The lineup for the summer's top hip-hop festival tour was announced last night at House of Blues. Rock the Bells visits the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino (you know - the one formerly known as the Glen Helen Pavilion, Hyundai Pavilion, and the Blockbuster Pavilion) August 20. more ›

Tonight legendary Chicago-bred alternative rock singer-songwriter Patti Smith will be gracing the Hammer Museum. NY-based actor/MC Mos Def is poised to take on the Key Club in Hollyweird. And, lastly, local indie pop outfit the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) will be performing at the Echo with none other than LA-based folk pop trio the Chapin Sisters. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Portland-by-way-of-Chicago folk rock outfit Fruit Bats. LAist favorites, San Franciscan psych rockers Citay are slated to kick things off. 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 ›

Every American teenager knows Prom night begins with more virgins than it ends. Arcadia High’s prom took place Saturday, and if its students had gotten jiggy for the first time, it wouldn’t have been because of sexually-suggestive music from the likes of Lil’ Wayne, P. Diddy or Pitbull. more ›

The early word has been so good on Star Trek that I'm actually starting to get a little nervous that my expectations are too high. Despite the great reviews for Star Trek, however, I have no doubt that Outrage is the best film opening this week (LAist review here). If Atom Egoyan makes a film, I go see it. Simple as that. Adoration is his latest work, starring the very underrated Rachel Blanchard. Loved Mos Def in Be Kind Rewind; love Donald Faison always, but not sure I'll care for Next Day Air. Seems a little...broad. more ›

Tonight the Grammys, "a broken system of old white men voting for music they’ve never heard or understood," will be taking place in Downtown at the Staples Center. LA-based pop singer-songwriter/producer extraordinaire Ne-Yo is poised to perform the second sold-out night of his two-date stint at Club Nokia. Prolific Bay Area punk rockers NOFX will be concluding a non-consecutive three-date stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box. And speaking of punk rock outfits, Long Beach's own TSOL are slated to annihilate onlookers at the Echoplex. But we strongly suggest heading over to Home Restaurant in Silverlake to catch jazz-infused pop duo Alex & Sam (LAist Interview, Review). more ›

If you put together a dream lineup for a hip hop show, chances are it would look something like this year’s Rock the Bells festival. This year’s incarnation featured the reunion (finally!) of one of the most acclaimed hip hop outfits in history, A Tribe Called Quest as well as the first performance in years from California’s own Pharcyde. But was from top to bottom a who’s who of Hip Hop both past and present. (Story continued below photo gallery) more ›

Michel Gondry is one of the few major directors who still relies on almost entirely visual humor in his films. presumably mandated extensive shirtlessness. Kate Hudson's contract, sadly, did not. more ›

Mediocre political thriller ($5.1M/$21.7M). more ›

Hollywood's latest exercise in Justin Chang providing some choice barbs. more ›

If you think you know what is a film about filmmaking and, more specifically, it's a film about the tight communities that form around the making of a film. It's a daffy ode to the hard work, compromise and wild invention that making a movie inevitably requires. Anyone who's ever made a low-budget film will love it. more ›

Even on the best days, the Sundance Film Festival is an extremely hectic place to be. Screenings and events often overlap and are spread all over town, and even though the public transportation is good (and free!), it can still be a nightmare to get someplace quickly. Cabs can be hard to come by and parking (when available) is expensive. Furthermore, there are always going to be lines waiting for you so you have to plan to get everywhere fairly early. Sometimes, you get bit in the ass like I did (twice) yesterday. more ›

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 of my favorite albums of 2006, Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, Hi-Teknology 3: Underground hits stores. more ›

Jennifer Lopez's twins will receive the royal treatment- the mommy to be was seen picking up onesies that read "Prince" and "Princess" - NY Daily News more ›

Let's face it, 2007 was a mediocre year for movies. Although there are still a couple months left for 2007 to prove it's cinema value, overall it was a disappointing year. Sure Hollywood gave us "300", "Zodiac", and "Once", but we also got "The Number 23", "Norbit", and "Code Name: The Cleaner". So I have my eyes set on 2008, which seems to have a wonderful slate of features for us to see at... more ›

Large crowds, temps close to 100 degrees and pepper spray in the air. Ahh yes, just another night in San Bernardino. The premiere hip hop (+ one Rage Against the Machine) festival Rock The Bells rolled through the 909 this past weekend and what was billed as a celebration of respect and unity turned into a bit of a mob scene. There was something for every hip hop fan on the bill. Your backpackers... more ›

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill @ Honda Center more ›

Every day people attempt and succeed at suicide. Some of those people are very bad and we're better for it, but most should be given reasons to stick around one more day, because things WILL improve. Hopefully. Maybe. Probably. No it will get better. Relax. It will. What's keeping us alive is knowing that Jack Black has teamed up with Michel Gondry, kickass director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Mos Def,... more ›

LA’s Stones Throw Records are quickly becoming the most important purveyors of independent hip-hop in the new millennium, much like East Coast indie stalwarts Rawkus were in the late 1990s. There is, however, one particularly notable difference between the two. While both labels are known for their independent spirit and bohemian rosters of hip-hop artists (Stones Throw with Madlib and his many aliases, MF Doom, J Dilla, et al and Rawkus was with Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Common, Pharaohe Monch, et al), Stones Throw has also become ground zero for the “Indie Soul” movement. "Indie Soul" is a throwback to Chicago soul and jazz mixed with modern beats and arrangements, and best represented by artists like Georgia Anne Muldrow and the versatile Aloe Blacc. more ›

Tonight - Tuesday - January 9th, 2006 more ›

Femi Kuti will be forever known as the son of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, but at the Hollywood Bowl Sunday night, the son proved once again that he can live up to his father’s legacy – and then some. more ›

So how would you end a weekend in which you have the number one movie in the country? Well, if you're Mos Def, you cold rock a party like it was Krush Groove. The Mighty Mos Def and Talib Kweli closed the main stage (to a much smaller crowd than Nine Inch Nails which, we think, had to do with Goldenvoice not naming Mos and Talib in the adverts or the program) with an energetic set spanning their combined efforts as Black Star and their more recognizable solo faire. Common, who loves to show up at LA hip hop shows and do his guest spots, showed in the desert as well. more ›

The Golden Globes are over, Industry-types are off to Park City for Sundance and the Oscar nomination/winner odds-making begins in earnest. Now is the time for out-of-town journalists to do their legwork about town in order to find new ways to describe the luxuriousness of Wolfgang Puck's Oscar Ball menu or give readers a verbal blueprint of this year's location for the Vanity Fair party. more ›