Hot on the promotional trail for her ‘Rated R’ LP, Rihanna called in to the The Bert Show on Q100 radio station in Atlanta to discuss many a topic. The interviewers asked whether she missed ex-Chris Brown, if  rumours of her dating actor Tristan Wilds of (from TV show ‘The Wire’) were true and more. Here’s what the Bajan beauty had to say:

Interviewers: Do you still miss Chris?

Rihanna: Um, sometimes. Actually yes. There are alot of reminders, alot of hotel rooms, alot of places that we’ve been to together, music, different things that come up that are reminders of your ex….I’ve gotten over it, but there’s definitely constant reminders. Alot of it is listening to the radio, songs that come on, that were our favorite songs or his songs.

Interviewers: Is there any truth to the stories that you’re dating Tristan Wilds [The Wire]?

Rihanna: I don’t even have his number…I had a house party, this is funny, you know how a bunch of people come over that you don’t even know. And he came by, which was fun for me, I appreciated the company and he brought a bunch of friends….but I dont even have his number, so I dont know how I can be dating him.

Interviewers: Are you even open to dating right now?

Rihanna: Um, no. I’m a very flirty girl though…

{Source}

Ms. Fenty sure ain’t shying away from talking about the Chris Brown scenario at any chance it’s presented to her, is she? Funny, for, when they were together, they both remained so tight-lipped about it all – despite the countless pictures and whatnot. Yes, ‘the incident’ happened, but considering  she said in her 20/20 interview that the main thing that annoyed her was that relationship shouldn’t be the public’s business, it’s somewhat confusing to see her so open about it. Artists such as ’she who shall not be named’, have effectively managed to keep her private life private, and, most importantly, keep the focus on her music, so there are workable ways for Ms. Fenty to do the same. That said, when your music lacks substance and leaves a lot to be desired, what other options other are there? I’m just saying…

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

The ever fashionable Rihanna hit the stage at the 02 Academy in Brixton early today. She performed several songs from her catalog including new material from her upcoming album, ‘Rated R’, which will hits stores on November 20th. Featured in the concert were surprise guests Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. Peep the performances below:

‘Wait Your Turn (The Wait Is Ova)’

‘Umbrella’ (featuring Jay-Z)

‘Hard’ (featuring Young Jeezy)

Sidebar: Sam attended the event and barely made out with his hearing intact…

Thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Check out the official TV commercial for the hotly anticipated American Music Awards, which air next Sunday. With Janet, Whitney, Rihanna and co on the bill, it’s hands-down the most exciting award show in a long while…and it hasn’t even happened yet! Can’t wait!

Tidbit: Music feels so exciting again: Janet, Whitney, Mariah, Alicia, Beyonce, GaGa, RiRi, Usher, Chris Brown, Leona, Alexandra…all out at the same time!

Tidbit 2: Kudos to UK group the The Noisettes for landing this year’s show theme tune with ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’.

Tidbit 3 (lol): Janet stans, what do you hope she performs as part of her medley? I’m a sucka for some of Ms. Jackson’s ‘newer’ material, hence would love to see a little ‘Feedback’ in there, as well as ‘All Nite’.

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Whitney Houston

The music video for Rihanna’s hit single ‘Russian Roulette’ has finally been released. The project was directed by Anthony Mandler and features a cameo appearance from Grey’s Anatomy regular, Jesse Williams. ‘Russian Roulette’ has thus far peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rihanna’s new album, ‘Rated R’, hits stores on November 23rd.

I loved it! Dark, edgy, passionate and visually enticing. Her team certainly knocked it out of the park with this one. I can’t fathom a better way of bringing the song onto the silver screen. I was completely engrossed for the entire duration of the clip. Great job to everyone involved!

Thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Peep this behind the scenes look at the shooting of Rihanna’s album packaging for ‘Rated R’. While Ms. Fenty’s artistic credibility is justifiably picked out more than not, she sure knows how to take a picture. I can’t say it enough, but she really would be better off a model.

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Fashion favourite Rihanna has been hard at work promoting her forthcoming album, ‘Rated R’. Emerging from that project is ‘Cold Case Love’, which was written and produced by Justin Timberlake’s The Y’s. ‘Rated R’ hits stores on November 23rd.

The production on this track is no joke. The beat compliments the drifting melodies quite well and the inclusion of the instrumentals was genius. Those elements combined with the revealing lyrics, provide an interesting cocktail for what could become a major success. In contrast, as per usual, Rihanna’s vocal performance was far from impressive. Although she managed to portray the pain behind the lyrics, she also injected pain into my ears. Where have all the real singers gone?

Hit or Miss?

Filed Under: Rihanna

You can now preview all of the tracks from Rihanna’s forthcoming ‘Rated R’ LP (due November 23rd).

Judging from the clips…

Hit or Miss?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Check out this extended preview of Rihanna’s video for ‘Russian Roulette’, which is set to premiere this Friday. I’ve seen a similar video floating around a few other sites, however this is a much longer taster of the video. I’ll reserve full judgement until seeing it in its entirety.

Tidbit: Interestingly Chris Brown’s video for his new single ‘Crawl’ also premieres on the 13th.

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

5 octave songbird Mariah Carey was seen leaving her hotel in Milan, Italy recently. The singer will be performing on ‘The X Factor Italy’ later this evening so keep your eyes on ThatGrapeJuice to see all the action!

Rihanna and her close personal friend Melissa were spotted on there way to JFK International Airport, New York yesterday.

The amazingly talented Black Eyed Peas were photoed heading to a ‘Fun Radio’ event in Paris, France last evening. I still have their album on constant repeat.

R&B singer Monica attended the launch party of Jemaine Dupri’s new watch line in Atlanta, Georgia last evening.

Finally, Letoya was seen leaving MTV Studios in New York yesterday. Good to see she’s still hard at work.

Filed Under: Black Eyed Peas, LeToya, Mariah Carey, Monica, Rihanna

That Grape Juice are pleased to announce that we have joined forces with Nokia to give you, the That Grape Juice faithful, the chance to see Rihanna perform live in London!

The ‘Umbrella’ singer has teamed up with the phone giant to launch her hotly anticipated ‘Rated R’ album, right here in London town on November 16th at a secret location. That Grape Juice will be in the house, and now so can you!

While the show will be broadcast live online (click here for more details), we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the show (yes you read right!). All you have to do is answer the following question correctly:

Rihanna’s 2007 smash ‘Umbrella’ was #1 in the UK for how many weeks?

a) 2

b) 6

c) 10

Complete the form below to submit your answer.  All entries must be received by 5pm UK time tomorrow – November 11th….

READ THE REST »

Filed Under: Competition, Rihanna

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Rihanna revealed that her new LP ‘Rated R’ is “so deep and personal” that she had to leave the studio to not burst out in floods of tears.

The jokes evidently write themselves here, so I’ll refrain from calling out the obvious.

‘Rated R’ hits stores November 23rd. Tissues at the ready…

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Rihanna was named one of Glamour 2009 Women of the Year at the Carneige Hall in New York today (I know…I was thinking the same thing too). Def Jam label honcho L.A Reid accompanied Ms. Fenty, who donned a flowing, white ensemble.

‘That’ hair has yet to grow on me, but she definitely looked a picture of beauty.

Thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Singer (and you use that term loosely) Rihanna was recently featured on MTV’s ‘On With Alex Chung’. Ms. Fenty discussed her ‘20/20′ interview with Dianne Sawyer,  her new album ‘Rated R’, and her fashion choices among other things. Rihanna’s new single ‘Russian Roulette’ currently sits at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #49 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts – and is struggling on iTunes. ‘Rated R’ hits stores on November 20th. Peep part 1 above and part 2 below:

This was the typical light-hearted interview that exemplifies most album promotional ventures. One thing that I did notice, however, is the dynamic nature of Rihanna’s accent. Anyone else notice how her Bajan accent almost completely disappeared during the interview? As a Caribbean native myself (Trinidad and Tobago!), this is something that we observe to be quite the norm with West Indians. People from the region go to the States and abandon every aspect of their culture, with their accent being the first thing to go. It seems that Rihanna only remembers where she comes from when it suits her marketing strategy. That’s a damn shame.

Thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna

Part 2

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Rihanna