Look who the cat drug in. It’s “My Neck, My Back” rapper Khia. Chances are, you like the rest of us, haven’t seen or heard from Khia for some time now. So it’s interesting that she would pop back up with this low budget photo shoot. Here we see Khia draped in what looks like a velour towel holding a football…even though the season is over.

I’ve never been a fan of Khia’s antics or her music (I’m probably one of the few black women who doesn’t like “My Neck My Back) and this photo shoot, most likely promoting her latest album, doesn’t really change any of that. By the way the new album will include songs like “Lick Me Dry,” “Dickmatize,” and the guaranteed smash hit, “Pay Yo Pu$$y Bill.”

Homegirl is out here with all of her tattoos on display…looking…well you see it. And in case you were wondering, yes that is Pac Man headed to Khia’s cooch. Classy.

We can’t help but wonder if this little photo shoot was her attempt to tap into another artist’s shine. We’ll let you decide for yourself.

You can check out the rest of her pictures from this photo shoot on Twitter. You’ll want to check them out, they’re even more scandalous than what we can show you here.

Either way, caption what Khia is saying or thinking in the above photos…

Eve was the first lady of Ruff Ryders back in the late nineties, back when DMX’s bark was all over the radio and before Swizz Beatz wore skinny pants and fedoras (both former members of Ruff Ryders by the way). And she surprised us by being one of few women in the game whose content focused more on her lyrics. Eve released “Gotta Man” and “Love is Blind” and fought for her shine as a one of the top female artists in the game despite competition from Foxy Brown and Lauryn Hill.

So if you missed Eve, she’s on her way back! The Grammy-winning artist has not released an album since 2002′s “Eve-Olution.” But the best part about the comeback is it will be on her own terms. Her album will be released under her own independent label, the recently formed FTR Music, or From the Ribs Music. The album, “Lip Lock,” will be distributed through Sony/Red on May 14 and feature Snoop Dog and Chrisette Mitchele. In an interview with Billboard, she also talks about her troubles with her former label Interscope.

Eve recently gave a taste of what to expect when she dropped the single “She Bad Bad,” this past October. The video, posted on January 8, has over 1.2 million views on YouTube.

She revealed that we should expect a new single, “Make It Out This Town,” to drop in the new few weeks.

“It is a track about being in a dark place — or you could literally say being in the town that you’re in but you have bigger dreams or bigger hopes… just making it out of that situation and knowing that you can do whatever it is that you put your mind to. It’s a song that I’m dedicating and using with my partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,” Eve told Billboard.

I, for one, am looking forward to another comeback from a familiar face. Eve is making a power move by starting her own label and calling the shots.

However, we are living in different times, and there is a high correlation between comebacks and your social media following or reality TV presence. So hopefully Eve’s got some tricks up her sleeve over these next couple of months to make her relevant again before her album is released in May.

After the jump, check out the “She Bad Bad” video, ICYMI.

“No gimmicks. Real R&B music,” is how Brandy describes her sixth studio album to Rap-Up.com.

Is it just me or does Brandy just SOUND so READY both in the press and in these last few singles she’s released? While I have to admit that the duet (“It All Belongs To Me”) with Monica was not my fave, the collab with Chris Brown “Put It Down” had me sitting in the car even after I had reached my destination just to hear the song in its entirety.

About a month ago she released “Wildest Dreams” a nod to the love she’s found with music exec, Ryan Press, and a few days ago she released two more singles off of her upcoming album, including, “No Such Thing As Too Late” and “Let Me Go.” And I must admit – I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Maybe it was watching her whole story told on VH1’s “Behind The Music.” Or maybe it’s simply because I always saw her as a vocal beast and role model from “Sittin’ Up In My Room” up to now. Maybe it’s just a solid mix of the two, but without a doubt I am completely ready for Brandy to take her place sittin’ on top of the charts again. She’s had a rough go of it with albums that just weren’t quite there sonically or were overshadowed by her serious bouts with depression, a publicly failed relationship and a tragedy of a car accident which left vicious bloggers and commenters calling her a “murderer” when in fact, she had not been completely at fault in the ordeal.

It seems the media and fans/haters alike got so caught up in her personal life that they forgot how ridiculously talented and perfectly human Brandy is. She was never a drug addict or a serial dater. She had no leaked sex tapes and never fought in public. But somehow the very human mistakes of her life were blown so enormously out of proportion that her voice and passion for her craft got lost in the melee. So yes, I’m ready for her to put it down on the charts with her new album, Two Eleven, which is set to drop today. To this day I have never heard a teenager riff with the maturity and ease that Brandy had on her debut album back in 1995. Her tone, range, honesty and humility have long been missed. She didn’t need sex to sell because she was just the beautiful girl next door who could SANG. That alone pushed her further than many of the other singers of her era.

Having called upon the talents of some of the most noted producers in the industry to work on Two Eleven, including Rico Love, Frank Ocean and Sean Garrett, Brandy is ready to put it down, not just for herself but for fans and the memory of her longtime mentor, the late Whitney Houston, whose passing on February 11, 2012 (also Brandy’s birthday) was also the inspirati0n behind the album’s title.

“It brings significance to my life… I wouldn’t say it was never there before, but now I feel like I have a bigger responsibility to not only dedicate my life to my family, but my music family as well,” Brandy shared in an interview with Hartford’s Hot 93.7.

There is a huge outpouring of support from fans worldwide as we anxiously await the full return of B-Rocka.

Are you a fan of Brandy? Are you excited for her new material?

Check out Brandy’s latest single “No Such Thing As Too Late” here and follow her on Twitter: @4everBrandy.

Eve is starting to creep back up on our radars and the Philly rapper will likely be demanding our undivided attention when her new album drops, which she says won’t be long from now. In an interview with Essence.com, Eve opened up about her new music, where she’s at creatively, and more importantly whether we’ll be hearing wedding bells anytime soon. Here are a few bits from the interview:

When her new album, “Lip Lock” is coming out
The album is coming out this year, for sure. It took a long time just because I wanted to make sure that it was perfect and right. I’m really happy with it. In fact, I’m more than happy with it – I love it!

Who she wants to work with musically
My dream collaboration is with Lauryn Hill. Is that ever gonna happen? Who knows! But there’s still a lot I feel like musically I could do.

What artists she’s listening to now
I listen to every thing, all kinds of stuff. I’ve been obsessed with the Nas and Damian Marley record, Distant Relatives. I feel like a lot of people haven’t heard it, and it’s amazing.

Whether she’s still in love
I am, thankfully!

Will her boo, British entrepreneur and race car driver Maximillion Cooper, be putting a ring on it soon
He better! (Big laughs.) Seriously! Ha! But, right now, we’re really, really happy.

Where she finds inspiration
Well, I’ve relocated to London, so right now it’s London. I walk everywhere when I’m there. It’s so eclectic. It’s New York on steroids. There are so many cultures and sounds, and people and fashion. Chicks are so fly. I live in a neighborhood where there’s a lot of West Indian culture, so it’s nice. I have to always come back because my mother would kill me if I didn’t, but right now that’s where I’m at.

Could you imagine a Lauryn Hill-Eve collabo? Hotness. It’s good to know Eve is finding inspiration—and love—abroad. She just might come back to the states with a new last name. What do you think?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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From BlackVoices.com

Stephanie Mills’ knack for hitting both the theater stage and the recording booth made her one of the most respected vocalists in R&B music. And while you may not be able to catch the pint-sized diva appearing on any of your favorite reality television shows in the near future, she has her eyes set on the coming months with a new album, various shows and a forthcoming children’s book, titled “Little Joseph.”

During an exclusive, candid interview with The Huffington Post, the Brooklyn-bred Grammy Award-winner opened up on an array of topics, including her thoughts on veteran artists starving for attention, recording a tribute album, and the idea of forming a super group with other sisters with voices.

Check out what Stephanie had to say about veteran artists appearing starved for attention on BlackVoices.com.

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Everyone has been gushing over how amazing Chaka Khan looks, especially after the singer dropped a reported 60 pounds this year, but she’s not trippin.’ In an interview with The Huffington Post, Chaka was asked how she feels about the mixed reaction to her weight loss and being labeled a sex symbol, and she replied:

“I’ve always been a sex symbol. When I was fat I was a sex symbol. Some men like it that, you know. But I don’t think about that. That’s so far from my mind right now [Laughs].”

Alright then, Chaka. She also said she isn’t paying the weight loss surgery rumors any mind either.

“They can say whatever they want. Only I know what’s really going on. My weight loss had to occur, because I was diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes and I also had high blood pressure. And I’ve been on medication for that since last year until the beginning of this year. And I ended up going, ‘Oh, no, no, no, no, this is enough. I can’t live like this.’ And I have a new little daughter to raise [my granddaughter], I adopted her so I have to be here. … [She] was really my first and major influence to lose weight and get healthy so I can be here for her. What I did was stopped eating and went on a strict unconditional fast for a couple of months. And went off meat, became vegan, stopped all the dairy, stopped all the meat.”

With that out of the way, Chaka told the reporter what is on her mind, which is capitalizing on the recent surge in interest in the ’70s funk singer. She was asked whether she’d be recording for any new blockbuster hits anytime soon, like she did in the past covering a few James Bond themes, and she replied:

“I certainly hope so. A lot of doors have opened significantly for me since I dropped the weight. And I have mixed reactions to that, but I’m going to strike the iron while it’s hot. So there’s been lots of meetings with lots of people. I’m coming out with a perfume line called, Khanasutra, a line of candles, and Chaka Lips for the holidays.

Ms. Khan also has a new album in the works, with plans to drop a few singles over the summer. The finished product won’t be out until next year, but when it hits, it will mark the 59-year-old’s 40th anniversary in the music business.

“Yes, it’s a big moment for me,” she said. “I’m still in the mix, still doing it. And even a lot better now, because I’m in much better shape than I was in the last 10 years. So everything is going really well.”‘

It’s good to see she’s still doing her thing!

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Eric Benét is gearing up to release his next album, entitled “The One” and he stopped by the Madame Noire offices in New York City to talk about why he thinks this latest project is his “best work to date.” But we didn’t let Mr. Benet go without asking him about his eyebrow-raising song entitled “Redbone Girl.” He may have been uncomfortable with the question but he certainly didn’t shy away from answering it. Check out what he had to say.

 

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From EurWeb.com

Hot soulful singer Trey Songz is hitting his fans with a new album, “Chapter V.”

He stopped by “The Breakfast Club” to talk about the new music, relationships, sex and love.

Trey told the audience he’s got a method to his music madness, explaining that he and his record label have an agreement to release mixtapes to build reputation and fans. So now his album is about to be released.

As far as love and sex is concerned, the singer figured out that love is much more magical and wonderful than sex.

For the complete story and video, visit EurWeb.com

 

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by De’Juan Galloway

Chicago native Donnell Jones steps back onto the scene with his new album “Lyrics.” Lead single, “Love Like This” offers elements of familiarity as heard in Jones’ first hit singles, “Where I Wanna Be” and “Shorty Got Her Eyes On Me.”

But, the same this album is not. Jones cites personal growth, becoming an entrepreneur and elevated lyricism as the main ingredients in “Lyrics,” due out September 28th. He promises delivery of real R&B on this LP, referring to the obvious decline of authenticity in the genre. Jones is back from his hiatus and conveys the utmost excitement in discussing his return. He planning a nationwide tour in support of his forthcoming album.

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By Khadija Allen

When Lyfe Jennings steps into the recording booth, you know this soulful singer is going to deliver thought-provoking music that brings us back to life.

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