The queen is back! Mariah Carey and Miguel harmonize well on this laid-back, summer track called “#Beautiful”.

See the petition demanding Reebok drop Ross here: http://bit.ly/reebokrickross

“We are appalled that Reebok would pay a spokesperson who brags about enjoying drugging and raping a woman,” said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet. “Reebok devotes a lot of time, energy and money to marketing to women–and now they are paying a man who is literally bragging about raping us while absurdly insisting it can’t possibly be rape if he doesn’t use the word “rape.” Reebok is apparently OK promoting rape culture, but when 1 out of 5 women are the victim of an attempted or completed rape, that has consequences.”

The petition has caught fire, garnering 51,000 signatures in less than 15 hours after going live. Athletes and moms threatened boycott and expressed dismay that Reebok would employ Ross and market to women at the same time.

“If Rick Ross represents Reebok more than female athletes, perhaps it’s time I disposed of my Reebok products and look for a brand that better reflects what it means to be a woman and an athlete,” said Jen Brown, an UltraViolet member and runner from Kalamazoo, MI. “I’ll be sure to pass this information about Reebok along to all my friends, male and female, who run, bike, and paddle.”

UltraViolet is planning to protest outside Reebok’s Boston area headquarters in the coming week if the company does not respond.

 “I guarantee I will not be buying Reebok’s for myself or my three daughters; all of whom play sports,” commented mom and UltraViolet member Marie W. on the petition.

Rick Ross spoke about being misinterpreted in an interview on New Orleans’ radio station Q93.3:

He tried (and succeeded) to build a connection with the audience by flaunting his impressive German skills (e.g. counting up to 24) and giving away merch. He performed songs off of his debut album Finally Famous (“I Do It”, “My Last”, “Marvin & Chardonnay”, “Memories”, “High”, “Dance (Ass)”), his Detroit mixtape (“24K of Gold”, “Mula”), his single “Guap” from his upcoming album Hall of Fame and his appearances on the likes of “Mercy”, “Clique”, “Burn”, “Don’t Like” etc.

The choice of songs was great, I only missed one of my favorite songs: “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”.

Initially fully clothed even with a beanie covering his head, the rapper stood there shirtless at the end of the concert and even broke one of his necklaces – I guess you can tell he was into it.

I’m not even quite sure if the concert lasted a full hour because Big Sean left the stage quickly after he finished “Clique”. It’s quite unusual to leave without doing an encore but I guess for the price (18€ a ticket) I will tolerate it as I had a real good time.

Today was the day I would go to my first concert in 2013. Yay! And the chosen artist for serving this special experience was Beyoncé’s little sister and the great artist, Solange Knowles.

Solange recently released her freaking amazing EP True and has just finished playing a few intimate shows in Europe (she has also announced a few US dates for those interested). Waiting in line for too long freezing and when I was inside the club waiting for another 1:45 hours is simply too long. Furthermore, there was a special guest announced – didn’t see him or her. Another funny but even more not so professional thing was the hipster wanna be guy doing the soundcheck around 9:20. What the hell was up?

But eventually Miss Knowles came on stage and got the whole crowd grooving with her immediately. She started off with „Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work“, sung the other songs off her EP, sung some old stuff (T.O.N.Y., Sandcastle Disco, Cosmic Journey) and some REALLY old stuff: “Crush” off her debut album Solo Star.

I saw her as Alicia Keys’ supporting act in 2008 and she was good. But today she sounded simply amazing. No cracks, no wrong breathing: Heck! Vocals were on point! Plus, Sol-angel was really sweet and interacted with the audience accordingly. It seems as if Solange has – since she escaped from the big music labels – found her own sound and you can tell it fits her and she feels comfortable. Even though we all do it, comparing her to Beyonce is totally unnecessary. Both have their strenghts and Solange is doing her own thang right now.

If you’re digging her latest effort then it is a no brainer whether you should go see her. If you haven’t checked out True yet…well, better late than never, right?

Upcoming tour dates:

Feb 05 San Francisco, Ca The Independent
Feb 07 West Hollywood, Ca House Of Blues
Feb 19 Boston, Ma Paradise
Feb 20 New York, Ny Webster Hall
Feb 21 Washington, Dc Black Cat
Feb 22 Toronto, On The Hoxton
Feb 23 Chicago, Il Bottom Lounge
Feb 25 New York, Ny Webster Hall

I always love finding out about talented new artists and when I heard Sebastian Mikael’s “Take Me Higher” I was sure that this guy has a lot more on the way. He also covered Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” which is great, too. Listen to both of the songs by the Swedish Pop/RnB crooner after the jump.

Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

I mean what can I say? Kendrick’s album is easily deemed as the best album of the year by many – by critics and fans. With his unique flow and creative lyrics, the Compton native is often compared to Nas.
Best tracks: Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, Backseat Freestyle, m.A.A.d city, Swimming Pools (Drank), Compton

Solange – True

I am aware of the fact that Solange’s „True“ is not an album. However, the 7-track EP is better than most „real“ albums ever will be. Solange’s voice fits perfectly to the retro beats who were produced by her co-songwriter Devonté Hynes. I honestly hope that Beyoncé’s sister will stick to this sound when releasing her new album sometime in 2013.
Best tracks: Losing You, Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work, Lovers in the Parking Lot

Emeli Sandé – Our Versions of Events

There are not many voices that sound as clear as Emeli’s does. But not only her voice is astonishing. The Scottish is also an amazing songwriter and contributed to Alicia Keys’ and Rihanna’s album for example. If you get the chance to see her live, go! She sings flawlessly and effortlessly.
Best Tracks: Heaven, Next to Me, Clown, My Kind of Love, Maybe

Ellie Goulding – Halcyon

When I first discovered Ellie and her debut album, “Lights”, I was amazed by her unique voice. I saw her live in concert and one could tell she’s been nervous. Nevertheless, it was a great concert and I can see improvement in her sophomore effort which is without a doubt better than her debut.
Best Tracks: Anything Could Happen, Figure 8, Halcyon, Explosions, Dead in the Water

Rihanna – Unapologetic

If you want the perfect marketing team for your person, go ask for Rihanna’s. If you want the best producers, ask for Rihanna’s. Everything about Rihanna is thought out, only her on and off relationship to Chris Brown destroys the picture. But we want to concentrate on the music. “Talk That Talk” wasn’t everybody’s favorite, although I really liked it. To me it’s her 7th album that really made me marvel. The lead single “Diamonds” is great but doesn’t reflect the diversity you will find on “Unapologetic”. Different sounds, a vocally grown Rihanna, a whole bunch of different producers and songwriters but yet it sounds cohesive and personal. Accomplished combination.
Best Tracks: Jump, Nobody’s Business, Stay, Love Without Tragedy, Lost in Paradise

Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

I have no clue how many times I have played songs such as “Thinking About You”, “Song For Women”, “Novacane” or “Swim Good” and I have also no clue how I should describe my excitement for his first album “channel ORANGE”. Expectations were pretty high but storyteller Frank did not disappoint.
Best Tracks: Thinking About You, Pyramids, Super Rich Kids, Bad Religion, Pink Matter, Forrest Gump

Nas – Life Is Good

It’s crazy how consistent Nas delivers quality music. The East Cost rapper even brought the late Amy Whinehouse back on the track “Cherry Wine”.
Best Tracks: Loco-Motive, Reach Out, Accident Murders, Bye Baby

Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox

I’ve been to two Bruno Mars concerts, I played out his first album, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” but for some reason I wasn’t really excited for his second effort. Of course I checked it out anyways and damn, it’s great! Definitely better than his debut.
Best Tracks: When I Was Your Man, Moonshine, Natalie, Money Make Her Smile

No Doubt are excited to present you with the world premiere of their brand new music video for “Looking Hot.” The band surprised fans this morning with the announcement, and the video premiered today exclusively on Vevo.

The “Looking Hot” video was filmed over two days in October at the Valuzat Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita, California with Melina Matsoukas in the director’s chair. This was Melina’s first time working with No Doubt. Her extensive directing resume includes Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” video which recently won Video of the Year at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

“Swimming Pools (Drank)” was an immediate favorite when I first heard it. Even though, it’s simply about getting wasted in a „pool full of liquor“ the infectious beat and the „conscious voice“ made this track a good single choice. The album features an extended version and I really don’t mind this longer version for my listening pleasure.

But I don’t want to talk only about the lead single of the album because it has so much more to offer. At first, I thought the collaboration with Drake, “Poetic Justice“, which samples Janet Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place”, will be on repeat but it turns out that the song is maybe the most radio friendly one but in the end tracks like “m.A.A.d. city”, “Money Trees” or “The Art of Peer Pressure” are much more interesting and complex.

The Compton native is a great story teller, varying with different rap styles even lengthy tracks such as “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst” (which is 12 minutes long) don’t bore. “Backseat Freestyle” is the most aggressive song on the album but it surely is refreshing to listen to.

One of very favorite track is “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Kendrick expresses his thoughts about his colleagues and Hip Hop in general.

Expectations were terribly high before Dr. Dre’s protege dropped “good kid, m.A.A.d. city“. Everybody is hoping for a classic. But can you meet such expectations? Well, you can. Even with so many different producers working on this effort, Lamar was able to produce a very cohesive and great album. Is it a classic? We will see. Only time will tell. It definitely has potential to become one.

Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d City (Tracklisting):
1.  “Sherane A.K.A Master Splinter’s Daughter”
2.  “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
3.  “Backseat Freestyle”
4.  “The Art Of Peer Pressure”
5.  “Money Trees” (Feat. Jay Rock)
6.  “Poetic Justice” (Feat. Drake)
7.  “good kid”
8.  “m.A.A.d City” (Feat. Mc Eiht)
9.  “Swimming Pools (Drank)” (Extended)
10.  “Sing About Me I’m Dying Of Thirst”
11.  “Real” (Feat. Anna Wise Of Sonnymoon)
12.  “Compton” (Feat. Dr. Dre)