Tag Archives: young-money

Lil Wayne Is ‘Holding His Head Up’ In Prison, Tyga Says

‘It was crazy to see him in there in that type of situation,’ Young Money rapper tells MTV News of recent visit. By Mawuse Ziegbe, with reporting by Matt Elias Tyga Photo: MTV News Young Money’s Tyga recently caught up with Lil Wayne in jail and revealed that the multiplatinum superstar is doing well as he rides out his one-year prison sentence at Rikers Island in New York. “It was crazy to see him in there in that type of situation, but he’s doing good,” Tyga told MTV News on Tuesday. “He’s holding his head up.” Tyga caught up with the Young Money boss a few weeks ago. “He was basically just talking about his whole experience in there, everything that’s going on,” Tyga said. Weezy, who’s known for his superhuman work ethic and prolific musical output, is apparently focusing his energy on the new surroundings. “He knew everything about everything in there, so I was just basically listening to what he had to say.” Even though Lil Wayne keeps a blog that he occasionally updates and a Twitter page that is now maintained by his prot

Drake Brings Out Special Guests At Dallas Away From Home Tour Stop

Baby and Lil Twist join their Young Money/ Cash Money comrade; Drizzy drops a Dallas freestyle. By Sarah Bryant Drake performs in Dallas on Wednesday Photo: Sarah Bryant DALLAS — Drake ‘s Away From Home Tour landed at the Palladium on Wednesday night, and the Young Money MC sounded just like the records you bang in your car — no Auto-Tune necessary. The Toronto native kicked off the show with songs from his breakout mixtape, So Far Gone, and then gave fans a taste of what’s to come on his June 15 debut, Thank Me Later, with “Fireworks,” which will feature Alicia Keys on the album. Drake temporarily diverted the love and attention from himself to his big brother, Lil Wayne. “It’s Young Money all day. Free Weezy,” Drake said between songs. “When I say Young Money, you say Free Weezy.” Birdman then made a special appearance during “4 My Town (Play Ball),” and the crowd got even crazier when the DJ dropped the beat for “Money to Blow.” “We certified getting it CM, YM, Cash Money business,” Baby rapped. Lil Twist also joined Drake onstage during “Bedrock.” The biggest spectacle was made by a fan, not a guest MC. Christina McAlister from Fort Worth, Texas, was picked from the audience to participate in the show. She landed not just a dance with Drake, but a kiss on the lips. The ladies “ooohed” with excitement as Christina tried to keep her cool. Shortly after, Drake pulled out his mic stand covered with bras, and his collection began to rack up, as women threw their bras to the stage. “I’ll make sure to add these to my treasure chest,” he chuckled. Though his newest single, “Find Your Love,” was conspicuously absent, he had to perform his breakthrough track, “Best I Ever Had.” Drake’s fans knew this show couldn’t be missed, because getting tickets wasn’t easy. In Dallas, tickets sold out within the first 24 hours. Devin Smith, a 23-year old senior from the University of North Texas, had to wait until tickets were re-released in mid-April to score his. “Just seeing Drake was on a different level!” Smith exclaimed. He and his friend arrived at the Palladium at 11:30 a.m. for the 8 p.m. performance so they could get the best seats in the house. They camped out in front, studied for summer classes and chatted with their newfound, like-minded friends. “It was worth the wait sitting there. … He put on a great concert,” Smith said. “He had great energy, and it was everything I thought it would be. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true.” Drake must have really loved his time in the D. On Thursday morning (May 20), he released “9 AM in Dallas Freestyle.” “Weezy, I’m just out here reppin’ us,” he raps. “Till I get to shake the hand of the man that’s blessing us/ I know these n—as miss the mean lyrics/ Kush got the room smelling like Teen Spirit/ … Money gets all of my love and affection/ Cars all black like the cover of Essence / I’m allergic to coming in second/ But I never sneeze/ YMO-ney, n—a.” Have you checked out Drake’s Away From Home Tour? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related Artists Drake

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Drake Brings Out Special Guests At Dallas Away From Home Tour Stop

Tyga Explains Origin Of Fan Of A Fan Mixtape With Chris Brown

‘We knocked out, like, three songs a day,’ Tyga tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Matt Elias Chris Brown and Tyga Photo: MTV News Don’t Sleep: Necessary Notables Feature Presentation : Fan of a Fan Headliners : Tyga and Chris Brown Key Records : “Like a Virgin Again,” “What They Want” and “Drop Top Girl” Essential Info : Young Money member Tyga said he was surprised when Chris Brown approached him about making an entire mixtape together. “Me and Chris, basically, we met a couple of years ago,” Tyga explained in L.A. on Tuesday about the tape. “We had mutual friends. I always seen him come in the studio when he was with Wayne. It’s crazy, because I never asked him for a track. I never wanted to press up on him like that. One day, he hit me up. He was like, ‘Yo, man, let’s do some songs.’ So I came to the studio. The first two songs [you saw videos for], ‘Holla at Me’ and ‘All the Girls Love,’ them two songs was like the first time we ever recorded. When we recorded them songs, he was like, ‘Let’s do a mixtape.’ It’s crazy, ’cause the mixtape, we did in a whole week. I flew out to VA, and we knocked out the whole mixtape. “Chris works fast,” he continued. “Me — I ain’t gonna lie — I write slow. I’m real picky. He was knocking the hooks out real quick, I was knocking out the verses. We knocked out, like, three songs a day.” Fan of a Fan has a dual meaning. Obviously, the tape’s two stars have a mutual admiration for each other, but they also wanted to acknowledge their followings. ” Fan of a Fan is basically our dedication back to the fans,” Tyga explained. “I feel like a lot of people is not doing it for their core audience. These are the people that come to our shows, these are the people that call these radio stations and fight for us all day. So why not give them something for free?” The tape touches on relationships with the ladies and spending money, and it also pushes C. Breezy as a rapper. ” ‘Deuces,’ it’s about you getting rid of this girl. You try to make it work, but you gotta move on,” Tyga explained. “So you basically put up one finger, then another and say, ‘Deuces.’ ‘Like a Virgin Again,’ that’s one of them old classic 2002 R&B songs. Like holding hands at the dance. That song’s about making a girl feel special, ’cause that’s what all girls want, of course. Telling her like, ‘If you are a virgin or you’re not a virgin, I’mma make you feel like one again.’ ‘What They Want’ is the first song on the mixtape. It’s introducing us together as a duo. It’s what the fans want. ’48 Bar Rap,’ that’s Chris rappin’. Showing his rap skills. “Chris is a certified rapper,” Tyga added. “That’s straight from Tyga at Young Money. Of course he’s a great singer, but he does his little rap thing too.” Tyga is working on his next album, Careless World, and said to look out for Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV “soon.” Other Heat This Week

Shanell Joined Young Money Because Lil Wayne ‘Believed’ In Her

With Shut Up and Listen, she’s introducing her music to people who only know the rumors, in Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes Shanell Photo: Young Money This Week’s Main Pick Artist : Shanell Holding It Down For : Young Money Mixtape : Shut Up and Listen Real Spit : Young Money singer Shanell has been inspired by challenges almost her entire life. She grew up encouraging and battling her sister, former Danity Kane singer D. Woods, in songwriting. “It was me, my sister, and we have an older brother,” Shanell said on a recent trip to NYC. “We used to watch him. He did music before either one of us. He did television, movies, and we used to run around the house singing his songs, until we started writing our own. It was friendly competition between me and my sister, because we would always help each other and challenge each other. “I been real nice with the pen game,” she added with a smile. “I was good when I started, and I got better and better and better.” While on the road with her sister during Danity Kane’s tour in support of their debut LP, Shanell, who used to be a backup dancer, crossed paths with Ne-Yo. She was writing to a track, and he asked if he could use it for his album. The song turned out to be “Say It” from Ne-Yo’s Because of You. Ne-Yo eventually invited the singer — who went to a performing-arts high school — to be down with his camp as a songwriter. “It was really a great learning experience,” she said. “[Ne-Yo] listens to all different types of music. I know he sat me down one time and was like, ‘That’s great, but try to say all that in three lines.’ I was like ‘a challenge.’ So my writing has been influenced a lot by him.” Shanell said she decided to join Young Money because, whereas Ne-Yo’s attention was on her writing skills, Wayne saw her as a performer. “Wayne was kinda like, ‘You do this. Keep your music for yourself. You have the talent, I see what you do. You can come over here with Young Money and do what you do over here,’ ” Shanell said. “Which was the best situation I can be in. My music is a little bit different. It’s not R&B, it’s not pop, it’s not rock, it’s not alternative. It’s a fusion of everything. A lot of labels don’t let you do that, but at Young Money, they let you do that.” Wayne also gave her the freedom to take several minutes from the America Most Wanted tour to showcase her skills. She had a mini-set within Wayne’s set last summer. “It was great,” she said. “I brought dancers in. I did a lot of staging and choreographing. I loved that he believed in me enough to do that.” Shanell said her debut LP won’t be out until sometime next year, but she did just drop the mixtape Shut Up and Listen. If you have a physical copy of the disc and look inside, you’ll see a baby carriage filled with headphones and other musical items. That is a playful middle finger to the rumors that she was having Lil Wayne’s baby . “I’m trying to take a negative thing and make a positive,” ‘Nell said, who added that she was never romantically involved with Wayne. “That’s another reason I put this mixtape out, because a lot of people haven’t heard what I do. It’s all these rumors flying, that’s all they hear. So it’s here, this [mixtape] is my baby, this is what I’ve been sitting in the studio every night working on. This is my baby. This is what I’ve been pregnant with for the past nine months. So we’re just trying to take a bad rumor and turn it into something positive.” What did Weezy think of the rumors that he had knocked up his artist? “We never talked about it,” the singer insisted. “Nobody ever talks about the negative stuff. We’re too busy making records. We get on the stage and perform, we get in the studio, we’re on the radio every day.” Joints to Check For

Drake find your love official video

Recently, Drake wrapped the visual treatment for the #39;Find Your Love#39; single. he poster child of hip hop revealed that the clip was filmed in a “real bad area” of Kingston, Jamaica, but he received nothing but love from the locals. In fact, Drake stated, “They had ‘Young Money’ sprayed on the gates, ‘Drake and Wayne’…I’m talking about you drive by people’s homes, they had ‘Drake,’ ‘Young Money,’ ‘Drake, Welcome Here,’ ‘Drake We Love You.’” The video is slated to premiere in the coming week

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Drake find your love official video

Gucci Mane To Be Released From Jail Wednesday

MC is expected to hold press conference immediately after his release. By Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by MTV News staff Gucci Mane Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images Gucci Mane is set to be freed from prison on Wednesday, just six months into a one-year sentence for a parole violation , and a rep for the MC told MTV News that the rapper will hold a press conference immediately upon his release. According to a spokesperson for Georgia’s Fulton County Jail, however, the rapper’s release time on Wednesday is yet to be confirmed. The spokesperson told MTV News on Tuesday (May 11) that Gucci Mane will be subject to routine check for any warrants that may have been issued during his incarceration. Pending the result of the check, he will be free to walk out of the facility. The actual time of his release, though, will be determined based on the backlog of prisoners also being released on that particular day. Gucci was sent to prison in November of last year after violating his probation for a second time, resulting in him being forced to finish a suspended sentence that he had already served six months of in 2008. Upon his last release from jail, the rapper picked up his frantic work pace and once again hit the mixtape circuit hard , increasing his profile to its highest point and resulting in a nod on the 2009 MTV News’ Hottest MC list. During his imprisonment, Gucci Mane has kept himself just as busy. His most recent album, The State Vs. Radric Davis was released to critical acclaim and another project, The BurrrPrint 2HD, was partially recorded behind bars and presented via his new label, 1017 Brick Squad. At press time, the nature of the rapper’s press conference was unclear; it’s believed Gucci Mane will address the recent firing of his manager and booking agency. Both entities drew fire in an that alleged improper business tactics. In a press release earlier this month, Gucci Mane announced the formation of a new team that will guide his career, consisting of First Avenue Management, the CAA agency, and business manager David Bolno. Related Artists Gucci Mane

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Gucci Mane To Be Released From Jail Wednesday

Drake’s ‘Find Your Love’ Video: What Are The Jamaican Characters Saying?

We decipher what’s going on in the Young Money MC’s latest clip. By Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by Hanif Sumner Photo: Young Money Lost in translation? During Drake’s adventure in the clip for “Find Your Love,” the rapper was warned not to chase the top shotta’s girl — but he still ran after leading lady Maliah Michel. But what exactly was the sage advice he turned down? The thick accents in the video make it difficult to tell — but MTV News got the lowdown. “Consciously speaking, that girl there is trouble,” the elder Jamaican man tells Drake as the video opens. “That girl is going to make you get yourself in serious trouble.” Drake ignores the words and the man gets a bit more serious with his warning. “Hey, skipper, I’m telling you — see if you look at that country side there, at Jamaica,” he says. “That man there named Puffy is a bad man — a bad man. You don’t want to get involved or you’ll be dead. Take me serious, that man is a bad man, mad man — that man kills people. You just come here; you don’t really know it. You don’t want to get involved with him.” The man then assures Drake he doesn’t want to get involved in a world like that and that he should focus on his album and his music. However, Drake still refuses to listen and ventures back into into town to find his love interest. The video then rewinds back to when Drake and Michel first encounter each other; Mavado, who plays the ganglord, has men on lookout who spot the rapper talking to Michel, his woman. The rude boys watch Drake and their boss’ girl leave the party for a romantic liaison on the beach. After the pair take off, one of Mavado’s goons races via motorcycle to tell his boss about what happened. They talk about the “brown boy” who has been in town causing trouble. “Get my dog them,” Mavado tells his underling. “Tell them we are going on the road.” As Drake arrives at the house Michel is located in “Gully Side,” Mavado and his men creep up behind him and capture the rapper. The final scene features Drake bound by rope as Mavado coldly informs him he’s crossed the line. “Aight, so you want come to Jamaica and look at my woman? You hear me. Here. Done. Do it,” he says as he hands the gun over to Michel to finish Drake. “Anything you want that’s in Jamaica belongs to the gully cat.” Did you think Drake perished at the hands of his leading lady? Let us know in the comments below! Related Videos Drake’s ‘Find Your Love’ Translated Related Artists Drake

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Drake’s ‘Find Your Love’ Video: What Are The Jamaican Characters Saying?

Gudda Gudda Recalls Getting ‘Willy Wonka’ From Lil Wayne

‘Right before [Weezy] went to jail, he was like, ‘Man, you can have that,’ ‘ Young Money member tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid Gudda Gudda and Lil Wayne Photo: Young Money/Cash Money Breaking Through: Gudda Gudda Young Money’s Gudda Gudda has a new video on the way for “Willy Wonka,” but he has no idea what the clip will look like. “We shot a green-screen video,” Gudda told Mixtape Daily about the production, which was shot before co-star Lil Wayne went to prison . “It was almost like how [Young Money’s] ‘Roger That’ was. I don’t know what they’re doing to it. I’m kinda lost. “It wasn’t my video at first,” Gudda continued. “All I know is that we shot green screen. I don’t know if I’mma need to shoot more scenes on it. I didn’t see the final cut. If I don’t like the way it is, I’m gonna pay for somebody to shoot more scenes for me and make it right.” “Willy Wonka” was originally slated to be on Weezy’s upcoming Tha Carter IV, but the YM founder passed it on to his good friend. “[DJ] Ill Will sent me the beat,” Gudda recalled. “He didn’t do nothing on the night I played it for him. I laid my verse on it that night. He came back the next day, the engineer pulled it up like, ‘Look what Gudda did to the beat.’ By the time I came back to the studio, [Wayne] had already laid his verse on it. The song was done. “I didn’t know what he was using it for. Ill Will sent it to me for my mixtape. I already figured Wayne might want it. I was like, ‘If he wants it for his album, we gotta give it to him.’ So basically, he wanted it at first. We shot the video for it. And right before [Weezy] went to jail, he was like, ‘Man, you can have that sh–. Go ‘head, man, get you. Put that sh– out and go stupid with it. Take the song, take everything.’ He gave me all that sh– right before he went to jail.” Gudda said he communicates with Wayne frequently. “I talk to him a few times a week,” Gudda said. “He’s doing real good, on some real sh–. He’s in there being positive, reading all his fan mail. He’s trying to stay busy. He’s got a job in there. He’s good.” Weezy also appears on Gudda’s Back to Guddaville mixtape, dropping soon. The New Orleans MC opened up about the warm reception for his last street album. “When I put that Guddaville out [a few months ago], I ain’t never get a response like that since I been doing music,” he said. “It felt good, I was real humble. It makes wanna go in the studio ASAP. I started working on Back to Guddaville. I didn’t wanna leave that space. “This one is all originals,” he added. “I have nothing on nobody else’s track. All of it is originals. Of course, y’all gonna hear the ‘Willy Wonka’ joint with me and Wayne [and] ‘Small Thing to a Giant’ with me and Wayne. I got a joint called ‘Polo’; it’s crazy. I got a joint called ‘Lock My CEO Up’ featuring Waka Flocka [Flame]. That’s gonna be one of the hardest songs this year. I promise. I put things about Wayne in my verse. Waka put things about Gucci [Mane] in his verse.” As a bonus for the song, Gudda said he’ll feature the recording of an actual phone conversation between himself and Wayne from Rikers Island , where he’s been since April, as well as a phone call that captures Gucci calling Waka from prison. Jay Rock, Juelz Santana and various members of the Young Money squad will also cameo on the new mixtape. Gudda said he’s excited about his sequel and grateful about the momentum that the original Guddaville tape has sparked for him. He performs material from the tape at shows, several times a week. “It feels good,” Gudda said of his growing fanbase. “I been patient for a long time. People know I been with Wayne for a minute. Me and him been through a lot. It feels good to know that I been patient and I’m getting my just due. I ain’t all the way there yet, but I’m making some money. I’m making a lot more money than other n—as. [Fans] hit me and tell me they … sorry. They say, ‘I’m sorry my n—a. I ain’t know you was that nice. I take it back.’ ” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc .

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Gudda Gudda Recalls Getting ‘Willy Wonka’ From Lil Wayne

Gang Starr’s Guru Remembered By Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, More

Q-Tip, ?uestlove, Tony Yayo also pay tribute to late MC. By Shaheem Reid Guru Photo: Gregg Delman One of the all-time greatest wordsmiths in hip-hop history, Gang Starr’s Keith Elam — a.k.a. Guru, for “Gifted Universal Rhymes Unlimited” — passed away Monday . And while Guru and his partner in Gang Starr, DJ Premier, never enjoyed huge pop success, their impact in hip-hop both collectively and individually is immeasurable. When word spread on Tuesday about Guru’s death, his peers and fans took to the Internet to pay tribute. “420 gonna be in honor of the big homie Guru … respect the foundation … Light one up for the legend,” Snoop Dogg tweeted . The Roots’ ?uestlove tweeted , “In my 10 greatest voices in hip hop, Guru was easily top 5 … Smooth. velvet. will be missed. RIP Guru … Back when we first took getting into the industry seriously, Gang Starr’s Daily Operation LP got us thru 1992.” “1 of our hip-hop soldiers was lost 2day,” Fabolous tweeted . “Tho he in the physical has passed, his spirit & music will live forever #RIPGuru #ForeverYoung.” “R.I.P. Guru,” DJ Kay Slay wrote . “Real dude and lyricist. My condolences to the family and friends.” “A hip-hop legend. RIP”) Nicki Minaj wrote . The Young Money MC’s sentiments were echoed by two other rap stars from Queens, New York: G-Unit’s Tony Yayo and A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip. “Damn just woke up and heard Guru passed away. R.I.P. to a ‘Legend,’ ” Yayo tweeted . Perhaps most heartfelt of all, Q-Tip wrote : “From Allah we come to Allah we return. R.I.P. Keith GURU. A great man, poet, and I’m proud to say friend … 23 yrs. Damn!” Share your memories of Guru and Gang Starr in the comments below. Related Videos Gang Starr’s Guru Passes Away Related Photos Gang Starr’s Guru: A Life In Photos Related Artists Gang Starr

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Gang Starr’s Guru Remembered By Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, More

Nicki Minaj Is ‘Real Creative,’ Producer Alex Da Kid Says

‘She’s one of the top people I wanted to work with,’ the beatsmith says about the Young Money MC. By Shaheem Reid Nicki Minaj Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images Nicki Minaj ‘s “Massive Attack” producer Alex Da Kid — who has also worked with Rihanna, Rob Thomas, Jazmine Sullivan and B.o.B — said you can expect more collaborations between him and the Young Money MC. “She wants to be an artist like a Rihanna or a Lady Gaga that translates all over the world,” Kid told MTV News about Minaj’s aspirations. “She’s dope. She’s super creative,” he continued. “She knows what she likes to hear. I’ll put a idea down [and] she’ll be like, ‘I like that idea. I don’t like that idea.’ We’ll just go back and forth. You get in the studio with some artists and they don’t know what they want until they hear it. She understands production. She’s dope. She’s easy to work with. She’s very cool. She’s got this cute thing, but at the same time she’s kinda grimy and ghetto. I really like it. She’s out here. She’s real creative and she’s one of the top people I wanted to work with. I think she’s dope.” Alex said songwriter Sean Garrett presented her with the beat to “Massive Attack” around four months ago and she immediately fell in love with it. Some other artists wanted the beat but both Alex and Sean agreed Nicki would do it justice. ” ‘Massive Attack’ … I’m kinda mobile. I make a living on my laptop,” he explained. “Any time a idea hits me, I put it down. I started that track on the train going to the studio. I don’t generally do that. I always kinda wait, but I had a melody idea. So I started on the train and finished in the studio. I knew it was special from the start. It wasn’t like I was aiming for Nicki with this track; I had a idea I thought was crazy. Nicki heard it and the rest was history. “With all my stuff, I base everything in hip-hop,” he added. “I been listening to hip-hop since I was 2 or 3. I try and broaden everything. I love all types of music and I do everything. I do rock, I do pop. Everything I do is based in hip-hop — that’s the foundation.” Alex produced B.o.B’s “Airplanes” single (featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Eminem ) and has some beats for Rihanna, Estelle and Young Jeezy on deck as well. “I was in with Jeezy in Miami. Jeezy is hilarious. I been a fan. I had appreciation of him but he’s so open and so cool —” he’s another one that knows what he likes to hear.” Who would you like to hear Alex Da Kid work with next? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj Is ‘Real Creative,’ Producer Alex Da Kid Says