Mariah Carey and Ne-Yo have been busy on the set of their new video for their collaborative effort, the ‘Angels Cry (Remix)’. The clip is being directed by Carey’s husband, Nick Cannon, who also directed her ‘Up Out My Face (Remix)’ which features rapper Nicki Minaj. While these shots don’t look as intriguing as those of the other video, I am still eager to see what two of R&B’s major players can cook up. Peep more pics from the shoot below:

What do you think of the pics?

That Grape Juice recently caught up with hit-maker Rico Love, the creative force behind chart smashes from the likes of  Beyonce (‘Sweet Dreams’), Chris Brown, Usher and Keri Hilson. With the 27 year old being named as one the main players in the making of our girl Kelly Rowland’s new album, we were keen to find out the latest on the Destiny’s Child alumni’s project.

As ever, we ask the questions you really want answers to! Check out what Rico had to say about Ms. Kelly’s LP, new label and more after the jump…

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Singer Steph Jones has put a fresh spin on one of the most popular Christmas classics, ‘Little Drummer Boy’. The video for the Tara Razavi/Tasha Hunter-produced track was directed by Valerie Babayan. Jones’s long-time friend Jordin Sparks also makes a surprising cameo in the clip.

Jones definitely breathed new life into this song. It is always interesting to see singers tackle Holiday standards but it is even more intriguing when they add their own flavour to the mix. From the use of the instrumentation to the studio productions, not to mention the twist of Caribbean phrasing he dropped in the verse (“little drummer bwoy”), the elements all added up to a very fun track. Good stuff.

Hit or Miss?

After a relatively quiet 2009, comedienne rapper Khia has unveiled the trailer for her new reality series ‘Anger Management’, which she’s attempting to shop around to a number of TV stations. With it being a minute since her tomfoolery has received any attention, I almost forgot how much of a boiling hot mess she is (of course, I mean that in the nicest way possible). I mean honestly this looks like it was filmed on a mobile phone and edited on Windows Movie Maker.

Though her self-belief is somewhat admirable, it is that much more hilarious. If ever there was a case of talking the talk, but not being able to walk the walk, this would be it. Ms. Khia would be much less of an embarrassment if she was a struggling artist who actually churned out good material, instead of a one-hit wonder trying to cling on to her one taste of (for the lack of a better word) fame. Sigh…

In any case, I’ll leave you with one of Khia’s most hilarious outings, her stint on VH1’s ‘Miss Rap Supreme’ from last year….LOL

Your thoughts?

As previously reported, ‘One In A Lifetime’ will serve as one of Monica‘s lead singles from her forthcoming ‘Still Standing’ LP. Today saw the surfacing of the single version of the song featuring all-new vocals and mixed and mastered (an earlier draft of which has been floating around for some time now). Sounding even better, surely this is a smash-in-waiting.

Hit or Miss?

Diva Mary J. Blige made a promotional appearance on BET’s ‘106 & Park’ last evening. The singer spoke about a range of topics, including her new album ‘Stronger With Each Tear’, as well as performed her new single ‘I Am‘. Peep the full interview below:

Interview: Part 1

Interview: Part 2

Thoughts?

Lady GaGa recently spoke to MTV News about her revamped ‘Monster Ball Tour’ for 2010. The fierce one divulged into details about the Tour’s focus around bringing “showbiz” back to the stage. Check out an excerpt from the interview below:

“…for the next version of the Monster Ball, which is going to be in February when I begin in the U.K. with my arena tour, I’m throwing out the stage. My team thinks I’m completely psychotic. But I don’t f—ing care what they think.”

Gaga wouldn’t divulge too many secrets of the new Monster Ball, but she did say that Danish pop act Alphabeat will serve as the opening act. And she also hinted that her fans will be in for a very big show, in just about every conceivable way.

“Well, just to give you an idea, the stage is about four times the size of the one we’re on now and conceptually, it’s completely different,” Gaga said. “One thing that has been lost over the past 10-15 years, in pop music, is the idea of showbiz. And this is definitely going to bring that back.”

Always the performer, I am sure that GaGa fans will be leaving the arenas aptly satisfied. GaGa is one of the few acts to emerge in recent history who have managed to leave audiences utterly shell-shocked both by her music and her stage shows. In less than two years, she has positioned herself at the forefront of Pop music’s elite and if she manages to maintain this momentum, 2010 will be the ‘year of GaGa’ once again.

Thoughts?

Peep the video for ‘Young Forever’, the latest single to be lifted from Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint 3’ LP. Brit singer Mr Hudson features.

Your thoughts?

Jamie Foxx has been busy in the studio preparing his next studio release. One of the songs that the R&B crooner has prepared is the club-ready ‘Straight To The Dancefloor’ which features the inescapable Lil Wayne. The track was reportedly produced by Los Da Mystro and written by Rico Love, who recently revealed to That Grape Juice hat he indeed worked with Foxx on the new LP. Foxx’s new album hits stores in early 2010.

This song is definitely not ‘the business’. With the thick production and the audio effects on Foxx’s voice, it sounds closer to something that Omarion would have released. Additionally, the lyrics “I got my hands on my nuts and a bottle up in the air” are certainly not what any sensible DJ would consider radio friendly. Hopefully this track is merely an experiment because of all the trends that I am sure most would enjoy seeing left in the 00’s, auto-tune tops the list.

Hit or Miss?

It seems the force that is Beyonce will serve as the focal point of the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. After leading the pack of nominees, with an impressive 10 nominations, it has now been confirmed that the 28 year old superstar will also be taking to the stage to perform at January 31st show. {Source}

As ever, Bouncy is sure to put on one hell of a show. It’ll be interesting to see what she performs, though…’Single Ladies’? ‘Halo’ (which is nominated most of all her noms)? Maybe even ‘Telephone’ with Lady GaGa, who as at then would be due to start promoting the single? Roll on  Grammy weekend!

Your thoughts?

Following the surprise success of LeToya‘s most recent single ‘Regret’, the Destiny’s Child alumni has confirmed that another song from her ‘Lady Love’ LP will receive the single treatment, with the song being (drum roll please…..) ‘Good To Me’! {Source}

Great choice! Honestly speaking, I’d argue it’s the best choice made regarding Ms. Luckett’s whole project to-date. As one who was somewhat surprised at the album’s lack of mainstream appeal (too many ‘samey’ ballads), ‘Good To Me’ (with it’s commercial sprinklings), along with a few other select tracks, really stood out as viable potential chart smashes if given the right push. The notion of ‘the right push’ being essential these days for an album/single’s success. Of little importance in the current industry climate is how good an album actually is. Instead, if 2-3 solid and/or well promoted singles are released, it’s usually enough to drive up album sales. Anyway, enough of my rambling, check out The Underdogs produced ‘Good To Me’ below:

Hit or Miss?

Check out the official trailer for Fantasia‘s new VH1 reality show ‘Fantasia For Real’, which premieres January 11th 2010. We’ll definitely be tuning into this one!

In other Fantasia news, our interview with her – which was (re)scheduled to take place this week (today actually), has been pushed to the 1st week of January. With the Holiday season upon us and Fantasia currently on a tough studio schedule, a decision was made to re-schedule the interview to be nearer the show’s premiere. The unpredictable nature of this industry can be both a blessing and a….yeah…you get the point LOL. In any case, you can still submit questions for our Fantasia interview by clicking here. Regular readers will know we don’t disappoint with our interviews and ask the questions YOU really want answers to, so be sure not to miss out. Thanks for your patience!

Your thoughts?