MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Young Money

(Credit: Richie Buxo/Splash News)

What kind of face is Drake making in the photo above? Is it a) I just sold out the two New York City stops on my Lights, Dreams And Nightmares tour b) I just cracked up David Letterman and seduced "The Late Show" crowd with my charms or c) I just brought back light-blue jean jackets HARD?

A little bit of all three, I imagine. Drake hit up "The Late Show With David Letterman" last night, taping an appearance that will be broadcast on Friday night. It will cap off what is likely to be an incredibly week for the platinum-selling, Toronto MC/singer. Drizzy will be bringing his Lights, Dreams And Nightmares show to New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall tonight and tomorrow.

But let's talk about the jacket: Thumbs-up over here. It's crazy how a dude known for being so GQ with his style can break out the denim jacket like it's nothing.

For a look at a more dolled-up version of Drake, check out the Young Money man's performance of "Fancy" with Swizz Beatz and Mary J. Blige at the 2010 MTV VMAs.

Tags Drake, Mary J. Blige, Star Spotting, Swizz Beatz, video, Young Money

If you're expecting another "Boyz," or "Paper Planes" or "Galang" from M.I.A., you might have to wait a bit longer. The controversial, post-pop singer is on the verge of releasing a new album, /\/\/\Y/\,  that's occasionally as hard to listen to as its album title -- the typographical equivalent of M.I.A.'s name -- is to pronounce.

Take, for example, "Teqkilla," co-produced by Major Lazer's DJ Switch. It's a cut-and-paste epic that builds, slowly and steadily, with layer upon layer of samples and digital squelches, with M.I.A. rap-singing while drowning in a digital bath.

Thrown into this mix is everyone's favorite Barbie, Nicki Minaj. The Young Money princess tells M.I.A. that the beat is on fire as she doles out a flow somewhere between drunk valley girl, dance hall queen and math nerd.

Pretty strange stuff for a song that seems to be about doing shots and going crazy. Of course with M.I.A., nothing is what it seems. Check out the song below.

+ Listen to M.I.A., featuring Nicki Minaj, "Teqkilla (Remix)" here.

Tags M.I.A., Major Lazer, Nicki Minaj, Song You Need To Know, video, Young Money

This week's MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week is the New Orleans MC Curren$y. While he might be a new name to some, he's something of a veteran in the game, signing with Master P's No Limit Records as a teen and later rolling with Lil Wayne's Young Money squad.

Over the last few years, Curren$y has made a name for himself, releasing a series of acclaimed mixtapes (like Life At 30,000 Feet and Fast Times At Ridgemont Fly), dropping two albums in 2009 (This Ain't No Mixtape and Jet Files) and finally signing to Dame Dash's resurrected Roc-A-Fella imprint, on which he'll release his new album, Pilot Talk.

With his combination of East Coast lyricism and N'awlins drawl, Curren$y is one to keep on your radar.

Watch Curren$y take you to New Orleans and watch Damon Dash discuss why Curren$y's the real deal.

Tags Curren$y, Dame Dash, Lil Wayne, Master P, PUSH, PUSH: Curren$y, video, Young Money

The last time Drake made a solo video it was for the controversial, extremely chesty, Kanye West-directed "Best I Ever Had." This time around, with "Over" (the first single from his highly anticipated debut album Thank Me Later), and perhaps learning a lesson or two from the backlash toward "Best I Ever Had..." Drizzy comes a lot more subdued and sophisticated.

Directed by Anthony Mandler, "Over" finds Drake sitting in a bedroom, surrounded by back-projected images of the roads he's traveled to get to the rarefied air he's in. The focus here is on the Canadian MC, his lyrics and music and his undeniable charm as an artist.

The song covers Drake's breakneck rise to the top as well as the sacrifices he's made to get there. This is reflected in the barrage of images projected onto the Young Money cleanup hitter as he performs the jam.

Thank Me Later is due out in June.

Tags Drake, Kanye West, video, Young Money

(Credit: George Napolitano/FilmMagic)

... And then there was Barbie. Nicki Minaj has released the first single, "Massive Attack," from her untitled debut album, and it's sure to ring some alarms.

For an artist so new to the game, "Massive Attack" is incredibly assured. You get the feeling, listening to the song's air-raid keyboards and thunderous beats, that the Young Money princess really wants to separate herself from the rap pack and carve out a space all her own.

Frankly, with her verbal dexterity, complex flow and humor, Nicki is reminiscent of classic Missy Elliot -- and that's a compliment of the highest order.

Look for the "Massive Attack" video later this week. We promise to let you know whenever we hear anything about Nicki's debut album. It's due out at some point this year.

Tags Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, Sean Garrett, Song You Need To Know, Young Money

As if the kids at MTV's Spring Break celebrations needed any encouragement to shed clothing and dance like they were extras in "Footloose," Young Money brought the bouncing beats of their hit "Bedrock" to the party in Acapulco, much to the obvious delight of the crowd.

While Lil Wayne might be otherwise engaged, the rest of the crew more than held it down for their boss. With Nicki Minaj and Drake leading the way, they had the crowd shouting out lines ("GROCERY BAG!") and harmonizing with the angelic/devilsh Lloyd-sung chorus (even though Lloyd wasn't present for the proceedings). Nicki especially gets to Hanna-Barbera levels of animation while ripping her verse.

Be sure to check out all the live videos taken from MTV's Spring Break in Acapulco, featuring performances from Ludacris, Pitbull, B.o.B. and more.

Plus, check out the MTV Spring Break Style Guide and enter H&M's Style Eye Contest for a chance to win a spread in Lucky magazine, an MTV gift bag AND $500 at H&M!

Related Content Photos: MTV Spring Break 2010

Tags B.o.B., Drake, Lil Wayne, Lloyd, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, video, Young Money

Here we have the new video from Lil' Wayne's Young Money clique for the song "Roger That" taken from their We Are Young Money album.

Directed by David Rousseau and Adam Rush, "Roger That" features Weezy, Young Money's first lady, Nicki Minaj, and Travis McCoy's cousin Tyga. The whole video has a real Sin City vibe to it, with Nicki, Wayne and Tyga performing their parts amid noir-esque comic book illustrations coming to life around them. The animated motif fits, considering Nicki's variety of personas and Wayne's indomitable energy.

The video's premiere comes on the heels of a whirlwind couple days for Lil' Wayne. Weezy was supposed to turn himself into prison today after a sentencing delay was issued because of his need for dental surgery. Yet when he showed up at court today, sentencing was delayed again—this time due to a courthouse fire. We knew Lil' Wayne was hot, but this is ridiculous!

The album We Are Young Money is currently available.

Tags Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Travis McCoy, Tyga, video, Young Money

Nicki Minaj, the Queens, NY-born queen of Lil' Wayne's Young Money crew, who just dropped her latest mixtape, Barbie World, is primed to have a pretty sensational 2010. You've already marveled at her Nurse-Barbie-rocking-an-Austin-Powers-accent in Mariah Carey's "Up Out My Face" video. Now find out why she's set to run this town in 2010.

+ Her Attitude
Nicki Minaj is some kind of unholy hybrid of Lil' Kim and Gwen Stefani. Yeah, she can be raunchy, but she can also be playful, beguiling, funny, flirty, and coy.

+ Her Words
One of the things that separates Nicki Minaj from the crowd is her playful, dexterous use of language, making mundane lines pop with her eye for detail: "I'm so pretty like, be on my pedal bike, be on my low startch, be on my egg whites." (not, "low scrunch...egg whites." OUR BAD, NICKI).

She's also managed to create an entire lexicon of slang. I mean, come on, how many rappers do you know of that haven't released their official debut album yet, but already have their own friggin' dictionary. (AKA the "Nictionary.")

+ Her Voice
Moving from helium-pitched heights, to snarling New York attitude, Nicki doesn't just come up with interesting words, she also figures out consistently entertaining ways to spit 'em; whether it's in foreign accents or using a double-time flow. She's basically the Jim Carrey of rappers.

+ Her Style
Borrowing from Stefani's infatuation with the Japanese Harajuku fashion sensibility, and combining it with her own tongue-in-cheekfaux-plastic look of a Barbie, Nicki's well on her way to becoming a style icon who's doesn't know from subtle.

+ Her Crew
Like any success story, Nicki Minaj has some help, and in her case it comes in the form of her Young Money family (and Barbie). Nicki fits right in, holding her own with Drake, Lil' Wayne and the other sex-crazed boys in the crew.

Tags Drake, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, video, Young Money

Okay, between us, Drake even told ME I'M the best. I'm beginning to think Drake gives all the girls the "you're the best" treatment.

Donna and Ruby Ibarra, two sisters from California, and their friend Anna De Guzman -- they're sheselle on YouTube -- covered Drake's "Best I Ever Had" and gave it the song a whole new not-just-boobs-and-basketball feminine twist. And they even threw in some Filipino pride with a verse in Tagalog. A verse that Ruby wrote!

(Donna Ibarra, Anna De Guzman, and Ruby Ibarra)

We've had their Drake cover on repeat here on the 17th floor of MTV.com, and when I played it for one of the designers here, his response was "I thought it was gonna be like a joke. These girls can sing." Someone needs to sign these ladies. I believe there's a blank space on the Young Money roster where Omarion's name used to be, right?

Related Content Watch The Original, Why Didn't Omarion Step Up To Take Chris Brown's Place (Minus The Abuse)?

Tags Covers, Drake, Omarion, video, Young Money

Lil Wayne's tour bus is dark and cold, and it's not all that easy to tell what's going on. But it makes sense that Weezy likes it like that. Dark and twisted. But it also makes it tough to tell exactly what we got here.

This Buzzworthy video interview, shot before his MTV Spring Break performance, is a Young Money ensemble interview, featuring answers from Jae Millz, Gutta Gutta, Lil Twist, Nikki Minaj, Lil Chucky, and Shanell -- the lyricist behind "Prom Queen."

More importantly, this royal panel puts to rest major questions like, "Who would you like to see in a bathing suit?" And "Who would carry Lil Wayne's Grammys at the beach?" The stand-out moment is when Wayne introduces Shanell, "his Grammy," and gets all soft on the lady MC.

For a little taste of what it's like to live like Lil Wayne, take a look at the video below. For a big taste, tune into FN Spring Break Rules at 8PM EST, tonight!

Tags Gutta Gutta, Jae Millz, Lil Chucky, Lil Twist, Lil Wayne, Nikki Minaj, Shanell, TDot, Young Money