Prince Has New Material

 

Prince’s site seems to be closed now, but Janelle Monae Twittered that Prince has new material, hopefully we’ll get to hear it soon. Moving on to a new project must have motivated the closure of his site, and we’re very excited to see what will come next!

From Janelle Monae’s Twitter account:

“Prince's new materiel... No comment... Just know we all fell on the floor after hearing... Can't wait it's release...”

Prince recently attended a Janelle Monae concert, maybe we’ll get to hear a collaboration of the two in the future?…

Rihanna’s New Single – Te Amo

It has been announced that Rihanna will perform her new song “Te Amo” on American Idol next week, which will be her next official single.

“Te Amo” doesn’t seem to be an obvious choice after her successful chart topping single “Rude Boy”, however it looks like Rihanna will make one more effort to get another number one Billboard spot from her latest album “Rated R”.

Rihanna is set to move on to something else this summer, but will release a video for “Te Amo” before doing so.

Listen to “Te Amo”:

What do you think of Rihanna’s next single, is it a hit or a flop?

Erykah Badu’s Video, Did She Go Too Far?

Erykah Badu reveals that she had hoped to be arrested for her new video “Window Seat” in downtown Dallas to make a “bigger message”. The police didn’t notice the film crew, and therefore didn’t do anything. However, she might get charged for disorderly conduct, which would basically give her a $500 fine if found guilty.

The video has provoked a lot of controversy as it was made at the same place where John F. Kennedy was shot, in broad day light in front of children. Here are some remarks made about “Window Seat”:

"It is not just about the nudity — it is also about where she decided to film this piece of junk....and then to include the gun shot....it was very disrespectful. ... she did this with no regard for anyone else but herself." – thm, the Dallas Morning News site, March 30th

"I think Erykah Badu is brilliant. That video was the deepest, most sincere, undeniably real video I've ever seen. EVER." –Tyeastia, CNN.com March 31st

"Sorry. I appreciate the statement and the thought behind the video, and I'm also a huge Badu fan. That said, the nudity and subsequent mock assassination? With the children present? Sorry, I'm not feeling it." –Shola Akinnuso, The Root, March 30th

And here are Erykah’s thoughts on her new video:

“It is a little controversial. I guess people would say that in the video I shed a lot of emotion and a lot of baggage by way of shedding clothing. And I do this in the middle of a busy street, which is totally probably something that is not accepted in society. Thus, definitely not conforming to what society would expect you to do and because . . . I guess 85% of the world is a part of what we would call Groupthink, that's like a form of thinking that causes you to bury what you really feel inside to please the group so that you won't be ostracized by the group. It's a comfort zone we create for ourselves and I go outside of that comfort zone and the video says everything. It's open for discussion”.

In my opinion Erykah has a a good point, and really had guts to take off all her layers and focus on Groupthink. We don’t really think about it, but it’s true we do try to please people, and then consequently refrain from being ourselves.

Erykah Badu didn’t go too far at all, she did it at the right time and right place. By doing so people are more aware of her message.

Slash Releases New Album - Slash

This week, Slash gave permission to AOL to stream his new self-titled album before it will be released on April 6th in the U.S and May 10th in the UK. “Slash” includes collaborations with Fergie, Ozzy Osbourne, Kid Rock and many more.

In other Slash news, SSMF will celebrate the rocker for his contributions to the history of The Sunset Strip and the music industry. The event will take place at the House of Blues Sunset Strip on August 26th. The City of West Hollywood will also declare this day as “Slash Day.”

Here’s what Slash had to say in light of this great honor:

“I am sincerely overwhelmed to be the recipient of the Sunset Strip Music Festival honors! The Strip and West Hollywood have been my stomping grounds since I was a little kid,” noted Slash. “I grew up in and around the music scene here. It is where I got my start in the music business and where I still feel most at home. Thank you so much...”

“Slash” tracklist:

"Ghost" (featuring Ian Astbury)
"Beautiful Dangerous" (featuring Fergie)
"Nothing To Say" (featuring M. Shadows)
"Crucify The Dead" (featuring Ozzy Osbourne)
"Promise" (featuring Chris Cornell)
"By The Sword" (featuring Andrew Stockdale)
"Doctor Alibi" (featuring Lemmy)
"Saint Is A Sinner Too" (featuring Rocco De Luca)
"Watch This" (featuring Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan)
"I Hold On" (featuring Kid Rock)
'Gotten" (featuring Adam Levine)
'We're All Gonna Die" (featuring Iggy Pop)
'Starlight" (featuring Myles Kennedy)
"Slash"

Listen to the full album here.

Oprah Interviews Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson was Oprah’s guest today, she answered difficult questions regarding Michael Jackson’s death, and how involved her family was in trying to prevent this from happening.

She discussed how she found out he passed away, how difficult it is for her to see pictures of him or listen to his music, and also the childhood memories she will always cherish. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him," she says. "All of us in the family think about him every single day." Janet says. "It's hard for me to look at an image of his or listen to his music on the radio."

Later on Tyler Perry joined Janet and emphasized how much the Jackson family tried to help Michael Jackson, and gave her tremendous support while filming “Why Did I Get Married Too”?  "We were very protective of her, all of us, because we knew each other. It was like her coming home—leaving her family and coming to another family," Tyler Perry Says.

Watch the full interview below, and check out Janet’s new video for “Nothing” the leading single for “Why Did I Get Married Too” here.

One Love Entourage Hollywood Premiere

Last night, vocalist Colby Veil (Dopesnake, formerly of Adler’s Appetite) hit the red carpet for the One Love Entourage (Bridgegate Films) film premiere in Hollywood.  Dopesnake, the all-star band featuring current and former members of LA Guns, Faster Pussycat and Adler’s Appetite, hits the road for their South American tour this spring and their hit song Hell Yeah is featured in the trailer for Easy Rider: The Long Ride Home, the upcoming sequel to the legendary film Easy Rider that’s scheduled for release this summer.

About “One Love Entourage”:

One Love Entourage by Bridgegate Films tells the REAL story of HBO's Entourage crew and how the real Vincent Chase, Ari, Drama, Turtle and E all made it in Hollywood. Based on the life of Mark 'Monk B' Basile, the documentary shows and tells the back story of how a random meeting between Mark Wahlberg and Mark Basile inspired the HBO hit show, Entourage. The documentary contains over 20 years of unseen footage that helped to serve as the insight to HBO's Entourage.

'This documentary is for anyone who is intrigued by the Hollywood dream,' stated Anthony Cohen, Executive Producer of One Love Entourage. 'For an 'everyday Joe' to be able to have his dream become a reality while also inspiring one of the most notable shows on television and to have it all documented to share with others is an immense honor for Mark Basile. I am so glad to be a part of such an encouraging project.'

The screening of One Love Entourage will take place at Kress Hollywood night club and will start at 7:30pm. After the screening, a party will immediately ensue. The real Vincent Chase and the rest of the original Entourage crew will be on hand for the documentary premiere as well as a host of celebrities including Barry Bonds, Fred Durst, Tamala Jones, rock group Puddle of Mudd and many other celebrities and influencers.

Toni Braxton – Pulse Track Listing + Interview

Toni Braxton has been working on her new album “Pulse” since 2008, when she signed with Atlantic Records. It’s been pushed back a lot since then, and for good reasons. Check out the interview with Digital Spy below.

How long have you been working on the album?
“It’s like a bottomless cup of coffee! I signed my deal with Atlantic Records when I did Dancing With The Stars in September 2008 and I’ve been working on it since then. I must have recorded more than 30 tracks for it by now!”

Have you decided on the final track listing?
“We’re doing that as we speak – I think we have about seven songs confirmed, but we haven’t got the ten yet. The album was supposed to come out in February, but we held it back because seven of the ten songs we picked were leaked. We decided to go back to the studio, record four or five more songs and then pick. Now we send everything via Federal Express – nothing’s going through the internet – and that’s why none of the new songs have leaked so far.”

What’s the balance between ballads and club cuts like?
“It can be challenging getting that balance right, but I think we did a really good job on [my 1996 album] Secrets. Everyone forgets that ‘You’re Makin’ Me High’ was on the same album as ‘Un-Break My Heart’. You have to make sure it sequences well, because you don’t want to have a dance song and then all of a sudden a big, classic ballad.”

The first UK single is a track called ‘Yesterday’. What’s the story behind it?
“Well, I heard the song and it was written from a guy’s perspective, so I said, ‘Nice song – let me rework it’. I changed it up and made it a girl’s song. I’m going through a separation, and it’s not my story per se, but I definitely can relate to it in the sense of starting over. I wanted to have strength when I sang it – I didn’t want to be a wimp!”

It feels like time for you to record a big female-female duet. Is there anything being lined up?
“Me and Alicia Keys are talking about it – well, my people are talking to Alicia’s people because I play piano and obviously she plays too. I’ve been playing since I was about nine years old so I really can play. Maybe we could do something at an award show and people will see us collaborate that way? We’ll see.”

How about our own diva, Leona Lewis?
“I love her! I prefer her first album to the new one though. Actually, the possibility of she and I touring together was mentioned when I was in New York a couple of months ago for the VH1 Divas show. Her people were talking to my people and said maybe we should put on a tour together, so who knows? I’m just excited to have these options and possibilities open to me.”

Here’s the track listing to Toni Braxton’s new album “Pulse”. Allegedly this is the UK list, the US will be slightly different. “Pulse” will be released on May 4th.

Pulse track listing:

1. Yesterday
2. Make My Heart
3. Hands Tied
4. Woman
5. If I Have To Wait
6. Lookin’ At Me
7. Wardrobe
8. Hero
9. No Way
10. Pulse
11. Why Won’t You Love Me