Friday, September 25

Slaughterhouse To Sign With Shady?

Just one day after Slaughterhouse was spotted behind Eminem in the new "Forever" music video, there are rumors going around that the rap group is in negotiations with Eminem to join his Shady Records. Radio personality Miss Info recently said "So here are the 'rumors' that I'm hearing...That Slaughterhouse appearance in "Forever," was indeed a non-verbal announcement of the contract negotiations going on behind the scenes. For the past month, both sides have been working towards bringing the group to the Shady label. And that the gathering of Em and the guys at the shoot, is the first of more collaborations to come."

In related news, Redman had previously said that he would love to join Eminem's record label if given a shot. "Even like Shady, even to have that idea, or Eminem to even have that idea like thinking Redman was gonna be off Def Jam and he coming through is a privilege," Red explained. "Like, I will leave right now and go over there to Shady. I don't care, 'cause they still doing hip-hop and I love it. Anybody supporting it, I'm there. Big up to Shady though, but I ain't off Def Jam yet, f*ck. But I'm there though. I'm still rockin'. Come get me for a record though, let's make it happen."
Source: RapBasement

Eminem, DMX, The Roots Pay Tribute To Def Jam At 2009 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors

Since its inception five years ago, VH1's Hip-Hop Honors has paid tribute to the preeminent figures in hip-hop history. For the sixth annual show, taped at Brooklyn's Academy of Music in New York last night (Sept. 23) and set to air on the network on Oct. 13, event coordinators decided instead to celebrate an entire label: Def Jam Records.

Eminem, backed by The Roots, was opened the show with "Rock The Bells," in honor of one of the Def Jam's first signees, LL Cool J. He was followed by another of the label's signature groups, Public Enemy. Backed by the Roots and members of Street Sweeper Social Club as well as PE's military dressed SW1s and sporting a white tuxedo, top hat and clock, Flava Flav took the stage with longtime partner Chuck D and Boots Riley for a live performance of "Rebel Without A Pause."

Next to the stage were KRS-One, Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy and Wale for a rendition of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," in commemoration of another Def Jam power group: the Beastie Boys. McCoy wore a black T-shirt with the names "DJ AM" and "Roc Raida," in the shape of the famous Run-DMC logo, while KRS ended his verse by saying, "Adam, get well soon," referring to Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, who is currently battling cancer (http://www.billboard.com/#/news/beastie-boys-adam-yauch-has-cancer-tour-1003995446.story).

Nineties rap group Onyx came on the stage shortly after and had possibly one of the most energetic performances of the night with "Slam." For his verse, Sticky Fingaz jumped atop a large speaker on the side of the stage, and then jumped off to an adjacent balcony before exiting.

One of the most anticipated performances of the night was that of rapper DMX, who made a rare non-courtroom appearance. DMX collaborated with Gym Class Heroes on his 1999 hit single "Party Up" for a super-hyped crowd.

At this point, host/comedian Tracy Morgan was joined by Oran "Juice" Jones for a quick verse of "The Rain," before introducing Rick Ross, who performed a musty version of "Hustlin'," followed by a bouncy execution of "Da Rockwilder" by Method Man and Redman backed by the legendary DJ Scratch.

The Queen of Hip-Hop soul, Mary J. Blige, went on right after, as she joined Method Man for a rather short interpretation of their Grammy award-winning single, "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By."

The performances continued with Warren G and Trey Songz running through G's "Regulate," and then the reunion between Ja Rule and Ashanti, who did their own hits "Down For You" and "Always On Time."

Next, two of the label's southern reps, Ludacris and Scarface, had another of the evening's finest performances with "Guess Who's Back" and "Southern Hospitality," respectively, followed by Jazzy Jeff and Kid Rock and then Foxy Brown, wearing a bust enhancing bustier during her hit single "I'll Be," sans Jay-Z.

All three of these performances were part of the show's memorable end, a medley of some of Def Jam's most iconic hits performed by The Roots, Rock, Brown, Fabolous, Ghostface, Chrisette Michele and others.

Off stage and off camera, Ja Rule and DMX had their own reunion, when they two shook hands and hugged each other up during a filming break for one of the event's highlights.

Source:BILLBOARD

Thursday, September 24

LeBron James Thinks Eminem's Verse On The 'Forever' Remix Was 'Perfect'

The big debate in the Newsroom for the past few weeks has been about who has the sickest verse on "Forever." Did Drake steal the show from the veterans or is it Kanye's game to win? According to James, everybody delivered big, but in the end it was Slim Shady who took it home. "Eminem really finished it off," James told MTV News. "The last person on that track had to finish it off perfectly, and he did that." Never one to leave a teammate behind, James also praised West's punchlines and the work turned in by Drake and Wayne.


But for LeBron, it all comes back to Jay-Z, who James refers to as his "big brother" (he was also wearing a Roc-A-Fella chain during the interview). "Jay-Z is the best," he said. "11 number one albums, more than Elvis. Who else could beat that?"

Source:MTV

Wednesday, September 23

Eminem Is More 'Maniacal' On Relapse 2, DJ Whoo Kid Promises


DJ Whoo Kid is lurking. The spinner said he's been sticking around the studio lately, and he's heard some of the newer material from Mr. Marshall Mathers. The G-Unit member said Eminem is only going to come crazier on his next album.

"The comeback is crazy," Whoo Kid said about Em's return in May with Relapse. "What I really laughed at was the Mariah Carey [dis record]. That was funny. But that's nothing compared to Relapse 2. What I heard, that's just 2 percent [of the intensity]. Eminem from back in the day has returned. The crazy, lyrical, maniacal Eminem is back. Maniac!"

Whoo Kid said the difference between Relapse and Relapse 2 is the level of insanity.

"He was maniacal, but that was like, 'Let me come back now. Let me get my sh-- situated. Who I gotta go at? Let me see what's going on. Let me get comfortable.' Now that he's comfortable, now he's gonna be like [a monster] in Relapse 2. Good luck, people."
Source: MTV

Tuesday, September 22

Hottest mcs in game poll closed

Attention, ladies and gents: Speak now or forever hold your peace! The Hottest MCs in the Game fan poll closes Monday (September 21) at midnight.

In August, we asked you, the people, for your Hottest MCs picks. We posted more than two dozen names in the poll and got almost 1.5 million votes. Thousands left comments, debating the merits of Rick Ross, T.I. Joe Budden and Lil Wayne, as well as trumpeting some of the rappers not on the poll, like Wale, Tony Yayo and Maino.

The conversation is even more expansive and passionate than it has ever been. In addition to fans and artists chiming in on our Hottest list, athletes like Usain Bolt and Kevin Garnett and celebs like the cast of the upcoming film "Fame" have been chiming in. 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks took an initial lead in the poll, then Joe Budden rose up the ranking. Eminem's fans went to the polls in droves, catapulting Slim Shady to the top. Rick Ross has been surging too. It's not too late to help your pick leap to the top.

Once the poll is closed, the votes will be tallied and handed over to the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust, who will convene this week at the roundtable and devise the official list of the top 10 Hottest MCs in the Game. (To see what it takes to make the list, check out our Hottest MCs criteria.)

The fan poll is meant to spark up debate and give the people a voice. For the first time ever, the fan's votes will be factored into the Brain Trust's initial voting. Our moderator, Sway, will represent your case. Prior to sitting down at the roundtable, the Brain Trust comes up with an initial top 10 list. Once at the roundtable, names on the top 10 can move up, move down or move off the list completely in favor of an MC whose name was on the bubble. On Tuesday, we will announce when the names on the Hottest MCs list will be revealed. Once again, thanks for your overwhelming participation thus far, and we look forward to your continued feedback once we start rolling out the top 10 list.

Who Is The Hottest MC In The Game Right Now? (Poll Closed)
50 Cent 15%
Asher Roth <1%
Busta Rhymes <1%
Cam'Ron <1%
Drake <1%
Eminem 39%
Fabolous <1%
Gucci Mane <1%
Jadakiss <1%
Jay-Z 1%
Joe Budden 9%
Kanye West <1%
Kid Cudi <1%
Rick Ross 23%
Lil Wayne 1%
Lloyd Banks 4%
Ludacris <1%
Plies <1%
Nas <1%
Raekwon <1%
Redman <1%
Soulja Boy <1%
T.I. <1%
The Game 2%
Young Jeezy <1%

Source:MTV

Saturday, September 19

Diddy Reportedly Joining Eminem, 50 Cent & Dr. Dre

Diddy is reportedly leaving Atlantic Records to join the likes of Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and more as an Interscope Records artist for his upcoming Last Train to Paris album

Word has it that the Bad Boy's head honcho is fleeing the Warner Music Group to set up shop in the house that Jimmy Iovine built. The music mogul currently is hard at work on his Last Train to Paris album. It's uncertain which label would release the album, if Diddy indeed signs with Interscope. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Warner Music Group signed a joint venture deal back in 2005, giving the record company a 50% stake in Bad Boy Records. Under the three-year agreement--for which Warner reportedly paid $30 million--the recording giant undertook digital and physical distribution of worldwide Bad Boy releases. (Vibe)

Source:sohh

Friday, September 11

Eminem Turns Method Actor In VMA-Nominated 'We Made You' Clip

Eminem's clip for "We Made You" might seem like a laugh, but for the rapper, the tabloid-target-blasting video was a chance to indulge in some deep method acting. Seriously.

"Having worked with him so many times, the thing people don't realize is that he's a fantastic actor," said music-video vet Joseph Kahn, who won a Grammy in 2002 for his work on Em's "Without Me" clip, which also won that year's VMA for Video of the Year. "He actually stays in character on set. So when he's Tony Romo, he's Tony Romo the whole time. If he's Bret Michaels, he talks like Bret Michaels. He learned it from ['8 Mile' director] Curtis Hanson. He's a method actor, like Daniel Day Lewis."

Kahn, who is up for Video of the Year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards for "We Made You" — and is competing against himself in the same category for Britney Spears' "Womanizer" — said the concept for the video was a collaboration between himself, Eminem and Em's longtime manager Paul Rosenberg.

"They called me up, and Marshall — I never call him Eminem — said they wanted to do a funny video," explained Kahn, who has helmed iconic clips for everyone from Britney Spears to Wu-Tang Clan, Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Kelly Clarkson and the Black Eyed Peas. After listening to the song a few times in a recording studio, Kahn got on the phone with Slim Shady and the rapper explained that he wanted to do a sequel of sorts to "Without Me," in which he takes out verbal and visual hits on the pop icons of the day. "He didn't know if we could hit all the references, though, because he was rapping so fast. I listened to the song, and I was like, 'Nope, we can do it. Let's hit every one of those lyrics.' "

No punches are pulled in the clip, in which Em dresses up like Bret Michaels, riffs on Jessica Simpson's voluptuous assets, pops a few shots at Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson, lays into former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, goofs on John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston and Amy Winehouse and ex Blake Civil-Fielder, and takes Kim Kardashian to the wood-chipper.

And, as with "Without Me," Kahn went into the hectic two-day shoot with just a basic sketch of what would happen, happy to let Em do what he does best: improvise. "I'm confident in his improvisational ability to come up with a million things on set, which he always does," Kahn said. After Eminem mapped out which celebs he wanted to take down and 14 different sets were built in a Los Angeles warehouse, including the repurposing of a "Star Trek" bridge that was previously used on a porno shoot for a scene in which Em's mentor Dr. Dre agreed to play Captain Kirk to his protégé's Mr. Spock.

One of the most iconic scenes, however, was shot at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas: a takeoff of the card-counting scene in the Dustin Hoffman/ Tom Cruise savant flick "Rain Man." In a nod to what Kahn said are Em's previously unknown method skills, the director said that when he went up to the rapper's room before the shoot, he found Marshall deeply studying the movie. "He was watching it over and over, saying, 'OK, this is how he stirs his drink,' breaking down Dustin Hoffman's performance," he said. "Marshall is a freak. Everyone thinks he just does stuff, but he really studies it closely, down to how they hold the cards."

Despite a nearly four-year break from solo videos, Kahn felt confident in Em's ability to nail the scenes, especially after watching his performance at this year's MTV Movie Awards. "When Brüno fell on his face, everyone was completely shocked," he said of the thong-only reverse handshake actor Sacha Baron Cohen laid on the rapper at the event. "I knew instantly that he was an amazing actor."

The one scene Kahn was nervous about, however, was a bit where Em had to play the young Elvis and do the dancing jailhouse scene from "Jailhouse Rock." While the rapper's acting skills are sharp, the director said his dancing skills are, well, not as on point. "Marshall is not a dancer. He doesn't dance, he's a rapper," Kahn said. "But he had to learn how to dance like Elvis because we're doing the actual dance from 'Jailhouse Rock.' And he did it. He learned the whole dance in an hour and nailed it."

Watch the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Preshow this Sunday, September 13, at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the big event, airing live at 9 p.m. New York is celebrating the VMAs all week long, so stay tuned for party coverage, concert reports, behind-the-scenes updates and more.
Source: MTV

Thursday, September 10

Eminem Will Be VMA Twitter King, Predicts iJustine

The 2009 VMA Preshow, which airs on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, will not only feature celebrity fashion correspondent Ashley Greene, but for the first time ever, the show will also have a Twitter correspondent. Justine Ezarik, a.k.a. iJustine, has been chosen to integrate Twitter updates into the TV broadcast.

Justine won't just be reading off your tweets, she'll be analyzing trends that arise on Twitter as the celebrities make their way onto the carpet. "Basically, I'm going to be making sense of all of the tweets that are coming in about the VMAs. I'm going to be the visualizer of it," she told MTV News. "It's going to be pulling in hash tags and pulling in different data about celebs and what everyone is saying, so I'm gonna kind of explain to people what the Twitter reaction is."

iJustine, for those who aren't familiar with her, is an Internet comedienne who has more than 620,000 Twitter followers. And as a sort of social-networking expert, she has some idea of what people will probably be talking about on Sunday. "It's like a whole different crowd on Twitter, so I'm really not sure who is going to be the most talked about," she said. "I'm sure whatever Britney Spears does [if she comes to the show] is going to be probably a huge Twitter effect, so I'm definitely looking forward to see what people are saying about her. And of course, everyone loves Taylor Swift as well. Those would be my two picks."

As for unpredictable performer Lady Gaga, Justine isn't sure what people will have to say about the nine-time-nominated artist. "You know what, that's probably going to be a very interesting reaction," she said. "I don't exactly know what people are going to say, but hopefully it's going to be something positive."

Justine does suspect that the reaction when any "Twilight" stars hit the carpet will be overwhelmingly positive. "Obviously, 'Twilight' is such a hit ... I can only imagine what the Twitter reaction is going to be. It will probably be overwhelming," she said, adding that when Robert Pattinson arrives, "All hell will break loose!"

On the other hand, Justine predicts that the Twitter king of VMA night will be Eminem — who is up for four Moonmen. "Anything he does is always a big hit," she said. "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing if there's any crazy stuff they'll be doing with him this year. I think people really enjoy everything he does. All of his videos are very out there, so everyone always has an opinion on everything he does."

Source:MTV

Soulja Boy Wants Eminem & Jay-Z On His Album

The real question is...Who Doesn't? Soulja Boy recently spoke about who he really wants to do a collaboration with and feature on his new "The DeAndre Way" album. "I want Jay-Z and Eminem on the album, but I don't think I'm in that circle yet because I can't just call Jay-Z like that. I can call Diddy and he can put a word in for me, but I just think that I gotta do work. Maybe after I put Wayne on this album and we make something historical, me and Kanye work together and make something historical, and me and Drake spit something hot as h*ll together, I think that's what's going to determine the future -- I think I have a better chance of getting Eminem on my album than Jay-Z. I don't know nothin' about Jay-Z, but I'm affiliated with Eminem 'cause we on the same label and I know a lot of people that know him," Soulja Boy says.

Although he says he doesn't think he can get Jigga yet, Soulja Boy does think he is moving up in the game. "When I first came out, everybody was like 'F*ck Soulja Boy,' he explained in an interview. "And now everybody's calling me to get on their songs. I see the difference and I feel the difference. I got Kanye caling me, Jeezy caling me. I guess I'm in that circle now. I got a long, long, long way to go to get up there with [Lil] Wayne and Jay-Z. Look how much rank Jay-Z got, but look how long he in the game."
Source: RapBasement

Wednesday, September 9

Fans Say Eminem Had Best "Forever" Verse

Ever since the new "Forever" track debuted online last week, since it features Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem, everyone has been talking about who had the best verse. As we previously reported, the track's producer, Boi-1da, said he felt Drake had the best verse, although he felt Eminem was very close. "Really it’s between Drake and Eminem," he said. "I’ve never seen anybody hold up on a song with Eminem, like usually Eminem blows out. Drake's my dude, and he’s my favorite rapper, but knowing Eminem I thought he was gonna blow by everybody, but Drake came strong. It’s like a toss up. And like that’s never been done before, I never heard a toss up between Eminem, it’s always just Eminem cause he’s a monster."

Well it seems that fans do not agree with producer. In a new poll through XXL Magazine, after only five days and 3500 votes, fans overwhelmingly think that Eminem had the best verse on "Forever". Eminem got 69 percent of the votes while Drake came in second with only 13% followed by Kanye at 10 and Lil Wayne in last with only eight percent. What do you think? The new song will be featured on the soundtrack to the upcoming LeBron James documentary titled "More Than A Game."
Source: RapBasement

Eminem, Drake, Kanye & Wayne Shoot Forever Video

Reports are going around that Eminem has joined Drake, Kanye West and Lil Wayne in Florida to shoot the video for their new hit "Forever" track. Although a release date hasn't been released, the four rap forces have started shooting in Miami. In a recent poll, after only five days and 3500 votes, fans overwhelmingly think that Eminem had the best verse on "Forever". Eminem got 69 percent of the votes while Drake came in second with only 13% followed by Kanye at 10 and Lil Wayne in last with only eight percent.

In related news, beat submission website www.pmpworldwide.com is currently accepting beats and production that will be considered for Eminem's upcoming "Release 2" album. As previously reported, Eminem's "We Made You" [watch here] single had it's beat originally made by producer Doc Ish and submitted through this website. According to the website, "Relapse 2" still has a possibly release date as the 4th Quarter of this year. So if you want to submit beats for Eminem's next project make sure you get them in before the due date of September 13th.
Source: RapBasement

Friday, September 4

50 Cent Says Soulja Boy's Music Is Big At Eminem's House

Last month, 50 Cent and Soulja Boy excited some fans and confused others during a West Coast stop on Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival. Fif stepped onstage in California and performed with his much younger club-floor-catering peer. Those in attendance seemed to love it, but on the Net there was speculation about how and why the collaboration came together.

Reader 4EvaShady commented, "Curtis Jackson, what the **** are you doing? Get the **** off that stage and ******* bust a rap with Dre and Eminem!"

Meanwhile LAsalvi09 was way more receptive to the team-up. "Hot performance. Good stuff," they wrote.

"All the haters need to fall back," Blacko wrote. "Y'all just being negative towards two artists that did a show together? WTF is wrong with that? People who were there enjoyed it. Leave it at that. Point blank."

A reader under the handle of FriscoKid commented, "Stop being stupid guys. Soulja wouldn't have brought 50 to the show if [50] was played out. Doesn't make sense. Soulja Boy wanted to give the tour a different look. I didn't hear anything about LeBron James being over for showing up for Young Jeezy? No chatter about Chris Brown showing up for Lil Wayne either. It's just a chance for both of them to upstage the headliners ... This may have been the best part of that night."

Well, 50 Cent told us last week exactly why he wanted to come onstage with Soulja Boy. The answer is ... well, the General doesn't have to answer to anyone. The truth is, 50 and Soulja are cool. Fif even admires the youngster for writing and producing a hit as huge as "Crank That" and said that Soulja's popularity even resonates in Eminem's crib.

That's right.

"I was at Em's house," 50 said recently. "He has a basketball court that doubles as [daughter] Hailie's dance studio. That dance studio has the hardwood floors. I watched the kids do the Soulja Boy dance to the song. They're into organized dancing. That was something they were into. They're a world way from where Soulja Boy comes from. But it's translating and it's actually a hit record and he continues to make hit records that work."


So Fif says kick off his homie's back and let the teenager do his thing.
Source: MTV

Thursday, September 3

Ross Likes Eminem's Verse But Wants To Battle

Rick Ross still wants to battle Eminem, but he isn't mad that Eminem has ignored his invitations (if you can call them that). "He’s smart," Ross says, "That’s what I’m waiting for. That’ll be a gift — a great Christmas present for me." When asked what he thought about Eminem making a Mariah Carey diss record instead of responding to him, Ross laughed saying "You know what my thoughts are, man. We just laugh at it. It’s all ‘hood, man. Shout-out to Mariah Carey, she needs to reach out to me. We could eradicate some things."

Rick Ross did have some other thoughts and notes for the Detroit rapper. "On a better note, I wanna shout out Eminem. I heard a record he did with Lil Wayne, Drake and Kanye West. Eminem, you’re smart. I understand … we all know what you doing now. You’re moving on to better things. Like I said, he might wanna do a record with me. We here. Triple Cs."
Source: RapBasement

Wednesday, September 2

Eminem Will Perform at VH1's Def Jam Hip-Hop Honors

Although he was never signed to the house that Russell and Rubin built, Slim Shady still is fittingly payin' tribute in VH1's upcoming tribute to Def Jam Records. Em joins other confirmed guests like Mary J. Blige, DMX and Public Enemy. Get the feeling "Jason from Miami" is gonna do an Uncle L tune? Hmm. Show airs Oct. 13. Score another one for Video Hits One.
Source: KFSM