Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am spoke with Billboard recently about the group’s forthcoming album. Titled ‘The E.N.D’, the recording sessions for the LP will wrap right here in London next week. Check out what Will had to say of the album:
The album title is not an indication that it’s intended to be the hip-hop outfit’s final record. “No, no — it stands for ‘The Energy Never Dies,'” explains will.i.am.
Asked about the group’s future relationship with the Universal Music label, will.i.am said, “It all depends on how they evolve, it’s up to them to define what they’re going to be in the future.”
“We still have a contract with them,” says will.i.am, adding that the number of albums left to deliver was “not that many.”
“They want it to come out soon but I don’t know if that’s the right thing,” he added, when asked about the label’s plans for the record.
Irrespective the explanation of the album title, I’m getting ‘this is our last record’ vibes. With this being their first LP since Fergie blew up, it’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out.
Yes, this is the 100th performance of Jennifer Hudson’s ‘Spotlight’ already, but still worth a post. The Oscar stopped by Dancing With The Stars this week to perform the track, which received the ‘uptempo-ish’ treatment. Great performance.
Today sees the debut of former Mis-Teeq vixen Alesha Dixon’s new video ‘The Boy Does Nothing’. After being a little ‘on the fence’ about the UK star’s single itself, I must say I’m liking the video a lot. Good stuff.
Alesha’s album ‘The Alesha Show’ hits stores in the UK on November 17th.
As Toni Braxton continues to shine on the current season of Dancing With The Stars, the mother of two has shed light on her forthcoming Atlantic Records debut.
The set which is due in stores at the top of 2009, will be preceded by a single which Braxton confirmed will be hitting airwaves next month. Most interestingly, the cut is produced by none other than Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins.
It’s great to see Toni looking ahead of Dancing With The Stars; keeping the momentum going with her new project. Definitely looking forward to this one. {Source}
As well as premiering the video for his ‘unique’ new single ‘Love Lockdown’ on Ellen earlier this week, the Chi-Town rapper also performed the song on the show, which you can watch above.
Pretty good performance, aside from some of that ear-piercing screaming at the tail end lol. Definitely liking the track a lot more, though.
There is no doubt today has been all about the return of a certain Ms. Beyonce. With her eagerly awaited dual singles ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ having made their debuts today, more Beyonce goodies have hit the net.
* Her 3rd studio album, which is due for release on November 18th, is titled ‘I Am’, she confirmed to MTV. The record will feature 10 tracks. {Source}
* She also appears in the latest issue of Essence magazine, for the first time opening up about her marriage to rapper Jay-Z as well as being protective of her private life. Check out quotes from her feature, which hits newsstands on October 12th below:
On her wedding to Jay-Z
Beyoncé tells the magazine that the wedding was very small and intimate, because she’s not a “traditional” woman and having it be “her day” wasn’t something she needed. Being a star and walking the red carpet has diminished the need for that over the years. “It’s been my day so many days already,” she told the magazine.
She didn’t want an engagement ring because “people put too much emphasis on that. It’s just material, and it’s just silly to me,” she said.
Instead of just getting wedding rings, the couple also got matching tattoos of the Roman numeral four on their ring fingers, so if they take off the bands for work or to go swimming, a mark of some form is still there. (The number four is special to the couple because her birthday is September 4, his birthday is December 4, and their wedding anniversary is April 4.)
On Why She Is So Private:
“I feel that, especially now, with the Internet and paparazzi and camera phones, it’s so difficult to maintain mystery,” she told the magazine. “And that’s so important. Even in a relationship, I feel like not being that accessible is really important. If you think about Prince or Michael Jackson, or any superstars, you couldn’t see them when they got off their planes or when they got out of the pool and didn’t comb their hair. It’s great that people see we’re not perfect. But it’s almost impossible to have superstars now, because people will never get enough. And it’s not even about my music. It’s about all the things that people imagine about me in their minds. But I can’t satisfy everyone. I know that Jay and I probably do inspire people. And I appreciate people feeling proud. But this is the only way I’ve been able to stay sane, so why would I start talking now?
“[Not speaking] controls your brand,” she continued. “It controls what you want to put out there and kind of forces people to talk about what you want them to talk about.”
But then Beyoncé lets it slip that it was a joint decision with her husband to keep quiet. “We decide everything,” she told the magazine. “My word is my word. What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real.”
Interesting. After more than 10 years on the scene, nearly half of which has been spent being the ‘superstar’ we know today, it’s great to finally see the ‘real’ Beyonce let down her guard and open up a bit. All indications point to her album being a lot more personal this go round.
* Peep this behind the scenes look at the creation of Bey’s new album, as well as a sneak peek at the videos for ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ – both of which were directed by Jake Nava.
Both videos are set to premiere within the coming weeks. Definitely anticipating these – especially that of ‘Single Ladies’. Looks great.
It’s not often you see Jasmine Sullivan around these sides; that will be changing from here on out. The talent R&B singer debuted the video for the latest single ‘Bust Your Windows’ this week – and I must say I’m liking it a lot. Matter of fact, I’m really liking Jazmine’s whole ‘Fearless’ project (in stores now). Keep your eye out for Jazmine, as you’ll be seeing and hearing alot more from this burgeoning star on That Grape Juice.
It seems Beyonce fans, haters and all that fall in-between are in for a treat today as the second of her dual releases ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ premiered just moments ago.
Put simply, ‘Get Me Bodied’ to the 100th power. Loving this one…
One of Beyonce’s highly anticipated dual single releases had it’s world premiere on US radio just now. Produced by Toby Gad (who was produced Fergie’s ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’), the track sees Beyonce embraces a similar Pop sound to that of her worldwide smash ‘Irreplaceable’ (Sidenote: different sounding tracks, same genre). As to my thoughts on the track, I’m liking it – though it’s not really what I expected. I’m assuming the second of her dual releases, ‘Single Ladies’, will be targeted more at the Urban audience. Beyonce’s still untitled third studio album hits stores November 18th.
No doubt this one will get tongues wagging. So what are you waiting for….LOL…
Those of you who caught the season ‘finale’ of Making The Band 4 will have seen that in a dramatic climax, Diddy kicked out one member from the group. Check out the extract of an episode summary courtesy of the best Danity Kane fansite on the net – DanityKane.nu below:
When they arrive back in New York City, they head over to Bad Boy Records to meet with Diddy. Things start to heat up as Diddy talks to the girls about the future of Danity Kane. The girls lay it out all on the table and speak about their untrustworthy relations with each other. The group comes to a crossroad with their careers, and Diddy discusses that the “reality of the situation has changed with the vision.” Danity Kane had four great years, a number one album with MTV nominations. Diddy’s proudest moment was watching them perform on tour, but he is uncertain whether or not he should invest millions into this group if they can’t work together.
During their group meeting, Aubrey gives Diddy lip and he decides to kick her out of Danity Kane.
As much as much this seems like a ploy for ratings (especially with there now being a ‘live finale’ of Making The Band all of a sudden scheduled for next Tuesday), there is a very real undertone to all the theatrics. Something clearly hasn’t been right in the group for while now and it’s all come to a head on the show. Next week’s finale will be real interesting.
In the meanwhile, what are your thoughts on the ‘DK Drama’? Is a Danity Kane without Aubrey the way to go? Drop you thoughts in the comments section…
Keyshia Cole announced earlier this year that she had pencilled in an end of year release for her third studio album, which comes just a year after the release of her last ‘Just Like You’. With the album, titled ‘A Different Me’, now slated for a December release, it comes as little surprise that we’re starting to hear what Keyshia will be serving up.
This new track, ‘Playa Cardz Right’, was initially featured on 2Pac’s 2006 collabo LP, yet is being given the single treatment for Keyshia’s release. Though a decent cut, I’m hoping it turns out to be little more than a buzz track – for Keyshia’s sake. With the likes of Beyonce, Ciara and Kanye release their latest efforts in the same window as her, there’s a strong likelihood Keyshia’s record could go largely unnoticed – especially with a lead track like this.
Ciara’s video for brand new single ‘Go Girl (ft. T-Pain)’ premiered literally moments ago. Can you say VIDEO OF THE YEAR?! The Melina directed, Jamaica choreographed clip is off the charts – simply amazing. Ms. Harris really has thrown the gauntlet down to her industry contemporaries with this one. Awesome video.
Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am spoke with Billboard recently about the group’s forthcoming album. Titled ‘The E.N.D’, the recording sessions for the LP will wrap right here in London next week. Check out what Will had to say of the album:
