Kanye West (file)
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/ Getty Images

Kanye West — who had been absent from the stage since he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards — made a surprise appearance at Beyoncé's concert in London on Saturday night. The woman he interrupted Swift to shout out (to her dismay) called upon 'Ye to be her special guest at her concert at the O2 Arena. Footage has emerged on the Internet of the cameo, where Kanye rapped his verse from the "Ego" remix.

"I got a big, hah-uh-ha, ego," Kanye rapped. "She love my big, hah-uh-ha, ego/ So stroke my big, hah-uh-ha, ego/ I like to joke around a little bit but here we go/ Welcome to the wonderful world of gold-plated earl/ 'Cause everything I throw up, blow up."

If there was any backlash remaining from the VMA incident, the crowd didn't let it show: When 'Ye touched the stage, the crowd can be heard screaming with excitement. According to NME.com, Beyoncé also brought out Jay-Z during her set for "Crazy in Love."

There's more from Kanye coming this week — new music! West appears on the remix of his G.O.O.D. Music artist Consequence's remix for "Whatever U Want." The track features Kanye and John Legend (who were also on the original) as well as Common, Kid Cudi and Big Sean.

In related Beyoncé news, her video for "Video Phone," featuring Lady Gaga, will premiere on MTV.com tonight at midnight.

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• Beyoncé

Photo: Jared Milgram

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Soulja Boy Tell'em
Photo: Jared Milgram

Behind the Beats: Soulja Boy Tell'em

Soulja Boy Tell'em has jumped from behind the knobs into the forefront as a performer — he just released three mixtapes on Halloween: Cortez, Paranormal Activity and DatPiff. But don't forget, the young G still knows how to make beats. One of Soulja's biggest fans, Kanye West, recently had the Southern millionaire in the lab working for him.

"Me as a producer, I think I've grown tremendously," Soulja told us recently in L.A. "I've been in the studio with Kanye. I did three tracks for him back-to-back."

Soulja says the sessions were give and take.

"Me working with him, collaborating different beats," he explained. "Him showing me a lot of stuff I didn't know. Me showing him a lot of stuff he didn't know. He had an ear for my sound. Of course I had an ear for all the stuff he did. Genius! You know what I mean?

"The process with Kanye — he'll come in and it depends on what it is," Soulja continued. "If I'm making the beat from scratch, I'll just work. If he's got a sample ... It was three different samples that we was working on. On one of them, he was like, 'I want this to go here, I want you to do this.' I like when an artist pushes me how he was pushing me. He doesn't go easy on me. I make it and be like, 'Here.' Nah, I had to go over it several times. It can be frustrating too. At the same time, sitting there trying to make a beat for the person that's right in front of you, it can be a lot of pressure, but it's all fun. At the end of the day, we're making hit music."

Soulja is also cranking out tracks for his next LP, The DeAndre Way.

Next Wave of Flav

On Jamie Foxx: "I was in the studio with him a couple of days ago working on a new beat for him. All the artists that reached out to me for beats — like Rihanna — my portfolio is only getting longer and longer."

On Rihanna: "With this particular project [it was] like, 'Whoa!' because [her rep was] like, 'Yo, I need you to do something for Rihanna's album. You got 11 hours. Go!' It was like, 'What? I'm all out of pocket.' How do you make something that's gonna be a #1 hit so fast? But it's been done before because I made 'Crank That' in 30 minutes."

Five-Star Stellar Hits

» "Crank That"
» V.I.C. - "Get Silly"
» Bow Wow - "Marco Polo"
» "Gucci Bandana"
» "Donk"
» "Yahhh!"

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

• Mixtape Daily: Soulja Boy Tell'em, Kanye West, Rihanna, More

• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Kanye West
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Fergie
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Avon

Until the demise of the Fame Kills Tour, Kanye West had been planning to hit the road with Lady Gaga, one of the gay-friendliest pop stars out there today. So it doesn't really come out of left field to have Fergie credit him, along with her cohorts in the Black Eyed Peas, for helping make the world of hip-hop a little more open to alternative lifestyles.

"They're completely gay-friendly. Are you kidding me? Look at how they dress!" she joked to The Advocate about the guys in her band. "Kanye West really did a great thing for hip-hop and made it very mixed and open."

As for her own sexuality, the singer says that although she's now married to actor Josh Duhamel, she has experimented with girls in the past. So when the time came for her to get flirty with a girl or two in the "I Gotta Feeling" video, she didn't flinch for a second. "Yes, it was [my idea to flirt with the girls]," she said. "That was fun because it was so naughty. It was a big tease, but it felt very natural."

Long before she was a pop star, Fergie got her start on a beloved children's show, "Kids Incorporated." She admits now that she made a few gay friends back then. "Oh, there were plenty on that show," she said. "But I don't want to out anyone, just in case."

Although Fergie seemed open to talking about most subjects, including her upcoming role in "Nine," the singer chose not to discuss an altercation between Peas manager Liborio "Polo" Molina and Perez Hilton in Toronto in June. She noted, though, that she was upset that night because Perez had been criticizing her music on his blog and that it had bothered her.

"When I see somebody I thought was my friend or starting to be my friend," she said, sighing, "when someone talks out of both sides of their mouth, it just makes me question their integrity."

• Fergie
• Kanye West
• Black Eyed Peas

Taylor Swift hosts "SNL" on Saturday
Photo: NBC

Taylor Swift didn't waste any time addressing her personal life — or that Kanye West VMA incident, for that matter — during her hosting stint on this week's "Saturday Night Live," tackling both in her opening monologue. With, appropriately enough, a song.

Strumming her guitar to a tune called "The Monologue Song (La La La)," Swift sang lines like, "You might think I'd bring up Joe, that guy who broke up with me on the phone/ Hey, Joe, I'm doing real well, tonight I'm hosting 'SNL' " (a reference, of course, to her former boyfriend, Joe Jonas). She also made light of the prevailing rumor that she's dating "New Moon" star Taylor Lautner with the verse, "If you're wondering if I might/ Be dating the werewolf from 'Twilight'/ I'm not gonna comment on that/ In my monologue," which she interrupted with a wink, then mouthed, "Hi, Taylor," to the camera.

As the crowd whistled their approval, Swift shifted the song into a jokey, mopey dirge, made a sad face, and sang, "You might be expecting me to say/ Something bad about Kanye/ And how he ran up on the stage/ But there's nothing more to say/ 'Cause everything's OK/ I've got security lining the stage."

Swift, who also gamely made fun of the VMA interruption in a promo for the episode, ended her monologue with another dig at West. "We've got a great show, " she laughed. "Kanye West is not here"

In later sketches, Swift showed off her acting chops, impersonating Kate Gosselin in a send-up of "The View," then donning a dark wig to spoof "Twilight" in the Digital Short "Firelight," which replaced vampires with Frankenstein monsters.

She also threw on a goatee and cornrows to play a wild-eyed convict in a "Scared Straight" skit, some pajamas in a turn as an over-affectionate roommate and, in the night's final sketch, a long blond wig for a jittery, hip-shaking impersonation of Shakira.

Pulling double duty as both host and musical performer, Swift also took the stage for a pair songs: a spirited version of "You Belong With Me" and a stripped-down "Untouchable."

• Taylor Swift
• Kanye West

Kanye West
Photo: Stefania D'Alessandro/ Getty Images

Apart from some lingering backlash from his interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the Video Music Awards, a false death rumor and some quotes from Muhammad Ali posted on his blog, Kanye West's profile has been low in recent weeks. But his collaborators Mr Hudson and DJ A-Trak told British newspaper the Daily Star that West is doing fine.

In a guest blog for the newspaper, Mr Hudson said West "hasn't gone crazy or entered rehab" despite all the controversy surrounding his current public image. "I saw him a couple of weeks ago and he was keeping a low profile, which is sensible," Hudson said.

Mr Hudson, who is signed to West's record label, G.O.O.D. Music, also hinted at what fans can expect from Kanye's next LP.

"He works 24 hours day but I'm not worried for him — he has the right people around him. And Kanye's getting back into rapping. He might make an old-school record on a tape deck, like the Beastie Boys used to do. Just a drum machine, ghetto blaster and a microphone," he blogged.

West's touring DJ, A-Trak, talked about West's music plans as well. "Kanye's taking a bit of time away from the limelight. But he keeps telling me all these ideas he has for songs and fashion bits," he told the Daily Star. A-Trak also praised for West for his "amazing" versatility when it comes to creating ideas.

Late last month, Kid Cudi also told MTV News that West is doing fine. "We talk every once in a while. Like I said, he's like a brother to me, I worry just as much as the next person, but when I say Kanye is cool, believe me, Kanye is OK."

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Kid Cudi
Photo: MTV News

Ever since he rocketed from the mixtape circuit to the Billboard albums chart, Kid Cudi has relied on Kanye West for guidance, support and the occasional cameo. He considers West to be his friend, his brother and his mentor, so in the wake of Kanye's interruption of Taylor Swift's speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Cudi decided it was time to take on some of the rumors swirling about his friend, too. In particular, the whispers that West has taken refuge in an Indian ashram, or that he's being pressured by those close to him to check into rehab.

"All that's definitely false. I mean ... rehab for what? Being awesome?" Cudi told MTV News backstage at the Ulalume Festival in Columbia, Maryland, last weekend. "We talk every once in a while. Like I said, he's like a brother to me, I worry just as much as the next person, but when I say Kanye is cool, believe me, Kanye is OK. He's a strong dude. I mean, we've seen him grow from College Dropout to now ... the things he's dealt with, the things he's been through. He's a strong dude."

But until Kanye makes his return, Cudi will be honored to carry Kanye's mantle. Starting on November 27, when he'll be the opening act for Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour, which takes the place of West and Gaga's canceled Fame Monster outing.

"I didn't get his blessing or anything, I just agreed because it'd be an honor. From what I heard, Kanye backed out from the tour because he wanted to work on something — maybe a project — or just wanted to take some time off," Cudi said.

"And ain't nothing wrong with that. It's not like he got fired, and I was like 'I'm taking your job!' It's like, 'Ye fell back, and I was like 'OK.' "

• Kid Cudi
• Kanye West

Kanye West
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/ Getty Images

After a couple of rough months that found him getting massive flack for interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs and canceling his tour with Lady Gaga, Kanye West got some very good news on Friday. Though he was not present for the ruling, West caught a break when a Los Angeles court commissioner dismissed all three misdemeanor charges against the rapper in connection with a scuffle with paparazzi at the Los Angeles International Airport in September 2008.

Court commissioner Mark Zuckman dismissed misdemeanor charges of battery, grand theft and vandalism against West and tour manager Don Crowley. West was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and Crowley on suspicion of vandalism and battery on September 12, 2008, when they allegedly confronted TMZ photographers and smashed their equipment; West and Crowley, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could have sent West to jail for up to two years and six months and Crowley for up to five years.

City prosecutors opposed the dismissal, arguing that both West, 32, and Crowley had exhibited "felonious intent" in allegedly breaking the expensive camera gear. As part of the dismissal, West and Crowley were ordered to complete 50 hours of community service — West's attorney said he will work perform his service with the American Red Cross.

People magazine reported that the hearing also revealed that West — who has a history of indignant public outbursts at awards shows — voluntarily received court-approved anger management counseling following the airport scuffle, completing 12 one-hour sessions, which attorney Blair Berk did not disclose until Friday's court session. Berk also noted that an undisclosed civil settlement had been reached with the photographers last month, with the photogs providing a note to the court that they were satisfied with the payments.

"Kanye took the charges very seriously [and] responded appropriately by getting counseling to figure out why this happened," Berk told MTV News on Friday after the dismissal. "And the court appropriately agreed to dismiss all charges ... this was the outcome that was appropriate given the facts of this case." Berk noted that because of the dismissal, the incident will not show up on West's permanent record.

According to TMZ, Berk delivered a "blistering attack" on the paparazzi before leaving court. Saying her clients were "remorseful" for the incident, Berk reportedly said they had been "overcharged" in the case, a suggestion Deputy L.A. City Attorney Felton Newell disputed by saying they had acted with "reckless disregard" and that a video of the incident shows they had "an intent to commit a felony." The L.A. district attorney's office had considered filing felony charges against the men, but ultimately declined.

• Kanye West

Kanye West in Spike Jonze's "We Were Once a Fairytale"
Photo: Vimeo.com

It has been seven years since filmmaker Spike Jonze released a feature, but now he's suddenly flooding the market with content. In addition to the recently released "Where the Wild Things Are," Jonze also just premiered "We Were Once a Fairytale," a short film starring Kanye West and featuring the 808s & Heartbreak track "See You in My Nightmares." The film, which surfaced online on West's official blog last week (only to be taken down), casts the rapper as a troubled, chemical-addled star who goes to the bathroom at a club to exorcise his demons, only to literally pull a small beast out of his chest. It's a graphic, surreal, dreamlike production — one that fits both director and star perfectly.

"We rehearsed the night before we shot, and talked about trying to get to that raw place, that sad, pathetic, drunken, lost place," Jonze told The New York Times. "I told him the more shameless it is, the more pathetic it is, the better. He just went for it."

West and Jonze previously collaborated on the video for the MC's "Flashing Lights," and while that was a highly cinematic affair, it doesn't hold a candle to the effects- and mood-heavy "We Were Once a Fairytale," which will be available for purchase on iTunes on Tuesday and marks Jonze's first foray into digital distribution.

"I like the idea of trying to put it out on iTunes as an experiment in, can you make a short film yourself, put it out for sale? It's an experiment to see if that is feasible," he said. "I don't actually know if that makes any business sense at all, because once it's out there, it's out there."

Jonze is referring to the leak last week, when the film showed up on the video-sharing site Vimeo and was subsequently posted to West's blog. Jonze told the Times that a friend of his accidentally leaked the short while doing post-production work on it.

It was obviously a rewarding experience for Jonze, though he wasn't sure whether or not West's stage-crashing incident at the Video Music Awards would affect the reception of the film. "I like Kanye and I care about him," Jonze said. "This video is a side of him. Who knows? I don't know what the reception is going to be, but I love making stuff with him. I love the guy."

• Kanye West

Kanye West
Photo: John Shearer/MTV

Despite what you may have read online, Kanye West did not die in a car accident on Tuesday. The rapper is just the latest celebrity to be bitten by fake death rumors, which rapidly spread on Twitter.

At press time, it was unknown where the rumor started, but some were pointing to the image board 4chan.org as the origin of the phony report that West had died in a crash involving two custom cars in Los Angeles. It quickly blossomed into e-mail chains and comment threads on Facebook and Twitter.

Computer security blog Sophos.com tracked the origins of the scam, tying it to hackers who used the rumor to push the false reports to the top of Internet search engine results. By Wednesday morning (October 21), "Kanye West died" (and variations of the phrase) was one of the most-searched topics on Google Trends.

While a spokesperson for West could not be reached for comment at press time, the rapper's girlfriend, model Amber Rose, tweeted, "This 'RIP Kanye West' topic is not funny and it's NOT TRUE! He has people like myself and his family that love him very much. ... It's in extreme poor taste to have that as a trendy topic. It's totally disrespectful to make up a story like this we're all human ... and we all make mistakes and to say someone died cuz of a mistake is ridiculous. You wouldn't want someone to say that about you."

The fake news story claims that "a bizarre car crash in Los Angeles involving two luxury cars early this morning [left] rapper Kanye West dead, a second injured, a third arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and a fourth person was detained by police. A Los Angeles Police Department officer witnessed the wreck and saw a red Ferrari and a white Porsche 'spinning out of control' on Jamboree Road between Bison Avenue and East Bluff Drive."

The story goes on to provide a seemingly detailed account of the wreckage and injuries, complete with quotes from an LAPD lieutenant on the scene. It's possible that it was timed to exploit the attention West got earlier this week when the bizarre short film called "We Were Once a Fairytale" he created with "Where the Wild Things Are" director Spike Jonze, was briefly posted on West's blog, then taken down with no explanation.

The fake death reports are just the latest to spread like viral wildfire this year, following on the heels of similar rumors about celebrities Jeff Goldblum, Matt Damon, Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne and Miley Cyrus.

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