Could Jay-Z Replace Michael Jackson? Jay-Z's claim to being "The Best Rapper Alive" is delivered so flippantly it's almost filler anymore. Certainly, there was a time after 2003's The Black Album dropped that it'd have been indisputable to any serious fan of hip-hop music, but, in the years since, it's become such a droning constant that I can't recall the last time I put Jigga's self-applied title under any real scrutiny. Maybe now is the time...full story
See: Jay-Z In Photos
First Friday: July 2009 A sudden rain storm was a welcome change of pace for this First Friday's otherwise sweltering celebration in Downtown Phoenix. Luckily it didn't last long enough to stop the multitude of musical performances on street corners and back lots or a troupe of fire dancers outside The Firehouse...see photos
Joey Arroyo Band at The Marquee Theatre: Sheer Joy The last time I went out to The Marquee Theatre, The Offspring made themselves at home amongst the sweaty, aging punk audience. Friday night's performance by The Joey Arroyo Band at this very same venue can be described in two words that The Offspring show could not: civil and desolate...full story