Rita Ora Throws A 'Party': Gin, Glow Sticks And Glitter

'It's basically a big party with no judgment,' Roc Nation singer tells MTV News of the concept for her 'How We Do' video.
By Rebecca Thomas

Rita Ora
Photo: MTV News

The last time an R&B upstart sampled the Notorious B.I.G. on her debut single, it was the early aughts: Eminem was still cleaning out his closet and Pink and Christina Augilera were pop's reigning bad girls. Amidst all that, Ashanti's Biggie-sampling "Foolish" scaled the charts and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the way to becoming one of the decade's most successful singles. Now, 10 years later, Rita Ora is dipping into Mr. Wallace's vault for her first Stateside release.

But whereas the onetime Murder Inc. princess made a breakup ballad for the ages, Ora's debut single, "How We Do (Party)" — which gets musical inspiration from the late Big's grimy "Party and Bullsh--" — is as bouncy as a box spring. When the newly minted Roc Nation signee visited the MTV newsroom earlier this month, we drilled her with questions about the tune and its equally effervescent video.

"It's basically a big party with no judgment," Ora explained of how the visual matches the sentiment of the number, written by Kelly Sheehan and Bonnie McKee.

"So there's a whole bunch of people in there, from a guy who's got knickers on and who's colored in paint on his chest to an old man kind of shaking his hips around. ... It's definitely [about embracing] anyone who wants to come to a party," she laughed.

In the clip, the Kosovo-born, West London-raised beauty down a Basquiat-style crown as she presides over a colorful bash that alternates between a lush garden at twilight, a foil-wrapped bedroom and a white-cube space complete with guests using their torsos as paint brushes. " 'Cause when the sun sets, baby, on the avenue/ I get that drunk sex feeling, yeah when I'm with you," she coos to the camera.

The infectious tune dares you not to dance along, and last week at New York's SOB's, a room full of seen-it-all industry types gathered for a Roc Nation showcase fully rocked out. Ora, for her part, announced the next song in her set by throwing an oversize Coogi sweater (we think Big would have approved!) over her tank. With a red knit cap pulled down over platinum-blond curls, she called to mind a cross between mid-'90s-era Faith Evans (during her courtship with Mr. Wallace, of course) and Gwen Stefani, whom Ora cites as an influence.

"I am a huge Notorious B.I.G. fan and I loved his Coogi sweaters and ... I found one for 10 pounds actually in a village shop back home," she told us of the Brooklyn icon's signature cover-up.

The connections to Biggie don't end there, though. Ora is the latest on a growing roster of acts being groomed by Jay-Z, the Roc Nation mogul and Big's old Bed-Stuy pal. Back in February, Shawn Carter himself accompanied his new artist, single in hand, to iHeartRadio's Z100. The video went viral and the Jordan-wearing 21-year-old hasn't looked back since.

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Socialcam Nabs Angel Funding From The A-List: Yuri Milner, Tim Draper, Laurene Powell Jobs, And More

Socialcam is hustling to be the "Instagram for video" app of choice, battling neck-and-neck for the top spot in the iTunes app store with its main rival, Viddy. It turns out that Socialcam now has a number of very powerful people rooting for it to win: An angel investor list that reads like a "who's who" of tech and entertainment industry heavyweights. I've been hearing whispers about Socialcam's crazy angel round for weeks now, and I've finally verified the full list of the startup's seed backers. I've pasted the entire list at the bottom of this post, but the names include Tim Draper, Yuri Milner, Ari Emmanuel, Laurene Powell Jobs, Ashton Kutcher, Brian Chesky, Paul Buchheit, Alexis Ohanian, and many more.

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Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Following news of the first successful white space trials in Cambridge, UK, Nokia is now touting its research in the area with a demonstration of location-based services for the unlicensed spectrum. Traditionally, proponents of white space usage have positioned this unused portion of the airwaves as a viable, low-cost method of data transmission, but the Nokia folks have now demonstrated its ability to pinpoint one's location with much greater accuracy than either WiFi or cellular networks. Think of it as a counterpoint to NFC, if you will, but in the following clip, we're shown how an individual might move throughout a museum, and as they approach various exhibits, one's smartphone could provide supplemental information for the nearby artifacts. Beyond its use in museums, Nokia also foresees the technology as useful in the retail space, where businesses may provide consumers with promotions as they walk by. Currently, the necessary equipment to make this all possible is much too large to fit within a typical smartphone, but Nokia hypothesizes that the necessary chipsets and industry standards may be in place by 2015. Until then, you can dream of what might be with the following video.

Continue reading Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Katie Price Engaged To Model Leandro Penna

Katie Price Engaged To Model Leandro Penna

Former model Katie Price is gearing up to walk down the aisle a third time. The British reality star is engaged to Argentinian model Leandro [...]

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Reviled by some, Wisconsin's Walker is conservative celebrity (reuters)

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Burying Conventional Wisdom at The Next Web Conference

The Next Web, a network of online technology outlets, continued its annual conference Friday in Amsterdam. Heeding to Amsterdam's night life, The Next Web waited until 10 a.m. to get things started, which was probably just about as early as the sleep-deprived attendees could have hacked it.

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Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Following news of the first successful white space trials in Cambridge, UK, Nokia is now touting its research in the area with a demonstration of location-based services for the unlicensed spectrum. Traditionally, proponents of white space usage have positioned this unused portion of the airwaves as a viable, low-cost method of data transmission, but the Nokia folks have now demonstrated its ability to pinpoint one's location with much greater accuracy than either WiFi or cellular networks. Think of it as a counterpoint to NFC, if you will, but in the following clip, we're shown how an individual might move throughout a museum, and as they approach various exhibits, one's smartphone could provide supplemental information for the nearby artifacts. Beyond its use in museums, Nokia also foresees the technology as useful in the retail space, where businesses may provide consumers with promotions as they walk by. Currently, the necessary equipment to make this all possible is much too large to fit within a typical smartphone, but Nokia hypothesizes that the necessary chipsets and industry standards may be in place by 2015. Until then, you can dream of what might be with the following video.

Continue reading Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video)

Nokia experiments with location-based white space services in Cambridge, UK (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ShelfX's Vending Fridge nixes the cashier, uses QR codes, RFID to 'know what you took'

QR codes and RFID tags aren't uncommon when it comes to automated payment applications, and now Colorado-based ShelfX has purposed them for its new wireless-equipped Vending Fridges. Eliminating the need for a cashier -- or cash, for that matter -- each unit allows you to purchase any items packed inside by scanning a QR code with your phone (using the company's app) or an RFID badge. Upon presenting either method to the machine, it's able to tell who you are and unlocks its door. From there, you can grab whatever you'd like, while ShelfX automatically pulls funds your account for what's been removed. The system is also smart enough to know when goods are put back, so you won't have to worry about being charged while making up your mind. All of the money goes through ShelfX, allowing it to take "a small percentage" for itself before sending a monthly payment to owners. The Vending Fridge is currently on sale for $600, and a retrofitting kit for your own fridge is also available for half that amount -- no word on whether it has kid-blocking or crab-proofing options, though. You'll find more information in the press release just after the break.

Continue reading ShelfX's Vending Fridge nixes the cashier, uses QR codes, RFID to 'know what you took'

ShelfX's Vending Fridge nixes the cashier, uses QR codes, RFID to 'know what you took' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean Christian Groups Call to Ban Lady Gaga, "Pornographic" Show

Lady Gaga is under fire in Korea - and not even from the Northern half.

Christian groups in South Korea called on Friday for the pop star to cancel her concert there, saying it's "pornographic" and pro-homosexuality.

South Korea's government has already bowed to public pressure and banned people under 18 from attending, but certain protesters said that was not enough.

"Even adults can't see her performance which is too homosexual and pornographic," said Rev. Yoon Jung-hoon, organizer of "Civilians Network against the Lady Gaga Concert."

"Some people can simply accept this as another culture but its impact is huge beyond art and debases religions."

The singer's hit song "Born This Way" celebrates the empowerment of gay men and women, something that many in South Korea, which is the second most Christian country in Asia after the Philippines, say is an immoral lifestyle.

No word if they've even heard the Lady Gaga hermaphrodite rumor.

The star has been in Seoul for close on a week as she kicks off her Asian "Born this Way" tour. So far, the backlash doesn't seem to have fazed her.

"Nervous for tonight. Hope I make little monsters happy and proud," she Tweeted a few hours before the concert kicked off.

Yoon's group claims to have collected 5,000 supporters on Facebook against the concert and some have also called for a boycott of the sponsor Hyundai.

"The Christian Council of Korea with 12 million Christians and 55,000 churches will take all kinds of measures such as boycotting Hyundai to root out this kind of obscene culture," the council said in a statement.

Yoon said he would attend the concert to "monitor" the much-anticipated performance for homosexual content that could corrupt young people.

Have fun with that.

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Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year

Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console -- set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales dropped by 36.2 percent compared to 2010-2011 , despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals on Apple and Android hardware, as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength.

Nintendo also laid some of the blame at the feet of the weakened yen, but expects the incoming Wii U, cheaper 3DS production and incoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Brain Training and Animal Crossing will all help turn its fortunes around. Nintendo intends to stop selling the 3DS "below cost" (that is; at a reduced manufacturing cost) by the middle of the next financial year, after strong sales from the substantial price cut last year. The company sold 13.53 million 3DS devices and 36 million 3DS games, compared to 80.2 million on the original DS. The original DS still managed to sell 5.1 million units in the last year. Nintendo's main console, the Wii, sold 9.84 million units in the last year, with 102.37 million games sold.

Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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