Shontelle Gets A Leg-Up With Veet

Photo by AP

Fellas, consider yourself lucky. When a woman passes up a chance to hit the club in that freak’um dress just to cuddle up in one of your forgotten T-shirts (that she kept for moments like these), you’ll have SRC/Universal’s singer/songwriter Shontelle to thank for the trouble. On “T-Shirt,” the lead single from last year’s Shontelligence, the Bajan bombshell gave ladies an anthem for breakup woes, that doesn’t involve keying your car.

The single earned Shontelle an endorsement with Tide, during last fall’s fashion week, plus became one of iTunes’ best pop songs of 2008. Just last night, Veet (the creme-de-la-creme of she-she shaving creams) sponsored Shontelle’s performance at New York’s M2 Ultra Lounge. It was a night of watching women beautify themselves, and not at the expense of men. Shontelle wasn’t mad either, doling out advice for the fellas, plus her thoughts on her title for nicest legs in the music industry.
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Can Kelis Make A Comeback?

Can’t get along without you.

Say it ain’t so; Kelis and Nas are officially divorced. The news about the breakup of hip-hop’s other power couple was confirmed this week by Nas and Kelis’ attorney, Laura Wasser. As it turns out, the actual divorce papers that are circulating the blogosphere stated their relationship was already south-bound when they separated on April 20th, 2009.

But as their personal lives go through the ringer, both of their careers are also kind of hanging by a thread. Nas may continue to release material to lukewarm responses like he did with his last album, but now Kelis won’t be there to help finish his sentences on his press runs. So where does that leave Harlem’s finest (sorry Teyana Taylor), Kelis Rogers? Kelis hasn’t put out a studio album since Kelis Was Here in 2006, and she’s due with lil baby Nas this July. The former Fader mag cover girl’s hiatus from music isn’t as extreme as say, Lauryn Hill’s, but we’d hate to see her fade into pop/r&b obscurity. So before we cry “the milk’s gone bad,” here are five steps Kelis can take to shake things up again.

#5 USE A MAJOR LAZER

When Diplo and Switch joined forces for their (soon-to-be-classic) dancehall-baltimore-electronica genre-bender, Kelis was rumored to be a featured guest on the album. The tag team known as Major Lazer have had hands in molding the careers of M.I.A., and Santogold. We expected Kelis, who mothered their eccentric style of dress to have the same chemistry. Lo and behold, her song isn’t on the tracklist. Only time will tell if this collaboration will ever see the light of day.

#4 GO M.I.A.

Now that Kelis has shed the dead weight of a relationship with Nas, she’s built for bigger things like motherhood. History has shown us that pregnancy can inspire, like it did on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, to M.I.A.’s string of appearances sporting a baby bump. But while Kelis may not be on every rapper’s radar like Mrs. Paper Planes, her sultry voice is still unmatched in the pop world.

#3 REUNITE WITH THE NEPTUNES

If Nas can make amends with Jay-Z, anything is possible. When Kelis parted ways with the Neptunes, it seemed like she was washed up. Being synonymous with Pharrell though, hasn’t pigeonholed her the way it did the Clipse when they went out on their own. Producers like Polow da Don, Bangladesh, and Will.i.Am prove that Kelis has versatility. Still though, there’s only one way to make a milkshake, and it takes the Neptunes’ ecclectic mix of ingredients to bring out her best.

#2 PLOT A U.K. TAKEOVER

Kelis was already pretty far left when she debuted with “Caught Out There.” It took a minute for folks to grasp a less than traditional, happy I’m raspy voice, especially when aimed over a male-bashing anthem like “Caught Out There.” By the time her sophomore album Wanderland was due, it made a greater impact internationally than it did stateside. Could the U.K. be where Kelis re-establishes herself?

#1 BREAK-UP TO MAKE-UP

Now that Nas and Kelis are trying to annul their marriage, let’s look at the brighter side: they still have to deal with each other because of the baby. While we’re at it, let’s not forget that Nas and Kelis have also made beautiful music together. Ok, maybe it didn’t pop like Jay and Beyoncé’s, but we’re still rooting for them.

The Evolution of Ciara’s Fantasy Rides

Ciara’s Fantasy Ride: Deluxe Edition

“Do You Wanna Ride?” is a pretty rhetorical question if asked by an r&b singer torn from the same satin cloth as Adina Howard. Just do it. We’ll admit, Adina’s “Freak Like Me” braggadocio is a hard f-ing act to follow, but you see, Ciara is an illusionist of sorts—she’s less explicit with words, but her actions speak volumes. Enter her pivotal third album, Fantasy Ride.

Apart from Ciara’s impeccable track record of fast-paced hits that would motivate even the biggest loser (word to NBC’s fatties), her music videos are the real meat and potatoes. They in and of themselves make enough sense (and dollars, of course) for Jive Records to sling a deluxe edition of Fantasy Ride complete with bonus tracks, three videos, and making-of segments. On this album, we’re introduced to Ciara’s more assertive side, under the “Super C” namesake. We’re not mad at the marketing behind it, even if it’s brought to life in an 8-page digital booklet designed by DC Comics’ Bernard Chang. But let’s face it: the world doesn’t need another alter-ego, super-ego, [cough] Sasha Fierce. We get it, especially from the ATL sex kitten’s ten great moments we’ve gathered that really do the dirty south justice. Just keep your arms, and hands by your side…

#10 CIARA F/ YOUNG JEEZY “NEVER EVER”

The song itself is a little dry, almost on the adult-contemporary tip, but the video sells us on C’s reach to more mature audiences. And when we say mature, we don’t mean the split in front of the pole either. Ciara’s come along way from the girl whose goodies did most of the talking in 2004 (that, and dating Bow Wow). Five years in the game, and we’re still listening.

CLICK BELOW TO SEE MORE OF CIARA’S VISUALLY STUNNING VIDEOS
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Mavado Gets His Hands On Bobby Valentino’s Remix

We’ll admit that the combination of rap and r&b are an unstoppable force, but these days soulmen like Bobby Valentino and Lloyd are thinking outside the box by linking up with dancehall artists like Mavado and Busy Signal. Who’d have thought that when the two shared a stage this past March for BET’s Rip the Runway , the Gully God would eventually lay down a heartfelt verse over Bobby V’s latest single, “Hands On,” produced by L.O.S. da Mystro.

For Bobby V’s third album (Rebirth, February 2009), he takes the road less traveled, having started his own label under EMI, called Blu Kolla music, plus getting two tracks from L.O.S.—part of The Dream’s supporting cast of hit-makers. The ATL representative has come a long way from being Ludacris‘ go-to man for hooks, and is pitching curveballs like this remix with Mavado.

Download: Bobby Valentino f. Mavado, “Hands On” (Remix)

Get A Taste Of Goapele’s “Milk + Honey”

Women from San Fran’s Bay Area are a rare breed. They may not spell danger like ‘ol girl from VH1’s For The Love Of Ray J, but their genius is personified in the voice of Goapele. It’s been eight years since Goapele Mohlabane’s debut Closer. R&B’s estranged child neo-soul, the genre that once boxed her in is now an afterthought in our minds. Her reputation for down-to-earth lyrics, with lush instrumentation is as soulful as it gets, without the stench of a hippie stigma.

That said, Goapele’s latest release from her forthcoming fourth album is more dynamic for it’s use of hi-fi sound effects, courtesy of California-based producer, Bedrock. His last contribution to a Goapele LP came on 2005’s Change It All. This week, Goapele dropped “Milk + Honey” with an accompanying abstract video clip. The pasty Rorschach images will turn your iTunes visualizer on its head. Watch a preview:

Goapele “MILK + HONEY” sneak peak from Goapele on Vimeo.

[Via Concrete Loop]

Def Jam’s R&B New Jack Delivers On “Birthday Cake”

Photo by Adam Belawski
With all due respect to Lloyd, 2009 is officially the year of the lover. Over at Def Jam though, L.A. Reid and company started by building a layer cake with The-Dream at the foundation, and Jeremih stacked above. This past February, the 21-year old Chicago native along with his producer Mick Schultz left an impression on Reid, which lead to a record deal. Now his lead-off single “Birthday Sex” has Fabolous, Red Cafe, Stat-Quo, Teairra Mari, Pretty Ricky, and Flo Rida burning the candle at both ends adding their on twists to the instant smash.

And just as The-Dream hit the ground running with remixes with labelmate Fabolous, Jeremih is also featured on Loso’s street single, “It’s My Time,” produced by the Runners. J’s impressive cameo over this Young Jeezy and R. Kelly’s “Go Getta” tribute gives Brooklyn’s finest a much-needed anthem for his next LP. Mike Shory couldn’t have done it any better.

Download: Jeremih f. Fabolous, “Birthday Sex”

Download: Fabolous f. Jeremih, “It’s My Time”