There was a time when Motown Records owned and ran the music scene. You couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing the collaborative harmonies of The Temptations or the fabulosity of Diana Ross. These artists made you shake your hips and groove before it was even acceptable. You’ll also be surprised that some of these artists weren’t even conceived when the famous record company was at its height. Check out the 15 best artists in Motown’s history!

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Marvin Gaye

He had good looks, sex appeal and music that made you think and want to make love all at the same time. With hits like “What’s Going On?” and “Sexual Healing,” Mr. Gaye helped Motown remain at the top.

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Well, there’s something to be said for innovation, right?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping that a few love songs will boost the country’s population starting Valentine’s Day. He’s called on legendary group Boz II Men to put on a show for all the lovers (or perhaps, soon-to-be lovers) out there.

According to The Daily News, a concert will be held on February 6th featuring the trio and President Putin is apparently confident that the love songs will lead people to go forth and prosper, if you will.

While no one is sure how he got in touch with the group, he clearly piqued their interest. The group are putting their rehearsals for their Las Vegas residency and tour with New Kids On The Block and 98 Degrees on hold while they practice and head to Europe for the show.

This isn’t the first time President Putin has taken drastic measures to boost the fertility rate. In 2007, he announced a program that gave women $9,000 for having another child. According to The Daily News, it worked out pretty good.

Honestly, this whole thing sound a bit silly but he’s doing what he feels is necessary for his country.

What love song(s) gets you in the mood?

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Many stars dream of having a Las Vegas run. Boyz II Men have achieved it. They have just announced a deal to perform weekend shows at the Terry Fator Theatre at The Mirage starting March 1. Tickets, which are on sale now, start at $40. It’s not a full-residence gig like Celine Dion, but they have signed on for a healthy number of shows. The Grammy-winning 1990s R&B trio will perform 78 weekend shows through the end of the year, reports The Grio.

“Vegas residencies are usually reserved for seasoned or veteran artists; legacy artists. Boyz II Men have been around 20 years now. They are a bit younger than most of the entertainers who do Vegas residencies,” explains David Mitchell, publisher of music industry trade publication Amalgamation. The group’s broad appeal — across demographics, genre, and even families, is their biggest asset. “They would attract thirty-somethings who grew up on their music, and that audience is prime target for Vegas shows and nightlife. The cool thing about Boyz II Men is they have a string of pop crossover hits so their appeal will be across age and racial lines. They can appeal to the entire family. And not every group from the ´90s era can replicate this move.”

Some artists turn to Vegas to revive their careers. Toni Braxton is a case in point. After her half-year Vegas residency at the Flamingo, which was interrupted due to her health problems, the singer was back into the spotlight. She went on to snag a reality show and become a media attraction — financial drama aside.  There aren’t many opportunities for artists without current hits and Vegas gives them an option.

“Opportunities in the music industry aren’t what they once were, especially in the States, so a Vegas residency isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Mitchell tells us in an email.

Vegas can also give bigger-name acts a chance to do more extravagant stage shows. It’s costly to take shows with special effects on the road, but if done in Vegas at one location, the costs are kept in check. “A Vegas move could place Boyz II Men in a position to create more spectacle since they are in one place night to night. I would think an Usher or Beyonce tour, featuring all of the stage effects, could be a cost benefit from being in one place nightly,” Mitchell points out.

It’s also a big pay day for major acts. Celine Dion’s first five-year residency in Vegas from 2002 to 2007 was a multi-million dollar deal. She performed her “A New Day…” show for more than three million fans and the series of shows grossed  more than $400 million, reports Ace Showbiz. Dion re-upped in 2010 — again for a multi-million-dollar contract — for a three-year run at the Caesars Palace theater, which was originally built for her concerts.

But there can be some downside to playing in Vegas. Braxton says her financial troubles started with her stint in the city. According to TMZ.com, “[W]hen Toni’s heart condition started to act up  – in the middle of the show’s run — she had to pull the plug, but she was still on the hook to the hotel for big bucks.” The singer expected her insurance policy to cover the bill, but reports TMZ, the company claimed “Toni had an undisclosed, preexisting medical condition, rendering the policy void.”

Braxton’s case is unique, but Mitchell says there are other downsides to a long-term Vegas gig. “Some critics think once you’ve done Vegas, you’re old. I think that notion is changing, especially since seeing an artist like Toni Braxton leading the same path.”

And for big name acts, they “miss a large part of your audience by not touring. Not everyone is going to make a pilgrimage to Vegas,” he adds.

Would you go see Boyz II Men in Vegas?

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It’s a time for happiness and good cheer, drinks and laughter, good times and spending days with friends and family. But no holiday celebration can truly be complete without the proper soundtrack. So to help you in selecting the perfect songs, Madame Noire brings you the 15 best tracks for the the Christmas season. Happy holidays, everyone!

We’re going to tell you right now that this list is going to surprise you. Billboard put together a list of the top pop artists of the last twenty years between 1992 and 2012, based on hit singles and album sales. Times have changed so much over the past two decades in terms of how people consume music that it’s hard to define success by album or single sales. Selling one million albums in 1992 means totally something different from selling one million albums in 2012. In any case, it’s still fun to look at how different artists have charted over the years. Here are the top pop Black artists of the last two decades.

Chris Connor / WENN

35. TLC

Named one of the best groups of all time, TLC has ten top ten singles, four Grammy Awards, four number one singles and four multi-platinum albums. They have sold 55 million albums and are the best selling R&B female group of all time, and second best selling female group.

Source: lastfm.com

Let’s face it, gone are the days when R&B music would top the Billboard 100 without sounding like a mix of techno or house music.  Sure, you have artists like Usher and Chris Brown throwing out a few dance-worthy tracks here and there, but that’s nothing compared to the overload of pop music on the radio everyday (some of it Brown and Usher contribute to). Don’t take this the wrong way, the whole dance-meets-pop music thing can be fun sometimes, but don’t you ever miss hearing that those classic R&B vocals and tracks from back in the day? The “Come and Talk to Me,” “Candy Rain,” “Groove Me” type of joints we used to act a fool to? And while these crooners did talk about sex from time to time, that’s not ALL they talked about every time you listened to them (C’mon Trey, it’s getting old). Sadly, it appears that none of today’s most popular artists are capable of providing the type of classic music we reminisce over, and would rather spend their time dancing in skinny jeans talking about how they’ll “beat it up.” *Sighs* Let’s have a look at some of our favorite male R&B artists that no one has been able to match in recent times. This is who we like to call the real men of R&B Music.

rollingout.com

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!  This is not only a day to celebrate biological mothers but to celebrate all the women who had a hand in raising us: grandmothers, aunts, cousins, mothers of our friends…any female who helped nurture and raise the people we are today.  So, check out some of the videos on the next few pages for our Mother’s Day e-playlist!

What’s your favorite memory of you and your mom or motherly figure?

Read the rest of this entry »

by Marissa Ellis

In 2003, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men fame and his wife Sherhonda celebrated the birth of their twin sons Micah and Ty, but just over a year later, the couple would be coming face to face with a very sobering reality: their son Micah was exhibiting signs of autism. In an interview with CNN, Stockman says that Micah seemed to shut down after his first birthday, and soon thereafter, a professional diagnosis had confirmed their fears.

Stockman says one of the most difficult challenges since receiving the diagnosis has involved money. “We learned through our journey with Micah just how fortunate we were, having money,” he said. “There’s no way a normal couple or a single mom could afford this.” One in 88 children are diagnosed with autism and it’s apparent that not every parent can afford the cost of speech therapists, behaviorists and other extra special education services needed to treat a child with the condition. In response to their experience, Stockman and his wife launched Micah’s Voice, an organization dedicated to covering the costs of caring and educating a child with autism.

Watch as Stockman and his wife recount their experience with autism.

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For an artist at their peak, the shine is brighter than the rays of summer. But the sun always sets. That hasn’t stopped some of our favorite R&B stars from attempting encores to put them back in the spotlight. Let’s take a look at some recent comebacks to the game by those who step to the mic and say that they never really left.

Before you get your panties all twisted, this post is not about throwing shade. All of the following artists have held the honor of holding a slot or three in the sacred space that is my iTunes collection. But while I can appreciate their talent I am able to simultaneously recognize the fact that these people are some whiners. It’s not a bad thing. Obviously they’ve sold a couple of records or we wouldn’t be talking about them. Check the list.