Burgeoning R&B star Solange performed her current single ‘I Decided’ on the Kansas City tour stop of her joint ‘The Art of Love Tour’ with Raheem DeVaughn and Christette Michelle on June 1st. Check out the performance below {Video credit: Bryan W. Thanks}:

Ashanti will be everywhere this week promoting her latest offering ‘The Declaration’. Check out her promo schedule as per Ashanti Daily:

* Today – MTV TRL – 3.00pm: Interview

* Today – Virgin Megastore in Times Square – 6.00 PM: Live performance and CD signing.

*Today -Planet Hollywood, New York: -Hand-Printing Ceremony.

* Friday (June 6th) – Good Morning America Summer Concert Series – Performing a set; will be joined on stage by special guest Ja Rule to perform a medley of their hits.

With the 2008 BET Awards just a few weeks away, more information about the much anticipated show has been announced

Comedian D.L Hughley has been unveiled as this year’s host, while nominees Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Kanye West have joined the performer line-up – which already boasts showings by Mariah Carey, Usher, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Nelly and more.

The show takes June 24th live from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium at 8:00 p.m. (Note to UK visitors: the show will air on BET UK July 1st…but you know where you can get the goodies before that lol). {Source}

Pint sized rapper Lil’ Kim made an appearance at the Council Of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA) Awards in New York yesterday. This, hands-down, is the best Kim has looked years. Word has it she had her nose re-done again to get rid of them ridiculous dents in them. Whatever she’s done, it’s working a charm because she looks (and I never thought I’d say this again)…on point!

Michelle really is serving up the unexpected this go-round. This new promotional pic for her forthcoming LP ‘Unexpected’ (due August 12th) surfaced recently. She looks on-point!

Continuing along the promo trail in Japan, diva Mariah Carey performed her 1993 classic ‘Hero’ on the show Smap x Smap today. Check out the performance below:

Singing sensation Leona Lewis appears on the July cover for Blender Magazine. Aside from the cover’s tag-line (‘Look out Mariah, Leona is Pop’s Next Megastar’), the magazine features this interesting quote from the UK born star:

“I don’t wear little miniskirts and low-cut tops. If you want to show your bits off, it’s up to you. When I was 18, I had a few glasses of Alcopop — they’re bubblegummy drinks with a bit of alcohol — and it was gross. I’ve tasted champagne, which is gross. And I tasted wine, which I don’t like.”

Hmm. Kudos to her for sticking to her guns if this is legit, but I’m wondering if this ‘wholesome’ image is a label construct. It’s funny they mention Mariah on the cover, as, for some reason, I can so see Leona having her ‘Mariah circa 1997 (‘Butterfly)’ break-free moment a few years down the line (sexed up image and the full works). I guess time will tell.

Nelly was joined on stage by Fergie to perform his current single ‘Party People’ over the weekend at the MTV Japan VMA’s. Check out the performance below:

Pretty decent, although the camera angles kinda made for a hard watch.

As expected, things got pretty intense in R. Kelly’s trial today as the prosecution’s star witness took the stand to give evidence:

Van Allen said she had met R. Kelly at the video shoot for “Home Alone,” in which she appeared, in late 1997 or early 1998. Kelly’s cousin, “Blacky” invited her to join Kelly in Kelly’s trailer, she said. She talked with Kelly and ended up having “intercourse” with him in the trailer, she said. She was 17 at the time, she said.

In late 1998, she testified, Kelly took her to his former home on the North Side of Chicago, where she met the alleged victim in this case for the first time. Kelly taped them while they had three-way sex in his “log-cabin” room, she said. That’s the same room he’s alleged to have filmed the tape in this case. Kelly told her the alleged victim was 16, she said. {Source}

Granted the defence haven’t started arguing their case, it increasingly looking like R. Kelly’s going down. Still, I’m stopping short of saying it’s a certainty, as stranger things have happened.

Your thoughts?

Just a quick reminder to let you all know that today is the last day to enter our ‘Great Debaters’ DVD competition. If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning and haven’t entered yet, click here to do so now.

With T-Pain set to release his third studio album ‘Thr33 Ringz’ on September 30 (his birthday), the LP’s apparent first single ‘Silver & Gold’ has surfaced. It’s no secret that T-Pain likes to ‘sing’ (for the lack of a better word) about drinks, so it comes as no surprise that this cut is about mixing silver and gold Patron to make a new beverage. It’s typical T-Pain fare – so you’ll either love it or hate it. Can’t say this one does anything for me; still, it’ll probably be a hit. Is this what today’s industry has been reduced to?