Ludacris

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By | January 01, 0001

The Big Hurt: The 'best' of Digital Songs

Who charted?
Let's check out Billboard 's Digital Songs chart, which tracks the most-downloaded songs in all genres. Should make for some interesting diversity, right? No! Actually, it's all the same crap from the Hot 100 in a slightly different order.
By DAVID THORPE | February 18, 2011

Billboard's Rap Songs chart

The Big Hurt: Who charted?
In the immortal words of O.D.B., "Rappenin' is what's happenin'."
By DAVID THORPE | July 05, 2010

Taio Cruz | Rokstarr

Mercury (2010)
When Taio Cruz sings, "I can't live without you," in "Take Me Back," pop-song conventions tell us he's referring to a lover.
By MIKAEL WOOD | June 24, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

The Big Hurt: A big country lesbian pissing match

Music news in brief
Reports began to surface recently that a major country star was set to come out of the closet in People magazine. I had high hopes for Chris Gaines, but no such luck.
By DAVID THORPE | May 17, 2010

The Big Hurt: Dialing up Billboard’s Ringtones Chart

Who Charted?
We may scoff at the very idea of Billboard ’s ignominious Ringtones chart, but mobile phones are one of only three viable revenue channels musicians have left these days (the other two being commercial licensing and crooked charities).
By DAVID THORPE | April 26, 2010

Asher Roth & DJ Wreckineyez | Seared Foie Gras W/ Quince And Cranberry

School Boy (2010)
Now that Boston boy toy Sam Adams has blown onto hip-hop’s front lines, there’s almost room for original frat rapper Asher Roth to find a respectable position somewhere between the big-indie Atmosphere types and the upper echelon of major-label boom-bap.
By CHRIS FARAONE | April 07, 2010

25 Hip-Hop acts to see at SXSW 2010

The best boom-bap on tap in Austin
As usual, I've got you covered.
By CHRIS FARAONE | March 12, 2010

The Big Hurt: Billboard Top Hip-Hop and R and B songs

Who charted?
This week, a jolly traipse through one of Billboard 's most artistically fecund charts: "Top Hip-Hop and R&B Songs." What wonders await?
By DAVID THORPE | January 26, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

Beyond Dilla and Dipset

Can hip-hop deliver in 2010?
With a semi-sober face I'll claim that hip-hop in 2010 might deliver more than just posthumous Dilla discs, Dipset mixtapes, and a new ignoramus coke rapper whom critics pretend rhymes in triple-entendres.
By CHRIS FARAONE | December 29, 2009

The Big Hurt: Think of England

‘Who Charted?’: The UK edition
Although we like to think of ourselves as having an ironclad hegemony over the pop of the Western world, those plucky Brits like to rise from their misty bog and tweak our nipples with a pond-crossing chart smash once in a while.
By DAVID THORPE | October 06, 2009

Send in the clowns

The wacky worlds of Michael Jackson and Ozzy Osbourne
The New York Post got to resurrect its priceless "Wacko Jacko" headline. Barbara Walters scored Super Bowl-level ratings without having to lift a pretty little finger. And Michael Jackson, well, no matter how you slice it, he got screwed royally.
By MATT ASHARE | July 02, 2009

Riot act

Girl Talk plays a little bit of everything
Girl Talk plays a little bit of everything
By MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG | November 17, 2008

Mirror ball

Fables of deconstruction
The stirring pop hits of the day can’t help but reflect the refracting cracked mirror of our nation’s increasingly emotion-laden psyche.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 08, 2008

Rebirth of a prince

Digging RZA in 36 steps
I recently took the Greyhound to Montreal for a RZA concert.
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 19, 2008

The Big Hurt: More bad news in brief

DMX spits, Lou spills, Kelly leaks, Keane sucks
Police pulled over Snoop Dogg’s tour bus and — gasp! — smelled marijuana!
By DAVID THORPE | August 13, 2008

Lil Mama

VYP: Voice of the Young People | Jive
There must be a name for the phenomenon of a child actor aging too quickly on the set of a film, right?
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | May 06, 2008

Youth in the booth

The frat party at the Electoral College may be over . So why are the kids still turning out?
Sometime since 1976 — just four years after 18 year olds were granted the right to vote but decided they’d rather not — the youth movement has become a joke.
By VANESSA CZARNECKI | January 30, 2008