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| Jay-Z Is Taking His Time With <i>Blueprint 3,</i> Kanye West Explains Posted: 11 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST West says the success of 'Swagger Like Us' pressured Jay to make sure 'everything was on that level.'
Jay-Z has all but confirmed that The Blueprint 3 is not coming out in 2008. When Hov premiered his new record, "History," on Angie Martinez's Hot 97 New York radio show last week, Martinez playfully reminded him that he was supposed to be coming out with an album this year. Jigga countered that he'd never told anyone that the album would be dropping this year and didn't know where the speculation came from. Well, maybe we got the idea from the fact that two big singles from the album have been heralded on the hip-hop scene for months already, "Jockin' Jay-Z" and "Swagger Like Us" (and though the latter appeared on T.I.'s Paper Trail, Jay has promised it would be on B3 too). While in Europe for the EMAs last week, Kanye West, who has produced a gaggle of tracks for Jay's new album, shed a little light on what's holding up the highly anticipated album. "I mean, it's phenomenal," West told MTV Base. "We went in and we done the whole album. He wanted to do a few more joints, so he kinda pushed it back. Now we're gonna go in and just work on some more records. So I got some more stuff to kill it with! I think [Jay pushed the album back because] 'Swagger' just did so incredible. We wanted to go up [and make sure] everything was on that level." Speaking of albums we were checking for. Don't think we forgot about 'Ye's would-be fourth LP, Good Ass Job. For years he had talked about the follow-up to Graduation. Obviously, he changed his changed his mind and decided to depart from the school theme for 808s & Heartbreak, which drops on Monday, November 24. As for a return to Good Ass Job, Kanye says he hasn't set his sights that far yet. "Well, I wouldn't put the pressure on myself to do another album; it's like whatever happens, happens," he said humbly. "I'm still thinking of a lot of music. I mean, I'm thinking of a lot of lyrics, and if it comes to me, I just go into the studio and do it and then drop it now. So it's not a whole bunch of gimmicks and marketing, I let the other people do the marketing. ... I'm just like, 'Dude, just figure out how to put the music out.' " Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne Plans Tour With T-Pain, More; <i>Dedication 3</i> Track List Revealed Posted: 10 Nov 2008 06:31 AM PST 'Wayne putting out a mixtape shows he's still in the game,' producer DJ Drama says.
It looks like Lil Wayne is getting that diverse tour he wished for — on Monday night (November 10), T-Pain's camp confirmed an eight-week trek with Teddy P, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes and Weezy starting December 18. There should be no problem filling the set lists up, as Pain's Thr33 Ringz comes out November 11; Cole's next album, A Different Me, drops December 16, and Wayne is set to release his latest street massacre, the Dedication 3 mixtape on Thursday. Once again, the New Orleans Fireman teams up with the Mixtape President, DJ Drama. "People have their opinions or their comments, but Wayne putting out a mixtape shows he's still in the game," Dram said on Monday evening. "[This mixtape] isn't for the money or the fame, it's for the people. It's for the game. You can hate on Drama or Wayne all you want, but we're doing this for the game." The first two Dedication CDs have been instrumental in setting up Wayne's evolution as the hottest MC in the game over the past few years. Weezy and Drama have been talking about Dedication 3 for most of this year, and Dram said he started to send Wayne beats six months ago; the tape was completed last week. "I picked the 'Art of Storytelling 4' beat," the DJ said. "You never heard nobody rip that 'Art of Storytelling' other than Outkast. People are scared of that. That's [Andre] 3000 on there. Weezy went in, he killed it. He did his thing. The 'Shootouts' beat by Soulja Boy is on there. Wayne did the V.I.C. 'Get Silly." One of my favorites he did was the old Lil Jon and Too Short 'Di-- Pleaser.' Tip's 'Whatever You Like' is on there. 'Ain't I,' that beat is on there — it's more singing on this tape clearly than part one or part two. But that's where Wayne is right now, his zone." Another difference from the initial two releases in these 'hood installments is that Wayne's crew gets more shine. "I think it's more ... definitely more Young Money [Entertainment] than it was on the first two tapes," Drama explained. "It was always Young Money on the tapes, but I think this one is more for what Wayne is doing. He knew people would be paying attention to the brand. It was a place for his artists to shine as well. I also have my artists Willie the Kid and La the Darkman on the tape. Just the brands alone, Dedication, Wayne, Gangsta Grillz — it's that strong." Dedication 3 comes out later this week — Drama says check for it around Thursday. Track list for Lil Wayne's Dedication 3, according to DJ Drama: » "Welcome Back" |
| Christina Aguilera Looks Back -- And Forward -- With New LP, Next LP Posted: 10 Nov 2008 04:31 AM PST Singer hopes to release next full-length studio LP in summer 2009.
Christina Aguilera has gone retro before, but this time she's putting a new spin on her own history. For her greatest-hits-with-a-couple-new-songs album, Keeps Gettin' Better — A Decade of Hits , out Tuesday, the 27-year-old pop star is looking back on some of her biggest hits while also moving ahead. "It was tough looking back — it was surprising," she told MTV News last week. "It was really gratifying to see how much hard work I've put in over the last 10 years. When you're in it, you just don't realize as it accumulates how much you've done and how far you've come. I can't believe it's been a decade already. [On the album,] I wanted to include all the songs that I know I loved and that are crowd pleasers and real staples of my career thus far." Of course, a lot has changed for the singer in recent years. She's gotten gotten married and became a mom when her son, Max, was born earlier this year. "It's such a special time for me, being a new mom, releasing this [album] the first year of my son's birth," she explained. "I'm looking forward to the next 10 years, which is partly why I named the album, Keeps Gettin' Better, 'cause it does." (On a more serious note, the singer also talked about her strong opposition to California's recent Proposition 8 ruling.) Aguilera decided to reinvent two of her biggest hits, "Genie in a Bottle" and "Beautiful," for the new LP. "They are two of my favorites for that reason. I think my fans at this point know I like to change and revisit my catalogue every time I go on tour to give my songs a fresh new life, and I think they appreciate that," she said. "I wanted to give them a little sneak preview of what's to come, and the vein of the new material is sort of futuristic — what was inspiring me at the moment, and it has a very pop-art feel visually." These songs, as well as the album's single "Keeps Gettin' Better," are only a taste of what Aguilera fans can expect for her next album, which she was inspired by the likes of cultural icons such as Blondie, Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico, and artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. She said she's diving deep into "electro in particular" and she's lined up a slew of dance-music artists to collaborate with including Goldfrapp (who are strongly evoked in the sound of "Keeps Getting' Better") and Ladytron. "It is a sneak preview of what's to come for the next record, hopefully to be released in the summer of 2009, which is very exciting," she said. "It's a challenge and an exciting new project for me to reinvent what I am doing yet again, and come up with something new and fresh." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Scott Weiland's New Solo LP Is A 'Hodgepodge' Inspired By Marital Woes And Brother's Death Posted: 11 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Following split from Velvet Revolver and reunion with STP, singer releases his second solo effort, Happy in Galoshes.
The last year and a half have been tumultuous for Scott Weiland. In early 2007, Weiland lost his younger brother, Michael, to a drug overdose. Then, about a year ago, Weiland and his wife of eight years, Mary Forsberg, decided to separate (they are still in the process of getting divorced). And this past spring, after months of informed rumors, he parted ways with Velvet Revolver, only to rejoin his first band, Stone Temple Pilots, for a summer reunion tour of the U.S. It wasn't long after STP reformed that Weiland ended up serving a brief stint behind bars for driving under the influence. And while December 5 will mark six years since Weiland has done heroin, he said that the dissolution of his marriage has tested his sobriety some and admitted that about a year ago, he had "a very short binge with coke." Needless to say, it wasn't exactly a banner year for the beleaguered singer. But it's also been a productive time for Weiland, creatively speaking. While dealing with the heartache of his divorce ("It's a tough thing to hear," he said, "when your kids ask you, 'Daddy, why can't you come home tomorrow?' ") and mourning the loss of his brother, Weiland wrote songs. Actually, he wrote a lot of songs — more than 40 — and on November 25, Weiland will release half of them as the two-disc set Happy in Galoshes, his second official collection of solo material and the follow-up to 1998's 12 Bar Blues. "Most of the heavy writing that was done for this record has been done [during the] separation ... between my wife and I," said Weiland, who is working on his autobiography with author David Ritz (who has previously authored books on Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, among others). "In those moments of emotional desperation, [my recording] studio would become my home, really. It's a massive warehouse place that used to be a heavy-machinery factory, which originally reeked of thick machine oil. I've had the studio for about 10 years, and it's like my art studio. It's a place where I have gone for solace. It's like my church, in a sense. When people ask me if I have a hobby, a lot of times my answer is that I like to surf in warm water. I like to ski, if I have the opportunity. But really, I like to go to my studio and write music that I want to write, where there's no pressure to come up with a hit single." For Happy in Galoshes, Weiland worked with producer Doug Grean, with select tracks helmed by Steve Albini. The record features guest appearances by Paul Oakenfold and No Doubt's Adrian Young, Tony Kanal and Tom Dumont. "There's such a wide array of sounds and styles and textures on this album," he explained. "It's kind of like every style of music that I've ever been influenced by and fell in love with, from my childhood up until currently. So, at times, it's sort of a hodgepodge. I'm putting out what my experience has been, essentially, with Mary and with my brother's death. The record's got a few different vibes, and there's a lot of really atmospheric, beautiful and surreal-sounding songs on it." Happy in Galoshes features 20 tracks in all, including a cover of David Bowie's "Fame," a song Weiland said he's always related to. "Bowie's obviously my biggest influence," he said. "I'd say Bowie, Morrison, the Beatles and the Stones were the big ones. But Bowie, overall, has probably influenced me the most, on a musical and vocal level, aesthetically, everything really. The song kind of says something about all the experiences that I've had throughout my career, and kind of where I'm at today." Weiland said he would like for Bowie to hear his take on the track, which is extremely loyal to the original. "We share publicists, so I want to send him a copy of the song and write a letter to him," he said. "I am hoping the next time I'm in New York, if he's there, I'd love to meet him. He's probably the last of my real idols that I haven't met. I had drinks with Salman Rushdie a couple of weeks ago, which was absolutely mind-blowing." Related Artists |
| Justin Timberlake Jumps On T-Pain's 'Can't Believe It' Remix Posted: 10 Nov 2008 09:34 AM PST JT called Thr33 Ringz track 'his favorite song I ever did,' Pain recalls.
T-Pain says he can't believe what just happened to his hit record "Can't Believe It." Justin Timberlake jumped on the remix. "We actually met, like, six months ago. I was at the studio in Miami working on my album, and he was in the room next door," Pain told MTV News via text message on Friday. "He came to my room, and I played him some records from the album, and he said 'Can't Believe It' was his favorite song I ever did. I was shocked." Pain started laughing — he literally typed "Pain laughs" — at how everything unfolded.
"So knowing that [Justin loved the record], I wanted him on the record since that day," the Florida singer continued. "But it never happened until [last] week. I got a call that said, 'Hey, Justin hopped on "Can't Believe It." ' It's just awesome when someone who don't ever do remixes with anyone hopped on my song out of every hot record out there. I never expected it to happen. That's some real sh--. I just called him to tell him thank you!" The beat for the new "Can't Believe It" has been changed up some, and original guest star Lil Wayne is replaced by JT, whose lyrics fall in line with Pain's words about wooing women. "Hey, Pain, I don't normally do this, but let me talk to them for a second," Justin says before singing. "I can see you smiling, standing on your own island/ Girl it ain't nothing to your man to give you all the things in life you missed/ Priceless." And, yes, Timberlake does use the famed Auto-Tune effect during some parts. "I can put you in a townhouse/ I can put you in my house," Justin sings later. "I'm talking about Timberlake, yeah/ We can have the wedding in Jamaica .../ Your love is built like a drug, and I don't want to be sober." T-Pain had previously released a Konvict Muzik remix of "Can't Believe It" with labelmates Akon and Kardinal Offishall. At the end of the new remix, Pain declares that "Auto-Tune is almost on the way out." Pain's Thr33 Ringz comes out on Tuesday. Guests on the album include Chris Brown on "Freeze" and Mary J. Blige, Diddy and Akon on "Change." Akon also appears alongside T.I. on "It Ain't Me." Ciara is featured on "Blowing Up." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Lindsay Lohan Opens Up About Her Sexuality, Relationship In New Interview Posted: 10 Nov 2008 12:50 AM PST Actress doesn't directly mention Samantha Ronson, but says, 'I think it's pretty obvious who I'm seeing.'
While she didn't mention Samantha Ronson by name when asked, Lindsay Lohan opened up about her relationship with the celebrity DJ and her own sexuality in an interview with Harper's Bazaar that hit the Web on Monday (November 10). "I think it's pretty obvious who I'm seeing," said Lohan, who has been photographed with Ronson countless times in recent months. "I think it's no shock to anyone that it's been going on for quite some time. ... She's a wonderful person and I love her very much." Lohan was evidently grilled by the interviewer about her sexuality. Asked if she'd previously been with a girl, the actress laughed and said, "I don't know. Maybe." Had she ever been embarrassed about being attracted to a woman? "No." Would she classify herself as bisexual? "Maybe. Yeah." A lesbian? "No. "I don't want to classify myself," she continued. "First of all, you never know what's going to happen — tomorrow, in a month, a year from now, five years from now. I appreciate people, and it doesn't matter who they are, and I feel blessed to be able to feel comfortable enough with myself that I can say that." Lohan also said she envisions herself getting married "eventually," but whether to a man or a woman, "I don't know." She said her family, except for her estranged father, Michael (who spoke out about her relationship with Ronson in August), has supported her in the relationship. "It's never really come up as an issue," she said. "We're close; we've been through a lot. They're supportive of me whether I'm with a guy or a girl. They're just supportive of me as a person." She even spoke about how her 14-year-old sister, Ali, asked about Ronson — and here, she mentioned her by name. "Ali's known Samantha for a really long time. And she's like, 'Whatever it is, I support you. I probably won't ever do what it is you're doing, but I'm happy for you.' Ali's very mature. I've told her that it's okay to like a boy or a girl if you're comfortable with it and it's something you believe you want to do. And I told her not to be afraid of who she wants to be." Earlier in the interview, Lohan said she didn't want to name who she's dating because "I feel like it jinxes it. It's hard. The second I start talking about whomever I'm seeing, a month or two later it's failed." In the interview, the actress also said that her lifestyle before her recent stint in rehab was not healthy, and she takes responsibility for her behavior. "I was going to clubs all the time, and it was not OK. I was so alone. It made me not focus on what I was doing," she said. The actress, now 22, spent five months last year in rehab trying to fight her addictions. "I was living here [at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood] for almost two years. Who blows that much money on a hotel?" She added, "I could have bought a house!" And she admitted that these days, she'd rather watch TV than hit the clubs. "I'm the biggest loser 'Gossip Girl' fan," she admitted. "I love Chuck Bass. I want to be his friend." She also talked a bit about her relationship with the paparazzi and the media, who have documented seemingly every up and down during the course of her career. "I think at this point," she offers, "[the media] is like, 'Let her do what she's going to do. We've seen her do enough.' " Another tumultuous relationship she's dealt with in the public eye is the one she has with her family and mostly her on-again, off-again relationship with her dad, Michael Lohan. Currently, Lohan admits they are off-again. "I would love to say it's surprising, but it's not. It doesn't bother me as much as embarrass and hurt me. And put a knife in my back," she said about his public behavior. "And it's hard because I was flipping through channels and someone on E! called him a loser. And that's my f---ing father! He's not a bad guy. He's just making bad choices." She's also hard at work. She has a new film, "Labor Pains," on the way, a line of leggings, 6126, out in stores, and no idea what will happen next, but she admits she's up for anything. "I don't really worry, though. I'm a fighter," Lohan said. "I'm up for a challenge, and I won't settle." Related Artists |
| William Balfour, Suspect In Jennifer Hudson Family Killings, To Remain In Custody Posted: 10 Nov 2008 09:19 AM PST Department of Corrections official says suspect's girlfriend claimed she'd seen Balfour with gun matching murder weapon.
After a preliminary hearing on Monday (November 10), William Balfour, the only suspect named so far in the triple homicide of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew, will remain in prison at least through December 3, when a full hearing will be held to determine if he violated his parole. A hearing officer for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board heard evidence on Monday from Department of Corrections investigator Derek Harris that Balfour — the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia — had not complied with the terms of his parole from a prior conviction. Harris told the board that Balfour had not attended any of his anger-management classes, had not attended any of his substance-abuse counseling sessions, had not been available for visits with his parole officer, and had been seen in places where drugs were sold or distributed, resulting in a June arrest for cocaine possession. Perhaps more importantly, Harris said he had been in discussion with the Cook County State Attorney's office, who had informed him that Balfour's girlfriend Shonta Cathey had claimed she had seen Balfour with a gun the day before the murders that allegedly was an identical match to the gun found by authorities. An unnamed source reportedly told the Chicago Tribune recently that Balfour had told Cathey he was involved in the shootings. Balfour looked concerned during the hearing but remained composed, Prisoner Review Board Chairman Jorge Montes told MTV News. "He contested and objected to all of the allegations," Montes said. "He said he visited his parole officer, and had negotiated to meet with him at different locations. He said he was never told when to start his anger-management or substance-abuse sessions. He denies ever having a gun." Balfour did not have a lawyer present, although he was advised that he could, Montes said. Balfour was out on parole from the Illinois River Correctional Center on attempted-murder, carjacking and stolen-property charges, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to serve seven years in 1999. Balfour was paroled in 2006, but if he is found at the December 3 hearing to have violated his parole, he will have to serve out the remainder of his term, until May 2009. Until that hearing, Balfour will remain at the reception center at Stateville Correctional Center. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears' Son Jayden Expected To Be Released From Hospital Tuesday Posted: 09 Nov 2008 11:35 PM PST Boy was hospitalized Sunday for unspecified reaction to something he ate.
Britney Spears' youngest son, Jayden James, is expected to be released from the hospital on Tuesday, according to a statement posted on the singer's Web site Monday afternoon (November 10). Jayden was hospitalized Sunday for an unspecified reaction. "Jayden James Federline was admitted to the Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center on Sunday, November 9th," the statement reads. "Doctors concluded he had a reaction to something he ingested. He is expected to be discharged tomorrow." Spears had taken her sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, back home to Kentwood, Louisiana, for a visit — the first since her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline — when 2-year-old Jayden fell ill. The family took him to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, approximately 20 miles away from Kentwood, for emergency care Sunday. Being a small town, Kentwood has few options for medical care, including an outpatient clinic, a nursing home and a hospital, Hood Memorial, within 15 miles of city limits. After Hood Memorial, Southwest Mississippi Regional is the closest facility. Britney's brother, Bryan, was videotaped outside the Southwest Mississippi Regional emergency entrance, bringing in fast food on a few occasions and taking care of 3-year-old Sean on another. Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center told MTV News that it is hospital policy not to confirm admissions or disclose patient information. Asked if Britney's ex would be traveling to see his son in the hospital, Federline's rep told MTV News she had no comment. Related Artists |
| Kanye West Shifts Focus From Fame And Awards To Honoring His Mother, Obama And Fans Posted: 10 Nov 2008 09:14 AM PST Fresh off his first EMA win, rapper says he'd rather 'penetrate culture' than receive kudos.
Kanye West has changed his priorities over the past year. While in Liverpool, England, for the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards last week, the rapper told MTV Base that his main career objective is just to be groundbreaking with his product, not to be the most recognizable face on the planet.
"I used to want to be the biggest star in the world; now I don't know if that's my goal anymore," West said. "I just want to make really good music. I wouldn't do anything just to become any more famous. If anything, I want to be less famous. So as I make my music, I'm putting it out for me!" Although Kanye finally managed to win an EMA last week, that wasn't his main objective in being there. He said he just wanted to hit the stage. That's a stark contrast from his appearance at the show two years ago, when he jumped onstage to rant about his lack of awards. "Man, I don't care about awards at all — awards are completely fixed," he said. "I just came to perform my song. ... It's just an opportunity to get up there and say 'thank you' to the fans, 'thank you' to my mother for supporting me all my life. "The award is when you go to a club and people really play your song, and I haven't paid or asked to play it," Kanye continued. "The award is when real people sing your record and it's now penetrated culture! I don't know what awards Jimi Hendrix won, but I know that he penetrated culture. The award is the opportunity to perform. I would have preferred that I didn't get nominated for anything. I was like, 'Don't nominate me for anything else.' I used to practice my speeches. I don't practice speeches or anything anymore. It's about making some real f---ing music!" At last week's awards show, Kanye could be seen pulling some of his fellow nominees and performers — such as Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, and the Killers' Brandon Flowers — backstage to hear his new album, 808s & Heartbreak. The record's release date has just been moved up one day to November 24. Last week, an animated video for the new single "Heartless" was released, and on Monday (November 10), a remix of "Love Lockdown" with R. Kelly hit the Net. No word yet on whether the pairing of the two Chicago superstars was official. Meanwhile, Kanye says he's going back in the studio with Jay-Z for Blueprint 3, and the recordings they have come up with thus far are "phenomenal." "Emotion" is how he summed up what he wants to convey on 808s & Heartbreak. "I have suffered a lot of hardships with trying to settle into being a celebrity," West admitted. "It is quite unsettling, and sometimes I'm onstage and I think I will never be normal again. I will never be able to just walk around normal again. I will never be able to just go to the grocery store again. "[When I released the] 'Flashing Lights' video, there were people who didn't like the fact that it only had three cuts in it," he said. "And I was like, 'F--- you, it's for me.' So everything I do at this point is for me. That's the only thing I can do to try and stay sane. ... You have got to realize I have sacrificed my life, my anonymity to be a celebrity and to give a lot of myself. People are so f---ing cruel! "Think about how much Michael Jackson has done for us, and every time you bring up Michael Jackson, usually people are joking about him," he continued. "I'm one step away from that kid that just won a couple of awards, and a step away from Michael Jackson. 'Oh, he's so arrogant, he's so this, he's so that!' People don't even f---ing know me and have so much to say. Paparazzi, anybody who comes close enough to me, if I ask you not to take a picture of me, don't ask me something; just realize I am a real person. I am not a celebrity, I'm just famous and stuff, and I make good music. It's just a hard situation for me. I lost my mom, I lost my relationship, my hopes of some type of normality, hopes of a family, just so I could be on the stage." Kanye ended his EMA performance by bringing out Estelle for "American Boy." Then an image of President-elect Barack Obama appeared in the background. "He's the number one American Boy," the Louis Vuitton Don said of his tribute to the next president. "It was amazing," West added of the win by his hometown's senator. "I mean, just to be in America when I heard it was just unbelievable. It was the most unbelievable thing I ever heard. It's funny, I was on a plane, and when I landed I found out my mother had passed, and it was unbelievable and devastating, in a bad way. This year, I was on a plane and I found out that Obama had won, and it was equally as unbelievable, but in an amazing way." Related Artists |
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