Future Inspired by Jimi Hendrix for Next Record

"This sets the tone for everything that's about to come. I feel like this is my first album that's really going to touch the people in the right way." Atlanta rapper Future has just woken up, but he's eager to discuss his second record, Future Hendrix, for which he's been logging major hours in the studio to complete for a release sometime in 2013.

"Everything about the music I want to be taking to the next level," he says over the phone. "It's got to be all the way right, because the quality of the music has to live up to my expectations."

When it comes to influences, Future says he was inspired by the legendary Jimi Hendrix's talent and uniqueness as an artist. "He was a gifted individual. He just stayed who he was and eventually it paid off," he says. While we shouldn't expect any guitar solos from the rapper, he has mentioned collaborating with Kanye West, Rihanna, Pharrell, Timbaland and more, though he's tight-lipped about what big names will make the final cut.

Video: Future Hits 'Kimmel' With Kelly Rowland

"I can't say who's going to be on there, because I'm still making the album," he says. "I'm just working every day so I can get prepared for whatever date they say I need to have it ready for."

To tide his fans over until Future Hendrix drops, he recently released the mixtape F.B.G.: The Movie, which features guest verses from Drake, Wale, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, along with members of his Free Bandz Gang crew. Future also sees it as a chance to introduce the up-and-coming "family" of rappers that he's working with, including Atlanta's Casino and Baltimore's Test.

The mixtape also features production from Mike WiLL Made It, the rising Atlanta beatmaker behind some of the biggest hit singles of 2012 (Kanye West's "Mercy," Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance," 2 Chainz's "No Lie"). "Me and Mike clicked from day one," says the rapper. "We just showed each other how much passion we had for the music in the studio. He's always looking for new ways to challenge himself, and I'm always looking for new ways to challenge myself."

It's this same desire to go above and beyond that inspired the title of his debut record, last year's Pluto. "You know how people say the sky's the limit? I wanted to go beyond that," says the rapper about the album's title and interplanetary lyrics. "It's a CD now, not just a planet. Ten years, 20 years from now or whatever, everybody is going to be able to relate to it from my generation and on. They're going to be able to say, 'Pluto – I know about the Future CD,' even in classrooms when they're teaching up Pluto in the discussion." He adds that he's thought about attending a space camp, "just to understand and learn about it."

While the original version sold a comparatively modest 41,000 copies in its first week of release, bolstered by heavy radio play and positive reviews, the album was re-released in November as a deluxe edition (Pluto 3D) with several new songs and remixes. Shortly after, Future made his first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing his "Neva End" remix with Kelly Rowland.  He also wrote, produced and contributed vocals to Rihanna's "Loveeeee Song," which is featured on the Barbadian pop star's latest album, Unapologetic.

"That definitely opened me up to a new audience," says the rapper, who isn't shy about expressing his goal of winning a Grammy Award or two one day: "I'm not trying to be put in categories. I'm a trailblazer, and the awards will come."

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Future Inspired by Jimi Hendrix for Next Record

"This sets the tone for everything that's about to come. I feel like this is my first album that's really going to touch the people in the right way." Atlanta rapper Future has just woken up, but he's eager to discuss his second record, Future Hendrix, for which he's been logging major hours in the studio to complete for a release sometime in 2013.

"Everything about the music I want to be taking to the next level," he says over the phone. "It's got to be all the way right, because the quality of the music has to live up to my expectations."

When it comes to influences, Future says he was inspired by the legendary Jimi Hendrix's talent and uniqueness as an artist. "He was a gifted individual. He just stayed who he was and eventually it paid off," he says. While we shouldn't expect any guitar solos from the rapper, he has mentioned collaborating with Kanye West, Rihanna, Pharrell, Timbaland and more, though he's tight-lipped about what big names will make the final cut.

Video: Future Hits 'Kimmel' With Kelly Rowland

"I can't say who's going to be on there, because I'm still making the album," he says. "I'm just working every day so I can get prepared for whatever date they say I need to have it ready for."

To tide his fans over until Future Hendrix drops, he recently released the mixtape F.B.G.: The Movie, which features guest verses from Drake, Wale, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, along with members of his Free Bandz Gang crew. Future also sees it as a chance to introduce the up-and-coming "family" of rappers that he's working with, including Atlanta's Casino and Baltimore's Test.

The mixtape also features production from Mike WiLL Made It, the rising Atlanta beatmaker behind some of the biggest hit singles of 2012 (Kanye West's "Mercy," Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance," 2 Chainz's "No Lie"). "Me and Mike clicked from day one," says the rapper. "We just showed each other how much passion we had for the music in the studio. He's always looking for new ways to challenge himself, and I'm always looking for new ways to challenge myself."

It's this same desire to go above and beyond that inspired the title of his debut record, last year's Pluto. "You know how people say the sky's the limit? I wanted to go beyond that," says the rapper about the album's title and interplanetary lyrics. "It's a CD now, not just a planet. Ten years, 20 years from now or whatever, everybody is going to be able to relate to it from my generation and on. They're going to be able to say, 'Pluto – I know about the Future CD,' even in classrooms when they're teaching up Pluto in the discussion." He adds that he's thought about attending a space camp, "just to understand and learn about it."

While the original version sold a comparatively modest 41,000 copies in its first week of release, bolstered by heavy radio play and positive reviews, the album was re-released in November as a deluxe edition (Pluto 3D) with several new songs and remixes. Shortly after, Future made his first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, performing his "Neva End" remix with Kelly Rowland.  He also wrote, produced and contributed vocals to Rihanna's "Loveeeee Song," which is featured on the Barbadian pop star's latest album, Unapologetic.

"That definitely opened me up to a new audience," says the rapper, who isn't shy about expressing his goal of winning a Grammy Award or two one day: "I'm not trying to be put in categories. I'm a trailblazer, and the awards will come."

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Q&A: Britt Daniel on New Supergroup Divine Fits and the Future of Spoon

"I'm in two bands now," says Britt Daniel, who recently formed Divine Fits with Dan Boeckner (formerly of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs) and drummer Sam Brown (the New Bomb Turks). The trio just released their psychedelic, synth-heavy LP A Thing Called the Divine Fits, with highlights ranging from the jagged, heavy rocker "Would That Not Be Nice" to the hypnotizing, electronics-drenched "The Salton Sea."

For Daniel, starting Divine Fits was a way to experiment after nearly two decades in the Austin rock band Spoon. "I wanted to try some new things and go some places I haven't gone before," he says. "I love first and foremost being in a band where I can back somebody up and somebody can back me up. [Dan] has a great voice, and I like playing that role of adding to his songs." He chatted with Rolling Stone about his new supergroup's recording process, their touring plans and Spoon's new songwriting formula.

New songs like "The Salton Sea" or "For Your Heart" have these spacey textures and build very minimally. When was it evident that that was the direction that you wanted to go with Divine Fits?
I mean, that's what people have been saying about my music for awhile. I guess it's the only way I know how to make records, because I never thought about it. I never thought about it until people started saying that to me after [Spoon's] Kill the Moonlight. We kind of just got together and said, "Let's see what happens." I remember us saying several times – and Sam, too, because he was involved from the beginning – saying, "Let's not play by any rules and we'll just see what happens. You know, we're not going to have anything established ahead of time, like this is going to be a band of this. We're not going do this style or use these instruments; let's just see what happens." And I think that's been a good thing for the record.

How did Divine Fits start?
I've known Dan for a long time. I met him at a Handsome Furs show. I was just walking around before the show and he was walking around. It was a small club in Portland, and he came up and talked to me. He had listened to Spoon records since he was in high school, apparently. So we met then and he played with Spoon at Radio City Music Hall. Then I was talking to him on the phone and he said that Wolf Parade was kind of dying out, and so I said immediately, "Well, we've got to start a band, then." I kind of threw it out there as a joke, but he took to it.

"Would That Not Be Nice" is one of my favorite ones. How did you write that?
That one was written as a jam. That was during that first round of rehearsals. I think Dan started playing the bassline first, and it sounded good, so I turned on my little handheld recorder and recorded maybe a minute and a half, and later went back and made an arrangement out of it at home, using the computer and singing on top of that.

That one was one where the lyrics came fast. It was based on an email I had sent somebody. Someone had said something about how they were in Minneapolis, and I said, "I sure would like to be in Minneapolis." And I made a list of things I could do in Minneapolis, but the list didn't make the song. That was sort of like the jumping off point.

Your Facebook page said you guys were drinking some vodka and hanging out a lot writing this record. It sounds like it was pretty loose.
There was a little partying. We were in Little Armenia [in Los Angeles] and they had lots of real Russian vodka and real Russian ice cream. We didn't know what else we could do.

Were you able to do experimental things that you haven't gotten the chance to do before?
Dan knows a lot more about synths than I do. There are a lot of songs with synthy basslines. I've never done anything like that before. The main thing for me was just being in a situation where I don't write all the songs and there's not just one voice on the record, you know?

Did anything surprise you about how it would sound?
I didn't know what I was expecting. I just knew that I love his voice. It's one of my favorite rock & roll voices ever. He doesn't have technically the greatest voice, and he'll tell you this himself. Joe Strummer didn't have the best technical voice but he's one of my favorite vocalists, too. He just kind of has this raspy thing and it's all attitude and reaching for something, you know?

This is the first time that you've started a band in about 20 years, right?
Well, it hasn't been quite 20 years, but yeah. I haven't ever had another band since Spoon. I've been pretty dedicated.

What is it like to start over, in a way?
It was a lot of fun. The initial parts of it were sort of somewhat ecstatic high, playing with new people and playing all new songs and being in a new situation in a new town. That was pretty right-on. Then you start making the record and you get down to, like, "Okay, now there's some pressure here."

Do you guys plan to tour extensively off of this?
Yeah, it's a real record. It's a real band. [laughs]

Would you call it a side project?
I'm in two bands. But Dan's only in one band now. He's always been in two bands. All his bands ended, so . . .

How's he doing?
He's happy to be in this one. He's the kind of guy who will say stuff to you like, "I love being in bands!" He was saying that a lot right when we started this band. But he's working on a soundtrack now and that's keeping him busy. He's got no shortage of projects.

I know with Spoon records you like to labor a lot on the sounds. Did you do the same kind of laboring or was this a little faster?
It was less labored than the last couple Spoon records, yeah. We had the idea that we were going to finish it in four, five weeks but that did not happen. But it still got done pretty fast.

What's going on with Spoon right now?
Well, we just played a show in Spain last month and we played a couple shows earlier this year. We're gonna be lying low until I'm done doing shows for this record but then we'll get together. I do have a couple songs set aside and I've been telling them to maybe write some music maybe for me to sing on top of, you know. I've never done it that way but I'd like to try that.

So, have everyone kind of write and then you come in and add something?
Yeah. It was my way of saying, like, "If you don't want to just sit around, you could be working on this." You know, maybe like get us off to a start. When I come back, we'll be a little ahead of the game.

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Jennifer Lopez Still Uncertain About Future With 'American Idol'

Jennifer Lopez hinted again at a possible departure from the American Idol judges' table during a recent interview on Today.

"It's been on my mind a lot, as you can imagine," the singer/actress said. "You know, I signed on to American Idol to do one year and I wound up doing the two years. And now it's like, 'Ok, do we continue on this journey?"'

While Lopez voiced her love of the show, referring to her fellow judges and showmates as "family," she admitted that there were many other projects that she's put on hold for the show.

"At the end of the day, whichever way, it’s a heartbreaking decision if I’m going to have to go," Lopez added.

Still, as Today's Natalie Morales pointed out, Lopez seemed to have already made up her mind about leaving the show.

"Like I said, I’ve just enjoyed it so much," Lopez said. "But I am thinking that maybe it’s time for me to go and do other things that I really love to do, like films. Right now I'm on tour and performing."

"But then again, I really love the show," she added quickly. "All I can do is tell you what I'm thinking!" 

If Lopez does leave, it could be great news for former Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, who told UK radio station Capitol FM recently, "Listen, if – and I say 'if' with a capital I-F – if they were to approach me and if they were to say, 'We want you to be a judge on the show,' I would love that. I would jump at the chance."

Rumors about Lopez's departure from Idol have been circulating since May, when it was reported that she was "just too busy" to continue as a judge. The singer immediately refuted the rumors, tweeting, "There's no truth to reports that say I'm definitely leaving Idol. All I said was I haven't decided what I am doing next year."

Lopez's schedule is quite packed right now: She lent her voice to the new film Ice Age: Continental Drift  and is about to embark on a massive tour with Enrique Iglesias.

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Odd Future Gig Shut Down By Boston Cops

Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future

Odd Future's concert last night at the House of Blues in Boston was shut down by police, Pitchfork reports. "We wanted to finish [the show] but the owner of the club made us turn it off and the police are right there," group leader Tyler, the Creator said just as the venue cut off his microphone and stage lights. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the show was abruptly cut off after a crew member was arrested outside the venue.

Under the Gun Review reports that Lionel, a non-musical member of the hip-hop collective, was the one arrested outside. The site also reports that Odd Future member Jasper Dolphin was restrained by security after attempting to leap from the venue's balcony.

You can see footage of the show's abrupt conclusion below.

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Odd Future Releasing Major Label Debut in March

Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future performs at the Warfield in San Francisco.

Odd Future are set to release The OF Tape Vol. 2, a new collection of songs featuring every member of the controversial hip-hop crew, on March 20th through Odd Future Records, their label through Sony and RED distribution. The set will feature performances by Tyler, the Creator; Frank Ocean; Hodgy Beats; Domo Genesis; Leftbrain; Mike G; Syd the Kid and the Internet.

Odd Future will promote OF Tape Vol. 2 with a 10-date tour of North America  in March. The group will screen an episode of their new Adult Swim sketch comedy series Loiter Squad in advance of its March 25th premiere before each performance, and set up an Odd Future "pop up retail store" at a separate location in the city on the day of each gig.

This is only the first of many Odd Future records hitting stores in 2012. Group leader Tyler, the Creator will release a new solo disc called Wolf in the spring, Hodgy Beats and Leftbrain's Mellowhype project will put out a second album in the summer, and Frank Ocean's major label debut is expected before the end of the year.

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Odd Future Releasing Major Label Debut in March

Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future performs at the Warfield in San Francisco.

Odd Future are set to release The OF Tape Vol. 2, a new collection of songs featuring every member of the controversial hip-hop crew, on March 20th through Odd Future Records, their label through Sony and RED distribution. The set will feature performances by Tyler, the Creator; Frank Ocean; Hodgy Beats; Domo Genesis; Leftbrain; Mike G; Syd the Kid and the Internet.

Odd Future will promote OF Tape Vol. 2 with a 10-date tour of North America  in March. The group will screen an episode of their new Adult Swim sketch comedy series Loiter Squad in advance of its March 25th premiere before each performance, and set up an Odd Future "pop up retail store" at a separate location in the city on the day of each gig.

This is only the first of many Odd Future records hitting stores in 2012. Group leader Tyler, the Creator will release a new solo disc called Wolf in the spring, Hodgy Beats and Leftbrain's Mellowhype project will put out a second album in the summer, and Frank Ocean's major label debut is expected before the end of the year.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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