Showing posts with label USHER. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USHER. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 May 2008

PREVIEW ALL OF USHER'S NEW ALBUM 'HERE I STAND'....

AMAZON has posted all the snippets from Usher's forthcoming album 'Here I Stand'. ALL nineteen tracks. So if you go over to the site by clicking here, you can listen to them.


{Usher at this week's BET press conference}

There were loads of Usher tracks that leaked last week, and it was uncertain which songs would make the track-listing but I guess these 19-tracks are official. As for the snippets, I will save my opinions when the whole album leaks where I can give an honest review. Usher's album Here I Stand will be released in the UK and the rest of Europe on May 26th and May 27th in the US.

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Tuesday, 13 May 2008

USHER PERFORMS @ THE HILLS SEASON FINALE....

Last night was the season finale of The Hills and Usher was there to perform his latest smash Love In This Club. Check out the performance below:


During the glitzy performance, he was joined on stage by a crowd of adoring females. His collaborator Young Jeezy also joined him on stage. Usher, who has been heavily promoting his new album Here I Stand and single is prepping for the release which will be physically available on May 27th.

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JERMAINE DUPRI DOES A KANYE WEST: GOES BUCKWILD ON BILLBOARD MAGAZINE....

Usher's producer pal Jermaine Dupri uploaded a video to his You Tube channel yesterday where he basically got all up in Billboard's asses for having Usher share a special two-cover issue with new producer Danja. Check out his rant below:


It's good and all Usher went Diamond with Confessions but to go off on a cover is ridiculous. I would understand if it was Chris Brown that got the main cover instead of Usher, but Danja is the hottest new producer on the scene who deserves recognition. He is currently leaving his mark on the musical production of some of today's biggest R&B and pop acts. I think he deserves some shine at least. Usher doesn't really need the shine. He's proven himself already. Saying that, there has to be a logical explanation as to why Usher was put before Danja - that more money was coughed up. The guy in the footage said it himself. Anyway, there are more important stuff to get vocal about. Since JD wants to get all vocal on today's musical politics, it would have been nice if he took the same approach towards LA Reid for chaperoning Mariah and her marriage and for the way his girlfriend Janet's album Discipline has been handled recently. Thanks Mia.

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Monday, 12 May 2008

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT....

A lot of activity went down over the weekend - festivities, clubbing and various events took place and many of our favourite (and not so favourite) R&B stars were out in full participation. Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger was spotted arriving at Villa in Hollywood last night, and decided to give the paps an eyeful of her undergarments:



Fortunately, she didn't do a Britney. She happily flaunted her pink panties to match her dress. Surely, she could have come out of the car much better than that. She must have known the paps would have been up there like flies on shit. Well, at least she shaves. That counts for something I guess.

Raven Symone was spotted segwegging in LA yesterday:



Can someone explain to me why this chick is segwegging? I mean, she might be overweight but she's not obese. I'm sure if she spent most of her time walking, some of the weight would actually drop off. Her lack of self-discipline is really disappointing.

Mel B showed lots and lots of front when she and hubby Stephen Belafonte attended P. Diddy's Harlem 2 Hollywood party over the weekend:



She looked good, save for the breast implants which looked horrible. Well, she would have looked good if she didn't bring that weird grubby looking hubby of hers. I'm sorry but he's just. not. cute.

Here's a couple of pics of Kelly Rowland performing 'Daylight' at the BBC's Sound over the weekend:



Kelly did the Robot by the looks of things. Cute. Considering that Kelly has somewhat been programmed to constantly sing praises on Queen B and the Knowles clan. Hate what she's wearing though.

Kelly also hosted a party which went down at Amika nightclub in London, and her pals Usher and Nelly were in attendance:




London was where it was poppin'. Usher will also perform his latest smash Love In This Club on The Hills later today.

Usher was also spotted in central London, signing autographs outside of Selfridges. His deeply insecure wife Tameka was not too far away:



Wow. I just can't get over that jaw. It's a strong one. I try hard not to focus on it but when you look at her face that's all you see. Still, neither one of us know her really. Underneath all the insecurity, she could be a good person in spite of her "issues" and criminal past (She was arrested in 2005 for stealing clothes from Phipps plaza in Atlanta). I'm sure snagging Usher from Chilli and marrying the multi-millionaire served its purpose. No wonder she's left the kids and the couple's new-born son behind. She'd rather trail after her cash-cow hubby all over the world to ensure he doesn't get up to any tricks with girl fans, particularly ones that look like Keri Hilson. Anyway, footballer Rio Ferdinand is a huuuge fan of Usher, so they chilled, whilst Usher sat down with global social media network Bebo for his first ever live, streamed, interactive interview where he spoke directly to the fans. The interview featured tracks from his forthcoming album Here I Stand, and folks were invited to ask him questions by becoming a fan of his Bebo profile at www.bebo.com/usher.
The singer also performed at a private party for which he was paid a whopping £500,000 for two hours. Usher was hired by a wealthy young businessman as a surprise for his girlfriend's 26th birthday. Usher, who was later joined by his wife Tameka, stayed until 2am. Paying large bucks was small change for the the young businessman as he is No 10 on The Times' under-30 rich list after earning £60million from the sale of an internet design company. Must be nice indeed.

On May 11th, Rihanna performed live at the 'Glow In The Dark' Tour in Bristow:




Her outfits are hot! Also, don't forget to look out for the premiere of her video with Maroon 5. If I Never See Your Face Again is set to premiere tomorrow.

Tatyana Ali attended the Step Up Women's Network 2008 Inspiration Awards on May 9th 2008, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in Los Angeles:



Little Miss Ashley Banks was looking cute as she paid homage to the special cause. Each year, Step Up's star-studded Inspiration Awards fundraising events celebrate the year's most inspiring women, recognizing celebrities, VIPs and members of the organization. This year's recipients were chosen for their ongoing support of Step Up Women's Network and for being outstanding role models for women and young girls. Step Up has grown to include 50,000 supporters who have raised millions of dollars and donated more than 100,000 volunteer hours to the organization's programs. The group is a national nonprofit membership organization with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Mary J. Blige spoke at the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. (FFAWN) Launch this past Friday:




Mary has set up the foundation to help women develop careers and gain self-confidence. The charity will fund scholarships, grants and programs that help women gain confidence and skills to succeed in their careers.

Here are a couple of pictures of legendary diva Whitney Houston when she performed in London at last Thursday's Caudwwell's Children Charity:



Whitney received raving reviews for her performance at the event. The 44-year-old was paid £100,000 for the gig. Her 15-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina also put in an appearance when she started to sing her previous smash hit My Love is Your Love. Whitney wore a tight dress by British designers Bodyamr and looked amazing. She also belted out other previous classics of hers such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Saving All My Love and the biggest one to date - I Will Always Love You. Altogether, the event raised an impressive £1.5m.

WENN // SPLASH // WIREIMAGES

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Sunday, 11 May 2008

USHER'S MINI CONCERT @ RADIO 1'S BIG WEEKEND....

Yesterday, Usher performed a mini concert at Day 1 of Radio 1's Big Weekend, where he co-headlined with Madonna. He performed previous hit singles as well as new music from his forthcoming album Here I Stand (May 27th). The video (posted after the cut) displays the full concert or alternatively, click here. Check out my review of the show:


UPDATE: Having watched the concert, I thought it was very entertaining. I have his 8701: The Evolution concert on DVD which was awesome and this time, the Tennessee Native didn't disappoint. So he may have been 22 back then, but even now, Usher still has it despite his maturing years (the singer turns 30 in October). Usher sang live, to the company of his backing singers, who also did the business. The concert started off a little slow with opening number This Aint Sex, but things started picking up when he began singing tunes that the audience were more familiar with such as
You Make Me Wanna, You Remind Me and You Don't Have To Call. In fact, his well-known hits is what kept the audience in sync as they started singing along with the songs. I liked Usher's interaction with the audience; speaking to them as he went along and introducing the songs. It made the show more fun, more intimate. His smooth acrobatic dance routines throughout the show only reinforced the true entertainer Usher really is because it didn't affect his vocal performance. Despite all of the dance activity that was going on, Usher still managed to sound just as good as the CD versions, pouring out his emotions during his chilled out moments. He then belted out his second single Moving Mountains as well as Confessions parts I & II, You Got It Bad, Burn, Here I Stand, What's Ya Name?, Yeah and latest hit single Love In This Club.

FULL CONCERT

Click the black box at the bottom of the player to watch the concert in full screen mode. What did you think of it?

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Saturday, 10 May 2008

USHER: ECHO // NEW SONG IS ALSO A FUTURE CIARA CUT....

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to post any more leaked Usher music, because I posted enough already, and half is album has pretty much leaked. However, as Echo doesn't make the tracklisting of Here I Stand, I thought I'd post this anyway because it's on fire:


Song is straight crack. Brilliant, in fact. I love it. Echo was in consideration to make the cut of Here I Stand, but word is, the track will make Ciara's new album Fantasy Ride instead. We know Echo will be an official cut on Ciara's new album because she previewed it to MTV recently.

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Friday, 9 May 2008

NEW MUSIC FAB: CIARA: STEPPIN' ON MY J'S // USHER: THIS AINT SEX....

A new track from Nelly's forthcoming album 'Brass Knuckles' has leaked and it features Ciara (and Jermaine Dupri). The song is called 'Stepped On My J's'. Check it out:









NELLY FEAT CIARA: STEPPIN' ON MY J'S

The commercial savvy radio joint is hip and street which sees Nelly emphasise his love of Jordans. Plus, it's oldskool Nelly at best. Cool song. 'Brass Knuckles' is set for release on June 24th.

Tracks from Usher's forthcoming album Here I Stand are leaking left and right. Another track called This Aint Sex from the new cut can now be heard. Check it out:









USHER: THIS AINT SEX

The dance-driven upbeat track is pleasantly catchy with a cool 70's groove to it. You'll like it if you enjoyed the Off The Wall album. You can tell a lot of old music from the 70's and 80's was an inspiration for this album. Anyway, I don't think I'm going to listen to another Usher track after this. His whole album is slowly leaking, and I don't want the surprise for myself. Here I Stand will drop on May 27th.

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USHER: TRADING PLACES [NEW TRACK FROM 'HERE I STAND']....

A new track from Usher's forthcoming album has leaked. The song is called Trading Places and it is produced by Tricky Stewart. Check it out:









USHER: TRADING PLACES

I'm totally feeling the song. The beat is nice and it has a Prince vibe to it with commercial appeal to added effect. I love the arrangement and the electric guitar towards the end. It's not my favourite song from all the songs that have leaked from Here I Stand though, but it is in deed a nice track that I'm liking very much.

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Thursday, 8 May 2008

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT // RIHANNA & CIARA DUET???....

So some of you bitches always moan about Riri or Bey always getting the main feature of a post so today I changed all that. If Rih or Bey is in a post, they usually get top priority but not today. Hope ya'll happy, lol! Though, it's no big deal. Usually, the bigger the artist (due to popular demand), the higher chances that they'll get the main feature. It's always been that way. Anyway, this morning, Usher was in London yesterday to promote his latest single Love In This Club and album Here I Stand. May 27th is slowly starting to creep up on us.



The singer visited BBC's Radio One studio's where he did an interview about what's to be expected from his latest project. I can't wait to hear the new music. Usher always brings it musically, although the buzz is nowhere near as huge as YEAH. I guess Confessions is what Thriller was to Michael Jackson's career. The type of success you only get to smell once in a lifetime....

Rihanna was spotted backstage at the AA Arena in Miami, FL on May 6, 2008:



We see you Riri. Her new video for If I Never See Your Face Again in which she is featured was recently shot in Los Angeles by Anthony Mandler and will premiere on May 13th! It is also reported that Rihanna has recorded a duet with Ciara called Tears Fall for Ciara's forthcoming album Fantasy Ride. I soooo hope this is true.

Fergie almost broke her foot last night as she was spotted drunkenly departing the Waverly Inn restaurant in NYC's West Village:



As she stumbled on her 5-inch stiletto's, her bodyguard was on hand to hold her up - just about. Luckily, her foot only suffered from scarring. Still, that looked real painful. She's better than my ass in fact because I'd be on the floor bawling, screaming for mercy.

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Sunday, 4 May 2008

USHER ON THE SET OF NEW VIDEO 'MOVING MOUNTAINS' // TENTATIVE TRACKLISING FOR 'HERE I STAND'....

Here is Usher on the set of his new music video 'Moving Mountains'. The video is directed by The Brothers Strause who also did Love In This Club. The track is the 2nd single from his forthcoming album 'Here I Stand' which will be released on May 27th. The video is a continuity from his last video Love In This Club. Check out a couple of pics from the set:


Looks pretty intense. I basically laughed out loud at his facial expressions. That said, the song is hot and the video looks fierce. I wonder why Keri Hilson wasn't used again as the main video chick. It only made sense. Ah well. More pics after the fold.



MORE IMAGES FROM THE SHOOT:




TENTATIVE TRACKLISTING FOR 'HERE I STAND':



1. Intro
2. Love In This Club featuring Young Jeezy
3. This Ain’t Sex
4. Trading Places
5. Moving Mountains
6. What’s Your Name featuring will.i.am
7. Prayer For You Interlude
8. Something Special
9. Love You Gently
10. Best Thing featuring Jay Z
11. Before I Met You
12. His Mistakes
13. Appetite
14. What’s A Man To Do
15. Lifetime
16. Love In This Club Part II Usher featuring Beyoncé & Lil Wayne
17. Here I Stand

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Friday, 2 May 2008

R&B BITES: BEYONCE & JAY-Z'S PRENUP DETAILS REVEALED // USHER CLAIMS NOT TO BE A CHILD PIMP....

Details surrounding Beyonce and Jay-Z's prenup sees Beyonce looking at a $25 million PAY OUT should the couple divorce. Check out some of these interesting details surrounding their prenup.



Beyonce is worth a reported $100 million, and Jay-Z's net worth is estimated at $300 million. The prenup calls for Jay-Z to pay Beyonce $10 million if the marriage ends after two years, and $1 million a year for each further year she remains in the marriage, up to fifteen years. The rapper has also promised to pay her an additional $5 million for each child she bears for him-for her loss of income during pregnancy and child-rearing years [READ MORE.] Aw! The actions of a man truly in love with his woman. I can't hate on that at all. Beyonce obviously knows her worth.

Usher is also frustrated at claims that he was trying to sell pictures of his son. But he is now refuting those claims.



He says: "In no way would I ever pimp out my child for money. I am livid that people talk about my child" [SOURCE.] It is also noted that the singer posed - for free - with his son for an "incredible" Father's Day cover for Essence magazine. I don't know what to make of that. I heard a while back that he was trying to sell the pictures and demanded a higher price of what he was being offered and because of greed, the deal didn't go through. Not sure how true it is. Selling pictures of your newborn kids appears to be the trend in Hollywood these days and with the right money offered, anything is negotiable. Ask Jennifer Lopez who got the biggest payout in history. I hate it when celebs complain about not having a private life and then go and do stuff like this. I hope Halle Berry isn't keen to flaunt her daughter Nahla. I'm sure everyone is curious but she should stand her ground and be adamant that when we see her daughter, we'll see her on her terms - when she's good and ready.

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Wednesday, 30 April 2008

USHER SAYS CHRIS BROWN WILL FOLLOW HIS LEAD....

Usher is acknowledging the fact that when the day comes for him to retire music (to concentrate on fatherhood, his record label and other business ventures), Chris Brown is the one set to take his place.


Usher is quoted as saying the following: "All of this young energy is great for the industry. Chris is the guy who dances and sings, which is a lot like I do and did as a young artist as well. If time serves us correctly, and artists are continuing to better themselves, then hopefully he’ll follow the same path that I did" [SOURCE]

In another recent interview with Parlour, Usher addresses the haters, his growth as an artist, his new forthcoming album Here I Stand (May 27th) and his role as a father. As for the Chris Breezy comments, Usher be smelling his ass like roses on a lighted up scented stick. Chris has always channelled himself after Michael Jackson (as did Justin Timberlake who he's been snotty about previously), and also, Chris incites MJ as his no 1 influence and it shows. Whilst Usher is obviously the better SINGER, Chris is no doubt the better DANCER. Like Usher, Chris started out when he was in his mid-teens, so I can easily see where the two are comparable. HOWEVER, if Chris wasn't seeing massive success, he'd be no different from your Omarion's, Marques's and Mario's who also incorporate the singer-dancer category rather fluently.

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Thursday, 24 April 2008

ANOTHER BRAND NEW USHER PROMO....

Usher caused a lot of excitement in the blogosphere last night with the leaking of his Love In This Club remix with Beyonce. All they need is to shoot a video for it and it would be all over. Shutting shit down is something Usher is extremely good at. Meanwhile, check out another brand new promo pic for his forthcoming album Here I Stand (May 27th):



The pic sees Usher sitting on his lonesome at some sort of service shop. Anyway, I like how his current chart success lives up to his album title. He's cocky and likes to boast about no one being able to top him but he doesn't really need to anymore. I'm glad his album is finally dropping. We've waited long enough.

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Wednesday, 23 April 2008

USHER: LOVE IN THIS CLUB PART 2 [REMIX] FEAT BEYONCE & LIL WAYNE....

Something for the Beyonce stans to get moist over. She appears on a part 2 remix of Usher's latest smash Love In This Club which features Lil Wayne.









USHER FEAT BEYONCE & LIL WAYNE: LOVE IN THIS CLUB PART 2 [REMIX]

I like it. This is like a ballad duet though. Beyonce does a lot of wonders for remixes because the last one was with Usher's arch rival Justin Timberlake on his track 'Until The End Of Time' and that one was super hot. Lil Wayne sounds horrible on the track though. Do I prefer this to the original? They're both hot in different ways but I'm leaning more towards the original. Usher's new album 'Here I Stand' will be released on May 27th.

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Monday, 21 April 2008

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT ....

Usher and his wife Tameka were spotted departing the plush Via Veneto restaurant in Santa Monica last night in California:



They both looked smart for the swanky occasion, which was hosted by the Beckhams. UPDATE: It was a dinner party to celebrate Victoria Beckham's 34th birthday. Word in the blogosphere is that Tameka is pregnant with child no 2. If that's true, congrats to them. The dinner party was attended by many A-List celebs ranging from Diddy and on-off girlfriend Kim Porter, Will Smith and wife Jada, Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, Gwen Stefani and partner Gavin and Eva Longoria just to name a few.

Yesterday, R&B songstress Ciara attended the Temple University Liacouras Center for the 2008 National Hip-Hop Team Vote Launch in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:



She displayed lots of cleavage by donning a plunging neckline shirt which read VOTE IN 08 to support the occasion. The whole point of the national campaign is to mobilize the hip-hop generation of youth voters to ensure the largest youth voter turnout in American history on November 4, 2008. This year, they're hoping millions of 18-35 year olds will contribute towards the all-important cause.

Several other R&B songstresses was there too:



Emily King and Chrisette Michele came out as well to honour the occasion. November 4th is set to be the most historic day in politics.

Beyonce, Jay-Z and her sister Solange were spotted in LA over the weekend. Whilst husband and wife managed to avoid the camera's (almost), Solange stopped to pose with fans:



What in the hell is Beyonce wearing? On the other hand, look at Jay-Z with baby Daniel. He loves the hell outta that lil boy. He would make such a superb dad.

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Saturday, 19 April 2008

NEW USHER PROMO'S // INFO ON NEXT SINGLE....

Here are three exclusive new promo's for Usher's forthcoming album Here I Stand, which is set to drop on May 27th:




I don't mind a lil stubble on a man. Pst! All that wiry facial hair looks like scourging pad growing from the flesh. Not a good luck Usher. Not good at all. That said, I can't wait for his new album to drop. Also, MOVING MOUNTAINS is set to become the 2nd single. This was confirmed by The Brothers Strause who directed his Love In This Club video. They announced that the Love In This Club video was a dialogue for his next video Moving Mountains. You can read more on that by clicking here. Can't wait. I love that song.

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Friday, 18 April 2008

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT....

Yesterday, Mariah Carey arrived for a memorabilia donation and an autograph session at the Hard Rock Cafe in California:



The singer signed copies of her new CD
E=MC² at Universal Studio's. This chick has been on her grind lately. But she looked silly. Her stylist should be put to bath in hot oil.

Yesterday, Cassie arrived at the Evenings in Vogue Party at 1 Oak, NYC on April 17, 2008. In fact, she actually hosted the event and looked hawt!:



Cassie should be thanking her lucky stars that she's beautiful because if she didn't look the way she did, she'd have been a goner a looooong time ago. And well, Diddy wouldn't be pawning her off on us to the extent that he has. That said, she looked absolutely fab from head to toe. That jacket is fiiieeercee!

More flicks:




Ryan Leslie and Diddy were also at the scene.

This week, Dsquared honored Ryan Leslie's debut album. He's talented so it's only right that he gets honoured:




I look forwards to his new CD which drops June 3rd.

Here are a couple of pictures from last weekend when he performed his latest single Diamond Girl at Avenue Report Magazine one year anniversary bash in Washington, DC:




The event was hosted by BET's Alesha Renee' and Grammy Award Winning Songwriter/Producer Bryan-Michael Cox.

Yesterday, Latina singer/actresses Christina Milian and Adrienne Bailon attended the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood Hottest Style Makers Party held at Besco Restaurant on April 17, 2008 in Hollywood, California:




They both looked hot. I heard that Adrienne married her fella Robert Kardashian. Don't know how true that is. I don't know who told him highlighting his hairline was cute. Sooo out of touch. I see he's wanting to share some spotlight from his whoring/attention seeking sister.

Aubrey from Danity Kane was there too:



I'm convinced she does her make-up herself, probably the night before when she was on her knees and forgot to wash the icing from her eyes.

Latina singer Kat DeLuna attended and performed at the 50th GRAMMY Celebration Tour which was presented by T-Mobile Sidekick at The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater on April 16, 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida: