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Drake Says ‘Young Sweet Jones’ Reference Pays Tribute To Pimp C

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I feel like I’m extended UGK family,’ Drizzy tells Mixtape Daily of controversy from Pimp-inspired ‘Put It Down’ verse. By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway Drake Photo: Octobers Very Own The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive Drake lays his game down flat on Bun B’s “Put It Down,” from the certified classic Trill O.G. “I just bought a car/ The n—a Pimp owned it,” Drizzy rhymes on the chorus, paying homage to UGK’s Pimp C. “I threw some tints on it/ He would have loved it how/ Put it down, put it down.” In his guest verse, the Toronto native says, “I got 100 girls in each phone/ Drizzy Drake mane, Young Sweet Jones.” Sweet Jones, of course, was the late Pimp C’s nickname. In fact, a posthumous Pimp album, due on October 5, is titled The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones. (Drake makes a guest turn on a track called “What Up.”) The 23-year-old Young Money franchise player says he’s heard about the small undercurrent of controversy stemming from his tribute-paying reference to the legendary Texas street general. But according to Drake, there was absolutely no disrespect intended. “I just feel that I’m a huge Pimp supporter,” explained Drake, who sends the MC an R.I.P. at the end of his verse. “I’m a huge Pimp fan. I feel like I’m extended UGK family. Bun and Pimp are like uncles, dads to me. They’re G’s. [When I’m around them], I feel like I do around my uncles. They’re still the coldest cats in the world, but Bun makes me feel … he’s a legend. His presence, it’s like me calling myself Young Bun B, [when I call myself] Young Sweet Jones. “It’s just seeing a bit of them in myself; by no means did I mean to offend. I heard it was somebody upset about me making that reference. I think it was somebody in his family or something. But I never mean any disrespect. I love rap. Young Sweet Jones is just a little nickname. People really started calling me that before I ever said it in a rap song. I used to rep for Houston so hard. They just be like, ‘Man, that’s Young Sweet Jones right there.’ I just put it in a song. And it sounded dope.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Drake, Shawty Lo

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Marques Houston Says He’s Laying It Down On Mattress Music

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s definitely one you can put on in the bedroom,’ the singer/actor says about latest release. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Matt Elias Marques Houston Photo: MTV News Marques Houston wants to bring sexy back — his own. The singer scored a breakout hit five years ago with 2005’s “Naked” from his sophomore solo album of the same name. The song, of course, was best remembered for its D’Angelo-aping music video in which Houston strips down to his birthday suit,

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Lady Gaga’s Rally To Feature Testimonial From Discharged Marine

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I got the chance to meet her in D.C., and she genuinely cared about the issue,’ former Marine Danny Hernandez says of Gaga. By Kyle Anderson Lady Gaga with her military friends on the VMA red carpet Photo: Getty Images Since she first broke into the mainstream two years ago, Lady Gaga has used her fame to bring gay rights issues to the forefront. In the past few weeks, she has focused squarely on the repeal of the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy , including bringing several casualties of the law to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles and recording a video that encourages her fans to contact their senators to oppose the policy. On Monday (September 20), Gaga will host a rally in Portland, Maine, organized by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) , in an effort to get the two senators from the state — Republicans Olivia Snowe and Susan Collins — to vote to break a filibuster and repeal the DADT policy in Tuesday’s procedural vote in Washington, D.C. Those gathered at the rally will also hear testimonial from Danny Hernandez, a former Marine who was discharged from the military for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” violations. “I was in the Marine Corps and was under investigation for violating ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,’ and I ended up working with SLDN in Washington,” Hernandez explained to MTV News in a Skype interview from Portland. “They represented me, and it was through them I began working for them and getting involved with Lady Gaga.” Hernandez first got the opportunity to meet the singer a few weeks ago after a concert in Washington. “I was a little skeptical at first,” Hernandez said of Gaga’s involvement with the cause. “I love her music but wouldn’t consider myself a Little Monster. I got the chance to meet her in D.C., and she genuinely cared about the issue. It was then I realized that she’s serious about this issue and getting the word out.” Though Hernandez was a victim of a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharge — one among 14,000 similar cases — he hasn’t let that get in the way of his dream of service. “I’ve been wanting to serve in the military for as long as I can remember,” he said. “My brother, my cousins — everybody is in the Marine Corps. It’s a family thing. To have been discharged was one of the worst things to ever happen to me, but that’s why I’m a part of this cause. And it’s meaningful to the people around me as well as the people still serving in silence. But I’d like to get back into the military as soon as possible.” The procedural vote — which would merely clear the bill (which has already been approved by the House of Representatives) for discussion on the Senate floor — is scheduled to occur on Tuesday afternoon. What do you think of Lady Gaga’s involvement with trying to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos Lady Gaga Gets Involved With ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Director Mark Romanek Wants To Direct Lady Gaga Video

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Never Let Me Go’ director would return to directing videos if Gaga, Radiohead or Tom Waits call. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Lady Gaga Photo: WireImage Since MTV’s Video Music Awards launched in 1984, a select few artists and directors have been honored with the Video Vanguard statuette in recognition of their unique contributions to the ever-changing art form. Mark Romanek is one of them. The director vaulted from working with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna and David Bowie to directing Robin Williams in 2002’s “One Hour Photo.” By now, though, Romanek dubs himself “semi-retired” when it comes to directing music videos. That’s not hard to understand, considering how well things have gone for him in Hollywood. His latest feature, “Never Let Me Go,” stars Oscar nominees Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. Yet there are a few artists for whom Romanek would happily un-retire. “If Radiohead called or Tom Waits called, I’d go running,” he told MTV News while promoting his new film at the Toronto Film Festival. “Or Gaga, actually.” “Lady Gaga is still doing stuff in the old-school, ’90s way,” he explained. “The ‘Alejandro’ video was really impressive.” That would be Gaga’s homage to Weimar-era Germany , all angular outfits and black-and-white moodiness. “[It is] about a woman’s desire to resurrect a dead love and who cannot face the brutality of her present situation,” the video’s director, Steven Klein , told MTV News in June. “The pain of living without your true love.” Gaga wouldn’t be the first fierce female artist to collaborate with Romanek. He worked alongside Madonna for “Bedtime Stories” and Janet Jackson — and the King of Pop himself — for the seminal “Scream” video in 1995. And though Romanek hasn’t directed a video since Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound” in 2005, he’s certainly open to returning to that world for the “‘Alejandro” singer. “She’s adventurous and visually stunning and takes chances,” he said. “Call me up!” Check out everything we’ve got on “Never Let Me Go.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Artists Lady Gaga

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Justin Bieber Sings For Fans At Hooters In Canada

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer makes a surprise appearance at a mall in Edmonton. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber (file) Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Justin Bieber is living the life. The 16-year-old superstar was spotted and photographed with a bevy of Hooters waitresses after he stopped by the restaurant’s local outpost at the West Edmonton Mall in Canada on Saturday, the Edmonton Sun reports. He was in town for a stop on his My World tour . Not only did Bieber and his entourage, including four of his backup dancers, stop by for a quick visit, he also serenaded everyone at the restaurant. One of the servers at the restaurant, Tania Biggar, explained, “We were talking about deep-fried pickles. Then they said they would sing to me for free deep-fried pickles. The manager said if they sang for the whole restaurant, he’d pay for their entire meal. They serenaded the girls. They were actually super-polite. They were just awesome people to serve. They weren’t demanding or anything like that.” The impromptu performance had fans in a frenzy. “Everybody that was sitting around them went over to talk to them. They told them they did an awesome job of singing,” she said. Biggar further explained that while the Hooters girls did get a photo with Bieber, they didn’t get much one-on-one time with him. “None of the [servers] really got to talk to him. He was surrounded by his fans,” she said. “That’s how we knew he was coming in — it was all 14-year-old girls. And they all kind of move as one.” YouTube footage of the Hooters visit shows Bieber, dressed in a black jacket and black hat, walking through crowds of people. Despite all the fans trying to catch a glimpse of the star, it seems things remained relatively more low-key than past Bieber mall appearances . The restaurant’s manager, Sonny Verma, confirmed the blink-and-you’ll-miss-him appearance of the “U Smile” singer to the Edmonton Journal . “We probably had a row six people deep and 10 people long at the window. It was pretty cool,” he said. “I was told about 10, 15 minutes he came in here. It was really quick. He came in, took a quick picture and took off.” Related Artists Justin Bieber

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Lady Gaga, Katy Perry Score MTV Europe Music Awards Nominations

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Gaga and Perry tie with five nominations each; Eminem close behind them with four nominations. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga Photo: Chris Gordon/ WireImage It’ll be somewhat of a girls’ night out at this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards in November, with Lady Gaga and Katy Perry tied at five nominations each. The ladies will go head-to-head in four categories: Best Pop Act, Best Song, Best Female Act and Best Video. Gaga is also up for Best Live Act, while Perry, who hosted the show last year , is up for Best World Stage performance for her fifth nomination. Eminem follows right behind the ladies with four nominations: Best Song, Best Male Act, Best Hip Hop and Best Video for his Rihanna collaboration “Love the Way You Lie.” But it wouldn’t be an awards show without Justin Bieber. Bieber, who won the Best New Artist Moonman at the VMAs last week, will compete against Ke$ha, B.o.B, Jason Der

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Fantasia Pole Dances On ‘Fantasia For Real 2’ Premiere

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer preps for new album release and heads to London in second-season kickoff. By Mawuse Ziegbe Fantasia in the season-two premiere of “Fantasia For Real” Photo: VH1 In the weeks before and after her August suicide attempt, Fantasia Barrino has arguably gone through one of the toughest moments of her life. On the second-season premiere of VH1’s “Fantasia For Real,” however, the former American Idol’s fighting spirit is on full display as she preps for the release of her third album, Back to Me. The episode kicked off with Fantasia celebrating her newly empty house in Charlotte, North Carolina, after her mother and brothers moved out. She tricked out the mansion with a new game room and a brightly colored playroom for her daughter, Zion. While the songstress appeared to revel in her drama-free domesticity, she did have an album to promote, so she jetted off to New York City to work some breezy looks in a photo shoot. The pressure was on for ‘Tasia’s next album to be a smash. Manager Brian mentioned in the episode that her upcoming effort could determine whether she’s just a recording artist or an “icon.” The singer said the feedback she’d been getting so far was positive and she just wanted “the whole world to feel like that.” So, in order to become an international big deal, Barrino had to head across the pond to connect with her London fanbase. But first, she got a visit from family. When Aunt Bunny cames to town, ‘Tasia complimented her weight loss and then dragged her to a workout sure to get the blood pumping: a pole dancing class. The two worked exercises like the “loopty loop” and “spread eagle,” moves that prompted Bunny to throw a side-eye and declare, “You too comfortable on the pole!” Faced with the slew of tabloid headlines about the singer’s supposed dalliances with a married man, Bunny and Fantasia’s mother grilled the singer about her love life. Fantasia denied rumors that she broke up her “friend’s” union, insisting, “I come from a home that was wrecked” and maintaining that she would never wreak the same havoc on another family. The confrontation eventually sent her to tears. She latter dubbed her love live “touchy” and added, “There’s some things going on, but it’s not what you think, and I’m just not ready to talk about it.” Bunny also checked up on Fantasia’s brother Teeny in his spankin’-new crib, which was largely free of furniture but big on Feng Shui. He seemed all right, judging by the spacious abode, but he did admit to his auntie that even though he identifies himself as a music engineer, “technically, I still don’t have a job.” The episode wrapped up with Fantasia finally hitting the stage in London, after stressing over the news that ticket sales were sluggish. But when the soul singer did arrive onstage, she was greeted with a packed house of amped concertgoers who sang every word to her new track “Even Angels.” What did you think of the season premiere of “Fantasia for Real”? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos London Calling Show Clips Related Artists Fantasia

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Shawty Lo Keeps ATL Projects Alive With Mixtape, Film, Book

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s about my life when I was coming up in Bankhead, when I didn’t have nothing,’ he tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and FLX Smith Shawty Lo Photo: Shawty Lo Monday’s Main Pick Street King : Shawty Lo Holding It Down For : Bankhead Mixtape : Bowen Homes Carlos Real Spit : Shawty Lo will continue to salute his projects until the day he goes to that upper room. With his projects torn down by the city of Atlanta, Lo keeps the memory alive on his new mixtape, Bowen Homes Carlos. “It’s the good, the bad and the ugly,” Shawty said about the Bowen projects being demolished. “Good thing is, there was a lot of murders going on in Bowen Homes. The crime rate was high. It’s bad for the people who lived there and are unfortunate and do not have anything. There were no extra bills. Zero rent. Now they gotta get out there and try to make it. It’s getting harder and harder these days.” Lo’s BH movement is more than music. He’s coming out with a documentary, a fragrance and a writing project. “What makes this mixtape special, I got a DVD that comes with it. It’s called ‘Bowen Homes Carlos’ also. So it’s a visual that comes with this mix CD. I got a new cologne, Lo Seduction. It’s for the fellas, but it could go unisex. I got the book ‘BHC.’ It’s about my life when I was coming up in Bankhead, when I didn’t have nothing, when I was unfortunate. My mother was on drugs, my daddy was elsewhere. I was raised by my grandmother. When she passed to cancer, that put me in the streets. I turned a negative into a positive. There’s only one judge, and that’s the man above. It feels good to be here. I must’ve done something right.” Joints to Check For

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Katy Perry Hits Las Vegas For Bachelorette Party

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Rihanna attends pre-wedding bash. By Mawuse Ziegbe Rihanna and Katy Perry in Las Vegas Saturday Photo: David Becker/Getty Images Like many brides-to-be, Katy Perry didn’t let anything come between her and a final night of single-girl debauchery — not even the arrest of her fianc

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Chris Brown Announces Fame Album Title

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The singer reveals follow-up to 2009’s Graffiti By Mawuse Ziegbe Chris Brown Photo: Getty Images Chris Brown has had some very public personal struggles but the Virginia crooner isn’t shying away from the spotlight on his next album. The singer has announced that the title of his follow-up to 2009’s Graffiti will be Fame. “I’m putting out singles a lot right now, so everything’s coming together. But I’m definitely going to say this and plug it quick. The name of my album is Fame so make sure you check it out,” Brown said when he recently played radio host on 102.3 The Beat in Austin, Texas. According to some reports , the title references a “Fame” tattoo the singer sports on his arm. The singer also urged fans to look out for the singles “Yeah 3X,” a high-energy track infused with chirpy techno rhythms, and “Calypso” which he tweeted about in early September. “I’m trying to get everything together, figure out what I’m [going to] do with the album,” he explained. Brown has been making a lot of moves on the music scene in recently. His single with Young Money spitter Tyga, “Deuces,” topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart. He has also appeared on Chicago O.G. Twista’s “Make a Movie” and revamped Nicki Minaj’s “Your Love.” Breezy’s “Deuces” collaborator Kevin McCall recently dished about some of the singer’s new songs, including the “Rest of My Life” and “Another You,” in which the R&B star tries out another musical direction. “We’re going to keep working on new stuff from here. That kid’s got a lot of records so it’s tough picking out cuts. It’s really new right now,” McCall said. “The song ‘Another You’ is country. It’s like Hootie and the Blowfish, so it should be something different, something new and fresh.” Are you looking forward to Chris Brown’s new music? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos MTV News Track-By-Track: Chris Brown’s ‘Graffiti’ Related Artists Chris Brown

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