Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ segments, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s retrospective segment – a written quest, if you will, to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.
Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of Pop and Urban Pop music hits.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Queen of Pop Madonna‘s first album of the millennium, this week we’ll replay her eighth studio effort, ‘Music.’
Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest featureChart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of musichistory.
This week we’ll tracking back to TLC‘s fourth and final #1 hit, 1999’s ‘Unpretty.’
Almost two months after Chris Brown made headlines for declining an invite to battle Usher on the wildly popular #VERZUZ platform (click here to read that), the ‘Confessions’ crooner has similarly confessed he has no interest in participating in a hit-for-hit duel…with anybody.
His comments echo a previously made statement by his ‘Shake Down’ duet partner Mary J. Blige who also shook her head when quizzed on her desire to spar with a musical equivalent on the Instagram-hosted arena.
Camila Cabello fans – affectionately called #Camilizers – will be head over heels for the latest ‘Romance’ news.
The singer’s solo sophomore set, which arrived in December 2019, powered to Platinum heights in the United States on the wings of her second Hot 100 chart-topper, ‘Senorita’ (with boyfriend Shawn Mendes), as well as her own ‘Shameless,’ ‘Living Proof,’ ‘Liar,’ and ‘My Oh My (featuring DaBaby).‘
Related to latter two, the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has announced updates regarding their certification status.
Good news continues to pour on ‘Rain on Me’ – the chart-topping duet from Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
In addition to making history as the first all-female collaboration to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the BloodPop-produced bop helped both of its performers lead the nomination tally of the 2020 MTV VIdeo Music Awards (nabbing nine mentions respectively).
Ahead of their highly anticipated performance at the annual extravaganza (as well as grabbing some of its silver moonmen), they’ve learned the tune’s crossed the threshold for Platinum certification at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Having already made the biggest splash of 2020 among new singles (as we reported here), ‘WAP’ – the sexually charged hit from Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion – continues to drown out the competition thanks to a second week of stellar digital sales, radio airplay, and streaming.
Undoubtedly expected to make a splash upon its premiere on the Billboard Hot 100, the gargantuan impact made by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion‘s joint effort, ‘WAP,’ may be better categorized as a tsunami.
Opening atop the tally with numbers that rival some of music history’s biggest debuts ever, the Ayo the Producer-crafted bop – which largely samples Frank Ski‘s 1992 club anthem ‘Whores in This House’ – was penciled in record books several times over in just its first seven days.
Look inside to see 8 ways ‘WAP’ whopped history: (more…)
‘Midnight Sky,’ the first single from Miley Cyrus‘ forthcoming seventh studio album ‘She is Miley Cyrus,’ is off to a promising start.
After ample teasing, the song and its accompanying, self-directed music video were unveiled Friday (August 14). In the days since, it’s already amassed 24 million views on YouTube and millions of spins on streaming platforms.
Yet, as its commercial performance numbers roll in, it appears streaming isn’t the only avenue the Louis Bell & Andrew Watt-produced bop is winning on.
Today serves as a regal occasion. For, it’s the 62nd birthday of Pop queen Madonna.
In honor of her Madgesty, this week’s From The Vault pick is her year 2000 smash ‘Music.’
Issued as the lead single from her like-titled 8th studio album, the track was written and produced by the superstar alongside frequent collaborator Mirwais.
With 1998’s ‘Ray of Light’ serving as exactly that for the diva (after a rollercoaster number of years professionally), ‘Music’ was tasked with re-affirming the fact that Madonna was unquestionably “back.”
And it delivered in earnest.
Shaking off the early leak of its demo two months prior, the song was officially released in August 2000 and proved an immediate smash.
Having delved into more introspective waters on ‘Ray Of Light,’ ‘Music’ (the song) made clear that it was was turn-up time.
Lyrically lighter than its predecessor, it saw the diva make a bold return to the dance-floor to “boogie-woogie” and demand that listeners followed suit – which they did in their millions.
Storming the charts on a global scale, ‘Music’ hit #1 in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, and many more countries.
Beyond its its pulsating production and infectious lyrics, its seismic success was also powered by its colorful music video (which featured a cameo from Ali-G).
Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, Madonna conceptualized the clip herself and set out to show her take on the stereotypical Hip-Hop videos of the time. Ever one to ignite discussion, her expressed goal was to role reverse – with females enacting characters typically performed by males.
Pregnant at the time of shooting, she’s on record saying: “I had to think of a concept that would incorporate me being almost a voyeur rather than the central force in the video. So I figured if I played this kind of mack-daddy/pimp character, where things just came to me, happened to me and happened around me while I was watching it all happen, I could kill two birds with one stone.”
A firm fixture on the charts, radio and TV channels across the world, ‘Music’ functioned as yet another incredible chapter of success in Madonna’s incomparable narrative.
20 years on (and almost four years into her career), the diva remains a towering force and a blueprint for the modern musical landscape.
‘Space Jam’ is heading back to the screens led by NBA legend LeBron James.
With ‘Black Panther’s Ryan Coogler on-board to produce and Don Cheadle also starring, the hotly anticipated follow-up to the 1996 original hits theaters in Summer 2021.
Filming on the flick (which is officially titled ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’) recently wrapped and audio from James’ closing speech to cast and crew has surfaced.
Taylor Swift‘s ‘Folklore’ is the music news story on everyone’s lips.
Her eighth studio album, the set – which was released July 24 (with little warning) – rocketed to the top of the Billboard 200 with the biggest sales of the year (click here to read more).
Now, as if her domination of that tally wasn’t enough, she’s replicating its success on the Hot 100 with the LP’s lead single ‘Cardigan.’
