Super-producer The Dream may have a few tongues wagging after his extensive interview VIBE magazine. In the interview, the hit-maker chatted candidly about ex-wife Christina Milian, Ciara‘s failed album, Beyonce’s ‘4’ ,and on why he’s the ‘dopest artist alive’.
Find out what else the ‘Falsetto’ crooner touched on after the jump:
2005 saw R&B crooner Ne-Yo burst onto the music scene – as an artist. Previously known as a songwriter (having co-penned Mario‘s ‘Let Me Love You’, which stayed at the top of the Billboard for 9 weeks), he released his first album, ‘In My Own Words’, to wide critical and commercial acclaim. As such, the LP’s final single, ‘Sexy Love’, will make the object of this week’s From The Vault.
A global summer hit, ‘Love’ established Ne-Yo as a prolific and viable act after the touchdown that was ‘So Sick’, his breakthrough single. Indeed, as history has proven with acts such as Lil Mama, Mims and the underrated Amerie; it seems to be quite the task to sustain as much as half the momentum after a smash a la ‘So Sick’.
On the song and its accompanying visual, Ne-Yo is addicted to his lady that he doesn’t care about anything that doesn’t revolve around the two of them.
Mr. Smith delivers, with the song, smooth high-pitched vocals (a nod to his idol Michael Jackson) over a then-fresh sounding production courtesy of Stargate (who in 2006 were still seen as up-and-comers in the U.S. Fast forward 4 years and they are Stateside Pop royalty – a title they’ve long held everywhere else.)
With new material on the way and after the disappointment that was ‘Libra Scale’, his fourth LP, we seriously hope the Grammy winning singer-songwriter has retrieved his mojo. For, he is among the better talents, alongside Chris Brown and Ciara, to have emerged from the music and entertainment scene since the mid 00’s.
The proverbial middle child of Destiny, Kelly Rowland, is in an interesting position at the moment. After a shaky start to this era, the Grammy Award winner could possibly be at the brink of a crossover. With the biggest solo hit of her career ruling at urban outlets, and set to impact pop audiences soon, Kelly finally gained enough momentum behind her third studio album for Universal Motown to move forward with it’s release.
That momentum came in the form of ‘Motivation’, the Lil’ Wayne-assisted chart-topper, which was preceded by almost a year’s worth of “buzz singles” – ‘Commander’, ‘Rose Colored Glasses’, ‘Forever and A Day’, ‘Grown Woman‘ – and label/management kink ironing. The slinky, Jim Jonsin-laced bedroom cheer anthem, has topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks, and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, so far. Despite delay, the certified hit cemented a previously elusive release date for Kelly’s held-up LP. ‘Here I Am’ will finally hit U.S. retailers Tuesday July 26.
Before it’s debut, we here at That Grape Juice want to take a look back at five albums that suffered from similarly delayed gratification. Five albums plagued by bombing singles, label issues, and leaks, until finally, stone cold redemption – a validated hit – saved the long delayed albums from release date purgatory, a la Teaira Mari.
Check them out below…
In continuing to expand our cause, That Grape Juice will, alongside our staple celebrity interviews, also serve up candid features with noted names behind the glitz of the industry. What better way, then, to continue this foray into the relatively unknown, than with a sit-down chat with acclaimed songwriter Claude Kelly.
The much-sought after songwriter, who has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Whitney Houston, talks openly with us about how he broke into the industry, working with Whitney Houston and her ‘new’ voice, Christina Aguilera’s ‘Bionic’, how he’d mastermind a Ciara comeback and much more.
As ever, we ask the questions you really want answers to. And answer Kelly did. A great read, if we must say so ourselves! Enjoy.
Ever keen to spotlight fresh new talent, That Grape Juice introduces you to Gail Scott.
Signed in a joint venture between Universal Motown and Jeep Boys Ent, the 19 year old Bronx native is making quite the buzz behind the scenes. Indeed, one look and listen makes the reasoning for such attention immediately apparent. For, not only is the singer-songwriter stunning, she – most importantly – is immensely talented. A fact folk get a taste of on her sassy new teaser single ‘Jack N Jill’.
The hotter than hot cut was produced by Soundz (Rihanna, Ciara, Kelly Rowland) and is but a sample of what to expect from her debut album. Tentatively titled ‘Tuff’ (Scott’s nickname), the set is expected to arrive in stores later this year and boasts production from the likes of Tricky Stewart, Infinity, Soundz, Drumma Boy, among others. Put simply Ms. Scott is poised to make a splash. A big one at that.
Take a listen to ‘Jack N Jill’ below and let us know what you think…
[polldaddy poll=4724211]
—————————————-
For more on Gail Scott, check out her Official Youtube page. And be sure to follow her on Twitter
—————————————-
After an intense week of heated discussion and voting, the time has finally come for the winners of the 2010 That Grape Juice End of Year Awards to be announced! Chris Brown, Ciara and Fantasia dominated the winners’ list, taking top honors in 3 categories each.
However, the most surprising result of all emerged from the most popular poll, ‘Most Anticipated Comeback for 2011’. So who do most people want to see return to the charts next year? Check out the full list of winners below (in bold):
2010 is quickly winding down but the energy here are That Grape Juice is higher than ever! In our continued effort to bring you the latest exclusive information about your favourite artists, we caught up with none other than one of the industry’s hottest producers Kenneth ‘Soundz’ Coby.
Having worked a wide range of artists including Rihanna, Usher, Brandy and others, Soundz is quickly establishing himself as one of the game’s key power players. During our discussion the ‘Gimme Dat’ producer spoke openly about how he got started in the industry, his experiences working with Ciara as well as her followup to ‘Basic Instinct’ and his thoughts on Rihanna’s vocal ability.
Soundz even surprised us by giving us the title of Kelly’ Rowlands highly anticipated new single and answered the burning question of whether Beyonce actually writes her own songs. If there was ever an interview that you had to read then this is it!
Check out all the action below:
—————————————————–
Interviewer: Trent // Questions by: Trent // Edited by: Trent
—————————————————–
Jennifer Lopez made a guest appearance at the 60th Annual Sanremo Music Festival in Sanremo, Italy yesterday. Jenny from the block performed a medley of her biggest hits including ‘Jenny from the Block’, ‘Waiting for Tonight’, ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’, ‘Get Right’ and ‘Let’s Get Loud’. Lopez also did a rendition of ‘What Is Love’, a new song which is supposedly from her new album, ‘Love?’, which hits stores in April.
According to Hits Daily Double, UK boyband JLS are set to make a crack at US success after signing a lucrative deal with Jive Records – home to the likes of Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Ciara, and Usher. The 4-piece will release ‘Everybody In Love’ as their first Stateside offering on February 9th; a song which topped the UK charts for weeks upon its release last year. {Source}
In as much as it’s hard not to burst out laughing, I feel congratulations are definitely in order for the boys. For, regardless of my stance on them or their music, it is great to see another UK act being given the chance to make their mark on a world-class stage (Alexandra Burke is already signed in the US to Epic and will be debuting later this year). That said, if ever was a time an act had to step their game all the way up, it’d be now. Them cheesy dance moves and wack songs (this one aside, I’ve actually have kinda grown to like it) need to go with the swiftness, as the US will probably tear them a new one if they come with the nonsense they’ve been getting away with over here.
In any case, I will be watching how this unfolds intently.
For those unaware of JLS, check out the video to the JR Rotem produced ‘Everybody In Love’ below:
‘Thriller’, ‘Bad Romance’, ‘Get Your Freak On’ – each song provided one of the biggest hits in the careers of their associated acts. What were the defining factors that helped to catapult these singles to the top of the charts? The answer is simple: music videos.
Videos grant artists a unique opportunity to project their music into the visual arena, targeting larger audiences in the process. With grand cinematic designs and artwork, such clips have allowed some of music’s heavyweights to engage consumers through an entirely new channel and bring their music to life. In fact, acts including Madonna, Janet Jackson and, of course, Michael Jackson (MTV’s King of the Music Video), were sometimes able to ascend to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 fueled by the hype generated by their music videos alone.
However, in recent years, the epic design of such productions have begun to wane as a ramification of financial constraints. This has given rise to low budget releases called ‘recession specials’, characterised by poor editing, cheap graphics and cliche concepts. Even some of music’s biggest names have resorted to producing such clips of the most amateur design. Mariah Carey, for instance, released two of the worst videos of her career last year with ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ and ‘H.A.T.E.U.’.
Interestingly, artists generally fund their own videos with little label assistance, hence it is quite baffling why acts who clearly have the financial resources to afford better productions, put forward a continuous string of recession specials. In contrast, Lady GaGa, who debuted in 2008, has thus far created some of the best productions of the last ten years, spending large amounts of money to ensure that each venture is of the highest quality she can afford.
Coincidentally, big budgets are not needed to create grand productions. Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ was shot in front of a plain screen, focused almost solely on the dance routine without any other elements, yet became one of the “best videos of all time” according to Kanye West. The same can be noted with Ciara whose ‘Love Sex Magic’ video was one of 2009’s best. Conversely, Beyonce’s ability to manipulate a small budget did not channel into her other clips, which were all prime examples of the recession special.
In closing, it is becoming increasingly evident that few artists are willing to go the extra mile to create cinematic productions on the silver screen. As the economy continues to struggle and budgets continue to shrink, the recession special has taken centre stage. It seems that Michael Jackson’s vision of the “short film” is hanging on by a thread.
The 52nd annual Grammy Awards show will take place on January 31st 2010, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. You can check out the full list of nominations which were announced a few moments ago in a special telecast on CBS.
Beyonce and Taylor Swift lead the pack with Ms. Knowles-Carter receiving 10 nominations and Swift 8. Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, and Maxwell earned 6 nods, while Lady GaGa, David Guetta and Jay-Z scored 5 noms a piece. Whitney Houston, who was a strong favourite, received NO nominations (WTF!!!)
Update: My girl Kelly Rowland received a nomination! Go Kelly.
Album of the Year
Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce
Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Lady Gaga – The Fame
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Record of the Year
Beyoncé – “Halo”
Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”
Song of the Year
Beyoncé – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Bon Jovi – “We Weren’t Born to Follow”
The Fray – “Never Say Never”
Daryl Hall & John Oates – “Sara Smile”
MGMT – “Kids”
Best Rap Solo Performance
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Eminem – “Beautiful”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
Mos Def – “Casa Bey”
Best Rock Album
AC/DC – Black Ice
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – Live From Madison Square Garden
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
U2 – No Line on the Horizon
Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele – “Hometown Glory”
Beyoncé – “Halo”
Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold”
Pink – “Sober”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Legend – “This Time”
Maxwell – “Love You”
Jason Mraz – “Make It Mine”
Seal – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”
Stevie Wonder – “All About the Love Again”
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen – “Sea of Heartbreak”
Ciara & Justin Timberlake – “Love Sex Magic”
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – “Lucky”
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Taylor Swift & Colbie Caillat – “Breathe”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
The Fray – The Fray
Pink – Funhouse
Best Dance Recording
Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
David Guetta & Kelly Rowland – “When Love Takes Over”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Madonna – “Celebration”
Britney Spears – “Womanizer”
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Beyoncé – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
Melanie Fiona – “It Kills Me”
Lalah Hathaway – “That Was Then”
Ledisi – “Goin’ Thru Changes”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Anthony Hamilton – “The Point of It All”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Musiq Soulchild – “Sobeautiful”
Pleasure P – “Under”
Charlie Wilson – “There Goes My Baby”
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild – “Chocolate High”
Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige – “Ifuleave”
Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – “Higher Ground”
Calvin Richardson & Ann Nesby – “Love Has Finally Come at Last”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Beyoncé – “At Last”
Anthony Hamilton – “Soul Music”
Boney James & Quinn – “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”
Ann Nesby – “Sow Love”
Calvin Richardson – “Woman Gotta Have It”
Best R&B Song
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Beyoncé – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
Pleasure P – “Under”
Best R&B Album
Anthony Hamilton – The Point of It All
India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
Ledisi – Turn Me Loose
Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night
Charlie Wilson – Uncle Charlie
Best Contemporary R&B Album
Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce
Jamie Foxx – Intuition
Pleasure P – The Introduction of Marcus Cooper
Trey Songz – Ready
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz
Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
Beastie Boys & Nas – “Too Many Rappers”
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – “Crack a Bottle”
Fabolous & Jay-Z – “Money Goes, Honey Stay”
Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common – “Make Her Say”
Kanye West & Young Jeezy – “Amazing”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Beyoncé & Kanye West – “Ego”
Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – “Knock You Down”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”
The Lonely Island & T-Pain – “I’m On a Boat”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead and Gone”
Best Rap Song
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead and Gone”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)”
Jay-Z, Rihanna, & Kanye West – “Run This Town”
Best Rap Album
Common – Universal Mind Control
Eminem – Relapse
Flo Rida – R.O.O.T.S.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Q-Tip – The Renaissance
Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media
Miley Cyrus – “The Climb” (From Hannah Montana: The Movie)
Paramore – “Decode” (From Twilight)
A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaxmi Iyer & Vijay Prakash – “Jai Ho” (From Slumdog Millionaire)
Beyoncé – “Once in a Lifetime” (From Cadillac Records)
Bruce Springsteen – “The Wrestler” (From The Wrestler)
Click here to read the full list
The American Music Awards 2009 has just come off the air on ABC…and where do I begin?! With a performer-list which read like a who’s-who of the music industry, the show – which took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles – most definitely hit a home-run in terms of star power. Whether these translated into memorable performances is the question. Read on for That Grape Juice’s 2 pence on tonight’s events…
Kicking off the night with a bang was Janet Jackson, whose 8-minute retrospective medley showed she still has ‘it’. Lacking, however, was the ‘has it – and then some’, which IMO really is essential for Ms. Jackson at this stage of her career. By this I mean though Janet commanded the stage with her trademark vigour and undeniable stage presence, what she displayed was kind of ‘hit’ and ‘miss’ in terms of propelling her back to the status of ‘the best’ in the minds of the masses. She did the damn thing on ‘Miss You Much’ and straight snatched off many a wig with ‘If’ (the breakdown of which never gets old, even after 15 years). However, the rest, particularly ‘Make Me’ didn’t translate as well – with the latter’s choreography really not doing the song any justice. I can’t help but think the chosen songs weren’t as on-the-ball as they could have been. Where was ‘All For You’, ‘Rhythm Nation’, or even ‘Feedback’ (the masses last real memory of la Jan)? Yes, it’s not her fault if some of her moves haven’t aged as well as she has (she looked great, minus the outfit), yet the song choice was in her hands, and as much as I remain a stan fan, in being 100% with you all, she kinda didn’t deliver in the way I thought she would have. Still, I’m sure she’ll bring her A-Game for her new album performances next year. She’s still force, and I have every faith she’ll deliver. On a lighter note, Jermaine Jackson’s botched sing-along to ‘Together Again’ had to be one of the funniest moments of the entire night!
Speaking of funniest moments, Rihanna’s live showing of ‘Madhouse’ and ‘Hard’ certainly had me chuckling, not only because it was the exact same performance I saw her give this Monday here in London, but because it was that bad. When not standing there like a lazy loaf of bread, she moved so sluggishly across the stage, all the while sounding like crap. How folks manage to defend her criminal vocals are well and truly beyond me. Honestly.
Interestingly, a moment many seemed to find much humour in, yet I didn’t, was Jennifer Lopez’ fall during her debut performance of brand new single ‘Louboutins’. If you ask me, Ms. Jenny The Block, J.Lo or whatever she likes to call herself these days, delivered a pretty solid performance – one which actually had me feeling the song a bit more. More than anything, she recovered so well from her fall, that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was part of her choreography. She may not be any kind of vocalist, but she sure knows how to perform. It’s a shame folk will likely only dwell on the negative, when she had a killer stage set-up and danced her derriere off.
Another of the night’s other great performances was Lady GaGa’s premier showing of ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Speechless’, which though understated, still IMO pushed her further ahead of her contemporaries. Like the fire which lit her piano, GaGa performance was hot, hot, hot. Loved it.
I went to the toilet during the Eminem / 50 Cent performance.
More notable live showings were served up by Shakira and Mary J. Blige, who, if I am to be honest, weren’t at the top (or anywhere near) my most anticipated list prior to the show. However each brought their A-Game, which resulted in a pair of great performances respectively.
The Black Eyed Peas, for as much as I like them, just don’t offer me anything of substance live these days, so I phoned a friend when they came on…and got a bite to eat.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ rousing showing of ‘Empire State of Mind’ – despite essentially being the same performance, different show – strangely grabbed me more so than any of the other times I’ve seen them do it. I’m thinking it was Alicia’s soaring vocals on the anthem-esque hook that really got me this time. Speaking of Alicia, Ms. Keys had me fall in love with ‘Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart’ all over again with her performance. Though not the best mover and shaker, she was getting that choreography (anyone else notice the Ciara ‘Promise’ part?) and she took it church with her vocals (and backing arrangements). Phenomenal.
Highlight of the night, hands-down, goes to Whitney Houston who tore the house down with her emotional performance of ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’. The performance was everything – breakfast, lunch and dinner! Nippy’s vocals were the best they’ve been in years, with “The Voice” emanating from Whitney in ways many, myself at a time included, never thought they’d hear from her again. Yes, this was ‘Whitney 2009’, yet one who sits almost effortlessly beside Whitney of 1998 during her ‘My Love Is Your Love’ project. Putting to one side the media hype and hysteria, it legitimately felt like watching the crowning moment of one of the biggest comeback’s of all-time.
All in all, the American Music Awards 2009 delivered more than it didn’t. Great show.
Tidbit: Adam Lambert…c’mon son! LOL
Taylor winning over Michael Jackson?! Kanye caused that ish…
Home | About TGJ | The Splash | The Word | Advertise | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | DMCA
© 2024 ThatGrapeJuice.net. All Rights Reserved. A Member Of Townsquare Music
WEBSITE BY EDWR
