With several axed singles under her belt, it seems Mariah Carey and her team will attempt another assault on the charts with the 4th release from her ‘E=MC²’ LP – the ballad ‘I Stay In Love’. According to All Access, the song will go for adds on Top 40/Mainstream radio stations on October 21st. {Source}

Granted the song has grown on me a little since my initial listen, I’m not sure this will do much to save this sinking ship of an album. Never say never, I guess, though.

Undeterred by the series of push-backs her album ‘In A Perfect World’ has received, Keri Hilson continues to promote current single ‘Energy’ – more recently performing the song on Yahoo Music’s ‘Who’s Next’. Check it out :

We reported back in January that Christina Milian was set to sign with MySpace’s new label (in partnership with Interscope). The deal did indeed go through and the singer has confirmed to Billboard that her new album will be hitting stores at the top of 2009:

Her label debut is due next spring. The first single, “Us Against The World,” is a “cinematic power ballad” and will be available via the social networking site (MySpace) on October 6.

“I’ve been out of the game for one and a half years, and I think I’m long overdue for a comeback, so I’m treating this album like it’s my last chance to make an impression. I’m competing with myself and being very detailed,” the 26-year-old Cuban-American told Billboard. “Before, I had a label telling me what direction to go in. Now, it’s my choice, so I’m being very particular about it and I’m really excited.”

Kanye West is the sole guest artist so far, but Milian, who wrote most of the album, hints at potential collaborative surprises down the line.

Milian’s stint with Def Jam did not end well. She was dropped just a month after the release of her third studio album, 2006’s “So Amazin’,” allegedly because of poor sales. The set has shifted more than 163,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

But she views the MySpace deal as a chance for a fresh start. “I have a lot of support from my peers. I have lots of people that love me and want the best for me,” she said. “Sometimes things don’t work out the right way, but I know I work my butt off on my end. As long as you know you worked hard, you feel accomplished. Thankfully, I took the time off to check out what’s going on and now I’m back, and MySpace is allowing me to do tons of different things creatively.” {Source}

Ne-Yo recently released ‘She’s Got Her Own Things’ – the official remix of his current smash ‘Miss Independent’. Check out the clip for the song which features both Jamie Foxx and Fabolous:

R&B star Kelly Rowland took a break from recording her third solo album to attend the Just Cavalli fashion show in Milan this week. Say what you want about Kelly, but there’s no denying she looks stunning here. Stunning.

Lord knows I try not delve into my personal life too much, but I must share this with you guys…

After waking up randomly early this morning, I switched on the TV and left it on GMTV. Long story short, after falling asleep again, I wake up to the sound of Ms. Fenty’s sheep-like bleating on this performance of ‘Disturbia’. Not the best of starts to one’s day:

After a few technical hiccups, we are back doing what we do best…

Check out the official cover art and track-list for Christina Aguilera’s forthcoming greatest hits collection ‘Keeps Gettin’ Better – A Decade of Hits’ below:

That Grape Juice is currently upgrading our server, so you may notice a few changes during this period. Please bare with us, all should be completed within the next few hours.

Sam

Apologies for the slowish updates. Business as usual from here on out. A lot to look forward to this week….the Ashanti and Ne-Yo interviews (definitely) and much more.

Anyway, in an exclusive video blog for our affiliate site Rap-Up.com, hit-maker Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins reveals that Pop starlet Janet Jackson has officially severed ties with label Island Def Jam, after one album – this years’ ‘Discipline’. Check it out:

As reported, the season premiere of The Tyra Banks Show tackled the issue of skin bleaching. You can watch the full episode below (via World Star Hip-Hop). A very interesting watch, I must say:

It seems the ‘beef’ between Kanye West and 50 Cent, which culminated in Kanye’s ‘Graduation’ besting ‘The Massacre’ last September, has been reignited as both rappers prep new albums. Check out Kanye’s latest blog which takes jibes at the G-Unit general – who rubbished Ye’s latest single ‘Love Lockdown’ (click here to watch 50 ‘performing’ the song):

just woke up from a quick studio nap… I’ve been workin’ on 808s and Heartbreak about 16 hrs a day and Superman passed out for a little bit… I’m in hawaii but I’m still on NY time so I wake up mad early, do some business, blog, jog for an hour, play ball, eat and then hit the stu by noon. While approving the final cut for the Love Lockdown vid, I marvel at the fact that it was written less than 3 weeks ago. I’m very excited about the everything… I guarantee this will be 50’s favorite album of mine. This will be gangster’s album of the year. {Source}

There’s no doubt this is a ploy to drive sales for both projects. In any case, here’s to Kanye winning ‘Round 2’!

Your thoughts?