"He's kinda more concerned about getting as much music as he possibly can, so that when he's in there, people are still satisfied musically with Lil Wayne product. That's just the mind of a true businessman. I'll just do what I can to keep the whole Young Money/ Cash Money team going. I just want to play my part as a team member and keep the brand strong until the boss gets home."

-Rapper Drake, speaking to RapUp.com about Lil Wayne's impending stay in jail. Drake, who signed to Weezy's Young Money label over the summer, talked to the hip-hop Web site about what will become of the Young Money crew while Wayne is incarcerated. Wayne's commitment to churning out product has already begun, as he unveils the new No Ceilings mixtape this weekend. The tape will contain even more tracks than the version that leaked earlier this week, and it seems like Wayne will be banking as much music as possible between now and when he gets locked up. In the meantime, he still has his rock-oriented Rebirth album on the release docket, as well as a Young Money crew album.

Assuming the wet, frosty weather in New York cooperates, the 2009 World Series will kick off tonight at Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees (featuring perennial All-Stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez) will square off against the Philadelphia Phillies (who are the defending champs) in a best-of-seven series that will decide who the best team in baseball is. Unlike in past years, these two teams match up relatively evenly, as they both have explosive lineups, solid starting pitching and deep bullpens. According to most online betting parlors, the Yankees are the slight favorite, though it's really anybody's Series.

But that doesn't mean we can't handicap the teams anyway, and there's really only one way to really decide which squad will be truly dominant: Analyzing the at-bat music for key players on either side. A relatively new tradition at ballparks, just about every player in Major League Baseball has a song (or a series of songs) that plays when he comes up to the plate for an at-bat. It's not unlike the songs that announce the arrival of professional wrestlers.

The Phillies have an eclectic lineup, which also means that they have a batch of at-bat songs that are sort of all over the place. Leadoff man Jimmy Rollins starts it off nicely with Clipse's "I'm Good" (an appropriate title for a former MVP). But after that, it gets a little cagey. Shane Victorino uses Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier" (a swell song, but not exactly something that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers), while Jayson Werth goes with Marilyn Manson's "Arma-goddamn-motherf-------geddon" (a recent, tepid single for the Antichrist Superstar). Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz both use big swagger hip-hop tracks (Drake's "Forever" and Soulja Boy Tell'Em's "Turn My Swag On," respectively), and Matt Stairs successfully bridges the world of baseball and wrestling when he comes to bat to Disturbed's "Glass Shatters," which was the entrance music for WWE superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

But it's the pitching staff who really have the best musical selections. Cole Hamels warms up to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," Scott Eyre uses Flo Rida's "In the Ayer" (clever!) and closer Brad Lidge has two songs (a Linkin Park tune for non-save situations and a Drowning Pool track for saves).

We'll take a look at the Yankees lineup later today, but for now, enjoy this musical trip through the Philadelphia lineup. Leading off: Jimmy Rollins with Clipse's "I'm Good."

On the massive timeline that is the universe, five days doesn't seem like an awfully long time, but consider how different the world was on Monday morning: Soupy Sales was alive, Lil Wayne was a free man, people were still wondering what Rihanna's new single would sound like and the content of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was still relatively mysterious. But now that we're five days older and that much wiser, it's time to take a look back at anything you might have missed in the Newsroom.

» Rihanna unveiled her new single "Russian Roulette," which also came with an edgy album cover that immediately put it in rare company.

» Adam Lambert also had a busy week of debuts, as his made its way to the Web, along with the epic video for that same song.

» Drake added "college basketball coach" to his ever-growing list of occupations.

» Whitney Houston performed on TV in the U.K., busted out of her dress and still managed to absolutely kill "Million Dollar Bill."
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In the eye-popping music video for Drake's "Best I Ever Had" (directed by Kanye West), the Toronto native cast himself as the coach of a highly unorthodox female basketball team. On Friday night (October 16), the rapper got the chance to flex his coaching muscles for real. At this year's Big Blue Madness event at the University of Kentucky (where the basketball team is officially unveiled to the student populace in the first minutes they are eligible to do so), new head coach John Calipari welcomed Drake as a guest coach during the intrasquad scrimmage that made up the main event.

The rapper and Kentucky basketball enthusiast coached against the veteran Calipari, and though he had an assist from former NBA great Rod Strickland, he ended up with the same result as the "Best I Ever Had" video, as his Blue Team narrowly fell to Calipari's White Team by a score of 63-62. The night was a huge success, though, as thousands gathered at the University of Kentucky's Rupp Arena to give Drake a massive ovation. The event also featured former Kentucky Wildcat and current Detroit Pistons star Tayshaun Prince as well as actress and professional University of Kentucky enthusiast Ashley Judd.

Though nobody would have mistaken Calipari for a hip-hop fan, he seemed excited about the visit from one of rap's biggest up-and-comers. "With our guest coach in the locker room going over the scrimmage scouting report," he tweeted before the game, adding a blurry picture to drive that point home. For his part, Drake probably sees a lot of himself in Kentucky freshman John Wall, who is one of the most hyped recruits in the country. And like Drake, Wall delivered an amazing show for the UK faithful, throwing down dunks and already looking like a superstar.

Soulja Boy Tell'em has a new album coming out in November, and the details are starting to come together that could make it one of the hotter releases on the hip-hop calendar. Soulja has been keeping up a constant series of tweets narrating the development of his new album The DeAndre Way (which takes it's title from Soulja's given name, DeAndre Way). Past Soulja albums have all been star-studded affairs, and this one will obviously be no different, as in just the past 24 hours he has mentioned working with both Drake and Chris Brown. He even posted a photo of himself and Brown taking a break from working.

Soulja also hit up his Twitter account last night to debut his new mixtape My Way of Life, which features 25 tracks, including a remix of "Successful" with Trey Songz and Lil Wayne. The mixtape also has guest spots from Nicki Minaj, Birdman and the S.O.D. Money Gang.

But Souja Boy's best Twitter moment of the past week was actually a tweet by Spencer Pratt. Last night, Soulja tweeted, "Just finished new song with Drake." Pratt saw it and re-tweeted, but also added "and King Spencer Pratt" at the end of it. Rest assured that the "Hills" star won't be dropping a verse on The DeAndre Way — or any rap album, for that matter.

It's not enough for LeBron James to be a former NBA MVP and a five-time All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having already gotten a lock on dominating the world of basketball (though he's still searching for that elusive championship), he has now moved onto the movie and music world. "More Than a Game," which premiered in New York last night, tells the story of James' legendary high school career and the coach who lead the squad to a national high school championship in the days before LeBron was a hoops icon. The film is accompanied by a massive soundtrack that features tunes from Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and a quartet of performers who have created one of the most buzzed-about singles of the year. The remix of Drake's "Forever" also welcomes verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The result is a killer mix of styles, and we have James (at least in part) to thank.

The big debate in the Newsroom for the past few weeks has been about who has the sickest verse on "Forever." Did Drake steal the show from the veterans or is it Kanye's game to win? According to James, everybody delivered big, but in the end it was Slim Shady who took it home. "Eminem really finished it off," James told MTV News. "The last person on that track had to finish it off perfectly, and he did that." Never one to leave a teammate behind, James also praised West's punchlines and the work turned in by Drake and Wayne.

But for LeBron, it all comes back to Jay-Z, who James refers to as his "big brother" (he was also wearing a Roc-A-Fella chain during the interview). "Jay-Z is the best," he said. "11 number one albums, more than Elvis. Who else could beat that?"

Having spent my entire professional career interviewing famous people (save for those few months where I wrote about bespoke suits and bathtubs shaped like slingback heels), I don't really get starstruck. There are a handful of people around whom I squeal like a teenage girl (as anybody who has been in the room with me while Rob Zombie is present can attest), but I generally don't get blown away by fame.

But when it comes to raw, physical abilities, it becomes a whole different ball game. I'll start hyperventilating over even the most minor athletes. I shook late Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis' hand once and count is as one of the great moments of my life. My brother met former Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd at a bar a few years ago and I got really jealous. I once went to an industry party solely because I was told Kevin Garnett would be there. The point is, I'm blown away by sports figures, so when I was called upon today to sit down with His Royal Highness LeBron James, the King of Everything, I had to take a few deep breaths.

I sat down with King James (along with film director Kris Belman) to talk about "More Than a Game," the documentary about his high school basketball team. We also went over the movie's killer soundtrack, which features tunes from Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and T.I., as well as the killer remix of Drake's "Forever" that features verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. He also revealed who his pick is for the "Hottest MCs" list, who he thinks had the best verse on "Forever" and how he rates new teammate Shaquille O'Neal as an MC — all of which will be appearing all over MTV News over the next few days.

But stupidly, here's the first thing I thought when I shook James' hand: "Man, this guy is tall." I've been around basketball players all my life, but I've obviously never been around the best in the game. It is incredible that James is so unbelievably fast considering his size. The other thing I noticed? His tattoos are great. The dude really carries his ink well.

So the sum total of observations I was able to make during my interview? LeBron James is tall and has tattoos. Insight! But hey, at least I got a great photo (I'm on the bottom), so nobody can say I was never in the presence of royalty.

The MTV Video Music Awards are just a few short days away, and though there is all sorts of buzz surrounding the performances, the parties and the New York-centric stunts that will be happening all this week into Sunday's broadcast, it's important to remember that the reason the biggest stars in music will gather in Radio City Music Hall is to see who wins the coveted Moonman in each of the 15 categories. Today, we conclude our look at each of the top categories with a look at the Best New Artist award. The nominees are 3OH!3's "Don't Trust Me," Asher Roth's "I Love College," Drake's "Best I Ever Had," Kid Cudi's "Day n' Night" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." In this category, the winner is entirely determined by fan voting, and you can continue to vote for your favorite until the moment the presenter walks onstage to read the names.

Each of the Best New Artist nominees has something working in their favor. Lady Gaga is the biggest commercial success by far, and her unusual fashion sense and penchant for theatrics has made her an instantly-recognizable icon. But that doesn't mean she's necessarily running away with it. After all, last year's Best New Artist, Tokio Hotel, beat out a handful of sales juggernauts like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Asher Roth's "I Love College" was huge among actual college students, who are more likely to rally around their computers and cast votes. (Roth seems pretty nonchalant about the awards, though.) Drake and Kid Cudi both have incredible buzz surrounding them and have been immediately embraced by the hip-hop community. (Need proof? They're both on The Blueprint 3.) And 3OH!3 have gone out of their way to campaign for votes, with a push so intense that they managed to make 3OH!3 a trending topic on Twitter.

Who will walk away with Best New Artist? It seems like 3OH!3 want it the most, though it may be impossible to defeat Lady Gaga (who could easily take a series of Moonmen in a landslide tonight). It could be a big coup for whoever the winner is, as many Best New Artists (Alicia Keys, 50 Cent, Maroon 5, the Killers, Eminem and Nirvana among them) have gone on to become superstars and VMA regulars.

After detours to Las Vegas and Hollywood, the MTV Video Music Awards are finally coming back to New York City's Radio City Music Hall, the site of the very first VMAs 25 years ago. New York is not only inextricably linked to MTV (the office is just a handful of steps away from Radio City Music Hall) but it also contains dozens of iconic landmarks, buildings and neighborhoods that provide great visuals and personalities. But just as the city has unique personalities, so does the army of pop stars who make up the VMA crowd. It got us thinking: What would certain stars look like as New York City landmarks?

We started with Lady Gaga, pop music's greatest modern art experiment. Naturally, she is the living embodiment of the Guggenheim Museum, a worldwide centerpiece for contemporary pieces.

Others were more obvious. Jay-Z, who helped put Brooklyn on the hip-hop map, seamlessly became the Brooklyn Bridge. Britney Spears is always shining and full of attention-grabbing energy, which makes her a perfect fit for Times Square. Since the history of the Video Music Awards lives in her DNA (she performed on the very first show in 1984), Madonna is like a living Museum of Natural History. The hot Young Money MC Drake? He's the new Yankee Stadium because while he is brand new to the game, something about him feels old school.

Want to see Taylor Swift as the Statue of Liberty, T.I. as Wall Street and Kanye West as the Empire State Building? Click here for the complete "VMA Stars As New York City Landmarks" gallery, which also includes Robert Pattinson, Green Day, Lil Wayne and Beyoncé!

By Steven Roberts

As I'm sure you’ve heard by now, Drake has a bad knee. In case you haven't — because hey, maybe you're new to this whole internet thing — we here at MTV News have been right there on the front lines covering "Kneegate."

June 29, 2009: Drake, Lil Wanye Rock BET Awards
"Drake might have had to perform sitting, but he didn't disappoint. He launched into his breakout hit, 'Best I Ever Had,' sporting a burgundy cardigan, jeans and an all-around casual look. But the rapper was restricted to sitting on a stool for his performance as he recently suffered a knee injury, reportedly a torn ACL."

July 27, 2009: Drake Won't Let Injury Keep Him Off Of America's Most Wanted Stage
"'I didn't really get any approval from my doctor, but I made a personal decision 48 hours ago that I'd be letting a lot of people down if I didn't show up and at least show them I'm there for them,' Drake told MTV News on Sunday night at the Toyota Pavilion, where the tour opens on Monday (July 27)."
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