'I'm just happy to be a part of the project and I'm glad it came from Jay,' she says of Robin Thicke collabo, in Mixtape Daily.
By Shaheem Reid

Nicki Minaj
Photo: MTV News

Celebrity Favorites

Nicki Minaj is definitely getting noticed in the music industry. But has Nick's fame reached all the way to the top? Well, none other than Jay-Z recommended her to Robin Thicke as a guest star on his single "Shakin' It 4 Daddy." Not only did the singer take Jigga's advice, but he also brought the sexy Queens MC with him on various performance dates, even appearing with her on "The Late Show With David Letterman."

"[I] cannot put into words how I felt when he told me that," Nicki said about the Jay co-sign. "[Robin] was like, 'By the way, let me tell you this great story.' "

As Thicke told MTV several weeks ago, Hov heard a rough version of the song and told him he should get the Young Money siren on the track.

"It was Jay's idea," Thicke said of the "Shakin' It 4 Daddy" collabo. "We were in the studio and I played him the whole album. He was like, 'You should get Nicki Minaj on that. She's got that voice. She's got that swag.' So I leaned over and was like, 'Somebody get Nicki Minaj on the phone! Jay-Z said so!' Next thing you know, we called Nicki. She was excited. But once we told her it was Jay-Z's idea to get her on the track, she started screaming on the phone. She was all excited. She's a super, super talent. I can't wait to do a video with Nicki. There's a power in her. It's not just that she's sexy and that's the only way she can get you to like her. She's got charm -- not just sex. Some women may use sex to get what they want; others have charm. She's got charm."

"I was like, 'What?' " Minaj told Mixtape Daily. "Obviously, Jay-Z ... Jay-Z is a person in hip-hop that you almost don't think he exist until you meet him. It's almost like he's bigger than a person. He's a mythical figure. That's a great way to describe it. I was like, 'Jay-Z knows me?' I didn't think he knew who I was, let alone recommend me for something. If he did know who I was, I didn't know if he liked my style or approved. It was weird. It was like getting that stamp of approval from the most popular jock in high school and being a freshman in high school and thinking no one knows you exist."

Jay had a front-row seat when Minaj and Thicke performed at the Sex Therapy album-release party in New York last year.

"He saw me perform it with Robin at Robin's party," Nicki remembered. "It was scary -- him and Beyoncé were there, literally a few feet away from us watching us perform in New York. They loved the performance. Beyoncé was so into it. I never saw her act like that. She was like, 'You killed it.' It was just a crazy experience -- that whole night, even being tied to somebody like Robin. I wouldn't expect him to want to make a record like 'Shakin' It 4 Daddy.' I'm just happy to be a part of the project and I'm glad it came from Jay. I don't think Robin really knew me. When Jay said that, he probably was like, 'Really?' and researched me. Then I think he saw me in the 'Five Star' video and got an idea of who I was. If it didn't come from Jay, he probably would have been like, 'Who? Never heard of her.' "

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

• Mixtape Daily: Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, More

• Nicki Minaj
• Jay-Z

Singer, in rehearsal for new tour, says she was 'never supposed to' be at session even though her name was attached.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga
Photo: Ian Gavan/ Getty Images

While a number of the names attached to the "We Are the World" remake lent their voices to the charity single benefiting Haiti, a few notables were absent from the roster, including Lady Gaga. The Grammy-winning pop singer explains that while some media reports linked her to the "We Are the World" project, she had never planned on being involved with it.

"I've actually been in rehearsal for my new tour, but I was never supposed to do 'We Are the World.' So that's a rumor," Lady Gaga told "Access Hollywood." "I believe that they may have asked, yes, about it, but I was unable to do it."

But Gaga is quick to point out that just because she didn't get involved with "We Are the World" doesn't mean she hasn't done her part for the nation. "I've been working on my own charity projects for Haiti," she explained. "We've raised over half a million dollars for Haiti already and we like to work specifically with charities that are based in Haiti itself."

Most notably, Gaga donated all proceeds from her Radio City gig in New York on January 24, as well as a day's sales of merchandise on her Web site, to Haiti relief, totaling $500,000. "I donated all of the proceeds from one show worth of ticket sales as well as all of the merchandise from that show and for 24 hours we had a 'Gaga for Haiti' day where everything that was bought on the Web site ... every dollar went to Haiti," she said. "We're continuing to work on more projects and we're supposed to go to Haiti later this year for a show, which is very exciting."

On Monday night, when the "We Are the World" single was being recorded, Randy Phillips, the CEO of AEG Live and Lionel Richie's manager, discussed Gaga's absence. "That was one of the few disappointments because I think she's one of the greatest new stars we have," said Phillips, who helped organize the session. "If I have one regret, it's that she didn't come and do this. But you have to understand that this is a daunting thing when you think about what this was going to be. It's hard to tell people what it is until they see it and experience it. They had issues on the last one. Bruce Springsteen was right at the last minute and that really gave it credibility and Dylan came in and stuff like that."

Although he didn't know the exact reasons for her absence at the time, he did note that she had been involved with Haiti relief on her own, saying, "She's involved with Haiti. She's done other things for Haiti. But to be honest with you, I really don't know."

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

• Behind The Scenes Of 'We Are The World'

• 'We Are The World 25 For Haiti' Recording Session

• Lady Gaga

'Twilight' star's photo reportedly gets court security guards in trouble.
By Jocelyn Vena

Kristen Stewart
Photo: George Pimentel/WireImage

Earlier this week, "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart was on jury duty, and now details about the case she sat on are emerging. Stewart was reportedly a member of a Los Angeles County jury that was deciding the fate of a man accused of trying to solicit a prostitute.

According to TMZ, Stewart sat on a three-day trial; the defendant was found not guilty of trying to pay an undercover police officer for sex. The man pleaded not guilty, with his defense attorney arguing that since he does not speak English very well, he didn't understand the situation he was in with the undercover cop and was therefore innocent.

TMZ further reported that when the trial was over, Stewart asked to keep her juror badge and was allowed to. However, a security guard who posed for a photo with the actress at the courthouse earlier this week may be in hot water for snapping a shot of Stewart, according to E! Online.

The security guard reportedly asked to take a photo with Stewart, who did so. The photo was then posted online by the guard's friend's wife before it was quickly picked up by various media outlets and made public. Now it seems that the people involved may have violated some rules and may lose their jobs for taking a picture with the actress.

"Cancelled because unfortunately the photo that went up from Kristen in court was stolen and put on several blogs and got to the media and reached the ears of the court," the wife wrote online. "Right now my husband and the security guard are in trouble for it having gone up and second because it is confidential when celebrities are in court. Now I feel bad. ... I am really scared, because I think it is possible that they could lose their jobs."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

• MTV Rough Cut: Kristen Stewart

• Kristen Stewart Gets Sexy For Allure
• The Evolution Of: Kristen Stewart

Timbaland, JoJo also perform at show in Miami; Justin Timberlake appears via video.
By Gil Kaufman

Rihanna performs at the Super Bowl Jam on Thursday
Photo: Getty Images

Leave it to the good people of Miami to fire up the tailgate grills four days early for Sunday's Super Bowl. The city that rarely sleeps got its party on way in advance of the Colts-Saints matchup on Thursday night, when VH1 kicked off the weekend with the one-hour "Super Bowl Fan Jam 2010" concert featuring Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Young Jeezy and Timbaland.

	VH1's Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam 2010

Timbaland opened the show, performing a virtual duet with Justin Timberlake on "Carry Out," the latest single from Tim's solo album, Shock Value II. Though the song was bangin', unlike last Friday at Timbaland's show in Hollywood, Timberlake did not join his frequent collaborator live onstage for the raunchy food-as-sex-metaphor-heavy tune, but instead was beamed in on a giant video screen.

Tim wasn't lonely for long, though, as his second song featured the all-grown-up JoJo strutting the stage in a shimmery silver tank top and gray leggings for the funky "Lose Control," during which she dropped some salty language that got her bleeped.

Next up was the seemingly indefatigable 15-year-old Justin Bieber, who appeared at Monday's "We Are the World" recording session and Sunday's Grammy Awards and rocked the stage with his candy pop hit "Baby," slapping hands with shrieking female fans, dozens of whom were corralled behind a glass wall on the stage for a closer look at the Canadian cutie.

Also fresh from the Grammys was Rihanna, who emerged from a smoke-filled hole in the stage wearing a black bra under a sexy asymmetrical space-age jumpsuit missing one leg and the opposite arm, and wielding a curved, sword-shaped mic stand as she sang a hard-rocking version of "Wait Your Turn." With crunching rock guitars and booming drums, she segued into the T.I. collabo "Live Your Life," which slid into a pop-punk take on "Disturbia."

And she wasn't done yet. RiRi closed the show by coming back out seated in a white armchair and crooning the gothy "Russian Roulette" before bringing Young Jeezy out for her crunching current single, "Hard." Wearing all black, the rapper spit his bit and ended up center stage, with Rihanna's arm draped around him. As the credits rolled, Rihanna gave them one more, grinding her way through the bouncy "Rude Boy," leaving the crowd pumped up for another three days of pre-game parties.

• Rihanna, Justin Bieber, More Perform At Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam

• Rihanna
• Justin Bieber
• Young Jeezy
• JoJo
• Timbaland