Well well well. Looks who's all growed up. Last year this time, Tyga was dropping tropical-fruit-based party anthems, trashing "cousin" Travis McCoy's house, and pissing off Pete Wentz.

"Coconut Juice," off Tyga's No Introduction debut, was a feel-good summer jam, and he followed that up with a song about instant messenging and MySpace. Fun, sure, but if you weren't paying attention, you might've thought Tyga and Soulja Boy Tell'Em were the same dude -- big glasses, big backpacks, neckscarves, tats, party jams, jewelry drama, etc.

However, one look at Tyga's new video, "Cali Love," and it's clear that he's not only coming back, but he's coming back HARD. Tyga's sound on "Cali Love" is less loopy, more Lupe. Less jiggy, more Jay-Z. And after a few viewings of his "My Glory" video (one of the first lines out the gate: "F+++ you, pay me"), Tyga's even got some of that early, Diddy swagger. Pre-Twitter Diddy, that is.

+ Watch Tyga pay homage to his Compton hometown in "Cali Love," directed by Mickey Finnegan, and tell us what you think of Tyga 2.0.

Used to be that techno was strictly for Germans, remember? How far we've come! Shaggy-headed, new-school techno-pop purveyors Cash Cash are so un-German that they're from New Jersey. Made up of brothers Jean Paul and Alex Makhlouf, Samuel Frisch and Anthony Villacari, the boys have been playing together in one formation or another since they were about nine years old. (Beat THAT, Crooked X!) Jean Paul explains just exactly what they've been working on all these years: "Bring[ing] back some of that '70s funk guitar, mixed in with the life and fun of the '80s."

Currently on tour with Hey Monday and We The Kings, Cash Cash have plenty of good friends who are helping them make that dream come true. They've also toured with Tyga, Shwayze and their good buddies, Metro Station. If that list doesn't convince you to give these guys a look, what will?!?

Cash Cash's new digital album, Take It To The Floor, is out now (appropriate, considering their robotic sound), and comes out in CD form January 20. Track down their latest singles, "Sugar Rush" and "Party In Your Bedroom," now playing basically everywhere!

We're still recovering from that crazy, sleep-deprived time in our lives we like to call the 2008 VMAs (and, more recently, from VH1's Hip Hop Honors bonanza), but that doesn't mean we're not already gearing up for the next big televised awards show. Fortunately, we don't have long to wait, seeing as the mtvU Woodie Awards kick off Wednesday, November 19th.

And whether you're a sorority girl (like Elle Woods!) a pre-frosh (like Serena and Blair!) or someone who religiously watches Hannah Montana, we have a feeling you're not gonna want to miss THE definitive college awards show (where all the nominees are chosen by poor, ramen-noodle-eating university types!) And since the polls are officially open from now through November 7th, here's a painstakingly complete list of the categories and nominees. You're welcome!

+ Lil Wayne, Paramore, Tokyo Police Club, MGMT and Santogold duke it out for Woodie of the Year. Note that as much as we would love to see the nominees breakdance fight, the winner for this category (and all subsequent categories) will be chosen solely on the basis of your votes.

+ We love charity. Just today, we selflessly scarfed down three oatmeal raisin cookies (purchased from a Breast Cancer Bake Sale!) all in the name of good health -- and late-afternoon sugar rushes. Now, cheer on your fave do-gooders as Eddie Vedder, Ludacris, Jack's Mannequin, Mary J. Blige and Emmanuel Jal fight for the right to take home the Good Woodie.

+ Ever heard that song "Video Killed the Radio Star?" Yeah, that's a bunch of bull. So hit the polls to see Adele and Motion City Soundtrack take on heavy hitters like Gnarls Barkley, Vampire Weekend and Erykah Badu for the Best Video Woodie.

+ We've always had a secret soft spot for the New Kid. So we'll definitely be checking back to find out which of these rookies (All Time Low, We The Kings, There For Tomorrow, Lykke Li and Tyga) is gonna walk out of here with the title of Breaking Woodie.

+ You know those amazing can't-live-without artists you never heard of 'til, like, yesterday? Well, you still have three more weeks to choose between No Age, Chromeo, Yelle, She and Him and The Cool Kids for Left Field Woodie.

+ And you gotta give it up for the performers who ALWAYS know how to put on a good show. Or as we like to call them, "the Michael Jordans of music." Yeah, we're talkin' about you, Kanye West, Atmosphere, N.E.R.D., The Ting Tings and Simian Mobile Disco. May the best one win! A Performance Woodie, that is.

****Psssst! Not only can you vote for your favorite artists -- you can also campaign for them on your Facebook/MySpace pages(!!) For more details about voting, campaigning and general Woodie goodness, go to mtvU's official Woodies Awards site. GO WOOD!

He may’ve moved far beyond the days when he couldn’t even land a job slinging ketchup packets, but T-Pain ain’t too proud to enjoy the occasional mayo sammy.

First though, lemme back up. Yesterday I attended the VMA Media Forum, which is a big press event where tons of celebrities stampede through a room and essentially peddle their wares to herds of “terrestrial” radio DJs, bloggers (yay!), and other media types. Of the assorted motley crew of celebrities at the event, I spotted everyone from Colby O’Donis, to Tyga, Justin Nozuka, Donnie Klang, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Paris Hilton, and that bastion of class, "New York," who snuck up on T-Pain for the most chaotic photo op I’ve ever seen, and I’ve met Girlicious.

Anyway, T-Pain turned an otherwise semi-placid press event into a one-man show. He clowned and joked his way from station to station, and at one station I definitely heard him proclaim “Mayo sandwiches are still a part of my life!”

Of his condiment craving, T-Pain elaborated: “My rider’s got like, Patrón and everything, but I don’t really touch that. It’s not really for me. I definitely gotta have mayo though!”

Boys and girls, T-Pain may be rockin’ Gucci, but deep down, he’s a Hellman’s man.

Oh, so another fantastically dichotomous thing about T-Pain -- he indeed had on the Gucci mini manpack, full-framed Oakleys (not “the T-Pain Oakleys,” as his manager explained to me, but some big-ass shades nonetheless), and a full-on Willy Wonka hat, which he had custom-made for him by a haberdasher in London. And, of course, T had the neckpiece that probably cost more than that 12-pound hunk of junk Lil Jon calls “bling.” But what’s up with the New Balance sneakers? I’m sorry, but you’re all Candyland up top, regular-guy on the bottom. I expect more exciting footwear from you, T-Pain. Please, don’t let me down Sunday night.

Check out the vehicular options T-Pain's carefully considering for his big VMA entrance, and see what he rolls up in on the VMA pre-show at 8pm Sunday, September 7.

Alright, we admit it. We're still slightly obsessed with Gym Class Heroes and their heavily tattooed frontman, Travis McCoy. And not just because he's dating this summer's bicurious It-Girl, Katy Perry. Or because he's only been to rehab once. Or even because he does crazy, spontaneous, unpredictable things (like hit unruly fans with microphones! And write angry, all-caps missives on his Tumblr!) yet refuses to confirm/deny reports that he and Tyga are tangentially related.

No, our one-sided infatuation with Travis and GCH stems all the way back to last December, when we first discovered they shared our massive (equally unrequited) fascination with Hall & Oates. Since then, we've been counting down the days until September 9th, when their new album, The Quilt, would simultaneously hit stores and gain its rightful place in our Shrine To All Things Travis.

Except, turns out today's our lucky day, because the album is ALREADY AVAILABLE ONLINE. Meaning now you won't have to wait until post-VMAs to hear all those crazy compilation tracks! So head over to "The Leak" to test-drive the guys' latest set and get your Hall & Oates fix by listening to Track 10 -- "Live Forever (Fly With Me)" on permanent repeat.

Then close your eyes and try not to think mean thoughts about Katy Perry. (We're trying. It's not working, but we're trying.)

Forget about Super Tuesday -- today's your next-to-last chance to vote for this year's Best Hip-Hop Video nominees! And since voting ends at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday (a.k.a. after your Egg McMuffin, but before your Supersized Big Mac and fries) it's probably best to get to the polls today. But first, check out our helpful rundown of the leading hip-hop contenders:

+ Maino, "Hi Hater" - An unequivocal office favorite, this song has helped us through late nights, early mornings and our daily food coma. In short, this is the song we love to hate.

+ Lil Wayne, "A Milli" - We've said it before, and we'll say it again. Anyone who can turn the phrase "I'm a venereal disease" into a chart-topping smash hit is clearly some sort of evil, diabolical genius.

+ Snoop Dogg, "Sensual Seduction" - Why? Because it's got that campy, Ladies Man thing happening. Plus, Snoop's so big pimpin' in his wardrobe that he makes Huggy Bear look like the epitome of understated refinement.

+ Flo Rida, "Low" - This vid deserves a shout-out for embodying virtually every single hip-hop stereotype, including (but not limited to) indoor shades, brightly colored tracksuits and an extremely bendy crop of female extras.

+ The Game, "Game's Pain" - Fresh Prince references! A cameo by Ice Cube! 50 Cent rocking the couture sweatband! Need we say more?

+ Ray J, "Sexy Can I" - Three words for you, Ray J: "Yes," "When?" and "Hummina hummina."

+ Lil Wayne, "Lollipop" - We love this video in spite of -- or possibly because of -- Weezy's highly questionable air guitar solo.

+ Tyga, "Coconut Juice" - Aside from making us thirsty, this video has it all: the laid-back beach vibe, the amazingly shirtless MC and the completely superfluous cameo by Pete Wentz.

+ Jay-Z, "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." - This song is like the music video equivalent of Good Will Hunting. Except instead of the annoying Robin Williams character it's a glammed-out Mariah Carey. (How do you like them apples??)

+ Shwayze, "Buzzin" - The song that launched a tv show! And catapulted Shwayze and Cisco Adler to insta-fame, despite their defiant refusal to adhere to "No Shirt, No Service" signs.

+ B.o.B., "Haterz Everywhere" - We totally have that purple hoodie sweatshirt B.o.B. wears in the video! (You got it from Forever 21, right?) Also: that part where he raps "Haterz everywhere we go?" It's like he's reading our minds! No, seriously, B.o.B. -- get out of our heads.

Now, go get your vote on!

Travie & GCH, Busta Bust and Tyga get the toughest digital workout since Kid Sister's "Pro Nails" clip. Check out Gym Class Heroes' "Peace Sign/ Index Down," the second cut off their upcoming album, The Quilt, which drops September 9 (which is just two days after VMAs, by the ways). Busta keeps himself in check while letting Travie and his fingers (plus those tres outre chem class goggles) do the talking. It's our favorite collabo since Snoop and Willie Nelson joined forces.

We'll be frank. Curt even, and other adjectives that double as men's names. Lil Wayne absoluteamentely needs to host the 2008 MTV VMAs.

Compelling reasons why:

+ He sold a million copies (and change) of Tha Carter III its first week out. (Top that, Carla Bruni!)

+ You can't even put a price on the greatness that was his FNMTV performance of "A Milli."

+ Even Time magazine's on his jock.

+ Even Khia wants his jock (ewww).

+ What if Billy Crystal's busy?

+ He's making the keffiyeh totally hip-hop. (Sorry Rachael Ray.)

+ He makes Lloyd's "Girls of the World" video feel slightly more hood/ slightly less like an Epcot Center attraction and/or Janet Jackson's "Feedback" video, and/or myriad TLC videos.

+ That baby face!

+ For those attendees old enough to drink (sorry, Miley), the green room could feature bottomless bottles of possibly Pedialyte-flavored Weezy champers! Mmm! Tasty and drowsiness-causing!

+ He totally plays well with others, especially Pete Wentz, especially at the VMAs. Case in point: the Lil Wayne/Fall Out Boy collabo at last year's VMAs... Check it out below, and watch for then-unknown Tyga, plus Travis "Mama Said Knock You Out" McCoy and members of Panic At the Disco.

And Weezy, if you're interested, get in touch. (We're on your buddy list, right?) We'll get you a badge!

Artist of the Week Tyga's the reason our inbox runneth over this week -- we keep getting hit with more and more clips from the Young Money superstar, and after all the swooning you've been doing (and arguing over his ethnicity), far be it from us to deprive of you of the extra Tyga cuts you so deserve.

Check out Tyga's exclusive MTV Artist of the Week versions of "Diamond Life" and "Pillow Talkin'" (where all those boxing ring pix were shot), and when you're done with that, check out Tyga at his album release party and Karmaloop's exclusive Tyga interviews here and here. And catch all of his Artist of the Weeks photos and videos right here.

Young gun Tyga's so confident you know his name that he went ahead and titled his debut LP No Introduction. But for the small handful of you who've only been listening to NPR or something and haven't read Buzzworthy or Friendsorenemies in a minute, here's what you need to know about the newcomer.

Tyga came up in Compton and was weaned on Busta Rhymes. He possesses an old-school spitfire style, a la early LL Cool J, with the pop appeal of Will Smith back when was still a young MC. After opening for Fall Out Boy and Gym Class Heroes -- and performing with the latter, Panic At the Disco and Lil Wayne in a guest spot at the 2007 VMAs -- an awed Weezy signed the rap rook to his Young Money Entertainment imprint. Barely a year later, No Introduction was born, and now Tyga's getting hands everywhere up in the air with his breakthrough party anthem, "Coconut Juice," in addition to flavor-enhanced fresh twists on time-tested themes like young love, money-makin' abilities, and the epic magnitude of one's own rap skills (and more millennial topics, like meeting chicks online).

These days, Tyga's life is a three-ring hip-pop circus of events ("What's today's date? I don't even know the date, we do so much s---" he confessed to the camera on a YouTube video he posted this past Friday) involving appearances, mixes, and remixes with Lil Wayne, Travis McCoy and Pete Wentz, all of whom appeared in his star-studded "Coconut Juice" video. And with the amount of collabos and side hustles he's dealing in, he's pretty much in the running to become the next Akon.

The next thing you need to know: he's got more chains than a bike shop. And finally: he's got more tats than Sturgis Bike Week.

Watch Tyga step into the boxing rink, and indulge in even more ink, all this week as Artist of the Week -- check out his videos here -- sample his "Coconut Juice" if you somehow haven't yet, watch Tyga interviews and live performances, and check out exclusive photos from his Artist of the Week shoot.

+ UPDATE: More Tyga videos here!

+ More Tyga photos after the jump:

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