Maybach Music just released some visuals for Stalley‘s “Fountain of Youth,” one of the subtler cuts from their group album Self Made Vol.2 and it’s worth a watch. Set in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, the video matches the mournful the tone of the track as the boss himself, in a softer ode to Tupac than his label’s prior effort, raps about buying whips for his label-mates and listening to Makaveli, whilst driving round the outskirts of the city in a Red ‘Rari. Stalley and Nipsey, the stars of the show, are shown outside a corner-store, one lamenting the crack era and living in subsidized housing (“What they did with cocaine and spoons/ had the whole hood acting like goons”), the other describing the graft of the boys he grew up amongst. Nipsey, on hook duty, is in his element here, rapping in the neighbourhood where he came up about the neighbourhood he came up in. The message couldn’t be much clearer. The contrast between the setting on one hand and the super-cars and chains on the other is glaring. It’s a fundamentally American contradiction. As Nipsey raps, “Stained glass window in the Benz/ lost in the instrumental/ keys got me sentimental” and remembers where he came from, you can’t help but think about the madness of America and the American dream.

Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban have been confirmed as American Idol judges. The edgy pop starlet and country singer will join diva Mariah Carey and long-serving Randy Jackson on the panel. ‘SO excited to be joining the team on @AmericanIdol!!!!!!’ tweeted Urban. The news was released on Twitter this morning as the American Idol account tweeted: ‘It’s official! ‘Your Season 12 Idol judges are Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. Meet the judges.’ Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment for Fox, released a statement saying: ‘Nicki’s an unbelievably captivating international phenomenon who has made an indelible mark on rap and pop.’ He continued: ‘Keith is another great addition to Idol – he’s one of the biggest stars in country music and I know that our fans and contestants will fall in love with him. ‘With an unparalleled star like Mariah, fan-favorite Randy, chart-toppers like Nicki and Keith and our incomparable host Ryan [Seacrest], we’ve put together one of the most exciting judging panels around.’ Host Ryan Seacrest tweeted: ‘Everyone gave a heartfelt toast about being on the show after we ate last night. Cant wait to see the first contestants today.’

Mika has released a music video in support of his song "Origin of Love". The British artist doesn't make appearance in the clip, which depicts a love story of a boy and a girl, who are apparently separated when she is committed to a mental ward. There are some disturbing scenes when the girl undergoes a treatment during which she watches her passionate moments with her boyfriend on screen while some metal stuff gets attached to her face. She later escapes the facility to reunite with her lover. The video also includes nudity as the girl strips off her top in a make-out scene. The music video was filmed in Santiago, Chile under the direction of Cristian Jimenez. "I wanted to take the kaleidoscopic dreaminess of the song and pair it up with Cristian's more realistic, surreal and moving imagery," Mika says of the visuals. He further reveals that he gave "complete freedom" to the director "in a way that is never possible with a music video." Christian adds about the concept of the clip, "It's an urban, very contemporary piece, with a bit of humour and touches of a fairy tale feel." "Origin of Love" is lifted off Mika's third studio album "The Origin of Love", which is due October 16 in the United States. He once described it as a serious album, but still had the boppy, happy tune.