‘Whenever I see Drake, we always just end up kind of hanging out, which is equally fun,’ Florence Welch tells MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Rya Backer Florence Welch Photo: MTV News Since meeting at the 2010 VMAs, Drake has been vocal about his admiration for Florence and the Machine and has even talked of possible collaborations. With both acts set to release albums within weeks of each other, many have wondered if Drake would appear on Florence and the Machine ‘s upcoming Ceremonials or if the band would appear on Drizzy’s Take Care. Sadly, the answer is no. “We haven’t actually done any recording together,” Florence Welch told MTV News. “Whenever I see Drake, we always just end up kind of hanging out, which is equally fun, but no, we haven’t done anything together yet.” After meeting at the VMAs, Welch joined Drake onstage in London this past January and filled in for Alicia Keys performing Drizzy’s “Fireworks.” “I think we’re both big fans of each other’s work,” Welch said. “If we would have the time it is something I would definitely like to do, but we’re both really busy.” Drake’s Canadian cohort the Weeknd , however, took it upon himself to remix Flo and the Machine’s “Shake It Out” in September. Welch is a fan, and she even has hopes of shooting a most creative video for the remix. “Oh my God, I love it,” she gushed. “I love it so much. I really want to make a homemade video of it. I don’t know, like, rainbow exorcism. I hear that song, and it makes me think of puking rainbows.” Would you like Florence and Drake to get in the studio together? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Florence + the Machine Drake
‘Not only would I record it with 40, but I might take the beat apart with 40,’ Drake tells MTV News of Noah ’40’ Shebib. By Rob Markman Drake Photo: MTV News When you’ve made an impact with your music the way Drake has, you earn the right to do things your way. For the Toronto MC, that meant recording his sophomore album, Take Care, in his native city. Not only that, he insisted on only recording with his producer/engineer and longtime friend Noah “40” Shebib . So even when working with producers like Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, for example, the veteran hitmakers would have to give Drake the creative freedom to rework a track with his hometown guy. “The majority of producers, not only would I record it with 40, but I might take the beat apart with 40 and add elements that weren’t there before that just because I need a consistent thread,” Drake told MTV News of his Take Care recording process. Drake looks to add to Take Care what he felt Thank Me Later lacked: continuity. ” Thank Me Later was just song, song, song, song, song, whereas So Far Gone was a consistent thread,” the Young Money MC said of his debut album in relation to his breakout mixtape. “It was a story to me. And Thank Me Later, I sort of didn’t have enough time mentally to piece together a story. It’s very tedious.” Call it a case of being his own worst critic, as last year’s Thank Me Later was met with favorable reviews and was commercially successful as well. Still, Drake aimed to tweak his creative process with his next album, due November 15. “With that being said, I also need sonic consistency, so I need that presence in a Timbaland beat or someone’s beat,” he said. “There’s times when I really can’t even use someone else’s production because as much as I know that joint can be crazy, I want a consistent sound.” 40, who has amassed quite an impressive discography himself (DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One,” Lil Wayne’s “I’m Single” and Alicia Keys’ “Un-Thinkable”) provides Drake with the sonic continuity that he seeks, whether he is producing a record, engineering the session or mixing down the final product. This is a formula that has worked most recently on Drizzy’s latest Take Care single, “Make Me Proud,” with Nicki Minaj. The song was produced by Canadian producer T-Minus but tweaked by Shebib and Drake. “He knows if I like a beat, he’ll send it over to us and allow us to maybe creatively beef it up or strip it down or add one thing,” Drake said. What are you expecting from Drake’s sophomore LP? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Artists Drake
‘Not only would I record it with 40, but I might take the beat apart with 40,’ Drake tells MTV News of Noah ’40’ Shebib. By Rob Markman Drake Photo: MTV News When you’ve made an impact with your music the way Drake has, you earn the right to do things your way. For the Toronto MC, that meant recording his sophomore album, Take Care, in his native city. Not only that, he insisted on only recording with his producer/engineer and longtime friend Noah “40” Shebib . So even when working with producers like Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, for example, the veteran hitmakers would have to give Drake the creative freedom to rework a track with his hometown guy. “The majority of producers, not only would I record it with 40, but I might take the beat apart with 40 and add elements that weren’t there before that just because I need a consistent thread,” Drake told MTV News of his Take Care recording process. Drake looks to add to Take Care what he felt Thank Me Later lacked: continuity. ” Thank Me Later was just song, song, song, song, song, whereas So Far Gone was a consistent thread,” the Young Money MC said of his debut album in relation to his breakout mixtape. “It was a story to me. And Thank Me Later, I sort of didn’t have enough time mentally to piece together a story. It’s very tedious.” Call it a case of being his own worst critic, as last year’s Thank Me Later was met with favorable reviews and was commercially successful as well. Still, Drake aimed to tweak his creative process with his next album, due November 15. “With that being said, I also need sonic consistency, so I need that presence in a Timbaland beat or someone’s beat,” he said. “There’s times when I really can’t even use someone else’s production because as much as I know that joint can be crazy, I want a consistent sound.” 40, who has amassed quite an impressive discography himself (DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One,” Lil Wayne’s “I’m Single” and Alicia Keys’ “Un-Thinkable”) provides Drake with the sonic continuity that he seeks, whether he is producing a record, engineering the session or mixing down the final product. This is a formula that has worked most recently on Drizzy’s latest Take Care single, “Make Me Proud,” with Nicki Minaj. The song was produced by Canadian producer T-Minus but tweaked by Shebib and Drake. “He knows if I like a beat, he’ll send it over to us and allow us to maybe creatively beef it up or strip it down or add one thing,” Drake said. What are you expecting from Drake’s sophomore LP? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Artists Drake
We just can’t help but love Tracee Ellis Ross! She’s the kind of Hollywood giant that is completely relatable. She made an amazing move in her career 11 years ago when she decided to play the role of Joan in the hit sitcom, Girlfriends . The role became one of Tracee’s signature roles and made her a girlfriend in the minds of most women of color. With her new show, Reed Between the Lines and Lifetime’s original movie, Five ; Tracee’s definitely lighting up the screen. 1. Star Studded Lineage Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, thanks to her diva of a mother, Diana Ross. Like mother, like daughter, Tracee can’t help but shine. 2. Fashion Phenom Tracee is a former model and contributing fashion editor for the now folded Mirabella magazine. Her knowledge of fashion is clear. Tracee has no stylist and is always impeccably dressed. 3. Funny Girl Tracee broke into comedy on MTV’s Lyricist Lounge Show and managed to breathe some of that same comedic life into her character, Joan in Girlfriends . 4. The New Claire Tracee’s newest character, Dr. Carla Reed reminds me of a newer Claire Huxtable. She’s sexy, career-driven, a devoted mother and loving wife–all the beautiful qualities that Mrs. Huxtable effortlessly exhibited. 5. Meaningful Work Recently appearing in Lifetime’s Five , Tracee played a breast cancer diagnosed Rosario Dawson’s soccer mom sister. The segment was directed by Alicia Keys and brought life to the importance of the fight against breast cancer. Tracee Ellis Ross & Malcolm Jamal Warner Return To TV In “Reed Between The Lines” [SNEAK PEEK] Tracee Ellis Ross & Lauren London Get Silly On Set Of New Show [PHOTOS] It’s so easy to love Tracey Ellis Ross and we couldn’t be more excited that we get to watch her every week on BET’s Reed Between the Lines Tuesdays at 10pm! Will you be watching?
Nicki Minaj and Pitbull announced the 2011 nominees for American Music Awards yesterday (October 11th), and a variety of artists were recognized, including ATL’s own B.o.B and Usher! The winners will be revealed on Sunday, November 21st when the show airs on ABC at 8 pm ET. Here are the nominees in the categories we care about, but you can check out the complete list of nominees here . Artist of the Year Justin Bieber Eminem Ke$ha Lady Gaga Katy Perry Breakthrough Artist B.o.B Justin Bieber Taio Cruz Jason Derülo Ke$ha Lady Antebellum Travie McCoy Mike Posner Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist Justin Bieber Eminem Usher Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist Ke$ha Lady Gaga Katy Perry Favorite Band, Duo or Group The Black Eyed Peas Lady Antebellum Train Favorite Album Justin Bieber, “My World 2.0″ Eminem, “Recovery” Katy Perry, “Teenage Dream” Favorite Male Rap/Hip-Hop Artist B.o.B. Drake Eminem Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album B.o.B., “B.o.B. Presents” Drake, “Thank Me Later” Eminem, “Recovery” Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist Chris Brown Trey Songz Usher Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist Alicia Keys Rihanna Sade Favorite Album Alicia Keys, “The Element of Freedom” Sade, “Soldier of Love” Usher, “Raymond v. Raymond”
Singer Mateo, who had a short stint with Myspace Records, is now signed to Krucial Keys’ independent label, Kruical Noise. During the a recent listening session Krucial confessed that working with Mateo gave him the same feeling to when he began working with Alicia Keys, sounds more than promising. Mateo’s voice captured music fans with the cover of “Power” featuring Pusha T and Ab Liva along with “Don’t Shoot Me Down” featuring Goapele and Ab Liva again. Fast-forward to the present and Mateo’s latest song is “Say It So” featuring Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz the lead single from his up-coming EP “Love and Stadiums Pt. II.” A music video has been shot for this song and I personally cannot wait for its premiere, as this song is an infectious favorite of mine. See the crooner speak for himself in our exclusive interview below. Don’t worry beauties, we got him to dish on meeting Alicia Keys too. Check out our interview below. For more HelloBeautiful “like” our Facebook Page and tweet us @HelloBeautiful ! For more music find me on twitter: @NessaLovesMusic Alicia Keys Reveals Details About Her Broadway Play “Stick Fly” [VIDEO] Alicia Keys & Jay-Z Perform At The IHeartRadio Fest [PHOTOS] Goapele Talks Motherhood and Making “Break Of Dawn” [Exclusive]
Everybody can agree that music is a universal language. Many American musicians make note of the fact foreign audiences don’t understand what they’re saying when they are speaking, but the audience sings every word to their songs. Well, what happens when an audience speaks a musician’s native tongue fluently and they still don’t understand what the musician is talking about? I was at a party and the DJ had the beats knocking, until he threw Kriss Kross on . (Forgive him.) On “Jump,” the boys from the A rap, “‘Cause I’m the miggity, miggity, miggity, miggity Mac Daddy.” Can someone explain what a “miggity mac” is because I didn’t understand it then and still don’t. We will discuss a few of the most confusing lyrics in songs. If you think you can explain some of our selections, sound off in the comments. Labelle – “Lady Marmalade” This signature hit from the ladies of Labelle has it all–a racy subject matter, a funky groove, and a little bit of French thrown in there. The few lines in French translate to “Will you sleep with me tonight?” However, what in the world is a “gitchy gitchy ya ya?” I’ve heard of singers scatting, but that was never in the scat sounds dictionary. “Gitchy gitchy ya ya” sounds like a pause worthy slang term for a sexually transmitted disease. “ Yo, Son, you was messing with that girl around the block? You better get checked or something. I heard she got that gitchy gitchy ya ya, if you know what I mean!” To which a person would respond, “Pause. Damn, I’m going straight to the clinic!” Lady Marmalade Kanye West – “Roses” In 2005, Kanye West put out his sophomore album, Late Registration . The set was more introspective than his debut. His introspection was on full display on the track dedicated to his grandmother’s ordeal with being hospitalized. “Roses” documented how he had to deal with his popularity when he just wanted to be a human and look after his grandmother. While the song is remarkable, one line baffles even the most intellectual people I know. “So many aunties, we could have an auntie team.” Kanye , we know you like to act like you’re more forward thinking than the rest of us commoners. So could you explain what an auntie team is? To clarify, are we talking about a basketball team full of aunties? What kind of team are we talking here? Commoners, like myself, know you don’t write lyrics down. With lines like that, you might want to start putting the pen to paper again. Roses Whitney Houston – “Million Dollar Bill” When Whitney Houston was recording her comeback disc, I Look To You , she called upon some of today’s hottest songwriters to provide the material for her to reclaim her throne atop the music charts. The second single from the effort was the Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz confection, “Million Dollar Bill.” The disco-lite uptempo number had us in a groove until she sang, “I can see the way he’s making me feel this way about his love.” Honestly, I can’t blame Whitney. She was just looking for another hit song to flesh out her album. The real blame is on Alicia Keys . She’s a great artist and all, but for a woman who graduated high school at 16 and was accepted to Columbia University , she is all over the place with her writing. A few of her songs don’t make good use of a little thing we like to call subject-verb agreement . This line in “Million Dollar Bill” feels Mrs. Swizz Beatz threw some words at a wall and whichever stuck, she put in a song. No dice. Million Dollar Bill Lionel Richie – “All Night Long” In the 80s, light skinned fellas were all the rage. The leader of that light skinned male crusade was the crooner, Lionel Richie . One of his biggest hits is the party anthem, “All Night Long.” The word “party” is said in many different languages. The questionable thing about the song is about the chant at the end. If anyone has an explanation for “tom bol li de se de moi ya, hey jambo jumbo,” please holla at a player. Are those actual words in another language? I’m not too sure. My theory is baby Nicole Richie was learning to talk and she said this, instead of a real sentence and Poppa Richie just went with it. I could be wrong, but my theory is probably cooler than the actual story. At least, I’d like to think so. All Night Long Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” Michael Jackson released the seminal project, Thriller , in 1982. Though every song on there is a classic, one of the biggest fan favorites is “Wanna Be Startin Somethin.” When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this song. I played it so much my mom bought me a Walkman so she didn’t wind up breaking my tape. One thing about that song annoys me to this day. What the hell does “ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa” mean?! My mom told me it was Swahili and I believed her. Come to find out, she wasn’t far off. The King of Pop claimed the phrase was Swahili, in order to keep all royalties for himself. Apparently, the words come from a song by a Cameroonian artist, Dibango . Dibango’s words were, “ma ma ko, ma ma sa, ma ma ko sa.” Dibango sued Jackson in the 80s and sued him again in 2007 when Rihanna sampled the chant for her dance hit, “Don’t Stop The Music.” Rihanna got permission from Michael Jackson , but neglected to get permission from Dibango . They settled out of court for the second time before Rihanna’s album dropped. By the way, there is no clear translation of the chant, but it does have something to do with dancing. Wanna Be Startin Somethin Related Posts: Alicia Keys Or Beyonce: Battle Of The Baby Bumps Top 5 Worst Album Sequels Top 10 Freedom Fighters In Music
Simon Cowell ends up a mentor to the girls, with Nicole Scherzinger in charge of the over-30 group. By Gil Kaufman Simon Cowell Photo: FOX After a relatively sane four audition episodes, “X Factor” got down to business on Thursday night (October 6), when the second evening of boot camp helped cull the herd down to the semifinal contender class. While some early favorites such as Siameze Floyd and adorable not-yet couple McKenna and Brock cracked under the pressure, others, including Chris Rene, Josh Krajcik and cutie brother act the Brewer Boys, survived the group competition and punched their ticket to the next round. The two-night boot camp episode reduced the 162 contenders to 32, with eight in each of the four categories: boys, girls, over-30s and groups. After 62 acts were lopped at the top of Wednesday night’s show, half of the remaining singers were put into groups that got help from vocal coaches, stylists and choreographers. Their challenge was to work with their peers while shining on their own on songs by U2, Radiohead, Jay-Z, Marvin Gaye, Rascal Flatts, Whitney Houston, Nina Simone, the Eagles, Five for Fighting and Snow Patrol. Simon Cowell says “X Factor” boot camp gets real. One of the show’s early standout stars, hard-luck story and recovering addict Chris Rene, singing alongside his soulful sister Gina, shone again on Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” which also put R&B crooner Marcus Canty back in the spotlight. Twangy country singer Tim Cifers delivered again on the Flatts tune, and Bieber-esque teen sibling duo the Brewer Boys were in the pocket again on Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars.” By midshow, the cuts began, with one group going home in tears, and another, which included the Renes, perpetually on-the-bubble Tiah Tolliver, the Brewers, adorable 14-year-old soul singer Crow and Prince-like wildman Floyd making it for one more day. The bad news was that the 64 remaining acts had to turn around, pick another song and do it all over again to make the final cut … in front of an audience of 3,000. Crow went somber with a piano-assisted cover of Beyonc
Amber Rose has been facing heavy scrutiny since she first started dating rapper Kanye West. Her bald head, sexy and edgy look made her a constant target for media to adore and also attack. She and Wiz Khalifa are allegedly married now (even more reason to poke and prod) and to back that rumor she refers to herself as a “a great wife” in her latest blog posting. Did Amber Rose & Wiz Khalifa Secretly Get Married? Amber lashes out against the media for their constant bashing: “U do something positive in this industry u get scrutinized I really came to the conclusion that its not even about me its the fact that I’m a woman. Men in the entertainment industry are praised constantly for their ” wrong doings”. if ur a drug dealer and u took care of ur family before ur fame everyone understands. If u get shot in the mist of u hustling ur cool as f*ck. If a mans naked pics hit the internet ppl think its cute or funny then just talk about how big he is. A Man can date 20 models at the same time and he is respected by the world and if a girl does it she’s a disgusting whore and a “Star F*cker” Women get destroyed by the media and our peers constantly but I am writing this to specifically speak about myself. “Regardless of the fact I dated Kanye for 2 years or the fact I was a stripper at 15 years old or that my most private pics were stolen from me and a new batch hit the internet every week, I am a human being. I’m a daughter, a best friend, a great wife and a all around good person. i never speak negatively about anyone. Have I? NO. U think i don’t want to? I course I do I’m human. But I keep my life positive and I stay strong every time my ex talks about me in his songs or when these blogs tell nothing but lies about me or when ppl say that I shouldn’t be speaking to young girls in Africa. Why wouldn’t I speak to those girls? I AM West African just like them, I grew up poor just like them, most of those girls quit school to take care of their families JUST LIKE I DID. So how the hell do they not relate to my life and I theirs??? Talking to those young girls wasn’t a job for me feeding those kids wasn’t a job for me it wasn’t for publicity and I didn’t get paid to do it. I went there cuz I LOVE to help ppl. I DON’T want a pat on the back for shit that I do from my heart or even a thank u it was my blessing to go out to Ghana it is a second home for me now and it changed my life FOREVER! So don’t criticize me and say why is Kanye’s ex stripper Girlfriend in Africa I am so much more then that smh there is a reason why he loved me so much and theres a reason why Wiz loves me so much now did u ever think maybe I’m just a sweet person? Every girl reading this has an ex boyfriend and every guy reading this is most likely dating a girl that has been with more then 1 guy. So what have I done to everyone? Its it because u think I am undeserving of this life because of my past? Or is it pure hatred? If I was a man and dated 2 female artist would that be ok? Thats not as bad right? Bulls—. And the one thing that is extremely upsetting is the fact that woman criticize me more then men do. Look at yourselves before u criticize someone u don’t know Look at the mistakes you’ve made in ur life. ppl are so negative it’s ridiculous But I will continue to be positive, Loving and all about women empowerment and to my Rosebuds I know u guys get it and I LOOOOVE u so much for supporting me through all of this nonsense. Thank u -Amb” Amber Rose Receives Angry Backlash For Ghana Trip, Blames It On Sexism Why Is Amber Rose In Trouble Over This Photo? Wiz Khalifa Defends Amber Rose’s Revealing Photo Leaks More Amber Rose Nude Pics Leak! Amber Rose About Wiz Khalifa “I Did Not Downgrade At All” [SEXY PHOTOS INSIDE] Wiz Khalifa Speaks On Amber Rose Tattoo & Their Relationship [EXCLUSIVE]
The conversation about Swizz Beatz sexting Christina Elizabeth has calmed down, and it seems like all is great between Alicia Keys and Swizzy. The couple worked the red carpet at the New York Screening of “Five,” and if Alicia is upset about her husband’s sexting scandal, she’s not showing it at all. Check out Alicia and Swizzy here… RELATED POSTS: Swizz Beatz Strikes Child Support Deal With Baby Mama #3 Alicia Keys “A Place Of My Own” (Live) [NEW MUSIC] Why Christina Elizabeth Is Talking About What Swizz Beatz Did To Alicia Keys [VIDEO] Swizz Beatz’s Jump Off Christina Elizabeth On Sexting Scandal [AUDIO] Alicia Keys Responds To Swizz Beatz Sexting Rumors? Swizz Beatz’s Side Chick Admits To Affair!
