Pop & B - All Music Fit to Blog

In The Meantime... What Happened in August?

2012-03-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Let's continue with the recap of the biggest music news to have occurred during my bloggeritis. Welcome to August 2011! August has one major popular music moment and that's the VMAs, and with such an awards show comes quite a lot to blog about. Here's what we (or rather I) missed.

August 19: On the evening of August 18th, blogs all over America (and some Billboard aficionados from across the globe) were wondering if Katy would do it. What would "it" be, you might be wondering? Well "it" is the only album other than Michael Jackson's Bad to score five Billboard Hot 100 number ones. Come the next day, it was officially confirmed when Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" rose to the summit to take the honor as the fifth number one from Teenage Dream and the first time in Billboard history for a female's album to secure five chart-toppers. Would Ms. Perry break the record?

August 28: The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) started off... well... interesting. Lady Gaga opened the program with a Shakespearean-like soliloquy, dressed as Jo Calderone (remember Viola's cross-dressing in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night?), which turned into a performance of the singer's top ten hit "You and I." While Katy Perry's "Firework" won the coveted "Video of the Year" award, what really stole the show was Beyonce's performance of "Love on Top." While nothing particularly spectacular, it ended in enormous fireworks - figuratively speaking. The wife of Jay-Z finished the song, dropped her mic, unbuttoned her sequined jacket and revealed what some had speculated for sometime: a bulging abdomen holding the first Jay & Bey baby.

Biggest Song of August 2011: "Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry, which tied the most number ones from any album with five.

Biggest Album of August 2011: Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West & 21 by Adele, with the former being among the most anticipated releases of 2011. After releasing the promo single "H.A.M." in January, it would take eight months for the album to appear on store shelves. Again, we'll get to Adele shortly.

In The Meantime... What Happened in July?

2012-03-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

As you have probably noticed, I have taken some time away from posting (243 days to be exact). Who would have thought so much in music would have changed between July 2011 and March 2012. But it has, both for good and bad. Below are the biggest news stories to have occurred in my blogging absence.

Let's begin with July...

July 18: Clarence Clemons began a very successful career in music as a saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and would go one to collaborate with some of music's biggest stars, further propelling the musician's standing to ever greater heights. But a devastating stroke befell Clemons on July 12, one that would ultimately be fetal. Although attempts were made to improve the outlook, the internationally renowned saxophonist would succumb to the stroke on the 18th, leaving a void in the music world. One ironic tidbit exists with the fact that at the time of his death, Clemons had a global top ten hit on a song that was written about death: Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."

July 23: The music world is shocked after 27-year-old singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse dies from alcohol poisoning. While suffering years of a very public battle with substance and domestic abuse, alongside struggles to initiate a comeback of sorts by very lackluster (and often slurred) live performances, few had the foresight to think that this story would end so suddenly. Shortly after her death, the singer's magnum opus Back To Black shoots to number one all over the world on iTunes, alongside massive increases in sales and radio play of her biggest hits, including the forebodingly ironic "Rehab" as well as "You Know I'm No Good" and the album's title track.

Biggest Song of July 2011: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, which would go on to break sales records in the US and Australia.

Biggest Album of July 2011: 4 by Beyonce & 21 by Adele, which the former would surprise many as it exceeds expectations, which had been especially low after poor lead singles. We'll get to Adele later.

Game Releases Cover Art For "The Red Album"

2011-07-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

To provide further proof this album is set on its August release date, Game released on his twitter page the cover of the Compton-native's fourth studio album The R.E.D. Album. The cover incorporates the red motif of the album into the artwork, with a predominantly red-hued face portrait with his hand curled around his jaw and nose.

The album, scheduled for release on August 23rd, will mark the rapper's return to new music since 2008. Check out the album below:

Alice Cooper Joins Kesha For "School's Out"

2011-07-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

Kesha is on tour in Europe and why not spruce things up with a summer-appropriate cover of "School's Out"... WITH ALICE COOPER HIMSELF! That's exactly what fans were treated to at the Get Sleazy Tour's stop in Oslo, Norway, where Kesha brought out a black eye-shadowed Alice to perform his magnum opus alongside the pop star.

The singer's tour runs through September. Will you be attending?

Check out the performance below:

Beyonce "4" The Win; Tops Billboard 200

2011-07-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Beyonce's fourth-studio album, appropriately titled 4, has taken the honors of debut atop the Billboard 200, becoming only the second female artist to collect four consecutive top spot notches in BB history. The album's 310,000 copies sold last week put her in a dead-tie with Britney Spears whose streak of four number one albums ended in 2007 when Breakout came in at number two.

The album's sales were more than triple the nearest contender, Adele's 21, and also are the third best sales week of 2011, ahead of Spears but behind Lady Gaga and Adele. This marks some good news after rumors swirled that a pushback of the album's release was imminent. However, while the sales are good, they do mark her lowest first week numbers in her career as a solo artist, coming just 7,000 short of her debut album Dangerously In Love.

Wonder what next week sales will look like...

LMFAO Scores First #1 On Hot 100

2011-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

LMFAO must be laughing their ______ ______ off because their latest single "Party Rock Anthem" has ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, displacing the one week reign of Pitbull's "Give Me Everything." Much like its predecessor, this is the first song of theirs to ascend to the top of the charts as their highest charting song (aside from a David Guetta collaboration) was "I'm In Miami Bitch," which stalled at number 51. However, their music has become a party staple, including "Shots" which has been played at every bar, nightclub, and frat party since its release in 2009.

The main component propelling the song from 3-1 on the Hot 100 was digital sales, which were up 22% this week as compared to last. Selling 258,000 copies, the song replaces Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" on the Hot Digital Songs chart. America now joins nearly a dozen other countries where the song has topped the charts, including most of Europe.

Check the video below:

NEW MUSIC: "Let Me Down" by Kelly Clarkson

2011-07-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

A Kelly Clarkson song has leaked on the internet and is rumored to be a song from her upcoming album. Listen to the track below (review soon to come):

Gaga Planning Born This Way Ball + Next Single Soon

2011-07-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga's two year, 200+ global tour generated a huge revenues, huge buzz, and expanded her fan base in a way that has crowned her the "Queen of Pop" at the moment, according to Rolling Stone. Now the singer/activist has taken to twitter to inform her "monsters" that the Born This Way Ball's tour dates will be announced soon. The tour, which has been crafted mostly under the artistic direction of Mother Gaga herself, will likely be another massive sell-out, especially if the 1.1 million in first week sales of the album is any indication.

In other Gaga news, the next single for the album will be released soon, but not too soon. According to the singer, she has scheduled a few American television appearances this month (which shows, she has yet to divulge) with the hopes of propelling "The Edge of Glory" to number one in honor of Clarence Clemons. Clemons, who had been heralded as one of the greatest saxophonists and who formed an integral part of The E Street Band, passed away last month and has a solo performance in Gaga's latest singer. In a tweet sent out to her 11 million followers, the singer wrote, "Coming back to America for some surprise TV performances. I want to make Edge of Glory #1 for Clarence."

Do you think her performances will do the trick? Check out the video of the track below:

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Free" by Natalia Kills featuring Will.I.Am

2011-07-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

Natalia Kills is a burgeoning pop star in her native UK signed to Will.I.Am's label and the now the "Free" singer has released the video for the single. A relatively simple visual, the video is a series of different shots of the singer and various models freeing themselves from their clothes, from the need of money, and from convention. Add to that a couple of verses from the Black Eyed Peas' frontman in black and white frames, and we have the newest creation from Kills.

As for the song, it is certainly congruent with what radio has been feasting upon recently, dance-pop with a few piano-led chords and scattered. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a very cash-strapped Natalia and her freedom from all of the material and monetary desires of the world, although Will's verse is outright drenched in excess and materialism.

The song is released August 29th but check the video below now:

Beyonce Storms UK Charts With Album + Single

2011-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Although early rumors suggested Beyonce's album would underperform its first week, a recent promotional blitz and growing buzz surrounding the album has derailed those claims as 4 becomes the first album of Beyonce's since 2003 to debut at number one in the UK. This comes after headlining Glastonbury and performing a series of promo concerts in the British Isles. In addition to its success in the UK, the album also debuts atop the Irish and Scottish charts while the album's number two debut in Australia matches the best charting album of her career there with Dangerously in Love.

This from an album whose lead singles became the least successful singles as of late. However, the exception is the UK, where the second single "Best I Never Had" exceeded the midweek prediction of a number six debut to arrive at number three. A congrats is in order.

J. Cole's New Video Described As "Stunning"

2011-07-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

J. Cole has joined a major pop tour as the opening act for Rihanna's Loud Tour, but we have yet to get a video for his debut single, "Work Out." But the wait is nearly over, as suggested by Cole, who spoke recently opened up to Rap-Up about the music video.

Speaking with the online hip-hop magazine, the North Carolina-native said, "The visuals on the video for 'Work Out' are stunning. I never shot a video like this before." He goes on to describe the video as a much "more superstar look" than his previous video "Who Dat." The song is the lead single for the debut studio album for Cole, titled Cole World: The Sideline Story. The album is due in stores in September.

Listen to the track below:

Christina Aguilera Will Return To "The Voice"

2011-07-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Christina Aguilera's career and personal struggles of the past year look to be far behind her after the singer's decision to join the very successful music competition show, "The Voice." Now it looks that Xtina will be seated on that rotating chair for another season, joining the other three judges that include Cee-Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton. The show just wrapped up its first season, crowning Javier Colon as the winner of the competition.

In other music competition television news, there continues to be uncertainty as to whether Jennifer Lopez will return to the judging panel of American Idol next year. Although last season's contestants and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler have expressed hope for her return, the "I'm Into You" singer has not made any official decision. Much like Aguilera, Lopez's music career had slowed considerably before joining the television singing program. Since, she has had a successful album and an international number one with "On The Floor."

Taio Cruz & Ciara Team Up on Tour

2011-06-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Taio Cruz and Ciara will be headlining the Malibu Concert Tour, a series of beachfront and poolside dates that will take the Brit and Crunk junkie across the country. Although the two will not be touring side-by-side, they will split the ten dates with seven going to Ciara and three going to Cruz.

Speaking to US Magazine, Ciara said, "Fans can look forward to having a blast! The Radio Maliboom Boom Station Invasion Tour is going to be all about energy and pure fun! Malibu reached out to me with the concept and right away I was interested because we'll be traveling to some of the hottest cities in the country and I thought it'd be a really cool and sexy run to be a part of to help celebrate summer."

Cruz, whose debut album produced the chart-toppers "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite," will headline dates in the US west, including Los Angeles and San Diego. Ciara will be touring mostly venues east of the Mississippi River, including New York, Chicago, and Miami. The dates are listed below:

Saturday, July 16 Miami, FL (Ciara)
Thursday, July 21 Virginia Beach, VA (Ciara)
Saturday, July 23 Jersey Shore, NJ (Ciara)
Saturday, July 30 Boston, MA (Ciara)
Thursday, August 4 New York City, NY (Ciara)
Saturday, August 13 Dallas, TX (Ciara)
Thursday, August 18 Chicago, IL (Ciara)
Thursday, August 25 Los Angeles, CA (Taio Cruz)
Saturday, August 27 San Diego, CA (Taio Cruz)
Thursday, September 1 Phoenix, AZ (Taio Cruz)

REVIEW: "4" by Beyonce

2011-06-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

Every previous release from the superstar songstress Mrs. Knowles-Carter has had its own personality. Dangerously in Love was that swirling concoction of soul jams and contemporary R&B with subtle elements of pop and funk. B’Day laid the funk on much thicker, with songs like “Déjà Vu” and “Suga Mama” piercing the airwaves with a contemporary twist on signature bluesy melodies. I Am Sasha Fierce revealed a pluralistic Beyoncé, one who could propel your average ballad to new heights on one track and transform a dance instrumental into an anthemic rallying call on another. So, what’s so special about 4?

This album is for the most part her most cohesive effort. Largely dominated by rousing ballads and mid-tempos, this is her first release to exclude a slew of sasha-fied tracks. From “Best Thing I Never Had” to “1+1,” it is an undulating portrait of the emotional toil of love and the source of pleasure and pain it proves to be. Each track is a different position along the rollercoaster, projecting snapshots of the various phases of attachment and detachment with which Beyoncé is constantly struggling.

What is most stunning is her ability to rely more on her raw and emotional vocals than the lyrics to tell these stories. Traversing octaves and belting out notes to reflect hurt, and singingly angelically to portray serenity, Beyoncé is acting as if someone had doubted her skills as a singer and this LP was her chance to prove it.

The album at times comes to painstakingly slow turns here and there as a few too many ballads and slow tempos in sequence can become monotonous. But the occasional twist – “Party” is one track that comes to mind – does work well in keeping the album from transforming its cohesion into a redundant snoozefest. Another weak point in the album is the lead single, “Run the World (Girls).” The song, which I have described in not so flattering terms before, ends the album on a low note. Perhaps the intention was to draw a close to the story of a woman enduring the twists and turns of love with a feel-good self-assuring woman’s anthem. But the song’s excessive, repetitive chants and bursting beat make this an obvious disconnect from what the album was aiming to achieve.

Overall, Beyonce’s choice to abandon what the proven formula for pop success by omitting any dance songs reveals that artistically, she is aiming to do more than just get hits. That alone deserves applause, but the fact that it was done well and organically makes this her strongest release yet.

Album: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (8/10)

Watching the "Throne" - When Will Kanye & Jay-Z's Album Get Released?

2011-06-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

The number of push-backs Jigga and Yeezy's collaboration album has experienced are too numerous to count, but rumor has it that a digital version may hit the web on the 4th of July. The Source magazine was the first to hint at this date and sources close to the label are suggesting the early release as well. This comes after the physical release date for the album was pushed back further to January 2012, ten months later than the original release date in March 2011 and a year after the lead single "H.A.M." was released.

The reasoning behind it is to prevent an early leak of the tracks from cutting into sales, a fear that has plagued virtually every artist in the digital age. In particular, Jay's wife Beyonce witnessed her entire album leak nearly a month before the album's release date this past Tuesday, but first week sales seem to not be taking much of a tumble from first-day sales predictions.

Do you think we'll get an Independence Day treat from the two?

Beyonce Dominates Both Sides of Atlantic with "4"

2011-06-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Beyonce may not have shattered the charts with her lead singles from her new album, but that doesn't mean her album would suffer the same fate... and indeed will not! According to midweek figures in the UK and Hits Daily Double, Beyonce is poised to take the top spot on the album charts in America and Britain in its debut week.

Fresh off of her Glastonbury headline gig, Beyonce is outselling the nearest competitor on the British album chart 3 to 1 and will mark her first number one album in the UK since her debut album in 2003. In addition, her new single "Best Thing I Never Had" remains perched atop the UK iTunes chart and is looking at a top ten debut next week (currently at number six). The song will join six other tracks poised to enter the top 75 next week.

In the US, the news is equally great. First day sales predictions suggest the album will also take the top spot with sales of 275-300k, making it likely to be the third best sales week for an album this year. The current holder of third best sales week is Britney Spears' "Femme Fatale," which sold 276k its debut week.

In fact these two have a lot in common in terms of their sales. Both sold within a few thousand of 500k copies of their last albums, both released their last album during the holiday rush of 2008, and both will sell just shy of 300k copies of their 2011 albums (and might we add demos of the lead single both leaked earlier than expected).

Thoughts?

Gaga Pushes 2,000,000 First Week Worldwide; 2nd Week Tumbles.

2011-06-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga's Born This Way stacked up two million copies of the album in total sales its first week. The amazing sales have to do with a number of factors, including the Amazon deal, her international appeal (particularly in big markets such as the UK and Japan), and a promotional blitz that sent the pop star traversing TV networks and the globe.

Regardless of the promotional campaign, accumulating a superb 2M in sales for one week is something worth applauding. This makes Gaga the fastest selling artist of the year and one of the fast selling artist of the new millenium, not to mention the best aggregate first week sales total since Coldplay's Viva La Vida in 2008.

Though with the good news comes the not-so-great. According to Hits Daily Double, the album will take a serious tumble this week as sales will fall more than 80% from its first week (a margin far larger than normal for second week sales totals). An expected 190k copies will be sold in the US this week, which is impressive (and will secure another week at the top) but far less so considering the monstrous debut on the charts. What do you think about Gaga's album sales?

Lady Gaga To SHATTER Records This Week

2011-05-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga has had quite the good past few weeks. Actually, "good" is an understatement when you've unseated Oprah as the number one celebrity on the Forbes Celebrity Top 100 list, become the first person on Twitter to have 10 million followers, secured deals with Starbucks and Best Buy, and earned another top five song in the US. But if that wasn't enough, this week is sure to bring the quirky pop superstar the ammunition to topple any other music story this week as sales look to be ENORMOUS this week.

According to many insiders, the album is on the verge of selling nearly a million copies its first week IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE! Add to that the other 21 nations in which she is topping the iTunes albums chart, and sales for the album inflate even further. Of course, these sales include some remarkably lucrative sales gimmicks that come with any major album release. If you plan to purchase a cell phone this week, buy from Best Buy and get a FREE copy of Born This Way. A 24-hour first-day promotional campaign to sell the album for 99-cents on Amazon has crashed the site's music page, while Starbucks is working to provide the album free with members of their digital network. Two versions of the album are available on iTunes (at prices of $15.99 and $11.99) and 21,000 copies have been shipped to non-traditional outlets such as CVS.

Essentially, Lady Gaga may be the first pop female artist since Britney Spears to cross the million copies sales threshold for first week sales and just the third after Spears and Taylor Swift to do it this millennium. Additionally, she's expected to wallop the digital sales record for an album set back in 2008 by Coldplay's Viva La Vida, which sold a remarkable 288,000 copies from digital outlets alone. Additionally, these estimates may fall short of what the real number will be by next week as the promotion for the album includes a number of different stops including America's most watched program American Idol.

So that little girl that sang about being to drunk to remember where her keys were looks to be slapping the competition in the face with a MONSTROUS invasion on the charts next week!

Lady Gaga Teams Up With Starbucks & Unseats Oprah

2011-05-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga has had a meteoric rise in the course of three years. That's right, in 2008, Lady Gaga was just a pop singer with an insanely catchy dance hit who could've faded away into oblivion with little traces of of chart success in a year or two's time. Now, the year 2011, and Lady Gaga has unseated Oprah as the most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes.

That's right, the New Yorker with the zany avant-garde costumes and otherworldly stage performances has become the most powerful celebrity in the world and I don't think anyone is disputing that with all the great achievements she has accumulated. Here are just a few:

She is the most liked celebrity on Facebook with 34,000,000 "likes" and the most followed person on Twitter with 10,000,000 followers.

She has sold over 12 million copies of The Fame (Monster) worldwide and is the first singer to sell a million digital copies of a song in less than a week and the first artist in history to have her first six singles peak at number one on pop radio in America.

She has played over 200 dates on her Monster Ball Tour since 2009 and has raked in nearly $100 million from the tour itself.

She is the first artist to have a billion combined views on YouTube.

She has become very vocal about gay rights issues, including a leading voice for the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military and a proponent for gay marriage.

All of these factors have propelled the singer ahead of the majestic Oprah as the celebrity power queen of 2011. Quite a feat indeed, and to capitalize off of the singer's success, Starbucks has teamed up with the singer to include digital downloads through their network along with a series of Gaga-themed games and more. It seems the world is literally gaga for Gaga!

Lil Kim Versus Nicki Min... I mean Keyshia Cole?

2011-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Lil Kim has stretched this Nicki Minaj feud so far it now seems to include anyone who has ever had even the slightest fleeting acquaintance with the Young Money emcee. Now Keyshia Cole has entered the Kim's vindictive beam after she clarified her lack of frienship with Lil Kim, although acknowledging good music they made together. As you may recall, Cole and Kim worked together on the hit record "Let It Go," which is Cole's biggest hit to date as the song reached top 5 on the Hot 100. Here's what she had to say (or tweet):

This tweet started an avalanche of tweets from Lil Kim, all of which were nothing too disrespectful but nonetheless making headlines in the Tweet-osphere. Here's what Kim had to say in a series of tweets:

"You got that right. We are not friends. The same way you take friendship seriously I take loyalty serious. The whole world has seen me extend my hand to you over and over again. Only someone who’s trying to build a sincere relationship does shows for free and supports. You did not pay me a dime for none of that. That warrants some type of loyalty and respect. Friend or no friend, I would have never let anybody disrespect you on my record but I can’t expect everyone to be as real as I am.

At the end of the day karma is as real as I am and it’s coming to get you. oh wait…if it hasn’t got you already… My love and loyalty to you got you a hit, your friendship with your friend got u a flop.

Looks like you need to choose your friends more wisely don’t you think? Loyalty and respect has nothing to do with friendship. Loyalty and respect is about returning a kindness. Have you ever came out and supported me at my shows? I don’t think so.” - Lil Kim

In response, Cole tweeted:

“Kim that was a great look for [you] coming out of jail just as it was a great look for Missy to have produced it. All I’m saying is don’t have everyone thinking I was disloyal as a “friend” cause we were never that and you know it. No disrespect.” - Keyshia Cole

Kim tweeted back, “Yes it was a good look for me but it was a great look for you. At the end of the day it was a hit on YOUR album. Sticking to the situation. Again I would have never let anyone disrespect you on my song. That’s loyalty and respect. End of story.”

The Lil Kim-(insert name here) feuds are getting a bit stale and rekindling the sparks are pointless. Exactly why Keyshia chose to address this now is strange, but it is her right to express herself regarding this situation whenever she chooses. Oh, the drama...

Adele Scores Biggest Digital Week Since Lady Gaga

2011-05-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Adele is not only doing wonders on the albums chart but she's destroying the competition on the singles chart as well. After selling 353,000 copies this week, she holds the second best sales week for a single after Lady Gaga's much anticipated "Born This Way" sold an astounding 509,000 copies its debut week (or weekend as it was a Friday-Sunday sales week).

This is ironic considering that Adele is on track for a ninth week atop the album charts here in the US. And who is the biggest threat to making a tenth week at number one??? Oh just Lady Gaga with her second (or third) album Born This Way. With two million albums shipped to a variety of different stores, the album will likely earn the distinction of being the largest sales week for an album of 2011.

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyonce

2011-05-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Beyonce has finally premiered the video for the first single off her fourth studio album. Check out the video below:

Chris Brown Leads BET Award Nominations

2011-05-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

Chris Brown has had quite the comeback year. He has scored his first number one album this year along with his first top ten since 2008 along with three Grammy nominations. Now he can add another six BET Award nods as the singer is the highest nominated artist at this year's ceremony which airs on June 26th. Among the nominations include "Video of the Year" and "Best Male R&B Artist."

Coming second in nominations is none other than Weezy with five, which include a few overlapping nods with Breezy for his contributions on the hit single "Look At Me Now." Up next with four nominations include Rihanna (who has recently followed her ex on Twitter), Kanye West and Drake. To view the full list of nominees, check below:

• Best Female R&B Artist

Marsha Ambrosius
Beyoncé
Keri Hilson
Jennifer Hudson
Rihanna

• Best Male R&B Artist

Chris Brown
Cee Lo Green
Bruno Mars
Trey Songz
Usher

• Best Group

Diddy-Dirty Money
Cali Swag District
N.E.R.D.
New Boyz
Travis Porter

• Best Collaboration

B.o.B. featuring Haley Williams of Paramore, "Airplanes"
Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, "Look at Me Now"
Chris Brown featuring Tyga & Kevin McCall, "Deuces"
Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash & Wale, "No Hands"
Rihanna featuring Drake, "What's My Name"
Kanye West featuring Rihanna, "All of The Lights"

• Best Male Hip-Hop Artist

B.o.B.
Drake
Lil Wayne
Rick Ross
Kanye West

• Best Female Hip-Hop Artist

Diamond
Cymphonique
Lola Monroe
Nicki Minaj

• Video of the Year

Marsha Ambrosius, "Far Away"
B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore, "Airplanes"
Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, "Look at Me Now"
Keri Hilson, "Pretty Girl Rock"
Willow Smith, "Whip My Hair"
Kanye West featuring Pusha T, "Runaway"

• Video Director of the Year

Benny Boom
Mr. Boomtown
Chris Robinson
Kanye West
Hype Williams

• Best New Artist

J. Cole
Bruno Mars
Miguel
Willow Smith
Wiz Khalifa

• Best Gospel

Byron Cage
Deitrick Haddon
Mary Mary
Karen Clark Sheard
BeBe & CeCe Winans

• Best Actress

Halle Berry
Taraji P. Henson
Regina King
Zoe Saldana
Kerry Washington

• Best Actor

Laz Alonso
Chris Brown
Don Cheadle
Idris Elba
Jamie Foxx

• YoungStars Award

Shenell Edmonds
Keke Palmer
Diggy Simmons
Jaden Smith
Willow Smith

• Best Movie

Death at a Funeral
For Colored Girls
Takers
The Book of Eli
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?

Subway Sportswoman of the Year

Tamika Catchings
Candice Dupree
Maya Moore
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

• Subway Sportsman of the Year

Carmelo Anthony
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Derrick Rose
Michael Vick

Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Nominees

Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, "Look at Me Now"
Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz, "6 Foot 7 Foot"
Mindless Behavior, "My Girl"
Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, "Moment 4 Life"
Rihanna featuring Drake, "What's My Name"
Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj, "Bottoms Up"

Centric Award

Marsha Ambrosius
Eric Benet
Cee Lo Green
R. Kelly
Kem

Best International Act: Africa

2Face Idibia (Nigeria)
D'Banj (Nigeria)
D-Black (Ghana)
Angelique Kidjo (Benin)
Fally Ipupa (Congo DR)
Teargas (South Africa)

Best International Act: UK

VV Brown
Chipmunk
Laura Izibor
Skepta
Tinchy Stryder
Tinie Tempah

Game Sets A REAL Release Date for "R.E.D." Album...We Hope!

2011-05-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Game has had some problems with securing a release date for his upcoming fourth studio album. With the success of LAX, it seemed that the momentum would easily translate to a quick release in 2009, and with a December 2009 date set, Game seemed imminent with new material. Then the story goes incredibly sour.

The release date was pushed back one week here, one week there, two months here, four months there, and before you knew it, the long-awaited R.E.D. Album scheduled for a 2009 release entered 2011 with no firm date yet. But lo and behold, we have a date and, according to Game's twitter, it is official and "like a fat girl..... it won't move." As for the date...

It's August 23rd! Although I feel confident in this date, I still take it with a grain of salt as I have with each disappointingly pushed back date this album has had. Let's pray.

Nicki Minaj Tosses Diddy As Manager

2011-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Nicki Minaj made news last year when she ditched her longtime manager Debra Atney for Diddy just months before the release of her platinum-selling Pink Friday. But it seems that the business honeymoon is over between the two as the Young Money princess has chosen to switch managers again, this time selecting Hip Hop Since 1978 to take the responsibility of her marketing and promotional ventures.

According to XXL.com, while the split was amicable, Minaj and her team cited limited involvement and initiative on behalf of Diddy as the reason for their parting ways. Even with his minimal engagement, it has not seemed to hurt the Queens native as she spends another week in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 and her fourth single is resting very comfortably on the charts as "Super Bass" is currently #11 on iTunes.

Her new management has managed Lil Kim before (ironic, don't you think) but more successfully has represented Kanye West, Drake and Lil Wayne. Do you think this management change is a good thing?