As music fans know, this week saw the one-year anniversary of the passing of late pop icon Whitney Houston.

To commemorate such, Billboard is collecting some of this generation’s top vocal performers to salute the diva by covering numbers from her catalog of hits.  Kicking off the week-long tribute to Houston are R&B belles Chrisette Michele & Melanie Fiona.

While Michele chose to put her jazzy spin on Whitney’s up-tempo top hit ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, Fiona opted to slow things down with a stirring performance of ‘One Moment In Time’.  See the starlets shine below:

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As reported here, R&B royal Mary J. Blige brought her regal stylings to the latest issue of VIBE magazine.

Raising a few eyebrows in the mag’s feature story with her interesting comments on ‘Diamonds’ diva Rihanna and the current status of R&B, Blige’s feature in the hip hop publication has certainly earned its fair share of headlines.

We’ve already shown you some excerpts from the much talked about sitdown with the diva, now check below to see some of the visuals that came from that same showing.

Your thoughts?

Get all the way into ‘Freaks’, the sizzling new cut by French Montana and Rap Empress, Nicki Minaj.

Lifted from the former’s debut album, ‘Excuse My French‘, the Rico Love produced jam comes armed with a sample we’re sure almost everyone will recognize upon listening, and a Ragga inspired verse from the ‘Va Va Voom’ Rapper.

R Rated fun below….

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 Peep this snap pulled from Beyonce‘s forthcoming appearance on ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter‘, set to air on OWN on Saturday February 16th.

Taking to the celebrated outlet to discuss her new HBO documentary, ‘Life Is But A Dream‘, Bey’s interview with the talk show Queen received somewhat of a promotional boost today, following the surfacing of a short preview.

Beyonce, like you’ve never seen her before below…

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Details surrounding its lead single and release date may be cloaked in mystery, but this week has brought fresh news pertaining to Beyonce‘s fifth studio album.

Before the airing of her HBO ‘Life Is But A Dream’ this Saturday, Yahoo have shared details of what they’ve seen from the emotional piece, which sees her open up on the miscarriage she suffered before having her one year old daughter, Blue Ivy. Details, that reportedly unveil lyrics pulled from a song documenting the loss.

The singer songwriter’s words below…

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Twenty years.

That would be how long mega-producer Jermaine Dupri has decorated Billboard charts with a slew of hits for the likes of Mariah Carey, Usher, Janet Jackson, and countless others.

Indeed, throughout a storied career of lending a passel of platinum plaques to many-an-Urban Pop favorite, Dupri is now looking to stroll down memory lane with an assembly of stars from his self-fronted record label ‘So So Def’ to celebrate reaching the two decade milestone.

Chatting exclusively with That Grape Juice, JD details the inspiration behind the anniversary special (likening it to ‘Motown 25’) and shares dibs on Mariah’s forthcoming album, thoughts on Bow Wow vs. Kandi, and addresses rumors he’s working on Janet Jackson’s newest record.

As ever, this is a must read:

 Jermaine Dupri Shouts Out That Grape Juice!

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While she may have been popular from the jump, there’s no denying the powerful hand Roc Nation played in turning Rihanna into the Pop force she is today.

Of course, while this force has undoubtedly been driven by the work of her writers and producers and not her own ‘voice’, last year saw Riri  showcase her ‘inner singer’ with ‘Unapologetic‘, crafted by the likes of Elijah Blake, Sia and Mike Will Made It.

This move, albeit long overdue, has now seen the star do what many of her contemporaries would find impossible and reach #1 on iTunes USA with a traditional ballad. A ballad, named ‘Stay‘.

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As the poster child for fourth wave feminism, recent years have seen Beyonce’s brand built on the right balance of inner strength and overt sexuality.

Proving that the term ‘bad b*tch‘ isn’t all that derogatory when used to praise her endless list of achievements, her last LP ‘4’ saw her ditch the fire and pizzazz that was 2006’s ‘B’Day’ and fully embrace a romantic vulnerability we hadn’t heard since ‘Gift From Virgo’.

Now, in a conversation with ‘Vogue’, she has revealed that her new album will be both sensual and empowering.

Full story below…

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When it comes to pulling in impressive numbers, very few R&B dons do it better than ‘Pink Matter‘ heart throb Frank Ocean.

However, in the event any of his contemporaries believed sales of his debut LP ‘Channel Orange’ would simmer as it reached its first birthday, the star’s fans have gone a long way to prove their support for him goes far beyond they could have imagined.

Find out how below…

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Actress Alfre Woodard has amassed a body of work over the past two decades that knows few rivals amongst actresses of color. Despite a number of acclaim-winning roles, Woodard now looks to add another with ‘The Door’.  Also starring ‘Think Like A Man’ beauty Gabrielle Union, the two unite to tell a passionate story of sisterhood where Union’s character is being assisted through a romantic breakup.

Via Essence:

“Characters arrive at the door of a friend in need, bringing something of themselves,” DuVernay explains. “Eventually, we witness our heroine ready to walk through the door on her own. The door in the film represents a pathway to who we are.”

See all the action above:

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We see Team Timberlake is playing no games in respects to his forthcoming ’20/20 Experience’.

Yes, after rocking the Grammy house with a Jay Z-assisted performance this past Sunday, JT dropped ‘Mirrors’ – the second single from his soon-to-be-released third solo LP.

Instantly winning over long-term fans with its throwback ode to the Timbaland-produced ‘Cry Me A River’, today saw the 8 minute number cut down to half size and served with an accompanying artwork – confirming rumors of its “single” appointment.

Hear the radio version and see the cover artwork below:

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As reported here, in addition to her lengthy pop/R&B resume, ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ starlet Kandi Burruss is flexing her highly touted pen to craft hits for the gospel charts as well.

Enlisting ‘Praise Him In Advance’ performer Marvin Sapp for the one-time affair, Kandi is hoping to help fans create joyful noises in every arena – from the bedroom and now to the church with her latest single ‘Stay Prayed Up’ (artwork seen above).

As the date to its release nears, you know you can keep it locked to That Grape Juice for your first listen when the single drops.

Your thoughts?