Bark + Bite

Kat Graham serves up a "Sassy" milkshake in Kelis mashup

Need a little more sass in your life? Then call on Kat Graham. Fernando Garibay produced a scintillating mash-up of rising star Kat Graham's "Sassy" and Kelis' "Milkshake." Fernando Garibay, most known to "little monsters" for producing Lady Gaga's "Dance In the Dark," acts as more of a DJ here, mixing together two songs that he didn't produce. But "Sassy" fits so seamlessly into Kelis' "Milkshake" that you'd think they were born of the same studio session.

Kat Graham might be more familiar for her work as an actress on the hit show Vampire Diaries, but she's equally passionate about music. She's made apperances in several music videos as a dancer, including Justin Bieber's video "Somebody to Love" featuring Usher. And it was her playful voice that was cooing "I got it from my mama," on will.i.am's "I Got It From My Mama." If Fernando Garibay is getting behind Kat, we could be in for something interesting.

Listen to the delicious mash-up of "Sassy" and "Milkshake" below

Bruno Mars sticks to the basics in "Just The Way You Are" video

Bruno Mars comes across as a nice guy, but who knew he was also a cassette tape aficionado? In the video for his bell-tolling ode to simplicity in love, Bruno whips out two old friends most people probably haven't seen since the 1990s: The Walkman and the cassette tape. But he doesn't use them in the conventional manner, he makes living art out of the cassette tape, much to his love interest's amusement. So in addition to being a singer/songwriter/producer, we now have to add magician to the list? Bruno's never gonna be unemployed with this many skills.

Watch Brunos Mars' video for his debut single "Just The Way You Are" below

Willow Smith is whipping her hair, call her the new Raven Symone

Sugar, spice and nothing nice is what Willow Smith is made of. The 9-year-old daughter of Hollywood couple Will and Jada Smith has burst onto the music scene unexpectedly with her schoolyard anthem "Whip My Hair." Look, we're gonna be honest: This song is the jam. It doesn't matter if you're 9 or 39. Little Willow puts the stank on this neck-snapping track. Pulling from Rihanna's bad girl persona and Raven Symone's little girl sass from yesteryear, Willow Smith comes off as an adorable, but not-to-be-messed-with kid sister.

Get into Willow Smith's playground banger below

How is it that little Willow was able to out gangster Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston and Soulja Boy on her debut single? Step ya game up, fellas. Willow's takin' over.

Concert Review: Lady Gaga rocks Washington D.C., rails against Don't Ask Don't Tell

Photo credit: Wireimage.com

Lady Gaga knows that she makes fun, cathartic pop music that allows her "little monsters" to sweat and dance the night away, leaving their worries behind. It's a role that she takes as seriously as President Obama does his job as leader of the free world. But even Gaga recognizes that she has to be more than just a pop singer "dancing around in a bra and underwear." And so intermingled with the spacey disco beats of her chart-topping hits such as "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Bad Romance," are raucous, shrill protests against social injustice. Her main target? Don't Ask, Don't Tell. She admitted in concert to alternating between wanting and not wanting to be a political figure, but ultimately decided she needs to stand for something or risk standing for nothing.

During the ballad portion of her show, Lady Gaga shared with the audience that she'd spent time with military men and women and was heartbroken over the disruption and rejection DADT was wreaking on their lives. She spoke of two female soldiers who were booted from the military for being lesbians. One had 12 years of service behind her in the military, the other a young student at West Point. As Gaga recounted their personal tales, the frustration came out in her voice. She was pissed about the ridiculous waste of it all. But sensing that perhaps her outrage was spoiling the party atmosphere a bit, Gaga said, "I don't mean to be a political asshole, but it's [DADT] f**ked up, isn't it?" The crowd roared in agreement.

Single Mingle: Shakira, Jamiroquai and Shanell

Get loose and wild with the perpetually uninhibited Colombian pop star Shakira on her new single "Loca," which returns the singer to her Latin roots. Beloved 90s act Jamiroquai swoops in with an updated version of his classic jazzy/electronic/dance sound. Given all the affection toward the dance genre these days, now's a ripe time for a comeback. And the leading ladies of Young Money, Nicki Minaj and Shanell, team up against Cupid. Love is a battlefield after all.

Listen to the new singles and get the scoop below

Rihanna keeps it light for her dance pop single "Only Girl(In The World)"

Put away all the leather and black, because Rihanna is back in the club with the strobe lights on, fist pumping the night away. Her new single, "Only Girl (In the World)," returns the Bajan pop star to the dance pop territory she ruled with songs like "S.O.S." and "Please Don't Stop The Music." The Stargate-produced track will certainly get bodies sweaty and feet moving, but there's something faceless about this Euro-pop jam.

On her previous lead singles, "Umbrella" and "Russian Roulette," Rihanna was setting the trends or experimenting with new sounds and styles. But "Only Girl" is following the dance trend, not reinventing it or doing anything unexpected with it. In fact, this song sounds like it could just as easily be a Taio Cruz song, with a few lyrical changes here and there.

That's not to say the song doesn't deliver as an upbeat dance floor-filler meant to divorce Rihanna from the dark imagery she draped herself in for Rated R. Despite what some might say, one of Rihanna's biggest assets is her unique voice, and on "Only Girl" she adds her mark to the track with classic Rihanna grunts, growls and whispers. Her voice is almost feline-like as she slinkily purrs on the verses: "Want you to take me like a thief in the night, Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right." Rihanna wants to be your teddy bear, don't disappoint.

"Only Girl" is purposefully light-hearted and care-free, meant for easy consumption and minimal thought processing. Which is fine; a mindless tune here and there never hurt anybody. But hopefully there are more daring and experimental tracks in store for us on the new album. "Only Girl" is a bag of Cheeto Puffs: Tasty but not very filling. Let's just hope there are some meat and potatoes on the back burner.

The Samson Effect: An exploration of male musicians and haircuts

R&B singer Lloyd, formerly of Irv Gotti's Murda Inc. label, made a bold announcement on VIBE.com last week when he decided to undergo the big chop. The singer who had hair as long and as silky as Chilli from TLC, built an identity that seemed somewhat synonymous with his hair. Whether it was juiced up with curl activator or braided up in elaborate cornrows, Lloyd seemed to take great pride in his long, flowing mane.

Lloyd says that his haircut is for a good cause (in this case his chopped strands will go to Locks for Love), but it's also likely that he is casting the die with an image makeover as he embarks on relaunching his solo career post-Murda Inc.

Even though hair styling is often more associated with women, hair has actually played a major role in the careers and livelihoods of men for ages. The biblical story of Samson, for example, tells the tale of a man who is blessed with immortal strength, so long as he doesn't cut his hair. When his lover, Delilah, betrays him and cuts his blessed mane, Samson becomes weak.

The same can hold true in pop music. For some artists, cutting their hair can be the equivalent of the Samson Effect, resulting in a loss of popularity, success and relevance. But others have used their newfound looks to their advantage, finding renewed success in their shorter dos. It's unclear right now which side of the coin Lloyd will fall on, but looking back on those who've gone down the path before him might give us a clue.

Check out the guys who've cut it all off in the name of change