Ashanti (Singer)

Radio Hits One: Nine Songs From 2012 That Should Have Been Huge

The term "flop," in a musical context, usually refers to an unsuccessful album. Though singles constantly perform above or below expectations, a song will rarely get a reputation as a flop unless there's a lot riding on it, such as a pre-release single from a big-name album. In 2011, Beyonce's "Run ... More >>

100 & Single: fun., Gotye, Carly Rae Jepsen, And The Era Of The Snowball Smash

If you're a pop fan, I'm going to guess you like at least one of the last three No. 1 songs in America. In many ways, 2012 has been an entertaining year for discriminating chart-watchers, as a slew of left-field singles have made strides on Billboard's Hot 100. I've met people who love fun.'s "We A ... More >>

Radio Hits One: Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, And Young Money Bring Crew Love Back To Rap Radio

If you've listened to much urban radio lately, or even a little, you may have noticed that Lil Wayne and his Young Money Entertainment labelmates, particularly Drake and Nicki MInaj, are quite popular. You may have also noticed the same thing in 2011. And in 2010. And 2009. But perhaps nothing under ... More >>

100 & Single: LMFAO's Pair Of Chart-Toppers Suggest Stardom, Guarantee Nothing

​The national star-making machinery only begins to take you seriously when you command the field more than once. Just like, say, GOP presidential candidates, pop acts can't chart one strong number and assume dominance is permanently theirs. They've got to come back on top, week after week, sur ... More >>

Radio Hits One: The Elusive Superstar Duet (Or Three-Way)

​ In last week's breakdown of Lil Wayne's chart ubiquity, I noted that while Lady Gaga's Born This Way and its singles seemed to be everywhere, she hasn't staked out much additional Billboard territory with collaborations. Her only charting collab of late is "3-Way (The Golden Rule)," a little ... More >>

Live: Diddy Has A Family Reunion At The Hammerstein Ballroom

Diddy-Dirty Money, Tyga, Lloyd Hammerstein Ballroom Friday, April 22 Better Than: That time Diddy's son took Nicki Minaj to his 16th birthday party. "Diddy's not so much my thing," said a friend as we waited amid hundreds of fans and at least ten gigantic spinning cardboard cutouts of Ciroc bott ... More >>

Big-Name Remixes: The Sound Of Labels' Panic Buttons Ringing?

​Britney Spears' "Till The World Ends," the Ke$ha-penned second single from her album Femme Fatale, hasn't been out for very long. (Six weeks, give or take.) But already there's a splashy remix of the tune featuring both Ke$ha and Brit's future tourmate Nicki Minaj, who seems particularly ener ... More >>

F2K No. 30: Swizz Beatz with Ja Rule and Metallica, "We Did It Again"

F2K is a countdown of the 50 worst songs of the decade. Track our progress here. It's shit, snitches! After rap-rock had successfully worn itself down into a parody of self-parody, hip-hop producer Swizz Beats set out to make the most cartoonishly macho rapcore song in history. In fact, every ti ... More >>

Urs Fischer, Bowery Bad Boy

The Swiss-born artist gives New York some tongue as he takes over the New Museum

Who Should Be In Jacko: The Movie?

Michael Jackson's illustrious but weird life will surely be turned into a TV movie as soon as the sequins get cold. So I've been doing some imaginary casting and coming up with these fanciful yet mildly disturbing inevitabilities: As Michael: Usher. They can digitize the surgery. As the other memb ... More >>

Week in Review: Young, Self-Satisfied, Confident Celebrities

In the week "I ain't shoot nobody in like...since the early 90's" irretrievably entered the American lexicon, we learned with some dismay that David Carradine very likely left this earth the hard way. And more grim news: Koko Taylor, 1928-2009. Live: Doves cry at Terminal Hall, Art Brut's second-ni ... More >>

Interview: Ashanti On Her Starring Role in The Wiz and R&B Kids These Days

"I mean the biggest artists and biggest acts haven't been selling nearly as much as they used to, too, so everyone is suffering from this recession--it's hitting everyone." One day after we interviewed r&b singer Ashanti about her latest gig as Dorothy in NY City Center Encores! production of The ... More >>

Summer Guide: B.A.M.'s Muslim Richard III

The BET Awards: A Running Diary

Mediocre Girl Gone Good

Rihanna's triumphant, only occasionally cringeworthy pop-star coronation

All Eyes on Her

The Source sexual harassment trial vindicates Kim Osorio to the tune of $15.5 million

Status Ain't Hood Interviews Method Man

'John Tucker Must Die'

Earphone Heads

The Irv Gotti Trial: Closing Arguments, Jay-Z

The Murder Inc. Trial: The Defense Rests

The War on Rap: Is It Real?

The American Music Awards: A Running Diary

The Irv Gotti Trial: Still Going

The Irv Gotti Trial: Day Two

The Irv Gotti Trial: Day One

The Gotti Trial's War on Love Songs

Letters

Bronx Bomber With Cracked Rear View Ignores Art, Trips Over Big Pun's Torch

Sisters (Kinda Sorta) Do It for Themselves

Backroom boys versus marquee girls in a never ending battle for generic R&B perfection

MCs Are Paid, Not Born

Straight out the thug factory, rhyming for only a year, and ready for his cover story in Vibe

Lemongrass, Pink Sky

The guy shows us a room facing a parking lot. How about some ocean?

Jazz

Jammed radio transmitters go downtown and eat beats like a vulcha

Turkey Shoot 2003

Putatively musical sounds from hunger, for the fan of the future in a very disastrous year

Listings

22 Going on 40 or Not

Simple Sex Kitten and Complicated Stepmom Moon Over Real Thugs and Fake Ones

The Music TV Wars

Reality Killed the Video Star

Murder, My Sweet

Thug Love Is All Around

Music

Destroyed

Hip-Hop's Ur-Self Got Himself a War

Amazing Grace

Pride Guide

The Beast of Both Worlds

Rappers and R&B Singers Unite for Commerce’s Common Cause

Like a Virgin