A Taste:

Michael Jackson, Fleet Foxes, Feist, Grizzly Bear

Maxwell has had a hell of year.

His latest album, BLACKsummers’ Night, proved why he’s one of the most important “soul men” of the 21st century, skyrocketing up the charts and leading to all kinds of crazy acclaim from the press and biz. His voice, style and swagger are undeniable and unmatched in the R&B game right now. He’s just plain cool…

Why is Maxwell so cool? Well, he’s really got his finger on the pulse of what’s happening, and his musical palette knows no bounds.

He laughs, “I’m always listening to a lot of music.”

Maxwell sat down with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino to discuss what he’s spinning. He shared his playlist with us, check it out below…

Maxwell’s Playlist:

1. Michael Jackson

Oh my goodness, I can say Michael Jackson is overwhelming me right now. Every and any chance I get to listen to him, I’m listening to him. I look at what he’s done, and I’m blown away.

2. Fleet Foxes

I love Fleet Foxes!

3. Grizzly Bear

I’m checking out Grizzly Bear. They have a really good song that I’m getting into.

4. Ryan Leslie

I like Ryan Leslie a lot.

5. Johnny Guitar Watson

6. Mad Lovers

I love all the old greats. Johnny Guitar Watson, Mad Lovers—I put that on before I go on stage. If you can hit certain notes, then you’re good for the night.

7. Heat Wave

8. Quincy Jones

9. Feist

—Rick Florino
01.05.09

Check out Rick Florino’s new novel Dolor available now for FREE here…

A Taste:

2pac, Pantera, Stone Temple Pilots, Z-Ro, Michael Jackson

Rock n’ roll needed a gangsta.

For a long time, there’s been a void for a badass with real attitude, swagger and talent to step in and take over. Houston-born, L.A.-based MC Hyro da Hero seized the moment, and he’s ready for both hip hop and rock supremacy.

Hyro is armed with a fiery flow and a rock n’ roll intensity that makes his “gangsta rock” simply explosive. Looking at his playlist, it’s clear that Hyro knows his shit when it comes to both rock and rap. He opened up his iTunes for ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino in this exclusive feature. Check out Hyro’s playlist below and be sure to keep your eyes on him…see his video for “Dirty South Rock” below!

Hyro da Hero’s Playlist:

1. Hyro da Hero — “Dirty South Rock”

One must always listen to something amazing to start the day!

See the video here!

2. 2pac — “Nothin’ to Lose”

I love this track! I can’t find it in good quality so I always listen to it on Youtube.

3. At the Drive-In — “One Armed Scissor”

Amazing song, amazing CD, awesome band…and they rep Texas like I do!

4. Pantera — “Cemetery Gates”

I sit back and close my eyes and vibe to this all the way through. The Dimebag strings at the beginning make a brother lose it. I repeat it over and over—Texas reppin’.

5. 50 Cent — “Baby By Me”

Both versions—the song is catchy!

6. Flight of the Conchords — “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room”When I first heard this I laughed so hard. Some girls are the most wonderful human beings, depending on the street.

7. Michael Jackson — “PYT”

An iPod is not complete without this!

8. The Bravery — “Believe”

The song had me hooked right at the beginning, I bump this when I’m skatin’ in LA!

9. Stone Temple Pilots — “Plush”

I loved the song already, but then I saw them in concert and loved it even more.

10. Z-Ro — “Too Many N*****”

If you are like me and come from where I’m from, you’ll dig this.

—Rick Florino
11.12.09

Check out Rick Florino’s new novel Dolor available now for FREE here…

Check out Hyro’s video for “Dirty South Rock” below!

A Taste:

Motley Crue, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Diplo

LMFAO’s Redfoo and Sky Blu know how to rock out in the club.

Underneath their smooth and funky electro hip hop, there’s a rock n’ roll lion roaring. Just crank their new album Party Rock for proof. Given how diverse the band’s sound is, we decided to grill them about their playlist.

LMFAO shared their playlist with ARTISTdirect.com. Check it out below and be sure to pick up Party Rock now.

LMFAO’s Playlist:

1. DJ Chuckie

2. Afro Jack

3. Diplo

Redfoo: We’re listening to a lot of dance stuff from Holland: DJ Chucky, Afro Jack and Diplo.

4. Michael Jackson

Redfoo: We’ve been going down memory lane with Michael Jackson.

5. LMFAO

Redfoo: Then we like to browse we’re still heavily on the blogs searching from new stuff to play and DJs as well. We like to relax and listen to the radio from time to time and see if we can hear our song pop up here and there. We run the gamut!

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sky Blu: I still listen to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I love them!

7. Van Halen

Sky Blu: We like the old school ’80s rock. We were rockin out to Van Halen the other day.

8. Motley Crue

9. Journey

10. AC/DC

11. David Bowie

12. The Knack — “My Sharona”

Redfoo: One of my favorite songs of all-time is “My Sharona!” That’s a classic to me; we might have to redo that. We could call it, “My Corona” [Laughs].

—Rick Florino
07.17.09

A Taste:

Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, N.E.R.D., Michael Jackson

Paradiso Girls just want to have fun.

That’s exactly what they do on their sizzling hot new single “Patron Tequila,” and it’s only a prelude of the fun to come on their fall debut Crazy Horse [Interscope]. These five international divas are about to breakthrough big; however, they found some time to talk to ARTISTdirect.com about the music that moves them.

We sat down with Girls Kelly Beckett and Aria Crescendo, and they gave us a peek at the tunes that make them shake it.

Check out “Patron Tequila” now!

Kelly Beckett’s Playlist:

1. Black Eyed Peas — The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)

I’ve got the new Black Eyed Peas album, and I can’t stop playing it.

2. N.E.R.D. — In Search Of…

I go through phases with all of the music I listen to. I’ve been playing a lot of old school rock at the moment. I’ve been also digging out old albums from N.E.R.D. I love their first record.

3. Ladyhawke

I’ve been listening to a lot of new artists coming out. There’s an English girl called Ladyhawke that’s really good. Her music has got a very Blondie-esque feel.

4. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I love them too!

5. Goldfrapp

I love strong female singers like Alison Goldfrapp and Debbie Harry.

6. Blondie

Aria Crescendo’s Playlist:

1. Michael Jackson

To be interesting, I’m going to be like everyone and say Michael Jackson. I was so shocked by his death. My biggest dream in life was to meet Michael Jackson and Madonna. They’re two icons, and they’ve inspired the world. I can’t believe that he’s passed away.

2. Madonna

3. The Black Eyed Peas

I love the new Black Eyed Peas album!

4. Goran Gorbevich

I have a very diverse iPod. I even have some gypsy music! Goran is like a gypsy from Eastern Europe.

5. Gwen Stefani

I love Gwen Stefani!

—Rick Florino
07.09.09

A Taste:

Michael Jackson, Crookers, Justice, Chromeo

Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas isn’t afraid to step outside the box.

On The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), he helps elevate The Black Eyed Peas’ signature sound to a whole new stratosphere. On the album, B.E.P. has incorporated flourishes of European electro and dance music into their unique hip hop, and it’s a sonic concoction that’s undeniable.

Taboo also pops up in Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, busting different kinds of moves than he’s used to rocking on stage.

In this exclusive feature, he opened up his iTunes and shared his playlist with ARTISTdirect.com. Check it out below!

Taboo’s Playlist:

1. Michael Jackson

I’m listening to Michael Jackson, dude. I know it’s cliché, but right now I’m all about Mike. Mike has been one of the biggest inspirations to our group. The fact that Will.i.am got to work with him and produce some of the songs on his hopefully his upcoming record is incredible. God forbid, those songs never get to see the light of day. They’re amazing. Will played them for us, and we were blown away by the chemistry that they had on the record. Hands down, Michael Jackson was one of our biggest inspirations as far as performing and musical genius.

2. The Crookers

3. Justice

I’m listening to a lot of electro right now; we’re in this electro mode!

4. The Presets

5. Kraftwerk

6. Chromeo

7. MGMT

8. David Guetta

—Rick Florino
07.06.09

A Taste:

“Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Beat It”

In order to commemorate the career of one of history’s most dynamic and unique performers, Michael Jackson, ARTISTdirect.com has assembled a special playlist of his most extraordinary videos.

Like everything in his life, Michael Jackson always went above and beyond. These videos are an example of him reaching to the heavens and bring us all with him.

Michael Jackson Video Playlist:

1. “Thriller”

2. “Bad”

3. “Beat It”

4. “Billie Jean”

5. “Smooth Criminal”

6. “Rock With You”

7. “You Rock My World”

8. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”

9. “Heal the World”

10. “Jam”

—Rick Florino
06.26.09

A Taste:

Michael Jackson, T.I., Jay-Z

“There’s something exciting about rock n’ roll,” says MIMS with a smile. “Maybe I’ll pick up a guitar one day and learn that craft.”

MIMS’ latest LP, Guilt, has a bit of a personal homage to rock music, in addition to a slew of club banging tracks that proudly stand alongside any of the “This Why I’m Hot” MCs’ catchiest material.

MIMS decided to share his playlist with us in this exclusive feature. Check it out below and grab Guilt in stores now.

MIMS’ Playlist:

1. Michael Jackson — Thriller

My favorite album of all-time is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. That’s on repeat every single day. I love how it’s put together. It’s not a long record. Everything is straight-to-the-point. I don’t want to compare it to my Guilt album, because Thriller is one of the most successful albums of all time. However, I design my music so when you pop it in you can go from song one all the way until the end and say, “Man, I didn’t hear one record that sounds the same.” That’s what Thriller represents for me.

2. Kanye West

3. Lil Wayne

4. Jay-Z

5. T.I.

—Rick Florino
06.15.09

A Taste:

Michael Jackson, DeBarge, Kool & The Gang, One Way

Paul Ben-Victor is always down to dance. The In Plain Sight star laughs, “I’m a big funk and disco dude! I’ve been throwing parties for years at my house!’

However, the partying extends beyond the homestead for the actor. Paul cultivated his love for funk and dance music in some of the hottest night spots. “I worked at clubs and discos around the world in the ’80s doing wild face painting. It was a whole crazy life. That’s another interview [Laughs]. We designed a kit called ‘Art Eyes,’ and it was Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s everywhere. I loved to dance—especially in those days. It’s in my blood somewhere.”

Paul opened up his iTunes once again for us in this exclusive feature. He shared his favorite dance, funk, R&B and jazz tunes. Check out his list below!

Also, be sure to catch Paul’s standout episode on In Plain Sight, entitled “One Night Stan.” It sheds a whole lot of light on Paul’s character, and it’s an edge-of-your-seat nailbiter of an episode. Be sure to watch it on USA May 31st 2009.

Paul Ben-Victor’s Playlist:

1. Central Line — “Walking Into Sunshine”

“It’s a great late ’70s, early ’80s dance tune.”

2. Johnny Blas — “Mas Azucar”

“This has a Latin groove played with a standup bass. I’m really into Latin music too.”

3. Michael Jackson — “In the Closet (Club Edit)”

“This is a rare tune that not many people have heard. It’s a great club edit of the song. It’s clearly not a big hit, but DJs know it. I put it on my list because I just love it!”

4. One Way — “You Can Do It”

“This is one of the best party dance songs. If you ever have a dance party at your house, put ‘In the Closet’ and this song together. When you hear it, you’ve just got to get up and groove to it!”

5. Evelyn “Champagne” King — “Love Come Down”

“This is one of the greatest!”

6. Carrie Lucas — “Show Me Where You’re Coming From”

“It’s got a slap bass lick to it. It’s just fuckin’ orgasmic old groove disco [Laughs].”

7. Kool and the Gang — “Love Festival”

“I love Kool and the Gang, and I had to pick one of their songs. This is a really festive tune.”

8. DeBarge — “Stop! Don’t Tease Me”

“They’re one of my favorites! It’s another great song.”

9. Shalamar — “A Night to Remember”

“When my friends and I hear this shit, it brings us back to those days when we were in clubs until three in the morning dancing with one of our first girlfriends. There was nothing better party-wise than this music. There was a time there, and there was innocence to the disco days with the mirror ball. Hip hop is great. Eminem is the bomb. He’s a genius. I’d love to see what he would do with a percussion piece because rhythmically he fucks with any other hip hop artist! His stories are incredible. I just watched a little piece of 8 Mile. No other rapper can come close rhythmically. He’s on another planet, and he invents rhythms. In some ways, I love dancing to hip hop more than anything.”

10. Angelique Kidjo — “Goddess of the Sea”

“This song is just awesome. She’s an African singer. There are all of these great instruments and drums. She’s got a serious groove, and you can dance to the music.”

11. George Michael — “I Want Your Sex 1 & 2″

“Fuckin’ George Michael, ‘I Want Your Sex’ [Laughs]. These are some of the best two tunes to play!”

12. Eddie Harris — “Freedom Jazz Dance”

“It’s a really great song.”

13. Prince — “D.M.S.R.”

“I had to throw a Prince song in. I didn’t want to put down ‘Kiss’ because everyone knows that song. This is one of my favorites! I just saw him last month. He did three live shows at three different venues in one day. He went from Club Nokia to The Conga Room to the Nokia Theater. He did a show at seven, nine and midnight. Totally different band and totally different set list each one! He puts on one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. Genius!

—Rick Florino
05.30.09

See Paul’s earlier playlist here!