A week or so ago, Stereogum reported that Gnarls Barkley’s latest video for the song “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” was leaked by permission.

I wasn’t able to catch it before it was removed, but fortunately the video is out for the those of us who don’t get up early enough to catch leaks. All I can saw is that this it is one of the most unique and disturbing videos I’ve seen in a very long time; dispondent and dark, just like the song.

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Courtney Love Performs At Her Intimate Birthday Show In London

Seems like everyone is being sued these days. Folks are litigious about getting there money for song samples, undelivered books and dilution of the value of their names.

Courtney Love was sued earlier this week, for breaking an oral agreement with management firm, London Co. The firm claims that Love owes them 5% of her reported $19.5 million profits from the sale of Love’s portion of the Nirvana catalogue.

Lil Wayne may have had three weeks as king of the Billboard but now he’s being sued for copyright infringement. According to Rolling Stone, music publisher, Abkco filed suit against Wayne claiming that “playing with Fire” from Tha Carter III poses unfair competition with the Rolling Stones song “Play With Fire.” If Abkco is successful, Lil Wayne might be paying them some royalties from Tha Carter III.

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As predicted, Nas’ Untitled hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week. On that very day - today - he joined protesters from Move On and Color of Change, in dissent regarding Fox’s portrayal of African Americans. Nas and Fox News have been at odds since Fox aired a story painting the rapper as a violence glorifying thug. While Nas does have some gritty songs, he has always tried to include positive messages in most of his music. The Fox News spot was pretty slanted; check it out.

Sorry folks, the video is no longer available

Well, sure add that Nas is not the worst after you’ve made it seem like he’s the spawn of Satan. Nas is a pretty savvy businessman, so there is no doubt he would choose songs appropriate for the occasion. He has plenty of songs about brotherhood, unity and love.

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Nas released his 10th studio album last week, after much controversy and anticipation. At first the LP was entitled “N**ger,” however Nas opted for a title self-titled untitled release after much criticism from the NAACP.

“Everybody is trying to stop the title…. Record stores are gonna have a problem in this day and time selling a record with that title. Who knows what’s gonna turn out and be on that title? Who knows what that title will be?” [source]

Nas did not shy from the controversy altogether,choosing an image of his bare back with whip lacerations in the shape of an “N”. He also airing several unappologetic videos including “Sly Fox” in which he lamblasts Fox Corp. for it’s biased reporting and encouraging the people to restore and rebuild the media.

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I can’t imagine what it must have felt like for Gym Class Heros frontman Travis McCoy, to be standing on stage and have an audience member hurl racial slurs at you. What I can say is that I certainly sympathize with his plight.

Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travis McCoy was arrested last night in St. Louis on one charge of third-degree assault. The punk-hop group had just finished the first song of their Warped Tour set, “Peace Sign,” when a black audience member near the front row called the New York-based singer a “fucking ignorant nigger.”

McCoy calmly asked the man, “What did you just call me?” As security was removing him from the crowd, the frontman reached down and broke his microphone over the man’s head. McCoy immediately apologized for his reaction and said it wasn’t representative of him as a person. “I’m sorry. But when someone calls you something that ignorant and that offensive, you have to bash their head in with a microphone,” said McCoy. The audience cheered as the man in question was carried away by security. Local police are not releasing the victim’s name at this time.

McCoy was subsequently arrested and released on bail for assaulting the heckler. Tisk, tisk McCoy, but I’m glad you immediately realized the error of your ways. Next time, think before you act.

Hat tip: Rolling Stone

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Has anyone else seen the “Be Kanye” infomercial? It’s absolutely ridiculous and part of the reason that no matter how much people seem to hate on Kanye West, I won’t be converted to the club. He may rant like a crazy person on his blog, but he still does clever stuff like this. So what do I care about his personality? It’s not like I know him personally…

“Ladies and gentlemen, hold it right there!” Unleash the super star in you with “Be Kanye.” LOL, check it out:

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For those of you who like me were unable to hop on a plane to see Björk and Sigur Rios play at the Náttúra Festival in Iceland this weeked, and missed the live webcast on National Geographic, do not fret. You might not ever see the entire show, but you can catch remnants of it via the power of democratized media.

Here’s an clip of Bjork performing the title track from her latest album Wonderlust and “Hyperballad” from Post. Whether or not you like Björk’s persona - and the coinciding excentricities - you have to admire her willingness to use her fame as a platform for important enviromental issues. I love the way her voice comes through her throat and her exagerated enounciations. Check it out:

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