Del flipped the script on mainstream rap in the 90's, and has since moved onto bigger and better things with each project, including working with Dan the Automator on Deltron 3030, and Damon Albarn on the Gorillaz. Del has a new CD out and is playing a free show this Saturday @ USC, and let LAist call and bug him with an interview....

Ben Lyons and Jane Lynch at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival LAist caught up with Ben Lyons from E! to tell us what Park City is really like during the Sundance Film Festival. From Charlize Theron to Diddy, Ben's time at the festival is jam packed with screenings, interviews, and parties. We asked him to fill us in on his favorite films, his obsession with "Beverly Hills 90210", and going bobsledding with Ivan Radcliff.......

The critically acclaimed Black Star album not only introduced the world to two gifted emcees, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, it also opened the world's eyes and ears to the sounds of Cincinnati native, Hi-Tek. Born, Tony Cottrell, Tek has since gone on to become one of hip hop's elite producers working with the likes of everyone from 50 Cent to Snoop to Common to Nas to The Game. Today, the follow up to one......

Some cool stuff heard over the weekend: Stephen Colber(t) is writing a column for the New York Times. Jimmy Kimmel will be doing 2 shows a day, 1 on each coast: Live With Regis and Kelly in NYC in the AM, and then Jimmy Kimmel LIVE from LA in the PM. The insanity starts on 10/22 and goes for a week. 8:00pm Chuck NBC - This still feels pretty new and engaging although they are......

The numbers are in. My very unscientific hypothesis from last week was correct. Kanye West crushed 50 Cent in the battle of hip-hop heavyweights. According to Nielsen's SoundScan, Kanye's Graduation sold 957,000 copies, the biggest first week total of 2007. 50 Cent's Curtis on the other hand only sold 691,000 copies. While 50's nearly 700,000 copies sold is the second biggest total for week one sales, it is still a considerable drop-off from his two......

Last week when we were at the MTV VMAs we got to spend a quick minute with Common backstage at the Palms. We not only got to ask him about what he thinks is the reasoning behind his single "The People" making it to the top of the charts, despite it being nothing like 50 Cent, but we also got to ask him about Britney Spears' opening performance. What's interesting is we also got......

The season 3 premiere of FX's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the pick of the night. This is arguably Danny DeVito's best work since L.A. Confidential and his best comedy work in almost 20 years. While it's true that since it's cable the cast can say "shit" and "asshole" but that's not a gimmick the show relies on too much. What the show does follow is what made Seinfeld a success - it's a......

It seemed like a ridiculous challenge, and now it appears that all 50 Cent did by declaring that he would give up his solo career if his new record was outsold by Kanye West's new record was help Kanye's record. Both discs dropped on Tuesday and 50 looks like he might be the one having to drop out - if the former crack dealer is good with his promise. Billboard is reporting that first-day......

As Kanye West says in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, "Hip-hop is the only sport of music. Rock artists aren't thinking about each other to that extent. And these are like the championship moments." Today is that championship moment Kanye is talking about, as both he and 50 Cent, two of the biggest names in hip-hop are dropping albums on the same day. This kind of thing happens a lot, actually it has......

Blackberry Smoke w/Slash - "Highway to Hell" Stevie Wonder @ The Greek B.B. King @ Hollywood Bowl Lucinda Williams @ El Rey Subhumans, 50 Cent Haircut @ The Knitting Factory Blackberry Smoke, Roses on her Grave @ Viper Room Ben Kweller @ The Echo Sage Francis @ Ivar Theater Kittie, It Dies Today, Silent Civilian, Bring Me the Horizon @ Key Club The Monolators, Kissing Cousins, Ghost Kings @ Silverlake Lounge Gran Ronde, A......

OUT TODAY: Flight Of The Conchords - The Distant Future (Sub Pop) [MP3]: “Business Time” via Tunes Consumed Magnolia Electric Co - Sojourner (Secretly Canadian) [MP3]: “Leave The City” via Aquarium Drunkard The Budos Band - The Budos Band II (Daptone Records) [MP3]: “Chicago Falcon” via Inflight at Night Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar) [MP3]: “Unless It’s Kicks” via Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good Augie March - Moo, You Bloody......

Nelly Furtado is engaged to sound engineer Demacio "Demo" Castellon - People Nicole Richie IS preggers with Joel Madden's baby, and reports are that its a boy - DListed Britney's got a new man, rehab counselor/real estate developer John Sundahl - Daily Mail Another pageant queen scandal- an unknown blackmailer has threatened to make certain scandalous photos public on Facebook of current Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo - NY Post Laguna Beach alum Jessica......

The Edge and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 2006 Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ The Mint (two sets 7:45 pm & 10 pm) David Lindley John Cruz, Brandi Shearer @ Santa Monica Pier (free) Kingsizemaybe, 50 Cent Haircut, The Neighborhood Bullys @ Taix Private Stash, Nobody, Edit, Gaslamp Killer, Daddy Kev @ Echoplex Slinky, Siamese Guns, The Ish & the Abbey, Pan Am, The Material @ The Roxy Facing New York, The Outline, The......

The Raveonettes, Electric Duo, Midnight Movies, The Meek @ Spaceland The Black Angels, VietNam, Spindrift @ The Troubadour Deerhoof @ Natural History Museum B-Real @ Key Club The Pharcyde, Ugly Duckling @ Blue Cafe The Colour, Simon Dawes, Takota @ The Roxy Kottonmouth Kings @ Ventura Theatre Matt & Kim, Japanther, Mika Miko, No Age @ The Echo The Moderates, Gliss, The Cheat @ El Cid Sara Hickman @ McCabe's Lorenzo Lamas @ The......

With a new album on the way, No Place Like Soul due out July 31, and an upcoming gig here in Los Angeles at the UCLA JazzRaggae Festival this Sunday it seemed like as good a time as ever to catch up with one-third, sorry one quarter (the band just added a vocalist) of Soulive, Eric Krasno. The guitarist gives the inside scoop on the new album, his love of LA, and his budding career......

Richie Hass Benefit featuring: Potion Box, Present Tense, The Freda Rente Band, The Adz, Backbiter, The Amadans, The Richie Hass Band, Vinnie Golia, The BellRays, Mike Watt & the Missingmen, The Marc Mylar Mob, Joe Baiza's Congress, Saccharine Trust, Carey Fosse, The Atomic Sherpas, Fatso Jetson @ Safari Sams 4pm-midnight TV on the Radio @ Henry Fonda Theater Sweet Honey in the Rock @ Royce Hall Fishbone @ Malibu Inn Goo Goo Dolls @......

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts......

STARTERS & DIPS Was the MTV President NEXT-ed? Mutiny at Music Television. [via Gawker] 50 Cent condoms will cover your wankster. [via Stereogum] Slash loses his hat. Big whoop. [via Idolator] EARLY BIRD SPECIAL The Shins' new album, "Wincing the Night Away" + iTunes glitch = download early. [via Retro Music Snob] ENTREES Money talks. And now it spies on you too. [via BoingBoing] eBay buys scalper website. This article comes w/ a side......

Last Night Summary: So 50 Cent cancelled his appearance on Conan a couple hours before the show because he felt he was coming down with a cold? Stern and Gaffigan were good as usual on Conan. Also: "The Office" was fantastic; I was amazed at how long Colbert allowed his druggie guest to ramble; kid scientists on Letterman were typically cute and funny and I'm hoping for a new set of stupid human tricks......

Tonight - Thursday Kings @ Sharks (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) "Survivor: Cook Islands" (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) The scheming gets more intense, it's all in your head. "The Office" (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) Christmas party double episode! "The OC" (Fox, 9:00 p.m.) For those that can stomach its Chrismukkah episode. "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m.) Rajiv "Say it 10x Fast" Chandrasekaran of the Washington Post "The Colber(t) Repor(t)" (Comedy Central, 11:30......

No one knows where he will strike but prolific stencil graffiti artist Banksy (aka Robert Banks) from Bristol, England, will make a much anticipated ”Barely Legal” L.A. appearance (or at least his work will) on September 15-17 at a super secret location that won’t be disclosed until the day of the event. - Caroline on Crack we have a date for the first opening of H&M in SoCal: September 21st in pasadena located at......

Chuck E. Weiss @ Highland Grounds Jill Sobule, Julia Sweeney @ Largo the oohlas @ Silverlake Lounge The Lashes @ Safari Sam's Undercover Slut @ Whisky Go Betty Go @ Key Club Elegantly Wasted @ Knitting Factory 50 Cent Haircut @ Canter's Kibitz Room The Four Seasons con Salsa @ Hollywood Bowl Every Move a Picture, Persephone’s Bees @ Spaceland photo by kathrynsawesum via buzznet......

Alice Cooper @ Grove of Anaheim Patton Oswalt, Doug Benson @ Troubadour Comets on Fire, Indian Jewelry, No Doctors @ Echo Get Him Eat Him @ Spaceland World Party @ Tower, Sunset (free - 7pm) The Kids of Widney High @ Key Club Brass Monkey Brass Band @ Temple Bar Eyes of Fire, Soul Take @ Whisky Tyler Hilton @ House of Blues 50 Cent Haircut @ Canter's Kibitz Room photo by the sweaty......

Spinning the radio dials while driving home the other night, we were surprised by something we heard on Power 106. Or make that something we didn't hear: S-E-X. A mix with 50 Cent's "In Da Club" was playing, and we coulda sworn we heard the word SEX muted out of the song: I'm into having s--, I ain't into makin love So come give me a hug if you into to getting rubbed Did......

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are free of charge. SUNDAY, 10/30 Songa Lee-Kitto, Su-a Lee, and Chie Nagatani perform for LACMA's Sunday Live series. The concert begins at 6pm in LACMA's Leo S. Bing Theatre. Call (323) 857-6234. New Valley Symphony Orchestra performs Puccini’s La Bohème with vocalists from Opera of the Foothills and L.A. Lyric Theater at 1:30pm. The show is not free, but the proceeds benefit free concert series at Forest Lawn’s......

Autumn officially starts this week... what better way to chase away the 5-degree temperature fluctuation than some hot music? Unless otherwise noted, all performances are free. SATURDAY, 9/17 Listen to Molly Howson & the Grits, Bucksworth, Skeeter Truck, Kingsizemaybe, Soda & His Million Piece Band, King Straggler, and 50 Cent Haircut at the Third Street Farmers Market at 3pm. For details, call (323) 933-9211. DJs Michael Stock and Benjamin White of Part Time Punks......