Though this will.i.am produced cut is far from being Mariah’s best effort – I’m really liking it for what it is – light, tongue-in-cheek, with enough hooks to have you humming along before it ends. I chose to interpret the song’s ‘I will hunt you down-esque’ lyrics comically; I mean she can’t really be serious, can she? LOL…

Hit or Miss?

Teen stars Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown performed their hit ‘No Air’ on American Idol last night. For all it’s success, the song doesn’t really move me – ok, at best. About the performance, Jordin sounded great; Chris, however, has had better days.

What do you think of the performance?

Following the news of TVT Records bankruptcy back in February, many have been wondering about the status of R&B singer Teedra Moses – who was signed to the label. The critically acclaimed songstress has addressed her current situation in a recent interview with All Hip Hop Alternatives:

Then I’d have a situation where I’m not well promoted, and they really couldn’t facilitate that at the time. So it was a blessing. Part of me was like “Yeah!’’ and the other part was like “Dang!” But it is what it is.

AHHA: Before they went into bankruptcy, I’m sure you had a lot of meetings with them about the album and the release date. What reasons were they giving you about why the album had to keep getting pushed back?

Teedra: Our communication was just horrible. The person I was dealing with [from TVT] was Brian Leech. He was the A&R that came to the studio and listened to what you were doing. Through him I was able to communicate with the label.

I’m not the type of person that can easily sit in the midst of all the technical stuff. I try to stay away from all that so I can be creative and do what I do without the restraints of thinking about what [A&Rs] have to do. That’s why I have people around for those jobs.

So once Brian left, there was really no way to communicate with them as an artist. There was no music person there. There were a couple other A&Rs, but they used to be assistants. There was no music person to really communicate with that could understand the vision I had.

You have to have that person to translate the vision to the label. It was a hard situation because everything was in disarray, and after Brian left, everything just started to fall apart. There were a lot of people underneath Brian that left too, and it kinda fell apart, unfortunately.

AHHA: So are you a complete free agent at this point?

Teedra: Not exactly; I’m not off TVT yet, but it’s something I’m moving towards. It’s very, very near.

It’s great to see that Teedra is moving forward. Like many, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of her sophomore effort ‘The Young Lioness’. Here’s hoping we’re able to hear it soon.

Any thoughts?

The video for Nelly’s new single ‘Party People’ (ft. Fergie) premiered little over an hour ago. I must say I’m really feeling both the song and it’s accompanying clip. The vid, though pretty simplistic, does the track justice. It’s great to see Nelly coming with the heat this time around; ‘Wadsyaname’ – his first attempt at at launching his forthcoming album ‘Brass Knuckles (due June 24th) – was solid, but very ‘Nelly circa 2002-2004’. Good stuff.

What do you think of the video?

The much anticipated video for Usher’s #1 smash ‘Love In The Club’ made its debut little over an hour ago. What can I say, other than it’s ON-POINT! Having seen the preview earlier this month, it appeared as if the clip would be a rehash of his 2004’s ‘Yeah’ vid, however the full vid proves otherwise. Considering the song’s subject-matter etc, I wasn’t really expecting the level of grandeur or thought put into the vid’s concept, but I’m pleasantly surprised. The concept, the choreography, the cameos (Diddy, Kanye and Keri Hilson)…I’m liking everything. ‘Love In The Club’ is lifted from Usher’s forthcoming album ‘Here I Stand’, which originally due in June, has been pushed up to May 27th.

What do you think of the video?

This week’s edition of ‘The Best You Never Heard’ serves up tracks from the likes of Toni Braxton, Keri Hilson, Estelle and R&B quartet N2U. You can drop me your suggestions for future installments at sam@thatgrapejuice.net

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Toni Braxton – Midnite

R&B songstress Toni Braxton delivered, what I feel to be, her most cohesive effort for a long while yet in the form of 2005’s ‘Libra’. Though the album only achieved mild success, tracks such as the smooth mid-tempo ‘Midnite’ highlight the LP’s more deserving (of success) nature. A great mix of ‘vintage Toni’ and more contemporary production, ‘Midnite’ definitely shows Braxton can more than hang with the current crop of female artists out at the moment.

Listen: Midnite

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Keri Hilson – Hands & Feet

Jermaine Dupri’s ill-fated stint as the Head of Urban at Virgin Records didn’t prove to be all bad; R&B crooners N2U were one of the first (and only) signee’s to the label under JD’s headship. ‘Baby Mama love’, taken from their 2005 debut ‘Issues’, is an awesome track on a number of fronts. With its engaging and unconventional subject-matter, as well as their stellar vocal delivery, the song stood as one of my personal favorites from that year.

Listen: Baby Mama Love

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Your thoughts: Hit(s) or Miss(es)?

Former TLC member Chilli looks set to (re)launch her solo career this year, following a botched effort early last year. The first single from the as-yet untitled set, is the aptly titled ‘Dumb Dumb Dumb’ – which was written by Cristyle the pen behind Mariah’s 18th #1 ‘Touch My Body’. While the busy production is pretty good, lyrically the song falls flat. It would seem that Chilli is trying to base this song, subject matter-wise, on the 90’s ‘guy-bashing’ craze that used to be ‘all the rage’. Granted this concept isn’t necessarily played out, it would help if the song was anywhere near good. As one of those who’ve been patiently awaiting Chilli’s solo material, this -as well as her other efforts (shudders at the thought of ‘Straight Jack’) have been real disappointing. It kinda has me thinking that the idea of Chilli ever going solo should have been left in the 90’s – a time when I feel she could have feasibly had any success. {Thanks Andy}

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After a brief hiatus, rapper Busta Rhymes is back on the music scene. Set to release his brand new album ‘Blessed’ on June 17th, Busta will drop Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em) as the LP’s first single. The track, which sounds like a Neptunes production, is a hit and miss affair IMO; Busta’s return to the rapid-paced delivery – that he has become renown for – suits the track’s high-octane production pretty well. However, lyrically, the song doesn’t really go anywhere. Still, I’m definitely anticipating Busta’s new record; as I had high hopes for his moderately received last LP ‘The Big Bang’.

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Ciara – Goodies / Like A Boy

Kelly nailed it! Whoah. She worked it like a pro. From her stage presence, to the the audience interaction, to the vocals, she definitely shined. After watching this, as well as her BBC 1Xtra set, I’m gonna need Ms. Kelly to be performing like that all the time from on here on out. Awesome. {Random tidbit: Did anyone else catch Def Jam head LA Reid (who was there with Mariah) recording Kelly on his mobile? Just an observation…}

Ciara was solid too. While I would have really liked to see a ‘Promise’ performance (her career defining song IMO), it’s understandable why she she performed ‘Goodies’ and ‘Like A Boy’ – both of which are her biggest hits in the UK to-date. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performances?

Following much-speculation, PEOPLE.com have confirmed that Beyonce and Jay-Z did indeed tie the knot today. Check out their report below:

After years of speculation, singer Beyoncé Knowles wed her longtime boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, on Friday, a friend of the couple tells PEOPLE.

Though there is no official confirmation, the friend says, “It happened earlier this evening. Jay wanted it to be a really private affair – close friends and family.”

The ceremony was followed by a lavish party at the rapper’s Tribeca apartment that drew Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny’s Child mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and the couple’s friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

The wedding buzz began when the couple went to get a marriage license at a village hall in Scarsdale, N.Y., on Tuesday.

Wow, so it turned out to be true after all. Congratulations to them!

Your thoughts?