Rihanna's Next Album Will Be Mostly Rock N Roll

According to reports, Rihanna is going Rock N Roll with her new album, which is the follow-up to 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad.

Although the album is said to be still laced with tinges of R&B, the album also features a mix of rock and pop sounds, says the Rihanna Daily website.

"The album will be full of musical styles and will mark a change for Rihanna and her fans, who will not be disappointed with the result," the website said. "At the moment nobody has recorded, with the exception of those with the singer Chris Brown, which were canceled and will not appear on the album."

Other details about the as-of-yet titled album are still scarce, but rumor has it that the singer has also been in the studio with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Soulja Boy, Pharrell and rapper Trina (Yuk!)

At press time, Rihanna had yet to confirm any information about the album and there was no sign of a release date

Nas Focus' On Peace & Love For New Album

Even though he's in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his "Distant Relatives" collaboration with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the Queensbridge rapper Nasir "Nas" Jones is looking towards a followup to his 2008 album "Untitled."

Nas told Billboard.com that he'll start working on his album once he's done with the Marley project. The album's direction is still germinating, Nas says. "Untitled," of course, came out meeting great controversy over its initial title of "N*gger". Now this new albumm will come out while Nas and soon to be ex-wife Kelis are in the middle of a messy divorce and the impending birth of their son.

"It's funny- drama is something that definitely kicks a fire underneath artists," Nas says. "But I try not to make that my focus. I'm trying to have peace and love. My shit right now is age-appropriate for myself. I love everything, most of the things that are going on musically. But my music will talk about what I see, how I see it, and it should be interesting. My last things were about what I felt about hip-hop and what I felt about race matters. This new thing will be a natural thing. I have a few things that I feel like doing, but who knows what it will be."

Nas is currently touring with Marley as part of this year's Rock The Bells package and will also finish "Distant Relatives" after the tour. They also plan to tour extensively following its release, and Nas is feeling both that album and his next release will be part of a hip-hop scene he finds more potent than it's been in recent years.

"I think it is headed in a good direction," he says. "Everybody is trying to beat the life back into it. People are forced to beat the life back into it because it's either that or, if hip-hop dies completely, then it's our fault. So no one wants that on their shoulders. No one wants that on their brain. We have a responsibility to keep this shit crunchy. That means a lot to fans and people, and we should care more about the music."

Erykah Badu Back In The Lab Recording ''New Amerykah: Pt. 2'

Just a little over a year after releasing her fourth studio album, "New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War," Erykah Badu is back with the second installment tentatively titled "New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return Of The Ankh."

Although no release date has been announced as of yet, sources close to the singer confirm she is currently in the studio working with long-time collaborator James Poyser ("Love Of My Life," "Danger"). Additionally, Badu, who recently performed alongside The Roots on the "Jimmy Fallon Show," has embarked on an international tour which started yesterday (July 8th) in Milan and ends on Sept. 10th in Memphis, Tennessee. Stops include Stockholm, Sweden; Atlantic City, N.J.;and Detroit.

Badu's "New Amerykah, Pt. 1" has sold 354,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Here are Ms. Badu's confirmed tour dates:

Jul. 8: Milan (Arena Civica)

Jul. 10: Paris (Zenith)

Jul. 11: Rotterdam, Holland (North Sea Jazz Festival)

Jul. 13: Copenhagen (Vega)

Jul. 15: Oslo (Santrum Scene)

Jul. 17: Pori (Pori Jazz Festival/Kirjurinluoto Arena)

Jul. 19: Stockholm (Stockholm International Jazz Festival)

Jul. 21: Nice (Nice Jazz Festival)

Aug. 6: Atlantic City, N.J. (TBA)

Aug. 7: Detroit (TBA)

Sept. 10: Memphis (Orpheum Theatre)

Which Michael Album Will You Purchase Now?

It goes without saying that Michael Jackson is the best entertainer past, present, and forever more.... and it's already been established many times over that the biggest-selling albums these past couple of weeks are Michael Jackson albums. The King of Pop is ruling the charts, as he did during his peak and as he well should. But, all those charts aside, we'd like to know what MJ albums will you be stocking up on? I have already had Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous. Me personally, Off the Wall and Thriller are my favs, and my favorite song of all time is of course P.Y.T. Have you been moved to dig way back into the CBS Records era when he and his brothers were called The Jacksons? Have you rediscovered some gems on the under-appreciated Invincible? Leave your comments on your favorite MJ album.

Lil Kim Goin Hardcore

Lil Kim says she, like 50 Cent, plans to return to a hardcore rapping style (whatever the hell that means).

Kim says her new album is coming and fans can expect her to be coming hard. Although there is no release date, Lil Kim did say she thinks that her new LP will be out this year.

“The album should be out in a few months,” Kim said in an interview at the pre-BET Awards show last weekend. "We don’t have a set date yet but the song ‘Download’ is featuring T-Pain and Charlie Wilson is doing very well and I’m excited about that ’cause it’s been a long time since I made my rounds. But I got another song that’s with a producer named Detail, he’s a Konvict Music producer and I love this song. I can’t tell y’all the name yet ’cause it might be the next single but just know that this album, I’m feeling real sexy and nasty y’all, so it’s gonna be an upgrade of Hardcore.”

Ok... so it sounds like she's going back to her roots if anything. If you heard her in Junior Mafia and her first album "Hard Core" which came out in 1996. I actually loved that album, it brings back memories of when I was back in Florida. Anyways, I highly doubt that I'll be coppin this next on though... I might download that mug but she'll never get my money again!

Whitney Names Album "I Look To You"

Pop diva Whitney Houston has chosen a name for her new album. According to a release from Arista Records “I Look To You” will be the title of Whitney’s seventh studio album and is still on schedule to be released on September 1st.

As previously reported here, Whitney’s first single will be a Diane Warren penned tune called “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” and will also reunite the singer with Babyface who acted as producer for the track. So what’s next from Whitney? The label says stay tuned for the album cover which will blow the public away.

Brandy Prepares 6th Album With The Help of Pharrell

Having completed her mini-promotional tour, which saw stops in select European cities as well as the US, Brandy is back in the studio to continue the recording of her 6th studio album. The latest to join the producers list is none other than Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes - as confirmed by Brandy herself on Twitter today. Williams joins an all-star list of writers and producers lined-up to work on the as-yet-untitled record, which includes Ne-Yo, Stargate, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart.

It appears Brandy and her team are sparing no expense when it comes to enlisting the best of the best to work on the album, following the commercial tanking of her last LP (her Epic Records debut and the criminally underrated) 'Human'. Interestingly, the at-time-of-writing absence of past collaborators Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins and Timbaland suggests she's looking to work with those she hasn't worked with in the past.

As one of those who really enjoyed 'Human', yet understood the sad reality that such records don't really enjoy chart success in today's industry, I'm really salivating at the info known about this new project - top producers, more commercial sounding, yet the same high quality we've come to expect from Brandy. Word is we can expect the album in stores this Fall.

Ja Rule Is Trying To Make His Way Back On The Scene

Irv Gotti seems to have made his way back on the scene with his show 'Gotti's Way', and now I guess Ja Rule is trying to keep himself relevant too. Now Ja has come forward to not only talk about his relationship with Irv Gotti but also let everyone know he’s still working on his new album.

”I’m working, I’m not in a rush,” Ja Rule said about his forthcoming project. “I’m in the studio working every day. I’m about to go in the studio and work right now and finish up on the album. The album’s coming out incredible. It’s very different. I wanted to make it special. I wanted the album to be out of this world, and it’s definitely shaping up to that. I’m not in a rush. I got a new situation — my Empire Music Group. Gotti’s got Murder Inc. We’re both still together — there’s no separation. We’re both together doing what we do, but I got my own situation and I got new artists. We’re putting it together.”

But will this album really push anything? When was the last time Ja had a hit? I can't even remember!