Usher's latest disc, "Raymond v. Raymond,'' is a bit like deja vu.
It has all the elements of his earlier albums.

Later this year, Janet plans to publish her autobiography, providing an intimate look at her life. Here, she talks about reprising the role of Pat in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too, one of those rare sequels which is actually better than the original.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lanka says it won't issue a visa for R&B singer Akon for a planned concert next month, following outrage over his video showing scantily clad women near a Buddha statue

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that the National Newspaper Publisher Association Foundation's celebrating her political leadership affirms the work of the CBC as "the conscience of the Congress."

(AP) -- Economic development officials, legislators and others believe Mississippi's next cash crop is its musical heritage. The state's contributions to music stretch across genres -- from the blues of B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters to the rock 'n' roll of Elvis Presley and the country twang of "Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers.

Wardell Quezergue, who turned 80 last week, is the producer/arranger/band leader and composer behind The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" to "Groove Me" by King Floyd and "Barefootin'" by Robert Parker – and the man Allen Toussaint dubbed "The Creole Beethoven."

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The man who spearheaded the record-breaking deal in which Michael Jackson's estate will get up to $250 million in the next seven years said Tuesday that Sony Music Entertainment bought a treasure trove of new Jackson music, some of it recorded "quite recently," some in collaboration with other artists.

Thousands of African artifacts were exhibited and auctioned last weekend in Seattle's Pioneer Square. The exhibition included a breathtaking variety of artifacts from many diverse cultures, and benefited the Friends of the Orphans in Haiti and nine other countries.

DETROIT (AP) -- A little-known tax break for music producers that could help put Motown back on the music map has been available for two years in Michigan -- but no one has taken advantage of it.

In 1980s Portland, the Alberta neighborhood was nothing what it was today. Author Heidi Durrow just called it "dangerous." Now living in Los Angeles and New York, the former Portlander recently published her debut novel, "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" about a mixed-race girl growing up in none other than the Rose City of the 1980s.