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To say that Prince is eccentric would be an understatement. Questlove of the Roots found out just how. Questlove described how he was once hired by Prince to DJ an after party. Questlove recounts how he was confronted by Prince and his management and was asked to put together an after hours affair. Everything seemed to be going well during his set. That is, until Prince’s assistant came over to him and handed him a “Finding Nemo” DVD, which Questlove assumed was a pink slip and left for the evening. The moral of the story is make sure you know what Prince wants to hear or you’ll be fired. To add insult to injury, years later the Philadelphia native attended a party at Prince’s house where the DJ played the same Fela Kuti records Questlove had and it seemed all was well. Rapper Big Sean is the latest star to bring attention to the water crisis in Flint Michigan. The Detroit native, in collaboration with his Sean Anderson Foundation, has launched #HelpHealFlint Kids, a fund raising effort benefiting children affected by the city’s lead infested drinking water. The “Play No Games” MC is gathering donations through the online community web site Crowd Rise. The rapper has put his money where his mouth is by donating $10,000 of his own money. All donations will benefit the Flint Child Health & Development Fund. In collaboration news, a remixed version of Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” featuring Travi$ Scott and Mylie Cyrus has been leaked. The track is completely different from what West has become known for. Cyrus performed “Black Skinhead” during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, which prompted West to whisk her off to a studio to create the remix for the song. It was never released, and many wondered what happened to the song. “Black Skinhead” was the first single from West’s 2013 album “YEEZUS”.

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Singer/songwriter/producer R Kelly delves deeper than anticipated for the cover of the latest issue of GQ magazine. The performer, who has dodged sexual allegations that have haunted his career and recently made an on camera exit during an interview with the Huntington Post discusses being sexually molested around seven or eight and his relationship with the late R&B star Aaliyah. Kelly would only state that the two loved one another out of respect for the singer’s family. Kelly was tight lipped about whether the man in a 2002 sex tape discovered by the police is him. Kelly also shared his thoughts on Bill Cosby’s accusers and his mother’s recent passing. GQ magazine is on newsstands now. With his musical career allegedly ending by years end, rapper Lupe Fiasco took the stage at Los Angeles’s Fonda Theater for the fourth stop on his For The Fans Tour, his latest trek since releasing his final album for Atlantic Records “Tetsuo & Youth”. The Chicago MC displayed showmanship and his catalog served as his support beam. The audience rocked to such hits as “Kick Push”, “Superstar”, “Daydreamin” and  “Paris, Tokyo”. It was a night those in attendance won’t soon forget. In anticipation of the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, which will air on Feb. 15, Pandora has made predictions across 10 nomination categories based on user interactions and expects the Weeknd, Chris Stapleton and Wiz Khalifa to snag top honors. Pandora’s winner predictions were determined by comparing the amount of plays for the Grammy-nominated tunes over the past year to the number of thumbs up they received. If Pandora users had their say, among this years Grammy winners include the Weeknd for “Can’t Feel My Face”, Wiz Khalifa for “See You Again” and Chris Stapleton for Album of the Year for “Traveller”.

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Between being a judge on NBC’s “The Voice” and many other endeavors, Usher hasn’t had much time for music over the past few years, but that’s about to change. The veteran R&B artist announced that he’s working on a new album and even revealed the title. Via New York artist Daniel Arsham’s Twitter page, Usher stated that his new album will be titled “Flawed”. It should be noted that Usher has been working on new music for the past year. He released the Juicy J assisted “I Don’t Mind” and “Chains”, which featured Nas and Bibi Bourelly and had a powerful social message. The 37-year-old singer told “The Ellen Show” that “Flawed” will be released this year. Let’s hope we get “Flawed” this year. R&B crooner the Weeknd had an amazing 2015 and just when it appeared things couldn’t get any better, he’s being honored again. The Academy Awards revealed their nominations and the Toronto native’s contribution to the film “Fifth Shades Of Grey”, “Earned It” received the nod for Best Original Song. That isn’t all. The Weeknd was nominated for seven Grammy awards and released the smash album “Beauty Behind The Madness”. One can only wonder what’s to come. In more Academy Award news, former N.W.A member Ice Cube was brutally honest during a visit to “The Wendy Williams Show”. After the 2016 Academy Award nominations were announced yesterday, many critics slammed the list for its lack of diversity. One noteworthy snub was the record breaking film “Straight Outta Compton”, which received only one nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Williams told the west coast rap veteran that she expected the film to receive more nominations, to which Cube agreed adding that he wasn’t surprised. The voting academy does what they do. Let’s hope things change soon.

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Rising R&B star Tinashe will be traveling across the country for her upcoming  Joyride Word Tour. The singer announced the first round of dates for the trek in support of her sophomore effort “Joyride”. The RCA Records signee was an opening act for rapper Nicki Minaj’s  Pink Print Tour and pop star Katy Perry’s Prismatic Tour as well. She also participated in the BET dance tribute to Janet Jackson along with Ciara and Jason Derulo. To drum up support for “Joyride”, the songstress released two singles, including “Party Favors”, featuring Young Thug and “Player”, which features Chris Brown. The star told Billboard Magazine that she wants to have mainstream success that doesn’t feel forced or label made. Tickets for Tinashe’s “Joyride World Tour” will be available on Jan. 15. The tour kicks off on Feb. 28 in Minneapolis MN and ends on May 26 in Perth Australia. Canadian rapper Jazz Cartier pays homage to the Broadway musical “Phantom Of The Opera” on his latest single “Opera”. He told Billboard Magazine that the play is in Toronto currently and he sees a billboard advertisement while driving around the city. He’s presently working on a mixtape called “Ransom 2”. Rapper Wale opened President Barak Obama’s State Of The Union Address for a special performance at the White House viewing party yesterday. He was the first rap artist to do so. He ran through his string of hits including “Chillin”, “Love Hate Thing” and “White Shoes” according to clips posted on social media site Twitter.

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Funeral arrangements have been made for singer Natalie Cole who passed away on New Year’s Eve of heart failure. Cole will be laid to rest near her mother, father Nat King Cole and siblings in Los Angeles and will be given a send off fitting an icon by dear friend Chaka Khan. According to sources close to the family, Chaka Khan is slated to sing at the funeral, which will surely be attended by luminaires of the music industry. Khan was the first to express her condolences to the family after she passed away. The  music industry suffered another lost when pop icon David Bowie passed away late Sunday after an eighteen month battle with cancer. He was 69. His 25th studio album, “Blackstar”, was released Friday.  Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, he took up saxophone at an early age and began leading a blues band by the time he became a teenager. He went on to reinvent himself throughout the remaining decades, embracing jazz, funk, rock, pop and in later years, electronica. He was also a major influence on hip hop artist, with many sampling his material to create hits for themselves; Jay Z, Public Enemy, MC Lyte. Crooked I and Puff Daddy & The Family among them.  Many celebrities took to social  media to share their sadness and recall his influence on contemporary music. Bowie was without question a musical as well as fashion innovator who consistently pushed boundaries. He also pushed cable channel MTV to air the videos of black artists, which the network refused to do in it’s early days. His legacy will live on.

Friday Flashback: Barry White

Barry White was a singer/songwriter/producer/orchestra conductor who’s baritone voice and sensual lyrics made him a pop icon. White was born Barry Eugene Carter on September 12, 1944 in Galveston TX and raised in Los Angeles. He immersed himself in music at an early age. He released several singles in the 1960s under the name Barry Lee and as a member of the Upfronts, the Atlantics and the Majestics as well. He found greater success guiding the careers of others including Felice Taylor and Viola Wills. In 1969, White formed the female vocal group Love Unlimited, which consisted of Diane Taylor, Glodean James (whom he would eventually marry), and her sister Linda. The group went on to top the charts with the single “Walking In The Rain With The One I Love”, which White produced. This success helped propel White’s solo career. He went on to top the pop/R&B charts with such hits as “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby”, “I’ve Got So Much To Give” and “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”. He also formed the Love Unlimited Orchestra, which backed him and Love Unlimited during concerts. The orchestra went on to top the pop charts with “Love’s Theme”. Although White’s chart hits waned at the end of the 1970s, he continued to thrill concert audiences. White went on to earn several gold and platinum records for worldwide sales. In May 2003, White suffered a stroke while waiting for a kidney transplant, which was needed due to complications from years of chronic high blood pressure. He died on July 4, 2003 in Los Angeles.

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Singer Janet Jackson is denying rumors that she has cancer. The singer was admitted to a hospital for a surgical procedure, but no other details have been revealed. The singer cancelled several concert dates as a result of her undisclosed illness and make up dates  haven’t been announced. The singer did thank fans for their prayers, however. To say that millions of fans will be watching Super Bowl 50 is an understatement. It’s been announced that halftime show headliners Coldplay will be joined on stage by Beyoncé. This marks Beyoncé’s first appearance on the NFL event since 2013. It’s safe to assume that the pair will perform “Hymn  For The Weekend”, which is featured on Coldplay’s seventh studio album. It’s also been announced that Bruno Mars, who headlined the Super Bowl 2014 halftime show, will reportedly take the stage as well. This year’s halftime show is sure to raise the roof. Now it’s time to wait and see if the game lives up to the hype. Rapper Kanye West has returned to music with his new single “Real Friends”. Over a dreamy beat, West raps about trust issues and reflects on how he could be a better BFF and family man. West also offers a preview of “No More Parties In L.A.”, which was produced by Madlib. Beyoncé apparently saw something special in Rhianna. In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, “Sing To Me: My Story Of Making Music, Finding Magic And Searching For Who’s Next”, music mogul Antonio “LA” Reid writes about his first meeting with Rhianna and  a tidbit on Beyoncé’s influence. Rhianna was introduced to Reid in 2005, but as chairman of Island Def Jam at the time, he assumed that label mate Teairra  Mari would be a bigger star. Rhianna got signed and began work on her debut album with rapper Jay Z at the helm. Mari landed a deal at the same time, but as Reid tells, she received more attention.

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After the debut of her new series for BET “Zoe Ever After”, Brandy released a new track titled “Beggin & Pleadin” that has  a bit of a twang. Produced by Oak and Pop, it’s the singers release since “Magic” in 2012 along with her Christmas album “A Classic Holiday” in 2015. On a Facebook post Brandy wrote, “As I grew through the subject matter of this song, I realized that I needed me to forgive me for not believing what I felt!!!”. The track grooves and sways like a gentle summer breeze and is definitely worth a listen. During the teaser for his interview for Bloomberg tv, Wu Tang Clan guru RZA showed no ill will toward indicted drug executive Martin Shkreli, who purchased the Wu Tang Clan album “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin” for a  reported $2 million through an online auction house Paddle8 last year. “He bought it, he can do what he wants”, RZA reported told With All Due Respect host John Heileman. While Shkreli, who was arrested on securities charges last month, hasn’t been shy about airing his grievances toward RZA, RZA didn’t allow the hostile comments to jade his sense of accomplishment.

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The music industry suffered a tremendous lost over the holiday weekend. Natalie Cole, best known for the hits “This Will Be”, Inseparable” and “Our Love” died, according to a statement from her family.  She was 65. The daughter of  pop/jazz singer Nat King Cole, who died of lung cancer at 45, she began a successful career in her own right with the release of her debut album “Inseparable”. She went on to win Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance Female. She released several more R&B albums before moving toward more pop and jazz standards. Although she battled substance abuse, it didn’t effect her singing. In 1992, she won additional Grammys for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Unforgettable With Love”, which was a virtual duet made with her late fathers recordings. Cole had canceled planned tour stops in Louisville and New York, according to reports. She received a kidney transplant in 2009 after developing hepatitis, which she blamed on intravenous drug use. Cole won a total of nine Grammy awards. “We’ve lost a wonderful, highly cherished artist and our heartfelt condolences go out to Natalie’s family, friends, her many collaborators, as well as all who have been entertained by her exceptional talent”, Neil Portnow, President and CEO of The Recording Academy said in a statement. Ms. Cole had a magical voice that wrapped itself around everything she sang. She will be missed.