When Britney Spears was three songs into her concert in Perth, Australia Friday night she was met with a surprise. Hundreds of fans literally got up out of there seats and walked out of the arena after they spent between $182 and $1370 to see her perform. But why in the world would they leave a concert they dropped an entire stack on???

We’ll tell you why. Because she was lip syncing. (blank stare)

“We are really big Britney fans, but it was crap,” Josh Blee told local reporters. “She has let us down. Added Amanda Hawlet, who drove two hours to Perth’s Burswood Dome, “I want my money back or I want her to sing properly. It cost me half a week’s wage….it was a waste.”

(...) Continue Reading »

It seems that Rihanna has stirred up a feud with Chris Brown’s people. It is being reported that Breezy will drop his music video for his second single “Crawl” this Friday on the Wendy Williams Show. Coincidentally, this is the same day that Rihanna’s video for “Russian Roulette” is set to be released. Also, an interview Chris did with Good Morning America will air sometime next month. Unfortunately, this isn’t a response to Rihanna’s interview as this was filmed months ago.

We’re hoping Wendy grills Chris and gets a reaction out of him on Rihanna’s “20/20″ interview. As for the interview with GMA, we’re kind of tired of this whole thing. Chris Brown has been interviewed about this one too many times. We hope he just sticks to promoting the album. As for the videos, which are you looking forward to the most? Watching Chris as he finds his way back to love, or watching as Rihanna shoots herself?

Rihanna’s record label Island Def Jam has joined forces with cell phone pioneers Nokia for a special promotional concert in the UK for her new album Rated R, set to hit stores later this month on November 23rd. The pop superstar will perform at an undisclosed location in London on November 16th, which will be filmed for a free concert streaming live on the Internet. Rihanna fans can sign up at www.nokia.com/rihanna to download a web widget counting down to the performance and the day of the concert they’ll be able to watch the performance LIVE as if they were there!

“I am so excited to partner up with Nokia,” Rihanna said via press release. “They are doing really revolutionary things with this album, enabling me to reach more fans than ever before.”

This will only be the first of many installments Nokia will have with connecting fans all around the world with some the music industry’s biggest names.

(...) Continue Reading »

Rapper Yung Joc is officially free from any contractual obligations with his former label Block Entertainment.  The Atlanta based rapper confirmed this with our friends over at Baller Status and stated  wasn’t allowed to discuss any issues dealing with Block Entertainment to press due to a clause in one of the terms of his release.

“I just got my release and one of the terms of the release was a defamation clause, so honestly, I can’t really talk about it too much.” Yung said. “I’ve been released, severed the business ties. May God bless them and their regime, but I’m doing my own thing now.”

As far as future endeavors, Joc is in the midst of talking with a few other labels working out other contract agreements, though he wouldn’t drop any names.

(...) Continue Reading »

R&B crooner John Legend and his model girlfriend of over 2 years Christine Teigen were picture perfect as they arrived on the red carpet of the 14th Annual National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund’s New York Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street Thursday evening (Nov 5).

John is in the middle of working on his fourth studio album, which he revealed is more soulful than his previous albums and will be completed by the end of he year and released by mid-2010.

“It’s soulful,” he tells The Boombox. “It’s a little more retro. It’s a collection of cover songs, so that’s part of the feel of it, taking us back. We still have a bit of work to do on it, but we’ll probably finish by the end of the year and put it out by the middle of next year.”

SOURCE

Rihanna is getting ready to get on her promotional grind for her new album Rated R. She has unveiled the official track listing for the album, which hits stores November 23rd.

Also, the video for her second single “Wait Your Turn (The Wait is Ova)” is rumored to premiere today on her official website RihannaNow.com while the video for her first single “Russian Roulette” is also rumored to premiere on ABC on November 13th on ABC’s 20/20.

And this is the part where we all take a deeeep breath! (Whew!) … Is it just us or does anyone else feel like this project is a bit rushed? Since when has an artist debuted the video to her second single first and only a few days after the track has leaked?

Anyway, peep the track listing for Rated R after the break!

(...) Continue Reading »

After you are stuffed from turkey and whatever else you decide to chow down on this Thanksgiving, you can plop down on the couch while it all digests and take in Beyonce’s Thanksgiving special on ABC!

Beyonce’s new concert DVD, “I Am… Yours: An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas,” is a double disc CD/DVD compilation that was recorded earlier this year in Vegas and will be released on November 23rd. And just 3 days later (on Thanksgiving), Beyonce’s one-hour TV special on ABC will air at 9 PM. This will mark Bey’s first ever prime-time network special.

In related news, it was recently announced that Beyonce and Lady Gaga’s music video for “Video Phone” will premiere exclusively on air on MTV and online on MTV.com this Thursday (Nov 5)! It will premiere in the US on MTV and MTV.com at 5:30pm EST. MTV channels in 162 countries will also premiere the video following the MTV Europe Music Awards, which will take place the same day and where Beyonce is slated to perform.

(...) Continue Reading »

One of the biggest selling girl groups of all time are back at it again! After the loss of their beloved Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes back in 2002 from a car crash in Honduras, the remaining members of the highly successful trio we know and love as TLC decided to their musical careers a break in 2005.

But Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins recently picked up their mics and performed a charity event for Justin Timberlake in Las Vegas. And now, the duo is reportedly documenting their comeback to the music scene with a new VH1 reality series. The groups’ longtime manager and friend Bill Diggins will direct the currently untitled television series for TLC, which will air sometime in March of 2010.

TLC’s reunion comes just three years after Watkins underwent major surgery to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor. She suffered a series of speech, sight and balance complications after the operation, not to mention the painful headaches, and has still yet to regain her full health but she says it will take way more than that to stop her!

“To this day, the headaches are unbelievable… But if that’s all? No problemo… I’m doing a solo album, and I want to tour. I have to see if I can do it. I’m still here. It will take way more to stop me.”

Singer Adam Lambert took to his Twitter yesterday and spoke on the controversy surrounding the cover of his upcoming debut album, For Your Entertainment.

“Thank you to those who appreciate and understand that the album cover is deliberately campy. It’s a homage to the past. It IS ridiculous. For those that don’t get it: oh well… Glad to have gotten your attention. Androgyny. Rock n Roll.”

We’re just glad he knows that it’s extremely campy; but if that’s what he was going for, then we say, “Rock On!”

In other album news, he also revealed that his debut single was produced by Dr. Luke and is also titled “For Your Entertainment.” Adam describes it as a dance track that will make you “shake yo a**es” Other tracks on the album are “Soaked”, “Music Again”, “Strut”, “Aftermath”, “Broken Open”, and “Down the Rabbit Hole”; the last four being penned by Lambert himself.

Once again it’s history in the making as two worldwide multi-platinum selling artists are set to do something major! On Wednesday, October 28th on the field of the Yankee stadium prior to the Major League Baseball World Series Opening game, rapper Jay-Z and singer/songwriter Alicia Keys will perform their new song “Empire state of Mind” in front of thousands of fans at the arena, in addition to the millions of people watching at home.

And following their performance, Keys will redirect all attention to just her as she performs the National Anthem. Jay-Z proudly made the announcement via a MLB press release Monday (Oct 26).

“As a die-hard Yankee fan, I’m honored to perform a song that celebrates the greatness of New York in one of our city’s most important landmarks, Yankee Stadium.”

Both performances will air on Fox prior to the game when The New York Yankees take on the defending champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, at 7:30 PM  Eastern.  This also marks the first time that the World Series is being dedicated to community service since its beginning in 1903.  Both stars have had a rough childhood and are now on top the world between their music and success; these two starlets personify the, “American Dream.”

We just hope security is extra tight this time around so that Lil Mama can’t rush the field and crash their performance on account of her being “in the moment” lol!

It seems that the two pop divas are preparing to end the year with a total chart domination. According to sources, Beyonce will be featured on Lady Gaga’s re-release of her hit debut album, The Fame.

The album is currently titled The Fame: Monster and coincidentally, Beyonce is featured on a track called “Telephone.” The track was written by Gaga herself and produced by Darkchild; it was originally intended for Britney Spears‘ last album “Circus” and it will serve as Gaga’s second single after the newly released “Bad Romance.”

It’s becoming clear that this is definitely a marketing ploy! First “Video Phone“ and now “Telephone?” Both parties have very smart marketing people working for them so it’s obvious that the year’s biggest artists want to end it with a bang. Smart move; very smart move!

“We were just told that they go for ‘The Wait Is Ova’  as next single and that it will launch in a few weeks before the album release. It means a lot to us to be a part of a single-release in this format. … Our song is pretty a typical Rihanna and has a much harder sound than ‘Russian Roulette.’”

It also seems like Rihanna is starting the promo train already! She has been added to the performance line up for the 2009 American Music Awards on November 22nd, a day before her album release. Also slated to perform are Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert, whose debut CD also debuts on November 23rd.

(...) Continue Reading »

Ms. Kelly Rowland is back at it again, after a very busy year from sustaining her hit song, “When Love Takes Over,” (feat. David Guetta), hosting BRAVO’s “The Fashion Show,” and touring over the U.K. (Whooh, where does she find all the time?) So Ms. Rowland is no stranger to hard work in this entertainment industry.

After recently parting ways with Columbia Records and her then manager Mathew Knowles, Kelly is now finalizing details of having a new home at EMI with other familiar artists such as Letoya Luckett, David Guetta, and Snoop Dogg to name a few.  Well known songwriter Rico Love spoke to our friends over at Rap-up.com about working on Kelly’s third solo studio album stating he has already penned three songs for the debut.

“I’m actually going to be doing the majority of her record,” reveals the songwriter behind Beyonce’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ and Mario’s ‘Thinkin’ About You.’ “I did three records for her album so far and she’s touring right now.”

She will finish wrapping up the album around the holiday season of Christmas. In meantime, you can find Ms. Rowland in 50 Cent’s new video “Baby by Me” as his love interest. What can we say, but… WATCH OUT 2010!!!

Here are a couple of new promo pics from Rihanna’s new album!

Ri is about a month away from releasing Rated R, her most anticipated album ever … and the industry is buzzing like crazy! Even though Rihanna chose to release a “dark” ballad instead of an upbeat club track, which surprised a lot of people, the song’s co-producer Chuck Harmony says that both the album and the song “Russian Roulette” are a reflection of Rihanna growing up and coming into her own.

Harmony told MTV News that no matter how you feel about the track, the album will prove that Rihanna is the Madonna of her generation. “I sat through mix sessions and I heard some of the songs on the record. It fits in well,” he said of “Russian Roulette.”

The song is a bit darker than some of Rihanna’s past singles, but Harmony said that isn’t indicative of the rest of the album. “I think Rihanna has captured what her old fans are used to, as well as the growth of an artist. ‘Russian Roulette,’ to me, is a shining example of her growth and her artistic expression,” he said. ” ‘Russian Roulette’ is definitely taking her to another level. I think she’s a pop icon, so her music should reflect that.”

(...) Continue Reading »

Michael Jackson’s new movie “This Is Set” is set to hit theaters nationwide next Wednesday (Oct 28) for a limited 2 week run and MTV has released 5 never before seen clips from the film! The movie snippets feature songs like “Human Nature,” “The Way You Make Me Feel, “They Don’t Care About Us” and more.

After watching these videos, it’s kind of sad to think about how the show will never really be seen in its “LIVE” form. We know Michael would have killed it. We know dude put on a good show during rehearsals, but imagine how amazing the concert would have been live in person with him performing in front of thousands of people! We were all geared up to get plane tickets to London and grab tickets for one of the February or March 2010 dates too. But we guess we have no choice but to settle on the “This Is It” movie, a close second best.

Continue reading to peep the videos…

(...) Continue Reading »

The video shoot was done in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, but so far that’s all we know because Williams’ reps couldn’t give out any more additional information on anything.  Life and Style Magazine reported that security was extremely tight, and that this video will set the fashion for this upcoming year with Beyonce displaying a “feathered dress” you already know Gaga likes taking her fashion to the extreme, so this video is guaranteed to be a hit!

Life and Style further reported that no cell phones, cameras or any other type of electronics were permitted on set. They also stated that unlike Beyonce’s original verison on her I Am… Sasha Fierce album, the new version of the song will feature a verse from Ms. Gaga. The video is also said to have a lot of choreography besides the two dancers she’s always had in her videos this era.

At this pressing time there has been no commentary from either Diva’s spokespeople. But we will definetly all be on the lookout for what will most likely be the biggest video of the year!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME! This is the second time in Beyonce’s career that she has had to place a concert on hold in Malaysia; this time it’s because her tour costumes are “too sexy.”

Muslims in the area have raised an apparent issue of an immoral visual that is not looked highly upon.  Malaysian entertainment company Marctensia stated on Monday that the concert “has been postponed to a future date to be announced shorty … The postponement is solely (the) decision of the artist and has nothing to do with other external reasons.”

The “Single Ladies” singer was set to take the stage in Kuala Lampur on October 25th, but that date has been pushed back to allow time for changes to be made to the singers’ tour wardrobe, which is something that should be respected. Not too many artists would compromise just ONE show for a few thousand fans, but Beyonce humbly shows respect by having designers and stylists make these wardrobe adjustments to appease the Islamic conservatives.

It’s unknown whether or not the decision was made due to criticism from the country’s largest opposition group, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, who think the show would promote “Western sexy performances” and want the entire thing to be cancelled altogether.

But Beyonce doesn’t want to cancel the show as she had to in 2007 due to the same amount of protesting that the opposition party brought forth. She instead performed in Indonesia, where there’s also a large Muslim population, but with less restraints on how western performers should and/or should not dress. However, this time around, Beyonce’s Malaysian fanbase has her back and are hoping for the best.

“The X Factor” winner Alexandra Burke walked out of BBC Radio One studios over in London, England Sunday (Oct 18), and for good reason too! “Bad Boys,” the lead single for the Pop/R&B singer’s debut album Overcome is currently sitting in the No.1 position of the U.K.’s singles charts, beating out fellow UK singer Robbie Williams. Alexandra’s “Bad Boys,” which features rapper Flo Rida, sold 187,100 copies, whereas Robbie’s “Bodies” sold less than half of that (89,238 copies).

Funny thing is, this accomplishment is actually going to hurt Burke’s pockets a bit. She bet X Factor judge Simon Cowell £1000 (about $1600 USD) that she wouldn’t go to No. 1 because Robbie Williams (an established artist) was coming out with his new single the same exact week.

“Simon Cowell was adamant that she could beat Robbie, but Alex wasn’t having any of it. She thought how on earth could she beat someone who had so much success in the past. So when she discovered that she had, she was overwhelmed with excitement – and then she remembered her little bet with her boss.”

Alex reportedly got Simon to match her donation, making it 2000 (about $3200) and the money will be donated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which was a suggestion from Simon.

“Alex has been saying she wants a dog. But Simon, who has a soft spot for pooches, reckons it’s not fair because she’s away so much. Alex has come round to the idea and now she is at No.1 her cheque book is ready.”

Jay Sean may be new to us, but from what we hear, he’s been doing the damn thing oveseas since 2005! His first U.S. single “Down” (featuring labelmate Lil Wayne) is currently sitting at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, after taking the Black Eyed Peas‘ spot and spending a week at the #1 position.

Jay Sean (born Kamalijit Singh Jhooti) is a British Indian Pop/R&B singer/songwriter, born in West London, England to parents who migrated to the U.K. from Punjab, India. He started his music career overseas under Virgin Records and he signed to Cash Money Records over here in the U.S. back in 2008.

Jay and his bosses Birdman and Slim from Cash Money hosted a listening session last night at New York City’s greenhouse nightclub. Executives and artists from Universal Republic (Cash Money’s parent label). R&B singer/songwriter Melanie Fiona was also on hand to help celebrate her labelmate’s recent success of being the first Cash Money artist to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.

Be on the look out for Sean’s U.S. debut album, All or Nothing, set to be released November 2009.

Continue reading for more pics and Jay Sean and Lil Wayne’s music video for the hit single “Down!”

(...) Continue Reading »

In spite of any drama going on in Kanye West’s life, the show must go on and Lady Gaga officially announced on her blog Thursday morning (Oct 15) that she will be touring with G.O.O.D. Music artist Kid Cudi. Gaga says the show will be the first ever “pop electro opera.”

Says Lady Gaga, “The Haus of Gaga had been designing ‘The Monster Ball’ for premiere in 2010 at the O2 Arena in London, but due to diligent work and preparation, ‘The Monster Ball’ will begin on November 27 in Montreal. ‘The Monster Ball’ is a multimedia artistic experience in the style of the first-ever ‘pop electro opera.’”

November 27th is also the day Lady Gaga’s deluxe double album, The Fame: Monster, is set to drop. The “Monster Ball” tour will make stops in Boston, Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles and Atlanta, and will end on January 21st at Radio City Hall in New York City.

The tour, originally named “Fame Kills,” was supposed to feature Lady Gaga and Kanye West, but it was canceled suddenly without explanation a couple of weeks ago. Continue reading for the dates!

(...) Continue Reading »

According to Life & Style Magazine, Beyonce’s upcoming music video for “Video Phone” will feature none other than her VMA rival Lady Gaga. Sources reveal that the singers were shooting the new video on October 7th at a studio in New York City.

“Everything on the set was being kept very hush-hush, and security was extremely tight. In the video, Beyonce wears a feathered dress. And of course Lady Gaga wears something wild. The fashion is sick and insane.”

This has not been confirmed by either camp so as for now, treat it as a rumor. But if this is true, we’re expecting this video to be a smash!

In other Beyonce news, Billboard has reported that with Video Phone debuting on the charts, I Am…Sasha Fierce will be the first album in the past decade to have six singles on the mainstream R&B/Hip Hop Chart1 The singles are: “If I Were A Boy,” “Single Ladies,” “Halo,” “Diva,” “Ego,” and of course, “Video Phone.”

The paparazzi caught Rihanna rocking a new hairstyle as she arrived at a recording studio in New York City Tuesday (Oct 13). The pop singer made a big announcement the same day on her newly launched Twitter page:

The Wait Is Ova. Nov 23 09

According to inudstry insiders, her new album, which is currently untitled, is set to drop on November 23rd. On that same day she is also scheduled to perform on Good Morning America. No word on when the debut single for the album is set to drop, but with the album’s release nearly a month away, it could be any day now!

” ‘Bout to start a small tour soon,” Brown wrote in a post early Monday morning that was deleted by Tuesday afternoon (October 6). “15 to 20 dates … My fan appreciation tour. Just for y’all. Nothin’ bigger than 4,000 seaters.” The singer did not reveal any more information about the tour, including the dates or when it would kick off, and Brown’s label, which has not yet announced a release date for his upcoming album, Graffiti, had no comment on the tour.

Authorities in Virginia, where Brown is serving his community labor sentence after pleading guilty to assault earlier this year, have declined to comment on the terms of the labor service, including whether Brown has to report daily and if the 180 days must be served sequentially. While Brown posted images of himself clearing brush and garbage on what appeared to be his first day last month, no further images have surfaced since then. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Probation Department had not responded at press time to questions about the conditions and travel restrictions on Brown’s probation. Brown’s lawyer also had not responded to MTV News’ request for clarification at press time.

SOURCE

Above is the official cover for Leona Lewis‘ upcoming sophomore album Echo. The album is set to hit stores November 16th (UK) and November 17th (USA) and will feature work from Ryan Tedder, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Rudolf and more. The debut single from the album is the Ryan Tedder produced “Happy.” Follow the break to look at the official tracklisting:

(...) Continue Reading »

Well looky here. Here’s Usher’s new song “Papers,” the debut single from his forthcoming sixth studio album, Raymond vs. Raymond, set for release December 8th. The Sean Garrett penned track, which made its debut shortly after 2 PM (EST) today (Oct 5), has Usher’s ex-wife Tameka’s name written all over it. He talks about giving his all and receiving nothing in return, even though he damn near separated himself from the world, especially his mother.

“I gave my heart and turned my back against the world / ‘Cuz you were my girl / I done damn near lost my mama / I done been through so much drama / I done turned into the man that I never thought I’d be / I’m ready to sign them papers!”

With lyrics like, “I done took all I can take, but you leave me no options, girl…” it’s evident that going through that divorce was a last resort for Usher.

I can’t deny how much I loved you / I done gave up everything I had too / As hard as it is I’m afraid I’ve gotta say, I’m ready to sign them papers

You’ll also notice that Usher has silently changed his name from “Monster” to “Raymond vs. Raymond.” No word on the name change just yet, but we’re sure the question will come up in an upcoming interview of some sort. In the meantime, listen to “Papers” above and be on the look-out for an MP3 download and/or download the MP3 below!

D/L: USHER – PAPERS

Live Nation confirmed last week that the Lady Gaga and Kanye West tour, once known as the “Fame Kills” tour, is finito. Rumors of a cancellation circled around the tour after Kanye West showed his azz at the VMAs back in mid-September. Folks were speculating that the tour was canceled due to a mix of poor ticket sales and creative differences, but Gaga says that’s not the reason. She said the decision was mutual and Kanye just wanted to take some time off. She also revealed that she will be going on a solo tour in a few weeks.

“It was a mutual decision,” Lady Gaga told the media at Billboard’s annual Women in Music event Friday (Oct 2). “Kanye’s going to take some time off. But the good news is that I’m going on tour in a few weeks.”

Gaga’s solo tour kicks off in mid-November.

Pop singer Pink hit the stage Monday night (Sep 28) in Fairfax, VA at the Patriot Center and performed in concert as a part of her “Funhouse” tour. During the show, before getting into her anti-Bush song “Dear Mr. President,” Pink  gave a shout-out to First Lady Michelle Obama for being anti-fur.

“Let’s get political for a second,” Pink told the estimated 10,000 in the audience, according to a PETA spokesman. “Since we’re near D.C., I have to give a shout-out to Michelle Obama, who has announced that she is officially fur free. I love an animal-lovin’ first lady!”

SOURCE

Hip-hop mogul Diddy and his son Christian were spotted as they left the movies Saturday (Sep 26) in Los Angeles, CA following the premiere of the Lebron James documentary/movie “More Than A Game.”

It was recently announced that Diddy has decided to leave Warner Music Group after 5 years.

The rapper’s 2006 record Press Play was the only album he released during his exclusive deal with Warner Music Group/Atlantic Records – set to end in a matter of days. His Bad Boy music label will remain in place at the company – but Combs admits he is looking forward to putting out new material as a solo artist through an as-yet-undisclosed venture.

He says, “Now that the term of the Warner deal has ended, I have elected to accept an opportunity to move my recording career and future label venture to another company.” A WMG spokesman and a Warner Bros. Records spokeswoman had no comment.

SOURCE

(...) Continue Reading »

Beyonce tried to perform in Malaysia back in 2007, and now 2 years later she’s trying to add Kuala Lumpur, the country’s biggest city, to the list of places she plans to perform in for her “I Am…” tour but the Muslims plan to protest the show, scheduled for October 25th. They feel as though Beyonce’s costumes/outfits are much too revealing and go against their beliefs and traditions.

Earlier this week, Sabki Yusof, head of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, stated that his organization would send a protest note to the government over the singer’s show. The country enforces and requires all female performers to cover up from the shoulders to knees with no cleavage showing.

“We are not against entertainment as long as it is within the framework of our culture and our religion,” Yusof said. “We are against Western sexy performances. We don’t think our people need that.

SOURCE

So it looks like Beyonce has some decisions to make. She can either go on with the show as is, despite the protests and backlash, perform according to their standards for female performers, or disappoint her Malaysian fans and just not perform there at all.

Word on the sidewalk is that a group of three R&B singers are trying to gain some success off of a female R&B super group featuring themselves! According to BV Buzz, singers Tamia, Deborah Cox and Kelly Price have teamed up to create a compilation album titled “The Queen Project.” Their working name is “TDK” and the name of their first single is “Queen.”

Kelly Price: “Truly I am excited because what we’re doing has never been done before with three women on CD. Each of us in our own right is a true vocalist and while I am loving what we’re doing in the studio, I just can’t wait for people to see our live show!”

Tamia: “I’m so excited to work with these ladies because I’m a fan first. It is fun and we have a really good time together. There’s something special here musically and we have a genuine bond.”

Deborah Cox: “I feel the same way. It’s really the most exciting project I’ve been a part of. We’re going to be raising the bar just a tad. It’s great to work with likeminded individuals. We have the same sentiments as singers, mothers and wives!”

The ladies are currently in LA recording songs with their producers, Shep Crawford and Warryn Campbell and are also planning to work with Babyface, R. Kelly and Raphael Saadiq. Their album is set to drop sometime in early 2010 and the trio will perform for the first time together in New York City during the Circle of Sisters expo on October 10th.

Though there is no word on what label the group will be signed to, they’ve already begun filming episodes for an upcoming reality series that they’re going to shop around to some big time TV networks in the future.

With the 2009 VMAs just a few days away, it’s hard to believe MTV is still adding performers and presenters to the final line-up. But they are and their official website says that Jay-Z will be debuting his collaboration with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind,” at this year’s ceremony. The track comes from Jay’s latest album, The Blueprint 3, in stores and online now.

Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox, Shakira, Jack Black, 50 Cent, up and coming singer Justin Bieber and others have been added to the list of presenters, which already included Ne-Yo, Nelly Furtado, Katy Perry, Tracy Morgan and more.

In addition to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, other confirmed performers include Beyonce, Pink, Wale, Lady Gaga, Pitbull and Janet Jackson, who is set to open the show with a musical tribute to her late brother, the King of Pop aka Michael Jackson.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are set to air this Sunday, September 13th live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall at 9pm/8c and will be hosted by Russell Brand.

Seventy-eight Lil Wayne headlining arena and amphitheater concerts in North America from Dec. 14, 2008, through Sept. 6, 2009, grossed approximately $42 million and drew nearly 804,000 fans, according to Lil Wayne tour producer and tour business manager Shawn Gee, who also serves as president of music and entertainment at Sports & Entertainment Financial Group.

“It’s definitely one of the biggest in the last couple of years,” Gee tells Billboard.biz, noting that Haymon Events/Live Nation was the exclusive tour promoter for all of the shows. “Our plan was to prove that Wayne was a viable headlining arena artist.”

The second highest-grossing rap tour that Billboard has tracked was Jay-Z’s 2008 jaunt with Mary J. Blige, which grossed $34.6 million and drew 310,694 concertgoers to 28 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore. Kanye West’s 2008 Glow In the Dark tour comes in third, having pulled in $30.8 million from 49 concerts that attracted 507,853 fans.

Other lucrative hip-hop tours in recent years include 2005’s Eminem/50 Cent Anger Management tour, which grossed $22.7 million from 23 shows; and a 50 Cent tour in 2003 that rang up nearly $23 million in ticket sales, much of it co-headlining with Jay-Z on the Roc-the-Mic tour, according to Boxscore.

(...) Continue Reading »

As expected, Ms. Whitney Houston soared to the top of the Billboard 200 this week with her new album, I Look To You. With very little promotion and no music video, the album sold a very impressive 305k copies. This is Whitney’s best opening week sales since the Nielsen SoundScan began in 1991.

We expect that these numbers will go even higher in no time. With her tell-all interview with Oprah airing next week on September 14th and 15th and two new music videos on the way (”I Look To You” premieres this week and “Million Dollar Bill” premieres next week) we’re sure the album will soon go platinum.

In other Billboard chars news, Trey Songz’s newest album Ready debuted at #3 with 131k sold and Miley Cyrus‘ EP The Time Of Our Lives debuted at #2 with 153k sold.

Check out our album review of Whitney’s I Look To You here.

We’ve kept from posting this due to the fact that it was falsely reported a while ago but now that MTV has confirmed it, we are please to inform you that Janet Jackson will be taking to the stage this Sunday to tribute her late brother, the one and only King of Pop Michael Jackson! The pop singer, who has nine moonmen of her own, will help open the show and honor MJ’s long and successful career in the music biz.

It’s about damn time someone gave MJ a proper tribute, and who better to do it than his sister? Janet has kept silent since the passing of Michael so this is a nice way to make a statement. We’re definitely looking forward to this Sunday! Expect this to sh*t all over BET’s “tribute.” Yes, we’re STILL bitter about it!

The VMAs will air September 13th at 9PM EST.

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was spotted leaving a restaurant in downtown Manhattan Tuesday afternoon (Sep 8).

Diddy recently confirmed to MTV that he’s been in talks with Ma$e about possibly making a return to Bad Boy Records, but he says he’s not looking to add anymore artists to the label’s roster right now.

“Mase has called me,” Diddy said. “We’ve spoken. He’s basically said, ‘Just keep your eye on me. Making this switch, I gotta kinda bear this cross for a second. Just watch what I do.’ I said, ‘I’ve seen.’ He’s definitely one of the dopest MCs to ever touch the game. People can’t deny that. He’s one of the most successful. I’ve seen people come back from different things in this game. I said, ‘Yeah. Without a doubt, I’ll keep my eye on you.’ I spoke to him today. He’s out there working.

“With the future of Bad Boy, I definitely think it’s time for me to come up with a game plan,” he said. “A lot of things have changed. I have a great legacy I have to protect. I’m taking some time. I don’t wanna sign anything new. I wanna focus on this Janelle Monáe album, on this Cassie album, on this Last Train to Paris. Those are the albums I’m focusing on. I’m not making anything new. I wanna come up with a game plan that works going forward with the future of Bad Boy.”

“I am honored to have Nicki Minaj as Young Money’s First Lady. She is a star,” Lil Wayne said in a statement.

Minaj gained a lot of buzz after the release of several critically acclaimed mixtapes, including her latest, Beam Me Up Scotty, which features Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and label mate Drake.

Nicki has always been a part of the Young Money family though, and she’s currently one of the featured artists on Wayne’s tour, “Young Money Presents: America’s Most Wanted Music Festival.” But it wasn’t until today that the label officially announced that she was on the label’s roster of artists. Her deal includes a special aspect where she retains and owns of her 360 rights, including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing.

“To say I’m excited would be an understatement. It’s validation. It’s proof. It’s empowerment,” Nicki said. “I represent every little girl in a hood near you. To everyone that supported me two years ago when I was on underground mixtapes and DVDs and to the people that only caught on two weeks ago, I say thank you. Be proud of yourself. You’ve given girls all around the world the permission to change the face of female rap.”

Nicki Minaj’s debut album is set to drop in early 2010 and will be distributed through Universal. In the meantime, catch her on the America’s Most Wanted tour, along with Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and of course, Lil Wayne.

MTV officially announced Thursday (Aug 27) that Beyonce would be taking the stage at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to perform her latest single, “Sweet Dreams!” This makes the third time Beyonce, who’s up for an impressive nine moonmen, has performed at the VMAs.

Up and coming rapper Wale, along with legendary Washington, D.C. go-go band UCB, have been tapped to perform as the official house band for the night. He and the group will join forces with the All-American Rejects, Pitbull and 3OH!3 to perform versions of the year’s biggest hits

One of Beyonce’s back-up dancers spilled the beans on Bey’s performance Monday (Aug 24) on her Twitter:

VOTE BEYONCE FOR VMAS!!!! & look for a great performance! ;)

The 2009 VMAs are set to air live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall Sunday, September 3rd at 9 PM.

In the last year, Beyoncé kicked off her world tour “I Am…” in support of her third solo album “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in November and features the hit singles “If I Were A Boy,” “Single Ladies,” “Halo,” “Ego” and “Sweet Dreams.” The tour also showcased Beyoncé’s philanthropic side as she gave 2,500 tickets to families affected by the auto industry crisis in Detroit and joined forces with General Mills Hamburger Helper and Feeding America to deliver 3.5 million meals to local food banks.

“Beyoncé is a multi-platinum artist and a multi-talented woman who clearly embodies the qualities of excellence and achievement that the Billboard Woman Of The Year Award was created to honor,” said Bill Werde, Billboard’s Editorial Director, about Beyoncé, who is the only performer in the 51-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to top the chart for 10 weeks or more with a group and as a solo artist. “She has not only influenced pop culture with her hit songs and signature dance moves, but has inspired women everywhere with her unique style, business savvy and dedication to charitable causes.”

SOURCE: BILLBOARD

Album push-backs are so common now-a-days! Rapper 50 Cent announced on his website that the release date for his upcoming fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct, has been pushed back to the first week of November. He blames Eminem’s album and the ever-changing music industry, among other things, for the constant set-backs.

“I had the time make it and remake it,” he said. “I didn’t have that [kind of time] on my other projects. I was limited, just because the system was in a state of confusion with things changing. The music business itself changed. It was periods of time I felt I was ready and it wasn’t a possibility for me to release the record at that point. Then the Eminem train came running down the track — I had to get out of the way to let Eminem’s record come out. Because he had been off for two years, it made sense for me to let him come out first. My new album, it should be out early November. The first week of November.

Mr. Jackson is also planning to transport locals in his old Southside Jamaica Queens neighborhood via 30 buses to Six Flags Great Adventures in New Jersey this Saturday for a concert.

Rapper Jay-Z has partnered with Absolut Vodka to kick off a series of high-profile concerts to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Jay-Z will perform at the venue on September 11th, the day his highly anticipated Blueprint 3 album drops, to aid the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund. The performance will air live and commercial free on Fuse TV at 9 P.M.

The events that occurred on September 11th challenged Jay-Z not only as an entertainer, but also as a native New Yorker. This charity concert will not only honor the lives lost on that famous date, but it will serve as a way to look towards the future and the hope that arose the following day on September 12th.

“This charity and concert encompass the true spirit of New York City,” Jay-Z said in a press release. “We are asking everyone to ‘answer the call’ and support and honor the families of those that lost their lives in the line of duty. There is a true camaraderie and resiliency this city showed the world in 2001 and we continue that today by taking care of our own.”

For this live event, 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales and concert merchandise will go directly to the “New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund,” which has already given over $114 million to the families of New York City police and fire personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty following the events of September 11, 2001.

The R&B/pop singer claims the label has her sitting in musical “limbo” becasue they refuse to let her out of her contract. And not only that, but they won’t let her put out a new album right now. So now JoJo is looking for a judge to force Da Family Ent. to release her from her contract so that she can move on with her musical career. In addition, she would like to paid $500,000 for her troubles.

Just this past Saturday, she took to her MySpace blog to air out her frustration with her current situation:

When I sat down to write this blog I turned on one of my favorite albums, Jill Scott’s “Who is Jill Scott?”, thinking it might mellow me out, calm me down, and give me the focus to articulate all that I want to say. After all, for me, music has the power to change my mood and help me through every time in my life. Music can/will/has/does make me happy/sad/mad/passionate/energetic/etc. Music is my life. The thought of not being able to express myself through music is devastating to me!

(...) Continue Reading »

Though it hasn’t been confirmed by neither her nor MTV, it’s being rumored that Beyonce will be performing at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Her backup dancer Ashley Everett, who can be seen in all the Sasha Fierce videos this era, broke the news through her twitter that Beyonce will be performing:

VOTE BEYONCE FOR VMAS!!!! & look for a great performance! ;)

Lady Gaga and Bey’s husband Jay-Z are also expected to perform at the live event on Sunday, September 13th at 9 PM.

Previous X-Factor winner Leona Lewis will release her sophomore album Echo on November 17th. The singer’s debut album Spirit was released in 2008 and has now gone multi-platinum.

“An echo describes a big, organic sound,” Lewis says of her choice. “I’m working with incredible songwriters and producers, and my music has really evolved.”

SOURCE: USA TODAY

Echo will feature productions from Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Tedder, and Ne-Yo. A song from the album, titled “Don’t Let Me Down,” which features Justin Timberlake, leaked last week. Click here to check it out!

An Albany, Georgia city commissioner is protesting an upcoming Gucci Mane concert due to the rapper’s rap lyrics. Gucci Mane is set to perform later this month (Aug 29) at the Albany Civic Center, but city commissioner Bob Langstaff doesn’t want the show to go down, saying in an e-mail that he feels that the concert wouldn’t be appropriate for the civic center.

“I’m appalled…what do you need from me to keep this “entertainer” from performing at Albany’s Civic Center?” the commissioner wrote in an e-mail to Albany City Manager Alfred Lott and Civic Center Director John Mazzola while referencing Gucci Mane lyrics he found online. “This is not appropriate for our civic center.”

Langstaff’s disapproval was countered by the concert’s promoter, Gilbert Udoto, who was taken aback by opposition to an event designed to bring attention to the civic center as well as eager ticket buyers. According to the Odyssey Records owner, city officials came to him with hopes of bringing a big show to Albany.

(...) Continue Reading »

Above is the newly released backcover and tracklisting of Jay-Z’s upcoming 11th studio album The Blueprint 3. This looks promising and we’re definitely looking forward to hear what the collaboration with Alicia Keys sounds like!

Also, big ups goes to Drake for being able to have a guest appearance on one of the most highly anticipated albums to drop this year. Dude doesn’t even have an album out and he’s already infiltrating the game with the quickness!

The Blueprint 3 hits stores September 11th. Check out a text version of the tracklisting below:

01. What We Talkin’ About (F/ Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun)
02. Thank You
03. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune)
04. Run This Town (F/ Rihanna and Kanye West)
05. Empire State of Mind (F/ Alicia Keys)
06. Real as it Gets (F/ Young Jeezy)
07. On to the Next Move (F/ Swizz Beatz)
08. Off That (F/ Drake)
09. A Star Is Born (F/ J. Cole)
10. Venus vs. Mars
11. Already Home (F/ Kid Cudi)
12. Hate (F/ Kanye West)
13. Reminder
14. So Ambitious (F/ Pharrell)
15. Young Forever (F/ Mr. Hudson)

“I love Kanye … [he] is my very dear friend and we are creative kindreds,” she said. “It’s been fun to work on the design of the tour with him — we’re finishing each other’s sentences. “It’s going to be one of the most groundbreaking moments in touring history,” she continued. “I am sure of it.”

In another interview, this time with Out Magazine, Gaga says she told Kanye four things: she’s gay, her music is gay, her show is gay and she loves that it’s gay.

“When I started in the mainstream it was the gays that lifted me up,” she says. “I committed myself to them and they committed themselves to me, and because of the gay community I’m where I am today.” Earlier this year, in her acceptance speech for her MuchMusic award for best international video, Lady Gaga thanked “God and the gays.” Before agreeing to tour with Kanye West this fall, Gaga told the rapper, “I just want to be clear before we decide to do this together: I’m gay. My music is gay. My show is gay. And I love that it’s gay. And I love my gay fans and they’re all going to be coming to our show. And it’s going to remain gay.”

Dates for the upcoming tour have yet to be announced, but the duo will reportedly begin their trek across the country on October 4th in Buffalo, New York. But until then, you can catch Lady Gaga when she performs September 13th in New York City at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

It was recently announced that rapper Jay-Z and pop singer Lady Gaga will join the line-up of performers for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Jay-Z, nominated for “Best Male Video” and “Best Hip Hop Video” for his “DO.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” music video will hit the stage to perform a song from his highly anticipated forthcoming album, The Blueprint 3. Additionally, Lady Gaga, nominated for 9 moonmen herself, is sure to please the crowd when she performs a single from her multi-platinum debut album, The Fame.

“I’m simply gutted to be both a performer and nominee at the 2009 VMAs,” Gaga said. “In fact, I’m so happy, I could die.”

The annual show, hosted by Russell Brand, will air live on Sunday, September 13th 2009 at 9 PM. Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon!

Rapper Bow Wow announced Sunday night (Aug 16) via his Twitter that he had officially signed a recording contract with Cash Money Records, the parent label for Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment.

The rapper had parted ways with his longtime label, Columbia Records, earlier this year. In previous Twitter dispatches, he explained he was deciding between two recording options: T.I.’s Grand Hustle camp through Atlantic Records or relaunching So So Def when Jermaine Dupri signed a new deal.

In the end, a third option emerged.

“We had two sit-downs,” Bow Wow said of meeting with Cash Money. “Upon the first sit-down, I called [co-CEO Birdman] and told him what I wanted to do. So it was a no-brainer. He was like, ‘Bow, you always been family. Next to Wayne, I look at you like my son. If you not with JD, you with us.’ From there, it was a done deal. So I wanna thank [him], Slim and Wayne.”

(...) Continue Reading »

Platinum-selling 19 Recordings/Jive Records artist Jordin Sparks will join “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” as special guest on the second North American leg of the tour. Sparks will perform on the U.S. portion of the trek including dates in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Detroit, Chicago and more before concluding on September 26 & 27 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. Previously announced opening act Kristinia DeBarge will join the tour for all dates; while up-and-coming acts Girlicious and One Call will appear in select cities.

No word on exactly why Ciara was axed but Jordin says that she’s happy to be a part of the big tour.

“Britney’s show is incredible and for me to be a part of it is a great opportunity,” said Sparks.

Peep the official dates below!

(...) Continue Reading »

Mariah Carey has re-hired her former PR representative Cindi Berger for her new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Berger was the reason for Carey’s hit album Emancipation of Mimi becoming the big success it was; but then she went on to be fired in 2004. Now, it looks as if she’s back and ready to make “Memoirs” a hit. They have started by claiming that “Obsessed” was not in fact Maria’s first single, but only a “summer trifle [that] was a lot of fun.” Reports are stating that the official first single will be a powerhouse ballad along the lines of “Vision of Love”.

In other MC news, her album has been pushed back once more to September 29th and her newly re-hired publicist Cindi Berger has been quick to release a statement about it:

“Record release dates change all the time. It’s nothing unusual and it doesn’t signal anything. There are a lot of moving parts to Mariah’s professional life… She’s making sure the record is how she wants it to be and it’s no big deal.”

It’s pretty clear that they are forgetting about meeting deadlines, performances, etc. to take their time on the album. The album was first supposed to hit stores August 25th, six days before the Grammy deadline. Now, it is being released more than a month later. We’re rooting for Mariah and hopefully she can prove she’s still got it once the “official” first single is released.