Eminem's Relapse Tops Charts

Sony blamed for UK price hike, now reversed

(NEWSER) - On Saturday, a Whitney Houston greatest-hits album cost about $8 in the UK iTunes store; but shortly after the singer was found dead, it had jumped to a little more than $12.50. The changed sparked a customer uproar. "It is just a case of iTunes cashing in on the singer's death, which in my opinion is totally parasitic," said one, according to DigitalSpy . But the Guardian reports that it was Sony, not iTunes, that was responsible for the change—which has now been reversed. More»

Listeners listed alongside Crips, Bloods

(NEWSER) - If rappers Insane Clown Posse have a show in your town, lock your windows and bolt your door: Their fans, who call themselves Juggalos, are officially a “gang threat,” according to the FBI. Their inclusion in the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment apparently puts them in a league with the Bloods and Crips, notes Spencer Ackerman at Wired . The agency says the “loosely-organized hybrid gang” is “forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity.” More»

He says US foreign policy helps foster terror

(NEWSER) - Conservatives slammed President Obama for hosting Chicago rapper Common at the White House. Now Obama is taking criticism from a different Chicago rapper. "To me, the biggest terrorist is Obama, and the United States of America,” Lupe Fiasco told CBS in an interview noted by the Huffington Post . “I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism.” He said “the root cause of terrorism” includes “the foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists.” More»

She's 'a male lady,' has a you-know-what, Em raps

(NEWSER) - Eminem, famous for dissing other celebrities via song, has some words for Lady Gaga in new tune "A Kiss." He takes aim at the Gaga-is-a-hermaphrodite rumors with the line, "Tell Lady Gaga she can quit her job at the post office / She's still a male lady," then goes on to note he "wouldn't f*** her with her d***." The song is from Hell: The Sequel, an EP Eminem made with rapper Royce da 5'9" as rap duo Bad Meets Evil, PopEater reports. More»

Eminem enjoys a comeback, too

(NEWSER) - Kanye West's comeback must be complete: Rolling Stone awarded him the top slot in its list of 2010's 30 best albums. The top 10:

1. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: "Music as sprawlingly messy as his life," these songs are "hip-hop epics ... full of the kind of grandiose gestures that only the foolish attempt and only the wildly talented pull off."
2. The Black Keys, Brothers: "Their best record yet: vivid tunes stripped bare and rubbed raw ... it's rock minimalism pushed to the max."
3. Elton John and Leon Russell, The Union: "Two rock giants ... rekindle a friendship and make music that ranks with their best."
4. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs: "An album of vast, orchestral rock that locates the battle for the human soul amid big houses and manicured lawns."