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Free R&B: J. Valentine - Love & Other Drugs Mixtape

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:19:32 +0000

San Francisco-bred R&B singer-songwriter J. Valentine -- not to be confused with the clothing company of the same name, or with R&B crooner J. Holiday -- is living up to his name this Valentine's Day by releasing a digital EP of free new music for all the lovers out there. His seven-song Love & Other Drugs mixtape is a seductively romantic release that features JV sharing vocals with Chris Brown, LeToya Luckett and Tank, among others. The EP's mostly produced by the LA-based Song Dynasty team, which is run by Tank and Valentine, among others. It can be streamed or downloaded via the link below.

Love & Other Drugs mixtape stream/download (via datpiff.com)

Free R&B: Raheem DeVaughn - Destination Loveland Mixtape

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:25:38 +0000

Today's Valentine's Day, and as a special gift to his fans, self-proclaimed "R&B hippie neo-Soul Rock star" Raheem DeVaughn has released a free new digital mixtape, Destination Loveland, that's all about love. But if you're looking for wall-to-wall ballads and syrupy expressions of romance throughout, this isn't what you're looking for. Although Destination Loveland does have its flowery moments meant for late night listening, like "Be the One" featuring Snoop Dogg, and the sensual "All Ready," a good portion of the mixtape's about the ups and downs of relationships. There's plenty of faster-paced tracks like "Rockin With the Best," and "Dooms Day," a booming, hip-hop reworking of UK singer James Blake's "The Wilhelm Scream." On the whole, it's a well-rounded look at love, not just a one-dimensional one. The mixtape can be streamed or downloaded for free over at DatPiff.com. A link's included below.

Destination Loveland mixtape stream/download (via datpiff.com)

Free R&B: Bobby V. - V Day Mixtape

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:03:03 +0000

Southern smooth R&B singer Bobby V. took his original stage name -- Bobby Valentino -- from the fact that he was born near Valentine's Day. So it makes sense that if anyone would release new music on the holiday dedicated to love, it would be him. And despite the fact that he just released a free mixtape called Vitamin V right around Christmas, he's back again with another one. Bobby's latest mixtape, V Day features, as you might expect, songs about love and lovemaking. There's a few new songs here, mixed with the re-release of three songs that were on Vitamin V and Bobby's remix of Keith Sweat's "Make You Say Ooh." It's not the most groundbreaking music you'll hear, but it can definitely help set a sexy mood for you to celebrate the love holiday. You can stream or download V Day via the link below.

V Day mixtape stream/download (via datpiff.com)
Free R&B: Bobby V. - Vitamin V mixtape

2012 Grammy Awards Photos

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:51:53 +0000

The biggest music ceremony of the year, the 54th Grammy Awards show, was held Sun., Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles. And as usual, many of the biggest and brightest R&B, Soul and urban music stars in the industry were in attendance as guests, presenters, performers and award recipients. This 2012 Grammy Awards photo gallery, which includes Jennifer Hudson, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, host LL Cool J and others, represents some of the larger moments of the show. Enjoy.

LL Cool J photo by Getty Images.

2012 Grammys: R&B Category Winners

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:53:44 +0000

The results of the 2012 Grammy Awards were announced Feb. 12, 2012 live on CBS, and the winners in the R&B categories included Cee-Lo Green, Melanie Fiona, Chris Brown and Corinne Bailey Rae. On a side note, this is the first Grammys since the announcement that the R&B awards were being downsized from eight to four as part of a larger elimination of a total of 31 categories. The full list of 2012 Grammy winners in the R&B categories can be seen via the top link below. For the nominees and winners in all music categories, visit grammy.com/nominees.

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Whitney Houston Has Died

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:06:21 +0000

The Associated Press is reporting, and publicist Kristen Foster has confirmed, that pop-R&B superstar Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. TMZ.com reports that she was found unresponsive in a room at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles and was pronounced dead by paramedics just before 4 pm. She was in town for the 2012 Grammys, which take place tomorrow. From the mid-1980s to mid-'90s, Whitney was one of the biggest stars in all of music, and had a long streak of No. 1 hit songs, including "Saving All My Love for You," "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," Heartbreak Hotel" (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price) and "How Will I Know." Although her career got off track due to substance abuse problems during her nearly 15-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown, after they divorced, she launched a successful comeback in 2009 with her album I Look to You. Despite her problems, she was a revered icon who influenced many artists who emerged in the '90s, including the members of Destiny's Child. Whitney Houston: Aug. 9, 1963 - Feb. 11, 2012. Rest in peace.

Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies (Associated Press)
Whitney Houston -- Dead at 48 (TMZ.com)

Whitney Houston photo by Getty Images.

R&B News N Rumors: 2/11/12 Edition

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:55:31 +0000

Some of the more interesting R&B-related news and rumors from the past week:

Beyonce and Jay-Z have posted photos online of their baby daughter. And just to be on the safe side, the couple's also trademarking the girl's name so that Blue Ivy can be used as a potential brand for a line of baby products.
Whitney Houston, who's had trouble with substance abuse in the past, was seen leaving a pre-Grammy party drunk and with blood dripping down her leg.
A judge has decided to keep Chris Brown on supervised probation for another two years instead of letting him off early.
Raheem DeVaughn is releasing a Snoop Dogg-hosted mixtape on Valentine's Day.
Brandy and Monica both say that Adele should win big at the 2012 Grammys.
Kool & the Gang is opening for Van Halen on the rock band's current tour.
Trey Songz has spoken out against bullying, saying it's "childish."

New Music: Melanie Fiona feat. Sean Paul - '4AM' Remix

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:43:50 +0000

The original version of Melanie Fiona's current single, "4AM" is a dark and sad song about a woman who's heartbroken because it's early in the morning and her man's out doing who-knows-what when he should be at home in bed with her. Well, apparently the song's a little too dark and sad for some, because a newly-released remix of the track flips the song on its head, turning it into a slow burning dance track. And not only that, but reggae artist Sean Paul has been enlisted to add a few verses that tell the male side of the story. It's almost ironic how the anti-partying message of the original version is virtually overtaken by a party vibe on the remix. Anyway, the original version of the song will be on Melanie's sophomore album, The MF Life, which is due out in March. The remix, however, is streamable via the link below.

"4AM" remix stream feat. Sean Paul (via soundcloud.com)
"4AM" original version stream (via soundcloud)
R&B Artist Bio: Melanie Fiona

New Music: Josh Xantus - 'Take 2'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:49:54 +0000

It's become apparent, judging by the state of the music industry today, that mixtapes are the new albums. I say that because over the past few years, numerous established and up-and-coming artists (Trey Songz, Dondria and Frank Ocean to name a few) have put out free digital mixtapes that are very polished and well-produced, and even have songs that get released as singles. Sometimes the mixtapes are used to tease an upcoming album, but increasingly, the mixtapes stand alone. Among those who have embraced this trend is Josh Xantus, a young singer-musician of Haitian descent who's already put out a couple of free mixtapes over the past couple of years (Love Child and Merry X-Mas) while still working on material for his official debut album, Can I Live, which may or may not drop in 2012. But in the meantime, Josh has yet another mixtape, Everybody Hates Josh X, due out in March. Here's a taste of what he's offering, a smooth song about lovemaking called "Take 2." You can stream it via the link below.

"Take 2" audio stream (via soundcloud.com)

New Music: Monica feat. Brandy - 'It All Belongs to Me'

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:25:46 +0000

The latest word on R&B singer Monica's next album, New Life, is that it's due out April 10, 2012 via RCA Records. And although the title suggests she's looking forward, the latest single is actually a nod to her past. On "It All Belongs to Me," Monica again teams up with fellow star Brandy. As true R&B and pop fans know, the girls first collaborated way back in 1998 on another song with a possessive title: "The Boy is Mine." This time though, the song isn't about two teenagers fighting over the same guy; it's about an accomplished woman kicking a dude out while at the same time telling him not to touch any of her property. "I know you're mad, can't take no more, but put that back, they ain't yours," they sing, coldly. "That sh*t belongs to me. It all belongs to me." You can stream the song via the link below.

"It All Belongs to Me" stream feat. Brandy (via soundcloud.com)
New Music: Monica - "Until It's Gone"