Game, Young Buck Reunite On NYC Stage To Taunt G-Unit
Fat Joe, Ghostface Killah, Jim Jones also make cameos at Game's concert.
By Shaheem Reid
The Game (file)
Photo: Ben Rose/ WireImage
Tuesday night was a busy night for hip-hop fans in NYC, with Young Jeezy and the Game going head to head with separate concerts. Fabolous, Lil' Kim and Maino joined Jeezy's Blender Theater show, but Game paraded a few of his own lyrically inclined friends down the way at Irving Plaza. Some were former enemies, and some were friends who turned into enemies but came back to friendship.
Game's first guest was a doozy: Joe Budden. Shortly after Game joined G-Unit, the two squared off lyrically for several months, and their disses toward each other were scathing. Their disses toward each other were scathing. Jump-Off Budden performed "Pump It Up" and his new underground classic "Who Killed Hip Hop."
Next were Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Game at one point bowed in homage as Rae kicked a freestyle: "When my ni--as come down, they burning that crib down/ And you gettin' hit."
"Love you, ni--a," Rae told Game, and Ghost yelled out, "They set the stage on fire!"
Kool Herc stood on the sidelines among Game's Black Wall Street clan, who flooded the stage. The Compton MC called Herc out to the spotlight and bowed to him. The legendary DJ told Game that his favorite record was "Hate It or Love It."
"Always love, man," Herc said.
Fat Joe was the next to enter the big kids' playground with "Lean Back." They even let parts of jailed former Terror Squad member Remy Ma's verse play.
Game's putting on for the city didn't stop there. After Maino (busy night, huh?) held down the show with "Hi Hater," it was a reunion of booted G-Unit members who hadn't shared the stage in four years.
Young Buck arrived and immediately gave the star of the show an iced-out watch.
"I read on the Internet that you were broke," Game said to his pal.
"I'm a street n---a, we gets money for real," Buck responded.
Of course, the two had words for 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. (Who couldn't see that coming?) "Without me, they just a Unit," Buck rapped a cappella, implying that the clique was no longer gangsta.
Game took liberties with his own song "How We Do" soon after, bashing his former rap collective: "Took three years, kicked me and Buck out/ New York was like, ['Huh']?"
Later, Young Buck said he had no beef with Fat Joe.
Game gave the fans another taste of his L.A.X. LP with current single "My Life" and probable second single "Money," but he didn't perform his controversial track, "Letter to the King."
Jim Jones was the last surprise of the night. He and Game did a piece of "Certified Gangsta." Jim took control for portions of "Love Me No More" and "Byrdgang Money." The Harlem Dipset Capo then handed the mic back to his Cali friend. The night's main attraction sent the fans home with "Game's Pain."
For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!
Related ArtistsSource: | 27 August 2008 | 8:51 am
Young Jeezy Brings Out Fabolous, Lil' Kim For Sold-Out NYC Show
Maino also hits the stage to show some love for Brooklyn.
By Shaheem Reid
Young Jeezy (file)
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
NEW YORK — Obviously, the Game and Young Jeezy know about each other's release dates for their new albums. Game dropped L.A.X. on Tuesday, and the Young One will come seven days later with The Recession. And don't think for one second that the two MCs weren't also fully aware that on Tuesday night, they were going head to head with separate concerts in New York City. (Read the report from Game's Irving Plaza show here.)
Jeezy started on the earlier side of the evening at Manhattan's Blender Theater. Possibly hip-hop's most certified street MC, Young came onstage with his all-black attack (that was the color worn by him and his crew) to the sounds of "I'm So Hood." After myriad thug thunderclaps from his past, such as "Bottom of the Map," the Snowman unveiled his guest list.
He brought out Fabolous for "Breathe." "I heard if you in New York and you don't bring n---as out, you ain't sh--," the Atlanta Trap Star told the crowd.
He also let the audience know how elated he was to have a sold-out show. He beckoned for spectators to get their cameras ready for a special moment. Then Lil' Kim appeared for an all-too-rare performance.
The Queen Bee, decked out in an outlandish sort of leotard, caught eyes as always. The record she chose for her cameo was the anthemic ode to Brooklyn "Lighters Up."
The BK momentum stayed prevalent as Maino was introduced and performed his hit, "Hi Hater."
For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!
Related ArtistsSource: | 27 August 2008 | 7:46 am
Will.I.Am Looking Forward To Barack Obama's 'Important' Acceptance Speech
'This speech is important because the time is important,' Black Eyed Peas rapper says at the Democratic National Convention.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Will.I.Am and MTV's Sway Calloway
Photo: MTV News
Longtime Barack Obama supporter and Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.I.Am hit Denver for the Democratic National Convention to show his support for the presidential hopeful.
This isn't the first time Will.I.Am has publicly showed love for Obama — back in February he released a video endorsing the Illinois senator that featured Obama's January 8 New Hampshire primary-night address. The "Yes We Can" clip not only spread Obama's message but became a YouTube sensation.
Will.I.Am spoke passionately about remixing Obama's speech: "The words of his speeches inspired the song. I didn't write a lyric. The only thing I wrote was the melody," he said. "I could say, 'I support Barack Obama. I want him to be the president,' or I could do an immediate thing."
Will says the spirit of his connection with the senator lies in the song "Yes We Can." "I don't think Barack said, 'Yeah, I like Will.' I think it's the song — he embraced the song 'cause I captured the message," he explained. "I didn't put my opinion on it. I think Barack and the campaign embraced the song. It's beyond me."
Will.I.Am eagerly anticipates the delivery of Barack's speech on Thursday at the DNC and hopes that it will show everyone what he already knows: Barack is ready to run the country.
"This speech is important because the time is important," he said. "It's important, 'cause it's engaging the people who have supported him.
" ... There's people who are going to be skeptical," he added, "but with the momentum of the victory, that's going to propel us up the hill. It's beyond just black and white. It's American — and I'm just happy to be here."
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And don't worry about missing out on the action: MTV News and our Street Team '08 will be on the ground at both conventions to sort through all the speeches, streamers and ceremony to find the information you need to choose our next president. And head to Choose or Lose for nonstop coverage of the 2008 presidential election. And after history is made in Denver, MTV News will help you make sense of it all in "Obama Decoded," premiering Friday, August 29 at 7:30.
Related ArtistsSource: | 27 August 2008 | 6:00 am
Game Explains Why He Attacks Jesse Jackson In 'Letter To The King'
'People like me with voices gotta step in,' rapper says of L.A.X. track.
By Shaheem Reid
The Game
Photo: MTV News
It's January 15, and Game is pursuing the American Dream with a vengeance. He's in the studio with DJ Toomp and a gang of homies and women, and he's working on his third album, L.A.X. The kid from Compton has filled his résumé with potent, poignant raps, shaking up the mixtape circuit and parlaying his skills into multiplatinum sales.
Because it's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, tributes to the civil-rights leader, who was assassinated four decades ago, are showing constantly on the television screen. Amid the celebrations comes a disgrace: a news report about a shooting on Los Angeles' Crenshaw Boulevard during a MLK Day parade. The Game looks around and sees that almost everything he's doing is contradictory to King's legendary "dream." There's blunt smoke in the air and all types of liquor, and the scenario has the Game a little unsettled. At the same time, he's inspired. After kicking everyone out, he places a call to Hi-Tek and gives him instructions for making a beat.
" 'Take me back to '65,' " he recalled instructing Tek. " 'Martin Luther King is getting dressed in the morning. Coretta Scott King is dusting his shoulders off. He's about to go out. The dude waiting in the car, I'm him. I don't know if I'm his homie; I'm just gonna drive him to where he's going, and I'm gonna talk to him.' Then he came with [the track]. When we heard that beat, we went nuts. I immediately wrote three verses."
The instrumental that Tek provided, for a song that would be called "Letter to the King," turned out to be as soulful as lunch after Sunday church service. He wanted to add to the record with a guest spot and thought of Common and Nas. Since Common was already on an L.A.X. track called "Angel," his good friend Nas was an easy choice. As it happened, Nas was right around the corner from the studio.
"I called Nas, he came through, knocked it out," Game said. "So many people tried to take that record off the album. This record is a hip-hop must. That record, 'Never Can Say Goodbye' and 'Angel,' those are the meat and potatoes of what hip-hop is about."
Indeed, "Letter to the King" is one of the most provocative album cuts you'll hear this year. It is definitely a song you'll have to rewind a few times, especially Game's last verse.
"The word 'n---er'/ Is nothin' like 'n---a,' " Game rapped on Tuesday during a visit to MTV's New York offices. "Don't sound sh-- alike/ Like Game, like Jigga/ ... One is slang for 'my brotha'/ One is 'hang and take his picture/ The rope ain't tight enough/ He's still alive, go fix it/ Pour some gasoline on him/ Call his daughters black bitches/ Make him pick cotton/ While they mama cleanin' up the kitchen.' "
"When I first wrote it, man, that was ill," Game said. "I don't even believe I be writing sh-- like that sometimes. When I'm in the zone, man, I'm in the zone."
The record ends with Game weaving in references to Rihanna with civil-rights history and taking a jab at the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
"I need Rihanna's umbrella/ For Coretta Scott's teardrops/ When she got the phone call that/ The future just took a f---in' head shot/ I wonder why Jesse Jackson didn't catch him/ Before his body drop/ Would he give me the answer?/ Probably not."
Game explained his fiery words to us.
"Jesse Jackson, all the things he's done great for our people, you commend him for it. But the way he spoke about Obama, Jesse Jackson was wrong for what he did," the rapper said, referring to Jackson's videotaped comment that he wanted to "cut [Obama's] n--s off." "I wanted to expose a little of his dark side. Don't forget he had a baby out of wedlock awhile back. Everybody is imperfect. But when you do something like that, disrespect a situation that's affecting us all on an everyday basis, people like me with voices gotta step in.
"Jesse Jackson is always in pictures with Martin Luther King, and he's always talking about Martin Luther King in his speeches," Game continued. "On the day King got shot, he wasn't there. [Editor's note: Jackson was present at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when King was assassinated in April 1968, but he was not on the balcony with King when he was shot.] When I say, 'How come you couldn't catch your man's body when it dropped?,' it's because you couldn't if you wanted to. You was somewhere else. You claimed to be his man. Where were you that day?"
Game has some advice for Jackson on how to respond to his provocations. "I wasn't even born then, but I'm real knowledgeable," he said. "You can't get it over on me. I don't mind letting you slide until you do some crazy ish. Then I have to give you a bar or two. [Jackson] got one on 'My Life.' That was a little brash, Hurricane Game. Then he got one that was real Game, real conscious, real hip-hop, on 'Letter to the King.' But it was well-deserved. If I was him, I would take it on the chin and walk away."
Related ArtistsSource: | 27 August 2008 | 6:00 am
Diddy's Apology, Lil Wayne's Pungent Hair And More 'FNMTV' Memories, In Bigger Than The Sound
No Age exceed James Montgomery's expectations, while All Time Low lower the bar.
By James Montgomery
James Montgomery, Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Jordin Sparks on "FNMTV Premieres"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images
On The Record: 'FN' Memories
So, the first season of "FNMTV" is in the books. My American Airlines frequent-flyer account is bummed. My wife isn't. Me? Well, I'm somewhere in between.
See, for more than three months, I spent every week flying from New York to Los Angeles to tape the show, an experience that was decidedly soul-crushing in just about every way imaginable. I had no summer to speak of, I am jet-lagged to a degree where I now exist in an alternate dimension, and I'm so out of the loop on pretty much everything that it's going to take me a solid month to get up to speed (seriously, Lindsay Lohan is a lesbian now?!?). I have a mile-high pile of unopened mail on my desk, an hour of unheard voicemail messages on my phone and so many unread e-mails in my inbox that MTV's tech department is threatening to go on strike if I don't make with the deleting.
But aside from all that, doing "FN" was a blast. I met a bunch of really cool people. I flirted with the likes of Katy Perry, Pink and Keri Hilson (wonder why my wife is happy the show's over?). I got free haircuts every week. And most importantly — and, dare I say, improbably — I never accidentally dropped an F-bomb on air. Do I think we managed to "save the music video" as I hyperventilated in a column back in June? No. But I do think that we made some strides toward that goal in a decidedly "un-MTV" way (you know, aside from the throngs of screaming teens in the audience and the gigantic "BOOM! WOOSH! CRASH!" lighting effect that accompanied each video's premiere).
Because, at its very heart, "FNMTV" was a really good show, one based on celebrating the art of the music video. And in doing that, it also managed to be a gigantic, gleaming carrot dangled in front of artists' noses — a way of saying, "Hey, if you're willing to put a little time and effort into making these things, we'll give 'em the glossy treatment." (Note: this does not apply to Diddy — we're contractually obligated to premiere everything he does, regardless of actual quality.)
And if you managed to get past a lot of the ephemera, (the audience, those lights) and actually watch the thing, well, then you probably agree with me. I am proud of what we did on "FNMTV." There were moments I was certainly happy with and some I was generally mortified by (and not all of them involved me screwing up on air). And now that the final episode has aired, I figured I'd use my column this week to collect all of them here. (There are, of course, two "Best Of" eps scheduled for this week and next, and no, I have no idea if/when we're going to do a second season — Pete's rather busy these days.)
So what follows is a sort of "FN Post-Mortem" on season one (hey, it was either that or a blow-by-blow account of me emptying my inbox), some of the highs and lows of three months spent in — and in between — Los Angeles, making TV magic alongside Pete Wentz, Tim Kash and a host of others. Actually, mostly just Pete and I. Screw that Kash dude.
Best Video/Moment That Restored My Faith In Humanity
No Age's "Eraser." Look, I like No Age. I like them as people, and I like their music (I named their album the second best of 2008 — so far — back in July). I think there is genuine power and beauty in what they do. I believe in Dean and Randy, you could say. But when producers told me we were going to debut the L.A. duo's new video on our third episode, I was a tad bit worried. I had nightmares of them unspooling a 10-minute private psychedelic reel while our audience of tube-topped teens looked on with a mixture of horror and bewilderment. I could hear the deafening silence that would most certainly follow, the sucking sound of minds being blown (and not in the good way) and the clicky-clack of vicious texts being sent to friends. Needless to say, I did not have high hopes. But on show night — somehow, someway — none of this happened. The video was great. The kids in the audience actually dug it. And Dean and Randy seemed genuinely pumped with the whole thing. It was probably my favorite moment of the entire season — to see a bunch of kids embracing a weird-looking, weirder-sounding band because they wanted to — and it gave me hope for the future. Of course, that hope would be sufficiently dashed against the rocks time and time again over the coming weeks, but, hey ... for a minute, I could dare to dream.
Worst/ Most Patently Offensive Video
All Time Low's "Poppin'." The white-boy posturing. The "ain't we clever" mocking of hip-hop clichés (Grills! Bling! Doo-rags! Pimp suits! Misogyny!). The dancing little person dressed up like a leprechaun. The shameless aping of basically every Blink-182 video every made — minus, you know, all the clever bits. I hated this video with a burning passion, so much so that it made me believe that the guys in All Time Low (who seem like genuinely sweet young dudes) could actually be really terrible human beings. Seriously, the only way this clip could've been more offensive is if they would've performed it in blackface. I was fully ready to say all of that on-air, but the panel segment for this video was cut in favor of a second Miley Cyrus performance.
Greatest Discovery
That, yes, Tim Kash does in fact have a Wikipedia page. And that, yes, said page is just as hilarious the first time you've read it as it is the 50th. Perhaps even more so.
Second-Greatest Discovery
No matter how beefy the hip-hop star may be, he is in no way beefier than the 14 bodyguards he rolls with. Bonus points to Flo Rida and LL Cool J, who despite being two of the, uh, huger dudes in the game, seem to hire guards based solely on their weight in metric tons and their ability to blot out the sun.
Third-Greatest Discovery
Lil Wayne's hair smells like a mixture of stubbed-out Phillies Blunts and a gallon of cough syrup. I wish I were making this up.
Special Bonus 'FN' Lil Wayne Story
During some very chaotic rehearsals for episode one, Pete approached Wayne backstage and — despite the fact that Weezy had his back turned, was taking directions from a pair of floor producers and was wearing ginormous headphones — he somehow managed to sense Pete's presence, stopping mid-sentence and wheeling around ninja-style to embrace him. Sometime later, several of Wayne's posse members would tell me that this is not at all an uncommon occurrence, because, as they put it, Wayne has "extra-sensory perception ... like the 'hood Yoda."
Best 'FN' Guest Panelist
Probably Kid Sister, because she was super nice and funny and she yelled a lot. Oh, and because she apparently thought Tim Kash was kind of a jerk.
Worst 'FN' Guest Panelist
Probably Travis McCoy, because he was loose and hilarious during rehearsals, but then before we taped the show, he disappeared to his dressing room, and he emerged looking all tired-like or like he had been swimming in a super-chlorinated pool for about 100 hours. He really liked Snoop and Willie Nelson's "My Medicine" video, though.
Best 'Thanks For Not Even Trying' Moment (Tie)
Vampire Weekend and She & Him. Look, I know that being an "indie" artist means that you must always appear aloof and totally, completely bored with everything that is happening around you. This is especially true if you're appearing on a show produced by MTV (a.k.a. "the Man"). When Stephen Malkmus did this on "120 Minutes," I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Of course, I was also 14 and stupid at the time. When it's happening on a live TV show, and said indie artists are surrounded by flummoxed teens and a bunch of flashing lights, it's just awkward and terrible. So thanks for the complete lack of effort, guys (and girl)! Great TV was most certainly not made.
Best Performance You Never Saw (Because Her Label Decreed It So)
Duffy's "Mercy." If you are ever hosting a television show, and Welsh-born soul chanteuse Duffy is the musical guest, please refrain from mentioning Amy Winehouse in any and all capacity when introducing her, because doing so will cause Duffy to fumble her way though her entire performance, so much so that you'll be forced to retape said performance (which is the version that aired) at show's end, while an entire audience of bored teens look on half-heartedly and union guys smoke cigarettes and mutter about "time and a half." That's just what I've heard, though.
Two Pieces Of Information I Learned About Katy Perry During Season One Of 'FNMTV'
1) Katy Perry does not like having balloons drop during her performances, because rowdy audience members might pop them, which would "scare" her. 2) If you are shooting an interview with Katy Perry, and a member of her entourage/ makeup team tells you not to shoot her from a certain angle, you should probably listen to him, because otherwise you will receive a totally fierce rebuke from said entourage member/ makeup monkey.
Best "Holy God, I Thought I Was Going To Crap My Pants" Moment
Diddy surprises me onstage with flowers. I'm not going to lie, after our run-in during episode eight (you know, where he bum-rushed the sky box, shouted at me and then kissed me on the cheek, "Godfather"-style) and the subsequent, smarmy-ass column I wrote about the entire incident, I was super worried that on last week's finale, Diddy was going to show up, beat me over the head with something, then dump my body in the Hudson. And when he popped up onstage while I was talking about the new Cassie video, I think my entire life flashed before my eyes. Only, he just wanted to apologize and give me a bouquet of flowers. Which was seriously one of the 10 greatest moments of my entire life. Honestly.
Second-Best 'Holy God, I Thought I Was Going To Crap My Pants' Moment
This one never aired, and by revealing it, I am basically guaranteeing that I will not be brought back for "FN" season two, but hey, what the heck. During episode nine, we premiered the new video by Solange, who — in case you didn't know — just so happens to be Beyoncé's sister. Now, I said a whole bunch of good things about the song and the video, though I did say that I thought one of the dresses Sol wears in the clip looked "like a piñata." Of course, I thought this was a relatively harmless joke, but apparently, Solange's father, Mathew Knowles, didn't. After the show, he approached me, shook my hand with a vice-like grip and basically told me he was none too happy about the piñata dig. (Actual line: "You had to go there with the piñata thing, didn't you?") He wanted me to go back on air and apologize, and when I told him I wouldn't, he said he'd "see me at the VMAs" before ominously stomping off. I am still roughly 45 percent sure I will be killed during the show ... which means that season one was a total success. Seriously.
Questions? Concerns? FN? Hit me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.
Related ArtistsSource: | 26 August 2008 | 11:45 pm
Jonas Brothers Deny Staind A Fourth Straight Chart-Topping Debut
Ice Cube, Shwayze enter Billboard chart in top 10.
By Chris Harris
The Jonas Brothers' <i>A Little Bit Longer</i>
Photo: Hollywood
Staind's Aaron Lewis and Mike Mushok called it last week. They knew that their latest LP, The Illusion of Progress, wouldn't be opening at #1 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart, thanks to three lads from Wyckoff, New Jersey.
The potential was there to make it four straight #1 openers, following the chart-topping success of 2001's Break the Cycle (which debuted with 716,000 sold), 2003's 14 Shades of Grey (221,000) and 2005's Chapter V (184,000). But the Jonas Brothers — who Lewis called "Hanson 2008" — are just too imposing a force at the moment. Despite a 72 percent plunge in retail interest, the Jonases still managed to outsell the Massachusetts rockers, scanning another 146,700 copies of their latest, A Little Bit Longer, which holds for a second-straight week at #1.
Unfortunately for Staind, The Illusion of Progress clocked in at around 91,800 units, which is not only the band's poorest-performing debut, but wasn't even enough to earn them the chart's #2 slot. Instead, Staind's latest opens at #3, behind Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus, which sits at #2 with 100,900 sold, according to the latest sales figures released by Nielsen SoundScan.
Otherwise, it's a strong week for new releases, with 31 others bowing on next week's top 200. Following the "Mamma Mia!" soundtrack, which falls two spots to #4 with 87,500 sold, is Ice Cube's latest, Raw Footage, which scanned 69,800 units during its first week in stores. Only one other new release cracks the chart's top 10, and that honor belongs to Shwayze, whose self-titled debut sold 46,600 copies to enter the chart at #10.
The soundtrack to "Cheetah Girls: One World" enters next week's chart at #13 with sales reported at 34,300, while the Academy Is... bows at #17 with their latest, Fast Times at Barrington High, selling 22,500 units. Black Stone Cherry's Folklore and Superstition enters at #28 with 13,600 scans, and Family Force 5's Dance or Die follows just two spots down at #30 with week-one sales of 13,000.
Wu-Tang Clan constituent GZA's Pro Tools opens at #52, having sold 9,000 copies, with Karina's First Love following closely at #57, with sales of 8,900. The Toadies return at #59 with No Deliverance, which scanned 8,600, while Gaslight Anthem's 59 Sound enters the chart at #70 with 7,400 sold. The Walkmen's You & Me follows at #71, selling 7,300 copies, and Amy Macdonald 's This Is the Life opens at #92 with 6,000 scans.
Debuting at #98 with 5,800 sold, it's Donavon Frankenreiter's Pass It Around, while the Acacia Strain's Continent enters at #107, with 5,500-plus copies snatched up. Ra Ra Riot's Rhumb Line bows at #109, selling just under 5,500 copies, and the Dandy Warhols' new one, Earth to the Dandy Warhols, follows at #128, with first-week sales reported at 4,900. The Goo Goo Dolls' Vol. 2 claims the #157 slot, on the strength of 4,200 sold, while the Human Abstract's Midheaven follows at #163 with 4,100 scans. Stereolab's Chemical Chords enters the chart at #169 with 4,000 sold, while Dance Gavin Dance's self-titled offering opens at #171 with 3,800 scans.
The remainder of next week's top 10 contains a number of this year's most consistent sellers. Miley Cyrus' Breakout slides two spots to #6 with 61,600 sold, while Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III drops one spot to #7, selling another 56,800. Sugarland's Love on the Inside follows at #8 with 56,300 scans, and lastly, coming in at #9 with 47,200 sold, is the "Camp Rock" soundtrack — which, coincidentally, includes a number of tracks by the Jonas Brothers.
Related ArtistsSource: | 26 August 2008 | 11:41 pm
Hillary's DNC Speech Bridges The Gap, Obama And Clinton Supporters Agree
First-time delegate Hector Balderas and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s son Conor both leave senator's address impressed.
By Gil Kaufman
Hillary Clinton speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
Photo: Paul J. Richards/ AFP/ Getty Images
DENVER — It was the night the Democratic Party was looking forward to ... and dreading.
As some of the pledged delegates for New York Senator Hillary Clinton vocally expressed support for their candidate of choice during her prime-time speech Tuesday night (August 26) at the Democratic National Convention, others worried that the divisions between the Clinton camp and that of presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama could send a message of disunity at a time when the party was trying to put on its most unified face for the world.
"Whether you voted for me, or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose," said Senator Clinton during her rousing speech, during which the floor of the convention center was a sea of signs that said either "Hillary" or "Obama" on one side and "Unity" on the other. "We are on the same team, and none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines. This is a fight for the future. And it's a fight we must win together.
"We were all very interested to see her reasons for supporting Barack Obama, and so I think it's very clear tonight that she was a strong messenger that we have to change our country and that it's OK, even though we supported Hillary Clinton in the past, to unite behind Barack Obama," said Hector Balderas, 34, an elected Clinton delegate who serves as the state auditor for New Mexico and is the youngest Hispanic statewide elected official in the country.
Speaking outside the Pepsi Center just after the Clinton address, Balderas was joined by Conor Kennedy, 14, son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose family, like Balderas', faced some internal squabbling over which Democratic candidate they were going to back in this election.
"Even though I can't vote, I'm trying my best to support Obama and get the word out about how great he is and what an inspiration he's going to be," said the preternaturally on-message Kennedy, who was wearing a dark blue suit, red tie and Vans. "I've met a lot of women who switched from Hillary to McCain just because they were upset, so I think it's really, really important that she came here. It's a great thing. ... She had everyone on their feet clapping for her. It was an inspiring speech, and I think that it spoke to everyone."
After the bitterly contested primary, Clinton unequivocally threw her support behind Obama on Tuesday night, even if, as Balderas noted, there was a bit of a scramble and some grumbling among members of the delegation over which of the unity signs to take during the speech. Free of the bitterness that marked the campaign, Clinton called herself a "proud supporter of Barack Obama" during the 23-minute address and repeatedly stressed the importance of those who supported her lining up behind Obama to defeat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
"No way, no how, no McCain," she said.
Despite the obvious, intense emotion on the floor, Balderas said her message of unity definitely sunk in. "People were ... clinging to her every word in many ways," he said. "She put things in proper perspective. She clearly said that it wasn't about her, it was about the many Americans who are suffering, the many Americans who want change in this country, and so I think that we've left a better and more united party." As a first-time delegate, Balderas said he's learned this week that people may not necessarily set aside their preferences in terms of candidates, but that they will unite in an effort to "improve our country."
While it may not have healed all wounds, Balderas said Wednesday was likely going to be a new day, with a focus on McCain's and Obama's policies and the plan to beat the Republican candidate in November. "It will take us some time, but we will be a united party, and because of both leaders, we're going to be a stronger party and we'll feel that power in November."
Despite the split in his family, Kennedy said, from the start "we all knew we had two really great leaders here. Even when our family was divided, we were not the ones making fun of each other for that choice," he said, smiling. "As long as we're not voting McCain, I think we're all cool about that. We really got lucky with ... Hillary and Obama this year. ... It's great that they've come together."
According to a recent New York Times poll, as many as half of Clinton's delegates were onboard with Obama as the party's pick, but a portion of them, possibly more than 5 percent, were not planning to support Obama.
On Wednesday, Clinton plans to release all her delegates to the Obama campaign, officially ending her bid for the presidency, though CNN reported that just hours before the Clinton address, some supporters were still threatening to jump ship and possibly support McCain.
In the Pepsi Center on Tuesday, Clinton's backers were not shy about voicing their opinions on buttons, hats and T-shirts bearing the New York senator's name and likeness. During the speech, the hundreds of attendees who could not get onto the floor for the address huddled around monitors and cheered as loudly as the crowd inside did for the applause lines.
As late as Tuesday afternoon, it was still unclear what would happen during Wednesday's roll-call vote. According to reports, there was a tentative deal in place that would let some states cast their votes in the roll call before someone, possibly Clinton, cut the vote off and asked for Obama to be nominated by unanimous consent. Before the speech, Clinton had not publicly instructed her delegates on how to vote, and the uncomfortable behind-the-scenes dance put some Clinton backers who feel Obama has not shown the former first couple the proper respect on edge.
"It seems to be a little more of a problem than I anticipated," former Democratic Party chairman Don Fowler told The Associated Press on Tuesday before the speech. "All you need is 200 people in that crowd to boo and stuff like that, and it will be replayed 900 times. And that's not what you want out of this."
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Don't miss out on the action: MTV News and our Street Team '08 will be on the ground at both conventions to sort through all the speeches, streamers and ceremony to find the information you need to choose our next president. And head to Choose or Lose for nonstop coverage of the 2008 presidential election. And after history is made in Denver, MTV News will help you make sense of it all in "Obama Decoded," premiering Friday, August 29 at 7:30.
Related PhotosSource: | 26 August 2008 | 11:38 pm
DMX Drops F-Bomb In Court But Reaches Plea Deal In Miami Drug Case
Arizona authorities have 15 days to extradite the rapper to face other drug charges.
By James Montgomery and Chris Harris
DMX (file)
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Despite dropping the F-bomb during his bond hearing on Tuesday, DMX may soon be allowed to leave the Florida jail where he's been held since his August 14 arrest and fly back to Arizona for his next trial.
On Wednesday, X (real name: Earl Simmons) pleaded guilty to his Florida charges of attempted purchase of cocaine and marijuana and was sentenced to time served and a $483 court fine, lawyer Bradford Cohen told MTV News. Had the case gone to trial, he could have faced six years in prison.
But because X's most recent arrest was for missing a pretrial hearing for an Arizona drug case, he will remain behind bars while Arizona authorities have 15 days to extradite DMX to their state, where he'll post bond and be released. If Arizona officials fail to pick him up within that time, he will be released, Cohen explained.
After Judge Lawrence Schwartz denied the rapper's request for bond on Tuesday, setting an October 3 court date for his case, the rapper curtly replied, "I ain't coming back on f---ing October 3."
While X was being led away, Schwartz scolded him. "Oh, that just ingratiated you to me — I've never heard the F-word before," he said, before turning to Cohen and saying, "You need to tell your client that I've heard the F-word before. ... He can send it to me anytime he wants to come in, if that's what makes him happy, but he certainly didn't help his stature any with what he mumbled as he left the podium."
It was just the latest bizarre court-related outburst from DMX. In June, he freestyled to reporters outside a Phoenix courtroom, after pleading not guilty to two felony theft charges. The rapper is currently facing a string of charges in both Florida and Arizona, including drug possession, animal cruelty, driving without a license and failure to appear in court.
Related ArtistsSource: | 26 August 2008 | 11:31 pm
Dr. Dre's 20-Year-Old Son, Andre Young Jr., Found Dead
Cause of death is yet to be determined.
By Chris Harris, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid
Dr. Dre
Photo: Interscope Records
Andre Romelle Young Jr., the son of rapper and pioneering hip-hop producer Dr. Dre, was found dead in his Woodland Hills, California, home Saturday morning, according to Dre's representative. He was 20 years old.
An autopsy was conducted on Young's body Monday, but a cause of death has not yet been determined, pending the results of a toxicology report, a representative for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told MTV News. The coroner's rep confirmed that an Andre Romelle Young Jr. passed away Saturday, but was uncertain if he was Dre's son; Dre's rep confirmed that information Tuesday (August 26).
Young was discovered in his bed at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday by his mother, who attempted to rouse him, the coroner's spokesperson said. Young was unresponsive, so she called paramedics, who responded to the scene. After their efforts to revive him failed, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the coroner's spokesperson, Young had spent the previous evening with friends. His mother told police that he'd returned home Saturday at around 5:30 a.m., and that she'd heard him in his bedroom. Police said they did not suspect foul play.
A spokesperson for Dr. Dre issued the following statement Tuesday on the rapper's behalf: "Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr. Please respect his family's grief and privacy at this time."
An outpouring of support flooded Dr. Dre's MySpace page in the wake of his son's passing, with fans offering their condolences and wishing the family strength. "Our prayers are with you and your family," wrote one fan.
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource: | 26 August 2008 | 10:09 am
Lil Wayne Almost Didn't Get 'Got Money' -- Pitbull Had It First
Hit song's beat made the rounds before landing with Weezy, according to production duo Play N Skillz.
By Shaheem Reid
Lil Wayne in "Got Money"
Photo: Universal Motown Records
Lil Wayne's current single is one of the biggest songs from Tha Carter III, but the Fireman almost didn't get "Got Money" — the record was originally intended to be a Pitbull collaboration with T-Pain.
"Shout-out to Pitbull, he helped us put it together," Skillz — of the production team behind the track, Play N Skillz — said of the cut. "It's the biggest record out right now, and we're making it rain."
"I did the record back when I was on TVT [Records], and unfortunately TVT didn't clear the song," Pitbull explained recently in Houston.
"That's a crazy story," Play, the more vocal of the duo, said Monday. "We went to the West Coast and demoed the record with the skeleton hook on the track. ... Going a little further back than that, when we first made the beat in New York, [the studio] lost the beat. Skillz is a big melody guy, so the next morning he came back and remade the melody. We remade the beat in five to 10 minutes."
Play N Skillz sat on the hook of "Got Money" for three months, until they began working on Pitbull's The Boatlift album in Miami. They played Pit the beat, and he went wild.
"He jumped on top of the couch and was going crazy," Play added. "He was like, 'Man, I'mma get T-Pain or Akon on the record.' " Obviously it didn't work out for Pit, but "Got Money" went through a few more MCs on its way to Wayne.
"We played it for Slim Thug; Slim didn't record it," Play explained. "Plies passed up on it. Rick Ross passed on it. Tum Tum recorded on it, but it didn't work out. Pain's people reached out and said, 'We're taking the song back with our hook. We're gonna give it to a really big artist.' They ended up telling me it was Wayne. No problem. A week later, I get an MP3, and Wayne is spazzing out on the record.
"Pain changed the hook up some," the producer continued. "It was the same topic — it was about the money, the original one. He just changed the hook up some."
Play N Skillz — whose past smashes include Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" and Kia Shine's "Krispy" — are hoping the success of "Got Money" will continue their wave of hit records. They're scheduled to work with Fabolous and have already laid new tracks for their own sophomore album, Out Tha Box, as well as LPs by Hurricane Chris, Paul Wall, Slim from 112 and 50 Cent's upcoming Before I Self Destruct.
"Sha Money XL is very involved in the new project," Skillz said. "Everything is third-person with 50. He's not really a guy who goes in the studio with the producers. We send him the joints."
"Our rhythm on the drum pattern, we had to switch it up a little bit," Play said. "[50 Cent] said he wanted to go back to the boom-bap hard-core gangsta stuff. We tried to fit his style. I think 50 is gonna come back. He's a hitmaker. He's written a lot of hits for a lot of people. Sha told me [50's] getting back in the Get Rich or Die Tryin' mode. 50 is a person who doesn't like to know how the producer is. He just likes to go in with the music. But Sha Money XL is going crazy for the tracks we sent."
Related ArtistsSource: | 26 August 2008 | 5:58 am
