Blue Ivy Carter isn't even a week old but she's already collaborated with her pops Jay-Z on a Billboard-charting hit—and provided creative inspiration for the marketing geniuses at pot dispensaries. more ›

On their "Watch the Throne" Tour, Kanye and Jay-Z have going crazy with their "N***** in Paris" encores. At their first show in Atlanta, they performed it three times and it only escalated from there. more ›

First, Alphaville did "Forever Young." Second, Jay-Z and Mr. Hudson did "Young Forever." Lastly, in the desert, Jay-Z and wifey Beyonce did it best. more ›

This week the unremitting three-day music marathon known as Coachella (LAist Coverage) takes over our lives. This year's impressive bill boasts a broad array of headliners, including Jay-Z, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Muse, Gorillaz, Pavement, Phoenix and Atoms For Peace. Progressive bluegrass outfit the Punch Brothers, which of course features former Nickel Creek member, virtuosic Oceanside-bred mandolin player Chris Thile, will be performing at the Broad Stage in Santa Mon Mon. Classically trained English experimental musician Micachu and the Shapes are poised to grace the Getty Center for this week's edition of Saturdays Off the 405. And, lastly, Colorado-based pop-infused folk/bluegrass act SHEL will be performing here for their first time ever, making their debut at Bardot. more ›

Usually a statement like "he's got more jobs than names" wouldn't be impressive at all, but the man whose birth certificate reads "Sean Combs" has had a lot of names. He's been called Sean "Puffy" Combs, Puff, Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy. After spending an afternoon with the mogul of many monikers, I thought of another name for him -- Santa Claus. more ›

Jay-Z's show at UCLA this Sunday has long been sold out. Damn college kids and their disposable incomes! Don't worry, LA-based Hova fans. Sean Carter just announced he's coming back. This time he's bringing his show to the Staples Center, March 26th. The rap icon who's currently on the road with Wale and N.E.R.D. finishing up the final dates of his college tour, will pack up his Yankee hat and hit the road again for "The Blueprint 3 North American Tour." The BP3 tour starts on February 22nd in Houston and takes Jay's "Empire State of Mind" to arenas across the country to places like New Orleans, Boston and San Jose before wrapping it up right here in LA. Young Jeezy will serve as the opening act. Tickets go on sale November 13th, with various pre-sales beginning November 10th. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." more ›

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will take place in a couple of weeks here in LA at the Staples Center, and the Recording Academy has announced another batch of artists slated to perform live as part of the show, the Daily News reports. In addition to previously named performers Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jennifer Hudson, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, and Carrie Underwood, comes word some of music's heavy-hitters will take the stage: Rock icon Paul McCartney (who will be at this year's Coachella fest), Radiohead (their first US tv performance in almost a decade), T.I. and Justin Timberlake together, and Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West performing "Swagga Like Us." Of course, to see all these performances live you'll have to be part of the select few with a ticket to the Feb. 8 show; as is the norm with awards show telecasts, we'll have to wait for CBS to air it 3 hours later at 8 p.m. more ›

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008. more ›

I was first introduced to The Knux on a late Monday night back in June 2007. Instead of staying at home and resting up for the next work day, I decided to take Interscope up on their invitation to check out the latest addition to their roster perform at the Viper Room. That was a brilliant decision. As I said in my review of their show, "the hours of shut eye lost were worth the chance to have my eyes open to something new and fresh from a genre of music that has been putting me to sleep." more ›

Perfect for the season, the Screamfest Horror Film Festival brings you a wide variety of horror and sci-fi works. Tonight's feature is titled Splinter, where we find a couple trying to evade a parasitic creature while making their way through the woods after being carjacked. Festival runs through October 19th. more ›

There's something for everyone tonight in LA. The big event of the night is, of course, the illustrious Brooklyn-bred rapper Hova performing at the newly-renovated Palladium. But we know that there are a lot of unfortunate souls who missed out on buying tickets to this sold out spectacular. So, Nashville rockers Kings of Leon will be stopping by the Nokia Theatre with Brooklyn-based indie rock band We Are Scientists and Montreal's the Stills. Jacksonville-based Black Kids will be laying down syncopated dance beats at the Mayan with NY indie heartthrobs the Virgins and LA locals Voxhaul Broadcast. And, lastly, if you're looking for grindcore and strange masks, then head on over to see San Diego's the Locust at the Smell. But we suggest camping out at the Echo with local indie greats the Henry Clay People and Army Navy, who will celebrating the release of their 2008 self-titled debut. more ›

The newly renovated Hollywood Palladium has announced their fall line-up, which begins with JAY-Z on October 15. The rest of their schedule includes Flogging Molly, The Kooks, Of Montreal, Slightly Stoopid, Mudvayne, Gym Class Heroes/The Roots, Rise Against, Dragonforce, Alejandra Guzman, Onerepublic and La Fabrika Del Reggaeton. Tickets will be sold on Live Nation's website starting tomorrow for Rise Against, but all the other shows will be sold starting on September 13, except for JAY-Z on September 5. more ›

We're four months out from the official start of the 2008 Hollywood Bowl Season and the schedule is nearly complete. Single tickets won't go on sale for a couple months but the Bowl is offering 16 different series packages, each containing 3-5 genre-specific performances. more ›

Back in 1996, Mary J. Blige provided vocals to the hook of "Can't Knock the Hustle," the second single off of Jay-Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt. 12 years, 12 Grammys and 70 million records sold later, Jigga Man and MJB are back at it again, co-headlining 25 shows across North America. more ›

I definitely enjoy the weather. I enjoy hanging with Strong Arm Steady, who as you know are based out here in LA and are apart of my label Blacksmith. more ›

Tonight at the Jazz Bakery is the The Alternative String Group, an ensemble of students from Robert Anderson and Jacob Szekely's music school in West Hollywood, The String Project | Los Angeles. Both studio musicians who have worked with the likes of the Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra and SuperNova, the two have put together a conservatory that is pretty high tech with their interactive music lessons, recording and filming them for student's personal analysis... Finally, the viola gets some respect. The concert will feature solo and small group performances of music by legends such as The Grateful Dead, Jay-Z, Thelonious Monk, Carlos Santana, U2, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and more. Video above: Allie Performs Sunrise by Nora Jones withe the String Project Los Angeles Alternative String Group at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, November 2007. more ›

Philly native, Beanie Sigel hit the road for Los Angeles to promote his new album, The Solution which dropped yesterday. The Rocafella representative took a little time in between radio interviews and a late night run to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles to chat with LAist about his latest effort, his time locked up and the current state of hip hop music. How’s the response for the album been so far? Good, you know the album... more ›

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their... more ›

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their... more ›

Ghostface Killah The Big Doe Rehab Def Jam December 4, 2007 "No time...there's never any time," cried a caffeine pill crazed Jesse Spano in that very special episode of "Saved by the Bell." Ghostface Killah laughs at you and your complaints, Spano. While you can't find the time to balance a geometry midterm, getting into Stanford and covering Pointer Sister tunes, Pretty Toney is having no trouble finding time to spit sick verses on 8... more ›

Jay-Z w/ Rihanna - "Umbrella" Jay-Z @ House of Blues Hanson @ Avalon Backstreet Boys @ Jimmy Kimmel (out back) Stars of Track and Field @ The Roxy Architecture in Helsinki, Glass Candy, Panther @ The Troubadour Teaneck, On Blast, Pop Noir @ Key Club Tunng, Big Search, Karin Tatoyan @ The Echo... more ›

The Pogues @ The Wiltern - Tonight ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, Dethklok @ UCLA - Tonight Redd Kross @ Echoplex - Tomorrow The Polyphonic Spree, Rooney @ Henry Fonda - Tomorrow Yo La Tengo @ The Ivar - Tomorrow Low Versus Diamond @ Viper Room - Tomorrow The Bronx, The Mercy Killers @ Safari Sam's - Tomorrow Rodrigo Y Gabriela @ Henry Fonda, 11/3 Yo La Tengo... more ›

In celebration of his new album, American Gangster, a collection of songs inspired by the movie starring Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe, Jay-Z is lining up five shows across the country at intimate venues. Luckily for us, Hova is kicking it off right here. On November 6, the same date the album drops, the DefJam CEO takes the stage at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. Tickets go on sale Friday, for the price... more ›

I’m not a fan of hip- hop. Now, I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate the impact it has made on our society or certain songs that take me back to my middle school Sadie Hawkins dance days, but I’m more of an alterna-rock kind of gal. This is ironic because my current boyfriend is a Wu-Tang loving, Jay Z worshipping, Biggie quoting fool – but somehow we work. And since I’ve been very busy... more ›

I hate Crank That. I love rap and hip-hop as much as the next sheltered 20-something white dude, but c'mon. Am I the only one who finds Soulja Boy as repetitive as Jay Z? Maybe it's because I haven't learned the dance, but I think this song is terrible. more ›

Photo by imacri via Flickr You're still running to Eye of the Tiger? Then it's time to download some new tunes for your run. Most of these songs are much more aggressive than Eye of the Tiger -- Hard Metal Rock, Techno and Industrial. For people like myself, it's difficult to find good songs to run to. Everybody likes Coldplay but you can't really run to it. Here at LAist we like to encourage... more ›

From the first beat of “Silver Lining”, Rilo Kiley announces a truly more adventurous sound – one that departs from country-tinged acoustics and embraces slick beats with a retro flair. Under the Blacklight, the first effort from the band since 2004, is Rilo Kiley’s unapologetic brush with the dance floor. On the first track, the deliriously catchy “Silver Lining”, Rilo Kiley boasts a sound somewhere between techno and soul. Over handclaps and an R&B... more ›

Chrisette Michele busted out before our very eyes and ears at the end of 2006, singing the hook on her boss, Jay-Z's "Lost One".Shortly after the 24 year-old's incredible voice was heard on Nas' hit single, "Can't Forget About You." That same voice, according to her bio, gave L.A. Reid, DefJam Chairman, goosebumps. In June, Michele dropped "If I Have My Way," the lead single from her debut solo album, I Am. LAist caught up... more ›