You can now preview Mariah Carey’s hotly anticpated new album ‘E=MC²’ in its entierity over at Amazon. Judging by the clips, the record seems to have a few sure-fire hits. Of the tracks we’ve yet to hear, I’m really feeling ‘Cruise Control’, ‘I’ll Be Loving You Longtime’ and ‘For The Record’.

That Grape Juice, once again, wants to see what you guys are listening to. Which 5 tracks have you got on constant rotation at the moment? Remember, it doesn’t have to be limited to R&B or Hip-Hop; could be something new, throwback, even something you made yourself lol. Drop a comment in the comments section. Mine are – in no particular order:

Troubled singer Bobby Brown is set to release his autobiography next month. Expectedly, his controversial marriage to ex-wife Whitney Houston is a topic the former New Edition star doesn’t shy away from. Check out extracts via The New York Post below:

“I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice,” Brown writes in “Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But,” out next month. “At one point in my life, I used drugs uncontrollably. I was using everything I could get my hands on, from cocaine to heroin, weed and cooked cocaine.”

As far as his 15-year marriage to Houston is concerned, it “was doomed from the very beginning. Within the first year we separated, with several more to follow,” Brown writes. “I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married . . . I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children.”

Whitney, he alleges, had been under “a lot of pressure. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image . . . In Whitney’s situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not. In the short, I think I got caught up in the politics and ended up marrying one of the biggest stars in the world.”

But Brown notes that he was no saint in their relationship, confessing in his book, “I am guilty of sleeping with other women . . . Women are always throwing themselves at you. I’m only human, so I would make the mistake and bite the hook sometimes . . . I let the testosterone take over.”

One of his most public indiscretions was an affair with former exotic dancer Karrine “Superhead” Steffans. “Yes, I’ve slept with her,” he confesses. “Yes, I’ve spent several nights at her house. But she was only good for what her nickname stood for.”

Reps for Houston, who divorced Brown a year ago, did not return our call for comment.

SMH at him attempting portray himself as the innocent party – for the most part. The way I see it, they were a mismatched pair to begin with. It really says a lot about his current predicament, if he has to resort to pimping details of his former marriage for money, instead of…(shock horror)…actually working. Random tidbit: LMAO at the Superhead comment!

Check out this preview of Madonna’s chart smash ‘A Minutes To Save The World’ (ft. Justin Timberlake):

I can’t even deny it, Madonna is bringing ‘IT’! The vid, which should be premiering in full any day now, looks great. I’m just here cracking up at the fact a 49 year Madonna is up there whining and whatnot – looking good doing it too! LOL..

Check out this preview of Madonna’s chart smash ‘A Minutes To Save The World’ (ft. Justin Timberlake):

I can’t even deny it, Madonna is bringing ‘IT’! The vid, which should be premiering in full any day now, looks great. I’m just here cracking up at the fact a 49 year Madonna is up there whining and whatnot – looking good doing it too! LOL..

According to The New York Times, Jay-Z is set to leave current label Def Jam to sign a deal with concert promoter Live Nation for a whopping $150 Million. The package deal would see Live Nation finance the mogul’s own entertainment venture, as well as future recording and tours for the next 10 years.

The venture, which will reportedly be called Roc Nation, will split profits with Live Nation. Jay will release a minimum of three albums during the deal’s decade long duration – receiving a $10 million advance per album.

Jay’s deal, which is expected to be finalized sometime this week, would be the most expensive (and expansive) agreement the concert promoter have secured thus far. Within the last 6 months, Live Nation have signed both Madonna and rockers U2 to similar ‘360’ deals for $120 Million a piece.

This news comes on the heels of Jay’s standing down as President of Def Jam last December, following the breakdown of negotiations for a more lucrative deal. Jay’s final Def Jam release is slated to drop before the end of the year.

I’m not sure about this. Not hating or anything, but I keep asking myself: is 2008 Jay-Z really worth that much? The moderate sales of his last couple of releases (in comparison to his past LP’s) kinda suggest he’s not. What’s more, these increasingly popular ‘360 deals’ seem kinda risque to me. One only has to look at the amount of artists, who at some point in their careers, have been unhappy with their label; so I can only imagine the drama that would ensue should one of these type of deals turn sour – as the artist would have signed over literally everything – music, tours, merchandising…the lot. Saying that, I can’t knock Jay’s hustle.

Noted photographer Derek Blanks previewed his upcoming book recently, which includes a shoot of celebrities and their ‘alter egos’. Check out shots of Ciara (above), as well as Amerie, Kym Porter and Monica. I’m liking both the pics and their concept a lot.

* I’m sure many of you have been wondering about our interview with Chris Brown. Yes, I did receive all of your emails, however I wanted to wait until I was fully aware of the situation at hand before informing you guys.

As planned Chris arrived here in London to play shows at the indig02 a few weeks back, however he was added to line-up for the BBC 1Xtra Live festival in Coventry at the last minute – meaning more rehearsal time. As a result pretty much all of his allocated press time was cut – which unfortunately included ours. The long and short of the situation is that the interview has been postponed. I stress the word ‘postponed’, as my contact at Sony BMG UK (Chris’ label here) has kindly confirmed that a new date for the interview has been set for the latter part of May. Annoying as this is, it literally is ‘one of those things’. Often, bridging the site with the industry can prove rather unpredictable – both in good and not so good ways – the latter of which I’m learning the hard way about at present. Not to worry though, do rest assured that the interview is definitely still on and your submitted questions have been considered for shortlisting. You can submit them, if you haven’t already, by clicking here

* In regard to the Trina interview, it will be posted in audio form tomorrow (with written at a later date). Much of the delay has been due to the fact that it’s so long (45 minutes to be exact). Saying that, it’s definitely one that both fans and non-fans can not miss!

* Chingy interview will be up soon also. Bare with me 🙂

* The Michelle Williams interview is scheduled for sometime next week or so. Click here to submit your questions

* There *may* be a couple of new positions available here at That Grape Juice in the near future. I say ‘may’, as I’m not simply looking to rehash roles that I see some of the other great blogs doing (and others copying), but something ‘different’. I have a few ideas swirling around my head at the moment, however do feel free to drop me an email with your suggestions or simply to register your interest in joining the That Grape Juice team.

Thus far this week, it appears as if new Michelle Williams material has been surfacing on the daily. I can’t complain though, as much of what has been seen/heard is very promising. Set to feature on the soundtrack for the much-anticipated ‘Sex & The City’ movie, ‘Until The End Of The World’ is an uptempo Synth-Pop cut that is very much in the same vain as the sound Michelle has been channeling on her records as of late. I’m really feeling this one, especially the bridge. She really is carving out a great niche for herself musically that should still appeal to the masses.

I must give kudos to Michelle’s team this go-round; from the debut of her single on People.com, to the placement on the soundtrack for such a high-profile movie to…everything. As a result there seems to be a serious buzz about Michelle’s project. She really does seem destined for much deserved solo success.

Rapper Lil’ Wayne features on the cover of the May 2008 issue of VIBE magazine. The Cash Money star talks to the magazine about his controversial lifestyle – including his obsession with making music, to his admitted addiction to prescription cough syrup as well as his recent run-ins with the law.

The issue is available on newsstands now. Wayne’s much-anticipated ‘Tha Carter III’ album hits stores May 13th.

With R&B songstress Ashanti set to release her 4th album ‘The Declaration’ on June 3rd via Universal/Motown, new promotional shots for the set have surfaced. She looks ‘F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S. {Spotted at Concreteloop}