Showing posts with label rap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rap. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Jay-Z: Beyonce is 'the second coming' of Michael Jackson: Rapper says he knows it's 'blasphemy' to compare the two, but says she's inspiring
Julio Cortez / AP file: Rapper Jay-Z gushed about wife Beyonce during an interview.
After three years of marriage, Jay-Z and wife Beyonce have remained famously tight-lipped about one another.
But the 41-year-old rapper (real name: Shawn Carter) couldn't help but gush about his wife's talents as a performer while promoting "Watch the Throne," his smash, acclaimed new album with Kanye West.
PHOTOS: Beyonce and Jay-Z's sexy romance
MTV's Rap Fix reports that Jay-Z even compared Beyonce, 29, to the Gloved One himself, Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009 at age 50...
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PHOTOS: Michael Jackson's most unforgettable moments
"You know, the hard work and dedication that she puts into her shows. It just makes you want to work harder at your own craft. She's like a machine," he raved of his wife, currently promoting her own album,"4," with intimate shows scheduled this week at NYC's Roseland.
PHOTOS: Beyonce's sexy bikini body
Meanwhile, the rapper lived very, very large on Sunday night celebrating his latest release at LIV Miami on Sunday — treating guests at the club to a reported $250,000 worth of Armand de Brignac Champagne.
TODAY Celebrities
Copyright 2011 Us Weekly
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Waka Flocka Flame Explains Retirement Talk: 'Yeah, I'm gonna retire — from the industry,' Waka says on 'RapFix Live.'
Waka Flocka Flame
Photo: MTV News
Jay-Z famously said that he would retire after he dropped his debut album Reasonable Doubt way back in 1996, and we all saw how that worked out. With only one solo album under his belt, could Waka Flocka Flame do what Jigga couldn't?
Last month, the "Hard in Da Paint" rapper tweeted "This game 2 fake I [quit] rap after this year," but when Sway asked Waka about his post-rap plans, he elaborated on the statement.
Gucci and Waka Flocka
Flocka didn't exactly say that he'd quit making music, however. Instead, the Atlanta-based rapper said he would go on to operate outside the music industry's traditional avenues.
"I don't expect to win awards, I don't expect to go to big venues. I'm gonna really help the youth — this is what I started doin' it for, so I'm gonna finish doin' it," he said. "Yeah, I'm gonna retire — from the industry."
For now, though, fans can tide themselves over with Ferrari Boyz, Waka's joint album with mentor Gucci Mane, which dropped last Tuesday. "Man, we just came to smash the game — point blank, period," Waka told Sway when asked why the duo made Ferrari Boyz. "They chasin' our sound, folks' singles is on our sound, and we might as well just go 'head and give it all to 'em."
The Game blames friend for troubling tweet: Rapper says friend took his phone while he was in a photo shoot
Rapper The Game now says he wasn't the one who sent the tweet that has him facing charges.
The Game says he isn't to blame for the tweet that caused a Compton sheriff's office emergency phone line to jam.
The rapper is facing charges following a tweet that was sent from his account Friday to his more than 580,000 followers.
Story: Rapper's tweet jams emergency phone system
The phone lines were jammed for about two hours after a tweet from the Game’s account said that if anyone wanted an internship, they should call that number...
Nate Dogg honored by The Game in tribute song
"This was beyond irresponsible," sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker told the Times. "The deputies' ability to answer the phones and dispatch personnel to help these people in danger was significantly impeded."
But the rapper told TMZ he never wrote the tweet. He said he was at a photo shoot when a friend of his -- who goes by the Twitter handle @wackstar -- got ahold of the Game's phone and begin typing messages and numbers.
Lawsuit seeks to stop release of The Game album
The Game insisted he had no idea one of the numbers was to the Sheriff's Department. He said he shouldn't be charged with a crime.
"Casey Anthony can get away with murder, and the Game goes to jail for tweeting. God bless America," he said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department are considering misdemeanor charges against the rapper because the prank calls caused the office to delay response to real emergency calls including a missing person, a spousal assault, two robberies and a stolen car, according to reports.
Game, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor and who uses the name Charles Louboutin on Twitter, responded after the Sheriff’s office asked him to remove the phone number from his tweet, claiming it was an accident.
“Yall can track a tweet down but cant solve murders ! Dat was an accident but maybe now yall can actually do yall job !!!!” he wrote.
The Game rose to fame as a member of the group G-Unit and received two Grammy nomination for his solo album The Documentary.
TODAY News
Copyright 2011 The Hollywood Reporter
The phone lines were jammed for about two hours after a tweet from the Game’s account said that if anyone wanted an internship, they should call that number...
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"This was beyond irresponsible," sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker told the Times. "The deputies' ability to answer the phones and dispatch personnel to help these people in danger was significantly impeded."
But the rapper told TMZ he never wrote the tweet. He said he was at a photo shoot when a friend of his -- who goes by the Twitter handle @wackstar -- got ahold of the Game's phone and begin typing messages and numbers.
Lawsuit seeks to stop release of The Game album
The Game insisted he had no idea one of the numbers was to the Sheriff's Department. He said he shouldn't be charged with a crime.
"Casey Anthony can get away with murder, and the Game goes to jail for tweeting. God bless America," he said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department are considering misdemeanor charges against the rapper because the prank calls caused the office to delay response to real emergency calls including a missing person, a spousal assault, two robberies and a stolen car, according to reports.
Game, whose real name is Jayceon Taylor and who uses the name Charles Louboutin on Twitter, responded after the Sheriff’s office asked him to remove the phone number from his tweet, claiming it was an accident.
“Yall can track a tweet down but cant solve murders ! Dat was an accident but maybe now yall can actually do yall job !!!!” he wrote.
The Game rose to fame as a member of the group G-Unit and received two Grammy nomination for his solo album The Documentary.
TODAY News
Copyright 2011 The Hollywood Reporter
Saturday, August 13, 2011
#NEW #VIDEO #nowplaying: Mic Savvy 'COME HOME'
| Mic Savvy is an underground hip hop artist out of Raleigh, North Carolina. |
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The song focuses on the struggles of being away from your family...   |
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| http://facebook.com/micsavvy | |
Rapper (@TheGAME) incited phone flash mob on #Twitter???
- FILE - Rapper The Game appears on stage during MTV's "Total Request Live" show.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County sheriff's department says The Game incited a telephone flash mob that overwhelmed the emergency phone system.
Capt. Mike Parker tells the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/oGFHO1) that the rapper tweeted the number of the Compton station Friday and told his 580,000 followers that if they wanted an internship with him, they should call the number.
Sheriff's Lt. Suzan Young says "the phones started ringing like crazy" around 5:20 p.m. Parker says phone lines were jammed for more than two hours.
The rapper later posted that his account was hacked but also tweeted that it was "an accident."
The Game could face criminal charges. Parker says investigators are planning to forward a criminal complaint to the district attorney's office.
___
Red Album in-stores August 23rd !!!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
#New #Video: COMMON feat. NAS "Ghetto Dreams" #nowplaying
The Chicago MC kicks an ode to the hood over the No I.D. banger, replete with a scratched chorus and verse by Nas, who leaked the song on Twitter over the weekend.
"I decided to write about ghetto dreams just in a way that was raw," Common told MTV, of his inspiration for the song. "I almost approached it like I was a character because I don't smoke cigarettes and blah, blah, blah. But I still was talking abut those things 'cause it's like, if I step in the shoes of myself and my other friends and people that just dream about higher things coming from a tougher place. I told it in respect to the relationship I got with my lady, it's ill. It's not a love song or none of that; it's just raw. It's ill lyrics man, I'm telling you."
Calling on No I.D. -- the revered Chicago producer, who previously crafted Com's 1994 classic LP 'Resurrection' -- to produce the entirety of 'The Dreamer, The Believer,' was a long-overdue move for Common. While the music marks a return to form for the MC and his longtime collaborator, the artwork is a throwback as well, depicting a skinny young Common and Nas, in a photograph from a video shoot in the mid '90s.
"We was at a Fat Joe video, I think," Common said of the shot. "Two young MCs, young dudes, just real young cats, one from Chicago, one from Queens that just ended up reconnecting and connecting and always being cool. I ain't going to say 'reconnected,' 'cause every time me and Nas always would chop it up, I felt like we was two musicians that really just loved and respected each other, two voices that really mean something to the culture and respect the culture. So, we always had on a personal level just a respect for each other."
Common's highly anticipated ninth album 'The Dreamer, The Believer,' will be in stores this fall on Warner Bros. Records.
Contributed by: Theo Bark
@JayZ & @KanyeWest 'OTIS' #Video Premiere #TONIGHT 8:56 p.m. ET/PT on @MTV, @MTV2, mtvU, MTV.com, @BET
Now that fans have fully digested Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne, they can look forward to the duo's video for "Otis," which premieres Thursday at 8:56 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.com and BET.
On Wednesday's "RapFix Live," Sway Calloway sat down with New York's Power 105.1 radio host Angela Yee and MTV News' Rob Markman to discuss the just-released teaser for the Spike Jonze-directed video.
"You can see Jay-Z looks excited, doing things I never seen him do before in that one second — and Kanye as well," Yee said of the brief clip. "Well, Kanye is always a little excited, but I think it's good to see the two of them together too."
Don't miss the premiere of Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Otis" video Thursday at 8:56 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV.com and BET!
The 15-second clip shows Jay-Z and Kanye West on set with pyrotechnics and not much else. Viewers see Jay gripping his red snapback cap low and then Kanye screaming with excitement while grabbing the camera with a huge American flag draped in the background. The flag is similar to the "Otis" single art by Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci.
On Wednesday morning, fans were already tweeting about looking forward to the "Otis" premiere. "Just read that Spike Jonze is directing the video for Kanye West and Jay Z's new single 'Otis.' That should be something special," tweeted fan @ChrisBevan89. "The teaser to @kanyewest and Hov 'Otis' video looks crazy," added @Above_Par.
"They got Riccardo Tisci from Givenchy to do the [album] cover art, you have the American flag on the 'Otis' cover art, and you see a little bit of that in the video," Markman said. "They're giving you clues along the way, but we're seeing 1/20th of the picture that we're probably going to get tomorrow."
Read how Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Otis" defied radio rules.
The release of WTT has been very exciting for the hip-hop world, and Yee recalled where she was Sunday evening in the hours leading up to the album's drop. "I was in my bed at, like, 11 o'clock on Twitter, and I think at 11:30 it was available on iTunes on Sunday night, and everybody just went crazy," Yee said. "Like the whole entire night, people were just staying up downloading the whole entire album."
Markman said Thursday night's "Otis" premiere will cause similar excitement. "It's going to be an event," he said. "The way everybody gathered around iTunes to get the album, everybody is going to gather around their TV or MTV.com and sit in for this event and watch the video."
Yee has already made her plans: "I will be in front of the TV to watch the premiere of 'Otis' on MTV."
What are you expecting from the "Otis" video? Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #MTVOtis.
MTV News
Kanye West and Jay-Z in their "Otis" video
Photo: Roc-A-Fella
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
@JayZ, @KanyeWest's Throne Defies Radio Rules While lacking conventional single: Watch the Throne tracks 'Lift Off,' 'No Church in the Wild' and 'N---as in Paris' trend on Twitter.
Kanye West
Nothing Jay-Z and Kanye West have done leading up to Monday's release of Watch the Throne has been conventional. While most rap artists look to impact radio with a big crossover single before they drop their album, the Throne handled things a bit differently.
Photo: Flanigan/ FilmMagic
Yes, there was the release of the Lex Luger-produced "H.A.M.," which now stands as a bonus track on the deluxe version of WTT. Then there was "Otis" of course, but with no catchy chorus, the Redding-sampled track hardly screams crossover. Shade 45 DJ Statik Selektah said he doesn't think Jay and Kanye still need to conform to radio — he actually believes the opposite: "I think Jay and Kanye could put out an a cappella song and it'll get played," the DJ told MTV News.
Check out our photos of Jay and Kanye recording Watch the Throne.
Sucker Free and Power 105.1's DJ Envy agrees. While "Otis" doesn't fit the exact formula for a hit, Envy said radio has picked it up for one simple reason: It's a good record. "The first single, 'Otis,' if you wanna call it a single, it's not a radio record but it's been added on so many different radio stations, which I think is dope," he said. "You still play it in the club, and it's a hot record."
Shade 45's DJ Wonder echoed that sentiment: "With Jay-Z and Kanye, they're so iconic that it's not going to make a difference what they decided to do; people are gonna want it."
It's not that Watch the Throne has a shortage of likeable records. Since its release Monday, songs like "Lift Off," "No Church in the Wild" and "N---as in Paris" have all become trending topics on Twitter.
Conventional wisdom says that Watch the Throne will eventually produce a number of records for radio, but it doesn't seem that Hov and Yeezy necessarily planned for that while recording the album. DJ Khaled argues that when artists go in with the aim of recording for radio, they end up losing authenticity. "I think people that go in the studio saying, 'I'm making a radio record' is when they start goin' in the wrong direction. It's called, make a great record," he said. "When you start thinking, 'Oh, I should put a little sprinkle and make it radio,' sometimes that hurts you because it's not authentic."
Share your review of Watch the Throne in the comments below.
By Rob Markman
MTV.com
Kanye West thinks people look at him 'like Hitler': Rapper takes the stage to rap and rant, drawing boos and cheers
Whoops, he did it again — Kanye West may have done a little rapping, but for much of his Big Chill concert in Ledbury, England set he seemed to be using the stage as a soapbox, and fans weren't liking it.
By MESFIN FEKADU 
EASTNOR CASTLE DEER PARK, England — Kanye West says he feels like people look at him like Hitler.
The 34-year-old rapper known for his outbursts was the headline act at the Big Chill music festival Saturday night, where he ranted in the middle of his set about being misunderstood and underappreciated.
Slideshow: Kanye West
"I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street, and people look at me like I'm (expletive) insane, like I'm Hitler," he said. "One day the light will shine through and one day people will understand everything I ever did."
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The performer also defended the music video for his song "Monster," which features cannibalism and girls hanging from their necks.
"Who saw the video before it got banned, before they took it down and before women's groups starting saying that a person that lost the most important woman in his life is now against women in some way?" asked West, referring to the 2007 death of his mother Donda West.
The performer also defended the music video for his song "Monster," which features cannibalism and girls hanging from their necks.
"Who saw the video before it got banned, before they took it down and before women's groups starting saying that a person that lost the most important woman in his life is now against women in some way?" asked West, referring to the 2007 death of his mother Donda West.
Story: Why Jay-Z And Kanye West's Sudden Feud Could Cost Best Buy And Live Nation Millions
West, who started his set roughly 30 minutes late, apologized to the crowd for his tardiness, saying he needed to make sure his performance was great.
"Michael Jordan changed so much in basketball, he took his power to make a difference. It's so much (expletive) going on in music right now and somebody has to make a (expletive) difference," he said.
West, who started his set roughly 30 minutes late, apologized to the crowd for his tardiness, saying he needed to make sure his performance was great.
"Michael Jordan changed so much in basketball, he took his power to make a difference. It's so much (expletive) going on in music right now and somebody has to make a (expletive) difference," he said.
Story: Kanye West Says He's Still Giving Us the Silent Treatment
The multiplatinum-seller is known for his outspokenness, most notably his diss toward Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where he grabbed the microphone from her as she accepted the award for best female video and said Beyonce should have won it. In 2005 he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.
At the music festival, West talked about some of his awards show drama, saying some of his sponsorships were canceled as a result.
But West closed his show on a positive note by paying tribute to Amy Winehouse.
West, who said he met the late singer a few years ago during Paris fashion week, played snippets of Winehouse's "Tears Dry On Their Own" and "Back to Black." He said it was "beautiful" to meet the performer and that she was "amazing."
Then, in Kanye fashion, he began to rant.
"Thank you for protecting your artists that are still here," he said to the crowd. "This is for McQueen, for Amy, for Michael and for all the media, can you lighten up on all your artists that are still here?" he asked, receiving a roaring cheer from the crowd and leaving the stage with his 3-man band and 20-something backup dancers.
TODAY Celebrities
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
The multiplatinum-seller is known for his outspokenness, most notably his diss toward Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where he grabbed the microphone from her as she accepted the award for best female video and said Beyonce should have won it. In 2005 he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a Hurricane Katrina telethon.
At the music festival, West talked about some of his awards show drama, saying some of his sponsorships were canceled as a result.
But West closed his show on a positive note by paying tribute to Amy Winehouse.
West, who said he met the late singer a few years ago during Paris fashion week, played snippets of Winehouse's "Tears Dry On Their Own" and "Back to Black." He said it was "beautiful" to meet the performer and that she was "amazing."
Then, in Kanye fashion, he began to rant.
"Thank you for protecting your artists that are still here," he said to the crowd. "This is for McQueen, for Amy, for Michael and for all the media, can you lighten up on all your artists that are still here?" he asked, receiving a roaring cheer from the crowd and leaving the stage with his 3-man band and 20-something backup dancers.
TODAY Celebrities
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Outkast rapper Big Boi faces drug charges
AP - This image provided by the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department shows Antwan Patton, also known as Big Boi, after his arrest on Sunday.
ecstasy and other drugs that the performer's lawyer later characterized as "contraband."
Media reports cited the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department's website as listing the rapper, whose real name is Antwan Patton, as having been arrested for having ecstasy, MDMA powder and Viagra, for which he had no prescription.
The Miami Herald reported that Big Boi faces a fourth count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Celebrity website TMZ.com said he was arrested by customs officials exiting a cruise ship, and that he'd been booked into jail in the afternoon but was released after posting a bond.
On the singer's official Twitter account, Big Boi initially tweeted "Fresh Out Baby!" and later, "...they said it was the Love Boat..." But details of the arrest could not be confirmed on Sunday evening.
An attorney for the rapper issued a statement saying he expects Big Boi will beat the charges.
"While Big Boi was traveling with his group and friends, a small amount of contraband was found in the collective luggage," attorney Daniel Kane said in a statement.
"I am confident when the entire facts are aired Big Boi will be completely exonerated."
{Outkast was formed by Andre' Benjamin (who later became known as Andre 3000) and Patton (Big Boi) in the 1990s with a distinct brand of southern-influenced hip hop music...}
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
@JayZ & @KanyeWest #album deal irks #Indie retailers
Watch the Throne is due for release on iTunes on 8 August
Scores of independent US music stores have written an open letter to Jay-Z and Kanye West over exclusive release deals for their upcoming album.
Watch The Throne will be released first on iTunes before the Best Buy chain's exclusive deal to sell the album nearly two weeks ahead of other music retailers.
The letter says the deal will do "great damage" to more than 1,700 record stores and calls for equal access.
Jay-Z's spokesman had no comment.
Posted by the organisers of Record Store Day, the letter has been signed by shops across the US and calls the release plan a "short-sighted strategy".
"We know that you are busy, and that you put most of your energies into creating great music, but we are writing to you in the hope that you will hear us and take the time to rectify this matter," the letter states.
"As representatives of the independent record store music community, we are asking you to allow record stores and music fans equal access to your new album."
'Disastrous'
Some of the letter's signatories have also threatened to pull current and previous releases by the two artists from their shelves.
Others in the music retail industry have also criticised the move.
"A two-week window will be disastrous for music retailers," said Eric Levin, owner of Criminal Records and the head of the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.
According to Billboard, between the two exclusive iTunes and Best Buy release windows, 75% of the demand for the album is expected to be satisfied within 10 days.
Exclusive release deals are now common for top acts.
Recent examples include AC/DC's Black Ice given to Wal-Mart, while Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy
and the Rolling Stones Biggest Bang DVD package, were also sold through Best Buy.
Record Store Day was created in 2007 to celebrate independently owned record stores in response to counter media coverage about the demise of record shops.
However, independent stores have suffered a decline over the last decade due to digital music sales.
BBC News - Entertainment & Art
Monday, July 25, 2011
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