Remember last week’s episode of “R&B Divas” when Keke Wyatt called Angie Stone an “old a** b****” and stormed away from the diva intervention going on between the “Brotha” singer and the rest of the cast? Well we got a chance to do a live Twitter chat with Keke after last night’s episode of the TV One reality show and one of the first questions we asked her was what is up with her beef with the singer. Luck for us, she did not hesitate to explain the real deal.

@kekewyattsings tell us something where do things stand with you & Angie now ‘cuz last episode you were NOT feeling her #RBDivasATL #MNChats

— MadameNoire (@MadameNoire) May 16, 2013

@madamenoire I hv 6 kids of my own. You can not talk to grown women like we’re 2.. No Ma’am! But Angie is Cool #RBDivasATL #MNChats — KeKe Wyatt (@KeKeWyattSings) May 16, 2013

We’re not mad at that. Angie Stone definitely descended upon Keke, Syleena, Faith, Nicci, LaTocha, and Monifah in a mother hen, “I’ve been doing this longer than you — and way better might I add — so you have to listen to me” kind of way. But we did think it was a little funny how Keke didn’t want Angie coming at her like a child, but she always talks to her hubby, poor Michael Jamar, like he was born yesterday. We asked the 31-year-old singer about that too and she said she’s not as hard on her boo in real life as it seems on the show.

@madamenoire NO MA’AM lmao J/K I love my husband. Folk’s may not understand our relationship & I may not understand others But its ALL Love

— KeKe Wyatt (@KeKeWyattSings) May 16, 2013

Check out what else we chatted with the craziest cast member of the “Divas” about on the next page — like why no one wants to do this “R&B Divas” tour and what’s up with her duet CD with Avant. Follow the whole stream on Twitter at #MNChats too.

WENN.com

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?

The Beyonce Pepsi can.

Beyonce and Pepsi have signed off on a deal estimated to be worth $50 million that will make the two brands partners, not just for commercials, but for the entertainer’s creative endeavors.

Pepsi announced today — through a press release and an article in The New York Times — that Beyonce will be a “brand ambassador” for Pepsi, appearing in a new set of ads for the soft drink brand as part of the “Live For Now” international campaign. Beyonce has been in Pepsi ads since 2002. The ads will begin airing after she performs at the Super Bowl, which Pepsi is also sponsoring.

But the relationship goes deeper than that. Pepsi will also be supporting the promotion of Bey’s next album, which will be released at some to-be-determined date in 2013 and sponsoring Beyonce’s world tour next year. There will also be a variety of other creative projects like live events, videos, and other Pepsi/Beyonce doings supported by a Creative Development Fund. There’s already a hashtag for the partnership: #LiveForNow. The limited edition cans (above) will be available starting in Europe in March. And you’ll even see a cut out of the image below at your local supermarket.

“For Pepsi, the goal is to enhance its reputation with consumers by acting as something of an artistic patron instead of simply paying for celebrity endorsements,” the NY Times reports.

These sorts of partnerships are nothing new. What’s different is how elaborate they’ve become, intertwining with a performer’s activities so that they’re associated with many aspects of an album, book, or other work. The Times talks about the partnership between Bey’s hubby Jay Z and Microsoft for the release of his book Decoded. And, you’ll recall, Pepsi partnered with Nicki Minaj for ads and other sponsorship opportunities. (There was some drama related to that deal and Minaj’s judging spot on American Idol, which is sponsored by Coke. A quick check of the Pepsi website shows no sign of Minaj.)

Source: Lia Toby/WENN.com

The remaining members of TLC are trying to make a serious come-up right now with T-Boz landing a reality show on TLC and VH1 putting together a biopic on the girl group. Now Chilli and T-Boz are getting serious about going on tour again and they’re playing with the idea of using a hologram of Left-Eye for the show.

‘The hologram is something we talked about and thought about years ago, Chilli told the U.K.’s metro newspaper. “Obviously timing is everything but we’re definitely talking about it.”

Since Tupac appeared as a hologram during Coachella this year, everyone has been playing with the idea of digitally resurrecting artists for performances. Even though it was amazing to see an image of Pac rock the stage with Snoop and Dr. Dre for a song or two, an entire two-hour concert tour performance is a whole other beast. Chilli insists it’s what TLC fans want to see though.

“It will be hard on us but I certainly think our fans would love to see it. We would definitely be the first group to ever do it,” she said.

“I think we would probably pass out and all of our fans would break down but it’s amazing how real the hologram looks, it’s almost like you can touch the person. It’s great but spooky  at the same time but we’re definitely thinking about it.”

I would think the hologram wouldn’t be the only concern with TLC hitting the road again. Chilli and T-Boz are now 41 and 42, not exactly the barely legal ladies who were singing about not being too proud to beg. T-Boz also has several health issues she’s dealing with, not the least of which is sickle-cell anemia. Creating a Left-Eye hologram would be an amazing idea for a big performance at the Grammys or something but I don’t know if they could pull off a whole concert series with that.

Even if that doesn’t work, the girls are still planning their first new album in 10 years, telling reporters at the Mobo Awards in Liverpool:

“We’re going to still sound like TLC, evolving to whatever level we need to be at this time.”

What do you think about a new TLC album? Would you buy a ticket to see TLC on tour with a Left-Eye hologram?

While the deets of the interview aren’t available yet, Rihanna must have received the “green light” to unveil the November cover of Vogue magazine.  On the cover, with photos by Annie Leibovitz, Rihanna is rocking red lips and a red dress to go with her new short ‘do.

This cover story, of course, goes right along with her new album Unapologetic (we think that’s the name at this point) which is also set to drop next month.  She absolutely does not seem to stop working because she just finished touring for her last album over the summer and she’ll be right back at it at the top of the year to tour with Unapologetic.

While Vogue isn’t known for showcasing black women on the cover, Rih has snagged it twice in the States and once last year for British Vogue.  Her management team seems to be right in line with Rih’s work ethic, huh?

I wonder what she’ll be talking about. It seems like we know as much as she’s going to tell us at this point, doesn’t it?

What do you think of the cover?

Source: vibe.com

If you missed D’Angelo performing at the BET Awards (you can go to the site and check it out) Sunday before last and didn’t have the ducats to fly down to New Orleans, find a place to stay and pay for the shows at Essence Fest, you’re in luck. You can still experience D’Angelo live and in full effect, as well as the always amazing and talented Mary J. Blige because the two are going on tour with each other next month.

During what they call “The Liberation Tour,” a co-headlining opportunity, the two mega R&B stars will be hitting up venues in August showcasing their talents and new tracks. Blige told Rolling Stone that the tour will include around 20 stops and said she thought the powerhouses teaming up would be exciting for fans: “I felt like it would be refreshing and fun for people to see him and Mary J. Blige on the road together.” Yes, she spoke in third person if you were confused. Anywho, if you were doubting it before it definitely looks like your man is back. From showing up at the Bonnaroo festival last month, to showing up at the BET Awards, The House of Blues in LA, Essence Fest and an upcoming appearance at Jay-Z’s Made In America Festival in September, after more than a decade of being reclusive, D’Angelo’s back at it and shows no signs of slowing up.

I think we can all agree that that’s a ticket we wouldn’t mind doling out dollars for, as we all know Mary will bring it, and it would be nice to look back 10 years from now and say you saw D’Angelo hit the stage again, you know, just in case he decides to play hide and seek again in the future. Here are the already announced dates, and keep an eye out for the rest of the scheduled performances soon:

• Aug. 18 Virgina Beach, VA (Farm Bureau Live)

• Aug. 19 Wantagh, NY (Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach)

• Aug. 21 Boston, MA (Bank of America Pavilion)

• Aug. 23 Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center)

• Aug. 26 Washington, DC (Verizon Center)

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• Never Thought They’d Make It: Couples We Didn’t Think Would Still Be Together!
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Source: Swag Africa

Jay-Z is looking out for his wife and the whole Carter family big time with a new deal he’s trying to put in the works. Since Beyonce has a joint management deal with her husband’s label Roc Nation and Live Nation, Jay has approached Live Nation to sign a $150 million touring deal for Bey.

Jay-Z is said to believe the exclusive shows on the world tour would be a complete sell-out, saying demand for Bey hasn’t dropped at all since she’s taken a small break to have Blue Ivy, but Live Nation may feel a bit differently. A source told the New York Post:

“Just weeks after the birth of Blue Ivy, Jay met with Live Nation to discuss a tour for Beyoncé, he wanted a deal worth about $150 million, but they countered with a lower offer.”

Live Nation might also just be trying to get the most bang for their buck because any show Bey puts on is pretty much guaranteed to sell out, and people are probably more anxious than ever to see if she’s still got it post-baby. In 2008, Jay signed a $150 million, 10-year deal with Roc Nation for recordings, tours, and entertainment ventures so I respect him trying to get the same money for his wife.

What do you think? Is $150 million too much to ask or does Bey demand that type of deal?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Fans who were excited about D’Angelo’s return to R&B will have to wait just a little bit longer because the soulful singer isn’t off to such a good start.

Last night, D’Angelo had to cancel his Amsterdam concert because he fell off the stage before the show began. According to Eurweb:

“The doors were supposed to open at 7[PM],” a source told The BoomBox. “There were a couple hundred people waiting in line. They opened the doors to the venue at about [7:20PM] and a few guys from the venue — bouncers I guess — came outside and informed the crowd that D’Angelo had fallen from the stage last night, and will not be performing tonight.”

I’m sure the ladies were not happy about that, but the show was rescheduled for Feb. 2 so they only have a couple of days to wait while D’Angelo shakes off the pain. It can’t be easy making a comeback after 10 years, but ‘m sure he’ll get it together in no time.

Do you plan on checking out his show when he comes back to the US?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Second chances come a dime a dozen. Life teaches us that learning from our mistakes is the next chapter toward rebuilding our lives. In some cases, it doesn’t. But if the going gets tough, there should be hope at the end of the tunnel. One artist who has traveled through that fiery tunnel is R&B musician, El Debarge. Now smoother and sexier than ever, the comeback singer refreshes us with a new album in store titled “Second Chance” which marks his personal and professional trails.

Read the rest of this entry »

Okay ladies, we’ve been in the same box when it comes to love, pain, and heartache. One minute, we find ourselves cuddling up with the man of our dreams and the next, that dream becomes deferred. Even worse, healing over a tumultous breakup can take months or years to sift through. Love is both a gift and a curse, but a conqueror has the resilence to find bliss on the other side with Trey Songz’s music.

The R&B swooner’s successful LP, “Passion, Pain,and Pleasure” is heating up the charts with singles such as “Neighbors Know My Name” and “Can’t Be Friends.” The 15-track album features an eclectic mix that will end those long days and dreary nights. In fact, the subject matter points to vivid afflictions of love and pain, but manages to plug in a song or two about rampant sexcapades which reveals more of a sensual side to the singer than we realize. Songz offers both a cutthroat and adventurous sound that is unique in the music industry. If we let him, he may boil over our heads with his musical spells!

Other radio-friendly suggestions on his album include a track with Drake titled, “Unusual” produced by Noah “40” Shebib, and another with the vibrant Nicki Minaj called “Bottom’s Up.” His album is marked as one of the most passionate records of the year. You can also check him out on his upcoming national tour.