In a statement to the press, Usher’s record label have confirmed that the Grammy winner has re-hired his mother Jonetta Patton as his manager. Check out the report via Billboard:

In a short statement issued by LaFace/Zomba, it was announced that the artist “has dissolved his management arrangement with Benny Medina and has re-engaged Jonnetta Patton as his manager.”

Usher split his mother as his manager in May 2007. He then hired Medina, who was integral in the launch of the artist’s recent album, “Here I Stand.” In 10 weeks, it has sold 948,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It’s the No. 8 best-selling album of 2008 so far.

However, it hasn’t come close to matching the gaudy numbers of its predecessor, 2004’s “Confessions,” which sold 3.77 million copies in its first 10 weeks and is at 9.6 million to date.

Let the ‘I told you so’s’ ensue lol. For real, this is definitely a good look for Usher IMO; maybe not for the ‘Here I Stand’ LP (which IMO was dead on arrival), but for his long-term prospects.

Your thoughts?

In this journey I have been so blessed to come across many faces and spaces that have shown so much love. I hear so many folk who love that the record is a departure from most of the traditional things out right now. I get people who love my steez and encourage me to be me and I THANK YOU!!

Unfortunately I’m in an industry where diversity is not celebrated the way it should be. When some people see and hear something different it feels foreign to them and they don’t like that. Everyone has a choice of what they like and that’s a beautiful thing!!!

BUT Record labels, managers, publicist, journalist, media ect… have a tendency to see something work and try to reciprocate that with another artist thinking that’s what makes success. To me what makes success is letting people be truly who they are.

“When I heard Kanye’s “Everything I Am” I instantly fell in love. I felt my story somewhere in his. I felt his frustration yet acceptance of who he was. So I decided to put my own little twist on it:)

Warning: This song in NO WAY shape or fashion has a negative light to any of the artist I mention…I love and respect them ALL. I am just simply expressing myself and my story. When I say F.U. I am talking to no one in particular, only those that feel guilty of categorizing :)”

You can listen to the track below:

Bad Boy’s Cassie appears in the August/September issue of Complex Magazine. The 21 year old ‘singer’ spoke frankly on a number of issues check extracts from the feature below:
On her voice:

“Based on my past and how my last album came out, I really need to come back much much stronger, I wanted to have more personality. I really want to tell a story when I’m doing a song. Vocally, either you like my voice or you don’t. I’m not trying to blow like Mariah, back when she was doing that.”

On the harshest thing that’s been said about her:

Seems like she’s got a thicker skin this go round. That said, if she’s not doing…well…’you know what’ for tracks/checks, how else could her still having a deal be explained?

Your thoughts?

Diva Mariah Carey performed a set at the Samsung AT&T ‘Summer Krush’ series in Hollywood, California last night – portion of which was aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Check out her interview with Kimmel above, as well two performances including her first ever televised performance of ‘Side Effects’ with Young Jeezy below:

Loving U Long Time // Touch My Body

I’m not really a fan of ‘Side Effects’, nor ‘E=MC²’ for that matter, so I’m not surprised the performance did little to move me. The ‘Loving U Long Time / Touch My Body’ medley was better. Overall, an improvement on some of the truly cringe -worthy performances we have been subject to this go round. Decent.

Your thoughts?

Though I’d have preferred to see Missy exert herself a bit more performance-wise (i.e. dancing more, live vocals etc), there’s no denying the performance was on-point. Missy continues to step outside the box and push the envelope, which is much needed in the ‘samey’ state the industry is in at the minute.

What do you think of the performance?

As the release of Keri Hilson’s debut LP ‘In A Perfect Word’ draws nearer (due September 23rd), new promotional shots for the project have surfaced. Keri looks great. Real classy.

What do you think of the pics?

I really enjoyed their rendition; they seemed to too lol.

What do you think of the performance?

Great performance! Though real laid back, Solange delivered a fantastic vocal showing. Did anyone hear her vocal runs and ‘that’ high-note at the end. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performance?

Reality TV star Omarosa has declared victory over shock jock Wendy Williams, following their spat on Williams’ talk show recently:

“She’s been talking smack about me for the past five years and she thought I’d go on her show, forgetting about it? She’s been so vicious, she couldn’t have expected a tea party!”

“I had some expectation that she would try and up her game, but she lowered it. I find it ironic that she would beg and plead me to come on her show and then be rude and unprofessional when I got there,” says Omarosa, who thinks she won this fight with the radio shock jock. “I knocked Wendy out. She’s so used to bullying people, but for the first time, she met her match.” “She definitely has a face for radio.” {Source}

Ouch…

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Confirmed as not being Cassie (too good to be true, eh? lol)

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