Despite moving over 1 million copies worldwide since its April 3rd release, criticism of Nicki Minaj‘s latest LP ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’ has been all too loud and clear.

However, in what will come as a slap in the face to of her detractors, this week saw the LP enjoy a revised Metacritic score after welcoming an influx of positive reviews.

Explanation below…

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Following their collaboration of Ludacris‘ ‘My Chick Bad’ remix in 2009, Rappers Eve and Nicki Minaj seemed to keep a respectable distance of sorts- with one having very little to say about the other.

Prompting reports that the ‘Flashbacks Of A Fool’ actress wasn’t too keen on the Pepsi front woman, this week saw her dispel claims she had a problem with her- praising her during an interview with the folks over at Fuse.

Watch below…

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Euphoria might be the best word to describe the vibe, when Nicki Minaj hit Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall as part of her ‘Pink Friday Tour’ last night.

Sporting a series of ‘unique’ get ups, the chart topping Rapper’s stop at the venue follows sold out performances in Japan and Sweden, but comes before she arrives in the UK this week for the tour’s British leg.

More below…

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If this week has taught us anything, it’s that not even a 10 month hiatus could dim the Pop light that is Beyonce.

Heralded for her sell out performances at New Jersey‘s ‘Revel Resorts‘, the last few days have seen the singer/songwriter praised (very publicly) by long time friend The Dream and US First Lady Michelle Obama, both of whom were in attendance at the shows.

Now it’s Spin‘s turn to get into the action.

Find out why they’ve called star the ‘greatest performer of her generation’ below…

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Get into ‘Hustle Gang‘, the latest jam by Rap newbie Iggy Azalea.

Featuring T.I and Brit MC Chip (formerly known as Chipmunk), the cut features on the XXL 2012 Freshman Mix Tape, coming hours after the  Hip Hop has been Eve labelled the Rapstress inauthentic.

Listen below…

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Believe it or not, since her visit to the country two years ago, Nicki Minaj has not stepped foot in the UK.

Indeed, while that might spell all kinds of trouble for any act hoping to fare well here, it doesn’t seem to have stopped  the ‘Pink Lady‘ from dominating our charts.

For, following its ascent on this week’s UK Top 40, her latest single ‘Starships‘ has exceeded all expectations digitally.

Find out how below…

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VH1 has completed its quest to crown ‘the ultimate diva’ (based on fan votes) by unveiling its list of the 100 greatest women of music history.  The survey comes as their second – the first saw acts Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner take the number 1 and 2 spots respectively while acts like Madonna and Billie Holiday filled out the top 10.

With 6 categories – “All Time”, “90s”, “80s”, “Pop”, “Rock”, and “Hip Hop/R&B” – VH1 has introduced a more comprehensive compilation of divas to include, unlike their original survey, more contemporary performers (i.e. Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, etc) and base it on achievements in the past 20 years.  Sure to get tongues wagging, the list’s first 20 are set for a televised unveil on tonight’s premiere episode of the five night countdown at 10pm Eastern.

If this list is the best they could do, VH1 may have done better unveiling this on April 1st.  Find out where your fave fell via the full list below:

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If anyone thought that support for female rappers had died along with the new millenium, perhaps now would be a good time for them to reconsider their stance.

For in your thousands, YOU voted for who you believe is the ultimate Queen Of Hip-Hop.

Gracing the That Grape Juice comment sections with your opinions and debate, all in support of your favourite femcee.

Now the results are in.

Find out who YOU decided the Queen Of Hip Hop is below…

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That Grape Juice caught up with Marsha Ambrosius earlier this week. The Grammy Award-nominated singer/songwriter will be releasing her highly-anticipated debut solo album, ‘Late Nights & Early Mornings’, on March 1st.

In this special 10 Questions segment, Ambrosius spoke candidly about her how she entered the industry, the truth about Floetry’s demise and her much-publicised video for ‘Far Away’. She even shared her thoughts on the controversy surrounding Lady GaGa’s ‘Born This Way’.

Check out the interview below:

Marsha Ambrosius Shouts Out That Grape Juice

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Employing the smart model of promotion, Nicki Minaj has hit the TV circuit with increased vigour to plug her ‘Pink Friday’ LP ahead of its release next week. The Young Money Mrs most recent stop was The Late Show With David Letterman, where she performed current single ‘Right Thru Me’.

Peep the action after the jump…

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Ahead of it’s November release, the cover of Mariah Carey‘s ‘Merry Christmas II You’ LP has been unveiled. The former chart-topper will no doubt be pinning her hopes on the project being a success, after a string of commercial disasters (see: ‘E-MC2’ singles,  ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’, ‘Angel’s Advocate’).

In any case, check out the official press release for the album below, which reveals it’s lead single, the re-recording of an old favoruite, and more…

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Turn on your television set and this is what you’ll see: a variety of female Urban performers adorned in the latest fashions, tossing their hips and belting for their audiences. However, if you look pass the glitz and the glamour, you will notice that they almost all look the same – light-skinned, slim built women, wearing the an assortment of weaves and wigs. What you are in fact witnessing is the mold of the ideal woman in the music industry.

For decades, women of colour have been forced to adopt the styles and appearance of their Caucasian counterparts in an effort to achieve mainstream appeal. Acts such as Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald were adorned with wigs and blush in their early careers; arguably forced to adjust their looks to be more marketable to US mass media audiences. In fact, Diana Ross rose to a position of prominence, not just because of her talent and music, but also as a result of her light skin and Caucasian features.

That trend continues to this day, with artists such as Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Beyonce dominating the airwaves while their darker contemporaries are struggling to access the mainstream audience. Kelly Rowland, for instance, enjoys chart-topping success in countries such as UK, where skin tone is no longer regarded as a definitive factor  in artists’  success. Yet regardless of how well or not she’s been promoted, she’s yet to have an impact as a solo act in the US, a fact arguably attributable to her complexion.  Quite notably, few dark-skinned African-American performers have been able to ascend to the top of the charts, with Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige providing rare examples of such cases. This despite there being a wealth of talent among artists from all races, hues and complexions.

Interestingly, the colour paradigm is considered  a key attribute of Rihanna’s marketing campaign. Her light eyes, high cheek bones, fair skin and all-round more ‘exotic’ look have supposedly allowed her to capture her Covergirl campaign. Indeed, Beyonce faced severe criticism when her L’Oreal ads featured photoshopped images of the singer, making her seem several shades lighter than her natural complexion.

Hence, it is clear that, as far as success in the US music industry is concerned, light is indeed considered ‘right’. As long as the ideals and politics governing skin colour remain active, darker-skinned artists will continue to find themselves pigeonholed on the R&B formats, without garnering mainstream appeal. That is unless they are willing to purchase lace front wigs and bleach their skin in an attempt to capture it or, more ideally, the industry finally experiences a major change for the better.

Do you think that skin colour is a major factor in the

music industry?