Jay Z is, almost effortlessly, a star. After the opening few numbers, all he has to do is wander out to edge of the stage and stare out into the crowd for the whole place to go apeshit
Competing with Henry Rollins' spoken word thing ten yards away, that didn’t stop ?uestlove from The Roots regaling the Hot Press Chatroom at Electric Picnic with some tales – and a world exclusive.
After the career revitalising collaboration with Jay Z, Linkin Park head deeper into hip-hop via Mike Shinoda’s side project. Produced by Jay himself, this is great – a fresh track with an infectious spring in its step. Sounds like the album might be worth a listen.
After the career revitalising collaboration with Jay Z, Linkin Park head deeper into hip-hop via Mike Shinoda’s side project. Produced by Jay himself, this is great – a fresh track with an infectious spring in its step. Sounds like the album might be worth a listen.
The producers of choice for everyone from Justin Timberlake to Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo are also earning plaudits for their rock and hip-hop influenced side project, N*E*R*D
Given his self-promoted position as the saviour of hip-hop, Afro American culture and the third world’s water supply, you’d have thought that Jay Z would come out of retirement with something of a killer. What we get instead is a very run of the mill effort, weighed down with a ton of busy samples and the usual tired bravado. Kanye won’t be losing any sleep.
While we all got caught up in the ‘Crazy In Love’ hysteria, let us not forget that the rest of Beyonce’s solo album was pretty poor, as was the final Destiny’s Child record. Sadly, the same goes for this. Jay Z sleepwalks his way through the rap while his missus overdoes the vocal. Somewhere in the middle sits a very average song, with five writers obviously not enough to come up with a decent melody. There’s a new album on the way, so the music industry Christmas rush, it would appear, starts here.
With those other candidates for the job, AC/DC, confirming an O2 Arena show today, it looks an odds-on certainty that Oasis will be unveiled tomorrow as the headliners of Slane ’09.
It seems that Mike’s got a chip or two on his shoulder, and his heavies – including members of The Roots, Cypress Hill and Jay-Z, who is “executive producer” – are on hand to right a few wrongs that would be too personal to mention in his Linkin Park overalls. If it passed the quality bar. Which it doesn’t.
The stage is well set for the entrance of Kanye West, who seems to have made the transition from producer to star performer with few growing pains. Having crafted beats for the likes of Jay Z and Alicia Keys, the Chicago native’s debut album College Dropout has lead to his new role behind the mic becoming a very successful one indeed.
Personally speaking, the death of the wonderful Elliott Smith was a major blow his year. I found out about his suicide through Ollie Cole, who had e-mailed me with a very succinct, “Elliott Smith is dead. He was my king”, on the day of his death.
Tinchy Stryder is the fast-talking Star In The Hood who’s pretty much dominated the charts in 2009 with a nagging brand of infectious hip hop. Hot Press caught up with the Prince Of Grime to see if we can figure out his formula for Number Ones.
Mr. Hudson talks about his mentor Kanye West’s Taylor Swift meltdown, the challenges of hanging with the hip-hop elite when you’re a skinny white guy from Birmingham and why the death of Auto-Tune is greatly exaggerated.
Astronomical record sales, sell-out tours and critical plaudits have not dimmed Coldplay's reputation as the worried men of pop. Bassist Guy Berryman gives us the lowdown.
He’s one of the best known photographers in the world, yet blogger turned street style phenomenon SCOTT SCHUMAN is not widely recognised outside the fickle fashion bubble. On the evening of his first visit to Ireland, Celina Murphy talks to The Sartorialist about how style in the Big Smoke compares to fashion in the Big Apple.
Wayward alt. country sensation Ryan Adams talks about his battles with depression and the new lease of life he's enjoyed since hooking up with The Cardinals.
They’re the quirky electro-rockers who have got the music industry buzzing. But don’t mistake Passion pit for another bunch of MGMT clones. As their viral hit ‘Sleepyhead’ confirms, their whimsical sound is entirely unique – as is their enthusiasm for sampling obscure Irish harpists
First kisses, hanging with the hip-hop aristocracy and why life is better on the wagon are some of the topics for conversation as Hot Press hitches a ride on the tour bus with domestic goddess and soapy bath enthusiast Amy Winehouse.
Rap-metal splicings are a hairy business, with even the better efforts (Anthrax/Public Enemy, Cypress Hill’s last couple of albums) resulting in a scoreless draw. So it is with Collision Course.
GREEN DAY have had a meteoric rise over the last 18 years, from poky Dublin dives to colossal international stadia. But despite their maturing worldview and increasing political articulacy, they’re still as exciting a kick-ass punk rock group as ever.
BECK is one of the most eclectically talented musicians of his generation. STUART CLARK sees the man play a stormer at Witnness and hears him talk about fame, musical obsession, heroes like Bowie and Black Sabbath and 'Britney fascism'
U2 are about to unleash their new album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. The world’s media are descending on Dublin. And Bono is back at the punch-bag, getting into fighting shape before the shit storm really explodes. The gloves are off. He’s got work to do. And he’s going to do it. Words Stuart Clark, additional reporting by Niall Stokes.
How did Brandon Flowers, Ronnie Vannucci, Dave Keuning and Mark Stoermer go from the Las Vegas dive bar circuit to selling four million copies of their debut album, Hot Fuss? On the eve of the band's highly-anticipated Oxegen 2005 appearance, Stuart Clark talks to the people involved in the making of The Killers.
He is one of our highest profile broadcasters and journalists. Now in his new book, Last Word host MATT COOPER looks at the rot and corruption that festered beneath the surface of the Celtic Tiger. He talks about the sense of anger he feels over the mismanagement of the economy, the damage wrought by the Bertie Ahern years and the apparent unwillingness of RTE to give him any publicity
If this album really does mark the fading to black of one of hip-hop’s true heavyweights then at least we can take some consolation in the fact that the self-styled ‘Michael Jordan of rap’ has gone out at the top of his game.
Five years since The Used released their seminal, self-titled album who would have thought we’d still be entertaining records that sounded like weaker versions of it?
Although Rihanna tries to hit too many different targets on this album, the beats are up and the lyrics are vacuous enough to guarantee a few more hit singles before anybody finds out.
I blame Puff Daddy. Until Sean Coombs, rappers boasted about their riches, but they still remembered – and referenced – their not-so-glamorous roots. Now, though, the vast majority seem content to leave that kind of reality-check to Eminem.
The first issue of (RED)Wire digital music magazine will be available for download on December 1 to coincide with World AIDS Day. It's the latest initiative from (RED), the HIV/AIDS organisation whose prime movers include Bono.
Of course any album so named begs a review headlined “This Is Not The Best”. I can’t quite do it.
Still, give me a week – the more I’ve listened, the less I’ve liked This Is Not A Test.
The MC – straight outta… er… Wexford (and why not?) – is a lippy customer, full of the same recycled braggadocio, tough guy, chin-out posturing, and boil-in-the-bag misogyny favoured in the world of commercial hip hop.
A slight change of pace can be seen in this EP with a hip-hop icon cameo and some Eastern embellishments that may hint to new musical endeavors for Coldplay.
Hotpress.com got a sneak preview of Coldplay's musically adventurous new EP, which is due for release here on Nov 21. Could it mark the start of an exciting new direction for the band? Read on for the full verdict...
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith had harsh words for both U2 and Black Eyed Peas as the American funk rockers arrived in last weekend for their Oxegen and T In The Park festival headliners.
The beats are lethargic, the melodies are second generation g-funk and the main players just sound slovenly, and not in a Snoop-y gin and juice way either
Only the most blinkered rap aficionados could claim themselves immune to yet another record padded out with the same old routines about homicidal life on the street.
The sun shone on our Sunday Chatroom, with talkative adventures aplenty and guests The Flaws, Gemma Hayes, Mark Geary, Hadouken, Foals, The Roots, Michael Franti and more!
The night’s undoubted highlight is ‘Gold Digger’ which, combined with an apoplectic crowd and an eye-popping lighting display, reaches an apogee that maybe only Kanye can attain.
U2 played an electrifying mini-set to an audience of 10,000 at Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) this evening, to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Think you've got them all right? Or maybe you fancy a sneaky peak (you're only cheating yourself you know!). Either way, you've got the questions – we've got the answers....
