Snoop Dogg In The Studio With Anita Baker Working On Her Upcoming Album

Anita Baker's new album is slated for October 12.

Kurupt: Los Angeles Times Interview

L.A. Times: You haven’t released a solo album in nine years. What made you decide that the time was right now, and what made you turn to Terrace Martin to do the lion’s share of production?

Kurupt: Terrace and I have been working together for quite some time, and I felt he deserved the opportunity to produce an entire album. He brought the best out of me musically. I’ve always liked to work with one producer for my albums, from Dre to Daz to Soopafly to Quik. I got this idea for the record one night when I was leaving the club and I saw the streetlights go out one by one as I was driving home. I felt like it was a metaphor for life passing me by, so I went to Terrace and said that we had to make an album together to make sure that that didn’t happen.

L.A. Times: During most of the last decade, it seemed that a lot of veteran '90s rappers had trouble finding their own lane or even consistently releasing music. But over the last two years, it seems like yourself and a lot of your peers have returned to form. What happened and why the sudden resurgence?

Kurupt: I think everybody was going through something, I know I was. In a sense, it’s just life and you get upset, and you respond. Everybody seemed like they were going through a hiatus where they were trying to figure it all out. I was trying to figure out who I was in real life. No one likes to hear a real life story unless they can see it, or digitalize it, or be a part of it musically. Sometimes you go through a hiatus and you shut down and do what you do. I’d experienced a separation from myself, Ricardo Brown and Kurupt, the artist.

L.A. Times: What did you take away from that hiatus?

Kurupt: I learned that I had to raise my kids. I had to make music for grown folks. It’s made for the kids too but it’s made for the adults primarily. I don’t make music for 14-year-olds anymore. I’ve learned a lot from the experiences I’ve had in this ball game. I’m damn near 20 years deep. In the end, I learned that you have to be patient. It’s not always about the music, it’s not always personal, I had to learn how to separate the two.

L.A. Times: Your collaboration with Quik connected with a lot of people. What did you take away from working with him?

Kurupt: I learned that patience is a virtue, that it’s OK to take your time and allow artists to do what they want to do. Artists do their best work when they’re in a comfortable spot. With the Quik project, we knew that we wanted to go some other place, without samples and B.S. We knew that it would turn out big.

L.A. Times: Your name continually pops up on greatest rappers lists. If you were going to compile your own best rapper’s list, who would be on it.

Kurupt: Rakim and Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool, Ice Cube. Those were my favorites when I was coming up. (source)

Snoop Dogg Live At Brooklyn Bowl NYC

via XXL

Last night (Monday, April 19) Williamsburg’s expansive new venue, Brooklyn Bowl, was filled to the brim with Snoop Dogg fans. Dressed in a Yankees bomber jacket, the West Coast legend and his Dogg Pound ran through an hour-long set of their greatest hits.

Snoop opened up with his classic track “Murder Was the Case” and kept the momentum going with explosive performance of “Gin and Juice.”

Towards the middle of the show The Doggfather held a tribute to hip-hop’s beloved fallen soldiers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G, leading the crowd in a sing-along of the rap icons’ biggest songs, including “Hail Mary” and “Hypnotize,” respectively.



The show then took a smooth turn as the D-O-double G went into “Sexual Eruption.” Surprisingly, Snoop’s band transformed the laid back cut into a cover of House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” whipping the audience into a frenzy.

After finishing off his set with his funkdafied banger “Who Am I? (What’s My Name?),” Snoop reminded everyone of the three most important things to do everyday—brush your teeth, be thankful for another day…and you know the rest.

Check out the photo link with Snoop, Slick Rick, DJ Whoo Kid and others from the show here :
Wire Image
Metromix NYC

(video courtesy of Matthew Rodriguez)

Snoop Dogg Performs His Classics At The W Hotel 1st Anniversary Bash In Hoboken, NJ

NJ.com had this to say about the W Hotel 1st Anniversary Bash with Snoop performing on Thursday, April 15...

Well, it was an hour and a half after he was supposed to take the stage, but Snoop Dogg is finally doing his show here at the W hotel in Hoboken, which is celebrating its first anniversary with a celebrity bash.

Not surprisingly, the unmistakable smell of a certain contraband item wafted through the ballroom before Snoop Dogg took the stage, but no one in the room really seems to care.

The guests in the cheap seats, mostly people with ties to the fashion industry, danced to the deejay's selections beforehand. People in a roped off reserved section were waited on by waitresses while guards in suits kept the riffraff out.

Photo links with magician David Blaine, Ice-T & Coco and more in the house:
Getty Images
Rex Features 1
Rex Features 2
Star Traks Photo

more quality fan shot video below.





(video courtesy of az88sundevil & bslippert)

Terrace Martin: West Coast Producer Interview With DubCNN

Dubcnn: What’s up Dubcnn? I’m Jose, and I’m here with Terrace Martin. What’s up dude?

Terrace: Hey, what’s happenin’?

Dubcnn: What’s crackin? So tell us what you been up to, we were just listening to your new album you put out, 808 And Sax Breaks right?

Terrace: Yup. It’s doing very well, 808s And Sax Breaks. I just got done doing that with Kenobi. Also I just released a free EP, on the internet called The Lovers Edition, I think that’s what they call it, The Demo. The Lovers Edition, The Demo. So that’s pretty much it, doing Problem’s record called History, just started Snoop’s new record, just stacking records.

Dubcnn: Alright for this one, the projects that you just came out with.

Terrace: Which one?

Dubcnn: The Sax Breaks. You know it’s kinda a little bit out of left field, it’s kinda…for this 808s and Sax Breaks that came out, it’s a little bit out of left field maybe not for you, but for most producers to do something like that. A lot of times there’s one event that kind of inspires you to say ok, im gonna do this project.

Terrace: At first, initially nothing inspired me to do this project. Ted Chung told me to do this project, which is my manager, and I was like you know me being on the saxophone a straight edge. At the time I thought it would be sacrilegious, kinda corny to cover a Kanye album on the saxophone. Then actually throughout that time I started getting back into my moms tables book, I read about 3 times a year and then when I realized that, Jazz, what made Jazz so hip and what everybody loved in the30’s 40’s 50’s and 60’s is that Miles and Tray (John Coltrane) and them would take these shows, these Broadway tunes, and these Disney tunes like “Someday My Prince Will Come” and “On Green Dolphin Street” and “I Remember April”. That was written in the 30’s, and they would play them in their own way, and make them popular. So I equated that to what’s going on now, you know with the whole Kanye thing, like to me Kanye is like our, I’m not gonna say our Duke Ellington on account, but Kanye’s like our modern day Cole Porter. If ya’ll don’t know who Cole Porter is you gotta look him up, I cant give you everything. But he’s like our modern day Cole Porter. Which was an excellent composer and everything. So later on I start vibing out, 6 months pass and I say, “Yo Ted, I wanna do that now.” I came in and I wiped it down I didn’t even know his songs, that album, I learned his music, then I went back and bought the CD, then I fell back in love with the music, then I recut all the songs again. Cause then I got to grow and learn his music, and live his music, I was going, it’s 808s and Sax Breaks, his thing is like 808s and Heartbreaks right? So as I’m doing this, I was going through my own little thing, emotionally with a relationship and everything like that so it was only right to do it.

Dubcnn: Alright so on the business side of things, did you have to get clearance from Kanye? Did you talk to him about it? Did Ted talk about it?

Terrace: Ted Chung did all that.

Dubcnn: Really cool project. The other thing I thought about that was cool, is that you’re donating some of the money to some schools' music programs, tell us about that.

Terrace: Well I figured, well all the money from the project. I did it cause I just love to play, so me and Ted got together and I said would it be cool if I donated a lot of the money to different programs that are lacking in the L.A. Unified School District, all the L.A. Unified School District music programs are lacking, actually a lot don’t even have em. They snatched everything out; they snatched out all the music. So I’m trying to help out the music back in the schools when you have a lot of good bands like Locke High, Crenshaw, Dorsey everything, Fremont, Jordan. You got a lot less violence in the areas cause the kids have something to do. I went to Locke High so I know music was a big part of me havin' something to do. We didn’t have time to get into stupid stuff because we always had after school activities, so that’s what I’m trying to get back into, that whole thing.

Dubcnn: Alright so tell me about you experience with school music programs growing up. How did that influence you, how did that shape you as a person?

Terrace: Um, somebody’s asked me that question recently. For me, the music program in school to me was like the best part of school. Like most kids that didn’t like school like I don’t like school P.E. was the best part. But the music to me was the best part, ‘cause the music actually helped me to get better grades. Reading music is nothing but math, and when you play an instrument, there’s a certain level of discipline that you have to have. We used to practice 8 hours every day, so doing school work was nothing after that. A couple of hours of that affected me a lot cause it showed me discipline. A lot of discipline.

Dubcnn: Cool. So you got this really great album you just put out, and I know your always busy, you always got projects going on. What’s your next project that you got coming up that’s gonna be big? I heard you got something with Kurupt?

Terrace: Kurupt has an album called Street Lights coming out, on 4/20. I guess that’s national smoke day, 420. Yeah I don’t smoke so, 420, April 20th; he has an album called Street Lights, which I produced about 95% of the album, mixed the whole album, which is excellent. Kurupt is back, he sounds great.

Read the rest of the interview transcript here:
DubbCNN - Terrace Martin

Freaknik - T-Pain feat. Snoop Dogg & Mack Maine - 'Ghetto Commandments'

One of the most requested songs from Freaknik: The Musical; “Ghetto Commendments” by T-Pain featuring Snoop Dogg & Mack Maine is on sale now on iTunes as well as T-Pain’s new single “Reverse Cowgirl”.



Now available at iTunes:

Freaknik - T-Pain feat. Snoop Dogg & Mack Maine - Ghetto Commandments

T-Pain -Reverse Cowgirl

Snoop Dogg: Perez Hilton Party SXSW 2010 Swagg Cafe Showcase

Article via Spinner & video via Billboard

The night's biggest name belonged to Snoop Dogg, who was also arguably the biggest draw at Perez Hilton's now seemingly annual One Night in Austin (Saturday, March 20) show (albeit largely because its was Snoop's only appearance while headliners Hole were marking Courtney Love's third gig in two days).

Perez and Snoop both seem antithetical to SXSW's up-and-coming indie ethos, but it's hard to argue against Snoop's performance skills. After so many years on the mic, he knows how to hype a crowd like few others here.

His recent albums may be a little lackluster, but last night he chose not to saddle his gig with too many new songs. Snoop kept to his current single 'I Wanna Rock' and otherwise played an all-hits set which prompted huge arms-in-the-air rap-alongs to crowd favourites like like 'Gin 'n' Juice,' 'Sensual Seduction' and 'Drop It Like Its Hot.'

But perhaps the biggest crowd response came from a fierce and utterly unexpected cover of House of Pain's 'Jump Around' which less surprisingly induced the free alcohol-soused crowd to do as instructed.

Photo Links:
Getty Images
Austin 360 / The Statesman
Rex Features

Snoop Dogg Performs At Quo Nightclub NYC

Snoop performed at Quo in NYC Sunday, March 14 with Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli and his wife DJ Eque and more watching in attendance.

Snoop is prepping the re-release of 'More Malice N Wonderland' on EMI/Priority/Doggy Style which arrives in-stores March 23.

Photos from backstage:
Wire Image

(video courtesy of saoli02)

Snoop Dogg DJ Whoo Kid Interview (video)

(courtesy of Radio Planet)

Snoop Performs At The Boardroom NBA All-Star Weekend Dallas, TX

On Saturday night February 13, Snoop Dogg was in the house at the Russell Simmons-hosted 944 NBA All-Star party at The Boardroom in Dallas, TX.

Photos from the event here:
Wire Image

(video courtesy of sherronshabazz)

Snoop Dogg Live At The Galaxy Theatre In OC Concert Recap

As reported by David Hall at the Orange County Register

At Thursday night’s (January 21) gig, however, a rare intimate show at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, the Long Beach rapper tested the patience and loyalty of his fans, in true hip-hop fashion, by failing to appear until five minutes till midnight –- nearly an hour after his scheduled set time.

Determined to win back the jeering audience, Snoop began by unleashing a pair of guest verses from gangsta rap favorites “The Next Episode” (off Dr. Dre’s 2001) and “P.I.M.P” (from 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Trying).

Without his usual band (the Galaxy stage could never accommodate such an extensive entourage), Snoop compensated by invoking the voices of old-school fans for some spirited sing-along support on “Gin & Juice,” reaching a wall-shaking climax as the rapper barreled straight into 2Pac’s street-life anthem “Hail Mary.”

Mid-set, as Snoop conducted another sing-along, this time to the chorus of Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,” I made a striking connection that I should have realized several Snoop shows prior: the bulk of his set lists are comprised of relatively few of his original songs. He may change the order of some tracks, but he generally plays the same guest verses and popular tunes, resulting in painfully similar commercial medleys.

As the annoyingly familiar chorus of “Sexual Seduction” droned on and on, I began to re-evaluate my reaction to the negative assessment of my peers. Just as I was about to concede the disappointing conclusion that Snoop has indeed fallen off, I was roused by the infectious beat of House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” a surefire crowd-winner in Snoop’s musical arsenal.

He commanded the audience to jump — and jump they did, surging relentlessly as he rounded out the set with the ever-popular “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” then a new, single-worthy track called “I Wanna Rock” and finally that household classic, “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”

As Snoop sashayed off stage in a cloud of blunt smoke, his sly grin reminded me why I could never admit that he “fell off”: I’d lost myself in the revelry of his smooth style and funk-laden beats, proving that nearly two decades after his debut on Death Row Records, Snoop Dogg is still one of the slickest MCs in SoCal.

more fan shot footage below.



Snoop Dogg at the Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana CA, Jan. 21, 2010

Set list:

Intro
Next Episode
The Shiznit
P.I.M.P.
Gangsta Luv
Gin & Juice
I Wanna F*** You
That’s That S***

Medley
Hail Mary (2Pac cover)
America’s Most Wanted
Snoop’s Upside Your Head
Sexual Seduction
Jump Around (House of Pain cover)
Drop It Like It’s Hot
I Wanna Rock
Who Am I (What’s My Name)?

Also read OC Weekly's Snoop Dogg concert review here:
OC Weekly - Snoop Dogg at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana

(video courtesy of immmjay)

Snoop Dogg Raids The Priority/Capitol Records Vault For The West Coast BP

via Hip Hop DX

Snoop Dogg is representing hard for veterans lately. Between enlisting MC Eiht, Kam and Goldie Loc to his Warzone group, re-releasing Priority Records classics from EPMD, Master P and Eazy E, Snoop has put together his West Coast Blueprint album.

To be released on February 23, the 21 track compilation features various gems from the Priority and Capitol catalogs. Included is WC's breakout hit (with DJ Alladin in Low Profile), "Pay Ya Dues," Latino pioneer Kid Frost on "La Raza" and early Yukmouth hit "I Got 5 On It" .

Snoop also included two versions of his cover of Ice Cube's
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five-sampling hit "Check Yo Self."

01. Introduction To The West Coast Blueprint - Snoop Dogg
02. Eazy-Duz-It - Eazy-E
03. Act A Fool - King Tee
04. No One Can Do It Better - The D.O.C.
05. Pay Ya Dues - Low Profile
06. La Raza - Kid Frost
07. Interlude - Snoop Dogg
08. Alwayz Into Somethin' - N.W.A.
09. You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo - Yo-Yo ft. Ice Cube
10. Check Yo Self - Ice Cube ft. Das EFX
11. Playaz Club - Rappin' 4-Tay
12. Interlude - Snoop Dogg
13. Foe Life - Mack 10
14. I Got 5 On It - The Luniz
15. The Evil That Men Do - Ras Kass
16. Gangstas Make The World Go Round - Westside Connection
17. 4 Tha Hustlas - Ant Banks ft. 2Pac, MC Breed & Too $hort
18. Nothin' But The Cavi Hit - Mack 10 ft. Tha Dogg Pound
19. Trust Me - Snoop Dogg ft. Sylk E Fine & Suga Free
20. Check Yo Self Interlude - Snoop Dogg
21. Check Yo Self (Snoop Dogg G-Mix) - Snoop Dogg ft. Hustle Boyz

Cypress Hill: Snoop Dogg Signs Group To EMI/Priority Records

via Hip Hop DX

This morning it was announced that pioneering Latino Hip Hop group Cypress Hill will release their April 6th album RISE UP through Priority/EMI Records. This is the group's first album in six years, and the first Priority signing since Snoop Dogg assumed role of Creative Chairman of the historic Rap label presently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

"My role as Creative Chairman of Priority Records has put me in the driver's seat to help revive the most important west coast hip hop label," said Snoop in a statement this morning. "As such, I'm excited to announce my first signing as Cypress Hill. Cypress Hill is undeniably one of the most important Hip Hop groups in music history, not only are they incredibly talented and the first Latino Hip Hop group to go platinum, they are also from the west coast-so this signing is the perfect marriage."

RISE UP was recorded over the course of the past three years at B-Real's studio, The Temple, in Los Angeles. "Making this record was so much fun," said Sen Dog. "It felt like the first record we ever made together. We recorded whatever we wanted to with no musical boundaries. And having the chance to work with one of my favorite guitar players of all time, Tom Morello, was amazing. I always knew we would make some kickass music together." Morello is best known for his work with Rage Against The Machine, though he's played with Rap acts dating back to KRS-One and Run-DMC.

"We took a little break after the last record to work on individual projects," added B-Real. "Both Sen Dog and I wanted to put out our own solo records, which we had been working on for some time. And though we were doing other things, we each kept ideas in mind for Cypress Hill and would go into the studio periodically to record. It was great to work at our own pace and without a deadline hanging over us. We'd get together at my studio and record whenever we felt that burst of creativity. It was an amazing way to work and resulted in what I think is our best record yet."

Snoop Dogg At The 2010 Big Dog Bowl (video)

(video courtesy of arroyojo81)

Related:
Snoop Dogg's Youth Football League Takes Part In 2010 Big Dog Bowl

Snoop Dogg's Youth Football League Takes Part In 2010 Big Dog Bowl

(photo courtesy of Eric Tom/Redlands Daily Facts)

**The stadium is footsteps away from where I went to school and grew up. It's good to see Snoop organizing an event like this for the kids.**

REDLANDS, CA - A hip-hop star and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback brought youth football teams to play at Dodge Stadium Saturday and Sunday (January 9 & 10).

Twenty-eight youth football teams competed for trophies at the stadium for the 2010 Big Dog Bowl. Rapper Snoop Dogg and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger brought teams to play in the event.

"I wanted to do something for the kids that I never got to do," said Dion Thompson, the event's organizer.

Thompson is using the annual Big Dog Bowl to bring teams from across the nation to play big postseason games in Southern California. He has brought in celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Roethlisberger and others to help give the events another element of excitement.

"The main thing is that these kids get to come out and play on something that's a different magnitude," he said.

Michael Kohler, a 13-year-old defensive lineman for the Chula Vista Aztecs, sat on the sidelines watching the Snoop Dogg Steelers with his teammates as they waited for their chance to take the field Saturday.

The Aztecs had a 13-2 record during their regular season. The high level of competition was the most exciting part of Saturday's event for Kohler.

"Playing against other teams that are pretty competitive against us - we're pretty matched up," he said.

Snoop Dogg sponsored Kohler said he also enjoyed the chance to travel with his team out of Pomona and Roethlisberger sponsored a team that came all the way from Pittsburgh, Pa., to play at Dodge Stadium. Thompson said Roethlisberger paid $20,000 for his team to make the trip west.

Greg Bell, who won the Super Bowl as a running back with the Green Bay Packers in 1997, also sponsored a team out of Santa Barbara for the event.

"My main man (Thompson), this is what he's doing and I'm supporting him," Snoop Dogg said Saturday. "I'm a fan of what he does. Bringing all these great teams together and play in the big game."

Snoop Dogg sponsors and coaches the team his son - Cordell, 12 - plays on. The team has now played in the Big Dog Bowl for two consecutive years.

"We look forward to being here every year," Snoop Dogg said. "This is a showcase of great teams and Super Bowl champions.

"To be able to say that you are the Big Dog, that means a lot. So we're here to do it."

Snoop Dogg said he had a casual conversation with Roethlisberger about the competition he might face at Saturday's event.

"I talked to (Ben) about a week and a half ago in the club in New York and he was telling me about his team that was coming out here," he said. "He kind of laid out a challenge and I was like, `Man, you really don't want to do that because then our friendship would go downhill.' "

"I love Ben too much and I love the Steelers too much to have to do him like that."

Thompson, a San Bernardino (CA) native, graduated from San Gorgonio High School. He said he wanted to keep his event in the Inland Empire.

A year ago, San Gorgonio High School hosted the Big Dog Bowl. Thompson said he wants to keep the event in Redlands in the future.

"Hopefully Redlands (High School) will keep us here," he said. "I'm very glad that the community is backing this up because this is not about any bad issues with kids. This is a positive thing for these kids out here."
--Jesse B. Gill (source)

Snoop, Too Short & Mistah F.A.B. 'Blow The Whistle' & 'Life Of The Party' At S.F. Show

On the 'How The West Was One' tour stop at the Warfield in San Fransico, CA on Saturday, November 21.

Related:
Snoop Dogg 'How The West Was One' Anaheim, CA Concert Recap

(video courtesy of 24CAIN)

Gucci Mane Nips Chris Brown Heels In First Week Sales Charts

The final Nielsen/Soundscan sales and chart rankings for 12/8 releases:



Chris Brown - Graffiti (Jive/Zomba)
102,000 sold / Rank #7



Gucci Mane - The State Vs. Radric Davis (Asylum/So Icey Ent.)
90,000 sold / Rank #10



Snoop Dogg - Malice N Wonderland (Doggy Style/EMI/Priority)
59,000 sold / Rank #21



Timbaland - Shock Value 2 (Interscope/Mosley Music)
39,000 sold / Ranks #32



Clipse - Til The Casket Drops (Columbia/Re-Up Gang)
31,000 sold / Rank #41



B.G. - Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood (E1/Chopper City Records)
19,000 sold / Rank #65

Related:
Projected First Week Sales On Chris Brown, Gucci Mane, Clipse, Snoop, Timbaland & B.G.

Snoop Dogg Performance At The Spike TV Awards Show

PHOTOS:
Film Magic
Wire Image
Getty Images

Snoop Dogg - 'Malice N Wonderland' on Doggy Style/EMI/Priority Records in-stores now!

London Times Profiles Snoop Dogg's Career And Upcoming Album

When you tell people you’re going to interview the rapper Snoop Dogg, they gleefully start adding “izzles” and “shizzles” to the end of their words, because that’s how he talks, the king of the comedy suffix. And then, when you do join Snoopizzle on his European tour and he turns up three hours late to the hotel in Amsterdizzle, and leaves the lift having a blazing row on his mobile phizzle about “how ain’t nobody gonna f***ing tizzle me I can’t smoke in the hotel room when they ain’t even in the same country and why we even staying in a nine-star when we coulda stayed in a two-star and smoked in the bizzle dizzle . . .” It’s something of a revelation — he even shizzles while he’s swearing!

The career of the man born 38 years ago as Calvin Broadus has swung between comedy and criminality, between prison and superstardom. So, after he has finished barking into his phone and I’m worried that he’s going to bark at me too, he turns round, gentle as a lamb, and announces softly: “I am ready when you are.”

He is gangly and slender, as tall as his bouncers are wide. We share a sofa but he doesn’t face me, his sunglasses and hat still on, a joint cupped between his fingers as he talks about his new album, Malice N Wonderland, purposefully grinding ash into the hotel table. “When the record starts off you can tell I’m rapping with a lot of bad energy in my heart. So that’s the first half, that’s Malice,” he says slowly. “By the time I get midway through the record it tones down and takes on a different direction, and by the end I find myself in Wonderland. And you know, that’s for the ladies. I been calling women ‘bitches’ and ‘hos’ my whole career and I didn’t make songs for them. So I took time to give them that love and respect on this record.”

Read the full article here:
London Times - The new mellow Snoop Dogg still has bite

Mayer Hawthorne: London's Independent Newspaper Highlights Stones Throw Artist

If you haven't yet heard of (Mayer) Hawthorne, chances are you'll be instantly hooked. He's a dreamily original artist, who draws on the noblest traditions of Motown and soul, with an alluring modern quirkiness – a trick last pulled by Amy Winehouse.

Hawthorne's unique "sound" and manner combines the timeless elegance of Barry White or Marvin Gaye with the raised eyebrow of, say, the Divine Comedy. You don't have to take my word for it, either. Ask, oh, Ashton Kutcher and Perez Hilton, or Mark Ronson and Snoop Dogg. They have all recently pegged A Strange Arrangement among the best new records of 2009.

"Soul music isn't the only place my sound comes from," he says. "When I mix drums, for example, I'm not trying to mix them like Smokey Robinson. I want them to sound more modern. I also listen to heavy metal, like Tool and Helmet and Iron Maiden. And some of that comes out in the album, too. You've also got a wailing guitar solo on a track called "Green Eyed Love" that you'd never hear on, say, a Motown record."

He recorded the first Mayer Hawthorne track in his bedroom, playing all the instrumental parts, singing all the vocals, and mixing them on basic equipment ("Mayer" is Cohen's middle name, "Hawthorne" is the street he grew up on). A handful of two-track demo CDs were made, passed to friends "for a sort of joke," and forgotten about. In 2006, Cohen moved to Los Angeles in an effort to make a living out of hip-hop, with a group called Now On. One night last year, he was introduced to music mogul Chris Manak (aka "Peanut Butter Wolf") who owns the influential LA label Stone's Throw Records. Mayer Hawthorne came up in conversation.

"My friend, who introduced us, mentioned it," recalls Cohen. "I was a bit pissed-off, because I was trying to pump my hip-hop career, but I sent the songs to Peanut Butter Wolf anyway. About a month later, he emailed saying, 'I just listened to the tracks. This is awesome... who wrote them?' He couldn't believe they were my tracks. He thought they were old songs I'd got the rights to." Soon afterwards, Hawthorne was signed-up by Stones Throw.

Read the full article here:
London's Independent - Mayer Hawthorne - Haircut's worked it all out