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Nicki Minaj Is ‘Reloaded’ After A Breakthrough 2011

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Britney Spears tour and ‘Super Bass’ smash fuel the Young Money rapper’s ascent. By Nadeska Alexis Nicki Minaj Photo: Getty Images More than a few hip-hop fans will point to Kanye West ‘s single “Monster” as a defining moment in Nicki Minaj ‘s rap career. The newcomer from Queens, New York, managed to one-up Jay-Z on the track, with arguably one of the best verses of 2010, but it wasn’t until this year that the Trinidad-born firecracker broke through the noise and took pop culture by storm, catapulting her career to new heights. Fresh off a stint alongside Lil Wayne on the I Am Still Music Tour, which grossed $47 million in the U.S., Minaj — #6 on MTV News’ Top Newsmakers of 2011 list — made one of her biggest career leaps when she scored a spot opening for Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale Tour . Before the cross-country jaunt kicked off, the world got a chance to see the two take the stage together at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, where Minaj joined the pop icon for her “Till the World Ends (Remix).” An increased fanbase was the result of that tour, but Minaj’s Pink Friday single “Super Bass” also had plenty to do with her rising profile. The catchy tune, with its colorful video, caught the attention of pop audiences thanks to glowing endorsements from stars like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. After Swift professed her love for “Super Bass” in a radio interview, the song took on a life of its own, climbing the music charts, although it was just a bonus track on Minaj’s debut album. Minaj performed the track with Swift at the L.A. Staples Center this past summer, and she also scooped up a Moonman for Best Hip-Hop Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. With a touring spot next to Spears and the success of “Super Bass,” the doors were wide open for Minaj to dominate the spotlight for the remainder of 2011. After making a quick and successful leap from hip-hop notoriety to pop-star fame, it was inevitable that the beauty and fashion world would be next to take notice. Minaj’s off-the-wall style attracted promotional deals from cosmetic companies such as MAC and OPI , as well as a few new well-heeled fans. In November, the Young Money rapper teamed up with Versace to debut the Italian fashion house’s new collection for H&M. At the request of Donatella Versace herself, Nicki shared a performance bill with Prince to unveil the new line in New York City. Less than 24 hours later, she joined Kanye West and Jay-Z as one of the performers at the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show . After making so much noise across hip-hop, pop and fashion this year, it was impossible for awards shows to ignore the Barbie princess. In addition to her wins at the VMAs and the 2011 American Music Awards, Minaj also nabbed a coveted nomination for Best New Artist at the 2012 Grammy Awards. Minaj’s sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is due February 14, 2012. MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our Best Artists , Best Songs , Best MTV Live Performances and Best EDM Artists of 2011. Related Photos Nicki Minaj’s Top Moments Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Drake Wants Video For Rihanna Duet To Be His ‘Best’

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘We’re working on definitely the ‘Take Care’ video,’ Drizzy reveals to MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Felicia “The Poetess” Morris Drake Photo: MTV News To Drake , Take Care is the story of a kid who goes from wide-eyed Toronto dreamer to rap royalty. But while Drizzy has painted that picture through songs on his sophomore set, the Young Money star hopes to roll out more visuals in support of the album’s narrative, and he has big plans for one video in particular. We’ve already seen “Marvins Room” and “Headlines,” the Lil Wayne-assisted “The Motto” is already in the can , and when MTV News caught up with him backstage at the Power 106 Cali Christmas Concert , Drizzy Drake revealed he’s set to shoot a clip for the title track with Rihanna. “It’s a project where I think visuals are called for, for a lot of those records,” he said. “So we’re working on definitely the ‘Take Care’ video, which we’re trying to get shot soon and a couple of other ones, too, off the album.” Drake, who can now hoist another platinum plaque for Take Care, wouldn’t dish on the treatment or concept for the video, but he has high expectations for it. “I want to make it perfect — the best video I’ve done to date — so I’m just taking my time,” he said. The Jamie xx-produced “Take Care,” with its pounding bass drum and sparse piano melody, tells the story of two lovers ready to leave behind their sketchy pasts in favor of a fruitful relationship together. Drake and Rih’s real-life fling (one the rapper addressed on 2010’s “Fireworks”) only helps to enhance the song’s appeal. Standing as both an endearing duet and a club banger, it’s the danceable, Gil-Scott Heron-sampling house build toward the end of the song that truly makes it a standout. What other Take Care videos would you like to see Drake shoot? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Artists Drake Rihanna

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Nicki Minaj Teases Twerkin’, Fried Chicken From Video Set

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Barbz, shld i twerk in the stupid hoe vid???’ Minaj asks fans. By Jocelyn Vena Nicki Minaj Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images If Nicki Minaj ‘s latest Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded track, “Stupid Hoe,” seems off-the-wall, her fans should probably expect the video to be as well. And given the hints that the fierce MC has dropped on Twitter, something zany is definitely in store. Over the course of the last few days, the singer has been keeping her Barbz and Kenz up-to-date on the video shoot, which will by all accounts feature multiple costume changes, multiple setups and even some fried chicken. “Next shot is in a bathing suit and [hairstylist] terrence got me eating fried chkn and carrot cake!” she tweeted, later adding, “gettin my nailz done. still shootin the vid. 2 more looks!!!!” The rapper later posted a photo of her manicure, which featured animal prints and rainbow colors. “Barbz, shld i twerk in the stupid hoe vid???” she asked. “but i 4got my twerkin moves … dang.” She may not end up twerkin’ in the video, but as of Wednesday, she still had some work to do on the clip, so it seems anything could make the final cut. “Stupid Hoe” will be the second video off of Minaj’s February 14 release. Earlier this month, she teased the clip for “Roman Reloaded,” the album’s lead single. “Well, [Roman] was there [in Moscow] secretly because [alter ego] Martha wanted him to go there, so they put him in this thing with monks and nuns; they were trying to rehabilitate him,” Minaj explained. “But I can’t tell exactly what happened, you’ll just see it in the video format, but let’s just say he got out of there.” Minaj added that the video for “Roman in Moscow” “will be shot real soon.” Those aren’t the only Minaj videos that fans are excited for. Her clip for Madonna’s lead single, “Gimme All Your Luvin,” had everyone buzzing when she tweeted about a kiss she shared with the Queen of Pop. While little is known about that video, a behind-the-scenes photo of Nicki donning red sunglasses and hanging out with M.I.A. on set hit the Web late Tuesday night. Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Britney Spears’ Big 2011: From A Smash Album To A Ring On Her Finger

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A decade into her career, the pop megastar reinvented herself this year as the ultimate Femme Fatale and made a big commitment to Jason Trawick. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Getty Images Maybe Britney Spears ‘ lucky number is 30. The singer turned 30 this year, marking the landmark birthday on December 2 with a fan-voted MTV News tournament that crowned the Best Britney Video of All Time . But her 30th year also proved to be an incredibly successful period in her career. For the first time in a while, she seemed comfortable being the pop megastar that she is. More than a decade into her career, Spears re-emerged as a Femme Fatale, giving fans a fist-pumping album, embarking on a flashy tour and dropping more memorable music videos. Britney Spears fandom was reenergized as the singer came out of her shell, opening up about this phase in her career as well her personal life in several high-profile interviews. So it’s probably not surprising that Spears will cap off the year at #4 on MTV News’ Top Newsmakers of 2011 list, just behind Lil Wayne. “When I was younger, I was busy, busy, and I was always singing and dancing all the time. I was just really creative,” she recalled in the MTV special “I Am the Femme Fatale.” “That’s when my mom realized I’m a really creative person.” She let that creativity shine over the past 12 months. From “Hold It Against Me” to “Till the World Ends” to her Chris Marrs Piliero-directed “I Wanna Go” and “Criminal,” Britney made headlines every time she dropped a music video. But no vid stirred up as much controversy as her “Criminal” clip , which featured real-life boyfriend (now fianc

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Britney Spears’ Big 2011: From A Smash Album To A Ring On Her Finger

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A decade into her career, the pop megastar reinvented herself this year as the ultimate Femme Fatale and made a big commitment to Jason Trawick. By Jocelyn Vena Britney Spears Photo: Getty Images Maybe Britney Spears ‘ lucky number is 30. The singer turned 30 this year, marking the landmark birthday on December 2 with a fan-voted MTV News tournament that crowned the Best Britney Video of All Time . But her 30th year also proved to be an incredibly successful period in her career. For the first time in a while, she seemed comfortable being the pop megastar that she is. More than a decade into her career, Spears re-emerged as a Femme Fatale, giving fans a fist-pumping album, embarking on a flashy tour and dropping more memorable music videos. Britney Spears fandom was reenergized as the singer came out of her shell, opening up about this phase in her career as well her personal life in several high-profile interviews. So it’s probably not surprising that Spears will cap off the year at #4 on MTV News’ Top Newsmakers of 2011 list, just behind Lil Wayne. “When I was younger, I was busy, busy, and I was always singing and dancing all the time. I was just really creative,” she recalled in the MTV special “I Am the Femme Fatale.” “That’s when my mom realized I’m a really creative person.” She let that creativity shine over the past 12 months. From “Hold It Against Me” to “Till the World Ends” to her Chris Marrs Piliero-directed “I Wanna Go” and “Criminal,” Britney made headlines every time she dropped a music video. But no vid stirred up as much controversy as her “Criminal” clip , which featured real-life boyfriend (now fianc

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Slim Dunkin Reportedly Murdered After Fight Over Candy

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The Waka Flocka Flame affiliate fought with man over stolen piece of candy, Atlanta police say. By Rob Markman Slim Dunkin and Waka Flocka Photo: MTV News Atlanta police are still on the hunt for the man who shot and killed up-and-coming rapper “Slim Dunkin” on December 16, but new disturbing details have emerged in the case. On Tuesday, WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that the Waka Flocka Flame affiliate and Brick Squad Monopoly member was shot in an altercation which began over a stolen piece of candy. “The information we’re getting, it’s unconfirmed, but witnesses are saying this whole thing started over a piece of candy,” homicide detective David Quinn told “Action News” on camera. According to witnesses, Dunkin, born Mario Hamilton, grabbed a piece of candy from another man while inside an Atlanta recording studio, which led to an argument and then a fistfight. The scuffle ended with Slim being shot once in the chest. He was then transported to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. There were a number of witnesses at the scene, but because police first arrived at the hospital and not the scene of the crime, they didn’t have the opportunity to properly interview all of the people who were present. There will be a public viewing on Thursday at Atlanta’s Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, located at 1003 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, from the hours of 6 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET. Dunk was an emerging star in Waka Flocka Flame ‘s Brick Squad Monopoly crew. Aside from key appearances alongside Flocka on his 2010 debut album, Flockaveli, and on Gucci Mane and V-Nasty’s BAYTL LP, Slim was also beginning to make waves as a soloist. This past Halloween the street-bred MC released Menace II Society, a 20-track mixtape that featured Gucci Mane, Roscoe Dash and Pastor Troy. Dunkin’s death has sent waves through the rap community; his close collaborators were undoubtedly hit hard. The day after he was murdered Waka took to Twitter to express his grief. “WISH IT WAS ME … MY F—ING RIGHT HAND IS GONE,” Flocka wrote the day after the murder. The “O Let’s Do It” MC continued to vent over Twitter, writing, “damn I feel dead” and “IM LOST” in reaction to the tragic news. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward and call 404-577-TIPS.

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Lady Gaga ‘So Happy’ About Oscars Recognition

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Pop star’s duet with Elton John, ‘Hello Hello,’ is on short list for Best Original Song. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage How does Lady Gaga feel about making the short list for the Best Original Song race at the Oscars? Well, she’s pretty excited. “Just heard my duet ‘Hello, Hello’ with Elton [John] is up for nomination at the Oscars! ‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ is such a beautiful film,” she wrote on Twitter. “I’m so happy!!” On Monday, it was announced that the Gaga/Elton duet is one of the 39 tracks vying for a nomination. will.i.am’s “Rio” track, “Hot Wings,” Mary J. Blige’s “The Living Proof” from “The Help,” and Zooey Deschanel’s “Winnie the Pooh” track, “So Long,” along with multiple tracks from “The Muppets” are also in the running. The final nominations will be announced January 24, and the awards show is slated to take place February 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Gaga is celebrating her latest achievement in Japan , where she will spend the holidays. “Well, I’ll be in Japan right up until Christmas Day,” she recently told MTV News. “So I’ll be eating with all my Japanese Little Monsters. I like shabu shabu [a type of Japanese hotpot].” After touching down, Mother Monster has been keeping her fans up-to-date on what she’s been up to on Twitter. “Sipping tea in Japan with Haus. Feeling so grateful,” she wrote. “We sold about 1 million albums a month worldwide since the release of BORN THIS WAY.” The busy holiday season caps off an even busier year for Lady Gaga, who happened to be MTV News’ Top Newsmaker of 2011 . She tirelessly released singles, videos, personas, a chart-topping album ( Born This Way ) and scooped up awards at seemingly every show from the Grammys to the VMAs. She was also #5 on our list of Best Artists of 2011 , and her disco empowerment track “Born This Way” snagged the #5 spot on the Best Songs of 2011 list as well. Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Rebecca Black Explodes, Charlie Sheen Implodes: That Happened This Year?

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

From Jennifer Lopez joining ‘American Idol’ to Charlie Sheen’s meltdown, some of the year’s biggest news stories seem like distant memories. By John Mitchell Rebecca Black in her “Friday” video Photo: Ark Music Factory Every major entertainment news story has a life cycle. First it breaks and is inescapable as every detail of the event takes on an aura of significance (think the carat count on Britney Spears’ engagement ring ). With interest still high but new information scarce, the analysis begins. We reporters look to experts to see what it all means and to fans to find out what they think and how they feel about what’s gone down. There are follow-ups and roundups as bright and shiny fresh news bits come together with what we already know to tell the whole story. Then the whole thing kind of dies as interest wanes and everybody moves on to the next big thing. Most major stories end up feeling like little time capsules and we never forget when they happened. Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” is as tied to 2011 as Beyonc

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Mary J. Blige Takes On Pat Benatar, Journey In ‘Rock Of Ages’

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Queen of Hip-Hop Soul tells MTV News her character in the big-screen ’80s musical is ‘a light in a dark place.’ By Jocelyn Vena Mary J. Blige Photo: MTV News Mary J. Blige is already one of the biggest divas in the music industry, but she’s gearing up to set the big screen on fire in 2012 with the movie version of the hit Broadway show “Rock of Ages.” “In the movie ‘Rock of Ages,’ I play a gentleman’s club owner and her name is Justice Charlier and she has to try to be a light in a dark place. … [My role is] to make these chicks feel better about their lives and move past the strip club,” she told MTV News at “VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul,” where she took the stage alongside Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson and Jill Scott. But the movie’s not sad all the time. The singer noted that, much like the stage spectacle the film is based on, there are good times to be had. And for anyone who loved the Broadway show or has watched the “Rock of Ages” trailer , it’s clear that ’80s nostalgia and merriment will be celebrated in abundance. “[It’s] a lot of ’80s classic rock that I’m singing: Pat Benatar, Journey even,” she said. “It’s fun.” Directed by Adam Shankman, the film drops next summer and co-stars Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alec Baldwin. Blige also was just nominated for a Golden Globe for her song from “The Help” soundtrack. Blige’s “The Living Proof” also landed on the Oscars short list for Best Original Song . So, 2012 could be the year that Mary J. takes La La Land by storm. “I’m excited about all of the success because I work really hard,” she explained. “I put time in. I’m the type of artist that doesn’t get anything for free. I have to bust my tail for everything, and I did exactly that.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Rock of Ages.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Artists Mary J. Blige

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Nicki Minaj Hints At Super Bowl Appearance On New Single

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Young Money MC’s latest Roman Reloaded track, ‘Stupid H–,’ teases a halftime performance. By Nadeska Alexis Nicki Minaj Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images At the beginning of December, Nicki Minaj teased her sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, with the zany track “Roman in Moscow.” And early Tuesday morning (December 20), her latest single “Stupid H–” hit the Internet, showcasing her unrestrained, oddball flows and hinting that Minaj might be performing at the 2012 Super Bowl. The Young Money rapper spits one particular line that teases she may take the stage at halftime: “Put ya cape on, you a super h–/ 2012, I’m at the Super Bowl.” There has been speculation that Nicki and M.I.A. may perform with Madonna at Super Bowl XLVI , since both rappers are featured on her upcoming album. Super Bowl news aside, Nicki’s second single of the month taps into her multiple personalities and employs her off-the-wall flow. She spits verses in different pitches, slowing down and speeding up her bars and stretching out some syllables like she did on the remix of Big Sean’s single “Dance (A$$).” The track ends with the declaration “I am the Female Weezy,” and after one listen, it’s easy to understand why. The Young Money rapper handles the song’s chorus herself, repeating the title of the track in her quirky voice. For her final verse, she spits a few lines directed at an unnamed enemy (speculation has already pointed to rival Lil’ Kim) who she says should have befriended her instead. Nicki’s sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day 2012. Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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