Daily Archives: March 29, 2012

‘He was killed by a terrorist,’ Atlanta MC declares on ‘RapFix Live,’ while Prodigy adds, ‘[Zimmerman] murdered that kid for no reason.’
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Killer Mike on “RapFix Live”


Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News

Speculation over what happened the night of February 26 when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was tragically shot dead continues to run rampant. On Wednesday, police surveillance video emerged showing the gunman, George Zimmerman, in handcuffs. The fact that he wasn’t charged with a crime that night and was release has fueled a public outcry for justice.

Among the outraged are rappers Killer Mike and Mobb Deep’s Prodigy, who both appeared on Wednesday’s “RapFix Live” to discuss Trayvon’s death.

Killer Mike called the shooting “an assassination.” “He was killed by a terrorist; there is no other way to put it,” Mike said, as he and “RapFix” host Sway wore hooded sweatshirts in a symbolic show of support for the teen, who died wearing a similar article of clothing.

Via Skype, Prodigy said, “It’s definitely a murder, that dude just murdered him in cold blood. The dude, Zimmerman, I don’t know what he thought he was doing, but he murdered that kid for no reason.”

It has been reported that Zimmerman called 911 on the night of February 26 after he saw Trayvon, who was wearing hoodie, walking through the Sanford, Florida, gated community where he lived and served as a neighborhood watchman. The police dispatcher instructed Zimmerman not to pursue the teen, but he reportedly ignored those instructions. What happened then is unclear, but when Sanford police arrived on the scene, Trayvon was dead. Zimmerman claimed Trayvon attacked him and he acted in self-defense, and police didn’t charge him with a crime.

Critics who have watched the police-surveillance footage said Zimmerman doesn’t appear to have injuries consistent with his beating account, but the footage is grainy.

Prodigy believes Sanford police should have immediately charged Zimmerman. “The burden of proof is on the person that’s claiming self-defense,” he said.

The case has tremendous racial undertones: Zimmerman is a white man of Hispanic origin, and Trayvon was black. Killer Mike said he’s particularly concerned with the “Stand Your Ground” law, Florida legislation that allows a person to kill in cases of self-defense. The Atlanta MC believes that young black men should be armed to protect themselves under the confines of the law. “If you live below the Mason-Dixon line, gun laws allow you to arm yourself; you should be armed,” Killer Mike urged. “Because we live in a state where we are hunted, we live in a state that allows the conditions of black men to walk around in fear.”

Prodigy believes that if Zimmerman isn’t charged, similar incidents might occur. “What the police department out there is doing is they’re gonna start a trend of people that’s just gonna go out there and think they’re neighborhood watch or whatever, and they’re just gonna clap whoever they feel like clappin’,” he said.

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MC serves up hip-hop and pop on the bipolar Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which leaked online Wednesday.
By Rob Markman

Nicki Minaj


Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

Search for Nicki Minaj‘s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in iTunes, and you’ll find that it’s tucked tight in the hip-hop/rap section, but putting Nick’s sophomore album in the confines of a single genre only tells half the story. The album was illegally leaked onto the Internet on Wednesday night, but when Barbs officially unwrap Roman’s new LP on April 3, they’ll find a culmination of her musical growth neatly sequenced in a symmetrical pop/rap package.

The first half of Roman Reloaded recalls Nicki the Ninja’s mixtape days, where she spewed nothing but venom on tracks like “I Get Crazy” and “Itty Bitty Piggy.” The album opener, “Roman Holiday,” isn’t unfamiliar, but the theatrical track which Nicki brought to life at the 2012 Grammys makes more sense in the context of the LP. The vaudevillian hook gives way to some pretty clever rhymes that many may have missed during the much-panned televised performance. “Anyway stylists go get Bulgari/ I am the ultimate Svengali/ You bitches can’t even spell that/ You hoes buggin’ repel that,” she spits before getting schizophrenic, switching up to a flow that has hints of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

Sure, Nicki is a pop icon, but these days, so are Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. The Young Money superstar refuses to give up any rap ground, however, and the first seven tracks from Roman Reloaded are unapologetically street. The Hit-Boy-produced “Come On a Cone” and “I Am Your Leader” are both anchored by bass-rattling beats and both find Nicki (as Roman) inviting haters to her figurative male genitalia. On the latter, the Female Weezy pounds her chest alongside Rick Ross and Cam’ron, baiting her competition with lines like: “Nunchuck her, no time to duck her/ Sign of the cross ’cause this is her last supper.”
Roman Reloaded has more rap features than her 2010 debut: 2 Chainz shows up for “Beez in the Trap” and Wayne appears twice, once on the title track and then again on “Sex in the Lounge.” Nicki then gives the hood some inspiration with Nas, Drake and Young Jeezy in tow on the uplifting “Champion,” but shortly after that, the bipolar LP takes a sharp turn.

Rather than mix hip-hop with her ever-growing pop sensibilities, Nicki presents Roman Reloaded as a two-parter. If cassettes were still the music medium of choice, there’d be a stark contrast between the A and B sides.

RedOne’s pulsating sound dominates on the Harajuku Barbie’s current top 10 single “Starships” and continues for five songs straight — the sequencing is not coincidental. “Pound the Alarm” is an adrenaline-laced fist-pumper, and “Whip It” proves that the reigning rap queen picked up quite a few tricks touring alongside Britney Spears last year. “Automatic” is another sweat-inducing dance anthem that should keep Minaj on the charts while her rap fare will keep her in the conversation amongst the hottest MCs.

Over the course of 19 tracks, the Barbs should find a song to suit their every mood. “Fire Burns” for when they’re nursing heartbreak, “Marilyn Monroe” for when the world seems to be just too much and “Hov Lane” when they want to celebrate their relative victories.

Since her come-up days, Nick has refused to be put in a box. With her cocksure rap demeanor, it’s hard to ignore her hip-hop roots, but when you factor in her ability to craft a popular tune, the possibilities become endless. Roman Reloaded is a further realization of those infinite possibilities, so instead of defining Nicki Minaj by category, maybe it’s time to give her own genre.

What do you think of Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded? Tell us in the comments!

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‘We got pulled over by the police …,’ the Wanted’s Tom Parker tells MTV News about group’s appearance on the show.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

The Wanted


Photo: MTV News

The new season of “Punk’d,” which kicks off Thursday (March 29) at 10 p.m. ET/PT, might be the most star-studded to date. Justin Bieber punks the likes of Taylor Swift and Rob Dyrdek, and Miley Cyrus had some fun at the expense of her beau, Liam Hemsworth, and Khloe Kardashian, just to name a few.

Those celebs aren’t the only ones getting the wool pulled over their eyes. When MTV News caught up with boy band The Wanted in Las Vegas during spring break, they opened up about getting Punk’d by someone in their band. And while they kept the details of the practical joke slim, the excitement for it was clear.

“So we were outside ‘Chelsea Lately’ and there was a kid that came up to us, and then when we came out [after going in], she went missing,” group member Tom Parker recalled. “And then we got pulled over by the police.”

His bandmate Jay McGuiness was the man behind the prank and he knew exactly what would scare his buddies. “Your police in the U.S. are notoriously aggressive, so we were all ‘Yes sir, yes sir, OK, whatever you say.’ I was involved. I knew for about a week before and I was talking to their team — who were amazing — trying to work out what would scare them. And we know your police are much scarier than ours,” he said. “I thought it was hilarious.”

Much like the Wanted’s internal prank, Demi Lovato got hers from her close friends in the group All Time Low. “My two friends, Jack [Gaskarth] and Alex [Barakat], they Punk’d me,” she said. The guys got some help from Nick Cannon, and while she kept the details vague, she did share this with us: “I’m a sucker for, like, ghosts and aliens and stuff like that, so they got me pretty good.”

Cannon, Lucy Hale, Mac Miller, Heather Morris, Bieber, Cyrus, Kellan Lutz, Bam Margera, Hayden Panettiere, “Punk’d” alumnus Dax Shepard and Tyler, the Creator have all been tapped as celebrity hosts for the new season of “Punk’d.”

Don’t miss the premiere of “Punk’d” tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV, followed by the series premiere of “The Pauly D Project”! For continuing “Punk’d” and “Pauly” coverage, be sure to check in with MTV’s Remote Control blog.

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Sushi chef Jonas takes a hike, while elder statesman Tarzan continues to go off the deep end on this week’s episode.
By Josh Wigler

“Survivor: One World” contestant Tarzan


Photo: CBS

Tarzan is not only king of the jungle — he’s also king of the “poop pants.” He certainly wouldn’t own that title, but his companions on newly merged tribe Tikiano know better, having seen the 64-year-old plastic surgeon’s dirty underwear up close, personal and in their precious pot of boiling water. Nasty.

But the eccentric Tarzan’s filthy habits weren’t filthy enough to buy him a one-way ticket out of “Survivor: One World” this week. Instead, it was sushi chef Jonas who became the latest contestant voted out of the game, not because of any personal flaws — indeed, it was widely agreed upon that his skills as a cook were a great asset to the tribe — but because he was the biggest threat to win the game outside of the dominant alliance. Ultimately, Jonas’ strengths became his fatal weakness.

Once again, we speak with two-time “Survivor” contestant Rob Cesternino about this week’s episode, covering Tarzan’s so-called “poop pants,” Jonas’ untimely demise and life after Colton Cumbie.

MTV: I really liked Jonas from the very beginning of the season; I thought he had potential to go deep into the game. I’m not sure now if Jonas was a good player with bad luck, or maybe he just wasn’t a good player to begin with.

Rob Cesternino: Can’t it be both? I mean, through most of the season, Jonas was just playing second fiddle to Colton. He said it himself: “I don’t mind being Colton’s bitch.” Unfortunately, when Colton was out of the picture, it looked like Jonas was going to emerge and make a run of this thing. But there’s not much he could have done. He was down in the numbers. He couldn’t mount an effective strategy here with that being the case.

MTV: At this point in the merge, there are 12 people on the tribe. It’s as good a time as any to get a big threat like Jonas off the field. But it also strikes me as a time where you can cut some of the dead weight, like Tarzan, from the tribe. Do you think the right choice was made: getting rid of the likable guy — who’s an excellent chef to boot — over the annoying crazy person?

Cesternino: Absolutely. You want to get rid of the capable person because Jonas can win the game. Ideally, you want to grab Tarzan and do whatever you can to get him to the end of the game with you, just like a few seasons ago [on "Survivor: Redemption Island"] when Boston Rob took Phillip to the end with him. Jonas had a good chance to win, of everybody currently playing the game. I know it stinks for Jonas that he gets voted out, because now it looks like he’s not as good at the game as some of the people who are still there, but that’s not the case. You get rid of the people who are the threats to win, whenever you can, and you keep around the dead weight.

MTV: Tarzan really is one of those perfect final three candidates: He has zero chance of winning, at least in my eyes. But the alliance he’s in is so thin at this point — if you can even call it an alliance — and the majority group in this tribe doesn’t seem to have much interest in pulling him along for the ride. Of all the people playing the game, who do you think is the likeliest person to wake up and smell the coffee and decide to bring Tarzan to the end?

Cesternino: That person for me is Troyzan. He’s with these women, and at some point, the lightbulb should go off: “I’m voting with these Salani women right now, but at some point, it’s going to come down to them trying to get rid of me and Jay.” I think Troyzan might be the guy who says, “Oh my god, Tarzan is getting on everybody’s nerves, he’s putting dirty underwear in everybody’s water. This is the guy I need to go to the finals with.”

MTV: It was a big week for Troyzan. He found an immunity idol, he won an immunity idol …

Cesternino: Not only did he win individual immunity and find an idol, he also went on a reward! This is his island! He didn’t get any of his underwear in the same pot of water with Tarzan, either. It was all on the up and up for Troyzan this week. [Laughs] I’ve liked him for a while on this show. I think he’s starting to emerge as a guy who could go the distance. But it’s really important for him to not just go to the finals with the status quo. He needs to make a move and switch things up. I did some math on this last night, and long story short, I think there are five women who are going to vote together until the end — the younger girls with the alliance from the beginning — and there are six people left who are not in that alliance, the five men plus Christina. With 11 people left in the game, I think this upcoming episode is the one where Troyzan needs to make a move.

MTV: It’s interesting. The Salani alliance seemed solid for a while, but already in this episode, you see cracks beginning to form. Do you think these new alliances are going to stick, or do you think we’ll be back to men versus women before too long?

Cesternino: You know, I kind of feel they’re going to stay tight for a while. I still kind of think Salani is going to go after Tarzan, and go after Leif, and then start to turn and take out a Michael. I think that’s going to be what happens. But I’m hoping that’s not what happens.

MTV: Yeah, that becomes the Kim and Chelsea show pretty quickly.

Cesternino: Yeah, it does. I’m hoping for whatever can happen to keep my man Tarzan in the game. I mean, what a night for Tarzan! Really, the whole last 20 minutes was the Tarzan show. I don’t want to hear that this is strategy that he’s doing, because he’s just so perfect. What a great job by casting, finding this guy. I’m loving Tarzan. I’m thinking of plastic-surgery operations to get so that I can meet Tarzan in person.

MTV: Oh, man. [Laughs] I don’t know that you want to trust yourself in that guy’s hands, no matter how many degrees and licenses he has …

Cesternino: Well, he’s apparently an expert in microbes. [Laughs] I’m not concerned. I’ll get on the operating table and let Tarzan open me up anytime. He has entertained me so much this season.

MTV: This was week one post-Colton. How do you feel about “Survivor: One World” without Colton?

Cesternino: I wasn’t really missing Colton too much last night. There was so much going on with Jonas and Tarzan fighting, with Tarzan’s “poop-gate,” so it wasn’t too bad of a first show without Colton. I think if we start getting rid of the big personalities like Tarzan, that’s when you’ll miss Colton as a viewer.

Get more of Rob’s thoughts on “Survivor” at his website.

Sound off on this week’s “Survivor” in the comments or hit me up on Twitter !

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Top 9 take on their idols, with surprising results. Who soared? Who sunk? Here are our grades!
By James Montgomery

Joshua Ledet and Heejun Han


Photo: Getty Images

We can all probably agree that the highlight of Wednesday night’s “American Idol” was Jason Derülo’s bedazzled neck brace, which shone brighter than a dozen Jessica Sanchezes and had more charisma than an army of Hollie Cavanaghs.

But alas, we can’t give out grades based on style alone, which means that once again, we’re forced to focus on the singing. And luckily, said singing was actually pretty spot-on this week, as the top 9 took on the songs of their idols, leading to some genuine “goosies” moments (thanks, J.Lo) and more standing ovations than the State of the Union address.

Sure, there were the usual assortment of middling performances, too … but for one night at least, “Idol” was back to its old compelling self. Sort of. Look, it’s Season 11; I’m trying as hard as I can. So who soared? Who scored redemption? And who should probably start packing their bags right now? Read on for our report card!

Joshua Ledet: Oh sh–, he’s doing Harry Nilsson! Oh, wait — he’s doing the Mariah version of “Without You.” Still, this was a total powerhouse of a performance. Subtle in some spots, big (big!) in others, perfect throughout, he put genuine emotion into the tune, got raw and vulnerable and, as a result, stole the show. Of course, it’s entirely possible some folks might think this one was too weird or something, but there are still people out there who think Rick Santorum would make a good president, too. After a few weeks in the wilderness, Mantasia officially roared back tonight. And Google “Harry Nilsson” please. A

Jessica Sanchez: Totally called she’d be doing Beyoncé. She slowed down “Sweet Dreams,” which was a bit of an odd choice, and yet also a supremely confident one. For once, she pulled things back, and maybe suffered a bit for doing so, but there were still plenty of subtly great moments, particularly in the verses. Might not have been her best — it definitely lacked in vocal fireworks — but who says she has to blow it out of the box every week? And really, it was good enough on this night. Can’t wait until she loses to Phillip Phillips or Colton Dixon in the finals, and I never have to watch this show again. B

Heejun Han: Newly humble Heejun ditched the shtick and instead focused on the singing and, in the process, totally reinvigorated his “Idol” campaign. His breathy, confident take on Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You” had everyone going nuts, and understandably so: It was a perfect song for him and a nearly perfect performance. I’ve taken a few potshots at him in these report cards, but I’ll be the first to admit that when Heejun is on, well, Heejun is on. Seemed willing to atone for last week’s debacle, too, until he did a knock-knock joke. Dammit, dude. B

Phillip Phillips: Growled and shouted (“growted”?) his way through Jonny Lang’s “Still Rainin’,” and I would bring up the point that in previous years, competitors like him would’ve been criticized for doing the same thing every week, but since this season everyone just does the same thing every week, well, never mind. The vein in his forehead was the most compelling part of this, by far. “I feel like we’re standing up too much tonight,” J.Lo declared. You’re not the only one, sister. C+

Colton Dixon: Did Lifehouse’s “Everything,” which he’ll have you know is his “favorite worship song.” And just to reinforce that point, he ended it on his knees. Now we know who Tim Tebow’s voting for. Sorta pitchy — bordering on bleating — and a bit meandering, but it’s not like any of that really matters, since the girls liked it. Randy doubled up the praise, first saying he could see him “doing Switchfoot” (a compliment?) and then proclaiming, “I could be looking at a contender for the title!” Of course, dawg … he is a toothsome white guy, after all. C

Skylar Laine: No way, she did Miranda Lambert! Way to step outside the comfort … oh, why does it even matter? For those keeping score at home, she took on “Gunpowder and Lead,” and it was basically the same thing we’ve seen every single week from her: bounding, energetic, twangy, a bit of ‘tude, a few high spots thrown in for good measure. “Unbridled,” J.Lo said. “Over the top,” Steven added. “Mississippi!” Randy piled on. Yep. Surely she needs to do something different eventually, right? C

DeAndre Brackensick: Ryan introduced him by yelling, “Just think, you could be driving to work tomorrow jamming to DeAndre!” perhaps because vehicular manslaughter has been trending down in recent years. Did Eric Benet’s “Sometimes I Cry,” since “Eric Benet is exactly what I want to be” (a sex addict?), then he took the stage wearing a leather duster and vest that made him look like Dr. Sexx, Frontier Loverman. Despite all that — and his warbly falsetto (which bordered on torturous) — it was still sorta bland. Of course, he got a standing ovation from the judges. And then Steven declared, “You gave Prince a run for his money.” I officially give up. C-

Hollie Cavanagh: The biggest problem with Cavanagh isn’t her voice, which is probably the second-best in the competiton, but rather the sub-robotic level of emotion she brings to the stage. And the latter was definitely on display tonight. After bonding with Stevie Nicks (Stevie Nicks!) during rehearsals, she pledged to bring genuine spirit to her version of Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” What we got instead was a flat, by-the-numbers ballad, the kind of thing she’s been doing for weeks now. Almost instantly forgettable, she may be in trouble. But, hey, at least there was snow! C-

Elise Testone: Did Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” thus proving that she’d be a totally fun chick to hang out with. Also seemed to have borrowed Steven Tyler’s bellbottoms to do so (Seacrest totally noticed, which is why he’s the best live-man in the business). Look, this was fun, and it sorta rocked, but it was also really shouty, and no matter what the judges said, this is usually the kind of performance that sends female singers packing. She’ll get voted off on Thursday (March 29). As a performance? B As a tactical decision? D

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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