The #Beyhive have yet to cool their attack on Grammy winning R&B vet Monica after the songstress “liked” a comment that subtly shaded Blue Ivy, the eldest daughter of Beyonce.

It all started when fellow R&B diva, Ciara, took to Instagram to show off a picture of her son, Future Zahir (widely known as “Baby Future”).  One commenter suggested Cici should cut Baby Future’s locks as he was “beginning to look like Blue Ivy” – a diss to the young Carter’s famous hairstyles.  Mo liked the pic:

From there, all hell broke loose with the #Beyhive swarming her Instagram page with bee emojis.

Wielding a bevy of insults on the ‘Don’t Take It Personal’ singer’s Facebook and Twitter handles as well, the fiery attack reached such heights it prompted Mo to clapback with an official statement.

Ouch! Let’s hope this misunderstanding blows over soon.

Your thoughts?

Fifth Harmony have had an eventful 12 months – and are opening up about their rollercoaster in the newest issue of Billboard magazine.

Last year, the group broke new ground when their hit ‘Work From Home’ became the first top 10 by a girlband in almost a decade. However, controversy followed come the end of 2016 when Camila Cabello departed in dramatic fashion.

With comeback single ‘Down’ serving as a summer sizzler, the ladies are promising a fiercely personal housing album – a project they’ve written over half of.

Ahead of its arrival, the quad do away with the political correctness and wax candid about a whole host of topics.

Peep excerpts below…

On Camila’s Exit & The Aftermath:

“Try experiencing it,” retorts Lauren Jauregui. The rest of the group, as it so often does, rushes in to complete her thought. “I was literally going to say that,” Normani Kordei quickly adds. “I get to sleep at night knowing we did everything in our power as friends, bandmates and human beings” to make it work. Then Ally Hernandez: “You can’t change people.” And finally, Dinah Jane Hansen: “Let’s just say we’re in a better place now — there are no secrets in this circle.”

On Making Key Business Changes & Weathering Label Issues:

The long road to liberation began with 5H hiring outspoken music lawyer Dina LaPolt at the end of 2015. “I sat the girls in a hotel conference room and for five hours educated them on trademarks, copyrights and rights of publicity,” says LaPolt, who soon helped secure them new management with the preeminent firm Maverick (Madonna, U2, Miley Cyrus). “Then I educated them about every agreement they signed, which [were] the worst I’ve ever seen in the music business.”

LaPolt successfully transferred the Fifth Harmony trademark from Cowell to the group, meaning the women now own the name, along with the right to control how it is used and to profit from any deals. (The agreement — signed in April 2016, months ahead of Cabello’s exit — doesn’t name Cabello in the “Fifth Harmony Partnership.” “I don’t represent Camila,” is all LaPolt will say.) She then renegotiated 5H’s contract with Epic, which she characterized as “a very adversarial” process.

LaPolt and 5H stress that the group’s relationship with Epic is now good. The women count among their “saviors” the label’s senior vp A&R Chris Anokute, who came onboard near the end of making 7/27. “We raised our voices,” says Hansen, “and to have someone in our corner like Chris, who believes in us, is the most important element to make the wheels go.”

On Solo Ventures:

“Last year, we all learned a lesson about mental health and making sure you step away from something. It just makes this stronger,” says Jauregui. “Fifth Harmony is the home base,” offers Kordei, “where we always come back.” “Yasss,” says Hernandez.

Elsewhere, 5H reveal they have teamed up with the likes of Skrillex, Pooh Bear (Justin Bieber), and Harmony Samuels (Destiny’s Child, Ariana Grande, Ciara) on their third LP.

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The complete interview definitely makes for a riveting read and provides ample insight into the fuller picture of the 5H narrative.

They definitely have a lot of mileage left as a four-piece, so here’s hoping their upcoming campaign hits the mark.

Your thoughts?

After pulling the plug on her relationship with Future, the Grammy-winning singer Ciara made headlines when she moved on to start a relationship with the athlete Russell Wilson.

How? By way of the heat she faced for allowing the devout Christian to help her raise the son she bore with Future.

The drama didn’t go unnoticed by Ciara’s former touring buddy Jay-Z who referenced it on a cut placed on his new album ‘4:44.’

The way Jay Z just referenced the Future/Ciara/Russell Wilson situation was IMMACULATE

— ♍ cozy boy 47 (@97PuffDaddy) June 30, 2017

How Future has responded?

By mocking another line on the album which mocks rappers who pose in pictures with large sums of money…

Do you think Future has a right to be offended?

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’ or ‘The Real’, TGJ editors – Sam, David, Rashad, and Joe – get real in a very candid way.

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

2017 BET Awards

Sam

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David

Last night’s show stood as the first since exec Stephen Hill‘s departure so I, like many, expected major changes to the spectacle.

On a positive front, Remy Ma’s win, the New Edition tribute and the focus on Urban music’s “new” wave of stars (see SZA) stood as three of the night’s many highlights for me.

That being said, there were a number of performances which felt more filler than they did thriller, lacking the trending-topic generating moments the likes of Ciara, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj have delivered in the past.

As for the Xscape reunion?

It was an awesome reminder of the group’s impact, talent (and on all tips) superiority over their predecessors, who arguably lack the vocal prowess and professional polish the group showcased – even with a few unfortunate hiccups from Kandi Burruss.

In short, I enjoyed the show but don’t think it was as good as last year’s.

A score out of 10? 6.

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Rashad

Easily the worst BET Awards to date.

First thing’s first:  Leslie Jones, girl, no.  Just no.   And, hopefully never again.  The new acts, while appreciated as it’s always cool to highlight up-and-coming talents, seemed awkwardly placed and scattered throughout the show as time-fillers. Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Xscape, Mary J. Blige, and Maxwell – the more seasoned acts – left a bit to be desired for varying reasons.

 If Bruno Mars was the bait to pull viewers having him kick off the show actually worked to its detriment because he set the bar way too high for the acts that followed. An overall boring affair, I, like Bruno, found there were times throughout it was hard to stay awake.  In fact, on the performance front, the only standouts besides him were the epic New Edition performance (which almost saved the show by its lonesome) and Tamar Braxton’s dramatic, yet engaging performance. It was just an overall miss, which is surprising given that the BET Awards ALWAYS bring it.

P.S. – While I cannot help but appreciate BET for paying homage to George Michael, a caucasian artist long praised in the Black community for his soulfulness, El Debarge was not the best pick for his tribute. There were literally times where Debarge’s voice sounded like he was saying “meow meow meow” or, dare I say it, sounded like someone was crumpling foil. No bueno.

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Joe

The BET Awards this year could have been renamed “the gift that keeps on giving.” Put simply, the ceremony was phenomenal.

First thing is first, you can never go wrong when you book Bruno Mars to kick-off a show.

I felt very elated seeing Solange and SZA finally getting the recognition they deserve; the girls felt, looked and were treated like rock stars.

On the throwback front, the uncles and aunties showed up and showed out! New Edition’s presence on the BET stage felt like the most natural thing and clearly the audience enjoyed, while the ladies of Xscape reminded the world that they weren’t flash in the pan or just reality TV celebrities but bonafide powerhouses. How refreshing seeing Kandi and Tiny celebrated for their tremendous talent once again.

Trey Songz forgettable performance was eclipsed by Chris Brown’s stellar showing, Khalid is really one to watch and that was made official at yesterday night’s event; and of course Maxwell remains the master of crooning.

A shout out to the creative directors who have blatantly upped the ante with the visuals and the staging. Long gone it seems are the days where rappers came armed with nothing but their hype man: Big Sean, French Montana, Kendrick Lamar, Future and Migos served vivid and edgy visuals.

The VMA’s ought to watch out: the BET Awards are slowly but surely becoming THE definitive music awards show ceremony for the millennials.

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Do you agree with our picks? Who was spot on? Let us know your thoughts on the latest TGJ Roundtable and your thoughts on the 2017 BET Awards.

Your thoughts?

[Photo credit: Getty]

Signed to service the industry’s need for party-starting Urban starlets now over a decade ago, the brilliant Brooke Valentine is make a televised comeback via…’Love & Hip Hop.’

Similar in sound and style to Cherish and Ciara, Valentine’s run among Hip-Hop and R&B circles came to an end when she sped away from the industry to raise a family. This year, after rejecting the opportunity to join the series in its first season, she has decided to join Keyshia Cole on ‘Love & Hip Hop Hollywood.’

Catch her in comeback action when the show’s fourth waves hits VH1’s shores on July 24th!

Your thoughts?

Tinashe‘s narrative has been one of the more puzzling among artists who’ve had buzz over the last few years.

Her inaugural set, ‘Aquarius,’ made quite the splash on Urban charts in mid-2014 thanks to its DJ Mustard-produced hit, ‘2 On.’ Yet, despite nabbing one of that summer’s biggest anthems, the ‘Joyride’ singer turned left and since then has seemingly had her eyes set on seeing her name scribbled on pop charts.

The pursuit – which has seen the ‘All Hands on Deck’ singer try her hand at everything from EDM to emo-pop and collaborate with the likes of some of music’s biggest names (see:  Chris Brown, Britney Spears, and Nick Jonas) – has admittedly proven futile.  As such, even though she’s 3 years in the game, many still consider her a “new” or “buzzing” artist.

Tinashe believes she has the answer to that:  colorism and racism in the industry.  Recently taking to The Guardian, she discussed what she believes is the industry’s take on black women:

“There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna. It’s very, very strange.

[There was Ciara, but] it felt like they almost had to sacrifice someone because there wasn’t enough room, which isn’t true. Ciara’s an amazing artist, Beyoncé’s an amazing artist, Rihanna’s an amazing artist, and they’re all very different!”

“There’s colourism involved in the black community, which is very apparent,” she says carefully. “It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes.”

Tinashe says all the separation and setbacks with her music have been discouraging, but have never completely broken her spirit.

“It’s definitely been discouraging, and I have days where I’m less confident, but at the end I know that I’m going to get to where I need to go.”

“There’s doubt that seeps in, there’s self-deprecation, because you look to someone to blame and you can’t blame anyone but yourself, but I’ve never, ever thought, ‘I’m going to work in a mall.’”

Has Tinashe’s success narrative been impacted by the black community ‘not accepting’ her?

Weigh In!

Welcome to Retro Rewind, the TGJ original feature created to unearth hidden gems and moments from entertainment’s often scandalous past.

In a time far removed from today’s (2006), Beyonce found herself tasked with ensuring that her sophomore album ‘B’Day‘ steered clear of the sophomore slump and secure the full support of an Urban community who shunned her for the part it believed she played in the treatment of her former Destiny’s Child group members.

Coupled with the meteoric rise of Urban media darling Ciara, the pressure was on to win over and hold the support of a typically tough crowd.

With all this mind, it isn’t difficult to understand why the amiable vocalist would often agree to offer interviews with outlets fronted by personalities who’d bash her daily.

What happens when she and mother came face to face with one of these personalities?

Miss Jones vs Beyonce and Miss Tina below…

The incident took place before fans of all parties learned of claims that Jones came close to being murdered by Kevin Hunter…Wendy Williams’ husband.

Your thoughts?

Victoria Monet is ‘Ready’ for her close up.

Though not a household name yet, the 23-year-old has penned songs for some of music’s hottest acts such as Ariana Grande (‘Be Alright’) and Fifth Harmony (‘Reflection’).

Stepping into the spotlight in her own right, the rising starlet has unwrapped a brand new visual.

Has R&B found its new “it” girl? Watch below and let us know…

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Future looks set to pull off the rarest of feats.

For, the Turn Up connoisseur is on course to top the Billboard 200 with his sixth album ‘HNDRXX’ – just one week after his self titled fifth effort did the same.

Full story below…

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It looks like Ciara isn’t the only dance machine that has good news to share thanks to Warner Bros. Records.  One of Urban Pop’s leading male acts, Jason Derulo, took to Instagram today to unveil news that he too has taken on a record label venture with the music giants.

Get the details inside:

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Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.

So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’  allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.

Next, we’ll take a step back to 2005 to revisit one of Ciara‘s biggest hits – ‘1,2 Step.’  The Missy Elliott and Jazze Pha-produced cut – released as the follow-up to her debut chart-topping single, ‘Goodies’ – shot to #2 at the end of 2004 and remained there this week 12 years ago.  An 80’s inspired tune, inspired by Afrika Bambaataa‘s ‘Planet Rock,’ ‘Step’ was Ci’s second consecutive top 5 single and was only held at bay by Mario‘s massive hit ‘Let Me Love You.’

Hop on down under the jump to step down memory lane with Ciara:

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Shawn Stockman of the iconic group Boyz II Men has welcomed the birth of his new girl group DAME.

Want details on the Urban Pop quartet?

Meet us below…

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