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| Kanye West Promises 'Overwhelming' 'Swagga' At Grammys Posted: 06 Feb 2009 11:41 PM PST 'Ye says his rehearsal with T.I., Lil Wayne and Jay-Z went down without a hitch.
If you had to pick a time to give everyone what they've been waiting months for, why not do it on music's biggest night? It's finally going down: On Sunday night, all the guys — T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne — will be as one for "Swagga Like Us" for the first time. "I'm gonna wear a pink tuxedo!" Kanye West jokingly told Sway Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. "No, I'm wearing a black tux," he immediately clarified. West hinted that his song-mates would be wearing similar outfits on the Grammy stage.
"Yeah, everybody is gonna be fresh," Kanye promised. "Everybody is gonna be fresh to def. I mean, first of all, other than the fact that you got four — in my opinion — four of the freshest rappers making records right now. Aside from Jeezy, you got four of the freshest people consistently. When you see them, they look nice ... they're super fresh. So, it makes complete sense for us to get up there, do the 'Swagga' record at the Grammys and represent hip-hop. Represent black people, especially, in a really good light. "And I definitely need to do something to come back from that Paris picture!" he added, referring to a photo that appeared on the Internet several days ago of him and his entourage in rather eccentric clothing during Paris fashion week. West, who is also slated to perform with Estelle on Sunday, said that Friday's rehearsal for "Swagga" went down without a hitch. "We was at practice today, and I was like, 'Wow!' " Kanye beamed. "Just, like, the amount of egos that's in the room. ... Everybody just has to check their ego at the door. And I think Jay is the O.G., Frank Sinatra of all of us that everybody looked up to. Jay, at the end of the day, everybody that was in that room's got a rap that sounded exactly like a Jay-Z rap. So, for us to be in the presence of Jay-Z, the greatest living rapper, he balances all the egos. Mugs don't act crazy when they around Jay. "Like, all the crazy stuff that I do — when I get around Jay, it ain't gonna be like that," the Grammy winner explained. "It's almost like, I don't want to put the term of, like, a 'father figure' or stuff like that, 'cause my father has helped to raise me to be respectful. But in a hip-hop sense, he controls a lot of things. He shuts down a lot of bullsh--, just on a bigger scale. He makes phone calls, and he makes it happen like it should happen. So he is a presidential-type character, really, in hip-hop." Even the rap president, however, couldn't manage to connect with the Louis Vuitton Don, the King of the South and hip-hop's Martian MC to make the video for "Swagga Like Us" that the song warranted. "For some reason we could never get the video together," Kanye said. "We had ideas for the video and everything, but it [wasn't] in God's plan." West added that Sunday's Grammy Awards will be especially important for T.I., who is scheduled to serve his prison sentence for felony gun charges next month. "This time is a serious time for T.I.," Kanye said. "I really feel sorry for the situation that he has to do that time. But it's a moment for him to hit the Grammys. I don't know what I can give away and what I can't give away, but it's really gonna be his moment that night. Him, Wayne, like a lot of the best rappers, it's gonna be their moment that night. ... So, obviously, it's gonna be an overwhelming moment." Will Lil Wayne grab all the gramophones? Is Katy Perry going to tell her girl rivals to kiss off? Can Coldplay march off with a win? MTV News is all over the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, so stay tuned for interviews, analysis and more before, during and after the big night, Sunday, February 8. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Rihanna, Timbaland Pump Up Star-Studded Grammy Party Posted: 06 Feb 2009 10:25 PM PST Tim performs new Shock Value 2 tracks along with old hits.
LOS ANGELES — Big bosses, fly dimes and banging beats. Timbaland and his guest Rihanna attracted the likes of Jay-Z, L.A. Reid, the Hilton sisters, Omarion, Tyrese, Twista and Chris Brown. That's just for starters. The stars came out in the rain last night to Boulevard 3 for Timbo's Grammy weekend party. The event was to celebrate Tim's association with the new BlackBerry Storm and Verizon. As part of the promotion, Timbaland produced a remix of Rihanna's "Rehab" that fans can download exclusively to the new device. Other Timbo remixes of artists in different genres are forthcoming. DJ Cassidy set the mood early, spinning R&B classics by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. As the party progressed, more stars strolled in. Warren G walked right past the waitresses who were steps away from the entrance with glasses of wine. Keri Hilson was taking pictures with former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, while Twista posted up at the bar. Chris Brown seemed to have the busiest VIP section, as people kept filing in behind his velvet rope. Jimmy Iovine was sitting in the Interscope VIP section, where Soulja Boy Tell'em stood up and looked on at the party. Names kept getting shouted out from the DJ booth as the band set up for Rihanna's performance: "T.I. is in the house!" At around 12:30, Rihanna came out, wearing a short, sexy black dress. "Disturbia" was her opener. "Los Angeles, I know y'all know how to party," she said. "Let me know you're ready to party with me." "Please Don't Stop the Music" followed, as the singer pumped her fist to the club-friendly beat. "This next record is very special to me," RiRi said, and began singing a slowed-down chorus of "Umbrella" over acoustic guitar. "Ey, ey, ey," the crowd sang along. Oddly enough, Rihanna didn't perform the Timbo remix of "Rehab" but instead stuck to its original form. Meanwhile, Tyrese emerged from his spot in Timbaland's VIP area to walk in the crowd. Polow Da Don also mingled with the people while Keyshia Cole watched from the balcony. Will.I.Am started DJing between sets and played a new Black Eyed Peas record with a techno vibe. Finally, Timbaland got on, wearing his Davy Crockett hat and a bright yellow shirt. "L.A.!" he yelled. After he didn't get the loud response he wanted, Tim screamed again. "We ain't got no time for no bourgie sh--. I said, L.A.!" Timbo commenced performing "Oh Timbaland" and "Promiscuous Girl," without Nelly Furtado. Justin Timberlake wasn't in the house, but that didn't stop Tim's DJ from playing "Sexyback." The producer sang some of Timberlake's part. Later, Tim told the crowd that he wasn't excited for this weekend's award ceremony. "The Grammys are Sunday," he said. "Are y'all excited about that bullsh--? ... I feel like I'm still the mutha----in' underdog." Tim said he wouldn't be at the show. The DJ played One Republic's "Too Late," and during the band's breakdown, Tim injected some lyrics from "Smells Like Teen Spirit": "With the lights out, it's less dangerous/ Here we are now, entertain us." Keri Hilson came out for "The Way I Are," "Energy" and "Turnin' Me On." Tim ended his set playing new music from his upcoming Shock Value 2. Without mentioning any song titles, he just let the audience vibe to his bangers. Guess he got the reaction he wanted: One woman jumped onstage. She was horribly off-beat, but she started dancing nonetheless. Will Lil Wayne grab all the gramophones? Is Katy Perry going to tell her girl rivals to kiss off? Can Coldplay march off with a win? MTV News is all over the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, so stay tuned for interviews, analysis and more before, during and after the big night, Sunday, February 8. Related Photos Related Artists |
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