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Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale: Will The Album Be #1?

Record is projected to sell 275,000 to 300,000 units in its first week. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ new album, Femme Fatale , is a chugging dance-pop album full of sexual innuendo and thumping beats, made even sexier by Spears’ flirty singing style. It’s Spears’ latest release since 2008’s Circus, which sped straight up the charts as soon as Britney’s dedicated fans could get their hands on it. While Spears remained somewhat under the radar for her last release, this time around, the pop star has been on a media blitz, and as of press time, Spears had the #1 album on iTunes. Hits Daily Double Senior Editor Roy Trakin explained to MTV News that judging from sales so far, Spears will likely have the #1 album by next week. “We’re going out with the projection 275,000 to 300,000 [albums sold]; probably below label projections but those are always inflated. I think everything’s kicking in. There seems to be a lot of press attention,” he said of the album. “I think this is still a healthy total for her given the market and given where her career has been. This is a good showing.” Not only have sales been strong, music critics have also been loving the album. “The critical reception seems to be fairly positive, as well. That doesn’t have much to do with sales, but the general feeling is positive. She’s gonna be #1,” Trakin said. “300,000 is the over-under.” This week, some of Spears’ biggest competition comes from Adele, whose 21 has been selling consistently well for weeks, Jennifer Hudson’s newest release, I Remember Me, which sits at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, Chris Brown, whose album F.A.M.E. is currently the #1 album in the country, and this week’s other big new release, Wiz Khalifa’s debut album, Rolling Papers . “Given the state of the market right now, this will probably be, I would think, this will end up being the second biggest debut of the year. Only Adele would be larger this year,” Trakin said. “That’s pretty good, actually. The real big story this week is Wiz Khalifa with Rolling Papers, with between 190,000 and 215,000.” Is there any chance of an upset that forces Spears out of the #1 spot? Trakin explains that that is unlikely, saying, “The Wiz Khalifa showing is strong, but it’s about 100,000 below what Britney’s gonna do.” To see what Spears has to say about the album and to watch her as she puts the finishing touches on it, don’t miss the “Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale” special, airing Sunday, April 3, at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. Related Videos Britney Spears Drops Her Femme Fatale Album! Related Artists Britney Spears

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Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale: Will The Album Be #1?

Wiz Khalifa Contemplates Success In ‘The Race’

The Pittsburgh MC talks about his new Rolling Papers today at 4 p.m. ET on MTV’s ‘Rapfix Live.’ By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Steven Roberts Wiz Khalifa Photo: MTV News Through hard work Wiz Khalifa has risen from heralded underground rapper to hit-making star in the past year, and he addresses his ascent on his new album, Rolling Papers. On the I.D. Labs-produced track, “The Race,” the Pittsburgh lyricist takes a smoke-filled trip down memory lane. “I’m in the race and taking the winner’s place,” he waxes melodically on the song. “No foot on the breaks/ One of the best, homey, that’s what they call me/ It’s lonely at the top, ain’t no company/ So now I just stunt on my own, I just stunt on my own.” “It’s a personal song without being too preachy,” Wiz told MTV News about the track as he celebrated his album’s release on Tuesday. “It really just explains how I feel at certain points. Just doing work, anyone can feel like that when you grinding from the bottom and get to a certain point. You see people who, in the beginning or middle, were riding with you, then there’s some adversity, and at the end of the day, it’s about who’s with you in the end.” After being tapped as a rising star by Rolling Stone while he was still in high school and putting out a series of mixtapes and an independent album, the 23-year-old Wiz was soaking up his recent success as he inked his name on copies of Rolling Papers at a Best Buy in Manhattan. “It’s totally exhilarating to see kids lined up outside, screaming, wanting the album and purchasing the album,” Wiz said. “It was actually, like, a year ago that I first started working on the album. “I didn’t really know where I was going, but I knew I was going somewhere,” he added. “To have it done and to see the full vision and for people to be excited about it and the entire buildup, it’s just really magnificent.” Wiz Khalifa makes his second appearance on MTV News’ “RapFix Live,” hosted by Sway on Wednesday (March 30) at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. Related Artists Wiz Khalifa

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Wiz Khalifa Contemplates Success In ‘The Race’

Daniel Radcliffe Says Final ‘Harry Potter’ Press Tour Will Be ‘Weird’

‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ actor will trade Broadway for red carpets when ‘Deathly Hallows’ premieres in July. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Daniel Radcliffe Photo: MTV News The end is almost upon us. Over a decade after production on the first “Harry Potter” began, the final film hits theaters in July, and as J.K. Rowling promised Daniel Radcliffe , she’s not going to write more books about the boy wizard. That’s fine by Radcliffe, who has joked on many an occasion that he’s ready to leave the franchise behind, not least because there’d be something unseemly about playing Harry as the actor approached middle age. But he’s not done with “Potter” yet. There’s still the upcoming press tour for the second part of “Deathly Hallows,” which will require Radcliffe to step away from his new Broadway musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” for a few days. And, as he told MTV News recently, transitioning from one show-business world to another is going to be strange. “In a way, it will probably be weird to suddenly have to switch out of the mode I’m in for this show and then go and do press,” he said, adding with a laugh, “But I can do that. I’m very versatile!” Being able to jump from performing to plugging and back again, Radcliffe added, simply comes with the territory. “I think any actor that does a big film or even a show like this now without the expectation that they will have to do press for it is very naive,” he said. “It’s part of the job. It’s as much a part of the job almost as anything else.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV News Rough Cut: Daniel Radcliffe Related Photos ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1’

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Daniel Radcliffe Says Final ‘Harry Potter’ Press Tour Will Be ‘Weird’

Snoop Dogg Explains How Kanye West Collabo ‘Eyez Closed’ Happened

‘I was in the studio with Swizz Beatz and heard some beats, and it was Kanye West,’ Snoop recalls to MTV News. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Steven Roberts Snoop Dogg Photo: MTV News Snoop Dogg was working with Swizz Beatz in the studio when he decided to let the world know he settled on a name for his next album — Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary — which he later shortened to just Doggumentary. The producer proved to be good luck for the veteran rapper. During another session in New York when the pair were working together, Snoop said he heard music coming from another room and decided to investigate. The result? “Eyez Closed,” from his latest project — which dropped Tuesday (March 29) — produced by and featuring Kanye West; John Legend also appears on the track. “I was in the studio with Swizz Beatz and walked down the hallway and heard some beats, and it was Kanye West,” Snoop told MTV News. “He called me into the studio and played me a couple of songs from his album. He was like, ‘I got this song that’s not gonna make the album, but listen to it.’ ” The rocking “Eyez Closed” lifts a sample from Jimmy Spicer’s “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all),” also used by Maino for his breakout “Hi Hater.” On the number, a reflective Snoop pays respect to the younger generation while reaffirming his status. “Run these MCs, I’m tougher than leather,” Snoop raps. Earlier this month, Snoop spoke with MTV News about his career, which has spawned 11 solo albums, from his Death Row days to riding with Master P and his No Limit soldiers to his latest incarnation as Wiz Khalifa’s mentor . “I don’t really think of it as reinventing myself, ’cause it’s all within me,” Snoop explained. “It’s all who I am. It’s more or less faces of Snoop Dogg or characters of Snoop Dogg that’s in this one spirit. But at the same time, he’s able to embellish different parts of the character to create this look, that style, that sound. But it’s all the same. Because when I do it all at once, when I do a concept that has all the songs, I don’t have enough time to change and act like this; it’s still me.” Have you heard Snoop’s latest yet? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Snoop Dogg Kanye West

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Snoop Dogg Explains How Kanye West Collabo ‘Eyez Closed’ Happened

Snoop Dogg Explains How Kanye West Collabo ‘Eyez Closed’ Happened

‘I was in the studio with Swizz Beatz and heard some beats, and it was Kanye West,’ Snoop recalls to MTV News. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Steven Roberts Snoop Dogg Photo: MTV News Snoop Dogg was working with Swizz Beatz in the studio when he decided to let the world know he settled on a name for his next album — Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary — which he later shortened to just Doggumentary. The producer proved to be good luck for the veteran rapper. During another session in New York when the pair were working together, Snoop said he heard music coming from another room and decided to investigate. The result? “Eyez Closed,” from his latest project — which dropped Tuesday (March 29) — produced by and featuring Kanye West; John Legend also appears on the track. “I was in the studio with Swizz Beatz and walked down the hallway and heard some beats, and it was Kanye West,” Snoop told MTV News. “He called me into the studio and played me a couple of songs from his album. He was like, ‘I got this song that’s not gonna make the album, but listen to it.’ ” The rocking “Eyez Closed” lifts a sample from Jimmy Spicer’s “Money (Dollar Bill Y’all),” also used by Maino for his breakout “Hi Hater.” On the number, a reflective Snoop pays respect to the younger generation while reaffirming his status. “Run these MCs, I’m tougher than leather,” Snoop raps. Earlier this month, Snoop spoke with MTV News about his career, which has spawned 11 solo albums, from his Death Row days to riding with Master P and his No Limit soldiers to his latest incarnation as Wiz Khalifa’s mentor . “I don’t really think of it as reinventing myself, ’cause it’s all within me,” Snoop explained. “It’s all who I am. It’s more or less faces of Snoop Dogg or characters of Snoop Dogg that’s in this one spirit. But at the same time, he’s able to embellish different parts of the character to create this look, that style, that sound. But it’s all the same. Because when I do it all at once, when I do a concept that has all the songs, I don’t have enough time to change and act like this; it’s still me.” Have you heard Snoop’s latest yet? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Snoop Dogg Kanye West

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Snoop Dogg Explains How Kanye West Collabo ‘Eyez Closed’ Happened

Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale Is Her ‘Strongest Album,’ Critics Say

Leading pop critics praise the ‘craftsmanship’ on the singer’s ‘great dance pop’ release. By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Christina Garibaldi Britney Spears Photo: Jive On Tuesday (March 29), Britney Spears released her latest album, Femme Fatale , to much fanfare and critical praise. Femme Fatale is a dark, churning, cohesive 12-track record that will have fans on the dance floor from beginning to end. From the opening track and current single, the Ke$ha-penned “Till the World Ends,” to the last, the slower “Criminal,” the momentum never stops.

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Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale Is Her ‘Strongest Album,’ Critics Say

Wiz Khalifa Hypes Rolling Papers At NYC In-Store Appearance

‘It’s totally exhilarating to see kids lined up outside,’ MC marvels on the day of his debut album’s release. By Steven Roberts Wiz Khalifa Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — A year ago, Wiz Khalifa was a relative unknown. Sure, Wiz was selling out shows, but outside his loyal Taylor Gang fanbase, he wasn’t a household name. That all changed with the release of his breakout mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice, and the anthemic single “Black and Yellow.” Fast-forward 10 months, and Khalifa’s major-label debut, Rolling Papers, is in a battle for the week’s #1 release against Snoop Dogg and Britney Spears. MTV News caught up with Khalifa on Tuesday afternoon (March 29) for his in-store at Best Buy in Union Square, and even he was shocked to see fans lined up around the block. “It’s totally exhilarating to see kids lined up outside, screaming, wanting the album and purchasing the album,” Khalifa marveled. “It was actually like a year ago that I first started working on the album. “I didn’t really know where I was going, but I knew I was going somewhere,” he continued. “To have it done and to see the full vision and for people to be excited about it and the entire buildup, it’s just really magnificent.” Plenty of excited — but also laid-back, of course — Wiz fans waited outside Best Buy for a chance to meet Khalifa and get his autograph. Many of them came out on Monday night to buy the album at midnight and receive a wristband to meet Wiz on Tuesday. “I love that kid, no lie. I don’t know that kid personally, but when I greeted him, I was in the zone,” fan Daniel Candelairo told MTV News. “I’ve been listening to him since ’07, so unlike most people out here claiming Taylor Gang — I’m not into all of that. I just listen to his music and I promote him.” Candelairo recalled catching flak for being a Wiz fan back in the day, but he’s enjoyed the turnaround. “He’s blowing. Everybody loves this kid,” he said. “It’s awesome. I’m proud of him.” Have you checked out Wiz’s debut album yet? Share your reviews in the comments! Related Artists Wiz Khalifa

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Wiz Khalifa Hypes Rolling Papers At NYC In-Store Appearance

CyHi Da Prynce Asks God For A Release Date Via ‘Text Message’

‘I’m speaking my album into existence this year,’ MC tells Mixtape Daily of The Hard Way Musical. By Jayson Rodriguez CyHi Da Prynce Photo: MTV News Don’t Sleep: Necessary Notables Mixtapes : The Allies and Royal Flush 2 Headliner : CyHi Da Prynce Key cameos : Big Sean, Pusha T, J. Cole, etc. Essential info : CyHi Da Prynce knows what his next two projects are (a pair of mixtapes), but the Georgia rapper is calling on a higher power when it comes to getting a release date for his debut album. No, he’s not calling on mentor Kanye West; rather, the “So Appalled” star is seeking an answer in the biblical sense. “At the end of April, I want to put out Royal Flush 2 and I wanna release The Allies when school is coming back in,” CyHi told Mixtape Daily. “Those two projects, I want them to be my last mixtapes that I put out before my album. I’m speaking my album into existence this year. God says, ‘If you ask, you shall receive,’ so I’m asking, and hopefully I’ll receive it sometime soon. I’m sending a pigeon or something, even a text message.” For his debut, The Hard Way Musical, the G.O.O.D. Music artist is already a few songs in. “My album is a lot of storytelling. It’s heartfelt, but at the same time it’s hip-hop to the T,” he said of the collection. ” Royal Flush is more so the different parts of me, but my album is gonna be more the story of me.” Other Heat This Week

Britney Spears Songwriter Talks ‘Sexy’ Femme Fatale Tune ‘Gasoline’

Claude Kelly says he envisioned Spears as ‘a man-eater’ when he wrote the track for her. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Eric Charbonneau/ Le Studio/ Wireimage Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale album, due out on Tuesday, is a sexy, dark dance record meant to be played heading to the club, at the club and at the post-party after the club. One of the tracks that exemplifies this is the fiery, Claude Kelly-penned “Gasoline.” Kelly conceived of the searing dance tune while thinking of Britney’s sexiest moments. “The picture that I envisioned in my mind was ‘Toxic,’ ‘Slave 4 U,’ ‘Boys,’ like that kind of [thing where] it’s sexy and it’s hot, sweaty and she’s in a club and she sees a guy,” he explained to MTV News. “That mysterious, exotic look, that whole imagery and that era where she’s a man-eater and all the girls want to be her and all the guys would kill to be with her. I think she pulled it off for sure.” Kelly also wrote the title track off of Spears’ 2008 album, Circus , but this time around he wanted to take things to a new level. “I’m super happy with the way it came out. She sounds fresh and exciting,” he said of the track, which was recorded in L.A. while Kelly was busy working on other projects elsewhere. “For this time, she’s in a place where she wants to be edgier again, so I was like, ‘How am I going to make the word gasoline a cool song?’ ” he recalled. “That’s really the challenge for me and I tried to play off what I know of Britney from the past, from the Blackout era, when she was more mysterious and dark. “The one thing that kind of strings all of [the songs] along is that feeling of edginess and mysterious and sexy and a little bit playful but a little bit dangerous,” he continued. “If you can tap into what she’s in the mood for, which is what happened with ‘Gasoline,’ clearly her mind was in the zone that ‘I want to be edgy.’ ” The party never stops on Femme Fatale , and Kelly is sure that the fans will be happy about that. “The most common thing I hear people say about Britney is ‘I want to dance.’ Girls love to dance to Britney,” he said. “I think people missed that and wanted that … This one was like, ‘Let’s her in the clubs again.’ ” Related Photos Britney Gets Angelic In These Femme Fatale Promo Shots Related Artists Britney Spears

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Britney Spears Songwriter Talks ‘Sexy’ Femme Fatale Tune ‘Gasoline’

Wiz Khalifa Wants To Rap Over ‘Really Tight’ Mumford & Sons Song

‘Roll Up’ MC tells MTV News he’s a fan of the rock quartet during Spring Break in Las Vegas. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Sway and Wiz Photo: MTV News Spring Break is a chance for willing college kids to try something new. So in the spirit of the yearly tradition, Wiz Khalifa — one of the performers at MTV’s Spring Break 2011 , along with Snoop Dogg, Pitbull and Lupe Fiasco — spoke to MTV News about experimenting with rhyming. We asked the “Black and Yellow” star whose music he would pick if he could rap over any other artist’s song. “Mumford & Sons, they got a really tight song that I wanna rap over,” Wiz said. “That I would totally rap over if I had the chance to ’cause usually, when I see the video or hear the song, I get it real quick but now I have to ask again. I forgot. [Editor’s note: Wiz is likely referring either to M&S singles “Little Lion Man” or “The Cave.”] “They’re tight and really musical,” he said about the West London quartet. “I like the instruments they use, like bongos. It’s tight and acceptable.” Although Wiz took to the Las Vegas stage joined by his DJ, the Pittsburgh rapper said he also had a band in mind if he needed a crew to back him: the Disco Biscuits. “They’re hard,” he explained. “It’s just sound-y. When you get that vibe and that music, it just feels good and makes you feel a certain way when you hear it.” Khalifa, an MTV News 11 for ’11 pick, is set to celebrate his major-label debut on Tuesday, when Rolling Papers arrives in stores and at online retailers. “We got a couple of surprises along the way to keep people interested,” he told MTV News last month. “But really, other than that, the album is done. We’re really excited. Everyone is excited. [Warner Music Group executive] Lyor [Cohen] came through to a session. I got so much support from the single and going into the album. So when we do drop it, I think we’ll get that response that everyone was expecting.” Catch Wiz performing in Las Vegas during MTV’s Spring Break on Monday night (March 28) on MTV at 9:50 p.m. ET. Are you excited to hear Wiz’s Rolling Papers ? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, More Take Over MTV Spring Break 2011 Spring Break 2011 Performances Related Photos Spring Break 2010 | Performance Photos Related Artists Wiz Khalifa

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Wiz Khalifa Wants To Rap Over ‘Really Tight’ Mumford & Sons Song