After brutal blog bashings, sneers from the critics and cruel comments from the general public, poor Brooke Hogan has finally had enough and snapped. Seemingly sick of being labeled a talentless hack when it comes to her music career, the Grammy Award winning** starlet decided to shut her haters up once and for all by showing off her true vocal abilities and skills as a professional pianist, during a headlining performance at America’s biggest and most prestigious music festival, Spiedie Fest.

The diva silenced her critics with a stripped-back rendition of her top forty-charting hit “About Us”, complete with flawless vocals and real piano playing. Check out Brooke in action below.

**May not actually be a Grammy Award winner.

Unfortunately, some HATER had to come along and rain on Brooke’s parade, accusing her of lip-syncing and faking the whole thing. The nasty comment was enough to send the poor girl over the edge, causing her to take her bleach blonde behind onto YouTube to set the record straight once and for all.

After attacking the YouTube hater’s username (“MaryBob123… Good username by the way… Horrible!”), Brooke announced that she is, in fact, talented, and then preceded to re-perform part of the song on the spot to prove that it was live.

Watch Brooke decapitating the h@t3rz below.

And there you have it. Brooke rocks, haters suck.

Yes, I know it’s hard for you to see someone like Brooke have more talent and a stronger passion for pop than your fave chart topper, but you’re just going to have to deal with it and accept her as your new musical messiah.

By the way, Brooke will be following up her first two underrated albums with a third record, either late this year or early 2011. She’ll be writing the majority of the lyrics, and co-producing all the tracks. She’s also working on a new reality show after the success of her two previous VH1 shows, Hogan Knows Best and Brooke Knows Best.

I’ll now take this opportunity to hot link to Brooke’s stunning, sexy, feel-good, auto-tuned, cute, dance-pop smash “Handcuffed”. You may now go to iTunes and buy both her albums.

Firecracker M.I.A. is still letting her mouth get her in trouble during the promotional gauntlet for her new album /\/\ /\ Y /\, this time making some more scandalous comments about chart topper Lady GaGa, who, if you remember correctly, M.I.A. recently spoke disparagingly about to both NME and Nylon.

“Lady Gaga is someone who lives completely within [the industry]. That’s what you can get if you say ‘yes.’ I would have those outfits on and my hair would look like that and those are the songs I would sing. Everybody else on my label’s budget would get cut in order for my Grammy performance with Elton John to be banging.” [source]

Funnier even is the fact that Maya and GaGa are actually both under the Interscope Records umbrella and both report to label chairman Jimmy Iovine, plus they’ve also both been included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.

I like this feud and I hope somebody asks GaGa about it in an interview, because I’d just love to hear her try and explain all of M.I.A.’s comments…

[Update: Old Interview]

The millionth celebrity to go public and diss Christina Aguilera has now emerged in TV actress and rock star wife Valerie Bertinelli, who in a newly surfaced 2008 interview recalls an unpleasant experience that she had with the singer at a Van Halen concert back in 2004.

To make matters worse, the hosts of the show – Johnjay & Rich – agree with Valerie, implying that they’ve had their own negative experiences with the innovative visionary artist.

Valerie is just one in a long list of celebrities who have publicly aired out Christina for her behavior, which includes: Mariah Carey, Charlotte Church, Pink (multiple times), Kelly Osbourne, Rankin, Mary J. Blige and several others.

Poor Aggie just can’t catch a break lately. I’m just going to say that in terms of bitchiness, she’s this generations Diana Ross!

Now to add a bit of musicality to this trashy gossip post, Xtina’s Bionic album recently debuted at #1 on the UK charts with 24k. It’d probably good if we had some concrete news about a second single by now.

Anyway, check out Valerie’s comments below.

The legendary Lil’ Kim has finally broken her silence for a new tell-all interview with ThisIs50.com, laying everything on the line in one of the most honest interviews she’s done since leaving jail back in 2006.

Kim talks about label problems, her beef with Diddy and Drake, touring, her future plans, jail time, what she’s been doing while she’s out of the spotlight and much more.

And yes, of course Kim address her current beef with Nicki Minaj, fulfilling her previous promise and airing out all the behind-the-scenes drama that she’s been hinting at over the past few weeks.

The Queen Bee claims that Nicki has been taking “subliminal shots” at her for a long time in various interviews and through other outlets, disrespecting her in addition to ripping off her image. Kim then goes deeper into a drama surrounding a track that the pair were meant to do for Baby’s album, which Nicki supposedly had pulled because she didn’t want to be on the same song as Kim, which Kim of course took as a sign of disrespect.

Listen to the first two parts of the interview below. The rest of the interview will be uploaded in the coming days.

[Part 1]

[Part 2]

That Lil’ Kim reign on Nicki Minaj just won’t let up, with new footage surfacing today of Kim and her crew going in on Nicki during a discussion about the Young Money femcee on the back of Kim’s tour bus.

Part of Kim’s new circle of friends is femcee Keys, who you may remember from a Nicki Minaj diss video that made it’s rounds over the internet earlier this year. Well Kim and Keys have been pretty tight lately, with Kim even bringing the up & comer on stage during shows for the sole purpose of dissing the Harajuku Barbie.

“I’m a real b*tch,” says Kim. “I love working with my ladies….I did one of the biggest records, the first Ladies Night records. At the end of the day it’s just about respect. You come in the game you just pay homage to those who paved the way for you…When I first came in the game I had Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, I had all of them in my videos. At the end of the day that’s just what it’s about…It’s okay to say I love you. I love your style, you inspired me.” [source]

Kim’s crew then start calling out parodies of Nicki’s hit song “Roger That”, changing the title to “Copy That!” before laughing. Kim also continued on to say that there is more to the story than meets the eye and it will all be revealed soon.

The most interesting part however is when Kim calls out “Roc” towards the end of the video and throws up the Roc sign, adding further weight to the rumors that she’s signed a new deal with Roc Nation. Her new single is tentatively due out next month, so we should find out the truth by then.

In a brand new interview with Philly radio personality Kendra G, the Queen Bee Lil’ Kim called in to set the record straight over her current beef with Nicki Minaj, which as you know has been making some major headlines across the blogesphere this week.

During the chat, Kim says that certain things have happened behind the scenes that “people don’t know about”, before promising that they will “be aired out” soon. Kim also labels Nicki a “swagga jacka” and says that her recent onstage disses during her current promo tour have been to “remind” everybody where Nicki’s style came from.

She then implies that Nicki has dissed her and hints at behind the scenes drama, before further implying that Nicki has no “class” and isn’t a “sophisticated lady”.

On a brighter note, Kim also spoke about her music career, announcing that she’s aiming for July to drop her brand new single. There hasn’t been an update on Kim’s next album for a while now, but the last news to surface had her working with Timbaland, Polow Da Don, Akon and Detail.

To get the full context of the situation between Kim and Nicki you really have to hear the interview for yourself, so check it out below.

The Lil’ Kim Vs. Nicki Minaj beef took another turn today, with Nicki’s BFF Drake defending his Young Money labelmate live on stage in what was clearly a response to Ray J and Kim’s recent attack on Nicki.

“I can’t say you the baddest BITCH, I can’t do that because I respect you and I love you too much and you look too beautiful, so I’m gonna say you’re the baddest woman to ever do this rap shit!

“I don’t give a fuck what Lil’ Kim or nobody else talkin’ bout, you the baddest chick to ever do this shit! Remember I said that!”

Wow, looks like somebody needs to learn their Hip-Hop history. I’m a gay white boy from Australia and even I know who the true Queens of Hip-Hop are, and it definitely isn’t somebody who hasn’t even dropped an album or had a hit single by themselves.

Girl bye.

Check out Drake’s sweet and kind, yet misinformed, word vomit below, as well as a very special message for Drake and Nicki.

If you thought Lil’ Kim’s onstage mocking of Nicki Minaj was where this femcee beef was going to end then you’ve got another thing coming to you. At a recent show in New York (June 3), Kim brought her ex-boyfriend Ray J on stage, most probably to perform their hit “Wait a Minute” together, but instead of performing the pair took some time out to take a few more shots at the Harajuku Barbie.

“I’m seeing a lot of Lil Kim imposters,” Ray J stated. “I’m not saying no names, but you know who,” he continued, referencing biting Kim’s style after calling Kim the greatest female rapper ever.

Lil Kim added, “We love her. We just want her to pay homage so we can all rock together, that’s all” making an obvious reference to Minaj. “It’s all about respect. You respect me, I respect you. If you don’t respect me then f-ck you. ” [Via ONTD]

As you know, this is the second time that Kim has taken shots at Nicki, after recent footage surfaced of Kim imitating Nicki’s flow at a live show before throwing a wig into the crowd and stating “I’m so above this.”

With a new mixtape in the works, an upcoming album (with A-list production from Timbaland, Polow Da Don and more) and a rumored new record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, could the Queen Bee be trying to drum herself up a little publicity by coming after Hip-Hop’s current covergirl?

Or perhaps Kim is mad that Nicki has publicly paid homage to her nemesis and fellow female rap legend Foxy Brown, even going as far as to strike up a friendship with the rapper, which could seem odd to some since Nicki’s style clearly resembles Kim’s a lot more than it does Foxy’s.

It’s no secret that Lil’ Kim fans and Nicki Minaj fans don’t exactly get along very well; Nicki’s followers generally claim that the Queen Bee is washed up, while Kimmy’s clan accuse the Harujuku Barbie of copying the Queen’s style.

Well things are about to get a whole lot worse now, with a new video surfacing online that appears to show Lil’ Kim taking a stab at the Young Money star. In the clip, Kim can be seen imitating Nicki’s trademark rapping style in a comical way as she performs her classic hit ‘Crush On You’. She then rips off a pink, Nicki-style wig that she has on, throws it into the crowd and says: “I’m going to another level. I love the wigs and everything, but I’m so above this!”

There’s no need for drama ladies, but I’m not about to argue with the Queen Bee who blessed us with the timeless Hip-Hop classic Hardcore.

Hopefully we’ll be seeing Kim in action a lot more soon. She’s started touring again, and the gossip blogs have been in overdrive lately speculating that she’s signed to Roc Nation.

Anyway, check out Kimmy’s controversial diss below. [Source]

M.I.A.’s current promo blitz for her new album era is moving full steam ahead, with the rebellious artist scoring another magazine cover, this time for hip style mag Nylon.

Besides showing off her fabulous fashions in the glossy’s, Maya recently did a huge 9-page piece with the New York Times. The article contains way too much for this little blog to handle, but I’ve selected some of the best parts for you to check out.

First up is Maya’s apparent dislike for Lady GaGa as an artist, which hasn’t simmered since her controversial interview with NME in which she labeled GaGa a “mimic” who isn’t “progressive”.

“With our video [for "Born Free"], we were really copying ‘Telephone,’ ” Maya says now, referring to Gaga’s recent video with Beyoncé. “Both our videos are road movies. We kill people, and they kill people. They start out in a prison, and we start out in a squat, hunting people down.” Maya zipped her lips again. “I can’t talk about Gaga anymore,” she said. “All I’ll say is, it’s upsetting when babies say ga-ga now. It used to be innocent. Now, they’re calling her name.”

“You can’t really say that Gaga is culturally a change,” Maya said. “Madonna was truly unique.”

Maya’s love for Madge doesn’t stop there though, as she gushed more about the Queen of Pop in a different part of the interview (unrelated to GaGa might I add).

“Madonna is the one,” Maya said. “Madonna did amazing songs. She had an amazing sense of style, without a stylist. And she was flawed, and sometimes she admitted it. I’ll fight the fight for Madonna.”

Another interesting part of the article were comments made by M.I.A.’s Interscope label boss Jimmy Iovine (also boss of GaGa), and her producer Diplo, both who acknowledged that Maya can’t particularly sing or play instruments, but that she’s a visionary and a leader who’s able to create and set trends.

“Maya had all the pieces of the puzzle,” Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Records, told me. “When I met her, I thought, Who wouldn’t want to sign her? Her politics didn’t matter to me. The whole game is about waiting for that moment to move popular culture. Maya can move the needle. I want to go where she’s going to take me.”

“I made her sing,” says Diplo. “Maya is a big pop star now, and pop stars sing. For me, making this record wasn’t easy. In the past, we were a team. But Maya wanted to show us how much she didn’t need us. In the end, Maya is postmodern: she can’t really make music or art that well, but she’s better than anyone at putting crazy ideas into motion. She knows how to manipulate, how to withhold, how to get what she wants.”

“If you want to be huge, you have to give up a lot,” Michelle Jubelirer, Maya’s longtime lawyer, told me. “Maya vacillates between wanting to be huge and maintaining her artistic integrity. That’s her dilemma.”

If M.I.A. wants a hit without selling out then “XXXO” is probably it. The NY Times also stated that she has a track on the record titled “Tell Me Why”, which is the closest thing to a pop-radio record on the new album.

The always rebellious M.I.A. is currently out on the promo trail for her new single “XXXO” and upcoming third album MAYA, shooting a cover story with Complex Magazine where she talks about the government controlling information over the internet, her son and husband, kids today not being “critical thinkers”, the current state of Hip-Hop and more.

While discussing Hip-Hop culture, M.I.A. brought the now legendary feud between rap heavyweights Nas and Jay-Z, implying that Jay’s main focus was money and success while Nas stayed true to music and knowledge.

I was having a conversation about Jay-Z and Nas and how it was really crazy how they were having this Nas vs. Jay-Z moment 10 years ago and no one really talks about it now.

Jay became the biggest representation of rap music who’s still alive, started dating Beyoncé—everything was so much bigger and better with Jay-Z. I hope people don’t think that that wins. The fact that Nas didn’t become all this sort of stuff changes people’s perception about the music and the work he achieved in his lifetime. I don’t wanna say Jay-Z sold out, but I just feel like we have to wait another 10 years to see what happens. Jay-Z’s ambition was to become like Frank Sinatra, a household name all over the planet, and own a casino in Vegas and stuff like that. And I think Nas was really sticking to knowledge. I still think the biggest point about hip-hop is in there somewhere, what happens to those two artists.

In other words: Jay-Z is a money hungry, fake snake.

One person who M.I.A. does like though is Kanye West, respecting his commitment to innovation and his controversial, outspoken nature.

I think Kanye is trying to take it [hip-hop] into a new realm and he’s sort of putting the artistry back into it and sort of taking it in that direction.

…I love Kanye, I think he’s been super-consistent, everything he’s done has been good. I like his interaction with the media, too—he’s just him, and he’s living it.

Gotta agree with her on that one again, except maybe Kanye should do a little less “living it” and start “thinking it” a bit more first. The VMA’s fiasco wasn’t cute.

The hypocritical BET network have all of a sudden decided that they want to momentarily clean up their act by banning Ciara’s new music video “Ride”. There’s been speculation surrounding the ban for weeks now, but now Ciara is addressing it herself and confirming that it has in fact been pulled from the network for being too risqué.

“My video isn’t playing on BET right now… It would definitely be great if it was playing on BET, no doubt. If there was a way to edit a version for it I would definitely do that.”

So Ciara’s raunchy street dancing is too sexy for BET, yet Trey Songz’ porno’s, Rihanna’s X-rated army exploits, Beyonce’s cell phone coochie snappin’ and many misogynistic rap videos make for prime time viewing?

Something in the milk ain’t clean.