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Our Most Hoped for Hip-Hop Comebacks

Posted 9/2/11 12:00 pm EST by in hip-hop, listicle


By Zachary Swickey

Thanks to the lyrical abilities of rhyme-spitters like Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Jay-Z, the rap game is alive and well in 2011. Weezy is reportedly on track to sell around 850-900k copies of Tha Carter IV, and Watch the Throne is one of rap’s most talked about albums ever (not to mention it’s pretty damn good). With such astute rappers in today’s fast-paced music world, it’s easy to forget some of the past heavy-hitters.

Some rappers inexplicably lose their luster or disappear from the public eye altogether, but occasionally they revive their careers from the grave. Take Dr. Dre, for example. The Doc released the legendary hip-hop album The Chronic way back in ’92, but his career was basically nonexistent for most of the mid-to-late 90s. That is until he met a lanky white boy from Detroit named Eminem. Finally, seven years later – after signing one of rap’s hottest new artists – he released his follow up, 2001, which was a huge success, selling more than twice as many copies as his debut. And who knows, maybe the doctor will have yet another comeback with the eventual release of his third album, Detox, which is quickly becoming the Chinese Democracy of rap.

There are several rappers who we’d like to strongly encourage dusting the cobwebs off their mic and giving us the swagger-filled comeback albums we’re hurting for. Here are the top five hip-hop comebacks that we find ourselves craving the most. Read More...

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Justin Timberlake's Myspace Buy-In Just Latest Curious Celeb Investment Deal

Posted 7/1/11 8:00 am EST by in Blink-182, Celebrity, Dr.-Dre, Fashion, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake


Justin Timberlake

Nobody wants to be just a singer or actor anymore. You're nobody in this world until you have your own product line, whether it be swim suits, cologne, nightclubs, top-shelf liquor brands or energy drinks.

And while it makes perfect sense for a wildman rocker like Sammy Hagar to launch a line of high-end tequila, or for beatmeister Dr. Dre to launch a line of booming headphones and laptops, sometimes those celebrity/brand marriages are a bit murkier.

Case in point: the announcement this week that Justin Timberlake has bought a minority stake in once-hot social networking site Myspace and that he'll be taking on the role of creative visionary at the relaunched company, which was bought at a fire sale by a West Coast tech firm. Yes, Timberlake has proven to be a triple threat as actor, singer and label boss, not to mention a fashion maven with his William Rast clothing line.

That got us thinking about other male music stars who've made bold deals with companies that might have seemed bizarre at first, but turned out to be among the best moves they've ever made.

50 Cent and Vitaminwater: Laugh all you want, but 50 has been savvy all along about his non-music ventures. From his G-Unit sneakers and clothing line to various PlayStation games, book imprints and RGX Body Spray, 50 has always looked for new opportunities. None has paid off like his deal with Glaceau, which hooked up with the rapper for the Formula 50 supplement drink. When Coca-Cola purchased Glaceau for more than $4 billion in 2007, 50 was estimated to have earned more than $100 million on the deal.
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50 Cent Is Looking Forward To Dr. Dre's Detox: The MTV News Quote Of The Day

Posted 1/25/11 3:30 pm EST by in Music


"When you got a producer that has that kind of production track record, you even have to credit both Eminem's success and my success to Dr. Dre as a producer. My first single off of Get Rich or Die Tryin' — people constantly tell me it was a classic — was produced by Dr. Dre, 'In Da Club.' Without that momentum from that song, I'm not sure they would have taken to 'P.I.M.P.' the same way or '21 Questions' or any of the other hit records I released following that."

-Multi-platinum rapper 50 Cent, discussing how much influence Dr. Dre has had on his ultra-successful career. Though the actual released date is in doubt (the rumors about the album dropping on April 20 have been established as false), it appears as though Detox will be showing up on the streets before 2011 has walked out the door. There are plenty of good signs, as the first single "Kush" has already premiered (along with a great video) and the second single "I Need a Doctor" (which features production by Alex Da Kid and some verses from Eminem) is about to drop any day.

Meanwhile, 50 Cent is also expected to drop an album this year (the hotly-anticipated Black Magic) and also has two finished films in the can (one called "Vengeance" that stars Danny Trejo and a second called "Blood Out" that is headed by Val Kilmer). He was recently spotted hanging out in Park City, Utah with the cavalcade of stars celebrating the Sundance Film Festival (which is where MTV News caught up with him).

Are you more looking forward to new music from 50 Cent or Dr. Dre? Let us know in the comments!

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Kanye West, 'Glee' And The Beatles: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 10/8/10 5:30 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


We have come to the end of yet another week, and whether your are watching a friend get married, celebrating your own engagement or just heading out to a screening of "My Soul to Take" looking for the right person, you deserve to enjoy yourself this weekend. Go ahead — you've earned it! You worked hard all week, put your nose to the grindstone and gave 110 percent of yourself to work, school or playing "World of Warcraft" (however you choose to fill your time during the week). Now it's time to head out to the cinema, watch some college football, maybe try to sneak in the last barbecue of the season or just attend New York Comic Con. But before you do any of that, check out all the fun and madness you might have missed on the MTV Newsroom Blog this week. As the links below prove, a certain rapper and interior design enthusiast from Chicago was particularly popular over the past few days.

» Kanye West had a massive week, and we're still a few weeks away from the release of his new album. First, he turned in one of the best performances in the history of "Saturday Night Live."

» Later in the week, he announced that his new album will officially be called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. That's a mouthful, so we suggested some alternatives.

» Then, West unveiled the entirety of his new short film "Runaway," which draws from both Michael Jackson and Matisse.

» West didn't have a monopoly on the news this week, however. He placed well in the poll deciding which album is the season's most anticipated, but the voters are far more excited about My Chemical Romance's Danger Days.

» Using the power of Britney Spears, the cast of "Glee" passed the Beatles on a very silly list that means nothing at all.
Read More...

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50 Cent And Chelsea Handler's 'Project': What Will It Look Like?

Posted 10/7/10 6:00 pm EST by in Music


Even before she hosted the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, late night talk show host Chelsea Handler has had quite an affinity for members of the hip-hop community. So it shouldn't be especially surprising that Handler has spent some recent quality time with 50 Cent, the charismatic chart-topping rapper and actor. Though rumors swirled that the two had struck up a romantic relationship, Handler cleared up that rumor via Twitter. "Everyone, calm down," she wrote. "I met with Mr. Cent about a potential project. There's nothing to report yet, I'll let you know if there is."

So that puts away the idea that the two are a couple, but that opens a whole new question: What might Handler and Fiddy be working on? Is she looking to break into the rap game by dropping some verses on an upcoming 50 Cent project? (Doubtful.) Is 50 Cent going to take on the role of Handler's sidekick on "Chelsea Lately"? (Probably not.) Are the two going to try to put in a bid for an expansion NBA franchise? (That's can't even remotely be true.)

But it's very possible that the pair are collaborating on some sort of film project, which would certainly be unusual but also extremely entertaining. That got us thinking: What sort of film would co-star Handler and Fiddy? We could easily picture the pair as Batman and Robin, though you could also convince us that a remake of "The Shawshank Redemption" could end up pretty sweet also. But in reality, we're hoping that they channel Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and bring back Jules and Vince.

(Click here for more 50 Cent and Chelsea Handler movie mash-ups, including "Oldboy" and "The Shawshank Redemption"!)

What movies would you like to see 50 Cent and Chelsea Handler make? Let us know in the comments!

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With Another Twitter Show Coming, Here Are Five Feeds Who Deserve The TV Treatment

Posted 9/29/10 11:30 am EST by in Television


By Nuzhat Naoreen

It was only a matter of time before Twitter took over our television screens. Things got started with CBS' new comedy "$h*! My Dad Says" (officially pronounced — no kidding — "Bleep My Dad Says") and now we're hearing that another Twitter account may be headed to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS is working with Ashton Kutcher to develop a series based on @shhdontellsteve, about a guy who secretly tweets about his roommate (the titular Steve).

We've got a hunch that this won't be the last Twitter-to-TV story we hear, so before the networks jump on any other accounts, we thought we'd throw out some of our own suggestions. Here are five Twitter accounts that undoubtedly deserve their own television show.

@KanyeWest
We already know that Kanye West always equals television gold, but his tweets only make the case stronger for him to get his own chunk of regular airtime. Kanye only joined Twitter a few months ago, but he instantly became one of the service's all-star celebrities. His tweets range from random and often hilarious observations to surprisingly thoughtful statements, all delivered in no-BS streams of consciousness. The guy even managed to make lipstick a trending topic!
Followers: Over 1.2 million
Sample Tweet: "Man do you think it's rude for your friends to give your girl a hug?"

@Charliemcdowell
Endorsed by none other than Spencer Pratt, Charlie McDowell's twitter account consists of sarcastic messages he writes to the girls who live above him (he calls them "GAM" — "girls above me"), who are not so bright (and we're being nice here). While it's not the best situation for Charlie, the result for readers is pretty laugh-out-loud funny.
Followers: Over 29,000
Sample Tweet: "Dear Girls Above Me, 'We have actual bed bugs in our apartment!? I thought that was just a saying!' Thank God we're only sort of roommates."

@sustainableTips
Think of them as eco-rebels. @sustainabletips is taking full advantage of the green-living phenomenon, mostly by mercilessly mocking it. Read More...

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The 'Wall Street' Playlist: Get Money With OJ Da Juiceman, Jay-Z And 50 Cent

Posted 9/24/10 11:32 am EST by in Music


It's another busy and bizarrely eclectic weekend at your local cinema, which should make going to the movies a strange and wonderful experience over the next few days. There is a generous cross-section of flicks hitting screens, including big-budget wide releases ("Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," "You Again"), buzzworthy indies (Gaspar Noe's "Enter the Void," the public education system-eviscerating documentary "Waiting for 'Superman'") and limited-release Oscar bait (the Ryan Reynolds trapped-in-a-box thriller "Buried," Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"). But the biggest release is undoubtedly "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," Oliver Stone's sequel to his 1987 classic "Wall Street." The original first introduced the world to Gordon Gekko, a character played by Michael Douglas who came to represent the unfettered avarice of Reagan-era New York, where capitalism reigned supreme and (to paraphrase Gekko) "greed was good." Douglas reprises the role in the sequel, which sees Gekko getting out of jail and attempting to get back to the business of business. The new film reflects an entirely new economic climate, where actual economic villains like Bernie Madoff have actually gone to jail and the same sort of greed is looked upon less as ambitious and more as insidious.

In order to get yourself in the mood to spend some more time with Gordon Gekko, we put together the following money-centric playlist. There's no doubt that many, many rappers have served at the altar of Gekko (who was basically the non-violent version of "Scarface," another classic picture of '80s money obsession that also happens to be connected to Oliver Stone). So check out pro-dollar anthems from 50 Cent ("I Get Money"), Lil Scrappy ("Addicted to Money") and Ludacris ("Money Maker"), as well as Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing." We kick things off with OJ Da Juiceman's "I'm Getting Money," as powerful a capitalist anthem as there is.


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50 Cent Forms Twitter Account For His Dog, Travels Down The Rabbit Hole

Posted 9/21/10 4:30 pm EST by in Music


By Jenny McCoy

Dogs are tough work, and in 2010 their demands have only increased. Just ask 50 Cent. In addition to holding down his rap career, he also has to worry about his pooch. Food, water, walks and ... Twitter updates?

Yes, today we introduce you to one of Twitter's newest users and the lady who has stolen our attention one update at a time this afternoon: 50 Cent's dog, Oprah.

First of all, how incredibly awesome is it that 50 Cent even has a dog named Oprah? But perhaps more importantly, it's extra amazing that 50 would go out of his way to give his pet a virtual voice. And she's pretty active, too: In just 24 hours on Twitter, 50's foul-mouthed pup has already revealed quite a lot to her more than 7,000 followers. To wit:

» She may have a broken leg and her owner is possibly responsible.

» She'd prefer a new owner.

» She's not keen on doing tricks in exchange for treats.

» She doesn't enjoy listening to 50's music at full blast and doubts he'll make another hit.

» She has been to the vet this morning (documented by two Twitpics).

» She relieved herself both before and after her vet visit.

Everything about these developments is entertaining. The fact that 50 has a dog named Oprah is magical, and the fact that not only does she tweet but she also doesn't particularly like her owner is a truly amazing meta gag. The possibilities for future updates are endless, but we know 50, err, Oprah, will keep us entertained.

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Eminem And Jay-Z In Detroit: The New 'The Last Waltz'

Posted 9/3/10 9:30 am EST by in Music


On Thursday night (September 2), Eminem and Jay-Z took over Detroit's Comerica Park and delivered an epic concert that ranks up there with one of the hugest nights in hip-hop history. The pair of them obviously delivered incredible performances, but they also trotted out a cavalcade of extra-special guests for collaborations and special appearances. Dr. Dre, D12, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Drake, Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek all made appearances on stage to drop guest verses and hype up the crowd on some of the biggest songs in the history of rap music (including a run through Dre's "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," with Eminem taking Snoop Dogg's iconic lines).

The whole spectacle, with some of the biggest names in hip-hop (and thus the biggest names in all of music) all sharing stage time, recalled another great event in music history: "The Last Waltz," the gigantic retirement concert by the Band. Captured by Martin Scorsese for one of the best concert films ever made, "The Last Waltz" featured another cavalcade of performers who came out on stage at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on November 25, 1976. How do the icons of the '60s match up with their 21st century hip-hop counterparts? You'd be surprised how well it works out.

Eminem = Robbie Robertson
The alpha dog of all the proceedings, Eminem ran his hometown stadium like a private VIP lounge, inviting only his closest confidantes and biggest star pals. Though the Band never really had a true frontman (the singing duties were shared among four guys), Robertson was usually the one running the show.

Jay-Z = Levon Helm
Never as flashy or as loud as Robertson, Helm was always the more beloved member of the Band — a quiet, contemplative guy who loved music and secretly wrote better songs. Jay-Z may not have grabbed the headlines at the Detroit show (though wait until the pair arrive at Yankee Stadium in two weeks), but he still delivered a devastating performance.

Dr. Dre = Bob Dylan
The Band got their big break back when they were known as the Hawks and they backed up a folk star looking to turn up the volume on his songs. Read More...

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Spotted: Rain Creates A Stir In China

Posted 7/29/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


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.

The fact that high-level fashion outlet MCM opened a store in Shanghai, China is a big deal in and of itself, but the organizers of the grand opening knew exactly how to turn the who thing into a gigantic event. Most grand openings will try to get a big list of stars to walk up, but MCM only really needed one: South Korean pop star/actor/model/independent industry Rain. The star made his way to the brand new store on Wednesday (July 28), where he attracted huge throngs of rabid, devoted fans. For those not in the know, Rain's star power and influence stretches all across the world, combining the sort of fervor reserved for the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Eminem. He's huge, and he continues to make inroads into new places (including the United States, where his film "Ninja Assassin" and the single "Hip Song" have both raised his profile profoundly).

He wasn't the only star smiling for the cameras, as 50 Cent attended the premiere of the new movie "Twelve" (which stars Chace Crawford and 50 himself) and the Strokes prepared for their big Lollapalooza set next weekend with a show in Australia. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 400 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers, Madonna, Rihanna, Diddy and Justin Timberlake!

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