Ashanti
gets ready to drop 'Chapter 2'
The
reigning R&B princess Ashanti
(given name: Ashanti Douglas)
is getting ready to release her sophomore set called 'Chapter
2' (on Murder Inc. Records) this summer. The pint-sized
princess is putting on the finishing touches on her sophomore set
that's due to hit record shelves this coming July 1st
The lead off single 'Rock
with you (Awwwww baby)'
produced by the label's CEO Irv Gotti
and Chink Santana went to radio
last week and shows strong numbers across the board. The song is
a catchy tune that has it's moments - strong solid bass line and
synths complete with a memorable hook. She'll be promoting the set
whilst on tour with label mate Mariah Carey
according to Billboard.com. The tour will kick off July 18
in Anchorage, Alaska and end Sept 21 in Manchester, N.H.
The two however will meet
up prior to that tour date as both are slated to perform at WHTZ
New York's (Z100) Zootopia
concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J on June 1.
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UPDATE
- Luther Vandross falls into a coma, not breathing on his own
After
undergoing tracheotomy surgery last week Luther
Vandross has fallen into a coma and was not breathing
on his own but then there seemed to be a bit of good news about
his prognosis--his publicist announced that the singer/songwriter
was finally breathing on his own. But that report was shortylived
as hopes for a quick recovery were dashed hours later, when publicist
Lois Najarian said the information
was incorrect, and the singer still required assistance to breathe.
Relaying a message
from Vandross' mother about the perceived improvement, Najarian
initially told the Associated Press that the singer no longer
needed a tube in his throat to breathe. That proved incorrect,
the publicist now says.
"There's been no radical
change in his condition,"said Lois
Najarian. The 52-year-old remains unconscious and in
critical condition in the intensive care unit at a New York City
hospital.
Luther was stricken in his
Manhattan home April 16. He wasn't discovered until hours later
and was then rushed to Weill-Cornell
Medical College, where he was listed in critical but
stable condition. According
to his manager, Vandross' convalescence has been slow, hampered
by a bout of pneumonia that caused a buildup of fluid in his lungs
and labored his breathing.
As a result, doctors were
forced to perform a tracheotomy last week, inserting a tube through
an opening in Vandross' throat to help him breathe easier. The
operation reportedly didn't damage his vocal abilities. "The
tracheotomy was performed in a manner in which his vocal cords
were not affected or damaged," said his manager Carmen
Romano in a statement released last week.
Whether Vandross ever sings
another note remains to be seen, the focus of family and friends
right now is just hoping the R&B legend wakes up. "Currently,
the doctors report that neurologically he is minimally responsive,"
Romano said in last week's statement. "We're waiting for
him to regain full consciousness. I am told this may take some
time.".
The six-foot-three R&B
man has waged a very public battle with his weight over the years--clocking
in at as much as 340 pounds--making his health a source of speculation.
He has also battled diabetes and hypertension.
Through it all, the multi-Grammy
award winner Vandross has continued to be the go-to guy for silky
smooth love songs. Tracks like 'Give
Me the Reason', 'Always and
Forever' and 'She's so good
to me' are stables classics in the soul arena. His
latest album, Dance with My Father,
is due out June 17.
- Source: eonline.com
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Wyclef
joins the fold at Clive Davis's J Records
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Former Fugee
founder and member Wyclef Jean
has left his label of 8 yrs (Sony)
for greener pastures at Clive Davies
'J Records' this according
to reports.
The Hip-hop, jack-of-all-trades
Wyclef has officially signed with J Records as a recording
artist and is working on a new studio album. Jean, who was
formerly signed to Columbia (Sony being the parent company),
had inked an imprint deal with J Records in 2000 for his Clef
Records label.
Clive
Davis, the chairman of J Records parent company
RCA Music Group, said in a statement, "Wyclef is one
of those rare cutting edge artists who define an era. He's
a young triple threat who has just written some of the best
contemporary songs I've heard in years." Jean, in turn,
commented: "Clive Davis, man! He's the godfather of music.
I hooked up with him so I could be a quadruple threat."
Jean is among the artists
confirmed to appear at the Miami edition of the Red
Stripe Reggae Sumfest, set for May 25 at Miami's
Bicentennial Park..
Source: soulnotes.cc
