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Kanye West Takes Sway Along To His Surprise NYC Show

Posted 10/25/10 3:09 pm EST by in Music

If you were anywhere near a television set, online or on Twitter, I'm sure that your Saturday evening was held hostage by Kanye West mania! For me, it was an entire night flooded with G.O.O.D Music. It all started at MTV studios with the debut of his "Runaway" movie and an in-depth, live Q&A immediately afterward. Kanye was in rare form and seemed extremely ecstatic and gratified that the world finally saw this piece of art.



The night didn't end there for me. Following the interview, we headed to Platinum Sounds Studios, owned by Wyclef Jean and bassist Jerry "Wonder," in midtown Manhattan. There, I watched Ye carefully sift through song selections on his laptop for what was to be a surprise performance at Williamsburg's Brooklyn Bowl (one that I almost ruined unknowingly by mentioning it during our Q&A session). G.O.O.D. Music artists CyHi Da Prynce and Consequence filed into the studio, and soon after music mogul Andre Harrell arrived, it was time to caravan over to BK.
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Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later: Remembering The Horror And The Hope

Posted 8/27/10 12:30 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes

As told to Peter de Saint Phalle

On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, beginning a cycle of disaster that still affects the city today. MTV News' Sway was on the scene in Houston to talk to evacuees about the aftermath of the storm. This is the story of his encounter with a young refugee named Terrell.

My four-person film crew and I arrived at the Astrodome in Houston on the Friday (September 2, 2005) after the storm had struck. The arena had become a drop-off point for the people being evacuated from New Orleans. When I first watched the media's coverage of the storm and its aftermath, it all seemed like an event too devastating to be real. Now as I saw the mass of people crowded outside of the Astrodome, the reality of Katrina's destructive power hit me in a whirlwind. These people were separated from families and friends, often with no changes of clothes, no identification, no money and no idea of what to do next.

The situation inside the stadium was even more ominous. I remember my crew and I walked out of the players' tunnel, almost expecting to see grass, goal lines, and referees. Instead we were met by a sea of people camped out on the floor of the stadium. There was very little food and water being distributed while bathroom facilities were overflowed and no longer working. I remember how the elderly were stationed below the bleachers, left without proper care and medication. One elderly woman had recently passed away. Her body was left where she was originally dropped off.

The people who came up to talk to me were angry and confused. They felt like their government didn't value their lives and that they had been abandoned in their time of great need. During those moments it was hard to expect any feeling of hope to emerge from such a seemingly hopeless situation, which is why I was surprised to meet a young man like Terrell.

Terrell had recently been bussed in from New Orleans and was looking for his family. Busses were dropping refugees in areas scattered across Texas and Louisiana, but Terrell would not rest until he knew where his family was. I was apprehensive about my crew following Terrell on his search. Even I, a stranger far removed from the situation, could feel the hopelessness of Terrell's circumstance. I was worried about exploiting the man's potential loss.

We followed Terrell for hours, searching cots, rooms and surrounding buildings for any sign of his family. His tenacity was rewarded when he found his brother, nieces and nephew at a refugee site not far from the stadium.

What Terrell taught me that day was that even through a terrible disaster, people will survive their struggles if they look to survive with hope in their hearts.

What are your memories from Hurricane Katrina? Let us know in the comments!

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Sway Challenges You To 'Get In The Game' On Your.MTV.Com!

Posted 7/8/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music

"Get in the game!" is a phrase that my football coach used to say to me when I was on the field but couldn't make plays. Whenever I heard that, I knew I had to get myself focused and work harder at creating opportunities. I'm often approached on the street by a lot of young, striving artists trying to break through in the music business. They're just looking for the chance to get a foot in the door and get themselves involved. Well, here's your chance to create an opportunity to "Get in the Game"!

No matter what block you rep, if you're unsigned and looking for a break I want to provide you with the chance to be discovered and featured on MTV. Just post a video clip with your music to Your.MTV.com to let me (and the rest of the Your.MTV.com community) hear your best stuff. Of course, there are a few ground rules: It must be all original music, contain no inappropriate language and — most of all — no lyrical biting! Every week, I will personally select a new artist to spotlight. So "Get in the Game" and maybe it'll be you who gets some shine!

Want to "Get in the Game" with Sway? Head on over to Your.MTV.com to upload your music and take your best shot at the opportunity to be featured on MTV!

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Sway At The Winter Olympics: Unity, Panties

Posted 2/14/10 2:10 pm EST by in Sports

The town of Whistler is just a two-hour bus ride from Vancouver, but it feels much, much further. I learned firsthand on Saturday, when we headed up to the mountain town to interview members of the U.S. Ski Team, and spend a day gazing up at the snow-covered peaks of Blackcomb Peak.

Of course, it all started with that two-hour ride from Vancouver, which revealed a countryside that put the best postcards to shame ... massive mountains, tiny islands, waterfalls, crystal-clear lakes that put the drinking water in my Harlem apartment to shame. Canada truly is heaven's playground. And then, we made it up to Whistler. It's a ski town that's definitely ready to party, but with the Olympics in town ... wow, things were on a whole new level. Fans from all over the world, wearing their nations' flags like capes, paraded through the streets, shouting and already a few drink deep. I chatted with some of them, cocky kids from Norway, who bragged about their dominance at the Winter Olympics, Americans who were few in number but loud in voice, and, of course, Canadians, who swarmed me looking for any chance to big-up the home nation.

I also spoke with five different athletes from Team USA, got to meet the men and women you usualy only get to see on TV. Kaylin Richardson, Ted Liggity and Julia Mancuso were three highlights, particularly Julia, because she gave me a pair of panties at the end of our interview (but that's another story for a different blog.)

And that's what's been so cool about these games: meeting people. Not just athletes, but regular folk like me and you, from all around the world. The Olympics are amazing because they bring all these people together, and allows them to realize that they're more similar than they are different. I haven't quite figured it all out, but there's definitely a lesson in this that politicians can learn from. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to doing it again tomorrow.

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Winter Olympics: The Vibe In Vancouver

Posted 2/13/10 4:08 pm EST by in Sports

The XXI Winter Olympics are officially underway, and we've hit the ground running here in Vancouver. Our day started with a drive through downtown, where Olympic mania is now extremely visible. You can't walk two steps without passing a cluster of paraphernalia-clad pedestrians or perhaps even an athlete or two (shout out to my fellas on Team Ethiopia.) The streets are lines with signage -- in every language imaginable -- that wont let you forget that the Winter Olympics have definitely arrived in town.

All around town you see proud Canadians parading around with their families, waving their flags both miniature and gigantic! There are also a lot of eccentric street vendors dancing around and doing tricks for money [Editor's note: Not those kinds of tricks.] Down in Robson Square, they've bands performing around the clock, and just around the corner from there, a long line of people waiting for their chance to take on a hockey simulator ... guys in winter hats, draped in flags, trying to rip slap shots past a virtual goalie. Oh, and there's also an ice skating rink, and it only seemed right to put on a pair of skates and show off my glide. I wont front, I was a little spooked about falling on my ass. After lacing my boots I hit the ice and didn't do bad for a novice until some six-year-old kid named Max began to terrorize me on the ice, zig-zagging in front of me. He even pushed me on my back where i almost lost my balance!

I challenged him to a race, and he won, and I was all set for a rematch when his mom snatched him up for his afternoon nap. We raced, he won, we made peace with a high five and his Mom snatched him up probably took him somewhere to take his afternoon nap.

But for all the festivities surrounding the Olympics, there's also a somber feeling in the air, after the death of Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, who lost his life while training for his event. He was traveling over 91 mph and lost control in the last turn of the luge track, which was already rumored to be the fastest -- and most dangerous -- in the world. His death was a dismal reminder of the dangers of these events, especially when competing at these levels, and it's definitely cast a shadow over the beginnings of the games.

Still, the Olympics continue, and right now, we're all on board a bus bound for Whistler mountain, where we'll hang out with some U.S. skiers, and, from what I've heard, catch up with my dudes in the All-American Rejects, too. I'll have more on all that, later. Gotta get my skis shined up.

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2010 Winter Olympics Report: Sway Gets A Lesson In Skeleton

Posted 2/12/10 4:00 pm EST by in Sports

Here in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the sky is overcast but the mood around town is extremely festive. I haven't seen much of Vancouver yet, but I'm looking forward to it in the days to come. I grew up running track in the Bay Area and it was always a dream to either compete in or at least attend the Olympics, so needless to say I'm excited.

I have to say that I was thrilled to interview two Olympic legends in Dan Jansen and Picabo Street. Both are being featured on a tribute mural dedicated to Olympic Hall of Famers spearheaded by AllState. The art work, done in colored chalk, captures various moments in time during their glorious careers.

Dan spoke of finally winning the gold medal and dedicating it to his deceased sister (but added that not even that compares to having his first child). Picabo spoke on losing being a greater teacher than winning, which was interesting stuff. I also got a great piece of salmon jerky in "Gas Town" district of Vancouver. (If you didn't know, Gas Town was named after a saloon keeper named Captain John "Gassy Jack" Deighton. He was the first settler in the area that eventually became Vancouver. I dropped that in there because I think history is always an interesting component to include when you're documenting travel to a place you've never been.)

Later, I had a chance to speak with two more Olympians: Skeleton sliders Kate Uhlander and Noelle Pikus, pace both of whom are mad cool. If you aren't aware, Skeleton is the event where you speed down a luge head first at speeds up to 90 miles per hour (which, needless to say, is insane). Kate, from Colorado, was very jovial and even showed me a surgical scar on her knee that has to be at least eight inches long! She thought that Black Eyed Peas "Imma Be" could be a great song to get her in a competitive mood. Meanwhile, Noelle was just simply impressive! She has managed to balance being an elite world-class athlete with being a mom. Who does that? She's definitely a front runner in these Olympics, and with her patriotic red and blue extensions in her hair, she wont be hard to miss! Good luck ladies.

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'Hope For Haiti Now' Celeb Support Overwhelms MTV's Sway

Posted 1/23/10 2:33 am EST by in Haiti

Tonight's event was the most inspiring movement to help others that I've been in involved with since Hurricane Katrina. So many icons were gathered in one room, in unison, in support of Haiti.

I watched Taraji P. Henson become teary-eyed while describing to me the suffering in Haiti, and it was just tear-jerking. It was inspirational listening to Justin Timberlake humbly express his obligation to give back through song simply because it was the least he could do.

Some of the people you'd least expect to be devoted to this cause, like Ben Stiller, Chevy Chase and Robin Williams, set the jokes aside to speak about the importance of giving and continuing to give. The reconstruction of Haiti will be an ongoing task, they all agreed.

The sheer amount of star power at Los Angeles' CBS Television Studios made it feel like a high school hallway, but instead of students, the place was filled with motivated celebrities.


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Talking Tiger Woods, Taylor Swift And Jay-Z With CNN

Posted 12/4/09 11:15 am EST by in Behind The Scenes, Television

I always wondered what it would be like to work at CNN. While that won't be happening any time soon, I did get the chance to play pundit for a little while. CNN's Tom Foreman interviewed me about the years craziest topics in entertainment, politics and music culture for an end of the year special. Initially, I was hesitant to do so because I believe as news correspondents, we tend to take ourselves too seriously. However, in this case, CNN created a very fun platform to televise some interesting perspectives on events that impacted our lives in the past year, and it was great!

One of the standout moments was when I realized I was being interviewed with Larry King's background props right beside me. Some of the issues covered included Tiger Woods, President Obama, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and a bunch more. Some other people featured on this special include comedians Joy Behar and Margaret Cho.

This year-end show should be a treat to watch. Be on the lookout for me on CNN's end-of-year special "AC360's All the Best, All the Worst: 2009." And for more retrospectives on the year that was, don't miss MTV News' "Top Nine of '09," which counts down the biggest stories of the year, from Michael Jackson to Miley Cyrus to Eminem and everything in between. Check it out on New Year's Eve at 11 p.m. on MTV.

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Lady Gaga, Kermit The Frog And I Chill At The VMAs

Posted 9/14/09 4:07 pm EST by in VMAs

Lady Gaga is the truth. Some people may not be able to comprehend her eccentric ways, but you can not deny her artistic talents. There aren't many entertainers in pop music that I consider the full package — i.e., anybody who can sing, write songs, dance, produce and still be fun to watch, but she is the rare star who can pull it off.

Now it appears to me that she is also a fun date, too! At least that is the impression I got when I heard her banter back and forth with the one and only Kermit the Frog. I know it was staged, but I love a woman with a great sense of humor. I admit it was a bit awkward interviewing a Muppet on the red carpet at the VMAs, but how many people can say that they actually did that? It was like interviewing an old friend that you grew up with.

Off-camera, Lady Gaga was very personable and — dare I say it? — normal. We first met years ago when she was an aspiring artist, but I wasn't sure if she'd remember me. But she did. When a career takes off as hers has, it's understandably hard to remember everyone that you encounter when you're on your freshman grind. She told me that her red carpet outfit was a bit restricting, so it was a little difficult to simply turn her neck to see what was around her. She also expressed that she was happy that we mentioned her fans, because that is what it's all about for her. I thought that her humility was refreshing, especially considering the unforeseeable stage-jacking by another artist that took place later on during the big show. The bottom line is this: I'm looking forward to what Lady Gaga brings us in the future.

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Sway: Jay-Z's 'Run This Town' Delivers

Posted 7/24/09 2:00 pm EST by in Music

It's really interesting to observe one of the music industry's most celebrated artists navigate his way through uncharted territories in his rap career. Other than LL Cool J and Nas, there hasn't been an artist in the rap game who has been able to sustain his peak level of relevance as long as Jay-Z. As hip-hop fans, we tend to critique a little harder the longer an artist survives and the older they get. I grew out of that a long time ago — if the music feels good today, then I roll with it. I don't compare it to your past work or factor in your region or how long you've been in the game.

Jay's "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" struck a chord with me in a good way because it had substance. When an artist like Jay-Z or Eminem takes a stance on record, it's always electrifying, even if I disagree with the viewpoint. It raised my level of anticipation for the next strategic song placement leading to The Blueprint 3.

So now we have "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna and Kanye West. This song is an event — one of the most anticipated (Jay-Z), the most talked-about (Rihanna) and the most celebrated (Kanye) all on the same track. I get the feeling that these three are ready for battle when listening to this song. It's not so much that they have anything to prove, but it's almost a reminder that "We do this!" Kanye has been very detailed in his lyrical performances for a while, whereas I tend to hang on words for every two bars. It's a very unified collaboration. My curiosity is piqued: What direction is Jay going to take? How will Rihanna re-enter the scene? What kind of experimentation will Kanye do next? All in all, it's a good song that doesn't fully answer all of my questions as a fan, but it definitely excites me to want to know what's next for all three artists.

What do you think: Does "Run This Town" deliver or do you think Jigga could have done better? Let me know in the comments.

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