the chal banz blog

Chris Brown is still working diligently to get his new album X out before he possibly hits the slammer again. This time Chris has logged in studio time with Justin Beiber and Akon. By now Chris has likely recorded roughly a 100 songs for his new album. When will we get to hear it in full is anyone's guess. Day 26 is back! Their new recording(I say this because I'm not sure if its an album or EP) The Return will be available on June 26. The lead single is titled Bullshit. I'm not sure what label the group is on. At this point though does anyone really care? I mean I think Day 26 is a talented group of guys but I think more people are excited about Danity Kane's return than Day 26. Just being honest! 

I think this is the first song I've heard from Akon in awhile unless I've been hiding under a rock. This is the first single and video to Akon's upcoming album; "Stadium" due September 11.

Rihanna has decided to release her sixth album instead of re-releasing her "Loud" album. It's been revealed that Rihanna's new single; "We Found Love" will be released on October 11. The single is said to be produced by dance music singer; Calvin Harris. I can't say I'm surprised. At this point Rihanna is virtually unstoppable so I don't blame her for releasing a new album and getting them Holiday sales as well. Ashanti is getting it in apparently. The star recently hooked up with Akon possibly for her new album coming soon. Ashanti has already collaborated with Lil' Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Rico Love, and LT Hutton(who produced her hit; "The Way That I Love You"). Ashanti recently released the song; "Never Too Far Away" the lead single from the upcoming movie; "Dream House" and that was a little underwhelming unfortunately.

With Nelly's "Just A Dream" being a huge hit, he is keeping the momentum going with his new video and single, "Move That Body". The song is just okay to me and the video is average. Akon & T-Pain are still at the top of the list of collaborators I see and this definitely isn't their best collaborative effort. Nelly's new album, "5.0" will be in stores and online on November 16. ---------------- Now playing: Ne-Yo - Makin' A Movie via FoxyTunes

Take this with a grain of salt but a Canadian singer(which you will learn about below) has made some statements regarding 50 Cent's sexuality! Read below to find out more. Also you can check out stories on Akon's feelings towards Christina Aguilera and Game's new album. In the May issue of Details magazine, singer Rufus Wainwright is making some questionable statements about “thug” rapper 50 Cent. Simply put, he’s calling him gay. In the interview, the Canadian songwriter said he’s addicted to “Real Housewives of Orange County,” the Kardashians and … 50 Cent. “I think he’s just the sexiest, and a brilliant writer. And I know he’s gay,” the singer told Details. When asked how he could be so sure 50 Cent was into men, Wainwright pointed to 50 Cent’s voice. “That cute little voice of his. It’s okay, 50 Cent. Feel free to call me anytime. My boyfriend and I are experts. You can come over for dinner. And maybe dessert.” Akon Misses The Old Christina Aguilera! “Aw man,...

Amerie's new single, "Heard Em All" is now impacting and is now said to feature Lil' Wayne. Typical. A big budget video set in the desert is in the works. That is all good but Amerie needs to pull some major tricks out of the bag for this album. I have no doubt that Amerie will put out a good album but will it sale? Will she get lost in the shuffle again? Music Biz: Cassie Talks New Album! According to HitsDoubleDaily, singer & model Cassie will finally release her sophomore album "Electro Love" on the 24th of November. The 22-year-old recently opened up about the sound of the new record to Dimepiece, who are currently helping her promote the album with a joint fashion venture. "I've always been inspired by Janet," revealed Cassie. "Sensual, sexy, but still classy, so I'd say definitely Janet. Also Prince, Vanity 6, and Apollonia 6. "I had the opportunity to work with Pharrell which was a great collaboration," she continu...

"Number One", the debut single/video from R. Kelly's upcoming, "Untitled" album is one of my favorite songs out right now and you can get an exclusive behind the scenes look at the upcoming video here. Check it out! Music Biz: Lil' Kim Preps New Album! Femcee Lil' Kim was snapped in France over the weekend where she performed a show at club Palais. The rapper is currently on a mini international tour, and whilst in Romania last week she revealed that she's enlisted some big name producers to work on her upcoming fifth studio album. "I'm working with numerous producers such as Timbaland and maybe Polow Da Don, he's a friend of mine" she revealed. "Also Detail, he's a Konvict music producer. Also Akon and Wyclef, so my album will be very interesting and fun. Something special". Kim's last single with Timbaland "The Jump Off", topped the rap charts, whilst reaching #2 on the R&B charts and #16 on the Hot...

Those were some of the initial comments I read in response to the story regarding Nia Long and her feelings towards Beyonce's acting. Read on about it! Nia Long Disses Beyonce? “If you’re a singer not an actress, you should sing. If you’re a rapper, you should rap,” is what actress Nia Long told the U.K. magazine Pride. In the July issue cover story written by Jessica Huie, the ‘Are We There Yet?’ star was also asked what she thought about Beyonce Knowles’ performance in ‘Obsessed.’ “I didn’t see ‘Obsessed,’ so I can’t comment, but it’s just not about how talented you are anymore. It’s about, ‘How much box-office revenue will this person generate?’ When you see certain people – we won’t name names – they just don’t have the skill, and no one in their team has said, ‘You need acting classes,’” Long replied. Beyonce's acting in "Obsessed" was absolutely atrocious. Someone like Taraji P. Henson[of "Baby Boy"] would of nailed the role. I had been telling some of...

I'm on a roll this morning as the music news continues to pour in. Nas talks new album, Beyonce sweats it out, Jay-Z tributes Michael Jackson, and Forbes releases their list of the top selling rappers of 2009. Read on about it all below! Nas Talks New Album! In the midst of working on material for his "Distant Relatives" project with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, rapper Nas says he's already thinking about the follow up to his 2008 album "Untitled" (formerly known as 'Ni**er'). While "Untitled" was rooted in the Don Imus-sparked controversy over the racial epithet at the time, his new material will come in the wake of divorce proceedings filed by his wife, Kelis. "It's funny; drama is something that definitely kicks a fire underneath artists," Nas says. "But I try not to make that my focus. I'm trying to have peace and love. Beyonce Sweats It Out! The New York Daily News is quoting an "insider" ...

Monica and JD takes viewers behind the scenes of her upcoming reality show set to premiere this October on BET. Check it out! Music Biz: Cassie Talks New Album! AHHA: If you could just kind of touch on the title. The mind definitely goes certain places when you mention the title. Cassie: The last album, it was self-titled. It was a fast release because I had the single out and I just had to put an album out almost immediately. It was like I had no choice, kind of. And it wasn’t that it was bad. It was a great album, but I wanted people to be able to see who I was and the kind of music I like and what I really like to listen to. Electro Love is not really supposed to be taken literally. DJ Cassidy gave me the idea, and I just thought it fit the sound of the album perfectly with where it was going. It’s not electro music/house like hardcore but there is a good beat to dance to. And the lyrical content is dope. It’s all different. So I have a record with Pharrell that he wrote on. Tricky ...

for Young Money's "Every Girl" is in full effect! Meanwhile Amerie talks her past label situations and Cassie speaks on her new album. Read on about it! Music Biz: Amerie On Columbia Records, Beyonce! AHHA: Did you feel Columbia was down for your project? Their priority artist on their roster seems to be Beyoncé. Amerie: Every label should never have one priority artist. That’s not good because contracts run out and then what are you going to do? It’s always good to just nurture different talent and everyone has a different flavor. I just felt like I loved the staff, they were really, really cool on a personal level and had some really creative ideas, but it just wasn’t meshing. A lot people said I really didn’t get the support that I should’ve had, marketing and all of those things, but it really wasn’t…you just really have to have that great match. It’s like a marriage. It just wasn’t working and I felt like that a little after my first project, kind of after my second ...

Ciara continues with her promo tour across the world this time stopping in Europe. The video is rather long(21 mins. or so to be exact). Check it out! Ciara has really been grinding and hopefully it all pays off in the end. Music Biz: Al B. Sure! Returns! Veteran R&B singer/songwriter Al B. Sure! has signed with Hidden Beach Recordings and will release a new album on June 23. "Honey I'm Home" signals the artist's first new studio project in over 15 years. The 13-track CD features the sensual lead single "I Love It (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye)," which is currently available on iTunes.Here's the complete track listing for "Honey I'm Home": 1. "Nite and Day (Interlude)" 2. "I Love It! (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye)" 3. "I'm Glad" 4. "Top of Your Lungs!" 5. "All I Wanna Do" 6. "Lady in My Life" 7. "Dedicate My All" 8. "Bye the Way, By the Way" 9. "Only You!" 10. ...

With "Beep" being a hit single, Bobby V. sets out to duplicate that success with his latest video, "Hands On Me" which is one of my favorites on Bobby's "Rebirth" album which according to the singer is nearing gold status. Music Biz: Cassie Talks New Album! R&B singer Cassie is trying to be put her recent nude photo scandal behind her, with the 22-year-old opening up to BallerStatus about her new album "Electro Love", new single, her shaved head and much more. "I think I just spent a lot of time trying to figure out myself" says Cassie referring to her 2-year musical hiatus "I was letting a lot of people tell me what to do and what direction I should go in."Cassie's second album "Electro Love", which the singer executive produced, will drop later this year, and will feature production from The Neptunes, Akon, The Clutch, The-Dream, RedOne, and many more.

Not long ago I posted a poll asking 'what new album were you looking forward to' and now I have a release schedule of some upcoming albums. Remember release dates are subject to (always) change. March 3 - The-Dream "Love vs. Money" (Def Jam) March 10 - J. Holiday "Round 2" (Capitol) April 7 - Ciara "Fantasy Ride" (LaFace/Zomba) April 7 - LeToya "Lady Love" (Capitol) April 14 - Janelle Monae TBA (Bad Boy) May 5 - Cassie TBA (Bad Boy/Atlantic) May 5 - Pleasure P TBA (Atlantic) May 19 - Ginuwine "A Man's Thoughts" (Kedar) May 2009 - Melanie Fiona TBA (SRC) June 2 - Chico Debarge "Addiction" (Kedar) June 30 - Joe "Signature" (Kedar) September 2009 - Sade TBA (Epic) Fall 2009 - D'Angelo "James River" (J) TBA - Michael Baisden "B-Sides Compilation" (Kedar) TBA - Prince "MPLSOUND"/"Lotus Flower" (TBA) TBA - R. Kelly TBA (Jive) TBA - Robert Randolph TBA (Warner Bros.) T...

Your eyes are not deceiving you. Keyshia Cole appears on not one but two covers of Vibe magazine. As you can see the one featured here is alongside Cole's crazy mother, Frankie. She is one of the many reasons to watch Cole's "The Way It Is" if you haven't seen it before. Video: The-Dream feat Mariah Carey - My Love - Behind The Scen es Take a look as Dream shoots the upcoming video for his new single featuring Mariah. Nick Cannon makes a cameo in this vid(not sure if he's in the actual vid). I read that he directed the video though. Looking at him and Mariah they didn't look much like a couple but then again maybe because they were working. It is a bit odd though because Dream is dating Nick's ex, Christina Milian and producing on Mariah's newest album, Nick's current flame. What's next? The-Dream hooking up with Mariah! hahaha Music Biz: Sean Garrett Speaks On Whitney Houston's New Album! "She's sounding great," Garrett s...

Audio: Usher - Enchanted Newly leaked track! This track isn't too bad. Look for a new Usher album to surface very soon! Audio: Cassie - I'm A Lover Newly leaked track! Produced by The-Dream & Tricky Stewart! Very 80s inspired! This sounds like something Vanity 6 would of recorded. I personally think Cassie should just give up singing. It is just not working at this point! A lot of the leaked songs in the past have been very mediocre. Audio: Slim Thug feat Akon - Please Don't Do That Newly leaked track! Sounds cool! I wrote off Akon and T-Pain awhile back but I'm starting to think they are here to stay.......a little while longer anyway. I also read that Slim Thug and LeToya are back together. The couple have been off and on for a number of years. Music Biz: Usher Collabs With Pharrell On New Album! "It's a little bit of everything," Usher said of what they've been working on. "Pharrell has his Web site where he lets you come inside his world a...

Audio: Dawn Richards - Under Arrest Newly leaked track! This song sounds like it could of been on Michelle Williams' "Unexpected" album. I remember on MTB(Making The Band) when Aubrey was saying Dawn was prepping her solo career. Seems to be pretty true. Then again Dawn has had many solo songs leak over the years so who knows. Who do you think will release a solo album first? Dawn Richards or Aubrey O'Day? Audio: Bow Wow feat Johnta Austin - You Can Get It All Newly leaked track! Contains a sample from TLC's "Baby Baby Baby"! This song sounds like something Nelly would record! Bow Wow's new album, "New Jack City 2" will be in stores March 31. A lot of songs have been leaking out left and right. It's really nothing set in stone at this point as far as tracklisting goes. I can assume that most of these songs will more than likely appear on the new album. Music Biz: Day 26 Preps New Album! Bad Boy recording stars Day 26 are selecting the m...

In My Own Words: I just read myself that the Queen, Mary J. Blige is working on a new album. No title or release date has been released but Mary has been known to drop in the 4th quarter(Oct. - Dec). I was just thinking about Mary prior to this news. I am actually eager for some new material. Aren't you tired of hearing about all the prospects of these so-called "Best Of Both Worlds" album? First there was Lil' Wayne and Lloyd, Ne-Yo and Fabolous, now there's Akon and Young Jeezy. This news is according to Akon's brother, Abu, so we'll see about that! Video: Teyana Taylor - Single Ladies The Star Trak recording artist takes on Beyonce's #1 hit. Check it out! Teyana's debut album, "From a Planet Called Harlem" was pushed back to sometime this year. Last I read fans wanted more songs produced by The Neptunes. I do too! Her first single, "Google Me Baby" failed to take off but became a little cute catchphrase for a time. Video: T-P...

Audio: Johnta Austin - Patron Newly leaked song from singer/songwriter. Singer's album, "Ocean Drive" never saw the light of day. I'm assuming all these recently leaked songs are from that album or a future album. Video: Lil' Fizz Disses Omarion and Raz B Not content with fading into the background, Lil' Fizz comes out swinging on former B2K bandmates Omarion and Raz B. Music Biz: Akon on New Album! Although there are some signature "Konvict" songs on his forthcoming album "Freedom," Akon says his fans should expect a new style on the Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Records set, due Dec. 2. "We changed the sound up a lot," the 34-year-old Senegalese-born artist tells Billboard.com. "Everyone adapted to the 'Konvict' sound already, so we had to switch it up. Now we're bringing the whole Euro-club sound. That's where we're headed with it." Keri Hilson Pushed Back! Originally expected this summer then befo...

Video: Brandy - Right Here(Departed) Live On BET's "106 & Park" Monday, November 3, 2008. Music Biz: Beyonce's Preview! Can't wait to hear the new Beyonce album? Click here to get an exclusive sneak peek of the album before it hits store on November 18. 50 Cent Pushed Back! 50 Cent’s fourth studio album and film Before I Self-Destruct has been pushed back one week from December 9th to December 16th, Rap-Up.com can confirm. The album is 50’s last work of original material under his current contract with Interscope Records. Before I Self-Destruct will now go up against albums from Plies, Bow Wow, Soulja Boy, and Keyshia Cole. Lionel Richie Returns! Lionel Richie has Akon and Ne-Yo in his corner on his new studio album, "Just Go," due Feb. 17 via Island. First single "Good Morning," produced by the Movement, arrives at urban AC stations today. Nelly on Ashanti! The rapper – who has kept mum about his romance with Ashanti for years – is final...