I’m kinda surprised Marques Houston actually managed to release a third single from his ridiculously titled album ‘Veteran’ (his last hit was…?) – especially since the CD’s first two singles tanked. However, the Ne-Yo penned ‘Wonderful’ is a great single choice, seeing as it’s one of the few standout tracks from the album. The video isn’t bad either; I’m really liking the choreography -although it’s all becoming a bit ‘samey’ with Marques nowadays. To be honest, I can’t see the song/video doing anything to rescue the album (which disappeared from the charts almost as quickly as it debuted); however it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

What do you think of the video?

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of rapper Remy Ma in connection with a shooting in Manhattan during the early hours of this morning. The shooting is alleged to have occurred during a dispute over $2000 – money Remy claimed was stolen from her by the victim. According to reports, the former ‘Terror Squad’ member fled the scene in a dark blue Cadillac Escalade, which she crashed a few blocks away -opting, then, to flee by foot. The 23 year old female victim – who was shot twice in the torso – is said to be in a stable condition and recovering in hospital. {Click here to read the full story}

UPDATE: Remy surrendered herself to police yesterday (July 14th). She has been formally charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Click here to read the latest update.

Your thoughts?

Wyclef – Sweetest Girl (ft. Akon, Lil’ Wayne & Nia)

17 year old Lil’ Mama got me -as well as everyone else – with her inescapable debut hit ‘Lip Gloss’ and the New Yorker is set to continue her rise with ‘Make It Hot. Though not as instantly likable as ‘Lip Gloss’, the production on the track is on-point, as is Lil Mama’s flow. Aside from the slighly annoying singing parts, the track is great. Her album ‘The Voice of The Young People’ is set to hit stores later this year.

LISTEN: Make It Hot

Usher has released an open letter to his fans and critics, regarding his personal life – more specifically his relationship with Tameka Foster. Check out the statement the singer released to PEOPLE Magazine on July 12th:

“It has already been announced that I plan to marry this year. However, since my wedding day will be special to Tameka and I, this is information that we would like to keep private. It’s disturbing that the media and bloggers (under the guise as ‘fans’) continuously speculate on the personal aspects of my life, therefore making assumptions and wrong insinuations that my fans are subject to believe.

“I am happy, excited, completely clear and independent on my direction, feelings, decisions and I am NOT BEING LED. Some media and bloggers have been totally intrusive, they have misconstrued aspects of my personal life and, because of this, my ‘true’ fans are not sure about what is fact and what is fiction. There is a difference in stating an opinion versus drawing a conclusion that is incorrect.

“As previously reported, I have NEVER threatened or harassed anyone from any media format – print, radio, television or Internet media. At this point the best thing to say to my fans is just because it sounds enticing and it MAY sound ‘true,’ that does not make it truth. I understand the fact that I must sacrifice some anonymity for the career I love, however some things are personal like having a child or a marriage. These aspects are not for the public and, to me, are sacred. I would hope my privacy in these areas would be respected.”
– Usher

It seems all the media scrutiny is getting to him. Oh well…This is a classic case of using the media when you want e.g. the Chilli/’Confessions’ saga, but when it doesn’t favour him then he starts to rant. He needs to realise that it all comes with the territory of celebrity, then again he claims to know this already. I’m thinking this may be a PR ploy in the lead-up to the release of his new album later this year.

Is Usher right to rant?

I’m Here (Live On GMA)

As tends to be the case, she nailed both performances. Vocally she delivered with a rawness unachievable by most of her peers. Looking ahead, Fantasia has confirmed that ‘Only One U’ will serve as the third single from her self-titled sophomore CD. After the success of ‘When I See U’, it’s great to see Fantasia select another solid slow jam as a single (one of the best tracks on the album) -it’s evidently the kind of music people are feeling from her. Click here to listen to ‘Only One U’.

What do you think of the performances / single choice?

50 Cent seems to be dropping videos so fast nowadays. Not to be confused with the next official single ‘She Wants It’ (ft. Justin Timberlake), ‘I Get Money’ is the latest street single from 50’s upcoming album ‘Curtis’. The sub-par video isn’t really what’s in question here (after all, it’s only a street/buzz single), it’s the song – it’s garbage. With the news today of the album being pushed back yet again (from September 4th to September 11th), 50 is gonna need a miracle for the album to be a hit. Most of the his new material hasn’t been saying much.

What do you think of the song / video?

“She’s on Island, but it’s more or less [Def Jam CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid’s] project,” Dupri says. “I let him deal with that on a day-to-day basis. He’s going to A&R that project, too. Janet’s record is one that he’s wanted to do for a long time. He’s very passionate about it.

As for the direction of Jackson’s as-yet-untitled album, Dupri says, “I don’t really know what he’s got in mind at this point. His past record isn’t shabby so I’m going to let him do what he’s going to do. I’m going to do [the new] Mariah [Carey album], and we’re going to make it seem like we’re in competition to see who’s going to have the biggest album of the year.”

In other Janet news, more producers have confirmed their involvement with her project. Speaking with Rap-Up TV, hit-maker Polow Da Don (Promise, Buttons, Like This etc) had the following to say: ‘We’re gonna put her back in the club. I sent her some tracks and she said off the top, she’s like, “I want the hard stuff. I want to dance, I want uptempo, I want club, I want hip”. Producer’s Scott Storch and newcomer Syience (who produced Beyonce and Jay Z’s ‘Hollywood’) have also submitted tracks for the album.

Janet really seems to pulling out all the stops to make sure this new CD is a success; new label, great producers and a hungry team behind her. All the pieces seem to be falling into place for what could be one of music’s biggest comebacks.

What do you think the new Janet developments?