Fresh off Tweet’s appearance on VH1’s Hip Honors event this past week, the singer’s new single has surfaced. ‘My Dear’ is the lead track from Tweet’s third album entitled ‘Love, Tweet’. The track was originally recorded by Ciara, but never released. I kinda have mixed feelings about this one; on the one hand, Tweet’s vocals (and it’s arrangement) flow effortlessly over the mid-tempo production – making for a pretty good track. However, T.I. verse serves no purpose and it feels as if he’s on the song just to sell it. What’s more, I can’t help but feel a little cheated that instead of hitting us with something really new, we get a Ciara re-hash. Still, it’s enough for me simply because this rare talent is back. Here’s hoping the album lives up to the standard of it’s predecessors.

Hit or Miss?

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VH1’s annual Hip Hop Honors show aired in the US yesterday (October 8th). Among those recognized for their contributions to Hip Hop was rapper/producer Missy Elliot. Tweet, Timbaland, Eve, Keyshia Cole and Ciara performed an awesome medley of Elliot’s hits. It kinda served as a reminder of what a great talent Missy is and how much she has pushed the boundaries in Urban music.

What do you think of the performance?

Rapper Trina appears in the latest issue of Ocean Drive magazine. Seems like photographer Billy Coleman went crazy with Photoshop in post-production; I know Trina has dropped a few pounds as of late, but come on now! Click here to read see more pics / read the full article.

In other news, February 12th 2008 has been set as the release date for Trina’s new album ‘Still The Baddest’ (IMO a much better title than it’s previous name: ‘Baddest Bitch 2’). The CD will drop via Slip-N-Slide/EMI and will be lead by the single ‘Single Again’.

What do you think of the pic(s)?

It has been confirmed that fan and critic favourite ‘Still In Love With My Ex’ will be the next single to be lifted from Kelly Rowland’s sophomore effort ‘Ms. Kelly’. The single will precede the forthcoming album re-release which her label have announced will hit stores ‘Early 2008’. Producers JR Rotem (‘All Eyez On Me’, ‘SOS’) and Danja (‘Gimme More’, ‘My Love’), as well as rapper Lil’ Wayne are slated to feature on the re-vamped set. {Source} (Thanks Yunstar!)
Someone over at her label must really be rooting for Kelly; despite poor sales, she’s getting a third single, tour and a re-release. Though, I’m not a big fan of ‘Still In Love With My Ex’, releasing it is the smartest thing done with this project so far. With it’s undeniable cross-over appeal, I really see this song being Kelly’s ‘Irreplaceable’.

Your thoughts?

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

With Jennifer Lopez’s new album ‘Brave’ seeing it’s US tomorrow (out now in Europe), the singer took time out from touring to hit up MTV’s TRL today to promote the CD. I’m actually anxious to see how the album does; reviews, so far, have been been pretty mixed and this album is seemingly make or break for her music career. A tidbit: she needs to admit the pregnancy already – she can only keep wearing those tent dresses for so long.

Your thoughts?

While R&B singer Mario is prepping the release of his third studio LP ‘Go!’ (due November 27th), yet another track from the serially delayed set has surfaced. ‘Skippin’, like much of the album’s material, sounds great. From Mario’s vocal delivery (he’s got that falsetto on lock) to Mad Scientist’s production, I’m really liking the track. I’m hoping for something to spark the project, as there doesn’t seem to be much (any) hype surrounding it; it would be a shame if the project was to tank, as it seems the album may be his best work yet.

 

Hit or Miss?

 

Link Removed As Requested
During a recent press conference to promote her new film ‘Why Did I Get Married’, Janet Jackson was quizzed on her forthcoming new album. Surprisingly, Jackson, 41, revealed that long-time collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are, as of now, not working on her Island Def Jam debut. She had the following to say:

Janet, are you finished with your next album? What direction are you taking?

Janet Jackson: “No, I’m working on it. It’ll be out probably first quarter of next year. I’m doing something, still being who I am, I’ll never shy from that. I’m working with a few people. I’m working with Ne-Yo, I’m working with Jermaine, working with Rodney Jerkins”

(Tyler Perry points at himself and everyone laughs)

Lamman Rucker: “They’ll be doing a duet together.”

Janet Jackson: “This is something different for me because normally it’s myself, Jimmy [Jam] and Terry [Lewis] and always writing music and myself writing the melodies. This is a bit of a departure from [that].”

So Jimmy and Terry are not involved?

Janet Jackson: “As of now, no.”

{Source}

I’m all for Janet working with fresh producers, but I don’t know if it’s a wise choice to drop Jimmy & Terry at this stage of her career. IMO, the duo have brought the ‘classic Janet’ element to her more recent efforts – which have seen her try and switch up her musical style. Time will tell if the change will work in her favor.


Your thoughts?
Since the release of Tweet’s last album ‘It’s Me Again’ back in 2005, news on the Southern Hummingbird has been pretty scarce. However, she made a surprise appearance at VH1’s Hip Hop Honors event last week to participate in a tribute performance to Missy Elliot.
What’s more, in an interview with VH1 following the event, Tweet – real name Charlene L. Keys – confirmed that her 3rd album will be dropping real soon and will be preceded by first single ‘My Dear’ – featuring rapper T.I.

Having really liked her last CD (it’s very underrated IMO), it’s great to hear that things are moving along nicely with the new project. I’ll definitely be checking for it whenever it drops.

Will you be checking for Tweet’s new album?

Newlyweds Usher and Tameka Foster are set to be the main feature in the latest issue of Essence magazine. E! got behind the scenes of the shoot and provided exclusive vids. Be sure to check out the vid below too, where Tameka is..well…not doing herself any favors.

I don’t get it. With all the media scrutiny, you’d think Usher would keep the relationship on a low(er) profile, yet instead they choose to flaunt it. Oh well…

Your thoughts?

Check out the making of Kanye West’s current single ‘Good Life’ (ft. T-Pain). Ironically, the directors of the vid, Jonas & François, are the same guys whose acceptance speech at the MTV Europe Music Awards last year was gatecrashed by a sore-losing Kanye. Anyway, the vid turned out pretty good. For those who haven’t seen it yet, click here to view.

Any thoughts?

After a lengthy hiatus from the music scene, British R&B singer Craig David has returned with new single ‘Hot Stuff’. Put simply, the song (which samples David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’) is so-so and the video is a complete mess. Considering he’s been away for so long, I was hoping for Craig to come with something with a little more substance than this, but obviously that didn’t end up happening. If this is any indication of what his forthcoming album ‘Trust Me’ (due November 12th) has to offer, maybe Craig should just call it a day.

What do you think of the song / video?

R&B singer Ginuwine recently filed a lawsuit regarding an allegedly fake recording contract, which he was ‘duped’ into signing. Check out the report below via MSNBC:

NEW YORK – Ginuwine says he was duped into signing a contract with a record company that doesn’t exist.

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court, the R&B singer says he was persuaded to sign on May 8, 2007, with King Music Group Inc., a company that a personal acquaintance, Michael Bourne of Memphis, Tenn., said he owned.

Terms of the contract gave Ginuwine, whose real name is Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, $1.75 million to record his first album with King, including a $500,000 advance, according to court papers. In nearly five months, the singer hasn’t made any records and hasn’t been paid a cent, the lawsuit said.

Some 10 years deep into the industry, you’d think he’d know better than to get caught up in nonsense like this. Then again, without a hit in years, he must have jumped at the first thing thrown his way. SMH.

Your thoughts?
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