Mercury News, California — Up against Adele, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and Katy Perry at the American Music Awards, Taylor Swift wins artist of the year. more info

ContactMusic — Rap superstar Lil Wayne returned to his hometown in Louisiana on Friday 18Nov11 to hand out free meals to needy families The Lollipop hitmaker joined Cash Money Records bosses Birdman and Ronald Slim Williams in New Orleans to distribute turkeys ahea... more info

The Hip Hop Chronicle — T-Pain and Lil Wayne team up for the first track off T-Pain’s new album “rEVOLVEr” (dropping Dec 6). Production by T-Minus. more info

411 Mania — Weezy keeping up with skateboarding.... more info

Stereogum — I resisted Drake. I resisted Drake hard. In the beginning, when he was just another face on Lil Wayne’s already-overcrowded Young Money roster, I wondered how the hell anyone was supposed to take this kid seriously. Rap, after all, has not historic... more info

ContactMusic — Drake s much anticipated second album Take Care hits shelves this week hoping to follow in the footsteps of his phenomenally successful debut LP Thank Me Later which came out in 2010 The album had a set back last week however when it was leaked on th... more info

411 Mania — Drake talks up a storm... more info

Guardian Music — Vibrant, aggressive, sometimes laughably sexual. Rihanna takes raunch'n'b to new heights in our sneak preview of her albumIt probably wasn't the best environment to enjoy the new Rihanna album, huddled into a west London studio with an atmosphere so ... more info

Guardian Music — Despite political turmoil, protest singers are still thin on the ground. Can they beat apathy and avoid preachiness? Dorian Lynskey meets the new generationIt's Monday evening in the basement bar of University College London Union, and singer-songwri... more info

Stereogum — For her new album Betty Wright: The Movie, the ’70s soul legend teams up with the Roots, whose ?uestlove co-wrote and co-produced the entire album. And on the smooth rocker “Grapes On A Vine,” Lil Wayne shows up to kick a quick verse over a Cap... more info