When we found out that Odd Future debuted a special edition beer at their pop-up shop in Paris, we thought it would be a good time to list off some of the weirdest musician-owned or musician-endorsed alcohol brands we could find. Cheers!

US Weekly is reporting that Nicki Minaj is confirmed to be joining the judging panel for American Idol next season. To celebrate the unconfirmed announcement, we combed through Nicki Minaj’s lyric book. If her raps have any bearing on her Idol critiques, the American Idol Season 11 contestants are going to be up against a motherfuckin’ monster.

SAMPLED is a column that examines the skeletal production of a contemporary Rap/R&B/Hip-Hop or Pop song. From what song did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone for a new interpretation originate? This week, the sample is taken from Justin Timberlake’s 2002 Neptunes-produced hit “Like I Love You.”

Admit it — it’s too hot to wear pants. It’s July, and as temperatures rise, fashion sense is being sacrificed for common sense. When it gets hot, even pop stars release their inner never-nude. Check out these photos of pop stars and rappers wearing jorts, and let it be an inspiration. Let’s wear jorts every day for the rest of summer. Deal? Deal.

SAMPLED is a recurring column that examines the skeletal production of a contemporary Rap/R&B/Hip-Hop or Pop song. From what song did the loop, sample, or chopped up vocal providing the backbone for a new interpretation originate? This week, the sample is from the Five Stairsteps’ 1970 hit “O-o-h Child.”

The Neptunes are one of, if not the most ubiquitous hip-hop producers of the last 15 years, and trying to sum up their prolific career with just a few short paragraphs and some mp3s is a daunting task, but let’s do our best at sampling the best of the Neptunes’ stripped-down synthesized funk for this edition of the Friday Mixtape.

At Irving Plaza in New York City last night, Santigold welcomed some special guests on stage with her, including Pharrell Williams who jumped up to play drums on “My Drive Thru,” a song featuring N.E.R.D. and produced by Pharrell. The real show-stopper, however, was when Santigold announced that one of her fans wanted a chance to audition to be a backup dancer. That’s when the ginger-mopped Shy Ronnie timidly walked on stage in a rainbow sweater, ready to strut his stuff to the song “Fame,” a new song from Santigold’s new record Master Of My Makebelieve.