Sunday, November 11th 2012
EXPLOSIVE VIDEO: SLAUGHTERHOUSE-GOODBYE
Slaughterhouse‘s Boi-1da produced “Goodbye” was by far my favourite track on the supergroup’s debut album, Welcome To: Our House. The song is about saying “goodbye” to loved ones- Joe Budden to the identical twins he was supposed to have with Esther Baxter; Crooked I to the uncle who helped bring him up; and Ortiz to his late grandmother- and the different experiences of loss are movingly rendered by all three rappers. The video pretty much functions as a reconstruction of each verse, alternating between shots of the trio sitting with relatives or partners by hospital beds and close-ups as they recount their individual stories in an empty hospital corridor. The most abstract thing about it is the decision to employ a beautiful angel of death (I don’t think it’s the vocalist herself) to act out the sampled chorus. Whilst her attire might seem a little bit fancy-dress, her appearance brings a new lease of life to the deathly hook. Indeed,when she appears rather ghoulishly in the foreground as Joell consoles his young son in the background, it’s hard not to be won over to the device. Alongside that shot, the shattering of the ultrasound image of Budden’s lost twins is also a true tearjerker moment.
Filed Under: Music
Monday, September 24th 2012
AFROJACK ANNOUNCES U.S. JACKED TOUR!
Afrojack has announced an upcoming 18-date U.S. tour, kicking off Oct. 25 in Las Vegas. The Dutch DJ/producer’s fall trek includes stops in Arizona, California, New York, Florida and more before wrapping Nov. 24 in Los Angeles. The international leg of Afrojack’s “Jacked” tour is already underway, with dates in Spain, South Africa and India through September and the beginning of October. EDM artists R3hab, Sidney Samson, Shermanology, Quintino, Bobby Burns and Zawdi MC will join headliner Afrojack (born Nick van de Wall) on various dates during his U.S. tour. The “Take Over Control” DJ has been keeping busy this year. He was recently in the studio with Shermanology, and also worked with Shakira earlier this year. “She has a unique voice and really loves the new dance thing. Like when a beat drops, she makes this like… face. She’s feeling it,” he told Billboard at the Ultra Music Festival in March. Afrojack’s tour includes stops at Las Vegas clubs, Penn State University’s Bryce Jordan Center, and the Electric Daisy Carnival in Orlando, Fla. Tickets will soon be available at Afrojack.com.
See the full list of Afrojack’s U.S. tour dates below:
Oct. 25: Las Vegas, Nev. (Tryst Lounge)
Oct. 26: Tucson, Ariz. (Kino Sports Complex)
Oct. 27: San Diego, Calif. (Petco Park)
Oct. 27: San Diego, Calif. (Voyeur Nightclub)
Oct. 29: Las Vegas, Nev. (XS Nightclub)
Oct. 31: San Francisco, Calif. (Ruby Skye)
Nov. 2: Las Vegas, Nev. (Surrender Nightclub)
Nov. 3: Las Vegas, Nev. (XS Nightclub)
Nov. 4: Rochester, N.Y. (Main Street Armory)
Nov. 5: Morgantown, W.V. (Morgantown Event Center at Waterfront Place)
Nov. 6: University Park, Pa. (Penn State University – Bryce Jordan Center)
Nov. 8: Binghamton, N.Y. (Suny Binghamton)
Nov. 9: Miami, Fla. (Mansion Nightclub)
Nov. 10: Orlando, Fla. (Electric Daisy Carnival – Jacked Stage)
Nov. 11: Atlantic City, N.J. (HQ Nightclub at Revel)
Nov. 16: Chicago, Ill. (Congress Theater)
Nov. 23: Los Angeles, Calif. (Hollywood Palladium)
Nov. 24: Los Angeles, Calif. (Greystone Manor)
Filed Under: Music
Wednesday, September 12th 2012
APPLE UNVEILS NEW SMARTPHONE IPHONE 5
Today at Apple's iPhone 5 Event the company finally lifted the lid on its new smartphone. The device is officially called the iPhone 5 (despite being the 6th iPhone from the Cupertino company). The device looks just like the previously leaked image, with a slightly taller screen. Apple is referring to the device as "the most beautiful product we've ever made."
The iPhone 5 is made entirely of glass and aluminum and is the thinnest and lighted iPhone yet - it's 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. Apple is calling it "The world's thinnest smartphone."
Display
Like the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 features a super high-res "Retina Display" screen with 326 pixels per inch. But the new screen is slightly larger - 4 inches total with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The total screen resolution is an impressive 1136 x 640. It's essentially a taller and more rectangular iPhone 4S.
"This new screen size lets us add a 5th row of app icons. You'll see more of your email in Mail, too."
All of Apple's internal software has been updated to take advantage of the new screen size including Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand. App Store apps that haven't been updated display at their same old size with black bars on either side of the screen. Many third party app makers have iPhone 5-ready versions of their apps already prepped. Apple demoed CNN and OpenTable as examples.
The new display has had some changes made to it under-the-hood as well. The touch sensors are now "integrated into the display itself," removing one layer to make touch input sharper and more responsive.
Wireless
Apple also announced that the iPhone 5 will feature "ultrafast" wireless. It features HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, and the long-awaited & long-rumored LTE support. In the United States Apple has LTE support with Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. The company also announced dozens of worldwide carrier partners.
The iPhone 5's WiFi protocol has also been updated & now features 2.4ghz & 5ghz on 802.11n.
A6 Chip
Internally, the iPhone 5 is now sporting a brand-new A6 CPU. Apple promised 2X CPU and 2X graphics performance from the small chip. And it is small - 22% smaller than the A5.
To help show off the new power of the device, the company invited Rob Smith from EA's FireMonkey Studios onto the stage. The company demoed its incredible-looking racer Real Racing 3, featuring rearview mirrors and a variety of other graphically-intense processes.
Battery & Camera
The iPhone 5's battery will allow for 8 hours of continuous talk time, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music and an impressive 225 hours of standby before requiring a charge.
The new camera features an 8 megapixel sensor & f/2.4 aperture. Apple also included a dynamic low-light mode. The camera is also 40% faster at photo capture.
The iPhone 5's camera features a new panorama photo mode. By stitching multiple photos together, users can create a single huge image thanks to software processing wizardry. A panorama photo of the Golden Gate Bridge was shown as an example, clocking in at a total of 28 megapixels.
The iPhone 5's new FaceTime camera is HD, capturing 1080P video and features improved video stabilization and face recognition.
New Lightning Connector
As expected, Apple announced that the iPhone 5 will not utilize the 30-pin connector all Apple handheld devices have used since 2003. Instead the new phone will feature a new, smaller "lightning" connector. It's reversible, so no more fumbling in the dark to get your device plugged in. It's also 80% smaller.
A 30 pin adapter for the new Lightning iPhone setup will be available for individuals that own cars or other devices currently set up to only work with the old connector.
Price & Availability
The iPhone 5 will be available in both black and white. With a contract, the iPhone 5 will cost $199 for a 16GB device, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. Preorders begin on September 14th and the phone officially goes on sale on September 21st in most countries. It will hit more territories on September 28th.
Filed Under: Technology
Wednesday, August 15th 2012
DRAKE AND CHRIS BROWN BEING SUED FOR $16 MILLION DOLLARS!
According to a newly filed lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court, Drake and Chris Brown were the ones who started the infamous brawl at the W.i.P. night club back in June. As if blaming them wasn’t enough, the company behind the suit–Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.–is seeking $16 million in damages. The document states that the two artists had bad blood because of their past relationships with the same woman (Rihanna) and that they fought violently when they crossed paths. Also, it details that they were allowed entry with crews made up of at least 15 heavily built men trained and/or experienced in hand-to-hand and weapons combat.” And once the bottles starting flying, those men were told to join in on the fight, according to the suit. The $16 million in damages is for Brown and Drake’s alleged “gross negligence,” “ultrahazardous activity” and “intentional illegal acts.”
Filed Under: Music
Tuesday, June 12th 2012
DIDDY DOES CANNES FILM FESTIVAL FEAT. CASSIE!
Go to a whole ‘nother continent and get a crowd whipped into a frenzy? Diddy did it. Fortunately for us, he also put together a short video to prove it. With Cassie in tow, Puff turned Cannes into Daddy’s House while in town for the city’s annual film festival last month and, of course, he received the same ultra VIP treatment to which he’s become accustomed.
Filed Under: Music
