The Witzard

Although Brooklyn -based "Indie" Rockers X Ambassadors have yet to unleash their proper major label "debut," they've somehow already managed to log studio time with the likes of Jay Z , Eminem, and Rihanna . Ahead of their nostalgically titled VHS full-length, brothers Sam & Casey Harris , guitar player Noah Feldshuh , and drummer Adam Levin have preemptively landed pre-album singles "Renegades" and "Jungle" within nationally-aired commercials for the newly-redesigned 2015 Jeep Renegade , time-traveling blockbuster, Project Almanac , and even a female-led a cappella rendition recorded for Pitch Perfect 2 . X Ambassadors have previously released three Alex da Kid -produced EP's (even one recorded as "Ambassadors" ) under their current Interscope Records/KIDinaKORNER label contract, which was supposedly first facilitated by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds after hearing the band on Virginia radio and strongly s...

"We're trying not to think too much in a cartoon sense, but more just like a psychedelic, otherworldly type of thing. If you want to draw a parallel, maybe think of what The Beatles did with Yellow Submarine ," Chad Hugo , one half of hit-making production team The Neptunes , recently told Variety about their forthcoming work on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water . "Squeeze Me," which was released online Friday afternoon, is the first track accredited to N*E*R*D since their 2010 group album, Nothing ; Hugo, Pharrell , and Shay Haley 's critically-acclaimed Funk-Rock fusion side-band has remained largely inactive over the past 4-5 years since its release. While Pharrell seemingly confirmed that N*E*R*D 's "nature-based" fourth album has been in-the-works since around 2013, nothing of any magnitude has yet materialized. But to their credit, "Squeeze Me" is a jangly Caribbean -infused track that's likely comparable to...

"Guess who's REALLY back? #VMAs ," Eminem Tweeted along with a KAWS -designed logo before the start of the 30th annual MTV VMA's ; while " Miley Cyrus was still TWERKIN,'" Justin Timberlake reunited with N'SYNC , Kanye performed under a lynching tree, Lady GaGa showed off her new-found fat ass, and Katy Perry closed out the show from a boxing ring/stage under the Brooklyn Bridge ... Eminem revealed news that he's prepping The Marshall Mathers LP 2 for a November 5th release (Shady Aftermath) . Eager and unknowing fans were treated to 2 Beats By Dre/Eminem commercials throughout the live broadcast, 15 and 30-second teasers between 9-11pm. Included within the #NewBeatsStudio commercials was a track preview presumably titled, "Berzerk," which is set for a wide release this upcoming Tuesday, August 27th. It seems as though Eminem has resurrected his angst-filled bleach blonde Slim Shady alter-ego, who's been largely in...

While it's title could easily be a reference to Toni Braxton 's similarly-titled 1996 smash-hit, M.I.A. 's latest [controlled] leak, "UNBREAK My Mixtape" almost seamlessly samples Blur , Carly Simon, Karen Dalton , and Fresh 4 in just under 5 minutes! After nearly a year of 2's-worth of delays and a single threatening Tweet , M.I.A. 's long-awaited fourth studio album Matangi is finally slated for a firm November 5th release. "UNBREAK My Mixtape" might just be The Internet 's fifth taste of Matangi , succeeded by "Only 1 U," "Come Walk with Me," "atTENTion," and possibly even "Bad Girls" (2012). M.I.A. effortlessly floats in-between the rapidly-changing beat(s); lamenting about a lost love and a broken mixtape, "Here's a mixtape that I made, let's take a break... While I get my life sorted, here's a mixtape... What did I do for you to call me crazy?" M.I.A. seems pretty ...

Since we're being honest, I don't think I've ever actually heard anything from Kelis besides "Got Your Money" and "Milkshake;" "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard and they're like, it's better than yours..." After a few rough years full of shelved albums, label drama, and the dissolution of her marriage to Nas , Kelis has signed to TV on The Radio multi-instrumentalist/producer Dave Sitek 's new label imprint. Federal Prism plans to unleash 2 Kelis albums and a single by year's end, along with new material from Scarlett Johansson , Maximum Balloon/Miguel, Freddie Gibbs , CSS, Chuck Inglish , and more. Kelis uploaded "Call On Me" to Soundcloud mid-Monday afternoon, which was later re-upped in substantially higher quality as "Jerk Ribs." Dave Sitek weaves a densely-layered soundbed that includes squalling horns, Funky basslines, and African drum rhythms; It almost has sonic accents re...