MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Cam'ron

Over here at MTV, we're all atwitter with excitement for the 2011 mtvU Woodie Awards, happening during Austin's South By Southwest Music Festival on Wednesday, March 16, at midnight (ET/PT)! This year's lineup is hotter than ever, with "Community" star and Woodies host Donald Glover and scheduled performances by Wiz Khalifa, Sleigh Bells and Two Door Cinema Club. We sat down for a little Q&A with three of the hottest 2011 Woodies nominees: Lil B, Chiddy Bang, and Woodies veterans Matt & Kim. This time around, Matt Johnson of Matt & Kim went on the record about getting naked on stage, getting violent in his latest music video, and doing keg stands fit for the whole family.

Q: What were some of your favorite moments and performances from last year's Woodies?
Matt: There were a lot of artists that we knew and liked and respected. I was really excited for Cam'ron and Rick Ross. But I have to say one of the great moments that I saw was my brother... There were kegs backstage, and my brother decided that it was a great idea to do a keg stand. And it just happened to be caught on camera. My parents DVRed the show because I was in Europe when it originally aired, so when I came back for the holidays they played it back for me, pausing right when you see my brother's feet sticking up in the air. They were like, "That is your brother doing a keg stand on television." And I thought, "Oh, man, he is so busted right now!" But it's amazing for an awards show to tape something like that and put it on the air.

Q: You are huge fans of hip-hop and incorporate it into your sets and shows. Would you be open to collaborating with hip-hop artists in the future?
Matt: Definitely! Mike D [of the Beastie Boys] did a remix of "Cameras" for us, and we had De La Soul do original verses on a remix for "Daylight." I’d love to do something original or do a performance with someone I love. I think the Woodies is the perfect place to do that.

Q: If you’re going to collaborate with anyone, it should be Lil' Kim so you could perform as "Lil' Matt & Kim."
Matt: (Laughing) "Matt & Lil' Kim!" That would make my Kim super happy. In the end, all she wants to do is dance anyway. So I think we’ll just put Matt and Lil' Kim together, and [Kim] will be booty shaking on the side.

Q: In interviews, you seem to always be asked about your perpetual smiles. But then in your video for "Cameras," you beat the crap out of each other! Are you going for a new roughneck image?
Matt: We definitely end up getting pinned to the cute category because we enjoy what we do, and Kim’s got to smile, and we’re going to be ourselves. We’re not going to put on that bored face you see so many people wear. It's just so boring. But all the same, we don’t want to make a music video that features swing sets and lollipops. That’s going to make people vomit, including me. We decided if we’re going to be ourselves and we’re going to play upbeat music, it's best to counteract it with lots of fake blood and violence.

Q: If Wiz Khalifa invited you to party backstage in his dressing room at the Woodies, what do you expect would happen?
Matt: Judging by the amount of smoke that wafts around in his music videos, I think it goes without saying -- not that Kim and I would partake in that! But we are huge fans, and I cannot wait to see him perform this year. I feel like his backstage party would be pretty chill, there would be some lounges and couches. And let me tell you, if there is one thing that I like doing better sitting down, it's dancing sitting down.

Q: What advice would you give to this year's first-time Woodies performers?
Matt: Go with everything you got. If you saw our performance last year, we had eight people stripping their clothes off as backup singers! At the Woodies you get a chance to do whatever you want creatively because it's not the same people deciding what you can and can't do, like at the Grammys.

Q: What projects are you working on now?
Matt: We have another music video in the planning stages that we will be shooting in a month. And it will be followed up with some jail time possibly. We're definitely going for "go big or go home."

Tags Beastie Boys, Cam'ron, De La Soul, Grammys, Lil' Kim, Matt And Kim, mtvU-Woodie-Awards, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa

(Credit: @JustinBieber)

The weird thing about the Internet is that it's almost psychic. It can sense what we want and make it happen. First, the Internet made Betty White host "Saturday Night Live." And now the Internet made a video of Justin Bieber, rapping. It's something we never knew we wanted, but now that it's here, we can't imagine life without it.

This isn't some flip-cammed Justin Bieber in a hotel room jokingly rapping along to Chris Brown's "Deuces (Remix)." This is Justin Bieber really, really rapping. Like for real, for real.

Calling himself (wait for it...), SHAWTY MANE, Justin Bieber tweeted his rap video out to the world last night. It's called "Speaking In Tongues," originally a track recorded by NYC heavyweights Cam'ron and Vado. But I think Cam and Vado would say this is a Shawty Mane song now.

As for his rapping, Bieber resembles a young, energetic Busta Rhymes (think from his "Scenario" days), babbling, scatting, boasting that he can call Lady Gaga on the phone (and that Lady Gaga will be, um, excited to hear from him), claims that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has stolen his hairstyle (now that you mention it!), and much, much more.

Watch Justin Bieber, rapping as Shawty Mane, perform "Speaking In Tongues," below. Thanks, Internet!

+ Watch Justin Bieber (aka Shawty Mane), "Speaking In Tongues."

Tags Betty White, Busta-Rhymes, Cam'ron, justin bieber, Lady Gaga, video

Yesterday, in beginning the countdown of my favorite songs of the year, I gushed about Paramore and Mario making music out of bits and pieces of multiple sub-genres. Today, no such post-modern biz will take place. Nope! These next cats make straight-up hip-hop for those who like their rap uncut. Get prepped, students: the #3 song on my Buzzworthy Blog Top 5 Songs of 2009 countdown is...

+ Number 3: The Clipse, featuring Cam'ron, "Popular Demand (Popeye's)"

Over a crunching, old-school Neptunes beat, the brothers Thornton (they're twins, btw) rhyme about hotels, NBA ballers, balling out, and eating fast food. Riding over the horns and pianos, Malice, Pusha and their pal -- Harlem's own Cam'ron -- sound cocky and comfortable talking about how great they are.

"Popular Demand" is probably the strongest song off a very strong album (Til The Casket Drops). It's a healthy dose of NYC-style hip-hop (even though they hail from Virginia) and a welcome return from arguably the decade's greatest rap duo.

Related Content MTV Best Of 2009, Tamar's Top 5 & 4 Buzzworthy Videos Of 2009

Tags Cam'ron, The Clipse, video

Here's a video of some rappers, rapping outside of a fast-food spot while a bunch of dudes nod in approval. Sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry, right? WRONG!

Rappers rapping outside of places with a bunch of dudes nodding along is what rap videos should be all about. Clipse are well aware of this. They excel at this very thing (see: "Grindin'"). When you're cooking from their particular recipe (trunk-busting Neptunes beats, dizzying rhymes from Pusha T. and Malice, a killer cameo from Killa' Cam) then you don't need to garnish the dish with special effects or "plot" or choreography.

Directed by Rik Cordero, "Popular Demand (Popeye's)," taken from their upcoming album 'Til The Casket Drops, finds Clipse sticking to this very script; Push, Malice and Cam'ron body the beat and get real deep into some fish sandwiches, while a couple dozen of their closest boys nod along.  Join the crowd and nod with 'em (fish sandwich optional).

Tags Cam'ron, The Clipse, The Neptunes, video

It is plain to see that Jim Jones is a businessman. Not only does he have that healthy glow of comfort, but his efficiency is downright enviable. Over the course of one MTV Spring Break interview, he manages to level Jay-Z, light up Keri Hilson, dog Mo'Nique and challenge Asher Roth to break a world record.

Let's start with Jay-Z: When asked what a baller should wear to beach, Jim Jones responds, "An expensive watch and a pair of Hov' slippers -- that's thong sandals -- NOT!" Remember the Cam'ron-instigated controversy a few years back over Jay-Z's footwear? Well, apparently it never died. And this diss (any diss, really) is at its harshest when it's sealed with a "NOT!" (No matter how dated that Wayne's World reference may be.) Thank you, Jim Jones, for keeping your beefs at an eighth grade level, where we all can digest them easily.

Second, Keri Hilson vs. Mo'Nique. This is where it gets really cruel ... Jones confesses to wanting to see that spunky young thing, Keri Hilson, in a bathing suit ("She got that energy!"). In the same breath he cautions Mo'Nique to keep it under wraps, whispering, "She too big!" Now that is just cold, Jim Jones.

Finally, the Dipset all-star challenges Asher Roth to go where no man has gone before and find a way to kiss five girls at the same time. He doesn't give any clues as to how this feat of engineering could be pulled off, but he does sound very confident in Asher Roth. And he should be! Those two spent the week together, clowning MTV's Spring Break, redefining what a party can be with a series of monster performances. Gettin' that Panama City Beach crowd ALL THE WAY down. Watch Jim Jones' stunningly productive interview in full, right here:

Tags Asher Roth, Cam'ron, Jay-Z, Jim Jones, Keri Hilson, Mo'Nique, Spring Break

(Credit: Wendy Hope)

Jim Jones is all sorts of talented. The MC/mogul has appeared in multiple films, did a cameo on The Wire, has four full-length albums under his belt, a handful of mixtapes and at least as many beefs (Jay-Z, Tony Yayo and even fellow Diplomat, Cam'ron, to name a few).

The New York City hustler who co-founded Dipset with Cam'ron and Juelz Santana has gone quickly from high-ranking Blood to hip-hop hype man, to Warner Brothers A&R man, to solo MC, to video director to co-CEO of Diplomat Records and on and on and on. Dude just makes things happen. And he's in good company. Whether or not they all still get along, Cam'ron, Juelz Santana and Jim Jones are all stirring up enough buzz to give rap's biggest names a run for their money right now.

But it doesn't end there for Jim Jones. The professional hype man is going above and beyond with the promotion of his March 24 release, Pray IV Reign, and staging an off-Broadway musical called Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside The Life And Mind Of Jim Jones. The play, which already saw a limited run in November, will be performed during the week of the album's release. Jim Jones plays himself among a cast of about 20 trained actors. Has that ever been done before? Not to my knowledge.

Finally, with his acting chops already well-proven, Jim Jones dropped by MTV to film a series of exclusive Featured Artist clips. His role as a tough-talking business man isn't much of a stretch, but you definitely won't see the valley-talking Hills spoof coming.  Along with a trip to Jim Jones Industries, check out two interview clips, a Jim Jones freestyle, an exclusive "acoustic" performance of "Na Na Nana Na Na," a new photo gallery AND a "Family Tree" video playlist curated by Jim Jones himself!

Dig into that Jim Jones overload while I catch my breath a minute.

Tags Cam'ron, Jay-Z, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Tony Yayo

Cam'ron has come a LONG ass way from a radio-friendly Roc-A-Fella-recruit slangin' Dame Dash "Gucci'n'girls" party anthems. All due respect to Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zekey, through his involvement with DipSet, Cam'ron's gone from big-label punk to underground figurehead. There's a reason dude's always in purple.

With "Get It In Ohio," the second single off of his fourth-coast reppin' Crime Pays (out May 5, fingers crossed) Cam's on a giant leap forward. The first video, "I Hate My Job," stares hard times in the eye, putting Cam in the role of an unemployed, bad-luck Midwesterner.

And it's easy to make a case for "Get It In Ohio" being a continuation of that story. Frustrated Ohioan drops the classifieds and gets to thuggin'. Crime Pays. 1+2=3. But isn't it more fun to imagine that this time around, Cam's cast himself in a bigger role? Watch "Get It In Ohio" and tell me that Cam's not playing the recession itself. The economy. The E-Cam-omy. Just look at this verse.

"I'm the author for gangsters, tough guys/ did the whole Ohio, but I started off a Buckeye.
Columbus to Natti, them towns I raped 'em/ few clowns was hatin', moved my pounds to Dayton...

If you know like I know, you should lie low, Killa/ I used to get it in Ohio, don’t forget the Chi though/ guns are like a pyro, you keep playin' you will look like a gyro."

See?! Turnin' beef into cold cuts, pullin' duffel bags full of cash! Killa! No snitchin'. Watch.

Tags Cam’ron, Damon Dash, Freekey Zeeky, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana