This clip of R&B songstress Keyshia Cole singing the US national anthem – The Star Spangled Banner – at the Oscar De La Hoya boxing match over the weekend has been making the rounds on the ‘net. Quite understandably too; Keyshia’s choice of outfit and ‘that’ hair has me thinking she got dressed in the dark. That said, even the vocals make for interesting convo. IMO she was good for the most part, yet the over the top adlibs and runs kinda messed it up a bit.

Your thoughts?

Check out this behind the scenes look at the making of Brandy’s fantastic new album ‘Human’. From discussing her past struggles to reuniting with hit maker Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, to of course, how these factored into the album, the video made for a great watch.

In an industry which sees albums and artists with little substance dominating the charts, it warms me when seeing artists like Brandy have such a respect and dedication to their craft as well as a genuine care for the impact of the music they release.

‘Human’ hits stores in the US tomorrow, December 9th.

Your thoughts?

The ninth week of X Factor 2008 live shows aired last night here in the UK. Check out my 2 Pence on the semi-final episode below:

{For those unfamiliar with the show; The X Factor is the UK’s version of American Idol – with a twist in that groups and over 25’s are eligible to enter. The show also birthed the career of a certain Leona Lewis}

This year’s X Factor is hotting up, with surprises never amiss – more specifically the ousting of former firm favourite Diana Vickers last night. The evening, which saw the contestants perform 2 songs – one of their choice and one of their judges choosing, was all about Alexandra IMO. Check out her performances of Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ & ‘Unbreak My Heart’ below:

Alexandra – Don’t Stop The Music

Alexandra – Unbreak My Heart

Alex did great, although I wasn’t so sure about the ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ performance. ‘Unbreak My Heart’ was awesome. This girl really must win. Roll on next week.

Your thoughts?

Many of you will not have heard of Se7en, hell I hadn’t until a few moments ago LOL. The 24 year old old Korean star is set to launch an assault on the US charts with the Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins produced ‘Them Girls’, which features Lil’ Kim.

I was pleasantly surprised when hearing this; the beat goes hard and Se7en does his thing on the track that is unashamedly targeted at the US audience. It’ll be interesting to see how this project pans out…

The RAGE directed video for ‘Them Girls’ is set to be shot in Los Angeles on December 8th, and will feature cameos by Darkchild and Lil’ Kim.

Hit or Miss?

R&B singer Monica recently took a moment to address her fans, confirming in the process that her delayed new album, which has a working title of ‘Lesson Learned’, will be released 1st quarter of next year (January-March 2009). She also talks producers for the record, which are sounding like a hit-making mix.

Definitely checking for this one. Here’s hoping the release frame sticks…

Are you anticipating Monica’s new album?

Review up in a bit…

In the meanwhile…

What do you think of the song / video?

Brandy finally seems to be amping her promo spots ahead of the release of ‘Human’ – her hotly anticipated ‘comeback’ album. The 28 year old songstress stopped by The Today Show earlier this morning to perform her hit ‘Right Here (Departed)’. Great performance!

In other Brandy news, she is set to appear on the Tyra Banks Show next Monday. Check out a preview of her on the show talking her brother Ray J’s infamous ‘tape’ with Kim Kardashian:

LOL. ‘Research purposes’…ok Tyra.

Your thoughts?

Seemingly ignoring the fact that his own career is at a low, 50 Cent takes aim at Nas in the latest issue of XXL magazine. Here’s what the G-Unit general had to say:

“Man, Nas is cold as ice. Nas is the block of ice that sunk the Titanic… I think he’s at one of those points to where his career’s finished, to be honest. He’s had some great moments and made good music in the past, but he no longer has the interest of the general public or myself.” {Source}

Ol’ Curtis just doesn’t know when not to speak. With G-Unit’s last album ‘TOS: Terminate On Site’ belly flopping down the charts and 50’s own new album being pushed back due to low interest, he’s hardly one to talk about anyone else. Most especially a man (Nas), who irrespective of sales, continues to achieve critical acclaim and is still held in high regard within the Hip-Hop community. If there were a ever a time 50 needed to fall back, this is it. SMH.

Your thoughts?

Beyonce was among the performers at the Christmas In Rockeller Center show in New York City last night. The 27 year old superstar performed ‘Ave Maria’ from her top selling ‘I Am…Sasha Fierce’ album. As ever she delivered a top notch performance.

In other Bouncy news, her smash ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ has hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, following a surge in digital downloads.This serves as her 5th solo #1 – one more than she achieved with Destiny’s Child. Congratulations! {Source}

Also, reports are mounting that Beyonce has been lined up for the X Factor final next week – with a major performance with hot favourite and ‘diva in the making’ Alexandra. Should be interesting… {Source}

Your thoughts?

R&B star Usher served as the sole performer at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which aired live from Miami Beach last night. The multi-Platinum selling singer gave a rousing live medley of current single ‘Whats Your Name’ and 2004 smash ‘Yeah’. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performance?