Had it not been for the above video, I would’ve been oblivious to Xbox 360’s Lips.  The recently released karaoke party game comes preset with 40 songs with original music videos from Beyonce to Nirvana.  So no unlocking of songs is required.  One feature I like a lot is the ability to plug in your iPod or Zune and sing along to your playlist in the freestyle mode.  Included with the game are two motion-sensing microphones.  This is where the fun begins.  Depending on how you move the mic, it can take on the role of various instruments.  This of course enables your centerstage shy friends to join in on the fun.  Overall, this should be a hot product for holiday 2008.

Source: space invaders

Another new video from Beyoncé, this one for the single “Single Ladies”, which is also off of her upcoming album I Am…, which features production work from The Neptunes, Timbaland, Kanye West as well as Beyoncé herself. This video like the previous video “If I Were A Boy”, was also directed by Jake Nava. Quite honestly I didn’t even hear the song, I was too busy watching her jirate around then I got distracted by the cyborg like left hand.

Beyoncé recently released her first music video for “If I Were A Boy”, which is the first single off of the upcoming third album titled I Am…, which is expected to drop on November 18th.

“It’s kind of like ‘Freaky Friday’,” Beyonce tells Billboard of the concept behind the “If I Were a Boy” clip, where she plays a police officer. “In the beginning of the video, my husband makes me breakfast and he’s excited about it, and I kind of don’t have time to eat. As a police officer, I have a male partner and the video goes through our days. My husband’s at work and has attractive girls flirting with him but he declines their advances. I have a guy flirting with me, and I flirt back.”

The video was directed by Jake Nava, whom previously directed her video “Crazy in Love”.

So you want to get an audience with Clinton Sparks. Yeah? Well, get in line.

See, getting an audience with Clinton Sparks can take time, something the guy doesn’t have in abundance. To find him, you’ve got to thief moments when he’s not hosting radio. Or producing mixtapes. Or breaking down new music on TV. Or writing tunes for the likes of Ludacris and Beyonce. You know…find his downtime. But what you and I consider downtime really isn’t downtime in Clinton Spark’s world. He always has something on the go.

“I have so much passion for everything music related whether it’s the business or putting shows together, writing, producing, DJing parties, dancing, performing,” Sparks said in an interview. “I always have much bigger plans than it may appear and am strategically setting things up with other plans in mind. It’s very calculated.”

This goes a long way in explaining how the self-proclaimed “Martha Stewart of hip hop” went from Boston radio stunt guy to one of the hottest names in the industry. There’s his skill on the wheels - both Rolling Stone and USA Today named him one of the world’s top 10 DJs. Production credits include Billboard-charted tracks for The Game and Akon. His nationally syndicated show is one of the biggest stars on Sirius Radio. Oh, he’s gotten into television as well, hosting The Daily 10 as their resident music expert.

If Sparks was a decathlete, he’d be the guy pushing to do an 11th event. This never-stop mentality has skyrocketed Sparks into the mainstream - his ability to mesh a love of hip-hop with pop culture has won him favor with heads and celebs alike. Nowhere is that more evident than with Smashtime Radio.

With Smashtime, Sparks brings this I’m-gonna-do-everything-and-anything mentality to the airwaves, playing a plethora of music while rotating guests through his on-air party.

“Smashtime stemmed from the last hour of my show on Hot 97.7 in Boston where I would just go in heavy because it was the hour when everyone was leaving the club. Now, its syndicated in over 25 markets worldwide,” Sparks explains. “I have also turned Smashtime into the hottest party in Las Vegas. I play everything from Hip-Hop to Rock, Dance, pop, old school, 80’s. We also have surprise guests every week from Ne-Yo to Akon, Carmen Electra to the cast from the Hills.”

Off the airwaves, Sparks has been holding it down as one of the most sought-after producers in the game. Most recently, he produced the title track for Bun B’s “II Trill” that debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. And while he’s already worked with some incredibly tight artists, Sparks wants to keep pushing the envelope into different genres.

“A lot of people will be very surprised with what I plan to do next year with music, but I will never abandon Hip Hop,” he explained when asked what artists he’d like to work with. “Jay-Z would be one. Weezer and Teddy Riley are some people too. But there are so many I’d like to work with in all different genres of music. But after I complete my Clinton Sparks [the artist] album, people will really get to know what I’m about.”

For the most part, Sparks is all about the hustle. While his forays into pop and rock music have expanded his audience globally, his desire to be the hardest working man in hip-hop maintains his cred with heads (check the rhyme!) Plus, he knows his roots. While Sparks realizes he’s quickly becoming the voice of hip hop radio for the 2K generation, he also knows none of it would’ve been possible without pioneers like Stretch & Bobbito, Lady B, Red Alert and Funkmaster Flex.

“I love that after all my work into creating and identifying Smashtime that people are recognizing it more and downloading and podcasting it,” Sparks said. “As far as the DJs mentioned, I view them as trendsetters and am very grateful for all of them for helping to open doors for the radio DJ.”

With these doors now kicked wide open, we gotta ask – what does the future of Clinton Sparks hold? The guy is seemingly capable of anything, so where could it lead? To gain some insight, I played corporate pitchman and tossed a few show ideas his way. Here’s what Sparks had to say:

Mike Halford: I might be biting here, but what about a VH1 show called “Be My sPArks?” It’s a 10-person competition to become the personal assistant to the busiest man in the industry.

Clinton Sparks: Well Diddy is already doing that and I strive to be original. So I’d say “Guys do you know that show already exists? Who’s in charge here?”

MH: A little more indie and for the web…how about the YouTube: Smashtime Mixtape Wars. You host webisodes, judging the best user-submitted music/video mashups from the wide world of sports.

CS: Well if it’s all videos people submit then will I be see on screen as the host or just narrate? That would be the first question. Then, how much would I get paid and how well will they promote it. All of that would play into my decision.

MH: How about a Food Network show called “In Tha Kitchen with Clinton?” You collaborate with your favorite artists to make your favorite dishes and lay down tracks.

CS: That’s a decent idea if the kitchen was a metaphor for studio and we actually cooked up beats live in front of the audience, then had an 800-number to auction off the beats that were just created live in front of your eyes…have like big producers from hip hop, country, rock, etc. As you can see, when someone puts in idea in front of me I have 10 more to add.

That last line basically sums up Sparks in a nutshell. Always thinking, always pushing the boundaries. So if (or when) the Martha Stewart of hip-hop and Martha Stewart end up collaborating on some mac n’ cheese, remember, the idea started here first. Big things that start from the littlest ideas – now there’s something to get familiar with.

========================================================

This interview was done by guest writer Mike Halford. Mike Halford is the co-owner of the Orland Kurtenblog or as they sometimes call it “KB”, which is pretty fuckin’ confusing when Mike and I have a conversation because I sometimes refer to Killahbeez as the “KB” as well. The “Orland Kurtenblog, aka the KB, is a Vancouver Canucks blog written by Jason Brough and Mike Halford. It’s mostly about the NHL but includes other sports too. It can be found on the interweb.”

I know both these dudes and definitely can say the shit they write is hilarious and interesting. So check them out over at: www.kurtenblog.com.

Here’s the first video from Donnie Klang off of Bad Boy called “Take You There”.The song is off of his upcoming debut album Just a Rolling Stone, which is set to hit stores on September 2nd. The video is directed by Ray Kay and has done videos for artists such as Beyoncé, Sean Kingston, Ghostface Killah and a long list of other clients. I thought they should’ve dropped the song “Dr. Love” as the first single, as the melody and beat on that is crazy. Let us know what you think.

First video from Keri Hilson off of her upcoming album In A Perfect World…, which is set to come out on September 23rd. This video is for the single “Energy” and is directed by renowned director Melina, who has done videos for Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Kylie Minogue and Snoop Dogg to name a few.

The premise of the video has Keri playing a female boxer that’s going through a relationship with her trainer and things don’t work out so well, but seriously who cares, cus maaaaaaaan she looks hot! Have a look for yourself.

Here’s the new video for Ryan Leslie’s single “Diamond Girl” off of his upcoming self titled album Ryan Leslie. For those that think he’s new to the game, ya betta check his resume SON! His production history spans several music genres and has worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Cassie, JoJo, Nina Sky, Danity Kane, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Donell Jones, Katharine McPhee, New Edition, Cheri Dennis and many more. He helped produced Cassies hit “Me & U”, currently he’s working on his album set to release in June as well as writing songs for Usher.

Beyonce “Beautiful Nightmare”

Jay-Z “Ain’t I” Produced by Timbaland

Nina Sky “Secrets” Produced by Ryan Leslie