Fashion photographers Inez & Vinoodh say stripped-down photo shows ‘the old soul that she is.’ By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga on the October 2011 cover of Harper’s Bazaar Photo: Inez & Vinoodh / Hearst Communications Lady Gaga appears barefaced on the latest cover of Harper’s Bazaar. The cover is simply a close-up of her face: no makeup, wigs, masks or high-end couture. For a star who’s frequently adorned elaborately, the simplicity of the look was so drastic that it made headlines. Fans might be surprised to learn the cover shot was taken during a hectic video shoot in Nebraska, where Gaga was not only shooting her official “You and I” clip , but also several Inez & Vinoodh-directed fashion films. The pair, who shot the Harper’s cover, told MTV News the photo truly exposes Gaga as the person she is. “She’s so beautiful in it. It’s her emotion and her expression, and you can just see the old soul that she is, the pure happiness,” Inez explained. “She’s a very special human being that is all about giving. I think that’s what’s great with that cover: It’s so out; it’s so talking to the people. That’s her most incredible quality: radiating that happiness that she has, and you really see it.” Over the course of her career, Gaga has had many extreme looks on the cover of countless magazines, and it seems that this stripped-down look was the only natural progression for her. The duo, who also shot her three-headed V Magazine cover, explained that this cover is “her purely; seeing her how she is inside.” So, how did the cover come to be? Inez explained, “I think it was Stephen Gan, the art director of Harper’s Bazaar, that came to us and said, ‘I would love to have a shoot with Gaga where she’s really bare, where it’s really her,’ because he knows her very well; they’re great friends. He feels the same way that we do: She is so beautiful, but because of all the stuff around, you don’t get the chance to see really the gorgeousness and the person inside in that part of her. For Harper’s Bazaar, I think it’s a big deal to have a black-and-white cover to begin with, and it’s great.” It was an idea that Gaga jumped on quite enthusiastically. “She’s at a point in life too where she’s very confident and … everything’s going so well and enjoying so much, it’s really the right timing too to bare herself like that,” the pair added. Share your thoughts on Gaga’s Harper’s Bazaar cover in the comments below! Related Artists Lady Gaga
‘I want your parents to not want my music in your iPod,’ Gangsta Gibbs says on ‘RapFix Live.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting Sway Calloway Freddie Gibbs Photo: MTV News If you ask Freddie Gibbs , rap just isn’t what it used to be. With a style influenced by acts like the Geto Boys , N.W.A. and 50 Cent , Gangsta Gibbs paints vivid street tales, but these days, that brand of rap seems to have taken a back seat to a softer, less menacing sound. “Rap lost its edge man. I don’t wanna be a part of what’s been goin’ on in the past five years,” Gibbs told Sway when he appeared as a guest on this week’s “RapFix Live.” “I wanna be taboo. I want your parents to not want my music in your iPod. I want your mom to be scared of what I’m talking about because it’s so real,” he said. Originally signed by Interscope in 2005, Gibbs struggled to get the label to see his vision and was eventually released from his deal in October 2007. But in ’09, Freddie proved that there was room for his brand of music. With the release of his The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik mixtapes, Gibbs made fans take notice. His grind paid off. By 2010, Freddie had earned himself a spot on XXL magazine’s Freshmen cover. He went on to drop the independent release, Str8 Killa No Filla on Decon Records. In April, the Midwest MC made his biggest move yet when he inked with Young Jeezy’s CTE (Corporate Thugz Entertainment). Since the signing, Jeezy and Gibbs have released quite a few songs together, including their hustle ode “Run DMC,” “Do It for You” and “Rough,” a song off of the Snowman’s latest mixtape, The Real Is Back 2. These days — maybe more than ever before — hip-hop is diverse with a broad pop appeal. But rough-around-the-edges Gibbs finds inspiration in groups like Houston’s Geto Boys, who rapped unabashedly about street life in the ’90s. “That’s how it was when I was getting my first Geto Boys tape, my mom ain’t want that in my tape deck. So I want your parents to be afraid of what I’m doing.” Are you a Freddie Gibbs fan? Tell us why in the comments below! Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar And Jay Rock Related Artists Freddie Gibbs 50 Cent N.W.A. Geto Boys
Gary, Indiana, MC tells Mixtape Daily he won’t duplicate, but ‘I’m trying to do this gangsta music.’ By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes Freddie Gibbs Monday’s Main Pick Street King : Freddie Gibbs Holding It Down For : The Midwest Mixtape : Str8 Killa (EP); Str8 Killa No Filla (mixtape) Real Spit : Gangsta Gibbs doubled up a few weeks ago with the selections you’ll read about here. He gave most of his music away for free, but tried his hand at bringing home sales as well. “I did that,” Freddie Gibbs said . “I dropped a mixtape on Thursday and the following Tuesday, I dropped an EP in stores. “Really, what I wanted to do was go get some points on the board. Put something in the stores for my fans to support and still give them music like I’ve been giving them on the Internet. You get like 28 songs for eight bucks. I’m creating my own way to sell music. I feel like the ground-roots people that’s supporting is loving the music, so it’s cool. “Str8 Killa No Filla is the mixtape. It’s got 22 joints. The EP is Str8 Killa. On the EP, you’re gonna get the songs off of the mixtape with no samples. It’s a lovely package. We packaged it together real nice.” Gibbs, whose official LP Babyface Killa is being cooked up now, said the name Str8 Killa is just his declaration that he doesn’t deal with the B.S. “I’m trying to do this gangsta music,” he said. “I just wanted to hit people right in the mouth with this. Let the world know what I’m on. Let them know I’m at the forefront of this. That’s what I grew up on. That’s the music everybody gravitated towards in the early ’90s. I’m not trying to duplicate that, but I’m carrying the torch.” Joints To Check For :
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