Beyonce Knowles

Foxy Brown Lies About Jay-Z's Sex Life and Other Controversies

Where to begin? #raptwitter had a big day yesterday, with big stories breaking left and right. From a Foxy Brown hoax to a pseudo-Big Tymers reunion, here are your biggest hip-hop news stories of the week: Yesterday started off with a shocking report of Foxy Brown dishing out some pretty wild alleg ... More >>

The Antidote to Dallas' Love Affair with Shiny New Things

In a town that pays actual respect to the glitteriest, shiniest new thing on the block, it's easy to take the classics for granted. I generally regard my distaste for nostalgia as a positive thing, but the test of time is not easy to pass and must therefore be honored. Like a worn-in t-shirt or a f ... More >>

This Week's Top Show Announcements: Beyoncé, She & Him, Tim McGraw and More

Beyoncé Saturday, July 6, at American Airlines Center Tickets go on sale Monday for the "Mrs. Carter Show" world tour, with stops in more than forty cities worldwide. The North American dates kickoff in L.A. on June 28. If Queen Bey's Superbowl half-time show this past weekend was any indication of ... More >>

Who Played at the Presidential Inauguration Ball? Everybody who Could Offend Nobody

There's something fascinating and a little frightening about putting together a playlist for an event that is not you sitting in front of your computer in a bathrobe, refreshing Twitter. All the things you take for granted in the music you enjoy--the little background flourishes that charmed you onc ... More >>

Seven of This Week's Best Show Announcements: Mary J. Blige, Taylor Swift, The xx and More

Mary J. Blige Sunday, November 18, at American Airlines Center, $49.25-$199.25 Tickets go on sale today for Mary J. Blige's "Liberation" Tour, which will feature special guests Brandy and Kendrick Lamar. The tour is in support of Blige's upcoming 2013 release, My Life II...The Journey Continues (Ac ... More >>

Jay-Z Sues 40/40 Club Chef Mike Shand Over Chicken Wings. Really.

Oh shit son. Jay-Z is pissed. Apparently, one does not fuck with Hova and his secret chicken wing recipe without receiving a legal shitstorm of "AW HELL NAW." The precious chicken wings are a staple at the mogul's famed 40/40 club, an upscale chain of sports bars with locations in New York City, Las ... More >>

In Defense Of... Rita Ora's "How We Do (Party)"

At first glance, British pop star Rita Ora is a dead ringer for her Roc Nation label mate Rihanna. They may even have the same stylist as Beyoncé. I guess Hova and I have similar tastes, because I like these women all the same. Rita Ora's recent single "How We Do (Party)" sounds like this year's a ... More >>

Guys, Sisters With Voices Has a New Album Out.

SWV. Yes, beloved '90s R&B group Sisters With Voices, perhaps best known for their single "Weak," are set to release a new full-length album, I Missed Us, April 17. They're putting some new energy behind December single "Co-Sign," and I don't mean to be punny when I say I co-sign this single, like a ... More >>

Preview: The Dream at Southside Music Hall

Friday, March 30, at Southside Music Hall

In Defense Of... Usher's "Climax"

In the past couple years, Usher went through a few personal crises, which caused a musical mid-life crisis for the artist. Usher's top singles since 2010 were overloaded dance floor tunes like "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "More." This phase of Usher's career resembled the excesses and lost dign ... More >>

Big K.R.I.T. Reps the New Southern Hip-Hop Underground

Are people still using PlayStations? If the brand is looking for a charming accomplishment via their product, they need look no further than Big K.R.I.T. As a resourceful teenager, Justin Scott used PlayStation's MTV Music Generator to form his first beats, and that entrepreneurial spirit guided hi ... More >>

Our Anaconda Don't Want None Unless It's Plush Art, Hun

Oh. My. God. Becky, look at this art. It's just so big and so small. It's just, like, opposites, like, a study in "differences in scale and color." < /valleygirl > A vocab word you may have missed on the GRE, "Dimorphism" is a biology term referring to dual variations within a species. There are ... More >>

The Five Most Memorable Cheap-Ass Meals the Cheap Bastard Ate in 2011

Every week I try to find a lunch in Dallas that's less than ten bucks. (Of course, empty parking lots, barred windows, cash only and misspelled menu items are always a plus.) Not every meal I discover is delicious, but they're all memorable. Here were my five most memorable Cheap Bastard meals from ... More >>

In Defense Of... Mary J Blige's "25/8"

Mary J. Blige has always struck me as a more well-balanced and humble singer than her contemporaries. Instead of overpowering the music with diva crescendos, Mary lets the music flow with her. This anti-diva approach is the reason she's abided twenty-plus years and two generations of boisterous diva ... More >>

Erykah Badu Announces Debut Cannabinoids Album, We Take Another Look at DOMA Season

Since I just stumbled across the above video of Erykah Badu and The Cannabinoids just owning the stage at our awards ceremony at the House of Blues on Tuesday night, here's one last post about the 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards -- and then, promise, we're done. In case you missed it: Badu announc ... More >>

Get To Know Your DOMAXXIII Nominees: Best Cover/Tribute Act, Best Label, Best Producer

​Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in the Best Cover/Tribute Act, B ... More >>

Bonus MP3: A.Dd -- "Insomniac Dreaming (Produced by Black Milk)"

​Ever since the release of the free When Pigs Fly album back in March, we've been consistently fed with new tracks from the fellas in A.Dd -- "loosies," they're calling them, tracks that didn't quite fit When Pigs Fly and aren't quite in line with the band's next planned release, an EP set to com ... More >>

In Defense of... Gavin DeGraw "Not Over You"

I've never been into bluesy piano rock played by guys wearing fedoras over casual clothing. It just seems like something made specifically for impressionable young women or those married couples that spoon at concerts. I'm neither of those, so that's probably why I never heard of Gavin DeGraw u ... More >>

Download and Stream Some Killer Ocelot Jams, See The Half-Dallas Duo's Free DJ Gig Tonight

​Not to keep touting each and every Thursday night gig at Rio Room, but tonight's offering at the Travis Street lounge is again an intriguing one. After recent Thursday night sets from Diplo, Shuttle (the DJ moniker of new Dallas resident Nate Donmoyer of Passion Pit) and others, the Thursday nigh ... More >>

In Broadway Our Way, the Uptown Players Sing it Loud and Proud, Honey

But at the Green Zone, blahblah's title says it all.

Symbolyc One Goes Platinum with Kanye, Collaborates with Jay-Z, Beyonce and 50 Cent.

Symbolyc One's platinum display for his work on Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Family.​There was no doubting that it would happen eventually, but late last month, it finally did: Kanye West's brilliant 2010 release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, went platinum.And, OK, while that's may ... More >>

Listomania: Four Dance Videos That May Have Inspired Thom Yorke's "Lotus Flower" Moves

Last week, without a great deal of forewarning, Radiohead surprised fans by releasing their latest album, King of Limbs, only five days after announcing its impending release. And although it hasn't been out all that long, it is already being hailed as perhaps the band's "most challenging" album yet ... More >>

Pomplamoose's DIY Revolution

The Top 10 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Covers in the History of Ogling

​Whether her name is Irina Shayk or Iwanna Shake, we've fallen for it again. Every year I hear the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is about to hit stands and my initial reaction is to yawn. We don't have harsh winters in Dallas plus, don't know if you've heard, but you can find women i ... More >>

Listomania: Ten Acts More Deserving Of Playing The Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show Than The Black Eyed Peas

​A week ago today, we passed along word of the still-circulating rumor that the Black Eyed Peas would be the performers at Super Bowl XLV, which, you surely already know, is set to take place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on Sunday, February 6.We've yet to squash that rumor--the closest we got w ... More >>

Model Watch: It's Makeover Time, Angels!

Let's be honest: We can just post this pic of Dallas model Ann and walk away, right?​For another week, we watch America's Next Top Model so you don't have to. That, right there? That's a solid. So then, to commence with the recapping.Last night's episode began with the de rigueur reality-show open ... More >>

Scalini's Pizza and Pasta: A Perfect Pesto Pie

35 Songs Hollywood Needs To Stop Using

"Somebody Once Told Me The World..." SHUT UP​Dear Hollywood, We know it's hard to cut trailers, and you want to the maximum possible appeal. It's understandable, and we all know the game. Unfortunately, you've recently achieved critical mass on one subject: overused, hackneyed trailer songs. Some ... More >>

Year in Review: Sampling the Best DJ and Dance Music of 2009

The past year brought the worst economy since the malaise of the 1970s, and like that era, it also saw dance music sweep the nation. Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs all dabbled in the sound. Even Michael Jackson was said to be working on a dance album with the Peas ... More >>

Moes Aplenty

Blessed With Sexy Synthpop Satire, Altar Boyz Zings

Poor Kelly Clarkson Just Can't Catch A Break.

​Speaking of Kelly Clarkson: Burleson's own just can't seem to catch a break. After notoriously getting into a spat with Clive Davis and her record label over her last album, My December, Clarkson is again having it out with her label, claiming that she never really wanted her new single, "Already ... More >>

Good Friday: The Independence Day Edition

So, first and foremost: Happy (almost) Fourth of July, everyone! Now, let's talk about the weekend in music, per protocol. As always, the stuff we already discussed up first.Tonight's pretty busy, actually: Asylum Street Spankers, Porterdavis and The O's play the Granada; The Edge gets the 20th Ann ... More >>

Ne-Yo

Sunday, February 15, 2009 at Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie

Last Night: John Legend At Nokia Theatre

John Legend Nokia Live January 22, 2009 Better than: Letting the bartender mix your cocktail with Pepsi products. Having learned a hard lesson in traffic jams the last time I went to Grand Prairie's Nokia Theatre, I took MacArthur to the venue, to discover the streets were flowing free and clear. I ... More >>

Today In Music News: Beyonce v. The Secret Service, A J.J. Fad Reunion?

Your daily dose of music news for Thursday, January 22, 2009... Even the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday couldn't keep Beyonce from goin' all diva on the Secret Service's ass. It seems the building her hubby Jay-Z was rehearsing in for his inauguration concert was part of a five block, no ... More >>

2008 Should've Been The New Year's Year

One thing you can't expect every new year? Another record from Dallas' own The New Year—which is just part of why The New Year is such a crowning achievement.

Whitt's End

 Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week - even the end of the year -  welcome to Whitt's End: *Hold your horses if you thought tonight's concert by Russ Martin and his band at Joe Avezzano's joint up in Frisco was going to A) turn into a bashfest o ... More >>

Cadillac Records Gets Nothing Right, Especially the Facts About Chess Records

Pot, Kettle. Kettle, Pot.

Talib Kweli

Eardrum (Warner Bros. Records)

Queens of the Stone Age

Era Vulgaris (Interscope)

Pre-bridal Blowout

Ginuwine takes care of this Bachelorette Party

Odds & Ends

Arm your lyrical swords and prepare your Suge Knight jokes--it's rap battle time at TexasGigs.com

Everyone's Watching

Oscar visits Big D

N.E.R.D. Alert

Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams plan for the revenge of the N.E.R.D.

Miracle Grow

Plus: Shout Out of the Week...; Needless Things

Mann Power

Aimee Mann bought her way out of corporate enslavement. Now she can be as sad as she pleases.

LeAnn Rimes

Twisted Angel (Curb)

Miller's Crossing

Rhett Miller's The Instigator isn't the wreck of the Old 97's. It's just what he does.