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Hip-Hop All-Stars In The Booze Business: We Rate The Product

Posted 7/19/11 5:30 pm EST by in Lists, Pharrell


Pharrell Williams

By Zachary Swickey

Pharrell Williams, hip-hop producer and connoisseur of all the finer things in life, is the latest musician to plunge into the liquor business with the announcement of his own alcoholic beverage, which is designed specifically for women.

Dubbed “Qream,” the lady drink will come in two flavors – Strawberry Qream and Peach Qream – when it hits shelves nationwide later this month. Partnering with one of the world’s largest spirit makers, Diageo, Pharrell not only helped develop the flavor of the ultra-premium cream liqueur, he also designed the bottle and will serve as the brand’s cultural ambassador through its advertising campaign.

In a statement to AllHipHop, Pharrell said, “Qream was created for contemporary women who work hard and want to relax with friends at the end of the day. I want them to reward themselves ‘deliciously.’ Women make up half the population and Qream is about celebrating that power.”

Pharrell knows a thing or two about swooning ladies, so he may be the perfect guy to develop a premium cream liqueur for the fairer sex. However, the booze business has plenty of other rapper-branded drinks to give Pharrell and Qream a healthy amount of competition.

Below I provide my opinion on the most notable and tasty. Read More...

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Donald Trump's Out But These Celebrities Should Run For President!

Posted 5/16/11 7:43 pm EST by in Election, Politics


By James Dinh

In a campaign that ended before it began, Donald Trump has announced that he won't be running for president in 2012.

On Monday (May 16), the business bigwig made the announcement while promoting his reality series "The Apprentice" in New York, saying he didn't doubt he could win in "the primary, and ultimately, the general election," but that he's a businessman first and wanted to stick with his NBC gig. So after weeks of speculation and headlines, the Trump has got us thinking about a few other celebrities we'd like to see give up their day job and seek the presidency.

Oprah

With her talk show coming to a close after 25 years, Oprah has said she's set to turn her focus to the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), but what if the influential media mogul ventured into the world of politics? As one of the richest Americans in the nation, Ms. Winfrey surely knows how to run a business with a string of ventures in film, radio, publishing, and, of course, television.

Angelina Jolie

Despite a number of films under her belt, Angelina has made time to become increasingly involved in various humanitarian causes and was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001. Amidst acting gigs and advocacy, she also has time to balance motherhood.

Diddy

OK, so he doesn't have the best sudden-impulse resistance when making decisions. (Yes, we're thinking about Aubrey O'Day.) But no one can deny Diddy's influence and accomplishments throughout the world of hip-hop and fashion. Not only is the entertainer focused on his endeavors, but he's still turning out them hits alongside his group Diddy-Dirty Money. Plus, he's quite the talker. Remember his Vote or Die campaign?

NeNe Leakes

NeNe might not know much about politics or seem like your first choice as the head of state and government for the United States of America, but this Real Housewife of ATL knows just when to stand up and speak for what she believes in. Just ask Star Jones — and Donald Trump.

Who would you like to see run for president? Tell us in the comments below!

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B2K And Diddy 'Bump' Their Way To The Top: Wake-Up Video

Posted 1/26/11 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


B2K will primarily be remembered as the jumping-off point for Omarion's career, but most people forget that the group did have a series of hits during their peak. And of those singles, they all bowed down to the greatness of "Bump, Bump, Bump," which ascended to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 on this day in 2003.

The group — consisting of Omarion, Lil Fizz, Raz-B and J-Boog — first began to make noise in late 2001 with the single "Uh Huh." B2K's sound wasn't straight pop (they borrowed a lot from hip-hop-influenced R&B groups of the late '90s like Jagged Edge and 112), but they were presented as the urban alternative to the glut of boy bands (who were still in steady command of the pop charts even after the turn of the century). Their self-titled debut hit in early 2002 and scored the group two more singles, but their big breakthrough came following the release of their second album Pandemonium! in late 2002 (just after the release of the group's Christmas album Santa Hooked Me Up, perhaps the most awesomely-titled holiday collection of all time).

With an assist from Diddy, "Bump, Bump, Bump" climbed up the Billboard Hot 100 until it finally reached the top, finally ending the reign of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (which was on top for a staggering 12 straight weeks). Unfortunately, the stay at the top for "Bump, Bump, Bump" was only temporary, as it stepped aside in favor of Jennifer Lopez's "All I Have" after only one week (the Lopez song, featuring a guest verse by LL Cool J, was in the number one position for four weeks before ceding it to 50 Cent's "In Da Club"). For a brief moment, B2K were on top of the world (though they broke up shortly after), and they have the video for "Bump, Bump, Bump" to remember their time in the sun.


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Spotted: Diddy Bundles Up, Fights The Flu In London

Posted 1/19/11 1:30 pm 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 music world may be dreaming of escaping to the desert, but at the moment, it's pretty frosty. The east coast remains frosty, and it's apparently hard to get away from it no matter where you are in the world. Case in point: Diddy spent some quality time in London promoting his latest album Last Train to Paris, and as he made his way back to Heathrow Airport, he had to bundle up pretty tight in order to avoid the winter frost. Of course, that helped him out twofold, as not only was he able to keep warm, he also managed to stay pretty incognito as he went about his business. (However, that didn't stop photographers from spotting him and snapping his picture.) The bundling also helped him combat the flu, which Diddy seemed to be struggling with during his spin through the United Kingdom. "This flu is NOT gonna win!" he tweeted.

Diddy wasn't the only star getting a move on, as Adam Lambert hit the red carpet for the premiere of the new season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in Los Angeles and Kim Kardashian dropped in on "The Late Show With David Letterman" in New York. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry, Madonna, Rihanna and Justin Bieber!

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Justin Bieber Learns The 'Swag Walk' From Diddy

Posted 12/15/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


With millions of records sold, a major movie release on the way and the respect of much of the music community, you have to admit that Justin Bieber has plenty of his own swagger. But no matter how great his game is, there's nothing like getting a little instruction from some veteran professionals. On Tuesday (December 14), MTV News tagged along with Diddy while he sped through New York City promoting his new album Last Train to Paris, which means that Sway and his team were also on hand when the two ended up in a recording studio together. Bieber was busy working on some new tunes for his upcoming album, and the rapper decided to show pop's biggest rising star how it's done.

"We wanted to make you an official member of the Dirty Money crew. This is your swag," he told the star, handing him an official Diddy-Dirty Money varsity jacket. "And then you got to do the swag too. I got to show you the swag walk."

What was Diddy's sage advice for the 16-year-old on how to properly walk with swagger? "When we walk down the streets of New York, so me and you walking, we're hanging out," he said. "We in the street, Times Square, we go swag. Swag. You see my hand? That's pushing the hate back, 'cause there's a lot of hate sometimes."

After Bieber displayed his swag walk, Diddy excitedly proclaimed, "You got it, son! You got it!" After each one co-signed the other's latest work, the rap mogul added, "Keep that swag!"

To see their studio encounter in full and Diddy's swag lesson for Bieber, check out the video!


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Diddy-Dirty Money Conquer 'Saturday Night Live,' Help Us Celebrate #MusicMonday

Posted 12/6/10 10:40 am EST by in Music


Really, you should be listening to music every day, but thanks to Twitter, Monday has become the best day of the week to discover new songs, show some love to the tune currently dominating your iPod playlist and quietly judge the listening habits of your closest friends. Yes, it's #MusicMonday, one of Twitter's most enduring trending topics. Hence "MTV News' #MusicMonday," a weekly look at the songs we are currently crushing on.

This week, hip-hop, funk and dance music combine in the latest experiment from Diddy-Dirty Money.

It has only been a few years since we last heard a full album from Sean "Diddy" Combs (his previous solo album Press Play came out in 2006), but the buzz surrounding his upcoming album Last Train to Paris has been so big for so long that it feels like it has been forever since we've heard anything from the guy (the fact that Last Train to Paris has had a handful of missed release dates probably contributes to this).

But Diddy is finally ready to let the project drop, and he pulled the curtain back on some new music care of "Saturday Night Live." Saturday night's (December 4) episode was hosted by Robert De Niro and featured a pair of performances from Diddy-Dirty Money (which also features singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper), including current single "Coming Home" and upcoming single "Ass on the Floor" (which also features Swizz Beatz, who also showed up on Saturday night). Diddy promises that the album will blend hip-hop with a number of other genres, including experimental European dance sounds and interesting electronic noises. Any Diddy release is going to be an event, and the excitement over Last Train to Paris will build right through its release next Tuesday (December 14). In preparation, we're cranking up "Angels," one of the first songs from Last Train to Paris that hints at the rest of the tone of the album.


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Happy Birthday, Diddy!

Posted 11/4/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


He has been addressed with over half a dozen monikers over the course of his career, but when he was born on this day in 1969, he was simply known as Sean Combs. Diddy, the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment turns 41 years old today, and in many ways he has been the very definition of aging gracefully in the hip-hop world (only Jay-Z, who will turn 41 in exactly a month, has done it as well).

Over the past few years, Diddy has focused more on his other business interests (including his fashion label, a deal with Ciroc vodka, multiple acting opportunities and a business school he wants to open), but he still keeps his toes dipped in the music world. His long-in-gestation album Last Train to Paris is finally scheduled to hit stores on December 14 after multiple delays and missed release dates. It will represent a new era for Diddy, as it prominently features his new trio Dirty Money (which consists of himself, Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard and ace songwriter/performer Kalenna Harper). It promises to be an epic album, as it features guest spots from Justin Timberlake, Drake, T.I., Chris Brown and the late Notorious B.I.G. as well as rumored participation from Jay-Z, Usher, Swizz Beatz and Lil Wayne.

Along the way, Diddy has kept busy as a guest star and producer. He has recently been featured on tracks by the likes of DJ Khaled ("All I Do Is Win (Remix)"), Cassie ("Must Be Love") and Trina, whose "Million Dollar Girl" benefits greatly from Diddy's rare talent and charisma.


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Kanye West's Next Single May Be The Craziest Posse Cut Of All Time

Posted 10/19/10 5:15 pm EST by in Music


With all the hype surrounding the controversial album cover, the upcoming short film and the ongoing "G.O.O.D. Fridays" project, there is one fascinating story that has gotten a bit lost in the run up to the release of Kanye West's new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. During the Los Angeles premiere of "Runaway," West revealed that the next single from the album (the third overall, after "Power" and "Runaway") will be a track called "All of the Lights," and it will feature a staggering list of guest stars. On that track, there are drop-ins from Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, John Legend, The-Dream, Tony Williams, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, Ryan Leslie and La Roux's Elly Jackson. "It's completely seamless and completely ghetto as f---," West said of the track.

Not only is that a huge number of collaborators for one song (that's 11 total, which means a full dozen voices once West participates), but that's also an incredible diverse collection of people (with no two voices sounding alike). No matter what it sounds like, it will end up being one of the craziest posse cuts in history. What are some of the others? We're glad you asked.

"It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)" featuring Diddy, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheik Louch, Lil' Kim, Notorious B.I.G., Tommy Stinson, Fuzzbubble, Rob Zombie and Dave Grohl
That's an awful lot of names, and yet somehow the guitar-happy version of "It's All About the Benjamins" totally works. One of the biggest hits from Diddy's height (which appeared on his massive solo debut No Way Out), "It's All About the Benjamins" became big three times: Once by itself as a single (which only included Diddy, Jadakiss and Sheik Louch), once as a remix (the version that appeared on the album, which added Biggie Smalls and Lil' Kim) and the final time as a rock song (which tacked on the rock names). Not all of Diddy's rock experiments were winners (anybody remember the Led Zeppelin-biting "Come With Me"?), but this one worked.

"Ghetto Symphony" featuring Snoop Dogg, Mia X, Fiend, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal and Goldie Loc
Snoop Dogg's run with No Limit Records was a mixed bag, but his 1999 album No Limit Top Dogg is still probably the most underrated of his career. It not only represented his long-awaited reuniting with Dr. Dre (he produced three songs) but it also featured one of No Limit's best posse cuts. Sure, "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" was an actual hit, but "Ghetto Symphony" (which borrows its beat from Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle") shows off the skills of some of No Limit's underdogs (Mia X comes across especially well).
Read More...

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Spotted: Diddy And Mark Wahlberg Celebrate 'Boardwalk Empire'

Posted 9/16/10 12:30 pm 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 new television season is upon us, which means that many of your favorite series are returning and a bunch of new stuff will be arriving as well. The most talked-about new shows of the fall 2010 television season include "Terriers," "The Event," "Hawaii Five-O" and "Boardwalk Empire," the latter of which hosted the world premiere of its first episode on Wednesday night (September 15) at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York. The stars of the show were all present (including Steve Buscemi and Michael Shannon), as were a number of high-profile New York stars like Diddy and Mark Wahlberg. The pair (each of whom are HBO veterans via "Entourage") hit the red carpet in style to celebrate what will no doubt be one of the most interesting and critically prodded TV shows since "Mad Men" first premiered.

They weren't the only stars under the lights, as fashion icon and VMA guest Kim Kardashian visited the Louvre in Paris and U2 performed a triumphant show in Munich, Germany. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features nearly 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Madonna, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Ke$ha, Shakira and Linkin Park!

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What Will Eminem, Lady Gaga And Diddy Talk About At The VMAs?

Posted 9/11/10 9:00 am EST by in VMAs


With only a few dozen hours to go until the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards get started in grand fashion, preparations at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles are coming together fast and furious. The stage — which is being whispered about in the sort of tones normally reserved for game-changing secrets — has been built, the white carpet construction continues, the performers are rehearsing and, best of all, the seat assignments have been doled out. As MTV News' Jim Cantiello explained earlier in the week, the seats inside the venue are arranged in a very specific pattern for maximum exposure and ease of access for the nominees, performers, presenters and their guests. MTV News' own Jonathan Goldner slipped inside the Nokia Theatre to sneak a peek at the seating arrangements, and he uncovered the coolest trifecta in the building.

(Click here for more behind the scenes photos from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, including rehearsal shots from Justin Bieber, Usher, Drake and Florence and the Machine!)

You're seeing that correctly: That's Lady Gaga, Eminem and Diddy all sitting in the same row. Those placards combine the most-nominated star, the hottest performer and a former VMA host all in one package. What will their conversations during commercial breaks be like? Will Gaga try to recruit Slim Shady for a collaboration? Will Diddy offer Gaga fashion advice? Will Eminem look to add a late guest verse on Last Train to Paris? The possibilities are endless, and since the MTV Video Music Awards is a show where people can come together (you're welcome, Russell and Katy), time will tell what may come out of this particular row.

In any event, it will be thrilling to see these stars (plus the dozens of others who will be present) live when the show kicks off on Sunday, September 12!

(Click here for more behind the scenes photos from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, including rehearsal shots from Justin Bieber, Usher, Drake and Florence and the Machine!)

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

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