Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is debuting a new side project called Native Korean Rock and the Fishnets.

Ryan Adams signed a publishing deal with Akashic Books and will be putting out a book of poetry next year.

The Ting Tings revealed that they would like to collaborate with Dizzee Rascal.

A recent gallery opening in New York celebrated classic, unreleased photos of Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and more from Sony BMG's legendary archives.

Professor Dizzee Rascal is holding his final class in British Hip-Hop Slang. If you're new to the lessons, you'd better catch the hell up or we'll get our blix and punch a hole in your bubbles, you no good moot. And don't forget, kids: stay tuned for our next slangtastic series, Southern Hip-Hop Slang.

• Weezer will drop its sixth studio album and third titled 'Weezer' -- though, referred to as 'the Red Album' by those inside the band's camp -- on June 17. Featuring material culled from sessions with producers Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee, frontman Rivers Cuomo tells fans, "We have on song left to mix and then it's on to mastering. We should be all done very soon. Then we can chill for a minute."

• Dizzee Rascal and El-P will team for a brief North American club crawl, beginning May 8 in Washington, D.C. The jaunt is set to wrap on May 22 in L.A.

• Jay-Z and Beyonce, who have been dating since 2002, reportedly took out a marriage license in Scarsdale, New York on Tuesday. The document is valid for 60 days.

Professor Dizzee Rascal once again put together another smashing lesson in British Hip-Hop Slang. It's simply brilliant with a dash of tallyho filled with gusto and all that other British crumpet-filled crap. That's right, kids. Here's your third lesson.

London-based MC Dizzee Rascal set 'em up and knocked 'em down in our New York studio. The quick-witted rapper's unorthodox style can hang with the best of them when it comes to freestyling. The Rascal took "16 Bars" to a new level with the longest freestyle to date in the show's existence. Get a look at Dizzee's spin on The Boombox.

Artist No. 9

The Deal: The London-bred Mercury Prize-winning rapper is known for meshing his self-produced basement beats with funky eclectic samples to create the rugged 'Dirtee Stank' brand of U.K. hip-hop.

Sounds Like: Spank Rock, The Streets
Free Song: 'Where Da G's' (MP3)

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Artist: Dizzee Rascal
Songs: ''Where Da G's' Featuring UGK
Album: 'Dizzee 12"' [iTunes]
RIYL: The Streets, Spank Rock

Download: 'Where Da G's' (MP3)

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A dozen of Britain's most buzzed-about acts will do battle for the 16th Mercury Music Prize, an annual award bestowed upon the "best U.K. album of the last year." The 2007 list of contenders features a slew of acts that have yet to make their mark across the Atlantic (Basquiat Strings, anyone?), as well as a few international favorites like Arctic Monkeys (who took the honors in 2006) and throwback-soul queen Amy Winehouse. Considering that homegrown hype is often a good indicator on the award's final outcome, we think the ubiquitous Ms. Winehouse is a shoe-in for this year's crown.

The awards ceremony, at which the winner will be announced, will take place on Sept. 4. See the full list of nominees after the jump.