Azealia Banks, Snoop Dogg and the Weeknd also among acts set to celebrate 15th anniversary of UMF tradition in Miami. By Akshay Bhansali Steve Aoki Photo: Getty Images
Toronto singer signs with Republic Records and reveals November 13 release date for Trilogy package. By Nadeska Alexis The Weeknd Photo: Timothy Hiatt/WireImage
Drake brushes off Chris Brown drama at New York show with all-star lineup including A$AP Rocky, Busta Rhymes and 2 Chainz. By Nadeska Alexis The Weeknd and Drake perform at New York’s Jones Beach on Saturday Photo: WANTAGH, New York — Drake hit the stage at the Nikon Theater in Jones Beach on Saturday night for his first public appearance since the now-infamous club brawl with Chris Brown , and except for a passing reference to the incident, the show went on with extra fuel from special guests like the Weeknd and Dipset. After opening sets from French Montana, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Waka Flocka Flame and J. Cole, Drake kicked things off with his Take Care tracks “Lord Knows” and “Underground Kings.” He formally introduced his crowd to the “greatest club in the world,” and assured them that no afterparty could measure up to what he had in store for the night, since he’d brought out “every single n—a that you wanna hear.” Cue “Crew Love” and an appearance from Drizzy’s Toronto pal the Weeknd, who momentarily sent the crowd into a frenzy, as the first in a chain of surprise guests. In addition to summoning Waka, Meek, 2 Chainz and French Montana back to the stage for features, Drake also brought out his Cash Money labelmate Busta Rhymes to perform the throwback “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” while A$AP Rocky and his mob dropped in as well. It wasn’t until Drake performed his soul-baring single “Marvin’s Room” that he finally made a blatant reference to the controversy surrounding the Chris Brown incident. He told the audience that he was in a great mood, despite the last few nights being difficult. Once he got that off his chest, he continued the show with an appearance from Jamaican dancehall star Mavado, who performed his own single “I’m So Special.” Despite earlier rumors that Drake might be arrested before the end of the night, the YMCMB rapper was calm and cool, focused only on delivering a night to remember. He saved his biggest stunt for the final minutes of the show, bringing Jim Jones onstage to perform his hit “We Fly High,” followed by Juelz Santana with “Dipset (Santana’s Town)” and finally, Cam’ron. If having A$AP’s crew on the bill wasn’t enough shine for Harlem, Drake managed to get all three members of Dipset on stage with him for a memorable moment as they performed “Salute.” While details are still being revealed about the club altercation Wednesday night, Drake did his best to brush off the drama and stay focused on the music. This weekend, MTV News caught up with Cash Money CEO Birdman in Atlanta, where he threw his full support behind Drake. “To me, Drizzy ain’t did nothin’ wrong, he ain’t done nothin’ wrong to nobody,” Birdman said. “He just doin’ great music. He’s not a reckless guy out there just wildin’ out; he’s a humble kid makin’ great music.” Related Artists Drake The Weeknd
‘What counts to me is the fact that the affiliation is so known,’ Drizzy tells MTV News of fellow Toronto artist. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway Drake Photo: MTV News The Weeknd has a ton of fans, but Drake may be the biggest fan of them all. Of course, there is some bias: Drizzy embraced the Toronto singer last year and has since worked with him on fan favorites like “Crew Love,” “The Ride” and “The Zone.” The two have even brought their respective OVO and XO cliques together to form OVOXO. So what’s the real deal with Drake and the Weeknd? “As far as on paper, it’s all being worked out, but that’s not really what counts anyway. What counts to me is the fact that the affiliation is so known, and that’s all I really care about,” Drake told MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway during his May 17 tour stop in Houston . The Young Money star didn’t shed much light on the Weeknd’s career, but then again, since the release of his breakout mixtape House of Balloons last year, the singer has been shrouded in mystery. Though he performed at Coachella last month and embarked on his own solo tour, the Weeknd has yet to give a definitive interview or released very many music videos. Still, Drake recognizes the magic they create together and whether or not he actually signs his Toronto running mate, he insists there will always be a union of some sort. “I want to continue being involved in his career and vice versa and keep making music together, because you take songs like ‘Crew Love’ and ‘The Zone,’ that’s what people wait all night to hear,” he said. Drizzy welcomed the “Wicked Games” vocalist onstage to perform with him during his Concord, California, stop in the Bay Area at the beginning of May. “If you want to talk about evolution — a quick evolution — that’s definitely somebody who, everywhere I go, they love him,” he said. “They’re that loud every single night when I say the Weeknd’s name and when he came out at the show in the Bay, it was crazy. “We’re definitely a family,” Drake added. “It’s definitely a Toronto thing. That’s not changing at all.” Where should the Weeknd sign? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Drake The Weeknd
As he kicks off latest leg of Club Paradise Tour, Drizzy tells MTV News he’s already looking forward to annual hometown show. By Rob Markman, with reporting by Felicia Morris Drake Photo: MTV News The Bay got quite the treat on Monday night when Drake rolled into Concord, California’s Sleep Train Pavilion for the latest leg of his Club Paradise Tour . It was a memorable kickoff for not only Drizzy, but his some of his tourmates, too, as 2 Chainz, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill and French Montana joined him. “I tried to put together a tour that consisted of … everybody that you hear in your spare time,” Drake told MTV News while on the set of 2 Chainz’s “No Lie” video in L.A. just before the tour. “These are the guys that are currently on the top of the game, so I tried to bring ’em all out [for] one night. And that’s why the tour’s called Club Paradise, because I want it to feel like you’re gonna hear every song that you wait to hear in the club.” The Young Money star had a number of surprises. For starters, he brought out his buddy the Weeknd to perform their collabo “Crew Love,” and then he made way for his mentor, Lil Wayne. Together they rocked their Bay-inspired jam “The Motto” — twice. The current leg of the Club Paradise Tour will run through June and will take Drake to some of his favorite cities, including Houston, Atlanta and Las Vegas (or “Houstatlantavegas” as he so affectionately referred to the trio of party towns on his 2009 breakout So Far Gone mixtape). Those stops are special for him although, Drizzy told us he doesn’t get to spend as much time visiting them as he’d like to. “It’s sad because I love those places, so I wanted to bring something real special and I’ve got all these guys looking amazing onstage and set changes for everybody,” Drake said. “It’s gonna be really great.” As focused as he is on the task at hand, however, the Toronto rapper can’t help but look forward to his upcoming third his annual OVO Fest . Last July, Drake brought Stevie Wonder, Weezy, Rick Ross and Nas to perform at yearly hometown concert in Toronto; the year before that he welcomed Jay-Z and Eminem. He isn’t ready to announce the 2012 lineup just yet, but the “Headlines” MC promises a well-rounded mix of musical guests. “The lineup this year is kinda a mash-up of everybody,” Drake said, hinting that some of his Club Paradise collaborators will be in attendance, as well as the Weeknd. “That’s the most important show of the year to me, OVO Fest, so I’m hoping that we really make it special this year. “The premise of OVO Fest is you never know who you gonna see,” he teased. Will you catch Drake on the Club Paradise Tour? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Drake
The Weeknd wrapped up a series of spot date shows in Ontario this week. After performing in Waterloo and Montreal, the XO general brought his live show to Ottawa’s Barrymore Music Hall last night. Up top, Abel performs “Outside” off his recent Echoes of Silence mixtape. Weeknd performs “Montreal” and bonus footage here. Wale hits the T-Dot Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : MissInfo.tv Discovery Date : 22/01/2012 03:25 Number of articles : 2
Singer will break silence on February 21. By Gil Kaufman Adele Photo: Jon Furniss/ WireImage After nearly four months of silence, Adele will break the whisper spell on February 21 at the Brit Awards. The Grammy-nominated singer has been off the live performance radar since surgery to stop bleeding from a polyp on her vocal cords in November, but organizers of the show confirmed on Thursday that she will sing again at the event where she is nominated for three awards. “F—ing happy, thank you for the nods xx,” she Tweeted on Thursday in response to the nominations. Adele is not, however, the most nominated act at the Brits. She shares three nods with Jessie J, while unknown-in-the U.S. singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran topped an nominees with four nominations. Among the acts tapped in the International Group category are: Foo Fighters, Fleet Foxes, Jay-Z/Kanye West, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5. In the International Female Solo Artist Rihanna will face off against Beyonc
Producer 40 says Drake’s ‘Crew Love’ was ‘an important record for him to make, and the Weeknd was someone that he wanted to include on that.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Steven Roberts The Weeknd and Drake Photo: Getty Images To his fans, the Weeknd is quite mysterious. Though the Toronto singer/songwriter stayed plenty busy putting out three free albums online last year, he has shied away from the spotlight, making very few public appearances and doing only a small number of interviews. While he remains an enigma to fans, to Drake, Noah “40” Shebib and the entire October’s Very Own team, the Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) is family. “Weeknd is obviously someone very close to us and our family. He’s from Toronto and someone we’ve been associated with and working with for quite some time,” Shebib told MTV News when we visited Toronto in December. “So that’s close to home, that’s easy. He’s in and out of the studio whatever the case is — that’s family.” Weeknd released his first album House of Balloons in March, then its follow-up Thursday in August and then completed the trilogy with Echoes of Silence in December. His music has no doubt caused a stir, and he was most recently tapped to perform at the upcoming Coachella music festival. Two key appearances on Drake’s Take Care also did a lot to raise the Weeknd’s musical profile. His soulful wails drive Drizzy’s pulsating hometown dedication “Crew Love.” Even to the unfamiliar, it’s impossible not to notice Tesfaye’s key contribution. ” ‘Crew Love’ was just a moment for Drake, as far as the content of the record and what was going on around him in his life and his people and his team and how much he cares for them,” 40 explained. “That was just an important record for him to make, and the Weeknd was someone that he wanted to include on that, and that made sense.” On “The Ride,” the Weeknd contributes in a different way, blending his vocals into the background of the track while Drake raps throughout. It’s almost as if the emerging vocalist is an instrument, rather than a guest on the track. ” ‘The Ride’ was really just a vibe, it was a vibe that the Weeknd caught, and it was just so crazy that Drake wanted to rap on it,” Shebib said. “On ‘The Ride,’ he’s definitely an instrument, and he’s singing all through Drake’s vocals.” It is all a great introduction for an artist with a ton of potential, but as for what the Weeknd has planned next, no one really knows. “He’s not interested in playing the game right now,” Shebib said. “He wants to put out his music, and I think when he’s finished putting out his music, he’ll reassess his feelings on the game.” After our interview with 40, the Weeknd released the third mixtape in his trilogy ( Echoes of Silence ), and now we wait to see what’s next. Miss any of our exclusive interview with Noah “40” Shebib? Check out his track-by-track breakdown of Take Care, his thoughts on the Rihanna-featuring title track and why he isn’t competing with Kanye West . Related Photos ’40’ Making ‘Take Care’ Related Artists Drake
Producer 40 says Drake’s ‘Crew Love’ was ‘an important record for him to make, and the Weeknd was someone that he wanted to include on that.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Steven Roberts The Weeknd and Drake Photo: Getty Images To his fans, the Weeknd is quite mysterious. Though the Toronto singer/songwriter stayed plenty busy putting out three free albums online last year, he has shied away from the spotlight, making very few public appearances and doing only a small number of interviews. While he remains an enigma to fans, to Drake, Noah “40” Shebib and the entire October’s Very Own team, the Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) is family. “Weeknd is obviously someone very close to us and our family. He’s from Toronto and someone we’ve been associated with and working with for quite some time,” Shebib told MTV News when we visited Toronto in December. “So that’s close to home, that’s easy. He’s in and out of the studio whatever the case is — that’s family.” Weeknd released his first album House of Balloons in March, then its follow-up Thursday in August and then completed the trilogy with Echoes of Silence in December. His music has no doubt caused a stir, and he was most recently tapped to perform at the upcoming Coachella music festival. Two key appearances on Drake’s Take Care also did a lot to raise the Weeknd’s musical profile. His soulful wails drive Drizzy’s pulsating hometown dedication “Crew Love.” Even to the unfamiliar, it’s impossible not to notice Tesfaye’s key contribution. ” ‘Crew Love’ was just a moment for Drake, as far as the content of the record and what was going on around him in his life and his people and his team and how much he cares for them,” 40 explained. “That was just an important record for him to make, and the Weeknd was someone that he wanted to include on that, and that made sense.” On “The Ride,” the Weeknd contributes in a different way, blending his vocals into the background of the track while Drake raps throughout. It’s almost as if the emerging vocalist is an instrument, rather than a guest on the track. ” ‘The Ride’ was really just a vibe, it was a vibe that the Weeknd caught, and it was just so crazy that Drake wanted to rap on it,” Shebib said. “On ‘The Ride,’ he’s definitely an instrument, and he’s singing all through Drake’s vocals.” It is all a great introduction for an artist with a ton of potential, but as for what the Weeknd has planned next, no one really knows. “He’s not interested in playing the game right now,” Shebib said. “He wants to put out his music, and I think when he’s finished putting out his music, he’ll reassess his feelings on the game.” After our interview with 40, the Weeknd released the third mixtape in his trilogy ( Echoes of Silence ), and now we wait to see what’s next. Miss any of our exclusive interview with Noah “40” Shebib? Check out his track-by-track breakdown of Take Care, his thoughts on the Rihanna-featuring title track and why he isn’t competing with Kanye West . Related Photos ’40’ Making ‘Take Care’ Related Artists Drake
Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd, has made his presence known in the music industry with the success of his underground mixtapes and help from Toronto colleague Drake. With the buzz surrounding his previous mixtape “House Of Balloons” and feature on Drizzy’s Take Care, The Weeknd released a new mixtape to the masses entitled “Echoes Of Silence.” The nine track project delivers his signature sound which fans look to him for! Download “Echoes Of Silence,” here . Drake’s “Take Care” Tracklist [Updated] The Weeknd Ft. Drake “The Zone” [NEW MUSIC]
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