Usher prepares "OMG Tour" and talks Michael Jackson

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

This year has been great for Usher as he has dominated yet another summer. Beginning in the winter, he gave the world "Daddy's Home," and he continued well into the spring. "Lil' Freak" ushered in the warm weather and he slowed things down with "There Goes My Baby."

While all of those songs were hits, the summer was not defined until the release of "OMG." Usher posted yet another number one single and solidified himself as the king. Even months after its initial release, the song still receives significant radio play. Now, Usher has decided to capitalize off his success.

Usher has arranged for an "OMG Tour." Of course, the tour is named after his chart-topping hit. But, Usher said he wants the people to literally think "Oh, my God" after seeing him perform. In many ways, Usher is being compared to the new Michael Jackson. Ever since his untimely death last summer, people have been looking for an artist to fill that void.

Growing up, Usher was a big fan of Michael Jackson's and he inspired his career. Usher hopes to make similar achievements to what Jackson did. However, he will not push himself the way Michael Jackson did because that is one reason he died. Right now, Usher considers himself to be relatively young, but when he gets older, Usher said he will not be touring. Later in his career, Usher still wants to put out music, but he will not be going on tour following the releases.

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Dwyane Wade gets his Super-Team, but they Fail to Win

By Sports Authority
JR Staff Writer

Four years ago, Dwyane Wade was on the fast track to success after leading the Miami Heat to a championship. The feat was impressive because Wade was only in his third year. More impressive was the fact that he put the entire team on his back and led them to a spectactular comeback to win the ring.

For the first time, sports media outlets were questioning if Wade was possibly better than LeBron James. There was a moment in time when Dwyane Wade was getting credit for his accomplishments. However, the next season would prove to be a test, as the Heat struggled and Wade was injured midseason.

The knee and shoulder injuries kept Dwyane Wade out for most of the 2007-2008 season and the Heat posted the NBA's worst record. The next season, Wade redeemed himself, and was the best player in the league. Despite his performance, the Heat continued to struggle, but made the playoffs. Soon, rumors of Dwyane Wade leaving Miami began.

Last season, there were times when it appeared as if Dwyane Wade had given up on his Heat. No matter what, they just could not get things right. Wade needed a real team around him because his top rivals, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, were leading well-rounded teams. The Heat took a risk in the 2010 offseason by unloading their entire roster. But, it paid off when Chris Bosh left an even worse situation in Toronto to play for the Miami Heat.

Following Bosh's exit, LeBron James left his league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers to also be a part of the Wade-led Miami Heat. Sports experts said the new-look Miami Heat would easily dominate the leage and win the championship. But, two weeks into the season, the Heat seem to only be able to defeat the weaker teams in the league. Already, the new-look Heat are 0-2 against the Boston Celtics and they have also lost to both the New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz, teams they are supposed to easily defeat.

Even with this super-roster, Dwyane Wade finds himself in a similar position to the position he holds each season, barely holding on while everyone else dominates.

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Ne-Yo welcomes his First Child

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

For years, Ne-Yo has been living the life most people only dream about. Realizing this, Ne-Yo made a song about how much fun he is having. Most men would love to be able to sing and dance like Ne-Yo and have the money he does. Even with all of this and always surrounded by beautiful women, something was missing in his life.

Despite the rumors surrounding his sexuality, Ne-Yo is straight and has wanted children for some time. However, due to the life he lives and women throwing themselves at him, he has not been great relationship material. Ne-Yo has longed for a relationship, but his lifestyle is rough on a woman.

When Ne-Yo met Monyetta Shaw, things were different. She accepted him for who he was and what he did. Shaw enjoyed a front row seat and lives the "Champagne Life." Ne-Yo has repeatedly told the media that he is madly in love with his girlfriend and made waves when he announced she was pregnant with his child.

Now, with the release of Libra Scale right around the corner, Ne-Yo's life has been changed forever. He is now a part of the fatherhood club. Yes, Ne-Yo has been living the good life for some time, but now he feels as though his life is truly complete because he has someone he can mold. Ne-Yo and Monyetta happily showed the world their beautiful daughter, Madilyn Grace Smith.

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Keyshia Cole prepares "Calling All Hearts" album

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Having been out of the spotlight for a while, Keyshia Cole is back to take over the game again. During her time off, the game has drastically changed. Now, the force in music is Drake and his label-mate, Nicki Minaj. Hoping to reclaim her spot, Cole has reached out to Nicki for her first single.

Keyshia Cole and Nicki Minaj teamed up for the lead single from her fourth album, Calling All Hearts. The ladies team up for the single, "I Ain't Thru." Ever since Keyshia Cole found herself a Cavalier and had a baby, some people assumed she was done with the game.

However, Keys has news for all of the critics. Not only is she here to stay, but she wants to work with the big dogs. During her initial run, Eminem was out of the public eye. But, during her time off, Eminem made a legendary comeback. Now, with both stars being out at the same time, Keyshia wants to record with Em.

With her single gaining traction, Keyshia Cole is ready to go ahead and make her return to the game that was once hers. She plans to release Calling all Hearts four days before Christmas on December 21, 2010 on Geffen Records.

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Will.i.Am says Michael Jackson album is Disrespectful

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Before he died, Michael Jackson wanted to make one final comeback to prove he could do it. In 2007, he went in the studio with Kanye West and Akon. The plan was to release another album, but his issues with Sony stopped that from happening. Early in 2009, he planned another comeback, but he died trying to complete it.

Now, one year after his death, Sony is releasing the material the late pop star was working on. Hip hop star, 50 Cent had said Jackson wanted to work with him before he died. Sadly, he never had the chance to record with him. While they never recorded together, some of 50's vocals will be added to Jackson's unfinished track.

In an effort to complete the album, Sony has invited Kanye West and others on this album. In 2008, Michael Jackson worked with both Akon and Kanye West for his Thriller sequel. This is one reason why they were selected to helm the album. Will.i.Am also worked with Jackson, but he chose to stay out of his latest release.

Will.i.Am said the new Michael Jackson album is disrespectufl. He does not feel as though Michael Jackson would have recorded with all of these artists for one album. Outside of that, he does not feel as if Sony is respecting him. Michael Jackson did not give them his permission to release this music before his death and he would probably fight them on it now. Modeling himself after Jackson, Will.i.Am feels as though he was a professionalist and did not stop until a song was complete, he feels it is wrong the way Jackson is being done.

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Chris Rock to narrate Busta Rhymes' new album

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

With his hit television sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris," being cancelled last year, Chris Rock has had plenty of free time. He returned to the big screen with Grown Ups and he has other projects in the works. Rock misses television, but he loves having his freedom back.

Chris Rock has been slightly more hip hop than most of the other comedians. Rock has actually used hip hop beats on a few of his comedy albums. He teamed up with the late Gerald Levert for his hit "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)." The song has since become a comedy classic.

Busta Rhymes has always been one of the more eccentric rappers. He is often doing something in order to stick out from other rap stars. But, in recent years, Busta Rhymes has been sounding a lot like the other rappers instead of setting trends. When he first announced this album, Busta promised that he would bring something different to the table.

For his latest album, E.L.E. II, a sequel to his 1998 album, Busta Rhymes has invited Chris Rock onto the album as a narrator. This is the ultimate marriage between hip hop and comedy. The album is slated to come out either next month or next year.

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Keri Hilson rates the Men of Hip Hop and R&B

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

During a recent interview with Funkmaster Flex, Keri Hilson was asked to rate some of the men in hip hop and R&B. Among the men she rated were 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Drake. In the interview, Hilson gave her honest opinion. She was afraid her honesty may end up hurting some of the mens' feelings.

When speaking on Trey Songz, Keri Hilson said he was extremely sexy. She likes his body, but she is not into the sexy guys like him who make sexy faces. Hilson gave him credit for also being handsome in the face and rated him between a seven and an eight. She felt as if that was a good number for him.

Keri Hilson said she thinks J. Cole is sexy, but mainly because of his talent. Hilson says talent is a major turn-on for most girls. She later went on to say he is not her type because she likes chocolate and she does not like tall men. Most of the men on the list were high-yellow said Hilson. She ended up giving J. Cole between a five and a six.

More of her type, however, was Usher. Keri Hilson had a lot to say about Usher. The two recorded together on the remix of Trey Songz' "I Invented Sex." Hilson admitted she always liked Usher's body and his dancing abilities. Because of all of this, and the fact that he was not too tall, Keri Hilson ended up giving the "There Goes My Baby" singer a nine.

As the interview went on, she gave John Legend a seven. While she said 50 Cent had a nice body, Hilson said he was not her type, she gave the G-Unit general a five. Keri Hilson said she did not want to hurt his feelings, so she could not really rate Drake. In her opinion, Hilson felt some of Drake's attractiveness came from his sensitivity because females like that. She ended up giving Drake a six.

Last year, Keri Hilson teamed up with Lil Wayne and scored her biggest hit to date. Again, because of his creativity, Wayne scored pretty high. But, one major turn off for Hilson was all of his children. She said that would be very hard to deal with. Wayne's life, to her, is like one big happy family. But, even with the big family and the legal woes, Keri Hilson gave Lil Wayne a seven.

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R. Kelly prepares "Love Letter" album for December release

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Not even one year removed from releasing Untitled, R. Kelly is back in the studio working on a new album. Recently, R. Kelly reminded the people he was back. He released a new single, "When a Woman Loves," inspired by the Sam Cooke hit, "When a Man loves a Woman. Now, he is finishing the rest of the album.

Released earlier this week, the song is close to making it on the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout his career, R. Kelly has posted many hits, but has only topped the charts twice. As of right now, he has not named any collaborations for this new album. However, he told the public his album will be called Love Letter.

Set for a December 14 release, Love Letter, is the first of three albums R. Kelly will be releasing. Following this album, R. Kelly will record an album titled Zodiac and release it in 2011. Once he has completed Zodiac, Kelly will go back in the studio and record TP 4. He will release the TP 4 album sometime in 2012.

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Rihanna goes topless for "Loud" album cover

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Trying to reclaim her spot, Rihanna is making noise. Recently, she topped the charts with her Drake-assisted single, "What's My Name?" Following her latest chart topper, Rihanna decided to do a video for the song. With the video in high-rotation, anticipation for the album is at a new high.

Next week, Rihanna plans to release her fifth album, Loud, with her longtime label, Def Jam. While Jay-Z is no longer a part of the Def Jam family, he is still involved in Rihanna's career. His new company, Roc Nation, manages her career. With Jay-Z still calling the shots, he helped her with promoting the album.

Rihanna has been known for eccentric album covers throughout her career. She turned the corner when she recorded A Good Girl Gone Bad. Since that time, Rihanna has been one of the biggest sex symbols in the recent years. Due to the fact that sex sells, Rihanna has embraced this image and always pushed the envelope.

The cover of her Loud album will see this trend continue. On the album cover, Rihanna appears to be topless on the cover. While her breasts do appear to be out, they are covered from the camera by her left arm. Still, a lot of men are likely to purchase the album just to see a glimpse of the "Umbrella" star's assets.

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JR New Video of the Day: Rihanna ft. Drake - "What's My Name?"

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