‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ legend Gladys Knight saw her name ride right into a storm of controversy earlier today when it was announced she would be performing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl LIII.

Taking place February 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Knight – a native Atlantan – excitedly took to Twitter to not only share the news, but also state:

“I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta,” the 74-year-old said.

“The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year.” 

The excitement quickly turned sour as fans of the 74-year-old diva extended her the same criticism afforded to rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi for taking part in the big game given the NFL’s lengthy history with reports of negative treatment of people of color.

More inside:

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R. Kelly’s record label, RCA, is finding it hard to ignore calls made by critics to have him dropped from the company as the world learns more about his abuse of children and women.

This week, these critics turned the heat up and stormed the label to ensure their voices were heard.

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Twitter’s having a field day with rapper A$AP Rocky thanks to some interesting comments he lent on a recent promo visit to ‘The Angie Martinez Show.’

On hand to discuss ‘Yam’s Day’ (January 17) – a celebration of the A$AP Mob‘s A$AP Yams  – Rocky, on tour for the rest of the winter, made a pit stop ahead of the festivities to talk about it, his love life, newfound sobriety, and so much more.

And, while his career has seen its fair share of darts from detractors dissing his androgynous and, at time, eccentric fashion choices, those darts turned to flames after the interview surfaced online.  There, he suggested he deserved special treatment from women…because he’s a ‘bad b*tch.’

Nothing wrong with a little confidence, eh?  Hear it from his lips inside:

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Cardi B is heading to the Grammys!

Full story below….

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Maury Povich has left his fan speechless after he used Facebook to reach out to his fellow talkshow host Wendy Williams.

There, much to everyone’s surprise, he invited her on his show because he believes he can get to the bottom of claims that her husband’s alleged girlfriend is with child.

A disappointing story below…

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Rihanna is said to be in the closing phase of a deal which will make her one of the first black women to front and own a luxury fashion line.

Full story below…

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Chris Brown‘s fans have proven they aren’t undecided on how they feel about the crooner’s latest single, ‘Undecided.’  Produced by Scott Storch, the cut – which famously samples Shanice‘s signature hit, ‘I Love Your Smile’ – was immediately greeted with a favorable response upon its January 4th-release.  Zooming to the top of the iTunes R&B chart sales tally shortly after its introduction (as we reported here), ‘Undecided’ was hoisted to even higher top 10 heights on the Pop sales tally once its glossy video – featuring ‘Empire’ star Serayah – was unveiled.

Now, with its first official week of a handsome mix of digital downloads and streams behind it, the Grammy winner has added yet another top 40 hit to his collection of chart placements.  Look inside to see where he debuted and see who joins him on this week’s ‘TGJ Chart Check: Hot 100’ edition:

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Cardi B‘s music may be all about the turn-up, but the femcee has long been outspoken about a variety of topics — including politics.

Donald Trump’s government shutdown is currently dividing the masses, so who better than Belcalis to weigh-in with her take on the matter?!

And let’s just say, she didn’t hold back and was far from endorsing.

See what we mean below…

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The Real Housewives Of Atlanta has returned for its 11th season. And despite over a decade on-air, the Bravo smash is losing none of its sassy steam.

Already delivering on its promise of shady twists and turns, the latest outing of the ensemble title is proving a must-see.

Want to know what Nene, Kandi, Porsha Cynthia, Eva and new addition Shamari DeVoe will be serving up on episode 12/ season 11?

Watch a sneak peek below to find out out below…

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(Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)

It’s been nearly two months since Rita Ora unveiled her sophomore effort, ‘Phoenix,’ to the world but that hasn’t stopped the songstress from blazing stages in its support.

Most recently taking to “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (January 16), Ora rocked the audience with a live rendition of the album’s ‘Let You Love Me’ before taking to the couch to dish on the March 2019 kick off of her world tour (click here for dates), the project’s recording process, and so much more.

Quite the charmer, look inside to see her performance, interview highlights, and more…

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After the platinum success of his 2017 sensual single, ‘When We,’ R&B vet Tank is looking for a redo with the similarly sketched ‘Dirty.’

Co-written with J. Valentine and produced by ‘When We’s creator Cardiak, ‘Dirty‘ – on the sonic tip – is a trap-infused R&B cut that, on the lyrical tip, lives up to its titling in quite the X-rated fashion.  A no holds barred ode to a steamy bedroom romp, the tune’s recently  released music video brings the imagery to life quite vividly.

NSFW for scenes of the 43-year-old proving his oral talents aren’t limited to singing, make sure the kids aren’t around when you peep this one:

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Boogie Wit Da Hoodie‘s capture of the #1 spot on this week’s Billboard 200 has sparked serious debates around the accuracy of streaming being the most reflective proof of an artist’s popularity.  Controversial since news of its inclusion in Billboard and RIAA tallies for placements and certifications respectively, that contention was reignited once music lovers learned that Hoodie’s sophomore album – ‘Hoodie SZN’ – nabbed the albums’ chart summit with merely 823 copies sold, a record low.

Billboard reports:

The 20-song Hoodie SZN has been largely powered by streaming activity since its debut on the chart. In its premiere week, it sold just 6,000 copies, while in its second and third weeks, sold a mere 1,000 in each frame. On the new Billboard 200, of Hoodie SZN’s 58,000 total units, 56,000 come from SEA units (equaling 83 million on-demand audio streams for the album’s 20 songs),  1,000 from TEA units and [nearly] 1,000 from album sales.

The previous consumption-era low was registered just a week ago, when 21 Savage’s streaming-powered ‘I Am > I Was’ sold 3,000 copies (of its total 65,000 units).

Sign of the times or just a slow start to the year?  The debate rages on.  But, what can’t be debated is who joins Hoodie in the top 25 this week on the Billboard 200.  Look inside to see the latest edition of ‘TGJ’s Chart Check’:

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