Posts filed under 'Hip Hop'
The Pussycat Dolls have landed yet another hot MC. Snoop Dogg will be joining the ranks of past superstar collaborators Busta Rhymes, Timbaland and the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am, who’ve each churned out beats for the group’s platinum debut disc.
“You’re going to love our special guest on [this remix],” the group’s Nicole Scherzinger teased as the girls perused the racks of designer duds, shades and plush handbags at the 2006 Grammy Style Studio event Saturday.
After a bit of prodding, Scherzinger revealed the identity of the rapper who would be putting a fresh twist on their sultry new single, “Buttons”: none other than Doggfather himself.
“It’s the D-O-double-G, baby!” she exclaimed.
The girls first joined forces with the West Coast rapper for their sexy performance of “Santa Baby” on the 2005 Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas in December, where Snoop dressed up as Santa Claus.
It seems the Dolls have quite a knack for landing guest stars. Busta spat some rhymes on PCD’s debut single, the Cee-Lo-produced “Don’t Cha”, while Will is currently featured in the Dolls’ current clip, “Beep.”
Will and the Peas have even recruited the gals to open for them on their upcoming spring trek, which kicks off March 23 in Fresno, California, and the Dolls are prepping for the gig by giving their live show a massive overhaul.
“We’re reconfiguring [things] and starting all over with the choreography,” Scherzinger explained. “We want to make it really big because we’re on tour with the Peas and they always have the best show, so it’s definitely going to be high-impact and really high-energy.”
“We’re gonna put a little throwback to the Pussycat Dolls and show our history a bit [too],” added Pussycat Kimberly Wyatt.
“There’ll be some gymnastics, some fireworks and some skinny-dipping onstage,” Scherzinger joked.
The Dolls have been basking in the success of PCD and just returned from Germany, where they received the Golden Camera Award for Best International Pop Group. They have even higher hopes for the future, though.
“Next year we hope to be on the Grammys,” said Scherzinger. “[But right now] every day is like a roller coaster for us and we feel very fortunate and very blessed.”
technorati tags: Snoop Dogg, The Pussycat Dolls , Busta Rhymes, Timbaland, Nicole Scherzinger
February 8th, 2006
Though authorities are reportedly interested in speaking with Tony Yayo about the murder of a man on the set of a Busta Rhymes video on Sunday morning, the G-Unit member’s lawyer said his client has nothing to say.
“He has not been questioned, and based on my conversations with the New York police and the Brooklyn County district attorney, he is not a target of the investigation,” attorney Scott Leemon said.
According to a witness who requested anonymity, Yayo was present on the set of the shoot for before shots were fired and Israel Ramirez, a member of Rhymes’ security staff, was killed by a single bullet to the chest. The source said Yayo was overheard insulting several rival crews prior to the incident and then apologizing to Rhymes for the disturbance.
Leemon would not comment on his client’s whereabouts during the time of the shooting or his alleged actions on the set. “I have informed [the authorities] that I am his attorney and that we will not be making any statements to law enforcement. I say that because after what happened to Martha Stewart and Lil’ Kim, I don’t think any competent lawyer would allow his client to speak to authorities, and it’s not in [Yayo’s] character to speak to the authorities.”
An NYPD spokesperson said Tuesday (February 7) that the investigation into the incident is ongoing. He would not comment on whom authorities are seeking to interview. On Monday police commissioner Raymond Kelly said Rhymes is one of the witnesses police want to speak with, and Newsday reported that Yayo is also being sought for questioning. According to Newsday, Yayo was supposed to be in the video but was ejected from the studio for unspecified reasons, and was later heard by witnesses saying that no one tells him to be quiet and that he is on parole.
Leemon said Yayo is on federal supervised release until May, that he completed New York State parole in December on gun-possession charges and that no one has formally contacted him about speaking to the rapper about the murder. The lawyer said he preemptively informed the DA’s office that he was representing Yayo after reading stories about the shooting in the press. By law, once the authorities are notified that a person is represented by counsel, they cannot speak to that person without the lawyer present.
According to Newsday, both Rhymes (born Trevor Smith) and Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) had initially promised to meet with detectives on Monday and then reneged on those offers at the last minute. Leemon said his client never promised to speak to police.
Rhymes’ lawyer did not return calls for comment on the report at press time, and a spokesperson for his and Yayo’s label, Interscope Records, issued a statement of no comment. The paper also reported that Missy Elliott, who was inside the studio when the shooting occurred outside on the street, was cooperating with detectives.
According to Newsday, Rhymes has offered to pay for the funeral expenses for Ramirez, who was on site to guard the rapper’s jewelry during the filming of the video. Ramirez’s sister, Claurice Lara, told the paper that Rhymes made the offer after first reportedly having an employee make a condolence call to the victim’s family.
“I think as soon as this incident happened — this tragedy of an incident — he should have picked up the phone and at least talked to my mother,” Lara told Newsday. “I really think that being my brother worked for him for such a long time the first thing he should have done, instead of trying to protect himself, was call us.”
technorati tags: Tony Yayo, Busta Rhymes, G-Unit
February 8th, 2006
It’s January in Connecticut, and although a few hundred people are all seeing the same thing, none of them can believe their eyes: Jay-Z and Nas — the two men who once engaged in arguably the greatest lyrical battle of all time— are standing together on top of the world. Figuratively, anyway.
Literally, the two are standing on a table in the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Hard Rock Cafe while a DJ plays songs by both hip-hop legends. “Girls, Girls, Girls” comes on and everyone is dancing. When “Made You Look” follows, nobody stops partying. The record spinner drops Jay’s “Streets Is Watching,” sending everyone into a euphoric frenzy. “Hate Me Now” comes on and shakes the building.
With smiles spreading and liquor flowing, Jay throws what appears to be a few thousand dollars into the crowd.
Unbelievable.
Jay and Nas went public with their behind-the-scenes animosity for each other in 2001 when Hov dropped “The Takeover” and Nas came back with “Ether.” Although in recent years both have said they were done with the feud, they haven’t exactly been eating Thanksgiving dinner of each other’s houses.
Last October, Jay-Z and Nas were seen publicly together for the first time in almost 10 years, coming together twice onstage to declare unity. But this time it’s different. It’s been a couple of months since they first shocked the world, and now the alliance has become official: Nas is signed to Def Jam, and he and Jay are on the same team. Tonight at Foxwoods, they actually look like friends.
“We was there and vibing on the table,” Jay recalled of his night of revelry with Nas and Island Def Jam employees and executives. As he spoke to MTV News’ Sway, Nas was sitting right beside Jay. It was the first time the two had ever sat together for an interview. “It was so surreal,” Hov continued. “I was looking at the crowd, and they was in shock. It wasn’t planned. I didn’t say, ‘At 12:45 we’re gonna get on the table and wild out together.’ “
And while it’s impossible to plan a special moment like that one, you also can’t plan out the course of a relationship, he pointed out.
“It’s not a date you can say, ‘We’re friends today,’ ” he explained, getting a big chuckle from Nas. “But you can say it’s respect [between us], and from respect, anything is possible.”
Nas agreed that even though he and President Carter were each other’s toughest opponents in a war of words, they never lost respect for one another.
“In the midst of a battle, you never know how it’s gonna turn out,” Nas explained. “All you know is that you’re gonna fight to the finish. In the middle of it, that’s how it was. It was always respect, it wasn’t that he wanted to gun me down or I wanted to gun him down. It was never that. That’s not how real bosses move or real men move.”
Now that Nas is officially partnering with Jay-Z, the two said, they’ll definitely be working together — a duet at the very least is imminent.
“It’s bigger than both of us,” Jay said. “It’s not really about us. I mean it is, but it really isn’t. It’s more about the culture, about showing people another way, because [the battle] we staged was something that stopped the world. Now everyone emulates the battle. ‘If I do that, I can get attention drawn to me.’ Now everyone is emulating the end result. So now we have to show them another way.”
technorati tags: Nas, Jay-Z, Def Jam, Ether, battle, united, jigga, nasir, jones
February 8th, 2006
Album of the Year
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Kanye West - Late Registration
Record of the Year
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
Green Day - “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
Kanye West - “Gold Digger”
Song of the Year
Rascal Flatts - “Bless the Broken Road”
Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna & Marcus Hummon, songwriters
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Bruce Springsteen, songwriter
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
W. Adams & J. Stephens, songwriters
U2 - “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
U2, songwriters
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, songwriters
Best New Artist
Ciara
Fall Out Boy
Keane
John Legend
Sugarland
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Mariah Carey - “It’s Like That”
Kelly Clarkson - “Since U Been Gone”
Sheryl Crow - “Good Is Good”
Bonnie Raitt - “I Will Not Be Broken”
Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl”
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Jack Johnson - “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”
Paul McCartney - “Fine Line”
Seal - “Walk on By”
Rob Thomas - “Lonely No More”
Stevie Wonder - “From the Bottom of My Heart”
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Lie”
The Killers - “Mr. Brightside”
Los Lonely Boys - “More Than Love”
Maroon 5 - “This Love”
The White Stripes - “My Doorbell”
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Black Eyed Peas & Jack Johnson - “Gone Going”
Foo Fighters Featuring Norah Jones - “Virginia Moon”
Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul - “Feel Good Inc.”
Herbie Hancock Featuring Christina Aguilera - “A Song for You”
Stevie Wonder Featuring India.Arie - “A Time to Love”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby
Best Dance Recording
The Chemical Brothers Featuring Q-Tip - “Galvanize”
Deep Dish - “Say Hello”
LCD Soundsystem - “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”
Fatboy Slim & Lateef - “Wonderful Night”
Kylie Minogue - “I Believe in You”
New Order - “Guilt Is a Useless Emotion”
Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Chemical Brothers - Push the Button
Daft Punk - Human After All
Fatboy Slim - Palookaville
Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Eric Clapton - “Revolution”
Robert Plant - “Shine It All Around”
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Rob Thomas - “This Is How a Heart Breaks”
Neil Young - “The Painter”
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
Coldplay - “Speed of Sound”
Foo Fighters - “Best of You”
Franz Ferdinand - “Do You Want To”
The Killers - “All These Things That I’ve Done”
U2 - “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”
Best Hard Rock Performance
Audioslave - “Doesn’t Remind Me”
Nine Inch Nails - “The Hand That Feeds”
Robert Plant - “Tin Pan Valley”
Queens of the Stone Age - “Little Sister”
System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.”
Best Metal Performance
Ministry - “The Great Satan”
Mudvayne - “Determined”
Rammstein - “Mein Teil”
Shadows Fall - “What Drives the Weak”
Slipknot - “Before I Forget”
Best Rock Song
Foo Fighters - “Best of You”
Weezer - “Beverly Hills”
U2 - “City of Blinding Lights”
Bruce Springsteen - “Devils & Dust”
Coldplay - “Speed of Sound”
Best Rock Album
Coldplay - X&Y
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Neil Young - Prairie Wind
Best Alternative Music Album
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beck - Guero
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Amerie - “1 Thing”
Beyoncé - “Wishing on a Star”
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
Fantasia - “Free Yourself”
Alicia Keys - “Unbreakable”
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Jamie Foxx - “Creepin’ “
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
Mario - “Let Me Love You”
Usher - “Superstar”
Stevie Wonder - “So What the Fuss”
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Beyoncé & Stevie Wonder - “So Amazing”
Destiny’s Child - “Cater 2 U”
Alicia Keys Featuring Jermaine Paul - “If This World Were Mine”
John Legend Featuring Lauryn Hill - “So High”
Stevie Wonder Featuring Aisha Morris - “How Will I Know”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Mariah Carey - “Mine Again”
Fantasia - “Summertime”
Aretha Franklin - “A House Is Not a Home”
Alicia Keys - “If I Was Your Woman”
John Legend - “Stay With You”
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Floetry - “SupaStar”
Gorillaz - “Dirty Harry”
Van Hunt - “Dust”
Damian Marley - “Welcome to Jamrock”
Mos Def - “Ghetto Rock”
Best R&B Song
Destiny’s Child - “Cater 2 U”
Rodney Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Ricky Lewis, Kelly Rowland, Robert Waller & Michelle Williams, songwriters
Fantasia - “Free Yourself”
Craig Brockman, Missy Elliott & Nisan Stewart, songwriters
John Legend - “Ordinary People”
W. Adams & J. Stephens, songwriters
Alicia Keys - “Unbreakable”
Garry Glenn, Alicia Keys, Harold Lily & Kanye West, songwriters
Mariah Carey - “We Belong Together”
J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal
Best R&B Album
Earth, Wind & Fire - Illumination
Fantasia - Free Yourself
Alicia Keys - Unplugged
John Legend - Get Lifted
Stevie Wonder - A Time to Love
Best Contemporary R&B Album
Amerie - Touch
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi
Destiny’s Child - Destiny Fulfilled
Mario - Turning Point
Omarion - O
Best Rap Solo Performance
Common - “Testify”
Eminem - “Mockingbird”
50 Cent - “Disco Inferno”
Ludacris - “Number One Spot”
T.I. - “U Don’t Know Me”
Kanye West - “Gold Digger”
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Phunk With My Heart”
Common Featuring the Last Poets - “The Corner”
Eminem Featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent - “Encore”
The Game Featuring 50 Cent - “Hate It or Love It”
Ying Yang Twins - “Wait (The Whisper Song)”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Ciara Featuring Missy Elliott - “1, 2 Step”
Common Featuring Kanye West & John Legend - “They Say”
Destiny’s Child Featuring T.I. and Lil Wayne - “Soldier”
Jay-Z Featuring Linkin Park - “Numb/Encore”
Gwen Stefani Featuring Eve - “Rich Girl”
Best Rap Song
50 Cent - “Candy Shop”
Kanye West - “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”
Black Eyed Peas - “Don’t Phunk With My Heart “
The Game Featuring 50 Cent - “Hate It or Love It”
Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - “Lose Control”
Best Rap Album
Common - Be
Missy Elliott - The Cookbook
Eminem - Encore
50 Cent - The Massacre
Kanye West - Late Registration
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Josh Groban - “Believe” (from “The Polar Express”)
Glen Ballard & Alan Silvestri, songwriters
The Arcade Fire - “Cold Wind” (from “Six Feet Under: Volume 2 - Everything Ends”)
The Arcade Fire, songwriters
Wyclef Jean - “Million Voices” (from “Hotel Rwanda”)
Jerry Duplessis, Andrea Guerra & Wyclef Jean, songwriters
Tom Petty - “Square One” (from “Elizabethtown”)
Tom Petty, songwriter
Danny Elfman - “Wonka’s Welcome Song” (from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”)
John August & Danny Elfman, songwriters
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
“Beyond the Sea” (Kevin Spacey)
“Napoleon Dynamite” (Various Artists)
“No Direction Home: The Soundtrack - Bootleg Series, Vol. 7″ (Bob Dylan)
“Ray” (Ray Charles)
“Six Feet Under: Volume 2 - Everything Ends” (Various Artists)
Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
“The Aviator” (Howard Shore, composer)
“The Incredibles” (Michael Giacchino, composer)
“Million Dollar Baby” (Clint Eastwood, composer)
“Ray” (Craig Armstrong, composer)
“Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” (John Williams, composer)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Danger Mouse
Demon Days (Gorillaz)
Nigel Godrich
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - Paul McCartney
Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis
“Be Blessed” (Yolanda Adams)
“Dance With My Father” (Celine Dion)
“Harajuku Girls” (Gwen Stefani)
“Never Too Much” (Mary J. Blige)
“Nobody Cares” (Deborah Cox)
“Pure Gold” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ ” (Jessica Simpson)
Steve Lillywhite
How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (U2)
Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)
The Neptunes
“Already Platinum” (Slim Thug Featuring Pharrell)
“Hollaback Girl” (Gwen Stefani)
“Let’s Get Blown” (Snoop Dogg)
“On & On” (Missy Elliott)
“Say Somethin’ ” (Mariah Carey Featuring Snoop Dogg)
“Touch” (Omarion)
Best Short Form Music Video
Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - “Lose Control”
Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul - “Feel Good Inc.”
Jamiroquai - “Feels Just Like It Should”
Martina McBride - “God’s Will”
Sarah McLachlan - “World on Fire”
February 7th, 2006
Jay-Z may go to work every day as the president and CEO of Def Jam Records, but he’s still an MC at heart and occasionally in practice. So you can imagine what it’s like for him to hear all the whispers in the wake of Cam’ron’s recent dis record, “You Got It,” where he levels a number of accusations at Jigga and even mentions Jay’s girlfriend, Beyoncé.
Half the people in the streets are saying that Hov is too big to respond, that he’s a CEO now, that he has nothing left to prove on the mic. After all, we’ve seen how he can slay opponents in battles. But the other half of the street talk says that Hov absolutely has to come back — Killa was just too disrespectful for Jay to let it ride.
It’s a different story when it comes to the former rival Jay recently signed to Def Jam, Nas. The two are in business together and very possibly will be making music together — in fact, Hov says to bet on it. In an MTV News exclusive, Jigga tells Shaheem Reid about his current adversary’s challenge, how his truce with Nas came about, and his reaction to Cam’ron’s allegations about Jay’s former business partner, Dame Dash.
MTV: We haven’t even gotten through the first month of the year, and it’s already starting — everybody is talking about you and Cam, you and Nas.
Jay-Z: Let’s start off with the Nas sh–. I think that’s more historical. I think this is Cam sh– is gonna blow over once his album drops.
MTV: OK. When you and Nas appeared onstage together in October, I was expecting a deal to be announced soon after. But it’s taken awhile.
Jay-Z: It took more to work out because he has another album left with Sony, so we just wanted to work with Sony. [The unusual deal finds the two labels collaborating on Nas’ next two albums, the first of which is expected to be released in the fall.] We didn’t want to make them look bad or nothing like that. It was a delicate deal. He’s one of their most important artists.
MTV: Where is Nas at with you, personally and artistically?
Jay-Z: There’s a respect there. With respect anything is possible. But you can’t just sit down with somebody and be like, “We’re best friends!” That’s high school. But we’re building with that. We kick it and everything, everything is cool. As far as where he’s at artistically, I think he’s ready to make the album of his life. He feels like he’s in a position right now where he can do it. He can go all the way.
MTV: Obviously you guys had been talking before the concert — people even saw you two laughing and joking at Baseline Studios. What was the icebreaker that brought you together?
Jay-Z: That was Mark Pitts, who used to manage Biggie and now manages Nas. He arranged that meeting. He’s a friend of mine and he came to me and said, “Will you sit down with Nas?” I said, “Yeah, no problem, of course,” because like I said, there’s always been a respect thing. I’m sure he probably went to Nas and said, “Would you sit down with Jay?” He probably Don King’d the whole thing. I didn’t even ask him that. [He laughs.]
MTV: We talked to Memphis Bleek recently, and he said the concert in October was the first time he’d ever seen Nas in person. He also said that if he’d had the opportunity to sit and talk with Nas before the battle, there might not have been a battle. Do you feel the same way?
Jay-Z: Absolutely.
MTV: Is there a collaboration between you and Nas coming?
Jay-Z: We gonna be in the studio working, so we’ll see what happens. I just don’t want to do nothing forced. I been through that before with Best of Both Worlds [his two collaboration albums with R. Kelly]. I just don’t want to do nothing just [to do it]. But I’m telling you, we’re gonna be in the studio and I’m sure the vibe is going to be right. If I had to place some money on it — and I’m a betting man — I would bet on it.
MTV: Who would produce that? You have so much talent on your team: Just Blaze, Kanye.
Jay-Z: I’m going to my team first: I’m going to Kanye, Just. Then I’m reaching out: Timbaland, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier. I’mma give everybody a shot, new producers. I’m accustomed to working with new dudes who got that sound. Hopefully we’ll find a new Kanye, a new Just. But I’m going to Just and Kanye first.
MTV: The question was about just one song, but it sounds like you two could do a whole album together.
Jay-Z: Nah, it ain’t a [Jay and Nas] album.
MTV: What about a Jay album? It would make sense for you to come back out this year. It’s been 10 years since your debut, Reasonable Doubt. [Jay’s debut LP] dropped. All your collaborations last year were killer, and you said the retirement would be for two years — we have it on tape, you said “two years.” Well, it’s been two years — nobody can say you’re not a man of your word.
Jay-Z: [He laughs.] We’re [Def Jam] coming up with so much good sh– at the start of the year — I ain’t gonna lie, I don’t want to miss it. We got so much going on, I’m focused on the team and making sure everybody is focused. I’m not even thinking about [putting out an album] right now. But for a second I was like “Damn, I can’t let all this good sh– pass me by. I want some.”
MTV: So let’s get to Cam. You said you’re torn about whether or not to respond to his dis record, “You Got It.”
Jay-Z: That sh– is trash.
MTV: Nobody was really surprised that Cam dissed you. From the outside looking in, it looked like the two of you never really vibed. Has there been animosity between you two for some time?
Jay-Z: I don’t really think about it like that. I never thought about it as a problem. It’s like, “You don’t know me, I don’t know you.” It didn’t cross my mind. I wasn’t stuntin’ it like, “I got a problem with Cam.” I just didn’t think about it.
MTV: One of his accusations is that you blocked him from an executive position at Roc-A-Fella years ago, after Dame offered it to him. Do you think that what’s led to this?
Jay-Z: He also said he wasn’t gonna take the job because he wanted such-and-such amount of money. I really don’t think it was anything. He has an album and a movie coming out and he wanted some attention. You can’t say it’s because I put the kibosh on the [Roc-A-Fella] presidency and then say, “I wasn’t going to take the presidency because they didn’t offer this amount of money.”
MTV: There was so much speculation about who you were going to dis when you announced the “I Declare War” concert last year. Were the Dips people you were going to go at?
Jay-Z: When I went into the “I Declare War” sh–, I was half joking, half making a statement. Maybe I would have some fun. I didn’t really have anybody in mind. It wasn’t something I was really sitting home thinking about, plotting and planning. Then, later, I was like, [bringing Nas out] — that’s way more interesting than pulling out the Summer Jam screen. I did that already.
MTV: Cam kind of put Dame in the middle of this because, on the song, he says he’s riding on you for what you allegedly did to Dame. Then in an interview with Hot 97, he said that Dame told him you were looking for photos of the Dips and information to use at the “I Declare War” concert.
Jay-Z: To be honest with you, that’s the most surprising thing. That [Cam dis record] is bullsh–, but [the situation with Dame], that is like, wow. It’s shocking.
MTV: So were you looking for dirt on the Dips?
Jay-Z: I don’t know about that. Like I said, I’m still in shock about [Dame]. That’s just crazy to me.
MTV: Have you and Dame talked about it? Do you plan on talking about it with him?
Jay-Z: Nah. Nah. I’m still in shock, to be honest with you.
MTV: Earlier you said you were torn, but a lot of people have been getting at you: Cam, Jim Jones, Prodigy from Mobb Deep. Are we going to hear a “Takeover 2,” where you just address everybody?
Jay-Z: Sh–. I’m not in that space. But at the end of the day, I’m a man first — and before I’m a CEO, I’m a MC. It is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m too far advanced for these dudes. [He laughs.]
February 5th, 2006
He’s known as the R., a.k.a. Kells, a.k.a. the Pied Piper, a.k.a. the King of R&B, and R. Kelly needs more aliases. He’s feeding the public one more at least: Mr. Show Biz.
On Friday (February 3) Kelly announced plans for what he’s calling his Light It Up Tour, which he’s headlining as “Mr. Show Biz.”
As to what adopting the nickname Mr. Show Biz means, his label reps said they weren’t sure. Kelly hasn’t told them yet.
He also hasn’t announced whether or not he’ll have any opening acts. The only thing the singer is disclosing is the itinerary — whose string of small-venue gigs makes this his first theater tour since 2001 — and the fact that he’ll have a live band with him. Tickets for select shows are already on sale.
R. Kelly tour dates according to Jive Records:- 3/9 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
- 3/10 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theater
- 3/11 - Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater
- 3/12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Civic Center Music Hall
- 3/14 - Houston, TX @ Jesse Jones Hall
- 3/16 - Dallas, TX @ Nokia Theater
- 3/17 - Austin, TX @ Bass Hall
- 3/18 - Little Rock, AK @ Theater at Alltel Arena
- 3/20 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theater
- 3/24 - Miami, FL @ James L. Knight Center
- 3/25 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
- 3/26 - Jacksonville, FL @ Moran Theater
- 3/28 - Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
- 3/29 - Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
- 3/31 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
- 4/1 - Memphis, TN @ Cannon Center
- 4/3 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall
- 4/7 - Boston, MA @ Wang Center
- 4/8 - Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theater
- 4/9 - Atlantic City @ House of Blues
- 4/12 - Newark, NJ @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
- 4/18 - New York @ Radio City Music Hall
- 4/23 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theater
- 4/26 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theater
- 4/28 - Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Theater
- 4/29 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theater
technorati tags: R. Kelly, Kells, Mr. Show Biz, Kelly, On Tour, tour dates
February 5th, 2006
Hitmaker also setting up joints for Bow Wow, Ludacris, Monica, LL Cool J.
Busy churning out hits for the likes of Mariah, Janet, Usher and many more, and with a horde of up-and-comers waiting in the wings, Jermaine Dupri seems to be finding little time for himself these days.
“I’m not makin’ no more records,” Dupri said of putting his own music career on halt. “I’m kind of off the market and in producer mode [right now], so I’m just in one studio to the next trying to mold artists. I’ve got so many that are in the stables, and they gettin’ real antsy, like, ‘Hey, it’s our turn to go.’ “
That comes as no surprise for the established hitmaker and Virgin executive, who in the last year alone has scored Mariah four chart-toppers (for “It’s Like That,” “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off” and “Don’t Forget About Us”). It also garnered the singer eight Grammy nods, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “We Belong Together,” as well as Album of the Year for The Emancipation of Mimi .
Carey may be the reigning performer of the moment, but 2004’s breadwinner, Usher, is itching to reclaim his title. Dupri said he’s already been approached by his good friend about returning to the recording studio.
“He called me like three or four days ago and was like, ‘It’s about that time,’ ” said Dupri, who ushered Mr. Entertainment to the top of the Billboard albums chart two years ago with Confessions and produced his smashes “Burn,” “Confessions Part II” and “My Boo” featuring Alicia Keys.
“I think [Usher’s] getting the bug again,” Dupri continued. “It’s kind of boring for him to just be sitting around. He wants to hear himself on the radio and see himself [back] on television.”
Also eager to make her way back onto the scene after a brief hiatus is Dupri’s main squeeze, Janet Jackson. The two have been working on her still-untitled forthcoming LP, which is set to drop later this year and whose first single is due out by the summer.
“We’re in the studio every day trying to get her record together,” said Dupri. He’s teaming up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the famed production duo who catapulted the R&B singer to stardom when they helmed her 1986 album, Control, and have been staples on her records ever since.
“If I can give you anything to look forward to on her record, it’s gonna have the greatness of Jimmy and Terry, and I guess you could say the greatness of me [and Janet] combined into one record,” he continued.
Dupri said he’s also considering a collaboration between Mariah and Janet, which would mirror Whitney Houston and Mariah’s 1998 hit “When You Believe.”
“That’s been on my mind for a couple weeks now,” Dupri admitted. “The hardest part is figuring out a song that fits both of them, because you have two different styles of artists, and the thing when you’re dealing with divas is you don’t want to overshadow either one, so if you were to do a song for them, it would have to work where both of them would feel they were on the same pedestal, or else someone’s gonna have a problem.”
In addition to Miss Jackson’s LP, Dupri is also finishing up Monica’s latest, Street Butterfly; setting up joints for LL Cool J, Ludacris, Da Brat and Bow Wow; and readying the sophomore disc from Dem Franchize Boyz, due February 7. All the while, Dupri’s co-authoring his autobiography, “Young, Rich and Dangerous: My Life in Music”.
“I wanted to put a book out because I feel like I’m one of the leaders in the industry right now, and I think kids have been missing a person to follow,” said Dupri, who cites childhood mentor Quincy Jones for paving his way.
One trick of the trade is to always be on the lookout for new talent, says the hip-hop producer, who helped bolster the careers of Usher, Ludacris, Kris Kross and even Kanye West, when he brought on one of the aspiring rapper’s beats on his 1998 solo album, Life in 1472.
“You never know who’s standing in the room with you,” he explained. “Always check it out because that person could be the next superstar.”
“For me to say I gave Kanye his actual start, that’s history that goes down in the books,” Dupri continued, “and I always wanted to be part of history. In everything I do, I try to make sure it goes down in some way people [will remember].”
technorati tags: Mariah Carey, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Bow Wow
February 5th, 2006
The now-famous hit, Gold Digger, was originally meant for a female MC.
We were never supposed to hear Kanye West rhyming or Jamie Foxx singing on “Gold Digger.”
“He did that beat a while before the movie [’Ray’] was even thought of,” West’s A&R rep, Patrick “Plain Pat” Reynolds, said of the song many thought was conceived after West saw Foxx’s Oscar-winning performance as Ray Charles. “He did the beat at Ludacris’ house in Atlanta and he did it for Shawnna. She passed on it, actually. I’m not sure why.”
Originally the song, nominated for a Record of the Year Grammy, was meant to appear on rapper Shawnna’s 2004 debut, Worth Tha Weight. West had tailor-made the now-famous “Gold Digger” hook for the female MC to spit in the first person: “I’m not sayin’ I’m a gold digger, but I ain’t messin’ with no broke n—as …”
With fate leaving “Gold Digger” in the hands of its creator, West began to write his verses. The second verse, which starts with “18 years, 18 years,” was made up years ago as well. In fact, Kanye used to rap the verse in early 2004 while on tour promoting his debut album, The College Dropout. The first verse was written later in the year while Kanye was on Usher’s Evolution Tour and the original third verse was culled from an unreleased record called “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” which Kanye had rapped on and produced for the St. Lunatics’ Murphy Lee. It wasn’t until just about a year later, right before the “Gold Digger” singles were being pressed up and sent to radio, that Kanye decided to write a new third verse.
“We had the mastering studio and the regular studio right next to each other,” Plain Pat remembered. “We did that at Sony [studios in New York]. We were recording things and walking it over to master. We’d be going back and forth for a week straight up until we cut the final part. We made changes up until the end — that’s why a lot of the credits on the album are f—ed up, because the artwork was done and we were making changes.”
The idea to make Jamie Foxx a part of “Gold Digger,” which had initially used a sample of Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman,” came after West went to see “Ray” with his friend John Mayer.
“It was the natural thing,” Pat explained. “If we couldn’t clear the sample, we were going to use Jamie. There’s actually a version with Jamie singing all the way through the song. It’s good, but it didn’t feel the same because we had to replay the instruments too.
“Jamie went in the booth and recorded a whole bunch of takes,” Reynolds continued. “The beginning — ‘She takes my mon-eeee’ — was an ad lib. It was actually a lot dirtier. But after he recorded it, Jamie like, ‘Y’all can’t use that.’ He was cursing on it.”
Late Registration’s co-producer, Jon Brion, put some extra sounds on “Gold Digger” during his first session with Kanye, and the two knew right away they had a good working chemistry.
When Kanye hears something he likes, he knows it,” Brion divulged. “I would just lay out on any given song a bunch of different options of ways it would go. He’d be like, ‘I like this, I like this and I like this.’ I’d be like, ‘Great, we’ll focus on those things.’ For me, it’s easy to take any given piece and push it in a million different directions. It’s not hard to do. What you need is the artist who has these visions of what they like and what they don’t like and stand by it. I think he kind of got used to asking crazy things of me and me making them for him and then him deciding whether he wanted them or not.
“I’m fond of it all,” Brion said about the songs on the album. “I’m a fan of the guy. I’ve loved watching him work.”technorati tags: Gold, Digger, Gold digger, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Grammys, Shawnna
February 5th, 2006
His name is Paul Slayton, better known as the Houston-based rapper Paul Wall. And these days, it’s hard for him not to spontaneously grin, revealing some $25,000 worth of jewelry on his teeth — a fact he likens to having a disco ball inside his mouth.
After all, his collaboration with rap superstar Nelly on the song Grillz, an ode to platinum- and diamond-encrusted teeth, is near the top of the Billboard charts as fans nationwide race to their local jewelers for some dental glitter of their own.
“It’s been incredible,” says Wall, 24, whose latest album, The People’s Champ, was released last fall. “It’s exciting to see how Grillz has taken off. I definitely see more people saying how much they love it.”
Wall has unique insight into grills, having outfitted an endless galaxy of hip-hop stars such as Jermaine Dupri and Lil’ Wayne with customized sets through TV Jewelry, a store he and jeweler Johnny Dang opened in 1998 in Houston. “We take pride in the unique craftsmanship — it’s elegant and it’s flashy,” Wall says.
The grills phenomenon, of course, has a long history. Once crafted solely for corrective dental procedures such as crowns and fillings, gold-capped teeth — also called “fronts” — slowly became chic in the late 1970s. By the early ’80s, as hip-hop became mainstream, stars such as the late Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC and rappers LL Cool J and Roxanne Shanté took gold to new stylistic heights.
Yet it was the British-born and Bronx-reared rapper Slick Rick, revered for witty rhymes and eye-dazzling jewelry, who is credited with creating early demand for grills.
“They weren’t all pimps, but I’d see guys on the street who dressed really flashy. I remember seeing one guy who had a ruby in his mouth,” Slick Rick says. “Growing up, I just tried to blend their style with mine.”
The popularity of grills would come and go, but it remained a fixture in Southern states. Once Southern rap emerged in the late ’90s and gave rise to everyone from Juvenile to Lil’ Jon & The East Side Boyz, jewelry-coated teeth have become as enduring a symbol in hip-hop as rope chains and Kangols.
“Pamela Anderson, Ashton Kutcher and Elton John can wear all the bling they want, but there’s one place they’ll never go. They won’t get fronts because it’s one of the last things that hip-hop is keeping for itself,” says Minya Oh, the radio personality also known as Miss Info and author of Bling Bling: Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels. “People don’t want rappers to look like everyone else walking down the street — they want them to look like royalty.”
But these days, merely watching rap stars shine just isn’t enough.
Urban jewelers and such Web sites as gangstagold.com are overwhelmed trying to keep pace.
“It’s been crazy. People are asking for grills with multicolored gold and diamonds that stretch out to eight teeth,” says Rudy “Freeze” Athouriste, owner of Daed Jewelers in Miami. “A lot of people are trying to incorporate this into their budget. And with tax time and refunds coming up, just imagine what’s about to happen,” says Freeze, who has been designing grills for seven years.
To produce the fronts, jewelers use a waxy substance to create a dental impression, which is then coated with additional chemical solutions and left for 30 minutes to harden. The metal is then designed to the customer’s taste.
Dentists caution grill wearers about the health risks.
“If we’re just talking about something that fits and isn’t worn all the time, then that’s OK,” says Dr. Matthew Messina, a spokesman for the American Dental Association. “But if it’s worn for long intervals, there’s a serious risk for tooth decay.”
Chris Ehrmann, 25, an associate photo editor at the hip-hop magazine XXL, has heard the warnings and says he’s vigilant about dental hygiene. Yet unlike most grill wearers, who slip them on for weekend outings, Ehrmann removes his 14-karat yellow gold grill only to eat and sleep. “It’s my way of self-expression,” he says. “Even though I work in hip-hop, sometimes it shocks people because I’m white. But it’s becoming commercialized, so everyone is wearing them.”
Despite the surging popularity, critics say grills are yet another example of hip-hop’s maddening obsession with bling. Rappers such as Chuck D and Talib Kweli, however, rail against the use of “conflict diamonds” culled from mines in African war zones. When asked about the controversy over grills, Wall says, “You can spend $200 or $50 for tennis shoes — it’s about what you can afford.”
Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, author and veteran hip-hop journalist, says the industry’s fascination with avarice should be viewed in a broader context.
“Most rappers are young men from fairly tough circumstances who dreamed of matching the materialism they saw in captains of industry like Donald Trump,” Hinds says. “We need to do a better job at promoting what financial empowerment really means.”
Newsday is a Tribune Co. newspaper.
February 2nd, 2006
Beyoncé’s “Check On It” featuring Slim Thug retains its No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week, but the star this week is the “High School Musical” soundtrack, which spawns several history-making chart debuts. Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens’ “Breaking Free” makes Hot 100 history with the biggest one-week jump of all time, rocketing 86-4. The song garnered no airplay; its 82-point rise is purely the result of digital downloads.
“Breaking Free” is also the Hot 100’s greatest sales gainer and earns the distinction as the Walt Disney label’s highest-ranked Hot 100 song of all time. It also leaps 57-1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, sending “Check on It” to No. 2. However, the Beyoncé track remains atop the Pop 100 and rises 5-3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Nelly’s “Grillz” featuring Paul Wall and Ali & Gipp holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and seizes the No. 1 spot on the Hot Ringtones chart, ending the 10-week run of the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” rises 4-3 on the Hot 100 and leads the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for a sixth straight week.
On the Hot 100, James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” jumps 8-5, Ne-Yo’s “So Sick” ascends 12-6 and Chris Brown’s “Run It!” drops 3-7. The Pussycat Dolls’ “Stickwitu” falls 5-9, while Jamie Foxx’s “Unpredictable” featuring Ludacris rockets 18-8 on the Hot 100. It also holds its No. 2 spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, despite its parent album falling 1-3 on The Billboard 200.
Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” jumps 14-10 to round out the Hot 100’s top tier. Keyshia Cole’s “Love” is the chart’s greatest airplay gainer, shooting 82-49.
The top four Hot 100 debuts this week all derive from the “High School Musical” soundtrack, starting with Efron and Hudgens’ “Start of Something New” (No. 28), which is also the Hot 100’s top debut of 2006. The duo’s “What I’ve Been Looking For (Reprise),” registers at No. 67, while Hudgens’ “When There Was Me and You” debuts at No. 72.
Also new are the High School Musical Cast’s “We’re All In This Together” (No. 34) and “Stick to the Status Quo” (No. 43); Lucas Gabreel and Ashley Tisdale’s “What I’ve Been Looking For” (No. 35) and “Bop To The Top” (No. 62); P.O.D.’s “Goodbye for Now” (No. 48); Gwen Stefani’s “Crash” (No. 95); and the All-American Rejects’ “Move Along” (No. 100).
Daddy Yankee’s “Rompe” sits atop the Hot Latin Songs chart for a tenth straight week, while Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” leads the Hot Country Songs chart for a fourth frame. On the Adult Contemporary chart, Lifehouse’s “You And Me” maintains the No. 1 spot for a third week.
Weezer’s “Perfect Situation” also holds at No. 1 on the Modern Rock chart for a third week, while Nickelback’s “Animals” rises 4-1 on the Mainstream Rock tally, knocking Shinedown’s “Save Me” to No. 4.
February 2nd, 2006
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