What The Hell Just Happened in Music This Week?

Date: May 4

Ms. Lauryn HIll's legal trouble over unpaid taxes seemed like it may have been a blessing in a very ugly disguise. We'd never wish legal drama and IRS disputes on anyone, but the tax issues did lead to a new deal with Sony which required Lauryn to release new music. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, things didn't work out how we had hoped. Instead, we got "Neurotic Society," a song that sounds unfinished, frantic, and devoid of rhythm despite some fiery lyrics.

Lauryn even released a statement confirming that the song was rushed, and days after the release, she received a three-month prison sentence. Lauryn Hill will go down in hip-hop history as one of the best, but this feels like the last straw. No matter what, fans will ride or die for Lauryn Hill (and shell out 85 bucks to catch her On the Way to the Bing Tour this week), but it's starting to feel like we all just lost one.—Jacob Moore

RELATED: Listen to Lauryn Hill's New Song, Which She Was Legally Required to Release

Date: May 6

On Monday night, throngs of celebs filled The Met for its annual Gala; this year's theme was Punk. For an hour we watched stars walk the red carpet, pretend to know about a bunch of punk acts they allegedly loved growing up, and show off what they were wearing. Blah, blah, blah—then Kanye West performed. There was no live stream, there were no YouTube videos, but there were a hell of a lot of people on Twitter asking the same question: What is Vine?

They should have just gone ahead and asked Riff Raff. But when A-Trak posted this, the world went insane.

It's just a snippet, but between his vine and those of models like Jaime King and Coco Rocha taking five second videos of his performance, it looks like everyone was right—Kanye's next album sounds very dark. And there are definitely animal noises.

Kanye's performing on Saturday Night Live next weekend; if NBC doesn't become the first network to broadcast in Vines, perhaps we'll see more than snippets of his new music. —Lauren Nostro

RELATED: Kanye West Is Performing New Music At The 2013 Met Gala Right Now

Date: May 8

This week, Danny Brown had a moment.

The Detroit rapper with no radio song, no hit record, whose last full project dropped two years ago became one of the most talked about rappers in the game all thanks to an oral sex incident that happened a few weeks back.

The story of Danny Brown getting domed out by a fan while performing in Minneapolis seemed to come and go at first. But it gained steam once Kitty Pryde—the Penny Lane to Danny Brown’s Russell Hammond—wrote an article in Noisey about “the thing” (as she calls it).

When Kitty opened for Danny earlier this week at Irving Plaza in New York City, a few fans chanted, “SUCK HIS DICK” at Kitty. The chants became the subject of show reviews in The New York Times and The Village Voice and a writer from The Huffington Post even wrote an open letter to the girl who blew Danny Brown.

If we could put the many gender and political issues (which are important and ought to be addressed in another forum) aside for a second, can we all agree that this is already a legendary moment?

One, consider the physicality of Danny’s act. He didn't just get his dick sucked on stage, he kept rapping and didn't miss a single bar. If you think that's akin to chewing bubble gum and walking, consider that even Kendrick Lamar (rap's best live performer) was impressed by Danny's umm...performance.

Two, regardless of how you feel about this entire ordeal, you feel something about a rapper who has spent the majority of his career being overlooked, underestimated, and ignored. The reason why is because this is some truly exciting shit. It’s something to talk about. It’s on par with eccentric antics like Ozzy Osbourne biting a bat's head off or KRS-One throwing PM Dawn off the stage.

It’s the kind of urban legend that becomes a part of an artist's narrative, often mentioned in the same breath as their seminal work. Only this isn't an urban legend, a story everyone knows but no one can really prove, because there's footage of Danny getting blown on WSHH Uncut.

That’s the thing to remember: The moment was in tune with Danny's narrative and not all that surprising to anyone who follows him closely. It is, however, out of character for rap in general which has become increasingly tame with the rise of the Internet outrage machine fueled by social media and the increasing reliance on corporations for artists to get paid.

But this doesn’t really hurt Danny’s brand because he hasn’t really done anything wrong throughout it. As outlandish as the incident was, it wasn't out of character for a guy who openly talks about his time in jail and smashing crack heads over the head with a bottle in interviews. Plus, we’re talking about a guy whose album is titled XXX (not a porn reference, but still) which is filled with invitations to suck his dick and claims like, “Fuck a bitch mouth until her fucking face cave in.”

We know what you’re going to say, "It should be about the music, man!” But if this incident is the thing that ends up putting more people onto Danny's music, then so be it. As music fans, we shouldn't focus on someone's hair, teeth, or skinny jeans. But we do. Who cares if some people only get into Danny after seeing him on WSHH Uncut? That shouldn’t be their final destination, the uncut dope of XXX and presumably Old will be.

If nothing else, this entire ordeal proved one thing: We hope Danny Brown doesn't die like a rock star. But for now, at least he lives like one. —Insanul Ahmed

RELATED: You Won't Believe What The Crowd at Danny Brown's Show Chanted at Kitty Last Night

Date: May 8

Having let go of Waka Flocka Flame almost two months ago, and faced with the absence of Young Scooter for a few more months due to incarceration, Gucci Mane needed a big-time replacement to boost his Bricksquad 1017 label. Enter Chicago's teenage sensation Chief Keef, a noted fan of the Atlanta rapper. Not one to issue official press releases for his label, Gucci announced the signing on Twitter, and within a matter of minutes, Keef confirmed the deal and the Internet nearly exploded in excitement.

The following day, the two combined to put out a brand new song, "Darker," off the upcoming Trap House 3. If the song is any indication, the pair have some great chemistry recording together. Early on, it looks as if this is a brilliant move by Gucci.

Any potential problems in this deal would come on paper, literally. As everybody knows, Keef's Glory Boyz Entertainment imprint is under Interscope Records, with the Chicago rapper having landed a ballyhooed contract from Jimmy Iovine a year ago, Beats headphones included. Meanwhile, Bricksquad 1017 is believed to be distributed under Warner Bros. Is it really possible for Keef to be at Interscope and Warner at the same time? And if it is, how will all the money get divvied up moving forward?

Keef doesn't seem to care. After all, he's already a "17-year-old legend." —Dharmic X

RELATED: And The Newest Member of Bricksquad Is...
RELATED: Listen: Gucci Mane f/ Chief Keef "Darker"