NEW YORK – No Valentine's Day date this year? How about spending the evening with Usher, Alicia Keys and Shakira?
The Grammy winners are all set to perform during the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 14. The game will air live at 8 p.m. EST on TNT. Shakira will perform two songs from her latest CD, "She Wolf"; Keys will perform new and old hits. The divas will go on during the halftime show.
Usher will sing a new song, the dance jam "More," during the introductions of the NBA all-stars. The tune is from his upcoming album, "Raymond v. Raymond." The game, which will take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will go on before the largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game, according to a statement from the NBA.
AP
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Prince Michael and Paris JacksonLOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A popular and eye-popping mix of stars like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga drew a TV audience of 25.8 million Americans to the Grammy Awards -- the biggest TV audience for the telecast in six years, according to preliminary television ratings on Monday.
The 3-1/2 hour music awards show on CBS on Sunday enjoyed a 35 percent increase on last year and was the most-watched Grammy telecast since 2004, according to early date from Nielsen.
Last year, 19.05 million Americans watched the performance and awards show from Los Angeles.
Sunday's show saw R&B singer Beyonce take home six Grammys while 20-year-old country sensation Taylor Swift -- whose "Fearless" was the biggest-selling album of 2009 -- won four and became the youngest artist to win the coveted Grammy for album of the year.
In a televised ceremony heavier on performances than award handouts, outlandish newcomer Lady Gaga paired up with equally flamboyant pop veteran Elton John, while Michael Jackson's children Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11, made a rare public appearance to accept a lifetime achievement award for the "Thriller" singer who died in June.
The big TV ratings brought some cheer to the recording industry which is fighting a losing battle to maintain traditional sales in an era of legal and illegal downloads and the rival attractions of video games and social networking.
Jon Pareles of The New York Times said the Grammy's "got lucky" this year with a range of top nominees "who barnstormed arenas last year."
"The Grammys have found the right balance of performance and award, which is to say, the awards are strictly a sideshow. A recording business desperate for sales wants to expose as many items as possible, and most performers were introduced along with their song titles in case anybody wanted to download them immediately," Pareles wrote.
Yahoo
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Last week rumors swirled about Alicia Keys being secretly engaged to producer Swizz Beatz.
Sources told US Magazine that Swizzy surprised Keys with a 7-carat rock while they were in Hawaii celebrating the singer's birthday.
Now, the newest rumor is that the couple have purchased a penthouse apartment together to celebrate.
According to the NY Post, Keys and Swizzy purchased the New York penthouse from Lenny Kravitz for a reported $14.5 million.
A source close to Kravitz confirmed the sale of the huge duplex apartment in Manhattan, which was previously rented from Kravitz by Nicole Kidman and Denzel Washington.
It has been on the market for eight years. The building also boasts celebrity tenants Courtney Love and Liv Tyler.
The couple's rep told the paper, however, that the rumors are not true.
Keys and the producer have been linked together for well over a year. While neither has confirmed that there is a relationship, Swizzy's soon-to-be-ex, Mashonda, has stated publicly that Keys was one of the main reasons for the split between her and Swizz .
Stay tuned...
BallerStatus
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Video After The JumpOn Sunday night, millions tuned in to watch Lil Wayne go to work. Weezy, Eminem and Drake illuminated the 52nd annual Grammy Awards with "Drop the World" and "Forever." While he knows how to ignite the stage, Wayne's favorite workplace is still the studio.
Mixtape Daily debuted an exclusive clip last month that showed Weezy F. Baby recording his "Banned From TV" freestyle from the No Ceilings mixtape. Wayne laughs uncontrollably in the clip as he lays lines to the underground gem. In a new exclusive clip, he even does a little dance as he composes lyrics in his head, messes up and regroups. The New Orleans native loves his work.
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Video After The JumpRihanna hit up the New Music Show with DJ Skee to discuss her upcoming tour and fashion line along with making her Super Bowl pick.
When asked by DJ Skee who was the better rapper Jay-Z or Kanye West, she of course picked Jigga.
Check out the full interview below.
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As television shows become more and more accessible, more and more celebrities are signing on to take the reins.
Now the latest to express interest in television is Nelly who's revealing aspirations to host a television show.
According to Nelly, he and his Ocean's 7 mega group would host a talk-show similar to the popular ABC daytime show “The View.”
Speaking on Ocean's 7 he confirms the rumors of an upcoming show to Black Voices Buzz saying,
“Not sure if you're familiar with the Ocean's 7 Crew. It's me, Jermaine Dupri, Trey Songz, Johnta Austin, Bryan Michael Cox and Tyrone "International" Davis. We're working on kind of like the male version of '"The View." We're working on that..."
Speaking on the concept of the show, Nelly compares it to a popular movie saying that it will have a similar concept.
“You ever seen that movie called 'The Ugly Truth?' You know how the guy had his show; well we're working on that.”
HipHopWired
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(AllHipHop News) Lil Wayne’s highly anticipated album Rebirth is finally due in stores tomorrow (February 2) after months of delays and shuffled release dates.
The album’s first single is “On Fire,” which has been enjoying regular rotation on video and radio outlets nationwide.
The track samples a portion of Amy Holland’s track “She’s On Fire,” which was originally featured in the Brian DePalma’s classic 1983 gangster flick, Scarface.
Cool & Dre discussed the album, which contains five productions from their production company Record Room Productions.
"One night I was watching Scarface and I woke up in the morning with Holland’s 'She’s On Fire' in my head, “ Andre “Dre” Lyon said of the track’s origins. “I called up Cool and told him that we should transform the song using the guitars in the song and work with this song with Wayne,” Dre continued. “We redid the whole beat and kept the 'She’s on Fire' vocal sample. We gave it to Wayne and he did what only Wayne can do and killed it with his guitar playing spitting and singing. I knew our collaboration would take this track to the level."
The pair also produced Rebirth’s second single “Da Da Da” features a bass playing Lil Wayne, over a mash-up of Pop, Rock, R&B and Hip-Hop.
“It’s something Rick James would bug out on. It’s Cool & Dre hot,” added Marcello “Cool” Valenzano, who with partner Dre also created the tracks for "I Die," "Paradise" and "Get A Life."
Dre predicted that Lil Wayne’s latest album would open doors for many upcoming urban artists across the country with its diverse sounds.
“There are so many artists who create music outside of R&B and Hip-Hop that we believe Rebirth will help open avenues and create a lane for these type of artists,” Dre said. “I remember a time where Prince and The Revolution ruled the charts. I'd love to see music become diverse again. Wayne is more than just a Hip-Hop artist, he's quickly becoming the face of a generation. We're proud to have been given this tremendous opportunity.”
Cool & Dre are working on the new records with Young Jeezy, Wale, Young Money, Travie of Gym Class Heroes, Bow Wow’s Cash Money Records’ debut, “Every Other” and The Game’s single “Big Money.”
Additionally, their production company has been tapped to work with Birdman and Lil Wayne’s Like Father Like Son Part 2 and The Carter 4.
AllHipHop
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50 Cent has done it again people. He's created his own lane to put out quality music from his G-Unit roster without major label politics. This will give him more creative control over content and also allow him to give the fans music at a great price without so many delays.
G Unit Records, Inc. is now up and running.
While news had already leaked that R&B singer Governor Washington who is featured on the "Do You Think About Me" single on 50's 'Before I Self Destruct' LP would be the first artist signed to the label. The first project is actually from G-Unit veteran Tony Yayo with his new LP Prequel "GunPowder Guru".
The album was released today for download via Amazon.com for $7.99 one week ahead of iTunes and other online retailers. The U.S. link to purchase is HERE, UK link is HERE.
50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo have given us fans many albums worth of material free via Thisis50.com the last couple of years. Let's support G-Unit and legally purchase the new Yayo album and all upcoming releases on G Unit Records, Inc.
More big announcements to come so stay tuned to Thisis50.com to find everything out 1st!
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Video After The JumpHard Knock TV cameras caught a rare acoustic performance of "The Light" by Common featuring Grammy Award Winners Zac Brown on guitar and Colbie Caillat on vocals.
Common also spoke on his upcoming cd titled 'The Believer' which features production from NO I.D., Kanye West and Twilight Tone.
He said he expects the new album will be released this fall.
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Videos After The JumpRihanna has been quite busy lately. Performing all over the world in recent weeks from France to the UK in support of her latest album 'Rated R'.
She touched down in the U.S. today (Monday February 1) to chat and perform on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
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(AllHipHop News) Rapper Wyclef Jean has issued a stern warning to those exploiting children on the devastated island of Haiti, which was rocked by a 7.0 earthquake in January, that killed over 200,000 people and left millions displaced.
Yesterday (January 31), ten Americans were formally charged with kidnapping 33 Haitian children and attempting to bring them to an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic.
“My message to the child traffickers in Haiti…I give you my word, we will hunt you Down one by one, and you will be judge with no Mercy,” the Haitian born rapper Tweeted, before lashing out at others who are selling goods like rice and gas at triple the price.
“Is dat why da Aid being send is collecting dust @ da Airport?” a frustrated Wyclef Tweeted.
According to Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, the missionaries were from an Idaho church group.
They denied the Prime Minister’s accusation and refuted allegations that they were involved in a plot to kidnap the children, some who claimed they still had parents who were still alive.
"We came here simply to help these children and we went to the border based on the approval of the Dominican government to take the children into the Dominican Republic and the pastor entrusting these precious children to our care because his orphanage collapsed and his churches collapsed, and he had nowhere for these children to go," the group's spokeswoman, Laura Silsby said.
The 10 missionaries are currently being held in a police station near the airport at Port-Au-Prince.
AllHipHop
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Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. On To The Next Year
3. Stupid Trill
4. Trill OG
5. 2 Damn Trill
6. Trill Gladiator Snippet
7. No Mixtape
8. Transform Ya
9. One King
10. Don’t Say Shit
11. Countin’ Money
12. I Went In
13. Adrenaline Rush
14. (2)DopeBoyz
15. Coocoo
16. Greatest of All Time
17. Mr. Hit That Lick
18. Press Play
19. Big Dick Chaney
20. I Am
21. I Got Cake
22. Play Cloths
23. Bag Music
24. I Made It
25. The Champion
26. Put It Down
27. Outro
Bonus: Pants On The Ground
Download Here
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Videos After The JumpThe 52 Annual Grammy Awards were held at L.A.'s Staples Center last night (Sunday January 31). It was a night dominated by two beautiful women. Beyonce and Taylor Swift barely had time to sit down between performances and having to get up to accept awards.
Beyonce made history by winning six Grammys, making her the most decorated woman in one night in the 52-year history of the awards show.
Taylor Swift took home four trophies including the biggest one, Record Of The Year for 'Fearless'
Check out the entire winner's list and performances below.
Album of the Year - Taylor Swift, Fearless
Record of the Year – Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
New Artist – Zac Brown Band
Song of the Year – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), written by Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart
Female Pop Vocal Performance – Halo, Beyonce
Male Pop Vocal Performance - Make it Mine, Jason Mraz
Pop Performance, Duo Or Group – I Gotta Feeling, The Black Eyed Peas
Pop Collaboration – Lucky, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Pop Instrumental Performance – Throw Down Your Heart, Bela Fleck
Pop Instrumental Album – Potato Hole, Booker T. Jones
Pop Vocal Album – The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas
Dance Recording - Poker Face, Lady Gaga
Electronic/Dance Album – The Fame, Lady Gaga
Traditional Pop Vocal Album – Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden, Michael Bublé
Solo Rock Vocal Performance – Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen
Rock Performance, Duo or Group With Vocals – Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
Hard Rock Performance - War Machine, AC/DC
Metal Performance – Dissident Aggressor, Judas Priest
Rock Instrumental Performance – A Day in the Life, Jeff Beck
Rock Song – Use Somebody, written by Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill and Nathan Followill
Rock Album – 21st Century Breakdown, Green Day
Alternative Music Album - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix
Female R&B Vocal Performance – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Beyoncé
Male R&B Vocal Performance - Pretty Wings, Maxwell
R&B Performance, Duo Or Group With Vocals - Blame It, Jamie Foxx and T-Pain
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - At Last, Beyonce
Urban/Alternative Performance - Pearls, India.Arie and Dobet Gnahore
R&B Song – Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), written by Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash and Christopher Stewart
R&B Album – BLACKsummers’ Night, Maxwell
Contemporary R&B Album – I Am … Sasha Fierce, Beyonce
Rap Solo Performance -D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune), Jay-Z
Rap Song – Run This Town, written by Jeff Bhasker, Shawn Carter, Robyn Fenty, Kanye West, Ernest Wilson and Athanasios Alatas
Rap Album – Relapse, Eminem
Female Country Vocal Performance - White Horse, Taylor Swift
Male Country Vocal Performance - Sweet Thing, Keith Urban
Country Performance, Duo Or Group With Vocals - I Run to You, Lady Antebellum
Country Song - White Horse, Liz Rose and Taylor Swift
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media – Up
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media -Jai Ho, written by Gulzar, A. R. Rahman and Tanvi Shah, from “Slumdog Millionaire”
Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972), Gary Burden, Jenice Heo and Neil Young
Short-Form Music Video - Boom Boom Pow, the Black Eyed Peas
Long-Form Music Video - The Beatles Love — All Together Now
Grammy Awards Red Carpet RecapLil' Wayne, Eminem & Drake - Drop The World/ForeverMichael Jackson TributeJamie Foxx - Blame It (feat. T-Pain)Beyonce - If I Were A BoyMaxwell - Pretty WingsLady Gaga & Elton John - Poker Face/SpeechlessBlack Eyed Peas - Imma Be/I Got A FeelingMary J. Blige & Andrea Bocelli – Bridge Over Troubled WaterPink - Glitter In The AirGreen Day - 21 GunsLady Antebellum - Need You NowZac Brown BandTaylor Swift ft Stevie Nicks - MedleyBon Jovi - Medley
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Video After The JumpBefore killing at the Grammy Awards last night (Sunday January 31). Beyonce's interview with 60 Minutes aired.
The Houston native talked about her religious upbringing. The evolution from group member with Destinys Child to solo super star and her role model Barbara Streisand.
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Video After The JumpIf you're a fan of Maino's and you see that brother in the street or in the club and show him love, believe it or not, it means more to him than you know. Maino is one of the MCs you could call a man of the people, and his followers give him strength. While his career seems to be on a serious upswing (street credibility, platinum single, acclaim from critics), personally, he's felt serious pain over the past year.
In the spring, his best friend 80 was shot by police, and just last week, he had to bury his cousin.
"I'm really going through it," Maino said last week. "Even right now, my closest cousin committed suicide. He's been on the road with me. You probably seen me with him. His funeral is tomorrow. This is what I'm saying. You get in the game, you think you escape all this. This is not a distant relative of mine. This is my closest cousin. We grew up together. My mother and his mother are sisters. Just thinking about that and going through that while I'm trying to attain fame and this lifestyle, it's two worlds. One side, everything is all good. On my personal, it's really not. My cousin was just here; now he's not. The circumstances behind him doing whatever he felt he needed to do, I can't really understand. [Entertainers] take the bumps and bruises and keep moving. We grieve, we pick up, and we try to keep it moving."
Maino has a slew of shows coming up, and he's promoting two projects. There's an EP called Unstoppable dropping Tuesday, and his second full-length LP is coming this summer.
"It's almost like no time to grieve," he said about the life of an entertainer. "What are you gonna do? What am I gonna tell MTV: 'I can't do an interview. I'm going through something in my personal life. Everybody in my family is crying right now'? You still gotta work, you still gotta achieve, you still gotta win. Under no circumstances do we stop for one minute. This is the theme of my new album — really giving it up and showing you what a person really goes through to get to that point. I was starving to get here. Now that I'm here, it's like, man, it's not what I thought it would be. It's not really that good. It's great, but personally, you go through things regular people go through.
"That's just how life is," he added. "Especially when God blesses us and puts us in a position where we have to deal with adversity. It's crazy that my best friend, my childhood friend, my business partner [80] was paralyzed. He's still in prison. I speak to him every day. Right after that, my other homie was paralyzed. Homie is in and out of prison. It's still real for me. That's why when they see me in the streets, they understand the pain that I'm in is the same as there's. 'Maino, what up? You reppin' for us.' I still try to fight that fight and keep it as thorough as possible."
The Brooklyn, New York, native said he does struggle as his fame and fortune grows and he sees those close to him suffer.
"Sometimes I ask God, 'Why was I chosen to be in this position?' Me having lived the life I lived, why did he bless me one day and lead me on this path?" Maino asked. "I lived a crazy life, and I've done so much and I've lost so much. Why was I able to turn my life around? At the same time I was able to turn my life around, why wasn't I able to save my people? 'Man, I can't save my people.' I can't save them as fast and as quick as I want to. That's what I go through every day. I'm like, 'I can't save my people, though. I can't save them as quick and fast as I want to. They still suffering.' "
While Main might not have been able to save the few close to him, his messages of hope and overcoming the obstacles have reached the masses. His inspirational "All of the Above" was a platinum single last year. Undoubtedly, somebody who has heard the record was touched by his message.
"I had a conversation with a dude that told me I stopped him from committing suicide," he said. "I said, 'Wow.' I'm glad I was able to help him. This was just through music. That's what music is for. It's the soundtrack to your life."
MTV
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Video After The JumpLet's face it, if you were watching the Grammys last night (Sunday January 31) it seemed like an eternity waiting for Eminem, Drake & Lil Wayne to hit the stage.
After a blistering hot first 45 minutes where we got to see Lady Gaga, Beyonce and an unbelievable performance by Pink. The rest of the show seemed to be as exciting as watching water drip from a faucet.
The exception being the Michael Jackson 3-D tribute by Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Usher.
Luckily the big three didn't disappoint.
Lil Wayne and Eminem took the stage first backed by a live band that included Blink 182's Travis Barker on drums.
The duo tore into their performance of "Drop The World" from Lil Wayne's new cd 'Rebirth'
Next up Drake joined the two to perform the hit song "Forever". Aside from the dropped audio during parts where there was cursing both songs sounded great.
It might have been more interesting if Kanye West has made a surprise appearance on "Forever" but he was nowhere in the bulding.
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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THIS MIXTAPE FOR FREEObie One B.A. - Barack ObafemiiTRACK LIST:1: PRESIDENTIAL OPENING INTRODUCTION2: KNOCK DOWN (ALBUM FEATURE)3: COCO BROTHER RADIO DROP4: D.O.A RMX FT. STEVE FLOW5: JESUS RAGG6: BARACK OBAFEMII FT. STEVE FLOW7: SUPPLIER RMX FT. STEVE FLOW8: SWAGGER LIKE CHRIST FT. STEVE FLOW9: GOD IN ME RMX10: LOVE HIM LIKE I DO RMX11: PLEASE EXCUSE MY HANDS RMX12:PRESIDENTIAL INTERLUDE13: I'M A SINNER14: DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN RMX15: SCHOOL DAZE16: I REMEMBER WHEN17: I CANT BELIEVE IT RMX18: A HAPPY DAY (UNOFFICIAL RMX) FT. ESHA19: YOU DONT KNOW ME (BEHIND THE SCENES)20: PRODIGAL SON21: SAMANTHA SONG22: I TRULY DO BELIEVE23: SAVING HIP-HOP FT. STEVE FLOW & JAE ELLIS24: PRESIDENTIAL CLOSING REMARKSTO PROMOTE YOUR MIXTAPE THROUGH THE COAST 2 COAST NETWORK, VISIT WWW.COAST2COASTPROMO.COM
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR STREAM THIS MIXTAPE FOR FREE!Coast 2 Coast Mixtape Vol. 111 - Hosted by Trae Tha TruthTRACK LIST:1. TRAE - INTRO2. TRAE, LIL WAYNE, RICK ROSS, WAKA FLOCKA - O LETS DO IT RMX3. WILL VILL - COP SHIT4. BUN B - BEST IN THE WORLD5. REDMAN - OH MY6. GUCCI MANE FT TRAE - 2 SEATER7. CHEVY P - BACK SEAT8. DAMIAN MARLEY FT NAS - AS WE ENTER9. CHARLIE B - DO IT FOR THE HOOD10. TRAE FT LIL WAYNE - INKREDIABLE11. REESY WRIGHT - ALL THESE HOES12. SUPPLYA FT GUCCI MANE, NICKI MINAJ - DIAMONDS ON MY NECK13. TRAE - WHITNEY & BOBBY14. iLLAJ - CALL ME15. JOE BUDDEN FT ROYCE DA 59 - 40 4016. AZ, RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH - SEE THE LIGHT17. KAPABAL - VIOLENT THOUGHTS18. BXCLUsIVE FT YUNG CHEVY AND QUANTE - BALLAS19. BLAZZE - PRETTY GIRL BULLSHIT20. SOULJA BOY FT TRAE - 1 FOR DA MONEY21. FLYBOY - DEY KNOW22. TRAE FT SLIM THUG, PLIES, BRIAN ,ANGEL , JODECI, - SOMETHING REAL23. SEAN GARRET FT NICKI MINAJ - GET IT ALL24. TRAE OUTROWWW.MYSPACE.COM/TRAETHATRUTHARTISTS: SUBMIT SONGS TO COAST 2 COAST AT WWW.C2CSUBMISSIONS.COMNEED SINGLE, ALBUM OR MIXTAPE PROMOTION? VISIT WWW.COAST2COASTPROMO.COM