As they eye glory with their respective new albums, Ne-Yo and Miguel have learned that their wives have joined forces with Nelly‘s other half to build a reality tv show.
Its name?
‘Married to Hip Hop.’
The series, which will impact the world via E!, will follow the lives of several women with romantic ties to Urban music as they juggle life, love, conflicts and budding businesses.
Reports also indicate that Tank’s lover has also signed up to star in the series alongside Asiah Collins, the mother of Kid Ink‘s offspring and Blac Chyna‘s former friend and current foe Heather Sanders.
It’s official…Ryan Seacrest has returned to ‘American Idol.’
Booted from Fox after its ratings slipped, the show was recently picked up by ABC who called on Katy Perry to stand as one of its judges.
For months, producers were locked into meetings with host Seacrest with hopes of finalising a deal which worked for all parties and, much to the delight of his fans, this week has seen them do just that.
ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey beamed…
Much of American Idol’s overwhelming success can be attributed to Ryan, whose larger-than-life personality and laudable dedication to creating quality entertainment has made him a true master of his craft. His talent is limitless, and I can’t think of a more appropriate person to honor the Idol legacy as it takes on new life than the man who has been there through it all.
Ryan added…
It’s genuinely hard to put into words what American Idol means to me. I’m so grateful for the show and all the career and life opportunities it’s allowed me to experience. It’s been an incredible journey from day one. To be asked to return this year, at my new home at Disney|ABC, is an honor, if not a bit surreal.
With Kelly Rowland‘s stint on The Voice Australia wrapped, the R&B belle is back to work on her long-awaited fifth album.
It’s been four years since the star hatched her last LP ‘Talk A Good Game’ and fans have been growing impatient.
However, producers Da Internz have thrown out a bone of excitement after sharing this shot of themselves in the studio with Ms. Kelly.
The caption attached read:
Been in a real zone in the studio lately. It’s all about deep conversation and making all the music from scratch aka Johnny onda spot. Peace to the Queen of the chocolates for an unforgettable session @kellyrowland.
Da Internz boast an impressive resumé, which includes smashes such as Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ and Rihanna’s ‘Birthday Cake.’
Here’s hoping they’ve baked something blazing for Kelly!
Welcome to another edition of Meet the Makers, the TGJ original feature which pulls you behind Pop’s velvet rope and introduces you to the brains behind the scene’s operation.
Today, as his work with Beyonce makes him one of the most sought-after visionaries, we catch up with Chris Grant to find out how and why he became the star’s go-to guy.
TGJ: What were your creative influences growing up?
There are so many. I’d say the main ones were Michael, Janet, PRINCE, ‘Nsync and B2K. At the time I wanted to be an entertainer so those acts inspired me musically and visually.
I was born in the Bronx, New York. Once my family and I moved to West Palm Beach Florida I did every talent show and performed at every South Florida fair. It wasn’t long before people asked me if I taught at any dance studios or did private teaching and that’s how I got into it. Sean Green from Sean’s Dance Factory actually gave me my first opportunity and I was also in a dance group called Full Out and taught at a another dance studio called XCL owned by a beautiful lady named Miss Fisher.
TGJ: Fascinating! This led to creative directing?
Chris: Yeah it did. My grandmother spoiled me (laughs) she got me the computer I wanted which came with music and editing software, so I got into mixing music and adding live effects to my performances. People would go crazy over my mixes, choreography and show concepts and that’s when I became aware that creative directing became something I could possibly thrive in. As all of this was happening I auditioned and was selected to be on Diddy’s ‘Makin’ Da Band’ and made it to the Top 16 with the help of LaurieAnn Gibson.
TGJ: How did your meet Beyonce?
Chris: Frank Gatson spotted me on ‘Making da Band’ and we ran into each other shortly after IN New York. I’d admired his work for years without knowing it. I was extremely excited when he invited me to Miami and asked to see my work. So, I took two of my closest friends Mikey and Roben and showed him my version of ‘Single Ladies’. The official version was out at this point. I was flown to LA days later and asked to teach at Beyonce’s ‘I AM Tour’ auditions. She walks in and Frank asked me to perform my version of the song. When I was done she told me I was “unreal” and the rest is history.
How he’s helped to reshape her performance style in recent years?
There’s no pressure to, but there is definitely an effort to cover all bases and make sure we’re moving forward and not backwards. We recently revamped a lot of the older choreography and added dance breaks to make it more fun and up to date. It’s exciting because there’s a lot of ground to cover and it keeps things fresh. To be honest, we really create moves off of vibes which makes working with B as fun as it is. No egos, no over-thinking, just fun, artistry and creativity as a team.
As for talk that the industry’s standard for acts hoping to follow in Bey’s footsteps have been lowered in recent years?
We’re in a different time and that’s alright. The only way to be the best is to study the greats, rehearse and perfect your craft. Beyonce’ does that and understands it all. The secret to Bey’s success is the balance she has between having fun and turning up while committing to a message she’s passionate about and wants to convey.
So, what’s next for the gifted 20-something?
I’ve been listening to a lot of new artists I’m excited about, Victoria Monet is one of them. She’s really talented so I’d like to work with her. Professionally, I’d love to pursue acting, directing and exploring more of myself within entertainment. Personally, (laughs), I’m trying to buy a house man. I just want to be happy…more than anything.
Starz, the platform to thank for the shows ‘Spartacus‘ and ‘Power‘ have committed to creating a TV drama based on Mariah Carey‘s life.
Carey, alongside Brett Ratner, Stella Bulochnikov and Teri Weinberg, stand as the show’s executive producers and will offer viewers a Mariah-approved version of her journey to superstardom penned by Nina Colman.
It tells the story of an ambitious bi-racial 16-year-old girl, an aspiring singer/songwriter who survived a difficult childhood to become the biggest selling female music artist of all time.
A premiere date is yet to be set.
News of the drama follows the demise of her ill-fated reality tv show ‘Mariah’s World’ which aired on E! via NBC and drops as the superstar vocalist braces herself for life at Epic Records without her long-time friend and executive Antonio L.A. Reid.
It marks the second time Jackson has been spotted back on home soil since filing for divorce from husband Wissam Al Mana in April.
The exes, who welcomed a son named Eissa in January of this year, were last month seen at legal proceedings in London; a city they settled in as a family after diving their time between the UK and Al Mana’s home Qatar.
Is ‘Love & Hip Hop’s Cardi B making a beeline to the top of rap charts? Time will tell, but the growing commercial and critical response to her latest release – ‘Bodak Yellow’ – is certainly a good indication.
Unveiled in late June, the braggadocious bop’s real sendoff occurred over BET Awards weekend where she not only gave the tune a live showing, but also won over some new fans along the way. With her glowing buzz – assisted by two BET Awards nominations (Best New Artist & Best Rap Female) – the colorful tune was hoisted to a Hot 100 debut on this week’s refreshed tally. It comes as her first appearance on the chart.
Like Cardi, Tyler the Creator – who has been active in various capacities since 2011 – also saw his inaugural appearance on the Hot 100 this week. With his song ‘Who Dat Boy,’ the first release from his latest album, ‘Scum F*ck Flower Boy,’ Tyler debuted at #87 on this week’s tally. Yet, with the heightened attention and boiling controversy surrounding some lyrics found on his latest album, we wouldn’t be surprised if the song bursts into Billboard’s upper half next week.
Until we find out for sure, look below to see who’s ruling the top 25 on this week’s refreshed TGJ Chart Check:
Azealia Banks‘ new interview with ‘XXL’ has set many a pulse racing today thanks to her bold and brave criticism of the music industry.
On being shut out of the game?
I’m definitely shut out from where I was, 100 percent. People are very scared to be associated with me because of, you know, the controversy, I guess the skin bleaching or the “sand nigger” or the “faggot” thing. I’m not sad about it, I’m not disappointed at the situation. I’m disappointed with myself for sure. I’m a little disappointed in them, but not really.
I guess the source of my disappointment comes from just watching lots of other men in hip-hop, just like male rappers, have their career setbacks and go through things. Or even when a Black male rapper misspeaks something… just seeing Black men go through the motions, seeing the Black mass just kind of seemingly accepting it as just an attribute of their artistry. So they’ll be like, “Kanye West is saying all that because he’s crazy” or “Okay, yeah, R. Kelly raped a girl but damn, he makes some good music.” I don’t feel like I ever got that kind of empathy. I never got those kinds of privileges, I never got those kinds of allowances, especially coming in the rap game without any real rap friends. I basically came in the building by myself. There was nobody to validate me, there was nobody to vouch for me or whatever, and I got mishandled a lot.
It made me really bitter for a very long time, very, very, very bitter, so bitter to the point that I would just kind of say things that I didn’t mean, like, “I hate Black men” and shit like that. I would just say things like that because I would just feel so misunderstood. It was all purposeful, like when T.I. was threatening me with physical violence or when Jim Jones was threatening me with physical violence. Come on, hip-hop should have said something about it, and nobody said anything about it.
Even now, you guys have this guy XXXTentacion on the [XXL] Freshman cover, but he’s tweeted about how he thinks Black women are roaches and that we should die and how dark people are roaches and we should die and shit like that. It’s discouraging, and I’m not afraid to cry about it or afraid to admit that it hurts me now, rather than just going about things the wrong way and trying to fight fire with fire.
On her feelings towards Remy Ma, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj?
I really, really like Cardi B. I followed Cardi B on Instagram before she started rapping and I was like, Oh my God, this girl just reminds me of all the girls I went to middle school with, all the girls I grew up on the block with, all the Dominican babysitters. I grew up with girls just like Cardi B. So I always thought she was funny, and when she started rapping, I was like… what is she doing? Then I heard “Foreva”and I was like, Okay, this is really fucking good, she’s not playing. Then I heard a couple other songs and I was like, Oh shit, Cardi’s not playing! And now I’m a fan of Cardi B’s music and her personality.
I like Remy Ma too, I like when her whole brand isn’t anti-Nicki. I think she gets a little carried away with that. I don’t know, maybe I like Cardi and Remy just because they sound like home. Like I know that girl, that uptown, Manhattan, Bronx girl. I think that’s why I like them the most.
On how systemic racism affects the industry?
The media itself ’cause clearly, everything is owned by White people—I’m tired of talking about White people. These media conglomerates have this socioeconomic leverage, and they can orchestrate any industry, and any story or any happening the way they want to. The music industry isn’t the only one that’s subjected to it. Hollywood is subjected to it, tech world, everybody. It’s just the media in general. I feel like it’s everyone’s biggest problem.
Even for people who are succeeding at playing the media game. They’re always crying about how they feel stifled and all that other shit. I think in the coming years, [the media] is gonna prove to be very detrimental to society’s social and psychological health.
I think the media does a lot to chastise people into… or just micro-manage people’s aggressions and chastise people into forming opinions. Especially in America, where the media is such a big part of our culture. Because we really drag ourselves down into Prozac nation on fucking steroids. But nobody cares, I’m just the Black bitch from fucking Harlem [laughs].
I’m just a Black bitch from Harlem who only puts out one song a year. I’m joking.
Sevyn Streeter has revealed that she has overcome bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts as sales of her new LP ‘Girl Disrupted’ rise on digital outlets.
I dealt with depression on a very serious level for like a year-and-a-half, and I never said anything to my fans. Obviously, my mom and my dad and my brother, a few family members, knew about it — but it was really, really hard. I wanted to kill myself, I really did. And through my family, and God and prayer, it turned around.
Stifled by the pressures of achieving success before 30, the vocalist now finds herself on a brighter path thanks to the power of God.
A lot of my depression was triggered by the fact that I’ve given my life to this music, and it’s in a good place, but it’s not exactly where I want it to be. I sacrificed a lot of my childhood for music, I sacrificed a lot of my love life for music.
If something’s making you unhappy, what can you do to change it? That went for people in my life, circumstances and situations — whether it was dealing with work, or dealing with men. I had people in my life that were bringing me more sadness than joy. … I was finally like, it’s not my fault if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, but guess what, I don’t need you to change. These are grown people, and so am I. Nobody’s making me deal with anybody that I don’t want deal with, so I made the decision to remove myself from certain situations and certain people that made me feel … heavy.
