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Relaxing Obama Hits Bookstore With Malia and Sasha [Video]
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Sad, sad news for the music lovers tonight. Via WashingtonPost.com : Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned elegant, soulful classics for the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye and funk hits for Chaka Khan and others, died Monday at age 70, his former publicist said. Ashford, who along with wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, died in a New York City hospital, said Liz Rosenberg, who also was Ashford’s longtime friend. He had been suffering from throat cancer and had undergone radiation treatment, she said. Though they had some of their greatest success at Motown with classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out And Touch Somebody’s Hand” by Ross and “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Ashford & Simpson also created classics for others, like the anthem “I’m Every Woman” by Khan (and later remade by Whitney Houston). They also had success writing for themselves: Perhaps the biggest known hit sung by them was the 1980s hit “Solid As A Rock.” Ashford and Simpson’s relationship stretched more than four decades. They met in 1964 in a New York City church; Ashford, a South Carolina native, had come to the city to pursue a dance career. Simpson was a music student, and after connecting with her, they decided to start to write songs together. Their first major success occurred when they came up with “Let’s Go Get Stoned” for Ray Charles. That song became a huge hit, and soon, they came to the attention of Motown Records and began penning hits for their artists. The started out writing for Gaye and Terrell; in fact, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was originally their hit, until Ross later rerecorded it and made it her signature song. The duo, who were married for 38 years, helped sell millions of records for several artists. They also had success as their own entity, but despite “Solid As a Rock,” their hits dwarfed those that they penned for others. In recent years, the pair continued to perform. They also were owners of the New York City restaurant Sugar Bar, where many top names and emerging talents would put on showcases. Ashford is survived by his wife and two daughters.
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R.I.P.: R&B Legend Nick Ashford (Of Ashford & Simpson) Loses Fight To Cancer At Age 70
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Weezy’s VMA performance and nominations lead up to the long-awaited release on Sunday night. By Alvin Blanco Lil Wayne Photo: Clinton Gilders/ FilmMagic Lil Wayne is going to dabble in a little midnight madness. Already scheduled to perform at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Weezy has just announced that he’ll also be dropping his highly anticipated new album, Tha Carter IV, at midnight, right after the show. “I am extremely excited to be the first artist to utilize such an amazing idea. I hope that I can open the door for others,” Lil Wayne said in a press statement. The YMCMB rapper’s latest will be released digitally via iTunes, Amazon and other legal MP3 download destinations at 12 a.m. on August 29. Those still dedicated to physical CDs need not worry since the album will be in retail stores later that Monday. The release of Tha Carter IV will be the capstone to a big night for Weezy, who is also up for Moonmen in the Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Collaboration categories. And despite Wayne’s skateboarding accident over the weekend (he tweeted that he needed nine stitches for a gash over his eye), he is sure to take the Nokia Theatre stage by storm this week. “The MTV Video Music Awards are one of the most watched and respected shows in the industry,” Ronald “Slim” Williams, CEO of Cash Money Records, said in a statement. “Wayne is one of the most respected and prolific artists in the industry. By pairing the release of Tha Carter IV with the VMAs, it will certainly add to the overall anticipation and excitement for fans everywhere for what will surely be an unforgettable evening.” With Jay-Z and Kanye West throwing a wrench into traditional album-release strategies with their Watch the Throne project, Lil Wayne has chosen to make his own release an event by coinciding with another. “Lil Wayne continues to change the game; this time with a new release strategy that demonstrates the power of the VMAs to grab the attention of music fans,” MTV President Stephen Friedman said. “After our millions of viewers experience the VMAs, they can go online at midnight and download the album they’ve all been waiting for.” Tha Carter IV ‘s latest single is “She Will” and will feature appearances from, T-Pain, Tech N9ne, Rick Ross, John Legend, Jadakiss, Nas and Busta Rhymes, among others. The 28th annual MTV Video Music Awards will air live Sunday, August 28, from Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following the Selena Gomez-hosted pre-show at 8. See the list of nominees, revisit last year’s highlights and vote for Best New Artist at VMA.MTV.com . Related Photos 2011 MTV Video Music Awards Performers Related Artists Lil Wayne
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Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV Drops At Midnight After VMAs
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Ambition track brings duo back together after calling a truce on Twitter. By Alvin Blanco Wale Photo: Getty Images NEW YORK — Wale and Kid Cudi ‘s reconciliation will be certified with a new song. The Maybach Music Group rapper’s sophomore album, Ambition, is dropping November 1 and will include a song called “Focused,” which features Cudi. While previewing his album for select media outlets, Wale dropped hints about the collaborator — a friend of his that lived in Brooklyn while he was living in SoHo — on the song he was about to play last. “We’re 23 years old at this time, we’re trying to figure it all out,” Wale told MTV News. “We went from not having sh– to having money at our disposal, so it kind of f—ed up our friendship. He doesn’t smoke as much anymore, but his name is Scott.” That “Scott” is Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. Kid Cudi. The two rappers started gaining notoriety in the hip-hop world almost simultaneously a few years ago, with Wale even appearing on “Is There Any Love,” a bonus track from Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day debut. However, the pair had an infamous falling-out , which, according to Wale, was rooted in a lack of communication. “The last time me and him spoke was Governor’s Island maybe three years ago,” Wale said. “It was a weird exchange. … When you don’t talk to somebody for a long time and you see them on TV and you’re trying to figure them out through music … we bumped into each other, and we spoke, and it was just weird. It was already animosity for me, because I was like, ‘Yo, this is my guy and it’s just weird now.’ Just weird. “I can’t say that word enough,” Wale continue. “So [later on], it was Drake’s birthday party in D.C.; he was there. I’m getting off the elevator and I see him. So he was like, ‘What’s up?’ I was like, ‘What’s up?’ And that was it. Next thing I see is the Complex interview. That was maybe like a year after that.” After that Complex interview, many thought the two would never be friends again. Nevertheless, earlier this year, they reconciled via Twitter. Wale recalled not believing it was Cudi who called him to make up before their Twitter truce. “The main reason why I didn’t believe it was him was because his voice was really light, and I remember it always being raspy,” Wale said. “He was like, ‘I don’t smoke weed anymore, bro. My voice is changing. I’m about to hit you on Twitter right now. This is really me. I saw it was him. I was like, ‘Sup, man, how you been?’ He said, ‘I been good, man. I just wanted to get right to it: I know I’ve been acting kind of f—ed up and weird,’ and this that and a third and all that other personal sh–. He threw that out there, and we just made amends. The next morning, he called me like, ‘I just wanted to let you know I wasn’t high or anything when I called you. I really meant it.’ ” Wale then further extended the olive branch by saying he had a track he felt Cudi would be perfect for. “I never really thought we capitalized off what we had,” Wale said. “I sent him the beat, and we made this record I’ve been trying so hard to keep for myself for a long time.” “Focused” features Wale rapping, with Cudi supplying a chorus in his sing-song, Mr. Solo Dolo type of delivery over a synth-loaded uptempo track. “It’s a testament to where I am lyrically, spiritually, all of that, because this song almost never happened, as y’all know,” Wale said of “Focused.” “It feels like the record that ‘Is There Any Love’ was supposed to be. When they kept talking about me and Cudi in every magazine, this is the record I felt like they needed to hear — the one that everybody was going to get behind, and it was going to go top 40 and not be corny. This is like the best top 40 non-cheesy record that you’re ever going to hear in your life. That’s how I feel about it.” Wale recently dropped a new mixtape called The Eleven One Eleven Theory, which temporarily crashed Hulkshare’s site upon its release. The project features a song called “Chain Music,” that will also be on Ambition. What are you expecting from Wale and Cudi’s collabo? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Wale Kid Cudi
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Wale, Kid Cudi ‘Focused’ On Friendship For New Collabo
Attention since ‘Drop a Body’ video ‘is crazy,’ Joe tells MTV News. By Steven Roberts Fat Joe Photo: MTV News Fat Joe ‘s video for “Drop a Body” was filled with volcanic eruptions, lightning and a mountain of dead bodies, but when the video dropped in June, Joe’s appearance overshadowed all of that. A considerably slimmer Joe stood atop said mountain, raising eyebrows and the clip’s number YouTube views. Joe said he was just as shocked by people’s reactions to his weight loss, because he was just trying to save his life. “I’m not trying to impress nobody or nothing like that,” Joe told MTV News. “I’m just trying to get healthy so I can be here for my family and take care of my kids and live the life that was intended for me to live, so it was crazy when I started getting all this attention. Two weeks from now, CNN is coming to my house, Sanjay Gupta, a big special, and all this attention is crazy.” Joe said he was 360 pounds when he started losing weight, and after finding himself at much-more-manageable 260 pounds a year later, he still wasn’t satisfied. Initially, he wanted to lose weight because in the past year, several of his friends have lost their lives due to their weight. Joe recalled attending one of his friends’ funerals and seeing himself in that position. He knew then it was time to make a change. “I went to my friend’s funeral in the Bronx, and he was just the funniest, coolest dude on earth,” Joe recalled. “He’s got a daughter, she’s the same age as my daughter, and it just felt like I was there, and I could just see my family in the funeral and I was like, ‘Damn, he left his daughter, and she’s only 5,’ ” he explained. “That was the wake-up call. Then I just jumped on that treadmill and started eating right. It’s not rocket science: It’s the same thing they keep telling you to do, you actually just have to do it.” Joe said he always asked God why he continued to bless him, despite his past and him not being a perfect person. And then he realized his weight-loss battle might be his calling. He hopes that he can inspire others to do the same. “One of my boys lives in Detroit, he said he came out his building, he got two dudes that been the fattest dudes on the block forever, they have weights outside and was running around the block, and he was like, ‘Yo, what’s up?’ and they were like, ‘We on that Fat Joe wave!’ ” Related Artists Fat Joe
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Fat Joe Says Weight Loss ‘Not Rocket Science’
Attention since ‘Drop a Body’ video ‘is crazy,’ Joe tells MTV News. By Steven Roberts Fat Joe Photo: MTV News Fat Joe ‘s video for “Drop a Body” was filled with volcanic eruptions, lightning and a mountain of dead bodies, but when the video dropped in June, Joe’s appearance overshadowed all of that. A considerably slimmer Joe stood atop said mountain, raising eyebrows and the clip’s number YouTube views. Joe said he was just as shocked by people’s reactions to his weight loss, because he was just trying to save his life. “I’m not trying to impress nobody or nothing like that,” Joe told MTV News. “I’m just trying to get healthy so I can be here for my family and take care of my kids and live the life that was intended for me to live, so it was crazy when I started getting all this attention. Two weeks from now, CNN is coming to my house, Sanjay Gupta, a big special, and all this attention is crazy.” Joe said he was 360 pounds when he started losing weight, and after finding himself at much-more-manageable 260 pounds a year later, he still wasn’t satisfied. Initially, he wanted to lose weight because in the past year, several of his friends have lost their lives due to their weight. Joe recalled attending one of his friends’ funerals and seeing himself in that position. He knew then it was time to make a change. “I went to my friend’s funeral in the Bronx, and he was just the funniest, coolest dude on earth,” Joe recalled. “He’s got a daughter, she’s the same age as my daughter, and it just felt like I was there, and I could just see my family in the funeral and I was like, ‘Damn, he left his daughter, and she’s only 5,’ ” he explained. “That was the wake-up call. Then I just jumped on that treadmill and started eating right. It’s not rocket science: It’s the same thing they keep telling you to do, you actually just have to do it.” Joe said he always asked God why he continued to bless him, despite his past and him not being a perfect person. And then he realized his weight-loss battle might be his calling. He hopes that he can inspire others to do the same. “One of my boys lives in Detroit, he said he came out his building, he got two dudes that been the fattest dudes on the block forever, they have weights outside and was running around the block, and he was like, ‘Yo, what’s up?’ and they were like, ‘We on that Fat Joe wave!’ ” Related Artists Fat Joe
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Fat Joe Says Weight Loss ‘Not Rocket Science’
Attention since ‘Drop a Body’ video ‘is crazy,’ Joe tells MTV News. By Steven Roberts Fat Joe Photo: MTV News Fat Joe ‘s video for “Drop a Body” was filled with volcanic eruptions, lightning and a mountain of dead bodies, but when the video dropped in June, Joe’s appearance overshadowed all of that. A considerably slimmer Joe stood atop said mountain, raising eyebrows and the clip’s number YouTube views. Joe said he was just as shocked by people’s reactions to his weight loss, because he was just trying to save his life. “I’m not trying to impress nobody or nothing like that,” Joe told MTV News. “I’m just trying to get healthy so I can be here for my family and take care of my kids and live the life that was intended for me to live, so it was crazy when I started getting all this attention. Two weeks from now, CNN is coming to my house, Sanjay Gupta, a big special, and all this attention is crazy.” Joe said he was 360 pounds when he started losing weight, and after finding himself at much-more-manageable 260 pounds a year later, he still wasn’t satisfied. Initially, he wanted to lose weight because in the past year, several of his friends have lost their lives due to their weight. Joe recalled attending one of his friends’ funerals and seeing himself in that position. He knew then it was time to make a change. “I went to my friend’s funeral in the Bronx, and he was just the funniest, coolest dude on earth,” Joe recalled. “He’s got a daughter, she’s the same age as my daughter, and it just felt like I was there, and I could just see my family in the funeral and I was like, ‘Damn, he left his daughter, and she’s only 5,’ ” he explained. “That was the wake-up call. Then I just jumped on that treadmill and started eating right. It’s not rocket science: It’s the same thing they keep telling you to do, you actually just have to do it.” Joe said he always asked God why he continued to bless him, despite his past and him not being a perfect person. And then he realized his weight-loss battle might be his calling. He hopes that he can inspire others to do the same. “One of my boys lives in Detroit, he said he came out his building, he got two dudes that been the fattest dudes on the block forever, they have weights outside and was running around the block, and he was like, ‘Yo, what’s up?’ and they were like, ‘We on that Fat Joe wave!’ ” Related Artists Fat Joe
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The R.E.D. Album follow-up ‘coming along crazy,’ 1500 or Nothin’ producer tells Mixtape Daily . By Alvin Blanco La Mar “Mars” Edwards Photo: Victor Decolongon/ Getty Images Behind the Beats: Mars Don’t let his relatively young age fool you: La Mar “Mars” Edwards is already an accomplished production veteran at only 26 years old. The California native’s production discography includes placements with A-list clients like Kanye West , Snoop Dogg and Chris Brown , to name a few. Mars and some fellow church musicians started a band and officially formed 1500 or Nothin’ , now a conglomerate of sought-after songwriters and producers, shortly after high school. Mars linked up with T.I., who was looking to work on his own production craft, around 2004. “We had the same attorney,” Mars told Mixtape Daily about T.I. “Tip always did beats, but he didn’t have time to do it while he’s rapping and doing business stuff, so he talked to my attorney about finding somebody that could help him form a company and produce with him as well as somebody he could learn from and possibly teach some things to. It was a no brainer for my attorney. “I got out there [to Atlanta] on the next plane smoking that day. Ever since then, he treated me like a brother,” Mars continued. “He’ll call me to talk about life. It’s more to it than me being his production partner and having Smash Factory.” T.I. and Mars, along with Lil C, formed the Smash Factory in 2005. The production team has since hooked up tracks including Nelly’s “She’s So Fly” and T.I.’s “I Can’t Help It.” While Tip has been incarcerated, Mars has asserted himself, most recently by earning an executive producer credit, alongside the likes of Dr. Dre, on Game’s just-released The R.E.D. Album . Although he produced a good chunk of the album — including the Tyler, the Creator- and Lil Wayne-assisted “Martians vs. Goblins” and “California Dream” — he was still surprised about the distinction. Mars said the Compton rapper granted him the executive producer nod because “[Game] seeing that it wasn’t about trying to get however many songs or just going up there and sending beats and just leave like other producers would.” “I just wanted to be there every day to make sure there’s input,” he added. “Even if it was songs I didn’t produce, I made sure I was vocal about it. He respected different things I would suggest.” Mars continued, “We’d been working on The R.E.D. Album for three years. Just seeing my name on the credits right when you open the album, that was pretty exciting. As well as being in good company with Pharrell and Game and Dre, that’s the icing on the cake. Especially being a producer, growing up listening to their sounds and them being a big influence on my production.” As for his upcoming projects, Mars didn’t offer any details on the new Will Smith album he and 1500 or Nothin’ are reportedly creating. He did mention working on a 1500 or Nothin’ compilation album, on Snoop Dogg’s daughter’s album and on Game’s next album. “Me and Game was in the studio yesterday,” Mars revealed. “We did two songs. That’s coming along crazy. We’re going to have no features: It’s just him rapping. No name dropping, no little things people say is clich
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‘Man, that was just some little minor sh–,’ Sean tells DJ Tim Westwood of his arrest on sex abuse and other charges. By Alvin Blanco Big Sean Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images A couple of weeks ago, Def Jam rapper Big Sean was arrested for sexual assault in upstate New York. Although he vehemently denied the charges, he has since been quiet about the situation. However, earlier this week after performing at Cargo in London with Kanye West, the 23-year-old spoke with DJ Tim Westwood about his arrest, albeit briefly. “Man, that was just some little minor sh–, man,” Sean told Westwood. “I really wanna talk about it too, and go through the details, but my lawyer says I can’t talk about it ’til it’s all said and done.” Big Sean (born Sean Anderson) and his friend Willie “SayItAintTone” Hansbro were both charged with forcible touching, unlawful imprisonment and sex abuse by a woman after a concert in Lewiston, New York, on August 4. The G.O.O.D. music MC had just performed on the same bill as Wiz Khalifa as part of the Rolling Papers Tour. Moments earlier in the conversation with Westwood, the “Marvin Gaye and Chardonnay” rapper again recalled his excitement at being nominated for the Best New Artist for his single “My Last,” featuring Chris Brown, at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards . “I found out at like 2 a.m. in the morning,” Sean said. “I called my mom and was like, ‘Mom I’m nominated for an MTV award, ahhh!!!’ I was screaming and then she started screaming. We were just sharing that moment.” Big Sean and Hansbro, who were released shortly after their arrest on $500 bail each, are both due back in Niagara County Court on September 6. Related Artists Big Sean
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Big Sean Comments On Recent Arrest
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Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maine also on hand to see three men plead guilty and walk free. By Gil Kaufman Eddie Vedder (file) Photo: Getty Images Eighteen years after they were sent to prison for the murders of three 8-year-old Cub Scouts in 1993, the men known as the West Memphis 3 were unexpectedly freed from jail Friday (August 19) when their lawyers reached an unusual deal with prosecutors. With such celebrity supporters as Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder and the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines on hand to watch the proceedings, Damien Echols (36), Jason Baldwin (34) and Jessie Misskelley Jr. (36) were set free thanks to a legal maneuver called an “Alford Plea” in which the three men pleaded guilty while still maintaining their innocence as they acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them. “The gag order has been lifted, so now I can tell you, I’m sitting in a holding room at the courthouse about to see three men walk free!” Maines tweeted Friday afternoon. “Beautiful things went down in Arkansas today. Beautiful beautiful things … The WM3 will now and forever be the WMFree!” The three, all teenagers at the time of their arrest, were convicted of the murders in what officials called a satanic ritual. But evidence later showed that their DNA did not match the DNA found at the crime scene. Their case became a cause c
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