The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery has acquired a now iconic image of the singer/songwriter Beyonce.

Exciting news below…

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Janet Jackson is heading Down Under!

With just a few shows left to go of ‘Metamorphosis’ 2019 dates, the diva has been announced as headliner at two notable festivals.

Details below…

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Megan Thee Stallion has been scorching the music scene of late, so it’s only fitting that she brings the heat (au naturale) to Paper Magazine.

The Houston hottie – who is as much brains as she is beauty – sees the feature arrive on the eve of the release of her eagerly anticipated song ‘Hot Girl Summer’ – featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign. 

As well as posing it up for a Arturo Evaristo lensed shoot, Meg – a current Texas Southern University student – opened up about the international love she’s been receiving, trademarking “Hot Girl Summer,” her response to Miley Cyrus’ use of her catchphrase, and more.

Peep pics and quotes below…

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Mary J. Blige has made a career out of keeping it all sorts of real and it’s a trajectory she continues on new song ‘Know.’

Produced by Sounwave and co-written by Blige alongside the likes of Chi Coney and Blue June, the jam finds MJB in reflective mode.

Over a breezy throwback beat, the R&B royal reminisces on the hardships and hurdles she’s had to overcome – that women en masse have to overcome – and celebrates their collective survival.

Take a listen below…

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Megan Thee Stallion is elated with Nicki Minaj‘s contributions to her tune ‘Hot Girl Summer’ and is baring all on how the collaboration came together.

The ladies generated hype for the duet with a fun-filled Instagram Live session a few weeks ago and are now gearing up to dominate the charts with the track with help from Ty Dolla $ign.

Watch below…

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Normani just wrapped a much praised guest stint on Ariana Grande‘s ‘Sweetener Tour.’ But their creative collaboration is continuing – and this time, it’s on record!

Details below…

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All roads lead to the August 23rd release of ‘Lover’ for Taylor Swift.

The Pop titan’s sixth studio album is billed as one of the year’s most anticipated and serves as her first project to be released as part of her new multi-year, multi-project deal with Universal Music.

Ahead of its arrival, she makes a notable stop on the cover of Vogue Magazine‘s September 2019 issue.

Beyond a striking shoot (lensed by Inez and Vinoodh), Swift sat down for a tell-all interview, which saw her wax honest about the fallout over Scooter Braun buying her catalogue, her position on LGBTQ rights, cancel culture, and of course her LP.

Head below for pics and quotes…

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It looks as though the Queen of Pop has paired up with modern R&B’s most notable voices.

For, Janet Jackson has enlisted none other than Ty Dolla $ign for the new music she’s cooking up.

Full story below…

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Ricky Rozay is a busy man.

In addition to putting the final touches on his memoir, ‘Hurricanes’ (due in stores September 3), Ross is anxiously setting sail toward August 9th – the delivery date of his long-awaited new album, ‘Port of Miami II.’

To ensure the set makes the intended splash, he’s unveiled a listen to yet another of the LP’s gems:  ‘Turnpike Ike.’  An ode to Florida’s Turnpike – a stomping ground for the 43-year-old back in his hustling days – the Jake One-produced song follows the release of the Drake-assisted, ‘Gold Roses’ (click here to listen).

Hear it inside:

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Sam Smith and Normani have two-stepped their way to another double platinum hit thanks to their global smash duet, ‘Dancing With a Stranger.’

The tune – released in January 2019 – was an out-of-the-box hit with fans and critics.  Eventually blasting its way to a peak of #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, the success of the Stargate-produced track gifted Smith his sixth run in the tally’s topmost dectet (Normani’s second as a solo act).

The song’s endurance on streaming and sales formats has kept it a mainstay in the top 20 some 7 months later (coming in at #19 this week as we reported here) and helped it pass the Recording Industry Association of America’s threshold for double platinum status!

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We can’t get enough of (relative) newcomer Lizzo and it appears the Billboard Hot 100 echoes our sentiment.

The rapping singer-songwriter – whose underground buzz helped catapult her to success in late 2018 – is reaping the reward of her hard work thanks to the ongoing success of her major label debut album, ‘Cuz I Love You,’ and its single, ‘Truth Hurts.’

The Ricky Reed-produced cut – originally released in 2017 – became the singer’s crowning glory due to its appearance on the Netflix series, ‘Someone Great.’ Just weeks after it was announced the song had become her first Hot 100 top 40 placement ever (click here to read more), it jumped into the top 5 for the first time last week (click here to see).

As if earning the honor of being her inaugural top 5 hit wasn’t enough, the tune’s rise to #4 this week – thanks to a handsome mix of streaming, digital downloads, and radio airplay – has made it a career peak for the burgeoning diva (to date).  Look inside to see who joins her in the top 25 this week on TGJ’s ‘Chart Check: Hot 100’:

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Despite being no stranger to getting flack for his commentary on other artists, the last few weeks have seen producer extraordinaire Jermaine Dupri in the headlines more than usual for his remarks rubbing people the wrong way.

Not even a month after being slammed for saying many of today’s female rappers sound like ‘strippers’ (click here to read more), the 46-year-old is now being criticized for a perceived diss toward Lil Nas X after he broke Mariah Carey‘s longstanding record for longest running #1 in Billboard Hot 100 history (click here to read more).

Taking to Twitter, Dupri praised Carey – his longtime collaborator – when he said:

Needless to say, the ‘you can’t sit with us’ bit rubbed some the wrong way.

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