The video for Omarion’s latest single ‘Hoodie’ premièred a few moments ago. Said to be dedicated to the King of Pop Michael Jackson, the clip isn’t bad at all. We oft have much to say about Omarion, but there’s no denying he’s a ridiculously talented dancer – a fact really driven home even more so in this video. Also worth a mention is how much I’m liking the overall visual of the video; the gritty, cinematic-like feel he evidently was going for, really works.

That said, I can’t say the song or the way Omarion’s been ‘singing’ as of late (talk-rapping with an awkward vocoder effect) really move me in anyway. It’s as if there’s this wealth of potential with Omari, yet he never quite gets it right.

In any case, his new LP ‘Ollusion’ hits stores January 12th 2010.

What do you think of the song/video?

Today is the last day to enter our That Grape Juice: Christmas Give-Away! As well as a few secret prizes, we’ve added Alicia Keys’ ‘The Element of Freedom’ and Janet Jackson ‘Number Ones’ to the mix.

Click here to enter!

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Many thanks to the THOUSANDS of you who have already voted in the That Grape Juice: End of Year Awards 2009. If you have yet to do so, or want to vote again…

Click here to vote!

* In keeping an eye on the tally, I must say some of the artists in the lead of some categories are quite surprising!

R&B star Usher and his estranged wife Tameka Foster put aside their differences to celebrate their son Naviyd‘s 1st birthday. The Eygyptian themed party (Camel ride en toe!) looked like fun for everyone. It’s great to see Usher and Tameka not allow their personal differences to affect their children. Good stuff. {Spotted over at The YBF}

Your thoughts?

Drama-plagued group Day26 sensationally kicked out member Que, the singer revealed on his Twitter page moments ago. While little was initially known about the reason for his ousting, Que, 21, posted the following:

wow..im soo hurt RT now i just recieved a letter from day26 saying they r moving foward without me…im so confused..what did i do?

Later adding…

ONCE again (truth) all i wanted was a audit of finances for management & instead management put me out..i love day26 & i wish them the best.

Quick to respond to the relatively shocking news was member Willie, who hit up WGCI radio to offer his explanation as to what went down:

WOW! Can any of these groups ever actually stay together? The worse thing is, if there’s one thing Day26 needed as at now it was stability; as, despite their recent label move, without the Making the Band machine, folks just haven’t been checking for them like that. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out moving forward. Will Day26 last the distance? What will become of Que? Questions, questions, questions…

Your thoughts?

Your favourite Bajan model and mine, Rihanna, is once again on this side of the pond promoting her ‘Rated R’ project, tonight performing current single ‘Russian Roulette’ on BBC’s Jonathan Ross show.

Shocked as some of you may be, I actually really enjoyed this performance. While I still believe the inconsistency in her live vocals holds her back from being taken all that seriously, it’s hard to deny she did the damn thing in this live showing. Ms. Fenty’s vocals have indeed come a quite a long way; despite it taking 4 albums to learn to sing on-key, she eventually is getting there. Baby steps.

What do you think of the performance?

Lady GaGa has been everywhere lately promoting her critically acclaimed ‘The Fame Monster’ album. However, a new song has surfaced in what is speculated to be from her studio sessions while recording the LP. The track features Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jenkins, who also the record’s producer.

This is a somewhat different direction for GaGa and one that I find a bit boring. Although the song may prove to be a ‘grower’ like her other Darkchild production ‘Telephone’, I felt that something was lacking, with too much emphasis being placed on the beats. In fact, Jerkins’ verse going large unnoticed (and very difficult to decipher) behind the thick productions. If this was indeed from her ‘The Fame Monster’ recordings, then I fully understand why it was not included on the album.

Hit or Miss?

 [Images Removed As Requested]

While her new album ‘The Fame Monster’ continues to blaze the charts, Pop phenom Lady GaGa took some new promotional pictures alongside the ever controversial Kanye West. Captured by David Lachappelle, the images are featured in the Ultimate Super Deluxe Limited Edition of the singer’s new LP. Peep more of her fierceness below:

Thoughts?

Diva Mariah Carey’s highly anticipated ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’ remix LP has finally been given an official release date. The megastar’s most popular fan site, MariahDaily, has confirmed that the project will hit stores on February 23rd, 2010. The record will feature collaborations from a host of artists including Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, R. Kelly, K-Ci & JoJo, Big Boi, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, and Fabolous; to name a few. Furthermore, the yet-untitled album will be supported by a fresh wave of promotional appearances.

I am sure that this news has come as a surprise to many of the people who thought that this project would never have seen the light of day. Given the list of high profile collaborators, it seems that this LP will shape up to be even better than the original. Add that to the reports that the album will feature four completely new songs, I sense that it may very well be one of the best records of 2010. Get it Mariah!

Thoughts?

After months full of murmuring and hearsay, it has today been confirmed that Beyonce‘s mother Tina Knowles is divorcing the singer’s father (and manager) Mathew after 29 years of marriage.

Interestingly, the power couple’s separation was legally filed back in November (as the pic below shows, courtesy of Bossip), yet only a few hours ago made its way out into the media:

Whatever the reason for their parting (which I’m sure will form the basis of many a debate), 29 years of marriage resulting in a divorce is quite sad. Sigh…

Your thoughts?

In a record-breaking move, rapper Eminem spent an astonishing 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2002 with his biggest hit to date, ‘Lose Yourself‘. The standout track from the ‘8 Mile’ soundtrack climbed to the top of the charts on November 9th, 2002 and spent more weeks at the peak than any other song that year. ‘Lose Yourself’ was also a monster hit on the worldwide scale, charting on 24 international tallies, and reaching #1 in the UK. Enimen also received immense critical acclaim for the record, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song and 2 Grammy Awards, in addition to having the honor of having the first rap song ever to be nominated for ‘Song of the Year’. In 2009, Billboard Magazine listed the song as the 28th most successful song of the decade.

Hits like ‘Lose Yourself’ is the reason why Hip-Hop dominated the Billboard charts for the first half of the decade. At on point, Eminem was an unstoppable force, not only in that genre, but in the entire music industry. However, although he continues to be a major sales success, his critical appeal has waned in recent times and many long for him to return to his frustrated (and somewhat disturbing) roots. Nevertheless, this song serves as a key piece of evidence as to why the ‘King of Blue-eyed Rap’ will be noted as one of the greatest MCs of our time.

Thoughts?

Mary J. Blige guested on ‘The Jay Leno Show’ last evening. The singer performed the second single from her  forthcoming ‘Stronger With Each Tear’ LP, entitled ‘I Am‘. To date, the song has peaked at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart.

As usual, Blige sounded and looked amazing. She is one of the few acts who can deliver consistent performances, even during a tumultuous promotion schedule. Although her vocal performances have a few imperfections at times, her presence is enough to make the casual listener overlook such blemishes. Good stuff.

Thoughts?

Beyonce sizzles in the commercial for her first fragrance ‘Heat’ (her own, as opposed to endorsing another brand). The 28 year old superstar sings classic ‘Fever’ in the clip.

Bouncy’s continued quest for world domination presses ahead with the release of ‘Heat’ in early 2010.

Your thoughts?