‘I’m back with Dr. Dre, which is a bonus and dope for me,’ Game tells MTV News. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Matt Elias Dr. Dre Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage For Game , the fourth time’s the charm. The former G-Unit rapper has high hopes for album #4, The R.E.D. Album, which is set to be released August 23. While a Game album is notable in its own right, the Compton, California, MC is particularly excited now that he has reunited with mentor Dr. Dre and snagged Pharrell to help oversee the production as well. “This album is the most incredible album of my career,” Game said to MTV News from the set of his “Pot of Gold” video shoot last week. “First, I’m back with Dr. Dre, which is a bonus and dope for me. Second, executive-produced by Pharrell, co-executive-produced by myself and Mars.” There is also production from Cool & Dre, Hit-Boy, Maestro and Lex Luger and features ranging from Nelly Furtado to Lil Wayne to Busta Rhymes. “And Dre’s rapping on the album,” Game revealed. Dre, who oversaw Game’s debut, The Documentary, has played a limited role in the rapper’s career since Game’s fallout with 50 Cent, who is also signed to Dre’s Aftermath imprint. Since then, the West Coast production icon hasn’t lent beats or his vocals to any of Game’s subsequent albums. In 2009, studio pictures of Dr. Dre, Game and Snoop surfaced, proving that the two were back to work in some capacity. Game wouldn’t confirm whether Dre provided a full verse or a hook. When asked, he just blurted out the album’s release date: “August 29.” What are you expecting from a new Game/Dre collabo? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists The Game Dr. Dre
Producer Jim Jonsin says The Adventures of Bobby Ray singer ‘wants it to be his album.’ By Rob Markman B.o.B Photo: MTV News B.o.B is out embarking on another adventure. After his 2010 debut, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, produced chart-topping singles and an RIAA-certified gold plaque, the Atlanta rapper is back in the studio crafting his next LP all by his lonesome. “What Bob wanted to do was go into the lab himself and spend his time creating what he wanted his album to have, the direction he wanted,” producer Jim Jonsin told MTV News. “So we’re waiting on him to come back with that house that he’s built so we can go ahead and put all the fixtures in and try to help with it.” Jonsin, who signed B.o.B to his Rebel Rock label, where the artist remains inked alongside T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint (under Atlantic Records), said that after sessions earlier this year during which he and Bob cut “three or four records,” the “Nothin’ On You” rapper is now out working on the album alone, similar to the recording process on his debut. “Same way it was with the last album. Bob is very creative, he’s a producer, he’s a writer, he’s a real artist,” Jonsin said. While The Adventures of Bobby Ray was heavy on features, with contributions from Bruno Mars, Hayley Williams, Rivers Cuomo and Eminem, Jonsin said the plan for now is for B.o.B to make the album his own. “He doesn’t want to do the feature records; he wants it to be his album,” he said. In that respect, Jonsin, who has created hit records with Lil Wayne, Eminem and Usher, said he’s happy just letting Bob do his own thing and coming in to assist with production duties once the rapper has already laid his foundation. “He does have his ideas and his direction, and everyone feeds off of that,” the multiplatinum producer said. “The A&Rs, the label knows, Tip knows, I know where he’s going. We just gotta hear it, and then we can help him with it.” So far, Bob hasn’t announced a release date or a title for his new album, but in May, the singer told MTV News he’s actually been working on this album for quite some time. “It’s the right timing, and I haven’t revealed the name of the album yet,” he said, “but I’ve been working on this since before The Adventures of Bobby Ray, so it’s a real special project.” What do you expect B.o.B’s new album to sound like? Tell us below! Related Artists B.o.B
‘My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite,’ Nicki Minaj tweeted on July 4. By Rob Markman Nicki Minaj Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images What was supposed to be a day of celebration for Team Nicki was hit with tragedy after Nicki Minaj’s cousin Nicholas Telemaque was murdered near his home in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday. “Lived in Brooklyn his whole life. My precious cousin. My baby. Killed last nite,” Nicki tweeted , along with a photo of Telemaque. The Harajuku Barbie also wrote , “My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse, or @brolicalcoholic. Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn, NY,” and attached another pic. Yesterday Minaj spent Independence Day performing in Winnipeg, Canada, as part of Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale tour and also celebrated the birthday of her rumored boyfriend, hypeman Safaree “SB” Samuels, to whom she tweeted a b-day message: “HappyBirthdaySB!!!!!!!! @scaffbeezy hope u like ya gift coon!!!!” Since tweeting about her cousin’s death, Minaj hasn’t sent any subsequent messages out through the social networking site as of this writing. On Monday, July 4, at approximately 2:40 a.m. ET, police responded to a call in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where they found Telemaque, 27, with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso region. He was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The New York Daily News reported that Telemaque had just left C-PAC nightclub, just blocks from his home, when he was shot. Police told MTV News that no arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing. Related Artists Nicki Minaj
Yeezy performs a bombastic headlining set on Saturday in New Orleans. By Rebecca Thomas Kanye West performs at the 2011 Essence Fest on Saturday Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Early on in Kanye West ‘s headlining set at the 2011 Essence Music Festival on Saturday Night, the Chicago MC stood on a raised platform suspended high above the cheering crowd. As he spit “Dark Fantasy,” the hook “Can we get much higher?” seemed a particularly apt way to describe not only his literal skyward stance at the New Orleans Superdome , but also what was to come that night. Yeezy was already knee-deep into career-defining classics like “Jesus Walks” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Diamonds are Forever,” when he told the elated NOLA fest he was “just getting started.” Rocking a white blazer, topped by a thick tangle of gold chains, and a pair of jeans and sneakers, the 34-year-old rapper bounded across the stage like a hyperactive teen, but there was no mistaking that West is a megastar, the “college dropout” who has more than made G.O.O.D. on his childhood dreams. As a small army of classical dancers — dressed in a variation of the phoenix costume worn by Selita Ebanks’ bird in West’s short film “Runaway” — flanked him, Kanye launched into a bombastic rendition of “Power”; “Devil in a New Dress” and “Hell of a Life” followed as ‘Ye tucked into singles and cuts from last year’s platinum-plus opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Performing to a massive audience that came to its feet (and stayed there all night) to the strains of ‘Ye and Jay-Z’s “H.A.M.,” the Chi-town MC with a Nas flow touched on his recent scandals, explaining that he stopped granting press interviews after taking lashings from media and bloggers. But he wasn’t all rebellious rapper: He danced, sang along and laughed his way through an old-school medley of personally influential music, and the playlist jumped from Al Green to ’90s soul groups like Jodeci and Shai. And West also emphasized that he knew who had held him down when, as he laughed, he “had a little too much too drink” before storming the MTV VMA stage back in 2009. Yeezy repeatedly thanked the predominantly African-American crowd for standing by him before going on to a stirring, church-tinged rendition of “Gold Digger.” The songs felt big and anthemic; the stage and stands, for instance, were bathed in lights and lasers for “All of the Lights” and “Stronger,” respectively. As he bounced back and forth between hits from his discography, including his College Dropout debut and his introspective, Auto-Tuned 808s & Heartbreak, the weight of West’s musical success was apparent. If there is a handbook for how to headline an expansive show, West should write it. Concertgoers appeared awestruck at the sheer spectacle and scale of the show, mouths gaping when they weren’t shouting lyrics back at the energetic MC. For the finale “Act 3” (a title card projected onto oversize screens flashed the show’s three-part progression), a billowing white tent was spread across the stage. In cocoon-like fashion, the dancers re-emerged in black tutus; West clad in his signature red suit. As the rapper knocked out the mournful, tinkling opener of “Runaway” on his MPC machine, the ballerinas circled and Pusha T turned up for his verse. Still, as large and loud as the show felt, Yeezy’s closing was as subtle. After rapping a heartfelt “Hey Mama” on his knees, with a nod to his late mother, Donda West , the star and his band, dancers and DJ took a ballet-company-style bow and walked offstage as the stadium lights went up. Related Artists Kanye West
Lyor Cohen approached rapper, who departed Universal Music in 2009. By Alvin Blanco Common Photo: Chris Weeks/ Getty Images Last week, Chicago rapper Common revealed that he is taking his rhyme talents to Warner Bros. Records . Surprisingly, the “Universal Mind Control” rapper tells MTV News that he had been a free agent since December 2009, when he departed from his longtime Universal Music recording home. The rapper and actor, currently shooting an AMC television series called “Hell on Wheels” that will premiere in the fall, released his last album, Universal Mind Control, in December 2008. The album was met with mixed reviews and didn’t reach the same gold sales of his previous two projects, the critically acclaimed Be and Finding Forever . But a certain record executive didn’t lose faith in the veteran rap lyricist. “Point blank, I got a call from [Warner CEO] Lyor Cohen,” Common told MTV News. “He was like, ‘Look, man, I know who you are. I always told you, you was one of my favorite MCs, and I really meant that.’ “I felt the sincerity in what he was saying. He didn’t tell me, ‘We’re going to do this, do that.’ He was more like, ‘I know how we can do your record, and I want to work this. I want this to be on my roster.’ ” The Warner music chairman knows a thing or two about talent. Through the years, “the check writer” has had a hand in the careers of star MCs such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Jay-Z. Before getting the call from Cohen, Common had been toying with the idea of going the indie-label route to release his music. “I felt like, man, it would be good because it’s so much … we do have a lot going on,” Common explained. “I am doing these acting projects. I do have my foundation. I do have a daughter and a life, too. So it’s all these things I want to take care of, I felt like I didn’t want to have an independent label that I felt like you gotta be there for everything, every decision. I’d rather have a team that’s already in place that’s really confident in what I’m doing.” Although G.O.O.D. Music recently inked a worldwide label agreement with Island Def Jam Music Group, Common is still affiliated with Kanye West’s label. “It’s still G.O.O.D. Music all day and night,” he said. Common’s ninth album, The Dreamer, The Believer, is due out in November. What do you think of Common’s decision to sign with Warner Bros. Records? Sound off below! Related Artists Common
‘It’s just like Shady and Aftermath,’ MC says of being signed to G.O.O.D. Music, Konvict and Def Jam. By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Sway Calloway CyHi the Prynce Photo: MTV News If you want to get technical, Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music deal with Def Jam puts Atlanta rapper CyHi the Prynce back where he’s been throughout his career. And that makes him all the more confident that big-label status won’t change his music. “Def Jam is like family, for real,” he said on “RapFix Live” this week. His history with the label began back when CyHi was part of a Georgia rap group called Hoodlum that was signed to Def Jam through Jazzy Pha’s Sho’Nuff imprint. After the group split a couple of years later and CyHi embarked on a solo career, his relationship with a pair of execs kept him in the family. “When I went solo, I came back and revisited the situation, due to my relationship with L.A. Reid and my relationship with Bu Thiam,” CyHi told MTV News. At the time, Reid was Island Def Jam’s chairman and Thiam, Akon’s younger brother, was (and still is) an A&R at the label. CyHi was signed to Akon’s Konvict Music imprint in 2009. And then last year, Kanye West caught wind of his talents and recruited him to join his Grammy Family. “I’ve been at Def Jam all my life; it’s just, you know, the big heads put it all together,” CyHi explained of the new relationship with Kanye’s group and the label. “By G.O.O.D. Music actually getting their label deal there, and I’m already there, it just solidifies me more, [increasing] the possibility of an album coming soon.” As for how Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music interact on his behalf, and split any due proceeds, CyHi offered an analogy for the joint venture: “It’s just like Shady and Aftermath. It’s just like G-Unit and Aftermath. It’s the same thing. I’m not a stingy guy. My thing ain’t to get rich. … Their check is a joint venture. That’s between Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music. They going to split that, then I just do me.” The “Royal Flush” rapper was also adamant that both Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music only have his best interest at heart and that the plan is to augment his talent, not switch up his style. “When you self-made and you do it yourself, they all come to complement what you have done,” CyHi said. “I got with ‘Ye, I been like this. They was like, ‘I don’t want to change nothing about you; I just want to enhance it.’ Same with [Konvict], ‘We just want to enhance.’ It’s a great relationship with everybody. My team is what really makes me who I am. Teamwork makes dreams work.” Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With CyHi The Prynce Related Artists Prynce Cy Hi Kanye West Konvict
Producer tells MTV News of sending track to Em, in Mixtape Daily. By Rob Markman Eminem on the set of his “Space Bound” music video Photo: Eric Ford / On Location News Behind the Beats: Jim Jonsin Before Eminem could make the heart-wrenching “Space Bound” a hit single, the song’s producer, Jim Jonsin, had to rework the track, which he had previously recorded with British songwriter Steve McEwan. “It was actually a full song with verses, b-section, chorus,” Jonsin told MTV News of the original Eminem-less version. “Me and Steve McEwan actually wrote the song, we actually did it here in New York on guitar — it was just a guitar vocal on an iPhone,” the multiplatinum producer said. “We took the idea later in Miami, like three months after, and produced the track, and we sent it out to Eminem to see what he thought about it. He loved it. So he interpreted it his own way.” The initial concept remained mostly intact, and the song’s chorus acted as a guide for the Detroit MC to add his own twist. “The chorus was based off of a chase, a guy who’s chasing after a woman that he’s crazy about,” Jonsin said of the theme. “He loves her; she’s everything to him. I’m a rocket ship aiming at her heart, her heart’s the moon — I’m going full-on.” It was Jonsin’s manager who suggested that he send the track to Slim Shady, which he did, even though he didn’t believe anything would come of it. “He had me strip down the verses, take them out, and make the track a little more hip-hop, and he sent it out,” he said. “I didn’t really believe that it would end up on Eminem’s album, let alone be a single.” The video for “Space Bound,” now the fourth single off of Em’s multiplatinum 2010 Recovery album, was released last week on iTunes. The clip, which stars ex-porn actress Sasha Grey, depicts a rocky romance that eventually leads the rapper to kill himself with a single shot to the head. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Photos Eminem’s ‘Space Bound’ Video Shoot Related Artists Jim Jonsin Eminem
We at HelloBeautiful were anxiously awaiting the final results of NBC’s hit singing competition show “The Voice” so we were ecstatic when, on Wednesday night, Javier Colon took the winning title! What we have found especially appealing about him is not only his dreamy voice and handsome stature, but his determination behind pursuing his dreams while still being a responsible parent. He found the strength to continue chasing his goals by associating his success with the success of his family. This was especially clear (and heartbreaking!) when he discussed being on the show during Father’s Day. He admitted how difficult it was to be away from his kids but he did not let his sadness show in his performances. In fact, he performed his way to first place! Colon discussed his future plans with TMZ . After catching up on some well deserved sleep, Javier Colon plans to continue his music career with two judges from “The Voice”: Adam Levine and Cee-Lo Green. We would like to send a hearty congratulations to Javier Colon on his musical achievements! Hear his cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You”: Tia Mowry Reveals Newborn Son’s Name Alicia Keys To Produce Broadway Play Are These BP Artists Good Enough to Get Signed? 2011 BET Award Winners & Recap FACT OF THE DAY: Foxy Brown Was Not Always Foxy FACT OF THE DAY: LL Cool J Dropped Out Of High School To Record His Debut Album
Philly MC will talk about his Jay-Z drama and his future moves next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. By Rob Markman Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z in 2007 Photo: Getty Images Some call him the Truth, others call him the Reason, but most just call him Beanie Sigel . And next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, we’ll call the former Roc-A-Fella rapper our guest when he joins Sway on “RapFix Live.” There will be much to talk about with the Philadelphia MC as we will address his relationship with Jay-Z , the brash comments he’s made about Hov and the apology he supposedly issued to Jigga at the top of June. Last week, during a radio appearance on Sirius XM, the Broad Street Bully denied that he ever apologized to Jay-Z and charged that his quotes were taken out of context by XXL magazine, the outlet that first broke the news of Beans’ supposed olive branch. He did, however, acknowledge that it was Jay-Z who gave him his start in hip-hop, and for that he expressed his gratitude. Sigel rose to rap prominence after he was signed to Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, where he released his debut album, The Truth, in 1999. Respected equally for his rap bars as well as his street bravado, the MC has seen his career tainted by legal trouble. In 2004, Beans was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after he pled guilty to federal weapon charges. It was around this time that Roc-A-Fella co-founders Jay-Z and Damon Dash split, leaving the company fractured and forcing artists on their roster to choose sides. Sigel managed to release 2005’s The B. Coming on Dash’s DDMG label and then his 2007 follow-up, The Solution, on Roc-A-Fella Records two years later. Still, the relationship between him and Jay has since been damaged. In 2009, Sigel addressed the drama and threw shots at Jay-Z on several songs, including “What You Talkin Bout,” a track he released in October of that year. Now, Sigel aims to set the record straight on the next episode of “RapFix Live.” Related Artists Beanie Sigel Jay-Z
Chris Marrs Piliero explains the video’s ‘Half Baked’ and ‘Terminator’ homages, but what about those elusive seashells? By Kara Warner Britney Spears in her “I Wanna Go” music video Photo: Jive Britney Spears’ video for “I Wanna Go” — a dream-sequence-y, pop-culture-reference-packed tongue-in-cheek attack on the paparazzi — is so fun, it’s quickly becoming one of our favorites. And because we can’t get enough of it, MTV News sought out the vid’s creative mastermind, director Chris Marrs Piliero (who also directed Ke$ha’s “Blow”), to explain it to us, frame by frame. “This opening scene poked fun at the ridiculous rumors that surround Britney,” Piliero said of the clip’s opening press conference, during which Britney tells off a room of reporters. “That is our homage to ‘Half Baked.’ I was really stoked that we were able to include that little parody homage in the video and that Guillermo Diaz, who is the guy [in the scene] giving the thumbs up, is from the movie.” After strutting out of the press conference and squeezing the butt of an autograph-seeking fan (played by one of her dancers), Spears strolls down the street, passing by a baby in a stroller who whistles at her. “We were actually going to have three babies,” Piliero revealed. “But the other two were just crying and crying. and I was like ‘F— it, get ’em outta there,’ and the one baby, he ruled and was super cute, so we went with him.” Spears’ next saucy move is to flash a bunch of guys on the street: a young boy, his dad, a male driver getting a ticket and the cop writing it. “That little kid was awesome,” Piliero said of the young redheaded boy. “If you look closely, he’s actually squeezing his juice box all over this shirt. The cop is another one of Britney’s dancers. You might recognize him from the ‘Hold It Against Me’ video, he had blue hair.” Next up, Spears encounters a paparazzo on the street and grabs his camera and throws it to the ground. “That was a very genuine performance from Britney,” Piliero said of the scene. “I felt like she was letting out her inner emotion toward paparazzi. It was also really cold. I think she just went for it.” Cut to Spears on top of a taxi, microphone in hand with a long cord, which she uses to take out the various photographers who have surrounded her. “A lot of people think this was inspired by ‘Kill Bill,’ because I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. I would totally own up to that if it was true,” he admitted. “But I actually intended for her to always having her performance with the microphone [throughout the video] for her performance setup, so I thought that was a good way to tie it all together and I didn’t want to give her a real weapon.” But Piliero was making an intentional pop-culture reference with the wording on the movie theater marquee in the background of the scene that reads “Crossroads 2: Cross Harder.” “I’ve always thought that ‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’ is one of the most ridiculously awesome titles for a sequel ,” he said. “And I needed to put something in the marquee, and I thought it would be a really fun Easter egg for fans.” Now something odd happens with the paparazzi who’ve been hit by Spears’ microphone weapon — they are revealed to be robots or androids. “I love pop culture and this whole video is kind of a dream sequence,” Piliero said. “I think it’s natural to have fantasies and dreams with stuff inspired by pop culture, so that’s why the robot guys kind of have a ‘Terminator’-ish feel.” Before the “Terminator” ‘bots can move in on Spears, Diaz drives up in a sports car and whisks her away, where he celebrates by pouring a carton of milk all over himself. “Guillermo kills it in the scene with the milk, he’s hilarious,” Piliero enthused. “And I love Britney’s reaction there; both her reactions where she’s laughing are so good. A lot of people ask about the milk and what the deal with it is, a lot of people have theories too, I don’t need to say what the point is, because I love hearing what people say, so I’ll leave it at that. Same goes with the seashells too.” Cut to the final scene, where we realize that it was all a dream. Spears is at the press conference, shaken out of a daze when Guillermo steps in and tells the reporters, “No more questions,” then hands Spears a handful of those seashells that Piliero won’t explain. He looks back at the camera at the last moment and we see his eyes are robot red, an obvious nod to Michael Jackson’s zombie-green eyes in the last shot of “Thriller.” ” ‘Thriller is one of my favorite music videos ever,” Piliero said. “I remember watching it when I was five, that was what inspired me to become a music video director so I wanted to pay homage to it.” What do you think the milk and the seashells signify in “I Wanna Go”? Share your theories in the comments below. Related Videos Britney Spears’ ‘I Wanna Go’: Frame By Frame Pop References In Britney Spears’ ‘I Wanna Go’ Video Related Photos Britney Spears’ ‘I Wanna Go’ Video: Pop References Related Artists Britney Spears
