Posts Tagged ‘rhianna’

We already knew that Rihanna and Kanye West appear on “Run This Town,” the second single from Jay-Z’s upcoming The Blueprint 3. And judging by the entire track listing Jigga released on his Web site on Tuesday, he’s going to have plenty of help on the 15 tracks of the eagerly anticipated sequel, which drops on September 11.

The long-in-the-works opus will kick off with “What We Talkin’ About,” a collaboration with eccentric singer Luke Steele of the Australian new-wave act Empire of the Sun. That’s followed by the songs “Thank You” and the album’s first single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).”

Next up is “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys, “Real As It Gets” with Young Jeezy, “On to the Next One” with Swizz Beatz and “Off That” with currently laid-up Lil Wayne protégé Drake. Though vets like Pharrell (”So Ambitious”) and ‘Ye (”Hate”) also make appearances, Jay has plenty of other fresh talent on tap, from Kid Cudi (”Already Home”) to Mr Hudson (”Young Forever”) and rapper J. Cole (”A Star Is Born”).

Jay, who will be among the performers at the 2009 Video Music Awards on September 13, also goes it alone on a couple of other tracks, “Venus Vs. Mars” and “Reminder.”

The track listing does not reveal one of the most intriguing collaborations that was rumored to appear on the album, a hook-up with psychedelic rockers MGMT, but they could still be sampled on one of the songs.

When it comes to his music videos, Jay-Z has logged some pretty serious frequent-flier miles.

The Brooklyn wordsmith ventured up north to Toronto for the “Big Pimpin’ ” video and even trekked overseas to Monaco for his “Show Me What You Got” clip. So where could he go for his next video, “Run This Town,” featuring Kanye West and Rihanna?

Back in time, maybe? Queens, New York? In fact, both!

In a 30-second preview of “Run This Town”, we see an angry, torch-wielded mob surrounding the trio in a post-apocalyptic setting that looks like a scene right out of “Mad Max.”

Anthony Mandler, who directed the video for Jay’s first single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” is the man behind the camera and brings his cinematic touch to the clip. The visuals are unlike anything we’ve come to expect from Jay-Z in the past. From “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is …)” to I Just Wanna Luv U (Give It 2 Me)”, Jay has mastered being the life of the party. But “Run This Town,” with its action sequences and cast of extras is new territory for the MC.

The video was shot in Queens, New York recently and pictures of Jay, Kanye and Rihanna on the set leaked onto the Internet last week, revealing the artists clad in all black. Sources told MTV News at the time that more than 80 extras were on set at the historic Fort Totten Park, a preserved Civil War fortress.

In the preview, a number of extras can be seen, also clad in black and acting unruly while bearing torches.

The video premieres Thursday on MTV — and don’t miss Jay’s performance at the VMAs on September 13!

The Wrigley’s gum people obviously weren’t moved by CHRIS BROWN’S YouTube apology to RIHANNA. They officially TERMINATED their relationship with Chris yesterday.

Wrigley suspended its Chris Brown ad campaign back in February, after he assaulted Rihanna.

To watch the apology, click HERE