Lil Wayne, Birdman's Daughters Writing 'Paparazzi Princesses' Novel

Reginae Carter, Birdman, and Bria Williams.

Lil Wayne and Birdman have one of hip-hop's most storied partnerships, and now their teenage daughters have teamed up for a new book. Reginae Carter and Bria Williams, both 14, have helped pen Paparazzi Princesses, which tells the story of two young girls dealing with unintentional fame as they grow up as the kids of famous parents. But the book also looks to handle the struggles of normal high schoolers, like schoolwork and hallway crushes.

100 Best Albums of the 2000s: Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter III'

"There's no better feeling than watching Bria and Reginae make this dream come true," said Birdman in a statement reported by AllHipHop.com. "They took an idea, worked extremely hard, and brought it to life. It's the kind of story that everybody can feel, and it's only the start of much bigger things for these two wonderful young ladies."

Lil Wayne added, "Proud doesn't even begin to describe how me and the Birdman feel. I can't wait for everybody else to experience their story." Paparazzi Princesses, which was co-authored by Karyn Langhorne Folan, will be out June 4th.

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Lil Wayne, Birdman's Daughters Writing 'Paparazzi Princesses' Novel

Reginae Carter, Birdman, and Bria Williams.

Lil Wayne and Birdman have one of hip-hop's most storied partnerships, and now their teenage daughters have teamed up for a new book. Reginae Carter and Bria Williams, both 14, have helped pen Paparazzi Princesses, which tells the story of two young girls dealing with unintentional fame as they grow up as the kids of famous parents. But the book also looks to handle the struggles of normal high schoolers, like schoolwork and hallway crushes.

100 Best Albums of the 2000s: Lil Wayne, 'Tha Carter III'

"There's no better feeling than watching Bria and Reginae make this dream come true," said Birdman in a statement reported by AllHipHop.com. "They took an idea, worked extremely hard, and brought it to life. It's the kind of story that everybody can feel, and it's only the start of much bigger things for these two wonderful young ladies."

Lil Wayne added, "Proud doesn't even begin to describe how me and the Birdman feel. I can't wait for everybody else to experience their story." Paparazzi Princesses, which was co-authored by Karyn Langhorne Folan, will be out June 4th.

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Wayne Coyne in Talks to Collaborate on Ke$ha's New LP

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips performs in San Francisco.

After joining forces with Ke$ha for the Flaming Lips' upcoming collaborative LP, Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends – due out on April 21st for Record Store Day – frontman Wayne Coyne says he may return the favor and work with the pop star on her own material.

"I'm talking with Ke$ha about doing some tracks on her new record," Coyne tells Rolling Stone. Along with rapper Biz Markie, they cut a track called "2012" for the album during a late February studio session in Nashville. "We knew that she was a fan," says Coyne. "She's a lot of fun and crazy and open to ideas and she's creative. She's all these things that you don't know."

Coyne hopes to make more music with other Heavy Fwends collaborators like Erykah Badu, who teamed up with the band for a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." I talk with Erykah Badu all the time about doing some more music," says Coyne. And after meeting TV On the Radio and Diplo this past weekend at Costa Rica's Festival Imperial, he hopes to work with them as well. "I was like, 'I'll fucking send you a track,' and they were like, 'Let's do it! That'd be cool,' " recalls Coyne, who says that the key to making unlikely collaborations work is in being open to experimentation. "Sometimes just this idea of trying makes all the difference."

Coyne is equally excited about about a project that the Flaming Lips have been involved with in various forms for nearly a decade: the band's landmark 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, is being adapted into a musical helmed by the veteran Broadway director Des McAnuff (Tommy, Jersey Boys). The production will finally debut in November at California's La Jolla Playhouse. "It's insane to think a group like the Flaming Lips are now being brought into (musical theater) by one of the most respected and successful people to ever fuck with it," Coyne says. "It's pretty amazing!"

Coyne first met McAnuff about a year after Yoshimi was released, and he says the director was visibly impacted by its emotional arc. "You could see him tearing up," Coyne remembers. "I was like, 'This motherfucker's really into this!" The two men would reconvene over the next several years to flesh out the adaptation and meet with several potential writers, including Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin. Coyne recalls a meeting five years ago when Sorkin suggested that the musical be a "retelling of the 9/11 story. "I said, 'I hate George Bush, I don't want him to have anything to do with Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots,'" Coyne recalls – although he now regrets shooting down the idea so quickly. "One of the greatest living writers of our time, and I'm saying, 'No, I don't like your idea?' Why wasn't I open to that?" says Coyne. McAnuff ultimately took over writing duties himself.

In its finished version, the musical chronicles a young Japanese artist, Yoshimi, who journeys alone into a robot world and and fights for her life against evil forces. Nearly the entire Lips catalog, including deep cuts and B-sides, has been incorporated into the musical. And while Coyne was central to the project, he doesn't view it as his own. "It's (McAnuff's') thing. It will probably speak more about his imagination than it will mine," Coyne says. "I've had some influence…but mostly for the bad."

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Wayne Coyne in Talks to Collaborate on Ke$ha's New LP

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips performs in San Francisco.

After joining forces with Ke$ha for the Flaming Lips' upcoming collaborative LP, Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends – due out on April 21st for Record Store Day – frontman Wayne Coyne says he may return the favor and work with the pop star on her own material.

"I'm talking with Ke$ha about doing some tracks on her new record," Coyne tells Rolling Stone. Along with rapper Biz Markie, they cut a track called "2012" for the album during a late February studio session in Nashville. "We knew that she was a fan," says Coyne. "She's a lot of fun and crazy and open to ideas and she's creative. She's all these things that you don't know."

Coyne hopes to make more music with other Heavy Fwends collaborators like Erykah Badu, who teamed up with the band for a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." I talk with Erykah Badu all the time about doing some more music," says Coyne. And after meeting TV On the Radio and Diplo this past weekend at Costa Rica's Festival Imperial, he hopes to work with them as well. "I was like, 'I'll fucking send you a track,' and they were like, 'Let's do it! That'd be cool,' " recalls Coyne, who says that the key to making unlikely collaborations work is in being open to experimentation. "Sometimes just this idea of trying makes all the difference."

Coyne is equally excited about about a project that the Flaming Lips have been involved with in various forms for nearly a decade: the band's landmark 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, is being adapted into a musical helmed by the veteran Broadway director Des McAnuff (Tommy, Jersey Boys). The production will finally debut in November at California's La Jolla Playhouse. "It's insane to think a group like the Flaming Lips are now being brought into (musical theater) by one of the most respected and successful people to ever fuck with it," Coyne says. "It's pretty amazing!"

Coyne first met McAnuff about a year after Yoshimi was released, and he says the director was visibly impacted by its emotional arc. "You could see him tearing up," Coyne remembers. "I was like, 'This motherfucker's really into this!" The two men would reconvene over the next several years to flesh out the adaptation and meet with several potential writers, including Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin. Coyne recalls a meeting five years ago when Sorkin suggested that the musical be a "retelling of the 9/11 story. "I said, 'I hate George Bush, I don't want him to have anything to do with Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots,'" Coyne recalls – although he now regrets shooting down the idea so quickly. "One of the greatest living writers of our time, and I'm saying, 'No, I don't like your idea?' Why wasn't I open to that?" says Coyne. McAnuff ultimately took over writing duties himself.

In its finished version, the musical chronicles a young Japanese artist, Yoshimi, who journeys alone into a robot world and and fights for her life against evil forces. Nearly the entire Lips catalog, including deep cuts and B-sides, has been incorporated into the musical. And while Coyne was central to the project, he doesn't view it as his own. "It's (McAnuff's') thing. It will probably speak more about his imagination than it will mine," Coyne says. "I've had some influence…but mostly for the bad."

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EMI Sues Cash Money Over Lil Wayne Revenue

Lil Wayne performs at Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

EMI has filed a lawsuit against Cash Money Records over late payments for licensed music connected to Lil Wayne's hit album Tha Carter III. According to papers filed by the label group in the United States Federal Court in the Southern District of New York, the hip-hop label owes $392,940.93 of a larger debt that they had mostly paid off in February of 2010 with a $1.5 million payment. That payment came as the result of another lawsuit pursued by EMI in late 2009.

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III is the only Cash Money release named in EMI's lawsuit. A representative for Cash Money told Billboard yesterday that the label "has been in contact with EMI and will be resolving this amicably."

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EMI Sues Cash Money Over Lil Wayne Revenue

Lil Wayne performs at Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

EMI has filed a lawsuit against Cash Money Records over late payments for licensed music connected to Lil Wayne's hit album Tha Carter III. According to papers filed by the label group in the United States Federal Court in the Southern District of New York, the hip-hop label owes $392,940.93 of a larger debt that they had mostly paid off in February of 2010 with a $1.5 million payment. That payment came as the result of another lawsuit pursued by EMI in late 2009.

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III is the only Cash Money release named in EMI's lawsuit. A representative for Cash Money told Billboard yesterday that the label "has been in contact with EMI and will be resolving this amicably."

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Limp Bizkit and Lil Wayne to Release Single Next Week

Lil Wayne, Fred Durst of Limp BizkitGary Miller/FilmMagic/Jim Dyson/Getty Images

Lil Wayne and Limp Bizkit will release a new collaborative single called "Ready to Go" next week. The song is the first Limp Bizkit have recorded since signing to Cash Money, Lil Wayne's longtime label. "It'll be a great way to let the world know that [the band] is a part of us," Cash Money founder Birdman told Billboard. "It's rock, but it's hip-hop-rock. I think we got that hip-hop-rock swagger."

Limp Bizkit's deal with Cash Money was announced last week, leading many to wonder why the popular rap label was going into business with the rap-metal band who peaked commercially in the late Nineties with hits like "Nookie" and "Break Stuff." "Limp Bizkit, to me, is just a perfect match for us," said Birdman. "It was something that [Durst] was interested in doing, and I was already a fan, and I was like, 'Let's do it.' It's good for the brand, it will bring a different look for us, and we're definitely trying to expand on that side of music."

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Limp Bizkit and Lil Wayne to Release Single Next Week

Lil Wayne, Fred Durst of Limp BizkitGary Miller/FilmMagic/Jim Dyson/Getty Images

Lil Wayne and Limp Bizkit will release a new collaborative single called "Ready to Go" next week. The song is the first Limp Bizkit have recorded since signing to Cash Money, Lil Wayne's longtime label. "It'll be a great way to let the world know that [the band] is a part of us," Cash Money founder Birdman told Billboard. "It's rock, but it's hip-hop-rock. I think we got that hip-hop-rock swagger."

Limp Bizkit's deal with Cash Money was announced last week, leading many to wonder why the popular rap label was going into business with the rap-metal band who peaked commercially in the late Nineties with hits like "Nookie" and "Break Stuff." "Limp Bizkit, to me, is just a perfect match for us," said Birdman. "It was something that [Durst] was interested in doing, and I was already a fan, and I was like, 'Let's do it.' It's good for the brand, it will bring a different look for us, and we're definitely trying to expand on that side of music."

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Lil Wayne: Cash Money Signs Limp Bizkit

Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit performs at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California.

Lil Wayne says Cash Money has signed rap-rockers Limp Bizkit. During a phone call with New York's 98.7 KissFM Thursday night, the rapper revealed the label is on a spending spree – they're reportedly on the verge of inking Ashanti, too – following recent success with acts including Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst later confirmed the signing with a series of tweets ("The game is missing danger, electricity and rock n roll!!!! Cash Money Limp Bizkit").

The band's most recent album, Gold Cobra, a reunion with guitarist Wes Borland, peaked last year at Number 16 on the Billboard chart.

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Lil Wayne: Cash Money Signs Limp Bizkit

Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit performs at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California.

Lil Wayne says Cash Money has signed rap-rockers Limp Bizkit. During a phone call with New York's 98.7 KissFM Thursday night, the rapper revealed the label is on a spending spree – they're reportedly on the verge of inking Ashanti, too – following recent success with acts including Drake and Nicki Minaj.

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst later confirmed the signing with a series of tweets ("The game is missing danger, electricity and rock n roll!!!! Cash Money Limp Bizkit").

The band's most recent album, Gold Cobra, a reunion with guitarist Wes Borland, peaked last year at Number 16 on the Billboard chart.

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Foo Fighters to Team With Deadmau5, Lil Wayne, David Guetta at Grammys

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs during Rock-en-Seine Music Festival in Saint-Cloud, France.JOHANNA LEGUERRE/AFP/Getty Images

The Foo Fighters will team up with Deadmau5, David Guetta and Lil Wayne for a tribute to electronic music at the Grammy Awards this Sunday. It's an unlikely move for the Foos, who are so old school that they made a point of recording their Grammy-nominated album Wasting Light entirely on analog tape, but the band is nominated for best remix for a version of their single "Rope" that was reworked by Deadmau5. The performance will be set on an open air stage outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In other Foo team-up news, Dave Grohl and the band will headline a campaign fundraiser show for Barack Obama with Will Ferrell, who will serve as co-host for the event. Tickets for the gig, which will be held on the estate of soap opera mogul Bradley Bell, will be rather pricey, with general admission tickets going for $250 and V.I.P. passes selling for $1,500.

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Foo Fighters to Team With Deadmau5, Lil Wayne, David Guetta at Grammys

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs during Rock-en-Seine Music Festival in Saint-Cloud, France.JOHANNA LEGUERRE/AFP/Getty Images

The Foo Fighters will team up with Deadmau5, David Guetta and Lil Wayne for a tribute to electronic music at the Grammy Awards this Sunday. It's an unlikely move for the Foos, who are so old school that they made a point of recording their Grammy-nominated album Wasting Light entirely on analog tape, but the band is nominated for best remix for a version of their single "Rope" that was reworked by Deadmau5. The performance will be set on an open air stage outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In other Foo team-up news, Dave Grohl and the band will headline a campaign fundraiser show for Barack Obama with Will Ferrell, who will serve as co-host for the event. Tickets for the gig, which will be held on the estate of soap opera mogul Bradley Bell, will be rather pricey, with general admission tickets going for $250 and V.I.P. passes selling for $1,500.

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New Lil Wayne Album Coming Soon

Lil Wayne visits Club Compound in Atlanta.

Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman has promised a new Lil Wayne album before the beginning of summer. "Wayne's got an album he’s about to drop real soon," the rapper and businessman told Complex. "It's called I Am Not A Human Being 2. It's gonna be before the summer for sure. We haven’t picked the date yet. Whenever he’s ready to drop his album, we're gonna make it do what it do. He’s definitely got an album done and ready to go."

Birdman also clarified the status of Like Father, Like Son 2, the sequel to his 2006 collaborative album with Lil Wayne. "We got that finished too. We’ve been recording that. We never stopped recording [for] that," he said. "When we get ready to drop it, we'll probably do that in the fourth quarter. Wayne wants to do the I Am Not A Human Being 2 and I want to do my solo album too, so we'll probably do that later on."

Speaking about his forthcoming solo disc, Birdman says the new set is one of his best projects. "We always say that, but I mean, you're supposed to always get better with time," he said. "We got so much growth, experience, and we're surrounded by great, young talent. They make it so easy for me to do music and I’m still enjoying it. I don’t love nothing more in life, outside of God and my family, than working with this music and [turning] these youngsters [on Cash Money] into superstars."

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New Lil Wayne Album Coming Soon

Lil Wayne visits Club Compound in Atlanta.

Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman has promised a new Lil Wayne album before the beginning of summer. "Wayne's got an album he’s about to drop real soon," the rapper and businessman told Complex. "It's called I Am Not A Human Being 2. It's gonna be before the summer for sure. We haven’t picked the date yet. Whenever he’s ready to drop his album, we're gonna make it do what it do. He’s definitely got an album done and ready to go."

Birdman also clarified the status of Like Father, Like Son 2, the sequel to his 2006 collaborative album with Lil Wayne. "We got that finished too. We’ve been recording that. We never stopped recording [for] that," he said. "When we get ready to drop it, we'll probably do that in the fourth quarter. Wayne wants to do the I Am Not A Human Being 2 and I want to do my solo album too, so we'll probably do that later on."

Speaking about his forthcoming solo disc, Birdman says the new set is one of his best projects. "We always say that, but I mean, you're supposed to always get better with time," he said. "We got so much growth, experience, and we're surrounded by great, young talent. They make it so easy for me to do music and I’m still enjoying it. I don’t love nothing more in life, outside of God and my family, than working with this music and [turning] these youngsters [on Cash Money] into superstars."

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Lil Wayne to Publish Prison Memoir

Lil Wayne performs during his 'I Am Still Music' tour at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Lil Wayne has signed a deal to publish a prison memoir called Gone Till November. The book will be drawn from notes the rapper made while serving an eight-month sentence at Rikers Island on a weapons possession charge. 

The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing, is repped by Matthew Guma, who also served as Jay-Z's literary agent for the rapper's best-selling book Decoded. According to a press release, Lil Wayne's prison journals will detail "his thoughts and feelings, strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present and future."

Lil Wayne has written about his sports interests for ESPN the Magazine, and he recently announced the launch of a new skateboarding clothing line. The rapper's most recent album, Tha Carter IV, debuted last year at Number One on the Billboard album chart with just under one million copies sold in its first week of release. 

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Lil Wayne to Publish Prison Memoir

Lil Wayne performs during his 'I Am Still Music' tour at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Lil Wayne has signed a deal to publish a prison memoir called Gone Till November. The book will be drawn from notes the rapper made while serving an eight-month sentence at Rikers Island on a weapons possession charge. 

The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing, is repped by Matthew Guma, who also served as Jay-Z's literary agent for the rapper's best-selling book Decoded. According to a press release, Lil Wayne's prison journals will detail "his thoughts and feelings, strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present and future."

Lil Wayne has written about his sports interests for ESPN the Magazine, and he recently announced the launch of a new skateboarding clothing line. The rapper's most recent album, Tha Carter IV, debuted last year at Number One on the Billboard album chart with just under one million copies sold in its first week of release. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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