Bone Crusher

Roll Up! T.I., Atlanta Hip-Hop Luminaries Star In Coming-Of-Age Flick 'ATL'

02 Mar 2006 06:00:00 EST

Big Boi, Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, Jazze Pha also appear in film, due next month.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Joseph Patel

When it comes to music, T.I. is so confident that he calls himself the King of the South. When it comes to making films, he realizes it's a whole different ballgame. He still has to prove himself and admits he doesn't know how good he is just yet.

In a few weeks Tip makes his feature-film debut in the Chris Robinson-directed "ATL," which is poised to be a sleeper hit for the spring. The cast alone — which includes Hotlanta hip-hop luminaries like Big Boi, Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, Jazze Pha, DJ Drama and T Mo Goodie — should put plenty of people in seats, and the engaging story revolves around a group of friends struggling to break out of the ghetto.

The film hits theaters on March 31, three days after T.I.'s new LP, King, lands in stores (see "New T.I. Songs Leak — Swizz Beatz Calls Track With Tip 'A Whole 'Nuther Level' ").

The coming-of-age flick revolves around five friends who frequent a roller rink called Cascades. That place is based on Atlanta's legendary Jellybeans rink, where Outkast, Goodie Mob, TLC's T-Boz, hitmakers Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri and others hung out back in the '80s. The film was produced by Austin, T-Boz and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment.

On Tuesday night in New York, T.I. previewed "ATL" for a small crowd. Suffice it to say the film is much more than another variation on Bow Wow's "Roll Bounce." The picture, which is based in part on Austin's life, captures the essence of Atlanta's culture, from the authenticity of the language to the clothes.

One aspect of the city's culture, anyway. "My coming-of-age would have been a whole 'nother movie," T.I. said last summer on the set of the film (during a day that found him and fellow cast members like singer/actor Jason Weaver learning how to maneuver gracefully on skates). "My coming-of-age would have been on some 'Boyz N the Hood' sh--. I went to the skating rink just to pick up girls and kick it — it was an early club scene to me. It wasn't as symbolic for me as it was for some other people."

In the movie, T.I. plays a Mechanicsville, Georgia, high school senior named Rashad, who is so focused on trying to raise his younger brother, Jellybean (played by Evan Ross Naess, son of singer Diana Ross), that he pushes his own dreams of becoming a cartoonist to the back burner in the hope of getting his sibling out of the 'hood. He finds escape in going to Cascades every Sunday and stunting on the skates with his crew, the Ones.

"It's got a lot of grown-man situations," T.I. said of his role. "We get to watch how he handles them and how he finds sense in all the madness."

T.I. has a natural onscreen presence, delivering the same kind of ruminating-yet-cool swagger that he does in song, and his unpolished, genuine delivery recalls Ice Cube in "Boyz N the Hood." And being a native of ATL definitely didn't hurt. "There's a world of difference" between making records and films, he said. "You make the record when you feel like it: Whenever the inspiration hits you, you go into the studio and record. Making a movie is on their time, when they say it's time to do this or that."

"He's so cool," Tip's love interest in the movie, Lauren London (probably best known for Pharrell's "Frontin' " video), said of her co-star. "He's so genuine and real. It's been such a pleasure working with him."

"ATL" also deals with social class in the black community, and takes a decidedly dark turn when Big Boi's character, drug dealer Marcus, is introduced into the mix. Big, whose real name — Antwan Andre Patton — appears in the credits (T.I. is credited as Tip Harris), is a visually gravitating scene-stealer who can be hilarious one minute, dauntingly callous the next. And during one scene in particular, he had some members of Tuesday night's audience covering their eyes.

"I can't really judge [my performance]," Tip said in January during a photo shoot for his forthcoming album. "It's my first time acting so I don't have nothing to judge it on. I'm just waiting for the response."

For more on T.I. and Atlanta's hip-hop scene, take a look at "My Block: Atlanta" and " 'Great Day In Atlanta': A Historic Photo Exposed."

Check out everything we've got on "ATL."

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.

Related Photos

"ATL" Photos

Related Artists

'Great Day In Atlanta': A Historic Photo Exposed

07 Dec 2005 19:04:51 EST

Related Artists

Bone Crusher Drafts Shaq For Diesel-Powered Club Track

19 Oct 2004 20:00:00 EDT

'Super N---a' will launch ATL rapper's Fight Music, due in March.
By Shaheem Reid

In the cartoons, Superman always left the whole partner thing to guys like Batman. The real-life Man of Steel — the one in the NBA, anyways — has always been into tandems, from Jay-Z to the Wu-Tang Clan to Notorious B.I.G. Even with the start of basketball season approaching, Shaquille O'Neal is finding time to lay some guest vocals in the studio.

This time, the Diesel has teamed for a new club anthem with a fearless Atlanta body breaker who's big enough onscreen to stomp skyscrapers. "We're getting Bone Crusher's album right," So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri said from Atlanta. "We got this remix in for his first single — it's him and Shaquille O'Neal on a record called 'Super N---a.' "

Earlier this year Bone announced his next album would be called Fight Music, and he's put out a string of white-label singles in support of the project, even shooting a video for "Take Your Clothes Off" with the Ying Yang Twins. Dupri, however, insists "Super N---a" is finally the right record to launch Crusher's album.

"We're gonna run with that," J.D. said. "Bone Crusher, he's got some philosophy that everything he talks ... one word he says means a bunch of different things. 'Never Scared' means that you ain't never scared of nothing, not just fighting. This record is the same way. It's presented in a gangsta mentality; 'I walk around like I got a "S" on my chest.' We took the little 50 Cent line. But every person feels they got a lot of super in them. Not that they can leap from tall buildings in a single bound, but the fact that 'I'm super at this.' People call me a super producer. If you ask [Bone], he'll give you a whole slew of meanings of what 'Super N---a' is.

"Shaq, he feels like he's Superman," Dupri continued. "I don't know what his reasons are, but that's his whole thing. He's got [the Superman symbol] on his car, on his bed, all that."

The "Super N---a" remix has already been shipped to DJs, and Fight Music, according to Bone's label rep, will drop in March.

Related Artists

Take Your Clothes Off And Fight, Bone Crusher Says

22 Apr 2004 21:13:00 EDT

Single 'Take Your Clothes Off' is 'the epitome of fight music.'
By Shaheem Reid

"There's no limitation on what Bone Crusher can do," the heavyset crunkster from the South said Wednesday.

He can rap, he can attract the ladies with his bare chest, he just started his own bottled-water company called Aqua Vigor ("I don't drink [alcohol], but I figured everybody drinks water") and he does a mean impression of wrestling legends Randy "Macho Man" Savage and Hulk Hogan.

"Ooooohhhh yeah, Hogan! I shall come off the top rope with the patented elbow," Bone, sounding as though he were straining his vocal cords, said in character as the Macho Man. He then switched roles to Savage's archenemy.

"Let me tell you something, man. All the Hulkamaniacs, all the guys with the 42-inch pythons, what you gonna do when the Hulkster runs wild on you?"

Bone was in grappler mode not just because he was jazzed to be working with WWE star Chris Jericho on the new Fozzy album (see "Fozzy Get Crunk With Bone Crusher On New Album"), but also because he was explaining the concept of "fight music," which also happens to be the name of his June release.

"We have crunk music, now we have something I call fight music," Crusher explained. "Fight music is everything — the hustle, the struggle, the street. [My new single], 'Take Your Clothes Off,' it's probably the epitome of fight music. It's fun. We gotta fight to party, fight to live, fight to rejoice. That's what the whole song is about."

When it comes to disrobing, Bone obviously has no problem doing so (see "Bone Crusher Threatens Topless 'Fat Man Stomp' In Next Video"), but as we'll hear in his new record, he wants everybody to join in.

"Everybody, let's have a good time and party," he said. "There's a lot of issues out here in America. One thing they can't take away from you is your right to party."

Bone's first LP, Attenchun!, was completed in two weeks, and he said this new project was done in a month, though it sat in the vault for a few months while Arista went through some label struggles. E-40, Young Bloodz, Kelis and Daz — who appears on the second single "Nah, Nah, Nah" — are all guests. Bone is also going to incorporate live instrumentation on the album via a band named the Chronicle.

Holding true to his limitless-lyricist motif, the Crusher is getting ready to move into films. There's a flick in the works for Rain Forest Films, and B.C. has landed a role in a John Singleton ("Higher Learning") movie about pimps.

"I'm playing a killer. They've always got me playing a killer for some reason," he laughed.

Related Artists

Bone Crusher

Fozzy Get Crunk With Bone Crusher On New Album

25 Mar 2004 16:38:00 EST

Group discovers that rappers and wrestlers can be kindred spirits.
By Shaheem Reid

NEW YORK — Oh yeah: WWE Superstars and Divas know about shaking it like a Polaroid picture. Every Monday and Thursday, we get to see at least a couple of them wringing each other's necks like Homer Simpson does Bart's. But just days before WrestleMania XX in New York, the grapplers were in full Andre 3000 mode.

"Shake it, shake it, sh-sh-shake it ..." sang WWE Divas Stacie Keibler and Lita, who were seated with Chris Jericho in the studios of Westwood Radio. The ladies were imitating the Outkast member, hand gestures and all. Jericho, who is much more laid-back away from the camera than his on-air persona Y2J, was even inspired to join in.

"You getting crunk! I got my crunk juice — listening to Lil Jon — with the horny goat weed," Jericho laughed.

When Jericho isn't promoting WWE events or plotting the downfall of his former best friend Christian and love interest Trish Stratus as part of the "Raw Is War" storylines, we all know him as Moongoose McQueen, self-loving leader of the rock group Fozzy (see "WWE's Chris Jericho Explains Fozzy's Metal Legacy"). Jericho and his bandmates Rich Ward (a.k.a. Duke LaRue), Bud Fontsere (a.k.a. KK LaFlame) Keith "Watty" Watson and Billy Grey (or as the group calls him, Miles Biscuit) have started to record their next LP, All That Remains, in Atlanta.

While down in the A, the group will be hooking up with another heavyweight who knows about cracking bones and getting crunk.

"There's obviously a lot of guys in the rock and roll world we're gonna play with," Jericho said. "Zakk Wylde who plays for Ozzy [is going to be on the album]. And we're actually gonna do a track with Bone Crusher. He's gonna lay down some vocals for us in Atlanta. The guys that I play with [Ward and Fontsere] were in a band called Stuck Mojo, which was one of the first metal bands in the '90s, so they've always had that edge. They wrote a song that had some really cool parts for us to lay down some good freestyle rap, and Bone Crusher was available."

The WWE grapplers have learned over the years that their world doesn't differ too much from the hip-hop community.

"We were at [Jay-Z's] 40/40 Club when we did a Def Jam party," Lita, who says she was the first in the locker room to play Chingy's music, explained. "It's fun to hang out with people that you don't think you have a lot in common with, but with our lives being on the go and them being on the go, you find out you have a lot in common with them, just lifestyle-wise."

"People know us just as we know them," Jericho marveled. "You would never expect. I was in Vegas, Spike TV did a videogame awards show and DMX was there. He performed a song that was pretty kick-ass; I'm not huge fan but watching him play was cool. Then in the hallway, we're passing each other, he had a huge entourage and he saw me and was like, 'Hey Jericho!' It's good to know that rockers, football players, hockey players, we all appreciate each other."

Related Artists

Bone Crusher Halftime Show Angers Some Falcons Fans

04 Nov 2003 14:08:00 EST

Stadium sing-along may have led to cursing in stands.
By Joseph Patel

Heavyweight rapper Bone Crusher might boast about being "Never Scared," but he and his fans apparently put the fright in some spectators at the Atlanta Falcons football game on Sunday.

Bone Crusher, Jermaine Dupri and the Youngbloodz performed a crunkafied set at the halftime show of the Falcons' game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bone Crusher dropped his hit single, "Never Scared," unleashing one of his typically exuberant performances. The Youngbloodz played an abbreviated version of "Damn," while Jermaine Dupri did his song "Welcome to Atlanta," which is used as a Falcons theme song.

It was Bone Crusher's tune, though, that elicited complaints to the team office, according to Falcons spokesperson Aaron Salkin. While he believes Bone Crusher performed a clean versions of the song sans profanity, scores of people in the Georgia Dome singing along might not have. "They might have sung out the real lyrics, and that's what [the complainants] heard," he said.

"It ain't my fault that the fans know the 'other' words of the song," Bone Crusher responded Tuesday (November 4). "I'm not singing it, they're singing it. I think [the people who complained] were mad 'cause I took my shirt off. I think they're against fat people. I think fat people are beautiful. They're afraid of the fat man, but the fat man is beautiful."

Salkin couldn't confirm the number of complaints received but said it was likely in the dozens. He said the team hasn't decided whether the incident would affect future halftime bookings.

Related Artists

Bone Crusher

Bone Crusher Threatens Topless 'Fat Man Stomp' In Next Video

23 Sep 2003 15:48:00 EDT

Clip for first single from Vanglorious has strict dress code.
By Shaheem Reid

You might not catch Bone Crusher on the dance floor shaking it like a Polaroid picture, but when the rotund MC decides to move and groove, you will definitely notice. You might even feel it.

The first single from his new album, Vanglorious, is ready to be unleashed any day now, and it'll introduce Bone Crusher's new dance. " 'The Fat Man Stomp' is gonna take over the world," he warned on Monday. The song is named after the jig he does onstage, where he bounces and takes one leg and stomps it to the ground.

"You just gotta see it. You know how the Youngbloodz do their stomp? It not like that," he said. "Youngbloodz do a little skip with theirs. Mine is like an earthquake shattering situation. When the fat boy comes in stomping, the world will stand at attention and understand the buildings are vibrating and shaking. Believe it."

On the chorus, the 380-pound Crusher sings, "Go 'head, you fat mutha----er/ Go, fat boy/ Go, fat boy/ Go, fat boy, go."

Everyone was cheering on Bone early this year when he put out arguably the hip-hop song of the year, "Never Scared" (see "Bone Crusher Serves 'Scared' Rap Competitors A Steaming Slice Of ATL"). He later capitalized on its momentum with a remix single and video featuring Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Cam'ron. But rather than releasing a second single off his June debut, Attenchun!, Bone said he wanted to maximize the love he's getting by dropping an entire new album.

"While the hype's still here, we'll just try to keep these albums pumpin'," he explained. "Before this [next] album gets dead, we'll have another one."

Bone's been working on Vanglorious for a month now, using the same up-and-coming producers from the first album, and he hopes to release it in December. He said his So So Def family members the Youngbloodz and Daz appear on the project, as do the Ying Yang Twins.

"We're trying to make sure it's outstandingly, fantastically fresh — 150 percent. That's gonna always be the case. I think the pressure is not on me, it's on Arista to step to the plate and make this thing pop. I'mma do my job."

And whoever is picked to direct the "Stomp" video will have to do the job of enforcing Bone's strict dress code. "The video is going to be star studded," he said. "I have everybody coming through — 50 and the G-Unit, Fatman Scoop, Fat Joe. Everybody has to have their shirts off. We're gonna have a good time."

The wild-haired rapper said he's been having a great time the past few months since exploding onto the scene. He's done records with the likes of Mariah Carey and Elephant Man and toured with Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous and the G-Unit on the Rock the Mic tour.

"It's crazy, but I love the craziness," he said about his rise. "I'd rather be on the road doing shows, making sure the people enjoy themselves, than sitting at home watching the paint dry. I really do appreciate all the love the people are giving me."

Crusher gets to return the love later this year by spreading some Christmas cheer. He's signed on for TVT Records' Crunk Christmas compilation, which will also feature David Banner and the Ying Yang Twins. Lil' Jon is producing the album, and Bone contributed an original track tentatively titled "Who's Coming to Town" (see "Rudolph, Santa, Frosty Are Getting Crunk This Christmas").

Related Artists

Bone Crusher

For The Record: Quick News On Jack Osbourne And The Olsen Twins, Eminem, Metallica, Snoop, Bone Crusher & More

18 Aug 2003 17:34:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

Jack Osbourne is making his big-screen debut alongside none other than the Olsen twins. In the Warner Bros. comedy "New York Minute," Osbourne will play the manager of Mary-Kate Olsen's character Roxy, a rebellious teen punk rocker. ...

A judge is deciding whether to throw out a civil lawsuit filed against Eminem by his alleged childhood bully, DeAngelo Bailey. Arguments were heard Monday in the Macomb County Circuit Court pertaining to a motion to dismiss filed by Em's defense attorney several weeks ago. A trial date remains set for August 26. ... Sean Paul wasn't present Saturday night, but Snoop Dogg was yelling for someone to just give him the light — and the smoke — at the Rock the Mic Tour stop at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. The Dogg told the audience that he has officially ended his weed-smoking retirement, and he even had a song and dance to celebrate his return, which included the line "Smoke weed, get drunk and f---." ...

The video for Metallica's next single, "Frantic," is posted on the band's Web site (www.metallica.com) for early viewing. Two versions of the commercially released single, each with different B-sides, are due out September 15. ... Cam'ron has set a December 9 release date for his latest album, Purple Hayes. In the meantime, the rapper, who guests on R. Kelly's "Snake" remix, has invested in a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, called Club Envy. ... Juelz Santana, Cam'ron's Diplomats mate, is also showing his entrepreneurial side, opening a boutique in New York's Harlem neighborhood featuring his own designs and named after his latest single, "Santana's Town." The rapper's solo debut, From Me to U, is due Tuesday. ...

There aren't too many things that robust rhyme ripper Bone Crusher can do without being noticed. But very quietly the Atlanta MC has been working on his second LP. His spokesperson said Bone is only three weeks away from being done and is scheduled to put the project out in December. ... It's going to be quite a while before we see the video for the Big Tymers' collaboration with R. Kelly, "Gangsta Girl." The single will no longer be the first release from the duo's October release, Big Money Heavyweights. They have now decided to go with "This Is How We Do" and make "Gangsta Girl" the second single. ...

JC Chasez and DJ Rap make cameo appearances in the video for BT's "Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist)," the first single from the just-released Emotional Technology. BT is planning to launch a national tour with a full band in October. ... Xzibit is resurrecting his Rhyme Night hip-hop showcase on September 6 at Hollywood's Sixteen-Fifty. Defari will perform at the event, and rappers can audition for a slot in the show August 30 at the same venue. ... The CMJ Music Marathon has announced the first crop of confirmed bands for the annual festival and convention, set for October 22-25. The Broken Social Scene, My Morning Jacket, Mars Volta and the Shins are among the bands set to take the stage at dozens of New York clubs, while Yoko Ono has signed on as a featured speaker. ...

Influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM is celebrating a resurgence in '80s-inspired rock with a Flashback to the Future theme for its third annual Inland Invasion concert. Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, Fountains of Wayne and Dashboard Confessional will join the Cure, Duran Duran, Violent Femmes, Echo & the Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, Bow Wow Wow, General Public, Soft Cell, Berlin and Flock of Seagulls at the event, September 20 at Hyundai Pavilion. ... The complete lineup for the annual Bumbershoot festival finds headliners R.E.M., Evanescence, Wilco, Common and De La Soul coupled with acts such as Kinky, the Decemberists and the Garfield High School Jazz Quintet. The highlight of Seattle's three-day music-and-arts festival, August 29-September 1, has to be the Amazing Space Harp — the result of the Los Angeles-based MASS Ensemble attaching a 6,000-foot wire to the ends of the Space Needle landmark and playing it like a harp three times a day. ...

At a recent tour stop in Phoenix, self-professed metalheads Sum 41 were joined onstage by former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson for the song "Pain for Pleasure." ... Dan the Automator is teaming up with Glassjaw's Daryl Palumbo (on vocals, bass and guitar) and Larry Gorman (on drums) for a new project called Head Automatica. The band, which Palumbo described in a statement as "dark and futuristic, with a blend of garage and dance," will enter the studio next month to record its debut album. ...

Mark Lanegan, former Screaming Trees frontman and current member of Queens of the Stone Age, will be releasing a new EP in September. Titled Here Comes That Weird Chill, the album features the single "Methamphetamine Blues." ... Mos Def and Talib Kweli will deliver a joint keynote lecture at the Field Museum's International Hip-Hop and Social Change Conference to be held in Chicago October 3-5. The conference will focus on the significance of artistic activity in the hip-hop community and its relation to social change. ...

"I'm a Roustabout," a rare, unreleased Elvis Presley song, will be included on the compilation Elvis 2nd to None, due October 7. The song was recently unearthed after songwriter Winfield Scott mentioned the song offhandedly to a reporter. ... Carlos Santana joined Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals onstage Friday at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. Santana added his guitar flavor to the single "With My Own Two Hands" and a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile." ...

Scottish septet Belle and Sebastian have set October 7 as the release date for their fifth album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress. But this 13-song LP is not the only output expected from the group this year: Belle and Sebastian are also planning on hitting the shelves with "Fans Only," a DVD/VHS collection of their live performances and TV appearances. Look for it later this fall. ... KMFDM will tour in support of their next album, WW111, due September 23. The outing begins October 17 in Seattle and crosses the country before ending in the same city November 25. ...

Mick Jagger has finally discovered the Internet. Beginning Monday, Rolling Stones songs will be available through legitimate digital download services. RealNetworks' Rhapsody gets first crack at the tracks, offering tunes from the band's 1971 LP Sticky Fingers and beyond as burnable downloads two weeks ahead of its competition. The earlier material from the band's time spent on the ABKCO label, including the albums Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet, are offered as streaming audio only. You really can't always get what you want. ... Kings of Leon, currently on the Lollapalooza lineup, will embark on a headlining tour to support their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood, which drops August 19. The month-long stretch of dates begins September 4 in Philadelphia. ...

The Crystal Method's third studio album, Legion of Boom, will be released on V2 Records later in the year. Filter's Richard Patrick is among the album's guests. ... Maroon 5, whose "Harder to Breathe" is still gaining radio airplay more than a year after it was first released, will embark on their first headlining national tour this fall. The outing, with Gavin DeGraw opening, begins September 24 in Modesto, California, and wraps November 26 in Las Vegas. ...

Boy George and Rosie O'Donnell's Broadway musical "Taboo" isn't slated to open until November, but previews are going to start next month at New York's Plymouth Theater. "Taboo," which had a 15-month run in London, stars the former Culture Club singer as Leigh Bowery, a performance artist/designer in 1980s London who comes face to face with a brash young thing named ... Boy George (played by Euan Morton). Previews begin October 24, while opening night will be November 13. ... Billboard will honor Sting with the Century Award at the Billboard Music Awards December 10 in Las Vegas. Late Billboard editor Timothy White, a close friend of Sting's, created the award in 1994. Annie Lennox was honored last year. ...

08.13.03

For those who can't recall that P.O.D. stands for "Payable on Death," now there's a surefire way to remember. It's going to be the name of the band's third major-label record, due November 4. ...

Simon Cowell is putting all his criticism on wax. The "American Idol" judge has been immortalized in Madame Tussaud's London museum as a wax figure, and should you bother to sing to it, it will even bark out mean remarks. ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" has been given the remix treatment by the X-ecutioners. The result is featured on the soundtrack to the upcoming snowboarding video game "SSX 3," due out in mid-October. ... The New York turntablists also plan to work with Good Charlotte when they hit the studio in March to follow-up their second album, The Young and the Hopeless. ...

Gina Gershon gave Sundance partiers a sneak peek of her rock-chick alter-ego when she performed with former members of Guns N' Roses earlier this year. Now, to support her upcoming film "Prey for Rock and Roll," she's taking the show on the road, embarki

Related Artists

For The Record: Quick News On Guns N' Roses, Coldplay, Bone Crusher, Radiohead, Television, Murphy Lee & More

22 Jul 2003 17:12:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

A few details about the long-delayed Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, surfaced in IGN Music's interview with film composer Marco Beltrami, since he did some work-for-hire on the album, arranging orchestral sections for four tracks. "A couple of them I did more than orchestrating," he told IGN. "I actually wrote some melodies and stuff. On one song, I actually wrote a guitar part." Song titles, he said, included "Seven," "Thyme," "The General" and "Leave Me Alone." ...

New albums by Coldplay and Radiohead are the odds-on favorites to win the U.K.'s critically evaluated Mercury Music Prize. Other nominees include LPs by the Thrills, the Darkness, Athlete, Dizzee Rascall, Terri Walker, Lemon Jelly and Floetry. The winner will be announced September 9. ... Wyclef Jean, Bone Crusher and Bounty Killer will appear in dancehall reggae newcomer Elephant Man's debut video, "Pon De River," which was shot recently at New York's Club Float. Elephant Man's album, Good 2 Go, is due September 23 and features cameos from Mariah Carey, Da Brat, Lil Jon and Juelz Santana. ...

Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics will be in New York on Tuesday (July 22) at Champs Sports to not only sign autographs and cop a few more fitted caps, but to debut his new video, "Wat Da Hook Gon Be." The song is the first single from his September solo debut, Murphy's Law. ... Blindside, best known for their rock hit "Pitiful," have begun to work on their follow-up to Silence. The Swedish emo-metal band is teaming with producer Howard Benson for About a Burning Fire, according to a statement posted on Blindside's official Web site. "We have learned so much over the past year," the band wrote, "and we feel inspired ... to make this record more than we can even imagine right now." The group expects to release the album in late 2003. ...

Grandaddy and Super Furry Animals are teaming for a fall tour, from September 18 in San Francisco to October 4 in New York. Grandaddy's latest, Sumday, was released in May, while the Super Furry's sixth album, Phantom Power, is due July 29. ... Beginning with Ben Harper's "Diamonds on the Inside," Fox will premiere music videos during the first six episodes of the new Tuesday night drama "The O.C." The clips will then be available exclusively on America Online for 48 hours. ...

The first two albums by early New York punks Television, 1977's Marquee Moon and 1978's Adventure, will be remastered and reissued with bonus tracks on September 23. For a hint at just how influential Tom Verlaine and company were, look no further than the Strokes. Coinciding with the reissues will be a live album, Live at the Old Waldorf, recorded June 29, 1978. ... Reality, David Bowie's 26th studio album, is scheduled for a September 16 release. Three weeks later, the chameleon of rock will launch his A Reality Tour world trek in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 7. ...

They Might Be Giants might have a tangential career as children's entertainers. The duo's "Clap Your Hands," from last year's children's music LP No!, will be used in an upcoming TV spot for GapKids. ... As he prepares to launch the Lottapianos Tour with Tori Amos on July 26, Ben Folds has scheduled a succession of EPs for release on his Web site, www.attackedbyplastic.com, as well as available on tour. The first, Speed Graphic, features a cover of the Cure's "In Between Days" and is scheduled for a July 22 release. The second EP, Sunny 16, is slated to surface in September, and a third in November. A full-length LP is expected by early next year. ...

07.21.2003

It's six months away and organizers have already locked in Metallica to headline Big Day Out 2004, the annual tour of Australia and New Zealand. No other artists are confirmed for the trek, which begins January 16 in Auckland. ...

Juvenile and Run-DMC's Reverend Run are two of the hip-hop stars scheduled to come out August 1-3 for Russell Simmons' next Hip-Hop Summit. The event, set for Birmingham, Alabama, will once again try to encourage major players within the genre to use the power of hip-hop as a catalyst for social change. ... Bono is among several celebrities who gave a recipe to Bill Clinton's cookbook, "The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes for Family and Friends." Don Henley and Muhammad Ali also contributed. ...

Hatebreed will headline this year's second annual Rise of Brutality Tour, scheduled to begin in mid-September, with support coming from New York hardcore heroes Madball, death metal stalwarts Hate Eternal, Southern California hardcore band Terror and Cephalic Carnage. The 'Breed, who feature "Headbangers Ball" host Jamey Jasta on vocals, will support Slayer later in the year on the Jägermeister Tour. ... Former Failure/ A Perfect Circle guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, currently touring the country on Lollapalooza with Queens of the Stone Age, joined self-confessed Failure fanatics Cave In onstage at a recent Lolla stop in Columbus, Ohio, for a cover of Failure's "Magnified." "[Failure are] the band we've not-so-secretly ripped off for years and years," reads a post on Cave In's Web site. ...

Goth metal band Type O Negative will launch their summer tour July 25 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dates run through August 23 in Anaheim, California. The group will be touring to support its new record, Life Is Killing Me, which came out June 17. ... Twiztid will launch a North American tour August 15 in Louisville, Kentucky, in support of their just-released The Green Book. The outing, featuring openers Society 1 and Marz, wraps September 28 in Indianapolis. ...

Brandon Cruz, the former child star of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" who's been touring as the singer of the Dead Kennedys, has left the group to spend more time with his family and work on other material. Jeff Penalty, a former member of Vaz Hoil & Stupid Ferrets, has replaced him. ... Drummer Mario Calire has left the Wallflowers and joined Ozomatli. Calire will join the Latin rock band for its next album, due early next year. ... Singer Mike McColgan, who quit the Dropkick Murphys to become a Boston firefighter, has formed a new group, the Street Dogs. The band's debut, Savin Hill, is due September 23. ...

Related Artists

Blink-182, Outkast, Bone Crusher, Joe Budden Score Tracks On 'Madden 2004'

24 Jun 2003 14:02:00 EDT

Songs from AFI, Nappy Roots, Alien Ant Farm, others also featured on latest installment of football video game.
By Joe D'Angelo

Quarterback sacks and goal-line stances aren't the only kinds of hits you'll find on "Madden 2004."

Blink-182, Outkast and Nappy Roots will contribute new songs to the football video game's soundtrack, while Joe Budden, AFI and the Roots offer previously released tunes, according to an Electronic Arts spokesperson. In the case of Blink-182, "Madden 2004" will be the first place to hear "Action," a song off the trio's forthcoming Use Your Erection I and II (see "Blink-182 LP Gets Title From GN'R, Gloom From Robert Smith"), while the Roots remixed their "Rock You," off last year's Phrenology, exclusively for the soundtrack.

While piloting the Patriots, leading the Lions, guiding the Giants or steering the Steelers, players can hear Nappy Roots' "Roun' the Globe," off Wooden Leather, due August 26; Alien Ant Farm's "These Days," the first single off truANT, due August 19; the Big Boi-featured tune "Church," from Outkast's double album The Speakerbox/The Love Below, due August 19; and Bubba Sparxxx's "Back in the Mud," off his Deliverance LP, slated for release in early fall.

Artists contributing their latest singles include Joe Budden, Gob, Thrice and Adema, while Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, the Federation and Brooklyn rapper Red Cafe have exclusively remixed their latest tunes for the soundtrack.

"Madden 2004," which, like previous "Madden" titles, will hit stores in August before the start of the NFL season, continues to demonstrate publisher Electronic Arts' emphasis on music. "Madden 2003" was the first place to hear new material from Good Charlotte, Bon Jovi and OK Go (see "Forget Radio: Video Games, TV Ads Are Where You'll Hear New Music"). Released in October, "NBA Live" featured new music from Snoop Dogg and Fabolous (see "Snoop, Busta Heard And Seen In Basketball Video Game").

This season, England's Serafin, Australia's Jet and Southern California's Avenged Sevenfold are among the up-and-coming artists looking to get noticed by the millions of people that take to the virtual gridiron. Track list for in-game soundtrack to "Madden 2004," according to Electronic Arts:

Soil - "Pride"
Yellowcard - "Way Away"
Thrice - "All That's Left"
Gob - "Give Up the Grudge"
Adema - "Unstable"
Red Cafe - "May I (Madden Remix)"
The Federation - "Mayhem (Madden Remix)"
Joe Budden - "Pump It Up"
Serafin - "Day by Day"
Nappy Roots - "Roun' the Globe"
Blink-182 - "Action"
AFI - "Leaving Song, Pt. 2"
Alien Ant Farm - "These Days"
Avenged Sevenfold - "Chapter Four"
Jet - "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
Outkast featuring Big Boi - "Church"
AM Radio - "Taken for a Ride"
The Roots - "Rock You (Madden Remix)"
Bubba Sparxxx - "Back in the Mud"
Killer Mike - "Akshon (Yeah!) (Madden Remix)"
Bone Crusher - "Never Scared (Madden Remix)"
Unloco - "Crashing"

Related Artists

Photos | 50 Cent, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Kanye West, Others At Summer Jam 2004

14 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT

50 Cent, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Kanye West, Others At Summer Jam 2004

Related Artists