“Nobody really wants to recognize that Beyoncé is a f***ing living legend and that she is just as great, if not greater, than the artists that we had in the past…that she’s probably greater than Tina Turner.”

–Kanye West praises Beyoncé at a New Zealand press conference. The shit is gonna hit the fan.

“I would like one of my songs to be the hook to a rap song. That would be so much fun! You know, I love Kanye West and I love T.I.—he’s amazing.”

–Country singer Taylor Swift on her dream collaboration.

“I’m there. I can’t wait. I feel like all of us, we’re ready to do whatever we have to do. Whatever they want—if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I’m there, and I’m ready. I’ve never been so patriotic! I’m just beyond excited.”

–Beyoncé tells The Associated Press the day after Barack Obama’s historic win as the nation’s first elected black president. The 27-year-old also showed her respect for Senator John McCain adding, “McCain’s speech was so classy.”

“My dad didn’t give me much, but he did give me his screwy hairline.”

–Ne-Yo on what his absent father passed on to him, as told to the Los Angeles Times. The stylish singer admitted to being self-conscious about his hairline in high school when he first started wearing hats, which have become his trademark look. He is looking to start his own hat line in the near future.

Photo credit: Liz O. Baylen, Los Angeles Times

“I know many people heard that my pool house just burned down [laughs]. That was definitely a major disappointment.”

–Ludacris expresses his dismay to reporters about the fire that destroyed his Atlanta pool house earlier in the week.

“I was hoping Britney Spears was performing—come back and just blow everyone out of the water, so I can stand up and cry like, ‘I knew it. She’s so great!’”

-Vanessa Simmons of “Run’s House” tells Rap-Up.com on who she’s looking forward to seeing at tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards.

“I’ll just have a little cake with my children and we’ll probably watch some cartoons.”

–Michael Jackson on how he plans to spend his 50th birthday, which is today. In an interview with “Good Morning America,” the King of Pop says he considers “We Are the World,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller” among his greatest musical achievements. He also singled out Chris Brown as one of the artists he’s influenced.

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“Now, with the success of ‘Paper Planes,’ there’s pull for me to make another record. Even my mum believes in me more [laughs]. It’s a nice encouragement. But I was planning my life as a fishing woman on the outskirts of Cambodia. That’s a joke.”

–M.I.A. tells Entertainment Weekly on the success of “Paper Planes” and her plans for another album.

“Don’t ruin the event. Wait till the cake comes out the kitchen before you eat it. That’s like a kid who sees his toys before Christmas; it takes away from me and I think it takes away from the fans as well. When it’s time, I’mma give it to you. They leaked my record with me and The-Dream ["Like I Do"] too. Leakage is never a problem I have had. I’m not used to it.”

–T.I. tells MTV News on the early leak of his new song, “Swagger Like Us,” featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. In addition to appearing first on T.I.’s Paper Trail, the track will also be included on Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 due later this year.

As we first reported, Tip is rumored to be performing his new single with Rihanna at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards on September 7th.