Months before Rihanna rocks the world with her eighth studio album and as Beyonce‘s latest studio set blows inviting kisses to sales of 3 million units sold worldwide, both ladies have secured commendable positions on the UK’s Official Charts!
Good news for the ROC royals below…
That Grape Juice was on-hand at the 29th Annual Stellar Awards last night, shot live at Nashville’s famed Municipal Auditorium.
Rocking the red carpet with gospel legends and tomorrow’s brightest stars, TGJ rubbed shoulders with the show’s hostess Sherri Shepherd and many of the genre’s must see acts like Erica Campbell, Kirk Franklin, Karen Clark and Kierra Sheard, Vashawn Mitchell, Donald Lawrence, Zie’l, and so many more.
For those who missed the UPtv-aired affair, you know That Grape Juice has you covered! Click below for photos of your fave!
Over the years, the United Kingdom has been a resourceful land for fresh and authentic talent. Today, From The Vault pays homage to an artist that helped bridge the gap between the UK and the rest of the world. George Michael‘s ‘Freedom! 90’ is this week’s pick.
The third single from 1990’s ‘Listen Without Prejudice Vol I’, the Gospel-infused ‘Freedom’ – which was produced and arranged by Michael himself – is an introspective track that sees the crooner look back at his time in former band Wham! and the blessings and curses it had brought him. He also longs to become the man he never allowed himself to be. Seemingly just another pamphlet against authority and the darker side of fame, a closer look at the clever songwriting also reveals a song about the artist coming to terms with his sexuality.
‘Freedom’ was a huge hit for the ‘Jesus To A Child’ vocalist, peaking at #8 in the US and #1 in Canada. It only reached the 28th position of the Official Charts on home-soil but still is considered alongside ‘Faith’ and ‘Careless Whisper’ a George Michael signature track in the UK, evidenced by the musician performing it at the London Olympics 2012 closing ceremony.
Perhaps what cemented this as a Pop-Culture moment lies in its uber slick visual. Instead of appearing in the video – in a bid to distance his image from his music – Michael turned to director David Fincher and 90’s larger-than-life supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and of course Cindy Crawford to take the musical piece to the next dimension resulting in an editorial, moody-yet-funky 6-minutes-and-30-second-long masterpiece. Staying true to the lyrics, the video aims at destroying the caricatural image George cultivated during the ultra-succesful ‘Faith’ era. Explosive!
With record labels routinely trying to launch the next Mariah, Usher, and Beyonce to varying level of success, we feel they should go on a hunt for an heir to the mighty George. For that particular brand of honest and Soulful Pop would be refreshing and could definitely be a chart fixture in a post-EDM-crazed world.
Anyhow, ladies and gentlemen, here’s to George Michael at his best.
The countdown to The Boondocks season 4 is officially on!
Since last year, the return of the edgy comedy has been teased in earnest – with its airing network Adult Swim previously confirming a January 4th 2014 date for the show’s hotly anticipated comeback.
Clearly, that didn’t materialize. Yet fans of the Aaron McGruder creation needn’t fret. For, the network have announced a revised return date – April 21st 2014.
The revelation came in the form of a new commercial featuring a Twitter Q&A. Peep the footage below:
Needless to say, we can’t wait. Roll all the way on April!
Cop a gander of Beyonce!
The dynamite diva lived up to her billing last night at The White House, where she performed for the US’ First Lady Michelle Obama who was celebrating her 50th birthday.
During the Obama’s stay in office, the power couple have maintained a solid relationship with the ‘XO’ singer; one which also saw them recently handpick the star to perform the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ at Barack’s second term inauguration.
Fast forward to today and it’s clear their bond is as tight at ever. Class begets class.
Is there any stage King B can’t book?! Needless to say, ‘winning’! Check out more snaps below…
Can you guess which DIVA was snapped shooting new promotional pictures? Find out after the jump…
Hint: She has duet with a Jackson in her discography.
High sales may no longer be a guarantee with Kanye West (as seen by last year’s ‘Yeezus’), yet one thing the rapper is ever consistent in serving up is controversy.
Mr Kardashian poses it up in the February issue of Interview magazine, with the spread certainly likely to set tongues wagging thanks to a careful blend of dark imagery and religious overtones.
Equally engaging is West’s interview piece with Steve McQueen, excerpts from which can be found below. These days it appears few have a clear-cut understanding of who Kanye is or wants to be. However, as his words below highlight, he seems as sure of himself as sure can be.
Intricate, colorful harmonies? Check. Soaring vocal displays? Check. Vocal acrobatics and a rollercoaster of melisma that leave fans dizzy (and giddy) with musical joy? Check. You already know we’re talking about none other than TGJ’s favorite gospel girl group Zie’l.
With worldwide wowed audiences in their rearview since their mid-2000s debut ‘Genesis’, the talented trio – best known for their electric remake of the Clark Sisters classic ‘Is My Living In Vain’ – ready its official follow-up EP for a spring 2014 release.
Kicked off by the high-spirited, foot-stomper ‘Redeemed’, it now seems the divas are looking to redeem their (rightful) place atop gospel charts. Until we get our hands, eyes, and ears on the latest from the ladies, we’ll take the time to reflect on three reasons why we love them…and why you should too:
Category #1
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
Category #2
SONG OF THE YEAR
– KIRK FRANKLIN, TAKE ME TO THE KING – BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
Category #3
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
– TYE TRIBBETT, GREATER THAN, MOTOWN GOSPEL
CATEGORY #4
ALBERTINA WALKER FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
CATEGORY #5
GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
– ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY, ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY, TYSCOT MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
CATEGORY #6
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
– TASHA COBBS, GRACE, EMI GOSPEL (MOTOWN GOSPEL)
CATEGORY #7
CD OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
CATEGORY #8
CHOIR OF THE YEAR
– HEZEKIAH WALKER, AZUSA: THE NEXT GENERATION, RCA INSPIRATION
CATEGORY #9
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
– FRED HAMMOND & DEREK “DC” CLARK, UNITED TENORS HAMMOND HOLLISTER ROBERSON WILSON, RCA INSPIRATION
2013 – 2014 29th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Award Winners
CATEGORY #10
CONTEMPORARY GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
– FRED HAMMOND UNITED TENORS, UNITED TENORS HAMMOND HOLLISTER ROBERSON WILSON, RCA INSPIRATION
CATEGORY #11
TRADITIONAL GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
– JOHN P. KEE AND NEW LIFE, LIFE & FAVOR, KEE MUSIC GROUP
CATEGORY #12
CONTEMPORARY MALE OF THE YEAR
– ANTHONY BROWN, ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY, TYSCOT MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
CATEGORY #13
TRADITIONAL MALE OF THE YEAR
– JOHN P. KEE, LIFE & FAVOR, KEE MUSIC GROUP
CATEGORY #14
CONTEMPORARY FEMALE OF THE YEAR
– TASHA COBBS, GRACE, EMI GOSPEL (MOTOWN GOSPEL)
CATEGORY #15
TRADITIONAL FEMALE OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
CATEGORY #16
CONTEMPORARY CD OF THE YEAR
– TASHA COBBS, GRACE, EMI GOSPEL (MOTOWN GOSPEL)
CATEGORY #17
TRADITIONAL CD OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
CATEGORY #18
URBAN/INSPIRATIONAL SINGLE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, TAKE ME TO THE KING – BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
2013 – 2014 29th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Award Winners
CATEGORY #19
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
– BRAND X, TESTIMONY – ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY, TYSCOT MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
CATEGORY #20
TRADITIONAL CHOIR OF THE YEAR
– HEZEKIAH WALKER, AZUSA: THE NEXT GENERATION, RCA INSPIRATION
CATEGORY #21
CONTEMPORARY CHOIR OF THE YEAR
– EARL BYNUM & THE MOUNT UNITY CHOIR, BISHOP K.W. BROWN PRESENTS EARL BYNUM & THE MOUNT UNITY CHOIR, K.W. BROWN MINISTRIES
CATEGORY #23
SPECIAL EVENT CD OF THE YEAR
– HEZEKIAH WALKER, AZUSA: THE NEXT GENERATION, RCA INSPIRATION
CATEGORY #24
RAP HIP HOP GOSPEL CD OF THE YEAR
– LECRAE, GRAVITY, REACH RECORDS
CATEGORY #25
CHILDRENS PROJECT OF THE YEAR
– JEKALYN CARR, GREATER IS COMING, LUNJEAL/MALACO
CATEGORY #26
FAN FAVORITE QUARTET OF THE YEAR
– DOC MCKENZIE & THE HI-LITES, BLESSED, OPHIR ENTERTAINMENT
CATEGORY #27
RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING OF THE YEAR
– PATRICK DOPSON, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
CATEGORY #28
PRAISE AND WORSHIP CD OF THE YEAR
– TAMELA MANN, BEST DAYS, TILLYMAN MUSIC
2013 – 2014 29th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Award Winners
GOSPEL RADIO OF THE YEAR WINNERS
MAJOR MARKET OF THE YEAR
– WPZE 102.5/102.9, ATLANTA, LORI HALL
LARGE MARKET OF THE YEAR
– HEAVEN 600 – WCAO 600 AM, BALTIMORE, LEE MICHAELS
MEDIUM MARKET OF THE YEAR
– THE LIGHT 103.9 – WNNL, RALEIGH, JERRY SMITH
SMALL MARKET OF THE YEAR
– WIMG – 1300 AM, TRENTON, ED LONG
INTERNET STATION OF THE YEAR
– YES LORD RADIO, YESLORDRADIO.COM, ELDER HOWARD C. YOUNG III & RODRICK J. WARREN
GOSPEL ANNOUNCER OF THE YEAR
– CEDRIC BAILEY, MUSICAL SOUL FOOD – NORFOLK/VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
As one of the industry’s most celebrated new talents, Ariana Grande has been on the receiving end of ample praise. However, as the vocal powerhouse is learning, such acclaim often comes with a side-helping of critique.
It appears that in the absence of being able to slam her voice, naysayers have instead taken aim at her image. More specifically her trademark ponytail hair style.
A consistent hot topic during the campaign for the singer’s debut album ‘Yours Truly’ last year, the trivial debate was re-ignited last week when the pint-sized star posted a shot of herself wearing her hair down on Instagram with a caption “New Album, New Look”. Without explanation, the post was removed shortly after and subsequent posts – once again – saw a return to her usual look.
Though armed with no evidence, this caused a select few to insinuate Grande was puppet being controlled on Pop production line.
Having clearly had enough, the songstress took to Facebook to address the matter. You may be surprised with what she has to say. Her words after the jump…
The last year has seen Drake dominate and then some with his third studio album ‘Nothing Was The Same’. And while some would rest on their laurels toward the tail of a campaign, the Hip-Hop titan has continued to press on – this evening taking over NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
As well as performing smashes such as ‘Started From The Bottom’, Drizzy served up the LOL’s with a series of hilarious skits – which included a spoof of Piers Morgan, a Bar Mitzvah, and much more.
TGJ, as ever, has you covered. Peep clips after the jump…
Roc Nation royal Kylie Minogue is gearing up for her the release of her new single ‘Into The Blue’.
Due January 27th, the Kelly Shehan produced cut will serve as the first the Pop diva releases under Jay-Z‘s revered imprint.
With the countdown well and truly on, the track’s accompanying cover was unveiled moments ago via Amazon.
At 45, Ms. Minogue looks stunning. Fingers crossed the song is just as hot!
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