MTV News |
- Drake Recalls Family Turmoil, Making 'Successful'
- Taylor Swift Promises 'Theatrics' For 2009 VMA Performance
- Kristin Cavallari Reveals Who She <i>Isn't</i> Dating On 'The Hills'
- No Custody Deal Between Debbie Rowe And Jackson Family, Lawyers Say
- The Best Albums Of 2009 (So Far)
- Ashley Tisdale Gets 'Love Drunk' With Boys Like Girls
- Britney Spears Shows 'Classy Side' In 'Radar' Video, Director Says
- Cam'ron And Mase Reunion Part Of A 'Bigger Project'
- 'Twilight' Fans Rejoice: Muse To Perform At The Video Music Awards
- Exclusive: Ryan Ross Talks About Cocaine Picture
| Drake Recalls Family Turmoil, Making 'Successful' Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT Plus: We list 25 essential songs midway through 2009, in Mixtape Daily.
Man — 2009 is halfway over already? The years go by so quick. As always, though, we're here to document everything. All this week, in addition to our regular coverage, we're going to be highlighting all the impact players in the mixtape circuit so far this year. Who had the biggest mixtape? What MC was the most consistent? What albums have we kept in rotation? Rappers, DJs, producers, shows — we've got the best of the best of this year thus far. Today, we take a look at the making of "Successful," as well as listing other essentially dope records of the year (up to this point.). Stay with us all week. Mid-Season Salute: Drake's "Successful" Drake's "Successful" is one of our favorite songs of the year thus far. Guest Trey Songz's hook expresses the dreams of a young black male coming from nothing to something, and Drake's raps put the hip-hop nation on notice, while conveying his own desperation and hope and revealing family struggles. Let's not forget Lil Wayne's magnificent at bat as cleanup hitter: "Tired of hearing bullsh--/ Bring on the cow sh--/ Haven't met a smell that's stankier than our sh--." It's not a record that will kill the clubs, but when you just want to listen to superb lyricism and enthralling harmony, it's a must have.
"I remember hearing the record and the drums coming together, and they were just so rocking," Drake recalled. "It has this pocket, and there was no melody yet. I remember [producer Noah '40' Shebib] kind of making the joint, and then he hit this sound, which is the chords that are in there. It was so eerie. Like it was haunting, almost. I was like, 'Yo, that's it. You need to use that.' He started playing this patch, and just every note that he played fell into place. I had this beat sitting here that I love so much, and I didn't know what to do with it. I loved it. Sometimes, as an artist, you find a musical piece that you love so much, you want to do it justice. It's a very overwhelming feeling at times. I actually turned to Trey Songz, and I was like, 'Yo, I got this joint, and I know how it makes me feel. I just don't know how to say it the right way.' " "Drake told me back in January he was gonna do another mixtape," Songz told us. "At first, he was calling me about interludes and trying to segue his singing into his rapping. That didn't work out, because we couldn't come to terms about what records I was going to be on. Then he sent me this track one night. I was in the studio when he sent it. He said, 'Let me know what you think about it.' It was simplistic, but it knocks. It's eerie, it's dark. The first thing I laid down was the gothic, reverb-driven harmony: 'arrrgh, arrrgh, arrrgh.' I couldn't think of what I wanted to hear on it, so I did a whole bunch of harmonies." Trey then called Drake to see what direction Drizzy wanted to go in. Unable to come up with a concrete game plan, Trey took things into his own hands. "The first thing that came to mind was 'I want the money, money and the cars/ Cars and the clothes/ The ho's/ I suppose I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful,' " Trey remembered. "When I'm saying all that, conceptually for me, the deepest part of the record was when I say, 'I suppose.' I supposed that's what success is about. That's what [we're] led to believe." "I opened it up in my e-mail, and I heard this hook, and it was so powerful to me, because he says all these things: 'I want the money, money and the cars,' " Drake thought back. "And it's like, it's almost like it made me feel like it may not be right what I want, you know? All these things, it's like it made me feel young. It kind of made me feel ignorant to the game. But it was an exciting record even though the tempo is slow. That's what I want. That's what I've been told is success: 'The money, the cars, the clothes and the ho's. I suppose.' The 'I suppose' moment in there is like, it's almost like you're doubting yourself for a second. But at the end of the day, I just want to be successful. So that's what the record meant to me." One of the record's most endearing and revealing points comes when Drake speaks about his relationship with his mother. "My mother tried to run away from home, but I left something in the car, so I caught her in the driveway," he raps. "And she cried to me, so I cried too/ And my stomach was soaking wet, she's only 5'2." "When I was going through the creative process for So Far Gone, I was actually at a pretty dark place in my life," Drake explained. "It was a frustrating time for my family, because my grandmother — who is now in her mid- to late 90s — was just losing it. It was hard for my mother to watch. And it was just, it was really at a point where it was like, 'Is this rap thing going to work?' Like, 'Is this my choice? Is this what I am committing to?' Money was an issue. 'Degrassi' [which Drake starred on as a teen] had ended years ago, and we were just all kind of trying to figure stuff out. "So my mother was going through a rough time," he continued. "And yeah, man, one night she just broke down and tried to actually run away from the house, tried to leave it all behind. It was just a lot going on, and she never would have really left. She would've always come back, but it was just a frustrating moment for her. So I had forgot something in my car, and I came outside and I saw bags sitting by her car. I saw her out there, and she just started crying right away when she saw me. Anyway, I don't wanna get too emotional, but I had to hug her. My father doesn't stay with us, so I had to be security for her and just let her know that everything is going to be all right." 25 Essential Records Midway Through 2009 » Kanye West (featuring Young Jeezy) - "Amazing" For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Taylor Swift Promises 'Theatrics' For 2009 VMA Performance Posted: 14 Jul 2009 08:04 AM PDT Country crossover star set to perform a new version of 'You Belong With Me.'
Last year, when Taylor Swift attended her first VMAs, she did double duty as a Best New Artist nominee and the fashion correspondent for MTV News' red-carpet preshow. At the 2009 VMAs, to be hosted again by Russell Brand on September 13, Swift will be one of the night's big performers. "I'm so excited that MTV and the VMAs have invited me to perform, because I think this year's show will be unlike anything they've ever done!" she said of her debut on the VMA stage with an updated version of her new single, "You Belong With Me." Although Swift lost her Moonman last year to Tokio Hotel, she'll be pulling out all the stops to dazzle the audience this year. "I love incorporating theatrics into my performances, and the VMAs have always allowed artists to run with that," she said. "MTV has been so good to me. And I could not be more excited about this year's VMAs." Last year, when Swift's song "Teardrops on My Guitar" was nominated for a Moonman, she spoke to MTV News about how excited she was to have her country music being embraced by a pop audience. "I didn't think it was possible," she said, recalling her reaction to the nomination. "I was so shocked. I started screaming, 'I get to go to the VMAs!' I didn't think I'd get to go to the VMAs. I'm not that cool. As a country artist, I've been pretty unapologetic about it. [But] it's cool to be included." Related Artists |
| Kristin Cavallari Reveals Who She <i>Isn't</i> Dating On 'The Hills' Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'Just me coming on the show has created a little drama,' she says of cast friction.
Since it was announced that Kristin Cavallari would be the newest face on "The Hills," everyone has been wondering just what kind of trouble the former "Laguna Beach" star has up her sleeve. With Lauren Conrad no longer on the show, it means Cavallari could be the new queen bee of "The Hills." Cavallari isn't sure what "Hills" fans should expect from her, because she just started filming the new season recently, but she is sure there will be enough drama to go around for everyone.
"We've only been filming for a couple weeks," she told MTV News. "But I can tell you that just me coming on the show has created a little drama, because I think a few people aren't too excited about it." There have been rumors that Cavallari and "Hills" vet Audrina Patridge aren't getting along so well, which might have something to do with reports that Kristin has her sights set on Audrina's ex-boyfriend, Justin Bobby. "I'm not dating Justin Bobby," she said, laughing. The aspiring actress promised that she isn't dating any of the guys on the show. "I dated Brody [Jenner] four years ago. He's like a brother to me. There's nothing going on there." With those guys out of the way as potential love matches for Cavallari when she makes her big return, would she dare make a play for Heidi Montag's hubby, Spencer Pratt? "No!" she said. "He's married, God!" Related Videos |
| No Custody Deal Between Debbie Rowe And Jackson Family, Lawyers Say Posted: 14 Jul 2009 12:20 AM PDT Reports claimed that Rowe was to accept multimillion-dollar payment.
Despite multiple reports that Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, had accepted a multi-million payment to settle a potential custody battle over the two children she had with the singer, lawyers for both Rowe and the Jackson family said on Tuesday (July 14) that no deal has been reached. Anonymous sources told the New York Post that Rowe, who relinquished custody of the children, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael, 12, in 1999 after the couple divorced, had agreed to take a $4 million payment in exchange for not fighting Jackson's mother, Katherine, over custody of the kids. That report is "completely false," according to CNN, citing an open letter to the New York tabloid from Eric George, Rowe's lawyer.
"There has been no agreement reached between Ms. Rowe and the Jacksons," George wrote in the letter, in which he demanded an immediate retraction of the story. "Ms. Rowe has not and will not give up her parental rights. No determination has been reached concerning custody or visitation. And Ms. Rowe has not accepted and will not accept any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael personally agreed to several years ago." George did not return MTV News' calls for comment, but he's expected to be at a Los Angeles family court on Monday, along with Rowe, when a guardianship hearing has been set. The hearing was originally slated for July 13, but was reportedly pushed back at the request of lawyers for Jackson and Rowe, a court official told CNN. Katherine Jackson was granted temporary guardianship of the children following Michael's death on June 25, and while Rowe is not believed to have played an active role in their upbringing since the couple's divorce, her lawyer told CNN two weeks ago that "Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings." Radar also reported on Tuesday that Rowe had not reached a monetary deal in the custody case, citing Katherine Jackson's attorney, L. Londell McMillan, who said "the reports are false." McMillan could not be reached for comment at press time, but, citing multiple anonymous sources close to the situation, the site reported that "there is no deal that has been reached." Further fueling the fire of the potential custody battle between Rowe, the biological mother of the two children, and Katherine Jackson, the person Michael Jackson appointed in his will to take care of his three offspring, is a report from Extra in which Rebecca White, who interviewed Rowe for MTV News in 2008, said that the former nurse is conflicted about reuniting with her kids. "I know she's seeking custody of the children," White told the entertainment news show. "I think she wants the best for the children." However, White supplied an e-mail from Rowe dated July 2, 2009 in which her friend appears unsure about seeking custody, allegedly writing, "I'm not going after custody ... These kids are not mine. They were never mine. They were always Michael's. I was Michael's best friend." In another e-mail, reportedly sent on July 5, Rowe wrote to White that, "My lawyer is telling me I have to take some responsibility about the welfare of the children ... Do I want the kids? Hell no. Does it look good for me to ask for them? Absolutely. I don't want to look like the woman who gave away her kids and just forgot about them. Would Michael want Joe [Joseph Jackson, the family patriarch] to have them? I think it would be the last thing that he would ever have wanted." White told Extra that Rowe, who received a multi-million payment in her divorce settlement from Jackson, is motivated to seek custody for financial reasons. "The motivation is money," White said. "I really have to be honest ... If the children aren't the ones she wants, what else will she gain from it?" While the two sides are not due back in court until Monday, White said a secret custody deal is in the works and hinted that a text message from Rowe predicted the matter would be solved on Tuesday. For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered." Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| The Best Albums Of 2009 (So Far) Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT Lily Allen, Mos Def and Kelly Clarkson make the mid-year list, in Bigger Than the Sound.
The actual midway point of 2009 occurred on July 2, one week after the death of arguably the greatest entertainer of our generation. It was a pretty somber way to cap off the first 182.5 days of the year and, obviously, pretty much everyone's attention was turned to eulogizing the King of Pop (myself included ... twice over). One piece I had intended on writing was my annual mid-year "Best Of" list, taking a look at my favorite albums released so far. And, well, here it is. There's lots of ground to cover, and I used a lot of words to do it (more than 2,000?! Jeez ... ), so let's get right to it. Here are my picks — some honorable mentions and a straightforward Top 10 — for the Best Albums of 2009 (So Far). Honorable Mentions Bat for Lashes, Two Suns Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca Ida Maria, Fortress Round My Heart, and the Dead Weather, Horehound Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Silversun Pickups, Swoon UGK, UGK 4 Life The Top 10 10. Mos Def, The Ecstatic 9. Lily Allen, It's Not Me, It's You 8. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali 7. Wilco, Wilco (The Album) 6. Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest 5. Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted 4. Dinosaur Jr, Farm 3. Dan Deacon, Bromst 2. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 1. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion If there's something I've missed — or if you've got a list of your own — you can let me know in the comments below ... or e-mail me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com. Related Videos |
| Ashley Tisdale Gets 'Love Drunk' With Boys Like Girls Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'I love their music. It's super exciting,' Tisdale says about starring in the band's new video.
It seems Ashley Tisdale likes Boys Like Girls. Tisdale, whose new album Guilty Pleasure hits stores later this month, jumped at the chance to work with the pop-rockers when they asked her to be in the their new video for "Love Drunk," off their album of the same name, out September 8. "Actually, I'm a really big fan of Boys Like Girls," Tisdale told MTV News on the video's set. "I love their music. It's super exciting. I've always dreamt about being in it." Tisdale did explain that she had to make one adjustment before signing on for the role — she had to tone down her style for the video. "I think it's very the cute-girl, jeans-shorts kind of beachy-casual, but nice. Those are the things we went through," she explained. "I used to smoke out my eyes and be rocker, so for this I toned it down."
The love that Tisdale feels for the band isn't one-sided. "When we were thinking about girls for the video, it seemed like it would be a great idea to bring her in," frontman Martin Johnson said. "I think she's going to kill the role," he added, hinting that "she's in a bunch of different scenarios, a couple of different dudes. We're super stoked to have her a part of it. It's cool to have a fan of the band that's an actress come in and want to be a part of it." And if any of you might be thinking that the guys of Boys Like Girls will be drunk with desire for Tisdale in the video, think again. The song isn't exactly about falling in love. "It's obviously not about being in love," Johnson said. "It's about giving the F.U. to a relationship and a situation. "It's fun. It's kind of celebrating — skipping your way out gracefully with a nice flip of the bird rather than crying your way home to mommy. It's cool, 'cause the song has a twist to it. It's about having been love-drunk and then saying goodbye." Related Videos |
| Britney Spears Shows 'Classy Side' In 'Radar' Video, Director Says Posted: 14 Jul 2009 09:59 AM PDT 'Videos are a chance for her to vocalize a sense of herself,' Dave Meyers tells MTV News.
For Britney Spears' "Radar" video, the pop star ditched the writhing dance moves to explore what the video's director calls "the romance of high-end society and the guys that circulate around there." The video, inspired in part by Madonna's 1994 "Take a Bow" video, was directed by Britney's longtime video collaborator Dave Meyers, who worked with Britney on her videos for "Lucky" and "Boys" as well as the commercial for her Curious fragrance. The new video centers on Britney being torn between two love interests: a rich guy and a polo player. (Spoiler alert: She picks the polo player.)
"She was in a really good headspace and open to trying new things, and I wanted to try some new things with her too," Meyers told MTV News. "It kind of was a great celebration of trusting one another. ... Now we're sort of both seasoned in our own rights, so it's like two people coming back together, trying to do something fresh and new ... seeking out an actual different technique and stylistic choices and trying to find a form to celebrate them in." Meyers said when he met up with Spears in May in Santa Barbara, California, he had a specific vision: to show the world Britney's "classy side," instead of the images of a sexed-up Spears that we're all used to seeing. It's the kind of Britney we saw in her video for "Lucky," except more grown-up. "I thought, 'It's not the first single [from Circus]. Let's be a little experimental and push to not have her around dancers,' " Meyers said. "I feel, I guess, that the videos are a chance for her to vocalize a sense of herself. The media tends to attack her, so I thought, 'Let's show the classy side of Britney and focus on a classy experience, very European-inspired.' And she's at the point in her career where I think this would be a nice step." Meyers thinks Britney's career mirrors Madonna's career in some ways. Much like with Madonna, when Britney does something, "Everyone seems to watch." "She kind of filled [Madonna's] shoes," Meyers said. "[But] everything is done in a Britney way. She's not Madonna, and Madonna is not Britney. It seems like Madonna made the same choices that were right for her at the time, to class her up when she had just done a sexpot video. She was riding that image train too. She was leading that image train, and I think that Britney has done that as well." Related Artists |
| Cam'ron And Mase Reunion Part Of A 'Bigger Project' Posted: 14 Jul 2009 04:27 AM PDT Miss Info sits down with our hip-hop experts to talk about the duo's new track 'Get It,' in Off the Dome.
Give us some warning after making us wait for almost 10 years! Mase and Cam'ron dropped the collaborative effort "Get It" over the weekend and caught everyone, including New York radio personality Miss Info, off guard. Info, one of my longtime homies, had the exclusive record on her Web site late Friday. According to her, there are more songs to come between the childhood friends and former members of the underground rap group Children of the Corn, with Big L.
Info sat down with me and my partner Rahman Dukes to discuss how the record came about, the impact of the song and what this means for Mase's impending comeback. " 'This is part of a bigger project' is what I was told," Info said of Mase. Last we heard, Killa and Jim Jones were busting on Mase during a Hot 97 radio show Info was hosting. "What was so shocking is that no one's really seen them together or anything like that," Info said. "Nobody knew they squashed some of their old disputes. But behind the scenes, they had resolved their issues, and they've been friends for a little while now. Last year, they got together, they played ball, in Jersey or somewhere like that, from what I understand. The friendship has already been in the works, which is what I like about how this record came outta nowhere. It's not a fabricated publicity stunt, which is what some people were thinking it was. They didn't get together only for a record. They were already friends." And that's how I loved these guys best: together as Murda Mase and Killa Cam. "We grew up listening to Murda Mase, Children of the Corn," I said. "That was our introduction to them." Are you happy Cam and Mase are back together? What else are you expecting from the duo? Sound off below. Related Artists |
| 'Twilight' Fans Rejoice: Muse To Perform At The Video Music Awards Posted: 14 Jul 2009 02:03 AM PDT Stephenie Meyer's favorite band is scheduled to take the stage on September 13.
On September 13, the MTV Video Music Awards will return home to New York City, taking over spots all around the Big Apple, including the iconic Radio City Music Hall. Outrageous Brit Russell Brand will once again be serving as the emcee, and the show will feature high-powered performances from the likes of Taylor Swift and Muse. It will be the British art rockers' first U.S. TV appearance, and they'll be unveiling "Uprising," the first single off their much-anticipated album, The Resistance. And while they might not be a household name in the States just yet, we're betting that's going to change real soon, thanks in no small part to a little series of books called "Twilight." Any member of Team Edward (or Team Jacob) can surely tell you that Muse are Stephenie Meyer's favorite band — she thanked them for their inspiration and called them "rock gods" in "New Moon" and "Eclipse," and then decided to dedicate "Eclipse" to the band for providing "a saga's worth of inspiration." Their "Supermassive Black Hole" also appeared on the soundtrack for the "Twilight" film. But, perhaps not everyone who's read the books is aware of the full impact the band had on Meyer ... their music even influenced key scenes in the series, as she told MTV News last year. "I was in Forks [Washington, the city where 'Twilight' is based] with my sister — before any of the books had come out, just sort of scoping it out," Meyer said. "I was working on 'Eclipse' at the time, and I had [Muse's album] Absolution in, and 'Hysteria' came on and, in my mind, the kiss scene between [Bella] and Jacob just choreographed itself, down to how many steps he took toward her. So whenever I read that now, I always hear the song in my mind." And you thought they were just another English band. The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place on September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Nominees, celebrity presenters and additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the official Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/insidemtv. Related Artists |
| Exclusive: Ryan Ross Talks About Cocaine Picture Posted: 13 Jul 2009 10:33 PM PDT 'I didn't even really know [the cocaine] was there,' ex-Panic! at the Disco frontman says.
Last week, just days after Panic! at the Disco announced that Ryan Ross and Jon Walker were leaving the band, a certain photo began making the rounds on message boards and gossip sites ... one that seemed to confirm most Panic! fans' suspicions about why Ross had split in the first place.
The picture shows the guitarist reclining on a couch, with three very young girls around him. In the foreground, there is a table cluttered with bottles of liquor, cigarettes and one very prominently placed bowl of what appears to be cocaine, chopped into little lines and ready to be snorted. In a lot of ways, the photo looks like it could've been taken backstage at a Led Zeppelin show, circa 1970 ... which is what bothered most Panic! fans, still angered by news of the split. To them, the picture was proof that Ross was more concerned with partying and chasing women — with being a rock star — than he was in continuing with Panic! at the Disco, which made him the bad guy in the whole situation. To his credit, Ross remained silent about the photo and the backlash it created — until Monday, that is, when MTV News spoke to him about parting ways with Panic!, a conversation that also saw him addressing the rumors of his hard-partying ways, his reputation in the Panic! fanscape and, of course, that now-infamous picture. "I'm usually the bad guy. That's how it always seems to be," Ross laughed. "I've tried not to read a lot of the comments our fans have been making about this, because I really hope they don't think it was me who caused the split. We were all just going in different directions, musically. That's it." And so, about that picture — well, Ross said it was taken the day after a party at a friend's house, and that he had no idea the cocaine was on the table. It wasn't his, and he didn't partake in it the previous night. Oh, and he also denies the rumors that he somehow leaked the photo himself, to build buzz for his and Walker's upcoming project. "I planned the whole thing!" he laughed. "No, [the photo was taken] a couple of weeks ago — I do remember, believe it or not. I'm not gonna tell you whose house it was at, but yeah, there was a party the night before, and I slept on the couch, and we took a picture. I didn't even really know [the cocaine] was there." And those girls in the photo? Turns out they're not underage, or groupies, or anything salacious, really. They're just Ross' friends, and one of them accidentally caused the photo to be leaked. "Oh, I definitely [know them] — it's my friend Zee and a couple of her friends. And actually, they're all older than me," he laughed. "I think one of the girls put the picture on her Facebook, and was like, 'Oh my God, I didn't even know it was on the table,' and then I don't know what happened. But I think they got in more trouble than I did." Related Artists |
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