In 2o16, Rihanna unlocked her latest studio album ‘ANTI’ and, to thank fans for their patience, armed with it artwork and material she hoped would see her soar to higher creative ground.
Today, never-before-seen snaps from the shoot behind said artwork have surfaced online!
The shots hit the net minutes ago and arrive after the performer (who has made a beeline for Hollywood glory) was linked to a role in the next chapter of ‘The Matrix’.
She is yet to confirm or deny claims she is to star in it alongside Michael B. Jordan.
Beyonce has made slayage look like child’s play over the course of her 20 year career, and the touchdowns show no sign of slowing.
Less than one week after being honored with the prestigious Peabody Award, Bey’s ‘Lemonade’ has been unveiled as the top selling album worldwide in 2016.
The revelation was made in the Global Music Report, which is compiled by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Mrs Carter, along with acts such as Adele and Drake, are credited with helping grow the global music business in a major way. For, 2016 registered revenue growth of 5.9% over the previous year.
The figure marks the biggest revenue growth since the IFPI began tracking the market in 1997. It’s also the second-straight year of growth after 15 years of decline.
So, how do 2016’s releases stack up comparatively? Check out the full list…
Top-Selling Albums Globally of 2016, According to the IFPI (Physical & Digital Sales Only)
1. Beyoncé, Lemonade (2.5 million)
2. Adele, 25 (2.4 million)
3. Drake, Views (2.3 million)
4. Metallica, Hardwired…to Self-Destruct (2.1 million)
5. David Bowie, Blackstar (1.9 million)
6. The Rolling Stones, Blue & Lonesome (1.8 million)
7. Bruno Mars, 24k Magic (1.7 million)
8. Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface (1.5 million)
9. Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams (1.4 million)
10. Pentatonix, A Pentatonix Christmas (1.4 million)
It does make for a stunning sight to see how comparatively small global numbers are in 2017 compared to years of past. A lot of these figures would have been US totals once upon a time.
But ay, we’re in the streaming age. So, if anything, the numbers should be applauded in earnest.
All roads lead to April 28th for the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul Mary J. Blige.
The enduring diva will release her latest album ‘Strength Of A Woman’ and, given the current climate surrounding her personal life, will have the world’s eyes and ears on ready.
To plug the project, MJB has teamed up with VH1 who’ll be airing a special documenting the making of the LP on May 2nd.
In a video announcement, the star offered fans a sneak peek of what they can expect from from the telecast.
Watch below…
We’ll be tuned in.
Mary’s music has been on point thus far this era, as such it’ll be cool to see how it was pieced together.
Here’s hoping this VH1 doc is the start of an aggressive push. Because sans radio run, she appears to be saving the heavy duty promo for the album’s arrival, which at this stage of her career, may to be the smartest play (rather than trying to bag a hit single).
She has the good will of the people in light of her oh so public divorce, so she’d be wise to capitalize on it.
Beyonce‘s ‘Formation’ has matured into more than a single and tour. It’s now a movement.
Queen Bey solidified this reality today when announcing the creation of the Formation Scholars program.
The scheme, launched as part of the 1 year anniversary celebration of the ‘Lemonade’ album, is for the 2017-2018 academic year and is aimed at encouraging female students to fearlessly pursue greatness by way of education.
In partnership with notable colleges such as Berklee and Howard, Bey’s foundation will offer scholarships (one per institution) to female students looking to study creative arts, music, literature, or African-American studies.
See details below…
This is major.
Kudos to Beyonce for always striving beyond the celebrity norm to use her platform for powerful and purpose-filled initiatives like this.
Madonna and Mariah Carey have a well documented history of throwing jabs at each other. Hence, it’s oh so ironic that Madge’s upcoming biopic is being produced in part by Mimi’s former fiance James Packer.
And the project is gathering steam.
News of its existence hit the wire earlier this year, but now its beeline for the big screen has been legitimised.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Blond Ambition’ has officially been picked up by Universal Pictures.
Produced by Packer and Carey’s friend Brett Ratner, under their RatPack production company, the film is set in early 1980s New York. It’ll tell the tale of how Madonna Louise Ciccone worked on her debut album, struggled in a business that treated women badly, while also dealing with a blossoming love life and the first taste of fame.
No word yet on casting or a release date. But it’s happening
Is Katy Perry baking a delicious new a single? If current speculation proves true, then she may very well be.
The Pop force sent fans into a frenzy today when she posted the following cherry pie recipe on social media.
At first glance, it appears to be exactly what it’s billed as “Katy Perry’s World’s Best Cherry Pie” baking recipe.
However, as Billboard points out, some lines read like song lyrics. For example:
“Please just take your time/ This pie is gonna hit that sweet tooth, boy/ Calm those hungry eyes/ Bon Appétit, baby!”
The ‘Bon Appétit’ part struck a chord with fans who noted she posted a snippet of a new song named that last month:
The elaborate roll-out wouldn’t be the first of its kind for Perry, who launched preceding single ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ with hidden disco balls in numerous cities across the globe. Fans who located them were able to plug in headphones to hear a snippet.
Sadly, that didn’t stop the song from experiencing a relatively disappointing chart and streaming run.
Will this time be different?
It seems as though we’ll find out soon, as it’s highly unlikely Perry would post this if something wasn’t about to be served up.
‘Dancing With The Stars’ hosted its first ever Boyband vs Girlband themed show last night. So it was only fitting that Fifth Harmony star Normani Kordei showed up and showed out!
Together with partner Val Chmerkovskiy performed a sassy Salsa to the Pussycat Doll’s 2006 smash ‘When I Grow Up.’
The showing saw the duo earn one of the top marks of the night, amassing a total score of 38/40. Deservingly.
Watch them dazzle below….
Slayed.
We’re hoping Normani makes it all the way to the end, as it’ll gift the group some added momentum into their hotly anticipated “comeback.”
‘Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’ made headlines in its second season when it introduced the openly gay rapper Miles Brock to its cast.
Now, after fans discovered that the nature of his storyline on the series was more fiction than it was fact, the gifted entertainer has revealed that he was been welcomed back into the fray following his absence in its third season.
Janet Jackson made the world collectively “awww” when she unveiled the first pictures of three-month son Eissa Al Mana recently.
Shortly after, more snaps of the adorable youngster hit the press when he was spotted out and about with his father – Jackson’s soon to be ex – Wissam Al Mana.
And now there’s more.
The billionaire businessman was snapped bonding with the youngster in a London park. Peep the adorable pics below…
Kendrick Lamar has the masses saying ‘DAMN’ for more reasons than one this week.
The Hip-Hop force earned the year’s highest album sales debut with the LP and now has cause for celebration with its latest single ‘HUMBLE.’
For, in climbing #3-#1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, the track has become K. Dot’s second song to reach the top of the tally. Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood (Remix)’ being the first.
In doing so, it uproots Ed Sheeran’s monster smash ‘Shape Of You’ – which logged 12 non-consecutive weeks at #1.
So how did Lamar pull off the feat?
‘HUMBLE.’ increased a colossal 56% in streaming to amass a US one week total of 67.4 million Stateside streams. It also wracked up 56,000 US downloads.
Elsewhere on the chart, the TDE star earned the week’s highest new entry with fellow ‘DAMN’ track ‘DNA’ (#4).
We’re still getting our life to the ‘HUMBLE.’ video. Watch the Dave Myers production below…
Rihanna‘s ‘ANTI’ may have reached a climax with the top ten placing of ‘Love On The Brain,’ but it doesn’t mean Ms. Fenty will be vacating the charts for long.
Because DJ Khaled has revealed that he has teamed up with the Bajan belle for his upcoming new album ‘Grateful.’
Speaking to LA’s Power 106, the Snapchat king confirmed that both Rih and Nas will appear on the set, which also features Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne.
Beyonce, and Jay Z also make an appearance via recent hit single ‘Shining.’
Say what folk will about Rihanna, but there’s no denying her ability to crank out a hit.
Some of her more recent collaborations have been blah (see: Kendrick Lamar, Future), however we’d be lying if we said we weren’t buzzed to hear what she as Khaled have cooked up.
Since twirling onto The Real Housewives Of Atlanta in 2012, Kenya Moore has been a weekly hot topic.
Whether it’s the trials of her private life, professional triumphs, or sassy clap-backs, the former Miss USA continues to have the world talking.
Now, she’s parlaying her popularity into the launch of the Kenya Moore Hair Care line.
That Grape Juice caught up with the budding mogul to discuss the venture, as well as a whole lot of ‘Real Housewives’ tea – including the reunion and cast news for next season.
As ever, we ask the questions you really want answers to. Enjoy.
***********************
Kenya Moore Shouts Out That Grape Juice
***********************
Sam (That Grape Juice): We have so much to get through, but let me first say congratulations on the launch of Kenya Moore Hair Care.
Kenya Moore: Thank you so much!
TGJ: You’re welcome. Tell us a little bit about why you decided to start your own hair care line?
KM: I’ve always had a passion for hair care. When I was a little girl my grandmother always said that hair was your crowning glory. That just always stuck to me my entire life and I had just developed this affinity for healthy hair. Whether it’s long or short, however you wear it, I just believe in having healthy hair. I wanted to empower other women to feel good about the hair that’s growing out of their head versus the hair they are putting on their heads so to speak.
TGJ: Cool. From the inception to the actualization of [the line], tell us a little bit about how you set the wheels in motion once you realized it was something that you wanted to do.
KM: Well, you know, I’m a film and TV producer by trade. I’m used to putting things together from developing projects. I sort of approached it like an actual project of mine. I did a lot of research. Basically it started from when I was maybe 12 years old and developing this affinity for great hair care products and testing everything I could put my hands on. It’s figuring out what products worked, what ingredients worked and starting to nail down the formulations. As a former beauty queen and actress and model it was really difficult for me to maintain my healthy hair. I had a lot of breakage. I had a lot of damage but nothing worked so it just led to try to research it on my own by testing out products that worked and finally being able to put something together where I could put my name on it and formulations that I knew were proven and tried and tested and put through.
TGJ: As with any creation, there’s bound to be hurdles and stumbling blocks. What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced along the way?
KM: Honestly, this is what I do. I deliver. So the real primary challenges centered on just making sure that the product delivered on our promises. Will it make your hair stronger? Yes. Will it make your hair healthier? Yes. Will it make your hair less damaged? All of the claims that we make; I just wanted to make sure that the product delivered and it does. That was the main hurdle was making sure that once I got it to the testing phase that it really worked. I’m happy to say that all of our reviews and most of the reviews I’ve seen on the product solidified the fact that people really have responded great to the product line and actually wanted to continue to develop more and more products.
TGJ: Awesome. ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ platform has proven a very powerful promotional tool. For those not really in the know, how much leeway are you given to plug your projects while the storylines play out on the show?
KM: Well obviously they’re following our real lives so we can film it; it doesn’t necessarily mean that it makes the air. I’ve been developing this line for over five years since season six. At the end of season five I already knew that it’s something that I wanted to do and I’ve been working on it. I announced it at the reunion of season five that I was working on a hair care line. In that time, I’ve filmed scenes meeting with chemists, filmed scenes with test subjects, filmed with my staff. There are so many steps that I had to go through which were filmed but never made it to air. It’s not under our control at all what they end up filming. It’s sort of a gamble but yes, as you know it is an amazing global marketing tool, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to join the cast and this show because I understood the gravity of this platform.
TGJ: A lot of the ladies have entrepreneurial hustles on the show. Is there anyone else that you admire for doing what you are doing as well?
KM: Absolutely. We have to definitely recognize Kandi for her entrepreneurial spirit. She has several businesses and just doing a final plan every day. Even her son has a clothing line. He’s like one-years-old. He already has his own business. Of course, Cynthia who has her eyewear line-her sunglass and her eyewear. So I only can respect a woman that’s trying to do things for herself. It is very important for us to support one another and I have to say that I’m just very proud of them for developing their own businesses and product lines as well.
TGJ: Definitely.
We know that you’ve got gorgeous hair. We see it week in, week out on the show but on a day that perhaps you wanted to add a bit of volume, would you ever rock anything from Porsha’s [hair] collection?
KM: Come on, that’s a shady boots question [laughs].
TGJ: Okay, moving on. Delving into the show a little bit. We’ve seen part of the reunion. It’s been quite intense and there’s still more to come. How was the reunion for you and what can fans expect to play out?
KM: It was definitely a better reunion for me because I’m not in the hot seat. I think I had a very good year – in terms of the relationships I have with the other girls. Much less drama than I’ve had in the previous years. I feel really good about where I am with my relationship with Shereé.
She’s the only person I’ve really had conflict with throughout the season. We ended in a very good place. We’ve been working together to produce … Well I’m producing a PSA on domestic violence with her being involved as well. I’m really happy with the way that that relationship played out.
[As for the others], the fans can just expect to see something that just … I don’t know. It’s definitely epic. There will be a lot of years of secrets being revealed. I think that you just have to watch and see how that all plays out. It’s definitely one for the history books. It’s our first four-part cut reunion so that speaks for itself.
TGJ: Ok. Rounding up on the Real Housewives side of things; are you going to be back for another season?
KM: Well, come on. How can they have another season without me? What would they do?
TGJ: Great answer [Laughs].
There’s a lot of talk about other cast-mates coming and going. There’s talk of Kim Zolciak coming back; Phaedra not coming back. Do you have any insight into that? Have you started taping? What’s the situation on that front?
KM: There definitely is going to be a shakeup. I think that we’ll probably-hopefully get a new housewife or one or two. It’s just that Kim and Nene are both negotiating to come back in some capacity, whether they’re full-time or part-time, I really don’t know. I do believe that-it’s our tenth year so I know that they’re going to do something different for season ten. It’s a huge benchmark. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of your favorites coming back. I’m sure the fans will see a lot of their favorites coming back.
TGJ: That is awesome. Bravo has been really successful with formats such as the ‘Housewives’ and ‘Married to Medicine.’ Do you watch any of those other shows and if so, who do you think would make a good addition to ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ cast?
KM: That’s very difficult to say. I do watch some of the other shows. I just started watching [Real Housewives Of] Potomac. I’ve seen ‘Married to Medicine’ a few times. It’s very difficult because they haven’t hired a new a permanent housewife and re-hired them since I joined the cast. The bar has been set very high unfortunately.
TGJ: Bloop!
KM: [Laughs] They’ll get them but they don’t stay around. What was it at the end of the second question? I’m sorry.
TGJ: That was a great answer.
Switching gears, tell us a little-known fact about Kenya Moore?
KM: A little-known fact … I think I’m a total goofball. A lot of people have the image of me that I always dressed up in heels and I’m always in full hair and make-up and designer clothes. In reality, I’m somewhat of a tomboy and I definitely don’t like to wear make-up most of the time and I love to be silly and just really pretty much hangout at home with my friends and family.
TGJ: You’ve been on The Housewives for about five years now. We’ve seen you dabble in many arenas from acting; which is obviously your mainstay, to fitness to building “Moore Manor.” What other ventures can we expect from you moving forward? What’s on your to-do list?
KM: I’ve got a lot on my to-do list but my baby right now is Kenya Moore Hair Care. I am so excited about this hair care line and bringing more products to the consumers. We’ve got amazing feedback. We’re growing exponentially. We are in retail stores now which is Valley Beauty Supply and other stores coming soon to sign a big distribution deal in North America for a lot of top stores across the U.S. and Canada.
TGJ: Congratulations.
KM: Thank you. I’m just ready to focus on the success of the brand and just bringing the best possible hair care to the masses as possible. It’s affordable luxury and really I’m just trying to be the next Madam C.J. Walker; empowering women to feel good about themselves one head of hair at a time [laughs].
TGJ: You are renowned for throwing shade grenades. How did you learn to read like that?
KM: Shade grenades? [hysterical laughter]
TGJ: Yes. Shade grenades. Where did you learn to read like that?
KM: [Still laughing] I think you just have to be quick-witted. It’s just really, to me, based in humor. It’s not really serious. I like to throw funny shade versus cool shade. I’m just silly and I think that just comes from me being silly and quick-witted.
TGJ: You’re definitely that. The final question, “Kenya Moore, what is your proudest achievement?”
KM: Wow. That’s a good question. I can’t pick one. I think just me being able to be fearless in my pursuit of whatever endeavor that I have. Whether it’s business, life, family, building myself-for me just being the person I’m meant to be and just going on that journey.
