[
Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa Win Big at 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards
The sixth annual BET Hip-Hop Awards aired last night, offering an impressive array of performances from the old school (including a show-closing medley from Heavy D) and the new (Wiz Khalifa delivering a high-energy rendition of ‘Taylor Gang’).
Of course, plenty of honors were handed out along the way. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes led the night with five and four awards, respectively, while Nicki Minaj took home MVP of the Year and Kanye West won CD of the Year for ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.’
[
Willow Smith Enlists Nicki Minaj for Her New Single, ‘Fireball’ [AUDIO]
Willow‘s back for her next attempt at achieving ‘Whip My Hair’-level success, but this time she’s brought along hip-hop princess Nicki Minaj to up her game.
Both stars trade rap verses on the recently released ‘Fireball,’ where the 10-year-old multimedia magnate kicks things off by asking “Um, hello? Can we get this party started?”
[
Rihanna Sets Chart Record with Her New Single, ‘We Found Love’ [AUDIO]
Rihanna‘s latest release ‘We Found Love’ leaped from 16th to ninth on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, giving the pop princess her 20th Top 10 single on the chart.
If you’re thinking that it seems like she compiled all those hits awfully quickly, you’re right; in fact, with ‘We Found Love,’ Rihanna has become the fastest solo artist ever to accomplish this feat.
[
Britney Spears Tackles Body Image Issues Through Airbrushed Photos
Britney Spears is addressing body image issues head-on through a series of before-and-after airbrushed photos commissioned to help educate schoolchildren about the unrealistic physical expectations created by the media. (And, uh, Britney Spears’ videos.)
[
Katy Perry Aims for a Chart Record with ‘The One That Got Away’
It’s been more than 20 years since Michael Jackson set the record for most Number One singles from an album with his five chart-topping hits from ‘Bad.’ In fact, as the industry has splintered into niche marketplaces over the last decade and change, it’s looked like that record might stand forever.
It’s all the more impressive, then, that Katy Perry managed to duplicate Jackson’s feat earlier this year, when she notched her fifth Number One single from ‘Teenage Dream’ — and now she’s looking to move past the King of Pop in the history books as she releases the album’s sixth single, ‘The One That Got Away.’
[
Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Top Billboard Music’s Hottest Minors [PICTURES]
Record sales are nowhere near what they were 15 years ago, but you still never know when an amazing new talent is going to pop up, where they might appear or which corner of the globe they might hail from.
To help you keep track, Billboard recently put together its latest annual ranking of music’s biggest young stars, or 21 Under 21. This year’s edition has its share of expected names — it won’t surprise you to learn that Justin Bieber topped the list, with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato making the top 10 — but you might find some unfamiliar faces, too.
[
‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’ Soundtrack Track Listing and Artwork Revealed [AUDIO]
Most of the considerable hype surrounding the ‘Twilight’ series has centered on the many, many books and movie tickets it’s sold, but the franchise has also been a musical phenomenon, generating more than 4.5 million units in sales over three soundtrack albums.
With the next installment in the series scheduled to reach theaters on November 18, dedicated Twi-hards — not to mention music retailers — have been eagerly awaiting news about its soundtrack. On Monday, Atlantic Records obliged, releasing the full track listing and artwork via Twitter.
[
Kelly Clarkson Releases Video for ‘Mr. Know It All’ [VIDEO]
The countdown to the October 25 release date for Kelly Clarkson‘s new album, ‘Stronger,’ is well underway — and now her fans have a brand new video to help them pass the time while they’re marking off days on their calendars.
Clarkson has released the official clip for ‘Mr. Know It All,’ the album’s first single, and it brings the song’s empowering message vibrantly to the screen by letting her symbolically destroy all the know-it-alls, rumor-mongers, and naysayers that have dogged her during her career.
[
Lady Gaga Reveals She’s Hard at Work on New Album and Tour [AUDIO]
In today’s pop marketplace, it’s commonly accepted for an artist to take three years or longer to finish a new album, which is almost exactly how long it took Lady Gaga to get from her first full-length collection, ‘The Fame,’ to its recently released follow-up, ‘Born This Way.’
But Gaga didn’t get where she is by following what everyone else is doing, and based on comments she made during a recent call-in to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, it sounds like she’ll be back with another album sooner than anyone expected.
[
Justin Bieber’s Christmas Album Will Feature the Band Perry
He’s sold more than four million albums in the last two years and is a more or less constant presence on the iTunes and Billboard charts. So when Justin Bieber announced that he was recording a Christmas album for this year’s holiday season, it automatically became one of the fourth quarter’s most highly anticipated releases.
At this point, Bieber could probably hum carols through a kazoo and turn it into a hit, but give him credit for not phoning it in — not only will his Christmas collection reportedly consist of all original tunes, but he’s lining up some high-profile guest stars from across the musical spectrum, including young country act the Band Perry.
[
Mary J. Blige Returns in November with New Album, ‘My Life II’
Starting with 1999′s double-platinum ‘Mary’ collection, Mary J. Blige has released a new album every two years, and she’ll keep that streak alive this fall with the upcoming ‘My Life II: The Journey Continues…Act I.’
For her 10th full-length studio effort, Blige has created a sequel to her Grammy-nominated 1994 sophomore release, ‘My Life,’ which sold three million copies, spawned four hit singles, and is widely regarded as a modern R&B classic.
[
Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery Deny ‘McLaina’ Dating Rumors
‘American Idol’ duo Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina have been dogged by rumors of romance for months — to the point where their fans have given the alleged couple their own mashed-up nickname, McLaina.
Anyone hoping for a public confession of love can stop hoping, however. Although both of them have winked and played along with the rumors, both McCreery and Alaina have come out to officially lay them to rest.