GEMINIIIII IN THIS BBBBBBBBB!!! This is “Shots” for birthday celebrations, more or less.
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When one of your biggest hit records talks about “taking a bottle to the head” – it’s natural to assume that your band is accustomed to partaking in alcoholic beverages before, after… heck, even during performances. But Lil Wayne’s “I Am Still Music” tour isn’t your typical hip hop show. Due to Wayne’s probation, no alcohol is allowed backstage.
The fellas from Far East Movement are finding ways to get by.
“We just drive far away, make sure we’re far away from the tour, and do what we gotta do,” said emcee and group spokesman-by-committee Kev Nish. “The atmosphere (on tour) has been real positive. All the artists bring it like crazy… I mean, you can’t even tell the difference.”
Kev, real name Kevin Nishimura, initially didn’t understand where I was going with my inquiry on the group’s drinking habits while on tour. Once he realized, he backtracked a little from the “before, after, during” talk.
“I was just kidding,” Nish joked. “Water is… the natural life choice drink.”
Speaking of choices, FM also chatted about a decision the group made before releasing the album Free Wired. Bruno Mars helped write and produce the hit single, “Rocketeer,” but at the time was not a known artist. When the demo version of the song leaked after Mars became a superstar, some questioned the need to grab OneRepublic front man Ryan Tedder for the hook in the first place. But Kev Nish revealed that it was a joint-decision between Far East Movement and Mars to enlist Tedder’s services.“We envisioned an alternative rock hook,” said Kev of the song. “We were listening to OneRepublic ‘Apologize,’ and thinking, ‘Let’s go with Ryan.’”
“Rocketeer” flew up the charts across the globe, cracking the Top 10 in a number of countries, including the U.S.
Just because Lil Jon is so drunk that he limits an interview at two questions, doesn’t mean he still can’t speak coherently about the success of his good friend and an artist that he brought into the mainstream, Pitbull.
“I believed in that dude from day one,” he said after his DJ set at Mohegan Sun’s Ultra 88 Nightclub in Uncasville, CT. “That’s why I f–ked with him, because he had a lot of talent. I saw potential that he could do something that nobody had ever done before.”
That “day one” that “The King of Crunk” referred to took place in Miami. Pitbull was once “Mr. 305” (a Miami area code). Now the rapper is the self-proclaimed “Mr. Worldwide,” and Jon doesn’t find that a stretch the least bit.
“He’s just killin’ it, like this new record he’s got with Ne-Yo (‘Give Me Everything’) is going to be a number one, worldwide smash,” the “Celebrity Apprentice” star predicted. “He’s amazing. I got a lot of respect for him because if you interview him, he’ll tell you he learned a lot from me, he learned a lot from (Dr.) Luke. To be a good artist, and a good entrepreneur and entertainer, you have to listen to other people and watch and learn. That’s what he did.”
“I’m in a dance world,” he admitted. “I DJ raves and sh-t all the time, so yeah I do a lot of different stuff.”
Heck, he even grants interviews after a night of DJ-ing and drinking. Unfortunately, he was serious about that whole two question thing.
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Nat from 3OH!3 explained on “The Ralphie Radio Show that “Hey” is a cut from Lil Jon’s forthcoming LP, and the version obtained by “The RRS” is missing Jon’s verses.
Did Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman need another reason to drink? Eh, probably not. But that doesn’t stop the band from turning March 3 in to an annual party day. Yes, the band 3OH!3 considers 3/03 its personal day of homage.
“You might as well create another drinking holiday for yourself,” Motte said on “The Ralphie Radio Show”, taking some time from the festivities to call in to “The RRS” on the band’s day of celebration. The group also planned a uStream chat with fans later. “There’s all those Hallmark holidays that they created, why can’t we make our own?”
Looking back on the band’s past 365 days, there’s a lot they can drink to. “Don’t Trust Me” hit the top of the radio charts over the summer – as Motte and Foreman toured the country headlining the Vans Warped Tour. Just a year prior, they played the festival in near-obscurity, covered in the shadows of other bands who were receiving mainstream radio love: We The Kings, Gym Class Heroes, and Katy Perry. 3OH!3 befriended the latter artist and received her help to in remixing its second single, “Starstrukk”.
Now, the Colorado natives prepare for a busy spring – a cross-country trek with Cobra Starship and Travie McCoy of the aforementioned Heroes. 3OH!3 is also in the studio finishing Streets of Gold, the follow-up album to Want. While all of this takes place, Ke$ha’s “Blah Blah Blah”, a track they’re featured on, climbs up the charts.
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“It’s cool. Yunno, it’s a different sounding song for a girl,” Nat noted of the Benny Blanco production. “It’s like, real sassy and she raps on it. So, I think it’s great. It bodes well for her… hopefully it’s a good sign for us.”
Working on the forthcoming LP prevented 3OH!3 from making it back to the 303 – Boulder, Colorado – Nat revealed that the group is currently in the studio with hit-maker Dr. Luke. Motte hopes to drop a single to radio right around the tour’s launch date, with an album release tentatively scheduled for late June.
And if you’re holding out for some type of last second surprise – an album release that coincides with Warped Tour dates – well, don’t hold your breath.
“Honestly, I’ve spent my last two summers in parking lots, so I’m a little excited to get out,” Nat admitted, while also crediting the summer shows with building their road experience. “It was a great tour for us man. We’ll miss it a little bit, but yunno, I think we’ll manage to have good shows and hopefully people that go to see ‘Warped’ will come to check us out.”