Fresh off of his Progression 2: A Young Texas Playa mixtape, Kirko Bangz delivers his new video for the somber “Touch The Sky.”
Nottz & Nefew “The Fan” [Video]
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Nottz and Nefew team up for this new video that pays homage to “The Fan.” Nefew’s sophomore LP Man Vs. Many is available on iTunes now.
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Ke$ha, Wiz Khalifa, Andre 3000, T.I., and Lil Wayne got together a little while agoe for the “Sleazy Remix 2.0,” and though none appear in this new video, the singer offers up these new visuals.
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Continuing to build momentum from his Habits & Contradictions release, ScHoolboy Q drops off this new video for “NigHtmare On Figg St.”
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Video: Iggy Azalea – The Last Song
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I know the Bell Soto-directed video came out a few weeks ago but that’s not why I brought you here. Iggy Azalea, a native Australian, has officially signed to Interscope. Which probably means, you should get familiar with Iggy now and tell your friends about it. Her mixtape Ignorant Art was given to me back in October and it was filled with catchy hyped tracks that contain hooks that will stay ingrained in your brain for a while. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
Download Ignorant Art here. Check out her videos for “My World” and “Pu$$y” after the jump. Long legs never hurt no one.
[RR]
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Yelawolf joins the “Rack City” party, adding some country swagger to Tyga’s West Coast anthem. “You hate on me then you’re probably an Obama hater/ Laugh at you chronic players/ Sit with a sonic laser and shoot you from Pluto with a soup bowl full of Now and Laters,” raps the Alabama MC on his freestyle for L.A. Leakers.
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Iggy Azalea Signs to Interscope
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Earlier this month, Azealia Banks signed with Universal and now another buzzing rapstress has inked with a major label; Iggy Azalea announced earlier today that she has signed a deal with Interscope.
“Interscope, if you were wondering,” the Australian-born femcee posted on Twitter. “Get used to me + jimmy smashing shit, cause thats the plan,” she continued, referencing Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine. Her reps then confirmed the signing with XXL.
Multiple labels seemed to express interest in the young rapper, as she tweeted about spending time with reps from Def Jam earlier in the month.
Her Interscope signing shouldn’t come as a complete surpise, though, as her two longtime managers, Neil Jacobson and George Robertson, are A&Rs at the label.
The 21-year-old, who gained an online buzz last year thanks to her videos for “Pu$$y” and “My World,” as well as her Ignorant Art mixtape, also confirmed that she plans on dropping her album, The New Classic, in June. “Album in june entitled ‘fuck your life’ nah…. not realllyyyy its called ‘The New Classic’,” she tweeted.
She also spoke with Billboard about the deal. “I’m super happy about it,” she said. “It took me a long time [to decide] because I went around to every label. I was like, ‘Okay I want to meet your A&R, president, vice president, and marketing [team]. Who would do my marketing?’ I wanted to know who’d be working on my project and I wanted to meet them.”
“I think once Jimmy saw that I was starting to pull away and be like, ‘No, I’ll just do my own thing,’ he was like, ‘What do you want lady?’,” she continued. “And I was like, ‘Alright, let’s cut the bullshit.’”
Check out more on Iggy Azalea in the latest issue of XXL. —Adam Fleischer
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It seems like Ke$ha decided to release a video without everyone featured on the remix, including herself. The video did come with a warning though,”brace yourself because this video takes SLEAZY to a whole new level.”
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New Music: Karmin – ‘Broken Hearted’
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They crashed your party. Now swag-pop duo Karmin is leaving you “Broken Hearted” on the second single from their Epic Records debut album, due this April. The radio-ready pop ditty features a catchy hook and Amy’s signature rhymes that propelled them to YouTube glory. The engaged couple will perform the song and a surprise selection on the February 11 episode of “SNL.”
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ScHoolboy Q, rockin’ a fresh Diamond varsity jacket, takes you on a walk in his latest visual for the A$AP Ty Beats-produced “Nightmare of Figg St.” Habits & Contradictions is available on >iTunes now.
Directed by Jerome D.
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Laugh out loud with Ke$ha in the comical video for “Sleazy Remix 2.0 – Get Sleazier,” which she officially released on her YouTube channel. Instead of enlisting her hip-hop collaborators Wiz Khalifa, André 3000, T.I., and Lil Wayne for the gritty visuals, the pop star casts some unexpected characters.
A drag queen performs Wiz’ verse, André 3000 is played by Napoleon Dynamite actor Efren Ramirez, and T.I. looks a little older (and whiter) as he raps in his wheelchair: “I was gonna take her, make her my new royal penis cleaner.”
Ke$ha explained the video’s origins. “This video is the product of my friends seeing how sleazy the already monumentally Sleazy Remix 2.0 could get,” she said. “Brace yourself because this video takes SLEAZY to a whole new level.”
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Lil Wayne goes hard in the paint in the teaser for “Mirror,” his collaboration with Bruno Mars off Tha Carter IV. A tatted and shirtless Weezy splashes red and black paint all over the room as he creates his latest masterpiece, while a fedora-clad Bruno Mars co-stars in the artsy clip. The full video, directed by Antoine Fuqua, premieres January 31 on VEVO.
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Melanie Fiona kept the memory of Michael Jackson alive by lending her voice to the hand and footprint ceremony honoring the late pop legend at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday (Jan. 26).
The Canadian songbird performed an acoustic rendition of the Jackson 5 classic “I’ll Be There,” as the Jackson family, including mother Katherine and Michael’s children Prince, Paris, and Blanket, looked on. Quincy Jones, Smokey Robinson, Chris Tucker, and Justin Bieber also paid tribute to the King of Pop.
“I am at a complete loss of words. Overwhelmed and completely honoured. Cheers to the King of Pop #MichaelJackson xo,” tweeted Melanie, who will release her sophomore album The MF Life on May 8.
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Yelawolf… Do I really need to say anything more than that?! Shout to our brother, June!
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J. Cole partied with New York City ahead of his 27th birthday tomorrow. The Roc Nation rapper joined friends and family at Webster Hall on Thursday night, treating fans to a special performance of his platinum single “Work Out.”
He addressed those who doubted the song, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. “When I put this shit out, I had ni**as very close to my circle doubting me and they didn’t know what this song was about, so six months later we platinum, gold album,” he told the cheering crowd.
The festivities continued after he exited the stage. “New York City, I love the shit out of ya’ll,” he said. “We still got a little bit of time left. Let’s get fucked up, let’s celebrate in this motherfucker.”
Cole is gearing up to shoot a video for “Nobody’s Perfect,” the third single off his debut Cole World: The Sideline Story. The Colin Tilley-directed clip will co-star Missy Elliott.
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Tank is bringing his R&B stylings to intimate venues across the U.S. this February with “The Couples Retreat Tour.”
The 8-city trek kicks off February 10 in Raleigh, North Carolina, making its way to New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, with a Valentine’s Day show in Washington, D.C. It will wind down February 18 in Dallas.
The singer-songwriter is preparing for the release of his fifth album Savior in May. He recently shot a video for the first single, “Next Breath,” in Los Angeles.
“The Couples Retreat Tour” Dates
Feb. 10 – Raleigh, NC – Club Taboo
Feb. 11 – Killeen, TX – Killeen Auditorium
Feb. 13 – New York, NY – Blue Note
Feb. 14 – Washington, D.C. – Opera Lounge
Feb. 15 – Philadelphia, PA – (Private)
Feb. 16 – Tampa, FL – Boomerang Martini Bar
Feb. 17 – Atlanta, GA – Club Bella
Feb. 18 – Dallas, TX – Palladium Cabaret
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Rumors are circulating that rapper Jim Jones and wife-to-be, Chrissy, are having a baby.
According to someone real close to the “Love & Hip-Hop” star, the future Mrs. Jones is pregnant and is expecting the couple’s first child. The source revealed that the two have been apparently trying to get pregnant for years and reached a point where both “had basically given up… [saying] if it happens, it happens.”
Although there is no confirmation on the news from Jimmy and Chrissy, the close friend says, “We’re all praying for a HEALTHY BABY to be born. Who, given his/her parents, will be SWAG-A-LOCIOUS!!!” —Ben Simms
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Iggy Azalea is entering the big leagues. After being pursued by several major labels, the Aussie rapper has decided to sign with Interscope Records.
She took to Twitter to make the official announcement. “Interscope, if you were wondering,” tweeted Iggy. “Get used to me + jimmy [iovine] smashing shit, cause thats the plan.”
The blonde bomshell was spotted courtside at a Lakers game with Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine earlier this month. She will join the label’s prestigious roster, which includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, U2, and Mary J. Blige.
There were reports that Iggy was headed to Def Jam after tweeting about dining with the label’s staff and Rihanna in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Her debut album is slated for a summer release. “Album in june entitled fuck your life nah…. not realllyyyy its called The New Classic,” wrote Iggy.
The 21-year-old has become an online sensation with her mixtape Ignorant Art and videos for “Pu$$y,” “My World,” and her latest, “The Last Song.”
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Wale isn’t afraid to admit when he isn’t well-versed on a topic.
When asked about his thoughts on SOPA during an interview with Boi-1da.net, the MMG signee said he rather “keep my mouth shut if I’m not all the way knowing exactly what’s going on.
“I feel like the more I get involved in and the more I start thinking about stuff like that, the more I take away from the music,” he continued. “I let the world be the world, you know what I’m saying?”
What he was a little more vocal about was his feelings about Common’s track “Sweet,” which claims a lot of the new rappers are EMO, taking the blame from the artists and questioning the role of radio programmers and DJs.
“[It's] a challenge to radio on what they are willing to accept and what the deejays get behind,” he said, adding that, he, for one, is “happy” with the current state of the game. —Christian Mordi
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Kelly Rowland moves to the reggae rhythms of Sean Paul on “How Deep Is Your Love.” Produced by Stargate and penned by Ester Dean, the breezy cut appears on the dancehall star’s new album Tomahawk Technique, which will be released internationally on January 30.
“It’s similar to ‘Got 2 Luv U’ with Alexis Jordan,” Sean told Rap-Up TV. “It’s definitely a dancehall track.”
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Sean Paul adds some dancehall flavor on the remix to Melanie Fiona’s single “4 AM.” Hitmaker Rico Love turns the slow burner into a dance floor-ready jam, which will appear on the Canadian singer’s upcoming mixtape. Her sophomore album The MF Life will follow on May 8.
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Car aficionados, wait till you feast your eyes on this.
The 2012 Lexus IS 350C is a hardtop convertible that transforms in less than 21 seconds. Speed is an overall feature of this whip, as its acceleration raises at the blink of an eye (figuratively-speaking).
Not only that, the Lexus IS 350C comes equipped with a Sirius XM Satellite radio with an eight-speaker Premium Sound System and Automatic Sound Levelizer. It also comes with an in-dash, single-feed, six-disc CD auto-changer, making this sedan ideal for a warm summer day with the top down.
Perfection, indeed.
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Rick Ross exclaims, “We at the condo, let’s have a pool party” on the opening lines to “New Bugatti” off his Rich Forever mixtape. XXLMag.com took the line literal, crafting this formal and exclusive invite for a pool party at the Bawse’s condo. I feel like I’m Pam Anderson/Mitch Buchannon.
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Drake and Tattoo Artist Squash Beef
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Drake is ready to put one of his recent beefs behind him.
On Wednesday (January 25), tattoo artist Kevin Campbell tweeted at Drake, “Nice talking to you buddy, glad everything’s cleared up. It’s good that something positive came out of this whole fiasco. Stay up. Drake beef officially squashed…Everybody can now move on. Only positivity from here on out.”
Campbell and Drake had been embroiled in a war of words since last last year. The Los Angeles based ink specialist had tattooed the rapper’s name across a fan’s forehead, and when he spoke on the incident, he didn’t have the kindest things to say about Drizzy.
“I guess I feel bad that this dumbass got the name of the softest muthafucka in hip-hop tattooed on her forehead,” Campbell told Vice. “But what makes that any less valid of a tattoo to her? I lost a little sleep over it that first night, wondering if I wanted to be known as the asshole who tattooed ‘DRAKE’ on some crackhead’s forehead. None of the face tattoos I had done prior to this got any publicity, so I was a little surprised that this one took off like it did. I’m still kinda debating whether or not I should send you guys the whole set of pictures, I don’t really want to paint the shop in a bad light, but it is what it is. In the end, she paid me to do this to her, which really means she did this to herself.”
The Young Money rhymeslinger caught wind of the chatter, and later responded in an interview. “The guy who tatted it is a fucking asshole, though,” he said. “I will tell you that. I don’t fuck with that guy. Fuck you to that tat artist, by the way, ’cause you’re an asshole, for real. And you should lose your job, and you should never do tattoos again. I don’t fuck with you and if I ever see you I’m gonna fuck you up.”
When Drake was in Los Angeles recently, according to Campbell, he did not approach the artist, like he had said he would, but sent his bodyguard inside the shop, instead. The incident was said to have gone down without an altercation.
All that seems to be in the past now, though. —Adam Fleischer
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Amidst the vastly awaited Super Bowl XLII New York Giants vs. New England Patriots rematch, the rumor mill keeps spinning with gossip about who will accompany Super Bowl XLVI halftime performer Madonna during her already highly-anticipated act. The latest name to be thrown in the mix with the previously-mentioned M.I.A., LMFAO and Nicki Minaj is Cee Lo Green.
Madonna, has all but confirmed these rumors, telling MTV News, “I am not saying ‘Yes,’ and I am not saying ‘No,” when questioned about the possibility of Minaj and M.I.A. joining her for the February 5th intermission performance of her single, “Gimme All Your Luvin’,’ off of Madge’s upcoming M.D.N.A. album. Reports also have it reports the set list for the show will also include classics like “Ray of Light,” “Vogue” and “Music.”
Still, entertainment and news site continue to put the pieces together in attempt to get a clearer idea of who will join the “Material Girl”. Most recently The Insider reports, Cee Lo, a host and coach for contestants on NBC’s The Voice, has been flying to New York to rehearse with the iconic pop star. And will.i.am, who delivered a memorable performance at last year’s Super Bowl with the Black Eyed Peas, has confirmed LMFAO’s participation in the star-studded set by telling Capital FM, “I’m going to the Super Bowl this year to see my group LMFAO perform with Madonna.”
But Madonna’s been all but mum about her guests. Instead, she recently told ABC News, “I have eight minutes to set up my stage, 12 minutes to put on the greatest show on earth, and I have seven minutes to take it down so that football field is clean for the second half of the game. That’s the challenge. How do you do that? I actually wanted to have 100 drummers come from the ceiling, a drum line from the ceiling.”
The Super Bowl halftime show is the most watched musical event of the year, with over 162 million viewers expected to tune in to the event. —Christian Bonoan
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Album Preview: Estelle – ‘All of Me’
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It might take nine months for a woman to have a child, but Estelle waited a sweet three years before delivering her most recent baby, her third album All of Me. And she’s definitely got that glow. The British songstress took some time off to rediscover why she loves making music and returned to the scene with an extremely personal and glamorous, yet round-the-way compilation that hits every brick of her relationship path.
The doe-eyed chanteuse, clad in a generous amount of black lace and confidence, presented 10 tracks from her upcoming album to an intimate audience of media outlets at Openhouse, a sultry lounge in New York City on Wednesday night. With her mentor John Legend by her side, she explained the thought process behind each song, receiving head nods and “amens” along the way.
Estelle offered up a taste of what’s to come (Note: This is not the final tracklisting), plus a comforting promise that lamenting a relationship doesn’t always have to be a solo process, especially when you have many “persons of interest,” as she coyly calls them, waiting in the wings.
“The Life”
This is Estelle’s self-proclaimed Capricorn anthem—the moment when she got her mojo back. Leading her listeners into the album is an art in itself and the singer switches between spitting and singing on this one, in an upbeat ode to coming back into the game strong.
“International (Serious)” featuring Chris Brown and Trey Songz
You’ll need a passport for this lighthearted track, which is inspired by Estelle’s jetsetting lifestyle. After touting Breezy and Trey Songz’ global work ethic, she thought, “Why don’t we get on a record and get cocky and talk about traveling and being bougie and shit?”
“Love the Way We Used To”
This midtempo track has a doo-wop feel that compliments the classic sentiment that Estelle describes: nostalgia for the best friend/boyfriend combo that got away. “Who hurt you?” the songbird was asked by friends after hearing this honest track. She kept her game face on though. Some things are better left unsung.
“Cold Crush”
“Sometimes it’s OK for the woman to say something,” John Legend, who co-wrote the song, explains, expressing appreciation for females who make the first move. With strong vocals, this playful track makes the perfect and optimistic prelude to spring fever.
“Wonderful Life”
This one is lyrical Prozac for the soul. The song encourages positivity, “going through all the fuckery, but still smiling,” as she puts it. Sweet without being sugary, Estelle sings about finding solace in small pleasures.
“Back to Love”
An uptempo dance floor anthem with enormous mainstream potential, this song makes it hard to sit still. It’s about gaining perspective after a breakup and embracing a healthier state of emotional clarity, while out at the club, with your sexy on dangerously high levels.
“Speak Ya Mind”
“I think women are expected to do what they’re told—and that’s some bullshit,” says Estelle. She’s back on her hip-hop swag on this fearless cut, her lyrical and vocal chops likened to those of the ubiquitous “American Boy.”
“Do My Thing” featuring Janelle Monáe
Penned by Ne-Yo and featuring the quirky musical powerhouse Janelle Monáe, this track is platinum-plated single material. Like much of Monáe’s music, this song has an energetic retro feel and double the beat-riding vocal strength. Lines like “I walk around like this because I can” fill the quota for just enough ego to still be lovable.
“Thank You”
A broken-hearted Estelle celebrates her womanhood on this empowering Akon-penned single. “These tears I cry sure won’t be the last/ This pain inside never seems to pass,” the emotional Brit sings to her cheating lover on the Jerry Wonda production. Ladies, this one’s for you.
“Break My Heart” featuring Rick Ross
Another midtempo, relatable ode to an object of Estelle’s affection that she’s just not sure about trusting. The Miami Bawse adds his usual braggadocio to her poignant yet promising musical love letter.
–Rajul Punjabi
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Maino’s I Am Who I Am mixtape dropped yesterday, and here’s the new video for “Last Of The Mohicians” featuring Push! Montana. The Day After Tomorrow drops next month.
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Cassie is spreading the love this Valentine’s Day. The Bad Boy singer will release her long-awaited single “King of Hearts” to iTunes on February 14. The video will also premiere that day. The electro-dance track, produced by J2, serves as the first offering from her upcoming sophomore album.
“Here is a lil Early Valentines Day love to celebrate King of Hearts video + single on Itunes on 2/14,” she tweeted.
If you missed the sexy teaser for the video, watch it below.
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After nursing her husband Nick Cannon back to health, Mariah Carey returned to work. The pop diva hit the studio with longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri last night at Southside Studios in Atlanta. She showed off her curvaceous figure (thanks to Jenny and Dem Babies) while posing in front of the console.
“I said MC they don’t expect you to be camera ready,she said Yes they do LOL!!” tweeted J.D., who shared a couple photos from their session.
The dynamic duo is cooking up new music for Mariah’s upcoming fourteenth album. We hope to hear more classics like “Always Be My Baby” and “We Belong Together.”
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Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will be performing at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre on Tuesday, February 7, and XXLMag.com has a pair of tickets to giveaway.
Here’s how to enter to win. The first reader to email XXL@harris-pub.com with their full name (first and last) along with the correct answer to the following trivia question will win: What’ artist did Bone Thugs-n-Harmony recently embrace by way of a XXLMag.com article? Please put “Bone Thugs” in the email subject line when applying. The contest is limited to fans who will be in the New York area on the day of the show. XXL will notify the winners.
Check out the flyer below:
Good luck! —XXL Staff
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Maybach Music all-stars Meek Mill and Wale spit four minutes of fire over Drake’s popular Bay Area anthem “The Motto.” “Ricky told me get ‘em and I told him that I got ‘em,” raps the Philly MC on his verse before passing the mic to Wale. Rozay would approve.
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Slaughterhouse’s Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce Da 5’9″ are ready to bring a championship caliber to Eminem’s Shady records. The group announced a 43-city Spring tour today (January 26) as well as the May 15 release date of their Shady debut, Welcome to Our House.
“We feel hip-hop is our house,” Joell explained to XXLMag.com about the title. “We feel like we’re four of the dopest MCs on the planet and after this albums comes out, we feel everybody is gonna have to deal with it. You gonna have to deal with the fact that you might be listening to some dudes you can’t be better than. That’s the attitude we wanna have. When Ray Lewis and the Baltimore defense go out there, they say, ‘you ain’t scoring. That’s it.’ Nobody looks at them as cocky or crazy. But they just leave it on the field. We left it on this album. Y’all gonna love this album if you’re a fan of hip-hop and lyrics.
What’s there to love about it? Plenty, according to Ortiz.
“We broadened the spectrum,” he said. “We got records that are radio-friendly without selling out. We never compromise our art to point records in the direction. But working under Eminem, he showed us a lot of ways how to balance that skill with the music and the choruses to go somewhere else. We’re really excited about this album. We just welcome y’all to our house.”
Besides Eminem, Denaun Porter produced on the album as well as a some other “surprises.”
Joell says now that he’s just a few months from releasing the long-anticipated album, he feels like his friend and neighbor, New York Giant Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver Victor Cruz, who plays in his first Super Bowl on February 5, helped him realize how amazing it is to finally be at this point in his career.
“I spoke to Victor Cruz last night,” Joell said with a chuckle. “He’s a homie, Puerto Rican dude around the way. He said, ‘Joell, it still ain’t hit me.’ Then he called me later today like, ‘I’m going to the Super Bowl, son!’ That’s what you wait on. You wait on your release date, you want the album to be done. Sometime it takes a while for you to be like, ‘oh shit. I’m coming out on Shady!’
“So this is our Super Bowl,” he continued. “I just pray in between there, that everything stays good. My family stays healthy and everybody that I love gets to see it. The hip-hop fans get to come out and check us on tour. I just want to be a big group man.” —Shaheem Reid
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David Guetta and Nicki Minaj serve up the suspense in not one, but two teasers for “Turn Me On,” their chart-topping dance collaboration. In the first clip, a mystery woman (presumably Nicki) drags an axe through a dungeon, while revealing herself in the second video. Bald-headed models march with torches and the pink-haired leading lady rides off on a horse, as the French DJ brings his latest creation to life. Find out how the story unfolds when the full video premieres January 31.
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