The Vernon Parish, Louisiana, MC didn’t have Lil Wayne or Boosie connections, so he made his own way. By Rob Markman Joe Cool Photo: MTV News Fire Starter: Joe Cool There weren’t any local rap heroes for Vernon Parish, Louisiana, MC Joe Cool to pattern himself after, but that didn’t deter the 23-year-old upstart. He was too far from New Orleans to have any Cash Money connection, and hip-hop hot spot Baton Rouge wasn’t exactly nearby, so Joe just looked to his close buddies for support. And now it is all starting to pay off. “I started rapping when I was like 15. All my friends rapped — I was just chillin’ in the background. I used to make funny songs and stuff,” Joe told Mixtape Daily during a February interview. It was those “funny” little songs that then turned into hooks for more-developed local rappers. But at the urging of a friend, Mr. Cool decided to take his craft a bit more seriously. “I just kept going, and by the time I hit high school, I was like, this is something I want to pursue,” he said. Joey dropped his first project, Mixtape for No F—in’ Reason, in March 2011 and then followed up with his most recent, Cooley Hi, at the top of this year. The majority of the tape is self-produced, a skill that JC picked up by necessity at a young age. “By the time I hit 16, I really couldn’t find all of the beats that I wanted to go over, so I just started trying to make my own beats,” he explained. The rap rookie is still climbing up the hip-hop ranks — he performed a few sets at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, last month — but he still has a way to go. On “Fame,” one of the tracks off of Cooley Hi, the Young MC ponders the money and recognition that awaits him. It’s not that he is trying to be a prima donna, he just believes in himself that much. ” ‘Fame’ was pretty much me feeling like I just know I’m supposed to be here. It’s waiting for me,” he said. For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines .
Tommy Marth died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, coroners say. By James Montgomery The Killers Photo: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images Tommy Marth, a saxophonist who toured with the Killers between 2008 and 2010 and played on their Sam’s Town and Day & Age albums, was found dead Monday in his Las Vegas home. He was 33 years old. No cause of death was initially given, but Reuters is now reporting that the Clark County Coroner has ruled that Marth died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. On Monday, the Killers took to their Twitter account to honor Marth’s memory, writing, “Last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth. Our prayers are with his family. There’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy.” Last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth. Our prayers are with his family.There’s a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy — The Killers (@thekillers) April 24, 2012 A spokesperson for the band could not be reached for comment by MTV News. Marth was a key member of the Las Vegas music scene, playing with acts like Black Camaro and Halloween Town. He also worked in a variety of capacities at local venues like the Freakin’ Frog, Revolution Lounge, the Royal Resort and the Hard Rock Hotel. Since November, he’d worked as Hard Rock’s nightlife marketing manager, according to the Las Vegas Sun. As news of his death began to circulate, the Sun spoke to several local musicians who remembered him as “one of the most talented people in our community.” Vegas band the Big Friendly Corporation — which features Marth’s older brother, Ryan, and younger sister, Melissa — paid tribute to him by posting a song on their official website called “Heaven’s On Your Side,” which features his playing. Share your condolences with Tommy Marth’s family and friends in the comments. Related Artists The Killers
New Kids on the Block, One Direction, the Wanted and more advance to second round — voting is open now! By Christina Garibaldi Backstreet Boys at the 1999 VMAs Photo: Getty Images It was a highly unpredictable first round of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , with perceived favorites Backstreet Boys and ‘NSYNC out of the competition. Irish boy band Westlife ousted BSB, and British group 5ive took out ‘NSYNC by an extremely thin margin. Many other matchups went down to the wire, including New Kids on the Block, who narrowly avoided an upset by Take That. O-Town received a late rally from their fans, giving them the edge over the Jackson 5. New boy bands like One Direction, the Wanted and Big Time Rush will move on to the next round, but, as you can see, it seems as if no one is safe. So who remains in the competition? Let’s take a look at the next round of matchups! Midwest Westlife vs. O-Town : Westlife proved to be a real contender in this competition after beating the Backstreet Boys in round one. The group — which is about to kick off a farewell tour in May — seems to have a die-hard fanbase that may prove tough for O-Town to overcome. But don’t count them out just yet: They also had a tough first-round matchup in the Jackson 5, and fans may still be hoping for a reunion from these guys, since last year, four of the five original members announced they wanted to get back together. The Beatles vs. New Kids on the Block : NKOTB barely made it through to the second round and now have to face an even tougher competitor: The Beatles. The New Kids had much of their success in the late’80s and early ’90s and have sold 80 million records worldwide. Pretty impressive, but the Beatles are known as the original boy band and are the best-selling band in history. Let’s hope NKOTB are “Hangin’ Tough.” East Jonas Brothers vs. Hanson : It’s not only a battle of the boy bands; it’s a battle of the brothers! Hanson and the Jonas Brothers will face off in a touch matchup in the next round. Both groups, consisting of three brothers, are known for their infectious pop hits and the fact that they all play their own instruments. Hanson received massive success in the mid- to late ’90s with single “MMMBop,” which hit #1 in 27 countries. After marriages, babies and several albums, the group is very much still together and will be touring this summer. With four LPs in just as many years, the Jonas Brothers have sold 8 million albums worldwide and became a household name after starring in two Disney Channel movies, “Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.” The guys took a break to work on solo projects but have been working on a follow-up to their 2009 album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times. LFO vs. 5ive : Both of these boy bands barely edged out their competition, which should make for an interesting second-round matchup. 5ive found success overseas with 11 top 10 singles and four top 10 albums in the U.K. before they called it quits in 2001, and LFO became popular in the U.S. during the wave of late-’90s boy bands and had two top 10 hits, including “Summer Girls.” This one may go down to the wire again with both groups having very loyal fanbases. West The Wanted vs. the Monkees : British boy band, the Wanted have certainly gained momentum here in the States over the past few months. The group released a much-anticipated U.S. EP earlier this week and premiered the “Chasing the Sun” video on “MTV First: The Wanted.” They will have to see if this energy can carry them through when they face off against the Monkees. The group enjoyed success in the mid-’60s with their hit television show and songs like “I’m a Believer” and experienced a revival in the mid-’80s with a performance at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards. The band continued to tour off and on until 2011 but lost member Davy Jones earlier this year when he died of a severe heart attack. Big Time Rush vs. Boyz II Men : Both of these groups easily made it past their first-round competition, but it will most likely be a closer matchup in round two. Big Time Rush may have a younger audience voting for them, since they gained success with their hit Nickelodeon television show. Boyz II Men, on the other hand, have longevity on their side, being that they are the most successful R&B group of all time. South One Direction vs. IM5: Even though both of these boy bands are relatively new to the music scene, it seems they already have a lot in common. One Direction were assembled by Simon Cowell on the U.K. version of “The X Factor,” and IM5 were recently created by “American Idol” creator Simon Fuller, Perez Hilton and creative director and choreographer Jamie King. NKOTBSB vs. Mindless Behavior : With the Backstreet Boys out of the competition, BSB fans can still vote for NKOTBSB. The New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys supergroup released a compilation album in 2011 consisting of each of their hit songs and two joint singles including “Don’t Turn Out the Lights.” The group is overseas on the European leg of their tour. But don’t ignore the power behind the fans of Mindless Behavior. The group, which has actually toured with the Backstreet Boys, just released the single “Hello” in March. Voting in round two of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands runs until noon ET on Monday, April 30. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits for their boy-band video takeovers each day and make sure to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Backstreet Boys *NSYNC New Kids on the Block One Direction The Wanted
French producer/DJ opens up about working with his ‘Without You’ partner again. By Jocelyn Vena David Guetta Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images Still playing “Without You” on repeat? Well, it looks like David Guetta and Usher will have a new one for you to play over and over again soon. The French hitmaker teased to
Westlife and 5ive could upset two of the biggest boy bands of all time in the first round. Vote now! By Christina Garibaldi N’SYNC Photo: Getty Images We are still in the first round of voting in MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands , and already we are seeing some big surprises. Backstreet Boys are finding themselves behind Irish boy band Westlife , ‘NSYNC are trailing former boy band 5ive and New Kids on the Block are neck-and-neck with British boy band Take That . It seems like fans are rallying behind their favorites and battling it out to make sure they move on to the next round. “I don’t see how BSB and ‘NSYNC are losing?!?!” MTV News reader Britney commented. Another fan, nickestlife, wrote, “Please VOTE WESTLIFE!!!! Don’t let them LOSE!!!” But the question on a lot of minds is: Why aren’t the boy bands that dominated the U.S. pop charts not easily moving on to the next round? “Remember that in America, while Westlife and Take That and 5ive were all a blip on the radar in the U.S., in the U.K. Take That and Westlife are enormous,” Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts/retail at Billboard told MTV News. “Westlife, for example, has had 14 #1 singles on the U.K. singles chart, the second most among groups only behind the Beatles , so they’re kind of big.” According to Melissa Maerz, senior writer for Entertainment Weekly, the fact that these older boy bands are British may work in their favor, especially with the emergence of One Direction and the Wanted . “I think probably what’s happening is a combination of things. I think the fact that One Direction is in the news for having the biggest debut of a British band of all time, including the Beatles, has really made everyone pay attention to them and everyone is talking about One Direction,” Maerz said. “And because they and the Wanted are coming at the same time, people are starting to pay attention to British boy bands, and the kids who are just discovering One Direction and the Wanted probably have parents who can say to them, ‘Oh, this is kind of the same thing that happened when Westlife and Take That came to our shores.” But no matter what their chart performance may be, or where they come from, their advancement in the next round depends on only one thing: the fans. “It frankly just comes down to: Are there passionate fans that are going to bother to spend the time on voting?” Caulfied said. “I think, generally speaking, when you have two acts going against one another, whoever has the most motivated, contemporary, engaged fanbase on the Web will win.” Voting is under way in round one of MTV’s Battle of the Boy Bands and closes at noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan ballots, so if your favorite band made the cut, keep voting. Tune in to AMTV and MTV Hits daily for boy-band video takeovers. And don’t forget to spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Vote for your favorite band, discuss and share on Facebook and Twitter in the MTV Battle of the Boy Bands interactive bracket! Related Videos Battle Of The Boy Bands Related Artists Backstreet Boys *NSYNC
‘Some ppl show up late and just throw a wrench in things,’ actress Dot-Marie Jones tweets; her post has since been removed. By Kara Warner Lindsay Lohan Photo: FilmMagic Although Lindsay Lohan has been making strides toward re-entering the acting game and leaving her problem-plagued past behind, she took a minor step backward Wednesday (April 25) when she reportedly arrived late to film her upcoming cameo on “Glee.” According to TMZ , Lohan arrived late on set after she was spotted out on the town in Los Angeles in the wee hours of the morning. Actress Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Beiste, apparently let the cat out of the bag when she tweeted about an unidentified person’s tardiness causing delays in filming. Jones’ tweet has since been deleted, but TMZ snagged a copy of it beforehand. “Gonna be a long day!! Some ppl show up late and just throw a wrench in things,” Jones reportedly tweeted. “Not cool! I’d rather be an hour early (I was) than 5 minutes late!” A source connected to the production assured the gossip site that Lohan’s late arrival did not cause any delays. Apparently, Lohan filmed her big scenes the day before and was on hand Wednesday to shoot reaction scenes. Director Eric Stoltz was quoted saying that Lohan has been “very professional” during her time on set, nailed all her lines and was very polite to the cast and crew. Lohan is said to be playing herself as one of three judges at the national choir competition. Her episode is slated to air sometime in May. After her stint on “Glee,” the former Disney star will tackle the role of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime TV movie “Liz and Dick,” an opportunity Lohan has called an honor. “I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor,” Lohan said in the statement. “She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role.” Are you excited for Lindsay’s “Glee” cameo? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Lindsay Lohan
Band takes MTV News behind the scenes of upcoming clip, which stars Olympic hopeful John Orozco. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Hugh Swingle Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy Photo: MTV News In previous videos, Gym Class Heroes have shown off their “mutant powers,” gone gritty , and even gotten in touch with their inner Lucius Blacks . But in their upcoming clip for “The Fighter,” they’re taking a different tack: They’re getting real. “The video is part documentary-style, part-performance [and] it follows the life of John Orozco, a young, up-and-coming, hopefully gold medalist from the Bronx,” GCH frontman Travie McCoy told MTV News on the set of the video. “Plus, an awesome, energetic performance from us and Ryan Tedder.” Orozco’s story — from a talented Bronx gymnast to training at the U.S. facility in Colorado Springs to perhaps this country’s best chance of snagging a gold at the London Olympics — has already caught the attention of outlets like the New York Times, and GCH are hoping their new video will only add to his profile. And provide a soundtrack to his success too. “Ryan did his thing on the hook, he adds the extra punch,” McCoy said. “And with the Olympics and stuff coming up, I think it’s going to be the anthem for a lot of people to get pumped up to.” Of course, there are other benefits to having one of the most hotly tipped Olympic hopefuls star in your new video. Namely, you can let someone else stand beneath the spotlight, which, thankfully, takes the pressure off the Heroes and their less-than-stellar acting chops. “It’s great doing a video like this because I feel like a lot of other videos we shoot, we end up sticking to somewhat of a script and act,” drummer Matt McGinley laughed. “And I mean, I’m a musician, so it’s great to be doing what comes natural.” Are you looking forward to the Heroes’ upcoming video? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Gym Class Heroes
‘ I Can’t Feel My Face has now turned into I Am Not a Human Being, ‘ Wayne confirms to ‘Hip Hop POV.’ By Rob Markman Lil Wayne Photo: Hutton Supancic/ Getty Images It seems like we’ve been talking about a Lil Wayne / Juelz Santana collabo album forever. But when the much-ballyhooed I Can’t Feel My Face will actually drop is anyone’s guess. While Weezy’s 2010 jail stint definitely postponed the project, now Tunechi says when he got home, he reached out to his Dipset buddy to finally put their plans in motion. “I actually got at Elz when I got out and told him, ‘Man, I think it’s time we really capitalize on that,’ ” Wayne recalled to Amanda Seales of MTV’s “Hip Hop POV” in an outtake from last week’s episode. It’s more than six years in the making, but for a time, I Can’t Feel My Face was one of rap’s most-anticipated projects. Now that Weezy has put his legal troubles behind him, it’s Santana who’s facing drama after his New Jersey recording studio was raided in January 2011. “He can’t work how he wants to work because they shut down his studio,” Wayne explained. “I sent him some music and he didn’t send them back in the time-fashion that I work.” Never one to remain idle, Tunechi took the songs that he had set aside for the joint album and repurposed them for his upcoming I Am Not a Human Being II solo LP. “I started putting extra verses on those songs and I’ve moved on,” he confirmed. “Now what probably would’ve been I Can’t Feel My Face, has now turned into I Am Not a Human Being. ” During a June 2011 interview on “RapFix Live,” Juelz gave his own reasoning for the delay. “It wasn’t no one reason it didn’t happen. Me and Wayne always was on the same page, musically, as far as friendship-wise,” he said. “I’m just happy we didn’t let that get in the way of us being cool, being able to do things in the future; we ain’t let it get to us.” Would you still like to see a Wayne/Juelz collaboration album? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Hip Hop POV | Bonus Lil Wayne Interview Related Artists Lil Wayne Juelz Santana
‘It’s all up for discussion,’ British boy band tells MTV News of potential collabos. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Sway Calloway The Wanted Photo: MTV News With the Wanted already poised to become internationally acclaimed superstars, it makes sense that they would consider pooling their popularity to make music with some equally potent musical forces, like, say, Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. When the band stopped by Tuesday for “MTV First: The Wanted,” Sway brought up the band’s onetime tourmate and asked the boys what they thought of the “Boyfriend” singer. “He was really nice. A really, really nice guy,” Tom Parker said with sincerity, adding that the band and Bieber became so friendly during their joint tour that the Biebs started joking around and ended up playfully smacking bandmate Siva Kaneswaran in a rather — ahem — uncomfortable place. The natural follow-up to that question was whether the fivesome would consider collaborating with Bieber or if they’d discussed music during the tour. The guys all agreed that a collaboration would be fun and even admitted to having a song in mind for them to work on. “We talked about it, and we have a song that we think he’d sound great on,” Jay McGuiness teased. “We’ve talked to Chris Brown as well, which would be really good,” Kaneswaran revealed. “We talked to Chris actually at ‘The Voice,’ and he said he was down as well.” “It’s all up for discussion,” Parker added, as the rest of the guys chimed in: “You never know.” “We have got a song we think would be perfect,” Max George said of Brown. Fingers crossed we can get those guys all in a studio together to crank out their next chart-topper! Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive interview with the Wanted! And don’t forget to vote for them in our Battle of the Boy Bands . Voting is now open and runs until noon ET on Thursday, April 26. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite band made the cut, make sure you keep voting. Spread the word on Twitter using the hashtag #BBB and like us on Facebook for updates! Related Videos MTV First: The Wanted Related Artists The Wanted
Wiz will join fellow Pittsburgh MC Mac Miller on ‘RapFix Live’ Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com By Rob Markman Wiz Khalifa Photo: Jason Merritt/ WireImage There’s going to be a Pix Burgh party on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live.” Mac Miller isn’t the only Pittsburgh rapper making his return to the red couch tomorrow, as Wiz Khalifa will also be sitting with host Sway Calloway to talk about his latest and greatest. It’s perfect timing too. On Monday, Khalifa released “Work Hard, Play Hard,” the first single from his sophomore album O.N.I.F.C. (Only N—a in First Class). The catchy track, which was crafted by Stargate and Benny Blanco, finds Young Khalifa flaunting his success in the face of less fortunate haters. Wiz is coming off the heels of his critically acclaimed Taylor Allderdice mixtape. He’s prepping O.N.I.F.C. for an August 28 release, and if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Khalifa and fianc
