R&B singer Brandy has broken her silence regarding the various ‘wrongful death’ lawsuits levelled against her. The complaints were made by the family members of a 38 year old woman -Awatef Aboudihaj- who died in a four-car collision on December 30th last year in LA – a collision they claim was caused by the singer. However, in court documents filed this Wednesday, Brandy, though remorseful, ‘specifically denies each and every allegation in the wrongful death complaints filed against her’. The ‘Boy Is Mine’ singer is requesting the case be brought before a jury to prove her innocence in the accident.
Prosecutors are unlikely to file criminal charges against the ‘Mosesha’ star, 28, seeing as there was no evidence of alcohol/substance use or cell distraction. Yet, this hasn’t stopped relatives of the deceased, including her parents and husband, filing ‘wrongful death’ claims (3 in total) – which, if they win, Brandy will have to financially compensate them.
It’s always unfortunate when someone dies under such circumstances, but damn give Brandy a break! I mean 3 lawsuits for what was clearly an accident is not right at all. You would think she did it intentionally – which isn’t even what’s being argued here- considering the way she’s been made out to be a villain . It appears that the family are using a tragic situation to capitalize on Brandy’s fame and fortune. I just hope she manages to overcome all this and is able to continue with her life.

Is Brandy Really to Blame?

Bajan singer Rihanna continues her European promo blitz, this time appearing on German TV show ‘Viva Live’. The pics above show a rock-inspired Rihanna arriving/performing on the show to support the release of her latest album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ (due June 4th in Europe and June 5th in the US). I’m not sure about this ‘new look’ of hers; she has nailed it, but it kinda comes across forced and contrived. I prefer the more demure looking Rihanna of the not-so-distant past. Anyway, check out her performance of hit single ‘Umbrella’ on the show:

What do you think of the pics /performance?

Chris Brown Lands Major Acting Roles
After a brief stint in teen drama The OC and a role in dance movie ‘Stomp The Yard’ , Chris Brown is taking his burgeoning acting career to new heights. The teen R&B singer is reportedly set to star in ‘Shrek The 4th’ as a Gingerbread pimp – which is apparently a major role. The film is rumored to hit screens in 2010. Before then, Brown, 18, will star in basketball movie ‘Phenom’. The storyline of of the film sees Brown’s character – a high-school basketball player- take on his father’s team in the NBA playoffs. More power to him.

The Baddest B*tch Is Back

After a brief hiatus, Trina is prepping the release of the follow-up to her 2005 album ‘Glamorest Life’. Set to hit stores in August, the rapper’s latest offering has been titled ‘Baddest B*tch II’. Speaking on the new album – the sequel to her 2000 debut ‘Da Baddest B*tch – Trina told Billboard ‘I put 150 percent into this album. I’m stepping my game up like 10 notches..I have a thousand different emotions and feelings and I show it all in this project. I didn’t want to be sad, just happy and high spirited, so people can see Trina really grew up’. Producers on the CD are set to include Scott Storch, Cool and Dre, and Red Spyder. ‘Baddest B*tch II’ will drop August 14th via Slip-N-Slide/EMI.

Considering the fact that I really enjoyed Trina’s last CD, I’ll be checking for this one. I’m hoping she doesn’t exploit her relationship with Lil’ Wayne, as I didn’t care much when they were together and still don’t now. It seems that’s the route she’s going down – the scheduled first single is called ‘I’m Single Again’….

Mariah & Bone Thugs Set To Film New Video

Fresh from the success of their single ‘I Tried’- which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100- Bone Thugs N’ Harmony are set to film the video for their next single ‘Lil L.O.V.E’ along with Mariah Carey. The shooting is to take place in New York City on June 4th & 5th.

I’m pleased they decided to go with ‘Lil L.O.V.E’ as the 2nd single from their ‘Stength & Loyalty’ album. The track is hot and real radio-friendly too. I’m anxious to see Mariah in the video, as it’s been some time since the multi-octave beauty has been in the limelight.

Prior to hearing this new track, I had been wondering where Cherish have been for sometime now. After their hit ‘Do It To It’ blew up the charts and clubs alike, they seemingly disappeared into music obscurity – with their follow-up single ‘Unappreciated’ tanking. However, it has been reported that the girls are working on their sophomore CD and this new track ‘Keep It Fresh’ will apparently be featured on the set. I’m definitely liking this one; it’s a cool summer uptempo jam. The production and vocal arrangements remind me of an urban nursery rhyme – in a good way. I’m waiting on that 2nd album, as the first – which was certified Gold- was pretty decent and this track is great.

What do you think: Hit or Miss?

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A couple of weeks ago, both Kelly Rowland and Mya gave performances at the ‘Fashion Cares 2007’ event in Canada. Check out the videos:

Kelly Rowland Performing Dilemma

I liked this performance; it seems Kelly has improved on her live vocals. The Patti Labelle ‘Love, Need and Want You’tie-in (the song Dilemma samples) was a nice touch. Although, it didn’t help that the crowd was almost completely dead. {LOL at the mess dressed in white..’Watch It’}

Mya Performing ‘I Am’

Watching this performance made me realise how much I actually like the song – why isn’t this a single? Anyway, the performance was pretty good. Mya’s vocals were on-point and the song works well live. As was with Kelly, the lack of crowd response slightly took away from the overall performance. I don’t understand why people go to these shows to sit silent and unresponsive.

What did you think of Kelly & Mya’s performances?

Rapper 50 Cent covers the July issue of VIBE magazine. Upon first seeing the cover, I thought it was a joke – but it really is genuine. If Mary J Blige thought her cover was bad, she hasn’t seen this yet. 50 looks constipated…not a good look. The issue hits newstands in the next few weeks.

Fresh from a recent promotional stint in Europe, Amerie performed in Korea this week. The ‘One Thing’ singer- who is half Korean herself – performed her current single ‘Take Control’ on the M Countdown show and did a great job. It’s only recently that I realised how good a live performer she actually is. For the most part, the choreography was really on-point.

What do you think of the performance?

Bad news for those holding out for the return of The Fugees. Former member Pras has gone on record to state that the status of his reunion with fellow members Lauryn Hill and Wyclef is “Straight dead”. Speaking to SOHH, Pras explains “You know, unfortunately Miss Hill, she got some things she needs to deal with. I wish her the best, but life goes on.” The critically acclaimed trio were scheduled to release an album last year marking 10 years since the release of their classic LP ‘The Score’; a single, ‘Take It Eazy’ was even released in late 2005. Currently each member is focusing on their own projects; including Pras’ new album/movie project and Lauryn Hill’s upcoming overseas tour.
Whatever the case, I say they should hurry up and get it together. Look at how many 90’s groups try to reunite after so many years away – only to find that no one cares anymore.

You holding out for The Fugees reunion?

In a week that has seen many new video debuts, Kanye West adds this video for his latest single ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’ to the mix. I got word that this isn’t the official first single from West’s upcoming third album ‘Graduation’ – it’s a street/buzz single. The video is very reflective of this; it’s pretty underwhelming for a ‘first single’. Can’t say I’m feeling the song much more either. I’m hoping that Kanye comes better than this with the singles/video’s from the CD. ‘Graduation’ hits stores September 18th.

Hit or Miss?
Rapper 50 Cent has announced that his new album ‘Curtis’ has been pushed back from June 26th to September 4th. Citing his International following as the reason for the delay, the G-Unit leader said ‘I’m an international artist…my fans worldwide deserve to receive my album at the same time as my fans here in the U.S. Taking that into consideration moving the album to September was a necessary course of action.’
This news isn’t all that surprising to me; the lead single from the album ‘Amusement Park’ has been lukewarmly received and the hype surrounding the project is noticeably less than that of his previous albums. I don’t buy the ‘International market’ excuse; he is ’50 Cent’ – meaning he is a big enough artist to drop an album worldwide at anytime.

Will you be picking up ‘Curtis’?
After numerous set-backs, including being struck with deafness, Foxy Brown has finally set a release date for her anticipated ‘Black Roses’ album. The controversial rapper revealed to Billboard that ‘Black Roses’ – her first album in 6 years – will hit stores on September 4th via her new label of the same name. Regarding the album, Foxy said ‘No disrespect to anyone, but gear up baby, because when I come, it’s over…this album is going to be a lyrical testimony of everything I’ve gone through and survived the last couple of years. It’s just incredible.’ Planned collaborations on the album are set to include Jay-Z, Baby Cham and Spragga Benz.
It’s refreshing to hear news regarding Foxy’s music and not a run-in with the law. With Eve doing her thing now as well, it seems female Hip-Hop is experiencing a revival. Lil’ Kim should follow suit and hurry-up with her post-prison album too.

Do you care for Foxy’s return?

The video for Eve’s new single ‘Tambourine’ debuted last night on BET and Launch. I’m loving the video already; it’s a straight concept video and Eve is looking ON-POINT throughout. The video was directed by Melina – who directed many of Beyonce’s new videos from the B’Day re-release. She definitely did a better job with this E-V-E vid. The single is taken from Eve’s upcoming album ‘Here I Am’ (due later this year).

What do think of the ‘Tambourine’ video?

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