Tag Archives: songz

Game’s Brake Lights Tape Is ‘Like A Real Album,’ DJ Skee Says

‘This time around, it’s a lot higher [quality],’ Skee tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid DJ Skee Photo: MTV News The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive If you’ve been following the Game’s new Twitter page, you’ll see that his fans have given resounding kudos to his new mixtape, Brake Lights. The project was produced by Cool & Dre and hosted by DJ Skee and was released at midnight Tuesday online. “Reason we named it Brake Lights is because it’s something you don’t see if you’re following us often — we don’t stop,” Skee said from his SkeeTV headquarters. “We just had to talk about it. Plus we just did The R.E.D. Album with Game. The biggest difference between this and The Red Room [mixtape] is, I think, the quality of records. This time around, it’s a lot higher. We got some crazy features, more original stuff. It’s not really any freestyles over other people’s beats. It’s all original music. So it’s really like a real album. We’re going back to those classic Game/ DJ Skee street-album days. It’s gonna be pretty crazy.” Included on the tape is “Street Riders,” on which guest MC Nas references Pharrell Williams by name and throws some subliminals at 50 Cent. “I showed n—as their first Bentley/ How the f— I window shop?” he raps. “We’ve actually had it done forever,” Skee said. “It was actually supposed to be on the Doctor’s Advocate album. It didn’t make it for one reason or another. There’s been a bunch of different reincarnations of the song. … I actually have eight different versions of the song. Game, he went back in. He said, ‘It’s time to do it.’ Cool & Dre did the beat. So we was like, ‘Let’s throw it on the mixtape. It’s probably never going to come out other than that.’ I played a snippet of it on the radio years ago, and fans have been going crazy since then. We threw that on. Game did two new verses. He wanted to make it more relevant for today. You have a crazy Nas verse. Akon kills the hook. It’s one of the craziest, darkest Cool & Dre beats. It’s one of my favorite Game records ever. So it’s finally out, Brake Lights, it’s official.” The Compton star brings in another West Coast giant on “Trading Places.” “It’s the second song on the mixtape,” Skee described. “The beat, when I heard it, it just sounded like something different. Game and Snoop Dogg on a record. West Coast — what more could you want?” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Videos Mixtape Daily: Drake, Bun B

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Game’s Brake Lights Tape Is ‘Like A Real Album,’ DJ Skee Says

Trey Songz Says ‘Bottoms Up’ Is ‘Heightened’ By ‘Funhouse’ Video

Nicki Minaj ‘comes in and she kills it,’ singer says about guest MC. By Mawuse Ziegbe Trey Songz Photo: MTV News Trey Songz’s latest track, “Bottoms Up,” may be about knocking back some drinks at the bar, but the singer said the accompanying video is anything but the typical bottle-popping scene. Instead of taking inspiration solely from the song’s party-startin’ lyrics, Songz said that he’s stepping out of the box when it comes to the track’s visuals. ” ‘Bottoms Up,’ I feel, is a very creative video. [It’s] different from the norm, different than what I feel is expected of me and anything I’ve shot for that matter,” he told MTV News on the set of the video. “[Director] Anthony [Mandler] used a lot of different shooting techniques and I think it heightens whatever it is that the song has already. The drive, the vigor, the club anthem, the energy in the record is definitely heightened with this video.” Songz broke down the concept of the upcoming “Bottoms Up” video — the first single from Passion, Pain & Pleasure — which, despite the song’s club-friendly appeal, resembles a surreal circus versus a crowded bar. “It’s as if I’m walking through some kind of funhouse, filled with women and different seductive things,” Songz said. The crooner added that Mandler works some visual magic to get the carnival-esque theme just right. “There’s a two-way mirror that’s a dope effect that he uses. And the lighting shows, and then you see women and then you don’t and then you see them and then you don’t.” “Bottoms Up” MC Nicki Minaj also added some dimension to the track in the form of her rapid-fire verse, and Songz said she brought the same high energy from the studio to the screen. “Nicki Minaj does an excellent job. She comes in and does exactly what I got her on the record for. She comes in and she kills it,” he gushed. “I wanted her to make the record different. I wanted her to take it to a different place and that’s exactly what she did. Even in the video, she made a major contribution … from her hair to her outfits to the way she raps and how theatrical she is in her delivery.” Are you excited to see what Trey and Nicki do onscreen for “Bottoms Up”? Tell us in the comments!

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Trey Songz Says ‘Bottoms Up’ Is ‘Heightened’ By ‘Funhouse’ Video

Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj Recall Collaborating For ‘Bottoms Up’

The stars chat on Ustream about making the track, promising a video and live performances together soon. By Mawuse Ziegbe Nicki Minaj Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj recently dropped the rollicking, bass-heavy collaboration “Bottoms Up” and the stars wasted no time hitting the web to chat about how the duo hooked up. Hours after sites posted the song from Songz’ upcoming Passion, Pain & Pleasure album, the singer spoke directly to fans on Tuesday from his Ustream page about the track. After conferencing in Minaj, who was at work in the studio, they broke down the whirlwind creation of the song. “I’m in L.A. for BET [Awards] weekend, I’m working on a couple records, and I do this song called ‘Red Lipstick,’ and then I do ‘Bottoms Up’ the next day,” Trey recalled of his recording session. “I hit Nicki and I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve got these two incredible records, I think one of them is gonna be my first single, and I need you to do it. Can you come this weekend? Can you come down?’ “I stayed a couple extra days and she came through,” he said. “Two, three days later I got a verse back that was just stupid.” Songz then addressed the MC directly and said, “I fell in love with you. When I heard the verse, I was like, ‘Oh my s—, I love her. She killed it.’ ” Minaj chimed in and noted that fans had been waiting for the stars to team up. “Every day, people say, ‘When you gonna collaborate with Trey?’ For some strange reason they wanted to see that collaboration,” Minaj said. “So, when you hit me, I was very excited. I just thought, ‘This is our time.’ ” While breaking down her side of the recording process, Minaj revealed that she paid special attention to her verse. “I lived with it,” she explained. “I kept on hitting you like, ‘I’mma have it done today.’ I think I did live with it for, like, three days because I was changing it up, I couldn’t get it. But then, all of a sudden, something just hit me.” Her animated delivery brings boatloads of swagger to the track, but Minaj said she had some doubts at first, admitting that she almost dropped a line where she mimics the loopy, breathy speech of Anna Nicole Smith. “I was gonna take that part out because I was like, ‘Trey is gonna think I’m crazy,’ ” she said. But in the end, Minaj was cool with how the verse came together. “I’m just happy that I was able to do something that kinda kept that energy up,” enthused the MC, who also attributed her juiced-up flow to her rap alter ego, Roman Zolanski. “Roman is very spastic. Roman is crazy and Roman is weird and Roman doesn’t care. … The person on [DJ Khaled’s] ‘All I Do Is Win’ remix, that’s Nicki, and the person on ‘Bottoms Up,’ that’s Roman.” The pair also discussed shooting the song’s accompanying video, for which Songz said he had already drafted a treatment and roped in video director Anthony Mandler. And the duo also chatted about hitting the stage together sometime soon. “I can’t wait ’til the first time we perform it somewhere,” Songz said. “It’s gotta be a big moment,” Minaj insisted. Songz agreed: “Yeah, it’s gonna be a big moment.” What do you think of Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj’s “Bottoms Up”? Share your reviews in the comments. Related Photos Nicki Minaj’s Wildest Looks Related Artists Nicki Minaj Trey Songz

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Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj Recall Collaborating For ‘Bottoms Up’

Trey Songz Says Singer Monica Is ‘Like A Big Sister’

‘I’m so happy for where she is in her career right now,’ Songz tells MTV News of handpicking her as tourmate. By Mawuse Ziegbe with reporting by Kelly Marino Trey Songz Photo: MTV News Trey Songz is having a big year. He’s already given a fearless performance on MTV’s Unplugged and toured with Jay-Z on his Blueprint 3 Tour. And on Sunday night, he continued his fortunate streak, bravely covering Prince’s classic “Purple Rain” at the 2010 BET Awards — as the Purple One looked on from the audience — and taking home the night’s award for Best Male R&B Artist. At a pre-awards show event, Songz told MTV News he had more reason to be excited, opening up about how his upcoming Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour with R&B songstress Monica came together. “She’s kinda like a big sister to me, so we’ve had some conversations and we did a series of shows together, and I told her I wanted her to be involved,” Songz explained. The crooner said he had a lot of love for his tourmate: “Monica has been doing her thing for a while now. I’m so happy for where she is in her career right now and she got a great album.” Like Monica, who gave viewers a glimpse into her world with her BET reality show “Monica: Still Standing,” fans will soon be able to see what life is like for the Virginia soul man offstage in his new docu-series “Trey Songz: My Moment.” The show, also airing on the network, chronicles the behind-the-scenes happenings of the singer’s tour with Jay and premieres Tuesday night. Of course, fans who aren’t content to watch Monica and Trey Songz on the small screen, can always check out the duo on the road when the Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour — also the name of Songz’ upcoming album — crisscrosses the U.S. later this summer. Are you glad Trey chose R&B singer Monica as his tourmante? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Trey Songz Monica

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Trey Songz Says Singer Monica Is ‘Like A Big Sister’

Trey Songz Announces Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour

R&B singer Monica is opening act on summer tour, which kicks off in August. By Mawuse Ziegbe Trey Songz Photo: Raymond Boyd/ Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images Fans that have fantasized about catching the self-proclaimed “inventor of sex” up close and personal are in luck: Trey Songz is coming to a city near you, as he hits the road this summer for his Passion, Pain & Pleasure tour. The nationwide tour — named for his upcoming album — kicks off on August 6 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and wraps up in New York City on September 17. Fellow soul star Monica will join the crooner on the road. Songz’s success has exploded since the release of his hit album Ready, which spawned burners like “Say Aah” and “Successful.” Earlier this year, he rocked as an opening act on Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 tour and even found time for , visiting the commander in chief at the White House, along with Jigga and Beyonc

Trey Songz, Drake Heat Up Summer Jam, But DJ Khaled Steals The Show

Usher, Juelz Santana, Gucci Mane, Reflection Eternal and Fabolous also deliver at Hot 97’s annual fest. By Shaheem Reid Trey Songz performs during Hot 97 Summer Jam on June 6 Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage One of the most anticipated moments of Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert on Sunday night was one that was unadvertised, though all the fans felt it was a foregone conclusion: the reunion of the New York rap giants the Diplomats. Juelz Santana was on the bill with his first solo set, but instead of bringing out the members of his unit, he brought out the youngest member of the G-Unit, Lloyd Banks . They made for one of the strongest moments of the night with their smash “Beamer, Benz or Bentley.” But what happened to the Dip’s reunion? One source close to their camp said Jim Jones had some issues with security and police and was not granted entrance in the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Freekey Zekey and Cam’ron came out later in the night as part of DJ Khaled ‘s show-stealing set. Hot 97 advertised that Khaled would be bringing out “friends,” and no one knew what to expect. Well, if you follow the Miami multi-tasking, up-and-coming mogul, you would have to suspect that he’d bring out Rick Ross . The two down-bottom mayors are thicker than Starsky and Hutch. Plus, Ross and Khaled did interviews together on Hot 97 earlier in the day. Khaled’s set started with his “All I Do Is Win” remix. Rolling deeper than two football teams, Khaled paraded out T-Pain (who sang the hook) and Busta Rhymes , who unleashed one of the most stylistically bulletproof verses of the year. Ross and Ludacris took the spotlight over on the “I’m So Hood” remix, and Busta regained the reins on his fresh new bopper “Stop the Party.” Rick Ross saluted the playas with “Super High” then continued with the “Angels” remix and his new club stomper “Blowin’ Money Fast (B.M.F.).”

Watch: Trey Songz ‘Yo Side of the Bed’ Official Music Video

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Trey

Exclusive: Trey Songz Eyeing September 14 Release Date For New Album

‘He’s not gonna stop,’ Songz’s manager, Kevin Liles, tells MTV News. By Shaheem Reid Trey Songz Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images NEW YORK — How may ladies want to come home with Trigga … again? Trey Songz is returning with a new album this fall, according to his manager, Kevin Liles. “September 14th, new album. He’s not gonna stop,” Liles said last week during a sit-down with MTV News to promote Def Jam Rap Star. “He’s gonna keep his foot on people’s necks, and he’s going to make sure they understand that we have to redefine R&B. We have to go work hard every single day to be the best.” Liles, a record executive with Def Jam and Warner Music Group, decided to come out of the “big suite” last year to concentrate on other business ventures. He was approached by Songz to help take the singer to the next level, and their mission was accomplished. Songz’s star is its brightest ever and the hits keep coming. “Every day, this kid inspires me,” Liles said. “You know, that’s one of the reasons why I got back into it, because I wasn’t going to get back into it. I said, ‘I did it. I cannot [go back].’ I felt like I was starting to have the Michael Jordan syndrome, you know what I mean? What more? I scored 40 points, and you guys still feel I ain’t doing it. It’s like I scored 90 points, I said I don’t want to be in that business, I just want to be great. But he said, ‘Kev, we need you. You know we need you.’ So I’m in it full blown with him. September 14th, he’ll be back. He’s doing a theater tour coming up in August. He’s doing the BET Awards. The “MTV Unplugged,” which is amazing, sold out Roseland by itself, 3,000 people. It’s just a blessing to work with young talent.” That’s not it for the Liles/Songz combo: Trey is the co-star of an upcoming reality show with Young Jeezy . “We’ve got the Blueprint 3 [Tour experience] from the eyes of Jeezy and Trey Songz coming out,” Liles revealed. “The first show airs on BET on June 27, the night of the BET Awards. The show comes first, and then right after that, the BET Awards.” Are you excited for a new Trey Songz album? Will you check out his BET show with Jeezy? Let us know in the comments below!

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Exclusive: Trey Songz Eyeing September 14 Release Date For New Album

Mixtape Daily: Styles P, Greenlantern, Jay-Z, More

Photo: MTV News Related Artists Jay-Z Young Jeezy Trey Songz

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Mixtape Daily: Styles P, Greenlantern, Jay-Z, More

Drake Calls Alicia Keys Collaboration ‘One Of The Best Moments Of My Career’

Pair bonded in studio before recording ‘Un-thinkable (I’m Ready),’ for Keys’ Element of Freedom. By James Dinh Drake Photo: John Shearer/ Getty Images For decades now, artists have been collaborating without ever having met, thanks to the wonders of studio technology

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Drake Calls Alicia Keys Collaboration ‘One Of The Best Moments Of My Career’