MTV News |
- Paramore Explain <i>Brand New Eyes</i> Thrift-Store Connection
- Exclusive: Watch Tokio Hotel In The Studio, Recording <i>Humanoid</i>
- Method Man Confirms Joint LP With Ghostface, Raekwon
- Stephanie Pratt Isn't Sure If She'll Be Tight With Kristin Cavallari
- Jay-Z To Oprah: Rihanna Can Be A 'Voice' For Domestic-Abuse Victims
- Eminem, Kid Rock, The Roots Pay Tribute To Def Jam At VH1's 'Hip Hop Honors'
- Chris Brown To Headline New Jersey Concert In October
- Pussycat Dolls 'Taking A Break,' Melody Thornton Says
- Omarion's New LP, <i>Ollusion,</i> Due November 24
| Paramore Explain <i>Brand New Eyes</i> Thrift-Store Connection Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:34 AM PDT 'We would always come and shop here for ... little photo shoots,' frontwoman Hayley Williams says of a local thrift store during a tour of the band's hometown.
FRANKLIN, Tennessee — There were several moments during MTV News' visit to Paramore's hometown of Franklin, Tennessee, when we wanted to grab Hayley Williams & company and remind them, "You know you guys are famous, right?"
See, Paramore are so down to earth that they're practically subterranean, which probably explains why, down in Franklin, they were willing to do anything (or go anywhere) with our crew ... which led to moments like this one: the band wheeling their way through downtown Franklin, giving us a guided tour that quickly devolved into some serious Evel Knievel-esque bike stunts, bouts of frantic horn-blowing and, ultimately, a trip to their local Goodwill. Seriously, there is no other platinum-selling rock band in the world that would do this type of stuff. And while the impromptu cycling tour made for some pretty amazing tape, it also gave us a glimpse of the Paramore most people don't know: the one deeply indebted to their hometown, and the one that — despite the number of albums they've sold — are still very much a group of kids at heart. "I ride my bike around town, I get food and I hang out with my friends. No one stops me. Or stops any of us," lead singer Hayley Williams explained, while piloting her bike through Franklin. "That's just the way it is around here. It's part of why we love it." Another part? The solace Franklin provides. Last year, when the band was riding out a storm of personal problems, they returned home to regroup, recharge and, ultimately, release their "That's What You Get" video, which was filmed in and around town and served as a message to the band's detractors: We're not going anywhere. And, on our way up to Goodwill, Williams stopped to point out one very key part of the whole healing process. "This is the graveyard where we did some of our photos for 'That's What You Get,' " she said, pulling her bike off the road. "We did, like, a whole press release after our band went through that tough time, we did every bit of our press from home, and ... " "Actually, she's lying," bassist Jeremy Davis interrupted. "What we really did was ... when we were going through hard times, we were actually going to kill each other, and so we bought plots in there." And as we pulled up to the Goodwill — located outside town in a near-barren strip mall out on Hillsboro Road — Williams explained the significance of the place, which has been a constant in Paramore's career, from their earliest days to the liner notes of their upcoming Brand New Eyes album. "When our band first started, we would always come and shop here for random outfits, little photo shoots that we had to do. One time in particular, we were shooting a Christmas card — my mom took the photo — and we came here and got sweaters and little Christmas candles and stuff," Williams said. "But more recently, our album artwork, we picked up the props at this Goodwill. The little angels that are on the artwork for 'Ignorance,' the picture frames on the back of our album ... a lot of little random gadgets that you can see in our artwork — we got them all here. This place is rad." Related Artists |
| Exclusive: Watch Tokio Hotel In The Studio, Recording <i>Humanoid</i> Posted: 24 Sep 2009 02:41 AM PDT See Bill Kaulitz talking about recording his vocal tracks.
Tokio Hotel's much-anticipated Humanoid album doesn't hit stores until October 6, and the guys know the wait is killing their fans, which is why they've given MTV News a bit of exclusive content to share with everyone.
We've already partnered with the band to preview their first single, "Automatic," and to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the song's epic video too. And now, we're taking you inside the Los Angeles studio where Tokio Hotel recorded Humanoid. In the never-before-seen footage, frontman Bill Kaulitz shows off his vocal recording room (which is decidedly sparse) and his high-tech vocal mixer, which, as he explains "doesn't exist in Germany ... which is why we're producing in L.A." He also describes his recording technique, which could be summed up in one word: "loud" (or "Spinal Tap," but that's two words). "Most people use regular 'headphone volume,' but I can't stand it. I need to feel like I'm onstage and I'm standing beside the other guys," he explains, cranking the volume knob on his mixer up to 11. "I kind of need an extra amplifier, so I can listen to everything really loud. ... You can do crazy things with it. You can't get this in Germany." We also get to see guitarist Tom Kaulitz show off a skill most fans didn't know he had: playing the piano. Though, of course, given that it's Tom, while he's tickling the ivories, his main focus has shifted elsewhere ... to naked ladies. "That's the most exciting of all," he tells a producer about something off-camera. "When she's standing completely naked in front of the thing. Did you also see that?" "You need to listen to the riff. You're playing this love ballad," the producer interrupts, before deciding that this ship has already sailed. "You mean the one with the sweet butt, when she's standing in front of the mirror?" Related Photos Related Artists |
| Method Man Confirms Joint LP With Ghostface, Raekwon Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:34 AM PDT Plus: Havoc steps up his lyrical game while waiting for Mobb Deep partner Prodigy's release, in Mixtape Daily.
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive We got all three to confirm it. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon told us first, and on Wednesday, during the taping of VH1's "Hip Hop Honors," Method Man co-signed what his brothers promised: All three are making an LP together.
"It feels great," Meth said about the partial Wu-Tang Clan album. "Rae got the album out, Ghost is coming with his album, and all three of us got the album together. And you hearing it here first. I ain't never said it on tape. ... Method, Raekwon, Ghostface — new album." Behind The Beats: Havoc After producing classic albums as a part of Mobb Deep and bone-chilling beats for the likes of Nas and 50 Cent, you can't blame Havoc for wanting to take a break. "This time around, I'm kind of focused on my lyrics more," Hav told us recently while promoting his new mixtape, From Now On. The Queens-bred beatsmith is still gonna make that murder music. But with Mobb Deep partner Prodigy still serving a prison bid, Hav decided it's time for him to step up his wordplay. "I'm doing a lot of the production on the mixtape," he explained. "[But] I been so involved with production that a lot of times you kind of get lax on the lyrics, when it comes to a producer/artist. But I really wanted to focus on my lyrics, because that's where I started, and that's where my passion is at." Good thing Havoc's pen packs a punch that hits as hard as his beats. "What's up, P, hope all is well, I should have write you sooner/ But since our last visit, I been fighting off them rumors," he spits on "Letter P," a personal ode to his partner in rhyme. "Me and you, we not rocking like we used to/ My loyalty is strong, and I don't feel like I got to prove to you." "That was just to clear up a couple of rumors," Hav said. "It's between me and my homie." The two vets are still tight and have been going strong for more than 15 years. In fact, Hav said he and Prodigy plan to reunite for a new Mobb album as soon as P gets home. The duo are still signed to G-Unit, he said, and P's been writing while doing his time. Hav, though, said he wasn't sure what direction they would take on the next project just yet. That's not something that they talk about during visits. "We're definitely gonna work on the next Mobb Deep album, I'm ready for that," Hav said. " 'Cause he's [still] a beast, lyrically. And I just miss my partner. That's gonna be one of the first things we work on. I'm not really sure [if we're gonna talk about his time away]. I can't say if that will be reflected in the next project. I do know that it's gonna be crazy. I can guarantee that." Five-Star Stellar Hits » Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones, Part II" For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos Related Artists |
| Stephanie Pratt Isn't Sure If She'll Be Tight With Kristin Cavallari Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:34 AM PDT 'I did sleep over,' 'Hills' star says of her friendship attempts. 'I'm trying.'
Kristin Cavallari is definitely making friends and enemies on her first season of "The Hills." Her feud with Audrina Patridge has been well-documented, but as for Cavallari's recent claim that she's friends with everyone but Patridge, well, Stephanie Pratt is still waiting for that bond to form. "I did sleep over. I'm trying," Pratt told MTV News. "I think we'd have a lot of fun together."
Spencer's sister isn't sure that her friendship attempts are going so well, due to Cavallari's romance with Audrina's ex. "If she's going in the direction she's going, which is a non-Justin Bobby direction, it's great, because maybe Audrina can somehow work it out," she said. "But if she's going in that direction, that means she's possibly gonna be dating someone that I don't like, and that'll be hard." Someone might want to send that memo to Cavallari, who seems to think things are going quite well for her and the rest of the cast. "I'm friends with everyone — except for Audrina," she told MTV News. She also dished about the new "Hills" commercials that tout, "The bitch is back." "I think it's funny," she laughed. "Honestly, I think it's fun to play the bad girl, and no one remembers the nice girl, you know?" In the trailer, Audrina Patridge says former co-star Lauren Conrad shared some words of wisdom about Cavallari. "Lauren basically told us she's a man-eater. She's a boyfriend stealer," Audrina said. "These are people's lives that she's messing with. People do have hearts and feelings." To see how Kristin fits in, check out new episodes of "The Hills," starting Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos |
| Jay-Z To Oprah: Rihanna Can Be A 'Voice' For Domestic-Abuse Victims Posted: 24 Sep 2009 03:36 AM PDT Rapper also discusses his drug-dealing past, his marriage to Beyoncé and the N-word.
Jay-Z appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Thursday (September 24), concluding a whirlwind blitz that's seen the two business titans visit the rapper's old Brooklyn stomping grounds, speak over the airwaves and have their conversation appear in the pages of O magazine.
"Here you go again, smelling good," Winfrey joked as Jay-Z walked on the set. The line was in reference to her call with Gayle King where she remarked after meeting the rapper she discovered how good he smelled. "That's swagger," an audience member chimed in, drawing Jay's laughter. The pair appeared at ease with each other as the talk-show queen asked the rapper about his drug-dealing past, his marriage to Beyoncé and his relationship with his father, whom Jay-Z had been estranged from before reuniting with him before his death. They agreed to disagree over issues with the N-word. Jay-Z said people give words power, and as a culture, we can take that away. Winfrey steadfastly disagreed, saying for her generation, the word is loaded with degradation. Winfrey also talked business with the legendary rapper, as they visited his Rocawear offices and discussed the careers he's helped mold. When it came to Rihanna, Jay-Z explained that he had a talk with the "Umbrella" star following her altercation with Chris Brown. "It's one of those situations where she's young, they're both young," he said. " ... There's a contention of young people who are going through the same things, and no one hears their voice. She can be their hero. Or she can choose not to grow from this." Related Artists |
| Eminem, Kid Rock, The Roots Pay Tribute To Def Jam At VH1's 'Hip Hop Honors' Posted: 23 Sep 2009 10:16 PM PDT LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, other label greats are honored at annual event, which airs on VH1 October 13.
BROOKLYN, New York — For five years, VH1's "Hip Hop Honors" has paid homage to legendary hip-hop figures, from Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur to Big Daddy Kane. For their sixth show, which taped Wednesday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (and airs on VH1 on October 13), the event's organizers dedicated the entire program to a record label, the trailblazing house for hip-hop and R&B, Def Jam.
It's only right that the first Def Jam artist to be honored was the label's foundation and face for so many years, LL Cool J. The Roots started it off with "Rock the Bells." Black Thought ripped the first verse of the record, then gave way for a special guest: Eminem. Last year, Slim Shady publicly expressed his love for LL during a phone prank on DJ Tony Touch's Shade 45 radio show. Spitting the second verse of "Rock the Bells" on Wednesday night, Em sounded almost exactly like the legend who inspired him. "Now I'm worldwide known/ Whether you like it or not/ My one-man band is Cut Creator.../ When he's on the fader/ What's my DJ's name?" "Cut Creator!" The crowd yelled. Later, Kid Rock paid tribute to LL with "I'm Bad." The Kid also DJed during the show, as did Ed Lover. The second performance was from one of Def Jam's signature groups, Public Enemy. Chuck D was immediately electrifying with the opening words for "Rebel Without a Pause": "Yes, the rhythm, the rebel." Chuck still has one of the most recognizable and commanding voices in all of music, not just rap. Flavor Flav came out wearing a white tuxedo jacket, matching top hat and a black bow tie. PE arguably had the performance of the night with help from the Roots, S1W and Boots Riley. The Long Island-bred rap chiefs were just born for the stage. The entire crowd was on their feet cheering. After their performance, Flav was seen talking to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in the audience. Another bricklaying squad for the house that Russell and Rick built was, undoubtedly, the Beastie Boys. KRS-One, Wale and the Gym Class Heroes did a rocking rendition of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." Travis McCoy, who wore a black T-shirt with the names "DJ AM" and "Roc Raida" in the shape of the Run-DMC logo, took on the first verse. The Blastmaster, who is a former HHH honoree himself, took verse two and ended by saying, "Adam, get well soon," referring to Adam Yauch, who is currently battling cancer. Wale finished off the song and later paid tribute to Kanye West, wearing a backpack and rapping "Touch the Sky." When Onyx performed "Slam" it felt like the group had stepped out of a time capsule: They looked almost exactly the same and still had that insane energy that made them famous. During his verse, Sticky Fingaz climbed on top of a large speaker. Rather than climb down when he finished, Stick climbed into the balcony. Other performers included Rick Ross, Fabolous, Foxy Brown, Redman, Method Man, Mary J. Blige, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Chrissette Michele, Warren G, Trey Songz, the reunion of Ashanti and Ja Rule, Ludacris and DMX — many of whom teamed up with the Roots for a show-closing medley of Def Jam hits. (Check out photos from the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors red carpet http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/09/23/hip-hop-honors-red-carpet-turns-up-the-volume-with-eve-kid-rock/ and a right here!) Offstage, Ja Rule and DMX had their own reunion. The two came up together as close friends and later turned to bitter enemies, even dissing each other on records. As X was walking out, Ja was returning to his seat, and the pair saw each other, hugged and talked for a few moments. At the afterparty right around the corner, Flavor Flav talked and laughed with Kid Rock, while Parrish Smith chilled in his trademark fisherman's hat. "Hip Hop Honors," hosted by Tracy Morgan, will air October 13 at 9 p.m. ET on VH1. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Chris Brown To Headline New Jersey Concert In October Posted: 24 Sep 2009 06:13 AM PDT Singer to perform at Power 105.1 Powerhouse show along with Fabolous, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson and Mario.
It looks like Chris Brown will take a break from his 180-day community labor service sentence next month to headline Power 105.1's Powerhouse concert at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Brown, 20, will perform October 27 alongside Fabolous, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson, Mario, Ginuwine and Day26. Images of Brown clearing brush and trash emerged last week as the singer began his six-month community labor stint as part of his sentence for assaulting Rihanna in February, but Virginia officials have declined MTV News' requests for more information on the schedule for the singer's duties or any possible travel stipulations imposed by a California judge. The show in support of the New York urban radio station is the first major promotional event Brown has participated in to hype the release of his upcoming album, Graffiti; a rep for the singer told MTV News that no release date for the LP has been set. The album's first single, "Transformer," featuring Lil Wayne and produced by Swizz Beatz, is slated to drop soon. Beatz recently spoke to MTV News about the song, which he called "phenomenal." Despite initially being wary about working with Brown, Beatz said he counseled the singer to keep his head down and get to work. The result, the producer said, was that Brown is "on fire" after working on 60 or 70 songs for the album. Related Artists |
| Pussycat Dolls 'Taking A Break,' Melody Thornton Says Posted: 23 Sep 2009 11:51 PM PDT 'It's like when you're with your sisters for 24 hours a day,' Thornton says.
Are the Pussycat Dolls on the outs? There have been rumors circulating that the girls may be going their separate ways, but Melody Thornton assures her fans that the group isn't going anywhere, although they are taking some time off.
However, that doesn't mean they won't be taking some time off. "Right now the Pussycat Dolls are on a break. It's actually a much-needed break," Thornton told MTV News. "It's like when you're with your sisters for 24 hours a day and you need to take your own shower." Thornton said that the Dolls will eventually find their way back to one another again after they all take a breather. "Yeah, we're taking a break. No, [we're not broken up] ... everybody keeps saying that, but it's like, let me see who took a break? Dave Chappelle. Remember when Dave Chappelle took that break? OK, maybe Dave Chappelle's a bad example. What about, like, Hootie and the Blowfish?" Sure, Hootie and the Blowfish did take some time off only to get back together again, but it's worth noting that Darius Rucker has been recording solo for some time now. Is a solo album in the cards for Thornton? Well, she didn't specify — she just emphasized that she's always making music regardless. "Well, I always tell people that I've been working since the beginning of Pussycat Dolls and making records and always staying true to my passion, which is music, 'cause I love it," she said. "Absolutely I'm making music. I love it and I'm gonna live it." A rep for the Pussycat Dolls had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Related Artists |
| Omarion's New LP, <i>Ollusion,</i> Due November 24 Posted: 24 Sep 2009 01:24 AM PDT After leaving Lil Wayne's Young Money, O heads to EMI to create his own imprint.
After hitching his wagon to Timbaland and later to Lil Wayne, Omarion has decided to venture out on his own with a new imprint deal through EMI Label Services. The former B2K frontman announced Thursday (September 24) that he signed a new deal with EMI to create his own imprint StarWorld Entertainment. Through the pact, the Los Angeles native will release his next project, Ollusion, due November 24. Just last month, Omarion united forces with Lil Wayne and joined the rapper's Young Money roster. However, shortly after the news broke, the singer mysteriously parted ways with the camp. "I have a lot of respect and admiration for the genius of Lil Wayne and the entire Young Money family," he said in a statement. "I asked to be released from the label to pursue other opportunities that were recently presented to me. Because of our relationship, Lil Wayne had no issue with us ending our business relationship and released me from the label." Prior to linking with Lil Wayne, O partnered with Timbaland in 2008, but the union didn't result in any material being released through the producer's Mosley Music Group. Omarion will now ready his third solo album, which will feature collaborations from Tank, Fabolous and Gucci Mane on the first single, "I Get It In," set to debut October 5. "My style has evolved so much on this album," Omarion said in a statement. "I was able to express truly who I am from a creative and artistic standpoint, which allowed me to share a personal side of myself with my fans through my music. This is my masterpiece, and I can't wait for the world to hear my new album." Related Artists |
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