Prince lands the cover of the latest issue of Billboard Magazine. The American Idol will also perform and receive the “Icon Award” during the Billboard Music Awards on May 19.

Looks like Weezy is bringing in his birthday with a bang. Lil Wayne has officially made history, becoming the male with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With today’s release of The Game’s “Celebration” featuring Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, and Tunechi himself, this will now count as the 109th entry on the chart, passing Elvis Presley’s 108th. Though only 42 songs are actually led by Lil Wayne, 67 of the entries came from features such as this morning’s release. Congrats Tune!

The numbers are officially in and they don’t seem to be looking to good for Kreayshawn’s first weeks sales. With her album “Something Bout Kreay,” starting off at a total of 3,900 units in its first week, hopefully she’ll get the right push with her new single release in the coming weeks. The sales also landed her at the No. 104 spot on the Billboard 200. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks, but until then – are we still Gucci, Gucci?

Last week’s chart-topper 2 Chainz falls to the No. 2 position this week after moving approximately 195,000 in the last two weeks. But taking the No. 1 spot for the first time in his career was Trey Songz with his fifth studio album which sold roughly 135,000 copies in its first week. Although this marks his best chart position on Billboard to date, it wasn’t enough to top the sales of his previous album Passion, Pain & Pleasure, which moved 240,000 units. Check out a special letter Trigga wrote for his fans after the jump.

The Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz debut album, Based On A T.R.U. Story, has moved 145,809 units in its first week. That amount was enough to land 2 Chainz album the number one spot on the billboard charts. The total amount of units sold is higher than the projections that came in last week when Based On A T.R.U. Story dropped. Congratulations 2 Chainz I’m super excited for you and that’s truuuuu

This one needs to go down in the music history books. Cash Money’s Birdman and Slim Williams made the cover for Billboard’s Urban Power List, available on stands now. Check out the photo shoot clip after the jump!

Usher takes his seventh studio album, ‘Looking 4 Myself’, straight to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 for his fourth consecutive time. Approximately moving 128,000 copies in its first week. Although this is the singers lowest first-week sales since his 1997 album ‘My Way’ which sold over 67,000, we still expect this one to continue to climax.

Speaking of “Climax,” Usher’s lead single spends its ninth straight week at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while his latest single “Scream” is still pushing up the charts. Usher’s ‘Looking For Myself’ is in stores now.

[ via Rap-Up ]

Ever since being plucked from a night club in London in 2009 by Roc Nation, Rita Ora has been in the studio crafting her untitled debut album, which has been a learning experience in itself.

“When I signed to Roc Nation, I was 18. At 18, I was basically singing anything [and] talking about something that I didn’t really know. When we recorded a few songs… the good thing about having a musician who is also your boss, is [having him] say, ‘Are you happy with it?’ Rita Ora said of Jay-Z and recording,”I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He taught me about patience and they [Roc Nation] taught me how to find myself. i came back one day, and I swear, and I was like, ‘You know what? We need to do something else. And we flipped it.”

Three years later, her full-length opus, featuring Ester Dean, The-Dream, Tinie Tempah, Drake and more, “is nearly done,” and Rita Ora is charming the media all the while marking her name in red on the Billboard charts.

Rita Ora’s first U.S. single, “How We Do (Party),” debuts on Billboard’s Pop Songs radio airplay chart this week at No. 39. The debut comes two months after Jay-Z and Rita visited New York City’s WHTZ (Z100) to premiere “How We Do (Party).” “We just wanted a song that was a party anthem… It references [The Notorious] B.I.G.’s ‘Party and Bullshit,’ and obviously it’s not hip-hop track, but from that hip-hop inluence I just wanted to create a song where you can play at a party and it feels good,” she said.

Another taste of Rita’s debut is her U.K. single, the Drake-penned “R.I.P.” “I heard it in the studio with Drake and I just said ‘I need this song,’” she continued. “I don’t really sing a song on this album unless I write it or am in the writing process cause you have to be in it and be involved so it can be you. But as son as I heard it I was like, ”This is me so I need to have it.’

As she preps to embark on Coldplay’s European tour as an opener for 10 days, Rita Ora is enjoying the discovery and anticipation that comes with the long nights and early mornings. “It’s been a while of me finding myself, being honest with myself and then writing about it. It’s great to finally realize it. When your time comes you need to grab it with both hands,” Rita Ora said.

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