Ice Cube: 'Boyz N The Hood' Still 'As Potent' 20 Years Later

'We felt like we was teaching America about a part of itself that they don't see,' Cube tells 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum


Ice Cube
Photo: MTV News

"Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the 'hood."

In that line lays the crux of John Singleton's 1991 film "Boyz N the Hood." Delivered by Ice Cube's character, Doughboy, those words ring as true today, 20 years later, as they did when the film first hit theaters. Released on July 12 of that year, "Boyz N the Hood" was a gritty, cinematic depiction of the lives of three young African-American men growing up in inner-city Los Angeles. On Wednesday's (July 13) "RapFix Live," Ice Cube broke down the cultural significance of the film that launched his acting career.

"When we first did the movie 'Boyz N the Hood,' we felt like we was teaching America about a part of itself that they don't see," he explained. "We was teaching you about people like Doughboy and why he is the way he is."

But while Cube's Doughboy was an unapologetic gangster who couldn't see a way out of the 'hood and the gang culture that consumed him, his half-brother Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) used football as a means to earn a college scholarship that might ultimately take him out of the ghetto. Their friend Tre, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., struggled to balance the life lessons that his father (Laurence Fishburne) passed onto him with the reality of the streets. And for Cube, the circumstances addressed in the movie still ring true after two decades.

"The movie holds up. The movie had been used as a tool to teach people about the 'hood that they may not know about," he said. "I think the movie is a definite classic, it definitely holds up, it's definitely as potent today as it was back then. The message is definitely as clear today and needed as it was back then."

Share your favorite scenes from "Boyz N the Hood" in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667236/ice-cube-boyz-n-the-hood.jhtml

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Michael Jackson Doctor's Trial Delayed

Judge pushes start of Conrad Murray's trial back to May.
By Gil Kaufman


Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Though Conrad Murray's lawyers had been pressing for a speedy trial, a judge in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's doctor ruled on Wednesday to delay opening statements in the proceedings until May.

The Associated Press reported that Murray's attorneys consented to the postponement after they discussed the matter with prosecutors and both agreed they could be ready for trial by May 9.

According to a transcript from the closed-door session, though opening statements will not begin for several months, Murray told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor that he did not want to forfeit his right to a quick trial, but agreed to the delay if screening of prospective jurors begins as scheduled on March 24.

"It is only acceptable to me if this is not strung along over a long period of time," Murray told the justice. "I don't want to lose my constitutional right to speedy trial." Murray — who has pleaded not guilty to the charges — reportedly has been in favor of having the proceedings begin as soon as possible because he is facing financial troubles, but he said he understands that the delay is necessary to allow both sides to prepare for the trial.

Pastor consented because he said he didn't want to lose a jury pool, and believed a month-long delay might let potential jurors shuffle their schedules for the case, which could take up to two months to decide. The judge has reportedly clashed with Murray's defense team in recent weeks, pressing them for answers about why they had not turned over more witness notes and other potential evidence to prosecutors in the run-up to the trial.

Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician while the King of Pop prepared for his planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided the then-50-year-old Jackson with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.

Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died, that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing and that, if the anesthetic was to blame, the pop superstar may have given himself the fatal dose by drinking the drug in a panic.

A status hearing in the case has been set for this Wednesday.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659100/conrad-murray-trial.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Rebounds From Fan Run-In At Fragrance Launch

Overzealous NYC admirer jumped a barricade and knocked down the Biebs, but teen sensation recovered and got right back to fans.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORKJustin Bieber took over Herald Square in Manhattan on Thursday (June 23) as he greeted fans at a Macy's event for his women's fragrance, Someday. A legion of dedicated Beliebers lined up outside and gathered at the famed department store hoping to catch even a glimpse of the star.

When MTV News caught up with the Biebs, he told us how much he appreciated his fans' overwhelming enthusiasm.

"My fans are crazy. They wait out in the rain and anything, so they're crazy, they're awesome!" he said. "I just think that what we decided to do — making the fragrance for females, not getting a cologne for males — I said it before and I'll say it again, I'm more concerned about how girls smell 'cause I'm a guy and I know what smells good and I know what I like so girls should know, if [I like] it, then other guys are going to like it."

But some fans may have been too enthusiastic. While some fans (and press) were allowed to wait inside Macy's, many were still standing outside, and according to reports, Bieber was knocked down by a man who jumped the barrier. [Editor's note: ABC News has since reported that the man was not a fan but a plainclothes police officer who the NYPD say was trying to help the singer.] Bieber wasn't hurt, though ABC said that he seemed "shaken" before he went right back to work and greeted more fans inside.

Once inside the store, Bieber seemed relaxed, sharing with us the nuances of designing a perfume for his fans. "I think cologne and perfume are different. Cologne is more kind of a body-wash-type smell and [perfume] is kind of flowery, fruity," he said, adding that mentor Usher, who has his own cologne brand, "didn't really give me any advice.

"There was a long process 'cause they brought it out on the road and stuff," he added of the fragrance, whose proceeds will go to charity. "I picked out the bottle and designed everything."

So what kind of cologne does Bieber use? "A bunch of different stuff; I switch it up all the time," he said.

Will you bag a bottle of Someday? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666360/justin-bieber-someday-perfume.jhtml

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Evanescence's 'The Other Side': Hear A Preview!

MTV News previews a second song from band's hotly anticipated new album.
By James Montgomery


Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: MTV News

Last week, Evanescence invited MTV News down to Nashville to talk about their much-anticipated new album and play us a handful of tracks from the disc, which hits stores October 11.

On Monday, we gave you an exclusive preview of "What You Want," the album's roaring first single. Now, we're about to pull the curtain back on another song, "The Other Side," a booming track that gives credence to frontwoman Amy Lee's claim that Ev's new effort is "the heaviest record" they've ever made.

A thunderous mix of double-bass drums, churning, chunky guitars and, of course, Lee's ethereal, widescreen vocals, "The Other Side" is the kind of song that starts big and only gets bigger, culminating in a chorus that's powerful enough to be measured in megatons. Like "What You Want," it's an aggressive track, but, as Lee pointed out, it may also be the best example of what she'd previously described as "fun." There's an elastic groove to the playing, a looseness that only comes from a band letting it all hang out.

"There's this element, this thing that we're doing that I can't really describe. We're just going to have to release the record and create an adjective [for it]," she laughed. "It's just ... 'musicianship.' We're enjoying playing, and the way that I'm singing, the way that I'm writing my vocals, it's not about the most dramatic expression of pain, it's like, 'I'm singing this because it feels really good to sing the melody that way.' And I think that song has both. It's beautiful and epic, but at the same time it's got that rocking vibe."

And in keeping with the overall theme of the album, "The Other Side" is very much a band song (there's a reason they're calling the new album simply Evanescence), the result of Lee working — and reworking — the track with her bandmates and producer Nick Raskulinecz. And while that process makes the song a definite departure for Evanescence, its subject matter — namely, death — is something Lee has been dealing with for years. Though, as is the case with pretty much everything on the new album, for the first time, she's tackling it in a different way.

"I wrote it with the guys. It was real collaborative. That was a hard one for me to write the lyrics for, because I had the chorus — it's very epic and dramatic; 'Counting the days to meet you on the other side' — but then, the verses, again, that element of fun is coming back in, you know, the band, it's grooving," Lee explained. "So I'm like, 'How do I sing about death in a way that's sort of bitchy?' Like, it's not really possible ... it's hard to explain. But it's harder than it sounds."

What do you think of "The Other Side"? Share your reviews in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667172/evanescence-the-other-side-album-preview.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Doing NKOTB? Jim Jonsin Reveals Ideas

Producer says he would like to help Biebs channel New Kids on the Block, New Edition and Kelly Rowland.
By Rob Markman


Justin Bieber
Photo: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images

Multi-platinum producer Jim Jonsin has some interesting plans for when he gets in the studio with Justin Bieber. No, he won't be coupling the teen-pop sensation with B.o.B, but rather he will try to capture the vibe of NKOTB.

"For Bieber, I think I want to reach back to New Edition, those days," Jonsin initially said before referencing another 1980s Boston-bred boy band. "I want to try to do something like that — 'Please Don't Go Girl,' New Kids on the Block — because the girls would go crazy. Maybe not that song, but something that feels like that: little bit of soul, R&B, but pop as well."

While the track pre-dates the 17-year-old Bieber by about four years, "Please Don't Go Girl" was the first single from NKOTB's sophomore album, Hangin' Tough, and ultimately put the group on the map. The ballad, which featured Joey McIntyre as the lead vocalist, drew comparisons to New Edition's 1983 single, "Is This the End" — not surprising considering both acts were founded and produced by Maurice Starr.

It isn't all about the '80s however: Jonsin also would like to produce something more modern for JB as well, using Kelly Rowland as a reference. "And then I'd love to put him on something like that 'Motivation' type of track," he said of the hit Rowland single he helped create. "Just a hard beat that he could sing something super slick [on]."

Jonsin admits that, at first, he didn't know what to make of Justin, but thanks to the Biebs' "Never Say Never" film, the hitmaker has a newfound respect for the young star. "When I watched the movie with my 8-year-old daughter, I was floored and inspired at who he was as a person. He's a good kid, he's a philanthropist, he's a good role model," Jonsin said. "I have a newfound respect for the young man, and I'm honored to work with him."

Who would you like to hear Justin Bieber channel on his next album? Share your ideas below!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666717/justin-bieber-new-kids-on-the-block.jhtml

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Ke$ha, Adam Lambert, Ne-Yo Have A Few Royal Wedding Gift Ideas

From 'guyliner' to American delicacies like Uncrustables, Kathy Griffin, Mike Posner and more tell us what they'd get Will and Kate.
By Terri Schwartz


Kate Middleton and Prince William
Photo: Ben Stansall/ Getty Images

What kind of wedding gift do you give the royal couple who has everything?

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is on Friday (April 29), so MTV News reached out to some of our favorite Hollywood celebrities — from Ke$ha to Adam Lambert. Fortunately, they had some solid ideas!

"I haven't met them, so it would be kind of awkward," the "Tik Tok" singer admitted to MTV News. "I might paint them something. Maybe I'll paint them a guitar."

Like Ke$ha, other celebs had suggestions that were from the heart, even if they weren't the most practical.

"I will go out on a limb and say these two individuals maybe haven't had Uncrustables before in their life. I would get them a strawberry Uncrustable," Mike Posner said about the pastry.

David Cook followed up on the all-American food idea. "I feel like they have everything except maybe they probably don't have an Applebee's gift card. I'll go [with an] Applebee's gift card," the "American Idol" alum said.

Other stars said they'd gift the British prince and soon-to-be-princess with an item they were personally best known for.

"I'd probably buy William some eyeliner," Lambert said. "He could do that, he could rock that look. I think."

Ne-Yo was more empathetic, saying he would give gifts that could help shield them from photographers and blend in with everyday people. "Three years' supply of sunglasses. Yeah, put them on. A bunch of baseball caps, throw those on, and try to move around like regular people," the singer said. "I can't imagine what it would be like having to live under that big of a magnifying glass your whole life ... and fake mustaches, that's what I'd give them."

Brooke Burke went the more traditional route, saying she would get Will and Kate a journal to record the big event. "I would ask them to really take the time to write down thoughts and phrases and wishes," Burke said. "And not really to lose sight of how they feel about each other now and to really hold on to that feeling."

Kathy Griffin had good intentions but the comedian couldn't resist a puke joke.

"If I had to get the royal couple a gift, I would get them the Royal Couple Vomit Bag, which someone sent me a photo of," Griffin told us. "So you can actually buy vomit bags with their image on it, and I think that that is an honor and I hope that they see it as such."

What would you give to William and Kate? Share your ideas in the comments section!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662928/royal-wedding-gift-ideas.jhtml

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