A year after infamously interrupting Taylor Swift on stage, Kanye West is set to return to the MTV Video Music Awards, UsMagazine.com has learned. A source tells Us West, 33, is performing on the show, airing Sept. 12. (A rep for the rapper and MTV had no comment.)
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Kanye West To Perform At 2010 MTV VMAs
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010COST EXCLUSIVE: The Return Of Kanye West
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Kanye West has slowly been making his way back to the MC we all know; the MC who is his own biggest fan. It was nearly a year ago that Kanye became sort of a pariah in the world of pop culture. After interrupting country superstar Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Awards, during her acceptance speech for her win for Best Female Video, Kanye was literally dismembered by his peers and the media alike. He was even called a jackass, albeit off the record, by President Obama. Since that time, Kanye has stayed relatively quiet–most likely reflecting on the latter part of his musical career and how he plans to shape his legacy.
It’s as if ‘Ye has been a different person since he lost his mom, Dr. Donda West, in 2007. The lost of his mentor, best friend and biggest supporter deeply affected him, as it would anyone. His emotionally-drenched album, “808s and Heartbreak,” and the outburst at the 2009 MTV awards seem to be part of the never-ending grieving process that Kanye continues to go through.
After performing his new single, “Power,” on the 2010 BET Awards, the resurfacing of Kanye has everyone abuzz. He’s been debuting songs from his new album, “Good Ass Job,” in special showcases; for the offices of Twitter, Facebook and Rolling Stone. He even created an account on Twitter, and gained 200,000 followers on his first day. This new album looks to put Kanye back in rare form as the ego-driven musical genius who puts out classic after classic–at least to his own ears. And through his music, the spirit of the special bond he shared with his mother will live on forever. So, God Willing, when February rolls around, let’s hope that Kanye is leaving the Grammy’s with a Michael Jackson-type handful of trophies. We don’t want any more acceptance speech interruptions.
December COVER COST: Juelz Santana Is Built For Greatness
Friday, December 18th, 2009
It seems like an entire era has passed since we first laid our eardrums on the uptown resonance of LaRon James. Better known as Juelz Santana to his loyal Dipset followers, the Harlem-bred MC has been somewhat of a child star, beginning his career in a rap duo named Draft Pick in the late nineties at the age of 15. After catching the attention of another Harlem heavyweight by the name of Cameron Giles, Santana made his mark on Cam’Ron’s 2000 release, “Sports, Drugs and Entertainment” (S.D.E.). Since then, it has been nothing but full throttle hustle for the 25-year-old. After scoring a Grammy nomination for his collaboration with Cam on the 2002 smash hit, “Oh Boy,” Santana was brought into the fold of The Diplomats–a New York City hip-hop movement founded by Cam’Ron and two of his longtime friends, Jim Jones and Freaky Zekey.
Making his mark in a crew that brought numerous trends (pink-hued clothing) and phrases into the hip-hop lexicon (no homo), these days bring a new direction in the career of Juelz Santana. The MC and new-found record executive is readying the release of his third studio album, “Born to Lose, Built to Win,” on Def Jam Records. This will be the first release for Santana after inking a 50/50 venture with the label after his former mentor Cam’Ron sold his contract to Def Jam for $2 Million. But through all of the tumult that has surrounded the dissolve of The Diplomats and the relationship between its members, Santana maintains a positive outlook and even says that the Dipset movement is still alive and well.
And that should be good news to the movement’s truest fans, as they are holding on to the hopes of hearing one last album from the hip-hop collective. But until that day comes, Juelz Santana’s main focus is pushing his new label, Skull Gang Records, toward the forefront of the future of hip-hop. The new single from his album, “Back to the Crib”–which features Chris Brown–has been heating up radio as the album gets its finishing touches for a 2010 release. As droves of people will be ringing in the New Year staring intently at the Time Square crystal ball or partying the night away, Santana just might be pulling an all-nighter in the studio–gearing up for another win.
