8 long years separated fans of Toni Braxton from her last solo studio effort, ‘Pulse,’ and her newest offering, ‘Sex & Cigarettes.’ 

Granted, it’s only been half that time since the diva released new music overall, last time tapping longtime collaborator Babyface to assist.  But, unlike that album – 2014’s Grammy-winning ‘Love, Marriage, & Divorce’ – ‘Cigarettes’ puts the 50-year-old beauty back front and center by her lonesome.

Kicked off by the Urban contemporary cuts ‘Deadwood’ and ‘Long As I Live,’ Braxton’s latest project, critically speaking, has been welcomed by longtime fans as a worthy entry to her impressive discography.  Unfortunately, if industry analyst predictions are to go by, that sentiment was not shared by the music buying public at large.

Undoubtedly experiencing a “soft launch” to say the least, ‘Cigarettes’ (to date) has not been provided the promo push its predecessors were afforded.  If that will impact the album’s commercial performance in the long run has yet to be seen, but in the here and now the LP looks to have an uphill climb ahead:

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Azealia Banks has vowed to remove her music from the streaming platform Spotify after one of its tastemakers placed her on a ‘One Hit Wonders‘ playlist.

Full story below…

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Odell Beckham Jr has been asked to pay the price for a crime he did not commit.

Confused? He is too.

Find out why below…

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Welcome to Retro Rewind, the TGJ original feature launched to celebrate TV and Film’s unforgettable past.

Today, in honour of her stellar career on stage and screen, we revisit Jennifer Lopez’ smash hit movie ‘Anaconda.’

Also starring Ice Cube, the movie follows a film crew who find themselves in danger when they are when they are taken hostage by a wild snake hunter on the hunt for a giant anaconda.

Grossing $136 million at the box office, the movie was one of the many movie projects used to support Lopez’ quest for stardom as a musician and saw her earn praise from critics who praised her performance in the Columbia picture.

Ready to revisit 1997?

‘Anaconda’ below…

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Like most things Beyonce, the arrival of her ‘Formation’ music video was a pop culture event.

Beyond being a bodacious bop, the track and its accompanying visual served as a bold and unapologetic celebration of the Black reality. Something its unconventional debut as an unlisted video (then ineligible to chart) seemed to cement.

In the time since its premiere, the ‘Lemonade’ jam received its commercial due – first earning Bey a top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and now crossing a major milestone on VEVO. 

Details below….

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Concern for the well-being of Bow Wow is intensifying today after the rapper took to social media to share a chilling message.

Full story below…

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Is Christina Aguilera‘s comeback around the corner?

Dive below for details…

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The season 3 premiere date of breakout television hit, ‘Queen Sugar,’ has finally been revealed.

A consistent ratings winner for OWN, the Ava Duvernay-directed series saw its season 2 send off in mid-November 2017 – undoubtedly leaving fans hungry for the latest happenings with the Bordelons (Charley, Nova, and Ralph Angel).

After months of production, the ‘Queen’ team have finally lifted the lid on exciting details around the show’s Spring 2018 return:

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Photo courtesy: Ellen

Recently learning their joint effort, ‘Sativa,’ passed the RIAA’s gold certification threshold has only acted as fuel for Urban acts Jhene Aiko and Rae Sremmurd to keep pushing the cut to higher heights.

Having peaked at #98 on the Hot 100 to date, a boost will undoubtedly come courtesy of the hitmakers’ visit to ‘Ellen’ on Friday (March 23) where they delivered a rousing performance of the mid-tempo groove.

See the action inside if you missed it:

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As the critical acclaim continues to pour in for his March 2nd released debut album, ‘Sum of My Music,’ singer/songwriter Jussie Smollett continues to beat the promo pavement in a bid to help that acclaim be reflected commercially.

With earlier stops seeing him visit ‘Good Morning America’ and other premium television outlets (click here if you missed it) in its support, most recently the ‘Empire’ star was spotted at ‘Wendy.’  There, he not only dished on his admiration of Janet Jackson, but also performed two cuts from his long-awaited inaugural LP.

Did you miss any of the action? It awaits inside:

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Toni Braxton has unlocked the video for single ‘Long As I Live.’

The melodic jam is the latest to be lifted from the songbird’s newly hatched album ‘Sex & Cigarettes’ and follows lead release ‘Deadwood.’

Braxton is joined by sisters Tamar and Towanda as she confronts her former lover over the demise of their relationship.

Watch the drama (and dancing) unfold after the jump…

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Russell Simmons is facing brand new rape claims.

Unfortunately, his new set of allegations are even more disgusting than the first few.

Full story, and his denial, below…

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