Since the release and subsequent poor performance of Kelly Rowland’s sophomore CD ‘Ms. Kelly’, there have been calls for a re-release to bolster sales. It now appears that a reworked version of the album may be in the pipeline afterall. Following a concert in Atlanta this past Friday (August 11th), the singer was quoted as saying she was on her way to the studio to record more tracks. Whilst it’s common-practice for artists to record inbetween projects etc, the comment is interesting when considering her manager Matthew Knowles’ new ‘multi-tiered’ (spread across time) approach to releasing records – first shown with Beyonce’s ‘B’Day’ project. For what it’s worth, producer Brian Michael-Cox (‘Bad Habit’, ‘Be Without You’ etc) was in attendance at the concert. {Source}
I’m all for a re-release; it’s not too late to right whatever wrongs were made with the handling of this project. ‘Ms. Kelly’ was a very solid effort and anything to rejuvenate the album is welcomed by me. I say she should hurry and put out a 2nd single -anything- and follow that up with something from the re-issued CD toward the end of the year.

What do you think of a possible ‘Ms. Kelly’ re-release?
In a recent interview with Chicago’s Power 92 radio station, former B2K star Lil Fizz spoke on life after the group and his forthcoming solo project. During the interview, Fizz was asked flat out whether former band member Raz B was gay. Evidently taken aback by the bluntness of the question, Fizz replied ‘I don’t think it’s my place to answer that question’. Click here to listen to the audio
I doubt this will come as a surprise to many. With reported sightings of Raz at numerous ‘guy’ clubs and an appearance on ‘Noah’s Arc’ (a black gay drama), rumors about his sexuality have been circulating for months. Though I doubt Fizz did it deliberately (the B2K guys are apparently cool with each other now), it’s kind of ironic that the confirmation(ish) came from him.

Your thoughts?
Rumors of R&B star Monica being pregnant have been circulating for a while, however the news has been confirmed via one of our affiliates, Sandra Rose. The ‘Don’t Take It Personal’ singer is reportedly 5 months pregnant with her second child. The father is believed to be Rodney ‘Rock’ Hill Jr – her long-time partner and father to her 2 year old son Lil Rock.
Though I congratulate Monica on the news, is it a bit selfish to question the timing? Having liked her last album ‘The Makings of Me’ and seeing it tank, I was hoping for some new material from her soon. I’m good to wait though. One small tidbit: when is Rock gonna put a ring on her finger and make it official? I mean, they’ve been together so long and are popping out these babies. Marriage isn’t for everyone, I know that, but come on now…

Your thoughts?
Akon appears to be the latest celebrity to jump on the reality show bandwagon. He explains the concept of his show ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ below:

“Whenever I’m not in Atlanta, they go out posing as me and everyone believes it’s actually me. It’s so crazy, because everyone seriously believes it’s me. They are going around getting VIP treatment, girls, free food at restaurants, free everything and everybody is falling for it. It’s a real life thing, which has got really out of hand in Atlanta, so I decided to take the situation and make it into my advantage by making a reality TV show out of it. They get my life, all the perks without having to put in all the hard work I do. I’m constantly working so I can’t live it, but they are out there living it.”

I, for one, will not be tuning in to this nonsense. I’m getting real fed up of some of these useless reality shows – the concept is a joke. It’s as if it’s being made ‘just because’. Akon has managed to make (a lot of) money with a dodgy voice and so-so songs, I’m sure he could come with something better than this mess.


Will you be tuning in?
The situation with 50 Cent and Kanye West albums facing off against each other has escalated to new heights. Speaking to SOHH, 50 is now claiming that if he sells less than Kanye, he’ll hang up his mic for good (sort of). Check out what he had to say:

“They would like to see Kanye West give me a problem because I’ve worked myself into a space where I’ve become the favorite,” Fif told SOHH exclusively. “Everybody roots for the underdog when he goes against the favorite.

“Put it like this,” 50 told SOHH. “Let’s raise the stakes. If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I’ll no longer write music. I’ll write music and work with my other artists, but I won’t put out any more solo albums. [Listen to the audio here]

“And I bet this, when Kanye West’s sales come in, he’s gonna have a 70% decrease [the second week] ’cause Def Jam is gonna buy records to keep him closer to 50 Cent,” the Queens rapper added. “So watch the first week and then watch the second week. Watch his @#* drop off the planet. We keep our angles covered before we make a decent bet.”

50 is really becoming laughable. I’m guessing he thinks he’s creating a buzz around his CD by playing up to this ‘face off’, yet he’s coming across like a fool. Instead of feeding into the hype, Kanye is releasing great singles and building genuine interest around his project. For that reason, as well as 50’s cockiness, more people are likely to pick up Kanye’s CD {Itunes Pre-orders show West to be in the lead already}. I’m hoping Kanye comes out on top, so 50 can go sit down somewhere.


Your thoughts?

After a brief hiatus, soul songstress Jill Scott is set to release her third full-length LP ‘The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol 3’ on September 25th. I’m liking the lead single ‘Hate On Me’ and feel it to be a true return to form for the critically acclaimed Scott. The video isn’t all that great, but who cares? With Jill, it’s the talent that’s at the forefront.

What do you think of the song/video?

During her set at the Screamfest 07 concert in Rosemont, Illnois, Ciara brought out R. Kelly as a special guest. The pair then proceeded to perform the ‘Promise (Remix)’. I would have liked see them perform together live, as I’ve been feeling the remix since it came out late last year. On a side note, what the hell is Ciara wearing lol? She looks kinda like a pro-wrestler…not a good look.

What do you think of the pics?
I’ve had the original version of ‘Let It Go’ on heavy rotation for a while now; just loving the whole 90’s R&B vibe the track has to it. Keyshia mentioned, while co-hosting 106 & Park earlier this week, that a remix was in the works, however I wasn’t expecting it so soon. As well as Keyshia delivering a new verse herself, both T.I. and Young Dro feature on what is a refreshing take on an already great track. With the release of Keyshia’s album ‘Just Like You’ drawing nearer (September 18th), ‘Let It Go’ is already sitting at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Hit or Miss?

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There really doesn’t seem to be any stopping Beyonce. As the superstar rounds up ‘The Beyonce Experience’ tour, the endorsement commercials keep coming. The latest sees the ‘Deja Vu’ singer front a campaign for L’Oreal Lip Colour. It seems we’ll be seeing a lot more of Beyonce, as campaigns for American Express and Armani are also in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Solange stopped by The Today Show yesterday, along with her son Juelz, to promote Baby Jamz – their new line of nursery rhyme products with a Hip Hop twist. Initially I thought the concept was a joke, but the songs actually sound pretty good. Click here to check them out.

Any thoughts?

Check out the preview above of Nicole Scherzinger’s video for ‘Whatever You Like’. The track is set to be the lead single from Scherzinger’s forthcoming album ‘Her Name Is Nicole’ (due on 16th October). I’m still not sold on the track and find it pretty disappointing considering the hype, however the video looks like it’s going to be on-point. The clip is giving me Beyonce ‘Ring The Alarm’ vibes, yet the behind the scenes-which surfaced several weeks ago- show different set-ups; so I’m guessing they went all out with this vid. Be on the lookout for the videos premiere next week.

What do you think of the preview?

With Mario’s continually pushed back ‘Go!’ album set for an October 9th release, yet another track from the CD has surfaced. ‘Ghetto Love’ is a laid back mid-tempo – which showcases Mario’s musical maturity. The album definitely has better tracks than this, yet that doesn’t take away from the song. I’m hoping Mario is successful with this project, as – judging by his latest material – he’s really stepped his game up.Hit or Miss?

 

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In what appears to be a sudden twist, Kelly Rowland will now release ‘Ghetto’ (ft. Snoop Dogg) as the next single from her ‘Ms. Kelly’ album; the singer confirmed the news when interviewed on Atlanta’s V103 radio station. What’s more is that a video for the song has already been shot by director Andrew Gura. Prior to now, the Scott Storch produced ‘Comeback’ was set to be the next US single and a video was shot – alongside a video for the European single “Work’ – back in July. ‘Ghetto’ has also been sent for ads at radio and is receiving healthy spins on the Urban format.
I don’t know what exactly is going on; however, with it now being almost 6 months since ‘Like This’ premiered, Kelly needs to release a new single – any single – now.

What do you think of the single choice?
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