'The Blueprint 3': New Jay-Z album leaks

Hey kids, Jay-Z's new album, the completion of his Blueprint trilogy, doesn't hit stores until 9/11. But his pals at MTV have leaked the whole thing early. The 39-year-old MC has lost sales clout over the years (Kanye and Lil' Wayne pretty much smoke Jay-Hova at the register these days). But he's still worth a listen. Plus he's been ragging on rap's tired AutoTuned butt pretty hard lately, so maybe there's still some fire in the old man's flow. HAVE A LISTEN.

Mariah Carey "Obsessed" : Mimi defends hubby, torches Eminem, abandons voice

Let’s get this out of the way first: Mariah Carey’s new single, Obsessed, isn’t any good. At best, it’s expensively mediocre; at worst, it's resolutely craptacular. (LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE) That said, the midtempo putdown, from Aug. 25 release Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, is somewhat interesting, at least from a pop culture standpoint. First of all, it’s a diss track, aimed at Eminem, whose lascivious new cut Bagpipes From Baghdad ripped Carey and new hubby Nick Cannon. Here, the 40-year-old Mimi taunts right back, about Em's drug use, about his out-of-touchness. She adds: "I see right through you like you’re bathing in Windex."

Okay, on second thought, maybe that's not interesting at all. But get this: Obsessed is grotesquely Auto-Tuned, relying on digi-trickery rather than natural talent. Yes, yes, everyone from Cher to Kanye West to Miley Cyrus Auto-Tunes to exaggerated effect these days. But c'mon, this is the ego-rich, octave-spanning Mariah we're talking about here, the woman with more No. 1s than Elvis Presley, besmirching her one true talent (non-booby division). I wanna say Obsessed signals either the end of Carey's career or the end of Auto-Tune. I can't decide which. But frankly, I see rich reward in each.

Shuffle your iPod, laugh at your friends

Hey everyone! Stephanie Hayes here, steering the ship while Sean is out of town for the week. That's me at left modeling my prized Lil' Wayne shirt at a rest stop somewhere near Pensacola. That was a good day.

Some of you know me from my regular blog, Deal Divas. Some of you know me from American Idol nights. Some of you know me from hanging out tragically too much with Sean and Steve at Derby Lane. Some of you know me from the waiting room at therapy (and yes, I know your secret).

To kick start my guest blogging tenure, I thought we could play a little game. It's called "Close Your Eyes and Smell." JUST KIDDING. That one comes later.

If we're ever going to have a real relationship with matching dishes and a gravy boat and a golden retriever, we need to be honest with each other. The best way to get our tastes out in the open is to play the iPod shuffle game. Maybe you played it on Facebook already, but humor me and do it again! It'll be fun!

Put your iPod -- MP3 player, Windows media center, whatever -- on random and write the first 20 songs that come up. You're not allowed to cheat. If you do, a little elf bursts forth from the monitor and screams, "LIAR! YOU SKIPPED DISCO DUCK!

Put your results in the comments section. Here are mine. I feel we're really connecting.

1. Pocket Full Of Sunshine - Natasha Beddingfield
2. Salt Shaker - Ying Yang Twins (Dear God, this song is obscene)
3. U + Ur Hand - Pink
4. Saving My Face - KT Tunstall
5. L.O.V.E. - Ashlee Simpson (HAHAHAHAH, wow, I suck)
6. Doginabag - The Fratellis
7. Grillz - Nelly (Yesssss)
8. Fergalicious - Fergie (This is getting worse)
9. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (WHA?)
10. Put Your Back In To It - 69 Boyz (I feel faint)
11. Blood Red Summer - Coheed and Cambria
12. Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex (I just died. It's official.)
13. Never Scared - Bone Crusher
14. Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce (Of course that would come after Bone Crusher)
15. The theme from Cheers (!)
16. Powerless - Nelly Furtado
17. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
18. Polite Dance Song - The Bird and the Bee (Finally something cool)
19. I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner (AND THEN I GO AND RUIN IT)
20. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve (I'm mostly just bitter now)

Wow. I'm a shameful person.  Tell me yours is worse? Please? Marissa? Starfish? Bassnote? Come through for me, friends.

'D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)': New Jay-Z song tells good pals Kanye West, T-Pain to get real

This isn't the best Jay-Z track ever, but it sure is a ballsy one. From the rapper's upcoming Blueprint III, D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) takes a swipe at such good pals as Kanye West, Will.i.am and T-Pain, major abusers of Auto-Tune, the pitch-correction processor that robotizes voices. (Remember Cher's Believe? Like that.) Expect rebuttals, hurt feelings, Kanye moying, etc.

Obama BFF Ludacris to play free postgame concert after Rays-Nats tussle on Saturday

Having a couple of wisdom teeth yanked is a cruel fate for a man who makes his living quick-lipping outlandish rhymes. But having a sore, swollen yap, Atlanta rapper Ludacris isn’t worried about his postgame gig at Tropicana Field Saturday.

“Oh, I’ll definitely be ready,” the 31-year-old Atlanta rapper assures us (albeit slowly) with his trademark braggodocio.

Luda, aka Christopher Bridges aka an MC with ego to spare, will be busting out all his hip-hop hits — Get Back, Stand Up, Money Maker, Pimpin’ All Over the World — as soon as the Tampa Bay Rays get done dusting the Washington Nationals. And they will win; after all, Longoria & Co. are 9-0 on “Free Concert” nights.

During a recent conference call, the rapper said he feels “no pressure” keeping the team’s winning streak alive. Although he does add with a laugh: “I’m not sure who I’m going to root for. But probably the Rays.”

Here are a few other Luda moments from the chat:

Your upcoming album Battle of the Sexes is an intense back-and-forth between you and Shawnna, the daughter of Buddy Guy. How did you come up with the concept?
This is definitely what’s needed in hip-hop right now. I haven’t heard a hip-hop album with a full dialogue between a man and woman before — except for maybe the Fugees.

You were a boisterous ally for Barack Obama during his campaign. Did you get your invite to the White House yet?
I went to the White House Correspondents Dinner, and that was just as good as the White House. It was Mother’s Day, so I brought my mom. I was at the People magazine table, so I wasn’t sitting with anyone weird.

What can folks expect from your show Saturday? You’re the biggest star the Rays have landed.
Expect it to be extremely energetic, and for you to get your money’s worth and more. Writing music is one thing, but being able to perform in stadiums is another....Sometimes I get a little nervous, but once I hit the stage, it’s all energy from there.

Wait — Ludacris actually gets nervous?!
Yeah, but all I need is one mike, and then it’s takeoff.

Ludacris performs as part of the Rays Summer Concert Series. Game admission is good for concert, too. Game time is 6:08 p.m.; expect Ludacris to perform around 9 p.m.. Tropicana Field, 1 Stadium Drive, St. Petersburg. (888) 326-7297. TICKETS

Review: The Black Eyed Peas' new album "The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)"

The Black Eyed Peas
Album: The E.N.D. (Interscope)
In stores: Tuesday, June 9 
Why we care: The Black Eyed Peas have as much use for subtlety as fierce floozy Fergie has for pants. The quartet deals in oomphy, obvious, below-the-belt gestures — look no further than Boom Boom Pow, the biggest pop hit of the year, for a taste of what else is on The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies). Ringleader/beatmaker Will.i.am has no qualms (aka shame) biting iconic hooks for his own rumpy, midnight means, this includes swiping the juice from dance-floor classic It Takes Two by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock.
Why we like it: Fergie, who's even bigger as a solo star, and Will get all the loud parts, with Taboo and Apl.de.ap filling in the cracks. The vibe is buzzing synth, laser strikes, robo-beats -- buck-naked Buck Rogers. Zero calories, but good drunk food.
Reminds us of: The future...circa 1988
Download this: I Gotta Feeling
Grade: C+

Questions for Ludacris?

Ludacris, aka rapper-actor-Obama-lovin'-gadly Christopher Bridges, will be giving a "free" concert after the Rays-Nats game at Tropicana Field on June 13. You still have to buy a ticket to watch our boys of summer beat on D.C. butt, but you get to stick around and shake yo rump to such bumpin' Luda hits as Money Maker and my mom's favorite Pimpin' All Over the World. (TICKETS) I like the Hotlanta star a lot, and am looking forward to chatting with him on Friday. He has a new album out this fall (Battle of the Sexes) and has two new movies coming out (Ball Don't Lie and Gamer). But more than that, I wanna ask him about the pressure of playing after a Rays game. After all, Longoria & Co. are 9-0 on Free Concert Night. Luda doesn't want to be the guy who ends that streak. Anyway...

WHO HAS QUESTIONS FOR LUDACRIS?

Cheap tickets for Kid Rock, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney and Motley Crue at Ford Amphitheatre

 

This Wednesday, June 3, Live Nation will drop service fees (about $5-$10 per ticket) on more than five million lawn tickets for shows around the country. That includes 12 nights at Tampa's Ford Amphitheatre. Go HERE at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday to pick up cheap (or at least cheaper...) tix for the following shows -- not to mention a chance to sweat your tail off with me at a few of 'em.

Toby Keith & Trace Adkins (June 26)
Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynyrd (June 27)  
Aerosmith & ZZ Top (July 11)
Rascal Flatts & Darius Rucker (July 25)
Kenny Chesney (Aug. 8)
Coldplay (Aug. 9) 
Marilyn Manson & Slayer (Aug. 11)
Dave Matthews Band (Aug. 12)
Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick (Aug. 14)
Crue Fest 2 (Aug. 28)
blink-182 (Sept. 27)
Brad Paisley (Oct. 16)