Usher & Chris Brown To Tour Together!

R&B singers Chris Brown & Usher are set to tour together! Reports and producer Brian Michael Cox have confirmed it to be true! So what should we expect from the tour? Definitely something high-energy with lots of dance moves. However, a lot of Usher's fans on twitter are NOT HAPPY about this. Possible backlash from parent's of the young teens who will be trying to attend may occur because of Chris Brown's recent assault incident. Only time will tell, but I think it would be SMART if they only did medium-sized ampitheatres from 8,000-13,000 seats just to be safe!

FEATURE ARTICLE: Alicia Keys vs. Fantasia!

Fantasia Burrino and Alicia Keys have both made headlines for being sexually/emotionally involved with a married man. In Alicia's case however she did not receive the media scrutiny or backlash that Fantasia received. Why is that? In this feature article we will discuss in detail why we think Fantasia received more backlash than Alicia Keys, even though BOTH women committed the same "public offense".

To begin let us discuss how the situations were handled. With Alicia's situation with producer/rapper Swizz Beatz, there was NEVER a public statement from Alicia's people. Even when Mashonda, (Swizz's ex-wife), released public letters to her, in magazines, and even direct attacks via twitter, she never responded. However, Fantasia was photo'd OUT with the married man and even directly denied any involvement with him or knowledge of his marriage. Alicia completely acted as if the situation did not exist, and continued touring and promoting her album, while Fantasia continued to expose her family issues on her hit reality show on VH1.

The main thing this comes to down to is IMAGE. Alicia Keys has always been a respected public figure, a philanthropist, and has always carried herself with a measure of class. Fantasia, however, is known to most of the world as the American Idol singer, who was raped, abused, a high-school drop-out, and to put it bluntly, ghetto. There's a saying that goes, "somethings are better left UNSAID", and it couldn't have been truer in Fantasia's case.

By unintentionally exposing the leeching of her family member's into her wallet and bank account, the disorganization, the drama, and the cancellations of her Broadway Performances with no notice she only made herself an easier target when it comes to public ridicule. Alicia, however has never exposed her personal life, and there has always been next to nothing negative you could say about Alicia.

Next, Fantasia ignorantly got the man's name tatted on her, and as a result tried to get the tattooed covered up. She continued to deny the reports of her affair with the married man, and has YET to acknowledge the fact that he was married and she KNEW of it. Alicia, on the other hand has completely kept her mouth sealed about the situation leaving once again NOTHING for the public to feed off of.

Lastly, Fantasia was not only slapped with a lawsuit, claims of an alleged sextape, but she also attempted to take her on life, only to be photographed with the married man just days later on the set of her new reality show. And to add fuel to the fire an unreleased track named 'Lucky Girl' glorified and nearly justified her affair with a married man, only adding insult to injury.

Conclusion: Alicia Keys never let what anyone said or did get to her, or even get a response from her. She even completely ignored anything negative Swizz's wife (at the time) had to say about her. Fantasia made her story even MORE controversial by attempting "suicide", and recording a track that glorifies an affair with a married man. Fantasia has been ripped apart by mainstream media, and even national reporter Nancy Grace! Alicia's business never made CNN even though she is a much bigger star.

The claims of 'skin color', IMO, are completely invalid due to the fact that Alicia handled her situation in the RIGHT WAY, and Fantasia handled hers in the WRONG WAY!

Matt Kemp on Rihanna: "She Makes Me Happy!"

Some folks have theorized it’s the L.A. lifestyle and girlfriend, singer Rihanna, who have impacted Matt Kemp’s baseball career for the worse.

“My girl has nothing to do with what I do on the baseball field,” Kemp says. “If anything she helps. She makes me happy, and as stressed as I am coming home sometimes, it’s nice to have someone there who just wants to support you.”

Kelly Rowland Premieres New UK Single....

Radio 1 has exclusively premiered R&B singer Kelly Rowland's new single! The song is entitled 'Forever And a Day' and is produced by hitmaker David Guetta. I have to say I'm dissapointed in Kelly for yet another generic single off her so-called 'personal album'. But with the failure of both 'Rose Colored Glasses' and 'Grown Woman' in the US, I can't say I blame her for shifting her musical focus into something that would work overseas!

Sneak Peek of Usher's 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love'...

R&B superstar Usher is gearing up for the release of his new EP 'Versus' on August 24th. The sneak peek for his lead single 'DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love' can be seen below!

Listen to Keri Hilson's New Single "Breaking Point"...

R&B singer Keri Hilson has just premiered the lead single off her upcoming album, 'No Boys Allowed.' The name of the song is called 'Breaking Point' and it seems as if Hilson is going for the women-empowerment route that worked for her top 3 hit, 'Knock You Down'. The song is very reminiscent of something Lauryn Hill or possibly Jazmine Sullivan could've sang. The song takes a few listens to get into but when you do, its not bad at all! One can only wonder if she'll be able to deliver those runs and falsettos in her live performances.You can listen to the song below. What do YOU think? Keri Hilson -Breaking Point(clean) - No Boys Allowed by The Chamber Group

Ciara On The Set of 'Basic Instinct' Photoshoot!

R&B Singer Ciara announced on ustream last night she had a couple of surprises up her sleeve, and i'm guessing she was talking about these new 'Basic Instinct' promotional pictures. The album has no set release date at the moment.

Listen to Rihanna Live At Madison Square Garden!

Listen to great audio of pop star Rihanna performing live at her first sold out solo gig at America's most prestigious venue, Madison Square Garden!

'Russian Roulette'/'Hard'


'Rockstar 101'/'Rude Boy'/'Love The Way You Lie'/'Airplanes'/'Hate That I Love You'/'Rehab'

'Wait Your Turn'/'Live Your Life'/'Run This Town'/'Umbrella'

BET, MTV, and the NY Post Give Review Rihanna's Tour!

Raving reviews for pop star Rihanna's 'Last Girl on Earth Tour' are pouring in! Last night, reps from the NY Daily News, the NY Daily Post, BET, MTV, as well as celebrity guests attend the concert. Checkout the outstanding reviews below:

BET:
Last night was a huge evening for pop-R&B star Rihanna. The "Umbrella" diva performed a sold-out concert at New York City's legendary Madison Square Garden and BET.com was in the venue. The Last Girl on Earth Tour is Rihanna's first headlining North American tour. There may have been doubts, but Rihanna proved she has the star power to command a stage for nearly two hours.

It shouldn't be a shocker that Rih could rock out the Garden. She has five Billboard Hot 100 solo #1 hits and two more on featured songs. In addition, there are countless top 10 hits. In Rihanna's short career she has amassed a catalogue of pop tracks that take some artists a decade to get.

Rihanna opened with the first single from her latest album, “Russian Roulette.” She appears almost supernatural, sliding toward the audience in a black dress, highlighted with red lights. The platform moves her higher and, dare I say, her voice soars. Her image is clearly there, but who knew the critics were wrong -- Rihanna can sing and there were no signs of lip-synching. Rih never said she was Whitney Houston, and while she doesn't have a massive vocal range, she uses her voice well, sounding just like her records and belting out some notes that I didn't know were in her.

The Bajan diva understands image, and the Last Girl on Earth Tour was packed with the dream land and nightmarish world of Rihanna. In short, the crowd is caught in Rihanna's dreams, which go from a nightmare to ending sweetly. Almost Goth-like, she sings "Hard" while riding a pink Army tank, monsters on stilts chase her in "Disturbia," girls in leather bondage outfits dance in "Te Amo," she sings “Rehab” on a coach surrounded by fake human limps, and violently bangs the drums on a cover of Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life."

As wonderfully eerie as her concert is, it's still an incredibly fun show. The majority of the songs performed were singles, which kept the audience energized. However, it wasn't the up-tempo songs that were the most gripping; it was the morbid ballads like "Firebomb," "Unfaithful" and "Take a Bow." Of course the night ended with her biggest hit and what is clearly a pop classic, “Umbrella.” Red confetti exploded in the Garden as everyone chanted, “Ella! Ella! Eh! Eh!”

There is a horror and a rage in Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour, which we rarely see from female artists, especially Black female artists. Who knows what her performances were like before the media firestorm of last year, but this 22-year-old has lived and has some performing chops to prove it. Rihanna deserves a round of applause for doing something different, straying away from being a standard pop tart. As she said in her nasty-anthem "Rockstar 101": "I never play the victim. I'd rather be a stalker. So baby take me in, I'll disobey the law. Make sure you frisk me good, check my panties and my bra."

For tickets to Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour go to TicketMaster.com.
***
Clay Cane is the Entertainment Editor at BET.com.

New York Post New York's #1 newspaper:

Rihanna is a dream girl.

At Madison Square Garden last night, the sexy Barbadian hip-pop star played an elaborately staged concert that was designed to take us into her dreams and nightmares.

OK, we might not have figured that out without the video at the show's start. The not-so-subtle film clip informed all that "when Rihanna sleeps, her dreams become real."

This sold-out MSG show may have been Rihanna's dream, but nobody snoozed or even yawned during the 100-minute performance.

The singer kept the set lively with fireworks, an arsenal of gun props and a program that wove together the bubbly dance pop and the harder rock-flavored material featured on her recent "Rated R" record.


Reuters
Sexy Rihanna makes "dreams become real" at MSG last night. Despite the big arena, she established intimacy with a multiplatform stage that extended midway onto the Garden's floor. It allowed her to do the show as if it were an in-the-round production.

It also gave everyone a better view of her costumes. Some had built-in lighting; there was a skimpy latex fetish-wear piece; and even a body suit that appeared to be made of loosely woven white ribbons.

Rihanna looked great and strutted with the swagger of a ringmaster, but she isn't the greatest dancer.

She makes up for that by actually singing onstage, rather than depending on prerecorded vocals. She left the heavy-load dancing to her backup troupers, who were in a whirl around her during songs like "Rude Boy" and the disco-inspired "Don't Stop the Music."

The night's most dramatic routine could have been snatched out of the Lady Gaga "Monster Ball" playbook, where feathered, demon-costumed dancers on stilts made the moody rock song "Disturbia" seem evil.

For those who dig Rihanna for her fast and frantic material, like "Shut Up and Drive" and "Rockstar 101," two of this show's best numbers, the power pop ballads presented mid-show, were a little soft. Even so the MSG crowd -- very female and very young -- voiced no complaints.

In fact, fans seemed to hang on every word during those pieces, especially during the piano-driven ballad "Unfaithful."

From the show opener, "Russian Roulette," to the last encore song -- her megahit "Umbrella" -- Rihanna was electric for a performance that was amped-up and aggressive.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/just_dreamy_HAT8HhwpRrRdPrbs83iEd...

MTV review
NEW YORK -- Before Rihanna came onboard for the Last Girl on Earth tour at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, Ke$ha, completely covered in glitter, got her personal party started with her club banger "Blah Blah Blah."



"I cannot believe I am playing a show at the f---ing Garden. Holy sh-- balls," she screamed to the crowd midway through the song. "Are you guys having a dance party?" she later asked the excited crowd.

Ke$ha's set was much like she is: sparkly, glittery, a little messy, but, overall, a good time. She played all her hits, including "Take It Off," "Your Love Is My Drug" and the song that got all of MSG dancing, "Tik Tok."

While the fans were tickled with delight for Ke$ha's set, they really went nuts when Rihanna emerged onstage in a billowing black dress, with glowing lights inlaid into it. The star was ready to share with the audience her "dreams and nightmares," as a projected video explained. The searing guitar of "Russian Roulette" welcomed the red-headed singer to the room before she belted out the ballad and kicked the show off. After a quick change into a blush-colored, shimmering bodysuit, she went right into her crowd-pleaser "Hard," during which she very proudly rode her own baby-pink military tank.

During "Disturbia," Rihanna embraced her inner Goth, thanks to dancers dressed as crow-like figures on stilts. After a short intermission, Rihanna declared her "Rockstar" status and played a little air guitar in a latex bodysuit and thigh-high boots. "Rude Boy" brought out the sassy and sexy Rihanna fans have come to love.

"Is New York City in the house?" she asked before she sang a medley of "Love the Way You Lie" and "Airplanes," and then transitioned into "Hate That I Love You." "I can't hear you, New York! Anybody out there ever been in love?" she asked. For "Rehab," she lounged sexily on a chaise.

Things got spicy when Rihanna, flanked by two dancers doing saucy acrobatics, sang her Spanish-tinged "Te Amo." Then, dressed in an all-white "bandage" bodysuit, she kicked it old-school with her jam "Don't Stop the Music," throwing a dance party inside of a large cube onstage.

After displaying her guitar skills earlier in the night, Rihanna played some drums before performing a rock-influenced version of "SOS." She then addressed the crowd: "Thanks, all of you who bought a ticket tonight to come see me. I'm at Madison Square Garden and thanks to you guys, we sold out Madison Square Garden -- thank you so much." Then she sang "Take a Bow" before, well, taking a bow.

She kicked off an encore with "Wait Your Turn," in sparkly, knee-high boots, a matching newsboy cap, bra and spandex shorts. Rihanna played her second medley of the evening, combining party jams like "Live Your Life" and "Run This Town." But she ended the night on her biggest hit, "Umbrella," and in a dizzying sea of confetti, with fans singing along, she told the crowd, "Thank you so much."

The show not only displayed her vocal abilities, but also her unabashed performance style; her world is part "Mad Max," part "Twilight" and part OK Computer -- and all Rihanna.

BET, MTV, and the NY Post Give Rihanna

FANTASIA Attempts SUICIDE!

WBTV confirms that Fantasia tried to commit suicide last night:

According to a report filed with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers responded on Monday at 8:43 p.m. to a suicide attempt call at a home on Bevington Place.

Police sources and sources close to the investigation say Barrino was found in the closet of the Glynmoor Lakes neighborhood home and she was taken to Mercy South Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Pineville.

According to the police report, Barrino was hospitalized with “possible internal injuries” after “ingesting medication.” The police report was classified as “suicide/overdose.”

This just in from TMZ:

Fantasia Barrino was rushed to a North Carolina hospital last night where she was treated for a “medication overdose,” this according to WCNC.com.

According to the report, Barrino was taken to Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville around 8:55 PM … the report says her condition was not life-threatening.

Here’s the original report from WCNC

Fantasia is named in court documents filed by the wife of Antwuan Cook, a man the Season 3 Idol winner was allegedly having an affair with beginning in August 2009.

The complaint references a sex tape the husband allegedly made with Fantasia. The documents also quote Fantasia telling the wife in a phone conversation, “He don’t want you. Maybe the next time that you get a husband you’ll know how to keep him. That’s why he is here with me.”

Fantasia’s rep released a statement on her behalf, denying responsibility for the rift in the Cook’s marriage.

Sneak Peek Of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'...

Checkout a sneak peek of pop star Katy Perry's new single 'Teenage Dream'. After just two weeks of release the song is currently in the top ten on the Hot 100, as well as the Canadian Hot 100. The full video premieres on MTV next Tuesday.

Brandy Photo'd At Bowling Alley....

R&B Singer Brandy was photo'd at a Bowling Alley with friends in Los Angeles yesterday. She is currently filming a second season of the hit VH1 Reality Show, 'A Family Business'.

T.I. and Keri Hilson Perform 'Got Your Back' at 'Takers' Premiere....

Peep King of the South rapper T.I., performing lead single from his upcoming 'King Uncaged' LP with R&B Singer/Songwriter Keri Hilson.

Trina Premieres Video For 'My Bitches'....

Rapper Trina has premiered the video for the 3rd single 'My Bitches', off her Top 15 LP 'Amazin'". Typical Trina if you ask me...... check it out below.

Kelly Rowland's 'Rose Colored Glasses' and 'Grown Woman' FLOP

After the poor performance of international single 'Commander', Kelly Rowland decided to release two dual singles. One for urban and one for pop. 'Rose Colored Glasses' was released to US iTunes nearly 2 weeks ago and has since failed to chart inside the Top 1000. 3 weeks ago, the song was serviced to Pop radios in the US and has since failed to garner just a measly 1 million audience impressions. On the other hand, the Urban/Rhythmic single 'Grown Woman' was just released last week to iTunes, and still failed to chart inside the US Top 1000 iTunes chart. The song was also released over 3 weeks ago to Urban radios and has failed to garner 4 million audience impressions. Not only are these singles massive flops, but they are also exactly what Kelly does not need right now for a successful album. The majority of Americans (the 200 million+ listeners on radio) have not heard these songs and will more than likely NOT buy Kelly's album in November. Not even a video can save these two songs.

The best thing for Kelly to do right now is to start promoting. Even if the singles continue to not chart, promotion is promotion. With such poor performing singles, I estimate her first week sales to be slightly above Kelis in the 15-20K range.

THOUGHTS?

VIDEO: Sean Kingston f/ Nicki Minaj 'Dutty Love'

NEW LEAK: Katy Perry 'Not Like The Movies'

Listen to a new song off Katy Perry's upcoming album below! It's entitled 'Not Like The Movies' and is definitely something unexpected from Katy. I love it!

Jennifer Hudson Covers InStyle Magazine

Powerhouse singer Jennifer Hudson covers this month issue of InStyle magazine. She looks amazing! More power to Jennifer.

Trey Songz Performs 'Already Taken' on Jimmy Fallon

Peep R&B singer Trey Songz singing new single 'Already Taken' on Jimmy Fallon. As usual, Trey Songz appears to be singing out of his range. Gotta commend him for trying tho!

Cassie's Spread For BUST MAGAZINE

Peep singer Cassie flaunting it up in this month's issue of BUST Magazine. Seems like Cassie's modeling game has fell off a little bit!

Katy Perry Covers 'Rolling Stone' Magazine

Pop star Katy Perry covers this month's issue of 'Rolling Stone'. Looking great! Teenage Dream hits stores August 24th.

RANT: Rihanna SNUBBED At The VMA's!

The nominations for this year's MTV Video Music Awards are out. And boy are the Rihanna stans pissed! Turns out that Rihanna has a single nomination, for "Best Editing", which technically is for the director. You mean to tell me, Rihanna, unarguably one of the biggest pop stars in the world, doesn't receive a single nomination?

Upcoming pop star Ke$ha, who is currently opening for Rihanna's tour even received more nominations. I'm truly baffled at how Rihanna has had a massive year and the most critically acclaimed pop album of 2009, and still doesn't receive ANY nominations. "Video Phone", unarguably one of the WORST videos of the year has over 5 nominations. You CANNOT be serious?

To make matters worse, Lady Gaga, has received a record-breaking 13 nominations. Not even the King of Pop, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and other respected legends received this many nominations. So what does this mean? Award shows are vastly and rapidly becoming more and more biased towards certain artists. For example, Beyonce, who released her 3rd album two years ago, still manages to get 5 nominations. Video Phone, which even the Beyonce fans can't argue you down about being one of her worst videos, continues to get nominated and win awards.

The VMA's have completely lost the little respect I had for them. I hope they pull Rihanna's "ROCKSTAR 101" song from their commercial, and she does not perform. It is such a slap in the face to internationally huge artists like Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna who've been doing extremely well to have zero nominations.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

Lady Gaga Admits to Doing Cocaine

In a new Vanity Fair interview, Lady Gaga comes clean about her past dalliances with drugs.

The 24-year-old singer (real name: Stefani Germanotta) reveals she's "terrified of heroin" but still does "mostly cocaine."

"I won't lie; it's occasional," she says in the magazine's September issue. "And when I say occasional, I mean maybe a couple of times a year."

Trey Songz Reveals New Album Cover..

Taking a step-back from the oversexed, revealing covers, Trey Songz's new album cover is definitely interesting. Thoughts?

Ne-Yo Performs on 'GMTV'

R&B star Ne-Yo is currently in the UK promoting his new single, 'Beautiful Monster'. Checkout his performance below on UK Breakfast Show GMTV:


Sidenote: Is anyone else getting tired of Ne-Yo attempting to emulate Michael Jackson?

Is Ciara's 'Ride' Enough To Sell Her Album?

With three pushbacks of her new album 'Basic Instinct', many are beginning to wonder if Ciara's new album will be able to make a notable impact on the Billboard 200. With her last album selling only 193,000 copies to date, it's no wonder the negativity publicity surrounding the album is a factor in the sales just how it was with her last album.

According to Nielsen Soundscan, lead single 'Ride', has sold 250,000 copies to date. "Ride" is also starting to lose airplay, falling from #42 to #46 on the Hot 100. For a lead single, 'Ride' has definitely not lived up to expectations, spending 15 weeks on the Hot 100 and still not cracking the Top 40. Her album is scheduled to be released October 5th, the same date as rapper Soulja Boy's 'Dre'. Soulja Boy's single on the other hand has already scanned 400,000 copies, and is climbing on iTunes, while Ciara's is constantly going up and down. It seems as if the buying public is actually more interested in SOULJA BOY than they are in Ciara this time.

With no signs of major promotion or a second single, this is definitely not a good look. In fact, im beginning to think Ciara's album is gonna sell less than the last one, due to the fact that no one outside of the twitter/blog world even knows she has an album coming out.

IMO, this is 'Fantasy Ride' all over again. With already half of the album leaked with 2 more months until release, it looks likely the same thing is going to happen again. 'Ride' is going to end up being the 'Never Ever' of this era, and 'Gimme Dat', the 'Love, Sex, & Magic'.

Can Ciara debut at #1, or even make a noticeable dent on the charts?

Lady Gaga: Is She Overrated?

Lady Gaga, unarguably the world's current biggest pop star has achieved notable success in the last two years with her 3X Platinum debut album, 'The Fame'. Known especially for her outrageous outfits and ensembles, her catchy dance songs, and her controversial performances, Gaga has led many to question her talent as an artist. But the REAL question is: IS LADY GAGA OVERRATED, AND IF SO HOW?

To answer the question bluntly and honestly, yes she is. She is unarguably a talented songstress, who is to be commended for her ability to take on choreography, live singing, and being able to play the piano. But HOW is she overrated?

Vocally: Go to any mainstream blog, forum, or website and no one can argue you down about Lady Gaga having sufficient vocal talent. However, is she not overrated as a vocalist? For example, when we think of pop's greatest vocalists, we think of Beyonce or Christina Aguilera. For such a huge international star, Lady Gaga's voice is quite average. Below you can check out a video of her vocal range:
She only has 2 octave ranges which is not in the least impressive. There are many who say she is a better singer than Rihanna, but even Rihanna has over 3 octaves and a much larger range.

Performances: Another thing we consider Lady Gaga overrated in is when it comes to her performances. Would she be as notable for her performances had she not the massive production, dancers, and just her singing? No. She couldn't wow the audience with her vocals, like Beyonce. She also tends to add lots of stage props, such as blood, statues, and so forth with her live performances. Before she was famous, she had to rely on simply her vocal talent and piano, and it just didn't interest people.

Image: Image is almost everything for a pop star. Lady Gaga's image consists of mostly scantily, revealing outrageous or daring outfits that many would call 'attention seeking'. In fact, Gaga even admitted this herself when she was interviewed live on the Larry King show. She is also given ALOT of credit for her bold fashion choices when nearly her entire image consists of Grace Jones, Madonna, and Missing Persons. Would she be as famous or talked about if her outfits were not so outrageous?

Writer: Lady Gaga is to be commended for writing all of her own music. However, people give her an enormous amount of credit for writing her own music. But does she really deserve that much credit with songs like 'Telephone', and 'Just Dance', which did not require a heavy amount of thought or even metaphorical meaning? Upcoming pop star Ke$ha is just about equally as good as her when it comes to songwriting. So if people are going to give Gaga this much credit, for writing lyrics such as 'Am I your lover or your mistress? When you touch me it's so delicious
, shouldn't Ke$ha be given credit as well for writing lines such as 'Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?'

CONCLUSION: There is no denying Lady Gaga's unstoppable work drive, her talent, her good performances, or her massive success. However, for her to be the world's largest pop star, she is severely overrated in all major areas. With the record-breaking achievements on her debut album alone, one can only wonder 'HOW can she top herself next album?', or the next album. Eventually the outrageous outfits and performances will no longer have that 'SHOCK FACTOR' Gaga is so known for. What will she do then? Only time will tell. But OUR predictions (emphasis on the OUR), is that her next album she will continue with the controversial 8-minute videos, and the generic videos, however next era it will be completely old to the public and expected.

What are YOUR thoughts?