Maxwell’s new video for Fistful of Tears has arrived. The song is being released to raise awareness for Breast Cancer as April is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
The video itself is pretty anticlimactic as it is a performance video of Maxwell performing on a retro-inspired soundstage. The video, shot in black and white was directed by Phillip Andelman. This is a great song for a great cause and a good Single choice for Maxwell.
Also, up-and-coming Artist Melanie Fiona is earning her stripes as she releases a fourth single of her well-acclaimed album, The Bridge, titled Ay Yo! I’ve been following Melanie on Twitter and she is currently on tour with various artists including Trey Songz and Alicia Keys. She has been doing some live performances across various Cities in the US and has been earning fans everywhere she goes. Ay Yo is a laid back jam with some nice live instruments to compliment Melanie’s vocals. The lyrics are pretty inspiring as well, talking about reaching one’s goals and dreams. To follow her recent Grammy nomination, Fiona was also nominated for some Junos (Canadian version of the Grammy). She’s doing big things!
“He love the way I ride it/ He love the way I ride the beat, like a freak-freak-freak!”
Ciara is on the Grind once again! Her label appears to be behind Ciara on her new project titled Basic Instinct. Ciara recently quipped on her album during a red carpet interview,
“When you get the record you’re going to get a really fun vibe.You’re gonna get an even more sensual side and also confident and cocky. I got like such an attitude on this record, but in a fun way. Kinda had fun like exploring and experimenting with that, so you’ll get all that in one.”
Ciara released her new single, Ride featuring Ludacris. She recently shot the video and released pictures from the set. As I suspected, the song is a certified Banger! Produced by TheDream & Tricky Stewart, Ludacris lends his vocals to the track that remind us of his features on Ciara’s Oh and High Price songs. Fans complained that they wanted more of the Goodies Ciara back and less of the LoveSexMagic Ciara, so Tricky & Dream are the best team to bring that flava out. We already know the video will be hot, so I guess we have something to look forward to this Summer after all…
What do you guys think of the song? Is Ciara back?
Drake appears to be carrying the torch for Hip Hop right now. While he leaves the cubic zirconium chains and gold teeth for the other rappers, Drake is the clean cut, straight-talking Rapper who actually has something to say. In his video for his first single, Over, Drake hired famed director Anthony Mandler, who is well known for directing stylish, edgy and art-driven videos. The video is definitely solid and entertaining – Drake gives life to his lyrics with such fervor not seen since Kanye’s fiery actions (Where are youYeezy?). Drake explains some of the driving force behind the video and his album, Thank Me Later (now due June 15th) to MTVnews:
“The song is so aggressive, and it’s sort of a love story in the video. It has a lot to do with the album [Thank Me Later]. The album is about finding love, feeling ‘Have I sold my soul’ as far as ‘Will I ever be able to gain the trust of a woman? Will I only be able to be around the dark, evil women? Will I ever find that pure love?’ Those elements are in the video.”
I’m loving this video and I’m excited for Drake’s album. It has been a long time coming so I hope he lives up to the Hype! What do you guys think of the video?
Meanwhile…did you guys hear the song Fab and Nicki Minaj recorded for his Funeral Service Mixtape? He borrows the beat to Gucci Mane’s Lemonade and proceeds to pull no punches. Fab talks about dudes blowing up their girls’ phones (apparently that is a jab at Rob Kardishan and the way his Ex Adrienne Bailon punked him – don’t ask how I know these things). He ends his verse asking, “If you could have Beyonce, would you take Solange?” Ouch!
Sex sells; we all know this. Whether it is Beyonce popping her hips in a tight leotard, Usher grabbing a dancer’s buttocks in his latest video or Lady Gaga prancing around in a thong and not much else; skin, sex, simulation of sex and lust is everywhere in today’s entertainment industry. Being an adult, I have no gripes with these artists promoting their sexuality; there is nothing wrong with it in essence. Since music is a form of art and entertainment, I believe it is important for Artists to be able to express themselves fully. The thing is, this is 2010 and the music industry is not as it was. Contemporary artists in the 90s like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion were able to sell tens of millions of albums without playing the sex card; they were more known for their classic voices. In today’s industry, talent is not enough. Even seasoned artists are finding it necessary to stir the pot of controversy to stay relevant. It is not just enough to have a hit record – it has been a while since we have heard a really good hit record! Artists are finding they have to build a buzz, expose their personal life or downright act a fool to sell a record!
Two weeks ago, R&B’s rebel Erykah Badu released the video for her new single Window Seat from her new album, New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh. Watch the video:
First off, I like the song! It is mello, easy listening with meaningful lyrics. As for the video I can get past Erykah stripping nude; I could care less, she looks good. But when I heard she actually filmed the video in broad daylight, walking nekkid past tourists and their families at the site of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, I was shocked. I thought she had filmed the video in front of a green screen. My first thought was, this is in extremely bad taste. Erykah not only used her body, she used the lack of sense and common decency and disguised her actions as ‘Art’. In my opinion, I did not see what message I was supposed to learn from her being ‘shot’ in the end as she lay butt nekkid on the pavement in front of a crowd of white people. Later, the Dallas police charged Erykah with disorderly conduct. Of the incident, Erykah remarked,
“My point was grossly misunderstood all over America. J.F.K. is one of my heroes, one of the nation’s heroes. John F. Kennedy was a revolutionary; he was not afraid to butt heads with America, and I was not afraid to show America my butt-naked truth.“
Ummmm ok.
Window Seat peaked at #95 on the Billboard 100 in the US, #26 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs and #50 on the charts in Japan. #WhenHoeSh*tGoesWrong
You can read a more thorough explanation of Window Seat’s message here.
Barely a week after Erykah’s fiasco died down, Kiely Williams, former member of 3lw (whose biggest hit includedNo More *Baby I”mma Do Right) and Disney’s Cheetah Girls (where she experienced much success) also released a controversial video. Titled Spectacular, the small-budgeted video features Kiely doing the walk of shame after a night of ‘spectacular’ sex where she slept with a man she met while intoxicated the night before.
Shanell at her Mixtape Release Party. Pic courtesy of FreddyO
Choreographer, Singer and songwriter Shanell aka SnL might just be ATL’s best kept secret. Not only is her sound and image refreshing, unapologetic and raw, her music is actually pretty decent as well! We first featured SnL in our Songwriter’s Revenge feature a few months back.
To drum up some publicity for her new Mixtape titled Shut Up and Listen, Shanell’s team sent out invites to her “Baby Shower” where Shanell would be unveiling her child – ie. the Mixtape she had been working on for the past several months. It was a cute marketing ploy since rumours were rampant at the time that Shanell has been seeing labelmate Lil Wayne romantically.
Shut Up And Listen is a solid effort of Trip & B (ATL Style) that exposes several sides of the Artist. Shanell experiments with dance, some house and some Ryan Leslie. She even attempts to re-make Groove Theory’s classic hit, Tell Me with labelmate Jae Millz.
There are some highlights to the Mixtapes and some songs you may want to skip, but overall the collection of songs gets me excited to hear what Shanell has in store for her full length album. Now there is some debate among R&B fans if Shanell can blow or not. I think she definitely has a voice on her, while others call her pitchy. I tend to like when Singers can belt out a tune with great emotion, which Shanell is not afraid to do at all. I just need to hear her preform live to prove the naysayers wrong.
Here are a few cuts from the Mixtape to whet your appetite. Let me know what ya’ll think of the songs below and the Mixtape.
Earlier today TheDream attended 106& Park studios in New York to premiere the new video for his first Single from his LoveKing album, also called LoveKing. Well-known director X aka Little X directed the video with choreography either by Jamaica or Tanisha Scott (my guess). The video is set against a bright orange background as Dream acts as the center of attention. To coincide with the song’s lyrics, multiple types of women appear seductively from behind Dream. Dream actually busts a couple dance moves himself at the 1:35 mark…somebody’s been practicing!
The video is bright and fun, with some booty-popping dance moves and beautiful women. Yes, this is a typical Dream video. I am left a little unsatisfied with the video, even though I can’t get enough of the song.
Dream’s next Single will be Sex Intelligent featuring T.I. On 106&Park, Dream assured fans he would be releasing more singles and videos this time around and that he has already filmed a few videos already. Since this is Dream’s rumoured last album, I hope he releases some singles that showcase his real songwriting talent.
After months of negativity and doubt hovering over his project, Usher showed the naysayers wrong by delivering big on his newest effort, Raymond vs. Raymond. The album sold a respectable 329,000 copies in its first week which, even though sales are less than the 423,000 albums Here I Stand sold in 2008, is still a good look for Usher who has suffered a decline in popularity in the past 2 years. Usher’s prodigy/artist Justin Bieber is sitting comfortably at #2 on the Billboard charts after besting R&B Great Monica during her first week of sales. Bieber sold 290,00 copies last week. Off the strength of her lead single, Everything To Me and her reality show on BET, Monica debuted high on the Billboard charts her first week out, though sales have dropped her to #6 this week.
Good look for the R&B Artists this week…
Rihanna announced earlier this week that she was heading out on tour this Summer for her Last Girl on Earth headlining Tour. She announced she would be hitting the road with singer Ke$ha and Rapper/Entertainer Nicki Minaj. Sadly, Nicki tweeted today that she would have to drop out of the tour:
This sucks for Nicki and the Tour. I’m a fan of Rihanna, but Ke$ha on the bill? No, thanks. I wonder what the real reason behind Nicki passing up this great opportunity…
So after numerous guest features, Donk sightings, television appearances, Mixtape releases and featuring in your young man’s wet dreams, Nikki Minaj has FINALLY got her spotlight in her very own video for her first Single, Massive Attack. Hype Williams directs Nikki as she takes us to the dessert in her pink lambo with her androgynous sexy friend Amber Rose. There is a lot that can be said about this video, but you just really have to watch it for yourself.
The song itself takes some getting used to as most people are calling it hot garbage. But I see the heat factor of this song. The beat is impossibly fast and borders on doing too much. Nikki’s rapping is so fast-paced and high-pitched that you have trouble hearing what the hell she is talking about. Sean Garrett saves the song with his impeccable talent with writing a perfect hook and melody. The hook makes this song a contender.
Ciara must be almost complete with her fourth album sessions with TheDream & Tricky Stewart because she has already filmed a video for her new single Ride It featuring Ludacris. She is moving full steam ahead with this project despite rumours that her Label isn’t 100% behind the project and Ciara had to foot the bill to record the album. Here is a real bootlegg video preview for the stans fans.
*Sidenote* Ciara may just be back for real this time, Ride It sounds hot!…Get it Ci!!
In the meantime, Ciara also leaked this track Speechless she recorded with TheDream. Some people aren’t feeling it, but I actually really like this song. We could have done without Dream’s vocals on this one though…What do you guys think?
Verdict: We like it NOW! Ciara is coming back with the Goodies!
Everybody may love Raymond, like Nikki Minaj insists, but we will have to see once the numbers for sales of his latest effort come in. Raymond Vs Raymond is in stores now. I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far from the project, but from what I’ve been hearing from fans, they are slightly divided. We will have a Album Review for Usher’s new album soon.
In the meantime, Usher has hooked up with Black Eyed Peas frontman and producer, Will.I.Am for another single for his album called OMG. This song has already been getting some major play over in the UK apparently. Caution: This is not the typical Usher jam you may be used to hearing. OMG definitely has a Euro Pop feel to it with auto tune, stadium-echoing cheering and sporadic bass. The Anthony Mandler-directed clip is the best Usher video I’ve seen yet for the project. The style, the movement and choreography is on point. My only gripe is that Usher looks either vacant or uncomfortable in the video…but he’s been like that lately. I’m not mad at Ursh for trying to get that dance/pop money since the ‘Urban’ R&B crowd has labeled him a has-been and have disowned him while they still wait for a miracle from Chris Brown…
I’ve been meaning to do this post for a minute. If you follow TheDream like I do on Twitter, you pretty much get the scoop on all of the promotion for his latest album LoveKing. He’s already shot the video for the first single, LoveKing with Director X, who we haven’t seen do much in a while… The video looks hot! Watch the preview below.
A few days ago, Dream did a live Ustream of the filming of another of his videos. The song sounds great, but I guess it was accidentally leaked because the cameraman got scolded by a label rep for streaming live video of music that has not been released yet…Oops! She then tells him to mute the sound which is pretty pointless. Luckily, the video is still up if you want to check it out.
According to his Twitter, Dream will be releasing four singles and four videos before the album drop in May. He will record the Love King Remix video featuring Ludacris April 1st. Other possible cameos on the album include T.I and Young Jeezy. Get it Dream!!
Chew on This! Erykah Badu & 3lw’s Kiely Williams are selling Shock Value – Who’s Buying??
Sex sells; we all know this. Whether it is Beyonce popping her hips in a tight leotard, Usher grabbing a dancer’s buttocks in his latest video or Lady Gaga prancing around in a thong and not much else; skin, sex, simulation of sex and lust is everywhere in today’s entertainment industry. Being an adult, I have no gripes with these artists promoting their sexuality; there is nothing wrong with it in essence. Since music is a form of art and entertainment, I believe it is important for Artists to be able to express themselves fully. The thing is, this is 2010 and the music industry is not as it was. Contemporary artists in the 90s like Whitney Houston and Celine Dion were able to sell tens of millions of albums without playing the sex card; they were more known for their classic voices. In today’s industry, talent is not enough. Even seasoned artists are finding it necessary to stir the pot of controversy to stay relevant. It is not just enough to have a hit record – it has been a while since we have heard a really good hit record! Artists are finding they have to build a buzz, expose their personal life or downright act a fool to sell a record!
Two weeks ago, R&B’s rebel Erykah Badu released the video for her new single Window Seat from her new album, New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh. Watch the video:
First off, I like the song! It is mello, easy listening with meaningful lyrics. As for the video I can get past Erykah stripping nude; I could care less, she looks good. But when I heard she actually filmed the video in broad daylight, walking nekkid past tourists and their families at the site of John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, I was shocked. I thought she had filmed the video in front of a green screen. My first thought was, this is in extremely bad taste. Erykah not only used her body, she used the lack of sense and common decency and disguised her actions as ‘Art’. In my opinion, I did not see what message I was supposed to learn from her being ‘shot’ in the end as she lay butt nekkid on the pavement in front of a crowd of white people. Later, the Dallas police charged Erykah with disorderly conduct. Of the incident, Erykah remarked,
Ummmm ok.
Window Seat peaked at #95 on the Billboard 100 in the US, #26 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs and #50 on the charts in Japan. #WhenHoeSh*tGoesWrong
You can read a more thorough explanation of Window Seat’s message here.
Barely a week after Erykah’s fiasco died down, Kiely Williams, former member of 3lw (whose biggest hit included No More *Baby I”mma Do Right) and Disney’s Cheetah Girls (where she experienced much success) also released a controversial video. Titled Spectacular, the small-budgeted video features Kiely doing the walk of shame after a night of ‘spectacular’ sex where she slept with a man she met while intoxicated the night before.
Read More
(more…)
- Chew on This!
on April 11, 2010 at 9:05 pm Comments (2)Tags: Cheetah Girls, Chew on This!, Erykah Badu, Kiely Williams 3lw, Return of the Ankh, Sex Sells, Social commentary, Spectacular video, Window Seat