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| Jay-Z Playing October Shows With Lil Wayne, T.I. — But Not At The Same Time Posted: 10 Sep 2008 05:31 AM PDT Ne-Yo will also be on the bill for shows in New Jersey, Philadelphia.
Jay-Z and Lil Wayne: same night, same place. There are some very big possibilities there! On Wednesday (September 10), New York radio station Power 105.1 announced that its Powerhouse concert, taking place on October 28, will be headlined by both Mr. Carters. The show takes place at a venue Hov knows very well: the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home to his New Jersey Nets. More names of performers will be revealed in the coming weeks, although Ne-Yo has also been announced as appearing on the bill. Now, let's do take two. Jay-Z and T.I.: same night, same place. Power 99-FM in Philadelphia (sister station to 105.1) recently announced that Jay and the King of the South will be performing at the Wachovia Center in the City of Brotherly Love on October 24. Ne-Yo is on that bill as well, along with fellow R&B knockout-punchers Keyshia Cole and T-Pain. And October is looking like it will be "Roc-Tober," as Jay will be playing an L.A. show as well: He's the main attraction for the re-opening of the Hollywood Palladium on October 15. Maybe Jay will pull some of the records from his forthcoming Blueprint 3 LP out of the bag. He's been working in Hawaii and in New York on the project with Kanye West, who may be producing the entire album. "Jockin' Jay-Z" — which the pair premiered at Kanye's show at Madison Square Garden last month — and "Swagger Like Us (S.L.U.)" — Jay's collaboration with T.I., Kanye and Lil Wayne — are the only songs from the project that have been aired thus far. The latter will also appear in T.I.'s September 30 release, Paper Trail. Jay's latest round of guest appearances includes the remix of Raphael Saadiq's just-released "Oh Girl." Related Artists |
| Posted: 11 Sep 2008 05:00 AM PDT 'People want to know everything and anything they can about you when you're in the spotlight,' MC says.
These are not the Gym Class Heroes you've grown to love (or hate), that much is for certain. These are not the same unassuming guys from the middle of New York state, the ones who brought you slightly goofy hits like "Cupid's Chokehold" or "Clothes Off!," who genre-hopped with reckless abandon, and who were one of the scene's best-kept secrets. The Gym Class Heroes of 2008 are now a fairly big deal — the kind of act whose albums are events and who are expected to "shift units," as they say. They have a famous frontman with an even more famous girlfriend, famous friends with famous wives and famous guest stars on their record. They are, for all intents and purposes, a completely different band ... and they are aware of this.
"People's first introduction to us was 'Cupid's Chokehold' or 'Clothes Off!' ... and a lot of people don't go past what they're offered on radio or on television, so they take it at face value and stamp you a certain way, and I feel like people didn't care to take the time to dig deeper," sighed MC Travis McCoy — he's the one dating Katy Perry, btw. "And I wasn't offended by it or anything, but it gets a little annoying when people walk up behind you and sing, 'Ba-da-da-da!' [the incessant hook from 'Cupid's Chokehold']. People go, 'Oh, that's the "Ba-da-da-da" guy!' and I'm like, 'Man, I put so much time into this record to be the "Ba-da-da-da" guy?' "And so I think with this record, I made a conscious effort on my behalf to go at it extra hard, lyrically, to showcase that I am a wordsmith, and I've studied the masters," he continued, laughing slightly. "And just the response we've gotten from some of the songs on the record, or just walking down the street, dudes are like, 'Yo, dude can spit! I saw you in the booth on "Rap City." ' And I'm like, 'I've been doing it for a while now, man. It's nothing new.' " What is new about GCH — aside from their funky, shape-shifting album The Quilt, which hit stores Tuesday — is the amount of attention McCoy's personal life has been getting lately and how that has affected people's perception of the band. He makes no attempt to hide his relationship with pop princess Katy Perry and, frankly, doesn't see any reason why he should. Whether that openness has been a good or bad thing remains to be seen. "This is the first time I've been super head-over-heels about someone since the third grade and almost in the sense where there's this urge in me to pull a Tom Cruise and jump on Oprah's couch," he laughed. "It's something that I can't escape. The questions always come up, and I'm never one to be a di-- and be like, 'I don't want to talk about that.' But it's inevitable. People want to know everything and anything they can about you when you're in the spotlight. And even with my music, I don't hide too much. So in that, and in interviews, I try to stay honest. With any record — it's the same with books: People are going to walk away from it with a different perspective than anyone else. It's a choose-your-own-adventure thing." The trouble is, many reviewers have chosen to view the songs on The Quilt through the prism of his public persona. So with each mention of infidelity, each instance of self-doubt, each ode to illicit substances, they think they're gaining intimate knowledge of McCoy and Perry's relationship ... and what they see isn't pretty. "I've gotten a lot of flak in interviews like, 'You know, you're talking about cheating, but you're with Katy right now.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but the song was written before.' And not only that, but like, if I can deal with her singing about kissing girls all day, she can deal with me singing about eating cookies for a little while," he smiled. "At the end of the day, people are going to take what they want from the record. It's like back when I was in art school, after we were done with our paintings, we'd have to put them up and critique ourselves, like, 'Oh, this is what I was feeling when I did this, and this color represents this,' and I was always like, 'I'd much rather put this up here and have you tell me what you get from it, because I had a lot of fun doing it, and I'm not going to sit here and bullsh-- you and tell you there's all these hidden agendas behind it.' And that's the same way I approach records." And while McCoy doesn't feel the need to explain GCH's music, the fact that he's the one doing most of the talking in the interview — guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, bassist Eric Roberts and drummer Matt McGinley are seated next to him — brings us to the other thing that's different about Gym Class these days: the very common misconception that the band is just McCoy's solo project. And while some of that seems to be true — after all, The Quilt contains the most overtly hip-hop stuff the band has ever done — McCoy just laughs it off. It's up to the listener to decide, he said. And this time, his bandmates are there to agree with him. "I think people outside of our circle are more concerned with this becoming 'The Travis Show.' Honestly, I would be nothing without these three guys. Nothing. And granted, we all have our side projects and whatnot, but Gym Class Heroes is and always will be the priority," McCoy said. "People are always asking me: 'When's the solo album coming out?' But we're a unit. Always have been and always will be. I've read a lot about this record, and people keep going, 'This is all Travis,' but in the same sense that everyone thinks Fall Out Boy is all Pete — wrong. Those guys are a unit just as much as we are, you know?" "I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it is [frustrating], but I think it's natural for people to gravitate to one member of the band and single them out, but that's on them, that's on the media, that's on other people," McGinley added. "Within the internal workings of the group, everybody has their own important unique place, and without that we'd be selling drugs." "Thank you," McCoy laughed. "I'm so glad you feel that way." Related Artists |
| Jordin Sparks: 'I Don't Regret' Promise-Ring Outburst At VMAs Posted: 10 Sep 2008 02:15 AM PDT 'American Idol' winner says she didn't mean to call non-ring-wearers 'sluts' when defending Jonas Brothers.
At the 2008 VMAs, Jordin Sparks had a very visceral reaction to the comments made by host Russell Brand regarding the Jonas Brothers' purity rings. While presenting an award, she paused to say, "I just have one thing to say about promise rings. It's not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody — guy or girl — wants to be a slut." (Watch a video of Jordin Sparks' comment here.) On Tuesday, the VMA-nominated "American Idol" winner, who also wears a purity ring, spoke to EW.com about her comments. "It's something I feel strongly about," Sparks said. Sparks said she does feel sorry that her own unscripted statement might have offended some. "I wish I would've worded it differently — that somebody who doesn't wear a promise ring isn't necessarily a slut — but I can't take it back now. It was a split-second thing, and it came out kind of wrong. Still, I don't regret it." The 19-year-old also added that she has no hard feelings against Brand, admitting that the two shared a laugh backstage at the show. "I have nothing against him at all," she said. The Jonas Brothers took to the BBC airwaves on Tuesday to respond to Brand's jokes. "For us, it's cool to see that he recognizes we are gentlemen," Nick, 15, said. His older brother, Kevin, 20, seemed to think Brand just overdid it. "I think he focused on certain things and didn't move off of them," he said. "People's attention spans in America need more than that." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Young Jeezy Blown Away By <i>Recession</i>'s #1 Debut: 'It Feels Good' Posted: 10 Sep 2008 04:32 AM PDT 'To have a #1 album is great, but to have the people appreciate it is better,' rapper says.
"It's a recession — everybody's broke," Young Jeezy raps on the title track from his third album, The Recession. Well, more than 260,000 people scraped together their pennies to buy the new LP, which snagged the #1 spot on the SoundScan charts Wednesday (September 10). "To have a #1 album and the reaction from the people be strong and solid, it feels good," Jeezy said from his home in Atlanta. "It feels like Thug Motivation all over again. I just did a project I wanted to do, and the people appreciated. To have a #1 album is great, but to have the people appreciate it is better." Young released several records on the Internet prior to his album's release, and he's put out videos for "Put On" (with Kanye West) and "Vacation." He's going to do a few polls in the streets to see which song he should shoot a video for next. "My President," "Who Dat" and "Circulate" are among the records that seem to have the strongest reactions so far. "I'mma grind sh-- out, so you're gonna get a few more records," he promised. One of the songs on the album that means the most to Young is "Don't Do It," on which he rhymes about visiting one of his good friends in the penitentiary. "You see this person that had all these things, and he's in a position where he doesn't have any control over all of that," Jeezy explained. "It's like a sense of pride. When you walking into the building to see him, you're [thinking about] how he's gonna be reacting, how he's gonna feel. It's a hard feeling, but I think it was a harder feeling for me than it was for him. I was like, 'Whoa.' He was like, 'What's up? So how's the club going? Who's doing what?' I was on the free side, and I still felt awkward. But that's my man, though. To see him stand up there like, 'I'm cool. You all right?' He was like, 'I see you riding with Barack.' Everybody had to go see somebody who they loved at a funeral or either a prison — it's nothing you can do. That's your song. I been to so many funerals. I'm like, 'Man, I can't go again.' But you have to go. That's the song to get you through." On "Crazy World," Jeezy talks about a momentary dilemma of wanting to buy a new sports car when his aunt needed a new kidney. He went with his family, of course. "That's Auntie who practically helped raise me," he explained. "All she needs to survive is a kidney. Do you go to a lot and put $200,000 on a car, or do you put $200,000 in a foundation to help start something up to help her or anybody like her? That's a real-life conflict. If I get a call while I'm out on the road saying my auntie passed, that would mess my head up." Jeezy said he has been helping his aunt out, and she's in better spirits. Related Artists |
| Kanye West's New Album, <i>808's and Heartbreak,</i> Apparently Slated For December 16 Release Posted: 10 Sep 2008 09:43 AM PDT Album was listed for presale on retail sites Wednesday.
After premiering his new song "Love Lockdown," at the VMAs on Sunday Kanye West may be capitalizing on the song's instant acclaim. The track is rumored to be on the new LP that interview-shy West has been keeping mum about, but a title and release date for the LP were listed on Amazon.com and Target.com Wednesday (September 10).
The retail sites have posted presale info for 808's & Heartbreak, listing a sale price of $13.98 and release date of December 16. At press time, a spokesperson for Def Jam could not be reached for confirmation or further comment. (On Wednesday, Kanye posted an MP3 and single artwork for the song on his blog.) West sang "Love Lockdown" again on Tuesday night, to a much smaller crowd at New York's Knitting Factory, in a surprise set of classics and fresh-off-the-press bangers. He performed "Flashing Lights," "Swagger Like Us," "Put On" and "Can't Tell Me Nothing" in the intimate club, where the lineup featured Q-Tip and artists from 'Ye's G.O.O.D. Music record label, including Consequence and G.L.C. In a recent interview with MTV News, T-Pain said he's been "going back and forth" with West in the studio over the past couple of months, but there is no confirmation that any of Pain's work will appear on Kanye's album. "He'll call me to his room; I'll do a hook for him," T-Pain said. "I'll go back down, probably make a couple beats. I'll call him down: 'Yo, do a verse for me real quick.' He'll go back up; he'll make something, call me back up." Besides working on his next LP, West has been producing Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 — which the pair premiered a track from at Kanye's Madison Square Garden show last month — and he appears on upcoming LPs by T-Pain (Thr33 Ringz), DJ Khaled (We Global) and T.I. (Paper Trail). Related Artists |
| Lykke Li: Rising Star, By Kurt Loder Posted: 11 Sep 2008 05:00 AM PDT She's got the look — and the songs, too.
"She was a punk for three months," Li says. "It was more of a thing you do when you're young: 'Let's have a punk band!' " Mom soon moved on to photography, and when Lykke was six, the family relocated to Portugal, where they lived in a house in the mountains ("We had a donkey"), and made excursions to India in the winters. Eventually they returned to Stockholm, where Li finished school. Then, at 19, eager to get started on some sort of music career, she moved to New York City — Brooklyn, to be exact, where she shared a dump of an apartment with a fleet of cockroaches. "I signed up for some improvisation classes, so I could practice my English," she says. "And I did some open-mic nights, and I played in the park, you know? I just partied, I guess." When her visa ran out, she returned to Stockholm. Her father encouraged her to keep pursuing a music career and hooked her up with an old friend of his, Björn Yttling, then already scoring international hits with the pop trio Peter Björn and John. Lykke was dubious. "He produced a lot of indie people — 'I hate myself' kind of music. I didn't know about Peter Björn and John. But I needed somebody to record me. And then we met, and it was a perfect match." Yttling has co-writing credits on all the songs on Li's debut album, Youth Novels, and his generally minimalist arrangements are a substantial part of the record's charm. Lykke is appreciative of his input. "He said, 'Sing me some songs,' so I sang with the piano. He said, 'OK, we can work with this — it's not perfect, but it's something we can work with.' It was good. I was writing on my own, and he gave me feedback." Last year, those sessions produced an EP called Little Bit, the title track of which became a modest hit. She promoted her work on her MySpace page and with a collection of mostly low-tech YouTube videos (two million hits and counting). She also has her own little label, LL Recordings. Life at the moment is very good. A common assumption about the Swedish music scene — from ABBA in the '70s through such subsequent acts as the Hives, Sahara Hotnights, Jens Lekman and El Perro Del Mar — is that they've all inherited some sort of national pop gene. Li dismisses this — nothing ever comes that easy. "We don't have a lot of stuff to do in Stockholm," she says. "So you might as well be at home making songs, 'cause there's nothing to do on the streets. But you have to learn; you have to write. You still have to fight for it." Related Videos Related Artists |
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