Just remember - they may stop every one of us, but they will never stop the rock.

(short posts this week… working on tha Carter review).

Big ups to The Pirate Bay for hosting it.

There’s a long story as to how it was released that you can read here. Basically Weezy bit the hand that had fed him since Carter II. He lashed out at mixtape DJs, probably while amazingly wasted, and one of the DJs took offense. So, he leaked The Carter III.

I will still buy the record when it drops on June 10, but I’ll enjoy it for the next week free of charge. In case you’re wondering, it’s an epic record, spanning all that is great about hip hop. The first eight tracks are a wall-to-wall dance party, with tracks 9-16 allowing Weezy to spread out a bit and take some creative risks. Overall this record is at least four stars. It’s a landmark hip-hop record. Wayne is focused and hungry. Every producer on this record obviously saved his best beats for these tracks. The most anticipated record in hip hop history (arguably) has actually exceeded my expectations.

Hope you enjoy.

You should watch all ten of these videos, because the songs are amazing.  The vids aren’t too shabby either.  Happy weekend.

Back on Monday.

Kudos to whoever thought this up.  This is the most genius idea ever.  You take the best rapper alive, allow him to get completely leaned out, and then ask him questions submitted by fans via email.  Question #2 is by far my favorite, which is why I linked it, but there are 19 videos in all.  I heartily recommend each and every one.

Wayne is a genius, a word smith, a prophet and a scholar of life.  The man spits serious knowledge, and actually has some really deep things to say throughout the questions and answer process.  It’s sad that this guy might wind up cutting himself out of the game long before his time.  The purple kills more rappers than guns these days.

Carter III drops next month.  Can you feel it?

sigur rós will release their fifth lp “með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust” june 23rd worldwide (june 24th in north america). the album will be available to pre-order on sigurros.com on june 2nd and a live stream of the album will be available on june 9th for those who have pre-ordered.

About the record:

inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during heima, sigur rós decided to adopt a looser approach in the writing and creation of með suð. the material for the album was written, recorded and mixed entirely in 2008 and is being released just one month after its completion. the album glows with the perfect imperfection of live takes, the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes, and a stark, upfront presence not found in previous sigur rós recordings, moving away from reverb-soaked guitar sounds towards something altogether more affecting. the record also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded.

Can’t wait to hear what these guys come up with.  I wasn’t big on their last record, but maybe I should give it another listen.  Either way, I’ll certainly give this record a chance.

See everyone Tuesday.

This is accrding to NME, who cite an interview with lead singer Anthony Kiedis.  Since making their resurgence with the insanely strong album, Californication, the Chili Peppers have been on tour or making new records ever since.  For those of you keeping score at home, that’s nearly a decade of pure, unadulterated rock.  While I’m not the world’s biggest Chili Peppers fan, I definitely was way into them when I was younger.  I’m glad to see they’re showing maturity in this process.

Bassist Flea and lead guitarist John Frusciante plan to work on their respective side projects, both of which should be very strong efforts, given the musical chops of both men.  Kiedis plans to spend time with his family.  The article doesn’t mention the drummer.

From Pitchfork:

Waits had a few words to share on the role he nabbed in the forthcoming flick from imaginative director and Monty Python descendent Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (not to be confused with Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium). Waits joins an all-star cast that includes Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Christopher Plummer, Colin Farrell, and the late Heath Ledger, and he’s got one heck of a part.

“I am the Devil in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus– not a devil…The Devil,” Waits “explains” in his self-interview. “I don’t know why [Gilliam] thought of me. I was raised in the church.” Guess that makes Waits the mortal enemy of Alanis Morissette?

Doctor Parnassus is expected to hit theaters sometime next year.

Check out the rest of the article for some more info and tour dates.

An excerpt:

To catch college students trading copyrighted songs online, the Recording Industry Association of America uses the same file-sharing software that online pirates love, an RIAA representative told The Chronicle at the organization’s offices during a private demonstration of how it catches alleged music pirates. He also said the group does not single out specific colleges in its investigations.

The demonstration was given by an RIAA employee who would speak only on condition of anonymity because of concern that he would receive hate e-mail.

The official explained that one way the RIAA identifies pirates is by using LimeWire, a popular peer-to-peer file-sharing program that is free online and used by many college students (there is also a more-robust version of the program sold for a small fee).

You have to read the rest to get the full story, but I promise you it only gets better from there.

This is Audiobytes for Autobots 2.0. You can read more about the record, but it’s really just one of the best mashup records i’ve heard. I think these cuts are liquid fun, but you don’t have to take my word for it. At free99, the price is right. Give a listen.