Rick Ross
Photo: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images

The list of nominees reads like an iPod party mix, so naturally, the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards have lined up an eclectic list of performers and presenters too.

Passion Pit and the Clipse — featuring Cam'ron and Rick Ross — have just been confirmed to perform at the sixth-annual Woodies, joining already-announced acts Death Cab for Cutie, the Dead Weather and Matt & Kim. Breakout Woodie nominees Passion Pit will be performing their breakout single "The Reeling," while the Clipse will take on a pair of tracks, teaming with Cam on "Popular Demand (Popeye's)" and Ross for "I'm Good." Genre-blurring DJ/producer Diplo, who lately has been spending time as one half of Major Lazer, has also been announced as the house DJ for the night.

But all the onstage action won't just be of the performance variety. On Monday (November 16), the Woodies also announced a slate of big-name presenters, including Pete Wentz, Zooey Deschanel, 3OH!3, Mary-Louise Parker, David Cross, Janelle Monáe, and Woodie of the Year nominee Asher Roth.

The 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards will take place this Wednesday at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. The show will then premiere Friday, December 4, at 10 p.m. ET on mtvU, MTV, MTV2 and Palladia.

Winners in all Woodies categories — like Woodie of the Year, the Breaking Woodie and the Left Field Woodie, to name just a few — are determined by you, the college music fan. Voting is still open through Monday over at Woodies.MTV.com.

• Woodie Awards 2009 Performers And Presenters
• Woodie Awards 2009 Nominees

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Cam'ron
• Clipse
• Passion Pit
• Fall Out Boy

Rick Ross and The Clipse on the set of "I'm Good" remix
Photo: Spiff TV

The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive

Shout-out to Eskay and Dre at NahRight.com. The Web site put it out there that the Clipse and Jadakiss were talking about putting a joint mixtape together. Through our talks with the Clipse's camp, we have a little more clarity.

Pusha T has a solo mixtape coming sometime in 2010, and while talking to 'Kiss to try to get a guest appearance, he came up with the idea of him and Push doing an entire tape together. That joint mixtape is a ways away.

In the meantime, look for the Clipse to put out their own mixtape this month in advance of their December 8 LP, Till the Casket Drops. Earlier this week, the brothers finally released a video for their "I'm Good" remix.

"I think Rick Ross was a fan of the song," Malice said of their "I'm Good" co-star. "He reached out. He was feeling the song, laid his verse to it, killed it. We had to go in and rewrite our verses and put it together."

"His Internet game's been really good, as far as shooting the videos and so forth," Pusha added. "He's like, 'We gotta shoot this.' He sorta showed us a bit of that side, how they was hustling a bit. [The video] came out dope. Very crazy. Very much so performance-based, Miami nightlife. Miami's a movie in itself. When you got a hot record and that type of scenery around you and you in that type of company, just the whole performance side is the biggest thing. It's a really good look."

Pusha and Malice also shot a video for Rick Ross' "Maybach Music 2" remix the same night. The track features Birdman, whom the Clipse have thrown some lyrical shots at in the past. The duo say they are done with any rivalry they had with Stunna and Lil Wayne, so they had no problem being on the same song as the Cash Money CEO.

"That's water under the bridge. That whole Cash Money/ Clipse thingy, it's nothing," Pusha insisted.

"It's nothing, man," Malice concurred.

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

• Mixtape Daily: 50 Cent, Andre 3000, Clipse, Cookin' Soul, Lil Wayne

• Clipse
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Triple C's
Photo: Maybach Music/Def Jam

According to Rick Ross, October 27 is a tough day for all those who have wished him ill. "I have to thank all the haters who prayed this day never come — I rebuke you."

The Miami Bawse has released his second album this year, this time with his group Triple C's. Much like Eminem, Nelly and Notorious B.I.G. before him, Ross is an official member of the group, although the LP, Custom Cars & Cycles, serves to introduce his artists Gunplay, Torch and Breed. With Ross as executive producer and DJ Khaled working A&R on the project, you know the beats are going to be buoyant and the content catering to the streets.

On "Erryday," Ross reaches out to his labelmate and fellow street staple Young Jeezy for a cameo. "Get my money on the back end/ All I do is front," The Snowman raps. "Erryday it's plenty bottles, errynight another club ..."

"Foreign cars, that's erryday/ Audemars, that's erryday," Rick Ross chimes in. "Erryday a n---a wanna kill me, beefin' erryday/ So we creep, that's erryday/ 40 deep, that's erryday."

"I watched Jeezy establish a brand," Ross explained to Mixtape Daily earlier this month. "When you speak of successful executives coming out of the South that's still in the streets making moves, that's one of the dudes I look at. It was a huge record. I reached out to my family, he made it pop. Not only that, he let [Jeezy's Corporate Thugz Entertainment artist] JW shine on the record. That's from the crib, the bottom. It was just love. The streets feeling it, and that's what it's about."

The video for "Erryday" is out now, as is the clip for "Trickn Off" with Gucci Mane.

"Gucci Mane called me all the time while he was incarcerated," Ross told MTV News. "We spoke on collabo — here it is! 'Trickn Off.' I'm proud of him."

Triple C's also recently filmed a video with Game for "Gangsta Sh--." "Hustla" features Maybach Music Group singer Masspike Miles, and other guests on the album include Yo Gotti on "Yams Pt. 2" and Birdman on "Go."

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Lil Wayne
Photo: Sarah A. Friedman/Contour by Getty Images

On Thursday morning (October 22), Lil Wayne pleaded guilty on a felony gun-possession charge and is expected to be sentenced to a year in prison (although a shorter term of eight-to-10 months on good behavior appears likely). Several hip-hop artists MTV News spoke with in the hours after the news broke were extremely saddened by the development.

"Lil Wayne is a great friend of mine," said DJ Khaled, who had just heard the news. "He's a brother and he's helped so many people. He's helped so many people, the public, [his] city. Musically, he's helped other artists. He's just a great person on the whole.

"He's gonna be good no matter [what], 'cause Lil Wayne's so blessed, but the news has got me disturbed. When you do so much good for the world, make music to inspire young kids and give back to the community, to put a man away like that for eight months to a year ..." Khaled trailed off before continuing. "Lil Wayne is great person. It's just wack that people have to go through these trials and tribulations."

"It hurt us," Rick Ross said. The Bawse had just gotten off a plane to Los Angeles on Thursday morning when he heard about Wayne's plea. "We strategize and work towards this for so long, [and] when something like that, a major inconvenience such as that, nine people out of 10, that stint could hurt them. But I think Wayne has a unique situation with his Cash Money family and now his Young Money roster, I know they got a lot of things poppin'. Wayne's got enough music. He's one of the few artists I feel could eat those 10 months up, or that year, and then come home to rap royalty. If anybody is gonna be able to do it, it's gonna be Wayne."

While Ross was optimistic, Juelz Santana was irate.

"I'm pissed off," Santana said on Thursday morning. Coincidentally, he was in Wayne's hometown of New Orleans filming his first movie, "Video Girl," with Meagan Good. "They totally violated my man. I been trying to call my man all morning. I'm offended! I'm offended, for one, that it happened in New York City. That was some bullsh--. I don't know the situation as far as what happened on the bus, but at the end of the day, Weezy shouldn't be going to jail for nothing right now."

Santana said he feels that Wayne was unfairly targeted by police, like many of his peers.

"Even as rappers, we out here on defense," he added. "We ain't out here hurting nobody. We go to shows picking up 50, 60, probably hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cash money! At the end of the day, you on the bus with however many people was there, how do the officers assume that it's Lil Wayne's gun?

DJ Drama, who made the classic Dedication series of mixtapes with Wayne, also feels that rappers like Weezy are targeted unfairly.

"I was shocked," Drama said of the news about his collaborator. "It was ironic because when I got the e-mail, I was taking a break from shooting a CNN special [about] black men in America since President Obama's [election]. Then here we are halfway through [shooting] that, and I get a e-mail about Lil Wayne possibly facing jail time. One of the world's most popular music stars? It's crazy. Not to take anything from the actual charge or the conflicts of guns, [but] we all can bear witness to the racist tactics of the hip-hop police, specifically in New York. I remember numerous occasions, doing my promo [during] my album's run. They were outside the venues just clearly looking for situations. I can imagine on that night or any given night with the most heralded stars — the 50 Cents, the Lil Waynes — the aggressive nature, they came down on those guys. The system is not even fair to that extent.

"People can say 'Don't do the crime, do the time' or 'Don't carry weapons,' yadda, yadda, yadda," he continued. "These cops are coming so strategically at these artists to make these headlines, to make these statements ... it's plain and simple wrong. So much time and effort is put into putting our music stars behind bars, they still ain't find out who killed Tupac and Biggie."

Even with Wayne having to go away, these artists — like many fans — feel that the time outside of music will have little ill effect on his career.

"Wayne is gonna be all right because God is with him," Khaled insisted. "Us as hip-hop fans, we gotta support him when times are hard, too. I tell everybody you can't turn your back on somebody. I'm gonna ride with Wayne forever. I'm gonna play his music whether it's in the club, the radio or in my car. [It's] gonna be like he's got an album coming out every week."

"It most definitely could have been a lot worse," Ross added. "But Lil Wayne and his camp, his music is gonna remain visible and relevant. He's gonna handle his business and come home like a boss. Believe that.

"This is finnin' to take him to a whole 'nother creative point," Ross continued. "To have time to sit down ... I can imagine how many records and choruses he's gonna write. Knowing Wayne, he's gonna release a mixtape from behind bars. He'll be right back with a new energy and he'll have the streets excited. People are going to want to hear what he has to say and speak his experience and speak to the youth."

• Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty To Felony Gun Possession

• Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case

• Lil Wayne
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Juelz Santana
• DJ Drama

Rick Ross and Triple C's in their video for "Trickin' Off"
Photo: Def Jam

The Boss and the "Burr"! Rick Ross recently teamed with Gucci Mane on the video for "Trickin' Off." The clip, which hit the Net Monday morning (October 19), features Ross and his team, Triple C's, performing with Gucci as they talk about everything from spending money on women to putting their team in the rap game.

"Diamond chain around my neck, I call her Bloody Mary.../ Blue-and-white new drop-top Beamer, I call it Papa Smurf," Gucci raps. "And if you take you n---a's work?/ Call that a lot of nerve.../ Me, Mariah on the screen, I call that feelings hurt."

"Might be section eight, but I'm riding mighty clean," Ross says in his verse. "Worth 20 million, whoever would've thought? Worth 20 million, boy, you better be a boss."

The Triple C's LP Custom Cars & Cycles comes out October 27. Besides Gucci, the list of cameo appearances is filled to the brim. Mack 10, the Birdman, the Game, Yo Gotti and Bun B all check in, as well as Young Jeezy and his new artist JW. Those last two filmed the video for Ross and company's "Erryday" last week in Atlanta.  DJ Khaled, Rich Boy and Mike Bigga (formerly known as Killer Mike) also came down to the set.

Besides working with Ross, Gucci Mane has been busy with a myriad of new projects. Last weekend he dropped The BurrPrint (The Movie 3-D) with DJ Drama, and on Saturday night, he dropped three more mixtapes simultaneously. The trio of tapes are part of one project called The Cold War. There's Guccimerica with DJ Drama, Great Brrritain with DJ Scream and BurrRussia with DJ Holiday. Gucci introduces a new nickname on that one: Gucci Mane Gorbachev.

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Gucci Mane

Photo: MTV News

Floyd "Money" Mayweather is not someone you want to trade blows with — in the ring or over the radio.

As a professional boxer, he has 40 wins under his belt. As a business mogul, Mayweather lives up to his nickname "Money Mayweather" — his last three title fights generated close to $300 million in revenue. And as an entertainer, Mayweather loves to floss.

Boxing and hip-hop fans alike may remember that 50 Cent was a member of Mayweather's ringside entourage at his 2007 super welterweight fight against Oscar De La Hoya. It was this friendship with 50 that launched Mayweather into an ongoing verbal sparring match with 50's rival Rick Ross.

When Rick Ross dropped the line, "That Mayweather money looking funny in the light" on the track "Mafia Music" in reference to the rumors that Mayweather allegedly owed the IRS over $6 million, Mayweather understandably took offense. He hit back at Ross in interviews, criticizing Ross' pre-rap career as a corrections officer, saying, "If I need someone arrested, I'll call him." And when the Rick Ross and Triple C's track "Go" dropped, the war between the two heated up. The video began with Ross saying, "F--- Floyd Mayweather," before continuing to make fun of the sparrer's IRS problems.

"I just think that when you are on a certain level, you just let things go by," Mayweather said about the situation. "I'm a fighter. That's what I do. I'm into contact. He's a rapper. That's what he do. The thing I'm gonna do is stay in my lane and let him stay in his lane."

But it seems Rick Ross might also be a fan of Floyd Mayweather — in fact, Mayweather says Ross was at his 2007 fight against Ricky Hatton. "He paid money to see me ... I appreciate the donation from Rick Ross," Mayweather said.

• MTV News Extended Play: Floyd Mayweather

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Rick Ross, Jay-Z and Young Jeezy
Photo: Getty Images

Celebrity Favorites

Young Jeezy and Rick Ross are like DMX and Jay-Z back in the day. They are carrying on a new era of Def Jam. On Tuesday night, VH1 aired "Hip Hop Honors," a celebration of the label's silver anniversary. The Southern giants say they are proud to keep the label's legacy alive.

"To be a part of Def Jam, I feel that the biggest legacies have been lived at Def Jam," Ross said. "From the dudes I love like EPMD, of course the LL Cool Js, of course Jay-Zs — but this is that next run. When you think of the classic tours, the Ruff Ryders, Cash Money tours, I feel like we bubbling and building these brands too. Most definitely, with the moves we making, we both bosses, we gonna keep it like that."

"We're the new generation of hustlas," Jeezy added. "New generation of entrepreneurs. We're the new generation of going out there and getting it from the streets. We're selling a lifestyle. This is how we live every day. The better you live like that, the better music you sell. ... He put on Triple C's; I put USDA on. That's real tough music. We doing it the right way. We connected. If we was doing something else, it would have been the same thing. He hit me for a video — he could have hit me for anything.

"That's the homie," he added. "I hit him up a few [years] back, for the USDA tape: 'I need a remix for the "White Girl." ' He sent it back next-day air. So he hit me [recently] and told me what he was doing. I'm in! 'Erryday.' "

Ross and Jeezy brought both their families to a soundstage Sunday night to film the video for "Erryday." That song is the next single from the Triple C's album Custom Cars & Cycles.

"I watched Jeezy establish a brand," Ross said. "When you speak of successful executives coming out of the South that's still in the streets making moves, that's one of the dudes I look at. It was a huge record. I reached out to my family, he made it pop. Not only that, he let [Jeezy's Corporate Thugz Ent. artist] JW shine on the record. That's from the crib, the bottom. It was just love. The streets feeling it, and that's what it's about."

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

• Mixtape Daily Video: Lil Boosie, Big Gates, Young Jeezy More

• Young Jeezy
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Young Jeezy and Rick Ross
Photo: MTV News

ATLANTA — Young Jeezy made another onstage connection with Young Hov on Saturday night, when the Snowman brought out Jay-Z during the BET Hip-Hop Awards. The following night, Young told MTV News that their performance of "As Real as It Gets" was the setup for an even bigger event, the song's video.

"Opened up the BET Awards, me and Jay-Z," Jeezy said on set of Triple C's and Rick Ross' new video for "Erryday." "Shouts out to the homie, man, he stopped through. He was on his way to another show. But that's what we do. Real ones do real things. I just wanted to do something big for the city. Since the song is on both of our albums, we gonna shoot the video. It's gonna be crazy. We said, 'Let's go ahead and break it in at the BET Awards.' "

Jeezy explained that the video is going to display some of their riches. "We just gonna go dumb," he said. "Call Rick [Ross] up, everybody. [We'll have] cars, watches, blunts, money, just go dumb. Dumm-meeee! That's what we need to do."

Jeezy also said he wouldn't mind doing some more shows with Jay-Z.

"I'mma keep it all the way live, homie. At this point in my career, I'm like, whatever, I do this from the heart," Mr. 17.5 said. "Everything I do is real to me. If it's some strings and orchestra with it, and we still talking about what we supposed to be talking about, I'm all for it."

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Jay-Z
• Young Jeezy

Rick Ross in his "Lay Back" video
Photo: Def Jam

The Bawse is a busy man these days. Rick Ross is pulling double duty as he continues to push singles from his latest album while prepping for his crew's debut project, due later this month.

The just-premiered, Gil Green-directed video for "Lay Back," from Ross' Deeper Than Rap, might be more enticing than a Miami tourism promotion. In the clip, Ross cruises around the 305 with Robin Thicke as the MC and the crooner assure the ladies they'll be taken care of. "Baby, this your world, I see you going places," Ross raps. "So I makes the scene, start throwing faces." Thicke then sings: "If you came to get the party started, just say, 'Nah, nah, nah.' "

The heavyweight lyricist is also working hard on the Triple C's debut, Custom Cars & Cycles. The album is due October 27 on Ross' Maybach Music deal with Def Jam.

The first single, "Go," features the Birdman riding shotgun with the Miami crew. In addition to the Cash Money co-founder, Custom Cars & Cycles boasts guest spots from Young Jeezy, Bun B and the Game, among others.

Ross told MTV News earlier this year that he holds the Triple C's (made up of himself, Torch, Gunplay and Young Breed) music to the same standard as he does his solo LPs, of which his first three have all debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart.

"I'm so strict when it comes to albums and the music and the quality of music," Ross explained. "The myths I hear about Dr. Dre, I try to implement that into what we are doing. I just want our music to always sound better. The way we recorded the records, it turned out incredible. A lot of groups haven't been successful. ... The problems come when no other superstars emerge. So I made sure we stayed away from that. When everybody absorbs where we coming from, Torch, he's gonna be the future of New York City. Gunplay, he's got one of the rawest unorthodox flows in the game. Young Breed, he's the streets — he's gonna give you some of the wittiest bars. And me, I'm gonna just put the caviar on top of the cracker."

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Triple C's
Photo: MTV News

Could it be that Rick Ross will be the next one to get in the ring with Floyd "Money" Mayweather? The Bawse and the Triple C's went in pretty hard on the boxing champ last week with the video for "Go (War Remix)." A match probably won't happen. The 2009 Slick Rick has his crew together, and he and the boys are staying on the road and in the studio. This week, we hip you to their new mixtape, Maybach Music 3: White Sand. It's the alley-oop to what they are hoping is the slam dunk — Custom Cars & Cycles — which comes out close to Halloween. Ross won't stop recording. Look out for that new video for "Go" soon. They shot that down in Miami with the Birdman a couple of weeks back. C's up.

This Week's Main Pick

Street Kings: Triple C's (Rick Ross, Gunplay, Young Breed and Torch)

Holding It Down For: M.I. Yayo and the BX

Double Mixtape: Maybach Music 3: White Sand

Real Spit: How do you continue the momentum of making arguably the best album of the year? Rick Ross said his secret is to "simply continuing to make classic music."

"We feed the street that corner energy, that corner vibe. It's real big. We doing what we doing," Ross said.

The foursome release their debut group album, Custom Cars & Cycles, on October 27 with production from newcomers such as the Olympics and Transformers. The Game, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane and Mack 10 also appear on the record.

"Gunplay, unorthodox energy," Ross said of his crew. "He's uncut. He'll jump off that roof. Torch is much more laid-back. He's much more technical with his flows. Breed is the projects, that's the gutter. He just wanna have on a pair of $150 shoes and show his teeth and bounce around and do it for the Dunk Ryders and the D-boys."

"I'm bringing that young gutter side," Breed smiled. "We just f---ing up some money, basically."

The CCCs just released Maybach Music 3: White Sand. It's a double disc with a DVD to go along with it. Be on point when you play "Thug Battlefield" with Jadakiss, "Throw It in the Sky" (remix) and "Aim," three of our favorites.

"White Sand, the title goes back to the hustling roots," Ross said. "You out in the jungle. You can't stop. No matter what you doing, you gotta act like you got everything on the line. It ain't no stopping us. It's one of the hottest mixtapes that's out right now."

Joints To Check For

» "Go" (featuring Birdman). "This record is on our album as well. The first single," Ross explained. "Triple C's been riding with the boy since day one. It's a green light. Triple C's got a green light to take the game over. It's a go. My big [brother], my homie Birdman is in. We taking it back to the group days with the Hot Boys. I feel that was the last group that took the South where we trying to take it to."

» "Illustrious." "The video, we had a good time making that one," the Bronx's own Torch said. " We had lobsters cooking out in front of us. We went out to sea and caught them, by the way, then they had them cooking for us. That was one of my favorite joints. Shout-out to Magazeen; he held us down in Jamaica."

» "Yak" (featuring Plies). "It's a real 'hood record, street record talking about the struggle," Gunplay said. "Throw a shot of cognac back and drown your problems."

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

• Mixtape Daily Video: Wu-Tang, DMX, Lil Wayne And More

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Woodie Awards 2009 Performers And Presenters

• 3Oh!3
• Asher Roth
• Cam'ron
• Clipse
• The Dead Weather

'VH1 Hip Hop Honors' 2009

• Eminem
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• DMX
• Public Enemy
• Foxy Brown

Rick Ross, Keri Hilson, Big Boi, More At BMI Awards

• Yung Joc
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Keri Hilson
• Janelle Monae
• Plies

Busta Rhymes, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Play N Skillz And More At The "New Mexico Takeover 4" Concert, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 08.30.2009

• Busta Rhymes
• Twista
• Pitbull
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Which Of These Artists Is The Hottest MC In The Game?

• Wale
• Jay-Z
• Asher Roth
• Kid Cudi
• Cam'ron

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

MTV.com Exclusive: Rick Ross

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Rick Ross and The Dream's "All I Really Want" Video Shoot

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• The-Dream

Rick Ross Visit's Brooklyn, N.Y.

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Ludacris, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Juelz Santana And More In The Dream's "Rockin' That Thing" Remix Video Shoot

• Fabolous
• Ludacris
• Juelz Santana
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Dream