A previously anonymous woman who alleges R. Kelly sexually assaulted her is now going public with the accusations for the first time.

Despite the embattled singer entering a ‘not guilty’ plea to the 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four alleged victims (click here to read more), one of the four – identified in the indictment record as “L.C.” – is maintaining the 52-year-old is guilty of the reported crimes.

Taking to CBS ‘This Morning,’ she shared a harrowing tale of her relationship with the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ star.  Hear it inside:

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‘Wake Up, No Make Up’ singer Ciara is waking fans up to new music from her long-awaited seventh album, ‘Beauty Marks.’

The follow-up to a string of critically acclaimed cuts (see:  ‘Greatest Love,’ ‘Dose,’ and ‘Level Up’), the new tune – ‘Thinkin Bout You’ – has been teased in earnest since its announcement just days ago (click here to read).

Undoubtedly a 1,2 step away from her usual sonic offerings as she’s best known for party-starters and bass heavy slow jams, ‘Thinkin’ rings as an 80s-inspired, mid-tempo funk groove akin to the offerings of fellow Urban stageblazer Janelle Monae.

Curious what we mean? Hear it for yourself:

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Donald Trump leads the chorus of incensed critics who cannot believe the charges launched against ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett (as we reported here) and has revealed he wants the Federal Bureau of Investigations to investigate him!

Full story below..

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Cop a gander at our girl Ciara!

After ample teasing as her best body of work to date, the Grammy-winner’s finally unveiled a peek at her long-awaited new album, ‘Beauty Marks.’ Ahead of the release of its latest single, ‘Thinkin Bout You’ (due today as we reported here), the project will come as the first LP launched from her label Beauty Marks Entertainment.

Curious to see what gems you can expect to see line its tracklist?  Exciting details await inside:

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Having scored ratings winners with a bevy of biographical films related to top female music artists over the last few years (see:  Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, and more), Lifetime is hoping rub a few more hits out of their magic lamp as it’s been announced they have ordered yet another set of music themed programs.

In addition to the previously announced biopic set to tell the stories of one of Gospel’s most renowned groups, The Clark Sisters (as we reported here), now the women’s network is turning the spotlight on female Rap pioneers Salt-N-Pepa.

Details inside:

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Usher has a lot to get off his chest, and it seems as though he may be drawing on a tried and true format to do so.

For, the R&B star has just teased a sequel to his Diamond-selling ‘Confessions’ album.

Dive below for details…

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‘The Boss’ Diana Ross celebrated her 75th birthday and did so in style.

Surrounded by family, friends, and admirers, the music legend was honored for the length and breadth of the star-studded ceremony.

One especially notable name on-hand was Beyonce – who was called on to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a woman many have drawn career comparisons to. Both reared in iconic groups and blazed a trail as formidable solo forces.

Suffice to say, the choice was oh so fitting.

Watch one Dreamgirl salute another after the jump…

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‘Please Me’ performer Cardi B was undoubtedly none-too-pleased when she saw the hashtag #SurvivingCardiB trending after a viral video showed her bragging about drugging and robbing men who wanted to sleep with her before her fame.

During an Instagram Live session from three years ago (according to Cardi), the Grammy-winner stated:

“I had to go strip, I had to go, ‘Oh yeah, you want to fuck me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go to this hotel,’ and I drugged ni**as up, and I robbed them. That’s what I used to do,” said Cardi. “Nothin’ was muthafuckin’ handed to me, my ni**a. Nothing!”

The statement caused furore, a sentiment that is ongoing as of the time of this report.  Once the news got to her desk, the ‘I Like It’ rapstress took to social media to issue a statement:

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Ciara is unwrapping new music – and it’s coming later this week.

Details inside…

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Over the course of his short career self-proclaimed ‘King of R&B’ Jacquees (born Rodriquez Broadnax) has been ridiculed royally for his wealth of unrequested remixes of yesterday and today’s top R&B hits.  So much so, late 2018 saw the singer hit with a petition (which garnered a whopping 53,000 signatures to date) to ban all of his music covers.

Yet, despite the thumbs down for his eee-filled renditions of Michael Jackson‘s ‘Dirty Diana,’ Stevie Wonder‘s ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet,’ and more, his greatest criticism came from Ella Mai fans when he gained traction for the remix of the songstress’ tune ‘Trip.’  In fact, the song’s revamp became so popular that many thought his was the original – a mistake that nearly led Broadnax to the court house.

Music lovers may have thought the dust had settled, but a recent trip to ‘Big Boy TV’ revealedthe 24-year-old is still a bit sour over the situation.  Referring to DJ Mustard, Ella Mai’s producer and mentor, as a “hater” for pulling his popular version of ‘Trip,’ Quees’ comments got so much attention the producer clapped back.  See what was said inside:

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The Grammy Awards are making a change and it’s set to have quite the ripple effect on the music industry at large.

Full story below…

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Ariana Grande‘s latest megahit, ‘7 Rings,‘ has reached its lucky #7!

That’s right; claiming the Hot 100’s top spot for its 7th non-consecutive week, ‘Ring’ phones in yet another mention in Billboard history books for the songstress as she becomes only the 20th act in history to have led the Hot 100 for seven weeks or more with at least two singles (her previous chart-topper, ‘thank u, next,’ also reigned for 7 weeks).

Tying her career best run to date, ‘7 Rings’ kept its grip on the top spot thanks to a 7 day handsome mix of strong radio airplay, streaming, and digital downloads.  Billboard reports:

‘[7 Rings’ drew] 36.6 million U.S. streams, …91.5 million [radio] impressions, [and]…18,000 downloads sold’

Congrats to Ari! Look inside to see who joins the diva in the top 25 on this week’s TGJ Chart Check:

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