Fugees

The IRS Gave Us Lauryn Hill's Worst Song Ever

You know the hardest conversation I've ever had in regards to music criticism? The one about Lauryn Hill. It feels as if every time the former Fugees star reappears into public form, there needs to be a hefty, long-form "think piece" about her and her 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. It' ... More >>

Justin, Selena and Music's Top 10 Heartbreaking Split-Ups

By now, we've all had a few days to digest the awful, shocking news that North America's sweethearts, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, have decided to buck destiny and call it quits. We're not entirely sure how this could have happened, but Obama was just reelected. Clearly, our worst fears are alrea ... More >>

Rocks Off's Something Wicked Mini-Guide: Bass Massacre

Saturday, something very strange is about to go down at Sam Houston Race Park when Something Wicked, billed as "Texas's first ever large-scale Halloween electronic dance music festival," takes over the grounds, subdivided into three nebulously named areas: "Shadow Field," "Bass Massacre" and "The Ex ... More >>

Ever Heard of a $427,500 Mix CD?

Back in the dark ages of Internet piracy, a Rhode Islander by the name of Joel Tenenbaum made the choice of illegally downloading/sharing music online and the mistake of getting caught. The record companies wanted to make an example out of him and nine years later, it looks like they're getting what ... More >>

10 One-Hit Wonders Who Should Have Had More Success

One-hit wonders, in some ways, are more innovative than their legendary counterparts. Sometimes -- such as is the case with the Buggles -- they are too innovative. People are not ready for them, and musical trends may not be in their favor, whether they are innovative or passe. Anyway, here are te ... More >>

Gorilla Monsoon: A Birthday Playlist For A Wrestling Legend

Growing up as I did in the '80s, professional wrestling was more than entertainment, it was religion. The Hulkster, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage and Andre were all unapologetically over-the-top, one-dimensional; comic characters that did glorious battle for dubious reasons. It was a great time to watch ... More >>

Why Do We Always Expect Our Favorite Bands To Reunite?

John Hammond, the billionaire CEO of InGen and the curator of Jurassic Park found out the hard way that sometimes things from another time and place don't mesh well with different surroundings. A guy even got eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex while he was taking a dump, and one of those spitting dinosaur ... More >>

Smooth: 10 Definitive Neo-Soul Tracks

Nearly 12 years after the release of Voodoo, Michael Eugene Archer, better known for his stage name, D'Angelo, has emerged out of his self-imposed exile. After doing battle with drugs and alcohol for a decade, last week the singer kicked off a European tour entitled The D-Tour, for his first live pe ... More >>

Hip-Hop, Interrupted: 7 Rappers That Should Be More Active

Hip-hop is a genre full of guys who put out a new album or mixtape seemingly every single month. They just can't stop, even when they're incarcerated in some cases (see: Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and TI). It's as if rapping really is as much of a competition as they make it out to be and they're in a r ... More >>

Wyclef Jean Squanders Relief Funds, Heralds Apocalypse

Mason Lankford said, "There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened," but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we're totally right this time! Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock, USAF​It's been a while since we predicted ... More >>

And, Uh, Um, OOPS: The Third Members Of Great Musical Trios You Probably Can't Name

​Last night we all watched as Governor Rick Perry blanked on the third department he would do away with if he was elected president. It was one of those moments - a la Scanners - when we all tensely waited for his head to explode, figuratively. Of course we love the guy and he's too precious t ... More >>

Top 10 Songs About Other Musicians

When you make music your life, it's only natural that you'd look at the people around you doing the same and find someone who just moistens the muse's panties. What we've tried to put together here is a list of those best efforts. Bear in mind, with one notable exception we've steered clear of fell ... More >>

Diamonds and Pearls

Faces Ultra Lounge is Third Ward's go-to spot for ­quality R&B.

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Chanel Dizzle: Much More Than Just A "Barre Baby"

Chanel's Facebook fan page​Rocks Off was pretty much blown away by that video of angelic-looking YouTube user ChanelDizzle singing the dirty hits of members of the Screwed Up Click, which we posted about last week. So we decided to get in touch with her and find out if she had dreams of becomi ... More >>

Exes On Tour: White Stripes, ABBA, Lindsey & Stevie...

​We're all familiar with the credo against intra-office dating, often crudely expressed as "Don't shit where you eat." Most of us subscribe to it, knowing the potential drama it could ensue. "How will this affect my work," we wonder. "What happens if we break up?" But all's fair in love and ... More >>

She's Got Rhythm: Jazz-Pop Upstart Nikki Yanofsky, 16 And Swingin'

myspace.com/nikkiyanofsky​Nikki Yanofsky has been "singing since I could talk, basically." And doing it well: When her dad asked the Montreal native to sing a few songs with his garage band at a charity event, it was a little different than practicing in the garage. In the audience was the fou ... More >>

The Weak Links In Seven Great Rap Crews

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to fuck with... except maybe U-God.​Logic suggests that being surrounded by artistic brilliance would give the less endowed a natural boost. But if talent were contagious, failure wouldn't exist, and neither would this list. Every rap group, big or small has one memb ... More >>

FAIL: Wyclef Jean, Richard Ashcroft, Mark Wahlberg, iTunes

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Wyclef Jean's Latest Vanity Project: President of Haiti: Wyclef Jean is best known for being the member of the Fugees who quite improbably enjoyed the most solo success. We would have bet on Lauryn Hill, but unfortunately, she went crazy. Crazy may be ... More >>

Rocks Off's Rodeo Concert Guide: Black Eyed Peas, Purveyors Of Humps

Date: March 18 Name: Black Eyed Peas AKA: "Fergie and Three Other Guys" Genre: Crap-hop Best Known Song(s): "Where is the Love?," "My Humps," "Check Out Our Singer's Cans" Key Demographic: The tone-deaf, confused Fugees fans, victims of poisoning without ready access to Ipecac Previous HLSR Appear ... More >>

Talib Kweli

Heptomaniacs

Houston's indie/reggae/soul/punk/rock/pop band

In Style with Nistal

Rebel Crew's Karina Nistal

Get Down with Dave

Chappelle returns with a raucous Block Party

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Child of Fate

Rap Gets Puffy

Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs fathers a return to hip-hop pop

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Rooting Interest

The Roots make rap for both your hips and your head

Young Gun

Grrrls No More

What happens when ariot grrrl grows up? Ask Sleater-Kinney.

Talking Revolution

Michael Franti and Spearhead are into change, if not the Internet

Rapumentary

Rap of Ages Inc.

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