After Beyonce unveiled the simple but powerful video for "Single Ladies" back in 2008, she unwittingly sparked a YouTube revolution. Thousands of people uploaded their own takes on the superstar's iconic choreography resulting in millions of views on YouTube and launching the "careers" of a few demi celebrities who got 15 minutes of fame.
While Beyonce's latest single, "Run The World (Girls)," got off to a slow start, after the video premiered in full and delivering eye-popping performances of the song at the Billboard Awards and on Oprah, the YouTube goodies are starting to trickle in.
Watch three YouTube videos paying tribute to Beyonce's latest jam
This must be a sign that Mya, like the crackhead who urinates openly on the subway, just doesn't give a damn at all anymore. Period. She's fed up and doing whatever the hell she wants to do. Decorum and quality be damned. Because no serious recording artist would put out this Strangé imitation masquerading as a voguing/house song. Even if it is just a track in honor of her birthday, the song doesn't exactly evoke a festive mood.
It hasn't been easy for poor Mya. Fear of Flying was excellent and Mood Ring certainly didn't receive the recognition it deserved. And maybe she's mad that the music industry has chewed her up and spit her out, so she's thumbing her nose at music industry conventions like melody, lyrical quality and hit potential. But falling down in the recording industry is no excuse for her to dunk her head in peroxide and drone over a techno beat that Mortal Kombat left behind in 1998. In fact, it doesn't even sound like Mya on the track. That's straight up Voldemort.
These are not the kinds of headlines Bruno Mars should be garnering at this stage in his rising, promising career. The hit singer/songwriter was busted for alleged cocaine possession on Sunday, after a bathroom attendant noticed some odd behavior going on in the bathroom stall at the Hard Rock hotel in Las Vegas. TMZ, as always, has the details.
TMZ has obtained the police report from the incident, in which LVMPD officials state a bathroom attendant at the Hard Rock Hotel informed security "there was a man in the bathroom stall with possibly a man using drugs."
According to the report, the attendant went on to say he could "see a male in a striped red shirt with a baggy of white powder substance."
Once law enforcement officers made their move -- cops say they asked Bruno to "give over whatever narcotics he had." According to the report, Bruno then "pulled out a white powder substance, which was consistent with cocaine, from his left-front jeans pocket."
Cops say Bruno --aka Peter Hernandez-- "admitted he did a foolish thing and has never used drugs before."
Bad company can lead you down very bad roads. While drug users don't necessarily have a type, Bruno hardly seems to fit the bill of a coke user. If this was a case of regrettable experimentation, then hopefully this painfully embarrassing experience will divert Bruno from ever getting mixed up with drugs again, lest he join the long list of cocaine's career-dead victims, such as Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse and Paris Hilton.
What in the PhotoShop hell is this? Mariah Carey unveiled the cover for her upcoming Christmas album, Merry Christmas II You, which as the "II" indicates is a sequel to her classic Christmas album Merry Christmas. She even dusted off the snug old Santa costume she donned for the first one.
Why is Mimi so stubborn? She got burned recently when she tried to pull off a sequel to her successful comeback album Emancipation of Mimi with the tepid E=MC2. Now she wants to revisit the classic that is her Christmas album?
And really, who needs an updated Christmas album anyway? One holiday album in a pop artist's repretoire is enough. The songs don't age Christmas after Christmas, unless you're foolish enough to date your material like 3LW did with songs like "X-Mas in the Hood."
The worst part of this whole project is that Mimi is going to re-record her Christmas hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Only Mariah, diva of all divas, would cover herself. If she dares to attempt a re-do of "Vision of Love" next year, may the music gods sabotage her recording equipment. You can't recreate history, no matter how bad you want the days of yesteryear to return.
The higher your star rises, the harder the fall. Nelly learned this the hard way as his rap career, which once shined brightly, tumbled embarrassingly as he struggled to find his audience on his last album, Brass Knuckles. He even called on the Black Eyed Peas' frontwoman Fergie for some hit-making mojo, but it was all for naught. Brass Knuckles went belly up.
But one flop album doesn't have to stop the show. Plenty of artists have come back from disappointing albums to deliver once again. It's America favorite kind of story: The comeback. And Nelly appears to be on his, with his single "Just A Dream" skyrocketing to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. So why did Nelly get so tongue-tied when he was about the failure of Brass Knuckles.
"I don't know if people get a little doubt in their minds, so to speak, or if they thinkin' a certain way about you, but as a artist, I know when you come to complications, at a certain point, you try your best to overcome 'em in a way that can be seen through your work," Nelly said in an interview with TV Guide.
Watch the video of Nelly talking about his "complications" below
For some people Lauryn Hill is a deity. A goddess. Someone who is worshipped, not questioned. If her thoughts and actions don't make sense to the public, it's because they're not on her level of consciousness. For giving the world The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and being a part of The Fugees' The Score, Lauryn is granted a lifetime pass on piss-poor, erratic and questionable behavior. It's the same way people used to excuse Michael Jackson's oddities with, "But he made Thriller." One album can absolve you of all crimes for the rest of your life.
It's a good thing Lauryn has earned this diplomatic immunity, because although some are heralding her recent performances on the "Rock The Bells" festival, others are trashing the singer's long-discussed diva attitude and lack of respect. The latest dust-up happened at the Washington D.C. area stop of the RTB tour. The Washington Post has the smh-worthy details.
You know you're kind of a big deal when Kanye West is going on the radio calling you, literally, the next best thing in hip hop. And Kanye's not the only cheerleader out there singing the praises of Nicki Minaj. Lil' Kim might be the loudest bitter grapefruit in the fruit basket, but plenty of other folks have tasted Nicki's forbidden fruit and welcomed her sweet poison into their lives.
Nicki Minaj has built a dedicated, strong-willed, vocal following not unsimilar to Lady Gaga's fans, better known as little monsters. They mimic her raps, imitate her contorted facial expressions and love trying out her 101 voices and accents. And YouTube is a treasure trove of this material as many fans are eager to share their stan behavior with the world. Just like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj has the power to bring red states and blue states together. Love and affection for Nicki Minaj knows no color, weight, shape or education level. All you need is an open mind and propensity for horseplay. But this one takes the cake.
Meet Thablizzit. A self-described country boy and Janet Jackson, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj stan, Thablizzit (who also goes by Josh Mysterius) is unafraid to go there. And by there, that means really awkward and uncomfortable places, like his living room (complete with Support Our Troops signs on the wall) which he transforms into an low-budget rap video featuring his "traditionally-shaped" mother as a back-up dancer. Come get your children, Lord.
You know what? At least mama looked like she was having a ball. You see her throw it back like a pro? That ain't the first hip hop song she's shaken her groove thang to. And if you're ready to fire up a nasty comment slamming Thablizzit for his off-flow and poor lyrical delivery, save it. As he informed one YouTube commenter, "Girl bye, I memorized the lyrics in like 4 takes and wasn't about to make sure it was perfect. NEXT."
Sounds like somebody has been hanging around an awful lot on Black Twitter. Run and tell that, homeboy.
You know you're doin' it big when you can flip a mental disorder and turn into something hip and quirky. Nicki Minaj has lobbed onto the multiple personality disorder ship and the wind is officially at her back and she's sailing away with it.
In an interview from the set of a VMAs promo photo shoot, Nicki explained why she decided to have her character die in the "Your Love" video, rather than come out the winner in a fairy tale ending. The explanation itself isn't so interesting, but midway through her answer, Nicki switches to a British accent seamlessly. It was apparent that Nicki had left the building at that point. Some other voice was talking.
