Tag Archives: multiplatinum

Rick Ross And Pharrell Cooking Up ‘A Special Record’

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘He has his own paintbrush and his own colors,’ Neptunes producer tells MTV News, nominating Rozay for ‘Hottest MCs in the Game.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ricky Louis Rick Ross Photo: Getty Images When it comes to MCs, Pharrell has worked with some of the greats. Skateboard P has produced and rhymed with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I. and Snoop Dogg, and for this year’s hottest MC in the game, P has a nomination: ” Rick Ross is on his way, he’s working his way. He’s been doing it for a minute, and he’s been really consistent,” the Neptunes producer told MTV News on Friday in Miami. The debate rages on, and Sunday, February 19, the “Hottest MCs in the Game VII” will premiere on MTV2. During the half-hour special, MTV’s Hottest MCs Hip-Hop Brain Trust will gather at the roundtable and decide the top five rappers in the game. Beginning February 13, MTV will reveal MCs 10 through six online, but only one spitter can snag the #1 spot. If Pharrell has his way, Rozay will conquer all in this highly contested debate. “That guy is an animal; he’s an animal with it. Lyrically, he’s crazy, and he’s just got a very distinct style, it’s his own,” P campaigned. “There were a lot of comparisons made at the beginning of his career, but along with the test of time, he’s proven that he’s his own person and he has his own paintbrush and his own colors.” Skateboard might be just a bit biased as he reveals to MTV News that he and the Bawse have some very exciting things in the works — then again, Pharrell has worked with a number of MCs who could contend for the crown. “He and I have something special too. We have a special record too, but we’re still working,” the multiplatinum producer said. “I’m happy to be a part of it.” 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 Hottest MCs In The Game VII Is Coming Related Artists Rick Ross Pharrell Williams

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Lil Wayne To Release Prison Memoir In November

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Gone Till November’ will come out two years after Weezy’s release from Rikers Island. By Rob Markman Lil Wayne Photo: MTV News Lil Wayne has a story to tell. Well, Lil Wayne probably has a bunch of stories to tell, but this fall the multiplatinum rap superstar will release “Gone Till November,” his memoir based on the diaries he kept while he was locked up for eight months on Rikers Island in New York. The book, which will come out in November, two years after Weezy’s release from prison, is being described as an internal monologue, according to the Associated Press . It will be released through Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Weezy was freed from Rikers Island on November 4, 2010, after he served eight months of a year-long sentence for an attempted gun possession charge. Police had arrested the rapper in 2007 following his headlining performance at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Wayne eventually pleaded guilty to the charge and turned himself in to authorities in March of 2010. MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway caught up with Wayne in Miami at a welcome-home party just days after his prison release. When asked how his transition from prison was going, Weezy simply responded with a grin. “I forgot about yesterday,” he said after thanking his fans and family for their support. He hasn’t completely forgotten, however, now that Wayne, who has since toured the world and released his double-platinum Tha Carter IV, plans to reminisce a little. Will you be picking up Lil Wayne’s “Gone Till November”? Tell us in the comments Related Videos Welcome Home, Weezy! Related Artists Lil Wayne

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Beyonce And Jay-Z Release Official Birth Announcement

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘We are in heaven,’ the Carters tell MTV News in a statement about their new daughter, Blue Ivy. By Rob Markman Beyonce and Jay-Z Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage With the world still buzzing over the birth of Beyonc

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Nas Put Amy Winehouse Song ‘In Perspective’ For Producer

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘He put that energy back into [the song], because she repped for him,’ Salaam Remi tells MTV News of ‘Like Smoke.’ By Rob Markman Nas Photo: Getty Images The late Amy Winehouse and Nas had a mutual bond that few knew about. Not only do Amy and Nas share the same September 14 birthday, but according to producer Salaam Remi, they have a number of collaborations that were left on the cutting-room floor. The recently released “Like Smoke” is the first time fans got to hear them in tandem. “Amy sang on records that we never put out with Nas,” the multiplatinum hitmaker told MTV News last month in New York’s Jungle Studios. “As far as them now getting on the same record, that was a conversation in play for the last couple of years but that just didn’t happen yet, and when I listened to that song, I was like, you know what? This makes sense, to actually make that happen as far as things that she wants to do that didn’t happen yet.” “Like Smoke” will appear on Amy’s December 6 posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, and features Nas dropping a pair of brand-new verses in between Winehouse’s bluesy vocal. Though Amy wasn’t around to hear the rhymes Nas dropped just a couple of weeks ago, Salaam is confident that based off her admiration for the Queensbridge rapper, she would approve. Amy famously sang about Nas on “Me and Mr. Jones” from her breakout Back to Black album, and the two became acquainted through their mutual friend Salaam. “He just put it in perspective for me,” Remi said of Nas’ mind-set before writing his portion of “Like Smoke.” “I never wanted you to be my man, I just need your company,” Amy starts out singing to an unknown lover. Nas on the other hand speaks directly of his fallen friend when he spits, “I be out in London, Camden, hunting for the answers/ Why did God take away the homey,” he questions. “As far as myself, I feel like I’m repping her musically because that’s what I know of her more than anyone else,” he said. “And then as far as where [Nas is] at, he put that energy back into [the song], because she repped for him. I mean, who writes songs for people, unless you really respect them?” What do you think of “Like Smoke”? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Amy Winehouse: A Life In Photos Related Artists Nas Amy Winehouse

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Nelly Says He’s Still Hip-Hop, Despite Crossover Success

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I think you’d be an idiot to not do what works for you,’ Nelly tells MTV News of making hit records. By Rob Markman Nelly Photo: MTV News When Nelly first stepped on the scene in 2000, he was hip-hop to the core. There was no denying the street appeal the multiplatinum hitmaker displayed in his debut “Country Grammar” video wearing an oversize baseball cap, baggy jeans and backward football jersey. The St. Louis standout has exhibited a ton of growth in his 11-year career, and while his 2010 single “Just a Dream” shot to #1 on Billboard ‘s pop charts, it didn’t do much to bolster his hard-core rap cred — and that’s OK. Nelly is still in tune with his rap roots. He even presented LL Cool J with his I Am Hip Hop Icon Award at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. “At the end of the day, I am urban, so you can’t run from that fact,” Nelly told MTV News as he walked the black carpet for the awards show. “At the end of the day, it’s another successful brother, stepping and breaking ground for the next brother to come along and do it.” The rhythmic “Just a Dream” was produced by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love, the same team that handled Kelly Rowland’s R&B hit “Motivation.” Still, it isn’t a different formula than the one used on his Patti LaBelle-sampled hit “Dilemma” in 2002. Nelly has always stretched the boundaries of hip-hop, maybe most exemplified on his country duet “Over and Over” with Tim McGraw. The hip-hop star didn’t reveal which musical direction he’d be going with his upcoming, yet-untitled seventh album, but it’s safe to assume he’ll do as he always has. Nelly is willing to let the chips fall where they may. “You do what works for you,” he said. “I think you’d be an idiot to not do what works for you. They don’t want me to be smart about it? They wanna see another dumb brother not succeeding because he tried to do something that wasn’t smart? That’s what they say about us: We don’t think first. Well, this brother thinking first. I plan on being here.” What are you expecting from Nelly’s new music? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Nelly

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Glasses Malone Refuses To Rely On Cash Money

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I ain’t just trying to take advantage of somebody just because they hot right now,’ MC says on ‘RapFix Live.’ By Rob Markman Glasses Malone Photo: MTV News As an artist on Cash Money Records, Glasses Malone has access to some major hitmakers. But the California MC is not quick to take advantage of his multiplatinum labelmates. Instead, Glasses — who just dropped his solo debut album, Beach Cruiser, in August — said he would rather build organic collaborations. “I have access to everybody. Just to me, our topics be so different,” Glasses told MTV News’ Sway Calloway during his visit to “RapFix Live” on Wednesday. “Me and Birdman got a lot of songs, me and Wayne got a lot of songs, me and Mack 10 have a lot of songs because our content are more relatable. Drake is really successful, and as an artist, it seems every artist wants to get with somebody that’s successful, but I don’t look at hip-hop like that. “I ain’t just trying to take advantage of somebody just because they hot right now,” he continued. “I want to make great music, I want to make great songs, and right now, me and Drake’s subject matter is so far apart: His subject matters tend to deal with more relationships, his success and dealing with his fame in the music industry.” Glasses, on the other hand, makes music that addresses the issues on the California streets where he was raised. On Beach Cruiser, he recruited the likes of Rick Ross, Jay Rock and Nipsey Hussle, instead of more-certified hitmakers such as Drake and Nicki Minaj. Malone refuses to get caught up in gossip. When he first emerged on the rap scene, it was Game who gave him the co-sign, but eventually their deal soured. Malone made it clear on “RapFix Live” that he harbors no ill will toward the Compton MC. “I don’t think it’s much of a rivalry; I think everybody painted it like that,” Glasses said. “It could never be a rivalry: Dude put me in position, him and [his brother] Fase put me in position to be where I am today,” he explained. “I don’t got nothing to say bad about that dude or nothing about that situation because without them … I’d still be slinging PCP on 117th.” Who would you like to hear Glasses collaborate with? Tell us in the comments below! Related Videos Styles P, Mistah Fab, Glasses Malone On ‘RapFix Live’ Related Artists Glasses Malone

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T.I. Once Again A Free Man

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Tip was just released from an Atlanta halfway house, his lawyer confirms to MTV News. By Rob Markman T.I. Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/ Getty Images T.I. was released from a halfway house in Atlanta on Thursday (September 29) and has completed an 11-month sentence stemming from his 2010 arrest for drug possession, the rapper’s attorney confirmed to MTV News. “I’m excited our family is back together,” T.I.’s wife, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, told MTV News in a statement. “Tip definitely completes us.” “He’s out, he’s good,” T.I.’s manager and Grand Hustle partner, Jason Geter, told The Associated Press. Tip’s legal drama began with his 2007 arrest and eventual sentence on felony weapons charges. The Trap Muzik rapper was sentenced to one year and one day in prison in 2009; he completed nine months of his bid but was arrested again in October 2010 while driving in Los Angeles. The L.A. County district attorney’s office declined to file drug charges against T.I. after finding narcotics in his vehicle, but the multiplatinum spitter violated his federal probation and was sentenced to serve 11 months in prison in October 2010. According to the AP, T.I. will now have to serve one year of federal probation, but barring any infractions, there will be no more prison time. It has been speculated that T.I. would make an appearance at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards, which are being taped in Atlanta on Saturday. When T.I. was arrested in 2007, it was just hours before that year’s BET ceremony. T.I.’s buddy DJ Drama couldn’t confirm whether the King of the South would attend the festivities, but he did express his excitement about Tip’s return to the studio. “Me and Tip have been friends, working together for almost a decade now, so we know what we gotta do,” he said. “It’s really time to get to work and get to the music.” T.I.’s record company, Atlantic Records, had no comment concerning the rapper’s release. Related Photos T.I.’s Career Highs And Lows Related Artists T.I.

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Bone Thugs-N-Harmony To Reunite Saturday In Cleveland

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Krayzie Bone returns for Ohio Homecoming, also featuring Drake. By Rob Markman Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Photo: Valerie Macon/ Getty Images Things haven’t been harmonious with Bone Thugs lately. In April, Krayzie Bone announced that he was leaving Bone Thugs-N-Harmony , but after three short months, Kray, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-n-Bone will reunite onstage at the Ohio Homecoming concert on Saturday. The concert, which will also feature Drake and local Ohio artists such as Stalley and Ray Cash, will double as a celebration of Cleveland’s 215th birthday. “They ain’t seen us, all five, since Flesh came out [of prison in 2008],” Bizzy Bone told MTV News. “We ain’t been able to really put on a showcase for ’em, and this is a beautiful platform. It’s gonna be thousands and thousands and thousands of people there, and it’s Cleveland’s birthday.” Bone Thugs got their start in 1994 with the EP Creepin on ah Come Up and became certified stars with their multiplatinum 1995 single “Tha Crossroads.” Through the years, however, the Cleveland group has experienced its fair share of ups and downs. First, there was Flesh-n-Bone’s incarceration in 2000, then Bizzy left the group during the promotional tour for the quintet’s BTNHResurrection album. To the casual fan, it might seem as if Krayzie’s recent departure is just another chapter in the group’s tumultuous history. Layzie, however, downplayed the drama. “I can kind of understand with recent activity and everything why they would probably think that we wouldn’t come together for something so big like 215 years — Cleveland’s birthday,” he said. “Over the years, we proved ourselves. OK, we break up to make up, but we proved to be a family that comes together throughout anything.” So, will the upcoming show bring Bone Thugs back together for good? Wish Bone wouldn’t say, but did share that he thinks BTNH’s status has been blown out of proportion. “We’re not just band members that were put together: We’re real family,” Wish said. “It’s a shame that sometimes we go through things like anybody else but by us being in the public eye, it gets magnified about a million times. It makes it worse than it really is, but that’s part of the game … No matter what, we’re going to come together for something that’s very important to us.” What do you predict the future holds for Bone Thugs? Tell us below! Related Artists Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

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B.o.B’s New Album Not Focused On Features

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Producer Jim Jonsin says The Adventures of Bobby Ray singer ‘wants it to be his album.’ By Rob Markman B.o.B Photo: MTV News B.o.B is out embarking on another adventure. After his 2010 debut, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, produced chart-topping singles and an RIAA-certified gold plaque, the Atlanta rapper is back in the studio crafting his next LP all by his lonesome. “What Bob wanted to do was go into the lab himself and spend his time creating what he wanted his album to have, the direction he wanted,” producer Jim Jonsin told MTV News. “So we’re waiting on him to come back with that house that he’s built so we can go ahead and put all the fixtures in and try to help with it.” Jonsin, who signed B.o.B to his Rebel Rock label, where the artist remains inked alongside T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint (under Atlantic Records), said that after sessions earlier this year during which he and Bob cut “three or four records,” the “Nothin’ On You” rapper is now out working on the album alone, similar to the recording process on his debut. “Same way it was with the last album. Bob is very creative, he’s a producer, he’s a writer, he’s a real artist,” Jonsin said. While The Adventures of Bobby Ray was heavy on features, with contributions from Bruno Mars, Hayley Williams, Rivers Cuomo and Eminem, Jonsin said the plan for now is for B.o.B to make the album his own. “He doesn’t want to do the feature records; he wants it to be his album,” he said. In that respect, Jonsin, who has created hit records with Lil Wayne, Eminem and Usher, said he’s happy just letting Bob do his own thing and coming in to assist with production duties once the rapper has already laid his foundation. “He does have his ideas and his direction, and everyone feeds off of that,” the multiplatinum producer said. “The A&Rs, the label knows, Tip knows, I know where he’s going. We just gotta hear it, and then we can help him with it.” So far, Bob hasn’t announced a release date or a title for his new album, but in May, the singer told MTV News he’s actually been working on this album for quite some time. “It’s the right timing, and I haven’t revealed the name of the album yet,” he said, “but I’ve been working on this since before The Adventures of Bobby Ray, so it’s a real special project.” What do you expect B.o.B’s new album to sound like? Tell us below! Related Artists B.o.B

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Eminem’s ‘Space Bound’ Video Is ‘Tricky,’ Jim Jonsin Says

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It reminded me of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’ video, where she’s got her and her two other egos in the car,’ song’s producer tells MTV News. By Rob Markman Eminem on the set of “Space Bound” Photo: Eric Ford / On Location News Everyone seems to have their own take on Eminem’s new “Space Bound” video , in which the Detroit MC commits suicide after finding out that his girlfriend is cheating on him. The song’s producer, Jim Jonsin, likened the clip to a movie, and while the video is indeed shocking, he believes Eminem is clearly playing a character. “Things happen in movies all the time. People kill themselves, people get killed, they kill other people,” the multiplatinum producer explained to MTV News on Monday. “When my kids watch it, I like to explain to them in that manner: ‘It’s like a movie, ya know? He isn’t really killing himself.’ ” Jonsin, who was on set when the Joseph Kahn-directed vid was shot in February, suggested that viewers watch the clip a few times to figure out the plot and then draw their own conclusion. “The video itself, it’s tricky to figure out what’s going on in certain scenes,” he said. “It’s going to take them a moment to figure out why he did it. It’s not exactly spelled out, like, ‘I killed myself because this girl drove me to it or she’s cheating on me or she’s texting some other dude,’ or whatever it might be. So you’re still guessing a little bit.” Another element of the video that can be interpreted in a few ways is the two different versions of Eminem that appear onscreen simultaneously. Sasha Grey, who plays the rapper’s girlfriend in “Space Bound,” sees one of the two Shadys as Em’s subconscious. Jonsin had a similar take and compared the visual to Alanis Morissette’s 1996 video for her hit single “Ironic.” “It reminded me of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’ video, where she’s got her and her two other egos in the car,” he said, before turning the conversation back to Em. “I think it was him living in the now as a person going through it and him living as a person who is witnessing it and can make other choices to not be in that scenario. Maybe he would’ve chose differently, so now he’s watching himself.” How did you interpret Em’s video? Let us know in the comments below! Related Photos Eminem’s ‘Space Bound’ Video Shoot Related Artists Eminem Jim Jonsin

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