By Matt Thompson
In perhaps one of the oddest moments of the week, 50 Cent's crew got tangled up with longtime basketball announcer Marv Albert backstage at "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Wednesday (November 18). 50 and Marv both appeared on the show that night, and according to the Los Angeles Times, Albert received a chilly reception from 50's entourage when he arrived at the studio. Apparently, they didn't recognize the venerable voice of the NBA, and they were under the impression he was trying to impose on 50's interview. So when the broadcaster entered the building, what went down? Punches were thrown, obscenities were spat out and things got quite hostile.
Although the details remain unclear, the 68-year-old Albert was in the middle of it all. Even when a Kimmel staffer identified Albert, 50's entourage remained unswayed. Somehow, Albert got out of there unscathed, remarking, "Did you see that? I thought they were kidding, then I realized they weren't."
Both Albert and 50 were interviewed later and neither made any reference to the incident. In their defense, most people know Albert's voice more than his face. In fact, Albert could have probably avoided the whole incident had he simply shouted "LeBron James for three! Yes!"
Considering how many chart-topping albums he has had and the number of smash singles he has released, it's amazing to think that Jay-Z has never had a song top the Billboard Hot 100, the definitive pop songs chart. That changed this morning, as his "Empire State of Mind" took the top spot in its tenth week of release. The track, which of course features a memorable hook care of Alicia Keys, picked up a ton of radio airplay in the wake of the New York Yankees' World Series win (the team ended up adopting it as a victory anthem). Meanwhile, "Run This Town," the first single from The Blueprint 3, remains in the top 20.
While it does mark the first time Jigga has had one of his own songs at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, it's not the first time his name has been associated with the top spot. He has been a guest on three other number one tunes: Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker," Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" and Rihanna's "Umbrella." Keys is no stranger to the summit of the pop mountain either, as she has had two of her own songs hit the top spot ("Fallin'" and "No One") as well as another collaboration ("My Boo," with Usher).
Elsewhere on this week's Hot 100, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" jumped seven spots up the chart to #11, which suggests that it should bust into the top 10 the same week that her The Fame Monster gets its official release. Other big gainers included 50 Cent's "Baby by Me" and the version of "Defying Gravity" as performed by Chris Colfer and Lea Michele from "Glee."
"What I realized translated most through my material is the aggression, and the people miss it because the other artists don't come from the same type of background or lifestyle. They don't want that from those artists. You know, what they would knock me for is if I sung on a record — 'Oh, 50 is singing on a record' — they get upset when I use the melody. I've been encouraged to use more melody because I'm an international touring artist and I'm watching the music break language barriers, and all they can follow is melody when you go out there at different points. So I brought it, I came back, and I did different things creatively and they kind of resent me for what they love Drake for. It's interesting."
-Rapper/mogul/cultural critic/"New Moon" fan 50 Cent, discussing the reasoning behind the harder-edged songs in his catalog, especially on the just-released Before I Self Destruct. During a long conversation with MTV News, 50 went through each of his albums one-by-one and talked about the choices he made at various points in his career. For instance, he admits that he was probably overextending himself during the creation of The Massacre. "I overwrote this album. It's 22 cuts, the maximum playing time on a single CD. Technically it's a double-disc. You know, I had so much going on creatively at that point that I also wrote the hit music that was on Game's effort, you know, doing this project." According to 50, Before I Self Destruct is the best album he's ever produced. "I finally found a balance of what I feel like a great album is — and this is representation of it."
Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.
There might have been other cultural events happening last night, but as far as the pop universe is concerned, the only real event last night (and all week, really) was the premiere of "New Moon," the hotly-anticipated second entry in the "Twilight" film series. The film had its big red carpet event last night (check out last night's live blog over at Hollywood Crush for all the sordid details) that again brought together the series' hot trio of Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. The premiere was also attended by co-stars Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, as well as 50 Cent, Death Cab for Cutie frontman Chris Walla, Emma Roberts, OK Go, film director Kevin Smith and, of course, hundreds of fans who gathered outside the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles.
There were other lower-profile events happening yesterday too, as Rihanna celebrated the release of her new album Rated R at a London club and Justin Bieber hung out in Queens on the eve of his album's release. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which features over 350 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Madonna, Adam Lambert, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, the Jonas Brothers and Shakira!
Of all the artists that pass through the MTV headquarters here in New York every week, there are few that bring the same level of excitement to the building that 50 Cent does. With his fourth studio album Before I Self Destruct set to hit stores, the G-Unit General is hard at work on the promo trail talking about everything from music to his rivals. Interviewing 50 never gets old. He has as much charisma as he does bottles of Vitamin Water in his fridge, so whenever he comes in for a big sit-down interview you never know what to expect.
It's an interesting time for 50. He's nearing the end of his five album deal with Interscope, and he appears to have come full circle, as the aggression of his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' is matched only by the new album. Despite having a reported $300 million in the bank and an empire that spans clothing, beverages, books and movies, it's refreshing to see that 50 still approaches each interview as if it was his first.
We started by breaking down the album, picking out some key songs including "Baby By Me" and his collaboration with Eminem on "Psycho." We touched upon his recent rivalry with Jay-Z and his longstanding relationship with Dr. Dre and Eminem both inside and outside of the studio. He broke down some standout lyric,s including the line on "So Disrespectful" that addresses Dre's position in 50's beef against the Game.
In the video for "Baby By Me," 50 takes on the role of a suburban father complete Kelly Rowland playing his wife and three Argyll-wearing kids. So we asked him if this could ever be a possibility for the hip-hop heavyweight or if it will have to remain a video fantasy. And somehow we got into that game you play with your friends: Halle Berry or Megan Fox? Halle or Angelina Jolie? Megan or Jessica Biel?
Yes, we went there. And he answered. Stay tuned to MTV News all week for more on 50 Cent.
Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.
50 Cent had a busy day yesterday, blowing the doors open on two new ventures as a lead-up to the November 16 release of his new album Before I Self Destruct. He premiered his new movie (also called "Before I Self Destruct") last night in New York. The film, which will be released the same day as the album, marks 50's directorial debut. It's a hard-edged tale of 'hood politics that contrasts pretty profoundly with the other product he debuted yesterday: "Power," his new fragrance. 50 met fans at Macy's in New York City for the unveiling of the new scent, just in time for the holidays. In a span of only a few hours, 50 Cent covered two extremely different ends of the cultural spectrum, a true testament to his flexibility as a star.
Also making the rounds in New York last night? "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, who was all dressed up as she made her way to the Four Seasons restaurant. But not everybody was out in the Manhattan cold, as Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts rode a bicycle in Malibu wearing shorts and a tank top. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, featuring over 350 candid shots of stars like Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, the Jonas Brothers and Justin Timberlake!
We're only a few weeks away from the release of Before I Self Destruct, the new album from rapper/actor/Vitamin Water enthusiast 50 Cent. The first single, the Ne-Yo assisted "Baby By Me," is already picking up traction on radio and iTunes, and the recently-premiered video is a delightful fantasy. It stars 50 as a hustler trying to convince a woman (played by Kelly Rowland) how blissful it would be if only she would bear his children (hence the chorus "Have a baby by me, baby/ Be a millionaire"). The alternate reality features 50 and Rowland living in a palatial suburban estate (complete with sprinkler on the lawn and a grill out front for cookouts) where 50 has some sort of job that requires him to wear a cardigan and carry a briefcase (perhaps he's an obstetrician, a la Cliff Huxtable). They have three sons (just like Fred MacMurray!), each of whom wears an adorable sweater vest. But the real fantasy shows up about half way through the clip where 50 and Kelly lie in bed.
Apparently, Kelly Rowland wears a full-body stocking made of black lace to bed at night, and that's wear the fantasy goes completely off the deep end, as there's no possible way a woman who has pumped out three kids can still maintain that sort of figure. (Though considering she became a millionaire by having said babies, it's probably that she could have paid for a personal trainer, a chef and a little bit of plastic surgery.)
But by the end, it's back to reality for both of them: Rowland's husband shows up with her kid and 50 jumps back into his Maybach to find another suitable partner.
The economy is recovering slowly, but let's be honest: Times remain tough both on Wall Street and Main Street. But there are some people who clearly aren't feeling the pinch as much as the rest of us. Rapper Gucci Mane is one of those characters. It's not particularly shocking, as the Atlanta native has got plenty of caché behind him: He scored himself a high-profile guest spot on the remix of Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," landed on the list of the 10 Hottest MCs in the Game, has been killing it in the mixtape game and is looking forward to the release of his second full-length album The State vs. Radric Davis. So it's no surprise that in this wintry economic climate, Gucci is one of the few who can still sport (and afford) a solid piece of bling. It's not new (he's been sporting it for a few years), but 50 Cent just unveiled his new song "Crime Wave" (which features Gucci) and he included this photo of Mr. Mane.
Gucci told HHN that he "wanted to have a chain that was gonna shock the world and was gonna draw a lot of attention to me. So I thought about it while I was in jail. I was thinking about the colors and I wanted to have something crazy like the Big Cat chain, so I just went with Bart Simpson. I got a new one now though with a heart and an arrow going through it." Lately, Gucci has expanded his bling repetoire (including an Atlanta Falcons helmet and a ridiculous watch), but it's the Bart Simpson bling that gets us every time.
Meanwhile, "Crime Wave" is a crazy-good hardcore song that sounds grimy and cinematic at the same time. Between this and "Baby By Me," Before I Self Destruct is looking more and more like one of the top albums of the year.
The countdown is on for 50 Cent's hotly-anticipated, oft-delayed new album Before I Self Destruct, which is scheduled to finally be released on November 23. Though 50 promises that Before I Self Destruct will be more hardcore than any of his previous albums, first single "Baby By Me" is a smoother, R&B-inflected jam that features an assist from Ne-Yo. The video, which will premiere on MTV Jams on November 2, stars 50 in a domestic fantasy with former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland and their two alternate-reality kids. It's a dreamy, cinematic clip from one of the most provocative artists in hip-hop.
2009 has been a career year for 50 Cent. He is about to release his fourth album, dropped two excellent mixtapes (the return-to-the-streets banger War Angel and the Michael Jackson tribute Forever King) and starred in the new British film "Dead Man Running." He also dropped his second video game ("50 Cent: Blood on the Sand") and popped up as himself on "Entourage." To top it all off, he took a spot on the Hottest MCs in the Game list a few weeks ago. He also recently hosted the latest ThisIs50 festival and recently redesigned his official Web site.
50 is also counting down to the release of Before I Self Destruct with various features on his site, including resurrecting some old clips. Today, for example, featured 50's recorded debut Onyx's "React," where he appeared as a hockey player in the video. An artist with a deep history, 50 Cent has built up some high expectations for Before I Self Destruct, but based on the preview of the "Baby By Me" video, it seems like he's off on the right foot.
Every day a multitude of stars wanders 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.
50 Cent took some time out of his preparation for the release of his new album Before I Self Destruct (which hits stores on November 23) to fly across the pond to promote a new movie. 50 stars in "Dead Man Running," a British gangster picture that hits cinemas next week. The man born Curtis Jackson plays Thigo, a mob boss who gives an associate 24 hours to repay him the 100,000 pounds in cash he is owed, and the film follows the breathless search to scare up the money before 50's character can strike. 50 hit London for the premiere and was spotted at the Mayfair Hotel, a top-shelf luxury spot in England's capital. But he's not going to let his intercontinental travel get in the way of the march for Before I Self Destruct: According to his official Web site, the video for his new song "Crime Wave" will premiere tonight on the page.
Mr. Jackson wasn't the only star on the street yesterday. The boys from Tokio Hotel paid a visit to a Best Buy store in New York, while Ciara enjoyed a meal at the Phillipe Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted!" archive, which includes over 300 candid shots of Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, the Jonas Brothers and Mariah Carey!
