Featured Article
![Off the Wall [SPECIAL EDITION]](http://www.reallyrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Off-The-Wall.jpg)
New Releases
Popular Albums
Most Recent Articles
-
Filed under: Music News, Celebrity Scandal
The last person to see Michael Jackson alive will finally face charges Monday in the pop star’s death, ending months of speculation and feuding between prosecutors and police. Dr. Conrad Murray will likely be charged with involuntary manslaughter for … Read more -
Filed under: Music News
Who legends Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend prepared to rock the Super Bowl halftime show by condensing many of their hits. One thing you could have bet on: Not hearing full versions of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ (the original runs over eight minutes) … Read more -
‘He’s definitely going to be treated differently,’ retired NYPD detective Derrick Parker says of Wayne’s prison stint.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Lil Wayne
Photo: NewscomLil Wayne’s life revolves around a daily regime of “SportsCenter,” studio time and sweets. But on Tuesday (February 9), the Cash Money lyricist will be formally sentenced to prison after he struck a plea deal with Manhattan prosecutors stemming from a 2007 arrest in New York on gun charges. After he officially enters his plea, the rapper is expected to then turn himself in immediately to begin a one-year jail sentence.
Not since 2Pac has an MC been as accomplished and relevant yet faced an impending prison term at the height of his career. But will the lithe New Orleans rapper survive the daunting conditions at the notorious Rikers Island facility?
“Lil Wayne is gonna be OK,” retired NYPD detective and noted “hip-hop cop” Derrick Parker told MTV News. “While he’s in jail, it’s a matter of fact they may not put him with the general population because of who he is and his popularity. They might lock him down and let him come out with a supervisor and stuff like that [when he's] in the main area — but he’s definitely going to be treated differently.”
According to Parker, the way Wayne will be handled is due to safety concerns for him, of course, but also to ensure as much normalcy as the facility possibly can — it won’t resemble pampered treatment by any means. Parker said despite Wayne’s small physical stature and his propensity to signal a particular gang affiliation in his rhymes, the rapper won’t have much to fear in terms of extortion, bullying or worse.
Parker compared Wayne to former New York Giants football player Plaxico Burress, another celebrity who was convicted on gun charges in New York. However, Wayne could be better prepared for life behind bars — Burress hired a jail coach to assist him with acclimating to prison, something Wayne wouldn’t even consider.
“Wayne is from the streets, from the Magnolia Houses in New Orleans, so I’m sure those guys have been in jail or locked up at some point,” Parker said. “So being in prison is no big deal to them. Plaxico isn’t built for that — he’s the type of guy that’s never been locked up like that before. He’s gonna need a coach or someone to tell him what to expect, since he’s not used to that.”
But what exactly can Wayne expect? Fortunately, he won’t to cut his trademark tresses.
“The days of doing that are over,” retired corrections officer Charles Reid told MTV News. “They can’t make inmates do that anymore — it’s within their rights to maintain any kind of hairstyle.”
Wayne will have a few comforts of home while he’s away. He will be able to watch network television — not cable, however. And he’ll be able to watch DVD movies. He told Rolling Stone recently he plans to take an iPod in with him assist with writing music, but a source close to the prison facility told MTV News that would not be allowed.
Reid, who worked at Rikers Island for 21 years as an officer and an investigator, said Wayne’s days would continue to be regimented, but in a much different way. He suggested the rapper may have to succumb to some work conditions, whether in sanitation or the mess hall, for example. Reid also noted that different wings of the prison carry different types of criminals, but guessed that Wayne would be housed in a dormitory area and not even be confined to a cell.
“Like a hospital, where there’s maybe 20 to 25 beds in an open ward, or it maybe bunk beds,” Reid said of Wayne’s possible lodgings. “Where he has a nightstand to keep his personal belongings.”
Due to the short nature of Wayne’s sentence — one year, which could mean 10 months, including the possibly of early release after serving 80 percent of good time, possibly putting him back onstage in a little as eight months — the rapper could very well spend his entire term at Rikers Island.
It won’t be known for sure if Wayne will be transferred upstate until he enters the New York corrections system and is processed. (A representative for the Corrections Department did not return several inquiries made by MTV as of press time.)
“I think he’s gonna go in there and do his time and do it quietly,” Parker said. “If he does it with good behavior, that will be a plus for him — then he’ll be out and putting out a new album.”
How do you think Lil Wayne will fare with his upcoming jail time? Let us know in the comments below, or upload a video to Your.MTV.com!
Related Videos
Related Artists
-
‘There’s not a better job on the planet than judging a karaoke contest,’ Stern says on his Sirius radio show.
By James Montgomery, with additional reporting by Gil Kaufman
Howard Stern
Photo: Jim Spellman/ WireImageOn Monday (February 8), Howard Stern not only confirmed reports that Fox is interested in hiring him to replace departing “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, but that the interest is mutual.
“There’s not a better job on the planet than judging a f—–g karaoke contest,” Stern told his satellite radio listeners. “It might be possible, we’ll see.”
Stern, who frequently dissects “Idol” on his radio program, joked that the deciding factor in the negotiations might be the size of the paycheck show producers are willing to shell out for his services.
“They’d have to pay me a ton of dough, because I already make a ton of dough,” he said.
Stern’s five-year, 0 million contract with Sirius XM is set to expire in January of next year. And according to some reports, “Idol” producers are prepared to match that deal.
“A 0 million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I think I would do that show for 0 million,” Stern said. “It would be the best thing that happened to me. What a cush job: 0 million for four months. Who wouldn’t take that?”
Stern added that he wouldn’t do a radio show if he landed the “Idol” job, and said that, while the show is “nothing” without Cowell, he had read reports that it was the acerbic Brit himself who suggested the longtime shock jock take his place at the end of this season.
“I’m not going to comment about any discussions I might or might not have had,” he said. “I watch ‘American Idol.’ … people seem to think that if I was on it, because I’m such a foul-mouthed, miserable f—, that I would get them thrown off the air. I know how to judge.”
And to that end, he said that, really, he’s the best man for the job, since he’d be able to replace the acerbic wit the show would be missing without Cowell.
“If I do say so myself, I can’t imagine anyone else but me replacing [Cowell],” Stern said. “I mean, how else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who’s not afraid to speak their mind?”
And what else would Stern bring to the table? Well, judging by the jokes he made about current “Idol” judges Randy Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres, he wouldn’t be opposed to sparring with his fellow judges. And when asked about the kinds of critiques he’d offer up to auditioners, he replied with this hypothetical nugget.
” ‘Hey Fantasia, you’re not getting little boys hard. You look like you stepped out of a cartoon. … They want a Britney Spears or a Rihanna,” Stern said. “Little boys are scared that you are going to sit on them. You’re out. … You’ve got to go clean up your act. Get a haircut like Rihanna if you want little boys [to get excited about] you.”
Should make for an interesting show! A spokesperson for 19 Entertainment, which produces “American Idol,” had not responded to MTV News’ request for comment at press time.
Would Howard Stern make a good replacement for Simon Cowell on “American Idol”? What do you think? Sound off in the comments below!
Related Videos
Related Photos
-
‘Dudes are way more annoying,’ says Ke$ha, explaining her bratty song’s message.
By Jocelyn Vena
Ke$ha on the set of her video “Blah Blah Blah”
Photo: RCAKe$ha makes no apologies for her brash personality, which she’s managed to channel into catchy, raucous party songs. And with her first single “Tik Tok” still pumping loudly from stereos, it’s time for Ke$ha to assault radio airwaves with her new single, “Blah Blah Blah,” off her chart-topping debut album, Animal.
The up-and-comer recently shot a video for the song along with the boys of 3Oh!3, who appear on the bratty club anthem. “The whole concept of the video was a bunch of douche-y guys macking on me as usual, and me making them eat their toupees or other various items,” she told MTV News at the shoot. “At one point, I get to be strapped to this harness and bouncing around everywhere, and it was really cool.”
In the song, Ke$ha ridicules a would-be suitor for “ta-ta-talking that bla-bla-bla” when all she really wants is to have sex with him.
Ke$ha explained that the dance tune originated from a discussion she had in the studio on the politics of female-male relationships. “The song came about when the people that wrote it — me, Benny Blanco, Neon Hitch and [3Oh!3's] Sean Foreman — all got in a room, and they were talking about how chicks talk too much,” she said.
“And me and Neon were like, ‘No, no, no, guys talk too much,’ ” she continued. “So, we had this war of who were more obnoxious, chicks or dudes. And the song kind of came around from that conversation. I think I make a pretty fair point both in this video and in the song, that dudes are way more annoying.”
Related Artists
-
The son of another famous drummer, Starkey has actually been working with the band since 1996.
By Gil Kaufman
Zak Starkey performs during the Super Bowl XLIV halftime show
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagicEvery classic-rock fan knows the titanic twosome that fronts the Who: singer Roger Daltrey and windmilling guitarist Pete Townshend. But as the only two original members left of the iconic British rock band, the duo front a group of backup players who are decidedly more anonymous than late madman drummer Keith Moon and steady-on bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002 on the eve of one of the band’s seemingly endless final tours.
One of the sidemen that stood out for many football fans watching the Super Bowl halftime extravaganza on Sunday was splashy drummer Zak Starkey, who kept the beat on a medley of the band’s most beloved hits: “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Who Are You?,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
Though at 44 a relative youngster compared to Townshend (64) and Daltrey (65), Starkey is actually a nearly 15-year veteran of the touring version of the Who and a well-regarded rock sideman. He’s played with Oasis, the Waterboys, the Icicle Works, Paul Weller and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. The son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen Cox, Starkey has been a touring member of the Who since 1996.
The gig is a fitting one, considering that Moon was Starkey’s godfather and one of dad Ringo’s best pals before the Who drummer’s death in 1978. In fact, Starkey received his first drum kit and lessons as a child from Moon, despite Ringo’s desire that his son not follow in his rock-and-roll footsteps.
Starkey began performing professional gigs in British pubs at age 12 with his band the Next and hooked up in 1985 with the reunited Spencer Davis Group, lead by Steve Winwood, when he was still a teenager. In addition to touring with his dad’s All Starr Band, Starkey performed with Daltrey in 1994 on the singer’s Daltrey Sings Townshend tour, as well as performing on Entwistle’s solo albums.
Starkey was formally asked to play with the Who in 1996, during the band’s string of special dates performing their iconic album Quadrophenia. He has performed with the group ever since, alongside other longtime sidemen bassist Pino Palladino, rhythm guitarist Simon Townshend and keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick.
Related Artists
-
‘I wanna give all my fans something for free,’ Chris says, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid
Ludacris
Photo: MTV NewsThis Week’s Main Pick
Street King: Ludacris
Holding It Down For: ATL
Mixtape Album: Ludacris Presents Conjure: A Hustler’s Spirit
Real Spit: The stylistic and lyrical monster Chris Bridges pours his rap magma on tracks like his official Battle of the Sexes blast-off banger “How Low” and Snoop Dogg’s instrumental for “I Wanna Rock.”
“I did a verse to the beat,” Chris said in Los Angeles last week. “I love the beat so much. That’s one of the beats that comes on and you feel instant gratification. Somebody put my verse sandwiched in between the Jay and the Snoop verses [on the] G-Mix. It’s all good. I just want people to hear it. Whatever it is, y’all just need to listen to it.”
While that freestyle didn’t make it to the Conjure mixtape, the iconic Southerner has an entire grab bag of flows for you.
“Before the album, after the album, I’m just in a space where I’m inspired,” he says. “I’m inspired by beats of course, the ones that are on Battle of the Sexes. But even beyond that, I’m jumping on stuff. It’s my exercise. I wanna give all my fans something — [the ones] that have been supporting me for the last 10 years — something for free.”
The mixtape’s title has a dual meaning.
“It’s as simple as this. Spirit has a double meaning,” Luda explains. “When you talk about spirits, you talk about liquors, as in Conjure [cognac]. Then my spirit, I have a hustler’s spirit. People that listen to the mixtape have a hustler’s spirit. It’s a lot of people out there getting money. That’s basically what this thing is about. Even in the rap game, you have to sell records, we hustle. This is for the hustlers. Simple as that.”
Chris’ Battle of the Sexes features appearances by Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Kim, Eve and others. It hits retailers on March 9.
Joints To Check For
» “O Let’s Do It.” “Atlanta’s been on fire for quite some time,” Ludacris said, before delving into why he got on Waka Flocka Flame’s beat. “We stay on fire. Right about now, it’s a lot of crazy aggressive beats that’s coming out of the hometown. That keeps me inspired; aggressive tracks I feel I gotta put a voice too. That’s a beat that caught my attention the first time I heard it. I was in the studio with Gucci Mane. It’s aggressive. I felt like I wanted to do something on it. I made it happen. What am I talking about [on the track]? It’s about lifestyle, about culture, expressing yourself. It’s about getting gritty and grimy in the streets. All the hustlers know that. Let’s do it.”
» “All Da Way Turnt Up.” “The whole record is talking about being yourself, turning your music up as loud as hell and not caring what anybody had to say,” Cris explains about his takeover of Roscoe Dash’s record. “It’s about you being too loud. Sometimes you get tickets for disturbing the peace. When you see a cop, you have to turn it down.”
» “Pennies.” “Something that happened a while ago, but a lot of people didn’t get to hear it,” Luda says about the original version by the Cool Kids. “I definitely love the underground and all the artists for making names for themselves and making sure they have a following of their own. That’s something the Cool Kids have done and continue to do. I still have a passion for hip-hop and I still love it. No matter how many records I’ve sold, I feel a need to get on underground records.”
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.
Related Videos
-
AP – Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been trying to surrender to authorities for a week, will likely get his chance with prosecutors saying they will file a charge Monday in the death of Michael Jackson. -
AP – When director Scott Cooper approached him with the script for “Crazy Heart,” Jeff Bridges turned down the part of a lifetime. -
AP – Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho has won Denmark’s highest musical honor, the 600,000 kroner (0,000) Sonning Music Prize.
News Source
Comments by users