Meek Mill tweeted that picture above of him and Nas working in the studio about a week ago. Well last night during Elliott Wilson’s show on EVR, Meek Mill called up and confirmed that Nas will be on his album. He also gives up the title of the track. Listen to the interview after the break.

RR

T.I. is making the radio rounds in NYC and after stopping to talk to Angie Martinez at Hot 97, Tip made his way over to Power 105.1 this morning to see Envy, Angela and Charlamagne. He talked about his TV show “Family Hustle”, B.o.B.’s new album “Strange Clouds” and whether he plans on retiring anytime soon.

Curtis & DJ Drama stopped by the Hot 97 offices last night to chat with Funk Flex. 50 spoke on the rumors that him and Lloyd Banks had a falling out, how his Street King campaign is going his SMS headphones vs. Dr. Dre’s Beats. The Lost Tape drops this Tuesday.

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Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

MTV goes behind the scenes at the shoot for Slaughterhouse’s latest effort, “My Life”, which features Goodie Mob’s Cee-Lo Green. Welcome to: Our House is set to be released June 12th.

Porgy and Bess actress (who plays Mariah), Natasha Yvette Williams stops by Ms. Drama’s show for an exclusive interview on her music, her work on Porgy and Bess and her insight on dealing with the music industry. 

Natasha is psalmist, songwriter, and actress whose spiritual connection, versatility and musical style make her an undeniable force within the entertainment community.

Full interview below:

00:00 Ms Drama Intro
01:52 Twisted – NaTasha Yvette Williams
05:40 Dominion – NaTasha Yvette Williams
09:19 Ms Drama & NaTasha Yvette Williams
27:31 Once Again – NaTasha Yvette Williams
31:21 Speak Low – NaTasha Yvette Williams
34:28 Ms Drama & NaTasha Yvette Williams
50:03 Straighten Up And Fly Right – NaTasha Yvette Williams
51:46 Ms Drama & NaTasha Yvette Williams
66:31 Finish

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More on NaTasha Yvette Williams:

NaTasha Yvette Williams began singing at age three in the Tiny-tot choir at her home church Shiloh United Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Even then everyone could see God’s hand upon her.. At the tender age of five she decided she would be a singer and a doctor. She wanted to heal people with her voice and her hands. Today God is allowing her to do just that….Touching people’s lives by singing her heart out before churches, theatrical audiences and conferences.

Currently NaTasha can be found Performing as Mariah in PORGY & BESS. NaTasha’s knows this is a devine appointment and simply marvels at how God keeps doing great things.??One of the most recent Great things that he has done for NaTasha Yvette Williams was allowing her to win the first annual Kraft Foods New Voices of Gospel Talent Search held in New Orleans. Through this contest she has been featured in Essence Magazine several times. She won the grand prize of $25,000 and a coveted audition with Sony Music. “The day after I won I was thrilled to sing just before CeCe Winans at the convention Center during the Essence Music Festival. Two days after the contest still ministering I also sang between Tyreese and LLCOOLJ at the Superdome in New Orleans. It was truly a blessing, people who came to see one type of show got to hear about my Jesus.”

Prior to the contest NaTasha Yvette Williams toured the country in several theatrical plays. One of her favorites was playing the incomparable Mahalia Jackson in the Mahalia Story to audience around the nation. She has play Grace, the stepsister in the Broadway Series production of Cinderella, starring Eartha Kitt. Cities all across the country saw her share the stage with Cathy Rigby in Suessical the Musical. She has played leading roles and given musical performance in such productions as The Goodbye Girl, Ain’t Misbehavin, Joseph and Technicolor Dreamcoat, Little Shop of Horrors, Godspell, Boesman and Lena. Her television and movie credits include several appearances on One Life to Live, Studio 54, and Trippin.

She graduated from North Carolina A&T State University. She majored in Math and Theater Arts and after graduating magna cum laude, she continued her studies in acting and completed her Masters of Fine arts at Michigan State University.

NaTasha Yvette Williams is truly a woman of artistic brilliance whose relationship with God has gifted her with the beautiful combination of sound theater education, strong music and drama experience, sensational stage presence and a delightful personality which lifts her to a level of performing excellence that always gets noticed. “More than anything please Know that I love God. I have a personal and abiding faith in Him. There is a call on all of us to praise Him. I must be found fulfilling my destined purpose. As long as He allows me I will bless Him with all that Have!!” NaTasha Yvette Williams shared.

Blessing His Name is what she has been busy doing. Her gospel music has taken her to Japan, Italy, Canada and the Virgin Islands. NaTasha Yvette Williams, who is the daughter of a United Church of Christ minister, has a four octave vocal range. Whether she is singing Gospel music, performing on the stage at the Apollo (4 time Winner), gracing the Broadway Stage, or anywhere in between she will be giving him honor and Praise.

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Two weeks ago Camilla Poindexter was thrown into the lion’s den, and reality television spotlight when she replaced troubled twins Gabi and Dani, who were jumped by their good-natured ratchet housemates on Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club.” If you’re not familiar with the show, just re-read the title; it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Dubbed “The Cali Cutthroat,” Poindexter  definitely lived up to her name. After a very chilly welcome from the majority of the roomies, to a naughty encounter gone terribly wrong with bestie-for-a-second, Amy; things finally came to a head, and the Cali Cutthroat had to regulate.

Since Poindexter’s departure from the house in Las Vegas she’s been making the rounds. The Cali Cutthroat has been in demand to host parties, make appearances, and hold autograph signing sessions. Poindexter isn’t sleeping on her overnight success; she’s taking acting classes, and plans to host and produce her own show sometime in the near future.

Luckily MSDTV got a hold of Ms. Camilla Pondexter before she sky rockets to stardom. We got the skinny on what it’s like to be a real bad girl. It turns out that while The Cali Cutthroat can throw down, she has a heart of gold.

MSDTV: How did you make you way to “Bad Girls Club”?

Camilla Poindexter: I auditioned for the New Orleans season and they didn’t end up picking me for the show. They said they’d use me as a replacement but they never called. Then I got a call in September 2011 saying, “hey do you want to come to “Bad Girls.” At that time I was doing other things in my life then I was like alright, it’s only two weeks.

Why do you believe the girls were so adamant to get you out of the house?

I didn’t know how the girls were until I was able to watch the show. I didn’t know what they were doing this to the girls before they got to the house. I was just trying to be myself but they were being standoffish, not trying to be my friend and not talking to me so I took it upon myself to be by myself.

What was your first night like in the house? We saw it all play out on television but please give us your rundown, not the edited version.

That night me and Christine met up at a little bar, and we had some drinks. Then we went to the house; we met the girls. The girls were being mean to Christine because of a comment she made. After that she was feeling like “oh my God, they don’t like me.” From the very beginning I was trying to get her to stay, telling her it was an experience and not to let the girls get to her. Once we got in the house they were looking at us like we were Boo-Boo the Fool. Then after that we went out. Partied. Came back in the house and she was okay [Christine]. The morning after was another thing.

How do you believe your nickname reflects on you, on the show?

I’m from California, and I took no shit from the girls so they called me Cutthroat.

Do you feel as if you’ve been living up to that name?

I’m not really a fighter or anything but when you are put in a situation like “Bad Girls Club,” and you have no TV, no phone and you are surrounded by girls who are stupid and just want to bitch all day; then you do certain things to people because they test you. People should not take kindness for weakness, that’s what I think.

With a lot of reality TV shows, after people leave they’ll say things like,  “producers egged us on,” or “producers said this, or that to us.” Does that happen on “Bad Girls?”

The show is produced, it is a reality show. It’s not scripted. They just put you in certain situations where you don’t like a certain girl but you’re in a room with them, and then a confrontation comes up. It’s just crazy. [There are] a lot of behind the scenes stuff, and a lot of things television viewers aren’t able to see, so it makes it juicy. So I guess that’s what makes it have ratings.

Is this your first try at stardom? Have you always wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to be in the industry. I did dance, I was in plays when I was younger. I just always knew I wanted to be in television and entertainment. I’m modelling. I want to act more; that’s what I’m getting into now. I feel thankful. I’m blessed.

What do you think about the portrayal of women; specifically women of color with regards to reality television?

I think some of it is negative, some of it is positive. In the reality world it’s just crazy. As a Black woman, even when I went on “Bad Girls,” I felt as if the girls didn’t give me a chance to let them know who I was. As far as being a Black woman they should have been open to being my friend, or just knowing me because of the struggles we have to go through every day. They were just so focused on being on television that they didn’t really go with reality. That’s why I was really hurt in the end; you guys didn’t try to befriend me, you guys just tried to attack me. I did what I had to do, and I defended myself. It can be really negative in the end but you can take it in a positive direction too by becoming a name; starting something for yourself; and branding yourself.

What are your thoughts on shows like “Basketball Wives,” where they’re on the show throwing fits, shoes, bottles of wine, and so on?

I used to like “Basketball Wives” a lot but now it seems as if there is no point in it. They’re just always arguing but people can say that about “Bad Girls.” I thought it’d be different on “Bad Girls” too. They ["Basketball Wives"] just fight a lot. What’s the purpose? It just seems like they go to dinner, have an argument, and that’s it.

People know what they’re getting when they watch “Bad Girls Club,” because it’s called “Bad Girls Club” whereas with “Basketball Wives” you figure these women are older; some of them have husbands; children and so on … that their demeanor would be a little different.

Right, all I can say is the reality world is crazy. You just have to take it for what it’s worth. Actually, I kind of stumbled upon being in a situation I didn’t really know I was going to get into when I went on the “Bad Girls Club.” I thought I was going to party, drink, have fun, meet guys! It was totally different. I was like, “wow!”

Looking back, would you do it all over again?

I would do it all over again if it was not as violent. These days people are killing people. Children are watching what’s on television, and doing what they see. When you’re younger you need to see positive things, and I think the “Bad Girls Club” should try to transition their show into something more positive as far as not fighting so much. Make it more of being bad girls; having fun; going out. If you’re going to start something don’t fight amongst the house.

Who do you think is the baddest girl in reality TV history?

I would say me. I’m not really bad but I think I am definitely the baddest girl. I came to the house, and I was strong. I stayed by myself. I was in the house for two weeks by myself. No one was speaking to me and I held my own.

I mean in reality TV history ever, not just in the house.

There are so many of them. The one I like the most is Snooki but I don’t think she’s bad.

She’s gotten into some scraps here and there; she’s got a bad attitude and some bad girl swag.

Right, right.

Being the baddest chick doesn’t mean you are the one throwing the punches. You can just have that attitude or, that swagger.

Yeah, I’ll give it to Snooki. I like her. I’ll give it to Tami [Roman], too. She says what she wants.

You’ve been getting requests to do parties, signings and so on, but where do you see yourself after “Bad Girls Club?”

I see myself on the big screen, working on television, hosting and maybe producing my own show. My ultimate goal is to be [in] entertainment, and to give back. My mother had lupus, and my grandfather died of cancer. I want to start a foundation so I can give back to people that are going through the same thing I went through with my mother, and grandfather.

Can you tell us more about the work you do with kids in Compton? Is it with a specific organization?

It’s a school. My god-sister helped me get into it. She works with a non-profit organization. I’ve only been there for a couple of weeks, and we help them with their homework. We talk to them because they have no sense of direction; their parents are on drugs; or don’t care about them. They are not attentive to them. We go and help them out; make them feel loved. Make them feel like they’re worth something.

What do you prefer; being a bad girl role model, or good girl role model?

I really defended myself. I can say that I was a victim because they were attacking me. I just want people to stand up for themselves, and I guess I am the bad girl that helped out, and I think that’s great. I don’t want to be know as the girl that went around fighting people because that’s totally not how I am. I’m such a sweet girl. Everybody that knows me personally knows exactly how I am. Everyone loves me. I’m loveable.

Stay tuned for more entertainment news from MSDTV.

Photo via NBC

Producer/emcee Kwame stops by Ms. Drama’s show for an exclusive interview to talk about his music, his new label, his sneaker obsession, working with Lauriana Mae and Wiz Khalifa jacking his style.

Catch the full interview after the break. 

00:00 Ms Drama Intro
01:53 My Girl’s Got A Girlfriend – Ray Lavender
05:31 Tequila – Ray Lavender
08:23 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
20:33 We Love – Ray Lavender
23:48 Strip – Ray Lavender
26:30 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
40:29 Worth It – Ray Lavender
44:14 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
64:48 Finish
ONLINE AND AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY – 7 DAYS A WEEK!
DIRECT LINK: CLICK —> HERE

CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO HEAR THE FULL SHOW.

THE UNFORTUNATE THING ABOUT RAP TODAY IS THAT IT’S VERY COOKIE CUTTER. EVERYBODY HAS TO ONE UP EACH OTHER WITH SAME THING… THEIR IS NO INDIVIDUAL STYLE. THAT IS SO CORNY TO ME.

 WHEN I WAS A KID RAPPERS WERE INDIVIDUALS. NOW IT’S ABOUT WHAT CLICK YOU’RE WITH NOT ABOUT BEING INDIVIDUAL.

THE FEW RAPPERS THAT I APPRECIATE ARE INDIVIDUALS. LIKE ANDRE 3000, KANYE WEST, JAY-Z… THERE ARE A FEW RAPPERS THAT MAY RISE TO THAT RANK, BUT HAVEN’T DONE IT YET.

IT’S FUNNY WHERE A WIZ KHALIFA WOULD HAVE TAKEN MY HAIRSTYLE, BUT A YOUNG KID THINKS IT’S A WIZ KHALIFA THING. IT’S NOT LIKE WIZ KHALIFA SAID THAT HE STARTED IT, BUT THE FACT THAT HE HAD ENOUGH SWAG TO PULL IT OFFAND OTHER KIDS WANT TO FOLLOW HIM NOT KNOWING THEY WERE FOLLOWING HIM FOLLOWING ME, I THINK IS COOL.

LIKE IT? LOVE IT? TELL US HOW YOU FEEL AND LEAVE A COMMENT! PLUS DOWNLOAD FULL SHOW FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE!

Kwame

As a child, Kwamè was inspired by Stevie Wonder, Lionel Hampton, and Abdullah Ibrahim, who were family friends.

He was 16 when he released his debut album Kwamé the Boy Genius featuring A New Beginning in 1989, which was produced by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor. A New Beginning was his backing band and Kwamé was one of the rare emcees at the time to use a live band. The album spawned the singles “The Man We All Know and Love” and “The Rhythm.” The accompanying music videos featured a polka-dot motif in the costumes and production design. This was to become Kwamé’s trademark and started a hip hop fashion trend as fans began wearing polka-dotted clothing. In 1990, his second album A Day in the Life: A Pokadelick Adventure was released. It was a concept album about a day in the life of a high school student. The album spawned the hit singles “Oneovdabigboiz” and “Ownlee Eue. “Holland is a cousin of Vin Diesel, who danced in some of his early music videos.

in 2002, Kwamé reemerged as a music producer nicknamed “K-1 Million.” He worked for many artists such as LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige and Dru Hill. In 2004, he had a major success as the co-producer (with Eminem) of Lloyd Banks’ smash hit song “On Fire”. In 2005, he had even more success with Will Smith’s single “Switch”. He continues to work steadily as a producer and has since returned to using his real name.

New R&B/Hip Hop singer Jamie Jones started a form of introduction to Kwamé’s production by whispering “Shhh, Kwamé did it,” which can be heard on Fantasia’s song “Not the Way That I Do” from her self-titled second album, Raven-Symone’s fourth studio album, Jesse McCartney “Makeup” from his album Departure, and recently, Skillz with “Sick,” from his album The Million Dollar Backpack.

Kwamé has scored scenes for the film Step Up, as well as Step Up 2 the Streets, Dancing in September, and Stomp the Yard. The song “Let’s Go,” featured on Step Up 2, is unavailable on the internet, despite the thorough searching of many fans.

To date, he has produced and contributed to records selling over 30 million copies.

Kwamé holds music workshops for children and has worked with various youth organizations, including his wife Tamekia Flowers Holland’s non profit Hip Hop 4 life.

In 2008, Kwamé launched his independent record label Make Noise!!!! featuring Rockaway Queens NY rapper Beyond Belief and NY/LA/MIA based Female rap duo Nola Darling.

Currently Kwame is still touring and scoring music on Vin Deisels’s episodic directorial Debut “The Ropes” Produced by FOX and is Crafting the “sound” for Atlantic Recording artist Lauriana Mae. Both set to release mid 2012.

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Ray Lavender stops by Ms. Drama show for an exclusive interview on his music, his upcoming acting projects – and why he’s focused on making this effort his best.

An in depth interview with Ray Lavender that you don’t want to miss.

00:00 Ms Drama Intro
01:53 My Girl’s Got A Girlfriend – Ray Lavender
05:31 Tequila – Ray Lavender
08:23 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
20:33 We Love – Ray Lavender
23:48 Strip – Ray Lavender
26:30 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
40:29 Worth It – Ray Lavender
44:14 Ms Drama & Ray Lavender
64:48 Finish

ONLINE AND AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY – 7 DAYS A WEEK!
DIRECT LINK: CLICK —> HERE
CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO HEAR THE FULL SHOW.
LIKE IT? LOVE IT? TELL US HOW YOU FEEL AND LEAVE A COMMENT! PLUS DOWNLOAD FULL SHOW FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE!

More on Ray Lavender:

Over the years, Atlanta has introduced its fair share of music superstars to the world, and with the introduction of Singer/Songwriter/Actor/Model, Ray Lavender, that tradition will undoubtedly continue.

Coming to Atlanta by way of Monroe, Louisiana, Ray Lavender is poised to become one of music’s brightest stars. He offers a sensual yet charismatic brand of music that simultaneously is coupled with mass universal appeal. Growing up, Ray admired a wide array of artists from Sam Cooke to Prince; but it was R. Kelly who truly inspired Ray to pursue his passion. “When I met him he urged me to continue to write as well as sing and become an overall hard working musician,” says Ray. This work ethic is engrained in Ray, as he is still equally passionate about songwriting as he is about singing.

Even though his musical peers serve as major motivators, it is from his life that Ray Lavender draws his greatest inspirations. Coming from a large family of music lovers, Ray was destined for the stage, but it was the untimely loss of his father that motivated him to make a difference; not only for himself, but for his family.

His career jumped off while at a studio in Atlanta when a music executive overheard sweet harmonies from a group called Collabo and was particularly blown away by the lead singer, Ray Lavender. They formed a relationship that prompted Ray to begin recording as a solo artist, and it was then that the music industry would begin to take notice.

Ray Lavender’s tireless pursuit of success gained him the respect of the industry’s top producers including Jazze Pha, Dallas Austin, Teddy Riley and Tricky Stewart. He soon began writing gigs and received an early placement with the song, “Knock, Knock, Knock,” for R&B great Gerald Levert’s A Stroke of Genius album. After this he knew it was time to get serious and begin working on his own project and reached out to multi- platinum-selling superstar Singer/Songwriter/Producer Akon, who welcomed him with open arms. There was an instant chemistry between the two and, in 2007, Ray was immediately signed as the first act to Akon’s KonLive Records via Geffen Records.

Although his debut album was never released, Ray Lavender garnered radio and digital hit singles with “My Girl Gotta Girlfriend,” featuring Fabolous & Red Cafe’, “Put It Down,” featuring T-Pain, & “Stay” which was produced by Tank, collectively receiving millions of views online.

He went on to star and win the heart of Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth on Donald Trump’s “Ultimate Merger.” Ray states, “Winning over Omarosa only gave me more strength to continue my pursuit of music. They get no harder to impress than her and I plan to give my fans all of me, just as I did with her.”

Now, in 2012, Ray is setting up his official Fall debut with a series of singles, all written by Ray. The songs show his diverse range and versatility in music. The club popping single “Tequila,” just may be the party anthem of the year. The sweet and soaring “We Love,” reminds us that it doesn’t matter how rough it gets, love conquers all. And “Sexy Mutha,” well you know…. she’s a “Sexy Mutha.” This song is sure to make every chick get on the dance floor and prove she’s the best.

Ray Lavender promises to be a part of a short team of exceptional artist that delivers hot jams to the dance floor, as well as huge ballads for the masses.

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Ms. Drama caught up with Lelee and later SWV to talk about their new album, I Missed Us – and getting back on the scene. The ladies dish the dirt on what’s really missing in R & B. Full interview after the break. 

After their performance downtown, Lelee talk to Ms. Drama about the emotionally charged songs on the album – and how it affected her. She reveals that there are very little “real R& B artists” out – and how the authenticity is gone. The singer also touches on how the group still has their “feel good hood” appeal.

On the note of reality TV, Lelee explains that Music Reality TV shows today seem more of a curse than a blessing. And while she’s not necessarily a fan of that venture, she would be interested in doing a reality show herself.

Stay Tuned.