'They might've come to see Dirty Money but you're going to leave thinking about me,' singer says.
By Vaughn Schoonmaker
Lloyd was in New York recently as the opening act for Diddy-Dirty Money's Coming Home Tour. He sat down with MTV News to discuss his upcoming album, his first concert and what it's like to open for one of hip-hop's biggest and baddest names.
Atlanta-based R&B singer Lloyd recalled how he became Diddy's opening act after encountering Diddy on a trip to Los Angeles. "Me, Polow Da Don and the whole Zone 4 crew went to UCLA for our daily routine working out, and one day Diddy came to work out with us. I remember Diddy actually talking to me while I was in the middle of some exercises and I wouldn't look at him. He would just say, 'Come on, man! Smile, man! Be happy!' And I was just like, 'I don't want to smile. I just want to focus.' "
While many would have basked in the opportunity to converse with one of hip-hop's greatest living legends, Lloyd simply wanted to finish his grueling workout. Diddy seemed to take something from that conversation.
"I think that he just admired something about seeing how driven I was at the time," Lloyd recounted. "I think he could relate to and respect that."
The 25-year-old singer entered the mainstream music scene when he signed to the Inc. Records back in 2004, in the days when he was closely associated with co-founder Ja Rule and labelmate Ashanti. He parted ways with the Inc. in 2009 and has since landed himself a new deal with Interscope. He recalls that his path to success came with a lot of hard work and sacrifice.
"I sacrificed a lot of my childhood for music," he said, showing no signs of regret, only pride. "I signed my first record deal when I was 10."
Lloyd excitedly shared a coincidental fact about an inspiring moment. "My very first concert was a Diddy show in Atlanta," he said, smiling. "Puff came out and he just rocked it, man. I had never experienced anything like that."
Now Lloyd performs on the same stage as the star he admired so much as a kid. "Diddy's one of the first people to take hip-hop to a popular music standpoint," Lloyd noted. "He's the godfather of hip-hop!"
Lloyd is humbled by his current circumstances. "I really enjoy being an opening act because I look at it as an opportunity to earn new fans," he said.
Old fans and new fans alike can look forward to his upcoming fourth album, King of Hearts, hitting stores in June. "It's going to be my best work to date," he promised, hinting about some "real cool surprise collaborations."
"I heard a rumor that I was doing a song with Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne," Lloyd teased.
Lloyd expressed some high hopes for this tour when it comes to acquiring Diddy fans. "They might've come to see Dirty Money but you're going to leave thinking about me," he promised.
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'I connect with it very, very personally because my mother was a fireman,' he says of raising money for volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services.
By Matt Elias
It's not too often that a Grammy-winning song gets completely overhauled for a national campaign, but Cee Lo Green has done just that with "Forget You" — and it's all for a good cause.
The R&B crooner teamed up with Duracell's "Power of Those Who Protect Us" program to benefit the National Volunteer Fire Council, a nonprofit group representing the interests of volunteer fire, EMS and rescue services. The new tune, renamed "Thank You," is available for free download via Duracell's Facebook page.
Not only is Cee Lo hoping to raise awareness for America's volunteer firefighters, but it's a cause that hits close to home.
"It's a very noble cause, and I connect with it very, very personally because my mother was a fireman as well — one of the first black female firemen in Atlanta, Georgia, so quite a historic accomplishment," Green said.
Of course The Lady Killer was tasked with cleaning up his decidedly dirty lyrics from the original song for this tribute. The new chorus begins: "For a lifetime of service in the name of love, we wanna thank you/ I could say it a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough, we wanna thank you for everything you do."
Green, who is currently a coach on NBC's "The Voice," said this campaign capitalizes on the current success of "Forget You."
"It's definitely at the height of a popularity, you know, just kind of unparalleled, and so it's a convenient means of kind of making use of it and using that same spotlight to acknowledge and expose what a great humanitarian cause this is," he told MTV News. "For so many people, citizens to volunteer themselves — so this is voluntary action. It's not by force, it's not by draft. This is heart and soul, and we appreciate that."
What do you think of Cee Lo's "Thank You"? Let us know in the comments!
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Singer also hopes her choreographers create the 'most outrageous things.'
By James Dinh
Britney Spears is known for delivering an over-the-top stage show, and she promises that her forthcoming Femme Fatale Tour alongside Nicki Minaj will be no different.
In a new video interview posted on her website, the pop princess opens up about her 26-date summer venture, which is set to kick off June 16 in Sacramento and make its way across North America, before concluding August 13 in Toronto.
"The Femme Fatale Tour will hopefully just be outrageously spectacular," Spears said when asked about the trek. "I'm just hoping that the choreographers will come up with just the most outrageous things, and I'm really excited."
While it's been just over a month since the release of Femme Fatale, Brit gushed about the outing, saying, "This is one of the most excited I've been about a project in a really long time, so I can't wait."
While a set list has yet to surface, it would make sense that some of Spears' personal favorite Femme Fatale cuts will be performed throughout her concert, which she revealed as "He About to Lose Me," "Criminal" and "Till the World Ends."
Fans caught an early glimpse at the forthcoming tour last week when video footage of the pop star rehearsing the Bloodshy & Avant-produced "How I Roll" surfaced online. Wearing a baby-blue sports bra and sweatpants, a smiling Spears showed off some playful dance moves surrounded by a group of dancers.
Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, told MTV News back in March that the tour is expected to have a postapocalyptic theme in tune with her latest single, "Till the World Ends." "This is exactly the direction we're moving in," he said. " 'Till the World Ends' keeps becoming a theme for us. ... The way we come up with a concept for a show like this is we sit with Britney, she talks to us about what she's interested in and what excites her."
Have you purchased tickets to Spears' tour yet? Let us know in the comments!
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Music-video director Wayne Isham will join Most Innovative Video debate, which streams live Monday on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com.
By MTV News Staff
Ke$ha
Photo: Noel Vasquez/ Getty Images
Ever since they were first announced, the O Music Awards have proudly proclaimed themselves the untraditional alternative to the staid world of red carpets, acceptance speeches and celebrity glad-handing.
And for further proof of that point, consider the following: Though the inaugural O Music Awards won't premiere until April 28, the first award will be handed out on Monday at 4 p.m. ET ... and it's a big one.
For weeks, fans have been voting for the Most Innovative Music Video through the O Music Awards official site, and on Monday — in a roundtable debate moderated by MTV News' James Montgomery — a winner will be crowned.
The O Music Awards Debate for the Most Innovative Music Video, presented by FUZE®, will stream live on OMusicAwards.com and MTV.com. Joining Montgomery around the table will be acclaimed video director Wayne Isham, Mashable's Brenna Ehrlich and some super-secret celebrity guests.
The Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha, My Chemical Romance and more will also take part in the discussion about just what makes a video truly innovative, and the folks who are nominated for the award — a list that includes Arcade Fire, Robyn, OK Go and Andy Grammer — will also Skype in to make the case for why their video deserves to be named Most Innovative.
On Monday morning, the original list of 10 nominees will be whittled down to the top five vote-getters, and then, during the debate, our roundtable and the Internet audience will cut that list down to the final three. At the very end, we'll announce the winner of the very first O Music Award for Most Innovative Video.
The inaugural O Music Awards will stream live from Las Vegas at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on OMusicAwards.com. Tune in to see who will reign supreme in categories like Most Viral Dance, Funniest Music Short and NSFW Music Video!
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