New York Music Blog

​Listen here. Written by Ne-Yo, first single off Rated R, out November 23, and not, alas, a track-by-track cover of the Queens of the Stone Age album. Don't tell me that wouldn't be awesome. But we digress, if only because this is very lovely, and very boring. The problem here is Rihanna is way preferable as a frivolous, carefree, borderline nonsensical Pop Tart (ella, ella, ella, etc.) but everyone expects her to be in Gravitas Mode now, which possibly means lots of grim and quasi-gothic ballads with unpleasant lyrics ("It's too late to think of the value of my life") we'd rather not hear out of Rihanna's mouth for a while/ever again. The Saw VI visual vibe we're getting early on doesn't help. We need The-Dream, and we need him now.

This performance was to be a bit more of an event before Jay-z upstaged it with his own televised concert with these two on Friday night, and then Kanye really upstaged it with what you might call his own solo performance on Sunday, and then Jay Leno's show was revealed to be the exact same garbage show it was before, but all three things also give the version they do here a bit of extra pathos, and it's a surprisingly good one. Frankly, we're surprised Jay-Z is even letting himself be seen in the same room as Kanye right now--but maybe record promotion is record promotion, no matter what kind of silent treatment you're giving your little brother when the cameras go off.

You gotta give it to Jay-Z, Kanye, and Rihanna--they are absolutely not afraid to suggest that when the world has ended and all the BMWs are just burned out husks and humans have to wear masks and bandanas to survive, they will still rule all of us.

Video: Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West - Run This Town [Nah Right]

​--Steven Tyler broke his shoulder and received some stitches in his head after falling off the stage during Aerosmith's show Wednesday in Sturgis, South Dakota (he's not dead, as some sites were reporting). Billie Perry, wife of guitarist Joe Perry, wrote on her Twitter: "[Tyler] hit his head and back. No concussion, stitches in head and back near shoulder. Broken shoulder." The band has unsurprisingly postponed their gig tonight in Winnipeg, Canada. Watch the press conference about the postponement here, where a nice promoter with a mullet is interrogated by reporters like he's defending the Patriot Act.

---The musical guests for the September 14th debut of NBC's The Jay Leno show have been announced. Rolling Stone reports that Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye will perform "Run This Town," off Jay's upcoming Blueprint 3. The Leno show's format will reportedly regularly feature these Grammy-style artist collaborations, though it's hard to imagine one like this every night.

 New Jay-Z single, featuring Rihanna on the hook and Kanye for the win. "Run This City" apparently premiered on rap stations all over town at 9:11, because if you're Jay-Z getting radio stations to debut your tracks on the exact hour/minute of your upcoming release date is an easy thing to do indeed. Conclusion? There's nobody Kanye can't murder this year. What you think I rap for, to push a fucking RAV-4? [h/t Rap Radar, Nah Right, the entire internet]

--One King to another: New York congressman Peter King released a YouTube video in which he calls Michael Jackson a "pervert" and a "low life." Released on the Fourth of July, King begins by praising "cops, firefighters and teachers," but quickly moves to his less-than-remorseful point: "Let's knock out the psychobabble, this guy was a pervert, was a child molester, he was a pedophile." King adds, "He was a pretty good singer, did some dancing." We didn't win lottery tickets to the memorial service either, but you don't see us making a scene.

--Courtney Love trashed her hotel room at the Inn on Irving Place. The Post reports that 44-year-old Love, while in New York with daughter Frances Bean Cobain, caused $5,000 in damages to her room and left behind "used needles and feminine hygiene products." She also flooded the floor for good measure.

--Two dudes quit Panic at the Disco.

-- Rihanna: R&B superstar, aspiring tattoo artist. The "Umbrella" singer took a shot at inking during a visit to New York's East Side Ink last week when she inscribed the letter "R" onto staff members' bodies. Now she's in trouble. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is investigating the incident, with the Health Department telling TMZ, "Only licensed tattoo artists can administer tattoos in the city according to the City's Health Code. We are sending someone down to follow up on this."

--Legendary rock manager Allen Klein died on Saturday at age 77 after a long battle with alzheimers. The Newark, New Jersey-born former accountant founded the ABKCO Music & Records label in New York in 1961. His clients included Sam Cooke, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Klein was known for his ruthless negotiating style, and was involved in more than 40 lawsuits with clients by 1972. His short tenure managing the Beatles in 1969 infuriated Paul McCartney, which many cite as a key reason for the band's breakup. Pete Townshend once called him "the awesome rock-leech Godfather." Klein kept an altered verse from the 23rd psalm on his desk, which read: "Though I walk in the shadow of the valley of evil, I have no fear, as I am the biggest bastard in the valley."

--Chris Brown reached a plea deal in court yesterday in his felony assault case. Brown will avoid jail time by receiving probation, doing 180 days of community service in his native Virginia, and attending domestic violence counseling classes. Brown is ordered to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna for the next five years. If the pair are present at the same event, that distance will be reduced to 10 yards, so a joint tour isn't out of the question if the stage is big enough.

--Brooklyn's Oxford Collapse is breaking up. Avoiding the "creative differences" cliche, the Sub Pop band released one of the most affable break-up statements ever. Sample: "Thanks to everyone who ever came to see us play, bought something we were selling, said something nice, or let us sleep on their diarrhea-encrusted floors. (Except you, Branson, Missouri!)." The band will play two farewell shows: Maxwell's in Hoboken Friday, July 17 (sold out) and NYC's Under the Tracks (508 W. 25th St.) the following night. To echo the band's official statement, "If you missed the original Last Waltz in '76, now's your chance!"

--One Sub Pop band breaks up, another one gets back together. Sunny Day Real Estate are playing their first shows since 2000. The Seattle band is playing San Fransisco's Fillmore on October 13 and the Paramount in their hometown on October 16. Lead singer Jeremy Enigk told a Seattle rock station the band jammed together in March, and things must have gone well. Unlike previous reunions, this one will include bassist Nate Mendel, who left the band to join the Foo Fighters in 1995. Update: It's now a full tour. SDRE play Terminal 5 on September 27; find the rest of the dates at Idolator.

--For those who think rockabilly is dead, just check out number of acts playing the Coney Island Rockabilly Festival. Organized by Cockabilly Records, the four day-festival takes place Labor Day weekend. It will include more than 100 acts, including New York bands the Memphis Morticians, Rockets Red Glare, and Guitar Bomb. There will also be a sideshow and "real-live burlesque." More info here.

--A member of Will.i.am's posse allegedly clocked Perez Hilton in the face last night. The blogger tweeted from a Toronto hotel around 3 a.m. last night: "I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke." Hilton offered a tiring eleven-minute explanation on his Web site today, saying that after Will.I.Am told him to stop writing about his band, Hilton told him, "You're a fag, you're gay, stop being such a faggot." For some reason, things didn't end well. TMZ reports that Polo Molina, the "general manager" of Black Eyed Peas, allegedly assaulted the blogger.

--Rihanna's testimony at Chris Brown's preliminary hearing today will not be televised. The "Umbrella" singer will testify as a witness for prosecutors making their case that Brown attacked her Grammy night in February. Brown faces two felony counts of assault. But he ain't a monster.

--The Flaming Lips' new double album has a name, and it's Embryonic. No release date has been set, but the band is offering a special package for fans buying tickets to their summer tour online. Some tickets will include a digital EP containing three tracks from the forthcoming disc, three b-sides, and a separate free download of the show you just saw. Wayne Coyne and Co. play Monticello, NY on Sept 13, part of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival. Buy tickets here.

--Kate Moss has provided an unexpected setback for The Kills: destroying their new album. The model, who dates Kills guitarist Jamie Hince, threw Hince's laptop in her pool after an argument. The computer contained six new Kills songs that were not backed up anywhere else. Hince jumped in the pool in attempt to salvage the hard drive, but to no avail. An unnamed source told The Mirror: "After much grovelling from Kate, they kissed and made up - and even saw the funny side of it. Kate's buying him a new computer."

--The Killers' Brendan Flowers likely got to live out a childhood fantasy Saturday when he joined Bruce Springsteen for a duet of "Thunder Road" at the opening night of the Neatherlands Pinkpop Festival. Nowadays, it's a right of passage for Springsteen-influenced acts to join their idol onstage. The Arcade Fire played two numbers with him in 2007 in Ottawa, Canada, including the long-unplayed "State Trooper."  The same year, Springsteen joined The Hold Steady on "Rosalita" at a New York tribute show.

-- Billed as the biggest ticket promotion ever, Live Nation is introducing "No Service Fee Wednesdays." The promotion, which begins and ends June 3 (more Wednesday-related "specials" are promised for the rest of the summer), will eliminate extra fees at all amphitheatre concerts. This includes shows like blink 182, No Doubt, Phish, and Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynrd. No word on whether Live Nation will also eliminate impossible parking, long bathroom lines, rain, and the guy in jean shorts throwing up all over the place next to you.

--Another piece of old, weird America is preserved. The 81-year-old Paragon Carousel, located in Hull, Massachusetts, has won a $100,000 grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster and Jeff Mangum wrote a note urging fans to help save the merry-go-round in April. It won out of 25 other Massachusetts landmarks. Read our own Camille Dodero's recollections of the famous merry-go-round here.

--New photos of Chris Brown and Rihanna have leaked, according to TMZ. The pictures show the stars in happier times, smiling and kissing. It's a curious leak, considering Brown is facing two felony charges for attacking the "Umbrella" singer in February . Brown dug himself a deeper hole last week when he declared, "I ain't a monster" in a video intended to help promote his new album and single.

--Another day, another Phil-Specter-is-screwed story: Specter is seeking a reduced prison term. A lawyer for the legendary, hair-experimenting producer is asking for his sentencing enhancement for use of a gun to be reduced from four years to three. His murder conviction for killing '80s actress Lana Clarkson still stands, which mandates 15 years in prison. Yeah, he's still screwed.

--Good news for Depeche Mode fans: singer Dave Gahan successfully underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his bladder. Medical tests revealed "low-grade malignant tumor" after Gahan suffered a severe case of gastroenteritis before a May 12 show in Athens, Greece. He is under doctor's orders to rest for now, but the band returns June 8th with a show in Leipzig, Germany. The band is working on rescheduling postponed shows, though some will be canceled altogether.

--Chris Brown decided to come out of hiding. Brown, facing two felony charges for allegedly assaulting Rihanna in February, appeared on Bow Wow's "JustinTV" site. He hyped his upcoming album, Graffiti, decried bloggers, and said, "All my real fans, I love y'all. I ain't a monster." Well, we're convinced. In other news, the rapper is being sued by a photographer for bodyguard assault.

--Speaking of Rihanna, she's the star of Kanye West's new "Paranoid" video. It begins with her tossing and turning in bed in a black corset. Then she dances in a tight white dress. Rihanna totally won.