Tag Archives: vocals

Has Cake-less Cassie Cultivated A Crazy Cult Congregation?

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Cassandra Ventura has been the subject of a polarizing debate since her debut on the music scene in 2006 with her smash Myspace-turned-radio hit “Me and U”. Some love her because she’s fine as f*ck, others for her fashion sense, and some people just love to hate her. If everyone else, (besides the UK’s top rated newspaper The Guardian) had as much appreciation for non-sanging pretty ’singers’ like Cassie, she’d be a much bigger entity by now. Although Cassie doesn’t have the vocal chops comparative to your Beyonce’s and Jennifer Hudson’s, her vocals are not the worst and they work well on kinetic, infectious club beats. I’m actually shocked that the 24-year-old has a growing cult of hardcore supporters, but that would be down to the singer impacting the dance and electronic world. Apparently, a tribute mixtape was put together which involved several underground artists remixing and re-producing many of her tracks. Tri Angle Records boss Robin Carolan celebrated the new year by getting the words ‘Me & U’ tattooed on his arm. He states: “In her vocals, there’s a lot of space; from a producer’s point of view that’s what you want, you can completely mash it up and reconstruct it”. The Cassie appreciation was evident when last year, English DJ-producer Deadboy released ‘Cash Antics Vol. 1′. The compilation remixed her vocals, and the ‘Skydiver’ compilation involved dubstep producers Brackles and Jacques Greene reworking her tunes. Carolan continues: “For my artists, such as oOoOO and How to Dress Well—the idea of Cassie singing on their tracks is a dream. Others might view her as a has-been, but in this world she’s a legend. It sounds like she’s trapped in ice. There’s this stillness to [her voice]. Even though she’s not forcefully singing she still demands your attention”. However you feel about Cassie is your business. Does she have a lil hoe swag? Maybe. Is she EVER going to have a song that matters again? Ehhhh, probably not. But will she always have your attention for one reason or another? Damn skippy! Source

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Rick Ross Tells The Story Behind Drake’s Extended ‘Aston Martin Music’

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Ross tells Mixtape Daily we might see the unofficial track on a Teflon Don re-release. By Shaheem Reid Rick Ross Photo: MTV News The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive Rick Ross’ Teflon Don LP came out Tuesday (July 20), and by now, if you’ve been listening to the radio and the mixtapes, you’ve already heard the extended version of “Aston Martin Music,” a highlight of the project. The track features Chrisette Michele and Drake sharing hook duties. On the extended version, which is not on the album, Drake adds a rap verse. Ross stopped by our 1515 headquarters on Monday to explain Drizzy’s extra vocals. “It boils down to me having the idea, the concept,” Ross said. “Shout-out to J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. I got the production from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. I wanted to do something else, two-seater music. That’s what I like to call it when it’s personal music for you and that special female that’s riding shotgun in a two-seater. Chrisette Michele, she was on ‘Mafia Music 2.’ She came to Miami to film the video. I got her in the studio to do the first half of this idea I had, which is ‘Aston Martin Music.’ She was like, ‘What you mean just do half of the chorus?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, just do half. I’mma save the other half.’ ” Trusting Ross’ direction, the singer got in and laid the vocals we hear today: “Riding to the music, this is how we do it/ All night/ Racing down the freeway/ Just me and my baby/ In our ride.” “She loved the beat. She wrote her lyrics,” Ross continued of Michele’s session for “Aston Martin.” “It took her 10, 15 minutes to cut her vocals. I’m sitting there like, ‘Wow. All right, all right.’ At that point, I didn’t know who was gonna sing the second half.” The Bawse said listening to Drake’s new album, in his leisure time, inspired him to make that call to his friend from Toronto. “I sent it to the homie,” the Miami rap lord described. “He laced me. Right then, he was ready to jump on his verse. Right then, he was ready to cock and load. I was like, ‘I know you finishing your joint. Just give me that half a chorus, and I’mma make it do what it do. He loved the record. I got it back. He laced it at the point. When he heard [the finished version], it was magic. He was like, ‘I’m finnin’ to go in the studio, Ross. I’mma need to get on that.’ ” A version of the song with just an extended chorus and Drake’s verse called “Paris Morton Music” came out shortly after “Aston Martin Music” leaked to the Net almost two weeks ago. “I talk slicker than a pimp from Augusta,” Drake raps on the track. Then, one of Ross’ engineers mixed Drake’s verse and extended chorus with the album version of “AMM,” and that song has lived on the Net and mixtapes ever since. It’s also getting play on the radio. Ross said he has no problems with an unofficial extended version of “AMM” being out. He might even include it on a repackaging of Teflon Don in the future. “It’s only right,” Ross said. “I got on [Drake’s] first single [‘Find Your Love’]. He even put a twist on the title after some sexy ladies, I believe. It made it feel good. That’s what that music is about. On that re-release, that deluxe packaging, that’s what you may get. You never know.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc . Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Gucci Mane, Ron Artest

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The-Dream Says Just-Leaked ‘Sex Intelligent’ Is ‘Smash Time’

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Song is set to feature T.I., but his vocals weren’t on the leaked track. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Shaheem Reid The-Dream Photo: MTV News A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially if those smarts are only used in the boardroom and not the bedroom, according to The-Dream. An uncompleted version of the Atlanta songwriter’s “Sex Intelligent” arrived on various websites over the weekend. The song is scheduled to feature T.I., but his vocals weren’t attached to the leaked track. In March, The-Dream talked with MTV News about “Sex Intelligent” and said the song is about men and women being in tune with each other’s desires. ” ‘Sex Intelligent’ is just about knowing what you’re doing when you’re in the bedroom,” he said. “Not only in the bedroom, but mentally knowing what somebody likes. And that’s another one of those harmony-driven ’90s type of records, but, of course, updated to fit my fans, specifically. I think people like to hear good-sounding records when they close the doors. We talked about this before, what people wanna hear in their cars on the way to work and what they wanna hear when they light the candles. It’s a different feeling, and if I can provide it. I’ll try my best. And this is one of those records. It’s smash time. Hit the lights and make sure the bed is ready to be imploded.” “Sex Intelligent” follows the lead offering and title track “Love King” and the slated second single “Make Up Bag,” also featuring T.I. The-Dream has been locked in the studio with T.I. lately, for his own album and the rapper’s forthcoming project, both set for summer releases. “Every record he played me, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I could just feel it,” The-Dream said of Tip . “It wasn’t about judging it. It wasn’t about, ‘Is this a single or is this, that?’ It was just, ‘Wow, where have you been? Where’d you go?’ It was just elevated, and he’s elevated. Right now, he’s rapping like he’s in space. Not a place we don’t know — it’s in the same area — but his vibe is just wider now.” What do you think about The-Dream’s “Sex Intelligent”? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists The-Dream

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‘American Idol’ Report Card: Who Was A Star On Movie Night?

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Crystal earns an Excellent grade for her ‘Caddyshack’ cover; Big Mike’s ‘Free Willy’ fails. By Eric Ditzian Crystal Bowersox performs on “American Idol” Tuesday Photo: FOX The numbers in our “American Idol” classroom are dwindling, and that’s forcing producers to get creative. Thus Tuesday night’s Songs of Cinema theme introduced a dose of group work into the live show, as the top four contestants sang a couple of duets in addition to their familiar individual efforts. The ensembles proved to be the night’s saving grace. Before we dole out the grades, we’ve got an extra credit question for the “Idol” conspiracy theorists among you: What was the thinking behind pairing Crystal Bowersox with Lee Dewyze and Michael Lynche with Casey James? Hmmmm. And how about a bonus extra-credit question: What does it mean that for three out of the four contestants, their duets were far superior to their solo performances? In any event, “American Idol” is a competition for individuals, and the singers must be graded on this basic fact: How did each one fair? That’s exactly what we plan do as we push forward with another edition of our “American Idol” report card. (And don’t miss Jim Cantiello’s recap of their performances in the MTV Newsroom.) Excellent Crystal Bowersox : Her blown-glass mic stand was back, and so was MamaSox! After two straight weeks of adequate, if not revelatory, performances, the 24-year-old stormed back with a truly unlikely performance. A song from freakin’ “Caddyshack” ? Really? And yet, the country-rock makeover she gave Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” simply worked. By now we hardly have to mention that her vocals were on point; they’re always on point. And then her duet with Dewyze (“Falling Slowly” from “Once”) showed off such easy chemistry, such likability, we’d say she might just have locked up the competition. But we already knew that, right? Good Casey James : Casey probably should have known better, picking “Mrs. Robinson” after his entire story arc this season has boiled down to a cougar-rific connection to Kara DioGuardi. Wise or not, the song — with its mandolin-driven bluegrass feel — was a pleasing choice that stayed well within James’ vocal abilities. Was it a bit lazy, as Simon Cowell suggested? Perhaps. But we’d take a few more weeks of “Mrs. Robinson”-esque ditties rather than James back in his bar-band rocker mode. Meanwhile, his duet with Big Mike of Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” was an even stronger performance. It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens between these two singers come elimination time. Satisfactory Lee Dewyze : We’ve known for a long time now that Dewyze suffers from persistent pitch problems. Have those deficiencies ever been on display as glaringly as they were during Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose”? As the judges pointed out, that tune is a crazily difficult one to pull off, and Dewyze simply wasn’t up to the challenge. He did little to change up the tune, and while we wouldn’t go so far as to label the performance “karaoke” — as Cowell did — we will say that it was a colossal disappointment from a singer who’s supposed to be giving Bowersox a run for the “Idol” crown. Luckily for him, he was paired with MamaSox for his duet, and he rode her dreadlocks to the highest praise of the evening. Unsatisfactory Michael Lynche : Big Mike gives us our toughest call of the night. Was he merely OK during Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There,” or truly subpar? We enjoyed the gospel choir backing him up, but there’s no getting away from the roller-coaster path of his vocals from beginning to end. But in the end, Big Mike ends up at the bottom of our grading curve for making the worst song choice of the evening. Even Ellen DeGeneres couldn’t help but mock the selection, calling “Free Willy” “one of the classic, great movies of all time.” If you believe that one, you might also believe that Big Mike has a shot at winning “Idol” season nine. How would you grade the contestants’ movie-night performances? Post your report cards in the comments. Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

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Did Britney Spears Record "Telephone" Before Lady Gaga?

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Britney Spears recorded “Telephone” before Lady Gaga … according to sketchy reports and a “leaked” demo purported to be Spears’ original recording of it. According to Gawker, Lady Gaga wrote the tune for Britney, who passed on it for her Circus album. Ol’ Peg Leg took it back for herself, and it became a hit. Perez Hilton is convinced that it’s Britney doing Gaga’s ” Telephone .” Spears’ longest-running fan site, World of Britney, denies the vocals are by its namesake. “There was almost no Auto Tune in the actual song,” the site said. “It was raw vocals and that isn’t the song. Those of you with ears can hear its [sic] not B.” Um, okay … because Britney Spears is all about raw vocal ability and never uses Auto Tune or any sort of overdubs or enhancements whatsoever … no way. Take a listen to this “Telephone” and comment below: Britney Spears: Telephone Is the story true? Is the recording even her? Is it any good? Is it an attempt to siphon Gaga’s fame (like her manager’s campaign for a Britney Glee episode )? You tell us. What do you think of “Britney’s” version?

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T-Pain Shares His Auto-Tune Sound With iPhone App

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Users can sing into the speaker of their phones and hear their voice come out T-Pain-style. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway T-Pain performs during the BET Awards Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images This whole Auto-Tune battle looks like it’s not going away anytime soon. On one side, you have Jay-Z, whose track “D.O.A

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Natasha Hamilton Upskirt Pictures

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Here’s former Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton showing off more than just her vocals skills the other night. I don’t know much about the band and even less about this Natasha chick but I know a good upskirt when I see one and this one ain’t bad. Sadly this upskirt probably went largely unnoticed considering it happened during a performance at a Manchester Gay Pride event.

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Natasha Hamilton Upskirt Pictures

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