Video killed the radio star and then MTV went on to kill music television. Beginning with the systematic replacement of each music video with like, fifteen new Lauren Conrad’s and then finally calling the end-game axing of TRL, MTV has been battling music for a while now. Luckily for music video fans, they’ve put together a nice consolation prize, MTVMusic.com, and it looks great.

We all know nothing really counts unless it’s on the internet, and MTV just totally stepped up their web game. One-upping YouTube, MTV unloaded vaults full of music videos onto their new website. There will be no drunken covers, living room superstars, or rick-rolling here (well, unless this counts). Check out Katy Perry’s latest, and then you can check out the original—they are all there, and in full form.

From the looks of the site, it’s clean, easy to use, and there’s no fear of that “This video has been removed” message. And for all you bloggers out there, the videos are emmeddable. With a site this comprehensive, what’s not to love?

And so, with the launching of their new Music Television Music website, I never have to turn the dial to MTV again, and all can be forgiven. Except maybe this.

So in the dying days of the industry, the Gray Lady calls upon a superstar to pump some blood into it’s pages. Even sweeter for the Times is Bono’s high pay demands of, well, nothing. Sounds great, right? I can’t help but think they are making a mistake.

The Times editorial page is one of the most competitive territories in journalism, a home to grounding contextualization and ground breaking ideas alike. Rosenthal just handed some of this prime real estate over to Bono, turning it into a giant soap box.

Bono’s opining will likely be a far cry from, say, Diddy’s rants, but a celebrity endorsement is a celebrity endorsement. A study by Washington State University found that “celebrity endorsed campaigns successfully lowered complacency and helped young people believe in their own impact on the political system.” Such an impact is undoubtedly commendable. But there is a caveat: “Celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand.”

Now, Bono has always been quick to lend his celebrity status to worthwhile causes, and his editorial experience is not to be overlooked. (Remember that Vanity Fair issue? or the RED Independent? Both AIDs awareness tributes.) But his “grasp of the issues” seems to be, at times, as rose colored as his glasses.

David Carr put it kindly when he wrote of Bono’s altruism: “At a time when many people think they can consume their way to virtue, he is happy to accommodate.” He’s asking for change, but it’s money he’s looking for. While his causes may be more than worthwhile, he’s out for the sell—a romantic sell. “Africa is sexy and people need to know that,” he said.

I don’t turn to the Times to be swooned, but rather to be enlightened. Bono will write, and people will read: that’s great. His pop sensibility has taken him far, in music, philanthropy and the eyes of the Queen, but I can’t be certain it’s what is lacking in the editorial pages. An editorial is not free ad-space for a tub-thumper like Bono, but a platform for serious debate. In the end, his heart may be in the right place, but so is Young Jeezy’s, and I am not sure I want his wit on those pages either.

Street artists generally leave their work on, y’know, the street. But then there was that one time Banksy hung his art in the Louvre (and the Met, and the Natural History Museum, and MOMA…). And now Nick Walker, another artist from the U.K., is leaving his mark on… Asian Pub?

Yup. Walker (sorry, TMZ, that’s not the elusive Banksy), was spotted atop a cherry picker Monday night working on one of his signature “Morning After Pieces.” And Asian Pub got a little bit more hip.

Call it street art, call it graffiti, call it tagging or piecing—whatever it is, it has been made clear once again that the form is changing. In earlier incarnations, New York City officials worked hard to keep it off the streets, white washing tagged subway cars and locking up vandals. But these days, if you’ve got a couple (500) thousand dollars sitting around, you can have an original Banksy for yourself. Not in this economy?

Not a problem. Try UrbanOutfitters—last time I checked they carried his books. Some attribute this change in street art to the “Banksy Effect,” while others to a market economy. Either way, one thing’s for sure: with the direction the street art world is moving, all those graffitied subway cars we whitewashed back in the day? They probably could have bailed out those poor guys down on Wall Street. Talk about a revolution…

No matter what you think of the changing scene, Nick Walker is someone to keep an eye on. So while Asian Pub is still a far cry from the next big thing, Walker’s New York skyline doused in paint is worth checking out.

If it strikes your interest, look for his umbrella-wielding fellow at Thunder Jackson’s on Bleeker or his vandalizing giraffe at the Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg. And if you still want more, start saving—this stuff’s not cheap.

Photo by Flickr user pureandapplied used under the Creative Commons

Actually, it’s here now. Yesterday, Apple announced the release of their new and improved MacBooks. So go ahead, kids, type so hard you break your old MacBook Air (!!!!)—it’s a thing of the past anyway.

Things to look forward to on your new computer? A precision aluminum unibody enclosure, a Itarthin 15-in LED backlit display, and high performance NVIDIA graphics. Exciting, right?

The most lauded feature seems to be the buttonless, glass track pad. Gizmodo raved that its finish is “just right, providing that perfect balance of tactile resistance.” No clicking necessary here—a special tapping system has replaced the buttons. (Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn’t this always been an option on Macs?)

White and Black MacBooks are now an antiquated idea. While I can’t be certain what any of these upgrades mean, I can at least assure you that you will look cooler with your Kanye approved, shiny glass and aluminum MacBook.

In the south, predominantly within the 1990s Houston, TX scene, chopping and screwing was all the rage—taking the tempo down a few notches, dropping a beat or two. The result? Oozing, slo-mo beats that pair especially nicely with that purple drank and a hot Texas afternoon.

I am pretty sure this isn’t the same kind of chopped and screwed T-Pain and Ludacris had in mind with their latest.

Sure, it’s a little chopped, and T-Pain is hands down screwy. But this is a different kind of “chopped” and a different kind of “screwed,” and neither has to do with a little extra stop time.

Let’s just say that T “I am in love with a stripper” Pain and Luda “What’s Your Fantasy” cris have done a little “research” and know what they don’t want. So they are here to ask the ladies, quite simply, “Shawty don’t chop me, shawty don’t screw me.”

And that video? There must be some sort of special prescription, be it glasses or drug, needed in order for it to make any sense. Regardless, it’s undeniable that in true hip hop style, these boys have taken their craft just one step further. So sit back, and enjoy that beat—it was meant for creepin’.

“The inconvenient truth is that the ozone is bad because I’ve been smokin’ all the trees.”

Why is this even up for debate? The honorific King of the South is back in full glory after a spell of guest verses, letting you know that he is, in fact, “Undisputed.” In the video, we see him gearing up for his upcoming Theater of the Mind with quick-footed boxer friend Floyd Mayweather, and there is no question, Luda’s hungry. His flow is confident, his disses fierce, and the horns in that beat? Untouchable.

Chicken N Beer this album isn’t. According to the man himself, this album is conceptual: borrowing from his acting, he’s going at every song like a scene from a movie. “Whether it’s storytelling, me giving you the real of what’s going on in the world,” he told MTV, “you gotta look at it as your imagination is going to run wild every song you hear.”

My imagination doesn’t have to run too far here. Many have tried (Bill O’Reilly, for one), but if ‘Cris is going to keep dropping verses like this, no one will ever come close. Except maybe this kid.

Download the song here.

Shock and awe is what they do best—and they seem to have done it again. The latest addition to the American Apparel canon—the Afrika line—has some people up in arms. What a surprise.

The man, CEO Dov Charney, deserves some credit. V-neck tees sell themselves, but at $15 a pop? Fruit of the Loom will give you five for that price! Charney’s managed to bridge high and low fashion, transforming what was once considered simple cotton athletic wear into high style fit for any pop diva.

Sure, American Apparel’s clothing isn’t infinitely superior to, say, it’s parallels at Gap or Old Navy. It is, however, considered infinitely “hipper,” and this transformation is no act of magic. Charney is a brilliant salesman. His product is simple, unoffensive, and high on utility. What it lacks? Tangiable innovation.

But while the clothes are less than remarkable, the ideas Charney weaves into them are, at the very least, noteworthy. And so, with a wealth of progressive ideas and a penchant for controversy, Charney’s really got something to sell.

Initially setting themselves apart from the competition with boasts of “Made in America” and fair wages, American Apparel forged ahead in the world of “good causes,” establishing themselves as an environment and immigrant friendly, not to mention respectable philanthropists.

And as we all know too well, with the politically correct has come the outrageously controversial. Young girls, New York Jews, and public displays of, er, affection have all helped build a name for the company. Sex and scandal sell—plus AA still makes a great pair of leggings.

Having borrowed many a models innocence and many more laborers smiling faces, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that their latest collection, Afrika, has acquired as much attention for its title as its design. Is profiteering off immigrant rights and long legs really a far cry from a tone deaf appropriation of an entire continent?

While AA is appropriating culture, and you are appropriating style, don’t forget to check out border-crossing, genre-killing musician-cum-fashion designer MIA’s new collection! A bit pricier, sure, but she’s got got Mexico, Islam and Afrika! Looks like Dov’s got some brainstorming to do.

While too-pretty-to-possibly-be-interesting Dan and Serena are busy falling victim to “a force larger than us” in the Jitney bathroom, sweet Nate is selling his body, and once villainous Chuck is, um, preoccupied attempting to match his argyle socks and sweater vests. Things are changing on Gossip Girl. But change just might be lucrative—just ask the new queen, B.

Contance Billard, the UES, and possibly the entire UK are already under her thumb, but Blair Waldorf—er, Leighton Meester—is turning her sights to music. Or “music.” With an album set to drop in the next year, we now have our first taste of Scar-Jo & LiLo style crossover on this cover of “Bette Davis Eyes.” And it’s a little bit promising. After all, dethroning is what she does best, and if she wants to be the best Monday night TV villain-turned-pop star she’s got some, uh, competition…

Heidi Montag- Overdosin’

– Telepathe, “Chrome’s On It”
If Cassie had extra-terrestrial DNA and bled neon colors, this is what her music would sound like.  Where you’d expect drone mechanics, they give us something deliriously hooky. Attribute the wonder to their mutual love of synthesizers and Hot 97, the helping hand Dave Sitek lent, or bizarrely expressionless faces—it doesn’t matter.  Pop sensibility and all, they aren’t cute—and it doesn’t even matter.

– TV on the Radio, “Golden Age”
We all know and love TV on the Radio. Once fascinating in their stark, yet beautifully dark melodies, they’ve mixed things up just enough for their upcoming album. Funky and lush, their new LP should be just sweet enough to set the school year off right.

–David Byrne & Brian Eno, “Strange Overtones”
Each brilliant on their own right, when collaborating, David Byrne and Brian Eno are untouchable. And they seem to have sealed their legacy as a creative team, conquering the past and present with relevance and harmony. Byrne may wryly sing that “These beats are 20 years old,” but who cares? They are undeniably refreshing—these guys couldn’t be out of style if they tried.

–T-Pain featuring Lil Wayne, “Can’t Believe It”
Something tells me that T-Pain and Lil Wayne (T-Wayne, if you will), are seeking a slightly different route to legend status than Byrne/Eno. Rather than gracefully navigating the ever-changing musical landscape, they just create a totally new one.  Circus freaks and strippers galore, this first single off T-Pain’s forthcoming collaboration, Thr33 Ringz, stakes claim in a shining future for the pair. And one things for sure, the future sounds better in auto-tune.

– Discovery, “Orange Shirt”
Two pastel sweater clad, indie-prep favorites, Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, throw what sounds like “a little T-Pain on that shit.”  The result? Synthy and sweet.

– Chester French, “She Loves Everybody”
More Ivy League (Harvard, this time around) kids making beats in their basement and waves on the Internet.  Blogger Kanye West noticed, as did Pharrell, ultimately snagging this retro-pop duo. With a new record deal and a new marriage for Maxwell Drummey, one half of the duo, you should probably keep an eye out for them—literally.

– T.I. featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne “Swagger Like Us”
Jay-Z “can’t wear skinny jeans cuz [his] knots don’t fit,” so sorry, kids—Hov’s just not that into your slim slacks. But don’t turn your back just yet! How about that gritty “Paper Planes” sample? At least he liked Pineapple Express. But real talk: sure, with these four on one track, they should be hitting it out of the park.  Regardless, that gritty the sample kind of bangs, and with that much swagger, who can complain?

– The Game featuring Lil Wayne, “My Life”
Most Altruistic Rapper in 2008: The Game. To Kanye West: “And since you helped me sell my dream, we can share my momma now.” Awwwwww.

– Jay-Z, “Jockin’ Jay-Z”
I was fully convinced for most of the summer that the world had forgotten music beyond “A Milli.” And then I heard it: “Jockin’ Jay-Z! Jockin’, jockin’ Jay-Z.” Kids on every street corner seemed to be singing this hyped up chorus. Viva la Blueprint 3.

– Young Jeezy, “Vacation”
Too soon?