MTV News |
- Ludacris' <i>Conjure</i> Mixtape A Grab Bag For Fans
- Jay-Z Kicks Off Super Bowl Kickoff Show Accompanied By Orchestra
- Robin Thicke Rides 'Rollacoasta' With 'Amazing Talent' Estelle
- The Who Rock Super Bowl Halftime With Explosive Set
- Carrie Underwood's National Anthem Kicks Off Super Bowl XLIV
| Ludacris' <i>Conjure</i> Mixtape A Grab Bag For Fans Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:45 AM PST 'I wanna give all my fans something for free,' Chris says, in Mixtape Daily.
This Week's Main Pick Street King: Ludacris Holding It Down For: ATL Mixtape Album: Ludacris Presents Conjure: A Hustler's Spirit
Real Spit: The stylistic and lyrical monster Chris Bridges pours his rap magma on tracks like his official Battle of the Sexes blast-off banger "How Low" and Snoop Dogg's instrumental for "I Wanna Rock." "I did a verse to the beat," Chris said in Los Angeles last week. "I love the beat so much. That's one of the beats that comes on and you feel instant gratification. Somebody put my verse sandwiched in between the Jay and the Snoop verses [on the] G-Mix. It's all good. I just want people to hear it. Whatever it is, y'all just need to listen to it." While that freestyle didn't make it to the Conjure mixtape, the iconic Southerner has an entire grab bag of flows for you. "Before the album, after the album, I'm just in a space where I'm inspired," he says. "I'm inspired by beats of course, the ones that are on Battle of the Sexes. But even beyond that, I'm jumping on stuff. It's my exercise. I wanna give all my fans something — [the ones] that have been supporting me for the last 10 years — something for free." The mixtape's title has a dual meaning. "It's as simple as this. Spirit has a double meaning," Luda explains. "When you talk about spirits, you talk about liquors, as in Conjure [cognac]. Then my spirit, I have a hustler's spirit. People that listen to the mixtape have a hustler's spirit. It's a lot of people out there getting money. That's basically what this thing is about. Even in the rap game, you have to sell records, we hustle. This is for the hustlers. Simple as that." Chris' Battle of the Sexes features appearances by Nicki Minaj, Lil' Kim, Eve and others. It hits retailers on March 9. Joints To Check For » "O Let's Do It." "Atlanta's been on fire for quite some time," Ludacris said, before delving into why he got on Waka Flocka Flame's beat. "We stay on fire. Right about now, it's a lot of crazy aggressive beats that's coming out of the hometown. That keeps me inspired; aggressive tracks I feel I gotta put a voice too. That's a beat that caught my attention the first time I heard it. I was in the studio with Gucci Mane. It's aggressive. I felt like I wanted to do something on it. I made it happen. What am I talking about [on the track]? It's about lifestyle, about culture, expressing yourself. It's about getting gritty and grimy in the streets. All the hustlers know that. Let's do it." » "All Da Way Turnt Up." "The whole record is talking about being yourself, turning your music up as loud as hell and not caring what anybody had to say," Cris explains about his takeover of Roscoe Dash's record. "It's about you being too loud. Sometimes you get tickets for disturbing the peace. When you see a cop, you have to turn it down." » "Pennies." "Something that happened a while ago, but a lot of people didn't get to hear it," Luda says about the original version by the Cool Kids. "I definitely love the underground and all the artists for making names for themselves and making sure they have a following of their own. That's something the Cool Kids have done and continue to do. I still have a passion for hip-hop and I still love it. No matter how many records I've sold, I feel a need to get on underground records." For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| Jay-Z Kicks Off Super Bowl Kickoff Show Accompanied By Orchestra Posted: 07 Feb 2010 04:13 AM PST MC leads off CBS' kickoff show with 'Run This Town' intercut with football footage.
Jay-Z is not one to let an event like Superbowl XLIV pass without leaving his mark, and on Sunday (February 7), the MC kicked off CBS' Super Bowl kickoff show accompanied by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra for a "Posthumous Zone" version of "Run This Town," from last year's Blueprint 3 LP.
Opening with a single pianist on a Steinway, the song began with Rihanna's recorded voice singing the song's hook, then showed Jay walking into a gothic room with high ceilings and the black-clad orchestra packed onto a stage. Jay, wearing a cool tux with no tie, performed his verse while holding the golden Super Bowl trophy high, as action clips of both teams scrolled behind him. The song continued, cutting between footage of Jay at the orchestra's helm, football footage and action-heavy shots of the orchestra members performing. The clip was shot in New York last Tuesday and featured approximately 65 musicians from the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra and the Rutgers Sinfonia, according to the Rutgers University Web site and MyCentralJersey.com. Maestro Kynan Johns said the school was approached about the job last month, presumably because the composer of the piece had previously worked with the Rutgers marching band. "It's a totally different part of the performing arts,'' said Johns, director of orchestras at Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts. "For classical musicians, it's not really what we teach and not really what we do. I think [it was valuable for] the students to see how another side of the performing arts industry goes about their work, and the amount of detail they go into for just two minutes.'' Johns said last week's video shoot would help his students to see that "it takes a lot of time to get pop music to that level." George B. Stauffer, Mason Gross' dean, said last week, "We're extraordinarily proud to have our students rubbing elbows — and touching knuckles — with Jay-Z." Melissa Healy, a flautist and doctoral student, told MyCentralJersey.com that it was an honor to work with Jay-Z. "There are a lot of people out there who are really good performers but are not actually that talented,'' she said. "To get to work with an artist of that caliber is rare." Related Artists |
| Robin Thicke Rides 'Rollacoasta' With 'Amazing Talent' Estelle Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:45 AM PST 'We're just talking about the roller coaster of romance,' Thicke tells MTV News on the video's set.
Robin Thicke isn't shy about hooking up with the ladies to make soulful, sexy duets. Having already worked with Leighton Meester and Nicki Minaj, it was time for Thicke to recruit some vocals from across the pond. For his song "Rollacoasta," Thicke brought British chanteuse Estelle along for the ride.
The collaboration was a perfect fit, Thicke said, especially since he had Estelle in mind when he started working on the Sex Therapy song. Plus, the pair have a history, having performed several shows together in the past. "She's just an amazing talent," he told MTV News on the set of the music video for "Rollacoasta." "She's a rapper. She's a singer. She's a writer. So it was really meant to be, and when I had this record, I was thinking to myself [that] it was perfect [for Estelle]." The song is all about the ups and downs of love, as the title suggests. And while the song's subject matter is deep, Thicke wanted to keep the video's vibe a little lighter. "The song is about the roller coaster you go through in a single relationship, but in this video, we're just talking about the roller coaster of romance," he explained. "We're trying to throw a nice little house party that's representative of the house parties that I have at my house, which is classy, sexy, wild, naughty all at the same time." Thicke also recently released a provocative new video for "Sex Therapy." Related Photos Related Artists |
| The Who Rock Super Bowl Halftime With Explosive Set Posted: 07 Feb 2010 06:15 AM PST Medley includes 'Pinball Wizard,' 'Baba O'Riley,' 'Won't Get Fooled Again' and more.
The first half of Super Bowl XLIV might not have provided the offensive fireworks many had expected, but luckily for pyrotechnics obsessives, there was still the halftime show, featuring a bombastic set by the Who.
On Sunday night (February 7), the London legends brought out the big guns, ripping through a hit-filled set and leaving the skies over Miami's Sun Life Stadium filled with smoke. Opening with "Pinball Wizard," Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend traded verses while flashbulbs popped and flames leapt, the stage -- a star-bursting L.E.D. number -- shining brightly. They segued right into "Baba O'Riley," with the song's famed opening strains echoing around the stadium. Green lasers criss-crossed the night sky, as Townshend windmilled like crazy, then pulled a solo out of his red Fender guitar. (Vegas oddsmakers put the over/under on windmills at 4.5. Hope you took the over.) Daltrey belted the tune out, and contributed a smoking harmonica solo of his own. "Who Are You" was next and featured the band's famed red, white and blue mod logo spinning around the stage, and another incendiary solo from Townshend. Then came a few verses of "Tommy," the stadium bathed in cool blue lights as Daltrey sang, "See me, feel me, touch me." And since this year's Super Bowl was being held in Miami (home of a "CSI" franchise), the Who wrapped with the show's theme song, "Won't Get Fooled Again," featuring even more lasers, flames and -- during the song's epic drum fill -- some serious fireworks. (Sadly, David Caruso didn't make an appearance.) Daltrey yowled his famous "Yeaaaaaah!" and the sky erupted in even more pyrotechnics. Then, as the Super Bowl crowd cheered wildly, Daltrey and Townshed embraced, and it was all over, except for the smoke. There was still plenty of that. Related Artists |
| Carrie Underwood's National Anthem Kicks Off Super Bowl XLIV Posted: 07 Feb 2010 04:22 AM PST Queen Latifah performed 'America the Beautiful' before Underwood's rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'
Carrie Underwood excels no matter what the context. Fresh off her headline-grabbing contribution to the Michael Jackson tribute at this year's Grammy Awards (where she adroitly weaved her way through Jackson's "Earth Song"), Underwood took the microphone in front of a sold-out Sun Life Stadium in Miami to deliver a killer rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the kickoff to Super Bowl XLIV.
Before Underwood performed, Queen Latifah sang "America the Beautiful" flanked by a children's choir. Latifah broke it down during the tune's finale for a jazz-inflected, gospel-tinged capper. Then it was time for Underwood. Following the presentation of the colors, the "American Idol" alum took the stage wearing a white jumpsuit accented with silver chains and a silver belt. During her performance, the broadcast cut to scenes of soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan, standing at attention. At the song's climax, the crowd was treated to fireworks and — in a Super Bowl tradition — a flyover by a quartet of fighter jets. Players, coaches and fans were visibly moved by Underwood's stellar performance. The singer is the latest in a long line of blockbuster stars who've started the Super Bowl with the national anthem. At last year's game, fellow "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson performed the song before the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals. Other recent notable "Star-Spangled Banner" crooners include Jordin Sparks (another "Idol" alum), Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey. Underwood also joins a number of musical guests at this year's face-off between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. The Who will take the stage for the annual half-time show, where they will showcase some of their greatest hits, including "Who Are You," "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." On Saturday night, fans were treated to Super Saturday performances from Barenaked Ladies, O.A.R. and Robert Randolph. And the weekend got started on the right note with the 2010 version of VH1's "Super Bowl Fan Jam," which provided performances by Rihanna, Young Jeezy, Timbaland and Justin Bieber. Related Artists |
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