Usher showcased his live singing chops Saturday night (May 12) on “SNL,” where he performed two tracks off his forthcoming seventh studio album, Looking 4 Myself, due June 12. The 33-year-old crooner moved through “Scream” and “Climax” all while keeping the fancy footwork to a minimum.

Dressed in black shades, a black leather jacket and a graphic T-shirt, Usher greeted the audience before he went to work performing “Scream.” “We at it again ‘SNL’ and this time I’m gonna make you scream,” he shouted.

He then sang “Climax,” proving his ability to rock the crowd with his live vocals.

This month, Usher covers Billboard magazine and will perform at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards May 20.

As Mother’s Day approaches, celebrity mamas have opened up about their personalized experiences raising kids in the June issue of Redbook. A single of people renowned moms is Jennifer Lopez, who revealed that she suffered from a serious situation of “the baby blues” right after providing birth to twins Emme and Max, AOL Music reports.

“I don’t forget following the infants had been born, about seven to ten days in, I was like, ‘What is going on with me?’” J.Lo informed the magazine. “I felt unhappy and depressed and believed the babies did not enjoy me.” The singer turned to the popular parenting book, “What to Anticipate When You’re Expecting” in order to figure out what was triggering her postpartum paranoia.

“I really keep in mind selecting up the book to consider to see what was taking place to me,” Lopez revealed. “And it said how you have this huge hormonal drop about seven to ten days immediately after you give birth. It is called the ‘baby blues.’ But I just believed they didn’t like me!”

The “Dance Again” singer’s youngsters, now 4, have a renowned father: Lopez’ ex-husband Marc Anthony.

J.Lo stars in the forthcoming movie inspired by the Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel book, alongside Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Brooklyn Decker and Anna Kendrick. “What to Expect When You happen to be Expecting” hits theaters Might 18.

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As reported by AOL Music, in conjunction with her sexy editorial spread in Elle magazine’s Could issue, Rihanna has released a quick film with the vogue mag. Ri dances and struts close to in tiny designer outfits although a Spanish voiceover narrates the steamy story, set in 1956 Havana, Cuba.

In the midst of the Cuban Revolution, Rihanna’s character recalls less difficult instances when she “had no doubts or worries.” The film goes on to paint a image of a carefree existence, until finally a guy comes into her existence.

Possibly hinting at Ri’s actual-existence romance with her abusive ex-boyfriend Chris Brown — a topic central to Rihanna’s Elle cover-story interview — the narrator explains that passion and taking risks is “like a drug.”

Ri even recreates the fight with Brown that led to the 2009 assault, arguing with her onscreen lover on the passenger side prior to storming out. We’re guessing the Cuban war is a metaphor for the hardships of enjoy.

Do you consider the film is primarily based on Ri and C-Breezy’s really like gone wrong? Tweet us your thoughts @theboombox.

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Nicki Minaj’s sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, leaked a week before it’s April 3 release date, and was quickly branded a mediocre LP. There is a lot to listen to. Minaj’s second effort should be a double album, maybe even a triple disc. It clocks in at 19 tracks, 69 minutes and crosses three genres: hip-hop, pop and EDM (electronic dance music). Tracks 10 through 15 are an all-out dance party — a place Minaj’s full-length debut didn’t dare to go — thanks to club-friendly production from RedOne.

Despite being named after her troubled and flamboyant alter-ego Roman Zolanski, Minaj’s sophoore album doesn’t conceptually rely too much on her inner man — only a handful of tracks are belted out in character. The 29-year-old MC does return to her early rap roots singing more explicitly and along with more experienced players — Nas, Beenie Man, Young Jeezy and Cam’ron — and the usual cast — Drake, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. Truth be told, Roman Reloaded doesn’t have the same continuous start-to-finish play objective as its predecessor — diss tracks get repetitive and one-too-many “let’s get wasted at the club” bangers make fingers wander toward the skip button — but the album does have something for everyone.

Nicki Minaj is here to keep. In two many years, she’s gone from a student of the music game to bona fide teacher. The 29-year-old, who hails from Queens, N.Y., is not the only dope MC to come out of the borough, but null of possessing far more than a single album in retailers, and on the brink of releasing her sophomore hard work, Onika Miraj has written herself into the historical past books.

Out the gate, the then-aspiring rapper utilised her self-assurance and lyrical abilities to make a buzz. And as she — and the rest of us — awaits the release of her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded LP, her assurance has reached the stratosphere. In an interview with Complicated Magazine, Young Money’s frontwoman predicted that she will promote five million copies of her forthcoming record. For a lesser artist, such a hefty sales purpose seems far-fetched, but with the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears and Kanye West clamoring to get a verse from hip-hop’s one and only Barbie, she has each reason to think in herself.

He’s also never 1 to hold his tongue. Read on as Charlemagne reveals why he “expects the unexpected” from Nicki Minaj and breaks down “Nicki pop.” Read more…