Any hope Rihanna‘s team had of her ‘Rated R’ LP sustaining on the charts have been dashed upon the publication of the Bajan model’s (trademark: Trent) 2nd week sales. According to Hits Daily Double, the album took a massive tumble down the charts this week, dropping #4-#18 and selling though just 53,544 copies (a whopping 70% drop in sales from her first week tally). {Source}

‘Wow’ is all I can say! So after releasing the record during the holiday season, slashing its price to $0.99, a huge promo campaign, not to mention the sympathy garnered from ‘the incident’, Ms. Fenty is still struggling to shift copies of her supposedly critically acclaimed LP? A mess.

At this rate, not even my prediction of the inevitable 300 singles and 25 re-releases (including the Deluxe, Super Deluxe, Ultra Premium Deluxe, Spanish, Hebrew and Japanese versions…and of course the Super-Super Uber Ultra Premium Deluxe edition which comes with a DVD) can save this project. IMO, it seems this Bajan model has gone too far with the imaging and isolated her audience in the process. That and, of course, the fact she lacks everything it means to be a credible performer in this day and age.

Your thoughts?

Exactly 10 years ago, Jennifer Lopez was at the helm of the pantheon of Urban/Pop artists. The entertainer was one of the few women to emerge from the ‘Latin explosion’ of the turn of the century and find major success on the Pop charts. ‘Jenny from the block’ has had 4 number songs from 8 top 10 hits.

However, in recent years, the singer has found it difficult to crack the upper peripheries of the Billboard Hot 100, especially with her new song ‘Louboutins’ which has yet to chart even after  high profile performances on the American Music Awards and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’. In fact, this week the song has generated less than 0.370 million audience impressions and is falling rather quickly. In other words, it’s a flop.

Many critics highlight similarities between the star and her contemporaries including popular models Rihanna and Cassie, who are better known for their fashion know-how than their musical prowess (although neither can hold a candle to Jennifer’s danging/singing ability). Indeed, many have cited that like the style trends that they promote, their presence in the industry is nothing but a fad.

The real question that comes out of this situation is: does Jennifer have the potential to once again rule the Pop roost? Or will the performer be left in the 00’s like her former collaborator Ja Rule? I personally believe that unless Ms. Jlo is able to find a hit with her next single, her time may officially be up.

Do you think that Jennifer can make a comeback?

We here at That Grape Juice are pleased to announce that will be interviewing multi-time Grammy nominee Fantasia in the coming week!

The American Idol alum is gearing up for the January première of her new VH1 reality show ‘Fantasia For Real’, as well as her 3rd studio album, which is also due early 2010.

Do you have any questions for Fantasia? If so, be sure to drop them in the comments section. As usual, only legitimate questions will be considered.

Thanks!

Rapper 50 Cent is currently over here in Europe promoting his latest LP ‘Before I Self Destruct’, most recently stopping by The Graham Norton Show here in the UK.

In this hilarious interview, the G-Unit general talks everything from bloggers, his condom line, his new music (of course), getting “shot 9 times” lol and a whole lot more. As much as ol’ Curtis is an annoyance at times, he’s really been coming across well in these recent interviews. This one particularly, for – as on paper (as UK folk will know) – Graham and 50 aren’t a pair you’d expect to hit it off like they did. Great interview.

Your thoughts?

Singer/actor Jamie Foxx is currently working on his next LP. One of the songs that will be featured on the album is a collaboration with the elusive Justin Timberlake entitled ‘Winner’. Foxx’s 4th studio release will hit stores in 2010.

This track truly is a ‘winner’. The blaring horns form the base of a captivating melody which fluidly sync into the thumping beats of the verses. If this is the direction that Foxx is taking with his album then I will certainly being paying attention – something that I have never done to any of his past material with the exception of his features (see Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’).

Hit or Miss?

Last week, we provided you with the cover shot of Chris Brown’s VIBE magazine feature. In the issue, the dynamic performer shared his views about this year’s BET Awards ceremony which honored the late Michael Jackson.  Brown was removed from the production’s line-up after ‘the incident’ involving ex-girlfriend Rihanna. Peep an excerpt from interview below:

Chris Brown on being removed from the BET Awards…

“It was wack. I’ll keep it a hundred. The BET Awards was horrible. I was watching it, holding my face like, ‘Oh my God this is wack’. I didn’t get it. Michael Jackson was such a big entertainer. And I’m not dissing any of the artists who did the songs. But I was expecting a lot more energy for Michael. And BET Awards usually comes hard. I was expecting them to have Usher, Omarion and even Justin. And I was expecting Ne-Yo to dance. They were so bent on not getting me there that they messed up their own show.” {Source}

Most of you may have read Sam’s opinion of the BET Awards, and I must admit that I am inclined to agree. The show was possibly one of the worst productions of the decade; horrible performances, poor editing and a baffling set list. Brown would have been a welcome addition to the line-up especially as no one displayed what Michael was probably best known for: his dancing. That’s a damn shame.

Thoughts?

The Black Eyed Peas are looking to continue their immensely successful run with their current LP ‘The E.N.D’ by releasing the record’s 4th official single ‘Imma Be’. {Source}

While the album wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, ‘Imma Be’ is blazing hot and undeniably had to receive the single treatment at some point in the LP’s shelf life. Killer production, swagger-heavy and more than anything, one of the year’s best club-bangers, they worked it out on this one. More power to BEP!

Hit or Miss?

Sade has just released the first single from next year’s ‘Soldier of Love’ LP. The title track features productions by Mike Pela and vocals from lead singer, Sade Adu. The ‘Soldier of Love’ album hits stores on February 8th 2010.

Although promoting a similar message, this track serves as the complete opposite of Jordin Sparks’ ‘Battlefield’; dark and haunting. Sade Adu’s smokey vocals tie in perfectly with the foreboding productions. It is  really astonishing how a vocalist with such a limited vocal range is able to convey such a powerful performance. It goes to show that the old adage is true: less is indeed more.

Hit or Miss?

In a recent interview with VIBE magazine, monster producer Tricky Stewart discussed several of his past and upcoming projects as well as his creative process. The ‘Single Ladies’ producer also elaborated on the direction that Pop star Christina Aguilera will be taking with her new album. Peep an excerpt from the interview below:

How did you approach working with Christina Aguilera versus R&B artists?

With Christina it’s a little different, because Christina wants music that you haven’t heard before. She did things that she’s never necessarily heard on the radio. She doesn’t want a record that sounds like anything else so you’re trying to create an entirely new sound for an artist. The three tracks that I did, they’re all uptempo tracks so we definitely kind of get the club moving but it’s just a matter of her doing different styles and using her voice in different ways. {Source}

This is some interesting news. Many would argue Christina has never been the type of artist to provide original content. Most of the material that she has put forward has followed the direction that acts such as Mariah Carey, Madonna and even Britney Spears did before her. Nonetheless, given the amount of mystery that has been surrounding this project, I would be lying to myself I said that I was not quite intrigued.

Thoughts?

According to Hits Daily Double, Chris Brown‘s new LP ‘Graffiti’, which went on sale this week, is projected 150,000 copies first week in the US.

Though I’d be cautious of deeming such numbers anywhere near definitive (these are a projection as opposed to a prediction based on first day sales – it only hit stores in the US a few hours ago!), I’d still say these are quite solid numbers CONSIDERING (the ‘incident’, no televised performances as at writing etc). Nonetheless, for the album to have any sustainable legs, Jive are going to need to put in overtime. Chris has the talent to sell the project, but as we’ve come to know, talent only makes up a small piece of the equation.

Tidbit: Missed our ‘Graffiti’ review? Click here to check it out!

Your thoughts?

Eccentric singer Lady GaGa met Queen Elizabeth of England during the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall tonight. As ever, the talented 23 year old put on one hell of a show with her performance. Peep more pics below…

Thoughts?

Amidst unconfirmed reports that she is about to go on tour, diva Mariah Carey is set to debut her video for her new single, ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ The Brett Ratner-directed clip is set to premiere later this week according to Mariah’s management. ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ has thus far peaked at #76 on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts.

Hopefully this video is ‘the business’ because, quite frankly, nobody seems interested in either this song or the album. It’s really a shame though, as the track is undoubtedly one of the best records off the album, and is lyrically and vocally fantastic. Here’s to hoping that things work out for this one.

Thoughts?