Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, June 25th 2009. He was 50, and he collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center. "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color," the Rev. Al Sharpton said. "To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by."
Jay-Z Confirms Split With DefJam!
There will be no encore for Jay-Z and Def Jam.
The rapper
confirms reports that he has left the record company where he
made most of his biggest hits and went from artist to
president, and back to artist again.
In an interview with the Web site RapRadar.com, he
thanks the label's executives and calls his time at Def Jam "a
unique and fulfilling experience."
Last year, Jay-Z and Live Nation struck a
wide-ranging deal that included touring, publishing and
albums. Jay-Z had owed Def Jam one more record. A
representative for Jay-Z declined to elaborate on his
comments.
LAKERS WIN 2009 NBA TITLE: Kobe get's 4th without Shaq; Phil passes Red for 10th win.
Kobe Bryant's finally done it. He's won his fourth NBA championship without Shaquille O'Neal and brought the title back to the city of Los Angeles.
Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers earned their 15th title Sunday night in Orlando as the superstar guard scored 30 points and forward/center Pau Gasol added 14 and 15 rebounds in a 99-86 Game 5 win over the Orlando Magic.
Bryant, who averaged 32.4 points and was named finals MVP, said the can-he-win-without-Shaq talk annoyed him.
"It was like Chinese water torture," he said. "I would cringe every time. I was just like, it's a challenge I'm just going to have to accept because there's no way I'm going to argue it. You can say it until you're blue in the face and rationalize it until you're blue in the face, but it's not going anywhere until you do something about it.
"I think we as a team answered the call because they understood the challenge that I had, and we all embraced it."
O'Neal, now with the Phoenix Suns, was glad to see Bryant win another title.
"Congratulations kobe, u deserve it," O'Neal said on his Twitter page. "You played great. Enjoy it my man enjoy it."
Meanwhile, Bryant's coach, Phil Jackson, now stands alone. Jackson, who won six league titles in the 90s with Michael Jordan in Chicago, now has won four with Los Angeles and broke a tie with legendary Boston coach Red Auerbach as the winningest coach in finals history.
"I'll smoke the cigar tonight in memory of Red," Jackson said. "He was a great guy."
Jackson, who once called Bryant "a selfish player" now sees the soon-to-be 31-year-old in a far different light.
"He's learned how to become a leader in a way in which people want to follow him," Jackson said. "That's really important for him to have learned that because he knew that he had to give to get back in return, and so he's become a giver rather than just a guy that a demanding leader. That's been great for him and great to watch."
Nothing was going to stop Bryant, who spent the postseason scowling, snarling, baring his teeth and all but breathing fire at anything in his path. For weeks, the All-Star has worn his game face. His daughters called him Grumpy. Only when the victory was his in the final seconds did he allow himself to smile.
"I was just completely locked in," he said. "I was grumpy for a while and now I'm just ecstatic, like a kid in a candy store."
Kelly Rowland Finds 'Love'
On The Dancefloor
Kelly Rowland was in France last summer
when she discovered DJ David Guetta, at one of his
exhilarating techno shows in Cannes.
When she later met up with Guetta and asked him to
play a new track for her, the French DJ unveiled a pop number
built around a lush piano loop and throbbing percussion. The
track, which would become the groundwork for "When Love Takes
Over," moved Rowland to tears.
"I
felt so much emotion from the track; something happened the
first time I heard it, and it was just beautiful," Rowland
says. The former Destiny's Child member took the track to
London to write and record the song's vocals.
The finished product was unveiled at
a show-stopping joint performance in March at Miami's Ultra
Music Festival. Last month, "When Love Takes Over" was
officially released as the first single from Guetta's upcoming
album, "One Love," and bulleted at No. 2 on the Hot Dance
Airplay chart.
Keri Hilson's 'Knock You Down' Goes Gold: Single Goes To No 1 On iTunes R&B Chart And No 1 At Crossover Radio
New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Interscope Records) - Keri Hilson has much to celebrate these days. Her single "Knock You Down," featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo, is on fire.
Not only did the digital song go gold this week selling close to 600,000 units in total, but the ring tone also reached gold status selling over 500,000 ring tones in total.
"Knock You Down" is No 1 on the iTunes R&B chart.
It also holds the No 1 spot at Crossover Radio and the No 2 spot at Urban Radio and is projected to land at No 1 next week.
Hilson recently garnered 4 BET Nominations for Best Female R&B Artist, Best New Artist, Viewer's Choice (Turnin Me On) and Best Collaboration (Turnin Me On featuring Lil Wayne).
The 9th annual BET Awards will be held on June 28th at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA.
Whitney Houston's New Album Set For Release September 1, 2009
Since her 1985 self-titled debut, she has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos.
Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music's "most awarded female artist of all time," with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards...
Whitney remains a singular force in music today.
Be sure to visit www.whitneyhouston.com regularly for up-to-date album information, exclusive photos and more exciting news!
Black Eyed Peas: Boom Boom
Wow
As individuals, we're misfits," says Fergie, the sultry
female singer of the Black Eyed Peas. "Together, we're like
one big misfit. People are always questioning who the hell we
are." It's the day after the group's futuristic May 6
performance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Chilling out in a
small, sparsely furnished room at Center Staging in Burbank,
Calif., she and fellow members of the multiracial
group-Will.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap-resemble a live version
of a United Colors of Benetton ad.
Fergie is dressed in black-and-white Capri-length
leggings set off by a hot pink shirt and a sharp pair of black
ankle-strapped heels from her self-titled shoe line. Sitting
next to her on the sofa is apl.de.ap in a lemon V-neck
T-shirt, white-framed shades and his signature Mohawk. Opting
instead for blue-green glasses, Taboo sports a black leather
vest, an eye-catching cross on a silver chain and several
impressive arm tattoos.
With his close-cropped hair
hidden under a red plaid cap, Will.i.am sits astride a black
chair in a striped shirt and gray jeans tucked into black
combat boots. He's pondering the question Fergie just
answered: Who are the Black Eyed Peas?
"When something is different, authentically unique,
it's always going to be questioned," the Peas' mastermind
says. "By default, people aren't going to understand us
because there aren't that many like us."
Following the multiplatinum pop success of 2003's
"Elephunk" and then 2005's "Monkey Business," the Black Eyed
Peas stood accused by fans of selling out: blunting its
cutting-edge, live band hip-hop in favor of lightweight pop
crossover fare. As the June 9 release date for their fifth
studio album, "The E.N.D." (will.i.am music/Interscope),
approaches, some of the same criticism has cropped up. But
what's not in question is the exploding popularity of "Boom
Boom Pow"-the first No. 1 for this band of creative misfits.
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