Mac Miller

Dom Kennedy: Reluctant Businessman

The rapper built a huge fan base through Darwinian promotional methods

A Jazz Renaissance Is Happening In Los Angeles

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] Miles Davis once claimed, "The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas?" Flying Lotus recently said about the b ... More >>

Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul - XXL Freshmen Live - 5-18-13

ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Dizzy Wright XXL Freshmen Live 2013 Club Nokia 5-18-13 Better Than... Actually being a freshman in high school Since 2008, hip-hop magazine XXL has named its "top freshmen" each year, and on Saturday night the bulk of them performed at Club Nokia. Black Hippy crewmates School ... More >>

The Top Five Rappers That Fans Love and Critics Can't Stand

Not all rappers need critical adoration to achieve commercial success. Some use negative reviews as motivation, others dismiss them as hate, and a few of them probably don't know what constitutes a review. But it's commendable anytime an artist reaches some level of success. In fact, some of the mos ... More >>

Casey Veggies: Our Interview With the 19-Year-Old Phenom

The 19-year-old rapper Casey Veggies is a founding member of Odd Future, he built a considerable buzz with his 2010 release Sleeping In Class. He put off college in favor of a three-month nationwide tour with Mac Miller, and went on to ink a management deal with Jay Z's Roc Nation soon after. His n ... More >>

Action Bronson: I Can't See Myself Wearing a Skirt or a Wig

One of hip-hop's do-no-wrong stories of 2012, Albanian Queens-native Action Bronson put out Blue Chips for free and followed it up with Rare Chandeliers last year. He signed to Vice Records and made countless critics' year-end lists flowing unpretentiously on typical rap fare (girls, chronic, hooker ... More >>

The Ten Best Los Angeles Concerts of 2012

10. My Morning Jacket The Wiltern, September 11-13 The ever-electrifying My Morning Jacket held a three-night stint at the Wiltern this past September and didn't repeat a single tune. That's right. Three nights and no repeats. It takes one heck of a repertoire not just to have that many songs, but t ... More >>

Waka Flocka Flame - Club Nokia - 11/4/12

Waka Flocka Flame Club Nokia 11/4/12 There's this great moment midway through rapper MGK's video for "Wild Boy," on which Waka Flocka Flame is featured. "You think you're a good rapper?" MGK asks Waka. "Fuck no," Waka replies. See also: Our slideshow of the concert That was the general consensus ... More >>

Mac Miller May Have a "Very Punchable Face," But He Is Kind of Awesome.

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] In March, Mac Miller put out a mixtape. It is called Macadelic. It features "Ignorant," a collaboration between Miller an ... More >>

Rock the Bells 2012 Lineup Announced

See also: Our review of Rock the Bells 2011 Last night Guerilla Union announced this year's Rock the Bells 2012 dates, headliners and lineup. Beginning in 2010, the hip-hop festival's headliners -- famous acts whose first few albums often outshine their later work -- have performed their classic ... More >>

Music Picks: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Esperanza Spalding, Jack White

Also, the Crystelles, Arturo Sandoval, Backbiter and others

Mansions on the Moon Are a Musical Weed Brownie

Mansions on the Moon are not at home. It's an unusually warm Wednesday afternoon, and I'm camped out on the front porch of their Hollywood home thirty minutes after our scheduled meeting time. Suddenly, my phone rings and Ted Wendler, the band's lead singer and guitarist, breathlessly and profusel ... More >>

Music Picks: Guns N' Roses, Nneka, Billy Childs, Willie Nelson & Family

Also, Slow Club, Kneebody, The Pretty Reckless, Apparat and others

Want to Buy a Rap CD on Venice Beach? You Sure?

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] The plan was simple. Head to Venice Beach, sample the mixtapes hawked by the hucksters hovering near the paddle tennis courts, pick one rapper to profile ... More >>

Snoop and Wiz Khalifa's "Young, Wild and Free": Why This Song Sucks

[Editor's note: Why This Song Sucks determines why particular tracks blow using science. It appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] See also: Snoop Dogg's Player's Ball 2011 - Marbella - December 17, 2011 Song: Snoop and Wiz Khalifa's "Young, Wild and Free" History: "Young, Wild and Free" i ... More >>

Music Picks: Method Man, Sufjan Stevens and Raymond Raposa, Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble

Also, Lights, Gallows, Slow Club

UPDATE: More Artists Added to Rock the Bells 2011 Lineup

​ Originally published May 24, 2011, 8:18 p.m. New artists were just announced on the Rock the Bells 2011 lineup:

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