MORE GRAMMY PERFORMERS, PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED

(For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award nominees, please click here.)

Current GRAMMY nominees Jamie Foxx and T-Pain with Slash and Doug E. Fresh; nominees Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne with Travis Barker; a special tribute to guitar virtuoso Les Paul featuring Jeff Beck and Imelda May; the cast of "American Idiot" appearing with Green Day; four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack; five-time GRAMMY winner Elton John; and three-time GRAMMY winner Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland are the latest performers announced for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Actor Simon Baker ("The Mentalist"), comedian and TV host Stephen Colbert, rock legend Alice Cooper, nine-time GRAMMY winner Sheryl Crow, actress Kaley Cuoco ("The Big Bang Theory"), seven-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Plácido Domingo, actor Robert Downey Jr., three-time GRAMMY winner Wyclef Jean, GRAMMY and 17-time Latin GRAMMY winner Juanes, country artist Miranda Lambert, six-time GRAMMY winner John Legend, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, actress/singer Lea Michelle ("Glee"), actor Chris O'Donnell ("NCIS: Los Angeles"), pop singer Katy Perry, four-time GRAMMY winner Lionel Richie, TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest, four-time GRAMMY winner Seal, Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino, and two-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban are the latest presenters announced for Music's Biggest Night.

Previously announced performers include Beyoncé; the Black Eyed Peas; Bon Jovi; the Dave Matthews Band; Green Day; Lady Antebellum; Lady Gaga; Maxwell; Pink; Taylor Swift; the Zac Brown Band; Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher in a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson; and Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli in a special fund-raising segment for Haitian relief.

Previously announced presenters include actress Kristen Bell, pop/R&B singer Justin Bieber, actor Jeff Bridges, pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus, actor Josh Duhamel, pop sensation the Jonas Brothers, nine-time GRAMMY winner Norah Jones, pop singer/songwriter Ke$ha, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J, GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Ricky Martin, 10-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Carlos Santana, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr.

T-Pain and Urban each have four nominations: T-Pain with Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Blame It" (with Jamie Foxx), Best R&B Song for "Blame It" (with James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., Jamie Foxx, Christopher Henderson, Brandon R. Melanchon, Breyon Prescott & Nathan L. Walker), Best Contemporary R&B Album for Thr33 Ringz, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "I'm On A Boat" (with the Lonely Island); and Urban with Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Sweet Thing," Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Start A Band" (with Brad Paisley), Best Country Album for Defying Gravity, and Best Long Form Music Video for Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour Live.

Foxx and nine-time GRAMMY winner Eminem are each up for three awards: In addition to those mentioned above, Foxx has a Best Contemporary R&B Album nomination for Intuition. Eminem's nominations are Best Rap Solo Performance for "Beautiful," Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Crack A Bottle" (with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent), and Best Rap Album for Relapse.

Drake has two nods: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Best I Ever Had" (the latter nomination with D. Hamilton & M. Samuels).

Four-time GRAMMY winner Beck, Colbert, Perry, and Seal are each nominated: Beck for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "A Day In The Life," Colbert for Best Comedy Album for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!, Perry for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hot N Cold," and Seal for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "If You Don't Know Me By Now."

So that viewers at home can enjoy the unique 3-D tribute to Jackson, CBS and Target have partnered to provide millions of free 3-D GRAMMY Glasses. From Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will exclusively offer these 3-D GRAMMY Glasses so that fans have the opportunity to see the film that was very personal to Jackson. Additionally, the audience at Staples Center will share the 3-D experience, wearing the same glasses as those being worn by viewers at home.

Blige's and Bocelli's performance (audio and video) of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be made available for download at iTunes.com/Target following the telecast, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, benefiting ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" receiving GRAMMY Awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year, and the song will provide a moving tribute to the survivors of the tragic events in Haiti.

As part of Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, fans will have an opportunity to decide which Bon Jovi hit the band will perform. For this "You Pick It, They Play It!" special segment, viewers can log on to CBS.com now and vote in the final round for one out of three of their favorite hit Bon Jovi songs: "Always," "It's My Life," and "Livin' On A Prayer." There is no registration to vote, and fans may vote as often as they wish. Additionally, a 30-second clip of each song may be viewed. Voting will continue until Bon Jovi's performance on Jan. 31, when the song with the most votes is revealed live during their segment.

Additionally, the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony will take place from 1–4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on GRAMMY.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT.

Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, current GRAMMY nominees Tia Carrere and Kurt Elling will host the star-studded ceremony, which will feature performances by nominees including Montreal-based duo Beast (vocalist Betty Bonifassi and drummer/composer Jean-Phi Goncalves); jazz vocalist Elling; contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway; classical guitarist Sharon Isbin; and R&B singer Charlie Wilson as well as a special bluegrass performance by nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer Ray Benson, country instrumentalist Alison Brown, two-time GRAMMY winner Jim Lauderdale, singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, three-time GRAMMY winner Bryan Sutton and singer/fiddle player Gabe Witcher. Presenting GRAMMY Awards in 99 categories will be current nominees Colbie Caillat, Mick Fleetwood, LMFAO, and Tonex as well as percussionist Sheila E., Flack, and five-time GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter and Recording Academy Chair Emeritus Jimmy Jam. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 30 days following the event.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.

T.I SUED OVER CLAIMS THAT HE STOLE 'WHAT YOU KNOW'

apper T.I. could be back in front of a judge, but instead of criminal charges, the rapper is being sued for copyright infringement by an upcoming rapper.
At issue is T.I.’s Grammy Award-winning song “What You Know,” which Nathan Filby aka Motoe Blizzid, claims T.I. stole.
Filby, who is being represented by One LLP, claims the 2006 track sampled portions of a 2004 song he made titled Reverence.
He claims that the track was delivered to a number of industry insiders before reaching a representative at Relentless Management, a company that reportedly works with T.I.
In court documents, One LLP and Filby claimed that the tracks contain the “same harmonic” range and lawyers even presented documents that showed an algorithm that claimed to show the song’s similarities scientifically.
According to reports, Filby seeks a trial by jury and all profits derived from the song, which was featured on T.I.’s hit album King.
T.I. is currently in a halfway house after serving almost 8 months in a low security prison, after he was caught purchasing machine guns and silencers in October of 2008.

MICHAEL JACKSON TO APPEAR AT THE GRAMMY AWARDS

On a video screen, of course. Yesterday, the producer of the Grammys announced that the show, set to air Jan. 31, will feature a never-before-seen 3-D video featuring more of the King of Pop’s practice sessions for his 2009 London performances that never took place because of his death last year. Though some of the clip will feature material that was previously shown during the ’09 Jackson documentary This Is It, the majority of it will feature a 3-D video that MJ shot for “Earth Song,” a track off his 1995 album, HIStory. The show will also feature tributes to Jackson performed by Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and more. If you’re going to the Grammys this year, 3-D glasses will be distributed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. But if you’re not, head to your local Target where you can pick up a pair for free.

WARNING! SHE IS A TRIPLE THREAT & SHE'S HERE TO STAY!

The "package" is finally here! brace your self for the creme DE la creme in the showbiz arena. the name is Tiera and she got mad talent. At only 20, tiera is a recording artist, songwriter, part time model and an accounts student. Based in Mombasa, tiera's music is a par above the coastal artists musics and a matter of fact her fan base stretches all the way to Germany. Tiera started doing music at 16 and so far has a number of classic hits under her belt. Her new joint, "Wangu wa milele", which she has done with Ali b is already causing ripples and the video is yet to be realised. Tiera does her music at KAY G records under producer totti. She has not only shared stage with the talented Afro-fission diva, Amani but actually gave her a tip or two. Watch out all you wannabes coz this artiste is going places and sings classic music. Tiera who also I must admit that does her thing on stage with all the swag has promised never to back down and is keen to admit that she wont let rouge promoters exploit her and is taking the industry by storm. so keep your ears on the speakers and eyes on your screen. she is hot! Keep it vibesarena for her her new video

Breaking: Lil Wayne Arrested On Marijuana Possession

Hip hop star Lil Wayne was arrested and detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas on Friday after authorities found marijuana on his tour buses.

Lil Wayne, real name DeWayne Carter, Jr and his entourage were all detained after drug sniffing dogs found the marijuana on the two tour buses.

According to Agent Joe Trevino, the buses were en route to Laredo, Texas, from a concert stop in Hidalgo state.

Lil wayne, who plead guilty to charges of second degree felony criminal weapons possession and criminal possession of a loaded weapon, following his 2007 arrest in New York, is scheduled to start his jail sentence in February according to court papers.

YOUNG BUCK PLEADS WITH FIDDY FOR A MEETING

Fed up with his current situation -- stuck in a contract with G-Unit Records after being exiled in 2008 following a fallout with his former boss -- Young Buck wants a sit-down with 50 Cent, despite dissing him on a recently released record.

The former G-Unit member recently dropped a track, titled "Finish What You Start," in which he said his former crew was jealous of him.

Now, in a recent interview with DJ Scream, Buck says he wants to meet with Fif' eye-to-eye to talk about his career, after no contact with him for three years.

"Mr. Curtis can only hold me for so long," the rapper said. "Eventually he's gotta come to some type of terms of negotiations. I haven't spoke to 50 in three years. I done did every thing you could do, called the n****'s phone to having lawyers reach out. I really just want to have a sit-down with this n****, eye to eye."

As the interview continued, Buck added that he didn't care where the sit-down took place -- on TV or in private -- just as long as it happens.

"[We can do it] personally or on ESPN, BET, MTV, wherever he wanna do this sh**," he said. "I just really want to look at this sh** in his eyes and see how this nigga really feels and how he's going about handling me because I'm a real n**** and this is something that 50 does though. Every one of them G-Unit n****s know how I get down. Period. Ain't no bullsh**..."

In the meantime, you can check for updates on Young Buck at his official website, IAmYoungBuck.com.

Shaq hits 28,000 point milestone

Shaquille O'Neal is a certified legend in NBA basketball. Although his numbers and minutes have been over the past few years, big Shaq Diesel is still a force to be reckoned with.

On Wednesday night (January 19), when the Cleveland Cavs earned a win over the Toronto Raptors, Shaq reached a major milestone when he hit a layup in the first minute to score his 28,000th career point.

Although the vet was proud of the achievement, he felt it was long overdue.

"I've missed like 5,000 free throws," O'Neal said, following the game. "If I had at least hit half of those, then I would be at 30,000 right now."

O'Neal scored 16 points, 5 rebounds, and assisted on two big baskets down the stretch.

Big Shaq joined a list of elite NBA scorers that include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Michael Jordan (32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) as the only players to reach the milestone.

Shaq is now in the #5 spot.

"I'm happy being No. 5. There are some great names in front of me and some great names behind me," O'Neal said. "I've always been a player that only gets happy about the big picture. It's a great milestone but it's something I don't get too giddy about."

With 4,000+ points ahead of him to reach Chamberlain's number, it's likely Shaq will retire in the #5 spot.

He's in his 19th season, and at 37 years old and turning one year older in March, it's unclear how much longer Big Shaq will play in the league. Either way, he's one-of-a-kind and the sport is lucky to have him. Congrats Big SHAQ!

Jay-Z Loses UK Court Battle

Jay-Z doesn't take many L's. But yesterday, the omnipresent hip-hop mogul lost a court dispute with a restaurant owner in New Castle, England.
The 40-year-old rhyme behemoth, who recently took in an estimated $122 million combined with the earnings of superstar wife Beyoncé in 2009, sued celebrity chef Terry Miller over the rights to the word “Rockafella,” of which had been used as the name of Miller’s eatery.
The court battle dates back to 2006 when Jay-Z claimed that the title would confuse the public into believing that Miller’s business was associated with the Brooklyn-born spitter’s Roc-A-Fella Records imprint.
The British courts ruled in favor of Miller (he was given exclusive trademark and rights to use of the name in the UK), who started his restaurant with the $250,000 he earned on the cooking reality show, Hell’s Kitchen.

UPDATE: Lloyd Banks & Shawty Redd Released From Jail

Both G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks and Atlanta producer Shawty Redd were released from jail yesterday (January 12), according to MTV News.

As previously reported, Banks was arrested along with three other associates last weekend for an alleged dispute with a Canadian promoter. All four men were charged with forceful confinement, aggravated assault and robbery and held by authorities in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada.

Although they were released on bail on Tuesday, Banks and associate Nicklas Sloane have been detained by Canadian Immigration officials. As of press time the exact reason for why the men remained in custody is unknown but a review is scheduled for this week. At that point they may be allowed to return back to the US.

Update: Banks is on his way home after attending an immigration hearing earlier today (January 13). He has posted $50,000 bail.

Longtime Young Jeezy beatmaker Shawty Redd had no problems making it home. The hitmaker, who has been locked up since New Years day for allegedly murdering a man after a dispute in his house, was set free on $200,000 bail yesterday. Redd will have to stay in Henry County and wear an ankle bracelet to monitor his whereabouts. He has a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for February 3.

Mystikal realesed from prison

“Been so long, he’s been gone…” New Orleans rapper Mystikal was released from prison yesterday (January 14) according to BET News, after serving six years behind bars for sexual battery.

The former No Limit star—born Michael Tyler—called into his hometown radio station, Q93, on Thursday to speak on his newfound freedom. “It was tough,” he said of his time spent in jail. “I took it in stride. I’m back. It almost feels like a dream. For a while, it felt like, I was gone so long.”

The “Shake it Fast” hitmaker also took time to assure his fans that he wrote plenty of new material while on lock-down.

Mystikal was charged with forcing his former hair stylist to perform oral sex on him and two of his associates back in July of 2002. He copped to the crime after video footage of the incident was found. —Elan Mancini

7 Reasons Why We Knew Detox Wasn’t Coming Out in 2010

When putting together our list for the 10 most anticipated album releases of 2010, there were plenty of arguments for which artists should stay on and which ones should be left off. But none of those artists included Dr. Dre and his now mythical Detox project, because let’s face it, putting Detox on any list of upcoming anticipated albums is like betting on LeBron James going to the New York Knicks next season. Thankfully, we didn’t make the mistake of putting Dre on the list because yet again it’s been pushed back another year. (Those who found issue with our omitting him, we gladly accept your apology.)

1. The Man Has Product to Push
From headphones to soft drinks, Dr. Dre is reaching out to a new audience that would have probably been picketing him a decade ago. Forget gin and juice, Dre has Dr. Pepper and $300 Beats by Dre headphones to sell. Who needs to push an album when they can make endless cash on products with their names on it? Remember George Foreman’s grill.


2. The West Coast as a Lot of New Blood Emerging
Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Pac Div, Problem, and Terrace Martin are just a few of the fresh talent coming from Cali and they’re not only gaining a solid following but the architects of West Coast rap are welcoming them as well. Snoop Dogg has worked with Nipsey and legendary West Coast MC, Kurupt is letting Terrace Martin produce the majority of his next album, Street Lights, expected to drop this year. Dre doesn’t have anything to prove but he may be watching to see how the public responds to the new sound coming from the west coast.

3. This Picture



Some pictures are worth a thousand words, but this picture of Snoop Dogg, Game, and Dr. Dre together was worth a thousand guesses. Nobody really knew what these three guys were doing when this photo was taken. They could have been working on Snoop’s recently released Malice In Wonderland or maybe Game’s upcoming R.E.D. album. And since when does Dre ever let photographers into his studio to take pictures of him working? We smell a set up.
4. 50 Isn’t Selling…
160,000. No, that’s not how many days it’s been since Dre released Chronic 2001 (we don’t have the calculators to do that kinda math). It’s the number of 50 Cent’s first week sales for his recently released, Before I Self Destruct. If 50 can’t keep his numbers up, Dre has got to be thinking how can he avoid horrible sales. He has a reputation to uphold.

5. …But Eminem Is
One of 2009’s greatest comebacks was Eminem and his critically acclaimed, Relapse album. But Eminem wasn’t done for the year. He re-released the project, Relapse: Refill with seven brand new tracks (featuring Dre’s production, of course) and is about to release a brand new album this year. That being said, as long as Eminem is selling, Dre’s money is straight.
6. T.I. Was Busy
When reference tracks of T.I. rapping to what has been reported as songs he wrote for Dre hit the Internet early last year, we all felt one step closer to hearing new music. Then T.I. got locked up and with him, his ghostwriting abilities.


7. Most of Us Stopped Caring
It’s getting to the point where there are less people caring about Detox than people who do, and for Dr. Dre, that can’t be a good thing. We definitely respect the architects of hip-hop’s past, but hip-hop has changed sounds ten or 20 times since his last album. He’s going to be a tough sell to an audience that thinks Soulja Boy is the best rapper alive.

GANGSTAS UNIT?

G-Unit's punchline king, Lloyd Banks, was arrested in Ontario, Canada during the early morning hours of Saturday (Jan. 9), after he and three associates reportedly assaulted a promoter over money.
According to MTV, the rapper (real name: Christopher Lloyd) and his crew got into a dispute with a promoter -- whose name has not been released -- at a local hotel over payment for a performance and appearance fee.
The promoter alleges that on early Saturday morning, Banks and three others -- Nicklas Sloane, Shawn McGee, and Tyrell Cooper -- held him in his hotel room against his will, assaulted and robbed him, following a performance at Club NV in nearby Blandford later Friday.
All four men were arrested, and charged with forceful confinement, aggravated assault and robbery.
They made a court appearance on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 10), via video, and are due back in court sometime this week.
At press time, the four men remained in police custody.

Games R.E.D album pushed till late march

Compton rapper The Game has been going hard in the promotion of his upcoming fourth studio album, The R.E.D. Album.
While things seemed to be on schedule for a February release, the rapper revealed Sunday (January 10) that the release date for the album has been pushed back.
On Twitter (@IHateGame), Game explained that his community service obligations are holding back further promotion of The R.E.D. Album, so his label has pushed its release to March 23.
"BAD NEWS: This just in ... The R.E.D. Album just got pushed back again to MARCH 23RD !!! gotta finish my community service before I can travel," Game wrote. "The judge told my lawyer & my P.O. I can't travel or do any out of state promo until I finish my community service... aint that a bitch!"
According to the rapper, he still has 200 more hours of community service to complete before he can travel out of state for a full blown promotional tour.
Game was ordered to serve community service as part of his sentence in a felony gun case stemming from an incident in 2007, where he allegedly pulled a gun on a man following an argument during a pick-up basketball game in Los Angeles.
He served just eight days of what was to be a 60-day jail sentence, due to the ongoing overcrowding problem at L.A.'s Twin Towers Correctional Facility.

Buju Banton Pleads Not Guilty to Drug Charges

Reggae star Buju Banton pleaded not guilty to drug charges on Thursday (Jan. 7) during his arraignment in Florida, following his arrest in December for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The singer's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, has reportedly requested that Banton be transported back to Tampa, Florida where the indictment was filed. He also stated that they had no plans to strike a deal with the DEA, because Banton is innocent.
"We will be going to trial," Markus explained. "He did not commit the crimes he's charged with. He was not in any conspiracy."
Banton is currently being held in federal custody without bail. He did not seek bail during his arraignment.
"There should be a presumption of innocence. Instead there is a presumption of guilt in immigration," Markus explained.
The 36-year-old reggae singer (real name: Mark Anthony Myrie) was picked up by the DEA in December after he allegedly attempted to buy over five kilos of cocaine from an undercover officer in Sarasota, Florida.

KEYSHA SHOCKED OVER ENGAGEMENT

"Heaven Sent" singer Keyshia Cole was reportedly shocked when longtime boyfriend and pro NBA athlete Daniel Gibson proposed over New Year's.
"When he asked her to marry him, she was flabbergasted," a rep for Cole told US. "He presented her with the ring and her mouth dropped in amazement. It's too beautiful for words."
News of Cole's engagement broke Tuesday, January 5, after weeks of rumors surrounding a baby bump and ultimate confirmation that the Grammy nominee was indeed pregnant.
While Cole remains mum and "surprised" over the fact that she will likely walk down the aisle in the near future, her rep confirms she "has an incredible ring."

Blu 3 doing fine on MTV

Looks like Blu3's fading career is on the verge of coming back. Their song "Where You Are" in which they feature Radio and Weasel is moving up the charts on the popular MTV Base Charts.

Having been number 1 in East Africa and Uganda for close to two months, now it is the first Ugandan Video to ever appear on the MTV Base African Chart. It first entered the charts three weeks back, where it was at number 9 moved to number 6, 4 and now it is at number 2.

"It will be the first Ugandan song to reach number 1 in Africa, "a music expert predicted.

Bow Wow Apologizes for Driving Drunk on New Years

Don’t drink and tweet. Newly signed Young Money rapper Bow Wow made the gossip pages today for some questionable Twitter messages during his New Year’s night out on the town in Miami.

According to New York’s Daily News, the young rap vet took to his Twitter account early New Year’s morning to announce that he was driving drunk around Miami with Akon and Chris Brown.

“Face numb im whippin the lambo,” he wrote. “Tispy as fuck.” Adding, “Im fucked up!!! Ohhhh damn. Y i drive the lambo. Chris might have to drive after next spot.”

Bow Weezie has since erased the criminally threatening messages, posting an admission of guilt to his followers. “Apologize for that tweet,” he said. “it was stupid and immature. not a way i want to kick my #2010 year off. i got too much good stuff lined up. my bad.”

The Ohio-born rapper has not been hit with any charges.

ARTISTE SPOTLIGHT

She is one of the Kenyan top names in the music industry; she has pierced the hip-hop scene in Kenya and Norway like no other lady performer has done. STL has made heads turn and has continued to prove that her rapping skills are not a mistake but a good mix of talent and hard work.

Most music fans in Kenya relate to her song Taking it back released 2007 in which she featured song bird and rapper Michelle. This was her second release in East Africa after the song Happy in 2006.

STL born Stella Mwangi was born in Kenya but is based in Norway. Her family moved to Norway in 1991 where she started writing lyrics from the age of 8 and rapping when she was about 11years old. Towards the end of the 90’s STL in a group called Rise produced an album called Maroon and from there her journey to great heights started. With the group Rise, STL performed for Nelson Mandela when he toured Norway for an AIDS campaign.

The track Taking it back was a hit in East Africa that made her scoop the best promising artist of the year in the 2006 Kisima Awards .This was after missing five nominations in Chaguo La teeniz Awards .Since then she has managed to rake fans across East Africa where rap is not considered a ladies territory.

Stumping her "authority" further, STL was nominated for best new act in the MTV Mama Awards that were held in Kenya on October 2009.Although she did not walk home with the prize it sure was a good show for an artist who is fairly new to the music industry and in a genre that is not popular with the lady singers in East Africa .She was nominated alongside Nigerians M.I and Bigiano,Tanzanian Shaa and Rhythmic Element of south AfricaOn the African scene STL has managed to work with various artistes. The list includes Osman, Kubaff, Kantai,Wagable and Michelle. STL has shared stage with big names that tour Norway.

Her discography since the year 2004 includes songs like Happy(2006),Taking it Back(2007),Radio Tuning(2008),The dreamer(2008)She got it (2009) and Go Getta(2009).

Other songs include songs "Crazy", "Feeling Love" and "Swing", which she wrote with The DNC and were picked by the Position Music and Choice Tracks as a soundtrack for the films Save the last dance, American pie, Redline and the series; CSI (New York) , Las Vegas, Ghost whisperer, Scrubs, American Top Model and Army Wives.

To listen to an interview with STL, please visit

Rihanna beats Chris Brown

Though it wasn’t an official soundscan battle, Rihanna’s “Rated R” album has officially trumped Chris Brown’s “Graffiti” LPReleased two weeks ahead, Rihanna’s “Rated R” landed safely at the no. 4 slot on the Billboard 200 chart— selling an impressive 181,000 copies in its first seven days in stores. The album was supported with numerous appearances, several singles that included visuals and two album release shows held in London and New York City.
Chris’ “Graffiti” opus, which hit retailers the same day as Snoop Dogg’s “Malice N Wonderland,” Gucci Mane’s “The State Vs Radric Davis,” and The Clipse’s “Til The Casket Drops,” came in at no. 7 on Billboard 200 moving a solid 102,000 copies. Though breaking 100k is an impressive feat in today’s economy, Brown’s labeled shipped 400,000 copies of the project— indicating that only 40 percent of the albums were bought.
Earlier in the week, Chris complained that major retail outlets were blackballing his project by not stocking the set on their shelves. In response, a representative from Wal-Mart revealed that they in fact are carrying the CD, but it’s just not moving as expected.
"Not only am I carrying it, I am over carrying it, because it isn't selling," said the head of purchasing at one large chain. "I wish I could return it."

Young Buck Disses 50 Cent on New Track

Young Buck has finally crossed the line. While he’s addressed being ousted from G-Unit in songs before, “Steroidz,” a song released onto the internet this weekend, marks the first time Buck launches a full-fledged attack on his former boss, 50 Cent.In the song’s first verse, Buck alleges that Fif has been paying Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex, implying some form of payola before touching on his recording contract.
“My contract’s f***ed up and yours is too/the next 10 years, you is Jimmy’s h*e, dude/you Eminem’s slave/belong to [Dr.] Dre/think if they tried to hold yo *ss back from getting paid,” he asks.
Buck also accuses 50 of taking steroids and having relations with XXL Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief to get the publication's front coverBuck and 50 had a falling out back in 2008. The Nashville rapper started drifting away from the camp when he mentioned making friends with Lil Wayne and Jadakiss— two rappers who were at feuding with 50 at the time. The conflict reached new heights when Fif released a conversation in which a crying Buck begged to come back to his crew.

50 Cent Looks Back on 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin''

With the close of the decade fastly approaching, there is no shortage of “best of” lists reviewing top achievements throughout the pop culture landscape. But when it comes to most noteworthy music of the ‘00’s, one album that has been showing up on just about everyone’s list is 50 Cent’s 2003 debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin’. The seminal release, which has to date sold over 12 million copies worldwide, transformed the troubled Curtis Jackson, a former Queens, New York drug dealer and local mixtape favorite, into one of the biggest musical acts on the planet.
Propelled by the hypnotic Dr. Dre-produced anthem “In da Club” and the backing of hip-hop’s paramount seller Eminem (50 was the first artist signed to Em’s Shady Records, which released the project jointly with Dre’s Aftermath Records), Get Rich represented more than just a commercial triumph. It was a cultural landmark that gave East Coast street rap a fresh platform, opening up a new world for the unlikely entertainment mogul.
Looking back on the album, 50 Cent has a more personal attachment to Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
“With Get Rich I had so much to prove on that album,” recalls the rapper who dropped his fourth studio album, Before I Self Destruct, in November. “Everything had to be perfect in my head. I wanted to make sure that everything I said captured my true feelings at that time. I just felt like it was God’s plan to be where I was at. My mind frame at that point was the music. Anything that would have come in my way at that point I would have removed it the best way I know how. The ‘hood teaches you to do it in a way that’s not sensible.”

One of the aspects that made critics take note of 50 Cent was his surprising vulnerability, a trait that you would not normally associate with a combative, controversial artist who has been involved in high profile verbal sparring with everyone from Ja Rule, Jadakiss, and Game to Kanye West, Rick Ross, and most recently, Jay-Z. But 50 insist he was just keeping it real.
“A lot of rappers don’t write about their fears or point out where they didn’t get the best of a situation,” he says. “So the first time I experimented with it was with songs like ‘Many Men.’ I’m telling folks that there is blood in my eyes and I can’t see. I’m hurt at that point. I’m vulnerable.”
Yet, after Get Rich, 50 Cent’s life would never be the same as his success spun off a multi-million dollar label (G-Unit Records); a successful G-Unit clothing line; a major film (2005’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’); and a stable of platinum acts (a crew that included Game, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck). But even as the commercial muscle has dramatically declined for 50 Cent, the spitter insists that he is still the same hungry kid who made the music world take notice.
“That’s what people want from me…. to give them the real shit,” he says. “That’s a part of me. It’s necessary to have aggression to survive but that’s not all of me. There’s so much more.”

Rihanna Last Girl At The Bookstore, Inks Book Deal

From the stage to the bookstore, Rihanna is poised to make her literary debut in 2010.
Thanks to a deal with Rizzoli, Rihanna will release a book in June, slated to retail around $38.
While details surrounding the project, titled 'Rihanna: The Last Girl on Earth,' are limited, sources say the 144 page book will likely end up being a mixture of photographs and short words written by Rihanna and Simon Henwood.
News of Rihanna's forthcoming project with Rizzoli, follows the release of Kanye West's debut literary project, also released by Rizzoli, titled "Kanye West Glow In The Dark".

‘Avatar’ Tops Box Office For Third Weekend, Breaks $1 Billion Worldwide

James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" tops the weekend box office for the third weekend in a row, but also hit a huge mark when it pasted the $1 billion mark worldwide, only the fifth film ever to do it.
Over the weekend, "Avatar" raked in another $68.3 million, to bring its domestic total to $352.1 million, beating out all other films to make it the top movie.
The Cameron-directed 3D film opened two weekends earlier with $77-million. While that was definitely a strong start, it was far below dozens of other blockbusters that debuted as high as $158-million in their opening weekends. However, those films' numbers dipped heavily the weekends following. Not "Avatar" though, its continued strong for three weekends straight.
"It's like a runaway freight train. It just keeps doing business," Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston told the Associated Press. "Here's what's happening: I think everybody has to see 'Avatar' once. Even people who don't normally go to the movies, they've heard about it and are saying, ‘' have to see it.' Then there's those people seeing it multiple times."
"Avatar" was Cameron's first film since 1997's "Titanic," the biggest modern blockbuster with $1.8-billion worldwide.
The following list is the top 5 highest-earning movies of all-time, and "Avatar" is closing in on the #3 and #2 spots fast:
1 - "Titanic": $1.84 billion
2 - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King": $1.12 billion
3 - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest": $1.07 billion
4 - "Avatar": $1.02 billion
5 - "The Dark Knight": $1 billion
Finishing at #2 was Robert Downey Jr.'s crime caper, "Sherlock Holmes," bringing it $38.4 million; while third place was nabbed by "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" with $36.6 million.
Those top three movies, as well as the #4 "It's Complicated" with $18.7 million, steered Hollywood to a big start to 2010 after a year of record revenue, of $10.6 billion domestically, surpassing the previous record of $9.7 billion in 2007, according to Hollywood.com.
Rounding out the top 5 was Sandra Bullock's "The Blind Side," a true life football drama about the Baltimore Ravens' tackle Michael Oher. It earned $12.6 million.
That wraps things up this weekend. Next weekend, look out for new releases such as the Ethan Hawke horror "Daybreakers," the romantic comedy "Leap Year," and "Youth in Revolt."
This weekend's top 10 is as follows:
1 - "Avatar," $68.3 million
2 - "Sherlock Holmes," $38.3 million
3 - "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $36.6 million
4 - "It's Complicated," $18.7 million
5 - "The Blind Side," $12.6 million
6 - "Up in the Air," $11.3 million
7 - "The Princess and the Frog," $10 million
8 - "Did You Hear About The Morgans?", $5.2 million
9 - "Nine," $4.2 million
10 - "Invictus," $4.1 million

Q Tip ft. Obama?

According to the New York Post’s Page Six, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will appear prominently on Q-Tip’s upcoming solo album, The Renaissance.

The rapper, formerly of the group “A Tribe Called Quest,” will debut a solo album this June that’s heavy on guest stars, including presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who speaks throughout one song. “I’ve got Norah Jones on there, but Barack is the big one. You’ll see what happens, I can’t reveal too much,” Q-Tip told Page Six Thursday at the Details magazine party at Le Royale for his album, “The Renaissance,” and a photo shoot he did for the March issue.

Filmmaker Spike Lee also reportedly makes an appearance.

Portlant starts "Hip Hop" High

The Portland Oregon school board has officially approved a new charter high school that will highlight Hip-Hop music and culture. The school board unanimously approved the high school in a 6 to 0 vote paving the way for The High School of Recording Arts Portland to open in 2011. The next 18 months will be spent developing the schools curriculum according to local news reports. The school’s goal is to prepare students for society through education and incorporating hip hop culture. A number of popular local rappers also participated in the development of the curriculum including versatile of the local group Lifesavas as well as hometown favorite rapper Cool Nutz.

R.Kelly To Release Memoirs On His Career

Well, this could be interesting. R. Kelly is going to be coming out with memoirs that document his rise to stardom and his ups and downs in his career. If Kelly goes there, this could definitely be a must-read. Hit the jump to check out the press release.

Los Angeles—December 9, 2009—R & B superstar R. Kelly (born Robert Sylvester Kelly) will publish his memoir with SmileyBooks, the publisher announced today.

A three-time Grammy Award winner whose remarkable career spans two decades filled with achievements, R. Kelly has thrilled audiences and sold more than 34 million records worldwide, including six No. 1 albums, twelve platinum-plus selling albums, and eleven No. 1 singles. Over the years, he has collaborated with and written songs for music icons from all genres, including Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Pussycat Dolls, Usher, and Celine Dion. Most recently, he earned rave reviews for his Ladies Make Some Noise Tour, and on December 1, Kelly released his tenth studio album, Untitled, including the chart-topping “Number One,” and his new hot single “Echo.”

“We are thrilled to be the conduit through which R. Kelly will tell his own story,” said Tavis Smiley, founder and publisher of SmileyBooks. “He has earned the right to tell his story his own way.”

In the memoir, Kelly, writing with celebrity author David Ritz, will detail the agony of losing his mother, whom he adored. He will reveal how the same creative soul that came up with such inspiring ballads as the iconic “I Believe I Can Fly” and “You Are Not Alone,” which became a No. 1 hit for Michael Jackson, could also generate such sexy R & B mega-hits as “Bump N’ Grind,” “Ignition,” and “When a Woman’s Fed Up.” And he will discuss the six-year legal ordeal that nearly ruined his life, but finally ended in vindication when he was found innocent of child pornography charges in 2008.

“I’m writing this book as Robert, not R. Kelly,” the singer says. “I’m tired of being misunderstood. I will show you the tears, fears, and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama. I want to tell it like it is.”

The collaboration between Kelly and Ritz is destined to captivate readers, says SmileyBooks President Cheryl Woodruff.

“You have the creative passion of R. Kelly, revealed in his groundbreaking Trapped in the Closet series, coupled with writer David Ritz, who has collaborated with the musicians Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Aretha Franklin. It’s a great pairing.”

Kelly’s book joins a SmileyBooks roster that includes the latest offering from New York Times bestselling author Cornel West, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir, as well as Jeff Johnson’s Everything I’m Not Made Me Everything I Am. Other SmileyBooks authors include Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Tom Burrell, Sophia Nelson, and New York Times bestsellers Iyanla Vanzant and Tavis Smiley.

R. Kelly’s memoir, as yet untitled, is scheduled for release by SmileyBooks in early 2011.