Greg Watermann photo
Fort Minor: From left, Cheapshot, Tak, Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park), Ryu and Beat Down.

Fort Minor's (100 Percent Reason to) Remember the Name is free, and in pieces, to play with: Mike Shinoda's Linkin Park spinoff has launched the Fort Minor Remix Contest.

Fort Minor is offering the separated audio elements of "Remember the Name" online under a Creative Commons BY-NC license, so that producers all over the world can easily create remixes of the hit song.

The a capella is really nice.

You can also get the final tune on Fort Minor's homepage. (Very bottom, small print.)

Which came first? I heard the voice of our first student blogger, (Kelsea Brennan-Wessels, An American Student in Rome) for the first time today, on the BBC's The World site.

Kelsea blogged about the popularity of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army in Rome, and she tells reporter William Troop about it. She and her boyfriend also hum the tune. You can hear the segment here.(5:40): "A song from the Detroit rock band The White Stripes is all the rage in Rome. Fans of a professional soccer team there have adopted "Seven Nation Army" as their anthem. The World's William Troop explains."

Kelsea is out reporting on Rome's zeppole right now, but I hope she'll tell us how that gig unfolded for her.

Homage to Ali Farka Toure: BBC audio again. African musician Ali Farka Toure dies. "Malian musician Ali Farka Toure died this morning in the capital, Bamako, after a long fight with cancer. The World's Marco Werman recalls his own trip to visit Toure five years ago and tells host Lisa Mullins of the legacy that Toure leaves behind. "

Extended interview with farmer Toure (mp3, 14:13)