R&B star Amerie hit the UK this past week to start promo for her latest European single ‘Gotta Work’. This performance took place during the ‘T4 on the Beach’ festival in Weston-Super Mare yesterday (July 22nd). I liked the performance; her vocals were really good and the crowd were hyped throughout. Having said that, I felt something was kinda lacking. Unlike most her other performances, Amerie didn’t really ‘work’ the stage and was confined to more or less one spot. In other Amerie news, her third album ‘Because I Love It’ – out now in Europe – will see its Stateside release on August 21st.

What do you think of the performance?

Rapper Lil’ Flip (real name Wesley Weston) was arrested and charged with credit card fraud this past Saturday (July 21st). The charges allege that the Houston native used a stolen credit card to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of ‘merchandise’. Sources close to the investigation claim the ‘merchandise’ ranged from items of clothing to internet pornography. Flip, 26, was released on $2000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
I know Flip was dropped by Sony in 2006, but I didn’t think times were that hard.

Any thoughts?
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Rihanna is churning out singles and albums so fast these days; didn’t her 2nd single ‘Shut Up & Drive’ just come out? Nonetheless, the Bajan star premiered her latest single ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ on BET’s 106 & Park yesterday. The track is undeniably a dance song and the video (which Rihanna co-directed) really reflects that. I’m not a fan of the song, but its a grower. Def Jam are really covering all ground with this project – each single has appealed to a different market. ‘Hate That I Love You’ (ft. Neyo) has also been confirmed as the 4th single from her ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ CD.

What do you think of the video?

As Common preps the release of his latest album ‘Finding Forever’ (due July 31st), a new track from the CD has surfaced. Produced by Kanye West ‘Drivin’ Me Wild’ sees Common collaborate with British Pop sensation Lily Allen on what is a great track. The concept of the song focuses on those who try to fit in instead of embracing their individuality – a universal message. Outside of the Urban world, Lily is one of the artists I’ve been liking and her feature on the hook really works.

Hit or Miss?

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The ever-consistent Sean Paul is prepping his new album (rumoured title ‘New Age’) for a 2007/2008 release. ‘Pick It Up And Drop It’ is set to be the lead single from the LP – the follow-up to 2005’s Platinum selling ‘The Trinity’. As with most of his singles, the uptempo track is real radio-friendly; yet it differs to his previously released material. The song is a slight departure from Paul’s dancehall roots and sees the Jamaican star embrace a more dance-orientated sound. For the most part, I’m liking the track and will be on the lookout for his new CD – since the last two were great.

Hit or Miss?

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Former Fugees member Pras has confirmed that the group’s long-awaited reunion album is officially ‘dead’. Speaking to Billboard.com, he cited Lauryn Hill as the cause of the situation:

“We went in the studio and recorded a couple records that were incredible. But, to put it nicely, it’s dead”. “Me and Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I’m fed up with that sh*t. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she’s running on some b*llshit? I’m a fan of Lauryn’s but I can’t respect that.”

I kinda gathered that the project was a non-starter, but Lauryn needs to get herself sorted – more so for herself than anybody else. She performed, here in London, a few weeks back and by most accounts she was terrible – a real fall from grace. Be it drugs or whatever, I hope she’s able to address her problems soon; it would be a shame for such a talent to be wasted.

Any thoughts?

That Grape Juice has teamed up with Electronic Arts (UK) for our first video games give-away. Each week, two copies of a particular title will be up for grabs – all you are required to do is to answer the given question correctly for a chance to win. {Please be aware that due to technological variances, some titles will only be available in certain territories. You will be made aware when this is the case} This week’s title is:


Def Jam Icon (XBOX 360)

Def Jam Icon is the third installment of EA’s popular Hip Hop/Street Fighting game. With it’s cutting edge presentation and gritty feel, ‘Icon’ is one the most realistic combat titles available. ‘Icon’ also boasts an impressive character roster of Hip Hop heavyweights – including T.I, The Game and Ludacris – allowing for the player to guide their favourite to the top. The experience is enhanced by an authentic soundtrack which is comprised of hits by many of the featured artists.

*Please note: This week’s competition is only open to those who reside in PAL territories (e.g. Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia etc ) or own PAL XBOX 360 systems- as the game will not work on non-PAL systems. Click here to see if you’re in a PAL territory.

For a chance to win ‘Def Jam Icon’, answer the following question:

Which artist is NOT signed to Def Jam:

a) Jay Z

b) Ne-Yo

c) T.I

Email your answer as well as your full name, age, and address to competitions@thatgrapejuice.net. Please be sure to put ‘EA Comp – Week 2’ as the subject. Winners will be selected randomly from all correct answers. Competition ends Wednesday July 25th. Good luck!
A long clip of the lead single from Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming new album has surfaced. Produced by Midi Mafia, ‘Hold It, Push It’ is the first English -language solo single from Lopez in over three years. Unfortunately, the track falls short of the hype which preceded it; the song is wack- plain and simple. Production-wise it’s just ‘ok’, yet J.Lo’s lacking vocal delivery is what really lets the track down. Having said that, maybe I expected too much from her – for what reason I do not know. I’m guessing I anticipated something with more ‘umph’ to it than this, after all she needs a hit as her music career has been in the pits for sometime now. For her sake, the album has to have better cuts than this.

Hit or Miss?
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50 Cent is running his mouth again, this time about fellow rapper Nas. Speaking to XXL magazine, 50 had the following to say about the ‘Hip Hop Is Dead’ rapper:

You have different kinds of people. You have people that are extremely book smart that lack common sense so they don’t know what’s going to affect their audience. They have more information than me based on reading. For instance, Nas is a really smart guy. He reads books constantly. We were around him on the Nastradamus tour. He was almost weirder than me ’cause we would go to breakfast and he’d be there reading a book. Conceptually, I think that’s what made him drift away from what his initial audience enjoys from him and why he’s not hot right now.

Aside from the fact that Nas tops 50 in just about every way, shouldn’t the G-Unit leader be worrying about his own career? With the released material from 50’s upcoming ‘Curtis’ CD flopping all over the place, you’d think he’d look at himself first. I guess he thinks his tired routine of calling out other rappers to generate buzz will work this time. He doesn’t seem to get it – no one cares for his music anymore.

What do you think of 50’s comments?

Singer Kelly Rowland collapsed during her set at ‘This Day Music Festival’ in Lagos, Nigeria this past weekend. The suddenness of of it all, kinda makes for uncomfortable viewing – check out the video:

Here’s a concert goer’s account of what went down:

She was all up on the stage shaking her booty to “Say My Name” and I look away for a split second and then I see her lying on the stage. At first, I thought it was part of the act especially when one of her dancers started jumping around super-dramatically but then stage crew started running towards her and then some This Day folks including This Day publisher, Nduka Obaigbena were on the stage forming a ring round her to prevent the audience from seeing what the medical emergency crew were doing and then we knew it was real. Damn! The audience began chanting “Ke-lly, Ke-lly, Ke-lly!” in the hope of encouraging her on. The emergency operation went on for about 15 minutes before she was finally carried off the stage, I’m assuming on a strecher, since she was completely surrounded by the people on the stage. She defintely didn’t get up and walk off herself, that I know for sure. Later on, Nduka Obaigbena came out and said she was okay and she sent her love and was very sorry for not being able to complete her set.

Speaking of which, her set was actually quite fun and energetic despite what seemed like a lot of people’s apprehensions (including mine) about her ability as an exciting live performer.

Reps for Kelly are citing dehydration as the cause, yet some media outlets are questioning the timing of the fall (suggesting it may be a publicity stunt to generate interest in her new CD). Having been to Nigeria myself -my parents hail from there – I know how HOT it can get over there. Aside from that, Kelly has been promoting her album non-stop recently so it’s bound to tell on her sooner or later. It’s pretty insensitive on the part of some reporters to assume it was all a ploy – cut the girl some slack already. I’m just hoping all is well with her and she makes a speedy recovery.


What do you think of Kelly’s collapse?
R&B star LeToya served as the opening act on Mary J Blige’s Salinos, California concert this past Friday (July 13th). During the ‘Torn’ singer’s set, she revealed that her sophomore CD – due for release later this year – will be titled ‘Lady Love’. LeToya, then, proceeded to perform the song, which reports described as having an ’80’s groove’, as well as another new track called ‘Don’t Let Me Get Away’. A small tidbit: LeToya also performed a Destiny’s Child Medley (‘No, No No’, ‘Bills Bills Bills’ and ‘Say My Name’.
It’s great to see that the album is coming along smoothly. After making her mark with the first CD, all eyes will be on whether she can deliver with the follow-up. On a side note, I really would have wanted to see the Destiny’s Child medley she did – for more reasons than one.

Do you think LeToya can top her debut?

I’m kinda surprised Marques Houston actually managed to release a third single from his ridiculously titled album ‘Veteran’ (his last hit was…?) – especially since the CD’s first two singles tanked. However, the Ne-Yo penned ‘Wonderful’ is a great single choice, seeing as it’s one of the few standout tracks from the album. The video isn’t bad either; I’m really liking the choreography -although it’s all becoming a bit ‘samey’ with Marques nowadays. To be honest, I can’t see the song/video doing anything to rescue the album (which disappeared from the charts almost as quickly as it debuted); however it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

What do you think of the video?

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