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| The Notorious B.I.G.'s Signature Accessories Posted: 12 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST From the Jesus piece to Coogi sweaters, the late rapper had a style all his own.
The Notorious B.I.G. will forever be known for having astonishing talent and a smooth, lovable demeanor. And, of course, there's the plethora of accessories he made popular through his music and fashion. We have the stories behind 10 Biggie Hallmarks: Jesus Piece History: A big misconception is that Big purchased his Jesus piece from Jacob the Jeweler, but in fact, he copped it from Tito. The ice-flooded piece was one of three that he spent $30,000 on. He bought one for himself, one for Lil' Cease and one for his best friend Damion "D-Roc" Butler. When Big passed, one of the pendants was set aside for his son CJ, but every now and then, Jay-Z will wear it when he's recording his albums. The impact of the piece is immeasurable. Kanye West, Fabolous, Ja Rule and many more have rocked Jesus pieces since B.I.G. brought it to light. Big also had a pendant of Jesus' hands. That piece, he said, protected him. Lyrics: "You seen the Jesus, dipped in H-classes/ Ice project off light, chick flashes/ Blind your broke asses/ Even got rocks in the beards and mustaches." - " I Love the Dough" Coogi Sweaters History: Bill Cosby's Heathcliff Huxtable might have a leg up on Big in this category. But the Brooklyn Dons both shared a love for the knitted sweaters from the Australian company. Groovey Lew said Biggie fell in love with Coogi when he met an Uptown kid named Walt G wearing 'em. It didn't take long before the Bed-Stuy bandit ditched his black hoodies and Tims for the textured threaded sweaters. He went from ashy to classy, and Big Poppa was born. Lyrics: "I speak deep with killers about million-dollar figures/ Blessin' n---as in Ac Legends and vigors/ Cream lizards and cream Coogis, I do my duty." - Shaquille O'Neal's " You Can't Stop the Reign" Versace Shades and Shirts History: Poppa and Puff were living the good life way before Kanye and T-Pain got together to talk about the spoils of fame. So when the Bad Boys hit platinum status, their threads changed along with their tax brackets. In came the flashy dress shirts and shades from Italy. The rags sparked a new era in hip-hop, as MCs went from standing in front of their stoops for videos to standing in front of million-dollar mansions decked out in the silk couture. Versace didn't normally sell clothes in Big's size, so occasionally the company would specially make their shirts to fit Frank White's husky frame. Troy from designer/stylist 5001 Flavors would mostly tailor Big's Versace shirts. As for the shades, Big had dozens of the same expensive pair. He would lose some and give some away, so he had to keep purchasing them. Lyrics: "Versace wear, Moschino on my bitches/ She whippin' my ride, countin' my ones, thinkin' I'm the richest" - " Player's Anthem" Lexus History: The gold Lexus truck: That was Biggie's ride back in the day when he first started coming up. He loved to roll around Brooklyn and smoke. But as much as he dug his ride, Biggie never drove it — he didn't know how to drive. Lil' Cease took the chauffeuring duties when he was only around 15 years old, before getting his license to officially push Big's whip. In the '90s, all the hustlers (getting money legally or not) weren't officially ballin' if they didn't have that Lex — especially after Big immortalized the vehicle in " Unbelievable." Lyrics: "They heard about the Rolexes and the Lexus/ With the Texas license plate outta state." - " Warning" Cristal Champagne History: St. Ides might have been Big's first favorite drink. He kicked a few rhymes talking about his malt beverage of choice back then. But thugs everywhere switched it up to champagne with a quickness after one swift lyric by B.I. Not even Moët seemed fine enough for Frank White. The gold-wrapped packaging only added to the envy of everyone in the club. Poppin' bottles took on a whole new meaning after that. Lyrics: "Cristal forever/ Play the crib when it's mink weather/ The M.A.F.I.A. keep canons in they Marc Buchanans." - Jay-Z's "Brooklyn's Finest" Clark Wallabee Shoes History: OK, OK, when we read the hip-hop history books 10 or 20 years from now, Wu-Tang members Ghostface and Raekwon will probably be the most synonymous with the footwear, but the Notorious one used to have a mean toe game back in the '90s. When he started to dress up a little more, Wallabees were some of his favorite shoes, along with gators. Lyric: "Man, she spilt a drink on my cream Wallows." - " Nasty Boy" Kangol and Fedoras History: LL Cool J became synonymous with Kangol after he rocked the bucket hat. But Uncle L eventually flipped his headwear steez to include fitteds, and the association disappeared over the years. But Big and his Kangol cap were a match just like Nas and a QB pendant, Lil Wayne and his dreads and DMX and a bench warrant — you couldn't picture one without the other. The word from his family is that he had just as many caps as he had Coogi sweaters. Obviously, Samuel L. Jackson picked up the Kangol cap banner. Right before Life After Death, Big introduced his Brooklyn Don fedoras. Lyrics: "N---as talkin' it, but ain't livin' it/ Cristal pops, I'm sippin' it/ Mob hats and lizard sh--." -" You'll See" Cane History: Real talk, some people call it a blessing in disguise that Biggie and Lil' Cease were in involved in that fateful car accident back in 1996. When he was checked into the hospital for his injuries in the aftermath, doctors found out he had serious respiratory problems that could have been fatal had he not been taken under medical care. He had asthma and smoked a ton of weed. After two months of therapy, he couldn't walk at all (he had a rod through his leg). Once he was able to move around somewhat, one of the first places he went was Brooklyn's Country House Diner. Big's cane came in handy. He used it to shoot the video for "Hypnotize." Lyrics: "I used to be hard as Ripple be/ Till Lil' Cease crippled me." - " Long Kiss Goodnight" Rolex Watch History: Biggie copped his Rolex sometime after the "Juicy" video was shot and before "Big Poppa" was released as a single. His paper was up, and his confidence was high. He looked at the Rollie as a status symbol. Of course, he had to get it tricked out. He had the diamonds raised. It became one of the ultimate hip-hop pieces in the wake of his famous line from "Mo Money, Mo Problems." Lyrics: "I want that presidential Rollie/ So I crush MCs to guacamole/ Making Robin scream, 'Holy moly!' " -" The Points" Religious Tattoo History: Biggie had Psalm 23 on his left arm. He and his mother said that prayer and many others together. Right before his death, Big started reflecting, and he wanted to live by it. Cease and D-Roc also got the same tat on their arm. Before he got the Psalm, he contemplated getting his son's name on his arm but told his people the tat process was too painful for another one. Diddy recites part of the Psalm to open the song "You're Nobody Until Somebody Kills You." Lyrics: "While we out here, say the hustla's prayer/ If the game shakes me or breaks me/ I hope it makes me a better man/ Take a better stand/ Put money in my mom's hand/ Get my daughter this college plan, so she don't need no man/ Stay far from timid/ Only make moves when ya heart's in it/ And live the phrase 'Sky's the Limit.' " - " Sky's The Limit" MTV News has even more B.I.G. things on the horizon surrounding "Notorious" — stay tuned for more in the coming days! Related Videos Related Artists |
| Exclusive: Mark Hoppus Talks Blink-182 Reunion Posted: 12 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST 'The future is wide open,' Hoppus tells MTV News in part one of a two-part interview.
In November, Mark Hoppus set the Internet abuzz with one simple blog post. It was the first time he'd updated his site, HiMyNameIsMark.com since his best friend (and bandmate) Travis Barker escaped a fiery plane crash in South Carolina, a crash that killed four people, including Barker's assistant, "Lil Chris" Baker — whom Hoppus was also close with — and security guard Charles "Che" Still. And while Hoppus' words about the death (and escape) of his friends were undoubtedly touching, they weren't what made message boards tick. No, it was the last paragraph of the post, in which he wrote that, in the wake of the SC crash, he and Barker had begun spending time with their former Blink-182 bandmate, Tom DeLonge, who left the band under decidedly angry circumstances in February 2005. It was the first time they'd all been in a room together in more than three years, and to many, that meant just one thing: finally, after all that time, it sounded like Blink-182 were getting back together.
Of course, it didn't matter that within a few weeks, Barker had quashed those reunion rumors. For the first time in a long time, millions of Blink fans had hope. Especially since, after starting all the Blink talk, Hoppus had done little to deny it himself. In fact, he hasn't said much of anything since then. Until now, that is. Late last week, Hoppus agreed to talk with MTV News about the past, the present and the future (all of which involve Blink-182). Here, in the first of our two-part chat with him — part two comes Wednesday — he addresses the impact of a single blog entry, repairing his relationship with DeLonge and the prospects of a full-blown Blink reunion. On That Blog Post: "I'm amazed at the response from what I wrote on my blog. It's awesome that so many people want to know what's going on. And I know there are lots of questions people have, so I'm going to lay it all out here in this interview. I'm just speaking for myself here. The simple answer is, we're still reconnecting as friends right now. None of us know exactly what's going to happen. I do know that we're all very stoked to be talking again, laughing and letting the past remain in the past. But we're also coming together after an extremely acrimonious band breakup, a lot of anger and frustration with one another and four years of not talking. I think that we need to get back to a certain point as friends before we could ever take a stage together again, because that's what we always based everything on." On His Relationship With DeLonge: "Right now, we're getting back to just being friends. I talk to Tom several times a week, sometimes several times a day, and you know, he's still the same Tom that I talked to on tour buses four years ago. He still talks about UFOs and lasers and conspiracy theories. We talk about new bands we dig — Vampire Weekend — and the movie 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' We also make stupid fart jokes. God help us, we're grown men still making fart jokes. ... Who knows? I know two things: One, I'm just glad we're all friends again, and two, none of us know anything for sure beyond that." On the Future of Blink-182: "The future is wide open. ... Blink-182 wasn't manufactured by a label, and we weren't making music to make money or for fame. We were three friends in a band, writing music that we loved. That's where it began and ended. Before there's reunion talk, we need to get back to that point again. Actually, we would need to get beyond that point, to a place where you can say to someone, 'Hey, man, I'm not really feeling this,' and be able to argue constructively about the music. Because that's where the best of Blink-182 came into being. The pull between the ideas the three of us had. I've always thought that the three of us each brought something unique and special to the songs, and the collision of those elements made the music what it was. In short, we would need to get back to where we're all close enough friends and artists to be able to tell each other, respectfully, 'Suck it.' My final thought is this: If — and this is a big if — Blink-182 were ever to re-form, it would have to be the most amazing, ridiculous, mind-blowing show and tour ever. I feel like, as bitter as our breakup was, we stepped back at the top of our game, and we'd have to come back even stronger and better than before." So, if there's no Blink reunion in the immediate future, what about Hoppus and Barker's other band, +44? The answer might surprise you. Check out MTVNews.com on Wednesday for more. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne Says He 'Ain't Rapping No More': <i>Mixtape Monday</i> Posted: 12 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Plus: Bishop Lamont forms West Coast supergroup.
Artist: B.o.B. 411: If you don't know the answer to the name of this mixtape, you don't read Mixtape Monday, you didn't hear T.I.'s Paper Trail and you haven't been following what's hot. Pay attention! To give you a quick update, B.o.B. is signed to Atlantic via Tip's Grand Hustle imprint and just put out the follow-up to his 2008 mixtape Hi! My Name Is B.o.B. "When I started in the really, really fresh stages and I would perform, they would be like, 'Introducing Bob' or 'B.O.B.' It would be a dead silence in the crowd. People's faces would be like, 'Who the fu-- is B.O.B.?' " he says of his beginnings. B.o.B. currently has a video making the rounds for "I'll Be in the Sky," and in a couple of weeks will be releasing clips for "Generation Lost" and "I'm That N---a" with T.I. He also appears on upcoming LPs by Willy Northpole, Big Boi and the new "Fight Night Round 4" video game. Joints to Check For: "Generations." "I feel like it's the first track I got real on," B says. "It took a level of vulnerability to get through what I been through. I really feel good about it." "On Top of the World." " 'On Top of the World' is a track that me and my cousin wrote. We wrote that a year ago. We knew it was dope, but we sat on it. T.I. heard it and it ended up being on his album. I was like, 'I need to do my own version.' " 'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground Lil Wayne is giving up being an MC. He said it. "I ain't rapping no more," Weezy declared during a light moment in the studio with Jim Jones recently. "I'm singing ... I'm about to get some dance moves. I gonna get Chris [Brown] to teach me some sh--." Weezy revealed cartwheels as some of choreography. "Nah," he said seconds later with a grin. "I'm f---in' with y'all. I'm keeping it coming," he said about his rap career. When you love to make hip-hop as much as the Fireman does, there's no way you can give up the mic at just 26 years old. It obviously doesn't mean being afraid to expand, though — the headliner of the current "I Am Music" tour touches on a myriad of genres in his music, so why are people so are surprised when talk of a Wayne rock album came up last week? Didn't we tell you in October that he was doing some rock music? "Lil Wayne, don't bet against him right now!" Fat Joe told us in late 2008. "Don't bet against this guy ever right now. He calls me in the middle of the night, 'Come to the studio.' I get there, this n---a pressed play, and everything he played was super-duper phenomenal, #1 [smash]. He's singing, 'So I went to get her in my spaceship.' Craziest thing you ever heard in your life. They compared him a lot to Jay-Z, and you could see where he was influenced. But after this next album — I'm not saying he's the best rapper of all time, [but] you can't compare him to any rapper in the world, because no rapper has done what he's about to do. That's crazy! He's a rock star, man. Hit mania!" Wayne himself spoke on it to us during the BET Awards in November. "People see the guitars and they wanna call it rock and roll. I plug up the bass, I plug up the electric, I plug up the acoustic — it's not really rock and roll, its just great music I'm doing right now." Look for more of Wayne and Jim Jones' studio fun on DJ Scoob Doo's "Three Amigos" street DVD available through his Web site. ... "Somebody is trying to sabotage sh--," Bishop Lamont said a few days ago about the leak of the song "Could Have Been You." The track, which features R. Kelly and 50 Cent as well as Bish, was being considered for Dr. Dre's Detox. "I have no idea," Bishop answered about his thoughts on how the track hit the Net. Lamont is Aftermath's new first-round draft pick and his album The Reformation is currently slated to drop right after Detox. The delay on Dre's LP has caused his project to be put on hold as well. "Eminem is supposed to be finished now. I spoke to Fif, he said he's almost done — now it's trying to get Detox straight. Every time records get leaked, it pushes [The Reformation] back," he said. "Dude is not gonna drop until his sh-- is straight. That pushes me back." Bishop is about 90 percent done with his album, and he hasn't ruled out the release of his debut later this year — before Detox, depending on how things go. "Either way, it's a win/win," he noted. Regardless of the fate of his first official album, Lamont is working with Crooked I and Glasses Malone on a supergroup album entitled No Country for Old Men. Within the album's content, the trio will address behind-the-scenes "hating" by some of the more tenured Cali MCs, namely Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. "It's about setting the record straight on all the politics and hating that goes on over here and in the industry, period. It's gonna set the new level of where music is supposed to go across the board. "Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg be hating on us," he added. "Phony sh-- that goes on with these n---as that's supposed to be legends. We're gonna put all this sh-- out there. They got egos. I grew up with [Snoop] — I love dude, but music and money changes everything. We're going in. We love you n---as and look up to you n---as, but you n---as ain't got the same love for us. What we supposed to do? We helped you n---as go gold, go platinum, go worldwide. We were the ones buying them records. We were the ones going to them shows, believing in you." Lamont insists that while he has his gripes with Snoop and Cube, it doesn't mean he's at odds with other legends on his coast. "It ain't an 'old versus young' thing, because Battlecat, Warren G, Kurupt, Daz, all these n---as support us. Why doesn't Snoop support us? Why doesn't Ice Cube support us? Cypress Hill supports us. Why does Dre stay relevant and he's been here for 22 years? He stays involved with new n---as. He extends the legacy. You go Xzibit, all these n---as riding with us and you wanna hate?" Addressing Snoop and Cube won't be the meat of No Country for Old Men, you can rest assured — Lamont says look for hit records and production from some of the top-notch producers in the game as well as work from new beat miners. The project will be released independently. "We're coming for that money. That old mentality of doing business and having n---as ghost-write for you and paying them crumbs and giving n---as bogus deals, all that is getting smashed out." Look for the album in May or June. ... This is Biggie Week. The film "Notorious" drops Friday. Don't disrespect the icon's memory by seeing the bootleg — go to the box office if you want to see the film. The music industry is already co-signing it. After you read Mixtape Monday, be sure to check out our "Biggie's Signature Accessories" piece. You get to see the origins of 10 things we have all come to associate with B.I.G. For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Britney Spears' 'If U Seek Amy' Poses Censorship Problems For Radio Posted: 12 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scare some stations might not play the third Circus single, due to its not-so-subtle profanity.
Profanity in pop songs is old news. Hell, the chorus to Christina Aguilera's recent single, "Keeps Gettin' Better," kicks off with the phrase, "Some days I'm a super bi---." That one is easy enough for radio stations to edit out in order to avoid any fines from the FCC or threats to yank their licenses. But what will they do with a new single from a major artist that doesn't actually contain a four-letter word, but rather spells it out in a not-so-subtle way? That dilemma is beginning to dawn on top-40 radio programmers across the country as the third single from album, "If U Seek Amy," starts to make its way to the airwaves.
The cheeky title (try saying it fast) joins the tradition of album titles like Van Halen's 1991 For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The chorus doesn't even try to make grammatical sense of the phrase: "But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy." The spelled-out profanity puts the song into a legal gray area for radio stations. "It's OK to put in on an album, have fun with it, but we're publicly owned, you know?" said Patti Marshall, program director at Cincinnati's Q102, a pop station in a decidedly conservative Midwestern market. "We have a responsibility to the public ... you put this ... out and act like we're all fuddy-duddies, like we're trying to make moral judgments. It's not about us. It's about the mom in the minivan with her 8-year-old." Like several programmers we talked to, Marshall said she had not yet been told that "Amy" was the next single from Circus. She's still busy playing the album's title track, which was recently released as the second single. Asked if she would play "Amy" if it came to her as a single, Marshall said likely wouldn't. She likened its chorus (which she has not heard) to "a little boy in sixth grade doing arm farts." A spokesperson for the Federal Communications Commission did not return calls for comment, and Spears' label confirmed the choice of the single but would not comment on its content or any potential issues at radio. Sharon Dastur, program director at Z100 in New York, also had not yet heard the song and said she's not sure what the station's plans are for it. She compared its possible problems to those faced by her station in 2005 upon the release of the Black Eyed Peas single "Don't Phunk With My Heart." "Listeners thought it was the other word, and so we had to change it to 'mess,' " she said. That example was also the first that popped to mind for KIIS FM Los Angeles program director John Ivey, who said he knew he couldn't play the Peas' song as originally recorded but felt that censoring it would make it sound more nefarious, so he asked the group's label for a new version. "It's a potential issue for every station," Ivey said of the Spears single. "I'm certain that I would run it by my legal department first. My first job is to protect [the station's] license. ... It's better to be safe than sorry." Asked if he would recut the song to edit out the naughty bits, Ivey said he probably wouldn't because he felt the phrase was included in the song to provoke, so an alteration would change its intention. "[Spears' label, Jive,] might also be just floating it out there to see if they can stir things up a bit." Related Artists |
| The Female Pop Rookies Of 2009: Who'll Be The Next 'It' Girl? Posted: 12 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Miranda Cosgrove, Taylor Momsen, Camilla Belle and other up-and-comers kick off MTV News' Pop Week.
It's Pop Week here at MTV News, and that means we're catching up with and getting to know everyone who's going to make a splash in pop music and culture over the next 12 months. Whether they're just arriving on the scene or are already the name on everyone's lips, these are the artists we expect big things from in 2009. Are you ready? Yeah, we all know who Miley Cyrus is, but there's a whole slew of up-and-coming pop princesses poised to break through. Some are triple threats, some are just focused on acting or singing, but if they plan it just right, these ladies could dethrone Miley and become America's new "it" girl. Miranda Cosgrove When she's not busy working on her TV show, Cosgrove is in the studio working on her album, due out this year, for which she's hooked up with famous pop producers the Matrix and Dr. Luke. "It's definitely different getting to be a part of the writing process," she said about recording the album. "Most of the songs are fun pop-rock girl empowerment. There's one ballad that's kind of sad." Taylor Momsen In 2009, she'll continue her work on "Gossip Girl" and, like her co-stars Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick, she is dabbling in music on the side. Camilla Belle On her slate this year: Bruce Willis' directorial debut "Three Stories About Joan," the sexy "A Deriva" (made in her mother's native Brazil) and "Push," co-starring Dakota Fanning. Keke Palmer This year, we'll also see her in the upcoming hip-hop film "Vapors" and "Shrink," co-starring Kevin Spacey. Lady Gaga Her album, The Fame, has been a worldwide hit, and having worked with artists like the Pussycat Dolls and possibly even influencing Christina Aguilera's current look, Gaga is already a tour de force. Check back all week for more Pop Week stories on the stars to watch in 2009! Related Videos Related Artists |
| The Biggest Rock Albums Coming Your Way In 2009 Posted: 09 Jan 2009 02:36 AM PST Green Day and U2 drop new LPs this year, along with promising young guns like Paramore, Tokio Hotel and more.
2008 was a huge year for rock ... and 2009 looks like it could be even bigger. So all this week, we're taking stock of the things guaranteed to rock this year. From the triumphant returns of some of the biggest bands on the planet to a handful of up-and-coming acts that we're expecting big things from in '09, we've got it all covered. This is Rock Week, on MTVNews.com It will be pretty difficult to top a year that saw new albums from both Metallica and Guns N' Roses, but 2009's roster of rock includes just as much firepower — including LPs from colossal acts like Green Day, U2 and the Boss, not to mention potential new sounds from young guns like Paramore, My Chemical Romance and Tokio Hotel.
And that's just the headliners. On the undercard, we've got the triumphant return of British songstress Lily Allen, radio-ready rock from the Fray and bludgeoning prog-metal from Mastodon. Plus, there are new albums from critical faves like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Decemberists and Black Lips. And let's not forget sonically adventurous indie hipsters like Animal Collective (who, depending on what you read, may have already released the best rock album of the year), or the gloriously maudlin new album from Antony and the Johnsons. Oh, and Prince is releasing three records this year. All in all, 2009 looks like it's gonna be a doozy — so to prime your pump, here's our roundup of expected album releases: January » Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The blogosphere's favorite sonic experimentalists, who've already notched "album of the year" pronouncements from the Chicago Tribune and Stereogum.com, among others, go "pop" on their upcoming ninth full-length effort — for them, anyway. Expect some hippie-friendly rave-ups; fat, speaker-blowing bass lines; and trippy lyrics about leaving your body for just one night. » Antony and the Johnsons, The Crying Light: Speaking of blogs, eccentric falsetto crooner Antony Hegarty is promising a gospel/ art-rock meditation on nature ... with some guitars! The twee, gender-bending, Mercury Prize-winning singer seems poised to confound and entertain again with songs that include "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground," "Epilepsy Is Dancing" and "Kiss My Name." » Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Working on a Dream: The Boss' 16th studio album was recorded during breaks on the E Street Band's 2007-08 Magic tour and reportedly inspired by the energy generated by the band during that outing. A recent Rolling Stone article described it as largely off-the-cuff, but also intricately arranged, with a combination of the band's dense, swirling live sound and the "orchestral and vocal flourishes that recall classic recordings by Roy Orbison and the Byrds." » Franz Ferdinand, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand: The Scottish band's third album reportedly has some African influences. Singer Alex Kapranos has described it as "music of the night to fling yourself around your room to as you psych yourself for a night of hedonism, for the dance floor." Be prepared. » Leathermouth, XO: The debut from My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero's 1990s hardcore-inspired band punches up some raw, in-your-face punk rock with 10 tracks blitzing by in just 23 minutes. Think distorted, chaotic guitars and spazzy vocals from Iero on songs like "5th Period Massacre," "This Song Is About Being Attacked by Monsters" and "I Am Going to Kill the President of the United States of America." February » ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Century of Self: Indie again, the Texas band known for onstage violence has amped up the guitars after two albums that focused on piano-based tunes. Look out for cameos from members of Yeasayer and Dragons of Zynth. » Black Lips, 200 Million Thousand: Atlanta's finest spit-swapping, flower-punk, throwback rockers suit up for an album that promises "simple, straightforward songwriting," which meshes perfectly with the band's "distinctive howl to create a time capsule rife with nods to simple pleasures and a world of worry." Plus, they appear to pay homage to ODB with tracks like "Big Black Baby Jesus of Today." » Chris Cornell, Scream: The former Soundgarden/Audioslave singer's solo collaboration with Timbaland will finally see the light of day. From early listens of the surprise collaboration, songs like the title track and "Long Gone" sound kind of like what you might expect — i.e., Cornell's signature sandpaper-velvet croon over club-worthy beats spiked by the occasional Timbo grunt. Both men have claimed the album as the high point of their careers thus far. » The Fray, The Fray: The Grammy-winning Denver soft rockers finally follow up their 2005 debut, How to Save a Life. The first single, "You Found Me," ponders the question of why bad things happen to good people. The 10-track album was produced by the same duo behind the debut, and "Found" has already gained major traction thanks to placement in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and its use as the theme song to promos for the upcoming season of "Lost." Singer Isaac Slade has described the sound as "more extreme" than the debut, with quieter songs that are "a little quieter than our last record, and the rock stuff is a little rockier." » Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Lonely Road: The Jacksonville, Florida, screamo punkers' second full-length kicks off with the single "You Better Pray." The disc was produced by noted hard-rock helmer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights), and singer Ronnie Winter promised, "Just like Don't You Fake It, you can be sure Lonely Road will tie together these and a bunch of other sounds in a classic, but new-and-improved, RJA-sounding way." » Lily Allen, It's Not Me, It's You: After a difficult year filled with personal drama, the British pop wreck returns with a more straight-ahead pop album featuring songs about drugs, God and commercialism. Oh, and about that drugs song: Allen recently released a statement claiming "Everyone's At It" doesn't glorify illegal drugs but "talks about a culture of both legally prescribed drugs like anti-depressants and also illegal drug use. ... Lily Allen would like to state unequivocally that she does not condone illegal drug use." Got it. March » U2, No Line on the Horizon: The world's biggest rockers return with their 12th studio album, which sees them reteaming with production wizards Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite for what sounds like a throwback to 1991's rocking Achtung Baby. The likely first single, "Get on Your Boots," was described by Rolling Stone as a "blazing, fuzzed-out rocker" that picks up where "Vertigo" left off. Other songs include the Zeppelin-esque hard-rocking "Stand Up Comedy," the joyful pop song "Crazy Tonight" and an experimental electronic opera/ arena-rock amalgam called "Tripoli." April » Dave Matthews Band, TBA: Following the death of founding member Leroi Moore, the jam heroes bounce back with a record produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) on their first new studio effort since 2005's Stand Up. Not much is known about the songs, but the group will celebrate the album's release on April 14 with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York, followed by a spring tour. » The Decemberists, Hazards of Love: For a band known to delve into arcane historical ephemera in search of song topics, the hyperliterate rockers are preparing to outdo themselves on Love. A single story line — about a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal — weaves throughout the entire record with supporting characters played by some guest singers, including Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden. Oh, and the group has promised more rocking guitars than on previous efforts. Spring and beyond » Against Me!, TBA: All we know is that their last album, 2007's New Wave, totally rocked, and singer Tom Gabel's more stripped-down 2008 acoustic solo EP showed a different, but still agitated, side of the howler. The Florida punk quartet plans to record with Butch Vig again this time around. » Angels and Airwaves, TBA: When Tom DeLonge isn't busy saving the world for rock and releasing concept albums only he can understand, he's been hard at work on his post-Blink band's third album, which will likely take most of the year to complete. "In the past, we talked about doing a punk-rock record or a drum-and-bass record," DeLonge said in a recent interview. "We all have a lot of ideas. One of which I talked to [bassist] Matt [Wachter] about was to make a record and have Matt engineer something different on the side. The music we create is very atmospheric and can be beautiful on its own without the singing. I think it will be very cool for us to release music for people to play in their houses when they don't want to turn the TV on, just live, and have cool music in the background." » Green Day, TBA: How do you follow up American Idiot? We'll find out this summer when the pop-punkers-turned-concept-album-kings unleash their Butch Vig-produced album. A recent Alternative Press cover story revealed that the album will have three acts titled "Heroes and Cons," "Charlatans and Saints" and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" and that leader Billie Joe Armstrong is pushing himself to "be progressive in songwriting," whatever that means. » Mastodon, Crack the Skye: Is it a concept album about a Russian czar? Who knows? But there's a four-part centerpiece called "The Czar," and given Mastodon's track record, you can bet it's a concept album. Reportedly more "proggy" than previous efforts, Skye still promises to assault your ears, thanks to production by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen). There is a fairly good chance this will rule. » My Chemical Romance, TBA: After a mixed response to the band's grandiose 2006 The Black Parade art-rock concept album, MCR decided to go away for a while and regroup. All the while, frontman Gerard Way has been gathering ideas for the next iteration of the band, though, which he said will be much different from Parade. "It is extremely different, and it is more stripped-down too," Way said in August. Then, in December, Gerard specified that after three concept albums, the new one will likely not have a story line that holds it together and that the band is focused on just writing really killer, really loud rock songs that will capture a more real, raw live sound. » Paramore, TBA: With plenty of emotional rollercoaster moments to draw from over the past tumultuous year — during which the band went from little-knowns to huge stars — Paramore are recording their next album in Nashville and plan to have something in stores by the summer. "[We've been getting inspired by] life, really. It's not one specific instance or record or book or anything. We're constantly taking in new music — that's what we're passionate about — but I think life has given us a lot to say, and I'm really excited," singer Hayley Williams said in December. "[Guitarist] Josh [Farro] has been writing really cool riffs and really cool music that I can't wait to write over. Lyrically, I think it's going to be a very different record — we've learned a lot about relationships and friendships and life in general, and I'm stoked because I don't really know what I'm going to say about it, but I've got a lot that I want to get out." » Prince, MPLSOUND, Lotus Flower, Elixir: The Purple One has plans to release a trio of albums this year, with the first one reportedly evoking his Purple Rain salad days. » Tokio Hotel, TBA: All we know is, the German metal-pop heartthrobs expect to put out a new one this year. And, according to German reports, "[Singer] Bill [Kaulitz] writes so intensely on new songs like never before." » Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TBA: Here's what we know, based on a posting on the New York trio's Web site last year: "Will it sound kind of like Show Your Bones? No, been there done that. What about Is Is? Is that more of the direction it's going in? Absolutely not, it sounds very different from last year's EP. Did we go back to our roots and write something closer to Fever to Tell? No, looking back now [is] silly, just full speed ahead. What does it sound like?? Not much like anything you've heard from us before. Does it sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs??? You bet your sweet ass it does." Check back Tuesday for the first of our looks at some of 2009's most-buzzed new acts, as Rock Week continues on MTVNews.com. Related Videos Related Artists |
| MTV And ServiceNation's 'Be The Change: Live From The Inaugural' To Feature Remarks From Obama Posted: 11 Jan 2009 05:06 AM PST Show, celebrating youth community service, will air on MTV Tuesday, January 20.
Anchored from President-elect Obama's official Youth Inaugural Ball, MTV and ServiceNation announced "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" on Sunday (January 11), which will celebrate the huge youth-voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election and ongoing youth community service. The show will feature live remarks from the newly inaugurated president as he addresses young people across the globe from the Youth Inaugural Ball, and call on them to continue to engage in national and community service. Obama's remarks will be made available to viewers around the world, reaching a potential global youth audience of 1 billion people in 162 countries and 33 languages. Additionally, the program will air exclusive performances by top recording artists live from the official Youth Inaugural Ball, which will take place at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C. The show airs on MTV in the United States on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. "MTV is thrilled to celebrate not only the extraordinary number of young people who participated in the 2008 presidential elections, but who are engaged in activism efforts globally," said Stephen Friedman, general manager of MTV. "This generation is distinctly unique — they're not just witnessing this historic moment — through their commitment to service and passionate spirit, they are the catalysts we need to continue to drive our nation forward." "The president-elect has made his commitment to service a priority throughout his life, during his campaign, and it will continue to be a priority in his administration," said Emmett Beliveau, executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "There is no better way to follow up the inauguration's national campaign for service, 'Renew America Together,' than having MTV anchor its coverage from our Youth Inaugural Ball. We are truly pleased that MTV has chosen to highlight the importance of service and is helping to bring that message to millions of young people." In addition to being made available to MTV channels globally, the special program will premiere live across all MTV platforms in the United States, including MTV, MTV.com, MTV2, MTV Tr3s, mtvU, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and MTV Mobile on January 20 at 10 p.m. ET, and will re-air immediately following. Hosted by MTV News' Sway Calloway, with reports from MTV News correspondents Kim Stolz and Tim Kash and MTV Tr3s VJ Carlos Santos, the program will include footage from service activities around the country on Martin Luther King Day, in addition to showing young people imparting change through major service projects taking place in the United States and in Kenya. Service projects to be featured include: In Washington D.C.: In New Orleans: In Lihanda, Kenya: For the inauguration special, MTV will work with Millennium Promise in Lihanda, Kenya — roughly 20 kilometers from the western village of Nyangoma-Kogelo, where President-elect Obama's father grew up and where his grandmother still lives. The region is one of the poorest parts of Kenya, where chronic hunger and diseases like malaria are commonplace. The show will follow a Columbia University student who volunteers with the Millennium Villages Project as he helps build a computer lab at Omindo Primary School, which will give young Kenyans some of the tools they need to expand their education. By using readily available technology and Internet connectivity, the computers will also help an entire community end their isolation by bridging the digital divide. This is done by improving health care records, providing educational materials, creating business, banking and a host of other information services. Once completed, the new lab will provide computers and Internet access to more than 500 students at the school and to the 5,000 other members of the community. "President Elect Obama has inspired our nation with his bold and visionary plan for national and community service," said Alan Khazei, CEO of Be the Change, Inc., a lead organizer of ServiceNation. "Everyone involved with ServiceNation is committed to helping the President-elect and bipartisan leaders in Congress pass new legislation to launch this new era of service in which millions of Americans are provided the opportunity to serve their communities and our country. America is always at its best when our citizens answer the call and unite in common cause." "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow. |
| 50 Cent Dares Lil Wayne To Respond To New Dis Record, 'Play This On The Radio' Posted: 11 Jan 2009 05:39 AM PST MC also goes after Kanye West in new song.
50 Cent obviously isn't waiting for Lil Wayne to explain. But the G-Unit's commander-in-chief is keeping an ear out for a response from the New Orleans native. 50 disses Wayne, Oprah Winfrey and apparently Kanye West in a new record called "Play This on the Radio." "First they said that f----t's hot, then they let that junkie shine," 50 raps to lead off the record. "Gave him all the f---in' trophies, tell me, where the f--- is mine?" As the song closes out, 50 threatens Wayne. "I'm on your heels, Mr. Carter. I heard you. You want me to 'die ugly?' OK. Don't end up on the list, n---a. Be a missing person like Cam'ron, like Ja [Rule], like [Fat] Joe. Who wants some?" 50 called into DJ Whoo Kid's satellite radio show on Saturday and alluded that the first part of his rap was aimed at Kanye West, and confirmed that the second part was aimed at Lil Wayne. Fif explained his latest barbs at Weezy were in response to a record called "Louisianimal" that landed on mixtapes in November. (The song debuted on a mixtape by the Empire, whom Wayne has repeatedly admonished in public for bootlegging his dated material.) On the record, Lil Wayne threw a light but obvious jab at 50, saying, "All about a dollar, f--- two quarters/ B---h, I'll pour syrup in that vitamin water/ I hope you die ugly, and tonight will be gorgeous." "When he said it, I don't know if it was old or new material," 50 explained to Whoo Kid. "But because he didn't say anything [to clarify the timing of the song], I take it that he meant for it to be out there right now. When that hit the street and you don't hear him say, 'That was old' ... Em don't got time for you, period. I will mop the streets with your a--." 50 started shooting disses at Wayne a while back, in the wake of Weezy being named MTV News' Hottest MC in the Game in 2007. 50 also said he had provocation to dis Wayne before because Weezy was working with a slew of his rivals — including Ja Rule, Fat Joe and the Game — but didn't actually have real hatred toward Wayne. Tensions between the two seemed to substantially subside over the past year and change. There were even negotiations between Wayne and the G-Unit to tour together. However, the pleasantries seemed to go out the window once "Louisianimal" appeared. 50 told Whoo Kid that a response to "Play This on the Radio" would be a foolhardy effort on Weezy's behalf. "If he says something back, I'm gonna drop the bomb on his a--," 50 warned. "It's gonna be hard for me to get off him. "He's a talented artist," Fif continued, "but if you put him in a space when we're in direct competition, my consistency will break his neck." Also during the interview, 50 talked about the shot he takes at Oprah Winfrey in "Play This on the Radio" ("I don't wanna chit-chat on your sofa/ I ain't Jay-Z, f--- you Oprah"), accusing Winfrey yet again of being "prejudiced" against hip-hop. 50 Cent's next LP, Before I Self Destruct, is slated for an early February release. Related Artists |
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