We’ve all been wondering whatever happened to that video Kanye West and crew filmed for “Monster.” A rough cut of the video leaked last year, but we’re just now finding out that a pair of women’s rights activists prevented the release of the video. Curtis Mayfield’s “Impressions” On Today’s Music WBW Honors: Madame C.J. Walker From Change.org : Kanye West has never been one to shy away from controversy, but fans and activists alike are concerned his newest video “Monster” glorifies violence against women. That’s why activists Sharon Haywood and Melinda Tankard Reist created a petition asking MTV and Universal Music Group to pull the offensive and misogynistic video. MTV recently responded to the over 1,600 Change.org members who signed their petition, agreeing not to air “Monster.” But Haywood and Reist’s work is far from over, as Universal Music Group still hasn’t responded… “The mainstreaming of videos like this increases desensitized and callous attitudes toward violence against women,” said Reist, one of the campaign originators. “Young people are seeing images and absorbing harmful messages which glamorize misogyny and brutalize women. Women are reduced to sex-doll like playthings. So great is the level of desensitization that the barbaric treatment of women and girls is seen as normal and to be expected. We decided to run this campaign because we wanted to challenge the status quo.” Watch the rough cut of the controversial video below: RELATED: Kanye West, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj “Monster” Video Leaks [VIDEO] RELATED: Five Other Movies That Inspired Hype Williams Videos
‘They thought I was gonna sit back and let them do what they were doing,’ MC tells ‘RapFix Live’ about Nicki’s crew. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Lil’ Kim on “RapFix Live” Photo: Rich Sancho/ MTV News Lil’ Kim wanted deference from Nicki Minaj . Now, however, it may take much more than that from the upstart who was inspired by the veteran rapper. The two female MCs have been bickering for some time, in interviews and in song, but it seems Kim may want a 50 Cent-to-Ja Rule knockout blow, stopping the Young Money raptress in her tracks. “This is the thing: It’s just, it’s really, like, at the end of the day, I do what I have to do, and I’m gonna keep doing what I have to do,” Kim told MTV News during her appearance Thursday (March 3) on “RapFix Live.” “I’m gonna do me. They’re the ones that brought this about. It could have been that simple. But what they did was underestimate me. They thought I was gonna sit back and let them do what they were doing. I’m gonna let everybody know: I’m on my Hollywood sophisticated, but I’ll bring it back if I have to. And that’s in life. I can’t help it. I’m G’d up from my feet up. If I have to handle my business, I’mma handle my business. And I have to fight for my fans.” Kim claimed her battle against Nicki is a challenge because she “has a powerful building behind her,” referencing her label, Universal Records. But Kim remains resilient, saying her battle is for her fans as much as it’s against Nicki. “What kind of message would that send to my fans if I just sit back and watched?” she said. “Let this girl do what she’s doing. My fans were more fumed than I was. They were looking like, ‘Do you see this? Do you hear this?’ But at the end of the day, I understand what they were feeling. I owe my fans a whole lot.” What do you think of Kim’s crusade against Nicki? Let us know in the comments. Related Videos ‘RapFix Live’ With Lil’ Kim Related Photos The Evolution Of: Lil’ Kim Related Artists Lil’ Kim Nicki Minaj
Brooklyn femcee says real stars have no ‘time limit’ and clears up Black Friday shipping delays on ‘RapFix Live.’ By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Lil’ Kim on RapFix Live Photo: Rich Sancho/ MTV News Lil’ Kim started her career as an artist on Atlantic Records under the Notorious B.I.G.’s imprint, Undeas Records, before eventually going on to ink a deal after her 2006 prison release with the Trackmasters, though, she never released a project with the production outfit. Nowadays, Kim’s situation is far less complicated. According to Kim, she’s calling her own shots. “I’m independent,” she told host Sway during her appearance on MTV News’ “RapFix Live.” “I am a boss, other people work for a boss. I write checks, other people get checks. Everything you see me doing … it’s hard for a female, but I’m maneuvering with my own money and my own relationships.” Last month, Lil’ Kim released new music for the first time in years with the mixtape Black Friday, a conceptual collection that takes aim at her nemesis Nicki Minaj. The project was scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day, however, fans were confused when they discovered the set was a for-purchase item and not a free download, as is typically the case with mixtapes. As of press time, fans who bought a copy of Black Friday are reporting that they have yet to receive the tape. Lil’ Kim and her manager , though, insisted on Thursday’s (March 3) live stream that CDs have now been shipped after the rapper took time to sign each unit. In the meantime, Kim seems to have no intention of giving up the spotlight. She voiced her displeasure with Nicki Minaj’s alleged insistence that the Lil Wayne prot
Mag dubs her ‘America’s #1 Party Girl.’ By Aly Semigran Snooki on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine Photo: Mark Seliger/ RollingStone.com Pint-size reality star/published author Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi made the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine — doing her best “Dr. Strangelove” imitation, no less — which hits newsstands this Friday. But the cover shot already hit the Web on Wednesday (March 2), prompting Polizzi to tweet , “THE NEW ROLLING STONE COVER : Nicole Snooki Polizzi ♥ #loveitorhateit =).” In the issue, the 23-year-old, who is currently riding the success of the record-breaking third season of “Jersey Shore,” poses with pickles, discusses life in the limelight and announces her plans for total reality-television domination. While the magazine has dubbed her “America’s #1 Party Girl,” it may not be a title she is entirely comfortable with. Polizzi, who said she watches the show every week, has noticed how her partying ways have caught up with her. “If I do something stupid, which is pretty much the whole time, I hate it,” she reveals, “I just hate it. Obviously, they’re only going to put the good stuff in, and the good stuff is us drunk, so all I’m seeing is me drunk and falling down. That’s how I am when I party, but some of the stuff I do is, like, ‘Really, Nicole?’ I look like a freakin’ alcoholic. I’m like, ‘You’re sweating, your makeup is running, you look gross.’ I just look like sh–.” Still, those less-than-flattering moments and the effects of being on camera all day, every day (“There’s no normalcy,” she gripes) don’t seem to stop Polizzi from seeking out a life in front of the cameras. “When ‘Jersey Shore’ ends I’m going to do more spin-offs,” she told the magazine. “What I’d like is to turn out like Jessica Simpson, with her whole brand. She makes millions … I’m trying to build an empire, because after this I can’t get a normal job. I mean, how do I go and sit behind a desk?” But before those future endeavors, Polizzi is more than willing to talk about what’s currently going on at “Jersey Shore.” In addition to releasing excerpts from the interview, a video has been posted at RollingStone.com featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the multi-outfit (including a pickle barrel) photo shoot with Polizzi, who discussed everything from heading to Italy to her occasional friend-with-benefits, “Jersey Shore” castmate Vinny Guadagnino. Polizzi, who said she was excited but surprised that Rolling Stone chose her for the cover (“I’m like, ‘Okay, who am I? Like, I don’t sing, I don’t do anything like that”), also theorized on why she’s the most-liked castmember on the series. “I think everyone gravitates towards me more on ‘Jersey Shore’ just because I think I’m more relatable and … I’m real and I don’t care [if I] show my real side.” Still, Polizzi will likely bond with her fellow castmembers as they head to Italy for the upcoming fourth season. “I’m definitely excited to go to Italy for the new season,” Polizzi says, but acknowledges her limited capabilities of the language. “The only thing I really know in Italian is ‘Ciao, bella.’ ” Polizzi also brought up a certain castmember after riding the RS cover rocket (which she later signed, “Goodbye rocket, you hurt my ass”): Vinny Guadagnino. “Vinny definitely compares to the rocket I sat on,” Polizzi said of her co-star, with whom she’s shared some, er, intimate moments on the show. “I would probably call that rocket Seabiscuit because that’s the same size as Vinny’s ding-dong.” Don’t miss “Jersey Shore” every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. What do you think of Snooki’s Rolling Stone cover? Tell us in the comments! Related Videos Jersey Shore (Season 2) | Ep. 18 | Highlights Related Photos Jersey Shore (Season 2) | Snooki
Wayne’s ‘6 Foot 7 Foot’ video premieres Thursday at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway Lil Wayne and Sway Photo: MTV News A Lil Wayne verse can make an already good song even better, as evidenced by his monstrous 16 bars on DJ Khaled’s “We Takin’ Over.” And when Wayne was putting together the roster for his then-burgeoning Young Money empire, he knew he needed someone who could take his company to the next level in the same manner. Enter Drake . “The first thing I said was this kid’s a superstar,” Weezy told MTV News about his introduction to Drizzy. “I don’t think you can remember, but I did some interviews back then when they were asking me about him and I said he’s better than me. I can’t sing. I can make a song, but this kid has the actual R&B presence. Then he’s one of the dopest lyricists. That right there, he has a welcoming appearance. I knew he was something bigger than something I had envisioned for my company when I ran into this kid. I was thinking I’m going to put my people on and we’re going to be all right, but then when I ran into this kid, I was like, this a superstar, he’s got a chance to make my company something for real, something to be thought of, to be remembered.” Since that time, of course, Drake has skyrocketed to the top with a standout mixtape, So Far Gone, and a successful debut album, Thank Me Later . What Lil Wayne didn’t know at the time he assembled the YM crew, however, was that he’d have two franchise stars, the second being Nicki Minaj , who also ascended to superstardom in her own right. As a result of signing both rappers, Wayne has managed to turn himself into a mogul on par with Diddy, Jay-Z and his boss, Cash Money’s Birdman. “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 said 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 Lil Wayne Ready To Drop ‘6 Foot 7 Foot’ Related Artists Lil Wayne Nicki Minaj Drake
Catch Lil’ Kim on ‘RapFix Live’ Thursday at 4 p.m. ET on MTV.com. By D.L. Chandler Lil’ Kim Photo: Eugene Gologursky/ WireImage The battle of the Barbies continues: Lil’ Kim and her open war on reigning queen of hip-hop Nicki Minaj has not lost a bit of steam after last week’s release of a video in which the former Junior M.A.F.I.A. vet continues to discredit the Young Money starlet. Before she graces the MTV studios Thursday for “RapFix Live,” the Brooklyn rap diva isn’t slowing down her relentless attacks on Nicki. The 15-minute “Carbon Copy,” called “a documentary expos
