Unreality Music — What makes Rihanna the perfect pop star? Is it the knockout combination of smoking hot body and sultry exotic looks? Is it her voice? Is it her personality? For me, what makes Rihanna such an ... more info

Guardian Music — The creative industries back the rejection of 'fair use' rules – but there will be debate over the 'one-stop' licensing shopThe creative industries breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday, as Professor Ian Hargreaves in his report on intellectual pr... more info

Guardian Music — Forum, LondonLike Law & Order stalwart Ice-T and Are We There Yet? star Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg is proof that one generation's corrupter of morals is the next's national treasure. The erstwhile "evil bastard" (Daily Star, 1994) is now a cosily ubiquito... more info

Guardian Music — They work in the shadows, knocking out tunes to order – sometimes in a matter of hours. The songwriters who work for Jay-Z, Adele, Florence and more tell Alexis Petridis how they do it – and why times are getting toughTwo years ago, Al "Shux" Shu... more info

Guardian Music — From Doug E Fresh's Chicken and Waffles spot in Harlem and hip-hop tours of New York to a bling mega-club in Shenzhen, our industry insiders name their favourite musical hangoutsHip-hopJDL from Cold Crush Brothers: New YorkThe Paradise Theater (2413 ... more info

Unreality Music — When Clare Maguire finally finished recording her début album - which spent three years in the pipeline, undergoing plentiful promises of perfection such as being signed to Polydor via a very... more info

ContactMusic — Jamie Cullum sang to Robert De Niro at the Cannes Film Festival last night (11. 05. 11). The jazz musician played a medley of Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' duet 'Empire State Of Mind' for the screen legend i... more info

The Hip Hop Chronicle — I believe this took place last week. Kanye was performing at the Museum of Modern Art. Jay-Z joined Yeezy on stage.   a2a_linkname="Jay-Z And Kanye Perform At The MOMA (Video)"; a2a_linkurl="http://www.thehiphopchronicle.com/2011/05/12/jay-z-and-kan... more info

L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — You'd never mistake Brooklyn's Marcy Hotel for the downtown L.A. Standard. Beyond a name that sounds like a landmark from a Jay-Z song, it's difficult to imagine Andre Balazs getting a lower rate on his price for agreeing to cart... more info

Guardian Music — Singer reveals inspiration behind new album title, as well as an unexpected influence – Afrobeat pioneer Fela KutiBeyoncé's new album will be titled 4, the singer has revealed, and is influenced by Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.In an interview with B... more info