As Ashanti preps her new album ‘The Declaration’ (due for an October release), this new song featuring Nelly – apparently the lead single – has surfaced. I’m kinda thrown by this one; she went in a different direction with ‘Switch’ and I give her props for doing so. The song is pretty catchy – I’m liking the swagger in her delivery and Nelly’s feature on the hook. Having said that, I see the single either growing on the listener or tanking – no middle ground. It’s not that the track is poor, it has more to do with the feeling that Ashanti should come with something harder than this as a first single.

Hit or Miss?

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R&B star Kelly Rowland stopped by Jimmy Kimmel with Eve to perform her current single ‘Like This’. She also performed her international smash ‘Dilemma’ which didn’t air in its entirety. Check of the performance:

Kelly must be feeding off her BET Awards energy because this is definitely one of her best performances of ‘Like This’ yet. Her stage presence and vocals have both been upped a notch. Having Eve there was great too – she amped up an already-hyped crowd even more. Great stuff.

This steamy shot of Ciara and 50 Cent, taken from the singer’s newest video ‘Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone’ isn’t likely to ease the rumors that the two are indeed an item. For months now, many have speculated as to whether or not the pair are dating, after they were spotted out together several times. Fueling the rumors further is the fact that they were seated next to each other at last night’s BET Awards. Personally, I’m not convinced; it seems like a ploy to generate interest in the single – which features 50. Still, I’m more anxious to see the video now…so I guess it worked.
What do you think of the pic?

The 2007 BET Awards took place tonight in LA. Performers included Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Ne-Yo and Jennifer Hudson. Check out the performance vids below:

Jennifer Hudson & Jennifer Holliday – ‘And I Am Telling You’

 

 

T.I. – Big Things Poppin’

 

Diddy (w/ Keyshia Cole & Lil’ Kim) – ‘Last Night’

 

Ne-Yo & Fabolous – Because of You/Make Me Better

 

Beyonce & Kelly Rowland – ‘Get Me Bodied’ / ‘Like This’

 

Ciara – Like A Boy / That’s Right

 

Robin Thicke – Lost Without You

 

50 Cent – Amusement Park

 

Eryka Badu – Diana Ross Tribute


Judging from some of these performances as well as viewer reports, this years show was definitely one of the better instalments of the annual event. Performance of the night, in my opinion, goes to Beyonce and Kelly Rowland’s joint showing. Everything about the performance was on-point; Beyonce nailed ‘Get Me Bodied’ and Kelly had her ‘coming out of the shadows’ moment by tearing down the stage with ‘Like This’ alongside Eve. Another notable performance was from Ciara, who did her thing with a medley of ‘Like A Boy’ and future single ‘That’s Right’. She has definitely upped her stage presence and live vocals too. I also really liked the Dreamgirls opening- which saw Jennifer Hudson perform ‘And I Am Telling You’ with the original Effie, Jennifer Holliday. It was a monumental moment seeing Jennifer Holliday finally get her moment to truly shine as Effie. On a side note, her facial expressions are still priceless lol. 50 Cent’s performance didn’t go…well just watch it lol. Overall it seemed like a great show.


What do you think of the show/performances?

The video for Kanye West’s latest single ‘Stronger’ debuted on TRL today. As with most things Kanye, the video is a kinda left-field and I’m liking it. Directed by Hype Williams, the big-budget video features many special effects – though they are, somewhat, hit and miss. Cassie plays the female interest in the vid too. ‘Stronger’ is the official first single from Kanye’s third album ‘Graduation’ (due August 21st) and was preceded by buzz single ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’.

What do you think of the video?

‘Tears Dry On Their Own’ is latest single to be lifted from Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album ‘Back to Black’. The track is one of my personal favourites from the album and I’m glad it was chosen as a single. Though this David LaChapelle directed video isn’t all that great, it’s still pretty decent and doesn’t take away from what is a great song

What do you think of the video?

It appears Eve isn’t wasting any time releasing singles from her upcoming album ‘Here I Am’ (due August 7th). As her current single ‘Tambourine’ climbs the charts, the rapper has already shot the video for the follow-up single ‘Give It To You’ – which features Sean Paul. Judging from these pics from the set, the video looks like its gonna be a good one. Be on the lookout for the video in the coming weeks.

What do you think of the pics?

Thanks all those who entered the Kelly Rowland ‘Ms. Kelly’ competition. The correct answer to the question:

What Was Destiny’s Child’s First #1 Single?
a) No, No, No
The single was the group’s first #1 on any chart – hitting the top spot on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart in 1998.

Competition Winners (chosen at random):
1) Nicholas Gallo – Chicago, Illinois
2) Alexander Kelly – Norfolk, England
3) Sherrin Perkins – Los Angeles, California
4) Anita Owusu Dors – London, England
5) Dwayne Mactavious – British Virgin Islands
Congratulations to all the winners (you have also been notified via email).

Keep it locked on That Grape Juice for upcoming competitions…

As Ja Rule preps his comeback album ‘The Mirror’ (due for release later this year), another track from the set has surfaced. ‘Uh Oh’ sees the INC rapper team up with Lil’ Wayne for what is a great collaboration. The production is really on-point, as well as Ja’s flow. Lil’ Wayne does his thing on the track too. I’m feeling alot of Ja’s new material and will definitely be on the lookout for his new CD.

 

Hit or Miss?

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With her Stateside promotional campaign in full swing, Kelly Rowland stopped by the Today Show this morning to perform her current single ‘Like This’. Judging from this performance, it seems the European performances were simply warm-ups because she delivered majorly. From the live band, to the improved choreography and the overall energy, this performance was on-point. I’m really anxious to see how she does tomorrow a the 2007 BET Awards.

What do you think of Kelly’s performance?

Chris Brown’s ‘Wall to Wall’ video debuted earlier on today. The song is the first single to be taken from Brown’s sophomore album ‘Exclusive’ (due August 28th). I really applaud him for thinking out of the box with this video – which has a Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ vibe to it. I was expecting the typical ‘club’ type of vid. Having said that, the video isn’t all that spectacular and the effects at times can become kinda jarring. Still, as usual, Chris came hard with the choreography and shows his competitors why he’s at the top of his game.

What do you think of the video?

R&B star LeToya Luckett is hard at work on the follow-up to her self-titled debut. According to our friends at Rap-Up.com, a November release date has been pencilled in for the currently-untitled disc, which will drop via Capitol Music Group. Most interesting, however, is the producer line up – which is set to include Dr Dre, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins and Babyface.
I’m really anticipating LeToya’s new CD; her first was, for me, one of last year’s best R&B offerings. The Darkchild production is definitely one of the things I’ll be checking for, as I’ve always wondered how she’d fare on one of his tracks. I’m hoping she gets the increased label support she deserves this time around, though. Capitol kinda dropped the ball after the release of ‘Torn’, with ‘She Don’t’ being a weak 2nd single choice. Still, with the last album being certified Platinum, the label are bound to know that they’re onto something with LeToya.

Are you anticipating LeToya’s new album?

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