Bad Boy Records’ Notorious: Music From And Inspired By The Original Motion Picture has made a remarkable chart entry, arriving on the Billboard 200 at #4, with sales of 43,000 – the week’s top debut. What’s more, the musical companion to the blockbuster Fox Searchlight motion picture has arrived at #1 on the “Top Rap Albums” tally, and #2 on both the “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” and “Top Digital Albums” charts.

Notorious has also proven a true cinematic event, grossing

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A special series of online podcasts featuring rare and intimate conversations with the label’s legends, producers, songwriters and singers, are now available at www.classic.motown.com. The podcasts are also available on iTunes.

These exclusive podcasts are just part of a year-long celebration of Motown’s 50th and its lasting legacy, which included the Dec. 9 release of Motown: The Complete No. 1’s, a 10-CD box set in the shape of the label’s famed “Hitsville U.S.A.” birthplace

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Brandy regrets her tattoo collection - because she fears they’ll look terrible when she’s 80.

The R&B star was shocked when her six-year-old daughter announced she wanted a little skin art, and as she tried to talk her out of the idea, she realized she’d made a mistake in getting her own.

She tells Sister 2 Sister magazine, “I told her, ‘Guess what? When mama gets 80 or 90 years old, these tattoos are going to look terrible. They’re going to be wrinkled, they’re

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Los Angeles (E! Online) – Mariah Carey is keeping it all in the family.

E! News has learned the R&B diva is lending her pipes to promote the new album from Reuben Cannon, aka the younger brother of Mr. Mariah, Nick Cannon.

“Reuben and Mariah are doing a duet togetherfor Reuben's first album,” an industry source tells us. “They are meeting at the end of the month with Mariah's record label, Universal Music

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – If the U.S. and British pop charts are any guide, a producer from Morocco might be one of the hottest names in the music industry right now.

Los Angeles-based RedOne produced and co-wrote dance-pop singer Lady GaGa's single “Just Dance,” which has ruled the charts on either side of the Atlantic for two weeks. The tune will also vie for a dance Grammy on February 8.

“Just Dance” is one

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R&B star Lil’ Mo is celebrating after giving birth to a baby boy.

The Put It On Me singer, born Cynthia Loving, and her second husband Phillip Bryant, welcomed little Justin McKenzie Phillip Bryant into the world on Friday. The tot weighed in at eight pounds, 15.4 ounces. Lil’ Mo tells AOL’s BlackVoices, “He’s here and we’re so happy.”

The tot is the star’s first child with Bryant; she also has two daughters, Heaven, six, and three-year-old God’iss from her previous

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R&B singer Kelis is expecting her first child with her hip-hop star husband Nas, according to tabloid reports.

The Milkshake hit-maker, 29, married 35-year-old Nas in January 2005, and insiders say she is already showing signs of a baby bump.

A source tells Us Weekly magazine, “It’s all they are talking about. She is carrying hip-hop royalty. They are so excited.”

A spokesperson for the couple had no comment.

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Singer Ne-Yo loves being on tour with the Pussycat Dolls - and thinks he is man enough to date all five of them at once.

The So Sick hit-maker, whose real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith, is supporting the sexy girl band for seven dates on their tour of the U.K. in January. And although the singer doesn’t think dating someone in the music business would work due to time schedules, he is up for taking on the Pussycat Dolls.

He says, “I’m not the biggest guy in the

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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – She's the new kid on the block, but she's ready for the spotlight. The newest judge on “American Idol,” songwriter-producer Kara DioGuardi, recently gave reporters a preview of what to expect during the eighth season of the show, which debuts Tuesday on Fox.

1. She's keeping her day job: Even though “Idol” is about to debut, DioGuardi is still working with musicians. “I haven't slept.

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Los Angeles (E! Online) – Was there any doubt that fans would remember 2008 as the year of the Caped Crusader and his gnarliest nemesis yet?

The Dark Knight went five for five and was named Favorite Movie at the 35th annual People's Choice Awards, which returned to its usual star-studdedness Wednesday after an '08 broadcast held at the height of the actor-supported Hollywood writers' strike.

The serious

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