With the Maiden England world tour kicking off just six days ago in Charlotte, the group was rested and ready to deliver its signature, galloping brand of aggressively intricate, massively influential music that they’ve been assaulting the world with since their 1980 recording debut.

New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. Badu has described its sound as “very analog”. Recording during 2006 to 2009, a portion of the album was recorded at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios.

Formed in 1987, Green Day is a rock band consisting of the always entertaining Billie Joe on vocals and guitar, funky Mike Dirnt on bass guitar, and, of course, Tré Cool on drums. The band has sold over 22 million records in the United States, won three Grammy Awards; Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.

The eleven captivating songs on Shontelligence were recorded over a two year period. Co-written with producers Sturken and Rogers, the album presents an array of songs which display Shontelle’s depth and versatility; like the motivational anthem, “Battle Cry,” also featured on a compilation album inspired by President-Elect Barack Obama’s campaign called Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement, and “Life Is Not An Easy Road,” a reggae-influenced track that encourages strength in the face of adversity.

“I think the band is without a fucking doubt a million times the best it’s ever been. As long as people get off on coming to the concerts, I’ll forgive them for not buying the records.” Liam’s cheeky arrogance may seem disproportionate to the band’s success stateside, but to the 500 thousand people who immediately bought tickets for their concerts the day they went on sale, Oasis is still the dog’s bollocks.

Over two decades have passed since Rock and Rap music first collided when a young Run DMC covered Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” off their 1975 album, Toys In The Attic. At the time, Rock music was flourishing; whereas, Rap music was still trying to make a name for itself in the music industry. The two [...]