Monday, June 9th 2008

More On Janet / Def Jam Drama

Following the story our friends over at SOHH broke about Janet Jackson’s latest label spat with Island Def Jam last week (which spread like wildfire), the highly reliable owner of the most popular Janet fansite online Janet-Xone.com has shed further light on what exactly went down:

Good day, Janet fans.

This post is intended to put some fact – from inside Janet’s camp – to the rumor mill around here. The facts do not change the current situation, but they put truth to the stories that have been floating around this forum.

Janet wanted Luv to be the second single. LA Reid wanted Rock With U to be the next single. Obviously, we’ve seen how this conflict affected the post-album release promotion, and Janet has now explained the results of this conflict. End of story. The rest is history.

Have a good day!

Wow. Not to toot my own horn (well slightly lol), but myself, along with many others, recognised the hit potential of ‘LUV’ most especially over ‘Rock With U’ right from the onset. The only way I ever envisioned ‘Rock With U’ being successful was if it was touted as an International single and pushed over here in European territories, where its chances of charting well were high(er).

Though I’m sure there’s a lot we don’t know as well as unanswered questions, the whole scenario makes a lot more sense now. As some of you may remember, the early listening session reports for ‘Discipline’ detailed how LA Reid would play ‘Rock With U’ more than once (while visibly enjoying it), trying to gauge a reaction from the journalists to the song. It really does beg the question, then, baring in mind what is known and not known, of where the blame lies in this whole episode.

Your thoughts?

Posted By: Sam

19 Comments

Monday, June 9th 2008

Ray J – ‘Gifts’ Video

Following the surprise success of ‘Sexy Can I’, Ray J is back with follow-up single ‘Gifts’. Unfortunately it seems as though the impressive reception of ‘Sexy Can I’ was a fluke, as ‘Gifts’ finds Brandy’s lil’ bro in familiar territory – uncreative, uninspired and unworthy of a second listen IMO (though I’m some will beg to differ).

What do you think of the song/video?

Posted By: Sam

12 Comments

Sunday, June 8th 2008

Amy Winehouse In New Racism Scandal

Drug addict Amy Winehouse today found herself at the center of yet another scandal – one that is threatening to leave her career in ruins.

UK tabloid The News of The World was sold videos and pics from the camera of Winehouse’s husband Blake Fielder-Civil’. Among the many pics of Amy, Blake and a friend in their crack den, a video, featuring the ‘Rehab’ singer performing a racist chant was included. A mess and then some…check out the vid and pics below:

Click here to watch the video

Click here to view the pics

After watching that, I’m pretty much through with Amy; there’s only so many times one can say ‘if only she got her act together’. Though I’m almost certain that a statement to the effect of ‘I’m not a racist’ will be released, drugged out or not, there’s no excuse for saying such things. What makes the whole incident all the more bizarre is that Amy’s own genre music is of black heritage. A complete cracked out mess. SMH…

Your thoughts?

Posted By: Sam

20 Comments

Sunday, June 8th 2008

Jennifer Lopez Performs At MUZ Awards

Jennifer Lopez gave her first performance since giving birth to twins back in February at the MUZ Awards at Moscow’s Olympiysky Stadium this past Friday. Check out her performance below, a medley of her past hits ‘Jenny From The Block’, ‘Ain’t It Funny (Remix)’, ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’ and ‘Get Right’:

Though her career is in dire need of a resuscitation at present, there’s no denying she’s one hell of a performer; her rendition of ‘Get Right’ reminded me of how baffled I was at why the song wasn’t as big as it should have been -a great track, which she nails performance-wise each and every time. Random tidbit: it really seems like just yesterday that J. LO ruled the music scene. I guess it goes to show, you’re only as big as your last hit – Rihanna and co, take note.

What do you think of the performance?

Posted By: Sam

9 Comments

Sunday, June 8th 2008

Beyonce To Perform At 2008 BET Awards

In a recent interview with XM radio, rapper Lil’ Wayne confirmed that he will be taking to the stage with Usher and Beyonce to open the 2008 BET Awards with the ‘Love In This Club’ remix:

“It was suppose to be a surprise that I and Beyonce are performing with Usher when I open up the show.”

I’m guessing he was high or something when he let the cat out of the bag; emphasis on the word ‘surprise’ lol. In any case, no doubt all eyes will be on Beyonce’s showing, which will serve as a record 6 performances at the annual ceremony. It’s evident, BET know the ‘Deja Vu’ singer is a ratings winner.

Your thoughts?

Posted By: Sam

53 Comments

Sunday, June 8th 2008

From The Vault: Brandy & Monica – ‘The Boy Is Mine’

R&B vocalists Brandy and Monica’s 1998 now-classic collabo ‘The Boy Is Mine’ serves as this week’s From the Vault video. Prior to the single’s release, the immensely talented teen stars had been pitted against one another, something the song’s concept no doubt played on. However, the Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins produced track unites the pair’s undeniable talent on one, of what I feel to be, contemporary R&B’s best collaborative offerings:

Watching this really has me remembering how dominant (deservedly) the ladies were back in the day. In an industry filled with singers whose list of talents don’t include actually being able to sing, both Brandy and Monica still stand as welcomed rarities in the R&B field. I’m really anticipating both of their forthcoming LP’s.

Your thoughts?

Posted By: Sam

10 Comments

Saturday, June 7th 2008

Jordin Sparks – ‘One Step At A Time’ Video

The video for Jordin Sparks’ latest single ‘One Step At A Time’ made its debut today. Something about this girl is just real ‘blah’ to me…

What do you think of the video?

Posted By: Sam

8 Comments

Saturday, June 7th 2008

New Song: Nas – ‘Hero (ft. Keri Hilson)’

With all the controversy surrounding the title of Nas’ forthcoming album (which is still untitled – due July 15th), one could easily be forgiven for forgetting about the actual music. The set’s first official single ‘Hero’ surfaced recently and it’s banger! Produced by Polow Da Don and featuring Keri Hilson, the cut manages to not stray from Nas’ stance in rap, whilst also being commercial enough to service to the masses. I’m really feeling this one. Random tidbit: Keri is everywhere these days. More power to her. {Many thanks to The Best of Both Offices}

Hit or Miss?

LISTEN: Hero (ft. Keri Hilson)

Posted By: Sam

5 Comments

Saturday, June 7th 2008

Chris Brown Performs ‘Foerver’ On Today Show

R&B star Chris Brown stopped by The Today Show yesterday promote his new LP, ‘Exclusive: The Forever Edition’ which also hit stores yesterday. Expectantly, the teen singer performed current single ‘Forever’ as part of his set. Check out the performance below:

Decent performance, I guess. The song is still the pits IMO, but the crowd obviously felt otherwise. With the right material, I really feel Chris could make a lasting impact in the industry. Maybe with the next album…

What do you think of the performance?