After a lengthy wait, the video for Mya’s latest single ‘Ridin’ premiered on Yahoo Launch yesterday. Though the track itself is great, the same cannot be said for the video. Her label must be counting the pennies because the vid is extra cheap looking; and though not that bad, she’s been in the industry too long to be putting out cheapness like this. Still, with all the set-backs her ‘Liberation’ project has gone through, it’s just good too see that she is pressing forward with it. I’m hoping she does ok with this album, as it may just be curtains for her career if otherwise.

What do you think of the video?

R&B singer Keyshia Cole performed the US national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, at the NFL Opening Kickoff yesterday (September 6th). Though a bit ‘off’ in places, Keyshia gave a decent rendition. Not sure the choir was needed though (listens again…yes they were lol).

What do you think of Keyshia’s performance?

With all the hype surrounding the ‘Kanye vs 50 Cent’ showdown on September 11th, other releases on the date seem to have been overlooked – including the new CD from Bad Boy artists B5. The group, which consists of brothers Dustin, 19, Kelly, 18, Patrick, 16, Carnell, 15, and Bryan Breeding,13, are set to release their sophomore album ‘Don’t Talk, Just Listen’ on the much publicized date. Led by by single ‘Hydrolic’, the album features production from Bryan-Michael Cox, Adonis, The Underdogs, among others.
I’ve received quite a lot of emails about this, yet haven’t seen any promo ANYWHERE. I’m guessing Diddy is up to his usual antics of not promoting his artists. Here’s hoping the guys don’t fare too badly.

Will you be checking for B5?

Stars from both the fashion and music industries were out in full force yesterday for the 2007 Fashion Rocks concert. The event, which took place in New York City, saw performances from Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Usher and Jennifer Lopez. Visitors from the US can catch the show when it airs, tonight at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.

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What do you think of the pics?
R&B star Alicia Keys has been added to the list of performers at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The Grammy Award winning singer is slated to perform her new single ‘No One’ at the Las Vegas event. Keys joins previously announced performers 50 Cent, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Common, Nelly Furtado, Akon, Soulja Boy, T-Pain and Cee-Lo (of Gnarls Barkley). {Source}
Though Alicia always delivers with her performances, I can’t say I’m too hyped about this one. I like ‘No One’, but can’t help but feel she could have come a bit harder than she did with that track. Still, with the line-up kinda lacking any performers of real interest, Alicia is good addition.

Any thoughts?
With any news of Kelly Rowland’s project becoming scarcer by the day, it’s good to know things are moving ahead (albeit very slowly). It has been confirmed that Kelly’s video for ‘Ghetto’, due next week Monday (September 10th), will premiere on BET’s ‘making the video’ show, Access Granted – not 106 & Park as first reported. Be sure to keep it locked on That Grape Juice on Monday for the vid.

In the meanwhile, check out the vid (kinda low quality) for Kelly’s ESPN collabo with 50 Cent and Perry Farrell:

The song is a mess, but Kelly was getting it in the video. I doubt her album sales will pick up, so promo like this – and getting her name out there in general – is her best bet.

Your thoughts?

Many of you will probably remember Dawn Robinson as the lead singer from 90’s girl group EnVogue, as well as Lucy Pearl. It turns out she has fallen on hard times (both career wise and financially) since being ousted from both groups. Now married and hoping to make a comeback, Robinson has filmed a reality series with her singer husband, Dre, ‘Come Back & Come Up’. The show will document her attempts at relaunching her music career, as well as Dre’s experiences breaking into the industry. They have apparently approached BET and TV One about airing the show. Check out the trailer below:

This looks pretty interesting and makes a change to all the overplayed reality shows out at the moment. I’ve always had the impression that Dawn was the victim of her own ego, hence explaining why her career is in the pits. Still, I’m a fan of her undeniable talent and will definitely be tuning in whenever the show airs.

Your thoughts?

As some of you may already know, Usher married his controversial girlfriend Tameka Foster in a star-studded ceremony in Atlanta this past weekend. Attendees included Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Benny Medina. Usher’s mother, Jonetta Patton – who is reported to disapprove of the union – was not present; although she did attend the couple’s civil ceremony last month. Check out more pics of the wedding below:


Though Usher needs to fix up with the way he has been treating his fans as of late, I am kinda happy for him. Goldigger, b*tch or whatever, Tameka seems to be the ‘one’ he’s fallen for. So congratulations to them both.

What do you think of the pics?

The video for Jennifer Lopez’s new single ‘Do It Well’ debuted today on Yahoo Launch. Though directed by the critically acclaimed David LaChapelle (Christina’s ‘Dirrty’, Gwen’s ‘Rich Girl’ etc), the video doesn’t live up to either his or Jennifer’s past efforts. The main issue here is that the song and video concept don’t match…at all. As I type, I still don’t have the slightest idea what the vid was supposed to be about; it just seemed like she was randomly punching guys out. Also, I was expecting Jennifer to bring ‘it’ with the choreography, yet she didn’t deliver. A good song ruined by a sub-par video; she definitely dropped the ball with this one.

What do you think of the video?

Here at That Grape Juice, we like to keep our eye out for the latest music-related happenings. Today Apple unveiled a new line of iPod’s; the iPod Touch, iPod Classic and a revamped iPod Nano – all of which will be available for purchase at the end of this month. Check out details of each model below:

iPod Touch
* Touch Screen Interface
* 3.5 Inch Widescreen Display
* Video Playback
* Wi-Fi – enables Web Surfing, Video Streams (Youtube) etc
* Built In iTunes Music Store – allows for download of tracks ‘on-the go’
* Comes in two capacities – 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399)

iPod Classic
* Formerly known as ‘Ipod Video’
* Revamped Design and New Interface
* Longer Battery Life – 30 Hours Audio / 6 Hours Video
* Comes in two capacities – 80GB ($249) and 160GB ($349)

iPod Nano
* Revamped Design
* Video Playback
* Improved Battery Life – 24 Hour for Audio / 5 Hours for Video
* Comes in two capacities – 4GB ($149) and 8GB ($199)

Though I’ll probably end up buying one of these, I’m kinda disappointed. Having nearly reached the full capacity of my 30GB iPod Video, I was looking to upgrade to a something much better than a mere upgrade (iPod Classic). The iPod Touch is calling me lol, but the disk space is a joke (all those features and only 8GB/16GB to work with). Still, I’m sure they’ll sell well.

Will you be buying any of the new iPod’s?
With their September 11th chart battle rapidly approaching, both 50 Cent and Kanye West appear on the cover of October’s issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Some say it’s all a publicity stunt to allow better sales for both. Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that this has snowballed into what will undeniably be one of the biggest days on the music calender. So…

Whose album will you buy come September 11th: 50 or Kanye?
The cover for Jennifer Lopez’s forthcoming album ‘Brave’ has surfaced, courtesy of JLofan.com. Put simply, it’s a mess. I’m surprised she decided to go with this, as it looks like a real bad Photoshop attempt. The songs I’ve heard from the CD so far haven’t conveyed any particular theme of the album, so this cheap 80’s disco nonsense cannot be justified. Here’s hoping the music is better than the cover.

What do you think of the cover?
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