New Christina Milian Snippet: "Zipper"

Today a snippet of one of Christina Milian's track "Zipper" from her upcoming album entitled Elope leaked today. "Zipper" is definitely a song that could make people remember Milian's name. The uptempo club track, features an overly catchy chorus. Sadly the song was the intended 2nd single but was changed to "Supersonic," which features supposed fiance The-Dream. Any who the track is produced by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, as well as most of the album is expected to be, since Christina Milian signed a joint venture deal with The-Dream's Radio Killa label.

Boom Boom NOW!

Finally the Black Eyed Peas (which sometimes sounds like Will.I.Am & Fergie only) received their first Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single, with their lead single to their upcoming album, "Boom Boom Pow."

The Energy Never Dies AKA The E.N.D. has been said to be the Pea's last album, which wouldn't be surprising with Fergie's recent solo success, and hence the title, END! Regardless I personally am really excited to hear their new album, the Black Eyed Peas commercially friendly Hip Hop Pop sound is infectious to say the least.

With that being said it's great that they finally earned their 1st Hot 100 number 1 single, which actually has topped the Hot 100 for it's second week in a row; I do think past singles released by them may have been more deserving of the number 1 spot. "Boom Boom Pow," hasn't fully grown on me, but it is catchy thanks to Fergs, but I like songs like "My Humps," and "Lets Get It Started," better. Any who their album The E.N.D. is slatted for a release on June 9th, 2009.

Rihanna -We're Waiting...Wherever You Are!

I know this is going to sound completely crazy to some people, but I surprisingly am missing Rihanna.

I am completely sick and tired of hearing about the whole February Chris Brown/Rihanna domestic abuse scandal. It's really old and played out, yet still gaining massive amounts of media exposure- Chris does need some substantial punishment, and Rihanna you should NOT get back with him.

With that being said quickly, I could really go for a new Rihanna single, album... but I do not want to hear something off of 2007, yes OH SEVEN's Good Girl Gone Bad being released as a single, I do not care if it's remixed either! Let it die out peacefully. I have heard some of her demos or songs being presented to her including "Hatin' On The Club," and "Emergency Room."

I am really liking "Emergency Room," and whether it's Rihanna or not whose singing on the leaked version, I could definitely be released as a "Take A Bow" Part II. Supposedly Mario wrote the song, and there also is a version out there with his vocals on it too. Interesting, cause Rihanna and Mario on a duet sounds very odd to me. Surprisingly as well I heard "Hatin' On The Club" played on (one of my) my home town's radio station, had me thinking is a Rihanna album on the way..... But still no official word yet.

This all is really different for Rihanna to take a break... Because right after "If It's Lovin' That You Want," started to die down she moved quickly onto her sophomore album's lead single "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)." And the same thing happened when "Break It Off" wasn't getting a video filmed and peaked at number 9 on the Hot 100, we quickly after started to hear "Umbrella," off of her third album. So it's kind of odd for Def Jam to give Rihanna a break, I wonder if it is because of the abuse scandal, or if its from Def Jam realizing that if another Rihanna single was released so quickly people would seriously have got sick of her, and her near Beyonce number 1 song quality factor would slowly die down. Makes you wonder.

Bye Bye BLENDER

I must say I was extremely upset to find out that my favorite music magazine, BLENDER ceased recently. Their last issue being the April 2009 Kelly Clarkson covered issue.

I've been following BLENDER magazine religiously since 2003! BLENDER was a great music magazine for fans of all musical genres. From Country to Hip Hop BLENDER always had it covered. The magazine was so unique because it was maturely written but still very easy to read and interesting. BLENDER always had great articles, artist spotlights, cartoons, stories, anything; you name it they mostly likely had it. Its a very sad day in music magazines to see a magazine like BLENDER go down the drain. Ironically before their publications end, I did notice the magazine switched down size to a smaller magazine, guess it's the economy that did this to BLENDER-very sad!

BLENDER, what about the rest of my subscription? Luckily I didn't renew yet!

Diddy Is and Was the Cause...Danity Kane No More ?

So on tonight's part 1 of the season finale of Making The Band 4, Diddy started the show out by getting straight to the point that everybody, well more than 50% of whats left of Making The Band's viewers wanted to know.

HE quickly stated than he was going to release all members of Danity Kane from their contracts except Dawn. Yes he did release Aundrea from her contract, which in my opinion was a really messed up thing to do. Aundrea waited all along this season's filming of Making The Band, to find out if Danity Kane would be getting revamped in any sort of way possible, and Diddy flat out drops her! I mean I think he could have at least gave her a 1 or 2 album contract.

In the end Diddy certainly got his wish, since he is only left with the only member of Danity Kane, who he truly wanted from the git go: Dawn Richard! It's pretty clear to see that if DK doesn't get back together that Diddy will release an album from Dawn on Bad Boy. He already supposedly has Dawn writing music for Cassie (epic fail, including her half shaved head and all) so it only seems legit for him to give her the solo deal that's been speculated for years now.

The only shocking event left to see is next weeks part 2 of the finale, where Danity Kane is said to possibly be in whole (5 members) on stage with Diddy. Though I really do not see this going very far, Diddy is bluntly rude with Aubrey, even if she slightly changed he wouldn't like her vibe. Pretty sure I'm not the only one who see's that too. I just thought it was funny in which the order of their solo pictures that they showed--Anybody else notice it was in the order of who Diddy is in good terms with most currently: Dawn....Aundrea...Shannon...D. Woods...Aubrey!

I also was not feeling Dawn's over the top happy, I must move on, attitude during her photo shoot on tonight's show, very arrogant and overly cocky. Again I do not think she will ever be a huge solo star-time will tell.

Singer Songwriter’s Serially Delayed Debut | Keri Hilson 'In A Perfect World...' CD Review

She sung the hook on Timbaland’s massive hit single “The Way I Are,” and has writing credits for hit singles “Gimme More” by Britney Spears, “Runaway Love,” by Ludacris and “Ice Box,” by Omarion. So clearly Keri Hilson is no foreigner to the top. After signing a joint venture deal with two of Hip Hop’s hottest producers, Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group and Polow Da Don’s Zone 4, it seemed like Hilson had a definite quick shot at super stardom.

To set her name apart from her big name label head producers, Hilson decided to release a debut single which neither produced nor she wrote. She enlisted The Runaways, who created her debut single, “Energy.” Managing to peak at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was clear that Hilson’s separation wasn’t helping her succeed. Pushing back Hilson’s In A Perfect World… for one of its many times.

For her follow up second single, “Return The Favor,” Hilson visited known ground, and rejoined forces with Timbaland who produced and was featured on the track. The Ms. Pacman sounding Dance Pop tune was reminiscent of Timbaland’s 2006 Nelly Furtado collaboration “Promiscuous.” Nearly an attempt to recreate it two years later, Timbaland’s formula of selling Hilson’s sexuality with the songs message and video didn’t even come close to Furtado’s number 1 success; as the song didn’t even chart on any Billboard charts.

Shortly after “Return The Favor"’s failed takeoff, Hilson released the third single off of In A Perfect World… “Turnin’ Me On.” The song features current hot rapper Lil’ Wayne, and Hilson’s altered voice to sound more robotic to match Wayne’s auto tune usage. With Hilson’s slick stick it to men attitude that she brought to the track, and Wayne’s polished rhyme the song became a hit, and has so far reached number 15 on the Hot 100; becoming Hilson’s highest charting single as a lead artist. “Turnin’ Me On,” is also credited for securing a release date for In A Perfect World… which had been delayed since 2007.

Timbaland’s protégé Danja locked in the fourth single, “Knock You Down.” The song features fellow singer songwriter Ne-Yo, who shares his vocals for a verse, as well as the media hungry Kanye West who adds a rap. The motivational ‘love’s tough, try again’ song definitely showcases Hilson’s vocals more than “Turnin’ Me On.” Here the three artists definitely manage to create a song that all of their fans will eat up and enjoy.

On the standout track “Alienated,” Hilson shines as she demonstrates her creative writing skills. With a few unique metaphors and a chorus that could get stuck in anyone’s head, Hilson could have another radio hit. In the song Hilson expresses her sorrow as she raps, “Feels like we've been apart for some light years/Credit in my heart, filled with my tears.” She also loses cell phone contact as she searches for her lost love, “I miss you and I want you back/I lost your signal, Where you at?/And I don't know how we lost contact/Where did you go?”

Keri Hilson delivers a solid R&B effort, with In A Perfect World… Creating a mix of club ready jams and mid-tempo love songs with minimal guest features, In A Perfect World… was a perfect debut for Hilson to stake her claim as a lead artist in the music industry. As a blooming talent who has been around for some time, Keri Hilson has all she needs to keep her name in the forefront instead of the writing credits.

Songs to hear:
1. Intro
2. "Turnin Me On" [featuring Lil' Wayne]
3. "Get Your Money Up" [featuring Keyshia Cole & Trina]
4. "Return The Favor" [featuring Timbaland]
5. "Knock You Down" [featuring Ne-Yo & Kanye West]
9. "How Does It Feel"
10. "Alienated" -number1k9 approved best album track
13. "Energy"
14. "Where Did He Go"

Singer Songwriter’s Mediocre Follow-up | The-Dream 'Love vs. Money' CD Review

After penning 2007s biggest number 1 summer single, “Umbrella,” for Rihanna, Mariah Carey’s 18th number 1 single “Touch My Body,” Beyonce’s number 1 female anthem “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” and the release of his debut album Love Hate (Love Me All Summer, Hate Me All Winter), Terius Nash commonly known as The-Dream found time to work on his sophomore project.

“Let Me See The Booty,” a track produced by Atlanta heavyweight, Lil Jon, was initially listed to jumpstart Love vs. Money. The not so radio friendly song had little to no impact on radio & charts, subsequently becoming seen as the album’s promotional single.

Officially setting off the project was the single, “Rockin’ That Sh*t.” With enough personality to keep fans singing and rhythm to keep them dancing, it managed to peak at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 (as of March 21st, 2009s charting week). The official remix includes an all-star group of Hip Hop artists, including Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, and Ludacris. Though the remix features the exact same instrumental as the original and limited vocals from The-Dream, each rapper adds their own persona to make the track even more addictive than before.

Following “Rockin’ That Sh*t,” becoming an R&B hit, The-Dream decided to release the Pop flavored “My Love.” Past collaborator Mariah Carey, definitely adds to the appeal of the duet. The mid-tempo single “My Love,” currently rising up the Hot 100 has the potential to become The-Dream’s biggest Pop hit, as a singer and songwriter.

On the supposed future single, “Walking On The Moon,” The-Dream brings along rapper Kanye West. The songs Dance Pop feel mixed with a verse from West help make the song more enjoyable and perfect for the dance floor. The-Dream illustrates his love, as he states, “I’ll pull down a cloud for you, I'll circle the stars and bring you and back, I'll walk through the sun for you.” A song that was quite different for the singer songwriter, but certainly something he and West handled well together.

The-Dream constructs slick, unique love songs on Love vs. Money such as “Kelly’s 12 Play.” He even ends the song with a bit of self promotion, “now we doin’ it, to Dreams Love Hate.” Also managing catchy songs, like “Mr. Yeah.” Where The Dream announces how he is the perfect can do it all, type of guy.

Despite the fact, that The-Dream is a great songwriter and has the stats to prove it; lyrically he manages to get lost throughout Love vs. Money. While you can expect to hear extraordinary production on the majority of Love vs. Money, the issue is that many songs don’t allow The-Dream’s little vocal range to outshine the production. In turn making certain songs sound rather similar vocally. Nevertheless the album is filled with a great deal of sexually charged R&B, which will have classic R&B fans craving more of The-Dreams uniquely written music.

Songs to hear:
2. "Rocking That Sh*t"
3. "Walking On The Moon" [featuring Kanye West]
4. "My Love" [featuring Mariah Carey]
5. "Put It Down"
12. "Mr. Yeah"
13. "Kelly's 12 Play"
* "Rockin' That Sh*t" [Remix] [featuring Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, & Ludacris]