Image credit: RCA/Sony

UPDATE: Alicia delivers a family-oriented visual for “Raise A Man” below.

As all chess-playing veteran artists do, Alicia Keys is using her well-deserved GRAMMY host spotlight to deliver some new music. Below lies the single “Raise A Man,” her first offering since 2016’s Here. In addition, the multi-award-winning artist released an EP featuring different variations of the classic single, “If I Ain’t Got You” (from The Diary Of Alicia Keys).

Enjoy both the EP and “Raise A Man” below.

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Alicia Keys took to Twitter yesterday to announce the track-list for her upcoming LP HERE, in a rather unexpected way.

Recently, Album roll-outs appear to be getting more intricate as the years go by, whether it be a surprise drop, projected on the side of a building (Yeezus), or already having 1 million + copies sold before the project even drops (Magna Carta Holy Grail). Alicia Key’s however has managed to approach her upcoming with an unprecedented tactic. DM’s.

Yesterday, Alicia Keys began following some of her most loyal fans on Twitter and sending them Direct Messages (DM) with the official track-list of her upcoming album Here. Fan’s naturally conveyed their shock, admiration and pure euphoria through a series of memes and gifs. The best way Twitter knows how. Keys as well made sure to incorporate all over her fans reactions in easily navigable Twitter ‘moment’ which you can view here.

Her fan’s shock, admiration and in some cases pure euphoria, is totally understandable. This is the first case of an artist utilizing DM’s to market their upcoming album and judging from the positive reactions, many hope Alicia keys is not the last.

As for the album itself, look for HERE to become officially available next week on November 4th. The album surprisingly only has one feature which belongs to ASAP Rocky. 

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Yesterday Alicia Keys shared her new single, “Blended Family,” which features the seemingly ubiquitous A$AP Rocky. An ode to her both her husband, Swizz Beats, and their three children, the songstress addresses them directly: “I may not really be your mother… That don’t mean that I don’t really love ya / Even though I married your father / That’s not the only reason I’m here for ya.” In this particular case, she’s referring to Kasseem Deam Jr, Swizz Beat’s son from a previous marriage with R&B singer Mashonda Tifrere.

A$AP Rocky also fondly reminisces over spending time with his blended family during his youth, rapping “I remember having four stepmoms at nine/ Love Christmas time and birthday was fly” over the rolling boom-bap beat. The Harlem emcee has been featured on a slew of tracks in recent months, including Mura Masa‘s “Lovesick” remix and A$AP‘s own “Crazy Brazy”. 

“I’m so excited for you to hear this song,” Keys wrote on Instagram before the song’s release. “It means so much to me and our whole family. The understanding, compassion and support we’ve found is a powerful testament to the healing that comes when we choose love. Especially for the kids… the most important part of our lives. Celebrating Mashonda for our commitment to each other with support and true growth.”

“Blended Family” is the first single off of Alicia Key’s sixth studio album, Here, which will be the first since 2012’s Girl on Fire. Her other two most recent songs, “In Common” and “Hallelujah” will appear on the deluxe editions of the LP, scheduled to be released on November 4th. You can listen to her new song below.

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Today it was announced that hip-hop superstars A$AP Rocky and Chance the Rapper are set to headline this year’s Black Ball, the annual concert held in NYC by charity organization Keep a Child Alive. Keep a Child Alive, founded in 2003 by current president Leigh Blake, provides quality care to families affected by HIV, especially children. For over a decade, the organization has managed to attract some of the industry’s top talent with the help of co-founder Alicia Keys, including David Bowie, Adele, and Justin Timberlake.

Both A$AP Rocky and Chance have been hard at work as of late, with the former having been confirmed to be working on his third studio album and the latter being in the middle of his Magnificent Coloring World Tour so it’s great to see them come together for a great cause. Along with them, the event will also feature sets from hip-hop trio Salt-n-Pepa and punk legend Patti Smith. This year’s Black Ball will take place on October 19th and you can get more information from their website.

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The post A$AP Rocky and Chance the Rapper Chosen to Headline Black Ball appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Image via Getty

Kanye West, Travi$ Scott, and Alicia Keys have a lot “In Common” as they remixed Keys’ latest single.

The amazing new track features Yeezy effortlessly flowing over the beat as he makes pop culture references that everyone still mentions, including Birdman’s now infamous Breakfast Club rant.

“Folks all up in our business/ Yeezy Season, I’m trendin’ / I bet you they respek the name now / So are we done or we finished?”

West also pokes a jab at the “FamousGate” Taylor Swift debacle as he rapped, “we been through sh-t we can’t make up/ And at the end of the night, babe, we’ll be back in bed like we famous.”

Alicia Keys dropped a hint via Twitter on Friday that something was brewing between her and Travis Scott by saying, “Congrats to @trvisxx!! 1st show on @Beats1!! Tune in…maybe he has a Lil surprise for y’all ;-)”

Congrats to @trvisxx!! 1st show on @Beats1!! Tune in…maybe he has a Lil surprise for y’all 😉 ??https://t.co/mQ003Vi7GP

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) August 12, 2016

Travis Scott used his .wav radio show to reveal the guest features on his sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, which includes appearances by Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Kendrick Lamar.

The remix initially made its debut via Scott’s new Apple Music Beats 1 show .wav Radio. Listen to the remix below.

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The post [Listen] Kanye & Travis Scott Remix Alicia Keys’ “In Common” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you know anything about Alicia Keys then you should know that she’s not only passionate about her music but she’s also very passionate if not more about the conditions of the world and black culture. The “This Girl is on Fire” songstress has gathered together a few actors, comedians and music industry’s brightest and golden stars to convey a message of  “What gets you killed, if you’re black in America.”  Some of the stars include: Kevin Hart, Beyonce, Taraji P. Henson, Rihanna, Common, Chris Rock, Queen Latifah, Chance the Rapper and many more. You can even see P!nk and Maroon 5’s front man, Adam Levine in the video– which goes to show that the “Black Lives Matter” movement is not only affecting black communities but other races as well.

According to Identities.Mic Keys stated that Philando Castile was not a martyr. He was an ordinary 32-year-old black man whom fed children for a living and had hoped to make it home after work on Wednesday but he never made it there. Keys stated:

“That’s what I kept thinking last Thursday when I woke up and logged onto Facebook, where a Facebook Live video showing Castile dying in the driver’s seat of a car had started going viral. Castile was with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4-year-old daughter when Minnesota police officers stopped them.

What struck me was that this was just the beginning. Castile’s name would become a hashtag. His image would appear on posters. His story would be picked apart, his family paraded in front of cameras. His loved ones would be forced to make the case in public that Castile should not have been murdered.”

Due to these unforeseen events, Keys began to compile her list of black only involved police altercations that turned deadly. Keys stated that she did it to prove a point:

“There is a tax on black life in America, and we are better than this.”

That’s when Keys decided it was time to take action and get other “powerful voices” to stand along-side her and fight for justice. In the video each star states a sentence of  “normal” actions done by everyday individuals that could ultimately get you killed if you’re black and living in this society. The video is powerful and shows stars at their most vulnerable state; some even looking emotional as they say their sentence. After each statement a photo and name of the individual in whom the sentence is reflecting graces the screen.

At the end of the video Keys stresses the point of contacting President Barack Obama & congress to tell them that the time for change is NOW! And she couldn’t be more on point with that.

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In less than a few days the BET Awards will be airing yet another of its annual presentation ceremonies, featuring performances by well-known and upcoming artists. This year’s award will feature a lineup tribute to the late Prince with performances by Sheila E., D’Angelo, The Roots and Janelle Monae. BET promised last month to pay a much better tribute to the late “Purple Rain” musician, following the performance of Madonna alongside Stevie Wonder during the Billboard Music Awards.

This year’s award categories include:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Best Male R&B/ Pop Artist

Best Group

Best Collaboration

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Video of the Year

Video Director of the Year

Best New Artist

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/ Inspirational Award

Best Actress

Best Actor

Youngstars Award

Best Movie

Sportswoman of the Year

Sportsman of the Year

Coca Cola Viewer’s Choice Award

Best International Act Africa

Best International Act U.K

With Performances by:

Future

Usher

Bryson Tiller

Alicia Keys

Maxwell

D’Angelo

Sheila E.

Janelle Monae

The Roots

The BET awards will be hosted by American actor, comedian and writer, Anthony Anderson, alongside American actress, model, comedian, producer and television host, Tracee Ellis Moss.

You won’t want to miss all of the spectacular performances this Sunday on June 26^th at 8pm on the BET channel. Last year performances by Kendrick Lamar brought up topics like “Black Lives Matters.” Who knows what this year’s award show will bring, but you’ll have to watch and see.

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