Listening to Ab-Soul’s new album, These Days, which dropped on Tuesday, there were a few things that surprised us 00 unexpected features, unusual flows — and an outro by Diddy on the song “Hunnid Stax,” featuring Schoolboy Q and an uncredited Mac Miller.

“I met Diddy through Q,” Ab-Soul told MTV News. “You know, Q calls himself Puffy, as well. After we exchanged numbers, he just kind of really just became a lot like a mentor to me. So it was just real profound to me to try to get Puffy and Puffy on the same song.”

They met in person earlier this year, and from there, the relationship grew. Once the Black Lip Pastor decided to ask Mr. Combs to get on the project, he got something special in return.

“That was a Biggie reference, too,” Soul said proudly of the 10-second a cappella vocals that Puff supplied. “That was the end of the ‘B.I.G. Interlude’ on Life After Death, so that was super profound — to have Puffy do that for me, to make that reference.”

As exciting as the outcome was, that portion of the song almost didn’t come to fruition.

“It was one of my last little ideas, which was the cause for the wait,” he added. “I turned it in at the top of the year, but, you know, it was a company decision to go back in and tighten it up and expound on it as best as I could, and just make it ...

Can you believe it? It’s been over a week since G-Unit released their last song, “They Talked About Jesus.”

Not to worry.

The Unit’s recent run of new music — they’ve dropped four records since reuniting at the beginning of June — doesn’t sounds like it’s coming to a halt any time soon.

“G-Unit album will be late November, early December,” 50 Cent told Hartford’s Hot 93.7, confirming news he had revealed recently. But then he dropped this gem: “Mixtape is coming.”

Fif didn’t disclose any further details, but odds are we can expect him and his cohorts — Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo and Kidd Kidd — on some of today’s most well-known records, giving them their own distinct twist.

We’re ready.

Adam Fleischer

I'm serious about these snacks. Catch me @adamfleischer

It’s no surprise that Eminem has a healthy dose of respect for Kendrick Lamar. Like Em, K. Dot is a meticulous and potent lyricist, who places a premium on the power of words and the value of song concepts — not to mention that he’s signed to Dr. Dre.

But we didn’t know that the Slim Shady felt this strongly about the 27-year-old.

“We’ve been in Compton before,” Em told The New York Times as part of the paper’s recent feature on the T.D.E. rapper. “But the way that Kendrick did it was so different…The album is crafted from front to back, the way each song ties into each other — to me that’s genius.”

The Rap God also sees a trait in Kendrick that’s been evident in his own work for years.

“There’s a certain hunger that you can sense about Kendrick,” Em said. “He raps to be the best rapper in the world. He competitive-raps. That’s one of the things that’s going to drive his career. He’s going to be around for a long time.”

So far, musically, the mutual admiration has manifested in just one song: “Love Game,” from November’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2. Em touched on his thoughts on the young rapper and how the collaboration came to life in an interview with MTV News last year.

“The fact of what Kendrick is doing, even before the ‘Control’ verse,” he said. “Just about what he did on his album and the way he put it ...

Frank Ocean has parted way with his longtime management team, according to Buzzfeed.

The singer had been managed by Christian and Kelly Clancy — who also manage Odd Future — since 2010, but split from the two earlier this year, the report says. The New Orleans-bred talent has yet to select new management, though.

“This is a guy who has the ability to change things, and for him to change things, he has to follow his intuition,” Chris Clancy told MTV News last year. “If he doesn’t follow his intuition, then it’s not real. The goal is to trust the guy who wrote the music to present his art, his way — Frank has incredible intuition. Just f—ing incredible. He very clearly sees things; my job is to say, no matter how far out it may be, I’m going to trust that.”

In a 2013 New York Times profile of Ocean, writer Jeff Himmelman shed some light on the relationship between the Clancys and the 26-year-old.

“His managers, Christian and Kelly Clancy, told me the night before — by way of explaining that anything could happen, or not, interview-wise — that Frank Ocean makes the decisions where Frank Ocean is concerned,” he wrote. “They help him steer, but he goes only if he wants to.”

Odds are he’ll have new management before he releases his sophomore album, which he’s currently at work on.

“When I was making the first [album] there were a group of artists that I ...

The brand-new video for “Somethin’ Bad” suggests that Miranda Lambert and her hurricane of a new album, Platinum — her highest-selling album to date — aren’t even close to finished with us. While she’s teamed up with plenty of other superstars on the record, “Somethin’ Bad,” her huge girl power duet with Carrie Underwood, has been the album’s stand-out moment.

The pair recently performed “Somethin’ Bad” live at the Billboard Music Awards and at the CMT Awards, literally setting the stage ablaze and keeping those hair fans working overtime, given fans just a glimpse at the felonious acts to come in the video.

In the “Somethin’ Bad” video — styled like a trailer for a huge summer heist blockbuster à la “Ocean’s Eleven” — the two country bombshells take us into an alternate world where they tear up the town as bank-robbing, motorcycle-riding rebels. Together, they don who-me? innocent disguises to infiltrate a bank vault and hustle their way into a gambling ring before absconding with the cash on some seriously tricked-out hogs.

They’re the kinds of roles are usually reserved for men, but Carrie and Miranda pull it off on their own, And with Carrie as Miranda’s side kick, those mug shots just got even more platinum. Usually the “Good Girl,” Carrie enters the danger zone — which involves high-speed chases and more hair-flipping. It’s ballsy, funny, and cinematic enough to justify giving these two their own shot at a bad-ass buddy comedy, complete with platinum mug shots.

Read More →

How good is the teaser for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1″ that was just released this morning? So good that despite some strong reservations about the content of the book its based on, I can not wait for this movie.

Spoilers for “Mockingjay” past this point.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the “Hunger Games” books. I’m a dyed-in-wool Tribute, through and through. But the book “Mockingjay” is a bizarre ending for the trilogy, spending the majority of its running time with a near catatonic Katniss refusing to step up and be the hero we want her to be.

She gets addicted to drugs, mostly engages in publicity ops rather than action and only does anything remotely heroic at the very end of the book; though even her eventual call to action is a move that feels very much like giving up.

Not the greatest fodder for a movie, let alone two movies…

But then the ad campaign for the first of two “Mockingjay” films has started to rev up, and even someone like me, who has trepidations about the whole affair, is starting to get excited.

The reason is the tone. Not that “Hunger Games” started in a very happy place — what with the kids killing each other in death games and all — but “Catching Fire” revved up the darkness for the series in a big way. With Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) captured and brainwashed by the Capitol and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) sending out fascist messages to the ...

She’s Just Being…Oh Wait
Miley Cyrus performed her part in Mike Will Made It’s “23″ at her show and went ham impersonating the loveable suspender-wearing nerd from the ’90s, Steve Urkel.

The Biebs Is Okay
Justin Bieber entered the studio with Tyga just a few hours after reportedly being involved in a minor car crash in Beverly Hills. His driver was trying to escape a paparazzo when the car accidentally hit a BMW turning onto the street.

“Roar” Singer Likes Her Politicians
Katy Perry took a selfie with Vice President Joe Biden. Enough said.

‘On The Run’ Tour Starts
Jay Z and Beyonce’s On The Run Tour kicks off Wednesday (June 25) in Miami, Florida. The city is about to get a whole lot hotter!

Must See Video Of The Day
On Tuesday night “Really Don’t Care” singer Demi Lovato spoke about something that is dear to her heart at Logo TV’s inaugural “Trailblazers” special: her grandfather. She revealed that he was gay and made a touching tribute to him.

We Miss You Michael
Today marks five years since the King Of Pop Michael Jackson passed away. Watch this MJ career retrospective we put together just a day after his death.

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Abby Devora

Beginning when he first emerged in the public’s collective consciousness in early 2011 with House of Balloons, The Weeknd has been pretty consistent in delivering new music to his fans. He dropped a total of three projects that year, then followed it up with the compilation, Trilogy, in 2012, and his major-label debut, Kiss Land, last year.

So far in 2014, though, we haven’t heard much from the Canadian native. We got a taste of something new on Tuesday evening (June 24), though.

The singer tweeted a link to “Often,” which sounds like a return to form. Abel Tesfaye’s distinct, plush voice guides the song, with a catchy hook and rich production to match.

With “Often” and his “Or Nah (Remix),” The Weekend is two-for-two so far this month. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Adam Fleischer

I'm serious about these snacks. Catch me @adamfleischer

Some people have libraries or parks named after them. Not Wiz Khalifa (though maybe one day). For now, he’s got a strain of marijuana that’s his namesake. And the Pittsburgh rapper sounds pretty damn satisfied with that fact.

“I got my own weed, sucka/ So I ain’t gotta hit yours,” he raps to open his new song, “KK,” which he released on Tuesday (June 24).

The song’s title is an acronym for Khalifa Kush, which is named after the Taylor Gang general (obviously), and is given to him for free by The Cookie Company — a fact that he revealed during an interview on “Chelsea Lately” in April.

Also on board for Wiz’s latest release are Juicy J, who sounds a bit jealous — “I smoke so much KK, wish they’d have called it Juicy J,” he raps — and Project Pat.

Though he hasn’t said whether or not this is an official single from the upcoming album Blacc Hollywood, Wiz getting ready to drop the project later this year.

Adam Fleischer

I'm serious about these snacks. Catch me @adamfleischer

Never the type to be concerned with how awkward or uncomfortable their videos make you feel — think back to the roach-eating in “Yonkers” and most things about “Earl,” for some early evidence — the fellas from Odd Future are at it again.

Tyler, The Creator and co.’s new “Aunt Wang Syrup Commercial” is quite a sight. Honestly, we don’t even want to explain it — just watch the Tyler-directed clip for yourself.

Sadly, this is not actually an advertisement for some sweet syrup. No, it’s actually a promotional spot for the latest line of Golf Wang clothing.

Adam Fleischer

I'm serious about these snacks. Catch me @adamfleischer