May 20, 2024

About the author  ⁄ Adam Fleischer

Charles Hamilton Has A Theory: ‘I Believe Drake Is An Alien’

by 05/28/14

Sure, Drake has had some out of this world success in music, but he’s not actually from out of this world, is he? Charles Hamilton certainly think so.

“I believe Drake is an alien,” the rapper said during an interview with Sa Neter Tv7 in his native Harlem. “Let’s not go too far into the song ‘Started from the Bottom,’ [but] there’s a melody in that song, and that melody is, like, the mental ringtone of the aliens.”

Then, he got to the heart of what most people have been wondering about the Drizzy hit.

“But, the reason why there is a debate, is because 808s are used in that song; so, if that song was truly an alien song, why would it have 808s?” he asked. How, indeed? “808s are frequency-based, not drum-based. So if you’re dealing with frequencies and sh–, a pissed off alien can go, Wooo, wooo, wooo, wooo, and make the song.”

That’s just one of the many seemingly strange, memorable moments from the nearly 30-minute interview.

Others include, but are not limited to: his belief that Jimmy Iovine being “the closet thing we got to God”; his worship of Sonic the Hedgehog and J Dilla; his claims that he still has a record deal; his theory on what happened between Jay Z and Solange; his beliefs in mysticism and alchemy; his thoughts on Yeezus; and why he never sold out.

Just watch the whole thing. And then take it back to when MTV News spoke with Charles back in ...

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Lupe Fiasco Wrote Anti-Cancer Anthem ‘Mission’ For His Grandmother

by 05/28/14

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of new cases are reported every year. Count Lupe Fiasco among the many people whose lives have been directly affected by the disease.

“My grandmother passed away from cancer,” Lupe explained on “NewsNation With Tamron Hall,” while discussing his new single, “Mission,” which is meant to uplift those affected by the disease and was released in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer. “It was very sudden; it wasn’t a drawn-out battle or fight.”

The Chicago native added that in recent years, he’s had a number of friends diagnosed, including a professor from Chicago State University, who particularly inspired the song.

“His reaction to it was he was gonna fight it, and fight it in a very bold, aggressive, vigorous kind of manner,” he explained. “And it was the first time I had ever seen a close friend of mine battling with cancer.”

Lu decided to write the song in his friend’s honor, as well as for his grandmother and everyone else who has battled cancer. The track, which also serves as a single for upcoming album Tetsuo & Youth, includes both vocals from cancer survivors giving personal accounts and finds the rapper telling stories from their perspectives in his verses.

Once it was finished, but before it was released, Lupe went around and played it for patients at the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago. With their approval, he ...

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Ne-Yo’s New Album Will Be ’99.999998 Percent R&B’

by 05/27/14

Over the last few years, Ne-Yo has struck gold with his foray into the EDM scene. Features on hits like “Give Me Everything,” as well as his own EDM-inspired last album, R.E.D., and its smash single, “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself),” made some wonder if the singer would ever return to his R&B roots.

Fear not: That’s exactly what he plans to do on his new album, Non Fiction.

“I needed my R&B fans to know that I hadn’t abandoned them,” Ne-Yo said during an interview with Power 105.1′s “The Breakfast Club” on Tuesday (May 27) — the same day that he released his Jeezy-assisted new single, “Money Can’t Buy.”

“I had heard something like that being said, and nothing could be farther from the truth. I’ma keep the lights on; I’ma make the money. But I’m also gonna make the music that feels good to me. But at the same time, I do understand where that came from.”

“This album is 99.999998 percent R&B,” he vowed. “I can’t completely abandon that fanbase, because, as I said, they kept the lights on for a very long time. I still got some stuff that can live in that [EDM] world, but there’s so much R&B on this album that I had to find something that could live in that world but could also make sense on the album.”

The Jeezy collab is the first full step back towards the R&B world. The song connects the two to follow up their 2011 ...

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Listen To An Extended Version Of Kanye West’s ‘God Level’

by 05/27/14

On Yeezus, Kanye West professed, “I Am A God,” and now, the rapper is taking it to a “God Level,” with his new track.

The song first surfaced over the weekend as part of an Adidas commercial for their “All or Nothing” campaign. The ad included only a snippet, but the company reportedly uploaded a longer version to their Soundcloud account — and, of course, it was then ripped and posted to YouTube by fans, before Adidas took the stream down.

The new version, which still clocks in at under three minutes, doesn’t include many more lyrics than what we already heard. Instead, it’s mostly an extension of the beat, which was reportedly produced by West, Hudson Mohawke, 88-Keys, Mike Dean, and Noah Goldstein.

“You see it’s sharks in the water/ And they ain’t tryna do nothin’ but put c–ks in your daughter/ Don’t say nothin’ ’bout what ‘Ye said/ Don’t move motherf–ker, play dead,” Yeezy raps, over a dark, percussive beat.

This certainly seems like an extended version — but that doesn’t mean it’s the “full” version. Those familiar with Kanye West and his music knows that the Chicago native is incredibly meticulous when it comes to his output, and oftentimes is working on songs until the final hour. That fact, coupled with a Hudson Mowhawke tweet, suggests that this isn’t the most up-to-date version of the song that exists.

What do you think of ‘Ye’s latest?

Usually pouring water on my head. Catch ...

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Stream Pro Era’s New EP The Shift

by 05/27/14

New York collective, Pro Era, has returned with their second release of the year, with the five-track EP The Shift.

The whole crew is here this time around, as Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution, Dyemond Lewis, Dirty Sanchez, Roka-Mouth, Jakk The Rhymer, A La $ole, Dessy Hinds, and Powers Pleasant teamed up with Scion AV for the release.

They’ll also be dropping a new video at the beginning of June.

Check out the tracklist and stream below.

1. “Extortion” [Kirk Knight X Dyemond Lewis] Prod. By Kirk Knight
2. “Come Come” [Dirty Sanchez X Roka-Mouth X Jakk The Rhymer] 47′s Prod. By Roka-Mouth
3. “Hail Razor” [A La $ole X Dessy Hinds X CJ Fly] Prod. By Backpack
4. “On My Life” [Joey Bada$$ X Nyck Caution] Prod. By Kirk Knight
5. “Butterflies” [Dirty Sanchez x Roka x CJ Fly x Nyck Caution x ALa $ole x Dessy x Joey Bada$$]

Usually pouring water on my head. Catch me @adamfleischer
...

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Who Is TrapWiz? Listen To These Six Songs From 28 Grams

by 05/27/14

Over the last few years, Wiz Khalifa has presented himself as a certain kind of character, and it’s one we and fans have grown to love: He’s happy, is eager to laugh and enjoys a hearty amount of a jolly green plant. Those traits have seeped into his music and marked his style.

With the release of the Pittsburgh rapper’s 28 Grams, which he dropped over the weekend, Wiz introduced a new persona: TrapWiz.

If you were like us, you were wondering who is TrapWiz exactly?

Well, if you haven’t listened to the full tape yet, these six songs (there are 28 on the project) provide a quick intro to let you know what TrapWiz is all about. As you’ll hear, he’s not stepping out too far with his content, but some of his flows, as well as the beats and his use of Auto-Tune, set TrapWiz apart from good ol’ Cap.

1. “James Bong”
Wiz linked up with frequent collaborator ID Labs for this joint, which appears early on the tape. A deviation from the spacey collabs of their past, the production here is more frenetic, laying a background for Wiz’s chant-like flow.

2. “Foreign”
The simple, repetitive hook sets the stage for this car-loving anthem.

3. “Like Jimmy”
With Zaytoven on the beat, Wiz ratchets up another sparse yet catchy hook.

4. “Jim Brown”
Sonny Digital’s trap-infused sound is all over this track, as Wiz rhymes with the assistance of Auto-Tune.

5. “Word On The Town” featuring Juicy J and Pimp C
As two Southern legends rap by his side, ...

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Justin Bieber Is ‘All Love’ After Lil Wayne’s Scooter Braun Rant

by 05/26/14

Justin Bieber has been with Scooter Braun since the beginning of his career, when Braun found the soon-to-be-pop-star as a fresh-faced kid singing on YouTube. In the years since, through the all the highs and whatever obstacles or rumors of tension they’ve encountered, the two have endured. And JB made clear on Monday (May 26) that it’s still “All love.”

That was the singer’s caption on an Instagram post this afternoon, where he uploaded a stitch that put two photos of he and Scooter hugging side-by-side.

It’s unclear what exactly prompted Bieber’s post, but the timing is particularly notable since Lil Wayne was seen spewing some less-than-kind words in Braun’s direction in a video released earlier on today.

Tunechi’s anger stemmed from his allegiance to Young Money’s Lil Twist, who grew close with Bieber in recent years but also found himself caught in trouble a few times during that span. “I heard this bitchass n—a Scooter talkin’ sh– about my little brother,” Wayne said, referring to Twist.

“N—a this my motherf–kin’ brother, anything you got to say, when you see me say it to my motherf–kin’ face,” he continued. “And if you do happen to say it to my motherf—in’ face, I ain’t gonna make you eat them words n—a, I’ma put them bitches on your tombstone.” He then added, “F–k you Scooter!”

Regardless of Wayne’s rant, Bieber and his manager were all smiles at Adam Braun’s (Scooter’s brother) wedding this weekend.

How Did Wiz Khalifa Manage To Take An In-Jail Selfie? Watch Him Explain

by 05/26/14

Wiz Khalifa has a generally jovial disposition, so it’s no surprise that he didn’t seem to let his recent arrest get him too down. In fact, when the Taylor Gang general got locked up early Sunday morning, he found a way to take a selfie (cell-fie, anyone?) and post it online for his fans to see.

How would someone have their cell when they’re locked up in an actual cell, you ask? It took a little deception, and the flexing of some star power.

“He was pissed,” Wiz told “Sway in the Morning” of the officer he was dealing with, before shouting him out and apologizing. “Cause I was like, ‘Yo, can I get that phone, man? I really need to call my wife. I gotta tell her what happened.’ And he gave me the phone, and I was like, ‘Selfie!’”

The rapper said that his arrest, which went down at the El Paso Airport, was due to the fact that he had a grinder. He ended up in jail for less than a day — he got out in time to perform at Soundset Festival in Minnesota last night — and was appreciative of all of the support his fans showed.

“It wasn’t really a surprise,” he said of the outpouring on social media. “It definitely felt good, though. It’s good to see people rally up for a good cause, ’cause you doing something positive over here. I’m a lot of kids’ hero. If you were to lock up the ...

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Wiz Khalifa Met Nas, And The Face He Made Was Priceless

by 05/26/14

It’s been a roller coaster of a holiday weekend for Wiz Khalifa.

On early Sunday morning, the Pittsburgh native was arrested at the airport after authorities reportedly found a “green leafy substance.” (Sounds unlikely.)

It didn’t seem all bad, though: the rapper tweeted and posted pictures of himself while he was behind bars. And once he was released, Wiz dropped his anticipated new mixtape, 28 Grams.

As if the day — which also included a performance at Soundset Festival — wasn’t packed enough already, Young Khalifa also met Nas on Sunday. He posted a picture of the two on Twitter on Monday (May 26), taken at the Minnesota-based festival, where each took the stage this weekend.

Wiz was either surprised or just in classic Wiz form when the camera clicked. Regardless, the result was memorable.

Collaboration, anyone?

Usually pouring water on my head. Catch me @adamfleischer
...

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