March 16, 2025

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Jay Z, Lil’ Kim Go Head To Head In Brooklyn Anthems Poll: See Who Won!

Brooklyn artists exhibit so much hometown pride, it's no wonder the borough has so many anthems dedicated to its existence. From the Beastie Boys to Jay-Z, BK's biggest hip-hop stars have been rapping Bucktown's praises since the 1980s, and when RapFix asked fans to vote on their favorite Brooklyn Hip-Hop Anthem, it was the Queen Bee Lil' Kim who reigned supreme.

Kim's 2005 single "Lighters Up" received 75 percent of the fan vote, while Fabolous, Jay-Z and Uncle Murda's "Brooklyn" came in a distant second, earning 12 percent of the share in the week-long poll that opened August 14 and closed Wednesday. Even though she hasn't released an album in eight years, Kim's fanbase remains one of the most faithful, and this week, they can watch the Queen Bee herself on as she gives MTV News' Sway Calloway a tour through Brooklyn, pointing out the spots that meant the most to the Notorious B.I.G.

"Lighters Up," noted for its Caribbean-soaked sound, was produced by Scott Storch and stirred a tremendous amount of pride among the borough's residents. "I come from Bed-Stuy/ Where either n---as do or they gon' die," Kim spits in a patois accent to start the track.

Lil' Kim overcame some pretty tough competition in the BK anthem poll. Jay-Z had three of the 10 selections with "Brooklyn's Finest," "Where I'm From" and "Brooklyn Go Hard." The Beastie Boys and their 1986 classic "No Sleep till Brooklyn" might not have won, but the unforgettable track is the unofficial anthem of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards ...

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‘The World’s End’: The Reviews Are In!

Following another summer filled with sequels, represents a decidedly different take on the comedy franchise. Director Edgar Wright and his leading men collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return for their third — and possibly final — collaboration following 2004's "Shaun of the Dead" and 2007's "Hot Fuzz."

What the semi-franchise lacks in returning characters or continuing plots, it more than makes up for in recurring gags, overarching themes and a delicious U.K.-specific dessert called a Cornetto. The film follows Pegg as a nostalgic alcoholic determined to get the gang back together for an epic pub crawl, which unexpectedly gets derailed by an otherworldly complication — to avoid spoilers with an understatement.

"The World's End" proves that the third time is as much of a charm as the first and second, with critics praising the longtime collaborators as well as the ensemble they've assembled, including Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman. The comedy's darker this time around, but it's expertly handled by director Wright, whose energetic style has only gotten better with experience. This time around, the characters tackle as many real-world obstacles as they do out-of-this-world ones, and the result is a late-summer film that puts the rest of them to shame.

Here's what critics are saying about "The World's End":

Hell of an Ending
"'The World's End' is the third of Wright's genre-bending black comedies starring Pegg (who co-wrote it) and Frost, and it's arguably the best — although who would want to argue over three such beautifully constructed social satires? In this one, Wright and Pegg take a mere ...

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VMA Nominees Go To The Movies!

Music and movies have been inextricably linked since talkies came into vogue in the 1920s, and the tradition continues today with this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to Robin Thicke, many of this year's nominees have seen (and heard) their hits take the spotlight in a movie trailer.

Before the VMAs air live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, let's look at the musicians whose ear candy found a place next to the Milk Duds at the theater.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Song: "Can't Hold Us," featuring Ray Dalton
Nominations: Best Hip Hop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, Best Editing
Movie: "Jobs"
An inspired choice for the Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher, if only for the use of the line, "Return of the Mack." We see what you did there.

Song: "Thrift Shop," featuring Wanz
Nomination: Video of the Year
Movie: "The Internship"
Are Macklemore & Ryan Lewis secret cinephiles? Now, we're not sure what bargain hunting for gator shoes and leopard minks has to do with landing an internship at Google, but the song does add a certain kooky vibe to the promo for the Vince Vaughn- and Owen Wilson-starring comedy.

Imagine Dragons
Song: "Radioactive"
Nomination: Best Rock Video
Movie: "The Host"
"Radioactive" — a song essentially about the end of the world — is right at home in the trailer for this alien invasion flick based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novel.

Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell
Song: "Blurred Lines"
Nominations: Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Collaboration, Best Song of Summer
Movie: "We're the Millers" (red band trailer)
"Tried to domesticate you" is ...

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: From The Basement To VMA Domination!

When Macklemore & Lewis say they do it all, it's no joke. On their climb from virtual unknowns to six-time 2013 MTV Video Music Award nominees, the Seattle duo has blazed a trail like no other, without the help of a major label, or just about anyone else.

"Unlike a lot of other artists, they stay completely in control of all facets of what they're presenting," said manager Zach Quillen of their hands-on approach, which has yielded two #1 hits from their breakthrough, The Heist. "If you're looking at pop, rock or hip-hop artists, there are few who are directing and editing their own music videos [and] scoring custom intros for their videos."

The all-in approach extends to everything from their tour artwork to photo shoots, cover art and every other public image fans see of the pair. "They are perfectionists and they pay attention to every detail and do it all themselves."

That determination to present a consistent aesthetic and not cede any control over their careers has helped Mack &Lewis rise from club darlings to festival superstars over the past year, making them the most-nominated independent artists in the 30-year history of the VMAs. (They're also the first to score an MTV awards show trifecta, playing the VMAs, the Movie Awards and mtvU Woodies in the same calendar year.) How did they do it? MTV News breaks down their formula:

The music, of course
"The music is, of course, immediate, but they make untraditional pop records," said Quillen of record-breaking first single second #1 song "Can't Hold Us" and ...

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Pusha T Reveals <i>Real</i> Reason For Album Delay

The wait is almost over. After a few production delays, Pusha T stopped by "RapFix Live" on Thursday to announce he had a won't-move release date for his long-awaited solo debut, My Name Is My Name.

"My Name Is My Name is dropping October 8, for sure," Push said during his appearance on the show, which has been airing live from the Barclays Center as part of our weeklong .

After reliving how he "blacked out" during one of his two iconic MTV VMA performances, the G.O.O.D. Music rapper revealed that Kanye West's approach to executive-producing MNIMN and, of course, difficulties with sample clearances, are what led to the project getting pushed back from its most recent July release date.

"Album's finished, album's amazing," the Virginia native said. "It's been a lot of the talk of the pushbacks and so on and so forth, but that's out of my control," he added. "And it don't matter 'cause my dope don't spoil, like it really doesn't. My dope don't spoil."

When pressed, Pusha — known for his brand of lyrically potent street pathos — divulged that in addition to making sure the LP was "right in his eyes," Yeezy was responsible for producing five tracks. The remaining songs on the Def Jam set are produced by Pharrell Williams, Don Cannon, Swizz Beatz, The-Dream and ... actor Joaquin Phoenix, who delivered the soundscape for a "serious" track called "King Push."

Guest features on the album include G.O.O.D. labelmates Big Sean, 2 Chainz and 'Ye, as well as Young Jeezy, Future, Rick Ross, ...

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Fifth Harmony Ready To Throw A ‘Slumber Party’ Before The VMAs!

The ladies of Fifth Harmony have a big weekend ahead of them. In addition to releasing their new music video for their single, "Me and My Girls," on Saturday, they will be some of the many stars attending the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

The first-time VMA attendees stopped by our AllAccess.MTV.com live stream to perform two of their singles, "Miss Movin' On" and "Me and My Girls," where afterwards they gushed about their fandom for Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. The All Access live stream is rolling for 24 hours every day until show day, Sunday, August 25.

But, of course, they are also hyped for Saturday's release of their new video, which they teased during the interview. "This is how we act when we have a slumber party," Normani Hamilton said about forthcoming clip, dropping one day before the VMAs.

In addition to all that, the fivesome who went shopping for VMA outfits earlier this week and put on a fashion show during the live interview, are just preparing to strut down the red carpet at the big show the following day. Dinah Jane Hansen shared, "Every carpet, whenever stars are doing an interview [in front of us] we're like [pointing]."

So, what will they wear? "There are so many different options from the VMAs. We can go really dressed up, really hip, really chill. It's like there's so many, I don't know which to choose," Ally Brooke shared about her VMA fashion philosophy earlier this week.

Normani also shared the group's philosophy when it comes ...

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Ben Affleck Is The New Batman!

In the summer of 2015, Ben Affleck will be able to say "I'm Batman," when he faces off against Henry Cavill's Superman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel. Warner Bros. announced Thursday night that the Academy Award winner, who was once rumored to... ...

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