Snoop Dogg | The Hustle Boyz (House Of Blues)
There was a time when seeing one of my older cousins with an oversized "Doggystyle" t-shirt down to his Dickies-covered knees (while most likely brandishing a butterfly knife) was the ultimate snapshot of lower middle class suburban rebellion, and one that I approached with the classic emotional tween cocktail of apprehension and admiration. This was long before Snoop Dogg appeared on "One Life To Live," but he's one of the few musical icons I can think of that I'm actually pleased to see in a cameo appearance on some lame show or on someone's lame track, since he somehow never seems like he's losing anything by being there. That's almost impossible to pull off. Haven't really heard much from The Hustle Boyz before today, but I was impressed by the extremely minimal beats on the first couple of sample tracks.

Wye Oak | Pomegranates | Shuttle (Lola's)
Merge's Wye Oak is a group that I didn't think much of until I saw them live. Watching the group overcome the challenge of recreating the sound of their record with only two people, helped convey some of the song ideas much more successfully than some of the recordings do, for better or worse. The Pomegranates claim Brian Eno and Fela Kuti as influences, but I would hate for you to go to the show thinking that's remotely detectable, evident or true on any level.