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- Drake's <i>So Far Gone</i> Is The Hottest Mixtape Of 2009 (So Far)
- Kristin Cavallari Didn't Watch 'The Hills' Before Joining Cast
- Kevin Jonas On Engagement: 'It's Going Great'
- Michael Jackson Dominates Charts For Third Week
- Jonas Brothers Go From The Stage To The Softball Diamond
- PS22 Chorus Becomes Famous, Focused Through Pop-Song Covers
- Tokio Hotel Drummer Injured In Bar Fight In Germany
- Exclusive: Ryan Ross Talks New Music, Moving On From Panic! At The Disco
| Drake's <i>So Far Gone</i> Is The Hottest Mixtape Of 2009 (So Far) Posted: 16 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT The breakthrough tape 'was an important moment for me,' Drizzy tells Mixtape Daily.
Midseason Salute: Drake's So Far Gone What can we say about So Far Gone that hasn't already been written in this very section? The mixtape was artistically dope and had out-of-control buzz, and we are stamping it as the mixtape of 2009 so far based on the impact and quality. Let the debates begin, but you'll have a difficult time saying what other tape reached the 'hood, the 'burbs and the industry. A universal thumbs-up. Let's hope the album lives up to the hype. "I am honored by the accolade given to me by Mixtape Daily and just by all the stuff that's going on," Drake said about getting the nod. "I feel like I just spent a lot of years so in tune with music that I really love. Whether it be R&B, whether it be jazz, whether it be rap, whatever. I think So Far Gone was me finding myself as a person and then finding a way to balance all these things that I love and figuring out truly what it is that I'm good at. I think once you find a rhythm or a formula as an artist, it starts to connect with people. You know, people are like, 'OK, he's doing his thing.' That's important to do your thing. You can't be doing what so-and-so is doing or do something that doesn't fit you. ... The best part about finding that rhythm was just being honest. Honesty, you know, rapping about my life and things that occur on a daily basis. So when I draw inspiration, I really can draw from my life, not go make something up or hear someone else's story.
"I can just live and then write," he continued. "And so that really makes my musical process very easy and gratifying. It's been dope. So for people to respond to that mixtape was a great thing." With all the accolades he's raked in from the mixtape, has Drizzy ever had second thoughts about giving the tape out for free instead of selling it? "I think that's what we're working on right now," he said. " 'Best I Ever Had' is doing amazing on iTunes. But [the mixtape] was an important moment for me. So no, I don't ever look at it and say, 'I wish that was an album.' It was important that it was a mixtape, 'cause if it was an album, I don't know if it would've had the same impact. I think the fact that I gave that for free, it was kind of brazen, like, 'What? What do you have in your collection, in your catalog, to be able to throw this out there?' And just while we were creating it, it was all of us, you know? Me, 40, Oliver and everyone else involved. It was us, just having fun in a stress-free environment, because we knew we were going to give it away. So I am hoping to bring that same energy to the album. It's harder, because you know that it's your album. You know people have to go buy it and they have to support it or else you're not going to live up to the expectations, but hopefully we can channel that same energy into this project." The Mixtape Daily famliy sat down and discussed not just Drake's effort, but the street projects by a slew of other artists. Come back Friday for our entire list. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Kristin Cavallari Didn't Watch 'The Hills' Before Joining Cast Posted: 16 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'When I decided to do it, I watched three episodes to see what I was getting myself into,' she says.
Kristin Cavallari has a little inside information about the next season of "The Hills." Brace yourselves: Stacie the bartender will be back for more action — and possibly some fights with Heidi and Spencer — when the show returns later this year. "It's everyone, except for Lauren, who's on it," Cavallari told MTV News. "Stacie is in it too. I didn't really watch 'The Hills' before, so I don't know if she was on it."
Cavallari was unfamiliar with the show, so after joining the cast she caught up with a few episodes and found it as entertaining as the rest of the fans. "When I decided to do it, I watched three episodes to see what I was getting myself into," she said, adding, "I thought it was good." Fans have been mourning the departure of Lauren Conrad, who left to pursue other interests — but that's fine by Cavallari, since Lauren's exit made room for her entrance. "They've been asking me to join for a few years, and I just thought, 'What was the point,' because I thought it was just like 'Laguna Beach.' "So with her leaving, I thought it was a good time. No, they've been asking me for, like, four years," she said. "I've been offered my own show, but I've turned it down. I just really wanted to pursue my acting career, which I've done for the past four years ... I've been working, I have a few movies coming out in the summer, and this is a way for my fans to catch up with me." Related Videos |
| Kevin Jonas On Engagement: 'It's Going Great' Posted: 16 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'We're having a good time,' Jonas says of time with his fiancée.
As millions of girls around the world shed a tear over the news of Kevin Jonas' engagement to longtime girlfriend Danielle Deleasa, Kevin's brothers expressed their excitement about adding a sister to the Jonas family. "It's going great," Kevin told MTV News about the engagement, as his brothers excitedly gave him a hug. "No date yet — me and Dani are just working everything out and figuring everything out. We're having a good time."
"We're happy for him," Joe added. In a tweet posted by the brothers just hours after the pair's engagement news broke, Joe and Nick wrote, "Congrats big brother ... Dani welcome to the family. We can't wait to have you join us on the road! Love Joe and Nick." Kevin, being the romantic that he is, showed up to Deleasa's New Jersey doorstep after flying overnight from a show in Toronto. He got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend of two years to marry him with a three-carat solitaire cushion-cut diamond surrounded by 210 round, brilliant-cut pavé diamonds. Kevin designed the ring himself, with help from Jacob the Jeweler. "She said yes, yes, yes, like 500 times super fast in a row," he recalled. "It was tough performing [the night before], knowing that I was going to ask the biggest question in my life to the most amazing girl in the world," Kevin said. "It is such a blessing that she will be joining our family. ... Family is very dear to us, and we hope we have raised Kevin to be a wonderful man and husband. Please join us in our family's celebration and in congratulating Kevin and Danielle. Thank you for all of your support," Kevin's parents, Kevin Sr. and Denise, said in a statement. Related Photos |
| Michael Jackson Dominates Charts For Third Week Posted: 15 Jul 2009 06:10 AM PDT Fans buy more than 1.1 million Jackson albums in week of memorial.
Michael Jackson fans still can't get enough. In addition to tuning in to last Tuesday's all-star memorial to the late King of Pop by the tens of millions, they also hit record stores to buy 1.1 million Jackson albums in the week ending on Sunday (July 12). According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, that represents the third straight week of double- and triple-digit gains for Jackson's catalog since his death on June 25, with sales moving up 37 percent over last week, when the singer's catalog moved nearly 800,000 units. Billboard reported that in the past two and a half weeks, U.S. record buyers have snapped up more than 2.3 million Jackson albums.
As stores continue to stock up on physical copies of the singer's catalog, the album that remains the best seller is the Number Ones collection, which, according to preliminary numbers, sold 349,000 copies on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. None of the Jackson compilations on the charts are eligible for the Top 200 chart because they've been out for more than 18 months and do not currently have a single at radio. In fact, Jackson occupied the top 12 spots on the Catalog chart, with a combination of solo and Jackson 5 albums, with his seminal Thriller sliding in at #2 on sales of 264,000, an increase of 41 percent over the previous week, followed by the Essential Michael Jackson comp with 149,000 (up 18 percent) and his breakthrough solo album Off the Wall, which moved 107,000 copies (a 108 percent jump). At #5 is Bad (97,000, up 332 percent), followed by Dangerous (67,000, up 157 percent) and the Jackson 5's Ultimate Collection at #7 (34,000, up 239 percent). The Jackson 5 Millennium Collection is at #8 (17,000, up 280 percent), with the solo Vol. 1 — Greatest Hits HIStory at #9 (15,000, up 98 percent) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 rounding out the top 10 (14,000, up 153 percent). Jackson also holds down the #11 and #12 spots with, respectively, his final official solo album Invincible (14,000, up 61 percent) and a solo Ultimate Collection (7,000), the only title to lose a bit of ground, shedding 26 percent of its previous week's business. As they did last week, the top three Jackson catalog albums easily bested the top four discs on the contemporary chart, including Maxwell's #1 debut with his comeback bid, BLACKsummers'night, which moved 316,000 copies, the Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack (137,000), the Now 31 compilation (100,000) and the chart debut of the latest from Maryland pop punkers All Time Low (62,000). And though his digital sales have cooled over the past week, Jackson still had 17 digital tracks in the top 40 of the Hot Digital Tracks chart, led by his de facto theme song in death, "Man in the Mirror," which held steady at #3 on sales of 130,000. In total, Billboard reported that Jackson sold 2.5 million digital tracks in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand over the past week. 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
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| Jonas Brothers Go From The Stage To The Softball Diamond Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:02 AM PDT Kevin, Joe and Nick squeeze in a pickup game with the Road Dogs before their New Jersey concert.
NEWARK, New Jersey — When the Jonas Brothers get some free time, they like to spend it playing softball. So, on Wednesday (July 15), the boys and their team, the Road Dogs, comprised of their road crew and dad Kevin Jonas Sr., decided to play some ball at the Riverfront Stadium just hours before their sold-out concert at the nearby Izod Center.
The boys — Nick plays shortstop, Kevin is right-fielder and Joe is short center — all gathered before the big game to talk to MTV News. Kevin, who was donning a pair of white loafers, swore that he'd change into cleats before the game. The guys, who played another softball game for charity earlier this week, explained why they chose to name their team the Road Dogs. "We're on the road a lot, and that's what we said about ourselves in the past before we had a softball team," Nick said. Before they formed a team, their experience on the diamond was limited to, as Joe explained, some games on the Fourth of July. "Pickup games here and there," Kevin added. "Definitely been a part of softball growing up." So if the guys were professional players, who would they be? Nick chose Derek Jeter, Joe would be Babe Ruth, and the brothers helped Kevin out with his pick. Nick suggested Jorge Posada. "Cool, I'm into that," Kevin said. But it was Joe's suggestion of Manny Ramirez that got a mixed reaction. "Manny, I don't know about Manny," Kevin said. "I think that'd be awesome." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| PS22 Chorus Becomes Famous, Focused Through Pop-Song Covers Posted: 16 Jul 2009 03:51 AM PDT 'We met Rihanna,' one young singer marvels. 'How many kids like us, our age, got to meet her?'
The young singers of Staten Island, New York's PS22 Chorus have been part of the feel-good story of the year. Internet videos of the fourth- and fifth-graders performing covers of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance," Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and other pop songs have propelled them into the national spotlight. The chorus has been featured on "Good Morning America" and within the pages of The New York Times. It might not have been possible without the foresight of chorus director Gregg Breinberg, who the kids affectionately call "Mr. B." Breinberg posted videos of the chorus covering Tori Amos songs, which caught the attention of the singer's fans, including Perez Hilton.
"Perez Hilton has been a huge fan," Breinberg said. "He's really supported us from the beginning. He's the one who really got these kids on the map." The New York school system has been in a budget crunch, and many schools have been forced to eliminate music programs. The singers' online fame has helped keep the chorus intact. "These kids need to know that there are other options for them aside from being a reader or a mathematician," he said. "Some people — children, adults — are not meant to be wonderful readers, wonderful mathematicians. Does that mean they have nothing else to contribute to our society? Absolutely not." Breinberg said learning music can also lend itself to learning other subjects. Breinberg incorporated math into the music curriculum using rhythm equations. One of his students, Alexandra Stein, said it helped a lot. "Math has just gotten easier for me," she said. "Mr. B is always telling us to focus, and ... when we get into class, we focus some more." Fifth-grader Justin Restrepo also said his newfound focus is paying off. "He motivates us, because after we do everything, all the work, we always get rewarded at the end," he said. "We met Rihanna. How many kids like us, our age, got to meet her?" Related Videos |
| Tokio Hotel Drummer Injured In Bar Fight In Germany Posted: 15 Jul 2009 01:56 AM PDT Gustav Schaefer was hit on the head with beer bottles, manager says.
Tokio Hotel drummer Gustav Schaefer was reportedly injured in a fight at a nightclub in Germany on Sunday. According to the band's manager, Schaefer, 20, was injured at The Club in Magdeburg, his hometown. Police also confirmed the incident to German news site Bild.de. "In one of Magdeburg's night clubs, a stranger smashed two beer bottles on the head of Gustav," the band's manager and producer, David Jost, said in a statement. "Gustav had to be treated in the hospital with 36 stitches. The police [are investigating] aggravated assault." Jost's statement goes on to explain what happened between Schaefer and a group of guys after he began talking to a girl in the club. "All of a sudden some guys surrounded Gustav," he said. "One of them, who had a bald shaved head, started to aggressively pick on him. Suddenly another guy appeared; he hit Gustav straight in his face without warning. "This started a physical argument between Gustav and the man who had hit him. Other guests of the club allegedly helped to pull the two apart from each other. The rowdy [man] took off and Gustav thought that that was it," the manager continued, "But the guy with the shaved head continued to insult him. Then the vicious attack happened. The second guy approached Gustav from behind on the right side and without warning smashed a beer bottle on Gustav's head from the side. The guy with the shaved head pushed Gustav back really hard." Jost added that "while he was falling, a second beer bottle got smashed on Gustav's head. Gustav went right to the ground and the attackers fled. The guests in the night club became anxious. Gustav was bleeding insanely from his head and a bunch of people got him to the washrooms. Shortly after, the police and ambulance arrived and took the bleeding Gustav to the hospital." In photos taken after the incident, it appears that Schaefer had received multiple stitches to several cuts on his forehead area. "Despite his Tokio Hotel career, Gustav always tried his very best to keep as much as possible from his 'normal' life," Jost said. "Up to now, he has put a strong emphasis on not being accompanied by security personnel while privately going out in his hometown Magdeburg. Gustav is very much attached to his old friends and also to the overall life in his hometown." Related Artists |
| Exclusive: Ryan Ross Talks New Music, Moving On From Panic! At The Disco Posted: 15 Jul 2009 01:26 AM PDT Guitarist is working out label issues, thinking up a name for his band with former Panic! bassist Jon Walker.
Over the past week, Ryan Ross has talked about splitting from Panic! at the Disco and answered questions about that now-infamous cocaine photo. But all he wants to discuss is his new music. Because, really, the songs he's written with former Panic! bassist Jon Walker were the reason he decided to leave the band in the first place. They were a departure from the glossy pop tunes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith were working on — they looked backward as opposed to forward, focusing instead on the crackling punch of old Stax Records 45s and the jangly pop of the Kinks — and the difference in musical direction was great enough to send him packing.
That should really tell you all you need to know about Ross' new tunes: He believes in them so much that he's willing to stake his career on them. "I think the songs are a lot more focused than what you might have heard on Pretty. Odd. I don't think we're going to do any orchestration. ... They just sound like a band," Ross said. "They're more, uh, I wouldn't want to say 'heavy,' but I guess I would have to, in the sense of, like, early garage music and Kinks and stuff. The songs are shorter and faster, and I guess they're more rock and roll than flowery stuff. "We were really into a lot of the Motown and Stax Records stuff when we first started. ... I don't know if you'll really hear that, but that's what got us into the idea of writing songs that are fun and short and have a good groove that you can dance to and mixed with the Ray Davies and the Kinks stuff," Ross continued. "It's a lot more groove-oriented, and we realized that maybe that was one thing we were lacking on Pretty. Odd., was that some of the stuff was really long and kind of slower — which is fine — but this time we wanted to write stuff that was gonna be fun live and sound like a band." If there is a hint from his Panic! past as to what the new stuff might sound like, Ross points to "It's Almost Halloween," the punchy, go-go garage track he wrote with his former bandmates last year. Soon, you'll be able to judge for yourself, because Ross and Walker are preparing to release their first-ever single, a tune they're tentatively calling "Change." Of course, how they'll release it remains to be seen, because, at the moment, they are a band without a label, caught in a very special (yet not all that uncommon) sort of legal limbo. "We're not sure how this will all play out, because Jon never signed to Fueled by Ramen, and I am still under contract, so we're trying to figure out whether or not they're gonna kind of end the contract or not," Ross said. "Because it doesn't seem like it's going to be the right place for this stuff, and I think everybody knows that, on both sides, [FBR President] John Janick included. It's just been taking some time to get worked out." Regardless, Ross said "Change" will be heard soon. And he and Walker are hard at work on their debut album, logging time with Pretty. Odd. producer Rob Mathes and getting help from their musical friends, including Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald and former Panic! touring keyboardist Eric Ronick. The goal, he said, is to have the album out this year, put together a backing band and hit the road. And while he's confident the legal issues will be cleared up, there's still one hurdle standing in Ross' way: His band needs a name. "Right now, we don't have a name at all," he laughed. "If you've got any good band names, send 'em to me." Do you have a name for Ryan Ross' new band? Let us know on the Newsroom blog! |
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