Shows-a-Go-Go! Before Law and Order: SVU slapped a badge on Ice-T’s chest, the rapper had Tipper Gore hyperventilating. An original of
gang-sta rap and former member of heavy-metal outfit Body Count, Ice-T
penned such anti-establishment rhymes as “New Jack Hustler”
while attracting the attention of the second lady’s pet censorship
project, Parents Music Resource Center. Ice-T’s one-two punch socked
middle-class America in the gut with tales of inner-city living, leaving
listeners outraged and a little woozy. T parlayed his rap career into a
lucrative livelihood as TV and film actor and social commentator. The
pacesetter of hardcore rap makes a rare appearance onstage here on
Saturday, April 29, at Club 217 (3075 Normandy Rd.). Also of note: St.
Louis offers up a 16-and-up show, starring They
Might Be Giants, at the Pageant on Saturday,
May 6.
The circle of life: Despite playing the music game for more than a decade, Grandaddy, a quirky pop outfit from California, never quite made it to the big leagues. They’re throwing in the towel in fine style, releasing final LP Just Like the Fambly Cat on May 9. Goodbye, Grandaddy — we’ll always have the Sophtware Slump. As one band dies, another reunites, or so says the Smashing Pumpkins Web site. It’s yet to be seen whether the Pumpkins will be a complete reincarnation featuring the original lineup of Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and D’Arcy Wretzky.
CD exchange: Enter Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration pinning together former Goodie Mob MC-turned-soul singer Cee-Lo Green and production man of the year Danger Mouse for an experimental funk opus. Cee-Lo’s vocals are pleasantly imperfect, and Danger Mouse’s playful circus beats soar. St. Elsewhere, which drops May 9 on Atlantic Records, includes a clever remake of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” and plenty of single-worthy tunes.
Reels of steel: The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault hosts a screening of the 2006 Sundance selection “Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture.” The film, directed by Byron Hurt, features words from some of hip-hop’s key players, including Mos Def and Russell Simmons. The film unspools 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at the Hilton Springfield, 700 E. Adams.
The circle of life: Despite playing the music game for more than a decade, Grandaddy, a quirky pop outfit from California, never quite made it to the big leagues. They’re throwing in the towel in fine style, releasing final LP Just Like the Fambly Cat on May 9. Goodbye, Grandaddy — we’ll always have the Sophtware Slump. As one band dies, another reunites, or so says the Smashing Pumpkins Web site. It’s yet to be seen whether the Pumpkins will be a complete reincarnation featuring the original lineup of Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and D’Arcy Wretzky.
CD exchange: Enter Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration pinning together former Goodie Mob MC-turned-soul singer Cee-Lo Green and production man of the year Danger Mouse for an experimental funk opus. Cee-Lo’s vocals are pleasantly imperfect, and Danger Mouse’s playful circus beats soar. St. Elsewhere, which drops May 9 on Atlantic Records, includes a clever remake of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” and plenty of single-worthy tunes.
Reels of steel: The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault hosts a screening of the 2006 Sundance selection “Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture.” The film, directed by Byron Hurt, features words from some of hip-hop’s key players, including Mos Def and Russell Simmons. The film unspools 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at the Hilton Springfield, 700 E. Adams.
