- After convening a meeting of major hip-hop luminaries to discuss “the future of hip-hop,” Russell Simmons is now saying he’s against the use of offensive language in rap music and suggests that watchdog groups be implemented to make sure certain standards of appropriateness (which wouldn’t be subjective at all) are upheld. Meanwhile Al Sharpton is making plans to buy stock in corporations that own record labels so he can attend board meetings and rail against bad words. At least Barack Obama remembers the dangers of censorship. “We are all complicit … let’s not just single out the rappers,” he said, pointing out that offensive language isn’t employed in our culture exclusively sell albums.
- Scarlett Johannson is supposedly working on a Tom Waits covers album, but in between sessions, or whatever, it seems the pillow-lipped starlet will find time to team up with the Jesus and Mary Chain. Johannson is apparently singing backup for the band when they play their pre-Coachella warm-up gig in Pomona on April 26th.
- Anyone who ever wanted to play guitar like Jimi Hendrix now can. All you have to do is follow the instructional, paint-by-numbers-like DVD being released by Guitar World. It shows how to play each note on Hendrix’s album, Axis: Bold As Love.
- Pete Wentz may enjoy the occasional break from tour spent canoodling with a starlet or two but he’s no cheesy-club-going, tabloid culture-worshiping party boy, he claims. The rocker, along with his fellow tattooed-but-sensitive buddies (The Academy Is …, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, for example) are opening their own clubhouse/dive bar in New York’s East Village. The spot will be called Angels & Kings, because that’s who it’s for. [via Vulture]
- Check out new Kanye West material via two “equally crappy” videos of the artist performing “Stronger,” off his forthcoming new album Graduation, out in the fall.

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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.