September 23, 2024

Review Category : TMZ Music News

Jay-Z’s Samsung Deal Is ‘Genius,’ So Master P Wants Dibs On Verizon

Master P is one of the most successful businessmen that hip-hop has ever seen, and during his visit to "RapFix Live" on Wednesday (June 26), the No Limit Records founder gave props to Jay-Z for continuing to push the boundaries with his "new rules" and the roll-out plan for Magna Carta Holy Grail.

Hov made an unprecedented move when he revealed the release date and details about his album during game 5 of the NBA Finals in a 3-minute long commercial sponsored by Samsung. And that was only the beginning, as the Roc Nation CEO also struck a deal with the company to purchase 1 million copies of the album before it even hit stores.

"To be honest with you, I think it's genius to partner up with a technology company," Master P said of Jay's big moves. "I'm working on [my album] right now and hopefully Verizon will call me real soon."

P went with his new idea, continuing, "My next record... I'll drop it through them and do it at a football game or something," he said, laughing and saluting Hov for continuing to think outside of the box.

"We 'bout to think bigger than this, bigger than just music," he said, referencing Maino and The Mafia, who were also live on the set. "We 'bout to link up and show 'em how we connect. That's what these corporations are doing, why can't we do it? We all come from the streets and we all got a certain market somewhere, and if we all link up, it'd make everybody ...

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Justin Bieber’s Failed ‘SNL’ Skit Surfaces: Watch!

Justin Bieber's in February had girls all over the world fawning over the singer's funny bone when he hosted and served as musical guest. But turns out, not every part of the show was hilarious. NBC posted an unreleased sketch called "Song for Daddy" from the show's dress rehearsal that never made it to air. The skit's writers provided commentary to explain why it didn't make it, calling it the "greatest train wreck ever"

The clip starts off with castmember Bill Hader, who plays a crusty old country-western musician and remains the focus of the sketch for its entirety. So, for the teen audience that gathered in Rockefeller Center's studio 8H wanting some Biebs, they were already pretty disappointed.

"The audience right now is filled with pre-pubescent girls," Hader says in the commentary. "This is not the crowd for this. It's just all Justin Bieber fans. ...I'm just looking at young girls looking at me wondering 'When is Justin going to do something? Is this really about this old man?' "

Justin makes his appearance soon enough, but he got off to a bad start. A wall started to fall from the set, and the wig-wearing singer looks off camera warily. Hader doesn't break character, but asks the stage manager if they should proceed. "Ah, the stage almost fell on ya, son. That would've sucked," he ad-libbed in a jokey twang. But in the NBC commentary, Hader points out that "he's really scared right there. That's true fear on Justin Bieber's face."

From there, things only went downhill. When Bill pulled ...

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Gay-Marriage Ruling Sparks Crazy Dancing And Body Paint: Watch Here!

June 26, 2013 will undoubtedly go down in American history as a red-letter day — a shining star on the nation's corkboard alongside such landmark moments as the election of the first black president and the end of segregation. And thanks to social media, the moment was also one of the most well-documented in the nation's history.

The internet was buzzing long before the Supreme Court handed down its decision to strike down two laws limiting the rights of same-sex couples. And it only grew louder as the historic news broke, with same-sex couples and heterosexual supporters alike kicking off an online celebration. Luckily, we've wrapped up some of the videos that stood out among the cheers.

We start off with the Stonewall Inn, the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots that put a major uptick in the gay rights movement. Those awaiting the SCOTUS decision hung out at the bar and celebrated in the streets. Benjamin Eye caught the celebration and the media frenzy around the tavern.

Over in California, where gay people can now legally marry after Prop 8 was overturned, celebration also took over historic landmarks. Katy Tang shared her rainbow-pride neck scarf with a bust of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be voted into office in California.

And those in Cali waved their flags proudly, whether it was a pride flag, a state flag or this combination of both, highlighting the new harmony.

But not everyone was out celebrating though. Poor Jayson Flores was stuck at work. However, that didn't stop him ...

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will.i.am Sues Pharrell For ‘I Am Other’ Brand

will.i.am is taking legal action against Pharrell for his use of the "I am" phrase. In court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, the rapper/producer claims he owns the copyright to the two words and states that Pharrell's logo for his creative brand "i am OTHER" looks "confusingly similar" to will.i.am's "I AM" logo.

The "i am OTHER" brand was created by Williams as a "creative venture and way of life," he writes on his site, with brands such as Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM and Brooklyn Machine Works as part of the company. In will.i.am's opposition document, he claims that "the registration of the mark... is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the WILL.I.AM mark."

Williams was "disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me," he said in a statement following the lawsuit. He continued, "I am someone who likes to talk things out and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions. I am surprised in how this is being handled and I am confident that Will's trademark claims will ultimately be found to be as meritless and ridiculous as I do."

will.i.am appeared on for her performance of "Fall Down" earlier Wednesday (June 26) but has not yet commented on the legal matter. Request for comment by MTV News to will.i.am has not been returned by press time.

...

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Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Can’t Stop’ Director Explains Video’s Strangest Images

Even if you've watched Miley Cyrus' on repeat since its release, you're probably still confused by some of the clip's more surreal images.

Some of the defining shots include Miley rocking a giant teddy bear backpack, a hand that bleeds pink paint and a skull made of French fries. Luckily, director Diane Martel opened up to MTV News about working on the statement-making visual, revealing the origins of several key scenes.

"The teddy bears my art director [Aramis Israel] found, and I knew they had to go on the twerkers' backs," she said of one scene that appears as though the giant bears are dancing. Martel said she and Israel looked to their favorite blogs for inspiration. "I'm really into kid's culture these days and this is the audience I play to, gotta keep 'em happy!"

The Ying Yang Twins Rate Miley's Twerking Skills!

Some ideas were more spur of the moment, including a scene where a partygoer rubs white bread all of his face, and that one where someone pretends to amputate their fingers, spewing pink paint everywhere. Martel explained, "The bread and the fingers I made up during a location scout in the kitchen."

While on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this week, Miley added that the bread actually means something as well. "Got to get the bread! A little bit of money," she explained. "And also that it's kind of weird. A trippy moment. We thought it was symbolic for money."

Perhaps one of the standout symbols is the French fry skull, created by visual artist Christopher Chiappa, who Martel says ...

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Jay-Z And Frank Ocean Tackle Deep Race Issues On ‘Oceans’

Jay-Z once paralleled his artistic plight against those of some of hip-hop's enlightened minds like Talib Kweli and Common. In an often-quoted lyric from his 2003 supposed retirement LP, The Black Album, Hov suggests in that if he wasn't such a commercial draw, he'd pack even more meaning, insight and raw skill into his lyrics: "If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli/ Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense," he admitted in song.

It's ironic now that as Hov is set to release his 12th solo album via a surely lucrative partnership with Samsung, he seems to be embarking on the road he wished for back then. A single hasn't been released for Jay's upcoming Magna Carta Holy Grail, but the Brooklyn-born rap king has released lyric sheets for three of the album's tracks — and all of the cuts bypass the party for a deeper dive.

On Hov partners with Justin Timberlake to explore the push and pull of celebrity in an all-seeing society, and on the rapper questions religion and shoots down persistent rumors that he is part of a secret society.

On Wednesday (June 26), Jay released the lyrics to another track via the Magna Carta phone app. "Oceans" appropriately features singer/songwriter Frank Ocean, and on the song, the "Big Pimpin'" MC ponders the transatlantic slave trade using the ocean off the Ivory Coast as his inspiration. "This water mixed my blood/ This water tells my story/ This water knows it all," reads a portion ...

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Kendrick Lamar Says <i>Yeezus</i> Helps ‘New Cats’ Drake, J. Cole

DOVER, DelawareKanye West's Yeezus album was deemed everything from artistic to aggressive, but one thing was for certain — it was something fans, including Kendrick Lamar, couldn't wait to get their hands on.

"It was hard for me to grasp it on the first take," K-Dot told MTV News at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. "I got it, but as I kept listening throughout the week, I understood where he was going and that was him stepping out of the box again and doing what he felt.

And as an artist, we all need to take heat into that and salute that because, at the end of the day, it's so much we can do following radio, following the politics in the business so for somebody to come back again and do what they want, it helps out new cats like myself, Cole, Drake, whoever, so salute."

Recognizing that Kanye stretched boundaries with his sixth studio album, which will hit #1 on Billboard's album chart, Lamar admitted he appreciates and understands the message Yeezy was trying to convey.

"My interpretation is, man, it's crazy how you come through with a distorted beat and still tap the realm of hip-hop and put some hardcore raps on it," Lamar said. "So I digest it, digest it and he continues to break rules."

The unconventional album, with the lack of a proper single and its experimental sounds, doesn't necessarily fit in a specific genre, but according to Lamar, that's what makes it so great.

"I'm good with the fact that ...

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