If You Read Only One Account of the Recording of We Are The World This Year...

Taking the death of Michael Jackson a very loose reason for the post, you're going to want to check out this summary of the events that occurred at the recording of "We Are The World," the song that ended famine in Africa once and for all. (NOTE: I did not do a lot of background research, but I assume the combined power of Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Al Jarreau, Bette Middler, Paul Simon, Dan Akroyd, Cyndi Lauper, et al. was unstoppable. It was, right?)

At exactly 5.57am, Dylan's lines are played back over the monitors. Lionel Richie falls flat on his back, eyes closed, then dances awhile, waving his ladies' Reebok aerobic shoes in the air.

Pretty much all of it is that quotable. One more for the road:

Soon after, Al Jarreau corners Dylan by the piano. He's choked up. 'Bobby', Jarreau says, holding back tears, 'in my own stupid way I just want to tell you I love you.' Dylan slinks away without even looking at him. Jarreau walks to the door of the studio, looks back at Dylan, cries 'My idol,' bursts into tears and leaves.

It's basically unbridled pop music porn, a bit flighty but filled with fascinating little nuggets like the ones above. Also, Bob Dylan: not a hugger.

When Bob Met Michael Jackson [bob dylan encyclopedia]
via The Roundup [goings on/new yorker]

"Bad Habits" Official Video Premiere

The second video from Maxwell's gorgeous BLACKsummers'night was just released. In it, he reluctantly(ish) cheats on his wife with actress Kerry Washington and shows us that while on hiatus, he apparently was working out 7 hours a day. I need a minute alone. Or like, an hour.



Maxwell "Bad Habits" [YouTube]

TDOS Obituaries: Baatin

Co-founding Slum Village member Titus "Baatin" Glover passed earlier this weekend and was found in Detroit this Saturday. The reason for his death is unknown at this time, but foul play, which had been suspected, was ruled out yesterday. The 35 year-old rapper and Detroit native had told the Detroit Free Press that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia right after he left Slum Village in 2002, but had rejoined the group, performing with them at the Detroit Rock the Bells tour date recently and shooting the video for their single, "Cloud 9" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius, formerly of Floetry) off of their forthcoming album Villa Manifesto this past week. He will be missed.

My favorite Baatin contributions after the jump.







Slum Village "Climax (Girl Shit)" [YouTube]
Common f. Slum Village "Thelonius" [YouTube]
Slum Village "Forth & Back (Rock Music)" [YouTube]

These Stank Ass Rappers Make Me Sick.

This 2000 clip sums up precisely how I feel about the majority of R&B/soul (Maxwell, Erykah and Saadiq you are excluded; thank you for continuing to make music that gives me pause) music that is being promoted/released thus far in 2009.



The Original Kings of Comedy [YouTube]