Despite rumors to the contrary, Nicki Minaj will not be participating in Simon Cowell’s upcoming “The X-Factor” as a judge. Cowell is said to have met with Minaj in Los Angeles last week to discuss her participation. School Official Under Fire Over ‘N-Word Heaven’ Comment 50 Cent: I’m Not Sure You’ll Want To Jump Over The Table & F**k Chelsea Handler According to TMZ , Cowell says that any names leaked as potential judges for the show probably came from within his own company in efforts to drum up interest for the show. RELATED: Nicki Minaj To Be Judge On X-Factor?! RELATED: Nicki Minaj Postpones “Fly” Video Because Of Rihanna [VIDEO]
Despite rumors to the contrary, Nicki Minaj will not be participating in Simon Cowell’s upcoming “The X-Factor” as a judge. Cowell is said to have met with Minaj in Los Angeles last week to discuss her participation. School Official Under Fire Over ‘N-Word Heaven’ Comment 50 Cent: I’m Not Sure You’ll Want To Jump Over The Table & F**k Chelsea Handler According to TMZ , Cowell says that any names leaked as potential judges for the show probably came from within his own company in efforts to drum up interest for the show. RELATED: Nicki Minaj To Be Judge On X-Factor?! RELATED: Nicki Minaj Postpones “Fly” Video Because Of Rihanna [VIDEO]
With her ‘Super Bass’ video set for release, Nicki says she wants to give Rih’s current singles their ‘moment.’ By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Photo: MTV News Nicki Minaj may be on top right now but that doesn’t mean the Pink Friday star won’t share the spotlight. Her song “Fly,” featuring Rihanna , was slated to be her next single, but now Minaj has decided to change course: Since her and the Loud singer’s albums were released within a week of each other, she wanted to let her collaborator’s tracks breathe. So the “Fly” clip won’t see the light of day until around Memorial Day, according to the Lil Wayne prot
Simon Cowell has not announced full lineup yet. By Gil Kaufman Nicki Minaj Photo: Jason LaVeris/ Getty Images Simon Cowell knows how this hype game works. As his old cronies at “American Idol” chug along just fine without him, the former Minister of Mean has managed to stoke the fires for months with speculation about who might sit on the judging panel of his upcoming U.S. version of the “X Factor” reality singing competition. The latest names thrown into the mix are the most unlikely to date: Nicki Minaj and bad girl singer/actress Taylor Momsen. An “X Factor” spokesperson did not return requests for comment, and both artists’ camps offered a “no comment” on the rumors. The New York Post. claimed Minaj met with Cowell a few weeks ago in Los Angeles and that the meeting went well and Cowell thought she fit in well with his plan to find a next-generation musical talent on what he has promised will be the “best judging panel” on TV . Among the other names that have been tossed in the hopper over the past few months: former Pussycat Dolls leader Nicole Scherzinger, Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, Cowell’s former “Idol” sparring partner Paula Abdul, Jessica Simpson, ex-Spice Girl Mel B, former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, fallen star George Michael, British pop singer Cheryl Cole and ex-Sony boss Tommy Mottola. Celebuzz claimed that former “Gossip Girl” bad girl Momsen is also in the running. The 17-year-old Pretty Reckless singer is apparently also being considered because she would bring a “young, hip and edgy” vibe to the show. With auditions for the show kicking off Sunday in Los Angeles, only one judge’s seat has been filled. Last week, it was announced that famed producer and former Island Def Jam CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid had joined the show, though one of Reid’s former prot
Simon Cowell has not announced full lineup yet. By Gil Kaufman Nicki Minaj Photo: Jason LaVeris/ Getty Images Simon Cowell knows how this hype game works. As his old cronies at “American Idol” chug along just fine without him, the former Minister of Mean has managed to stoke the fires for months with speculation about who might sit on the judging panel of his upcoming U.S. version of the “X Factor” reality singing competition. The latest names thrown into the mix are the most unlikely to date: Nicki Minaj and bad girl singer/actress Taylor Momsen. An “X Factor” spokesperson did not return requests for comment, and both artists’ camps offered a “no comment” on the rumors. The New York Post. claimed Minaj met with Cowell a few weeks ago in Los Angeles and that the meeting went well and Cowell thought she fit in well with his plan to find a next-generation musical talent on what he has promised will be the “best judging panel” on TV . Among the other names that have been tossed in the hopper over the past few months: former Pussycat Dolls leader Nicole Scherzinger, Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, Cowell’s former “Idol” sparring partner Paula Abdul, Jessica Simpson, ex-Spice Girl Mel B, former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, fallen star George Michael, British pop singer Cheryl Cole and ex-Sony boss Tommy Mottola. Celebuzz claimed that former “Gossip Girl” bad girl Momsen is also in the running. The 17-year-old Pretty Reckless singer is apparently also being considered because she would bring a “young, hip and edgy” vibe to the show. With auditions for the show kicking off Sunday in Los Angeles, only one judge’s seat has been filled. Last week, it was announced that famed producer and former Island Def Jam CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid had joined the show, though one of Reid’s former prot
Will X mark the judging spot for Nicki Minaj? Insiders tell The New York Post that Simon Cowell has met with this hip hop star about coming on board The X-Factor this fall as a judge. She would join recently-announced producer L.A. Reid on the panel if she agreed to make the move. “Simon thinks Nicki is fantastic. She’s sassy, she looks great and she has bags of personality,” a source tells the newspaper . “Nicki has a large following and she fits well with the ethos of the show, which plans to usher in a new generation of musical talent.” Auditions for The X-Factor kick off on March 27. This would be an unusual gig for Minaj to accept, considering her current popularity. Most singers join a reality show to revive a career (see Aguilera, Christina on The Voice and Lopez, Jennifer on American Idol ). Other names under consideration include Tommy Mottola, Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Cole . [Photo: Pacific Coast News]
‘I remember coming on, doing 30 seconds of ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,’ ‘ she recalls to MTV News of her first Young Money performances. By MTV News staff Nicki Minaj Photo: MTV News After her spirited set during Wednesday’s opening night of Lil Wayne’s I Am Still Music Tour in Rhode Island, it’s hard to imagine Nicki Minaj ever getting butterflies onstage. According to the Young Money queen, the performance was a far cry from her humble beginnings onstage when she used to perform mixtape cuts alongside Wayne. For starters, she was far less jittery. “It’s funny, because I remember coming on, doing 30 seconds of ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’ [from Lil Wayne’s Da Drought 3 ],” Nicki recalled to MTV News. “I was nervous for 30 seconds, and then when I came back [on tour], I was doing three minutes. Now to have my own set, it’s crazy!” After the show, the Queens lyricist spoke about finally performing a full set of her own songs. “It’s the first time I get to show me: my theatrics, my craziness, my sense of humor. A lot of times when I was doing features, I didn’t feel that it was my place to kinda interject certain things. I don’t wanna be rude to anyone’s set.” On Wednesday, Nicki seized the opportunity, as she emerged from underneath the stage to begin her 30-minute slot. The rap bombshell thrilled fans as she ran through songs like “Roman’s Revenge,” “Right Thru Me” and the current single from her Pink Friday debut, “Moment 4 Life.” She even gave a male fan a lap dance while Sean Kingston’s “Letting Go” played through venue’s speakers. Even with all the excitement, Nicki promised that the show will only get better as the tour goes on. “It was exhilarating,” she said. “This is actually the first show, so what you saw tonight is nothing close to what the show is going to be.” Will you check out Lil Wayne’s I Am Still Music Tour? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos Lil Wayne Returns To Glory With I Am Still Music Tour Related Artists Nicki Minaj
Hollywood TV had an interesting run-in with Rihanna. They asked the Bajan beauty if she was dating actor Ryan Phillipe and she said “No no no, I hate to burst your bubble but no…I’m dating girls.” Ri Ri was just kidding but when asked if she was dating Nicki Minaj, she said “I wish, her butt is perfect.” Sounds like the perfect publicity stunt! We are currently waiting for the video to Nicki Minaj’s single “Fly” featuring Rihanna. Louis Farrakhan Calls Rihanna “Filthy,” She Responds On Twitter Rihanna & Ciara Beef On Twitter Rihanna Celebrates 23rd Birthday At Star-Studded Bash [PHOTOS] Rihanna Spotted Out With Colin Farrell Rihanna Says Her Concerts Aren’t Too Sexy For Kids
Pennsylvania dance duo are set to take the stage at SXSW and Miami’s Ultra Music Festival. By Adam Stewart Designer Drugs Photo: MTV It’s been a long road for Pennsylvania electronic duo Designer Drugs, but for Michael Vincent Patrick and Theodore Paul Nelson, that’s half the fun. Having been making music together for well over 10 years, the duo recently debuted their second album, Hardcore/Softcore, on Ultra Records and have been thrust into the ever-expanding American dance-music audience. Now, on the heels of the album’s second single, “Through the Prism,” featuring rapper and fellow Brooklynite Cerebral Vortex, Designer Drugs are poised to bring their unique brand of grind-house electronic to the masses Thursday night (March 17) at Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest, followed by a huge set on the Live Stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami on March 25. “We started doing a lot of remixes and just trying to make a specific kind of music,” Patrick told MTV News. “But now, with the album, we are just doing whatever we want and making more of an electronic album.” “We had, like, a hundred songs and riffs,” Nelson added. “And we just basically picked ones we thought were the best for the album and put them all on. We didn’t really have a good idea of what we wanted to accomplish, but it ended up being what it was and we were pretty happy with it at the end.” Kicking things off with the first single “Drop Down,” a wobbly synth monster reminiscent of an edgy Prodigy-esque sound garnished with Gregorian chants, the vibe DD bring to the dance-music game is unique and captivating. Hardcore/Softcore brings the art of an album back to the table, melding full-length tracks with melodic interludes. “I think it kind of helped to tell a story for this album, but we didn’t plan it,” Patrick said. “Nothing for this album was really planned. It all kind of happened; we wrote all the music and then kind of linked it together.” “We just thought, ‘This sounded cool, but let’s not make it an entire song; let’s just kind of put it in there and see what happens,’ ” Nelson added. “But we do listen to a lot of old classic-rock stuff, too, like Pink Floyd and all that other stuff. So there was a little bit of influence from there.” Will you be catching Designer Drugs on the Live Stage of Ultra Music Festival in Miami? Let us know in the comments below!
‘At the end of the day, it’s hip-hop. Let’s not get that misconstrued or anything,’ Pink Friday star says. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Nicki Minaj performs during the I Am Music 2011 tour opener in Providence, Rhode Island Wednesday Photo: Getty Images Don’t get it twisted: Nicki Minaj is an MC first and foremost, she says. Forget the theatrics, ’cause when she gets onstage, she wants to pump energy into the crowd. And to do that, she goes back to her roots. “You always want to start the show and get everybody riled up,” she told MTV News during the kickoff to Lil Wayne’s I Am Music II Tour . “At the end of the day, it’s hip-hop. Let’s not get that misconstrued or anything. People see the way I’m dressed and forget what I’m really doing. Why I’m really here is ’cause I write my raps. Why I’m really here is because I’m an MC. Why I’m really here is because I can go toe-to-toe with dudes. So we want to start the show off saying, Yep, this is Nicki Minaj and this is what I do.” And the Pink Friday star certainly does do those things. She arrived onstage Wednesday night with a booming introduction courtesy of the film “Gladiator.” From there, she launched into a spirited rendition of her Lil’ Kim dis track, “Roman’s Revenge.” Later on, she moved on to her pop fare, including “Your Love” and “Right Thru Me.” But the Queens rapper said she wanted to start the proceedings off by reminding everyone of the artist she was when Lil Wayne first discovered her rapping on a DVD. When we spoke to Wayne about signing Minaj, he told us how she developed into an artist who can hold her own. “I can’t front, I just thought she was going to be the new female MC that none of these other female MCs can touch,” Wayne told MTV News about Nicki . “But now, she’s blossomed into a megastar with this new attitude and this style. Now when I talk to her, I just tell her, ‘Do what you do, baby.’ I used to be able to go into the studio and say, ‘Nah, don’t say that, don’t say that.’ You know, ‘That was better.’ Now, do what you do, baby. I don’t have a clue about what you’re doing right now, but it’s working, do it.” Related Videos Watch Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj And Birdman On This Week’s ‘RapFix Live’ Related Artists Nicki Minaj Lil Wayne
