Nas performs at New York's Blender Theater at Gramercy
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Yes, it did feel as hot as a 19th-century Louisiana cotton field, as some people inside New York's Blender Theater at Gramercy noted Tuesday night at Nas' standing-room-only show. The hip-hop legend was celebrating the release of his latest LP, Untitled, a record that raised ire and interest when he announced the original title, Nigger, last year. But for celebs like Swizz Beatz and Polow Da Don, attending the show wasn't about controversy or even about going out because it's the cool event to attend in the city. Nas' fans and peers alike still have an uncanny fascination with the kid from Queensbridge who took lyricism to the upper echelon in the 1990s (that's in any genre, not just rap).

Everyone in the audience could tell you exactly when they fell in love with God's Son and his boldly brilliant wordplay laced with ghetto gusto and b-boy bluster. In the past decade and a half, he's been labeled everything from the "second coming" to the "King of Rap" to "Lyrical Messiah" to the "Greatest MC of All Time." (Kanye West recently trumpeted him with that honor via his blog. Nas also made MTV News' Greatest MCs of All Time list.) Untitled has already been heralded as one of Nas' best as well as easily one of 2008's top hip-hop LPs. For Esco though, he's just excited to get it out and still be a factor in music after all these years.

"I'm ready to get in and do another one," he said Saturday night at Manhattan's Pace University, attending a charity event for Sichuan earthquake relief. Leading up to the release of Untitled, there had been talk about the album being the last in his contract with Def Jam, giving the MC his first taste of free agency since he was signed to Columbia Records in the early '90s. Other artists may have wanted to make a commercial monster, appealing to both radio and clubs with a vengeance. Nas went the exact opposite route, concocting a masterpiece with abstract 'hood references ("Girls dye their hair with Kool-Aid"), blatant political barks and the sort of signature "did-you-hear-what-he's-saying?" statements that he admits go over some people's heads.

"What will be, will be," he smiled Tuesday morning in the "TRL" greenroom. "There's no one who could dangle a check in front of my face and make me go a certain way. There's no one that could. I see or hear so many times about artists that cry for the CEOs, or whatever their process is [to get] their point across. That's painful. This industry can be that painful. I don't allow it to be, man. It doesn't run me. It doesn't dictate to me which way it's going. I'm fully aware. Tomorrow's a mystery sometimes. But I'm fully aware of where I'm going.

"Like, I know this record, I could have got dropped [off the label]," he added. "On this record, people could have really took it the wrong way and really wanted to physically harm me. I knew that. But that's my pay. If people sit and talk, if people look at it like, 'This guy's got something to say no matter what's going on in the industry.' Why should we play it safe all the time? Why should we?"

Originally Nas didn't even want to release a single or video for the album, but he changed his mind when he saw how high the interest level was from the fans. His favorite cut on the album is "Testify."

"I just burnt my American flag/ And sent a cracker Nazi to hell, and I'm sad," he raps to start the record off.

"That one is like a man that's asking you, 'Will you die with me?' " he explained. "That sh-- is like truth. That's the truth. Cut the budgets, cut all this rap sh-- out. I mean, that song is like, 'Hold on.' It represents a lot of frustration and a lot of people. I wanted to have a lot of difference and emotion on it. Different sides of a man or a human being. And that one there was like, 'This one is not rap. This is not music. This one is just — forget everything. This is just from the heart of frustrated man.' It represents that guy."

At the Blender Theater, he started off with an interlude called "N---er Hatred," then got down to it with "N.*.*.*.E.R. (The Slave and the Master)."

"Damn, it's hot in here," he said, lamenting the broken air-conditioning in the building. Later he told the audience about the grave conditions surrounding the LP's release.

"This is a very serious album for me. This is the n---er album."

"Sly Fox," in which he goes off at Fox News, was next. "Turn channel 5 off," he implored the crowd, referencing New York's Fox affiliate. "Tell Jesse Jackson to turn his mic off."

Then came "Breathe." "That one," he had told MTV that morning, "came early up in the album. Jay Electronica came with the Jay Electronica sound. It's just me rhyming about sh-- that a lot of cats wouldn't catch unless they can catch me making references to 'One Love' and making references from the Five Percent Nation and coming back to some fly sh--.

"So what I'm basically saying is 'Can't a n---a just breathe?' " he added. "I know there's a lot, but yo, there's a lot of weight on my shoulders, a lot of weight on your shoulders. Can't a n---a just breathe? I wanted the track to feel like, 'This ain't gonna be heavy about the first black man to die in the Civil War. This is gonna be "can" a n---a just breathe? Y'all police on our back, but can't a n---a just breathe?' We just trying to come outside and have fun. I just made 100 million in Hollywood — can I just do me? I wanna do me, ya know? Make America better."

Throughout the night, Nas' following braved the heat, watching the Queens legend perform more tracks from Untitled as well as a large portion of material from Illmatic and sprinkles of classics from his catalog. "Made You Look" was the finale.

Afterward, the party headed downtown to a loft party where the DJ spun mostly old-school joints. LL Cool J showed up to celebrate with Nas in VIP.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!

• Nas
• LL Cool J
• Kanye West
• Swizz Beatz
• Polow Da Don

Ludacris
Photo: DTP

Artist: Ludacris

Representing: ATL

Mixtape: Gangsta Grillz: The Preview

411: Cassius 'Cris! Ludacris is still laying the competition down like Muhammad Ali. Pound for pound, line for line, he's one of the nicest ever — end of conversation.

"I feel there is no rap style I cannot do," 'Cris said in Atlanta, standing next to DJ Drama during a round of pool. "Unlimited amounts of ways I can come on the microphone. I feel like I'm the best doing the damn thing."

This down-bottom dream team (shout-out to Dram's original hometown of Philadelphia, though) is putting the last touches on Luda's new mixtape, The Preview. It's a return of sorts for the mic smasher. 'Cris is offering free downloads of the street CD via his Web site WeMix.com.

"Album number six is on the way. It's called Theater of the Mind," Luda said. "So with that said, we got the mixtape, The Preview — the preview to the damn movie. It's all about lyrical exercise. I been gone, opening up a restaurant [in Atlanta], doing a couple of movies here and there, just a little bit of everything. It's time to get back in the music game. It's been a long time, but we back on that ass.

"You gonna get a mixture of freestyles, new songs, snippets from Theater of the Mind, [past] songs where samples couldn't clear and make the album, but they still crazy-ass records. And me and Barack O'Drama talking a gang of sh--. It's as simple as that."

"The first-ever Luda/ DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz!" Dram jumped in. "This sh-- is history. It's the preview, the coming attractions. Get your popcorn. This time, [the production of the tape] worked out through the conversation. Luda already had the concept of the tape, it being the preview ... for the Theater of the Mind. When I heard [the word] 'preview,' my mind started immediately racing of how we should put it together. I said, 'Every beat, everything you get on has to be a movie.' On the microphone, he's already a monster, so it's kind of an easy thing. I like to give everything a beginning, middle and end. With a concept like The Preview, ['Cris] kinda made it too easy."

Luda — who has the films "RocknRolla" and "Max Payne" dropping this year — said his album is gonna be even crazier than the tape.

"Just as the name implies, the album is theatrical," he revealed. "Conceptual-wise, every song you hear plays out like a scene from the movie. Whether it's storytelling, me giving you the real of what's going on in the world, you gotta look at it as your imagination is gonna run wild every song you hear."

Joints To Check For

» "Still Tippin'." "Of course this is from the Slim Thug, Mike Jones and Paul Wall song," Luda said. "Always one of my favorite songs. But instead of 'still tippin' on four-fours,' we 'sippin' on some merlot, ducking the po-po/ Hatas is cold, 'cause I get over $100,000 for one show.' So that's basically what it comes down to. Like I said, lyrical exercise, letting you know our status in the game. We already got our money. I'm doing it for the love. I'm letting you know how much I love hip-hop and I love the South."

» "Blue Magic" freestyle. "The beat, I always loved," 'Cris said of the song from Jay-Z's American Gangster. "My man Pharrell did it for Jay, so I'm just spitting on there. Of course, magic, magic is what it's all about. It's a movie, so we gonna have some special effects. Whenever I get in the booth, Drama on the beat, it's magic. Sometimes I hear certain beats and be like, 'I wish that beat was mine!' That is why we are doing the mixtape The Preview. I'm taking some of the beats that should have been mine and putting them on the damn tape. I'mma tell you what beat I always wanted. Pharrell did it [for Birdman and the Clipse] — that 'What Happened to That Boy' beat. That beat was tough. That and that Clipse beat 'Grindin'.' "

» "Big Ass House." "Instead of the Rick Ross and T-Pain [lyrics] 'I'm the biggest boss you've seen thus far,' I'mma be honest with you: I've got the biggest house you've seen thus far. It's in Atlanta, Georgia, 22 acres of land, 15,000 square feet. I've got a big-ass house, man. Let's talk about it."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ Envy and Red Café - Eviction Notice
» The Game - LAX: Security Check
» Hevehitta, DJ Unexpected and DJ Simon Sez - Animaniacs
» Leo G - Blaze Session Vol. 1: The Dynasty Has Begun
» Lil Boosie - Untitled Mixtape (July 4th)
» Makin Moves - That Tsunami Wave (Hosted By Max B)

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» Ace Hood (featuring Trey Songz) - "Ride"
» Busta Rhymes - "Bass"
» Joe Budden - "Who" parts 1 and 2
» Nas - "Make the World Go Round" and "We're Not Alone"
» Nelly (featuring Usher) - "Long Night"
» Young Buck - "Soundscan"

Fire Starter: Hot Stylz

Yung Joc has started his own label via Jive Records, Swagg Team, and his debut act is Midwest threesome Hot Stylz. Joc and company are laughing all the way to the bank with the single "Lookin' Boy," which has been killing it with a viral campaign. Bow Wow is featured on the official remix, while Cassidy and R. Kelly have dropped vocals for unofficial remixes.

The record is all about cracking jokes. "That's the way of life in Chicago," HS member Raydio G said. "It's called 'roasting,' 'gunning,' different names. But it's tradition. We wanted to express it to the world."

"We was sitting around having fun, roasting on each other," Meatball added. "And that's how the song came together."

The guys' album, Yo Momma Got a Mustache, comes out in late August. "It's a bold statement," final member Krazee said.

"We're just enjoying life right now," Joc chimed in. "I'm in the process of finishing up my new project, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, which is due this fall. We're also finishing Hot Stylz's new album."

Celebrity Faves

In a roundabout way, Nas' favorite artist this week is himself. He loves to set an example for the younger G's in the game that hip-hop can always be diverse. He talked about his influence during a conference call last week.

"I feel like this is opening people's minds up that we can listen to Kanye, you can put Nas in there, put Wayne in there," he said of having his upcoming, untitled album in the marketplace alongside his fellow platinum peers. "It's all different kinds of records out. [My album] is showing all the artists that are out that when you reach where I'm at, you can still do something different than what you did on the last three albums. Show us where you are today as a man, regardless of whether or not you're gonna sell records. Say some things that might piss people off if you have to. Say what you want. There are all kinds of styles of rap. This album is just a different style for me, a different part of me and what I feel."

While talking exclusively to MTV News last week, Esco talked about the sheer joy of making music with impact for so many years. "Wow! How long it's been, and I'm still here."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Give it up to LL Cool J. You can't say that the legendary master of ceremonies isn't putting in work. He dropped his Return of the G.O.A.T. mixtape with DJ Kay Slay a few weeks back, and he says the reception was so good, he's thinking about putting another one out. Yes, two LL street CDs in one year.

Keeping in tune with the streets, he's also made a number of guest appearances both officially (Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair") and as a pleasant surprise to the artist who made the original (G-Unit's "Straight Outta Southside").

"I loved getting onstage with G-Unit the other day," Cool J told us about joining the Unit at a recent New York concert. "It was fun, crazy. The crowd, like, exploded. They went crazy. I got a lot of love for 50, and he definitely inspired me and kind of tweaked this newfound hunger that I have to keep."

Cool said that his friend Fif never hit him up directly for any advice, but he said it's not out of the realm of possibility that he inspired 50 as well.

"He may be watching me," Cool J said. "This is my 24th year. So we're in a whole different — we in two different realms. I'm definitely happy for him, excited for him. I know where he's at, he's only on his third or fourth album. My fourth album was Mama Said Knock You Out. I know what that is, when you're brand-new to the world. I just hope that he enjoys the longevity that I'm sure he'd like to enjoy as an artist."

LL's Exit 13 comes out later this year. The first official single is "Baby," featuring The-Dream.

"I made the records I felt from my heart, and I believe the people will respond to great music," he told us in May. "And I got Def Jam, the whole building, behind me. We're the new Lakers. The energy is great." ...

We realized Stack Bundles was a beast while he was still here, but in his passing, you can actually have a better appreciation for his work ethic.

Bundles had so many songs, there are volumes of mixtapes on deck as well as an official LP.

"Rest in peace, Stack Bundles," Jim Jones said. "We put two of the songs he did before he passed away on [the official album]. It captures every emotion you could have coming up, being from anywhere. It has its ups and downs."

When asked about what other Stack music we can expect, Jones said, "We're gonna do an album on him." Jones also promised nothing less than authentic stories from his late friend. "I don't wanna listen to somebody's music if he's not rapping about what he's been through."

Last week, still more Bundles cuts were unveiled. Superstar Jay and Big T dropped the mixtape/DVD It's All About Bundles: The Golden Edition.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: Ludacris, LL Cool J & More

• Ludacris
• Nas
• Kanye West
• Lil Wayne

Kanye West
Photo: Sean Gardner/ Getty Images

One can only imagine how many sparks were flying off Kanye West's Mac Air after he returned from the holiday weekend and saw the story in Friday's Chicago Sun-Times, reporting that his management team was considering signing him up for anger-management classes in an attempt to curb the rapper's infamous temper tantrums.

Never one to let a good deed go unpunished, West vigorously denied the story on his blog on Monday. The headline said it all: "No Anger Management ... If Anything I Need Anger Enhancement! LOL!!!" In the rant, West made it clear that what you read is not necessarily always the truth.

"Do y'all remember when people said my fiancee was pregnant???? ... I'm just using that as an example of how people make up stuff and everybody runs with it," he wrote. "I had my own family asking me about that. Now the media is saying I'm going to anger management something or 'nother. I have never had any conversations about anger management. If anything, I need anger enhancement!! lol! I get off the plane in Hawaii today and the world is saying my management team said blah blah blah ... SIIIIIIGGGHHHH! I told the media you can't make up lies about me because I have a media outlet myself."

West's, ahem, angry response was inspired by comments from an unnamed "insider" in his camp, who reportedly told the Sun-Times gossip columnist that they thought anger-management classes would improve West's own "personal psychological well-being and relationship with friends," as well as help him get some lucrative endorsement deals.

The source said that a major cosmetics firm and an auto manufacturer are interested in signing up the rap star — who recently flamed Bonnaroo stage managers for being "squid brains" after his poorly received 4:30 a.m. set — but they are concerned about "how easy he'll be to work with."

In addition to showing how much control 'Ye has over his anger, the blog post schooled us on what kinds of things are appropriate to bring up the next time we sit down with the Louis Vuitton Don. "I don't know if everyone has realized this yet, but I don't do interviews. If there's anything I wanna say, I'll say right here on my own blog."

• Kanye West

Amy Winehouse performs at the Glastonbury Festival in England on Saturday
Photo: Ben Stansall/ AFP/ Getty Images

Amy Winehouse managed to stir up some controversy, even during a relatively smooth set, Saturday night at the Glastonbury Festival in England.

Performing her signature hit "Rehab" while walking along the front row of the audience, Winehouse appeared to punch an unseen fan, judging by a video posted on the BBC News Web site. As she continues singing, Winehouse can be heard grunting as she thrusts a fist into the crowd, then quickly scampers backwards on her high heels under the watch of several large security guards. On continuing her forward progress, she appeared to glare at the person in the spot where the incident took place.

According to the BBC, police said they had received no complaints of assault following the show, and festival organizers said there would be no investigation into the incident. Festival founder Michael Eavis defended Winehouse, saying she appeared to have lashed out at the crowd after being touched by a fan, telling various British media outlets that the audience member had either grabbed the singer's signature beehive hairdo or one of her breasts. It was unclear from the video what provoked the action. But Eavis, describing her set as a "triumph," said that the singer asked if she could headline the fest next year.

During Winehouse's set, the singer also reportedly addressed Kanye West in the midst of performing "Some Unholy War." Festival attendees reported she improvised the lyrics to say, "At least I'm not opening for a c--t like Kanye."

Winehouse and West have no previous bad history, but there has been speculation that the line may be due to the bad publicity West garnered at another festival, the Tennessee-based Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. During that show West's set was delayed for hours, raising the ire of fans and media alike. West has since defended himself on his Web site with a passionate rant on his blog. He has already responded to Winehouse's comment with a brief, lighthearted blog headline stating, "This Just In...Amy Winehouse Hates Me!!! Now I've Really Made It!!! LOL!!!!"

Earlier in the week, it was unclear if Winehouse would even be able to make it to the gig at all, following nearly a week of hospitalization for what her handlers said was treatment for pre-emphysema symptoms. But, following a well-received two-song mini set Friday night at a 90th birthday celebration for Nelson Mandela, Winehouse made it to Glastonbury and performed for an hour in front of an estimated 80,000 fans. It was her first full performance in England in seven months, a period during which she canceled nearly all her shows in order to deal with her ongoing health and personal issues.

The night was a bit less rocky for Jay-Z, who took the stage after Winehouse for a set that came pre-packaged with its own controversy. The rapper, the first hip-hop artist to headline the legendary English festival, had been dogged for months ahead of the gig by rumors of disgruntlement over his headlining slot. With his signature swagger intact, Jigga prepped the stage with an introduction that included tape of a BBC interview with Oasis guitarist/singer Noel Gallagher saying that hip-hop was "wrong" for Glastonbury. He then walked on to the strains of Oasis' "Wonderwall" and confronted the audience.

"So they say you guys didn't want to be here tonight," he said, according to the BBC. "They said you guys weren't into hip-hop." The crowd reacted by chanting his name, and Jay thanked them, saying "This is a beautiful moment, I'm glad to share it with each and every one of you."

• Amy Winehouse
• Kanye West
• Jay-Z

Lil Wayne and Kanye West onstage at the 2008 BET Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Are we really supposed to call them "T-Wayne"? Collaboration kings T-Pain and Lil Wayne — who have revealed plans to forge a supergroup together in the future — made a joint effort to move the crowd during last night's BET Awards in Los Angeles. Pain came out during Weezy F Baby's closing set and helped the New Orleans "Fireman" with his medley finale.

The pair started out with "Got Money" from last week's #1 album, Tha Carter III. In the midst of the mayhem, Pain showed off a T-shirt that read "T-Wayne." Weezy then went into "Lollipop," and the two shouted out the late co-star of the record, Static Major, who died in February. Pain and Wayne sent everyone home right after "A Milli," the most energetically performed number of the trio of cuts.

Of course, there were awards handed out as well. Kanye West got two big wins with Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Best Collaboration. West brought T-Pain onstage with him for the latter, and Pain took his sweet time getting to the podium: He walked in slow motion all the way from his seat, ensuring that everyone could see his flamboyant circus-ringleader outfit, which was silver and black (with a matching top hat to boot) and had a litany of designs on it. UGK also won two awards (Best Group and Best Video, for "Int'l Players Anthem"), Lil Wayne took the Viewers Choice award, Alicia Keys nabbed Best R&B Female Artist and Chris Brown won Best R&B Male, Missy Elliott scored Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and The-Dream won Best New Artist. (Head here for a complete list of winners and nominees.) Actor/comedian D.L. Hughley was the host of the night, and Diddy and Keri Hilson hosted a live afterparty.

But as always, the highlights of the night — both good and less good — were the performances.

No doubt Usher is one of the top showmen in the game, but the famed pharaoh of performing seemed to lip-sync his way through "Love in This Club" as he opened the show. Ush did display some slick dance moves on a conveyer belt, at one point sliding through the legs of three female dancers.

Kanye West brought the audience to its feet when he joined Young Jeezy for "Put On." 'Ye went through a couple of false starts on his verse, beginning to rap "I feel like there's still n---as that still owe me checks/ I feel like there's still [women] that owe me sex" too early in the song. However, West did compensate for the errors with his undeniable presence.

Very sexy was the pairing of Chris Brown and Ciara during "Take You Down." Cici did gyrations that would make most professional strippers retire as she stood over Brown, who lay flat on the ground. The duo had the dance moves of the night when Ciara slowly fell backward from a standing position and Brown caught her with one of his feet. Only the best can do that!

Alicia Keys brought girl power — actually, grown woman power — to the stage during "Teenage Love Affair." Keys started with her hit, then transitioned into classics by top female R&B acts. SWV came out for "Weak"; En Vogue — all four members, y'all — stepped onstage for "Hold On"; and TLC came out for "Waterfalls." It's always emotional to see Chilli and T-Boz sing without Left Eye. No matter how excited you might be to see the two, there's always a sigh in the heart because the spunkiest part of the group is no longer with us.

Ne-Yo shut things down with "Closer," which was the sleeper highlight moment of the night. Ne-Yo showed off his dancing skills with a very versatile repertoire, which include frat stepping, smooth spins and some foot-gliding.

Earlier in the evening, Al Green had everyone singing "Let's Stay Together," and Keyshia Cole, Lil' Kim, Nelly, Fergie and T-Pain and friends also performed.

• Chris Brown, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, More At 2008 BET Awards

• Fergie
• Keri Hilson
• Missy Elliott
• Lil' Kim
• Diddy

Kanye West performing at Bonnaroo 2008 in Manchester, TN
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic.com

If there's one thing we've learned about Kanye West, it's that he's a perfectionist who doesn't take kindly to people calling his professionalism into question. So you can imagine how far off the rails he went when he heard angry fans chant, "F--- Kanye!" a few weeks ago at the typically mellow, hippie-friendly Tennessee Bonnaroo festival, where the MC didn't hit the stage until nearly 4:30 a.m.

The criticism, leveled at the rapper when his intergalactic one-man show took almost two hours to set up following the Pearl Jam set directly preceding it, drew a strangely muted response from the usually verbose MC.

Until Tuesday, that is, when 'Ye let it spill all over his blog in a mostly capitalized rant that skewered PJ for running late and lambasted the Bonnaroo runners for allegedly not working with him to make sure his tech-heavy set would go off with out a hitch.

"I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall," West wrote. "Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much. But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been ... this is the maddest I ever will be."

How mad? West said he was typing so "f---ing hard" on his MacBook Air that he was in danger of breaking the super-thin computer. He dared haters to call him any name in the book ("arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro," etc.). But, he warned (and here we've removed the caps for your reading pleasure), "Never say I didn't give my all! This shows no matter how hard you try to be good at something there will be people there to lie about you and bring you down! Like Wayne says, 'Please don't shoot me down 'cause I'm flying!' "

West said he was really hurt by the fan reaction because all he cares about are his supporters. He also argued that Bonnaroo should have released a statement in his defense, but since they didn't, he vowed to "break down the walls on this 'Truman Show' " to explain what happened.

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon (June 25), festival organizers said, "Over seven years of presenting the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, we have successfully presented hundreds of the top artists in the world. Our world-class-event production team strives to accommodate the needs of every performer. We will continue to present the highest level of production while representing the best interests of our audience, staff and performers."

According to West, he went back and forth for more than a month with the festival runners over whether or not he would be able to fit his enormous set on the stage. "One day they would say yes ... We'd send them our specs and then they'd say OK ... Then they would send specs back that didn't fit the stage," he wrote. After a few unkind words about the professionalism of the festival, West said organizers tried to give him a daytime slot that would not have worked with his extensive lighting setup. "It's not called 'Glow in the Dark' for no reason, squid brains!" he explained. "My people worked out a compromised stage plot and a 3 a.m. time slot, and I agreed. Fast forward to the day of the show. My production manager tried to load in for 24 hours before I went on stage but the festival wouldn't allow us to do anything until Pearl Jam left the stage. Pearl Jam ended one hour late!"

The rapper didn't address rumors that he insisted on playing late so as to avoid competition from other artists, but understandably said that at 3 a.m. he was "racing against the sun." Five minutes before taking the stage, West said he was told it would take nearly another hour to load all the pyro. So he abandoned some elements of the show and took the stage, which, he noted, was littered with trash thrown by fans who he claims broke one of his onstage screens.

Due to a stage slick with liquid, West said he couldn't perform all his moves. He also said that he had to cut a few numbers because of the late hour and his desire to do his big production number "Stronger."

"It broke my heart that I couldn't give these fans 'Stronger' at its greatest form," he wrote. "By the time I got to 'Stronger' it was daytime and it broke my heart. I'm sorry to everyone that I didn't have the ability 2 give the performance I wanted to ... Sometimes I go 2, 3 days w/no sleep working on my performance ... I have to ice my knees after every show and they hurt when I walk through the airport ... having an expensive stage cuts my payday in half ... call me what you want but never say I didn't give my all!!!"

• Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie And More At Bonnaroo 2008

• Kanye West
• Pearl Jam

Girl Talk's <i>Feed the Animals</i> album cover
Photo: illegal-art.net

On The Record: Girl Talk Feels Free To Move About The Cabin, Makes A Positively Post-Millennial Album

On Tuesday morning, LL Cool J was on American Airlines Flight 33, heading from New York City to Los Angeles.

He was sitting in first class, bulgy and massive, eyes surveying everyone who boarded. He looked pretty tired (it was 7:45 a.m., and he had probably been up all night doing the kinds of things LL Cool J does at night), but he did manage to crack a few smiles for the ladies, and I could've sworn I saw him lick his lips at least once. I cannot be sure of this, however.

That's because I wasn't sitting near him, but rather, I was stuffed back in coach, between a guy who looked like Peter Fonda (perhaps it was Peter Fonda) and a rather annoyed woman hammering away on her laptop. None of this is particularly relevant to this week's column, I just thought I'd bitch about the fact that I never get to fly business class.

Anyway, here's the point. Sometime around 9 a.m., while LL was no doubt breakfasting upon the finest pastries and thickest bacon imaginable, I was sitting some 225 rows behind him, listening to Girl Talk's new album, Feed the Animals, on my iPod (Peter Fonda was reading a book called "The Annotated Turing"). Song seven on the record is called "Like This," and it features, in addition to a whole lot of other things, two very audible samples of LL's "Mama Said Knock You Out," two samples that Girl Talk did not obtain LL's permission to use, which means that they appear in the song illegally, which means that LL is not getting paid for their usage, which would probably make LL very upset if he had any idea that this was happening.

Yet it most certainly was happening, and in a pressurized tube soaring through the air. And while LL was lapping coffee from a bone-china saucer, I went back and listened to the song again, partially because I was upset that I was flying coach, and partially because I was fascinated by the scenario that was unfurling around me: I was, in some small way, participating in the active bilking of LL Cool J — something he was completely unaware of — and all I had to do to make it stop was walk up to him, give him my iPod and go, "Hey, have you heard this?"

It's an entirely post-millennial dilemma, one that's right up there in the minds of today's music journalists with "If you are talking to Paris Hilton on a red carpet, do you acknowledge the fact that you have seen her naked?" and "Do you tell a band that you've downloaded their new album from LimeWire to prep for this interview?" And it's just part of what makes Girl Talk — né Gregg Gillis, a pasty, white biomedical engineer from Pittsburgh — perhaps the most important, and certainly the most, well, post-millennial artist of the post-millennium.

Because while other so-called mash-up artists have either left the genre behind them (Danger Mouse) or all but disappeared from the face of the earth (the Freelance Hellraiser), Gillis — who, it should be noted, does not consider himself a mash-up artist, despite evidence to the contrary — is still at it, sampling with reckless abandon, releasing albums with "pay what you feel" pricing schemes (as Animals was last week) and using the concept of "fair use" to shield himself from any pesky copyright suits. In a genre where artists hide behind secret identities — even his boss at the Illegal Art label goes by the handle "Philo T. Farnsworth," a name lifted from the inventor of the television — Gillis is, without question, the biggest name. In fact, he's pretty much the only name.

That is why Animals, which can be downloaded through Illegal Art's Web site, is so amazing. It's completely fearless in approach and scope, a record that makes no bones about sampling Kanye, Lil Wayne, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Radiohead, Michael Jackson and Metallica, released by a guy not hiding in any way, shape or form. And while it lacks the breakneck, "Holy sh--, did you hear that?!?" pacing of Gillis' last album, 2006's Night Ripper, it's in a lot of ways a better record. It's Gillis making a statement, whether it's in the caliber of the artists he's jacking (clearly, any of the aforementioned acts possess legal teams that could positively destroy him) or in the meanings behind those jackings.

Take, for example,the two Beastie Boys samples used on the record: the booming drums of "So What'cha Want" (which, to be fair, Beck also sampled on his track "E-Pro") and the hook of "Body Movin'." It might be reading too much into things, but the message to me is clear: The Beasties might have started this whole "mash-up" thing with their '89 opus Paul's Boutique, but now the jackers have become the jackees. ... It's Gillis' game now.

There's also his use of M.I.A.'s "Boys," which to me, is about as clear an example of post-millennial one-upmanship as I can think of: The king of no-samples-cleared samples the queen of the concept. Again, the jacker has become the jackee. It's the sound of the glove being tossed. A ballsy and brave effort that very few artists are capable of making. Oh, and it's awesome to dance to.

But where was I? Oh yeah, LL Cool J. I didn't tell him about the Girl Talk album, in part because I am such a fan of Gillis' work, but also because you could probably fill an airplane with people who have more reason to gripe than LL does. He's only been snippetized on Feed the Animals, whereas anyone in Queen, the Police, Faith No More or Dexy's Midnight Runners would have a, shall we say, much larger bone to pick with Gillis (so would Avril Lavigne, Twisted Sister, Temple of the Dog, the Band, Flo Rida, Lil Mama, Young Jeezy and Fergie, for that matter).

I guess by writing this column, I am opening Gillis up to all sorts of bad things. And I hope that doesn't happen. But I felt the need to do this because his new album is so great, the kind of thing that could not have existed 10 years ago, an audio time capsule of the era in which we live. The kind of thing that can inspire post-millennial dilemmas at 37,000 feet.

I just hope LL doesn't read this.

(For more on Feed the Animals, watch Gillis go track-by-track through the album on the Newsroom blog.)

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Hit me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Girl Talk
• LL Cool J
• Kanye West
• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News

They used to just talk about his songs — now hip-hop's biggest stars are talking about his numbers too.

Lil Wayne's peers are publicly recognizing how great a feat it was for the New Orleans native to move over a million units of his Tha Carter III in the first week.

"Congrats to my homie, Wayne," Kanye West, who produced on the album, posted on his blog Tuesday. "I'm happy to know this guy! Bow in the presence of a true living legend in hip-hop. Lil Wayne the God!"

On Thursday (June 19), while calling in to New York radio station Hot 97, 50 Cent — who was the last artist before Wayne to sell a million copies in first week of release with 2005's The Massacre — labeled Tha Carter III's debut "amazing."

"I think I'm really confused," 50 added. "I think all I need to do is make good music and see what happens. Usher had a #1 record across the board, and he only sold over 400,000. Then Wayne comes and does those numbers. ... I don't understand what the connection is. What audience is going out to buy it?"

While in Atlanta, Ludacris told MTV News that Wayne's success was hard-earned. "Wayne's been in the game a long time," said 'Cris, while sitting in the studio with DJ Drama. "I've done records with him. Apart from everything else that's going on, it's well-deserved. Wayne, congratulations. You worked hard for that's sh--, and you deserve it."

A Luda and Wayne collaboration was originally slated to be on Tha Carter III and may still find a home elsewhere. "I know he has a million songs, but we're still trying to find a placement for this song me and Lil Wayne did," Luda said.

• Lil Wayne Reacts To Tha Carter III's Success

• Ludacris
• 50 Cent
• Kanye West
• Lil Wayne

Young Jeezy, Usher and Kanye West backstage Saturday night at the Birthday Bash
Photo: Moses Robinson

Yeah, Jeezy stood beside John McCain on "Saturday Night Live," but the Snowman says he's definitely not supporting the candidate's run for president. Jeezy is for Barack Obama and talks about it on his new LP, The Recession.

The album has a song called "My President's Black," and Jeezy feels so great about it that he's already made and passed out thousands of T-shirts throughout Atlanta.

"My president's black/ My Lambo's blue," he said, reciting lines from the record Saturday night at Atlanta's Philips Arena. "I made that song. It's on The Recession. I motivate the thugs. I'm really proud of Barack Obama. It's crazy 'cause for the first time, we got hope. A lot of times you be out here and do what you do. You see the presidents come in and go out. They really don't help the people, they help themselves and their partners."

Jeezy describes his album, due in August, as full of anthems. Over the weekend, he released his latest mixtape, The Prime Minister, and launched his social-networking Web site, USDA2Day.com. The Snowman was one of the stars of radio station Hot 107.9's annual monster concert, the Birthday Bash. He brought out a myriad of surprises, stealing the show.

"I gave you a show," he said backstage. "[At the] Birthday Bash two years ago, I brought out Jay-Z. Shout-outs to Hov. It's about topping it. Making people step their game up. Relationships is everything. When you really know people, you tell them, 'Come through, we got Birthday Bash. Be there,' and they there? To me, that means everything. This year I called out Dream, Kanye, Usher, Blood Raw. ... I'm from Atlanta, so they pretty much see you every day. They know you gonna come out, but when you bring those special people out, it just gives it that extra umph. Me, personally, I take pride in Birthday Bash. Birthday Bash 13 was mine, by the way."

(Check out pictures of T.I., Young Jeezy and more onstage at the Birthday Bash.)

Kanye and Usher specifically went out of their way to make it to Atlanta for the show. Usher flew in from a promo tour in Japan, while Kanye came to town, performed and flew right back out to make his concert at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

"Shout-out to Kanye, he flew all the way in," Jeezy said. "I had to throw him a private jet courtesy of Young."

• T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• Young Jeezy
• Usher
• Kanye West

Young Jeezy and Usher at Saturday's Birthday Bash
Photo: MTV News

ATLANTA — Local radio station Hot 107.9 did exactly what it should have when putting together the biggest ATL concert of the year: make sure that almost all the big names from the city were onstage performing. T.I., Ludacris, Usher, Young Jeezy, DJ Drama, Gucci Mane and newer favorites Soulja Boy Tell'em, Shawty Lo, Gorilla Zoe and Rocko were all paraded out in the Philips Arena on Saturday for the station's annual Birthday Bash concert.

The Bash is in its 13th year and was originally devised to celebrate the birth of the station. What started out as a small party in the park is now one of the city's most anticipated events, and with fans turning out in the tens of thousands every year, the concert needed a big venue: Birthday Bash is to Atlanta what Summer Jam is to the New York area.

In addition to the hometown performers, out-of-town reps such as Game, Kanye West, Akon, Plies, Trina, Lil Boosie and Webbie, DJ Khaled and his artist Ace Hood appeared on the bill as well.

(Check out pictures of T.I., Young Jeezy and more onstage at the Birthday Bash.)

The biggest moments of the show came courtesy of ATL's newly dubbed Prime Minister (according to his new mixtape, anyway), Young Jeezy. The Snowman has been promising a huge show for weeks, and he lived up to his word. Concertgoers in the floor seats were greeted with Snowman T-shirts that read "My President Is Black" on the front, with the American flag in black and white instead of red, white and blue. On the back, the shirts advertised Jeezy's upcoming LP, The Recession. Jeezy's set commenced with a video of police chasing him through the streets in his two-seater until he arrived at the arena.

	Whose side are you on in the T.I. vs. Shawty Lo battle? Comment below, or upload your response video at fnmtv.com. We'll put the best comments and videos on TV!

Finally, Jizzle jumped onstage, inciting the crowd with street bangers such as "Get Ya Mind Right" and "Bottom of the Map." The-Dream was Jeezy's first surprise guest, joining the MC for the "I Luv Your Girl" remix. Jeezy — who, along with his entire crew, was dressed all in black — doled out his trump cards gradually with anthems such as "I Luv It," "And Then What" and "Soul Survivor." Then uncontrolled uproar ensued when Usher came out for "Love in This Club."

Ush had been in Japan but flew in especially to hold Jeezy down. Later, when the MC was doing his sing-songy delivery — "I put onnnn. I put on for my city! On, on for my city!" — the crowd erupted again when Kanye West came out to perform his part in "Put On."

"You got that big fame, homie, and you just changed, homie/ You can ask big homie, man, the top so lonely," Kanye rapped. The fans responded by shouting out Kanye's ad libs: "So lonely, I, I, I, I-I-I-I-I-I-I!"

"I put on for my city. Tell them catch up!" Jeezy yelled after West's verse. Jeezy then let Kanye give the people a taste of "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

"Two years ago I brought out Jay-Z — this year I brought out Usher and Kanye," Jeezy boasted. "Catch up, n---as! I put on for my city!"

T.I. closed out the Bash. Recently, Shawty Lo had said he wanted to take their rivalry up a notch with a competition at the ballyhooed concert: L.O. said he wanted to issue a challenge to see who had the best performance. During his set, Lo incorporated theatrics such as a video and being lowered onto the stage from about 50 feet in the air along with his highly touted 'hood hits "Foolish," "Dunn Dunn" and "Dey Know" (Ludacris came out for his verse on the remix). After his set, a sign that said "A new King has been born" was seen on the video screens alongside his photo.

Tip, however, was too polished and established to battle. The King of the South started with "Help Is Coming" and transitioned to "Beat Down Low." With just 30 minutes to do his thing, Tip could only give samples of most of his records, but he had plenty of material in his arsenal.

"Do these people in the house know this is my Birthday Bash?" he asked. "I own this sh--! I been doing this sh-- since I had a song called ..." On cue, the music for "Rubber Band Man" came on.

"All the haters in the house: You better watch your muthaf---in' mouth, man!" That was a segue to "Watch What You Say."

Tip's only guests were people down with his Grand Hustle label: He introduced the legendary 8Ball and MJG, who are his newest recruits, along with Young L.A. and B.O.B.

"N--- a, it's the muthaf---in' King and the hustle ain't over!" Tip said triumphantly. After "No Matter What," confetti dropped from the air as he closed with "What You Know."

Earlier in the show, Trina gave the fans an eyefull of her ... er, beauty. "The Baddest Chick"'s blue dress started flying up, Marilyn Monroe-style, as she walked across the stage. The unplanned wardrobe malfunction caused her to blush, but she soldiered on with records such as "I Got a Thing for You" and "Single Again."

In Atlanta, Gucci Mane's songs are as big as nationwide #1 hits: Underground records such as "Trap House" and "Bird Flu" were — as they say in hip-hop — ringing off. The whole audience was reciting them line for line, cadence for cadence.

The primetime playas began hitting the stage at around 8 p.m. America's number-one goon, Plies, showed why he may be the number-one hip-hop superstar the mainstream hasn't got a strong grasp on just yet: Most of his harder-edged catalog hasn't quite hit the radar of the masses, but they are familiar with his hit singles. Plies' set had the fans on their feet from beginning to end.

"N---a owe me some money he ain't gotta pay me," Plies rapped, performing a record from his recently released Definition of Real. "Got something for you f--- n---as, who playa hatin'/ N---a claiming he don't like me, but it's all gravy/ Keep playing with me and I'mma [play with] your ol' lady."

Later, he played to the ladies.

"You don't know what I'm finin' to do," the shirtless Florida native said directly after telling the of-age women in attendance to get their cameras ready. "I might get muthaf---in' naked." He then warned all the underage females to turn their heads; this ended with him doing a suggestive gesture that garnered screams. Just so the thugs wouldn't get too restless, he gave them "Goons Lurkin," a cinematic revenge narrative. "Bust It Baby Part 2" ended Plies' set.

The Game, however, got the best audience participation of the night: He brought up several elementary school-age children and one took the mic, rapping "Game's Pain" in its entirety. "Put your dubs up!" the youngster yelled. "L.A.! L.A.! Compton! Where you from? Get money! Compton!"

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!

• Behind The Scenes At Atlanta's Birthday Bash

• T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• T.I.
• Shawty Lo
• The Game
• Young Jeezy
• Usher

T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• T.I.
• Young Jeezy
• Webbie
• The Game
• Plies

Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie And More At Bonnaroo 2008

• Pearl Jam
• Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend
• My Morning Jacket
• Death Cab For Cutie

Kanye West, Alicia Keys & More Heat Up Hot 97 Summer Jam In New Jersey

• Kanye West
• Alicia Keys
• Flavor Flav
• Lil Wayne
• T-Pain

Kanye West, Pete Wentz, More At The BAPE Store Opening In L.A.

• Kanye West
• Pharrell Williams
• Fall Out Boy
• Robin Thicke
• Jermaine Dupri

Kanye West Hosts Kim Kardashian, Michael Johns, More At Absolut 100 Afterparty

• Kanye West

Kanye West Rocks Murakami Art Opening

• Kanye West

Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, More Rock The American Airlines Arena In Miami

• Jay-Z
• Mary J. Blige
• Kanye West
• Young Jeezy
• Fabolous

Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More

• Alicia Keys
• Kanye West
• Beyoncé
• The Time
• Fergie

2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters

• Foo Fighters
• Beyoncé
• Rihanna
• Aretha Franklin
• Mary J. Blige

2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More

• Akon
• Amy Winehouse
• Jay-Z
• Christina Aguilera
• Justin Timberlake