MTV News |
- Chris Brown Tells '20/20' He's Focusing On Giving Fans 'All Of Me Back'
- Rihanna Wows Crowd At New York Concert
- What's Eminem Saying About Adam Lambert On 'Elevator'?
- Lil Wayne's 'On Fire' Inspired By 'Scarface,' Producer Dre Says
- More Eminem Songs, 'Hell Breaks Loose' And 'Drop The Bomb On 'Em,' Leak
- Alicia Keys Collabos With Beyonce, Drake Hit The Net
- Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, DJ Drama Lay Beefs To Rest
- Pimp C's Legacy Carried On Through Hip-Hop Health Fair
| Chris Brown Tells '20/20' He's Focusing On Giving Fans 'All Of Me Back' Posted: 05 Dec 2009 09:11 AM PST Brown also claims he played his apology song, 'Changed Man,' for Rihanna, despite her saying she hasn't heard it.
Less than a month after Rihanna appeared on "20/20," her former boyfriend, Chris Brown, followed suit Friday night (December 4) to discuss his assault against her, how he plans to move forward from it and his hopes to win his fans over again.
"I really just try to focus on what I can do, as far as my talent," Brown told ABC News correspondent Robin Roberts. "Really just show people what they fell in love with me for. Try to give them all of me back." Brown was apologetic throughout the interview as Roberts and he sat and watched multiple clips of Rihanna's November interview with Diane Sawyer. The singer was solemn when Rihanna described Brown's appearance during the attack, saying he had "no soul" in his eyes. He hung his head low momentarily before responding. "I was wrong for what I did," Brown said. "And I would definitely say it's not something that I look past or look over. It's something that's really touchy. And like I said, I'm really sorry for what went down and what happened." Brown spoke about the criticism he faced in the aftermath of the assault, specifically when Roberts asked about his YouTube apology video. Brown said he was being coached by media professionals who had his best interests in mind, but all the information he received led to him overthinking his words. The result was a message that wasn't as genuine as he had hoped, he said. "I had a week, maybe three days of PR, and they told me, 'Don't say this' and 'Don't say it this way, 'cause they're gonna take it this way,' " Brown said. "So in my head, I wasn't given a chance to really be me. I was being myself through other people. It was genuinely from me, it just wasn't projected genuinely." During Rihanna's appearance with Sawyer, she was asked if she heard Brown's apology song to her, "Changed Man." Rihanna denied having ever heard the song, which Brown wrote in the wake of the February incident. The song eventually leaked online but isn't included on Brown's upcoming Graffiti album. Brown, however, said Rihanna had in fact heard the song. Roberts looked puzzled by the singer's answer, but he insisted that Rihanna heard the song. He then explained he personally played the song for her shortly after his assault on her, resulting in her being overcome with emotion. "She knows how sorry I am," Brown said. "She's heard the song. I played the song for her, the day I [wrote it]. Maybe a month after the situation. "She cried when she first heard the song," he continued. "I'm not trying to call her a liar. But I played the song for her." Rihanna has said she's still a fan of her ex's music. In an interview with an Atlanta radio station last month, she revealed she listens to his songs when they come on the radio. "When [Chris' music] comes on the radio, I don't snub or turn it off; I listen," she said "I like his music." Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Rihanna Wows Crowd At New York Concert Posted: 04 Dec 2009 08:32 AM PST Singer powered through 30-minute set that included fan favorites like 'Umbrella' and the recently released 'Russian Roulette.'
NEW YORK — When Rihanna first arrived on the scene, she was a sun-kissed Caribbean singer who managed to score a minor hit with the reggae-tinged "Pon de Replay." And with each subsequent album, the Def Jam star has evolved, with hits like "Umbrella," "S.O.S." and sweeping ballads such as "Take a Bow" added to the mix. On Thursday night at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom, Rih Rih's repertoire was on display as the singer powered through a 30-minute set during a special performance for The Release, a MySpace Music concert series. She was continuing to celebrate the release of her fourth album, Rated R.
"New York City, make some noise!" Rihanna urged the crowd. The leggy singer arrived onstage decked out in a shimmering sequined minidress as paparazzi pictures of her appeared on the television screens behind her. Rihanna's accessories, in contrast, were dark: black shades, black gloves and a heavy dose of black eye makeup. The booming synths of "Wait Your Turn" then flooded the sound system. "I pitch with a grenade," she sang as two backup singers and dancers flanked her. "Swing away if you're feeling brave." The lights quickly dimmed after one verse, and Rihanna took a seat onstage as she launched into a sultry version of "Russian Roulette." Along with "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia," Rihanna delivered a spirited rendition of "Don't Stop the Music," during which she swaggered back and forth across the stage, at one point fondling a male mannequin. The audience roared in approval. After a quick wardrobe adjustment, Rihanna returned to the stage, this time with a black vest over her dress and coordinating boots. T.I.'s "Live Your Life" kicked in, and Rihanna appeared at the top of the stairs near the middle of the stage. By the time she hit the bottom step, "Run This Town" blasted through the speakers and Rihanna — sans Jay-Z and Kanye West and with a whiplike microphone in her hand — took command again. "Feel it coming in the air," she sang. "And there's screams from everywhere/ I'm addicted to the thrill/ It's a dangerous love affair." Rihanna closed things out with her Grammy-winning hit "Umbrella," for which fans fittingly opened countless umbrellas in celebration of the hits that rained down on them tonight, giving the Ballroom an appearance not unlike an aerial shot of a domed stadium. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| What's Eminem Saying About Adam Lambert On 'Elevator'? Posted: 04 Dec 2009 02:26 AM PST Song's lyrics, also directed at Lance Bass and Clay Aiken, can be perceived as containing anti-gay slur.
Late Thursday, a pair of brand-new Eminem tracks from his upcoming Relapse: Refill album hit the Internet, and while both are filled with his trademark lyrical irreverence, a line in one of the songs — "Elevator" — is raising more than a few eyebrows. In the track, Em jabs at former 'NSYNC member Lance Bass and a pair of former "American Idol" contestants, Clay Aiken and Adam Lambert, all of whom are openly gay. While the actual wording of the lyric is in question, here's what Eminem appears to be rapping, according to several sites, including ThisIs50.com: "Sorry, Lance, Mr. Lambert and Aiken ain't gonna make it/ They get so mad, when I call them both fake/ It's all these f---ing voices in my head, I can't take it/ Someone shut that f---ing baby up, before I shake it." However, as gay-news site Towleroad.com has noted, "fake it's" sounds phonetically like "f----ts," a similarity that they claim is anything but coincidental, given the rapper's previous history with the word. "Eminem cleverly avoids using the word 'f----ts" in his new song 'Elevator' when referring to Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken, replacing it with the words 'fake it's,' " site founder Andy Towle writes in a post. "Of course, phonetically, it sounds just like 'f----ts.' " Contacted by MTV News on Friday (December 4), a label rep for Eminem had no comment, and official lyrics for the song were not available at press time. At the moment, Lambert seems to be leaning toward the less provocative lyric. On his Twitter account Thursday night, Lambert wrote, "Wow, Eminem mentioned me in a song?! I must be doing something right!? Even if he used the 'F word,' whatever," then followed that up with a second tweet, which reads: "Oh, he says 'fake it.' My bad." In 2001, Eminem drew the ire of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation over his use of gay slurs on songs like "Kill You" and "Criminal" — from his The Marshall Mathers LP — which featured lines like "You f----ts keep eggin' me on/ Till I have you at knifepoint, then you beg me to stop," and "My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/ That'll stab you in the head/ Whether you're a f-g or a lez." GLAAD called the lyrics "homophobic" and "hate filled," and protested outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the 2001 Grammy Awards, where Eminem was nominated for a number of awards, including Album of the Year. During the show, Em answered his critics by performing a now-famous duet with Elton John, which ended with the two embracing and Eminem giving the finger to the crowd. In the lead-up to the 2001 Grammys, Moby also famously called Eminem "a homophobe," which Em responded to by referring to the DJ/producer as a "36-year-old, bald-headed f-g" on the song "Without Me," and threatening to fight him during the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. Eminem said in interviews at the time that the content of his songs shouldn't be taken literally, and told MTV News' Kurt Loder, "I think that some people are a little too uptight, and take things a little bit too seriously." Contacted by MTV News on Friday, a spokesperson for GLAAD declined to comment on the song, but did say our request had been forwarded internally. Related Artists |
| Lil Wayne's 'On Fire' Inspired By 'Scarface,' Producer Dre Says Posted: 04 Dec 2009 02:13 AM PST 'It's something Rick James would bug out on,' one half of Cool & Dre says of Rebirth track.
Boom, goes the dynamite: Lil Wayne talks about a woman who ignites his life on his new single from his forthcoming Rebirth LP, "On Fire." "I said, 'Shawty, let me play up in your match box,' " he sings. "And she's on fire!/ ... She's steamin'!" "She's hot as hell, call her Helen," he later raps. "Fireman to her rescue like 9-11." "He's talking about a chick that's on fire," explained Dre, who, along with his partner Cool, produced the record, as well as a handful of other songs on Rebirth. "He's on his knees praying to the Lord to keep him clear because she's on fire. He's got a bad one! She's that bad that's she might have came straight outta hell. I think he's shooting a video for it. I think the video would be outrageous." Wayne's track samples Amy Holland's "She's on Fire" from the soundtrack to the classic film "Scarface." "If you speak to Wayne, Wayne will tell you the reason why he loves the record is he gets to do everything on the record," Dre said. "He gets to spit on the record, he gets to sing on the record, he gets to play the guitar on the record. One night I was watching 'Scarface,' and I woke up in the morning, had the damn 'She's on Fire' in my head. I called up Cool, like, 'Yo, we gotta flip this.' The way the sample was, you couldn't flip it. It's like a disco song, but you hear the guitars. I was like, 'We should put this sh-- on steroids and turn it all the way up. Throw some 808s on it and really crank this sh-- up.' We redid the whole beat and kept the 'she's on fire' [vocal sample]. We gave it to Wayne. Wayne is the Fireman, so it's perfect. But we heard it after he did it — we didn't know he was gonna kill the guitar like he did. "That's him laying the guitar," Dre added. "It's never us producing a beat for Wayne. It's a collaboration. It's always a collaboration. It's not like, 'OK, make a beat.' We're making the music with him in mind and the sh-- he does, [thinking,] 'He'll probably rap; make the music change here.' When we gave him the Pro Tools, he goes in and he amplifies the beat. That song has drops all over it where hits the guitar. Music is so f---ing boring right now. It's good to wake muthaf---as up. Wayne sings on it, he spits on it, and he plays the guitar on it. He gives you everything on one record where his mind is at right now." Wayne plays the bass on another Rebirth record, a track called "Da Da Da." "We did that record as well," Dre said. "He plays the bass on the record. 'She's on Fire,' it has more of an urban feel because of 'Scarface.' It has heavy 808. 'Da Da Da' is some rock sh--, but it's some really hot sh--. And not rock sh--. I don't wanna say 'rock sh--.' It's everything too. He plays the bass on the record, he sings on it, spits on it. It's something Rick James would bug out on. It's hot." Cool & Dre also produced the upcoming Young Money album, and they did the current Game single "Big Money." The Miami duo have Rick Ross and Yo Gotti on the production plate as well. Related Artists |
| More Eminem Songs, 'Hell Breaks Loose' And 'Drop The Bomb On 'Em,' Leak Posted: 03 Dec 2009 11:15 PM PST Tracks are from Relapse: Refill, due December 21.
After "Buffalo Bill" and "Elevator" leaked Thursday, more records from Eminem's Relapse: Refill have hit the Web. The first record features Dr. Dre and is called "Hell Breaks Loose." The track starts with Em telling listeners he wants the fans jumping and their fists pumping in the air. "This is when sh-- hits the fan like it just splattered on Stan," Dre raps to commence his verse. "This is the only moment that matters/ Your homie rolling with Mathers." "So do what we say at once," the Doc raps later. "This song is like a séance, it haunts." "It makes them stay in a trance/ No choice, they have to dance," Em comes in. "It's like the playoffs, just making sure we stay in the hunt," Dre continues before ending the verse with a Down South bounce flow. The duo go back and forth on the third verse as well. The beat has a maniacal funk to it and shows Em switching cadences and flows. "Drop the Bomb on 'Em" stays in G-Funk mode. Em hurls battle raps early and frequently. "I'm hard as Kenard, the little boy that shot Omar up in 'The Wire,' " he raps. "Tie a wh--- up with barbwire in nothing but her bra, boy/ I'm the real deal ... / I'm a problem for ya, boy/ You think you're Tom Sawyer until I pull ya out the f---in' storybook and stomp on ya/ Them lyrics you wield equals zero to a hero's shield." Em goes on to concede that his competition might be "fresher than most," but he's "doper than all." Em's final declaration is that the Shady/Aftermath ship will never sink. Relapse: Refill drops December 21. Related Photos Related Artists |
| Alicia Keys Collabos With Beyonce, Drake Hit The Net Posted: 04 Dec 2009 02:13 AM PST However, Jay-Z will not appear on 'Empire State of Mind (Part II).'
Two high-profile collaborations from Alicia Keys' forthcoming Element of Freedom LP hit the Internet on Friday (December 4) — along with news that Jay-Z will not be featured on Keys' retake of "Empire State of Mind," although plans originally called for him to contribute a new verse to the song. One of the collaborations, "Put It in a Love Song," a duet with Beyoncé is a bouncy pop track about a girl who just wants her lover to write her a song and prove to her he's worth her time. The song features a brief chat ("Hey yo, B!" "What up, A?") between B and Keys at the beginning. On the other, "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)," Keys gets a helping hand from Drake, but he sings backing vocals rather than contributing a rapped verse. The song is a gentle, dreamy ballad about contemplating a relationship, with Drake softly crooning in the background. Finally, although Jay-Z was originally scheduled to contribute a new verse to Keys' remake of their #1 single, "Empire State of Mind," a rep for Keys confirmed to MTV News on Friday that Jay will not appear on the new version of the song, which is titled "Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down." No reason was given for the change of plans. Earlier this fall, Keys promised fans they should "expect the unexpected" on the disc. "You can expect, like, to be moved," she said. "You can expect to really be into a zone. I think you can expect the unexpected, 'cause there's going to be things that you're going to be like, 'Wow, is that her? Is that her?' And I love that about it. You can definitely expect to see major growth, but you're going to fall in love with this album." Related Photos Related Artists |
| Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, DJ Drama Lay Beefs To Rest Posted: 04 Dec 2009 08:18 AM PST Trio quash their differences in surprise interview on Atlanta's 107.9.
They put on for the city: Three of Atlanta's biggest hip-hop stars got on the radio Thursday night and squashed their beefs and friction. Young Jeezy laid any problems he had with DJ Drama and Gucci Mane to rest. The Snowman was a special guest on Drama's "Gangsta Grillz Radio" show on Atlanta's 107.9. Jeezy and Drama had been at odds for well over a year, and Jeezy yelled "F--- DJ Drama" during a New York show last fall promoting his Recession LP. Over the summer Jeezy told XXL magazine that Dram wasn't loyal and their falling out — in part — had to do with the man behind the Gangsta Grillz mixtape series wanting to charge a member of CTE (Jeezy's clique and label) $20,000 to do a mixtape. Drama denied the allegations. The tension between the two, however, spilled into the streets. Although Dram and Jeezy never physically collided, members of their crew got into a couple of minor scuffles. On Thursday night, the bad blood was put to bed. Not only did Drama and Jeezy make amends, they also agreed to make the mixtape Trap or Die 2. Of course, the original is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixtapes of all time, and it took both of their careers into the stratosphere. Talking to MTV News on Friday morning (December 4), Drama thanked the station's Hurricane Dave, Bu Thiam (a Def Jam exec and Akon's brother) and DJ Sense for helping to bring them together. Dram also said he doesn't have a drop date for Trap or Die 2, but said, "We're not gonna make [the fans] wait too long." While the reunion of DJ Drama and Young Jeezy was a very pleasant surprise, Jeezy and Gucci Mane ending their rivalry was a huge shock: Gucci called into the station from jail (he received a 12-month sentence for parole violation last month). "It wasn't the easiest thing," Drama told MTV News about setting up the call. "It's way bigger than all of us. The way the city has been supporting all three of us, they deserve it," Gucci said about squashing the beef. "It's about that time. We getting older, growing, let's do it for the city." "What we finin' to do?" Jeezy asked. "We fining to make a movie. You know what we about to do," Gucci replied. In other words, there could be a Gucci/ Jeezy collaboration in the works. The two haven't worked together since making the song "So Icey" about five years ago, and they began trading myriad disses shortly afterward. Their rivalry hasn't been pleasant: Gucci even at one point tried to implicate Jeezy in an unsubstantiated conspiracy to have him killed, something Jeezy has always denied. More recently, Gucci took a lyrical shot at the Snowman and CTE on his Writing's on the Wall mixtape. Jeezy dissed Gucci in his "24, 23 (Kobe, LeBron)," 1614050 which dropped in June. Even in his verses on Rihanna's "Hard," Jeezy jokes about possibly adopting the moniker "Louis Mane" because of all the Louis Vuitton he wears. However, Gucci seemed to be softening his stance a bit in the recent track "Worst Enemy," which dropped last month. "Me, Jeezy and T.I share one thing in common," he raps. "Role model to young people, though at times man we still ignore it/ And y'all gonna owe respect to me and I don't like apologies/ Just dis me till you satisfied/ I swear it doesn't bother me ... Insults only show the world how y'all respecting me." In an interview with radio personality Miss Info at the time, he said he didn't have time for beef with other artists anymore. "Growing up," he said of the song's inspiration. "Growth — musically and as a person. I feel like I owed it to my fans. There's a lot of die-hard fans that have been writing me, praying for me. I gave it to them ... What anybody else does, doesn't stop my serenity. I'm good." During the Thursday night radio interview, Drama said both MCs are so important to the A-Town and to hip-hop that if they aligned, they could change the world. "I feel the time is now to do it," Gucci said. "I'm 100 percent with it. I'm 10 toes forward. I think it's a great idea." "We gonna do this for the city," Jeezy said. "So you keep your head up. Me and Dram gonna hold it down. That's what it is, homie." "I'm kinda speechless," Drama added. "This is a big statement, a big day for the culture, a big day for the city of Atlanta. I just witnessed something I didn't ever think I would see happen. What you guys just did set hip-hop straight." "It's all love, though," Jeezy said. "Back to business, back to the music, back to the streets, back for the city man. Believe that. We got more work to do. Mixtape on the way, album on the way. Trap or Die 2 on the way." Related Artists |
| Pimp C's Legacy Carried On Through Hip-Hop Health Fair Posted: 04 Dec 2009 01:54 AM PST 'Today is not a day of mourning but of celebration,' Bun B says on second anniversary of rapper's death.
December 4 marks a sad anniversary in hip-hop: A full two years have gone by since the accidental overdose death of Pimp C (born Chad Butler), one half of the legendary group UGK. "Today is not a day of mourning but of celebration, the celebration of a great writer, producer, singer, rapper, innovator, leader, father, son, husband, brother and friend," Bun B wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. "It's been two years since his passing, yet it still doesn't seem so long ago we were in his bedroom, writing 'Tell Me Something Good,' hoping for a chance. On behalf of his family, both personal as well as musical, I want to thank everyone for their continued love, support and prayers! In his memory, don't forget to stay prayed up, continue to chase your dreams no matter what ... UGK for life!
As a way of celebrating the life of the MC and to preserve his legacy, Pimp's wife, Chinara Butler, organized the first annual Chad "Pimp C" Butler Hip-Hop & Health/Wellness Fair in Pimp's hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. The event was scheduled to be held at the Port Arthur Pavilion on Friday evening, but due to inclement weather, it is being postponed until next Saturday, December 12. "Me and my family would like to thank everyone for the love and support of my husband since his unfortunate passing, two years ago today," Butler said in a statement to MTV News noting the postponement of the event. The goal of the fair is to raise awareness among young people about the importance of their own personal health, which includes HIV and STD testing, drug prevention and regular physical exams. Pimp himself suffered from a pre-existing sleep disorder, which when combined with an overdose of cough syrup, led to his untimely death. The event will also feature entertainment care of Bun B (Pimp's partner in UGK), along with local favorites Grit Boys, Da Underdawgz and Dorrough. The small donation fee also entitles guests to information and hands-on consultations, as well as vaccinations care of the Port Arthur Health Department. UGK helped put Texas on the hip-hop map with underground favorites like their debut album, Too Hard to Swallow. They got their first bit of mainstream attention when they guested on Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin' " in 1999. Pimp's career was derailed for a while when he went to jail in 2002 for aggravated assault, but after his release in 2005, the group put together Underground Kingz, which debuted on top of the Billboard albums chart and spawned the hit "Int'l Players Anthem." But on December 4, 2007, Pimp was found dead in a room at the Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles. His legacy is being carried on by both his wife and Bun B, who dedicated the final UGK album to Pimp's memory. Related Photos Related Artists |
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