AP - Jun 11, 2007
If you saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers whispering to Al Gore when they accepted their Grammy Award for best rock album in February, that s the moment they committed to playing Live Earth. Gore said he...
More »Reuters - Nov 28, 2006
Bono, the Irish rock star and outspoken campaigner against poverty and AIDS, praised Japan s policies on those issues on Wednesday, in a departure from his usual criticism of rich nations for not living...
More »Reuters - Oct 5, 2006
Initially, Billy Bragg s gig Wednesday at the Music Box appeared as if it was going to be a drag. Before the Brit punk-folk vet hit the stage, attendance was so sparse that the balcony was closed. But...
More »E! Online - Apr 18, 2006
Neil Young s 1989 anthem Rockin in the Free World was scathingly critical of the social policies of then-president George Bush. Now the rock icon has found himself a new target: Bush s son. In a ticker...
More »Reuters - Jan 24, 2006
Rapper Kanye West, unafraid to speak out over personal slights and more serious charges of political persecution, wears a crown of thorns as he poses as Jesus Christ on the cover of the next issue of...
More »Reuters - Jan 4, 2006
New York singer/songwriter Jesse Malin will release his third solo album through a label co-founded by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. There s neither a title nor rough release date for the...
More »AP - Dec 30, 2005
It may not have been evident at the time, but when Tom Cruise was leaping up and down on Oprah Winfrey s couch, he was like a piston, churning the wheels of fate. Had Cruise not chosen to express his...
More »AP - Oct 26, 2005
The Houston Astros are much more likely to boot scoot to country music than bob their heads to hip-hop. But that hasn t stopped two rappers from Houston — the new rap hotbed — from putting a...
More »AP - Oct 14, 2005
Soon after Hurricane Katrina hit, Irvin Lee wanted to express his outrage and frustration over the devastation and response — but for a while, he just couldn t. I couldn t kind of capture it into...
More »Reuters - Oct 10, 2005
When musician David Byrne says he is going to play a factory in Stockholm, he is not planning a gig at a trendy new venue, but talking literally. The founder of the band Talking Heads has turned a disused...
More »AP - Oct 6, 2005
In times of war, tragedy and turmoil, many hit songs have eloquently expressed a collective angst. But even though Hurricane Katrina has already inspired several musical efforts, it seems doubtful this...
More »Reuters - Sep 18, 2005
Farm Aid staged its 20th annual star-studded benefit concert on Sunday, pledging help for overlooked rural victims of Hurricane Katrina and defending against charges of financial waste. The day-long...
More »E! Online - Sep 14, 2005
Not even the World s Greatest Rock n Roll Band could roll Kanye West from the top of the charts. The wave-making rapper s Late Registration easily held off the new album from the Rolling Stones and...
More »AP - Sep 9, 2005
The producer of Friday s one-hour telethon to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims said no special precautions will be taken to edit out political statements — even though rapper Kanye West is on the...
More »E! Online - Sep 8, 2005
Hurricane Katrina may be long gone, but the storm surrounding Kanye West s controversial off-script rap lingers. The hip-hop star s impromptu anti-President Bush, anti-media diatribe, airing live...
More »E! Online - Sep 6, 2005
The National Football League is refusing to punt Kanye West, despite the rapper s controversial trashing of President Bush s response to Hurricane Katrina. The NFL stood by the hip-hop star Tuesday...
More »AP - Sep 2, 2005
Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, Master P and Dave Matthews are contributing star power to relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. DeGeneres, a New Orleans native whose 82-year...
More »AP - Sep 2, 2005
It began, fittingly enough, with jazz from New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis. But A Concert for Hurricane Relief, a heartfelt and dignified benefit aired on NBC and other networks...
More »AP - Jul 14, 2005
When Bassam Khalaf raps, he s the Arabic Assassin. His unreleased CD, Terror Alert, includes rhymes about flying a plane into a building and descriptions of himself as a crazy, suicidal Arabic ... equipped...
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