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STR8 TALK: 2011 GRAMMY NOMS & PREDICTIONS…

LexAve — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:04:12 +0000

And the nominees are…pretty much all of our favorites. Following in Beyonce’s 2010 footsteps, Eminem got 10 noms, Lady Gaga scored 6 noms, as well as Jay-Z and newcomer Bruno Mars got a whopping 7 Grammy nominations. Sure Bruno Mars’ album Doo-Wops & Hooligans dropped a week after the Grammy eligibility period, Bruno scored noms for his collaborations with other artists. Finally the Academy gets it right. Be sure to tune to the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards being held on Feburary 13, 2011 on CBS.
But while we wait for the results, here are some of my predictions + comments…
Album Of The Year
Recovery – Eminem
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire

Lady Gaga vs Eminem…man this is a tough one! Lady Gaga’s album was an all around club hit while Eminem’s “Recovery” was just MESMERIZING! This is a toss up.

Record Of The Year
Empire State Of Mind – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna
Fuck You – Cee-Lo Green
B.o.B & Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Another set of great nominations…including that country music nomination. All of these records were spectacular and memorable. But Jay-Z x AKeys got this one in the bag. I mean this record was everywhere and I mean everywhere.

Best Rap Album
The Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
Thank Me Later – Drake
Recovery – Eminem
How I Got Over – The Roots
The Adventures Of Bobby Ray – B.o.B

Hands down..Em got this one. NO question!

Best Rap Song
Empire State Of Mind – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
On To The Next One — Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna
Not Afraid – Eminem
Nothin’ On You – B.o.B & Bruno Mars

Not sure how Eminem and Jay-Z go up against in each other…so by default B.O.B got this one.

Best Rap Solo Performance
Over – Drake
Not Afraid – Eminem
How Low – Ludacris
I’m Back – T.I.
Power – Kanye West

Douchebag aside, Kanye West’s performance of “Power” is a masterpiece.

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence + The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

What can I say…it’s Bieber fever!

Song Of The Year
Beg Steal or Borrow- Ray LaMontagne
F*** You- Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me- Miranda Lambert
Love The Way You Lie- Eminem featuring Rihanna
Need You Now- Lady Antebellum

I’m all for hip hop domination, but Lady Antebellum’s cross over hit speaks volumes.

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
King of Anything- Sara Bareilles
Halo (Live)- Beyonce
Chasing Pirates- Norah Jones
Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

Sorry Katy but even your whip cream ta-tas couldn’t outdo Lady Gaga’s reign…she’s this generation’s pop queen!

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Gone Already- Faith Evans
Bittersweet- Fantasia
Everything To Me- Monica
Tired- Kelly Price
Holding You Down (Going in Circles)- Jazmine Sullivan

After all the scandal and suicide attempt, let’s throw Fantasia a bone and give her a win. #imjustsayin

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Second Chance- El DeBarge
Finding My Way Back- Jaheim
Why Would You Stay- Kem
We’re Still Friends-(Kirk Whalum &) Musiq Soulchild
The Goes My Baby-Usher

Jaheim’s record was tight, but none of these moved me like Usher’s “There Goes My Baby”.

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or A Group With Vocals
Love- Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller
Take My Time- Chris Brown & Tank
You’ve Got a Friend-Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
Shine- John Legend & The Roots
Soldier of Love- Sade

Sade is an icon, yes…but John Legend got vocals and the roots…well they know how to put on a show. Need I say more?

Best R&B Album
The Love & War Masterpeace- Raheem DeVaughn
Back To Me- Fantasia
Another Round- Jaheim
Wake Up!- John Legend & The Roots
Still Standing- Monica

Did you read my last comment?!

BE SURE TO VIEW THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES HERE!

STR8 TRACKS: ESTELLE & JOHN LEGEND- “THE DUETS: SING & FLOW”

LexAve — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 13:47:08 +0000

While cleaning out my inbox I came across an email with some new collabo material from Estelle & John Legend entitled “The Duets: Sing & Flow“, a free seven song EP. Nice lil’ treat for the holidays. Could this be a sign of a collabo album in the works? Hmmm…In the meantime, be sure to download the EP below and get ya sing & flow on. This is definitely GOOD Music!
The Duets FreEP Tracklisting:

1: Shiny Suit Part 2
2: You Are
3: Freedom (feat. Talib Kweli)
4: Hey Girl
5: No Other Love
6: Come Over (feat. Sean Paul)
7: Fall In Love

DOWNLOAD->> ESTELLE & JOHN LEGEND- “THE DUETS: SING & FLOW”

NEW VIDEO: ESTELLE ft. NAS x JOHN LEGEND- “FALL IN LOVE”

LexAve — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:47:36 +0000

UK’s finest Estelle is back with another feel good joint. This time she teams up with Nas x John Legend for “Fall In Love”.
The Sanaa Hamri directed video was shot in Brooklyn and features Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams. Check out the Nas and John Legend versions below now!
Nas version:

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

John Legend version:

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

ON DECK or OFF DECK?!

NEW VIDEO: RICK ROSS ft. JOHN LEGEND- “SWEET LIFE”

LexAve — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:42:43 +0000

Rick Ross is EVERYWHERE these days! With his Teflon Don a week away from dropping, Rozay is in full blown promo mode. Here’s another video for “Sweet Life” featuring John Legend…it’s no “B.M.F.” or “Free Mason” but I guess it’ll rock or not.

ON DECK or OFF DECK?!
Teflon Don in stores July 20th.

EXCLUSIVE: JOHN LEGEND x VAUGHN ANTHONY AT SOBS IN NYC

LexAve — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:43:25 +0000

Last Thursday ya gurls LexAve & J’More hit up SOBs for a special set where John Legend x Homeschool Records presented Vaughn Anthony for the second time in NYC. After checking out Vaughn Anthony for the 2nd time, it’s no question the man is fine but I can’t help to point out he sounds too much like big bro John Legend. He may not have the same vocal range but his voice is just so similar to the Grammy winner…but either way makes for great eye candy. Aside from that, also in the building was Estelle & Fat Joe…although Estelle was into posing for any flicks, the woman is a true sweetheart but Fat Joe was all for the cameras and inform us he was dropping another album in June. We’ll see if 50 Cent will get on him for that release. Anywho enjoy the pics and video we snagged.

Here’s John Legend x Vaughn Anthony working the stage together…GREAT!

MAKE NO MISTAKE, JOHN LEGEND IS NO FOLLOWER…

J'More — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:00:37 +0000

Like the saying goes, “Don’t be a follower. Be a leader”, Grammy award winning singer/songwriter John Legend holds true to this:

“The most important thing for me is that I’ve been able to do what I want to do creatively. I make mainstream music without conforming to the mainstream. It’s worked out for me. I never wanted to follow what everybody else is doing. It’s all about trying to strike a balance. Adding, “I’m comfortable with a variety of styles. The songs may be different but the common denominator is melody and hooks. If you have that going for you, you’re in good shape. If you write well, you’ll stand out. There’s not a lot of great songwriting right now. There’s a dearth of songs with great lyrics that are witty and tell a great story. It’s a shame.”

GIVE-A-WAY: VAUGHN ANTHONY & SPECIAL GUESTS AT SOB’S TOMORROW!

LexAve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:21:26 +0000

Str8NYC x SOBs teams up again to offer ONE lucky reader a pair of tickets to see John Legen’s lil’ brother, Vaughn Anthony perform live at SOBs. R&B’s Next Legend is back at SOBs for another show for his fans. Vaughn Anthony has been displaying his undeniable musical pedigree for fans all around the world and steadily proving that its his time to shine.

His exclusive show here at SOBs is being presented by his brother, John Legend, and the siblings are known to stick together, so dont be surprised if the John shows up to support his talented brother.

Joining Vaughn is the very talented Keon Bryce who has also been making a lot of noise with his sultry voice and infectious guitar. Dont miss a great night of music plus very SPECIAL GUESTS!

Where: S.O.B.’s, 204 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014
When: 6:30pm Show Starts: 7:30pm
Admission: $12 Advance/ $15 Day Of
Available on Ticketweb and the S.O.B.’s Box Office (212)243-4940; Find out more information HERE!

Sidebar: I hear some very special musical guests will be in the building…remember what happened last time!

Here’s how to win:

Answer the trivia below and win! First come, first served! Hurry Deadline is February 18th, Thursday at 12pm EST.
When was Vaughn Anthony officially signed to Homeschool Records?

Be sure to answer the trivia question as a comment and include a valid email address!

IN CASE U MISSED IT: JAY-Z, BEYONCE, WYCLEF & MORE DO “HOPE 4 HAITI NOW” TELETHON

J'More — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:14:35 +0000

Last Friday, your favorite performers including Rihanna, Wyclef, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and a whole lot more came together for a good cause to help raise money for Haiti’s earthquake relief on “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon which was put together by actor George Clooney. The event was televised on nearly every channel and it also featured appearances by Hollywood’s heavy hitters Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Chris Rock and more.

The King of New York aka Jay-Z teamed up with “Good Girl Gone Rated R” Rihanna and Bono to perform “Stranded-Haiti Mon Amour”.

Beyonce partnered up with Cold Play’s Chris Martin and sang her heartfelt medley “Halo” in which she remixed it by adding Haiti to the lyrics.

Haiti’s “ambassador” Wyclef Jean performed “Rivers of Babylon” and “Yele” along with his sister Melky Jean on the hook. Wyclef definitely brought the Carnival vibe to the telethon with his rendition of “Yele”.

The Queen of Hip-hop Soul, Mary J. Blige tore down the house with Civil War-era ballad “Hard Times Come Again No More”.

Oscar winner/singer Jennifer Hudson sang the ish out of Beatles classic “Let It Be”.

“Hope for Haiti Now” proved to be a success as the telethon raised over $58 million from donations which poured in from all over the world. “Hope for Haiti Now” will continue to accept donations for sixth months via these methods:

Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org

Phone: 877-99-HAITI

Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555

Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund

Entertainment Industry Foundation

1201 West 5th Street Suite T-700

Los Angeles, CA 90017

Proceeds will be split among Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.

SNAPS: JOHN LEGEND CELEBRATES B-DAY W/ LUDACRIS, ESTELLE & MORE

J'More — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:13:17 +0000

Last night, Grammy-Award winning soul singer/songwriter John Legend celebrated his 31st birthday along with his model girlfriend Christine Teigen and celebrity friends at SL in NYC.

JOHN LEGEND TO SING “NATIONAL ANTHEM” @ GAME 2 OF WORLD SERIES

J'More — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:12:45 +0000

Looks like New York natives Jay-Z and Alicia Keys aren’t going to be the only stars performing at tonight’s game of the World Series matchup between the New York Yankies and the Philadelphia Phillies. Also on the roster is Grammy-winning singer/songwriter John Legend who is expected to take center stage performing the national anthem. However, Jay-Z and Alicia will show the audience what the “concrete jungle” is all about with their duet “Empire State of Mind” before John belts out the national anthem.