Kanye West's 'Mercy' Looks G.O.O.D. On 2 Chainz's Resume

Kanye, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz unite on new G.O.O.D. Music single.
By Rob Markman


Hit-Boy
Photo: MTV News

Two new Kanye West songs in just two days — now that's what we call a G.O.O.D. week.

A day after dropping "Theraflu," the Louis Vuitton Don dropped a second single, this time with his G.O.O.D. Music cohorts on Thursday night.

"Mercy" not only features rhymes from Yeezy, but Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz as well. The track, which premiered on Chicago's WGCI, was released on iTunes at midnight in conjunction with the religious holiday Good Friday.

Big Sean and Pusha T set things off, while Yeezy and 2 Chainz bring up the rear lyrically. For 2 Chainz, who recently signed to Def Jam Records, being featured on such a high-profile track has further validated his success of late. "I'm excited about it," 2 Chainz said on Thursday during a Def Jam-orchestrated press conference call.

Though he isn't signed to West, 2 Chainz said he's done so much work with Yeezy that he forgot what his "Mercy" verse sounded like. "I've done a lot of work with 'Ye for, like, a year now, and it was one of those songs where I called him and I told him, 'Man, play my verse over the phone because I don't remember,' " he said. "That's a good look to add to the résumé, for real."

Sonically, "Mercy" blends Southern rap elements with dancehall vibes. It's unlike anything on radio currently, and that's what excites Hit-Boy, the G.O.O.D. Music producer who whipped up the tracks for "Theraflu" and the Throne's "N---as in Paris."

"It's fresh, it's new, it's something you haven't heard before. It's elements of trap, but it's just some fresh, new-sounding stuff. I'm excited about it. I wish I did it, but I didn't," he told MTV News hours before the song was released.

The chief producer on the record is new Kanye protégé Lifted, but in an interview with Las Vegas DJ Bootleg Kev, Lifted revealed that Kanye also co-produced.

"Mercy" starts with a vocal sampling from the late Fuzzy Jones, whose voice has hyped up many dancehall classics. The island-laced intro gives way to an eerie-sounding bass track, sparse drums, hair-raising piano keys and a dramatic "Scarface" film sample.

Lyrically, "Mercy" is a verbal free-for-all. Big Sean picks up where his "Dance (A$$)" single left off with strip-club-inspired bars. Pusha laments about his exotic car collection, while Kayne baits lesser rappers, flashing his riches and model girlfriends. With no real concept in place, 2 Chainz closes things out with a free associative verse where spits about his black diamond chain and Louis Vuitton backpack and expensive strains of marijuana. It's all pretty damn good!

What do you think of Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music's "Mercy"? Tell us in the comments!

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Exclusive 'Savages' Trailer: Blake Lively Tells One Sexy Story

See the first trailer for the new Oliver Stone flick, starring Blake Lively and Taylor Kitsch, right here.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Blake Lively and Taylor Kitsch in "Savages"
Photo: Universal Pictures

On Wednesday, we revealed the first scintillating bits of footage from Oliver Stone's next movie, "Savages," and if you're looking for more, you are in luck. We have your exclusive first look at the full trailer for "Savages."

"Savages" is a story about the 99 percent and the one percent. As Blake Lively's O explains, her two boyfriends, Ben and Chon, played by Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch, respectively, represent two halves of a successful drug business. "Ben went to Berkeley and double-majored in business and botany. He takes 99 percent of the violence out of the business. Other one percent? Well, that's where Chon comes in."

Things are all sunshine and ménages à trios for O, Ben and Chon until a Mexican drug cartel decides that it wants to expand northward. A federal agent, played by John Travolta, gives the pot growers the heads-up, but the cartel figures out their shared weakness: O.

The rest of the trailer plays out like the fever dream you'd expect from the notorious Stone. There are certainly elements of a bromantic "Natural Born Killers" and the border setting of "U Turn." The business partners don't take O's kidnapping lightly, and Chon goes as far as stabbing the federal agent.

It all amounts to one sexy trailer with a cast that rivals any major release this year. Salma Hayek breaks bad and plays the head of the Mexican cartel, while Benicio Del Toro and recent Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir play her underlings. Uma Thurman and Emile Hirsch also have supporting roles.

"Savages" also stands out for being Kitsch's third big release of the year. He headlined the now infamous "John Carter," and he also co-stars in "Battleship," due out on May 18.

Check out the exclusive first full trailer for "Savages" above.

"Savages" is scheduled to open in theaters on July 6.

Check out everything we've got on "Savages."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Katy Perry Reveals 'Part Of Me' Concert Movie Release Date

'The atmosphere I grew up in was 100 percent church,' singer says in new promo for the film.
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry
Photo: Robyn Beck/ AFP/ Getty Images

Since first announcing she'd be starring in her own 3-D concert movie, "Katy Perry: Part of Me," Katy Perry has kept fans in the loop about the film. In keeping with that routine, she's just revealed the release date for the summer flick.

"My concert documentary is coming out Fourth of July weekend. Go and see it and be a firework!" she told E! News at the Kids' Choice Awards. The film was directed by Magical Elves Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, who also served as producers on Justin Bieber's highly successful "Never Say Never" concert movie.

"The atmosphere I grew up in was 100 percent church. I started singing and I never really had another plan," she said in a TV spot that began airing over the weekend, which is also full of vintage, behind-the-scenes footage of the singer. After kicking it old-school, a montage of her music videos leads up to colorful concert footage of the singer from her California Dreams Tour.

"If you have a dream, you have to go on a journey to fulfill that dream," she says in the clip. The tease closes out with Perry dressed up as her "T.G.I.F." alter ego, Kathy Beth Terry.

"This film, you're going to see it from my best friend/ buddy perspective, you're going to see exactly what I mean and feel and think about everything," Perry recently told MTV News. "Listen, I've [worked on] most of this film for a very long time and the word 'cheap' was not in the vocabulary," she said. "But, hello, it's 3-D. You're going to get hit with a lot of sh--." To add to the excitement for the movie, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were recently spotted shooting something that will appear in the film.

"That tour was so life-changing to me. I learned so much, I went through so much along the way," Perry said. "I'm not necessarily trying to prove anything to anyone, but not only will people really hands-down know me after they see this film, but you'll see me as the Dorothy wearing the red ruby slipper, and at the end of it all I'm the [Wizard of] Oz as well."

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