Gwen Stefani Works On Solo LP With Outkast, Missy Elliott

One track, 'Long Way to Go,' is designed as a duet about interracial love.


http://www.vh1.com/shared/media/news/images/n/No_Doubt/sq-gwen-close-up-sac.jpg
Gwen Stefani (Photo: Peter Black)


Sure, she's already collaborated with Eve, but if two of her more recent partnerships are any indication, Gwen Stefani is in even more of a hip-hop state of mind than previously expected as she continues to work on her solo debut.

Outkast and


Missy Elliott spilled the beans on their collaborations to MTV News at this year's VMAs, but both stressed that the No Doubt singer's album is still a work in progress (see "Gwen Stefani Recording Solo Material") and that their contributions may not make the final cut. They also said they're encouraged by Stefani's open-mindedness in exploring new directions.

"I think the album will sound totally different than her No Doubt stuff," Outkast's Andre 3000 said. "And that's cool. Step out and do something new sometime. It could be interesting."

Outkast said the tracks they've already submitted were "some of the strangest stuff" they could, just to encourage Stefani along the road not usually taken.

"It's kinda like mid-tempo, like Outkast," Big Boi said, "but something you wouldn't normally hear her on. ... You just submit something that you think might cause them to switch to something new, something where they don't do their usual [thing] on it, something where they sound a little different. Give it to her and see how she's freaking it and [how] she brings it back."

One track, "Long Way to Go," is designed as a duet about interracial relationships. Andre had intended it for his own solo album (one CD's worth of Outkast's upcoming double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below). "We thought it would be a cool concept," he said, "talking about a girl that didn't have the same color as your skin, but it's a cooler concept for her album."

As for Elliott, she said that she and Stefani were still discussing concepts and didn't have any finished tracks yet. "She came down to the studio and we vibed instantly, worked out a couple of ideas" she said. "But she's still figuring out her direction, so I'm waiting on her at the moment."

Elliott — who is never at a loss for projects to keep her busy — also has plenty of patience and doesn't mind waiting. "When we get together, when she does this record, it's not going to be just another record," Elliott said. "It's going to be an event."

And in case Stefani is at a loss for ideas, the boys in Duran Duran have welcomed her to try out a few with them, since they wouldn't mind including her on their own upcoming record.

"[Collaborators], that stuff is always going to be in the cards," Simon Le Bon said. "That's usually a matter of luck and people's schedules being able to allow it."

"It also has to work musically," Andy Taylor said. "We're not just going to bring someone in because they're Gwen Stefani ..."

"Oh, I would!" Le Bon laughed.

—Jennifer Vineyard, with additional reporting by Corey Moss and SuChin Pak

This report is provided by MTV News
------------------------------------------------

omg: What do you guys think of this? I can't believe she's going solo...

i think that it's so cool that she's going to be working with missy and outkast. I am a huge fan of no doubt and especially Gwen. I will be buying her solo cd when it comes out!!!!!

Also she collaborated with Prince on their last album.

What do you guys think of this? I can't believe she's going solo...

I really don't care about her doing solo work..she has before, it just going to be a whole album now, which will prob suck...Her and the band just recorded 5 new songs, and are working on a singles album and b-sides album, and 2 live dvds. Org. she was only doing some songs for movies and stuff, but i guess they decided to make her put out an album. Adrian is also doing solo work, hes touring with Olso, and Tom is producing for some guy(i forget his name). Shes been writing the songs with Tony btw.

Also she collaborated with Prince on their last album.
Ha ha. The guys from the band said prince is a "drama queen" and "rudely obnoxious":lol:

shes too good for missy elliot

Can't wait to hear it.

o i love missy and gwen

Cool, I like Gwen and Missy a lot.

god, another sellout. This is why I stopped liking Mariah and J. Lo (I never "liked" J. Lo, but I thought she had some catchy fluffy songs at first)

Originally posted by omalleyfan
god, another sellout. This is why I stopped liking Mariah and J. Lo (I never "liked" J. Lo, but I thought she had some catchy fluffy songs at first)

sell out? for experimenting?



how dare you put gwen stefani in the j.ho and mariah leauge:mad: even in the same sentence for that matter.

Originally posted by Nirvana
sell out? for experimenting?

how dare you put gwen stefani in the j.ho and mariah leauge:mad: even in the same sentence for that matter.

Mariah is in a great league and is the best-selling female artist of all time. How dare you tell someone who they can and can't compare each other to. Gwen is much better then Lisa Marie though.

Originally posted by Josh9125
Mariah is in a great league and is the best-selling female artist of all time. How dare you tell someone who they can and can't compare each other to. Gwen is much better then Lisa Marie though.

Originally posted by Josh9125
Mariah is in a great league and is the best-selling female artist of all time. How dare you tell someone who they can and can't compare each other to. Gwen is much better then Lisa Marie though.
stop taking everything so goddamn seriously

Originally posted by Nirvana
sell out? for experimenting?


well, a lot of people are sick of hip hop being shoved in our faces day in and day out. It's one thing when actual hip hoppers do it, but another when people like the aforementioned Mariah and Lopez decided to abandon their pop audiences to win over a rap market. Nothing can get me to liking it, and Gwen will be alienating more fans than she gained because her fanbase is a little more anti-hip hop than Mariah and J. Lo's pop audiences (yea, I know about the duet with Eve, but that was supposed to be a one time thing).

Originally posted by omalleyfan
well, a lot of people are sick of hip hop being shoved in our faces day in and day out. It's one thing when actual hip hoppers do it, but another when people like the aforementioned Mariah and Lopez decided to abandon their pop audiences to win over a rap market. Nothing can get me to liking it, and Gwen will be alienating more fans than she gained because her fanbase is a little more anti-hip hop than Mariah and J. Lo's pop audiences (yea, I know about the duet with Eve, but that was supposed to be a one time thing).

No Doubt fans could careless about Gwens solo work. And just because shes working with missy for one song doesnt means its going to be "hip hop". Look at the producers they worked with on Rock Steady..yet it turned out to go in the danchall direction, which is the closest to what kind of band they started out as 17 years ago(ska influenced)...shes working with "hip hop" producers, rock/alt...she has the voice for most genres, since No Doubt have covered a lot of it. THats what would be good about her solo efforts, it will have a mix.

Originally posted by Nirvana
No Doubt fans could careless about Gwens solo work. And just because shes working with missy for one song doesnt means its going to be "hip hop". Look at the producers they worked with on Rock Steady..yet it turned out to go in the danchall direction, which is the closest to what kind of band they started out as 17 years ago(ska influenced)...shes working with "hip hop" producers, rock/alt...she has the voice for most genres, since No Doubt have covered a lot of it. THats what would be good about her solo efforts, it will have a mix.

oh, she's working with other producers too? I thought it was JUST Missy and Outkast and co.

And yes, I know ND was originally more ska/dance-hall (well, real dance-hall, not crap like Sean Paul), but still, that's different than hip hop

Originally posted by omalleyfan
oh, she's working with other producers too? I thought it was JUST Missy and Outkast and co.

And yes, I know ND was originally more ska/dance-hall (well, real dance-hall, not crap like Sean Paul), but still, that's different than hip hop

i dont see why you keep saying hip hop. you act like shes going to be walking down the streets of brooklyn rapping:lol:

and the point of her and the rest of the band doing work outside of the band is to work with different kinds of music..shes not going to go do a solo album and make it sound like something no doubt might do.

I bet it'll be good. I love Missy Elliott and Gwen.

Originally posted by omalleyfan
well, a lot of people are sick of hip hop being shoved in our faces day in and day out. It's one thing when actual hip hoppers do it, but another when people like the aforementioned Mariah and Lopez decided to abandon their pop audiences to win over a rap market. Nothing can get me to liking it, and Gwen will be alienating more fans than she gained because her fanbase is a little more anti-hip hop than Mariah and J. Lo's pop audiences (yea, I know about the duet with Eve, but that was supposed to be a one time thing).

I'm not crazy of Mariah's hip hop collaborations but I still like her and her music in general. At least she still has songs like her old music on her Charmbracelet CD and not all hip hop. Either way...I think she has a beautiful voice and is a great person. But yeah I agree about the hip hop music she has done. It tends to turn me away, but its her decision i suppose. I don't think Gwen will be a sell out though but who knows.

Originally posted by Nirvana
i dont see why you keep saying hip hop. you act like shes going to be walking down the streets of brooklyn rapping:lol:

well, look at how Jennifer Lopez went from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim

Originally posted by omalleyfan
well, look at how Jennifer Lopez went from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim ok HOW did Jennifer Lopez go from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim?????? Has Jen ever tried to rap in any of her singles? Just because a person does a song with a few rappers doesnt make them Lil Kim, btw Jennifer Lopez grew up with Hip hop, it was all in her neighborhood, so I dont see what's wrong with her doing it....

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
ok HOW did Jennifer Lopez go from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim?????? Has Jen ever tried to rap in any of her singles? Just because a person does a song with a few rappers doesnt make them Lil Kim, btw Jennifer Lopez grew up with Hip hop, it was all in her neighborhood, so I dont see what's wrong with her doing it....

I agree. JLO isn't much like Lil Kim at all!

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
ok HOW did Jennifer Lopez go from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim?????? Has Jen ever tried to rap in any of her singles? Just because a person does a song with a few rappers doesnt make them Lil Kim, btw Jennifer Lopez grew up with Hip hop, it was all in her neighborhood, so I dont see what's wrong with her doing it....

Justin Timberlake grew up on country and even gave Johnny Cash props on the MTV awards, but you aren't going to show him cater to the two fans of his who like country too. J-Lo started out doing fluffy dance-pop numbers like Waiting For Tonight and Play, which were both Kylie-like, and then when she saw that the real money was from doing rap crap, she sold out and went for Ja Rule and company. Granted, she gained a lot of hip hop fans, but for those of us who are not amused by rappers, she lost plenty of people too.

Originally posted by omalleyfan
well, look at how Jennifer Lopez went from Kylie Minogue to Lil Kim

why are you comparing j ho to gwen anyways? j.ho has always been more of a r&b aritst. gwens been in an alt band. woo hoo.

nvm

Originally posted by omalleyfan
Justin Timberlake grew up on country and even gave Johnny Cash props on the MTV awards, but you aren't going to show him cater to the two fans of his who like country too. J-Lo started out doing fluffy dance-pop numbers like Waiting For Tonight and Play, which were both Kylie-like, and then when she saw that the real money was from doing rap crap, she sold out and went for Ja Rule and company. Granted, she gained a lot of hip hop fans, but for those of us who are not amused by rappers, she lost plenty of people too. ...well I always considered Jennifer Lopez R&B from the beginning, or POP/R&B...

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
...well I always considered Jennifer Lopez R&B from the beginning, or POP/R&B...

Me too...she did some hip hop songs too but not like her whole albums or anything. I LOVE This is Me Then.

Originally posted by Josh9125
Me too...she did some hip hop songs too but not like her whole albums or anything. I LOVE This is Me Then. I actually liked J-Lo or On the 6 the best, but I like This Is Me Then too

Missy Elliot is kind of......meh. She is really nothing unless there's a good timbaland beat to back her up, because her voice isnt that great, and she can't flow, even though she thinks she's a "rapper". Outkast is pretty dope though. Can't wait. It sucks that Gwen is going solo though, but than again, No Doubt hasnt been that great on the last couple of albums. They were a lot better when they were first starting out.

Originally posted by The Lost Boy
It sucks that Gwen is going solo though, but than again, No Doubt hasnt been that great on the last couple of albums. They were a lot better when they were first starting out.

They've been recording new songs for the past month now. They're putting out a singles album and b-sides album next month..as well as 2 live dvd's. After gwen's solo album they're going to finsh working on their new album. IMO they were better 5 years after they formed(beacon street work..). Their first album and all their demos is nothing great.