Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 95

From Amps To Apps: Rocker Slash Melds Tech With New Album

Slash: From amps to apps.

Think of it as Google Maps’ Street View feature — but for Slash.

In May the legendary guitarist of Guns n’ Roses fame launched his second solo album, Apocalyptic Love, with an app called SLASH 360. Created by a company called MATIvision, the program allows fans to watch him and his band play the album straight through, placing themselves anywhere in the studio to achieve the best vantage point.

“Basically, we shot the performance of the entire album,” he explains. “They...

HTC And Microsoft Reveal Windows Phone 8 With Beats Audio, But Is It Dr. Dre’s iPhone Killer?

Windows Phone 8: A different beat.

Earlier today Taiwanese handset-maker HTC and Microsoft unveiled the Windows Phone 8 to a crowd of writers, photographers and technologists at a cavernous space on Manhattan‘s West Side.

The list of speakers signaled that this was a bit more than the average product launch. HTC chief Peter Chou opened the event and quickly invited a special guest to the stage–Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

“The Windows Phone 8 is the most personal experience ever created for a ph...

How Sean Paul’s iPad Helped Him Make His New Album

Sean Paul: Thinking differently.

Dancehall superstar Sean Paul is best known for his maddeningly catchy hooks, his distinctive Jamaican lilt and ever-changing hairstyles that have run the gamut from cornrows to his current mohawk.But thanks to his iPad, this musical chameleon of coiffure has added a few more titles to his resume: technologist, tinker, producer.

Over the past few years, Sean Paul has been using the popular Apple product as a sort of melodic sketchpad, tapping out beats while tra...

Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2012: Aftermath & Analysis

Dr. Dre and Snoop: No. 1 and No. 14.

Last week FORBES released its annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings package, and the results were mind-boggling. The top 20 earners pulled in $415 million–the most since 2008′s $515 million–led by Beats-backed Dr. Dre ($110 million), Ciroc-infused Diddy ($45 million) and Duracell-powered Jay-Z ($38 million).

A handful of artists on the list reacted to the news, including No. 10 Ludacris, who tweetedabout my profile of him, “I want everybody to be inspired by the Forbes...

Jay-Z’s Occupy Wall Street Problem Is Hip-Hop’s Occupy Wall Street Problem

Jay-Z drinking champagne with his billionaire business partner. Should he be supporting OWS?

If Jay-Z were a politician, pundits might have labeled him a flip-flopper. Since his 1996 debut, he’s been tacking back and forth from the silver-tongued underworld poet we met in Reasonable Doubtand American Gangsterto the glitzy pop-rap impresario who emerged in In My Lifetimeand popped up again inKingdom Come. He’s shilled for Budweiser after pledging allegiance to Heineken. And he famously traded h...

Jon Bon Jovi: Hungry To Help

Jon Bon Jovi: Hungry to help.

On December 4, 1956, four musicians—Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash—teamed up for an impromptu jam session, forming an ephemeral supergroup nicknamed The Million Dollar Quartet. More than half a century later, in June of this year, Jon Bon Jovi and Warren Buffett took the stage at The Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy‘s after-dinner reception—capping a day of the world’s best business minds, from Bill Gates to Oprah Winfrey, brainstor...

Delta Rae: The Band That Would Have Rocked The DNC

You’ve got to feel for Delta Rae. The North Carolina-bred band of six supremely talented blues-rock-and-a-bit-of-everything-else musicians had been scheduled to play at the Democratic National Convention tonight in their home state–until severe weather forced the festivities to another venue, canceling the performance.

“We’re very excited for President Obama’s speech tonight, unfortunately thunderstorms have forced a change in venue and we’re no longer able to play the DNC in Charlotte,” the b...

Jay-Z’s Review Of The Book I Wrote About Him

Those sunglasses are horrible.

Had I walked out of the Porta-Potty ten seconds earlier, I might have inadvertently hit Jay-Z in the face with the door. But let me back up a bit.

Standing in line for the restrooms at Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival last weekend, I noticed a two-level structure about 100 feet away, decked out with plush red chairs, clear views of the main stage and what appeared to be an open bar. Intrigued, I asked the yellow-shirted security guard nearby if journalists were pe...

Ludacris Dreams: A Rap Mogul Diversifies His Empire

Ludacris: Many eggs, many baskets.

It’s less than an hour before Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges is scheduled to hit the stage with Justin Bieber at The Apollo Theater, but his mind is miles away from music. Lounging on a dressing room countertop in a t-shirt and jeans, he’s gazing intently at the pair of sleek headphones in his hands, which just happen to bear his name—Soul By Ludacris.

“I rap at least once a year that I’m on one of the FORBES lists, and that’s a great thing,” he says. “This is...

Cash Prince: Inside Wale’s Best Year Yet

Wale: Opening up about ambition.

It’s a few moments before the scheduled start of my video interview with Wale (see below), but we may have to wait. The rapper is hunched over a coffee table, feverishly flipping through the FORBES Celebrity 100 issue, and he can’t get over how much Kanye West made last year.

“If we’re playing five-on-five, I want more points than y’all,” he tells me a few minutes later. “Maybach Music Group is my team, I want us to have more than y’all. I don’t even need [money...