Check out Lady GaGa on the cover of West magazine’s summer edition. The shoot was directed by Stuart Semple. Fierce.

What do you think of the cover?

After a brief rest on the bench, our Best You Never Heard feature returns this week with little known gems by Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Usher and Mariah Carey.

———————————-

Janet Jackson – LUV

Produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, ‘LUV’ was initially slated to be the follow-up to Janet Jackson’s 2008 comeback smash ‘Feedback’. And with good reason too.

A nod to the infectious, melodic brand of Pop-R&B Ms. Jackson served up on ‘All For You’, ‘LUV’ also boasts an Electro-Pop undertone. An undertone which firmly positions the song in the thick of what’s topping charts today.

While label politics derailed ‘Discipline’ (the album which housed the song), a positive can be sourced from the drama in that it produced one of Janet’s best musical offerings in years. Awesome track. (SAM)

Listen:

———————————-

Toni Braxton – Stupid

Although her ‘Libra’ album failed to make a major splash on the charts, Toni Braxton‘s 2005 LP comprised some of her best work. A perfect example is ‘Stupid’ – a dark and lonely ballad about a lover scorned. It is on this track that listeners are reminded of Braxton’s rare contralto and her subtle genius as a songwriter. (TRENT)

Listen:

———————————-

Usher – Making Love Into The Night

With Usher currently enjoying a career-resurgence thanks to the success of the Pop-tinged ‘Hey Daddy’ and ‘OMG’, one could be forgiven for thinking that ‘Pop’ is the crooner’s new mainstay.

However, as many a cut on his Platinum-selling ‘Raymond vs Raymond’ LP highlight, the 31 year old can still serve up sizzling Slow Jam. Case, point, example, ‘Making Love Into The Night’.

Produced by Jim Jonsin, and penned by Rico Love, ‘Making Love…’ is simply R&B perfection. A subtle fusing of the past and the present on the production tip, Usher’s vocals ride the beat with ease, sporadically lacing it with his trademark falsetto. More of this, please, Mr Raymond. (SAM)

Listen:

———————————-

Mariah Carey – Everything Fades Away

Released as a B-Side to her mega hit Hero, ‘Everything Fades Away’ displays Mariah Carey‘s songwriting skills at their very best. Soulful, passionate and vocally astounding, Carey engages in a riverting interplay with her troop of male background singers to emulate the pain of a dying relationship. Songs like this helped Carey’s ‘Music Box’ to become her best-selling album to date with sales exceeding 30 million worldwide. Diva. (TRENT)

Listen:

———————————-

Hit(s) or Miss(es)?

Rihanna sat down with ‘Access Hollywood’ to talk about her feature Eminem’s new record, ‘Love The Way You Lie’. The model spoke about what the song’s message meant to her as a person who was involved in domestic violence. Peep the footage below:

(more…)

Check out the official cover for Jay Sean’s new single, ‘2012 (Ft. Nicki Minaj)’. The track serves as the 1st single to be lifted from his still unnamed LP which hits stores on November 2nd.

What do you think of the pic?

Trina has released the video for her new song ‘White Girl (Ft. Flo Rida & Git Fresh)’. The song serves as the 2nd official single from her new album, ‘Amazin’, which has thus far sold 80k in the US since it’s May 4th release. Check out the video below:

(more…)

Check out these all-new promotional shots for Katy Perry‘s hotly anticipated new LP ‘Teenage Dream’, which hits stores August 24th.

Your thoughts?

The final nail in the coffin for Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Bionic’ album has been hammered in, if the performance of its latest single ‘You Lost Me’ is anything to go by.

Full story below…

(more…)

Check out this stunning new promotional shot of Alesha Dixon. The former Misteeq star is currently gearing up for the release of her second studio album ‘Unleashed’ (due September), which is preceded by new single ‘Drummer Boy’.

Your thoughts?

Having convinced many that she’s a credible singer, Rihanna is now set to flex her already-impressive acting muscles on the big screen. Indeed, the vocal atrocity is set to make her movie debut in the film adaptation of Hasbro board-game ‘Battleship’.

Full story after the jump…

(more…)

Rapper Foxy Brown shook off the drama surrounding her recent arrest this past weekend by taking to the stage to perform at Time Square’s BB Kings. During the Ill Na Na’s ‘comeback set’, the interestingly dressed star said of her brief incarceration:

“This is what we tell all the haters: You can’t keep a good bitch down! We makes bail” {Spotted over at Necole Bitchie}

Tidbit: Peep the guy in the background’s face. Priceless.

Check out Brown’s performance below…

(more…)

A new song from Ne-Yo has surfaced. The track, entitled ‘Hurt Me’, is supposedly produced by Stargate and is said to be from his new album, ‘Libra Scale’, which hits stores on September 21st. Check out the song below:

(more…)

Nelly is back. With his last effort, ‘Brass Knuckles’, packing a weak punch (with sales to match), the St. Louis native will no doubt be hoping new single ‘Tippin In The Club’ has a more favourable fate. The song, which is the lead release from the rapper’s ‘Nelly 5.0’ LP, surfaced a few moments ago.

Take a listen after the jump…

(more…)