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| '50 Cent For President'? Rapper Gets In The Race By Posting New Track Online Posted: 29 Sep 2008 04:17 AM PDT Fif refers to his 'Before I Self Destruct' film, which features Naughty by Nature's Treach, in the song.
A black commander in chief who's not Barack Obama? Could it be? Curtis Jackson announced his bid for the Oval Office over the weekend when he posted a song via his Web site called " 50 Cent for President." Although the track doesn't really dwell too much on Fif's political views (which have been up in the air during this year's presidential election), he does reiterate that he wants to be music's number-one candidate. "My main aim is to take away pain," he raps, giving a glance into his campaign platform. "It's OK — get f---ed up, man/ ... For five years, I'm the n---a you been hating on/ December 9, I'mma give you what you waiting for." That date he refers to is the planned launch of his next album, Before I Self Destruct. During the last minute of the track, 50 just talks, telling the listener he's in Detroit working on the album with Eminem and Dr. Dre. "I'm like Prince right now," he says in the song. "This is like 'Purple Rain,' baby" — in the sense that he's putting out an album and a companion film simultaneously. The album, he promises, will have a similar feel to his debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. "What we did in the past doesn't even count to n---as no more," G-Unit member Tony Yayo told us recently. "You gotta stay on n---as' necks now. [The fans,] they wanna hear some new sh--. Hip-hop changes, man. "Ain't no love in the industry," Yayo added, addressing the reception to the G-Unit group effort T.O.S.: Terminate on Sight. "You just have to be business-orientated. T.O.S. was a good album. The streets loved it. It wasn't commercial. And basically, it's something on the catalog; we go to the next project. I feel like a new artist right now. I feel like we're starting all over." Yayo said that the low sales for Terminate on Sight have only driven the Unit's captain to make some of his best work to date. Still, Yayo said the meager SoundScan showing last time around had nothing to do with his camp's musical quality. "T.O.S., I feel like sometimes the things that 50 and Jimmy Iovine go through trickle down on us," Yayo said. "50 is the kind of person, he has so much power and money, sometimes I think the label gets intimidated by that. None of his artists have to starve. Me and Banks and Buck, we all was good. If Interscope don't wanna throw me an advance, I can always get the quarter mil, half a mil from Fif. I feel [T.O.S.] wasn't marketed, period. Even with the iTunes, people tried to order the album, they couldn't order the album. We had weak preorders. We didn't go on a good promo run. ... 50 has one more album left [on his Interscope contract]. If you're Jimmy Iovine or somebody, when you know you have that leverage, why not let the G-Unit album fail so we can give you less money if you come back to negotiate with us? If the album does well, I have to give you more money." On the movie side, 50 isn't letting a major company interfere with his artistic vision. He wrote, co-directed and stars in the "Before I Self Destruct" film. "Fif is a brilliant businessman," Treach, one of the movie's co-stars, said. "He let me know all the money he spent on his first movie, 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'.' He was like, 'I'll never spend that much on a movie again. I know the numbers now. I know how to make it. It ain't no six months on a movie type sh-- no more.' The game changed on the music front and on the movie front. He knows how to cut the corners, what needs to be done, how much time, the budget. He's on his game. He's doing things on his pace that he's gonna put the official stamp on Hollywood. He's gonna change the game for Hollywood." Treach — who along with the rest of his group, Naughty by Nature, will be given major props as part of VH1's "Hip-Hop Honors" on October 6 — says 50 called him to be down with the production through a mutual friend. "50, we got family from the same Queens area," the rap legend explained. "When he had the 'How to Rob' record, the only name he didn't mention was Treach. A homie of ours, J. Jesses Smith, he's directing [the movie]. We done some work on some videos back in the day and stuff. We work at the same gym, me and the director. So he was like, 'Fif wanted to get a role for this movie he's shooting.' One night, he wanted me to come in and check the set. He was filming in the projects in Patterson, New Jersey. So I came through, 2 in the morning, kicked it with the homie. That next week, he had a slot for me to come up and do a scene. I have a nice little scene in there." Treach also noted that 50 has compartmentalized his two careers. "50 is so coordinated with his stuff, he don't clutter his box up," Treach said. "When we doing a movie, we talking film business. When we doing music, we talking music business." There is no official word on when the "Before I Self Destruct" movie will be released. There has also been no announcement on whether the film will come out in theaters or go straight to DVD. Related Artists |
| DJ AM Attends Memorial Service For Plane-Crash Victim Chris Baker Posted: 29 Sep 2008 05:49 AM PDT AM was one of 300 mourners who paid tribute to Travis Barker's late personal assistant.
The entertainment world was rocked September 20 when Travis Barker and DJ AM were among the small group of passengers on a Learjet that crashed before takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. Fans were further astonished to learn that the two musicians were the only people to leave the plane alive. Now, only nine days later, DJ AM has made his first public appearance to pay tribute to one of the duo's deceased friends. According to People.com, AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) was one of 300 mourners who turned out in Los Angeles on Monday (September 29) to attend a memorial service for Chris "Lil Chris" Baker, who served as an assistant to Barker for several years and was a close friend to both musicians. At the time of his death, he had been accompanying Barker and AM on tour. Sporting a bandage on the right side of his neck, oversized sunglasses and little visible damage to his face, DJ AM arrived in a limousine for the two-hour event. Following a request by Baker's wife, Otillia Villar, Goldstein wore green to pay tribute to his deceased friend. The DJ was released Friday from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, where he battled back after suffering severe burns and being listed in critical condition. Barker was released from the hospital on Monday and will spend the next few days traveling back to Los Angeles on a bus. The plane's pilot and co-pilot and two passengers (including Baker, a regular on Travis' reality show "Meet the Barkers," and security guard Charles Still) were killed in the late-night crash. It came just hours after Barker and DJ AM performed at an event alongside Perry Farrell and Gavin DeGraw. If you'd like more information on the memorial funds set up to benefit Chris Baker's and Charles Still's families, visit the Famous Stars and Straps Web site. Related Videos Related Artists |
| State Property Are Back Together Because 'Collectively, We're Way More Powerful' Posted: 30 Sep 2008 05:03 AM PDT 'We've been sprinkling songs out there and letting people know the best is yet to come,' Beanie Sigel says.
NEW YORK — Beanie Sigel and the Goodfellas are all back together at the table breaking bread — well, except for maybe Beans himself and the man to his left. "It's a beautiful thing," Freeway said, as he passed on the endless plates of food from Italian restaurant Macelleria in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.
Free and Sigel were fasting due to Ramadan, but most of the State Property crew (save for Oschino and Neef Buck, whom everybody insisted were still down despite their absences) were eating lunch before a late-night performance at S.O.B.'s. The collective has been together making music for the past several months but has only now decided to come up to the surface and speak about it. Here they are again, world. "We all been doing this together for a minute," Free said, as he watched Peedi Crakk devour some fries. "When we get together, we make good music. It's strength in numbers. We gonna put something on the streets for y'all real soon." "This what they been wanting," said Young Chris, who sat at the head of the table. "People been wanting it for a long time. Due to the Roc-A-Fella split, people thought State Property split up. But we been all good. Been like that since day one. Everybody is neutral. We all here, man." "This is perfect timing," added Omillio Sparks, the most charismatic and slept-on team member. "Even though it's the recession with the economy all twisted, you need music like this back in the streets to make the people feel like it's some sense of hope. Barack the vote, and we're back." As of now, the State Property soldiers are free agents. They've been making dozens of records — some of which have been intentionally leaked online — out of their own pockets. Beanie is still very much the leader of the organization and said he's weighing his options for the family. "The plan right now is to make sure ... the State Property project gets finished up," Beanie said. "Find a home for that and make sure everybody's individual projects be set up properly, so we can move forward from there. The State Property album will be good to put things back in perspective and showcase us as artists. At the same time, we got Chris working on his solo project that's long overdue. Peedi's working on his solo project. Sparks, Freeway, me ... we wanna make sure we line up our ducks in order so when this State Property thing pops off, and pops off the way we expect it to, everybody can come right behind it and not miss a beat. We've been sprinkling songs out there and letting people know the best is yet to come, but we're not missing a beat." "This is gonna be the best State Property album," Peedi promised. "Everybody had time to grow individually. After the last album, we had a good two or three years apart, and we've all been independently putting out mixtapes and trying to create the most we can on our own time. Collectively, we're way more powerful. Nobody is a weak link." The release-date order as of now goes Young Chris' Now or Never at the top of the year (he just got out of his Def Jam contract but is still signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella imprint); Peedi Crakk's A Night in the Life on Amalgam Digital probably in March; then everybody else from there. Beanie and Freeway are both signed but are unsure of their status with Roc-A-Fella. They are sure of their disappointment over the way their last solo LPs were promoted. "It's like being on a team with Jordan and you don't get a chance to make it to the championship, you don't even get a chance to play in the game," Sig said about the commercial failures of his The Solution and Freeway's Free at Last under the watch of former Def Jam President and CEO Jay-Z. "That's how I feel. It's like we're mechanics that helped get a car started up and pushing, somebody gets in the car and just pulls off on you, leaves you on the side of the road. That's how it feels." Still, Sig harbors no harsh feelings for Jay-Z and even dreams of a Roc reunion. "Its no fault to nobody, I guess, but it's just frustrating," he continued. "You got that within yourself, those expectations. We love Jay. We love him. Jay don't owe nobody anything, but it's frustrating because the public got questions, and they want answers. When they start asking questions, you can't answer or you don't wanna answer honestly. What can you say?" Related Artists |
| Travis Barker Released From Hospital Posted: 29 Sep 2008 03:55 AM PDT Hospital spokesperson said she believes Barker is returning to Los Angeles; DJ AM was released Friday.
Travis Barker was released from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, on Monday morning (September 29), a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed to MTV News. The drummer spent nine days at the center after the plane crash that took the lives of four people and seriously injured Barker and DJ AM. Barker underwent treatment for severe burns on his torso and lower body. "Travis is in good condition and was discharged this morning," Frits told People.com on Monday. "He has left Augusta."
Citing a "source," People.com reported later Monday that Barker is traveling back to Los Angeles via bus, and that the source said, "Trust me, [Barker] will never fly again — ever." The site cited a different source as saying that Barker will continue treatment in a Los Angeles hospital. At press time, Barker's reps had not confirmed that information for MTV News. On Friday, DJ AM, who also suffered severe burns in the crash, was released from the hospital. "While he is deeply saddened by the events, he is thankful for all of the love and support he has been receiving from fans and friends worldwide," AM's rep said. "We ask that you continue to respect his privacy as he rests and heals and mourns the loss of his friends." The DJ updated his Facebook page later Friday to say, "Adam Goldstein [AM's real name] is the luckiest guy alive." Later Monday, TMZ posted a photograph of AM leaving his home, reportedly en route to a memorial service for Barker's assistant, "Lil" Chris Baker, who was killed in the crash. Barker's security guard, Charles Still, and the plane's pilot and co-pilot also died. Monday's announcement contrasted with a statement from Barker's friend, Jermaine Dupri, who'd visited the drummer and said he'd be out of the hospital in "about two weeks." "He's supposed to send a message out to everybody in a couple of days to let everybody know that he's feeling better," he said. "He's definitely feeling the love from everyone." Both Barker and AM are expected to recover fully from their injuries. If you'd like more information on the memorial funds set up to benefit Chris Baker's and Charles Still's families, visit the Famous Stars and Straps Web site. [This story was originally published at 1:08 pm E.T. on 09.29.2008] Related Videos Related Artists |
| Flea Uses Red Hot Chili Peppers Hiatus To Go Back To School Posted: 29 Sep 2008 03:06 AM PDT Bassist, who's studying music, says he's 'just another student trying to learn.'
Most college students aren't interrupted in the middle of class by autograph-seeking frat boys. And most college students can't claim to have appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone clad in nothing but a single tube sock. So no, Flea is not your typical freshman. But with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on an open-ended hiatus, the band's bassist decided to enroll at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he's studying music theory, music composition and jazz trumpet. "Being in a band has been an education, and being on tour has been an education, so this is just me furthering my education in a different way," Flea told MTV News. "When I was a kid and it was time to go to college, I thought, 'College is for people who don't have the street smarts to make it on their own — get in a band, get in a van and get rockin'.' That was a good philosophy for me at the time, [but] there were a lot of things I wanted to learn, and I want to learn them now." Flea admitted that being the OMC (oldest man on campus) was strange initially, but he said there's nothing he'd rather be doing right now. "At first there were a few looks, but everyone's so busy trying to learn," he explained. "There's the occasional autograph or whatever, but it's just so not about that. It's about learning and studying music. I'm just another student trying to learn." A student trying to learn who also happens to be a rock star — a realization Flea said hit him last week. "I was running across campus with my backpack, and I didn't want to be tardy," he said. "I was thinking, 'What the f--- am I doing? I'm a 45-year-old rock star and I'm worried about being tardy?' " When he's not in class, Flea said he's at home working on solo material he doubts he'll ever release commercially. He's not sure when the Chili Peppers will reconvene to start work on the follow-up to 2006's Stadium Arcadium, but that's not something he's been thinking about. "We've just kind of stepped away from it for a while," Flea said. "We've been working so hard for such a long period of time that we needed to get away to get a fresh perspective, and that's what we're doing." According to Flea, the band originally decided to take two years off. RHCP finished their world tour a year ago, "so I think [we're looking at] another year or so," he said. "Being a rock star isn't all it's cracked up to be, let me tell you," Flea continued. "You go on tour for a year and a half, and it's great. I love entertaining people, I love playing music, and I love rocking like an animal. But at a certain point, you're playing gig after gig after gig, in town after town after town, and you're lying down, staring at another hotel-room ceiling, and it's like, 'I want to be home. I'm a dad, I've got kids.' It's nice to be home and do that stuff and work on music, but the time will come when that will shift again." While Flea's got plenty of homework to keep him busy, he's also been teaching at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a nonprofit educational organization he helped found to foster music education. "We have about 600 students, and we teach academics, we teach fundamentals, and we teach the technique of the instrument of their choice," he said. "We teach music — it's pretty simple. We're not about being a celebrity. We're about teaching music to kids and trying to fill the gap [left] where arts programs have been cut out by the public schools. No music education for children is an outrage, and it's tantamount to child abuse. Kids deserve arts, and it's just as important as science, math, history, English or athletics." Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Says She Plans To Tour In 2009 Posted: 29 Sep 2008 01:30 AM PDT 'Definitely next year,' singer says when asked about touring plans during interview on New York's Z100 radio station.
Britney Spears stopped by New York radio station Z100 Monday morning (September 29) to talk about her new single, "Womanizer," which made its debut on the station Friday, and surprised listeners by saying she's planning to tour next year. "['Womanizer' is] basically saying, 'We know what you're up to.' It's about guys cheating on girls," she said. "It's a girl anthem. That's why I like it. So hopefully the fans will see it that way too!" She also said she's completed work on her forthcoming LP, Circus (which is slated for release on her 27th birthday, December 2), on which the single appears. "Well, actually ... I cut Circus like two weeks ago. I've been working on this album for, like, six months now." Spears said was stunned when she won three Moonmen earlier this month at the VMAs, in part because she feels she's done better videos. "It's a cool video, but I think by far I've done videos that are way better, so I was really shocked that it got the award," she said. "It was just inspiring, though," she continued, "because now, going forward with the videos that I'm doing now, I can really go there and do something crazy and see what happens." Surprisingly, the singer also said that she plans to tour in 2009. "Oh, definitely next year," she said when asked about touring possibilities. "Probably around the world." Last year, Spears, under the name M+M's, did a small club tour that found her lip-synching and wearing a black wig during a brief set. Last week, Spears was seen around Los Angeles filming the video for "Womanizer." In the clip, Britney sports a vampy look, clad in a short black wig and red lipstick, and playing a waitress. The clip was directed by Joseph Khan, who previously helmed her clips for "Stronger" and "Toxic." Sources told UsMagazine.com that the video features "erotic" choreography. Related Artists |
| Want To Undress Katy Perry? Here's Your Chance! Posted: 28 Sep 2008 10:27 PM PDT 'I Kissed a Girl' singer is getting her own doll, and there's already a waiting list.
If you've ever wanted to hold Katy Perry in your trembling hands, bend her into all sorts of interesting positions or perhaps even have her re-enact the "I Kissed a Girl" video with a cast of your sister's Barbies and Bratz dolls, well, you're in luck. (You're also kind of weird.) Perry will soon be hitting stores as a 12-inch doll, fulfilling the next inevitable step in her career and placing her among the ranks of other cast-in-plastic pop luminaries like Gwen Stefani, the Pussycat Dolls (you know, before Hasbro pulled the plug on their line), Fall Out Boy and, uh, Ghostface Killah. The Perry doll — made by the folks at Integrity Toys in collaboration with fashion designer Jason Wu — comes decked out in a wardrobe modeled after the singer's "I Kissed a Girl" clip (belted gold minidress with an accordion-pleated skirt, black stockings and pink heels). It features 12 points of articulation and will be packaged in a box featuring exclusive "whimsical artwork." It retails for $49.99, and only 500 will be made, which might explain why — as of Monday morning (September 29) — there's already a waiting list for the doll over at Integrity's Web site. Eagle-eyed fans might recognize the Perry doll from an early appearance it (sort of) made in her "Ur So Gay" video: Several figures from Integrity's "Fashion Royalty" line (on which the Perry doll is based, though, according to the manufacturer, the "Fashion" line dolls have a "smaller bust") made cameos in the clip. The first batch of Perry dolls is expected to ship in late fall. There's no word on whether Integrity will allow fans to complete their Perry set by releasing a quietly seething doll version of her boyfriend, Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy. Related Photos Related Artists |
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