Simon Cowell may have recently celebrated news of his hit show ‘X Factor US’ being picked up for a 3rd season, but now it appears that music mentor/fellow judge L.A. Reid won’t be joining him.
According to reports, Reid is looking to make an exit from the show. And, while the fate of pop princesses Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are unknown, it is certain that Reid wants out. The Epic mogul is said to have shared:
“Of course I will miss the show, in my opinion Simon attracts the best talent, but I’m looking forward to getting back to my core business and the responsibility of running Epic Records. “I have the utmost respect for Simon Cowell, he is the very best. I’m honored to have sat on the panel with such incredible talent.”
He’s the Grammy nominated writer responsible for Usher’s ‘Climax’, Rihanna‘s ‘No Love Allowed’ and Keyshia Cole‘s ‘Enough Of No Love’.
Now, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings, Roc Nation and a fan base aptly named ‘The Eligiance‘, Elijah Blake steps into the light with the release of the hotly anticipated EP, ‘Bijoux 22‘.
So, as long time fans of his work, That Grape Juice were honored to catch up with the rising star last week- for an interview which saw him discuss the NO ID pushed EP, his journey to the top and his work for Ciara, Keyshia Cole and the Pop Icon, Britney Spears.
Likely to be ‘feeling herself’ following the recent success of her new single ‘Diamonds‘,the model with a mic shocked fans when she took the social networking site Twitter to declare her love for her fan base ‘The Navy’. Then, in what proved to be an ‘interesting’ move, bash the support groups of rival performers.
Fresh from releasing the Hip Hop heavy ‘The Re-Up’ on Monday, this week has seen the ‘American Idol’ judge welcome news that will undoubtedly cement her status as Rap’s leading contender.
A graduate of New York’s LaGuardia School Of Music & Arts, Nicki Minaj has risen to become Pop’s most renown Rapper, scoring more US Hot 100 singles than any other Female MC in chart history.
So, by way of her ever engaging public image, FOX’s ‘American Idol’ enlisted the starlet to sit on their Season 12 panel, perhaps hoping to capitalize on her experiences as a Contemporary act.
However, it seems ‘Check My Resume’ singer T-Boz is far from impressed by Idol’s decision to hire Minaj, questioning her ability to judge fresh talent.
With a career spanning almost twenty years, Lil Kim is undoubtedly one of Rap’s more popular living legends.
Yes, while recent years have seen her ‘mainstream’ appeal fall prey to irrelevancy, there is no denying the ‘No Time’ Rapper’s mark on Hip Hop culture and the short but sweet time she enjoyed as Pop’s reigning MC circa 2001.
So now, weeks after confirming the release of new material, That Grape Juice presents…
The year 2006 saw Nelly Furtado leave one-hit-wonder territory and enter superstardom. Inde
ed, with a string of hits each hotter than the previous, the ‘I’m Like A Bird’ singer established herself as a chart force scoring #1s after #1s. The unapologetic ‘Promiscuous’ serves as this week From The Vault pick.
Helmed by then “it producer” Timbaland, the tune saw Nelly and Timbo (featured here as a rapper/singer) trading flirtatious lines on a seductive beat. The songbird exudes confidence and sensuality with her laid-back delivery, while Mr. Mosley is surprisingly pleasing with the “singing thing”.
A global home run, ‘Promiscuous’ reached the top spot of the charts in the US and Nelly’s homeland of Canada, and was a Top
3 single in the UK and Australia. It peaked inside the Top 20 in most of the other countries it was released in.
The Little X directed music video, which famously features cameos by Justin Timberlake and then-newbie Keri Hilson, sees Furtado interacting playfully and features an army dancers grooving at a club. By no means original, yet a visually delicious take
on a well-treaded concept. (Sidenote: just imagine what a Janet, Ciara or old-Britney would have done with that ending breakdown!)
Fans of the Canadian diva no doubt look back at the ‘Loose’ days as a golden era, for Nelly’s latest ventures can’t seem to match past achievements. And that’s putting it lightly.
With her latest effort, ‘The Spirit Indestructible’, selling 5,700 copies first week in the US while debuting at #79, the days of Top Shot Debut albums and consecutive #1 singles seem to be long gone.
And while we firmly believe it’s a case of being “gone for too long” and serving up wack material upon your return, we want to hear what YOU think:
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…
Ciara is back and hot on the promotional trail for latest effort ‘Sorry’. And while the sultry single is the star’s prime focus at present, it hasn’t halted plans for its confirmed follow-up, ‘Got Me Good’.
Case, point, the 26 year old’s backstage interview during a recent visit to BET’s 106 & Park.
Now is an exciting time to be on #TeamXtina. For, while drumming up much buzz for her new single‘Your Body’ (set for radio add tomorrow and iTunes launch on September 17th), the singer and her ‘Voice’ crew trumped Britney Spears and co. over on ‘X Factor USA’ in a TV diva showdown for ratings.
Winning, indeed.
Now, a certain move to keep fans in a frenzy, is the unveil of the singer’s ‘Lotus’ album due date. Guesting appearance from longtime Spears’ collaborator Max Martin and ‘Voice’ co-judge Cee-Lo Green, find out when you can get your copy below:
As evidenced by her latest single, Alicia Keys is indeed “on fire”. After a fiery unveiling of her new single with ‘Right Thru Me’ maestra Nicki Minaj at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards last week, the song has already flown to iTunes top 10!
Following this feat, Keys jetted across the pond for engagements that will see her across the U.K. and Australia. The first of said engagements saw the pianist lend a lesson to a host of aspiring singers on the Australian branded version of hit reality talent show ‘X Factor’.
A day before you will get your first full peek at Britney Spears on ‘X Factor USA’, see Keys dish out advice on its Australian counterpart from today!
With the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards but a day away, That Grape Juice TV counts down our Top 10 VMA Performances of all time. And with performances from this year’s show to include Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean, Lil’ Wayne, and more, we will be undoubtedly adding new names to this list this time next year. Until then, here are our faves:
