Soulful crooner Frank Ocean has maintained a media silence of sorts since his truth-bearing letter rocked the industry in the most pronounced of ways nine days ago.

And why not? Already a relative recluse, the singer’s immense buzz mixed with resonance of his honesty has seen his ‘Channel Orange’ LP rocket to the top of charts, with predicted digital sales of over 100k.

However, keen to actually hit the promo trail on his own terms, Ocean chose quirky Zane Lowe from BBC Radio 1 to open up to about the events of the last two weeks and beyond.

Indeed, explained are the 24 year old’s reasons for pushing up the album’s release, his experience performing on Fallon, touring moving forward, and the creative process of recording the chart-topping set.

Check out the intriguing chat after the jump…

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Rebecca Ferguson has come a long way since her days on ‘X Factor UK‘.

A far cry from her experiences before joining the series, last night saw her grace at the UJA Federation’s Music Visionary Of The Year Award Luncheon.

Performing for the likes of P!nk and Kiefer Sutherland, the Brit songstress tweeted before the event:

Having an audrey day shopping in new york darling xx.

More below…

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Last week, amateur footage taken from the set of Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pound The Alarm‘ clip emerged here, psyching fans up for the long awaited release.

Now peep the official behind the scenes footage from the shoot, featuring the Rapper mingling with the locals as she shoots scenes for the Carnival themed release.

Enjoy below…

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Like idol Whitney Houston, fans of ‘Love All Over Me’ maestra Monica have long known of her love for gospel music.

Consistently citing the genre as one of her personal favorites, it’s no shock that the singer joined forces months ago with gospel powerhouses James Fortune and Fred Hammond for the electric single ‘Hold On’ from the former’s most recent studio release.

Now to the fortune of listeners, the hold for the single’s accompanying video is shortening as snaps from the set have surfaced online.  See the three in action and take a listen below (thanks to our friends at GospelPundit):

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As revealed here, ‘Paparazzi’ performer Lady Gaga was in the sights of the paparazzi as she made her way around Los Angeles earlier this week.  Hitting up the famed restaurant hotspot Mr. Chow’s, the always interestingly dressed diva was joined by non-other than R&B beauties Toni & Tamar Braxton.

As Gaga recently finished the Australian leg of her hotly-selling ‘Born This Way Ball’ tour, the sisters ready their upcoming albums and a return to WeTV for the third season of Braxton Family Values this August.  See the three below:

The sighting comes shortly after Gaga’s manager, Tamar’s husband Vincent Herbert, talked exclusively with That Grape Juice about the ‘Poker Face’ performer’s next album.  Click here for more on that!

Your thoughts?

As headlines were rocked today with news that ‘Walk This Way’ rocker Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) won’t be finding his way back to the American Idol judging panel next season, ‘Dance Again’ diva Jennifer Lopez once again reignites rumors she may be walking as well.

Despite enjoying a hefty $20 million dollar payout for her participation in ‘Idol’s’ last season, the media mogul – who took to ‘The Today Show’ today in support of her latest film ‘Ice Age: Contintental Drift’ – was quizzed on her world tour, upcoming ventures, and plans to return to the reality talent show.

Find out what she shared and also catch her dance up a storm in this new behind the scenes footage from her Enrique Iglesias-assisted world tour after the jump:

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‘Where You At’ wailer Jennifer Hudson hit her hometown, spotted at Chicago’s Petrillo Music Shell headlining the recently revamped ‘Taste of Chicago’ festival for some of the city’s lucky attendees.  Giving fans a taste of material from her first and second album, the singer’s reported 80 minute set included hits like ‘At’, ‘Spotlight’, and more.

And while serving up her own bevy of hits, the singer took time to pay homage to her idol Whitney Houston by visiting a few of her classics as well – namely ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘Saving All My Love For You’.

How did she fare? Find out after the jump:

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Feast your eyes on ‘Styled To Rock’ darling Rihanna, getting all kinds of ‘recreational’ in Barbados today.

Looking a little worse for wear in the company of friends, the vocalist was snapped enjoying what appears to be a blunt days before she shoots an interview for Oprah‘s ‘Next Chapter’ but hours after she attended her grandmother’s funeral on the island, on which she was raised.

More brand damaging behavior below…

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With a promise to unwrap new material this Summer, Mariah Carey has been hitting the studio to ensure her word stays firm.

After notching up time with the likes of Jermaine Durpi and DJ Premier, the songbird teamed up with hitmaker Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins for her latest sessions.

Taking to Twitter, the 42 year old wrote of collaboration with Jerkins (who she last worked with on 2005’s Twista assisted ‘So Lonely’):

“In the studio with RJ- yeaah, having a nice time!” she wrote on her Twitter profile.

“Tonight was a stone winner with the massively talented @RodneyJerkins (sic).”

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We’ve said a million times over, but it doesn’t get better than Darkchild on the production tip. Indeed, almost every song is “stone winner” when it comes to the ever-versatile Mr Jerkins. With ol’ Mimi needing to do away with some of the fluffy fluff she’s been releasing in recent years, a Darkchild hit could be exactly what the Career Dr ordered.

Your thoughts?

Get into the teaser for ‘Spartacus: War Of The Damned’, the latest season of the hit STARZ series.

Picking up from its explosive last season -which saw fans say goodbye to Lucretia, Ilithyia and Claber to name just three- this season marks the last in the series and is currently in production.

However, in a bid to whet the appetites of their longstanding fans, today saw the network release behind the scenes footage from the show, giving some insight into what they can expect.

Enjoy below…

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Last night saw R&B force Ne-Yo preview his latest collection of hits – a set he has christened ‘R.E.D’.

A stylized acronym for ‘Realizing Every Dream’, the LP is important for more than serving as the star’s 5^th studio album.

His last outing ‘Libra Scale’, spawned hits, yet little in the way of commercial nor critical acclaim. Blessed with a fresh and firmer slate by way of his new deal at Universal Motown (where he also serves as SVP of A&R), the 32 year old is gearing up to release the set (his first on the label) on September 18^th.

Assembling a who’s who of the British media in Central London, the hitmaker provided a 7-track taste of the opus – which was preceded by a glowing endorsement by Ethiopia Habtemariam – the Senior Vice President of Motown Records.

Our exclusive preview of ‘R.E.D’ awaits after the jump…

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As the man cited for introducing the world to a then 19 year old Ciara, Jazze Pha‘s work prior to their quiet split remains just as celebrated today as it was then.

Unable to recreate the star’s success with any of the other performers he subsequently nurtured, Pha- despite his synonymy with her more successful eras – has become public enemy #1 to much of her fan base who question his motives trying to sue her in 2008.

Now, he has weighed in on her career by way of HipHollywood.

His comments below…

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