By now, you must have all seen Beyonce’s newest video for her single, Countdown. The long-awaited video was met with much glee from fans that later turned into confusion, speculation and now the inevitable finger-pointing as fans wondered, Did Beyonce steal this video’s concepts/dance moves, again?

A first look at the video itself shows that Beyonce and her team took a more retro approach to the song. The singer sports a Audry Hepburn-style short wig, 60-inspired makeup and gives us retro Broadway choreography for the upbeat song.  Realizing the video was borrowing from a few sources, Mtv.com even took an in-depth look at the all the “influences” behind the Countdown video. They cite similarities from the movie West Side Story, Vintage Versace fashion and a Gap commercial.

Yet, over the weekend, a keen-eyed viewer put together a video showing Beyonce copying scene-for-scene the choreography and look of a contemporary Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s work. The similarities are uncanny.

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Read the rest of Chew on This! Beyonce faces some Backlash from Copy-Cat ‘Countdown’ video + ‘Love on Top’ First Look! (359 words)

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Post tags: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Beyonce, Chew on This!, Countdown, Love on Top, music video, Plagiarism

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I had heard for Baltimore Rapper Rye Rye a couple years ago, when she first started making a buzz for herself, but she quickly faded from my radar when no songs materialized. The young upstart is the first artist signed to M.I.A’s N.E.E.T record label and after suffering album pushbacks two years ago, is finally ready to drop her debut album Go! Pop! Bang! this Summer (as of today, no release date is known). Rye Rye is young, colorful and has a nice flow. Her music seems geared towards the younger set, but she may have something in store for the dance floor fiends as well. Never Will Be Mine is a cute introduction to mainstream pop for Rye Rye.

Borrowing from Robyn’s 2005 pop hit, Be Mine, Rye Rye raps over a friendly pop beats about how her feelings for a certain man is tormenting her. Robyn flaunts some great vocals as well. Directed by Tim Nakashi, the video is a great compliment to the song. Watch Rye Rye model some funky, fresh fashions during the clip. I can’t put my finger on it, but I keep hearing a hint of an English accent in Rye Rye. But I think that may be her Bmore accent peeking in.  Peep the vdieo below.

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Read the rest of Sweet Tooth: *New Video* Rye Rye feat. Robyn – Never Will Be Mine (0 words)

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Post tags: Go! Pop! Bang!, M.I.A, music video, N.E.E.T Music, Never Will Be Mine, New Music, Robyn, Rye Rye, Sweet Tooth

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Fresh from his recent joining to Twitter, Kanye West has decided to jump back onto the scene (after some much-publicized visits to the offices of Facebook, Twitter and Rolling Stone) with the release of his new Single, Power (which he first preformed on the BET Awards)

The song itself is definitely epic with chants and sirens blaring beneath Kanye’s words. Oh – and Kanye is rapping again! The song is about achieving Power, losing it and living with it.

The video achieves the same epic feel that the music exudes. Director Marco Brambilla constructs a slow-motion live painting with Kanye, the symbol of Power at its center.

”Power shows a continuous camera move from extreme close-up of Mr. West revealing an a neoclassical video tableau showing characters and creatures surrounding him in an abstract environment – all moving in extreme slow motion. Inspired by Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel, the piece depicts a faux historical moment – an empire on the brink of collapse from its own excess, decadence and corruption”

source

I’m loving this!! Though I still wonder where the full video is? Check it out below!

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Post tags: ChokLit Fresh, Kanye West, Marco Brambilla, music video, New Music, Power, Rap music, Twitter

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Maxwell’s new video for Fistful of Tears has arrived. The song is being released to raise awareness for Breast Cancer as April is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The video itself is pretty anticlimactic as it is a performance video of Maxwell performing on a retro-inspired soundstage. The video, shot in black and white was directed by Phillip Andelman. This is a great song for a great cause and a good Single choice for Maxwell.

Also, up-and-coming Artist Melanie Fiona is earning her stripes as she releases a fourth single of her well-acclaimed album, The Bridge, titled Ay Yo! I’ve been following Melanie on Twitter and she is currently on tour with various artists including Trey Songz and Alicia Keys. She has been doing some live performances across various Cities in the US and has been earning fans everywhere she goes. Ay Yo is a laid back jam with some nice live instruments to compliment Melanie’s vocals. The lyrics are pretty inspiring as well, talking about reaching one’s goals and dreams. To follow her recent Grammy nomination, Fiona was also nominated for some Junos (Canadian version of the Grammy). She’s doing big things!

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Post tags: Ay Yo, Black Summer's Night, Breast Cancer Awareness, Fistful of Tears, Maxwell, Melanie Fiona, Melt in your Ears, music video, R&B music, The Bridge

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Earlier today TheDream attended 106& Park studios in New York to premiere the new video for his first Single from his LoveKing album, also called LoveKing. Well-known director X aka Little X directed the video with choreography either by Jamaica or Tanisha Scott (my guess). The video is set against a bright orange background as Dream acts as the center of attention. To coincide with the song’s lyrics, multiple types of women appear seductively from behind Dream. Dream actually busts a couple dance moves himself at the 1:35 mark…somebody’s been practicing!

The video is bright and fun, with some booty-popping dance moves and beautiful women. Yes, this is a typical Dream video. I am left a little unsatisfied with the video, even though I can’t get enough of the song.

Dream’s next Single will be Sex Intelligent featuring T.I. On 106&Park, Dream assured fans he would be releasing more singles and videos this time around and that he has already filmed a few videos already. Since this is Dream’s rumoured last album, I hope he releases some singles that showcase his real songwriting talent.

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Post tags: 106&Park, LoveKing, music video, Sweet Tooth, TheDream, X

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Singer/Songwriter pianist Vivian Green is returning with another project named Beautiful. The first single of the same title is Green’s first song in over 3 years. I wasn’t really a fan of Vivian’s first single  Emotional Rollercoaster from 2002, but she clearly developed a fan base because her debut album, A Love Story went Gold, selling over 500,000 copies. Sadly, she could not duplicate that success as her latest album Vivian sold less than 50,000 copies, even though it produced a strong Single with Gotta Go, Gotta Leave (Tired).

Now signed with E1 Records, Green is hoping to recover her fanbase again with this new project. I personally do not like the song though the video is nice. Although I like the overall message of the song, I find it very forgettable and that it lacks any real structure or present melody. It comes across more like an album cut and not a lead single. Considering her label actually gave Vivian a budget to work with and she looks strikingly beautiful in the video, I think their efforts may have been wasted. Usually, Artists like Vivian get one to two chances to release a Single and I don’t think this was the best choice for her. Maybe it will grow on me?

The video was directed by Christopher Standford. The album Beautiful will be released April 6th on E1 Records. What did you guys think of the song and video?

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Post tags: A Love Story, Beautiful, Christopher Standford, E1 Records, music video, New Music, R&B music, Sweet Tooth, Vivian Green

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Ok, this got me a little geeked. Timbaland teamed up with his partner in crime, Justin Timberlake for the third Single release off his latest compilation album, Shock Value II. The album is a follow-up to the Platinum-selling Shock Value album that was also an International hit. Due to Timbaland’s worldwide appeal, I feel his label is focusing more on the markets across the pond because I have barely heard his singles or seen his videos here in Canada. Carry Out was released to radio in December of last year while the video was released in mid-February.  Bryan Barber directed the video which sort of reminds me of Hype William’s treatment for GoldDigger.

I do love this song; it is a good look for both artists and I would definitely shake to this in the clubs. Plus this beat is taking me back to the late 90s when Timbaland’s production skills were unmatched and the best in the Industry at the time.  Justin & Timbaland make a good creative team together and I dig the metaphors they are using comparing fast food to….hot sex? Owwwww!

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Post tags: Bryan Barber, Butta of the Week!, Carry Out, Justin Timberlake, music video, New Music, Shock Value II, Timbaland

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Teairra Marie quietly released her video for Sponsor a couple weeks ago.  The song has been getting airplay for a minute now, though her label has again taken too long to produce a video. As I have said before, I like Teairra; I think she has a nice, pleasant voice, she can sing and is cute to look at, but she has got to do better and come harder if she wants to succeed in this Industry.  Here are some of my thoughts on the video:

Dance or Sing: Choose ONE!

The choreography in this video is severely lackluster. My sister’s high school talent shows produced better dance sequences than this. And Teairra was tiptoeing through most of the routine like she didn’t want to break a sweat. If Rihanna can wine up a storm without looking foolish, Teairra will have to do more than spread her legs or prop her ass up. #DoBetter

Lack of Star Rapper

Sadly, like many artists who paid good money to work with Gucci Mane while he was still hot and relevant, then had to produce videos without the star feature since he is currently incarcerated, Womp Womp to them. Gucci may be the Lil Wayne of 2010 (when comparing how many R&B song features he is doing), but these constant video absences won’t cut it.

Read more…

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Read the rest of Milk Dudd: *Video* Teairra Marie – Sponsor featuring Gucci Mane & Soulja Boy (122 words)

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Post tags: Gucci Mane, Milk Dudd, music video, R&B music, Soulja Boy, Sponsor, Teairra Marie

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Following the lackluster effort (both creatively and commercially) that was 2007′s Baby-Makin’ Project, Jagged Edge parted ways with Island Def Jam (then being headed by Producer/friend Jermaine Dupri) and signed with Slip-N-Slide Records. Tip Of My Tongue has been bubbling on R&B radio for some months now; Jagged Edge also preformed the song on (Academy Award-Winning Actress) Monique’s talk show. Trina also joins Gucci Mane and Jagged Edge in the song, though Gucci, who is currently incarcerated did not make the video shoot. Good luck to JE on this project…I hope they have some better material this time around…

Former Reality show stars Brutha, return with their sophomore album Vacancy. I”m glad to see these guys are getting another chance; I liked some of their songs from their debut album. I personally thought the show was too much drama and clouded their talent while putting all their personal business out for everyone to see. Apparently they thought the same thing because this time around Brutha will not be documenting their lives on television. This video was premiered on 106 & Park this past Friday. One Day On This Earth was produced by Mysto & Pizzi, and written by R.Kelly. Clearly!! Listen to the song again, the adlibs, the rhythm, the bridge, a 100% R.Kelly song! I’m feeling this song!

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Read the rest of Hot ChokLit!: DoubleScoop – New Videos from Jagged Edge & Brutha (0 words)

© choklitfactory for The ChokLit Factory, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baby Makin' Project, Brutha, Gucci Mane, Hot ChokLit!, Jagged Edge, Jermaine Dupri, music video, One Day on this Earth, R&B music, R.Kelly, The Remedy, Tip Of My Tongue, Trina, Vacancy

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British songstress Estelle has returned after the success of her American debut, her last album, Shine. Estelle is gearing up to release her newest effort, All of Me, with this song Freak, being the lead single. Estelle appears to be taking a page out of Lady Gaga’s dance-hop style of music, but to be fair, Estelle probably has a closer ear to the ground of dance music being from the UK.  The song is pretty hype and is a good look for Estelle who could use some love up in the clubs. Toronto Native and friend of Estelle’s, Kardinal Offishall also raps on the track.

There was a video floating around showing the making of the video where Estelle had the black face paint on with bright red lipstick, but that video is missing and her lipstick is now pink….

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Read the rest of Chew On This!: Estelle Causes Controversy with FREAK video (260 words)

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Post tags: Chew on This!, Estelle, Freak, Kardinal Offishall, music video, New Music, Social commentary

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