This week in Hip Hop, Miley Cyrus showcases her rap skills, Kanye West argues with Sway Calloway on live radio & the Beastie Boys are being sued for the rights to their own song. We can also expect a new Busta Rhymes album in the near future!
In honor of the debut of the deluxe edition of #willpower , Will.i.am released a video for his lastest single “Feelin’ Myself”. Rappers Wiz Khalifa, French Montana & Will.i.am deliver boastful yet catchy lyrics but Miley Cyrus stole the show. The rising superstar gets in on the action by sneaking in some rapping skills of her own in this instant club hit.
In between the Yeezus tour shows, Kanye West paid a visit to Shade 45 for an interview with Sway Calloway. The interview started out as a simple discussion about West’s attempts to break into the fashion industry, then it unexpectedly took a turn for the worse. After Calloway suggested that West approach the fashion industry differenty, West yelled, “How, Sway? You ain't got the answers, man!” The two get into a heated discussion until West finally apologizes to Calloway.
Years ago the Beastie Boys decided not to allow their music be used in advertisements. This decision resulted in previous lawsuits with Monster and now Goldieblox, a San Francisco start-up that makes toys to empower young girls’ interests in math and science. Their commercial is a creative parody to the Beastie Boys 1987 song, “Girls”. The lawsuit states that the purpose of the commercial was "..specifically to comment on the Beastie Boys song, and to further the company’s goal to break down gender stereotypes.”
The New York Times reports that the Beastie Boys issued an open letter Goldiebox which reads:
"Like many of the millions of people who have seen your toy commercial “GoldieBlox, Rube Goldberg & the Beastie Boys,” we were very impressed by the creativity and the message behind your ad.
We strongly support empowering young girls, breaking down gender stereotypes and igniting a passion for technology and engineering.
As creative as it is, make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads.
When we tried to simply ask how and why our song “Girls” had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US."
Finally, we’ll be getting new music from hip hop veterans Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes! According to Complex Magazine, Busta Rhymes will be releasing an album with Cash Money Records named E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event) 2 sometime next year. Busta Rhymes will also collaborate with Q-Tip on The Abstract & The Dragon mixtape, which will be released on December 12th.
image: Wikimedia Commons
