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The 2nd single to be lifted from Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ LP, ‘Wait Your Turn’ surfaced LITERALLY moments ago. Surprisingly, the Chase & Status produced cut isn’t nearly as bad as the initial clip indicated. Dare I say, I’m actually feeling this (yes, you read right!).

While, in no way (at all) does this warrant the unnecessary hype surrounding her project (no way, no how), the swagger Ms. Fenty channels on this one, really compliments the gritty, hard-knocking production. Perhaps most notable is her thick Bajan accent on the verses – which actually gives the track a layer of authenticity, as she  sounds comfortable and not as forced or strained as she usually does. Listening to this kinda makes me wonder why her team went with the dryness that is ‘Russian Roulette’. Can’t wait to see her perform this live… 🙂

Tidbit: Is it off and popping at That Grape Juice today or what. V2.0 baby!

Hit or Miss?

In a recent interview with HipHollywood.com, R&B singer Omarion provided insight into his upcoming projects including the music video for his new single ‘I Get It In’, which features rapper Gucci Mane, as well as his new album. Moreover, the entertainer discussed the reasons for his sudden departure from Young Money Entertainment earlier this year. Omarion’s new album, ‘Ollusion’, hits stores on January 12th 2010.

Now I understand why the promo clip for his music video referred to the ‘King of Dance’ – it was alluding to Michael Jackson. At least that’s what I hope it means because based on that tired robotic two-step and head bobbing routine that Omarion has been trying to pass off as intricate choreography for the last few years, he couldn’t be talking about himself.

Regarding his comments about Lil Wayne and him both being “power players” in the industry…I must have heard him incorrectly. It seems that whatever delusions that Bow Wow had about himself being one of Hip-Hop’s finest has rubbed off on Omarion. I can’t envisage a better name for his new album; ‘Ollusion’ (or rather ‘Illusion’) works quite fine.

Thoughts?

Michelle Williams - New Chapter

New Michelle Williams coming soon…

Your thoughts?

The force that is Beyonce is set to have her intimate ‘I Am…Yours’ tour show aired in the US on Thanksgiving  (November 25th) on. Check out the trailer for the special, which was filmed at the Wynn Auditorium in Las Vegas several months back., above.

It pretty much goes without saying, that love or loathe her, Beyonce is the industry’s best all-round performer at this point in time, hence you can always expect one hell of a show from ol’ Bouncy. Will definitely be checking for this one.

Tidbit: Did anyone else find the “Thanksgiving Night…give thanks for Beyonce” hilariously funny?! OTT, much?

Will you be tuning in?

It has been confirmed today that Rihanna will ‘break her long silence’ next week. The ‘Umbrella’ singer will that day be making an appearance on Good Morning America on Thursday (November 5th), followed by a major interview on 20/20 the next day (November 6th). It’s expected that she will for the first time address the Chris Brown incident. Peep ABC’s promo clip for Ms. Fenty’s return above.

While there is no doubt I’ll be tuning into this, I can’t help but question the timing of it all. She and her team decide now is the right time for her to ‘break her silence’ when she has a record coming out in a few weeks. Yes, it’s all business, but it looks real suspect. Real suspect…

Tidbit:I didn’t know Rihanna was a ‘Superstar’ – as per the video’s assertion. I mean, come on now…

Your thoughts?

Vocal powerhouse Leona Lewis performed her current single ‘Happy’ at the Rosa Balet Galan in Sweden this week. Check out how she did above.

Hmm…while Ms. Lewis is undeniably a great technical vocalist, this performance was a bit of a snoozer. Perhaps it’s the song (which IMO simply isn’t cutting it) or the fact that she has yet to develop an engaging enough aura about her other than her voice. Regardless, she’s definitely one of the premier talents to emerge in recent years; let’s just hope her forthcoming album ‘Echo’  (due November 13th) serves up better material than this.

What do you think of the performance?

soulja_boy

Young rapper Soulja Boy Tell’em will ironically feature on both Chris Brown and Rihanna’s upcoming LP’s. Rihanna’s album, ‘Rated R’, hits stores on November 23rd and Brown’s ‘Graffiti’ will be released on December 15th. Here what Soulja Boy had to say about his contributions to both projects:

“With this particular project [it was] like, ‘Whoa!’ because it was like, ‘Yo, I need you to do something for Rihanna’s album. You got 11 hours. Go,” Soulja Boy said about the last-minute call to work on an unspecified track from Rihanna’s upcoming Rated R disc.

“It was like, ‘What?’ ” The challenge, he said, was how to cook up some verses that would help make a #1 hit in such a short time. Luckily, he had plenty of experience with working fast, thanks to the 30 minutes he said it took him to write his breakthrough hit, “Crank That.”

The pressure was not as intense when he got the call to guest on a track from Rihanna’s ex, Brown. “I got nothing but love for Chris, that’s my homeboy,” said Soulja of the singer, whose Graffiti will be his first release since his assault on Rihanna in February. “He called me up and he was like, ‘Yo, I need you on this song for my album. Will you come through?’ ”

The answer, of course, was yes — and the result is a tune titled “She’s Bad.”

“My approach to it was, if me and Chris Brown ever did a song together it got to be the best song ever,” he said. “When people hear it, it gotta be automatic, be in all the kids’ heads, all the girls definitely gotta love it, all the females gotta love it. That was my approach to it. I was just thinking, ‘What is the slickest lines I could say to a female to make them fall in love with this record?”

{Source}

If there is one thing that this boy has is work ethic. He really gets his name out there and stays on his grind. If only he applied this same zeal to developing quality material for himself, he could become one of Hip-Hop’s heavyweights instead of being known as the ‘Ringtone King’. That’s a damn shame.

Thoughts?

sugababes sweet 7

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for controversial UK girl group, the Sugababes. Following the mass outcry from both fans and the industry about the ousting of original member Keisha Buchanan, it has now been announced that their new LP ‘Sweet 7’ has been pushed back to February 22nd 2010. The album was originally scheduled for release November 23rd as a joint venture between Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Island Records. While current single ‘About A Girl’ will still be released on November 9th, a third single in the form of ‘Wear My Kiss’ (which you can listen to by clicking here – it’s the Keisha version BTW) will be released February 8th. {Source}

How to say this politely? Hmm. If this isn’t a hot a** mess, I really don’t know what is. How embarrassing  must it be the ladies and their management to see their ill-advised decision blowing up in their faces for all to see. From a business standpoint, I can’t help but believe a December release would have made more sense (see: Christmas sales). But February? Surely it’d make sense to strike while the iron is hot and public interest is still there. With the whole Keisha drama simmering down now, and the fact that ‘About A Girl’ is looking to b a moderate hit at best, I can’t see how a February release will benefit them. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait to see how things pan out. In the meanwhile…

Your thoughts?

lil kim

Peep pint-sized rapper Lil’ Kim glamming it up in a recent photoshoot shot by Andrew Southam. I must say, the Queen B is looking mighty flying – for the most part. Said to be in the studio recording the follow-up to 2005’s ‘The Naked Truth’, all I’m gonna need now is for her to drop her new LP already – it’s been too long.

Check out the rest of the shoot below:lil kim 3

lim kim

What do you think of the pics?

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Alicia Keys was spotted filming the video for her new song ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart‘, the second release from her upcoming album ‘The Element of Freedom’. The clip is being directed by the increasingly popular Syndrome. Check out the rest of pics below:

She looks stunning as usual. I wonder if they’ve got a men’s version of that jacket?

michelle 234

Check out this new remix of Destiny’s Child alumni Michelle Williams’ ‘Sick of It’, a bonus track from her critically acclaimed ‘Unexpected’ LP. While Michelle’s more recent efforts have had a very heavy Dance/Euro-Pop feel to them, the immensely talented songstress switches things up here, with what, in essence, is a Pop/Rock cut, which interestingly manages to compliment her soulful vocals. It’s quite refreshing to hear a remix which isn’t the typical DJ/Club mix. I like…I like a lot.

Keep it locked on That Grape Juice for more Michelle Williams news!

Hit or Miss?

Heidi and Jade, two thirds of controversial trio, the Sugababes, recently sat down with In4merz to discuss pretty much everything (Amelle is resting off her ‘exhaustion’). Hence, posed to the ladies were questions about the group’s future, the fate of Jade’s solo material, their ironically titled ‘Sweet 7’ project and a whole lot more.

An interesting watch, yet a somewhat sad one, as the reality of what the group has become sunk in with every minute that passed during this interview (see: Jade’s talk of needing to ‘do her homework’ etc). Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see how things unfold with their ‘Sweet 7’ album.

Your thoughts?

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