Honestly, given the amount I write about Digital Rights Management, you’d think that I’d rather the industry kept using it, just so I’d continue to have fodder for writing and writing–and occasionally talking–about it. As I was looking into the trajectory of DRM in this past year for my latest look at DRM, a pattern began to emerge. We’ve seen the prevalence of DRM-free music skyrocket over the last twelve months, with vendors like iTunes, Amazon, and Napster all joining the legions of the undamned. In fact, it’s practically gotten to the point where it’s news when a company launches… Read more »
Once again, Public Enemy is fighting the power. This time, the subject of the pioneering, politically-minded rap group’s ire is a little network called MTV. The Chuck D-led hip-hop icons have had their latest rap, “Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need,” banned by the music channel because of a lyric deemed too political by the suits at MTV, the Los Angeles Times reports. As is standard procedure with MTV, PE submitted the clip for review earlier this summer. However, the network’s standards division balked at airing the track-the first single off the recently released Revolverlution-because it contained the phrase… Read more »
Socially conscious rap outfit Public Enemy will release a new album in February that will include four remixes produced by fans. During the summer, Chuck D allowed fans to download a capella tracks of “Shut Em Down,” “Public Enemy No. 1,” “B Side Wins Again,” and “By The Time I Get To Arizona,” from his website slamjamz.com, and invited fans to compete for the best remixes, which would be included on the upcoming album. Owen Lake and Ross Farwell of Madison, Wisconsin won for “B Side Wins Again,” Jeronimo Punx of Buenos Aires, Argentina won for “Public Enemy No. 1,”… Read more »
Public Enemy will release a new album, which will feature four of the group’s past hits remixed by fans, in late February. This summer, through frontman Chuck D’s own SlamJamz.com, P.E. offered fans a chance to download a capella versions of “Shut Em Down,” “Public Enemy No. 1,” “B Side Wins Again,” and “By the Time I Get to Arizona,” and write new music for the tracks. Those whose submissions were chosen will be given co-songwriting credit and royalties. “It’s been tremendous,” says P.E. frontman Chuck D of the number of entries. “We had the a capellas downloaded 11,000 times… Read more »
A day after MTV’s 20th anniversary celebration, some people were nursing hangovers, but Busta Rhymes was feeling the kind of pain a cup of coffee wasn’t going to cure. Apparently old Bussa Bus injured his right leg during the show’s hip-hop medley. Gone was his usual regal swagger as he limped badly into Manhattan’s Hit Factory to play his new album, The Genesis, for a small group of guests that included his manager, Chris Lighty, and another of Lighty’s clients, Jo Jo Peligrino. “I feel so good right now,” Busta said with his usual animation. “This is the first album… Read more »
Basslines and Protest Signs is Brett Callwood’s new column looking at the intersection of music and politics. This week examines the rise of political punk in the US.
For their current single, “Enemy,” Sevendust have taken a couple of cues from hip-hop. They’ve half-rapped the verse, and they’ve put their beef with another musician on wax. The song is a diatribe directed toward ex-Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara, who is currently in the band Devildriver. “Enemy” was written and largely sung by drummer Morgan Rose, whose wife is former Coal Chamber bassist Rayna Foss-Rose. The song, a full-on character assassination with a bruising verse and huge, melodic chorus, features such lines as, “Look at your face, look at your name/ Funny you’re a loser with only yourself to… Read more »
Basslines and Protest Signs is Brett Callwood’s column looking at the intersection of music and politics. This week talks about Public Enemy.
Basslines and Protest Signs is Brett Callwood’s column looking at the intersection of music and politics. This week breaks down the impact of Public Enemy’s album ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’.
O’Brother will be releasing their new album Disillusion on August 20th via Triple Crown Records. The album is produced by Mike Sapone (Brand New, Hit The Lights, Public Enemy).
