‘We enjoy what everybody else is doin’, but our focus is us, and in our minds, we’re the best rap group,’ Joe Budden tells MTV News. By Rob Markman Joe Budden, Crooked I, and Royce da 5’9″ of Slaughterhouse Photo: MTV News At its core, hip-hop is a competitive sport. Hit records are nice, but the greatest MCs are often defined by their wordplay. Judging from fan reaction across Twitter, the highlight of Tuesday’s 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards were the nine different rhyme cipher segments , which showcased a total of 41 MCs all vying for rap supremacy. Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, B.o.B, Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group and Eminem and his Shady 2.0 crew all contributed lethal bars to the program. According to Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden, it was Marshall who reigned supreme in his round of rhyming. “We wasn’t chumped, though,” Budden told MTV News on the show’s black carpet. Yelawolf set it off with a tongue-twisting verse, while DJ Premier spun the instrumental from the East Flatbush Project’s 1996 classic “Tried by 12.” Joey threw the gauntlet next, with lines referencing some of rap’s elite, including Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. “I’m grown, I’m not watching the throne, I’m sabotaging it,” he spit before dropping, “Enough raps from you scrub cats about cocking the snub back/ Wayne couldn’t teach me how to love that.” When asked to contemplate Shady’s place among other rap crews, Crooked I pounded his chest and nominated Slaughterhouse for the highest honor. “Right now, we’re the best f—in’ rap group, straight up,” he said. “Best rap group in the universe,” Budden chimed in. “We thinking about us and what we’re doin’. We enjoy what everybody else is doin’, but our focus is us, and in our minds, we’re the best rap group.” After last night’s performance, Slaughterhouse certainly made a case. With his verse, Royce Da 5’9″ expressed his appreciation for pop star Rihanna, and after the cipher aired, “Hi Rihanna” became a trending topic on Twitter. Still, the segment’s main draw was Eminem, who stacked rhyme triplets atop each other in vivid and witty ways. Taking poetic license, Em described his rollout plans for both Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf’s upcoming album releases, spitting: “You’re about to see peace destroyed, it’ll never be restored/ When I unleash these beastly hoards on your CD stores/ Wanna stop it? You will need a priest, at least three swords/ A license to ill from the Beastie Boys, three Ouija Boards and a squeegee/ And please be warned, don’t ask what the squeegees for/ Or the holy water, acid raps that’ll eat these floors.” And it all sounds delightful. Who had your favorite verse during the BET Hip Hop Awards ciphers? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Slaughterhouse Eminem
We asked movie and comic book experts to analyze first official trailer. By Josh Wigler Samuel L. Jackson in “The Avengers” Photo: Marvel The first trailer for “The Avengers” is finally here, offering our best look yet at what director Joss Whedon has in mind for when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes gather together on the big screen in May. For many fans, the trailer delivered on all its promises: extensive looks at the team in action, creepy narration from Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and even Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury stepping onto the battlefield with a bazooka in tow. For other fans — let’s just say the sweet melodic stylings of Nine Inch Nails wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for the trailer’s soundtrack, among other grievances. To get a better sense at what fans are thinking regarding the “Avengers” trailer, MTV News reached out to film and comic book experts across the blogosphere to weigh in with their thoughts on the latest Marvel teaser. The overall verdict, with few exceptions, is that the trailer is a rollicking success. “I’m a guy who likes to deal in specifics, and what I can say specifically is I honestly liked all of it,” said Jonah Weiland, executive producer at Comic Book Resources . “Sets an incredible tone and gives us a glimpse of the dynamic between the core members (I’m sure we’ll find out more about Black Widow and Hawkeye in due time). The action looks intense, but most importantly the characters all look like they ‘fit’ together — frankly, that’s one of the biggest challenges with this ‘team movie’ concept Marvel has been building to and it appears on first glance like they’ve succeeded in a major way.” NextMovie ‘s Kevin Polowy agreed that the “Avengers” trailer was the home run he was hoping for. “First off, I’m just relieved there’s some meat to it,” he said. “This is leaps and bounds beyond the unrevealing teaser trailer I think a lot of fans feared. Instead, we’re treated to glimpses of all the Avengers as well as Nick Fury and Loki, not to mention plenty of other bells and whistles: Menacing narration, cars blowing up, rocket launchers, trademark Tony Stark snark, more cars blowing up … lots of cars blow up in this trailer. Plus a look at that ‘rage monster’ the Hulk! I thought it rocked. This is really going to bring the house down at New York Comic Con.” From the perspective of HitFix ‘s Gregory Ellwood, Marvel hit the nail on the ol’ Shellhead when it comes to the movie’s big selling point. “It was fantastic to see Iron Man flying through the air again — Marvel knows how they are going to open this movie, and it’s with him,” he said. “The Downey Jr./Banner moment was cute (boy are those guys short, though), Hemsworth’s charm is always infectious, Sam Jackson is kickin’ ass like there are some snakes everywhere, Black Widow is in the house, we get our first glimpse of an Avengers Quinjet and a shot of Cap and Thor coming to blows.” But there are some areas the “Avengers” trailer did not deliver on, according to the experts, like getting the chance to spend more time with Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, whose only previous Marvel credit is a brief cameo in “Thor.” “It would’ve been nice to see a little bit more Hawkeye,” said Caleb Goellner, senior editor at Comics Alliance . “I understand that the ‘Big Three’ and Black Widow are the established characters with the biggest draw, but what can I say? I like arrows.” Ellwood agreed, adding a dearth of Black Widow to his list of critiques: “It would be fantastic if Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner actually had a chance to speak. Although, obviously, many fans of the Black Widow might not care.” Another potential area of weakness: the movie’s central threat. Though we know Loki is the big bad in charge during “The Avengers,” we’re still in the dark as to the power he possesses. As Newsarama ‘s Lucas Siegel pointed out: “What’s the big threat? We saw Loki, who Thor took down on his own, and … exploding cars. It would’ve been nice to have a little bit more direct of a ‘big threat’ shown.” Having said that, Siegel added: “Of course, that’s what we all want to see, but it could also be a great thing to save for the movie itself.” “All in due time,” Weiland agreed regarding Marvel’s decision to withhold certain bits of key information. “This certainly isn’t the last trailer for this movie.” It certainly isn’t. Asked what they were most looking forward to seeing next from the Avengers, many of the experts agreed upon a certain shade of green. “Hulk, Hulk, Hulk!” Weiland said. “It’s a safe bet that some — if not much — of the NYC destruction seen in the trailer is caused by the Hulk and, look, we all want to see Hulk rampage. Sure, we got some of that in those two films, but I’m pretty sure in Joss Whedon’s hands, he’ll make those previous Hulk movies look like an episode of ‘My Little Pony.’ ” Another frequently cited item on the wish list: confirmation of Loki’s allies, long rumored to be the Skrulls, an alien race of shape-shifters prominently featured in Marvel Comics. “I’d like the next trailer to further tease what kind of threat the Avengers will face in 2012,” Goellner said. “Skrulls? Robots? Elves? Whatever it is, I want to know the team is up against more than Loki and some city streets exploding.” “Of course everyone still wants to know who’s helping Loki wreak havoc on Earth,” Polowy agreed. “Clearly some sort of intergalactic posse’s got his back. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Whedon and company keep that under wraps for as long as they can.” But if there’s one thing the experts could all agree upon? “Just the whole darn movie,” Siegel exclaimed. “Can’t wait!” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos First ‘Avengers’ Trailer: Dissected Related Photos ‘Avengers’ Take Manhattan: Five NYC Locations From The Trailer Key Scenes From The ‘Avengers’ Trailer
The ‘sister perfume’ to Purr will be unveiled in December. By James Montgomery Katy Perry Photo: C. Flanigan/ FilmMagic Given that she lovingly refers to her fans as “Katycats,” and that her first foray into the fragrance market was called “Purr,” it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Katy Perry has decided on another feline-centric name for her second perfume: “Meow.” Perry announced the new scent Wednesday (October 12) on Twitter , calling it the “bestie” to Purr and promising that Meow will be “very sweet & inspired by that magical place, CANDYFORNIA!” So, will it smell like cotton candy and sun-tan lotion? On Tuesday, Perry asked her ‘Cats to predict the name of the fragrance, with 10 winners receiving the perfume and one lucky fan receiving an invite to the Meow launch event, set for December. As it turns out, a whole lot of folks seemed to guess correctly — though we did like some of the incorrect guesses, like “Catnip,” “Furrytail” and, uh, “Pussy Power.” “Some of you guessed my sister perfume right!” she wrote. “I can’t wait to reveal her, she is so sweet!” Meow follows on the heels of Perry’s successful Purr fragrance , which she debuted in July, wearing cat ears to the launch party in Toronto. Earlier, she had pulses pounding when she slipped into a body-hugging catsuit and posed provocatively with a giant pink ball of yarn in promotional ads for the perfume. Perhaps Perry will use her upcoming video, for new single “The One That Got Away,” as a platform to give fans a sneak peek at the packaging for the fragrance. Related Artists Katy Perry
Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato and Mac Miller will be among the October 31 show’s performers and presenters. By Gil Kaufman Steve Jobs Photo: Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs profoundly changed the way we interact with music online. So it makes perfect sense that the O Music Awards 2 will pay musical tribute to Jobs at its October 31 blowout. The show, which will take place in Los Angeles, will feature a special musical nod to the man behind the iPod and iTunes, with a number of up-and-coming artists performing iconic songs in homage to Jobs’ huge contribution to digital music culture. MTV’s signature online awards show will also attempt to make it into the Guinness record books again by hosting the longest dance party in history , and there will be plenty of star wattage on hand to help celebrate should the dancers break the 55-hour barrier. The first slate of performers and presenters has been revealed, and it includes a mix of established stars and up-and-comers, including Kelly Clarkson, the Band Perry, Demi Lovato, Mac Miller, Midi Mafia and DJ Diamond Kuts. Additional performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. The show, which celebrates the artists, innovators and fans impacting digital music culture, will be live-streamed from an undisclosed location in Los Angeles on October 31 beginning 11:30pm ET/ 8:30pm PT on OMusicAwards.com . The show’s opening will also be broadcast on MTV and then appear on a range of MTV Music Group websites, including MTV.com , VH1.com , CMT.com , LogoTV.com and MTVHive.com , as well as mobile. Since voting began on September 27, more than 6 million votes have been cast, and fans can keep voting at the O Music Awards site . The fan who drives the most votes wins an appearance on the live show. In addition, fans can participate via the O Music Awards Facebook page , Twitter and Tumblr . The “Longest Dance Party” event will be live-streamed at the O Music Awards site beginning on October 29 from the Roxy Theatre on Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Strip. The dance marathon won’t just be for bragging rights, as it will aim to raise awareness for LGBT youth issues, especially bullying, by giving fans a chance to donate to a number of organizations during the live stream. Among the groups that will benefit from the record attempt are: GLSE (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), It Gets Better , the Gay Straight Alliance Network (GSA), Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Viewers will also be able to use social media to support the cause and cheer on their favorite dancers. The leading nominees for O awards include Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator (Most Outrageous Tweet and Best Web Born Artist), Lady Gaga (Fan Army FTW and Must Follow Artist on Twitter), the Weeknd (Best Web-Born Artist and Too Much Ass for TV), Katy Perry (Best Lyrics Video and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Justin Bieber (Fan Army FTW and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Demi Lovato (Fan Army FTW and Best Artist With a Cameraphone), Sinead O’Connor (Oops! I Did It Online Award and Best Vintage Viral Video) and Adam Lambert (Fan Army FTW and Must Follow Artist on Twitter), with two nods each. Other nominated artists include Cher, Nirvana, Lil Wayne, Iron Maiden, Dolly Parton, Bj
Chuckee ‘invested in a studio and learned how to record himself,’ Young Money president tells Mixtape Daily. By Rob Markman Lil Wayne and Lil Chuckee Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Celebrity Favorites: Mack Maine Young Money is an army, better yet a navy, and when it comes to their youngest soldier, Lil Chuckee , label president Mack Maine has high hopes. Mixtape Daily caught up with the YMCMB squad at Chuckee’s birthday bash on October 1 in Atlanta, and El Presidente had some key advice for his 16-year-old spitter. “Just make sure that he follows Wayne’s work ethic,” Mack told Mixtape Daily of the tip that he gave young Chuck. “To me Chuckee can be another Wayne, hopefully one day with time.” Obviously, the teenage rhyme slinger has been listening. On his latest mixtape, Twap or Die, Chuckee follows in Weezy’s footsteps, commandeering industry instrumentals for his own needs. Songs like YC’s “Racks” becomes “Twaps on Twaps” while the Throne’s new single “N—as in Paris” becomes “N—az in Hawaii.” Throughout Chuck adds his own flavor, making each track his own. Mack, who helps oversee the careers of not only Wayne, but of Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Lil Twist and Cory Gunz, is impressed with Chuck’s growth. “Chuckee called me and told me, ‘I got my own studio,’ ” the President recalled. “So he listens. Instead of him saying ‘I’m writing every day’ he actually took his show money and invested in a studio and he learned how to record himself.” The dedication has clearly paid off. “Chuckee doin’ like five, six songs a day,” Mack said. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines .
Hungarian police swarmed warehouse to seize stash of guns being used on set. By Gil Kaufman Brad Pitt on the set of “World War Z” on August 18, 2011, in Glasgow, Scotland Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/ Getty Images Onlookers may have thought that the intense police action was part of the plot, but when Hungarian police and a SWAT team descended on the set of Brad Pitt ‘s film “World War Z” on Monday, it was not a scripted event. According to US Weekly , the SWAT team raided a Budapest warehouse where weapons were being stored for use in the epic zombie flick , with anti-terrorism officers seizing 85 guns. The firearms, which were supposed to be nonfunctional, were automatic, military-style assault rifles that were in good working order. The guns were confiscated at an airport near the film’s set, where they were being stored. “This morning a private plane brought guns wrapped in a parcel from a company to an individual [in Budapest],” said the director of Hungary’s anti-terrorism unit in a statement. “Guns like these are highly illegal to transport even if they were to [be] used as stage guns, which hopefully they weren’t.” A source told the magazine that Pitt — whose Plan B Entertainment is producing the movie set for a December 2012 release — isn’t to blame for the prop snafu. “The movie company’s employees must have made a mistake bringing the guns in without the Anti-Terrorism Unit’s permission,” said the unnamed source. The movie, which is being helmed by Oscar-nominated director Marc Forster ( “Machine Gun Preacher,” “Stranger Than Fiction”) and is based on a beloved novel by Max Brooks, stars Pitt as a United Nations employee who is traveling the world in an effort to stop a zombie plague from wiping out humanity. Forster has promised that he is taking a different approach to how the zombies move in the film from how they lurch in the book. “In Max Brook’s book they move in the George Romero [“Night of the Living Dead”] fashion. I feel like we have a little bit different approach,” he revealed. “But it doesn’t exclude that they might not eventually be fashioned [on] how George Romero’s zombies move, it’s just a little bit different approach. I think that will probably be the biggest discussions that there will be.” Check out everything we’ve got on “World War Z.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘At the end of a concert, I don’t feel like I’ve been this sexy thing,’ she tells the mag, also opening up about Chris Brown. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna on the cover of Esquire Photo: Esquire Emma Stone, Beyonc
‘The biggest compliment I can give it is that I like it more than everything else I’ve done,’ MC tells MTV News. By Steven Roberts, with reporting by Matt Elias Childish Gambino Photo: Childish Gambino Childish Gambino ‘s most recent offering “Bonfire” serves as the first single from his first physical album, Camp. The action-packed, fast-paced, metaphor-filled song not only fits Gambino’s camp theme, but it seems like a metaphor itself, signaling his arrival as a fully formed MC. MTV News caught up with Gambino (a.k.a. “Community” star Donald Glover) in full makeup on the set of his video for “Bonfire,” and he said the album was a real labor of love. “The biggest compliment I can give it is that I like it more than everything else I’ve done,” he said. “I think it’s a cohesive piece, and I wanted to tell a whole story with it. Hopefully, the whole album is like a book or a novel where [there’s] a through line.” Gambino said his favorite albums are the ones that tell stories that transport you somewhere else. On Camp, he hopes to emulate Biggie’s storytelling prowess on the 1997 classic Life After Death. Gambino’s upcoming debut album holds a special place in his heart for two reasons. For one, it will be the first time his fans can hold a physical copy of his music — thanks to his deal with Glassnote Records. Secondly, it was the culmination of everything he’s worked on. “There were songs that we made, and I was like, ‘This can’t be on the album.’ I felt like that was a thing of growth. There [would be] other times when I was like, ‘Oh, this song is dope. We’ll just throw it on there too.’ But this one was like, ‘No. We have to stick to the theme and the idea of what I’m trying to say.’ ” What are you expecting from Childish Gambino’s debut? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Childish Gambino
We break down our first good look at the superhero supergroup. By Eric Ditzian and Josh Wigler Chris Hemsworth in the “Avengers” trailer Photo: Marvel The first full trailer for “The Avengers” is here, though at first glance, it seemed much more like the work of Michael Bay — a little citizens-ominously-watching-the-skyline “Armageddon” here, a bit of city-block-destroying “Transformers” there — than the handiwork of Marvel and writer/director Joss Whedon. But that voice-over you hear in the beginning (the one assuring us humans were made to be ruled) is none other than Loki, who makes his first appearance about 20 seconds into the new footage, kick-starting a furious visual procession of superheroes, superheroes and more superheroes. While the trailer didn’t deliver everything we were hoping for — nor did it have the ineffable coolness we might have expected — it gave us a whole lot of Marvel goodness to unpack, which we did with another MTV News expert trailer analysis: Loki, Located We’ve known for a long time that Loki is the central villain in “Avengers,” though whether other villains pop up to wreak havoc (like those persistent rumors about the alien Skrulls ) remains to be seen. What we didn’t know was how Loki would travel to Earth, considering the Rainbow Bridge — that mythic intergalactic transporter — was destroyed at the end of this summer’s “Thor.” Yet in that film, before tumbling into some kind of cosmic abyss, Loki announces there are other ways to get to Earth besides the Rainbow Bridge. In this early shot of Loki crouching in a warehouse, we see what just might be the bad guy’s new mode of space transportation. What exactly this “Stargate”-esque contraption is remains to be seen. Turbulence When Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor and the rest of the Avengers assemble, they have to do so in style. In Marvel lore, when they take to the sky, they do so in a super-slick aircraft called the Quinjet, which flies overhead around the 55-second mark of the trailer. So that’s cool. Except the sucker’s on fire and looking like it’s about to crash-land in Manhattan, perhaps as part of the epic urban battle the trailer teases again and again. We can’t say for certain it’s Quinjet — it could be a Skrullian craft — but we doubt it, based on visual comparisons to the comics and the fact that the jet just doesn’t look alien. But do the Skrulls have a hand in the Quinjet’s fiery situation? Or is that all thanks to Loki? Hmmm … This Is Assembling? Who are we kidding? We wanted to see the Avengers assemble — not around the boardroom, table but in action. And the trailer, in this respect, just doesn’t deliver. Alas, the shot (around one minute, 11 seconds in) of our heroes in a lab is the best look at the team together. Hawkeye isn’t even there. Black Widow is mostly hidden. Captain America and Iron Man aren’t even in their suits. Bruce Banner is just Bruce Banner, no hint of the hidden green beast within. We appreciate that Whedon is a writer who loves to pen a witty exchange between characters — we get a lot of that in the trailer, and we’re not complaining — but we also maintain Marvel missed a chance in the trailer to show off the Avengers assembling for the first time in an unforgettable way. Thor vs. the Captain? At about the one-minute, 25-second mark, we have what looks like Thor battling Captain America. Now, the simple explanation is that these Avengers don’t always get along and, hey, even superheroes might come to blows with one another from time to time. No harm, no foul. But here’s a little conspiracy theory for ya: The Skrulls are notorious shape-shifters, and we just might be seeing one of them taking on the guise of an Avenger. So what we might — and we can’t emphasize might enough — be seeing is actually a Skrull-vs.-Avenger throw-down. That kind of can-you-trust-your-buddy paranoia could be a lot of fun to play with in the film. Say Hello to Your Hulk We’ve seen Mark Ruffalo in character as Bruce Banner before. What we haven’t seen — and what honestly makes the whole trailer worthwhile — is this first look at Banner transformed into the Hulk. Ruffalo has spoken often about how his Hulk will be a motion-capture creation modeled on the actor himself. So can we see the Oscar-nominated Ruffalo lurking somewhere inside the green beast? Hard to say in so brief a glimpse. We’ll have to wait to see more “Avengers” footage, which we can’t wait for and which is the clearest indication that for all our quibbles, the trailer is a superheroic success. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos First ‘Avengers’ Trailer: Dissected
