What Do Jimi Hendrix, Eminem and Coldplay All Have in Common?

 

You know you’ve made it big in the music industry if your face graces the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still editor and publisher, Rolling Stone is still considered the big-dog of the music journalism scene today.

The magazine mostly feature Billboard Chart hot musicians on it’s cover, but fairly represents pop, rap and rock music alike. Sometimes Rolling Stone switches things up and features actors on the cover, such as Jennifer Aniston, and frequently covers  in-depth political stories.

One thing with Rolling Stone is very consistent though- the photograph on the cover always ROCKS. I am a huge fan of photo-journalism, and of course love sending picute-texts. Sometimes a picture can describe so much more than a 2,000 word feature article can. Rolling Stone never fails to capture the true essence of the musicians in their cover-shots.

Here is what I present to my readers:  A two-part mini series of the greatest Rolling Stone covers from the 90’s and today. We’ll kick things off  with honoring the greatest rock and rap music <em>Rolling Stone covers and continue tomorrow with the hottest pop music covers.

Get ready to rock!

 

Jimi Hendrix- courtesy of RollingStone.com

1.) JIMI HENDRIX- Dubbed the greatest electric-guitarist of all-time by Rolling Stone, Hendrix did not make it on the cover of the magazine until 1992, despite the immense popularity he attained after headlining Woodstock in 1969 and untimely death in 1970. Oh well, better late than never. Rolling Stone chose a very appropriate photo of Hendrix for the cover.

Green Day. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

2.) GREEN DAY- Ah, back to 1995 when Green Day’s music wasn’t so depressing. New fans listen up- the band’s older albums such as Dookie and Insomniac are a far cry away from the emotional ballads of American Idiot. Despite the music-style change, Green Day is still a huge influence to power-punk bands. And judging by this cover shot, the guys are loving every second of it.

Tupac. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

3. TUPAC- The life and death of Tupac is depicted in this 1996 issue of Rolling Stone. The rap-king of the West Coast still has a substantial influence on the music-scene today. His “thug-life” nature but yet sweet-disposition is eloquently depicted in this somber picture.

Blink-182. RollingStone.com.

4. BLINK 182- Mark, Tom and Travis. Will there ever be a more dynamic trio than these three  hilariously-charming rockstars? The answer is no, Blink 182 has been owning the game since release of their debut album Cheshire Cat in 1994. With the success of Enema of the State, Blink was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2000.  The original punks of alternative rock have dabbled in writing more serious music, but Blink-182′s wild attitude always shines through.

Eminem. Courtesy or RollingStone.com.

5.) EMINEM- He’s vicious, crude and bears no mercy when poking fun at other celebrities. But hey, atleast Eminem is honest! This foul-mouthed protege of Dr. Dre was undoubtedly the first “white-boy” to make it big in the rap-scene. Em showed fans in 2003 that he could not only write and deliver genius music, but could actually act too with the release of his movie 8 Mile. This was Marshall Mather’s second Rolling Stone cover.

Coldplay. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

6.) COLDPLAY- This British band gained popularity in the US with the release of their 2000 album Parachutes. Coldplay won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album shortly after. Lead singer and Gwenyth Paltrow’s hubby, Chris Martin, impresses listeners with his melodic voice and intimate songs. The always sharply-dressed blokes have won many Grammys since. Check out Coldplay’s newest album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Fall Out Boy. Courtesy of RollingStone.com.

7.) FALL OUT BOY- Despite their recent break-up, Fall Out Boy still has quite a few award-worthy albums under their studded-belts. Hailing from Chicago, Fall Out Boy wow-ed listeners with their first album Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out With Your Girlfriend in 2003. The band’s music went from High School break-ups woes to a much more distinguished sound with the release of their album Infinity on High in 2007. The success of this masterpiece earned Fall Out Boy a Rolling Stone cover shot and a new-found respect in the music world.

Don’t Change the Dizzle, Turn It Up A Little.

 

Like most rappers who peaked during the 1990’s, S-N-double O-P D-O-double G is starting to get old. However, his nearly 40 years of age is not holding the Dogg back. Snoop is still making new hits and touring as much as he did in his youthful puppy days! And, of course, still smoking that green bubonic-chronic.

This past Thursday, 2/25, Snoop’s two-month tour brought him to the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island. URI, a very marijuana-friendly campus, also known as U-R-High (no wonder Snoop performed there) welcomed the Dogg with a ton of excitement and lots of joints, according to a good friend of mine, Ilana Eides, who was lucky enough to attend the concert.

Snoop at URI. Photo taken by Ilana Eides.

“Snoop was supposed to play at eight pm but he didn’t come on until ten-thirty. He played an awesome set that lasted close to two hours, I wasn’t expecting him to play that long since he’s getting old. He definitely made up for the lateness,” said Eides.

According to Eides, Snoop played a combination of old classics, such as Still a G Thang, and new hits from his latest album Malice ‘N’ Wonderland, as well as a few Biggie and Tupac covers.

Does this mean that the East Coast/ West Coast war is finally over?

 “The crowd went crazy for his old songs, but his newer songs got a lot of applause too,” said Eides.

If there is one thing that Snoop and I have in common, it’s the love that we share for a good party. Unlike me though, Snoop has been sippin’ on gin since the 80’s. Any one who tries to party at the seasoned-veteran’s level is just asking for trouble. “Three or four people were taken out in stretchers before Snoop even came on-stage,” said Eides.

…. Too much Gin and Juice? I think so.

“Now that I got me some seagrams gin
Everybody got they cups, but they aint chipped in
Now this types of shit, happens all the time
You got to get yours but fool I gotta get mine
Everything is fine when you listenin to the d-o-g
I got the cultivating music that be captivating he
Who listens, to the words that I speak
As I take me a drink to the middle of the street,” Gin and Juice lyrics.

A lovely glass of gin and juice. Courtesy of Pinstripeonline.com

Most artists end their performance with an encore of two or three songs, but the always-different Doggy-Dog ended his show with a crucial piece of advice to fans. “As he was going off the stage Snoop instructed the crowd to do three things. 1.) Brush your teeth, 2.) Thank G-d for everything you have, and last but not least, smoke some weed,” said Eides.

I guess Snoop never wants to be accused of having Dogg-breath.

Just like a lot legendary-performers, Snoop is known for many talents aside from rapping. Partying like a rock star since his days in the LBC, Snoop is no stranger to rock music. He opened for 311 for their 2008 Unity Tour and co-headlined with Slightly Stoopid and Stephen Marley for last summer’s Blazed and Confused TourSnoop Dogg has appeared in many major motion-pictures such as Old School, Malibu’s Most Wanted and Half-Baked. He has also been featured on the tube quite a few times making guest appearances on hit-television shows such as Weeds and his own family’s reality-show, Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood..

Below are a few select clips of Snoop’s greatest music, movie and television moments:

Weeds, MILF Weed episode:

Snoop as a mouse in Malibu’s Most Wanted:

The Next Episode, a Snoop and Dr.Dre classic:

Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood trailer: