the chal banz blog

The Grammy telecast is adding even more star power in the days leading up to Sunday’s show. Alicia Keys will honor the late legend Etta James with a special performance. The 14-time Grammy winner will team with blues icon Bonnie Raitt for a tribute at the 54th annual event, airing live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 12. The “At Last” singer died last month at the age of 73 from complications from leukemia. “Wow Etta James! :-( What a phenomenal woman and spectacular voice!” tweeted Alicia upon learning of her passing. Other performers at this year’s Grammys include Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Adele, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

Video: Plies' Good Deed The platinum rapper gives a way a shitload of money to random people! Check it out! Music Biz: Michael Jackson & Rihanna Sued! In the latest of a never-ending string of lawsuits, a Cameroonian musician is suing Jackson and Rihanna in a Paris court, alleging they swiped a hook from one of his tunes.The suit, filed Tuesday by 75-year-old Manu Dibango, claims the Moonwalker had previously acknowledged using a section of Dibango's 1972 track "Soul Makossa" as the riff on "Wanna Be Startin' Something," one of the hit singles from Jackson's 1983 landmark Thriller album. The two sides eventually reached a settlement over the unauthorized sample. Rihanna came to be involved in the dispute in a roundabout way. Turns out she licensed the same hook from Jackson for her 2007 smash "Don't Stop the Music," but no one bothered to get permission from Dibango. Eve Talks New Album! It looks like the self-proclaimed “pitbull...

What is it with rappers getting arrested all the time? I'm really tired of reading and hearing about rappers getting arrested. What led me to this discussion was Kanye West being arrested in again. It is the second time he got arrested in the last few months. I don't like seeing our top rappers getting arrested then its glorified as a good thing. It sends a bad message out to aspiring rappers and fans(particularly young children) that its ok to get in trouble with the law. I know no one is perfect and people slip up every now and then but this is getting ridiculous. Sometimes I feel like its purposely done to prove something. It's like trying to prove that everything that say in their lyrics are true(when half the time its just lies and excessive bragging). 2009 will be here before you know it. While the first few months are primarily slow for music,2009 may just bring about change. New albums from 50 Cent, Usher, Ciara, Jay-Z, Monica, and Trina are all set to drop in the 1...

As always when Beyonce comes out, there is a severe overkill. This new era is certainly no exception. Beyonce's role as Etta James in "Cadillac Records" will be in theaters December 5. Meanwhile the soundtrack which features Beyonce's cover of "At Last" will be in stores December 2. Before all this drops her new album, "I Am" will be in stores November 18. Check out the tracklisting below! 1. I’m A Man (Jeffrey Wright) 2. At Last (Beyonce) 3. No Particular Place To Go (Mos Def) 4. I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Jeffrey Wright) 5. Once In A Lifetime (Beyonce) 6. Let’s Take A Walk (Raphael Saadiq) 7. 6 O’Clock Blues (Solange) 8. Nadine (Mos Def) 9. The Sound (Mary Mary) 10. Last Night (Little Walter) 11. I’d Rather Go Blind (Beyonce) 12. My Babe (Columbus Short) 13. Bridging The Gap (Nas featuring Olu Dara) Video: Nas feat Chris Brown & The Game - We Make The World Go Round 2nd single off "Nas" album and one of my favorite songs...

Hello all! A day or two ago I posted the cover for Christina Aguilera's "Greatest Hits" album now here is the official tracklisting. 1. Genie In A Bottle (New Version) 2. What A Girl Wants 3. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) 4. Lady Marmalade (New Version) 5. Dirrty (featuring Redman) 6. Beautiful (New Version) 7. Fighter 8. Ain’t No Other Man 9. Hurt 10. Candyman 11. Keeps Gettin’ Better 12. Dynamite Video: Nas - Y'all My... Audio: Kanye West feat Malik Yusef and Adam Levine - Promised Land From the Obama inspired album, "Yes We Can". Music News: Beyonce #2 Best Paid Music Star! Singer-turned-brand Beyoncé Knowles comes in second, raking in $80 million during the 12-month period.Once a Destiny's Child group member, the Houston native went solo in 2003 and has since released two platinum albums. She's also built a successful entertainment empire that includes fashion, film and publishing deals. She has found still more time to sell $50 million i...

Audio: Jane 3 - Screensaver A year or two ago there was an overflow of girl groups that burst onto the scene and out of those Danity Kane and Pussycat Dolls had success. Next up to bat is trio Jane 3 which features girls from the ill-fated group, TG4 who had a song called "Virginity" awhile back. The song was produced by T-Pain. Click here to check out the group's myspace page! Beyonce on her role as the legendary Etta James! "Presently I’m playing Etta James for a movie called, “Cadillac Records”. She was a heroin addict, which I felt would be difficult for me because I’ve never done any kind of drugs. But Ivana has an exercise that she’s developed that makes you feel like you are actually on heroin. We worked on one of the scenes that Etta has to be very stoned on heroin – and not only did I feel organically high, but it brought up emotions that made sense to someone who needed to take a drug such as this – something to eliminate emotional pain. My emotions were v...