Adele storms the UK charts…
Feb 21st
Soulful songstress Adele has much cause for celebration tonight; for following her spine-tingling BRIT Awards showing this week, she today scored four placings in the UK’s Big Top 40 Chart. Topping the tally is the 21 year old’s live BRIT’s rendition of “Someone Like You“, which was made available on iTunes immediately following Tuesday’s performance. Meanwhile, ”Rolling In The Deep“ and the studio version of “Someone Like You” occupy positions #4 and #9 respectively. Over on the Official UK Singles Chart, the singer’s sophomore LP “21” sits at #1 for another week, whole her debut “19” rests comfortably at #4. Read the rest of this entry »
MoMo Must Have: Jelly and Cream!
Feb 2nd
Okay so it’s not every day you come across a real swagga, but I mean it is what it is! Jelly & Cream are for the win! And I mean if you’re like Nicki Minaj and want this “Moment 4 Life” then sweatshirt above is a must have! MoMo sat down with the designers at Jelly & Cream and they gave up a round up about themselves, check it out after the jump Read the rest of this entry »
Yes! Mariah Carey is having twins!
Dec 18th
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are about to be parents twice over. Nick revealed that he and his wife are expecting twins. “My wife at one time, she referred to her stomach as they and that probably wasn’t the wrong thing for her to do. That’s all I’m gonna say,” he told “E! News.” The “America’s Got Talent” host also mentioned “new additions” to his family in an online holiday greeting card. The babies are due early next year, but Nick wouldn’t disclose their gender.
Mariah Carey received an early Christmas present. The festive diva’s second holiday album in 16 years, Merry Christmas II You, makes a top 5 debut this week on the charts.
Led by the cheery single “Oh Santa!,” the new collection of holiday recordings entered at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 55,000 copies sold in its first week. This marks Mimi’s 16th album to bow in the top 10, putting her only behind Barbra Streisand (30) and Madonna (19) to have as many albums enter the territory in their first week out.
With a little more than a few days to go until Christmas, the expectant mom bests the first week of her 1994 seasonal release Merry Christmas, which debuted Read the rest of this entry »
Island Def Jam showcase Jennifer Lopez’s new album…
Dec 18th
Jennifer Lopez feels the Love? on the cover of her seventh album, due on Island Def Jam next year. Chosen as one of Barbara Walters’ “10 Most Fascinating People of 2010,” J.Lo revealed the artwork during her interview last night, with the singer-actress decked out in diamonds and a fur coat while she looks off into the distance.
Additionally, the entertainer spoke about her upcoming judging gig on the 2011 season of “American Idol” and the hesitancy she felt in agreeing to it. “When they first offered it to me, I was like, no. And then I thought to myself, I’ll be at home with the babies. It just seemed like, wow, we can have a little bit of a normal life for like, seven months. That would be fun!” she exclaimed.
J.Lo also spoke on keeping it real when it comes to judging the contestants. “I can be honest, but I don’t like being mean. I don’t like when people are mean to me, so I don’t want to be mean to anybody,” Read the rest of this entry »
Keri Hilson to Detox for Dr. Dre
Dec 18th
Keri Hilson gave 100 of her hometown fans a sneak peek of her sophomore album No Boys Allowed by playing tracks during Hot 107.9’s “Very Keri Christmas” listening party at Atlanta’s Harlem Nights Ultra Lounge last night. In addition to hearing music ahead of its release next week, Miss Keri showed the crowd how to do the “Pretty Girl Rock” and explained the inspiration behind each song.
Dr. Dre is getting a dose of Keri Hilson for Detox. The “Pretty Girl Rock” singer paid a visit to the Doctor to contribute to his long-awaited project. Miss Keri shares what it was like to be in the studio with the hip-hop icon.
“Dr Dre is incredible,” she exclusively tells us. “He’s somebody I always kind of thought, ‘Wow, I wonder what his method is. I wonder what it’s like to be in the room while he does what he does,’ and I got to see it.”
Keri saw herself in her legendary labelmate. “He’s very much a perfectionist and it kinda made me understand myself a little bit, why I’m so particular about certain things,” she reveals. “I saw myself in his light and it was great.”
While she confirms her work on Detox, she’s uncertain if the material will make the 2011 album’s final cut. “I don’t know. We’ll see.” The first offering from Detox, the Snoop Dogg and Akon-assisted “Kush,” is currently No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Keri’s sophomore set No Boys Allowed drops Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry »
T.I. shows “No Mercy” on the album charts…
Dec 18th
Though Susan Boyle continues to hold the crown with her sophomore offering The Gift, T.I. makes a splash on the Billboard 200 this week with his seventh album No Mercy, earning the highest-charting debut for any new album entering the fold.
The incarcerated rapper bows at No. 4 this week with his latest LP, moving 159,000 copies. While the album is a success by industry standards, it marks the first time that Tip hasn’t debuted at No. 1 since 2004 when Urban Legendentered the chart at No. 7. Comparatively, 2008’s Paper Trailscored a chart-topping debut with 568,000 units.
T.I. thanked his fans for their support. “First off I’d like to thank everybody again for going out and supporting the hustle yet again with No Mercy last week,” he wrote on his blog. “I can’t say enough on how much I appreciate the support and all the positive feedback. I read so many tweets, letters, reviews, and comments that spoke volumes to how much love was still out there and how much respect still exists for my art and my passion.”
Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday continues to go strong in its third week on the chart, climbing two spots to No. 6 with another 82,000 units. Rihanna’s latest set Loud makes the move up to No. 9 with an additional 71,000. Read the rest of this entry »
Kanye West goes Kristmasy…
Dec 1st
Kanye West got in the Christmas spirit by giving back. The rapper showed off his gift-wrapping skills at the New Yorkers for Children Wrap to Rap benefit at The Ainsworth in New York City earlier this week. His Runaway co-star Selita Ebanks helped bring smiles to the faces of foster care children (and Kanye) with the neatly-wrapped holiday goodies.
With that a side, that isn’t the only thing he should be unwrapping, put it this way the only person who can beat Kanye West is Kanye West. The rapper’s latest effort, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy“, has captured the top spot on the charts this week, selling an impressive 518,775 copies. This means that the record has sold almost 70k more than his previous effort, “808 & Heartbreak“, which debuted with just over 450k in the same week two years prior.
With the LP already set for a Gold certification within it’s opening week, Platinum only seems a few moments away as the LP sales are expected to further increase during December. West has managed to outperform even Nicki Minaj whose “Pink Friday“ debut LP sold 371,049 units. Minaj has no reason to worry, however, as her nemesis Lil Kim’s debut album, ”Hardcore“, entered the charts at at a disappointing #36 in November 1996. Read the rest of this entry »
Nicki Minaj doesn’t want your Pickle juice!
Dec 1st
Here we go! Nicki Minaj vents about getting served pickle juice in a clip from her MTV documentary “My Time Now,” airing Sunday at 10 p.m. (for the UK) After showing up to an unprofessional photo shoot where their budget isn’t up to snuff, the pink-haired rapper goes off about getting treated with the respect she deserves.
“I put quality in what I do. I spend time and I spend energyand I spend effort and I spend everything I have, every fiber of my being, to give people quality,” she barks. “So if I turn up to a photo shoot and you got a $50 clothes budget and some sliced pickles on a motherfuckin’ board, you know what? No. I am gonna leave. Is that wrong? Wanting more for myself? Wanting people to treat me with respect? You know what? Next time, they know better. But had I accepted the pickle juice, I would be drinking pickle juice right now.”
MTV documents Nicki Minaj’s rise to stardom for “Nicki Minaj: My Time Now.” The one-hour documentary follows the Pink Friday rapper, born Onika Maraj, as she performs at the VMAs, records the Eminem-assisted “Roman’s Revenge,” returns to her home of Trinidad, and surprises her mother with the keys to her own home. Laugh and cry with the Harajuku Barbie as she reveals the ambitious girl underneath the colorful wigs and wardrobe. For those in the UK, I guess you are going to have to wait till this Sunday on MTV ONE at 10p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
J.Cole being ignored by Roc Nation?
Nov 30th
Let’s just get the record the straight here, I can simply tell with the lack of press releases coming out about J.Cole that there is something not right at Roc Nation HQ! When you’re signed to Roc Nation, Jay-Z may only be a phone call away, but J. Cole is not ready to make that call just yet. The Roc Nation rapper is still looking for the perfect record for his boss to jump on. – or so they say!
While they’ve worked together on “A Star Is Born” from Jay’s Blueprint 3 album, Cole has yet to find the right collaboration for his debut. “I haven’t found the song that we wanna do yet, but there was one that almost happened, that he was about to write to,” he tells us. “I didn’t even write to it. I just gave him the beat like, ‘Yo, I think you would sound good on this.’ I’m glad nothing really happened because a few months later I realized that’s not the one.” There have been other contenders, including one on his newest mixtape Friday Night Lights. “There was this one record we were gonna do. Even the song ‘Enchanted’ off the mixtape, that’s a song that when I first did it, I heard Jay-Z. I’m thinkin’ like, ‘Man, is this gonna be the song?’” he says. “But I’m really particular and picky, just by the way I move and handle my announcements and everything. I’m really calculated.”
Let’s just hope J.Cole is given his time to shine, I mean just adding him on a Drake tour wont expose him the record sales he’ll need… I smell a Rihanna collaboration (don’t ask me why…I just do!) Read the rest of this entry »
A big week for Hip-Hop!
Nov 29th
Hip-hop looks to dominate next week’s Billboard charts. After a week filled with high-profile releases, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj are on track to outsell the competition and take the top two spots. According to sources, which forecasts album sales, Kanye West’s highly-acclaimed fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is expected to sell 525-575,000 copies in its first week in stores, coming in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Meanwhile, ‘Ye’s collaborator Nicki Minaj will have a “Monster” opening week herself with 375-400,000 copies of her debut Pink Friday. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill currently holds the title for most albums sold by a female MC in one week with 422,000 when it debuted in 1998.
Elsewhere on the charts, Rihanna’s Loud is benefiting from Thanksgiving week sales in its second week with 140-160,000, with her labelmate Justin Bieber’s My Worlds Acoustic on par with those numbers. Despite delays and an early leak, Ne-Yo’s fourth LP Libra Scale could dance away with 120-140,000, putting it in the top 10. These figures could see a boost due to the busy Black Friday shopping weekend. Read the rest of this entry »