February 25, 2025

About the author  ⁄ MTV News

Wu-Tang Reunion Album Is Like … Shopping At Whole Foods?

The Wu-Tang Clan have always been different. In 1993, the nine-man rap collective dropped their groundbreaking debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and flooded hip-hop's airwaves with dusty soul loops and crashing kung-fu sound bites.

It was a unique sound at the time, and on the Clan's upcoming reunion LP, A Better Tomorrow, fans can expect to hear more of their one-of-a-kind sonic signature.

"It's very unique and you can't buy it nowhere else," the RZA told MTV News on Monday at Fox's upfront event in New York. "You gotta go to Whole Foods for certain foods, right? Well, there are certain things you have to come to Wu-Tang for."

Coachella Fans Brave Sandstorms For Wu-Tang Reunion.

RZA hit the carpet at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to promote his upcoming television drama "Gang Related." The series, which tells the story of a gang member who infiltrates the San Francisco Police Department, stars Terry O'Quinn and, of course, RZA. The rapper/producer/actor was just as excited to talk about his music as he was his acting.

"I was deep in the middle of it, deep in the recording, deep in the writing, and my assistant told me to read this screenplay, 'Gang Related,' " he recalled. "I read it, and I kinda hurried up and finished my music, and I jumped on this. But the music is really unique."

This year is a huge one for RZA and the Wu. Last month, the group — which has been fractured for the past few years — performed at Coachella, and on June 2, they ...

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Beyonce Cancels Belgium Concert Due to Exhaustion

Beyoncé was forced to pull out of a scheduled Mrs. Carter World Tour date in Antwerp, Belgium, on doctor's orders.

According to a statement released to the Associated Press, the singer, reportedly suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, was advised by doctors to rest, and might need to hold off on Wednesday night's second show at Antwerp's Sportpaleis as well.

The statement added that the singer is, "awaiting word from her doctors before making a decision" on Wednesday's show. The tour kicked off in Serbia on April 15 and is scheduled to continue through an August 5 date at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. She has played 20 dates so far and has 11 European shows left after the Antwerp gigs before the production kicks into gear again with a June 28 date at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show cancellation comes just one day after the latest rumors popped up that Bey, 31, might be pregnant with her second child with Jay-Z.

The New York Post's Page Six reported that the couple, parents to daughter Blue Ivy, 16 months, are keeping the pregnancy under wraps. Citing unnamed sources, the Post claimed that Beyoncé strategically wore a high, belted waist gown at last week's Met Gala to camouflage her midsection.

During an appearance on 
 last week, Beyonce said, "I would like more children. I think my daughter needs some company. I definitely love being a big sister." She didn't, however, talk about when that might happen, saying only, "at some point, when it's supposed ...

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‘New Girl’ Season Finale: Taylor Swift, A Wedding And A Badger

Here comes the bride! ...We think.

Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) may have taken their relationship to the next level, but will friend Cece (Hannah Simone) and fiancé Shivrang (Satya Bhabha) be able to do the same, making it to the altar without an altercation? (We're looking at you, Schmidt!) That's the big question on Tuesday's season finale episode of

Star Jake Johnson stopped by MTV News recently to give us a preview of the episode.

"There's a horse in the episode. There's a badger in the episode. Taylor Swift is in the episode. And Nick and Jess come to a crossroads of their relationship, and a decision is made," Johnson explained.

It's been well-publicized that the as a mysterious wedding guest named Elaine, but a badger?

"The badger is very cool. There was a real badger," Johnson confirmed, adding that the little critter was courteous enough to bring his own snacks to set. "I don't know if you know this ... to keep the badger in a good mood [is] fed mice heads. Lamorne [Morris] and I were next to it, so [the handler] started feeding it, and Lamorne goes, 'What's that? Can I feed it?' And she goes, 'It's just a bunch of mice heads.' It's disgusting. So when you watch it, I want you to think of that sweet little badger devouring the heads of nice mice, not like disgusting mice."

Sure, okay. We'll do that. (Not really.) But maybe we should get back to Swift. What was it like having the starlet on set?

"She was ...

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Vampire Weekend Close The Book With <i>Modern Vampires Of The City</i>

Vampire Weekend don't get "dark" on their brand-new Modern Vampires of the City album, they get "deep," turning song structures inside out, bending frontman Ezra Keonig's lithe voice beneath the weight of digital lacquer, and taking their preppy pop in bold new directions. It is a third album in every sense of the term, the adventurous, unapologetic one bands earn the right to make after proving they're in it for the long haul (something VW did with 2010's Contra), and ease into the next phase of their career.

It represents a brand-new Vampire Weekend, to be certain, and yet, Modern Vampires also spends no shortage of time looking backwards ... it is a bold reinvention, and, in a lot of ways, a rediscovery, too. Of past themes and traditions, songs and styles long forgotten, yet readily available; consider it musical archeology, because VW certainly do.

"We went a little further, a little deeper, in every direction on this record, but I think that, we've always tried to connect to a tradition," multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij said. "Whether that's a recording tradition or a songwriting tradition or a tradition that dates back to the 16th century, you're connecting to a tradition, and that's always somewhere in the back of our minds. Whether it's other songs or music that we love, I hope that, at the end of the day, we are connecting in a way that's real."

"Looking back on everything, time is a big part of it, as a theme, especially with the music, and the approach to production," Koenig added. ...

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Is Chief Keef Engaged?

Women love Sosa, but Chief Keef has captured the heart of one woman in particular — and now, he's rumored to be engaged.

The teenage Chicago rap star isn't denying the reports. In fact, on Monday, he tweeted and Instagramed the MediaTakeOut.com headline that reported that he was engaged to Pretty Mesha, a video model who has appeared on WorldStarHipHop.com and in Show Magazine.

The two have confirmed that they are an item on Twitter and last week the rapper posted a picture of Mesha on his Instagram wearing a red Glory Boyz Entertainment sweatshirt and what appears to be a diamond engagement ring on her left hand.

"Keef LOVE me," Mesha tweeted on Sunday before sending a number of public messages, some of which Keef himself retweeted.

"I love SOSA," she continued.

When MediaTakeOut published their engagement story, Keef grabbed a screenshot and posted it on Instagram, never refuting the claims.

Keef, who was released from jail in March after completing a 60-day sentence for a probation violation, has been making plenty of headlines lately. On Wednesday, he and Gucci Mane took to Twitter to announce that the "I Don't Like" rapper has signed on to be a part of Gucci's 1017 Brick Squad label and on Sunday he posted a picture of his Chief Keef-branded Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, which he says will be in stores soon.

While things seem to have been going well for Keef, TMZ reported on Monday that the Finally Rich rapper will have to fork over $3,000 a month ...

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Kim Kardashian Is ‘More Of A Recluse’ Since Becoming Pregnant

The kountdown is on! Kim Kardashian is only two months away from welcoming baby Kimye into the world. And she's says that despite the new addition to her famous family, she doesn't expect to change much, even if she and Kanye West have very different philosophies about their approaches to celebrity life.

"I'm definitely more of a recluse since I was pregnant," she tells Fabulous magazine. "But I haven't necessarily decided to hold myself back. It's just preparing myself for respecting the privacy of my child and my boyfriend."

That being said, Kim hasn't exactly been keeping that lowest of profiles since she went public with her pregnancy back in December. She and Yeezy made headlines just last week when they hit up the Met Gala in New York City. Her floral Givenchy dress and his performance each became the biggest stories coming out of the bash. Regardless of calling her , she says her rapper beau still prefers remaining as private as possible when it comes to his personal life.

Do you think Kim will slip out of spotlight even more after baby is born?

"We live different lives, but I love being open," she added. "That's who I've always been and sharing so much of myself — I love that. That'll never change because that is who I am. It's more about gearing up to protect other people."

Kim Kardashian's 'Gloved' Gown Sparks Kanye West Engagement Rumors.

Kim has expressed her desire to keep her baby out of the spotlight and the birth off TV. ...

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Kristen Bell, Mindy Kaling Praise Angelina Jolie’s Mastectomy Essay

New York Times, revealed that she recently underwent a preventive double mastectomy. Part of the reason Angelina Jolie said she revealed that she recently underwent a proactive double mastectomy
 was her desire to alert women to the importance of breast cancer screening and prevention.

Her moving essay in Tuesday's (May 14) New York Times detailing the procedure and decision immediately drew praise and supportive comments from a number of celebrities, from Mindy Kaling and Kristen Bell to cancer survivor Sheryl Crow, Elizabeth Banks, Ariana Grande, the Roots' ?uestlove and "Rock of Ages" director Adam Shankman. "Hunger Games" star Elizabeth Banks tweeted, "Much respect & for sharing in a classy way," with "Victorious" lead Ariana Grande writing, "This is so moving and inspiring. Angelina Jolie is the most beautiful, inside and out."

Shankman called the article "beautiful and brave," while "Celebrity Rehab" host Dr. Drew Pinksy said it was "very courageous" and E! host Giuliana Rancic (who had a double mastectomy in 2011) said she was, "Proud of her for using her incredible platform to educate women." Bell, who like many people included a link to the op-ed in her tweet, dubbed the essay "admirable."

Comedian Mindy Kaling was moved by the piece, saying, "@nytopinion: Angelina Jolie on why she had a double mastectomy, and how it can save lives ... a must-read for women!"

Props also came from ?uestlove, who wrote, "Wow. Brave & considerate move on Angelina Jolie's behalf." "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts, who battled breast cancer ...

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Coffee Break? Hunter Hayes Wants To Join!

A lot of musicians hold meet and greets, but Hunter Hayes has found a way to really get the conversation brewing with his fans. Hayes, who is currently on Carrie Underwood's Blown Away Tour, hosts a Coffee House Experience before each of his shows, g... ...

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Beyonce Gets ‘Turnt’ On New Collaboration With The-Dream

Last month, when The-Dream previewed a handful of tracks off his upcoming IV Play album, on that caught plenty of folks' attention was "Fire," a sultry track that featured vocals from a breathy Beyoncé.

Well, on Tuesday (May 14), a snippet of another collaboration between the two — a slithering, snake-charmer sex-jam called "Turnt" — began making the rounds ... and this one manages to raise the temperature even more.

Over a slowly simmering beat, Beyoncé takes on the advances of a would-be lover ("Talking 'bout you're gon' kill it/beat it up till I black out") and proclaims "People think I'm crazy, but I love you 'cause you're crazy too." As slinky keyboards slowly unfurl, The-Dream shows up to boast about his prowess — he's the reason all of these cute girls got babies, just in case you were wondering — and the track carnally clicks along. Turn the lights down low. Take your time with it. We definitely need a cold shower after listening to this one.

But is the song — which reportedly also features 2 Chainz, though he isn't heard on the preview — legit? Well, according to a spokesperson for The-Dream, the answer is yes.

After plenty of delays (and a name change,) IV Play is finally set to hit stores on May 28. "Turnt" is on there, and there could be plenty more collabos between The-Dream and Beyoncé coming soon. Earlier this year, the man known as Terius Nash told MTV News that he and Bey are working on making for her ...

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