Boyz II Men have been granted one of the top honors in entertainment. The R&B legends were honored by receiving a star on the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 2,456 star to be exact, all 4 members accepted the award live on the Walk, as they were joined by family, friends and collaborators such as Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Babyface.
See another, longer video below, featuring interviews from all four members, Shawn, Wayna, Nathan & Michael.
Dawn Richard bares her heart in the black-and-white video for “SMFU (Save Me From U).” The vulnerable ballad, produced by Druski, is dedicated to her loyal fans she calls Hearts and will appear on her upcoming debut GoldenHeart.
The New Orleans native explained the concept behind the song during her appearance on “106 & Park.” “I was going through something really, really bad and instead of me trying to keep things private, I like to give my vulnerability, make it strong, and put it out there,” she said. “And I feel like there’s a lot of people who pretend to be a hero, but they really are the villains in this story.” Shout to Rap-Up.
Frank Ocean claimed the runner-up spot on the BBC Sound of 2012 list of emerging stars. During an interview in Los Angeles where he resides, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter spoke about his inspiration, playing live, Odd Future’s impact on his career, working with Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, the “Swim Good” and “Novacane” videos, his highly-anticipated next album and hopes for 2012.
On The Album:
“It succinctly defines me as an artist for where I am right now and that was the aim, just to make something that represents where you are at that time. It’s about the stories. If I write 14 stories that I love, then the next step is to get the environment of music around it to best envelop the story and all kinds of sonic goodness—sonic goodies.”
The man just released the single today, hear it HERE, and he has already shot a visual. Take a look behind-the-scenes of the video shoot for Ruben Studdard’s retro-soul, tender, introspective new single “June 28 (I’m Single).”
Speaking about the shoot, Ruben said, “This video has given me the opportunity to tell the story, but you always want to do something that is creative, and fun and fresh, not a sad thing. It’s just the both of us have moved on in life, and decided to do it in separate ways. It is something that I’m goin thru and felt it necessary to tell my story.”
This is the first single off Ruben’s comeback album Letters From Birmingham, due out this March. Stay tuned for the video!
X Factor winner Melanie Amaro made her first visit to 106 & Park yesterday. The vocalist spoke about the show, the big prize (5 Million), her past, who she wants to work with on her debut album and more. Rocsi put her on the spot and Mel broke out into a live acapella cover of Beyonce’s “Best Thing I Never Had.”
On her latest effort, a record currently unattached to any forthcoming project, Nikkiya celebrates the minor miracle that she and her man still have yet to drive each other up the wall, while acknowledging that his behavior occasionally has her “Sailing away on [her] tears.” Though frequent production collaborator Will Power (of SupaHot Beats) shoots for a blissfully mellow, vintage-soul vibe on the production tip, the ATL songbird delivers her verses with her trademark bite, exhibiting both self-assurance and vulnerability as she wonders, “How do I put up with you, and your baby’s mother, too?”
Take a listen to this wonderful soul piece below. Shout to DJBooth.
Check out this new visual featuring Pop of Jake&Papa singing an acapella cover of “Givin Up” by Donny Hathaway. Nice! The burgeoning R&B duo will release their new project “Somethin’ Soulful” this coming Valentines Day.
Estelle is ready to kick off album promo in the new year. The British songstress will embark on a 14-date tour in support of her third album All of Me, due February 28. The 1 month trek begins February 2 in Cleveland, playing intimate shows in cities across the U.S. including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and New York, before wrapping February 24 in Boston.
Find out when Estelle is coming to a city near you below.
