Over the past two weeks, the Pop gods answered the prayers of many-a-faithful music lover as two of the genre’s most beloved divas – Taylor Swift and Rihanna – dropped the season’s most highly anticipated efforts.

For Tay, her beloved fans – affectionately called #Swifties – had ample forewarning about the dawning of her new era, ‘Midnights.’  Finally unleashed October 21, the history-making set not only entered the Billboard 200 at #1 with the year’s biggest first-week sales but also saw half of its tracks occupy the Hot 100’s entire top 10.

Elsewhere, Rih’s devoted fan base – affectionately called #Navy – helped ‘Lift Me Up,’ her first new single in six years, break records at radio after its October 28 unveiling.

The proximity of their release dates made a Billboard battle between them inevitable, but – if industry analysts are to be believed – the updated print of the Pop chart will reveal it’s Swift who will have the upper edge.

(more…)

In breaking news sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry, singer-actor Aaron Carter – brother of Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter – has died at age 34.

Details inside.

(more…)

The linking of two Hip-Hop titans is bringing with it some titanic success aboard music sales and streaming platforms.

As reported here, chart-topping rappers Drake and 21 Savage – after years of collaborating on individual tracks – dropped a full-length joint effort titled ‘Her Loss.’

And while Travis Scott acts as the effort’s sole feature, the 16-track LP has a star-studded list of production contributors that includes Metro Boomin, Lil Yachty, Noah “40” Shebib, Boi-1da, and more.

Together, the collaborators have not only crafted one of the year’s most critically acclaimed Hip-Hop endeavors but also – according to industry analysts – one of 2022’s top-selling.

Details inside.

(more…)

Christmas is coming early for fans of Alicia Keys thanks to the unwrapping of her first holiday album, ‘Santa Baby.’

The 11-track effort, an Apple Music exclusive, comes as the first release on her independent label, Alicia Keys Records, and is filled with her takes on seasonal favorites like ‘Christmas Time is Here,’ ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts),’ and more. Further, it even introduces original yuletide-flavored songs.

Among the latter is ‘December Back 2 June,’ a groovy Christmas cut about keeping a love sizzling from winter to summer.

“For this Christmas don’t need wishes / Not since I met you (It’s just Christmas time) / Every season you give reason to love you / From December back to June,” she croons on the tune’s chorus.

Hop inside to peep the song in full alongside its official music video.

(more…)

‘Back to Back’ beau Drake kept the disses coming back to back in his latest album, ‘Her Loss,’ a joint effort with fellow chart-topping rapper 21 Savage.

Since the set’s November 4 release, the Canadian hitmaker has been dominating headlines for bars that many listeners have perceived to be shade toward unsuspecting targets.

When not getting a tongue lashing from Megan Thee Stallion for a line in the LP’s housed cut ‘Circo Loco’ that suggests she’s lying about being shot by Tory Lanez (as we reported here), Drizzy’s been hearing from the likes of Kanye West, DRAM, and others who have felt insulted by his mention of them across the project’s 16-tracks.

Look inside to see and hear some of their responses to the unwanted attention.

(more…)

Having sold over 220 million records worldwide, Pop icon Mariah Carey is no stranger to seeing her name atop many-a-music tally over the last 30 years.

In late 2020, she proved her dominion wasn’t limited to the music realm when her memoir – ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey’ – was placed at the pinnacle of the New York Times’ Best Seller list.

With her latest foray into authorship, the November 1-released ‘Christmas Princess,’ the 52-year-old seems poised to repeat the feat.

Details inside.

(more…)

It’s been nearly 6 years since Chrisette Michele experienced a seismic backlash for singing at the inauguration of former U.S. president Donald Trump, but the R&B diva continues to grapple with the effects of the fall from grace.

The boycott launched against her at the time saw her music streams and sales steeply drop, which led to difficulty filling concert venues on tour and eventually saw her dropped from her record label.  As if the professional woes weren’t doing enough damage, she later revealed the impact the downfall played in the dissolution of her marriage to Doug “Biggs” Ellison.

Because action on the latter is ongoing, the Grammy-winning singer took to Instagram to describe how the process has taken an emotional toll despite her best efforts to soldier on.

Look inside to read her heartfelt words.

(more…)

It’s been two years since Busta Rhymes rocketed ‘Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God’ to the top 10 of the Billboard 200, but the Hip-Hop legend recently lifted a toast to the critically acclaimed set by unveiling the official music video for its housed cut, ‘You Will Never Find Another Me.’

Assisted by Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, the previously unreleased visual – directed by Colin Tilley – sees Bussa Buss portray the everyday-man whose life is being protected by a guardian angel.

“Once I was built, God broke the mold / No matter how many clones you make / They can’t touch my throne,” Blige belts on the emotional track.

The latest in their string of collaborations over the years (i.e. 2005’s ‘Touch It,’ 2011’s ‘Next Level,’ ‘Your Loss,’ and more), look inside to see how the action unfolded in the heart-tugging ‘Never’ clip.

(more…)

Move over Hallmark and Lifetime! BET+ is here for the holiday takeover!

Having already brought the love and laughs with the Jasmine Guy and Dorien Wilson-led ‘A Wesley Christmas’ (click here to see the trailer), the streamer is bringing more yuletide cheer with the spicy new Christmas movie ‘The First Noelle.’

Starring Web comedienne-turned-actress Lala Milan alongside Todd Anthony and Novi Brown, the romantic comedy tells the story of a woman named Noelle who is determined to get her man back after learning he’s dating a new woman also named Noelle.

Ahead of its November 10 premiere, hop inside to get a peek at the hilarious drama that is set to unfold in the Patricia Cuffie-Jones-directed flick.

(more…)

With her annual Christmas season domination already underway, Mariah Carey is hot on the promo trail in support of her newest yuletide-flavored offerings.

Chief among them is her first children’s book, ‘The Christmas Princess,’ which hit shelves November 1.

In addition to chatting with ‘USA Today,’ ‘CBS Mornings,’ and more, the Pop diva was spotted on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ Friday (November 4) to dish about ‘Princess’ and other happenings in her career – including rumors that her forthcoming ‘Merry Christmas To All’ Christmas concert may be airing on a major network or streamer.

Look inside to see what she had to say about these topics and more on her most recent visit to ‘Fallon.’

(more…)

Celine Dion‘s signature hit, ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ may only be two months away from its 25th anniversary, but the tune continues to gain ground on digital and streaming platforms over 2 decades after first dominating charts.

On a global scale, the Walter Afanasieff-produced number stands as the second best-selling female song of all time with reported sales in excess of 18 million (bested only by Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Will Always Love You‘)

Stateside, ‘Heart’ recently saw its certification status pumped upward at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) alongside its parent album, ‘Let’s Talk About Love,’ and other popular Dion titles.

Look inside for the full list.

(more…)

The ‘Black Panther’ is back!

Following the blockbuster success of the original film, Marvel is gearing up to unleash ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’

Set to hit theaters worldwide on November 11, the film finds the nation of Wakanda pitted against intervening world powers as they mourn the loss of their beloved king T’Challa.

That Grape Juice‘s Samuel Eni was on-hand at the European premiere of the must-see movie and caught up with a number of its stars – including Michaela Coel, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, and more.

Watch our EXCLUSIVE red carpet coverage of the ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ premiere above and be sure to let us know your thoughts!

Your thoughts?