Wiz Khalifa arrested on marijuana charges<<Music News

When will rappers learn not to keep drugs and/or guns on their tour bus? Yesterday, rapperWiz Khalifawas arrested on drug charges after a concert in Greenville, North Carolina after police searched his bus and charged him with felony counts of trafficking marijuana, maintaining a dwelling/vehicle/place for sale or storage of marijuana and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.  Khalifa had been performing at East Carolina University. He was released this morning on $300,000 bail.

Admittedly the cops didn’t need to be MacGyver to figure out that the guy who bragged about a $10,000 per month weed habit and recently launchedhis own line of rolling papersmight have drugs on his bus. Oh, plushe tweeted“Smoke outs Greeneville, nc tonight. Fall thru wit ur finest plant life,” right before his arrest, but whatever. His first tweet after getting releasedwas,“waken…baken…wrist still achin. thnx for tha love and support,” so it sounds as if he’s definitely learned his lesson.

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Video: A behind-the-scenes look at Matador at 21<<Music News

Our good friends over atPitchforkare currentlystreamingsome of our footage from Matador at 21’s epic throwdown, but we also thought we’d point you towards one of the site’s original videos, which we must say, is quite hilarious. The video is titled“Tell‘em Stephen Malkmus Sent You,” and, while the title might suggest some sort ofPavementinfomercial, it’s really a behind-the-scenes look at the opening festivities of the Matador anniversary weekend.

Whether it’s Matador big dog Chris Lombardi describing his label in one word (“Greed”) orFucked Up’s Damian“Pink Eyes” Abraham giving you a guided tour of a party in the Hardwood Suite at The Palms Hotel (while topless and covered in soapy bubbles, we might add), this is a video definitely worth checking out. Give it a look below.

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Chris Brown settles lawsuit with photographer<<Music News

Chris Brownhas settled his lawsuit with a photographer who claims the singer’s bodyguard injured him while he was trying to snap a shot of Brown. The photographer, named Robert Rosen, alleged that he was seriously hurt after Brown’s bodyguard chased him through a gym last year.

Rosen initially filed the suit last May, charging assault and battery, and according to his attorney, the suit was settled last Friday, according toRadar Online. The case was also against LA Fitness, the gym where the incident took place. The terms of the settlement have not been made public.

Rosen was attempting to take photographs of Brown while he was playing basketball at the gym, just a month after his arrest for assaultingRihanna. Rosen’s claim, filed on May 27, 2009, stated that he fell down a flight of stairs after being chased by Brown’s bodyguard and said that LA Fitness failed to protect him.

This settlement means that the case won’t go to trial, although a trial date had been set for February 22, 2011.

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Damon Albarn records new Gorillaz LP on iPad<<Music News

Damon Albarn, the enigmatic frontman for theGorillaz, has never been one to do things by the books. For one, his live shows used to feature a screen depicting only his cartoon-fronted band, while himself and the other actual musicians that comprised the Gorillaz, were hidden by a silk-screened wall. Now, for the Gorillaz’ next album, Albarn has continued pushing the musical boundaries—this time, by exploring a new method of recording.

According to aninterviewwithNME(via Gorillaz News), the formerBlurfrontman says he has been recording the new LP on an iPad, which he admits, for him, is quite strange.“I’ve made it on an iPad,” Albarn says of his band’s upcoming fourth studio LP.“I hope I’ll be making the first record on an iPad— which is ironic, being the sort of technophobe and Luddite that I am. But I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I’ve made a completely different kind of record.”

It also appears the recording, which occurred while Albarn was on a tour of North America, was an off-the-cuff production that the visionary musician hopes to have out by the holidays.“I’ve been recording a new record on the road, which I’m going to try and put out before Christmas,” Albarn said.“It’s a studio album made in hotel rooms across America.”
On his recent tour in support of the Gorillaz’ third album,Plastic Beach, Albarn has been bringing out an all-star cast of cohorts, who all made appearances on the stellar album  which we named one of the“Best of 2010…So Far.”) Some accompanying musicians on the tour have included hip-hop legendsDe La Soul,the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon and soul-legendBobby Womack. While there is no word on specific guest collaborators for the upcoming release, with a Gorillaz LP it’s not if, but who will be joining forces with Damon. Stay tuned.

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Avenged Sevenfold announce“Nightmare After Christmas” tour<<Music News

Avenged Sevenfoldhave announced that they’ll be heading out withStone SourandHollywood Undeadat the end of the year on the“Nightmare After Christmas” Tour. This will follow up the band’s co-headlining trek on the UPROAR fest (alongsideDisturbed) and marks one of their largest headlining ventures of their career.

In turn, the band have added that their return to the States will feature all new production, so expect plenty of surprises. For onsale events, please see the events section of the band’sofficial profile.

Otherwise, here’s where it’s all going down:

Thursday, January 20, 2011
Reading, PA
Sovereign Center

Saturday, January 22, 2011
Lowell, MA
Tsongas Center

Sunday, January 23, 2011
Baltimore, MD
1st Mariner Arena

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Huntington, WV
Big Sandy Arena

Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Knoxville, TN
Knoxville Coliseum

Friday, January 28, 2011
Lexington, KY
Rupp Arena

Saturday, January 29, 2011
Cincinnati, OH
US Bank Arena

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Evansville, IN
Roberts Stadium

Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Moline, IL
iWireless Center

Wednesday, February 02, 2011
La Crosse, WI
La Crosse Center

Friday, February 04, 2011
Battlecreek, MI
Kellogg Arena

Saturday, February 05, 2011
Detriot, MI
TBD

Monday, February 07, 2011
Sioux City, IA
Tyson Center

Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Grand Island, NE
Heartland Events Center

Friday, February 11, 2011
Boise, ID
Taco Bell Arena

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Kennewick, WA
Toyota Center

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Photos: Matt and Kim’s Secret Show in Burlington, VT<<Music News

“This is a celebration, bitches!”

These words did not come fro the mouth of Rick James. Or Dave Chapelle. At least not last night in Burlington, Vermont, whereMatt and Kimcelebrated the release of their excellent new record,Sidewalks, with a sweaty, unhinged live set at Higher Ground. In what looks to be one of our last secret shows of the year, Matt’s words proved to be prophetic: This was an all out bash.

The night started on an unplugged note as sing songwriterFletcher C. Johnsontook the stage, and they heated up when the eclectic punk duoJavelincame on. Playing songs from their debut,No Mas, they were a suitable, if not slightly dissimilar, warm up for what was going to come next. Strutting on stage with a couple of beers in hand, Matt and Kim’s live show, as is often the case, did not disappoint.

This is one of the only live acts that can promise an interlude in their set for a crowdsurfing booty dance, and that says a lot. Each song that the band played felt seismic and celebatory, so it was a good thing that we live streamed the whole thing as it went along. In case you missed it, there are more photos from the night below.

Photos by Aaron Farley

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Kanye West vs. George W. Bush: Both sides talk five years later<<Music News

In 2005, when notoriously outspoken rapperKanye Westshocked the world by uttering the phrase,“George Bush does not care about black people” during anNBC telethonfor Hurricane Katrina, West’s co-host Mike Meyers, and the rest of the world, couldn’t believe what they were hearing. (Meyer’s face is still classic even after watching this countless times). Now, five years later, the target of that outburst, former President George W. Bush, has finally responded. In an NBC interview with Matt Lauer, Bush called West’s comments“the most disgusting moment of my presidency.” Considering the catastrophic events that occurred during W’s time in the Oval Office, this seems a little exaggerated, but we’ll let Bush speak for himself.“”I didn’t appreciate it then,”I don’t appreciate it now,” Bush said of West’s verbal attack.“It’s one thing to say,‘I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.’ It’s another thing to say,‘This man’s a racist.’“I resent it, it’s not true, and it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency.”

Naturally, West had to get in his two cents regarding Bush’s comments. In aradio interviewtoday with Houston’s 97.9 The Box, West responded to Bush’s interview—however, it seems any beef West once had with W have since evaporated. In fact, the rapper says he can now connect to the former President thanks to the public scorn he received following hisTaylor Swiftdebacle at last year’s VMAs.

“Well I definitely can understand the way he feels—to be accused of being a racist in any way,” West said of Bush.“Because the same thing happened to me, you know, where I got accused of being racist. And with both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America saw in that situation. With him it was a lack of compassion, with him not rushing—you know, him taking the time time to rush down to New Orleans. With me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless I think we’re all quick to pull the race card in America. And now, I’m more open. And the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went, and now I really more connect with him on a humanitarian level… because the next morning, when he felt that, I felt the same thing.”

West went on to further  discuss the way in which he’s grown as a person.“I do think I changed a lot,” West said.“I’m just understanding that it’s not about me, it’s not about just what my opinion is all the time.“I became a better person, I needed that time off. Because a lot of times when people become celebrities, the moment when you don’t have to do your own dishes anymore, you don’t have that responsibility anymore, a lot of times you lose a level of humanity,” he explained.“It’s a growing process. I feel like a brand-new artist. I feel like respect is something that’s hard to earn and easy to lose, and I feel like I’m on that path to getting all that back right now.”

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Lil Wayne released from prison<<Music News

It’s official:Lil Wayneis a free man. The rapper was released from Rikers this morning at approximately 8:30 a.m., according to MTV News. A caravan of several black“luxury vehicles” met Weezy outside the prison as his eight-month stint behind bars drew to a close.

Wayne, who was sentenced to a year in Rikers for gun possession, met the long-expected release date of November 4 thanks to good behavior. His Young Money crew announced yesterday that they will celebrate Weezy’s release with a giant party in Miami on Sunday. Mack Mane, president of Young Money, toldMTV News,“It’s gonna be crazy. We have a private party first and then we going to King of Diamonds after, which is a strip club. It’s going to be crazy, it’s going to be real elegant, extravagant, we gonna party like when Frank came home, like {the movie}‘King of New York.’ It should be a lot of beautiful women, just… beautiful scenery. Just treat him like a king, like the royalty that he is and make him feel like we really missed him and welcome him back to the family, basically.”

The party falls a day afterDrake’s tour stop in Las Vegas, where its been hinted that Wayne may make a guest appearance. Drake said,“I would just advise you to book a ticket out there. If you can get tickets to that show on the 6th, I would strongly advise it.”

Drake and many other of Weezy’s friends and peers have been tweeting their responses to the rapper’s release from prison all day. Manetweeted,“Everybody go and welcome @liltunechiback…..all true weezy fans!!! The angels are rejoicing and so am I!!!!!”Nicki Minajadded,“Wayne’s home!” while his manager, Cortez Bryant, wrote“FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!”

Even Bill Clinton (yes, you read that correctly) offered his support to Weezy this week. According toCBS News, the former president wished the rapper well during a radio interview on Tuesday, saying,“This guy’s smart, and he’s got ability, and he’s got a new chance now. What I hope will happen is that he has a good life now.”

Welcome home Weezy. And may you stay out of trouble in the future.

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Lil Wayne’s first day out of prison<<Music News

After spending eight months behind bars,Lil Wayneis a free man. After beingreleasedyesterday morning from Riker’s Island, the platinum MC appears to have taken some time to relax, while also checking up on business-related matters that went down while he was away. In the first of aseriesof photos tweeted by DJ Scoob Doo, Wayne is seen hanging in a hotel room viewing his video for“Steady Mobbin”—his collaborative video withGucci Mane. This was likely the first time Wayne had seen the finished video—which was released this past summer—as the two MCs had to shoot their respective parts at separate times due to Wayne’s incarceration. Other tweeted photos from Wayne’s first day out of the pen see the rapper departing from Riker’s, clutching a cigar while watching a laptop as a plate of fresh fruit waits nearby (what a combo!), as well his posse eagerly awaiting Weezy F. Baby’s arrival in a hotel lobby.

Young Money president, and close friend of Wayne, Mack Maine, told MTV News on Wednesday that he expected the rapper’s first few days of freedom to be spent with family, friends… and of course, at the strip club—that is, in addition to a court date today in Arizona which the rapper has to attend.“It’s just going to be mixed emotions and a lot of just rejoicing,” Maine said.“Everybody is going to be happy to see him, and of course, we have parties coming up.” Maine went on to describe a private party for Wayne set to go down on Sunday in Miami.“It’s gonna be crazy,” Maine added.“We have a private party first and then we going to King of Diamonds after, which is a strip club. It’s going to be crazy, it’s going to be real elegant, extravagant, we gonna party like when Frank came home, like {the movie} ‘King of New York.’ It should be a lot of beautiful women, just… beautiful scenery. Just treat him like a king, like the royalty that he is and make him feellike we really missed him and welcome him back to the family, basically.”

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Pulp reform for 2011 festival dates<<Music News

2011 will be a big year forPulpfans. The iconic British rock band, who went on hiatus in 2002, announced today that they will reform to play two European shows next summer.

The group will feature the band’s“classic” lineup ofJarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, Russell Senior and Mark Webber. This will also be the first time since 1996 that this lineup of Pulp has shared a stage. The band will headline Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival on May 27 and London’s Wireless Festival on July 3. Our fingers (as well as countless others) are crossed that the group will play a few other dates—maybe Stateside?—between those two festivals.

The band posted astatementon their Facebook page detailing the reunion.“Pulp have decided to get together and play some concerts next summer,” the statement reads.“The shows will involve all the original members of the band and they will be playing songs from all periods of their career. (Yes that means they’ll be playing your favorites.)” The statement seems to suggest that more shows will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for Wireless Festival, which is held in Hyde Park, go on sale this Friday. You can watch an amazing slide show of questions regarding this reunion on Pulp’s websitehere, as well as sign up to receive email updates about the reunion. If you’ve never heard or heard of Pulp, here’s the band’s video for their hit“Common People.” Check it out below.

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Ke$ha announces 2011 headlining tour<<Music News

We should expect nothing less than forKe$hato name her upcoming tour the“Get $leazy” tour. The pop singer announced her debut headlining US tour today and that is in fact its name. The run of dates kicks off at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom on February 15 and winds up at Los Angeles’ The Wiltern on May 6.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale November 19 at Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com. If you simply cannot handle waiting that long to secure a ticket to see Ke$ha play intimate venues like Orlando’s House of Blues, you can preorder her new discCannibalto have access to a presale that will take place November 10-18. You can preorder the recordhere.

Cannibal, a collection of eight new tracks, comes out on November 22. The self-titled second track off the disc,“Cannibal,” comes out today and it’s, well, really something. Listenhere.

Check out tour dates below.

2/15/11 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
2/16/11 The Showbox SODO Seattle, WA
2/19/11 Fillmore Auditorium Denver , CO
2/20/11 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, MO
2/22/11 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
2/24/11 House of Blues Chicago, IL
2/26/11 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit , MI
4/05/11 Wright State Univ. Dayton, OH
4/06/11 Kool Haus Toronto
4/12/11 House of Blues Boston , MA
4/13/11 Roseland Ballroom New York, NY
4/16/11 Clarion University Clarion, PA
4/19/11 The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC
4/20/11 The Tabernacle Atlanta , GA
4/22/11 House of Blues Orlando Orlando, FL
4/26/11 House of Blues Dallas, TX
4/29/11 Verizon Wireless Theater Houston, TX
5/03/11 Grand Sierra Resort& Casino Grand Reno, NV
5/04/11 Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA
5/06/11 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA

Also check out a persuasive video of Ke$ha announcing her tour.

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Lil Wayne slapped with paternity suit<<Music News

As ifLil Waynedidn’t hadn’t had enough legal issues this year, the rapper, who wasrecently released from prison,  can now add a paternity suit to his ever-growing list of courtroom battles. Asreported byTMZ,  a Missouri woman hit Weezy with paternity papers while the rapper was  serving out his jail sentence at Rikers Island, claiming an eight-year-old girl was Wayne’s child. Weezy F. Baby has already fathered four children from four different women, so if this woman’s claims are true, you can now make that five from five.

The eight-year-old’s grandmother obtained a court order that requires Wayne to undergo a DNA test. According to the legal papers obtained byTMZ, Weezy was supposed to get tested before September 10, 2010, but since he was incarcerated at the time he got the letter (dated August 20), the judge pushed the deadline to December 9.

In other Wayne-related news, the rapper appears to be back in the studio. Mack Maine, president of Young Money,tweeted,“It’s official Wayne laid his 1st verse!!!! Torture!!!!”

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The Get Up Kids announce US tour dates<<Music News

We all know no bandreallybreaks up anymore. And we know that from practically every reunion tour comes a new album. So, even thoughthe Get Up Kidscalled it quits in 2005, and initially said their 2009 reunion tour would be short-lived, it should come as no surprise that the band has a new album coming out on January 25 and announced a slew of accompanying tour dates today.

The band’s new album,There Are Rules, follows a four-song EP the group released earlier this year and will appear on their own label, Quality Hill Records—named after a neighborhood in the group’s hometown of Kansas City. The disc was produced by Ed Rose and will be the band’s first new full-length since 2004’sGuilt Show.

To support the record, the Get Up Kids will embark on a tour in January and February withSteel TrainandRiver City Extensionslotted as openers. The tour kicks off at Houston’s Warehouse Live on January 21 and concludes at Denver’s Marquis Theater on February 5. All shows on the tour are all-ages. Ticket presales begin tomorrow (November 12) and public ticket sales begin next Thursday, November 18.

Check out the tour dates below:

January 21– Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
January 22– Austin, TX @ Emo’s
January 23– Dallas, TX @ The Loft
January 25– Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
January 26– San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
January 27– West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
January 28– Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
January 29– San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
January 30– San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
February 1– Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
February 2– Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
February 3– Boise, ID @ The Knitting Factory
February 4– Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
February 5– Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater

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T.I. and crew sued for assault in studio<<Music News

PoorT.I.Just a week after returning to prison for a probation violation, the rapper has been sued by a studio technician who alleges he was held hostage and beaten in T.I.’s Echo Studios. The technician, Norris Gresham, is claiming that T.I.’s associates held him in an Atlanta recording studio for 12 hours on September 8 and beat him because a necklace was missing.

Gresham filed the charges on Monday in Fulton County State Court, stating that although T.I. was not present during the attack, he is ultimately responsible as he own the studio and was sent emails, texts and videos as the assault was happening. According toMTV News, the lawsuit names numerous people in the rapper’s crew, including rapper Jonathan“Spodee” Carle, Terrance“Cap” Beasley, Nathaniel“Mac Boney” Josey, Michael“Mike Bigga” Render and Cortez“C-Rod” Thomas, who was in the car in Los Angeles with T.I. on September 1 when he was arrested on drug charges.

According to the suit, Gresham was held hostage after Render was unable to find his gold diamond-encrusted chain and medallion in the studio, and the crew decided he was responsible. Josey allegedly sent texts and emails to T.I. informing him as the situation unfolded. The necklace and medallion were eventually found hidden in the ceiling of the studio. As Gresham was being interrogated and beaten, the studio’s managed apparently sent T.I. a video of what was happening and the suit states that the rapper“did nothing to stop or prevent the assault.”

The lawsuit details the incident in depth, adding that at one point Carle produced a gun and threatened to kill Gresham. Instead, the crew beat him up, ultimately knocking out two of his teeth.

T.I.’s camp has yet to comment on the situation.

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Lil Wayne banned from Vegas hotel<<Music News

Lil Waynemay be out of prison but that doesn’t mean all is golden for the rapper. Like we reported earlier this week, Wayne is prohibited from alcohol and other substances for three years based on the terms of his probation. This is apparently why the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has banned him from their premises.

According toTMZ, last weekend when Weezy tried to attend a post-performance party at the Wynn, he found he was not allowed to enter because the hotel didn’t want him to get in trouble.TMZreports that a rep for the hotel told a member of Wayne’s entourage that he would not be permitted on the property and would be removed if he tried to enter.

It sounds a little strange that a hotel and casino would ban someone to prevent them from getting into trouble, but it turns out that the Wynn has a history of this. According toPopeater, Paris Hilton was banned from the site following her arrest in September, although it seems like that one might be less about keeping the celebrity out of trouble and more about keeping the hotel out of trouble.

Don’t worry about Lil Wayne, though.TMZsays he spent Saturday night hanging out at the Palms Casino Resort instead.

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The Decemberists return with bare-bones LP<<Music News

If you’ve followed Portland indie-folk collective theDecemberiststhroughout their decade-long career,  you would know that the band, largely inspired by frontman Colin Meloy’s penchant for epic storytelling dynamics, tends to work in grand fashion. Case in point is 2008’s 17-part rock-opera composition,The Hazards of Love. However, according to aninterviewwithSPIN, Meloy suggests that the band’s newest album,The King Is Dead(for which the album cover and tracklisting were recently revealed), will be pared down and get back to the group’s simplified folksy roots.

“I was trying to challenge my normal impulses a bit, keeping things short and more concise,” Meloy said of the album, which was recorded in a desolate Oregon barn.“I just wanted to write some pretty songs.”

In an official press release, Meloy explained his evolution as a songwriter, which has led him back to simple Americana-esque melodies.“Over the last 11 years or so, since I moved to Portland, I feel like I’ve been mining mostly English traditions for influence,” Meloy said.“I guess I’ve kind of come back to a lot of the more American music that got me going in the first place– R.E.M. and Camper Van Beethoven and all these bands that borrowed from more American traditions like Neil Young and the Byrds.”

Perhaps it’s fitting then that the band enlisted the help of R.E.M.guitarist Peter Buck for the new LP. The iconic axman plays on three of the album’s 10 songs.

The band has released the first single from the album,“Down by the Water,” which sees Meloy reuniting with a long-lost friend: His harmonica.“I thought it’d be fun to try again,” he says.“Adding a harmonica— it has a rank-and-file sort of 80’s cow-punk thing to it. That was a nice color to add.” You can check out Meloy’s mouth organ skills on “Down by the Water” by downloading it for free righthere.

Check out the tracklisting forThe King Is Deadbelow.

“Don’t Carry It All”
“Calamity Song”
“Rise to Me”
“Rox in the Box”
“January Hymn”
“Down By the Water”
“All Arise!”
“June Hymn”
“This Is Why We Fight”
“Dear Avery”

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