Omarion On His Fresh Start: 'No One Stays Hot Forever'

Less than a year ago, Omarion's music career was at a stand-still. Now, when he's on the street, people congratulate him by hollering the phrase "Maybach O!"

"The changes that I needed to make?" Omarion says confidently. "I made them."

Two weeks after Omarion Grandberry, the R&B singer/actor/dancer and former member of the vocal group B2K, was announced as the latest signee to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group imprint on Warner Bros. Records, the 27-year-old is calling from Atlanta, where he's been holed up in the studio for the past week. Wale, his new label mate, has been in the room next to him, recording new music of his own. Omarion can't say what specific project either artist is recording for, mostly because they've each been producing new material nonstop.

Wale, a D.C. rapper whose debut album, "Attention Deficit," flopped upon its 2009 release (159,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan), saw his career effectively resuscitated by Ross, who signed the MC to MMG in February 2011 and helped his sophomore release, "Ambition," reach 425,000 in sales. As Omarion preps his first batch of material for Maybach Music Group -- his debut single, "Let's Talk," received a video on Wednesday (May 23), a new mixtape is on the way, and he says that he has probably has at least two tracks on the forthcoming posse album "Self Made Vol. 2" -- the singer, with a chip firmly on his shoulder and a new nickname in "Maybach O," believes that his new team will help guide him to a similar rebound.

"I'm writing more. I'm dancing different. And I really want to entertain the people," says Omarion. "I think that people didn't foresee this move for me -- that people were like, 'Oh, what's up with Omarion?' Omarion fell off this, Omarion did that. What's gonna be his next move? This is my next move."

Maybach Music Day: Label Signs Omarion, Sets Rick Ross Album

Omarion was only 18 when B2K's self-titled debut album was released in 2002. Along with Lil' Fizz, J-Boog and Raz-B, Omarion helped create pop-tinged, teen-friendly R&B singles like "Bump Bump Bump" and "Uh Huh" for roughly two years before stepping out on his own. His first solo effort, "O," sported production from the Neptunes and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and has sold 765,000 copies since its 2005 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But by 2010, when his third solo effort "Ollusion" was released and moved only 78,000 copies according to SoundScan, Omarion was in an unideal label situation with EMI Music Group (an announced partnership with Lil Wayne's Young Money in 2009 failed to materialize) and needed to take some time for himself.

"This is the first time in my life that I've ever just lived life -- just walk in the mall, spend time with my family," says Omarion. "I do think that having a career is about transitioning through peaks and valleys. No one stays hot forever. There's times where you need to take a break."

That break ended when Omarion ran into Ross in North Carolina in early March at an event during the CIAA basketball tournament. The two had spoken to each other in passing before, but this time, Omarion told the hip-hop star that he wanted to have him contribute to one of the new songs he was working on. "He told me, 'We should sit down before you finish up,'" Omarion recalls.

Listen to Rick Ross' New Usher-Assisted Single, 'Touch'N You'

Ross flew the singer down to Miami, where they "sat and talked," and Omarion played him a handful of records. The pair saw eye-to-eye immediately. "Probably the most important thing that anyone in this position has ever said to me -- and when I say in this position, I consider Ross an executive, not just an entertainer and a lyricist but a mogul… He was just like, 'I believe in you. You're an icon [in] everything that you've done, even the time that you've taken to just live.'"

Ross molds his Maybach Music Group roster, which also includes Philly native Meek Mill and Ohio mixtape specialist Stalley, based on not only inherent talent but the volume of an artist's output. "[Ross] will have somebody for five to seven days, and he'll measure how many songs can this person do in this amount of days," Def Jam president Joie Manda told Billboard earlier this month. With Omarion, the process was no different -- but for the R&B singer, his first studio sessions with Ross demonstrated why joining the MMG team was the right move for him.

"I remember being in the studio for the first time with [Ross], and just going through records," says Omarion. "He was sitting in the studio, and he tells his engineer, 'Get Meek on the Skype.' He got Meek on Skype, and was on the phone with Wale at the same time, and was just orchestrating. And then he had me in the studio and was like, "All right O, I need you to hop on the hook. Wale, I need you to do that. And Meek, send that song over to me.'" For the former B2K member, that group mentality immediately resonated. "Coming from a group, being part of a group, you understand how much value that holds in the success that you do, because everybody's on one page and everybody can see one goal," he says. "I was just like, 'Wow, they have the relationship that I've been looking for in a new team.'"

When it hit stores on June 26, "Self Made Vol. 2" will give hip-hop fans the first taste of a Maybach Music Group with a veteran vocal presence handling the hooks. And while a new solo LP could take a while for Omarion to finalize, the singer says that his next project will be an emotional one. "I'm singing from my gut, I'm singing from my heart, and it's just gonna be passionate music," he promises. "I feel like I'm bringing back what I've done, but in a bigger and better way."

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Lady Gaga's 'Simpsons' Turn, Tour Controversy Spark Billboard Chart Gain

Lady Gaga rises makes a big jump back into the top 10 of Billboard's Social 50 chart (climbing 14-5) thanks to the momentum generated by her guest appearance on Fox TV's "The Simpsons" (May 20).

The Social 50 chart ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, using a formula that blends weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with weekly artist page views and weekly song plays.

The new "Simpsons" episode, titled "Lisa Goes Gaga" featured many of the pop star's signature outfits and the debut of a new original song, "You're All My Little Monsters."

However, it was controversy surrounding Gaga's most recent tour dates on her Born This Way Ball tour in the Philippines and Indonesia that became the focal point for online activity pertaining to Gaga towards the end of the charting week. Protests greeted her upon arrival in Manila, Philippines May 19 from young Christian groups deeming Gaga's music and image to be offensive.

According to CNN, she has offended thousands of Christian Filipinos because of the lyrical content of songs like "Judas," where she sings "I'm in love with Judas / Jesus is my virtue and Judas is the demon I cling to."

Similar protests have already taken place by Muslim organizations in Indonesia, where it is still unknown whether or not she will perform her scheduled date on June 3.

She took to Twitter on May 22, tweeting "The Jakarta situation is 2-fold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show & religious extremist separately, are threatening violence. If the show does go on as scheduled, I will perform the BTWBall alone."

On the Social 50 chart this week, Gaga experienced a 42% increase in fan acquisition, breaking down into 302,832 new fans on Facebook and a 331,318 jump in followers on Twitter.

Beyonce also climbed the ranks of the Social 50, rising 39-19 due to buzz building around her first appearance on-stage since the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The show, which will take place on May 25, is part of a series of concerts at Revel in Atlantic City over Memorial day weekend.

The concerts were promoted with a "Good Morning America" BeyHive Costume Party in Times Square, where registered fans were asked to show off their best black and gold/yellow Beyonce-inspired outfits. A 33% increase in her overall fanbase was led by a 313,147 increase in Facebook fans for the charting week.

Billboard Music Awards' performer Chris Brown experienced a jump as well, moving 21-14 after releasing the single "Don't Wake Me Up" on May 12. David Guetta's Social 50 standing also benefitted (12-9) from the release of "Don't Wake Me Up" -- but for an entirely different reason.

It was reported that Guetta had produced the track because an early release of it on YouTube was labeled as such. As it turns out, he didn't have anything to do with the song. Guetta took to Facebook and Twitter to address the mix-up, simply stating "I'm credited for 'Don't Wake Me Up' on YouTube but I did not produce this record. Best to CB!"

Elsewhere on the Social 50, Rihanna escalated to the No. 1 spot (from No. 4) as her film debut, "Battleship," came out Friday May 18. Adele and Skrillex held fast at Nos. 2 and No. 3 respectively, as social king Bieber tumbled 1-4 in the wake of Rihanna's rise. One Direction falls 5-8 as Nicki Minaj (No. 6) and Katy Perry (No. 7) maintain their rankings from last week. Lastly, Jennifer Lopez winds down 8-10.

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Bubbling Under: Imagine Dragons On Fire

Each Friday, Chart Beat presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success.

Up this week: Imagine Dragons, Wolf Gang, Kristen Kelly and Kevin McCall.

In just three months, Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons has gone from making its first appearance on a Billboard chart to reaching the top 10 on Alternative Songs (No. 10 this week) and Triple A (No. 8) with debut KIDinaKORNER/Interscope single "It's Time." On the Billboard 200, the band's Continued Silence EP debuts at No. 165. Following the release of the single's video, the band was spotlighted as MTV's PUSH artist of the week beginning April 16. The group plays the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., July 21. "There is something deeply personal and yet incredibly exciting about sharing new songs with a live audience for the first time," lead vocalist Dan Reynolds says. "We can't wait to have that communal experience."

U.K. rock artist Wolf Gang (given name Max McElligott) is on the verge of his Billboard chart debut, as his swirling, MGMT-esque single "The King and All His Men" (Elektra/Atlantic) is approaching the Alternative Songs chart. Among the outlets supporting the track are WFNX Boston, KNRK Portland, Ore., and KNND Seattle. The news gets even better for Wolf Gang: He'll open for Coldplay for 12 dates on the band's U.S. tour in June and July.

Kristen Kelly bullets at No. 47 on Country Songs with her major-label debut single, "Ex-Old Man" (Arista Nashville). The Lorena, Texas, native previously released two independent albums with duo-turned-group the Modern Day Drifters. Kelly's new album boasts format star power, as veteran Tony Brown and songwriter/artist Paul Overstreet are set to serve as co-producers. The set is expected this fall.

Kevin McCall, the name associated with Chris Brown's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hits "Deuces" and "Strip" as a featured artist, is flirting with the chart's border with "Naked," his debut single as a lead. McCall is signed to RCA and Chris Brown Entertainment, the latter singer's management brand. "Naked," which features Big Sean, debuts on the survey's Bubbling Under chart at No. 7, rising by a chunky 83% in audience, according to Nielsen BDS.

Reporting by Keith Caulfield, Wade Jessen, Karinah Santiago and Gary Trust of the Billboard charts department

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Adam Lambert boots Underwood from Billboard No. 1

Singer Adam Lambert arrives at the Clive Davis and Recording Academy Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, California February 11, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Jason Redmond

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Wed May 23, 2012 1:22pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert pushed his fellow "Idol" alum off the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart on Wednesday to score his first No. 1 album with "Trespassing."

Lambert's second studio album sold 77,000 copies in its first week, a significantly lower debut than Underwood's "Blown Away" debut two weeks ago, which sold 267,000 copies to score the top spot on the chart.

"Blown Away" fell to No. 3 this week, behind Adele's juggernaut "21," which added a further 63,000 copies to its phenomenal sales record this week.

Lambert joins six other former "Idol" contestants who have topped the album chart -- Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry and Scotty McCreery.

Comedy rockers Tenacious D, comprising actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, made an impressive debut at No. 5 with their third studio album "Rize of the Fenix," selling 44,000. Baltimore atmospheric pop band Beach House scored their highest debut to date with their fourth studio album "Bloom" at No. 7.

Fox's musical TV show "Glee" made its lowest chart debut to date, as their season 3 finale's "Graduation Album" sold 39,000 copies and clocked in at No. 8.

Newcomer Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen broke Gotye's long-running streak at No. 1 on the Digital Songs chart with her infectious single "Call Me Maybe," which she performed at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring Kimbra fell to No. 2, while the rest of the top five was rounded out by Maroon 5's "Payphone" featuring Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj's "Starships" and fun.'s "We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, in that order.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Founding member of 3 Doors Down leaves band

LOS ANGELES | Thu May 24, 2012 3:07pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Matt Roberts, a founding member of Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down, is leaving the group after nearly two decades due to health issues, the band said on Thursday.

"3 Doors Down will always have a special place in my heart and it saddens me to take this time off ... But my health has to be my first priority," Roberts said on the band's official website.

Roberts did not elaborate but the website said his problems stemmed from circulation issues exacerbated by the band's performance schedule, playing nearly 300 dates a year.

3 Doors Down, founded by guitarist Roberts, lead singer Brad Arnold and bassist Todd Harrell in 1996, rose to fame with their debut album "The Better Life" in 2000, fueled by hit singles such as "Loser" and "Kryptonite."

Their latest release was in 2011 with "Time of My Life."

The group, which now consists of Arnold, Harrell, guitarist Chris Henderson and drummer Greg Upchurch, said the split was "an amicable one," with Arnold adding that Roberts would "always be welcomed back with open arms."

3 Doors Down will continue their current "Gang of Outlaws" tour as scheduled, performing across North America through June with rockers ZZ Top and country artist Gretchen Wilson.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Dylan, Albright to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Bob Dylan performs during a segment honoring Director Martin Scorsese, recipient of the Music + Film Award, at the 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles January 12, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

WASHINGTON | Tue May 22, 2012 8:08pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Musical legend Bob Dylan, novelist Toni Morrison and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are among 13 people who will be awarded the country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama next week, the White House said.

The presentations will be made at the White House on May 29.

Also chosen to receive the award were former senator and astronaut John Glenn, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Jan Karski, an officer in the Polish underground who carried the first eye-witness accounts of the Nazi Holocaust to the outside world.

The award also will be given to John Doar, a key figure in the Justice Department during the civil rights era; William Foege, who helped spread smallpox immunizations around the world; Gordon Hirabayashi, who fought Japanese-American World War Two internment; civil rights campaigner Dolores Huerta; Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low; and former University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt.

Peres will not attend the ceremony and will receive his medal at a separate event, the White House said.

(Reporting By Alister Bull; Editing by Bill Trott)

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"Idol" finale slumps, but Phillips tops iTunes

Phillip Phillips holds the winner's trophy after being named the winner during the 11th season finale of ''American Idol'' in Los Angeles, California May 23, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Thu May 24, 2012 3:46pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The "American Idol" finale audience slumped to a record low, but the show's newly crowned champion Phillip Phillips hit No.1 on iTunes on Thursday with his first single "Home."

The 11-year-old Fox singing contest, once a TV industry juggernaut whose finale attracted more than 30 million viewers in 2006 and 2007, was watched by just 21.5 million viewers on Wednesday night, according to ratings data.

Viewers in the 18-49 age group most-coveted by advertisers dropped by about 32 percent compared to last year's "Idol," although the program was still the top show on U.S. television on Wednesday night.

Fox executives said earlier this month that the audience drop-off this season had been greater than anticipated and that several tweaks were in the works to freshen the format for 2013.

Despite the smallest TV audience since the show began in 2002, viewers cast a record 132 million votes for finalists Phillips and 16-year-old singer Jessica Sanchez.

And on Thursday, Phillips' first single, the folk-rock ballad "Home", topped the iTune charts, while his compilation album of "Idol" cover songs from Season 11 was in the No.3 spot.

Phillips, an acoustic guitar player and songwriter, said "Home" didn't represent his style of music, which he described as more jazz and rock.

"It's not really something I would write," the 21 year-old from Georgia told reporters on a conference call.

"It's a little too pop for me. I don't really put in the ohs and oohs. I am a little more rock than that," he said, adding that he was excited to get his own album out.

Phillips, whose goofball humor and good looks won the hearts of millions of young women, said he was still adjusting to his newfound fame. "I hate being the center of attention," he said.

He was the fifth consecutive male to win "American Idol," joining a club of so-called "white guys with guitars" who had previously taken home the winner's crown.

But Phillips said it was wrong to lump him in with recent Idols Scotty McCreery, Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen and David Cook.

"They are probably better singers than I am, but I play the guitar a lot different ... I feel like I am different," he said.

Fox said "American Idol" had held onto its spot as the most-watched show on U.S. television for the 2011-12 season just ended in total viewers, 18-49 year-olds and teens.

The talent contest helped Fox to its eighth straight season victory among 18-49 year-olds, outperforming CBS by 7 percent, third-place NBC by 28 percent and ABC by 33 percent.

Earlier this week, CBS declared victory as the most-watched network among total audiences, saying it would end the season with 11.74 million viewers a night, on average, followed by Fox with 8.87 million, ABC at 8.36 million and NBC in 4th place at 7.38 million.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Elton John cancels Vegas dates due to infection

Musician Elton John performs during the benefit ''Songs From the Silver Screen'' to raise funds for The Rainforest Trust at Carnegie Hall in New York April 3, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri

NEW YORK | Thu May 24, 2012 6:41pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Elton John was treated in hospital in Los Angeles for a serious respiratory infection that forced him to cancel performances this weekend of his "The Million Dollar Piano" show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

In a statement posted on his website on Thursday, the British entertainer, whose hits include "Rocket Man," "Your Song" and "Bennie and The Jets," apologized for the decision and told fans he hoped to be performing soon.

The singer said he developed a serious respiratory illness while performing on Sunday. After the condition worsened he was hospitalized and had tests at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he remained throughout the day on Wednesday. He was given antibiotics and told not to perform for a week.

"It feels strange not to be able to perform these 'Million Dollar Piano' concerts at The Colosseum. I love performing this show and will be thrilled when we return to The Colosseum in October to complete the eleven concerts soon to be scheduled," he said.

Fans with tickets for the canceled shows can exchange them or get a refund.

John opened his Las Vegas act last September and began a second series of performances in February. A child piano prodigy, John, 65, rose from a part-time pub player to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time.

He completed a 5-year residency at the Colosseum in 2009 with "The Red Piano", which ran for 241 shows.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; editing by Doina Chiacu)

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John Lydon boosts his Public Image with new album

John Lydon of Public Image Ltd. performs at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California April 16, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

By Iain Blair

LOS ANGELES | Fri May 25, 2012 6:00am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As bad boy lead singer of the anarchic, trail-blazing and short-lived 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, John Lydon (then Johnny Rotten) snarled and spat his way across a shocked society and music scene still pleasantly half-high from the mellow 1960s.

Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, Lydon left the Pistols in 1978 to form the more experimental - if less commercially successful - Public Image Ltd., and for the next 15 years the band's shifting lineup released a dozen albums and toured the world.

PiL finally sputtered out in 1993, but now Lydon has revived the band, and he talked to Reuters about their new album, ‘This is PiL,' their tour and how butter changed his life.

Q: It's been 20 years since the last PiL album. Why did it take you so long?

A: "Not my choice. The record company and contract obligations kept me in a state of non-recoupment and I had to outwait them. It was a very difficult time for me, almost like a state of mental starvation. You're gagging at the bit to work, and music's my life. But I found that the law worked against me, all the corporations and accountants. So I had a very negative view of business-as-usual."

Q: So what changed?

A: "Three years ago a British butter company approached me with the wonderfully loony idea of me promoting butter (laughs). How brilliant, I thought! Insane, right? Not bonkers money, but it got me working again. And I found everyone involved to be so honorable and decent that I was thrilled. And with that money, I put the band back together."

Q: Were you a bit rusty, despite all the butter?

A: (Laughs) "I was well-buttered, and firstly we wanted to tour. That was important to get me chops and respect back. So we did two years touring, and gradually the idea of a new album came together, along with forming our own record label, PiL Official. And thanks to the tours, we were able to finance it all ourselves."

Q: Is it true you recorded the album at Stevie Winwood's studio?

A: "Yeah, it was the only place we could afford. It was his barn, in the middle of the Cotswolds, with nothing for inspiration but sheep - and I don't like sheep particularly."

Q: Did Stevie Winwood come to the sessions?

A: "He did, but only with one ear to the barn door, and then he pretended to be watering the daisies. So he never contributed, but it was great he rented us the studio."

Q: How did the sessions go?

A: "Fantastic! The 30 years of heartbreak, arguments, problems, animosities and bad management have led to good management, good interaction between band members and a wonderful sense of freedom. It's been worth the wait. So now I view myself as 50 years young. And the next 50 are going to be nothing but gems."

Q: How's the tour going?

A: "Great. We'll start in America in September and I can't wait. Everyone gets on and it's a healthy working relationship. I didn't know there was any such thing! Look at my past. I started in a band that all hated each other apparently, and it's taken me this long to learn what I'm doing and get it all in order. But we're working on hatred. We'll get to that on the next record (laughs)."

Q: What's your view of the music business today?

A: "There isn't one. The record companies fell apart - quite deservedly. Their corrupting, all-binding contract nonsense had to stop. But this modernization of sampling and regurgitating of old ideas isn't healthy either. Live music is healthy."

Q: What about TV shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice"?

A: "They're dragging us back into Las Vegas wannabes. And there's the painful tone of humiliation, the smirking at who gets voted off. And people now think that's the universe of music. That's utterly corrupting too."

Q: Back in '77, London's punks protested the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations and the Sex Pistols famously performed "God Save the Queen" sailing down the Thames, mocking her river trip. Ironically, she's outlasted all the punks and now it's her Diamond Jubilee. Are you still anti-monarchy?

A: "I never was. But if I'm expected to pay taxes for this kind of hierarchy that demands my oath of obedience, then I'm going to be telling it what to do with my money. Simply said, but simply believed. That's a concept not fully understood 35 years ago. But I was right, wasn't I."

(This story has been refiled to change Golden to Diamond in penultimate paragraph)

(Reporting by Iain Blair; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Singer Doc Watson in critical condition, hospital says

By Colleen Jenkins

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina | Fri May 25, 2012 12:01am EDT

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Grammy winning folk musician Doc Watson is in critical condition at a North Carolina hospital, a representative for the medical facility said on Thursday.

The 89-year-old Watson is a singer of bluegrass, country, blues and gospel who is famous for his flatpicking style on the guitar and his interpretations of folk songs from bygone eras.

Watson, a native of North Carolina, is in critical condition at Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, said Karen Richardson, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

She declined to release any other information about Watson, including when he was admitted and for what health problem.

North Carolina newspaper the Watauga Democrat reported that, according to Watson's friend Tommy Walsh, he was hospitalized on Monday at Watauga Medical Center for an infection, and was transferred on Thursday to Baptist Medical Center. Walsh told the paper he did not know why Watson was transferred.

Watson has won seven Grammy Awards, in addition to a Grammy for lifetime achievement he received in 2004. Most recently, he won in 2006 in the category of best country instrumental performance for his playing on "Whiskey Before Breakfast."

For much of his career, Watson toured and recorded with his son, Merle Watson. Doc Watson's most popular recordings include the songs "Tom Dooley," "Shady Grove" and "Rising Sun Blues."

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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Sade brings it home with concert film and live CD

By Sabrina Ford

NEW YORK | Thu May 24, 2012 8:37am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sade fans have had to learn to be very patient.

After a decade-long hiatus, the soulful jazz band led by Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu, 53, returned to the stage with their "Bring Me Home" tour last year. And for those who couldn't make it to a show, there is now an album and film.

This week, Sade released "Bring Me Home - Live 2011," a live CD and concert film directed by frequent collaborator Sophie Muller shot over several stops on the tour.

The film includes behind-the-scenes footage of Adu and her bandmates rehearsing, hanging out on their tour bus and goofing off. Reuters spoke with Adu about her music, life on the road and how she spends her time away from the spotlight.

Q: "Bring Me Home" director Sophie Muller has directed most of your videos over the last 20 years. How has that creative relationship lasted so long?

A: "We met many years ago when we were both at (Central) Saint Martins (college). We used to sit in the library throwing things at each other. We would write really weird abstract poetry. I would write a line and then she would write a line, and then I'd write the next line and we'd put it together.

"Sophie was in and out of the studio when we were making the album. We can trust each other. It's not enough just to like each other or love each other. It's like if you're climbing up a rock and someone's got your rope, you have to know that they're not going to let you go."

Q: How was it having your 15-year-old daughter accompany you on tour?

A: "She loved the show. I was amazed at how many times she watched it. She came out on the road with me the last time but she was always on the bus. She was so young, just four. I didn't want her to see me on stage. I felt it would be too much for her to grasp because to her, I'm just her mommy. I thought it would overwhelm her. A long time after that she asked, ‘Mom are you famous? Are you really famous?'"

Q: How do you spend your time between projects? Are you always working on new material?

A: "I always sing because I listen to music at home and I sing. I'll sometimes write things down - thoughts or feelings that might trigger a song later on. My life between the albums is a collection of experiences, which I will one day write about. It's not like I'm a prolific writer who just writes, and writes and writes."

Q: There is a clip of you dancing to Snoop Dogg in the "Bring Me Home" behind-the-scenes footage. Do you really listen to hip-hop?

A: "I love hip-hop. I love the beats, I love the lyrics and I love the fact that it's from the heart. It's real and not just commercial. I listen to Snoop Dogg and Drake - they're great. I listen to a lot of hip-hop, so I do dance a lot. I actually love going out. I haven't lately, but I love getting on the dance floor."

Q: It's interesting you say you enjoy going out because you are often described as reclusive, so is that fair?

A: "I don't think I'm reclusive but I do avoid celebrity. I will go out to dance where no one bothers you because they're all doing their own thing. I don't consider myself a celebrity, I consider myself a songwriter and a singer - a person who makes music. I don't see why that's necessarily synonymous with giving your whole world away."

Q: How do you handle your sex symbol status? I know several guys who want to marry you.

A: "What are their addresses? (laughs) I don't think of that. When I perform I'm just expressing elements of myself, and I don't really stop and think about that stuff. But I ain't complainin'! It could be worse."

Q: At 53, you're often described as age defying. How do you stay so young?

A: "I think it's an energy thing. Your physical language determines how young you look moreso than if you have plastic surgery. You have to keep that love for what you do and, even in the battleground, keep your head up. So many people let go of that. They get past a certain age and feel they no longer belong. I never really feel that way. I always have something to add. It's still a battle to be won."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Girls' Generation Splinter Group Enters Billboard 200

by Jeff Benjamin, N.Y.  |   May 04, 2012 5:30 EDT

A common move with popular K-Pop groups on hiatus is to split themselves into other projects. In particular, the sub-unit concept has proven popular with members able to experiment to bring something fresh for fans. Girls' Generation created the sub-unit Girls' Generation - TTS (also known as Taetiseo) who this week became the highest charting K-Pop act on the Billboard 200 with their EP "Twinkle" -- at No. 126 on this week's Billboard 200 with 3,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.

It was only March 17 this year that BIGBANG spent one week on the chart at No. 150.

The act also makes big moves on the Heatseekers Albums chart, debuting at No. 2, only to be bested by Human Nature who performed on "Dancing With The Stars" last week. The EP does top the World Albums chart with less than two days of its worldwide release sales counted for Billboard charts.

The act was tipped to be a hot one with over 10 million collective views of the three teaser videos featuring a different member in each. To possibly encourage orders, if fans bought the entire EP package, they would receive special tracks of the members introducing the EP songs. Additionally, if fans e-mailed an address associated with SMTown, the group's label, with a picture to prove they bought the album, they were in the running to receive a special gift from Girls' Generation - TTS.

The sub-unit is made up of three members: one of the group's most powerful vocalists Taeyeon, the charismatic and English-speaking Tiffany, and the group's youngest member Seohyun. They are also known as Taetiseo; a combination of their three names.

While Girls' Generation is known for their sexy concepts and choreography (from the slick first English single "The Boys" to playing dress up on "Mr. Taxi"), the sub-unit sees a completely revamped girls with a focus on funky vocals and vibrant outfits.

In other K-Pop news, two boy bands make appearances on the World Albums chart with B.A.P. making their comeback this week with an EP titled "Power" as well as U-KISS debuting at No. 10 and No. 12 respectively.

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Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys' MCA, Dead at 47

Adam Yauch, the gruff-voiced rapper, musician and video auteur known as MCA in the groundbreaking hip hop trio The Beastie Boys, has died after a lengthy illness, Billboard has confirmed. He was 47. The band's rep confirmed that Yauch passed away in his native New York City Friday morning after a three-year battle with cancer.

Yauch underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland in July 2009. Treatment included radiation therapy, and in December of that year, he sent a email message to fans to share that we was feeling "healthy, strong and hopeful" he'd beaten the disease.

The Beasties' lineup of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Yauch came together in Brooklyn in 1983; the group's debut album, 1986's "Licensed To Ill," was produced by Rick Rubin and featured iconic singles like "No Sleep Til Brooklyn," "Brass Monkey" and "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)." After touring the world behind "Ill," the Beastie Boys changed up their sound with 1989 album "Paul's Boutique," a critically lauded, sample-heavy record that featured production from the Dust Brothers.

"Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist who I loved dearly. I was always inspired by his work. He will be missed by all of us," said Russell Simmons, whose Def Jam Recordings released the group's multi-platinum debut "Licensed to Ill" in 1986.

The Beasties continued to collect hits in the 90s, with songs like "So Whatcha Want," "Sabotage" and "Intergalactic" coming from 1992's "Check Your Head," 1994's "Ill Communication" and 1998's "Hello Nasty," respectively. The group went on a hiatus before returning with 2004's "To The 5 Boroughs," a post-9/11 tribute to New York City that included the hit single "Ch-Check It Out."

After releasing an instrumental album, "The Mix-Up," in 2007, the Beasties had announced a Sept. 15, 2009 release date for their eighth album, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1." But Yauch's cancer diagnosis forced the group to push back the album and scrap headlining dates at festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits in 2009. A revised version of "Hot Sauce Committee" was released in 2011, but Yauch's health prevented the trio from touring behind the record.

In January of 2011, Mike D told the BBC that the group was "really happy" about Yauch's improved health, a statement that led to reports that Yauch was cancer-free. A spokesperson for the group told Billboard at the time that "Mike did not say that" and Yauch released a statement thanking fans for their support.

"While I'm grateful for all the positive energy people are sending my way, reports of my being totally cancer free are exaggerated," said Yauch. "I'm continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future."

The nine Beastie Boys albums released in the SoundScan era (including two greatest hits packages and one archive release, "Same Old Bullshit") have sold 10.2 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, but did not attend the April 14 ceremony.

"We're in the rock and roll hall of fame? That's f----n' crazy and awesome!" the group said in a statement. "While we are very proud of the music we make, we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families, friends and musicians like the slits, bad brains, x-ray spex, the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name. And most of all, we give thanks to New York City and the world of musical influence it provided for us."

Rick Rubin, who produced "Licensed to Ill" recently told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer of the group's importance to the growth of hip hop as a mainstream force in pop music.

"The Beasties opened hip-hop music up to the suburbs," he said. "As crazy as they were, they seemed safe to Middle America, in a way black artists hadn't been up to that point in time."

Among Yauch's many passions was his work behind the camera, most notably under the alias Nathanial Hörnblowér. He directed many of the group's iconic videos, including "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic" and last year's star-studded short film for "Make Some Noise." He also made a name for himself in documentary filmmaking, including three full lengths: "Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That," a concert film; the high school basketball documentary "Gunnin' for That #1 Shot" and the 1998 concert film "Free Tibet."

Yauch was a devout Buddhist and supporter of a free Tibet and in 1994 founded the Milarepa Fund which organized a series of rock festivals called the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, which ran between 1996 and 2001.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen Wangdu and their daughter Tenzin Losel.

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How Adam Yauch's Cancer Battle Changed The Beastie Boys

by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y.  |   May 04, 2012 4:05 EDT

2009 was supposed to be the Beastie Boys' big comeback year.

"Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," the trio's eighth album and first non-instrumental full-length in five years, was set for a Sept. 15, 2009 release, and was set to feature guest appearances by Nas and Santigold. MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D had been confirmed as headliners at U.S. festivals like Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Austin City Limits, and a proper tour was in the works.

Everything came to a halt, however, on July 20, 2009, when Adam "MCA" Yauch announced that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland. On Friday, May 4, that cancer tragically claimed Yauch's life.

When MCA first announced that he was battling the disease, he lamented the effect that his health would have on the Beasties' upcoming plans, but remained optimistic that immediate surgery would lead to a full recovery. "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows," he said in a written statement at the time. "It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later."

Consequently, "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" was pushed back indefinitely, and all of the group's upcoming performances were scrapped. Tenacious D picked up their slot at Outside Lands, while the Yeah Yeah Yeahs filled in for the Beastie Boys at Lollapalooza and paid tribute to the group by playing the "Sabotage" riff, much to their crowd's delight.

In October 2009, Yauch sent an email update to Beastie Boys' official fan list, writing that he was "taking Tibetan medicine and at the recommendation of the Tibetan doctors I've been eating a vegan/organic diet," after undergoing surgery in late July to remove the cancerous tumor. "I'm feeling healthy, strong and hopeful that I've beaten this thing, but of course time will tell," wrote Yauch.

One year later, a track list for "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" -- which was to be released before "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" -- was unveiled, with a spring 2011 release date in mind. After Mike D told the BBC that he was "really happy" about his group mate's improved health, reports surfaced that Yauch was cancer-free; however, Yauch called the claims "exaggerated. I'm continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future."

"Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" was given a May 3, 2011 release date, and Capitol Records' rollout of the album was highlighted by unique promotional stunts that never included the trio performing live or on camera. The music video for "Make Some Noise," the album's first single, was an abridged version of Yauch's short film "Fight For Your Right Revisited" and a star-studded homage to the Beasties' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" video, with Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood and Danny McBride playing the Beasties. Later, a music video for "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" (featuring Santigold) reunited the Beastie Boys with director Spike Jonze -- responsible for their classic "Sabotage" clip -- and featured MCA, Mike D, Ad-Rock and Santigold… in action-figure form.

And the trio previewed the album before its release by placing a TK3 Speaker Boombox at half court at New York's emptied Madison Square Garden, pressing play on "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" and broadcasting the playback via Livestream. Despite the lack of live record promotion, "Sauce" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold 128,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan (its current sales stand at 347,000 copies).

When the Beastie Boys were announced as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2012 class (along with groups like Guns N' Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers), the group called the honor "f----n' crazy and awesome!" in a statement. "While we are very proud of the music we make, we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families, friends and musicians like the slits, bad brains, x-ray spex, the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name. And most of all, we give thanks to New York City and the world of musical influence it provided for us," the group wrote.

However, Yauch's health prevented the Beastie Boys from performing at the Rock Hall induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 14. The Roots, Kid Rock and Gym Class Heroes' Travie McCoy paid homage to the group with performances of tracks like "Sabotage" and "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn." HBO will premiere the broadcast version of the ceremony on Saturday night (May 5).

It is unclear whether or not "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" will ever be released, or what the future of the remaining Beastie Boys looks like. But in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech, which Ad-Rock and Mike D read at the ceremony, Yauch thanked the group's fans for being so integral to their legendary -- and over the past three years, trying -- past. "This induction is as much ours as it us yours," wrote MCA.

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Columnist Uses Racial Slur to Slam Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets

by The Hollywood Reporter  |   May 04, 2012 4:30 EDT

New York Post columnist Phil Musnick is coming under fire for writing a scathing editorial about Jay-Z and his Nets basketball team, which is moving to a new arena in Brooklyn next season.

Mushnick, no stranger to controversy, decries the team's relocation from New Jersey to its Atlantic Avenue home, the Barclays Center, and the control given to the rapper-businessman in remodeling the team's image.

What Do You Think of Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets Logo?

"As long as the Nets are allowing Jay-Z to call their marketing shots - what a shock that he chose black and white as the new team colors to stress, as the Nets explained, their new 'urban' home - why not have him apply the full Jay-Z treatment?" Mushnick writes.

"Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N------s?" he continues. "The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B----hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way!"

Jay-Z owns a minority share in the Nets -- they're owned for the most part by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov -- and helped the team announce in 2010 that they'd be moving to Brooklyn. The team announced that the re-located club would be named the Brooklyn Nets in September 2011.

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Kanye West Premieres 'Lost in the World' Film: Watch

by David Greenwald, L.A.  |   May 04, 2012 7:44 EDT

After a rush of new material from Kanye West in April, the MC is turning to the archives for his latest video.

The Bon Iver-aided "Lost in the World," from 2010's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," got the video treatment on Friday. In typical Yeezy fashion, the black-and-white video has been dubbed an "exclusive film" for its release on SHOWstudio.com, a site devoted to fashion film. West worked on the film with director Ruth Hogben, whose resume includes such fashion clients as Rick Owens and the rapper's oft-name-dropped Louis Vuitton.

"Strobe effects are used in this video," it warns, before a flashing song title gives way to more relaxing, cloud-filled images and dancing models.

Watch the "Lost in the World" video below:

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Gotye aims to avoid being somebody we used to know

Gotye performs at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California April 15, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/David McNew

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Thu May 3, 2012 6:24pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Australian singer Gotye has conquered the United States with his heartfelt pop tune "Somebody That I Used To Know," but even as it hits No. 1 on singles charts, he is eager to become someone fans will always know for his "peculiar" sound.

Gotye has enjoyed a rapid rise in fame, not just in the U.S. but around the world, for the song of a failed relationship that features New Zealand artist Kimbra. But his offbeat music and rocket ride to stardom has led many to consider whether his career will be short-lived. He doesn't think so.

For Gotye, whose real name Wouter "Wally" De Backer, the smash hit song stems from 10 years of hard work starting, like many others, in front of a home computer. He has three albums behind him, is playing ever bigger gigs and there is more music he wants to create.

"What's happening around the world is unexpected, but still a gradual move forward," Gotye told Reuters.

Led by a simple rhythm tapped out on a xylophone and heartfelt lyrics that give "Somebody That I Used to Know" the feel of a lullaby, Gotye sings about the pain and anger of a breakup in lyrics such as "I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough."

He said that while some people think the song recounts the end of a personal love affair and others simply respond to the angst of the chorus - "now you're just somebody that I used to know" - for him it's all about the memories, both good and bad, of any failed relationship.

"It is more about how varied one's feelings can be and how different feelings can be after a relationship or the memories of it, and how that gets confusing and unclear," he said.

The 31-year-old singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia finds the song's wide play both amusing and odd to watch as he becomes a sort of third-party spectator to his own music.

At April's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California where he performed, "Somebody That I Used To Know" became an unofficial anthem for the crowds when DJs began pumping out remixes between sets of other bands.

The song also was incorporated into an episode of Fox's popular TV musical "Glee" in which on-screen brothers Blaine and Cooper (played by Darren Criss and Matt Bomer) used the song to emphasize their disintegrating relationship.

"It's weird because it's all out of my hands ... DJs happily play mash ups from the web or put unofficial remixes into their set," he said. "As the guy behind it, putting it out there at the starting point, I have no control over it anymore."

At the time the "Glee" version came out, Gotye was reported by some media outlets to be unhappy with it, but he denies that and calls tailoring the tune to the two brothers, "clever."

"MAKING MIRRORS" A STEPPING STONE

Gotye began his career in the early 2000s piecing together sample tracks in Australia that were later compiled into his first self-released album, "Boardface," in 2003.

His second album, "Like Drawing Blood," received critical and commercial success in his home country, but it has been third album "Making Mirrors," led by "Somebody" that has given Gotye his global big break.

"When I think of myself sitting in a small room in a shared house on my desktop computer ... cobbling together an album, that was the starting point ten years ago," he said.

"Making Mirrors," currently at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 album chart, received favorable reviews from critics and scored 71 out of 100 on review-aggregation website Metacritic. But the singer still doesn't think he has hit his stride, calling the album a "stepping stone" for his musical self-discovery.

"There's some stuff which were maybe missteps or things that I shouldn't explore as much in future," he said, citing tracks such as "I Feel Better" and "In Your Light."

Those two tunes have a sound that harks to the 1980s, and Gotye said he wants to move away "easy pop-production choices involving wrapping a song in an aesthetic of a certain period."

He wants to evolve into styles he explored on "Somebody," "State of the Art" and "Bronte," he said, but added that he is conscious of retaining his Australian roots and his self-described "peculiar and unique" sound.

As for moving beyond "Somebody," Gotye still finds the response interesting enough to consider a follow-up, perhaps again with Kimbra.

"Maybe from the girl's perspective," he said, "but it's all really funny and it could be a really stupid choice."

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Wainwright tries pop's mainstream with new album

Musician Rufus Wainwright poses for a portrait in New York April 13, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Victoria Will

By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK | Tue May 1, 2012 1:59pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After writing an opera, recreating Judy Garland's classic Carnegie Hall show and performing one concert tour dressed, in his words, as a crazed feathered ghost, Rufus Wainwright is edging toward pop's mainstream.

The experimental singer-songwriter has teamed with popular British DJ and music producer Mark Ronson, who helped create Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," for what is being touted as Wainwright's most commercial album yet, "Out of the Game," released in the United States on Tuesday.

"I definitely have the intention of creating something slightly more commercially viable than opera for this next album," Wainwright told Reuters, poking fun at his production, "Prima Donna," as well as his piano album "Songs for Lulu" - the record he performed on tour in a 17-foot-long feathered cape.

And before those CDs came his first live album based on his interpretation of Garland's famous, 1961 Carnegie Hall concert.

Wainwright's mix of styles has been applauded by many critics and earned him a Grammy nomination. Yet, despite having fans worldwide and being labeled as one of his generation's top songwriters, some of his albums haven't sold very well.

"I was pretty on the margins of what is usually accepted by the mainstream, and I felt, 'Let's try the mainstream. We tried this other stuff, so let's try this,'" he said.

So far, his collaboration with Ronson, whom the eclectic singer called "the consummate producer," has worked. "Out of the Game" debuted at No. 5 in Britain after its release a week ago.

But longtime fans of Wainwright, whose father is singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and who grew up with his folk singer mother, Kate McGarrigle, in Montreal, need not despair that this new album will be unrecognizable, the singer said.

"It does have that intention, but I don't think I necessarily threw the baby out with the bath water, either. There is still a lot of old Rufus in there," he said. "It is a journey into a more upbeat environment."

GROWN-UP REFLECTIONS

Well known for being candid early in his career about his gay life and about his former drug addiction, Wainwright's new album reflects more recent events including plans to marry German arts administrator Jorn Weisbrodt, the death of his mother and a baby girl he conceived with Leonard Cohen's daughter and his friend, Lorca Cohen.

In the song "Montauk," - the Long Island, New York, beach town where Wainwright, now 38, often stays - the singer with the dreamy tenor addresses his new daughter, "one day you will come to Montauk/and see your dad wearing a kimono/and see your other dad pruning roses/hope you won't turn around and go."

"I may be a little more interested in the mainstream but really, the core of it is because I have had such an intense adult-filled life, losing my mother two years ago and having a child recently and being in a relationship, there have been a lot of very grown-up situations, for better or for worse," he said.

After all that, his new songs reflected a need to be "silly and young still," without taking away from his core appeal to the "dispossessed" listener Wainwright describes as, "someone who senses the tragic nature of our world but also appreciates the romance and the beauty and is also positive in a weird way."

"I have always been very open and very honest and very real for better or for worse," he said. "I wish sometimes I could be more fabricated and constructed. But I always had to be myself, and I think people have appreciated that over the years and have stayed with me. But it's been a long burn."

The sound of his new album harks to the late 1970s recalling an Elton John or Fleetwood Mac, a time Wainwright fondly recalls as when "bands still played together in the studio at the same time."

"I would also argue in a sense that my voice probably relates closest to that era," he said. "I am not a jazz singer, I am not a doo-wop singer, I am not a punk rock singer, I am this odd hybrid of a lot of different influences. And that period in music, especially in songwriting ... was rich."

The album's title song, "Out of the Game," however, tackles modern times and is a reaction to the Internet's ability to propel sudden fame like never before on sites such as YouTube.

"I have had to work at it for long time to create this artistic persona, and then I see these kids overnight getting so much attention for such stupid stuff," he said. "It's how ephemeral and unfounded it is."

In May, Wainwright plans to play several tribute concerts to his mother with Nora Jones and various other artists, and two years after her death, he is still inspired by her and considers her "one of the great songwriters."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Ex-Chili Peppers Guitarist Feels 'Dishonored' By Rock Hall 'Snub'

Music's most coveted honor will elude several former Red Hot Chili Peppers members when HBO airs April's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night.

The Hall recognized only three of the band's eight guitarists -- the late founding member, Hillel Slovak; John Frusciante, who quit in 2008; and current player Josh Klinghoffer -- a decision "made by the Hall of Fame and our advisors," Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, told Billboard in an email on Friday.

In an exclusive interview, guitarist Jack Sherman, who played on Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1984 self-titled debut and co-wrote some songs on the follow-up, "Freaky Styley," said he was rejected last December when he appealed to former band members for inclusion.

Only original and current members, and those who played on multiple records qualified, Sherman claims he was told. It appeared to be a "politically correct way of omitting Dave Navarro and I for whatever reasons they have that are probably the band's and not the Hall's," he said.

Navarro, who spent almost five years with Chili Peppers after longtime member Frusciante left in 1992, will also not be recognized. The guitarist joined the band to headline Woodstock '94 and record "One Hot Minute," their second highest-charting album up to that point (after 1991's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"). It spent 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 4. The band fired Navarro in 1998, and Frusciante re-joined later that year, only to quit the band a second time in 2008. (Frusciante declined to appear at the April 14 ceremony.)

"It's not a decision made by the band, it's a decision made by the Hall of Fame," Eric Greenspan, Red Hot Chili Peppers' lawyer, told Billboard, adding, "They determine which of the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, through their career, will get inducted."

Rock Hall Inducts Guns N' Roses, Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys

Frontman Anthony Kiedis commented on the Navarro decision to Cleveland's The Plain Dealer before the induction ceremony.

"He's in this other band, which may in fact be inducted itself one day, called Jane's Addiction," he said. "I think that's the band closest to his heart, and that most represents his contribution to the world in terms of music. So maybe it makes more sense for him to be inducted one day as a member of Jane's Addiction."

Red Hot Chili Peppers has a long history of rotating guitarists: In 1983, Sherman replaced original axeman Slovak, who left the band just after it signed its first record deal; Sherman's acrimony with Kiedis and bassist Flea led to Slovak's return. Frusciante joined after Slovak's death in 1988, and recorded "Mother's Milk" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" prior to leaving before Lollapalooza in 1992. Others quickly shuffled through the lineup:  Zander Schloss lasted four days; Arik Marshall joined only for the Lollapalooza dates; and Jesse Tobias arrived and left within weeks. The following year the band recruited Navarro; requests to his publicist for comment on his not being inducted went unanswered.

Though Sherman nailed the audition to replace Slovak, he says his earlier work with John Hiatt and Toni Childs made for an awkward match. Kiedis backs this up in his 2004 autobiography, "Scar Tissue," recalling Sherman lacked "a punk-rock pedigree. [...] I knew that our relationship with Jack wasn't meant to be."

Still, Gang of Four's Andy Gill, who produced the band's debut, told Billboard Sherman's role should not go overlooked. "I do find him to be significant to the band's history, very much part of getting the funk guitar in there. They just really rubbed each other up the wrong way," he said.

"It's really painful to see all this celebrating going on and be excluded," Sherman said. "I'm not claiming that I've brought anything other to the band... but to have soldiered on under arduous conditions to try to make the thing work, and I think that's what you do in a job, looking back. And that's been dishonored. I'm being dishonored, and it sucks."

As Kiedis admits in his autobiography:  "God bless Jack, he did keep the band afloat for a year, and if he hadn't, the years to follow probably wouldn't have."

A similar Hall of Fame gripe happened in 1998, when the selection committee chose not to include guitarist Bob Welch for Fleetwood Mac's induction.

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Weekly Chart Notes: Kimbra, One Direction, Rascal Flatts

by Gary Trust  |   May 04, 2012 4:05 EDT

Get ready to feel old, thanks to the young artist featured on the Billboard Hot 100's top song.

As Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" rules the chart for a third week, guest vocalist Kimbra, as Chart Beat reader Mark Harris of Cleveland notes, is the first female artist born in the '90s to top the Hot 100. Kimbra (last name: Johnson) was born in New Zealand on March 27, 1990.

(The chart's No. 1 song that week? Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet." Tommy Page, meanwhile, soared 14-6 with his future No. 1, "I'll Be Your Everything." Twenty-two years later, he's now Billboard's publisher. "Wow, Kimbra was a fetus when I was on the chart," Page muses.)

Until this week, Miley Cyrus held the distinction of highest Hot 100 rank for a female born in the '90s. Cyrus, who was born on Nov. 23, 1992, rose to No. 2 in 2009 with "Party in the U.S.A."

Among women who've reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, Dev had previously boasted the most recent birthday until Kimbra's reign. Dev, who spent three weeks at No. 1 in 2010 as a featured act (with Cataracs) on Far*East Movement's "Like a G6," was born on July 2, 1989.

Prior to Kimbra, two other artists born in the '90s, both male, have led the Hot 100, and both in 2007. Sean Kingston became the first when "Beautiful Girls" began a four-week command the week of Aug. 11, 2007. Soulja Boy Tell'Em followed with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," which logged seven weeks on top beginning Sept. 15, 2007.

As "Somebody" stays at the Hot 100's summit, Kimbra is preparing her U.S. debut album, "Vows" (featuring the song "Warrior," a collaboration with Mark Foster of Foster the People), due May 22.

"('Somebody' has) allowed me to be part of an exciting time for pop music," she recently told Billboard. "Seeing such a vulnerable, reflective and non-formulaic song shoot so high on the charts has been really encouraging.

"It creates a fantastic pathway for an artist like myself to follow."

'NIGHT' TIME: You're not seeing double. There really are two albums titled "Up All Night" in the Billboard 200's top 10. One Direction's former No. 1 rebounds 5-4, while Kip Moore's debuts at No. 6.

This week marks the first time that two identical titles rank in the top 10 simultaneously since March 24, 2007. That week, two "Greatest Hits" debuted: the Notorious B.I.G.'s (at No. 1) and Gary Allan's (No. 5).

If counting albums named "Greatest Hits" seems like a bit of a cop out, however, considering the title's common usage, how long had it been since more original like-titled sets had shared space in the top tier until this week? More than four decades. In 1971, Andy Williams' "Love Story" and a soundtrack of the same name cohabitated in the top 10 for nine weeks.

Poor One Direction: the U.K. boy band keeps having to share the spotlight, as both the group's name and debut album title have now been co-opted and appeared on Billboard charts. Unrelated California rock band One Direction entered Heatseekers Albums two weeks ago with its release "The Light."

NEXT

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Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Video: A 15-Step Analysis

Imagine you're Justin Bieber. You're an international pop superstar with swag seeping out of your teenage pores. You just released your first "adult" single, "Boyfriend," and you want a killer visual to shine like you're laying in the snow. So what do you do? Hire Director X, round up some sick cars and beautiful people, and hit the rooftop just before sunset, of course.

Justin Bieber to Perform at 2012 Billboard Music Awards

In 3 minutes and 31 seconds, the "Boyfriend" video (which premiered on Thursday, May 3) offers a slew of super-cool images to coincide with Bieber's musical skill, emotional maturity and overall swagginess. There are too many great moments in the clip to count, but here are 15 of our favorite: 

Bieber's Watching You (0:04 into the video)
He gazes up at the camera with icy confidence. "Oh, hello, were you looking for me? I've been right here all along."

Look At This Video! On My Phone! (0:22)
Bieber's world is actually being voyeuristically admired by two attractive ladies in an equally attractive convertible! They are LOVING the Biebs! But why not go inside and watch the video on TV or your laptop, girls? Bieber should be appreciated in high-def glory. 

Watch Out For the Shadow Hands, Justin! (0:30)
The first 30 seconds end with a bunch of anonymous hands grasping our hero and pulling him into the darkness, like the ghouls dragging Willy Lopez to the netherworld in "Ghost." It's a disastrous second of footage for Bieber, but thankfully...

IT'S ALL FAKE! (0:31)
That's right, the first 30 seconds of the video are just icicle-filled fodder for the REAL video, which gets a proper introduction and rooftop setting. The audible is abrupt and recalls a "REEEE-MIX!" treatment, but feels like the work of an evil genius: after all, young Bieber has just tricked us into watching his beautiful antics for an extra 30 seconds. World domination comes from subtle techniques, and entrancing our eyeballs for an additional half-minute is the slyest of moves.

Falsetto Countdown (1:00)
Classic Biebs, in control behind the wheel, helps us count down to the falsetto reveal. The ladies look on, fascinated by the promise of his falsetto, as Justin slips in an extra 'swag,' as he always should. 

Dramatic Glasses Take-Down (1:08)
"Hey girl... let me talk to you," a pensive Bieber sings as he slowly removes his shades and ever-so-slightly furrows his brow. The viewer cannot tell what Bieber is looking at, but judging from his grave expression, he's looking staring at the most beautiful woman in the world or has just seen a ghost on the rooftop. This face, my friends, could one day get Bieber an Oscar.

Too Cool For Driving Safety (1:17)
It's one thing to do some donuts in your tricked-out car. It's entirely another to be so good at doing donuts that you can calmly sing into the camera without even peeking out the windshield at where you're headed. This in-control shot could someday lead to Bieber starring in "Fast & The Furious 6: All Roads To Canada."

"Swaggy" (1:50)
Did Bieber just do a second-long Dougie on the word "swaggy"? Is that even legal? Did Cali Swag District just change its name to Cali Swaggy District? Clearly, we weren't ready for this.

Bieber, Guitarist (1:51)
Forget the dancing people around him. Why would Bieber want to boogie when he can serenade their souls and demonstrate his artistry? The teen star's pained expression and gentle strumming are enough to woo any potential girlfriend.

Mystery Girl Appears (2:10)
For most of the video, Bieber is preoccupied with a single girl who sort of resembles his real-life lady Selena Gomez. But who is this actress sitting in the passenger seat of a car, eyeing Bieber and looking kind of angry about this whole rooftop-dancing affair? Why isn't she out dancing too? Is she scared? Maybe her moves aren't fly. But do you think Bieber and his friends would really judge her like that? We're lost on this one.

Backseat Seduction (2:20)
Bieber's chilling with his girl in the backseat of his car, leaving the party behind for a little intimacy. His arm is smoothly wrapped around her, and his hand rises to meet hers. His head nudges up against hers, and when the Biebs breaks out the falsetto and pleads, "So give me a chance...," resistance is futile. When Bieber swags on you in a backseat, you're powerless to his charm. 

"Chunky Bieber" (2:58)
Sometimes, legends are created over time. Other times, they emerge fully formed and presented to the world. Such is the case with "Chunky Bieber." Someone get this man his own 3 minutes and 31 seconds of music video magic.

Clap-Shimmy-Head-Nod (3:00)
Just a cool dance move, arguably Bieber's finest in the whole clip. He seems so nonchalant throughout the winning piece of choreography, simply letting the rhythm take hold of him and his boys back him up. 

"Watch My Shoes" (3:12)
The King Midas of Pop slays with the close-up on his gold-colored kicks, sliding across the shiny surface with the ease of his mentor, Usher. As the song winds down, Bieber is still flashing swag through the selection and utilization of his footwear.

Kiss? Maybe? (3:20)
The clip cuts to black as Bieber gazes at his girl, perhaps suggesting an impending kiss -- or an awkward goodbye. The climactic smooch never comes, but for the sake of the Bieber-Gomez union, it's for the best, really.

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Michael Jackson dances again on one billion Pepsi cans

n">(Reuters) - Michael Jackson is dancing again, on Pepsi cans.

The soft drink maker and the estate for the late pop star on Thursday unveiled plans to put the singer's silhouette on one billion soft drink cans in a global pop culture ad campaign.

The late King of Pop, who pitched Pepsi in 1980s commercials as "the choice of a new generation", will appear in some of his iconic dance poses for the promotion, which will also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the singer's "Bad" album.

The limited edition Pepsi cans will go on sale first in China, starting on Saturday, and then in the United States later this month. They will be rolled out in Asia, South America and Europe later in 2012.

Fans of the singer, who died in June 2009, will also be able to enter contests for tickets to Cirque du Soleil's show "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour."

Pepsi, Jackson's estate, and his Sony Music record company are also teaming up to share new mixes of music from the "Bad" album as part of the campaign.

"We are thrilled to bring Michael and Pepsi back together, as they were in 1988, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 'Bad' album and tour and to put Michael on one billion Pepsi cans," John Branca and John McClain, the executors of Jackson's estate, said in a statement.

The Jackson cans are part of Pepsi's new "Live for Now" campaign, which seeks to harness pop culture to boost sales. Pepsi-Cola is currently No.3 in the United States, behind Coca-Cola and Diet Coke in a declining market for carbonated drinks.

Pepsi said earlier this week that rapper Nicki Minaj would feature in a commercial as part of the campaign.

Jackson has been associated with Pepsi since 1983 when he appeared alongside his Jackson 5 brothers in his first Pepsi campaign.

But the memories are not all good. Jackson's hair famously caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984 in Los Angeles, scorching his scalp. The incident was later blamed for triggering Jackson's addiction to painkillers that caused him to enter rehab in 1993.

Jackson, 50, died in Los Angeles from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and sedatives. His personal doctor is serving a four-year jail sentence in Los Angeles for involuntary manslaughter.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Bob Tourtellotte)

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Jethro Tull's Anderson "Thick As A Brick" and dapper

File photo of Ian Anderson, flautist and vocalist of the classic rock band Jethro Tull, performing during a rock concert at Fort Manoel in Valletta's Marsamxett Harbour August 1, 2004.

Credit: Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi

By Jeremy Gaunt

LONDON | Thu May 3, 2012 7:55am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A chat with Ian Anderson - flautist, multi-instrumentalist, founder and wild face of British rock group Jethro Tull - does not go quite as expected.

Yes, there is discussion of his music, the 40th anniversary world tour of the progressive rock classic "Thick As A Brick", and of its 2012 follow up. But there is also a lot more about flutes in space, an unlikely link with the George W. Bush White House - and the importance of prostate examinations.

Anderson, now 64 and dapper rather than the frenzied druid-cum-warlock of yore, is quite clear and animated about the latter. Too many family and friends have died from prostate and colon cancer for him to ignore it.

So much so, in fact, that his current world tour - taking in most of Europe, Israel and more than two dozen stops across the United States -includes a full-fledged skit on the subject, a rallying cry for the audience to get checked plus a visual reminder of those felled by the condition, including cult musician Frank Zappa.

"It is a very serious message," Anderson told Reuters over a beer in railway station pub recently. "If I can get two (in the audience to get a check), I can save lives."

Not that any of this should be taken to suggest that Anderson's current "Thick As a Brick" concerts are overly serious or message-laden. On the contrary, they are a joyful celebration of all that was 1970s prog rock - over-the-top navel-gazing mixed with often sublime musicianship.

A lot of this was evident at a recent, packed concert at London's Hammersmith Apollo, where Anderson was backed by a tight band that included a remarkable sound-a-like singer to help him through the double-tracks of the original.

With impressive agility and age-defying lung power, Anderson cavorted across the stage, keeping the trilling and tutting on his flute going for a couple of hours and leaping from time to time into his trademark one-legged stance.

Some of the rock bite of early Jethro Tull was missing, but it was a crowd-pleaser nonetheless, as was the second half of the show, a performance of "Thick As A Brick 2", a new work bringing the 1972 story into the 21st century.

BOSTOCK REVISITED

Anderson's original "Thick As a Brick" was actually a mild spoof of the prog albums of the time, a response to critics who had labeled Jethro Tull's earlier rock best-seller "Aqualung" as a concept album - something Anderson denies to this day.

But the album, which tells the tale of eight-year old Gerald Bostock who has purportedly written an epic poem, soon entered the pantheon of prog albums.

Its record cover alone, a pretend St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwood Advertiser newspaper, was on the cutting edge of an art form that has all but disappeared with CDs and MP3s.

"It was very much a parody of the prog rock genre of the time," Anderson said. "Some people got it. Some people didn't."

The show - for that is what it is rather than just a concert - brings in video projections, skits and spoof YouTube broadcasts, most of which would have been unthinkable when the original was being cut on vinyl.

This fits well with second half performance, the follow-up work subtitled "Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?", which looks at how the young poet may have fared 40 years on - banker, soldier, homeless man, ordinary bloke?

Musically, it is entertaining and carries the listener away as any good prog should. A Billboard review went as far as to say it proves "there are still vital sonic statements to be made within the old-school prog-rock realm".

But enough of music. Anderson talked about a broad range of subjects, including his late friend Tony Snow, the George W. Bush White House spokesman who died of colon cancer - another motivation for his one-man campaign for regular health checks.

They met when Snow, an amateur jazz flautist, was a television journalist. Anderson reckons it was Snow, not himself, who was parodied in the film "Anchorman" when the character Ron Burgundy jumps on a stage and does a crazy flute solo.

Proudly, he also talks about how U.S. astronaut Catherine Coleman took his flute to the International Space Station with her - a third of her personal allowance.

Anderson and Coleman played a duet via video link on the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first-man-in-space flight last year.

The Space Flute, as it is dubbed, is now safely on Earth.

(Reporting by Jeremy Gaunt, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Rick Ross Has 'Clinical Direction' To New Signings, Says Def Jam President

by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y.  |   May 04, 2012 4:45 EDT

On May 2, Rick Ross and the major players of his Maybach Music Group label assembled at New York's Eventi Hotel to announce the upcoming plans and further expansion of the Warner Bros. hip-hop imprint. MMG's next posse album, "Self Made 2," will be released June 26; rapper Meek Mill's debut album, "Dreams and Nightmares," arrives Aug. 28; and R&B singer Omarion will be the newest member of the MMG family. Meanwhile, "God Forgives, I Don't," Ross' fifth studio album, is due July 31 through Def Jam, where he's signed as a solo artist.

The slew of announcements follow a blockbuster 2011 for MMG, highlighted by the signings of Meek Mill and Wale, whose sophomore album, "Ambition," started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 last November and has sold 417,000 copies, ­according to Nielsen SoundScan. Hosted by Rap Radar CEO ­Elliott Wilson, the press event also followed six months of relative radio silence for MMG: A pair of seizures Ross suffered in October delayed the planned December release date of "God Forgives, I Don't," and the only MMG releases since "Ambition" have been mixtapes like Ross' "Rich Forever," Stalley's "Savage Journey to the American Dream" and Mill's "Dreamchasers 2," the lattermost due May 7.

Maybach Music Day: Label Signs Omarion, Sets Rick Ross Release

Joie Manda, the former executive VP/head of urban music at Warner Bros. who jumped to Universal to become president of Def Jam in March, attended the May 2 press conference along with a slate of other executives, including Island Def Jam Music Group president/COO Steve Bartels and Warner Bros. Records co-president/CEO Todd Moscowitz. Manda says that he and his former label will work closely to roll out Ross' project and the multiple MMG releases in a manner that makes sense for both sides.

"Warner Bros. are our competitors, but they're our friendly competitors," Manda says. "We're both taking direction from Ross, but obviously we need to share information and compare notes to maximize each single and each album date."

Ross' official follow-up to 2010's "Teflon Don" (724,000 sold, according to SoundScan) will not include any material from "Rich Forever," although Manda says he's unsure if "You the Boss" and "I Love My Bitches" -- two singles released last fall as previews of "God Forgives, I Don't" -- will make the final album. However, the new Def Jam head promised more hit singles from Ross, and "movie-like videos" to go along with them. On the day after the press conference, Ross was confirmed to perform at WQHT (Hot 97) New York's annual Summer Jam festival in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 3. (Wale and Meek Mill are also on this year's lineup.)

For Warner Bros., the Omarion signing gives the MMG roster a veteran R&B presence whose recent output hasn't connected at retail. The former B2K singer sold 765,000 copies of his 2005 solo debut, "O" (T.U.G./Epic/Sony Music), but his last album, 2010's "Ollusion" (Starworld/Musicworks), moved only 78,000, according to SoundScan. Omarion will make his MMG debut with the Ross-assisted single "Let's Talk" and a still-untitled EP, neither of which has a release date.

Manda says that Omarion's signing started coming together just before he left Warner Bros. in March, and, like the MMG signings of Wale and Meek Mill, things moved quickly once Ross flew Omarion to his Miami studio and started working on different tracks with the singer.

"[Ross] will have somebody for five to seven days, and he'll measure how many songs can this person do in this amount of days," Manda says. "He has a very clinical direction."

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No Doubt's New Album Due September 25

by David Greenwald, L.A.  |   May 04, 2012 8:53 EDT

No Doubt will return with a new album this fall, the band announced in a video on Friday.

The album, due Sept. 25, will be the group's first since 2001's "Rock Steady." The joking announcement, full of studio applause and sound effects, didn't share a title for the new release.

"Thank you all so much for your support over the last 25 years," the band wrote on its official website. "We're really proud of our new album and we hope you love it as much as we do."

In the coming months, the long-absent group promised to post "plenty of photos and webisodes as we go." No Doubt hasn't been entirely off the radar in the last decade-plus: frontwoman Gwen Stefani released a pair of notable solo albums and the group returned to touring in 2009.

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Hot Tours: Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay

by Bob Allen  |   May 04, 2012 1:50 EDT

Radiohead scores a No. 1 ranking on the latest Hot Tours tally with ticket sales reported from two concerts in Mexico City during April. Touring in support of its album "The King of Limbs" released in 2011, the English rock band performed at the outdoor sports stadium, Foro Sol in the Mexican capitol city on April 17 and 18.  Attendance for both nights totaled 87,986, generating more than 63.2 million pesos in ticket sales revenue ($4.7 million US$).  Opening acts for both performances were Caribou and Other Lives.  Radiohead launched its 2012 tour in Miami in late February and performed in 13 U.S. cities before playing the two shows in Mexico.  The band also appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California on April 14 and 21.
Coldplay, No. 3 on the current Hot Tours recap, has kicked off the North American leg of its "Mylo Xyloto" Tour that began with a European trek during the last three months of 2011.  The first concert this year was in Canada at Edmonton's 17,500-seat arena, Rexall Place on April 17. With Metronomy and The Pierces providing support, the Grammy-winning band grossed more than $1.2 million from 14,306 sold tickets.  The first U.S. venue on the current leg was the Rose Garden in Portland with a sold out performance on April 24.  With 12,966 sold seats, the arena box office reported ticket sales topping the $1 million mark.  The tour follows the 2011 release of the band's fifth studio album, "Mylo Xyloto," and will continue through late-September.

Canadian rock band Nickelback lands on the Hot Tours chart this week at No. 9 with the first performance reported from its Here and Now Tour that began in early April.  Montreal's Bell Centre garnered over $1 million in ticket revenue from a sold out concert on April 21 with a crowd totaling 13,688.  Bush, Seether and My Darkest Days were the show openers.  Nickelback will be performing at North American arenas through the end of June, followed by a string of outdoor amphitheater dates during July.  A European leg of the tour will begin in early September.

Artist/Event
Total Gross
Show Dates
Show Venue/City (Shows/Sellouts)
Total Attendance (Capacity)BRYAN ADAMS
Centre Georges-Vézina, Chicoutimi, Quebec (1/1)Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City (1/1)CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S MICHAEL JACKSON TOUR
Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pa. (1/0)Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C. (2/0)ERICH CHURCH
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (1/1)Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky. (1/1)U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, Ill. (1/1)NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
PULP Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City (1/0)

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10 Awesome Adam Yauch Rhymes: Beastie Boy MCA's Best Lyrics

Each of the Beastie Boys brandished a style of rapping that set him apart from the pack. But for many fans, it was the distinctive growl of MCA that consistently rose above the beats. From the trio's rough and rowdy early tracks to their refined and respected final cuts, Adam Yauch delivered his rhymes with a depth, grit and lyrical precision that was renowned and respected in rap and rock circles alike.

Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys' MCA, 1964-2012

Photos: Beastie Boys Through The Years | MCA's Death: Stars React on Twitter

Throughout his life, Yauch evolved from a street-wise Brooklyn brawler into a peace-practicing Buddhist activist, and his enlightenment was reflected in the lyrics he committed to wax over the years. Check out 10 of MCA's most famous verses and pay homage to one of hip-hop's most cherished voices.

What MCA lyrics are your favorites? Let us know in the comments section below.

"No Sleep Til Brooklyn"

1986

"Born and bred in Brooklyn the U.S.A./ They call me Adam Yauch but I'm M.C.A./ Like a lemon to a lime a lime to a lemon/ I sip the def ale with all the fly women"

"Paul Revere"

1986

"Now my name is M.C.A. I've got a license to kill/ I think you know what time it is it's time to get ill/ Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer/ I run this land, you understand I make myself clear."

"Shake Your Rump"

1989

"A puppet on a string I'm paid to sing or rhyme/ Or do my thing I'm in a lava lamp inside my brain hotel/ I might be freakin' or peakin' but I rock well"

"Pass The Mic"

1992

"If you can feel what I'm feeling then it's a musical masterpiece/ If you can hear what I'm dealing with then that's cool at least/ What's running through my mind comes through in my walk/ True feelings are shown from the way that I talk"

"So What'cha Want"

1992

"Well I'm as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce/ You've got the rhyme and reason but no cause/ Well if you're hot to trot you think you're slicker than grease/ I've got news for you crews you'll be sucking like a leech"

NEXT: Sure Shot, Intergalactic, & More

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Rock Hall Broadcast: Dedicated to Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys

HBO's broadcast of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which debuts at 9 p.m. ET Saturday (May 5) will be dedicated to Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who were inducted on April 14 in Cleveland.

An HBO spokesperson tells Billboard.com that the show's ending has been changed to include a photo of the rapper and musician -- who passed away on Friday at the age of 47, following a nearly three-year battle with cancer -- with text that reads "In Memory of Adam Yauch." The two-and-a-half-hour show had already been altered to include Levon Helm and Dick Clark during the In Memoriam section, even though both died during the week following the event.

Yauch did not attend the ceremony at Cleveland's Town Hall but sent a letter that was read to the audience by fellow Beastie Boy Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Yauch's parents, Frances and Noel Yauch, attended the ceremony and were thanked for their support in their son's letter as well as by Horovitz and Mike "Mike D" Diamond. The other two Beastie Boys chose not to perform during the ceremony; instead Kid Rock, Gym Class Heroes Travie McCoy and the Roots delivered a well-received medley of the group's favorites.

HBO has 14 other airings scheduled for HBO and HBO2, while HBO Signature will air the special for 24 hours on Sunday, May 6.

The bulk of Yauch's Rock hall induction letter went as follows:

I'd like to dedicate this award to my brothers, Adam and Mike, who've walked the globe with me.

To anyone who's been touched by our band, who our music has meant something to, this induction is as much ours as it is yours. To Kate Schellenbach. To John Berry. To John Berry's loft on 100th St. in Brooklyn where John's dad would come busting in during our first practices screaming, "Would you turn that f***ing s*** off already!"...

To my loving and supportive parents, Noel and Frances Yauch, and to our home in Brooklyn where we used to practice on hot Brooklyn days after school, windows wide open to disturb the neighborhood...

But most of all I'd like to thank and dedicate this honor to my smart, beautiful and loving wife Dechen and our sweet, talented, loving daughter Tenzin. Never has a man felt more blessed than I to be able to spend my time with my two soulmates. I love you guys more than you know.

I wish I could name everyone who deserves to be named, but of course there's too many names to name. You know who you are, and I sent my love out to all of you.

Your friend, Adam Yauch.

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