Lady Gaga To SHATTER Records This Week

Lady Gaga has had quite the good past few weeks. Actually, "good" is an understatement when you've unseated Oprah as the number one celebrity on the Forbes Celebrity Top 100 list, become the first person on Twitter to have 10 million followers, secured deals with Starbucks and Best Buy, and earned another top five song in the US. But if that wasn't enough, this week is sure to bring the quirky pop superstar the ammunition to topple any other music story this week as sales look to be ENORMOUS this week.

According to many insiders, the album is on the verge of selling nearly a million copies its first week IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE! Add to that the other 21 nations in which she is topping the iTunes albums chart, and sales for the album inflate even further. Of course, these sales include some remarkably lucrative sales gimmicks that come with any major album release. If you plan to purchase a cell phone this week, buy from Best Buy and get a FREE copy of Born This Way. A 24-hour first-day promotional campaign to sell the album for 99-cents on Amazon has crashed the site's music page, while Starbucks is working to provide the album free with members of their digital network. Two versions of the album are available on iTunes (at prices of $15.99 and $11.99) and 21,000 copies have been shipped to non-traditional outlets such as CVS.

Lady Gaga Teams Up With Starbucks & Unseats Oprah

Lady Gaga has had a meteoric rise in the course of three years. That's right, in 2008, Lady Gaga was just a pop singer with an insanely catchy dance hit who could've faded away into oblivion with little traces of of chart success in a year or two's time. Now, the year 2011, and Lady Gaga has unseated Oprah as the most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes.

That's right, the New Yorker with the zany avant-garde costumes and otherworldly stage performances has become the most powerful celebrity in the world and I don't think anyone is disputing that with all the great achievements she has accumulated. Here are just a few:

Lil Kim Versus Nicki Min... I mean Keyshia Cole?

Lil Kim has stretched this Nicki Minaj feud so far it now seems to include anyone who has ever had even the slightest fleeting acquaintance with the Young Money emcee. Now Keyshia Cole has entered the Kim's vindictive beam after she clarified her lack of frienship with Lil Kim, although acknowledging good music they made together. As you may recall, Cole and Kim worked together on the hit record "Let It Go," which is Cole's biggest hit to date as the song reached top 5 on the Hot 100. Here's what she had to say (or tweet):

Adele Scores Biggest Digital Week Since Lady Gaga

Adele is not only doing wonders on the albums chart but she's destroying the competition on the singles chart as well. After selling 353,000 copies this week, she holds the second best sales week for a single after Lady Gaga's much anticipated "Born This Way" sold an astounding 509,000 copies its debut week (or weekend as it was a Friday-Sunday sales week).

This is ironic considering that Adele is on track for a ninth week atop the album charts here in the US. And who is the biggest threat to making a tenth week at number one??? Oh just Lady Gaga with her second (or third) album Born This Way. With two million albums shipped to a variety of different stores, the album will likely earn the distinction of being the largest sales week for an album of 2011.

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyonce

Beyonce has finally premiered the video for the first single off her fourth studio album. Check out the video below:

Chris Brown Leads BET Award Nominations

Chris Brown has had quite the comeback year. He has scored his first number one album this year along with his first top ten since 2008 along with three Grammy nominations. Now he can add another six BET Award nods as the singer is the highest nominated artist at this year's ceremony which airs on June 26th. Among the nominations include "Video of the Year" and "Best Male R&B Artist."

Coming second in nominations is none other than Weezy with five, which include a few overlapping nods with Breezy for his contributions on the hit single "Look At Me Now." Up next with four nominations include Rihanna (who has recently followed her ex on Twitter), Kanye West and Drake. To view the full list of nominees, check below:

Game Sets A REAL Release Date for "R.E.D." Album...We Hope!

Game has had some problems with securing a release date for his upcoming fourth studio album. With the success of LAX, it seemed that the momentum would easily translate to a quick release in 2009, and with a December 2009 date set, Game seemed imminent with new material. Then the story goes incredibly sour.

The release date was pushed back one week here, one week there, two months here, four months there, and before you knew it, the long-awaited R.E.D. Album scheduled for a 2009 release entered 2011 with no firm date yet. But lo and behold, we have a date and, according to Game's twitter, it is official and "like a fat girl..... it won't move." As for the date...

Nicki Minaj Tosses Diddy As Manager

 Nicki Minaj made news last year when she ditched her longtime manager Debra Atney for Diddy just months before the release of her platinum-selling Pink Friday. But it seems that the business honeymoon is over between the two as the Young Money princess has chosen to switch managers again, this time selecting Hip Hop Since 1978 to take the responsibility of her marketing and promotional ventures.

According to XXL.com, while the split was amicable, Minaj and her team cited limited involvement and initiative on behalf of Diddy as the reason for their parting ways. Even with his minimal engagement, it has not seemed to hurt the Queens native as she spends another week in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 and her fourth single is resting very comfortably on the charts as "Super Bass" is currently #11 on iTunes.

Her new management has managed Lil Kim before (ironic, don't you think) but more successfully has represented Kanye West, Drake and Lil Wayne. Do you think this management change is a good thing?

Adele Spends Eighth Week at Number One

Everyone expected 2011 to be Gaga's year and with no album out yet, it may very well turn out that way. But Adele is giving the pop songstress a run for her money as she spends a second cumulative month atop the Billboard 200. That's right, London's 22-year-old blue-eyed soul singer has taken America by storm as she spends an eighth week atop the charts with her album and will likely stay atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week as well.

This makes Adele the first British female solo artist to hold the top spot on the Billboard 200 & Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks ever. Add to that, she shot a stunning cover for Out Magazine which you can check below. The sweet, sweet taste of success!

Pre-Sales Week Estimates for "Born This Way" Look Huge

While Adele has secured seven (and likely an eighth) week at number one, she will be stopped the week of May 23rd as Lady Gaga's Born This Way looks to take the distinction of the best sales week for an album this year. According to early estimates, which take into account a variety of factors (pre-sales, shipments, promotional campaign, etc.), the sophomore LP looks to push 500k-750k copies its first week. Those numbers are not only the best sales of Lady Gaga's career and her first number one album, it is also looks probable that she may double the best sales week of 2011, achieved by Adele with 21. The latter album sold 352,000 copies in February.

While these estimates are reliable, they are still just estimates. Some predictions have even pushed the possible sales total of the first week to nearly a million, but regardless this will be a major success for Gaga and Interscope records.

By the way, listen to the new Lady Gaga song "Marry The Night" below:

Beyonce Delays "Run The World" Video Premiere

Although all eyes were patiently awaiting the premiere of Beyonce's "Run The World" video today on VEVO, its premiere has been postponed indefinitely. This is disappointing news for the 29-year-old singer whose song has performed quite poorly thus far, peaking at number 33 and falling down the chart. The reasoning behind the delay has not been released, but it does make us wonder, why?

The recent extended trailers have been successful in riling up support and intrigue for the video. In all honesty, the teasers have greatly enticed my curiosity and I can't wait for the video. But here are just a few hypotheses as to why the video has been postponed. One of the floating reasons on the internet for the video postponement was that Columbia records is considering scrapping all promotional efforts for the single. But is it true?

Kanye West & Jay-Z Perform At MoMA

Kanye West honored New York City's Museum of Modern Art by performing at their annual charity event which raises funds for the museum's budget. A connoisseur of modern art himself, West performed a string of his biggest hits such as "Gold Digger," "Runaway," and "Monster." In addition to his own songs, the Chi-town emcee performed a cover of Stevie Wonder's song "They Won't Go When I Go."

After thanking the crowd and his fans, the rapper surprised everyone by inviting his biggest mentor (and advocate) Jay-Z to the stage where the two performed a version of "Empire State of Mind" and "H.A.M." The performance has been included after the jump.

In other Jay-Z and Kanye news, their collaboration album Watch The Throne is expecting a summer release (tentatively July) and will include several collaborations, including one with Mrs. Carter herself (Beyonce for those who are confused) and Bruno Mars.

Beyonce Reveals Title of New Album + Video Teaser

Beyonce's new song "Run The World (Girls)" may be not be performing as strongly as many had anticipated, but that does not mean that the promotional tour and traditionally high-budget single treatment has been abandoned. Quite the contrary as the singer plans to hit the Good Morning America stage for their Summer Concert Series. Beyonce has also revealed the title of her new album. Simply titled "4," the new album will see a release this summer. As for the reasoning behind the title? Aside from it being her fourth studio album, it is also her birthday (the inspiration behind the title of her sophomore effort), her mothers birthday, her wedding anniversary and the birthdays of several friends. Interesting!

In addition to the release of the album title, Beyonce has released a nice teaser to the video for "Run" (watch below). It looks to be quite the production but will it save the song from its crippling descent down the charts? We'll have to see.

Adele Scores Her First Hot 100 Number One Single

An enormous congratulations is in order for Britain's soul diva as Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" ascends from the runner-up spot to take the number one space on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks the first time a solo female artist from the UK holds the number one spots on both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 since Leona Lewis achieved it in April 2008, and only the second solo female artist from the UK in British history.

The song has racked up massive airplay increases this week and outsold the juggernaut that is Katy Perry's "E.T." by nearly 60,000 more digital downloads with 294,000. The singer will also likely get a boost this week as the hit show Glee covered the song this past week. Interestingly enough, "Rolling In The Deep"'s ascent to the top spot makes the song more successful in the US charts as opposed to the UK, where the song stalled at number two.

Enjoy the video below of the number one song in America:

Jennifer Lopez Pays Ellen A Visit

Jennifer Lopez was guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show today, continuing the promotional tour for her new album Love? The two talk about her title as People's Most Beautiful Person, her role as American Idol judge, and her new album including a brief clip of the "I'm Into You" music video.

In other J.Lo news, the new album exceeded early week predictions of 60-65k copies for first-week sales as the album pulled in 80,305 copies, according to Hits Daily Double. Check out the interview.

Common's White House Invitation Criticized By The Right

Fox News has never had a longstanding rapport with the hip-hop community. From criticisms about Snoop Dogg to a direct verbal confrontation between Bill O'Reilly and Ludacris on television, Fox and rap go together like oil and water. So it is no surprise that another rapper has the right-leaning network up in arms. The surprise is who and why this particular rapper is drawing scathing criticisms.

The victim of Fox's wrath is Common. One of the most socially-conscious and least contentious rappers, Common has been invited to a poetry event held at the White House by Michelle Obama. Right-wingers have criticized both the rapper and the White House for what they believe is a poor choice. Pajamas Media, a conservative blog, has identified the lyrics of the rapper as "racially-tinged" and "misogynist."

"I Wanna Go" To Be Britney Spears' Next Single

Britney Spears earned herself chart toppers on the albums and singles chart this year and with the top three success of "Till The World Ends," Jive Records has lined up the official third single from Femme Fatale. The dance-pop record "I Wanna Go" has been chosen, a song very similar to the previous electrodance tracks that have received the single treatment thus far.

Although I enjoy the track, it would be nice to see a bit more variation with the single choices. Every preceding album of Britney's had substantial variation with the song choices (e.g. "Circus" and "Womanizer" from Circus and "Me Against the Music" and "Toxic" from In The Zone were all sonically and thematically different songs). This song just seems like an extention of all the other party songs released from the album. I think "He About To Lose Me" would have been the best choice considering the song is very current and not as overproduced as some of her songs on her new album. The downside is that the song was included on the deluxe version of the album only (a decision I have yet to understand).

Listen to the "I Wanna Go" and "He About To Lose Me" below. Which one is better?

Is Britney Spears A "Broken-Down Shell of a Human Being?"

According to Moby, she is. At least that is what the singer-songwriter told British online music magazine The Quietus. When speaking about musicians, Moby said, "The worst case scenario is you really like someone's work, the you meet them and they're self-involved, entitled douchebag."

When asked if he meant Britney Spears, who he has written music for, Moby quickly shot that down by saying, "Britney's actually kind of like a broken-down shell of a human being, that's what makes her so endearing and compelling. She was lovely, but really broken. Like, Blanche Dubois-style broken." He further elaborates by saying, "Britney is like this Tennessee Williams tragic figure. The fatter she gets, the weirder she gets, the more I love her."

The Game's "Red Nation" Music Video Banned

It appears the music video for The Game's "Red Nation" has been banned on MTV and BET. Tweeting the drama today, the LA-based emcee said, "Thank you BET & MTV for banning my #Rednation video. Sincerely, @thegame." This comes after the rapper told Billboard last week that his video for the Lil Wayne assisted that the video is "pandemonium" and described it "like 'Mad Max' mixed with Nas' 'One Mic' video, where there's riots going on in the background."

The reasoning behind the video ban is unknown at this point, but his "One Blood" video was originally banned before being permitted for television plays after its popularity over the internet. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and exactly what the video looks like. Check out the tweets below:

Rip Off Alert: Cascada's "San Francisco" vs. Katy Perry's "California Gurls"

In what may be the most criminal rip-off the year, Cascada's "San Francisco" deserves a big fat copyright infringement lawsuit as the song is almost thematically and melodically identical to Katy Perry's "California Gurls." If Cascada is thinking this song will not face scathing criticism for not only mimicking a song but one of the biggest global hits of 2010, then they've lost it.

This is not the first time the group has been accused of unintentionally recreating a big hit. Their 2009 hit single "Evacuate the Dance Floor" has drawn distinct comparisons to Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and it seemed to have worked successfully. Fortunately for that song, the similarities were not too overwhelming to make it sound desperate - remember all songs in 2009 (much like now) seemed to revolve around dancing. However, a song about California from a German dance group that sounds exactly like another California song from a Golden Coast native seems outrageously desperate.

Listen to the track below and you decide:

VIDEO PREMIERE: "California King Bed" by Rihanna

Rihanna's new music video for her single "California King Bed" has made its way online. An artistic affair indeed, the visual is boasted by full colors, superb set pieces, and the ever physically attractive Rihanna all against a backdrop of a euphoric landscape. Check out the video below:

NEW MUSIC: "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga

Now that Lady Gaga is in the final stretch for the release of her new album Born This Way, the official countdown begins with a new song. Listen to "Edge of Glory" below:

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

We had Lady Gaga's "Judas" premiere today and now we have Nicki Minaj. The Queens femcee premieres her brand new video for "Super Bass" on YouTube today and here it is. Check below for the video.

Beyonce's "God Bless America" Debuts on CNN

Beyonce premiered her version of "God Bless America" on CNN's Piers Morgan tonight, a charity single whose proceeds will all benefit New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fun. A very selfless gesture indeed as the song will provide assistance to families who lost a loved one during the 9/11 attacks.

Undoubtedly, the song is beautifully sung and truly displays Beyonce's strengths as a vocally powerful songstress. It makes me question why her lead single was chosen for this album as it doesn't do the singer justice. That doesn't necessarily mean that a pop/dance song wouldn't work well with her as "Sweet Dreams" was successful. But, c'mon Beyonce! I speak for everyone as we want another "Single Ladies."

Check out the performance below:

Cheryl Cole Confirmed As US X-Factor Judge

Although many Americans have little clue who she is, Cheryl Cole's success in the UK as both an artist and X-Factor judge there has secured her a judging spot on the US version. Cole joins former Def Jam president L.A. Reid, Simon Cowell, and (most likely) Paula Abdul.

As a confirmed judge, it seems all but guaranteed that the former Girls Aloud member is planning to launch her American music career. Considering she's worked with Will.I.Am for both of her solo albums (and on his not-so-successful), her music has that mainstream sound to it that would work very well stateside. Furthermore, the recent successes of Brits in America (Adele, Mumford & Sons, Jessie J, Tinie Tempah, etc.) only further reinforces the probability of such a career launch here.

What do you think about the decision to hire Cheryl as judge?

VIDEO PREMIERE: "Judas" by Lady Gaga

Check out the world premiere of Lady Gaga's "Judas" video below.

And My Favorite Single Cover Goes To...

...Katy Perry and the hilarious single cover for her fifth single "Last Friday (TGIF)." The single cover (at least for the remixes) features the 2010 Maxim sexy singer sporting bottle cap glasses, aesthetically unpleasant braces, and the classic turtle neck. For once, an artist that doesn't take him/herself too seriously.

Listen to the track below.

A Third the Way Through: How's 2011 Been?

At the end of 2010, Katy Perry was atop the singles charts in America and several other national charts, while Susan Boyle capitalized on what worked with her debut album as she secured her reign atop the album charts around the world for a second holiday season. But exactly how the first few months of 2011 would shape out would surely be an interesting ride.

The big story thus far this year has been Adele's enormous success. Having the strongest first week sales of any album this year and being the first album of 2011 to cross the platinum barrier, Adele's 21 has officially confirmed that her transatlantic journey proved to be successful. Add to that the growing momentum of her lead single "Rolling in the Deep," she may be the first British female with a number one album and single since Leona Lewis accomplished that feat in 2008.

Another major story was Britney Spears's return to music. Her lead single "Hold It Against Me" would preform quite well on the charts, debuting at number one on the Hot 100 with over 400,000 copies sold in its first seven days on digital music media. Unfortunately, the song strong entrance on the charts would be short-lived as the song rapidly fell off the charts (largely because of the absence of any promotion). March would prove to be far better as the album debuted at number one, her sixth chart-topper and the youngest artist to do so.

Katy Perry's 5th Week at Number One; "Judas" & "Girls" Tumble

Katy Perry' "E.T." spends a fifth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after selling another 300,000 copies this week. This is the fourth week the song has pushed 300k or more and its seventh week atop the Hot Digital Songs chart. Equally impressive is the song has spent a second week atop the Radio Songs chart, making it even less likely that the song will be overtaken atop these charts anytime soon.

Although Perry's reign atop the charts is impressive, a charging late-bloomer is rapidly catapulting up the charts in the form of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." Although the song was released in late November, the song has steadily risen up the charts. This week the song, who undersold "E.T." by just a few hundred copies, rises to number two on the charts.

Interestingly enough, some of the most highly anticipated songs have not performed as many might have expected. Lady Gaga's controversial "Judas" falls out of the top ten Digital Songs chart from 9-16 (81,000), while Beyonce's lead single from her upcoming fourth album falls 23-39 with 47,000 sold. Their exact spots on the Billboard Hot 100 will be released tomorrow.

Check out the rest of the top five on the Hot 100 below.

REVIEW: "Love?" by Jennifer Lopez

For Jennifer Lopez, musical innovation and artistic originality have largely taken a backseat in her career to make room for mainstream profitability. J.Lo's debut album On The 6 was a latin-pop infused R&B/crossover album that had a few gems amid a monotonous sea of average ballads, while the follow-up albums followed suit with the same recycled formula of money-making collaborations. While Love? is not much of a stark contrast from what has defined Jennifer's aristry hitherto, there is a greater cohesion with her seventh studio album that makes this go around that much more refreshing.

One of the first things evident with this album is the prominence of eurodance beats, something well executed by Lopez with "Waiting for Tonight." Although the former single was a riskier choice back in 2000 when dance music entered a period of dormancy in pop radio, it is a particularly strong direction for Lopez who has always been revered for her stage-strutting abilities as opposed to her vocal acrobatics. Opening with the international smash "On The Floor," the album seems more fitting for a title such as that song as opposed to the interrogative title with which its currently branded. Song after song, the album best unravels when heavy synths and bouncy chord progressions dominate the melody.