‘X Factor’ finalist will make her Nickelodeon debut as Starr, an eccentric, big-voiced teenager. By Christina Garibaldi Rachel Crow Photo: MTV News Even though Rachel Crow was eliminated from “The X Factor” earlier than expected, most believed that it wouldn’t be the last time we would see the pint-sized teen. And they were right. In the four months since that night, the 14-year-old has landed a recording contract with Columbia Records and an overall talent deal with Nickelodeon . On Friday (April 6), Crow starts this next chapter in her career as she begins her guest starring role on the hit Nickelodeon series “Fred: The Show.” “I can’t even tell you how much fun I’m having,” Crow told MTV News on set last month. “It’s gonna be cool looking and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m on TV again!’ … It’s very exciting. I’m very happy with it. I’m having a great time; this is really fun. It’s not work when you come here, it is work, but it’s fun. It’s something that you want to go to. It’s really awesome.” Crow plays the role of Starr, a high school student who believes she is a talented actress and singer. Yet, to her classmates, she is seen as eccentric and somewhat awkward. “My character Starr is theatrical, she is wacky,” Crow said. “She’s very out there and very over the top.” In her debut episode, “Class Election,” which has a two-episode story arc, Starr tries to help Fred win a school election against his nemesis, Kevin, but when the election turns dirty, Starr decides to run against them both. During the episode, Crow shows off her sharp acting ability, but also reminds us what made us fall in love with her in the first place: her voice. “I do [sing], “Crow said. “I do a little bit and I just sing like wacky stuff like two words or a couple words and some wacky school anthems, it’s really fun.” Check out Crow on “Fred: The Show” on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. Are you excited to see Rachel Crow on “Fred: The Show”? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Rachel Crow
Rockmond Dunbar Dating Eddie Murphy’s Ex Maya Gilbert, After Ex-Wife Cheats On Him With Deion Sanders For all you former “Soul Food” fans who loved Kenny were sure you were glad to see Rockmond Dunbar resurface this week as Pookie on “The Game.” It turns out this will be a re-occurring role for the remainder of the season… but on to the real news — Rockmond is not just successful on the career front — he’s also been lucky in love — having recently settled down with “Zane Chronicles” actress Maya Gilbert who was previously linked to Eddie Murphy last year. He’s been posting some really lovey dovey stuff on his Facebook page, including this hot picture: My, My, Maya!!! As you can see the couple is now living together. Maya’s Facebook page is private but a friend of hers sent in this response. How precious right??? We really hope it works out for Rockmond and Maya, especially because his ex-wife Ivy Holmes allegedly cheated on him. Word on the street is she had an affair with Deion Sanders, which was the cause of their split. Wonder if she’s one of the women Pilar wants to interview!!! After divorcing Ivy in 2006, Rockmond went on record saying: “I deserve a partner who’s going to be my partner 100 percent of the time.” We agree! More On Bossip! Happy 4th Anniversary BeyBey And Hubby Hov: A Stroll Down Memory Lane Of The Couple’s Most Romantic Moments [Photos] Celebrity Cribs: Lil Weezy Is Sellin’ His Louisiana Glass And Chrome Home For $1.7 Milli Rihanna’s Bangin’ Spread For Elle Magazine Is Out…Plus She Talks About Breezy And Kids New Music: Kanye West Featuring DJ Khaled And DJ Pharris “Theraflu” (Talks Amber Rose, Wiz Khalifa, And Being In LOVE With Kimmy Cakes!)
‘I think she’s taken it to the next level,’ says Sirius/XM’s Reggie Hawkins. By Gil Kaufman Nicki Minaj Photo: Getty Images It’s one of the trickiest moves in music and even if it’s done right it only goes in one direction. With her just-released second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded , Nicki Minaj has served notice that she aims to be that rarest of MCs: one that can appeal to the pop crowd and hard-core hip-hop heads at the same time. It’s virtually impossible (so far) to start out pop and then work up enough cred to get over with rap fans. But like Missy Elliott, Nelly, Eminem and Diddy before her, Minaj is hoping that she can stay relevant to the heads who fell in love with her three years ago on a series of buzzy mixtapes and still become the next Katy Perry. “She can rap, flat out, she has proven it with some of best rappers in game and she will never lose that ability and because of that she will always remain a favorite in hip-hop,” said XXL magazine executive editor Jayson Rodriguez. “It’s the pop crowd that can be fickle … She has the personality, the skill, the songs and charisma to inhabit that pop sphere. As long as she has skill level, there’s no reason she can’t top both charts.” Thanks to a string of knock-out features on hits by everyone from label boss Lil Wayne to DJ Khaled, Kanye West and Ludacris, Minaj, 29, has plenty of rap bona fides. But she’s also reached for the pop brass ring by performing at the Super Bowl with Madonna, the Grammys and on “American Idol,” indulging in the kind of outrageous fashion sense that makes headlines and earns cover stories from the mainstream press. She also launched the new album with a single in “Starships” that’s like tooth-rotting candy to pop radio, and a far cry from the gritty mixtape songs that launched her career back in the day. That might explain why Roman is almost pointedly split in two, with the first half presenting her rap side courtesy of a string of no-nonsense rhymes produced by the likes of Hitboy and Blackout, with features by Cam’ron, Weezy, Rick Ross and, on the hard-hitting potential break-out rap single “Beez in the Trap” , 2 Chainz. Those songs are followed by a string of tunes on the second half produced by Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne, pop trackmaster Dr. Luke and J.R. Rotem. For the most part, mainstream critics have not been kind about the cross-over dribble move, which has also left some fans with divided loyalties . “I honestly think that she saw the blueprint Kanye West made with his last album [ My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ], and the way music is going where an artist can have a record playing on four different platforms [at satellite radio] and she personified it and maximized it,” said Reggie Hawkins, program director for Sirius/XM’s Hip Hop Nation. “She [isn’t a rapper that] does pop records that suck. She does great pop records and songs like ‘Pound the Alarm’ are going to be played in clubs from here to Brazil. I think she’s taken it to the next level.” Minaj recently told the Los Angeles Times that she took the disappointment of her rap fans hard when they complained about lightweight tunes like “Your Love” and “Moment 4 Life” from her best-selling debut, Pink Friday . “I felt a lot of pressure to be inspirational and responsible [on that album],” Minaj said. “I like all kinds of music; when I was working at Red Lobster the soundtrack of my life there was Avril Lavigne. Hip-hop fans are my core, and I can never not be hip-hop. But why not showcase all sides of who you are?” Which is why, she said, she wanted Reloaded to indulge all of her many personalities, from the frantic verses of “Roman Holiday” to the mixtape-like “Stupid Hoe” and the Eminem feature “Roman’s Revenge.” The way Hawkins reads it, Nicki doesn’t seem to really care if hip-hop gives her the cold shoulder. “She’s seen the light internationally and seen that there’s a bigger world than just Queens, New York, or Bankhead, Atlanta,” he said. “She’s grown and when I sat down with her [I got the sense] that she doesn’t care. She’s going to Will Smith the game … her next step is movies. It’s not about hip-hop critics who want to box her in as a hip-hop artist. It’s about her core fans, her Twitter followers and social media people, her Barbz. If they give her backlash it’s a problem.” And when Nicki appeared on Sirius radio’s “Sway in the Morning” on Shade 45 this week, she reacted to that potential backlash by explaining that she has to keep evolving. “You just gotta realize that I’m never gonna be one-dimensional,” she said. “Even my core fans I think, at times, thought I was one-dimensional when I was doing mixtapes. However, even on the mixtapes, I was singing and I did a song called ‘Can Anybody Hear Me’ on one of my mixtapes where I was singing and talking about being a female rapper and trying to get signed.” Rodriguez said he totally understands Nicki’s desire to grow artistically and predicted that the grumbling from the rap community would settle down eventually once she puts out some hot remixes. “The thing with a half-and-half record is that you’ll have detractors because it’s never fully one thing or the other,” he said, pointing to label mate Drake as someone who has managed to keep both sides of his audience happy with a more cohesive pair of albums that smoothly mix his pop and rap leanings. “As opposed to Missy or Diddy, who started out glossy and very pop hued … Nicki came from the DVD/mixtape scene. Her base is hip-hop, which launched her to reach those pop heights and now they’re looking at it like, ‘wham, bam, thank you ma’m.'” Regardless of the grumbling, she’s on track to show them all when Roman likely debuts at #1 on the Billboard charts next week. What do you think of Roman Reloaded? Tell us on our Facebook page! To celebrate the release of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, we will be examining the “Evolution of Nicki Minaj” throughout the week. Check MTV News every day to see how the Southside Jamaica, Queens, Barbie went from a promising mixtape standout to rap’s reigning queen. Related Videos The Evolution Of Nicki Minaj Related Artists Nicki Minaj
‘I went from being a caricature in people’s eyes to becoming someone with a lot of layers,’ Minaj tells Shade 45’s ‘Sway in the Morning.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nicki Minaj Photo: Slaven Vlasic/ Getty Images There’s more to Nicki Minaj than just a pink wig and her funny voices. Rap’s reigning queen has evolved from a budding New York MC to an omnipresent figure in music and pop culture. She’s come a long way since her 2007 Playtime Is Over mixtape. “I think I went from being a caricature in people’s eyes to becoming someone with a lot of layers,” Nicki told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway when she appeared on his “Sway in the Morning” Shade 45 radio show on Tuesday. Nicki spoke with Sway and co-host Devi Dev about a range of topics — from her over-the-top 2012 Grammy performance to working with Madonna — but Nicki seemed most eager to emphasize that as many strides as she’s made in her career, her superstar qualities were always there on the inside. “You just gotta realize that I’m never gonna be one-dimensional,” she said. “Even my core fans I think, at times, thought I was one-dimensional when I was doing mixtapes. However, even on the mixtapes, I was singing and I did a song called ‘Can Anybody Hear Me’ on one of my mixtapes where I was singing and talking about being a female rapper and trying to get signed.” “Can Anybody Hear Me” appeared on her 2009 tape Beam Me Up Scotty and featured Nicki spitting about her difficulty securing a record deal. Funny when you think about all of the success she’s now obtained. “When it rains, it pours for real/ Def Jam said I’m no Lauryn Hill/ You can’t rap and sing on the same CD/ The public won’t get it, they got A.D.D.,” Nicki rapped back in ’09. Minaj has since broken down those barriers and her latest album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is the ultimate brush-off to naysayers who once told Nicki what she couldn’t do. “It’s just been peeling back the layers and now I think the ultimate layer was me saying, ‘Now I’m gonna do whatever kind of music I want to do and you’re free to not like it,’ ” she said. “This new album, Roman Reloaded, when I tell you I am not nervous, I am not fearful; all of those emotions left.” The Young Money superstar’s second album balances her hard-core rap sensibilities with pop tracks produced by RedOne and Dr Luke. Critics have been lukewarm , but Nicki doesn’t want to choose between the two distinct musical genres; it’s all derived from a feeling, she said. “My story is not gonna always entail a hard hip-hop beat, but sometimes it is,” she explained. “A lot of the tracks on this album are just a hard hip-hop beat and just spittin’ and that’s why I enlisted some people like [Cam’ron] and 2 Chainz and the legendary Nas.” What do you think of Roman Reloaded ? Tell us on our Facebook page! To celebrate the release of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, we will be examining the “Evolution of Nicki Minaj” throughout the week. Check MTV News every day to see how the Southside Jamaica, Queens, Barbie went from a promising mixtape standout to rap’s reigning queen. Related Videos The Evolution Of Nicki Minaj Related Artists Nicki Minaj
‘I went from being a caricature in people’s eyes to becoming someone with a lot of layers,’ Minaj tells Shade 45’s ‘Sway in the Morning.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nicki Minaj Photo: Slaven Vlasic/ Getty Images There’s more to Nicki Minaj than just a pink wig and her funny voices. Rap’s reigning queen has evolved from a budding New York MC to an omnipresent figure in music and pop culture. She’s come a long way since her 2007 Playtime Is Over mixtape. “I think I went from being a caricature in people’s eyes to becoming someone with a lot of layers,” Nicki told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway when she appeared on his “Sway in the Morning” Shade 45 radio show on Tuesday. Nicki spoke with Sway and co-host Devi Dev about a range of topics — from her over-the-top 2012 Grammy performance to working with Madonna — but Nicki seemed most eager to emphasize that as many strides as she’s made in her career, her superstar qualities were always there on the inside. “You just gotta realize that I’m never gonna be one-dimensional,” she said. “Even my core fans I think, at times, thought I was one-dimensional when I was doing mixtapes. However, even on the mixtapes, I was singing and I did a song called ‘Can Anybody Hear Me’ on one of my mixtapes where I was singing and talking about being a female rapper and trying to get signed.” “Can Anybody Hear Me” appeared on her 2009 tape Beam Me Up Scotty and featured Nicki spitting about her difficulty securing a record deal. Funny when you think about all of the success she’s now obtained. “When it rains, it pours for real/ Def Jam said I’m no Lauryn Hill/ You can’t rap and sing on the same CD/ The public won’t get it, they got A.D.D.,” Nicki rapped back in ’09. Minaj has since broken down those barriers and her latest album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is the ultimate brush-off to naysayers who once told Nicki what she couldn’t do. “It’s just been peeling back the layers and now I think the ultimate layer was me saying, ‘Now I’m gonna do whatever kind of music I want to do and you’re free to not like it,’ ” she said. “This new album, Roman Reloaded, when I tell you I am not nervous, I am not fearful; all of those emotions left.” The Young Money superstar’s second album balances her hard-core rap sensibilities with pop tracks produced by RedOne and Dr Luke. Critics have been lukewarm , but Nicki doesn’t want to choose between the two distinct musical genres; it’s all derived from a feeling, she said. “My story is not gonna always entail a hard hip-hop beat, but sometimes it is,” she explained. “A lot of the tracks on this album are just a hard hip-hop beat and just spittin’ and that’s why I enlisted some people like [Cam’ron] and 2 Chainz and the legendary Nas.” What do you think of Roman Reloaded ? Tell us on our Facebook page! To celebrate the release of Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, we will be examining the “Evolution of Nicki Minaj” throughout the week. Check MTV News every day to see how the Southside Jamaica, Queens, Barbie went from a promising mixtape standout to rap’s reigning queen. Related Videos The Evolution Of Nicki Minaj Related Artists Nicki Minaj
Trailer for singer’s 3-D flick touches on her divorce from Russell Brand and includes confessions about her career strife. By Jocelyn Vena Katy Perry in the “Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D” trailer Photo: Paramount In between dazzling shots of her onstage, in her music videos and getting dolled up in sparkling costumes, Katy Perry also addresses some real issues in her first full trailer for her 3-D concert film, “Part of Me,” set for release in July. While she doesn’t directly discuss her divorce from actor/comedian Russell Brand in the teaser, the split is referenced by a news headline as Perry is seen getting ready for one of her shows. And that’s not the only personal subject the colorful pop star will open up about in the film. Katy’s Religious Background Perry, now best known for her candy-coated, flirty persona, grew up in a strict, religious family. In the trailer, Perry talks about finding her voice while going to religious services with her family. She says, “The atmosphere I grew up in was 100 percent Christian. I started singing in church; I never really had another plan.” Perry Gets Dropped From her Label While it might seem that Perry went from virtual unknown to chart-topping pop sensation overnight, Perry and her friends open up about the trying time she had between being dropped from her label and eventually finding success. “I was going through some depressing, dark times,” she recalls, “but it’s a journey, and I learned so much from that journey. I feel like a stronger, better person because of it.” California Gurl Live Onstage While the film is about her life behind the scenes, a major part of the movie is her eye-catching California Dreams Tour, which went all around the world in 2011 and early 2012. “You have to be really be grateful and know that it’s a different set of people every single night,” she says of hitting the stage. “My goal when I’m playing shows is just to make people smile.” KP Lives out her California Dreams In the end, Perry’s message is always about living your dream, no matter what strife might come your way. She has this advice for her Katy Cats: “If you have a dream, you gotta go on a journey to fulfill that dream.” “Part of Me” opens July 5. The film was directed by Magical Elves’ Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, who also served as producers on Justin Bieber’s highly successful “Never Say Never” concert movie. “Part of Me” is also the name of the lead single off Perry’s just-released Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection album. Share your thoughts on Katy’s 3-D movie trailer in the comments or on our Facebook page! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Photos The Evolution Of: Katy Perry Related Artists Katy Perry
‘It’s still a little top-secret,’ Jepsen tells MTV News about the track. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway Carly Rae Jepsen at 2012 Spring Break Photo: MTV News Carly Rae Jepsen is poised to break out of the shadow out of label boss Justin Bieber , thanks to her catchy ode to flirting, “Call Me Maybe.” But that doesn’t mean she and the superstar are going their separate ways. Recently, the Canadian singer revealed that she and Bieber worked on a track together , and when MTV News caught up with her in Las Vegas at mtvU Spring Break , she teased a bit of what their team-up sounds like. “We collaborated on one song together, but in general, I was blown away by Justin,” Jepsen said. “He’s so down-to-earth and very charming and very talented. It’s still a little top-secret, but it’s going to be coming out soon, I hope. “Mum’s the word!” she added. “It’s a really lovely song. The way he presented it was pretty cool. It was my first time meeting him. I was at the studio, and he basically just said, ‘What do you think of this song?’ and I was like, ‘Wow, I love it.’ ” From there, the “Boyfriend” singer asked her to collaborate on it, and she happily accepted the offer. “It’s pretty stripped-down,” she said. “It’s pretty casual. It’s not too dance-y; it’s more intimate. It’s a duet.” While Jepsen is riding high off the success of “Call Me Maybe,” she is hard at work on her album, and she hopes to one day be able to help out another artist like Bieber did for her. “It’s hard to believe at the moment. It’s definitely a surreal life that I’m in right now, but I’m enjoying every second of it,” she said. “It’s pretty crazy. They say it’s called paying it forward [since Usher signed Bieber and then he signed me], so I’m gonna hope that I have the opportunity. That’d be pretty rad. “He’s such an inspiration,” she added. “No matter what his age, I think his career is really impressive. It’s pretty amazing that he’s remained so humble and cool.” What are you expecting from Carly and Justin’s duet? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Carly Rae Jepsen Justin Bieber
‘I don’t know if you’re ever done; it’s almost like climbing a mountain,’ Hov says in new clip. By Nadeska Alexis Jay-Z in the “Rocawear Presents Jay-Z From Marcy to Barclays” commercial Photo: Rocawear Even after 16 fruitful years in the game, Jay-Z continues to push himself, achieving new career milestones with each passing year. In a new ad for his Rocawear clothing line, titled “Marcy to Barclays,” the Brooklyn-bred mogul reflects on his rise to the top. “Marcy to Barclays” references Jay-Z’s investment in the NBA Nets and their transition to the newly constructed Barclays Center, which the team will inhabit in Downtown Brooklyn beginning this fall. The 30-second, black-and-white clip begins with snapshots of New York City and the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, where Jay grew up. “Wherever you grow up, it’s your root, and I’m a kid from the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn,” he begins in a voice-over. As the scenery changes to incorporate shots of Jay in the studio and at his Rocawear offices, the mogul begins to reflect on the drive that’s led him to so much success. “I don’t know if you’re ever done; it’s almost like climbing a mountain,” he says. “You see another mountain, then you go to the next one and the next one. “My goal was to have one gold album, and that was it,” he adds, considering the impressive arc of his career since his 1996 debut, with Reasonable Doubt. “Then it became … I want to show that artists can ascend to the executive ranks.” To say that Jay has achieved new career highs in the past year alone would be an understatement. In February, he performed a pair of sold-out charity shows at Carnegie Hall in New York, a groundbreaking moment for a hip-hop artist. “Any time I get a chance to expand and broaden the reach of hip-hop is a great thing for me on a personal level,” Jay told MTV News when he originally announced the pair of shows at Carnegie Hall. Related Artists Jay-Z
Judge tells troubled actress, ‘stop nightclubbing and focus on your work.’ By Gil Kaufman Lindsay Lohan Photo: FilmMagic Lindsay Lohan got some good news on Thursday when she appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court and a judge formally ended her lengthy supervised probation from two 2007 DUI arrests. Wearing a powder blue pants suit, the troubled actress earned praise for completing her court-mandated counseling sessions and 480 hours of community service. According to the Los Angeles Times , at the final probation status check in for Lohan in connection with a shoplifting conviction and probation violations from the 2007 arrests, Judge Stephanie Sautner said Lohan had finished her obligations for counseling and community service in “short of a year and she has done everything this court asked her to do.” The actress completed the final counseling sessions and community service work at the Los Angeles County morgue earlier this week. Sautner then announced that the five years of probation for the DUI case were officially over and that she was putting Lohan on unsupervised probation for the shoplifting incident until May 2014. “The only terms for you are for you to obey all laws,” Sautner said. “You don’t need to come to court anymore.” In addition to countless court appearances, Lohan has been jailed several times for violations stemming from drug use to failing to do her required community service. Clearly pleased, Lohan, 25, told the judge, “I just wanted to thank you for being fair. What you’ve done has really opened a lot of doors for me.” Lohan has been working on getting her career back on track, recently appearing in an episode of “Saturday Night Live” , booking a “Glee” gig and signing up to play Elizabeth Taylor in a TV movie. But, before the hearing ended, Sautner had one more piece of advice for Lohan. “Stop nightclubbing and focus on your work,” she counseled. Related Artists Lindsay Lohan
‘Free,’ which the singer describes as a ‘playful, fresh’ break-up track, is the first single off her debut album, Listen Up! By Christina Garibaldi Haley Reinhart Photo: MTV News She may not have been crowned the winner of last season’s “American Idol,” but that hasn’t seemed to have any effect on the career of third-place finisher Haley Reinhart . The singer captivated viewers week after week on “Idol” by bringing her own soulful flare to songs like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Lady Gaga’s “You and I.” And now, nearly a year later, the jazzy singer is finally ready to show fans who she really is with “Free,” the first single off her debut album, Listen Up! “It’s amazing,” Reinhart told MTV News Wednesday (March 28) of the release of her single. “I know I took some time after the tour just to make things work and really worth it for me and the fans. It feels amazing to actually put it out there, my own material. I just wanted to make sure it had substance to it, and really could define me and show the artistry.” Reinhart, who returned to the “Idol” stage last week to perform “Free,” says it’s the perfect song to define the artist she’s striving to be. “I picked it out while I was touring with the ‘Idols’ and I was getting all these songs shipped into me,” she said of “Free.” “This one I just had to stop and say ‘Hey this has my name written on it.’ It’s something that I can look in the future and see it being able to define me. It’s got elements of the sultry, even hints of jazz in there.” On Tuesday, Reinhart made her acting debut when she played herself on “90210,” and we will see her stretch her acting ability even more when she debuts the video for “Free” on Thursday. She said the filming the video was “a dream come true.” “I had this vision and the director, Christopher Sims, really brought it to life for me,” she said. “There’s a guy involved, it is kind of a motivational break-up song, so I wanted to keep it mature, yet have the playful scenery behind us. We put it out in a ’50s-style diner and just kept it playful, fresh.” And she’s bringing that playful, fresh vibe to Listen Up! which features collaborations with rapper B.o.B and Reinhart’s own father (whom she performed with on “Idol” ). “You’re going to be surprised to hear a lot of different flavors, but at the same time it all meshes well together,” she said of the album, which hits stores May 22. “I show a lot of different sides. I have my roots I come from a lot of different genres, so you’ll hear definitely sultriness throughout the entire thing, very retro yet modern take, and there’s pop undertones in it with some funk jazz rock, it’s got a lot going on.” What do you think of Haley’s single “Free”? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists Haley Reinhart
