Senin, 31 Agustus 2009

MTV News

MTV News


Cam'ron And DJ Drama Team Up For Another <i>Gangsta Grillz</i> Tape

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 04:00 AM PDT

The two also bring Mase onboard, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid


DJ Drama, Cam'ron and Vado
Photo: MTV News

This Week's Main Pick

Street Kings: Cam'ron and DJ Drama

Holding It Down For: NYC and ATL

Mixtape: Gangsta Grillz: Boss of All Bosses

Real Spit: We've been bringing you info on the Boss of All Bosses mixtape for the past several days and now you get the full-card monte, performances and all. Cam and Drama, after years of talking, finally made their street collaboration happen.

"I'm excited," Drama said. "For me, where I'm at with my brand and my career, I've gotten the opportunity to work with so many people, but there are people who I wanted to work with. Cam is somebody I can check off my list. Plus, to help introduce Vado — it's exciting. In some ways that's what Gangsta Grillz was built on. It wasn't built on the superstar MC — it was built on people coming up, like Jeezy. Even with Weezy, even though he was a platinum artist, he earned a lot of stripes for the Gangsta Grillz. When this Cam tape pops, people are really going to recognize how great of a street A&R [rep] he really is. He did it before and now he's introducing a new guy."

Joints to Check For

» "Hustle." " 'Hustle' is one of the original songs we had for the tape," Drama explained. "Cam sent it to me and I decided by Ross being on it, I was gonna let the 'La Bomba' out then do the 'Hustle.' "

» "Get It," (featuring Mase). "I love that song," Drama boasted. "That was exciting, man. It's always exciting to watch the game come around like that — seeing Cam and Mase coming up in Harlem together, to the fallout to making music again. It's a feel-good song to me. Not that it sounds old, but it sounds like classic New York hip-hop. I play that in the club — the beat is crazy; Mase and Cam ride the beat. Vado does his thing. People are excited about that one."

» "Drama." "The necessary record," Dram said. "I can't tell you how many times we've been there. Cam named the song after me. It's a Gangsta Grillz tape. Shout-out to Cam for the shout-out."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From the Underground

Gucci Mane's new EP Wasted: The Prequel is slated for a September 8 release. As we told you before, the set contains the best songs from his last few mixtapes. Now we get word that Gucci has finally named his official album.

The LP is called The State vs. Radric Davis and is due in December, and Gucc assures us he has an all-star lineup of producers on tap.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Blink-182 Hold Moment Of Silence For DJ AM During Concert

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 08:44 AM PDT

'He was an innovator and a genius ... and a very dear friend,' Mark Hoppus says in Connecticut.
By Eric Ditzian


Blink-182's Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker (file)
Photo: Chris Weeks/ WireImage

Following the sudden passing of DJ AM on Friday, Travis Barker and band Blink-182 took the stage as planned on Saturday night (August 29) for a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, and paid tribute to their fallen friend.

"This night is really hard for us onstage," bassist Mark Hoppus said to the crowd, according to YouTube footage of the show. "We lost a dear friend yesterday. His name was Adam Goldstein. You probably know him as DJ AM. He was an innovator and a genius and he loved music more than anything else. Above all he was a very dear friend."

He then requested a moment of silence from the crowd and asked for the arena lights to be dimmed as they sought to honor AM. The band then dedicated the song "Down" to Goldstein's memory. As guitarist Tom DeLonge began to sing the first verse, tears could be seen rolling down the bandmembers' faces, according to People.com.

Drummer Travis Barker — who had performed with AM as TRV$DJAM (they were the house band at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards), and escaped a fiery plane crash with him last year that killed four people — did not interact with the crowd. According to Rolling Stone, Barker skipped his usual levitating drum solo during the encore. At the end of "Down," he was said to have rubbed his eyes and held his head in his hands.

Shortly before Saturday's show, Barker tweeted a tribute to AM.

"Don't know how i am gonna play 2night but i am for AM. My brother is gone.i love u and miss u, i'll never forget all the good times we had. ...

"I'll never forget everything we've been thru and every time i play the drums i'll think of you. U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being. ...

"Rest In Peace my brother, this really f---s me up."

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DJ AM's Turntable Skills Revered By Drama, Just Blaze, More DJs

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 12:08 AM PDT

'With AM, It wasn't a party; it was an experience,' DJ Green Lantern tells MTV News.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez


DJ AM
Photo: Chris Weeks/ WireImage

DJ AM was one of the biggest marquee names when it came to the turntables for a reason: talent. He could hold down the duties for Jay-Z at a concert or play records to keep clubgoers dancing all night.

"I saw DJ AM play in a mansion in Miami, and he amazed me with his skills and the music he picked to make the crowd move," DJ Khaled told MTV News following DJ AM's sudden death Friday. "He made sure everyone — I mean everyone — had a good time!"

"AM was really dope," DJ Green Lantern told MTV News. "He was dope on another level. He innovated the live DJ experience a bunch of ways. His transitions from song to song were clever to the point you might be like, 'Damn, why didn't I think of that?' He did that while rocking the crowd."

Lantern said one of AM's strong points was that he didn't get lost in his mix while rocking those crowds. "It only got crazier when he linked with Travis Barker and had that extra element to add to the mix: a world-class drummer! You can watch clips of them online to see the routines they created. DJs definitely started pairing up with musicians for live shows after that. He was an innovator and inspiration to a whole generation of DJs that saw the success you could achieve if you stepped your game up and thought outside the box. With AM, It wasn't a party; it was an experience."

"AM just brought a crazy energy to his parties," Just Blaze agreed. "The way he'd put together the perfect blends of hip-hop, rock, dance and so many other genres is what gave him such a mass appeal. He was one of the few DJs that knew how to cross genres and boundaries without losing the crowd. That's one of the hardest things to do as a DJ. You please one part of the crowd, and then end up losing another. He knew how to keep the energy at 10 for the entire night. And while his team-ups with Travis weren't the first time a DJ teamed up with a musician for live sets, it was their common understanding of knowing how to blend genres that made their combination so great and easy to appeal to the masses. You've got to play for the people but separate yourself from the thousand other DJs out there. And he'd mastered that."

DJ Rich Medina, who is from Philly like AM, said the late DJ was a huge inspiration, not just because of his skill, but because of his business acumen. "His popularity in celebrity circles often overshadowed the fact that he was an absolute animal on the turntables and at the negotiations table," Medina said. "The charmed life of getting paid well to do what you love to do is something that we all strive for as entertainers, regardless of discipline. He nailed that consistently and always with truly individual style and grace. No one who has ever seen him DJ can deny his place among the very best to ever put the needle to the groove. He wasn't a coddled Hollywood tabloid dude. He was a beast of a DJ who really made it because of his skills, rather than nepotism or luck. People need to understand that fact."

Even DJ Drama, who's one of the top three biggest names when it comes to spinners in the hip-hop genre, was amped to see AM do his thing when they spun together a few years back. "I was so excited to meet him, him being who he is," Dram said. "I heard so much about him. I was a fan. I remember when I got to the party, he was so hype. He told me he was excited to meet me. He called me 'the man,' and I'm looking at him like, 'Nah, you're the man.' He was down to earth and very humble. I was opening for him, he had top billing. He didn't come in on no Hollywood sh-- or nothing like that. He told me he'll get on when I finish. I appreciated that, coming from somebody that accomplished what he accomplished and was doing what he was doing."

DJ Stretch Armstrong said AM's success won't soon be duplicated. "There won't be anyone that can step into his shoes for the foreseeable future," he told MTV News. "I mean, maybe never, in terms of his skill level, his cleverness, his dexterity, the way his mind works, his depth of music knowledge and his ability to take ... his extremely high level of turntablism, battling ability and put that together into a package that's entertaining for not just DJs that really understand what he's doing, but anyone that's going out. Across the board, he could entertain and transfix anybody."

While an initial autopsy proved inconclusive, police say AM was found in his apartment with drug paraphernalia.

"Some people say he was given a second chance at life with surviving that plane crash [last year]," Medina said of his friend's passing. "Who knows what he was going through after that really, aside from him. I just wonder if his demons decided to disrespect his second chance, or if he was suffering so badly that he needed to escape."

Regardless of the way he died, AM will be remembered primarily for his skill and humility.

"I will always remember AM for his prodigious talents, his positive and respectful demeanor and for his template for success as a fellow DJ," Medina said. "We lost one of the best in the game. I am proud to say that I knew him and that I learned a great deal from him, despite his never giving me a formal lesson. Rest in Peace, Adam. We will miss you."

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50 Cent Calls '40 Day' Cancellation 'A Loss'

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 04:00 AM PDT

'They told me not to promote the event, and then it got national coverage,' Fif says of planned NYC picnic.
By Jayson Rodriguez


50 Cent
Photo: MTV News

JACKSON, New Jersey — 50 Cent has targeted a lot of foes in his rhymes, but the G-Unit leader won't be adding Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the list anytime soon. The rapper postponed his 40 Day event scheduled for Sunday (August 30) in Queens, New York, when he was unable to obtain a permit from the city for the picnic. The process hit a snag after the New York Post quoted anonymous sources saying the New York Police Department had concerns over the rapper's involvement.

Despite meeting with the New York mayor to squelch any concerns, 50 was unable to pull the event off. "People will point to Bloomberg and immediately think that I would be upset with Mayor Bloomberg or the governor, and both of them wanted me to have the actual event," 50 told MTV News.

The problem, according to 50, was that city officials didn't want him to publicize the festivities, fearing an overly large turnout would be difficult to manage. But before he could assure Bloomberg that safety wouldn't be a problem, the Post ran an article making the private negotiations public.

"They told me not to promote the event, and then it got national coverage. Then the fear factor comes in," 50 explained. "Can you control 100,000 people being in your neighborhood? 'Cause you might not be sure of a turnout at an actual venue, but in the neighborhood, everyone is gonna show up."

It would be easy to blame Bloomberg, 50 said, but ultimately, the mayor has to listen to his advisers. "He's gonna look at the police commissioner and ask, 'Is this gonna be a safe situation?' " 50 said. "And if they tell him no, then it's not gonna happen."

Fif, however, chided the Post for stirring up controversy. "Why are they reporting [about] an event that hasn't taken place yet?" he asked. "Did no one get killed that day? Did no accidents happen that day? Why are they so interested? Because they know they can sell newspapers that way."

50 called the postponement "a loss." He said it's difficult to imagine rescheduling the festivities when it's so public now. He said the biggest disappointment was that not everyone in his old neighborhood was able to take the trip to Six Flags for Family Day on Saturday.

"I attempted to create Family Day in my actual neighborhood for the kids that couldn't get chaperones to bring them on the actual buses to enjoy this," he said. " 'Cause I'm one of those kids that wouldn't have had a chaperone. I understand what it's like to have people come back and say, 'Yo, it was crazy,' and they enjoyed the festivities there and to kind of be disappointed to have not been a part of it. I thought it all the way through and decided to finish up in the actual neighborhood; I show up there, do a little something out there. I had Staples, Home Depot, a lot of independent businesses in the community that were supportive and a part of it. But then what I ran into was a lot of standards placed on me doing the event because of my association to it. You have people who are excited and really receptive to the idea. Then you have people who agree to disagree and are miserable. They just want it to stay that way for everyone else."

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Fergie, Black Eyed Peas Pay Tribute To DJ AM

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 09:04 AM PDT

Bandmembers had DJed with AM in Las Vegas just last week.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Matt Elias


The Black Eyed Peas' Taboo, apl.de.ap and Fergie at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco on Saturday
Photo: MTV News

At the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco on Saturday night (August 29), Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas spoke with MTV News about their shock after hearing the news of DJ AM's sudden death on Friday, and their recollections of hanging out with their friend.

Peas rapper Taboo revealed that the band spent time with AM just days before he passed away. "Oh man, we were shocked [when we heard]," he said. "We couldn't believe it. We were just with him [last] Friday in Las Vegas. We DJed with him and we took a couple pictures, and to hear it is devastating."

Fergie has recollections of AM that date back more than a decade. "I just have great memories of him DJing at all the clubs I used to go to — sometimes with a fake ID! — and when I got old enough to go," Fergie said.

Before she joined the Peas, Fergie recalled, she once practiced her dance moves during a low-key club night with AM behind the turntables. "I remember going to this club called Firehouse back in the day," she said. "It was, like, the summer of '98 and he used to spin there. It's a big dance club and this one night I remember there was basically 10 people in the club, but I really wanted to dance that night. It was the perfect night for me to practice dancing because not a lot of people were there and he was spinning, and they kept the club open and he kept spinning really good music. He was so cool like that."

"He's been a good friend of ours," added Peas member Apl.De.Ap. "Our prayers go out to his family. We're gonna miss him."

While BEP were at Outside Lands to perform an hour-long set on Saturday, DJ AM, who survived a plane crash last September with Blink 182's Travis Barker, remained in the band's thoughts.

"He was just so talented and just such a cool, good-spirited person," said Fergie. "There wasn't a mean bone in that guy's body, and it's just really sad after what happened with him and Travis and now this, it's really sad."

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50 Cent Just Wanted Kids To 'Have A Good Time' On 'Family Day'

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 05:34 AM PDT

'I'll let my actions and activities I'm involved in speak for me,' rapper tells MTV News of bringing 30 buses of New Yorkers to a theme park.
By Jayson Rodriguez


50 Cent at Family Day in Jackson, New Jersey, on Saturday
Photo: MTV News

JACKSON, New Jersey50 Cent transported nearly 30 buses from his old neighborhood in Queens, New York, to Six Flags Great Adventure on Saturday for no reason other than he wanted them to enjoy themselves. No community service was involved. No promises about getting good grades needed to be made.

"I just wanted them to have a good time," 50 told MTV News about the group, donning Family Day T-shirts. "I don't want to preach anything. I'll leave the preaching to the preacher. I'll let my actions and activities I'm involved in speak for me instead of trying to convey a message that people won't receive from me. I'm not sure they're ready to receive that from me. It's cool when they see what I actually do."

What Fif did was organize Family Day, a weekend plan sponsored in part by his charitable organization that included the New Jersey amusement-park trip, a later performance and a picnic event scheduled for Sunday (August 30) in Southside Jamaica. The rapper was able to pull off two out of the three; his G-Unity Foundation wasn't able to obtain a permit for Sunday's 40 Day. He intended to roam his old block during 40 Day and be a part of the celebration, but 50 connected with kids and old neighbors after his Six Flags performance instead.

"It's my neighborhood," he said, dismissing any safety concerns at Six Flags. "There's a lot of people I was gonna see tomorrow; that was the plan. But it's not gonna happen that way."

Over the past year, the G-Unit star has contributed to a number of good causes. In November, he partnered with actress Bette Midler to create a number of community gardens in Queens. At that event, he spoke with enthusiasm to MTV News about his plans for this summer. He admitted Saturday that he might not look the part of a role model, but he's fine with that as long as he makes a difference.

"What I'm doing as an artist is, I'm being successful as an artist and entrepreneur," he explained. "The things I say [in songs] may not be something you would expect or look forward to hearing from a role model. But it's my choice as an artist to write the harsh realities. So I'll always be inspiring to the kids that got on the buses. So they're the important people in this situation."

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Weezer's New Album Will Get 'Back To The Rock Element'

Posted: 31 Aug 2009 04:00 AM PDT

Guitarist Brian Bell says Raditude will bring back "Weezer rock music."
By Gil Kaufman


Weezer's Scott Shriner, Brian Bell, and Rivers Cuomo
Photo: Chris Weeks/ WireImage

After confounding some diehards with vocals from all four band members on their self-titled 2008 album, Weezer are heading back into the familiar Rivers Cuomo-only rock pocket on the upcoming Raditude (October 27). Weezer are heading back into the rock pocket on the upcoming Raditude (October 27). Rhythm guitarist Brian Bell promised that fans of the group's beloved 1994 self-titled debut and 1996's beloved Pinkerton will be more than pleased.

"It's very upbeat and it's fun and exciting and hopefully a bit unique," said Bell on Friday, the same day the group debuted their personal online radio station. "It's definitely getting back to the rock element of Weezer that might have been lost a bit for a second. It's kind of like taking the blue album and mixing it with Pinkerton and then throwing in some of Maladroit. The tempos are faster for sure." Unlike their previous album, though, the only voice you'll hear on Raditude is singer Cuomo. But, for the first time in their career, the band brought some outside songwriters in to help this time around.

Among the 14 songs vying for contention on the disc are ones written by hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri ("Let It All Hang Out"), a ballad written with the Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler of the All-American Rejects ("Put Me Back Together"), as well as songs written with album co-producer Butch Walker (the high school reunion snapshot "The Girl Got Hot") and tunes penned alongside sugar pop wizard Dr. Luke (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Katy Perry). Other cuts that could make the cut are "Trippin' Down the Freeway," "I'm Your Daddy" and "Can't Stop Partying."

Bell said both Walker and the album's other co-producer, Garrett "Jacknife" Lee (U2, R.E.M., the Hives) had powerful, positive and very different impacts on the album's sound. "I could see us continuing to work with Butch in the future ... he brought it back around to Weezer rock music and us playing together as a band," Bell explained. "I thought we were going a bit too far left with some of the stuff [on the last album], like, 'Wait, this doesn't sound like Weezer at all.' "

One of Bell's favorite songs is one Lee worked on, "Run Over By a Truck," in which he said the producer encouraged him to play his guitar almost like a violin. "He had me picking really fast high up on the neck in what I call 'butterfly picking,' " he said. "He would plug anything into anything to get something interesting, even if it sounded crappy."

With Cuomo firmly back in the vocal and songwriting lead — the guitarist said he didn't contribute anything this time around, saving his songs for the debut from upcoming solo project, the Relationship — Bell said to expect a more straight-ahead sound, but with Cuomo's signature lyrical quirkiness. "We've never written with outside people before, but somehow, oddly enough, it works."

Weezer, who are on the road with Blink-182, recently primed the pump with the parenthetically swinging "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," which was leaked on the Internet a few weeks ago. Bell said the band is also planning to release a rarities compilation "real soon" in the vein of Cuomo's two Alone demo releases, though he didn't know when that might drop.

And, in the best news of all for those who love to throw up the W, he promised that the band plans to tour "a lot more than in the past" to support the new album.

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50 Cent Brings 'Family Day' To New Jersey Amusement Park

Posted: 30 Aug 2009 04:19 AM PDT

Though rapper's '40 Day' event in NYC hometown fell through, fans still got to see G-Unit in New Jersey.
By Jayson Rodriguez


50 Cent poses backstage before his concert at Six Flags Great Adventure on Saturday
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ Getty Images

JACKSON, New Jersey50 Cent wasn't able to perform in his old Queens neighborhood on Sunday (August 30), but the G-Unit rapper got plenty of hometown love during an hour-plus set he put on Saturday evening at Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in New Jersey.

Fif organized a "Family Day" weekend, with events taking place both in New Jersey and in his old Jamaica stomping grounds in New York. But on Friday, his charity, the G-Unity Foundation, announced Sunday's festivities — also called "40 Day" in honor of housing projects adjacent to PS 40 school in Queens where the picnic was scheduled to occur — would no longer be taking place because they were unable to obtain a permit. The rapper, as previously planned, was still able to bus a number of families from Queens down to New Jersey to enjoy a day at the park on Saturday capped off by a G-Unit performance.

"This show isn't my regular show," 50 told the cheering crowd of Southside Jamaica residents. "I'm doing something different tonight. I'm doing music that this crowd can relate to."

Flanked by Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks, 50 ripped through a number of early album cuts and G-Unit favorites, including "Poor Lil Rich" and "Straight Outta Southside."

Backed by his DJ, Whoo Kid, Fif entered the stage performing "OK, Ya Right" from his latest mixtape, The War Angel LP, mimicking the video for the song, decked out in clown makeup and outfits.

"OK, OK, OK," he began the song, with a stageful of clowns in tow. "When they talk about me, they say I be trippin'/ What they say about me doesn't make me mad/ I think they hating 'cause they see me when I'm rolling/ Man, I can't help it if they really doing bad."

Halfway through 50's set, rain started pouring down on the concertgoers, with many of them using their "Family Day" T-shirts for cover before security began passing out ponchos. Neither the rapper nor the crowd, though, skipped a beat despite the weather. Although 50 was protected from the rain by the overhang on the stage, he ventured to the exposed corner of the stage to make a special announcement to the fans — and to the police, since authorities' reported fears over security are what allegedly derailed Sunday's event. (Although 50's beef was with the NYPD, he let the Jackson police in attendance endure his wrath anyway.)

"I wanna thank y'all for getting on the bus," 50 said between songs. "When I tried to do it in the 'hood ... they tell me I don't come through the 'hood. I come through. But you don't see me 'cause I'm usually in something where I can't be seen. You see them over there, though, that's the motherf---ing police. They the ones that say I can't do it. I'm from the Southside!"

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MTV News

MTV News


Travis Barker Remembers DJ AM Via Twitter

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 05:30 AM PDT

'U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being,' Barker tweets on Saturday.
By Jem Aswad with MTV News staff


DJ AM and Travis Barker
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images

Just over 24 hours after DJ AM was found dead by police at his New York apartment, his friend and collaborator, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, commented on his death via Twitter.

Barker, currently on tour with Blink, issued a series of tweets that read:

"Don't know how i am gonna play 2night but i am for AM. My brother is gone.i love u and miss u, i'll never forget all the good times we had. ...

"I'll never forget everything we've been thru and every time i play the drums i'll think of you. U were an amazing friend/DJ/human being. ...

"Rest In Peace my brother, this really f---s me up."

The pair, of course, performed together as TRV$DJAM in an unusual but highly effective DJ/drummer format, and were the house band at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, performing with Katy Perry, LL Cool J and Lupe Fiasco. Just weeks later, the two were the sole survivors of a fiery plane crash in South Carolina that killed four; Barker and AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) were returning to Los Angeles after a show.

Both were seriously injured in the crash but recovered, and made their first post-accident performance at the Lot in Los Angeles this past New Year's Eve.

In 2005, the pair told MTV News how they first got together. "Travis actually hit me up ... and was like, 'I dig what you do, I saw this drummer with a DJ [performing], and let's get down and try it out and try to make something funky;' " AM said.

"It's crazy, I saw [that performance] in a jazz club, [it was] like, mellow playing hip-hop stuff with a DJ," Barker recalled. "And I said, 'I'm gonna find the best DJ and do this right.' "

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DJ AM Remembered By Khaled, Premier, Other DJs

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:38 AM PDT

'Everyone has love for DJ AM. ... He made other DJs proud!' DJ Khaled told MTV News.
By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez


DJ AM
Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images

There's no sector in hip-hop that was hit harder by the death of Adam Goldstein, better known as and DJ AM, than his fellow turntable generals. The DJ community is heartbroken about the loss of one their most talented and popular comrades.

Producer Jermaine Dupri was too grief-stricken to comment, while DJ Jazzy Jeff expressed his sorrow on Twitter.

"Words cannot express the hurt I'm feeling right now," Jeff wrote about his fellow Philadelphia native. "I'm still waiting for this to be a terrible joke."

"I almost crashed my car when I heard that he was found dead," DJ Whoo Kid remembered on Saturday (August 29). "My homey was a legend!"

"It's sad, we lost an amazing DJ," DJ Khaled told MTV News. "Everyone has love for DJ AM. ... He made other DJs proud! DJ AM we will miss you. R.I.P. Every DJ will keep your name alive!"

"Adam lived life to the fullest," the DJ's good friend DJ Irie said. "Anything he set his mind to, he not only accomplished but conquered. His stamp on the music industry will endure through time. DJs across the world will make sure his legacy lives on."

Clinton Sparks commented, "He was an original, an innovator and his influence will forever live on in our culture. Whether they know it or not, all DJs have been influenced by him. Thank you DJ AM."

"We are extremely saddened about the loss of DJ AM," Play N Skillz said in a joint statement. "He was a great person who cared and loved for everyone around him and his spirit will live on through the many people he touched. We started out as DJs and DJ AM has always been an inspiration to us, his dynamic ear for music made him legendary in the industry and he will be greatly missed."

Almost every DJ you ask about AM will not just remark on his success and kindness as a person but on his undeniable skill. He possessed a tremendous instinct for song selection, and no one can deny the skill he had on turntables. He and Travis Barker would have live shows where they would remix songs right there on the spot.

"AM not only helped take DJing to a new frontier as the first true mainstream celebrity DJ, he opened the doors for me and many others by taking DJing as a culture, business, and lifestyle to the next level," DJ Skee said. "I send my deepest thoughts and condolences to his family."

"It's a sad day. DJ AM was a great person and a great turntablist. He took DJing to another level by playing outside the box," DJ Envy concurred. "He will always be missed and remembered."

"This is crazy," ATL-based OG Greg Street told MTV News. "I was just asking for people on Twitter to have him hit me about three or four days ago. The real crazy part is he just survived a plane crash and now this. A lot of people don't understand the stress that others deal with day to day."

DJ Premier said he'd known AM for over 14 years and spoke about their relationship on his radio show last night.

"I met him when he was 14 years old at a Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Hooligans show. He was with Alchemist and Scott Caan, James Caan's son ... and we took pictures. The other day, he sent me the pictures, and I'm gonna make a T-shirt of that.

"I already heard people are trying to hate like he wasn't important, like he wasn't a dope DJ," Primo added. "Let me tell you something: He is the f---in' sh--. This dude's a f---in' maniac on turntables, for real. You have to experience this dude's tactics on turntables — he's sick with it. And if I cosign it, f--- any DJ who disagrees. You either haven't seen him spin ... and this dude's history, his knowledge of music, was intense."

DJ Stretch Armstrong, a longtime friend of AM's, told MTV News: "I was trying to think of an analogy in music to AM and the only group I could really think of is the Beatles. Everything the Beatles did, they knocked down a door. Every year there was something new, whether it was what they were recording or the technology and techniques they were employing. And it's kind of like that with AM. He knocked down and opened so many doors that had never even been knocked on by DJs. These doors might be open but there's no one that can walk in them right now, and who knows if there will be? He was a singular talent in that way."

And DJ Drama told MTV News on Friday, "Knowing AM and watching him and seeing the heights that he's reached the last couple years has been great. One, because he's a DJ. And when the incident [plane crash] happened last year, every time I saw him afterward, he was just a real good dude. He accomplished a lot, man. The hip-hop world lost a good one. DJs, we really lost great one."

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DJ AM Autopsy Complete, Results Inconclusive

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 01:15 AM PDT

More tests are required, results are not expected for several weeks.
By Gil Kaufman


DJ AM
Photo: Robyn Beck/ AFP/ Getty Images

Less than 24 hours after police found DJ AM (real name: Adam Goldstein) dead in his New York apartment, the Medical Examiner's office announced that an autopsy on the DJ's body failed to determine a cause of death.

"The cause of death was inconclusive because we need to do additional testing," New York City Medical Examiner spokesperson Ellen Borakove told People.com on Saturday (August 29). "The testing would include toxicology and tissue testing. We don't expect any results for several weeks."

Borakove declined to comment further on the case.

"It's under investigation and when the investigation is complete we will have a cause of death and a manner of death," she said, adding that office is investigating the death in cooperation with the New York City Police Department. Reps for the office had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment at press time.

Citing anonymous police and other sources, many media reports claim that Goldstein was found with prescription medication bottles and/ or drug-smoking paraphernalia near his body.

AM had a history of drug abuse but recently said he had been clean for 11 years. Before his death, Goldstein had filmed a substance-abuse intervention show with MTV called "Gone Too Far" that aimed to warn young people about the perils of drug abuse. The show was scheduled to premiere in October.

Goldstein had openly discussed his former heavy drug and alcohol use in his last interview with MTV News a month ago. He was said to be distraught over a recent break-up with American Apparel model Hayley Wood. TMZ reported that a woman believe to be Wood was seen at AM's apartment on Friday night and appeared "visibly shaken" as she ran from the building to a waiting taxi.

Goldstein's death came near a year after he and frequent musical partner Travis Barker of Blink-182 survived a fiery Learjet crash in South Carolina that killed the other four people on board.

A hugely popular celebrity DJ, AM was honored on Friday night at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, where a moment of silence was observed at the Rain nightclub where he had a weekly gig, as well as on Twitter by a number of friends such as Katy Perry, Lindsay Lohan, Perez Hilton and Ryan Seacrest. MTV News' Sway Calloway also paid tribute to AM, calling the mixmaster someone who was "really respected, somebody who revolutionized music culture."

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Mandy Moore 'Heartbroken' By DJ AM's Death

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 03:06 AM PDT

Ex-girlfriend says her 'true friend' will be 'missed beyond words.'
By Gil Kaufman


Mandy Moore and DJ AM in 2008
Photo: Chris Weeks/ Getty Images

One of DJ AM's former girlfriends, singer/actress Mandy Moore, expressed her grief on Saturday (August 29) about a man she said was a true friend.

"I am absolutely heartbroken," Moore said in a statement about the DJ, born Adam Goldstein, who was found dead in his Soho apartment in New York on Friday at the age of 36. "For those of us lucky enough to have known him, Adam radiated a contagious exuberance for life and also personified the very definition of a true friend. To say that he will be missed beyond words is an understatement. My heart goes out to his loved ones."

Moore, who married singer/songwriter Ryan Adams in March, flew to AM's side last year when he was badly burned in a plane crash in South Carolina that took the lives of four others. Though the two dated for two months in 2007, they reportedly remained close and, according to Us Weekly, rekindled their romance for a brief period following the accident, in which AM's frequent musical partner, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, also suffered serious burns.

AM also dated reality-TV star Nicole Richie for several years beginning in 2004, but the couple's on-again, off-again relationship ended a months after they announced their engagement in February 2005. Richie has not yet commented on AM's death, possibly because she is due to give birth to her second child with Joel Madden. A spokesperson for Richie could not be reached for comment at press time.

Richie's onetime best friend, Paris Hilton, tweeted about AM's death, recalling their long friendship. "Adam and I were friends since I was 15," Hilton said. "He had a heart of gold and was one of the kindest, funniest and most talented men I have ever met. ... It's so hard to accept that I'm not going to be able to see him or talk to him again. There are no right words for this, I feel so sad."

The New York City Medical Examiner's office announced on Saturday that autopsy results on AM were inconclusive and further toxicology tests will be needed. AM was reportedly found face-down on the mattress of his bad in just his sweatpants, with bottles of prescription pills and a glass pipe near his body, when police broke into his apartment on Friday evening at the behest of concerned friends.

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DJ AM Reportedly Was Distraught Over Breakup

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 09:33 AM PDT

Actress Hayley Wood broke up with AM a few days ago, sources say.
By Jocelyn Vena


DJ AM and Hayley Wood
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images

In the days before his death on Friday, DJ AM was "completely devastated" over his recent breakup with model Hayley Wood, according to anonymous sources quoted in TMZ and People.com. The sites reported that Wood called off the relationship several days ago.

"She ended it, and he didn't want it to end," a source reportedly told People. "The breakup hurt him. He hadn't been in a good place lately. For the past week, he wasn't really around, he was keeping to himself, and he was blowing people off."

Meanwhile, TMZ reported that a woman believed to be Wood was at AM's New York apartment on Friday night. The woman was described as "visibly shaken" as she ran from the apartment to a taxi with a friend by her side.

TMZ quotes an unidentified source as saying that since he and Travis Barker survived a fiery plane crash that killed four last year, AM had been suffering from stress that was only made worse by his recent split from Wood. The source speculated that the stress could have led AM to start using drugs again after being sober for nearly a decade, although AM's cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

"I can't believe the drug stories. AM didn't even touch alcohol. He wasn't a party guy. It's hard to believe," DJ Scotty Boy, who claimed to have known AM for a decade and said he worked with him in Las Vegas last week, told People.com. "The [2008] plane accident made AM very humble. He cared more about life and his friends. It was hard enough when we heard about the accident and now to hear this, it hasn't really hit yet. It's kind of unbelievable."

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Pearl Jam, Incubus, Silversun Pickups Dominate First Day Of Outside Lands Festival

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:41 AM PDT

And the next best set came from ... Tom Jones?
By Marc Hawthorne


Silversun Pickups' Brian Aubert performing at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco on Friday
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO — Though the opening day of the second annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was full of young bands trying to make their mark, the day's music was dominated by a handful of wily veterans lead by headliners and soon-to-be-considered-classic rockers Pearl Jam.

The seminal grunge outfit — about to release their ninth studio album, Backspacer — turned in a two-hour set full of hits, passion and none of the power outages that marred Radiohead's set at the same time and place last year. Eddie Vedder mentioned early on that the band's current tour, which wrapped with this show, had taken a toll on him and his voice, but his fans were more than happy to help out on favorites like "Black" and "Better Man." Mike McCready's no-look, over-the-head solo during "Even Flow" proved that these guys could play these songs in their sleep, but the band seemed genuinely excited to be out there (especially the pogoing McCready), and they reserved a special energy for new tracks like "The Fixer." Pearl Jam began to close their set with "Alive" before coming back with a Neil Young double-shot of "Throw Your Hatred Down" and "Rockin' in the Free World."

Just in case anyone needed proof of Pearl Jam's influence on alternative rock, Incubus played right before them and showed off why it just put out a hits disc, getting the crowd riled up with songs like "Megalomaniac" and "Stellar." Like Vedder, Incubus singer Brandon Boyd attributed his vocal weakness to a combination of fatigue (they were also ending their tour at Outside Lands) and a cold, but his decision to take his friends' advice to drink wine seemed like a good one.

Still, even Pearl Jam didn't get as many onstage shout-outs as Built to Spill. Vedder himself thanked the band by name and Silversun Pickups frontman Brian Aubert twice referred to them as "one of the best f---ing bands ever." Unfortunately, neither of those compliments made up for the fact that Doug Martsch and Company's set just wasn't loud enough. With three guitarists in tow — and Martsch being one of the noisier guitar heroes on the scene — one would have hoped that a festival setting would help make Built to Spill's songs larger than life. Instead, "Car," "You Were Right," and "Big Dipper" remained little more than nice pop songs.

The volume didn't stay low for long, though. Perhaps the only indie-rock group with enough volume to open for Metallica (which it did at this year's South By Southwest festival), Silversun Pickups brought bucketfuls of sweet distortion to its mid-afternoon set. Singer Brian Aubert tends to know exactly when to let loose for added effect, while bassist Nikki Monninger — whose purple dress matched Christopher Guanlao's drums — does a good job of shooting the crowd coy smiles to remind everyone that even as they're laying out "Future Foe Scenarios," they're here to have a good time. Not surprisingly, the band ended its set with their big hit "Lazy Eye," but it was "There's No Secrets This Year" from this year's Swoon that perfectly displayed their delicate balancing act between anthemic pop and scuzzy shoegaze grooves.

But the grooviest — and perhaps most surprising — tunes on Friday came from old-school sex-bomb Tom Jones, who turned in a unique hour of hits and shoulder shakes. The 69-year-old silver fox with matching goatee was assisted by a solid band that included a horn section and backup singers who helped Sir Tom make the most of hits like "What's New Pussycat," "She's A Lady," and of course "It's Not Unusual." But he saved the best for last: a show-closing cover of Prince's "Kiss," aided by Jones' decision to take the "think I better dance now" line quite literally.

Jones' performance — as well as those of Pearl Jam, Incubus, Silversun Pickups and Built to Spill — captured the free-spiritedness of San Francisco that Ouside Lands tries so harness. So far, so good.

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DJ AM Fans Pay Tribute

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 09:49 AM PDT

'He was so young and talented,' one commenter says.
By Jocelyn Vena


DJ AM
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

Many of DJ AM's friends have paid tribute to him for the way he revolutionized and open doors in the DJing world. Friends like Samantha Ronson, Lindsay Lohan, Katy Perry and Paris Hilton all shared their sadness over AM's unexpected death. And his fans are taking to the Internet to express their sorrow.

Fan Jacqueline Mitchell wrote, "This has got to be the saddest year ever! So many celebrity deaths!! And the year is not done!! Rest In Peace DJ AM I hope you have found peace now." Symphony added, "When will we learn that money does not make us immortal ... R.I.P to Adam and everyone else that we have lost too soon ... May Peace Be With Them ... "

Most fans were shocked by the news. Tebako said, "This is really sad news, but my condolences go out to his friends & family." Justin Burnell added, "He was a good DJ. We'll never forget. He will be missed. Gone but not forgotten. Rest In Peace."

Fan dprk7r79 expressed shock that the 36-year-old DJ, who worked with a number of music's superstars including Travis Barker and Jay-Z, had died. "It is so sad," he wrote. "He was so young and talented. RIP."

Dizzy53 tried to put the whole tragedy in perspective, given the fact that AM had survived a plane crash with Barker last fall. "Very sad news ... He got to walk away from a plane crash that killed his friends, they didn't get a second chance to see their friends and family again, to be able to touch the ones they love, but he did. And then this happens, I feel extremely bad for his family & friends who have to go thru a disaster just one year after another disaster. He was a very talented man with a lot going for him, signing the new contract and everything ... thoughts and prayers go out to his family & friends ... Nicole Richie and Mandy Moore ... R.I.P. DJ AM."

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DJ AM Remembered By Palms In Las Vegas

Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:53 AM PDT

Palms Hotel and Casino dim lights and hold a moment of silence in honor of their resident Friday-night DJ.
By Jocelyn Vena


The lights atop the Palms Hotel and Casino paid tribute to DJ AM on Friday night
Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images

On Friday night, to pay tribute to the life of the late DJ AM, Rain nightclub at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas went quiet. DJ AM, born Adam Goldstein, had a weekly gig at the club.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that despite the expensive and complicated sound and light system, the Vegas club turned it all down to observe a moment of silence for AM. It was a far cry from the way the club usually celebrated AM on Friday nights, when he would assume his spot at the turntables just after midnight. AM's friend and opening act, R.O.B, paid tribute to the DJ.

"Today is a sad day in the nightlife community and an especially somber time for DJs across the world," R.O.B. said. "He was not only our resident DJ at Rain nightclub inside the Palms Casino Resort, he was also our brother in music. I considered him a close friend, and Palms Casino Resort, the N9NE Group, and myself would like to send our condolences to his family, friends and fans," he continued. "DJ AM, you will be dearly missed."

For the moment of silence, clubgoers stood and faced the DJ booth for about a minute. The Las Vegas Sun notes that one patron shouted, "It's my birthday!" prompting others to shout back "Respect!" and "Respect our boy, AM!"

R.O.B. added that AM was a "talented DJ." "He has single-handedly brought nightlife and DJs from around the world to another level." Spinning Diddy's 1997 tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You," he then asked that the patrons to have a good time, as that's what AM would have wanted.

The Palms also shut down the lights on each letter in their sign, except for the A and M. In a statement, Palms owner George Maloof said, "I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of DJ AM. He was our resident DJ at Rain Nightclub at the Palms Casino Resort. We considered him a friend and a great artist. He will truly be missed."

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