Beyonce Set To Release New Album In June -- Bad News For Female Artists, No?

After deciding to take a year off to do normal people things like travel the world, shop at upscale boutiques, and receive $350,000 Christmas gifts from hubby -- you know the usual normal people stuff -- news has been released that Beyonce will be making a return to music with a new album slated for release in June.

According to other sources, the singer has already begun shooting a video for the first single off the new album. So fans will be getting an eyeful of visuals from Beyonce sooner than they think.

With the release of this news paired with my curiosity, I wondered: Are other female artists biting their nails yet?

[NEWS] New Lady Gaga Album Coming In May 2011

Lady Gaga held true to her promise to reveal a special surprise for her fans on New Year's.

According to her tweet along with the photo you see above, Gaga's Born This Way album will be hitting record store shelves and online retailers May 23, 2011 with a new single dropping February 13, 2011.

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}

New T.I. Album Coming In August + Releases New Single 'I'm Back'

As Lil Wayne is starting his one year bid at NYC's Rikers Island, T.I. is tagged in and is preparing to make a comeback

T.I. who is currently finishing up his time at a halfway house in Atlanta has announced that he will be releasing a new album in as little as 5 months.

New Melanie Fiona Album Coming This Fall

Melanie is ready to head back in the studio to put out another certified album. The singer that was recently nominated for a Grammy is not looking to take any breaks and is prepared to ride on her current wave of success.

Melanie told Vibe that the album is slated for a Fall release and will show her exploring a more Rock and Hip-Hop side of the spectrum.

Though she assures that she will still hang on to her soulful roots, she is looking to grow as an artist by exploring all that music has to offer.

"It’s still going to have a lot of the soul influence," she says. "I kind of want to explore a rock, more hip-hop kind of side. That's going to be fun, creating something new."

Definitely excited for Melanie's new album. Her debut The Bridge is really a great album from the first track to the last...I am head over heels in love with "Johnny" and of course "It Kills Me."

Melanie Fiona will be embarking on a tour with Alicia Keys via Alicia's "Element" tour that is scheduled to kick off in two weeks in Quebec, Canada.

Sade's Recent Sales Prove That People Will Buy Good Music

I just love it when points are proven by numbers. Sade has set the bar for the rest of 2010 by moving 502,000 units of the band's latest release Soldier of Love.

According to Nielson Soundscan, Sade stormed the Billboard 200 charts and claimed the number one spot with their album, making it the best selling album thus far in 2010.

These numbers just prove that people are still purchasing albums that they feel are worth purchasing. And what makes the situation even more golden, is that they did not have to resort to tacky marketing tactics to get the public's attention.

No nudity. No Auto-Tune. No fabricated leaked gossip.

Just good music and old fashion marketing.

The Title Of Kanye West's New Album Has Been Revealed

Yeah, I know...there are some people out there that could careless about Kanye West or the album he is reportedly working on, but I bet y'all are still reading on to find out the title anyway because you secretly adore his rude @$$ or at least his music.

One of the artists on Kanye's label, G.O.O.D. Music, that goes by the name of Big Sean revealed via his Twitter account that the title of Kanye's new album will be Good Ass Job.

The rapper informed fans of the title when he boasted that he was flying out to Hawaii to work on his own album as well as complete material on Kanye's.

Only time will tell if everyone will be back on the Kanye bandwagon.

What's interesting is that in an interview done by Kanye that appeared in the February 2009 issue of Vibe, you know the one that made him look like a scruffy 40 year old....

 ....the rapper said that he wanted to have a smaller fan base than the one he had successfully accumulated over the years.

It seems that everyone is just giving him his wish, I wonder if he feels the same way now.

Kelly Rowland Enlists Ne-Yo For New Album

According to reports, Kelly Rowland has booked studio time with the go-to R&B songwriter Ne-Yo.

This is a very smart move for Kelly as Ne-Yo is a genius in the studio and with the pen and knows how to interpret his emotions and the emotions of others through words and melody.

The new project is said to be released under Motown Records; however, confirmation of the new deal has not been given yet.

I hope that Kelly can get the recognition she deserves. With new management and a new state of mind anything is possible here on out.

Usher Pushes 'Raymond vs. Raymond' Back To March 2010

Are you among the many who are still waiting on Usher's album Raymond vs. Raymond to hit record store shelves..ahem...I mean iTunes?

Well, you will have to wait just a little bit longer as Usher has decided to push the album back.

The new release date is scheduled for March 30th, 2010.

It seems that Usher has taken my advice to push his album back instead of releasing it after it took a leak two months before its release.

The singer is also scheduled to premiere the official video for his song "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" tomorrow morning exclusively on MTV.

This is definitely a good move for Usher as he can go back to the drawing board and concoct hit singles instead of relying on just one single to carry the album; which seems to be the theme for a lot of artists who experience album flops.

Usher has released a total of 4 singles off of the album and the only one that is catching fire is "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", no bueno.

For an album that is being boasted as the follow-up to his smash album Confessions, they better prepare to come with it.

You can catch Usher when he performs live at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards this coming Sunday, January 31. The singer will also put on a performance during the half-time of the NBA All-Star Game that is set to air on TNT on Valentines Day, February 14th.

SideBar: Does the NBA want to ruin relationships this Valentines Day? Scheduling a game of that magnitude on a day that some women (not me) consider the ultimate "lovers day" is like washing your hands and drying them on the floor...not a good idea.

Jay-Z preps new album

Workaholic much? Blueprint 3 is due in stores September 11th and Jay is already prepared to start working on a new album, this one a mixtape. Jay told MTV that he is looking to make this album a more "experimental piece". Because he loves music so much he wants to express it in a more eclectic album.

The way music is right now, I am just willing to hear any music that is deemed good. I get so exhausted with listening to bad music...you know, it's my kyptonite. He had this to say about his new album.

"My next album, which I'm working on now -- that's exclusive, no one knows that -- is gonna be the album that really ... it's not gonna be a #1 album. That's where I'm at right now. I wanna make the most experimental album I ever made. But let's not deal with that now; I want to deal with The Blueprint 3."

I recently wrote an album review for Blueprint 3 on my Hip-Hop column and it garnered a lot of mixed feelings. In my personal opinion, the album is different for Jay. It's not one of his best albums to date but it is a relief to the pile of nothing that is circulating around, which is actually a damn shame when one can say that without hesitation. The album shows a more mainstream meets raw side of Jay-Z with his lyricism being more concrete. To get what he is saying you have to actually use your ears and your mind. As for the beats, they are phenomenal and the best I've heard in a while.

Usher sets release date for album

According to Rap-Up, the release date for Usher's 6th studio album Monster is set for December 8th.

Confessions was a really big album for Usher, with hope he will give us an album that will top it.

Producers that have been hard at work on banging out beats are Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell, and Ne-Yo. You know when Ne-Yo is on the payroll, the music is always good. Can't wait to hear the finished product.