Alicia Keys for Billboard - 7th December 2019!
Alicia Keys Speaks On Upcoming Album And Why The Grammys Still Matter
"I ended up being able to see the moments that things shifted."
In a cover story for Billboard, Alicia Keys ignited excitement within her fans when she referenced her upcoming album. The project, titled A.L.I.C.I.A., served as "the best therapy I ever had," she said, alongside working on her spring 2020 memoir More Myself: A Journey.
"I ended up being able to see the moments that things shifted," she said. "When you're living it, you're not really reflecting on it." A.L.I.C.I.A. will be the New Yorker's seventh studio album, slated for release next year. Her previous soundscape, Here, was released in 2016, landing at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 during its debut week.
In January, Keys will host the Grammys for the second time in a row, a moment she's eager for viewers to witness. Since the November announcement of 2020's nominees, artists who believed they were snubbed expressed their confusion while others stated they don't need a gramophone to validate their talent. For Keys, the long-running showcase still holds weight within the industry for a simple reason.
"You are awarded by your peers—people who have been through the same experience that you have. So to receive one is the ultimate validation from people that you admire," she said. "That’s the point, and the reason why it has to maintain that level of integrity. And it has to expand now because music is not what it was 10 years ago. It’s about making sure that it’s representing the music that’s happening at the rate that it’s happening, as well. If we’re not all growing and evolving, then pack it up, because what’s the point?"
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards will take place on Jan. 26 in Los Angeles. Read Keys' full profile here.
#RHOA: Porsha Williams is already working on baby No. 2!
During a Q&A with Dish Nation, Williams, 38, revealed that she and her betrothed are already working on baby No. 2. Daughter Pilar Jhene was born in March of this year.
“PJ needs someone to play with,” responded the reality star when asked about having a second child. She went on to say she and McKinley are hoping to conceive sooner rather than later.
“I will say this, we are talking about it, and if it does not happen by PJ’s birthday, or by June, my birthday next year, then it won’t be happening … if it happens it happens.”
Williams and McKinley are recently re-engaged following a separation prompted by McKinely cheating on the “Housewife” during her first pregnancy.
#NewMusic from Tamia Covers Holiday Classic, ‘Someday at Christmas’!
Veteran R&B singer Tamia gets into the holiday spirit with the release of her soulful rendition of the holiday classic “Someday At Christmas.” On the track, produced by long-time collaborator Shep Crawford, the six-time Grammy winner and vocal powerhouse captivates with her sultry rendition as she brings warmth into households.
LISTEN HERE
LISTEN HERE
Originally recorded and made a household favorite by Stevie Wonder, the song’s meaning still echoes the wishes of all of us during a time when we long to have peace and celebrate with our loved ones.
“Someday At Christmas” is available on all digital platforms now.
#HipHopNews: Stream It! Fat Joe & Dre’s Album ‘Family Ties’!
Nearly three years since his last project, Fat Joe returns with Family Ties, a joint effort with Dre of production duo Cool & Dre.
The Bronx icon assembles a star-studded lineup for the 11 tracks, which he calls the “most anticipated release of my career.” The guest list includes Lil Wayne, Remy Ma, Ty Dolla $ign, and Cardi B, who appears on the Anuel AA-assisted single “YES.” Eminem and Mary J. Blige join forces on the powerhouse collaboration “Lord Above,” while Bryson Tiller and Jeremih bring their soulful sound to “Hands on You.”
STREAM IT HERE
The album, Joe’s first since 2017’s Plata O Plomo with Remy Ma, may be his last. “We got a classic,” he told Billboard. “This album, I’m calling it a Hamilton, to where 10 years from now we could probably make a play of it. Very Chronic-ish. I’m really proud of this album. If this is the last thing you guys ever hear from me, I’m leaving on a high note for real.”
Report: Is Beyoncé Planning A Las Vegas Residency For 2020??
Sources tell Love B. Scott that Queen Bey plans to return to Las Vegas in 2020 for a new residency.
An official announcement is expected in the first half of the year, but according to the report, the residency will “make Beyoncé the highest-paid entertainer in the city.”
This won’t be Bey’s first Vegas residency. In 2009, she performed a series of shows at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas and released a live album, I Am… Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, featuring recordings from the Vegas stint.]
Beyoncé won’t be the only megastar on the Strip. Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, and Gwen Stefani all currently have residencies in Vegas.
Lupita Nyong'o Is Reacting to Possibility of an 'Us' Sequel!
Us was a huge hit this year, grossing over $250 million worldwide, but don’t count on the film’s star Lupita Nyong’o to make a sequel.
The 36-year-old Oscar-winning actress is getting tons of awards buzz for her performance and she reacted to the possibility of a sequel at Deadline‘s Contenders event.
“No thanks. Red is dead,” Lupita responded. She said she is not interested in reprising her duel roles as it was “very very very challenging.”
“I had to hold down both sides of the argument,” she said. “I had to be the offender and the offended. It was about understanding the emotional landscape of each character but also having a very strict discipline to play both physically and mentally.”
Brandy Reunites With “Moesha” Cast & Confirms Reboot!
Brandy recently reunited with her TV parents William Allen Young and Sheryl Lee Ralph on stage at an AIDS musical benefit hosted by Ralph’s D.I.VA. Foundation, according to our friends over at The Grape Juice.
“We would like to know would you like to do a ‘Moesha’ Reboot?” Ralph—who played Moesha’s stepmom Dee Mitchell—asked Brandy as she stood between her and Allen, Moesha’s father.
“Yeah! Absolutely,” Brandy responded before telling the audience: “I’m here to solidify that we’re gonna bring ‘Moesha’ back.”
Lee continued: “There you go. You heard it right here. You will have a ‘Moesha’ reboot.”
This isn’t the first time a Moesha reboot has been discussed between cast
members, however, it is the first time we’re hearing confirmation from “Moesha” herself that something is currently in the works.
The entire Moesha cast—minus Lamont Bentley and Yvette Wilson, who have both since passed away—appeared on The Real in late 2017 and sent the audience into a frenzy after expressing mutual interest in bringing the show back to TV.
As Brandy pointed out, the show ended on a serious cliffhanger with questions about Myles’ (Marcus T. Paulk) kidnapping and whether or not Moesha was pregnant.\
Moesha was one of UPN’s biggest hit shows and even spawned the spin-off The Parkers (starring Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn), however, it was abruptly canceled after six seasons, leaving fans shocked and with a lot of questions.
Hopefully, those questions will be answered once the show returns to television.
Oprah Winfrey’s Executive Produced Documentary About Russell Simmons’!
Two years after several women accused Russell Simmons of sexually assaulting them, Oprah Winfrey is putting on her executive producer hat to help them tell their stories.
Hover over the keyword to read more about the topic without leaving this page!
AppleTV+ acquired the documentary, and it would be directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. The logline says the film follows, “a brilliant former music executive who grapples with whether to go public with her story of assault and abuse by a notable figure in the music industry. The film is a profound examination of race, gender, class and intersectionality, and the toll assaults take on their victims and society at large.”
It was announced that the documentary will debut at the Sundance Film Festival at the top of 2020. Sundance’s description was an exact replica of Apple’s logline, but the “former music executive” was revealed.
Drew Dixon will be the center point of the documentary, who accused Simmons of multiple instances of sexual misconduct in a bombshell New York Times interview. During Dixon’s executive run at Def Jam Recordings, the co-founder was her supervisor. She quit her job at the record label after Russell Simmons allegedly raped her in his apartment in 1995.
The Hip Hop mogul has repeatedly denied multiple accusations of sexual harassment and rape.
Eminem Disses Nick Cannon Over “Nut Job” Mariah Carey On Fat Joe Collab “Lord!
Fat Joe released what he claims to be the last album, Family Ties, which is a collaborative effort with his artist Dre.
The collection includes Bryson Tiller, Cardi B, Remy Ma, and more. But the record that has everyone buzzing is the collab between Joe, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem, “Lord Above.”
Marshall Mathers dissed his rival, Nick Cannon, and it was lethal. “Word to the Terror Squad, Joe, this is all puns aside though/I know me and Mariah didn’t end on a high note,” raps the legend on the new song. “But that other dude’s whipped, that pussy got him neutered/Tried to tell him this chick’s a nut job before he got his jewels clipped/Almost got my caboose kicked, fool, quit, you not gon’ do shit/I let her chop my balls off, too ‘fore I lost to you, Nick.”
Eminem’s diss was actually a clap back at Cannon’s remarks on T.I.’s ExpediTIously podcast at the top of the year. The mogul claimed he planned a trip to Detroit to put paws on the emcee during his feud with Mariah Carey.
Knicks Fired Head Coach David Fizdale After A 4-18 Start To The Season!
After a disappointing offseason spiraled into a disastrous start to the regular season, the New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale on Friday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Knicks’ assistant Keith Smart was also fired.
Fizdale was in the midst of his second year on the job after a 17-65 finish to the 2018-19 season. The Knicks hired the former Memphis Grizzlies head coach during the 2018 offseason when the team had its sights set on rebuilding around the free-agent class of 2019.
Fired in Memphis during his second season in 2017, Fizdale arrived in New York with a reputation as a players’ coach.
Fizdale was hired at least in part because of those expectations. He is beloved by the star players he worked with as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra in Miami.
This season saw higher expectations for a similarly flawed roster. The front office wanted to see progress from a young yet surprisingly expensive roster. That progress has not come, and now, Fizdale is getting punished for it.
Where do the Knicks go from here? That’s a question nobody can honestly say they have the answers for. Fizdale is the scapegoat for a franchise that seems to have bigger issues behind the scenes.
Amazon Planning To Build New Office At Hudson Yards Without Controversial Tax Breaks!
Amazon is coming to New York City after all. The company is planning to open up an office space in the new Hudson Yards neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan.
A spokesperson for Amazon says the company plans to open the office in 2021.
“As we shared earlier this year, we plan to continue to hire and grow organically across our 18 Tech Hubs, including New York City,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The office will reportedly be a base for 1,500 employees in the consumer and advertising departments.
The announcement comes after a tumultuous fight earlier in the year which saw the online giant pull out of a plan to build its new HQ2 headquarters in Long Island City. That aborted project divided much of the city, with many fighting against the move over fears Amazon’s arrival would raise rents and push out less affluent New Yorkers.
Others, including Gov. Cuomo, were left irate after the deal’s implosion and the loss of thousands of high-paying jobs that would have reportedly been created in New York.
Some members of the New York City Council and New York State Legislature pushed back against Amazon’s Long Island City plans because of the massive tax breaks promised by the governor – which many saw as an unnecessary gift to one of the world’s most successful companies.
“Amazon is coming to New York, just as they always planned. Fortunately, we dodged a $3 billion bullet by not agreeing to their subsidy shakedown earlier this year. Now, we must enact reforms to our economic development programs to ensure no company can seek to take advantage of the public again,” Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris said in a statement Friday.
According to Gianaris, this new office is not receiving any tax breaks like the previous deal.
The new 335,000 square foot office will reportedly be located in SL Green Realty Corp.’s redevelopment of the space on 34th Street and 10th Avenue.
Lizzo Stylist Marko Monroe Opens Up About Singer’s Iconic Looks, Says Lizzo Is This Generation’s Madonna!
Is singer-rapper Lizzo this generation’s #Madonna? Her stylist #MarkoMonroe seems to think so.
While her music is stellar, it’s more so Lizzo’s iconic fashions that make her as popular as Madonna. “She’s made a splash,” he said. “I keep thinking, ‘Okay, people are watching [her outfits] now.'” Monroe and Arkansas native has been working with Lizzo for the past two years. He said he knew Lizzo was a star when he first met her.
“I knew she was a star. In the context of how Madonna was very influential, I always thought of her as our generation’s [equivalent]. She has that shift on pop culture. I just didn’t know it was going to escalate as quickly as it did. Especially with [hits like "Truth Hurts’ and "Good as Hell”] that were old. It just took the world a little bit of time to catch up to her.”
From Lizzo’s blood-red Moschino “Siren” dress to her bubbly orange Valentino gown and matching itsy-bitsy purse, Lizzo is taking trendsetter to a new level, and Monroe said her style matches her confidence. “One, her message is so strong. Two, we’re not used to seeing someone her body shape carry clothes with such confidence. She’s confident, and style is about confidence. It doesn’t really matter what you wear as long as you have confidence in it. A lot of times, we have a certain idea of what her body shape should fit into, but styling doesn’t have to be so by the rules. At the end of the day, she just wants to feel good and sexy. I try to deliver that as best as I can,” said Monroe.
When it comes to the idea behind the small bag, Valentino purse, Monroe said it started from an inside joke. “I actually saw the artist who made the purse in collaboration with Valentino early on, and I screenshotted it. I sent it to friends, and we were all gagging about it. Lizzo and I have had a joke about tiny bags ever since I first started working with her. We’re always sending images to each other. When I saw the bag, I reached out to Valentino, and I was like, ‘Is this real? How can I get this?’ I just wanted to purchase it as a gift at first, but then I was like, ‘Oh, while we’re at it, do you want to do the AMAs with me?’ We built the look around the purse.”
He continued, “As soon as we got back to the trailer [aft[after the AMAs]e memes had flooded in. We knew we did our job. Everything else was high-glam like she’s in Valentino. She’s wearing half-million-dollar earrings. Everything’s perfect, but there’s one little reminder of who she is with that bag.”
Monroe says that if you’re sharp on your pop culture history, be excited for Lizzo’s look at the Grammy’s. “If fans are aware of pop culture history, then they’ll be in for a surprise.”
Nikki Haley Says Dylann Roof ‘Hijacked’ the Confederate Flag, Which Stood for ‘Service, Sacrifice, and Heritage’?
Who needs history when you can just make sish up?
On Friday, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, spoke to Blaze TV’s Glenn Beck where she said that “people saw” the Confederate flag “as service, and sacrifice, and heritage” before white supremacist Dylann Roof “hijacked” it when he killed nine black people at the Emanuel African Methodist Church in South Carolina in 2015.
“South Carolina fell her to her knees when this happened, this is one of the oldest African-American churches. And these twelve people were amazing people, they loved their church, loved their families, loved their community,” Haley said.
Haley then explained how the racist mass killer Roof changed what “people thought of” the Confederate flag, saying, “And here is this guy who comes out with his manifesto. Holding the confederate flag and had just hijacked everything that people thought of.”
Haley continued, “We don’t have hateful people in South Carolina. There’s a small minority that’s going to be there, but people saw it [the Confederate flag] as service, and sacrifice, and heritage. But once he did that there was no way to overcome it.”
The former South Carolina governor then went on blame the “national media” for coming to South Carolina to cover the racist mass killing as if it had something to do with racism.
“The national media came in droves, they wanted to define what happened, they wanted to make it about racism, they wanted to make it about gun control, they wanted to make it about the death penalty, and I really pushed off the national media and and said, there will be a time in place to talk about this but it is not now,” Haley said.
Haley responded to the backlash on social media after the video tweeted by Media Matters for America’s Jason Campbell went viral. Haley linked to a transcript of what she said as governor at the time of the horrific act and wrote, “2015 was a painful time for our state.The pain was and is still real. Below was my call for the removal of the Confederate flag & I stand by it. I continue to be proud of the people of SC and how we turned the hate of a killer into the love for each other.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘MAKE IT WORK’
Listen kiddos, back in my day before all your fancy internet porn we’d have to take a picture like this, use our imagination & just make it work.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Horacio The Latin Bear!
Meet Horacio! You can see more when GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
Enjoy!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
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