Keri Hilson and the Game go Down Under

Game grabbed a seat next to Keri Hilson as they made the long trek to Australia. The labelmates smiled for a TwitPic on the plane before taking off from LAX. “15 hr flt & she gone be singin the whole way.. STAY TUNED,” tweeted the red-haired rapper, who was fresh off a 24-hour shoot for his “Red Nation” video.


They will both perform at Supafest 2011 along with Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Timbaland, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Bow Wow, and more. The four-date urban music festival takes place in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, and Melbourne, and is expected to draw over 100,000 people.

Tameka Raymond Talks Plastic Surgery Scare

Tameka Foster Raymond explains her 2009 health scare when she suffered cardiac arrest in Brazil, resulting from complications from near liposuction plastic surgery procedure on her stomach. Her then husband, singer Usher Raymond, was scheduled to perform at Clive Davis’s annual Pre-Grammy Gala, but canceled at the last minute to be at his wife’s bedside.

 

“I had a Brazilian nanny. It was her son’s birthday. She was very sad she couldn’t go and see him for his birthday. The tickets are very expensive to go. I had a little slight attitude, and I was like, ‘You want to go to Brazil? We’re gonna go.’ It was one of those Waiting To Exhale moments. You know how women do that? And when I got there, I started seeing all those pretty people walking around. And I was like ‘Dang!’ And my nanny was formerly a nurse there and she said, ‘Oh yeah, its popular here and inexpensive.”

“She was even telling me how people would get it and they would snap back so fast. And I just had a little pooch. I’ve always been a person who has been into my body and staying fit. And I had a baby, like, three months earlier. And I’m not going to lie, I was mad at my husband at the time so I thought, ‘Let’s take a trip.’”

“So I took my sister. I took my nanny. And I took my assistant. And everybody was shocked, like, ‘Vacation?’ I was like ‘Yep. I’m going to Brazil.’ And I had never been before and it was beautiful. The weather was hot, So me, I was just trying to be spontaneous. I sent the children to him with another nanny and assistant. I was like, ‘You deal with them.’ You know? ‘You want to be M.I.A. for the most part? You deal with them.’ And when I got there I made a really dumb decision. It was dumb, because it wasn’t nothing a few crunches and another month wouldn’t have gotten off. I never had the surgery. I ended up going into cardiac arrest while I was getting anesthesia.”

Gwen Stefani Covers Alternate “ELLE” Cover

Inside, she dishes on whether she thinks girls like Rihanna & Lady Gaga were influenced by her style as well as the longevity of today’s music. Really? I don’t see myself in those girls. I usually put pants on. I see these girls as more going for the sex-symbol thing. I was more, in the band, like a tomboy. Of course, I think every girl is sexy, so there’s going to be a little of that. But I see a lot of younger artists going more toward the sexy thing.

On today’s music longevity
When we were growing up, some of the hits were legendary ones that you hear your whole life. But certain songs, I don’t know if you’ll ever hear them again. Because that’s what that music is, like a guilty pleasure, it’s right at the moment.

More Pics of Nicki Minaj from her “ELLE’ Photoshoot

Nicki Minaj graces the cover of “ELLE” magazine for their “Women In Music” issue.   In the five page spread Minaj tones it down a lil bit,  rocking her long black hair ditching the colorful tresses.

SONGWRITER GOES AFTER KANYE & RIHANNA OVER PUBLISHING!

Songwriter Heather Bright is putting the music industry on blast for failing to acknowledge the people that write the bulk of its hits.  She’s particularly singling out artists like Rihanna, Kanye West and Justin Bieber for failing to pay full publishing fees on songs they didn’t write.

“Rihanna takes publishing. Justin Bieber takes publishing. Kanye West takes publishing,” she said in an interview with Free Wired. “On all the stuff that they don’t write, they take publishing.”

Bright, who doesn’t actually cite any specific examples, co-wrote the Bieber smash ‘Somebody to Love’ as a track for Usher, yet after the song was released, she was surprised to see that the young pop star had received songwriting credit for her work. She gets no royalties when he performs the song in concert, either.

FBI Releases Documents On B.I.G. Murder; Rapper Killed With Rare Ammunition

 

Rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace was shot and killed with a very rare form of ammunition, according to new documents released by the FBI under the Freedom of Information act.

While most of the information is known,  the FBI documents reveal details into what the agency knew about the case.

The FBI investigation also stated that a variety Los Angeles Police Department officers, both on and off duty – with gang ties – helped the shooter escape, in addition to stymying the investigation, by not following up on witness reports, or properly documenting witness statements.

At one point, at least 10 witnesses were ready to provide information, but refused to talk to the LAPD.

They were willing, however, to talk to the FBI about the murder. The FBI also has uncut video of the shooting.

The documents states that while Death Row was making millions selling records by artists like Tupac, Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound, other associates working for the label were allegedly selling kilos of cocaine for $14,000, which were then re-sold on the East Coast, for $24,000.

According to the documents, B.I.G. was shot and killed with rounds of Gecko 9mm armor piercing ammunition, which is rarely found in the United States and made in Germany.

After an anonymous caller tipped other police that an unnamed Mob Piru Blood’s gang member was involved, Los Angeles Police Department officers obtained a search warrant and found 9mm guns and more Gecko 9mm rounds.

The LAPD never conducted ballistic tests and according to documents, more officers were involved in thwarting the investigation, including two of former Chief Parks’

Jennifer Hudson Does Elle

Jennifer Hudson flaunts her new slim-line physique in the latest instalment of Elle magazine. The soulful songstress, along with the likes of Adele and Willow Smith, features in the fashion publication’s special ‘Women In Music’ issue.

Grammy Awards Categories Get Revamped

Change has finally come to the Grammy Awards. In an announcement made today by the President/CEO of the Recording Academy, Neil Portnow, and Academy Board Chair Emeritus, Jimmy Jam, it was revealed that the voting system of the prestigious ceremony has been restructured. The total number of categories for next year’s 54th Grammy Awards ceremony have been reduced from 109 to only 78 with all fields remaining the same. Furthermore, in the genres of Pop, R&B, Rap and Country music, all distinctions between male and female performances have been erased, and group performances and collaborations have been combined into a single category.

53rd GRAMMY Awards

54th GRAMMY Awards

(109 categories) (78 categories)
GENERAL FIELD GENERAL FIELD
Record Of The Year Record Of The Year
Album Of The Year Album Of The Year
Song Of The Year Song Of The Year
Best New Artist Best New Artist
POP FIELD POP FIELD
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Best Pop Solo Performance
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals Best Pop Instrumental Album
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Best Pop Vocal Album
Best Pop Instrumental Performance  
Best Pop Instrumental Album  
Best Pop Vocal Album  
DANCE FIELD DANCE/ELECTRONICA FIELD
Best Dance Recording Best Dance Recording
Best Electronic/Dance Album Best Dance/Electronica Album
TRADITIONAL POP FIELD TRADITIONAL POP FIELD
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
ROCK FIELD ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance Best Rock Performance
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
Best Hard Rock Performance Best Rock Song
Best Metal Performance Best Rock Album
Best Rock Instrumental Performance  
Best Rock Song  
Best Rock Album  
ALTERNATIVE FIELD ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album Best Alternative Music Album
R&B FIELD R&B FIELD
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Best R&B Performance
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Best Traditional R&B Performance
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals Best R&B Song
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance Best R&B Album
Best Urban/Alternative Performance  
Best R&B Song  
Best R&B Album  
Best Contemporary R&B Album  
RAP FIELD RAP FIELD
Best Rap Solo Performance Best Rap Performance
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Best Rap Song
Best Rap Song Best Rap Album
Best Rap Album

Naked Mariah Carey Shows Off Baby Bump

Mariah Carey is about to give birth, but before she brings her twins into the world, the pop diva is posing nude for Life & Style. A glowing Mimi bares her pregnant belly on the magazine’s cover.

“I was feeling very vulnerable about taking pictures at all right now, but then I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to document this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Mariah tells Life & Style. “My ultimate goal was to share this incredibly personal moment with my true fans.”

The boy and girl are not due for another few weeks, but they are eager to meet their parents. “The babies were kicking almost the entire time; it was unbelievable,” she shares. “Especially the girl—clearly she’s a diva in training! We didn’t start shooting until 1:30 a.m. because I was in the hospital from the night before until the day of the shoot with contractions five minutes apart!”

Janet Jackson to Make History at Paris’ Louvre Museum

Janet Jackson is about to make history. The iconic performer has been tapped as the first female pop artist to perform under the I.M.Pei glass Pyramid at Paris’ famed Louvre Museum, with plans to give a live show during the biannual fundraising event “Liaisons au Louvre.”

The global superstar shared her excitement to be chosen to entertain at the black-tie affair on June 14. “The Louvre and its stunning glass Pyramid are equaled only by the priceless treasures that are housed within its impressive walls,” she exclaimed. “It is an honor to be asked to participate in such an incredible evening at this historic location. ‘Liaisons au Louvre’ will be an unequaled event, raising much needed funds for this institution and the preservation of art that moves the soul.”

Henri Loyrette, Président-Directeur of the Louvre Museum, added, “Janet Jackson is one of the world’s greatest artistic treasures. Accordingly, we are profoundly honored, and believe it most fitting, that her performance in the Louvre Museum will be yet another masterpiece captured under our glorious glass Pyramid. I believe the evening with Janet Jackson will be a great ‘coup’ for our institution!”

Ms. Jackson is currently on the final U.S. dates of her “Number Ones: Up Close and Personal” tour, wrapping in Las Vegas on April 24.