my child’s eyes he seemed just enough older to know a lot of things I wanted to learn. He was pure music, shimmering, shimmying, shaking, grooving, moving, liquid hipbones and fluid bell-bottomed pantlegs, denim, slouchy caps, a sexy choirboy backed up by his older brothers; plus television, dancing lions and tin-men, a too-old Diana as Dorothy. But wait, that last part was later.

Still, the Michael and “The Wiz” were always linked in my mind. When I was six, my Daddy and I went to see “The Wiz,” way before the movie with Michael and Diana, before the nose jobs and the skin lighteners and the hair straighteners and out-of-court settlements. Strange third-person memory: I see myself and my father walk towards the exit, along a half-lit aisle, with the play unfolding (bright reds and golds) behind us.

But: Michael. His was the music of longing, in a man-child’s voice that a little girl could understand before she truly knew desire. I liked Michael the same time Daddy liked to play the Isley Brothers. I didn’t understand the Isley’s lyrics (thank God), but their guitar licks and keyboards made it hard for me not to dance; their whispers tickled my ears.

Older still: When my girl scout troop had a party I brought Stevie Wonder and my friend Ronnice brought Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” which was everything you needed to know about the difference between uncool and cool. Stevie was uplifting and parent-approved; the teenaged Michael was your best friend’s older brother, a boy who you had a crush on so bad you thought you might melt every time you saw him. Ronnice was in fifth grade and I was in third, which might have been part of my problem, but not all of it. She was what my mother called “fast”–loose with the boys, hard and unforgiving with the girls.

I loved Michael, don’t get me wrong. How could I not? He was my first. But I mounted a defense of Stevie, which all the girls took as a weak-assed move.

When I was in eighth grade, Ronnice had an abortion. Like most of my fast girlfriends, she loved house music, the kind you heard in the clubs she’d sneak into. She was underaged but built like a brick shithouse and nobody checked her I.D. When she got into LL Cool J, I was loving Prince.

Later I worked my way through alternative rock, romantic R&B, gay disco, Public Enemy, Madonna and Grace Jones. Music ecstatic and anthemic, smoke drifting through laser lights, tranny boys in platform heels and lip liner, parties on the subway platform, lots of drugs but not down my throat or up my nose, the music simply lifting me, carrying me like the wind under the cape of a superhero or a pigeon caught in an updraft from a subway grate.

The music, just the music, used to be enough for me. Everything else came later.

I wanted to get back to those days again.

____________________________________________

This is an excerpt from Kiss the Sky (Atria Books 2009) by Farai Chideya. Chideya is a multimedia journalist, author, and the founder of PopandPolitics.com

Bruises are long gone, but we won’t forget … Rihanna is reportedly performing in Dubai on May 28, her first show after her alleged physical fiasco with Chris Brown last February. A spokeswoman for the Dubai Department of Tourism announced the news, and added that the tickets will be one sale in two weeks. The announcement for the concert that is slated to attract 25,000 audience members comes two days after a spokesperson for Chris Brown denied that he is dating Girlicious singer Natalie Mejia or his hometown ex-gf. Really…

Face it, Cudi can’t get enough of the limelight … Empty threat alert: Kid Cudi’s not retiring. Within months after his solo debut “Day ‘N’ Nite,” Rapper Kid Cudi blogged that he was quitting the rap game due to the horrendous pressure around him (boo hoo). But after a trip to SXSW and now signing with Universal Motown, it looks like Cudi is retracting any emotional weep trip he had when writing his entry. Shoulda’ known…

Pearl Jam, Shmearl Jam …

The alternative grunge band is back with tour dates, an upcoming album, and, wait for it, a film too?!? Guitarist Mike McCready said in a radio interview last month that they are halfway done with the new album, and have a film in the works with direction Cameron Crowe. “We’re building up to our big 20th anniversary,” McCready said. “We’re trying to have a little campaign of building rereleases with new mixes and new outtakes up until that time.”  Not another weak sauce comeback, I hope.

Radiohead’s “Pay-What-You-Want” sets trend … Toronto based hip-hop emcee K-os is following Radiohead’s footsteps by allowing his fans to name their price for his upcoming tour dates. For each show, K-os will not ask his audience members to pay a standard ticket price — rather, the rapper will ask for what they should pay after watching the show. The idea, which was backed by his manager, was not an easy decision to make, but was something he wanted to try. “I love risk,” K-os says. “If I wanted no risk, I’d work some other job. I’m excited to see what will happen.” We’re excited too.

I’m sitting in my sedan in front of Sopranos Pizza on Washington Ave. on South Beach watching a group of pigeons pulverize a slice of pizza on the sidewalk. It’s Sunday morning, in late March and the sun is rising on South Beach. It’s the final day of Miami’s Winter Music Conference.

I’m having déjà vu. Most likely cause I’ve attended this annual dance music marathon, where DJs, producers, artists and their hangers-on come to break new records, network and party, for the past five years. So here I am again to “house music all night long” as the old classic goes. I pick up my ever-present iPod Touch to read a twitter update:

i murdered the living shit out of the winter music conference.

It’s Questlove’s feed. Questlove, the drummer for Def Jam recording artists the Roots, DJ’d a showcase sponsored by Giant Step with MC Yahmeen and DJ Keen One in the Delano Hotel’s Florida Room a few hours ago. I was there. But, already @questlove is tweeting from the Miami airport.

i gotta say. this is the most fun i’ve had at WMC next to my grand debut back in 2000. only difference I took the most risks of my professional career last night.

I’m hungover. Not from alcohol. I didn’t even get a buzz from the $13 vodka and cranberry juice cocktail, more watered down than the pool beside the Delano’s bar. I should have ordered a Corona—only eight bucks and I would have been straight.

lol @ 9 people in this airport following me as i tweet.

A line forms in front of a Cuban grocer, men waiting in front of a service window for coladas, scrambled eggs and sausage. A sidewalk cleaner wrangles a noisy vacuum next to my car disturbing a nearby street bum, who rises in a fog and meanders away. I just realized that I haven’t made it home yet. It’s going to be a really hot day.

oversoldflight delayed 3 hours, overcrowded airport, kids cryin, bumped to coach middle seat: this is all u got for me flight gods? BRING IT

Yesterday evening on the way to the Giant Step party, I was walking up Washington towards Lincoln, made a right turn and headed to Collins and I spotted rapper Fat Joe driving a white Benz. The sun was about to set. The rooms at the Delano are all-white. You’ll know the Delano from the whitewashed building and towering green ivy shrubs hiding the entrance. Giant Step has been doing WMC parties at the Delano for 13 years.

The Delano lobby is legendary, with striking wide-open airy corridors, soaring ceilings, flowing white drapes and cherry-wood floors, weird misshapen disproportioned decorations from days of yore.. I headed straight for the back orchard, with its tall palm trees, hammocks, extremely large white beds, ensconced bungalows, and shiny blue infinity pool. The canopied lemongrass cabanas with wall-mounted plasma TVs gleamed like the sparkling tents on some Polynesian isle. The ivory sand beach was steps away. Nothing like the bungalow hotel LaFlora further south on Collins, which I’d been in a few days before. The only memorable lobby décor there was a lonely bird of paradise in a cylindrical glass vase.

Philadelphia DJ Vikter Duplaix was on poolside, playing reggae, a Supercat tune “Dolly my Baby,” but eventually K’Naan a reedishly thin singer and rapper who wore a very cool black fedora with feather arrived to sing tunes from his recently released Troubadou r. He was so skilled he managed to get the audience to sing along and sound good. He’s often been compared to Wyclef Jean. Dude knows how to write a song. He ran through “Take a Minute,” “Fatima,” and “Wavin Flag” playing a hand drum onstage along with another guy playing djembe. A guitarist and a backup singer were the only other instrumentation onstage, though he brought up Matisyahu, the Jewish reggae singer, later. The two did a tour together in December so they sounded rehearsed. K’naan is going on tour with Damien Marley and Nas soon, and Snoop Dogg.

Questlove played after K’naan, long after dark, around 10, in the Delano’s underground bar The Florida Room, a 1950’s Havana- meets- Harlem speakeasy and piano lounge designed by Lenny Kravitz, with sparkling crystal chandeliers and bronze mirrored ceilings. Long lines to get in endured all night, and I considered myself lucky to get in.

first 50 songs went from dilla to elvis to wayne to johnny mathis to gang starr

Of course there’s a lot of stuff Questlove’s not mentioning. The “123456789101112” song from Sesame Street, the rare Bill Withers, and all the friggin go-go music. Seriously, he unloaded like 45 minutes of Chuck Brown; this was like, early on.

to the pointer sisters to marley to ray charles to cash to zep to tribe to Al to MJ to the dead to elton to NERD to rare dangelo to rare EWF

The only “house” music track he played was Osulande’s “Don’t Change” and that was right off top which he quickly segued into Slick Rick’s “Lodi Dodi.” Halfway through the night he dropped on Eddie Kendricks’s “Girl you need a change of mind” but technically that’s not house music, techno or whatever you wanna call it. It was mostly R & B, reggae, rock, early funk, hip-hop, dancehall and jazz. And I’d agree that his entire set was pretty risky, especially for Winter Music Conference. At one point he tried to segue from a funk track to Thelonius Monk’s “Straight No Chaser” and dancing on the jam-packed floor was on pause. There were a lot of moments like that, where the musical choices were not geared toward keeping people dancing, but, keeping them on their toes. Few people danced during his 15 minutes of obscure Bill Withers, but they were standing, anticipating what track this Philadelphia DJ with the wild afro and ever-present afro pick in his mane was gonna play next. Fun fact: the only track REEEEWIIIIIIINDed was Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock”.  Six hour non-stop set. And Questlove never sat down. Not once.

the name of the game was VARIETY (dj’s take note) take more creative risks.—ok class done.

SXSW Music underway … Eager music fans and performers alike have begun their invasion of the SXSW music festival in Wednesday, and the overwhelming abudance of music has been accompanied by none other than tweets. Since 2007, Twitter and Austin festival have become an unlikely (yet powerful) match of community and interaction, helping those solo loners make friends quickly while helping the SXSW vets find the most crackin’ parties. To view some of the diverse crowds from this year’s fest so far, check here.

Kanye West charged not once, not twice … But three times for misdemeanors stemming from the LAX incident in September 2008 where he went buck wild on TMZ paparazzi. Kanye will be arraigned April 14 on the counts of battery, vandalism, and grand theft charged by the Los Angeles City Attorney. If convicted for all three charges, the 808s and Heartbreak rapper could face up to two-and-a-half years in prison. That just might make him as hard as T.I.

Incu-who? … Four years after their latest release Light Grenades, alt-rock band Incubus is back and has announced a greatest hits set and an accompanying tour for the summer. The two-disc release, Moments and Melodies, is slated to drop on June 16 and will include memorable songs like “Megalomaniac,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Nice To Know You,” while also featuring news songs “Black Heart Inertia” and “Midnight Swim.” The tour, which lasts seven weeks, kicks off July 9 in San Diego.

Fiddy and FOB-by… Fall Out Boy and 50 Cent are embarking on a tag-team tour this summer — enough to make any hipster, indie rocker, or plain ol’ pop hater gouge their eyes out. The rapper and pop-punk group will link up for the first time on April 14 for their “Believers Never Die” stint. But, like most of us “snooty” music appreciators, their own fans aren’t happy about the unlikely affair. One Fall Out Boy fan wrote, “I would rather eat my own crap literally than listen to 50 Cent.” You’re not the only one, dude.

The artist formerly known as who? … Well, it’s Prince. The Purple Rain singer will be performing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno for three nights in a row on March 25-27 in effort to garner support for the March 29 release of not one, but two albums. The albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND, will be available for purchase with a third album from artist Bria Valente exlusively at Target for $11.98.  And if you can’t get enough of the guy, catch Prince for a fourth night on March 28 for Leno’s Tonight Show retirement.

What about the real King of Pop? … Michael Jackson has announced 26 new dates for his comeback “This Is It” tour, all of which take place in London alone. The concert series, which includes 10 shows in July and an additional 18 in September,  is speculated to be part of a bigger world tour that has yet to be revealed. Tickets have been priced between 50 and 75 pounds ($70 and $105), a seemingly decent price range compared to today’s pop stars (ahem, Jo Bros). This will be Michael Jackson’s first tour in 12 years.

And the other Jack? … Jack White shows no sign of exhaustion as the White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman has developed a third band along with a new album. The new group, The Dead Weather, will be debuting their first album Horehound in June on White’s label, Third Man. The band also includes Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Jack Lawrence of the Greenhornes. White reportedly says that the band will go on tour this year.

Speakin’ of new bands … Ben Harper and his new bluesy band Relentless7 have released the music video for their new single “Shimmer and Shine.” The track comes from their upcoming release White Lies For Dark Times, which is scheduled to drop later this year. Check out the video below.

Push past the “swagga”, the mind swirling name changes and the amped-up persona as the musical King of Bling, and you’ll that Sean Combs is brilliant. In a quietly riveting new interview pegged to the 12th Anniversary of the death of Notorious B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace, blogger Barry Michael Cooper conducts a wide ranging interview that gives those of us watching an up close look at what excellence and creative vision looks like. We learn how Combs’ mind works and his process is illuminating. This segment on the Making of Ready to Die is getting the most hype because Combs confirms that on one of the interludes, Biggie is actually having sex. But I suggest you listen to how Combs guides Biggie’s music choices and why.

Again, in this segment listen to how Combs spends his spare time making beats, perfecting his ear and his producing skills. Combs closely studied how movies were put together and scored and the rules of storytelling. He says he didn’t want to wait for things to happen.

My constant frustration with so many high profile black entertainers and athletes is that they don’t emphasize the hard work, focus and discipline it takes to achieve success. Cooper’s interview is a great step in the right direction. I left a comment for Mr. Cooper and this is what I said: “This is a remarkable post and interview. This is what success looks like when the lights go down. I hope this interview inspires countless young people to hunker down and become excellent at something they love to do. Peace” Do yourself a favor, head on over and watch this entire interview. I found it inspiring on my own road to excellence, I hope you find the same.

Check It Out – Once Upon A Time in America: Sean Combs

This post originally appeared courtesy of Carmen Dixon’s All About Race.

DepMod and Apple in business love … Depeche Mode are debuting their comeback album Sounds of the Universe with an Apple twist – they’ll be testing out the new iTunes Pass, which allows buyers to receive “extended singles, remixes, videos, and more,” in addition to the regular album. What’s the cost? While the actual album is priced at the regular $9.99, the deluxe iTunes Pass edition will be bumped up to $18.99. However, the perks, which extend until June 16, are never explained in detail, nor does it guarantee any exclusive material. Ha, there is a catch! Sounds of the Universe is expected to be released April 21.

The Beastie Boys and “weird” sound about right … In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last weekend, Beastie Boy rapper Adam Yauch (MCA) described their upcoming album as a “pretty weird record.” Unlike their 2007 record The Mix-Up, their upcoming and eighth release will feature rhymes, among other aspects like “playing” and sampling. The rappers will also be performing at this year’s Bonnaroo festival.

No Doubtamore dates … As promised, No Doubt will be headlining a summer reunion tour, releasing dates that begin May 3 at the Bamboozle Festival and ending August 1 in their native area of Southern California (Irvine). Other acts supporting them throughout the tour include Paramore, Janelle Monae, Bedouin Soundclash, and the Sounds. While fan club pre-sales begin today, tickets will be available to the public on March 7 through Live Nation.

Nappy Boy cancels gig (gulp) … Everyone’s favorite Autotune/Vocoder user, T-Pain, has canceled a South American show due to what his promoter says are “credible death and kidnapping threats.” The performance, which was part of a festival celebrating Guyana’s independence from Great Britain, was called when the singer received unidentified phone and e-mail messages. The threats are currently being investigated by the local authorities of Guyana.

Ozzy holds Ozzfest … It looks like this year will not be blessed (or cursed) with an Ozzfest, as the big man himself, Ozzy Osbourne, has decided to spend the time working on his upcoming album instead. Though the fest has lasted for the last 12 years, a statement was released saying that the cancellation is only temporary and the fest will return in 2010. The untitled album will be produced by Kevin Churko and is slated for a Thanksgiving 2009 release

Who wants rhinestone-trimmed socks? … Someone is sure to find them worthy, as it is one of Michael Jackson’s items up for grabs in a five-day auction beginning April 21. The king of pop has decided to let go of over 2,000 of his personal items, including his American Music Award for “Thriller,” a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, a customized Harley Davidson, and even his own original artwork. Dibs on the socks!

She’s back, and better than ever … After suffering the tragic loss of her mother, brother, and nephew in a triple homicide last fall, Jennifer Hudson has announced that she is back at work and ready to tour this spring. Teaming with hottie pop-soul sensation Robin Thicke, Hudson will be kicking off her tour in Albany, NY March 31, and will end the month-long gig in Houston, TX on May 8.

Luda says sorry … Ludacris made amends to Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy at the All-Star Game Sunday, apologizing for any offense taken by the lyrics in his song “Politics (Obama Is Here).” The song takes a sharp turn in one line where Luda says, “McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed.” The senator appeared to have accepted the rapper’s apology, as they reportedly “spoke pleasantly for several minutes” afterward. My bet is Johnny boy didn’t know what Luda was referring to, that is, until a quick Google search after the game.

If it ain’t Ike, it’s Breezy … Chris Brown, who is under investigation for beating up his pop singer girlfriend Rihanna last week, is now being compared to past wifebeater Ike Turner, among others. Many speculate that the Pretty Boy’s image is in jeopardy, as more details on Rihanna’s “horrific” injuries, including bite marks, a split lip, and swollen-shut eyes, have been revealed from the police report. Not only that, but Rihanna told police that the relationship has been an abusive one in the past. Wrigley has since pulled its Doublemint gum ads featuring Brown, while the singer and his former gf have also canceled upcoming appearances in Phoenix and Malaysia. We’re guessing mom’s playing the valentine for homeboy this year.

Watch out Jo Bros, the bad boys are back … While the Jonas Brothers are getting major crap for proclaiming their good, clean innocence, it seems as though excited Bizkit and Blink fans are coming out of their shells for reunion tours and new albums. Fred Durst and the rest of Limp Bizkit have joined forces once again because they were “disgusted and bored with the current state of heavy pop music.” (Heavy pop music? Umm, okay) Blink 182 has also confirmed rumors, as they came out together on the Grammy stage last week. Bizkit fans might have to wait for dates, however, while Blink has given a rough tour time of Summer 2009.

MC Weirdo …. Actor-turned-MC Joaquin Phoenix made an unusual appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday night, sporting a shaggy beard and hipster shades to go with his new persona. Mumbling one-sentence answers and seemingly annoyed by Letterman and his audience, Phoenix was definitely killing it. Check it out below:

Weird Al Yankovic has some competition. The guys behind Saturday Night Live (SNL) skits are dropping their own album, Incredibad, on February 10. Their latest video, “I’m On A Boat,” features SNL staffers, Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, and hip hop, megastar T-Pain (You have to include “The Pain” on the track because his sound equals instant hit.) The video is ridiculous and it’s nice to know T-Pain can laugh at himself (because we sure are).

Big Bruce and big broker mending … Ticketmaster issued a apology to Bruce Springsteen Wednesday after a ticket distribution fiasco for the singer’s Working on a Dream tour was followed by an onslaught of disappointed fans who couldn’t purchase tickets and, well, an unhappy post-Superbowl Springsteen. In an open apology letter sent to Bruce and his tour team, Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff says that they were trying to “do the right thing for the fans by providing more choices” but “clearly missed the mark.”

Ticketmaster ain’t the only one … Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s potential partner in ticket sales, has issued a pledge of improvements after Phish fans encountered problems while purchasing the long-awaited reunion tour tickets on Live Nation’s new system. In response to the numerous complaints, a less sympathetic CEO, Nathan Hubbard of Live Nation Ticketing said, “When you have 10 million requests from your ticketing system and only 20,000 seats, there’s going to be a line.” Tsk tsk.

Speaking of Phish and Springsteen … They are both headlining this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival, alongside the E Street Band. The Manchester, Tennessee festival will be held June 11-14, and will also feature appearances from the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, MGMT and, gasp, guitar phenoms Rodrigo y Gabriela. Tickets go on sale February 7, and will offer a pretty sweet payment plan of five $50 payments.

Not all festivals may be faring well … Miami’s Langerado Music Festival, which features artists Death Cab For Cutie, Snoop Dogg, Dashboard Confessional, and Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, has been cancelled due to “sluggish ticket sales,” according to the festival’s organizers. Though the three day pass costs a relatively decent $150, promoters say that it is the economy that has slowed sales to a meager 30 tickets per day. Tickets will be refunded within the next seven days, they say.

Now that’s what I call soul … Beyonce will be performing alongside soulful singers Al Green, Maxwell, and CeCe Winans at the 15th annual Essence Music Festival. The ceremony, which takes place July 3-5 in New Orleans, is also known for its inspirational emphasis on black empowerment, and will feature additional appearances from John Legend, Ne-Yo, and En Vogue. There will also be a gospel tribute to legendary pastor and well-known entrepreneur TD Jakes.

Lil Wayne and rock music a good idea? … That will be for you to judge, as the rap phenom has announced his release of a rock album, tentatively scheduled to drop on April 7. Miami producers Infamous and Drew Correa are expected to be working with Weezy for most of the songs, and his latest song “Prom Queen” will be released via MySpace. Wayne has told Billboard in the past that he learned how to play guitar. Really?

Kanye’s got somethin’ to say to Fiddy’s beef … By complimenting him? West says that he is a big fan of 50 Cent, and is disappointed (at most) at the “iconic” NY rapper’s rambunctious wordplay. We reported on 50’s diss last week, and because of West’s reaction, I am fully convinced that these MCs have officially wrung the towel dry on rap feuds. Face it, 2Pac and Biggie were clearly better at it.

RIP Billy P. … Legendary southern rockers Lynard Skynard have lost pianist Billy Powell Wednesday night at his home near Jacksonville, FL. The band are canceling upcoming shows and have directed fans for more updates through their Web site. Powell, who survived a fatal plane crash with his band mates in 1977, was 56.

With the music industry in continuing free-fall, the idea of the “hot upcoming album” may soon be history. As more artists either going DIY (a la Radiohead) or sign deals with not-really-record-labels (such as Madonna and Jay-Z’s 360 deals with Live Nation), the idea that an album is a thing to be prepared and anticipated is quickly going the way of the dodo. So, you could say, is the album itself, though the recent surge of interest in vinyl LPs, as well as the medium’s well-earned rep as the premier display of an artist’s or group’s full range, argues against that really happening for a while. Still, track-by-track consumption is now the norm, and major labels have taken to been holding back expensive, big-name projects, sometimes permanently. Remember Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger’s mooted 2007 solo debut, complete with cover story for Blender? It’s allegedly headed our way this fall. Bet you can’t wait.

In the meantime, though, a number of widely anticipated albums are on their way in the next couple months. Increasingly, indie rock labels and majors alike are abandoning the “blockbuster season” mentality, particularly after a problematic fall whose marquee names (GN’R, Beyoncé, Kanye West) didn’t perform the way anyone had hoped. There are practical reasons for this: at the beginning of the year there’s little to write about, meaning it’s a fertile time for artists that get good press, particularly indie bands, to display their goods. Rap and R&B artists have known this for years—late December is often a good time for new releases by artists ignored by mainstream rock-pop writers. That year-round mentality isn’t going to save the industry, but it’s a good sign that no one in it is taking her future for granted.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, Jan. 20)
Even if Radiohead or the White Stripes release albums in 2009, this one will be, by some measure, the year’s most fervently anticipated album: fans began begging for leaks on message boards and blog comment boxes in October, and one popular prank—a Rickroll disguised as the new album—gained traction when the band’s label got involved. Now that it’s been out on vinyl for a couple weeks, the leak has sparked debate: Is this really a 9.6 out of 10, as Pitchfork has it, or something a little more earthbound?

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS
The Crying Light (Secretly Canadian, Jan. 20)
Four years after his second album, I Am a Bird Now, made him an indie-world hero and one after providing key vocals on the splendid Hercules and Love Affair album, New York transgender art-song singer-songwriter Antony returns with more dark ruminations on love, identity, and the push-pull of human interaction.

FRANZ FERDINAND
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino, Jan. 27)
When they started out, this lean Scottish quartet promised to make rock music for girls to dance to. So it follows that their third album is something of a concept piece about a night out, highlighted by the sinewy new wave stomps “No You Girls,” “Twilight Omens,” and “Live Alone.”

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Working on a Dream (Columbia, Jan. 27)
One of rock’s old reliables, Springsteen’s 15th all-new studio album came fast on the heels of 2007’s Magic, with Bruce writing and recording with the E Street Band during breaks of his last tour, with an emphasis on spontaneity and mostly early takes being chosen for the album.

LILY ALLEN
It’s Not Me, It’s You (Capitol, Feb. 10)
The 23-year-old London singer, songwriter, and tabloid regular has recycled her own headlines for her own purposes on this follow-up to her 2006 debut, Alright, Still. “The Fear,” the album’s first single, has already gotten buzz for its frank, funny rendering of Allen’s celebrity life, and other songs like “Not Fair” and “He Wasn’t There” are equally personal. No Mark Ronson production this time around, though.

MISSY ELLIOTT
Block Party (Goldmind/Atlantic, Feb. 10)
Originally scheduled for last May, this is one of the most curiously delayed major-artist disc in a while, presumably because “Ching a Ling” and “Shake Your Pom Pom,” both issued early in ’08, didn’t do much. Still, a dance-heavy new Missy album that, the singer told Billboard last year, has “sort of a U.K. hip-hop sound” could be very interesting indeed.

ERYKAH BADU
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (Motown, Feb. 17)
There’s no disputing that New Amerykah Part One was one of 2008’s great releases, a kaleidoscopic but clearly focused statement about the world Badu lives in as well as the one she’s made. Part Two (there are three New Amerykahs scheduled) was originally slated for a summer ’08 release. Songs include “Annie” and “Jump Up in the Air.”

THE PRODIGY
Invaders Must Die (Take Me to the Hospital/Cooking Vinyl, March 3)
Liam Howlett, the production whiz behind veteran British dance act the Prodigy, likes to take his time: Invaders Must Die is the first Prodigy album since 2004, and its fifth overall. The bully-boy beats and blaring bass that typifies the group’s later work isn’t likely to have gone anywhere, and the album features appearances of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and James Rushent of Does It Offend You, Yeah?

KELLY CLARKSON
All I Ever Wanted (RCA, March 17)
A couple years back, Kelly Clarkson wanted to break free of the corporate pop system, releasing a downcast album called My December in opposition to the wishes of her label boss, Clive Davis. Apparently Clarkson has changed heart again, because from its airbrushed cover and the bright sound of the first single, the unsubtly titled “My Life Would Suck Without You,” All I Ever Wanted looks like an attempt to lasso a marketplace that has wandered pretty far away since Breakaway took her beyond her American Idol base.

PETER BJORN AND JOHN
Living Thing (Almost Gold/StarTime International, March 31)
The indie-rock ’00s have coughed up nearly as many sturdy one-shot hits as did the alt-rock ’90s, and one of the most inescapable came from this comma-less Swedish trio, whose “Young Folks” featured the catchiest whistled hook this side of Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay.” As with ’06’s Writer’s Block, Living Things promises a dozen perfectly crafted pop-rock gems tailor-made for the cardigan-wearing, lovelorn nerds in your life.