Tag Archives: studio

Swizz Beatz’s Megaupload Draws Fire For Promos

Universal Music Group issues take-down notice for videos starring Kanye West, Kim Kardashian. By Rob Markman Swizz Beatz Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images Swizz Beatz has a number of different hustles: record producer, rapper and shoe designer. It turns out the Bronx-born hit-maker is also the CEO of the file-sharing site Megaupload, which at the moment has drawn a bit of fire from Universal Music Group, the record company where Swizz was once signed. In an effort to raise the company’s profile, Megaupload has been releasing video testimonials from big-name artists like Kanye West, Diddy, will.i.am and Swizz’s wife, Alicia Keys, along with celebrities like Kim Kardashian. In the promotional videos, the big-name stars express their support of the site, which allows users to send large media files — sometimes pirated materials such as entire movies and albums. According to the New York Post, Universal Music Group issued a take-down notice to YouTube, one of the sites where the promotional videos appeared. UMG is claiming that none of their artists (Kanye West, Diddy and will.i.am) were authorized to appear in the clips. Swizz’s company contends that no individual artist ever filed a take-down. “We have never received any word that any artist has [individually] filed a take-down . . . [we have] legally binding agreements with the performers that appear in the video . . . They promised that they had the rights to enter into that agreement and it’s not interfering with any third-party rights,” a Megaupload rep told the Post. While it wasn’t widely known that Swizz Beatz served as CEO, his name and title is listed on the “About Us” page on the Megaupload website. Related Artists Swizz Beatz

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Swizz Beatz’s Megaupload Draws Fire For Promos

Fedde Le Grand Talks Remix Anthems, ‘Dark Light Sessions’

‘Music and the whole process of music itself should be organic,’ Dutch DJ/producer tells MTV News. By Adam Stewart Fedde Le Grand Photo: Flamingo Recordings A course in Fedde Le Grand 101 would have to include the hit “Put Your Hands up for Detroit” and a track that proved to be dance-floor gold for the Dutch DJ/producer, 2007’s “Let Me Think About It.” But Le Grand loyalists know that he scored those smashes while appeasing the underground with bombs like “Amplifier” and “Control Room.” Now, he’s bringing that particular alchemy to his “Dark Light Sessions,” a new show on Sirius XM’s Electric Area. MTV News recently caught up with the Flamingo Recordings founder, and he talked about the kickoff of “Sessions” last November. Le Grand also opened up about his big 2011, detailing how he’ll top himself in the months to come. “Not everyone can come to your shows,” Le Grand told us of creating the radio series, which launched its third installment last Friday; the next is due mid-February. “I think it’s such a great way to show or let people hear your view on music at the moment, because it’s very current.” The advent of “Dark Light Sessions” was a fitting cap to a major year for Le Grand, whose massive re-works topped the Beatport.com charts on more than one occasion. His 2011 was highlighted by remixes of Coldplay’s “Paradise” and his summer anthem “So Much Love,” a remix of “Love’s Such a Wonderful Thing” by the Real Thing. Of “So Much Love,” Le Grand explained, “I found the original sample from the ’70s band. I just loved the re-work Tom Bangalter did before it was one of my favorite tracks. So, for me, it only made sense to put it more in a ‘now’ kind of way, so I could play it again. We were able to clear the original sample and that’s how it started.” While sampling and bootlegging are key tools for the thriving dance music industry, the SOPA (or Stop Online Piracy Act) legislation could have far-reaching consequences for the genre. Le Grand said he encourages practices like sampling, though, and the growing desire to reincarnate classic dance tunes. As an example, he pointed out Arno Cost’s “Body Rum,” which is derived from a bootleg of Le Grand’s “Metrum.” “I actually only support it. I play that edit; I think it’s great,” he said. “Music and the whole process of music itself should be organic,” he added. “I had the same thing about two years ago with a track I did called ‘Amplifier.’ Someone put a vocal on it and it kind of went its own way. So I think it’s great that things keep evolving and recycling that way.” But it isn’t just bootlegs and remixes that are keeping Le Grand busy these days. Along with label co-founder and fellow producer Funkerman, the Flamingo Recordings imprint has helped usher in some of the most influential music the genre has heard in years, staying away from the all-too-familiar progressive house blueprint. Joining Flamingo alumni such as Baggi Begovic, Rene Amesz and vocalist Mitch Crown is recent sensation Deniz Koyu , whose records are currently smashing eardrums the world over. When Le Grand first heard Koyu’s “Grunge,” he assumed he had been signed for years. “My mind was just blown by the sound and everything. It’s a record that works really well and still has a coolness to it,” he said. Le Grand and Koyu have been busy in the studio with Johan Wedal getting ready for the release their latest three-way collaboration, “New Day.” And one can only imagine who the boys brought into the studio behind closed doors “I have a whole lot of people I’d love to work with,” Le Grand said, listing Sia and Janelle Mon

Solange & Cassie Are V Magazine’s “Fearless Females” Of Music [PHOTOS]

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Solange, Cassie, VV Brown and more ladies are featured in V magazine’s annual “Music Issue.” Named “Fearless Females” by the publication, the women discuss the recording process, sounds you’ll hear, and messages they want to deliver on their new albums. SOLANGE On her new album: There are a lot of songs about sex. It’s the kind of record you put on when your man is coming over, when you’re with your girls. There are songs that make you wanna dance because we were kind of partying our way through the record, but it’s very chill. My references for the record were all Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, not just their typical Janet and Prince stuff, but SOS Band and their b-sides with Chaka Khan. At first the songs were really dark because I had a premonition before the record that I was going to die. I was having panic attacks and wiling out. [But] I don’t need anyone telling me ‘this isn’t cool enough’ or anyone from the opposite end saying ‘this seems kind of weird.’ I’m lucky enough to have been in this business for so long that I know how it works. It’s not that hard. It’s not rocket science. On her new domestic role: Now being in a stable situation, sometimes that feels f**ked up within itself. I’ve been on the road my entire life since I was 13, even when I had my son he came on the road with me. Now that he’s in school where there is a real structure, we have to be home during those times. Being that grounded feels really foreign to me. Solange Goes Off On Twitter, Defends Beyonce & Baby! CASSIE On her new album: I have hundreds of songs recorded for this album. I’ve been working on it for a long time. Finally, I had to decide my direction. I felt kind of exposed when I stopped working in the studio. My friends would call me to hang out and I would say, ‘nope, going in the studio,’ and they’d say, ‘you’ve been in the studio for four years!’ At the time I made the record I went out to Ibiza and I really started to feel these jungle beats. But at the same time I wanted to keep the ‘Me and U’ tone, really simple and clean. I have a lot of friends who are DJs and they like to mix, so I like to leave a really clean skeleton with the vocal. In my video we called it ‘giving ’90s supermodel.’ It’s the perfect definition of who I am right now and what I’m going through. People aren’t going to expect me to come out with what I have.” Cassie Wears Next To Nothing In “King Of Hearts” Video [PREVIEW] VV BROWN On her new album: My second album has a message: it’s about my generation and things going on in the world, but I didn’t want it to come across preachy. I love writing upbeat songs with darker undertones. Sometimes you want to shy away from political things because people will tell you to leave that to the politicians, but I want my fans to hear a message that is about questioning the world and getting them to question what fame is. I find it difficult to even say the word ‘fan.’ We’re all the same. As a generation, let’s evolve and shift away from celebrity culture, I think it’s really unhealthy. Solange Officially Signed To Modeling Agency Why Cassie Will Never Leave Diddy

Solange & Cassie Are V Magazine’s “Fearless Females” Of Music [PHOTOS]

Watch Kanye West Play Jay-Z ‘Big Brother’ For The First Time

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Kanye West’s “Big Brother” is a tearjerker dedicated to his idol and onetime Def Jam boss Jay-Z. The track from his 2007 album Graduation and certainly is a fan favorite. Kanye’s cousin and background vocalist Tony Williams took footage from the Graduation recording sessions and caught quite a moment: Jay hearing “Big Brother” for the first time. So how did he react? “That’s emotional,” Jay says in the clip. “If the camera wasn’t on, I’d be saying some other s—. But I’ll wait till later.” Check out the footage of their time in the studio below. RELATED STORIES: Kanye West In Talks To Take Part In The Jetsons Film Kanye West Takes Jay-Z On A Tour Of Chicago [VIDEO]

Watch Kanye West Play Jay-Z ‘Big Brother’ For The First Time

Drake Had ‘Greatest Freedom’ Making Take Care

Producer Noah ’40’ Shebib tells MTV News in an exclusive interview that while working with the MC, ‘We get to do what we want.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Steven Roberts Drake Photo: Getty Images One look at the production credits on Drake ‘s 2010 debut, Thank Me Later, serves as a reminder to just how hot the Toronto MC was out of the gate. Guests like Jay-Z, T.I. and Alicia Keys lent their voices, while multiplatinum producers like Kanye West, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland offered their sonic expertise. The music world was truly Drake’s oyster, but on his sophomore set, Take Care, Drizzy scaled things back in order to make a bigger impact. Instead of pooling together his resources and using his hitmaking influence, Drake went back to basics, choosing to record the entire album in Toronto with friend and engineer/producer Noah “40” Shebib , the studio wiz who helped Drake cook up his 2009 breakout tape, So Far Gone . “I can’t sit there and tell you that anybody made any conscious decisions to the extent of, ‘Oh, we’re gonna make this feel of an album,’ ” 40 told MTV News in December from Take Care studios in Toronto. “We really just make records and cut music until someone says, ‘That’s it: You can’t make any more music; you gotta stop.’ ” The result was a cohesive and emotional 18-track ride, with two bonus tracks for iTunes. The MC revealed to MTV News that the narrative that drives his latest LP was inspired by “Houstatlantavegas,” a So Far Gone track produced by 40. “I really didn’t start working with Drake production-wise until So Far Gone ,” Shebib said. “As far as Drake and music and the people around him, he really controls that, and he picks all those records, and my goal is to facilitate that.” And facilitate he did. 40 either produced or co-produced 15 of the 20 total Take Care tracks. One song in particular, the Lil Wayne- and Andre 3000-assisted “The Real Her,” started with a reverse piano loop that the beatsmith had given to Drake a year before they began working on the album. It might have seemed insignificant at the time, but Drake eventually came back with a song idea off of that one sample. “What ends up happening a lot of times with our records is that, because I can do a lot of things in the studio, whether it be play instruments or produce or edit or run Pro Tools or edit vocals, whatever the case may be, I help him get out his ideas,” 40 said. “I think that’s the goal of any good producer, is to make sure the artist is delivering what they want.” With Cash Money/ Young Money’s track record of success, Drake’s label trusted in the rapper and producer’s abilities, allowing them to create without looking over their shoulder. Safe to say, it all paid off when Take Care debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, pushing over 631,000 copies in its first week after it was released November 15. The album is now well-past platinum, on its way to 2 million records sold in just under three months. “We get to do what we want: We don’t have to clear it with the A&Rs or anybody. We are our own A&Rs,” Shebib explained. “And that’s the greatest freedom you can possibly have in this business.” Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Photos ’40’ Making ‘Take Care’

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Drake Had ‘Greatest Freedom’ Making Take Care

Buzz Bites (1/4/12): Ke$ha Wants To Show Vulnerability, Bring Back …

“Good time in the studio with @ justinbieber … #2012 we're coming,” the teen pop singer tweeted. (ONTD). + History Channel's “American Pickers” visited Jack White and his Third Man Records. Though White picks a mean … View original post here: Buzz Bites (1/4/12): Ke$ha Wants To Show Vulnerability, Bring Back …

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Buzz Bites (1/4/12): Ke$ha Wants To Show Vulnerability, Bring Back …

Lil Kim In The Studio With 50 Cent

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The last time 50 Cent and Lil Kim were in the studio they birthed “Magic Stick.”  The salacious song became an instant hit but that was also the last time we heard Kimberly Jones rap the way we have come to love. Kim and 50 are back at though, working in the studio on her forthcoming projects. Kim promised us an EP which should be released any day now. Fill In The Blank: Lil Kim Looks Like A ___ In Her New Promo Pic Lil’ Kim Preparing New EP For Holiday Release!

Lil Kim In The Studio With 50 Cent

T.I. Unleases Destruction With New Mixtape Cover Art [PHOTO & VIDEO]

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T.I.’s new mixtape “F*ck Da City Up” drops at midnight New Year’s Day and the new artwork just hit the Internet! The cover art shows an image of a city devastated by destruction. The new project features Dr. Dre and Young Jeezy . RELATED: T.I. Hits The Studio With Dr. Dre For New Mixtape! [VIDEO] What Did T.I. Get Tiny For Christmas? [PHOTOS] T.I. Brings Big Ratings To VH1 With “The Family Hustle” T.I. Names Next Album “Trouble Man” T.I., Young Jeezy & Nelly Stop By Gangsta Grillz [EXCLUSIVE] T.I. Speaks About His Freedom, Future & More! [EXCLUSIVE] T.I. Speaks On Incident With Diddy At Compound [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]

T.I. Unleases Destruction With New Mixtape Cover Art [PHOTO & VIDEO]

The Dark Knight Rises: First Official Full Length Trailer [Video]

http://www.youtube.com/v/-yh6SriAjdE

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The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada on July 20, 2012. [Youtube] Related posts: Hilarious: Double Rainbow Dude Gets Auto-Tuned Journalist publishes the 12,000th draft of history 802.11n Draft 2.0 Gets Thumbs Up from IEEE Working Group Related posts: Hilarious: Double Rainbow Dude Gets Auto-Tuned Journalist publishes the 12,000th draft of history… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : [Geeks are Sexy] Discovery Date : 19/12/2011 19:29 Number of articles : 2

The Dark Knight Rises: First Official Full Length Trailer [Video]

‘Wrath of the Titans’ Theatrical Trailer

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Does Warner Bros. not care if anyone watches the trailer for Wrath of the Titans? Less than an hour after the trailer debut [1] for The Dark Knight Rises — the most anticipated trailer release in many months — and at the same time as Fox’s first look [2] at Prometheus, the studio has also dropped the first footage of the sequel to Clash of the Titans. Wrath of the Titans looks like it has gone all-out… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 19/12/2011 19:45 Number of articles : 2

‘Wrath of the Titans’ Theatrical Trailer