New Tupac Tracks Dis B.I.G., Diddy, More

Two new posthumous songs take aim at Dr. Dre, Nas, Mobb Deep, De La Soul and others.
By Rob Markman


Tupac
Photo: Chi Modu

Tupac Shakur's rigorous recording habits ensured that the late rapper would continue to make a musical impact, even in the afterlife. Since his death in 1996, fans have been treated to albums' worth of posthumous 'Pac records, but the two records that leaked onto the Internet late Tuesday night are sure to cause a stir.

A far cry from Shakur's uplifting tunes like "Changes" and " 'Til the End of Time," the two new tracks, "NY 87" and an alternate version of the little-known "Watch Yo Mouth," take aim at East Coast rap artists like the Notorious B.I.G., Diddy, Mobb Deep, Nas, De La Soul and former 'Pac ally Dr. Dre.

Both songs appear to have been recorded circa 1996, when 'Pac was in a feud with Diddy's Bad Boy record label and various other New York artists, including the Notorious B.I.G. It was around this time when Shakur recorded and released his two most famous dis tracks, "Hit 'Em Up" and "Against All Odds" from his The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory album, which he recorded under the alias Makaveli.

While "Watch Yo Mouth" is being touted as a new track, the song popped up online over two years ago. The version that was leaked this week has an alternate beat behind it, but the words remain the same. On it, the fiery Shakur begins with a barrage of Dr. Dre insults: "He ain't made a beat in six years, swear he the sh--/ Won't get no record sales suckin' Nas' di--." Nasty Nas also gets thrown under the bus as 'Pac compares the two rappers' record sales. De La Soul, Wendy Williams, Diddy and the Notorious B.I.G. all get ridiculed. Even in his lyrical tirade, the rapper attempts to downplay the much-hyped East Coast/ West Coast beef of the mid-1990s by chanting, "For my n---as on the east side" throughout the song.

"NY 87," however, is a different story. Featuring raps by Tha Dogg Pound (Daz and Kurupt) and Threat, the bass-heavy dis track starts with a monologue from DJ Quik declaring, "Them n-----s on the East is the enemy." Though the track is being labeled on the Net as a 'Pac track, it is Tha Dogg Pound who are prominently featured. Appearing only on the last verse, 'Pac doesn't name-check any artists, but he does spit, "Move mother----ers 'til they feel me/ It's West Coast n---a, f--- New York, now did everybody hear me?"

As of now it is unknown who released these tracks and why. The timing comes a little more than one week after Dexter Isaacs spoke to AllHipHop.com about his involvement in the 1994 robbery and non-fatal shooting of Shakur and after the hip-hop community celebrated what would've been Tupac's 40th birthday on June 16. Many have speculated that the feud between Tupac and Biggie is what led to the deaths of both rappers. Those rumors have never been confirmed.

What do you think of these two posthumous Tupac songs? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666593/tupac-dis-tracks.jhtml

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Justin Bieber's Grammy Performance Will Be 'A Crossover,' Usher Says

The 'O.M.G.' singer looks forward to sharing the stage with his protégé on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery


Usher
Photo: Amanda Edwards/ Getty Images

HOLLYWOOD — At Sunday's 53rd Grammy Awards, Usher will be pulling double duty as both a nominee and a performer. Of course, given the massive year he just completed — with the success of his smash single "O.M.G." and as a mentor to rising phenom Justin Bieber — Ush's Grammy plans seem rather fitting.

Especially since he'll be performing with Bieber (and Bieber's pal Jaden Smith), a move that's just as much about celebrating Usher's successes as it is the successes of his young protégé.

"Having been through [the Grammys] so many times, you couldn't want for anything more than for your young protégé to have the opportunity to have one, so, in support of him having his moment, I wanted to be here," Usher told MTV News on Thursday, hours before his performance at the (Belvedere) RED launch party in Hollywood. "And also to be there to perform, to kind of tell the story of how we came together. This music business has definitely been good to both of us, and this year we have a lot to be happy for."

And just how will the dynamic duo tell that story? Well, Usher wasn't about to reveal all the details, but he did say that he's hoping their performance will show another side of Bieber ... a side most tend to overlook.

"The performance will be fun," Usher explained. "We want to get up there and just do what we do. Be comfortable, and have a great time. ... This is kind of a crossover for Justin. Having performed on so many different stages, this is the way that I wanted him to be seen and an opportunity to show the industry — a lot of the industry, that didn't believe [in him] — some of his other talents. He's going to play acoustically, and also, we'll get down a little bit."

And though Ush is up for a pair of Grammy awards on Sunday — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Album for Raymond v. Raymond — he's most looking forward to sharing the stage with Bieber and giving fans a look at where the young artist will be heading next.

"I'm very proud, man. I definitely saw it from the beginning, but thanks to the team that we have around us, it was made to happen. And that story has only just begun," Usher said. "The story of Justin Bieber doesn't stop with screaming girls; we need screaming fans all around the world ... a cultural experience that's much more than just fanfare. And that's what this is. That's what the Grammys will be; that's what my next phase for Justin is. This is the way I found him: I found him with a guitar in his hand, so I want him to be seen that way."

Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1657728/usher-justin-bieber-grammy-performance.jhtml

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Thought She Bombed 'Transformers' Audition

'Dark of the Moon' director Michael Bay called and said, 'You're the girl,' the first-time actress tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

One of the many intriguing stories to emerge from the production and release of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is the casting of new leading lady and first-time actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. In addition to making headlines for replacing Megan Fox as the new "Transformers" "It" girl, the fact that Whiteley comes to Hollywood from the equally glamorous world of modeling has only added to her appeal.

The Victoria's Secret model's acting abilities have already been touted and praised by her co-stars, Shia LaBeouf and Tyrese Gibson, but when MTV News caught up with the newbie, we asked her about the intensity of the audition process.

"I went to the audition and really I knew nothing about the role," Whiteley said. "No one had said anything; it was just a role in 'Transformers,' so I kind of thought it would be an extra part or a cameo or something. I went in a bit blind and also, it was my first-ever audition. I went in completely not knowing what I was doing. I left feeling not confident."

Whiteley didn't have long to wallow in her uncertainty, because a couple days after that audition, director Michael Bay phoned her directly. "He was like, 'Yeah, you're the girl,' " she recalled.

Before landing the big-screen role, Whiteley had dabbled in some amateur acting via school plays and a short film for lingerie company Agent Provocateur, but "Dark of the Moon" was definitely her first real gig.

So has she been bitten by the acting bug?

"Yeah, I've been so lucky because doing this film, I got to try a little bit of everything," she said. "There's something for everyone in it: There's the romance, the comedy, the drama, the action, there's the special effects."

But as to whether we'll see her back on the big screen soon, Whiteley wasn't so sure. "I'm really hoping to do another movie," she said. "I'm working toward that, although I very much hope to stay in the fashion industry; it's my first love. We'll see what happens. I've got no idea."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666422/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-rosie-huntington-whiteley.jhtml

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Drake Goes Home Alone In 'Marvins Room' Video

Drizzy gets rejected and drowns his sorrows in brand-new clip.
By Rob Markman


Drake (file)
Photo: Mike Coppola/ Getty Images

It's one thing to hear Drake sing about lost love and rejection, but to see it is a different story entirely. In the video for "Marvins Room," Drake tosses back drinks at a party full of women and goes home alone, while a drunk-dial conversation coupled with his regretful lyrics seem to explain why he failed to close the deal.

The clip, which was released at 3:46 a.m. on Drizzy's October's Very Own blog, starts off with a woman dressed in a T-shirt and panties on the phone, talking about her night, in which she hopped from club to club. "Hello, yeah I just walked in," she says pacing her living room before lying down on a leather couch. Drake sits on the other end of the line, seated in the back of his Maybach, listening.

The beat drops and Drake starts his first verse seated at the bar in a lounge. Partygoers mingle and dance around him, but the Toronto native throws back shot after shot to chase the bottles of beer that he sips on. Clearly inebriated, Drizzy first flirts with a girl standing at the bar. After he whispers something in her ear, the young lady walks off uninterested as the rapper swivels his head to watch her strut away.

Undeterred, Drizzy hits the dance floor pushing up on a second female, who also blocks his advances. The scene cuts back to the pants-less cutie who is still sprawled out on her couch breathing into the phone, "Are you drunk right now?"

The answer is clearly yes: Drake's drunken state is visually depicted by a spinning camera that moves in and out of focus as he makes his way across the dance floor to the bathroom where he continues to croon. The track then slows down to a crawl, repeating Drake's refrain, "I'm just sayin' you can do better."

Maybe she can, but not tonight. The video snaps back, the song's pitch is corrected, the video comes to a close, and Drake tells the woman on the phone, "You're not gonna come? Guess I'm about to just kick it here then." Cue the cold shower.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666534/drake-marvins-room-video.jhtml

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Justin Bieber: I'm A Country Boy

The newly minted CMT Music Award winner says he shares his mother's love of the country sound.
By Jocelyn Vena


Photo: The Insider

Before he took home the trophy for Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night, Justin Bieber professed his love for all things country on the red carpet.

"I'm really glad to be here," he told CMT, with the guys of Rascal Flatts by his side. "It's great."

It wasn't just an exciting night for him, but also for Mama Bieber, who happens to be a big country music aficionado. "It's great; it's so many people my mother admires, 'cause she loves country music, and I do too," he continued. "So it's really great to be here with Rascal Flatts."

It was on the set for his winning video, "That Should Be Me," that Bieber first cut his hair. In the end, the sacrifice of his trademark locks seemed worth it.

"Some of the fans liked it; some of the fans didn't. They were just upset he cut it," Bieber joked, nodding to Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox.

The video for "That Should Be Me," a Never Say Never - The Remixes track (which was a reworked version of the song that first appeared on My World 2.0) is a lo-fi, behind-the-scenes, "making of the video" performance clip. But it was good enough to beat out the likes of country music superstars like Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson; Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow; Loretta Lynn, Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow, as well as Aaron Lewis featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels.

"First of all, I just want to say how honored I am to be here ... with Rascal Flatts," Bieber said while accepting his first country award. "How amazing are Rascal Flatts, everybody? I want to thank my mom. I want to thank my family. And I want to thank Rascal Flatts for even jumping on the song with me."

Would you like to see Justin Bieber try out other genres of music? Talk about it in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665517/justin-bieber-cmt-awards.jhtml

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