Ice-T gets back to hip-hop roots in ‘The Art of Rap’

In the new film ‘Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap,’ Ice-T reels in artists like Dr. Dre, Kanye West and Eminem to tell the story of hip-hop’s gritty beginnings.
“Look around you,” says Ice-T. “Where are the Bentleys?”

Even amid the pleasantly neutral setting of a Hollywood press day, there’s still one topic that gets the 54-year-old rapper-actor riled up, and it’s not his 12 seasons on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

“In rap, everyone is driving a Bentley and drinking Cristal,” says Ice-T, born Tracy Marrow. “That’s not reality. We have a war, we have a black president, we have people unemployed, we have people losing their homes, we have some pretty serious stuff and music is not reflecting it. It’s like everything is Lady Gaga and life is perfect.”

To remind the public of a time when hip-hop more regularly addressed societal concerns comes Ice-T’s directorial debut, “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap.”

The documentary -- out this week -- offers candid interviews with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Grandmaster Caz, Kanye West, Mos Def, Nas, Rakim and many others, probing the masters of the genre on their inspiration. The film stops short, however, of presenting a thesis. Still, Ice-T had a mission: To capture secrets of the craft from as many artists as possible, and remind artists, fans and moguls that rap is more than “money, cars, girls, jewelry or beefs.”

The film is arriving at a time when other hip-hop pioneers are taking a preservationist view toward the genre. In L.A., acclaimed indie artist Murs is staging a six-month-long hip-hop performance series, “Through the Mic,” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Superstar Jay-Z has also become a curator of sorts, and is programming a multi-genre, two-day festival in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend.

As one of L.A’s groundbreaking rap pioneers, Ice-T specialized in bringing a moralistic bent to inner-city tales. His 1988 single “Colors,” from the film of the same name, captured the toll L.A. gang life has on a family, and 1992’s “Cop Killer” was a ferocious reaction against the LAPD following the beating of Rodney King.

The latter, recorded with his rock band Body Count, galvanized those who fought for explicit content stickers on albums, and the violence-in-lyrics controversy ultimately led to his split from Warner Bros. Records. His 1993 “Race War” addressed whether any lessons had been learned from the L.A. riots (they had), and now “The Art of Rap” culls stories from many who had a hand in hip-hop’s countercultural beginnings.

Today, Ice-T’s acting and celebrity persona have arguably eclipsed his rap roots. His résumé ranges from the tough 1991 film “New Jack City” to the blithe, unscripted E! series “Ice Loves Coco.” But despite venturing out of the studio and in front of the camera, Ice-T’s plea to return substance to the pop charts isn’t just talk.

Madonna's 'MDNA' hits 42 cents on Amazon

As Madonna is busy voguing and offending political leaders on her recently launched world tour, the relevancy of the album that supports the trek continues to spiral downward.

Though “MDNA” offered the 53-year-old pop icon her eighth No. 1 when it pushed 359,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the disc quickly plummeted on the charts (sales dropped a record 88% the second week it was out). Nine weeks after its release, “MDNA” is currently seated at 105 on the Billboard 200 chart.

At the moment, brand spanking new copies of the album can be purchased for the bargain-basement price of 42 cents on Amazon. Talk about a steal!

Sure it's a clean version of the standard edition of the disc and shipping costs more than the album, but spending less than $4 for a recently released physical album these days is a rarity.

Lady Gaga a target of Indonesia, Thailand and Madonna

The American pop export known as Lady Gaga keeps running into trouble as she tours Asia. First, she was pegged as a "devil" by Islamic hardliners in Indonesia, where protests and security concerns forced the cancellation of a June 3 concert. Now, the 26-year-old pop star is causing a ruckus for tweeting that she was going to use her time in Thailand to buy a "fake Rolex." 

In the never-ending soap opera that is the life of an international superstar -- one of the globe's few -- Lady Gaga is suddenly pop-culture's safest target. Even Madonna, whose once contentious "Like A Prayer" is today family-friendly halftime show entertainment, is piling it on.

Rehearsal footage surfaced online from Madonna's "MDNA" tour, and it sees Madge mashing up her self-empowerment anthem "Express Yourself" with Lady Gaga's kindred "Born This Way." A sly wink to their thematic and tuneful similarities? Perhaps, yet Madonna and subtlety don't always go hand in hand, and Madonna ends the live rendition with "Hard Candy's" bitter "She's Not Me." Madonna's tour starts Thursday in Tel Aviv, so watch the rehearsal clip on YouTube before it's removed. 

When "Born This Way" was released it was the subject of much back and forth between Team Madonna and Team Lady Gaga, a debate that was already tired last February when Lady Gaga was forced to address it on national television. Little on a tour the size of a Madonna or Lady Gaga is off the cuff, and Madonna has already slammed "Born This Way" as "reductive," so working it into "Express Yourself" seems rather petty, an admission that the song isn't harmless but rather an irritant. 

The only winner in all this is Lady Gaga. It's Gaga's whose Twitter will be stalked in hopes of a response, and it's Gaga whose U.S. tour in 2013 will have blogs like this one wondering if she'll retaliate. For Lady Gaga is in that magical/infuriating moment where all she has to do is write a harmless Tweet and she's inspiring wire stories.

Coachella 2012: Avicii has reason for good feelings

If there was a Defining Song of the Dance Tent at Coachella 2012, it might have been when Rihanna popped by Calvin Harris’ set for “We Found Love.” Or maybe the repeat plays of Kanye and Jay-Z’s “… In Paris” that showed up in several different sets. Or maybe Nero’s “Promises”? Or perhaps Swedish House Mafia’s “Save the World”?

Ah, who are we kidding? You know the answer. It’s the song that goes like this: “Oh oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling.”

It is Avicii’s “Le7els,” and for the young raver crowd that posted up in the Sahara Tent all weekend, it’s so dance-floor-devastating it probably requires U.N. inspection. The song, built on soda-pop synths and an Etta James sample, completely embodies the year in big-tent dance music. And it took the artist born Tim Bergling into the international stratosphere of electronica artists.

COACHELLA 2012 | Full coverage

“It’s great to play, the reaction really makes the place explode,” the 22-year-old Swedish DJ said. But he added, with the sly undertones of Mick Jagger asked to sing "Start Me Up" for the millionth time, “I’m obviously still tolerant of it.”

Though Sunday night’s conversation was dominated by the Tupac Victorian Parlour Trick, the night also represented an interesting turn in Coachella’s dance reputation. Avicii is part of the first generation of EDM artists who grew up in their careers viewing Coachella as a major international destination. That’s why Bergling chose it as the place to debut a good chunk of the visuals (including an incredible graphic-morphing DJ platform) and mixes for his forthcoming arena tour.

Madonna's 'MDNA' gives artist her eighth No. 1

Babs better watch her back. With the stellar chart debut of Madonna's "MDNA," the Material Girl is closing in on Barbra Streisand's record of nine chart-topping albums by a female artist. Madonna's "MDNA" will debut at No. 1 atop the U.S. pop charts Wednesday morning, having sold 359,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan stats revealed Tuesday by Billboard. 

"MDNA" is Madonna's best sales week since "Music" topped the Billboard charts with 420,000 copies sold in 2000. "MDNA" also had a hard-to-fail promotional campaign, as Madonna performed single "Give Me All Your Luvin' " with younger stars Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. during the Super Bowl halftime show in February. Madonna's MDNA tour will come to Staples Center in October.

Also helping Madonna's sales, reports Billboard, was a tie-in with her tour, as those who bought a concert ticket had the option of receiving the album. Billboard tallied sales only from those who specifically requested to receive "MDNA" with their ticket purchase. The tactic has been used by others, including Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with its 2010 album, "Mojo." 

Madonna's prior album, 2008's "Hard Candy," sold 280,000 copies in its first week. "Hard Candy" was Madonna's final album for Warner Bros. Prior to the release of "Hard Candy," the artist inked a deal with Live Nation for future albums. The concert promoter partnered with Interscope Records for the release of "MDNA."

Album review: On 'MDNA,' Madonna is no longer pushing pop forward

Twenty years ago, when Madonna was at the top of her game, she published her provocative art book “Sex.” In it, she included photos of herself in various states of undress and wrote about the art of seduction. Her tips included wearing good perfume, garter belts but no underpants and that “on every date you have to say one really disarming thing.”

Decades later, the now-53-year-old confirms, for better or for worse — OK, worse — that Madge of the Dance Floor is nothing if not consistent. On her 12th studio album, “MDNA,” she follows the advice she laid out at her peak. Madonna is garter-belt sexy for “Girl Gone Wild,” metaphorically takes off her undies on “I’m Addicted” and tosses off half a dozen typically “disarming things” about her private life (thus the reason that this has been dubbed her “divorce album”).

But the Madonna of today has lost the art of surprise, and the shock and awe she used to inspire with each new move have gone the way of her bullet bra and taffeta skirts. More important, Madge seems to have lost her ability to create in that magical space that pushes pop forward while remaining completely of the moment.

PHOTOS: Madonna through the years

The music here is certainly not disarming, and while it’s dangerous to speculate on the listening habits of artists, “MDNA” more than anything sounds like an album made by someone who’s lost touch with the desires of today’s popular music while pursuing other endeavors, including child-rearing and moviemaking.

First listen: Madonna's new 'MDNA' is an adrenaline rush

Madonna's new album, "MDNA," which comes out March 26, is her first record in four years and her first since leaving her longtime home with Warner Bros. Records.

The singer arrives untethered to offer the first of a three-release deal via LiveNation/Interscope -- and her newfound freedom isn't limited to her professional life. Since her last album, "Hard Candy" in 2008, she and husband Guy Ritchie have divorced, and the combination of events seems to have pushed her to let loose both physically and lyrically.

This isn't a review of the album -- that will come closer to the release date. But as someone who's been privy to an early copy of the record, here's a little teaser. 

On first listen, "MDNA" draws from the range of the singer's styles -- some hard dance tracks, some introspective ballads -- while adding new producers into her world. These include, most notably, Frenchman Martin Solveig and the Italian producer Benny Benassi, best known Stateside for his work on Chris Brown's "Beautiful People." William Orbit, who has been one of Madonna's key point men since "Ray of Light," is a continued presence and helps pace the album's waning moments with softer textures, including the luxurious "Love Spent."

Madonna's collaborations with Solveig, of which there are six on the 16-song deluxe version, are, overall, the kind of hard house productions (made with her underappreciated producer, Mirwais Ahmadzai) that helped make her 2000 album, "Music," such a vibrant injection. One of the best bonus cuts on "MDNA," "Beautiful Killer," is supported by a '70s-era disco string section. (Solveig will be performing as one of the dance-tent headliners at Coachella in April.)

And "I Don't Give A," produced by Madonna and Solveig, is a Daft Punk-style banger in which she addresses divorce: "I tried to be a good girl, tried to be your wife/Diminished myself, and swallowed my life/I tried to become all that you expect of me/And if it was a failure, I don't give a ..." There's a dose of dubstep -- replete with deep bass-drop -- on the track, right before  Nicki Minaj jumps in to reinforce Madonna's argument: "When I let a dude go that's his loss/I was cutting those checks I was his boss," she sings, before declaring, 'I'm not a businesswoman, I'm a business, woman."

The final of the bonus tracks is by far the most personal; called "Best Friend," it's a love letter to a former beau, and listening to it you can't help but draw the conclusion that its intended recipient is Ritchie. For someone who's so often "a business, woman," "Best Friend" is one of the most personal and moving songs of her career.

The singer kicks off her Madonna 2012 World Tour in Tel Aviv on May 29, then heads to both Western and Eastern Europe and Russia before landing in North America at the end of August. She'll perform at Staples Center in L.A. on Oct. 10 and 11. Here's a rundown of North American dates:

Aug. 28 -- Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center
Aug. 30 -- Montreal, Bell Centre
Sept. 1 -- Quebec City, Plains of Abraham Site
Sept. 4 -- Boston, TD Garden
Sept. 6 -- New York, Yankee Stadium
Sept. 8 -- New York, Yankee Stadium
Sept. 10 -- Ottawa, Canada, Scotiabank Place
Sept. 12 -- Toronto, Air Canada Centre
Sept. 13 -- Toronto, Air Canada Centre
Sept. 15 -- Atlantic City, N.J., Boardwalk Hall
Sept. 19 -- Chicago, United Center
Sept. 20 -- Chicago, United Center
Sept. 23 -- Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
Sept. 24 -- Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
Sept. 29 -- Vancouver, Canada, Rogers Arena
Sept. 30 -- Vancouver, Canada, Rogers Arena
Oct. 2 -- Seattle, Key Arena
Oct. 3 -- Seattle, Key Arena
Oct. 6 -- San Jose, HP Pavilion
Oct. 7 -- San Jose, HP Pavilion
Oct. 10 -- Los Angeles, Staples Center
Oct. 11 -- Los Angeles, Staples Center
Oct. 13 -- Las Vegas, MGM Grand
Oct. 16 -- Phoenix, US Airways Center
Oct. 20 -- Dallas, American Airlines Center
Oct. 21 -- Dallas, American Airlines Center
Oct. 24 -- Houston, Toyota Center
Oct. 25 -- Houston, Toyota Center
Oct. 27 -- New Orleans, New Orleans Arena
Oct. 30 -- Kansas City, Mo., Sprint Center
Nov. 1 -- St. Louis, Scottrade Center
Nov. 3 -- St. Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 4 -- St. Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 10 -- Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena
Nov. 15 -- Charlotte, N.C., Time Warner Cable Arena
Nov. 17 -- Atlanta, Philips Arena
Nov. 19 -- Miami, American Airlines Arena
Nov. 20 -- Miami, American Airlines Arena

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-- Randall Roberts

Photo: Madonna at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills in January. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

 

The no-fun professionalism of Madonna's new single, 'Girl Gone Wild'

You know how Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox are re-releasing "Titanic" in April but in magical 3-D? Hearing Madonna's latest single, "Girl Gone Wild," released on Monday, makes me wish we could do something similar with her 2000 single, "Music." It was the last time Madonna really sounded like the queen of the dance floor, tapping into the hedonistic rebellion of the club, gettin' loose.

"Girl Gone Wild," on the other hand, the second track to be released off the winkishly named "MDNA" due March 26, sounds grimly serious about the business of getting down. You can almost see Madonna narrowing her eyes, pointing at people at the Eurodisco and saying, "You. Writhe. NOW. Thank you." This is a woman, after all, who publicly took an audience member to task for spilling water on her stage when she performed at Coachella. You know, the festival in the middle of the broiling hot desert.

Recorded in London with dance music superstar Benny Benassi and his production partner/cousin, Ale Benassi, "Girl Gone Wild" is trim and taut, almost like it was once a fluffy disco tune now dieted down to a hard body of dance effiency. There's something very attractive about a song this militaristic and precise, but in Madge's too-capable hands it's also suffocatingly professional.

Drag queen re-creates entire Madonna Super Bowl halftime show

The bootstrap brilliance alone dicates a look at the video that accompanies the above photo: a performance of Madonna's entire Super Bowl halftime show featuring not just a Material Girl impersonator, but also LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. cameos. (And, yes, the erstwhile M.I.A. does flip the bird at the crowd at the proper time.) Cee Lo Green makes an appearance at the end.

The extravaganza took place at Victoria Haus in Brasilia, Brazil, and features the drag queen Alexia Twister as Madonna, who over the course of 13-plus minutes -- and with the help of a few scrappy background dancers and a rear-projection screen casting images from the actual halftime show -- runs through all the vogue moves, cartwheels, booty bounces and miscellaneous ridiculousness within Madge's performance.

Check it out for yourself here. (Hat tip: Dangerous Minds.)

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-- Randall Roberts

Photo: Alexia Twister as Madonna in Brazil. Credit: Screen shot from video.

Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and more: This week's on-sales

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses.

Staples Center

Madonna, Oct. 10 (Mon.); Van Halen, June 9 (Sat.); Mana, April 19 (Fri.)

Orpheum

Greg Lake, May 18 (Sun.)

Santa Barbara Bowl

Bon Iver, April 22 (Sat.)

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, April 27 (now)

El Rey Theatre

Rusted Root, April 8 (Thu.); Vitalic, March 25; Garbage, April 9 (Sat.)

Luckman Fine Arts Complex

Kansas, April 13 (Fri.)

Nokia Theatre

Dierks Bentley, April 13 (Fri.)

The Satellite

La Sera, March 8; Guitar Wolf, April 18 (now); Joe Pug, April 27 (Fri.)

Bootleg Bar/Theater

Taken by Trees, March 11; Vanaprasta, March 9; Blaqstarr, Feb. 16; John Reilly and Friends, Feb. 28; Milagres, March 20; Husky, March 27 (now)

Conga Room

Los Amigos Invisibles, Feb. 11; Common, Feb. 12 (now)

Brixton

Pato Banton, March 3; Wild Child, March 10; Disco Freaks, March 16; Animotion, March 17 (now)

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Photo: Madonna performs during halftime of Super Bowl XLVI Sunday in Indianapolis. Credit: Andy Lyons / Getty Images