Rick James

Five TV shows that were canceled much too soon

Futurama has been cancelled...again. Fans are keenly aware that the show was nuked back in 2003 by Fox, then brought back by Comedy Central after it bought the rights to the four movies in 2007. But this season will reportedly be the last one, with the series finale airing on September 4. Yes, Fut ... More >>

The five best jail-inspired musician memoirs

Pop culture incrementally improved the chances that books would outlive CDs when news spread that Lil Wayne had inked a deal to write a memoir about the eight months he spent locked up on gun charges. Titled Gone 'Til November, the book is scheduled to be released in May. While the hip-hop blogosphe ... More >>

The ten hottest musical pairings

For centuries, men have known that the real power of music lies in its ability to get you laid. From "panty-dropper" mixtapes that your parents made back in the day, to John Cusack standing outside the window with Peter Gabriel on the boombox, to that little boy banging on the drums in Love Actually ... More >>

Five great marijuana moments in standup comedy

While many comedians themselves may prefer a stiff drink, marijuana has, for some time, been the drug of choice for comedy audiences. From Lenny Bruce's satirical pamphlet on the dangers of the herb, to sketch comedians like Cheech & Chong and Dave Chappelle building whole careers around it, enterta ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensary review: The Medicine Man in Denver

Every few months for the last four or five years, I throw my back out doing something dumb -- like hanging artwork, falling on a catwalk while turned around talking to someone on a snowboard, or mowing my lawn. The most recent cause of injury? Dancing at a wedding. What can I say? I can't help getti ... More >>

It's a celebration, bitches! Mondo Guerra wins Project Runway All Stars

It must have been tough for Denver designer Mondo Guerra to keep a secret for so long, but on Thursday night, the reality-show contestant could finally let it out: He was the winner of Project Runway All Stars. In a watch party held at the Exdo Event Center, Guerra had gathered with a few hundred o ... More >>

As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on the influential Sounds of Blackness

Black History Month 2012 has been a doozy. Beginning with the tragic and shocking death of Don Cornelius to dealing with equally troubling news of Whitney Houston's passing as the month wore on. Most interesting about this time is the ways in which the music healed us. When Whitney died, DJs played ... More >>

Neil Young's Harvest turns forty

The year 1972 saw the death of the hippies -- or, at the very least, the decline of the movement from idealistic young go-getters playing with the fire of radical social change to an out-of-control inferno of hard drugs and failed dreams. Neil Young's Harvest wasn't the first to comment on these dar ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: I'm Rick James, bitch!

Happy Black History Month! February has traditionally been the month when the contributions, traditions, and historical facts about African Americans are celebrated the most. This year's Black History Month started off a little heavy with the passing of Soul Train founder Don Cornelius. All month he ... More >>

Chromeo, Yo La Tengo, the Sword and Del the Funky Homosapien are among the headliners of the 2011 Westword Music Showcase

Five rap albums to take on the mothership when the government shuts down at midnight

​Tonight when the clock strikes midnight, you should expect calamity, destruction, and famine to sweep the nation, because word on the street says the government is shutting down. Word to Chicken Little: A bunch of awful things are supposed to happen...we think. They don't pay us the big bucks ... More >>

DJ Vajra wins Red Bull Thre3Style competition in Boulder

Photo: Ru JohnsonDJ Vajra in Boulder last night.​ RED BULL THR3STYLE TOURNAMENT 04.07.11 | Boulder Theater Last night at the Boulder Theater, the Red Bull Thre3Style tournament was live and absolutely direct. Beyond the blazing marquis outside and the multi-Mini Coopers with the gigantic Red B ... More >>

String Cheese Incident at 1STBANK - 3/10/2011

Britt Chester​ STRING CHEESE INCIDENT WINTER CARNIVAL 03.10.11 | 1STBANK Center The String Cheese Incident has played eleven shows since partially disbanding in 2007. The few shows they have played since then -- six of which have been in Colorado -- have been received with mixed feelings fro ... More >>

Dear Charlie Sheen: An open letter

A collaboration with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, you say?​Dear Carlos Estevez, aka Charlie Sheen, How goes it, man? I saw you on Good Morning America and beyond the sweats, the wide red eyes, excessive talking, cigarette-smoking and orange liquid-consuming antics, you looked fucking ... More >>

Walker Barnard, February 17 at Old Curtis Street

Asstastic: 10 album covers celebrating the gluteus maximus inspired by Born This Way

Gaga's nostalgia-inducing butt.​Although physical albums are on there way to being rendered completely useless, there was a time -- believe it or not -- back when telephones still had curly cords, that all recordings were only available in a tangible form. As such you developed attachments to ... More >>

Trent Hix: JV Bandit allegedly lived with his mom, walked to the banks he robbed

Trent Hix.​When members of the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force dubbed a local bank robber the JV Bandit, they had no idea how appropriate the nickname would turn out to be. Trent Hix, the man now accused of being the crook in question, may be 38-years old, but he reportedly lives with h ... More >>

Split Decision: Kanye West, young man. Or not.

​Kanye West is about as polarizing a figure as there is these days. The mere mention of his name inspires a variety of reactions, everything from exasperated eye rolls to passionate rants or equally passionate raves girded with an apologetic undertone for all of his often inexplicably brazen b ... More >>

Curren$y at Marquis Theater, 10/21/10

Britt Chester​ CURREN$Y Big K.R.I.T. • Smoke DZA • Corner Boy P 10.21.10 | Marquis Theater It was little testy last night at the Marquis. Things got off to a tense start with a heavy-handed security presence combined with a restlessness on the part of the crowd as they waited for the sho ... More >>

Red Bull Thre3Style: magMANimous from Denver takes home bronze

​ RED BULL THRE3STYLE 10.09.10 | Beta, Denver, CO Red Bull has been steadily establishing a reputation for championing the artistic expressions of up and coming artists, and this evening was no different. At Beta this past Saturday night, the Red Bull Thre3Style brought ten DJs from across t ... More >>

Whygee and Foe discuss Dispensary Music, drugs power and ancient civilization

​One of the most anticipated albums in local hip-hop circles this fall is Dispensary Music, the long awaited full-length collaboration between Whygee and Foe, slated to drop tomorrow on iTunes.The collaboration between these two rappers was inspired by sporadic features on various songs in the ... More >>

Lester Eugene Fowler, not Rick James, identified as Super Freak Bandit

"Bitches..."​Last week, we told you about the latest bank robber named by the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force: the Super Freak Bandit, named for his curly wig, not because anyone suspected the late Rick James. Now, the feds think they've got their man -- which explains why the holiday ... More >>

Super Freak Bandit ain't Rick James, bitch

"Sample this, MC Hammer."​The Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force has outdone itself this time. The office known for its clever names for at-large bank robbers has previously given us such memorable monikers as the H1N1 Bandit, the Tom Thumb Bandit, the Band-Aid Bandit and the recently cha ... More >>

Last Night: Rock the Bells at Red Rocks

Aaron Thackeray​Rock the Bells 2009 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Thursday, August 6, 2009 Better than: ringtone rap, anything associated with Auto-Tune or listening to the self-proclaimed newly anointed "King of Pop," Kanye West, talk about himself endlessly. Since 2003, Rock the Bells has been the pre ... More >>

Q&A with Jesse F. Keeler and Alex "Al-P" Puodziukas of MSTRKRFT

Photo by Geoff McLean What began as a simple phone interview with Jesse F. Keeler for this week's profile of the dance duo MSTRKRFT turned into something considerably stranger, and more amusing. Yes, Keeler talked at length -- but when he had to use the primitive toilet in the group's new Toronto s ... More >>

Top Ten Pop Songs of 2008

Over the next couple of weeks, Backbeat will feature some Top Ten lists from around the Village Voice Media chain. Click here for previous year-in-review coverage from Backbeat and VVM.Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Ka ... More >>

The end of KCUV

Vintage Q&A With Lil Jon

Justice for All

An erstwhile hobby spells success for this Parisian duo.

Best of Denver Winners from 1999

Cred Sheet

Stuff you need to know to avoid ostracism.

Dance, Dance, Revolution

Hip-hop, clowns, and war dances meet on the street in Rize.

Comic Timing

Comic Charlie Murphy has a way with words.

Drunk of the Week

Ayja

Bums Rushed

DJ Chonz and his gang are going places. Just not today.

Silencing Radio 1190

Rather than muzzle Barnett, CU clamps down on music.

Club Scout

DJ M3

More Local Color

Catching up with local releases, our music writers review local albums to the letter.

Risky Business

Rapper Dannell McNeil takes a chance with his own record label and a new album.

Playlist

Ol' Dirty Bastard, Richmond Fontaine, Basement Jaxx, Barbra Streisand

The Hard Cell

Feedback

On the Good Foot

Funkster Rick James learns how hard it is to remain hip.

The Revenge of Guilty Pleasures

Readers come up with their own list of songs that are so bad they're good.

Rap Gets Puffy

Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs fathers a return to hip-hop pop.

OUR MOTOWN

PLAYLIST

GUYS AND DOLLS