[Music Video] Fantasia (Feat. Kelly Rowland & Missy Elliot): "Without Me"

I was not expecting such levels of seduction from Fantasia, but it looks like serial smut peddler Kelly Rowland -who co-stars in the video, alongside Missy Elliot- has been spreading her saucy gospel amongst her peers.

I'm only joking! Despite the dark and seedy vibe of both the music and the visuals, the reality is, Without Me is actually a feisty break-up track. Co-written by the singer, the song speaks of an ungrateful and lying ex who, if one reads between the lines, might have been gay ("Boy, I know the real you (ga, ga, yay, ga)"). Well, he better have been because being gay should never be used as a slur, Franny!

I'm actually surprised at how much I like Without Me. This and Lose to Win might just have swayed me into picking up her latest album, Side Effects of You. Now if only Kelly and Franny could have a word with Michelle Williams, we might be able to get Destiny's Child mark 2 up and running. 

[New Music Video] Mariah Carey (ft. Miguel): "#Hermosa"

The video that you were all gagging to see has arrived: Mariah Carey and Miguel's new one for the Spanglish remix of #Beautiful(!) That was sarcasm, by the way.

Unsurprisingly (and smartly), due to it being a piss-poor remix, the budget wasn't really there for these visuals. But even still, it manages to include staples from the Mariah Carey school of video making. Cue shots of Mariah's shoes/feet/and legs; of her in the studio (because she's a writer and producer, damn it!); of her spinning gracefully like a beautiful sycamore seed; and her being dramatically seductively!

And if those visuals, shot in Capri, weren't enough to dazzle on their own, they've smeared them all in a liberal application of hipster filter to give it that distractingly "vintage" feel.

Enjoy!

[Watch] Tamela Mann Soars To The Heavens With 2013 BET Performance

I have no idea what the name of the song that Gospel superstar Tamela Mann was singing, but I do know that she was vocal a beast; bringing class, emotion and voice to the 2013 BET awards. Me and organised religion aren't exactly friends, but that didn't stop even me feeling the conviction of this performance.

Keeping the vocals tight, Tamela refrained from the embellishment and melisma that is often synonymous with the genre, and leaned on the power of her voice to spread the "good word". The result was a rousing performance that had many in the audience on their feet.

[Watch] Ciara And Nicki Minaj Perform @ BET 2013 Awards

Crunk&B Queen Ciara is consistently slept on, even though she has got to be one of- if not THE- best female performer out there right now. Part of the problem, other than people perceiving her voice as being "weak" (which I don't agree with), has to be the inconsistent material she keeps coming with.

This era seems to be the most unfocused to date, with the dancing Diva grasping at previous sounds to try and regain relevance. It's a strategy that clearly isn't working! CiCi needs to stop looking backwards for inspiration and instead be pushing forwards, setting new trends with her music and choreography, because she is more than capable of leading.

[Watch] Mariah Carey Performs "#Beautiful" Remix @ 2013 Bet Awards

If you were hyped about Mariah Carey's performance at the 2013 BET Awards, I'd advise you to modify your expectations now to avoid unnecessary disappointment. The vocals themselves- especially on that intro- were FIRE but it's a shame that Mariah was lip-syncing for her LIFE throughout! She did look gorgeous though, but I'm not sure how much more I can say about this considering it wasn't live.

[Video Spam] Watch New Music From Fatih Evans, India Arie, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Miley Cyrus!

We all know I'm pretty terrible at keeping on top of new releases and such- which is crazy considering I "run" a music blog. But I'm not sure if anyone else even caught the release of this new video from Faith Evans. Knowing my luck, it's an old song/video and Faith's team has only just posted it to her Vevo but since I've never heard it before, I'm posting it!

Dumb- no, I haven't resorted to name calling, that's the song's name- is an energetic, Motown-inspired romp, which pairs Faith's raspy and soulful voice with a quick tempo and playful sound to dizzying effect. Yep, the video is #BUUUUUUUDDGET but a quick wiki tells me why: the song isn't from a new album but from a compilation album, entitled R&B Divas, which was released last year. So I was kind of right and wrong about the song; it's old, but the video is new.

Still, I'm glad to have our first lady of Bad Boy back!

[Discuss] Should Rihanna Act More Like A Role Model and Less Like "Pop's Poisonous Princess"?

Rihanna has one again been cussed out in the media, this time for being a "toxic role model for her army of young fans". Citing the Umbrella singer's use of drugs, the rekindling of her relationship with abuser Chris brown, and her dress sense, columnist Liz Jones took to her platform at the Daily Fail Mail to spread her (childless) opinions on why Rihanna is corrupting a generation of kids.

Now, I'm not one to listen to Liz Jones at the best of times- I think she writes to troll- but this article was something else, even by her standards! When a supposedly educated individual can write the sentence, "She (Rihanna) promotes... the sort of fashion sense on stage that surely invites rape at worst, disrespect at least", you have to question if this individual is a sandwich short of a picnic. Since when did rape become the fault of the victim?

But what about some parity. Surely if women should be acting as role models for young girls, then their male counterparts should have the same consideration for the boys of today? Well, according to Liz, they needn't worry about it because, "young women are far more impressionable than young men". Really? That's not how I remember it! So being well behaved and "good" should only be practised by the female entertainers of this world? Sexist much? If these two statements alone don't make you question the sanity of this woman, I recommend you subscribe to her posts because you've found a (rare) friend in Liz!