Fantasia is back! The soulful songstress has rebounded from her recent troubles with a smash album, and now the return of her hit VH1 reality show ‘Fantasia For Real’.

Episode 1 of the new season aired this week. Check it out below…

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The latest episode of BET’s Rising Icon‘s series centres on Estelle. The British-bred star, who now resides in New York, recounts her childhood, rise to stardom, relocating to the State, her fears and struggles, and more. Live performances are inter-woven between the segments. A great watch, I must say!

(Spotted over at our friends Soul Culture)

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Reports have been swirling today that Island Def Jam CEO, Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, had been fired from his post by the heads of the Universal Music Group. However, XXL magazine has received word from an official representative of the label who confirms that the rumours “are completely untrue and without merit”.

Reid, who became the head of IDJ in 2004, is credited for signing Mariah Carey, Young Jeezy, Justin Bieber and OutKast to the label. However, the music mogul received severe criticism from industry pundits after the underwhelming performances of Rihanna and Carey’s most recent studio albums as well as for adding rapper Shyne and Jennifer Lopez to the label’s lineup.

Thoughts?

The first week numbers are in for Trey Songz‘s fourth studio album ‘Passion, Pain, & Pleasure’. Find out how the aspiring porn-star fared after the jump…

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Chrisette Michele is is back with a new album. The R&B singer will release her 3rd studio LP, ‘Let Freedom Reign’, on November 30th. The record is preceded by the Ne-Yo-written lead single, ‘I’m A Star’, and will include contributions from Chuck Harmony. Michele’s previous album, ‘Epiphany’, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in 2009. {Source}

Thoughts?

John Legend and The Roots’ frontman, ?uestlove, are featured on the cover of the latest issue of Billboard magazine. However, their promotional push for their collaborative ‘Wake Up!’ project did not end there. The musicians also performed on ‘AOL Sessions’ to support the record which is in stores now. Check out the footage below:

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Here is a behind the scenes look at Ciara’s Maxim magazine photoshoot. The issue is available on newsstands now. Check out the footage below:

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Christina Aguilera was spotted on her return from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico recently. The now struggling artist spent the weekend partying with her friend Nicole Richie while her ‘Bionic’ album slipped further into obscurity. {Source}

What do you think of the pic?

Here is the official cover for Kanye West’s new single, ‘Runaway’. The track features Pusha T and will be on his new album.

What do you think of the cover?

Needless to say, it’s been somewhat of a slow news day thus far. In any case, the extra time saw yours truly think back to a random Twitter outburst had earlier this week. Reflecting on the state of the industry today, left me none-too-impressed with what it seems to be descending into.

Ever keen to hear what you all are thinking, have a read and let us know what your thoughts are on the topic…

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Your thoughts?

Nelly appeared on MTV’s ‘Extended Play’ recently. The rapper spoke about his upcoming singles, the success of his new radio show and the struggles that his family endured with cancer. Check out the full interview below:

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Soulful songstress Melanie Fiona features in the latest issue of Elle magazine. The ‘Give It To Me Right’ singer looks stunning!

Your thoughts?