March 28, 2024

About the author  ⁄ Adam Fleischer

Hey Iggy, Here’s Why You Should Rap About Growing Up In Australia

by 29 mins ago

Hip-hop. It started out in the parks of NYC.

And ever since then, place has been an essential element of the music. Artists usually rep where they’re from — early and often. Think Kendrick’s Compton-infused good kid, m.A.A.d city or Nas’ Illmatic, a 20-year-old journey through his native Queens.

But rising rapper Iggy hasn’t made her native Australia a major part of her music. And on Friday (October 17), she was emphatic in saying her Aussie roots won’t ever be a topic for musical discussion, saying that she felt left out as a teen hearing MCs rap about their stories.

I have no doubt your feelings were true to your experience, Iggy. But for me, as a kid growing up in Boston, hearing those authentic tales about an upbringing is part of what drew me to rap; it’s what makes it such a unique and powerful art form. Listening to rap was both my portal to everywhere else and a way for me to better contextualize my own surroundings. And it still is today.

Nas brought me to Queensbridge. I saw similarities to places I knew in Boston in his music, and I heard plenty of differences that allowed me, through his words, to build pictures in my mind and learn about a place I otherwise knew little about.

Related: Snoop Dogg Apologizes To Iggy Azalea After A Call From T.I.

Big L took me to “The Danger Zone,” of his native 139th Street and ...

Read More →

Big Sean On ‘Amazing’ Girlfriend Ariana Grande: ‘We’re Happy’

by 33 mins ago

After a few months of rumors — fueled largely by some hand-holding backstage at the VMAs in AugustAriana Grande finally confirmed her relationship with Big Sean earlier this week, calling him “one of the most amazing men in the whole world.” On Friday (October 17), Sean sang similar praises of his now-confirmed significant other.

“She’s amazing, too,” the Detroit rapper told Angie Martinez on Power 105, responding to the singer’s quote about him. “She’s great, man. We just enjoy other. We’re happy; everything’s good.”

Not only are they “good” personally, but professionally, too. Just check Ariana’s “Right There” or “Best Mistake” — both of which feature the G.O.O.D. Music MC — for the proof. And it looks like we’re going to get to hear them together again soon.

“She’s on a song on my album,” he confirmed, adding that it’s unlike either of the collabs we’ve heard from the two in the past. “It’s kind of more my element than hers.”

vma-ariana-grande-big-sean

Last month, he gave MTV News some details about their working relationship. “Me and her make a lot of music together and the chemistry between me and her when we work is great,” he said. “We got more in the works too. I feel like her voice is crazy, [just] that that big voice comes out of her is insane. I was probably one of the first people to tweet about her music; me and her been ...

Read More →

Why Is Jimmy Iovine Feeling ‘Lucky’ About The NFL’s Beats By Dre Ban

by 4 mins ago

When the NFL announced that it had banned its players from wearing non-Bose headphones during games, as well as televised pre- or post-game appearances, Beats by Dre would have been justified if they were upset. A lot of players have made a habit of wearing the popular headphones during warm-ups and at the podium after games. But it sounds like they’ve taken the news in another way.

“We didn’t do anything, and now the players are going out and putting black tape on our logo,” the company’s co-founder, Jimmy Iovine, said during a talk at University of Southern California’s Global Conversation, according to Business Insider. “It’s like, I can’t believe I’m this lucky. I feel like sending them the tape.”

After his San Francisco 49ers played against the St. Louis Rams on Monday night, quarterback Colin Kaepernick wore a pair of the headphones with a piece of tape over the logo. The previous week, he was fined $10,000 for wearing the headphonens in a post-game press conference — with the logo showing.

“What happened there, you have a tech company that’s culturally inept,” Iovine added, making reference to Bose. “There’s no one at the company that said, ‘If you ban these guys, you’re going to look bad to the young people, and they’re going to look like superheroes even though they’re just pure capitalists — well they’re not pure capitalists, but they’re real capitalists and [they] sold that company to Apple — but you’re going to make them ...

Read More →

How To Pick Up A Girl At A Party, According To Hoodie Allen

by 25 mins ago

Hoodie Allen released his debut studio album, People Keep Talking, this week, which would probably be a good conversation starter if he wanted to pick up a girl at a party.

What else would the 26-year-old say? Or, more importantly, what should you say when you go out this weekend?

That’s what we asked him when he stopped by MTV News this week. And he had some pretty hilarious advice. From making sure they follow you on Twitter to telling them to check out your mixtape, a lot of it was particularly applicable for music stars. And for those who don’t have lots of fans?

“If none of those things apply to you, just be yourself, because most people just want to have a genuine conversation,” he said. “And don’t make yourself look creepy or hit on them. Just be normal.”

Sounds like advice anyone can follow.

...

Read More →

Lupe Fiasco Has The Internet On His Side: The Story Behind His New Testuo & Youth Release Date Proves It

by 1 min ago

Just this week, Lupe Fiasco was complaining that his album was stuck in limbo, as his label, Atlantic Records, was refusing to release it as they looked for a single.

Suddenly, he has one: January 20, 2015.

The apparent story behind how that release date came into existence isn’t the stuff of normal Artist vs. Record Label tug-of-war. The Internet’s most prominent group of hacktivists, Anonymous, are claiming responsibility for pressuring Atlantic into giving the Chicago rapper’s sixth solo album a date.

The group, which is known for using the Internet to take on a variety of political issues, also released a statement on the issue:

Citizens of the World and lovers of conscious music,
We are Anonymous.

24 hours ago we released a short Twitter ultimatum. We called upon record label Atlantic Records, responsible for releasing conscious rap artist Lupe Fiasco’s long awaited Album. We demanded a statement from the label within 24 hours to release a date or we would unleash the complete and utter fury of our collective on their company and executives. 21 hours later they released a short Tweet citing the album and it’s release date.

At this time it can be concluded that we have proved our point. We wish music that is educating the masses to keep being released. We will fight for that. Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common and others are the moving force behind conscious rap. This is music we will fight for.

Operation Atlantic, Operation Free Lupe; disengaged.
Mission Accomplished.

We are Anonymous.
Never ...

Read More →

Iggy Azalea And Snoop Dogg Officially Put Their Beef To Rest

by 12 mins ago

We can officially put Snoop Dogg vs. Iggy Azalea battle behind us and one day look back on it as one of hip-hop’s great beefs.

OK. Maybe that second part isn’t true. But it is true that the online war of words between the two is now a thing of the past.

On Wednesday, following Snoop’s apology to Iggy for taking virtual shots at her all week, the “Fancy” rapper said she accepted the olive branch and was ready to move on.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, T.I., the CEO of Hustle Gang, where Iggy is signed, gave the West Coast legend a call and played peacemaker.

Related: Read About The Origins Of Iggy And Snoop’s Beef

“Boys and girls, I just got off the phone with my homeboy Tip, the King of Atlanta, and it’s officially over,” he said in an Instagram video. “No more bad talk. I apologize. Yeah, I apologize. I’m sorry; I won’t do it again.”

One of the more peculiar feuds in recent memory, Snoop vs. Iggy started when Tha Doggfather posted a meme that made fun of the Australian MC’s looks.

She didn’t appreciate the joke, and called out Snoop for acting one way to her face but then clowning her online. Her response only put a battery in the 42-year-old’s back, as he posted more memes and videos aimed in her direction in the coming days.

On Tuesday, Iggy’s boyfriend, NBA player Nick Young, threw his tweet in the ring, calling ...

Read More →

A Rap Album Of Only Cat Sounds: Meow The Jewels Is On The Way

by 19 mins ago

Killer Mike and El-P’s collaborative album Run the Jewels was one of the most critically-acclaimed rap releases of 2013. Their highly-anticipated follow up, Run the Jewels 2, is set to drop later this month. And it looks like there’s going to be more music from the two rappers, too.

Well, not exactly music. More like cat sounds. Exactly like that, actually.

Meow the Jewels, as its known, started as a joke. But now it’s becoming a reality.

“I was sitting at a table and I was just joking around and I just decided, on the spur of the moment, to come up with a bunch of obviously completely ridiculous and joke pre-order options, one of which was, that for $40,000, we will remix the record using nothing but cat sounds and call it Meow the Jewels,” El-P told Entertainment Weekly last week.

From there, fans decided to start a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money and make the peculiar dream a reality — and accomplished that goal on Wednesday (October 15).

“WE DID IT, YOU CRAZY MOTHERF–KERS,” El-P wrote on Instagram.

The two MCs aren’t just pocketing the cash, though. They’re putting it towards good causes.

“I intend to put all the money. Every dime. I’m not going to pocket anything,” he added. “That was the only way that I would be involved in it. I don’t know exactly how to do that, but we’re working on it. My intention is to get it equally into the hands ...

Read More →

A Rap Album Of Only Cat Sounds: Meow The Jewels Is On The Way

by 19 mins ago

Killer Mike and El-P’s collaborative album Run the Jewels was one of the most critically-acclaimed rap releases of 2013. Their highly-anticipated follow up, Run the Jewels 2, is set to drop later this month. And it looks like there’s going to be more music from the two rappers, too.

Well, not exactly music. More like cat sounds. Exactly like that, actually.

Meow the Jewels, as its known, started as a joke. But now it’s becoming a reality.

“I was sitting at a table and I was just joking around and I just decided, on the spur of the moment, to come up with a bunch of obviously completely ridiculous and joke pre-order options, one of which was, that for $40,000, we will remix the record using nothing but cat sounds and call it Meow the Jewels,” El-P told Entertainment Weekly last week.

From there, fans decided to start a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money and make the peculiar dream a reality — and accomplished that goal on Wednesday (October 15).

“WE DID IT, YOU CRAZY MOTHERF–KERS,” El-P wrote on Instagram.

The two MCs aren’t just pocketing the cash, though. They’re putting it towards good causes.

“I intend to put all the money. Every dime. I’m not going to pocket anything,” he added. “That was the only way that I would be involved in it. I don’t know exactly how to do that, but we’re working on it. My intention is to get it equally into the hands ...

Read More →

Big K.R.I.T. Should Probably ‘Pay Attention’ To The Beautiful Women In His New Video

by 1 min ago

With less than a month left until Big K.R.I.T. drops his sophomore album, Cadillactica, it’s time to pay attention. A good place to start: His new “Pay Attention” video, featuring Rico Love.

The minimalist visual finds Krizzle and Rico each matched with a lovely lady — but they’re not fully engaged. As the hook laments: “I should be paying more attention to you.”

In September, K.R.I.T. told MTV News that this album would be different for him, particularly from a production standpoint.

“I only used three samples on the entire album, which is amazing for me, because people know me to sample a lot,” he said while on the Bet Hip-Hop Awards carpet. “For me, it was trying to make the kind of music that sounds like a sample, feels like a sample, had the same amount of grit and soul as a sample — [although] it wasn’t.”

This is the first official single off of the Mississippi rapper’s upcoming Def Jam release, which drops November 11. He also put out the eponymous single this week, which you can listen to below.

...

Read More →

Murda Mook Threatens To Cripple Drake’s Career At 2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards

by 1 min ago

Are we one step closer to a Drake and Murda Mook battle?

If Drizzy takes the latest bait, we sure are.

During the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards, which aired Tuesday night (October 14), Mook called out the Young Money MC during the live cypher portion of the show — while rapping over Drake’s “0-100/The Catch Up” beat.

The New York native didn’t mince words: “King of battle rap, comfortable in first place/ Here, finish line is all mine, heard Drake?/ How you flashbackin’ to actin’, it’s real here/ Cripple your career, put it back in a wheelchair/ Get killed here/ Ain’t no chill here/ My demeanor/ Don’t play the field here/ De-gras-si, it ain’t greener.”

The lyrical jabs come a couple months after talk of a potential battle between the two rappers first surfaced. It all started when the two were at a club and the Nothing Was The Same rapper served up a challenge to the respected battle-tested vet.

“It came out of nowhere,” Mook told MTV News before the BET Hip Hop Awards, when he walked the carpet. “A couple drinks start floating around, and then he just came out of nowhere and said he would battle me.”

Drizzy thought it could be the “biggest battle in history,” and Mook may have agreed — partially because he’s sure he’ll win.

“He can rap really well,” Mook said. “I’m not saying he would win. [He'd have to practice] a lifetime, maybe. I don’t think there’s nobody ...

Read More →