MTV News |
- Drake Talks 'Miss Me,' His <i>Thank Me Later</i> Collabo With Lil Wayne
- 'American Idol' Beatles Night Favors Casey James, Crystal Bowersox
- David Guetta Works With 'Exciting Artist' Afrojack On 'Louder Than Words'
- T.I. Is 'In A Zone,' The-Dream Says
- Green Day, MTV Celebrate Broadway Debut Of 'American Idiot' -- Win Free Tickets!
- Katie Stevens Makes 'Let It Be' Her Own On 'American Idol'
- 'American Idol' And The Beatles: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Put 'Rough Road' Behind Them On Tour
- Drake's 'Fireworks' Begins Story Of <i>Thank Me Later</i>
- Outkast's Big Boi Reveals Andre 3000's Expanded Role On Solo Project
| Drake Talks 'Miss Me,' His <i>Thank Me Later</i> Collabo With Lil Wayne Posted: 06 Apr 2010 04:31 AM PDT Young Money MC also clarifies the status of the 'Afrika Bambaataa' track to Mixtape Daily.
The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive The plot thickens when it comes to the record "Afrika Bambaataa." Weeks ago, before he went to prison, Wayne revealed on his "Nino Brown: The Road To Rikers" DVD that he was shooting a video to a song called "Afrika Bambaataa" for Drake. Everyone speculated that the song in question would be part of Weezy's contribution to Drizzy's Thank Me Later album. On Monday in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, before the start of his Away From Home Tour, Drake told us "Afrika Bambaataa" isn't his record.
"That's actually a Lil Wayne song," he explained. "I don't know where that confusion came from. I was just on set that day when he was shooting that video. That's not even my song. I'm not even on it, to be honest with you. Me and Wayne have a song on my album — a song called 'Miss Me.' "It's a pretty straightforward [song]," he continued. "It's a song about being away from what you love and hoping that when you're gone, doing you, somebody out there misses you. It goes for Wayne in his situation and it goes for me in my situation, 'cause I'm on the road for I don't how long right now." Drake also revealed that he redid the chorus for Wayne's song "Single" off of the No Ceilings mixtape. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines. Related Videos |
| 'American Idol' Beatles Night Favors Casey James, Crystal Bowersox Posted: 06 Apr 2010 07:34 AM PDT Michael Lynche and Katie Stevens also got some praise from the judges for their Lennon/McCartney covers.
It was a night of throwbacks on "American Idol," as the show hit a theme it last visited during season seven, exploring the legendary songbook of Beatles greats John Lennon and Paul McCartney. So how did the 2010 "Idol"-ers fare during the evening's homage to the musical past? Casey James brought the smoldering soul, Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze hauled out some atypical instruments, and Aaron Kelly nearly put the audience to sleep when the "Idol" show was but minutes old. Yes, Kelly kicked off the show with "The Long and Winding Road," a mournful tune from Let It Be and yet another ballad for the teen. During his introductory video, we found out that his cohorts have dubbed him Yoda, but there was nothing wise about this dull performance. It was lacking in energy and the steady vocals he's displayed in recent weeks.
Randy Jackson nailed it when he called the rendition "sleepy," as did Ellen DeGeneres when she renamed his version "The Long and Winding Song." But Simon Cowell summed up Kelly's by-now-tiresome predictability best when he said, "You've got to become young and relevant. ... You're doing the same thing week after week. You've got to have a moment and take some risks." Back in '08, Brooke White delivered a piano-driven, goose-bump-inducing take on "Let It Be." When it came to "Idol" comparisons — not to mention the contrast to the Beatles' original or Kris Allen's take earlier this year — a hot-pink-outfitted Katie Stevens had a lot to live up to. Though it didn't reach the heights of those examples, it was a perfectly fine performance, even if it did have a distinct teen-recital air to it. The judges didn't seem to mind or notice. All agreed that Stevens had found her form again after floundering for a few weeks, though they didn't agree on the reasons why. Simon feted what he believed to be a country vibe to the tune, while Kara and the rest of the crew couldn't have disagreed more. But no matter! With both ends of the judges' table in agreement that she rocked, Stevens might well avoid ending up in the bottom three for a third straight week. Coming off a comeback performance during R&B week, Andrew Garcia and his acoustic guitar opted for a horn-assisted take on the 1964 #1 hit "Can't Buy Me Love." The arrangement seemed to morph the house band into a garage-band version of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, which then swallowed much of what Garcia was trying to contribute. No doubt, it was a regression for the guy. While Ellen loved it, Kara admitted with a shrug, "Aw, I wanted to love it, I do." Her complaint, as well as Simon's, was that Garcia has yet to show off a different side of himself. The subtext to that assessment, of course, is that the 24-year-old has yet to bust out a song as memorable as his reworking of "Straight Up" during Hollywood Week. And where was Andrew's mom? Mrs. Garcia, we miss you! Season-seven champ David Cook pulled off a goth-tinged rendition of Revolver's "Eleanor Rigby" that wowed judges and voters alike in '08. Variously described by his fellow contestants as a teddy bear, the Incredible Hulk and an insanely loud snorer, Big Mike Lynche took a huge risk with the same tune — and it mostly worked. In terms of the arrangement, the staccato strings ended up obstructing the overall flow of the song, but Mike's vocals were on point and he earned bonus points for a courageous refashioning of a classic tune. Just like Cook, come to think of it. Ellen got it right when she said there are many intriguing sides to Lynche. Kara used words like "fire" and "drama" to pinpoint the highs of the theatrical rendition. Simon alone found the whole thing a bit too musical for his tastes, even if he did take time to pay lip service to Fox's hit musical show "Glee." Crystal Bowersox — who shall henceforth be known as MamaSox, per her introductory video — was fighting off both a cold and an arrangement that just was not working at all. Her vocals during Abbey Road's "Come Together," soulful as ever, fought for breathing room among the fat bass line, the electric guitar and ... the didgeridoo? Still, MamaSox always keeps it interesting, which is why she remains the most consistently compelling contestant of season nine. Does it matter that, as Randy noted, it wasn't close to her best performance of the season? Probably not, because it was still memorable. Do we entirely agree with Kara, who gushed about MamaSox's slinky sexiness during the song or Simon, who said, "That's a performance I could hear on the radio"? That, too, is beside the point. Crystal is at the head of the "Idol" class for a reason. And then we came to "Teflon" Tim Urban. If you didn't know it before, you knew it after his pre-performance video: The guy likes to smile. Sticking with that upbeat sensibility, Urban chose "All My Loving," from 1963's With the Beatles. It veered from solo guitar quietness to full-band '50s rock swing, but at every turn his vocals actually held steady. Randy didn't seem to know what to say, declaring his intention to judge Urban in terms of a "Tim performance," by which metric the singer did well. Ellen compared him to a shaggy-haired Paul McCartney. An almost apologetic Kara encouraged him to smile after a well-done performance. Refusing the impulse to condescend to the contestant, Simon said, "I thought you did really well with that song." One of Casey "Goldilocks" James' strongest performances to date was his acoustic take on Bryan Adam's "Heaven." On Tuesday (April 6), he returned to that stripped-down style with a bold rearrangement of Lennon's 1971 tune "Jealous Guy," bringing a soulful growl to the proceedings. Randy and Kara liked that James showed off his authentically sensitive side, while Ellen decided this was Casey's finest performance to date. Simon went a step further than Ellen, declaring Casey's "Jealous Guy" the best performance of any contestant the entire night. In terms of music, Siobhan Magnus might have been riffing on the Beatles with "Across the Universe," but her outfit — that punky wedding-dress conglomeration — was a none-too-subtle nod to Madonna in her "Like a Virgin" days. The song itself felt a little like the work of a Disney-imagined fairy godmother, even if it sounded delicately melodious. None of the judges could suggest anything other than that Magnus is a true original. They variously called her special, crazy and unpredictable, though Kara questioned a newfound politeness she saw in the singer. Said Randy, "No one screams 'artist' more than you." Siobhan's tearful, post-song speech about her younger sisters may have bored Simon, but it likely tugged the heartstrings of the voting public. Wrapping up Lennon/McCartney week was Mr. Lee Dewyze, who hauled out a kilt-wearing bagpiper for his rendition of the 1968 hit single "Hey Jude." Ditching the success he had with a full band last week, he decided to indulge his singer/songwriter impulses with a largely acoustic performance. After an initial faulty note, his vocals were, for the most part, tight, and he continued to improve his onstage presence. The judges were left cracking up over the bagpipe player — but only Simon was laughing at Dewyze rather than with him. "It was like he turned up on the wrong show," Simon said, before ending the night with a query we might have liked to ask many of the contestants: "Was it your idea?" What did you think of tonight's "Idol" performances? Who was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| David Guetta Works With 'Exciting Artist' Afrojack On 'Louder Than Words' Posted: 07 Apr 2010 09:31 AM PDT 'He's a fantastic producer,' Guetta says of the phenom.
The dance-music world has a new, towering figure: At over 6 feet tall, Afrojack stands above many of his fellow house-music DJ/producers not just physically, but also in sheer production skill. "Afrojack is really killing it at the moment — any number of his tunes can be a huge tune," Calvin Harris told MTV News recently.
"I feel like Afrojack is one of the most important people to come along in a while," house-music legend Tommie Sunshine said. "I mean, he's just introduced this whole new sonic palette to the whole spectrum of music!" From Lil Jon to Tiësto to Steve Aoki, virtually every artist we interviewed at the recent Winter Music Conference in Miami lauded the Dutch phenom as dance music's most promising star in the making. What's especially notable about the rise of Afrojack is not only that he is only 22 years old, but that he's been producing music for more than a decade. "I've been producing for 11 years, but it was just a hobby," Afrojack, born Nick van de Wall, explained. "Five years ago I started taking it seriously, and then three years ago I started under the name Afrojack." In the past year, Afrojack has created a name for himself with tracks like his remix of Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor" (a collaboration with house-music stalwart Laidback Luke), his version of DJ Chuckie's "Moombah" and "Pacha on Acid," a track on which he worked with Swedish House Mafia member Steve Angello. "He's doing a lot of stuff," Angello offered. "He's collaborating a lot with David Guetta, he's working on his album and he's doing well. The sound is right at the moment, and it's a phat production. It sounds really good. I think America has really caught on to it." And it's always good to have current dance-music crossover star David Guetta in your corner. "For me, the most exciting artist right now is Afrojack," Guetta gushed. "He's a fantastic producer, he has a sound that's his sound — and he's so young. I'm like, 'What's going to happen in 10 years, man?' " Fans will be happy to hear that Guetta and Afrojack have collaborated on a track they premiered at WMC 2010 called "Louder Than Words." "Yeah, we did 'Louder' together," Afrojack said. "That's the new track for this conference and on his new album. It's really crazy." Be sure to check out more of Afrojack's March Chart on the Beatport Player below to hear some of what he's been dropping in his set lists. Let us know what you think in the comments! When you're not showing off your moves at the club, stick with MTV News for Dance Music Week. We'll be catching up with your favorite dance-floor staples as well as introducing you to up-and-coming talent. Related Videos |
| T.I. Is 'In A Zone,' The-Dream Says Posted: 06 Apr 2010 01:12 AM PDT The Atlanta MC is 'rapping like he's in space,' singer tells MTV News.
The recently freed T.I. said his next album (due August 24) will be more about "feelings" than his last project, Paper Trail, which he described as driven by "thoughts." The Atlanta rapper has said fans can expect "classic T.I."
The-Dream, who sought out Tip for a collaboration on his forthcoming album, agreed with that early assessment, telling MTV News that T.I.'s skills are otherworldly right now. "Tip is in a zone, man," said The-Dream, whose second single, "Sex Intelligent," will feature T.I. "He's in one of those things. But me just being a lyric guy, what makes songs, I think, hits is when it comes from the heart and you really are saying something you mean. And you can feel it through the passion. "Every record he played me, I was like, 'Wow.' I could just feel it. It wasn't about judging it. It wasn't about, 'Is this a single or is this that?' It was just, 'Wow, where have you been? Where'd you go?' It was just elevated, and he's elevated. Right now, he's rapping like he's in space. Not a place we don't know — it's in the same area — but his vibe is just wider now." While Tip is hard at work on his yet-untitled comeback album, last month he released "I'm Back," the first track he's delivered to the public since beginning a federal prison stint last May on charges stemming from a 2007 arrest. Recently sprung a couple months shy of his yearlong sentence, the rapper is serving out the remaining months under home confinement. T.I. has been mostly quiet since his release in December, with the exception of a brief conference call with a group of DJs (though he declined to take questions) and a video interview he posted on his Web site, TrapMuzik.com. Are you excited to hear T.I.'s next album? Do The-Dream and Tip have a hit on their hands? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists |
| Green Day, MTV Celebrate Broadway Debut Of 'American Idiot' -- Win Free Tickets! Posted: 05 Apr 2010 11:27 PM PDT A special performance on April 22 will be held for 300 lucky fans — go to AmericanIdiot.MTV.com for more info!
Green Day's "American Idiot" musical doesn't officially open on Broadway until April 20, but Green Day are celebrating every day in April — and they want you to join in the fun.
The band has partnered with MTV to give 300 lucky fans the chance to attend a performance of "Idiot" during opening week. Beginning Tuesday (April 6) and running through Sunday, fanatics can go to AmericanIdiot.MTV.com to win tickets to a special April 22 performance at New York's St. James Theatre. "We are really excited to partner with MTV to introduce 'American Idiot' to our fans," said Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. "We've had an amazing relationship with them throughout our career, and the network and its viewers have always been supportive no matter what we've thrown at them." But if you can't make it to New York, don't fret. Starting on April 16, MTV will air "Green Day Rocks Broadway," a half-hour, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the musical, featuring exclusive interviews with the band and "American Idiot" castmembers, rehearsal footage and fan reactions. The special will premiere Friday, April 16, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, and will also air on MTV2 (Saturday, April 17, at noon ET/PT), mtvU (Saturday, April 17, at 5 p.m. ET/PT) and MTV Hits (Monday, April 19, at 1 p.m. ET/PT). Of course, there's also "Green Day: Rock Band," the band's partnership with MTV Games and Harmonix, which hits stores on June 8. Celebrating GD's entire career and featuring the likenesses of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, "Rock Band" is the ultimate gift for Green Day fans. In addition to riffing through Green Day's formidable back catalog, fans will also gain access to the band's media vault, where they can unlock more than 100 images and more than 40 minutes of rare and unreleased video from interviews, outtakes and performances. Are you excited to check out "American Idiot" on Broadway? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Katie Stevens Makes 'Let It Be' Her Own On 'American Idol' Posted: 06 Apr 2010 06:59 AM PDT 'You're blossoming,' Kara DioGuardi tells the Connecticut teen during Lennon/McCartney week.
It's one of the most famous songs of all time, and the lyrics are instantly recognizable to anyone from Dallas to Dubai. But Tuesday night (April 6) on "American Idol," one of the contestants made "Let It Be" her own. Wearing a short pink dress with her hair pulled back, Connecticut's Katie Stevens broke out of the "Idol" top-nine episode with a somber rendition of the 30-year-old song. Following a thunderous response from the audience — which included her family, holding an "I love my family because they love Katie Stevens" sign — the judges unanimously gushed over Stevens' heart-tugging vocals.
"That was your best performance ever," Randy Jackson beamed, praising the song that Katie said her father used to play for her in the car. "That was ridiculous." Ellen DeGeneres, meanwhile, praised her for "changing it just enough without disrespecting the song," while Kara DioGuardi agreed, saying, "You make the song your own. You're blossoming." "It felt, to me, that you were singing it about somebody rather than being robotic," Simon Cowell agreed. "And that's a big difference." Paul McCartney certainly wasn't being robotic when he recorded "Let It Be" in early 1969 for the release of the same-named album that marked the Beatles' final effort. Recorded during a period of rapidly increasing acrimony between the members of the world's greatest rock band, McCartney has said that he was inspired to write the song after a calming dream about his mother Mary — who had died of cancer when he was 14 — during the tense period of his life. Ranked #20 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Let It Be" reached #1 on the Billboard charts in April 1970. In perhaps the latest great testament to its legacy, "Let It Be" has become an "Idol" favorite: Brooke White performed it in season seven, while Kris Allen put his unique spin on the song during a recent results show. What did you think of Katie's performance? Let us know in the comments below! Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| 'American Idol' And The Beatles: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Posted: 06 Apr 2010 12:49 AM PDT We look back on the best and the worst of previous Lennon/McCartney covers.
In choosing their John Lennon and Paul McCartney-penned tunes for Tuesday night's (April 6) live show, did the "American Idol" hopefuls of season nine look back at the history of Lennon/McCartney renditions on the reality show? From Clay Aiken's inaugural Beatles performance up through this season's top 24, the "Idol" past offers success stories and cautionary tales. Let's take a gaze back at the good, the bad and the ugly of the Beatles songbook on "Idol." The Good Carly Smithson, "Come Together" (season seven): Smithson took this Abbey Road opener and seriously funked it up with a fat bass line and some fierce rocker-chick vocal runs. It was a brilliant example that, if executed well, any song, no matter how familiar, can be made fresh and original. It was enough to make both the judges and the voters think Smithson was going to be a potential champ. Of course, that didn't come close to happening. But at least for one night, it seemed possible. As Simon Cowell told her, "This reminds me, six years ago, exactly the same week — Kelly Clarkson." Lilly Scott, "Fixing a Hole" (season nine): With this Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band track, Scott proved that you don't need to pick a current top 40 song to show you're a relevant, contemporary recording artist. Instead, she brought a current sensibility — that quirky, jazzy, singer/songwriter vibe — and delivered ear-pleasing, toe-tapping tuneage. The performance gave us hope that the snoozapalooza that has been watching season nine might be turning into an exercise more exciting than picking your bellybutton lint. So much for hope. Scott was sent packing just two weeks after this stunning performance. The Bad Kris Allen, "Come Together" (season eight): The eventual champ tried to go hard rock with this take on "Come Together," which makes sense, considering the week's mentor was guitar-shredding guru Slash. The instrumentation ended up overwhelming Allen's vocals and leaving his brow soaked in a marathon run's worth of sweat. All that work wasn't worth it, nor did his rendition come anywhere close to the one Smithson pulled off a season earlier. The Ugly Kristy Lee Cook, "Eight Days a Week" (season seven): Now it's our turn to apologize for reintroducing you to this county hoedown from hell. Kristy Lee Cook's speedy, twangy mauling of the 1964 chart-topper sounded, as Simon declared, like "Dolly Parton on helium." That might be putting it kindly. The performance landed Cook in the bottom three, a spot from which she managed to climb out only to bungle another Lennon/McCartney tune the next week. Did we miss anything? Share your favorite Beatles covers (and train wrecks) in the comments below. Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Put 'Rough Road' Behind Them On Tour Posted: 06 Apr 2010 05:47 AM PDT 'At the end of the day we're still family,' Wish Bone says.
On the heels of releasing their ninth group project, this time featuring all five members together, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony realized the endurance that kept them together all these years was exactly what they needed to deliver their new album. The Cleveland collective is currently touring to promote their forthcoming Uni-5: The World's Enemy without charismatic member Bizzy Bone, who opted out of the trek because of a financial dispute. Wish Bone, though, said being back onstage trumps any trouble, albeit temporary, that might have arisen between the group.
"For us to be able to go out and sell tickets and people to want to come see us, we thank God for that, first and foremost," he said. "It's been a rough road. We brothers, cousins and best friends — we have ups and downs and whatever, but at the end of the day we're still family. So we're gonna bring it together to do what we do — which is music — and reach the masses." "Meet the Sky" is the group's current single and it features recently arrested member Flesh-N-Bone, who was previously incarcerated for 10 years during the group's rise to success. The rapper declined to comment on the incident, which stemmed from a 12-year-old alleged assault against his mother. Krayzie Bone urged fans to ignore the headlines and pay attention to the new project instead. "We maintaining, holding together and kept pushing forward," he explained. "And we were able to find success. We were gonna make it work — this is what we wanted to do all our lives, this music." Are you excited about Bone Thugs-N-Harmony reuniting? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists |
| Drake's 'Fireworks' Begins Story Of <i>Thank Me Later</i> Posted: 06 Apr 2010 01:12 AM PDT 'It's really where I am in my life right now,' Drake says of song he's previewing on tour.
Fans of Drake's are going to be treated to a preview of yet another track off of his Thank Me Later LP, dropping June 15, when they go to his Away From Home Tour this spring. The 23-year-old is performing the first verse of the much-anticipated new song "Fireworks" at his concerts.
Before his show at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania on Monday night, Drizzy explained to MTV News why he was letting the crowd sample the song. "The song itself is the first song on the album; I think it's the biggest indicator of what the album is gonna be like," he said. "That's why I picked that song to go first, and that's why I wrote the first verse like that. It's really where I am in my life right now. I know they're looking forward to the album, so I want them to get a feel of how the story starts off." "Fireworks" starts with the actual sound of fireworks in the background. From there, Drizzy begins talking about his life, joking that his 15 minutes of fame started about an hour ago. "It truly is a story," he added of the album. "At no point in the album does it fall off and become about some songs I slapped together. It's all a story from beginning to end. Just like So Far Gone was. It's that time." The Away From Home Tour — certain stops of which are eco-friendly Campus Consciousnessdates — runs through the end of May. Support acts are K-os and Frances and the Lights. Are you going to see Drake on tour? Which songs are you looking forward to hearing? Talk about it in the comments! Related Photos Related Artists |
| Outkast's Big Boi Reveals Andre 3000's Expanded Role On Solo Project Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:36 AM PDT 'Royal Flush' and 'Looking for You' from Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty reunite the Outkast duo.
Big Boi is inching closer to finally delivering his long-in-the-works solo project Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, now set for a May 4 release. The Outkast rapper previewed selections from the album to media on Monday, including the record's first single, "Shutterbug." The syncopated, funk-drenched number finds the flashy MC toasting festive club nights. "Now party people in the club, it's time to cut a rug/ And throw your drinks in the sky just for the shutterbugs," Big raps on the hook. "Shutterbug" is the latest in a string of Big Boi tracks to hit the airwaves. The long-delayed album failed to materialize after the release of other songs, including the Mary J. Blige-assisted "Sumthin's Gotta Give" and "Royal Flush," featuring Outkast partner Andre 3000. But all that seems about to change. In an interview with DJ Delz Big Boi revealed that Andre 3000 would be featured prominently throughout the Sir Lucious Left Foot project. The aforementioned "Royal Flush," produced by Three Stacks himself, reunites the Outkast duo, as does "Looking for You," produced by Boi-1da, perhaps best known for his work on Drake's "Best I Ever Had." "It's me and Stacks, two verses a piece, back to back, lyrical manslaughter," Big Boi said of the latter collaboration. "Who's better than the 'Kast? Nobody." Next up, according to the pair's plan, Andre 3000 will release a proper solo debut before the two come together again for an Outkast album, which will be their first since 2006's Idlewild, the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. What do you think of Big Boi's new song, "Shutterbug"? Do you think the Big Boi songs featuring Andre 3000 will be as good as the duo's Outkast records? Sound off in the comments below! Related Artists |
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