During Rihanna’s most recent return to Barbados this past weekend, the 21 year old joined Beenie Man onstage at the ‘Reggae On The Hill’ music festival.
While giving a rendition of Ms. Fenty’s ‘Umbrella’, the dancehall legend switched up the lyrics, and took aim at Chris Brown, singing:
“Me no have no fancy car, but me nah give you no scar”
Is it wrong to find this just a tad funny?! LOL. That said, it must not have been that comfortable of a situation for Rihanna who, after waving to the crowd for a bit, walked off the stage – seemingly ignoring Beenie Man’s requests to come back on. Ouch…
There really seems to be no holding back Lil’ Kim on Dancing With The Stars! After a not-so-impressive showing on last week’s show, Kim bounced back this week achieving the top score of the night for her and dance partner Derek Hough’s performance of the Paso Doble. More power to her.
With the UK release of Beyonce’s #1 box office smash ‘Obsessed’ set for May 29th, we here at That Grape Juice would love to know what those who have seen the movie think of it.
How was Beyonce’s performance? The plot? Worth seeing? Drop a your views in the comments section…
Eminem is hitting the promo rounds in support of his first album in 5 years, ‘Relapse’ (due May 19th). The rapper, real name Marshall Mathers, features on the cover of the latest issue of VIBE magazine. Check it out above.
During her recent UK promotional trip, Ciara revealed that she is actively seeking a duet with icon Janet Jackson:
R&B star Ciara has revealed that she is hoping to arrange a duet with Janet Jackson in the future.
The singer confirmed that a project with Jackson is at the top of her wishlist following the success of ‘Love Sex Magic’, her recent collaboration with Justin Timberlake.
“My dream is to collaborate with Janet Jackson. She was my big idol growing up,” Ciara told the Daily Star.
“JJ is amazing and, no matter what, you can’t forget what she has contributed to American music. Janet is truly an icon. She was the only person I listened to as a kid, along with her big bro Michael.” {Source}
This is one collaboration I’d definitely be checking for and one I’m sure many would want to see. I’m actually salivating at the prospect of what I’m pretty sure would be an uptempo duet (imagine the choreography!). Either way, it’s good to see Ciara giving props where props are due.
Our girl Kelly Rowland stopped by Fox LA yesterday to promote her new fashion show, aptly titled ‘The Fashion Show’, which begins airing on Bravo (US) in May 7th. Kelly serves as both the host and one of judges on the show, which is billed as the successor to Project Runway. More power to her.
Reports are circulating that the UK’s top girl group, the Sugababes have signed a US deal with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella:
Sugababes have signed a contract with Jay-Z’s US label Roc-A-Fella, it has emerged.
The trio, who finalised the deal at London restaurant Nobu last month, will still be under contract with major label Island Records, as part of their UK deal, but will start working with a new team.
The group fly out to Los Angeles today to start work on their seventh album and will be recording with producers behind some of Rihanna and Beyoncé’s most successful singles. {Source}
Kudsos to them for landing a US deal! When honestly thinking of which mainstream UK acts could make an impact Stateside, I’ve always seen the ladies as capable. With their unique image, and obvious talent, I feel as though they will be able to stand-out in the crowded market that is the music industry. That said, it could end up like many UK acts that have tried their hand at US success – aka epic fail. However, let’s hope it’s otherwise.
Tidbit: Peep the ladies take on EnVogue’s ‘Don’t Let Go’ on tour last year by clicking here. Good stuff!
Amid rumors that lead (and only) singer Nicole Scherzinger is set to leave the Pussycat Dolls soon, hence why the group’s latest singles are being officially billed as ‘Pussycat Dolls (ft. Nicole Scherzinger)’, tensions appeared to come to an all-time high during the group’s recent show in Phoenix, Arizona.
When it came to Melody’s turn to introduce herself to the audience (Melody being the darker skinned member, who can *sang*), the 24 year old proceeded to thank her fans for supporting her, even though she’s ‘never featured on any songs’ (her exact words, not mine) LMAO. Further adding, that she and Ashely Roberts (the long-haired blond, who can also hold a note) were examples of ‘never giving up on your dream’ and that ‘don’t let anyone put you down’. My girl sounded heated. This was then followed by Nicole screaming ‘say Nicole’ several times over. LOL.
Regardless of what they or their PR will say, there is clearly drama behind the scenes – and rightfully so. It’s beyond pathetic, IMO, that a voice such as Melody’s should sit wasted, regardless of whether Nicole was always meant to be the ‘star’ or not. After digging up this 2006 Blender magazine quote from Melody, I can’t help but think after 4 years she’s feeling the same thing:
How did you feel when they told you Nicole was going to be the lead singer?
How can I put it? I have an idea of what I want out of this, and I think that it’ll definitely come. I’m biding my time. Whether they want to admit it or not, we all see this as a springboard for something else. Some girls have said, “It’s my dream to be in a pop group,” and I’m like, “OK, because I want to be Mariah Carey.”
Gotta love the ‘realness’. It’s just a shame that the labels and teams which surround a lot of these groups fail to see the benefit of shining the light on more than one person. The music industry is a business, and as with any business it’s about making money. Surely, by promoting more than one talent in a group scenario, the group’s profile is made even bigger and more money is to be made via solo projects? Industry politics. Tut.
Our friends over at SOHH caught up with former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard backstage at last night’s Making The Band 4 finale. The singer-songwriter spoke on her new short hair do and the inspiration behind it, working on Diddy’s new album ‘Last Train To Paris’ as part of a new group called Dirty Money, which consists of herself, Diddy and another singer-songwriter called Keleena.
The album is pretty much seeming like some kind of concept record, as Dawn maintains the group will be featured on all the tracks in some capacity – yet the album is still Diddy’s (???). Sounds interesting…
As some of you may know, we announced last month that you can now follow That Grape Juice on Twitter! Adding to the ever-expanding ways to be apart of the That Grape Juice community, our Twitter page allows you to receive up-to-the-minute updates about the latest posts on the site as well as what’s happening in the Urban Pop Culture world more generally.
What’s more, you’ll be able to keep up with me, ‘Sam’, while I’m on-the-go. I’ll be making use of Twitter’s cool SMS feature which allows me to let you guys know what I’m up to via my mobile/cell. That mean everything from checking in with you guys while on location at an artist interview to complete randomness from the wackiness that is ‘my world’. So what are you waiting for…
Beyonce stopped by The Today Show earlier today to perform her current single ‘Halo’. Put simply, awesome performance – much better than her ‘Letterman’ showing earlier this week. Everything from her energy, to her adlibs and riffs, to her outstanding vocal delivery were on-point.
Tidbit: Beyonce’s new movie ‘Obsessed’ hits theatres in the US today. The movie also stars Idris Elba and Ali Larter. Will you be going to see it?
With the release of Ciara’s 3rd studio LP ‘Fantasy Ride’ drawing ever nearer (May 5th), the singer launched her video diary series ‘Fantasy Ride Webisodes’ today. In the first episode, we see Ciara rehearsing choreography for her promo tour, singing several new cuts acapella (including ‘Like A Surgeon’ and ‘Never Ever’) and much more. A very interesting watch I must say.
Tidbit: I guess this will silence those who question Ms. Harris’ vocal ability. That said, truth be told, she has come a long a** way vocally compared to when she first came out.
