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| Teyana Taylor Nabs Lil Wayne For Debut LP: 'That's My Boy!' Posted: 27 Jan 2009 05:03 AM PST Pharrell protégé was especially excited to collaborate with Eve: 'I can't believe I got her on my song.'
NEW YORK — For someone who touts Google so much, you'd figure Teyana Taylor would be hip enough to know that footage of her dancing in a leotard was bound to make it onto the Internet. Think again. The burgeoning artist recently mimicked Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance routine, and the video popped up all over the blogosphere. "Oh my God, everybody has seen that!" Taylor told MTV News. "I didn't know it was gonna be like that. Everybody's been like, 'I seen you in the leotard.' It's crazy, because I just learned it that morning, 'cause it was just for fun. It was at the National Black Theater on 125th [Street in Harlem, New York]. My homegirl had a fashion show, and I hosted it for her. I told her I would do it for fun. Being that I was the host, I feel like I had to go all the way."
Taylor fashioned her hosting duties after former BET Awards host Mo'Nique. The plus-size comedienne entered the 2007 show with a full throng of dancers performing Beyoncé's "Déjà Vu." In 2004, Mo playfully mimicked the singer's "Crazy in Love" routine. It's a good thing Taylor's been working on her moves. The Pharrell protégé is set to release her newest single, "I Feel Alive." The track will be the second selection from her forthcoming debut, From a Planet Called Harlem. Taylor said the uptempo track will "definitely show off more of my dancing qualities." The album is tentatively due in late April on Star Trak/ Interscope Records. For From a Planet Called Harlem, Taylor has worked with Pharrell ("Kisser") and Eve on a track called "Young Girl." Another collaborator she's working with is Lil Wayne. Despite all of Wayne's bravado, Taylor said she's not wary of working with him. In fact, she said her friendship with the Cash Money lyricist makes it easy, while it was Eve's contribution that made her nervous. "That's my boy," she said of Wayne. "I'm cool with everybody I work with. I'm a social butterfly. I make friends with everybody. So nothing really intimidates me. But when you're cool with someone, it's more like, 'Oh, that's my boy.' If I didn't know him, yeah, I'd be [intimidated]. "When Eve got on my 'Young Girl' song, I didn't know her," Taylor continued. "And when I heard it, I was smiling mad hard. I couldn't stop smiling. Just, oh my God, I can't believe I got her on my song." Related Artists |
| Fall Out Boy Say New Video Is Inspired By 'Roger Rabbit' Posted: 27 Jan 2009 05:03 AM PST 'That movie is completely overlooked in history ... it's awesome,' Wentz says of the 1988 movie that inspired their 'America's Suitehearts' clip.
Strange inspiration is nothing new for Fall Out Boy. After all, their video for "I Don't Care" drew equally from the worlds of, uh, communism and professional wrestling. So when it came time to shoot the clip for "America's Suitehearts," they knew exactly where to look for ideas. "The video lifts a lot not just from old Fellini but, more specifically, '[Who Framed] Roger Rabbit,' " bassist Pete Wentz explained. "That movie is completely overlooked in history, because it's awesome. "It's mind-blowing that somehow Disney and Warner Bros. are in there — and the characters in a world that is not a Disney or Warner world. But beyond that, the plot is great too," he continued. "I think that the idea is that there is this guy who is out to get all the 'toons, but in the end, he is one. [And] that is part of the narrative of 'America's Suitehearts' too. You have to point the finger back at yourself. When you're throwing people in the goo — you have to realize that you are the person who is scared to get in it." Totally. And there's plenty of goo in the "Suitehearts" video, swallowing up Paris Hilton look-alikes ... not to mention the band adopting 'toon alter egos (Stump becomes "Dr. Benzedrine," Wentz is "Mr. Sandman"). The whole thing does have a decidedly "Roger Rabbit" quality to it, which means, for once, we absolutely understand what Wentz is talking about. Of course, there's also a darker side to all the animated hijinks. "We have become a culture that really, really likes to build people up ... and we really do have this standard of morality that's insane, but [at the same time] we want to know what goes on behind closed doors," Wentz said. "We want to shun celebrities and then build them back up. But it's going on in your neighborhood, too. And that's what the song is about. It says that we've created this snowball of culture where we chase Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their 21,000 kids around the world. But the Jolie-Pitts are smart, because they're building their own army so one day they'll just beat us." Related Videos Related Artists |
| Rick Ross Goes After 50 Cent In New Song, 'Mafia Music' Posted: 26 Jan 2009 12:02 AM PST Miami MC has some choice words for G-Unit general in new song.
Cruel intentions or just witty hip-hop referencing? Everyone is talking about Rick Ross' new record "Mafia Music," where he name-checks everyone from Shawty Lo and T.I. to Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. For four minutes and 21 seconds, the Ross relentlessly praises his own success and admonishes some of his enemies.
The most notable person he talks about on the record is 50 Cent. "I love to pay ya bills, can't wait to pay ya rent/ Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain't looking for a cent/ Burn the house down," Ross raps, referring to the "suspicious" fire at a home owned by 50 (in which his son and ex-girlfriend lived) last year. "You gotta buy another/ Don't forget the gas can, jealous, stupid muthaf----r." It's not hard to figure out what the G-Unit general thinks about the song: 50's camp has already posted the track on Thisis50.com and labeled it "50 Cent Dis." Early in 2008, 50 warned Ross not to stay too close to Fat Joe during the Bronx don's beef with the G-Unit. Recently, during an interview with MTV News, Ross warned that some of his peers would be catching feelings once "Mafia Music" was leaked. "It's titled 'Mafia Music' and it's gonna cause a lot of problems," he explained. "It's a scathing four-and-half-minute nonstop flow, me being autobiographical about my life and my come-up and my triumph. Of course, I had to address a few things, I had to address a few people. I love it. The thing is, some people are gonna be — um — they're gonna be f---ed up. That's the best way I can put it." The Miami native also told MTV News that an official single, "I'm the Magnificent" would be coming soon. Ross' new LP Deeper Than Rap, is due this spring. Related Artists |
| T.I., Justin Timberlake Added To Grammy Lineup Posted: 26 Jan 2009 06:51 AM PST Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Tip scheduled to perform 'Swagga Like Us'; Radiohead also added to lineup.
The Grammy Awards vowed several years ago to try to update the image of the annual music-industry awards buffet. And while the Recording Academy has made great strides in spicing up the show with more contemporary artists and performances, 2009 is shaping up to be the year that the Grammys go all-in. On Monday (January 26), it was announced that Radiohead, up for five Grammys, including Album of the Year for In Rainbows, would perform on the February 8 show. Also joining a performance roster that already includes Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Coldplay, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, Jennifer Hudson and Kenny Chesney is former Beatle Paul McCartney, who will be joined by a special guest drummer, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl. The icing on the cake is a pair of hip-hop performances: one featuring T.I. and Justin Timberlake, and another of the hit "Swagga Like Us" with Jay-Z, Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West. The Grammy spot will be Radiohead's first live television performance in the U.S. since 2000, and their first time ever playing the awards show. It comes as normally publicity-shy singer Thom Yorke has begun appearing in a splashy ad campaign promoting the broadcast; Wayne and Rihanna have also been drafted as part of the ad blitz to drum up excitement for the show, the Los Angeles Times reports. With the addition of Radiohead, the list of Album of the Year performers now includes three nominees (Wayne and Coldplay are the others), with the only names missing so far being Ne-Yo, nominated for Year of the Gentleman, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, who are being honored for their bluegrass collaboration, Raising Sand. More performers and a list of presenters are expected soon to be announced soon. Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne's New Single, 'Prom Queen,' Leaks Posted: 26 Jan 2009 09:56 AM PST Song, from Wayne's rock-oriented Rebirth LP, has slipped onto the Internet.
The hip-hop community probably hasn't had this big of a reference to a prom queen since Pookie in "New Jack City" mocked his drug-fiend girlfriend while they sat around and reminisced in that filthy project stairwell. Lil Wayne's new single has leaked early. Weezy's "Prom Queen," the lead cut off of his rock LP Rebirth (due April 7), wasn't supposed to come out until Tuesday. However, the track has hit online and radio. True to his and his camp's description, the record is rock and roll to the core: big guitars, rebellious drums and the New Orleans fireman singing instead of rapping. "I loved her fancy underwear, I sit behind her every year," Weezy sings (with some Auto-Tune aid). "Waiting for the chance to get to tell her I'm the one she should be with." Wayne — who will perform at the Grammy Awards on February 8 — goes on to say that he would have given the girl in question the whole wide world if she would have hooked up with them. But, as we've learned in many rock tunes, the hero doesn't always get the dame: This popular beauty spurned Wayne. In fact, she flat-out dissed him, laughing at his advances to run with guys she thought were cooler. But Weezy comes out on top, according to the song's chorus. "She had it all figured out/ She left me with a broken heart," he croons with indignation. "F---ed around and turned me down/ 'Cause she didn't think I could play the part/ Now the prom queen, the prom queen is crying, sitting outside of my door/ You never know how everything could turn around." Wayne, Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Gorilla Zoe have two more shows left for their I Am Music Tour. The January 27 show will be streamed live on MySpace.com Tuesday, according to Weezy's rep. Related Artists |
| Young Jeezy Didn't Expect Barack Obama To Endorse 'My President': <i>Mixtape Monday</i> Posted: 26 Jan 2009 05:04 AM PST Plus: Maino makes his '09 predictions; Papoose gives legal advice.
Artist: Papoose Representing: "Thugga, Thugga, Thuggacation!" Mixtape: 21 Gun Salute 411: The title has nothing to do with rifles — Pap is all about the art. "This is my 21st mixtape," Pap said. "I've been putting out quality music consistently. This is the 21st time. A lot of these dudes sign to the labels and sit around and wait for the label to make moves for them. I just got to get it out there to the people. Whether it be a single [or] mixtape, you will have quality. The whole project came together." 'Poose has a video for "All That" already on the Net, with a "Graffiti" clip coming soon. Joints To Check For » "Law Library Part 6." "The 'Library' series is basically me speaking on the judicial system," Pap explained. "A lot of people that's incarcerated don't know the laws that's in the library. That could be the difference between doing five or six years and coming home. People who's not incarcerated, we're not telling people to go out there and do a crime. But if you do get in one of those situations, it might help you get out. 'Part 6,' we start it off teaching you how to go to the grand jury, ways to not get indicted. It's teaching you about the law when it comes to robbery. I lost a lot of people to the judicial system. A lot of my people are doing a lot of time. I see people go in there get railroaded, misrepresented. So I'm just using my music to educate them." » "All That." "It's just New York slang," he said of the phrase. "A lot of regions got their ways of representing themselves and their slang. 'All that' is something New Yorkers say. It's a real catchy, catchy phrase that I put in song form." » "Graffiti." "Graffiti is a lost element in hip-hop," Pap said. "Something people don't represent like they should. A lot of brothers lost their lives going in the subway just trying to tag their name up. I'm just trying to represent for all the graffiti artists out there, man. I'm in it for the respect. That's one of the reasons I'm in this. Regardless of radio spins or TV coverage, write my name in graffiti. The streets know what it is." Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week » DJ Skee and Charles Hamilton - The Best of the Hamiltonization Process 'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar » Bobby Valentino (featuring Lil' Kim and Lil Wayne) - "Beep Beep" remix The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground Last week, before performing the "My President" remix with Jay-Z in Washington, D.C., Young Jeezy told MTV News that even though his song was inspired by Barack Obama, he didn't expect the president to come out and endorse it. Jeezy is fully aware that there is still a certain distance the commander in chief has to maintain. "I'm a street cat 100 percent, but there's certain things I had to distance myself between too if I wanna lead the way for the rest of us, if I wanna spit that game back to the 'hood," Jeezy said. " ... I don't expect Obama to come send me a thank-you letter for the song. I feel like he did his thing, and I did what I could to help." Jeezy voted for Obama in November and said casting his ballot felt like "buying a new car. Buying a new Bentley off the lot with no co-sign at 17 years old." Jeezy said MCs besides Jay-Z have sent in verses for a "My President" remix, but he was especially excited about working with Hov. "That's Jay!" he laughed. "Jay is one of the dudes I always respected his craft in the game. Definitely his hustle. For me and him to do so much, I feel like we cut from the same cloth. Great minds always meet at the top. And they do things. "The song was powerful already with Nas; now Jay is on there," he added. "We got a few more people on the remix." ... Brooklyn behemoth Maino promises a new single soon but wanted to make sure he started 2009 off right by serving the streets. So he released "Letter to Pac," on which he speaks directly to the slain icon, and "Prediction 09." "I like to have fun and do different things," he said. "I knew we was coming into the new year. Some people are waiting for me; some people are waiting to hear I'm never gonna come out again. I have a monster record that's about to drop, so I said, 'Let's start throwing things out before the single comes out.' So I took the Skillz idea, which was '08 Rap-Up,' and said, 'Let me flip that: "09 Predictions." ' I like to do things different." Here, Maino breaks down a few of his forecasts: "This Year, Remy Ma Gonna Win Her Appeal." "Got a Feeling That Cam'ron, He Gonna Pop Back" "We Finally Gonna See 50 Cent on 'Oprah' " "Foxy Brown Is Gonna Come Out With a Sex Tape" "Yung Berg Still Won't Get His Chain Back" For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| D. Woods' Post-Danity Kane Career Includes Solo Album, Mixtapes And Acting Posted: 26 Jan 2009 12:25 AM PST 'I've been in the studio working on a lot of new music,' singer reveals.
D. Woods is getting ready for her own independence day. After Diddy kicked her and Aubrey O'Day out of Danity Kane in October, Woods has been working on her solo album and hasn't looked back on the shocking breakup. "I've been in the studio working on a lot of new music; one of my Girls Club founders Mika Means is getting ready for her album," Woods told SOHH.com, referring to the group she formed with her sister Shanell and Means. "So we've been working on her album, as well as a new mixtape series for myself titled Independence Day. The first will drop in February. Then we'll drop several throughout the year." In addition to working on her own projects, it seems like Woods is taking a few cues from her former Bad Boy boss and developing her own career as a music mogul. "I'm also working on submissions of placements for other artists," she said. "I really can't tell you who until it's final." Woods also opened up about her relationships with the remaining Danity Kane girls, as well as former BFF O'Day, who is working on a solo album too. "The relationships that I had with the girls are basically the same," she told the site. "I'm closest with Aubrey. We talk the most." When Diddy kicked the girls out of the group last fall, he told Woods that it was her friendship with O'Day that cost her a spot in the group. "[Aubrey] let me know she was doing Playboy. I was like, 'All right, girl, make sure you suck it in, turn to the side,' "she joked. "I have not seen the pictures yet. I gotta call her; we've been playing phone tag. It's been a crazy month." On top of her work in the music industry, Woods also has plans to pursue an acting career. "So far, already 2009 is kicking off really well. I also have some film and TV things in the pipeline, some theater," she said. "I'm returning to my acting roots, because I grew up in theater and dance. I've been reading scripts and submitting myself for things I know I want to be a part of. You have to be proactive sometimes." Related Artists |
| Taylor Swift Blogs About 'Life-Changing' Cameo On 'CSI,' Britney Spears Poster Posted: 26 Jan 2009 03:20 AM PST 'When I'm really old and can only remember one story about my life ... that's the story,' singer says of guest appearance.
Taylor Swift apparently can't leave home for very long without her mom getting in her room and rearranging things for her. And that's what happened while Swift was in Los Angeles, hard at work taping her "CSI" cameo. "I came back from L.A. and discovered a whole new world. My bathroom is now a magical, wondrous place," the 19-year-old blogged on her MySpace page, noting that there was one change that really had her worried. "But then I turned around and was startled by something ... Where was my Britney Spears poster ... No, this can't be right ... Where is it?!?" she recalled in the post. "I searched the room frantically for a few seconds before finding its new spot. My Britney Spears poster (from 6th grade) had been relocated to my bedroom, which is another amazing upgrade." She then added a bit about her obsession with the pop star: "This way, I see it more often and it more proudly displays my unwavering devotion to Britney Spears." Her "unwavering devotion to Britney Spears" wasn't the only hot topic on Swift's mind as she blogged. She also gushed about her "life-changing guest appearance on 'CSI,' " noting that one day when she's old, and quite possibly senile, making her "CSI" cameo will be one memory she'll always be able to recall. "Basically, when I'm really old and can only remember one story about my life to go back and relive, and tell over and over and over again to the point where my grandchildren roll their eyes and leave the room, that's the story," she wrote. "Ah, I can see it now. 'You know, when I was a youngster, I got to guest star on "CSI"! It was marvelous! So marvelous, it was!' " Related Artists |
| Juelz Santana Ready To 'Warm The Streets Up' With Videos, Mixtapes, LP Posted: 26 Jan 2009 12:00 AM PST MC also planning remix of Jamie Foxx's 'Blame It.'
It tore up club Love during Diddy's party. It closed out club Josephine during Spike Lee's party. It was one of the biggest — if not the biggest — club records during inaugural weekend in Washington, D.C. We're talking about Jamie Foxx's ode to liquid courage, "Blame It." Foxx playfully sings about alcohol being the cause of his randy behavior. Several MCs have taken a liking to the record as well. Some of the artists who have laid vocals on various versions of the record include Yung Joc (the song was originally planned as a Joc single but made its way to the Oscar winner instead), Lil Wayne, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz and Freeway. Juelz Santana said the song is one of those one-listen hits that everyone wants to be a part of. "That record is crazy," Santana said. "N---as are gonna jump on it. Wait till you hear my joint, though. We gonna do the remix." The Diplomat is riding his "Santanuary" video series until March, when he's dropping a load of videos as well as releasing two mixtapes, The Reagan Era and The Takeover Part 2. "I gotta give the people what they know from me," Santana said. "I can't change, but I gotta grow. I gotta come out and warm the streets up. That's all I'm doing right now. I kinda figured out the Internet. I'm hitting that real hard. Then I'll drop my Born to Lose, Built to Win album. It's gonna be a classic album. I don't have a date yet, but maybe it'll come out in April." And we can't leave without giving Juelz a shout-out for his Grammy nod. He's nominated for his work on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III LP. "You had three artists who could have done a lovey-dovey song for the ladies," Santana said. "Instead of doing that type of record, ['You Ain't Got Nuthin'] is real raw, real hard, not commercial." Last week, Santana refused to be one of the people unable to get a ticket for sold-out showings of the film "Notorious." He rented out the AMC Loews Orpheum Theater in New York and invited friends, including Angie Martinez, Jim Jones, Miss Info and Maino. "I wanted to rent it out and invite everybody to come out and enjoy it," Santana said. "I know it's gonna be a memorable movie they will go see on their own. But I know it's gonna be memorable if we could see it together and have a good time. This is what I can give back. I owe this to Big. I ain't never got to do too much for Big. If you really go back to our Diplomat history, Biggie would be the start of it. Cam would have been Biggie's first artist — people didn't know that. If Big was still here, he would have been involved in our situation. It would have been crazy. Big was that n---a. Big is that n---a." Related Photos Related Artists |
| Kanye West Brags About His Louis Vuitton Shoes In Online Video Posted: 26 Jan 2009 12:20 AM PST 'I have so much to stunt about that it baffles me,' MC says of his fashion collaboration.
Multi-hyphenate Kanye West is adding yet another talent to his arsenal. The rapper/producer-turned-singer has now become a full-fledged fashionista. While Kanye has always considered himself at the forefront of fashion, he stepped it up a notch during Paris Fashion Week. West posted a video on his blog over the weekend that highlighted his fashion achievements of the past week. As he sat in his Paris (he pronounces it "Pair-ee") hotel, dressed in a red blazer and black gloves, West did a bit of gloating. "I have so much to stunt about that it baffles me," West says in the clip. "So I asked myself this question, and you can ask yourself the same: Who do you know with two thumbs and his own Louis shoe? This guy!" The ever-humble West is excited about his recent sneaker collaboration with Louis Vuitton. He designed a monochrome mid-top sneaker with a quilted flap in the back — where else are you going to tuck your jeans? West told the Web site Dazed Digital that he was contacted by the French luxury brand about collaborating. "They chose to contact me," he said. "Who wouldn't want to work with Louis Vuitton? They're the number-one luxury brand. It lets people know you like nice things." West said he thought the red sneaker ripped the runway open. "As soon as they put that red, it was killer! It's like an accessory that can express your personality. Like an instant tattoo!" Despite all the good news, West did have some serious news to share in his video. Surrounded by samples of his sneaker and unable to stop smiling, he said he has to change his name. West had been known as the Louis Vuitton Don, but the collaboration with Louis is the ultimate feather in his cap. "Due to what has happened so severely when the red shoes hit the runway, I was forced to change my name to Martin Louis the King Jr. Address me as such." Related Artists |
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