PEOPLE.com are reporting that Kanye West broke down on stage during a concert on Saturday. The rapper’s mother passed away just last week. Check out their report:

Only a week after his mother’s death, Kanye West returned to the concert stage Saturday night in Paris, only to dramatically break down in tears, audience members tell PEOPLE.

Nearing the end of the more than 60-minute performance, with the riff of “Hey Mama” beginning, West attempted to introduce the tribute to a sold-out crowd at Le Zénith in Paris, saying “this song is for my mother….” and could get no further.

“He just cracked,” one attendee tells PEOPLE, “He was at the end of his concert and had just started to dedicate the song and then he just lost it completely, crying onstage for five minutes.”

“He said the word, ‘Mother’ and just couldn’t go any further,” Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire said. “A back-up singer, the DJ and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn’t continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying while the band continued playing.”

After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire says, the audience of 5,000 reacted by offering calls of encouragement, which grew into applause.

Trying to recover onstage, West restarted the song but was unable to finish. He left the stage, returning after 10-15 minutes to conclude the concert with a rousing performance of “Stronger.”

“He was very nervous, seemed to have gathered himself up, and had a lot of energy,” Magloire says. “He kept shouting out to the audience, ‘I need you… I need you right now.’ and the public was screaming back. It was magic.

Though I feel its kinda soon for him to be performing, I think, reading this, I have a new-found respect for him. The funeral for Donda West will take place on November 20th in Oklahoma City.

Like myself, some of you must have been wondering where signer/songwriter Johnta Austin has been. When interviewing him a few months back (click here to read the interview), everything seemed to be in place for the Grammy award-winning talent’s emergence as an artist. For whatever reason, the project came to, somewhat, of a halt.

Now, however, things seem to be on the up for Johnta and his album ‘Ocean Drive’ is tentatively scheduled for an early 2008 release. The long-awaited set is to be preceded by new single, ‘The One That Got Away’. Produced by Stargate, the song has been floating around for a couple of months now and has a steady buzz building. What’s more, a video for the track has been booked and will be directed by Ray Kay. For those yet to have heard the single, check it out below.

With songstress Alicia Keys on course to storm the charts next with her new album ‘As I Am’ (selling in the region of 600k-625k), there’s no doubt that the singer is onto another smash.

So for those who ‘obtained’ (lol) / bought the CD, what do you think about it? Did it live up your expectations? Best/worst tracks? Drop a your views in the comments section 🙂

R&B star Chris Brown’s recent appearance on the Tyra Banks show aired earlier this week. The teen singer performed ‘Wall to Wall’ and was interviewed by the supermodel-turned talk show host. The performance and part of the interview can be viewed below:

Brandy hosted a baby shower for Omar Epps and wife Keisha (formerly of Total) at her home in Calabasas, California earlier this month. Other guests in attendance included Marlon Waynes with wife Angela, Jackie Long and close friend/ former Total member Pam. Keisha (pictured above, along with Brandy and Pam) is due to give birth to a baby boy in December.

Hmm..I wonder what went down…

In other R. Kelly news, some five or so years after being charged with 14 counts of child pornography, the singer is set to stand trial early next year.

Following her departure from Blackground Records earlier this year, R&B star Toni Braxton has been hard at work on her sixth studio album. Though currently untitled, the album is set for release early 2008. Most interestingly, the LP is slated to drop via J Records – reportedly Braxton’s new label. If true, it’ll be a homecoming of sorts for the ‘Unbreak My Heart’ singer, whose most successful years were when signed to Arista (now J Records). Bryan Michael Cox, Johnta Austin and Monica have all been tapped to work on the project. {Source}

Having really enjoyed Toni’s last album ‘Libra’, it’s great news to hear that she’s making new music. The ‘label did me wrong’ excuse is cited so often with artists these days, yet when you have a stellar album such as ‘Libra’ flopping, something had to be up. Here’s hoping she is successful with this new project.

Amy Winehouse’s tour manager has up and left the embattled ‘Rehab’ singer, claming that working for the star was harming his health. See the report below:

Troubled Amy Winehouse has been dealt another blow today after her tour manager quit amid drugs accusations.

Thom Stone walked out on the singer just a day after she had a meltdown during a gig in Birmingham, swearing at fans and falling over on stage.

Mr. Stone confirmed he had quit after it was said that he found working with Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil who is currently behind bars, was harming his health.

The last straw was when Amy, 24, and Blake were arrested with cannabis in Norway last month.

The Sun reported today that doctors found heroin in Mr. Stone’s system after he inhaled it passively on Amy’s tour bus.

The tour manager is said to have produced a doctor’s note which revealed traces of the class A drug in his blood.

“He insisted to the management team that the only way that could have happened would have been through inhaling it from Blake and Amy. Thom just had it up to here. It was a nightmare job,” the paper reported. {Source}

As much as I support Amy, there’s no denying the woman is out of her mind. Check out this vid of her allegedly taking ‘something’ on stage during her show in Zurich recently:

How and why she is still allowed to perform when it’s common knowledge she’s a crack head is beyond me. Someone needs to stop all this before it’s too late. SMH..