Hip-Hop

Grammy nominees playlist

Between the Super Bowl, Super Tuesday, and the Grammy Awards, I think it's safe to say we're a competitive nation. We take pride in our favorite teams, politicians, and musicians, and we like to see how they match up against the rest. Contests that involve judges and not referees (like award shows), however, can get controversial. For example, we all accept that the Giants are the champions, but if Kanye West doesn't win a Grammy--watch out! We may never hear the end of it.

Whether you agree with academy or not, the Grammy awards are entertaining and … Read more

Jill Scott: Free MP3 of the Day

Scott first blew us away with a mix of hip-hop sense, vintage soul singing, and a poet's wisdom. Her latest builds on those themes. As horns blare, Scott belts it out like an earlier generation of soul divas. She no longer recalls them: she's one of them.

Download free MP3 now!

Wu-Tang Clan: Free MP3 of the Day

The "8 Diagrams" mixtape whets the appetite for the Wu's first studio LP since 2001 (and its first without the late ODB). These tracks crackle with the pent-up energies of half a decade. They're rugged, raw, brooding, and (if there's such a thing) uniformly eclectic.

Download free MP3 now!

Free MP3: Peaches' remix of Tone-Loc's classic 'Wild Thing'

The electro punk renegade Peaches teams up with '80s pop-rap icon Tone-Loc on a grindy, rump-shaking 'Wild Thing' remix. Tone-Loc's gruff voice is a good match with Peaches smoothly-delivered naughtiness. Get your free download right here, thanks to our friends over at Delicious Vinyl.

Tone-Loc: "Wild Thing" (Peaches remix)

Chowder Bowl

There's more at stake than usual in the Super Bowl this Sunday. There's bragging rights for not only Giants and Patriots fans, but also between Manhattan and New England clam chowder lovers nationwide. In other words, it's "chowder vs. chowda." There's even a friendly wager between New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino where the loser will donate local foods (such as pizza, Dunkin' Donuts, and chowder) to charity in the other mayor's city. So, may the best team/soup win! To get in the spirit, here's a free playlist … Read more

Ask the (music) editors...live!

Are you new to Download.com Music and don't yet know what to do or where to start? Or maybe you have a brand-new iPod (or other MP3 player), and you need some advice on (free) music to fill it up. Or perhaps you're simply a Download Music regular who just wants to chat. Whatever the case, join me on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. Eastern) for a live online Q-and-A session, where I'll do my best to answer any and all music- or site-related questions you might have.

To … Read more

Crossfade TV: Best of 2007

Later this week we'll post a brand-new Crossfade TV episode, featuring three artists who are already making a big splash in 2008. In the meantime, and before '07 fades entirely into memory, have a look at our end-of-the-season video special highlighting faves from last year's crop, including Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Kanye West, and Richard Hawley.

"Rock On" skewers the recording industry

I picked this book up while traveling yesterday, read a few pages in the bookstore, bought it, and have blazed through the first 150 pages in little more than a day. It's one of the funniest and most entertaining books about music, culture, and business that I've ever read.

Like a lot of suburban white boys of a certain age, Dan Kennedy dreamed about being a rock star in his youth, but reality eventually intervened and he got a corporate gig. Only in this case, the corporation was Atlantic Records--Led Zeppelin's record label, as he points out. … Read more

iPoll: How many iPods have you owned?

Since Macworld 2008 didn't announce any new iPods, I thought this would be a good time to survey iPod owners.

Are you on your first, second, third, or fourth iPod? Apple has sold more than 100 million of the little buggers, so I'm a little curious about how many of you bought more than one over the years. How much money have you invested in iPods? Have you bought them as gifts, or received one as a gift? Are you still on your first iPod? I still have the one I bought in 2003, and I intend to … Read more

Teens think vinyl's groovy, Time says

Audiophiles never gave up on vinyl, but now kids are driving a current LP boom.

Kristina Dell's feature article in Time magazine looks at the trend of people, including teens, turning to vinyl to escape the awful digital grime of downloads and MP3s.

"Bad sound on an iPod has had an impact on a lot of people going back to vinyl," one teen says. Another teenage vinyl devotee tells Time, "Most things sound better on vinyl, even with the crackles and pops and hisses."

And when you figure that LPs usually cost a little more … Read more