Bad Meets Evil’s ‘Lighters,’ featuring Bruno Mars, ekes past ‘I Wanna Go’ in MTV News poll. By John Mitchell Royce Da 5’9″ and Eminem Photo: MTV News It was a contentious showdown, but after many lead changes, Bad Meets Evil’s “Lighters,” featuring Bruno Mars, bested Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go” to take MTV News’ Song of Summer crown. Nearly a half-million votes were cast, though a vast majority (327,679) of those were split almost evenly between Royce Da 5’9″ and Eminem’s joint project and Spears. Fan groups rallied behind their respective favorites, leading to a lot of back-and-forth over the past few days, but “Lighters” ultimately came out ahead when polls closed earlier Wednesday (September 7), taking 38.2 percent of the tally with 167,202 votes. The track has turned into a summer sleeper hit for Em, Royce and Mars. It is currently holding strong at #4, its peak position so far, on the Billboard Hot 100, 11 weeks after debuting on the chart. Spears’ “I Wanna Go” — the third Billboard top 10 hit from Femme Fatale — trailed with just over 36.6 percent. If Spears is less than pleased with coming in second, she can take comfort in knowing that her 160,477 votes put her way ahead of her nearest competitor, Lady Gaga, by well over 100,000 votes. Taking 11.91 percent of the poll, Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” came in third with 52,126 votes. The only other song to pull down a sizable number of votes was Rihanna’s “S&M,” a track released in late spring that topped the charts early this summer, which garnered 34,681 votes for 7.92 percent of the tally. Interestingly, many of the summer’s biggest chart hits found themselves without much love in our Newsroom poll. Among the songs that reached #1 on the Billboard singles chart but found themselves with fractional percentages of the vote here were Katy Perry’s history-making “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” with just 1.26 percent, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” (0.33 percent), LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” (0.71 percent) and this week’s Hot 100 #1, Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera’s “Moves Like Jagger” (0.98 percent). Radio hits from Pitbull and Nicki Minaj also missed the boat with 3,090 votes (0.71 percent) and 1,655 votes (0.38 percent), respectively, for “Give Me Everything” and “Super Bass,” while “Dirty Dancer” by Enrique Iglesias featuring Usher and Lil Wayne took 0.28 percent and “Otis” from Throne duo Jay-Z and Kanye West scored just 0.12 percent (or 524 votes). The numbers for mainstream artists like Perry, Minaj and West were fairly similar to those accrued by lower-profile acts Foster the People, Cobra Starship and David Guetta. Foster’s “Pumped Up Kicks” earned the band 0.14 percent of our poll, with slightly bigger numbers falling to Cobra’s “You Make Me Feel” (0.25) and Guetta’s “Where Them Girls At” (0.16). How did your favorite song rate? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos 2011 Song Of Summer Battle Related Artists Eminem Royce Da 5’9″
Hyped album moved 964,000 copies in its first week. By Gil Kaufman Lil Wayne Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Lil Wayne was thisclose to making history as the first rap act to open with back-to-back million-selling albums. Thanks to record-setting iTunes sales of 300,000, plus the push provided by a post-VMA on-sale stunt, Weezy’s eagerly anticipated Tha Carter IV will debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart next week on sales of 964,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That’s more than enough to win out over funky veterans the Red Hot Chili Peppers , who land at #2 with I’m With You thanks to sales of 229,000. That figure is less than half as much as the band’s previous release, the double album Stadium Arcadium, which moved 443,000 copies in its first week on the charts in 2006. Dance master David Guetta has a solid debut with his star-packed Nothing but the Beat, which lands at #5 (56,000), just barely edging out country singer Jake Owen ‘s Barefoot Blue Jean Night (55,000). A number of other artists got a VMA bump, including Adele, whose 21 is up 88 percent to 154,000 (putting her just shy of 3.3 million to date) and Beyonc
‘He loved the song so much he wanted to do a Spanish translation,’ ‘How to Love’ producer Detail tells Mixtape Daily. By Rob Markman Lil Wayne Photo: MTV Behind The Beats: Detail “Como Amar” — that’s how you say “How to Love” in Spanish, and that’s what Enrique Iglesias sings in his version of Lil Wayne ‘s Tha Carter IV hit single, en Espa
In celebration of the FBR’s 15th anniversary, the label’s biggest bands rifle through its back catalog. By James Montgomery Paramore Photo: MTV News In 1996, Fueled By Ramen released the now-famous Take-Out Sampler, a cassette compilation that came packaged to look like it was ordered from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Last week, they released Cobra Starship ‘s Night Shades, the 130-somethingth album to bear the FBR name … and no, it wasn’t available on cassette. Still, that should give you a pretty good idea of just how far the label has come over the course of 15 years. And this week, FBR will celebrate its ongoing legacy with a pair of shows at New York’s Terminal 5 — Wednesday night’s show, featuring Paramore, the Swellers, This Providence, the Stereo and fun., will stream live on MTV.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET. And we here at MTV News are doing our part to aid in the festivities. We’ve already brought you some of the label’s biggest bands recalling the moment they signed with FBR , and now, those same bands are talking to us about their favorite albums from the label’s rather expansive back catalog. From Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco to Jimmy Eat World and Discount, here are their picks. Cassettes not included. Travie McCoy and Matt McGinley, Gym Class Heroes McGinley : “I’m going to go with Take This to Your Grave, by Fall Out Boy. You might have heard of them. [It’s a] super awesome record, and we definitely listened to it on repeat in the van all the time.” McCoy : “It’s beautiful how they kind of hid such dark and demented lyrics in such happy and poppy punk music. Genius.” McCoy : “The Academy Is … Almost Here. Front to back, it’s an amazing, amazing album, and it shoots us back to when we used to tour with those guys all the time.” McGinley : “Panic! at the Disco’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out !” McCoy : “I remember hearing some of the demos for that album, and I was blown away and when the record actually came out, it was like, ‘Wow, these dudes are about to smash, and they tore it up.” Paramore ‘s Hayley Williams : “A really awesome release … was [the] Jimmy Eat World EP, and it had early versions of the Clarity songs. I think it makes this list because we love Jimmy Eat World so much, and it’s so awesome that they released something on our label. We’re really proud of that.” “My all-time favorite FBR release is the Impossibles’ Anthology, it’s sort of all the best Impossibles songs, and it’s incredible. They’re kind of like if Weezer were ska.” “When we were writing Brand New Eyes, I sent an email to some folks at the label requesting some music. I actually got back a Discount EP … they did a cover EP of Billy Brag songs called Love, Billy, and the cover art was really cool, I remember liking that a lot. I just really like Discount. If you don’t know who [they] are, you should check them out; I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this or not, but it may or may not be Alison from the Kills and Dead Weather fronting a pop/punk band. It’s awesome and there’s so much cool, raw energy, and her voice is great. I love the music and I think it’s very telling of that time in music for pop/punk music. Good stuff.” Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen’s 15th anniversary on Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action! Related Artists Paramore Gym Class Heroes
‘To have him on our team is only gonna make us better,’ Crooked I says of Royce. By Rob Markman Slaughterhouse’s Royce Da 5’9,” Crooked I and Joe Budden Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — All for one and one for all. Last week, Royce Da 5’9″ hoisted his first gold plaque for his and Eminem ‘s Bad Meets Evil EP Hell: The Sequel, and his Slaughterhouse bandmates couldn’t be happier for the Detroit spitter. “It feels great to actually be accomplishing things,” Royce told MTV News backstage at Rock the Bells. “Five years ago, I was in jail, so this is phenomenal for me, and I feel like it’s starting the machine and it’s starting the Shady Records movement, because this is a good springboard to get the Slaughterhouse project off the ground, and we wanna make being lyrical cool again. We want the kids to look at lyricism and feel like that’s cool.” In January, it was announced that Eminem had signed the quartet — comprised of Royce, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Joe Budden — to his Shady Records label. While the foursome have been working on their Shady debut, Em and Royce revived their Bad Meets Evil group and dropped Hell: The Sequel in June. Now, three months later, the project has moved more than 500,000 copies, making it Royce’s first gold record. For the rest of Slaughterhouse, Nickel Nine’s success provides inspiration. “I was actually there when [Eminem’s manager] Paul [Rosenberg] came in with the plaque, and that’s an ill moment in history, because it’s more than full-circle in my eyes; it’s like full-circle and then some,” Crooked I said. “I proceeded to get drunk off a bottle of Mo
MTV parent company Viacom recruits DJ Pauly D, Julianne Hough and others to answer ‘What will you do to remember?’ By Gil Kaufman Lady Gaga speaks in the “I Will” 9/11 Commemoration PSA Photo: MTV News All this week, Americans will be taking time out to reflect and remember the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. As part of that commemoration, MTV parent company Viacom has teamed with artists including Lady Gaga , Nas , DJ Pauly D, Julianne Hough and Drake Bell to launch a national day of service campaign that asks, “What will you do to remember?” The multiplatform public service campaign is designed to inspire Americans to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks by committing to good deeds, charity or volunteer service. Working with MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network, organizers of this year’s September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, the “I Will” campaign asks participants, “Ten years later, what will you do to remember?” Beginning on Tuesday (September 6) through Sunday, Viacom’s networks will air specially produced “I Will” public service announcements featuring artists and actors, including Gaga, Fran Drescher, Pauly D, Nas, Hough and Bell, along with Viacom employees. “We were in disbelief,” Lady Gaga says in the promo, remembering how she as a New Yorker witnessed the attacks. “We all watched the second tower fall together.” “You almost feel a sense of helplessness,” Pauly D recalls, before pledging, “I will call all my family members on that day.” In addition to airing a series of PSAs across its Viacom networks, the company’s digital properties will also support “I Will” with a widget that allows visitors to upload their personal response to the question, “What will you do on 9/11 in tribute?” “Everyone was affected by the tragic events of September 11, which claimed the lives of so many family members, friends and colleagues,” said Philippe Dauman, president and CEO of Viacom, in a statement. “A decade later, we hope that our audiences and the entire Viacom family will pause to reflect on the profound impact of that day. We are proud to join this call to action and encourage everyone to make a personal tribute.” What will you do to remember 9/11? Share your thoughts below, and visit 911day.org to upload your video response. Related Artists Lady Gaga Nas
As part of our Fall Movie Preview, Shawn Levy reveals how he created the sci-fi sports drama’s authentic boxing matches. By Josh Wigler A scene from “Real Steel” Photo: Dreamworks Summer may be over, but the fall season still holds plenty of hot movies worth looking forward to. We’re celebrating the coming months of fantastic films all week long with MTV News’ Fall Movie Preview, starting with a sports drama mixed with a sci-fi twist: “Real Steel,” the robot boxing movie starring “Wolverine” leading man Hugh Jackman and “Lost” babe Evangeline Lilly, which opens on October 7. Click for exclusive photos from Fall’s biggest flicks. “Real Steel,” which takes place in a future where robots have replaced human athletes in the boxing arena, marks a serious departure for director Shawn Levy, in more ways than one. The director of the “Night at the Museum” films and “Date Night” is most commonly associated with the comedy genre. In “Real Steel,” he’s stepping into the ring with significantly more dramatic fare. MTV News chatted with the director about his experiences exploring a new genre, how the giant robots of “Real Steel” were constructed (hint: they’re more human than you realize) and much more. MTV : This movie feels like a big departure for you in a lot of ways, Shawn. Your past work has focused mostly on comedy, but “Real Steel” takes on a decidedly different tone. Was that the appeal for you, trying on something new? Shawn Levy : You know, comedy has been really good to me, but this was a deliberate departure. This is the kind of movie that I’ve been waiting to do. When I was editing “Date Night,” the call came in from [“Real Steel” producers] Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, and they said, “We’ve got this underdog sports movie with boxing robots.” Already when you have [those two] on the other line, you’re inclined to nudge towards “yes.” But I’ve always loved sports movies, I’ve always loved that kind of iconic underdog story which sports movies tend to service so well. This was a deliberate step and an exciting chance to stretch some new muscles. MTV : Well this definitely does fall into the sports drama category, but when you’re throwing giant robots into the mix, you’re getting something just a little bit different than what we’ve seen from the genre before. Was it tricky trying to service that sports drama audience while keeping the sci-fi elements in the forefront as well? Levy : Honestly, it was an every day balancing act, from the six months of working on the script, the eight months of preparing the movie and the four months of shooting it, and another six editing it. It was every day, making sure you’re servicing just the crazy, balls-out action of robots wailing on each other — and thankfully we had [boxing legend] Sugar Ray Leonard as our consultant for the fights, which was a really great guarantor [of quality]. I’ll digress for a moment, but what’s cool about this movie is that this isn’t computer animation. This is motion capture with real fighters in a real ring, consulting in the ring with me and Sugar Ray, wailing on each other in full contact. We took that captured fight as data and we converted it into robot avatars. That was a big thing. To do the movie as mo-cap instead of animation was a big choice. Mo-cap allows the director to direct a performance; it’s not left to the imagination of an animator that sometimes you don’t even meet. It was huge. Every day we were making sure the robots were cool-looking in terms of design and full-contact fighting. On the flip side, we could never forget that the movie is about Hugh Jackman’s character, first, last and always. The movie is really only 30 to 35 percent robot-based fighting, but it’s 100 percent anchored in Hugh Jackman playing this bot corner man and how he uses these machines to eventually get a shot at redemption. MTV : Which is interesting, because when you see Hugh in these movies with huge action elements, he’s usually very much at the center of those scenes. But that’s not exactly the case in this film, is it? Levy : Without giving too much away, he’s at the center in that … our hero robot, he ain’t the biggest, he ain’t the newest, he’s not state of the art. What he has is this connection that I won’t give away to Hugh’s character, such that Hugh plays a former boxer [named Charlie] whose knowledge of the human sport that used to exist is the advantage that his robot has over the others. Every robot in the movie is built with one gear: full-on ground and pound. This robot fighter is informed more by Charlie’s boxing history. So there’s a nuanced human flair, resulting in this robot and his connection to Jackman, who’s able to win fights he has no business winning. MTV : As a director, how did you establish that connection between Hugh and his fighter? These are the two leads of the film, really, but only one of them is played by an actual person — unless you leaned on motion-capture for most of the robot’s appearances? Levy : Well, this is where it gets really cool. In my first meeting with Steven Spielberg, he said to me, ” ‘Jurassic Park’ was a long time ago, before computers could do everything. We built real dinosaurs that moved. I know it’s an old-fashioned notion, but consider building real, fully animated animatronic robots.” So that’s one big difference on this movie: We built real robots. In the fight scenes, it’s me and Ray directing human boxers. But in every scene in the movie where Hugh is interacting with one of his robots, if that robot isn’t walking or boxing, it was a real, big, massively tall robot in the room on set and in the movie. It’s unreal. What happens is, whether you’re 10 or 40 years old, if you’re a guy, and you’re face to face with this robot that’s literally shadowing everything you do — it’s actually robotically operated from a remote feed — it’s just unbelievably cool, and it affects the performances in a way that you just don’t get … if you’re acting opposite a tennis ball on a stick. There’s no comparison. That was really the co-star. ATOM in particular was in the room with us every day. I’d direct ATOM, his puppeteer, in much the same way that I’d direct Hugh. It was really cool to work with [something practical] in this day and age, where everything that can be computer-generated usually is computer-generated. MTV : We’ve talked a lot about the technical side of making “Real Steel,” but let’s go back to the beginning: You wanted to carve out a different type of movie for yourself. How did you find the experience of going from the comedy world to something significantly more dramatic? Levy : The irony is that though I’ve made thankfully a number of successful comedies, if I were to name my top 20 favorite movies, maybe you’d find one comedy on there. My career has gone one way, but my tastes have always run another. Those tend to be dramas, action, sports. So what was really amazing was to do a movie where the pacing, tone and, most importantly, the aesthetics and performances, where all those elements were not in the service of the almighty laugh. They were in service of themselves. When you do comedy, the laugh always comes first. Maybe you’ll find a scene or sequence — and I can point to this in “Date Night” — where you’ll bracket it off and slow down the movie with something a bit more poignant. But to do a whole movie that was not first and foremost in the service of laughs was very, very different, and very, very liberating. From “Abduction” to “Muppets, “Moneyball” to “Breaking Dawn,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars. Check out everything we’ve got on “Real Steel.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
British songstress talks of 007 and her nervous habit of vomiting before shows in recent interviews. By James Montgomery Adele Photo: Andreas Rentz/ Getty Images One week after she wowed the VMA audience with her somber, sonorous performance of “Someone Like You,” Adele is making headlines for far less glamorous reasons thanks to an interview in October’s U.K. Vogue. In her cover story, Adele talks about battling stage-fright — saying she always “freaks out” before a performance — and added that, on a few occasions, those jitters have manifested themselves in more palpable (and sort of gross) ways. “One show in Amsterdam, I was so nervous I escaped out the fire exit,” she told the magazine. “I’ve thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectile vomited on someone. I just gotta bear it. But I don’t like touring. I have anxiety attacks a lot. “I puke quite a lot before going on stage. Though never actually on stage,” she added. “But then, I sh– myself before everything … the bigger the freak-out, the more I enjoy the show.” Of course, reverse peristalsis isn’t the only reason Adele’s been in the headlines recently. Over the weekend, she also appeared on the U.K.’s “The Jonathan Ross Show,” where she stoked rumors that she was in line to record the theme for the next installment of the James Bond series , set to hit theaters next year. “I’m going back in the studio in November, fingers crossed,” Adele said. When asked by Ross what she’d be recording, she responded: “Well, this is actually a theme, what I’ve got to do. Wow, that’s really giving something away!” When Ross began humming the iconic Bond theme, Adele blushed and covered her mouth with her hand, before saying, “No, it’s a concept.” A spokesperson for chart-dominating Brit’s label could not be reached for comment about the 007 rumors by press time. Adele will return to the states in October for a run of shows added after she scrapped her North American tour due to a bout with laryngitis. Related Videos Adele’s ‘Magical’ Road To Success Related Artists Adele
Ray LaMontagne, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Big Boi and Kendrick Lamar rock Seattle fest over Labor Day weekend. By Matt Elias Wiz Khalifa performs at Bumbershoot on Saturday Photo: Dana Nalbandian/ Getty Images SEATTLE — Nestled in the shadow of the Space Needle, the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival boasted an eclectic lineup of headliners, with Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs, Wiz Khalifa , and Daryl Hall and John Oates topping each night of the three-day festival over Labor Day weekend. But it was Wiz who ran away with the biggest draw of the headliners, packing the Seattle Center’s Key Arena to capacity on night two. The Pittsburgh MC took the stage Saturday night and announced, “My name is Wiz Khalifa. Y’all ready to party tonight?” If the haze of smoke wafting from the crowd was any indicator, then his Taylor Gang was definitely in the mood. And it was impossible for them to avoid a good time — Wiz commanded the stage with the swagger of a rock star and his entire set boomed with bone-rattling bass. The inclusion of “The Thrill,” off 2009’s Burn After Rolling mixtape and set to Empire of the Sun’s “Walking on a Dream,” was definitely a plus. While Wiz held it down on the main stage inside the Key Arena, across the park the Kills unleashed their brand of electro-blues on the Fisher Green Stage. The duo’s latest album, Blood Pressures, dropped recently this spring, but the band shared with MTV News that the new material was already taking on a heavier, more aggressive sound. As far as the stage show, singer Alison Mosshart said, “Well we’re playing kind of a typical Kills, you know, if we were playing in a club. We’re gonna do as much of a club show outside as we possibly can.” Guitarist Jamie Hince added, “It’s gonna be nice actually, ’cause we’ll be able to see that — won’t we? — the Space Needle, from the stage. I’m gonna like that.” The Seattle landmark wasn’t the only iconic presence at the festival. Washington natives the Lonely Forest were in awe of the Key Arena, the previous home of their beloved Seattle Supersonics (frontman John Van Deusen even wore a Sonics jersey onstage). Despite their early set on Sunday, the band pulled a considerably large crowd. Lonely Forest guitarist Tony Ruland was thrilled with the turnout. “It was the first time that we played anything that ends in the word ‘arena,’ ” he said, adding that it was the same venue in which he saw one of his favorite acts, Built to Spill. While Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar was tasked with the same set time the following day, his crowd began much smaller, but it grew as his show went on. “Yeah, I was catching them while they were walking in,” Lamar told MTV News later. “They had a crazy response — had a lot of new Kendrick Lamar fans, as well as day-ones in there — so it was like half and half. But that’s when I like to catch ’em, you know, when they’re early, so I can make them a believer as soon as they walk in. That’s my whole thing, catching them one at a time and building from that.” OutKast’s Big Boi followed Lamar’s set and ripped into a medley of classic hits that included “ATLiens,” “Rosa Parks,” and “So Fresh, So Clean.” Daddy Fat Sax had the large crowd inside the Key Arena moving with him, as they sang along to the duo’s deep catalog. It was barely noticeably that his counterpart, Andre 3000, was absent from the stage. Sir Lucious Leftfoot even threw in Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” no doubt in honor of late frontman Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday on Monday. Local acts Brite Futures and Macklemore proved to be the hometown heroes at Bumbershoot, each delivering impressive performances over the weekend. Related Artists Wiz Khalifa The Kills
Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Erykah Badu and more revisit classic material for a day of hip-hop celebration on New York stop. By Rob Markman Nas at Rock The Bells Photo: MTV News NEW YORK — Thousands of rap fans gathered in hip-hop’s birth city for a daylong celebration of the genre’s classics. Nas , Lauryn Hill , Erykah Badu and Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon and Ghostface Killah all performed at the Rock the Bells 2011 festival on Governor’s Island in New York City on Saturday (September 3). The musical tour was comprised of four stages, including the main Rock the Bells stage, the Wu-inspired 36 Chambers stage and the underground-themed Paid Dues stage. More than 20 acts, including Mobb Deep, Slaughterhouse, Black Moon, Big K.R.I.T., the Immortal Technique and GZA, performed, with some dedicating their sets to their own classic albums; others devoted their shows to just a gang of fan-favorites. The festivities kicked off at approximately 2 p.m. ET, and started off slow. Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA fumbled through his 1995 sophomore album, Liquid Swords, as concertgoers ping-ponged back and forth between stages. Cypress Hill ran through selections from their Black Sunday LP. Marijuana anthems like “I Wanna Get High” and “Hits From the Bong” set the tone for a smoke-filled set that mixed equal parts rap, rock and Latin soul. Mobb Deep didn’t disappoint. Although they were advertised to perform only their 1995 breakout album, The Infamous, the Queens, New York, duo did so much more. In addition to tracks like “Shook Ones Pt. II,” “Survival of the Fittest” and “Give Up the Goods,” the Mobb dove into their catalog of street bangers, including “G.O.D. Pt. III” and “Quiet Storm,” as well. MTV Jams’ 2011 Fab 5 inductee Big K.R.I.T. found his set overlapping with that of the Mobb’s Havoc and Prodigy, but he was still able to draw a sizable crowd on the Paid Dues stage. The gatherers bounced energetically to Southern-fried selections like “Glass House” and “Country Sh–,” proving that it wasn’t just a day for rap veterans. After drawing fan criticism about her previous live shows, Lauryn Hill promised at the beginning of her set to perform the songs from her The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album as they were recorded. Unfortunately, the plan was thrown out the window pretty quickly as she rapped to a ridiculously sped-up version of “Lost Ones.” In fact, many of Ms. Hill’s classics were performed quite differently from how fans may have remembered. Still, she did thrill audiences with almost-flawless renditions of “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and “To Zion.” There was also a Fugees reunion of sorts when Pras joined his former partner to rock “Ready or Not,” but the warring Wyclef was nowhere to be found. Before Hill could finish her set, Raekwon and Ghostface took to the 36 Chambers stage on the other side of the field. They opened with “Striving for Perfection,” the opening skit from Rae’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … , and then tore into “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” “Criminology” and “Ice Cream.” It was a ’90s-era dream come true, but unfortunately hip-hop’s faithful were forced to choose, because halfway through Rae and Ghost’s set, the night’s headliner Nas, started his show on the main stage. At around 10:30 p.m., the crowd gathered at Nas’ stage, which was decorated with props made to mirror his native Queensbridge, New York, housing project. There was a backdrop with buildings, a real lamppost, project benches and a gate that stood as the entrance. It was 17 years ago that Nasir Jones dropped his highly regarded debut, Illmatic, and on Saturday night he maneuvered through the 10-track masterpiece starting with its opener, “Genesis.” With DJ Premier backing him, Nas rapped the words to “N.Y. State of Mind” and “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” with a ferocity that recalled the young MC in 1994. Nas did, at times, depart from the Illmatic theme, treating his day-one fans to something special. First, he brought out MC Serch to perform their 1992 underground banger “Back to the Grill.” Next up, he invited Joe Fatal, Akinyele and Large Professor to do “Live at the Barbeque,” the 1991 song that gave Nas his rap debut. From there, it was a full-on party as the Braveheart MC did his new single “Nasty,” invited Lauryn back out for their collabo “If I Ruled the World” and closed with the hyped-up “Made Ya Look.” Before he left closed out the night, Nas shouted, “I love you New York City,” and it was apparent that NYC loves him back. Did you catch the Rock the Bells tour this year? Tell us your thoughts! Related Artists Nas Wu-Tang Clan Raekwon The Fugees Lauryn Hill
