We must say, Complex magazine is ALWAYS on point. The other day they released the KiD CuDi cover story the other day and yesterday Nicki Minaj’s was released.
On dumbing down her music so people can understand:
Sometimes the shit I say is over people’s heads and I feel like I need to dumb it down a bit so people can understand it. I think if I had said a lot of raps in a particular voice, people would go, “Yo, that shit was hard”—but when you change up your voice a little bit, they can’t see past that. And they’re lookin’ at me like, “This bitch is stupid”—and I’m lookin’ at them like, “No, bitch, you’re stupid.” [Laughs.]
On Diddy managing her:
Who said that? Who told you that? Did I tell you that? I don’t want you to say “obviously” if I didn’t tell you that, so let’s start that question over.
The entire interview is an interesting read (READ HERE) but it is obvious Nicki Minaj has her wall built high; she is doing her best not to let anyone pin-point her true personality.
A new Gucci Mane song leaked yesterday as well which features the femcee and Pharrell. This song is really chilled and laid-back, listen.
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In the latest issue of Complex magazine, KiD CuDi is letting nothing but his opinion flow with his feelings towards being dropped from Lady GaGa’s tour, fighting the mainstream, going against a Wale statement, his drug usage, amongst many other things.
On being incomparable to his contemporaries:
Did you see that Wale interview that he just did, comparing us to sports? Let me clear this up: I’m incomparable to anybody. I don’t care how people take that. No one can compete with me. I’m unfuckwittable; no one can knock me off my shit. I’m an unstoppable force, I’m a bullet. My trajectory is to the sky. Niggas got to do something really spectacular to fuck with me and my realm, and niggas be so bitter that you hear it in their voice.
The sound of his next album:
It’s explicit, but smart explicit. I’m not holding back. I have no regard for what people consider right or wrong. Some things I follow—like the law, from here on out. But other than that, I’m doing whatever the fuck I want to do. I’m not holding back. That’s why I’ve been so excited about this move to L.A., because I just want to keep growing creatively, all over, as a human being.
His heavy drug use:
I started doing cocaine to get through interviews, ’cause people wanted to know a lot about my personal life and I wasn’t prepared for a 60 Minutes interview every time. Doing bumps I was able to get through the day, but then I would smoke weed to calm me down—it was the only way I could get through the day without people noticing I was doing it. (more…)
All the images are here and we can now post Nicki Minaj’s editiorial in the latest issue of OUT magazine. Minaj’s latest feature in OUT is her best to date. The photos are outlined with the glamour of the 70′s filled with the quirky nature of a Graces Jones surreal photo. To read Minaj’s entire article, click HERE.
N*E*R*D spoke had a one-on-one with Blackbook magazine to discuss their fourth studio album, Nothing. In the interview, the members discuss their different approach to the music all while keeping their unique and quirky style:
Williams’ deliberate shift from playboy to politico is felt all over Nothing, which he approached with a new-found sensitivity to global affairs. “We looked at the war, we looked at commerce, we looked at finance, we looked at the environment,” he says. It’s heavy stuff for a band whose inaugural single was called “Lapdance.” But, he adds, smiling, “We also looked at other interesting things, like the new Ferrari. I like a flower as much as I like a Ferrari. If it’s under the sun, why do I have to choose just one?”
For Nothing, 27 initial tracks were whittled down to the dozen or so that appear on the mastered album. The ones that got cut weren’t “magical,” Hugo says. “They were all great songs,” adds Williams, “but we needed something that will make people go, ‘What the fuck was that?’ When you hear this music, you’re gonna bug out.” Given the underwhelming critical reception of N.E.R.D’s last couple offerings, the band had better hope to blow a few minds. [SOURCE]
The guys have been through some changes as of late but it seems that the group remains a threesome. From what we just read it seems that the music will be left-field as usual so don’t expect a Billboard Hot 100 #1 unless it’s a surprise. Listen to 2 new tracks from the album after…
Photographer Blair J. Meadows was inspired by the catastrophic BP oil oil spill. Meadows chose five local models, placed them in swimsuits and set the tone for a dark themed photoshoot. Below is an excerpt of what the photoshoot is all about:
It’s been well over 100 days since the oil started to leak in the Gulf Coast – leaving countless amounts of animals and marine life in jeopardy, and turning “making a living” into trying to survive in a living hell. Predictions were made that the oil can possibly flow to the islands of the Bahamas. Most of us took this threat seriously seeing that we have no means of acting against it. However, in a matter of days we were back to normal: focusing on minor things such as where we go and how we dress. [SOURCE]
The models look great and Meadows & Co. put a lot of effort behind the entire project. It’s great to see our Bahamians putting a little more creativity and thinking a little more outside of the box artistically. View images after…
M.I.A. is the feature story for the June/July issue of Complex magazine as part of the promotion for her forthcoming album, /\/\ /\ Y /\ (MAYA). As with most interviews done by the visual artist, there is always a constant flow of opinions and introspect rolling out of her mouth.
On her admiration for Kanye West, as a person and an artist:
I think Kanye is trying to take it into a new realm and he’s sort of putting the artistry back into it and sort of taking it in that direction.
On her opinon of Jay-Z vs. Nas:
I was having a conversation about Jay-Z and Nas and how it was really crazy how they were having this Nas vs. Jay-Z moment 10 years ago and no one really talks about it now.
Jay became the biggest representation of rap music who’s still alive, started dating Beyoncé—everything was so much bigger and better with Jay-Z. I hope people don’t think that that wins. The fact that Nas didn’t become all this sort of stuff changes people’s perception about the music and the work he achieved in his lifetime. I don’t wanna say Jay-Z sold out, but I just feel like we have to wait another 10 years to see what happens. Jay-Z’s ambition was to become like Frank Sinatra, a household name all over the planet, and own a casino in Vegas and stuff like that. And I think Nas was really sticking to knowledge. I still think the biggest point about hip-hop is in there somewhere, what happens to those two artists. [SOURCE 1] [SOURCE 2]
After reading the entire interview you can’t help but admire her more and more because the thing with her is not about being comfortable, it’s all about awareness. Being uncomfortable is what ticks most people off. Also, sure, Kanye West is as great as she says he is, we always agree on that but there just comes a time when a person should know when to keep their mouth closed. Then again, that would be comfortable. You can read the entire interview HERE and view the gallery after.
Whilst Ciara tells us how much he loves the way she “Rides” it on the music front, she’s taking on job deux as a high fashion model for the pages of Vogue Paris in the June/July issue. The sexy and toned singer was shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott in a somewhat sexual pictorial entitled Coup De Foudre.
Ciara looks very much like a model in these photos but as good as they are we’re still more focused on her music. Take the volume of appeal in those Vogue photos and put it in her music and her album will be just as great as it should be. View the photos after…
Madonna is the main feature in the May 2010 issue of the über alternative Interview Magazine. The pictorial shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott displays Madonna at her best and is hands down her best photoshoot within the last few years. The shoot is provocative, sexy, powerful and every other empowering quality that makes Madonna who she is. Read the cover feature here. View the complete gallery as well as a behind-the-scenes video after…
When we recently saw the image above, loads of things came to mind with one of them being the jokes we could get off it. So in dedication to the image above we present you…
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is about to be 3 decades old this year and is still going strong in an industry where youth is preferred. Bündchen is a rarity, she is one of the handful of women in one of the industries of glitz and glamor that just gets better with age. In the latest issue of Korean Vogue, Bündchen looks as good or better than any 20-25 year old. Unless the super decides to leave the industry we’ll have at least another 10 years of the Brazilian bombshell. View the gallery after…
