Kanye West and Estelle
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Music's biggest night just keeps getting bigger. The 51st annual Grammy Awards, which air on Sunday night on CBS, have added yet another round of performers to the roster: Kanye West will appear with Estelle (most likely for their Song of the Year nominee "American Boy"). Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are teaming up. Adele, Chris Brown and Sugarland have been added to the list. And there will be a tribute to legendary Motown group the Four Tops featuring Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo and original last living original member, Duke Fakir.

The latest additions join a list that already included Jennifer Hudson, the Jonas Brothers, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Radiohead, Rihanna, T.I. with Justin Timberlake, U2, Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Paul McCartney with special guest drummer Dave Grohl, Kenny Chesney and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. The show will also feature a solo performance from Lil Wayne, the night's most nominated artist, and he's expected to throw down his verse on T.I.'s "Swagga Like Us," alongside Jay-Z, Tip and Kanye.

The addition of Ne-Yo to the live roster of talent on the show means that all five of the contenders for Album of the Year — which also include Radiohead, Coldplay, Lil Wayne and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss — will now be performing on the show.

Among the newly added presenters are Sheryl Crow, Queen Latifah, T-Pain, Al Green, actor Jay Mohr and late-night talk-show host Craig Ferguson. They join a list of previously announced presenters that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Black, Duffy, Josh Groban, Simon Baker and jazz musician Charlie Haden.

Will Lil Wayne grab all the gramophones? Is Katy Perry going to tell her girl rivals to kiss off? Can Coldplay march off with a win? MTV News is all over the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, so stay tuned for interviews, analysis and more before, during and after the big night, Sunday, February 8.

• Who Will Win At The Grammys?

• Kanye West
• Estelle
• Miley Cyrus
• Taylor Swift

Lil Wayne, Beyoncé and Kanye West
Photo: Universal/ Sony/ Atlantic

Music-wise, perhaps the best thing about 2008 was that it wasn't 2007. Unlike last year — which could generously be described as "catastrophic" — there were decidedly fewer "Oh my God, the industry is f---ing collapsing" moments in '08 ... instead, we had artists selling 1 million albums in a week (Lil Wayne), intelligent pop stars with establishment-tweaking radio hits (Katy Perry) and long-in-the-tooth vets striking back with industry-defying successes (Kid Rock). If there was one theme, perhaps it was that, for the first time in a long time, things didn't look so terrible.

Of course, that's overly optimistic. Things are still plenty bad. And they might get worse. But 2008 definitely had its moments — moments of hope and genuinely excellent music — and I've collected the 33 best below. Because rather than focus on the rather terrifying future, let's celebrate the year that was — a year that generally wasn't all that bad. And to help us do that, here's my list of the Best Songs of 2008 ... a collection of party starters, pop hits and somber ballads, plus a few that defy any and all definition. Oh, and no Britney. Sorry.

It's a long list, but if you make it all the way through, I'd love to hear some of your picks, too. Feel free to send them to me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com, or sound off below.

33. Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold"
This is the Katy Perry song that wasn't offensive to GLAAD.

32. The Silver Jews, "Party Barge"
A honky-tonk song about a wayward party pontoon, as sung by a nasally poet/cartoonist from Virginia and his wife who used to work in an office park. It opens with a bit of bathroom-wall philosophy ("Father drove a steamroller/ Mama was a crossing guard/ She got rolled when he got steamed/ And I got left in charge"), goes on to mention "Satan's jeweled lobster" and "chicken-fried pigeon," and features more nautical sound effects than any other tune released this decade. There is nothing not to love.

31. Jay-Z, "Jockin' Jay-Z"
The Run-DMC sample. The hellishly gnarled guitar line (which might not actually be a guitar at all). The snarling, simplistic backbeat. The shout-out to Barack Obama. The dis of Noel Gallagher. The hunger, the humor, the anger, the swagger. Basically everything you'd expect from a Jay/Kanye collabo, only so much more. And less. At the same time.

30. Atlas Sound, "Quick Canal"
A stunning, skittering and slightly water-logged 13-minute soundscape that probably wouldn't have been heard this year, if not for the MediaFire mishaps of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. In August, he accidentally posted an entire DH album and an unmastered Atlas Sound record (his side project, FYI) on his blog, and within hours, both spread like wildfire throughout the Internets. Cox got pissed, then apologized, then said that "Canal" was supposed to feature vocals, only he hadn't gotten around to recording them yet. And while the backstory is pretty great, the song itself is even better. Full of gently undulating electronic pulses, snapping drums and a barely there guitar, it eventually erupts like a bottle rocket, sending sparks flying through my headphones and reminding me of Stereolab, Tortoise and Mogwai and anything else I was getting baked and listening to in 2001. The best mistake of '08.

29. The Airborne Toxic Event, "Sometime Around Midnight"
I have had several nights exactly like the one detailed in this song, except most of them ended with me throwing up in a cab/vestibule/New Jersey.

28. Tom Gabel, "Random Hearts"
On his own, Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel has always followed the acoustic, "This-Machine-Kills-Fascists" ethos of Woody Guthrie, so it's surprising that the first things you hear on "Random Hearts" — the lead track from his solo album Heart Burns — is a series of staccato handclaps, muscle-y chords and Gabel's husky growl. Then the whole thing builds to a chorus so mean it'll steal your lunch money, and you get the feeling that Fascists aren't the only people Gabel wants to kill. He'd do anything for love, but he won't do that. Actually, he probably would.

27. Panic at the Disco, "Northern Downpour"
If a tree-shaped bong falls in the woods surrounding a Nevada cabin, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If it does, I bet it sounds like this song — somber and stony and genuinely pretty, not to mention probably the best thing Panic will ever do. The harmonizing between Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie is worth the price of admission alone; the fact that Ross spends the majority of the "Downpour" video dressed like an attendee at the Memphis Insurance Adjusters' 1973 Winter Conference is just icing on the cake.

26. Beck, "Modern Guilt"
A shambling, rambling take on 21st-century alienation, courtesy of a guy who's been alienated since the late 20th century. "Guilt" wouldn't seem out of place on any of Beck's earlier, uh, "quieter" albums (One Foot in the Grave, Sea Change, etc.), except that here — for perhaps the first time in his 15-year career — he's playing it straightforward, looking (and sounding) very much like a guy edging gracefully into his 40s. It's a logical step ... obsolescence has never sounded so good.

25. Wye Oak, "Please Concrete"
Textbook dreamy indie-folk from a Baltimore duo, "Concrete" sounds like 6 p.m. on a Sunday, until the two-minute mark, when the whole thing arches its back and positively hisses. Guaranteed to terrify your stoned roommate when he dozes on the futon.

24. The Plastic Constellations, "Phantom Canyon"
Big, dumb hooks and even bigger, dumber lyrics (about, apparently, "one of Northern Colorado's last roadless canyons"), from the broadswords and brains of TPC, the greatest rock band no one ever gave a sh-- about. After battling industry indifference for more than 13 years, they called it quits in April, which is a shame, because considering the wallop "Canyon" packs, there were only bigger things on the horizon. Even the bravest (or drunkest) of warriors can't fight forever, but it would've been awesome if the guys in TPC gave it a shot.

23. Hercules and Love Affair, "Hercules Theme"
Sumptuous — and strangely dirty — post-house (or, if you prefer, neo-disco) that's full of slutty horns, sleazy bass and horny background vocals. If this doesn't make you wanna grab that special lady (or fella) in your life, chances are you're dead. Or a member of Focus on the Family.

22. Ida Maria, "Oh My God"
Norwegian-born Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen (just call her Ida Maria for short) possesses a voice that can shift tectonic plates, and here — backed by a spazzy three-piece — she sounds as if she's teetering on the brink of doing just that. At song's end, when she finally lets loose, the results can be measured on the Richter scale.

21. Crystal Castles vs. Health, "Crimewave"
Over a beat that sounds like Tetris blocks falling (or an NES melting), Alice Glass mumbles about "dark eyelids" and "nice breasts" and I have no idea what else. Not that it really matters.

20. TV on the Radio, "Golden Age"
A disco shuffle. A supple falsetto. Charging horns. Electronic frippery. Backward-looking. Forward-thinking. At the same time. Rock. R&B. Soul. And a little PM Dawn, too. A Golden Age indeed.

19. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
It's certainly debatable whether Lewis will be the Mariah Carey for the new millennium, but the fact is, you could swap her for Mimi on this song, and it would remain exactly the same ... which is as big a testament to the British "X-Factor" champ as you can possible get. Where she goes from here is anybody's guess, though it will be hard for her to match the swooning mastery she pulled off on "Love." That the song was co-written by a dude who used to be on "Summerland" only makes Lewis' accomplishments on it all the more amazing.

18. She & Him, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"
Speaking of amazing, who knew albums involving actors could be any good? Dishy Zooey Deschanel pulls it off, thanks in no small part to her partner in crime, indie master M. WardM. Ward. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" is full of his trademark retro crackle and shine — not to mention twangy guitar and twinkly piano — but it's Deschanel's big, bell-clear vocals (and that "uh-huh!") that make this one truly special.

17. Lykke Li, "I'm Good, I'm Gone"
A slinky, sexy model of 21st-century pop (and don't dare overanalyze it as anything but, or the notoriously prickly Li might kill you) that could double as a Lego sculpture, if only because it's built up of so many individual parts — handclaps, foot stomps, piano, vibraphone, bells, treated vocals, wood blocks — that work so much better as a whole. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to duck the chair Lykke just chucked at my head.

16. Tyga, "Coconut Juice"
I am a 13-year-old girl ... one who loves tropical drinks, apparently. Perhaps the year's dumbest, most unabashed bit of hyper-color hip-hop (which is saying something), I drank deeply from Tyga's cup and have been riding the sugar rush every since. Ay-ay-ay, indeed.

15. Death Cab for Cutie, "Grapevine Fires"
"I Will Possess Your Heart" might have gotten all the shine — and with its eight-minute running time, why wouldn't it? — but the best song on Death Cab's really great Narrow Stairs was unquestionably "Fires," a four-minute rumination on life and death that shines a candle on Ben Gibbard's achingly pretty vocals and narrative skill. On the surface, it's about watching the California hills burn in the distance, but there's really so much more going on here ... and that the song ends on an incomplete thought ("The firemen worked in double shifts/ With prayers for rain on their lips/ And they knew it was only a matter of time") only makes the sentiments contained within all the more jarring.

14. MGMT, "Kids"
Blissed-out electro-pop from a couple of buzzed-in Brooklyn neo-hippies. There is much to snicker at here (chiefly Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser's outfits), but listen to the gnarled synths and baroque breakdown, and tell me if there's any way you can deny this song.

13. Sigur Rós, "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur"
Joyous noise from an Icelandic quartet never known for being especially, well, joyous. On this year's Med sud í eyrum vid spilum endalaust (try saying that five times fast), Sigur Rós shifted away from making glacial-paced soundscapes and just got happy, and "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" (which, translated from Icelandic, means "within me a lunatic sings") is them at their most happy. Just because you don't know what they're saying doesn't mean you shouldn't still listen.

12. Santogold, "L.E.S. Artistes"
The year's best Tegan and Sara song not performed by Tegan and/or Sara.

11. The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive"
If you were to take everything people love (or, alternately, hate) about the Hold Steady and condense it into three minutes, "Stay Positive" would be the end result. Lead singer Craig Finn's insular, nostalgic lyrics (and his, uh, "singing voice"), the blaring organ, the guitar solo, the fact that this song is best listening to at top volume, with your arm around your best friend and a beer thrust skyward — this truly is maximum Hold Steady. Which is to say that it's incredible and awesome and uplifting and, most importantly, unashamed to be any of those things. For better or worse. Mostly the former though.

10. Kid Rock, "All Summer Long"
When you take two songs that are already awesome (Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"), mash 'em together, and throw in lyrics about even more awesome things like babes and booze and a lake in Northern Michigan, what do you get? The unquestionable champion of this year's Summer Jam sweepstakes, and perhaps the most undeniable song released in 2008. "All Summer Long" wasn't so much of a tune as it was a gigantic middle finger from Rock himself, extended directly at the music-industry suits and radio programmers who gave him a million reasons why the song wouldn't be a hit. There is nothing that's not beyond dumb about the song — from its content to its (anti) marketing campaign — all which probably explains its massive success and its unfettered charm. Actually, that definitely explains it. And Kid Rock too.

9. Portishead, "Machine Gun"
Deceptively — and destructively — simple, "Machine Gun" is little more than Beth Gibbons' aching voice, some hammering drums and a spooky synthesizer. And sometimes, that's all you need. There wasn't a more haunting song released this year, and it makes me anxious to hear just what Portishead do next ... even if it takes a decade for them to make that decision.

8. The Teenagers, "Homecoming"
A cheeky bit of French synth-pop about every European male's favorite summer activity: seducing gullible American girls backpacking their way across the continent. Sure, this song is a lot of bad things — cruel, dirty, probably misogynistic — but it's also razor-sharp, downright hilarious and incredibly catchy. Plus, if you've ever wondered what Pulp would sound like if Jarvis Cocker were an effeminate, foul-mouthed slip of a Frenchman, well ... here you go.

7. Kanye West, "Love Lockdown"
The bravest move made by a mega-star in years (seriously, would Britney, Madonna or even 50 ever try anything like this?), "Love Lockdown" is a testament to both Kanye's artistry and his ego. That he ditched the rapping is either a blessing or a curse, depending on which side of the fence you're on, as is his obsession with '80s synthesizer sheen, but there's no denying the fact that West is taking a risk here, and regardless of the end result, he should be commended for that. He may lose tons of "street" cred, but he's gained new legions of fans, and — to me and plenty of others — he suddenly got a whole lot more intriguing. And, oh, those drums.

6. Katy Perry, "I Kissed a Girl"
If you are a music nerd, you no doubt pick up on the Gary Glitter stomp, the new-wave-y beat, the not-so-subtle vocal flourishes employed by producer Dr. Luke and the fact that there's already a Jill Sobule song with the same name. If you are a drunken frat dude, you no doubt pick up on the fact that — holy sh--, dude, she kissed a girl! And she liked it! WOOOOOO! If you are a girl in a bar in Long Island, perhaps you even kiss a girl standing next to you while hundreds of those drunken frat dudes cheered you on. The greatest of songs bring us all together.

5. No Age, "Eraser"
By the time most of the mainstream media (ahem, me) pick up on a trend/scene, chances are that trend/scene is already dead and buried. I am not sure if that's the case with the lo-fi movement surrounding Los Angeles' anti-club the Smell and its most prominent progeny, No Age ... nor am I sure whether that particularly even matters in this instance. "Eraser" is great on so many levels — the strummy psych guitars, the wall of white noise, the hiss, the explosions — that whether you consider it a clarion call or a funeral dirge, it's somehow fitting either way.

4. Estelle (featuring Kanye West), "American Boy"
The most effortlessly effervescent song of 2008, a bit of sunny R&B so good it makes me reconsider my ill will toward Will.I.Am, who produced it (and that's saying something). Estelle's vocals pop and bubble, and Kanye contributes a clever verse of his own, and the end result is pop perfection. Though, a word to English girls: Most American boys are jerks.

3. Deerhunter, "Nothing Ever Happened"
Bradford Cox and company released a pair of gauzy, atmospheric long-players in 2008, both of which seemed to positively hum with potential ... but at no point did they come close to matching the knee-buckling beauty and driving urgency of "Nothing Ever Happened," which might just be the best thing they've ever done (you know, until they do something better in 2009). The final two minutes — a locomotive drive of bass, drums and guitars that steams headlong into the ether — raise goose bumps on my arm, and the winging guitar solo that finally unspools the song is undoubtedly my favorite musical moment of the year.

2. Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
My favorite thing about Beyoncé has always been that despite the fact that she is well-manicured and coached to within an inch of her life, there is roughly a 50 percent chance that she is also a complete and total lunatic. I cannot explain why this is ... though, as Exhibit A, please allow me to present this song, which sounds like what would happen if the Supremes cut a track while someone was playing "Frogger" in the background (and I mean this in the best possible way). "Single Ladies" is hyperactive and supercharged in ways I never thought possible. It's epic and sexy and even a bit sad (because, you know, he didn't put a ring on it), and it manages to out-crazy even "Ring the Alarm" (thanks mostly to B's shout-out to Buzz Lightyear three-quarters of the way through). I love this song unapologetically, in reasons I am probably not doing a very good job of conveying. All I know is that there is absolutely zero chance Beyoncé ever releases a single like this ever again, so, you know, enjoy it while you can.

1. Lil Wayne, "A Milli"
I give.

• Today's Headlines: Britney, T.I. & More
• The Best Songs of 2008?

• Lil Wayne
• Beyoncé
• Jay-Z
• Kanye West
• Estelle

Kanye West
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images

The hip-hop community was one of, if not the cross section of people most vocal about their diligent support of Barack Obama. For many, including 18-year-old Soulja Boy Tell'em, 36-year-old Busta Rhymes, not to mention Juelz Santana, Maino, Bow Wow and Nas, Tuesday marked their first time voting. Others, such as Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z, worked tirelessly both online and in person, encouraging people to get out to the polls. Young Jeezy made a tremendous record called "My President," while Will.I.Am wrote a trio of proudly pro-Obama tracks. Their faith paid off when Obama was announced the president-elect.

"Obama!" Fat Joe yelled, watching the news of the Illinois senator's win from his home in Miami. Joe was shaking in his chair like a little kid. "That Latino vote!"

"It's just incredible to know that Barack Obama is our president," Usher told MTV News. "Can I say this? The coolest sh-- ever!"

Kanye West acknowledged the win on his blog, posting an image of the senator under the headline "Hi Mom, Obama Won!"

"The vision of the hip-hop generation and its young people is in full and glorious effect tonight," Russell Simmons said in a statement released to MTV News Tuesday night. "While many older Americans, who marched and struggled so hard so Senator Obama could run for president of the United States, never dared to believe in his candidacy's real potential, young people, particularly the hip-hop community, had faith, and their imagination became our reality.

"Obama's election as president is a beautiful testament to the American collective consciousness that is flowering," the statement continued. "This more loving consciousness will be necessary to protect us from some of our hurtful human choices and tendencies. We will need it to create balance with the constantly emerging advances in technology so, going forward, we can use these advances in a positive way to lift up Mother Earth and all her inhabitants."

"This is my proudest day as an American," Nick Cannon said via e-mail. "We have elected a leader that represents change and unity. Barack Obama has carved his place in history as a true beacon of hope!"

Even artists from outside the country were eager to share their reactions. "I am ecstatic!" Estelle told us in an e-mail. "I just got the news arriving in the U.K. I'm so proud of Americans for making that change happen!!! Let's go towards a great new future!!!!"

Rick Ross has been persevering through the tragic loss of his friend and business partner record exec Shakir Stewart for the past few days, but he found hope once again through the election results. He was so pleased and overwhelmed with Obama's win on Tuesday, he was at a very rare loss for words.

"I'm just ... to be honest, I'm speechless," he said. "I think we all should be. It's time for action. I'm one of the people that really think life can be a mind game at times. To see this obstacle that us, as men of color, have overcome. ... There are a lot of mind games that people played on us, or we used as an excuse for not being successful. I think the picture that Barack will paint for black males will be phenomenal. [The world] is finnin' to see us as being compassionate, as far as being leaders, as far as having the potential to be great as president."

The Boss also commended Obama's acceptance speech.

"He showed his level of class," Ross opined. "He commended John McCain. He thanked his team, his political adviser for putting together maybe the best campaign in the history of the presidential race. I would say he has the support of the people. One of the lines that touched me the most was when he said it doesn't make sense for Wall Street to be on top and Main Street suffering more than ever. That's the nerve of the problem in the United States for the past few years."

"My president is black," Jeezy triumphantly told MTV News via e-mail upon hearing of the Obama victory. The Atlanta native — who, as recently as Sunday, was on the phone working with the Obama camp to encourage registered voters to get out to the polls — was going out to celebrate.

Jeezy has a video for "My President" coming out in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Nas dropped a mini song called "Election Night" on Tuesday. He recorded it in the early morning of November 4 while on tour in Norway. Will.I.Am will release his latest Obama song and video, "It's a New Day," on Wednesday (November 5).

MTV News was on the ground in all 50 states to cover this historic election, and now we want to hear from you! Share your voting experience and your reaction to the results in the comments area below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and comment.

• Stars Celebrate Barack Obama's Victory
• Election 2008 In 60 Seconds
• Election 2008: The Choice Is Made

• Kanye West
• Usher
• Young Jeezy
• Fat Joe
• Nick Cannon

Lupe Fiasco and Common
Photo: Lupe Fiasco

Artist: Playaz Circle

Representing: College Park, Georgia

Mixtape: The Campaign

411: The title of Playaz Circle's new mixtape, The Campaign, has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the entire country is talking about the upcoming presidential election.

Of course it does! Don't be ridiculous.

"We chose that title to keep it conceptual with the election year," Tity Boi told us, live from the group's adopted headquarters at Riverdale, Georgia's Frozen Palace club. "We felt like we were campaigning for the streets. This is just the first of many. It's going down major. We brought DJ Scream on the Southside. We decided to twurk with shawty because he's one of the hottest DJs in the street. I said, 'Let me and Dolla do our footwork. Wrap it up. It's about to be a Saran [wrap].' "

"This is the prelude to our album, Flight 360," Dolla Boy added. " 'The Campaign' itself is just a mixtape song that didn't make the album that still needed to be fed to the public. Me and Tit did our thing on a major stage. We done been across the country. We seen different fans; we know what they want. Flight 360 is just a collection of great music of any generation from the smallest to the biggest."

Ludacris, Lil Wayne and Jagged Edge all appear on the album. "Look What I Got" is the first single.

Joints To Check For

"D-Boys R Us" (featuring J-Hard). "The title is self-explanatory," Tity said. "I'm a D-Boy, duffle-bag boy." "You just gotta see the swag," Dolla added. "Swag? What is it? How do you get it? It has to be a natural thing. It has to be inherited through birthrights. Check me out from head to toe, custom-made."

"Boyz Iz Back." "You might be familiar with it because it uses the same beat from [T.I.'s 'What Up, What's Haapnin' ']," Dolla explained. "T.I. put it out, did his song to it. It's a Drumma Boy track. Real hot. I heard it. We had it for a long time, too, though. ... It shows the diversity — that each artist is able to come up with a hot song in your region."

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Ryan Leslie (featuring Fabolous and Keri Hilson) - "Addiction" remix
» T-Pain (featuring Chris Brown) - "Freeze"
» Bobby Valentino (featuring Yung Joc) - "Beep Beep"
» Scarface - "Emeritus"
» Rick Ross - "Swagga Like Us" freestyle
» David Banner - "When You Hear What I Got to Say"

Celebrity Faves

U.K., big up. Ya mahhhhhh-sivvvvvvvve! We had a great time in London last week. Our current favorite British heroine, Estelle, has gotten kudos for singing the mainstream hit "American Boy," but she hasn't forgotten where her career blew up: the mixtape scene. She promises a CD for the streets soon.

"It's coming," she promised. "I've done mixtapes forever. I've been in the game almost 10 years. When I started, [mixtapes] were just picking up. I feel [making them] is a good way to get to the kids who are not sold on your album and might not like the single you put out. They get to figure out whether they like you or not."

Estelle — whose favorite DJs include Drama, Clinton Sparks and Neil Armstrong — is still not sure whose material she'll use to craft the mixtape.

"I don't know who I wanna put on there," she said. "I'm having this moment of Marvin Gaye, Coldplay, Santogold and really old-school reggae. God knows what's gonna be on there. I mean, primarily on a mixtape, you take a bunch of songs and just rip them. But I'm having a real Coldplay moment right now. I'd love to sing on a [new] Coldplay song. And I use one of the Coldplay songs in my set, 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face.' "

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

After all these years, Common still has a huge smile on his face when talking about his critically panned, fan-shunned Electric Circus. He says he wouldn't change anything about that album, because it showed he couldn't be contained to one musical format. Although he expects Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak to get a warm reception, Com nevertheless thinks that Kanye is having an Electric Circus moment: Yeezy is singing all over his new LP instead of rapping.

"I love it," Common said of West's upcoming project. "Let me tell you, as an artist, you wanna be free. You gotta do what you feel. You can't just cater to the audience. You gotta say, 'Hey, y'all, this is where I'm at.' For him to do an album called 808s and Heartbreak, you know that's where he is at this moment. I heard some songs, and I think it's fresh. I think the people are ready for it."

Common's own album Universal Mind Control drops in November.

"Last couple of albums, I felt a little more free," he said of the evolution in his songwriting. "I just wrote whatever comes to me. [In the past], I would overthink things. I'd be like, 'OK, I did a song for the ladies, so I shouldn't do that again.' I was at a point where I was like, 'Man, I want to make people move and enjoy the music.' "

Although Common's been busy working on the next "Terminator" film and had to push back the release of his album, he doesn't think fans will color him neglectful.

"I'm not concerned with it," he said. "I feel I've established who I am as a hip-hop artist. I think people respect that people are multitasking. If you're doing both passionately and do them well, people can respect them. I'mma do my best at that. I'mma create my music. Overall, I feel that both [my professions] sharpen each other." ...

It's one of the worst-kept secrets, at least to those of us who are really in the know in the industry (ahem!), but Jadakiss was supposed to announce that he was joining the Roc-A-Fella family years ago, during Jay-Z's "I Declare War" concert in New Jersey. Jada and the other two members of the LOX — Sheek Louch and Styles P — were poised to make the jump from Interscope to Roc-A-Fella/ Def Jam back then, but the paperwork wasn't finalized in time.

"That was something Louch had set up," Jada told us. "[Jay] was supposed to bring out the Roc chains. It didn't happen, but Steve Stoute and Hov reached back out to me [years later], and we made it happen. Def Jam and Interscope are in the same system. It's just a matter of passing the contract over there and them saying, 'Don't call this number; call this number.' Ruff Ryders let it go down, but they still involved in the equation."

The Black Babe Ruth's Kiss My Ass is being cooked right now. Lil Wayne, the LOX and a few others are on the set.

"I got Ghost and Rae on there," he said. "I'm trying to get some of that Purple Tape element on there. It's gonna be good. [But Def Jam] ain't even letting me mold my joint. I keep going to these dinners at Mr. Chow's. Once I get another good week in the studio by myself, we gonna wrap that thing up. Plus, I got a few mixtapes coming. The West Coast joint, and of course I'm gonna do one for New York. Maybe another R&B joint. I'm just doing joints, baby.

"I got that M.O.P./ Statik Selektah joint," continued the cameo king, who recently jumped on New Kids on the Block's "Summertime." "I did something with Juelz Santana. The new Ross album. I should be on that new Hov album, The Blueprint 3. It's like a trickle-down effect. If we come back and do this same interview in two or three weeks, I'mma have a whole bunch of stuff to tell you. My BlackBerry, my Sidekick is filled up. My Gmail is filled. Everybody is calling. Everything is falling in line. I know how to get it hot. Hop on everything! You see me on the Slim joint, the 'Hi Hater' remix. I gotta catch one or two more big R&B joints, and we should be where we need to be in the next couple of months or so."

The first official single off Kiss My Ass is "By My Side" with Ne-Yo.

"It's for the ladies," Jadakiss said. "We trying to make big music. We're trying to do it big for the ladies. [The women] still gonna cop before they get their hair and nails done, so we gotta cater to them. We gonna always show love to the streets, but we gotta show the ladies we acknowledging them this year. Heavy!" ...

Lupe Fiasco is determined not to be the "Superstar" on his record label, 1st & 15th. He has his third album on freeze for now while he helps to cultivate albums by his artists.

"Matthew Santos, Sarah Green — I'm actually working on putting their records together, so I won't start working on my album until next year," he explained recently in Los Angeles. "I gotta be CEO. It's my company, so I got to step back, because if I start doing my stuff and their stuff, I'd be like, 'Yo, why don't you come do this hook? Why don't you give me that song?' So I'm just trying not to be selfish."

Lu is giving all his acts hands-on training. "I actually take them out on tour with me, let them perform, let them open up for me," he said. "Everything I do, I bring all my artists to do it. So I don't even give them advice as much as put them in an arena where it works, where it's real time. It's them, and they get a chance to see it in real life, and they take from it what they need."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: Common, Lupe Fiasco, Estelle & More

• Common
• Kanye West
• Lupe Fiasco
• Jadakiss
• Estelle

Estelle
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Read Estelle's lips. Better yet, look at what the British songstress has applied to them, because it's probably the Body Shop's Guarana Lip Butter. For every sale of the limited-edition, $8 lip balm, $5 will be donated to the Staying Alive Foundation — a charitable partnership between the chain and MTV to increase AIDS awareness and education the world over, all part of the "Move Your Lips" campaign.

It's an effort "close to my heart," Estelle — who has signed on to be a Staying Alive spokesperson — explained earlier this month at a Manhattan Body Shop (while seated in a chair shaped like a giant pair of lips, natch). "I've seen people physically die from AIDS." The outreach is especially vital now: According to the foundation's Web site, nearly half of all people infected with the disease last year were between the ages of 15 and 24.

"We just want you to be around until it's time," she said, citing that the most important form of prevention is in "giving them enough info to not be ashamed." Estelle also said the effort is as much "for people going through the situation ... this keeps the support going."

Support is an operative word for the 27-year-old West London native. Her smooth-as-butter (pardon the pun) song, "American Boy," featuring Kanye West, has been dominating the #1 spot on the British singles chart, and she's poised to garner just as much success on this side of the pond. Her newest single, "No Substitute Love," boasts production by Wyclef Jean and already has a following in the clubs. "It's simple," she says of the track. "People who don't know it or know who I am just sing along."

Both songs appear on her sophomore effort, Shine, which is scheduled to drop on April 29, and also includes cuts produced by Mark Ronson, Will.I.Am and John Legend — who signed Estelle to his label, HomeSchool Records.

Until then, Estelle continues to spread her message, and stay humble about her rising star. "I'm happy that people are giving me the time of day," she said with a laugh.

• Estelle Gives 'Lips' Service To HIV/AIDS Awareness

• Estelle

Kanye West, Amber Rose, Queen Latifah Celebrate Paper Magazine's 25th Anniversary

• Amerie
• Estelle
• Queen Latifah

2009 Grammy Awards Show

• Whitney Houston
• Justin Timberlake
• Jennifer Hudson
• U2
• Coldplay

EMA 2008: Performers

• Duffy
• P!nk
• Beyoncé
• Kid Rock
• The Killers