Anita Baker may have garnered mixed reviews for her a capella take on the U.S. national anthem at January’s NFC Championship Game (as we reported here), but the Queen of Quiet Storm earned a royal applause from onlookers for her rendition of the historic tune in Las Vegas on Saturday (May 27).

On hand at the Michelob Ultra Arena for home opener of the Las Vegas Aces vs. the Los Angeles Sparks, Baker lifted the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ to new heights ahead of the Aces (players, coaches, and staff) receiving their championship rings in honor of their 2022 WNBA championship win.

Look inside to see the action.

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The musical rise of Coco Jones shows no sign of slowing thanks to the ongoing success of her single, ‘ICU.’

First brought to mainstream attention in November 2022 as part of her major-label debut EP ‘What I Didn’t Tell You,’ ‘ICU’ took on a life of its own and became the up-and-coming diva’s breakthrough single when it cracked the Hot 100 in March (a career-first for her).

Having peaked at #63 on the Pop chart, the DJ Camper-produced slow jam is faring even better on R&B-centric Billboard tallies – namely the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Details inside.

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Bad boys and city girls unite for the summer anthem we didn’t know we needed!

Nearly a year after dropping the Bryson Tiller-assisted bop ‘Gotta Move On,’ music mogul Diddy lifts the lid on its follow-up: ‘Act Bad’ featuring City Girls and Fabolous.

“Act bad, I’ma act badder / Sent her to DR and it came back fatter / She keepin’ it a hundred, got throw a sack at her / Heard she got a man, don’t none of that matter,” Fab raps on the Macromavy-produced cut.

Puff follows with his share of racy lyrics before the Girls, including his on-and-off again boo Caresha (aka Yung Miami), take the tone over the top with their contributions.

“I’ma get y’all a bad advice / When a broke hoe’s hot, that’s bad advice / And these n-ggas ain’t sh-t, act bad for life / They treat a good girl wrong, and a bad one nice,” the ‘Act Up’ duo spit on ‘Act Bad.’

Hear ‘Act’ in full and peep its high octane accompanying music video inside.

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As far as modern-day R&B goes, the monstrous run of SZA‘s long-awaited sophomore album – 2022’s ‘SOS‘ – is damn near unprecedented. Even more notable are the number of longstanding records she’s broken along the way with the project and its accompanying era.

Beyond opening at #1 on the Billboard 200 with the largest streaming week ever for an R&B effort, the ‘CTRL‘ follow-up would go on to control the chart for a whopping 10 weeks – making it longest-running #1 female studio album by a Black woman since Mariah Carey‘s 1990 debut and Whitney Houston‘s 1987 eponymous project ruled over the tally for a respective 11 weeks.

And while that accomplishment was gargantuan, it wasn’t be the last time SZA (born Solana Rowe) would see her name beside Whitney’s for a historic feat.

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Taylor Swift may reign atop the Pop pack, but the superstar is far from resting on her laurels.

Because, fresh from unwrapping the semi-surprise ‘Til Dawn’ deluxe edition of her ‘Midnights’ album, the 33-year-old has premiered the music video for the ‘Karma’ remix featuring rapper Ice Spice – which is housed on the LP.

A whimsical affair, the visual arrives as the track launches at #1 on US Spotify with seismic streams.

Watch the video for ‘Karma’ below…

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Taylor Swift continues to be the gift that keeps giving to her legions of loyal fans.

Ever full of surprises, the Pop titan unlocked ‘The Til Dawn Edition’ of her latest studio album ‘Midnights’ with just 24 hours’ notice.

Comprised of the original tracks featured on the blockbuster LP, the refreshed incarnation features the likes of Ice Spice (on the ‘Karma’ remix) and Lana Del Rey on an updated take of ‘Snow on the Beach.’

As if oft the case with Swift, big buzz greeted news of the album’s re-release.

Now, the tea is being poured on how that is translating commercially.

Let’s just say, it’s sweet tea for Ms. Swift.

Full story below…

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Teyana Taylor has long defined what it means to be multihyphenate. Indeed, as well as being a singer, actress, model, designer, and director, the star has also emerged as one of R&B’s most sought-after performance coaches.

And it’s little surprise, given how intensely she blazes any and every stage she graces.

Fittingly, then, Taylor’s services have been enlisted by chart-topper Summer Walker – who, despite hitting hard with her musical output, has been critiqued in earnest for delivering performances many have deemed lackadaisical.

Now, just weeks after defending her performance style, Walker appears to be walking back said stance and celebrating getting…help.

See what we mean below…

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The family and management of B2K star Raz B are speaking up and out in the wake of the performer’s hospitalization.

As reported, Raz was taken to a Kansas medical facility after making a number of worrying social media posts.

While at said hospital, the singer broke a window and escaped onto the roof – prompting the police to be called.

Now, his team has issued a formal response to the incident.

The statement awaits below…

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Rap Queen Nicki Minaj is no stranger to lending her royal blessing to the up-and-coming class of female rappers over the years, helping them collect some of the biggest hits of their careers along the way.

Now, Sexyy Red is set to add her name to the list.

The St. Louis native had already garnered quite the attention with her hit ‘Pound Town‘ thanks to the viral #PoundTownChallenge, but now the Tay Keith-produced bop boasts bars from Minaj in a revamp titled ‘Pound Town 2.’

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Beyonce was joined by a very special guest on the Paris stop of the ‘Renaissance World Tour’ tonight (May 26).

For, Queen Bey welcomed her daughter Blue Ivy onto the stage with her for a majorly memorable moment.

Joining Mom during the live showing of ‘My Power,’  the 11-year-old blew the proverbial roof off of the Stade de France while executing the song’s intricate choreography alongside the chart-topping Carter matriarch.

Watch all the action after the jump…

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Britney Spears is mending fences with her Mom Lynne Spears.

The singer has been particularly public about her frustrations with her immediate family in the lead-up to the termination of her controversial conservatorship – and after.

Per Spears, her family were complicit in adversely affecting her wellbeing for the 13 years her personal and professional life were governed by the legal mandate.

Having weathered that storm, the performer and her Mom are actively working on their relationship. And Spears is reflecting on it publicly.

Full story below…
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Celine Dion has made the painstaking deduction to cancel her remaining 2023 and 2024 live dates.

Full story below…

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