He’s the Southern rebel joining Elijah Blake in kicking dust in the faces of many an R&B newbie, serving a sound that oozes nothing but honesty.

His name?

August Alsina, responsible for the budding smash that is ‘I Luv This’, featuring Trinidad James.

Now watch him woo his ever growing fan base with a smoking rendition of his explicit number, ‘Let Me Hit That’, live at SOB‘s, below!

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Her run atop the Hot 100 may be unmatched by any of her contemporaries, but it seems Rihanna‘s live act continues to fall flat with every attempt it makes to wow her audience.

Unfortunately, while her more staunch supporters may have found ways to overlook her shortcomings on stage, the Australian press struggled to do the same when forced to review her recent ‘Diamonds World Tour‘ stint in the nation.

What they said?

Review roundup below!

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Before you know it awards season will be in full swing.

Probably our favorite time of year here at TGJ HQ, we were ever-excited to learn of the Soul Train Awards committee unveiling the nominations for their 2013 showing.

Featuring top heavy competition from the year’s best and brightest in Hip Hop and R&B, TGJ favorites Kendrick Lamar (6), Justin Timberlake (5), Tamar Braxton (5), Robin Thicke (5), Chris Brown (5), and Miguel (5) are leading the pack of nominees for the ceremony.

Set to be hosted by funnyman Anthony Anderson, the show will air on CENTRIC and BET on Dec. 1.  Until then, familiarize yourself with the rest of the nominees below:

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Nelly, Nicki Minaj and Pharrell in the same video?!

The answer to the above…is simply yes.

That’s right, after what felt like an eternity, Nelly drops the video for his budding smash ‘Get Like Me‘, featuring new collaborators Nicki Minaj and Pharrell Williams, and directed by than Chris Brown’s creative staple, Collin Tilley.

Check it out below!

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Joining Drake, The Weeknd and J.Cole in crafting soundtracks for many a college campus comes Elijah Blake, Hip Hop’s understated new export.

Now, in celebrating what that export brings to the table, Billboard invited the 23 year old lyricist to its home last month- hosting their very own acoustic session and interview with him, which saw him announce the name of his debut album and perform two cuts that can be found on it.

More below…

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From the shadows to the spotlight.

Eric Bellinger has enjoyed ample success penning hits for the likes of Usher, Chris Brown, and Justin Bieber. However, the gifted writer is keen to shine light on his own vocal talents with new mixtape ‘Born II Sing Vol. III’.

Introduced by Usher and featuring contributions from the likes of Sevyn, Tank and more, the set is the Los Angeles native’s third collection of free songs — and, for us, his best yet.

Take a listen below and snap up your free copy!

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When he isn’t crafting cuts for Chris Brown, Eric Bellinger is hard at work on his own material- readying the release of new mix tape ‘Born II Sing, Vol. 3′  for this monday.

So. if you consider yourself a fan of the singer/songwriter you’ll be pleased to know he’s released one of its many singles ‘Ex Again‘ featuring ‘My Mine’ starlet Jhene Aiko.

Produced by Noah Shebib, everyone here at TGJ HQ has already named the song one of our favorites to drop this year.

Want to listen for yourself?

Meet us below…

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The 55th Annual Grammy Awards certainly provided many a notable moment courtesy of the host of stars who took to the stage.

Now, after watching Bruno Mars & Rihanna tribute the great Bob Marley, That Grape Juice has list all of the night’s winners waiting for your below…

Ever keen on keeping the masses abreast of fresh and/or often underrated talent, That Grape Juice presents ‘The Spill’ – a renewed look at not-so-new, yet active, acts.

Much like its ‘Freshly Squeezed’ sister segment, this revived assay aims to put the magnifying glass on talents who may not appeal to the buying public on a broad scale yet are still serving material that could easily spin side-by-side with some of today’s top hits.

Covering a kaleidoscope of genres, ‘The Spill’ is set to feature some names you probably know and love as well as some you’ll (soon) be glad to know.  Click below to find out the spill on Stacey Barthe, ‘Sailing Souls’ songstress Jhene Aiko, and multi-talented crooner Kevin McCall...

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He’s the R&B sensation who rose to fame covering cuts by some of his favorite artists, and now- by way of Ne-Yo and Motown Records- this year marks the arrival of B Smyth.

With his debut album set for launch in the coming months, the 19 year old kicks his campaign off with the release of ‘Leggo‘, featuring ‘No Lie’ Rapper 2 Chainz.

We’re excited about him, so check out the video below and let us know if you are too…

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Nashville played host to the 2012 Grammy Nomination special where the likes of music’s biggest names gathered for the unveiling of the 2013 Grammy nominations.

While we won’t find out who will be walking away with the coveted gram-o-phones until the show airs live on CBS February 10th, click below to find out if your fave was able to nab a nomination. 

Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Jay Z are among the males dominating this year’s nominations (with 6 each) while pop tart pals Katy Perry & Rihanna nabbed multiple mentions as well.

See the list in its entirety:

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The premiere season of The X Factor USA brought with it many a twist and turn, as well as a wealth of new talent – one of the most notable being Marcus Canty.

After finishing fourth on the show, the 21 year old was swiftly signed up by mentor LA Reid to join his revitalised Epic Records roster.

The fruit of that union has been R&B bliss, with both of Canty’s singles ‘Won’t Make A Fool Out Of You’ and ‘In & Out’ drumming up ample buzz.

With the Washington DC native hard at work on his debut EP ‘This Is..Marcus Canty’ (due October 30th), we quizzed him on his background, ditching basketball for music, whether  he has any fears coming from a talent show, and much more.

Our interview with the young talent awaits after the jump…

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