With the 52nd annual Grammy Awards just around the corner, it has today been announced that the show will feature a spectacular, star-studded tribute to the late, great King of Pop Michael Jackson. For viewers at home, the segment of the show will air in 3D. Peep the report via Billboard after the jump…

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Kelly Rowland has been hard at work preparing for the debut of her new album. In a recent interview with Rap-Up.com, producer Jim Jonsin has provided some details about the yet entitled record which features contributions from Nelly, Rico Love, Jonsin and David Guetta. Here is an excerpt from the interview below:

“I’ve been working on her album with [songwriter] Rico Love,” Jonsin tells Rap-Up.com. “We’ve done four songs.”

Fans of her David Guetta collaboration, ‘When Love Takes Over’ will be in for a treat. “She’s doing a pop-house and R&B sound, like a mixture,” Jonsin reveals. “It’s really cool. Some uptempo stuff, some ballads, all around really nice—more like a Donna Summer sound.”

Although Rowland, who was formerly signed to Columbia Records/Music World Entertainment, hasn’t officially announced a new label deal yet, Jonsin dropped a hint as to where she may end up. “I believe she’s in talks with Universal Motown right now, and a couple others.”

This is certainly some interesting news. It’s great to see Rowland continuing to develop an international sound and target markets beyond the US. However, having not made a major impact on the Billboard Hot 100 since ‘Dilema’, it is crucial that she caters for her US consumers, something that Jonsin and the rest of her team seems to have considered by incorporating such a “mixture” of sounds. My only concern now is her voice. In recent performances, Rowland has been struggling to deliver on the vocal front. Whether it is fair comparison or not, people are always going to compare her to Beyonce in every aspect of her career, thus she has to make sure that she is on point, both in the studio and in her live showings. We all know what she is capable of doing and now it’s time for her to show it.

Sam Update On Kelly’s label situation:

Please note that, contrary to reports, no new label deal has been finalised with Kelly as at writing. She is in the advanced stages of negotiation with a number of labels – one of which is Universal Motown, however nothing has been signed. Kelly was indeed in New York this time last week and did meet with a Universal exec, but has yet to sign on the dotted line. This is the official word from Kelly’s camp. There’ll no doubt be official word out shortly, I’m sure though.

Thoughts?

According to reports, R&B star Ciara has secured a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas. The singer, who is currently hard at work on her 4th studio album, joins other high-profile names including David Beckham to front the Adidas Originals 2010 global marketing campaign. As part of the deal, the 24 year old will serve as a spokesperson in the campaign’s TV commercials worldwide, as well as feature as a model in the print ads for the ladies line.

The Adidas deal adds to the ever-growing list of sponsors/endorsements Ms. Harris has under her belt, which as at writing include Verizon, DoSomething.org, Express (Skinny) Jeans and fashion designers Givenchy and Pucci.{Source}

More power to her!

Your thoughts?

Peep the video for ‘Change Me’, the latest single to be lifted from Keri Hilson‘s ‘In a Perfect World’ LP. Though the Akon-assisted song doesn’t particularly rock my world, it’s accompanying video isn’t bad. A little recession-friendly, but not bad.

What do you think of the song / video?

Oprah Winfrey has announced that Rihanna will be performing on her show this Wednesday. The model will be doing a rendition of Bob Marley’s timeless classic ‘Redemption Song’ while R&B crooner Maxwell is set to sing ‘Fistful of Tears’ from his ‘BLACKsummers’night’ LP. The episode will be dedicated to the people of Haiti and will feature Wyclef Jean who will shed some light on their situation. {Source}

As much as I can appreciate Rihanna using her star power to raise awareness for the problems in Haiti, I wonder if her ‘singing’ would be the best way to  accomplish that goal. To be perfectly honest, her voice has not been noted as either ‘moving’ or ‘soulful’ in any way. Furthermore, of all the songs that she could have chosen, she has selected to perform one of Bob Marley’s most respected tracks. I highly doubt that anyone wants to hear her massacre one of the best songs of all time, although she will be doing so for a great cause. Hopefully she will pull it off….hopefully.

Sam Edit: My goodness, Trent went there. Lord lol

Thoughts?

Alicia Keys was spotted in Madrid, Spain yesterday. The singer has been very bust promoting her new album ‘The Element of Freedom’, this time at the Teatro Real opera house, where she performed several songs from the LP. Keys is set to perform alongside Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera for George Clooney and Wyclef Jean’s Hope for Haiti benefit this Friday. Peep more pics below (courtesy our friends at Rap-Up.com):

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The hottest chick in the game Beyonce features on the cover of the February issue of Allure Magazine (courtesy of Just Jared). Decked in a Roberto Cavalli dress and Cesar Paciotti  sequinned boots, the 28 year old superstar is certified stunner!

Peep excerpts from her interview below:

On her plans for a family with husband Jay-Z:

“I definitely want to have a child, but I know from my nephew [Juelz] it’s a lot. I hope that those things will just happen naturally. I still haven’t had time to relax.”

On her addiction-playing spades online:

‘I play with everybody, and they curse me out when I make mistakes, and kick me out of the room. I love it, it’s really fun because no one knows it’s me.”

On her alter-ego Sasha Fierce:

“The thing that’s interesting is I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown, and I’m now able to merge the two. I want people to see me. I want people to see who I am.”

Your thoughts?

Your thoughts?

Some of you will remember Kiley Williams as one third of 3LW, and later The Cheetah Girls. With both groups now a figment of the past, Williams is looking to establish herself as a solo artist.

Though there has been a few cuts floating around the net, new track ‘Spectacular’ is reportedly set to the lead single from Kiley’s debut album. The song was produced by Mike City and written by Kiley herself.

I kid you not when I say this is hands-down one of the worse songs I have ever heard. From the cheap production, to the horrid vocals, to the sleazy lyrics, to Kileys inability to deliver her parts on que with the beat, this is an unmitigated audio disaster. It really is that bad.

It’s quite clear to see that after being bracketed as a ‘kids artist’ for so long, Kiley is attempting to re-brand herself as a sex kitten. However, it’s obvious she needs to work on much more before even thinking about what image she’s looking to adorn – the most necessary being her artistry. Listening to this really drives home exactly why she rarely ever sang on 3LW’s material and was relegated to the smaller parts. Put simply, her voice is weak; wafer-thin and lacking any character or ‘depth’. Usually artists in this predicament counter such shortcomings by excelling in other areas (see: Janet, Ciara), yet it’s difficult to see what of substance Kiley has to offer. If anything she’s really putting herself at a disadvantage with this border-line pornographic trash. For the uber sexual slant is one that works for female rappers, yet not so much for female singers.

In a nutshell, Ms. Williams would benefit from scrapping this nonsense and going back to the drawing board – especially if she hopes to attract any major label attention (she’s reportedly seeking a major deal and is currently signed to her own imprint Nine Lives Entertainment). Sigh…

Hit or Miss?

The once popular Jennifer Lopez made a guest appearance on ‘George Lopez Tonight’. The performer did a round of standup comedy for the studio audience, replacing George during the show’s opening monologue. Jennifer’s new album ‘Love?’ hits stores in April.

I must give Jennifer props for still trying to promote this album because given the fact that ‘Louboutins’ has yet to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 and the public shows almost no interest in her music whatsoever, most artists would have given up by now. However, maybe she should have tried a different approach as that monologue was not even remotely funny. Here’s hoping that things pick up for Jennifer soon.

Thoughts?

Chris Brown has been hitting some of the major shows at Fashion Week in Milan, Italy. This time singer was spotted on his way to the John Richmond Menswear event. Peep more pics below:

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R&B songstress Alicia Keys appeared on the Japanese television show ‘Sukkiri’ recently. The singer took part in an interview and performed the first US single from her ‘The Element of Freedom’ LP, ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’. Check out the performance below:

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