Hip-Hop megastar Jay-Z kicked off his ‘Blueprint 3’ tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this weekend. The rapper performed a string of his hits at the sold out event which was opened by R&B singer Trey Songz. The after party, which was held at LIV in the FountainBleau Hotel, was attended by none other than Jay-Z’s wife, Beyonce. Check out more pics below:

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R&B Queen Sade made a special appearance on ‘The Wanda Sykes Show’ recently. The contralto took part in a hilarious skit which featured her rejecting Sykes’ please for her to perform on the show. Sade’s album ‘Soldier of Love’ just debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 501k units sold.

Many people tend to think that Sade is very boring or out of touch with the current generation. Quite the contrary, she seems very much in-tuned with what’s going on with today’s generation. Sade has admitted to be a big fan of Drake, Alicia Keys and even Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ LP. No wonder she has managed to remain relevant after all these years!

Thoughts?

Ke$ha made a guest appearance on ‘Alan Carr: Chatty Man’ this weekend. The Valley girl performed her new single ‘Blah Blah Blah’ for the British audience. To date, the song has peaked at #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Thoughts?

The Youtube Community have come together for their own unique spin on Quincy Jones’ ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’. Featuring some of the popular site’s biggest artists and cover acts, this Web 2.0 take on the song, is better than the 2010 Biber, Kanye, J.Hudson et al remake (which in itself was a very commendable effort). Awesome stuff!

Your thoughts?

Universal Motown‘s latest signee Kelly Rowland is currently wrapping up the recording process of her hotly anticipated 3rd solo album, and it appears the 29 year old has left the best till last. Following recent confirmation that she’s has been recording with hit-makers Ne-Yo and Danja, it has now been revealed that the Destiny’s Child star has also been working with Polow Da Don on the project in Los Angeles. {Source}

Rowland worked with Polow on her 2007 smash ‘Like This’; the then-little-known producer, real name Jamal Jones, went on to craft hits for the likes of Ciara (‘Promise’), Fergie (‘London Bridge’, ‘Glamorous’), Usher (‘Love In This Club’), Keri Hilson (‘Turnin’ Me On’), and Chris Brown (‘Forever’).

Kelly and her new team are NOT playing this go round. I love it! As we reported, the album’s first single is set to drop in April, with the album following in May/June.

Your thoughts?

A glowing Janet Jackson was spotted at the Finch & Partners Pre-BAFTA Party here in London last night. The reclusive superstar, 43, is currently recording her 11th studio album (due May), an LP which will serve a sher first on her new record label Interscope.

Your thoughts?

The Sugababes took to the stage on BBC’s ‘Let’s Dance For Sports Relief’ last night, performing new single ‘Wear My Kiss’. You can check out how the ladies fared above…

Though kinda ‘just there’, the trio held their own vocally for the most part. I say ‘for the most part’, as Heidi sounded (as usual) like she was in need of oxygen. Not a good look.

What do you think of the performance?

Ke$ha hit the stage on the UK’s GMTV yesterday. The Pop sensation performed ‘Blah Blah Blah’, the 2nd single from her #1 debut album, ‘Animal’. Thus far, the song has peaked at #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the UK Singles Chart. Ke$ha’s 1st single, ‘Tik Tok’, remains at #1 for a 9th week on the Hot 100 and if it maintains that position for 1 more week, it would tie Debbie Boone’s record for the longest running #1 debut single by a female artist.

Ke$ha put on a basic show by her standards. However, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who hears strong similarities between this track and ‘Tik Tok’. Isn’t it interesting that the latter is already more successful on the Billboard Hot 100 than Mariah Carey’s ‘Vision of Love’ or even Alicia Keys’ ‘Fallin”? O how the times have changed…

Thoughts?

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Pop phenomenon Lady GaGa bares all in the latest issue of Q Magazine. The saucy shoot, which was snapped by John Wright, and sees the 23 year old reveal a…well…take a look at the pics below!

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Your thoughts?

Holding true to our promise of keeping things fresh here at That Grape Juice (v.2.0 baby!), we bring you ‘Cover Star’. Completing our current feature-list (From The Vault, Original Articles etc), Cover Star will each week showcase regular folk’s rendition of your favourite tracks. Recent history has shown the web to be the place to discover new talent – talent which is undeniably out there in abundance. So what better way to give shine to undiscovered talent than on your favourite site and mine – That Grape Juice!

This week’s Cover Star is Jeremy Crooks (Prodi-J). The 18 year old Rocklin, California native turns in a solid rendition of Chris Brown‘s 2007 hit ‘Take You Down’. Check it out below:

Though a little rough around the edges, I really enjoyed Jeremy’s take on the song. Vocally, he sounded a little similar to Brown, yet his voice also boasts a raspiness which actually works. Great performance.

For more on Jeremy (who also dances…..really well!), check out his Youtube page

Your thoughts?

That Grape Juice is pleased to announce that we will be interviewing Grammy award winning R&B star Monica this coming Monday (February 22nd).

As is usual, if you have any questions for her, please drop them in the comments section below. Remember, only legitimate questions will be considered. Thanks!

Beyonce was spotted dancing up a storm in Trinidad and Tobago recently. The singer concluded her ‘I Am…’ world tour in Trinidad’s capital city, Port of Spain, and held the show’s after party at the infamous Zen nightclub. Beyonce joined the crowd and partied to what seems to be her favourite local song ‘Palance’ by Bionic Blaze and JW, which she also remixed during a tour performance of ‘Check On It’. The song recently won Trinidad and Tobago Carnival’s Road March title for being the most played song during the nation’s annual Parade of the Bands competition.

It looks like Beyonce, who is still in Trinidad, has joined the extensive list of celebrities, including Jay-Z, that have fallen in love with my country. Soca is one of the most fast-paced yet addictive genres of music. Add that to Trinidadians’ ability to party harder than any other culture in the world, and it’s a completely intoxicating combination. My country’s Carnival is the largest of it’s kind and has inspired similar events around the globe including the West Indian parade during New York’ Labour Day and London’s Notting Hill Carnival.

With Janet Jackson experimenting with Soca music on her new album, I have no doubt that Beyonce will do the same as she seems completely enticed by the flare of the genre. If you think that ‘Single Ladies’ was a fast song, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Sidebar: In case you’ve been wondering where I was all week, I was in the middle of Carnival!

Thoughts?