Those who have followed the trajectory of Taylor Swift‘s career are well aware of the fan anxiety that preceded the release of her seventh studio album, ‘Lover’ (August 23).  In addition to the pressures of following three LPs that sold over 1 million copies their first weeks respectively, ‘Lover’ is also Swift’s first studio effort since 2010’s ‘Speak Now’ not to have one of its singles top the Hot 100 ahead of its parent project’s premiere.

Yet, the absence of a #1 single certainly hasn’t stopped ‘Lover’ from becoming a historic beast in its own right, namely on the Hot 100.

First, thanks to the album’s lead single, ‘Me!,’ vaulting from #100-#2 back in May, the Grammy winner entered history books for the largest one week position jump on the tally (click here to read more).  Next, before ‘Lover’ even touched shelves she tied Madonna‘s longstanding record for most top 20 hits among females (click here to read more).  Now, with all 18 of the project’s tracks impacting the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, she’s penciling her name on record pages for a number of other unprecedented achievements.

More inside:

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Thanks to newly emerged details and continued conversation on social media outlets from celebrities, fans, spectators, and insiders, Jay-Z‘s recently announced partnership with the NFL continues to prove itself a hot topic (click here to read).

The controversy around the business move is not only centered around the league’s problematic relationship with its players of color, but also Jay’s own public statements damning the organization – even declining an invite to perform at the Super Bowl.  Shortly after the news initially broke, Grammy award-winning songwriter/producer Bryan Michael Cox – credited with some of the biggest R&B hits of the last 20 years (Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige, etc.) – added fuel to the fire when he revealed his longtime friend and fellow Urban hitmaker Jermaine Dupri was offered a deal similar to Hov’s.

The issue?  Cox says Jay personally contacted JD and told him to decline the very deal (to co-produce the Super Bowl) he’s now signed.  Ouch!

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Jay-Z‘s earned quite the reputation for being a shrewd businessman over the years, but the ‘Big Pimpin’ performer’s latest string of business moves are stirring a big pot of controversy.

The 49-year-old – once celebrated for turning down an invite to perform at the NFL’s ‘Super Bowl’ due to the league’s controversial stance on the treatment of their players of color (namely Colin Kaepernick) – set headlines into a spin when it was announced his imprint, Roc Nation, would now be co-producing the affair (click here to read more).

As the polarizing move continued to dominate headlines, Jay justified the collaborative effort by stating:

“I think we’ve moved past kneeling and I think it’s time to go into actionable items.”

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Jay-Z‘s polarizing partnership with the NFL continues to be the subject of ample debate.

For while some have praised the mogul for attempting to mend fences with the league and garnering potent pull in the process, others are less impressed given how vocal he was during the fall-out from Colin Kaepernick kneeling protest. The latter of which, despite a hefty payout to the player, remains unsolved in the eyes of some.

And it appears Jay’s protégé Rihanna seems to agree.

Full story below…

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Colin Kaepernick‘s girlfriend Nessa cannot believe that Jay-Z has partnered with the NFL….after it ruined the athlete’s career.

Any negative energy that Jay Z is getting for working with the NFL is crazy! Using his platform as an entertainer to get inside to make change is fair. Who cares if he gets $! We know that if he’s present, we’ll see some progress!!

Nike did it and was celebrated! Same energy.

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) August 14, 2019

Full story below…

So the NFL is forming an entertainment and "social justice" partnership with Jay-Z and his Roc Nation agency.

Jay Z hasn't spoken with Colin Kaepernick about this and yet says he was an "inspiration."

If this isn't Black capitalism exploiting the movement I don't know what is.

— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 13, 2019

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Trina has spoken!

The ‘Diamond Princess,’ after a day of keeping fans waiting with bated breath, has finally addressed the rumor that she and ‘BAPS’ co-star, Nicki Minaj, are at odds due to the shooting of the tune’s music video (and other behind the scenes happenings).

Murmurs of a rift between the Rap divas was sent into overdrive when a member of the 40-year-old’s team (A&R Reginald Saunders) took to social media to call Minaj out for unprofessional behavior (click here to read more), to which the Harajuku Barbie responded:

“Right now Trina’s camp is accusing me of not doing enough to push her song ‘Baps,'” Nick said. “I have my own schedule… it’s not fair that people don’t understand that. I would never have someone from my team disrespect somebody that has been nothing but real to me.” 

Now, T is setting the record straight and publicly reprimanding Saunders for overstepping his bounds.  All this and more inside:

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Embattled R&B legend R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually abusing women and young girls during his arraignment in a New York City court on Friday (August 2).

The hearings, which confirmed his denial of bail and will see him jailed until trial, came after his arrest just last month in his hometown of Chicago for a related, but separate set of accusations for allegedly engaging in child pornography.

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Whoopi Goldberg has been criticised online for a joke she made about Mariah Carey‘s physique during an episode of her hit show ‘The View.’

The show’s cast was joined by the actor Jerry O’Connell and quizzed him on the role he played in Carey’s ‘Heartbreaker’ visual. It was then, as Sunny Hostin pointed out that the video was released 20 years ago, that Goldberg suggested that it was released “20 bodies ago.”

She’s so mean omg

— ???? ??????? (@idon_knowher) August 2, 2019

Watch below…

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Check out Alicia Keys!

The 15-time Grammy winner is one of several notable names tapped to cover Harper’s Bazaar‘s annual ICONS issue.

Within the striking feature, lens by Mario Sorrenti, Keys spills on her new album (the follow-up to 2016’s ‘HERE’), her female empowering anthems, the metamorphosis motherhood brought about and more!

Peep pics and quotes after the jump…

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Once one of music’s most promising prospects, Azealia Banks has seen the volume of  her buzz drastically drop in the years since she blazed the scene with ‘212.’

Many would agree that label issues were initially the cause, yet most would also concur with the sentiment that her own volatile antics sealed the deal.

She says otherwise, though.

Because in a new rant explaining why she won’t be releasing any more bodies of work, the ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’ femcee not only lays the blame at the feet of society, she adds that it doesn’t deserve her best efforts.

Her words below…

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Chris Brown has never been one to hold his tongue and, despite having an album to focus on, he’s sounding off on his ex’s new man.

Details below…

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Amidst an ongoing backlash that’s seen her resign from the boards of colleges and nonprofit organizations as well as being dropped by her publisher, author Linda Fairstein – the former Manhattan District Attorney’s office prosecutor who led the controversy surrounding the Central Park Five case of the late 80’s – is speaking out against Ava DuVernay, the creator of the television special that’s causing the commotion in the 72-year-old’s personal and professional life.

Titled ‘When They See Us,’ the miniseries (which premiered May 31 on Netflix) recounts the reported mishandling of the case’s evidence (or lack thereof) and the impact the unwarranted guilty verdict had on the Central Park Five’s respective lives.  In a new think piece presented in ‘Wall Street Journal,’ Fairstein asserts Duvernay’s depiction of her willfully neglecting key aspects of the investigation that led to the five’s conviction  (as portrayed by embattled actress Felicity Huffman) is defamatory.

That’s not all she said.  Look inside for more:

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