MTV News |
- The Black Eyed Peas Talk will.i.am's Dancing Skills
- Tyga Told Chris Brown To 'Rap If That's What You Feel'
- Kendrick Lamar And Black Hippy Go Hard For The New West
- American Idol' Recap: James Durbin Finds Muse, Jacob Lusk Nods To Luther
- Beyonce's 'Run The World (Girls)' To Hit Radio, iTunes Thursday
- Tyga Says Lil Wayne Supports His Diddy-Dirty Money Tour Gig
- 'Breaking Dawn' Wedding Day Was 'Wet And Cold,' Peter Facinelli Says
- Casey Abrams Steals A Kiss, The Night On 'American Idol'
- Exclusive: N.O.R.E. Responds To Jumping Account In Prodigy's Book
- TV On The Radio's Gerard Smith Dead At 34
- Tyga Encourages West Coast MCs To Be 'More Worldly'
- Beastie Boys' 'Make Some Noise' Video Premieres
- Nicole Scherzinger Calls New Album 'Empowering'
- The Game Detained In Canada By Customs Officials
- Exclusive Trailer: Watch Emma Roberts In 'The Art Of Getting By'
- Robert Pattinson Talks Underwear And Karaoke On 'Ellen'
- Demi Lovato Has Bipolar Disorder
- Beastie Boys' Original 'Fight For Your Right' Revisited: Meet Ricky Powell
- 'American Idol' Producer Hints At Giving Judges A Vote
| The Black Eyed Peas Talk will.i.am's Dancing Skills Posted: 21 Apr 2011 03:52 AM PDT Group laughs off frontman's lack of onstage moves.
While will.i.am used to cut a rug, these days, when he and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas hit the stage, will's dancing skills are noticeably absent from the show, which usually includes a slew of other eye-catching props like over-the-top costumes and lasers. "I'm the only one dancing now," apl.de.ap laughed to MTV News when we caught up with the group at Terminal 5 in New York, where they were taping a show set to air Friday at midnight ET on MTV.
But will.i.am has a good reason for his recent lack of dancing: competition with himself. "I like to allow the old me to have the crown somewhere, because me versus the old me — I'm a better businessman now than when I was 22, I'm a better producer than I was when I was 23, so I got to let the old me beat me somewhere," will.i.am said. Fergie, meanwhile, had this explanation: "The pants got tighter." The MTV special might not show off too much of will's dancing, but it will feature some of the group's biggest hits. "Before we had 'I Gotta Feeling,' it was like, 'We know we gotta play "Pump It" and "Let's Get It Started," ' " will.i.am explained. "We used to do 'Let's Get It Started' at the end, because that was our big finale, which didn't really make sense. And for a while, [we did] 'My Humps' and then it got to the point where we didn't want to play 'My Humps' no more. You know, 'cause 'I met a girl down at the disco,' I just didn't want to say that no more, lyrically. "It wasn't like my best lyrically, but it was fun," he continued. "It wasn't lyrical miracles, but the beat was rocking, so we throw the beat in there and just let the beat linger, but now 'I Gotta Feeling' is like 'What?' and when we perform it, in my mind, I'm like, 'Where did that song come from?' I can't believe this is us, and look at all these people singing it like it's theirs." Don't miss the Black Eyed Peas' performance Friday at midnight ET on MTV. Related Artists |
| Tyga Told Chris Brown To 'Rap If That's What You Feel' Posted: 21 Apr 2011 03:52 AM PDT Young Money upstart tells 'RapFix Live' he told the singer-cum-MC, 'Do whatever makes you comfortable.'
Tyga hit the "RapFix Live" couch on Wednesday and among the many topics he discussed was his friendship with Chris Brown. In the wake of Brown's damaged reputation after his infamous altercation with Rihanna in 2009, Tyga became one of the beleaguered R&B singer's trusted confidantes and musical collaborators. The pair released the joint mixtape Fan of a Fan in 2010, and the single "Deuces" from the project went on to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The Grammy-nominated song was a natural result of the two artists getting to know each other better.
"I could tell after the situation, he wasn't comfortable about doing certain stuff because he was listening to the wrong people or just listening to the media and stuff and it was eating him up as an artist, creatively," Tyga told MTV News. "We just hung out. We didn't even start doing music. I didn't even pressure him to get on no songs with me or anything. He used to just come to the studio when I was doing mixtape stuff and just vibe. We used to sit there and just chill, joke all day and then have fun." During that period Brown, who was known for dropping pop/R&B hits like "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Forever," began recording music that showcased him not only as a crooner but as a rapper. Such is the case on the recent chart-topper "Look At Me Now," featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, off Brown's F.A.M.E. album. And Tyga told us he fully supports Brown's MC aspirations. "When he started rapping I was just like, 'Rap, if that's what you feel like, rap,' " Tyga said. " 'Do whatever makes you comfortable. You can't wait for somebody else. Your fans they love you for you. We can shoot these mixtape videos,' and that's what we started doing. We shot like four videos back-to-back." Those videos were for "G Sh--," "Holla at Me," "Deuces," and "No BS," which all featured Brown and first appeared on Fan of a Fan. While Tyga helped Chris Brown come out of what has been the lowest point of his fairly young career with his musical mojo intact, the Compton rapper never considered any backlash he may have received because of the alliance. "I mean, I didn't do anything wrong, so why would I get fault for it?" Tyga said. "I'm just a friend supporting and just helping out. I was a fan of him. I'm not gonna [go], 'Oh, he did something bad,' and follow the rest of the crowd. I don't judge people like that." Related Videos |
| Kendrick Lamar And Black Hippy Go Hard For The New West Posted: 21 Apr 2011 03:52 AM PDT Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q and Kendrick tell MTV News in spite of shine from Dr. Dre, they're still out to prove themselves.
When covering the New West, the name Kendrick Lamar will inevitably pop up. The Compton rapper has managed to convert mixtape and hip-hop blog adulation into a co-sign from Dr. Dre, who'll be contributing to his forthcoming Section .80 album. Despite his high-profile admirer, Kendrick remains focused on his grassroots grind and is signed to independent label Top Dawg Entertainment. The 23-year-old and his fellow TDE labelmates — Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, all high-caliber hip-hop prospects in their own right — joined forces and formed Black Hippy. The talented rap quartet share a love for deft wordplay over thumping beats (see "Zip That Chop That" and "Rolling Stone"), making them one of L.A. hip-hop's most highly anticipated crews. More amazing is that most of their music is created in a tiny studio.
"Sometimes it gets a little difficult because there's four or five of us, so we somehow manage to squeeze in enough time to get our work done as well as the Black Hippy material," Ab-Soul explained to MTV News. Thankfully, cramped quarters haven't stopped them from creating music that they continue to get out to more and more fans as their popularity grows. "It feels real good to see our music touch everybody, not just my color, his color, all colors of people and different cultures," said Jay Rock, a former Warner Bros. Records artist. "For all of those people to come together and watch us do our thing and show us love, that [gives] us the energy to do what we do." Kendrick is set to appear on the good Dr.'s Detox and also has a joint project in the works with Roc Nation rapper J.Cole. Jay-Z's first signing will be producing 90 percent of the as-yet-untitled album, according to Kendrick, who specified that it won't be just a mixtape. But props from Dr. Dre, J. Cole and others, isn't going to stop Kendrick and his Black Hippy family from working even harder to build on the foundation they've already created. "A lot of people will be like, 'You good now, Dre messing with you,' " Kendrick said. "No, we're not good now. We've got to go 10 times harder. Just because that man is further in his career doesn't mean he could say one word and further my career right that instant. I've got to have the music to back it up and prove myself still." Stick with us all week as MTV News turns the spotlight on the New West, the next wave of hip-hop acts helping restore faith in the L.A. rap scene. From groups like Odd Future to rising MCs like Dom Kennedy, we'll bring you up close and personal to these artists as they carve their own lanes in the post-gangsta rap era. Keep it locked here for the next week for more on the West Coast up-and-comers! Related Videos |
| American Idol' Recap: James Durbin Finds Muse, Jacob Lusk Nods To Luther Posted: 20 Apr 2011 07:17 AM PDT Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina play it safe with country tunes on 'Idol' night that called for contemporary picks.
The theme on Wednesday's (April 20) "American Idol" top-seven performance night was music from the 21st century, and while James Durbin blew it out with a Muse extravaganza, Jacob Lusk took it down for a touching Luther Vandross tribute and teens Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina played it close to the vest with traditional country tunes. First up was McCreery, who sang "Swingin' " by LeAnn Rimes, giving it his usual dose of country comfort. Backed by a four-piece horn section, McCreery brought the whole arsenal: the bizarre sideways-mic technique, the George W. Bush-esque facial tics and the "down-home" charm. For the first time this season, though, McCreery's shtick seemed a bit phoned-in and fell a bit flat, lacking his usual appeal. While the crowd ate it up, Steven Tyler suggested Scotty move his body a bit more when he performs and Jennifer Lopez said it was that time in the competition for Scotty to move beyond his comfort zone and show America his full range. "It's time to pull out the big guns," she said, noting that McC had a whole decade of music to choose from and picked a tame song. "We were expecting more from Scotty on that one. Randy Jackson served up the ultimate "Idol" judge's dis, calling the song choice "safe." Looking like a rock and roll shock trooper in an all-black ensemble, James Durbin went truly contemporary by picking Muse's bombastic "Uprising." Mentor Jimmy Iovine loved the song choice and Durbin delivered, coming out alongside a marching band drum section and wearing a post-apocalyptic shredded black overcoat. Though tentative at first, Durbin leaned into the chorus and showed nice vocal control, swinging his truncated mic stand in the classic fashion of late Queen singer Freddie Mercury and not being shy with his glass-shattering upper register. J.Lo was blown away. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that that theatrically, this is going to be the best performance of the night," she said, marveling at how high his voice reached. Randy hopes JD follows that direction on his album and mixes the pomp with metal, predicting (correctly, as it turned out) that it could be the best performance of the night. You can't really go wrong by picking a song from the best-selling album of 2011 to date, so Haley Reinhart's take on Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" was probably her best choice so far. Iovine counseled her to tap into the tune's heartache, and wearing a throwback red and white polka-dot dress, Reinhart busted out her signature growl and put bluesy emotion into the tune, but at times still came off a bit too chipper. Randy said he's not only looking for a winner, but also trying to figure out what direction the singers might go in after the show and he praised Haley's choice, even if the falsetto was a bit wobbly at times. Tyler loved it, even with the slow start and Lopez said it took guts to take on such a well-known song. "There were moments when you did ... you brought a little bit of Haley to it in certain moments," she said. After all the comparisons, Jacob Lusk wisely went with the Luther Vandross classic "Dance With my Father," (on the late R&B great's birthday, no less), reaching deep for memories of his own long-departed father. Looking like he was straining to keep it together, Lusk sat serenely on stool center-stage and sang the uplifting tune in his breathy falsetto, bringing power and grit without his usual over-emoting. "Luther Lusk!" Tyler enthused. "You remind me all the time the reason I love music." After a few weeks of bland platitudes, Lopez served up another of her useful real-life artist comments, telling Jacob that part of being an artist is tapping into the emotion of a track without losing control. Randy agreed and said the vocals were good, but it didn't excite him and encouraged Lusk to "go for it" next week. Casey Abrams chose Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe," strapping on an electric guitar and tapping into his blue-eyed soul man for the bouncy white-funk tune. Moving spastically across the stage slapping hands with the audience, Abrams gave a performance that was manic at points, as he flashed his unfortunate scary face a few too many times, ending the song by getting uncomfortably close to Lopez's face and then planting a kiss on her cheek. "I loved it," Lopez blushed, clarifying that she was talking about the performance, not the soft-lips kiss and praising Abrams for taking a pop tune into the rock zone. With memories of the disastrous Nirvana performance from earlier in the season, Jackson was worried the Maroon 5 song wouldn't pan out, but said the risk-taking worked and said Casey should continue pushing the envelope. "There's millions of people in America that are really angry because you piss them off because you're so f---ing good," Tyler said, eliciting wide-eyed looks from his fellow judges and some nimble-fingered dead air from the network censors. He's well-acquainted with the bottom three, so Iovine said Stefano Langone needed "Closer" by Ne-Yo to have the right sex appeal and strut, without coming off like begging. Wearing a romper-stomper pseudo-punk outfit complete with drooping red suspenders, Langone served up another cheesy, vocally weak performance that felt more like an over-eager high school musical solo than the work of the next "American Idol." Expecting it to be jerky, bad karaoke, Jackson said Stefano pulled it off and smartly took his time on the early verses, even working in a few nice dance steps. Speaking for the ladies, Lopez said Langone had his swag on and worked the audience. Thursday night's pimp spot belonged to teen Lauren Alaina, who sang Sara Evans' "Born to Fly" with some help from Miley Cyrus' producers, Rock Mafia. Iovine picked them to once again motivate Alaina to bring her best and not shrink away from the pressure. Working the stage like a pro, Alaina shimmied and strutted her way through the fiddle-tastic song that most of America was probably not familiar with. It was a bit of a generic arrangement and though Alaina came off confident and brassy, the song lacked the kind of dynamics needed to show off her vocal talent. Tyler suggested some Faith Hill or Shania Twain next time, while Lopez praised the color in the 16-year-old's voice and encouraged her to go for the big notes she hears the other singers trying. "You can do that, do that next time," Lopez said. "Try it. Try it at home by yourself. Scream, yell, in the shower, in the closet ... just let it out and see how far and how long you can hold it ... because you can do that!" In a huge switch from past years, when eliminated contestants who left "Idol" were rarely heard from again, the show opened with all of this year's booted singers doing a group sing on Pink's "So What," with Pia Toscano, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez, Thia Megia and Ashthon Jones. Thursday's results show will feature the return of season-seven winner David Cook singing his new single "The Last Goodbye," and Katy Perry beaming in for "E.T." Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| Beyonce's 'Run The World (Girls)' To Hit Radio, iTunes Thursday Posted: 20 Apr 2011 06:49 AM PDT Singer has also posted a 17-second video teaser on her website.
A demo version of Beyoncé's new single "Run the World (Girls)" may have made the rounds online earlier this week, and now the singer will unveil the official version sooner than expected. According to a press release, the club-ready tune, which samples Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor," will hit radio airwaves and iTunes worldwide on Thursday. Produced by Switch, Beyoncé and Shea Taylor, "Run the World (Girls)" is the lead single from the pop star's yet-untitled fourth studio album. Like her previous smash "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," the singer wrote the girl-power anthem with the help of R&B mastermind The-Dream. If that weren't enough to appease fans' appetites, the entertainer has also released a 17-second video teaser called the "B Revolution" on her website. The teaser, which appears to be a taste of the song's forthcoming video, begins with a shot of a sunset, a rusty dark car with the word "Revolution" painted on it and a shredded newspaper. B soon appears in an all-white ensemble on top of a horse, which lifts its legs high in the air. The clip appropriately ends with the singer's new "B" logo and the iTunes release message. While not much is known about the video plot for "Run the World (Girls)," MTV News was lucky enough to speak with the clip's director, Francis Lawrence, on Sunday. "The video's for the songs 'Girls'; it's off her new album," he confirmed. "She would probably have me shot if I said anything. ... Some stuff spilled out, but she wasn't happy about it, so I've been sworn to secrecy." Despite Lawrence's attempt to stay mum on details, the director revealed that the clip will be a standout among the singer's videography. "It'll be big. It'll probably be one of the bigger Beyoncé music videos ever done," he said. "And I can say that I think the song is unbelievable." Are you excited for the final version of "Run the World (Girls)"? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists |
| Tyga Says Lil Wayne Supports His Diddy-Dirty Money Tour Gig Posted: 20 Apr 2011 06:32 AM PDT 'You have to really go out and grind for your own and build your own fanbase,' Young Money MC tells Sway during 'RapFix Live.'
When Sean "Diddy" Combs decided to take his Last Train to Paris show on the road, he tapped one of Young Money's brightest stars, Tyga, to come with him as an opening act. And even though Lil Wayne's I Am Still Music Tour is running concurrently with Diddy-Dirty Money's Coming Home trek, Tyga insists there are no conflicts between the camps at all. In fact, the YM soldier said Wayne encourages his artists to branch out.
"Wayne told us: Don't rely on him to make you hot, don't rely on him for the hits. You have to really go out and grind for your own and build your own fanbase," Tyga told Sway during MTV News' "Rap Fix Live." "That's important. People respect that more, too, when you can build your own foundation and they can really get to you as an artist and not get to know you as a group." The Grammy-nominated L.A. rapper said he has learned a lot by watching the D-DM stage show and that Combs often comes to him for performance tips as well. "Every time he comes to me after the show and is like, 'How was that? Was the show dope? Tell me what you think,' " Tyga said. " And I tell him stuff like, 'Maybe you should add that song right there to keep the energy' or whatever. It's a lot of respect out there." Diddy-Dirty Money's 20-city tour kicked off last week in Minneapolis and will make stops in Toronto, Boston and NYC before concluding in St. Louis on May 15. Will you be seeing Diddy-Dirty Money on tour? Tell us below! Related Videos Related Artists |
| 'Breaking Dawn' Wedding Day Was 'Wet And Cold,' Peter Facinelli Says Posted: 20 Apr 2011 05:32 AM PDT 'I haven't really had that moment of remorse or blues,' he tells MTV News of still shooting final film.
Earlier this week, MTV News learned of an exciting "Twilight" and "American Idol" mash-up between Peter Facinelli and "Idol" castoff Paul McDonald on the "Loosies" soundtrack. Naturally, we couldn't let Facinelli hang up the phone until we addressed another important subject matter: "Breaking Dawn." Unlike co-star Robert Pattinson, Facinelli has yet to wrap his work on the "Twilight" saga. "I still have another two weeks of second-unit stunt work, so for me, it doesn't feel quite done yet," he said. "I haven't really had that moment of remorse or blues, you know, the blues of finishing. I'm in the midst of still finishing myself." Regarding a few key scenes that his co-stars have mentioned — specifically the Taylor Lautner vs. Kristen Stewart fight scene — Facinelli agreed that seeing the much smaller Stewart take on Lautner was entertaining. "Oh yes, I was there for that," he said. "[It was] very funny. ... But you have to kick his butt a little bit," Facinelli added about the idea of Lautner's character Jacob imprinting on Bella and Edward's daughter Renesmee. Although he couldn't go into too much detail, we asked Facinelli to describe the heavily hyped wedding scene for us. "Beautiful and spectacular," he said. "It's funny, because whenever we have a big important scene on 'Twilight' [movies], it rains. I was doing the baseball sequence [from 'Twilight'], and it was raining. But you never see it on film," he said of the filmmaking crew's movie magic. "With this wedding, it rained the whole time we shot the two scenes. But you'll never see it on film, they block out the rain. They put tarps up and you'll never see it. But for us, it was very wet and muddy and cold." Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Photos |
| Casey Abrams Steals A Kiss, The Night On 'American Idol' Posted: 20 Apr 2011 08:09 AM PDT Bearded rocker plants one on judge Jennifer Lopez on Wednesday's 21st-century songs episode.
This season, "American Idol" has sort of become a game of "what will Casey Abrams do next?" And after taking on Nirvana, nearly fainting on live television and dialing himself way back with a hushed take on Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy," Abrams topped even himself on Wednesday's (April 20) "Idol" by planting a kiss on Jennifer Lopez's cheek while finishing off his performance. The smooch came at the close of the bearded rocker's aggressive rendition of Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe," from the group's 2002 debut album, Songs About Jane. (Wednesday's theme was "songs from the 21st century.") Abrams, using his intense glare to embody the bitter scorn in frontman Adam Levine's lyrics, stalked either side of the stage in a stiff, upright manner before approaching the judges' table at the song's end. He locked himself on Lopez like a guided missle and leaned in toward her, his head mere inches from that of People magazine's Most Beautiful Woman. They shared an intimate stare before she broke the glance and turned her head to her right, toward Steven Tyler. Abrams sang the song's final line directly to her — "is there anyone out there?/ 'Cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe" — and caught her off-guard by pecking her on the cheek before walking away. Randy Jackson threw up his arms in dismay, Tyler exclaimed, "You did what I've been trying to do for two months!" and Lopez giggled like a giddy school girl. The fireworks weren't over yet. After Lopez and Jackson praised Abrams for his soft lips and his risk-taking, respectively, Tyler dropped what appeared to be an F-bomb, calling Abrams "f---ing good" in his appraisal of the singer. (Censors caught it, though a little lip-reading goes a long way.) The audience erupted, Abrams covered his mouth in surprise and Lopez's jaw hung agape, while Tyler continued as if nothing had happened. Jackson stood up from his chair as if to signal he was calling for a time-out, and made Tyler aware of his gaffe. "He's so darn good," Tyler corrected himself. Host Ryan Seacrest, sporting a faux-Abrams beard on his face, remarked, "The wheels have fallen off this program," and thanked him for "changing the course of this show." Backstage after the performance, cameras caught up with Abrams and he recapped what had just happened onstage. "I kissed Jennifer Lopez and I made Steven Tyler swear," he said. "That''s always a plus." So now, once again, the question remains: What will Casey Abrams do next? What did you think of Casey Abrams' performance? Let us know in the comments! Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos |
| Exclusive: N.O.R.E. Responds To Jumping Account In Prodigy's Book Posted: 20 Apr 2011 08:04 AM PDT 'There are certain things that you're not supposed to talk about,' Nore tells MTV News of Mobb Deep MC.
Despite Prodigy's account in his new book "My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy," Queens rapper N.O.R.E. insists that he isn't the shook one he is depicted to be. In the "Hell on Earth" chapter, Prodigy recounts an incident when members of his entourage jumped Nore in front of a Queens club, which led Noreaga and his crew to retaliate immediately with gunfire. For the full excerpt, head to MTV News' RapFix blog, but here are a few salient lines from Prodigy's book:
"Come over here so we can talk," [rapper Ty] Nitty told [Nore], putting his arm around N.O.R.E.'s neck and walking him into the street. After a few steps, Nitty started punching N.O.R.E. in the face while he had him in a headlock. N.O.R.E. dropped to the ground and the crew jumped him. Gotti, Havoc, and I stood by the trucks and watched them beat the clothes off that boy. Man, I never saw somebody get jumped so bad! In an exclusive interview with MTV News, Nore — who is dropping the free online mixtape NORE-Easter on Sunday — admitted that some of Prodigy's accounts are true. Still, he expressed his overall disappointment in the Mobb Deep rapper's decision to drum up old beefs. "There are certain things that you're not supposed to talk about," Nore said. "Now, I didn't read the book and I don't read where he's going crazy. I read the little inserts where he [talked] about the jumping incident. Let me just clear the record up and say: None of the things that it says in the book would ever make me go at him. I'm not gonna see him and try to throw him in the full nelson." Nore does admit to getting jumped that night in Queens, which he estimates occurred in either 1996 or '97. "I did get jumped. They jumped me with 40 people," he recalled. "If you ever see 40 people jump on one man, that one man never gets touched, because most of those 40 people are hitting each other. You can't hit the target. I got up." Next is where the two rappers' accounts differ. In the book, Prodigy said that during the beat-down, N.O.R.E. was stripped of his chain. "I never got robbed in my life," Nore fired back. Prodigy also said that the "Super Thug" rapper and his crew came back with a TEC-9; Nore said it was a 9mm. In the aftermath of the gunfire, Mobb Deep affiliate Ty Nitty was left shot in the back. "Why would you bring up something where your man got shot?" Nore asked. "I thought you would be cool with Ty Nitty. I like Ty Nitty." Nore also revealed that he spoke to longtime friend and frequent collaborator Prodigy just a few days ago, and P assured N.O.R.E. that only positive things were written about him in the book. "When I spoke to him the other day, he said, 'Yo, I only spoke about good things about you in the book, and when you see the book, you'll realize that,' " Nore recalled. "I said, 'Yo, P, first off, nobody can really make me change on you, because I know you.' I know him personally. We're cool. We speak." The Queens MC doesn't expect things to change between him and Prodigy, but he felt he had to respond. "I don't know why he would bring up a situation where they clearly lost," he said. Stick with MTV News for more on N.O.R.E.'s response to Prodigy's book. Related Artists |
| TV On The Radio's Gerard Smith Dead At 34 Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:08 AM PDT Bassist was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.
TV On The Radio bassist Gerard Smith died Wednesday (April 20) at age 34 after his battle with lung cancer, the band announced on its website. "We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer," the band's statement reads. "Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly." Smith's death comes just over a month after it was announced that he was battling cancer; TV on the Radio had just completed recording sessions for their latest album, Nine Types of Light. At the time, the band said that while Smith would not be able to participate in the upcoming tour, they were hopeful that he would be able to fight the disease entirely, citing promising results from treatment and Smith's "legendarily willful disposition" as reasons for their optimistic outlook. Smith had been in the band since 2005 and was a contributor to their third and fourth albums, the acclaimed 2006 effort Return to Cookie Mountain and 2008's Dear Science. The group has canceled its concerts for the next few days, starting Wednesday in Detroit. According to their website, the band will release more information when it becomes available. Nine Types of Light, which has been receiving great reviews since its release last week, marks a return to action for the experimental rock group, which announced a yearlong hiatus in late 2009 in order to decompress from nearly a year on the road promoting Science. Share your condolences for the band and Smith's family in the comments. Related Artists |
| Tyga Encourages West Coast MCs To Be 'More Worldly' Posted: 20 Apr 2011 07:43 AM PDT Young Money rapper, who was born in California, visits 'RapFix Live.'
This week, MTV is celebrating the "New West" by spotlighting California-bred artists like Odd Future, Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Casey Veggies and, of course, this week's "RapFix Live" guest Tyga. Sitting with MTV News' Sway Calloway, Tyga commented on L.A.'s new sound, remarking that the new crop of Cali spitters fare better when employing a more-universal sound. It's this attitude that Tyga said has helped rookie West Coast rappers make their mark in a post-gangsta-rap era. "I don't think it's that hard to break out of L.A. because there are a lot of new artists out," he said.
While the West Coast was traditionally associated with N.W.A. and Dr. Dre's signature sound, things have been changing over the past few years. "Back in the day, when you had N.W.A., that was the sound for music, and a lot of L.A. artists sound like they're from L.A. when they rap and stuff, and a lot of people around the world won't relate as much," said Tyga, who is currently signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money label. "Odd Future, for example: [The group's frontman] Tyler don't sound like he from L.A., so he can get out to more people and his music can be more worldly because it's a new sound." Do you agree with Tyga about L.A.'s sound? Sound off in the comments below! Stick with us all week as MTV News turns the spotlight on the New West, the next wave of hip-hop acts helping to restore faith in the L.A. rap scene. From groups like Odd Future to rising MCs like Dom Kennedy, we'll bring you up close and personal to these artists as they carve their own lanes in the post-gangsta-rap era. Keep it locked here all week for more on the West Coast up-and-comers! Related Videos |
| Beastie Boys' 'Make Some Noise' Video Premieres Posted: 20 Apr 2011 05:00 AM PDT New clip is cut from the group's 'Fight for Your Right Revisited' short film.
It's practically unfathomable to think that the Beastie Boys' License to Ill (a.k.a. "the first album I ever bought on cassette tape") turns 25 this year. After all, it seems like the kind of thing that should never age, mostly because it gave us the quintessential "sublimely stoopid" video of the 1980s: "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)." The clip was a classic ode to festivity that, whether it intended to or not (probably not) also managed to sum up so much of the decade so well — the vapidity, the inebriation, the wearing of hood ornaments on gold chains. It doesn't deserve to get old; rather, it should be preserved in '80s amber for all eternity, or at least until scientists learn how to extract its DNA.
And yet, in November, Ill will turn 25. And in anticipation of that, the Beastie Boys have decided to celebrate the milestone with the release of "Fight for Your Right Revisited," a 30-minute retelling of the events that followed the epochal "Party" clip, with a host of Hollywood stars (Danny McBride, Elijah Wood and Seth Rogen) playing the B-Boys and a boatload of wink-wink celebrity cameos thrown in for good measure. It is funny and pretty clever, to be certain; it is also about 25 minutes too long. Fortunately for all of us, the Beasties (or, more specifically, the director) probably realized that too, which is why they've decided to distill the greatest moments from the film into one five-minute tour-de-force: the video for "Make Some Noise," which premiered Wednesday (April 20) on MTV.com. "Noise" is, of course, the first single from the Beastie Boys' upcoming The Hot Sauce Committee Part Two album (due May 3), which, perhaps due to the lengthy battle with cancer MCA endured last year, many are speculating may be the final effort of the group's 30-year career. There's been no comment on the matter from the Beasties themselves, but those rumors lend another wrinkle to both the short film and the video: If this really is the Beastie Boys saying goodbye, well, then it's certainly in a way we've come to expect from them. Namely, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Because "Noise" is a riot. McBride, Rogen and Wood are clearly having a ball here (and, it should be noted, Wood does a killer imitation of Ad-Rock's posturing), slugging beers, terrorizing bystanders and basically acting very much like the Beasties themselves, circa 1986. The guest stars — everyone from Ted Danson and Jason Schwartzman to Will Ferrell and Chloë Sevigny — ham it up with equal glee (and Beastie fans will no doubt get a kick out of comedian David Cross throwing on Nathanial Hörnblowér's lederhosen). And, presumably, that's the entire point of "Make Some Noise": It's a treat for both Beastie Boys fans and anyone who enjoys a quick game of "spot the celebrity" too. Whether it also symbolizes the beginning of the group's slow wave goodbye remains to be seen — though, if this really is their funeral, at least a whole lot of people showed up. What did you think of the video? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists |
| Nicole Scherzinger Calls New Album 'Empowering' Posted: 20 Apr 2011 05:15 AM PDT Pussycat Doll dishes to MTV News about recording 'dance anthems' with producer RedOne.
Nicole Scherzinger is currently in the process of wrapping up work on her solo album, Killer Love, set to drop later this year. For it, she's already hooked up with 50 Cent for the track "Right There," and she's working with some choice A-list producers for the long-simmering record.
"Well, I did a lot of the album with my producer RedOne and then I did sprinkles, other colors of the album with producers like Jim Jonsin and The-Dream and Tricky Stewart and Ne-Yo and I'm fortunate enough to have my boy 50 and Snoop on the album," Scherzinger told MTV News when we visited the "Right There" set in L.A. "So it's definitely got empowering, strong dance anthems and then I got an urban twist in there and some really good uplifting songs as well." RedOne is certainly the man of the moment, helming hit tunes for Lady Gaga and J.Lo. Scherzinger said that working with the producer was amazing for many reasons, including their choice of locale while recording. "It was amazing. We actually did most of the album when we worked together. We recorded in the South of France and in Spain and it wasn't just a really beautiful environment but it was a beautiful vibe," she recalled. "I just had a really big sound, a really strong sound in my head ... this loud dangerous image that I wanted to hear and put live onstage. And RedOne is an amazing musician, so he's able to put all these different sounds together and come up with an amazing hybrid. It's really fun." Are you looking forward to new music from the Pussycat Doll? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists |
| The Game Detained In Canada By Customs Officials Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:43 AM PDT Rapper tweets that he's being held after being denied entry into the country for a scheduled concert.
The Game is not having a good time on April 20 (Wednesday). The Compton rapper was on the way to Canada from Los Angeles when he was detained at customs for three hours. The "Hate It or Love It" MC was headed to Nova Scotia for a show at the Halifax Forum, whose website now notes that the performance has been canceled. The Game kept fans abreast of his situation via Twitter. "Been in Customs for 3 hours....... #patienceIsAvirtue" was Game's first tweet from his @thegame account regarding his travel troubles. The next succession of tweets revealed his border troubles were going from bad to worse. "Customs officials just denied me entry into Canada. I'm sorry 2 ALL my fans but I was mislead by promoters & assured I would be able 2 enter," he tweeted. The Game then informed his followers that he is going to be detained for 14 days, after which he will go before a judge that will determine if he'll be deported or jailed for violating Canada's immigration entry laws. The information flow came to a stop after he tweeted that his phone and property were being confiscated by officials. Patrizia Giolti, a representative of the Canada Border Service Agency, told MTV News that the information Game relayed before his phone privileges were yanked is incorrect. According to Canadian legislation, when a foreign national is detained, they must have a detention review hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board within 48 hours of their detention. However, Canada's Privacy Act prevented Giolti from commenting on the specifics of the Game's file. Ironically, before boarding his plane to Canada, the rapper tweeted that he had not been to the country since the release of his debut album, The Documentary, in 2005. The Game recently filmed the video for the Cool & Dre-produced "Red Nation," the lead single from his forthcoming release, The R.E.D. Album. MTV News' calls to representatives of the Game were not returned at press time. Related Artists |
| Exclusive Trailer: Watch Emma Roberts In 'The Art Of Getting By' Posted: 20 Apr 2011 02:32 AM PDT We've got a sneak peek at the trailer for the Sundance favorite formerly known as 'Homework.'
Back in January, when it was still called "Homework," Emma Roberts' indie coming-of-age tale became one of the Sundance festival's most buzzy films, selling to Fox Searchlight for reportedly more than $3 million on the same day of its premiere. "That was our dream!" Roberts said when we caught up with her at Sundance. "I can't believe it happened the day it premiered. I got the call and I freaked out."
Now re-titled "The Art of Getting By" and slated for a June 17 release, MTV News is premiering the film's first trailer. Roberts stars as a popular yet disillusioned high school senior who forms an unlikely bond with Freddie Highmore's artistic outcast toward the end of the school year. He teaches her how to slack off, she basically declares herself open to a romantic advance, and still the twosome can't quite come together. "What I loved about her is that on paper, she could very much be the cliché of the popular girl, but the way she's written and the way I tried to play her, is that there's much more than that," Roberts told us. "I hate in teen movies when you're categorized as, 'You're this, not that,' when in real life, people are a mixture of everything. I liked that she had this edge to her, but she was also really genuine." Though Roberts gives Highmore a seriously hard time on screen, they got along very well when the cameras stopped rolling. "Freddie and I had a really great off-camera banter, so on-camera I think it played really well," she said. "We had great chemistry, as they say." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Videos |
| Robert Pattinson Talks Underwear And Karaoke On 'Ellen' Posted: 20 Apr 2011 02:36 AM PDT 'Twilight' star recalls singing karaoke at a Lubbock, Texas, bar as the best day of his life.
Robert Pattinson is everywhere these days as he promotes his upcoming romantic drama "Water for Elephants." But leave it to Ellen DeGeneres to plumb fresh (and often endearingly bizarre) territory with the 24-year-old star. When RPattz stopped by "Ellen" — the pre-taped interviewed aired Wednesday (April 20) — their conversation ranged from his choice of underwear to why he's more comfortable around wild animals than people to one of the best days of his life.
That day came last fall, when he popped into a bar in Lubbock, Texas (home of Texas Tech's 30,000 students) to sing a little karaoke. Before he knew it, though, a mob had gathered outside. But the police locked down the area and Pattinson and a friend were free to belt out tunes like R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." "We got stuck in the bar for hours and hours because there was this big crowd outside," said Rob, who was content to hang out and sing. "It was one of the best days of my life!" A less exceptional event took place on the set of "Breaking Dawn," when Rob, who confessed he doesn't know how to use a washing machine, ran out of underwear and had to wear a pair branded with Ellen's show logo. "I was doing the last 'Twilight' movie, and I only had one pair left and they were those ones," he explained. "For some reason I think the shape of my body — my back is too long or something — so my ass is constantly hanging out. ... We were doing this big fight, and every shot has these 'Ellen' underpants. It came to a point where producers [were] calling up my agent going, 'I don't know what he is up to, but I don't like it.' " That was an awkward day on set, Pattinson laughed. Much more comfortable, he later added, was working with animals on the set of "Water for Elephants." "I think it's a tradeoff about being really nervous around humans," he said. "I can walk into a room with tigers and be completely OK with them. I don't know why. But I walk into a bar or something, and I'm like, 'Uhhhh.' It's very strange." Check out everything we've got on "Water for Elephants." For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com. Related Videos |
| Demi Lovato Has Bipolar Disorder Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:04 AM PDT Singer opens up about her struggles in an interview with People.
Nearly a week after she tweeted her support for Catherine Zeta-Jones' decision to get treatment for bipolar disorder, Demi Lovato revealed her own struggle with the illness. "I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar," Lovato told People magazine. "Looking back it makes sense. There were times when I was so manic, I was writing seven songs in one night and I'd be up until 5:30 in the morning." She added that she has "battled depression from a very young age." Recently, Lovato has been open about her issues with eating disorders and self-mutilation. "I feel like I am in control now where my whole life I wasn't in control," she said of her life post-treatment. In order to stay healthy, Lovato made the decision to leave Disney Channel's "Sonny With a Chance" and work on music instead. Her focus is not only this new chapter in her career, but also the ability to connect with others who might be dealing with the issues she struggles with. "What's important for me now," she said, "is to help others." Lovato will also discuss her issues in an interview airing Friday on "Good Morning America" and "20/20." Regardless of what she's dealing with now, she's made it clear that she's hoping to help her fans. "The real reason why I'm sitting down with you is to open up the eyes of so many young girls, that it doesn't have to be this way," she said in the chat with Robin Roberts. Related Artists |
| Beastie Boys' Original 'Fight For Your Right' Revisited: Meet Ricky Powell Posted: 20 Apr 2011 01:58 AM PDT With 'Fight' short film set to premiere Wednesday (April 20), here's a look back at the beer-soaked history of the 1986 video.
You get the feeling that, back in their hell-raising License To Ill heyday, the Beastie Boys derived some sort of perverse pleasure from blindsiding unsuspecting interviewers with profanities or non sequiturs. Or at least by dumping beer on them.
Sufficed to say, they've mellowed some in recent years (their vocabulary has improved, too), but back in the day, the Beasties lived to torment the media, and they did so by any means necessary. Take, for example, this rather revelatory bit of tape shot on December 31, 1986, at MTV's 6th annual "Rock 'N Roll New Year's Eve Ball" (a party so huge that both Brian Setzer and the Georgia Satellites were in attendance). In it, a poor MTV News field producer corners the Beasties and attempts to ask them about their plans for 1987 — plans that included a headlining tour and a new video to shoot for "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" — and gets doused by a Budweiser, making a valiant attempt to shield the microphone from a soaking, with little success. And while it's oddly compelling to watch a train wreck like this unfold, the reason we dug the tape out of our archives occurs just moments later, when the same producer, still wet with cheap beer, asks the MCs about their infamous "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" video — the same video that serves as the inspiration for the band's "Fight For Your Right Revisited" short film, which premieres Wednesday (April 20) at midnight on MTV2, mtvU and Palladia. Specifically, the interviewer asks the Boys about casting "the geeky guys" for the video, which gives them the opportunity to introduce "the man who played the main nerd," their photographer-friend Ricky Powell (presumably right around the time "your girl got di--ed" by him.) And then, they pour beer on his head, too. But not before Powell curses on-air and then professes his love for "Black women with blonde hair." So, yeah, it's a pretty amazing bit of tape, even 25 years later. In celebration of just how far the Beastie Boys have come — and in anticipation of "Fight For Your Right Revisited" — we're rolling it out for you right now. Enjoy — and wear a poncho! Don't miss "Fight for Your Right Revisited" on Wednesday (April 20) at midnight on MTV2, mtvU, VH1 Classic and Palladia. Related Photos Related Artists |
| 'American Idol' Producer Hints At Giving Judges A Vote Posted: 20 Apr 2011 01:16 AM PDT Executive Producer Ken Warwick also says Pia Toscano may have an album out before this season's winner.
"American Idol" has a problem. No, it's not the fact that it's getting increasingly hard for a woman to win on the show. It's the good kind of problem, one where recently booted contestant Pia Toscano is getting the kind of media attention — and high-profile bookings — that are usually reserved for the show's winner. Which is why in a call with reporters on Wednesday (April 20), "Idol" Executive Producer Ken Warwick suggested that in a break with the past, it's not out of the question that we will see music from Toscano well before the eventual season 10 champion releases his or her debut in November. He also revealed that while he won't be tweaking the formula this year, it's possible there could be more big changes in store for "Idol" in the future, including taking a cue from ratings rival "Dancing With the Stars." "That's the nature of the business," Warwick said of the desire to strike while the iron is hot. "If we've got a rising star that the record companies and ['Idol' parent company] CKX think are marketable now, they will try to get records out." Warwick pledged that under the tutelage of record-industry veteran and season 10 mentor Jimmy Iovine, the rule this year is to make a star out of the singers no matter when they leave the competition. And while he doesn't know what Iovine's plans are for Toscano at the moment, he said if he were a record honcho instead of TV producer, he'd want to get some music out while the buzz on Toscano is still strong. "It used to be in the old days, that was a concern of ours," he said of cannibalizing the buzz on the eventual winner by releasing music from other finalists earlier on. "As time's gone on, we realized what we're seeing so often is that the big star is not the winner, but from the top five or top 10, so it's unfair to hold someone back so we can promote someone else." With so much talk about how online voting has continued the trend toward young-girl "Idol" watchers pushing male singers to the top while female ones get booted early, Warwick said producers will have a "long discussion" about that situation after this season and see if any tweaks need to be made to correct that trend. Among the potential changes is taking a page from the "DWTS" book and letting judges have a vote alongside the audience. "We are going to have discussion about how we can keep it fair," he said, adding later about the possibility of a judge's vote, "That's just one of the ideas ... solutions on the table. There are a number." For this season, though, the current system will remain in place. "If people want to vote for kids, then I'm certainly not going to start fiddling with the votes or doing anything that's untoward," he said, adding to the chorus of laments about Toscano's early exit. "Maybe change the voting system slightly next year. Maybe we limit the amount of SMS votes or online votes." Warwick also responded to the upcoming competition from "The Voice" and ex-"Idol" judge Simon Cowell's fall launch of the American version of "X Factor" by noting that there are a slew of shows with three-judge panels and he can't be bothered to worry about the other shows on the horizon. "I'm not worried. I'm sure the premiere of one will dent us a little bit. ... I'm not about to change anything radically to try and keep up with something I haven't seen yet and hasn't been proven." With a lackluster track record of breaking male stars, Warwick said his job is to make the show, and then, hopefully at the end of it, hand the record company a singer with a 20 million- to 30 million-person following. "What they do from then on has absolutely nothing to do with me," he said. But have there been mistakes made in the past with the marketing or positioning of some of the male winners? Yes, Warwick said, most definitely. Has the best singer always won, no, not necessarily. "What it illustrates for me is that from the top five upwards, there's usually a star in there somewhere; it just is a question of luck, who picks them up, where they go, what song they release." So while not every "Idol" winner is a star, lots of "Idol" contestants have become stars. "It doesn't bother me this year if another guy [wins]. ... I am pretty sure that whoever comes out of this series is gonna break," he said, giving props to Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Iovine's skills at minting stars. Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, 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 |
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