Usher’s new album is titled Here I Stand and the Atlanta star’s foresight could have been any better as he easily stands atop the Billboard album charts.

The singer sold 442,930 copies of his latest album, powered by his Polow Da Don-produced hit “Love in this Club,” featuring Young Jeezy. 

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As jury selections for the R. Kelly sex trial began today, new claims surfaced that an aide to Kelly allegedly paid off a woman to get her to return an incriminating sex videotape featuring the Grammy Award winning singer.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, last month Judge Vincent Gaughan held four closed-door hearings and was told that the Atlanta woman, who is expected to testify that she had a three-way sexual encounter with Kelly and the suspected underage girl at the center of his child porn trial, was allegedly paid by Kelly’s aide to recover a sex tape featuring Kelly. It is unclear how much the aide allegedly paid the woman, but the woman did receive payment and arranged for the tape to be delivered to the aide.

The Atlanta woman was granted immunity from state and federal prosecution in exchange for her testimony. Federal immunity was provided to protect the woman from charges of transporting child pornography across state lines. Sources revealed the woman had been in love with Kelly.

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Teen singing sensation Chris Brown is set to re-release his platinum-selling sophomore set Exclusive in June.

According to Billboard, the Jive recording artist’s disc will contain several new songs and a bonus DVD with unreleased concert and behind the scenes footage from Brown’s "Up Close & Personal" tour.

Amongst the new songs, Brown’s upcoming single "Forever," produced by Polow da Don will be featured on the album. Stepping away from his usual R&B sound, the track is reported to be more of a techno song.

"We wanted to give it that other side of crossover," Brown said in a statement. "[Polow] record is more of a European, techno, house-type feel. [To] go a little bit to that pop realm. I’ll be the ‘Prince of Pop.’ I don’t want to say ‘I’m the King,’ I just hopefully can be the ‘Prince of Pop.’"

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The Grammy Awards may be about the competition, pitting artist against artist, but according to Ne-Yo, he’s more of a unifier. He says that’s the case even if there are some who want to slow the freshly minted Grammy winner’s roll. He’s looking at you, R. Kelly.

Ne-Yo — who won Best Contemporary R&B Album for his Because of You LP — spoke with MTV News late last week in Los Angeles about getting booted from Kelly’s Double Up tour in November, after which his camp sued the tour’s promoter in December for breach of contract.

"That’s something that my management and my lawyers are doing," the singer/songwriter said. "Me personally? I’ve let it go. I’m not the hold-a-grudge guy. I’m not gonna see R. Kelly in the street and run up on him and swing on him. I’m not gonna do a dis record about R. Kelly. It was what it was. It happened. For whatever reason, he, I don’t know, I guess felt threatened by me and kicked me off tour. Life goes on.

"I don’t have a problem with the man," he continued. "It’s apparent he has a problem with me — he kicked me off tour."

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Hip-Hop artist T-Pain is only 22 years-old, and he has already produced more music than artists who’ve spent a lifetime in the entertainment field. He’s just been nominated for five Grammy Awards. That’s on top of the MTV Video and Vibe music awards he won previously. VOA’s Larry London recently talked with T-Pain about his skyrocketing music career.

Hip-Hop artist T-Pain success is big and getting bigger. He describes himself, "I’m such a humble person. A lot of people tell me I don’t know how big (famous) I am."

For the past three years, T-Pain has written, performed and produced an impressive amount of award-winning music, not only for himself, but also for many other R&B artists. His music is in a genre that’s hard to define.

Hip-Hop, T-Pain explains, "It really doesn’t have a meaning. Hip-Hop is a feeling to me. Hip-Hop is a moment, a mode, that you can get into at any given moment."

Despite all his success, T-Pain didn’t get much respect when he first arrived on the Hip-Hop scene.

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Former B2K frontman Omarion is denying allegations by fellow members Raz-B and Ricky Romance that the group’s former manager molested them.

Demario "Raz B" Thornton and his older brother, Ricardo "Ricky Romance" Thornton, accused the group’s former manager, Chris Stokes, of molestation in a video tape that recently surfaced.

Stokes responded by saying the claims "hold no merit" and were likely financially motivated. Now former group mate Omarion has issued a statement calling the accusations totally false.

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R&B star R. Kelly was dealt another break this morning (Dec. 21) with the judge ruling on keeping the singer’s bond in tact.

Kells narrowly escaped being arrested yesterday, after missing a court appearance in his child pornography case.

Judge Vincent Gaughan had warned Kells yesterday that he’d consider revoking the singer’s bond and throwing him in jail. The judge also said earlier that he was "very disappointed" that Kelly, currently on tour, missed his hearing. But today, the judge gave him another chance.

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According to platinum rapper Eminem’s mom, Debbie Nelson, Slim Shady is a manic depressive who has lost control of his life.

Nelson has released a tell-all book about her son entitled My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem, in which she says the superstar has battled depression for years. According to Nelson, Eminem’s condition worsened after his ex-wife Kim Mathers gave birth to their daughter Hailie, who is 11. She said his mood has become even more dangerous since Em and Kim split for a second time in 2006.

A family friend told Life and Style magazine, "[Debbie] just hopes he’ll read [the book] and realize how loved he is. She fears she’ll end up burying him unless he gets help … We all see him teetering on the edge of self-destruction."

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