Kanye West

Fat Joe And Kanye West Recruit All-Star Lineup For 'Pride N Joy'

24 May 2012 16:02:08 EDT

Kanye, Jadakiss, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Roscoe Dash, Miguel and Mos Def turn up on Joe's breezy love ode.
By Rob Markman

Fat Joe has one heck of a poker face. Back in April, after studio pictures of Joe Crack, Kanye West, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and DJ Khaled made their way onto Twitter, the Bronx rapper played coy when MTV News asked him about the photos.

"Hip-hop moments, that's it. It was just a back-in-the-days hip-hop moment," Joe Crack told MTV News about the all-star studio session one week after the pictures leaked. "For, like, a whole week, we've just been vibing, everybody's been vibing with each other, and it's a beautiful thing."

Joey told MTV News that he, Yeezy and the gang were "discussing hip-hop politics," but they were clearly up to so much more. On Wednesday night, the Terror Squad leader hit iTunes with "Pride N Joy," a breezy love ode featuring Kanye, Miguel, Jadakiss, Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), DJ Khaled, Roscoe Dash and Busta Rhymes.

Only Yeezy and Joe actually rap on the track, trading rhymes back and forth for a few bars. "Birkin bags made of python, she's a beautiful nightmare," Joe raps before 'Ye chimes in spitting, "Turn the lights on." Interestingly, Joe recruited capable MCs Miguel and Roscoe Dash not to rap on the track, but rather to harmonize on the song's hook.

Cook Coke Crack continues to serenade the object of affection, lyrically showering her with expensive presents like Christian Louboutin shoes and courtside Knicks tickets. On the song's bridge, Jadakiss, Mos Def, Khaled and Bus support Joey's lavish gift-giving when they sing, "And even if she all 'bout the money I don't really care/ I got a lot of money there's enough of it that we can share."

"Pride N Joy" carries a sort of 1990s Native Tongues vibe popularized by groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. In that case, maybe Joe's original description of the studio session wasn't too far off after all; maybe it was just "a back-in-the-days hip-hop moment."

What do you think of Fat Joe's "Pride N Joy"? Let us know in the comments!

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Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Turn Up The PDA On 'Tour De Cannes'

24 May 2012 15:31:33 EDT

Couple partied in France in days leading up to Yeezy's 'Cruel Summer' film premiere.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have taken their love affair to Cannes. The small-screen reality siren and the filmmaker/MC made a date night of West's "Cruel Summer" premiere this week in the famed French seaside town, where Kim showed up in a beaded white and gold dress, and Kanye had a more relaxed look , wearing a white blazer with a white T-shirt and jeans.

According to People.com, before the couple entered the premiere, the wind blew through Kardashian's hair and West stopped to fix it for her. Inside the bash, which was held in a tented pyramid, the PDA didn't end. As the screening wrapped, Kim reportedly whispered something in Kanye's ear before joining in a standing ovation for the rapper. They were spotted nuzzling later at the afterparty.

The film premiere was just the latest stop on Kim and Kanye's Tour de Cannes. One night earlier, they hit up Yeezy's "Cruel Summer" fete, and on Tuesday they attended a party thrown by Diddy, E! News reported. The pair turned up at his yacht party hand-in hand, with Kardashian wearing a lacy cropped top and matching high-waisted skirt, and West in a black hoodie, black tee and jeans.

While Kim initially arrived in France solo, West met up with her later. "It's my first time to Cannes and it's amazing!" Kardashian told Usmagazne.com. "I love it here."

Are you looking forward to seeing Kanye's "Cruel Summer"? Tell us in the comments!

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Kanye's 'Cruel Summer': Cannes Reviews Are In!

24 May 2012 14:21:20 EDT

Critics agree the film's seven-screen display is a unique experience that hooks audiences.
By Fallon Prinzivalli

Kanye West's latest project comes in the form of his short film "Cruel Summer," which the rapper produced, wrote and directed. He premiered the experimental 30-minute flick in Cannes during the city's famous film festival, providing the audience with a unique experience. Instead of watching the film on one large screen, viewers watched it on seven separate displays, which sometimes showed different angles of each shot at once.

The movie centers on Kid Cudi, who plays a car thief who falls head over heels for a blind Arabian princess. And while the story entertained those in attendance, critics agree that the film's spectacle and music are what hooked audiences.

The Story
"Cudi stars as a thief of high-end sports cars who falls in love with a blind Arabic princess. But the princess' father won't allow the pair to marry unless the thief can help her see, so the hero must find a way to make it happen (metaphorically). The story is secondary to the pyrotechnics, with new music from West and a thumping surround-sound quality that makes a 3-D Michael Bay effort feel like an iPad short." — Steven Zeitchik, 24 Frames

The Experience
"Inside the tall white pyramid, seven huge screens were installed in front of padded bleacher-style seating: five in a three-180-degree panorama, one on the ceiling, and one below the stands. ... The film felt like a mash-up of high-gloss Doug Aitken-style video installations, concert video backing panels, and narrative, big-budget music-videos. The movie flickers to life on the ceiling screen, as a hatch opens and boots drop through and onto the screen below. Soon, masked car thieves played by the G.O.O.D. Music crew survey the sports cars in a posh garage, while a masked Kanye and Kid Cudi engage in a Tarantino-style pop-culture debate. ... After bickering, they jump into Lamborghinis and shoot down the streets of Doha to a remix of West's recent single 'Mercy.' Then the soundtrack downshifts into a remix of Salem's 'I'm Still in the Night' as the film becomes more of a mythic romance, replete with Arabic architecture, desert vistas, and flowing fabrics." — Logan Hill, GQ

The Sound
"The film is heavy on the use of music and sound, the seats often shaking from the bass. Several times during the under-30 minute clip, the audience would sway to the beat of the songs, which often feature music from West's G.O.O.D. music album." — Rebecca Ford, The Hollywood Reporter

The Final Word
"The big takeaway here for the average Kanye fan is that there's new music involved, although it's unclear if that new music is off the G.O.O.D. Music album, was put together just for the flick, or will be released in some as-yet-undecided (but definitely revolutionary) form.

But as a vocal, unashamed fan of 'Ye's 'Runaway' movie, I actually can't wait to see this, Kid Cudi-leading-blind-girl-around-by-strings and everything. Will it be released online? In movie theaters? Or will there be a traveling seven-screen beach pyramid that you and I can one day immerse ourselves in? Dare to dream. Dare to dream." — Amos Barshad, Grantland

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Kanye West's 'Cruel Summer' Premieres In Cannes

23 May 2012 21:06:33 EDT

Kid Cudi tells MTV News watching himself on seven screens simultaneously during 30-minute film 'was weird! But it was dope.'
By Alicia Malone

CANNES, France — Kanye West is nothing if not ambitious. The rapper/designer/mogul has added a few more slashes to his name, as producer, writer and director of the experimental short film "Cruel Summer," which had its premiere during a splashy party Wednesday night during the Cannes Film Festival.

The 30-minute short, inspired by West's upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation of the same name, was projected onto seven screens inside a tented pyramid, designed to give viewers a fully immersive experience. "Cruel Summer" stars G.O.O.D. artist Kid Cudi as a car thief who falls for a blind Arabian princess. The seven screens alternately come on and off, sometimes showing different angles of one shot, other times acting as an extended wide screen, complete with a ceiling and floor. This means the audience looks around them at the images, instead of staring straight ahead, which, as Kanye explained in a speech, was to reflect real life.

"It related to a post-Steve Jobs, post-Windows era, where we're always on our BlackBerry in a ball game or at the movies," West said. "I was very particular about having the screens separate, where your mind puts the screens back together, the way you put memories together. I'm not the best director in the world, but I had an idea that I thought would be amazing to inspire people, like a dream of one day this being the way people watch movies. You know, [Quentin] Tarantino doing a movie like this or a horror movie like this, animation, 3-D ... in this form that surrounds you. People want to go back and see it more and more because they missed something to their left or to their right, and it feels more like the experience of life."

"Cruel Summer" plays like an extended music video, in a similar way to 'Ye's 2010 online film for "Runaway," with sparse dialogue and striking slow-motion images set to a rocking soundtrack. The music is provided by various G.O.O.D. artists, many of whom make cameos in the film, and there's a super quick appearance by comedian Aziz Ansari.

Among the celebrity names attending the premiere party at the Palm Beach Club were Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian and Kid Cudi, who told MTV News the experience of watching himself on seven screens was surreal.

"It was weird! But it was dope," Cudi said. "I'm nervous, just like with anything I do, with people watching, but I'm really proud of it. I'm happy that Kanye had me as part of it. It's so humbling. He's a genius, he's the best, the illest ... you can quote me on that!"

"Cruel Summer" was co-directed by Alexandre Moors, who previously worked with 'Ye on the videos for "Runaway" and "N---as in Paris." The script was based on a screenplay by Elon Rutberg, and it was shot entirely in Qatar in the Middle East.

"We were literally shooting in Qatar less than a month ago," West said. "It was the most impossible feat, all odds were against us having this moment, showing this at Cannes. The reason why I went so hard is that this is my goal. What I want to do post-Grammys is I want to change entertainment experiences. Like if [late fashion designer Alexander] McQueen or [director] Tarsem [Singh] was to meet the entertainment value of Cirque du Soleil or Walt Disney. We're going to bring it to New York to Qatar and re-edit it ... so you guys are seeing the rough draft of this concept."

Although the world premiere of "Cruel Summer" coincided with the Cannes Film Festival, it is not in competition or part of the official screenings. The film is now open to the public in Cannes until May 25.

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Big Sean 'Can't Wait' To See Kanye's 'Cruel Summer' At Cannes

23 May 2012 12:38:26 EDT

'He showed me it was possible, he showed we can make movies,' Sean tells MTV News of mentor West's influence.
By Rob Markman

When most folks want to catch a flick, they just drive to their nearest movie theater. But Big Sean is so excited to see Kanye West's new "Cruel Summer" film that he hopped on a plane to Cannes, France, on Tuesday night.

"I can't wait to see it. I can't wait to see the story, how it all came out," Sean told MTV News after the 2012 BET Awards press conference in New York.

"Headed to France... For 1 day," the Finally Famous MC tweeted shortly after our interview.

We can totally understand Sean's excitement. It's not like the short art film can be viewed in just any old theater. On Wednesday (May 23), Yeezy will premiere what is being described as a "7 screen experience" at the world-famous Cannes Film Festival, then "Cruel Summer" will remain open to the public for the next two days.

Aziz Ansari, Kid Cudi, Lebanese actress Razane Jammal ("Djinn") and Palestinian actor Ali Suliman ("The Kingdom") are listed as stars in the movie. Even Big Sean has a small part in the flick, which shares its name with the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation. "I was there while they were filming it though, and I'm a part of the movie, just a little here, a little there. But I'm excited to see it," the Detroit rapper told us.

For Sean, having West as a mentor has already paid dividends. Now the "My Last" spitter is looking to branch out into Hollywood. "Shout-out to Kanye too for just being that guy to get into other fields and just do great. From his movie he did, 'Runaway,' to this, to movies he's gonna do and just being that person that showed me it's possible," Sean said with much admiration. "I'm sitting up in meetings with movie producers myself, like, 'Yeah, man,' because he showed me it was possible. He showed we can make movies and do all this stuff."

What are you expecting from Kanye's latest film? Let us know in the comments!

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BET Awards Nominations: Kanye West, Beyonce Lead The Pack

22 May 2012 20:35:17 EDT

Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj are confirmed to perform at the 2012 BET Awards on July 1.
By Rob Markman

Expect lots of drama, plenty of laughs and possibly even a few superheroes in the building when Samuel L. Jackson hosts the 2012 BET Awards on July 1, live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (May 22), BET announced the nominees for their 2012 awards show and even confirmed performances by Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj (though there was no official word on whether the Hulk will attend).

BET president Stephen Hill held a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, and with the help of Big Sean, DJ Khaled, A$AP Rocky, Diggy, Mindless Behavior and Melanie Fiona, he spilled the beans about the big show. Samuel L. wasn't in attendance, but "The Avengers" star sent a pre-taped message promising that the show will be "too big to miss."

Kanye West leads the nominations with seven, including two Video of the Year nods for the Throne's "N---as in Paris" and "Otis." Beyoncé notched six nominations, while hubby Jay-Z earned himself five noms. Big Sean was particularly excited about his three nominations, including his look in the Best Male Hip Hop Artist category, where he will square off against Drake, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy.

"It's perfect. My grandma gonna be watchin', my mom, my family, the whole city," Sean told MTV News shortly after the press conference. "It's just tight that I can represent those people, everybody who had that dream, everybody who used to ride to school [listening to] their idols, now I'm with them. It's just tight that I can show people that it's possible."

Sean broke through last year when he dropped his debut LP Finally Famous. Next, the "Marvin & Chardonnay" MC will appear on G.O.O.D Music's Cruel Summer compilation and then follow up with his sophomore album.

Sean isn't the only big dog being honored at the awards show. Chris Brown, Usher and Bruno Mars are among the nominees in the Best Male R&B category, while Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna will duke it out in the Best Female category. The Throne, Diddy-Dirty Money, Maybach Music Group and Eminem's Bad Meets Evil will compete for Best Group, and Nicki Minaj looks to be the favorite for Best Female Hip Hop.

For the full list of categories and nominees, check BET.com.

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Kanye West Had To 'Get Used To' Big Kardashian Family

18 May 2012 14:07:21 EDT

'With Kanye I was like, 'Why are you hiding in our pantry in my mom's kitchen?' Khloe jokes about sister Kim's BF.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kanye West may seem like he's already one of the Kardashians, but turns out it took him a minute to warm up to them. According to her sister Khloé, Kim's beau initially experienced some shell shock when hanging with reality TV's first family.

"He said, 'I'm an only child; there's, like, so many of you,' " Khloé recalled in a chat with Ryan Seacrest on Friday (May 18).

Fans will get to see Kanye warming up to the Kardashian crew themselves when E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" returns for another season on Sunday. But Khloé told Seacrest her husband, Lamar Odom, had similar trouble getting used to her very large family.

"I remember Lamar, at first it took him a minute to get used to us, but now Lamar loves it," she said. "With Kanye I was like, 'Why are you hiding in our pantry in my mom's kitchen?' And he's like, 'There's just so many of you guys, and you guys are all so loud and friendly and talk." And I'm like, 'Get used to it buddy, because I like it.' It's just a lot at one time."

Being an only child like Yeezy is added to his initial discomfort, but he isn't the lone only child the Kardashians have welcomed.

"[My boyfriend] Scott [Disick] and Lamar are only children too," Kourtney shared. "I think we attract only children. I don't think [Kanye] knows what's going on [when he hangs out with us]. Like, what we're talking about, are we being serious? Is this a joke?"

The initial shock of the Kardashians seems to have worn off, though. Usmagazine.com spotted Kanye hanging out with Kim and her family at Kourtney's May 12 baby shower. In one snapshot, a smiling Kanye sits next to Kim, who's playing with her nephew and Kourtney's son, Mason.

Khloé's hubby, Lamar, has also apparently bonded with Yeezy. The pro baller even seems to have his sights set on the music industry. "Lamar raps to [Kanye] all the time. Kim is like, 'You're going to freak this guy out,' " Khloé said. "But it's funny."

Will you tune into see Kanye on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians"? Tell us in the comments!

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Kanye West To Debut 'Cruel Summer' Short Film At Cannes

18 May 2012 11:23:56 EDT

Mini-movie is inspired by the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album of the same name.
By Gil Kaufman

Kanye West doesn't know how to do small, so whenever the rapper unveils a new project it's almost always on the biggest platform possible. That explains why his new "short art film," "Cruel Summer," will debut on the fabulous Palm Beach in Cannes, France during the Cannes Film Festival.

The hush-hush movie, inspired by the upcoming all-star G.O.O.D. Music album  of the same name, will world premiere on May 23 and remain open to the public for two days afterward. It is being screened out of competition in Cannes amid the world-famous film fest.

And, this being Kanye, the project is described as, "a fusion of short film and art installation ... an immersive '7 screen experience' for the eyes and ears unlike anything West has attempted before." Among those listed as starring in the film are comedian Aziz Ansari, Kid Cudi, Lebanese actress Razane Jammal ("Djinn") and Palestinian actor Ali Suliman ("The Kingdom"). Yeezy is listed as the producer, writer and director of the effort, based on a screenplay by Elon Rutberg, who was the associate director of the Throne's "N----s in Paris" video. The co-director is Alexandre Moors, who worked with West on "Runaway" as well as the "Paris" clip.

Kanye and Cudi were spotted filming scenes for the movie  earlier this year in the middle eastern nation of Qatar, but little or no information has emerged about the subject matter or plot of the project. Expectations are high given the over-the-top look and feel of 'Ye's last mini-flick, 2010's "Runaway." Click here for ticket information for the screenings.

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Kanye West, Kim Kardashian Tease Romance In New 'Keeping Up' Trailer

17 May 2012 10:17:39 EDT

'Kanye and Kim, they're kind of like two peas in a pod,' Khloe Kardashian says in clip for 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians.'
By Jocelyn Vena

"Kanye and Kim, they're kind of like two peas in a pod," little sister Khloe Kardashian says about Kim's romance with Kanye West in a "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" teaser. While not much footage of Kim and Yeezy made it into the clip, the little bit that did will certainly spark interest in Sunday's season premiere of the E! reality show. As Khloe narrates her feelings about the twosome, the trailer cuts to them sitting together, dressed all in black and sharing a laugh.

Kimye isn't the only headline that made the jam-packed show trailer. Kourtney reveals to her family that she's having a baby girl, the family goes on a drama-filled vacation to the Dominican Republic and Lamar Odom ponders his basketball-playing future, telling in-laws Bruce and Kris Jenner, "I know that I can make any team a championship-caliber team. I got to just get back."

And, yes, the infamous red-carpet flour-bombing also makes the cut. Toward the end of the teaser, mama Kris proclaims, "I left my husband for this guy," as footage of her hugging a mysterious man is teased. A teary-eyed Kourtney says, "I don't understand. I could never do that to my children." However, it is unclear what exactly will play out.

When MTV News caught up with Kim and Khloe, the eldest Kardashian sister noted that she wanted to keep as much of her relationship with West as private as possible. "I don't know if I'm ready to talk about him," Kim said. "I feel like I've had such a hard time sharing my love life that now I'm a little bit more reserved on that."

While Kim was tight-lipped about her man, Khloe teased her sister a bit about the romance. "No I love, it. You're like a wild, crowd-surfing child and I love you."

On Wednesday, Kim and Kanye were spotted in London, where Kim will launch her jewelry line. According to E!, the twosome touched down to lots of paparazzi. Kim will be doing some press while in town, including radio and TV appearances.

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Teyana Taylor Is G.O.O.D. Music's 'Spoiled Brat'

16 May 2012 19:45:30 EDT

'I could get whatever I want,' 21-year-old Harlem rapper tells MTV News about her new record deal with Kanye West.
By Nadeska Alexis

Teyana Taylor collaborated with Kanye West on his 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and now, as an official member of the G.O.O.D. Music team, the Harlem rapper confirms that she will also appear on the upcoming G.O.O.D. compilation album.

When MTV News caught up with Taylor after news broke that she'd officially been added to the Def Jam roster, she said the deal was finalized in April. "I had been actually working with the whole G.O.O.D. Music family for quite a while," she explained. "Around the time we did the 'Dark Fantasy' song, I was still in my contract with Star Trak/Interscope Records, and I asked for release because I wanted to find myself as an artist. I had options to go to different labels, but I felt like G.O.O.D. Music was where I wanted to be, where I fit in.

"This is the second go 'round for me, and hopefully, the second time's the charm," the 21-year-old continued. "I signed to Star Trak with Pharrell when I was 15, and now I'm at a new chapter in my life where I'm signed to G.O.O.D. Music, and I'm blessed and happy to be part of the team."

The rapper, singer, writer and actress said the new deal will definitely improve her worth ethic. "Being signed to G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam has opened more doors now that I finally have a team behind me that can push me to work harder," she said.

Taylor has already recorded her tracks for the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album, another humbling experience. "Recording 'Dark Fantasy' and recording the G.O.O.D. Music album was both crazy," she shared. "When we did 'Dark Fantasy,' the album had to be turned in in three hours, so that was a song that we made happen so last minute, which happened to be the first song on the album, so that was very exciting.

"The same amount of work, same amount of pressure, same amount of heart, intensity, passion [went into recording the G.O.O.D. Music LP]. It was a great experience to be able to work with someone like Kanye and with Pusha T, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Common and the whole G.O.O.D. family. When it's time to do something, we all come together, we make it work, everyone's focused."

Taylor recorded with West in both Los Angeles and New York, laughing off rumors that the crew ticked off the Royal Family while recording in London.

Right now, Taylor is simply enjoying her new family circle. "I am the princess of G.O.O.D. Music, the first lady of G.O.O.D. Music, the baby of G.O.O.D. Music," she said, laughing. "I'm kinda the spoiled brat right now. I could get whatever I want."

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