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August 29th marked what would’ve been King of Pop Michael Jackson‘s 54th birthday.  As fans and fellow performers alike flooded social networks with praise for the fallen icon, Billboard teamed with cola kings Pepsi to honor the pop potentate.

Assembling a host of Urban acts for ‘Summer Beats’, Ne-Yo, Melanie Fiona, and more saw their name fill a bill that saw them pay tribute to Jackson by performing some of the biggest hits from his famed ‘Thriller’ follow-up ‘Bad’.

With latter, which is set to see a 25th anniversary reissue on September 18th, look below to hear the singers take on ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Dirty Diana’, and more:

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Pint-sized Pop star Cher Lloyd is proving that One Direction aren’t the only British act to have enchanted the US.

The 19 year old’s immense buzz carried her all the way to the Today Show stage this morning, where she thrilled the thousands of fans in attendance with renditions of US iTunes smash ‘Want U Back’ and new Stateside single ‘With Ur Love’.

Watch Ms. Lloyd in action below…

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Peep these snaps of Blue Ivy out and about her with her daddy Jay Z, snapped making their way out of a helicopter in NYC today.

Sans her ‘Mama Bey’, the pair were caught by onlooking paparazzi days before Jay takes to Philadelphia with Pop starlet Rita Ora to perform at the ‘Made In America Fest’, which will also welcome the likes of Drake, Jill Scott and Odd Future.

More below…

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Alicia Keys heats up on the cover for her new single ‘Girl On Fire’, unveiled to fans online minutes ago.

On the snap, the singer tweeted:

Crazy excited!!! My new single #GirlOnFire will be unleashed soon!!! Are you ready?

Available for download on September 4th, Keys will perform the single two days later at the 2012 Video Music Awards- two months before releasing its LP of the same name on November 27th.

Your thoughts?

Earlier today, reports pertaining to the death of Violator Management CEO Chris Lighty began to circulate across the web, and tonight- in what marks truly tragic news- these reports have been confirmed.

Now, personalities from across the world of Hip Hop have taken to social networking site Twitter to express their feelings of loss.

Their words below…

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Get into the cover for Brandy‘s forthcoming LP ‘Two Eleven‘.

Unveiled today, the snap arrives as the latest dose of support for the album, which has already spawned the single ‘Put It Down‘ and critically acclaimed love song ‘Wildest Dreams‘.

Deluxe cover below…

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Cop a gander of Gwen Stefani!

Looking ever-stunning, the No Doubt songstress leaves…no doubt about her effortless youth on the October cover of Elle magazine UK.

The high-profile feature comes on the heels of yesterday’s premiere of the title track from Gwen and co’s comeback album ‘Push And Shove’ (due September 25th).

Your thoughts?

Before her scorching new single ‘Sorry’ hits Pop shores in coming days, Ciara took to the ‘Hot 10’  recently to dish on the single’s supporting album ‘One Woman Army‘, due out this November.

Speaking on the LP’s concept, her current creative space, inspiring black women and how the album differs from its older sister ‘Basic Instinct‘, the interview makes for very interesting viewing.

Get into it below…

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#WhoIsShe?

This Sunday, Rita Ora is set to enjoy her first UK #1 album with her debut effort ‘ORA’, three years after signing to Jay Brown‘s ever growing company, Roc Nation.

Responsible for crafting many of the album’s cuts, this week saw the singer reveal how Coldplay front man Chris Martin played an vital role in its structure- crediting him for his part in crafting its track list.

Her explanation below…

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She may be able to rake in the numbers when it comes to moving singles, but it seems Rihanna is struggling to succeed outside of music yet again.

For, after her debut movie ‘Battleship’ broke the record for being the lowest grossing movie with a budget of $200 million or more, her first television series ‘Styled To Rock’ has met a PR crisis this week- following embarrassingly low viewing figures.

Details below…

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With Rihanna‘s antics getting increasingly tedious, it seems Jay Z  has turned his attention to her younger, refreshing and far more talented rival Rita Ora.

Now peep the mogul weighing in on the singer’s #1 single ‘RIP’ with VEVO Lift, ahead of the cut’s forthcoming US launch below…

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