What The Hell Just Happened in Music This Week?

This week was jam-packed with fascinating interviews with Jay Z and The Weeknd. (His first one, ever!) And an amazing video from A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky for "Shabba."

We've been talking a lot about Drake's upcoming album, Nothing Was The Same. And it turns out mopey-mopes like him are actually on to something. A recent study has proven what Elton John has been insisting for years: listening to sad songs is, in fact, scientifically therapeutic. So go ahead and grab a box of tissues, cuddle up with your security blanket, and cry your eyes to "Cameras."

Kanye West might be joining you. He had a hard week. First secretly-taped audio of a drunken concversation he had just after the debacle at the 2009 VMAs leaked. Then another incident with the paparazzi at LAX. Everybody should give the guy a break. The first few months of parenthood can be rough enough.

All that and more in What The Hell Just Happened in Music This Week?

RELATED: Pharrell Is Dominating 2013, and You Probably Didn't Even Notice

Jay Z displayed human attributes in a four-part interview with BBC's Zane Lowe.

Date: July 15th

Jay Z sat down with BBC Radio 1 reporter Zane Lowe for a four-part interview about a wide variety of topics. In a relaxed, easy-going conversation, they spoke about everything from family and music to politics and the difficulties of fame.

He did a kinda great Jimmy Iovine impression. And talked about how glad he was Kanye decided to revolutionize music and not the porn industry. (Not in the his Jimmy Iovine voice, at a different time, in his normal one.) We totally agree.

But the interviews were most interesting in that they showed an extremely reserved person opening up some. Viewers got to see a side of Jay that he normally keeps hidden. His thought process, how his family life motivates him, and the different angles from which he is able to approach a decision. The same guy that gave us the mantra's #newrules and "I will not lose," gave us understanding on how he reached his current level of success. In short, it's deeper than rap. We hope you were taking notes. —Sobechi Ibekwe

RELATED: Jay Z and Zane Lowe Pt. 1
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People talked about whether or not it was okay it was okay to like R. Kelly's music.

People talked about whether or not it was okay to like R. Kelly's music.

Date: All week

R. Kelly will play the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago tonight. Headlining slot, last day of the three-day extravanganza. It's a big deal.

Of course, Mr. Kelly comes with a large amount of baggage. You might remember that he was accused of some very horrible crimes a few years ago. If you don't, this Chappelle's Show skit will help remind you.

So this past week, people got to talking about whether or not it was a responsible decision by Pitchfork to pay a lot of money for such a person to play his music at their festival. In fact, some people debated whether or not it was even okay to listen to his music at all.

Grantland's Stephen Hyden wrote a long, carefully considered piece about the internal struggle he goes through in listening to music by people he thinks are probably not such nice people. Hyden wrote:

"I intellectually, I support the idea that music should stand apart from the music maker. But it's not an absolute; there is personal behavior so extreme it would preclude me from enjoying an artist's output. For instance, I would not be into hearing an album recorded by Jeffrey Dahmer, even if it combined the assured melodicism of early R.E.M. with the muscle of Rainbow's Long Live Rock 'n' Roll and the witty lyrics of Loudon Wainwright III's Attempted Mustache. If I can draw the line there, why am I OK with other kinds of bad behavior? What's my personal standard?"

First of all, it's important that we remember that R. Kelly has never been convicted of the crimes he was accused of. In fact, he was exonerated in court. But let's follow Hyden's extreme hypothetical further. I still don't think I see the problem.

Art is art. Once it's created, and goes out into the world, it exists separately from the person who made it. I guess I can understand the notion of not wanting to pay someone we suspect is a bad person money, especially if like, we think he or she might use that money to commit more horrible acts. (By, say, paying expensive legal fees.) But listening to music? No, I can't think of any music that, if I enjoyed the music, the morality or lack thereof of the person who made it would get in my way. This came up with Woody Allen's movies a while back, right? I think Woody Allen did a very bad thing in marrying his girlfriend's daughter. But I am just as able to enjoy his movies as I have ever been. Have you watched Seinfeld since seeing Michael Richards's racist onstage freak-out? I have. Still funny.

I guess this will be different for everybody. I am not black. I can imagine a black person might have a harder time shutting down the memory of Richards's screaming racial slurs on stage while they watch him stagger into Jerry's apartment. Oh, here's a better analogy: Mel Gibson. I'm Jewish. (Or well, culturally at least. I'm athiest, religion-wise.) My grandparents had to leave Germany in the 1930s, relatives of mine were in concentration camps. But I saw Lethal Weapon on TV the other day. It's great. I find Mel Gibson to be charming and funny and heroic on screen, even knowing what I know about what a pig he is off of it. Compartmentalization works differently in some peoples' brains than in others, I guess. But seriously, if a really great album by Jeffrey Dahmer = R.E.M. + Rainbow + Rufus Wainright? Sure, I'd listen to that. No problem.

R. Kelly? It's not even a question. —Dave Bry

RELATED: The Kelly Conversations

The one-and-only Shabba Ranks joined the A$AP Mob in the video for "Shabba."

Date: July 15

Anyone can make a song named after a famous star. (And pretty much everyone does.) But getting that famous star to come and appear in the video for that song? Now that's pulling Ranks. —Rob Kenner

RELATED: Video: A$AP Ferg f/ A$AP Rocky "Shabba"

Drake, Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd: If music makes you want to cry, it's actually good for you.

Science proved that listening to sad music when you're sad is, in fact, good for you.

Date: July 14

"Emotion experienced by music has no direct danger or harm unlike the emotion experienced in everyday life. Therefore, we can even enjoy unpleasant emotion such as sadness. If we suffer from unpleasant emotion evoked through daily life, sad music might be helpful to alleviate negative emotion."

The statement above? That means it was totally okay, scientifically, that the night after your girlfriend dumped you, you got drunk and played "Marvin's Room" eleven times in a row and ended up in a puddle of your own tears.

Those emo softies over at Frontiers in Psychology, an open-access science journal, researched how sad music affects human beings' mental state. What they found will not surprise fans of Billie Holiday or Robert Smith or Drake or Lana Del Rey: if you are in emotional distress, sad music can make you feel better!

That entire solid month you spent alone in your non-AC apartment, listening to Lana Del Rey's "Ride" over and over and over again, wishing he'd call when you knew he wasn't going to, when he never did? You would have been even more miserable if not for the Lana Del Rey. And, believe it or not, THAT WAS GOOD FOR YOU.

Great news, huh? —Lauren Nostro

RELATED: Sad Music Is Good For You

The Weeknd did his first interview, ever.

Date: July 15

Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye is a quiet guy. In fact, you'd think he'd gotten an earful from Kanye West before he rose to fame because, for two years now, he's never talked to anybody, ever. (Maybe not even himself!)

At the beginning of his career, as he was being ushered into the limelight by Drake, the Torontoan R&B singer hid his face from photographers in an effort to let the music speak for itself. But also to build appeal for an enigmatic character. “It reminded me of some villain shit,” he says.

He "says?" Wait a minute. Didn't we just say he didn't talk to press? Well, yes. But this week we learned that he's not so shy after all. He just wanted to wait until the time was right, and approach stardom on his own terms. So, after all this time, the mystery man finally gave his first interview, this week. To Complex.

Here are some highlights:

On why he only now is ready for an interview: “Honestly, I want to do interviews now because it’s one thing I haven’t mastered.”

On his recording process: “There are two ways of making music for me. There’s a calculated route—like, I know exactly what I’m going to do with this song. And then there’s the free mind.”

On rumors that he and Drake don't get along: “No, that’s not true. Definitely not true. But it makes sense. The thing about Drake is I told him what my decisions were going to be. And he was down with it from the beginning.”

Read the whole thing by clicking below. —Alexander Gleckman

RELATED: The Weeknd: Kiss And Tell (2013 Cover Story)

Audio of Kanye West talking to dinner companions after his famous outburst at the 2009 VMAs leaked, and it is GLORIOUS!

Date: July 18

When Gawker published audio on Thursday of Kanye West going on a tirade in private, on the night of the 2009 VMAs, after the infamous Taylor Swift incident, there was a debate in the office over whether or not we should write about it. Some people felt like the recording was a gross invasion of West's privacy, and even more, that he was in a bad, sad place when it happened. Others (like this writer) felt like it wasn't just a newsworthy story, but a great one. Why? We live in an age where our biggest stars have been overly sanitized and moved to the middle, partly as a reaction to the nonstop celebrity gossip and press about them that scrutinizes their every move, but also partly as an effort to make as much money as possible by presenting the blandest product (or people) to the public for mass consumption. And most corporate endorsement deals.

The less offensive, the better. But Kanye West in 2013—who has apologized for the incident, and then backpedaled on his apology—is much different from the Kanye West of 2009. Or at the very least, is presenting himself differently. The Kanye West of the past few years did not "throw these Maybach keys." He played along. He went to the VMAs. He apologized for his actions. He made an album about reckoning, and performed the single about that reckoning ("Runaway") before national television audiences, more than a few times. The Kanye West of 2013 went on Saturday Night Live a few months ago and performed "New Slaves." And then projected his face all over the world performing the same song, one where a line like "Fuck you and your corporation/Y'all niggas can't control me" doesn't stand out from the rest of the lyrics. The Kanye West of 2013 tells paparazzi not to talk to him, not to even say his name. The Kanye West of 2013 tweets about Pacific Rim the day Jay Z's new album comes out—a fairly clear message that Kanye's beyond playing politics, rap game or otherwise. With that in mind, to hear any celebrity—let alone someone of as massive a stature as Kanye West—speaking off the cuff is refreshing. And most refreshing was this part that came after a female voice, one of his dining companions, asks him, "Why are you so angry? What's the anger?"

"Because my mother got arrested for the fucking sit-ins. My mother died for this fame shit! I moved to fucking Hollywood chasing this shit. My mother died because of this shit. Fuck MTV."

Kanye West has strenuously avoided the topic of his mother's death since it happened in 2007—a massive elephant in the room that is this artist's career. But it clearly affected him deeply, still affects him, surely. To hear this contrasted against the massive controversy that was the Taylor Swift incident isn't just enlightening, but relieving: As much as he tells us he's a god, Kanye West is a human being, one who suffers pain. (This is something he only occasionally reminds us thes days.) And that pain is a big part of who he is, and what his art says.

Everything that followed after that tape was recorded is already well documented history, though it reads in an entirely different light after hearing 'Ye speak candidly about one of the most profound moments of his life: He wasn't sorry he did it. He had his reasons. And while he surely felt bad about upsetting Taylor Swift (who, while we're on the topic, seems less and less a victim, the better we get to know her as a pop star, and more and more an emotionally manipulative combatant) the fact is that he was forced to apologize. And he was forced because there's a world of corporations who want to sell themselves attached to these sanitized stars. This tape is gold. Not just because we learn Kanye's true feelings, or are forced to reckon with the fact that we so readily ostracized him for an incident that was fundamentally misunderstood by the world (an incident the motivations behind could never be articulated in anything but private company), but because no star as famous and powerful as Kanye West has ever said the words "Fuck MTV" out loud, at least that we've heard or can remember. Even if they have, and regardless of whether or not it's our right to hear it, they've never been as well within their right as Kanye was to say it. Or as correct. That, too. —Foster Kamer

Jay Z's ex got a consolation call from an old friend.

Date: July 18

This week, we found out that Jay Z has ended his relationship with his hyphen. Seeing as how we are a shameless gossip rag, and we wanted the inside scoop, we hollered at our friends over at the NSA, who we know keep tabs on everyone now, and who're pretty sure keep extra-close tabs on anyone even remotely connected to any rapper because they suspect that all rap careers are fronts for terrorist organizations. Sure enough, they've been tapping Jay Z's hyphen's phone. (They're tapping all of our phones.) And they were nice enough (in exchange for a little information on the Nike swoosh) to provide us with a transcript of a very interesting conversation.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Hello?

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Hey, old buddy. How you doing? You hanging in there?

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Who is this?

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Oh, come on man! It hasn't been that long, has it? This is Jay Z’s old Umlaut.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Umlaut? What even is an umlaut?!

Jay Z’s Umlaut: You know, the dots above the 'O' and the 'U' in "Mötley Crüe"?

Jay Z’s Hyphen: I thought those were heroin tracks.

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Yeah. Everybody thinks that. But no, they're umlauts. Just like me. And you should recognize us because we used to...

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Ohhhh, wait. Right! My bad, bro. I remember you now. You were with us during the early days, Reasonable Doubt era.

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Mmm. Yeah. Reasonable Doubt... Foxy. [Makes gutteral rolling 'R' sound... with umlaut.]

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Hahaha. You're telling me. Man, it's been a long time. So how ya been?

Jay Z’s Umlaut: I'm fine. How have you been? I heard the bad news.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Oh, yeah. That. [Uncomfortable silence.]

Jay Z’s Umlaut: So I just wanted to reach out, let you know I'm thinking about you.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: [Sighs.] Thank you, man. I appreciate that. It’s been tough. But honestly, I've known it's been over for a long time. We've just been just going through the motions.

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Oh, man. Like Drake.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Yeah. But even sadder. If you can imagine that.

Jay Z’s Umlaut: You're gonna be okay. There’s a lot of work for hyphens out there these days. Have you looked into search engine optimization?

Jay Z’s Hyphen: Aww man, I don’t wanna be any old hyphen in a some stupid URL. I was Jay-Z’s hyphen! That's the like the most important hyphen since the hyphen in Run-DMC! We were together forever! I was always there with him, right in the middle of the action. We travelled the world together. We were everywhere. Those other hyphens were never there! That kind of connection, it changes a person. I... I... [sobs] I miss him so much!

Jay Z’s Umlaut: I know. I know. [Puts left dot on hyphen's top right corner.] It's hard.

Jay Z’s Hyphen: The worst part is that snobby accent aigu on Beyoncé’s name still has a job. I can see the three of them now, swanning around Paris. "Oh, oh, oui oui, Monsiur. I'm so tres French!" She thinks she's fucking acute.

Jay Z’s Umlaut: Yeah... yeah. But hey, if it's any consolation, remember, it happens to the best of us. Me, Amil, Beanie, Freeway. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but you’re not even the first Dash Jay Z has dropped.

[End of transcription.] —Insanul Ahmed

RELATED: Apparently, Jay Z Dropped The Hyphen In His Name Three Years Ago

Loon is the latest ex-Bad Boy artist to get locked up.

Date: July 19

It took a full three days after his sentencing for news of Loon's 14-year bid to make it to the blogosphere, which tells you just how far the ex-Bad Boy rapper-turned-Muslim preacher (now known as Amir Junaid Muhadith) has fallen off the map. Or at least, the rap-world map. As far the real-world map, apparently, Loon has been to every corner. The case has some serious Jason Bourne vibes (if Jason Bourne had a Freeway beard), involving an alleged conspiracy to distribute heroin in North Carolina, an asylum-seeking escape to Algeria, an eventual 2011 arrest in Belgium, and a recent extradition back to the States. Loon details the circumstances of his travails in a 25-minute monologue that made the rounds on Friday afternoon.

The Internet Greek chorus has already linked Loon's legal troubles to the "Bad Boy curse," as the 38-year-old Harlem native joins Shyne, G. Dep, and Black Rob as former Puff proteges to get incarcerated. Maybe so, but more damning for Loon's prospects was this triple-whammy: (1) He is black, (2) has prior felonies and (3) is a practicing Muslim. That's a tough hand to play in America.

More than any of his Bad Boy peers', actually, Loon's predicament is reminiscent of former Refugee All-Star John Forte's. (And that of Piper Kernan, who wrote the book that the new Netflix series, Orange Is the New Black, is based on.) So maybe President Obama will throw him a pardon on his way out like W. Bush did for his favorite rapper. Not likely—but what we've read about the evidence in this latest case hardly seems convincing. So maybe there's hope for an early release. In the meantime, just remember: "How You Want That" is still a dope song. Hold ya head, Amir. —Donnie Kwak

RELATED: Former Bad Boy Rapper Loon Reveals Details Behind 14-Year Prison Sentence

Kanye West claimed the second verse on “New Slaves” is the best verse in the history of rap music, somehow forgetting the fact that the second verse on "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" is better.

I open the debate… The 2nd verse of New Slaves is the best rap verse of all time….meaning … OF ALL TIME IN THE HISTORY OF RAP MUSIC, PERIOD


— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 20, 2013

Date: July 20

I recently had the joy of seeing Kanye West perform at the Roseland Ballroom during the leadup to Yeezus. While it’s always a pleasure to see him go through his catalog of hits, I was rather disappointed when he skipped out on doing the second verse on "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" a.k.a. Kanye’s Best Verse Ever. But that doesn’t even come close to the disappointment I felt seeing Kanye take to Twitter to claim that the second verse of “New Slaves” is the best rap verse there ever was.

Kanye is known for his outlandish claims. Like, you know, the claim he made about Beyonce’s video the last time he uttered the immortal phrase “OF ALL TIME.” But whether at the VMAs or at a drunken rant after the VMAs, Kanye often has a point. (I often feel obliged to point out: How the fuck did Taylor Swift have the best Female Video and Beyonce had the Best Overall Video? That makes no sense.) Maybe his delivery leaves something to be desired, but his message (though admittedly, less-than clearly defined) is usually rooted in some version of the truth. That’s why more than a few of his fans often agree with his claims.

Yet, when declaring “New Slaves” the best verse of all time, he’s too far from any semblance of popular contention. In typical Kanye-stan fashion, some of his followers will pathetically cling to his comment and defend it to the death. Even if they secretly don’t believe it themselves, like the ‘90s kid who doesn’t even know if he’s being sarcastic anymore. But let’s be for real: “New Slaves” isn’t even Kanye’s best verse, much less the best verse anybody has ever rapped in the history of rap music, period. It might not even be the best verse of the year.

Not to say it's not a great verse. What with the “Blood on the leaves” references and those nasty, brilliant Hamptons lines. And I love that he takes the time to address the prison industrial complex (an important issue that more rappers need to take to task.) But to try place it so firmly atop of hip-hop’s vast canon of verses? No, I'm sorry. To much of a reach. In fact, I will hereby decree that there is no way that any rap verse that references any Adam Sandler movie can be considered the best of all time.

Adam Sandler, don't talk ever again. —Insanul Ahmed

RELATED: Kanye West Says "New Slaves" Verse Is The Best Rap Verse of All Time

Bonus: Here’s the lyrics to the verse

I throw these Maybach keys
I wear my heart on the sleeve
I know that we the new slaves
I see the blood on the leaves
I see the blood on the leaves
I see the blood on the leaves
I know that we the new slaves
I see the blood on the leaves
They throwin' hate at me
Want me to stay at ease
Fuck you and your corporation
Y'all niggas can't control me
I know that we the new slaves
I know that we the new slaves
I'm 'bout to wild the fuck out
I'm going Bobby Boucher
I know that pussy ain't free
You niggas pussy, ain't me
Y'all throwin' contracts at me
You know that niggas can't read
Throw 'em some Maybach keys
Fuck it, c'est la vie
I know that we the new slaves
Y'all niggas can't fuck with me
Y'all niggas can't fuck with Ye
Y'all niggas can't fuck with Ye
I'll move my family out the country
So you can't see where I stay
So go and grab the reporters
So I can smash their recorders
See they'll confuse us with some bullshit
Like the New World Order
Meanwhile the DEA
Teamed up with the CCA
They tryna lock niggas up
They tryna make new slaves
See that's that privately owned prison
Get your piece today
They prolly all in the Hamptons
Bragging 'bout what they made
Fuck you and your Hampton house
I'll fuck your Hampton spouse
Came on her Hampton blouse
And in her Hampton mouth
Y'all 'bout to turn shit up
I'm 'bout to tear shit down
I'm 'bout to air shit out
Now what the fuck they gon' say now?