'Hasidic Reggae Guy' Matisyahu Stretches Sound

Dancehall king blends familiar with futuristic with foray into cyberpunk

(NEWSER) - Reggaeton superstar Don Omar blends dancehall with Blade Runner on new album iDon, Jody Rosen writes for Slate. The Puerto Rican’s journey into “dystopian cyberfantasy” features plenty of “cybernetic mumbo-jumbo, foreboding synth chords, and techno twitches,” Rosen writes, backtracked by some more familiar big booming beats. More»

Looking to break into the biz? Use one of these pseudonyms.

(NEWSER) - With Diddy constantly changing his rap name, you might think all the good ones have already been used. But no: There are an awful lot of awesome pseudonyms still left, and Jesse Gissen lists his favorites on XXL :

• Sirius Black: “This bad ass dude from the Harry Potter series is known for practicing black magic, breaking out of prison and being able to turn into a werewolf. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

I want it that way. Wait, you want what what way?

(NEWSER) - Some lyrics are just so ambiguous you have no idea what you’re singing about when you sing along. Willa Paskin lists 20 “songs that make you go, huh?” on BlackBook :

• “I Want It That Way,” Backstreet Boys: “Make up your minds dudes, is ‘that way’ a good or a bad thing? Or is it anal sex?”
• “Push It,” Salt N’ Pepa: OK, maybe this one isn’t so vague: “Yeah, the ‘it’ in this song is pretty definitively ween.”

Amy Winehouse and Blink-182 are back, plus more hot releases

(NEWSER) - Forget Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift: This year promises to be a great one for music, with comebacks by big names and exciting follow-ups from breakthrough artists. MTV takes a look at the most anticipated albums of 2010:

• Amy Winehouse : The troubled singer will, supposedly, finally complete the sequel to her Grammy-winning Back to Black.
• Katy Perry : She’s worked with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer as well as a Rihanna collaborator on her follow-up to One of the Boys.

Norah Jones, Nelly also snag spots

(NEWSER) - The Beatles might have had its heyday a few decades ago, but the band managed to emerge from this decade with the best-selling album. Perhaps more surprising is the decade’s top-selling artist: Eminem, with 32.2 million albums sold—followed closely by, yes, the Beatles again in the No. 2 spot with 30 million sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The most surprising appearance of all, however, is a certain boy band… More»