By Geoffrey Rowlands
 

Juicy J might not be so well known as a solo artist but the 37-year-old rapper has been around the music business for quite some time.
Real name Jordan Michael Houston, J’s career began as long ago as 1991 when he and three friends formed the rap group Backyard Posse.
Four years later, after changing their name to Three-6 Mafia, the boys self-released their debut album, Mystic Stylez.
The record did not sell in large numbers, a fact not helped by Three-6 Mafia hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, the heart of country music. But critics now credit Mystic Stylez as the defining sound in the horrorcore genre of hardcore rap which thrived on the underground scenes outside New York during the mid-1990s.
“I’m very proud of the album,” J remarked. “Particularly the production work I did with DJ Paul. This was before the Dirty South sound started to happen. We didn’t really appreciate it at the time but we were effectively musical pioneers.” Three-6 Mafia have issued a further eight full length albums with another, the long-delayed Laws of Power, finally set for release in March. They also won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2006 for It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp, the theme from Hustle & Flow. “We’ve always been happy to have our songs used in movies or TV shows. The more people who hear your product, the more money you stand to make. We’ve also done three different TV series of our own. It’s all good for business.”
J’s solo career has perhaps been held back by reserving his best songs for Three-6 Mafia. His debut solo album, Chronicles of the Juice Man, was released in 2002. The follow-up, Hustle Till I Die, didn’t come along until seven years later. His third album, Stay Trippy, should be out in March or April.
“I’ve put a lot of songs out on solo or collaborative mixtapes. The big hit I have now with Bandz A Make Her Dance was recorded for a mixtape. In fact, it didn’t originally get on Blue Dream Lean. But I posted the song on Twitter and everything just blew up. We put it in the mixtape bonus tracks and met demand from fans by releasing it as a single.”
So popular and critically acclaimed did the track prove to be that Bandz A Make Her Dance was voted number six in Complex magazine’s 50 Best Songs of 2012 and No.3 on a similar list in the Washington Post newspaper.
“Sometimes songs happen like that. I recorded it on a $100 microphone at an apartment in Washington, DC. I can’t say I thought it was that special at the time, which is why it didn’t make the final cut for my mixtape. But I did think the song had something about it, which is why I put Bandz A Make Her Dance on Twitter.
Sales figures are boosted by fans of Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, who make guest appearances on the original song, while B.o.B., French Montana, Wiz Khalifa and LoLa Monroe feature on the remix.
“I’m always looking to increase awareness of my product. The remix should keep things moving and I’ve now released Show Out as the second single from Stay Trippy. People are going to know all about me by the time my album drops.”


Iceage set for second album
 
Danish punk rock quartet Iceage release their second studio album, You’re Nothing, on February 19.
The album follows 2011’s critically acclaimed New Brigade which can be heard in full on YouTube.
Coalition, the lead single from You’re Nothing, is currently being streamed at matadorrecords.com/mpeg/iceage/iceage_coalition.mp3.
Videos of two live performances are available to view by scrolling down the webpage at www.iceagecopenhagen.blogspot.co.uk.
 
David Bowie surprises fans
 
David Bowie fans were delighted, and probably rather surprised, to hear word of a new album from their musical hero, his first since 2003’s Reality. Bowie’s absence from the music scene since ending his most recent tour in 2004 was touched upon in the album announcement. The prospect of new material was deemed to be wishful thinking as David, now 66, is perceived as the kind of artist who only writes and records when he has something to say. Now though, it seems he definitely has something to say.
Although David’s album, The Next Day, is not scheduled for release until March, lead single, Where Are We Now? is already available.
 
Indie band releases Beta Love
 
Next week sees the release of Beta Love, the third studio album from American indie band Ra Ra Riot.
Currently reduced to a foursome, the band have been teasing fans with tasters from the album for some time. The latest of these is Dance With Me which is now among the songs posted at soundcloud.com/rarariot. Also here are tracks from their previous two albums, The Rhumb Line and The Orchard. Many live performances and music videos by the band are posted on YouTube. Type Ra Ra Riot in the search box to gain access.
 
Lyric video posted online
 
A lyric video for Good To Be Bad, the new single from rock quartet Adler has now been posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS0QIuQgmds.
Led by former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, Good To Be Bad is the second single taken from Adler’s debut album, Back From The Dead. The video for lead single, The One That You Hated, is still available to view at www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPEu2fhNONM.
A number of videos featuring songs by Steven’s last group, Adler’s Appetite, are also posted on YouTube. These can be found by typing the band’s name in the website search box.
 
Haim win Sound of 2013 poll
 
Haim have been named winners of the BBC Sound of 2013 poll.
Consisting of sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, the girls originally played with their parents in a band called Rockinghaim before striking out on their own in 2006. The need to attend school arrested their musical development for some time but they now enjoy both critical acclaim and fan appreciation for their hybrid style of nu-folk meets pop and ‘90s R&B.
Videos for Haim’s first two singles, Forever and Don’t Save Me, are posted on YouTube. So too is their live performance of a new song, Falling, recorded for the BBC at Maida Vale studio. Audio postings of other tracks are also on the website. Everything can be discovered by typing Haim in the YouTube search box.
 
Mixtape from Street Lottery
 
Street Lottery is the latest free mixtape released by Atlanta rapper Young Scooter.
Recently signed to Epic Records, Street Lottery is the most recent in a line of mixtapes from the man who first found fame as part of Future’s Free Bandz clique. The new mixtape can be heard and downloaded at www.datpiff.com/Young-Scooter-Street-Lottery-mixtape.436249.html.
Another three free solo mixtapes by Young Scooter are available from datpiff. Type his name in the website search box for links to these.