Tag Archives: video-music

Nicki Minaj Wants To Bridge ‘Gap’ Between Gay Fans And Hip-Hop

Talking up her gay alter ego, Roman Zolanski, in Out, MC says Lil Wayne tour could be enlightening for the duo’s fanbases. By Kelley L. Carter Nicki Minaj on cover of Out Magazine Photo: Out.com Nicki Minaj just might be the one to bridge the gap. The 25-year-old female MC hasn’t even released her debut album, Pink Friday, yet, but already her quirky hooks and outrageous fashion have made her one to watch in the gay community. Minaj has a bevy of gay fans, and she’s hoping that she’ll be the one to spearhead a movement to eradicate homophobia in hip-hop. She talks up her gay fans, her bi-curious lyrics and her embrace of her female following in the latest issue of Out magazine, hitting shelves next week. “I started making it my business to say things that would empower women, like, ‘Where my bad bitches at?’ to let them know, ‘I’m here for you,’ ” Minaj says of her female followers. “Then, when I started going to the shows and it was nothing but girls, it was like, ‘Did I go too far with embracing my girls?’ Because now they want to kiss and hug me.” Minaj, whose many aliases include the Harajuku Barbie, said the really haters came out when she embraced that particular image, which surprised her. At MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on Sunday, Minaj performed in a pink-and-purple spacesuit and a cotton-candy-colored wig. She appeared as a Barbie landing from outer space, popping and locking with robotic moves. “It’s interesting that people have more negative things to say about me saying, ‘I’m Barbie,’ than me saying, ‘I’m a bad bitch,’ ” she told the magazine. “Once I figure something is irritating people, I’m going to do it more because I like to get on your nerves until you realize how f—ing stupid you are.” Instead, Minaj said, she’d rather focus on what a homophobia-free rap world might look like, hinting at a tour with her mentor, Lil Wayne. “Normally, Wayne probably wouldn’t have gay guys coming to see his shows much, but they’re definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they’d still come out and see me,” she said. “I think that will be really, really interesting, just to start bridging that gap. We’ll see.” What do you think of Nicki’s relationship with her gay fans? Share your thoughts in the comments. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances Related Photos Nicki Minaj’s Wildest Looks Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj Wants To Bridge ‘Gap’ Between Gay Fans And Hip-Hop

Will.I.Am Responds To VMA ‘Blackface’ Criticism

MC says costume for Nicki Minaj pre-show performance wasn’t meant to be racially charged. By Mawuse Ziegbe Will.I.Am and Nicki Minaj perform during the 2010 VMA Preshow Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Nicki Minaj made a colorful MTV Video Music Awards debut when she rocked the pre-show in a bubblegum-pink wig and shimmery purple catsuit. But it was the hue of her onstage collaborator Will.I.Am ‘s getup that really got viewers talking. After Minaj and her dancers took the stage decked out in Jetsons-chic bodysuits for her smash “Your Love,” Will joined Minaj for a rendition of their cheery hip-pop track “Check It Out.” When the Black Eyed Peas frontman hopped onstage, ushered in by two plumes of thick white fog, the MC was rocking all-black everything, with the exception of a few Barbie-pink accents, including fingerless gloves, a shiny midnight-colored plastic hairpiece and jet-black face paint. Apparently some viewers took offense to the producer’s outfit, especially the dark makeup, which, to some fans, was reminiscent of the antiquated, racially charged practice of blackface. After fans blasted the rapper online, he took to Twitter to defend the look as artistic expression and not an embrace of the controversial maquillage typically used to lampoon African-Americans. “1st. just because I where all black including head mask as expression and emphasize my outfit, it shouldn’t be looked at as racial,” Will tweeted . “Let go of the past. there are far more important things 2 bark about. (Jobs, health, education) not a black man wearing all black everything.” The Peas frontman insisted the face paint was a harmless costume choice and that fans concerned with the image Will’s look projected should focus on larger issues. “Are you guys serious? my outfit set ‘black people back 100 yrs’ choose your twits wisely,” Will typed . “No education sets people back, no jobs, bad health.” What did you think of Will’s outfit? Were you offended by the look? Let us know in the comments. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA 2010: Performances On The 2010 VMA Red Carpet VMA 2010: Most Talked About Moments Behind The VMA Performances Related Photos Behind The Scenes At The 2010 VMAs Related Artists Will.I.Am Nicki Minaj

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Will.I.Am Responds To VMA ‘Blackface’ Criticism

B.o.B, Paramore And Bruno Mars’ VMA Medley: Making The Show

MTV News was in the rehearsal for the collaboration — and for B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ first meeting. By Jayson Rodriguez Hayley Williams of Paramore and B.o.B perform onstage during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images LOS ANGELES — B.o.B , Bruno Mars, and Paramore could teach a class in chemistry. The three acts blended together like they were one touring group during their medley performance of “Nothin’ on You,” “Airplanes” and “The Only Exception” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. It was the first time that the artists all came together in one setting, but during their rehearsal over the weekend , B.o.B , Mars, and Paramore singer Hayley Williams were playful and relaxed, which certainly helped set the tone for the big night. B.o.B and Mars’ sweet “Nothin’ on You” served as a dramatic introduction to Sunday’s performance, but when the pair rehearsed the number the day before, they were having plenty of fun, as they took turns trying to upstage each other with covers of songs by Drake and the Notorious B.I.G. Between takes, they also dished out a Jeffrey Osborne-like rendition of “Nothin’.” Mars began singing the tune in a low register, and B.o.B followed suit before the duo broke out laughing. The good vibes bled into the next portion as well. “Where are you guys?” Williams could be heard asking over her microphone. Although she was onstage with Mars and B.o.B, they were in the foreground and her view of them was obstructed by a pillar. Upon hearing her, B.o.B proceeded to make a beeline over to the Paramore frontwoman. Williams and B.o.B scored a top-five hit with “Airplanes,” and the track’s video earned multiple VMA nods, but the two had never physically worked with each other until the rehearsal . “We finally met for the first time,” B.o.B told MTV News on Saturday, turning to the camera excitedly, after hugging Williams. “I hope I don’t mess up.” “I’m gonna trip and fall,” Williams responded about their big performance. “Catch me, please!” Nobody fell, obviously, and the trio lifted one another up during the soaring medley, which was one of the night’s highlights. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA All Access Behind The VMA Performances VMA 2010: Lady Gaga’s VMA Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Performers VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists B.o.B Paramore Bruno Mars

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B.o.B, Paramore And Bruno Mars’ VMA Medley: Making The Show

Justin Bieber’s Triple-Threat VMA Performance: Making The Show

Best New Artist winner was incredibly hands-on, weighing in on his dancers, drum kit and leather lettermen jackets before the big show. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber rehearses for the 2010 VMAs Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage Before Justin Bieber even hit the stage for rehearsal at L.A. Live on the Friday before the VMAs, you could feel the energy in the air. And once the teen pop star actually began rehearsing, it became clear Bieber’s Video Music Awards performance would be influenced by the “A Hard Day’s Night”-inspired VMA promo he shot. Bieber first did a rough run-through of a medley of his hits “U Smile,” “Baby” and “Somebody to Love.” Then he stepped out of a chauffeured red-and-white ’57 Chevy, followed by a gaggle of female fans — an obvious reference to the Beatles. When Justin took to the stage, he wanted to make sure he got everything right: from the way his drum kit sounded to the way his dancers hit their marks to the look of his leather jackets for the show. With the girls surrounding the stage as they watched Bieber rehearse, the driven, hard-working teen proved he would be hands-on and involved in every detail. What was perhaps most surprising was that his outdoor rehearsal went virtually unnoticed by anyone other than those involved with the practice session. While Bieber seemed to be nailing an engaging first VMA performance, Kim Kardashian could be heard teasing about their “romance” in a hilarious voiceover. As the hour-and-a-half-long rehearsal progressed, fans did eventually turn up — one even shouted to Bieber, “Follow me on Twitter!” — but the scene around the barricaded stage area remained relatively chill. Justin made sure to remind fans of one thing: “What’s up, everybody? I love you!” The rehearsal ended with Bieber at the drums, closing out “Somebody to Love,” with black and red confetti falling from the sky. It remained entangled in the trees right through Sunday, when yet more confetti came down on the Best New Artist winner. The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA All Access Behind The VMA Performances VMA 2010: Lady Gaga’s VMA Moments Related Photos Justin Bieber’s VMA Night Related Artists Justin Bieber

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Justin Bieber’s Triple-Threat VMA Performance: Making The Show

Victoria Justice – The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards

I’m still not sure how old this Victoria Justice chick is so I need to choose my words carefully. Here she is all dressed up like an adult woman at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards last night. She looks very nice and respectful, her parents must be very proud of this young lady, I think that as she matures she is really going to grow into her own very nicely. That should do it.

VMA Firsts: Gaga’s Wins, Chelsea’s Hot Tub Pregnancy And More

The meat-suit-wearing Gaga became biggest single-night female winner in VMA history. By Gil Kaufman Lady Gaga at the 2010 VMAs Photo: Mark Ralston/ Getty Images We here at MTV News like to think that history is made every time we put on a Video Music Awards ceremony. Over the course of nearly three decades, we’ve provided you with some of the most indelible images in pop music history, from the Britney-Madonna kiss to last year’s Kanye/Taylor Swift moment and dozens of others in between. Sunday night’s show was no exception, with another flood of VMA firsts provided by eight-time winner Lady Gaga , West and, of course, randy host Chelsea Handler. Here are some of our favorite VMA firsts from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Meat suit : Artists have worn anything and everything you can imagine to the VMAs over the years, but nobody has ever worn a dress made out of what looked like some choice cuts of meat, accented by a meat hat, flesh purse and steak boots. Gaga raised the ire of PETA when she first modeled the suit on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, and likely did it again when she slipped into the outfit to accept her night-capping Video of the Year win for “Bad Romance.” The singer subsequently visited the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” to explain the meaning behind her carcass couture. Hot tub : We’ve had a lot of odd things on the stage over the years, from Britney’s snake to giant puppet theaters, but never, it turns out, a hot tub. Leave it to the cast of “Jersey Shore” to bring their signature hang-out spot of choice to the festivities. Setting up onstage, the cast invited VMA host Chelsea Handler to join them in the tub, which she reluctantly did. Pregnancy : Though last year’s VMAs were the first we can recall that resulted in an engagement (between host Russell Brand and Katy Perry ), Sunday night’s show had the distinction of being the first where a host was impregnated during the broadcast. OK, technically, it was a gag and you can’t get pregnant just floating in the “Jersey Shore” Jacuzzi, but still. D-bag : Kanye West was on his best behavior this year, but that doesn’t mean the Louis Vuitton Don minded all his p’s and q’s. Closing the show with the starkly funktastic debut of “Runaway,” Kanye broke new ground by becoming the first artist to debut a new song featuring a chorus employing the go-to insult of the moment: douche bag. Hats off, Kanye! Meet cute : The VMAs have played host to some unique pairings over the years (Sting and Diddy, anyone?), but it has never featured a first-time onstage pairing by a couple of artists who’ve already scored a radio smash without ever meeting. That was the case Sunday when B.o.B took the stage with Paramore’s Hayley Williams for a run through his “Airplanes” just a day after finally meeting for the first time face-to-face. Octo-win Lady Gaga became the most decorated female VMA winner in the history of a single VMAs show on Sunday night when she took home eight Moonmen. While she still has a way to go to match the all-time VMA champ, Madonna, who has 20 total wins, in just her second year of VMA eligibility, Gaga quickly jumped into a tie for fourth place with Green Day for all-time wins at 11. She also set a record for the second most wins in a single VMAs broadcast, nearly usurping Peter Gabriel’s seemingly untouchable mark of 10 in 1987 for his groundbreaking “Sledgehammer” video. Bike lane : Performers have arrived at the VMAs on yachts, fire trucks, semis and in any number of tricked-out vehicles, but 30 Seconds to Mars set a new eco-standard on Sunday when they rolled up to the pre-show on their custom bicycles, paying homage to the theme of their VMA-winning “Kings and Queens” video. He said, she said : An unprecedented incident calls for an unprecedented response. That might explain why both Kanye West and Taylor Swift seemed to make pointed comments on last year’s run-in with the new songs they debuted during the show. While Swift took a conciliatory route with her as-yet-untitled song, in which it appeared she forgave Yeezy for his indiscretions, West appeared to flagellate himself for his rash actions (see “D-bag” entry above). The Moonmen have all been handed out and the stars have gone home, but there’s plenty of 2010 MTV Video Music Awards news, interviews, behind-the-scenes scoop, party reports and more still to come, so keep it locked on MTVNews.com. Related Videos VMA All Access Behind The VMA Performances VMA 2010: Lady Gaga’s VMA Moments Related Photos VMA 2010: Lady Gaga Lookbook | MTV Style VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists Lady Gaga

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VMA Firsts: Gaga’s Wins, Chelsea’s Hot Tub Pregnancy And More

Drake’s Sinatra-Cool VMA Performance: Making The Show

Drizzy says the idea to channel the Rat Pack came from his earlier VMA promo. By Shaheem Reid Drake performs at the 2010 VMAs on Sunday Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images Drake has become a wise man in his 23 years. He knows that when a great idea crosses his path, he shouldn’t turn his nose up at it. Drizzy was approached by MTV a few months ago to make a promo for the 2010 Video Music Awards . In the VMA commercial, Drake is suited and booted and as smooth as Frank Sinatra. “Really, it came from the [VMA] campaign,” Drake said on Friday afternoon, explaining the inspiration for his VMA performance with Mary J. Blige and Swizz Beatz . He was in his dressing room at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and had just finished rehearsing with Swizz and 30 beautiful models. “The campaign let me sort of have a Sinatra moment. I got so many compliments. ‘You look great in a suit.’ And ‘the way you move, you exude that same confidence.’ I was like, well, it would be silly for me to stray from something that great and do a whole hip-hop performance. Let’s just make the campaign our performance.” Hence the snazzy threads and club feel on Sunday night. On Friday, he wore jeans and a black tee. In between takes he looked down from the stage and cracked jokes with one of his managers, Cortez Bryant. During one break, he even kicked a freestyle off the mic. You could hardly hear him, but he seemed to be feeling his rhymes. Later, Drake also told us he was feeling Old Blue Eyes’

Kanye & Klum — His & Hers Suits

Filed under: Kanye West , Heidi Klum , Fashion , 2010 MTV Video Music Awards , We're Just Sayin' Here’s Kanye West singing his new song “Runaway” at the VMAs last night ( left ) — and Heidi Klum at the ” Project Runway ” show at NY Fashion Week the other day ( right ). Only one was forgiven by Taylor Swift . We’re just sayin’. Read more

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Kanye & Klum — His & Hers Suits

Usher’s VMA Performance Proves He’s Still King

Singer held back at rehearsals, harnessing his energy for Sunday’s show. By Jayson Rodriguez Usher performs at the 2010 VMAs Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images The King is back! Usher thrilled the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with his stunning combination performance of “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.” The singer moved and grooved, proving that he’s the R&B star that everyone pays attention to for the big moments.

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Usher’s VMA Performance Proves He’s Still King

The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Pictures