Last night at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach, Wiz Khalifa’s Under The Influence Of Music Tour rolled into town with Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Chiddy Bang and Boaz . The beach side concert created the perfect hippie ambiance for the reefer-friendly headliners… Continue
Kendrick Lamar, Chiddy Bang And Schoolboy Q rock with the Pittsburgh duo at Jones Beach In New York. By Rob Markman Wiz Khalifa Photo: Christie Goodwin/ Redferns
Kendrick Lamar, Chiddy Bang And Schoolboy Q rock with the Pittsburgh duo at Jones Beach In New York. By Rob Markman Wiz Khalifa Photo: Christie Goodwin/ Redferns
Fun. debut at #3, while Tyga lands at #4 with Careless World. By Gil Kaufman Adele’s 21 Photo: Columbia Records Surely someone is going to come along to knock Adele off her perch. But in the meantime, the Grammy-winning singer simply cannot be beat, as her 21 will notch its 22nd non-consecutive week at #1 next week thanks to sales of nearly 297,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. And that’s with sales dropping almost 60 percent from her post-Grammy high . More than a year into her incredible run, Adele has sold almost 7.7 million copies of her second album in the U.S. Also holding strong was the Whitney Houston greatest-hits collection, which lost just 1 percent of its sales from the previous week, staying in the #2 position on sales of 174,000 in the second full chart week since the singer’s death . It was joined in the top 10 by the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” (#6, 47,000, up 176 percent) and her self-titled debut (#9, 30,000, up 72 percent). Among the debuts in the top 10 are: Fun. , Some Nights (#3, 70,000); Tyga , Careless World: Rise of the Last King (#4, 61,000); and Chiddy Bang , Breakfast (#8, 31,000). The rest of the top 10: Now That’s What I Call Music! 41 (#5, 54,000); Adele’s debut, 19 (#7, 39,000); and the 2012 Grammy Nominees compilation (#10, 29,000). Just outside the top tier, buzz duo Sleigh Bells rolled into a #12 debut with their second album, Reign of Terror and Grimes hit #98 with Visions (5,000). Over on the iTunes singles chart, Fun.’s hookup with Janelle Monae , “We Are Young,” was at #1, followed by Kelly Clarkson ‘s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” The Wanted with “Glad You Came,” Katy Perry ‘s “Part of Me” and B.o.B ‘s “So Good.” The list was rounded out by Adele at #6 with “Set Fire to the Rain,” Nicki Minaj just behind with “Starships,” then Gotye with “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Chris Brown with “Turn Up the Music” and Carrie Underwood ‘s “Good Girl.” Adele easily kept the #1 spot on the iTunes album chart, followed by Tyga, Fun., Chiddy Bang, Houston, Sleigh Bells, Gotye’s Making Mirrors, Adele’s 19, Drake ‘s Take Care and the Beatles ‘ 1. Adele should be safe for another week as she pursues the magic 24-weeks-at-#1 mark, though the new album from Bruce Springsteen could provide a challenge. Otherwise, the fresh faces include Sean Paul , Estelle and Kid Cudi ‘s troubled WZRD project . Related Artists Adele fun. Tyga
First-ever festival is set for March 15 at South by Southwest and will lead up to the awards themselves. By James Montgomery Chiddy Bang Photo: Patrick Ford/Redferns The 2012 mtvU Woodie Awards will return to Austin, Texas, on March 15, during South by Southwest, and they’re definitely getting in the spirit of the annual festival. First, they announced this year’s nominees , an epically diverse field that includes everyone from Jay-Z and Kanye West, the Black Keys and Skrillex to up-and-comers like Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino and Cloud Nothings. Then they announced the first round of performers for the first-ever Woodies Fest , a (grammatically adventurous) list topped by Fun., Wallpaper. and A$AP Rocky. And on Wednesday (February 22), the Woodies announced even more performers for that festival: Chiddy Bang (whom, as you might recall, previously set a Guinness World Record for Longest Freestyle during the inaugural O Music Awards), Gary Clark Jr., Kimbra (of “Somebody That I Used To Know” fame) and British singer Ed Sheeran. The 2012 mtvU Woodie Awards Festival will take place March 15 down at SXSW and is open to both badge-holders and uncredited music fans alike. The entire fest will also stream live on Woodies.mtvU.com and leads up to the awards themselves. On Sunday, March 18, the best moments from the Woodies will be broadcast in a 30-minute special airing on MTV and mtvU at 8 p.m. ET. Voting is also under way in all Woodies categories — including Woodie of the Year and the coveted Best Video Woodie — and will remain open until March 9. Voting in the Breaking Woodie category will continue during the live show March 15. Fans can cast ballots in all categories through the Woodies’ website , on their mobile phones at M.MTV.com or by texting VOTE to 66333. Standard message and data rates may apply. The 2012 mtvU Woodies invade SXSW on March 15 with the Woodies Festival. The best of the 2012 mtvU Woodies will air on MTV and mtvU on March 18 at 8 p.m. ET. Related Photos 2012 mtvU Woodie Awards Nominees Related Artists Chiddy Bang
The couple, who has two daughters, married in Italy. By Kelley L. Carter Sofia Coppola and Phoenix’s Thomas Mars Photo: Getty Images Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola and her longtime rocker boyfriend, Thomas Mars, tied the knot Saturday (August 27) in Italy. Coppola and Mars, frontman for Phoenix , said “I do” at a civil ceremony in the southern Italian hamlet of Bernalda, the hometown of Coppola’s grandparents. People.com reported that about 80 people attended the ceremony at a historic building owned by the bride’s famous father, director Francis Ford Coppola, who walked her down the aisle. She was dressed in a lavender gown designed by Azzedine Alaia, and the ceremony was officiated by the town’s mayor, Leonardo Chiruzzi. “Everything went well,” Chiruzzi told the Associated Press. “It was simple, calm, in the garden.” Another famous director, George Lucas, was in attendance. After the evening ceremony, the guests feasted on cheeses, figs, salads, pasta, fish, pork and, of course, the family’s wine. The couple announced their engagement in May and have two children: daughters Romy, 4, and Cosima, 15 months. Earlier this year, Mars said his group was working on the follow-up to their breakout album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix . “We’re meeting an orchestra,” Mars told Pedestrian.tv. Bassist Deck D’Arcy added: “We’re going to record a bunch of percussionists in [Australian beach town] Byron Bay.” “It’s a test,” Mars explained. “If it works, we’ll probably come back and record something that’s going to be on the album.” Related Artists Phoenix
‘She probably gonna kill it,’ Chiddy Bang’s Xaphoon Jones predicts. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Adele in her video for “Rolling in the Deep” Photo: Columbia LOS ANGELES — Chiddy Bang won’t be performing at this year’s big show, but the hip-hop breakout duo got a chance to warm things up alongside Swizz Beatz at the Taco Bell Feed the Beat MTV2 VMA concert on Friday at the Music Box. And when asked which act they were most excited to see at Sunday’s Video Music Awards , both group members agreed that Adele tops the list. “Man, we saw Adele at the Brit Awards in the U.K., which is like the British Grammy Awards, and she just made everyone weep with her strong vocals,” the group’s MC, Chiddy, told MTV News’ Sway. The other half of Chiddy, producer Xaphoon Jones, also recalled the February awards show, which featured performances by Tinie Tempah, Cee Lo Green, Rihanna and Adele, who sang “Someone Like You,” the second single from her wildly successful 21 album. “Adele just came out there with just a piano, and she was just making obese, grown British men just cry. It was unbelievable,” Jones said, before speculating on what the British singer might do at the VMAs. “She probably gonna kill it again.” The “Rolling in the Deep” singer’s spirited stage show has provided some unique inspiration for Chiddy Bang. “That’s something I aspire to down the road,” Xaphoon joked, “I just want to make British dudes cry, pretty much.” The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year’s highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visiting VMA.MTV.com . Related Videos 2011 VMAs: Behind The Scenes Related Photos 2011 MTV Video Music Awards Performers Related Artists Chiddy Bang Adele
Joe Jonas, Miguel, Chiddy Bang and Wallpaper also set to hit the stage for performances, including a live stream before Sunday’s big show. By Jocelyn Vena Gabe Saporta Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images Sure, the big show happens on Sunday night, but before the 2011 Video Music Awards kick off officially, MTV is throwing two star-studded concerts to get the party started. On Friday, Swizz Beatz , Chiddy Bang and Wallpaper will perform at the Taco Bell Presents the MTV2 VMA Concert, with Jessie J — our 2011 VMA House Artist — hosting the event. If you aren’t lucky enough to be in attendance at the Los Angeles show, you can still check out footage from the event. MTV2’s “Sucker Free” will be filming on site with guests Swizz Beatz and Chiddy Bang, and the episode is set to air Sunday at 11 a.m., with a special encore airing at 11 p.m. ET, right after the VMAs. Then on Saturday, Cobra Starship , Joe Jonas and Miguel are set to perform at mtvU’s VMA Concert to Benefit Lifebeat – Music Fights HIV. Cobra Starship, along with special guest Sabi, will perform their track “You Make Me Feel” during the black carpet VMA Pre-Show . Can’t make it to the mtvU Lifebeat show? Not a problem. MTV.com, in partnership with the Capital One Journey Card, is exclusively presenting live-stream performances by Joe Jonas and Miguel beginning at 9:30 p.m. PT on Saturday. During the show, fans can use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to chat about it. And after the show, select full length performances will be available on-demand at vma.mtv.com . “MTV supports so many great causes, and we’re beyond grateful that they’ve made Lifebeat a part of VMA weekend again this year,” Lifebeat Executive Director Ben Wymer said in statement. “We’re looking forward to an amazing event and raising lots of funds for HIV/AIDS prevention and support.” The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year’s highlights and vote for Best New Artist by visiting VMA.MTV.com . Related Photos 2011 MTV Video Music Awards Performers 2011 Video Music Award Nominees Related Artists Cobra Starship Swizz Beatz
‘I just gotta get a good night’s rest, eat a healthy breakfast,’ Chidera ‘Chiddy’ Anamege tells MTV News. By Rob Markman Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege Photo: MTV News MTV’s first digital awards show, the O Music Awards , is shaping up to be quite the event. Just ask rapper Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege. The MC, who is one-half of the Philly-based rap group Chiddy Bang, will attempt to secure the Guinness World Records title for “Longest Freestyle Rap” in conjunction with the online broadcast. The current record is for nine hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds and is held by a rapper named M-Eighty out of Indianapolis. Chiddy has never timed himself while rapping, but he remains confident. “I just gotta get a good night’s rest, eat a healthy breakfast,” he said. “The rest should just be history. We’re just gonna try to make it and break it at the same time.” Xaphoon Jones, the group’s other member and producer, will provide the beats for his partner to rhyme to. “We’re just gonna basically have, like, two hours worth of instrumentals that my boy Xaph made,” said Chiddy, who will then put that custom-made playlist on a continuous loop. The rapper also hopes to get an assist from his fans via Twitter, who can send the MC topics to rhyme about using the hashtag #RapWorldRecord. “I will need the help from the fans, anybody that supports me on Twitter, or just supports the group in general, send some topics in,” Chiddy said. “As the freestyle is going on, people can be able to send topics through. That will definitely help a great deal as long as there is a steady stream of things to draw from.” The inaugural OMAs will stream live from Las Vegas at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT Thursday on OMusicAwards.com . Tune in to see who will reign supreme in categories like Most Viral Dance, Funniest Music Short and NSFW Music Video! Related Artists Chiddy Bang