Cypress Hill

Lauryn Hill, Nas, Cypress Hill, Wu-Tang Headline Rock The Bells 2011

25 May 2011 11:46:42 EDT

Four-city festival, kicking off August 20, will feature several artists playing entire albums.
By Rob Markman

Lauryn Hill
Photo: Chris Kim

Lauryn Hill, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Cypress Hill — this year's Rock the Bells festival looks to be a hip-hop fan's dream. Last year Guerilla Union invited headlining artists to play their classic albums in full for concertgoers, and it looks land they are continuing the trend for 2011. During the four festival dates, which kick off in San Bernardino, California, on August 20 at the San Manuel Amphitheater, Lauryn Hill is scheduled to play her 1998 multi-platinum, Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill from beginning to end. Nas is tapped to perform his 1994 classic, Illmatic. "For years, people have been asking me to do Illmatic in so many ways, from stage plays to movies to books, but the time wasn't right. Where music is going now, the time is right," Nas said in a statement. "This will be my biggest production, and it only makes sense to do it on the best rap tour, which also happens to be a brand I've built and am a partner in. Can't wait to kill it with my comrades AZ, Premo and Pete Rock!" In addition to Nas' and Lauryn's sets, Cypress Hill will be performing their 1993 LP, Black Sunday; Raekwon and Ghostface Killah will reunite onstage for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... and Mos Def and Talib Kweli will join forces to play their independent fan-favorite Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The festival, which will also hit Mountain View, California (August 27 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre), New York (September 3 at Governor's Island) and Boston (September 10), will have four stages. The Rock the Bells Stage will house most headliners, while the Paid Due Stage will feature independent and up-and-coming rap acts. RZA is the curator of the new 36 Chambers Stage, while the Grindtime Now stage will feature battles. RZA, Murs and Supernatural will play host during the fest, which includes and other notable performing acts Erykah Badu, Slaughterhouse, Mac Miller, Curren$y, Souls of Mischief and Black Moon. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 4; pre-sale tickets will be available on June 3. Artists confirmed for the Rock the Bells 2011 festival are: Ms. Lauryn Hill (performing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill)
Nas (performing Illmatic)
Cypress Hill (performing Black Sunday)
Erykah Badu (only select dates)
Mos Def and Talib Kweli (performing Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star)
Raekwon and Ghostface (performing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx)
Mobb Deep (performing The Infamous)
The GZA (performing Liquid Swords)
Immortal Technique
Slaughterhouse
Mac Miller (only select dates)
Curren$y (only select dates)
Souls of Mischief (performing 93 'til Infinity)
Black Moon
Childish Gambino
Blu & Exile
Fashawn
Random Axe (only select dates)
Masta Killah (performing No Said Date)
Evidence (only select dates)
Macklemore(only select dates)
Freddie Gibbs
Roc Marciano

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Cypress Hill's 'Armada Latina' Video Kicks Off The Summer-Jam Sweepstakes

08 Apr 2010 14:34:00 EDT

B-Real and Sen Dog are back, and they're clearly ready to party.
By James Montgomery

Photo: Priority

Here in the Northeast, it's been unseasonably warm this week, so it's probably not too soon to start considering songs for the annual Summer-Jam Sweepstakes, the competition to see which tune will dominate the beaches and lakefront properties of this great nation of ours when the mercury rises and the shirts come off. And for the first entry, I present to you Cypress Hill's "Armada Latina," whose video premiered Thursday (April 8) on MTV.

It probably wasn't supposed to work out this way. After all, timing has never exactly been B-Real and Sen Dog's greatest strength. Rise Up, the album from which "Armada" comes, has been in the works since 2005, and something like four singles have already been released off it, even though it doesn't hit stores until April 20 (how fitting). But for once, the guys may have gotten it right, as "Armada" is the perfect song — and video — for summer (or spring, for that matter). It's a bouncing, downright breezy thing, riding on a sample of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Judy Blue Eyes" and popping with Latin percussion and finger-picked guitars. It's kind of like Kid Rock's "All Summer Long," only with congas and Cohibas instead of walleyes and whiskey. Make no mistake about it, this isn't the Cypress Hill you knew and loved in 1993. Well, it is — the 4/20 release date is a dead giveaway that these dudes are still into herbal remedies — but unlike the smoky, claustrophobic hits of their past ("Insane in the Brain" and, to a lesser extent, "(Rock) Superstar"), "Armada" is bright, jovial, even celebratory ... the kind of thing you want to listen to with the windows rolled down. Miami's Pitbull shows up to contribute a lilting verse. Marc Anthony sings the hook (though he's not in the video). B and Sen rap about Cuba Libres and games of dominoes. The video is one giant summery, Little Havana block party. Everyone looks like they're having a blast. No one blows plumes of smoke at the camera. This is not, shall we say, the red-eyed and hazy Cypress Hill of the Clinton era. Just having a Cypress Hill video to write about is enough to make my inner 15-year-old happy, but things have changed for B and Sen. At least judging by "Armada Latina," they're in it to win it. And they're ready to party. Sometimes you've gotta step outside of the smoke-filled room and dance a little. The Summer-Jam Sweepstakes begins now. What do you think of "Armada Latina"? Is there another song you think will be the summer jam of 2010? Share your thoughts below.

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Video Analysis: Cypress Hill's 'Armada Latina'

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Rage Against The Machine Get Political, Wu-Tang Get Crowd Involved At Rock The Bells NYC Stop

30 Jul 2007 18:51:00 EDT

Cypress Hill among other performers on hip-hop-heavy festival bill.
By Shaheem Reid

"Rage Against The Machine's" Zack de la Rocha
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — Backstage at the Rock the Bells show on Randall's Island felt like a live version of the MTV News show "The Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All Time.""The Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All Time." Several acts mentioned on the program popped up. You spotted Public Enemy's Flavor Flav walking around with his family, shaking hands and hugging people like he was Barack O'Flava on the campaign trail. Later, you saw ?uestlove of the Roots talking to P.E.'s Chuck D, followed by Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and Masta Killa milling about by the food tent, while Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith and DJ Scratch of EPMD sat inside munching on some post-show snacks. The Clan are the co-headliners of the hip-hop-heavy bill, along with rock and roll gods Rage Against the Machine. Ten years ago, the two groups joined forces for a groundbreaking trek: the biggest rap group in the universe touring with a collective that had just as much standing in the rock universe. Rock the Bells not only marks a reunion of the two camps but of the groups themselves. By now, we're used to the Clansmen's M.O. of separating and re-forming every few years. In fact, they headlined Rock the Bells three years ago, before the untimely death of one of their most popular members, Ol' Dirty Bastard, in 2004 (see "Ol' Dirty Bastard's Death Stuns And Saddens His Peers"). Rage, on the other hand, went through an old-fashion breakup. Their revolutionary lyrics and battleground beats have been sorely missed by fans. Saturday was the first of two shows on Randall's Island, with a myriad of MCs fattening up the lineup: Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Poison Pen and Immortal Technique, the Roots, Supernatural, David Banner and Cypress Hill. "Sawed-off shotgun, hand on the pump," Cypress' B-Real and Sen Dog rapped from "Hand on the Pump," with the crowd yelling along. "If that felt good," Real said after the song. "This should feel incredible! "Here is something you can't understand," he continued, a cappella. "How I could just kill a man!" the audience responded. This, of course, signaled the start of Cypress' "How I Could Just Kill a Man," which was followed by "Insane in the Brain." "Insane" definitely had the biggest jump factor of the night. Chants of "Wuuuuuu-Taaaang, Wuuuuuu-Taaaang, Wuuuuuu-Taaaang" were thick in the air as the stagehands prepared for the Clan's set. The group's catalog is so deep that every song in their concert is a fan favorite — they have no time for anything obscure. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit" started the musical melee, followed by "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'." The excitement surrounding Wu-Tang was tempered by the absence of ODB and the knowledge that he'll never perform with the group again. Various members and the fans had to rhyme his part on that song ("Here I go, deep type flow/ Jacques Cousteau could never get this low") and on "Shame on a N---a." As with most Clan shows, Method Man was undeniably the most energetic, bodysurfing and even standing on top of the crowd during records such as "Method Man" and "Bring the Pain." Redman came out to join Meth on "Da Rockwilder," while Ghostface Killah took the spotlight on "Fish." The Wu ended with a full-team effort: "Triumph." When Rage came on, it was as if a mushroom cloud had come over the Island — their presence was just so powerful. Zack de la Rocha is so commanding, and sonically the music overshadows what the band has done on wax. One kid said it best: "This is a f---in' concert." And that was only two songs in. The young crowd gave a respectable response to the rap acts, but there was no doubt that they had come to see Rage. "Come wit it now," de la Rocha yelled, inciting his fans during "Bulls on Parade." "People of the Sun" came next, further increasing the energy. "Yeah, never forget that the whip snapped ya back," Zack rapped. "Ya spine cracked for tobacco/ Oh I'm the Marlboro man/ Our past blastin' on through the verses/ Brigades of taxicabs rollin' Broadway like hearses/ ... This is for the people of the sun! It's comin' back around!" The guitars on "Bullet in Your Head" were cutting and deadly. "Just victims of the in-house drive-by," the audience sang along. "They say, 'Jump,' you say, 'How high?' " Although Rage were performing hits from years ago, their militant sensibilities still hold true today. De la Rocha addressed the crowd, telling them not to believe what they may have seen and heard on "fascist" television station Fox News. He said his group was wrongly quoted as saying they think the president should be assassinated. "Nah," he said. "What we said was he should be brought to trial as a war criminal and hung. That's what we said. "This system has become so brutal and cruel it needs to profit from wars so it could survive as a world power," he added. He urged American citizens to stand up to the government "with the same force the Iraqi youth are fighting with every day and bring these mutha----ers to their knees. Wake up! Wake up!" After dropping the mic and leaving the stage with the band, Zack and the rest of Rage returned for the closer, "Killing in the Name." On Sunday, Rock the Bells continued with a slightly different lineup of supporting performers: Rakim, Slick Rick and Erykah Badu were all added to the bill. Down the road, acts such as Nas will be taking spots on the roster. Been to a cool show lately? Wanna share? Check out MTV News' You R Here blog to find concert reviews and submit your own reports, pictures and video.

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2Pac, Public Enemy, Rick James On 'San Andreas' Soundtrack

18 Oct 2004 15:24:00 EDT

Game, album also include AFI covering NIN's 'Head Like a Hole.'
By Joe D'Angelo

Photo: Rockstar Games

2Pac, Cypress Hill, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Bell Biv DeVoe and other artists who dominated the airwaves in the late 1980s and early 1990s will add the musical accompaniment to "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas." As was the case with the last edition of the popular video-game series, the music will be available independent of the game, this time as both a double album and an eight-disc box set. To complement the game's setting in the era when films like "Boyz N the Hood," "Juice" and "Colors" were at the forefront of pop culture, gangsta rap weighs heavily on the soundtrack, but other genres play their part, too. James Brown's "The Payback" and Rick James' "Cold Blooded" embody funk, while Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" and Faith No More's "Midlife Crisis" take care of the hard-rock set. Country (Willie Nelson), classic rock (Heart, Eddie Money) and reggae (the Maytals) are also represented. AFI's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," recorded exclusively for "San Andreas," is the only new track in the set. In the game, whenever the main character, CJ, carjacks a ride, the music heard is determined by which station the car's radio is tuned to. Players can listen to more than 150 tracks on eight fictitious, genre-specific stations. Besides the 23 music tracks, the double album also features a DVD component that tells CJ's back story and serves as a prologue to the story that unfolds in the game (see " 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' — Beware Of Hostile Hippies, Hare Krishna Gangs"). Both releases are due November 23, nearly a month after the game hits stores on October 26. The seven CDs that comprised the box set for the last installment in the GTA series, 2002's "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," which was set in the '80s, were also released independently. Track list for the "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" double album: Disc 1:

"The Theme From San Andreas"
Rage Against the Machine - "Killing in the Name"
2Pac - "I Don't Give a F---"
James Brown - "The Payback"
Ronnie Hudson - "West Coast Poplock"
Guy - "Groove Me"
Eddie Money - "Two Tickets to Paradise"
Cypress Hill - "How I Could Just Kill a Man"
The Maytals - "Pressure Drop"
Slick Rick - "Children's Story"
Rick James - "Cold Blooded"
Raze - "Break 4 Love"

Disc 2:

Ohio Players - "Funky Worm"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Compton's Most Wanted - "Hood Took Me Under"
Lyn Collins - "Think (About It)"
Public Enemy - "Rebel Without a Pause"
Faith No More - "Midlife Crisis"
Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"
Max Romeo & the Upsetters - "Chase the Devil"
Eric B. & Rakim - "I Know You Got Soul"
Willie Nelson - "Crazy"
AFI - "Head Like a Hole"

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Mixtape Monday: D12 Beef Caught On Tape, Foxy Brown Returning To The Streets

06 Aug 2004 22:34:00 EDT

'Beef II' DVD also includes LL/Canibus dust-up.
By Shaheem Reid

Eminem performs at 2004 MTV Movie Awards
Photo: John Shearer

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Eminem, Chili Peppers On Cypress Hill's Smoke Out Wish List

02 Aug 2004 21:03:00 EDT

Between summer concert stops, B-Real's got the annual autumn fest on the brain.
By Corey Moss

Cypress Hill's B Real at Weenie Roast 2004
Photo: MTV News

With work under way on Cypress Hill's seventh annual Smoke Out festival, two names keep popping up in B-Real's brain. "We've been wanting to get Eminem," said the rapper, who shares his manager, Paul Rosenberg, with the Detroit icon. "And the Chili Peppers. They're a hot band. It'd be great for them to play the gig, but we'll make it a fun festival for everybody regardless." Plans are in the early stages, but B-Real said the show will go down in the Los Angeles area in October or November. In the meantime, Cypress Hill will continue to promote their March release, Till Death Do Us Part (see "Cypress Hill Bring It Back Home With Till Death Do Us Part"), with one-off performances. On August 14, the group will share the stage with Kid Rock, Ludacris, Lil Jon, Nickelback and Our Lady Peace at the Coors Light Mountain Jam at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver. Atlanta's Aquafina on the Bricks and San Diego's Street Scene festivals are also on the itinerary. "Summertime in the States, there ain't nothing like it," B-Real said. Later in the summer, the group will release "Busted in the Hood" as the follow-up single to "What's Your Number." The song uses the same beat and storytelling style of the Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere." " 'Paul Revere' was a pretty big song for me back in the day; they were a pretty big influence on us and everything," B-Real said. "And that particular story I wrote within the style that they wrote. It was a true story, and at the time of that particular story, the Beasties were a big part of all our lives. ... So it's kinda to pay tribute, and basically to tell a story." In between concert dates, B-Real also hopes to finally put the finishing touches on Kush, his much-talked-about side project with members of Fear Factory and Deftones (see "B-Real Finishing Up Kush LP, Going Grimmer For Next Cypress Hill Album"). "Everybody's labels have released everybody for that particular record, so it's just a matter of us getting back into the studio and finishing it up," B-Real said. "But there's some very heavy material there just waiting to be put on the grill." When not in the studio with Cypress or Kush, B-Real is working on material for other friends. "I'm just trying to develop as a producer," he said. "I spend a lot of time writing."

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Cypress Hill Bring It Back Home With Till Death Do Us Part

26 Mar 2004 15:53:00 EST

Till Death Do Us Part returns to hip-hop, integrates reggae influence.
By Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Meridith Gottlieb

Photo: Jason Squires

It took Cypress Hill six albums and more than a dozen years to get back to their roots. The title of B-Real, Sen Dog, and DJ Muggs' seventh and latest album, Till Death Do Us Part, released Tuesday, is a testament to the group's longevity, while its songs highlight the foundation upon which their 15-year-long career has been built. "We kind of just let it flow," B-Real said. "We didn't really think about any sort of direction. If anything, we wanted to capture the essence of what the group is, and that's the hip-hop side of who we are. That's what got us into this; that was the one thing on our mind. Everything else just fell into place." Rather than furthering the inroads into hard rock and heavy metal hybrids they paved on their last two studio albums, 2000's Skull & Bones and 2001's Stoned Raiders, Cypress Hill fully embrace their hip-hop roots on the dark, gangsta raps "Another Body Drops," "Street Wars" and "Money," while "Till Death Comes" and "Never Knows" are ruminations on thug life. As its title hints, "Latin Thugs" honors their ethnic background with a horn loop, peppy percussion, lyrics spit in Spanish, and a guest appearance by Latino MC Tego Calderón. "That track is obviously for the Latin cats out there who've been representing and putting it down for us for the longest," B-Real said. But most prominently, Cypress Hill's proclivity for a particular plant is represented by the reggae and dancehall vibes woven through songs like "Ganja Bus," which features an appearance by Damian Marley (yes, one of Bob's sons), "Bong Hit," and the album's first single, "What Is Your Number?," which lifts a riff from reggae-flavored punk pioneers the Clash's "Guns of Brixton." "We're always trying to evolve and make the sound grow," B-Real explained. "And [reggae] is one thing that we never touched on, which has been a big influence on us. So it made sense to put a reggae vibe behind [the album]. I don't think people were expecting something like that" (see "Cypress Hill Tap Into Reggae For New LP — What Took Them So Long?"). Fans of the Beastie Boys, especially, will be perplexed by "Busted in the Hood," a track that takes the Boys' 1986 classic "Paul Revere," adds a pinch of bouncy reggae flavor, and alters the lyrics into a story about a drug dealer caught by the cops, rather than a tale of rhymin' and stealin' in the old West. "It's our story told to their style," B-Real said. " 'Paul Revere' was big in pretty much all the neighborhoods in Los Angeles, as far as ganstas go. The gangstas took that song and came up with their own sh--. It took me back to those days when I was out in the street with those guys listening to that song." While Till Death Do Us Part refers to the core trio, the album boasts several guests. Besides Calderón and Marley, "What's Your Number?" features an appearance by Rancid's Tim Armstrong, and "Last Laugh" finds rapper Twin and Mobb Deep's Prodigy lending a hand. "Whenever I walked into the studio, Muggs had a different collaboration going," B-Real said. Cypress Hill kick off a four-week tour with Blink-182 April 29, after which B-Real said the group may take off for Europe. And in between working on his much-talked about side project Kush, with members of Fear Factory and Deftones (see "B-Real Finishing Up Kush LP, Going Grimmer For Next Cypress Hill Album"), he can be found splattering his rivals with paintballs on a team, the Stoned Assassins, he formed with Everlast (see "Everlast Battles Will Smith, Takes Out White Trash"). Still, further collaborations are not out of the question. "I'd like to work with Busta [Rhymes]," B-Real said. "He's always been someone that I wanted to work with because our voices are so different. He's always been one of my good friends. Maybe Eminem, Jay-Z ... I like Jay-Z a lot. I hope that if he [actually retires from music] that he's happy and fulfilled with what he wants to do with his career. But at the same time, as a fan, I definitely would like him to keep making hot records." Cypress Hill tour dates, according to Columbia Records:

4/25 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
4/29 - Nampa, ID @ Idaho Center
4/30 - West Valley City, UT @ E Center
5/1 - Englewood, CO @ Coors Amphitheatre
5/3 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre
5/4 - Selma, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
5/5 - The Woodlands, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
5/7 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
5/8 - Orlando, FL @ TD Waterhouse Centre
5/9 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre
5/11 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amp. Charlotte
5/12 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
5/14 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheater
5/15 - Maryland Heights, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
5/16 - Bonner Springs, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
5/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center

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New Releases: Usher, N.E.R.D., Eagles Of Death Metal, Cypress Hill, Vines, Widespread Panic, Lou Reed & More

22 Mar 2004 21:39:00 EST

Also hitting stores is Now That's What I Call Music! 15.
By Abbey Goodman

Usher extreme close up 2004 press image
Photo: Arista

Get ready for revenge of the N.E.R.D. This week, super-producers the Neptunes put the spotlight on their rock outfit, N.E.R.D. Their second album, Fly or Die, features the single "She Wants to Move" and a guest appearance by Good Charlotte's Benji Madden on "Jump." Next up is Usher's Confessions. The hit "Yeah!" features cameos by Ludacris and Lil Jon, but the album isn't all good times. Usher gets dark on "Confessions Part II," "Burn" and "Caught Up." Eagles of Death Metal, the hard-rock band featuring Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme's drumming alter ego, Carlo Von Sexron, release Peace Love Death Metal this week alongside the Vines' new one, Winning Days. On the follow-up to the ubiquitous Highly Evolved, frontman Craig Nicholls noisily expresses touching sentiments like "F--- the World." As we all know by now, Now That's What I Call Music! puts popular current hits on one album. The 15th edition features "Toxic" by Britney Spears, "Holidae In" by Chingy, "I Don't Want You Back," by Eamon and "With You" by Jessica Simpson. In other compilation news, Ruben Studdard and Simple Plan appear on the "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" soundtrack. Two live classic-rock double-disc sets will be released this week. The Allman Brothers Band's One Way Out was recorded at the Beacon Theater in New York, and Lou Reed's Animal Serenade was taped at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Cypress Hill's Till Death Do Us Part finds the rappers waxing poetic about their favorite subject on such songs as "Ganja Bus" and "Bong Hit." Meanwhile, ethereal Alpha go Stargazing and Carl Thomas says Let's Talk About It. If he meant the rest of the new releases, he's onto something. Out Tuesday, March 23:

7 Sons of Soul - 7 Sons of Soul (Verity)
Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out (Peach/Sanctuary)
Ben Arthur - Edible Darling (Bardic)
Avion - Avion (Console/Image Entertainment)
Bonnie Prince Billy - Greatest Palace Music (Drag City)
Blockhead - Music by Cavelight (Ninja Tune)
Borialis - What You Thought You Heard (Capitol)
Joyce Cooling - This Girl's Got to Play (Narada Jazz)
Cypress Hill - Till Death Do Us Part (Columbia)
Buy Now: Till Death Do Us Part (Columbia)
Angel Dean & Sue Garner - Pot Liquor (Diesel Only)
Descendents - Cool to Be You (Fat Wreck Chords)
Die Form - InHuman (Metropolis)
Cara Dillon - Sweet Liberty (Sanctuary/Rough Trade)
Wasis Diop - Everything Is Never Quite Enough (Artemis)
DJ Sh--bird/Revenge - Welcome to the Party (Narnack)
Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal (Ant Acid Audio/Rekords Rekords)
Read: "Queens Frontman Takes Passenger Seat In Eagles of Death Metal"
Eyedea and Abilities - E&A (Epitaph)
Lorraine Feather - Such Sweet Thunder (CMC Int'l/Sanctuary)
Mimi Fox - She's the Woman (Favored Nations)
Eliza Gilkyson - Land of Milk and Honey (Red House)
Sarah Harmer - All of Our Names (Zoë/Rounder)
Joni Harms - Let's Put the Western Back in the Country (Wildcatter)
RJ Helton - Real Life (Jive)
Honeydogs - 10,000 Years (United Musicians)
Ellis Hooks - Uncomplicated (Artemis)
The Hurt Process - Drive by Monologue (Victory)
Hyper - Wired (Thrive)
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop)
Jackass - Plastic Jesus (BYO)
The Kite-Eating Tree - Method: Fail, Repeat (Cowboy Versus Sailor/Suburban Home)
Bernie Leadon - Mirror (Really Smart)
Leftover Salmon - Leftover Salmon (Compendia)
Levinhurst - Perfect Life (Full Contact)
Lowgold - Welcome to Winners (Sanctuary)
Madison Park - Boutique (BasicLux)
Ian McLagan & the Bump Band - Rise & Shine (Gaff)
James McMurtry - Live in Aught — Three (Compadre/RED)
Bruce Molsky - Contented Must Be (Rounder)
David Lee Murphy - Tryin' to Get There (Audium)
N.E.R.D. - Fly or Die (Virgin)
Read: "N.E.R.D. Step Up Their Game On Fly Or Die, Reminisce About Teen Years"
Buy Now: Fly or Die (Virgin)
Andy Narell - The Passage (Heads Up)
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City)
Onelinedrawing - Volunteers (Jade Tree)
Panurge - Throw Down the Reins (Nettwerk America)
Particle - Launchpad (Or Music)
Pastor Troy - By Any Means Necessary (Universal)
The Rasmus - Dead Letters (Interscope)
Jon Rauhouse - Steel Guitar Rodeo (Bloodshot)
Lou Reed - Animal Serenade (Reprise)
The Riddler - Dance Mix NYC 5 (Tommy Boy)
Curtis Salgado - Strong Suspicion (Shanachie)
Langhorne Slim - Electric Love (EP, Narnack)
Smugglers - Mutiny in Stereo (Lookout!)
Soil - Redefine (J)
The Standard - Wire Post to Post (Yep Roc)
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band - Tour 2003 (Koch)
Start Trouble - Every Solution Has Its Problem (Columbia)
Sticks and Stones - Shed Grace (Thrill Jockey)
The Hiss - Panic Movement (Sanctuary)
Carl Thomas - Let's Talk About It (Bad Boy)
Nestor Torres - Sin Palabras (Heads Up)
Usher - Confessions (Arista)
Read: "Usher Lets Skeletons Out Of The Closet On Confessions"
Buy Now: Confessions (LaFace)
Vines - Winning Days (Capitol)
Read: "Vines Saddle Up And 'Ride' To End Of The World"
Buy Now: Winning Days (Capitol)
Peter White - Confidential (Columbia)
Widespread Panic - Night of Joy (Sanctuary)
Wumpscut - Bone Peeler (Metropolis)
Various artists - Bring You to Your Knees: A Tribute to Guns N' Roses (Law of Inertia)
Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 15 (Capitol)
Various artists - "The Punisher" soundtrack (Wind-Up)
Various artists - "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" soundtrack (Warner Bros.)
Various artists - Sing Along with Putumayo (Putumayo)
DVD: Harry Connick Jr. - Only You (Columbia)
DVD: Andy Cooper - Hot Jazz Festival (Music Video Distributors)
DVD: Iggy and the Stooges - Live in Detroit 2003 (Music Video Distributors)
DVD: Kelly Osbourne - Live at the Electric Ballroom (Sanctuary)
DVD: Switchfoot - Live in San Diego (Columbia)