Lil' Kim - 'Respirator'After a year long spell in the slammer and having parted ways with longtime label Atlantic, Lil’ Kim has returned to the music scene with new single ‘Respirator’. I’m kinda on the fence about this one, the first release from her still untitled independent debut. For the most part I’m feeling it – the production is point etc-however her sliding in and out of the vocoder effect on the verses make for an awkward listening experience at times. Having really enjoyed her last LP, 2005’s ‘The Naked Truth’, I’m definitely keeping an open ear to see what she’ll be serving up with the next record.

Hit or Miss?

 

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Though it’s been a short while since we reported on Whitney Houston and Ray J attending the Calzaghe vs. Hopkins boxing match in Las Vegas last month, Ray J’s performance of The Star Spangled Banner at the event has only just surfaced. Check it out:

Terrible. Whoever gave him the ‘ok’ to do this obviously doesn’t care for him that much, as that was painful – just as expected. Ray J’s voice is distinctly average at best, so performing such a weighty song made no sense at all. Pitchy, strained and an overall mess. SMH…

What do you think of the performance?

Britney Working On New Album Following a tumultuous year and a half, Pop princess Britney Spears is back in the studio working on the follow-up to 2007’s ‘Black Out’ with producer JR Rotem and songwriter Sean Garrett. Check out the report via PEOPLE.com:

“She’s great,” Rotem told PEOPLE at the BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. “She’s like a master at what she does. She’s a lot more experienced than most people. She just has the ‘it’ factor that not every artist has. So it’s always nice to work with her.”

Although Rotem, who briefly dated Spears in 2007, would not reveal any details of the project, a Spears family source tells PEOPLE that the pop star is in the early stages of a follow-up to her last album Blackout, which was released last October.

“Britney is in the experimental stages of a new album,” says the source. “She’s trying to find the sound and direction she wants to go in, but nothing is set in stone just yet. She has been playing the piano a lot and just singing. She says she misses ‘just singing.'”

Producer Sean Garrett was mum on specifics but says that he and Spears, 26, have “a few things in the works.” At the BMI Pop Awards, Garrett told PEOPLE: “I’m just happy to see her back and recovering. She’s really shaping up and getting her whole situation back together. I’m really proud and happy to see her.”

Though recent media reports suggest she’s getting her life back together, I’m still, somewhat, pessimistic about her recording a new album so soon. The fact she wasn’t able to promote ‘Blackout’ essentially killed what was her best effort in years IMO. It would be unfortunate if the same occurred next go round. When she’s ready to resurface in terms of doing the media rounds, is when, I believe, she’ll be ready to release a new LP. Gone are the days when an artists name alone could sell an album; every last unit has to be hustled for.


Your thoughts?
Beyonce To Sing Bond Theme According to reports, Beyonce is being lined up to sing the signature number in the upcoming ‘James Bond: Quantum of Solace’ movie. Should the deal go through, the 26 year old will be collaborating with writer Amanda Ghost as well as legendary composer John Barry. Troubled singer Amy Winehouse, had at first, been the likely choice, however her many personal and legal woes made for all such plans to be abandoned a few weeks back. {Source}
This is most definitely a good look for Beyonce on her quest to cement her name with the all-time greats. By performing the film’s theme, she will be following in the shoes of music icons such as Tina Turner, Dame Shirley Bassey and Madonna.

Any thoughts?
Fantasia At Idol Finale Fantasia rocked this ‘interesting’ do at the finale of the current season of American Idol last night – which saw David Cook take home the coveted title of this year’s Idol.

What do you think of the pic?
Pretty Ricky - 'Cuddle Up (ft. Butta Creme)'The boys of Pretty Ricky are back, following the departure of lead member Pleasure last year. Having added singer 4Play to their line-up, the group are set to release their third studio album ’80’s Babies’ in early August; ‘Cuddle Up’ is the first single to be lifted from the LP. Granted the group’s fixation on the same subject matter (sex) is becoming rather tiresome, the song is a pretty good effort – particularly on the production front as well as the hook. Good stuff.

Hit or Miss?

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LL Cool J - 'Cry' (ft. Lil Mo) As Hip-Hop veteran LL Cool J preps his new album ‘Exit 13’ – his final LP for longtime label Def Jam – for its July 8th release, a cut from the set has surfaced. ‘Cry’, featuring R&B songstress Lil Mo, sees the rapper re-embrace the sound that made him such a prominent feature of the 90s music scene. Liking this one, I must say.

Hit or Miss?

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The video for Usher’s 2nd single ‘Moving Mountains’ premiered just a few hours ago. A continuation from the crooner’s ‘Love In This Club’ clip, the video is real impressive. Usher’s much anticipated LP ‘Here I Stand’ drops May 27th.

What do you think of the video?

R. Kelly's Trial Begins As some of you may already know, the child molestation trial of R&B crooner R. Kelly began this week; it didn’t take long for what will inevitably be a courthouse and media circus to commence. Check out the report via TMZ:

Could a skin doc end up saving R. Kelly’s hide? Looks like it, since his lawyers are basing pretty much his entire defense on one mole – the dark, irregularly-bordered kind.

The pisstastic singer’s trial finally began yesterday, and openings were just as lurid as the tape at its center. The defense claims that the guy in the video doesn’t have a mole, but Kelly does. Maybe the most shocking moment came when the defense claimed that the woman in the tape was a prostitute: “[The alleged victim is sweet and nice,” said Kelly’s lawyer. “The woman in this tape is a prostitute.”

Among other interesting sexual curiosities, the girl calls the man in the vid “daddy” and he apparently pays her at the end.

This one looks set to be pretty interesting. The trial is expected to last 2 weeks.

Your thoughts?
Beyonce Breaks Silence Jay-Z Marriage After more than a month of silence, Beyonce has spoken out about her much talked about marriage to long-time partner Jay-Z:

“I don’t deny it (the wedding). I just don’t talk about it. We’ve never talked about us and it’s kind of protected our relationship. I think it’s kept us out of tabloid drama. A lot of actresses that have had successful relationships don’t talk about them, so neither do I.”{Source}

Kudos to them for not allowing the media to infiltrate what they have.


Any thoughts?
Competition: Alicia Keys Tour Give-Away! - Week 3 WinnersThanks all those who entered the final week of our ‘Alicia Keys Tour Give-Away’.
The correct answer to the question:

What was the first film Alicia starred in?

c) Smoking Aces

The winners, who are listed below, win a pair of tickets each to their selected date (email confirmation has also been sent out):
* Tampa, Florida: Times Union Center – May 24th 2008 – Winner:
Raul Fernandez

* Atlanta, Georgia: Philips Arena – May 28th 2008 – Winner
Antonius McClendon

* Greensboro, North Carolina: Greensboro Coliseum – May 30th 2008 – Winner
Ashley Bracey
Congratulations to the winners! Remember to keep it locked on That Grape Juice for future competitions…

The full version of Solange’s ‘Sandcastle Disco’ from her forthcoming album ‘Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams’ has surfaced. Having really liked the snippet that was floating around not too long ago, I’m feeling the cut even more so after hearing in it’s entirety. Solange’s record really is shaping up to be something. ‘Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams’ drops August 26th via Geffen/Music World.

Hit or Miss?

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