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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

music-news-from-breakups-to-the-lastest-buzz

  • Usher’s “Raymond vs. Raymond” Gets It’s Wig Pushed…Up??

    It’s commonplace in the music industry for an album to be announced and then pushed back for weeks, if not months, if not…well, you get the picture. So, it’s always a surprise when an album gets pushed forward, especially in the competitive holiday market.

    Usher’s “Raymond vs. Raymond” was originally scheduled for a December release, then got bumped into early 2010, and just got bumped back up to a December 21st release. He’ll be competing against high-profile December releases from the likes of Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx and Chris Brown with this album, his sixth studio album.

    First single “Papers” is already #2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart, and the rumors are that this is an intensely personal effort, something I’m kind of on the fence about. Considering the trajectory of Usher’s career and the “stories” behind his albums, I wonder if Usher is merely creating drama to sell records? Well, whether the drama is real or manufactured, the proof will be in how good the album is, and now we’ll get to find out before 2009 draws to a close.

  • Introducing: Nneka

    My job thankfully affords me the opportunity to check out new music on a regular basis. There are a lot of artists out there that I’ve discovered because of this…artists I probably would never have known existed if it weren’t for what I do for a living. One such artist is Nneka. Nneka’s a Nigerian artist, but you’d be foolish if you were to assume her music is strictly Afrobeat. She draws from a variety of influences, including the funky yet political works of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. I could see her working with or opening up for any variety of artists-K’naan, Wyclef Jean, Public Enemy, M.I.A., Dave Matthews Band, Vampire Weekend. While you’re dancing to her music, you’re also getting an education-much of her music is politically charged, and while her ultimate message is one of love, she pulls no punches with her lyrics or her between-song patter.

    Nneka’s debut U.S. album, “Concrete Jungle” is set for release in February 2010. I got to see her in concert last night, and she’s definitely worth checking out! Here’s a clip I pulled off of YouTube. Enjoy!!

  • Dear Ms. Judd: Wy You Hatin’?

    So, apparently Wynonna Judd has decided to stop shoving Twinkies down her gullet and driving drunk to diss Taylor Swift for winning the Entertainer of the Year award at the CMAs. As I mentioned in an article earlier today, the 19-year old Swift became the youngest artist to win this esteemed honor, in addition to winning three other trophies at the ceremony last night.

    Wynonna seems to think that Taylor has to pay her dues before winning something like Entertainer of the Year. I call shenanigans. It’s not like the woman is winning a lifetime achievement award. She won “Entertainer of the Year”. You don’t have to pay dues or have a body of work to win this award…you just have to have been successful in the past twelve months. Who else in country music has had the year that Taylor’s had. The fact of the matter is this-Taylor has set a record by having 13 songs from one album hit the Top 40, she scored the biggest country crossover hit of the year with “You Belong With Me”, she became the first country artist to win an MTV Video Music Award, and…”Fearless” is the year’s biggest-selling album, regardless of genre. It may not be paying dues, but it sure as hell is success. The type of success Wynonna hasn’t enjoyed since the early Nineties. Might there be a little jealousy going on in Nashville?

    What I found even funnier was the comment section. First of all, people who leave anonymous comments are the worst. If you can’t stand behind your own words, you have no credibility in my book. Second, there’s a large group of people who think that Taylor was a nobody before the Kanye incident. Now, folks, y’all know I love Kanye to death, but Taylor had sold over 7 million records BEFORE the whole MTV thing went down. It’s not like Kanye jumped on stage, stole the spotlight and made her into a star.

    Anyway, seeing as Taylor is enjoying success and opportunities that Wynonna only dreams about, I don’t think Ms. Swift is paying too much attention to the talk.