Touring It Up: Britney Spears Announces Tour With Nicki Minaj

Confirming recent rumors, Britney Spears has announced she’ll take to the road this summer with an all-female bill featuring special guest Nicki Minaj.

Spears originally planned to tour with Enrique Iglesias this summer, but Iglesias bowed out of the outing as it was announced. The re-tooled tour kicks off June 16 in Sacramento, CA, and will be on the road through mid-August, hitting more than two dozen North American cities. Tickets begin to go on sale in select markets on April 30.

Also joining Spears on the tour will be Jessie and the Toy Boys, led by 22-year-old pop singer Jessie Malakouti. Her “band” — best known for the track “We Own the Night”, which is being used in the CW Network’s promos — consists of male mannequins. Rounding out the bill is Australian pop band Nervo, led by twin sisters Miriam and Olivia Nervo (also known as The Nervo Twins).

“This is the ‘Femme Fatale’ tour and I’m thrilled to have Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys, and Nervo join me and get everyone on the dance floor.” Spears said in a press release. “Can’t wait to take the Femme Fatales on the road.”

Spears is supporting her new album, “Femme Fatale,” which is expected to debut atop the new Billboard 200 album chart. Five of her previous albums have reached No. 1.

“Femme Fatale,” has already spawned the No. 1 single “Hold it Against Me,” and the set’s second single, “Till The World Ends,” was recently unleashed.

Exclusive via MTV News: Nicki Minaj ‘Beyond Thrilled’ About Britney Spears Tour

‘This summer will be one for the books!’ Nicki promises MTV News.

After lots of speculation, Britney Spears confirmed Tuesday (April 12) that she’d be bringing Nicki Minaj along on tour. The pairing of the Femme Fatale and the Barbie seems like a match made in pop-culture heaven, and Minaj couldn’t agree more.

“I am beyond thrilled to tour with Britney. It’s an honor. She’s an icon,” Nicki told MTV News in an exclusive statement. “This summer will be one for the books!”

Shortly after announcing the tour, Spears and Minaj struck up a Twitter conversation that felt as if they were already throwing slumber parties on their tour bus.

“Could not think of a sexier Femme Fatale than @NickiMinaj to come on tour with me! Gonna be a hot summer people!” Spears tweeted, kicking off the Twittermance. “The #FemmeFataleBARBZ wont know what hit em. Ready or not people, here we come….”

“Hot INDEED Your Fierceness!!! This tour’s gonna KICK ASS!!! The #FemmeFataleBARBZ r READY!!! Let’s GO!!!” Minaj tweeted back to the star, before adding, “Let’s keep the ‘other thing’ a secret for now…”

Nicki Minaj phoned Ryan Seacrest to dish about the highly-talked about performance plans.

The hip-hop princess left the following message on the radio hosts’ voicemail:

“I’m calling to let everyone know how thrilled I am — how honored I am to be going on the road with the iconic miss Britney Spears this Summer. I just know that when the Femme Fatales and The Barbs get together we’re going to kick major ass.”

Nicki continued, “I’m looking forward to creating a new, a bigger, a brighter, a more spectacular show, and I’m just really, really excited to make history with Britney.”

Spears teased her fans one final time:

“All good things to those who wait….”

Minaj is currently in the midst of the “I Am Still Music Tour,” headlined by Lil Wayne. That tour wraps May 1 in East Rutherford, NJ. Minaj will join Spears shortly after she wraps up. Spears‘ tour kicks off June 16 in Sacramento, California, and will run for 26 dates through North America, winding up August 13 in Toronto. Select tickets go on sale April 30.

“This is the Femme Fatale tour, and I’m thrilled to have the hot Nicki Minaj join me and [opening acts] Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo will get everyone on the dance floor,” Spears said early Tuesday about the tour. “Can’t wait to take the Femme Fatales on the road.”

What do you think about Nicki joining Britney on tour? Let us know in the comments!

Touring It Up: Bruno Mars Releases ‘Doo Wops & Hooligans’ and Announces Tour Dates

Bruno Mars has announced his first-ever North American headline tour, which will kick off November 16th in San Francisco at Slims and will continue through to a November 30th date at Boston’s famed Paradise Rock Club (see itinerary below). Tickets for the “The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour” are now available to the public and shows are selling out quickly. Special guests, as well as a slate of additional tour dates, will be announced shortly.

Bruno Mars has also officially released his new album, ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans,’ as of Tuesday, October 5, 2010. Which will follow with his biggest U.S. tour schedule to date, supporting Maroon 5 & One Republic on the last three dates of the fall leg of their 2010 “Hands All Over Tour”.

From there, Mars will cross the Atlantic for an eagerly awaited European tour alongside Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen recording artist Travie McCoy, due to hit England, Scotland, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, and The Netherlands with dates running from mid-October through early November. The joint tour follows Mars and McCoy‘s recent series of high-profile TV performances of their collaborative Top 3 hit, “Billionaire,” including appearances on ABC’s The View, NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, VH1’s “Do Something Awards,” TBS’ Lopez Tonight, and Fox’s 2010 Teen Choice Awards.

Below is the schedule for his current tour dates:

October 14th – 16th Supporting Maroon 5 & One Republic
October 18th – November 3rd Supporting Travie McCoy
November 16th – 30th “THE DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS TOUR”

OCTOBER
14 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
15 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
16 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
18 Birmingham, England Academy 2
21 Oxford, England Academy 2
22 Manchester, England Academy 3
23 Glasgow, Scotland G2
25 London, England KCLSU
26 Cologne, Germany Gebaude 9
27 Berlin, Germany Magnet
28 Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
29 Copenhagen, Denmark Rust
30 Stockholm, Sweden Göta Källar

NOVEMBER
1 Hamburg, Germany Beatlemania
2 Stuttgart, Germany Kellerclub
3 Paris, France Nouveau Casino
16 San Francisco, CA Slims
20 Phoenix, AZ Martini Ranch
23 Dallas, TX The Loft
24 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
26 Sauget, IL Pops
27 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge SOLD OUT!
28 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
30 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

Additional Headline Dates To Be Announced Soon….

For more information, please visit www.brunomars.com, www.myspace.com/brunomars, or www.elektra.com.

Touring It Up: Donell Jones Announces Tour & Drops New Album

R&B veteran Donell Jones’ newly-formed label ‘CandyMan’, was thrilled to announce the September 28th, 2010 release of his new studio album titled ‘LYRICS.’ The album was the long-awaited follow-up to ‘Journey Of A Gemini’ which included the hits, “I’m Gonna Be” and “Spend The Night.”

As those who tuned in for the R&B vet’s first feature, the soulfully apologetic Bad Boy, already know, Donell Jones isn’t just a skilled crooner; he’s also one hell of a smooth-talker. On his latest single, the Georgia native once again makes full use of his powers of persuasion, telling a hesitant female:

“I know you’ve been hurt before, but you’ve never had a Love Like This.”

Over his own lush instrumental, featuring steamy keyboard riffs, slow-jam percussion and even a dash of harp, Jones showcases more of the soft vocals that charmed readers back in December of 2009. Though the singer takes a seemingly counterproductive detour into confessional territory around verse two:

“I tried to hit every woman that I came in contact with out on the road / but I got that out of my system…”

May be honest, but it isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring, the finished product is plenty seductive enough to make up for a little over-sharing.

The new album will be Jones’ fifth offering to date. The new album is also set to include the first single, “Love Like This” which is already climbing the charts at Urban AC where it’s currently at #12 with a bullet, rapidly approaching Top 10.

Below is the schedule for his current tour dates:

September 28th Atlanta, GA
September 29th Chicago, IL
September 30th Milwaukee, WI
October 1st Bronx, NY
October 2nd Augusta, GA
October 4th New York, NY
October 5th and 6th Philadelphia, PA/Baltimore, MA/Washington, DC
October 9th Atlanta, GA
October 30th New York, NY
December 12th Dallas, TX

Check out the video below for his single, “Love Like This”….

What do you think?

Sources: Djbooth, OnSmash, YouTube

Touring It Up: Fantasia Announces ‘Back to Me’ Nationwide Tour Alongside Eric Benet and Kandi Burruss

R&B singer Fantasia Barrino, will kick-off her first headlining tour, entitled ‘Back To Me,’. The 30 city nationwide tour kicks off on November 4th in Richmond, VA making stops across the country in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Los Angeles, New York, Memphis and Chicago. It will conclude by bringing in the New Year on January 1st in St. Louis, MO.

Announcing the news, she says:

“I’m so excited about this tour and having the chance to connect with my fans, the people that love me and have been supporting me through everything,” Fantasia states in a press release. “This tour is going to be a real special, intimate experience for them and for me.”

The former “American Idol” and reality star survived a drug overdose on August 9 and later shocked fans by revealing the scare wasn’t an accident and she meant to take her own life.

Barrino was quick to move forward with her music career; she took the first step toward putting the incident behind her with a Las Vegas concert on August 27 – her first performance after the suicide attempt – and the singer is pushing through her personal struggles by diving back into work.

Fantasia, an eight-time Grammy nominee, begins this tour after the critically acclaimed release of her third studio album, ‘Back To Me’ which debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album marks Fantasia’s first #1 R&B album and her highest Billboard Top 200 chart ranking.

PLEASE NOTE!: Subscribers of Fantasia’s newsletter can take advantage of a concert ticket pre-sale opportunity 1 day prior to general public on sales. The first round of presales for selected dates began on September 30th from 10:00am-10:00pm. If you’re not already signed up, make sure you sign up at FantasiaOfficial.com for up-to-date tour information and future pre-sale opportunities.

In 2004, the High Point, North Carolina native became the season three winner of Fox’s American Idol. Later that year, Fantasia released her platinum-selling debut album ‘Free Yourself’ on J Records.

Three-time Grammy Award nominee Eric Benet and Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter/producer Kandi Burruss will join Fantasia on tour.

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” says she’s looking forward to the upcoming tour, telling her Twitter followers, 

“I’m going on tour with my girl Fantasia in November! It’s gonna be so fun.”

Kandi Burruss’ sophomore effort ‘Kandi Koated’ is due in stores on November 23rd. Eric Benet is also planning to drop his new record, ‘Lost In Time,’ this fall.

Below is the schedule for her current tour dates:

Thur Nov 4 Richmond, VA Landmark Theater
Fri Nov 5 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall
Sat Nov 6 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
Sun Nov 7 Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Wed Nov 10 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theatre
Thur Nov 11 Atlanta, GA Fox Theater
Fri Nov 12 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
Sat Nov 13 Jacksonville, FL Moran Theatre
Sun Nov14 Miami, FL James L. Knight Center
Wed Nov17 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
Thur Nov18 Greensboro, NC War Memorial Auditorium
Fri Nov 19 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
Sat Nov 20 Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall
Wed Nov 24 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
Fri Nov 26 San Diego, CA Copley Symphony Hall
Sat Nov 27 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Thur Dec 2 Dallas, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Fri Dec 3 Southaven, MS DeSoto Civic Center
Sat Dec 4 New Orleans, LA Kiefer Uno Lakefront Arena
Sun Dec 5 Houston, TX Reliant Arena
Wed Dec 8 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
Thur Dec 9 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace Theatre
Fri Dec 10 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
Sat Dec 11 Cincinnati, OH Procter and Gamble at Aronoff Centre
Sun Dec 12 Augusta, GA Bell Auditorium
Mon Dec 27 New York City, NY Beacon Theatre
Tue Dec 28 Washington, D.C. DAR Constitution Hall
Wed Dec 29 Cleveland, OH State Theatre
Thu Dec 30 Chicago, IL Auditorium Theatre
Sat Jan 1 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre

Sources: Various Sources

Touring It Up: Sade Announces North American Tour Dates

Coasting on the success of their platinum-selling album ‘Soldier of Love’ released this past February, U.K. outfit Sade is shaping up to have a busy 2011. The band, led by singer Sade Adu, will hit the road for its first global tour in over a decade, kicking off the 50-city North American leg on June 16 at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena.

Sade already has U.S. dates scheduled for Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, with additional dates to be announced soon.

Below is the schedule for her current tour dates:

Jun. 16 – Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena
Jun. 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Jun. 21 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Coliseum
Jun. 24 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center
Jun. 28 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Jun. 30 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Jul. 06 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Aug. 05 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Aug. 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center
Aug. 30 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center

Additional dates will be announced in the following markets soon: Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Calgary, AB; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; New Orleans, LA; Oakland, CA; Orlando, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; San Diego, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Paul, MN, Vancouver, BC.

We will keep you posted.

Info. Source: Rap-Up.com

Touring It Up: J. Cole Announces Nationwide Tour Dates

J. Cole has officially announced that he will be Touring It Up this fall. Ahead of his anticipated debut’s late 2010 release, the ‘Who Dat’ rapper will embark on a nationwide 35-city tour on October 1 at Alabama A&M University, making his way across the U.S. before wrapping the trek at New York City’s Highline Ballroom on December 5.

Below is the schedule for his current tour dates:

Oct. 1 – Alabama A&M University – Normal, AL
Oct. 7 – Private Location – Hayward, CA
Oct. 8 – Rochester Institute of Technology – Rochester, NY
Oct. 9 – Greensboro Coliseum, NC A&T Homecoming – Greensboro, NC
Oct. 10 – Central Michigan University – Mt. Pleasant, MI
Oct. 12 – University of Louisiana – Monroe, LA
Oct. 15 – Nichols University – Dudley, MA
Oct. 16 – Private Location – New Brunswick, NJ
Oct. 17 – Penn State University – Behrend – Erie, PA
Oct. 21 – UNC Pembroke – Pembroke, NC
Oct. 2 – Private Location – State College, PA
Oct. 2 – SUNY Delhi – Delhi, NY
Oct. 24 – Kenne State College – Keene, NH
Oct. 27 – The Norva – Norfolk, VA
Nov. 3 – Promowest – Columbus, OH
Nov. 4 – Madison Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
Nov. 5 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 6 – Western Michigan University – Kalamazoo, MI
Nov. 8 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
Nov. 9 – University of Maine – Orono, ME
Nov. 11 – The Granada – Lawrence, KS
Nov. 12 – Karma – Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 14 – The Sokol – Omaha, NE
Nov. 16 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO
Nov. 17 – The Fox – Boulder, CO
Nov. 19 – Club House – Tempe, AZ
Nov. 20 – Key Club – Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 23 – Fortune Sound Club – Vancouver, BC
Nov. 24 – Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Nov. 25 – Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
Nov. 26 – Voo Doo Lounge – San Jose, CA
Nov. 27 – Haze Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV
Dec. 2 – Club 77 – Hamilton, ON
Dec. 4 – Syracuse University – Syracuse, NY
Dec. 5 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY

Photos via Google Images

Touring It Up: Gucci Mane

Gucci Mane finally has a release date for his new album, “The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted,” which drops September 28th. He is currently on the road touring right now!

Below is the schedule for his current tour dates:

9/14: Philadelphia PA and Baltimore, MD
9/15: Washington, DC
9/16: Charlotte, NC
9/17: Pompano Beach, FL
9/18: Houston, TX
9/19: New Orleans, LA
9/20: Houston and Dallas, TX
9/21: Dallas, TX & Oklahoma City/Tulsa, OK
9/22: Little Rock, AR
9/23: Memphis, TN
9/24: Jackson/Biloxi, MS
9/25: Mobile, AL
9/26: Minneapolis, MN
9/27: New York, NY
9/28: Atlanta, GA

Fashion News: SNEAK PEEK at Alicia Keys’ Giorgio Armani Concert Costumes!

Look out Lady Gaga, there’s another musician rocking out in custom-made Giorgio Armani outfits—Alicia Keys! The soulful songstress, who was dressed in head-to-toe Armani for her 2008 As I Am tour, will rock four dazzling, one-of-a-kind costumes from the Italian designer for her current tour, The Element of Freedom. The first look, a sparkling crocodile-printed military jacket, features crystals and sequins, and is paired with silk leggings and tone-on-tone Swarovski crystals. Other highlights include a one-shoulder silk top with embroidery detailing and crystal-encrusted leather boots. A sexy one-shouldered silk chiffon gown in dark gray–paired with black sandals–completes the third look, while a flirty mini-dress with strong shoulders and cascade ruffles finishes off the assortment. With so many daring looks for her latest tour, we cannot wait to see Alicia work them in concert! For more information on her tour dates, check out AliciaKeys.com.

Courtesy Giorgio Armani

Hip-Hop News: Drake Falls OnStage While Performing

Drake falls onstage and he re-injures his knee. MC tweets after fall, “Getting surgery this week but I’m walking”….

Drake took a chance when he decided to perform on the “America’s Most Wanted” tour with an injured knee, and that chance turned out badly on Friday night, when he had a nasty fall and had to be helped offstage at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey.

The up-and-coming rapper/singer tore his ACL several weeks ago and, up until just before the tour — which also features Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy and others — began, it was up in the air as to whether he would perform at all at all. However, he decided to take a risk and play a short set, coming onstage for three songs.

In footage of the fall on YouTube, Drake is seen walking past Lil Wayne (with whom he was performing) and suddenly slipping. Within seconds, stagehands help him up and assist the badly limping MC offstage.

Lil Wayne stops the track and jokes with the crowd about needing extra insurance for the tour. He asks the audience to make some noise for Drizzy, and then asks if any ladies in the house can do Drake‘s verse for him.

After his fall, Drake tweeted about the fall.

“We straight,” he wrote. “Just to show that this ACL sh– ain’t a joke. Thanks for the support, and we’ll be back … Young moola.”

“All is well…,” he wrote later. “On the bus laying down… Getting surgery this week but I’m walking. Thank my whole YM family for the help. Lion Hearts!”

His DJ, Future, tweeted about the incident as well.

“When you love what you do, you take risks for the people that love what you do. He took the risk for the fans.”

There was no official word on Drake‘s condition or when he might rejoin the tour, which continues at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York on Saturday night (August 1), at press time.

Drake talked with MTV News about his injury during the tour’s kickoff last week.

“I didn’t really get any approval from my doctor, but I made a personal decision 48 hours ago that I’d be letting a lot of people down if I didn’t show up and at least show them I’m there for them,” Drake said. “For the last two weeks, I’ve been really going hard, getting all types of acupuncture, trying to bring the swelling down. I’m walking around — no cane. I’ll put a brace on it tomorrow night. No one will probably even know I’m injured…I’m not doing my own set. That’s one thing I have to apologize to my fans about. It’s too much of a risk, if I hit that wrong turn [doing] 30 minutes every night. If I tear my ACL again, the doctors say I might not be able to walk again. I have to be cautious.”

Check out the video below….

Source: Global Grind/MTV/YouTube

“Your thoughts?”

Touring It Up: Beyonce’ Kicks Off Her Summer Stateside Tour Plus More

Kicking off her Stateside touring efforts, Beyonce Knowles took the stage for a Father’s Day performance at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night (June 21).

Running through the lineup of songs during the two-hour “I Am…” show, the “Sasha Fierce” songstress treated her NYC fans to a special surprise – as her hip-hop mogul hubby Jay-Z stepped out to perform in a duet of “Crazy in Love”.

In related news, recent rumors have told that Beyonce‘s dad, Matthew Knowles, is trying to get former Destiny’s Child member Letoya Luckett booted from this coming weekend’s BET Awards show due to long-standing tension.

Of the rumors, Luckett told press: “It saddens me a little. Because our situation happened close to 10 years ago, and I think as we all know Bey is a very, very, very, talented artist, and I think that we both have our own lanes and fan base, and I don’t see why I would have to be one of the ones picked out of the entire crew of females that will be hitting the stage that night. There are so many other female artists performin’ that night and I think we all deserve to have a chance at that stage.”

Beyonce Pictures…

Enjoy the pictures of Beyonce Knowles (and Jay-Z) performing at Madison Square Garden (June 21).

Photo Credit: SplashNewsOnline.com, Getty Images

“What are your thoughts on Beyonce’s performance with her man Jay-Z and also on what Matthew Knowles is trying to do to Letoya Luckett?”