For the generation who grew up bumping “Ice Cream Man” and watching I’m Bout It, it can still be jarring to see what Master P has transformed into over the last decade. Simply put, the man also known as Percy Miller has grown up, embracing fatherhood and moving past his so-called “gangster rap” past. His post-millennial music hasn’t found much success, but P has expanded his brand to include children’s entertainment, books, Dancing With The Stars and even a post as the Youth Ambassador for the NAACP.
Earlier this year, P announced his plans to launch his own TV station called Better Black TV, and while the network is still in planning stages, P’s first proper show No Excuses is premiering this Monday (October 26) on VH1. The pilot follows a former gangbanger named Torrie who can’t seem to get a straight job to support his kids. Enter P. Miller, who convinces Torrie to stop making excuses and shows him how to get his life together. We recently spoke with P for the latest installment of “YouTubin’ With The Stars”—read on to hear his commentary on No Excuses, his daughter’s new music video, his classic Converse sneaker commercial, and more…
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For some reason rappers have an awful tendency to lose their minds or make bad music once they reach a certain point in their careers. However, every now and then you find an exception. With the unreleased 2001 Kamaal The Abstract album ready to finally drop, a tour with The Knux, Pac-Div and The Cool Kids, DJ shows on the side, and a non-exploitive Michael Jackson birthday tribute this weekend, its safe to say Q-Tip is both sane and very busy.
In the midst of all the chaos that makes up his schedule, Tip found time to kick it with Complex and watch some videos on YouTube, just like you and your friends do. Only our friend is Q-Tip and neither of us were high. Read on for Q’s commentary on his visit from Tupac on the set of Poetic Justice, Michael Jackson’s short film Ghost, and his favorite politician, Mike Bloomberg…
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Wat A Gwaan! Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Sean Kingston knows how to crank out radio-friendly bangers. His latest single, “Fire Burning,” is steadily climbing up the music charts; more importantly, it’s a mainstay in those type of clubs where the white girls get silly. As the song stays in rotation, Kingston is prepping his forthcoming album, Tomorrow, which drops on September 22 and reportedly features a Lil Wayne guest appearance. While the hit-maker was in town recently, he stopped by the Complex office to give us some commentary on some videos relating to Spencer Pratt, groupie video chicks, and his now-infamous “Blackberry Bold” WSHH video. Check what SK had to say in this latest installment of YouTubin’ With The Stars…
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With Notorious out on DVD today, you know we had to holla at the number one (and, uh, TWOs) star of the movie. Sure, Gravy did his thing and all, but pause buttons were made for Naturi Naughton. Screw a bootleg—now we can finally analyze her memorable scenes in HD!
Seriously, though: The former 3LW member has already overcome plenty of adversity, from an unceremonious group breakup to harsh words from Lil Kim about her Notorious portrayal. With a starring role in the upcoming Fame remake (out in September), Naturi is ready to leave all the controversy behind. Still, when the lovely Ms. Naughton showed up at Complex last week (entourage-free, mind you), we had to get our Dr. Phil on and allow her to vent a little on the ups and downs of her career thus far. In this edition of YouTubin’ with the Stars, Naturi discusses her breakup with 3LW, her new movie role and why she’s not mad at Lil’ Kim…
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To a certain demographic—Japan-lovers, video game otakus and general Asia-philes—the singer Hikaru Utada is a goddess of cool. In fact, Utada is the only woman to be name-dropped in two separate issues of Complex as a reader’s “dream date” on our Street Detail page. With her ever-changing style, sexy bilingualism and Tetris fetish, Utada is clearly our type of gal.
In 2004, after years of doing Beyoncé numbers in Japan, Utada released her first U.S. album, Exodus on Def Jam. Though it had some good songs, it ultimately failed to make her an American star. Five years later, Utada is back with the follow-up This is the One, out now on iTunes and dropping officially on May 12. Whereas Exodus was what Utada now calls an “uncomfortable, bold and experimental” project, This is the One is more of a focused, concerted effort at breaking the U.S. charts with production from Stargate (”So Sick,” Ne-Yo; “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé) and Tricky Stewart (”Rockin’ That Shit,” The-Dream, “Umbrella,” Rihanna). It seems to be working: The new LP debuted at #2 on the iTunes Pop Album chart. In anticipation of its official release, we sat with Utada and got her commentary on 7 YouTube clips related to her career…
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It’s time to kick back, grab a beer and spark somethin’'The Dude is back. After departing from his longtime label Rap-A-Lot Records earlier this year, Devin is beginning a new chapter in his career today with the release of his fifth official solo album Landing Gear (buy it here
).
To celebrate his smooth landing on Razor & Tie Records, we caught up with Devin for an old fashioned round of YouTubin’ With The Stars. Check out what Devin had to say about rednecks and obscure Florida rap when we played him a few videos…
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If there’s one thing Jamie Kennedy knows, it’s how to deal with the haters. After starring in cinematic classics like Kickin’ It Old Skool and Malibu’s Most Wanted and then taking his stand-up routine on the road, he’s had to deal with critics face-to-face. And it hasn’t always been pretty.
It’s this phenomenon that he explores in his new DVD Heckler, a documentary about how comedians deal with the haters that hits stores today. To mark the occasion, we asked Kennedy to review two semi-related clips from YouTube, including scenes from a Jamie Foxx roast and a Dipset brawl. Watch 'em and read Jamie’s thoughts below.
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