As Nicki Minaj continues to ready her hotly anticipated ‘Pink Friday’ LP for its November 23rd release, a new cut from the set has surfaced in the form of ‘Right Through Me’.

Take a listen to the whimsical mid-tempo after the jump…

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Powerhouse yodeller Rihanna shot the video for new single ‘Only Girl (In The World)’ yesterday. However, some of the model’s fans were left none-too-impressed when they discovered that frequent collaborator Anthony Mandler had been tapped to direct the clip.

The majority cited the mismatch of his trademark ‘dark visuals’ vs the colourful vibrance they expect from the ‘Only Goat’ video. This, despite not even knowing the video’s treatment.

True to their nature, the young and dumb bunch took to Twitter to abuse the accomplished director, prompting him to hit back.

Find out what he had to say below…

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Monica is already working on a followup to her gold-certified ‘Still Standing’ album. The R&B singer revealed the news during a recent interview with Rap-Up TV where she also spoke about the influence that Whitney Houston has had on her career as well as her thoughts about Nicki Minaj. Peep the footage below:

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Shakira’s ‘The Sun Comes Out World Tour’ touched down in New York’s Madison Square Garden last evening. The global superstar, who has influenced several of her peers including Beyonce, is utilising the US leg of the tour to promote her upcoming bilingual album, ‘Sale El Sol’, which hits stores on October 19th. More images are available below courtesy of Neon Limelight:

What do you think of the pics?

Here is Lil Kim’s full spread in the upcoming Confessions issue of Kontrol magazine. The Hip-Hip icon will be releasing her long-awaited new single at the beginning of October. Check out more images below via KidduNot:

What do you think of the pics?

Rap-Up TV caught up with Lloyd on the set of his new video for his current single, ‘Lay It Down’. The singer spoke about the concept behind the production and also revealed that the next single from his upcoming ‘King of Hearts’ LP (which is being executive produced by Polow Da Don), will be ‘Let’s Get It In’. Peep the interview below:

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Fantasia is back! The soulful songstress has rebounded from her recent troubles with a smash album, and now the return of her hit VH1 reality show ‘Fantasia For Real’.

Episode 1 of the new season aired this week. Check it out below…

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The latest episode of BET’s Rising Icon‘s series centres on Estelle. The British-bred star, who now resides in New York, recounts her childhood, rise to stardom, relocating to the State, her fears and struggles, and more. Live performances are inter-woven between the segments. A great watch, I must say!

(Spotted over at our friends Soul Culture)

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Reports have been swirling today that Island Def Jam CEO, Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, had been fired from his post by the heads of the Universal Music Group. However, XXL magazine has received word from an official representative of the label who confirms that the rumours “are completely untrue and without merit”.

Reid, who became the head of IDJ in 2004, is credited for signing Mariah Carey, Young Jeezy, Justin Bieber and OutKast to the label. However, the music mogul received severe criticism from industry pundits after the underwhelming performances of Rihanna and Carey’s most recent studio albums as well as for adding rapper Shyne and Jennifer Lopez to the label’s lineup.

Thoughts?

The first week numbers are in for Trey Songz‘s fourth studio album ‘Passion, Pain, & Pleasure’. Find out how the aspiring porn-star fared after the jump…

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Chrisette Michele is is back with a new album. The R&B singer will release her 3rd studio LP, ‘Let Freedom Reign’, on November 30th. The record is preceded by the Ne-Yo-written lead single, ‘I’m A Star’, and will include contributions from Chuck Harmony. Michele’s previous album, ‘Epiphany’, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in 2009. {Source}

Thoughts?

John Legend and The Roots’ frontman, ?uestlove, are featured on the cover of the latest issue of Billboard magazine. However, their promotional push for their collaborative ‘Wake Up!’ project did not end there. The musicians also performed on ‘AOL Sessions’ to support the record which is in stores now. Check out the footage below:

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