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Nicki Minaj Wants To Bridge ‘Gap’ Between Gay Fans And Hip-Hop

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Talking up her gay alter ego, Roman Zolanski, in Out, MC says Lil Wayne tour could be enlightening for the duo’s fanbases. By Kelley L. Carter Nicki Minaj on cover of Out Magazine Photo: Out.com Nicki Minaj just might be the one to bridge the gap. The 25-year-old female MC hasn’t even released her debut album, Pink Friday, yet, but already her quirky hooks and outrageous fashion have made her one to watch in the gay community. Minaj has a bevy of gay fans, and she’s hoping that she’ll be the one to spearhead a movement to eradicate homophobia in hip-hop. She talks up her gay fans, her bi-curious lyrics and her embrace of her female following in the latest issue of Out magazine, hitting shelves next week. “I started making it my business to say things that would empower women, like, ‘Where my bad bitches at?’ to let them know, ‘I’m here for you,’ ” Minaj says of her female followers. “Then, when I started going to the shows and it was nothing but girls, it was like, ‘Did I go too far with embracing my girls?’ Because now they want to kiss and hug me.” Minaj, whose many aliases include the Harajuku Barbie, said the really haters came out when she embraced that particular image, which surprised her. At MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on Sunday, Minaj performed in a pink-and-purple spacesuit and a cotton-candy-colored wig. She appeared as a Barbie landing from outer space, popping and locking with robotic moves. “It’s interesting that people have more negative things to say about me saying, ‘I’m Barbie,’ than me saying, ‘I’m a bad bitch,’ ” she told the magazine. “Once I figure something is irritating people, I’m going to do it more because I like to get on your nerves until you realize how f—ing stupid you are.” Instead, Minaj said, she’d rather focus on what a homophobia-free rap world might look like, hinting at a tour with her mentor, Lil Wayne. “Normally, Wayne probably wouldn’t have gay guys coming to see his shows much, but they’re definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they’d still come out and see me,” she said. “I think that will be really, really interesting, just to start bridging that gap. We’ll see.” What do you think of Nicki’s relationship with her gay fans? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances Related Photos Nicki Minaj’s Wildest Looks Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Will.I.Am Responds To VMA ‘Blackface’ Criticism

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

MC says costume for Nicki Minaj pre-show performance wasn’t meant to be racially charged. By Mawuse Ziegbe Will.I.Am and Nicki Minaj perform during the 2010 VMA Preshow Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Nicki Minaj made a colorful MTV Video Music Awards debut when she rocked the pre-show in a bubblegum-pink wig and shimmery purple catsuit. But it was the hue of her onstage collaborator Will.I.Am ‘s getup that really got viewers talking. After Minaj and her dancers took the stage decked out in Jetsons-chic bodysuits for her smash “Your Love,” Will joined Minaj for a rendition of their cheery hip-pop track “Check It Out.” When the Black Eyed Peas frontman hopped onstage, ushered in by two plumes of thick white fog, the MC was rocking all-black everything, with the exception of a few Barbie-pink accents, including fingerless gloves, a shiny midnight-colored plastic hairpiece and jet-black face paint. Apparently some viewers took offense to the producer’s outfit, especially the dark makeup, which, to some fans, was reminiscent of the antiquated, racially charged practice of blackface. After fans blasted the rapper online, he took to Twitter to defend the look as artistic expression and not an embrace of the controversial maquillage typically used to lampoon African-Americans. “1st. just because I where all black including head mask as expression and emphasize my outfit, it shouldn’t be looked at as racial,” Will tweeted . “Let go of the past. there are far more important things 2 bark about. (Jobs, health, education) not a black man wearing all black everything.” The Peas frontman insisted the face paint was a harmless costume choice and that fans concerned with the image Will’s look projected should focus on larger issues. “Are you guys serious? my outfit set ‘black people back 100 yrs’ choose your twits wisely,” Will typed . “No education sets people back, no jobs, bad health.” What did you think of Will’s outfit? Were you offended by the look? Let us know in the comments. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances On The 2010 VMA Red Carpet VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Behind The VMA Performances Related Photos Behind The Scenes At The 2010 VMAs Related Artists Will.I.Am Nicki Minaj

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B.o.B, Paramore And Bruno Mars’ VMA Medley: Making The Show

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

MTV News was in the rehearsal for the collaboration — and for B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ first meeting. By Jayson Rodriguez Hayley Williams of Paramore and B.o.B perform onstage during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images LOS ANGELES — B.o.B , Bruno Mars, and Paramore could teach a class in chemistry. The three acts blended together like they were one touring group during their medley performance of “Nothin’ on You,” “Airplanes” and “The Only Exception” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. It was the first time that the artists all came together in one setting, but during their rehearsal over the weekend , B.o.B , Mars, and Paramore singer Hayley Williams were playful and relaxed, which certainly helped set the tone for the big night. B.o.B and Mars’ sweet “Nothin’ on You” served as a dramatic introduction to Sunday’s performance, but when the pair rehearsed the number the day before, they were having plenty of fun, as they took turns trying to upstage each other with covers of songs by Drake and the Notorious B.I.G. Between takes, they also dished out a Jeffrey Osborne-like rendition of “Nothin’.” Mars began singing the tune in a low register, and B.o.B followed suit before the duo broke out laughing. The good vibes bled into the next portion as well. “Where are you guys?” Williams could be heard asking over her microphone. Although she was onstage with Mars and B.o.B, they were in the foreground and her view of them was obstructed by a pillar. Upon hearing her, B.o.B proceeded to make a beeline over to the Paramore frontwoman. Williams and B.o.B scored a top-five hit with “Airplanes,” and the track’s video earned multiple VMA nods, but the two had never physically worked with each other until the rehearsal . “We finally met for the first time,” B.o.B told MTV News on Saturday, turning to the camera excitedly, after hugging Williams. “I hope I don’t mess up.” “I’m gonna trip and fall,” Williams responded about their big performance. “Catch me, please!” Nobody fell, obviously, and the trio lifted one another up during the soaring medley, which was one of the night’s highlights. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA All Access Behind The VMA Performances VMA 2010: Lady Gaga’s VMA Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Performers VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists B.o.B Paramore Bruno Mars

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Eminem And Rihanna’s Triumphant VMA Plan: Making The Show

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Between commitments in Hawaii and NYC, the hit collaborators found time to kick off the show in style. By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by James Montgomery Eminem performs during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Kevin Mazur/EM/WireImage In the days before Eminem’s opening performance at the 2010 Video Music Awards on Sunday, the MC had to do a little juggling. Not only did he have to make room in his schedule for the big show; he had to work out a cross-country trip so that he’d arrive in New York in time for the first of his two Yankee Stadium shows with Jay-Z on Monday night (September 13). But though the MC wasn’t able to stick around and accept his wins for Best Male Artist and Best Hip-Hop Video, he planned to open the show proving that he was already a winner. ” Eminem is opening the show , and the theme of his performance is ‘triumph,’ ” VMA executive producer Dave Sirulnick told MTV News in the days prior the broadcast. “It’s a testament to the year he’s had, his return to the top. He tells a story, and the viewers will definitely pick up on that.” At first, it seemed like Eminem wasn’t the only person with scheduling troubles. “Love the Way You Lie” collaborator Rihanna originally said she wouldn’t be able to make the show because she was in Hawaii, shooting “Battleship.” But then, she either changed her mind at the last minute or planned to trick us all along. The flame-haired singer took the stage and belted out her haunting chorus at the end of Em’s set. “SURPRISE!!!” she tweeted after the performance. “Just had to do it, guys.” The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA All Access VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Behind The VMA Performances VMA 2010: Performances Related Photos Behind The Scenes At The 2010 VMAs Related Artists Rihanna Eminem

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Travie McCoy Remembers Tupac Shakur’s Death 14 Years Later

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

McCoy was still in high school, but he vividly remembers the sad day. By Shaheem Reid Travie McCoy Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images Monday (September 13) is the 14th anniversary of the death of Tupac Shakur . Pac died in 1996, after succumbing to gunshot wounds he suffered a week prior when leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas. Travie McCoy still vividly remembers the day. He said he did not believe the news at first. “I was still in high school,” McCoy recalled at the VMA Radio Forum on Friday in Los Angeles. “I was a freshman. I got to school and kids were crying. Kids were upset. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I hadn’t heard the news. I thought somebody in the school had died. They was, ‘Nah — Tupac didn’t make it.’ My jaw immediately dropped. My school took it upon themselves to play R.E.M.’s ‘Everybody Hurts.’ It was pandemonium. Everybody burst in tears, in pieces. It was a sad day. He was a fallen soldier to say the least.” Like so many others, McCoy loved Shakur’s music but he also respected the rap legend as a person. “I came up on Pac. I think I might have given [my cousin] Tyga his first Pac record,” Travie said. “I just got tingles thinking about that day. Thinking about hearing one of the saddest songs played over the loudspeaker in school when he got killed. It’s a shame. But his music lives on. I was listening to All Eyez on Me three days ago.” Meanwhile, veteran rapper-producer David Banner also recently commented about Pac’s passing. In an MTV News interview Friday , Banner said, “It was bigger than the death of a rapper. It was the death of an icon for young people … Pac was deeper than music.” Share your memories of the day Tupac died in the comments below. Related Artists Travie McCoy

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Drake’s Sinatra-Cool VMA Performance: Making The Show

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Drizzy says the idea to channel the Rat Pack came from his earlier VMA promo. By Shaheem Reid Drake performs at the 2010 VMAs on Sunday Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Drake has become a wise man in his 23 years. He knows that when a great idea crosses his path, he shouldn’t turn his nose up at it. Drizzy was approached by MTV a few months ago to make a promo for the 2010 Video Music Awards . In the VMA commercial, Drake is suited and booted and as smooth as Frank Sinatra. “Really, it came from the [VMA] campaign,” Drake said on Friday afternoon, explaining the inspiration for his VMA performance with Mary J. Blige and Swizz Beatz . He was in his dressing room at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and had just finished rehearsing with Swizz and 30 beautiful models. “The campaign let me sort of have a Sinatra moment. I got so many compliments. ‘You look great in a suit.’ And ‘the way you move, you exude that same confidence.’ I was like, well, it would be silly for me to stray from something that great and do a whole hip-hop performance. Let’s just make the campaign our performance.” Hence the snazzy threads and club feel on Sunday night. On Friday, he wore jeans and a black tee. In between takes he looked down from the stage and cracked jokes with one of his managers, Cortez Bryant. During one break, he even kicked a freestyle off the mic. You could hardly hear him, but he seemed to be feeling his rhymes. Later, Drake also told us he was feeling Old Blue Eyes’

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Usher’s VMA Performance Proves He’s Still King

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday’s show. By Jayson Rodriguez Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images The King is back! Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.” The singer moved and grooved, proving that he’s the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

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Florence And The Machine’s Triumphant VMA Peformance: Behind The Scenes

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘So You Think You Can Dance’ choreographer Travis Wall masterminded the dazzling routine. By James Montgomery Florence and the Machine perform at the 2010 VMAs Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images LOS ANGELES — There was no shortage of memorable moments during Sunday night’s 2010 MTV Video Music Awards , thanks to a lineup loaded with big-name stars. But it was a relative unknown who turned in one of the night’s biggest triumphs. Florence and the Machine (or, more specifically, Florence and a host of hyperactive dancers) practically stole the show with a performance that was, as promised , both ethereal and downright joyous. Part kaleidoscopic revue, part hippified freakout, Flo’s VMA version of “Dog Days Are Over” wowed the star-packed audience inside the Nokia Theatre, and, in the process, may have sent her on the way to Stateside success.

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Taylor Swift’s All-Time Best VMA Moments

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Since her debut just two years ago, Taylor Swift has had some memorable appearances at the big show. By Jocelyn Vena Taylor Swift performs at the 2010 VMAs Photo: John Shearer/ Wireimage.com Taylor Swift made a triumphant return to the VMA stage on Sunday night with a new ballad, which may or may not be directed at Kanye West, off her forthcoming October release, Speak Now. Dressed in a strapless, beige dress, Swift spilled her guts and forgave someone for wronging her in the past. This wasn’t Swift’s first time at the VMA rodeo , though. Her beginnings trace all the way back to 2008, when she was nominated for Best New Artist for her unrequited love ballad “Teardrops on My Guitar.” And while Swift wouldn’t end up taking home a Moonman that year, she did get the honor of being a co-host at the pre-show , and went public with her then beau, Joe Jonas. Swift had a pretty easygoing 2008 VMAs compared to what went down the following year. In 2009, she hit the carpet in a stunning, Grecian-draped silver-sparkled dress and won Best Female Video. We all know how that turned out, but she didn’t let it get her down. Mere minutes after accepting the award, she performed her winning song, “You Belong With Me.” Decked out in a hot red dress, exuberantly belting out her hit in a moving subway and on top of a taxi cab in the middle of Manhattan, Swift stood outside the Radio City Music Hall and almost made everyone forget about what happened earlier that night. That brings us to the 2010 VMAs, when Swift once again hit the stage. This time Swift, who was up for Best Female Video again, played her captivating new tune, which still has no official title. In it she sings, “I guess you really did it this time/ Left yourself in your war path/ Lost your balance on a tightrope/ Lost your mind trying to get it back.” While many had hoped West and Swift would take the stage together, it wasn’t to be. Well, there’s always the 2011 VMAs. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Performers Related Artists Taylor Swift

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The Clipse Sign With Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

After performing with Kanye at the VMAs, Pusha T confirms to MTV’s RapFix that he’s officially signed with West’s label. By Kelley L. Carter Kanye West performs at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic There have been a few murmurings and rumors around about whether or not Pusha T, one-half of hip-hop duo the Clipse, has in fact signed with Kanye West . And if folks weren’t caught up in trying to figure out all the nuances in West’s tongue-in-cheek, seemingly self-deprecating Video Music Awards performance , hip-hop blogs might have gone haywire when Pusha T came out and dropped a verse on the debut of West’s single at Sunday night’s show. After his performance, Pusha T did confirm to MTV News in the RapFix post-show that he has officially signed with West’s label, G.O.O.D. Music. “I’m definitely signed with G.O.O.D. Music . I’m definitely doing my solo project through G.O.O.D. Music,” the Virginia MC confirmed to MTV News’ Sway. “The Clipse is definitely coming with a new Clipse project. We’re definitely coming with the Re-Up Game project. The family is still here, man. It’s just all about G.O.O.D. Music, straight up.” The confirmation puts an end to a bit of flirty back-and-forth the MC has had with the media with regard to whether or not he was officially linked up with West. Several weeks ago, he danced around the subject, saying, “I mean, you know, I been to Hawaii. Hawaii is a nice place. ‘Good music’ is made down there, ya know? So, yeah, I was there. I can’t say too much about that. I think everybody’s gonna be in for a big surprise. A very big surprise.” On Friday, West dropped the latest offering from his G.O.O.D. Friday movement, also called “G.O.O.D Friday.” The song features Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Common, Charlie Wilson and … Pusha T. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Performers VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists Kanye West Clipse

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