It isn’t right. Not at all. God bless you and your family. You are going to be missed.

“Jam Master Jay”

Kick off shoes jump on the jock
Listen to the Jam Master as he starts to rock
His name is Jay and he’s on his way
To be the best DJ in the US of A

J a y are the letters of his name
Cutting and scratching are the aspects of his game
So check out the Master as he cuts these jams
And look at us with the mics in our hands
Then take a count 1 2 3
Jam Master Jay Run D.M.C.

He’s Jam Master Jay the big beat blaster
He gets better cause he knows he has to
In ’84 he’ll be a little faster
And only practice makes a real Jam Master

We’re live as can be but we’re not singing the blues
We got to tell all y’all the good news
The good news is that there is a crew
Not 5, not 4, not 3, just 2
2 MC’s who are claiming the fame
And all other things won’t be the same
Beacause it’s about time for a brand new group
Run-D.M.C. to put you up on the scoop
We make the fly girls scream in ecstacy
We rock the freshest rhymes at a party
We put all the fellas in a daze
It’s everyone that we amaze
And we got the master of a disco scratch
There’s not a break that he can’t catch
Jam Master Jay that is his name
And all wild DJ’s he will tame
Behind the turntables is where he stands
Then there is the movement of his hands
So when asked who’s the best, y’all should say:
“Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay”

Jam Master Jay is the one in charge
It’s up to him to rock beats that are truly large
He is the master of the scratch and cut
So move your arms, so move your legs
So won’t you move your butt

We’re not talking ground, we’re not talking sky
We’re not talking low, we’re not talking high
We’re not talking big, we’re not talking small
We want all of the people on off the wall
We’re not talking night, we’re not talking day
But we’re talking bout Jam Master Jay

I turn to MTV upon hearing the news… and MTV is not covering a thing. Of course, what should I have expected? MTV stopped being about music along time ago. Looks like their website is more focused then their TV station these days.

Run D.M.C. was different. Forget the “Walk this Way” cover. They were a million times more then that. It wouldn’t have happened without Jam Master Jay.

“It’s Like That”

[Run]
Unemployment at a record highs
People coming people going people born to die
Don’t ask me because I don’t know why
But it’s like that and that’s the way it is

[D.M.C.]
People in the world tryin to make ends meet
You try to ride car train bus or feet
I said you got to work hard you want to compete
It’s like that and that’s the way it is
Huh!

[Run & D.M.C. alternate lines for the remainder of the song]
Money is the key to end all your woes
Your ups, your downs, your highs and your lows
Won’t you tell me the last time that love bought you clothes?
It’s like that, and that’s the way it is

Bills rise higher every day
We receive much lower pay
I’d rather stay young, go out and play
It’s like that, and that’s the way it is
Huh!

Wars going on across the sea
Street soldiers killing the elderly
Whatever happened to unity?
It’s like that, and that’s the way it is

Disillusion is the word
That’s used by me when I’m not heard
I just go through life with my glasses blurred
It’s like that, and that’s the way it is
Huh!

You can see a lot in this lifespan
Like a bum eating out of a garbage can
You noticed one time he was your man
It’s like that (what?) and that’s the way it is

You should have gone to school, you could’ve learned a trade
But you laid in the bed where the bums have laid
Now all the time you’re crying that you’re underpaid
It’s like that (what?) and that’s the way it is
Huh!

One thing I know is that life is short
So listen up homeboy, give this a thought
The next time someone’s teaching why don’t you get taught?
It’s like that (what?) and that’s the way it is

If you really think about it times aren’t that bad
The one that flexes with successes will make you glad
Stop playing start praying, you won’t be sad
It’s like that (what?) and that’s the way it is
Huh!

When you feel you fail sometimes it hurts
For a meaning in life is why you search
Take the bus or the train, drive to school or the church
It’s like that, and that’s the way it is

Here’s another point in life you should not miss
Do not be a fool who’s prejudiced
Because we’re all written down on the same list
It’s like that (what?) and that’s the way it is
Huh!

You know it’s like that, and that’s the way it is
Because it’s like that, and that’s the way it is
(Repeat these lines til fade)

Check out other tributes at their official site

Read more lyrics at at Leo’s Lyrics.

Consolidation has resulted in 10,000 layoffs, the demise of a beloved trade magazine, and a decline in programming quality. But industry execs are fat and happy.

Read the rest over at Salon.

Dry Cell had a recording contract with Warner Brothers Records, which had spent $325,000, by its account, on the group. One of its hottest executives, Jeff Blue, who had discovered the hugely popular rock-rap group Linkin Park, was placed in charge of Dry Cell’s future.

The group’s first single, “Body Crumbles,” was playing on radio stations across the country, and its debut album, “Disconnected,” was slated to hit stores in August.

But as the evening went on, the father of one of the members got into a heated argument with Mr. Blue over the size of the label’s promotion budget for the band, the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes angst and frayed trust. Within 48 hours he took his complaints to the label itself.

And like that, the euphoria disappeared.

Read the rest in the NYTimes article Young Band, Derailed Dream.

Absent the penalty of perjury, Major Label lawyers testified to a panel of senators in Los Angles that most artists are happy with their recording contracts. The panel, this past Tuesday, was assembled to entertain arguments as to wether legislation might be necessary to keep major record labels honest when reporting to their artists the amount of money earned on their exclusive record contracts. If enacted, this would be the beginning of government regulation of the music business; a concept that, ironically, artists are initiating.

Read the rest in the MusicDish post First Blood is Spilled at Record Industry Hearings – The War is On!!!. via Scripting.com.

Last but not least, Mark is asking what Clear Channel is up to. This sounds like big news others have missed.

For a more positive music related post local weblogger ChrisPuzak, reviews Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio at Blogcritics.

Change, everybody’s feelin’ strange
Never gonna be the same
Makes you wonder how the world keeps turning

I’ve, been learning how to live my life
Learning how to pick my fights
Take my shots while I’m still burning

Good-bye to all those rainy nights
Good-bye so long, I’m movin’ on

I’ve had enough of crying
Made of sweat and dyin’
Hear me when I say
Gonna live my life, everyday

Go Bon Jovi.

I’ve read one too many stories on how the change in format in Rolling Stones Magazine signifies the end of the world. Get a life! I just turned thirty and I considered it outta touch. That man… is bad.

This was funny.

Damn! Bon Jovi rocked Times Square on VH1.

I know I lose points with certain technologists out there for liking metal and Bon Jovi. I don’t care. Your loss. And you losers who teased me for liking Jovi back in high school or during the 90s can kiss my ass. Elitist ‘your music is lower then mine’ #!^%$. Kiss my ass. Kiss my ass. Kiss my ass. This new album is gonna be huge. And for you poor souls who just don’t get effect of a concert where thousands of people are screaming their hearts out to a tune they can relate to on some level…. I just feel sorry for you. Stop being such snobs. And you can kiss my ass.

Yes the music industry is having a bad time right now… but rock n’ roll still survives in Philadelphia and New Jersey. How can I say Philly? Well you’ll see…

Roth lands. I think for a second that his knee has buckled, but he’s still standing. Triumphant. A warbling, electric hum resonates from the guitars, the synth fades. We raise our fists. Roth has won, but it doesn’t matter. We are thankful. We don’t want him or Hagar to leave. We don’t want to go home to our laptops and multidisc changers. You can’t find this on an MP3. Roth bows. It is over. His shape disintegrates as the lights fade. Then he is gone, and all that is left are the multicolored bulbs of the Ferris wheel, spinning around and around and around.

What’s this? Two Salon pieces today? Read this one on the Hagar and Roth tour.