Lady Gaga and Beyonce Telephone Video Sizzles

Premiere music video entitled "Telephone" features Lady Gaga and Beyonce going from jail to a road trip. It has pure pop quality but does have a weird side.

Lady Gaga and Beyonce are in the new music video called "Telephone." The video debuted last Thursday night and has been an Internet sensation ever since. However, it sizzles because it is pure crazy, and includes some Lady Gaga fashion that some like while others believe is weird.

"Lady Gaga has been a very bad girl. The video is gonna be epic," Beyonce said in a statement.

Beyonce is in the video clip and runs 9 minutes in length. It was directed by Jonas Akerlund. Akerlund is best known for directing Madonna's "Ray of Light" and Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" videos.

"There was this really amazing quality in 'Paparazzi,' where it kind of had this pure pop music quality, but at the same time it was a little bit of commentary on fame culture," Lady Gaga said in a statement. "I wanted to do the same thing with this video - take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper."

It opens with Beyonce bailing Gaga out of a jail populated by some weird characters. After a dance number, Lady Gaga and Beyonce set off on a killing spree through the desert. It ends with a teaser suggesting that a part two might be in the making.

Living The Simple Famous Life Without Luxury

Lady Gaga has shrugged off assumptions, she's been living a life of luxury since shooting to fame, insisting she has very few personal possessions. The entertainer has been music's biggest score of the last year. Her debut album, "The Fame," has sold more than 10 million copies since 2008.

However, the singer is adamant she's not been spending her hard-earned cash on material things. She said she was practically money-broke for years and doesn't need luxury. She always considered herself very vain and glamorous.

"I can't even drive a car. I don't have a driver's license. I have a rented apartment in York. That's it. When I travel, I have almost all of my possessions with me. That's how little I own."

Little Monsters

Lady Gaga calls her fans "little monsters" and on Saturday night thousands of them will fill the Auckland's Vector Arena for her first headline tour in New Zealand. Outrageous outfits are her trademark and with 16 costume changes planned for the sell-out show, Lady Gaga shouldn't disappoint in the style stakes. Fans were already lining up at the door 24 hours prior to the concert.

   Credits by :  Mary Smith

Justin Timberlake To Introduce 'Summit On The Summit: Kilimanjaro'

Documentary airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on MTV.

Earlier this year, Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold and others banded together to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about the global clean-water crisis. Now Justin Timberlake has pitched in to support the effort.

The singer is set to provide a personal introduction to "Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro," the 90-minute documentary about the celebrities' climb that will air on MTV on March 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Masterminded by Grammy-nominated musician Kenna, the team took a six-day, 50-mile trekto the peak of the tallest mountain in Africa.

"It was a combination of the mental and the psychological aspects of the mountain, of the slow-but-steady pace that you had to go up it, and that sometimes made your brain just want to explode, because you just wanted to get there so badly," Biel told MTV News Wednesday. "But then you'd get this rush of inspiration of 'I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for something bigger than me, for people who don't have a voice, for people that need water around the world,' and then you'd power through."

In addition to raising awareness about the clean-water crisis, the "Summit on the Summit" raises funds for P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Water for People's PlayPumps Technology. During the MTV broadcast, viewers will be able to text SEND to 90999 to donate $10 to the U.N. Foundation on behalf of "Summit on the Summit." Each donation will send 1,000 liters of clean water to people in need.

"MTV has a long history of educating its audience to raise awareness on issues that are important to them," said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President, News and Docs. "More than 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. By airing this documentary, MTV hopes to mobilize a new generation of young people who may not be aware of this global cause and take action to get involved in helping find solutions to the water crisis."

   Credit by : Eric Ditzian

Gorillaz Plastic Beach Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know

Here's a little of what you can expect from the latest offering from Damon Albarn and crew.

Much like Lazarus, Superman and, uh, Sayid from "Lost," Gorillaz are back from the dead with their first new album in nearly five years, a post-apocalyptic parable called Plastic Beach.

Of course, not everyone in the band bit the bullet at the end of the promotional cycle for their last album, 2005's massive Demon Days — just guitarist Noodle, who perished at the conclusion of the band's "El Mañana" video (she's since returned in cyborg form), but there was a definite sense that things were winding down in 'Rillaz land, with co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett even telling MTV News that the group was "retiring ... we're going to do it hip-hop style, like Jay-Z."

But, much like Jigga, that retirement didn't stick, and the proof is Beach which hits stores on Tuesday (March 9). Much like everything the Gorillaz do, it's a sprawling, kitchen-sink affair, with an orchestra's worth of musicians and an army of guest vocalists taking part in things. There's a whole lot to keep track of, which is why we've prepared this cheat sheet — a list of the who's, what's and where's that make the album tick.

Humble Beginnings
After spending much of 2007 working on Monkey: Journey to the West, a Chinese-style opera that premiered at the Manchester International Festival, Albarn and Hewlett announced plans for a new Gorillaz album, tentatively called Carousel. That eventually morphed into Plastic Beach (Albarn reportedly got the inspiration for the album while sitting on the beach, noticing all the trash in the sand) and recording began in June 2008. In September of last year, Albarn premiered three brand-new tracks — "Electric Shock," "Broken" and "Stylo" — on BBC Radio 1. In December, Gorillaz appeared on the U.K. cover of Wired magazine and in January their official site underwent a face-lift, making it clear that the Plastic Beach era had begun.

A Cast Of Hundreds
It wouldn't be a Gorillaz production without more than a few co-stars, and Plastic Beach has 'em by the bucketload. First single "Stylo" features vocals by Mos Def and Bobby Womack (not to mention Bruce Willis in the video), and the album features contributions from Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from the Clash, the Fall's Mark E. Smith, British rappers Bashy and Kano, De La Soul and Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, to name just a few. There are also musical flourishes provided by Chicago's Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental and Arabic Music too.

Return To The Road
Gorillaz have performed live in the past — including a sold-out run of shows at Harlem's Apollo Theatre and a Grammy duet with Madonna — but longtime plans of a worldwide holographic tour never materialized. But, this time around, things may be different — the band have already been confirmed as headliners at the 2010 Coachella Festival, and if Beach is a success, the lure of the open road may prove too much to resist.

Credit by : James Montgomery

Lil Wayne begins year jail term in NYC gun case

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lil Wayne was sentenced Monday to a year in jail in New York City for having a loaded gun on his tour bus in 2007, then was taken away in handcuffs to begin his term immediately.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, born Dwayne Carter, was sentenced in Manhattan after pleading guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He admitted having the loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus.

The rapper will serve his sentence in city jails, not a state prison. He could be released in about eight months with good behavior.

Before Monday's court appearance, it had proved difficult to actually begin Lil Wayne's agreed-upon sentence.

First, the rap star's sentencing was postponed in February so he could undergo surgery on his bejeweled teeth. Then, a fire shut down Manhattan's main criminal courthouse while he was on his way there last week.

Lil Wayne has been one of music's most prolific and profitable figures in recent years. His "Tha Carter III" was the best-selling album of 2008. His latest album, "Rebirth," was released last month.

Facing jail with his career in full throttle, Lil Wayne has prepared with a burst of work and farewell shows and videos for fans. He said in a video clip sent last week to MTV News that he shot footage for seven music videos with various artists in one night over the weekend.

He told Rolling Stone for a story last month that he planned to keep working while behind bars.

"I'll be still rapping in there, have a gang of raps ready when I come back home," he said.

With good behavior, he could be released in about eight months.

City jail officials haven't said where the multiplatinum-sellin g artist will be housed among their roughly 13,000 inmates. His lawyer has said she plans to ask for protective custody out of concern for his safety and health following his extended oral surgeries.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Lady Gaga Planning Ambitious 3-D Concert, DVD

'There are talks about a 3-D concert and DVD in the near future,' rep for Gaga tells MTV News.

Lady Gaga is currently in the midst of the Australian leg of her massive Monster Ball tour — with scheduled stops in Japan and Europe — and, as you probably know by now, she's also putting the finishing touches on the much-anticipated "Telephone" video, too.

But neither of those things are standing in the way of yet another ambitious endeavor, a planned 3-D concert and subsequent DVD.

On Monday (March 8), MTV News spoke to a rep for her label, Interscope Records, who told us that "there are talks about a 3-D concert and DVD in the near future." No other information — including just how a 3-D concert would manifest — was available at press time.

Late last week, Gaga fansites began speculating about plans for a 3-D DVD (link http://gagadaily.com/2010/03/the-monster-ball-dvd-coming-soon/), but this is the first time a concert has been mentioned. In December, Gaga released a deluxe edition of her Fame Monster album, which included a pair of 3-D glasses that she mysteriously explained would come in handy "for things happening soon."

In the mean time, her Little Monsters are gearing up for the debut of the "Telephone" video — the follow-up to her striking "Bad Romance" clip — which, after weeks ofteasing from Gaga herself and some last-minute editing is scheduled to premiere Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET on E! News.

Credit by : James Montgomery

Swedish rapper gets 15-to-life for LA killing

© Irfan Khan/AP

David Moses Jassy

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Swedish hip-hop artist who ran down and killed a man at a Hollywood crosswalk has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

David Moses Jassy, who also uses the name Dave Monopoly, was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and other crimes.

Prosecutors say the 35-year-old rapper killed John Osnes in November 2008 after the pedestrian activist banged on the hood of his rented SUV when it stopped in a crosswalk.

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Authorities say the rapper punched the 55-year-old Osnes in the face, kicked him in the head and ran him over him as he drove away.

Jassy testified that he never intended to hurt Osnes.

Jassy claims to have sung with and written several songs for "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Swift not done writing heartbreak songs about Jonas

WENN -- Country star Taylor Swift has warned ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas to expect more songs about their failed romance -- because the heartbreak has provided her with "albums" full of material.

The "You Belong With Me" hitmaker, 20, dated the Jonas Brothers singer for several months in 2008 -- but she was left devastated when he dumped her in a 27-second phone call.

Swift poured out her emotions in her song "Forever & Always" and went on national TV in the U.S. in November that year to publicly chastise her ex -- but she insists she's not quite done targeting Jonas just yet.

She tells Elle magazine, "I like to categorize the various levels of heartbreak. I've only had that (had her heart broken) happen once. A letdown is worth a few songs. A heartbreak is worth a few albums."

Swift was more recently romantically linked to her "Valentine's Day" co-star Taylor Lautner, but the couple reportedly split in December.

Photos: See Taylor Swift's spread in Elle

Michelle Delamor 'Questioned' Singing Creed On 'American Idol'

'I feel that I still did give my own style to it, but I maybe should have chosen a different song,' she says.

While she didn't get a lot of screen time before the semifinals, Michelle Delamor established herself as season nine's resident diva with her first live "American Idol" performance of Alicia Keys' "Fallin'."

Unfortunately, she made an oddball song choice (an R&B version of Creed's "With Arms Wide Open"?) that sent her packing Thursday, along with Jermaine Sellers,John Park and Haeley Vaughn.

Does she think lack of screen time did her in? We caught up with the 22-year-old from Miami on Friday (March 5) to talk about that and much more.

Q: On Wednesday, Kara said "With Arms Wide Open" was your best performance yet. Then during the results show, she took that comment back. Was that difficult?

A: You know what? It was a little bit disappointing, but knowing myself, I'm really a perfectionist, and I know that I didn't do my best. I know that Wednesday was not close to my best performance. I understood where she was coming from. I was a bit disappointed that she had those things to say, but I couldn't say that she was wrong for it.

Q: What was your thought process behind choosing the Creed song?

A: After my first performance, I had done Alicia Keys, and the judges all thought I needed to take a risk and try something they wouldn't expect me to do, so that's why I chose to do Creed, because I knew they wouldn't expect that. It's kind of like a rock ballad, and I'm not a rock singer. I thought I was taking a risk, and I tried too much to go by what the judges said. I wanted to make sure I did the right thing, and I was too caught up in my mind. I feel that I still did give my own style to it, but I maybe should have chosen a different song.

Q: At any point, did you question your decision to go with the Creed song?

A: I did. I really did question it. As a matter of fact, I think part of what messed me up a little bit is that I questioned it before I got up on that stage. When you're not sure of the song that you're performing, it's gonna be noticed and people can feel that. I definitely would have done my next song. I would have reversed [the order].

Q: What were you planning to sing next?

A: I wanted to do "Come Together" by the Beatles, but Michael Jackson style. I feel like it has so much drive, so much intensity. It's a song that I feel. I love it. My idol, my inspiration Michael Jackson, he covered it. And he did an amazing job, and I've just always loved that song.

Q: Do you think your lack of screen time in the early rounds led to your exit?

A: Actually, in the very beginning, they had made a whole commercial that said "Meet Michelle," and I thought that was amazing. I was like, "Oh my God, I can't believe it!" And then I saw that they didn't really show me much, but I figured, "They know what they're doing." I knew that I didn't really have a story. I kind of have a normal lifestyle back at home, not so much tragedy or anything like that. I don't think that makes for good TV. [Laughs.] So I understood.

Credits by : Katie Byrne

Snoop Dogg Gets West Coast Rappers 'Organized' On New Mixtape

'If you make good music and we are one, they're gonna get onboard,' he tells Mixtape Daily.

Snoop Dogg

Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/ Getty Images

Don't Sleep: Necessary Notables

Mixtape: Snoop Dogg Presents: We Da West Volume One

Headliners: Snoop Dogg, DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Skee

Co-Stars: Nipsey Hussle, Kurupt, Tha Twinz, Soopafly, Katt Williams, Jay-Z and Ludacris

Essential Info: Snoop Dogg said his coast still needs to unify and the artists have to be leaders.

"All I just want is the n---as out here to see if you make good music and we are one, they're gonna get onboard and they gonna give you what you deserve," Snoop explained to DJ Whoo Kid, who hosts the tape with DJ Skee. "You gonna get your radio play, your spins. But if you ain't organized, n---as can come out here and pick and choose. They can take Nipsey, put Nipsey on a remix. Put Kurupt on a remix. They can never pick all of us and say, 'You all go on a mission. The West Fest Tour. All West Coast n---as go on tour.' "

Tha Dogg said his latest mixtape is the first of many to showcase up-and-coming talent.

"Volume One is just me bringing awareness to the artists. I have a vehicle to put their sh-- out, through people such as yourself," he told Whoo Kidd. "After this sh-- comes out, n---as need to be running to the studio. Now you can be heard and seen. Even if a n---a only hears your record once or twice, you in a new system. You not just local no more. You not just in your neighborhood. You in a world system now."

Last year, Snoop dropped his I Wanna Rock mixtape, and he said it was better than Malice N Wonderland because it was uncut.

"That sh-- was banging harder than my album, 'cause the mixtape, we don't have to make records to release to the radio," he said. "My label looking at me: 'We need a couple of songs for pop. We wanna go top 40.' Then I call these radio stations: 'Snoop Dogg, you're working on a new album. When is your album coming out?' Mutha----a, my album is out, n---a! 'Your single "Gangsta Love" is top 40.' N---a, I'm on the next single, 'I Wanna Rock.' Some gangsta sh--.

"It's so square, man," he said about working with the top 40 stations. "I'm so far in my career, I'm at the pinnacle. It's a mode I have to go to. I don't knock that, but I knock it when they say you have to do that to be successful."

Other Heat This Week

» DJ Khaled - Victory (independent album)
» Ya Boy - The Fix
» Soulja Boy Tell'em - Legendary
» Fabolous and DJ Drama - The Funeral Service: There Is No Competition 2

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

Credits by : Shaheem Reid

Adam Lambert Releases New Song, 'Voodoo'

'American Idol' runner-up tweets that spacey track will appear on upcoming For Your Entertainment remix EP.

Adam Lambert

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

Adam Lambert is under someone's spell in his new song "Voodoo." The track, which appears on international versions of Lambert's debut album For Your Entertainment, should be released in the U.S. soon, according to his Twitter account.

Lambert announced the song's release to his fans late Thursday, writing, "Song will be released soon in US on WWFM & FYE Remix EP! Check out VOODOO! Bonus track co-written w Sam Sparro appearing on international release of FYE. Turn it up."

"Voodoo" has a spacey feel that is reminiscent of the For Your Entertainment cover art. (Co-writer Sparro has penned tracks for "Star Trek" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." With its throwback, new-romantic vibe, it feels like it could have easily been recorded by Duran Duran during their 1980s heyday.

The song opens with last year's "American Idol" runner-up singing "Moon shine/ On the bayou/ Love shrine/ Break the taboo/ I want to know what's/ In your potion/ Bound by total devotion." Before long, Lambert is singing about his lover's "voodoo" and being under a spell.

Lambert, who is currently on an international promo tour, is planning to hit the road in the U.S. in support of For Your Entertainment. He recently told MTV News that he hopes to show off some next-level looks on stage. "I hate the term, 'Oh, I couldn't ever pull that off,' " he said. "I let that go when I was about 20. I try to aim to pull anything off that comes my way."

How do you feel about "Voodoo"? Tell us in the comments below!

Credits by: Jocelyn Vena

Fabolous Talks New Mixtape, 'Evolving' On Next Album

'I'm looking to come with another summer release,' MC says of Loso's Way 2.

Fabolous

Photo: MTV News

Fans can stop hitting Fabolous up on Twitter. It took a few more months than expected, but Fabo's Gangsta Grillz mixtape The Funeral Service: There Is No Competition 2 was uploaded to the Internet Thursday. The tape contains guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Red Cafe, Paul Cain and others, with a slew of jacked beats and some original material. So now that the unofficial tape is out, when is Loso's Way 2 coming?

"The new album — I'm looking to come with another summer release," he said. "Probably late July or early August. I'm gathering joints together — so any producer trying to make that Loso's Way 2,you can send them in. I got a couple of things in the stash. I always keep beats on the side even if they don't work at the time. I know a hot beat when I hear it. The 'Throw It In the Bag' [remix] I had for seven, eight months before I used it. I knew it was a hot joint. When I did the remix I started digging in the crates and pulled it up. I haven't went it to start [laying] vocals [on the album] yet, but we in the motion of it."

After one of his most successful years in 2009, Fab wants to grow in 2010.

"Just the next level in the career, the evolution of Fabulous," he said of the direction of the next Loso's Way. "Me, a kid coming from the housing projects in Brooklyn and having the ability to make music, from the mixtape level to graduating to the album level, now just being able to make good music. Keep stable who I am as an artist, as a person. Of course, the next level of my life. On the first Loso's Way, I touched on having a son and stuff like that. That was the next step for me in general, in life — evolving as a man. Now there are things I'm evolving in as an artist as well."

Credits by : Shaheem Reid

Lady Gaga Says She's An 'Outcast From The Music Industry'

'I don't have any friends in the music business,' singer said on British talk show 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.'

Lady Gaga

Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images

Donning a hat with a telephone perched upon it and performing her single "Telephone" from a British-style payphone box, Lady Gaga appeared on an episode of the British talk show "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross." On the show, which is scheduled to air later this week, she'll dish on her love life, her role as a celebrity and her late friend Alexander McQueen.

"He was the kindest human being. I feel left with nobody to inspire me any more," she said of McQueen, who committed suicide last month. Not only were they friends, he designed many of her looks, including the lobster claw heels in her "Bad Romance" video.

Gaga admitted that she has very few friends in the entertainment industry, noting that when she attended the Brit Awards last month, where she paid tribute to McQueen, "I didn't speak to anyone at the Brits." She added that she feels disconnected from the industry. "I'm an outcast from the music industry," she explained. "I don't have any friends in the music business."

As for her outlandish appearance, she said she wouldn't have it any other way. "I would rather die than have my fans not see me in a pair of high heels. I'd never give up my wigs and hats for anything. You see legendary people taking out their trash. I think it's destroying show business," she said. "I feel completely detached from the celebrity world. You never see me falling out of nightclubs. Be whatever you want to be, it's not about emulating me ... it's all right to be different."

And in case anyone was wondering if Gaga is seeing anyone these days, the answer is no. She said that right now her only relationship is with her career. "I don't have time to get to know anybody. I'm single and alone ... nobody would put up with my craziness."

In addition to "Telephone," the BBC reports that she also sang "Brown Eyes" fromThe Fame. And Gaga shared her love for everybody British. "There is no greater lady than the queen," she said of meeting her last year. "People in Britain are the ones who've really been my friends."

Credits by : Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber-Sean Kingston Collaboration 'Eenie Meenie' Premieres

Ryan Seacrest unveils new My World 2.0 track on his radio show

Justin Bieber

Photo: Michael Loccisano/ Getty Images

Through deft marketing and the sheer will of his audience, every song that Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber has released has become an event. With the unveiling of My World 2.0 only a few weeks away and his Ludacris collaboration "Baby" steadily climbing the Billboard Hot 100 (it currently sits at #13), Bieber dropped his latest tag-team track on Ryan Seacrest's radio show Thursday morning (March 4).

"Eenie Meenie" melds Sean Kingston's island-inflected dance-pop with Bieber's sweet tween R&B. It utilizes the children's rhyme "Eenie Meenie Miny Moe" throughout, especially in the chorus (where the pair sing "Shorty is a eenie meenie miny moe lova'") and in the half-sung, half-rapped breakdown ("Eenie meenie miny moe / Catch a bad chick by her toe").

Kingston and Bieber also released a piece of video of the pair working on "Eenie Meenie" in the studio. In the clip, Bieber and Kingston tackle the bridge, working through it multiple times before finally figuring out an impressive bit of harmony.

"Eenie Meenie" will appear on Bieber's My World 2.0 and Kingston's untitled third album, which is expected to come out later this year. Kingston is heavily in demand, as he currently guests on tracks by Charice ("Pyramid"), DMX ("What You Wanna Do") and the Sugababes ("Miss Everything").

Meanwhile, Bieber is gearing up for the release of his second album in five months, which hits store shelves on March 23. My World 2.0 features Bieber's Ludacris tag-team "Baby" and "Never Let You Go," which currently sits in the #2 slot on the iTunes Store's singles chart.

Credits by : Kyle Anderson

Rapper J-Kwon Missing, Label Says

'If anyone has seen J-Kwon or has access to him, please let him know,' label says in statement.

J-Kwon

Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images

St. Louis native J-Kwon, who made a huge splash in 2004 with the hit "Tipsy," has been missing for almost a month, his label says. Gracie Production released a statement Tuesday night asking for help finding the MC.

"J-Kwon is a big part of the Gracie family, and we are obviously increasingly worried and want to make sure he is OK," Gracie Productions CEO/President Tony Bucher said in the statement. "We've already received thousands of e-mails from fans and supporters who are worried about J-Kwon, and we want everyone to know how much we appreciate the love and support. If anyone has seen J-Kwon or has access to him, please let him know we are worried about him, and to please let us know everything is ok."

Bucher and Gracie Productions have also gone as far as setting up a Twitter page@WhereIsJKwon so fans can write with any info they may have.

According to a rep for Gracie Productions, Kwon was working on a self-titled album to be released on March 23. Last year, via the indie, the 24-year-old rapper put out the albums Hood Hop 2 and Hood Hop 2.5.

J-Kwon's biggest project was the original Hood Hop, which came out in 2004. Powered by the party anthem "Tipsy," the then-17-year-old gained national exposure and even performed on "Saturday Night Live."

"I'm 17, so I can't get into the club," he explained to MTV News in 2004 about the controversial song. "I used to stand outside and see people so tipsy, so drunk, they basically did like a two-step away from the club. I took all that and was like, 'OK, what does every teen think?' When I say, 'Teen drinking is very bad, but I got a fake ID though,' people think I'm actually promoting drinking to teens. Nah. When I say, 'Everybody in the club getting tipsy,' I mean we ain't drinking but everybody else is. That's what we see, not what we do. A lot of critics come at me about this. If I was promoting teen drinking, believe me, I would've sold the song for an ad."

Kwon had a hard-knock life to begin with. He was kicked out of the house at age 12 and became homeless. In 2003, he auditioned for L.A. Reid and Jermaine Dupri, who were at Arista at the time.

"When I went in for the deal I was like, 'What if they don't sign me? Forget them. If they don't sign me, I'mma keep rolling.' That's how I approach every situation," he told MTV News. "So I'm rapping for L.A. and at the end of the verse, my line was something like, 'You don't like it, L.A., bite me,' and I turned around and mooned him, straight up."

Hood Hop was the only J-Kwon album released under the So So Def imprint before the rapper and the label parted ways years later.

Credits by: Shaheem Reid