MTV News |
- Paramore Grow Up Together In 'Ignorance' Video
- Lil Boosie Wants To Record Mixtape With Young Jeezy
- Jay-Z And Lady Gaga To Perform At 2009 VMAs
- Is A Mixtape Enough To Get Drake On The Hottest MCs List?
- Jay-Z Celebrates 10 Years Of Rocawear With Spike Lee-Directed Ad
- Chris Brown Featured On New Yung Joc Song 'Choose Me'
- Kelly Clarkson Thinks Paula Abdul's Departure Is 'Drama'
- Jay-Z's Top VMA Moments: A Look Back
- The Lady Gaga You May Not Know: A Great Musician
- Paramore Announce <i>Brand New Eyes</i> Tour Dates
| Paramore Grow Up Together In 'Ignorance' Video Posted: 13 Aug 2009 03:50 AM PDT For new clip, there's as much of a message in the visuals as there is in the music.
By their own admission, "Ignorance" is the song that saved Paramore. After spending months spinning their wheels attempting to write new songs, the band's resolve began to falter. Tensions were high, confidence was low, and they had a label-imposed deadline looming on the horizon. With nothing else to lose, they decided to sit down and just talk — about the divisions that formed after they nearly split last year, the invisible barriers that had been built and the unspoken sentiments that had festered below the surface.
It was ugly, but it was necessary. Because as a result, Paramore became a band again — and the first song they wrote after airing their grievances was "Ignorance." They said from the moment those spiky chords were first strummed, they knew it was going to be the first single from their new album, Brand New Eyes. And so now, we have the video, a claustrophobic, hard-charging thing that showcases Paramore: The Band. Gone are the neon clothes, the angular haircuts and the spastic strutting of their past, replaced instead with dark outfits, a scowl or three and some straight-ahead rock (and a light bulb). You can take from that what you will, but in my estimation, there's as much of a message in the visuals as there is in the music: We're Paramore, we're united, and we're not going anywhere. That's very much a theme on most of Brand New Eyes, an album born out of tense struggles, both public and private. Paramore have grown up, they've battled, and they've emerged as a better, stronger, healthier rock band — not to mention better friends too. Lyrically, it's about the destructive nature of gossip, about the ugly, tear-'em-down world in which Paramore exist, but it's not difficult to think that when Williams growls about gavels and juries and offenses, she's growling about the inner-workings of her band too. All that said, there are also the few scenes in which Williams prowls around in a white leather catsuit, her hair done up like Björk in the "Big Time Sensuality" clip. I don't really know how deeply we're supposed to read into it (because sometimes a catsuit is just a catsuit, after all), but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that she looks great while she's prowling — and there's nothing unspoken about that. She can talk it out with her bandmates until she's blue in the face, but at the end of the day, a frontwoman's gotta do what a frontwoman's gotta do. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Lil Boosie Wants To Record Mixtape With Young Jeezy Posted: 13 Aug 2009 03:50 AM PDT 'I'm trying to get him to do a mixtape with me right now,' the Louisiana MC tells Mixtape Daily.
Hottest MCs, Hottest MCs, Hottest MCs — we're going to be in full promo mode for our latest project. Don't forget, on Monday we start unveiling who made the list and on August 24, during Diddy's "Making His Band" on MTV, we'll show you who's holding down our top positions this year. But back to Mixtape Daily — we bring you news on a potential street collabo that will mean so much to the South. The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive Lil Boosie has made a bunch of music with fellow Louisiana MC Webbie, and he just dropped a mixtape with his homie Hurricane Chris. However, there's one more cat Boosie wants to lock in with: Young Jeezy. He thinks a mixtape with the Snowman is an excellent idea. "Jeezy is my homie," Boosie told us on the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, set of his new "Better Believe It" video. "If we wasn't rapping, we'd still be click-clackin'. I wanted to get on that album bad. Jeezy put me on that Recession album. I owe him for that. Whatever he needs, I got him. Jeezy, I'm trying to get him to do a mixtape with me right now." Jeezy was also on the set, as he guest-stars on the song, along with Webbie. "It was no other person in my mind I would want on my single," Boosie said of getting Young to pop off on his record. Boosie's new album, Superbad: The Return of Boosie Bad Azz, is due this fall. "The last time was Boosie Bad Azz. This time, I feel I'm better, stronger, spitting better, have more money — if you was doing all this when you Boosie Bad Azz, that makes you superbad. That's my main concept for Superbad — I'm badder than I was from the last album. "I want a gold record for sure," he added of his expectations for the new project. "I'd love a platinum record, but I want a gold record. I want a lot of ringtone money ... just to reach everybody. We been killing everybody with the mixtapes ... this is my second album. Our goal is to stay focused. I'm just trying to work hard." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Jay-Z And Lady Gaga To Perform At 2009 VMAs Posted: 12 Aug 2009 09:00 AM PDT Nelly Furtado, Miranda Cosgrove and Leighton Meester will be presenters at September 13 show.
It was already shaping up to be a pretty huge night, but now, the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards have gotten even bigger. Or at least grittier and glammier. That's because Jay-Z and Lady Gaga have been booked to perform at the VMAs, joining an already impressive list that includes Taylor Swift, Green Day, Pink and Muse.
Jay — whose gnarly "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" is up for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Male Video — will perform a song from his hotly anticipated The Blueprint 3 album, due September 11. The glittery Gaga — who, along with Beyoncé, leads everyone with nine VMA nods — will perform a single from her breakthrough The Fame album. "I'm simply gutted to be both a performer and nominee at the 2009 VMAs," Gaga said. "In fact, I'm so happy, I could die." In addition to the performers, there are some big-name presenters to add to the show too. Nelly Furtado, Miranda Cosgrove and "Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester — who is up for Best Pop Video and Best Direction for Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad" — will be on hand to, well, hand out the awards. They join Katy Perry, Ne-Yo and Chace Crawford, who have already been announced as VMA presenters. But who will they be presenting the awards to? Well, that's up to you. Voting for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards is under way over at VMA.MTV.com. Verizon Wireless subscribers can also vote by texting VMA to 97979. The VMAs will broadcast live from New York on September 13 at 9 p.m. Russell Brand will once again serve as host for the evening. Trust us: It's going to be a night you just can't miss. The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place 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 Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Is A Mixtape Enough To Get Drake On The Hottest MCs List? Posted: 12 Aug 2009 01:33 AM PDT Despite having never released an album, will Drizzy make the cut?
Since we published our poll asking fans their picks for 2009's Hottest MC in the Game, over 100,000 people have taken notice, voted and chimed in. (Editor's note: The poll is meant to spark conversation, and it has no bearing on the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust's list of the 10 Hottest MCs.) One of the names that fans continue to bring up is Drake's. The young Canadian's fans say he squashes the competition — but Drizzy still feels he has a long way to go. "What a lot of people don't understand ... people may be like, I may be one of the best MCs — not yet," he told us recently. "I'm 22. I got a lot of growth."
Which brings up an interesting point: Drake hasn't even dropped an album. Yes, he's building up a string of stellar guest spots — like on Young Money's "Every Girl" and Fabolous' "Throw It in the Bag" remix — and his mixtape, So Far Gone, is a certified classic on the underground circuit, spawning radio hits "Successful" and "Best I Ever Had." But with only 10 slots on the Hip-Hop Brain Trust's list, should a person with no LP under his belt make the cut over somebody who has not only had singles in rotation but put product out in stores? Even if Drake doesn't make the Hottest MCs list, he said even being considered is "an honor." The debate over who is the hottest MC of 2009 is on! Cast your vote now — series begins August 17, with the top MC being revealed on the August 24 episode of "Making His Band" at 10:00 p.m. ET! Related Artists |
| Jay-Z Celebrates 10 Years Of Rocawear With Spike Lee-Directed Ad Posted: 12 Aug 2009 03:48 AM PDT Rapper is 'more than honored' to work with the filmmaker, who's also from Brooklyn.
Milestone after milestone. Jay-Z is celebrating another high point in his career: a decade in the fashion game. Besides big parties, Hov has new apparel and a commercial to trumpet his business landmark. "It's a 10-year anniversary for Rocawear this year," said Hov, sitting in a throne-like seat in Brooklyn, New York. He was taking a break from filming with fellow Brooklynite Spike Lee. "We're shooting the commercial. The commercial is about Rocawear, what we meant to the culture. The aspiration to maintain and be around for 10 years."
Jay explained the ad's fantasy concept. "So this guy, he's in advertisement, and he's in Rocawear, and he goes through the day as if he's Jay-Z," Hov said of the concept. "He looks out the window, in his mind — because he's aspiring to make his own Rocawear — there's a group of people outside and they're waving to him. As he walks away, realty sets in. Someone looks out the window, and no one's out there. He gets on the elevator, and he's thinking people are asking him for autographs; no one's there. He's on his way to building his empire, but he has Rocawear on, and that's a start. So he feels as if he's successful already." After shooting in the clock tower, Jay and Spike hit the street, where surprised fans broke out camera phones to capture the moment. "Spike Lee is one of the most important directors of our time," Jigga said of the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. "He gave us a voice and perspective in 'Do the Right Thing' that touched on racial relations in Brooklyn and all these movies we grew up on that were so important to our growth. To work with him on a commercial, I think we stole one. That's how I feel. We're more than honored. That's Spike Lee." And you, sir, are Jay-Z — a decade later and still standing in fashion. "[I'm] really excited," he said. "It started in rap. They said rap was a fad and it never would last. Here we are, 30-something years later, the most dominant force in music. They said that sector in fashion — street-urban-apparel sector — they said that's dead the last seven years, and here we are still." Jay-Z is thriving in music as well. In 2006, he celebrated 10 years since the release of his debut, Reasonable Doubt, and his career has no end in sight. On September 11, he puts out The Blueprint 3, and on September 13, he'll perform at the Video Music Awards. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Chris Brown Featured On New Yung Joc Song 'Choose Me' Posted: 12 Aug 2009 05:27 AM PDT 'Why are we still ridiculing this man?' Joc asks about the singer, who pleaded guilty to felony assault.
First, Ciara stood by Chris Brown when she kept his vocals on her album in the wake of his felony assault case. Now, Yung Joc is following suit. The Atlanta rapper released a free album Tuesday, and Brown is featured on a track called "Choose Me," along with fellow crooner Pleasure P. "I think the record is a great record," Joc told MTV News about why he included the collaboration on his Grind Flu project. "Why are we still ridiculing this man? He had a problem with his girl. I'm not condoning abuse. But they both got into it and they both got over it. Why can't the world?" On the midtempo track, Brown sings with Auto-Tune-assisted vocals: "You should get to know me, but first you gotta show me, how you're gonna rock my world." Other guests featured on Joc's project, which is available as a free download on his Swagg Team Entertainment Web site, include Bobby Valentino, Shawty Lo and Lil Wayne protégé Nicki Minaj. Grind Flu is Joc's first project since word broke that he was having differences with his management and recording home. The lyricist is signed to Block Entertainment and Bad Boy Records, but he's trying to be released. Joc was caught in the middle of differences each side was having with the other, although he said he hasn't taken sides. "I'm working on release, but I'm not mad at anyone," Joc explained. "We could have made a lot of money together, but it is what it is." In the meantime, Joc has been developing Swagg Team, where he's signed the GS Boyz, who scored a hit with their track "Stanky Legg." "I've grown as a businessman," he said of his impending independence. "Whoever makes a play for me next, it's gonna be a good decision on their part." Related Artists |
| Kelly Clarkson Thinks Paula Abdul's Departure Is 'Drama' Posted: 12 Aug 2009 08:49 AM PDT 'She's totally probably going to come back,' 'American Idol' season-one winner says.
While most former "American Idol" contestants have expressed sadness over Paula Abdul's departure from the show, season-one winner Kelly Clarkson said she thinks the announcement is just some good old-fashioned theater. "Are they trying to do that for drama?" she said on Sirius radio's "Morning Mashup Show" when asked about Abdul's departure. "I totally think they're doing that for drama. I know those producers — they're doing that for drama. She's totally probably going to come back." Clarkson also said she has nothing but love for songwriting collaborator and "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, who most recently co-wrote Clarkson's hit, "I Do Not Hook Up." "Kara I love. I think it's a cool aspect [of the show]," she said. "She's so great to work with. She's a great writer, a great singer as well. She's just worked in the industry so much." This past season's winner, Kris Allen, recently stopped by the MTV News offices to talk about how miss he'll miss Abdul. "I heard about it on Twitter, and I think it's sad, you know? Paula's been a part of the show for a long time, since the beginning, and I think the show will miss her, I really do," he said. "But the show will go on, for sure. I think it will still do great, and Paula will do great things too." Related Photos Related Artists |
| Jay-Z's Top VMA Moments: A Look Back Posted: 12 Aug 2009 12:53 AM PDT Before he takes the stage on September 13, we remember Hov's other big VMA appearances.
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are back in New York this year, and no one represents the Big Apple quite like Jay-Z. So, it only makes sense for the Brooklyn rap icon to perform during the festivities. When the show airs live on September 13 at 9 p.m. ET, Jay will take to the stage to perform a track from his upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, which will drop just days prior to the big show. It won't be his first time appearing at the VMAs, although it'll definitely be one of his most eagerly anticipated. Here MTV News recaps five other memorable times Hov graced our stage in the past 10 years.
1999: Run This Town 2001: Classic 2003: Meet the Carters 2004: And The Winner Is ... Hov! 2006: King of New York The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Additional celebrity presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| The Lady Gaga You May Not Know: A Great Musician Posted: 11 Aug 2009 11:57 PM PDT Set aside the VMA nominee's performance art and listen to The Fame, in Bigger Than the Sound.
Imagine, for a second, that Lady Gaga didn't dress like a member of wrestling team Demolition, pose for fashion spreads wearing nothing but the rings of Saturn around her head or give interviews dressed in the carcasses of Kermit the Frog. Imagine if she didn't speak her mind, delight in tweaking the media or treat her fame as one gigantic, Warholian art project. In other words, imagine if she were just another boring, bottle-blond, midriff-bearing pop star. I know all that is pretty difficult to consider — without any of the flair or the insanity or the nudity, Gaga just wouldn't be Gaga — but if you somehow managed to strip away all the ephemera, what would you have left? Would Gaga still be interesting? Would she still have sold 1.3 million copies of The Fame here in the U.S., or have been nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards? Would she be announced, in the same breath as Jay-Z no less, as a VMA performer?
We'll never know, of course. But while Gaga: The Pop-Art Project is what sells magazines (and albums), Gaga: The Pop Star is where the attention ought to lie. As paparazzi bait, she's pretty great, but as a musician, as a vessel and a muse, she's even better. I only discovered this recently, when I finally dug into her debut disc, The Fame, which was released almost exactly one year ago today (I've been busy). As a music critic, ignoring on one of '09's breakout hits is rather inexcusable, but I would feel much worse about it if I didn't suspect roughly 99 percent of the music-buying population of being guilty of the same thing: It seems we all know Lady Gaga, but we don't have any idea who she is as an artist. So, I advise everyone to sit down and really listen to The Fame. Don't focus on the monster singles — "Just Dance," "LoveGame," "Paparazzi" and "Poker Face" — something which is pretty easy to do on the U.S. version of the album, which re-sequences them as the first four tracks, and listen hard to the rest. What you're left with is 10 slickly produced, genre-mashing, joy-inducing, PMRC-infuriating pop/dance tracks, a standalone album in its own right. "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" is a breezy, vaguely Carribbean electro-pop gem, recalling Madonna's "La Isla Bonita," Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" and basically the entire Deborah Gibson/Tiffany canon (this is a good thing). "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich," struts on a wobbly bass punch that's reminiscent of the Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" and some cracking live drums, and "The Fame" is a super-charged, buzzing ode to the glamorous life. "Money Honey" has Gaga vamping — and showing off some serious pipes — over a hornet's nest of electronics. "Boys Boys Boys" has her fantasizing about making out with a boy in retro sneakers at a Killers concert. "Brown Eyes" is a somber, stop-start power ballad, a lover's lament that seems out of step with everything you think you know about L.G., and "I Like It Rough" is a shimmery, whirring Jazzercise soundtrack that's probably one of one of my favorite tunes of the year (or last year, whatever). Oh, and album-closer "Summerboy" sounds like a Strokes song, only with Debbie Harry on vocals. The point is, this is a great album. Gaga shines brightly, but so does the production work of (mostly) RedOne and Martin Kierszenbaum, which flits between chrome-clean futurism and scratched, hazy retro, somehow managing to capture Gaga's NYC party past, present and (probably) future. It's an accomplished, sexy, funny and fun listen, a dazzling run through pop, funk, disco, rock and intelligent dance music (and not, you know, "Intelligent Dance Music"), the kind of thing that I lamented would probably never get big in the States just last year. Only somehow, against all odds, it has. The Fame is darn near close to perfection. And it's proof that Gaga is more than just that weird, pantsless pop star running around Europe with a bow in her hair and a tea cup in her hand. She's a musician, she's a vessel, she's a star. Some of you are probably aware of this already, but a lot of you, this is breaking news. You think you know Gaga, but you have no idea. Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com Related Artists |
| Paramore Announce <i>Brand New Eyes</i> Tour Dates Posted: 12 Aug 2009 03:08 AM PDT Band is playing smaller venues after touring arenas with No Doubt.
After spending their summer opening for No Doubt in 15,000-seat amphitheaters and massive hockey arenas, Paramore pledged to go "smaller" on the headlining tour in support of their forthcoming Brand New Eyes album. "We haven't hashed it all out yet, but it will be smaller, due to the fact that the tour we're doing right now is so large and, like, ticket prices are on a whole new level ... everything is a whole new level for us," frontwoman Hayley Williams told MTV News. "And we love it, but we want to do something that's really intimate and that our fans can be right up there and don't have to break their banks [for tickets]. It will just be really fun. I'm stoked." And, it looks like they're making good on that promise. On Wednesday (August 12), Paramore announced the dates and (decidedly small — for them, at least) venues for that tour, which kicks off on September 29 — the same day Brand New Eyes hits stores — in Pomona, California, and will crisscross the continent for a month before wrapping with a November 1 homecoming gig in Nashville. Fueled by Ramen labelmates the Swellers and fellow Nashville act Paper Route will serve as the opening acts. Special pre-sale tickets go on sale Monday, with remaining ducats going on sale to the general public on August 21 and 22. For more information, check out the band's official site, Paramore.net. Dates for Paramore's Brand New Eyes Tour, according to Fueled by Ramen/ Atlantic Records: » 9/29 - Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater |
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