1. Nick Cannon to Make Directing Debut
A couple of the biggest names in music are trading the mic for the director's chair. Common and Nick Cannon are taking an extended break from the recording studio to launch new film projects.

Cannon will be making his directorial debut on a movie project with Lionsgate, which he describes as "today's version of House Party." The actor-rapper, who has spent plenty of time in front of the camera hosting America's Got Talent and MTV's Wild 'N Out, says to Page Six, “[I’m] taking a lot of the young hip hop acts of today and putting them in a movie with a bunch of comedians, make something happen there.” [MORE]

2. Cee Lo Green on Voice and Style
Despite the excess of television singing contests, The Voice was a big hit in its first season last spring, thanks in no small part to the gimmicky blind auditions that had coaches Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton making their choices sight unseen. But, according to Green, there are other factors at play that make the show must-see TV. [MORE]

3. Don Cornelius' Son Says Dad Was "Unhappy"
In an interview following the death of his father the son of Soul Train founder Don Cornelius revealed that his dad reached out to him just hours before he shot himself. According to TMZ, Tony Cornelius told Gayle King on "CBS This Morning" that his father was sick and apparently unhappy about his life. [MORE]

OkayPlayer has enlisted the help of DJ/producer Sam Champ for D’Angelo Live, a mixtape that compiles live recordings of his greatest hits from various performances throughout the world. From “Brown Sugar” to “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” this mixtape makes clear why his return to music is celebrated, and long overdue.

Oh, and did we mention you can hear a young Anthony Hamilton prominently singing background vocals? Soul at its best. Download and listen to it below.

Tracklist:
1. Fantastic Intro
2. Brown Sugar
3. Devil’s Pie
4. Crisco
5. Left & Right
6. Chicken Grease
7. Lady
8. Left & Right (Reprise)
9. Feel Like Making Love
10. Can’t Hide Love
11. Things You Do (Fall in Love)
12. One Mo’ Gin
13. Me and Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine
14. S.D.M.
15. Untitled (How Does It Feel)

D’Angelo Live by okayplayer

DOWNLOAD HERE

Life after Bad Boy Records can be an uphill battle marked by career extinction (most of the roster from the past two decades), or they can come out on top (yay Faith Evans!). Day 26 is hoping for the latter. The R&B quartet is gearing up for the release of their new album, A New Day, with the release of the project’s first single, “Made Love Lately.”

The video premiered last night on BET’s 106 & Park, marking the group’s official return to music. “It was a very special moment to know that our fans were excited to see us back and that they are ready to continue to support the Day 26 brand”, said group member Brian Angel.

Old Love. New Love. Real Love.

Eric Benet’s new single and video for his latest release “Real Love” has all the elements to make you smile. Valentine’s Day 2012 anthem, maybe?

Grammy Award winning musician and singer Esperanza Spalding teams up with Algebra Blessett for “Black Gold,” the first single off her new album, Radio Music Society.

Nearly three years have passed since Letoya Luckett released Lady Love, her sophomore solo album. And while it produced two top 20 Billboard R&B singles, the album sales all but flat-lined soon after its release. Now the former Destiny’s Child member is busy doing movies—her latest being, In The Rough, with Taraji P. Henson—and recording her third album.

Fans will get to follow the singer in her newly launched weekly webseries, Life, Love & Music, a candid behind-the-scenes look at her day-to day life—gym, home, tours and the recording studio.

The road to K. Michelle releasing her debut album, Pain Medicine, has been a long one. The Memphis native and R. Kelly protégée has released a string of songs since 2009, including the moderately successful R&B hit “How Many Times.” But none have seen the huge success like the songs of her mentor. However, Michelle is not stopping. She’s working on new material, with a new team, new scene (she moved to Los Angeles), and new outlook on life—all of which will be chronicled on her new webseries, Life Is What You Make It.

If fans thought the hit making magic of New Edition left the group with the departure of Bobby Brown in 1985, then the group’s fifth album, Heartbreak, proved them wrong. Released in 1988, the album featured new member Johnny Gill, and the hit single, “Can You Stand The Rain,” the group’s first number one Billboard R&B single in five years.

Penned by famed songwriting team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the ballad became a radio favorite, later to be covered and sampled by a slew of artists—Boyz II Men and rapper, Big Sean among them.

Lenny Kravitz has always had a knack for mashing up musical genres and cultural influences, and his Black and White America mixtape is proof of that. Featuring production from DJ-ing collective Peace Bisquit, the mixtape presents skillfully crafted remixes of tracks from his latest ninth studio album of the same name.

Tracklist
Side 1:
1. Come On Get It
2. Everything (RedTop Re-edit)
3. Stand (Count De Money Re-edit)
4. In The Black
5. Rock Star City Life (RedTop Re-edit)
6. Sunflower ft. Drake (RedTop and Tony Sap Re-edit)

Side 2:
1. Superlove (RedTop Re-edit)
2. Life Ain’t Ever Been Better Than It Is Now (Angelo Pepe Skordos Re-Edit)
3. Boongie Drop ft. Jay Z and DJ Military (RedTop Re-edit)
4. Liquid Jesus
5. I Can’t Be Without You (Craig C. Re-edit)
6. Black & White America
7. Looking Back On Love

Download the ‘Black And White America’ Mixtape

Read the rest of this entry »

R. Kelly is keeping his musical inspiration old-school, but this time he’s saying good-bye to the Motown Sound of the 60s, and hello to the groovin’ 70s. “Share My Love,” is the first official release from his upcoming eleventh studio album, Write Me Back, and his first release since 2011’s “Radio Message.”

“Share My World” is slated to hit the radio waves on February 20, 2012.

What say you: HIT or MISS?

Remember to tune in for A Night of Love With R. Kelly on Feb. 11 at 10A/9C.