Some of hip-hop and R&B’s brightest stars join the cast of collaborators on the soundtrack to Steve Harvey’s romantic comedy Think Like a Man, available April 10. The 12-track album kicks off with the theme song featuring Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, and Rick Ross, plus the John Legend and Ludacris collaboration “Tonight (Best You Ever Had).” Kelly Rowland joins Future and Bei Maejor on “Need a Reason,” Keri Hilson takes a “Freedom Ride,” and Jermaine Dupri’s protégé Brandon Hines sparks a “Fire.” From familiar faces to fresh faces, see the star-studded lineup below.
Future takes fans to another planet with his debut album Pluto, landing April 17 on Epic Records. The 15 tracks feature the T.I.-assisted single “Magic” and street anthem “Tony Montana” with Drake, plus appearances from R. Kelly (“Parachute”) and Snoop Dogg (“Homicide”). The Dungeon Family-bred rapper will drop a video for his “super-charged” third single “Samn Damn Time” later this month. See the tracklisting below.
It’s the moment the Barbz have been waiting for. Nicki Minaj unveils the lineup for her sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, arriving April 3. The follow-up to the Young Money raptress’ 2010 debut Pink Friday features a hip-hop-heavy guest list including Cam’ron and Rick Ross (“I Am Your Leader”), Nas, Drake, and Young Jeezy (“Champion”), Chris Brown (“Right By My Side”), Beenie Man (“Gun Shot”), Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and more, with production from Dr. Luke, Rico Beats, Alex Da Kid, Pop & Oak, and RedOne. See the tracklistings for the standard and 22-track deluxe edition below.
Now married with two children, Monica embarks on her New Life with her seventh album. Due April 10, the 12-track standard edition features her duet with Brandy (“It All Belongs to Me”) and a collaboration with Wale (“Take a Chance”), plus contributions from Rico Love, Polow Da Don, Salaam Remi, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Jazmine Sullivan, and Mary J. Blige, who appears on the intro. The Rick Ross-assisted buzz single “Anything (To Find You)” will be included on the deluxe version.
“I talk about a lot of different subjects, whether it’s love, heartache, happiness, family,” said the R&B songstress of the follow-up to 2010’s Still Standing. “The music will be a lot like Still Standing in the sense that it’s real and really about things that I’ve experienced, but it’s also from a very mature place.”
See the tracklisting and production credits below.
Machine Gun Kelly is ready to tear up the charts with his Half Naked & Almost Famous EP and DVD, available March 20 on iTunes. The Cleveland rapper, who will kick off the “2012 Hostile Takeover” tour with Tech N9ne on March 22, fires a “Warning Shot” with fellow Bad Boy signee Cassie, shows a more sensitive side on “See My Tears,” and rages with Waka Flocka Flame on his ubiquitous single “Wild Boy.” Lace up with the tracklisting and trailer below.
Melody Thornton spreads her wings and flies solo on her mixtape P.O.Y.B.L, an acronym for Piss On Your Black List. The former Pussycat Doll exposes her battles in love, music, and faith on the “soul-pop” offering, which incorporates instrumentals from the ’60s and ’70s.
In addition to the single “Sweet Vendetta” and remake of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild” (“Lipstick&Guilt”), the 10 tracks consist of five remakes and four originals all written by Melody.
The project includes production from Andre Harris (“Smoking Gun”), Church and State (“Sweet Vendetta”), Mark Vinten (“Intro”), and Melody on the self-produced “Hit the Ground Runnin’,” plus a duet with Bobby Newberry (“Bulletproof”).
“Piss On Your Black List has nothing to do with being a rebel or fighting against anything. It has everything to do with fighting for myself,” explained Melody. “It’s clever with attitude. It’s kind of funny and gets a strong reaction; all things that, at times, describe my art.”
P.O.Y.B.L will be available for free download on March 15.
Dawn Richard assembles the Hearts and prepares for battle with her EP Armor On, available exclusively on iTunes on March 27. The 10 tracks, which serve as a prelude to her full-length debut GoldenHeart, feature the previously released “Black Lipstick,” interlude “Change,” and the remix to “Save Me From U,” along with the uptempo single “Bombs,” for which she recently shot a video. The former Dirty Money diva, who has since parted ways with Bad Boy, strikes a bold pose in a chain headpiece on the cover. See the tracklisting below.
Diggy Simmons touches down with the tracklisting for his debut Unexpected Arrival. The 12 tracks include collaborations with Jadakiss (“88″), Tank (“Special Occasion”), and Jeremih (“Do It Like You”), with three additional bonus cuts. Producers include Da Internz, Pop & Oak, and D’Mile.
“It has a lot of shock value to it and it’s definitely just a great project,” the 16-year-old MC told Rap-Up TV. “Sonically it’s just something that you can listen to from top to bottom. Each song is different, but they all just feel great.”
Witness the next generation of hip-hop royalty when the album hits stores on March 20.
