2014 proved that girls really did run the world as the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 consistently listed more female tenants than their male counterparts for most of the year.  2015 is looking to show otherwise with this week bringing the first time since June 2013 that no female singer was listed in the Billboard’s Hot 100 top 5.

After an impressive 14 week tenure at the #1 spot, last week shared news that Bruno Mars’ monster hit ‘Uptown Funk’ moved downtown to #2 – dethroned by Wiz Khalifa‘s newest hit ‘See You Again.’  A fitting title as this week’s refreshing of the tally sees him again holding tight to the #1 spot, a career highlight unknown to the rapper since his monster 2010 hit ‘Black and Yellow.’

Leading an all-male top 5, Khalifa may not want to get too comfortable in his #1 position as recent gains from the likes of The Weeknd, Jason Derulo, and Rihanna may prove themselves viable threats.

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Bruno Mars’ megahit ‘Uptown Funk‘ seems to have no intention on going downtown Billboard Hot 100 avenue as it reigns for a 9th consecutive week.

The feat not only gives Mars’ his longest running reign on the chart’s perch, but also pencils him in history books into an exclusive club of hitmakers to ever lead the Hot 100 and Official UK Singles chart for at least 7 weeks (Bryan Adams‘ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” 1991; Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You,” 1992-93; and Rihanna‘s “Umbrella,” featuring Jay Z, 2007 complete the quartet).

Elsewhere in the top 10, the only new faces seen are those of serial pop hitmakers Pitbull & Ne-Y0 with their hit ‘The Time of Our Lives,’ marking the latter’s first appearance on the Hot 100 in over 2 years!  See where they landed as well as the other movement on the single’s chart below:

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When it comes to digital single sales, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Beyonce reign as the undoubted Queens leading a court of some of music history’s biggest female movers and shakers.

In fact, Rih, Swift, and Bey were the only three female acts over the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) 71-year history who could boast having earned over 30 Platinum-certified singles before summer 2024.

However, thanks to hits from her latest chart-topping album, ‘Eternal Sunshine,’ GRAMMY-winning diva Ariana Grande has joined the historic list of ladies.

Details inside.

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Madonna‘s iconic call to ‘strike a pose’ is etched in Pop culture history, a status underscored by its ongoing impact and influence on artists like Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, and others nearly 40 years after first dancing to airwaves.

A chart-topping force at the height of its popularity in 1990, the Shep Pettibone-produced jam not only reigned over the Hot 100 for 3 weeks at the time but went on to become one of Madge’s best-selling on the global front having raced past the 6 million sold mark as of time reported.

Nearly half of that figure is thanks to enduring consumption in the United States as recently revealed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

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Just two weeks after topping the Billboard 200 to historic measure, Future and Metro Boomin are looking to repeat the feat by dropping ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’ – the follow-up to their #1 duet album ‘We Don’t Trust You.’

A 25-track affair (18 on disc 1 and 7 on disc 2), ‘Still’ – unlike its predecessor which boasted a bigger tally of features (Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Playboi Carti, and The Weeknd) – hosts a leaner list of guests but does include The Weeknd across multiple tracks.

Does it have what it takes to top the Billboard 200 like its March 22-released forerunner? Hop inside to stream and let us know.

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Of the 129 albums that can boast at least a Diamond certification in the 71-year history of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), only six of them were delivered by solo Black male vocalists – Lionel Richie‘s ‘Can’t Slow Down,’ Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs in the Key of Life,’ Usher‘s ‘Confessions,’ and King of Pop Michael Jackson‘s ‘Bad’ and ‘Thriller.’

And while the latter made history in 2022 for becoming the first singer overall in history to own multiple singles and albums certified as high, he also became the only male performer of color to own one Diamond plaque of each project type.

That changed Friday (February 9) thanks to a slew of certification upgrades afforded to the ‘Confessions‘ singer’s most popular titles.

Ahead of the Super Bowl halftime show he’s already promised will be a nod to Jackson’s legacy on February 11, Ush (born Usher Raymond) has joined his idol in a unique RIAA club.

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Thanks to her blockbuster 2022 album ‘SOS,‘ the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s ‘CTRL,’ R&B diva SZA (born Solana Rowe) is the name on the lips of many-an-industry critic as they roll out their 2023 year-end lists.

Having already made headlines for being crowned Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the year as well as runner-up for female artist of the year (second to Taylor Swift), Rowe’s record-breaking last 12 months have also led her to the throne of other top publications like ‘New York Times,’ ‘LA Times,’ and ‘Rolling Stone.’

Details inside.

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As reiterated by her August 2022-released, history-making compilation album ‘Finally Enough Love,’ Queen of Pop Madonna is also Billboard’s Queen of Dance as she boasts a whopping 50 #1 hits on the ‘Dance Club Songs’ hitlist (more than any other artist on any chart ever).

But, like Aussie Pop Queen Kylie Minogue with ‘Padam Padam‘ before her recently, Madge’s dedicated fans would be royally surprised to know none of her classic dance numbers have ever topped Billboard’s Electronic Music chart – a tally separate from the Dance count.

That changed this week thanks to her ‘Vulgar‘ duet with fellow global Pop superstar Sam Smith.

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When it comes to Recording industry Association of America (RIAA) stats, few can hold a candle to the accomplishments of Pop titan Katy Perry.

As if being the first artist to see three singles certified Diamond wasn’t enough (meaning the tunes sold the equivalence of 10 million apiece in the United States), she was the first American-born female act to sell over 100 million digital singles in the country.  Those achievements are barely the tip of the iceberg.

Now, despite the nonperformance of her last two studio albums ‘Witness‘ (2017) and ‘Smile‘ (2020), Perry still has reason to smile thanks to the ongoing success of their predecessor (and her undisputed magnum opus): 2010’s ‘Teenage Dream.’

See how inside.

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Taylor Swift has a reason to celebrate, because she has the biggest album of the year so far for a female artist in the UK.

More details below…

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Much like fellow hitmakers The Weeknd and Miguel, R&B bad boy Chris Brown is enjoying a headline-grabbing run on current Billboard listings thanks to an aged sleeper hit-gone-viral on Tik Tok.

‘Under the Influence,’ originally found on 2019’s ‘Indigo‘ album, has been a chart force since finding popularity on the video-based social media platform in early 2022.

At the top of this year the Kiddominant-produced bop peaked at #12, marking the highest rung Brown’s reached by himself since 2012’s ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ soared to #10.

Even more impressive are the strides ‘Under’ is making over on R&B charts.  See what we mean inside.

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Welcome to the latest
TGJ Roundtable!

Over the years, That Grape Juice has established a distinguished voice that – whether loved or loathed – sparks discussion, debate, and on occasion drama!

Though comprised of seasoned writers who share a similar outlook on Urban Pop culture, the idiosyncrasies of the TGJ team members often lend for quite heated debates “behind the scenes” about the hottest topics.

Now, we give you a front-row seat to the show. In a format similar to ‘The View’ and your favorite panel shows, TGJ editors – Sam, Rashad, Joe, and Ryan – get real in a very candid way.

Today’s roundtable topic asks each anchor their thoughts on…

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show (more…)