Brandy News, Brandy Videos, Brandy Photos

August 21st, 2012 | 6:25 pm by Bené Viera

Last Lap: Nicki Minaj’s New Perfume Bottle Rocks A Pink Wig

NICKI MINAJ UNVEILS HER “PINK FRIDAY” PERFUME ALL DECKED OUT WITH A PINK WIG
It’s when outer space and the future meet. Nicki’s perfume bottle is certainly unlike any other design on the market with its bustier, ‘Nicki Minaj’ gold chain, pink lips and signature pink wig to match. What can we say? It’s so…Nicki. [SPIN]

LAURYN HILL’S TAX WOES CONTINUE
As if facing three years in prison after being found guilty for not paying back taxes wasn’t enough to make anyone pull out their hair, Ms. Hill apparently owes the state of New Jersey $440,000 in back taxes. Luckily, she has yet to be charged criminally for this particular case. [JUICY]

P!NK IS FIERCE ON THE COVER OF BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
“I felt like I was in this video game and I collected all the gold coins and talismans you could collect — I had to either move to the next level or quit,” P!nk, 32, says on the phone from Santa Monica, Calif.’s Shutters on the Beach resort. “There’s this whole techno takeover going on right now that just does my head in, and I knew I didn’t want to do that. I’d rather dance around and sing goofy songs.” [Billboard]

IN BRANDY‘S “WILDEST DREAMS” SHE NEVER THOUGHT SOMEONE COULD CARE ABOUT HER
Brandy is bringing R&B back. And you will deal. [Necole Bitchie]

[Photo: Getty Images/Billboard]

August 14th, 2012 | 7:15 pm by Bené Viera

It’s Like The 90s All Over Again In Brandy’s “Put It Down”

Graffiti in neon colors? Check. Brandy rocking box braids and a ‘fro? Check, check. Brandy giving us the 90s/early 2000 vibe that solidified her place in music history? Yes! For her second single from Two Eleven Brandy enlisted director Hype Williams for a visual blast from the past. It’s a dance off in the parking lot, and Brandy’s gunning for the win of who has the best moves, which isn’t easy with Chris Brown as your competition.
Read more…

July 19th, 2012 | 1:37 pm by Bené Viera

Brandy “Put(s) It Down” All Over The Stage

Ponder on this: Brandy was 15-years-old when her debut self-titled album Brandy dropped. At 33 the R&B songstress still has the powerful voice beautiful enough to put goosebumps on your arms. At 93.9 WKYS’s free concert held at the Howard Theatre in D.C., Brandy performed Put It Down in a royal blue romper. Brandy is back like she never left! Along with a couple backup dancers, B puts the ‘umph’ in every choreographed move hitting each gyration flawlessly. Similar to her BET Awards tribute to Whitney Houston, it’s obvious Brandy is here to win. The vocals? My god. Like every time Brandy opens her mouth (remember her singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” in her bathroom acapella?), even performing a song about putting it down between the sheets, she reminds you why she’s a true vocalist to the core. Read more…

July 2nd, 2012 | 11:50 am by Bené Viera

The Top 3 Performances At The 2012 BET Awards

Yes, the royal couple of hip-hop and R&B were at last night’s BET Awards, front and center. Beyonce and Jay-Z were the second and third most nominated artists (respectively) of the night, only behind their play brother Kanye West. Although the Carters didn’t perform it was a great night for both hip-hop and R&B. Usher, Chris Brown, Melanie Fiona, Maybach Music Group crew, Nicki Minaj and countless others brought their A game. As hard as it was to choose only three, here are our top three performances from BET Awards 2012.

3. G.O.O.D. Music swerved on everybody.

Nothing gets a crowd hype like dropping the beat to one of the hottest songs of the summer. Big Sean emerges on top of a neon lit Lamborghini to the beat of “Mercy.” Pusha T delivers his verse followed by 2 Chainz. The crowd explodes when 2 Chainz hits the stage. It’s safe to say 2 Chainz is the latest rap phenomenon. Being Kanye he skips his “Mercy” verse and appears as the beat changes to “Way Too Cold.” When he finishes his first verse, he raps an acapella freestyle before dropping the mic. It doesn’t get much better than that for an opener. Read more…

June 8th, 2012 | 4:30 pm by Bené Viera and Mark Graham

The 35 Greatest Kanye West Songs (In Honor Of His 35th Birthday)

Kanye West's Top 35 Songs

Within the last 10 years there hasn’t been a music success story quite like the one of Kanye West. He managed to transform himself from a well respected but not yet household name producer to a global rapper. He began producing in the late 90s for heavy hitting acts and became known for his soulful beats. It wasn’t until 2001 when he got his big break from Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” From there he continued producing but began vocalizing his interest in rapping. Admittedly, no one one believed he could rap, thus labels weren’t willing to take the risk on signing him. Finally he signed to Dame Dash and Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella record label and debuted College Dropout in 2004. Kanye had proved everyone wrong, not only showing that he could rap, but that he could be great while doing it (College Dropout debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts).

That was eight years ago when Kanye was a hungry 27-year-old trying to turn his dreams into reality. Today he’s 35 with five albums under his belt, one collaboration album, countless producer credits, a fashion line and his own G.O.O.D. Music record label. Publicly, he’s been scrutinized for his crass statements on live TV. His public missteps and ego aside, Ye continues to be one of the greatest music talents that has emerged in the last decade. To honor his 35th birthday, check out our list of his 35 greatest songs (which we have also turned into a Spotify playlist). Feel free to disagree with our list and add your own in the comment section below.

The 35 Greatest Kanye West Songs (In Honor Of His 35th Birthday)

35. “Who Gon Stop Me”
The production is insane, Kanye and Jay’s verses are a mere bonus.

34. “Hell of A Life”
Yeezy’s darkest moment has him falling in love with a porn star. Naturally, it doesn’t end well.

33. “Wonder”
For the dream chasers out there, “I wonder/if you know/what it means/ to find your dreams.”

32. “All Falls Down”
We can’t help but think of Stacey Dash every time we hear this one.

31. “Gotta Have It”
Outside of the tambourine in the opening, there’s a whole lot of flossing in this one track. Read more…

May 3rd, 2012 | 6:15 pm by Mark Graham and Monse Barrera (@unclegrambo)

Playlist: Listen To All Of The Songs Featured On Your Favorite VH1 Shows During The Month Of April

For each and every show that airs on VH1, a team of music supervisors here at the network have spent countless hours determining exactly what pieces of music best complement the footage that we have shot. This team—the CMI (Creative Music Integration) group—listen to thousands of songs each month in an attempt to figure out how best to utilize musical cues to reinforce the emotion and drama on shows like Mob Wives and Basketball Wives, so we thought it would be a cool idea to give you an inside glimpse into their world.

Each month, we’ll put together a list of all the songs that have been featured on the programs and promos that you see on VH1, which will be accompanied by two things: Specific commentary from the music supervisor as to why they selected a particular song for a particular scene in a show, as well as a Spotify playlist for you to sample these songs. Without further ado, here are all the songs that we featured on VH1 during the month of April!

VH1 SHOWS PLAYLIST: APRIL 2012
(Listen to the playlist on Spotify)

PROMO
B.o.B “So Good” in Single Ladies Promo

April 26th, 2012 | 4:30 pm by Bené Viera

Brandy “Puts It Down” On Her Grown Woman Swag With New Single

Like a school girl geeking out over the boy band heartthrobs Immature of the 90s, I’m having a moment with the premiere of Brandy’s “Put It Down” featuring Chris Brown. Written by Sean Garrett and produced by Bandgladesh, on the first single from her forthcoming album Two Eleven, Brandy has all the ingredients necessary for a hot song — a booming beat, her deep distinctive voice, sexy lyrics and a guest feature from one of the biggest male pop singers. Don’t call it a comeback, call it a reminder. Brandy is showing folks why she’s been in the game for over 15 years. After the song dropped Brandy tweeted to her fans:

Thank you boys so much! What a great fun song to put out for the Summer!!! #PUTITDOWN -- @Iamseangarrett - @MrBangladesh - @chrisbrown
— Brandy Norwood (@4everBrandy) April 26, 2012

Both artists traditionally known for singing are giving rappers a run for their money in Brandy’s hot new record. At the beginning of her second verse, Bran tries her hand at rapping, again (we haven’t forgotten about that rapping alter ego), but only briefly, “I hope the chivalry ain’t dead to you boy ’cause I’m grown. Like to pull up in that, come up with that, when I see what I want,” she raps before jumping right back into her soulful signature sound. And Chris’ rhymes aren’t too shabby either. One of our favorite lines: “I’m sipping on that Brandy, this liquor comes in handy.” Simple, yes, but using her name as a double entendre was a nice touch.

In last night’s Behind the Music, Brandy’s brother said she is finally listening to her inner voice and doing what she wants. If this is any indication of where her album is going, all we can say is, Brandy’s back!

New Music: Brandy x Chris Brown “Put It Down” [Rap Radar]
[Photo: Getty Images]

April 24th, 2012 | 11:30 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Watch This Sneak Peek Of Behind The Music: Brandy

This week on Behind the Music, we put the spotlight on the life and times of R&B superstar Brandy. In this special sneak peek of the show’s entire first act, we first meet Brandy while she’s on the set of “It All Belongs To Me,” her most recent collaboration with Monica. The video was shot just days after Brandy’s role model and close confidant, Whitney Houston, passed away, and the emotional turbulence that she was going through at the time is evident on her face. It’s a powerful moment, just one of many in this week’s episode.

Watch this week’s episode of Behind The Music on VH1 tomorrow night, Wednesday 4/25, at 9 p.m. ET/8 CT.

March 5th, 2012 | 11:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Brandy And Monica, “It All Belongs To Me Music”

Log off your Facebook, it’s time to watch the brand new video from Brandy and Monica, “It All Belongs To Me”! We’re super psyched to debut the first video from this pair of superstar ladies since 1998′s “The Boy Is Mine.”

Lensed by A-List hip hop video director Chris Robinson, the clip shows the one-time rivals teaming up together to exact revenge on a couple of guys that did them dirty. Thematically, the song recalls Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable”, but “It Belongs To Me” ups the ante significantly; instead of encouraging their exes to put their ish in a box “to the left, to the left”, Brandy and Monica instead instruct their men to leave all of the things they were gifted —their cars, their clothes, those rings, and, most importantly, THAT MACBOOK!— exactly right where it is. And the video takes it even one step further when the girls load up a vintage Porsche that Monica had bought her man with …wait for it… explosives (and then, of course, blow that piece sky high). Hell hath no fury, indeed!

March 4th, 2012 | 5:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

How Waiting To Exhale And Thelma And Louise Inspired Brandy And Monica’s New Music Video

On Monday night at 11 p.m. on VH1 and right here on VH1 Tuner, we will be premiering the brand new music video for Brandy & Monica‘s “It All Belongs To Me.” The video was directed by veteran hip hip auteur Chris Robinson and, as the women describe it, has a Waiting To Exhale and Thelma And Louise vibe to it.

In this exclusive interview, Brandy and Monica discuss shooting the video for the pair’s first song together since 1998. “I love how the video represents a friendship between the two of us,” Monica tells us. “Just us being there for each other in both of our circumstances.”