J.D. Salinger Dies- Black Eyed Peas Sued for Song Theft- Lady GaGa and Beyonce- Taylor Swift Beats Britney- Michael Jackson's Dad Get Hearing on Son's Cash and more

Usher's oft-delayed sixth studio album, Raymond V. Raymond, has a new release date: March 30. more -

Mariah Carey Announces Album Release

Mariah Carey has completed her 13th studio album, Angels Advocate, a brand new collection of newly remixed duets with some of her favorite artists, performing Mariah's favorite songs from her #1 R&B album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (released September 2009). Angels Advocate will be released on March 30th.

In advance of the Angels Advocate album release, two new Mariah Carey singles are on the way this week - "Angels Cry" featuring fellow Island Def Jam artist Ne-Yo is impacting at Urban A/C radio, and "Up Out My Face" featuring Nicki Minaj is impacting at Urban and Rhythm radio formats.

New videos for both tracks were co-directed by Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey. Both videos will be available at all platforms starting Monday, February 1st. - more on this story

Cage The Elephant Spring Tour

Cage The Elephant is back in the U.S. for a Spring headlining tour, beginning February 15, 2010 in Augusta, GA.

After a busy 2009, the band is riding the momentum of two chart-topping singles and going back out on the road, hitting many cities they have not played in before. Check out the dates below!

Monday, 2/15/10 @ Sky City, Augusta, GA
Tuesday, 2/16/10 @ 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
Thursday, 2/18/10 @ Valarium, Knoxville, TN
Friday, 2/19/10 @ Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
- more

Giving The Fans A Bone

2010's first viral sensation on Urban and Rhythm radio formats is a hands-down runaway smash – as "Homegurl" by east Texas rapper Bone graduates from club play to the airwaves with a 4 million M.Base audience, and impacts on February 9th!

Bone is going "deep, deep, deep… churnin'… smackin'… like a hurricane hit it," with four booty-shakin' minutes of delirious PA-rated fun. Check out "Homegurl" on Bone's brand new website, http://www.myspace.com/heirbone, which has logged over 281,000 total plays in just its first few weeks online.

The song goes up February 9th on iTunes. The single will be distributed on Def Jam/RedZone Records' partner, Citi U.S. Entertainment. - more on this story

Country Stars Record Haiti Benefit Song

This week at Belmont University's Ocean Way Studios, multi-platinum, Grammy and Dove Award winning artist [name not included in this announcement but we assume it's Michael W. Smith], gathered a who's-who list from the music community to record "Come Together Now." The song, penned by Smith, David Mullen and Cindy Morgan – and produced by Bryan Lenox – was written to remind people of the need to help those in Haiti.

"The crisis in Haiti has left us all trying to figure out how we can help," shares Smith. "We wanted to create something that the community could support, for the greater good of those in Haiti. Everyone gave of their time: the studio was donated, the musicians donated their time and all proceeds from this song will go to designated charity/relief work through The American Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse. It's incredible to be part of something that is going to help so many people."

In addition to lending their voices in song, several artists also recorded PSA's for The American Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse for use in upcoming months. - more on this story

Frightened Rabbit Spring Tour Plans

Frightened Rabbit will make their Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival debut when they perform alongside Muse, MGMT, the Dead Weather, Hot Chip, Devo and many others on day two of the three-day desert fest taking place April 16-18 in Indio, Calif.

SXSW in March will launch their first set of U.S. appearances in support of forthcoming third LP, The Winter Of Mixed Drinks, due March 9 on FatCat Records, and offer an opportunity to warm up for the Festival and six-week North American tour to follow. The extensive run will commence April 19 in Tempe, Ariz., hit NYC's Webster Hall on April 28 and conclude on the West Coast in May. The band is currently warming up in Australia where they have traded in a frigid UK winter for a sunny summer tour in the down under.

Two years ago, a foursome from Glasgow named Frightened Rabbit, crashed onto U.S. shores and quickly impressed audiences with their cathartic and fiercely passionate performances. The band unveiled their jangly, anthemic songs from their sophomore LP, The Midnight Organ Fight. Now, they return a markedly different band - one equipped with an eagerly awaited new album, a fifth member, an ever-growing fanbase and hundreds of shows under their belts. - more on this story

Shunda K Down Unda

It has been all hard work and hard play for the hip-hop wonder woman known as Shunda K. The voice of Yo! Majesty is in Australia through early February headlining club gigs and appearing as the opening act at several stops on Peaches's Australian tour.

Additionally, the duo has been performing their collaboration "Billionaire" from the Peaches album I Feel Cream (XL) throughout the roving Big Day Out festival. A video for the song has also just been shot.

Even sexier is the upcoming debut solo album from Shunda K. Titled The Most Wanted the album will be issued in the Summer of 2010 by the newly minted Fanatic Records in partnership with EMI/Caroline. - The Best Eva Written: Outkast Free Mix Tape

Shady Nate Releases New Video Featuring E Da Sanga

Shady Nate and E Da Sanga have been heating things up with their soulful hustler's story, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," the single from Shady Nate's 2009 Gasman Unleashed project

The song features the emcees deftly weaving a tale about street survival, smarts, and commerce, as Shady Nate raps that "As long as you never tell it/Shady gonna sell it/Hide it real good so the dogs can't smell it." Director Damon Jamal has now brought "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" from speakers to the silver screen with the official video for the Bay Area banger.

The video mirrors the narrative of the song and finds Shady Nate taking a plane-train-and-automobile assisted trip in order to facilitate an exchange with a fellow street CEO. Along the way, a confident Shady reminds us that this is all just means to an end in front of a microphone, proclaiming that "I'm about to escalate, so watch me elevate." Check out Shady Nate's story on Gasman Unleashed, and keep your ear to the ground for the release of his official debut album, Son Of The Hood in 2010 via ClearBeat Records. - Watch the video here