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| 50 Cent Mocks Kanye West, Sets Up Another Album-Release Showdown Posted: 15 Sep 2008 09:08 AM PDT LL Cool J, Flava Flav join G-Unit onstage during Upstate New York show.
ALBANY, New York — On Saturday night, 50 Cent took a page out of Kanye West's book and told the crowd at his concert he would be debuting a brand-new song from his upcoming album — not via mixtape, not via radio, not via blog, but via live concert performance. "What I want everybody to do right now is take your cell phones out, get your cameras out," Fif urged the audience at the Times Union Center. "Tonight, Albany, New York, I'm gonna give y'all an exclusive. I'mma perform my first single off my new album, Before I Self Destruct." Then, the bass-heavy beat from Kanye West's new song, "Love Lockdown," came thundering through the speakers. Was this a miscue by DJ Whoo Kid? bewildered fans in the crowd wondered. Nope! G-Unit knew exactly what they were doing: 50 began singing the song — "I'm not loving you ..." — clearly mocking Mr. West. "That's what y'all are left with," Fif said, after covering the first verse. He was making reference to the much-ballyhooed SoundScan battle between himself and Kanye just over a year ago, when both MCs released albums on September 11. 50 was soundly thumped in the battle: More than 300,000 more fans favored 'Ye's Graduation over the Queens native's Curtis. "I'll forgive y'all for that one," 50 said. It seems a Kanye/ 50 second round could very well be on the horizon. 50 said Before I Self Destruct is coming out on December 9, and West's 808's & Heartbreak is reportedly slated for a December 16 release date. But we all know how easily in-store dates can change, and even if the releases remain a week apart, it's going to be intriguing. On Saturday night, 50 fed a rabid audience with more than 20 songs from his catalog, rocking the stage for close to two hours. G-Unit — featuring Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo — started their set with "Rider Pt. 2" wearing military jackets, and the focus on the group's latest LP, T.O.S.: Terminate on Sight, continued with records such as "Straight Outta Southside." Although the album was considered a commercial flop, the crowd was very familiar with the material and rapped along. Later, 50 took it back with "Candy Shop" and the hard-hitting "I Get Money"; the greenback anthem shook the arena to its foundation. More hits followed with "P.I.M.P." (50 brought out a white fedora for that one) and "Gunz Come Out." The Unit's attention then steered toward the underground with mixtape cuts like the boldly titled "I F---ed Your Girl." "Now, I been here before, but this is Tony's first time," 50 began explained to the crowd. "I want y'all to help him out." Yayo said, "I want my man to rock with me" — and then pulled Flavor Flav, of all people, from the crowd. Whoo Kid dropped "So Seductive" and Flav and Yayo began doing Flav's signature dance — it was a classic moment. Surprisingly, that was Flav's second show-stealing moment of the night. LL Cool J — who surprised the crowd with an unannounced, multi-song set earlier in the night, as he did in New York in July — said at one point that he needed two guys and five girls onstage with him. While most of them appeared to be random fans, one of the guys ended up being Flav. "You — money, right there," L said to his friend of more than two decades before the reveal. "Come onstage!" Flav and company all danced to Cool J's "Around the Way Girl." LL's set combined his timeless hits with cuts from his new LP, Exit 13. During his latest single, "Baby," he handed out roses to the women in the crowd. However, one person in the venue was not feeling so festive. Keyshia Cole stunned the crowd by walking offstage after performing just a few songs, barking at the soundman just before she left. Ne-Yo performed a set just after Cole left the stage. The singer/songwriter tore things down with tracks from his own albums, including the just-released Year of the Gentleman — but when he started to play some of the monsters he's written for others, like Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" and Rihanna's "Take a Bow," the crowd went insane. Two of the advertised performers for the night were no-shows: Young Jeezy (whose named had dropped off the bill days before the show) and Plies. The latter MC is slated to perform with 50 and the Unit at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena on Friday. Related Videos Related Artists |
| LL Cool J Says He Made <i>Exit 13</i> 'As A Hip-Hop Fan' Posted: 16 Sep 2008 05:00 AM PDT Rapper is lined up for Check the Rhyme concert with 50 Cent, T-Pain, others.
The first-week numbers for LL Cool J's Exit 13 will be released Wednesday, but hip-hop's G.O.A.T. said the only stat that matters is how many hits are on the album. "People can say what they want," he said. "But this is a Mayweather moment. I'mma take a page out of Floyd's book on this one. The album is hot. It's crazy. ... I can't guarantee the first-week sales, because retail is gonna be looking at my last albums' sales and thinking about that. They gonna be caught up in that. So I don't know what I'm gonna do the first week. That's all based on how many records you put out there in the first place. But let me tell you something: That word of mouth on that album and that second week, you watch. We're gonna see.
"Mr. Smith did 80,000 the first week and sold 3 million," he added. "Mama Said Knock You Out did maybe 100,000 first week; that sold 3 million. Bigger and Deffer sold triple-platinum. I have a feeling that sold pretty well, but this is my favorite album that I've made. It is. It's hard for people to think that way. They have records that's embedded in their heads so deeply, you can't move them. But for those new hip-hop fans, its gonna be crazy." LL spoke with so much pride about the project because it's the LP he's worked the longest on. "Just hating on it, hating on yourself," he said about recording the album over the past two years. "I hated on the joint. Say what you want about me, but everything I do musically is on purpose and by design. I know what I'm doing. And that being said, when it's time to make a joint, I hated on the joint. 'Make a new joint, flip it. I'll make two types of joints.' There's two types of albums I make: Albums I make by myself when I'm being artsy and albums I make as a hip-hop fan. I made this album as a hip-hop fan. "Mama Said Knock You Out — that was, maybe, almost a year," he continued. "[Exit 13] is crazy. Two years to get it right, B. I'm telling you. I promise you. It's gonna be mailmen that ain't bought a hip-hop album in 10 years that's gonna buy this album. It's gonna be junior high schools that never bought an LL album buying this album once it gets in the system, God willing." LL is currently opening for Janet Jackson's Rock Witchu Tour. On November 21, he'll head to New Jersey's Izod Center for Hot 97's Check the Rhyme concert. Besides LL, 50 Cent, Q-Tip, T-Pain, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Ice Cube and Brandy are all on the bill. Related Artists |
| Britney Spears' New Album, <i>Circus,</i> Slated For December 2 Release Posted: 15 Sep 2008 07:52 AM PDT New single 'Womanizer' to hit radio September 22.
Britney's not wasting any time. On the heels of her three wins at the 2008 VMAs, the singer's label announced Monday (September 15) that she'll be releasing her next album on December 2, her 27th birthday. According to Jive Records, the album will be called Circus, an apt title considering the events of her life since the release of Blackout. The first single, "Womanizer," produced by the Outsyders, is slated to hit the radio on September 22. Britney-watchers, and even some of her collaborators, had predicted the album wouldn't come out until early next year. A December release date leaves a tight window for the singer to complete her sixth studio album. But Spears has been recording since earlier this summer, and she has more sessions coming up, according to songwriter and producer Keri Hilson. She's got plenty of help too. In addition to known collaborators Hilson, the Outsyders, Sean Garrett, Rodney Jerkins, Lil Jon and Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, Spears is also working with with Dr. Luke (who wrote and produced the album's title track), Guy Sigsworth, Bloodshy & Avant (who produced past hits "Piece of Me" and "Toxic") and Max Martin (who wrote "... Baby One More Time" and "Oops! ... I Did It Again"). There's no word yet on what kind of promotion Spears will be able to do for Circus. For Blackout, she shot a few videos, did one interview (sort of) on Ryan Seacrest's show and then became a daily headline fixture for anything but her music. She may need to do much more to make Circus a success, Perez Hilton told MTV News. "She needs to do what's involved [this time]," he said. "Do interviews, do a tour. Don't release it until you're ready to promote it." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Pink Floyd Keyboardist Richard Wright Dead At 65 Posted: 14 Sep 2008 11:36 PM PDT Founding member and songwriter had a 'short struggle with cancer,' spokesperson says.
Founding Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright died in England on Monday (September 15) at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. No further information about the cause of Wright's death was available at press time, according to The Associated Press. "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness, that Richard died ... after a short struggle with cancer," read a statement from a spokesperson. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time." The self-taught keyboardist met bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason in architecture school and in 1964 joined their group Sigma 6, which eventually evolved into the Pink Floyd Sound. With the addition of late singer/guitarist Syd Barrett — who left the band in 1968 and died in 2006 of cancer — the group, now called Pink Floyd, began its rise as one of the most creative and powerful psychedelic bands on the British scene. In that early period, Wright was a major force in the band's pioneering experimental sound, penning the songs "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them" on Floyd's legendary 1973 black-light rock opus Dark Side of the Moon. He also added key vocals to the 1971 20-plus-minute epic "Echoes" and made significant contributions to the songs "Atom Heart Mother" and the 1975 Barrett tribute "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." At their peak, from the early 1970s through the early 1980s, Floyd were one of the most popular, successful and influential rock bands in the world. The group regularly filled stadiums with an elaborate show that at different times included brain-bursting light displays, wild props, a giant inflatable pig and, during the tour for 1979's The Wall, the nightly construction of a giant wall across the front of the stage — a symbolic depiction of that album's central themes of loneliness and disconnection. Floyd's commercial breakthrough, 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, was their first #1 album in the U.S. and spawned what is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime chart juggernaut, remaining on the Billboard albums chart for an incredible 741 weeks to date — including 591 consecutive weeks, from 1976 to 1988 — on its way to selling more than 40 million copies worldwide. The Wall served to further establish their commercial status by spinning off such classic-rock radio staples as "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and "Comfortably Numb." However, as the 1970s progressed, Wright, along with Floyd singer/guitarist David Gilmour and Mason, found his contributions diminishing as Waters increasingly dominated the band's songwriting and direction. In a group whose history is rife with decades-long grudges, Wright was not immune to the inter-band drama, splitting with Floyd in 1979 during sessions for The Wall, due to his strained relationship with Waters. He returned to the group as a paid session musician for shows in 1980 and 1981, but he was not included on 1983's The Final Cut, the only Floyd album on which he didn't appear. Following Waters' departure, Wright rejoined the band in 1988. He played keyboards and sang on A Momentary Lapse of Reason and co-wrote five songs on 1994's The Division Bell. Wright, who performed on every Floyd tour, was also onstage in 2005, when the surviving members of the band played a rapturously received reunion gig at the Live 8 concert. Wright released a handful of solo albums and appeared on records by Barrett, and he had been performing regularly with Gilmour. Related Artists |
| Ciara Was Nude In Photo Shoot, <i>Vibe</i> Editor Insists Posted: 14 Sep 2008 11:09 PM PDT Danyel Smith refutes reports that singer's clothes were airbrushed out of photos, says shoot was Ciara's idea.
On Friday, Danyel Smith, editor in chief of Vibe magazine, stopped by New York's KISS-FM radio station to respond to online rumors suggesting that Ciara is considering legal action against the magazine over its October cover and interior photos, which appear to depict the R&B songstress in the nude. (See Ciara's Vibe cover right here.) The reports claim that Ciara wasn't actually nude during the photo shoot but was instead wearing underwear, which the magazine allegedly airbrushed away. The reports also said the singer was upset with the magazine over the "misleading" photos, which she reportedly felt "misrepresented" her. On Friday, Smith said the magazine has not been sued, Ciara did indeed pose nude and the photo spread was actually the singer's idea. "It's just dramatic," Smith said during the interview. "I'm actually really sad. Almost any photo you see on the cover of Vibe or any magazine is airbrushed [to some degree]. What I was thinking of doing, actually, was releasing the unretouched photos [on Vibe's] Web site, so people can see what the hullabaloo is all about." Smith said she was not present for the shoot but was told by her staff "it was love and kisses and nakedness. "I have so much respect for Ciara," she continued, "and Ciara was so happy when she pitched this idea to us, and the photos are actually striking and beautiful. ... It was pitched to me in a way that it was time [for her] to grow up and be beautiful and be free and be all the things she wanted to be." Smith added that she suspects Ciara may not actually be as upset about the photos "as it's been made to seem," and reiterated that the magazine has not been sued by Ciara or anyone representing her. "Vibe would never put anybody out there — man, woman or child — in some way that they did not agree to be," Smith said. "We have no history of doing that." MTV News' calls for comment to Ciara's reps last week were directed to attorney Donald Passman. A person in his office returned the call, saying, "It is against our policy to give out any information regarding clients associated with this business." However, Ciara reportedly spoke about the shoot with the DimeWars Web site, and had nothing but positive things to say about it. "It was pretty fun," she said. "It was my first time being this open for a photo shoot. This was my first cover for my new project, so it was a lot of fun. I'm in a different space now, I'm older. ... I'm in an even more experimental and really fun-feeling phase right now, so I think a lot of that just came out when I was doing my photo shoot." Related Artists |
| T.I. Disputes Child-Support Allegations Posted: 15 Sep 2008 02:49 AM PDT Rapper claims he provides more than the reported $2,000 a month for two oldest sons.
Recently, Lashon Dixon, the mother of T.I.'s two oldest sons, sued the rapper for an increase in child support, claiming that he currently gives her $2,000 a month to care for the boys, according to The Associated Press. T.I. and Dixon dated before he became a successful rapper; the boys, Messiah and Domani, are 7 and 8 years old. On Monday (September 15), T.I. responded to the claims with a long statement on his Web site, StreetCred.com. "A lot of deceiving information has been reported regarding my recent child support proceeding," the statement reads in part. "It is unfortunate that the media has been used to manipulate the circumstances and distort the facts. Those that know me all know that there is nothing more important to me than my children. I have always supported all of my children financially, emotionally and spiritually. This has always been the case, and I will continue to do so in the future as this is my responsibility as a parent." The rapper went on to say that in addition to the reported $2,000 a month, he also provides for their private schooling and health care, among other expenses. "I have also made an attempt to help Lashon with additional payments that have included a down payment to purchase her home, purchase of an automobile for her transportation and other financial obligations," the statement continued. "These expenses are documented and are far in excess of the $2,000 cash payment that is being paid direct to Lashon. She has chosen not to work and to live 100 percent from her child-support receipts. This is the reason for her difficulties in making ends meet for herself. Not only do I support my boys 100 percent financially, I am also committed to their emotional and spiritual growth. While I would enjoy the luxury of being present for all of my children's activities, unfortunately the demands of my career and the need to secure my family's financial security, as well as insuring my kids' personal growth, dictates that I travel constantly and work tirelessly." Throughout his career, Tip has frequently referenced his children in his songs and even released an album titled King, which is the nickname of one of his younger sons (he has two sons with his fiancée, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, including Major, who was born in May; a daughter died shortly after childbirth in 2007). Tip is currently shooting the film "Bone Deep." He recently released the video to "What Up, What's Haapnin'," which was shot in Shawty Lo's Atlanta neighborhood of Bowen Homes. Tip makes fun of his onetime adversary in the clip. T.I. is also promoting Paper Trail, which lands in stores on September 30. Usher, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Ludacris, B.O.B., Lil Wayne and Kanye West are among the guests. Related Artists |
| MySpace Music Locks In Four Major Sponsors, Could Launch This Week Posted: 15 Sep 2008 08:34 AM PDT Site will feature McDonald's-sponsored free downloads and State Farm-branded players.
Though it is still not clear when MySpace Music will actually launch, the social networking site announced on Sunday that it has secured underwriting for the project from McDonald's, Sony Pictures, Toyota and State Farm. According to Reuters, the four sponsors will provide the funding that will allow the site to offer free streams of music from three of the four major labels — Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Music Group — as well as playlists, personal music players, access to concert tickets and merchandise. While ad-sponsored unlimited live streaming will be available, DRM-free downloads will typically require a fee. The new site will also allow users to create and post entire playlists, whereas current MySpace users can only add one song to their profiles for sharing. "With MySpace Music integration, premium brands are offering our users and their customers new ways to discover, experience and share music online and offline," said Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing at MySpace, in a statement. AdWeek reports that the sponsors will be integrated into the music programming, offering McDonald's-sponsored free downloads, for example. State Farm logos will be visible throughout the site, appearing on the music player and certain playlists, while Toyota will sponsor "Toyota Tuesdays," featuring free downloads, and will rotate its ads on the music player over the next year. MySpace announced the deal in April, but its launch has reportedly been hampered by the inability to find a chief executive to run the venture. Recent reports suggest it could open its doors as early as this week. MySpace reportedly has 100 million registered users and more than 5 million bands already promoting themselves on the site, leading many to believe that MySpace Music is in a strong position to do what no other service has yet been able to accomplish: to put a dent in iTunes' domination of the music space. |
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