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On what was a raucous, joyous night inside the hall, the roll call at the 2024 Democratic National Convention set social media abuzz with the innovative use of a live DJ and music to introduce each state and territory.

During night two of the Chicago convention, DJ Cassidy took on the role of setting up each state and territory with short intro music, as each representative got a chance to talk up their home before declaring their delegates. The song choices ranged from expected (“Empire State of Mind” for New York, “I’m Shipping up to Boston” for Massachusetts), to some truly inspired choices (“Raise Up” by Petey Pablo for North Carolina and “The Way I Are” by Timbaland for Virginia).

Stealing the show, though, was Georgia, which flexed by having Lil Jon perform “Turn Down for What” live inside Chicago’s United Center. In his surprise performance, he rapped the...

The Democratic National Convention continued on Tuesday with another slate of speakers advocating for Vice President Kamala Harris. They weren’t all Democrats. The DNC’s second day also featured the delegation roll call, in which delegates representing American states and territories announced their selection for president. It was way more exciting than it had any right to be.

As DNC Secretary Jason Rae called on each delegation from the stage, DJ Cassidy cued up a song for each state — except in the case of Georgia, when Atlanta native Lil Jon...

Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners and the late George Michael were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday.

The 38th annual ceremony took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with performances that spanned genres and paired different generations of stars, including an opening act with Crow and Olivia Rodrigo singing “If It Makes You Happy,” a pairing of honoree Chaka Khan and Common, as well as with H.E.R. and Sia, and a medley of Nelson’s songs featuring the 90-year-old performer alongside Dave Matthews, Chris Stapleton and Crow. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page made a surprise appearance to perform “Rumble” in honor of inductee Link Wray.

The evening concluded with an all-out performance from Elliott, decked out in a sequined gold jumpsuit, surrounded by backup dancers and running through hits such as “Lose Control” and “Get Ur Freak On.

Mark Howard James, the producer known as “DJ Mark The 45 King” who worked with such rap hitmakers as Queen Latifah, Jay-Z and Eminem among many others, has died at 62.

His manager confirmed the death, but provided no further details.

Born in the Bronx, N.Y., James started producing in the mid-1980s as hip-hop became a cultural force He produced Queen Latifah’s debut album All Hail the Queen in the late ’80s, then was behind the board for such rap classics such as Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) and Stan by Eminem .

He earned his professional name by culling bits from obscure 45 singles His breakout track, The 900 Number, was released in 1987, and featured a prominent saxophone snippet from Marva Whitney’s 1968 song, Unwind Yourself. The song has been sampled and remixed by artists including DJ Kool, Public Enemy, Breakestra, and Ced Gee.

James was part of the...

Mark Howard James, better known as the celebrated hip-hop DJ and producer the 45 King, who helped craft hits for Jay-Z, Eminem, and many more, died on Thursday. He was 62.

DJ Premier first announced James’ death on Instagram, noting his death came three days after his 62nd birthday. Paul Martinez, a spokesperson for the producer, confirmed James’ death to Rolling Stone but did not specify a cause.

“His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production,” Premier wrote. “His vinyl releases...

DJ Mark The 45 King, best known as the producer of classic hits by Eminem, Jay-Z, and Queen Latifah, has died at 62 years old.

The news was first shared on Thursday, October 19th by DJ Premier, who posted a statement on Instagram that the Bronx native had died in the morning — just days after celebrating his birthday. No cause of death has been revealed, but Premier mentioned that The 45 King had recently been in the hospital.

Born Mark Howard James, The 45 King helped form Flavor Unit — a group of rappers and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey which counted Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, and Apache among its members — in the late 1980s. Latifah signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1989, and featured his production heavily on her debut album, All Hail the Queen, including her breakout hit, “Ladies First.”

After battling drug addiction in the early 1990s,...

One cannot hold it against Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash that their Beanie Babies biopic, appropriately titled The Beanie Bubble, is arriving late in what has suddenly become something of a trend. Just a few months ago, the prospect of a “Michael Jordan movie” being actually about Mike’s Air Jordan sneakers seemed like a bizarre novelty. In (brief) hindsight though, it now seems like the kickoff for a spate of films with their hearts set on streaming. Air, Tetris, BlackBerry, Pinball, and Flamin’ Hot have all attempted to tell stories of American (or Canadian) capitalism gone super-turbo. Some of them are feel-good human interest yarns (or perhaps just commercials) while others are Icarus parables about company executives who flew too close to the sun.

Either way, the best of them (and I’d argue about half are at least pretty good) have something to say beyond eulogizing a consumerist...

As you have seen, we’ve been closely following the release of DJ Hero, the next step in rhythm gaming from Activision. Today is no exception as the company has now released the full 93 song set list for the game. While all club styled mixes, remixes and mashups, DJ Hero boasts one of the most varied collection of artists in any Hero franchise release.

With everything from the Jackson 5 to 2Pac, Daft Punk to Queen and everything in between, that variety of DJ Hero’s playlist is unmatched, as long as you like mashups and remixes. If you are a musical purist to the extreme, this game isn’t really what you’d be looking for.

In addition, the game will feature 10 tracks where players can plug in their Guitar Hero guitar and play alongside their friend on the DJ Hero turntable for a true real time rock / dance mashup.

Activision already named its headlining talent behind the music of "DJ Hero," but today the company released the names of all 93 mixes that players will face during the game's set list. Featuring extra helpings of Daft Punk and Jay-z, the list includes big names 50 Cent and the Beastie Boys to late legends like DJ Am and 2Pac. Even fans of Weezer and Queen will find something to like, as the samplings come from all over rock and and hip-hop. Check out the whole track list after the jump.

· 2Pac - "All Eyez On Me" vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - "Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)"

· 50 Cent - "Disco Inferno" vs. David Bowie - "Let's Dance"

· 50 Cent - "Disco Inferno" vs. InDeep - "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life"

· Afrika Bambaataa - "Zulu Nation Throwdown" vs. Freedom Express - "Get Down"

· Beastie Boys - "Here's A Little Somethin' For Ya" vs. DJ Shadow...