Keyshia Cole 'A Different Me' Cover Our friends over at Rap-Up.com have revealed the official album cover for Keyshia Cole’s 3rd studio LP ‘A Different Me’ (due December 16th).

Keyshia’s look has evolved quite a bit over the years, with her in more recent times looking really good – this cover included. Here’s hoping the album delivers.


What do you think of the cover?

The video for Rihanna’s 100th single ‘Rehab’ is set to premiere any day now. In the meanwhile, you can watch a short preview of the clip, which features Justin Timberlake, above. I keep saying it, this girl (along with Cassie) needs to take up modelling or something, as it’s clearly where her greatest talents lie. She looks great. Aside from that, I can’t see much of interest going on in the video.

Randomness: Kudos to her team for milking her ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ CD until she became a star (force fed on us anyone?), but this is becoming overkill. I say this as her 4th album is slated for release next year, hence it’ll feel like she never went anywhere. There comes a time when one must fall back…right back.

Your thoughts?

Kanye: 'Rihanna Was The Best Thing To Happen To Beyonce'Kanye West held a listening session for his eagerly anticipated ‘808’s and Heartbreak’ here in London this week. At the event, which was was attended by select media outlets, the ‘Love Lockdown’ rapper used Beyonce and Rihanna to illustrate a point, raising an interesting point himself in the process:

After hearing listening to the album, Kanye took a Q&A session.

When asked about his single ‘Love Lockdown’, Kanye explains why he chose to make the single.

‘This is a wakeup call … people in music get comfortable … Rappers get comfortable’.

Kanye said this was the case with Beyonce.

‘Rihanna was the best thing to happen to Beyonce’, referring to Rihanna’s rise to stardom suggesting Beyonce had to set the musical bar higher.

Kanye believed that Beyonce did this with her new video ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’. He expressed his respect and love for it, while saying it was a concept that he never would have come up with. {Source}

Hmm. An interesting point, that will no doubt have Bouncy’s and Ms. Fenty’s stans squaring off – again LOL. Granted I agree Beyonce had to come differently this go around to re-affirm her place as the ‘top’ female in the industry (especially when considering Rihanna’s near 2 year dominance), I feel as though Bey was always gonna need to approach her 3rd album with a fresh concept irrespective of Rihanna. With success not being guaranteed in this current industry climate (just ask Usher and Mariah), churning out the same ol’, same ol’ would have been an own-goal IMO.

Your thoughts?

Currently over here in Europe promoting her chart-topping album ‘Funhouse’, Pink performed a set for MySpace Secret concert series in Barcelona this week. Yes, you don’t see the once-R&B singer on That Grape Juice all that much, but her performance of ‘Killing Me Softly’ (made popular by The Fugees) at the show was awesome.

Seeing her do the song such justice, even with her now being a ‘Pop Rocker’, really has me hoping she re-embraces a more Urban sound – even if just for a track or two – on her next release. Not to say, the pink hair and choreography should make a return, but music like this seems to be a sure-fit for her as well.

What do you think of the performance?

New Britney Spears Promo Pic Check out this new promotional pic for Britney Spears’ ‘comeback’ album ‘Circus’ (due December 2nd). Can’t say I’m liking this one too much; it’s not even the photoshopped-to-the-nines look of the pic, it’s more Ms. Spears’ face…something looks kinda off with the expression. Not that any of this matters much, she’s still on course to have her Mariah circa 2005 ‘redemption’ with this new album. More power to her.

What do you think of the pic?
Christina Aguilera Slams Lady Gaga Comparisons In a recent interview with the LA Times, Christina Aguilera got the claws out, albeit subliminally, when questioned about the murmurings in many circles that she is ‘borrowing’ newcomer Lady Gaga’s style for her latest ‘look’:

What do you say to those on the Internet who are hinting that you borrowed Lady Gaga’s look?

You know, that’s funny that you mention that. This person [Lady Gaga] was just brought to my attention not too long ago. I’m not quite sure who this person is, to be honest. I don’t know if it is a man or a woman. I just wasn’t sure. I really don’t spend any time on the Internet, so I guess I live a little under a rock in that respect.

Hmm…the infamous ‘I don’t know who that is’ line dropped by yet another artist.’ Peep pics of Lady Gaga below…you be the judge.

Christina Aguilera Slams Lady Gaga Comparisons Christina Aguilera Slams Lady Gaga Comparisons

Your thoughts?

Undeterred by the disappointing sales of her solid new album ‘Unexpected’, Michelle Williams performed a range of songs from the set for AOL Sessions recently. Check out the performances below:

Hello Heartbreak
Private Party

Hungover

We Break The Dawn

The Greatest

For the most part, I really enjoyed the performances – particularly the ‘Hello Heartbreak’, ‘We Break The Dawn’ and ‘The Greatest’ showings. Here’s hoping things pick up with the project soon. It’s too good of an album IMO to go unheard by the masses.

What do you think of the performances?

Naturi Covers KINGPeep Naturi Naughton on the cover of the latest issue of KING Magazine. Some of you may remember her from her stint in R&B trio 3LW. Well, the 23 year old, having put her solo ambitions on hold, is set to star as none other than pint-sized rapper Lil’ Kim in the upcoming Biggie Smalls biopic ‘N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S’ (which hits theatres early 2009).
I definitely saw Naturi as having the standout voice in the now defunct 3LW and didn’t like the way she was ousted from the trio. For that reason, I’m kinda rooting for her to be successful in her own right – so much so that I’m overlooking that atrocity of a single she tried to drop last year (anyone remember ‘Real Chicks’?). Providing she turns in a good performance in her role in the movie, she may well establish herself in her own right.

Your thoughts?

Grammy award winning songstress Alicia Keys stopped by Good Morning America to promote the re-release of her multi-Platinum selling LP ‘As I Am’. Keys performed a medley of hits including ‘No One’, ‘Like You’ll Never See Me Again’, and recent single ‘Superwoman’. As always, Alicia nailed it. Great performance.

What do you think of the performance?

Jay-Z's 'Blue Print 3' Delayed According to MTV, Jay-Z’s eagerly awaited ‘Blueprint 3’ has been pushed back until next year, after initially being expected to hit stores before 2008’s end:

Jay-Z has all but confirmed that The Blueprint 3 is not coming out in 2008. When Hov premiered his new record, “History,” on Angie Martinez’s Hot 97 New York radio show last week, Martinez playfully reminded him that he was supposed to be coming out with an album this year. Jigga countered that he’d never told anyone that the album would be dropping this year and didn’t know where the speculation came from.

While in Europe for the EMAs last week, Kanye West, who has produced a gaggle of tracks for Jay’s new album, shed a little light on what’s holding up the highly anticipated album.

“I mean, it’s phenomenal,” West told MTV Base. “We went in and we done the whole album. He wanted to do a few more joints, so he kinda pushed it back. Now we’re gonna go in and just work on some more records. So I got some more stuff to kill it with! I think [Jay pushed the album back because] ‘Swagger’ just did so incredible. We wanted to go up [and make sure] everything was on that level.”

The likelihood of the album dropping between now and December was slim anyway IMO. With Jay seemingly back at his best, I’m sure a few more months wouldn’t hurt. In fact, I feel the anticipation will be more. Roll on next year…

Your thoughts?

Though R&B star Usher is out on the road supporting his latest effort ‘Here I Stand’, Ne-Yo who he is currently working with on the follow-up (due 2009), has gone on record to express his feelings of a lack of direction with the lukewarmly received album. Here’s what he had to say to MTV:
I really couldn’t agree more. Usher is undeniably very talented – possibly one of the best in this New-Post-Michael Jackson-Era. However he seemed a little out of touch musically on this recent effort. What’s more over he turned a lot of folk off with his insistence on shoving his personal life down our throats, something which only served to heighten the media circus surrounding it all, as well as the negativity. I’m hopeful that he gets it together for the next album and delivers what we all know he can.

Your thoughts?

It seems as of late Beyonce is everywhere. The singer performed her smash singles ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ at the 2008 World Music Awards last night in Monte Carlo’s Sporting Club arena. Though her live showings of ‘If I Were A Boy’ continue to be solid, many have been keen to see what she’d deliver live with ‘Single Ladies’ – myself included.

Watching the ‘Single Ladies’ performance back, however, has me a little disappointed. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it was; but between the distracting hordes of weave on her head, the tacky outfits and the generally unpolished feel of the performance of the song, something wasn’t quite right. Here’s hoping she irons out the messiness of it all and makes it work next time.

What do you think of the performance?

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