Pusha T Has Become 'A Student' Of The-Dream

'I've learned so much about song structure from The-Dream,' G.O.O.D. Music MC tells MTV News from his studio.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Rahman Dukes


The-Dream and Pusha T
Photo: MTV News

Pusha T is laser-focused on his debut album at the moment, trying to craft a cohesive musical project. But if you thought the G.O.O.D. Music signee would hole up in the studio with his boss, Kanye West, think again.

Over the weekend, MTV News caught up with Pusha in Atlanta, where he was in the studio working closely with The-Dream. The two first linked up when producer Rico Love sent one of Push's tracks to Dream for a feature and eventually collaborated on a few more things. In addition to lending his vocals to the album, The-Dream has been guiding Pusha through the recording process, helping him take his work to a new level.

"It really started with this beat [from] Rico. We were like, 'Yo, Dream would just sound amazing on the record, period.' So we sent it out and it came back so quick. Dream was like, 'Man this is one of the ones,' " Pusha recalled. "Personally, I never thought the record was going to come back that quickly. I was in New Orleans somewhere and Rico was like, 'Aye! Dream did it — he on the phone!" I thought, "OK, wait a minute this might really be something."

Pusha wouldn't reveal exactly how many tracks the two had banked together, but he explained why the R&B singer/producer is the perfect fit for this album.

"Musicality, to me in general, is missing, but [Dream] is a musician, he's a fundamentalist. I've really taken on the student role," Pusha continued. "I feel like I'm in with the best of the best. You've got Dream on one end, you've got Kanye on another end, and you can learn so much. I really look at myself as just a rapper's rapper, but I've learned so much about song structure from Dream.

'This is the most I've ever rewritten," he added. "I wrote the 'Automatic' record, sent it to Dream, and he was like, 'Aye, you rapping too damn much,' and I'm like, 'OK.' How [would you not] listen to the writer of everything? How [would you not] listen to the producer of everything?"

The-Dream was just as enthusiastic about working with Pusha on the album. "I always personally felt like he was one of the best at what he did, period," Dream said. [There's] lots of guys that are great from a rap standpoint, but in songs they're not as great. Sometimes [you need to say], 'Hey, move this part here and this is your hook,' or 'Let's write about this, or let's tap that emotion and let's not rap past the emotion of where it is.' "

For the producer, who has banked countless hits for stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé, it all comes down to focus on proper songwriting and structure. "Compare it to great people, whether it's the B.I.G., whether it's Tupac," Dream explained. "I remember in '96, when 'All Eyez on Me' dropped, I wanted to see the credits, and I seen DeVante [Swing's] name — I seen this R&B guy do it. If you really notice, R&B guys actually did always make the best rap records."

Luckily for Pusha, he's got the R&B maestro on his side.

"It's a lot of pressure now, I think, for Pusha to do exactly what I knew he was gonna do, which is write a song," Dream said. "Like write it as a song, not as, 'I have to battle you guys. I'm going to say the hottest line next.' "

Pusha's album is sure to make a splash when it finally drops. On Wednesday (May 23), he released the Rico Love-produced "Exodus 23:1," which seemed to take some subliminal shots at YMCMB. Lil Wayne tweeted one simple message after hearing the song: "F--- pusha t and anybody that love em."

Are you excited to hear what Pusha T's album will sound like? Tell us in the comments!

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1685826/pusha-t-the-dream-studio.jhtml

Angelina Jolie Anna Faris Anna Friel Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin

Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery

<P>Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended <i>very</i> early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.</P><P>To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.</P><P>According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned <i>down</i> Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.</P><P>Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures &#8212; Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar &#8212; ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called <i>Never Deserved the Future,</i> and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).</P><P>The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard &#8212; Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" &#8212; delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the <i>Chicago Sun-Times'</i> Jim DeRogatis.</P><P>It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures &#8212; there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.</P><P>Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site &#8212; posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a <i>Deserve the Future</i> T-shirt. Cost: $30.</p>

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/dave-grohl-josh-homme-john-paul-jone... "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/dave-grohl-josh-homme-john-paul-jone...

Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels Charlize Theron

Shirley Manson Of Garbage Is Featured On The Cover Of ?Nylon? Magazine

Shirley Manson, the incredibly fierce and talented frontwoman of Garbage, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Nylon magazine. Nylon wisely chose Shirley to grace the cover of their annual Music issue which features a fabulous photospread and scintillating interview. Click below to see Shirley‘s beautiful Nylon photos [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pinkisthenewblog/~3/ht9f4QrbumM/

Ehrinn Cummings Elena Lyons Elisabeth Röhm Elisha Cuthbert Eliza Dushku

Beyonce Named People's Most Beautiful Woman

'I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth,' she says in World's Most Beautiful issue.
By Jocelyn Vena

<P>Beyoncé truly is the Queen B. She has been voted People's World's Most Beautiful Woman in the magazine's latest issue, which celebrates all things beautiful. And these days she says the thing that makes her feel most beautiful is her baby girl, Blue Ivy.</P><P>"I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth," Beyonc&#233; told the magazine. "I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth."</P><P>Beyonc&#233; continues to gush about her baby girl, saying, "She's just the cutest thing," adding that she makes up songs to sing just to Blue Ivy. When asked which of her parents the baby resembles more, B responded, "She looks like Blue. She's her own person."</P><P>While Beyonc&#233; is focused on her "love" of changing diapers these days, she is prepping to get back to work. But she seems to feel her greatest achievement is baby Blue. "The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy," she explained. "The word 'love' means something completely different now."</P><P>Beyonc&#233; is slated to perform in Atlantic City over Memorial Day weekend and is rumored to be working on new music for a follow-up to 2011's <i>4.</i></P><P>This is the ninth time the pop singer has made the issue, which hits newsstands Friday. The list also includes Angelina Jolie; Jennifer Lawrence; Adele; newly pregnant Megan Fox; "Snow White and the Huntsman" villain Charlize Theron; the Snow White of "Mirror Mirror," Lily Collins; "Mad Men" vixen Christina Hendricks; Michelle Williams and Kate Middleton.</P><P>Guys who made the cut in the Most Beautiful issue include the Sexiest Man Alive himself, Bradley Cooper, David Beckham, Blake Shelton and Ashton Kutcher. In 2011, "American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez was crowned People's Most Beautiful Woman.</P><P></p>

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1683832/beyonce-people-most-beautiful-woman.... "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1683832/beyonce-people-most-beautiful-woman....

Cindy Taylor Cinthia Moura Claudette Ortiz Coco Lee Connie Nielsen

Red Hot Chili Peppers Go Long And Hard At Hangout Fest

Band's Saturday-night set was lively and loose, capping a day that also saw spirited sets from Mac Miller and Skrillex.
By James Montgomery


Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs at the 2012 Hangout Music Festival
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Having been at this for more than two decades now, the Red Hot Chili Peppers clearly know how to headline a fest: play the hits, thank the crowd, occasionally swat at a beach ball, exit stage right. Maybe work a few well-placed curse words in there too. These things tend to be the same.

So it's a testament to both their versatility and their dedication that the Chili Peppers' Saturday-night set at the Hangout Festival was anything but by the numbers, as the band jammed long and hard, stretching songs to the breaking point (and beyond), much to the delight of the raucous, sun-baked crowd.

Perhaps it was because their headlining slot kicked off just minutes after seasoned jam-meisters the String Cheese Incident finished their two-and-a-half hour set (which, for them, was basically just a warm-up), or maybe they were taking their cues from Friday night's headliner, Jack White, but from the minute the Peps strode on stage, they were playing fast and loose. Drummer Chad Smith, bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer started things off with a reverb-heavy psych jam that only morphed into "The Monarchy of Roses" when frontman Anthony Kiedis bounded on stage, then kept that momentum rolling into "Can't Stop," with the trio trading solos while Kiedis nodded in time to the beat.

There were, of course, more straightforward moments too: the Peppers tore through a string of hits, including "Dani California," "Under The Bridge" and "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie," and attacked songs like "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and their version of "Higher Ground" with impassioned pounding. Flea was his usual non-sequitur self, spouting stuff like "Sweet Home Alabama, mother----er!" and "Forgive your parents!" into the mic, and Kiedis was, as always, the warrior-shaman showman, posing and preening, always in motion (he and Flea also made the rather interesting decision to wear pants with one leg cut off above the knee). But there was a general, genial looseness throughout their two-hour set, showcasing Smith's lock-step drumming, Flea's precision playing and Klinghoffer's wild, winding fretwork.

At several points, they seemed to be making it up as they went along, gleefully turning a few stray notes into lengthy, twisting jams: Klinghoffer would summon a solo from his guitar, while Flea would flail and pound along, Smith and touring percussionist Mauro Refosco kicked off the band's encore with a twisting back-and-forth exchange, and after blasting through "Give It Away," the band closed their set with a lengthy, voluminous instrumental. The Peppers have always drawn from funk, and Flea's dabblings in Jazz have paced them for nearly twenty years now, but on Saturday night, the improvisational nature of both were readily apparent. Rather than do the usual headlining set, the band wanted to just play.

It seems to be a recurring theme of the Hangout fest ... and it served as a perfect capper on a day that also saw lively and loose sets from the likes of Gogol Bordello, Mac Miller and Skrillex (who, in a bit of inspired scheduling, kicked off opposite Randy Newman). The Red Hot Chili Peppers breathed new life into time-tested favorites — "Suck My Kiss" was pounding and primal, "Californication" soared to new heights, "Soul to Squeeze" was sanguine and sweet — and appeared to have a blast whilst doing so. You can't teach old dogs new tricks, but, if you bring them to the beach (and scheduled them after a jam band), well, you can certainly make them push things to the limit ... with fantastic results. If this whole "world-famous rock band" thing doesn't work out for RHCP, their Hangout set was proof that they'd make a killing on the jam circuit. Your move, String Cheese.

Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1685454/red-hot-chili-peppers-hangout-music-festival.jhtml

Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord Anne Marie Kortright April Scott

Justin Timberlake Is Returning To Music As Score Composer

Justin Timberlake is set to return to his musical ways, but not in the way you may think. No, he won’t be releasing a new record any time soon, but will be scoring the soundtrack to a new film titled The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. According to Rolling Stone, Timberlake will serve as [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/beatcrave/~3/GDU5zYzWsSg/

Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru Daisy Fuentes Dania Ramirez Danica Patrick

Around the Web?

Make the most of Wednesday with our recommended links: VIDEO: Josh Kelley has a dance party with daughter Naleigh ? WhoSay Supreme Court rules not to award benefits to twins born to dead father ? ABC News ESSAY: What I learned the night my son was beat up ? HuffPost Parents Child custody arrangements don’t [...]

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/BmpdQG2Sfes/

Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello Angelina Jolie Anna Faris Anna Friel