When Drake was 18, he felt teenagers who pushed BMWs and Mercedes were “pretentious,” so he opted for an Acura TSX, a more appropriate first car for a teenager. In his own words, he’s “not about material possessions.” Obviously a lot has changed since Champagne Papi’s start from the bottom. Read More →
If you thought Ciara putting her latest album on Groupon was the slander invite of the 99 and the 2000, wait until you hear what Ashanti did today on Instagram. The “Never Should Have” singer announced that her album wasn’t coming out on the day it was supposed to come out. She blamed it on “clearances and legalities” and compensated her fans with an incredible Robert Ector-captured photo. (I really wish I was making this up.)
If you witnessed Chante Moore’s stirring performance of “Jesus, I Want You” on R&B Divas: LA, I have good news and bad news. The good: the song is featured on her new album, More Is Moore, which is available for stream on Soundcoud and purchase on Amazon; the bad: the live performance is much better than the studio version. Perhaps she should have ripped the audio and included it as a bonus track.
Claudette Ortiz, the incredibly gorgeous member of now-dismantled group City High, was practically forced into reality TV, something she didn’t want any part of, after dealing with life’s lemons—aka struggling with bills and being homeless.
Iyanla Vanzant failed to remedy Syleena Johnson and her sister’s toxic relationship with her parents on OWN’s highly popular Iyanla, Fix My Life. 26 years later, her father Syl still resents one of Syleena’s sister for getting pregnant at 17. The entire episode was an emotional roller coaster for Syleena and her sisters and was hard to watch for viewers. (For me, at least.)
It can’t be stressed enough how blessed and anointed Fantasia is. She filled spirits with her God-given gift on BET’s Sunday Best. She performed Side Effects of You‘s “To the Heavens,” which tributes late legends including Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, and “Pass Me Not,” which she dedicated to Nip.
Melanie Fiona dropped “Cold Piece” last month, which she describes as “some good, 90s R&B/Hip-Hop shit that’s missing right now” on Hot 97. The Canadian talent is in the studio working on her “creatively honest” third album and will appear in a play titled Da Kink In My Hair this fall in Atlanta.
Robert Sylvester Kelly stomped on “Chi-town dirt” and “went from being broke to sleeping in Versace shirts.” That’s his story and he’s sticking to it. That’s essentially the chorus of R. Kelly’s new single, “My Story,” presumably lifted from his Black Panties album.
He introduced the rags-to-riches, bravado-filled song at this year’s BET Awards. The nasty beat called for a nasty rap feature, so 2 Chainz came through rapping about playing hide-and-seek in his massive crib with a girl he’s been banging since high school. Although Kellz story seems accurate, 2 Chainz’s may be fictional. Read More →
Groupon offers “deal of the day” discounts for everything. Ciara’s team deemed it wise to put her latest self-titled opus, along with a greatest hits compilation, on the site for $13.99. I use Groupon often and was notified about the offer. I thought nothing of it, though. [Black] Twitter, however, caught wind of the news and did what they do best. Over 80 copies have been purchased. Let the slander fest continue.
Keri Hilson, who is reportedly apologizing to Beyoncé on an upcoming Timbaland track, is “coming to” South Africa’s Macufe Music Festival in October. The tweeted announcement doesn’t explicitly state if she’s performing, so I won’t assume.
Katy Perry, purveyor of cheesy pop music you can’t help but adore, will release her fourth album, Prism, on October 22nd. Meanwhile, the honorary Smurfette who cried the first time she saw Britney Spears, covers Elle UK‘s September 2013 issue.
The lead single of Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP is titled “Applause” and it’s due out on August 19th. Of course the promotional media for the record screams, ‘nudity is electric and smeared makeup is artsy-fartsy and septum piercings are like third arms.’ Will we ever understand the gaga lady? Perhaps ARTPOP will sharpen the blur unlike her previous abomination.
Nicki Minaj says she and DJ Khaled are like brother and sister and he was just kidding about loving her. If you’re in the dark, Khaled pulled a lame and desperate to pimp his latest single, “I Wanna Be With You.” He faked a marriage proposal to Nicki, who is featured on the track along with Future and Rick Ross. Perhaps they devised the plan while on set for Busta Rhymes’ “Twerk It” video.
Justin Timberlake is really putting at lot behind his unreleased Michael Jackson demo, “Take Back the Night.” He shot a music video for it and everything. Performance footage of his Yankee Stadium “Legends of the Summer” stop are conflated with him dancing in New York for the video.
Justin’s copy/paste strategy puts Ariana Grande’s to shame, which is probably why it’s more widely accepted. More of JT’s impeccably inspired subpar music will appear on the second installment of The 20/20 Experience, due out on September 27th. Read More →
2 Chainz may have fabricated a few things about getting robbed last month in San Francisco, but if his Breakfast Club interview is anything to go by, he’s an upstanding guy.
In a separate interview, Ludacris revealed that he still profits from the former Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) rapper. Whereas most rappers would have reacted belligerently, 2 Chainz gave a publicist-friendly response. Read More →
Tinie Tempah sounds like the UK answer to Tyga rapping over a Will.i.am beat intended for Nicki Minaj on his new single “Trampoline.” As the references suggest, the song is rancidity at its peak. (Thanks, Mariah.) The dimly lit yet colorful video isn’t much better.
Women shake in sync at Tinie’s command over the twerk-friendly Diplo beat. Coffee and teacups rattle, a tambourine falls, jello wiggles, pills vibrate and a rabbit trembles in the video. Considering the bulk of randomness, you’d expect an actual trampoline would be in the video, but evidently Tinie thought that would be too cliché. Read More →
Where has Joss Stone been, you ask? Covering the classics—that’s where. One of the 15 covers included on The Soul Sessions Vol. 2 is The Dell’s lamenting ballad “The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind).” The accompanying video is as mesmerizing as it is gloomy. It commences with Joss wiping dew away from the window.
Moody scenes in the video are effectively paired with the varying production. During softer moments, Joss is seen looking at photos of her ex lover, but as soon as sh*t gets real, passion erupts. Rain pours in her kitchen and glass breaks around her. Following the emotional roller coaster, Joss witnesses the sun rise again. Read More →
