Ryan Leslie, the brainchild behind hits by Destiny’s Child, Cassie, Danity Kane and more, is set to drop his self-titled debut on June 17th. ‘Diamond Girl’ is the album’s first single, the video for which premiered on BET last night. Though the video isn’t anything to shout about, it’s still pretty good – as is the song. Whether or not this will garner Leslie any more recognition than he has already has will be interesting to see.

What do you think of the video / song?

The Interview:

LOL! Jay had me rolling with the R. Kelly jibes. About the performance, it was awesome.

Following the abrupt axing of popular CW show Girlfriends a few months, the show’s stars have decided to sue the network for not honoring their contracts and refusing to pay them the money they’re due. Check out the report by our friend Jawn Murray over at AOL Black Voices:

The CW apparently only offered to pay the actors half of their episodic salary to shoot the makeshift finale, thus the stars collectively opted not to participate.

In addition, several people close to the show tell me that The CW refuses to honor the contracts of the principal cast members and does not intend to pay the actors for the nine episodes that will not be taped.

Now the show stars have hired a litigator who will file a joint lawsuit on behalf of the talent, suing the network for the money they are due.

“The network told them point blank, ‘Sue us!’ After using this show to help build its name, The CW has turned their back on them and disrespected them in the most horrible way,” said someone associated with the show, who spoke under the condition of anonymity. {Click here to read more}

Without even considering the fact that the show was one of the network’s flagship offerings, treating anyone as such is not a good look. I’m glad to see the cast standing up against such nonsense.

Any thoughts?

After a brief hiatus, rapper Busta Rhymes is back on the music scene. Set to release his brand new album ‘Blessed’ on June 17th, Busta will drop Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em) as the LP’s first single. The track, which sounds like a Neptunes production, is a hit and miss affair IMO; Busta’s return to the rapid-paced delivery – that he has become renown for – suits the track’s high-octane production pretty well. However, lyrically, the song doesn’t really go anywhere. Still, I’m definitely anticipating Busta’s new record; as I had high hopes for his moderately received last LP ‘The Big Bang’.

{Link Removed As Requested}

SMH. Granted we’ve finally got to hear the song it’s entirety – which is pretty good IMO – it’s very disappointing to see that she lip-synced the whole performance; not partially – all of it. While I’ve warmed more to the what the album looks set to be offering, I still stand by my claim that Mariah has become pretty much a studio singer – as she either doesn’t care to perform live anymore or can’t. I’m thinking it’s more the latter. Yes, I know the Lambs will probably chew me out, so with without further ado…..

What do you think of the performance?

Ciara – Goodies / Like A Boy

Kelly nailed it! Whoah. She worked it like a pro. From her stage presence, to the the audience interaction, to the vocals, she definitely shined. After watching this, as well as her BBC 1Xtra set, I’m gonna need Ms. Kelly to be performing like that all the time from on here on out. Awesome. {Random tidbit: Did anyone else catch Def Jam head LA Reid (who was there with Mariah) recording Kelly on his mobile? Just an observation…}

Ciara was solid too. While I would have really liked to see a ‘Promise’ performance (her career defining song IMO), it’s understandable why she she performed ‘Goodies’ and ‘Like A Boy’ – both of which are her biggest hits in the UK to-date. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performances?

A media circus to say the least. Peep the pic above of the scene a car arriving at the wedding was greeted with. Still, it’s expected, considering Bey and Jay’z level of celebrity. Granted I don’t usually buy into the hype, I must say the suddenness of this all kinda makes it all the more engaging.

What do you think of the pics?

Following much-speculation, PEOPLE.com have confirmed that Beyonce and Jay-Z did indeed tie the knot today. Check out their report below:

After years of speculation, singer Beyoncé Knowles wed her longtime boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, on Friday, a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE.

Though there is no official confirmation, the friend says, “It happened earlier this evening. Jay wanted it to be a really private affair – close friends and family.”

The ceremony was followed by a lavish party at the rapper’s Tribeca apartment that drew Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny’s Child mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and the couple’s friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

The wedding buzz began when the couple went to get a marriage license at a village hall in Scarsdale, N.Y., on Tuesday.

Wow, so it turned out to be true after all. Congratulations to them!

Your thoughts?

Diva Mariah Carey is currently on a UK promo blitz in support of her 18th #1 single ‘Touch My Body. The singer performed the smash earlier on today on the Paul O’Grady show. Though, by no means great, this definitely stands as Mariah’s best performance of the song to date. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performance?

Following the massive success R&B star Kelly Rowland has been enjoying here in Europe as of late, the singer is set to release the revamped version of her ‘Ms. Kelly’ album in physical form (as opposed to the digital-only treatment the US received) in May. Check out the official tracklisting for the set below:

I’m sure many will be shocked, as am I, at the removal of the popular ‘Still In Love With My Ex’ from the tracklist. I really don’t understand the logic behind that one. Still, for the most part the album seems to have a consistent chill, mid-tempo feel to it. With her new single ‘Daylight’ already gathering momentum here in the UK, I feel the release has a great chance of success here. Random tidbit: I’m really hoping ‘Love Again’ gets the single treatment at some point – can’t get enough of that song.

‘Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe’ hits stores in the UK on May 12th.

Your thoughts?

Irrespective of 50’s stance that Tompkin is, quote, “taking advantage of the fact he pays all the bills”, their son’s welfare really should be his top priority. Seeing 50 so pleased with himself after the judgement says a lot about him…a whole lot. SMH…

Any thoughts?