Travis McCoy is striking out on his own with his solo debut, Lazarus, out June 8. Whether it's songs like the ska-pop-infused "Billionaire," or the hauntingly Auto-Tuned rock jam "Superbad (11:34)," Travie's solo material maintains Gym Class Heroes' genre-hopping eclecticism with a no-man-is-an-island dose of introspection. With an intimate bent, Lazarus reflects a more personal, man-in-the-mirror look at the artist as young man. At his core, this is the real McCoy.
Watch an acoustic version of Travie McCoy's single, "Billionaire," featuring Bruno Mars, see why Travie's bringing a "shiny, happy vibe" back to hip-hop and get a cinematic look at the life of Travie McCoy.
It's been a while since we've worn our grill, but we can't think of a more perfect time to get that sucker out of retirement than for MTV Jams to premiere four new Lil Wayne videos this weekend.
The first one's called "Da Da Da" and features Weezy rocking the face off of a Miami rooftop. Weezy filmed the clip, along with 11 others, back in February over the span of three days, banking a boatload of videos before reporting to Rikers. Dude may be a felon, but dude's no slacker.
And if you get a little déjà vu sensation watch "Da Da Da," it's because the video is oddly reminiscent of U2's classic "Where The Streets Have No Name" video, which was filmed gorilla-style on a rooftop in Los Angeles back in 1987. We're sure Bono would be proud.
Tune into MTV Jams this weekend to catch even more clips, including "Knockout" with Nicki Minaj, "Runnin" with Shanell, and "Get a Life."
When Carrie Underwood performed on the "American Idol" finale this week, we couldn't help but notice the newly engaged country singer appeared absolutely stun-ning in her all-black stage ensemble. From the zipper-detailed White Trash Beautiful bolero to the liquid leggings, Carrie looked like she was ready to kick some ass -- and take some names.
She can steal our happy any day. That's why we hereby bestow the "Before He Cheats" singer our Buzzworthy Style Star Of The Week award. Congrats, Carrie!
This week we introduced you to up-and-coming band 2AM Club, which seamlessly blends layers of funk, hip-hop and rock into hooky, harmony-laced come-hither dance tracks and party jams. It's the kind of sexy, sleek music you can start your night out with and end it with too. And today, we've got an exclusive live performance by 2AM Club at MTV in New York City.
Watch 2AM Club kick off "Live At MTV" -- a new MTV online performance series -- with a four-song-strong live set, including "Worry About You," "Nobody's In Love," "Flashing Room" and "Faster Babe." And stay tuned for more Live At MTV performances.
We first met Alexis Jordan on "America's Got Talent." The then-14-year-old South Carolina singer wowed audiences (and Simon Cowell) with her rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing." And she hasn't stopped wowing since.
Whether it was in live performance or on one of her many, popular YouTube videos (such as her version of Beyoncé's "Halo"), Jordan's talent has been undeniable. Eventually, her pipes -- far more soulful and emotionally articulate than one would expect from a girl her age -- caught the ears of Stargate (the production team behind Rihanna's "Take A Bow" and a bunch of Ne-Yo's best-known material), and Jordan landed a record deal with StarRoc/Roc Nation.
Now 18, Jordan is currently finishing up her debut album with Stargate. And if her debut single, "Happiness," is anything to go by, we're in for a real treat. Featuring the production team's trademark dance-soul backing track, she shows off some maturity on this sleek single.
Check out "Happiness" below. Alexis Jordan's debut album is due out later this year.
For the feature itself, Vogue enlisted some interesting living, breathing props to accompany Ciara. Two male models touch and coddle her face, legs, and hair, posing around her like she's a goddess. Seriously, one male model is literally bent over, kissing her ass. Her other costar is a large black dog with a spiky muzzle.
We're just wondering why she's closing her eyes in every picture. Maybe it's because she's trying to figure out who's the better companion -- men or dogs.
+ Check out photos of Ciara in French Vogue after the jump!
These days it's pretty hard to differentiate between what constitutes "pop" and what constitutes "dance." With acts such as Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Miley Cyrus and even rock acts such as The Killers appropriating the "untz-untz" beats, the lush synths and inherent sexiness of club music, you could say dance is pop.
Possibly no one artist has been more responsible for this shift than Kylie Minogue. The veteran singer bravely broke with pop tradition, recasting herself as a dance diva in 2001 with one of the greatest songs of that decade, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head." Since then, many have followed her lead, with pop acts now regularly working with dance producers. But still, nobody does it better than Kylie.
Which is all a way of saying: NEW KYLIE SINGLE! "All The Lovers" is classic Kylie; slow-building, adding layers of subtle electronic instrumentation, all moving toward the ecstatic, breathtaking chorus.
"All The Lovers" is taken from Minogue's hotly anticipated new album, Aphrodite, which drops July 6. Check out the video below. And as a bonus, revisit "Can't Get You Out Of My Head."
+ Hanson performed their delightful "Thinkin' 'Bout Somethin' " on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Pretty good! But nothing compares to the "Blues Brothers" brilliance of their video. (Idolator)
This morning in Star Spotting we have everybody's favorite Barbie, Nicki Minaj, preparing for takeoff at LAX. First off, props to Nicki for looking pretty darn adorable, despite her surroundings. I don't know about you, but I pretty much rock that "Zombieland"/dead-eyes look whenever I have to go through the TSA security check-in at the airport.
Nicki, however, does it with style. She even threw the paparazzi a little smile:
Have you ever seen someone so happy to be in line for security check-in? She must know that all of her liquids are already in TSA-approved, 3.4-ounce clear, plastic bottles. Either that or she's just checked out her own set of complete Louis luggage ...
There are a lot of "Gossip Girl" purists who are rooting for Lil' J to fail, but the video for The Pretty Reckless' "Make Me Wanna Die" should shut them up right quick.
We were skeptical, too, but Taylor Momsen can really sing, and the song totally rocks. Creepy and haunting, the music drips with Shiny Toy Guns-like brooding synths and My Chemical Romance-esque macabre lyrics. Plus, the video's grim aesthetic only adds to the song's theme of torturous love.
Our only gripe is that we can see the tracks in Momsen's extensions, which is kind of distracts us from getting in touch with our despaired inner self.
Consummate MTV music fans obsessively covering pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from MTV headquarters in New York. Plus, trends, LOLs and stuff we love.
