50 Cent: 'Beyonce Made Jay-Z'In typical 50 Cent fashion, the rapper is stirring up controversy again – this time with Jay-Z. According to the G-Unit general, Jay-Z wasn’t as famous until he started dating Beyonce. Check out the report via Contact Music:

50 CENT has taken a sly swipe at rap rival JAY-Z, insisting the 99 PROBLEMS hitmaker was a “no one” until he wed BEYONCE KNOWLES.

Superstar Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, wed the Bootylicious beauty in April (08), and 50 Cent claims it was their union – not the rap mogul’s music – that raised his profile on the international scene.

He says, “I’m a big fan of Jay-Z, but outside of the States and hip-hop circles, no one really knew who he was until he married Beyonce.”

The In Da Club rapper has also disputed reports that Jay-Z is worth an estimated $1 billion, but is adamant he’s not jealous of his fortune.

He adds, “I don’t believe he’s worth that much! It’s all been exaggerated. I’m comfortable. I don’t want for anything so I’m not in a race.”

It seems ol’ Curtis is up to his nonsense again. Don’t you think, should 50 put as much effort into his music as he does in running hi mouth, his relevancy wouldn’t be in free-fall as it is now.

Your thoughts?

In this recent interview with _______ (LOL), Cassie discussed the rumors about her ‘involvement’ with label head Diddy. Check it out:
For the record, Cassie seems like a nice girl, really. However, I’m really going to need someone to word these Diddy questions differently, as I find it hard to believe that she still has a deal and is cranking out big-budget videos, with her talent being well…you know the deal with that.
Randomness: Poor Donnie…LOL

Your thoughts?
Christina Milian UpdateWe reported back in January that Christina Milian was set to sign with MySpace’s new label (in partnership with Interscope). The deal did indeed go through and the singer has confirmed to Billboard that her new album will be hitting stores at the top of 2009:

Her label debut is due next spring. The first single, “Us Against The World,” is a “cinematic power ballad” and will be available via the social networking site (MySpace) on October 6.

“I’ve been out of the game for one and a half years, and I think I’m long overdue for a comeback, so I’m treating this album like it’s my last chance to make an impression. I’m competing with myself and being very detailed,” the 26-year-old Cuban-American told Billboard. “Before, I had a label telling me what direction to go in. Now, it’s my choice, so I’m being very particular about it and I’m really excited.”

Kanye West is the sole guest artist so far, but Milian, who wrote most of the album, hints at potential collaborative surprises down the line.

Milian’s stint with Def Jam did not end well. She was dropped just a month after the release of her third studio album, 2006’s “So Amazin’,” allegedly because of poor sales. The set has shifted more than 163,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

But she views the MySpace deal as a chance for a fresh start. “I have a lot of support from my peers. I have lots of people that love me and want the best for me,” she said. “Sometimes things don’t work out the right way, but I know I work my butt off on my end. As long as you know you worked hard, you feel accomplished. Thankfully, I took the time off to check out what’s going on and now I’m back, and MySpace is allowing me to do tons of different things creatively.” {Source}

Here’s hoping this new deal works out for Christina; wouldn’t say I’m a fan, but she definitely has potential.

Your thoughts?

Ne-Yo recently released ‘She’s Got Her Own Things’ – the official remix of his current smash ‘Miss Independent’. Check out the clip for the song which features both Jamie Foxx and Fabolous:

Can’t say I’m really feeling the remix all that much, yet kudos to Ne-Yo for putting a new spin on the song. The R&B crooner is set to hit #1 with his third studio LP ‘Year of The Gentleman’ this week.

What do you think of the song / video?


Danity Kane siren Aubrey O’Day features in the latest issue of Complex magazine. As you can probably tell from the pic from her shoot above, this was no tame feature. See an extract from her interview below (the following contains adult content and may not be suitable for minors….I always wanted to say that LOL…sad I know):

Complex: How many Danity Kane albums are you locked in for?

Aubrey O’Day: Seven, not including holiday and live albums.

Complex: Damn! So that means at least five more to go.

Aubrey O’Day: In a perfect world, that’s what appears to be the case. But, as we all know, this world is not perfect.

Complex: So when people hear you’re best friends with (porn star) Jenna Jameson, they think—

Aubrey O’Day: —I’m going to do sex tapes and porn. Jenna and I never even talk about porn. I think one time Jenna and I had a conversation about having sex on your period.

Complex: Oh, running a red light?

Aubrey O’Day: Yeah. There was some new guy I was dating, and it was the first time we were going to go there, and he was weird about it. So I ask Jenna for advice and she’s like, “Honey, it’s just a little war paint, who cares?”

Complex: You seem to like to talk about sex.

Aubrey O’Day: I love porn.

I usually watch black guys doing white girls, that’s my little fetish, even though in real life race isn’t a factor for me. Really, I’m more turned on by watching the girls than the guys. I love someone who looks like they’re really into sex.

Complex: All this porn talk raises the question: Would you ever be in one?

Aubrey O’Day: I wouldn’t. I’d like to keep my sex life personal. I’ve had sex on camera with my boyfriend for fun, though.

Complex: Damn, you know those things can leak, right?

Aubrey O’Day: I’ve made all of them delete it right after we watched it.

Where to start? Wow. Aubrey seems to really be treading the fine line between being honest and being too honest. As for the pic(s) (the rest of which you can see by clicking here), it really does nothing to put an end to the barks of ‘sl*t’ oft directed towards Aubrey. Got to love the girl, though.

Your thoughts?

Leona Lewis - 'Nowhere Left To Go (ft. Cassidy)'Singing sensation Leona Lewis is set to re-release her smash hit album ‘Spirit’ this Christmas here in the UK. The Cassidy-assisted ‘Nowhere Left’ to go is set to feature on this version of the album – having been (record for, but) left off the US release.About the mid-tempo track, I’m really liking the fact that Leona isn’t being pigeon-holed in the ballad-only category – the song is very ‘current’. Saying that, the song, though not bad, doesn’t really serve up much of substance; what’s more there is a distinct lack of chemistry between Leona and Cassidy on the track (his part feels kinda ‘phoned-in’). Decent, I guess.

Hit or Miss?

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Jay-Z & Stargate Form LabelWith Jay-Z having just finalized his multi-million dollar deal with Live Nation; reports are circulating that the rapper has formed a new record label with hit-makers Stargate – the duo behind big hits from the likes of Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Usher, Mary J and more:

Hot on the heels of his deal with Live Nation, which reportedly has the live music promotions giant contributing $5 million each year in overhead for five years, $25 million to finance Jay-Z’s external acquisitions and investments, plus $10 million per album for a minimum of three albums within the deal’s term, as well as aanother $20 million for other rights including publishing and licensing, Jay-Z is reportedly in the process of starting a new joint venture project with Norwegian based production crew Stargate.

The Stargate team of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen will join Jay-Z in the formation of the StarRoc record label imprint. {Source}

There really is no stopping Jay these days, is there? With Stargate on board, it’ll be interesting to see what the label will deliver in terms of artists and overall sound.

Any thoughts?

R&B stars Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson took to the stage the Labelle & Charles: 30th Anniversary – ‘An Evening Of Stars’ this week, a show to honor Patti Labelle’s storied career. Check out a lengthy clip of Fantasia performing ‘Lady Marmalade’ and Jennifer performing ‘Over The Rainbow’ below:

Great performances from both ladies. On a random note, it really does go to show that genuine, raw talent can be found on shows such as American Idol.

Anyway, the full show airs in the US January 24 and 25, 2009 on BET and WGN.

What do you think of the performances?

Pink Lands First #1 It’s not often you see Pink around these sides. However, as one of the few who think she’s actually become better since switching up her sound from R&B, I’m real pleased to see her getting her dues. The singer’s new single ‘So What’ jumped #2-#1 this week on the Billboard chart – marking her first time atop of the chart.

It’s weird thinking back, that despite her ‘Misunderstood’ record being her biggest to date, the album’s single’s didn’t yield any #1’s. I mean great tracks such as ‘Just Like A Pill’, ‘Family Portrait’ etc were all deserving. That said, there’s no point dwelling on what could have been…she’s #1 now. More power to her!

Any thoughts?

Estelle - 'Come Over (ft. Sean Paul)'Fresh off the success of ‘American Boy’, UK breakout star Estelle is set to serve up ‘Come Over’ as the 2nd US single from her highly acclaimed ‘Shine’ LP. This brand new version, not found on the album, features Sean Paul – who I must say compliments the already great track very well. Good stuff.
In other Estelle news, the singer’s hit ‘American Boy’ rockets a whopping 43 places on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week to #9. It really makes me proud to see Ms. Swaray doing it B-I-G in the States – many a UK artist has tried, without luck, to establish themselves in the US. More power to her. Anyway, back to the song lol…

Hit or Miss?
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Some of you may remember this new Keri Hilson track, ‘Shake It Like A Dog’, from last year; the track was originally recorded by Mya for placement on her ill-fated ‘Liberation’ LP. Now featuring R&B crooner R. Kelly, as well as amped-up production (the beat knocks!), the track has been re-branded by Keri on her serially delayed album ‘In A Perfect World’ (which has now been pushed back to November 4th (SMH). I must say, I’m really feeling this one….a lot. Here’s hoping the pushback and delays with Keri’s record don’t hamper what is sounding like a very deserving (of success) album.

Hit or Miss?

To 'Migrate' or Not?Billboard recently confirmed that Mariah Carey was set to release fan/critic favourite ‘Migrate’ as the fourth single from her under-performing (by her standards) LP ‘E=MC²’. However since then, uber reliable Mariah fansite Mariah Daily received word from Def Jam that the release of the single has been axed, with no further information on future releases from the album.
It’s a shame really as, regardless of how good an album is (and let’s make no mistakes,’E=MC²’ was far from ‘good’ IMO), it simply takes 2-3 singles well sequenced singles to deliver a hit record – for an artist of Mariah’s caliber, anyway. Why favourites such as ‘For The Record’, ‘Migrate’ and even ‘Side Effects’ (which I can’t stand, yet most seem to love) were overlooked in favour of nonsense such as ‘Bye Bye’ and ‘I’m That Chick’ is beyond me.
What’s more, from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be receiving any new singles from the album – which I actually think may be for the best. In between those horrid live performances and the fact that the album just wasn’t very good (especially when compared with its predecessor ‘Emancipation’, I say it’d probably be in Mariah’s best interest to sit down and enjoy married life for now.

Your thoughts?
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