Birdman and Lil Wayne in the "Money to Blow" music video
Photo: Cash Money, Universal Motown

Birdman, Lil Wayne and Drake together on one track equals a multi-million dollar lineup. So it only makes sense that the trio talk dollars on Birdman's track, "Money to Blow," the latest single from his Pricele$$ LP, which is set for release next month.

The pricey video for the track was recently shot in Miami at the same time that the posse filmed the video for Drake's "Forever" (from the LeBron James documentary, "More Than a Game"), which also features Wayne along with Kanye West and Eminem.

In the Gil Green-directed "Money to Blow" clip — which debuted on MTV.com on Tuesday (September 29) — Drake kicks things off, rocking an all-black outfit against a milky white backdrop.

"I am on a 24-hour champagne diet/ Spilling while I'm sipping, I encourage you to try it/ I'm probably just saying that 'cause I don't have to buy it/ The club owner supplies it, boy I'm on that fly sh--," Drake says in an Auto-Tuned croon.

Drake's movements are kept to a minimum, of course; the video was shot just before he underwent surgery to repair ligaments he tore in his knee over the summer.

Birdman (a.k.a. Baby), though, does anything but stand still. The Cash Money co-CEO sways side-to-side, tossing wads of cash while standing between a pearl Lamborghini and matching Maybach.

The track first leaked online featuring just Drake and Lil Wayne, but the Drumma Boy-produced number is now firmly in Birdman's possession as he spits, "Kept stuntin', more money, burn it up."

Weezy closes out the clip in money chamber of sorts, joined by his Young Money cohorts Lil Twist and Lil Chuckee.

"Well, I get paid every 24 hours, money and the power/ Come in VIP and get a champagne shower/ I don't have to worry because everything is ours," Wayne boasts.

• Lil Wayne
• Drake
• Birdman

Lil Wayne (file)
Photo: MTV News

Yeah, it was getting kind of ridiculous. Two hours and 15 minutes of waiting, laboring through a multitude of local opening acts — one of whom had the audacity to rap over Harold Faltermeyer's "Beverly Hills Cop" classic, "Axel F." Two and a half hours in, the loud-mouth young lady sitting behind the MTV News family was right on the money: "Where the f--- is Weeeeeezy at?" she asked, in exasperation.

The Lil Wayne fan, like a majority of the audience, had been waiting for the hottest MC in the game since the advertised 8 p.m. start time. Around 10:30, patience was wearing thin. Hottest MC right now? Plenty of fans in Newark Symphony Hall Sunday night would tell you yes. Most punctual? Nobody would agree with that. Wayne didn't get on until almost 11.

(Wayne responds to 50 Cent blowing up over our "Hottest MCs" verdict in Mixtape Monday.)

By the time Angie Martinez, the host for the night, announced Weezy F. Baby's arrival, the whole crowd collectively wanted to sigh in relief, but there really wasn't time. But who has time to dwell on the past when the rapper everyone in the hip-hop community is talking about is running around right in front of you? Adoration came in abundance right from the start.

Dressed in a black leather jacket, black jeans and a black T-shirt, Weezy yelled, "F--- bitches, get money!" as the music for "Money on My Mind" came on. "What the boy B.I.G. taught us?" he added seconds after the first verse, when he addressed his star quality and ability to accrue large sums of income.

"I appreciate y'all. Thank you," he said to the crowd. Then he said there were three things he wanted to get off his chest before he went any further with the program.

Number one: "I believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. Do you?" Number two: "I ain't sh-- without y'all, so make noise for what you create." Number three: "I ain't sh-- without y'all, so make noise for what you create." (Words so nice, he said 'em twice.)

The most famous rap anthem about high-end luggage ever (or at least in the last year) came in the aftermath: Playaz Circle's "Duffle Bag Boys."

"If I don't do nothin' I'mma ball," Weezy sang. "I'm countin' all day like the clock on the wall/ Now go and get ya money, little duffle bag boy/ Say go and get ya money, little duffle bag boy/ Get money!" He then sang Tity Boi's first verse: "The beat's so hot, the flow is so ice-cold/ Walk into the Gucci store/ Honey, I'm home."

After "You Ain't Know," Weezy had a little fun doing the Soulja Boy Tell Em' dance, which he insisted everybody has done, whether they admit to it or not. "Block Is Hot," "Hustla Musik," "Fireman" and an a cappella freestyle (where he insisted that if hip-hop was dead, he was the "embalming fluid") followed. Then, around 11:10, the house lights came on. Suddenly everyone was nervously thinking, "I know Wayne is going to give us more than 25 minutes."

He did, but the house lights stayed on for the duration. Later on, Weezy would address his infamous, always handy Styrofoam cup, telling the crowd that drinking sizzurp is something they do in the South.

"I've been criticized for the things I chose and things I've chosen to do," he said. "What I tell 'em?" The sample from "I Feel Like Dying" kicked in, and a rock-star moment ensued as a shirtless Wayne shook his dreads and thousands of fans sang along. "If you do what the f--- you wanna do, say yeah," the Louisiana Fireman yelled.

Juelz Santana made a quick cameo for a verse on "Steppin' to the Bad Side," then Wayne slowed it down, sat down at a chair and played his guitar. Carlos Santana doesn't have to worry about competition from Wayne yet, as the self-taught Weezy is still learning how to bang the strings. Interesting to watch nonetheless. He played and sang "Prostitute Flange" and "Leather So Soft."

The frenzy returned on "We Takin' Over" when Wayne set his mic on the floor and crawled towards it like a hungry lion about to devour its prey. "I am the beast," he fittingly rapped. "Feed me rappers or feed me beats."

"Pop Bottles" was the last actual song of his set, but he did slip in one more freestyle: "Get on my level/ They will need a space shuttle or a ladder that's forever/ I just do this for my clique like Adam Sandler."

Before he left, Wayne told his fans that he had to go to court the next morning and that he would appreciate them putting him in their prayers. He also joked about a phone call he had with Whitney Houston, which led to "I Will Always Love You" being played and a ceremonial donning of a bathrobe.

"Sexual f---ing chocolate has left the building, bitch," he said as he exited.

"We want Weezy!" That's what fans are yelling. Well, you can find your fix here at MTVNews.com for the next several days, because it's Weezy Week! All week, we'll be rolling out articles in which Lil Wayne expounds on his controversy with 50 Cent, his boundless creativity, his legal difficulties and much more!

• Could Lil Wayne's Demons Keep Him From Being The Best?

• Lil Wayne
• Birdman
• DJ Khaled
• Brisco

Josh Groban's <i>Noël</i>
Photo: WEA/ Reprise

Since its initial release 10 short weeks ago, Josh Groban's Noël has unexpectedly gone from being just another in a long list of forgettable Christmas-centric LPs to the best-selling album of 2007. With nearly 2.8 million copies sold — most coming within the last four weeks — Noël has usurped the "High School Musical 2" soundtrack (which has sold just over 2.7 million units) and Daughtry, the 2006 self-titled debut by "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's band, (2.3 million) for that title.

What's more, Noël, which has increased in sales each week and has remained in the Billboard top 10 all those weeks, has shattered several sales records, thanks in large part to Oprah Winfrey's recent endorsement of the album as "the one Christmas CD every family should have."

According to the latest SoundScan totals, Noël, which sold another 669,000 copies, is the first Christmas album to spend four consecutive weeks on top in the chart's 51-year history. It's also only the second Christmas album to ever spend a total of four weeks at #1, tying it with Elvis Presley's 1957 LP Elvis' Christmas Album.

Noël is also the first album of any kind to spend four consecutive weeks at #1 and experience a sales increase each of those weeks since No Doubt's 1995 outing Tragic Kingdom, and the 669,000 copies the Groban album sold last week denotes the biggest single-week tally for a Christmas album since Kenny G's Miracles: The Holiday Album sold 819,000 copies during one of the last weeks of 1994. Plus, Noël is on pace to pass the 3 million-sold mark, which would make it the only album released in 2007 to reach that plateau.

Needless to say, everything's coming up Groban on Billboard's weekly albums chart. But Noël's sales aren't the only interesting development on next week's chart. For starters, a total of 10 new records enter next week's top 200, though none debut in the chart's top 10. The highest-charting debut of the week comes in at #11: Face Off, a collaborative album from rapper Bow Wow and R&B singer Omarion, sold 107,000 copies during its first week in stores, falling about 13,000 scans short of #10 finisher Garth Brooks' Ultimate Hits, which sold 119,400 copies.

Behind Groban at #2 is Alicia Keys' As I Am, with sales reported at 292,300, and the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden follows her at #3 with 241,000 scans. Meanwhile, the 26th addition to the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series comes in at #4 with 191,800 sold, and at #5, with 180,000 scans, it's Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas Song. The aforementioned "High School Musical 2" soundtrack holds at the #6 position with sales of 178,000, and Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus trails in the #7 spot, having sold another 177,500 units. Country crossover artist Taylor Swift's self-titled debut climbs one spot to #8 with 138,700 sold, and Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride falls two spots to #9 with sales of 137,500.

Rapper Birdman's 5 * Stunna was the top 200's second-highest charting debut offering, coming in at #18 with 86,000 sold. Mario's Go follows at #21 with 76,900 scans, and coming in at #25 with 68,500 copies snatched up, it's the Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams. The-Dream's Love/Hate bows at #30 with sales of 58,900, and rapper Beanie Sigel returns to the chart at #37, having sold 49,300 copies of his latest, Solution.

The Wal-Mart exclusive High School Musical: Hits Remixed enters the chart at #42 with 42,300 scans, while Gucci Mane's Back to the Traphouse debuts at #57 with 31,700 sold. The Dave Matthews Band's Live at Piedmont Park occupies the #68 slot, thanks to 27,400 scans, while Puerto Rican songstress Ednita Nazario's Real opens at #101 with 18,000 sold.

• Josh Groban
• Daughtry
• Elvis Presley
• No Doubt
• Kenny G

Bryan "Baby" Williams, a.k.a. Birdman
Photo: Getty Images/ Ray Tamarra

Bryan "Baby" Williams — a.k.a. Birdman — reached out to MTV News on Wednesday afternoon (November 28) to talk about his arrest for marijuana possession on Tuesday night. According to a copy of the report from the police department of Kingsport, Tennessee, Williams was among 16 people charged with possession of nearly a pound of marijuana after the RV they were riding in was pulled over for weaving on Interstate 81. Officers said they found a plastic bag of "plant material" believed to be about 1 pound of marijuana.

"We was on the bus. I was asleep in the back," he said. "Why they pulled us over, I don't know. The people are making the situation out worse than what it is. We got arrested for a misdemeanor amount of [marijuana] — we didn't have no pound. The police just found something minor in a garbage can the dog sniffed. We all got out on bond."

Baby also maintained that he is not in trouble with the law for carrying guns. He said he and his security personnel are all licensed gun carriers and their weapons were returned by the authorities.

"The guns we had were good," he said. "I do carry a gun and I am licensed. Tennessee is one of the states I can tote in. We know the guidelines [for carrying weapons]. They make you aware of everything in [marksmanship] class."

Birdman also emphasized that he is not married, as has been widely reported. He said the young woman mentioned in the reports was a friend of one of the guys traveling with him.

"I'm not married," he insisted. "Never! Been! Married! Plus, that girl was 18! I don't get down like that! Plus, if I was married, why would I keep it a secret?" However, he did allow that perhaps the right woman could make an honest man out of him one day.

Baby is on the road promoting his new LP, 5 Star G, which comes out on December 11. He said he's due back in court on March 18.

"Hopefully all the charges will be dropped by then, and we won't have to go to court," he said. "But we good. Everybody is fine."

Police had not returned MTV News' calls for comment at press time, however WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee, reports that Baby was charged with possession of more than a half-ounce of marijuana and released on $1,500 bond at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, along with "several others."

• Birdman

Bryan "Baby" Williams, a.k.a. Birdman, after his arrest on Tuesday
Photo: Kingsport Police Department

An improper lane change landed Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan "Baby" Williams, also known as Birdman, in jail Tuesday night.

According to a copy of the report from the police department of Kingsport, Tennessee, Williams was among 16 people charged with possession of marijuana after the RV they were riding in was pulled over at 4:17 p.m. on Tuesday by police officers who observed it weaving on Interstate 81. "The patrol officer observed the same RV make a lane change and while doing so, it almost struck a semi-truck that was also traveling northbound and was beside the RV," the report reads. "The semi-truck had to abruptly brake and swerve into the emergency lane to avoid a collision with the RV."

An officer pulled the RV over and while talking to the unnamed driver on the side of the road, "he could smell an odor consistent with both burnt and raw marijuana emitting from the driver's person (clothing) and from within the passenger compartment of the RV." Everyone onboard was asked to exit the RV while it was searched, and officers said they found a plastic bag of "plant material" believed to be about 1 pound of marijuana.

In addition, as one of the unnamed occupants of the RV stepped off, they were found to be in possession of a handgun. The search also turned up a second gun.

Along with Williams, 38, his brother, Ronald "Slim" Williams, 43, was charged with possession of more than a half-ounce of marijuana, as were 14 others, including road manager Shahid Muhammad, 40; Cash Money Records promoter Casey Collins, 42; music promoter Ovide Antoine, 32; and an 18-year-old female.

At press time, it was unclear if all 16 remained in jail, as a spokesperson for the Sullivan County jail had not returned calls for comment. According to Kingsport Police Department Officer Thomas Wayt, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is assisting in the investigation into the legal status of the assault rifle, handgun and magazine for a .45-caliber handgun that were found on the RV; at press time, no weapons charges had been filed. A spokesperson for Williams' label could not be reached for comment at press time.

Baby is the founder, CEO and a recording artist on the Cash Money label. He is frequently referred to as Lil Wayne's father, but he is more of a surrogate father, having taken the young rapper under his wing (and signing him to his label) when Wayne was 12.

• Birdman

Kevin Federline's <I>Playing With Fire</I>
Photo: Reincarnate Music

When they write Kevin Federline's biography, this week might go down as one of the worst ever for the rapper/dancer.

First, his wife Britney Spears filed for divorce Tuesday, requesting custody of the couple's two children. Then, less than 24 hours later, Federline learned where his debut album, Playing With Fire, will open on the Billboard albums chart.

Despite months of promotion, Federline's Fire cracks the Billboard top 200 at #151, with first-week sales reported at about 6,000. According to the latest SoundScan numbers, Playing With Fire — one of 19 new releases to enter this latest sales chart — is the 16th-best-performing debut of the week.

But enough about K-Fed — there are 199 other albums to discuss. There's no change at #1, as the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original series "Hannah Montana" clings to the chart's apex for a second week. Barry Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Sixties is the week's best-selling debut, coming in at #2 with close to 202,000 scans. Like Father, Like Son, a collaborative offering from Birdman and Lil Wayne, opens at #3, with more than 176,000 units flying off store shelves.

Four other new releases manage to make the chart's top 10, including Endless Wire, the first album worth of fresh material from the Who in more than 20 years. That disc pops up at #7 with 81,000-plus scans. Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose follows at #8 with 81,000 copies sold, just in front of Small Town Girl, the debut from season-five "American Idol" contender Kellie Pickler, which opens at #9 with 79,000 sales.

The Deftones' oft-delayed fifth LP Saturday Night Wrist rounds out the top 10 with more than 76,000 in first-week sales; by comparison, the band's self-titled disc debuted at #2 in 2003 with 167,000 scans, while 2000's White Pony opened at #3 with 178,000 copies sold.

John Legend's Once Again closes out the week at #4 with 115,000 copies sold, followed by Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, in at #5 with more than 86,000 scans. My Chemical Romance also tally 86,000 sales, just 336 short of JT's week-eight total, with The Black Parade slipping four spots to #6 its second week in stores.

Other notable newcomers to the chart include rapper Pitbull, whose latest, El Mariel, debuts at #17 with 48,000 units scanned. Lady Sovereign's Public Warning opens at #48 with more than 18,000 sales reported, while Willie Nelson's Songbird takes the chart's #87 slot with 12,000 copies sold. Copeland's Eat, Sleep, Repeat bows at #90 with sales of 11,000, while My Brother's Blood Machine, the debut from Coheed and Cambria offshoot the Prize Fighter Inferno, fills the #119 spot with more than 8,000 units scanned, bagged and carried out of the nation's record stores. And in at #192 with 5,000 copies sold is Beanie Sigel's Still Public Enemy #1.

• MTV News RAW: Kevin Federline

• Kevin Federline
• Birdman
• Lil Wayne
• Kellie Pickler
• The Who

• Lil Wayne
• Juvenile
• Cash Money Millionaires
• B.G.
• Birdman

Baby (file)
Photo: Universal

The Birdman cometh — again. Baby, Cash Money Records' platinum-drenched co-CEO, is spreading his wings and getting back behind the mic for his sophomore set, Fast Money.

Due April 12, the album serves as the follow-up to his Birdman debut (see "Baby Ready To Unleash Balla Birdman With Help From P. Diddy, Cam'ron").

"I went back to the basics with this record," said Baby. "I just got with my peoples and did what we do. You can feel our vibe down bottom on this one.

"I'm more focused this time," he added. "I did the whole record at the crib. I wasn't traveling or caught in the rapture of it all — the money, the [sex], the bullsh--."

The Birdman's first single, "Shyne On," features fellow Cash Money MC Lil' Wayne. The video for the single, directed by Life Garland, features Wayne and a host of other Cash Money artists including Lil' Mo, KeKe Wyatt and 6 Shot.

"Before we was blinging, we was shining," explained Baby of the single. "That's just traditional slang for us down here, so I wanted to take it back a little bit."

Fast Money also includes guest appearances from Beenie Man and Mannie Fresh, among others. With the exception of Beenie, Baby said he wanted to keep things local. "I wanted artists from where I'm from," said Baby. "I wanted to keep our language and our slang down-bottom."

Baby's pride extends beyond his new disc to his label's roster. With a host of new acts on board — including 6 Shot, Wyatt and Lil' Mo — Baby sees Cash Money entering a new era.

"It's a great turning point for us in the game," said Baby. "What we did last year was just the beginning."

• Birdman

Not that she needs the money, but Paris Hilton has sold her book proposal for just under a million dollars. The hotel heiress' book, now called "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose," will come out as a 208-page hardcover in September via Simon & Schuster. ...

Baby's got a new pair of shoes. The Cash Money rapper/executive will launch a signature sneaker on May 15 in association with the Lugz shoe company. The design is described by Lugz as being "clean cut." Included with every pair of kicks will be a "bling bling" Cash Money stack clip, presumably for holding the leftover money that isn't spent on the $70 pair of shoes. ... Rapper Pastor Troy and two of his bodyguards were arrested in Fayetteville, Georgia, late Friday night when less than an ounce of marijuana was found in a yellow Ford F-650 truck in which they were riding. The MC, who was featured on the Lil Jon hit "Throw It Up," is accused by Fayette County sheriff's deputies of also giving a fake identity. Pastor Troy, whose real name is Micah Levar Troy, only admitted his identity after passersby kept yelling out his rap moniker and cops discovered a copy of his CD in his truck. Pastor Troy faces one count of misdemeanor drug possession and one count of giving police a fictitious name. He was brought into county jail and later posted bond. ...

P.O.D. will head out with Lacuna Coil, Blindside and Hazen Street on May 1 in Denver after they wrap up their current tour with Linkin Park. The bands will play around 40 shows in total. ... Cold will launch a tour with Sevendust on April 7. Dates will run through the first week in June, according to a post on Cold's Web site. ...

After playing two solo shows last week in Los Angeles — one at the Viper Room on Thursday, another at the Roxy on Friday — Courtney Love addressed her misdemeanor drug charges in an L.A. courtroom on Monday (February 23). Her new lawyer, Michael Rosenstein, asked for more time, which was granted despite objections from the prosecution. A trial date has been set for March 8. Meanwhile, a wedding date for the singer has been set as well — for the ceremony she's going to officiate as part of a radio contest promotion with 23 stations across the country, that is. Love will perform the wedding ceremony on May 8 in Lake Tahoe, California, for a group of winners, according to her label rep. ... Meanwhile, Scott Weiland got a trial date for his drug charges as well. The singer will stand trial for his charge of driving while under the influence of drugs starting March 15, according to the Los Angeles city attorney's office. ...

As pursuant to a settlement reached by the five major music distributors and the plaintiffs of an anti-trust lawsuit filed against them in 2000, some 3.5 million people who bought recorded music between 1995 and 2000 were mailed a refund check for $13.86 on Friday. The suit alleged that the distributors conspired to raise the prices of vinyl records, CDs and cassettes by imposing a minimum pricing policy. ... '80s rock band the Alarm have landed their first top-30 hit in their native U.K. in 15 years, and all they had to do was change their name. The band recorded the track "45RPM" under the name the Poppy Fields, and for the video used teenage stand-ins to mouth the lyrics. The Alarm claim they disguised themselves as a younger group simply to prove that the pop-music industry is biased against older musicians. ...

02.20.2004

And the New York Yankees thought they had a heck of a lineup. Don't make Dr. Dre laugh. He's bolstered his Aftermath label roster, which already includes 50 Cent and Eminem, by officially inking a deal with Busta Rhymes. No official word yet on Busta's impending LP. ...

Those who caught some recent John Mayer shows may have encountered songs they didn't know by heart. Mayer has been road-testing tracks that may surface on the successor to last year's Heavier Things. He's also stressing the "writer" part of his omnipresent "singer/songwriter" descriptor with a monthly column for Esquire magazine, set to start with the June issue. ... Courtney Love played a solo show at Los Angeles' Viper Room on Thursday. The singer, with a new band, played selections from her solo debut, America's Sweetheart, as well as material from her former band Hole. ... Serjical Strike Records, the label owned by System of a Down singer Serj Tankian, will release the second album by Bad Acid Trip on April 20. The 17-track disc was produced by SOAD guitarist Daron Malakian. ...

The Dave Matthews Band has released plans for its third consecutive summer tour, set to kick off on June 17 in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and wrap on September 5, in George, Washington. The 42-date trek will follow Matthews' solo performance at the fourth annual Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. ... Fans of Danger Mouse's The Grey Album — a mix of vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album with music from the Beatles' The White Album — are being asked to take part in the Grey Tuesday protest (Greytuesday.org) by posting the album on fan sites for 24 hours beginning Tuesday. Downhill Battle, a music activism project, organized the protest after EMI issued a cease-and-desist order. The protest aims to act as a "day of coordinated civil disobedience" to major labels who want to "control what musicians can create" by limiting their use of samples. ...

• Birdman
• Pastor Troy
• P.O.D.
• Courtney Love
• The Alarm

• R. Kelly
• B2K
• Aaliyah
• Nick Cannon
• Jay-Z

Lil Wayne and Friends concert, New York, NY, 07.22.2007

• Lil Wayne
• Ja Rule
• Juelz Santana
• Birdman
• Kanye West

Kanye, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Ciara, More At The 2007 HOT 97 Summer Jam

• Kanye West
• Young Jeezy
• Ciara
• Lil Wayne
• Ludacris

Sucker Free on MTV: Fall 2006

• 50 Cent
• Hot Rod
• Lloyd Banks
• Chingy
• Jibbs