Kanye, Ghostface, Chuck D Join Insane N.A.S.A. LP

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

It's been over a year since we first reported that David Byrne, Tom Waits, M.I.A., and members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Yeah Yeah Yeahs would appear on the debut album from N.A.S.A. (North America/South America), along with a heap of other notable guests. Corralling all those folks onto one record was no easy task, but the duo is finally ready to reveal the album's title, official tracklist, label, and release date. It's a bonanza of album details!

The album is called The Spirit of Apollo, and it's due to hit shelves via Anti- on February 17.

As previously reported, The Spirit of Apollo features beats crafted by the duo of Squeak E. Clean (aka DJ/producer/composer Sam Spiegel, brother of director Spike Jonze) and DJ Zegon (aka DJ/producer/professional skateboarder Ze Gonzales), plus contributions from the aforementioned artists as well as Kool Keith, CSS' Lovefoxxx, Spank Rock, John Frusciante, Fatlip and Slim Kid Tre from the Pharcyde, E-40, Gift of Gab, Chali 2na, KRS-One, George Clinton, Seu Jorge, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Amanda Blank, Z-Trip, and DJ Qbert.

But wait, there's more. Since our original report, there have been plenty of big-name additions to the guest list, including Kanye West, Chuck D, Ghostface Killah (a previously unreported Wu member), the Cool Kids, Scarface, and Santogold.

N.A.S.A. have a single show scheduled for Halloween in Los Angeles. Zegon, however, has plenty of DJ dates for himself.

The Spirit of Apollo:
01 Intro
02 The People Tree [ft. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab & Z-Trip]
03 Money [ft. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip]
04 NASA Music [ft. Method Man, E-40 & DJ Swamp]
05 Way Down [ft. RZA, Barbie Hatch & John Frusciante]
06 Hip Hop [ft. KRS-One, Fatlip & Slim Kid Tre]
07 Four Rooms, Earth View
08 Strange Enough [ft. Karen O, Ol' Dirty Bastard & Fatlip]
09 Spacious Thoughts [ft. Tom Waits & Kool Keith]
10 Gifted [ft. Kanye West and others TBD]
11 A Volta [ft. Sizzla, Amanda Blank & Lovefoxxx]
12 There's a Party [ft. George Clinton & Chali 2na]
13 Whachadoin? [ft. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner]
14 O Pato [ft. Kool Kojak & DJ Bãboa]
15 Samba Soul [ft. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & DJ Qbert]
16 The Mayor [ft. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, DJ AM & Scarface]
17 N.A.S.A. Anthem

N.A.S.A.:
10-31 Los Angeles, CA - HARD Haunted Mansion @ Shrine Expo Hall

** with Justice, Soulwax, Simian Mobile Disco, Crystal Castles

DJ Zegon:
10-08 Balneário Camboriú, Brazil - Djunn
10-10 Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Deputamadre
10-11 São Paulo, Brazil - Crew @ Gloria
10-11 Caxias do Sul, Brazil - Chocolate @ Hip
10-14 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
10-16 Mexico City, Mexico - TBA
10-18 Goiânia, Brazil - What's Up? @ Fiction
10-21 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
10-24 New York, NY - TBA
10-25 New York, NY - TBA
11-04 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
11-07 São Paulo, Brazil - Baixaria @ VEGAS
11-08 Florianopolis, Brazil - Chocolate @ Confraria das Artes
11-11 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
11-15 Goiânia, Brazil - What's Up? @ Fiction
11-15 Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Creamfields
11-18 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
11-22 Florianopolis, Brazil - NY Feelings @ Confraria das Artes *
11-24 São Paulo, Brazil - On the Rocks @ D-Edge *
11-25 São Paulo, Brazil - Chocolate @ CLASH
11-29 Florianopolis, Brazil - Chocolate @ Confraria das Artes
12-08 São Paulo, Brazil - On the Rocks @ D-Edge
12-13 Florianopolis, Brazil - Concrete Vibe @ Hi Adventure
12-14 Florianopolis, Brazil - Concrete Vibe @ Hi Adventure
12-20 Goiânia, Brazil - What's Up? @ Fiction
12-27 Florianopolis, Brazil - Chocolate @ Confraria das Artes

* with Steve Aoki

Stream: N.A.S.A.: Various Tracks

Publick Enemy: It Takes A Nation of Millions (parts 2 & 3)

Part 2 (Built from Scratch): In installment #2, PE and the Bomb Squad look back at the building blocks used to construct their classic LP, exploring how their intimate knowledge of records shaped not only this record, but also hip-hop at large.



Part 3 (The Legacy): With the final installment of our three-part series exploring It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, we survey some of the more enduring contributions of this classic Public Enemy record.

Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation Of Millions... (Part 1 of 3): Beginnings

With this the first of 3 segments, Pitchfork.TV begin its in-depth look at the classic Public Enemy record It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Chuck D, The Bomb Squad, and others bum-rush memory lane, and give us a glimpse into the early days of P.E.

Bootsy Collins hosting James Brown tribute show

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Funk legend William "Bootsy" Collins is staging a tribute concert to his mentor, James Brown, near Cincinnati on Saturday.

Proceeds from the event, at the Madison Theater in Covington, Ky., will go toward the rebuilding of Brown's early recording home, Cincinnati-based King Records, and the eventual launch of a museum. Brown died Christmas Day 2006.

Featured acts include Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, rapper Lil' Boosie, guitarist Buckethead, bassist Freekbass and Brown's most recent band, The Soul Generals. Also on tap: an appearance by members of the JB's, Brown's original backing unit, as well as his longtime MC Danny Ray.

"We didn't want a rock star hoopla kind of thing," said Collins, who started working at King Records when he was 15 and was touring the world with Brown by the time he was 17. "I want to keep the focus on Mr. Brown; I don't want people to forget what he's done. To me, he's like the Martin Luther King Jr. of music."

Collins said the city of Cincinnati has also signaled its support for the museum. He envisions an interactive experience whereby young people can learn about music and instruments, participate in workshops and perform live.