Danger! R&B female group Electrik Red is cranking up the girl power wattage with their debut album How to Be a Lady: Volume 1, scheduled for release on March 24 via Def Jam.

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We’re starting out the New Year by introducing you to a new artist to watch for in 2009. Steve Rifkind, the industry veteran who brought you the Wu-Tang Clan and Akon, brings us his newest protégé Melanie Fiona.

The R&B singer/songwriter, who is of Guyanese descent, counts Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, and Gladys Knight among her inspirations, and already has a fan in Kanye West after opening for the European leg of his Glow in the Dark tour.

The Toronto native’s debut album The Bridge is due out this May on SRC Records/Universal Motown, while her first single “Give It To Me Right” samples The Zombies’ “Time of the Season.” Listen below.

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A couple weeks ago, Rap-Up had the pleasure of traveling to Seoul, South Korea to meet Korean pop star BoA (think Britney Spears of Asia, minus the controversy). At 21, BoA is one of the most popular artists in the Far East, selling millions of records throughout Korea and Japan, racking up numerous awards and accolades, and receiving endorsements from Nike, L’Oréal, and Samsung. Up next, BoA has her sights set on conquering the U.S. market.

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Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart, one-half of the now disbanded neo-soul group Floetry, has spread her wings and is venturing out on her own.

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Jermaine Dupri’s newest arsenal of talent comes in the form of four ethnically diverse singers with a penchant for lovely ladies, long hair, and looking fresh. Git Fresh—Penny, 21; Rude Boi, 23; Mike Ezay, 23; and Pretti Sly, 24—may look like a team of rappers with their tattooed frames and glittering adornments, but the sounds they emit are more soulful croons than rowdy raps.

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Charles Hamilton is not your typical rapper. For starters, the Cleveland-born MC loves the color pink, his favorite video game character is Sonic the Hedgehog, he blogs daily, and his third cousin is MC Lyte.

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Brooklyn rapper Q aka Q Da Kid has been announced as the first artist signed to Jermaine Dupri’s TAG Records. The MC, born Kareem Savage, will be part of a multi-million dollar record deal between Procter & Gamble and Island Def Jam.

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Is Jermaine Dupri’s new protégé just another YouTube Hall of Famer, or something more? Dondria Nicole (nicknamed Phatfffat due to her insatiable appetite and ironically tiny frame) will be up to bat for So So Def this summer, as the fresh-faced singer drops her debut effort, Dondria vs. Phatfffat on July 29th. The first few songs that are proudly displayed on her MySpace page fall somewhere between pop and R&B, a tough place to compete.

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