Peep pint-sized rapper Lil’ Kim glamming it up in a recent photoshoot shot by Andrew Southam. I must say, the Queen B is looking mighty flying – for the most part. Said to be in the studio recording the follow-up to 2005’s ‘The Naked Truth’, all I’m gonna need now is for her to drop her new LP already – it’s been too long.
Check out the rest of the shoot below:
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Alicia Keys was spotted filming the video for her new song ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart‘, the second release from her upcoming album ‘The Element of Freedom’. The clip is being directed by the increasingly popular Syndrome. Check out the rest of pics below:
She looks stunning as usual. I wonder if they’ve got a men’s version of that jacket?
Check out this new remix of Destiny’s Child alumni Michelle Williams’ ‘Sick of It’, a bonus track from her critically acclaimed ‘Unexpected’ LP. While Michelle’s more recent efforts have had a very heavy Dance/Euro-Pop feel to them, the immensely talented songstress switches things up here, with what, in essence, is a Pop/Rock cut, which interestingly manages to compliment her soulful vocals. It’s quite refreshing to hear a remix which isn’t the typical DJ/Club mix. I like…I like a lot.
Keep it locked on That Grape Juice for more Michelle Williams news!
Heidi and Jade, two thirds of controversial trio, the Sugababes, recently sat down with In4merz to discuss pretty much everything (Amelle is resting off her ‘exhaustion’). Hence, posed to the ladies were questions about the group’s future, the fate of Jade’s solo material, their ironically titled ‘Sweet 7’ project and a whole lot more.
An interesting watch, yet a somewhat sad one, as the reality of what the group has become sunk in with every minute that passed during this interview (see: Jade’s talk of needing to ‘do her homework’ etc). Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see how things unfold with their ‘Sweet 7’ album.
While his collaborative effort with Keri Hilson, ‘Number One’, failed to escalate pass #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, another song from R&B crooner R. Kelly has surfaced. The track, ‘Echo’, will feature on his upcoming album ‘Untitled’ which hits stores on December 1st.
This song is the business! As an advocate of ‘grown and sexy’ R&B, I have been wondering when Robert was going to drop a track like this to make me feel that familiar tingle in my spine. Vocally, lyrically and melodically sound from start to finish, this song has the potential to be a major hit across all formats. Artists like The-Dream and Ne-Yo have captured a lot of Kelly’s fanbase over the last couple of years, but, judging by this, the captain has finally come back to reclaim his ship. *Round of applause*
According to our ever-reliable friend Jawn Murray over at AOL Black Voices, the youngest Solange has severed ties with Interscope Records.
Her departure from the label comes on the heels of the poor performance of her only release on the Universal-owned imprint, ‘Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams’, which to-date as sold in the region of 150,000 since it’s release in August 2008.
The youngest of the Knowles clan is currently recording her 3rd studio album under the Music World imprint, however there is no official word on any major label involvement for distribution. {Source}
Putting aside all the comparisons, preferential treatment accusations and general hating folk like to do on Solange, I must say she turned in a great album with ‘Sol-Angel’, which IMO deserved to perform a lot better. With no known major label in the picture, it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of her next project. I’m sure Papa Knowles will ensure is hooked up nicely; that said, whether the buying public will take to her this go round remains to be seen.
Although it’s been a wonderful journey & experience at Interscope Records, after truly recognizing what’s important to ME as an artist, I decided it was time for me to continue my path on a more independent platform. I’m excited about continuing to dive in, experiment and creating music and art with no boundaries, fears or expectations.
Sexy siren Shakira has released the video for ‘Did It Again’. However, the single will not be released in the US market. Rather it will only be availabel internationally and has been replaced in the States by the Timbaland and Lil Wayne-assisted ‘Give It Up To Me’. Shakira’s 3rd English studio album, ‘She Wolf‘ be released in the US on November 23rd.
Why this song is not being promoted as a single in the US is beyond me. It coincides quite nicely with the Dance/Pop elements that are currently dominating the airwaves a la Lady GaGa and Rihanna. The video is exciting and, as usual, Shakira emanates the kind of raw yet natural sex appeal that many other acts struggle to imitate. Hopefully she sees success with this album because unlike one of the aforementioned artists, her talent deserves to be rewarded.
Literally moments ago, Hip-Hop superstar Jay-Z released the video for his smash hit single ‘Empire State of Mind’ off his #1 album ‘The Blueprint 3′. The highly anticipated clip features R&B songstress Alicia Keys.
I love it. The video captures all of the best images of NYC and the black and white effect gives it a very ‘epic’ feel. Although the song has yet to grow on some people, I personally really like it and I can’t think of a better way to translate the energy of the record onto the screen. Like him or not, Jay-Z continues to redefine himself as the #1 Hip-Hop artist time and again. Yup!
That Grape Juice can EXCLUSIVELY reveal that Whitney Houston will be taking the stage this season on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars.
The legendary diva, whose comeback LP ‘I Look You’ topped the charts last month, will be performing ‘Million Dollar Bill’ on an episode of the show to air in the next few weeks.
Speaking of ‘Milliom Dollar Bill’, due to Urban radio now showing the single more love, we can EXCLUSIVELY reveal that there will no be no new singles to be released from the album until next year. Confirmed. {I guess I’ll to keep my fingers crossed a little longer for a ‘For The Lovers’ and ‘Calling You Tonight’ dual release}
Keep it locked on That Grape Juice for more exclusive Whitney Houston news.
The video for Britney Spears’ #1 hit ‘3’ premiered today. Unfortunately for those anticipating the Diane Martel directed clip, the video is a real snoozer. All the visual gloss, fancy sets and troop of dancers cannot conceal the fact that – as blunt as it sounds – Ms. Spears has lost ‘it’. In being 200% honest with you, I can’t say I believe she ever got ‘it’ back after her breakdown. Despite the spectacle around her since her media-sanctioned ‘comeback’ last year, I’ve yet to see that spark that had commentators heralding her as the next Janet or Madonna. There is something distinctly run-of-the-mill, stiff and uninspiring about 2009 Britney Spears.
Not to be mistaken for as a dig at her personally, I’m simply of the opinion that her much publicised issues clearly have put a dent into her confidence – hence the so/so calibre of performances we’ve seen from her as of late. Yet in being fair and judging her, in her current state, on the same plateau as her industry rivals, she comes across average at best. I can’t help but think that ‘comeback’ could have waited a few more years, while she fully came into her own again personally.
As Usher readies his 5th studio album tentatively titled ‘Raymond vs Raymond’ for a December release, two new cuts -presumed to be from the LP – have surfaced, the Red One produced ‘More’ and ‘Daddy’s Home’, which was produced by The Runners.
Usher’s seems to be onto something with his partnership with producer Red One. While the sound they are churning out is by no means original (see: Lady GaGa and just about every other uptempo R&B-meets-Electro Pop cut released over the last year!), I’m really feeling their output on ‘More’ as well as the previously heard ‘Rockband’).
Cranking up the tempo and not trying to ‘move mountains’ seems to be call of the day with this new project, as further evidenced by the stormer that is ‘Daddy’s Home’. The slick production and easy on the ear hook, make this one a sure-fire radio smash in waiting.
It’s quite clear to see after the relative tanking of ‘Here I Stand’, Usher is re-positioning himself as the artist and performer we know and love, doing away with the defensive declarations of his manhood and disdain for those who talked about his private life. Come to think of it, had the material on this project been what he released as his last album during the Tameka times, I’d imagine it would have done well. More artists need to swallow the pill they are public figures (hence folk will always talk), and simply serve up the hits. Mr Raymond seems to be getting the memo now…
In a recent interview with Boombox, R&B singer Omarion offers his 2 cents on the brewing controversy surrounding the ‘dark side’ of the music industry, as well as Rihanna’s alleged involvement. Some of you will recall Tiffany Evans’ recent comments about Rihanna and apparent ‘devil worship’, comments which kinda blew the lid off the whole situation – a situation which has been the subject of much debate on a covert level for some time now. Check out what the former B2K star had to say:
“I don’t personally know Rihanna’s beliefs but I think there’s a very dark and very sinister part of the entertainment business and I think it’s very visible,” he said. “This is something that a lot of people don’t look at [but for example] Michael Jackson used to be a Jehovah’s Witness and I remember hearing that he wanted to separate from the religion — and this was during the time that he was doing ‘Thriller’ [which ended up being] his biggest album.”
“Fast forward to now,” Omarion continued, “[and] it really made me think that there is a [time as an artist] where there’s going to be a choice. The[entertainment] world [dictates] that you have to be with three or four women, or do this in order to get that [and] I think it’s really interesting. With God and the industry, it’s really dark. The dark side is having to get in, there’s a certain submission you need to have. Just like a gang [initiation], so to speak. You might have to do something against your moral code. I’m not saying that it’s always this way, but when you’re someone that is young and you’re coming up in the industry and you really don’t have a grip on your morals it can be very dark. The game is just about over saturation.
“I don’t know if Rihanna [has fallen victim to those pressures]. I’ve never really heard her speak about it,” he said. “I hope that she doesn’t believe in that stuff and I don’t think that she does, but I don’t know. It’s not just been a Rihanna thing, [there’s has been religious speculation] about a lot of artists.”
Hmmm. I’ve kinda kept my mouth quiet about all this Illumnati malarky for a while now, but feel there’s there no time better than the present to address it head on, following Omarion’s comments (which I felt, though thought provoking, had holes all over the place).
Coming from a strong pentecostal Christian background myself, the notion of the existence ‘evil’ and ‘evil spirits’ are something which has been drummed into me from an early age, hence I’ve always had an awareness of negative entities. More broadly speaking, though, even on a non-religious tip, to believe in any type of ‘good’, one must believe in the existence of ‘evil’. That said, I really can’t see what all the noise is about here.
Yes, some artists’ conduct are questionable. And, yes, folks are in their rights to actively question certain things they observe (Ms. Fenty’s uber ‘dark’ image is becoming a little worrying). However, to start lumping almost every major artist and their mother as being part of some ‘evil’ cult is just ridiculous. So ridiculous, that I can’t but laugh. It’s funny, as the folk that are making the most noise are the same ones who don’t actively practice religion or aren’t religious at all. All these rumours seem to be bringing out the ‘inner preacher’ in many a gossiper (rolls eyes), who will have you believing the ‘devil’ himself is a man who lives on Hollywood Blvd, a man who all of the industry’s top stars visit and ‘sell their souls’ to in exchange for success. I call BS.
The limited glimpse I’ve had into the ‘showbiz’ world through the opportunities I’ve had via this site, really drives home the age-old adage that ‘not all that glitters is gold’. I can’t help but think that those saying these stars have ‘sold out to Satan’ are of the opinion that what they see in the music videos and on TV are real (i.e. luxury life, fame, money, cars aka hedonistic pleasures). It really isn’t, trust me. The reality of these stars are usually markedly different to what the Hollywood machine would have you believe is real. It is this same Hollywood machine that pumps money into artists and brands until they they reach the dizzy levels of success that seems to be triggering these accusations. It’s as if the level of stardom some artists enjoy isn’t digestible for some, hence to explain it, there has to be some kind of ‘supernatural’ element to it. Surely, it’s not that hard to swallow the fact that the media, a very powerful entity, creates (super)stars, as well as the fact that many of today’s stars do indeed work very hard on their craft, as well as their business savviness – to ensure their continued success and staying power.
While I’m not entirely downing some of the messages these religious DVD’s etc are propagating (although this CD burning thing needs to stop. You know damn well you paid good money for them!), I urge folk to not get caught up in the sensationalism of it all. If anything, if you didn’t pay attention to or question certain peculiarities before, now’s the time to switch your radar on – not just when it comes to the music industry either. That said, singling out the most successful ones and putting their success down to some kind of ‘evil exchange’ is rather senseless IMO.
Quite eager to hear what you guys think about all this…
Durand Bernarr Blazes With Must-See Performance
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