Earlier today, Funkmaster Flex premiered Kanye West's remix of Cassie's "King of Hearts." Care of Bad Boy Records, I now have the official, full version of the track that is about two minutes longer. You can listen to it in our audio player. Check out the single cover below.
In the clip below, Lil' Kim talks with DJ Envy about Biggie's style. Envy hosts MTV2's Sucker Free, which aired a special episode in honor of the 15th anniversary of the release of B.I.G.'s "Life After Death" album.
On the 15th anniversary of the release of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Life After Death" album, Lil' Kim talked with DJ Envy of MTV2's Sucker Free about the song leaks that faced the album and Biggie's reaction to them. Watch below.
MTV2's Sucker Free celebrated the 15th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Life After Death" album on March 25. As part of the show, Mac Miller chatted with them about Biggie's influence on him.
March 25 marked 15 years since the release of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Life After Death." Lil' Kim chatted with DJ Envy on MTV2's Sucker Free about the recording process for the album, including her contribution on "Another." Watch below.
In honor of the 15th anniversary of the release of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Life After Death," Ice Cube talked with MTV2's Sucker Free about how the album solidified Biggie's legacy.
MTV has announced that they be launching a hip hop themed spin-off of game show "Hollywood Squares," aptly titled "Hip Hop Squares." Machine Gun Kelly is among those set to appear, alongside Nick Cannon, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Mac Miller and more. The show will premiere on May 22 on MTV2. Check out a quick teaser below.
Furthermore, though he was initially against the record, he now loves "Invincible" and the song will be featured on his upcoming debut album, "Lace Up." That's why it wasn't on his "Half Naked & Almost Famous" EP.
The Billboard charts are out and Machine Gun Kelly's "Half Named & Almost Famous" EP has debuted at #46 on The Billboard 200 and #42 on the Top Current Albums chart.
It also appeared on the Top Digital Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts, ranking #13, #10 and #9, respectively.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.
Machine Gun Kelly's "Half Naked & Almost Famous" makes its debut at #46 on The Billboard 200 and #42 among the Top Current Albums, plus top 10 marks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts. Thanks to the release of the EP, "See My Tears" debuts as well, while "Wild Boy" gains in some places.
Albums
The Billboard 200
46. "Half Naked & Almost Famous" by Machine Gun Kelly (debut).
Top Current Albums
42. "Half Naked & Almost Famous" by Machine Gun Kelly (debut).
MySpace has a deep interview (as deep as 5 minutes can be, anyway) with Machine Gun Kelly. He discusses his upbringing, the poor relationship he has with his parents, an entitled fan and more. Watch below.
On Twitter, DJ Kay Slay revealed that he was close to releasing the remix to his song, "Got Damn," which will feature Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Torch, Gunplay and 2 Chainz. When he puts the the track online, we'll have an update here.
Machine Gun Kelly's "Half Naked & Almost Famous" EP, which was released exclusively through iTunes on March 20, has sold 8,519 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which measures retail music sales in the U.S. This will allow it to debut at #42 on the upcoming Top Current Albums chart, to be released on Thursday.
The album will see a physical, CD release on April 10.
Rolling Stone has released Machine Gun Kelly's new video for "Half Named & Almost Famous," the title track from his new EP. It was originally shot at the 2011 edition of the SXSW Music festival.
Jake Janisse has released some behind the scenes footage from the music video shoot for DMX's "I Don't Dance" featuring Machine Gun Kelly. Watch below and check out some earlier footage.
AllHipHop.com released the clip below of Machine Gun Kelly and Mystikal at SXSW. They meet up and perform the remix to "Wild Boy" for another camera (could be for a music video, but that is unclear). Watch below.
LP Da Original has released his new mixtape, "No Organization No Progress," which you can download for free on his website. It features "Betty Crocker," a collaboration with French Montana.
Diageo, the beverage company that owns the Ciroc brand, has recognized Blue Flame and Raison Pure for their work on the launch of Ciroc's flavors, reports The Drum.
Blue Flame, Bad Boy's in-house marketing agency, was honored in the Innovation category, of the Diageo Marketing Brilliance Awards, a yearly program through which the company highlights work done by those responsible for marketing its brands.
At the release party for his new EP, "Half Naked & Almost Famous," Machine Gun Kelly brought out French Montana and Travis Porter. Bad Boy also presented him with a cake, which he promptly put his face in. Watch below, care of RealTalkNY.
Drake is set to kick off the third leg of his "Club Paradise Tour," which will consist of a 27 date amphitheater run in the U.S. J. Cole will serve as the opening act and, according to MTV.com's Rob Markman, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and French Montana will support them on unspecified dates. Here is the full slate of dates (again, it is unclear if Montana will be on all of these or just some):
5/7 - Concord, CA at Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
5/8 - Irvine, CA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
5/10 - Phoenix, AZ at Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
5/11 - Las Vegas, NV at MGM Grand Garden Arena
5/13 - Denver, CO at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
5/14 - Albuquerque, NM at Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion
5/16 - Dallas, TX at Gexa Energy Pavilion
5/17 - Houston, TX at Toyota Center
5/19 - Charlotte, NC at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
5/20 - Atlanta, GA at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
5/22 - Raleigh, NC at Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
5/23 - Virginia Beach, VA at Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
5/25 - Washington, DC at Verizon Center
5/26 - Pittsburgh, PA at First Niagara Pavilion
5/28 - Cleveland, OH at Blossom Music Center
5/30 - Detroit, MI at DTE Energy Music Theatre
6/1 - Indianapolis, IN at Klipsch Music Center
6/2 - Chicago, IL at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
6/5 - Memphis, TN at FedEx Forum
6/6 - Cincinnati, OH at Riverbend Music Center
6/8 - Darien Lake, NY at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
6/9 - Philadelphia, PA at Susquehanna Bank Center
6/11 - Hartford, CT at Comcast Theatre
6/12 - Holmdel, NJ at PNC Bank Arts Center
6/14 - Saratoga Springs, NY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6/16 - New York, NY at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
6/17 - Boston, MA at Comcast Center
Machine Gun Kelly told Rob Markman of MTV.com that, initially, he fought against leading with "Wild Boy" and "Invincible." But, Diddy convinced him to use "Wild Boy" as his first single and, in hindsight, MGK is happy with the success and calls the song "a completely accurate statement about the person I am."
"[Diddy] was the one who encouraged 'Wild Boy,'" he said. "He encouraged that whole thing. I was like, 'Nah, no way, no way, we gotta go serious with the serious stuff right now. And if we would've went that route, I would've fizzled off real quick."
"I did fight 'Wild Boy.' I fought that and I fought 'Invincible,' too, and now 'Invincible' is a WWE WrestleMania theme song and it's on like a new movie trailer. So, maybe I just hate every song I'm about to release."
If you're like me, you purchased your copy of Machine Gun Kelly's "Half Naked & Almost Famous" on iTunes shortly after it was released. But, when he released the DVD content through his Facebook page, you had some trouble downloading it.
When you went to the page, it said you needed to update your version of Java and you pressed "OK." Then nothing happened. I found a solution that worked for me.
Head over to java.com. Click on the "Free Java Download" button. Now, if you don't have the latest version, it'll offer it to you. Download that file to your computer and then open it. Follow the prompts and allow it to install. Now, close your web browser, open it again and go back to the DVD content area of MGK's Facebook page. Try it again.
For me, it worked and I was able to download the DVD content as a .mov file, 1.2 GB in size. Keep in mind that you must have purchased a copy via iTunes and, presumably, you may have to access the DVD content on the same computer from which you made the purchase, since that is where the files and iTunes license information is likely stored.
Diddy announced on Twitter today that he would guest mentor on tonight's episode of "American Idol" on FOX, alongside Jimmy Iovine. Watch it starting at 8 PM ET.
Some fans have had trouble accessing the DVD content that was supposed to come with the purchase of his new "Half Naked & Almost Famous" EP. Due to this, Machine Gun Kelly is making it available for free streaming from 10 PM ET tonight through 3 AM. Watch it while you can.
French Montana has shot a visual for "Everything's A Go," directed by Spiff TV. The clip will feature cameos from Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz, DJ Khaled, Wale and "Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo. Check out the behind the scenes footage below, care of UrbanPartyLife.com.
Rolling Stone reports that Machine Gun Kelly's upcoming debut album, "Lace Up," will feature a collaboration with Tech N9ne. MGK will be featured on the rapper's "Hostile Takeover" tour starting on March 24.
"Half Naked & Almost Famous," the Bad Boy Records debut EP from Machine Gun Kelly, was released today exclusively on iTunes. The 5 song set represents Bad Boy's first album release, EP or otherwise, since Dirty Money's "Last Train to Paris" on December 14, 2010.
Bolstered by the rapper's Hot 100 charting single, "Wild Boy" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame), the release serves as a teaser to MGK's upcoming debut album, "Lace Up." It includes collaborations with label mate Cassie (for the remix to "Warning Shot") and Dubo and DJ Xplosive ("EST 4 Life").
According to Rolling Stone, "Half Naked & Almost Famous" is the soundtrack to a 90 minute documentary, which MGK says will be made available online, to purchasers of the album, today at 3 PM.
It will be released physically via CD format on April 10. Check out the album cover and track listing below.
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie has released "Thou Shall Not...," a new self-produced single featuring a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya" for the chorus. You can listen and download clean and dirty versions care of his SoundCloud profile.
Aasim's new mixtape, "Live at the Tunnel: The Ski Mask Way" has been released on DatPiff.com. The 10 song set features an appearance by former Bad Boy artist Dawn Richard. Check out the cover, track listing and an embedded player below.
1. Tunnel State of Mind
2. Live at the Tunnel
3. Ain't That Mellow
4. Private Party
5. I'm Nasty
6. Run the Yard
7. Save Me featuring Dawn Richard
8. Social Club Nites
9. Return of the Underdog
10. Don't Do It
Machine Gun Kelly chats with andPOP.com about his respect for Diddy and the time he got caught impersonating the Bad Boy CEO by the man himself. Watch below.
In addition to "Wild Boy," Machine Gun Kelly also performed "Warning Shot," "Invincible" and "Half Naked and Almost Famous" during VEVO's SXSW event. Watch these clips below.
Machine Gun Kelly's new "Half Naked & Almost Famous" EP, featuring Cassie, Waka Flocka Flame and more, will be released in phases, to different retailers.
Tomorrow, March 20, it will receive an exclusive digital release on iTunes, according to his official website. Amazon is indicating that they will sell the digital format a week later, starting on March 26. This may or may not be accurate.
Finally, I have confirmed with a source at Bad Boy that the CD version will be out on April 10. You can pre-order it at Amazon.com and it will be available at other retailers, as well. The Amazon.com product page says April 3, but that is incorrect.
"That's gonna give them nightmares," he said about the DMX feature. "It's a really dark song."
"I refused to get anything but the Dark Man X on my album. We sat there for like hours before we even made music and just talked. I gave him that look like, 'I want this X' and he was like, 'I don't know if I wanna go there,’ and I was like, 'We gotta go there.' It's a record that we only like to listen to. It’s a f***ed up record."
According to MGK, the verse from Mystikal took months to get but they held out because it was the "wow factor." When they finally received the verse, it was distorted, but at MGK's insistence, they were able to get it on the record. Watch the interview below.
Byron Kirkland, one of Machine Gun Kelly's managers, posted an image on Twitter that appears to be the cover for Machine Gun Kelly's "Half Naked & Almost Famous Soundtrack" EP, which will be released on March 20. Check it out below.
It's been a fun ride, writing about a topic I enjoy. BBB is for the fans and we cover the good and the bad from that perspective.
Thank you to everyone who reads Bad Boy Blog and has subscribed to us via some means, including Twitter and Facebook. Thank you to everyone who has shared our articles and supported us. It is greatly appreciated.
Machine Gun Kelly took home the gold, or the wood, at tonight's mtvU Woodie Awards ceremony in Austin, TX. The rapper won the Breaking Woodie award, in a category where he was nominated alongside A$AP Rocky, Azealia Banks, Charlie XCX, Childish Gambino, Cloud Nothings, Cults, Electric Guest, Fake Problems, fun., Future, Iggy Azalea, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Meek Mill, Porter Robinson, Sleeper Agent, T. Mills, tUnE-yArDs, Walk The Moon, Wallpaper. and The Weeknd. Congrats MGK!
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Billboard has not yet updated the Rap Digital Songs chart, which had featured Machine Gun Kelly during the previous week. Once it is updated, this post will be adjusted.
Update (3/16/2012): Billboard has updated the chart and it is reflected below.
Albums
The Billboard 200
135. "Greatest Hits" by The Notorious B.I.G. (re-entry).
The song includes an introduction and outro from Steve-O of "Jacka**" fame, who was referenced repeatedly on the original. It also features new verses from MGK, 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, Mystikal, French Montana and Yo Gotti. Listen and download below.
Following a recent episode of "WWE Raw" in Cleveland, wrestler John Cena brought Machine Gun Kelly up to the ring to announce that the rapper would perform "Invincible" to introduce Cena during the upcoming "WrestleMania 28" event. It will take place on April 1 in Miami. Watch the announcement on WWE.com.
Aasim has released a new song, complete with a visual. It's "Save My Soul" featuring a Cee Lo Green sample from Gnarls Barkley's "Who's Gonna Save my Soul." Watch below and pick up a free download, provided in the video's description on YouTube.
fun. already had a big hit in "We Are Young," their Janelle Monae featured single. But, now it's even bigger. It's the #1 record in the country, topping Billboard's Hot 100 chart, the 100 most popular songs in the U.S. regardless of genre.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.
Unfortunately, at press time, Billboard had not yet updated the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart on their website. Last week, both French Montana's "Shot Caller" and Machine Gun Kelly's "Wild Boy" were on that chart. I'll update this post later, if they update their website.
Update (March 15, 2012): Billboard has released the chart and I have updated this post with the results below.
Singles
Heatseekers Songs
17. "Wild Boy" by Machine Gun Kelly (a new high, up from 22).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
43. "Shot Caller" by French Montana (up from 44).
53. "Wild Boy" by Machine Gun Kelly (a new high, up from 57).
93. "Let it Go (Dope Boy)" by Red Cafe (down from 92).
Cassie recently revealed that she had collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly. In an interview with the.LIFE Files, complete with studio footage, Cassie records for the remix of the rapper's "Warning Shot." Watch the full clip below.
The music video for Red Cafe's "Let it Go (Remix)" has premiered on MTV2. The clip features cameos by Meek Mill and Fabolous was directed by Aristotle.
The embed below will not work until March 6 at 3:00 AM ET. But, you can watch it on MTV2 now.
"Kanye heard 'King of Hearts, saw the video and decided to jump on it and do the remix," she said according to Cassie fan outlet CassieArmy. "He is rapping on it. Hopefully we will be able to hear it soon."
In January, Shyne told MTV's Rob Markman that he and Diddy had reconciled past differences, expressing a mutual respect for one another.
"As far as Puff is concerned, you understand, that's been a long time coming," he said. "Definitely been a long time coming. He had reached out to me twice while I was in the pen, but I just wasn't ready for it."
"Just as far as me growing and moving forward, like I said, there's certain things you just can't take with you," Shyne continued. "I felt how I felt, I said what I said. In retrospect, when you look at the way he handled it, he held it down, he wore it. He had nothing to say; always had good things to say. It was always, 'Yo, whatever Shyne need, we got him.' And, you know, when I was getting ready to get out, I had spoken to him and he let me know, 'Yo, listen, I got you. Whatever you need, you not by yourself.' But, again, I'm still in the yard, I got a ratchet in my waist, I'm still in that kill or be killed mentality. So, I wasn't necessarily ready for that, I ain't really know how to receive that."
In the clip below, speaking to DJ Envy for MTV's "Sucker Free," Cassie talks about Bad Boy's recent additions and reveals that there is a collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly on the way.
In the clip below, DJ Envy has a mini-interview with French Montana for MTV's "Sucker Free." He discusses his relationship with Max B, the sample of "Shot Caller" and more.
Here are Bad Boy's positions on the most recent Billboard U.S. album and single charts, released today.
Singles
Heatseekers Songs
22. "Wild Boy" by Machine Gun Kelly (down from 21).
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
44. "Shot Caller" by French Montana (down from 43).
57. "Wild Boy" by Machine Gun Kelly (down from 54).
92. "Let it Go (Dope Boy)" by Red Cafe (down from 87).
96. "Everything's a Go" by French Montana (debut).
The clip below features Jeremy Greene talking about a lot of different things, but at the 2:57 mark, Greene mentions that he is still signed to the publishing side of Bad Boy as a songwriter. He was previously signed an artist but that relationship came to an end last year.
Plot Your Escape is a free concert happening this evening in four locations. Free tickets are gone, but you'll be able to watch a live stream on their website. Here's the lineup:
Diddy and Mariah Carey will be performing at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Maroon 5 and Bareilles will be performing at Union Station in Chicago.
Mary J. Blige and Gavin DeGraw will be performing at Woldenberg Park in New Orleans.
Lil' Wayne and Cee Lo Green will be performing at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.
