bedtime for toys: it's a motherfuckin' dance riot.

BEDTIME FOR TOYS combine a mix of electro, hip-hop, fun, pop, and R&B to trot on a futuristic rock n roll wonderland that hasn't been stepped on since the glory days of Prince and the Revolution.

Clearly, I stole this description from their website? Yup.

I suppose what is really important about Bedtime for Toys is their visual aspect. No, I'm not talking about the fact that lead-singer Marchelle Bradanini is totes adorbs. The 'Toys actually project video footage behind them at every show. In fact, they will not perform without it, stating that it's like any other instrument in the band. With that said, you'd think a lot would be lost by just listening to them. Incorrect. While I have not had the opportunity to see the 'Toys live, I'm almost afraid to do so. If they're this good missing one of their important elements, I don't even think I could handle the full picture. Plus, Los Angeles is far!

CRED RESUME: remixed by Le Tigre, Spank Rock, and moneyshot fave Leif, collaborated with Har Mar Superstar, performed with Lady Sovereign and Princess Superstar

WATCH: Bedtime For Toys mini-documentary

DOWNLOAD: BEDTIME FOR TOYS- White Fur Coat
DOWNLOAD: BEDTIME FOR TOYS- Black Ties, White Lies

Keep posted for album details!

BLOGWATCH: i rock i roll brings us the cutest summer song that you might be missing out on, the Teddybears' "Yours to Keep". Block Party has a new song by Monica, "Sideline Ho", that has so much sass that your mind will be blown. Honorable Media streams a hilarious video mash-up of DMX and Elmo.

onili: making you say oh!...nili!

ONILI sounds like a pink rebellious rabbit, or at least that's what she says on the space. I'm not sure about rebellion, but everytime you hear onili it kind of feels like a tiny, microscopic pink mischievous rabbit goes inside of your brain and starts pushing buttons without looking.

With that sort of introduction, aren't you dying to hear what she has to offer? Well, if not, let me tell you her story. Onili was born in Israel, but has spent most of her life in Paris. She was in her first band by the age of 13, covering Iron Maiden and had always aspired to be a huge female rock star. At 16, she created her second band Story About the Clown with her best friend Jeremy. From there, she went on to collaborate with several artists, but by February 2002 she took it to the next level. With her first computer in hand, onili began composing her own songs and exploring her originality and influences. In need of nature, she relocated back to Israel and is working on finishing touches for a new album. Currently, onili can not go home, as her city is being bombed. No matter what you believe in, I ask that you pray and hope that she is doing well.

Onili's influences range from Busta Rhymes to Led Zeppelin to Bjork and are constantly changing. Despite her electro sound, you'd have a difficult time placing her within a specific genre. She's funky...but not in an annoying way. If I could easily describe her music I would...but considering even she has to resort to saying that it sounds like "a pink rebellious rabbit", I think you'll just have to listen to find out.

DOWNLOAD: ONILI- First Kiss
DOWNLOAD: ONILI- Games

Friend her: The Space
...Details on buying album to come

BLOGWATCH: Fluxblog has got a tune from Hello Stranger, formerly known as Vagenius. Said the Gramophone brings us the Ratatat remix of The Knife's "We Share Our Mother's Health". A while back, Analog Giant leaked one amazing track off of the upcoming album by The Roots.

wizard rock: don't take fame, take love

HARRY AND THE POTTERS have been featured on mtv.com and probably even more legitimate sites. They're celebrities just as much as Jeffree Star or Tila Tequila, both primarily known through myspace. While the latter two are mostly known by only internet users, HatP gain a different audience...book readers. I once interviewed Paul for my old blog and tried to post it in a popular pop culture forum that will remain nameless. My post was rejected because they said they weren't famous enough! I was furious because, well, they are! They just are! But I suppose any fan would say that.

I am awfully late in making this post. I failed as a fan to realize that their new album was made available for purchase on good ol' Independence Day...15 days ago! I have no other option than to blame Voldemort for this. Obviously I read about the new album Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love back then, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named put me under a vicious memory charm which only allowed me to remember about it today!

Now that I've been released from this curse, I would like to point you all in the direction of three new songs. Two are from the new album, and one is off of the Scarred For Life 7". These songs are a good indication of the maturing sound of the band. Years ago, HatP made up for what they lacked musically with hilarious lyrics such as "Cause I'd rather not talk about your dead ex-boyfriend over coffee" that gained them a solid, dedicated fan-base. Now, just as Rowlings books have evolved from childish fluff to dark adolescent drama, so has the sound of Harry and the Potters. "The Blood of a Prince" has incredibly dark lyrics. It's also much more complex than anything HatP had ever done up to this point. One could make claims that it's a legitimate rock song...because, well, it is. Even while maintaining their playful nature on "Song for the Death Eaters", they still bring in a new level of instrumentation and harmony that was never before heard on earlier tracks. Now, the boys are no longer just two brothers with guitars, a drum machine, and clever puns within their lyrics. They rock...literally.

DOWNLOAD: HARRY AND THE POTTERS- Song for the Death Eaters
DOWNLOAD: HARRY AND THE POTTERS- This Book is So Awesome
DOWNLOAD: HARRY AND THE POTTERS- The Blood of a Prince

BUY Harry and the Potters and the Power of Love

BLOGWATCH: The Rich Girls are Weeping has some new remixes of Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man". Dreams of Horses honors my favorite Prince song ever by featuring covers by both Tegan & Sara and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

venus hum: like björk but more fun

VENUS HUM found me in an unusual way. At work. Well, they didn't literally pop through the doors of the office, throw headphones on my ears, and force me to listen to their music of course. I suppose it's better to say that I found them while working. I was browsing through the site of a remarkable PR/marketing company and Venus Hum happened to be one of their clients. When I visited their space page, my ears were met by the most succulentistic (I had to make up a word for it) electro-indie pop I've heard in a while. It was polished, yet still unique.

My first thought upon listening to "Fighting For Love" was that it reminded me of a Björk remix, particularly the Soft Pink Truth remix of "It's In Our Hands". I quickly decided that I needed to do my research to confirm this...so I turned to my boyfriend, who happens to be studying at Oxford for a degree in economics, politics, and philosophy with a minor in Björkitude. Even though he was on dial-up (I know, right! Who uses THAT anymore??), he agreed to the laborious task of downloading the song and taking a listen. His immediate reaction-- "You're right. It's like Björk...but more fun."

Upon further thought, I came up with my own hypothetical "what if" pseudo-hipster I'm - going - to - name - a - band - you - probably - haven't - heard - of - unless - you - know - Max - from - shitparade description. Venus Hum is what would happen if the tourbuses of Björk and Bedtime for Toys crashed, only to miraculously combine the group and artist into one super, electronic indie power group.

Later in the day, I downloaded the Venus Hum album The Colors In the Wheel and took a listen. Unfortunately my assessment was a little bit off. The album was much more complex than this one song I had used to evaluate the entire sound of the band. It also was, well...good.

All in all, I learned one important lesson: The reason PR/marketing companies exist is to make you buy things. I fell into their trap, and I don't regret it. I highly recommend that you download "Birds and Fishes" by the way. It is required listening for lovers of a certain multi-talented Icelandic singer-songwriter...and no, I'm not talking about Silvia Night.

DOWNLOAD: VENUS HUM- Fighting For Love
DOWNLOAD: VENUS HUM- Surgery in the Sky

BUY The Colors In the Wheel, BUY Songs for Superheroes

BLOGWATCH: Soul sides has a great write up on the Neptunes, including new tunes by Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasco, and Famlay. Popbytes has a new tune by gangstress Khia, in which she asks for the Lord to forgive her...seriously. When your pussy and your crack is licked that much, you need to find a little Jesus. You can also hear another Khia track at DListed in which she states, "I know you wanna suck this pussy so get down on your knees". I suppose it's time for a little repentance yourself...just for reading that line.

cassie: the unofficial remixes

CASSIE (aka the much more google-able Cassandra Ventura) unexpectedly stormed onto the charts with her debut single "Me N U", but what most don't know is that she unexpectantly got a record deal. She didn't intend to be a star. Once she met producer Ryan Leslie, her mother wanted her to record a song with him for her birthday. Ryan produced a duet for the two of them called "Kiss Me" which got into the hands of Tommy Mottola. He loved it, offered her a management deal....and eventually Diddy got involved and Cassie is now part of the rebirth of Bad Boy Records.

I want to be happy for Cassie, but a small part of me can't help but think of the much more talented vocalists who should be in her place. None of the songs I've heard by her have shown any range, and the only talent she seems to have is sounding sexy. Honestly. You could claim she has versatility as she raps on her upcoming single "Long Way 2 Go", but it's not even a great flow. It's all in the production...or is it?

What confuses me about my accusation is that Cassie still sounds sexy on every remix I've ever heard of "Me N U". I could argue that this is because these productions also have good beats...or that it's the vocal production, but I think I just need to stop thinking about it. It's kind of listening to "Hips Don't Lie". I know it's a terrible song lyrically, but I can't help loving it.

Hot girls singing about how hot they are is the new "Hey Ya". Just accept it.

DOWNLOAD: CASSIE- Me N U (siik's Ratatat remix)
DOWNLOAD: CASSIE- Me N U (Mikel remix)
DOWNLOAD: CASSIE- Me N U (Kwame's stimulated remix)
DOWNLOAD: CASSIE- Me N U (mc DJ remix)

SUPPORT siik, SUPPORT Kwame, SUPPORT mc DJ

BONUS TRACK: CASSIE- Long Way 2 Go (next single)

PRE-ORDER Cassie, TBR August 8th

BLOGWATCH: BadmintonStamps has an MP3 of the Snakes on a Plane theme by Cobra Starship, which is surprisingly catchy in a shitty epic emo kind of way. Some velvet blog posted a dance party-ready mash-up of No Doubt/Deep Purple/The Gorillaz, which has got me feelin' hella good.

ashlee simpson: the other sister.

ASHLEE SIMPSON "got hot all of a sudden". This is what a (straight) female friend said to me earlier today while watching Project Runway's premiere.

"It must have been the nosejob"

That couldn't be more accurate, though it's not just something physical. She looks more confident now in photographs. One could argue that she feels better now that her nose isn't busted, but I think the confidence was always there. It was just hiding behind her ugly nose. Now her confidence is fully displayed, and she can hide all her insecurities in her hair extensions. It's that simple.

No disrespect. While some critics are quick to dismiss Ms. Simpson as either Jessica's Simpson's wannabe sister or a maker of the devil's music, I think that her album Autobiography actually had some incredible pop songs on it. Sure, they were mindless and made nearly no sense...but that's what makes good pop music. No one can claim that the early work of The Beatles was highly intellectual and engaging, but it was good pop music. Therefore, Ashlee Simpson is the new Beatles. Got it? Then, let's move on...

Possibly the best song she ever made was the unreleased song "Sorry", which could very well be a Courtney Love b-side. Hipsters will no doubt scoff at this statement, but listen to Hole's "Celebrity Skin" (MP3) and then listen to practically ANY song on Autobiography. Courtney ever had a good voice but she (actually) rocked, and Ashlee is essentially a second-rate Courtney with less edge...and less rehab. Get a few shots of whiskey in this bitch, and she could possibly write the best angry chick rock songs of this decade. If not that, while she's drunk you can stand in a circle clapping your hands and talking about how you'll be girlz for lyfe! And now you won't even have to say she's your cute friend with the bad nose!

DOWNLOAD: ASHLEE SIMPSON- Sorry (unreleased)
DOWNLOAD: ASHLEE SIMPSON- L.O.V.E. (Missy Elliott remix)

BUY Autobiography, but I Am Me is not worth buying. Sorry Ashlee. Even the Beatles had sub-par albums.

BLOGGER NOTE: I promise legitimate posts in the future that don't compromise the self-esteem of the neglected sister. I just started work, so I haven't had much time to find much new music.

BLOGWATCH: I guess i'm floating has a live WOXY set by one of my favorite bands, Oh No! Oh My! I hate to say it but I've been hoping for so long that someone big would leak the new Lady Sovereign single. I even e-mailed the link from my post to other blogs and they weren't having it! Thank you Fluxblog. Thank you.

life: you're either in or you're out.

NICK VERREOS of Project Runway 2 was literally in the same restaurant as me today. Pop Burger in NYC on 14th and 9th. I was eating with my boss. He was wearing an orange shirt...and presumably chowing down on some cheeseburgers with his boyfriend. Within the same day, my boyfriend saw last season's winner Chloe Dao outside of F.I.T. Now I ask you do EITHER of these individuals live in NYC? NO.

I immediately thought that this was some exciting spoiler. Nick and Chloe in the same city on the same day! They must be filming an episode for season 3!

Then I thought to actually read Nick's blog. Nope. Nick was blatantly in the city for tomorrow's NYC Premiere Party and Emmett's Trunk Show. Kara Janx, Chloe, Nick, and obviously Emmett himself will all be making appearances at the events. Knowing this made me feel less special.

What's made me less special is that I didn't even have the guts to say hello to Nick. My former co-blogger interviewed him before! It's like I almost know him. However, I asked myself, "If I were famous, trying to enjoy a burger with my boyfriend, would I appreciate someone coming up to me to say nothing relevant to my life?" No. I told myself, "No".

So what's my fucking point? What does this have to do with music?

There aren't enough songs about being famous and eating cheeseburgers with your boyfriend. It's that simple. Also, I have no point. I just wanted to let the rest of America know that this happened to me.

OH, but in that interview I mentioned earlier Nick responded to one of the questions...

"In regard to 'whickety whack'--that's what I think is the correct spelling. It's something I came up with to describe something that is both tacky and 'whack'(slang for 'crazy'). For example: Tacky trim is 'whickety whack', or those over-the-top Quinciniera (Sweet Fifteen) dresses some girls wear are definitely 'whickety whack'."

This is entirely untrue. As much as I adore Nick, Kris Kross used the word "whickety-whack" back in 1992 on their hit song "Jump". Unless Nick was saying whickety-whack before the backward mack daddies, he did not come up with the term. Therefore, you should never trust Nick Verreos. But you should wear his clothes because they are cute.

DOWNLOAD: KRIS KROSS- Jump (Extended Mix)
DOWNLOAD: KRIS KROSS- I Missed the Bus

BONUS TRACK: HAROLD BAREFOOT SANDERS III- Breathe On Me
(song they play when designers get booted, so you can re-enact your fave eliminations)

BUY Totally Krossed Out

Project Runway 3 debuts tomorrow night at 10PM on Bravo, with a 9PM casting special beforehand.

BLOGWATCH: Pardom My Freedom has some new tracks by Uffie. Arjan Writes is streaming a snippet of that new song by The Killers.

emo lane: summer goes on.

THE ANNIVERSARY broke up in 2004 but continue to gain a following as their albums Designing For A Nervous Breakdown and Your Majesty are passed down from emo kid to emo kid...or more accurately, file sharing system to emo kid. In my "emo" phase, I scrounged through servers to find new tunes. I would download album after album of artists listed as "emo", only hanging on to the few that satisfied my ears immediately. Eventually my obsession ended, and I deleted most of the albums. Designing A Nervous Breakdown is one of few full albums still kicking after the great deletion of 2004. Why? Despite several songs being remarkably similar, I can still listen to the album to this day. Sure...it's whiney, melodramatic, and everything you expect from emo, but something about the instrumentation and male/female duel vocals made The Anniversary stand out among other emo acts.

In fact, the simple inclusion of female vocals makes them stand out. Emo is a heavily male-dominated genre for several reasons. The ladies are left voiceless. Even if a girl wanted to sing emo, she'd have to declare that she's "emo" and therefore look like a total poser who's trying too hard. Otherwise, her "emo" music would be labeled as chick rock or lesbian music. The reason males dominate the genre is because of the limitations of the word and gender norms. Men are expected to bottle up their emotions and suck it up, but when they let 'em out...whether they like it or not, a scarlet E is slapped onto their breasts. When women express their emotions musically, society says they're just being women. Am I wrong to say that? Because I said it.

In any case, it's awfully refreshing to hear Adrianne Verhoeven's smooth vocals flawlessly blending with the male vocals of the album. Her work on the keyboard is what makes the sound of The Anniversary so unique. Without her, there would be no band. In this sense, she's one of the first ladies of emo. None have come close to taking her thrown, other than Michelle Nolan of Straylight Run...but we'll talk about her later.

DOWNLOAD: THE ANNIVERSARY- All Things Ordinary
DOWNLOAD: THE ANNIVERSARY- Emma Discovery

BUY Designing A Nervous Breakdown

CORRECTION: My emo expert friend has corrected me that there is a popular emo band with a female lead singer, Paramore. Perhaps I shall look into them.

BLOGWATCH: Later, I'm sleepy!

khia: back from the dead, now lick it now.

KHIA was victim to one of my favorite internet rumors. Years ago, the "My Neck, My Back" (you know what comes next) rapper was said to be dead. Apparently, she had given her boyfriend AIDS and he shot her. No. She didn't give him the HIV virus. The report said she gave him AIDS. Because that's how it works when you're the self-proclaimed "Queen of the South". You can just skip ahead to AIDS!

Speaking of the "Queen of the South" title...there's a bit of a problem with that. Three ladies claim to hold this title. One of them is Khia. One of them is Jacki-O, but she does not matter at all. Khia claims that she beats Jacki-O for the title because she has sold more albums and has a larger fanbase. And she's right. While Khia has ONE single that managed to get on the Billboard charts, the Poe Little Rich Girl doesn't have any. But both of these ladies must be kidding themselves. If we're going by fanbase and albums sold, Trina blows them all away. On that note, Trina once tried to offer Khia a verse on her latest album...Khia said no. She hypothetically said something like, "Hell nah, I'm the Queen of the motherfuckin' south. But I'll record a track with your man, Lil Wayne. And Trick Daddy. But not you. Ho."

Khia is very stubborn in that sense...but you gotta give her some respect. "Jealous Girls" is the jam, even if no one else has ever heard it. The girl writes her own shit, and pushes it out all by herself. She will not be featuring any other artists on her upcoming album Gangstress because she doesn't think she needs their help to sell her product. This product is going up in value now that it's been announced that she'll be featured on the second single off Janet Jackson's upcoming album, "So Excited". Well, her product is going up in value if the song is better than that stupid Nelly/Janet collabo.

Here is a remix of the first single, "Snatch the Cat Back", you can hear the original on the space. For kicks, I've also included the unreleased Janet Jackson song "Put It On Me", produced by Rich Harrison.

OH! Take note that Khia will be releasing a book called Gangsta Love this Christmas. This is going on my list next to Wendy Williams' upcoming novel in the Ritz Harper Chronicles, Is the Bitch Dead? Wendy, if you are reading this (I can dream!)...I just want you to know that you're my hero.

DOWNLOAD: KHIA- Snatch the Cat Back (remix)
DOWNLOAD: KHIA- I'm A Queen (freestyle)

DOWNLOAD: JANET JACKSON- Put It On Me

BUY Gangstress, PRE-ORDER 20 Years Old

BLOGWATCH: Indie christoph has a remix by Spank Rock of Cansei de Ser Sexy's "Let's Make Love and Listen Death From Above". Arjan Writes has some pics from a recent Justin Timberlake show that might prove to you that he is indeed bringing sexy back. You Ain't No Picasso brings us a live set by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. The Passion Boys have a new song out called "Robot Sexie Time". It makes me "excite chicken dance feeling".

lady sov's invaderation of the usa.

LADY SOVEREIGN is a female rapper from the UK with a hint of grime. Hardcore blog-readers are probs familiar with her, so that last statement is probably unnecessary. For those who don't know, this is one white chick with a sicker mic flow than any other. Try to name someone else. Just try. And I don't wanna hear shit about Princess Supastar. Lady Sov eats her for breakfast. She's even better than Avril Lavigne when she tried to rap on "Nobody's Fool". I know, right? It seems impossible!

In any case, Def Jam just picked her up. She will be the first non-American female on the label. Later this year, she will be touring with The Streets. In laymen's terms, she's kind of a big deal. Stereogum leaked a song called "Gatheration" a moment ago, but for once I'm one step ahead of them. Below you will find a link to download what I believe to be her new single..."Love Me or Hate Me". I'm feeling it a bit more than the first song, so I'm getting really souped for the new album. It's a bit more playful, and I think it has potential to gain a good following with the right promotion behind it.

DOWNLOAD: LADY SOVEREIGN- Love Me or Hate Me

BONUS TRACK: LADY SOVEREIGN f/ ADROCK- A Little Bit of Shh (Smallstars Remix)

BUY Vertically Challenged, HEAR her on the free Adult Swim Mix

BLOGWATCH: Stereogum has a track by Rhymefest which samples The Strokes' "Someday". The Rich Girls are Weeping brings us a mash-up of Mylo with Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes".

mya: liberated.

MYA has this tendency to disappear for a year or two, only to pop back onto the music scene unexpected with some hotness.

She stormed onto the hip-hop scene with the help of Sisqo in 1998 with her debut album Mya. This led into successful soundtrack singles "Ghetto Superstar" (Bulworth) and "Take Me There" (Rugrats: The Movie). She disappeared for two years, returning full force with hits like "The Best of Me (remix)" and "The Case of the Ex". A year later we got "Lady Marmalade" and then...Poof! She was gone again. Well, she went on to do some acting that wasn't too memorable...so she might as well have been gone. She returned two years after the success of "Lady Marmalade" with Moodring, her least successful album to this date. Either way, this album brought us the sexalicious video for "My Love is Like...Wo!", and I consider that a success.

Now, after three years in hiding, word is that she'll be back this summer with a new album called Liberation. The album boasts production by Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, and Lil Jon...but as we know, great producers do not a good album make. I'm curious to see what Mya comes up with as a final product. She's always seemed a little confused to me about whether she wants to appeal to a TRL audience or an urban audience. Sometimes I wonder if she realizes that she once appealed to both...and if she could just find that formula again, she'd be set.

Take a listen here at the moneyshot!! to some tunes off of the upcoming Liberation of Mya. I wish her luck, but only because she once wrote a song called "If You Died I Wouldn't Cry Because You Never Loved Me Anyway".

DOWNLOAD: MYA f/ EVE- I Am
DOWNLOAD: MYA- One Night

BUY Mood Ring, BUY Fear of Flying, BUY Mya

BLOGWATCH: I guess i'm floating's Nathaniel has a great reinterpretation of Lauryn Hill by Devendra Banhart. You ain't no picasso brings us that new Bishop Allen for the month of June. Stereogum leads us to a leak of Justin Timberlake's new single "Sexyback".

coach said not to: words that I employ.

COACH SAID NOT TO was all over totes, but now that I'm doing the moneyshot!!...I feel as if they deserve another shoutout.

I once urged a friend to listen to their song "Unlikely Architect", and they quickly dismissed it as "lesbian music". This isn't a horribly inaccurate description, as the promo for their first full length album defines it as "the lovechild of Ani DiFranco and Jeff Buckley born live on the Broadway stage". But don't let those words get in the way. Lezzi tunes or not, these songs are beautiful...no matter what they say. And honestly...admit it. You kind of love lesbian music. Don't you? You do! You do! I knew it. You love vag, and you're totally a lesbian. You want mad tight vaginas all over your face!

But I shouldn't get off topic. Coach Said Not To makes no claim to their lesbian music status (though the drummer Annika thinks boys are smelly), so let's just drop it. Let's talk about how these four ladies who never meant to be a band are now the cat's meow in the twin cities. And why not? With their beautiful harmonies and abrupt rhythm changes they brought something new to the scene that was apparently missing. Oh yeah, they also have a sense of humor. Their band name came from a University of Minnesota pamphlet on safe sex, in which number 71 on the list of "101 Ways to Turn Down Sexual Advances" was simply "Coach said not to".

DOWNLOAD: COACH SAID NOT TO- A Series of Near Misses
DOWNLOAD: COACH SAID NOT TO- Unlikely Architect

BUY Mini Series

BIG UPS TO: Bigstereo for shouting out the moneyshot!! with a post about Yo Majesty's "Kryptonite Pussy" (see 6/23/06). Speaking of kryptonite, Superman Returns was THE MONEYSHOT. My only complaint about it is that I kept wishing Kate Bosworth was Rachel McAdams. Other than that, it dominated over X3: The Last Stand as far as summer superhero movies go. Even Hugh Jackman's bulging pectorals couldn't have saved X3.

BLOGWATCH: The first tune from the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" is playing on the space. It is by Cobra Starship featuring vocals from members of The Sounds, The Academy Is..., and Gym Class Heroes. Analog Giant gives us another new track by Jurassic 5. I was there has the Simian Mobile Disco remix of Peaches' "Downtown" that you didn't want to actually buy from iTunes. No frontin' has a great Richard X tune featuring Kelis that I hadn't heard until today.

lil kim: been gone for a minute.

LIL KIM was released from prison this weekend. Honestly, with that kind of news...who gives a fuck about Independence Day? Uncle Sam ain't got shit on the Queen Bee.

This Monday, she pulled out at 6am in a silver Rolls Royce with a crowd of admirers celebrating her freedom. In other words, she walked away from the slammer with style.

On a random note, my cousin told me a lovely story about her friend, who we will call Angela for the sake of storytelling. Angela was rollin' down the street while wearing a "We Love Kim" bracelet, made for my cousin Kim who was diagnosed with a rare cancer that attacks soft tissue in the body. As Angela rolls down the block, a ghettofab chick sees her bracelet and asks..."Yo, is that bracelet in support of Lil Kim?" Angela doesn't really feel like explaining the whole story, so she states, "That's right. Stay strong queen bee!" Strangely enough, I once planned to sell these bracelets in support of America's Next Top Model (Cycle 5) contestant Kim Stolz. I never really thought to rep for the streets and rock the bracelet in the name of the Queen Bee.

It may be a little late...but the bracelets are still for sale! Support whoever you want-- Lil Kim, Kim Stolz, Kim Catrall, Kim Bassinger, Kim Possible, Kimberly Stewart (she could use the support), and...um, Kimberly Locke?

If you're feeling charitable but want to donate to something bigger, check out Lil Kim Cares and see how the Queen Bee gets down with charity. If you have no time for charity, you can spend your time waiting for the second season of Countdown to Lockdown.

DOWNLOAD: NOTORIOUS B.I.G. f/ LIL KIM- Another Bitch
DOWNLOAD: LIL KIM f/ JAY-Z- Big Momma Thang

BUY The Naked Truth, BUY Hard Core

BLOGWATCH: Just like music is hooking us up with some new tracks by Jurassic 5. This time they don't involve Dave Matthews...thankfully. Obscure sound brings us two new tracks from Outkast's Idlewild that ain't no "Hey Ya", but they don't disappoint.