Real Music People

It looks like things are getting serious between Katy Perry and her boyfriend Travis McCoy. The Gym Class Heroes lead singer has reportedly given her a promise ring. Travis recently opened up in an interview saying “We’re going to spend the whole summer together. She’s going to be on Warped Tour with us, she’s going to be performing. It’s going to be a good time.” He was asked what he like about Katy and he said “She’s super hot, for one. But when I first heard the song, I was like this is going to be a smash. The next thing you know it’s No. 1 on iTunes.” He likes her for her number 1 then? Travis has bought her a diamond ring already by just as a promise ring that she wears on her middle finger. He even adds that he has one too.

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards are over and the winners are in. Here’s a list of the most notable awards of the night. Amy Winehouse was short one Grammy to make a clean sweep.

Album of the Year: “River: The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock.
Record of the Year: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.
Song of the Year: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse
New Artist: Amy Winehouse.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.
Pop Vocal Album: “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: “What Goes Around…Comes Around,” Justin Timberlake.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “Makes Me Wonder,” Maroon 5.
Rock Song: “Radio Nowhere,” Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).
Rap Album: “Graduation,” Kanye West.
Rap Solo Performance: “Stronger,” Kanye West.

Forbes has come out with their list of 2007’s 20 highest grossing female musicians. The results are pretty surprising.

1. Madonna - $72 million
2. Barbra Streisand - $60 million
3. Celine Dion - $45 million
4. Shakira - $38 million
5. Beyoncé - $27 million
6. Gwen Stefani - $26 million
7. Christina Aguilera - $20 million
8. Faith Hill - $19 million
9. Dixie Chicks - $18 million
10. Mariah Carey - $13 million
11. Hilary Duff - $12 million
12. Avril Lavigne - $12 million
13. Martina McBride - $12 million
14. Britney Spears - $8 million
15. Carrie Underwood - $7 million
16. Nelly Furtado - $7 million
17. Fergie - $6 million
18. Jennifer Lopez - $6 million
19. Sheryl Crow - $6 million
20. Norah Jones - $5.5 million

It’s always annoying when a rapper says that he’s retired then comes back only to retire again and then come back again. But in Jay-Z’s case, no one should care as long as he’s number 1.

The rapper may have flashed two fingers when he passed paparazzi on his way to TRL on Monday. But as of the middle of the week, he hit number 1. As it was projected by music insiders last week, his American Gangster-inspired album took the top spot on the Billboard charts and knocked the Eagles down a notch.

Congratulations to Jay-Z. This is his 10th #1 album!

50 Cent has promised that should his rival Kanye West beat him in record sales for their newest albums, he would retire. But the rapper is finding more and more loopholes after finding out that Kanye did beat him. First, he said that he beat Kanye in the UK charts and now this.

It seems that 50 doesn’t believe in retirement as he is quoted in saying “I don’t know if it’s possible for a rapper to retire, rappers are like fighters. They condition themselves to be the best. All rappers think they’re the best. And they are just waiting for everyone else to recognise they are the best. You’ll see them come back and back.” He just can’t admit that he got beaten.

Keith Sweat, the celebrated master of the slow jam, unwraps his first-ever holiday music collection, proving there’s no one better qualified to deliver a Yuletide disc titled A Christmas Of Love. The R&B and soul superstar’s new album of newly recorded contemporary Christmas songs will be available November 20 at all retail outlets and online.

The album’s nine songs spotlight the Harlem-born singer’s signature mix of smooth vocals coupled with warm, supple groove. Sweat puts his unmistakable mark on the classic “The Christmas Song,” as well as “Under The Tree,” “Once A Year” and “It’s Christmas Again”– a trio of songs Sweat cowrote. With “Point Of Christmas,” the religious artist pays tribute to the “reason for the season.”

He has sold more than 14 million records and garnered five #1 R&B albums, 15 Top 10 R&B singles, six #1 hits, four Top 5 pop singles, three multi-platinum and three platinum albums, two platinum and three gold singles, widespread critical acclaim and a rabid international following. Today, Sweat hosts his own syndicated radio show, The Sweat Hotel, in 19 markets.

‘Crank That (Soulja Boy)’ by Soulja Boy is currently at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. If the name sounds familiar but you’re not sure from where you’ve heard it before, let me tell you a story.

Souljah Boy, do notice the ‘h’, was part of the group Mo Thugs during the 90s. The guy with the h says he has been using that name for around 12 years and says that he was shocked when DeAndre Way, the real name of the guy without the h, Interscope and Collipark decided to ‘infringe and misappropriate his name’.

Souljah’s lawyers are reportedly in the process of contacting all the parties involved and are hoping to fix the problem.

Record sales of hip hop artists seem to be on the decline within the last year. Except maybe if the artist’s name happens to be Kanye West. Record sales of country artists is another story though.

Last week, Reba McEntire pushed Kanye off the top spot when her ‘Duets’ album came out at #1. This week, country trio Rascal Flatts is at #1 when their new album ‘Still Feels Good’ sold 547,000 units which easilty put them on top of the Billboard 200 mountain. Their latest release makes it the third straight #1 album for the band.

Country is about to take over!