Author - Gabrielle LeGendre

Last night, the up and coming Atlanta rapper, Kayo Redd, passed away. The cause of death has yet to be determined, although there is speculation between suicide and a possible shooting that took place in Redd’s old neighborhood. The rapper’s last tweets were promoting his mixtape, Redd Kisses, that he dropped during the summer. His death was then confirmed by Waka Flocka and his mother, hip-hop producer Debra Antney, via Twitter. Antney, who had a child that died years ago in a car accident, tweeted, “I just lost another son.” Nicki Minaj, who was previously managed by Antney and is a friend of Waka’s, posted on her Instagram,”Devastated by the loss of this precious soul… Always so sweet to me… I cant even… Sending prayers and all my love to Deb, Waka, Wooh, Quam, Big Joe, Bimmy, the entire fam… Gone too soon Kayo… Gone way too soon.”

Happy 32nd birthday to Britney Spears!!! Releasing her 8th studio album, Britney Jean, this past Friday, Britney has been celebrating another successful comeback. It has been two years since her last album and Britney fans have been patiently waiting. Her first single off the album, “Work B**tch!” was released back in September. Critics have given both the song and the music video great reviews (and have you seen those abs?!?!) Some critics have said that the early 2000’s superstar has lost her edge with the appearance of other pop figures in the media such as Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga. Yet, at age 32, many believe that Britney will always and forever wear the crown as pop queen of our generation.

Lady Gaga’s third studio album was released worldwide yesterday. Her album cover definitely “pops” to say the least, and so far fans have given it great reviews! The hit single “Applause”, which was released on August 12th, has been a radio hit this fall. Expect to hear more on the airwaves from Gaga soon! If you haven’t downloaded ARTPOP yet, GO!

Chris Brown’s new album, “X”, is set to be released right in time for the holiday season on November 19th. “Fine China” was one of the hottest songs of the summer and “Love More” featuring Nicki Minaj has been a recent hit on the radio. Other artists that you can expect to hear Brown collab with are Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B., Kelly Rowland, Rihanna, and the voice of Aaliyah. Brown told Billboard that he “wanted to touch musically on Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Sam Cooke, and incorporate those influences with the new.”

After an inexplicable VMA performance, Miley Cyrus has given the world something more to talk about. Three days ago the music video was released for Mike WILL Made It’s song, “23”, featuring Cyrus, Juicy J, and Wiz Khalifa. The beat producer turned rapper from Atlanta released the single on September 10, 2013. Mike WILL produced “We Can’t Stop” for Cyrus. While working on the song together, he was looking for a female artist to record a verse for “23.” Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J had already recorded their versus on the track but Mike WILL felt the track needed a female rapper. On the song, Cyrus raps (or tries to…) about Air Jordans and recreational drug use. Cyrus’s openness about smoking weed, popping Molly, and partying has rubbed many parents whose children used to watch her on Hannah Montana the wrong way. Some argue that it is only the fate of childhood stars, others say Miley’s outrageous behavior is just a publicity stunt. Despite the song reaching number 70 today on the Billboard Hot 100, it is safe to say that Mike WILL Made It has lost a lot of credibility in the hip-hop community. Did the producer of some of the greatest hip-hop hits of the year, such as “Mercy”, “No Lie”, and “Bandz A Make Her Dance” set his album release up for failure? Do you think his new music video is offensive to the greatest basketball player of all time? For those of you who haven’t seen it, check it out. Hashtag, Molly Cyrus.

Ella Yelich-O’Connor (better known by her stage name, Lorde) is the sixteen year old singing sensation from New Zealand who gave quite a performance last week when she covered Kanye West’s “Hold My Liquor” at a show. The soulful singer put a unique spin on the hip-hop song and fans fell in love. Lorde broke out into the US this summer with her hit single “Royals”. The alternative song is about enjoying life and being happy without having all the glitz and glamour, which sends the exact opposite message from most mainstream music and media today. Lorde’s anticipated album, Pure Heroine, is set to release on September 30th.