By Steven Roberts
Jermaine Dupri got a head start on the party here at
Lollapalooza last night when the Atlanta impresario DJed a set last night at Underground
here in Chicago.
Last year Katy Perry took the stage at Underground for own Pre-Lolla celebration at
Underground. The pop pin-up unexpectedly performed "Ur So Gay," "Hot n Cold" and - what would a Katy Perry show be without - "I Kissed a Girl" to packed house. While the crowd certainly wasn't expecting the JD to hit the stage, they were hyped to hear how good of a DJ the So So Def head honcho was.
I actually was enjoying the previous DJ. I don't know the guys name, but he spun some tracks I hadn't heard in years. When is the last time you heard Hi-Five's "I Like The Way (Kissing Game)?" But as the clock struck midnight, and the crowd began to fill in, it was evident that they hadn't come to hear sped up early 90's R&B jams - their loss.
Read more...
By Selina Kaye
Canadian rapper Drake's "Best I Ever Had" single is not only a smash for him, but it's becoming one of the best remixed tracks of the summer. The latest entry comes from self-professed "King of Remixes" Trey Songz, who dropped his track via his Twitter account.
"In the studio tryna paint a musical Picasso," he wrote of the track.
It's not the first time Drake and Trey Songz have collaborated on a song — they previously released "Successful" and "Replacement Girl" together. In the remix of "Best I Ever Had," he tweaks the lyrics slightly, so instead of "Baby you my everything/ You're all I ever wanted," it's now "She said I'm her everything/ I'm all she ever wanted." The track retains the same charm and smoothness as the original with an extra dash of theatricality and swagger care of Songz.
Just as we did when comparing Songz to fellow remixer R. Kelly, I took the temperature of the Newsroom to see what the prevailing opinion was of Trey's "Best I Ever Had." The overall consensus? Hot!
In addition to tossing off remixes, Trey Songz has signed up to be part of a new collaboration called Ocean's 7. The group consists of Jermaine Dupri, Usher, Nelly, Bryan-Michael Cox, Tyrone Davis and Johnta Austin. The group takes it's name from the film Ocean's 11 and was apparently created when Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox were in Las Vegas working in the studio with Usher. The group, who fashion themselves after the original Rat Pack, has already dropped a mixtape called 3000 and 9 S---, as well as a video for a song called "So Much Swagg."
What do you think: Is Trey Songz the current remix king, or is there somebody else out there churning out superior tracks? Leave your thoughts in the comments or head over to Your.MTV.com to make your voice heard!
Today we consider Jermaine Dupri, the Atlanta-based label head, producer, rapper and songwriter who has found himself in the news recently. Dupri will soon take the stand as a witness in the trial of Arvin Edwards, the gunman involved in the infamous Adam "Pacman" Jones "Make it rain" incident at a strip club in Las Vegas. Durpi recently defended his actions, which were made public in a video of the incident that recently hit the Internet. "You're not supposed to get your money until the dance is finished," explained Dupri. "I'm from Atlanta — we do this every day." Many people in the media have also brought up the fact that Dupri, who has been in a relationship with Janet Jackson since 2002, has been absent from any of the memorials for Michael Jackson (with multiple sources reporting that their relationship has ended).
But there was a time when being Jermaine Dupri was simpler — when it was all about hanging out with Jay-Z, producing Da Brat albums and developing the careers of pre-teen rap stars (see Kris Kross and Bow Wow). Dupri's first album as a rapper, titled (quizzically) Life in 1472: The Original Soundtrack, came out this day in 1998 and contained the hit Jigga collaboration "Money Ain't a Thang" (which contains one of Jay's all-time greatest lines: "Said she loved my necklace/ Started relaxin'/ Now that's what the f--- I call a chain reaction"). If "money ain't a thang," then why did Dupri get so upset at the strippers who were grabbing money before the song ended? A lot can change in 11 years, apparently.
By Steven Roberts
Traditional glasses aren't viewed as something "cool." If years of consuming pop-culture have taught us anything, it's that glasses are worn by the socially awkward, the inept: dweebs, dorks and nerds!
While spectacles are worn by people with less-than-perfect vision who are willing to deal with ridicule in order to see well, the cool and beautiful are willing to sacrifice bumping into a small child or two for the sake of vanity. A startling trend has emerged, however: Rappers are wearing glasses.
Rappers are known for being boisterous, braggadocios and badass — they can't walk around looking like Lewis and Gilbert from "Revenge of the Nerds," can they? Sure, artists like DMC and E-40 have worn glasses throughout the years, but they had their own individual style. DMC had Cazal frames, a gold dookie-rope chain and a leather jacket, and E-40 makes up words that sound silly at first, but ultimately catch on and everyone says them. Read more...
FROM BUZZWORTHY: VMA party weekend kick-started Friday night with Jermaine Dupri's party at the Avalon in Hollywood. JD -- ever the consummate mogul and multitasker -- celebrated the launch of Tag Records, and, of course, the VMAs.
With D-Nice spinning -- "Put On," by Young Jeezy and Kanye West, T-Pain and Lil' Wayne's "Can't Believe It," and Game and 50 Cent's "This is How We Do," all were huge for the dance floor -- D stood at the booth hyping up the party. Nice played the remix to Dru Hill's "Sleeping in My Bed," while Dupri shouted, "Brat I love you!"
Read more and see video from Jermaine Dupri's TAG Records launch party at buzzworthy.mtv.com!
Last night, the suddenly legendary Japanese clothing line A Bathing Ape (that's BAPE to you) opened their LA store. And it was packed with folks who can afford to put down that kind of cash for, well, sweatshirts. That means Pharrell, Kanye, Jermaine Dupri, Pete Wentz, and...
...Mike Tyson. Truly.
The photo evidence is all here. And yes, we all agree that Tyson would look ridiculous in one of those hot-pink camouflage hoodies. No argument there, people.
