What timing! The week Patrick Stump joins “The Ralphie Radio Show” to chat about his new album Soul Punk, the first single is featured as the iTunes Song of the Week. This means you can download the “This City” (Remix) with Lupe Fiasco for free!
Check out the clip below of Stump chatting about how his fellow Chicagoian was selected to guest on the song.
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Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump has a number of different feelings about his debut solo album, Soul Punk. You could count “lucky” as one of them, as in, lucky he isn’t in the limelight as much as his band mate Pete Wentz.
“(Pete) was under the microscope. I’m a tiny bit, but nothing like he has to deal with,” Stump said recently in a sit down interview with “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “I think it’s a lot harder for him to make the Black Cards record because from the get-go, not only are expectations wildly out of control, but people’s perspectives on his intentions are wildly out of wack.”
If you’re wondering – all four members of FOB have moved on from the band to other projects – but Stump doesn’t believe that his solo album, nor any other activities, signal the demise of the Chicago pop-punk group.
“Fall Out Boy has a lot of fans. They’re still really dedicated. And (Soul Punk) clearly isn’t Fall Out Boy,” Stump attempted to clarify. “That’s been the hardest thing: getting people comfortable with the idea that I’m just doing this thing on the side, and if this thing takes off, then it’s still considered something parallel to Fall Out Boy.”
But even Stump admits that while his intentions are clearly stated, everything is “all talk” until he releases his album and FOB drops a new LP. For now, all he can do is promote Soul Punk, which he finished about two months ago, and comes out October 18. The first single is actually a remix of a cut from the disc: “This City” featuring fellow Chicago native Lupe Fiasco. The idea of a remix came from Stump’s label, Island Records.
“Eric Wang is a friend of mine, and he works at the label, and he gave me his list and he was like, ‘Give me your list,’ recalled Stump of trying to decide who would be asked to contribute a verse to the remix. “The top of both of our lists was Lupe.”
Truth be told, Stump’s entire list was essentially Fiasco, and that’s it. The vocalist admires the emcee, calling him a “superhero.”
“There’s not a lot of people that have an authoritative intelligence but also a ‘fun’ to them,” he explained. “There are a lot of rappers who are really smart and really intellectual, and Lupe fits that bill, but he also knows his way around a pop song.”
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Stump cited Fiasco’s “The Show Goes On” as a prime example of this, as the singer said he had never heard a pop song in heavy radio rotation deliver some of the points that Lupe made in the track.
Still, while Stump would be happy with big spins and sales numbers, those are far from his motivating factors for releasing the album.
“When I was doing this record I was thinking about mortality,” he revealed. “Someday I will either be dead or I will be someone’s grandpa and it would be nice to have something, ‘When I was younger, I did this thing.’”
Although, by then who knows if that generation will be able to recognize the now 27 year-old. Stump is almost unrecognizable now – as he lost a considerable amount of weight since Fall Out Boy’s last go-around.
“I have a lot more energy,” said Stump of how the weight loss has affected his performance. “I fret to call it dancing, because I don’t think I’m all that great a dancer, but I do, sort of get to dance.”
The Fall Out Boy front man and the rapper pay homage to their hometown of Chicago in the first single from Stump’s forthcoming LP, Soul Punk.
It’s funny how a number one album can change your whole perspective on things.
The trials and tribulations between Lupe Fiasco and Atlantic Records are well documented, specifically over the release of Lupe’s latest LP, Lasers. Atlantic tried to give Lupe the songs “Nothin’ On You” and “Airplanes” – aiming to bring him to a mainstream audience. Fiasco wanted none of it. Back and forth the two sides argued until Lupe conceded and released some of the tracks his label wanted on the album. Fiasco says in the end, he wanted to make sure the project saw the light of day for his fans who so highly anticipated it.
Lasers debuted at number one, and the first single, “The Show Goes On” recently topped the charts. So can bygones just be bygones?
“We’ll see,” Lupe said to me on the red carpet of the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Fiasco performed with Trey Songz on the awards show Sunday evening in Los Angeles. “All of that’s kind of in the past now, but we’ll see.”
Despite his dismissal of past tensions with Atlantic and the LP’s success, Fiasco still feels he didn’t receive enough freedom with the final track listing. Nonetheless, the Chicago-emcee is already working on Food and Liquor 2.
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While speaking to a group of reporters, Tyrese Gibson had quite the Freudian-slip. Dennis Pastorizo of Terra.com asked the actor what his “Best Kiss” on camera was. Gibson misspoke and responded with Megan Fox before quickly blurting out Good – as in actress Meagan Good. The “Transformers” star laughed off his gaffe before leaving the carpet altogether. Tyrese and Good co-starred in a music video together – and Good took home the “Best Kiss” award for another piece of work at the ’07 MTV Movie Awards.
Selena Gomez wasted no time getting down the carpet – escorted by a flurry of bodyguards and publicists. She did not walk with boyfriend Justin Bieber. My guess is that Gomez’s people want the focus to move away from her relationship with the pop star and on to the new movie she’s in, “Monte Carlo.” Bieber did arrive at the awards show later, showing up backstage after his documentary “Never Say Never” won a canister of gold popcorn.
The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl was also in a rush down the carpet – but at least he had a legit reason. The lead singer revealed to me that his band was opening the show, so he couldn’t stop for interviews.
We’ll see how Paul McDonald manages his engagement to Nikki Reed this summer while he’s on tour. The “American Idol” finalist and the “Twlight” actress met in March and showed off their new bling on the red carpet on Sunday. McDonald told me that he’s looking forward to “Idols Live” which kicks off this July and runs through September.
How are things going for Tila Tequila these days? She was about five spots away from me on the carpet… no, not walking it. The former reality TV star was hosting a live video stream for a website. I’ll let you be the judge.
Of course, if you watched the MTV Movie Awards, you saw Lupe Fiasco perform this song for the first time on live TV with Trey Songz. This is definitely one of my top 3 tracks from Lasers.
Lupe Fiasco talks about B.o.B, Food and Liquor Part 2, and his relationship after the release of LASERS with Atlantic Records while on the red carpet of the 2011 MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Fiasco performed at the awards show.
The May 15, 2010 edition of the Billboard 200 featured the debut album of B.o.B atop the chart, selling over 80,000 copies. A year separated from his number one LP, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, the Atlanta emcee still can’t believe how quickly the success came about.
“I try to stay away from a lot of stats all the time,” Bobby Ray said in an exclusive sit-down interview with “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “I don’t want to get too caught up in stats. I’d rather just play the game and look at the stats at the end of the game, but we worked hard on that album.”
The success is yielding dividends a year later, as B.o.B continues to tour the globe performing hits like “Nothin’ on You,” “Airplanes,” and “Magic.”
“You define your own success,” he said. “Just trying to get to the point where you have steady income as an artist – that takes years to get. So, that fire that keeps you (making music), that’s what creates the type of stamina that will allow you to continue to be a touring artist or whatever type of artist you want to be.”
Matter of fact, the rapper credits an artist he toured with, Atlantic Records label-mate Lupe Fiasco, as someone who helped him get to that point.
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“Lupe really looked out for me in a huge way, especially at the point that I was at,” admits B.o.B, who opened for Fiasco last spring. “I remember on tour he presented me with a cake for my album release day, and he bought an album. That was a very memorable moment for me.”
But as many would later come to find out – B.o.B received more than a cake and an album purchase from Fiasco. Both “Nothin’ on You” and “Airplanes” were originally slated for Lupe’s Lasers.
“In the music industry, there are songs that float around for some years that have nothing but a hook and a beat,” he explained. “A lot of the times those are the songs that the label has as like, ‘Alright, we’re gonna push these songs (on certain artists).’ It’s almost like an outfit. As an artist, sometimes it’s frustrating because it’s like, ‘I don’t wanna wear that outfit, I wanna make my own outfit and wear it because I have a sense of style also and I’m pretty sure my fans like the type of outfits I wear.”
B.o.B was aware that Fiasco had first dibs on “Airplanes.” Judging the results, it seems the track agreed with his wardrobe in the end.
“A lot of people say A&R and labels are wrong and they don’t know what they’re talking about. But I have to admit, sometimes us as artists don’t know what we’re talking about,” he said. “Sometimes we get too caught up in what we want, and it becomes more about proving a point than it does making music for the fans.”
Finding common ground, while not compromising himself as an artist, is something that B.o.B continues to strive for as he creates his sophomore album.
“I feel like this is a very special project,” he said. “I feel like it’s even more special than the first album.”
Surely that is something that label executives and loyal listeners all hope they can agree on.
No this is not a remix… reportedly “Airplanes” was Lupe Fiasco’s record before it became B.o.B.’s. Lupe’s trials and tribulations with Atlantic Records over the track listing for Lasers is well-documented. According to various interviews, Fiasco said that Atlantic would give him pre-produced tracks with hooks to rap over – and the Chicago emcee was not down with being forced to use other people’s songs – some of which the original writers didn’t want Fiasco to have in the first place. It’s unknown if “Airplanes” fell in to that category, but it was Fiasco’s record until he gave it to Bobby Ray. Recently, producer Jim Jonsin also revealed in an interview with MTV News that Atlantic wanted to “Nothin’ on You” for Lupe as well, but it was Jonsin who convinced the label that B.o.B. should have it.
T.I. is recording material for a new album, and according to one artist he collaborated with, is in good spirits as he prepares new tracks for his forthcoming LP.
“Oh yeah, he’s definitely got a lot to prove,” remarked B.O.B. The Atlanta emcee is signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label, distributed by Atlantic. “(He has) a lot of motivation.”
Authorities released the “Live Your Life” rapper from prison to a halfway house last December. T.I., real name Clifford Harris, is permitted to leave the house on weekdays for work purposes, but must return by evening. Jim Jonsin, who has produced a plethora of hits, including “Whatever You Like”, is also confirmed to be working on the project. T.I. will leave the halfway house on March 26.
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On Monday, after the interview with B.O.B, T.I.P made his first public appearance, at a charity event organized by his fiancée, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle. He also created a Twitter account. Already “Verified”, there is only one tweet from username “Tip”, a tease for a “major announcement” coming next Monday at T.I.’s website, trapmuzik.com, with the hash tag “#kingsback.”
“We actually got in the studio recently, recorded a track for his album,” B.O.B said on working with the head of his label. Although later he clarified that the song may not appear on T.I.’s album, but will see the light of day in some form or fashion.
B.O.B’s LP, B.O.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, hits stores on April 27 – actually pushed up from an original May release date due to the success of the single, “Nothin’ On You”, which features Bruno Mars. The emcee is currently on tour with Lupe Fiasco.
Overall, “The Glow In The Dark” tour did not disappoint. Lupe Fiasco played the “opening act” role well. The first Chicago-born rapper to take the stage rocked skateboarding-inspired hits like “I Gotcha” and “Kick Push”, while also moving to the Grammy-award winning “Daydreamin’” and radio-friendly “Superstar”.
The hook on the latter song is sung by Matthew Santos. Fiasco and I chatted for a hot second backstage. Lupe shrugged off the lack of recognition Santos received on Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor, where he made a cameo on “American Terrorist.”
“Man, its whack. You know how it goes,” an annoyed Lupe told me before ducking in to his dressing room, which neighbored Rihanna’s.
Pharrell brought the crowd an early dose of ego with N.E.R.D. I laughed during the singer/producer’s quick disclaimer that he wouldn’t swear – yet still performing songs like “Lap Dance” and the band’s latest single – “Everyone Nose” (take an educated guess as to the subject). Of course, a surprise cameo on stage by Chris Brown also energized the set.
Short of performing two big songs, Rihanna killed it. Anyone that watched her perform previous to this tour cannot deny that RiRi blossomed into a force to be reckoned with – a performance that showcased her vocal abilities while adding theatrics to the experience.
But the Barbados-born songstress won me over before she took the stage. I sat down with an engaging and warm Rihanna in her dressing room a mere fifteen minutes before she took the stage. While her puppy “Oliver” scurried about, we chatted about everything from the success of her latest song to her recent impromptu-photo-op at KFC in Miami.
“Take a Bow” set an American record last week for the largest jump in seven days to number one, climbing from 53 to the top.
Even Rihanna admits that she’s told a few guys to take a bow.
“I’m sure every female has gone through that,” RiRi said. “Whether it’s a guy approaching you in a club in the most arrogant and aggressive way, and you just have to be like, ‘Please!’”
The “Umbrella” diva and I laughed when I presented my gift to her, a pair of glasses complete with a fake nose and mustache. After all, you never know when you might be in a fast food joint with a certain someone and you want to stay incognito from the paparazzi, right?
None of the 97 BHT staff could fathom why Rihanna did not perform her latest hit along with “Shut Up and Drive.” After a quick 35 minute set, the singer dashed back to her bus en route to the next stop – Montreal.
The 20 year-old left with 19 year-old Brown in tow. I ran in to Chris backstage. After snapping a photo with the R&B crooner, I informed him that BHT plays his current single – “Forever”. I also assured him that I did not bring up his name once during my interview with his boo (a mandate from Island Def Jam), to which he responded with a “good lookin’ man.”
I suppose those photos that emerged last week of the two singers smooching would’ve solicited a “bad look” – however I decided to save the awkwardness and not inquire.
