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Five '90s Songwriters Who Should Produce Kris Allen's Album

Posted 6/22/09 2:20 pm EST by in Music


One of the great comeback tales of the past few years has been the one owned by Linda Perry, who rescued herself from one-hit-wonder obscurity to become a top collaborator with some of the biggest names in pop music (like Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani). Kris Allen is currently working with super-producers David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry), Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse) and Claude Kelly (Leona Lewis, Akon), but here are five circa-'90s songwriters who Allen should draft into collaboration service.

» Gregg Alexander: Alexander made a splash in 1998 when his band New Radicals scored a big hit with "You Get What You Give." The group only produced one album, and since then Alexander has actually made a name for himself as a collaborator-for-hire, working with Hanson, Enrique Iglesias and Santana (whose "The Game of Love" won Alexander a Grammy in 2003). But he needs a big breakout that can take him to the next level, and his mastery of arrangements and sonic layering would free Allen up profoundly.
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Elephant Man, Serani, Movado Bring The Caribbean To Brooklyn

Posted 6/22/09 2:00 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


By Ayana Allen

You would have hoped that the combination of performers from island nations and the availability of copious amounts of jerk chicken would keep the rain from falling on the Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, site of the 2nd annual Brooklyn Music Festival. The weather threatened early, but as the night wore on the clouds were beaten back.

Though sunshine was at a premium, heat was not. Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Serani, Bounty Killer and Mavado each brought their own personal fire to a dynamic day of music. While Beenie Man and Bounty Killer are veterans, Serani and Mavado are two up-and-coming dancehall artists moving quickly into the mainstream scene. Serani, the Kingston-born singer, has produced hits for Sean Paul but is more recently known for his big hit, "No Games." He smooth serenades for the ladies were juxtaposed with the intensity of Mavado.

When Mavado's catchphrase "Anywayyy!" boomed over the PA, fences rattled, flags from all Caribbean countries waved violently and fans roared with approval. Mavado has been gaining traction in the dancehall community, winning awards and recording tracks with prominent rappers like Jay-Z. He has been gradually developing his performance chops as well, as evidenced by his run through "So Special" at BET's "Rip the Runway" 2009.

Beenie Man took a second to wish all the fathers present a happy Father's Day before taking us back a decade by performing his 1995 throwback "Slam." Elephant Man had the biggest fan-friendly moment of the festival: He called up a young boy on stage for a dance-off. The kid got down to recent burners "Nuh Linga" and "Gully Creepa," and Elephant Man was so impressed that he awarded the kid his own rhinestone-studded jacket. He certainly went home happy, but even those revelers who didn't walk away with free swag walked away satisfied by the performances and thrilled with the direction the music is headed.

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Beyoncé's Tour Opener In New York: Five Things You Might Have Missed

Posted 6/22/09 1:00 pm EST by in Concerts, Music


By Daniela Capistrano

Last night, Sasha Fierce made her triumphant return to the States with a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York. By now you've already heard about Beyoncé's insanely talented, guitar slinging all-female band for this tour, her Brüno-inspired (and more gracefully executed) acrobatics and the appearance by hubby Jay-Z during last night's opening number, "Crazy in Love."

I know, I know — "Yawn! What else happened?"

Luckily, I'm a fan with an eye for details, so I've done my best to extract five highlights you might have missed from over two hours of mind-blowing Beyoncé-ness.

Enjoy!

» The Fierce Fashion: Audiences have French artist and designer Thierry Mugler to thank for the stylish singer's tour wardrobe. His designs embrace the two personas on stage: Beyoncé's Bottecelli goddess and the leather-clad glamazon Sasha Fierce. I counted no less than ten costume changes, none of which interfered with B's complex dance routines.
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Pretty Ricky's Spectacular Says Happy Father's Day

Posted 6/22/09 12:34 pm EST by in Music


By Jayson Rodriguez

Holidays seem to bring out the oddest forms of sincerity from some people. Two Christmases ago, I got a Happy Yuletide text from Pretty Ricky's Spectacular.

And then yesterday, Spec sent me another holiday text, this time wishing me a Happy Pappy's Day.

Spec's text: "Don't know if you got kids hommie, but Happy Father's Day!!"

J-Rod's thoughts: Uh, okay. I don't have kids, though. Weird. Wait, this is Spectacular texting me?

So I shot him back a quick thank you message.

J-Rod's text: "Ha! Don't have kids but thanks."

His heart was in the right place. And hey, at least he didn't challenge me to a grind-off, right?

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Ready To Get Served? New Site Helps Youth Get Active In Their Communities

Posted 6/22/09 12:14 pm EST by in MTV News


By Navani Otero

It's officially summertime (cue in DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince in the background). It's the time of year when your days are filled with sunburns, BBQs and free outdoor events. But when you tire of all the above, what will you do?

If we know you at all, we think you'll want to add something meaningful to the mix — something like getting active locally, for example. We all heard President Obama's call for service during the campaign (and even on Inauguration night), and MTV is here to make it as easy as possible for you to make your community a better place to live.

Introducing Serve.MTV.com, a new resource to help you get started.
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In 'Tonight Show' Debut, Triumph Takes Down Beastie Boys At Bonnaroo

Posted 6/22/09 10:53 am EST by in Television


When Conan O'Brien moved from the 12:30 slot to the more high-profile "Tonight Show," there was concern in the media (and in the MTV newsroom) that O'Brien wouldn't be able to be as aggressively weird as he was allowed to be on his old show. But on Friday, a familiar face returned to the fray: Former Eminem rival Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who took his microphone to Bonnaroo to poke fun at dirty hippies and take down a handful of bands, including TV on the Radio and the Beastie Boys. Triumph's Beasties interview was probably the finest bit, which saw Robert Smigel's puppet note, "It used to be 'Check Your Head' and now it's 'Check Your Prostate.'" Check out the entire clip below.

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Wake-Up Video: Eminem's 'Mosh'

Posted 6/22/09 9:00 am EST by in Video, Wake-Up Video


Richard Nixon's run as President will forever be marred by how it ended, as the Watergate conspiracy remains the definitive political scandal in U.S. history. But Nixon was a friend to teens everywhere, as he managed to finally extract the country from the conflict in Vietnam, ended the draft and, on this day in 1970, he signed the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age in this country from 21 to 18. In the past few years, young people have turned out in record numbers to sway elections, and their influence continues to grow. In honor of the youth vote and as a tribute to the current struggle for just elections in Iran, check out one of the finer protest songs of the past few years in Eminem's "Mosh."

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Adam Lambert's New Single 'Want' Isn't Quite New

Posted 6/19/09 6:55 pm EST by in Music



Late Friday (June 19) afternoon, Perez Hilton posted a "Glambert World Premiere!!!," a bit of organ-driven balladry called "Want," which was billed as "the first single off Adam Lambert's forthcoming album, On With The Show."

Well, yes and no. The material from On With The Show was recorded before Lambert auditioned for "Idol," and it's not being released by RCA Records (with whom Lambert signed a deal after the show), but rather Hi Fi Recordings/Wilshire Records, according to a press release sent to MTV News by a spokesperson for the label.

"Adam co-wrote many of the tracks that will appear on On With the Show — an album of fantastic, diverse material recorded over the course of 2007/2008, right before [his] meteoric rise to prominence," the statement read in part. "These recent recordings from his partnership with Wilshire, an LA-based production and publishing company, are drenched in Lambert's signature pop/rock sound and style ... As America would expect, the music is amazing."

You can check out a clip of the song right here.

Earlier Friday, a rep for the singer confirmed that Lambert is working with Lady Gaga producer RedOne for tracks from his forthcoming RCA debut.

Hilton has already posted an update correcting the original post, and a spokesperson for 19 Entertainment — which produces "Idol" and manages the post-show careers of most of the contestants — said Perez's post contained "false information" and that a full statement would be forthcoming.

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Johnny Cash, Jane's Addiction And The Father's Day Playlist

Posted 6/19/09 5:54 pm EST by in Music



Building a soundtrack for any particular holiday is usually a slippery slope, mostly because not every special event on the calendar is music-friendly. Christmas has any number of excellent songs available, and any good Memorial Day mix should kick off with Alice in Chains' "Rooster." But what about Arbor Day, or even Thanksgiving? The pickings are slim.

Father's Day falls somewhere in between. There are plenty of songs dedicated to dads out there, though the majority of tunes fall in the schmaltzy, sentimental pap category. There are also a number of tunes that address fathers in quite a negative light (not surprising, considering rock and roll is 87% about rebelling against your parents, not honoring them). What we're left with is a handful of quality selections — some more appropriate than others — that sum up the complicated relationships we sometimes have with our patriarchs. Here's the Father's Day playlist — crank'em up and make sure you drop your ideas in the comments.

» Johnny Cash, "A Boy Named Sue": This epic, with lyrics by Shel Silverstein, was one of Cash's strongest live songs (check out the version from Johnny Cash at San Quentin for proof). It starts off pretty dark but (spoiler alert!) ends up having a happy ending. A perfect song honoring the bonds of fathers and sons.
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Enter The Class Of '09 Shout-Out Search To Win A Trip To Twi-Con!

Posted 6/19/09 4:55 pm EST by in Contest!, MTV News


Attention graduating seniors!

During MTV News' Class of '09 Week, we've celebrated high school graduation season with stories and memories of graduation from some of your favorite celebrities — including "Twilight" star Cam Gigandet — and touched on some key cultural milestones for this group of seniors. One of the biggest milestones is, of course, "Twilight." With that said, we're still looking for video of YOU representing for your senior peers in our "Class of '09 Shout-Out Search," so we're upping the stakes by giving you a chance to see the "Twilight" cast members! Interested yet?

Continue reading about the Class of '09 Shout-Out Contest at MTV News

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