Coachella countdown begins
This year's Coachella Festival kicks off on Friday (April 27) and NME.COM will be there all weekend long to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage straight from the California desert.
Our US news team will provide all the best pictures and exhaustive round-ups of key performances from Rage Against The Machine, Bjork, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Arctic Monkeys, Interpol and much more.
Dan Martin's Too Much Information blog will get messy in the desert with the stars.
We'll also get behind-the-scenes to find out the latest news from some of the biggest names in music.
For the best Coachella coverage in the world, check back to NME.COM beginning Friday where you'll find live reports throughout the long weekend. |
Yayo rejects jail offer
Rapper Tony Yayo has rejected the offer of spending nine months in jail in exchange for pleading guilty to assaulting a 14-year-old boy.
Yayo, who founded hip-hop group G-Unit along with rapper 50 Cent, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly hitting the boy.
"The prosecution's nine-month offer is one Tony vehemently rejected," said Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon. "It's not even a good offer for a guilty person, and Tony denies the allegations absolutely."
The alleged victim is James Rosemond, the teenage son of recording executive Jimmy 'Henchman Rosemound.
The case has been adjourned until September 6, reports the Associated Press. Yayo is currently free on $5,000 bail. |
Lupe Fiasco Forecasts 'Cool' For October
Rapper Lupe Fiasco will hit the studio this week to begin recording his sophomore album, "The Cool." The artist told Billboard.com backstage at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival over the weekend that he is hoping for an Oct. 31 release date for the album via 1st & 15th/Atlantic.
Reiterating his desire to round up members of Pink Floyd to make a guest appearance on the project, Fiasco conceded, "Nothing has developed yet. But once the stew gets swirling and people start talking, you never know. I hope it does work out."
"The Cool" will be the follow-up to last year's "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor," which earned three Grammy nominations. Between studio sessions, Fiasco will break away for performances at Lollapalooza in Chicago in early August and the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle in early September.
He has also recently worked with Japanese rapper Big O on the track "City Wings," a remix of Musiq's "Buddy" and on a track from Atlantic labelmate Kevin Michaels' upcoming debut.
There's also a"top secret" project in the works with "another superstar rapper and someone who is a rapper/producer," but Fiasco declined to reveal details, including whether the pairing was for a full album or just a handful of songs. |