[NEWS] Kanye West Joins Forces With Nicki Minaj On New Album

Nicki Minaj strikes again landing a feature with Kanye West on his new album Good Ass Job.

It seems like Nicki's reign isn't going anywhere with news of her latest collaboration.

According to Rap-Up, BET’s Executive Vice President of Entertainment and Music Programming Stephen Hill had an opportunity to listen to Kanye's newest project and revealed that Kanye called on Nicki for one of the tracks.

Hill described the track as "so dope" and that people won't believe it when they hear it.

What are the chances that this will be a summer hit?

Kanye's Good Ass Job is set for release on September 14, 2010.

[NEWS] Eminem's 'Recovery' debuts at #1 Selling 741K In Its First Week

This is yet another reason why I say that people are still buying albums. Case in point: Eminem and his album Recovery.

According to Billboard, Eminem's sixth studio album Recovery made its first week debut at number 1 on the Hot 200 charts moving 741,000 copies. Out of the 741,000 copies, those who didn't want a physical copy of the album, 255,000 downloaded it digitally.

This is an impressive number of copies to sell considering that the album leaked two weeks before its official release date.

Eminem has a lot of devoted fans, fans that are very loyal. I'll be honest, when Eminem first came out I wasn't a fan of his style. He was too animated and vulgar for my taste. But after I was formally introduced to his work and really listened to his words, I realized that Eminem was an uncut diamond, raw but still appealing.

Lloyd Exlains His Chris Brown Comment

Ever since Chris Brown took to the BET Awards stage to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, talks about whether his teary breakdown was genuine or not has been fluttering around like a loose plastic bag on a windy day.

Listen: New Music From Jazmine Sullivan 'Holding You Down (Going In Circles)'

New music from Jazmine Sullivan titled "Holding You Down (Going In Circles)" has been released and it's certified iPod candy!

"Holding You Down (Going In Circles)" combines the sounds of R&B with Hip-Hop samples and is another female anthem, at least that's where I see it headed.

Jazmine, my ears are grateful for this...

Source

Lloyd Says He Told Chris Brown To Cry During BET Performance [Video]

Chris Brown's Michael Jackson tribute has been the talk of the net for the past few days following his touching live performance at the 2010 BET Awards Sunday (June 27).

While most of us were so taken by his performance, there are the some that are not buying his tears.

Lloyd's recent Q&A with Rap-Up won't help with their suspicions.

Is There A Lauryn Hill Comeback In The Works?

Many of us have been practically begging for Lauryn Hill to make a return to music. I will refrain from sounding like a broken record on the hmmm-ok talent that is ever so big in entertainment today, I will instead say that the biz is missing Lauryn Hill terribly.

[NEWS] Beyonce & Lady Gaga Top Forbes' 'Most Powerful Celebrities' List

The two ladies make yet another cameo together, but this time it isn't in music. Forbes posted their Celebrity 100 and in the top 5 are Beyonce and Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga landed in the #4 spot courtesy of her web visibility and pulling in $62 million between June 2009 and June 2010. $31 million came from touring (hence which is why she says she would much rather die on stage than on vacation) while the rest of the cash came from deals with Virgin Mobile, MAC, Polaroid...oh, every product placement that appears in practically all of her videos.

Beyonce on the other hand came in at #2 right under Oprah (no pun intended) pulling in $87 million over the course of a year. $85 million came from her "90-plus date global tour" and the rest from her album sales, her clothing line, and her endorsements including L'Oreal.

Women with money, now that is some powerful $h!t that I like...

Source

BET Awards Recap: Chris Brown's Emotional MJ Tribute, Kanye's Return, Prince Gets Honored, Nicki Minaj's Win + More

The 2010 BET Awards aired live last night Sunday, June 27 and it was definitely a show to remember.

When the BET nominees were announced a few months back, I was nothing short of disappointed. I felt there were a bunch of people that deserved nominations that didn't get them and I was still feeling a bit sour courtesy of last years uncooked buffet of no thanks.

This year was much different.

Kanye West Returns, Performs 'Power' At BET Awards [Video]

Kanye West made his triumphant return at this year's BET Awards performing his first single off of his forthcoming album Good Ass Job.

The performance was powerful and full of energy and marked the first televised performance from Kanye West since his MTV VMA debacle.

Though I wish I could have gotten a close-up shot of his facial expressions as he rapped the lyrics to "Power", the set design, his energy, and the edginess of the song made up for it all.

Remembering Michael Jackson One Year Later [Videos]

The day I found out Michael Jackson passed away, I was in the bank getting my finances in order when I overheard a conversation between two bank tellers. One of the tellers had nonchalantly mentioned that she heard that Michael Jackson died. I automatically assumed that it was a homemade rumor only because in my mind (as crazy as it might sound) I didn't think it was possible.

Lady Gaga On Her Illuminati Dreams: 'My Music Is Like An Exorcism For My Fans And Myself'

From last week, excerpts from Lady Gaga's Rolling Stone interview started floating around the net.

This one about her "Illuminati dreams" takes the cake.

In her words,

"I have this recurring dream sometimes where there’s a phantom in my home,” Gaga tells Rolling Stone. “And he takes me into a room, and there’s a blond girl with ropes tied to all four of her limbs. And she’s got my shoes on from the Grammys. Go figure—pyscho. And the ropes are pulling her apart.”

But it gets even stranger. “I never see her get pulled apart, but I just watch her whimper, and then the phantom says to me, ‘If you want me to stop hurting her and if you want your family to be OK, you will cut your wrist.’ And I think that he has his own, like, crazy wrist-cutting device. And he has this honey in, like, Tupperware, and it looks like sweet-and-sour sauce with a lot of MSG from New York. Just bizarre. And he wants me to pour the honey into the wound, and then put cream over it and a gauze.”

Gaga was confused by her dream and turned to other sources to find out its meaning. “So I looked up the dream, and I couldn’t find anything about it anywhere. And my mother goes, ‘Isn’t that an illuminati ritual?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’”

She even consulted her good friend and mentor Deepak Chopra about past dreams. “The devil’s trying to take me, Deepak. I’m a good girl!” she told the spiritual leader, who eased her fears.

But she admits her nightmares inspire her eccentric stage shows. “I do have morbid dreams. But I put them in the show. A lot of the work I do is an exorcism for the fans but also for myself."

Imagine reading this while listening to Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna on "Run This Town", haunting to say the very least.

Lady Gaga is something else. Right when I think I've figured her out....

Source 1 & 2

Auto-Tune Makes Its Way To 'Jeopardy!'

My inner geek lives for 7:00pm Eastern time every day to get my daily fix of Jeopardy! Last night was especially interesting because of the addition of Auto-Tune.

*dun, dun, dun!!*...

Yes, I do hate Auto-Tune (just thought I would say that) but the way it was used last night was very comical and entertaining at the same time.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek sang all of the clues from the category using Auto-Tune.

T-Pain would be so proud...

[NEWS] Rihanna's Star Power Earns Her Free Land

While there are some music artists out there who are quite content with receiving free dresses, jewelry and other fun gadgets, Rihanna is getting... free land.

[NEWS] Tupac Shakur's 'Dear Mama' Entered Into U.S. Library Of Congress For Preservation

A week after the day in which Tupac Shakur would have celebrated his 39th birthday, the news of his song "Dear Mama" being added to the U.S. Library of Congress' National Recording Registry is announced.

Drake Moves 463K Copies Of 'Thank Me Later' In First Week

The numbers are in for Drake's debut LP Thank Me Later. Many predicted that Drake would go gold in his first week while others took it a step further and said that he would go Platinum.

Well, *drum roll* Drake has moved 463,000 units of Thank Me Later landing him in the number one spot on this week's Hits charts.

Billboard hasn't released their chart positions yet so we'll have to wait and see where he rates on theirs.

Christina Aguilera Is Jacking Rihanna's Style Not Lady Gaga's, Says Stylist

And here we are again. Rihanna's stylist Mariel Haenn spoke with the NY Daily News about Christina Aguilera's current brand of style.

The newly adopted daring chic (borderline street walker) that almost every artist is flocking to is a reminiscent one for Chrisitina who explored it once before during her Stripped days.

Anyhow, Mariel explained to the paper that the spikes and black patent leather is not a style that Lady Gaga made popular but more so a style that Rihanna has made her signature.

In her words,

"Seeing stuff − the black patent leather, the tutus and the spikes - reminds me of Rihanna more than Gaga."

I see it this way. If the clothes are not custom made for said artists and there is more than one on the rack, it's fair game.

All this swagger jacking talk is played. Christina should just go Back To Basics, literally and figuratively. Maybe then they'll leave that child alone...

Photo & Source

[NEWS] Lady Gaga's New Album Set For Release Early 2011

When Lady Gaga said that she would much rather die on stage than at home on vacation, some people probably took her words for granted. Staying true to the workaholic oath, Lady Gaga has revealed to Rolling Stone Magazine that her newest album is currently completed and that it should be hitting stores and online early next year.

Gaga revealed that the album is going to be more serious than her previous LP's including her hit debut The Fame and that she is contemplating tattooing the album's name on herself.

But about the music, in her words...

"The message of the new music is now more bitter than it was before. Because the sweeter the cake, the more bitter the jelly can be." {Source}

More serious than the last?! Can you imagine what the videos are going to be like for those songs? *grabs rosary beads, then places them back down after getting a flash back of the scene from "Alejandro"*

More Gaga anyone?

Death Rumors About The Game Proven False: There Were Death Rumors?

It was surprising to learn that there were death rumors floating around about rapper The Game being murdered in LA last night. I'd like to think that I keep my nose in just about everything so it is surprising to see this fly way over my head and I'm assuming others.

According to AllHipHop - that obtained a statement from The Game - the rumors ran ramped after it was the top trend in Google, hmmm...

Anyhow, this is what The Game had to say about the rumors...just before promoting his album,

"All these rumors that I've been shot are phony just like half the rappers in the game," Game told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive statement. "I'm still here, promoting my R.E.D. Album, so when it drops, go get it or else you might end up dead like me (laughs)." {Source}

Well, at least he's making the best out of the situation *scratches head*.

Video Premiere: Dirty Money (feat. Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj) 'Hello, Goodmorning (Remix)'

Here is the new video from Diddy and his crew Dirty Money for the remix of their song "Hello, Goodmorning." The song is slated to appear on Diddy's album Last Train To Paris that has been pushed back to September 2010.

The video is interesting. I see that Diddy is looking to bring back the flashy side of Hip-Hop with the gold teeth and excessive diamond necklaces...ok.

I'm off to grab a snow cone, I craved one the minute I saw Nicki Minaj's wig....

Milk Carton Diary™: What Ever Happened To Carl Thomas?

One of my good friends from high school was obsessed with Carl Thomas. I on the other hand was a huge R. Kelly fan (pre-sex tape), so she and I would go back and forth with one another (daily) pointing out all of the things that were better about the artists we admired.

Deep down inside, I knew that Carl Thomas was the truth. His sound was original and his voice was smooth. And the fact that he was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records (Bad Boy during the mid-90’s to early 00’s was shelling out popular artists with hit singles to boot) just made him all the more appealing.

The Dream Says That Ciara's Upcoming Album Is Her Last Shot At Pop Stardom

The Dream recently sat down and spoke with Parlour Magazine about his marriage, new daughter and revealed some details regarding his forthcoming album Love King.

He discarded the rumors that suggested that he and wife Christina Milian were having marital issues and kind of admitted to being a dead beat dad (but not in those words exactly) just in time for Father's Day.

When asked if the album that he is currently working on with Ciara is her last shot at stardom, The Dream admitted that it was.

[NEWS] Jay-Z's Surprise NYC Concert Axed Because Of Near Riot At Drakes Concert?

Similar to a domino effect, people are going to have to pay for the near riot that occurred at a free concert last week that was to be headlined by Drake. One of those people who are the first to pay is rapper Jay-Z.

Jay-Z was scheduled to throw a surprise concert in NYC "atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater" in Midtown Manhattan to kick start the summer season on Monday, June 21st, but city officials have shut down those plans.

Officials from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting have abruptly canceled plans to grant a permit for the concert. The leaking of information pertaining to the event on Thursday (June 17) ended weeks of negotiations.

This of course comes a week after a crowd became unruly at New York's South Street Seaport.

Just fabulous.

They don't lie when they say that the ignorant ruin it for everybody.

Though it has not been confirmed that the near riot that took place at the seaport had anything to do with the Mayor's office decision, I would be kidding myself if I didn't point out how the scenario fits like a puzzle when it comes to the cancellation.

Other artists such as former Beatle Paul McCartney were granted a permit to organize a concert at the venue in the past, so its not as if it hasn't been done before.

Oh well...

Source

What Exactly Did T-Pain Think Would Happen?

After reading and posting about T-Pain’s comments regarding why he isn’t releasing any music until album sales pick up, I really got to thinking. The question that kept on popping in my head as I tried to see his side of things was: “what exactly did he think would happen?”

[NEWS] Erykah Badu Brushes Off Maxwell Drama

Earlier this week, rumors suggested that all was not well with the neo-soulness that is Maxwell, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

The story was that Maxwell was canceling his tour because he wasn't getting along with Jill and Erykah because they were going over their allotted performance time on stage.

Erykah wants you to know that all of that is bogus. The "Window Seat" singer addressed the rumor via her Twitter explaining that she only did one show with Maxwell and that was in Atlanta and even then, she didn't even see him but he did send her flowers.

NEWS // BET To Give Another Michael Jackson Tribute At This Year's Award Show

We all are well aware of the hot boiling mess that took place at last year's BET Awards. In an effort to pay homage to Michael Jackson who had passed away just 3 days before the award show was to take place, BET scraped half of their original performance line up to accommodate performances that would pay tribute to the King of Pop.

Though it wasn't so bad, it was a train wreck and BET is looking to redeem themselves.

According to Billboard.com, BET will dust themselves off and try again as they attempt to pay tribute to Michael again. It isn't clear how exactly they will do this but it was stated that the Jackson family will be in attendance again this year.

I feel BET got a little over their heads in a rush to be the first award show to pay tribute to Michael - which is why it didn't turn out so great.

Instead of having a bunch of weird dedication performances, it would have been cool to just fill the stage with music's hottest acts and have them perform a medley of Michael's classics together, while images and captured moments of Michael played in the background on a jumbotron.

Simple but also grand, that would have been heaven.

For me, I just haven't been satisfied with any of the Michael Jackson tributes besides the one for his memorial service.

Hopefully this tribute from BET will be different from the rest and blow us away...

Speaking of MJ, if you are in the New York area 103.5 KTU is making June 25th "MJ All Day." To commemorate the one-year anniversary of his death, the station will play the songs performed by Michael from his days as a Jackson 5 to the songs that marked his comeback.

Caption It: What 50 Cent Really Wants To Tell Diddy Is...

Related Stories:

• 50 Cent Starves Himself For New Movie Role
• Diddy Addresses The Lil Kim/Nicki Minaj Beef

NEWS // T-Pain Is Going On Strike Until Album Sales Pick Up

T-Pain is putting his foot down as far as releasing his music goes. He feels that the music industry has been hit hard by low album sales and is refusing to release anymore albums until he witnesses a change.

NEWS // Eminem Will Perform At The BET Awards

I like, I like. Looks like BET is on the road to redemption with not only the addition of Kanye West to their performance roster, but now with  Eminem.

The network announced their latest addition via a press release which mentioned that both Usher and Alicia Keys will also take to the stage during the award ceremony.

Looks like I might get my wish to see Eminem and Rihanna perform "Love The Way You Lie" live a second time hopefully with more interaction *fingers crossed*.

Other performers that will take to the stage will be Nicki Minaj, Drake, Ludacris, Diddy and his Dirty Money crew, T.I. and Rick Ross.

Oh, I almost forgot, T-Pain will be hitting the stage as well though I am unsure what he has to perform...

This year's ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on June 27th and will air live on BET.

I'm really hyped up over who will be honoring Prince when he receives his Lifetime Achievement Award...

Dear Whitney Houston's Voice...

As of late you’ve been at the center of criticism. Reports suggest that fans that purchase your tickets filled with excitement to be blown away by you are leaving the concerts disappointed; kind of like the same disappointment one feels when they realize that the picture on the box of frozen pizza never looks like the pizza that comes out of it.

NEWS // Drake's 'Thank Me Later' Set To Debut At #1, Projected To Sell 450k+

In a rather bleak music industry where $.99 singles seem a lot more appealing than $9.99 albums, it appears that Drake's highly anticipated LP Thank Me Later will make its debut in the top spot.

According to Hits Daily Double, Thank Me Later is projected to sell 450-470k in its first week.

Though it stops just short of going gold, a lot can happen between now and next week.

I still haven't gotten a chance to hear the album but I've heard some good things about it as well as some bad, so I'll reserve judgment until I get my hands on it.

Meanwhile, Drake has released a statement to AllHipHop.com regarding the near riot that broke out in NYC last night after a concert that he was to headline was canceled due to "an unruly crowd."

In Drake's words,

"I am humbled by the crowd that showed up in support of my performance and the release of Thank Me Later. I love performing for my fans but unfortunately the show was canceled by the NYPD due to over crowding, leaving me without the chance to give my fans a real show." {Source}

Today Is Tupac's Birthday...

Today would have been West coast rapper Tupac Shakur's 39th birthday. I always wondered what people's views regarding Hip-Hop would have been if Tupac was still ruling the airwaves. Would music have taken a different direction or would it have been the same and if so would he still be at the forefront of the movement.

In celebration of his birthday, Vibe.com dug into their archives and found a long lost interview that was conducted and recorded in May 1996.

This is just Part 1. Visit their site to view additional footage of his interview.

Maxwell Just Doesn't Play Nice With Jill Scott and Erykah Badu...

...Well that is why they are saying their tour is being canceled.

In what was seen as the perfect union of neo-soulness is turning into a gumbo of agitated personalities dipped in lack of tolerance when it comes to singer's Maxwell, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

The conflict is rumored to be over time.

You see, the artists are given designated times for their performance sets. Makes sense. There are three performers and as much as music fans may love the three, we're not looking to spend the night at a concert  I know I'm not.

Apparently, Maxwell is not too pleased with both Jill and Erykah overstaying their time on stage and is looking to call it quits. Supposedly, all of the shows that are scheduled to take place after June 26th will be canceled.

I'm hoping this is just a rumor. In my mind - my imagination that is - I see the three laughing it up over cups of hot chocolate ever so often breaking out into song. They're breaking out all right, just not into song...

Updated to say: According to Billboard.com, the portion of Maxwell's tour that was to kick off June 28 in Greensboro, NC with Melanie Fiona has been postponed till 2011. Maxwell's label cites scheduling conflicts with the venues as the reason why the tour has been canceled. *shrugs*

Video Premiere: Kelis '4th Of July (Fireworks)'

Here is the new video from Kelis for her song "4th Of July (Fireworks)." This song is slated to appear on Kelis' upcoming album Flesh Tone in stores July 6, 2010.

Kelis gives you fireworks, blazing flames, lighting effects, Native American inspired wardrobes... the works. It's visually appealing and more like an experience than just a video.

Kelis' eye for style is clearly on another plateau...

Drake's 'Better Than Good Enough' One-Hour Documentary Scheduled to Air On MTV

Drake is feeling on top of the world right now and is excited about the release of his debut LP . He's finally released his highly anticipated album Thank Me Later and according to some of the reviews, Drake is bringing something new to the table for consumption.

Watch: Eminem & Rihanna Perform 'Love The Way You Lie' Live [Video]

Eminem brought out Rihanna at the Activision E3 2010 preview event in Los Angeles to perform his song "Love The Way You Lie." Rihanna is featured on the track that is slated to appear on Eminem's album Recovery.

Somehow in my mind I imagined their performance together being a bit better, more interactive. Surely the crowd loved it, who wouldn't? Having music's biggest stars on stage together at the same time was enough to suffice.

Plus, the song is hot! It has a different sound - more calm and reserved yet still penetrating...

I think their chemistry will grow more over time. Wouldn't it be cool to see them perform it at the BET Awards?

In other Eminem news, his album Recovery - which was supposed to come out on June 22nd - has been moved up to June 21, 2010. It is always good news when your album gets pushed up instead of pushed back...

Source

Rapper Eve Reveals How An Encounter With Mase Changed Her Life [Video]

Last night, VH1 aired the Behind The Music episode chronicling the life and career of Eve. Her story is an interesting one and even that description is an understatement.

Besides discussing her time as a stripper at the age of 17 and her various bouts with depression as well as highlighting her Grammy win and landing the starring role in a sitcom, her episode revealed a fact that I knew nothing about.

It turns out, rapper-turned-pastor-turned-rapper again Mase played a key role in Eve giving up stripping and focusing her full attention on pursuing a rap career.

Eve revealed in her episode that when she was a stripper at a club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mase walked into the club one night and Eve caught his eye.

He asked her what her name was and of course she lied and gave him a bunch of pseudo names but he later asked to speak with her privately.

During their private conversation, Mase told Eve that she was talented and that she didn’t belong in a strip club. Taking note of that, Eve made the life changing decision to give up stripping for good.

In Eve’s words,

“He [Mase] came into the club and looked at me and literally was like ‘what’s your name?’ and I gave him every stripper name under the sun. I was like I’m Ginger, I’m Sassy. And he’s like why don’t you get dress, let’s just go talk and we did. We talked throughout the night. He was like you’re really talented. Like, you’re, this is not…what are you doing? You know you’re not supposed to be here, you know it. It was a confirmation for me that all these thoughts, all this sadness, all these times where I wake up in the morning and I’m like why do I feel like this and I know I’m not supposed to be there. It just woke me up.”

Mase has been giving guidance to people for a while huh?!

Check out the clip of the episode when you…

Ginuwine Says The New School Artists Of Today Wouldn't Be Competition In His Prime

Ginuwine recently sat down with Vibe.com to discuss his new album, the leaking of a video he never intended for release (ahem, "Touch Me") as well as his relationship with Missy Elliot.

Christina Aguilera's 'VH1 Storytellers' Performances [Videos]

I've always felt there was something special about Christina Aguilera but she always seemed to be in the shadow of other artists. When she first made her debut she was widely compared to Britney Spears and now with her return she has been compared to Lady Gaga every time she blinks her eye.

From what she displays, the girl could careless.

Listen: New Music From Faith Evans (feat. Snoop Dogg) 'Way You Move'

This is why I love the summertime. The singles are fun, refreshing and helps build memories. On that note...

Guess who's back? Yup it's Faith!

Faith Evans is set to drop a new album in September 2010. The title of the LP will be Something About Faith and the lead single "Way You Move" has hit the net.

The single is very laid back, crisp, and so 90's. I mean, I feel all that I'm missing is an ice cream cone and a block party with this track. She even enlists the smoothness that is Snoop Dogg to add the cherry on top.

Download

Faith Evans and Keke Wyatt is all a sister needs to get by. This track is so for the summer...

Jay-Z's Performance Of 'Young Forever' At Bonnaroo

I hear that there were some issues at Bannaroo this past weekend. 100 arrests and one death could leave a damper on any event. But people will do just about anything for music...

Anyway, Jay-Z was one of the performers for the night and performed a 90 minute set. Songs like "On To The Next One" and "99 Problems" came booming from the speakers and had the crowd going wild.

I had actually attempted to stay up long enough to catch Jay's performance on You Tube. The video streaming website had a live stream of the event Saturday evening, but sleep did me in.

Thank the gods for internet!

Above is the video of Jay-Z's performance of his song "Young Forever." This single appears on his album Blueprint 3 in stores now.

Listen: New Music From Donnie Klang 'Without You'

After my latest edition of Milk Carton Diary went up revealing what former Bad Boy artist Donnie Klang was up to, I received an e-mail cluing me in on Donnie's new single. The single is titled "Without You" and it was produced under his new label Eight72Entertainment.

From what I understand, the single was released last month and appeared on Singersroom.com. I'm surprised it hasn't caught fire yet because it has a lot of potential.

This is definitely going to light up the airwaves this summer. Donnie proves that there is life after Bad Boy...

Milk Carton Diary™: What Ever Happened To Donnie Klang?

When Diddy announced again that he would be doing a nationwide search for a new band that would eventually be signed to Bad Boy, the first thought that came to mind was what happened to Da Band.

You remember Da Band right?

Lady Gaga Hates Clothes, Wears Bra/Panty Set From 'Telephone' Video To Ball Game

Let me just say that when Lady Gaga first started to rise in popularity I was a big fan. She was different and quirky and I loved that about her. Her style was on some next sh*t and I was impressed.

Diddy Addresses Lil Kim/Nicki Minaj Beef: 'I Ain't Gonna Make No Apologies For Working With Nicki Minaj'

Can't say I haven't been waiting patiently for the man of the hour to speak his piece. Diddy sat down with the BBC's Tim Westwood on Friday (June11) and discussed the drama that has been taking up space known as the Lil Kim/Nicki Minaj "beef."

I'm not going to lie, it's been entertaining. But just like most things, all good things must come to an end and this one is long overdue.

Diddy concurs.

Listen: New Music From Kelly Rowland 'Rose Colored Glasses'

Here is the new single from Kelly Rowland titled "Rose Colored Glasses."

Download

Kelly is obviously trying to find her own sound and I love that. This has a very Pop feel to it and it is upbeat plus the hook is catchy. It isn't a bad song but there isn't much that stands out about it. I feel like I've heard this before.

I'm a fan of Kelly's vocals. It has a power to it. What I feel would best bring it out are acoustic instruments. I could so see Kelly fronting a live band and making that a part of her brand.

Alicia Keys vs. Chris Brown: Who's Career Is In A Better Position?

Alicia Keys and Chris Brown have both experienced a tough year. Chris Brown has been struggling to light the fire under the stove pilot that is his career ever since his fall out with Rihanna became tabloid and blog fodder.

Caption It: What Lil Kim Really Wants To Say To Nicki Minaj Is...

Related Stories:

•  Lil Kim vs. Nicki Minaj: Making Sense Out Of A Senseless Beef
•  Drake Ought To Stay Out Of The Nicki Minaj/Lil Kim Beef...

NEWS // Set Your TiVo's, Kanye West Is Performing At This Year's BET Awards

The nominees may not have received a sea of thumbs up from music fans, but this news might just make the BET Awards bearable.

BET has announced that Kanye West will be making his return to music at the award show where he will perform live.

It was not announced what he will be performing but my fingers are crossed for him to perform "Power", that would be an early Christmas present for me...

Source

Drake Opens Up About Fling With Rihanna In New York Times Profile

Remember those rumors that were circulating around about Drake and Rihanna having a little something, something going on with one another? Well, it turned out to be true and Drake is talking about their fling with the New York Times.

Popcorn Moments: Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley's Infamous MTV Kiss

On September 8th, 1994, Michael Jackson and his then wife Lisa Marie Presley (daughter of Elvis Presley) came out on stage at the MTV VMA's hand-in-hand for no reason at all.

At the time, Michael Jackson had been slammed with sexual molestation charges stemming from an alleged situation with a little boy, so my guess is that they did this to set the record straight about what he really likes.

Katy Perry Suffers From 'Pot Calling Kettle' Syndrome, Slams Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' Video

Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro' music video premiered yesterday and has received a lot of feedback; some good others bad with the majority of its viewers being left frightened to ever press play on another Lady Gaga video again [raises hand].

One of Gaga's fellow artists and in my opinion direct competitions, Katy Perry, was very vocal about the video via her Twitter saying that she felt the video was done in bad taste because it mocked religion.

Drake Ought To Stay Out Of The Nicki Minaj/Lil Kim Beef...

I was browsing MTV.com and stumbled upon a video of Drake discussing the new female "beef" (notice the quotations) of the moment, Nicki Minaj vs. Lil Kim.

Granted this time around, he was asked about his thoughts regarding the little quarrel between the two female faces of Hip-Hop, I still couldn't help but to get a little annoyed with his involvement.

Earlier, this month a video of Nicki Minaj and Drake performing in concert surfaced and on it Drake was heard addressing the beef. Of course he kept it respectful and that was cool and maybe it was done to get his name rolling off tongues, but whatever the case was, it really isn't necessary for him to address it especially with him being the new cat in the litter box.

Drake spoke with MTV about the "beef" and had this to say...

"I feel like Lil' Kim is a G in the game. I feel like you're a part of an era that's classic, that we'll never forget as young kids, me and Nick," he said of his Young Money family member. "You don't have to do that. You don't have to get onstage and tell people to pay homage; that's a given. I've watched Nicki pay homage time and time again. I didn't respect [Kim's comments] at all. Whoever else was onstage with her, I didn't respect that at all. You just wearing your heart on your sleeve. You're showing that you're upset. Nobody's done that to me yet. I would never expect Jay or 'Ye to get onstage and be like, 'Pay homage to me. You need to respect me.' They know they command my respect with their music and talent. I feel that's signs you're just losing it. I really did take that personally. That bothered me. I really don't get caught up with the Twitter and Internet stuff, but I did see it. And I feel like you're supposed to be a G. That just wasn't G to me at all."

I say let the ladies handle this on their own. It looks a bit wack for a gentleman to be involved in female drama.That last comment goes for Ray J as well...

Obviously, Nicki is not interested in playing this diss game with Lil Kim so why be the one? She appears to be able to fight her own battles so why fight them for her? I'm all for caring for the underdog, but like Power 105.1's Ed Lover said "I don't even fight for my sister, she can fight her own fights."

Plus, doesn't Drake have his own negative comments directed at him from other rappers to ward off?

As for this "beef", we all know where I stand on it...

Source

NEWS // Trial Date Set For Ja Rule's Gun Case

A date has been set for Ja Rule's gun case that stems from an incident that dates back to 3-years ago.

If you can remember, the rapper was arrested in July 2007 after a semiautomatic gun was found by police in his car.

Ja Rule had previously requested to have a hearing for the scientific issues surrounding DNA evidence in regard to the gun but that was turned down by the judge.

The trial date is set for August 18, 2010 in NYC.

The last place you want to get caught with an illegal gun is here in NYC. They say it's a 3 years mandated sentence but we've seen rappers get less with good lawyers (ahem, Lil Wayne).

The good news here is that Ja Rule is reportedly working on a new movie! Gotta take the good with the bad, right?

Christina Aguilera Performs On The 'Today Show' [Video]

Christina Aguilera performed on the Today show earlier today. Standing as the first performance after her performance at the MTV Movie Awards, the singer performed in short red shorts with black shimmery tights, a leather jacket, and a white T-shirt with a pair of red lips smack dab in the center.

I guess we are all getting used to this new style of hers which is why people are on attack mode. But I love me some Christina Aguilera, her voice is amazing, and I know with time some people will gravitate towards her.

Oh, and I love how she's making the red lips mic stand her signature.

Check out the performance when you...

Video Premiere: Lady Gaga 'Alejandro'

Here is the new music video from Lady Gaga for her song "Alejandro."

Lil Kim vs. Nicki Minaj: Making Sense Out Of This Senseless Beef

From early last week, the net has been left buzzing after a video of Lil Kim showed the Brooklyn rapper ripping off a colorful wig from her head and tossing it into a crowd of fans right before saying that "she is so above it." Everyone assumed that she was referring to Nicki Minaj and the constant "she swagger jacked Lil Kim's style" talk.