NOISE

You were discovered as a musical talent at an early age. Describe the trials and triumphs of growing up in front of the camera.

I've had everybody watching me since I was age 5. I had to be careful more growing up, but I'm 18 now and the transition has been wonderful. I'm more mature, so I'm talking about new things, some things that will shake people up, but in a good way. I'm a young adult, so I can't still be known as Lil' Bow Wow.

How much control do you have of your career?

I'm very involved. My mother manages me, but it's my life. I'm 18 and anybody who is my age, who is making a lot of money, should want to butt in and know everything that's going on. I'm very hands-on. If I don't like it, I won't do it.

Seems like every rapper has a civic foundation. Name some tangible things the Bow Wow Foundation has done.

I'm just getting it off the ground. We're going to do something big with Office Depot—they're going to donate book bags and school supplies to schools in Columbus, Ohio, where I'm from. I will have an event every year in Columbus, as well as go to schools and hospitals. I feel if you have it, it's only right to give back.

It also seems every rapper has a record label and wants to act. What about you?

I got my record company, LBW Entertainment, so I'll be focusing on that. I got a movie coming out in September, Roll Bounce. I'm on the Scream Tour IV. Next year, I hope to do three movies and some TV.

Nas (Nasir Jones) is a thinking man's rapper, a hip-hop Huey Newton who squares his quest for wealth with a dream to build a strong black nation. Rejuvenated after besting Jay-Z in a lyrical battle that captivated hip-hop, he's back to crafting socially conscious rhymes-—simultaneously living up to his talent and living out his dream.

"The Power of Pussy"

Fred Schneider with Bongwater, The Power of Pussy

"Candy"

Kate Pierson with Iggy Pop, Brick by Brick

"Shiny Happy People"

Kate Pierson with R.E.M., Out of Time

Who are these guys?

Cantrell was the guitarist and primary songwriter for seminal grunge band Alice in Chains, who disbanded after the death of singer Layne Staley in 2002. Scantlin is the frontman for Alice in Chains sound-alike group Puddle of Mudd, who are not nearly as good.

What are they doing?

Playing acoustic versions of their greatest hits, which in Cantrell's case means songs like "Man in the Box," "No Excuses" and "Rooster," and in Scantlin's case means that song about ass-smacking.

Why should I care?

Cantrell is one of the unsung heroes of '90s alt-rock, and his voice was almost as prominent as Staley's on Alice's hits. Scantlin is good if you like songs about ass-smacking.

Los Lonely Boys (3 stars)


Live at the Fillmore

Best known for their mellow hit "Heaven," Los Lonely Boys reveal their inner jam band on this live album recorded at San Francisco's famed Fillmore. The fraternal Tex-Mex trio expand their sound with legendary keyboardist Reese Wynans, and engage in lengthy improvisations on most of the songs. The showcases for guitarist Henry Garza are impressive, but the album probably could have done without the epic drum solo.

Sciflyer (3.5 stars)


The Age of Lovely, Intimate Things

The trio of Harvey Rabbit on drums, Kim Kennedy on bass and Steve Kennedy on everything else produce a haunting, hypnotic and melodic sound, equal parts spacey sonic effects and trance-like harmonics.

"To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead. I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want 'em dead. Get a gun and when they attack you, shoot 'em."

"Apartheid isn't that cut-and-dry. All men are not created equal. The preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man."

"Foreigners are assholes; foreigners are scum; I don't like 'em; I don't want 'em in this country; I don't want 'em selling me doughnuts; I don't want 'em pumping my gas; I don't want 'em downwind of my life."