This week’s From The Vault classic is Lil’ Kim‘s year 2000 smash ‘No Matter What They Say’. Featuring the pint-sized rapper at her best (looks and lyrics), this is a great throwback to the days when female rap actually made an impact chart-wise. Great song, even better video.

Tidbit: Doesn’t anyone else see a few parallels between KIM and a certain Nicki Minaj? I’m just saying…

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 27 year old  J Rome. The Maryland native turns in a ridiculously good rendition of  Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’: Check it out:

Wow! J really took it to CHURCH! It’s not often that male vocalists can tackle a track recorded by a female with the voice of a Whitney et al. Yet not only did he tackle it, he turned in an awesome performance, one in which really saw him put his own stamp on it.

For more on J Rome, check out his Youtube page

Your thoughts?

Young stars Chris Brown and Bow Wow rang in the new year together last evening. The pair were spotted in Fountainebleau Hotel, Miami partying and flirting with several of other guests. Peep more images the two below:

What do you think of the pics?

Jay-Z, Beyonce and Usher celebrated the arrival of 2010 in St. Barts last evening. The trio reportedly partied with  other big names including L.A. Reid and Russell Simmons. Beyonce is rumoured to have been paid $2 million to perform by Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy’s son. Check out the second image below:

What do you think of the pics?

It appears Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin‘s promise of new faces in the group is holding true, with Twitter posts by member Melody Thornton indicating that she has been axed from the five-piece. The 23 year old’s telling Tweets have been posted over the last two days. Here’s what Thornton said:

Not sure yet what my n.y’s resolution is but I know I wanna let go of the ppl who wanna let go of me! So ill start there. Sad
11:30 PM Dec 29th from UberTwitter

Thx 2 God, Jimmy Iovine, Robin Antin, Ron Fair and everyone involved in making the Pussycat Dolls a sucess! What a start! Thx 4 the bridge!
about 2 hours ago from UberTwitter

With all-signs pointing to Ms. Melody being ousted (unsurprising considering her being so vocal about her talents not being utilised), I must say this sure looks to be a blessing more so than anything for the ridiculously talented VOCALIST.

As the sales of the ladies last LP ‘Doll Domination’ show, Robin Antin’s stubborn insistence on keeping the focus exclusively on Nicole has made for PCD to be come a sinking ship. With their 3rd album looking to rehash the same formula, if ever there was a time for Melody to spread her wings and get her shine, it’s now! I mean Melody just standing there looking pretty and singing the odd ‘ohhh’ and ‘ahhh’ never did sit well with me, especially considering she has a better voice than the chick out front!!! (IMO). In any case, we wish her much success – she certainly deserves it.

Your thoughts?

Christina Aguilera was spotted in Las Vegas last evening. The singer hosted a New Year’s Eve party at Tao nightclub, where she sported a slimmer frame and a short bob. Aguilera’s new record is rumoured to be hitting stores in March. Peep more pics of the star below:

What do you think of her new look?

More of these New Year’s Eve performances keep coming out of the woodwork! Last evening, Keri Hilson performed on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest’. The singer performed some of her most popular songs songs for the energetic crowd. Observe her showings below:

‘Knock You Down’

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Popular model Rihanna performed last evening in Abu Dhabi. The Covergirl representative, who was paid $500, 000 for her appearance, did a medley of her hits for the audience. Clearly, curtailing her sex appeal was not on the agenda for fashionista. Check out more images, courtesy of Just Jared, below:

What do you think of her look?

Jennifer Lopez hit the stage last evening on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest’. The entertainer did a medley of songs including ‘Louboutins’, ‘Waiting For Tonight‘ and ‘Let’s Get Loud’. Lopez’s upcoming studio album, ‘Love?’, will be released in April.

Lopez is definitely doing it big with her choreography. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her revamp some of her past hits with new routines; proving that she has not lost her edge. On the other hand, while I understand it almost necessary to use a backtrack in the blistering cold of New York City, she did not sing a single line of that entire performance live. For someone who claims to be a serious vocalist, many may question why she has been continuously lip-syncing throughout the last few months. Interesting.

Thoughts?

Diva Mariah Carey held a New Year’s Eve concert last evening at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The show served as the prelude to her ‘Angels Advocate Tour’ which starts on January 2nd in Atlantic City. Peep the performances of ‘Emotions’, ‘We Belong Together’, ‘H.A.T.E U’ and more below and after the jump:

‘Emotions’

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Toni Braxton is preparing for the release of her new studio album, ‘Pulse’ later this year. Emerging from her studio session is the up-tempo ‘Lookin’ At You’ which was produced by Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins. ‘Pulse’ hits stores on March 2nd.

Infectiously catchy, this beat-driven track is one of the better tracks that have surfaced from Braxton’s new project. Her voice works well with the production without getting lost behind the it. However, I am concerned about this album because, thus far, none of the material has had the elements of a smash hit. Hopefully, Braxton has something major plan for the 2nd single because her previous release, ‘Yesterday’, while peaking at #12 on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart, has failed to make a major impact on the mainstream formats.

Hit or Miss?

Jay-Z dominated Hip-Hop in 2009 and it seems that he is aiming to do so again in 2010. The rapper has just released the music video for ‘On To The Next One’, the 4th single from his 11th #1 studio album, ‘The Blueprint 3’. The song features Swizz Beatz who also produced the track. To date the single has peaked at #61 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts.

This is possibly one of the best videos that Jay-Z has released in his entire career. Visually and graphically stunning, the effects seem tied to the beat of the track. Additionally, the makeup and costumes on the dancers added a haunting element to the clip. I sense that Jay-Z enjoys toying with the individuals who accuse him of being a member of the Illuminati because it is clear that he made a conscious effort to include several forms of symbolism in the production. Very hilarious indeed.

Thoughts?