After only including releases from the previous 18 months to calculate the best selling albums on the Billboard chart, Billboard will now be incorporating catalog releases due to the massive sales of both Michael Jackson and The Beatles. The sales chart on November 25 will be the first tally of the comprehensive chart. In digital music news, 4 artists have already broken Rihanna’s track sales record of 9.9 million digital songs in 2008, including the late King of Pop, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift. The biggest news is probably that the country singer is the only artist that outsold Michael’s album this year in sales. Congratulations!
John Mayer’s first single ‘Who Says’ off of his upcoming album doesn’t do much for me but the rumored second single is so much better. The song has recently surfaced and I really like it. Unlike the sparse and cutesy first single, ‘Heartbreak Warfare’ takes music lovers on much more of a sonic and emotional journey. The song may sound like a U2 rip off to most people but, let’s face it, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What is it going on and going wrong with singers releasing duds for first singles these days? Shakira, Rihanna, John Mayer – who will be next?
The release date of Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint 3’ got bumped up and I didn’t even know until after the album dropped! The rapper’s album, featuring collaborations with Rihanna, Kanye West and Alicia Keys just to name a few, dropped yesterday. The album was originally scheduled to hit stores on September 11th, marking the eight year anniversary of the release of 2001’s ‘The Blueprint’. I have a feeling that the release date switch had to do with the entire album leaking out onto the internet recently. They could at least try to fool everyone else who hasn’t heard about the leak.
Check My Friends Blog:
Chris Brown has opened his heart about the “terrible” night he attacked girlfriend Rihanna – and insisted: “I still love her.”
Brown – who insists he will never hit a woman again – insists that he feels enduring love for the woman he left bloodied and battered after a jealous tiff.
“I never fell out of love with her,” he insisted. “That just wouldn’t go away.”
The R&B star sat next to his mother Joyce Hawkins – herself a victim of domestic abuse – to speak of his shame at his own violent behaviour.
He says he turned to his mother straight away after he attacked the Umbrella star in his car after they drove away from a pre-Grammy’s party in L.A..
“I was distraught,” he said. “I went to my mum on the same night and told [her] what happened and broke down.”
Despite his attack, however, he still believes he is different than abusers like the stepfather he grew up living in terror of. “I feel like he enjoyed it,” Chris said. “It was continuous.”
Brown, 20, has pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced last week to five years’ probation for the attack.
Chris Brown’s February assault on Rihanna was apparently not an isolated incident, as the domestic abuser was involved in at least two unreported acts of violence toward his ex-girlfriend. According to a probation officer’s report, the first incident happened in Europe about three months prior to the publicized assault during a heated argument between the singers. Rihanna slapped Chris and he responded by shoving her into a wall. Then, during a trip to Barbados in January, the two got into a fight in their rented Range Rover. Chris exited the car and smashed both the driver’s and front passenger side windows. I’m surprised that Rihanna wasn’t injured and that she stayed with him for so long.
Legal documents were recently filed asking a judge to hold a reporter in the Chris Brown case in contempt of court. According to the documents, Russell Alan Wetanson runs a website that posted a video of interviews in the hallway outside the courtroom where the singer pled guilty to felony assault. Court rules prohibit that kind of taping. Wetanson, who also happens to be a lawyer, was notified by the public information officer of the court regarding the violation and the videos have since been removed from his website. However, a contempt hearing could now be set which makes it a possibility for Wetanson to be sent to jail. Why couldn’t they do that to Chris instead?
Chris Brown was enjoying himself during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. However, what really caught everyone’s attention was that he brought along a Rihanna lookalike to the game. Several media outlets actually reported that he was with Rihanna that night. The girl is actually rapper Teyana Taylor. She recently went on her Twitter talking about the mix up saying “If one more reporter says that I’m Rihanna, I’m gonna go crazy. I look nothin like Rihanna.” True, she doesn’t. However, having a Rihanna-like Mohawk, big hoop earrings and dress style just like the real thing doesn’t really help Teyana’s case either.
The singer who has apparently been dating the Canadian Rapper Aubrey “Drake” Graham can’t get her hands of her new love interest. A source said the following about Rihanna and her new boyfriend: “They were attached at the hip. They were definitely together, but really trying to be discreet.” Right… they always try to be discreet, don’t they? After all, maybe Rihanna is still trying to keep her options open. What about that basketball player she was supposedly interested in a few days ago? What happened to that? It seems that Rihanna’s love tangles are getting more and more tangled with each passing day.
Rihanna is featured in Kanye West’s new music video for his song ‘Paranoid’. It’s the fourth single from the rapper’s fourth studio album ‘808s & Heartbreak’. The 21-year old Barbadian singer doesn’t sing on the song or speaks in the video but she does look absolutely gorgeous. It’s really more like a tribute video to Rihanna’s beauty rather than her talent really. The music video first premiered last week at the Island Def Jam Spring Collection party at Stephen Weiss Studio in New York City. It’s already made its way on the internet and it’s soon to make its way on TV.
Artist of the Year 2009 (USA & UK) Rihanna
The Dream
Rick Ross
Akon
Neyo
J. Holiday
Lil Wayne
Best Music Video 2009 (USA & UK)
Rihanna “Rehab”
Bobby V feat Lil Wayne “Ms Officer”
Day 26 ft. Young Joc & Diddy ‘Imma put it on her’
Akon ‘Beautiful’
Lady Gaga ‘Poker Face’
Ne-Yo ‘Ms Independent’
Best Album 2009 (USA & UK) John Legend ‘Evolver’ (G.O.O.D/Columbia)
The Dream ‘Love VIS Money’ (RadioKilla /DefJam)
Kanye West ‘808’s & Heartbreak’ (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
Akon ‘Freedom’ (Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Motown)
Seal ‘Soul’ (Warner Bros.)
Musiq Soulchild ‘On my Radio’ (Atlantic)
Keri Hilson ‘In a perfect world’ (Mosley/Zone4/Interscope)
JadaKiss ‘Last Kiss’ (Ruff Ryders/D-Block/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
India Arie ‘Testimony: Vol2, Love & Politics’ (Soulbird/Universal Republic)
Best R&B Act 2009 (USA & UK) Rihanna
Jazmine Sullivan
Robin Thicke
Bobby V
Keyshia Cole
J Holiday
Best DJ 2009 (USA & UK)
Green Lattern (USA)
Khaled (USA)
Tim Westwood (UK)
Fatman Scoop (USA)
Funkmaster Flex (USA)
Best TV Show (US only) Making the Band – MTV
Bet 106 & Park – BET
American Idol – FOX
Rip the Runway – BET
Harlem Heights – BET
Best HipHop Act 2009 (USA & UK)
Lil Wayne
Giggs
Kanye West
Jay-Z
Lupe Fiasco
Kardinal Offishall
Best Magazine (Print & Online)
Yo Raps
Source
HipHop Weekly
Vibe
XXL
Best Male Act 2009 (UK & USA) Flo’rida
Dizzee Rascal
Giggs
Kid Cudi
Ghetts
Bobby V
Day 26
Best Collaboration 2009 (USA & UK)
Kanye West ft Estelle ‘American Boy’
Taoi Cruz ft Sugababes & Busta Rhymes ‘Like a Star’
Jay Z ft Santagold ‘Brooklyn Go Hard’
T-Pain feat. Ludacris ‘Chopped & Screwed’
Sway feat. Akon ‘Silver & Gold’
Jim Jones & Ron Browz ft. Juelz Santana ‘Pop Champagne’
Musiq Soulchild ft. Mary J Blige ‘If U Leave’
Best Female Act 2009 (UK & USA) Amy Winehouse
Estelle
Jazmine Sullivan
M.I.A
Chrisette Michelle
Rihanna
Keri Hilson
Best Producer 2009
Mark Ronson
Swiss Beatz
Timberland
Scott Storch
Ryan Leslie
Stargate
Best Single 2009 (USA & UK)
Tinchy Stryder feat Dappy ‘Number 1’
Busta Rhymes ft Diddy, T-Pain & more ‘Arab Money’
Ghetts ‘Sing for me’
T-Pain ‘Chopped & Screwed’
Eminem ft Dr. Dre & 50 Cent ‘Crack a bottle’
Kid Cudi ‘Day and Night’
Beyonce ‘Halo’
The singer, who was supposed to perform in the United Arab Emirates in May, has apparently cancelled the concert due to the fact that it is not appropriate timing for such an event. Yassin Matbouly, the concert’s organizer, explained the situation that led to Rihanna’s cancellation: “We want to share with you that Rihanna and her management will not hold a public concert at this time as it is not appropriate timing.” Still, Yassin Matbouly had this to add about Rihanna’s concert: “Rihanna’s management contacted us and explained she was unable to come to the UAE in May, but said she is keen to still perform in the region. It is very sad for us at this time knowing the concert will not happen, but we will not give up and we will continue to put our offer to Rihanna’s management for a future date.” You have to observe the irony here: Rihanna got cold feet about performing in Dubai. Still, it is commendable that she is interested in having a concert there… after all, there are so many other artists who state that they never want to go play somewhere where a show was cancelled. And we’ll also pretend that this has nothing to do with that nasty little Chris Brown incident.
Rihanna lost more than just her dignity the night that she was allegedly beat up by Chris Brown. She apparently also lost $1.4 million in jewellery. The Barbadian babe is asking the cops to hand back a pair of earrings and three rings that they logged as evidence on the night in question. The bling isn’t even hers as they belong to four companies which loaned it to her for the pre-Grammy party she attended with Chris the night of the altercation. Rihanna’s attorney claims that he has asked for them back and submitted written requests for it. Chris’ attorney is also said to have no problems with having the jewellery released.
The singer has apparently been keeping a low profile ever since that nasty even of hers with former boyfriend Chris Brown, but now Rihanna seems to be coming back to the stage and she’s doing it in Dubai where she will have a concert on May 28th. A spokesman for Dubai tourism had this to say about Rihanna’s upcoming concert: “There will be over 25,000 tickets available. They will be going on sale in the next couple of days.” Also, the spokesman added: “Normally they create a special stage in the desert for these events.” Interesting… what’s going to happen in Rihanna’s case? Are they just going to let her sing in the sand? Or better still, maybe trick her into getting into a pool of quicksand and then enjoying the show?
Barely a month after pleading not guilty to manhandling Rihanna and barely two months after the violent incident between him and Rihanna, Chris Brown is once again on the prowl for a new love—err punching bag– and it seems the un-lucky girl is singer Natalia Mejia. Chris Brown and Natalie Mejia were recently photographed at Tattoo Mania, a West Hollywood tattoo parlor. Report of a budding love affair between him and Natalie Mejia was however denied by Chris Brown.
Chris Brown is denying reports that he’s getting romantic with Girlicious singer Natalie Mejia. Chris Brown however admitted she was in the same tattoo parlor but Natalie Mejia was not with him but with a certain Dean. There is also no truth to reports that Chris Brown is dating a college student in Virginia named Erica Johnson, his representatives said. There are however reports that Chris Brown spent Easter weekend with Rihanna.
After the storm came the lull. This is the case with Rihanna who is, according to her father
Ronald Fenty, is back to her hometown Barbados and back to her old self. It is a different kind
of lull for the jet-setting Rihanna though as she is back in Barbados to help celebrate the 50th
wedding anniversary of her grandparents. Rihanna has proven that Hawaii, New York and
Barbados is not really far away from each other.
Rihanna seems to be getting back to her beat after spending almost a month in seclusion after
being attacked by boyfriend Chris Brown. Her family is happy to have her back despite rumors
that a reconciliation in under works between Rihanna and Chris Brown. Those could however
be just rumors since Rihanna partied in the big city sans Chris Brown.
The LA County District Attorney may have evidence even more powerful than the gruesome photos of Rihanna’s bruised face against Chris Brown. Multiple law enforcement sources say that the night of the attack, the Barbadian singer told cops that she was the victim of escalating violence dealt by Chris. LAPD cops interviewed Rihanna after the attack and she told them that Chris had been violent toward her in the past and that the attacks were getting more violent as time went on. The photo leaked to the public is also said to be mild compared to photos taken the day after the attack as the bruises and swelling were far more pronounced. The interview and the photos could be devastating in the case against Chris.
Jessica Simpson performed at Madison Square Garden as the opening act for Rascal Flatts last week in New York City. During the concert, the 28-year old wannabe country singer shared the inspiration for one of her songs saying “To any woman out there who is in an abusive relationship, let me tell you that each and every single woman, you can take your heart and run so far away and fall in love again, and that’s the reason I recorded this song called ‘Remember That’.†She might not have said Rihanna’s name but you can tell that Jessica was talking about the alleged assault on the Barbadian babe by Chris Brown.
Sunday night may be all about the Grammys but the days prior to that are all about the pre-Grammy parties. Rihanna attended the Verizon & BlackBerry Grammy Party at Boulevard 3 this past Friday in Los Angeles. In other Rihanna news, the 20-year old Barbadian babe has recently been involved on the hunt to help a 5-year old New York City girl find a bone marrow donor. Rihanna told people “When I saw the video of Jasmina it broke my heart. It is so unfair that for a black patient it’s so much harder to find a bone marrow match. Jasmina has acute leukemia and she needs a bone marrow transplant to live.â€
Last weekend, Katy Perry was called to the stage of France’s NRJ Music Awards to receive the International Song of the Year award for her worldwide hit ‘I Kissed a Girl’. However, by the end of the show, the host announced that there had been a mistake in vote-counting and that Katy didn’t really win. Rihanna was the real winner for ‘Disturbia’. The awards were apparently based on results of audience votes on NRJ’s website in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Katy did win International Album of the Year though. Maybe there was just a mistake in the printing of the winner’s envelopes.
