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| Busta Rhymes Explains Why 'Arab Money' Isn't Racist Posted: 29 Jan 2009 05:03 AM PST 'A lot of people who had issues with it, they just misunderstood,' Bus says of controversial song.
Busta Rhymes doesn't just carry his BlackBerry with him for business e-mails; he looks at it from time to time for support too. Bus has a plethora of e-mails from fans in the Arab culture supporting his song "Arab Money." "I carry them with me every day," Busta told MTV News.
Busta recorded the smash during VMA weekend in September. It was crunch time for the nearly 20-year vet. He needed some heat to play for the head of his record label, Universal Records, in an effort to secure his latest deal. "I didn't really know what he was saying," Busta said about producer Ron Browz's chorus on the song. Rhymes originally got the track with just the beat and the hook. "I called him on the phone. We were going shopping for the awards. I was riding around, and we were playing the beat over. I wanted to know what he was saying. [Ron] picked up the phone, and I was like, 'What are you saying on this joint?' I thought it was saying 'Maybach Money.' 'Maybach' or 'Arab' — it kinda rhymed. I needed confirmation." When Browz explained to Busta that he was, in fact, saying "Arab," Busta was elated. "I was like, 'This is genius,' " he said. "Just the timing of this. The fact that the recession was crazy. Fortune 500 companies left and right are needing bailouts. I was like, 'You ain't hearing none of that going on with none of the people in the Arab community or Arab culture. None of that.' I was like, 'You know something? This is a great record to inspire people to incorporate wealth in their vocabulary, because rich has become the new broke.' 'Arab Money' — it felt right. Let's take something from a culture that has exemplified the rich qualities of spirituality and economic and financial stability for thousands of years. They've instilled that in their kids for thousands of years." Although the song immediately took off in the clubs, Bus felt the backlash. Some media outlets and fans accused him of making fun of the Arab culture. He even heard the song being labeled as racist. "It didn't hurt me, because I leave room for error, and I understand what happens in misunderstanding," Bus said. "It would have hurt me if people would have understood clearly the agenda of the record and still hated on it. That would have been a little different. But I feel a lot of people who had issues with it, they just misunderstood. Even those people, I hope they got a chance to see or get a chance to see what my real intent was and still is — that they got a different level of appreciation." Although it has its detractors, the song has grown in radio spins in recent weeks while still maintaining a firm status of success in the streets. Busta carries various e-mails in his BlackBerry from Arab fans who wrote to him in support of the record. "It's a reminder that many people did understand what the intent is," he said. "I want people to know I acknowledge their support. This has been embraced globally." Busta has been doing a lot of embracing locally, in his hometown of New York. He spearheaded a remix of Q-Tip's "Renaissance" with Raekwon and Lil Wayne, connected Ron Browz and Capone-N-Noreaga for the song "Rotate," coerced Lil' Cease to record his own version for "Letter to Big" and is still executive-producing Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. The just-released first track from that album, featuring Ghostface, is called "Criminology 2009." "Me and Raekwon are like brothers. I'm one of the biggest Wu-Tang fans in the world," Bus explained. "I felt like the Cuban Linx real estate in the landscape in the hip-hop culture was very valuable real estate. What Ghost and Rae has done, their chemistry together affected me emotionally." Busta's Back on My B.S. is slated for March 24. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Danity Kane Have Split Up, Dawn Richard Says Posted: 28 Jan 2009 03:24 AM PST 'It's devastating for me,' Richard says of the 'Making the Band' group's dissolution.
When "Making the Band" returns on February 12, fans already know two former members will be missing: Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods, who were dismissed from the group by Diddy last season. But they'll probably be surprised that Shannon Bex isn't there either, which apparently means the end of the band. "As of right now, [Danity Kane doesn't exist]," Dawn Richard told MTV News on Wednesday (January 28). "It's devastating for me." "You'll see me and Drea [Aundrea Fimbres] try and pick up the pieces on our own [on this season's show] — pieces that we didn't even make," she continued. "We didn't even break it and we're trying to sweep it up ourselves. Puff invited all the girls to come back on this season and they chose not to. Only two of us showed up. That's fine if that's the choice.
"It changes [our situation] completely," she said. "We have fans out there who love Danity Kane. We love Danity Kane. It's hard. We're sitting here trying to make sense of it now. It's hard. We're put in this position that we didn't ask to be in and we're being told to fix it." Richard said that Bex apparently made the decision not to show up for the season on her own. "I don't know why [Bex left]. I think she's just happy. I don't want to even try to answer it 'cause that's not fair to her. I haven't [spoken to her] but I heard she's doing well with her husband and she got a house. I love her, but I don't know." Bex was coy about the issue in an interview published earlier this week. Richard admitted that she was as surprised as anyone that she and Drea were the only members on the set. "We are the only two that showed up," she said. "The thing about it ... I thought we were all going to come back and talk, or maybe if Aubrey didn't come back, 'cause I don't know how Puff was feeling about that, if the four of us got together. I didn't know what to expect. I just know I got off the plane and found out I was the only one there and Drea came the next day." And although Fimbres and Richard were both present for the taping of the show, it seems that Richard spent a lot of her time hanging out with fellow "MTB" castmates Day 26 trying to make the best of the situation. "I was there every day, on my own. Sometimes Drea was there, sometimes she wasn't, 'cause she had to go fix some stuff at home," she said. "So it was me and six guys, which is great 'cause I'm a guy girl! It was fun. [But] it was very hard not knowing what the next step was going to be." One thing that Richard is certain of is her disbelief at everything that's happened with Danity Kane in the last few months, which not only included the two dismissals but also news about Aubrey O'Day's sexuality and her forthcoming Playboy spread. "I'm still surprised at it all. I'm still trying to recover from the first fire," she said. "So I'm still confused. I still don't know. I'm just being so honest. I have no idea." A spokesperson for Diddy and Danity Kane's rep at Atlantic Records had no comment. MTV News will have lots more from our interview with Dawn Richard in the coming days. Viewers can see everything unfold on the next season of "Making the Band," which premieres on February 12. Related Artists |
| Miss The 'American Idol' Salt Lake City Auditions? Check Out Our Live Blog! Posted: 28 Jan 2009 06:37 AM PST Check out 'Idol' expert Jim Cantiello's minute-by-minute recap of the show.
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| New Lil Wayne Rock And Hip-Hop Tracks Leak Posted: 28 Jan 2009 01:51 AM PST 'Hot Revolver' borrows Green Day lyrics and has a Cars-like chorus.
Could Lil Wayne be the coolest rock-and-roller in the biz now? (Or the next Axl Rose?) That's up for debate, but as soon as he announced his all-rock project last week, the genre got a much-needed swagger booster shot. A couple of days ago "Prom Queen," the first single from his April 7 LP Rebirth, leaked, and he performed the song live for the first time at a San Diego concert on Tuesday. On Wednesday (January 28), another Weezy F. Baby rock record, labeled "Hot Revolver," hit the Net. The opening guitar riffs are reminiscent of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now," while the leadoff lyrics borrow from Green Day's "Basket Case": "She said, 'Do you have the time/ To listen to me whine?' " On this Wayne record, the girl he's singing about may not be crazy, but she's definitely clingy. "I told her I can be with her/ But I can't be with her as much as she'd like me to," he sings. "She likes me too much, that's the problem." The chorus features an unknown guest, but the high-pitched crooning will bring back memories of the Cars: "Boy you got a problem/ And you ain't fooling no one but yourself/ You're like a hot revolver, but you ain't killing no one but yourself." For all you traditional-rap fans, a Weezy hip-hop record titled "Troublemaker" also leaked online Wednesday. Although the production credit has yet to be confirmed, the beat sounds like something out of the Neptunes' kitchen, and the looped vocal of a man saying the word "troublemaker" is a dead ringer for Pharrell Williams. There is no word from Wayne's camp about whether the two new leaked songs will make it onto an album. Related Artists |
| Kelly Clarkson Previews Clip Of New Video On 'American Idol' Posted: 28 Jan 2009 06:37 AM PST 'Idol' offers a proper sneak peek of 'My Life Would Suck Without You' after full video leaked online.
Roughly 24 hours after it accidentally premiered on the Internet, the video for Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" (sorta) premiered again, this time as originally planned, during a commercial break on Wednesday night's "American Idol." A full 30 seconds of the clip — showing Clarkson tossing the possessions of a toothsome boyfriend out the window — were aired during the midpoint of the "Idol" Salt Lake City audition episode. Like the video for her breakout hit, "Since U Been Gone," the chorus of the song takes place over a live performance shot of Clarkson and her band rocking out intercut between the narrative scenes. Viewers were told to head to ATT.net to catch the full version of the video. Of course, that full version already leaked to the Internet on Tuesday, and despite the fact that it was quickly pulled, it spread like wildfire on music blogs. But the mishap was the rare bit of bad news for Clarkson. Her single broke Britney Spears' record for the biggest one-week jump in Billboard Hot 100 history, making the leap from #97 all the way to #1. The move was enough to inspire Clarkson's label to push the release of the All I Ever Wanted album up to March 10. "Suck" also hit the #1 position on the Digital Chart, selling 279,000 copies in its first week, giving Clarkson the third-biggest digital song debut in history for a female artist. Related Artists |
| Britney Spears Shows Off Her Buff Body In Tour-Rehearsal Pictures Posted: 27 Jan 2009 11:13 PM PST Photos of the pop star in a bikini top and fishnets were posted on her Web site.
Britney Spears certainly looks fit enough to hit the road in March when her Circus Tour kicks into high gear. The singer is flaunting her toned, buff body in newly released pictures on her Web site. In the pics, Britney is seen in several workout getups, including a bikini top and fishnet tights, while dancing and laughing with her backup dancers. Spears is hooking up with some old friends for the tour. Jamie King, who choreographed her 2000 tour, is working with the singer again, People.com reports. This will be her first arena tour in five years. She'll be hitting the road with the Pussycat Dolls, who recently shared with MTV News their excitement for touring with her. "Get your tickets," Ashley Roberts told MTV News when we caught up with the Dolls on the set of their new video for "Bottle Pop." "We are actually going to be teaching the 'Bottle Pop' dance on tour, so check it out. "Britney actually wore one of our little lingerie pieces on her Circus album," Roberts said. "Britney wears it well, and it's always been fun to work with her," Kimberly Wyatt added. "We've done a couple shows with her, and she's always down to be a Pussycat Doll, and now we will be joining her on her tour." "We are going to be joining the circus, so come hop along with us," Nicole Scherzinger said of the tour, which kicks off in Britney's home state of Louisiana. "Then after that, we're just going to be taking over the world, Pussycat Dolls-style, so please come out and help us do that." Related Artists |
| Andy Samberg Wants Jay-Z To 'Crush A Mic' On The Next Lonely Island Album Posted: 28 Jan 2009 04:44 AM PST 'SNL' star's comedy group sees Incredibad, due February 10, as 'a real game-changer' in the music industry.
"Saturday Night Live" star Andy Samberg and the other members of his Lonely Island crew, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, have very high hopes for their album, Incredibad, out February 10. The comedy group has been making audiences laugh with pop-culture milestones such as "Di-- in a Box" and "Ji-- in My Pants" since teaming up in 2005, and the guys assured MTV News that this album will save the music industry. "This album is like a defibrillator, and we're going to apply it to the chest of the music industry and really give it a zap," Samberg insisted. "We actually made this CD to reinvigorate the music industry," Jorma added. "And we feel it's a real game-changer." The album was influenced by "a lot of '80s and early '90s hip-hop and R&B," Samberg said. "And some current hip-hop, '70s reggae, a little electronica. 'Ji-- in My Pants" is sort of Timbaland meets Pet Shop Boys." The guys revealed that they'll follow up "Ji-- in My Pants" with "I'm on a Boat," which features T-Pain. Pain is just one of many celebrity cameos on the album: The guys managed to wrangle up everyone from Justin Timberlake to Jack Black to Natalie Portman. "T-Pain is super funny," Samberg said. "[Jack Black] also turns some heads around the office." With all that star power onboard, is there anyone they'd like to see on the next album? "Jay-Z," Samberg said. "That would be pretty rad. He's kind of known to crush a mic." Related Videos |
| Justin Timberlake Reveals How He Coaxed Beyonce Into 'SNL' Skit Posted: 27 Jan 2009 10:30 PM PST Singer describes showing up in B's dressing room in his 'Single Ladies' leotard.
We all know Justin Timberlake is a bit of a jokester. From his turn hosting ESPN's Espy Awards to his gut-busting guest spots on "Saturday Night Live," Timberlake has shown his funny bone is more than intact. Beyoncé, on the other hand — who appeared in an uproarious "SNL" skit with the "SexyBack" singer in November — isn't known to be much of a comedian. In an interview Timberlake gave CBS' Katie Couric for a pre-Grammy special airing February 4, JT said he had to coax B into doing the bit, which featured guest host Paul Rudd as the director of her "Single Ladies" video. Timberlake said he visited Beyoncé's dressing room in the leotard that he, Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan would wear to play her (rather awful) backup dancers. Then he dropped his robe in front of her and stared into space. That seemed to convince her. "I can't look anywhere but your face right now," Timberlake said his female colleague replied, according to quotes from the interview obtained by The Associated Press. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in November, Beyoncé described how surprised she was by Timberlake. "I just can't believe how hilarious he is," she said. "He showed up. He had his leotard and his pumps and his robe, and he opened it up ... just letting it all hang out. I'm like, 'OK, Justin ...' Why are his legs more beautiful than any woman's?" Related Artists |
| Coldplay, Wale, The Roots Use Twitter To Skip The Middle Man Posted: 28 Jan 2009 01:16 AM PST Tech-savvy musicians (or their underlings) have been releasing breaking news through the site.
Coldplay will headline the Werchter festival in Belgium on July 3 and Roskilde in Denmark on July 4. Wale is collaborating with TV on the Radio. Kanye West would like to know who the f--- Stephen Colbert is. Well, the final example isn't real, but there is a new trend afoot: artists using social-networking site Twitter to break news to the public. Just like your friends and Barack Obama, musicians are using the micro-blogging service to update everyone on everything from the minute details of their life to their upcoming tour dates — before the press release goes out. Coldplay have announced that they will be back in the studio with Brian Eno in a couple of weeks, and they're playing an upcoming show with the Killers. Britney Spears used her Twitter account to wish fans happy holidays. Snoop Dogg asked his fans to recruit him more followers. MC Hammer, who updates all day long, stayed up all night reading the latest Vanity Fair issue. Some bigger artists opened up accounts only to neglect them. Lil Wayne's last tweet was on December 7, 2007, when he was "chilling." He's been a little bit busy since then. Other artists, however, are using Twitter to their advantage. Asher Roth can update his fans about the release of his "I Love College" video. Chester French's D.A. Wallach tells his followers that he's on his way to his sister's choir concert (and that Lil Wayne's "Prom Queen" "is really bad"). Afrobeat fans can rejoice with the news that the Roots are working with Antibalas. There is a lack of transparency with Twitter, however. Is this guy really Jay-Z or an impostor? A fake Kanye West account was set up and Britney Spears' account was hacked. The same problem exists with artists Facebook and MySpace pages, but it seems even harder to separate real 140-character tweets from fake ones. It's a good thing, too, or reporters and publicists everywhere might be out of a job. Related Artists |
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