As we reported here, NBC’s reality songwriting competition ‘Songland’ saw R&B veteran Usher join as guest celebrity judge and select the song, ‘California’ (originally titled ‘Staying Over’), to record.

Penned by prized singer-songwriter Ryan Tedder, the single version of the tune features Golden State native Tyga.  However, upon unleashing its accompanying music video, the ‘Nice & Slow’ singer is doing things nice and solo.

Watch it inside:

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Tokyo Vanity has been hailed a champion by several human rights activists on social media after she unearthed a disturbing chapter from Jeffree Star’s past.

Find out how Vanity’s bold move forced Star to issue an apology below…

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Alicia Keys has surprised fans by revealing that she was an original member of the group which would become 3LW.

Full story below…

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Amid the country’s darkest hours, singer-songwriters Khalid and Victoria Monet are joining forces to shed some light.

Announcing the union earlier this week, Monet issued a statement to say:

“To be honest, we’ve gone back and forth about releasing this song because of the disgusting and confusing state of the world,” the statement reads. “After a lot of thinking and feeling, we decided to continue with the plan to put it out, so we want to give some context on why.

As June marks Pride month and Black Music month, the fight for LGBT rights and racial justice is still ongoing.  In the statement, Monet emphasized the two struggles should not be compared as they are ‘not the same,’ but they share a common goal of seeking equality and fairness.

“We’ve always used music as a form of escapism from troubling things,” the statement continues. “This song, though deep in subject matter, sonically simply feels joyful and celebratory. It’s important to us to highlight and celebrate Black joy and love in the middle of so much pain and trauma.”

Hear the Disco-inspired tune inside:

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Nearly three months after Alicia Keys‘ long-awaited self-titled studio album was originally scheduled to drop, the R&B diva is still teasing tunes that will reportedly line its official tracklist.

After watching her last two singles – ‘Good Job’ and ‘Underdog’ – become unofficial anthems for healthcare and frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, her new song, ‘Perfect Way To Die,’ aims to tackle another issue plaguing America:  racism.

As we reported here, Keys took to ‘The Daily Show’ earlier this week to announce the new song’s June 19 arrival and dish on how the deaths of Mike Brown (2014) and Sandra Bland (2015) inspired its creation years ago.

With its message still just as poignant given the ongoing struggle for racial equality, listen inside to ‘Perfect’:

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Nearly four years have separated fans of John Legend from his latest studio album, ‘Darkness & Light,’ but the wait for a new body of work came to a close Friday (June 19) with the unveiling of ‘Bigger Love.’

A 16-track affair boasting appearances from fellow GRAMMY winner Koffee and GRAMMY-nominated R&B star Jhené Aiko among its high profile features, the project stands as Legend’s attempt to be an uplifting voice in society.

“This album is more focused on joy, love, hope, and on optimism,” he stated. “I think my last album [2016’s Darkness and Light] was kind of an album about being worried about being concerned and I definitely feel both. I feel like the world needs some joy.”

Preceded by singles ‘Actions,’ ‘Conversations in the Dark,’ and its title track, look inside for the full taste of what the EGOT winner is serving with his sixth solo studio effort:

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Teyana Taylor has finally unleashed ‘The Album.’

The GOOD Music/Def Jam set serves as the songbird’s third studio album and follows 2018’s ‘K.T.S.E.’

Packed to the brim with soulful gems, the features a lengthy list Rick Ross, Erykah Badu, Quavo, Missy Elliott, Future, Big Sean, Davido, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Davido, Kehlani, and King Combs. Husband Iman and daughter Junie also appear.

Take a listen below…

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After initially disappointing would-be attendees by canceling its live, in-person version due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the 13th annual ‘Roots Picnic’ have opted to revamp its lineup and carry on virtually.

Hosted by The Roots members Black Thought and Questlove alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama, the livestream concert is set for June 27th at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Look inside to see who you can expect to rock the stage:

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Houston-hatched hitmaker J. White Did It is the craftsman responsible for some of female Rap’s biggest recent anthems including Cardi B‘s ‘Bodak Yellow’ and ‘I Like It’ as well as Megan Thee Stallion‘s ‘Savage.’

Beyond those commercial knockouts, he’s also won ample critical acclaim over his storied career including praise for Iggy Azalea‘s criminally underrated sophomore album, ‘In My Defense,’ and its singles ‘Started,’ ‘Sally Walker,’ and ‘F*ck It Up.’

The buying public may have slept on the ill-fated LP, but White is confident the bangers set to line her new project will wake them up.

Details inside:

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Missy Elliott has earned many an accolade over the course of her illustrious career and the latest is one of entertainment’s most prestigious.

For, the multi-dimensional star has just been announced as one of the chosen names to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Full story below…

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For this generation of Urban music lovers, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Lil Uzi Vert are undoubtedly go-to fixtures.  What’s more, 2020 has easily been a standout year for both.

While the former earned his highest Hot 100 placement yet with the tune ‘Believe It (featuring Rihanna)‘ as well as his best first-week sales to date with its parent album, ‘PARTYMOBILE,’  the latter’s ‘Eternal Atake’ skyrocketed to the Billboard 200’s summit with not only his personal best but some of the 2020’s biggest first week figures (click here to read more).

To their respective horrors, however, those personal career triumphs were not enough to get them inducted into this year’s class of BET Awards nominees as revealed Monday (June 15).

It’s pretty safe to say they didn’t take the news lightly.

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Marques Houston saw his name atop atop the trending topics tally earlier this week thanks to Twitter sleuths who laid out a timeline of his dating history with 19-year-old fianceé, Miya.

Deducing (based on the evidence presented) the two began dating before her 18th birthday, the chatter around the betrothed blasted to viral levels – with some even using the findings to validate B2K star Raz B‘s once-shunned reports of sexual abuse at the hands of Houston and manager Chris Stokes.

Once the hoopla landed on the desk of the 38-year-old Houston, he took to Instagram to detail his love story with the teenager.

Details inside:

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