• Kid Rock brawled at a Waffle House. And wore a shirt with his own face on it. Which was the greater crime? We’ll never know.

• Nas spoke to Rolling Stone about his controversial album and compared discussing the title to talking to your kids about sex.

• The B-52’s told Rock Daily exclusively about the “loud, sexy rock & roll pumped up to hot pink” of their first album in sixteen years, Funplex.

• Phil Lesh fulfilled every Phish fan’s dream and pardoned Trey Antasio (in spirit, at least).

• T.I. got out on bail, but not before the great snitchin’ debate of ‘07 was reopened.

• T.I. is getting a temporary reprieve from prison: The judge in his gun-possession case ordered a $3 million bond for the rapper. As part of the release agreement, T.I. must be monitored during his twenty-four-hour house arrest, and is to have no contact with any witnesses involved in his federal weapons case.

• Illegal downloaders, rejoice? The nation of Pirate Bay is looking to resurrect the raided BitTorrent site OiNK and launch it under the new name BOiNK.

• Rock duo KRISTEENYOUNG has been dismissed from their gig opening for Morrissey after the lead singer, who’s also named Kristeen Young, told audience members chanting for Moz during her performance in New York that “Morrissey gives good head, I mean, er, cunnilingus …”

• Two mega groups from the Nineties are reforming: Europop stars Ace of Base and Aqua are both planning reunion tours. Additionally, Aqua will release a greatest hits collection, which will likely feature “Barbie Girl” and about fifteen remixes of “Barbie Girl.”

• Clear Channel, the much-maligned monopolizer of concert tickets, will face an antitrust class-action lawsuit from ticket buyers who claim the company jacked up ticket prices due to lack of competition in the industry.

In an effort to further gray the area separating free speech and censorship, Brooklyn assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries is demanding that the New York Comptroller withdraw an $84 million state pension fund invested in Universal Music Group and its parent company Vivendi unless Nas changes the title his new album Nigger. “[They are] profiting from a racial slur that has been used to dehumanize people of color for centuries,” Jeffries said. “It is time for Nas and other hip-hop artists to clean up their act and stop flooding the airwaves with the N-word.” According to the Comptroller’s office, he’s intending to the music company and “urge them not to release the album” under that moniker. Universal had no comment.

Rolling Stone’s Evan Serpick recently spoke to Nas regarding the controversy surrounding the new album. While the MC was reluctant to discuss the album’s specifics (”It’s not ready for me to talk about. The album is done, basically, but … it’s a piece of art”), Nas spoke openly about his, and the record label’s, decision to stick with the name. His last album, Hip Hop Is Dead, was supposed to don the title, but “the climate wasn’t right, and Hip Hop Is Dead is also what I was feeling. That went first, and now I’ve got to get this one off my chest,” he explains, turning to speak about the rash of hate crimes involving nooses around the country. “It’s the new act of hate, and probably because of Barack Obama, people’s ignorance and fear and jealousy is creating an outrage throughout the country, and people are reacting by putting nooses up. It’s been a really serious year,” the rapper explained.

So what of all the controversy? “It’s like talking to your child about sex. It’s hard, but it’s important,” he says. “It’s probably going to make people uncomfortable. I don’t expect a lot of people to sell a record called Nigger. Hopefully, people can open their minds up and lose some of their fear and deal with it. It’s just an album. It’s one piece of the many things I do, and this will be one of my favorite pieces.” And his label is firmly behind him, “It will be certain record stores that will be scared to deal with it. The record label is gung ho, and it’s ready to go.”

Related Stories:

• Nas Modifies Album Title, Trades “A” For “Er” And a Controversy To Be Named Later
• L.A. Reid Backs Up Nas’ Album Title
• 50 Cent Slams Nas’ Controversial Title

Because Halloween is right around the corner, this week’s Rock List focuses on bands that are more horrifying than the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series. To honor those groups that frighten the hell out of you before you can even hit “Play” (and those that even make Nas’ new album title seem tame) hit us up with your favorite gruesome band names. Here are five that make us listen with the lights on:

• Alien Sex Fiend
• Carcass
• Cannibal Corpse
• Flesh Eaters
• Christian Death

[Photo: Dalle/Retna]

When French DJ duo Justice hit New York last week, Rolling Stone tracked them down and forced them to confirm or deny stereotypes about their countrymen (they’re mean and smell!) and give us the lowdown on France’s hottest new bands. Check out the video here, at RS’s new Breaking Blog.

• Pop music is set to lose another of its starlets to country music. Jessica Simpson is leaving the not-so-friendly confines of Los Angeles and hunkering down in Nashville to start work on her next country-flavored album with John Rich of Big & Rich serving as writer. Previously, Kelly Clarkson NASCARed over to the red states to begin work on her own, Reba McEntire-backed country album.

• Actress Natalie Portman is a compiling a mix tape that will change your life on iTunes, with proceeds benefiting FINCA. The comp will feature exclusive tracks from Devendra Banhart, Beirut and, of course, The Shins.

• Like any artist in modern music, Lil Wayne is aware of album leaks. Going on the offensive, Lil Wayne will release Tha Carter III: The Leak on December 18th, which will feature Weezy’s tracks from mixtapes and the Internet. Then in February, Wayne will release the proper, still-unleaked Tha Carter III, which boasts appearances by Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.

• After volleys of album delays and shit-talking, the battle between Clipse and Jive Records has finally ended. But instead of going all Radiohead on us, Clipse will join forces with Columbia Records, who, under the watchful eye of Rick Rubin, will hopefully treat them better.

• AT&T’s Blue Room will stream (presumably unedited) performances from this weekend’s Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas. It’s a big music weekend: Voodoo Music Experience will take place in New Orleans and San Francisco hosts Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit. Check back Monday for photos from all three events.

Every Tuesday Single Minded highlights new tracks hitting stores (or the Web) this week. On Fridays, come back for rarities, remixes, mash-ups and more.

M.I.A., “Paper Planes” [Remixes]
Diplo gives up two remixes of the year’s best song, the first retaining the original Wreckx-N-Effect chorus, the second done up cumbia style by an Argentinian DJ. Odds of commercial radio play: still slim.

Scarface ft. Lil Wayne & T.I., “Big Dog Status” [Advance Single]
The original king of the south returns with a sneak preview of his new album, due December 4th — a date that will no doubt thrill Ghostface.

Kylie Minogue, “X” [Full Album Megamix]
Kylie serves up a whole new batch of songs for pasty indie rock bands to cover. If this tantalizing megamix is any indication, they won’t be able to do these any justice either.

Klaxons, “No Diggity” [BLACKstreet Cover]
There’s no reason that a group made up of three British dudes should be able to do right by one of the greatest pop songs of all times. They pull it off passably. A little sexless, but passable.

Interpol, “Mammoth” [Erol Alkan Remix]
Was someone just talking about sexless white guys? Throbby, gristly re-workings of two songs from the New York quartet’s latest make a good soundtrack for those times when crying or talking about Hieronymus Bosch just isn’t doing it for you.

You know it’s a rough time in Britney World when Suge Knight expresses sympathy. “Any time a woman lose they kids it’s a sad, sad story,” the Death Row man recently declared. “If I need to do something for her, I definitely push with her.” Even Suge’s gangsta heart has been touched by the Britkitten’s travails. She’s been accused of binge tanning, asthma-inhaler abuse, stall-hopping and generally threatening Hollywood with a good time. Her ex-bodyguard hinted at her taste for the booger sugar as well as vanilla lattes. The Man would have us believe Britney has questionable child-raising habits, evidenced by the fact that they have rotting teeth, follow no sleep schedule and have learned no English other than, “Freshen up Mommy’s daiquiri, honey.”

Is Britney getting a raw deal? Of course she is! It’s Britney, bitch! For those of us who adore her, it sucks to have to keep saying, “She’s acting out” or “You mean the bad kind of atrocity?” We could all do without that. Especially Brit herself, since she remains one of the world’s most popular and beloved starlets, and she’d be even more popular and beloved if she only had the self-preservation instincts the good Lord gave a squirrel. Surprise, “Gimme More” is an actual hit, her first since “My Prerogative” three years ago. (more…)

The Sex Pistols performed together for the first time in four years last night at a private show at Los Angeles’ Roxy Theatre as they prepared for their four-date stand at London’s Brixton Academy. An audience of 500 were treated to Sex Pistols classics, performed amid heat and sound problems, and the wine-swilling John Lydon’s typical acidic tongue. The Pistols, who have collected together to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their Never Mind The Bollocks … Here’s The Sex Pistols, played an hour-long set that featured “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “Holidays in the Sun,” and a version of “Stepping Stone” that contained the lyrics “Paris Hilton, kiss my arse.” At one point, a drink thrown in Lydon’s direction hit him in the face, causing the cantankerous singer to threaten “to kill the coward” if he caught who lunged a beverage at him. Ah, it’s refreshing to know, after thirty years, there’s still so much angst.

Related Stories:

• Sex Pistols Re-Record “Anarchy in the U.K.” for “Guitar Hero”
• Sex Pistols Reissue Bollocks
• Sex Pistols Flip Off Hall of Fame

He was once the King of Pop and ruled over the musical landscape. Following commercial slumps and a criminal trial, his dominion was reduced to a mansion and theme park called Neverland Ranch. Now, the final vestige of Michael Jackson’s unironic reign is reportedly on the verge of being taken away, after MJ defaulted on a $23 million loan. Jackson was given ninety days starting October 22nd to repay his debt or risk losing the ranch, which had been shuttered and its employees dismissed since he was accused of using the park as a lure for young children (or since he failed to pay the employees’ salaries and insurance). The ranch was used as collateral for Fortress Music Trust when they loaned the beleaguered pop star $20 million, and after failing to sell another company Jackson’s debt, Fortress is eager to recoup their losses. If we were Jackson, we’d rush up the release of the Thriller reissue. The star still faces a $7 million lawsuit brought forth by Prince Abdullah of Bahrain after MJ reneged on a recording contract, but kept the upfront money. With all this talk of debt, it’s easy to forget that Jackson is still rich. He owns a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, including the Beatles catalog, which has an estimated value of $600 million. If Jackson were to declare bankruptcy, however, that stake would be liquidated and auctioned to the highest bidder. But seriously, won’t somebody please think of the llamas.