[Official Video] Madonna - Give Me All Your Luvin

If anyone knows about making a bloody good go of a comeback, it's Madonna. She's done it enough times already. But it has to be said, her stock has been at something of an all time low since the tepid Hard Candy and its faux pretentions at urban credibility.

Thank God then for Give Me All Your Luvin, a return to unabashed pure-pop Madonna - it's like the best bits of her 80s glory days given a 21st century overall. With cheerleader chants - always a plus. And while it might not be perfect - Madge's vocals aren't the strongest, and the Nicki Minaj rap feels oddly shoe-horned in - the frankly brilliant video does more than enough to paper over these flaws.

Like Material Girl gone bonkers, the video picks Madonna up and puts her down in a papery studio of comprised America, and yes... more cheerleaders. Best of all, Nicki and M.I.A. don those cheerleader outfits themselves and lead the pack - indeed, it's worth watching for that alone. It's surreal, flippant fun that could only come from the woman who has already conquered the  world a hundred times over - now free to pursue whatever damn direction she wants.

Dripping in all the trappings of Americana we've come to expect from Madge, Give Me All Your Luvin feels like a genuine return to both form, and fun. She looks good in the video, and most importantly, looks like she's having a good time. And on this alone, I'm holding out great hopes for the album.

Nicki Minaj - Stupid Hoe

It’s fair to say my feelings are divided about Nicki’s Stupid Hoe. On one hand, it’s nice to see her ‘going in hard’ again, returning to the brawling intensity that made Roman’s Revenge a real standout. But equally, Stupid Hoe feels almost too much. It’s a pushing of cheap titillation and lewdness, seemingly just for the sake of it.

As much as Nicki might want to be a controversial artist, at the level she has built herself up to, she also exists profoundly as a popstar – and Stupid Hoe verges over the line into alienating. The video is a whole kettle of fish in its own right, a flickering, snapping explosion of colour and editing that flashes Nicki in a variety of provocative guises missle-style into your eyes. And as much as we love Nicki for her bombast, in this instance, like the song itself, it all feels like one step too far in the wrong direction.

Drake feat. Nicki Minaj - Make Me Proud

The anticipation for Drake's Take Care album across the internet has been more than palpable. In this age of instant gratification gratis downloads and On Air/On Sale, it's arrival seemed like an event, a day to indulge in its entirety.

Taken out of the context of the album, Make Me Proud bears less singular appeal than the title track, but boasts an equally star-studded guest vocalist in the form of Nicki Minaj.

Drake spins lyrics of his ideal woman over a choppy, tweaked spool of digital effects and big beats. For a rapper who's made a career out of lush, ambient textures, Make Me Proud sees Drake at his hardest, most biting.

Nicki positively leaks onto the track, cutting across Drake and pulling her usual cod British accent 'thing'. It's no repeat of her magnificent Eminem collab Roman's Revenge, but most crucially, it sees her fitting into the track rather than this being a predictable case of quick in and out guest role. As the track progresses, spiralling vortexes of synth rhythms cascade down over the raps, crafting a rich mix of textures that has come to characterise the classic Drake sound.

With her level of fame, it's key that Nicki doesn't overpower Drake, doesn't become the pinning point of the track - and thankfully, she doesn't; this remains 100% a part of Take Care, with Nicki's role being that of an exciting embellishment.

Make Me Proud is released on the 12th December.

Nicki Minaj - I'm The Best

As much as the public and the Top 40 charts might love their Nicki Minaj in her most perky, poppy incarnations (Fly, Superbass), it's in her more outre, rap-heavy moments that we really see her most truthful to herself.

Indeed, it is tracks like I'm The Best that are most representative of Pink Friday as a whole - they're feisty, brawling slabs of spit-gunned raps and machined beats. This is Nicki going in hard, and she's not one to compromise with a half-hearted, lazy response. You, the listener, are in her sights.

I'm The Best wears its inflated boasts of ego plainly on its sleeve, and while this would rub prodigiously in a whole host of other US Hip-Hop artists, Nicki has the sensibilities and quirk to ensure it's always delivered with just the right hint of irony.

The result? Another stylish, swagged-up cut from the girl who's star can only burn brighter and brighter right now.

I'm The Best is released on the 5th December.

New releases round-up - 4th July 2011

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

It feels like this track has been banging around for ages, but it never gets old - one of the best track's from Minaj's inspired Pink Friday, it's great to see this track getting the mass radio airplay it deserves. Frothy, fizzy milkshake pop with a good dash of Nicki's trademark raps, we also have this track to thank for Selena Gomez's immeasurably cute cover version of it.

Download

Loick Essien - How We Roll

As I write this, How We Roll has already surged up into the UK Top 10 - and it sounds like a Top 10 record for sure. There's something about its transatlantic gloss that suggest some big US star crossing over into the UK market, but Essien in fact hails from these shores; previously collaborating with artists like Chipmink and N-Dubz. His debut album Identity is released later this year.

Download

Guillemots - I Must Be A Lover

A strong return for the Guillemots after Fyfe Dangerfield's advert soundtracking solo record. Channeling that rich, baroque quality the band have always done so well, when it comes to a lush, involving tale of devotion, you don't get much better than this.

Download

Adele - Set Fire To The Rain

What could be more a summation of heartbreak and tears in your eyes at a ruined relationship than Adele's Someone Like You? Perhaps her new single Set Fire To The Rain. If anything, he latest track is even more packed with anguish and raw emotion. More upbeat, more passionate, and packing a catchy little piano hook; this has always been one of my favourites from her mind-bogglingly successful 21 album.

Download

Britney announces UK tour dates and I Wanna Go single cover

It's the news us pop lovers have been waiting what seems like years for. Yes, that's right - Britney Spears is coming back to the UK to tour her Femme Fatale album. Anyone who went to see her previous Circus tour will know what a spectacular show Miss Spears puts on, and if we're honest, the only thing that slightly puts a downer on all this excitement is that Nicki Minaj won't be supporting Britney here as she is in the US.

Ah well, you can't have it all your way. The UK dates will take in Belfast, London, Manchester and Birmingham, with tickets going on sale on the 10th June. We'll be right there at 9am in the morning getting ready for the mad frenzy that always accompanies any session of ticket buying.

Meanwhile, Britney has also unveiled the cover art for her new single I Wanna Go - the third from her Femme Fatale album. And everyone's been saying how retro it looks - it's like Britney has walked straight out of 10 years ago, all fresh faced and still in the relattive infacy of her pop career. Compared to the sultry, sexy looks of the last two single covers, I Wanna Go just looks so... happy. Nothing wrong in that though, we all love a happy Britney.

Britney's UK tour dates are as follows:

•October 25 - Belfast, Odyssey arena

•October 27 - London, O2 arena

•October 28 - London, O2 arena

•October 30 - Birmingham, LG arena

•October 31 - Birmingham, LG arena

•November 2 - London, O2 arena

•November 3 - London, O2 arena

•November 6 - Manchester, MEN arena


I Wanna Go is released on the the 8th August.

Britney Spears - Till The World Ends (Culture Shock Bhangra Remix)

You thought you'd heard it all with the amazing Bollywood mix of Lady Gaga's Born This Way, and then last week we had the release of the Femme Fatale Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj loveathon version of Till The World Ends.

But now we have the Bhangra mix of Britney's latest single. Yes. You read that right. It's just SO out there. I'm not sure I like it quite as much as the Gaga mix but if you're a fan of immense synth basslines, this if definitely for you. I really like how it completely mixes up the beat too. Definitely enough to keep us dancing till the world ends at any rate, not that we had grown tired of the original version either.

The pop party from heaven - Britney and Nicki live it up in West Hollywood

Britney Spears apparently caused 'complete pandemonium' when she made a surprise visit to a party Nicki Minaj was hosting. Nope, this wasn't some kind of reverse warm-up for the girls' tour later in the year, it was a cool Hollywood bash at nightclub The Factory. Now, in its own right, this would be something pretty special, but we're absolutely loving these quotes from E! Online - they really do just take the whole thing to the next level:

"It was complete pandemonium. Six people were carried out after hyperventilating. They literally fainted when Britney walked onto the stage where Nicki was hanging."

Yes, people actually hyperventilated when Britney came on stage. Well, you would, wouldn't you? Actual Britney Spears. I just have an image of the entire front row at the club suddenly passing out as Brit struts on stage.

The source continued: "People were crowd surfing to get to the stage. Screams were so loud for Nicki and Brit you couldn't hear the music. Bouncers couldn't hold the crowd back."
This sounds like a Fucking Amazing party. Where was our invite?! You know what it's like when you hear, almost Chinese-Whispers style, about a party someone you know has gone to, and wish you had been there. It always sounds better than it probably actually was. But who cares? That instant when your jaw drops as they regale you with their tale of wild antics and the insanely good mix of music on offer, that's what it's all about.

And just for the record; Britney, Nicki, you're welcome round mine anytime you want. Just remember to bring a bottle.

Britney Spears - Till The World Ends (Featuring Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha)

After cropping up on Rihanna's S&M remix, it's now Britney's turn to head into the mix as forthcoming tour buddy Nicki Minaj and wild party girl Ke$ha feature on an extended remix of Till The World Ends.

Rather fitting, in a way, seeing as Ke$ha co-wrote the track. Nicki's rap is suitably fierce, as you might imagine, but I'm yet to be completely sold on this version. Take a listen below though and see what you think:

Cheryl eyes up some hot collabs & Girls Aloud are a FIVE forever

Yup, it's time for the latest round of Girls Aloud news.

Reports today suggest that Cheryl wants to work with Rihanna, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj on her next album. Let's face it, who wouldn't want to work with a trio of amazingness like those lovely ladies! These high profile collabs are apparently to help launch Cheryl in the US.

An insider revealed: "Cheryl's management want her to become the next big popstar in America and are working on securing some A-list names for the album. A Rihanna duet is a certainty and Will.I.Am is trying to convince Minaj to work on the LP too. Katy Perry has also been in talks with Cheryl about a duet, as she is a big fan."

We like to imagine will.i.am as one of those super-cool guys who's always on his phone lining up various business deals and meetings, and in this dream scenario, hooking Chezza up with the best in US female pop. There's even reports that Cheryl wants to work with Britney and Beyonce too.

Turning our attention back to Girls Aloud as a whole... this afternoon, the awesome-threesome of welovepop, supersonicpr and polydorrecords all tweeted this message:

"Time to set the record straight after another ridiculous story. Girls Aloud will always be, Sarah, Nadine, Kimberley, Cheryl and Nicola."

Which throws cold water all over Heat's super-silly story about them wanting to continue as a four-piece.

The Ultra Girls head up north & booty-shake to Nicki Minaj

This week sees the amazing Ultra Girls following up their stunning support slot for Kylie Minogue with the release of their infectious debut single Girls Will Be Girls. Seeing it in a live setting at London's O2 Arena, it sounded even more epic - the girls also took the opportunity to showcase some of their other tracks including Birds and the Bees, Gonna Stay, IOU for Love as well as their inspired Blur/P!nk UltraMashUp.

Next week the girls will be heading up north to Preston's 'Lava Ignite' and Newcastle's 'Liquid' for a couple of under-18s club shows.

They also feature in today's Daily Star Playlist feature where they talk about their backstage antics while on tour with Kylie.

Laura reveals: "It could have been embarrassing if Kylie had caught us listening to her tunes so we had booty-shaking competitions to Nicki Minaj. We really enjoyed Kylie’s show."

Properly amazing.

The Ultra Girls debut single Girls Will Be Girls is out to download on iTunes now.

And Nicki's finally confirmed...

It looks like Britney herself might end up being the last person to tweet about it but we finally have official confirmation on her website that Nicki Minaj will be joining Miss Spears, Nervo and Jessie & The Boy Toys on her US tour. Whether she'll be there for the UK dates (if there are UK dates that is...) is another matter.

The US tour runs from June 16th to August 13th and takes in twenty-six dates across the country. The tickets go on sale on April 30th. Britney's statement on her site is getting us very excited about it all:

"This is the Femme Fatale tour and I'm thrilled to have the hot Nicki Minaj join me and Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo will get everyone on the dance floor. Can't wait to take the Femme Fatales on the road."

 In a recent interview with MTV, Britney's manager Larry Rudolph revealed that the tour will have a post-apocalyptic feel similar to that in the Till The World Ends video.

"The way we come up with a concept for a show like this is we sit with Britney, she talks to us about what she's interested in and what excites her," said Rudolph. "We start with the songs on the album; we start with coming up with general, broad concepts. She tells us what interests her and excites her."

See the full list of tour dates here.

Nervo & Jessie And The Toy Boys to tour with Britney Spears!

The world of pop currently stands with baited breath while we wait for Britney's big tour announcement on Twitter. In the mean time though, delightful duo Nervo have also taken to Twitter with an announcement of their own, tweeting:

"So,(we didn't get a track on her album but) we-are-going-on-tour-in-the-US-with-BRITNEY-F-ing-SPEARS AND NICKI MINAJ !-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!"

They sound pretty excited, to say the least. I guess this is a kind of confirmation that Nicki is supporting Britney too - though we imagine it'll all be properly confirmed by both parties later.

As well as Nervo, Jessie And The Toy Boys will also be joining Miss Spears, Nervo revealing all as they followed up their initial tweet with:


"@JessieToyBoys @NickiMinaj @BritneySpears SO EXCITED to be on tour with you wicked ladies !!!!! Fun times ahead!!!!"

We imagine the tour news is what Jessie was hinting at when she tweeted "BIG announcement tomorrow morning :)"

Nicki Minaj feat. Lil Wayne - Roman's Revenge

Roman's Revenge is without a doubt one of Nicki Minaj's defining moments, and if you loved the Eminem version on her album, then the Lil Wayne radio edit is a lovely little bonus. There's just so much energy, so much enthusiasm. Almost so much that it becomes cocky. But we love Nicki for it.

'Rah rah, like a dungeon dragon'. I defy anyone who listens to this song not to have this stuck in your head by the end of the day. It's genius lyrics like this that elevate Nicki a cut above all the rest. Oh, and Lil Wayne doesn't let us down either: 'I like a big wet pussy with a fork and a spoon'. Straight to the point eh?

That mechanistic machine-gun beat drives away as Nicki spits her words out - hell, it's almost Shakespearean the way she takes on her various roles in the last minute or so of the song. Slightly terrifying, rather cute and endearing, but very very cool.

The only thing I miss in this radio edit is the genius British accent outro Nicki does in the album version. 'You've gone mad, MAD I TELL YOU!' But of course, with Nicki, every inch of the madness is to be lapped up and embraced, because quite frankly, what she does with it is amazing.

Rye Rye - RYEot powRR

Something getting a lot of rotation on my iPod this week is Rye Rye's fantastic new mixtape, rather awesome-ly titled 'RYEot powRR'. She's signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings label. Rye Rye is quirky, fun and feisty - for those hooked on Nicki Minaj at the moment, Rye Rye is a perfect second-course to move on to. The mixtape is full of energetic reworkings of contemporary hits like Whip My Hair and Party In The USA. Expect choppy beats and big, crunchy basslines. I'm feeling a bit of a Gorillaz vibe at times too.

Nicki Minaj feat. Drake - Moment 4 Life

Nicki Minaj's British accent is actually the most amazing thing ever invented. Fact. So a video where a blonde-haired Nicki fairy-godmother appears, speaking in that very accent is by association all kinds of awesome.

Oh, and the song is brilliant too.

Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna - Fly

Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday was one of my favourite albums of late 2010. I’d find myself drawn back to it again and again by Nicki’s genius lyrics and the cracking production values on the songs. Every song just drew you in, each listen rewarding you with new bits you never picked up on before. It’s one of those albums through which you really get a sense of ‘knowing’ the artist. All the persona’s Nicki contructs, the voices she affects, the attitudes she puts forward. One moment spitting out the words with anger, the next moment delivering gentle, beautiful lines.

And right from the start, Fly was the one track that really stood out for me. A product of JR. Rotem (and coming with that by now oh-so familiar rave-horn intro) those heavenly Owl City-esque synths are perfection. And My God, that chorus is just immense. So uplifting, so epic. Of all the collaborations on Nicki’s album, it is Rihanna who compliments her best; their voices go together so well – two young girls living the dream. It is a song of pure emotion, of over-coming all that stands in your way, standing proud and victorious at the end. Fly is the anthem that stands as an affirmation to all that and more.