Tag Archives: harajuku

Ice Cube: ‘Boyz N The Hood’ Still ‘As Potent’ 20 Years Later

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘We felt like we was teaching America about a part of itself that they don’t see,’ Cube tells ‘RapFix Live.’ By By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum Ice Cube Photo: MTV News “Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the ‘hood.” In that line lays the crux of John Singleton’s 1991 film “Boyz N the Hood.” Delivered by Ice Cube’s character, Doughboy, those words ring as true today, 20 years later, as they did when the film first hit theaters. Released on July 12 of that year, “Boyz N the Hood” was a gritty, cinematic depiction of the lives of three young African-American men growing up in inner-city Los Angeles. On Wednesday’s (July 13) “RapFix Live,” Ice Cube broke down the cultural significance of the film that launched his acting career. “When we first did the movie ‘Boyz N the Hood,’ we felt like we was teaching America about a part of itself that they don’t see,” he explained. “We was teaching you about people like Doughboy and why he is the way he is.” But while Cube’s Doughboy was an unapologetic gangster who couldn’t see a way out of the ‘hood and the gang culture that consumed him, his half-brother Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) used football as a means to earn a college scholarship that might ultimately take him out of the ghetto. Their friend Tre, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., struggled to balance the life lessons that his father (Laurence Fishburne) passed onto him with the reality of the streets. And for Cube, the circumstances addressed in the movie still ring true after two decades. “The movie holds up. The movie had been used as a tool to teach people about the ‘hood that they may not know about,” he said. “I think the movie is a definite classic, it definitely holds up, it’s definitely as potent today as it was back then. The message is definitely as clear today and needed as it was back then.” Share your favorite scenes from “Boyz N the Hood” in the comments! Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Cali Swag District Related Artists Ice Cube

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Mary J. Blige Calls Nicki Minaj Leak ‘Not Fair’

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘But I’m over it,’ she tells MTV News of unfinished ‘Feel Inside’ hitting the Web. By James Dinh, with additional reporting by Kara Warner Mary J. Blige Photo: Bennett Raglin/ WireImage It’s especially hard nowadays to keep new music under wraps. Just ask Mary J Blige , whose purported collaboration with Nicki Minaj on a song called “Feel Inside” prematurely surfaced online a few weeks ago. Soon after the leak, Blige’s camp revealed that, while the duo are working on a track together for the singer’s new album, My Life Too: The Journey Continues (dropping October 4), the song that hit the blogosphere was the result of two different studio sessions and not the real thing. MTV News recently caught up with Blige to get her take on the leak, and she was none too pleased. “I was pissed about the leaking of the Nicki Minaj and Mary J Blige record, because that’s not fair and people shouldn’t do that,” she said bluntly. “But I’m over it. We move on. We’re going to make more hot music.” Asked what other special guests can be expected on the forthcoming project, MJB remained coy, saying she didn’t want to reveal any other featured collaborators until “maybe a month from now” to make sure everything is “etched in stone.” While Blige didn’t dish too many details about her and Minaj’s collabo, songwriter Andrea Martin (Melanie Fiona, Leona Lewis), the woman who penned the tune, did offer some insight into the Harajuku Barbie-assisted track. “It was a surprise to know that Nicki Minaj jumped on the song and nobody wanted to tell me. I was like ‘What’s going on? What’s going on?’ ” Martin told MTV News. “It’s just such a great thing. I’ve always wanted to work with Mary J. Blige, and I finally got the chance to, and it was a good time for me to prove myself that I can write songs for you, baby.” For fans who are still waiting for the finalized collabo to surface, they’ll be happy to hear that the song is tentatively scheduled to be one of the project’s first singles, with MJB’s camp already scouting a video director for the song. As for whether Martin felt any pressure to deliver material for the sequel to the singer’s 1994 breakthrough My Life LP, the songwriter simply said Blige “knows what she wants.” Are you excited about Mary and Nicki’s upcoming collabo? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Mary J. Blige Nicki Minaj

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Christian Bale Excited To Star With Tom Hardy In ‘Dark Knight Rises’

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on Christian Bale Excited To Star With Tom Hardy In ‘Dark Knight Rises’

‘He seems like he’s a balls-out,’ Bale says of the ‘Inception’ actor. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Christian Bale Photo: Jun Sato/WireImage Who will Tom Hardy play in “The Dark Knight Rises” ? Rumor has it the “Inception” actor is set to become a villain, though director Christopher Nolan has gone on record as saying the Riddler won’t factor into his upcoming third installment of the “Batman” reboot. There’s talk that Hardy would do well in the role of troubled psychologist Hugo Strange, crime lord Black Mask or gun-toting hit man Deadshot. Whoever Hardy ends up portraying, the man he’ll likely do battle against is excited for the opportunity to act with him. “I liked him in ‘Inception’ and I did see ‘Bronson’ as well,” said Christian Bale — Bruce Wayne/Batman himself — in a recent interview with MTV News. “He seems like he’s a balls-out.” When we asked Bale if he was looking forward to Hardy as an opponent, he answered, “Yeah, sounds good.” Did Bale confirm that Hardy will in fact be a villain in “The Dark Knight Rises”? Did the “opponent” part of our question breeze right by Bale? Watch the video interview and judge for yourself. While Bale left the door slightly open to returning for a fourth “Batman” flick, he seemed fairly convinced that “The Dark Knight Rises” will be his and Nolan’s final installment in the DC Comics franchise. “I think so. That’s up to Chris,” he said. “That was always what the discussion was. But you know, if Chris says, ‘I see another story here,’ then we’ll be up for it. But in my mind, I’m expecting this will be it.” Of course, there’s always the fanciful hope that Bale and Nolan will reunite a few decades from now for an adaptation of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns,” which tells the story of a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement to become the Caped Crusader once again. “That maybe would not be bad,” Bale laughed of the idea. “Maybe in 20 years time, but you need that break.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dark Knight Rises.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com .

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We’re Live-Blogging Nicki Minaj’s New York Takeover

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on We’re Live-Blogging Nicki Minaj’s New York Takeover

Read along as we follow the Harajuku Barbie during her big Pink Friday promo day. Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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We’re Live-Blogging Nicki Minaj’s New York Takeover

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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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Did you miss Mos Def in Japan? Watch tonight at 10pm.

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Starting tonight, watch all eight episodes of Current Music Presents: Embedded every Tuesday at 10pm. Maybe you missed us last year, or maybe you just want to sit down with the verit

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