At this point, we all know who A$AP Rocky is. He's one of the most famous rappers in New York's freshly-revitalized scene, he's headlined his own national tour with our main man Danny Brown, and his mixtape LIVELOVEA$AP is one of the more cohesive, sonically luxurious offerings to hit Livemixtapes in the past couple of years. But Rocky still hasn't had a hit, an honest-to-gosh track to become a problem on rap radio. If there were any justice in the world, "Goldie" with its monstrous Hit-Boy beat, quotables upon quotables from Rocky, and its accompanying video that featured Rocky and his dude A$AP Yams stunting in front of the Eiffel Tower, should have been the one to push him over the edge and into ubiquity. But it didn't, and it sucks.
When you've got a genuinely good song with major label push that still can't crack the Top Ten, there's a sure-fire way to give yourself a second shot: Make a song with Drake and 2 Chainz. So that's exactly what the Pretty Motherfucker did, linking up with rap radio's reigning kings as well as Kendrick Lamar, rap radio's heir apparent, for "Fuckin' Problems." They're doubling down on the track's music video, with its minimalist-but-still-very-obviously-big-budget aesthetic that mirrors Rocky's style perfectly. As of now, the song is ranked at 14 on the Billboard Hip-Hop chart, so it seems like Plan B where he got 2 Chainz and Drake to make a song with him is paying off. Have the stars aligned for Rocky to become a genuine mainstream rap star? I kinda hope so because his music is the shit. Either way, the "Fuckin' Problems" video is really good and Drake's part is the best even though the rest of it is really good too.
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Ace of Base's Secret Nazi Past
Before he founded Ace of Base, Ulf Ekberg was a member of Commit Suiside, a Nazi punk band.
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Parquet Courts - "Light Up Gold Road Trip" (Full Documentary)
In this new documentary, Noisey follows rising indie rockers Parquet Courts from Mexico to Texas and London as they tour to support their debut LP, 'Light Up Gold.'
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Yung Lean Doer Is the Weirdest 16-Year-Old White Swedish Rapper You'll Hear This Week
Yung Lean raps over pillow-fluffy beats and raps about glory holes and Arizona Iced Tea. Who the fuck is this kid? And why is he like this?
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Adam Ant - The British Masters, Chapter 6
Noisey's John Doran talks with the great post-punk pop star Adam Ant about tribal body mods and layering tape.
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Photos: Taking Acid at Coachella
When Paley sent these photos in, she included a nice little caveat over email that we've decided to reprint here in full, not only because it's too good to edit, but because her photographs of her and her weird buddies riding the snake are some of the best
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R.I.P. Storm Thorgerson (1944-2013)
On Thursday, the hyper-talented graphic designer, artist, and famed album cover creator Storm Thorgerson passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old.
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The Internet Is Scary
As of six months ago, my Facebook fanpage is like a dojo where hormonal teenagers hone their technique. Here is a heartfelt poem from some kid who wants to rape, kill, and marry me.
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I Accidentally Touched Little Richard's Butt One Time
It was in the Detroit airport. After it happened Little Richard said, "He graze my derriere."
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Listen to St. Lucia's Remix of The Colourist's "Little Games"
Last month, Cali quartet the Colourist released "Little Games," and St. Lucia just pulled a warm Balearic blanket over the whole thing, sanding away its rough edges with bright synths and lightly gated percussion.
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Aaron Montaigne, Godfather of Screamo, is More Interesting Than You Can Ever Hope to Be - Part Two
On surviving combat in Iraq and Afghanistan with the help of magic, 'Bladerunner,' and everything in between.
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