The-Dream
Photo: MTV News

After Love Hate and Love vs. Money, The-Dream is keeping it consistent with his new album title.

"Love King," the singer revealed backstage at Power 105's Powerhouse '09 concert. "The title alone, I just wanted to push myself into becoming the person who inherits what music is and what R&B is. The only way to do that is to keep putting titles and putting myself into certain corners that no matter what a hater thinks, they have no idea what type of pressure I put on myself. ... You can say the worst thing in your mind about what it is I do and this craft. There's songs I write that we may think are amazing, but I never do. So Love King — it will be out in 2010."

The-Dream said coming up with the material is not a problem, but he wants to make sure the campaign for the project is airtight.

"The first two albums came out, and it really was just about music," he said. "This album, it has to be a lot more — whether that's marketing, all of the things that the big guys get. We have to turn and put those things on me as an artist also. ... Now we have to treat it like it means something to the building. I think everybody is there. We have an incredible staff at Def Jam, of course. Now we gotta buckle up for me and put them dollars up.

"I can make it tomorrow," he added of the album. "Everything surrounding it has to be right. There's a lot of things I'm working on — shoe deals and sunglasses deals. ... It can't just be the same thing. Everybody has to know: 'Oh, wow, Def Jam really loves him.' "

Meanwhile, The-Dream has been writing for Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. He also appears on new projects from Shawty Lo and Snoop Dogg.

• The-Dream

Rihanna
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Rihanna's Rated R will come out November 23 and feature new collaborations with the man behind her biggest hit so far. The-Dream, who wrote "Umbrella," penned a couple of tracks for the new LP.

"Me and Rihanna, she just cut the last of the two records we did. It's a record called 'Rock Star,' " the singer-song writer divulged earlier this week, backstage at the Izod Center in New Jersey. "The first record is a record called 'Hard,' which features [Young] Jeezy. Both of those records are pretty insane."

Dream declined to go into much detail about the tracks, but said the Rihanna/ Jeezy collaboration is one for the record books.

" 'Hard,' I want that song to explain itself," he said. "Most of the stuff I wrote — still to this day what I write — I try to find out through people — what they're going through or what they gotta say. Then we put that in."

Dream also said that nobody has to worry about Jeezy's verse. The Snowman delivered as always.

"Oh, c'mon, he killed it! You know Young killed it," Dream smiled. "That's ATL right there. That's all we do."

Last week, Rihanna released the single "Russian Roulette," which was written by Ne-Yo.

"I trust Rihanna to be Rihanna, and she trusts me to be me," Ne-Yo recently told MTV News. "That's the coolest thing about our relationship. I don't expect anything more from her. I must say this song is a step in somewhat of a different direction for both of us. We kind of both took a chance."

Sean Garrett has also written for the album, with Polow Da Don lending production.

• Rihanna's 'Russian Roulette' Video Set

• Rihanna
• The-Dream
• Young Jeezy

Christina Milian
Photo: Bennett Raglin/ WireImage

Singer Christina Milian announced on Friday that she and her husband, The-Dream, are expecting their first child, according to People magazine.

"My husband and I are expecting," said Milian, who the magazine notes is already sporting a baby bump. "We're about four and a half months along, about 19 weeks. We're really excited."

The couple married last month in Las Vegas, and soon after, rumors, began to surface that the newlyweds were also expecting a bundle of joy. They were also rumored to have had a second wedding ceremony in Rome.

Until now they have been mum about the rumors and Milian explains that neither the wedding nor the baby have come too soon for the couple. "Honestly, it was kind of planned," she said. "We were engaged for many months."

And although Milian worked with her new husband on her upcoming album, Elope, which was titled before the couple were married and is due out by the beginning of next year, she said the album title had nothing to do with their romance.

"Actually, the name change came ... I don't know if I was engaged yet, but it really didn't have anything to do with that. 'it [was] more so' about taking a step as a woman and making decisions on my own and doing things without necessarily the permission of others. And I think that's really more about adulthood and coming into adulthood," she explained about the title's significance. "I think that's where we came up with that one."

• Before They Got Hitched: The-Dream & Christina Milian

• Christina Milian
• The-Dream

The-Dream and Christina Milian
Photo: Todd Williamson/ Getty Images

The-Dream and Christina Milian are officially making sweet music together. The pair were married in Las Vegas over the Labor Day weekend, MTV News has confirmed.

"It was the first of three ceremonies," a source close to The-Dream revealed exclusively to MTV News on Tuesday (September 8).

	Before They Got Hitched: Christina & The-Dream

According to the source, The-Dream and Milian are set to get hitched yet again overseas in Rome very shortly. Then the singers will renew their vows Stateside on their first wedding anniversary in front of family and friends who won't be able to make the trip to Italy. TMZ reported the couple wed on Friday, September 4.

The report indicated the Grammy-winning songwriter (Rihanna and Mariah Carey) and Milian rented their formal attire, a tuxedo for him and a dress for her. But the source close to The-Dream shot down the information, calling it 100 percent false. Instead the now-married entertainers were dressed appropriately for the occasion, they said.

The-Dream and Milian first turned heads earlier this year in January when the Cuban star appeared alongside the Atlanta native at a listening session for his sophomore album. Later that same night they appeared very comfortable with each other at a birthday celebration for a Def Jam Records executive in Manhattan. When pressed about the relationship the next day, The-Dream denied the budding romance to MTV News, saying it was a business union; he signed her to his label imprint in a partnership with Interscope Records.

"Yeah, it's a new Radio Killa thing that we have," he coyly said at the time. "Um, actually, what happened was, I think about a month ago, I think I sat with her. It was one of these things where you try to grow an artist, you can either grow them from the ground or you can come in and say, 'This artist needs this, that's all.' And that part of me I have, which is what she didn't have."

The singers' whirlwind relationship caught the rapt attention of the blogoshpere, as pictures of the couple have appeared online almost daily. They also graced the cover of the final issue of Vibe magazine. Although the pairing was labeled a publicity stunt, the source, who attended the Las Vegas ceremony, said The-Dream and Milian are the real thing.

"Anyone can tell just by looking at them together," the source said.

• The-Dream
• Christina Milian

Mariah Carey
Photo: MTV News

For Mariah Carey's forthcoming album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, she tried to mix up her collaborators, working not only with some familiar faces, but also one superproducer she hadn't had the opportunity to work with in the past.

"I worked with Timbaland for the first time," Carey told MTV News recently. "I'm a fan of Timbaland's, so I enjoyed it. [The song] hasn't even been mixed yet but I think it's really cool."

For the album, due in September, Carey also worked with artist/producer The-Dream on her controversial single, "Obsessed," as well as longtime collaborator Big Jim Wright.

"I worked with Big Jim Wright, who works with Sounds of Blackness a lot, and so there's live-feeling songs on the album," she explained. "A lot of my fans, since I've been twittering, a lot of the fans are like, 'We want some live-sounding stuff,' so you have to find that middle ground."

But unsurprisingly, working with Jermaine Dupri seems to hold a special place in Carey's heart. The pair have created many hits together, including "We Belong Together" and "Sweetheart."

"I worked with JD again," she said. "I always love working with Jermaine. Every time it's just ... it reminds me of the first time we worked together, which was 'Always Be My Baby.' Once you do a song like that and you have it forever, you wanna just continue to try and re-create that magic, so that's what we do."

• MTV News RAW: Mariah Carey

• Mariah Carey
• Timbaland
• Jermaine Dupri
• The-Dream

R. Kelly
Photo: Jive

The fellas know we're repping for them, and the ladies love us like a Tory Burch sample sale — Mixtape Daily is still here, still strong. Today is bugged out, because the focus is on a few people who aren't exactly synonymous with the mixtape game. First, R. Kelly's been adding his legendary vocal ability to unofficial remixes of records such as Drake's "Best I Ever Had" and Jeremih's "Birthday Sex." Well, he has a whole tape of those kinds of records and some original joints as well.

Then, the homie JD obviously has been putting out his own mixtapes for years, but he's coming at a new angle this time. Jermaine Dupri wrangled his guys Tyrone Davis (JD's personal assistant), Usher, Johnta Austin, Bryan-Michael Cox, Nelly and Trey Songz to comprise a clique of distinguished gentlemen called Ocean's 7. Besides letting Bow Wow officially join the crew if he adheres to the crew's dress code of suits and such, JD has grand schemes to make the project a whole movement, with a film and official album.

We can't be mad at that. You can catch JD's exploits at his new Web site Global14.com, and as always, keep checking for us at MTVNews.com Monday through Friday and our brand-new URL: Mixtape.MTV.com.

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Mixtape: The Demo Tape

Headliner: R. Kelly

Co-Starring: DJ Drama and DJ Skee

Key Cameos: "Super Man High" (featuring OJ Da Juiceman), "Playaz in Da Club" (featuring Plies)

Essential Info: R. Kelly has pretty much been on the low since his troubles with the law ended last year. That 12 Play: Fourth Quarter album that was slated for the end of 2008 never surfaced, and besides showing up at the Velvet Room with Jazze Pha and DJ Infamous a few months ago, we haven't really heard a peep from the Pied Piper.

Well, we hear Kells is almost done with the new album but decided not to just jump out there with a single and video. He wanted to reintroduce himself with his first-ever mixtape.

"He's never done a mixtape before, and it's like his demo for the new album," DJ Skee said of The Demo Tape. "He's coming back with a new generation of the music business, a new generation of music. All these kids coming up are up on other stuff. He wanted to come back out and get everyone familiar on who he is."

"I wanted to do something different," Kelly said. "I wanted to get closer to the streets. It's the first time an R&B artist has done a mixtape on this level. It's a way to start over and give my fans something new and fresh again. I think it's great for music!"

Kelly teamed up with Skee and DJ Drama and made the mixtape by exchanging e-mails. Kelly would make the music in Chicago and send it out to the two DJs; Skee and Dram would then add their touches.

"He was originally gonna call it The Remix Killa," Skee said. "He has a lot of what he calls his 'remix killa sh--.' That's kinda his mantra. But we have some original records on there — some stuff that's not gonna be on his album and some stuff that's he had in the vault. It's a combination of a little bit of both.

"He remixed Dream's sh--," Skee said. " 'Superman High' with OJ Da Juiceman. He remixed 'Every Girl' by Lil Wayne and Young Money. The Keri Hilson 'Turning Me On.' He's got some sh--. It's Kells. He's got this one with Akon on there, a couple of original ones. There's a record called 'Club to the Bedroom' that leaked, so we got the mastered, real version on there. Then just a couple of other Kells R&B ballads on there."

R. Kelly told us late Monday that his album doesn't have a title, and, as of now, he's not naming it. He's letting the fans call it whatever they want. Come back to MTVNews.com this week for more from the Pied Piper.

Mixtape: 3009 Sh--

Headliners: Ocean's 7

Key Collaborations: The whole damn mixtape — they're a supergroup

Essential Info: They're inspired by the Rat Pack, but Ocean's 7 are more like a wolf pack with savoir-faire. When JD says his crew is in the house, expect a bunch of them (if not all) to be present.

"It's hard to be all together," Dupri told us while in Las Vegas, splitting time between partying and working on albums for Usher and Nelly. "But it's mentally made in the same fashion of the Rat Pack. The Rat Pack used to do little shows out here, and if Dean Martin was performing, they would say [on the billboards] in parentheses 'Maybe Sammy Davis Jr.' or 'Maybe Frank Sinatra.' Dean Martin would have a show at the Sands, and they knew if Sammy Davis or Frank Sinatra was in town, they were definitely getting onstage. That's the same mentality we have with this.

"You don't never know who you gonna get," he added. "When we say Ocean's 7, you know you gonna at least get four of us. But you don't know what other members you gonna catch."

If case you didn't read that snazzy intro at the beginning of this piece, the group is comprised of Dupri, his personal assistant Tyrone Davis, Nelly, So So Def artist and writer extraordinaire Johnta Austin, another writer and producer extraordinaire Bryan-Michael Cox, Nelly and Trey Songz. Austin is executive-producing Trey's new album, and JD produced a few tracks for the project.

"I tell a story at the beginning of the mixtape of how the whole thing happened," JD said. "We was in Vegas working, and it was a thought process. Usher was like, 'Let's go out and eat and be around Vegas and let Vegas know we here.' For the longest time, I been hearing Vegas was dying to have new energy. They try to bring younger people to Vegas, so it don't have that stigma of that old sh-- they used to have. We did all new material, we started form scratch and made brand-new records. With the mixtape, I sampled music from 'Ocean's Eleven.' All the music is sampled from there, with the exception of the 'Ain't I' freestyle and the remix of the Jay-Z song ['Heart of the City']. That was the mentality to really play up on it and make sure we give the city a soundtrack again, but in a younger format. They needed that breath of fresh air, and we trying to be that voice for them. Plus, we love being out here."

So how did Dupri pull it off when we've waited for years for other supergroup projects that never seem to happen? "You gotta be focused, and you gotta have somebody like myself that has a CEO mentality over being an artist," he said.

You can cop the Ocean's mixtape for free at JD's new site, Global14.com.

"That's not what's going on right now," Jermaine said about opting to give the tape away instead of selling it. "As a person that tries to stay in the forefront of what's going on and where we headed in the music and everything ... you can sell if you want to, and you fall victim to this low-sales [wave] that's going on. Not to say that we wouldn't sell a lot of records, but nobody's selling a lot of records. Eminem sold 500,000 less than he's ever sold first week."

Trust, one of the industry's all-time hustling greats is thinking about a way to make money out of all this and entertain at the same time. "We're talking about shooting a movie, and the soundtrack to the first movie would be the Ocean's 7 album."

There's also talk about a Vegas show and/or a tour with all the parties involved. We'll have much more on JD's new movement this week on MTVNews.com.

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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

• Drake
• R. Kelly
• Lil Wayne
• The-Dream

Fabolous and Claudia Jordan
Photo: Fabolous Life

NEW YORK — Def Jam Records had their team working hard Tuesday. In Harlem, Jadakiss and OJ Da Juiceman shot the second part of their "Who's Real" video, while Fabolous filmed his "Throw It in the Bag" clip in lower Manhattan. The-Dream, who sings on Fab's hook, Christina Milian, Irv Gotti, DJ Clue, Ryan Leslie and model Claudia Jordan all came down for cameos.

"This video today is about a girl who likes to throw things in a bag in her own way," Fab said on set. "We got the beautiful Miss Claudia Jordan. You might have seen her on 'Deal or No Deal' or '[Celebrity] Apprentice' or heard her on Jamie Foxx's 'Foxxhole' radio show. We decided to have her in the video because she can walk the walk and talk the talk. ... We had her play as a thief, and she's going in there and throwing things in a bag. But I'm kinda feelin' her. I'm feeling her integrity, I'm feeling her style, I'm feeling her going out and taking what she wants. By the end of the video, I'm kinda looking past her being this big thief, and maybe next time she throws things in the bag is because I'm buying it for her."

Fab said in real life, he's been attracted to women that remind him of Jordan's character.

"Not a shoplifter," he clarified with a chip-tooth grin. "A woman with some edge. Definitely want a girl who knows how to go out there and get what she wants. Not shoplifting, but she makes it happen."

"Throw It in the Bag" is the second video Fab has filmed recently in advance of his summer album, Loso's Way. He already has the clip for "It's My Time" in the can.

"It's saying how long I been in the game and did things my way, and 'It's My Time' again," he explained. "That's more what 'It's My Time' is about — for me to do my thing and wake people up to that. 'Throw It in the Bag,' on the other hand, is another fun record from Fab that has some energy. You can move to it. The girls are gonna like the message to it. Just go out there and not pay attention to what a price tag says: 'Just throw it in the bag.' It's a little motivation for people to go shopping and have some fun with it, too, in the recession."

Over the next several days, Fab is releasing at least two trailers for his album. In one trailer, Fab is decked out in a tux with friends, such as former Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon, enjoying a night on the town when there is an attempt on his life. In another one, Loso walks through a headquarters where cocaine is being cooked up and makes sure his employees are handling their business.

Guest stars on Loso's Way include The-Dream, newcomer Jeremih, Trey Songz, Marsha Ambrosius, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on a track called "General."

• The-Dream
• Fabolous

Ciara
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Jazze Pha helped Ciara shape her sound when she was a burgeoning star. Now that the fleet-footed singer is all grown up, she's turned to another Atlanta producer to helm her recently released Fantasy Ride: Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

The Grammy winner is best known for his work with The-Dream (the pair wrote and produced Rihanna's "Umbrella," Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" and many other hits), but he has a long history in not only the music industry, but with Ciara, as well. She met him when she was just 15 and calls him a big brother.

"I learned a lot from him, but one thing I never did was work with him," Ciara told MTV News over the weekend in Manhattan. "So now, on this record, before I started the process, I said, 'I always wanted to work with him but never got around to him.' And it was gonna happen this time. Right away, I set up a meeting. I sat down with Tricky and his manager, and we all talked about working, and I was so excited about it. It's been something I had been really, really wanting to do."

Tricky helmed four of the album's 13 tracks, in addition to serving as one of the executive producers on the project. The-Dream had a hand in writing several numbers from Fantasy Ride, and he duets with Ciara on "Lover's Thing."

Ci said she started out as a songwriter, just like The-Dream, and is a supporter of his talent as a performer and collaborator.

"There's a cool history with Dream," she explained. "Dream was also, back when I was trying to get everything going, he was also trying to get everything going with his career. And he would always way, 'Watch [out for me].' And it's been awesome to see him doing his thing too. It's more so long overdue [working with Dream and Tricky together]. And I really enjoyed it. They helped me create the core of my record."

• MTV News RAW: Ciara

• Ciara
• The-Dream

Rick Ross
Photo: Mr. 305

Rick Ross says he had to stretch the truth to get his record label on board to have staff and a film crew travel to Medellin, Colombia — a place with a violent history — recently to shoot his video for "All I Really Want."

"To be honest, everybody thought about their safety," Ross said of Def Jam and others' initial reaction to his idea of having Gil Green shoot the video in the hometown of the late, notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar. "Everybody got on laptops, Googled. First thing that came up was 'car bombs,' 'hostages,' this, that and all that. I told them, 'We got some good friends over there. It's a beautiful spot.' Even though I'm really gassing them [at that point], they rolled with me. They believed in my concept."

With the label on board, the Bawse had to convince his friend The-Dream, who sings the hook on the song (featured on Ross' recent chart-topping LP, Deeper Than Rap), to go along.

"We ran it by The-Dream, just like everybody else, [he] was thinking about safety," Ross recalled. "I kept telling them, 'We got national guard!' I was lying like a muthaf---a. 'We good everywhere we go!' I'm lying! But I seen The-Dream personally, we had a show together, I ran it by him. We had a real conversation, he's a real dude and he felt it. I told him, 'We gonna make history,' and I told him, 'We can check off a spot that I know is on your top three to go.' My number one is Africa."

Even with some prior trepidation, Ross said everyone was calm upon their actual travel.

"We touch down, we notice the workers that work on the plane, they pat them down before they even touch your luggage. I guess they're protecting luggage. We get into our vehicles and start commuting through the country. Within the first five minutes, I decide, 'This has to be one of the most beautiful places I've seen in my life.' The views! We up in the clouds, 4,000 feet coming down trails, overlooking hills."

Ross said on the set, he saw a mansion and infinity pool and said it looked like "ancient Rome."

The video for "All I Really Want" premieres on MTV Jams at 6 a.m. on Thursday. In it, you see all the partying you would imagine from a Ross and The-Dream video: Plenty of lovely ladies ("nothing but 12s," Ross said of the beauties), natives and even fire-breathing.

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• The-Dream

The-Dream
Photo: MTV News

As a songwriter, The-Dream has crafted most of his hits for women, including Beyoncé ("Single Ladies [Put a Ring on It]"), Rihanna ("Umbrella") and Mariah Carey ("Touch My Body").

But the Atlanta native also knows how to stay in touch with his masculine side when it comes to penning hits. The-Dream's latest album, Love vs. Money, features a couple of songs that the Pied Piper R&B, R. Kelly, would sound more appropriate belting out.

"Sweat It Out," with lyrics like "Girl, call up Tisha, your beautician/ 'Cause your hair is gon' need fixin'," echoes the Chicago singer's sound, from topic to style. But that's exactly the point, according to The-Dream. He even specifically sang the track like R. Kelly would, he said.

"I know that 'Sweat It Out' sounds like Kelly," he told MTV News. "I knew it as soon as I started to write it. I was like, 'Hmm, this is a song that R. Kelly would probably write. And it's about something that he would probably write about. I'm gonna sing it kinda close to how he would sing it.' It's no different than if you were taking a song from the '60s and re-enacting it today. I'm gonna sing this record that Sam Cooke did called 'Chain Gang.' How are you gonna sing it, like Dream or like Sam Cooke? You're probably gonna sing it like how Sam Cooke would sing it. ... [R. Kelly] is a generation right before me, so he's definitely a major influence on my music."

The Def Jam crooner also has another song on his album that pays homage to that influence. "Kelly's 12 Play," which was produced by Dream's musical partner Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, features the singer wooing a lady with R. Kelly's seminal solo album 12 Play. The-Dream sprinkles some familiar Kelly ad-libs throughout the song and in the end, gives a shout-out to the controversial star.

"She like, 'Thank you, Dream'/ I'm like, 'No, thank you, Kells,' " he sings.

"I talk a lot about branding and what artists' brands are," The-Dream said. "What we forget is that we actually are just a soundtrack of everyone else's life. So sometimes you need to go to those certain places to do those certain songs for the people that are listening."

• The-Dream
• R. Kelly

Wale, Keri Hilson, The-Dream, More At A BET/Grey Goose Party

• Christina Milian
• Kristinia DeBarge
• Wale
• The-Dream
• Ryan Leslie

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

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• The-Dream

MTV.com Excluxive: The Dream

• The-Dream