Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t heard of Xzibit.  X to the Z.  Rapper, Actor, television host—Xzibit is an international superstar and an all-around entertainer.  With the full force of Dr. Dre’s beats (not the headphones) behind him, Xzibit rose quickly to fame after the release of this third studio album Restless, which featured his hit-single “X.”  From there, Xzibit has established himself as a formidable player in the entertainment world, becoming an iconic figure after the MTV series “Pimp My Ride.”  In studio or behind camera, Xzibit’s unmistakable vocals and charismatic persona delivers every time.  So do yourself a favor, and call in to “Can’t Be Beat” on UCLA Radio this Monday, April 18, 2011  from 3PM-4PM to win your pair of free tickets to see Xzibit at the  Key Club on April, 23, 2011!

Yo dawg, we heard you like Xzibit, so we put Xzibit at the Key Club, so you can see Xzibit at Xzibit at the Key Club!

Dallas Green has been one busy man lately. Green’s highly successful solo project (he is also the frontman for Alexisonfire) has brought him all over the world over the past month playing showcases at SXSW, a brief stint in Australia and this weekend he’s dropping in LA for a set at Coachella. Just two weeks ago, the first single off of Green’s upcoming release, Little Hell, hit the airwaves and has been getting steady airplay on radio stations around the world.

Dallas joined our very own Hannah Guo on UCLA Radio this past Thursday, April 14th to chat about some of Dallas’ favorite venues, his trip to Australia and upcoming performance at Coachella.

UCLA Radio with the stars of MTV's "Son of a Gun"

April 9, 2011 – from the Reality Rocks Expo 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We caught up with father-son rap duo, Peter Gunz and Cory Gunz, about their upcoming MTV reality show, Son of a Gun. The show focuses on Cory’s journey as he strives to follow in the footsteps of his father to become a successful rap artist. Peter Gunz, who is most famous for his song Deja Vu, serves as a mentor, friend, and protector for Cory . The show depicts Cory’s struggle to the top, after being signed with Jay-Z and Tommy M0ttola. He is now signed to Lil Wayne’s record label, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Drake, among many others. The loss of his voice during our interview is a testament to the success he has already achieved, going on tour with Lil Wayne and the Young Money crew. You can check out Cory’s skills featured on Lil Wayne’s track “6 Foot 7 Foot” here.

Peter and Cory’s advice your aspiring musicians? Don’t be discouraged by small setbacks and don’t give up. You don’t only get one chance as long as you believe in yourself. In today’s game, you don’t need a major record label to back you in order to be successful. You just need to get your music out there and get your fans to support you, made easier now with the help of social media like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Don’t be afraid to go independent and distribute your music to fans for free because it’s all about getting people to support you and want your music!

To see more about Cory’s rise to rap stardom, with a little help from Nick Cannon, check out Son of a Gun which premieres Thursday April 28th on MTV at 11PM PST. Maybe next season we’ll see him do a show for UCLA Radio…

Coming just a year after his successful debut album Lucky Shiner, Gold Panda releases Companion. It is essentially a prequel to Lucky Shiner. It compiles 3 of his 2009 EP’s (Before, Miyamae, and Quitter’s Raga). For this reason, the album does not feel like a complete ‘body of work’, the way Lucky Shiner certainly does. Nonetheless, Companion holds some great individual songs. Gold Panda has a fantastic way of sampling, and can make some very atmospheric tracks with that static-sound he seems to like so much. Quitter’s Raga starts the album off with a perfect fusion of chopped vocals, glitch sounds and Indian raga. We are then brought back down into a more laidback, dreamy atmosphere with Fifth Ave, before beginning to feel some real, dark emotions creeping through in Like Totally. The album then tails off into some attractive drum & bass sounds with Win-San Western. Unfortunately, this is not the complete album his previous release was, but it is well worth a listen.

- Phil Battersby

The Be Colony: Tuesdays 10-Midnight

Every so often, English music tries to revive that famous Britpop scene of the 1990’s. Brother are the band to spearhead the latest attempt. So much has been written about their similarities to the likes of Oasis, but it really is unavoidable. It has to be said, the similarities seem to be drawn more from the general appearance and attitudes of the bands, than from the music itself. However, if you are looking for an interesting, fresh new sound, you are probably better off looking further than this particular single. The music is great. It’s just nothing groundbreaking.They certainly have talent, and can write a neat, riff-driven guitar anthem that can become very catchy. I am sure this confident, young band will be one to watch for 2011. However, this song is yet to convince me that the band’s appeal is anything more than a temporary sense of nostalgia.

Brother are playing at The Satellite in Silverlake on April 26th. Tickets still available. Will they live up to the hype? I really hope they do.

- Phil Battersby

The Be Colony: Tuesdays 10-Midnight

In a lot of articles, UCLA and other UC fee increases are explained by California running out of money.  It is the result of being “pushed by the state budget crisis” and due to “…coping with higher costs and continuing tight state budgets…”

The connection between the state budget crisis and tuition increases seems stated as fact.  Is this a fact?  Or is it the position of the UC Regents and other UC officials?

If it is the view of the Regents, then what is the opposing view?

In fact, tuition and fees DO NOT go directly towards education.  Of course, colleges have many costs they must cover, but instead of jumping from “California budget crisis” to “need for higher student fees,” to improve eduction, shouldn’t the FIRST question should be:

Are they using these funds appropriately?

In other words: Where the f*ck does the money go?

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Okay, so: the FCC was made about 70 years back as a way to centralize the emerging personal entertainment industry. While it’s use back then may have been justifiable as to protect a new technology from not being monopolized or mis-managed, it’s effect today is nothing short of frustrating. From charging astronomical fees for radio and television to mindlessly dulling out new bureacratic b.s., this agency is nothing but a roadblock to an ever advance system with new media distributing services. This agency is nothing but a redundancy in American government, it has complete control over an industry that is already capable of self-regulation. Laws already prohibit the development of monopolies, and our courthouse sytem can easily deal with disputes over infringing radio, television, or internet space.

So why do we have the FCC?

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Behind their killer debut album, Habits featuring the infectious single “Animal”, Neon Trees has risen to the top of the charts over the last year, pumping out danceable, Eighties pop-inspired tunes that is reaching fans around the world. Currently in the middle of a tour opening for My Chemical Romance, Neon Trees have been one of the busiest bands over the past few months, playing nearly every television show around, touring Europe with Angels & Airwaves and even having their song featured on Glee. Despite the tour and all its madness the group is making its’ way back to LA this weekend to rock out at Coachella.

Tyler Glenn, a local LA native and lead vocalist for Neon Trees joined our very own DJ Parth Vader and DJ D-Rae on UCLA Radio on April 13th to chat about their style, Rebecca Black and of course their upcoming Coachella performance.

Reason to see them: They’re known to put on an incredible live show. Yes, we know Kanye is slotted at the same time, but if you are looking for a dance party led by a band with endless amounts of energy, look no further.

For those of you who were looking for an excuse to ditch class during first week, you had no better reason than to tell your teacher that seeing Local Natives in Bruin Plaza was simply more important.

In case you haven’t already Wikipedia-stalked the band, Local Natives is an indie rock band located in Silver Lake, and native to UCLA itself. The band was happy to play at UCLA, having once been the shoes of anxious college students awaiting a good free show. Except for them, they obviously weren’t waiting for Local Natives, but instead, Minus the Bear back when they played at UCLA in 2007.  I’d assume it that feels kind of nice to stand in the shoes of the people you used to spend hours waiting to see…

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While the world was only newly being introduced to their first taste of Starbucks coffee, Seattle’s grunge music scene of the late 80s and 90s provided another reason to praise the Emerald City. Ever since then, Seattle has put forth a reliable supply of exceptional music to the rest of the world, and not only in the grunge genre. As a Seattleite, I’m prepared to swiftly spout out an encyclopedic list of bands with Northwest roots, but the one I would fiercely persuade you to listen to is the duo of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

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With their second album, Scandalous, dropping in 2011, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are at the forefront of the blues rock genre. Known to put on an incredible live show, BJL and the Honeybears consider themselves “garage soul” taking a mix of primal blues, funk, soul and R&B that reminds many of James Brown or Sly Stone. Natives of Austin, TX, the group has grown from the local boys tearing up SXSW and Austin City Limits, to being one of the biggest buzz bands around the nation. Their next stop: Indio.

Joe Lewis of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears joined our very own Melinda West on UCLA Radio on April 11th to chat Coachella and the group’s recent tour.

Reason to see them: Joe said it, “Come to the show and we guarantee you’ll have fun”. Doesn’t get much more straight forward than that.

Growing up with older siblings I was introduced to old school hip-hop at a young age.I can remember sneaking into my sisters room while she was at school and listening to her hip-hop mix tapes. One of the rappers that I was fond of from a young age was Slick Rick. His story telling style of rapping, along with his smooth and relaxed delivery, intrigued me and made him one of my favorite old school hip-hop artists.

Last Saturday, thanks to uclaradio.com, I attended the Slick Rick concert at the Key Club in Hollywood. The show was an awesome display of true old school hip-hop. Rick came out in his traditional attire of huge gold chains, but instead of sporting an orthopedic eye patch, he wore a dark pair of sunglasses. Rick performed such classics as Childrens Story, La Di da Di, Hey Young World and one of my favorites Street Talkin’. Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the encore due to the lateness of Rick’s performance. However, I left the venue feeling satisfied that I was able to see such a great performance by such a legendary hip-hop artist.

Quest Crew loves UCLA Radio!

April 10, 2011 – from the Reality Rocks Expo 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We got the chance to catch up with Season 3 America’s Best Dance Crew Champions, Quest Crew about their lives after the show, their recent work and their new dance moves.

After an amazing performance (that they probably practiced at UCLA’s Wooden Center .. just saying), they briefly met with us to give us some updates. Hok, who was not in attendance, recently choreographed the dance seen in LMFAO’s latest hit, Party Rock Anthem. You can see the whole gang shuffling in the video: here.

The group is also currently preparing for a trip to China to perform on one of the country’s most popular television shows, Hunan TV’s Day Day Up! They’re going to give our friends in the far east a taste of what Quest Crew is known for … the cat daddy? Maybe not, but they will be bringing their best original choreography to the show to expand their international fan base.

On top of all of that, the crew even has time to perform at a benefit concert, with proceeds going to Japan relief. The Thousand Hearts Benefit Concert will be taking place on Saturday April 23rd at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 7:00PM. Other stars in attendance include Lou Diamond Phillips and Grammy nominated jazz band, Hiroshima. All net proceeds from the concert will be going directly to the hardest hit areas in the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures to assist with the ongoing relief efforts. For more information and to purchase your tickets, go to: Thousand Hearts.

The current season of America’s Best Dance Crew is currently under way, with former Quest Crew member, D-Trix joining in as the 3rd judge along side JC Chasez and Lil Mama. New episodes air on MTV on Thursdays at 10PM so tune in!

Awwwwhhh yyeeeaaahhh, it’s that time of year again.  You know that time of year when no one wants to be in class, girls sun bathe on every inch of grass on campus, and oh yeah that one event called SPRING SING.  Well get pumped because UCLA Radio is partnering with the Talent Acts of Spring Sing to bring all you listeners and blog post followers an exclusive inside look to all of the acts performing in the show this year.  Being part of the Spring Sing Committee I can promise you that this year will be unlike any other as we have worked endlessly on modernizing, professionalizing, and awesomizing this wonderful event.  Not that it wasn’t already awesome, but so much more has been implemented to help make this show a gateway into the music and entertainment industry.  With that said my co-DJ Peter and myself will be spotlighting one talent act every week as we bring them into the station for not only an interview but an in studio performance in which they can display some of their old and new music tracks that they’ve been working on.  This week we start with our one and only UCLA Radio DJ Kevin Daye who has stunned everyone on the Spring Sing committee with his flawless vocals and amazingly mastered instrumentals.  Kevin, who holds down his own show on Tuesdays called The Be Colony at 10 pm is going to come into the station a little earlier than usual to sit down and share his music composing experience with all of us.  Kevin is for sure to be a crowd favorite this year so get excited to show your support for him not only as an artist but as a talent act of Spring Sing.  The following weeks will also highlight Gabrielle Wortman who was also in the show two years ago, James Bunning a new addition who is sure to steal the heart of every girl at the show, and Courtney Randall a freshman here at UCLA who’s music talents have flown under the radar but are sure to explode after the night of Spring Sing.  So be sure to tune in every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. to the “50 States Project” with DJ Peter and myself and get to know all of these talented young artists as they prepare for one of the biggest shows of their lives.

Mark Cuban from Shark Tank

The ultimate Reality TV fan experience…

This past weekend was the inaugural Reality Rocks Expo, featuring open casting calls for shows like the Real World, Wipeout, and Bridezillas, as well as screenings of Playboy TV’s The Stash and Celebrity Sex Tales, VH1’s Audrina, and MTV’s Son of a Gun. All your favorite reality stars were in attendance for autographs and interviews, including America’s Best Dance Crew champions Quest Crew and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. Keep checking back for our interviews and fun coverage of the panels and booths.

Check out our pictures with the stars on our new Facebook page!

“So You Think You Can Dance”

Kent Boyd: The friendly runner up on So You Think You Can Dance joined us to tell us about his life after the show. He is currently pursuing an acting career and even recently did a video with Al Pacino! His advice for our UCLA dancers: “Work hard and push yourself.”

Lauren Gottlieb: The So You Think You Can Dance champion has been busy doing choreography on shows like Mobbed, a new show on Fox. She also tells us about her 5 episodes on Glee with Vocal Adrenaline and the possibility of coming to UCLA to host a workshop.

Ron Jeremy: The king of porn shares with us his musical talents, giving us a sample of his harmonica. Also, he tells us about his XXX Church project, lecturing in colleges and debating religious fanaticism.

Ray J: The singer and For the Love of Ray J star schools us on “swag”: it’s history, its definition and its future. He’s looking for any UCLA students interested in working at 51 Minds!

Lee Rehrman from “American Gladiators”: The man who played “Hugh Normous” on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place tells us about his years studying as a graduate student at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and who it led him to his acting career. He will be continuing his work the Speed Channel and will appear in a mini series, called Black Out, that will be on ABC in the coming months!

Jessica Koussevitzky from “You’re Cut Off”: The former VH1 star tells us about the difficulties involved in shooting You’re Cut Off. Also, she shares her future plans to act and doing some more reality television.

Gillian Larson from “Survivor: Gabon”: Because she was voted off second, in her free time, Gillian created the Reality Rally in Temecula, California. Taking place next weekend, the rally involves an Amazing Race style show with both fans and reality stars competing to win and raise money for Michelle’s Place: Breast Cancer Resource Center.