This week in hip-hop Ice Cube talks about N.W.A.'s omission from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; producer Danny Bramson talks about preparing Andre 3000 for the Jimi Hendrix biopic; Pharrell Williams and will.i.am settle their trademark dispute and Lil Jon & DJ Snake release a video for 'Turn Down for What'.
According to Billboard, rapper Ice Cube talks about his transition into film making, the Grammy's and N.W.A.'s omission from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a recent interview with the Associated Press.
The 44-year old rapper even commented on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis winning Best New Artist at the Grammy's earlier this year. When asked by the Associated Press what his thoughts were regarding their win over Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube said " It's typical. It's the Grammys, what do you expect? But for them to pass up true skills for what could be fly-by-night success. ... I don't want to dis anybody, but seriously."
Ice Cube also commented on his former group, N.W.A., not being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2014 despite their roll in redefining hip-hop. "It sucks. But it's understandable" says Ice Cube. "We really only had one album together. They had two albums as a group. I'm sure that groups that have been together longer can make a better argument. But this just lets you know how much we need a hip-hop hall of fame of our own."
The Jimi Hendrix biopic, Jimi: All Is by My Side, will not feature any music by Hendrix himself. However, that didn't stop Andre 3000 from working his hardest to accurately portray every other aspect of Jimi Hendrix's career, even his guitar skills. In a interview with Billboard, producer Danny Bramson spoke about preparing Andre 3000 for his role as Jimi Hendrix. "I found a really patient teacher and put together a regimen for Andre when he came out to Los Angeles. He sat in a small studio, six hours a day, putting in dedication [to play left-handed]" says Bramson.
Instead of focusing on music by Jimi Hendrix, the film will focus on the evolution of Hendrix as a performer and a stylist while maintaining truth about his life. Bramson mentioned that, "The most serious of the challenges was the responsibility of creating and recording new and original material that puts you in the environment of interpreting Hendrix."
Jimi: All Is by My Side recently played at SXSW and will be released to theaters in June.
Pharrell Williams and will.i.am have finally settled there trademark dispute out of court. Will.i.am filed the lawsuit when Williams attempted to have I Am Other trademarked, stating that it would be confused with will.i.am's company I.Am.Symbolic.
According to Rolling Stone, will.i.am countered Williams' defense for his brand by bringing Williams' previous issues with intellectual property into question. He revisited Williams' issues over "Blurred Lines" with the Marvin Gaye estate and the title of his record label, Star Trak Entertainment. Finally, they came to the conclusion of an out of court settlement.
Lastly, Lil Jon and DJ Snake finally released a video for their single 'Turn Down for What'. The video is equally bizarre and funny, featuring a group of people with infectious dance moves and strange antics. Watch it here.
image: NBC Universal