Fuse

D’Angelo Returns For First Show in 11 Years

Posted on January 27, 2012 at 05:00 PM

Elusive R&B crooner D’Angelo has become more mythical figure than actual human since the release of 2000’s Voodoo. Following its release, the singer embarked on a decade-long drug- and alcohol-fueled sabbatical, leaving Spin to sum up the feelings of many of his fans: What the hell happened? Rumors of a third album began to appear around 2001, yet the album itself has become the source of Detox levels of anticipation.

Finally, we have some tangible, concrete proof of the singer’s return, as D’Angelo kicked off his “D-Tour” in Stockholm, culling tracks from Brown Sugar and Voodoo and including a new song entitled “Sugar Daddy.” Check out video of his performance below, but if you want the quick and dirty: despite this being his first proper performance in 11 years, the singer sounds just as soulful as a decade ago. “Sugar Daddy” leans more toward the funkier side of D’Angelo’s catalog, sounding more Raphael Saadiq than Teddy Pendergrass. The cornrows remain, yet the singer has slimmed down and is a far cry from his 2010 mugshot.

?uestlove told Pitchfork that the singer’s third album, tentatively titled James River, is “97% done.” Between that and a hopefully healthy tour, 2012 may actually be the year the smoothest singer of the decade comes out of his shell.

D'Angelo - "Sugar Daddy"

 

Tagged as: News , Video

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt Covers "Hey Jude" at Sundance

Posted on January 27, 2012 at 04:34 PM

A lot of people have side hustles from their daily jobs. Your waiter friend is really an actor. That girl in retail sells homemade jewelry on Etsy. And your buddy in that small film that grossed $825 million worldwide strums a guitar in his free time. After watching this and this, we figured JoGoLe couldn't raise his cool quotient, but then he turns up at Sundance with a guitar and pulls out "Hey Jude." Because he's Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And he can do no wrong.

 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - "Hey Jude"

 

Tagged as: News , Video

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Miley's Penis Cake, Rihanna's Tattoo, 40/40 Shutdown

Posted on January 27, 2012 at 03:30 PM

Why did Miley Cyrus get a red velvet penis cake? What did Rihanna tattoo on her knuckles? And why was Jay-Z's club 40/40 shut down by the Department of Health one day after it re-opened? Damn, there were a lot of questions in the music world this week, but Fuse host Elaine Moran's got all the answers (read: jokes) in this week's "Happy Fun Music Time," the only show that's Happy! And Fun! And about Music! And, um, Time! Enjoy.

 

Tagged as: News , Rihanna , Video

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The Price of Partying With Diddy: $50,000

Posted on January 27, 2012 at 02:57 PM

So, Sean “Diddy” Combs is throwing a Grammy after party at the Playboy Mansion and VIP tickets will cost you $50,000. Oh, hell no? Too expensive, you say? Look, it’s simple math: Diddy’s coolness-by-association is pricey, and you’re some boring (albeit rich) nobody, so, f**k you, pay up.

Here’s what you get for $50,000: The Monster Cabana ticket, which includes two cabanas, VIP admission for 20 people, buffet dinner, open bar, free bottle service, and 15 dedicated female promotional models. That’s 15 hot chicks who, just by standing near you, make you look cooler and more attractive. Let’s call this service “proximity prostitution.” But it’s all for a good cause: The Angelwish Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of children living with HIV/AIDS. Which is exactly what you’ll be thinking about as you follow Ms. September into the grotto – the children…

Okay. Full disclosure: tickets for Diddy’s after party are selling for as low as $1,500. But would you wear sweatpants to the prom? Hugh Hefner will be there (it’s his house) and this could be your big shot. You roll VIP style and don’t you forget it.

Still, I got to say: By comparison, the conversation at the $35,800-per-plate fundraiser dinner for President Obama, held at Spike Lee’s apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is far more engaging. Just sayin’.

Tagged as: Music , News

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You Can Now Take a Class on Beyoncé

Posted on January 27, 2012 at 01:35 PM

During my freshman year of college, I took a course called “History of Rock, Pop and Soul Music,” where the midterm included questions like, “What genre is Willie Nelson?” and spirited debates arose over the difference between west coast and east coast hip hop. I still have the textbook, figuring I would never again be able to highlight “reggae pioneer” or “blues-rock master Eric Clapton” for credit again. Since then, everyone from Tupac to Bob Dylan to Jay-Z is taught in school, yet Jay can now add his wife to the list of esteemed musicians worthy of academic debate.

Yep. For only $36,679 a year, Rutgers University is offering “Politicizing Beyoncé” as part of its Women’s and Gender Studies program. “The performer’s music and career are used as lenses to explore American race, gender, and sexual politics,” said Professor Kevin Allred, presumably while pirouetting around the room to “Single Ladies” and wagging his index finger side-to-side. Course topics will include “the extent of Beyoncé’s control over her own aesthetic, whether her often half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical, and her more racy performances as her alter ego, ‘Sasha Fierce.’”

We’re on the fence about this. We really want to believe that Bey will be a springboard to discussing important sociological topics that will further the often fraught and uncomfortable discussions we have about race, and, to a lesser extent, gender, in society. But then 17-year-old me thinks back to his professor, clad in a black leather jacket, blasting The Pixies and yelling “Who wants to learn about grunge?!” (True story.) Add to that the overanalyzing of pop music in certain corners of the academic (and music journo) community, in which no twirl, coo or “Baby” is beneath words like “dialectic” and “didactic” and it’s hard not to be a little skeptical.

Allred, however, plans on combining Beyoncé’s videos and lyrics with “readings from the Black feminist canon,” including abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth, so for now, we remain cautiously optimistic. First time we hear about the mathematical and sociological implications of, “I don't know much about algebra, but I know 1 + 1 = 2,” though and we’re out of there.

Tagged as: Beyonce , Music , News

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