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| 50 Cent, Linkin Park And Others Rock The Troops At MTV's 'Concert For The BRAVE' Posted: 23 Oct 2008 10:40 PM PDT 'A Night for Vets' airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
NEW YORK — It was part homecoming parade, part raucous house party and, well, we'd like to think people learned something too. On Thursday night (October 23), Nokia Theatre Times Square played host to "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," a tribute to the men and women who serve in the armed forces, and the place was packed with veterans, active-duty kids in military fatigues and more than a few big-name stars too. The whole concert airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. 50 Cent, Ludacris, Hinder and O.A.R. performed live, and Kanye West, Kid Rock, Linkin Park (and a host of others) chipped in special pretaped sets. Ciara, Ne-Yo and Keri Hilson appeared to salute the troops, and stars like Justin Timberlake, Will Ferrell and Will.I.Am taped messages too.
And it was all for a good cause — not just to throw our soldiers and veterans a rather kick-ass soiree, but to spread the message about BRAVE, the Bill of Rights for American Veterans, a petition created by MTV and a group of nonpartisan veterans' organizations that calls on elected officials to support vets' issues and enact positive legislative changes. And while the political message was no doubt important, most of the vets in the audience were there to party, kick back and hear some music. And right off the bat, they were obliged, thanks to a fiery set from 50. Dressed in camouflage, flanked by Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, and backed by a tight live band (not to mention a gigantic American flag, "Patton"-style), Fif tore through "Get Up," the first single from his upcoming Before I Self Destruct album, ordering the crowdmembers to throw their hands in the air and marching around the stage like a — pun intended — drill sergeant (you can check out photos of his rehearsal here). And then, with the wail of a guitar, he and his G-Unit mates were off, leaving the crowd begging for more. And they got it, though not from 50. After a quick intro from Ciara, the room went dark and none other than Kid Rock appeared on a massive video screen, grabbed the mic and announced, "This one is for the biggest, the baddest and the bravest. ... You kicked ass for us, and now we're gonna kick a little ass for you," before launching headlong into "Warrior," a muscle-y rocker made even more diesel by the addition of four guitarists onstage. The rock didn't stop with the Kid. The video screens lifted to reveal Hinder, who strutted and screamed their way through "Use Me," from their upcoming album Take It to the Limit. Lead singer Austin Winkler tossed devil horns in the air, popped his pelvis and finally thrust his mic into the crowd, urging them to sing along, which they did ... loudly. After a moment, the room went dark again, only this time, there were no video screens. Rather, after an introduction from Eve, Ludacris began to make his way through the crowd, shaking hands and rapping as his DJ cued up "Southern Hospitality" (many in the audience made like the hook and began throwing 'bows, too). Luda didn't let a broken left foot stop him from bounding around the stage, slapping high-fives and working his way through a medley of his hits, including "Stand Up" and "What Them Girls Like." He tossed off his leather jacket, stood with his arms crossed and exited to thunderous applause. There were other highlights too: Taped performances from Kanye West and Linkin Park shook the speakers and had the vets throwing their hands in the air. O.A.R. delivered a soulful live take on their hit "Shattered." And Saving Abel closed the night with an emotional performance of "18 Days," frontman Jared Weeks clutching a handful of dog tags and dedicating the song — and the entire night — to the troops. And then it was over, and hundreds of former (and current) soldiers spilled out into Times Square. Their voices were hoarse, their faces plastered with smiles, and, for at least one night, they all looked like really happy kids. It's a start. Don't miss "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," presented by MTV's Choose or Lose campaign and CNN to support veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The show features performances by 50 Cent, Ludacris, Kanye West, Hinder, Saving Abel and more, and airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists | |
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Gives One Iraq Veteran A New Mission Posted: 24 Oct 2008 05:04 AM PDT After being diagnosed, Bryan Adams decided to help fellow vets recognize the symptoms of PTSD.
The weight of the wars the United States is fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq lies heaviest on the young soldiers in combat. But the perils of war are not just felt on the battlefield. From 2003 to 2007, 40,000 returning veterans were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to CNN. Everyone with PTSD experiences the condition differently, and quite often they don't even recognize they have it right away. Bryan Adams, a 24-year-old Army veteran, didn't know he had PTSD when he came home from a year-long tour in Iraq in 2004. Adams settled back in with his family near Camden, New Jersey, and went through his days much like he did before he joined the Army. He enrolled in the local community college, hung out with his friends and dated girls. Slowly, though, the Purple Heart recipient started to transform into a different person. "My friends and I would all go out, and I'd flip out on my friends and their girlfriends," Adams told MTV News. "Just saying really mean stuff that I didn't even know I was saying. I had relationship problems, too, with a couple of different girlfriends. I was mean." (Read more about Bryan Adams and what he's doing to help other vets with PTSD in the MTV Newsroom blog.) Not only were Adams' relationships deteriorating, he was also drinking heavily. He would cut class and hang out at a local bar. He said he would sometimes drive drunk and often at speeds that were well beyond the limit. He got into a couple of car accidents and was arrested on a DUI charge. "I just didn't care at all," he admitted. Contributing to Adams' situation was an overwhelming sense of isolation. "It was this sense that I had been through all this stuff, and the people around me couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like. I couldn't really relate to anyone and didn't think they could relate to me."
Adams' story could have ended tragically, but it didn't. "My mother is an ER nurse, and she started saying stuff to me: 'I think you have some problems that you need to take care of,' "Adams recalled. "She was getting concerned about how I was behaving and stuff I was doing and saying, and she was like, 'If you continue down this path, you're gonna kill yourself.' That said a lot to me, because she had never said anything to me before like that. Coming from her, I was like, 'Maybe I do need to figure out what is going on.' " Drawing on his military experience and education, Adams decided that he needed some structure in his life. He decided to enroll at the University of Massachusetts, a state school that provides free education to returning veterans. More than that, however, he would be living with his old Army roommate, Jeremiah Driscoll, who was already attending the school. Having someone near him who could understand what he was going through was a crucial first step toward Adams' recovery.
"I knew that if I stayed at home, with the people I was already around, I probably wouldn't achieve much," he said. "Having my buddy from the Army helped, because he knew better than anybody what I was going through." The second step to Adams' recovery was getting officially diagnosed with PTSD during a routine checkup at the local VA hospital in Boston. The staff at the hospital recognized Adams' behavior as outward symptoms of the disorder. Putting a label on his condition gave him a framework in which to understand his erratic behavior and allowed him to address it head on. "When you get out of Iraq, they don't tell you about self-medication or symptoms of PTSD," he says. "I didn't know anything about it. I just thought I was living it up. I didn't realize this is actually a problem. It made me want to fix myself. I wanted to get better so I wouldn't act like this. It also made me want to educate other people on this sort of thing." Adams conquered the external symptoms of PTSD, but for him and many others it's not something that can necessarily be "cured." A few months ago, he moved back home and enrolled at Rutgers University in Camden to be closer to his family. He also joined a veterans' group on campus called Veterans 4 Education. His goal is to help returning veterans more easily reintegrate to civilian life by recognizing things like PTSD and giving them support to conquer the condition. More important, Adams wants veterans to know that they are not alone in their struggle. For him, it was the key to everything. Don't miss "A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," presented by MTV's Choose or Lose campaign and CNN to support veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The show features performances by 50 Cent, Ludacris, Kanye West, Hinder, Saving Abel and more, and airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos | |
| Lil Wayne To Perform 'Mr. Carter' With Jay-Z For The First Time, Hitting The Studio With Hot Boys Posted: 24 Oct 2008 05:00 AM PDT Weezy is also concentrating on his upcoming tour, which he hopes will be 'more an event than a concert.'
ATLANTA — Lil Wayne just had his own Lil Wayne, his first son, Dwayne Carter III. Next week, he'll rap with the elder Mr. Carter: Wayne and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter will be the main attractions at Power 105.1's Powerhouse concert in New York. Weezy says fans can expect the two to perform "Mr. Carter" for the first time during the show. "I know the 'Mr. Carter' thing is supposed to be a go," Weezy said Saturday, the day of the BET Hip-Hop Awards. "That's the whole reason I think I was doing [the concert]." With Wayne and Jay already in the building, will Kanye West and T.I. pop in to finally perform a complete version of "Swagger Like Us"? "I can't answer the 'Swagger Like Us' thing," Weezy insisted. Besides reveling in the birth of his son, Wayne is preparing for his long-awaited tour. He's been practicing with a live band and working out logistics with the other acts he wants to bring on the road. He told us M.I.A. was onboard, until her pregnancy caused the British star to have to sit it out. "It will be a big tour, live band," he said of the outing. "I'll be playing with them. We're still trying to find people to get on the tour, but it shouldn't be a problem." Wayne further explained his goal of including artists from other genres. "Something to make the tour well-rounded," he said. "Something that makes you feel like you're listening to the radio. I don't want you to be thinking you're going to a Wayne show, so you dress a certain way because it's a hip-hop show. No, 'Wayne and who else is there?' I want it to be more an event than a concert." Perhaps the tour will include Juvenile and B.G., since Wayne is collaborating with the guys in the studio. "The Hot Boys reunion is supposed to be a go," he said. "I think there's a few more buttons that have to be pushed, but it's a go." | |
| Posted: 24 Oct 2008 05:04 AM PDT Trio are hard at work on new albums, while Zac Efron is content to concentrate on movies.
It should be an easy transition for the stars of "High School Musical" to go from singing and dancing on the big screen to pop stardom. Since arriving on the scene a few years back, three of the castmembers have released their own albums and found middling success in the music industry. Although they play seniors in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu all have a case of sophomore-itis when it comes to their music careers.
Tisdale — who released her debut album, Headstrong, back in February — is hard at work on her next LP. "I'm actually recording my second album now," she told MTV News. "So I've just been recording and co-writing. The single should be coming out soon, but I feel it's pretty much 80 percent done. And, yeah, I'm excited about it. It's a lot more rock and edgier." Hudgens is also embracing the edgier side of pop music. On her album, Identified, which she released this past summer, she hoped to spread her musical wings a bit. "I just released my second album, which was a lot of fun, 'cause I got to play with my sound," she said. "And it was just interesting to kind of grow up for the second album." "I am also working on my second album in the studio," Bleu revealed. Although he shared little info about the project, he did say he was "writing, working with some good people like Eric Hudson and Brian Kennedy." While three of the "HSM" stars are working on and releasing albums, Zac Efron has never pursued music outside of his songs in "HSM" — and with a bunch of movies on his plate, it's safe to say he might be too busy to hit up the studio anytime soon. Monique Coleman also has no illusions of musical grandeur. "Oh no, I don't have any particular singing aspirations," she said. "It's exciting to be in this movie, because it has inspired so many kids to get out there and promote music." And don't count out the new kids — one member of the new class, Justin Martin, is already planning his foray into the music industry. "I'm actually working on it right now," he said of his upcoming album. "So that'd be amazing to have someone like Lil Wayne on it. I'm also working with a couple of different record labels and a lot of different producers. My music is R&B, hip-hop, kind of pop-crossover." Check out everything we've got on "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos Related Photos | |
| Posted: 24 Oct 2008 05:00 AM PDT 'Vikings are misunderstood. They were very sophisticated people,' frontman Johan Hegg says.
Ours is an age in which nobody buys records anymore, so when an underground band like Amon Amarth — Sweden's Viking overlords of metal — releases new material, and that album manages to debut within Billboard's coveted top 50, people take notice. And when you release a blood-drenched video, depicting the violent pillaging of a small village, people also take notice. While they've been a band for more than 15 years, it seems people are finally paying attention to Amon Amarth. Earlier this month, their latest studio set, Twilight of the Thunder God, sold more than 11,400 copies and entered the Billboard top 200 at #48 — besting the sales of such established mainstream artists as Tina Turner, Faith Hill, T.I. and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello's solo project, the Nightwatchman — and no one was more shocked about that than frontman Johan Hegg. "I think we were all actually kind of surprised we'd reached that high," he told MTV News last week; since the album's release, Twilight of the Thunder God has sold close to 25,000 copies, which, for a metal act, is quite an accomplishment. "We're happy we did, and I think one of the key elements that contributed to [the high debut], obviously, is building a fanbase. That's what we've been doing all these years as we've steadily grown as a band. The fact that we've had a couple of successful tours in the U.S. has helped, and the fact that this record actually is really good didn't hurt." By now, Amon Amarth's fans know what to expect from the band: albums that focus on Norse mythology, the Viking age and the pre-Christian world. For Hegg, these are topics he's been fascinated with since his childhood, and themes that will no doubt saturate the band's future efforts. "I've been interested in Vikings from the first time I read about them in school when I was 10 years old, so it's always been there for me," he said. "It's become almost like a mentality and a way to be that I think really fits my personality well and speaks to me in a good way. Vikings are misunderstood. They were very sophisticated people. Some people think they were brutal savages who just raped and killed, but that's not quite true. Obviously, they did stuff like that as well — but those were the days. That's what people did in those days, whether you were a pagan Viking or a Christian. But there's a certain code of ethics and a certain way of thinking that really appeals to me within the Viking heritage and history and mythology." Not too long ago, Amon Amarth took over the old Viking site of Jomsborg, home of the Jomsvikings in Wolin, Poland, to shoot a video for the album's title track with director Dariusz Szermanowicz behind the lens. The band was forced to edit the clip twice because the original was too gory for public display. "It's a pretty brutal story, actually," Hegg explained. "We did two versions because we knew no one would play it. It's a pretty bloody story. It's about a Viking raid on a village, so it's pretty simple and straight to the point, metaphorically talking about the lyrics in the song. It's hard to take for some people; there were blood splatters on the camera and stuff like that." The band, fresh from wrapping a U.S. tour, will be heading overseas this week for the launch of this year's Unholy Alliance III Tour, which runs through November 27 in Helsinki and also features Slayer, Trivium and Mastodon. Hegg said the band plans to return to the U.S. in early '09 and would be open to playing one of the summer's traveling festivals. But don't expect to hear new music from Amon anytime soon. "We're a band that put a record out, tour and tour until we drop, and then we start thinking about writing new material," he said. "We've never been good at writing on the road. Of course, you can get some ideas, but actually, writing songs on the road has never been our strong point." The rest of the week's metal news: According to Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato, the band is currently writing material for its next album, which it plans on recording in 2009. The band, he said, will also be playing several "random" gigs early next year, with a few possible for later this year. We'll keep you posted once those dates are official. ... Isis have booked studio time for November, when they'll start recording their fifth full-length. Expect that set to be in stores sometime in early 2009. The band revealed that Joe Barresi (Tool, Kyuss) will be tracking the disc. "We could not be luckier than to have the one and only Evil Joe Barresi to be at the engineering helm," the band commented. "It's going to be great to have him on board, and [we] can't wait to hear the results." ... Texas' own the Sword will be headlining a slew of off-dates, while on tour with Metallica. They've scheduled more than 20 gigs, the first being in Minneapolis on October 27. For a full list of dates, swing by the band's MySpace page. ... Is a full-on reunion in defunct Brooklyn metal act Candiria's future? According to guitarist John Lamacchia, perhaps. In an online posting, he wrote that, while it's unlikely the band's fabled seventh LP, Kiss the Lie, will ever see commercial release, "There has been talk of new recordings, new ideas, possibly new releases in the not-so-distant future. Expect the unexpected, but expect to be pleasantly surprised. Stay tuned, folks. We are back on track ... officially." ... Exodus have scheduled a batch of off-date shows in 2009 that will take place during the band's upcoming tour with Kreator; Warbringer have signed on as direct support. The first of the shows is set for March 28 in Reno, Nevada, and dates are scheduled through May 24 in Lubbock, Texas. | |
| Beyonce Album Preview: <i>I Am ... Sasha Fierce</i> Shines Light On B's Alter Ego Posted: 23 Oct 2008 09:27 AM PDT MTV News gets an early listen of singer's two-disc set, due November 18.
In therapy, the goal would be to unite a fractured personality — but in music, putting your alter ego on display is all the rage. Beyoncé is giving hers, Sasha Fierce, some serious attention. I Am ... Sasha Fierce, due out November 18, is a two-disc set. Part one, I Am ..., showcases the singer's more personal material, her Beyoncé side. The second part, Sasha Fierce, is intended to contain the more daring dance tracks. "We thought outside of the box and did something different," said Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and manager, during a listening session for the album in New York on Wednesday. "The new record is a double album and has two covers, like a magazine would have two covers," Beyoncé said in a statement (read her full statement and see both album covers on the Newsroom blog). "Half the record, I Am ..., is about who I am underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights and underneath all the exciting star drama. And Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I'm working and when I'm onstage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that only people who know me see." But Beyoncé may have integrated these sides of herself far more than she realizes, for the I Am ... portion of her album is actually the more daring side, since it requires more bravery to step outside what she's known for — uptempo top-40 R&B — and try for a more timeless sound in a classic sense (perhaps the influence of playing Etta James in "Cadillac Records"?). And Sasha Fierce, fun though it might be, is mostly familiar-sounding dance tracks and doesn't stretch Beyoncé as an artist the way I Am ... does. "If I Were a Boy" is the first taste of I Am ..., but as the only song on either album that Beyoncé didn't co-write, it's not very indicative of the rest of the tracks. Piano and strings dominate songs like "Halo," "Ave Maria" and "Broken-Hearted Girl," the latter of which she collaborated on with Babyface and Stargate. Her voice shows restraint, and singing in a lower register gives her more vocal power, even if it means that she sometimes sounds like Rihanna on the lush "Halo," the prospective second single from this side of the album (repeating "halo, halo, halo" makes the comparison even stronger). "Smash Into You," co-produced by C. "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and "That's Why You're Beautiful" — both of which will only be available on the deluxe edition — are the highlights of the set, taking it slow and easy, building Beyoncé's vocals gradually, with a grungy guitar riff driving "Beautiful" as if it were an Alice in Chains power ballad. On these songs, Beyoncé transcends genre. But then comes Sasha Fierce, who cares more for beats than ballads. Whereas all the songs on I Am ... are meant to make you feel, Sasha just wants to make you kick up your heels, all the while expressing shallower emotions. "Radio," with its skittering beat, is about listening to the radio ("I fell in love with my stereo"). The thumping "Diva," a collaboration with Sean Garrett, is about, well, being a diva ("Diva is a hustla/ I'm a hustla"). Another Garrett collabo, the bass-heavy "Video Phone," as you might guess, is about snapping images on your handheld ("Press record and film me"). Only "Sweet Dreams," with its rock drive and slinky vocals, seems "fierce" — as Beyoncé (or is it Sasha?) dares the listener to dream of her, warning that it might be a "beautiful nightmare." The bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of Sasha Fierce include the piano-driven "Hello," in which Beyoncé takes "Jerry Maguire" to heart, with a "You had me at hello" hook — "Ego," where she sings that she loves her lover's "huge ego"; and the synthy "Scared of Lonely," co-written by Rodney Jerkins and her sister Solange. These three tracks seem more like a meeting ground between the album's halves — musically, they're with Sasha, but thematically and lyrically, they're full-on Beyoncé: vulnerable, wanting to love and be loved back, caring perhaps a bit more about her significant other than herself. "There's what I call defining moments in our life," Mathew Knowles said, "and when we look back, in years to come, I think this will be the defining moment in Beyoncé Knowles' career as a recording artist. And there's more to come [from] Sasha Fierce." Related Artists | |
| Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Her Relationship With Underwear Model Justin Gaston Posted: 23 Oct 2008 01:18 AM PDT 'We're just really happy with everything,' Disney star says of 20-year-old rumored boyfriend.
Miley Cyrus isn't confirming her relationship with 20-year-old underwear model and aspiring musician Justin Gaston, but then again, she isn't exactly denying it either. "Maybe, maybe not," she said Thursday (October 23) on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show, when asked if they were an item. "Right now, everything is, like, really good. I haven't really been answering the question much just because we're just really happy with everything and the way everything has worked out. "I'm totally gushing right now!" she added. The 15-year-old admits that when the two started hanging out last month, she didn't appreciate everyone putting their two cents in about the relationship. "After my last two years, there's been a lot of things that happened, so I've learned just not to judge anyone and go into our friendship with an open mind and not really worry about the age or anything," she explained. Despite the significant age difference, Cyrus said that the Cyrus and Gaston families aren't judging the pair, especially because Gaston works with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who "thinks he's cool." She added, "Our families are like, 'Whatever happens, happens.' If he's nothing but a really good friend, that's awesome. "More than anything, he's really helped me move on from a lot of things," she said. "He's a really great Christian guy. He's gone through stuff, and I've gone through stuff, and everyone goes through that. I think it's really awesome that we have that in common — that we can talk about it and that we can understand [each other]. ... He gets it." The biggest issue that Cyrus sees when it comes to her maybe dating Gaston isn't the age difference or the speculation about their relationship — it's his good looks. "That's what would be hard about dating him!" she replied. "It's like, if [we ever broke up], who are you gonna go to after that?" Related Photos Related Artists | |
| Eminem Gives A Peek Into His Personal Life In 'The Way I Am' Memoir Posted: 23 Oct 2008 12:53 AM PDT 'After he passed, it was a year before I could really do anything normally again,' Em writes about Proof in the book.
For nearly a decade, Eminem's personal life has been an open book. In songs like "Stan," " '97 Bonnie and Clyde," "Brain Damage" and "Kim," the blond MC provided brief glimpses of his troubled upbringing, his turbulent relationship with twice-ex-wife Kim Mathers and the pressures of fame. But in his new memoir, "The Way I Am," Em — who has been nearly invisible for the past two years as he dealt with a stint in rehab for a sleeping-pill dependency, a remarriage and re-divorce from Kim and the murder of his best friend, D12 rapper Proof — aims to pull back the curtain even more. He paints himself as a regular suburban dad ... who just happens to be one of the biggest rap stars of the modern era. Written with journalist Sacha Jenkins, the book mixes autobiography with photos and scraps of songs, poems and other collectibles from Em's life for an unusually candid bit of sharing for a rapper who has been happy to let it blurt in his rhymes but has kept his personal life more closely guarded outside of the recording booth. "In a way, this is the end of the first chapter of his career," longtime manager Paul Rosenberg said in an interview with The New York Times about the book. "Em's looking forward now. He's very re-energized and refocused." Em told the paper that he originally intended the project to be a "scrapbook for my fans," but as he sat down to compile it, big chunks of first-person narratives began to form from interviews with Jenkins. "Rap is one big Fantasy Island," Eminem, 36, writes in the book. "It's the place I always retreat to when things get too hectic in real time." When he's not recording and touring, Em is busy raising his daughter with Kim, Hailie, as well as a niece, Alaina, and Kim's daughter from another relationship, Whitney. He writes that his chaotic life is not surprising given his difficult upbringing, which estranged mother, Debbie Nelson, chronicles in her own upcoming book, "My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem." "If you go back and look at the abuse that I took, it's no surprise I became who I am," Em writes of being bullied as a child. "Someone I don't really want to be." Calling his voice very "natural" and saying he has an "everyman" appeal, Jenkins paints Em as somewhat of a lone wolf lately, one who had a lot to get off his chest, especially about the shooting death of Proof in a Detroit bar in 2006. "As difficult as it was to talk about, I had to," Eminem told the paper, which described the passages about Proof as among the most vivid in the book, including the ones in which Em explains why he pulled back after his friend's death. "After he passed, it was a year before I could really do anything normally again. It was tough for me to even get out of bed, and I had days when I couldn't walk, let alone write a rhyme. When I tried to put my thoughts together — well, I wasn't making sense when I spoke, so everyone was trying to keep me off TV and away from the press." The one topic Em doesn't discuss in the book is his mother, with whom he's battled publicly over the years. "Everyone already knows how I feel about those situations," Eminem said, explaining that the book is "more about Eminem and less about Marshall," referring to his given name. "I don't want to keep putting Kim and the kids in everything that I do, stuff where it's not necessary." The book also features more than two dozen examples of handwritten lyrics jotted on everything from spiral notebooks to hotel memo pads that served as the kernel of songs such as "My Name Is" and "Stan." One of the most entertaining stories in the book is the tall tale of how the MC got his signature bleach-blond look, which came about one night while he was high on two hits of the drug ecstasy and took a trip to a drugstore and purchased a bottle of peroxide. "I wasn't thinking that the peroxide thing was going to be my look," he writes. "I was just being stupid on drugs." Fittingly, he also talks about how the Slim Shady character was invented in a flash of inspiration while sitting on the toilet. Related Artists | |
| No Room For Beef On BET Hip-Hop Awards Red Carpet Posted: 23 Oct 2008 02:44 AM PDT Ice Cube, Talib Kweli, T-Pain, Big Boi and other artists decide to celebrate each other's skills before the show.
ATLANTA — Hip-hop has grown up for sure. At the BET Hip-Hop Awards, any artist with issues on the streets was able to leave those issues on the asphalt without soiling the red carpet. "This is a great moment. Everybody is peaceful, I'm peaceful," Maino said on Saturday afternoon in front of the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center. He was standing almost directly next to some of his foes in hip-hop, Lil' Cease and Gravy. Even though Maino has had words for both MCs on mixtapes and even had a physical altercation with Lil' Cease a couple of years back, everything remained peaceful. Saturday was a time for the culture and its artists to shine. No time for black eyes on the game.
"At the end of the day, you gotta have some common sense. Don't mess up some of the only good things we got," Juelz Santana said about an hour later as he walked the carpet. "We're here to celebrate," Talib Kweli added. "Celebration is king. No room for all that nonsense." A few minutes earlier, Kweli was saluting Ice Cube, whom he credits with being one of his huge inspirations as an MC. "If it wasn't for Ice Cube and Lynch Mob records, I wouldn't know how to do this," said the Brooklyn wordsmith as he stood with the West Coast icon. "I got my own label now. Raw Footage is an incredible album. From AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted to Raw Footage, I want to have that kind of longevity in the game, whether I'm doing other things or not." The former N.W.A. member also gave his friend props. "Lyrics always win; that's why we still here," Cube said. "[Talib] stays true to his heart, not always chasing that dollar. Some of us get in the game and be like, 'If I make this pop song, I can make a lot of money.' Some MCs stay true. That's the difference between a rapper and an MC. You got a true MC right here that I always pay respect to." Elsewhere on the carpet, Musiq Soulchild stood with Salt, Pepa and Spinderella. The soul man said he was very much looking forward to sharing the stage with Cube, who was a last-minute replacement for the Game. "Today I'm here to perform with Ice Cube the second single off his album, 'Why Me,' " Musiq said. "I feel honored I can contribute to Ice Cube's legacy. He contributed so much to hip-hop music. Coming from a wild gangsta past, now he's informing people on the ramifications of being gangsta and living that whole life. He's doing his part of giving back to the community. I'm honored to be a part of that." As Alfamega, who's signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle label, paid homage to one of the all-time goddesses of rap, Yo-Yo, they were joined by T-Pain in a very impromptu MTV News interview. "Sexiness, sassiness," Mega said of Yo-Yo. "She still brings it. [She doesn't look] a day over 26." "I just turned 27," said the rap queen, who in turn paid compliments to Pain. "I used to do radio in Los Angeles," Yo-Yo remembered of the singer. "He came to radio when he was first pushing his project. I knew then he was a star. I knew he had a lot of talent. Early one morning during the morning show with me, I made him sing. I'm so proud to see young men pushing the limit in hip-hop, not being afraid to take hip-hop to another level. When we started out, that's something we were afraid to do. We always wanted to take hip-hop to another level but it always had its stigmas, some kind of dress code. But now you're bringing it up." Pain was all smiles when talking about his 11th-hour call to replace Katt Williams as the show's host. He said he didn't have a bunch of things drawn out, and the show would be more free-wheeling. "We're running it man," he said. "I know they got one thing planned for me. It's gonna be crazy. But you know me; I'm going in." Another unexpected encounter was between DJ Khaled, his artist Ace Hood and Oukast's Big Boi. Khaled said he wanted to be down with Outkast's next LP. "I want in," he said with a wide grin. "I want in on that Outkast album. Tell Andre. I want in, a feature or something." It was definitely awkward seeing 50 Cent, who showed up just minutes prior to Khaled and company, in such close proximity to the Terror Squad DJ/ crowd-motivator — especially since Fif has well-documented issues with Terror Squad don Fat Joe. But no one was tripping: Everyone was there to show love to their art form. 50 later took a picture with Atlanta's Shawty Lo. Later E-40 strolled down the carpet with his wife, while Monica and Rocko made their arrival together. Monica has been happy to see the event take place in her city. "I think it says a lot for us, because in 1995, we had to go somewhere else to do what we had to do," she said. "Now we can just get up out of bed and get on the freeway. It's an enormous blessing and it shows everybody how all of us in Atlanta — hip-hop and R&B — how we really come to together on a regular basis." Related Photos Related Artists | |
| 50 Cent Orders Everyone To 'Get Up' During Rehearsals For MTV's 'Concert For The Brave' Posted: 22 Oct 2008 11:57 PM PDT G-Unit general warms up to 'Get Up.'
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