He may have earned an even more negative reputation for the ultimate diss of 2009 against Taylor Swift, but Kanye West seemed sincere when offering apologies and has even taken time off the road to reflect. No matter one’s personal opinion of the rapper, there’s no denying his talent on this CD/DVD set of VH1 Storytellers (Def Jam/Roc A Fella). Though the set spans his entire career thus far, particular emphasis is spent on 808′s & Heartbreak, which was written in the wake of his mother’s passing. (more…)

Summer festival season is about to hit full swing and all eyes will certainly center on Chicago come Lollapalooza 2009 (hitting Grant Park August 7-9). Though the line-up has yet to be annouced, last year’s trifecta of headliners included Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Kanye West, which means there won’t likely be a shortage of major players throughout the upcoming installment. While fans wait with baited breath to find out who will fill in those very slots, a contest has popped up on these very pages worth getting even more excited about. (more…)

The new album from N.A.S.A. will feature a tune called “Gifted,” a hip-hop/electronic collaboration between Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold that sounds club-ready with its soulful vocals and boisterous rapping. The album, due out Feb. 17, also features a video directed by visual artist Shepard Fairey (of Andre the Giant fame). You can check it out on the video link above this post. N.A.S.A. (Sam Spiegel and Ze Gonzales) is a collaborative DJ/production duo. Spiegel is known for throwing dance parties in both Los Angeles and his native New York while Gonzales is a former skateboarder who’s become a famous DJ in South America. There’s also a full-length documentary film that includes behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the album and interviews with many of the contributors, include Sizzla, Method Man and George Clinton.

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