Had I seen this image of R&B crooners Usher and Chris Brown (pictured recently in Jamaica) a few years ago, I’d look at it in a completely different way. It would have almost been symbolic of Usher passing the torch or just even giving blessing to Chris’s rise to being in the likes of R&B royalty. But, after a few years and an infamous slap to face, It reads a little different–maybe still symbolic. With Chris’s recent Michael Jackson tribute, it seem that his career was subtly kicked back into motion as the industry seemed to finally move on and forgive him. Yet I still wonder, does Chris deserve a crown at the top of R&B or will others like Trey Songz rightfully snatch his chance at the thrown?

What do you guys think?

Cj..

Last night, I was getting this song stuck in all my co-worker’s head.

Usher‘s “There Goes My Baby” is one of my favorite tracks off his Raymond v. Raymond album.

The video is the typical male r&b singer caresses and almost kisses a model chick for three minutes. Nothing special, but enjoy.

Cj..

Okay, time to check out a couple performances from your favorite R&B singers Usher and Trey Songz.

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Usher performed a couple of songs for iHeartRadio including one of my favorite tracks from his last album “There Goes My Baby”.

Trey Songz did a couple of Ready tracks for his MTV Unplugged set.

Here are “Panty Droppa/Neighbors Know My name” and “Say Ahh”

Both gentlemen did great jobs. I really like that rendition of “Say Ahh”.

Thoughts?

Cj..

I am really anticipating what B.o.B‘s album The Adventures of Bobby Ray is going to shape up to be. Here is another leak from the disc and it features Lupe Fiasco. I like the vibe of the track. Its one that once again shows off the originality of B.o.B. Once you get into his style of hip hop–I think you’re stuck. Lupe’s verse is my favorite, anyways, check it out.

(B.o.B ft. Lupe Fiasco- Past My Shades)

(Usher, Robin Thicke & Tevin Campbell- Secret Garden)

A track with Tevin Campbell, Usher and Robin Thicke? Yes, it is true. Produced by Quincy Jones, the track samples “Secret Garden” by Barry White, El Debarge, Al B. Sure, and James Ingram. You can definitely feel the throwback vibe of the  vocals go in.

(Millionaire-Richgirl)

The strength of R&B girl group RichGirl is their strong vocals. This leak “Millionaire” is a simple track that shows off those abilities. I’m interested to see if the group will ever release their debut album. It seems that they have been recording it for two years.

(The Dream ft. T.I.-F.I.L.A)

It’s a Dream track. If you don’t like it immediately, you’ll learn to love it. It’s nearly always the case. So, try to resist with this one featuring rapper T.I.

(Trey Songz- ‘Til the Day I Die)

A nice Trey Songz leak. He is really consistent with his songs and is shaping up to be a strong force in the male R&B game.

Cj..

Love is just a word…until someone gives it meaning…

Music lovers, it’s been a minute (okay nearly an entire year) but it’s once again that time for a MESH. mixtape featuring a compilation of some of the hottest jams and grooves there is to offer.

What is love? Why do we obsess over it so much? When we question love, we tend to question ourselves. It’s the greatest mystery, the greatest comfort, the greatest hurt, it is Love’s Query. MESH‘s latest mixtape has the R&B/Neo-Soul lover in mind with soothing vibes and tracks all about the enigma that is love. With “Love’s New Image” the mixtape explores recent tracks about the ins and outs of love while also dabbling into love’s greatest relative–lust. “Love’s Old Soul” brings it back  as the neo-soul tunes effortlessly caresses the deepest thought of love, live, and learning. Discover some new songs and many classics from some of your favorite artists like Drake, Bilal, Tweet, Jill Scott, Maxwell, Beyonce, Aaliyah and more. This mixtape is sure to relax your mind and take you on a journey of question, doubt and understanding…..a journey of love.

Download MESH. The Music Vol. IV- Love’s Query Mixtape HERE

Let me know how you like it…

Cj..

MESH.

Time for my top seven tracks dominating my iPod as of lately.

Looks like it’s a lot of R&B tunes lately…

7. “Massive Attack”-Nicki Minaj ft. Sean Garrett

6. “There Goes My Baby”- Usher

5. “Crazy in Love [Cover]“- Antony and the Johnsons

4. “Pro Lover”-Usher

3. “Beautiful”-Tweet

2. “Control Freak”-Fantasia

1. “Love King”-The Dream

What are your Top 7 of the moment?

Cj..

Though it finds itself as one of my least favorite tracks amongst a pool of standouts on the new Raymond Vs. Raymond album, “OMG” has marked its territory in the best music video category. From the cinematography, to the background dancing and special effects it’s a certified winner. I was pleasantly surprised by the clip because a lot of music videos these days lack much creativity. Usher’s management is really going in with this project, and I’m hype. Make sure to get your copy of Raymond Vs. Raymond, it’s a banger from start to finish.

Aisha

2008′s Here I Stand was a departure for R&B superstar Usher. Filled with ballads and adult contemporary tracks, the album showed a more mature Usher as he dealt with relationships, marriage, fatherhood, and life. It was a hard album for his fans to swallow, a great one, yet it didn’t do well. Two years later, Usher is determined to prove that he still has the charm of arguably his greatest release yet, 2004′s Confessions.

Enter Raymond V. Raymond

Similar to his previous albums, Raymond V. Raymond is a vaguely autobiographical disc that showcases Usher’s familiar confidance-boosted demeanor in it’s tracks. The lead single “Papers” is one of the biographical tracks as it deals with his recent divorce. In songs like “Guilty” featuring T.I., and “Foolin’ Around”, the story-telling continues as he explains (in true Usher fashion) infidelities and relationship problems. The majority of the remaining tracks on the album have Usher attempting to regain his title as the oversexed batchelor and heart throb of R&B. With tracks like “So Many Girls” and “Hey Daddy” the statement is clear: Usher wants you to know he is back.

The album’s standout tracks are what make the disc a solid effort. The fun and sexual tale of “Little Freak” featuring it-girl rapper Nicki Minaj, the energetic “Pro Lover,” and Bangladesh produced “She Don’t Know” all keep the album fun and the 31-year old singer current. The laid back “Okay” and amazing slow jam “Mars Vs. Venus” also standout. One of the albums defining tracks, “There Goes My Baby,” has Usher proudly boasting about a lover through soothing falsettos and that Usher confidence we all are accustomed to.

Although the disc is great, there are a couple of mishaps such as the will.i.am produced “OMG” and “More”. The album tries to resemble the biographical nature of Confessions but as a whole falls short of the 2004 disc. Raymond V. Raymond serves as Usher’s 6th studio album and definitely shows that he stills has the charm, but sadly it can’t topple Confessions, which steadily proves to be Usher’s masterpiece.

The album releases tomorrow March 30th

MESHworthy tracks:

“There Goes My Baby”

“Pro Lover”

“Mars vs. Venus”

“Okay”

“She Don’t Know”

“Guilty”

Are you checking for Raymond V. Raymond?

Cj..

It does little for me….but enjoy.

Cj..

“Little Freak” is one of my favorite tracks off Usher‘s album Raymond v. Raymond (releasing March 30th). Check out a snippet of the video. Looks like Nicki Minaj will be the little bisexual freak her verse in the song suggests she is.

Looks like the video will bore me to death though.

Cj..

*Warning: Crack music is in this post*

Admittedly, when I saw the track listing for Usher‘s album Raymond vs. Raymond (releasing March 26th) had a song called “Mars vs. Venus”, I raised my eyebrow. I couldn’t help but to immediately think of Jay-Z’s “Venus vs. Mars”. So when I discovered that the track leaked, my curiosity nearly forced me to give it a listen. I’m so glad I did. The song is amazing. I won’t talk to much about it, just download it.

Although it has mostly been leaked, Usher’s album is shaping up to be a really great effort. I can’t wait to get my hand on the entire disc. I’m not sure he will ever have another Confessions, but Raymond vs. Raymond will be another great disc from the R&B superstar.

[Download Here]

THOUGHTS?

Cj..

Remember my slight rant about the quality of music videos after Mario’s “Ooh Baby” clip? Well it seems like someone was listening.

Below is the video for Usher‘s newest single from his upcoming Raymond vs. Raymond release “Hey Daddy.” The clip is cool, fun, and the choreography matches the energy of the song. It’s great to see effort put into music videos. (I also enjoyed Mariah’s video a few posts below).

Cj..

[ Gucci Mane ft. Pharrell - Have It All ]

[ Wale - Thank You ] (Jay-Z Cover)

[ Bryan Michael-Cox - You ] (Sounds like a demo for someone)(Wasn’t he supposed to drop an album?)

[ Lloyd - Sexcapade ]

[ Usher ft. Nicki Minaj - Little Freak ] (My Fav) (Dope production & Nicki verse)

[ Ginuwine - Next Door ] (The beginning is funny)

[ Jamie Foxx ft. Tank - Marching On ]

Aisha

There may only be a few songs in today’s selection, but I can honestly say I love them all, and they each deserve a listen and download.

[ Usher - I Love You 2 ] (Beautiful) (This one’s about his two sons)

[ Tyrese - Put Up With Me ] (My Fav)

[ Mario - Thinkin' Of You ] (LOVE It)(WHYYY DIDNT THE GOOD MUSIC MAKE THE ALBUM?!)

[ Mos Def - 24 Hour Karate School ] (Dope)

Aisha

It’s been a while, but my exams are finally dwindling down so you’ll all be getting more new music in a timely manner. Here’s some new shit. Let us know what you think.

[ Cassie - She Can't Love You ] (Cute)

[ Cassie ft. Brandon Hines ] ( HU! )

[ Karina Pasian - Perfectly Different ] (My fav)

[ Jamie Foxx ft. Justin Timberlake - Winner ]

[ Wynter - Love Is Long ]

[ Chris Brown - Movie ] (Bonus Track) (Should have been an album cut)

[ Tank - It's Probably My Fault ]

[ Trey Songz ft. Usher & Keri Hilson - Invented Sex (Remix) ]

[ Vistoso Bosses - Boyfriend ] (They brought us that cute song “Delirious” over the summer)

[ Alicia Keys - Through It All ] (Bonus Track)

[ Tiffany Evans - What's Your Name ]

Aisha

PAPERS!! Sorry had to get that out my system. Check out the latest promo video released for Usher‘s upcoming release Raymond vs. Raymond (which was originally pushed back because it was ‘too amazing’-whatever that means). Its new release date is currently March 1st, 2010. Check out the album cover as well.

Let MESH. know, what are your thoughts on this one?

Cj..

[ Rihanna ft. Justin Timberlake - Hole In My Head ] (Decent)

[ Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) ] (It’s pretty, but I’m not sure if it was necessary..)

[ Joe - Endless Possibilities ]

[ R. Kelly ft. Tyrese, Robin Thicke & The Dream - Pregnant ] (I hate the hook and title)

[ Wale ft. Marsha Ambrosius - Diary ] (Acoustic)

[ R. Kelly ft. Rock City - Crazy Night ]

[ Usher ft. TI - In the Bag ] (Usher’s album has recently been pushed back, because it’s so good. lol)

[ Marsha Ambrosius - Don't Matter To Me ] (My Fav)

Aisha

I was pleasantly suprised with the selection today. Enjoy!

[ Beyonce - Sweet Dreams (Live at I Am...Yours)(Acoustic) ] (BEAUTIFUL)

[ JoJo - Hooked On You ] (My Fav)

[ Mariah Carey - 100% ] (Off the Precious soundtrack)

[ Lyfe Jennings - If I Knew Then ]

[ Clipse - Door Man ]

[ Usher - She Don't Know ]

[ Mary J. Blige - I Am ]

[ Free School ft. Kelis & Apl.de.ap - Grey Goose ] (Can def see CJ and I jammin to this in the car)

[ Lloyd ft. Diamond - Feels Good ]

[ Lady Gaga - Alejandro ]

Aisha

I’m not really a fan of this song, but here is the video for Gucci Mane’s “Spotlight” featuring Usher.

Cj

I’m going to finish off where my lovely PNC left off and post some music for your enjoyment. Here are some more R&B type tracks. Enjoy.

[ Usher - There Goes My Baby ] (FULL Version) (My Fav)

[ Wynter Gordon - Drowning ] (Nice)

[ Mario - I'm A Fan ]

[ Brandy - Casualties ]

[ Rihanna - The Wait Is Ova ]

[ Rihanna - Bubble Pop ] (Trash…lol)

[ Tank - Never Stop ]

[ Tank - Thank You ]

[ Lloyd - She's Holding Out ]

Aisha