Rihanna's new record, "Hard," is leaking like the pipes in a third-floor walk-up apartment. Even Rihanna herself isn't immune to the piracy that haunts the airwaves these days. And maybe that explains the eye patch she's rocking in the newly released "Wait Your Turn" video off Rated R (watch it below.) It's very Captain Jack Sparrow-meets-Marlene Dietrich, no?
Anywho, "Hard." It's produced by two of everyone's favorites, the radio killers Tricky Stewart and The Dream. In a recent interview on Rap-Up.com, Stewart said, "We delivered a very, very big record, but I can’t say what the name of it is or anything, just for the simple fact that it’s actually top secret."
Well, loose lips sink ships and loose singles get leaked, dog. According to Stewart, who describes "Hard" as a monster, this will be his and Dream's only contribution to the album (much like "Umbrella" was their sole contribution to Good Girl Gone Bad).
Rihanna's "Hard" is well...hard. It's got a slight reggae vibe, with some incredible percussion and a really top-drawer verse from Young Jeezy.
+ Listen to "Hard" right here. Will it be bigger than "Umbrella"? Can anything be bigger than "Umbrella"? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Much like the name "Digital Girl" suggests, almost no part of Jamie Foxx's "Digital Girl" -- neither the song nor the new "Digital Girl" video, directed by Hype Williams -- was created without digital assistance. Hype Williams' electro-roboto-futuro style may be his calling card as an auteur, but "Digital Girl" is just ridiculous. Wait... I just went back and read what I wrote. Jamie Foxx? Ridiculous? Right. Silly me. Okay! More Drake please! Also, that one model looks FAR too much like Aaliyah for my personal comfort. Awkward.
Watch Jamie Foxx's "Digital Girl" video, featuring Kanye West, The-Dream, and Drake.
If there's one thing life continues to teach, it's that through Usher and YouTube all things are possible. Fifteen-year-old Justin Bieber may have a fancy record deal now, but growing up in Stratford, Ontario where did a meeting with L.A. Reid fit in?
Well, this Canada teen is one of those effortless talents: Justin posted to YouTube his informal Usher, Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake covers; unlike the multitudes of copycats, however, Justin raked in Leave-Britney-Alone-level views -- which quickly led to a manager phone call and a face-to-face with Usher.
Hence the cameo for Justin's first video and lead single, "One Time," which you can check out below. Hey, when Usher's away, the kids will play? ... or at least throw family-friendly house parties. Alongside "One Time," Justin's debut album features production from The-Dream and Tricky Stewart -- and dude hasn't even graduated high school.
Does Justin's rise remind anyone else of Esmee Denters? YouTube covers sent the wannabe singer from Oosterbeek, Netherlands on a similar path; although Esmee signed with Justin Timberlake's label, while (according to Justin Bieber himself) Justin passed up J.T.'s offer to work with Usher and L.A. Reid. Battle of the YouTube finds!
Fabolous just released his latest video, "Throw It In The Bag," off his soon-to-be-released comeback album, Loso's Way. The "Throw It In The Bag" video features Fabolous and a foxy female with a flair for the five-fingered discount. Here are five fast facts you need to know about "Throw It In The Bag." (And shoplifting.)
1.) The lawbreaking female lead in "Throw It In The Bag" is model/ actress Claudia Jordan from Deal or No Deal -- she usually holds briefcase 1 -- and Celebrity Apprentice season 2.
2.) The-Dream sings the hook. Clearly. And he also appears in the video. (Side note: Is The-Dream to 2009 was T-Pain was to 2008?)
3.) The-Dream's girlfriend, Christian Milian, was on the set of the "Throw It In The Bag" shoot, as was Ryan Leslie.
4.) "Throw It In The Bag" was directed by Erik White, who also directed Keri Hilson's "Turnin' Me On" video and a handful of Chris Brown videos. But we won't hold that against him.
5.) "Throw It In The Bag" was shot in the Meatpacking District of New York City. In New York, if you get busted for shoplifting, you can get nailed with Petite Larceny and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree, which are both class "A" misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail. (In the video, Fabolous' girl only appears to spend a few hours in jail and still leaves looking hot.) If the stolen goods retail for more than $1000 (and they probably were well over $1000 in the Meatpacking District), the charges can be Grand Larceny and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property In the Fourth Degree -- felonies punishable by up to four years in prison. Know that.
More stealing-related videos:
+ Jane's Addiction: "Been Caught Stealin'"
+ Len: "Steal My Sunshine"
+ Kelly Rowland: "Stole"
+ Dashboard Confessional: "Stolen"
In the interview below, Rick Ross doesn't mention that he lied through his teeth to get "All I Really Want" made. He had to. His Colombian video fantasy was just too dangerous for his label to sign off on without a little embellishment.
It was so important to Ross that his video's backdrop be beautiful Colombia, that he insisted he "had people" in Medellin, once the famous headquarters of drug lord Pablo Escobar, and that the crew would be welcomed with open arms. He even straight-up lied to The-Dream, who guests on the track. Now that is commitment.
As you'll soon learn, Ross has been deeply committed to the greatness of "All I Really Want," and to Deeper Than Rap, from the beginning. Maybe even more committed than he is to beefin' with 50 Cent!
Hit play below to find out which record-breaking album inspired his latest sounds. Here's a clue: he used to listen to it "on vinyls" with his mom.
Then watch Rick Ross's lush Colombian masterpiece, "All I Really Want," after the jump.
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Everybody knows that music is all about borrowing, and in her new video, "So Human," Lady Sovereign shows you how to do it perfectly. First of all, she borrows the magazine layout theme from The-Dream and Kanye West, flashing between different animated cover shots of herself in a frenetic collage of color and attitude. Secondly, the song itself is an adaptation of The Cure's classic, "Close To Me." It's a perfect fit for the sassy Brit, who dominates the girl-rap game in crimped hair and neon clothes.
Lily Allen, be warned. Your British sass trophy isn't as safe as you may think (especially after human headline-generator Perez Hilton bad-mouthed Lady Sov at SXSW). This smirky-mouthed little spitter is ready and willing to give you a big run for your money with this brand-new, pop-inspired confection. Watch the video for Lady Sov's "So Human," right here!
[Photo Credit: Gregg Delman]
The-Dream's got friends in high places. His "Rockin That Thang" remix just dropped and it's stacked with names -- Rick Ross, Ludacris, Fabolous, Juelz Santana and DJ Khaled -- pretty much a who's who of hip-hop right now. You could call it The- Dream Team and be right in more than one way.
If the cover-shoot-based layout of the Parris (Ludacris, Swizz Beats, Busta Rhymes) -directed video looks familiar, it's probably because a) you've read a magazine before, and b) it's more or less what Kanye and Jamie Foxx did on "Gold Digger." I guess there's also an outside chance that c) one of those many fly girls is your sister or best friend or tutor.
Anyway, when you got an all-star list of collaborators, hopefully you come out with some showstopper rhymes. Here are a few stand-outs:
Fabolous: "Can I call you Nana 'cause you got that rockin' chair?"
Juelz Santana: "Treat you like the first lady, I'll put my Barack in ya!"
Ludacris: "I'm ready to take the Milky Way to your Hershey's Kiss."
Dirty! I'm sure they mean all that literally, and wholesomely. Wholesome like Buzzworthy. Watch that video now.
Funny that we were just talking about The-Dream's A-Ha fetish yesterday, right? It's as if the universe was tipping us off on the new Kid Cudi (rhymes with "buddy"), warning us that we'd soon be the lucky recipients of a vital next-wave hip-hop video that would twist heads, like "Take On Me" did, with its dizzying combination of animation and reality.
Kid Cudi's razor-sharp rhymefest, "Day N' Nite," is that headtwister. In the video, Halloween-style graphics pop up left and right to spook out Cudi's dull daily life, turning pizzas into turntables, shopkeepers into owls, and city streets into Oz. It's dark, surreal, and incredibly dope. A perfect match for the moody, atmospheric cut.
That shoegazer vibe is a natural fit for Cudi, whose most mainstream act thus far was on Kanye West's glumly introspective "Welcome To Heartbreak." Both "Day N' Nite" and "Heartbreak" are built on downer beats, understated samples, and moody atmospherics, another apt parallel to an artist who refuses to come with any hype. As he told MTV News, "I didn't beat it into the heads of people, like, 'Yo, you're going to listen to my music, and you're going to do this and you're going to do that.' I just kind of put them out and let them breathe."
And breathe they have. "Day N' Nite" hasn't been out too long, but already it's achieved "it" jam status around the world in the hands of international DJs. This can only be foreshadowing for the Kanye protégé out of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Armed with an unstoppable single, a contract with Kanye's G.O.O.D. records, and the freshest video in ages, Kid Cudi's walkin' that yellow brick road to the big time. Watch the So Me-directed "Day N' Nite" video. You'll see.
The-Dream (aka The American Dream, aka The D.R.E.A.M.) may be one of the top dogs on the Dirty South rap/R&B crossover scene right now, but that doesn't mean he can't get down to some '80s radio jams. On the latest episode of Playlibs -- amidst inspirations and all-time favorites -- The-Dream admits to having a soft spot for A-Ha's "Take On Me." See?! Celebrities are just like us!
Fresh off dropping "My Love," the new Mariah Carey-powered mega-hit, The-Dream has a lot to be excited about. But he sure doesn't show it. Nobody has ever been so mellow about revealing the funniest, Southernest and catchiest videos they've ever seen. But that just makes him cooler. Watch:
For years now, The-Dream's been quietly helping some of music's biggest and brightest female stars make and break records, climb to the top of the charts, and stay there -- Britney, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, and Mariah, to name a few.
Now, on the eve of the release of his new album, Love vs. Money, Mariah's repaying the producer/ singer/songwriter by appearing on his brand-new single, "My Love." And Mimi's nott afraid to take it all the way back to the days of dumping a sweet pound of sugar into that Kool-Aid mix either.
Watch The-Dream and Mariah retrace their steps from front stoop to penthouse suite in The-Dream's new video, "My Love," directed by Mariah's love, Nick Cannon.
