Photo: Atlantic

• 50 Cent
• Andre 3000
• Clipse
• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News

As promised, we got Lil Wayne talking about his No Ceilings mixtape right here. Weezy F. Baby's first official mixtape of the year — he's going in, he's going off, the man in his prime. We're going to take you right in the studio as Wayne records his joints. If you want to get the whole tape for free, check out Young Money's new Web site.

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Lil Wayne

Holding It Down For: Young Money/ Cash Money

Mixtape: No Ceilings

Real Spit: When you're hip-hop's most active touring act and prolific song maker, sometimes your agendas don't mesh. Wayne's been all around the world on his I Am Music tour and Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival, but he says it's too difficult to record while you're on the road. He has a studio on the bus, but you can't record when the bus is rolling. But now, with touring over and Wayne settled back into his routine of living in the studio, he had time to craft No Ceilings — No Ceilings because the sky is the limit.

"I don't like to do real songs on there, 'cause the producers be wanting their money," he told DJ Scoob Doo about beat jacking. "So I just do sh-- that's already out. It's easier. N---as be like, 'You killed that n---a on his own song.' That's not the intentions. No, I did not kill nobody on their song. I like the song. That's why I liked it. I didn't kill them. I ain't even rapping like them. I killed their song though."

A leak of the mixtape popped up early last week, but Weezy wants everyone to know that it wasn't the official version — he recorded more records, such as "Single," the mixtape title track and a unofficial remix to Beyoncé's "Sweet Dreams," for the proper version.

"I got great producers and great friends that gave me great beats," Wayne said. "I went in and did four or five new songs."

No Ceilings — in full — dropped on Halloween via the new Young Money Web site.

"I'm gonna scare the sh-- out everybody in the muthaf---in' rap game," Wayne told us with a grin.

Wayne and Scoob Doo will be releasing "The Nino Brown Story 2" DVD later this year.

Joints to Check For:

» "Oh Let's Do It." Three minutes and 45 seconds of pure rap dumb-out — Wayne sounds just as hungry now as before he sold a million albums in one week. Dr. Carter kicks his first lines about his jail sentence next year. "Lock the CEO up/ And I'm the CEO, f---/ Prison in February, and I ain't in no rush." He also says a farewell to his ever-present cup. "Rest in peace my Styrofoam, now they won't know what I be on." Look out for when he switches flows halfway through.

» "Banned From TV." Weezy goes ape over classic Swizz Beatz from Noreaga's posse cut. "Bi---, I'm in the building/ You just decorating," he raps. "I'm just detonating, then I get blatant/ More dangerous than Internet dating/ Scoob got the cameras on, so I gotta show off/ I put your sister, I'll knock your bro off."

Then there's the line that has the whole sports world talking. "Smoke weed, talk sh-- like Lane Kiffin." Kiffin, of course, is the controversial coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team. Weezy loves sports.

» "Watch My Shoes." Weezy immortalized the beat from 3 Deep's song of the same title. Wayne talks about making love to the beat and digesting his comp. "I'm so unfit because all I eat is rappers/ And these rapper ain't sh--/ I like my fast food faster."

» "Sweet Dreams." Beyoncé featuring Nicki Minaj — the Young Money millionaires get in where they fit in, adding extra spice to B's smash. Nick has an array of one-liners referencing Plaxico Burress, "Kung Fu Panda" and our favorite, Falcon Heene: "I'm everywhere/ You like balloon boy, you was never there." Meanwhile, Wayne does it for the show, coming "cold as Theraflu," igniting a lyrical powder keg.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: 50 Cent, Andre 3000, Clipse, Cookin' Soul, Lil Wayne

• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: Kristian Dowling/ Getty Images

The more Lil Wayne's rock-leaning LP Rebirth is delayed, the more fans wonder if the superstar rapper can really pull off the genre-switching feat he's attempting.

The project has been pushed back several times already, and producer Dre of Cool & Dre told MTV News back in April that the project wouldn't necessarily be all rock. But in the November 7 edition of Billboard magazine, the Cash Money lyricist emphatically states he'll be rocking out on Rebirth.

In the interview, which appears to have taken place before Weezy pleaded guilty to felony gun possession last week, the MC also assured fans that he knows exactly what he's doing with this foray into rock.

"Yes, the album is still rock," he explained. "I play guitar on 80 percent of the songs, and there's a lot of rock influences and rock beats. I also have Travis Barker on the album. But I don't want people to think I'm trying to do something I can't do. Don't think you're going to put on the album and hear me screaming and singing. ... Don't worry about that. [Laughs.] When people hear me say rock, they may get a little scared like, 'Oh, God. What is he going to do?' When I said I was doing a rock album, it was about doing a freedom thing. This album isn't hip-hop. When I do my Carter albums, I know I've got to rap, I know I've got to spit. I know the words I've got to say and the subjects I've got to talk about. I also know the things I shouldn't say, the things I shouldn't talk about. There's none of those limits on this album. I say what I want, how I want. That's what this album is: a freedom album."

Wayne repeated that Rebirth and Young Money's crew album will be released together. The projects are tentatively slated for a December 15 release.

A number of tracks from Rebirth have appeared online prematurely, to Wayne's chagrin. But he said he's retooled the album in an effort to keep fans off balance.

"I had to add new cuts, because a lot of things leaked, making people think they had an idea of what I was doing with Rebirth and what it would sound like," he said. "And I hated that, because I never want anybody to think they know what I'm doing until I present it. So what I did was make it totally different. I flipped it."

In addition to those projects, Wayne is also overseeing his protégé Drake's debut, Thank Me Later, expected to drop at the top of 2010. He said the upstart star is hands on with his project, and so far, Wayne hasn't chimed in. He said he wouldn't be surprised if the Toronto MC were already finished.

• Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne At America's Most Wanted Stop In Cincinnati

• Lil Wayne

Drake and Lil Wayne
Photo: John Shearer/Wireimage

Drake says he's going to do what he's supposed to do: hold the fort down for Lil Wayne. Drizzy spoke to Rap-Up.com about Wayne's impending jail sentence next year. Last week, Wayne pleaded guilty to gun charges stemming from a 2007 arrest. Weezy is expected to be sentenced to one year, though he could be out in eight months for good behavior.

"I'll just do what I can to keep the whole Young Money/ Cash Money team going," Drake told the Web site. "I just want to play my part as a team member and keep the brand strong until the boss gets home."

Although no one from the camp wants to see the acclaimed lyricist and charismatic performer leave for even one day, Drake says that Weezy has been keeping positive and making sure that fans will hear plenty of new music, even while he's in prison.

"He's kinda more concerned about getting as much music as he possibly can, so that when he's in there, people are still satisfied musically with Lil Wayne product," Drake explained. "That's just the mind of a true businessman."

Wayne's next body of work will be a freebie for the people: His No Ceilings mixtape comes out on Halloween. Meanwhile, he has yet to release his long-delayed LP Rebirth, which may drop on December 15, the same day as Young Money's album. Drake appears on the latter and also plans to release his debut album, Thank Me Later, early next year.

• Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case

• Drake
• Lil Wayne

T.I.
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

T.I. is still keeping an eye on things while serving his year-and-a-day prison sentence for felony weapons charges. On Wednesday, Ludacris tweeted that he spoke to his fellow Atlanta heavyweight.

Luda's messages reveal that Tip is keeping up on current events and feels for his peers Lil Wayne and Lil Boosie, who both have to go to prison at the top of their careers, much like Tip has had to do.

"Talking to TIP," Luda tweeted. "He says to tell Wayne and Boosie he Hates the situations y'all are in, but he's ridin' with the both of you."

'Cris added that Tip had a message for the kids in the Windy City in the wake of the Derrion Albert murder: "TIP also says to all my Chicago peoples, cut out all that damn nonsense!!! Sh-- has got to STOP!!!!!! I 2nd that!!!"

The 16-year-old Albert was killed in the streets of Chicago several weeks ago while trying to break up a fight. The tragedy was captured on cell phone video and posted on the Internet, horrifying viewers. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan both attended Albert's funeral earlier this month.

Tip had a chance to speak out publicly through fiancée Tameka "Tiny" Cottle during the recent BET Hip-Hop Awards. The King of the South reassured fans he would be home soon. Tip also won Best Hip-Hop Collabo and Best Hip-Hop Video for "Live Your Life" with Rihanna and CD of the Year for Paper Trail.

• MTV News RAW: T.I.

• T.I.
• Ludacris
• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: Mark Venema/ WireImage

No Ceilings? Not just yet! Lil Wayne is still in the studio working on his latest mixtape. On Wednesday morning (October 27) several songs from No Ceilings leaked onto the Internet, but the Young Money camp has assured MTV News that Weezy is still working on the mixtape (two songs from which leaked on the day of his guilty plea for attempted gun possession last week) and the full product will not land until Halloween.

BUT: On Friday, here on MTVNews.com, there will be a special edition of Mixtape Daily where you will get the full report on the mixtape, as well as info about where you can get it for free. Weezy might even check in himself.

Among the leaks is an interlude where Wayne explains why he wanted to make this project.

"Welcome," he says. "I appreciate you for having this. If you got this, if you're listening to this, thank you. This is for you. It's a big thank you for coming out to all the days and nights on tours, for coming and supporting me every single night. Even if you didn't come to the tour, it's just thank you."

Lyrically and stylistically, Weezy remains locked in. He trounces the track with grace, spewing humor and verbal spikes with barbaric tenacity.

"I'm higher than a super kick," he raps over Jay-Z's "Run This Town" beat. "I'm the bomb, baby, watch me nuke this sh--/ When I leave the booth, they gotta scoop the sh--/ My apologies, diabolically, I'm the prodigy ... Yeah, we run this town, like a lot of freaks/ Young Moo-lah baby, I'm proud of me."

Elsewhere, Wayne tackles the beat from Fabolous' "Throw it In the Bag" remix. "Swimming in Polo/ Sleeping in Jordans/ I bought a cell phone and I don't even much call it ... Wake her in the morning, breakfast where she slept at/ Tell her go shopping/ I can't wait until she get back ... You can't be broke and happy, so me, I'm mad rich!"

• Lil Wayne

Dow Jones, Mistah F.A.B. and Busta Rhymes
Photo: MTV News

Celebrity Favorites
Busta Rhymes was doling out props on the BET Hip-Hop Awards red carpet earlier this month when he ran into the West Coast alliance of Mistah F.A.B. and Tha Bizness producer Dow Jones.

"I personally wanna big-up my homie Fab and my homie Mr. Dow Jones," Bus said.

"One of the craziest things — he ain't new, first of all," Bus added, talking about Fab and then pointing to Dow. "He ain't new either, but the world ain't familiar with the grind and the bid they put in prior to the success. I been watching [F.A.B.] bust his a-- for at least 10 years now. It ain't no mystery why they starting to pop off the way they supposed to. They done put their boot-camp training in the way they supposed to — now they're ready to bust their arsenal off in the battlefield. Now they're hitting their targets. Tha Bizness, you can't stop hearing the spins — 20,000 spins per song!"

Tha Bizness, who have recently produced records like Young Jeezy's "President" and Young Money's "Every Girl," have been in the lab with Busta working on his new LP.

"We came together with several things. I'm rocking with them on their album," Rhymes affirmed. "Congratulations to my man Mistah F.A.B. — now he's really starting to feel what that disrespectful tax bracket is feeling like. Everything is looking like we gonna roll the dice in a very successful way at the gambling table."

Mistah F.A.B. has a new mixtape about to hit and an album due at the top of 2010.

"The album be out in February. I got the Gangsta Grillz I just finished up with [DJ Drama]," F.A.B. added. "It's called Reality Rap. It's my grown-up side, me showing my ability to be diverse and cover more topics than I may be known for. I wanna show the rest of the world that I'm really worthy of the accolades I've been attaining and I plan to gain. I'm really worth those things. Who better to co-sign you than DJ Drama?"

Tha Bizness are currently working on Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV.

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Polow Da Don, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, More

• Busta Rhymes
• Lil Wayne

Chris Brown in "I Can Transform Ya"
Photo: Jive Records

Chris Brown came back hard and fast in his video for "I Can Transform Ya." The glossy, fast-paced clip, shot for two days last month in Hollywood, was the perfect chance for Joseph Kahn to work with the singer again after directing him in "Forever," his upcoming "Crawl" clip and Ester Dean's "Drop It Low."

"I met with Chris when we were doing the 'Drop It Low' video, and he played me a couple tracks off his new album, and he already had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted out of 'Transform Ya,' " Kahn told MTV News. "And, obviously, him going in there and dancing and turning into cars and trucks is right up my alley."

Kahn said the video allowed the pair to display their love of all things "boy culture," including fast cars and ninjas. "His interests, in terms of kung fu and special effects and science fiction and all the boy-culture stuff, it falls directly in line with what I like," Kahn said. "So, we're kind of a great match."

While Brown has faced a lot of negative attention over the past year — pleading guilty to felony assault after a February incident with then-girlfriend Rihanna — Kahn doesn't think that should take away from the 20-year-old's talent. "I know there's a lot of controversy with Chris," he said. "I would never, ever work with him unless he was the person I thought he was and he is, truly. The person that controversy happened to and the person that I know — there's a complete disconnect. Nothing can excuse all that stuff that happened, but everybody's human. That's a really big mistake, obviously, but he pays for [it] daily. When people say, 'Has he been punished enough?' Media crucifixion, check."

Kahn was willing to set that controversy aside for a chance to reunite with Brown. "Look, Chris Brown is — I should flat out say it — is probably the most talented person I've ever worked with in my many years of doing music videos," Kahn said. "His talent is phenomenal. I'm still struggling to try and capture that talent on film, and it's a challenge. Here's a guy who can literally do anything. If you watch this thing, he's doing nunchuck tricks, and I'm a huge kung fu aficionado, and they're mind-blowing. I've never seen stuff like that before in kung fu flicks."

Kahn made sure to put Brown's dance skills on display in the clip. "I would say it's like a pure aesthetic dance video from the very fiber of it," Kahn explained. "Everything dances onscreen. Everything has movement. Everything has a certain mechanical rhythm. He actually created a dance style for this that is mechanical. It's sort of a hyper-intense version of the robot. Even the transformations go directly in line with the movements."

Instead of taking the lyrics and being "pretentious" about it, Kahn wanted to show the audience exactly what Brown was singing about. "What if we just got ambitious and demonstrated the lyrics?" he said about the concept. "The trick is to do it in a creative way. Let's try to display the lyrics and the feeling of the dance at the same time."

• Chris Brown
• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: MTV News

Now that Lil Wayne has struck a plea deal that's expected to send him to prison for up to a year, what's next for the Cash Money Records lyricist?

He's due back in a Manhattan courtroom on December 15 by request of the judge for a status update. At that hearing, the rapper's formal sentencing date will be set for sometime in February 2010 — he will be sentenced to one year in prison as a part of his deal, where he pleaded guilty to attempted gun possession, a class "D" felony in New York.

In the courtroom on Thursday (October 22), Wayne admitted to possession of a .40-caliber semi-automatic weapon. "Yes," he told the judge when asked if he was in possession of the firearm. The rapper added the word "dominion" after his affirmation, meaning he didn't fully possess the gun, but rather it was within his radius and available for use.

"Possession is defined as actual possession or dominion or control. ... we said it was dominion and control," the lead prosecutor on the case, Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, told MTV News.

The difference between actual possession and dominion or attempted possession isn't much in New York. In 2006, the state legislature passed a resolution that increased the minimum jail sentence for attempted possession to equal that of actual possession. So whether someone plans to use the gun or if they're simply carrying it, the punishment is the same in Empire State, where officials have instituted some of the country's harshest gun laws.

"Basically, the old law required someone to have a loaded weapon and intend to use it [before] the mandatory minimum would kick in," Attorney Scott Leemon explained to MTV News. "And basically, what they did is they took that out of the law. So the mere possession of a loaded weapon in New York State is a felony.

"That's why you should not have a gun in New York," he advised.

In other states, gun laws vary and could theoretically be more lenient in a similar situation to that of Lil Wayne.

The MC had long denied he had actual possession of the gun, which is registered in the state of Mississippi to Cortez Bryant, his manager. The gun wasn't even found on him by police, but rather in a bag on his tour bus next to him. But because of the nature of New York's laws, ultimately, he was held accountable.

During the night in question in July 2007, when Wayne was headlining his first solo show in New York, the rapper lashed out at police, who he felt were overly aggressive.

"I just went through the worst f----in' feelin ever with y'all police," he said from the stage after being searched and what he felt was harassed. "This may be one of the only times you see me because of how they treated me."

Other artists on the bill that night, from Juelz Santana to Ja Rule, endured similar harsh conditions at the Beacon Theatre, as the combination of aggressive security inside and police presence outside created what DJ Khaled described as suffocating conditions.

"Leaving the Beacon was weird for me," Khaled told MTV News. "I felt like [police] was just watching everybody. It didn't feel right. Everybody was backstage, undercovers, I heard Ja Rule got pulled over. And nobody was doing anything wrong. That's why I didn't really understand it. Me, I didn't leave from backstage. I left with the crowd. When I was leaving, I was hearing all this stuff about people getting pulled over. I feel hip-hop is a target for no reason right now."

Ja Rule was also pulled over that night by New York Police Department officers and faces similar charges to Lil Wayne. His case, however, is still pending. Wayne's attorney, Stacey Richman, has also been retained by the Queens rapper. A different judge, though, is presiding in Ja Rule's case.

While Lil Wayne has court dates and jail time in his future, the rapper is also prepping the release of a lot of new music.

A new mixtape, No Ceiling, is due online soon. And he's putting the final touches on his rock-leaning album Rebirth as well as an album by his Young Money collective. Both albums are slated for release in December on Universal/Motown.

Those projects should safely carry Lil Wayne into the new year and releases by protégés Drake and Nicki Minaj will keep Lil Wayne buzzing long after he begins his prison term.

• Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty To Felony Gun Possession

• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne
Photo: Sarah A. Friedman/Contour by Getty Images

On Friday (October 23), Cash Money Records CEOs Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams spoke out for the first time since their franchise artist Lil Wayne plead guilty to gun possession Thursday in New York City. Not surprisingly, the two record executives declared their unwavering support of Wayne. He's been with the brothers for more than 15 years now, and they consider him not just an act on the roster, but family. In fact, both Baby and Slim appeared alongside Wayne in court on Thursday.

"The Cash Money family will continue to support our artist and friend Lil Wayne in his current court case," the Williams brothers said in a joint statement. "We have worked with Wayne since he was a teenager, and have seen him grow into one of the world's most successful hip-hop artists, with a work ethic that is second to none. Wayne has our love and commitment during this difficult time. We always have and always will stand behind him."

Wayne is due for sentencing in February of 2010. At that time he is expected to be sentenced to a year in prison, and will probably serve eight to 10 months, assuming good behavior.

The incident took place in July 2007, when police pulled over Wayne's tour bus at around 11:30 p.m. on the night of his show at New York's Beacon Theatre. They arrested the rapper for criminal possession of a weapon and another man on the bus for criminal possession of marijuana. Even before his show that night, Wayne made repeated comments from the stage about being hassled by police and threatened not to perform in New York again.

• Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty To Felony Gun Possession

• Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne's Battle With His Gun Possession Case

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Who Are The Landmarks Of The VMAs?

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Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne At America's Most Wanted Stop In Cincinnati

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Lil Wayne And Drake On "America's Most Wanted" Tour

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America's Most Wanted Tour Stops In L.A.

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Lil Wayne, Drake, More Kick Off 'Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted' Tour

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Lil Wayne And Drake Rehearse For America's Most Wanted

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The Evolution Of Weezy

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Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige And More Come Out For Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash 2009

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