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Jay-Z Calls Jay Electronica 'A Student Of The Game': The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 11/16/10 3:00 pm EST by in Music


"It's obvious that he really genuinely loves it and is a student of rap and the game. You can't write those sort of songs or come to that sort of conclusion without having a deep love for what you're doing and a deep understanding and a deep drive."

-Legendary rapper and Roc Nation label boss Jay-Z, discussing his latest signing in New Orleans-born rapper Jay Electronica. While promoting his new book "Decoded" (which tells Jigga's autobiography through his lyrics), Jigga chatted briefly with MTV News' Sway about Electronica, who became known in the hip-hop community for his viral hits "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit C" (among loads of others featured on mixtapes). When initially introducing Electronica to people, Jay said, "My whole goal is to reintroduce magic to hip-hop," Hova said of his goals surrounding the expansion of his label's roster, which also includes himself, J. Cole, Rihanna and Willow Smith. "We watched this wizard do his thing. Y'all supported him. And he's an official Roc Nation signee."

In addition to his new book and his ever-expanding label empire, Jay-Z is also working on plenty of music — namely, he is working on a collaborative album with Kanye West called Watch the Throne. "We had done five [songs] so far, but then a few of them kind of were out there, and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay," West told Sway about the project a few weeks ago at the premiere event for West's short film "Runaway." "But we got some more, and we're going to the South of France at the end of the month to just record new ideas. But we'll probably be done with the album in a day."


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Rihanna's 'Loud': The Reviews Are In!

Posted 11/16/10 2:00 pm EST by in Music


It must be the holiday season, because there are a load of high-profile albums coming out over the next few weeks, many of which are hitting the streets today. This week marks the unveiling of Kid Rock's Born Free, Bruce Springsteen's The Promise (a collection of previously-unheard demos and tracks from the Darkness on the Edge of Town era), Nelly's big comeback album 5.0 and "American Idol" winner Lee DeWyze's Live It Up. But perhaps the most talked-about release of the week is Rihanna's Loud. Coming hot on the heels of 2009's dark, moody Rated R, Loud finds Rihanna settling back into the club-friendly groove of her earlier releases and slathers irresistible melodies on top of futuristic production from StarGate, the Runners, Polow da Don and Tricky Stewart.

So far, Loud has been embraced by critics looking to evaluate Rihanna's career as a whole. "Loud is, at points, a powerful reminder of Rihanna's skills before the 2009 Grammys incident changed how we read her songs," wrote critic August Brown in the Los Angeles Times. "The minor-key moments are still her best: 'Only Girl (In the World)' revives the chilly trance of 'Disturbia' with a newly vigorous vocal performance."

In a three star review, AllMusic's Andy Kellman was enthusiastic if not a bit more reserved. "One song that sounds nothing like anything else in Rihanna's past is 'Skin,' a contender for anti-gravity slow jam of 2010," he wrote. "The low points — the cluttered 'Complicated,' the unfinished-sounding Nicki Minaj collaboration 'Raining Men,' the overwrought rock weeper 'California King Bed' — weigh the album down."

Emily Mackay of the U.K.'s New Musical Express agreed that the album is good but is sometimes undone by its inconsistency. "If Rated R seemed disparate sometimes, Loud's experiments feel more organic, its tone better paced, from the Caribbean-tinged anthem for doomed youth of 'Man Down' via the glossy, dark tectonic beats of 'What’s My Name?' (featuring Drake) to the ludicrously banging trancepop of 'Only Girl (In The World),' she wrote. "The only track that drops the ball is 'California King Bed,' a howler of a ballad, with shlocky acoustic intro, trite piano and a faux-Slash solo that punctures the album’s fresh unity."

The Washington Post's Chris Richards finds Rihanna talented but Loud somewhat inscrutable. "This album makes you wonder if Rihanna's ever lived anywhere else than behind a microphone. She's a technician above all, and can credit her success to a massive fan base that finds such uber-precision irresistible," he wrote. "Loud is resistible. And impenetrable. And largely forgettable."

The final word goes to , who gave Loud an "A-" grade and noted, "At times the album's lurid sexuality can feel forced: kink as oversold diva commodity. What Loud showcases best, though, is a star undefeated by her worst circumstances — and finding redemption in exactly the kind of pop nirvana that made her famous in the first place."

What do you think of Rihanna's new album? Let us know in the comments!

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With The Beatles Now Available, What Bands Still Aren't On iTunes?

Posted 11/16/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music


The digital music world got a big break early on Tuesday (November 16), as Apple announced that more than seven years after the establishment of the iTunes Store (the premier digital music outpost on the Internet, responsible for over 10 billion songs sold), the Beatles are finally available for purchase. The legendary band's entire remastered catalog is now live on iTunes, with the bonus addition of an iTunes-specific box set that features all of the group's albums plus a ton of bonus content (including making-of footage and extended liner notes).

For the longest time, the Beatles were the major holdout on iTunes, as most other legendary bands made themselves fully available via the sales service. Led Zeppelin famously held out but eventually made their stuff available a few years back, and despite the fact that digital music has always made them nervous, you can get the entire Metallica collection on iTunes as well.

But what bands are still holding out? It's an interesting combination of artists.

AC/DC
The Australian hard rockers have always been extremely protective of their back catalog. They steadfastly refuse to put together a greatest hits album, and it has paid off, as their old albums (especially 1980's Back in Black) are constants in the charts. They have never made their music available through iTunes, and the only digital deal they've ever signed was with Verizon (where you could purchase their songs via Verizon phones).

Tool
Strangely, you can get just about any of the Tool side projects (including A Perfect Circle and Puscifer), but the band itself is nowhere to be found.

Mid-period Prince
Most of the important Prince albums (1999, Purple Rain, Batman) can be bought via iTunes, but a bunch of the mid-period albums (including Musicology and The Rainbow Children) aren't available.
Read More...

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Spotted: 'Harry Potter' Star Emma Watson Takes New York

Posted 11/16/10 11:30 am EST by in Movies


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Though Daniel Radcliffe plays the title character in the "Harry Potter" film series, the true breakout star of the films is Emma Watson. The 20-year-old actress has managed to spin the role of Hermione Granger into a complicated, versatile young woman, one capable of strength, vulnerability, beauty and brains all within a single look. She's an excellent actress and something of a style icon, which is why she has been so busy during the push for the New York premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1." Before she hit the red carpet (where MTV News was broadcasting live), she stopped by "The Late Show With David Letterman" to chat about the movie, and this morning she appeared on both "Today" and "Live With Regis and Kelly" to do some more promotion. Throughout her spin through Manhattan, she has retained the same kind of style and grace that she has become known for, and even though she is interested in taking some time off now that the movies are finished, she'll remain a star.

She wasn't the only favorite making the rounds, as Christina Aguilera and Cher embraced on the red carpet for the premiere of "Burlesque" and Taylor Swift paid a visit to Japan to spread the word about her new album Speak Now. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Madonna, Rihanna, Eminem, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers!

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Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Power'

Posted 11/16/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


The release of Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The 13-track LP completes something of a comeback narrative for West that began with the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (when he was ostracized for crashing the stage during a Taylor Swift acceptance speech and went underground for a while) and was built up over the course of the past year with some key live performances, the "G.O.O.D. Friday" download series and the recently-released short film "Runaway." In fact, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is so dense and full of gems that it's necessary to take each song and break it down to its bare elements. This time around, we take a look at the references on "Power."

King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man"
The signature track from perhaps the definitive prog rock band. Formed in England in 1969 by jazz-influenced guitarist Robert Fripp, the band has touched on elements of hard rock, jam rock, metal and a bunch of elements in between for the past four decades. "21st Century Schizoid Man" comes from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King and contains multiple references to the Vietnam War.

Kelly Rowland
Former member of Destiny's Child (she was the only member besides Beyoncé Knowles to be with the group for its duration) and current solo star who has put out two albums on her own (with another coming next year). In this context, Kanye refers to "Kelly Rowlands" as a stand-in for dark-skinned girls.
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Billy Corgan Vs. Pavement: The Smackdown Continues!

Posted 11/16/10 9:30 am EST by in Music


One of the oldest (and in many ways, most passive) feuds in rock history got stoked again on Monday (November 15) when Smashing Pumpkins mastermind Billy Corgan took to Twitter to take down recently reunited indie rock darlings Pavement. "Just found out SP is playing with Pavement in Brazil," Corgan wrote on his Twitter. "It's gonna be one of those New Orleans type funerals. I say that because they represent the death of the alternative dream, and we follow with the affirmation of life part. Funny how those who pointed the big finger of 'sell out' are the biggest offenders now."

The feud dates all the way back to Pavement's song "Range Life," which comes from their classic 1994 album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. In the song's third verse, frontman Stephen Malkmus sings "Out on tour with the smashing pumpkins/ Nature kids, they don't have no function/ I don't understand what they mean/ And I could really give a f--k." (The lyric also calls out Stone Temple Pilots a bit later.) Corgan bristled at the idea of being called out in the lyrics, and it didn't help that "Range Life" became one of Pavement's cornerstone songs (though never really a true "single" in the sense that Smashing Pumpkins broke singles).

Corgan's note about "sell outs" is emblematic of a '90s alternative rock attitude that doesn't really exist any more. For a time at the beginning of the alt-rock revolution, maintaining credibility was a huge issue among bands (even those who were already signed to major labels). The idea of whoring out your music for the sake of getting in a television commercial or getting tour sponsorship was considered a deadly sin in that era, and bands were openly vocal about their ability to stay true to themselves despite the river of money that was flowing toward them at all times. Pavement stayed ultra-indie until the end, while Corgan's Smashing Pumpkins were considered sell-outs because they made big-sounding music that was all over the radio and MTV. (Also it didn't help that they were on a fake indie label that was actually owned by Virgin.)

Of course, all this discourse is somewhat moot nowadays. You don't hear the phrase "sell out" anymore — the music industry has gotten so fractured that it's basically impossible to make a living as a musician without a little integrated marketing. Nobody holds it against their favorite bands when they decide they want to eat, and people are just happy to have Pavement back, even if it means paying slightly too much money for a ticket (though again, most Pavement fans would happily trade some extra cash so Bob Nastanovich can eat). The bottom line? "Range Life" is still a great song, no matter what you think of Smashing Pumpkins.


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Korn Work Out Their Issues: Wake-Up Video

Posted 11/16/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


Back in 1999, it could be reasonably argued that, for at least a brief period of time, Korn were the biggest rock band in the country. Their songs were all over rock radio (with the occasional crossover tune storming the pop chart) and their visually intense videos were all over MTV. The fall of 1999 was full of high-profile rock releases from Foo Fighters, Counting Crows and Rage Against the Machine, but Korn's fourth album Issues — released on this day in '99 — may have been the biggest of them all.

Korn had scored their biggest smash yet with their third album Follow the Leader, which turned them from an underground favorite into arena-filling superstars with high-profile singles like "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash." Though they had been slowly purging the hip-hop influences from their music (the most embarrassing song on Follow the Leader was a relatively straight hip-hop duet with Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst called "All in the Family"), the band decided to almost completely purge those sounds for Issues. What's left was their most raw, metal-sounding album yet, full of dark riffs and even darker lyrics courtesy of frontman Jonathan Davis. Issues even has an MTV connection, as the album covers were designed by fans in a contest hosted by the network.

Though it received mixed reviews when it was released, Issues was still a massive seller and was launched in incredible style: The band played the album in its entirety at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem and broadcast the concert on radio stations around the country. They also had a big coming out party for the first single "Falling Away From Me," which made its debut on an episode of "South Park." The video is a delightfully weird bit of heavy cinema directed by Durst.


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The 'Dancing With The Stars' Situation: The Final Four Step Up

Posted 11/16/10 7:30 am EST by in Television


Victory was within sniffing distance for all four contestants still alive coming into Monday night's (November 15) episode of "Dancing With the Stars," so it was up to Brandy, Jennifer Grey, Bristol Palin and Kyle Massey to give just a little bit more to impress both the judges and the home viewing audience. Tuesday night's (November 16) results show should be a nail-biter, as each contestant made a reasonable case for why he or she should be the new "Dancing With the Stars" champion (yes, even the much-maligned Palin pulled that off).

Of all the dancers, it was Grey who stepped up the most. After spending the first few weeks of the competition as the prohibitive favorite, she might have lost a step or two thanks to the hectic schedule and the increasing demands on her from the judges. But Grey really brought out the big guns on Monday night, as her pair of dances netted her perfect scores all around.

After several weeks at about-to-break status, Massey finally got in gear too, picking up a pair of 29s for his two dances (including an especially impressive Argentine tango set to "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire"). He had shown hints of it prior to Monday night, but Massey really turned on the polish during his performances, and he looked as professional as his partner.

Perhaps the most disappointing round of the night went to Brandy, who picked up a perfect score for her Argentine tango but only netted a 27 for her paso doble. It was still certainly pretty good, but her performance looked just a tad uneven and lapsed into sloppiness at points. That left the door open for Palin, who still had the lowest scores of the night (she snagged a 26 and a 27) but did manage to perform what was her single best dance of the season (a paso doble set to Britney Spears' "Gimme More"). She still doesn't have the same kind of character and precision that the other remaining contestants have, but she is definitely a better dancer than she was a few weeks ago.

And that will probably be enough to get her into the finals. Since Grey's performances were so overwhelmingly sharp, the final elimination seems to come down to either Brandy or Massey. Taken in a vacuum, Massey danced far better than Brandy did on this evening, but Brandy has a much better shot at winning than does Massey. Since the idea of an all-female trio of finalists probably irks people, expect Brandy to get the final exit before the finals next week.

Who do you think should be in the finals of "Dancing With the Stars"? Let us know in the comments!

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Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Gorgeous'

Posted 11/15/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


The release of Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of the most hotly-anticipated albums of the year. The 13-track LP completes something of a comeback narrative for West that began with the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (when he was ostracized for crashing the stage during a Taylor Swift acceptance speech and went underground for a while) and was built up over the course of the past year with some key live performances, the "G.O.O.D. Friday" download series and the recently-released short film "Runaway." In fact, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is so dense and full of gems that it's necessary to take each song and break it down to its bare elements. This time around, we take a look at the references on "Gorgeous."

"30 Rock"
The award-winning comedy show created by former "Saturday Night Live" head writer Tina Fey has had a number of hip-hop crossover moments (they called one of their holiday shows "Ludacrismas"). The show also stars Alec Baldwin, who also gets referenced in this song.

Mount Olympus
The legendary home of the gods of Greek mythology, who sat above the clouds at the top of Olympus to lord over the human race below. It's not the first piece of mythology West has dropped, as his character in the "Runaway" film is named Griffin, the beast with an eagle's head and a lion's body.

"Reminds me when they tried to have Ali enlisted"
Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion in 1967 when he refused to be drafted in the U.S. military (both because of his religious beliefs — Ali converted to Islam in 1964 — and because of a social protest against the war in Vietnam). Read More...

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Jay-Z Says Kanye West Spoke With 'Honest Emotion': The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 11/15/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


"It was bad timing, but it was absolutely an honest emotion. We all felt like that. We didn't feel like Katrina was a natural disaster. We felt like it as an attack on black people. All you saw was black people on the roof with HELP signs. ... White people felt like that."

-Hip-hop elder statesman Jay-Z, discussing the incident back in 2005 that saw Kanye West declare that George W. Bush didn't "care about black people" during a telethon benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina. During an hour-long conversation on Howard Stern's Sirius satellite radio show on Monday morning (November 15), Jigga touched on a number of key topics, including his early days in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, his relationship with his wife Beyoncé and his run-ins with President Obama. But he talked at great length about West, whose words from five years ago have come back around again thanks to George W. Bush's declaration that said moment was one of the worst moments of his presidency.

Jay also addressed West's 2009 MTV Video Music Awards moment with Taylor Swift, which West initiated because he thought Beyoncé had made the superior video. "It's bittersweet in a lot of ways," he said about West's interruption of Swift's acceptance speech. "If we look back, everyone would agree that he was right. It was bad timing. It was not her fault. It's not Taylor Swift's fault. She didn't nominate ... she didn't elect herself. She just sat there and she had a dream and she's seeing that dream being realized, and he had the same dream, so he realizes that now. He was fighting for the integrity of the award, and he knows how hard he works on his videos. It was bad timing, but we agreed."

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