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Paramore, Panic! At The Disco Celebrate Label’s 15th Anniversary

Fueled by Ramen will mark the occasion with two nights of concerts in New York, and MTV.com will stream Wednesday’s show live! By James Montgomery Paramore’s Hayley Williams Photo: MTV News Fifteen years ago, Fueled by Ramen began life in the dorm room of John Janick, a student at the University of Florida. These days, thanks to a catalog that includes releases by Fall Out Boy , Paramore , Panic! at the Disco , Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard (to name just a few), an unusually strong commitment to their roster of artists and a harnessing of social media that borders on masterful, FBR headquarters is now located many stories above Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, in a space shared with the very major Atlantic Records. Needless to say, things have improved slightly since those dorm-room days. And on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the label will celebrate both their journey and their birthday with a two-night stand at New York’s Terminal 5, a double bill that will include the likes of Paramore, Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes. Wednesday night’s show will stream live on MTV.com , beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, but to kick off the celebration, we asked some of Fueled by Ramen’s biggest acts to think back to the day they inked their deals with the label — starting with Wednesday night’s headliners, Paramore. “We were playing a lot of local shows, it was around 2004. The guy we were working with in Franklin [Tennessee], he was kind of our manager at the time, and he was like, ‘This guy, he has this label,’ ” frontwoman Hayley Williams laughed. “A couple people from [FBR] came down and watched us play older songs and newer ones — I think we played ‘Hallelujah’ for them, ‘Here We Go Again,’ I don’t know, like a total of five songs — and thank God they liked it. We were really excited. From then on, I was like, ‘OK, what are we going to do?’ and we recorded most of those songs, and they showed up on our album, which was on Fueled by Ramen!” The signing story of another of the label’s breakout stars, Panic! at the Disco, is a little less traditional. Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz discovered the band online and rushed to their hometown of Las Vegas to add them to FBR’s roster. Of course, given the label’s strong Web-based presence, it would become the blueprint for the way they’d do business moving forward. “We started doing demos ourselves, just on our laptop, and posting to our personal websites, like MySpace or PureVolume, and just tried to send out links to anybody that was in a band that we were fans of in hopes they would listen. And somehow, we got lucky enough, and Pete contacted us, so that was our first introduction to Fueled by Ramen,” Panic! drummer Spencer Smith explained. “Pete drove out and bought us Del Taco and listened to the songs and said that he wanted to sign us as we were driving him back to his hotel. So it all just happened within two weeks, I think, from him listening to the songs.” Help MTV celebrate Fueled by Ramen’s 15th anniversary this Wednesday, September 7, as we present a live party featuring some of your favorite FBR acts, including Paramore. Check out MTV.com at 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to catch all the action!

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Paramore, Panic! At The Disco Celebrate Label’s 15th Anniversary

The Future Of Bad Boy Records [NEW MUSIC]

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Bad Boy Records isn’t what it used to be, but Diddy’s looking to reclaim some shine with a roster featuring Machine Gun Kelly, Cassie and Red Cafe (pictured left to right). Are they worthy of being the starting lineup for the label that Biggie built? Check out this mixtape giving you a taste of what’s on deck from Bad Boy. DOWNLOAD “BAD BOY: THE PREVIEW” MIXTAPE HERE RELATED POSTS: Diddy Buys Cassie Breast Implants? [PHOTOS] Red Cafe Feat. Rick Ross & Ryan Leslie “Fly Together” [MUSIC]

The Future Of Bad Boy Records [NEW MUSIC]

Amil Wants Closure From Jay-Z & Supports Nicki Minaj

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In the early 2000′s, Amil was once known as the first lady of Roc-A-Fella records. The Female MC was dropped from the label after releasing her debut album, A.M.I.L. (All Money is Legal). There were rumors of her Jay-Z having a disagreement that led to her being released from the label. She tells VIBE.com that she wish she could sit down and talk with Jay-Z to get some closure. Earlier in the week, a fake Amil Twitter account surfaced taking shots at Foxy Brown and Rick Ross. Amil says she doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter account. Amil supports Nicki Minaj , she has no  plans on shooting at the Young Money barbie. “I got mad respect and love for Nicki. She’s doing it really big and that’s odd for a female. It’s really hard for a female rapper… out of every female entertainer, they got it the worst. I support her because behind-the-scenes she’s going through a lot. And to be able to handle that— that’s big.” Recent Post: The Top 40 Female Rapper List, Who’s Number 1? Babs Bunny Talks “Queen Of The Ring” New Female Rap Battle League [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Amil Wants Closure From Jay-Z & Supports Nicki Minaj

50 Cent Shoots Down Lloyd Banks Label Rumors

‘They’re like $80 million in the hole,’ Fif jokes to MTV News about Def Jam. By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Smith 50 Cent When 50 Cent signed G-Unit artists Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo over to EMI , the plan was to set up his longtime Queens, New York, cohorts as artists who could work independently, without his help. Fif told MTV News that Banks’ The Hunger for More 2, which was released last November, was the project that set the trend. “Banks’ project is the beginning of them flying solo, flying without my assistance so much,” 50 said on the Atlanta set of Tony Yayo’s upcoming “Haters” video. In the past, Fif lent his guidance as well as his voice to his artists’ albums. Back in 2004, the G-Unit General appeared alongside Banks on “On Fire,” the first single from the Punch Line King’s platinum debut. He did the same with Yayo’s first single, “So Seductive,” the following year. “Like on all their other albums and singles, I was featured on their projects to help bring attention to it and get ’em off into the right space,” he said. “This go-around is, like, for them to go away from me and do it on their own. They’re setting up shop on their own on this project.” It’s been reported that Banks’ and Yayo’s EMI deal is structured much like an indie. Even though EMI is a major distributor, G-Unit has taken the reins when it comes to positioning both rappers in the marketplace. Even though 50 has championed G-Unit’s independence, speculation has swirled about whether Banks would sign to Def Jam where former G-Unit president Sha Money XL now resides as the Senior VP of A&R . 50, without saying it directly, shot down the notion of a Def Jam deal, citing the label’s supposed-financial woes. Recently, the legendary rap label has gone through a bit of restructuring with former head honcho L.A. Reid leaving and Barry Weiss stepping in as chairman and CEO. Regardless, Fif doesn’t seem too optimistic for a future at the label. “Well, Def Jam, I’m not even sure what that system — that system is not in a good space right now. They’re like $80 million in the hole,” he said, before laughing, “Don’t tell them I told you.” Related Artists 50 Cent Lloyd Banks

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50 Cent Shoots Down Lloyd Banks Label Rumors

Beanie Sigel Says Jay-Z Wouldn’t Let Him Out Of Record Deal

With an offer from 50 Cent on the table, Beans tells ‘Rap Fix Live’ his old pal and onetime boss said, ‘I can’t let you go.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Beanie Sigel on “RapFix Live” Photo: MTV News Beanie Sigel put his entire career in retrospect on Wednesday’s (July 6) “RapFix Live.” Once an intergal part of Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s Roc-A-Fella Records, Beanie Sigel — like most of the label’s roster — was suddenly on the outside looking in once the label split. Not only was Beans left in limbo, but the Philadelphia MC was in the midst of legal troubles at the time. Upon his release from prison in 2005 , Sigel secured a deal with 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records. And according to Beans, all he needed was a release from his Def Jam contract from Jay-Z, who happened to be the label president at that time. “When I first got out of jail, I had a meeting, a situation that was already lined up and set up where I could’ve had [a deal] over there,” Sigel said of an agreement 50 Cent put on the table for him. “He wanted to give me a label, a whole label deal … and a whole lot of money too.” Feeling what he described as a sense of loyalty, Sigel went to meet first with Jay, who hadn’t communicated with the rapper during the year he was locked up. “Coming where I came out from, that situation with Roc-A-Fella, I was like, ‘Let me go holla at my man and see what he got for me before I jump over there.’ ” Sigel said he was hoping that Jay would release him from his Def Jam contract in a move that would free the State Property rapper up to do business with 50. Sigel admitted, however, that while he told Jay he had a pending offer, he didn’t reveal to Jay that it was from G-Unit. “I told him I had to roll. ‘If you can’t make that situation happen for me, I gotta leave. I gotta go,’ ” he recalled telling Jay. “I asked him to just let me go — from Def Jam, not from Roc-A-Fella — because he was the president of Def Jam. ‘I want to leave Def Jam, I’m out. You’re the president, you can push that button. Let me get my release papers.’ ” But Hov didn’t fulfill his old running mate’s request. “I went to Jay like, ‘Let me get this [record deal] situation,’ and he was like, ‘I can’t let you go.’ He was like, ‘No.’ He was like, ‘Nah, let me see what I could do.’ That ‘see what I could do’ turned into another two years.” In the end, Sigel never signed with G-Unit, and by 2009, Beans was launching dis rhymes at Jay after hearing what he interpreted as a subliminal attack against him on Jay’s The Blueprint III album. Despite all that has gone down, Beans reiterated to on “RapFix Live” that he was appreciative of the opportunities Jay-Z and Dame Dash had given him while signed to Roc-A-Fella. What do you think of Beanie’s past conflicts with Jay? Tell us in the comments. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Beanie Sigel Related Artists Beanie Sigel Jay-Z 50 Cent

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Beanie Sigel Says Jay-Z Wouldn’t Let Him Out Of Record Deal

CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To ‘Enhance’ His Music

‘It’s just like Shady and Aftermath,’ MC says of being signed to G.O.O.D. Music, Konvict and Def Jam. By Alvin Blanco, with reporting by Sway Calloway CyHi the Prynce Photo: MTV News If you want to get technical, Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music deal with Def Jam puts Atlanta rapper CyHi the Prynce back where he’s been throughout his career. And that makes him all the more confident that big-label status won’t change his music. “Def Jam is like family, for real,” he said on “RapFix Live” this week. His history with the label began back when CyHi was part of a Georgia rap group called Hoodlum that was signed to Def Jam through Jazzy Pha’s Sho’Nuff imprint. After the group split a couple of years later and CyHi embarked on a solo career, his relationship with a pair of execs kept him in the family. “When I went solo, I came back and revisited the situation, due to my relationship with L.A. Reid and my relationship with Bu Thiam,” CyHi told MTV News. At the time, Reid was Island Def Jam’s chairman and Thiam, Akon’s younger brother, was (and still is) an A&R at the label. CyHi was signed to Akon’s Konvict Music imprint in 2009. And then last year, Kanye West caught wind of his talents and recruited him to join his Grammy Family. “I’ve been at Def Jam all my life; it’s just, you know, the big heads put it all together,” CyHi explained of the new relationship with Kanye’s group and the label. “By G.O.O.D. Music actually getting their label deal there, and I’m already there, it just solidifies me more, [increasing] the possibility of an album coming soon.” As for how Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music interact on his behalf, and split any due proceeds, CyHi offered an analogy for the joint venture: “It’s just like Shady and Aftermath. It’s just like G-Unit and Aftermath. It’s the same thing. I’m not a stingy guy. My thing ain’t to get rich. … Their check is a joint venture. That’s between Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music. They going to split that, then I just do me.” The “Royal Flush” rapper was also adamant that both Konvict and G.O.O.D. Music only have his best interest at heart and that the plan is to augment his talent, not switch up his style. “When you self-made and you do it yourself, they all come to complement what you have done,” CyHi said. “I got with ‘Ye, I been like this. They was like, ‘I don’t want to change nothing about you; I just want to enhance it.’ Same with [Konvict], ‘We just want to enhance.’ It’s a great relationship with everybody. My team is what really makes me who I am. Teamwork makes dreams work.” Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With CyHi The Prynce Related Artists Prynce Cy Hi Kanye West Konvict

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CyHi The Prynce Says Kanye, Akon Pledged To ‘Enhance’ His Music

Will 50 Cent Leave Interscope After Next Album?

‘It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in,’ Fif tells MTV News. By Rob Markman 50 Cent Photo: Tiffany Rose/ WireImage After selling millions of records with Interscope, will 50 Cent be looking to jump ship? Anything is possible as the G-Unit head honcho prepares his fifth and final contracted album on the powerhouse label. “I don’t know,” 50 told MTV News when asked if he would ink back with Interscope once his five-album deal was fulfilled. “It will all be clear in the negotiations following me turning this actual album in. And, of course, the performance and how they actually treat the work will determine whether you still want to stay in that position or not.” Last week, on June 16, Fif took his label to task via Twitter when he fired off, “I’m sorry to announce I will not be releasing a new album this year if we don’t get on the same page.” Soon after, he tweeted: “My whole career iv been doing sh– and they have been playing catch up this is the last f—ing album THEY BETTER WAKE UP AND WORK.” Feeling he could no longer wait on the label and that he had to take matters into his own hands, the rapper then went on to release his new street single “Outlaw” later that evening. “It’s not necessarily [Dr.] Dre or [chairman] Jimmy [Iovine]; it’s more the guys that they pass the responsibilities on to,” 50 told MTV News the next day. “It takes longer for people, because they’ll be like, ‘OK, we’re gonna do this and we’re gonna do that,’ and the building will start having those conversations, but they’re not actually moving at that point. “They’re behind it, but to get everybody moving at the same beat and moving at the same pace is the object,” he added. “That was what the goal was even writing that statement and releasing the song.” It’s obvious that for 50, there is a lot riding on this project. He isn’t opposed to re-signing with the record company helmed by Iovine, but he also isn’t opposed to walking away and going independent either. For the Southside Jamaica, Queens, MC, the label support for his upcoming LP will determine his next move. “It’s not like you’re gonna be able to make a project bigger than the actual project is, but if the songs are right and you have full support and you feel that support, why would you want to go anywhere else?” he said. “If not, if you don’t have that support, why would you want to sign to another system? In the financial state that I’m in, you just do it yourself.” In 2010, 50 took his artist Lloyd Banks and signed him to EMI Records , where he structured the deal to operate much like an independent. Banks’ The Hunger for More album has already produced five singles and created a presence for the Queens rapper among his contemporaries. “You’ve seen the success of Lloyd Banks’ project with me being behind him financially,” 50 said. “You can’t tell the difference between him and other artists that are on major record companies.” Do you think 50 should stick with Interscope or go indie? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Photos The Evolution Of: 50 Cent Related Artists 50 Cent

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Will 50 Cent Leave Interscope After Next Album?

50 Cent Explains What Separates Him From Lady Gaga, Eminem

Fif tells MTV News his labelmates’ singles ‘go to top 40 and crossover radio immediately.’ By Rob Markman 50 Cent Photo: Christopher Polk/ WireImage 50 Cent knows what it takes to make a hit record. The first step for him is the groundwork, usually in the form of a street single. Before “In Da Club,” the G-Unit General set the streets on fire with “Wanksta,” and before he took fans to the candy shop in 2005, Fif started off with “Disco Inferno.” For his fifth, yet-untitled LP — which he tweeted will now come out in November — things are no different. After blasting his label on Twitter last week, 50 decided to heat up the streets by dropping “Outlaw,” his new Cardiak-produced street single. When asked how his tried-and-true formula differs from that of Interscope labelmate Lady Gaga, Fif said their respective circumstances are incomparable. “When you say Lady Gaga, a pop artist, they want them to just deliver a song,” 50 said. “They don’t have the mixshow radio platform to go through before they would actually go for adds on an actual record.” As opposed to mainstream pop artists, rappers who are viewed as more niche, for the most part, usually have to service a record that caters to late-night urban-radio formats where DJs blend records together in a continuous stream. The mixshows serve as a proving ground of sorts for edgier hip-hop music. “Her records go to top 40 and crossover radio immediately. You can’t really compare it to any artist that would be considered a pop artist or a white artist,” 50 said of his circumstance in relation to Gaga’s. “And I say that openly, because what we consider urban radio or rhythmic radio was referred to as black radio at one point. That right there is something that I am conscious of.” Still, 50 said he doesn’t place any blame; instead, he simply points out the differences. He even talked about his method of landing records on the charts in relation to Eminem. Like Gaga, 50 points out that Slim Shady bypasses urban radio as well. “You can’t compare Eminem and 50 Cent’s career on any level,” he said. “Eminem doesn’t know what the inside of Hot 97 looks like. He’s never even had to go there. So the top 40 and crossover-radio platforms are detrimental to the success of an Eminem project, and for me to get to the top 40 or crossover space, I have to have music that performs so well on your Hot 97s and Power 106s of the world until it actually goes up to that point.” Last Thursday, before leaking “Outlaw,” 50 tweeted that he wouldn’t drop his new album in 2011 unless Interscope got “on the same page.” 50 clarified to MTV News what many perceived as a serious rift between him and his label. “They’re behind it, but to get everybody moving at the same beat and moving at the same pace is the object. That was what the goal was even writing that statement and releasing the song,” he said. What do you think of 50 Cent’s radio theories? Let us know in the comments. Related Artists 50 Cent

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50 Cent Explains What Separates Him From Lady Gaga, Eminem

Tracy Morgan Meets With LGBT Teens After Anti-Gay Remarks

‘It was an apology from one human to another,’ one resident at NYC center tells MTV News of meeting the ’30 Rock’ star. By John Mitchell Tracy Morgan meets with LGBT teens Photo: GLAAD Earlier this month “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan offended many with homophobic remarks he made during a stand-up show in Nashville. The comedian has since made several public apologies and announced this week that he had partnered with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in its efforts to combat anti-gay bullying. On Friday (June 17), in his first major project with GLAAD, Morgan met with youth from the Ali Forney Center in New York City, the nation’s largest organization serving homeless LGBT youth. The actor also met with Elke Kennedy, whose 20-year-old son Sean was killed in 2007 in an anti-gay hate crime. “Initially, he seemed very nervous, I think he seemed kind of frightened when he got there,” Carl Siciliano, the head of the Ali Forney Center, told MTV News after the meeting with Morgan. “I don’t think he knew what to expect from us.” Siciliano said Morgan was “very apologetic” and ‘just wanted to make it really clear that he was there to apologize, that he hadn’t meant to do this, that he was hurt by what he had done. He was repeatedly apologetic.” At the center, Morgan spoke openly with the young residents, including Jayden, who was rejected by her family when she came out of the closet. “It was an apology from one human to another and I really appreciated that,” Jayden told us. “Today, Tracy saw firsthand the toll that homophobia and anti-gay violence can take on a person’s life,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in a statement. “By meeting with LGBT teens left homeless because of who they are, we hope that Tracy has come to understand that so-called ‘jokes’ about gay youth are not just irresponsible, they are damaging.” The actor also spoke with Kennedy, an LGBT activist who travels around the country speaking out against anti-gay violence and rhetoric as part of Sean’s Last Wish , an organization she founded in her son’s memory. According to Kennedy, Morgan was so moved by Sean’s story that he got choked up, saying, “You know, that should never happen. That’s why my comments, the ones I made, are not going to be made again.” Kennedy said she believed Morgan was truly sorry for the comments he made, which included alluding to killing his own son if he grew up to be homosexual. “I feel like he made a commitment during this meeting to make a difference,” she told MTV News. “He said that he was going to use his talent as a comedian to be an advocate for the LGBT community.” During the meeting, Morgan announced that he’ll return to Tennessee on June 21 to apologize to those he offended during his stand-up act. While in Nashville, he also plans to meet with the Tennessee Equality Project and local advocates. What do you think of Tracy Morgan’s efforts? Tell us in the comments.

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Tracy Morgan Meets With LGBT Teens After Anti-Gay Remarks

50 Cent Clears Up Twitter Label Drama

Fif also reveals that he is on Dr. Dre’s next single, ‘The Psycho.’ By Rob Markman 50 Cent Photo: Michael Tran/ FilmMagic 50 Cent went into renegade mode Thursday, blasting his label on Twitter and releasing his new single “Outlaw” independently of Interscope. Don’t get it twisted, however: The G-Unit General isn’t just acting off of emotion. This is all part of his plan to light a fire under the label in preparation of his fifth, yet-untitled album. (50 confirmed to MTV News that this is not the Black Magic album he had announced in 2010.) On April 18, Fif announced via Twitter that he was going to be dropping a single from his new album, but never did. When MTV News caught up with him a few days later on the L.A. set of Nicole Scherzinger’s “Right There” video, 50 backtracked , saying that instead, he opted to work in conjunction with Interscope on the release. “So I had the record I was ready to launch, and we sat down and everybody talked,” Fif told MTV News in an interview Friday (June 17). “What happens is, there are a lot of people involved in my actual launch, because its three parties; it’s Shady, then you got Aftermath, then you got Interscope, and then you got me on my end. So by the time we got to go sit down with [Interscope chairman] Jimmy [Iovine], we talked a little bit, and then I ended up having to go see Dre, because we had the issue, the confusion about the Twitter stuff.” The “Twitter stuff” the Southside Jamaica, Queens, rapper is referencing is when he charged on the social-networking site that Dre and Jimmy Iovine were “mad” because Fif announced that he was developing his own brand of high-end head headphones to rival the Good Doctor’s Beats by Dre. “We sat down, we cleared that up, me and Dre, and then we said, ‘Let’s just get back to the music and do what we do,’ ” Curtis said before revealing his and Dre’s next move. “Immediately after, we wrote a song together called ‘The Psycho’; it’s Dre’s next single.” After making peace with his partners, it was 50’s intention to release his own single with his label’s support and have a record that would impact radio so he could perform at Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. There was no single and, subsequently, no 50 Cent at the show, which took place June 5. “Why would I be going to Summer Jam to perform a bunch of feature songs?” the rapper asked rhetorically. “That’s not for me. I rather not be there than to go through that.” Things took a turn Thursday when the MC tweeted: “Ok I tried to be cool with my record company. I went to the meeting talk to everyone and sh– feels like there moving in slow motion,” adding that he wouldn’t drop an album in 2011 unless Interscope got “on the same page.” Then he premiered his new song “Outlaw” later that evening in an effort to cause excitement for his upcoming LP, which will be his last on Interscope. Though he is visibly concerned about how the rollout of his album is being handled, Fif wants to be clear about where he places the blame. “It’s not necessarily Dre or Jimmy; it’s more the guys that they pass the responsibilities on to. It takes longer for people, because they’ll be like, ‘OK, we’re gonna do this and we’re gonna do that,’ and the building will start having those conversations, but they’re not actually moving at that point.” What do you think of 50 Cent’s label drama? How about the new song “Outlaw”? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists 50 Cent

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50 Cent Clears Up Twitter Label Drama