Source - TMZ.com

According To TMZ -The Worlds Most Famous White Rapper; Eminem Was Rushed Into Hospital Over The Christmas Period.

Eminem 's publicist told TMZ: "Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was under doctor's care at a Detroit-area hospital for complications due to pneumonia. He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home."

Source - Boy Genius Report

Firstly, As Always With Urban Review, I Want To State That This Is In The Rumor Stage & Is Not Yet Confirmed. I Don't Want To Give Out Lies & Tell You It's The Truth.

As most Hip-Hop heads will know by now, the current Godfather of rappers; Jay Z has parted ways with the worlds largest Hip-Hop record label Def Jam. If you're like me, then you will have realised that Jay wouldn't just turn away from a million dollar career, unless he had something good lined up.

Now, speculation is mounting that the Jigga Man is to head a brand new record label created by the iPod giants Apple. No one can deny that if this goes down, it will make a powerhouse of business, with Apple's very own iTunes as the ultimate way to sell music.

If this is for real, I'm not so sure it will be a good thing for music, I mean WTF do Apple know about good music, or the record industry. Maybe they will purchase a well established company & re-brand it as their own? Whatever happens, I'm sure Jay will land on his feet.

Yo, I'm Back & Refreshed After A Week Off Work & Now It's Time To Get Back To The Music!

As usual Christmas is a pretty slow time for new music, however a few goings on didn't miss my attention, here is a short rundown below -

Jay Z is no longer the president of Def Jam, the worlds greatest rapper stepped down from that position as of the 1st of January. Not sure yet if he will remain a Def Jam artist, but I'm thinking he will.

R&B star Brandy will not face charges over her car accident in 2007. Maybe money can get you out of anything!

Usher has confirmed that a track has been penned for a collaboration between himself, T-Pain & Michael Jackson. That sounds like some Fiyah!

Mariah Carey has aired her brand new single; Migrate at her annual new years eve party. The track features T-Pain & I will be really excited to hear it when it surfaces.

I'm Not Usually Into Posting Up Pics Of Celebrities Looking Bad, I'm Not A Hater, But This One Has Got To Be Seen.

I love Amy Winehouse's music & really hope that she gets better, this ain't an addiction, this is a disease. This pic was taken at 5.45AM on Sunday, after Amy walked out of a friends house & just started randomly wandering the streets, before returning to the house a few minutes later.



I honestly think it is only a matter of time before the drugs kill her, or she takes her own life, I honestly hope that someone can help her out before we lose a true talent.

The 'Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul' Mary J Blige Has Covered The Latest Copy Of Billboard Magazine.

I'm really feeling the look Mary is going for, she is subtle, stylish & at 36 years old, still remains sexy as ever. I must admit that Mary has had a few fashion disasters over the years, but 90% of the time she looks on-point.

Mary will be is prepping the release of her new album Growing Pains over the coming weeks, so be on the look out for her. Check out the cover below & let me know what you think?

What Do You Think Of The Cover?
Let Me Know...

Source - StreetCred

As You Probably Already Know 'King Of The South' "T.I" Is Currently Living Under House Arrest After Police Troubles Involving Firearms.

While he maintains his innocence, it doesn't look too good for him, T.I, real name Clifford Harris, could face up to a decade in jail. Although the likeliness of this happening is pretty slim, IMO I think he will receive a shortened sentence at most.

Now, T.I has made the following video statement, to thank his fans for their support & to protest his innocence. This is a very smart move from the rapper, he might not be able to leave his home, but he has shown he can still hold some sort of control over the situation.

Check Out The Video & See What You Think?



While I like T.I's music, his style & his charisma, I personally think it is a shame that someone who commands so much respect from young people, should be involved with Guns, especially in the current climate of violence. Still, I don't claim to know the ins & outs so I can't fully comment on it.

The Mother & Inspiration Of Hip-Hop's Favorite Son "Kanye West" Has Sadly & Unexpectedly Died After 'Complications' From Cosmetic Surgery.

Donda West was responsible for raising Mr West alone from the age of 3, Kanye has always been extremely close to his mother & her influence was accredited to helping make him such a success. His love & respect for his 'Mama' was documented in his 2005 heartwarming track "Hey Mama".

Apart from supporting Kanye in his career, Donda was also a well respected academic, who was head of English at Chicago State University, before leaving the position to concentrate her efforts in helping Kanye. She served as Kanye's Manager, as well as writing & releasing her own book entitled "Raising Kanye".

Friend & mentor "Jay Z" ask for a moment of silence at a performance on Saturday night, saying; "We Got You Kanye, Stay Strong". Ye is due to start touring the UK in 10 days time, this may obviously be delayed or canceled as a result of such sad news. At the time of her death Kanye was in the UK, reportedly shooting the video for his next single; "Flashing Lights".

The West family made a short statement saying they; "Respectfully ask for privacy during this time of grief".

I have great respect for Kanye & I think that he is strong enough to take anything life throws at him, still, this is going to be a massive loss for him & I send all the love in the world to him & his family. I hope that the press can now leave them alone & let them deal with this as they need to.

For those who need a little reminding of Kanye's love for his 'Mama', listen to his tribute track below.

LISTEN: "Kanye West - Hey Mama"

To Celebrate The 25th Anniversary Of The Best Selling Album Of All Time; "Thriller". The King Of Pop "Michael Jackson" Appeared In "Ebony Magazine".

Although the cover has been massively airbrushed, Michael is till looking pretty good considering the amount of surgery he has endured. He still remains popular after many years out of the musical spotlight, only time will tell if he can make a comeback with his new album, which he is ready to release next year.

Check Out The Cover Below, Plus Check Out Some More Shots Here.

The Annual "European Music Awards" Are Due To Kick Off Tonight in Munich, & It Promises To Be A Good Show, by "MTV's" Standards Anyway.


The show is due to be hosted by "Snoop Dogg", which will either be embarrassing or hilarious, plus appearances by; "Kelly Rowland", "Craig David", "Wyclef Jean" & "Joss Stone" who will all present awards.

On top of the star studded presenters, there will also be some great performances from the likes of; "Will.i.am", "Nicole Scherzinger" & "Amy Winehouse". For once, I will actually feature an MTV awards show & genuinely look forward to it, it's just a shame there are not more European performers. It feels like an 'MTV tour of that little continent', rather than a celebration of European music, where's "M.I.A" at?

Viewers in the UK can catch the show live on MTV ONE at 10:30pm tonight, I'm not too sure when or if it will be aired stateside.

Source - Ev Luva Ya

In What Is The Best News I Have Heard In A Long Time, It Is Rumored Super Producer "Timbaland" Is Already Hard At Work On His Next Album. 'Working Title' "Shock Value II".

While "Shock Value" has done extraordinarily well in the US & Europe. I felt that the single releases are moving very slowly, this to me was a sign that Tim wouldn't work on a follow up for some years to come.

But, while being appearing at "Kiis FM's" homecoming concert he told fans that he had already recorded tracks with "Akon", "Gwen Stefani" & "Linkin Park". This is fantastic news, Shock Value was my best all round album of this year & Tim is my favorite artist in the game.

So, You're An International, Multi Award Wining, Multi Platinum Selling Artist... Where Do You Go Next?

You team up with one of the worlds biggest mobile phone companies, get a phone endorsed by & named after you. The "B'Phone" is a joint venture by "Samsung" & "Beyonce Knowles", basically, it has her name plastered over it, & has the ability to download exclusive video & audio by the R&B star.

From what I have read, the phone is pretty crappy, it's expensive & doesn't look fantastic, still, it can only help both parties, Beyonce is a marketing machine. She remains constantly at the forefront of the urban music world, if she is not touring, recording new material or appearing in photo shoots, she is promoting a charity or endorsing a product.

I find it really hard to hate on Beyonce, & can't really fault her, I can see her being around for a very long time. Check out the shots of B & her phone & let me know what you think of them?

Yo People,

Firstly, if your reading this then you are visiting my site, so thank you for that.
Since the beginning of this year my site has been going from strength to strength, until about a month ago, when Google f*kd up & stopped updating my posts in their searches (which has now been fixed), so I lost a lot of hits everyday.

So now I am trying my hardest to get back up there in the rankings & compete with some of the top blogs once again (Chris-Pix, That Grape Juice, EV Luvs U, etc). To help me do this, I need readers & links, so if you have a blog or site that is connected to mine, i.e. music or entertainment, then I would love to be an affiliate.

If your interested in doing a link exchange, or if there is anything else on your mind, shout at me by sending an email to: mark@urbanreview.co.uk

If you don't have your own site, you can show your support by voting for me in the blog listings (click the "Vote For Me" button near the top of my page), by telling your friends about Urban Review, or maybe leaving a message in my shoutbox.

Also, I'm not allowed to tell you to click the Google Ads, but if you "accidentally" did, it would help me out.

As Some Of You Will Already Know, After Very Poor Sales Of "Kelly Rowland's" Latest Album, She Has Decided To Make A 'Special Edition', With New Material.

I am not a fan of any re-releases, I think it cheats the real fans who bought the album when it debuted (Like Myself). Plus, I think that "Ms Kelly" was a really solid offering, beating most commercial R&B albums released this year, hands down.

Here is what will apparently be the album cover for the record (not confirmed), I have no track listings as of yet, but I will keep you posted, so keep it locked to Urban Review.

Did You Get The Original,
Tempted By The Re-Release,
Let Me Know?

Source - Singersroom

After Months Of Huge Anticipation, Finally It Seems That The Wheels Are Fully In Motion For "Mariah Carey's" Next Studio Album.

Speaking in an interview with "Singersroom", the R&B diva revealed that the title of the forthcoming record will be "Sweet Soul Odyssey". I will official feature production from longtime collaborator & friend "Jermaine Dupri", as well as "Swizz Beatz", "The Dream", "Will.i.am" & the unstoppable "Danja", to name just a few.

I cannot wait for the release of Mariah's next album, I don't believe she can possibly match the now classic "Emancipation Of Mimi", whether you like R&B or not, as a record it was pretty much flawless.

Here Is The Official Track Listing For "Alicia Keys'" Upcoming Album; "As I Am".

I personally cannot wait for this one to drop, "No One" is one of my favourite tracks at the moment & is on constant rotation.

1. As I Am (Intro)
2. Go Ahead
3. Superwoman
4. No One
5. Like You'll Never See Me Again (featuring Timbaland)
6. Lesson Learned (featuring John Mayer)
7. Wreckless Love
8. The Thing About Love
9. Teenage Love Affair
10.I Need You
11.Where Do We Go From Here
12.Prelude To A Kiss
13.Tell You Something
14.Sure Looks Good To Me
15.Heavy Times (featuring John Mayer)

Are You Going To Grab A Copy,
Let Me Know?

The Self Proclaimed 'Greatest Rapper Alive', "Jay Z" Recently Announced That He Is Working On A New Album, Due For Release In November.

Entitled "American Gangster", the record will be released to coincide with the release of a new movie of the same name. Although the album won't be a soundtrack CD, Jay said that he felt compelled to make the album after seeing the film, because he thought that some elements mirrored his own life.

This is the first song to leak from the album, called "Blue Magic", the track is produced by & features long-term collaborator "Pharrell Williams". The song is OK, but nothing to special, sounds like an album track to me, although not confirmed yet, it does appear that this will in fact be the first single.

Definitely one to watch for the future, keep it locked to Urban Review for any updates.

LISTEN: "Jay Z ft. Pharrell Williams - Blue Magic"

Last Night Saw The Annual "MOBO Awards", Held At The 02 Arena In London.

The night went down well, far more professional than this years shambles that was the "VMAs", with top performance from the likes of; "Ne-Yo", "Kano", "Amy Winehouse" & "T-Pain" to name a few.

The show was presented by the gorgeous "Jamelia", & the embarrassing "Shaggy", who messed up constantly, but was still entertaining. The show was pretty hot, Miss Winehouse proved herself as the UK's favourite drunk, while she nearly fell up the stairs to accept her award, Jamelia was very good as a presenter & the performances where solid. Here is the full list of the night winners:

UK Female - Amy Winehouse
UK Male - Dizzee Rascal
International Act - Rihanna
Song - Ne-Yo: "Because of You"
UK Newcomer - Ndubz
Video - Kanye West: "Stronger"
Hip-Hop - Kanye West
R&B - Ne-Yo
Reggae - Sean Kingston
Gospel - G-Force
DJ - Tim Westwood
Jazz - Soweto Kinch
African - 2 Face
BeMOBO - From Boyhood to Manhood

It What Seems To Be A 'Sore-Loser' Sort Of Move, Rapper "50 Cent" Has cancelled His Entire European Performance & Promotion Tour.

Fiddy was due to perform at the UK's "MOBO Awards" on Wednesday night, but now he has called off his entire European appearances because of quote; "Unforeseen Circumstances".

Obviously, this has nothing to do with the fact that "Kanye" beat his ass in the album charts this week. Will He Quit Music, No! Should He?, Let Me Know What You Guys Think?

As The Over Hyped, Over Worked, Over Planned Rivalry Of "50 Cent" & "Kanye West" Continues, Both Parties Were invited Into "BET's"; "106 & Park".

"MTV" also invited both artists to appear on "TRL" but Mr West declined, he has promised never to have dealings with them again after he received no awards at the recent "VMAs". [cough] Pathetic!

While in the studio, both Fiddy & Kanye performed a track from their respective albums, check out the video of Kanye with his 'Brother'; "Jay Z". I heard 'Ye describe this track as his "Best Material", I'm not quite convince to that extent but I like the song all the same, & the special guest appearance was a very cool addition.

Here's The Performance:

Well... The "VMAs" Have Been, Gone & Were As Disappointing As Ever, I Really Thought "MTV" May Have Got There Act Together For This Year But Apparently Not.

Still, there were a few good performances & as predicted by myself, "Britney" f*ck'd up like a professional. It comes to something when a performer can't even 'lip sync', her choreography was boring & rigid, & she looked like an out of date stripper.

Here is the full list of winners from last nights awards:

Monster Single Of The Year - "Rihanna - Umbrella"

Quadruple Threat Of The Year - "Justin Timberlake"

Best Collaberation Of The Year - "Beyonce ft. Shakira - Beautiful Liar"

Male Artist Of The Year - "Justin Timberlake"

Female Artist Of the Year - "Fergie"

Best Group - "Fall Out Boy"

Best New Artist - "Gym Class Heroes"

Video Of The Year - "Rihanna - Umbrella"

Best Choreography - "Justin Timberlake - My Love"

Best Director - "Samuel Bayer" (Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around)

Best Editor - "Ken Mowe" (Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces)