It’s that time of year again!

Indeed, tonight saw the 2014 Grammy nominations unveiled as per usual of its nomination concert special weeks before the actual showing.  But, what comes with the ‘per usual’ showing are the jaw-dropping surprises, snubs, and all out “shut-outs” that accompany the annual spectacle.

Always a heated debate-starter, the coveted tally saw the likes of Christina Aguilera, Trey Songz, Janelle Monae, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Brandy, Ciara, Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, India.Arie, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga all go without mention.

For Bieber – whose manager made headlines for his rant regarding his 2013 Grammy shutout – this would be a second-go-round despite consistently clocking some of the year’s biggest hits.

Tuck in below for a list of other surprises and snubs:

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The 2013 Soul Train Awards, which aired tonight, saw R&B’s finest go head-to-head for the show’s coveted trophies.

With the likes of Urban music’s finest, including Kendrick Lamar, Tamar Braxton, Justin Timberlake, K.Michelle and more leading the nominations tally with at least 5 nods a piece, the competition was stiff in ways we’ve only seen from Britney Spears in the past.

Now, that the show is over, find out who picked up which awards in which categories at the high profile outing below…

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With over a month to go before the release of his new album ‘Honest’,  ‘Pluto‘ performer Future has seen its launch single of the same name make quite the impact on the Billboard Charts recently, giving both he and his girlfriend reason ample reason to beam this month.

Find out how below…

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Future is on a roll!

As to ensure momentum for his brand new album ‘Honest’ stays sky high, the ‘Love Song‘ writer unveils the brand spanking new video for one of its jams, ‘Sh*t’!

Directed by Alex Nazari, the visual sees the Hip Hop hero ditch the romanticism of the LeToya Luckett assisted ‘Honest’ and take it back to the streets, with a little help from a dramatic storyline.

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Before you know it awards season will be in full swing.

Probably our favorite time of year here at TGJ HQ, we were ever-excited to learn of the Soul Train Awards committee unveiling the nominations for their 2013 showing.

Featuring top heavy competition from the year’s best and brightest in Hip Hop and R&B, TGJ favorites Kendrick Lamar (6), Justin Timberlake (5), Tamar Braxton (5), Robin Thicke (5), Chris Brown (5), and Miguel (5) are leading the pack of nominees for the ceremony.

Set to be hosted by funnyman Anthony Anderson, the show will air on CENTRIC and BET on Dec. 1.  Until then, familiarize yourself with the rest of the nominees below:

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They may have little in common as far as music goes, but this week has brought positive chart news for Lady GaGa and Future, the Hip Hop vocalist responsible for penning Ciara‘s ‘Body Party’ and Rihanna‘s Gold single ‘Love Song’.

Meet us below for details!

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Before their Young Money sibling Drake drops ‘Nothing Was The Same’ on September 17th, Rap collective ‘Rich Gang’ have found themselves a Streaming smash with their scorching single, ‘Tapout’.

Full story below…

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As one of the most active online destinations for Urban Pop, things move at a rapid pace here at That Grape Juice. However, each week, there’s always select stories that resonate most amongst our millions of monthly readers. Happen to miss one of them? Fret not, you now have…The Refill!

No frills or trills, The Refill simply recaps the hottest topics on the lips of the TGJ faithful over the last seven days. The metrics used to compile the list weekly are comments, social media shares, and page views.  So without further adieu…

That Grape Juice’s Top 5 Stories Of The Week!

1) The Carters Visit Trayvon Martin’s Family

2) Lil Kim: “I See Myself In Rihanna”

3) Jay-Z Tops Billboard 200 / Ciara Opens At #2

4) Timbaland & Keri Hilson Prep New Apology Track

5) Lady GaGa Poses Nude For ‘V’ Magazine

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Your thoughts?

With ‘Pour It Up’ now on its way to double Platinum seas, Rihanna has watched its EDM sister ‘Right Now’ begin its journey to the top this week, watching it sales push it even closer to Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40.

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And the accolades continue to pour in.

Justin Timberlake‘s blockbuster success with ‘The 20/20 Experience’ has been rewarded with a whopping six nominations at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards it was announced moments ago.

The Pop maestro’s comeback effort, which hit stores in March (and sees a sequel unleashed this September), has nabbed the singer the most number of nominations at the 30th anniversary of the iconic show, which airs live from New York’s Barclays Center on August 25th. It’s an honor the 32-year-old shares with Hip-Pop stars Macklemore & Ryan Lewis whose success with hits such as ‘Thrift Shop’ and ‘Same Love’ have propelled them from little known hopefuls to global chart-toppers.

What categories are each up for? Who else has been nominated? Fret not, the answers await after the jump!

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Much to the dismay of his tightly knit family, last night saw a jury of six women find George Zimmerman ‘not guilty’ for the second degree murder and manslaughter of their son Trayvon Martin.

Now, in response to the startling decision not to find him guilty of what appeared to be an obvious crime, celebrities have taken to Jack Dorsey‘s social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the tragic matter.

Some of their comments below….

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J.Cole has much cause to celebrate today!

Well, at least if he’s been keeping on eye on the sales of his brand new album ‘Born Sinner’ and that of its closest competition ‘Yeezus‘, by Kanye West.

Find out why below…

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