Tag: Kanye West (1-10 of 200)

May 16 2013 11:41 AM ET

Kanye West pulls a Kanye West, goes on lengthy rant against paparazzi, SNL skits, and more at Adult Swim upfront

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Wishing you knew what’s on Kanye’s mind? You’re in luck!

During his one-hour performance at last night’s Adult Swim upfront presentation in New York’s Roseland Ballroom, the man who’ll be the musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live finale tore into a winding rant that included such gems as “I ain’t doing no mother—-ing SNL skits” and “I drop your baby and you sue me and sh–.”

The meat of his monologue, which Complex managed to grab videos of, had to do with West’s relationship with fame and the press. “I ain’t no motherf—-g celebrity,” he said in a plea to get the paparazzi off his back. “I ain’t running for office.”

Read on below for a fuller account of his rant (hat tip to Complex), as well as a grainy YouTube clip of the affair.

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May 2 2013 12:26 PM ET

Did Kanye West just announce that his new album is coming out next month? Signs point to yes

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Image Credit: Pieter-Jan Vanstockstraeten/Getty Images

Only Kanye West could tweet two words capable of shaking up everything we thought we knew about music, 2013, and life in general: “June Eighteen.”

That short missive is all that remains of ‘Ye’s once-boisterous Twitter feed. All of his prior tweets have been deleted, giving his cryptic message an extra-mysterious aura.

So what does it mean? Well, the obvious answer is that it could be the release date for his next album. West has been conspicuously absent from the spotlight while holing himself up in his studio in Paris all spring, fueling rumors that his follow-up to 2010′s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy might be imminent.

Just this week, Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg claimed that Island Def Jam recently had a listening session for the album at their New York offices. “Everyone at the label that listened to the album loved it,” said Rosenberg. “I’ve heard it’s dark, but it’s really good.”

Also fanning the flames is Daft Punk’s recent Rolling Stone interview, where the French robots confirmed that they’d reteamed with West in the studio. “It was very raw,” Thomas Bangalter said. “He was rapping — kind of screaming primally, actually.”

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Apr 29 2013 11:52 AM ET

Ray J's 'I Hit It First' has a video, definitely features a Kim Kardashian lookalike -- VIDEO

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If you don’t think Ray J’s new single, “I Hit It First,” is about Kim Kardashian, then your name is Ray J — and you’re probably lying. In the new video, Brandy-the-younger spits some light boasting about sleeping with a woman who “might move on the rappers and ball players, but we all know I hit it first.” This woman is tanned, curvy, and wears a sleek-high ponytail. She looks like Kim Kardashian. Worst line: “No matter where she goes or who she knows/She still belongs in my bed.” Countdown to harder, better, faster, stronger Kanye response: Begun.

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Apr 9 2013 11:51 AM ET

Kanye West sued for 'Gold Digger' sample

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Image Credit: Pieter-Jan Vanstockstraeten/Getty Images

Everybody knows that “Gold Digger,” one of Kanye West’s biggest hits, is built around a sample of Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman.” But according to a new lawsuit, there’s another sample in there not getting the credit it deserves.

Trena Steward and Lorenzo Pryor, two children of the late musician David Pryor, are suing West for damages because they claim “Gold Digger” borrows a sample of their father saying “get down,” which comes from his recording of the song “Bumpin’ Bus Stop,” which he recorded with his band Thunder & Lightning back in 1974.

The plaintiffs are asking for a judge to block future sales of “Gold Digger” and for “millions of dollars” in damages.

These things always feel spurious, especially when they arrive nearly a decade after the song in question went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Still, let’s go ahead and listen to both tracks before making any decisions. Spin “Gold Digger” and “Bumpin’ Bus Stop” below.  READ FULL STORY »

Apr 8 2013 11:40 AM ET

Ray J debuts 'I Hit It First,' says song's not about Kim Kardashian: Hear it here

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For the love of Ray J, what is his new song “I Hit It First” about exactly?

For a lot of people, it seems to be an obvious dig at his ex-girlfriend and sex-tape costar Kim Kardashian, currently pregnant with Kanye West’s baby. (Note to self: finish that soap opera spec script.)

But Brandy’s little brother took to Hot 97 this morning in an attempt to clear things up and avoid any potential beef with Yeezy and Co. ”It’s a song, it’s not about that,” he told the radio station. ”They just gotta keep it on the surface. I’m not trying to create no war, it’s all love; we’re doing music.”

Hmm. The music, in this case, includes lyrics like, “She might move on to rappers and ballplayers/But we all know I hit it first” and “If you were to come back to me, girl/We’ll make another movie” and  ”I had her head going north and her a– goin’ south/But now baby chose to go west.” It doesn’t take a RapGenius page to figure out what Ray J might be alluding to here.

Listen to the song yourself with the player below and let us know your take on the matter:

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Dec 17 2012 03:55 PM ET

Madonna had the top-grossing tour of 2012

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Call it the Super Bowl bump?

Billboard has announced the list of the 2012′s top-grossing tours, and it looks like Madonna is at the top. Her Madgesty sold out all 72 of the shows she played this year, grossing a grand total of $228,406,085 over the year. Interestingly, her new album  MDNA only landed at No. 44 on the year-end Billboard 200 chart, moving 521,000 units in the U.S. as of December.

After Madonna on the top-grossing tours list is Bruce Springsteen, whose raked in just shy $200 million this year with his Wrecking Ball tour. (He did, however, beat Madonna in overall attendance by about 500,000 people. Like Madonna, he also played 72 shows.) Roger Waters came in third with roughly $186 million (and nearly 50,000 more in attendance than Madge). Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour by Cirque Du Soleil came in fourth place with about $147 million for the year, which just edged No. 5 Coldplay by roughly $100,000.

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Dec 13 2012 08:09 AM ET

Bruce Springsteen, the Who, Billy Joel, and Beatlevana: On the scene at 12-12-12

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Wednesday night’s 12-12-12 benefit concert for Sandy relief was an unqualified success: Before even a single note was played on stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden, more than $30 million had already been raised for the Robin Hood Foundation through ticket sales, merchandise, and corporate pledges.

As a charity event, 12-12-12 was a slam dunk. As a musical entertainment endeavor, it was more of a mixed bag, full of plenty of glorious, triumphant moments for sure, but also bloated with curious choices and inexplicable performances.

Bruce Springsteen had the honor of kicking the show off, beginning his band’s brief set with “Land of Hope and Dreams.” As Jersey’s greatest ambassador for well over three decades, Springsteen sweated and howled through the opener’s anthemic refrain, only to raise the stakes on “Wrecking Ball,” a defiant anthem of hope from the album of the same name.

“Wrecking Ball” started a running theme of transformation through out the night: Familiar songs became re-packaged and recontextualized, and themes of renewal and rebirth crept up during the finest performances. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 7 2012 04:47 PM ET

Rolling Stones join Hurricane Sandy benefit concert

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Image Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage

It’s official: the 12-12-12 concert at Madison Square Garden is the most rockin’ relief effort since Live Aid.

The Rolling Stones announced on Twitter that they’ll be performing at the event on Dec. 12, adding their names to an already-stacked lineup that includes Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, and Roger Waters. And The Who. And Paul McCartney. And Kanye.

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Dec 6 2012 12:03 PM ET

Grammy snubs and surprises: Pink, Miguel, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Frank Ocean

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Last night, in between LL Cool J and Taylor Swift beatboxing “Mean” and Maroon 5 performing that 311 song that was somehow number one for nine weeks, the nominees for the Grammy Awards (or at least, selected categories of them) were delivered live.

And like always, they they didn’t disappoint the armchair critics with their surprises and, in some eyes, oversights.

Unlike last year – a.k.a. Adele-apalooza: Beyond Thunderdome –  no one artist was dominant; the most nominations scored by any one artist was six, and six separate artists hit that number: Mumford & Sons, Fun., Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, and Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.

That’s a pretty eclectic list, but there’s more to dig into from the big list.

Surprise: Miguel
The critically lauded (and EW-beloved) R&B singer’s Prince-style opus Kaleidoscope Dream hasn’t made a huge impact yet commercially, but it still nailed down five well-deserved nominations, including a major nod for Song of the Year for the ultra-sexy “Adorn.” 

Snub: Carly Rae Jepsen
Sure, “Call Me Maybe” was nominated for some big prizes, including Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, but why was it left off the list for Record of the Year? And why didn’t Jepsen get a nod for Best New Artist? Grammy voters seemed to be implying that while they would honor her huge sales year, they may not be expecting her to stick around. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 29 2012 05:04 PM ET

Gwyneth Paltrow is having a hip-hop week: Hear GOOP's rap picks here

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While we at EW like to live every week like it’s Shark Week, it looks like Gwyneth Paltrow’s on a whole other tip right now.

As Lady GOOP’s latest newsletter invaded inboxes across America Thursday, readers learned not only what Paltrow had for breakfast (crepes) and what TV show’s she been obsessing over (Homeland), but also that she’s been rap strong this week.

“It’s Hip Hop Week,” reads the newsletter, before delving into a trio of tracks that the actress has been jamming these days. Unsurprisingly, one of her pick is “Clique,” the Cruel Summer single featuring Big Sean, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. She’s also been getting into “F—ing Problem,” the A$AP Rocky song that counts Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and 2 Chainz as guests. Lastly — and rather oddly — is “Bad Ass Strippa,” the 2004 track from Romani-British rapper Jentina that was later mocked by Lady Sovereign in “Sad Ass Strippa.”

You can listen to all of GOOP’s hip-hop week picks with the videos below. But first, be sure to heed Gwyneth’s post-script warning: “Explicit lyrics. Do with that information what you will…” 

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