Real Music People

50 artists recently recorded Prince covers in honor of his 50th birthday this past June 7th. Unfortunately for them, their attempt at an honor has gotten them lawsuits. The irony of it all is that it’s Prince who’s suing them. The purple one’s lawyers are demanding that all copies of the tribute album be destroyed immediately. One single has made it into the top 10 in Norway and the Norwegian press has given popular reviews on the album, so what’s the problem? By law, it’s legal to cover songs of someone else’s material so long as you pay about a 10 cent licensing fee per song. Apparently, that hasn’t been done and no one has made any money from the project.

Timbaland got married on a private island in Aruba last weekend but don’t think that the rapper and mega producer went all out with the fancy stuff. Spies at the wedding site says that the music mogul’s wedding, which the hotel called the code name of ‘Heaven on Earth’, actually featured open mic karaoke and $50,000 worth of flowers. If you compare that to Mariah’s weddings, it’s practically peanuts. Oprah, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Prince were said to be invited but there’s no official word on just who actually showed. What, Justin Timberlake wasn’t invited? I was kind of imagining him as the wedding singer.

Justin Timberlake’s sixth release from solo bow “FutureSex/LoveSounds” has earned props as the first time that six tracks from one release have hit the top 40 since Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” more than 15 years ago. With Beyoncé now stripped onto “Until the End of Time,” it’s quite likely JT will score the tenacious set’s fourth No. 1—which has already catapulted into the top five at R&B.

The meandering song is clearly a tribute to Prince, with its soul-soaked guitar-driven shuffle and funkified production—think “I Would Die 4 U” on Xanax. While Timberlake’s vocals are smoothed out to near anonymity, as usual, he employs recognizable falsetto amid layers of appreciably creamy harmonies.

It’s Beyoncé, however, that really fuels the passion of the track, with her loosest vocal performance since “Listen” from “Dreamgirls”—and Timberlake is wise enough to sprawl her vocal across the song so that it commands the lead. The mantra here: unstoppable.

A tribute concert will be held for the late Diana, Princess of Wales on what would have been her 46th birthday. NBC presents ‘Concert for Diana’ which will have a primetime special airing on July 1 at 8 pm.

“We wanted to have this big concert … full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted,” said Prince William. “And on her birthday as well, it’s got to be the best birthday present she ever had.”

The concert is a celebration by Diana’s sons Princes William and Harry to commemorate her life and achievements. It will be hosted by Matt Lauer with feature performers that reflect Diana’s and her sons’ tastes including Elton John, Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, Joss Stone, Pharell Williams, Lily Allen, Kanye West, Rod Stewart, Natasha Bedingfield, The Feeling, James Morrison, Orson, Status Quo, Take That, Nelly Furtado, Diddy, Tom Jones, Will Young, Supertramp and Roger Hudson plus more.