LIVE: Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter (B.I.C) - Glory

The most beautiful Hip-hop track in recent memory - namely "Glory", Jay-Z's dedication to his newborn daughter Blue Ivy Carter, performed by the man himself and a 36 piece orchestra at New York's Carnegie Hall. Proud mother Beyoncé Carter-Knowles was also in attendance, at what was her first public appearance post-partum.

Amongst other intimate details, the track references Destiny's Child, Blue Ivy's conception in Paris and a past miscarriage. 

Enjoy:

LIVE: Madonna, LMFAO, M.I.A., Nicki Minaj & Cee-Lo at Superbowl Half-Time Show

At yesterday's Superbowl (America's most watched sporting event, with an audience of about 111 million, a figure which shot up to just over 114 million when she come on) Madonna put on a performance of a lifetime and showed exactly why and how she's still the one and only Queen of Pop. From an entrance reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra's entrance into Rome, Madonna burst into song with her classic, era-defining hits "Vogue" and "Music". As electro-hop duo LMFAO appeared DJ'ing on stage, the latter song phased into their own "Party Rock Anthem", which was mashed-up with "Music". 

Madonna shuffled like a mofo' IN HER HEELS before joining the guys for a brief rendition of "Sexy And I Know It", which preceded her own new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'", featuring rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, who has apparently excited a whole bunch of internet dramz and a potential lawsuit for sticking up her middle finger ("flipping the bird", apparently a very offensive gesture) at the end of her rap verse.

The three girls danced, pranced, sang and rapped, adorned as Greco-Roman cheerleaders; their set closed with the entrance of Cee-Lo at the head of a marching band, joining Queen Madge for "Open Your Heart" and a tiny portion of "Express Yourself". Cee-Lo was there to promote The Voice, which aired directly after the show and on which he is a judge. As the podium SWALLOWED THE FIELD Cee-Lo and Madonna somehow changed costumes and were joined by a huge choir for "Like A Prayer", which they sang (apparently live) atop an elevated stage.

Madonna danced and looked fantastic throughout, interspersing live vocals (where possible) admist playback.  Needless to say single downloads and album pre-orders are riding real high on the iTunes charts.

Bow down and pay homage below:

NEW MUSIC: Nicki Minaj - Marilyn Monroe

Pop-rapper extraordinaire Nicki Minaj's back at her very Poppiest with new leak "Marilyn Monroe". Definitely something for the casual "Superbass" fans, as opposed to the die-hard fans of rap Nicki or old Nicki.

No word on whether or not this'll be on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, most likely it's just a left over, although it could be an intentional leak to gauge fan reaction and see what direction she should pursue with Reloaded.

MUSIC VIDEO: Madonna feat. M.I.A. & Nicki Minaj - Give Me All Your Luvin'

Ladies and gentlemen, pimps and hoes, this. is. actually. happening.(!!!)

In antecipation of her first ever set during the coveted Superbowl Half-time slot, the undisputable Queen of Pop Madonna has unveiled the music video for comeback single "Give Me All Your Luvin'". As y'all probably know, the upbeat Avril Lavinge/cheerleader-y track features backing vocals and guest raps from none other than the fantastically talented Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. 

Who'd ever have thought, huh?

The video itself isn't anything too spectacular; the ladies all look great and it's the right balance of camp and mainstream-friendliness. Fingers crossed the track is the huge hit it seems to be shaping up to be.

Bow down and recognise:

MUSIC VIDEO: M.I.A. - Bad Girls

Yesterday I was told M.I.A. is 37. How does that even..? I don't...I can't even...wow.

Music video for new single "Bad Girls" has just premiered on the official Noisey Youtube  account. If you were wondering, yes, M.I.A.'s premiering it on the same day the music video for her Madonna & Nicki Minaj collabo "Give Me All Your Luvin'" goes up (post coming shortly).

Can I just say this is frickin' fantabulous and amazing? The dancing, the stunts, the nail-filing, the scenery, the song itself. Here's to 2012 being the year M.I.A. sheds "one hit wonder" status. 

Enjoy:

LYRIC VIDEO: Labrinth - Last Time

Timothy McKenzie - better known as Labrinth - has been making bank the past few years writing and producing for other artists. The first non-talent show act to be signed to Simon Cowell's Syco in six years, he first achieved prominence thanks to his collaborations with rapper Tinie Tempah - "Pass Out" (#1 UK) and "Frisky" (#2 UK).  Since then he's released two solo singles, "Let The Sun Shine" (#3 UK) and "Earthquake" (#2 UK), lifted from upcoming debut album "Electronic Earth" out March 19th. 

Completely unexceptional new single "Last Time" will be released a week before the album, on March 11th. It's a huge disappointment after the fantastic "Earthquake" - I wonder if this will be his first solo single to miss the Top 3?

Check out the lyric video below:

TEASER: Conor Maynard - Can't Say No

Nineteen year old Brighton talent Conor Maynard has been buzzing around on the internet for a while now, thanks primarily to his highly popular YouTube cover videos (link). Recently voted winner of MTV's Brand New For 2012 poll, Maynard's signed to EMI UK and (I'm told) taken care of by the same people as Jessie J. He's finally getting his big launch this year, kicking off with debut single "Can't Say No", officially released April 29th. He's got a good voice and passable good looks, so it's all down to the material being up to par.

Let us join hands and pray he isn't marketed as some kind of UK Justin Bieber, because we all know how that ends up (Cody Simpson says hi). Hell, even 'male Jessie J' makes for a more agreeable angle than that...

The track itself isn't clicking with me but I'll reserve judgement until I hear it in full. You can check out the exclusive preview of the music video and awful attempts at "banter" before and after below.