Latest mixtape is ‘a day in the life of’ Big K.R.I.T., from ‘8:04 AM’ to ‘5:04 AM.’ By Rob Markman Big K.R.I.T. Photo: MTV News Main Pick Headliner : Big K.R.I.T. Representing : Meridian, Mississippi Mixtape : 4Eva N a Day Real Spit : Ever wonder what goes on during the course of your favorite rapper’s day? On his latest mixtape, 4Eva N a Day, Big K.R.I.T. gives fans an intimate look into his life. From the moment he wakes up on the first track, appropriately titled “8:04 AM” to the tape’s second to last track “5:04 AM,” K.R.I.T. spreads his soul over the course of 17 selections. “I just wanted to do a sequel to Return of 4Eva, instead of it being just a group of songs, I said, ‘Man, let me do something conceptual,’ ” K.R.I.T. tells Mixtape Daily of the motivation behind his 2012 tape. Last March the Meridian, Mississippi MC/producer dropped his critically acclaimed Return of 4Eva. Though his releases are considered mixtapes, K.R.I.T. presents his works like albums. There are no freestyles, only well-thought-out songs of the rapper’s own original production. On his last tape, songs like “Highs & Lows,” “Dreamin’ ” and “The Vent” found K.R.I.T. bypassing the standard rap fare of money, cars and clothes, choosing to give more substance in his music. 4Eva N a Day takes the formula futher. ” 4Eva N a Day was pretty much a day in the life of as far as me,” he said. “So I tried to put my whole life on wax, from the moment I wake up, real life conversations with my father, my actual grandmother, there’s audio of her talking before a song. There’s people in my life that are actually on this tape.” “Boobie Miles” is an inspirational hymn inspired by the Texas high school running back whose real-life story inspired the 1990 critically acclaimed book “Friday Night Lights” and the movie of the same name. On the track, Krizzle urges listeners to put God first, a spiritual theme that carries the tape throughout. The title track finds the self-proclaimed King Remembered in Time celebrating his relative victories in the face of haters. On “Handwriting,” the Def Jam signee vents about label woes, and on “Insomnia,” he seeks some sexual healing to help ease the stresses of his day. If you let K.R.I.T. tell it, the life of an up-and-coming rap star isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, but you also get the feeling that the rookie wouldn’t have it any other way. Joints to Check for
‘If I feel it, I can get on it,’ Nas tells MTV News about his collabo on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Nadeska Alexis Nicki Minaj Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage When Roman gets reloaded on April 3, it looks like Nicki Minaj ‘s alter ego will have some backup. On Friday (March 16), the Harajuku Barbie unveiled the track list of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Of course, Young Money counterparts Lil Wayne and Drake make appearances, but so do Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Cam’ron, Young Jeezy and 2 Chainz, not to mention Nas on a song called “Champion.” “Nicki hit us up, I got love, so it was nothin’ — I did the record,” Nas told MTV News on Saturday night before his show at South by Southwest. “Champion” also features Drake and Young Jeezy, and based off the features, one can assume that fans will see Nicki in full-on MC mode, as opposed to the pop presence on her current single “Starships.” It’s a duality Nicki embraces. “I guess I am pop culture just because what I’m doing seems to be popular. When people want to do what you’re doing, it’s kinda popular,” she told MTV News after her NBA All-Star Game performance in February. While fans wait to see how Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded holds up sonically, Nas gives his own assurance for “Champion.” For the Queensbridge, New York, MC, it all boils down to a simple feeling: “It’s hip-hop music; music is music. If I feel it, I can get on it. I heard the track, I felt it, I loved it.” What are you expecting from Nas, Drake and Young Jeezy’s Nicki Minaj collaboration? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Nas Nicki Minaj
‘I’m not gonna act like I’m a superhero,’ Mac tells MTV News of his persona on upcoming mixtape. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sam Hendrick Mac Miller Photo: David Wolff-Patrick/Redferns Mac Miller sure knows how to have a good time. On his 2010 breakout mixtape K.I.D.S., the then-teenage MC promoted party and B.S., and has continued to do so on hyped-up follow-up singles like “Donald Trump” and “Party on Fifth Ave.” With his mixtape Macadelic, due Friday, the Woodie of the Year winner is looking to switch things up. “It’s a lot different from anything I’ve ever done,” he told MTV News of the mixtape backstage at the mtvU Woodies . “In my past projects, I always thought about them a lot, like, ‘Where are the party jams? Where are the jams that are fun?’ ” This time out, Mac took a different creative approach with Macadelic. “I was trying to make a complete project, but on this project, all I wanted to do is just say what was on my mind,” he said. “I just worried about saying what I wanted to say, and I felt like there were a lot of things that I wanted to get off my chest, and this mixtape was the way to do it.” One thing Miller wanted to address were the critics who painted him as a frat-boy rapper only concerned about partying, doing drugs and bedding women. “I didn’t have the best reviews on a lot of things, and I speak on that,” he said. “I talk about that. I’m not gonna act like I’m a superhero and sh– doesn’t bother me — of course it bothers me, so I spoke on it.” Cam’ron and Sir Michael Rocks appear on the tape, as well as a big-time feature Miller chose to keep secret for now. “I can’t say who it is,” he teased. “But it’s just wild, wild.” Who do you think is Mac’s surprise Macadelic feature? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Back To The ‘Burgh With Mac Miller And Wiz Khalifa Related Artists Mac Miller
As we count down to the premiere of her ‘Part of Me’ video, MTV News picks our favorite Katy Perry clips to date. By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker Katy Perry Photo: EMI We’re just a couple days away from “MTV First: Katy Perry,” when the pop star will premiere the music video for her #1 hit, “Part of Me” on MTV. As her seventh #1 single, “Part of Me” has a long line of awesome videos to live up to. And as we count down the hours to the video premiere at 7:23 p.m. on Wednesday, it seems like an opportune time to look back at our five favorite Katy Perry videos so far. #5: “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” This Marc Klesfeld-directed, 8-minute mini-movie opened with Kathy Beth Terry waking up the morning after throwing quite the rager, wearing absurd head gear and dreadful overalls. While this was not Katy’s first foray into the comedic music video genre by any means, this was the first time that she pulled all hands on deck to maximize the laughs with meaningful cameos from a glassy-eyed Darren Criss, Kevin McHale as a love interest, the mentoring of Friday expert Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Hanson, Debbie Gibson and, of course, Kenny G. Complete with dream sequences, beautiful fluorescent leggings a la 1985, a rooster and end credits that clearly save the best for last, “T.G.I.F.” is hands-down Katy’s most fun video to date. #4: “I Kissed a Girl” Rewatching the video for her first #1 hit, we see a personality far more timid and sex kitten-ish than the Katy Perry we know now. But we still recognize strong visual themes that are scattered throughout her more recent videos, live performances and magazine spreads. Director Kinga Burza brought us bizarre yet compelling imagery that seems to have set the tone for all videos to follow. The pink-and-red color scheme creates a burlesque backdrop around Katy’s former 1940s-pin-up-girl look that she hit the big pop scene with in 2008. We get to see a cat (not Kitty Purry technically, but perhaps a nod?), a pretty cake (confection!), and a pillow fight with a group of scantily clad women (including a pre-famous Ke$ha). The video ends with her waking up to realize the whole video was a dream, and she happens to be sharing a bed with a man who looks suspiciously similar to her then-boyfriend, Travie McCoy. #3: “California Gurls” This now-iconic video set the Candyland theme Perry took on the road with her for the sold-out California Dreams World Tour . As Snoop Dogg plays a naughty game of “Candyfornia,” the game piece, Ms. Perry, is faced with obstacles in the Mathew Cullen-directed adventure, including an army of pissed-off Gummy Bears and sinister candy snake vines. The obstacles are no match for her whipped cream-shooting bikini top and her happy-go-lucky demeanor she maintains while lying nude on some of the prettiest cotton candy clouds ever spotted. Her lavender, blue and black wigs foreshadowed Perry’s constantly-changing hair styles we see today. The visual effects in the video, surprisingly intricate for such a silly and sweet concept, transform Katy’s homeland California with all of its picturesque landscapes into a tantalizing Willy Wonka land where everything is edible, including the Hollywood sign. The video also marked Katy’s first noteworthy choreographed dancing, which was a new territory not explored from her One of the Boys era of videos. #2: “Firework” Katy Perry looks like a princess in this Budapest-set, Dave Meyers-directed tearjerker (happy tears!) that led the way for anti-bullying anthems even before Pink’s “F—in’ Perfect” and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way . Featuring a child cancer patient, a boy whose parents are fighting, a girl struggling with her weight and a teenage boy with a same-sex love interest, Katy Perry’s message of “igniting the light” is loud and clear as fireworks burst from everyone’s chest and purple streaks in one’s hair have never looked so good. #1: “The One That Got Away” Marking her second collaboration with director Floria Sigismondi following “E.T.,” “The One That Got Away” takes the top prize because of its clever jumps through time, a convincing old-lady makeover, Diego Luna’s spicy cameo, and Perry managing to look more beautiful than ever amid a fascinating emotional breakdown. Set against the backdrop of California panoramas, this music video neatly ties together the imagery she introduced us to in her equally gorgeous video for “Teenage Dream,” while letting the story of love and loss run wild, giving Katy the chance to show us the extent of her talent, as she showed her high potential for dramatic acting. Can Katy Perry top this list with “Part of Me”? Find out when during “MTV First: Katy Perry,” when the pop star will debut the video at 7:23 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by an 30-minute interview with MTV News’ James Montgomery on MTV.com. Immediately following the premiere of “Part of Me” on MTV, the video for the deeply emotional single will air on Logo, debut on MTV.com, VH1.com and LOGOtv.com, and go into rotation on mtvU, MTV Hits and AMTV the following morning. Additionally, the video will debut on Saturday, March 24, at 9 a.m. ET/PT during VH1’s “Top 20 Countdown” and on TeenNick’s “Obsess This” music block at 7 a.m. ET and Sunday, March 25, at 8:30 a.m. ET. Do you agree with our top five picks? Let us know in the comments section. Catch “MTV First: Katy Perry” on Wednesday, March 21, when the pop star will debut her long-awaited video for “Part of Me” at 7:23 p.m. ET on MTV. Then head over to MTV.com for an exclusive 30-minute interview with MTV News’ Perry! Related Artists Katy Perry
Singer celebrates grandmother’s birthday in New York, live tweeting almost the entire affair. By John Mitchell Rihanna and her grandparents Photo: Instagram Enjoying a bit of a break after a hectic few months, Rihanna stopped by her grandparents’ apartment in Brooklyn, New York, this weekend for an intimate family gathering celebrating her grandmother’s birthday. The Barbadian pop sensation live tweeted practically the entire affair, beginning with a stop to pick up some wine and grub. Ever the expert in double entendre, Rihanna tweeted a picture of the sausage aisle, calling it her “fave section in Whole Foods.” She posted 21 pictures of the festivities, many with the hashtag #grangrandollybday. (To take a look at some of the photos, click here.) It’s been a busy and at times controversial 2012 for Rihanna, who has endured heavy criticism for her decision to add ex-boyfriend Chris Brown to a remix of her Talk That Talk track “Birthday Cake.” Brown remains on probation after pleading guilty to felony assault of the singer in 2009. But the only thing on Rihanna’s mind this weekend was celebrating her “Gran Gran” Dolly’s birthday with family and close friends. Ever the devoted granddaughter, Ri-Ri hit the kitchen to cook up some goods before enjoying a glass of wine with her grandparents, who met in Guyana before moving to Barbados and later the U.S. Growing up, Rihanna regularly spent holidays in New York with her grandparents. The “We Found Love” singer even tweeted her grandfather’s confusion over her ever-changing hair color. “My GranDad: Robyn how ya is get hair from red to cream to black??? Cuz ya don’t carry wigs,” she wrote. “Ya does wash it out?! ME: ROTFL (no words)” It looks like Gran Gran Dolly got plenty of gifts and the family enjoyed cake and champagne as well as a fun game of dress up. Rihanna posted several pics of both her grandmother and grandfather Lionel sporting sideways-skewed baseball caps and heavy gold chains. The family visit must have been a nice change of pace for the always-working diva, who is prepping for the May release of her film debut, “Battleship.” She’s also still promoting her hit 2011 album Talk That Talk, and in a recent interview with “Access Hollywood,” she admitted she’s trying to work out a collaboration with her good friend Katy Perry. “We have been working on this for years. We still are trying to make a song together, Katy Perry and I,” Rihanna said. “She is one of my favorite musicians, as well as one of my favorite people in the industry. … Whenever we’re in the same city, we try to do something — whether it’s seeing each other for five minutes for a hug [or] whether it’s partying all night at some random afterparty for an award show.” As for the duet, it’s on the docket if not necessarily in the works. “The song will probably come out in a while,” Rihanna told “Access Hollywood.” “I won’t say that it’s happening right now, but it’s going to happen.” Related Photos Rihanna Parties With Her Grandparents Related Artists Rihanna
‘You can rewind it. You can hit play. You can pause,’ famous frog tells MTV News of the Blu-ray, available Tuesday. By Josh Wigler Walter and Kermit the Frog Photo: MTV News It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights! It’s time to meet “The Muppets,” available on Blu-ray this Tuesday (March 20)! OK, our rhyming skills could use some work, clearly. Perhaps it’s best to leave those kinds of hijinks to the Muppets themselves. Thankfully for all of us, we did just that when Kermit the Frog and Walter , the newest member of the pint-sized gang, swung by the MTV Newsroom last week to tell us all about their imminent home-video release. According to the frog and his new pal, “The Muppets” comes with all sorts of special features, some that you normally wouldn’t think to mention when pitching Blu-ray and DVD discs to the folks at home. “You can rewind it. You can hit play. You can pause,” Kermit offered not so helpfully when we asked him about some of the features we’ll find on the “Muppets” Blu-ray. “Another thing I want to tell you: One special feature about Blu-ray is that you can use it as a coaster, and it’ll still play. It works very well!” On a more serious note — as serious as things get with Kermit and Walter, that is — the Blu-ray comes packed with extra features including an intermission sequence that’s activated when the viewer hits pause. “The intermission is great,” Kermit gushed. “We all jump in and do silly things for you during the intermission … and we’ve never done silly things before!” The coming “Muppets” release also hosts some deleted scenes, including one that expands upon the film’s villain, Tex Richman, and his reasons for hating the Muppets so darn much. “It’s this whole big music video,” Walter explained. “In the final cut of the film, you just see a couple of minutes. But on the DVD, you get the whole shebang!” Though this week’s home-video release is the next place you’ll be able to see the Muppets, it won’t be their last appearance. Both Kermit and Walter are quite convinced that further adventures are coming our way very soon. In fact, Walter’s already pitching sequels! “One script I’m pitching now: ‘Extremely Short and Incredibly Cute,’ ” he joked. “We feel certain there will be another movie,” Kermit said. “And who knows? We might have the opportunity to bring something back like ‘The Muppet Show.’ That would be fun! But we’re taking it one step at a time.” Tell us what you think of “The Muppets” in the comments section and on Twitter ! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Muppets.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Muppets’
Nas presents his debut album Illmatic and gives first performance of ‘The Don’ in Austin. By Nadeska Alexis Nas performs at SXSW 2012 Photo: Getty Images A classic never dies and Nas proved that to a packed house during the final night of SXSW, with a performance of his debut album Illmatic at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre. The 20th anniversary of Illmatic ‘s release (April 19, 1994) is quickly approaching, and to commemorate the occasion, VEVO tapped the Queens, New York MC to perform his celebrated album in its entirety. The stage of Austin’s Moody Theater was transformed into an elaborate set designed to replicate the atmosphere of mid-90s Queens. An image of the Queensbridge Houses were set behind a New York City bus stop tagged up with “RIP Ill Will,” (a tribute to Nas’ childhood friend Willie “Ill Will” Graham) and Nasir Jones climbed a flight of stairs, emerging from a subway tunnel to begin his set. The veteran rapper was brief with his words, simply introducing himself, “My name is Nas and tonight I’m bringing you Illmatic ,” before beginning “N.Y. State of Mind.” Legendary producers DJ Premier and Pete Rock, who both had a hand in crafting Illmatic , manned the turntables and joined Nas in reminiscing about his early days. Rapper AZ joined Nas to assist on “Life’s a Bitch,” and the duo diverted from Illmatic momentarily to perform The Firm’s “Phone Tap.” DJ Premier kept the memories coming, teasing Nas about the first time he heard him rapping back in 1991 (“You were rapping some sick, demented s—“), which prompted Nas to perform his verse on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbecue.” In between classics like “The World is Yours,” “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” and “Halftime,” DJ Premier and Pete Rock encouraged crowd participation and kept energy levels high with a short tribute to fallen legends Big L and Guru. But before Nas finished his set, he brought things back to the present, with the first performance of his new single “The Don,” which will appear on his upcoming tenth studio album Life is Good. Related Videos South by Southwest 2012 Related Photos SXSW 2012 Related Artists Nas
‘X Factor’ vet, who recently signed deals with Nickelodeon and Columbia Records, tells MTV News, ‘Everything worked out perfectly.’ By Christina Garibaldi Rachel Crow Photo: MTV News It was the most shocking elimination of the first season of “The X Factor” when Rachel Crow was sent home in December. The 13-year-old, known for her infectious personality and smile, dropped to her knees in tearful exit, saying to the crowd, “I hope this is not my ending. You know what? I know it’s not, and I will go so far. I promise you, and I love you.” It seems Crow was right: Just last month, the young star signed an overall talent deal with Nickelodeon to star in her own comedy series and signed a record deal with Columbia Records. MTV News caught up with Crow recently in Los Angeles, who revealed that she has no regrets about her time on “Factor” or her fifth-place elimination. “A lot of people ask me if I looked back, what would be one thing that I would change? And, nothing,” Crow said. “Everything worked out perfectly.” A big supporter of Crow was her mentor on the show, Simon Cowell, who said after her elimination, “Like I said from the very first time I met you, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about Rachel Crow. I give you my word on that.” Crow revealed that she and Cowell have kept in contact and that his support is a big reason for her success. “I text him, funny enough,” she shared. “I love him; he’s just a really nice guy. “It’s really awesome to have someone like that on your team. I really love him, and I look up to him as well and what he’s done for me. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today, so it’s really amazing getting to say that to people. I’m very thankful.” Yet, Cowell isn’t the only “X Factor” vet Crow keeps in touch with: She said she remains friends with many of the contestants as well as former judge Paula Abdul. “I do keep in touch with Paula a lot; we tweet back and forth, which is awesome,” Crow said. “I do keep in touch with a lot of the contestants, such as Drew , Marcus, I do keep in touch with Stereo Hogzz, Melanie [Amaro] , a lot of people from the show, Chris Rene , just pretty much everyone that was top 10.” So what was Crow’s reaction to the firing of both Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger ? “Well, I think they’re both really great people, and they’re gonna do amazing things,” she said. It’s now looking likely that Britney Spears will fill one of the vacant judges’ seats . The pop star was reportedly offered the position and a $10 million paycheck. “That’d be cool,” Crow said of Spears being a judge. “I’m just kinda moved past it right now.” Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Rachel Crow
‘I’ve been waiting for that collaboration forever,’ Wiz says of his new tracks with the Harlem rapper. By Sowmya Krishnamurthy Wiz Khalifa Photo: MTV News In what he describes as a long-awaited duet, has announced a new collaboration with one of his favorite rappers, Cam’ron , on Wiz’s upcoming sophomore album, O.N.I.F.C. In an interview with Hard Knock TV , Wiz explained that he worked with the Harlem rapper on two songs, one of which will be featured on his upcoming album (versus the soon-to-be-released Taylor Allderdice mixtape ) in order to give it the proper visibility. “I did that more justice than putting it on the mixtape, because I’ve been waiting for that collaboration forever,” he said. Describing how the partnership came about, Wiz said, “First of all, I’ve been a huge Cam’ron fan forever. Him and Snoop Dogg are my favorite rappers. I’ve been trying to get up with Cam for a long time, but it never really happened. My man [Sam] Crespo, who works at Atlantic … he called Cam and gave Cam my number. Cam texted me, and I was like, ‘Oh sh–, it’s Cam.’ ” Though the “Black and Yellow” rapper didn’t elaborate on what the song will sound like, he did hint that it would be a blend of each artist’s distinct style. “Cam sent me a song and I did my thing on it … and he knocked it right out. It’s real sh– that people want to hear from both of us — that’s why I put it on the album. Because the sh– I did for him is me going into his world, and then the sh– he did for me is the polar opposite.” O.N.I.F.C. is slated to be released this year. During a February appearance on “Sway in the Morning,” Wiz told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway that the title is an acronym for “Only N—a in First Class,” inspired by Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy’s H.N.I.C. album title. Related Artists Wiz Khalifa Camron
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