Contrary to recent rumours, Cassie has not been dropped from Bad Boy. According to Diddy, the ‘Me & U’ singer is currently recording the follow-up to her 2006 self-titled album. Producers drafted in to contribute to the project include Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The as-yet untitled CD will be released in September.
It’s well known that Cassie is lacking on the talent side of things, yet I’m quietly anxious to see what she comes with on this next album. I’m surprised she’s even releasing another album after the last one tanked majorly. Still, the CD had a few good tracks on it including ‘Me & U’ and ‘Long Way 2 Go’.

Will you be checking for Cassie’s new CD?

During her recent European promo blitz, Kelly Rowland performed current single ‘Like This’ on Dutch show Jensen. I’m liking this performance; both vocally and in stage presence, Kelly is improving with each performance.

What did you think of the performance?

In other Kelly news, there seems to be alot of confusion as to whether she’ll be performing on the Pre-Show or Main Show at the BET Awards. As of today, Kelly has been added to the list of Main Event performers on the BET website and *will* be hitting the main stage on June 26th.

Tidbits:

Kelly’s ‘Like This’ hit #4 on the Official UK singles chart this week.

Don’t miss out on your chance to win a copy of ‘Ms. Kelly’ in our Kelly Rowland album give-away. Click here to enter!

Another new track from Danity Kane’s Dawn has surfaced. Produced by Jim Johnsin – who also produced the group’s hit ‘Showstopper’ -‘Flawless’ is a major improvement over some of the other songs I’ve heard from her. I’m really feeling Dawn’s swagger on the track and the production is on-point too. Despite the influx of new solo material from Dawn, it has been confirmed that Danity are still together and are currently recording a new album.

What do you think of the track?
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The video for Yung Joc’s new single ‘Coffee Shop’ debuted on BET yesterday. Can’t say I’m feeling the track much, but the video is pretty funny. Kudos to Joc for the the positive message at the end. Rick Ross, Lloyd and DJ Drama make cameo appearances. ‘Coffee Shop’ is the lead single from Joc’s sophomore album ‘Hustlenomics’ – due August 28th via Bad Boy.

What do you think of the video?

Following her departure from the G-Unit, Olivia is slated to release her serially delayed album ‘Behind Closed Doors’ independently. This new Missy-Elliott produced track, ‘Cherry Pop’, is reportedly the first single from the set. I found myself liking this one upon first listen; it has an old-skool funk vibe to it. Missy did her thing on the production side of things and Olivia rides the beat nicely. I’m starting to think it was 50’s loss letting Oliva go, because her post-G-Unit material sounds great.

Hit or Miss?
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After the numerous delays and title-changes, critics and fans alike could be forgiven for believing Kelly Rowland’s sophomore effort ‘Ms Kelly’ would never see the light of day. However, Rowland dispels any notion of ‘doubt’ on what is a highly sassy, confident and, yet, emotionally vulnerable record. With ‘Ms Kelly’, the Destiny’s Child singer firmly establishes her prowess as a solo artist. Ready or otherwise, Kelly Rowland – the solo star – has arrived.

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The video for Rihanna’s 2nd single ‘Shut Up & Drive’ premiered yesterday on Yahoo’s Launch. It’s ok, but my expectations were higher after hearing her label Def Jam shelved out $600,000 for the vid. Nonetheless, Rihanna looks great and the vid illustrates the theme of the song well. I am left wondering whether this will do anything to re-ignite her album sales, as many assumed. According to Hits Daily Double, ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ takes a -52% dip in it’s second week, with the album dropping to #7 on the Billboard 200 Album chart.

What do you think of the video?

The video for the R. Kelly’s latest single ‘Same Girl’ (ft. Usher) debuted on BET today. I’ve felt the song to be one of the best tracks on his new CD ‘Double Up’, so it’s great to see that the video turned out fantastic. The video, which is arguably one of the year’s best, mirrors the concept of the song closely and there’s an unexpected twist at the end. ‘Same Girl’ is fast climbing up the US charts and I anticipate this vid making the song a definite hit. Great stuff.

What do you think of the video?

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{Design Credit: GoPlatinum}
To celebrate the release of R&B star Kelly Rowland’s sophomore album ‘Ms Kelly’, That Grape Juice is giving away 5 copies of the CD – courtesy of Sony BMG (UK). The album, which will be released in the UK on June 25th (July 3rd in the US) is the long-awaited follow-up to Rowland’s 2002 effort ‘Simply Deep’ and has been described as ‘more sexy, honest, playful and passionate’. Producers featured on the album include hit-makers Scott Storch, Rockwilder and Polow Da Don. Guest features include Snoop Dogg, Eve and Tank.
For the chance to win a copy of ‘Ms Kelly’, answer the following question:
What Was Destiny’s Child’s First #1 Single?
a) No, No, No
b) Say My Name
c) Lose My Breath
Email your answer as well as your full name, age, and address to competitions@thatgrapejuice.net. Please be sure to put ‘Ms Kelly’ as the subject. Winners will be selected randomly from all correct answers. Competition ends Sunday June 24th. Good luck!

Grammy-Award winning songstress Alicia Keys is hard at work on her new album. The video above is of Alicia recording a new track called ‘Superwoman’. I’m really feeling the the song and it’s got more even hyped for her project. The album was originally supposed to drop this month, however it was pushed back to October.

Are you anticipating Alicia’s new album?

Though ‘Do You’ is a decent track, I was surprised it was released as the 2nd single from Ne-Yo’s ‘Because of You’ album. There are definitely better cuts on the CD that are more single worthy. However, I’m really liking this remix – which sees The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul Mary J. Blige join Ne-Yo on the track. Mary’s verses rejuvenate what, otherwise, was a kinda boring track. Check it out…

Hit or Miss?

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R&B singer Monica is currently in the studio working on the follow-up to to her 2006 effort ‘The Makings Of Me’. Speaking to Metro Weekly last month, she revealed that she is in the process of ‘writing and putting songs together’ for the new project. The ‘So Gone’ singer added that the album will be released ‘far sooner than her typical three-or-more year wait between albums’.
Considering the terrible sales of ‘The Makings Of Me’, it makes sense for her to release another album soon. I actually liked the CD; it was the single choices and poor promotion -in my opinion- that messed up the project. I’m pretty anxious to hear what she comes up with on this new album.

Will you be checking for Monica?
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