Don Omar

For The Record: Quick News On Diddy, Paris Hilton, 'American Idol,' Guns N' Roses, Bono, H.I.M. & More

27 Sep 2006 20:10:00 EDT

Diddy doubles up on girls; Hilton arraignment postponed; Jewel guest-judging on 'Idol.'
By MTV News staff report

We already know that Diddy and longtime girlfriend Kim Porter are expecting twins. But the rapper/ label boss reveals in the upcoming issue of Vibe that his two sons (one with Porter, one from a previous relationship) will be getting a pair of sisters. The new arrivals could alter his whole outlook, Diddy told the magazine. "People say, to a so-called ladies' man or whatever, that when you have girls it changes you," he said. "So I was like, 'What's God trying to tell me by giving me two girls?' When I pray every morning, I thank God for showing me what he showed me while I still have a chance to enjoy myself." ...

A request by Paris Hilton's attorney to delay her DUI arraignment has been granted, a spokesperson for city prosecutors told The Associated Press Wednesday (September 27). The arraignment is now scheduled for December 5, although Hilton is not required to appear. ...

Jewel, Olivia Newton-John and songwriter Carole Bayer Sager will appear as guest judges when the audition episodes of "American Idol" begin airing in January. ... Guns N' Roses have added two more East Coast dates to their tour itinerary: November 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and November 10 at New York's Madison Square Garden. ... Clay Aiken will team with local orchestras on a holiday tour beginning December 2 in Merrillville, Indiana. The 17-city trek will end December 23 in Greensboro, North Carolina. ...

Bono will be the first guest on Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart's upcoming HBO series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the music-themed half-hour interview show, described as "musicians on musicians," will feature Stewart interviewing fellow artists about their craft. The show is slated to begin airing in early 2007. ... Tenacious D will release the soundtrack to "The Pick of Destiny" on November 14, three days before the movie opens. The Dust Brothers' John King produced and Dave Grohl played drums on the album, which includes the first single, "The Pick of Destiny." ...

H.I.M. will not be touring next month. The band's two-week No Sleep Till Halloween tour has been scrapped so the Finnish goth-rockers can concentrate on writing new material. "We just want to keep it fresh for you and stump you with new material," frontman Ville Valo said in a statement. "I didn't feel that I could do that without rehearsing some of this stuff that's stuck in my heart." The trek, which was to launch on October 18 and run through October 31, was also set to feature Papa Roach, Lostprophets and Kill Hannah. ... Underoath keyboardist Chris Dudley fractured his hand on Sunday while playing football with his bandmates. Dudley was admitted to the hospital and doctors advised him to take off the remainder of the band's current Canadian tour to ensure he makes a full recovery. The tour will go on, though, with the group's tour manager, Russ Hickman, filling in on samples. Dudley plans to return for Taste of Chaos International, which kicks off October 8 in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

MySpace has hooked up with nonpartisan youth voting organization Declare Yourself to host an online voter-registration drive. The dedicated site at MySpace.com/DeclareYourself features instructions in English and Spanish on how to register to vote and comprehensive information on the upcoming midterm elections. ... Don Omar will launch his first U.S. headlining tour next month in Atlanta, with popular Latin acts Aventura and Rakim y Ken-Y in tow. The tour will be in support of Omar's latest album, King of Kings, which topped Billboard's Latin Albums chart and earned Omar an American Music Awards nomination for Favorite Latin Music Artist. The tour is scheduled to conclude with a two-night set in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ... The family of Reverend Run released a statement Wednesday that addressed a personal loss that occurred earlier this week. The Run-D.M.C. co-founder had been expecting a child with his wife, Justine Simmons. "On September 26, Victoria Anne Simmons, for some unknown reason, chose to come early and unfortunately did not survive," the statement read. "Justine Simmons is doing fine. We thank everyone for their support and prayers. We hope that our struggle and strength will help and encourage others." ...

Twenty-six live recordings of artists who played at this summer's Lollapalooza in Chicago are available now on iTunes, including songs from Sleater-Kinney, Broken Social Scene, Ben Kweller, Wolfmother, Lyrics Born, the Go! Team, the Hold Steady, Matt Costa and Be Your Own Pet. And on October 19 the site LiveLollapalooza.com will launch with the 26 performances, as well as live photos and other recordings in MP3 and FLAC formats. ... The Prize Fighter Inferno, the side project of Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez, will release their debut LP, My Brother's Blood Machine, on October 31. The effort will contain a dozen tracks, including "The Fight of Moses Early & Sir Arthur McCloud," "Run, Gunner Recall, Run! The Town Wants You Dead!" and "Wayne Andrews, the Old Bee Keeper." ... Motörhead will headline Rock 98.9 Freaker's Ball 2006 concert, slated for October 28 at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas. Buckcherry, Crossfade and Jackyl are also on the bill. ...

"Boondocks" cartoonist Aaron McGruder and his press syndicate have failed to reach an agreement on the return of the popular comic strip to newspapers, Universal Press Syndicate executives announced Monday. McGruder had requested a six-month sabbatical in order to "restore his creative juices," but The Washington Post reports that the satirical cartoonist did not return a number of phone calls requesting an update on his status. While the future of the printed comic remains unclear, McGruder's animated "Boondocks" was recently renewed for a second season on the Cartoon Network. ... MSN has signed a deal with Control Room, the company that helped webcast last year's Live 8 events, to stream live concerts to its users. Microsoft Corporation's Web portal will exclusively webcast 36 different live events for free, which will be available for on-demand viewing for a period after their initial airing. The first gig, featuring John Legend performing in London, will stream Monday, followed by a performance by John Mayer from New York's Webster Hall. As part of the pact, Microsoft may also stream the shows to other platforms, such as Xbox Live and MSN Messenger. Microsoft also announced Tuesday that it is funding Wallop, a networking site to rival MySpace.

09.26.2006

Paris Hilton has been formally charged for driving under the influence, The Associated Press reports. The heiress is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court but is not required to appear, a spokesperson for city prosecutors told AP. Hilton was arrested September 7 for DUI and was said to have a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level at the time. ...

With five nods, Shakira leads the list of nominees for the seventh annual Latin Grammy Awards, which were announced Tuesday (September 26) in New York. The Black Eyed Peas, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Rick Rubin will also vie for trophies at the November 2 ceremony at New York's Madison Square Garden. ... Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood and Josh Groban are the first performers announced for the 2006 American Music Awards. Jimmy Kimmel will host for the second consecutive year. ... Snoop Dogg, Too Short, Tyrese, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and MC Lyte are among those scheduled to attend the Los Angeles Hip-Hop Summit on Saturday at the University of Southern California. Sponsored by Chrysler Financial, the summit will serve to educate students and members of the community about financial literacy. ...

A former Foxy Brown associate dropped two charges against the rapper in municipal court in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Tuesday in exchange for unspecified items to be returned from Foxy, AP reports. The rapper, who was present in court, and Rasheeda Ellis also agreed not to have contact with each other or discuss the case in the media. ... Joseph Barrino, Fantasia's father, filed a $10 million libel lawsuit against Simon & Schuster on Tuesday, claiming "false, exaggerated, sensational, intentional and malicious untruths" in the book "Fantasia: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," which was made into a Lifetime movie in August. Fantasia is not listed as a defendant and the suit contends the singer's grandmother, Addie Collins, was the ghost writer. The suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York, disputes such claims in the book as Joseph asks his daughter for money when she visits, according to AP. ... Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty's off-and-on girlfriend, model Kate Moss, arrived at a Berlin nightclub with the singer Monday and sang along with him onstage, according to AP. Doherty, who avoided a jail sentence on drug charges earlier this month when a London judge ordered him to continue rehabilitation, checked himself out of a clinic last week. ...

Don Omar will launch his first U.S. headlining tour next month in Atlanta, with popular Latin acts Aventura and Rakim y Ken-Y in tow. The tour will be in support of his latest album, King of Kings, which recently notched its 15th consecutive week atop Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and earned Don Omar an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Lat

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'Idol,' Angels & Airwaves Can't Touch Dixie Chicks On Chart

31 May 2006 10:24:00 EDT

Band follows 2003 backlash with big sales of Taking the Long Way.
By Chris Harris

Back in 2003, the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines triggered an avalanche of criticism when she said onstage that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," which raised the ire of the country music establishment and gave rise to death threats and radio-station-sponsored mass burnings of the group's CDs.

Three years after the Dixie Chicks backlash, Bush's approval rating has hit the lowest point in his presidency, and the timing couldn't be better for the release of the Chicks' Taking the Long Way, a Rick Rubin-produced LP that reiterates the band's controversial position. It's safe to assume that at least some Dixie Chicks fans have forgiven and forgotten, as 526,000 copies of Taking the Long Way sold its first week out. The disc tops the next Billboard album sales chart, bringing an end to rock's monthlong run at #1.

While first-week sales of the band's 2002 album, Home, were considerably stronger at 780,000, the Dixie Chicks easily outran "American Idol" Season 5: Encores, the latest compilation borne of the hit television series.

Encores, which features contributions by "Idol" finalists Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, Chris Daughtry, Ace Young, Kellie Pickler, Elliott Yamin, Kevin Covais, Mandisa, Melissa McGhee, Lisa Tucker, Katharine McPhee and winner Taylor Hicks, opens at #3. It moved 154,000 copies — the best-selling debut of the five "American Idol" season-end compilations — but not even "Idol" could tackle "High School Musical."

One of the year's surprise hits, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie continues to keep pace, selling more than 174,000 copies during its 20th week in stores. Sales of the disc swelled 113 percent on the heels of the film's DVD release, helping it claim the #2 slot.

Dixie Chicks and the "Idol" finalists weren't the sole newcomers to the chart — 16 albums managed to crack Billboard's top 200, according to the latest SoundScan figures. We Don't Need to Whisper, the debut disc from Angels & Airwaves — led by Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge — is among the newcomers, capturing the #4 spot with 127,000 week-one scans. Last week's #1, Red Hot Chili Peppers' double album Stadium Arcadium follows at #5 after selling 113,000 copies its third week in stores. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang takes #6 with 85,000 units sold.

Don Omar's latest, King of Kings, debuts at #7 with 68,000 scans, followed by another newcomer to the chart, WWE: Wreckless Intent, a compilation featuring Three 6 Mafia, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. That album sold 66,000 copies during its initial week of release, outperforming Tool's 10,000 Days, in at #9, by just 700 units. Carrie Underwood's appearance last week during the "American Idol" finale paid off, as her Some Hearts enjoyed an 84 percent surge and rounds out the top 10 with 65,000 copies sold.

Stand Still, Look Pretty from Michelle Branch's side project the Wreckers opens at #14 with 44,000 copies sold, followed at #16 by Def Leppard's covers album, Yeah!, which racked up 42,000 sales. Less Than Jake's latest, In With the Out Crowd, debuts in the #78 spot with 14,000 copies sold, while Yo Gotti's Back 2 Da Basics bows at #84 with 13,000 units scanned.

Halifax's Inevitability of a Strange World ranks #130 with 7,000 sales, and Da Muzicianz's self-titled debut opens at #137 with close to 7,000 scans. The Walkmen's A Hundred Miles Off debuts at #163 with 6,000 copies sold, while Damone's Out Here All Night follows at #168 after moving 5,000 discs.

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New Releases: 'Idol Encores,' Angels & Airwaves, Don Omar, Pink, Walkmen, Dixie Chicks & More

23 May 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Damone, Susan Cagle, Yo Gotti, Mission of Burma, PJ Harvey.
By Kurt Orzeck

Idolatry: Everyone knows Katharine and Taylor are battling it out Tuesday night (May 23), but if you were rooting for Elliott, Paris, Kellie or another "Idol" contender, the compilation "American Idol Season 5 Encores" will give you a chance to hear the finalists once again. Covers of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight & the Pips give the collection plenty of soul, although Chris Daughtry adds some rock edge with his take on Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive."

While the "Idol" contenders' best-known tunes belong to other people, so do the theme songs to entertainers on the other end of the spectrum: WWE wrestlers. This week's other big compilation, WWE: Reckless Intent, isn't as heavy on the metal as you might think: Alongside tracks by Killswitch Engage, Brand New Sin and P.O.D. are Three 6 Mafia, who add some hop with "Some Bodies Gonna Get It," and Silkk the Shocker, who chips in "Never Gonna Change."

Touched by Angels: Call them a "rebirth," a "supergroup" or "the greatest rock and roll revolution for this generation," as singer Tom DeLonge himself did, but whatever the case, Angels & Airwaves finally descend with We Don't Need to Whisper this week. If you pre-ordered through the A&A site, you might have received a copy signed by the band, but if you're still looking for something extra, pick up the U.K. edition, which has bonus live versions of "Start the Machine" and "Do It for Me Now."

Don We Now: After teaming up with Jennifer Lopez and Fabolous the last time around, Don Omar is back with King of Kings, which probably gives you an idea of how important the rapper considers himself to the reggaetón movement. This time around he's roped in Juelz Santana ("Conteo"), Beenie Man ("Belly Danza") and Mackie Ranks ("En Su Nota") for his 18-track affair, which is mostly sung in Spanish.

Tickle Her Pink: Liking Pink's I'm Not Dead but still dying to "Get the Party Started"? Look no further than the singer's "Live in Europe," a DVD that packs in all her pre-"Stupid Girl" singles, plus a heap of additional performances. Furthered by an on-the-road doc, the video has more than 25 live songs plus spots by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Peaches.

Dixie Cats: The Dixie Chicks know better than anyone what it's like to carry a heavy burden, but they share the load a little on their politically charged Taking the Long Way. Famed rock producer Rick Rubin sat behind the decks, while John Mayer adds a searing lick to "I Hope," co-written by blues legend Keb' Mo'. Sheryl Crow also lent her songwriting skills, though the Chicks get deeply personal by touching on everything from infertility to Alzheimer's, from which singer Natalie Maines' grandmother suffers.

Getting a Boost: Harlem, New York's Purple City tapped Jim Jones to executive produce and appear on their latest LP, The Purple Album, which also features B.G., Max B. and Boot Camp Click. Mr. Collipark is all over Da Muzicianz's record of the same name, producing a smattering of songs and appearing on the last two, "Mr. Collipark Speaks" and "Gyrate." And Lil Wayne, Jazze Pha, Bun B, Baby and 8Ball beef up the second record by Memphis underground fave Yo Gotti, whose Back 2 Da Basics also features "Full Time" from "Hustle & Flow."

On the rock side, Sufjan Stevens embellishes his pals Serena-Maneesh's self-titled debut, playing flute and marimba while his sisters Elvira and Hilma contribute vocals and bass, respectively. Another breakout indie troubadour, Devendra Banhart, furthers the second record by Vetiver — a.k.a. Andy Cabic, who is also a member of Banhart's live band. And two more solo stars are bumping up rookie Sierra Swan: James Blunt, who took her on tour recently, and Aimee Mann, who chimes in on "Get Down to It" on Swan's Ladyland. And one of the most iconic singer/songwriters of all, Leonard Cohen, mentored Hawaiian artist and Berklee College of Music grad Anjani Thomas for her major-label debut, Blue Alert, which was co-written and produced by Cohen.

As far as indie stuff goes, Mike Patton proves that Dub Trio really are "Not Alone" by appearing on that song on the noise act's enhanced New Heavy. Liars' Julian Gross directs one of the six videos that appears on the DVD accompanying Bedroom Walls' All Good Dreamers Pass This Way. And Antony and Bonnie "Prince" Billy surface on Black Ships Ate the Sky, the new album from Current 93, a collective headed up by David Tibet and also featuring Ben Chasny of Bonnie "Prince" Billy labelmates Six Organs of Admittance.

Branching Out: How apropos for Michelle Branch to debut her new project, the Wreckers, on "One Tree Hill." Now that she has, it's time for her and Nashville singer/songwriter Jessica Harp to trot out Stand Still, Look Pretty, the limited edition of which comes with a bonus DVD.

Also finding a new mouthpiece — actually, let's make that a bullhorn — are punk heroes Marky Ramone, Jerry Only (Misfits), Dez Cadena (Black Flag), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & the Voidoids) and Misfits collaborator John Cafiero. Their new team, Osaka Popstar, roll out their eponymous debut this week, which — like the Wreckers' LP — comes with a bonus DVD loaded with videos, animation and more.

Two members of the Mother Hips and Cake drummer Todd Roper have gone on to form Sensations, whose Listen to My Shapes debut drops this week. And Dave Shettler of the Sights has joined forces with members of the Paybacks and Cyril Lords to form SSM, a raggedy Detroit band that's also chalking up a self-titled debut.

We Salute You: Everyone knows how much Def Leppard love their sugar, but David Bowie and the Kinks too? 'Pears so, as the U.K. arena-rockers hail those artists — plus Thin Lizzy, T. Rex and Roxy Music — on Yeah! Still, that's not as unusual as Urge Overkill, the Four Tops, the Monkees and Crooked Fingers covering Neil Diamond; all the recordings have been out before, but now they've been compiled as Forever Neil Diamond. Less surprising is another torch singer, Michael Bolton, who brings us his self-explanatory Bolton Swings Sinatra this week.

Song Title of the Week:

"Sometimes the Line Walks You" from Murder by Death's In Bocca Al Lupo

Other Notables:

PJ Harvey's "PJ Harvey on Tour - Please Leave Quietly" DVD: She's been around for seven album cycles, but the celebrated chanteuse finally has a concert video to call her own. Consisting mostly of performances from 2004 — including the rare tracks "Uh Huh Her" and "E♥ol" — the DVD also has a revealing, 28-minute interview and diary footage from the usually reserved Harvey.

Art Brut's Bang Bang Rock and Roll: If you didn't see last year's critics polls, you probably don't know about U.K. sensations Art Brut, whose debut LP finally arrives in the States this week. The chic artistes have added three exclusive cuts to the U.S. version: "These Animal Menswear," "Really Bad Weekend" and "Maternity Ward."

Mission of Burma's The Obliterati: They've been around for 26 years — well, just six, if you subtract the slightly lengthy hiatus — but Boston's MOB finally have a third studio LP to their name. Initial pressings have a bonus DVD featuring high-def, multi-angle footage from the band's November 2004 gig at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts. Prepare to be obliterated.

New Releases:

Jackie Allen - Tangled (Blue Note)
Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper (Geffen)
Read: "Tom DeLonge Spills More About Angels & Airwaves' Plans For World Domination"
Buy Now: We Don't Need to Whisper (Geffen)
Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock and Roll (Downtown)
Buy Now: Bang Bang Rock and Roll (Downtown)
As Far As - Open Letter to the Damned (Octone)
Bedroom Walls - All Good Dreamers Pass This Way (Baria)
Blöödhag - Hell Bent for Letters (Alternative Tentacles)
The Blood Brothers - Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck (enhanced EP; V2)
Buy Now: Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck (V2)
Michael Bolton - Bolton Swings Sinatra: The Second Time Around (Concord)
Bronze Nazareth - The Great Migration (Babygrande)
Susan Cagle - The Subway Recordings (Columbia)
Read: "Susan Cagle Has A Major-Label Deal But Still Sings In NYC Subway"
The Cairo Gang - The Cairo Gang (Narnack)
The Classic

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Reggaeton Star Don Omar Out To Spread Latino Unity

05 May 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Tour of his native Puerto Rico includes stop at a Sunday cockfight.
By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Sway Calloway

It doesn't exactly mirror the intensity of Super Bowl Sunday, or even Wrestlemania Sunday, but the fans going to this event in Loiza, Puerto Rico, are going to be worked into a frenzy in about 15 minutes. The fighters they've come to see are being prepped right up to the last minute, as handlers secure razor-sharp blades to their feet.

Huh?

Welcome to the sometimes brutal — many say cruel — world of Puerto Rican cock fighting.

"This is a cockfight, this is a real, real, real traditional thing in Puerto Rico," reggaetón superstar Don Omar explains while a throng of his friends and random strangers yell excitedly in the background.

In the United States cockfighting has been outlawed, deemed barbaric and inhumane, but in Puerto Rico, attending a cockfight is just as natural as going to Shea Stadium to watch Pedro Martinez pitch.

"You know, Puerto Rico is part of the States, but you can't see this in the United States," Omar continues. "Maybe those things you only see it in Puerto Rico. Maybe in the United States they don't got cockfights because they've got something [against it]. In Puerto Rico it is a big tradition. Big on Sundays, all Sundays. You come with your friends, you come with your family."

Pointing into the stands on the opposite side of the circular venue, he says, "Those are friends from school. That's the people who I work with."






	My Block: Puerto Rico After Show Take it to the streets with Don Omar, Hector the Father, Voltio, Tego Calderón, Calle 13 and Sway in these hot clips, only on Overdrive.

The love Omar gets in his native Puerto Rico is rivaled only by Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón — the two other undisputed kings of the reggaetón genre.

"Give me that support, and that start," Omar said. "I make my music, I make my things. [The people] give it to me. And you know what? We love that here, we love our culture, we love everything. I'm so proud to be Puerto Rican, to be a Latino. I've got my family, got my people showing me love. I love that. I came from that place where people really need to express themselves."

Omar, who last year made a splash with the monster hit "Reggaeton Latino," has his Universal Records debut, King of Kings, coming out May 23. He has guest appearances by Juelz Santana, Beenie Man and Miri Ben-Ari, among others. The first single is called "Angelito" and has been in heavy rotations in the U.S. and Latin America for weeks.

Omar's Sunday on his home island wasn't all fighting and wilding out. He spent time riding his motorcycle with his crew (he's an avid biker) and at the family hangout spot, Piñones, playing checkers, kissing babies and hugging fans.

"I'm so proud to be Latino," he reiterated. "I'm so proud. We've got good people in Latin America — Venezuelans, Colombians, Nicaraguans, Ecuadorians. When we made 'Reggaeton Latino,' we never expected that it's gonna be so big. That's a moment that all Latinos forget about where you are. No, I'm Latino. Forget about if you're from Venezuela, forget about if you're from PR, forget about if you are from Cuba. We are Latinos. And I think 'Reggaeton Latino' broke the rules."

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Don Omar

Behind The Scenes At 'My Block: Puerto Rico'

21 Apr 2006 14:14:00 EDT

A young MTV cameraman's experiences include directing traffic, eating lunch with hitmaker's mom.
By Ignacio Guzman

The assignment? Go to Puerto Rico and follow reggaetón's royalty for the latest edition of the "My Block" series.

I looked at it not only as an opportunity to gain valuable field experience, but also a chance to bring greater exposure to a genre I have been preaching about here at MTV News since 2003. The role I played in Puerto Rico was that of shooter/production assistant and my team's translator — and it definitely led me into some interesting situations.

We got to work immediately after arriving on the island, and I soon found myself in a neighborhood where homes were painted the color of tropical fruit and seemed safe, but there was plenty of evidence of mean streets: Half a block from the sherbet-colored home where we were shooting were the charred remains of an abandoned car. The house belongs to the mother of Luny (a.k.a. Francisco Saldana), who — with his partner Tunes (a.k.a. Victor Cabrera) — is Luny Tunes, the reigning hitmakers of reggaetón. Incredibly, they've crafted hit after hit in a tiny studio they built themselves in back of the house.

Due to space limitations in the small studio, a couple of us on the team waited outside while the interview was conducted. But once it was over, Luny's mother treated us to a feast fit for a king: Rice, beans, chicken, plantain and even glazed donuts were included in epic meal. Even though I'm not Puerto Rican (I'm Dominican), I felt perfectly at home in this Latin/ Caribbean family setting.

The next day, when Don Omar and his posse arrived at the popular beach destination Paseo Piñones for our shoot, it was like a scene from DMX's "Ruff Ryders Anthem" video: I was surrounded by a huge platoon of buzzing motorcycles and ATVs. Probably thanks to the ruckus, word spread quickly that Don Omar was in the area, and before long we were surrounded by such a large crowd that cars couldn't get through. I was smack in the middle of this madness when I was very surprised to hear my head producer ask me to clear the way. I shouted in Spanish, "Por favor dejen que los carros pasen" ("Please let the cars pass"). I was expecting to be ignored, but before I could blink the crowd parted like the Red Sea.

The following day, we interviewed the man most responsible for exposing reggaetón to the U.S.: Daddy Yankee. Despite his iconic status on the island, he was chill and very down to earth.






	Take it to the streets with Voltio, Tego Calderón, Calle 13 and Sway in these hot clips.

The shoots took place at El Morro (a beautiful, enormous fort with a rich history dating back to 1539) and then moved on to Santiago Iglesia, an old baseball field where Daddy Yankee played as a child. It was completely empty when we arrived, but as soon as word spread that El Cangri was in the area, throngs of kids arrived — and it was my job to keep them away from Yankee so the shoot could progress. Throughout the interview, the kids tried their best to get onto the field but I held them back. The kids were good sports about it, and were rewarded when Yankee came over to meet them after the shoot.

After leaving the crowded location with a high-drama exit that would make James Bond proud, we headed to one of Yankee's old 'hoods — and wherever this man goes, a large crowd soon follows. This time, along with school kids, there were senior citizens, men on bikes and even a man trying to sell Yankee a baby alligator! We'd barely finished shooting before heading off to yet another location, following Yankee in his Bentley to Hiram Bithorn Stadium, where the World Baseball Classic was taking place. Puerto Rican pride was in full swing: When Yankee threw the game's honorary first pitch, the crowd roared louder than any I've ever heard.

As if Daddy Yankee weren't exciting enough, the fourth day brought our interview with Tego Calderón — the man whose music first got me into reggaetón. Yes, I'll admit it: I've been exposed to the music since 1994, but I hated it until I heard his El Abayarde and his unofficial second album, El Enemy De Los Guasibiri. I confess I was a bit nervous to meet him, but he quickly calmed my nerves: Like Yankee, he was just one of the guys, mingling with the crowd, signing autographs and never once complaining.

The first leg of the interview took place at Tego's favorite food stand in Loiza. It wasn't the most sanitary cooking operation — the cooks smoked cigarettes over the meals they were preparing — but it was so delicious. While we ate, a few guys from Tego's entourage began playing congas and the place livelied up in a hurry: Sway was dancing with members of the crowd that had gathered.

Later in the day, we headed with Tego's crew for a shoot in one of the most dangerous 'hoods in PR, Tocones. Due to an ongoing drug-related gang war, the area is so dicey that we'd been warned not to enter the location without getting a " 'hood pass" — which we finally obtained, via various friends and acquaintances of friends, on the condition that only one of our cars enter the neighborhood. (Word had it that our cars would have been shot at if we'd entered without clearance.) I wasn't in that car, and the rest of us headed to a more neutral location nearby where, after just a few minutes, the congas came out in full force and another block party was soon under way.

Day five was my last full day on the island, and with two interviews to shoot, I knew it would be a long one. The first, a lighthearted talk with the legendary reggaetón DJ Nelson, went off without a hitch — in stark contrast to what was awaiting us later in the day.

The second shoot took us to an area called La Perla with the group Calle 13. This area is regarded as one of the poorest, most drug-infested 'hoods on the island, and again we found ourselves making calls to get our 'hood pass — there is only one roadway leading into and out of the area.

Although La Perla is just a five-minute drive down the coast from the tourist-heavy El Morro, the people live in extremely harsh conditions: Many buildings in the area are either abandoned or seemingly were never finished, and the aroma of marijuana is everywhere. The members of Calle 13 were completely unfazed — one who calls himself Residente, fittingly enough, said his grandmother used to live there — chatting easily during the interview. Despite the neighborhood's rough conditions, it has a remarkable beauty that's hard to put into words. Like so much else in La Isla del Encanto, you have to see it for yourself.

To chill on the baseball field and in the barrio with Daddy Yankee, check out "MTV News Raw: Daddy Yankee."

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