Tameka Foster: Don't blame me for last album

Recent Raymond divorcee' Tameka Foster says don't pin Usher's last album, "Here I Stand," on her. The followup to the 2004 smash "Confessions," didn't hold up well with Usher adapting the music and lyrics to a married lifestyle.
Foster says don't blame her. “People say it’s my fault he made all those songs,” she told the New York Times recently.
Foster, who's had to defend herself in different ways since the breakup became public, says the problem is with Usher's fans, who haven't grown with the singer.
“It was saddening,' she says. "For a man to find a mate and profess their love publicly, and then for fans to be mad at him just shows the immaturity in so many of them.”
Does she have a point? Usher has been taking his shirt off on stage and on videos since he was 14. When the sex appeal ran into a brick-wall-realization that he wasn't the same person, fans deserted him. But "Here I Stand" wasn't a disaster by any means.
The single "Love in This Club" proved popular to younger fans, and Usher actually sold 443,000 copies in the first week. But "Confessions" sold 10 milli.
Now, Usher hopes "Raymond v. Raymond" returns him to the raw, scandalized, bedroom secret success of "Confessions."
Foster probably wanted him to cater to older fans ala Brian McKnight, or Joe, but Usher's DNA screams otherwise. Since he just got a divorce, so will his wallet.


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Alicia Keys: Tough streets made me wise up

Alicia Keys says she was scared straight by "drugs, sex, alcohol and death" as a youngster, according to media reports.
The "Element of Freedom" artist says she has taken pains not to fall victim to the vices of the world because of how she was brought up.
"I always make sure I stay connected to the real world." Alicia told You.
Keys, who recently moved into a New York City loft with longtime collaborator Swizz Beats, said seeing the underbelly of NYC streetlife made her want to stay away from it.
"I think that when you see that in your life, you know what it does to you and have no desire to do it."
Keys, whose hit song "Empire State of Mind," sings of the hardscrabble streets of NYC, was born Alicia Augello Cook in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. It's a good thing she's learned how to scrap too, because when Mashonda (Swizz's ex-wife) ever catches her in the same time zone ... I think that piano will be out of key for a bit. #justsaying:)


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Chris Brown's album cover for 'Graffiti'

Chris Brown has released the album art for his forthcoming LP 'Graffiti'. The style is kinda "Star Wars" meets "Space Jam" if you ask me (What's with the
Hans Solo boots dough?)
I don't know, Chris. When people think of you they still see Rihanna's beat-up face -- at least this year -- and it just may be a bit too premature to come out so hard. But what do I know,
I'm not in the record-buying public.