Hip Hop Bulletin

Pop star poses alongside Marc Jacobs for the New York issue of V Magazine.
By James Dinh

Lady Gaga on the cover of <i>V Magazine</i>
Photo: V Magazine, LLC

As evidenced by her recent well-publicized attendance at a Mets game and her glorious Madison Square Garden show, Lady Gaga has always repped for her hometown of New York City. So it's no surprise that Gaga is paying tribute to the Big Apple by posing as the Statue of Liberty alongside fashion guru Marc Jacobs on the fall cover of V Magazine.

Posing with Jacobs, a shopping cart and an old TV set, Gaga stands with her mouth slightly open in a black lace bra and panties with a gray dress sliding off her body. With her toned abs and her hair shaped into a crown, the pop star is holding a burning torch, mimicking the New York landmark. And while Gaga does her best impression of the neoclassical sculpture, Jacobs remains serious and firm, sitting on top of the television in a traditional black-and-white suit. In another photo, the singer is seen crouched in the carriage as she's pushed around by the fashion designer with her torch held high. Just last year, the singer appeared on the fall issue of the magazine donning Jacobs-designed pieces.

In the issue, which is on sale now, V Magazine highlights some of New York's most profound figures, people they say "are making the city their own way."

Editor Stephen Gan revealed that he chose the pop star because her representative values parallel those of the magazine. "Just as the Statue of Liberty was France's gift to America, Gaga is, to us, New York's greatest gift to pop culture and fashion," he said in a statement. "She embodies everything V is about, and is also a beacon of the city's creativity and hope. Exactly one year after her first V cover (the first fashion magazine cover she was on), we decided to do the NEW YORK issue, and she was the first person who came to mind to represent our great city."

Gan declared Gaga "a bonafide genius" and credited her as V Magazine's "muse" of inspiration. "Above all, a New York issue should celebrate people who've done great things. We at V are grateful Gaga came along to put the New back in New York!" he concluded.

But the singer doesn't always leave fashion editors with the best impression. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour spoke about the pop star during her stop at "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday.

"We had Lady Gaga this year," she said of the singer's performance at this year's Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala. "She was communing with God and she was praying in the back, waiting for God to tell her it was all right to actually go onstage." Wintour chuckled before revealing that Gaga left the audience waiting for more than 40 minutes.

To learn more about Lady Gaga's crazy road to fashion icon, watch "VMAs: Revealed Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

What do you think of Lady Gaga's Statue of Liberty-inspired cover? Sound off below!

• The Evolution Of: Lady Gaga

• Lady Gaga

'We've got nothing but love for Method Man and Redman,' Violent J tells MTV News.
By Kyle Anderson

Insane Clown Posse's Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope
Photo: MTV News

Back at the beginning of August, one of the biggest music festivals of the year took place over a long weekend in Illinois. No, not Lollapalooza — the 11th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, the four-day extravaganza curated by and starring the Insane Clown Posse.

The festival has grown in both size and stature over the past few years, in part because of the online success of trailers that tout the festival and in part because of its increasingly eclectic lineups.

But this year, the Gathering picked up some attention for more negative reasons. A good portion of the mainstream media coverage of the festival reported on the injuries suffered by reality star and sometimes rapper Tila Tequila, who was pelted with debris during her performance. She suffered a number of injuries and threatened to sue ICP, though according to Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J, nothing of that sort has happened.

The pair regret what happened to Tequila and are still trying to figure out her motivation. "The only reason she got hurt was that she stayed up on stage. It was obvious they didn't want her there, so why did she stay up there?" ICP member Violent J told MTV News.

"It was a shame, because all she had to do was get off the stage," he continued. "Nobody said, 'You have to get on there and stay up there to get paid.' The way I understand it, they paid her before she got up there and they said, 'There's a rumor you're not wanted here, and you're free to take off if you like.' She went up there and stayed up there anyway."

Legendary Wu-Tang Clan rapper Method Man also suffered a facial laceration after getting hit with flying debris during his performance with partner Redman. That bothered the men of ICP, because they feel it misrepresented the tenor of their fans. "What happened to Method Man — that shouldn't even be discussed, because that was one a--hole," Violent J said. "One d---head threw something, and by chance, it hit [Method Man] in the face. But he wasn't speaking for Juggalos or for ICP or the Gathering. And they weren't getting bombed up there — it was one a--hole."

"That kid shouldn't have thrown something and should have played the lottery instead," added Shaggy 2 Dope. "Same chances."

But while ICP aren't sure what their status is with Tequila, their relationship with Meth is copacetic. "We've got nothing but love for Method Man and Redman, and we've talked to them since then. We talked to them that night and we talked to him just the other day," J told MTV News. "And if we had caught the kid who threw that, he'd a got it."

• Insane Clown Posse
• Method Man
• Tila Tequila

Most critics give high marks to Robert Rodriguez's mix of exaggerated violence and political satire.
By Eric Ditzian

Danny Trejo in "Machete"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

"Machete" is everything "The Expendables" could have been but isn't: vicious, witty, funny, ridiculous, engrossing.

The sight of Sly Stallone cavorting with Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li in "Expendables" wears off pretty quickly, and what you're left with is dull dialogue, explosions-by-numbers action sequences and characters that you never get to know enough to actually care about. "Machete," by contrast, springs from the same creative well as "Expendables" — wacky and hyper-violent and fanboy-friendly — but there the similarities end. As nutty as "Machete" is, it's actually smart, with snappy dialogue, clever kills and a story line crackling with social commentary about the heated immigration debate in North America.

Why, then, did "Expendables" open to $34.8 million in ticket sales, while "Machete" won't even cross the $20 million mark over this Labor Day weekend? Credit Stallone and his '80s action pals. All we can say is that "Machete" delivers one of the most purely fun movie experiences of the summer. And most of the critics agree. Here's what they're saying about the film, which should hold the #1 box-office spot after the weekend.

The Story
"Three years after his wife and daughter were murdered by the druglord Torrez (Steven Seagal), the deadly Mexican Federale known as Machete (Danny Trejo) is working as a day laborer when he's hired to assassinate the racist Texas Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) in a plot to take down the network of illegal immigrants by the mysterious Shé. With the help of an immigration agent (Jessica Alba), a cook named Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), his preacher friend Padre (Cheech Marin) and a socialite named April (Lindsay Lohan), Machete must get to the bottom of the Senator's plan to put up a fence separating the United States and Mexico." — Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.Net

Machete Himself
"Danny Trejo plays the long-haired, craggy-faced titular Machete with a combination of swift ferocity and baleful kindliness. And the ladies love it. ... Trejo invests his character with an engaging blend of swagger, gravity and terse humor. When Alba's INS agent instructs him to contact her, he snarls, 'Machete don't text.' It's an instant catchphrase." — Claudia Puig, USA Today

The Supporting Players
"Other bits that get a giggle are the casting of action-icon Steven Seagal as a Mexican drug lord and Robert De Niro as a murderously xenophobic U.S. senator whose abortive assassination Machete is framed for, setting the bloody, ridiculous plot in motion. You read that right. The Academy Award winner — De Niro, not Seagal — tears into the part of Texas Sen. John McLaughlin with all the relish and finesse of a starving man given a burrito. He has great, messy fun playing a corrupt politician whose aide (Jeff Fahey) arranges for him to be shot at in order to stir up anti-Mexican sentiment, and get him reelected. So, for that matter, does Cheech Marin as a foul-mouthed, gun-toting priest. He's Machete's brother. What did you expect? But just wait until you see Lindsay Lohan. Playing a campier, trampier version of herself — or at least her tabloid image — she at one point gets to dress up as a nun and shoot people. Don't ask. It's complicated (not to mention fairly random). For much of the rest of her 'performance,' she's naked." — Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post

The Dissenters
"An aggressively overstated mashup of testosterone-fueled melodrama, comically exaggerated violence and babe-o-licious action femmes, 'Machete' marks yet another attempt by multihyphenate Robert Rodriguez to simultaneously revive and burlesque the excesses of '70s exploitation pics. Heralded three years ago with a fake trailer in 'Grindhouse,' then developed into a standalone feature, this slam-bang B-movie pastiche is wildly uneven as it doggedly strives (sometimes with obvious strain) to sustain a free-wheeling, anything-goes air of exuberant junkiness." — Joe Leydon, Variety

The Final Word
"[R]est assured that the political satire and commentary merely provide backdrop for flying bullets, swinging blades, spurting arteries, naked babes and tough-guy one-liners ("Machete don't text" is tattoo-worthy). The film takes absolutely wild-eyed delight in viscera, gore and grotesquerie (to wit, one poor fellow's intestine is used as an escape rope, while another man is quite explicitly crucified). ... You can't always count on Rodriguez to get the balance of lunacy, competence and coherence right. But here he more or less gives you exactly what you were looking for: 100 or so minutes as bloody, excessive and ridiculous as those initial 150 or so seconds." — Shawn Levy, The Oregonian

Check out everything we've got on "Machete." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

• 'Machete' Clips

• 'Machete' Premieres In Los Angeles

Upstart VMA-nominee is joined by Weezer's Rivers Cuomo at raging house party in new clip.
By Jayson Rodriguez

B.o.B in his 'Magic' video
Photo: Warner Music Group

You can't blame B.o.B if he wanted to pinch himself.

The VMA-nominated newcomer is riding an enormous wave via his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which has spawned three consecutive top 10 singles, "Nothin' on You," "Airplanes" and his latest, "Magic." And for his "Magic" clip, the Atlanta rapper recruited director Sanaa Hamri (Jay-Z, Christina Aguilera) who put B.o.B in the middle of a raucous house party.

But in the video, which premiered Thursday (September 2) at midnight on MTV.com, Bobby Ray can't seem to believe his good fortune. As he and his "Magic" collaborator, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, jam in the backyard, B.o.B mentally traces back to earlier in the day when the young rapper first wakes up. B.o.B tries to shake awake a sleeping version of himself but to no avail.

The girls, the party, all the happenings do seem to be going on — and all for him. Partygoers run through the house and Bobby Ray snaps pictures with the girl of his dreams. But in an instant — as quick as he's been clicking Polaroid pictures — the party is over and B.o.B awakens.

Turns out he was dreaming.

The sleep-eyed MC, however, takes a look around his bedroom and notices two photos on the ground: two snapshots of him and his leading lady. He's got the magic, indeed.

Last week, "Magic" landed on the Billboard Hot 100 at the #10 position. The track follows "Nothin' on You," which went to the top of the chart, and "Airplanes," a top 5 hit. Also on Thursday, B.o.B opened for Eminem and Jay-Z during the superstar MCs' Home and Home concert series in Detroit; he's scheduled to open for the pair again on Friday (September 3), and later this month in New York.

What do you think of B.o.B's "Magic" video? Tell us in the comments!

• Unplugged: B.o.B

• B.o.B
• Rivers Cuomo

'I'm not a dancer and I'm not a singer, and I don't have the kind of ass that should be mooned,' comedian says.
By Gil Kaufman

Chelsea Handler
Photo: MTV News

VMA host Chelsea Handler is good at certain things, like telling cutting jokes, writing hilarious books and making her male staffers get dolled up in clothes from Madonna and Lourdes' Material Girl line.

But the "Chelsea Lately" host knows her limitations.

"I've actually watched a bunch of the VMAs from over the past few years and there was definitely a lot of singing and dancing," she told MTV News' Jim Cantiello about her first time hosting the MTV Video Music Awards, which air on Sunday, September 12 at 9 p.m. ET. "I'm not a dancer and I'm not a singer, and I don't have the kind of ass that should be mooned. I mean it's sweet, it's a sweet ass, but it's little and it's white."

Handler's plan is to leave the singing and dancing to the professional musicians on the bill, such as performers Usher, Eminem, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Drake, Linkin Park, Nicki Minaj, Paramore and Florence & the Machine — along with Travie McCoy, Jason DeRulo and Robyn, who will take the stage with this year's VMA house artist, deadmau5.

"I'm there to be funny, kind of, so hopefully I'll just kind of doing that," she said. She will, of course, bring along her trusty "little nugget" sidekick, Chuy Bravo, who, she realized, is a good dancer and might just show off his moves during the show. "He's like a Moonman," she said. "He's great to look at. It's, like, very easy to start laughing once you see him."

As for any pressure she might be feeling to top past hosts such as fellow comedians Chris Rock and Russell Brand, the veteran stand-up said she's not sweating it. "I don't think you can really try to top anyone, you just kind of have to do your thing," she said. "It's gonna be great, it's gonna be fun. It's the perfect kind of loosey-goosey environment for me to get away with what I do."

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through September 12.

• MTV News Extended Play: Chelsea Handler

• Can You Handle VMA Host Chelsea Handler?

New single, produced by Stargate, will premiere Tuesday on RyanSeacrest.com.
By James Dinh

Rihanna
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/ WireImage

Rihanna may be in the midst of filming "Battleship," her Hollywood debut, but that doesn't mean that the pop star won't be focusing on her music. Just less than a year after the release of her last album, Rated R, the singer is already set to debut a new single called "Only Girl (In the World)" from her fifth studio album.

The song, which was produced by Stargate, will premiere on Tuesday (September 7) on RyanSeacrest.com at 3 a.m. PT/6 a.m. ET. This isn't the first time the Barbadian songstress has worked with the Norwegian producing team. She has collaborated with the duo on earlier hits including "Please Don't Stop the Music," "Hate That I Love You" and, most recently, "Rude Boy."

Just days after joining Twitter, the singer hinted at the single in a tweet directed at Seacrest. "@RyanSeacrest Soon! In less than 10 dayz ima send u sumn special, and ur gonna play it OVER and OVER, like I'm the only girl in the world!" she said.

In addition to Stargate, the singer has also been working with Sean Garrett. Back in June, the producer spoke to MTV News about the new album, which he said is going to be more uplifting than the darker material on Rated R. "I can definitely say that her album is definitely gonna be way more exciting, happy," Garrett told MTV News. "I hope she doesn't mind me saying this. I love Rihanna. She's fun, she's like a sister, and I tend to think she doesn't really take herself too seriously. And I think that's what this album is gonna be about."

While not much else is known about the project, Rihanna has also reportedly recorded a song called "Cheers," with production by the Runners.

What do you think "Only Girl (In the World)" is going to sound like? Share your thoughts below!

• Rihanna

Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato return to camp and face off against new rivals.
By James Dinh

The Jonas Brothers at the "Camp Rock 2" premiere
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images

Before the summer ends, the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato will return to the wilderness one more time in "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam." While on "Good Morning America" and on tour, they've teased fans with new songs from the movie's soundtrack. But what's the most exciting thing about the flick itself? MTV News caught up with some of the "Camp Rock 2" stars to find out.

"I'm excited for everybody to see the dance numbers and performance numbers," Matthew Finley said. "I feel like we worked really hard. There were several genres of music in there. Listening to the soundtrack gets me amped and excited, so I'm ready to see it with action and with the movie."

In the sequel to 2008's "Camp Rock," Lovato and her fellow campers are heading toward a showdown with their rivals in Camp Star. "We just battle it out and see which camp wins and there's a lot of cool, fun songs and dances," Jasmine Richards said.

But it wouldn't be summer without a little romance either. Chloe Bridges, who plays Nick Jonas' love interest, said that the movie will surprise people.

"It doesn't lack realness and emotionality, which might not be what people are expecting because there's obviously very fun entertainment," Bridges told MTV News. "It's fun to watch. Its big dance numbers and fun music, but there's also very real moments — especially with the romance, which is where I come in. So it's really cool."

Roshon Fegan said, "I'm just looking forward to the fans' response. I want to know what they think about it. I think that's what we all are really excited for."

The Jonas Brothers described the sequel to the 2008 film as "next level", in part because of where the film was shot. "The staging was phenomenal for the film. We were always filming somewhere different. Every other day was a new location. For us, that was really exciting because for the first one we stuck to about three different sets, and this time probably having 15, 16 different sets, for us, that was really exciting," Joe Jonas explained.

"Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" airs Friday (September 3) on the Disney Channel.

Are you looking forward to "Camp Rock 2"? Let us know in the comments!

• Opening Night: Summer Movie Premieres

• JoBros, Demi Lovato, More At 'Camp Rock 2' Premiere

• Jonas Brothers
• Demi Lovato

The 'California Gurls' pair will reunite for the upcoming Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ Getty Images

Snoop Dogg is in a "let's do it again" type of mood.

The rapper announced plans to work with Katy Perry again after the pair's "California Gurls" collaboration shot to the top of the iTunes singles chart this week. (Perry's album, Teenage Dream, also hit #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week.)

"We're trying to get together and do something on my new album ... so [I'm] definitely in contact with her," Snoop told OK! magazine about Perry. "She's a sweet girl and I had fun making the record with her. Like I said, I'm looking forward to her being on my record as well."

The album in question is Doggystyle 2: The Doggumentary.

Snoop announced he's revisiting his classic debut album in a BubbleTweet video message sent over Swizz Beatz's Twitter account.

Snoop and Swizz were in a studio session and revealed they had recorded upwards of 18 new tracks together.

"Man, this is big Snoop Dogg coming to you live from the studio somewhere," Snoop said in the clip. "With Swizzle, and he just laced my boots up for my new record. He gave me some gangster sh--, some Crip sh--, some R&B sh--, some hip-hop sh--, some hard sh--, some mean sh--."

The Los Angeles lyricist then revealed the name of his next album before the clip cut off.

Snoop's Doggystyle was released in November 1993. The collection was produced by Dr. Dre and, along with Dre's The Chronic, helped solidify the West Coast's reign atop the hip-hop game. It still remains one of the best-selling debuts in hip-hop history.

Last month, Snoop revisited his debut project as a part of this year's Rock the Bells tour, which had performers playing seminal albums in their entirety. Also on the bill were Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), A Tribe Called Quest (Midnight Marauders), KRS-One (Criminal Minded), Rakim (Paid in Full) and the Wu-Tang Clan (Enter the Wu-Tang [36 Chambers]).

• Concept Art For Katy Perry's 'California Gurls'

• Snoop Dogg
• Katy Perry