Where did humus come from? Where is Palestine on the map? These seem like simple enough questions, but are New Yorkers worldly enough to answer them? Watch Iraqi-born rapper The Narcicyst wander Times Square with a microphone and some very pressing inquiries. Not sure who DAM is? Click here to

Fame may change many, but Iraqi hip hop artist and Dubai native The Narcicyst, aka Yassin Alsalman, stays true to his beliefs. He raps about racial profiling, giving a candid but all-too-real example in his video for "Phatwa" (from his self-titled album) which films an airport interrogation of

Palestine’s DAM and Iraq’s The Narcicyst brought their hard-hitting, political Arabic hip hop to the streets of New York in these exclusive performances and interviews....

After getting heady with Agent Fresco's brilliant, eclectic debut A Long Time Listening, it was time for the Reykyavik foursome to loosen up. Turns out, the guys behind some of the most cerebral hardcore music on the planet are actually....quite funny. We chatted with lead singer Arnór Dan Arnarson

Indie poppers Camera Obscura fall generally on the twee side of the indie-pop scale, where toy trumpets, bells and breathy sing-song vocals have always found a home. But if it wasn't clear just how adorably sweet they are, check out their video for "The Sweetest Thing." (No, it's not a Cameron Diaz

French-Finnish electropop duo The Dø is drumming up interest in their sophomore album Both Ways Open Jaws, with an unusual series of album teasers. They've got two out so far, which leaves four to go. It looks like there will be one a week until the album comes out March 7. And that's not the...

Street artist Aakash Nihalani's geometrical tape art creates optical illusions using the urban landscape. He often chooses extremely bright tape as his medium, and makes designs that appear 3D by applying the tape directly to walls and pavement. Encountering his work is a little like walking into a

The GTW has got a sophomore opus coming out later this year called Lean On Me, and we can't wait. The Nigerian-Chicagoan rapper/composer who we love to death has always had a jazzy streak in his productions (See: the videos for "Running All My Life" and "Blow Me Away") and now seems to be

I've already gushed about New York's cabaret acoustic act The Debutante Hour, a cross between the Roches, Tiger Lillies, and your deep, dirty subconscious. The trio had me at the word "zombies" on their debut LP The Birth and Death of Meaning, which was a journey through dark, pressing life

When you give up Radiohead as a backing band (only for a few gigs, people), what you throw together better be good. Here are the videos popping up on the web from Yorke's new supergroup's performance in LA two nights ago. So en lieu of a concert review, we present you with nearly the...

Video game music has gone from epic 8 bit compositions of Zelda to incorporating some of the best producers into the world, matching their style to the feel of the game (yes, I am totally referring to Amon Tobin's theme for Splinter Cell). Now, the newest edition of the historically bad-a$$ game

It’s that special time again at MTV Iggy. Friday! Time to vote for MTV Iggy’s Artist of the Week! Here’s our roundup of our Bands We Like columns this week. You have until Monday night at 11:59 p.m. USA Eastern Standard Time to vote for your favorite, using the bottom poll! On Tuesday morning,

Sacassaia's debut album, Sampleando Deus e o Mundo (Sampling God and the World) established the Brazilian electro hip hop group as global fusion heavy weights. Named for an aggressive species of ant, DJ/producers Geraldo Horta, Gabriel Reis (Gardenel), and Tony Roballo do their arthropod namesake

It's pretty clear that Hello Kitty's Cathy is a complete knock-off of Miffy, which is why Miffy's Dutch creators are suing Sanrio. I mean, I'm no expert of copyright, but they did both clearly take two seconds to scrawl on Microsoft Paint. They're also both weird, vapid characters in cartoons and

When we first reviewed The XX, we said they had crafted the perfect sound for brooding in the night-time. Minimal new wave bass-lines stood in for the scoot of far-off traffic while whispery R&B vocals sounded like nearby teenage lovers speaking through their sleeping bags. (And in fact, Oliver

I saw this on Facebook, I saw this on Gawker. Only a matter of time before Videogum, Vulture, et al have put it up as well, so here you go internet, it is exactly what you want it to be. Some NSFW language and violence, btw:

I was shocked to hear that Charice was getting Botox to narrow her cheeks, but her rep just released a statement that may have put me at ease. If it's true. Trying to dispel the rumors, Charice's rep said the singer actually got the procedure to relieve jaw pain for a condition similar to TMJ.

Gosh, this is the best city on earth. In parallel to the contrived nature of the “We Are the World” sing-alongs, a camcorder caught a spontaneous sing-along of “Hey Jude” in a gritty NYC subway station.

Rock’n’roll has always thrived on a healthy disrespect for authority. But how many rockers make their bones by taking on the murderous police and armed thugs of a desperate dictatorship? How many have stood before camels and horses driven into protesters by men using riding crops to whip their

And the winner is.... ABOUT. Seriously. That's his name...I think. And it's that shred of nebulous Internet doubt that makes him even more ungooglable. You can't really tell whether this German producer is called About, or Aboutabout, or Bart Constant (which seems to be his new name as of a few