Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa and Missy Elliott & Timbaland (in a joint special appearance) are some of the big names slated to perform at annual hip-hop fest Rock The Bells 2012. Also on the lineup are J. Cole, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, A$AP Rocky and Mac Miller, with hosting duties by RZA and Supernatural. Bur for those whose hearts will forever be in the 90s, the bill also boasts performances by Ice Cube (more known for his acting than his rapping nowadays), Salt-N-Pepa and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who will be celebrating their 20th anniversary reunion. Time to dry-clean those old flannel sweatshirts! 

Rock The Bells 2012 will take place in three separate locations this summer: August 18 and 19 at the Nos Events Center in San Bernadino, CA; August 25 and 26 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA; and September 1 and 2 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ.

Many of the artists will only be playing select markets. Check local listings for confirmed acts. Tickets go on sale this Friday (May 18).

Today on Oprah, the talk show host conducted a musical science experiment — what if we mixed together female rockers from the past with obnoxious pop stars of the present? The outcome resulted in kind of random, but not terrible performances by Pat Benatar and Avril Lavigne singing “Love Is A Battlefield”, while Joan Jett performed with Miley Cyrus on a medley, including “Cherry Bomb” and “Bad Reputation.” A fitting choice, since we honestly believe that Miley does not give a damn about her bad reputation. Watch both performances below.

Before we get to the match-ups, the best duo of the night was obviously Salt-N-Pepa (backed by Spinderella), performing a medley of their hits! We can’t possibly be the only people that still know all the lyrics to “Shoop”, right?

Avril Lavigne and Pat Benetar

Avril and Pat sound great, but we still want to send Ms. Lavigne a bottle of shampoo and politely request she wash the green dye out already.

Miley Cyrus and Joan Jett medley

“It’s amazing,” Miley said. “I auditioned for my show with ‘I Love Rock & Roll’ and the first album I ever made, I had ‘I Love Rock & Roll,’ so it’s something that’s always meant something to me, just seeing Joan stand up for chicks who want to play the guitar. It’s something that’s always inspired me. I’m happy I could be here with her. It means a lot to be here.”

Now, wouldn’t you have rather seen what Joan Jett could do with “Party In The U.S.A.”?

[Neon Limelight]

Did You Hear?

:: Avril Lavigne films the video for her new single in 3-D. We’re sure it will be just like Avatar, but 300% shorter. [Music & Lyrics]

:: Nicki Minaj tells E! she just shot the video for her tracks “Moment 4 Life” with Drake and “Fly” with Rihanna. Guess we know what singles to look forward to next. (Though our vote is for the Kanye-assisted tune “Blazin’”.) [E! Online]

:: The unsolved murder case of the Notorious B.I.G. is being reopened by investigators, 13 years after his death. [PopEater]

:: We much prefer this remix of Katy Perry’s “E.T.” over this one. [Arjan Writes]

:: Move over Backstreet Boys and New Kids! Salt-N-Pepa are going back on the road for a 20-city Legends Of Hip Hop tour, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of their debut album. Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and more are also on the lineup. [Rap-Up]

After the jump, find out what music acts are performing on the tube today:

Music on TV Today:
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — the Wombats
:: Last Call with Carson Daly — Mark Hoppus, Fitz & the Tantrums (repeat)
:: Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) — Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest, Diane Birch
:: Lopez Tonight (TBS) — Plain White T’s
:: Conan (TBS) — Guster
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) — Okkervil River
:: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (ABC) — Nicki Minaj

Las Vegas was the place to be Saturday night, as the annual Justin Timberlake And Friends charity concert went down at Planet Hollywood’s Theatre For The Performing Arts. The four-hour gig boasted Timberlake, Burlesque babe Christina Aguilera, Elton John, Lady Antebellum, T-Pain, Diddy and Selena Gomez on the roster, and benefited the Shriners Hospitals For Children. Head below to catch some of the performances.

She may have canceled her Bionic tour earlier this year, but that didn’t keep Christina Aguilera from donning a black bodysuit and belting out “Not Myself Tonight.”

Justin Timberlake strapped on a guitar, sat down on a stool and did an acoustic rendition of “Cry Me A River” before launching into a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

American Music Award nominees Lady Antebellum performed their rendition of Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.”

Ooh, baby, baby! Salt-N-Pepa go old school with their seminal jam “Push It.”

Every track from Robyn’s Idolator-approved Body Talk Pt. 1 is outrageously catchy on its own, but when you mash up another song with the Swede’s dance-pop tunes, your aural enjoyment gets amplified to the extreme! Check out some rockin’ Robyn mash-ups below, including “Dancing On My Own” mixed with AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long”, as well as “Fembot” combined with Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.”

Robyn and AC/DC – “Dancing On My Own All Night Long”

Robyn and Salt-N-Pepa – “Push It Fembot”

We wouldn’t dare tell Robyn what to do, but we would definitely request Robyn fans to make more of these awesome mash-ups.

As part of Idolator’s continuing effort to geekily analyze every music chart known to man, we present a new edition of Project X, in which Michaelangelo Matos breaks down top-ten lists from every genre imaginable. After the jump, he sits through VH1′s latest TV-based listicle, 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, and finds a few poignant moments among the MC Hammer jokes:

Last week, when I wrote about listicles, I forgot a non-print, but still big and obvious, agent of the format’s spread: cable television. The televised countdown goes back to the ’50s, when longstanding radio favorite Your Hit Parade counted down the Top 7 or Top 10 (depending on the season) songs of the week, as performed by an in-house band and singers. Then rock and roll happened, and bye-bye house bands. This begat the record hop (e.g. American Bandstand and Soul Train and, in the U.K., Top of the Pops), followed by video, which just before MTV led to the syndicated America’s Top 10 and Solid Gold, each using different chart data and methodology to deliver the week’s Top 10. MTV did some of that, too. It also spawned VH1, which started out MOR but soon found its footing when it adopted a campier, retro approach, becoming Nick at Nite to MTV’s Nickelodeon. Which mean, wouldn’t you know, tons and tons of countdowns of the all-time Top 100 thisses or thats.

The one the channel ran last week actually had me a little bit excited, in part because I had no real idea how it would shake out: 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, which ran in five installments. Maybe I would have figured the outcome had I allowed myself to guess, but between having absolutely no time to myself lately and wanting to keep my responses fresh, I watched all of it cold.

VH1’s 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs (as aired Friday, October 3)
1. Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” (Def Jam, 1989)
2. Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s Delight” (Sugarhill, 1979)
3. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (Death Row, 1993)
4. Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way” (Profile, 1986)
5. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5, “The Message” (Sugarhill, 1982)
6. N.W.A., “Straight Outta Compton” (Ruthless, 1988)
7. The Notorious B.I.G., “Juicy” (Bad Boy, 1994)
8. Snoop Doggy Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (Death Row, 1993)
9. Salt-n-Pepa, “Push It” (Next Plateau, 1986)
10. Kurtis Blow, “The Breaks” (Mercury, 1980)

(You can find the entire list at Stereogum.)

That’s a Top 10 I would never have guessed–“The Breaks” at No. 10? “Push It” at No. 9?—and yet, reading it, I’m not surprised at all. Of course Public Enemy is No. 1: watching in order, I kept expecting “911 Is Joke” to pop up somewhere on the chart’s bottom half. That was the big one on MTV, right? That seemed to determine a few selections: No. 6, with its Symbolic Video; No. 38, Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which makes every part of my body cringe; and No. 25, MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” whose talking-head segments seemed the most genuinely strained, as opposed to I-can’t-think-of-anything-to-say-help times 20 strained.

My guesses for the Top 10 mostly took place as the show reached the 30s. That’s one pleasure of this sort of thing: you get to play along. The game was tipped at the top of the final episode when its first selection, Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx’s “Gold Digger,” prompted the arrival of Chuck D, almost nowhere to be seen in four prior episodes despite his obvious place as one of the most historically attuned rap pros. Surely he could be quotable about Hammer–whom Chuck D has always paid respect to in interviews–and his old tour-mates the Beastie Boys. Their entry–No. 27, “Hold It Now, Hit It”–was not a big hit at the time but has remained an enduring cult favorite, something the producers clearly did a lot of to balance out all that MTV.

Me, I’d wondered if the Beasties might not appear on the second episode, when 3rd Bass and House of Pain placed 70th (“Pop Goes the Weasel”) and 66th (“Jump Around”), respectively. If that sounds overly cynical, I’ll just say I figured they might make the list twice, along with others of their golden-era Def Jam ilk and maybe Jay-Z. (“Hard Knock Life” at No. 11?! Not “Big Pimpin’” or “99 Problems” or even “Izzo”? Come on!) The first episode made me especially suspicious of the way the numbers were running. The list was advertised as having been voted for by viewers, who must have been voting in very controlled patterns to place together three consecutive house/disco-inflected jams: Jungle Brothers’ “What ‘U’ Waitin’ ‘4’,” Wyclef Jean ft. Refugee All Stars’, “We Tryin’ to Stay Alive,” and Heavy D. & the Boyz’ “Now That We’ve Found Love,” Nos. 88 to 86. Come on, guys.

Aside from the usual wan jokes and “hey, I know the words of this very popular chorus too!” talking-head stuff, the clips and artist bios were rather more endearing here than on most of VH1’s 100-best-whatever fare. And more poignant: if you’re looking for a drinking game, wait till VH1 runs this as a marathon and swallow one shot for each time announcer Fab 5 Freddy mentions “the hip-hop nostalgia circuit.” You don’t even have to know the list to figure out who’s on it: Sir Mix-a-Lot (No. 17, “Baby Got Back”); Young MC (No. 47, “Bust a Move”); Tone-Loc (No. 39, “Wild Thing”); Arrested Development (No. 78, “Tennessee”); P.M. Dawn (No. 81, “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss”); Digital Underground (No. 29, “The Humpty Dance”); and 2 Live Crew (No. 83, “Me So Horny”), for starters.

It’s the old school, though, that got to me. (“Old school” has acquired too many meanings for its own good, so let me state clearly that I’m talking about artists who preceded Run-D.M.C.) Spoonie Gee (No. 65, “Love Rap”) walking around New York, head shaved, with a splendid orange-and-brown button-down, or J.J. Fad (No. 72, “Supersonic”) reminiscing about their younger selves, were somehow more poignant than their constantly touring descendants. And of course the Funky 4 + 1, creators of No. 41 (see what they did there?), “That’s the Joint,” still my favorite single of all time. Knowing that Sha Rock, the group’s female MC, does hip-hop bus tours–as does Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers (No. 77, “Cold Crush Brothers at the Dixie”)–makes me want to do something touristy for once in my life. And hearing the group discuss their disappointment at never having made an album gave a little gravity to a show that needed it.

To think I could have gone out with Pepa! Or was the fix in all along?

After a double-date disaster with one of Pepa’s bad-boy love interests, Salt embarks on a quest to find her fellow MC the perfect man. Salt sums up her opinion of Pep’s love life by sighing, “Pep and men … good Lord” while Pep squirms under her pal’s judgments. The two hire a professional matchmaker who interviews half a dozen men, all of whom Salt rejects, instead choosing her friend, a youth pastor, as Pep’s suitor. In the end, Pep fires Cheryl as a matchmaker, sticking to her conviction. “I believe in my record ‘Whatta Man.’ I want ‘Whatta Man.’”

I may not have made the final cut, but at least Pep also turned down Salt’s friend, a chubby, uptight pastor who won’t give it up until there’s a ring on that shit. It’s a famous pop-rapper, fella. God would understand.

Rock Reality Show Recap: Pepa Searches for a Real “Whatta Man” on “The Salt-N-Pepa Show” [Rolling Stone]

Once again, Idolator intern Kate Richardson scours the video sites, looking for the best fan-made music videos. In this installment, she finds out why Helen Mirren is a no-good dame with a body beautiful:

Of the current big-name English actress Dames, Helen Mirren is by far the most likely to knock back a few cocktails and say something amusingly inappropriate at a party. She’s presumably friends with Dames Maggie and Judi, but she prefers to hang out with an edgier, less establishment crowd on a regular basis, and she probably thinks that anti-smoking campaigns are stupid. In short, Helen Mirren is the cool Dame. And yet she’s still a classy middle-aged British woman, seemingly impervious to the trappings of modern youth culture. But as usual, the tribute-video community knows nothing of perceived social boundaries.

Song: “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse
Concept: Helen Mirren as sultry and vaguely nefarious seductress.
If there’s one thing that Amy Winehouse’s hooky, gimmicky music is good for, it’s establishing a mood. This video, thanks in equal parts to the song and the well-chosen sex bomb clips, is successfully sensual (well, as sensual as a tribute video can be) while retaining the essential dorky earnestness necessary for all truly amusing fan videos. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Mirren has played many no-good women, so there’s plenty of material from which to cultivate Winehouse-level dirtiness. The editing is uninspired, but not distractingly bad, which makes it great by tribute video standards, and the final product is a solid piece of benevolently creepy fan art. To sum up, I’ll quote the video’s creator: “Enjoy the naughty dame! God knows I do!!”
Best music-to-image sync-up moment: 2:39; Mirren as Marat in David’s La Mort de Marat as Amy Winehouse sings “I’m in the tub, you on the seat/Lick your lips as I soak my feet.” That intersection of culture is truly mind-blowing.
Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: Occasionally this category switch-hits as “Most disturbing music-to-image sync-up moment.” In this case, that would be 1:16, at which point Cuba Gooding Jr. sensually thrusts his torso as Mirren bops her way down onto her knees to unbutton his pants. I’m all for cougar sex, but the Dame reminds me just a little too much of my own mom for this to be an acceptable image.

Song: “I Am the Body Beautiful” by Salt-N-Pepa
Concept: Mirren as “the house (a whole mansion) of elegance.”
Yes. A million times yes. This is perhaps the most underrated Salt-N-Pepa song, and I’m glad it was put to such a bizarre use; Mirren has played enough in-charge ladies to provide ample footage for its themes. I’m especially amused by the use of clips from HBO’s Elizabeth I (which is superior to the Cate Blanchett movies, especially the dreadful one out now); perhaps not Mirren’s most overtly sexual role, but there’s something to be said for reading Elizabeth I as a Salt-N-Pepa-style modern queen. In addition to these thematic strong points, the editing of still shots in a sequence during “Get with the b-e-a-u-t-y, beauty” is particularly entertaining, if a little shoddily executed.
Best music-to-image sync-up moment: The short dance sequence at 2:06; Mirren’s moves and ornate garb are perfect for the song.
Silliest music-to-image sync-up moment: Again with the disturbing Cuba Gooding Jr. sex scene. But also 1:16, where Salt-N-Pepa sing “I’m sensual/I am body beautiful” during a clip where Queen Elizabeth, decked out in battle-ready armor, rallies the English troops. Not exactly her most sensual moment.

Verdict: Both videos share an almost uncomfortable, yet inoffensive tone of general luridness, and both are essentially pretty entertaining, so it’s hard to pick. I’ll give the advantage to the Salt-N-Pepa video if only for its attempt at creative editing.

Special announcement: While stumbling upon the many Helen Mirren videos on YouTube this week, I came across this fun-to-watch Helen tribute set to Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me.”

This reminded me of how much I loved the X-Files tribute set to that song from a few months back. Maybe it’s just because I’m a really pathetic sucker for “Kiss Me,” but I truly think that it is the ultimate song for tribute-video background music. And with that in mind, I am now officially accepting your homemade music videos set to “Kiss Me.” As in a contest, yes. I realize that you people lead busy lives, but if you can find a little time in your schedule for a modicum of silliness, I would be thrilled. The requirements are pretty wide open: take as much time as you want, put it together however you please (still images from Google, clips from movies, etc.), and once I’ve accumulated enough videos (assuming I accumulate any at all), I’ll declare a winner. The prize is yet to be determined. It may or may not be a tacky e-card.

Send all submissions to kate AT idolator dot com. (Standard contest rules apply.)

VH1 announced its new line-up yesterday, which includes such not-going-to-save-the-music shows as America’s Most Smartest Model and Old Skool With Terry and Gita. But there is one bright spot: The Salt ‘N’ Pepa Show, which will follow the band members (including, one hopes, Spinderella) as they attempt to reunite. We don’t care how much manipulative editing or drawn-out montages are included in this thing–if VH1 can somehow make “Whatta Man” connect with America’s teenagers, all will be forgiven. But only for a day, because that’s how long it will take for the network to revert back to non-stop episodes of Rock N’ Roll’s Sluttiest Yachts.

VH1 greenlights reality shows [Variety.com]

Because our back-in-the-day Salt-N-Pepa collection was limited to a few badly dubbed Maxell cassettes, we were taken aback when we walked by a stoop sale and saw a copy of Blacks’ Magic, the cover of which looks like the poster for a Tyler Perry-directed Harry Potter movie. Why anyone would give this record up for a mere $2 boggles the mind; nearly 17 years after its release, Magic holds up as one of the early ’90s finest moments of rap-pop. Cut it up one time!

Salt-N-Pepa – Expression [MP3, link expired]
Salt-N-Pepa – Start The Party [MP3, link expired]
Salt-N-Pepa – Let’s Talk About Sex [MP3, link expired]