Drake
Photo: MTV News

SCRANTON, Pennsylvania — No matter what his doctor says, Drake is not missing the Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival. Despite a torn ACL, the fast-rising Canadian artist said he just couldn't miss the outing, which also stars Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and Jeremih.

"I didn't really get any approval from my doctor, but I made a personal decision 48 hours ago that I'd be letting a lot of people down if I didn't show up and at least show them I'm there for them," Drake told MTV News on Sunday night at the Toyota Pavilion, where the tour opens on Monday (July 27). Drake took part in Lil Wayne's rehearsal. "For the last two weeks, I've been really going hard, getting all types of acupuncture, trying to bring the swelling [in my knee] down. I'm walking around — no cane. I'll put a brace on it tomorrow night. No one will probably even know I'm injured."

Drake was much more mobile on Sunday than he was at the BET Awards last month, when he performed while leaning against a stool. And although his rehab is going well, Drake is still not strong enough to perform his own solo set, so he'll come out during Lil Wayne's set, when Weezy takes a break to let the Young Money music family perform their solo records.

"I'm not doing my own set," Drizzy said. "That's one thing I have to apologize to my fans about. It's too much of a risk, if I hit that wrong turn [doing] 30 minutes every night. If I tear my ACL again, the doctors say I might not be able to walk again. I have to be cautious."

Despite being a bit inhibited onstage, Drake did insist that "we're gonna have fun." He was especially excited about having a tour that plays a lot of outdoor venues.

"That's the most exciting part, is that it's a festival tour," he said. "Every night it's weather. I wanna see what happens when it rains, see what happens when it's hot, when it's cold. It's a rush because it's unpredictable. The music means more when you're outside. You get that vibe. You got the people on the lawn. The natural air, the natural light, it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.

"The set's crazy," Drake promised. "When I get onstage, I'mma turn it into Drake's set. I think each artist on Young Money is gonna get a chance to shine."

Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival kicks off Monday night in Scranton and wraps on September 1 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

• Lil Wayne And Drake Rehearse For America's Most Wanted

• Drake
• Jeremih
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Young Jeezy
• Lil Wayne

Jeremih
Photo: MTV News

When Jeremih Felton was trying to get his recording contract just a few months ago, he was told, after a meeting with a Def Jam A&R rep, that he might have to come back to the building at a later date to meet with label head L.A. Reid. Well, that "later date" turned out to be five minutes later.

"L.A. Reid, I'd heard so much about him," the singer — who was named a Fire Starter in Mixtape Daily last month — told MTV News. "I knew about him and Babyface [with whom Reid founded LaFace Records]. The day of my showcase, I didn't even know which one was him. I walked in the room, it was 30 people in there. I was looking around like, 'OK ...' I was nervous at first, but after I seen people's reactions — I started with 'Birthday Sex' and ended it with 'Starting All Over' — they had their eyes closed. I felt like I reached them through the music."

Reid and Def Jam had heard about Jeremih and his "Birthday Sex" record, which was buzzing in his native Chicago last winter. The singer came to the label with a bunch of records for his demo and some of the tunes eventually wound up on his self-titled debut, which will premiere on the Billboard albums chart at #6 next week.

"I feel like [Reid] recognized it wasn't a one-song type of demo," Jeremih said. "Especially something with 'Birthday Sex,' you couldn't come up with something to back that up, one would think, but it's just one song off the album. I wouldn't say it's my favorite song off of the album; he just chose it first [to be released]. Once he heard that song, and hearing me sing it [live] ... I'm sure he recognized that, after hearing that and other songs on the album that are real soul ballads, I love making music."

The youngster has been making music since he was single digits in age.

"My whole family is musically inclined," said the crooner, who fine-tuned his musical skills in Chicago's Morgan Park High School marching band. He became adept at the saxophone and multiple percussion instruments. "For Christmas, I'd get games, like Super Nintendo, but I'd also get instruments. I got my first drum set at [age] 2 or 3 and I was busting heads. I'd be up late nights just going hard. I began to get rhythm. I began playing to the radio, just the same as learning the keys and learning the songs off the radio with that. I don't even think; I just do."

Jeremih has just been added to the Young Money Presents America's Most Wanted tour this summer with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Drake and Soulja Boy. His next single is slated to be "I'm a Star."

• Jeremih

Mariah Carey
Photo: Island

We're only four days away from the official start of summer (a.k.a. "the summer solstice," if you're an evil Wiccan), which means two things: First, prepare to get skin cancer. And second, it's time to kick off the 2009 Summer Jam Sweepstakes!

Now, let the record state that I absolutely hate summer, as I am a pale scrivener who frequently gets sand kicked in his face. I burn easily, I can't swim and I sweat more than you could possible imagine. And yet, I still look forward to the summer-jam season every single year, because I love pop music ... and the more tangy and saccharine and completely disposable it is, the better.

See, summer is when the masses take their shirts off, get wasted and grind against one another at Señor Frogs locations all across the Caribbean (and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina). It's the time when they get ill-advised tattoos in places like Panama City, Florida, or wake up in a Lake Havasu holding cell or make out with some dude for 15 hours on the Jersey Shore. And, of course, the masses demand a musical accompaniment for all this: hooky, catchy, downright fluffy stuff — music to get drunk and tanned and kissed to.

Last year, that meant gems like Estelle's effervescent "American Boy" and Tyga's hyperactive "Coconut Juice," songs that came out of nowhere to compete with the big boys (and girls) for the summer-jam crown. And that's why predicting the winners for the 2009 sweepstakes is so difficult: really, anyone can win this thing, especially since all it takes to land a summertime smash is a catchy beat and lyrics with the heft of margarita mix.

But, that said, I'm still going to try my hand at predicting the winners. Sure, there will be some dark-horse candidates along the way, and don't forget the new songs from heavy-hitters like Jay-Z and Young Jeezy that are looming on the horizon. But, since summer can't wait forever (and because I have a huge gambling problem), here's my attempt at handicapping the race for the summer jam of 2009. Read it while you tan or do something you'll probably regret for the rest of your life!

Mariah Carey, "Obsessed"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 4:1

Just 14 months after 2008's E=MC² album fizzled, Mimi returns, this time with an Auto-Tuned kiss-off to wannabe lotharios (and Eminem?) that will probably be the soundtrack to a million summer hookups and just as many public-intoxication collars. And I'm not just saying that because the hook reminds me so much of Jamie Foxx's "Blame It," either. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban," Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned.

Drake, "Best I Ever Had"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 6:1

The latest in a long line of heavy-browed sensations (after Chris Paul and that one Jonas brother), Drake doesn't even have a record label, and already he's landed tons of buzz, some hit singles and the approval of Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, who are taking him out on the road this summer. "Best I Ever Had" is a straight-up classic R&B jam — strictly for the ladies, yet also cool enough for the dudes to dance to. And that bodes well for him this summer, to be certain.

Black Eyed Peas, "Boom Boom Pow"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 8:1

This one would probably be higher on my list, if not for that fact that it probably peaked too early (you know, what with it topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 consecutive weeks now). Still, there's no denying this tune's pull — the mega-catchy, futuristic knob-twiddling from Will.I.Am, the big vocals from Fergie, even that karate dude isn't totally awful here — which should still earn it a ton of summer plays. Also, this is probably the first BEP song that I'll ever admit to liking, even if I do so begrudgingly.

Jeremih, "Birthday Sex"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 10:1

Another one that's probably already peaked (by now, Jeremih's tune is practically inescapable), but don't count it out of the Summer Jam Sweepstakes just yet: There's still gonna be plenty of ladies celebrating their birthday in Cancún and Cozumel, and all of them are gonna be looking for one thing.

Sean Kingston, "Fire Burning"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 11:1

I wrote about this song earlier this week, calling it a "sweaty, sunny, summertime jam." And while it certainly is — all dance-floor whoops and sing-song vocals — the question remains: Will the masses buy the baby-face Kingston as a mature, loved-up ladies man? Actually, what am I talking about? It's the summer. No one cares about crap like that!

Das Racist, "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 12:1

Especially if you're talking about summer in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Easily my favorite song of 2009, much to the consternation of everyone who's ever loved me/shared office space with me.

Flo Rida, "Sugar"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 12:1

"Sugar" should probably be much higher on my list, especially when you consider that it might just be the most "by the books" summer jam ever created: sample one annoying/forgotten pop track (in this case, Eiffel 65's "Blue"), rap about females and various female-related proclivities, shoot a video on the beach, repeat if necessary. Bonus points for the fact that Flo Rida rarely actually wears a shirt, which should endear him to the toned and tanned masses.

La Roux, "In for the Kill"

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 13:1

This is my wild-card pick. A British electro duo fronted by the striking Elly Jackson, La Roux's gauzy synth pop has already won over the likes of Katy Perry and Lily Allen (and those two don't agree on anything). And armed with the success of songs like "In for the Kill" (in England, this kind of stuff actually charts!), they're taking aim at the States. This is perfect music for drinking in the clubs and vomiting in hotel rooms — try it and see for yourself!

Wale (featuring Lady Gaga), "Chillin' "

Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 15:1

I love this song, and not just because of Wale's clever verses ("I remain a Giant/ And you're Jeremy Shockey"), the deft production work (spindly beats mingle with a sample of Steam's 1969 track "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," in case you were wondering), or because Gaga seems to be channeling M.I.A. on the hook. No, it's because this is hungry, bare-bones hip-hop, the kind of stuff they don't make any more. It's what all the cool clubs will be playing this summer.

Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks" and Discovery, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"

Odds That They Will Rule the Summer: 10,000:1

The summer jams for the kids who don't take their shirts off at the beach. Two of the best indie songs of the year, the former all gorgeous harmonies, the latter ridiculous, azz-shaking glitch pop, you'll be sure to hear these (sorta) blasting from MacBook Pros for the next four months. Could also insert Phoenix's "Listzomania" in here too.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• BTTS' Summer Jam Playlist

• Drake
• Mariah Carey
• Jeremih

Jay-Z and Eminem
Photo: Getty Images/FilmMagic

Whether or not you agree with Irv Gotti that Jay-Z is a better MC than Eminem, Gotti is passionate about hip-hop, just like all of you people reading this. I.G. knew Jay back in the day, when Hov was standing on a pool table battle rapping, and he's been on the receiving end of some of Slim Shady's famously sharp punch lines. Is Irv showing favoritism toward his homie? Is he still sour about his quarrels with the Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit factions? He says no, but we definitely want to know what you guys think about his assessment in our comments section.

Also today, we have Chicago singer Jeremih (Chi, what up? Mixtape Daily will be out there soon, homies). The cat came out of nowhere to lock things down on the radio for the past several weeks with "Birthday Sex." He started singing seriously only a couple of years ago, but he writes his own lyrics and makes his own beats. He says he's going to be here for a while. Can he be the Derrick Rose of R&B? He's off to a great start.

Fire Starter: Jeremih

If you don't know the lyrics by now, you'll be very familiar with them by the end of the summer: "It's your birthday, so I know you wanna ri-i-i-ide out." Singer Jeremih got right down to business with his hit "Birthday Sex."

"I still [read] comments like, 'I thought it was The-Dream.' Or 'I thought it was R. Kelly.' Or 'I thought it was J. Holiday' — guys that have similar sounds and tones to my voice as well as the instrumentation to the song," Jeremih said about the reaction to his song and how he gets compared to his older peers. "But those are big names. I feel real good. I feel blessed to have a hit, and even to be compared to those hitmakers is great."

Although fans are familiar with his voice, everyone isn't aware of what the 21-year-old Chicago native looks like. That might change now that a video for the song just came out.

Jeremih wrote the song (he writes and produces) last September, and on October 30, it debuted on the airwaves in his hometown. The station gave the upstart — who has only been singing seriously for two years — a shot. A few months later, a host of record execs saw that the song had legs, and everybody reached out to him. He decided to roll with Def Jam.

"I wouldn't say it's my favorite song on the album," J admitted of "Birthday Sex." "It just was chosen first."

Right now, he's partial to a ballad and a club banger from his self-titled, self-produced LP.

"It's called 'Jumpin',' " he said of one cut he loves. "But my favorite is called 'Starting All Over,' which is a slow, soul love song. I wrote it because ... in relationships, that's the hardest thing to do. You breaking up, you making up. I'm saying in this song: 'This girl is worth starting all over.'

" 'Jumpin',' hands down, club banger of '09," he added. "The crowd is jumping. The hook is soulful. The lyrics are witty, dumb, off-the-wall type of words."

Def Jam would be overjoyed if either song is even half as successful as "Birthday Sex." Not only do the fans love the record, but Jeremih's peers — from R. Kelly to Red Cafe — have added verses to their own unofficial remixes of the song.

"Just the fact that people are taking time out to add verses shows how powerful the record is," he said. "That it has impacted a lot of people's lives. Honestly, I've heard a lot of them from the guys on the block to the mainstream. I really feel that it's some records that's out that's just timeless, that if somebody tries to add on to be better, it wouldn't have the same effect as the original. And I don't even know if it's because it's me or whatever, but I've heard a lot of remixes, and I felt that nobody has made the song any better than what it already is. But I'm all ears."

Jeremih said it will take a lady to knock him off his feet with a remix. "I feel the perfect remix has to be a female singing it me for my birthday. That would be the perfect. I'm still waiting on one, man," Jeremih said, suggesting Keri Hilson for the job. "She's hot, she's fresh. I know she's done a lot of damage on the writing side too. I feel like her swagger, it seems like it would be the female version of me on the song. I still haven't met her, but I feel she'll do her thing on the remix. Can you sing to me, Miss Keri baby?"

Jeremih's birthday is coming up soon — July 17 — 10 days after his debut hits stores.

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Who is the best? Who would win in a battle? It's a hypothetical conversation that hip-hop fans have every day about their favorite spitters.

We here at MTV News have a great time debating the "Hottest MCs in the Game" (check for that '09 list coming sooner than you think — controversial!), and in October, Vibe magazine put out their list of the Greatest Rappers Alive. More than 920,000 fans voted on tournament brackets, in which different MCs would face each other in dream rap matches.

Irv Gotti came by the MTV offices and spoke to us about the list recently. Although he wasn't as adamant as Joe Budden was about the list being wrong, IG took exception to Eminem ranking in the top spot.

"I got a thing with Eminem," Gotti said. "This has nothing to do with the beef. I don't really feel like I have beef with Eminem. This has no hatred or nothing. This is just my opinion on it. Vibe did a thing, and they had him as the #1 rapper. Sh-- like that kinda pisses me off. You know why? Because let's take Eminem's records. Watch my analogy. Eminem is a great artist, no doubt. He puts words together, he's witty, a smart lyricist, a great lyricist. But how can we say the guy is the best rapper alive? Look at Hov. He makes real records. Every one of Eminem's first singles is some clown sh--. He's clowning. Is that the #1? That's not my #1 rapper, man."

Gotti said he also factored in the battle element in deciding that Jay-Z is better than Em. He said that back in the day, Slim Shady wouldn't have a chance against a young Jay — or DMX and Ja Rule, for that matter.

"No disrespect, you're a great lyricist, but I come from a school — I know they 'battled' in '8 Mile' — but I come from where they battled on the streets with guns out," the head of Murder Inc. said. "They would have put you under pressure. All that 'off the top,' they would have put you under pressure. I been to battles with X, Jay and Ja, that was some real sh--. Homie, you wouldn't been able to survive. These n---as was going with written sh--. In your grill. X [would say,] 'I don't walk, I stalk, living foul.' Saying some sh-- you wouldn't been able to withstand."

Gotti said Em would survive in a cipher with the big dogs.

"You would have been like, 'My name is Em and I eat M&Ms. I eat you.' What?" IG laughed. He said the Detroit legend would have been greeted with three harsh words: " 'Shut the f--- up!' It would have been a 'shut the f--- up' moment off the top. Dame [Dash] would have been like, 'Look at him. He's crunchy! He's wack!' Then I look at the singles he put out. They're all good, but they only work for him. I say take Eminem, and let him say 'Hard Knock Life.' Still hot. Now let's have Jay-Z say the 'We Made You' song. They would laugh him out the f---ing building. ... It would be over."

Irv finished by saying the best rapper alive has to be Jay-Z or Lil Wayne.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily Video: Jay-Z, Cam'ron, Drake, Jadakiss & More

• Mixtape Daily: Other Notables, Eminem, Jadakiss, Kanye West And More

• Jay-Z
• Eminem
• Irv Gotti
• Jeremih
• Keri Hilson

Fabolous, Fefe Dobson, Twista And More At The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Press Forum

• Twista
• Raekwon
• Fabolous
• Jeremih

America's Most Wanted Tour Stops In L.A.

• Lil Wayne
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Pleasure P
• Jeremih

MTV.com Exclusive: Jeremih

• Jeremih

Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige And More Come Out For Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash 2009

• Lil Wayne
• Trey Songz
• Plies
• Shawty Lo
• Pleasure P