Here are some screenshots from Rihanna’s music video for ‘Rude Boy’. The song is the 3rd official single to be released from her platinum-selling ‘Rated R’ album. The video will premiere on February 11th. Peep more shots below:

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Pop royalty Janet Jackson features in the latest issue of Wonderland magazine. The reclusive performer, 43, opened up about many a topic, including the direction of her new album (due later this year on Interscope Records), switching up her style, coping with the loss of her brother Michael, starring in Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married Too’, Rihanna, Lady GaGa, and a whole lot more. A lengthy, yet ultimately great read. Check it in its entirety after the jump…

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That Grape Juice were fortunate enough to catch up with Grammy-nominated R&B star Fantasia Barrino recently.  The 25 year old, whose new VH1 reality series ‘Fantasia For Real’ has been a hit with viewers, spoke candidly with That Grape Juice in a 40 minute long conversation about many a topic. Areas discussed include how ‘real’ the show actually is, her new album, the rumours which threatened to destroy her career, her romantic life (yes, we asked about Antwaun Cook!), industry politics and so much more. As ever, we asked the questions you really want answers to…and answer them Fantasia did. A lengthy, yet great read; this is Fantasia for real….Enjoy!

{Transcription by Bisi Kadejoh}

Fantasia Shouts Out That Grape Juice

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Jennifer Hudson and her husband David Otunga were spotted in The Bahamas recently. The two enjoyed a day of kayaking at the Atlantis Paradise Island while attending the ‘Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational’ in Nassau. Check out more pics below:

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UK media darling Cheryl Cole is looking further extend the success of her solo project ‘3 Words’ with the release of ‘Parachute’. Confirmed today as the latest single to be lifted from the Platinum selling LP, the song was jointly produced by Syience (Beyonce & Jay-Z’s ‘Hollywood’) and will.i.am.

Though Ms. Cole certainly leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the quality of her voice, music etc, this definitely stands as one of her better solo offerings thus far. Unashamedly Pop, with Urban sprinklings, I can see this one being a mainstay on the radio here.

Tidbit: It will be really interesting to see how Ms. Cole’s solo career holds up once the X-Factor hype dies down. Speaking of the popular show, there are reports that Simon Cowell is lining her up to join the panel of the US show. Hmm.

Hit or Miss?

A husky-voiced Kelly Rowland hit stage at the PokerStars VIP Party at Paradise Harbour in Nassau, The Bahamas over the weekend. The singer performed her international hit ‘When Love Takes Over’. Rowland is currently working on her forthcoming studio album which hits stores later this year.

Clearly Rowland’s voice has seen much better days. It’s safe to say that her hard work in the studio is undoubtedly the reason for her vocal issues at the event. However, although she struggled through the verses, she handled the belting in the chorus quite well and engaged the crowd like a pro.

Sidebar: Is Rowland looking more muscular or is it just me? Looks like somebody’s been working on improving her game both musically and physically. I ain’t mad at you Kelly!

Thoughts?

Despite only recently surpassing 500k in US sales, Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ album has just been certified platinum by the RIAA. However, the LP has not sold 1 million copies at retail venues, rather it has shipped over 1 million units in the US and is expected to achieve that sales figure with retailers in the near future.

Congratulations are in order for Rihanna and her marketing team. Whether or not she is a gifted musician is unimportant. What is key is that they have managed to achieve a feat that many artists in the current sales climate are desperate to capture. Furthermore, with a repackaged version of the LP seeming to be a strong possibility at this point, I certain that she will pass the 1 million mark before the end of the year.

Thoughts?

As we indicated earlier this week, Rihanna’s camp has selected ‘Rude Boy’ as the next single from her ‘Rated R’ LP. Well, just a short while ago, the artwork for the single was released. AllAccess reports that ‘Rude Boy’ will officially impact radio on February 9th.

This is basically an alternate version of one of the shots in the ‘Rated R’ cover art (seen here). Nonetheless, it works well with the ‘sex sells’ theme that her label has been pushing lately. As one of the better songs on the album, I hope that her team is able to provide a strong video for the record like they did with ‘Hard’ and ‘Russian Roulette’, and avoid creating a toilet-worthy clip like ‘Wait Your Turn’.

Thoughts?

Despite having not released an album since her 2006 debut, singer model Cassie has seen almost two full-length LP’s worth of her  material ‘apppear’ on the net over the last 2 years – hence it’s not at all surprising that yet another (‘Skydiver’) has surfaced.

Slated to feature on her much delayed sophomore effort ‘Electro Love’, the Chris & Teeb produced / James Fauntleroy-penned cut boasts great production and an irresistibly catchy hook. Unfortunately, though, Cassie’s vocals (or lack thereof) kinda kill the affair, sounding distinctly offensive in most places other than the chorus (which itself is layered upon layered).

It may come across as if I moan about Cassie each time I post on her, and that’s because I do! In not even being a singer/performer, yet having respect for the art form itself, I struggle to see how it’s somehow ‘OK’ for models to tonelessly talk over hot beats, securing lucrative label deals left and right, while more deserving artists fall by the wayside. It’s just not right. Moving beyond how she got her label deal (that much I can piece together quite easily in my head… and no its nothing nasty LOL), I’m now even more baffled as to how she’s managed to keep it. I’m sure she’s a sweet girl; she’s damn sure a stunning one, which is exactly why I believe she should actively pursue her first dream (her own words)…modelling.

In any case, she doesn’t seem to be going anywhere – that much Diddy has made sure of. So enough of my rambling…check out the song below:

Hit or Miss?

Exactly three years ago rapper Nas controversially proclaimed that ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead’. Fast forward to the present and the same bold declaration can arguably be applied to R&B too. Indeed, with today’s industry churning out an increasingly homogenised sound, one which largely seems to favour the Pop genre, the future (or lack thereof) of R&B as we’ve known it does not look promising. The question remains, though: is this a bad or good thing?

Birthed in the 1940’s, R&B music saw its journey to mainstream prominence really pick up in the 1960’s with the Motown movement. Furthermore, the 70’s ushered in a host of wildly successful R&B acts such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Aretha Franklin. Though the likes of Prince, Sade and Chaka Khan continued the trend in the 1980’s, it was the 90’s which saw the true boom and arguable peak of R&B. If in doubt, the names and successes of Lauryn Hill, TLC, Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, R Kelly, and Toni Braxton, to name but a few, speak volumes.

Yet despite the dizzy heights it once enjoyed, R&B today no longer occupies its once-pole position in the musical sphere. For evidence of this, one need not look further than the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Charts, where songs topping the chart often struggle to make any impact on the all-inclusive Billboard Hot 100. Though fans and stans oft cite the successes of their favourite act on the R&B/Hip-Hop tally, any such success is arguably limited to the Urban arena – one of the smallest when compared to other genres.

If the format is truly in decline, then what happened R&B?

On a surface level, the fusing together of R&B with other genres such as Pop and more recently Dance/Electronica can be heralded as a (positive) testament to the ‘coming together’ of the world’s many cultures and societies. Yet, R&B and Urban music more generally, seem to have drawn the shorter end of the stick in this cultural exchange. For, while both the Pop and Dance genres have benefitted greatly from flirting with R&B, they have also managed to remain successful genres in their own right. R&B, unfortunately, has not. Today it’s almost laughable for both new and established acts to release ‘pure R&B’ and anticipate any chart success (see: Mariah’s ‘Memoirs’ and any new act NOT jumping on this Euro-Pop bandwagon).

Yes, there are exceptions such as Maxwell and Sade, both of whom have enjoyed critical and commercial success this year, releasing music with their trademark (R&B) sound. However, it’s wholly believable that the hype surrounding their comebacks largely factored in to them defying the odds.

More so than any other factor, the industry’s gradual move to a more Pop-dominated mode-of-operation seems to have dealt R&B what could prove to be a fatal blow. Traditionally even the most R&B of R&B songs were sprinkled with Pop sensibilities i.e. catchy hooks and hummable melodies. However, what used to be a quality-rich genre seems to have been replaced with what long caused Pop music to not be taken seriously – the idea of image over substance. No longer are vocals or the establishing of artists who will inspire future generations the priority of labels. Instead, we now have models posing as singers topping the charts (“eh eh eh”). Even undeniable talents such as Beyonce, whose first album was an all-R&B affair, have moved further away from the genre in favour of an almost-entirely Pop sound. These occurrences have consequently birthed a culture of fast-food music made for fickle audiences, who see artists as only as good as their last hit.

The idea of R&B being dead may be premature and somewhat pessimistic. However the likelihood of its eventual demise is becoming increasingly evident with each new generation. As an advocate for innovation and the blurring of musical boundaries, it would be endearing to see R&B in its pure form return to prominence and co-exist alongside its diluted incarnation.

Your thoughts?

She was once the most powerful force in Pop music; the heir apparent to the Pop dynasty. It seemed that at the turn of the century, there was no bigger star than Britney Spears. From show-stopping performances to worldwide #1 successes, she exploded onto the charts, toppling the long held reign of more established artists. However, the ‘fire’ that once made Spears the most sought after entertainer of her time appears to have been lost.

After a string of well-publicised personal turmoils, the world was made privy to Spears’ now notorious meltdown. Yet, the singer managed to rebound from those upsets and regain public favour with multiple chart-topping hits and platinum albums. Nonetheless, Spears seems different; the ‘spark’ in her eye is gone; and her live performances depict an entertainer who is but a shell of her former self.

Her energetic choreography has been replaced with awkward stage presence, and lip-syncing has become the norm of her entire productions (although many would argue that she rarely sang live in her earlier career as well). Regardless of the position that her music is now arguably at its best, the energy that Spears exudes in the studio no longer translates on stage. In fact, some critics assert that it is this decline in potency that allowed Beyonce to rise to the helm of the Pop charts.

This begs the question: has Spears permanently lost the ‘glint’ in her eye? Or does she stand a chance of returning to fine form? In any case, with mounting competition from her younger contemporaries including Lady GaGa and Rihanna, many contend that unless she is able to recapture that ‘magic’, her days as the Princess of Pop are surely numbered.

Do you think that Spears has permanently lost her

edge?

Flash mobs have been popping up all over world this year. Dancing along to the hits from Michael Jackson,  the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and Janet Jackson, the collectives pay tribute to many of music’s biggest stars. Keeping this trend alive, over 300 people stunned unsuspecting shoppers recently at the Carousel Center in Syracuse, New York to honor Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.

This looked like so much fun! Groups like these seem to come out of no where and even though they barely rehearse, they always put on a good show. Furthermore, I can’t think of a better song that this collective to have performed. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, which was written and produced by Mariah and Walter Afanaseiff, is undeniably the only Christmas song of the last 25 years to gain such popularity, becoming a classic in every sense of the word.

Thoughts?