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Chris Brown is one of the hottest R&B artists out there — at least according to Rihanna.
After igniting a firestorm of criticism (and in some cases praise) for her with decision to work with Brown last month on two remixes that they dropped simultaneously, Rihanna is finally speaking out.
The singer called into On Air With Ryan Seacrest this morning to explain why she asked Brown to guest on her single “Birthday Cake.” READ FULL STORY »
Is she a good Twitter girl gone bad? Rihanna has taken to the 140-character site to offer up a steamy image of herself on Wednesday — in which she strikes a strategically covered-up topless pose with the message, “Where have you been all my life?!”
The post has sent already-wagging tongues into overdrive, wondering if this is just another part of her alleged feud with Chris Brown’s current girlfriend, model Karreuche Tran.
Last week, the songstress tweeted a feasibly harmless but potentially offensive picture of a packet of rice cakes dressed up in hoop earrings and shades with the caption, “Ima make you my b****.” Rihanna’s followers made the obvious link to Tran, who is half-Vietnamese.
Then, when one of Rihanna’s followed asked her to save him some rice cakes, she responded with, “Kinda DRY.” Was it all a thinly veiled dig? Maybe. Maybe not.
On her “Birthday Cake (Remix)” single with Chris Brown, she does sing, “Come and get it / Sweeter than a rice cake / Cake worth sipping.” And anyone who has ever eaten a rice cake knows that yes, they can be dry.
While we were busy decoding Rihanna’s twitpic game, Karreuche retaliated with Nicki Minaj lyrics on her Facebook. “I win you loose!!! [sic] *nicki voice* I mean I got him, you got pictures of him” with a friend posting adding, “I’m Angelina, you Jennifer. C’mon, you see where Brad at.” Jab? Again, maybe. Maybe not.
Karreuche tweeted that she doesn’t even have a Facebook page, but that retreat didn’t seem to phase Rihanna, who fire back song lyrics from Minaj’s rival, Lil Kim: “I’m a leader, yall on some followin s—, comin in dis game on some modeling s—!”
Is this a full-on feud? It’s all still a mystery. Either way, it’s clear these two won’t be trading friendship bracelets and braiding each others’ hair anytime soon.
What do you think? Is this a war of words or is just some silly social-media back-and-forth?
Read more:
Rihanna and Chris Brown release simultaneous remixes, guest on each others’ new tracks
The-Dream says Rihanna asked to collaborate with Chris Brown
Miranda Lambert tells Chris Brown to ‘take notes’ during ‘Gunpowder and Lead’ performance
Image Credit: Jo Hale/Getty Images
A quick glance at the last few weeks of Billboard‘s Hot 100 makes it clear that a handful of songs are ready to break Kelly Clarkson and Adele’s stronghold on the upper tier of the pop charts.
This week, following a cover on the Regionals episode of Glee, British boy band The Wanted‘s “Glad You Came” shot up from number 23 all the way to number 5 on the Hot 100 (not to brag, but we diiid say, “‘Glad You Came’ feels like a potential radio/club titan poised to become a hit” back in early February), and it’s likely that the boy-band jam will continue its ascent in the weeks to come.
But “Glad You Came” isnt the only new track making waves — a number of other buzzworthy songs are climbing up the chart as well. Take a look at a few especially notable performances from the past two weeks: READ FULL STORY »
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Chris Brown still possesses plenty of F.A.M.E., but it’s not all for the right reasons these days.
Not long before the “Turn Up the Music” singer dropped a pair of Rihanna collaborations, he was accused of once again flouting the law.
The offense this time? “Robbery by sudden snatching,” according to the Miami Beach Police Department’s incident report.
The alleged snatching occurred early Sunday morning outside Miami nightclub Cameo; after exiting the venue with rapper Tyga, Brown entered his black Bentley, a moment his accuser Christal Spann tried to capture on her iPhone 4S.
That’s when Brown, as per the incident report, “reached through his car window, snatched her phone from her hands, and said, ‘Bitch, you ain’t going to put that on no website.’” The platinum R&B artist and recent Grammy winner then sped off in his luxury sedan with Spann’s smartphone in tow.
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Rihanna’s got someone in her corner, and this time it’s not Miranda Lambert.
The-Dream recently spoke out in defense of Rihanna’s controversial collaboration with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown — and clears the air on how the two remixes came about.
“It was Rih’s idea,” he confirmed to Billboard.
The-Dream, who produced the “Birthday Cake (Remix)” track released on Rihanna’s birthday, says he made sure to stay supportive of her decision.
“Not only do we work together, but [Rihanna] is a friend of mine,” the producer said. “I don’t know how she got the logistics and how it happened — maybe she’ll talk about it one day. I showed up at the studio, and it was like, ‘All right, cool, let’s finish this record.’”
“For me, it’s just music,” he continued. “Two talented people doing a record together, doing two records together, and that’s what it was. It wasn’t about an incident that happened. The true thing really is to forgive, and… you want to believe in people.”
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage
Most people blow out a few candles on their birthdays, but Rihanna, who turns 24 today, seems determined to start a full-on fire.
In the wake of Chris Brown’s controversial return to the Grammy stage last week (many people — like Miranda Lambert — were uncomfortable that Brown, who pled guilty to felony assault after a fight with Rihanna the night before the 2009 Grammys, was welcomed back to the show and given two performance slots), the “We Found Love” singer has been playing awfully nice with her ex.
Earlier today, Chris Brown tweeted, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBYN” (Rihanna’s real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty), to which she quickly replied “Thanks!” The small exchange was enough to launch a thousand blog posts asking whether Rihanna should be interacting so benevolently with her former beau, whom many feel has not demonstrated adequate or genuine remorse about his past iniquities.
But a moment ago, Rihanna took the reconciliation (and thus the controversy) a step further when she tweeted out a remixed version of Chris Brown’s single “Turn Up The Music” that features her own vocals as well. She wrote, “Turn up the music remix #RihannaNavy #Teambreezy enjoy!!!” and attached the video below: READ FULL STORY »
Though the image of clean-cut Miranda Lambert sitting next to the scepter-carrying Lady Gaga at the Grammys was strange enough, we can say one thing: At least Lambert wasn’t seated next to Chris Brown. Since watching Brown perform and pick up a trophy at the Grammys Sunday, the country star has taken it upon herself to jumpstart a feud with Brown, or publicly condemn domestic violence, depending on your view.
Lambert began slamming the “Look At Me Now” singer — who won a Grammy for Best R&B Album for his release F.A.M.E. — at the ceremony Sunday, tweeting, “I don’t get it. He beat on a girl,” referring to Brown’s infamous felony assault of ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. And it seems Lambert has only continued her digs on Brown, bringing up the singer at a concert at the University of Massachusetts Thursday. Lambert produced a poster for audiences reading “Take Notes Chris Brown” just prior to her performance of “Gunpowder and Lead.” The subject of the tune? A woman who decides to kill her abusive husband.
Said Lambert after showing the poster to her fans: “Get a good picture now, put it on Twitter … I’ve been in a world of hurt with Chris Brown fans lately … but see, I just have to speak my mind because where I come from, beating up on a woman is never okay.” She continued: “So that’s why my daddy taught me early on in life how to use a shotgun.” (See video of the moment embedded after the jump.) [Via E! Online] READ FULL STORY »
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By now, the world is well aware that Chris Brown’s two performances and televised win at Sunday night’s Grammys marked his first appearance on the show since he was forced to miss the 2009 ceremony after assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
His showing there seemed to confirm that this guy was a superstar, at least in the minds of the people curating the Grammys, and that everything he had done—from the initial assault to his various temper tantrums—was water under the bridge.
Recording Academy president Neil Portnow was defensive about the amount of attention Brown’s appearance garnered: “If we’re going to get in trying to personally evaluate artists in terms of their personal lives, that’s a slippery slope that we wouldn’t want to get into,” he said the following day. “That’s really where the judgment comes from: music professionals listening to the music of other professionals. Clearly, our voting membership rated highly Chris’ musical work this past year.”
Show producer Ken Ehrlich also defended Brown. “I just believe people deserve a second chance,” he said to ABC News Radio on Feb. 7. “The year he had this year, really brought him back into the public. If you’ll note, he has not been on the Grammys for the past few years and it may have taken us a while to kind of get over the fact that we were the victim of what happened.” (No really. He said that.) READ FULL STORY »
Chris Brown will perform at this year’s Grammy Awards, the event where his career almost ended three years ago.
Brown assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna at a pre-Grammy party in 2009 and is serving five years of probation for the felony attack. A source told The Associated Press on Monday that Brown will hit the stage at Sunday’s show. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because Brown’s performance has not been officially announced.
After his attack on Rihanna, Brown’s reputation plummeted. But he has since bounced back, releasing multiple mixtapes and the multi-hit album, “F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies).” It’s nominated for three Grammys.
Rihanna will also perform at the show. She’s up for four awards.
Brown and Rihanna were supposed to perform at the 2009 Grammys.
More Chris Brown:
Chris Brown’s media strategy for 2012: no talking
Did Chris Brown knock Drake out in a fight over Rihanna?
Rihanna compliments Chris Brown once again in the press — is she being too kind?
Image Credit: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Good Morning America‘s studio windows can rest easy this year.
According to his manager Tina Davis, Chris Brown won’t be allowed to do any interviews for the rest of 2012, a measure intended to protect the gaffe-prone singer from himself.
The strategy had actually been set “a while back,” Davis said. She continues:
“We’re not trying to be rude, selfish or disrespectful to anyone in any way. If people are going to judge anything, judge him for his talent. He signed up to sing and entertain. Not to talk about his personal life.”
But worry not, Breezy fans: Brown’s always vibrant Twitter account is still alive and well – for now. And as Kanye taught us yesterday, that may be more than enough.
Read more on EW.com:
Best of 2011: Which celebs had the best (and worst) Twitter feeds this year?
Grammy Nominations: Snubs and Surprises
Kanye West’s twitter is back! And yes, it’s pretty much amazing
