Music world

Bassist Ron McClelland of Storyside:B died on January 18th. Here’s the note on their Myspace page:

We will miss our brother Ron.

I’m sure a lot of you have many quest​ions regar​ding to what it says about​ Ron on our myspa​ce.​ Yeste​rday Janua​ry 18 Ron passe​d away.​ He was on a cruis​e with his wife Rebec​ca and 88.1 The Promi​se out of Jacks​onvil​le FL. He was playi​ng baske​tball​ and sudde​nly colla​psed,​ and they were unabl​e to reviv​e him. We are all shock​ed and deepl​y sadde​ned of our broth​ers passi​ng.​ Pleas​e keep his famil​y and wife Rebec​ca in your praye​rs.​ We will be setti​ng up a donat​ion fund to help offse​t the cost of the funer​al and to help suppo​rt Ron’​s famil​y.​ God Bless​ Story​Side : B

On a different update they give info on the donation fun:

Ron and Rebeca did not have life insurance. If you would like to help with funeral and expenses, go to any Bank Of America and ask for the: Account for Ron and Rebeca McClelland ending in #8678
or

Mail checks made out to:
Ron and Rebeca McClelland Fund
P.O. Box 551379
Jacksonville, FL 32255

After five years of dormancy, the Billboard Music Awards were invigorated Sunday with a major dose of star power.

Rihanna got the show off to a steamy start, wearing a skimpy leather outfit for her hit song “S&M,” and was joined at the end of the number by Britney Spears, who came into view on a remix on the track.

Taylor Swift won the evening’s first award, as top album artist, at the back the multimillion sales for “Speak Now.”

“The impact of an album is all resolute by the fans,” she told the audience. “You’ve just given me another reason to be completely in love with you.”

Other award winners built-in Justin Bieber (digital artist) and the Black Eyed Peas (top duo/group).

Beyonce conventional a special Millennium Award for her career achievements: The 29-year-old phenomenon was lauded in a video by an array of legends and luminaries, as well as Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Bono, Lady Gaga and First Lady Michelle Obama.

“This is a moment I have to immerse in because it’s gonna be — and it is — one of the best moments of my life,” said Beyonce after getting the award from her mother, Tina Knowles. Beyonce also did her new song, “Run the World (Girls).”

This year marks the Billboard Awards’ rebirth. The Billboard Awards had been a yclip since 1989, but gave out what came into view to be its last award in 2006. This year, the show was brought back.

It was held in Las Vegas, broadcast live on ABC and hosted by “The Hangover 2″’ star Ken Jeong.

The Billboard Music Awards are given out to music’s most popular artists. The finalists and winners are strong-minded by their rank on the Billboard charts and their “social and streaming activity.”

Rihanna is the top finalist, competing in 18 categories. Among the awards she’s up for take in top artist, top female artist, and top radio songs artist.

Eminem’s name appears in 16 categories, counting top artist. He’s also vying for top male artist as well as top social artist.

Hip-hop marketing expert Steve Stoute took to the New York Times over the weekend to blast the Grammys for slighting artists like Justin Bieber. He also spoke out against recent losses by Kanye West and Eminem.

In a full-page ad in the newspaper, Stoute wrote “I have come to the end that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with modern popular culture.”

He added, “The awards show has become a series of insincerity and disagreement, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate.”

About Bieber, Stoute wrote, “How is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist?” Justin Bieber lost the Best New Artist Grammy to Esperanza Spalding.