Jay-Z And Kanye West's Watch The Throne Will Last 'Forever'

Behind the Beats: Hit-Boy
Kanye West has a multiplatinum collection of hit records, but for Watch the Throne, his collaborative album with Jay-Z, the Louis Vuitton Don has had no problem sharing production duties. One of the album's producers is relative newcomer Hit-Boy, who also happens to be signed to 'Ye's G.O.O.D. Music label.

Hit-Boy is no stranger to big records or high-powered pairings; he produced Lil Wayne and Eminem's 2010 single "Drop the World." Now, he looks to further extend his discography on "N---as in Paris" off WTT.
" 'N----as in Paris' came about from me having a beat idea already. When I went to New York, I just further went into it," Hit-Boy told Mixtape Daily. "It was just a batch of beats. Kanye asked me for some beats, and that was one of the beats I gave him."
The song appropriately was recorded in Paris during one of the many storied Watch the Throne globetrotting sessions. Hit-Boy, however, didn't get to make the trip, so instead he sent all the necessary files so Hov and Yeezy could complete the track. "They actually went over to Paris; I didn't get to make that trip," he said. "Next thing I know, they're like, 'Yo, I need all the files for that beat.'
"That particular beat was just energetic," Hit-Boy added. "It's something that can be played in the club, it's something that can be played on radio. It's a more of a fun type record. Just different flows, the way that they rode the beat, it's just new, it's fresh."
There is no doubt that Hit-Boy is accomplished after already having done beats for Mary J. Blige ("Stronger") and Chris Brown ("Froze"), but this particular placement means a lot more to him. "To do a beat on this album is definitely a dream come true," he said of his work with the Throne. "Just for me to work with them period, but this album is really just a staple. This is something that's gonna be forever."

Jay-Z And Kanye West's 'Otis' Gets LOX Makeover Jadakiss and Styles P tell MTV News they jumped on the Throne single the day it premiered on Hot 97.

When the Throne dropped their single "Otis," MCs across the rap world took notice. Many sought out the song's instrumental in an effort to do their own freestyle version of the Kanye West and Jay-Z collaborative single. So far, DMX, Freeway, Young Chris, Tinie Tempah and Skillz have tried their hand at the beat. For Jadakiss and Styles P, the decision to take on the Watch the Throne single was an easy one.

"It was a mean beat, it was a mean song, something both of us liked, and we felt like it was a New York song. It was hot," Styles P told MTV News.
Jadakiss said he knew he and Styles had to take on the song the same day the Otis Redding-sampling track premiered on Hot 97. "[Funkmaster] Flex was playin' it," Jada explained. "After about the 99th time, I was like, 'I think we gotta go in on this. I gotta call SP,' " he said. "When I called him, he was listening to it in the background, and he said the same thing I was tellin' him. That made it crazy: He was thinking the same thing I was thinking."
There was one problem, however: Producer Kanye West had not released the instrumental, so Styles called on Boston producer DJ Statik Selektah, who recreated 'Ye's beat from scratch. "He sent it over nice and looped up, so then once we got it, [it took] maybe like 24 hours [to record]," 'Kiss said.
On the original "Otis," Hov and Yeezy flow back and forth, rhyming eight bars at a time before passing the mic. That particular tactic is most effective when the two collaborating artists have chemistry: The better the chemistry, the better the exchange. It's the type of chemistry that Jada and Styles, who make up two-thirds of the Yonkers, New York, trio the LOX, have displayed for the better part of their 15-year career.
Regarding how he and his partner decide who rhymes what and when, Styles explained there are "mad different ways to do it. It depends how it feels."
Jada added, "With 'Otis,' we wanted to follow their format and then switch it," noting the difference between the LOX version and the Throne version. "They were doin' eight [bars a piece], so we did an eight, then fours, then twos."
By the close of the track, the duo went from rhyming eight-bar verses to going line-for-line in a lyrical show of camaraderie. "Usually, we make it a little more in and out than that," Styles said. "But we still did it at the end."

Kanye West And Game Collabos 'Tainted' By Amber Rose Disses

Game and Kanye West have had quite the chemistry in the studio. But after producing a song on each of Game's first three albums, the Louis Vuitton Don will not be supplying any music for the West Coast rapper's upcoming The R.E.D. Album and that may be Game's fault.

"I dunno, I think I dissed Amber Rose while she was with [Kanye] and I think that kinda tainted our relationship a little bit," Game told Sway on Wednesday's "RapFix Live" after he was asked when he'd be working with Yeezy again.
"I reached out to Kanye at the beginning of the album and I seen him in L.A. He said he was gonna give me some beats, but he never did," the Compton MC said. "I didn't take it personal, I got nothing but love for 'Ye and the things that we did in the past."
The pair first collaborated when West hooked up the beat for "Dreams," a single off of Game's 2005 debut, The Documentary. The two then got together again on "Wouldn't Get Far," the model-dissing track off Game's second album, The Doctor's Advocate, and completed the hat trick in 2008 with "Angel" on the former G-Unit member's L.A.X. LP. But when the rapper drops The R.E.D. Album on August 23, the streak will end.
While Game admitted to some wrongdoing — throwing shots at Yeezy's former squeeze while the two were together — he insisted that he never directly disrespected Kanye. "I never shoot shots at Kanye, and if I do, it's always competitive and I'll clean it up on the next bar because I got a lot of love and a lot of respect for him."
Game also says he isn't hard-pressed for a Kanye track or feature. "What I'm saying is, I'm not waking up begging to work with Kanye, number one, but if it happens it happens; if it don't, it don't."
Sway then asked whether Game's persistent barbs at Jay-Z had anything to do with the distance between him and Kanye, considering the two are dropping their collaborative Watch the Throne album. Game didn't think that was a factor, noting that Kanye and Jay have always had a close relationship, and Game has been baiting Hov for years.
"I've been shooting shots at Jay from the beginning, but worked with 'Ye throughout," the Dr. Dre protégé said before putting the proverbial shoe on the other foot. "But I understand, because if you shoot a shot at Dre, then it's a possibility I might not work with you or I might not be as open to working with you. I understand it."

Taylor Swift Covers Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.' No, Seriously

Credit: Getty Images

We've known for a minute now that Taylor Swift might be a little bit of a goody two-shoes. She's got that country charm thing down pat, and her angelic blonde hair screams "professional good girl." But it turns out the "Back to December" singer's got a gansta side. Well, if you can still be gangsta in a girly dress.
Swift has been on her "Speak Now" tour all summer, and she's paid homage to a variety of big name musicians while out on the road, including Bon Jovi, Justin Bieber and Alanis Morissette. But this week while in Detroit, Taylor saluted one of D-Town's biggest successes when she covered Eminem's "Lose Yourself." You read that right -- Taylor Swift covered Eminem.
A fan caught Taylor breaking out into Eminem's "8 Mile" hit on video and uploaded it to the internet, because duh. Swift playfully strums chords while perfectly mimicking the infamous Oscar-winning beat, and the audience loses it when she starts reciting the "Lose Yourself" lyrics verbatim. And seriously, homegirl can flow! IRL collabo, please?
Whatever Taylor Swift touches turns to gold, so we're not going to lie: If she ends up dropping a hip-hop album in the near future, we wouldn't be surprised one bit. Actually, JK. We don't think that's anywhere in the works.

NBA Star Michael Beasley Shoves Fan In Face THE VIDEO

TMZ has obtained VIDEO showing NBA star Michael Beasley shoving a fan in the face during a heated altercation at a playground game in New York last night.

The footage shows the Minnesota Timberwolves star jawing back and forth with a fan at Dyckman Park in New York City ... before finally losing his cool, shoving the fan in the face, and walking back towards the court.

Beasley went on to lead his team to victory over another park team led by NBA superstar Kevin Durant.

We're told the fan had been heckling Beasley throughout the game -- screaming taunts like, "You're a f**king bum ... you ain't sh*t Beasley."

Beasley approached the fan and said, "I've never been a bitch ... I'll show you that right now."

According to reports, Beasley sought out the fan after the game -- and shook his hand.

Ashton Kutcher WINNING OVER "MEN" CREW

WINNING OVER "MEN" CREW

The tide is turning at "Two and a Half Men" after Ashton Kutcher's mega-trailer pissed off several crew members -- in fact, we're told, Ashton is quickly becoming extremely popular on set.

Filming kicked off this week -- and a source close to production tells TMZ, "Everything so far is smooth. A little too soon to tell, but Ashton seems very likable and professional. We're all very happy to be working with him."

As we previously reported, Ashton rolled into Warner Bros. studios recently with a MASSIVE trailer -- and some die-hard Charlie Sheen supporters on set thought it was way "over the top."

Ashton -- winning the hearts and minds.