The video for Kelly Rowland’s latest single ‘Ghetto’ premiered on BET’s Access Granted just a few moments ago. I was hoping for something a bit more than what the vid had to offer, but it turned out pretty good nonetheless. Kelly was looking on-point and both she and Snoop had real good chemistry. I’m not so sure about some of the effects – they worked in places and didn’t in others. Still, I don’t have much to complain about… Jesus lives, Kelly finally has a new video out! Here’s hoping this reignites interest in the project in preparation for the ‘Ms. Kelly’ re-release.

Currently riding high on the charts with her smash hit ‘Let It Go’, Keyshia Cole also appears on the cover of the October issue of Essence Magazine. In the main feature, the singer speaks on her tough upbringing, relationships and being compared to Mary J. Blige. Check out her take on being compared to the ‘Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul:

ESSENCE: How do you feel about constantly being compared to Mary J. Blige?

COLE: I feel like we are very similar based on everything we’ve been through in our personal lives. It’s helped make us sing the way we sing. Because she didn’t have a vocal coach, and neither did I. And when I met her I told her, “You winning all those Grammy’s—congratulations—it gives me inspiration to this day that maybe I can do the same thing.” You know, it’s just a real big life circle. I think there are a lot of things that she could tell me that’d help me. I’m not trying to take nobody’s place or nothing like that. But I’m just saying, as a woman—as a young Black woman—if she knows some of the answers, Give ’em to me!” (Laughing.) But she said that I could call her anytime. I just haven’t done it yet.

Following the news early last month that Kelly Rowland will be re-releasing her ‘Ms. Kelly’ album, it has now been confirmed that this indeed is the case. A Columbia Records rep confirmed the news, saying: “We are planning to re-release the album later this fall”. Rowland has reportedly gone back into the studio to record new tracks for the beefed up CD. Producers Brian Michael Cox (‘Be Without You’, ‘Bad Habit’) and JR Rotem (S.O.S) are among those enlisted to craft potential hits for the former Destiny’s Child star. {Source}

I guess this explains why there hasn’t been much going on with the project as of late. If the the promo side of things is handled right this time, then I’m all for a re-release. Kelly deserves to shine and here’s hoping she does this time around.

This year’s VMA’s may have been a shambles, but it didn’t stop the stars from partying away after the show. Jermaine Dupri and Nelly hosted a joint post-VMA party at the TAO club in Las Vegas last night. Each were accompanied by their girlfriends, Janet Jackson and Ashanti. Other celebs in attendance included T.I. and Alicia Keys.

Be sure to keep it locked on That Grape Juice for the latest performances from tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, as and when they become available.

In the meanwhile..

In other Beyonce news, the 26 year old star made an interesting comment in a recent interview with Latina Magazine:

“I’m just jealous that I wasn’t born Latina. I wish I had been because the culture is so beautiful.”

Ok, so where was her publicist? I’m sure she meant to word what she said differently, but this foolishness cannot be justified. Already criticized by some for not being ‘ethnic’ enough, this is unlikely to help matters.

As Kelly Rowland’s new single ‘Ghetto’ (ft. Snoop Dogg) continues to gain momentum on Urban radio, pics from the video shoot have surfaced. The Andrew Gura directed vid is set to premiere tomorrow (September 10th) on BET’s Access Granted. Be sure to keep it locked on That Grape Juice for the goods tomorrow.

Speaking to Blender, Houston rapper Slim Thug – who has been pretty successful in the real estate market – explains his concept of ‘Flippin Houses’. Here’s what he had to say:

Do Research
“I hire a researcher to find me property, but you can look on the Internet or go to auctions. Then have an appraiser inspect the house. Hopefully you can find somebody who’s about to be in foreclosure and be like, ‘Can you sell me your house rather than having these people just take everything from you?’”

Do More Research
“With auctions, research the list that they publish in advance. Once I said, ‘Fuck it,’ and spent $7,000 for a house without seeing it. Turns out, there wasn’t even a house on the land! Also, run comps (comparable sales) on the Internet — a house is worth what the last house that was sold nearby it is worth.”

Fix Things Up
“After buying the house, redo the restroom, the kitchen, the wood floors — simple shit that makes the house look better. If it’s worth $100,000 and you bought it for $60,000, spend no more than $20,000. Hire a manager; he’ll oversee a crew.In Texas there are Mexicans on the corner who are ready to work.”

Close the Sale
“To sell the house, you can get a realtor or, preferably, just put a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign on your front lawn to avoid fees. When you’ve got a buyer, run a credit check on him. Then, as long as the bank can make the loan go through, it’s good. When you have the money, then you go and flip another one!”

Some of you may remember Teyana Taylor from an episode of MTV’s ‘Sweet Sixteen’. The Harlem native is hit-maker Pharrell Williams’ new protégé and is signed to his label Star Trak. A triple threat in her own right (she can sing, rap and dance), Teyana seems destined for big things. Below are extracts of her feature in the current issue of Trace Magazine where she speaks on how she taught Beyonce to dance, her alternate look and how she hooked up with Pharrell. Check it out:

On Teaching Beyonce:
Beyoncé even enlisted Teyana to teach her the dance for a segment in her “Ring The Alarm” video.

“She was mad focused and really wanted to learn,” recalls Teyana.

On Her Look:
“I always stood out as far as dressing,” she says. “I like to look different and people know me for that. My look is a mix of old-school hip-hop and skater.”

On Pharrell:
“I sang for the Senior Vice President of A&R at Universal, and he asked me the top five people I would really want to work with and my first three were Pharrell. It was crazy to meet him. I mean I love that dude and we connected,” Teyana recalls.

Pharrell couldn’t agree more, “I heard about how talented she was, and I wanted to meet her. I was impressed she could, sing, dance and rap, so we gave her a shot.”

Although she came across real bratty on the the show (which is the point of it, I guess), I was definitely feeling her whole ‘alternate’ vibe and the fact she’s bringing something different to the table. For more info on Teyana check out her Myspce: www.myspace.com/rockstarteyana

It appears Foxy Brown’s reckless behaviour has caught up with her. Brown, real name Inga Marchand has been sentenced to one year in prison for violation of probation. Check out TMZ’s report below:

Foxy Brown will spend the next year in jail for violating her probation — and she’s going straight back to a cell on Rikers Island, where she’s spent the last two weeks. TMZ was in the courtroom when it all went down, and Judge Melissa Jackson slammed Foxy’s pleas for mercy, calling her a “great actress,” and saying that if this were the first time she’d apologized, she might be believable, but not now. We’re told that Foxy was visibly distraught by the verdict, and her mother refused to talk to reporters outside. Foxy originally was sentenced to the probation after an assault on two employees at a nail salon in Manhattan.

Outside the courtroom, cops from New Jersey — where she allegedly lied to cops about her birthdate and state of residence — told TMZ that she got what she deserved. Interesting note: if she serves the full term, Foxy will give birth in prison.

Source

I can’t say she doesn’t deserve it. It’s just messed up that her baby will be born in jail because it’s mother is a nut.