‘We just wanted to hang out, vibe out, see what we could come up with,’ Nelly tells MTV News of his collaborations with Dre. By Rob Markman Nelly Photo: MTV News
MTV News dissects how Drake, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean and Ludacris ended up on Bieber’s new album. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber’s Believe Photo: Justin Bieber reached deep into the hip-hop community for the collaborations on his just-released Believe . But, his producers on the album leave just as much a stamp on the sound of the recording as his lyrical comrades do on what it says. For that reason, while Bieber remains the star of the release, it’s hard not to hear the ladies and gentlemen who worked with the 18-year-old. The collaborations stand as one of the hallmarks of the album. Believe sounds like a who’s who of music’s A-list elite, who give Bieber the backup he needs to make a more mature musical statement . With names like Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Drake and his old pal Ludacris all making cameos, their appearances are highlighted by production credits with pop and hip-hop masters like Diplo, Rodney Jerkins, the Messengers, Mike Posner, Max Martin and Hit-Boy. Looking at the roster of talent who wanted to work with the maturing pop stud, you find they are mostly artists and producers who have not only been circling Bieber for some time, but also each other. In fact, it’s easy to connect these folks in six degrees of separation: Drake and Nicki Minaj are no strangers to working with one another, having appeared most recently on “Make Me Proud” off Drake’s Take Care . Nicki has also hooked up with Hit-Boy for several tracks on her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded . And, Hit-Boy’s association with G.O.O.D. Music was famously catalogued on Jay-Z’s and Kanye West’s “N—as in Paris,” which makes him a close, personal friend of Big Sean . Big Sean’s Believe track, “As Long As You Love Me,” got the production treatment from Rodney Jerkins , who previously worked with Ludacris on his song “What Them Girls Like,” which brings us back to Bieber: Bieber and Luda originally laid the foundation for a beautiful friendship on the teen’s defining tune “Baby.” Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, explained the generation of all of the collaborations to MTV News: “Kanye was like, ‘You should get Big Sean on that record.’ And we’re close with Sean, and Sean just jumped on there. It was very natural,” Braun recalled. “Luda, of course, we did ‘Baby.’ We played ‘All Around the World,’ and we were like, ‘Who would make sense?’ And Justin’s like, ‘Luda would kill it.’ “Nicki was getting on another one of our records, and then we did ‘Beauty and the Beat,’ and she heard it, and she was like, ‘I want to get on that.’ And, actually, we were gonna put Usher on it at first, but then we heard Nicki’s verse, and we were like, ‘Damn.’ ” Of course, those collaborations came up a bit more spur of the moment, but there’s one that had been long in-the-works. “The Drake thing is something he and Drake have been talking about for like two years,” Braun said. “And then they finally went into the studio, and they wrote that song together. … I’m glad that ‘Right Here’ came about. … Drake was like, ‘I don’t want to do just a rap song. I want to sing with you, do a song for the ladies.’ Everyone seems to love that song.” Which is your favorite collaboration on Believe ? Share your pick below! Related Videos ‘Bieber Live’ Related Photos Justin Bieber Performs On The ‘Today’ Show Related Artists Justin Bieber
Esquire U.K. covergirl talks about collaborating with her ex Chris Brown: ‘It never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem.’ By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna and Chris Brown in 2008 Photo: WireImage Rihanna might appear topless on the cover of Esquire U.K. , but it’s what she’s talking about on the inside of the magazine that’s grabbing all the headlines. In a lengthy back and forth with the reporter, Rihanna grows progressively more annoyed when asked about recording two tracks with her ex Chris Brown , given their history, including a 2009 assault. “Some love it, some hate it, some love it but still hate that we did it. But the response in the end has been incredible,” she tells Esquire , but soon tries to steer the conversation away from the topic and toward her meal. When asked again about the collaborations — remixes to the songs “Birthday Cake” and “Turn Up the Music” — Rihanna says it was “definitely” controversial: “The whole thing caught me a little off-guard to be honest … especially the amount of … negative attention. Because it never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem. It really didn’t.” She later insists, “I thought people were gonna be surprised that we finally did a record together, but I didn’t see how people could think it was a bad thing. In my mind, it was just music.” RiRi then notes she was surprised that because they recorded songs together, people jumped to the conclusion she and Brown were dating again. “OK. In a completely professional environment. And on a complete professional note. I mean, if I went back to him [as a girlfriend], then that’s a whole different discussion,” she said. “And if I ever do, then that’s something that y’all have to talk to me about when — if — that ever happens. Until then, look at it for what it is. “I think a lot of people jumped to an assumption that was incorrect, and they ended up looking stupid. Because of a song. How stupid. If I was together with every collaborator I worked with … f— my life.” In the end, Rihanna once again reiterated she didn’t have much else to say on the questions regarding her relationship, professional and personal, with Brown and how it relates to their work together. In a less-abrasive interview with Ryan Seacrest back in March , shortly after Ri and Brown dropped the two tracks, she called their work together “innocent.” “We did two records — one for my fans, one for his fans — and that way our fans can come together,” Rihanna explained at the time, brushing off the criticism even then. “There shouldn’t be a divide. It’s music, and it’s innocent.” Are you surprised Rihanna collaborated with Chris Brown? Sound off below! Related Artists Rihanna Chris Brown
In-demand producer/DJ also talks to MTV News about upcoming projects with No Doubt, Snoop Dogg, more. By Zachary Swickey Diplo performs in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday Photo: Evan Scott/MTV News MADISON, Wisconsin — It was just four years ago that Diplo put his production prowess on full display with M.I.A.’s mega-hit “Paper Planes.” Since then, the DJ/producer has become a go-to producer for major acts like Usher, whose latest single, R&B jam “Climax,” features work from the Philadelphia native. On Tuesday, MTV News hit up the first stop on the campus-themed AXE One Night Only Tour in Wisconsin, and we caught up with the headlining DJ to talk about his upcoming projects. “We got really luck on that one,” he said of the track from Usher’s upcoming album. “We just had great chemistry. I was super-nervous working with him the first two days. … The way we did it, it was just a super-open format. He was down to do whatever we were excited about. “I love Usher,” Diplo gushed. “I’m an Usher fan. I love him for records like ‘Confessions Pt. II’ and ‘Burn,’ those are some of the first R&B records from my generation that are still lasting forever. And we did some uptempo stuff too. I don’t know what’ll make the album, but I think there are definitely three songs that’ll make it.” Diplo is currently involved with a number of projects and luckily he was willing to dish. After working last summer with No Doubt on their upcoming record , the producer revealed he had good news to share. “We just finished. I was actually in Jamaica last month and I went in and did some extra stuff on that record,” he told us. “I’m super-excited. It’s probably going to be a single for their album. They’ve been [tweeting] about the song, so they’re excited about it. I think it’s going to be a ‘No Doubt featuring Major Lazer’ record, because we were producers, and there’s another artist on it, too, that we recorded in Jamaica. “But you’ll have to wait,” Diplo warned, “I don’t know how far off that record is, but every song I’ve heard is a bona-fide hit. ‘ The superstar DJ also recently took to his Facebook page and casually mentioned that he’s already started production on 18 tracks for a record with Snoop Dogg . “Snoop Dogg is an icon, man; he’s bigger than the music,” Diplo said. “What we’re doing is a reggae record. It’s like Snoop Dogg and Major Lazer together. It’s all reggae and he’s singing and he’s doing a f—ing awesome job and I never knew it, but he had his heart in every song. … We’re going to get back into the production of it next month, and I’m really proud of that record. It’s the first record I’ve ever executive-produced and his crew is amazing. Related Artists Diplo Usher
Wale, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Daz will also appear on forthcoming album, Spitta tells MTV News By Rob Markman Curren$y Photo: MTV News Throughout his career, Curren$y has kept his collaborations organic, bypassing flavor-of-the-month rap features. And on his upcoming Warner Bros. album The Stoned Immaculate, he will continue to do so, even if the names in the LP’s credits get a little bigger. When the NOLA MC drops his next album later this year, fans can look forward to beats from Pharrell , J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Toomp and Virginia producer Bink, who famously crafted a number of tracks for Jay-Z’s 2001 classic The Blueprint. “This is a different look than anything I’ve usually done,” Curren$y told MTV News. “Usually I work with one person, or try to keep it to just, like, two producers on a project.” On 2010’s Pilot Talk and Pilot Talk 2, Curren$y worked mostly with Ski Beatz, and on his 2011 Weekend at Burnie’s, he tapped Monsta Beatz to take the production helm. Now Curren$y is ready to branch out. “Bink produced ‘What It Look Like,’ ” Curren$y said in reference to The Stoned Immaculate ‘s first single, featuring Wale. “Pharrell produced a joint for me. Daz did two joints and rapped on one of them for me. “It’s a mutual thing. I only work with people who I have a real conversation with and nothing is forced,” he continued. Curren$y’s not only recruiting big-name producers for his next LP, he also hooked up with some pretty notable MCs. “I got 2 Chainz on my album,” he revealed, noting that he was friends with the Atlanta star back when he used to go by his original rap name in the early 2000s. “Me and 2 Chainz been cool since it was me and Tity Boi was cool.” Now that Curren$y is the head of his own record company, Jet Life Recordings, he feels he has to use his relationships to his advantage. “It’s not that I did different and reached out, I kinda cashed in on my friendships,” he said. “I’m trying to get more attention towards my crew … I have to draw more eyes and play ball to make it easier for everybody else.” Which collaborations do you anticipate most on Curren$y’s The Stoned Immaculate ? Tell us in the comments Related Artists Curren$y Pharrell Williams 2 Chainz
While working on Original for Cash Money, Mystikal tells ‘RapFix Live,’ ‘What I do with Mannie is what I do with Mannie.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Mystikal and Sway Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News New Orleans has a rich hip-hop tradition, anchored mostly by Cash Money Records and Master P’s No limit label, which saw its heyday in the late ’90s and early ’00s. Mystikal is one of the few MCs who can claim a connection to both crews, but now that he is signed with Birdman what will become of his relationship with former Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh ? It’s no secret that the Cash Money CEO isn’t keen on working with his former Big Tymers groupmate, as he told XXLMag.com , but after his release from prison, Mystikal hit the studio with Fresh. “I did some hot tracks with him, when I first came home, like some mixtape kinda stuff. We just ain’t ever released it yet,” Mystikal said on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live.” “Me and Mannie, we have about five under our belt right now, so I’m just tryin’a keep it movin’,” he continued. “I got what I need from KLC, the Beats by the Pound stuff. Lord, it’s gonna be an awesome album,” he said of his upcoming Original LP. In 2010, a viral video of Mystikal freestyling to a number of Fresh beats while the two sat in the producer’s car racked up thousands of views. “The amount of hits on that is nuts, because we were just sitting in the car vibing,” Fresh told MTV News of the video while at Bonnaroo last June. “I was just going through beats, and he was rapping on it, and I’m trying to convince him [that] I think that would be his mixtape.” A few of their collaborations — like “Move Something” and “Uh Oh” — have already made their way online. As far as the rift between the #1 Stunna and Fresh, Mystikal says that has nothing to do with him. He also maintains that he is able to separate his business from the personal. “What I do with Mannie is what I do with Mannie, what I do with my company is with the company,” he said. What do you think of Mystikal and Mannie Fresh’s chemistry on record? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Hurricane Mystikal Storms ‘RapFix’ Related Artists Mystikal Mannie Fresh Birdman
‘We really about to take over,’ Sean tells ‘RapFix Live.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Big Sean Photo: MTV News Big Sean is having a hell of a week. Not only did the G.O.O.D. Music MC make his debut on the Hottest MCs in the Game list at #9, but on Wednesday (February 15), it was revealed that Sean was actually bumped up to the #8 spot after some heavy debate. “Man, it feels good as hell,” Sean said when he Skyped into “RapFix Live.” “It feels great to be recognized when you’re working your ass off just like Wale, just like J. Cole, just like everybody; we all started at the same place. So to see it paying off, to see mother—-ers recognizing, to make an impact in the game — it is what it is.” Since making the Hottest list , Sean has gotten a ton of feedback. It’s a spot the “My Last” rapper feels like he deserves after the success of his debut album, Finally Famous. “It’s something I feel like I earned. You hear the verses on Wale’s album, you hear them verses on Wiz, you hear my album, you hear me and 2 Chainz,” Sean said of all of his collaborations throughout the past year. “I personally be working my ass off. So I’m excited to be recognized. I’m excited as hell that I got bumped up to #8 — that’s hard.” Sean was originally selected in the #9 slot on the Hottest list and Wiz Khalifa was ranked #8, but after the MTV Hip-Hop Brain Trust convened, a vote was taken, and Sean was moved up one space and Khalifa down. In the end, all the placement does is motivate Sean, who plans to drop his sophomore album and take part in Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music compilation this year. “We really about to take over. We’re really about to shut things down this year,” he bragged. “We damn near got the album already. We been concentrating on the album more than anything.” As thrilled as Sean was to be a part of Hottest MCs in the Game VII, he did have a suggestion. “I think y’all should definitely rethink Cole being on that list, though,” he said in response to J. Cole narrowly missing the #10 spot. What a debate. Tune in to MTV2 on Sunday, February 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT to catch ” MTV2 Presents: Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts ,” then watch “Hottest MCs in the Game VII” immediately after at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT before capping the night off with ” Sucker Free Certified ” at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ Highlights ‘Hottest MCs’ With Big Sean ‘Hottest MCs In The Game VII’ Related Artists Big Sean
It’s the biggest, most important question of the season, people: Whom will Reese Witherspoon choose, between pillow-lipped Brit Tom Hardy and confident playboy Chris Pine , in the spy vs. spy love triangle rom-com This Means War ? While you won’t get any spoilers here for the Valentine’s Day release, let Hardy and director McG tease you with the envelope-pushing alternate ending ideas that didn’t quite make it to the final cut. (And no — McG didn’t learn from Terminator: Salvation , which he admitted he “pussed out on.” Hindsight, my friends.) [To the hardcore spoiler-averse who don’t even want to know what doesn’t happen in the film, a mild warning for what follows…] The McG-helmed romantic action-comedy This Means War , written by X-Men: The Last Stand scribe Simon Kinberg, finds Reese Witherspoon dating Hardy and Pine at the same time, unaware that they are CIA spies and best friends. As both men find themselves falling for her she must decide which beau she truly wants to be with. At a press conference today in Los Angeles, McG revealed one idea that was tossed around early on for ending the film in an unconventional way – by releasing two endings into theaters simultaneously, one in which Witherspoon ends up with Hardy and another where she chooses Pine, with no indication to moviegoers of what they were in for. “We wanted to have flexibility and even talked about two endings and releasing it on 3,000 screens — 1,500 have this [ending] and 1,500 have that one, and just not saying anything,” McG said. “But it felt a little gimmicky in the end.” Releasing two endings into theaters in wide release? Now that would have been interesting, possibly even a worthy financial gamble if moviegoers enjoyed the film enough to see it again, either on home video or in theaters, just to see the alternate ending; the most famous predecessor to do this is probably Jonathan Lynn’s Clue , which was distributed to theaters with three different surprise endings. Clue , of course, was a financial failure (though admittedly deserving of its cult status ), so perhaps following this precedent was ultimately unwise for McG and Co., but let’s put it out there: Hollywood, why not try breaking the mold sometime? That said, there was another idea for concluding the film that would have defied Hollywood convention, story-wise. “There’s even an ending where the two boys end up in each other’s arms,” joked McG. “That should have been the ending,” added Hardy from across the podium. “It would have been a really groundbreaking ending! You should have gone for it, really gone for it.” “I know, I know,” McG answered. “I pussed out on the ending of Terminator 4 … so I should’ve gone for the dark ending of this one.” Stay tuned for more on This Means War to come in my forthcoming junket diary, posting next week… Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Stage and film veteran Ben Gazzara, whose career spanned five decades and included a stint directing television, has died at age 81 in New York. According to The New York Times , Gazzara succumbed to pancreatic cancer today in Manhattan, where he lived. Let’s bid a fond farewell to the Emmy-winning, Golden Globes-nominated Gazzara by remembering some of his most indelible work. After getting his start in the 1950s in television and on stage in productions like Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1955, for which he originated the role of Brick. Film highlights include Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder (1959), although he may be best known for his collaborations with John Cassavetes ( Husbands , The Killing of a Chinese Bookie , Opening Night ) and later highlights in Road House , Buffalo ’66 , The Big Lebowski , and Todd Solondz’s Happiness . For me and many of my generation the Gazzara role I’ve rewatched a zillion times is his turn as Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski ; Click here for the film’s memorable (but nonembeddable) Jackie Treehorn scene and let’s take a brief hopscotch through the actor’s filmography over the years.
The wait is over! Jay-Z and Kanye West (The Throne) premiered the Spike Jonze directed “Otis” music video on MTV tonight. On location in L.A., Jay and Ye spits bars in front of the American flag with fireworks in the background. The two turned a maybach into stunt car and goes on a joy ride with what looks like catholic school girls in the back. Watch The Throne album in stores and available on itunes now. I don’t want to hold you guys up anymore so check out the video below! Recent Post: Jay-Z Talks Recording With Otis Redding [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] Top 5 Jay-Z & Kanye West Collaborations
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