January 26, 2012

Remembering The TRL Decade: A Photo Time Capsule

It’s easy to forget that TRL was more than a show where tweens would make their parents drag them to Times Square on a pilgrimage to run their vocals ragged, screaming for their favorite stars. TRL was a defining show for MTV, popular music and kids of a certain generation. It’s also easy to forget the caliber of celebrities that appeared on the show, which ran from 1998-2008. Madonna, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, hell, even Angelina Jolie, they all appeared on the show often. In honor of the new VH1 Rock Doc The TRL Decade, which airs January 29, we’d like to take a look back at the VJ’s who made the show what it was, and the celebrities that came down to 1515 Broadway to hang with them. (We invite you to take a closer look at the photo on the upper left in our gallery — yes, that is indeed Destiny’s Child, Eve, 3LW, and Dream hanging with Carson Daly.) And of course, check out the documentary when it airs on Sunday January 29 at 9:30 pm ET/PT.

Tags: , , , Angelina Jolie, Ben Affleck, Enrique Iglesias, Hilary Duff, Kanye West, Kate Bosworth, Kid Rock, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Paris Hilton, Vanessa Minnillo, Busta Rhymes, Destiny's Child, Rock Docs, Ben Stiller, *NSYNC, NSYNC, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Murphy, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Molly Sims, Wilmer Valderrama, Danny Masterson, Britney Spears, Carson Daly, Puff Daddy, Dream, Damien Fahey, TRL, Hilarie Burton, 3LW

October 28, 2011

UnbeBIEBERble! Justin And Busta Rhymes Turn Christmas Classic “The Little Drummer Boy” Into A Club Banger

When I was a child, my dad and I used to decorate the Christmas tree together and sing “The Little Drummer Boy,” so my nostalgic recollections have me a little bit miffed at Justin Bieber‘s new take of the classic Christmas carol. The Biebs teamed up with rapper Busta Rhymes for the tune—now simply titled “Drummer Boy”—for a remix of that’s fat-beated, bass-lined and rapped-over. A very strange incarnation indeed.

[click to continue…]

Tags: , , , Busta Rhymes, Justin Bieber

October 3, 2011

Styles Upon Styles Upon Styles: The Top 5 Recycled Lines From A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory



Last week, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest’s seminal album, The Low End Theory, and after spending quality time with the LP, it became clear that many artists may have snagged sonic gems from the trendsetting hip-hop quartet over the years. If you’re a fan of rap music, you already know that sampling and re-working existing songs is commonplace in the creative process; similar to contemporary art’s idea of the “readymade,” producers will lift elements from one song and add them to a new canvas to re-envision their use. But what happens when the same thing is done with lyrics?

One little-known fact: Lil’ Wayne’s“A Milli” is a slowed-down sample of one of Phife’s lines from a remix of “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo” off Tribe’s first album, 1990′s Peoples’ Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Sometimes referred to as swagger-jacking, a rapper re-purposing the bars of artists before him or her can in other circumstances be seen as a salute-beckoning sign of respect. And in Tribe’s case, it should be! In addition to sitting down with ATCQ for their first joint interview since 1998, we also got to chat individually with in-and-out, behind-the-scenes group member Jarobi White to scoop his brains for memories on the group’s incredible second album. In honor of its Album-Versary, we present you with Jarobi’s exclusive interview clips, and the Top 5 Recycled Lines From The Low End Theory.

[click to continue…]

Tags: , , , A Tribe Called Quest, Kid Rock, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, DMX, Salt-N-Pepa, Nicki Minaj, En Vogue, YC

August 25, 2011

Aaliyah’s Music Industry Friends and Fans Take To Twitter To Mourn Her Loss

Aaliyah’s mystique was transcendental even before she tragically passed ten years ago today, so it’s not surprising that the impression she left and music she made continues to cause a rippling impact on music culture. For fans, her music was the backdrop to their lives, scoring everything from fun-filled rooftop dance parties to the moments when boots were knocked. Her peers in the music industry held her in the highest of regards, and those close to her have, for years, commented on her spirit’s ability to penetrate and inspire.

Having never met R&B’s trail-blazing beauty, Young Money’s Drake tweeted to Aaliyah just last night, nodding at his belief that she is, like an angel, actively guiding him through his career. But Drake is certainly not alone in sending messages out into the ether to celebrate the late singer; in an era where grieving is often done in a public forum, we’re lucky to be privy to a layer of digital mourning that, before social media, we may not have experienced. We’ll be adding to this post throughout the day, so take a look at the tweets and iconic photos below from the likes of close collaborators like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, and more. And please, by all means, feel free to share your memories and tweets of Aaliyah with us in the comments as well.

[click to continue…]

Tags: , , , Ciara, Lil' Kim, Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Drake, La La

August 15, 2011

Busta Rhymes’s Pizza Aside, The 12th Annual Gathering Of The Juggalos Is A Success

This weekend, music’s ultimate outsiders, the Insane Clown Posse, found themselves in the unlikeliest of situations—on the brink of mainstream acceptance—as tens of thousands of fans, plus a surprising uptick of press, flocked to Cave-In-Rock, Illinois for the 12th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos. Detroit’s second-most successful rappers have garnered more mainstream exposure of late than than have since they left Island Records ten years ago, largely thanks to the Gathering, a festival of music, comedy, wrestling, and enough drugs and nudity to make it the spiritual successor of Woodstock, and enough rage to make it the spiritual successor of Woodstock 1999 (at which Insane Clown Posse, incidentally, performed).

The group’s return to prominence began in 2009 when the YouTube advertisement for the festival’s 10th Anniversary went viral online and sparked a Saturday Night Live parody. Last year’s festival garnered a Village Voice cover story, in which Camille Dodero claimed that “For nearly two decades, MTV has ignored Violent J and his partner-in-clown, Shaggy 2 Dope,” which at the time was debatable but today is refutable, as MTVHive sent Chris Weingarten to cover the entire festival this past weekend (see his coverage of Day 1, Day 2, and Days 3 and 4).

[click to continue…]

Tags: , , Busta Rhymes, Insane Clown Posse, Juvenile

July 18, 2011

Q-Tip Brings Kanye, Busta To The Stage At Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival 2011

Brooklyn rap fans were abuzz before Q-Tip‘s headlining set at the 2011 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival on Saturday. After all, “Q-Tip + Friends” couldn’t just refer to the supporting sets by Random Axe, M.O.P. and others, right? Rumor had it that A Tribe Called Quest would reunite—which makes a sort of sense, since Ali Shaheed Muhammad was also on the bill and Beats, Rhymes, and Life is in theaters. What the crowd wasn’t expecting was that Q-Tip’s “friends” would include Kanye West. After performing “Dark Fantasy” and “All of the Lights,” Kanye backed Q-Tip on ATCQ classic “Award Tour” (something Kanye knows a little bit about). Watch the performance above!

Kanye wasn’t the only high-profile guest during Q-Tip’s set. Black Thought of The Roots performed with Q-Tip on a number of songs. And while Phife Dawg did not appear to complete a Tribe reunion, Busta Rhymes did, to perform his verse on “Scenario.” Watch below:

[click to continue…]

Tags: , , A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip

June 6, 2011

Jim Jones Brings Out Love & Hip Hop‘s Olivia at Hot 97′s Summer Jam 2011

It’s a guessing game, but each year, concert-goers fantasize about what special-guest performers will join artists already on Hot 97′s Summer Jam bill with surprise on-stage appearances. Last night, in front of a crowd of 50,000 fans, some of hip hop’s biggest names performed in East Rutherford, New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium, and while there may not have been that jaw-dropping “big moment,” (read: no Kanye or Jay-Z, no never-before-heard songs, and no beefs), the crowd was kept thoroughly entertained by the oodles of rappers that poured onto the stage.

Repping the South, Lil Wayne, Drake, and Rick Ross brought fans to their feet during a DJ Khaled-led performance of new Song of the Summer contender “I’m On One” and, to keep things balanced, Love & Hip Hop‘s own Jim Jones performed with his entourage-heavy posse of Dipset pals. The Harlem rapper even brought out co-star and friend Olivia Longott during his set to sing her new ballad, “December.” But VH1 show talent are certainly not strangers to this pandemonium-filled hip hop Woodstock; it was just last year that we caught Basketball Wives’ Jennifer Williams backstage enjoying the perks of VIP.

Other highlights from last night’s event included a dancing Chris Brown bringing out Busta Rhymes to perform “Look At Me Now” (sans Weezy), Lloyd Banks welcoming Swizz Beatz, Ryan Leslie, and Mobb Deep to the stage with him, and Diddy joining his Bugatti brother, Ross, to help close the show. You can find the full set list here, and check out the gallery below for photos from the performances to see what you may have missed!

Tags: , , Cam'ron, DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Diddy (2), Lloyd Banks, Jim Jones, Wiz Khalifa, Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, Ryan Leslie, Dipset

October 2, 2007

Celebs & Their Fave Old School Tunes

busta_rhymes.jpgMario is into Ice Cube (we won’t say which song). Diddy is down with Run-DMC (you can guess the track, can’t you?), Busta Rhymes salutes Public Enemy (no, not “Bring the Noise”). In fact lots of celebs still get a kick out of old school hip-hop tracks. We put together lots of lists for Hip-Hop Honors. Come see who chose which joint, and while you’re hanging out, check the 20 cuts we’re calling the best of 2007 (so far).

Hey, what’s your favorite old-school classic? C’mon, spill the beans…

Related Content
news_20×9.gifBusta Rhymes Artist Info
photo_20×9.gifPhotos
video_20×9.gifMusic Videos

Tags: , , Busta Rhymes, Diddy (2), Ice Cube

September 6, 2007

Thursday: Busta Gets Lucky in Court; Brangelina Takes Manhattan

busta090607.jpgSherri Shepherd Scores ‘View’ Seat
Barbara Walters will confirm it on Monday’s show, but word is already out that Sherri’s in. [People]

Jessica Simpson Flies In Style
Forget sweats – Jess wears a long dress, large jewels and massive heels when she hops on a plane. In other words, she’s Texan. [JustJared]

Busta Gets Lucky Break From Trial
The rapper may have four different trials going on, but at least one of the assault cases been pushed back a few months. Now Busta has time to really prepare for court – or to flee. [NY Post]

No Child Abuse Charges for Britney
Brit’s not getting busted for ruining those kids lives….yet. [Hollywood Rag]

Brangelina: Big Apple Bound?
The clan is shacking up at Angie’s NYC condo and Maddox just enrolled at a school on the Upper East Side. They’re the richest nomads ever! [NY Post]

Tags: , , Britney Spears, Busta Rhymes, Jessica Simpson, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sherri Shepherd

July 11, 2007

You Must Be This Tall To Ride This Busta

Busta_beatitup
"Busta‘s lovemaking was not for the timid or faint of heart," writes scabrous radio personality Miss Jones in her just-released memoir Have You Met Miss Jones?: The Life and Loves of Radio’s Most Controversial Diva. In the book, she takes down Beyoncé, Jay-Z, rival radio loudmouth Wendy Williams and a host of other urban-radio royalty, but her most hilarious comments (at least, those excerpted by today’s article in the New York Daily News) were reserved for her one-time lover Busta Rhymes. Says Jonesy, "Busta was as gentle as he could be, because he was packing." But never one to give a compliment without then consulting the back of her hand, Jones continues in her acidic pseudo-wit:

"The fact that our lovemaking never lasted too long didn’t bother me, because I didn’t enjoy his drops of sweat raining down on me. [Afterward] Busta would stroll around the apartment butt-naked, then shower and go into the kitchen and fry an egg sandwich – for himself. I guess I should be grateful. It’s not like he didn’t offer me a bite."

After all, what goes better with H.A.M. than a fried-egg sandwich? [New York Daily News / Image credit: Getty]

Tags: , Busta Rhymes