Urban vocalists may be struggling to break ground in the US, but the same can’t be said for their Asian cousins in the East.

We kid you not.

Helped in great by the global success of Britney Spears ‘Blackout‘, the last five years have seen Asia’s Pop scene birth acts with a sound rooted in Hip Hop & R&B, thanks to cuts penned by Sean Garrett (BoA) and Elijah Blake (Teen Top).

Now watch as 2NE1 belle CL storms SBS’ ‘Inkigayo’ with her Rap number ‘The Baddest Female’, and let us know what you thought about it below!

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Chris Brown‘s ‘Fine China’ found itself in good company recently, when it found itself covered by the vocal wonder that is Jessie J.

Given new life by the star during her ‘The Sun (Biz Session)’, her version includes reworked lyrics that us wishing the cut had been her single instead.

Of course, while nothing can take away from Chris’ delivery, you may find yourself feeling the same way to, when you press play below!!

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The world’s favorite R&B lad showcased the best of his live skills recently, when he arrived in Sweden to present his ‘You’re Not Dead Tour‘ to his European fans.

Hitting the eastern city of Norrkoping as part of the the first annual Bråvalla Fest, Frank Ocean pieced together a number of his moving material and served it the night’s attendees as work reportedly comes to a close on his sophomore album- following the release of the Gold ‘Channel Orange‘.

Peep him play below…

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This week’s That Grape Juice Cover Star comes from Cheltenham trio BeatBoxDuke. Watch as the English natives take on Robin Thicke‘s first #1 hit ‘Blurred Lines’:

Unconventional indeed, but certainly an entertaining watch!

Pots, pans, cookware, and beatboxing made this animated rendition unique, but the lead singer’s vocals (reminiscent of Adam Levine‘s) gave the tune an interesting, almost country twist.  We like!

For more on BeatBoxDuke, check out their Youtube page.

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Want to be featured on That Grape Juice’s ‘Cover Star’? Drop an email to rashad@thatgrapejuice.net

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Your thoughts?

Wedding bells rung once again for Beyonce‘s father and former manager, Mathew Knowles.

In a surprise statement to The Associated Press, reps for 61-year-old (famed for steering his daughter and Destiny’s Child to the top of the charts) announced that he tied the knot last week.

All the details after the jump…

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{Images Removed As Requested}

You’ve seen the cover, now peep more from Rita Ora‘s spread in GQ’s 2013 Music Special, hitting shelves as part of the mag’s August 2013 edition.

Featuring the ‘Crazy Girl’ in a number of scorching fits and snaps, the semi-nude shoot comes arm in arm with an in depth interview with the performer, detailing her ascent from shoe sales clerk to world renown Pop Princess.

Think you take Rita’s heat?

Meet her below…

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For R&B acts, the road to commercial glory can oft be a tedious and impossible journey.

Truth be told, while Hip Hop purveyors can be sure to receive the full support of Urban radio upon the release of new material, the only R&B acts that can be guaranteed potent airplay on Top 40 and Urban formats today are the ladies pictured above- and the Rap firework that is Nicki Minaj. 

In turn, now armed with audience impressions in the millions and the ear of the public in their arsenal, this trio stand as the only ‘Urban belles‘ who can be expected to shift major numbers on both a singles and album front.

On the other end of the scales comes R&B’s far less renowned acts, depending solely on Urban formats, digital press and television appearances to aid their releases…forcing the genre to the bottom of the totem pole led by Country and the aforementioned Hip Hop.

More below…

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It would seem that history is repeating itself once again.

Indeed, after November 2010 saw Kanye West‘s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ outsell Nicki Minaj‘s ‘Pink Friday’ in its first week, only to be outsold by that very album (and watch it hit #1 weeks later), West is now gearing up to watch the same thing happen again….only this time, with Roc Nation‘s J.Cole.

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Cheryl Cole is back!

Well…not yet. Earlier today, in teasing fans with the possibility of a fourth studio album, the entertainer took her personal Instagram page to share an image of herself in the studio- recording new material.

More below…

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Natalie Cole has showered praise on fellow icon Beyonce this week, billing her the ‘new Madonna’ in an interview with The Grio.

Want to know what she said?

Peep her accurate assessment of the ‘Standing on the Sun‘ star below… (more…)

Pop Tsarina Kylie Minogue is to be honoured in Australia this month, invited to Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Oprah House to be celebrated for her outstanding contribution to the arts.

Good news after the jump…

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Macy’s 2013 ‘4th of July’ Firework Spectacular was chock full of star power with the likes of Cher, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Pitbull all taking the stage.  However, it was the performance of headliner/Pop icon Mariah Carey that seemed to be the night’s most anticipated event.

Lending electric showings of her latest Miguel-assisted hit ‘Beautiful’, ‘America The Beautiful’, and ‘Hero’, the performances come as her first live act since her backing track backlash at a BET Awards outing days ago.

Does Mariah let her multioctave range shine through this time?  Or did she enlist her trusty pre-recording for a flawless redo?

Tell us below:

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