Since her well documented arrival on the music scene four years ago, Ms. Onika Maraj has found it impossible to escape polarized opinion.

Revolutionary to some whilst repulsive to others, it wasn’t long before she had found her way to the forefront of Urban culture for more than just her animated lyrical style and Pro-beauty approach to her aesthetic.

Lending her talents to the likes of Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Kanye West all before the release of her record-breaking LP ‘Pink Friday‘, the former waitress built up a fan base of keyboard happy mini-me’s who unknowingly helped her publicists to turn the entertainer into a social media magnet.

YouTube and Twitter being responsible for the acquistion of many of her international fans who were not yet able to access her in their own domestic market.

With her debut album now the third highest selling LP to be released by a female artist for 2010/2011, Nicki Minaj is undeniably Rap’s most celebrated sensation.

However, seemingly in sync with the consistency of her record sales is one undying criticism of her.

That she is inauthentic.

That Nicki Minaj is nothing more than a gimmick with a Mattelic heartbeat.

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Last night while Rihanna’s voice made a fool of itself on X Factor UK and Jennifer Lopez brought the house down at the 2011 American Music Awards, Pop force Beyonce was hosting the screening of her    ‘Live at Roseland – Elements of 4′  in New York City.

During a discussion with the Associated Press, the creative chameleon spoke candidly about her motivation to film the showing, which was the undying support her fan base have shown her over the years.

Find out what she thinks of her Killer Bees’ never ending quest to defend her below…

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With the AMA 2010 boasting the coveted award show’s lowest ratings in its history, they are undoubtedly hoping to rebound from the slump.  In such, as the eagerly anticipated American Music Awards 2011 is set to get under-way live from Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre in a few hours, That Grape Juice’s ‘AMA 2011: Your Shout!’ area goes live right now!

Tonight’s show hosts performances from Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, and many more. Undeniably one of popular music’s biggest calender nights, here you can post your views on  anything and everything regarding the show.

Pre-Show rumours…Who you’re looking forward to seeing… Who you feel rocked the red carpet, who should have skipped it altogether… Who deserved to win what…performances…and all that good stuff –  before, during, and after the show….

Tidbit:  See TGJ’s Top 5 AMA performances ever here!  Tell us who made your top 5!

This is your SHOUT!

Awards season is soon to be in full swing and the 2012 People’s Choice Awards are the latest to unveil their list of nominations.  The ceremony, set to be held at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater on January 11, 2012, got fans and spectators involved with their preliminary nominations list some time ago.

Now, the official list of nominations (as voted for by you) have been unveiled with Beyonce leading the music pack with 5 nominations.  However, it is chart titan Katy Perry (whose tally includes two non-musical nominations) who is the night’s most mentioned name with a whopping 7 nods!

Get familiar with the full list of nominations below…

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With wigs in no short supply, Young Money diva Nicki Minaj can be found gracing the November cover of South Africa’s Cleo Magazine.  Said to be prepping fans for album #2, the starlet is also readying herself for the American Music Awards on November 20th – of which she nabbed two nods.

In related news, the rapstress was also recently spotted in Miami on the set of ‘Y. U. Mad’ – the latest offering from label head Birdman.  There, she incited fan frenzy when she took to Twitter to announce::

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Donning dreads, Minaj makes an ode to her friend and mentor Lil Wayne.  Now that the moment has come, the ‘Moment 4 Life’ rapper has unveiled the visual on Youtube.  Will it change your life?  Find out after the jump:

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Who better to unveil the 2011 American Music Award nominations than unlikely duo Pitbull and Nicki Minaj?  Both have seen considerable rises in their respective rap careers and have lent (or been lent) helping hands across multiple musical denominations – from pop to country.  Now, the two have the potential to add more notches to their growing accolades as they both have been nominated.

Speaking with our friends over at AttaGirl during the event, the Young Money rapstress talked about her AMA nominations as well as briefly chatting about her  forthcoming album and scorching duet with pint-sized pop star Willow Smith.

Find out what she said after the jump:

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Responsible for catapulting her into the dizzy realms of  stardom she still reigns in today, Beyonce‘s ‘Crazy In Love‘ is without a doubt one of the most iconic singles to be released by a performer in chart history.

Helping its supporting album ‘Dangerously In Love‘ to sell more than 9 million copies worldwide, it remains one of the many examples used to support the theory that Ms. Knowles is one the most ground breaking entertainers to debut within the last twenty years.

Now, eight years after its release, the song been named by VH1 as the best song to be released in the 00’s.

More information below…

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No stranger to controversial statements (see: Christina Aguilera slam), sharp-tongued media mogul Simon Cowell will certainly have folks talking about his latest statements regarding two of today’s most celebrated pop starlets – Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

Clearly over-extending (or over-appreciating) his judging position on the hit talent show ‘X Factor’, the 51-year-old shared his thoughts with Mirror stating:

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‘Diva’ singer Beyonce was the source of many compliments in a recent chat with PrideSource magazine.  In the extensive interview, King B chatted about the inspiration she draws from gay fans as well as admiration for ‘Telephone’/‘Video Phone’ co-star Lady Gaga.

See what else the ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ singer had to say after the jump:

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All of the monarchs of the music industry are resting securely on cemented thrones.  We have an undisputed Queen of Soul, King of Rock n’ Roll, King of R&B, and of course, a King of Pop.  Even though such title was initially self-proclaimed, there was no denying its delegation.  Interestingly, there is a vacancy on that list…the queen’s chair sits ostensibly empty.  And though many may vie and eye the throne, no woman has boldly professed herself as such (unlike her male counterpart).  So, it begs the question:  Who is the Queen of Pop?   While there are candidates many-a-fan would crown as such, there has been no definitively, unquestioned female pop potentate. And then…

In an age where the merit of ‘pop royalty’ is defined by fly-by-night radio hits and digital downloads, famed music magazine Rolling Stone developed an index of criteria to best crown the genre’s new queen.  For anyone who has been alive for the last three years (inhabitants of the animal kingdom included), it was a no brainer that Lady Gaga would be enthroned the genre’s reigning female monarch.  However, the list, which only included Pop’s active acts, was greeted with so much backlash it was later revised.

But, even the revision still featured Lady Gaga (a relative newcomer) above legends Mariah Carey and Celine Dion (with no mention of Janet Jackson or Whitney Houston).  While the magazine’s attempt to fill the void is applaudable, it is also laughable.  With music’s other matronly monarchs having a spate of success under their individual belts, is it really fair to say the Lady named queen would only have two albums under hers and less than 5 years in the game?

Thusly, That Grape wants to know:  what should be the criteria for determining queenship? Sales? Influence?  Awards?  If so, with so many candidates, who is the Queen[Q1] ?

That Grape Juice has chosen six leading ladies who would probably be the real contenders for the throne.  Each of the succeeding songstresses have, at minimum, 20 years experience,100 million records sold, and immeasurable influence over the industry (especially over those who decorated Rolling Stones’ list).  Did your fave make the cut?

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The proverbial middle child of Destiny, Kelly Rowland, is in an interesting position at the moment. After a shaky start to this era, the Grammy Award winner could possibly be at the brink of a crossover. With the biggest solo hit of her career ruling at urban outlets, and set to impact pop audiences soon, Kelly finally gained enough momentum behind her third studio album for Universal Motown to move forward with it’s release.

That momentum came in the form of ‘Motivation’, the Lil’ Wayne-assisted chart-topper, which was preceded by almost a year’s worth of “buzz singles” – ‘Commander’, ‘Rose Colored Glasses’, ‘Forever and A Day’, ‘Grown Woman‘ – and label/management kink ironing. The slinky, Jim Jonsin-laced bedroom cheer anthem, has topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks, and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, so far. Despite delay, the certified hit cemented a previously elusive release date for Kelly’s held-up LP. ‘Here I Am’ will finally hit U.S. retailers Tuesday July 26.

Before it’s debut, we here at That Grape Juice want to take a look back at five albums that suffered from similarly delayed gratification. Five albums plagued by bombing singles, label issues, and leaks, until finally, stone cold redemption – a validated hit – saved the long delayed albums from release date purgatory, a la Teaira Mari.

Check them out below…

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‘Break My Heart’ singer Estelle has been making her promo rounds in preparation for her soon-to-be released new album ‘All of Me’.  The singer recently chatted it up with BET.com and shared information about the record as well as thoughts on fellow U.K. songstresses Adele and Marsha Ambrosius.

See what the ‘American Boy’ emcee/singer had to say after the jump:

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