MTV News |
- Gucci Mane Balances 'Hood, Mainstream To Be #6 Hottest MC In The Game!
- Kanye West/ Lady Gaga's Fame Kills Tour Canceled
- DJ Khaled Recruits Usher, Drake For <i>Victory</i> Album
- Jay-Z Greatest-Hits Album Planned; 'Crispy Benjamins' Mystery Explained
- Jay-Z, Alicia Keys Shoot 'Empire State Of Mind' Video Near Ground Zero
- Michael Jackson Was Reportedly Healthy At Time Of Death
- 50 Cent Apologizes For His Lady Gaga/ Kanye West Tour Comments
- Diddy Talks New Record Deal, Reveals Collabos With Jay-Z, Lil Wayne
| Gucci Mane Balances 'Hood, Mainstream To Be #6 Hottest MC In The Game! Posted: 02 Oct 2009 03:52 AM PDT Atlanta MC makes his list debut, thanks to a mix of club bangers and pop cameos.
The 2009 Hottest MCs in the Game rollout is on! As in 2007 and 2008, the list, determined by the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust, is based on an MC's achievements right now, rather than an entire career. The criteria is based on a combination of rhyme skill, flow and how those things are implemented musically as the main factors. The Brain Trust also considers buzz, impact, commercial success — sales, airplay, business ventures, Web presence, endorsements and helping to spawn other artists' careers — and the intangible, impact: Can an artist not only contribute to the rap game but influence cultural shifts? Are they trendsetters? All of these factors — and the results of our audience poll, which closed last week and gets a vote at the Roundtable during the Brain Trust's debate — contribute to deciding who is the Hottest MC in the Game. We'll be announcing an MC's rank every day this week, with the full list revealed on Sunday at 10 p.m. during "P. Diddy's Starmaker"! Flame Thrower: Gucci Mane 2009 Rank: 6 Previous Rankings: 2007 (not ranked); 2008 (not ranked)
Why He's Hot: It's been in the air for a couple of years now. Gucci Mane's name has been bubbling — no, boiling over — in the underground scene, and he's been inching his way closer and closer to cracking into the top 10 Hottest MCs in the Game since '07. The Gucc didn't just break through this year; he's been able to leapfrog all the to way to the middle of the pack by having a cult following of pavement dwellers in the 'hood and charming Middle America with a gold-tooth grin and a gaggle of guest spots on high-charting pop hits. In all his flamboyant splendor, Gucci has accrued a die-hard core following that devours everything he puts out with extreme delight. The mode of attack for La Flare — as he calls himself — has been spending sleepless nights in the studio recording literally hundreds of records. As soon as a song is done — or a hefty amount of them, anyway — he puts it out. Gucc has almost replaced Lil Wayne as the street-CD poster child.
The Atlanta native will never get spoken about in the conversation of great wordsmiths, like a Royce Da 5'9" or a Jadakiss. His subject matter is great, but his wordplay is sometimes criticized for being elementary. So if it isn't his rhyme schemes that have been winning him new fans and accolades and keeping his core satisfied, what is it? Simply put, Gucci is a character. Gaudy jewelry, his own humorous slang such as "burrr" — you may not be able to tell by his shy demeanor in interviews, but the ATL native has a lot of personality on the mic, with his muddy Southern drawl. Also, to put it bluntly, Gucc is extra believable in the eyes of fans. They a see a person who has overcome murder and drug charges to still make it to stardom. They just don't relate to his raps; they see themselves in his music. On any given night Down South, you can go to a club and hear an hour's worth of new Gucci music — and none of it will be singles pushed by his label. He's been living heavily off the love he gets from the streets. Now, though, Gucci is getting a major taste of stardom because the radio and the rest of the country are cozying up to him. He's been flooding the airwaves, receiving great looks alongside mainstream darlings Mariah Carey, Trey Songz, Omarion, Black Eyed Peas and Mario, while keeping up cameos with concrete heroes like OJ Da Juiceman. Mane is also doing it big in the label structure. His single "Wasted," featuring Plies, is in the top 10 of the Billboard R&B and hip-hop charts. Co-Signer: Mariah Carey: "He's real. He's one of the realest people I ever met," Carey told MTV News about Gucci. "He's nice. He's cool. He's talented. We got together, I listened to his music. There's something that reminds me of the moment when I first met ODB. It's like when you're working with somebody that really contrasts you in a good way. I had a great time. This is really gonna be something I'm gonna remember for a long time. It was amazing." Ignitable Incitement: "What makes me the Hottest MC right now is that I got that flavor," Gucci boasted to MTV News. "It ain't all about your swag. I got them spices. I'm seasoning it real well for these folk. I won't say I'm the best rapper in the game — I'm not even my favorite rapper in the game. But I say I am probably one of the hardest-working people in the music business. That's what I pride myself on [and am] having success on: just being consistent." Blistering Ballistics: "Now baby girl done dumped me, she no longer wants me/ I'm no longer hired, she says that I've been fired/ Onto the next one, more fish in the sea/ Girls are like buses: Miss one, next 15, one's comin'/ Gucci Mane crazy and his ice game stuntin'/ Swag so stupid, still the b---h straight dumped me" (from "Break Up") Hot Streak Selected Mixtapes: Writing on the Wall, The Movie Part 2 Singles: "Wasted" (featuring Plies) Street Bangers: "Bricks," "Awesome" (featuring Snoop Dogg), "Wonderful," "Photo Shoot," "I'm a Star," "Wasted" remix (featuring OJ Da Juiceman), "She's Got a Friend" (featuring Juelz Santana and Big Boi) Key Guest Appearances: Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" remix, Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" remix, Trey Songz's "LOL :-)" (also featuring Soulja Boy Tell'em), Soulja Boy Tell'em's "Gucci Bandana" (also featuring Shawty Lo), Mario's "Break Up" (also featuring Sean Garrett), OJ Da Juiceman's "Make the Trap Say Aye," DJ Drama's "Ridiculous," Busta Rhymes' "Hustla's Anthem" remix, Omarion's "I Get It In" Meteoric Metrics (as of October 1): Tours: When he is not fulfilling his obligations to the court, Gucci is averaging four shows a week since getting out of jail in March. Monumental Moment: Appearing in the video for the "Obsessed" remix with Mariah Carey — Gucci was already good in the 'hood, but now the mainstream knows his name. Forecast: Nothing is going to derail Gucci's breakthrough year. He's clearly shown that he can find the balance between the charts and the trap. Look for more of a mixture of mainstream cameos and at least one more official mixtape before '09 is done. Then there's that album that's just about guaranteed to put him in the conversation for the 2010 Hottest MCs list. What do you think of Gucci Mane's placement on the Hottest MCs in the Game list? Upload your comments, reactions, arguments or your own list to Your.MTV.com — the best videos could be on TV! MTV News will be unveiling the Hottest MCs in the Game all week! We'll be announcing an MC's rank every day this week, with the full list revealed on Sunday at 10 p.m. during "P. Diddy's Starmaker"! Related Videos Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanye West/ Lady Gaga's Fame Kills Tour Canceled Posted: 01 Oct 2009 03:57 AM PDT No explanation given for cancellation of tour, which was scheduled to launch on November 10.
Kanye West and Lady Gaga's co-headlining Fame Kills Tour has been canceled, according to a press release from tour promoter Live Nation. No reason was given for the cancellation. The press release stated that refunds are available at the point of purchase, and that tickets purchased online and via phone will be refunded automatically.
Rumors about the tour's possible cancellation have been swirling for days, largely related to the negative publicity stemming from West's interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. The tour, which West abruptly announced during a television appearance in the spring and was scheduled to launch on November 10 in Phoenix, was oddly not confirmed by either of the artists' reps until mid-September. 50 Cent slammed the tour — which he called "the gay tour" — in an interview on New York's Hot 97 on Wednesday, but apologized for his comments on Thursday (October 1) after a wave of negative feedback in the media. Just last week, Gaga revealed details about the tour during interviews with Las Vegas radio station KLUC and San Diego's Star 94. She said the shows would feature an unusual stage that extended from one end of the arena floor to the other. "The stage is called a traverse," she said. "It's something that we designed together. Instead of being on just one end of the arena, the stage traverses the entire arena. It's not really in-the-round; it's more of a runway. ... [It extends] from one end to the other so the audience can see everywhere from 360, but it's like a rectangular runway shape. "We're on each end of the stage, and I want to get to where Kanye is, which is 'the fame,' " she continued. "He wants to get where I am, which is home and humble beginnings. For the whole show, we are battling each other [for their positions]. It's been a really incredible creative experience. "We did not do this tour for each other," she added. "We did this tour for everybody else. We wanted to do something that no one has ever seen. We wanted our fans to feel like we were doing something special and we wanted to merge two groups of fans — two different [groups of] music lovers into one room. He's going to play every Kanye West hit, which is a lot, one after the other. I'm going to play all my hit records which, knock on wood, I had a lot this year. And then I'm going to play all my new music and then do a ton of duets." Asked about how she might be received by West's fans, she said she welcomes the potential to gain a whole new group of fans. "I make pop music and Kanye's fans love pop music because he has changed what hip-hop means. For me, the tour is more about just bringing people together and having a big dance party. The show is a celebration of creativity, art, fashion and choreography." Gaga also opened up about West's dedication to his fans, and how working with him has broadened her creative horizons. "He's really shown me a lot, as a friend — like creatively planning it with him," she said. "It's all about the fans for him. We were making the stage and he was like, 'We can't put these side panels here because if we [do], these people can't see and that's not fair. He was like, 'I'm not selling a ticket to a fan who can't see the show,' and he's right." Gaga also revealed that she'll be launching her own headlining tour just weeks after Fame Kills wraps. "When I come back from my world tour, I'm doing another world tour after this, which is going to be in March of next year." Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DJ Khaled Recruits Usher, Drake For <i>Victory</i> Album Posted: 02 Oct 2009 03:52 AM PDT 'I'm at that victory point,' Miami don tells Mixtape Daily of his career.
Behind The Beats: DJ Khaled "I'm in beast mode," DJ Khaled told Mixtape Daily when he stopped by to visit the 1515 Boys in a Champion hoodie and an extra scruffy beard. You can't blame him for the look. The Miami don is hard at work on his next album, Victory, the fourth installment of his hit anthems. The project is slated for a 2010 release on his We the Best imprint with E1 Records.
Like a cocky chef who's confident in his skills, Khaled gave us some of the ingredients he's using to cook up Victory but was hush-hush when it came to what we can actually expect. The meal ain't ready yet — until then, he's gonna leave us starving. "I worked with someone I never worked with before that I always wanted to work with," Khaled said coyly. "I won't tell you if it's one of my singles or one of the singles, 'cause I like that to be a surprise. But I did work with someone I always wanted to work with; his name is Usher. I did work with him, and I'm excited by that. I worked with someone [else] I never worked with before; his name is Drake. I'm a fan of his music. I think he's talented." Of course, the Runners, Plies, Rick Ross and the rest of the Florida family are gonna be part of the album. Another big name that will be featured heavily on the project is Young Jeezy. Khaled said Mr. 17.5 will be a "major" part of Victory. "I got everybody on there," Khaled boasted. "I'm giving you little vibes about what's going on. Jeezy is a major part of my album. We doing this, this album right here. I gave you 'We Takin' Over.' I gave you 'I'm So Hood.' I gave you 'Go Hard.' I gave you 'Holler at Me.' I do this. I make timeless music." When it comes to putting his albums together, Khaled thinks of his collaborators like a team. He has his regulars — from Fat Joe to Ross — and on each album, he adds new players to the roster. Every artist Khaled reached out to this time put in some heavy work, going above and behind with their verses. That, in part, inspired the album title. "People always think 'victory' is the win," Khaled explained. "To me, it's a struggle. It's a grind. It's a hustle, going through roadblocks. There's a lot of stuff [done] to get a victory. I feel like I'm at a point in my career right now where I'm at that victory point. Because I've been through so much, and I feel like the music I'm making is so powerful — because I make this music for the people." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jay-Z Greatest-Hits Album Planned; 'Crispy Benjamins' Mystery Explained Posted: 01 Oct 2009 02:03 AM PDT Press release touting the Regina Spektor-sampling song 'Crispy Benjamins' wasn't legit, A&R rep tells MTV News.
By now, you might have heard about "Crispy Benjamins," a brand-new song that (supposedly) samples ultra-quirky musician Regina Spektor. On the surface, "Benjamins" seems almost too odd to be true (despite the fact that Jay has spent recent months big-upping folks like Grizzly Bear), but the song was announced via an official-looking press release, which hinted that it would see the light of day on a reissue of The Blueprint 3, which was "scheduled for release in 2009." Somewhat understandably, news of the song — which was, according to the press release, produced by someone named Mirk from the New Familiar Music Group — spread like wildfire across the parched topiary of the blogosphere, and by the end of Wednesday, it was taken for gospel. Despite, you know, anyone bothering to check if it were true or not. Turns out, it was. But it also wasn't. Seems like the press release — which bore the name (and contact info) of Jive Records A&R manager Ant Rich — wasn't actually approved or released by Rich. We reached out to Rich for comment on the matter, and he was pretty eager to explain himself. "Mirk from the New Familiars produced a track (which I co-produced) that has a Regina Spektor sample in it ... which is called 'Crispy Benjamins,' " Rich told MTV News by e-mail. "Jay-Z purchased the track for The Blueprint 3, [but it] wound up not making the album. I was told by Jay Brown [who does A&R for Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint] that there was potential for the song to be used on a re-release. At some point, a press release was sent about the track using my contact information. Neither Mirk nor myself had ANYTHING to do with the press release. We are currently trying to find out who sent it out so we can clear up this matter." MTV News attempted to reach Brown for comment, but those attempts proved unsuccessful, which means that while "Crispy Benjamins" seems to be legit, it's not clear where it might be released. A spokesperson for Atlantic Records — which distributed The Blueprint 3 — could not be reached for comment, and a spokesperson for Jay-Z told MTV News she was unaware of any plans to reissue the album. The spokesperson added that the rapper will be releasing a greatest-hits album through his former label Def Jam. And the album — Hov's third greatest-hits go-round — will "supposedly" hit stores November 24. At press time, there was no word whether "Benjamins" will appear as a new cut on that greatest-hits package. And with that, we bring to close perhaps the most convoluted news story in recent memory. Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jay-Z, Alicia Keys Shoot 'Empire State Of Mind' Video Near Ground Zero Posted: 30 Sep 2009 10:11 PM PDT 'New York City belongs to everyone,' Keys says of song's appeal.
Thank goodness, Lil Mama was nowhere in sight on Wednesday, when Jay-Z and Alicia Keys shot the video for "Empire State of Mind" in New York. But there were plenty of other onlookers feeling the vibe and blowing up Twitter with talk about the two New York giants filming in Tribeca and around Ground Zero for the clip, directed by Hype Williams. Before performing the song at the VMAs last month, Keys told us how the collaboration for the Blueprint 3 track came about.
"Working together on 'Empire State of Mind' was incredible," Keys said. "I've admired Jay-Z for a long time. Reasonable Doubt is my all-time favorite album, period, and he's been on the scene for long time. I always figured that we would do some type of collaboration, and finally, it came together with this. He reached out to me said, 'I have this big New York record. I feel its right for us to do it together. It has this big Frank Sinatra, take-it-there feeling. I feel like you could really do something with it.' "I went by [the studio], took a listen to it," she continued. "I really felt the energy of New York all through it. It felt classic, it felt so good; the piano obviously was in there. I said, 'I love it, so let's do it.' We communicated a lot during the process. I think we both are really happy with how it came out." Keys said that though "Empire State of Mind" was inspired by her hometown, it resonates with all people — which explains why the song is currently #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. "New York City belongs to everyone," she said, adding her own Sinatra nod: "If you can make it here, you can make it everywhere." Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Jackson Was Reportedly Healthy At Time Of Death Posted: 30 Sep 2009 11:40 PM PDT Singer suffered from arthritis and lung issues but was in overall good health, according to a coroner's office report.
Despite reports that he was painfully thin and frail and allegedly had a dangerous addiction to prescription medications, a Los Angeles County coroner's office report on Michael Jackson claims the 50-year-old singer was in good health at the time of his death in June. According to a copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press, Jackson's arms were covered with puncture wounds and the autopsy showed that his lungs were chronically inflamed and had a reduced capacity that might have left the once-energetic performer short of breath. But the report claims that the singer was in fairly good condition at the time that he died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol in June. Though some stories claimed he was around a skeletal 105 pounds at the time of his death, the autopsy document says he weighed 136 pounds, which is in an acceptable range for a 5-foot-9 man. The report also said his heart was strong with no sign of plaque buildup. The official results of the autopsy on Jackson have not been released, pending the completion of the police investigation into his death, but officials have concluded that he died of "acute propofol intoxication." The AP claimed it had obtained a copy of the autopsy report but did not reveal how it came into possession of the document, which coroner's officials told MTV News is under a security hold until police finish their probe. It was unclear from the AP story if the document is the final autopsy report or a preliminary document. The spokesperson for the L.A. County coroner's office could not be reached for comment at press time, but an employee told MTV News the office would not be making any comment on the report. The report said Jackson's kidneys and most of his other major organs were normal and that the lung condition, while notable, wasn't serious enough to be a direct or contributing cause of death. Jackson did have some other chronic conditions that were notable but also not life-threatening, including arthritis in the lower spine and some fingers and mild plaque buildup in his leg arteries. Jackson died at a rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 shortly after his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, gave him propofol and two other sedatives to help the singer get to sleep. Murray is at the center of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles police that has included raids on his home and offices in Las Vegas and a storage unit and clinic in Texas. Murray's attorney has stated that the doctor did not give Jackson anything that "should have" killed him. The autopsy report detailed the heroic efforts employed to try and revive Jackson, including chest bruising and cracked ribs from CPR and the use of a mechanical device called a balloon pump that was inserted into Jackson's heart to try to restart it, according to the AP. The autopsy findings appear to head off a potential defense for Murray should he be charged in the case: that Jackson had serious pre-existing conditions, which increased his risk of death from the drugs he willingly took. Jackson was in the midst of vigorous rehearsals for a planned series of 50 comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London at the time of his death. While some reports claimed the singer was too frail and unhealthy to pull off the shows, the autopsy results indicate that, aside from the lung issue, Jackson did not have any serious physical problems that might have hampered his ability to perform. Among the other details in the autopsy report: » Jackson had a 3/4-inch scar behind his left ear and another apparent scar behind his right ear, a scar beside each of his nostrils and another 4-inch scar on his right shoulder. He also had a pair of scars about 3 inches long at the base of his neck and smaller scars on his arms and wrist, a small scar in the region of his naval and a 2-inch scar on the right-hand side of his abdomen. A doctor not affiliated with the case told the AP that most of the scars appeared to be from plastic surgery, though some, such as the one on the knee, could have been from a different medical procedure. » The medical examiner found numerous punctures on both arms and on a knee and ankle. » Jackson had a number of cosmetic tattoos, including dark tattoos around his eyebrows and under his eyes and a pink tattoo around his lips. » The singer was going bald at the front of his head, with his remaining hair described as short and tightly curled. The bald portion of his scalp was darkened with what appeared to be a tattoo that stretched across the top of his head from ear to ear. Related Videos Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 50 Cent Apologizes For His Lady Gaga/ Kanye West Tour Comments Posted: 01 Oct 2009 04:02 AM PDT During a radio interview, Fif referred to the just-canceled jaunt as 'the gay tour.'
50 Cent has apologized for comments he made about Kanye West and Lady Gaga's planned Fame Kills Tour during a Wednesday interview with Angie Martinez on New York radio station Hot 97. In the interview, 50 referred to West and Gaga's just-canceled jaunt as "the gay tour" (making light of an interview Gaga had done with Out magazine earlier this year), took jabs at West's sexuality and said the rapper was "cool with the gay folk." "I have nothing against them, but he's cool with them. He goes, drops his video off to them," Fif joked to Martinez. "Remember 808s & Heartbreak? Where'd he premiere it? ['The] Ellen DeGeneres [Show']. He went there to premiere his video. He's conscious of the gay community and wants them to buy his CDs." The barbs raised more than a few eyebrows (Perez Hilton took Fif to task, calling his comments "vomitous"). So on Thursday afternoon (October 1), 50 took to his blog to offer an apology and an explanation. "During an interview with Angie Martinez yesterday, certain comments I made were taken entirely out of context. When I referred to the Lady Gaga tour as 'the gay tour,' I was basically repeating what I thought she had referred to the tour in the past," 50 wrote on ThisIs50.com. "It was not my intention to offend anyone. I don't have a problem with anyone's lifestyle and have no issue with Lady Gaga. She makes great music." At press time, representatives for West and Gaga had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment on the matter. The Fame Kills Tour was scheduled to kick off November 10 before it was called off Thursday. Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diddy Talks New Record Deal, Reveals Collabos With Jay-Z, Lil Wayne Posted: 01 Oct 2009 02:05 AM PDT Bad Boy mogul also worked with Drake, T-Pain and Rick Ross for Last Train to Paris, his Interscope debut.
Diddy has had a few mantras over the years, from "we won't stop" to "the saga continues," which also doubled as an album title of him. Now, the hip-hop heavyweight has another one to add to the list: "It's a new era for Bad Boy."
Diddy has taken his label to a new company, recently announcing a partnership with Interscope Records after spending the past five years at Atlantic Records. The new union will usher in Diddy's next LP, the much-hyped concept album Last Train to Paris. On the project, Diddy will be aided by ex-Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard and songwriter Kalenna Harper, who make up the group Dirty Money along with the music mogul. Diddy said Interscope — which includes Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Lady Gaga, among others — is the best home for the high-minded project, tentatively slated for an early 2009 release. "The Last Train to Paris album is definitely a perfect fit for the whole Interscope system, because the album is pushing the envelope, it's something fresh and it's something new," he told MTV News. "And we know that when Interscope gets behind an album and gets behind an artist that it breaks big." For the album, Diddy has lined up some big names to join him on his trans-Atlantic journey, including Drake, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and possibly Jay-Z, the Bad Boy top dog revealed to MTV News. "The thing about the album, it's not about the features," Diddy said. "Each artist, they got down with the story line, they got down with the movement. I think that's when features work — when people come into your work and they adapt to what you're trying to portray." According to Diddy, his new deal came together after he and Interscope/Geffen/A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine entered into several other business deals first, including a set of headphones similar to the Beats by Dr. Dre line. The "Making His Band" superstar acknowledged Lyor Cohen and Julie Greenwald, executives at Warner Music Group and Atlantic, and profusely thanked them for a harmonious parting. His roster of acts, including Cassie and Day26, will stay at Atlantic. Diddy's career and any new acts he signs will be part of the Interscope family. "I feel like I'm in great company. I'm in the best company of the world," Diddy said. "I feel like how A-Rod felt when he got traded to the Yankees." Related Artists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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