Every decade a hip hop album comes out that not only lives up to the hype, but it completely blows away the expectations. Joining the ranks of Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z and College Drop Out by Kanye West is an album from Canadian born actor turned rapper Aubrey Drake Graham a.k.a. Drake. His debut album entitled Thank Me Later, is one of the few albums in recent years that truly embodies the music and soul of an artist. Though many were skeptical as to whether or not the rapper could produce a full album that maintains the level of interest and intensity as the artist mixtapes and numerous pre-debut collaborations, the end result put all of their skepticisms to rest.

With more than ability to rap, he sings with his own unique lyrical arrangement. Thank Me Later, takes flight with an amazing duet opposite soul singer Alicia Keys. The introductory song, ‘Fireworks’, undoubtedly sets the tone for what goes on to be a stellar album. Continuing on with songs like “Over,” “Show Me a Good Time, ” “Up All Night, Fancy,” “Shut It Down, and finishing up with “Find Your Love” allows listeners the ability to listen to his album straight through from start to finish with very little room for fillers. Even with collaborations from superstar artist like T.I., Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, The Dream and Lil Wayne, Drake still has no issue with maintaining his voice and sheer appeal to anyone listening to the album.

If your were waiting for an album this year that was worth the purchase, then the appropriately titled debut album Thank Me Later from Drake will have you thanking him for years to come. It’s not the best album ever created, but it’s certainly one of the best albums of 2010 and surely music classic.

The 2010 Lilith Fair announced its full itinerary and current list of artists scheduled to appear during the tour, Monday (April 12).

The tour will kick off June 27, in Calgary, Alberta, and conclude August 16, in Dallas, Texas.

A limited number of Ladies Night four-pack ticket packages, consisting of four lawn seats, will be offered for $99, while supplies last.

Each date will showcase 11 artists, with only two consistencies per show: the Lilith Local Talent Search Ourstage.com winner who opens the show, and headliner Sarah McLachlin. In addition, Rihanna will make a one-off appearance July 12, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The list of artists appearing confirmed for the 2010 Lilith Fair follows:

A Fine Frenzy, Ali Milner, Anjulie, Ann Atomic, Anya Marina, Ash Koley, The Bangles, Beth Orton, Brandi Carlile, Butterfly Boucher, Caitlin Crosby, Cara Salimando, Cat Power, Ceci Bastida, Chairlift, Chantal Kreviazuk, Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, Court Yard Hounds, Debi Nova, Donna Delory, Elizaveta, Elisapie Isaac, Emmylou Harris, Erin McCarley, Erykah Badu, Frazey Ford, The Go-Go’s, Gossip, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Hannah Georgas, Heart, Ima, Indigo Girls, Ingrid Michaelson, Janelle Monae, Jenni Rivera, Jennifer Knapp, Jesca Hoop, Jill Hennessy, Jill Scott, Julia Othmer, Kate Miller-Heidke, Kate Morgan, Kate Nash Katzenjammer, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha, Kina, La Roux, Lights, Lissie, Loretta Lynn, Lucy Schwartz, Marina & The Diamonds, Martina McBride, Mary J. Blige, Meaghan Smith, Melissa McClelland, Metric, Miranda Lambert, Miranda Lee Richards, Missy Higgins, Nikki Jean, Nneka, Norah Jones, Priscilla Renea, The Rescues, Rihanna, Rosie Thomas, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, Selena Gomez, Serena Ryder, Shel, Sheryl Crow, Sia, Sugarland, Susan Justice, Suzanne Vega, Tara MacLean, Tegan and Sara, Toby Lightman, Vedera, Vita Chambers, The Submarines,  The Weepies, Ximena Sarinana, Zee Avi

The itinerary for the 2010 Lilith Fair follows:

June 27 – Calgary, AB (McMahon Stadium)
June 28 – Edmonton, AB (Northlands Spectrum)
July 1 – Vancouver, BC (Pit Meadows Airport)
July 2 – Portland, OR (Sleep Country Amphitheater)
July 3 – George, WA (The Gorge Amphitheatre)
July 5 – Mountain View, CA (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
July 7 – San Diego, CA (Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre)
July 8 – Phoenix, AZ (Cricket Wireless Pavilion)
July 9 – Las Vegas, NV (Mandalay Bay Events Center)
July 10 – Los Angeles, CA (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
July 12 – Salt Lake City, UT (USANA Amphitheatre)
July 13 – Denver, CO (Comfort Dental Amphitheatre)
July 15 – Kansas City, MO (Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone)
July 16 – St. Louis, MO (Verizon Wireless Music Center)
July 17 – Chicago, IL (First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre)
July 18 – Minneapolis, MN (Canterbury Park)
July 20 – Noblesville, IN (Verizon Wireless Music Center)
July 21 – Detroit, MI (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
July 23 – Montreal, QC (Parc Jean-Drapeau)
July 24 – Toronto, ON (Molson Canadian Amphitheatre)
July 27 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Blossom Music Center)
July 28 – Camden, NJ (Susquehanna Bank Center)
July 30 – Mansfield, MA (Comcast Center)
July 31 – Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center)
August 1 – Hartford, CT (Comcast Center)
August 3 – Washington, DC (TBA)
August 4 – Raleigh, NC (Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek)
August 6 – Charlotte, NC (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte)
August 7 – Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena)
August 8 – Atlanta, GA (Aaron’s Amphitheatre)
August 10 – West Palm Beach, FL (Cruzan Amphitheatre)
August 11 – Tampa, FL (Ford Amphitheatre)
August 12 – Birmingham, AL (Verizon Wireless Music Center Birmingham)
August 14 – Austin, TX (TBA)
August 15 – Houston, TX (Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
August 16 – Dallas, TX (Superpages.com Center)

What’s real? How do you define being real while maintaining the rock-and-roll, glitz-and-glamour facade of the music industry?

Telling the truth. Sharing your side. Owning and living the story behind your art. That does not always come easy for many artists, but for 26-year-old Piscean, Memphis, Tennessee born-and-bred mother, and Jive Records’ newest R&B songstress, K. Michelle, owning her story and delivering truthful music is the only way to succeed.

K. Michelle is a fighter; A single mother, who lived through domestic violence, who bore ridicule from friends and family, and who overcame all of these obstacles, to win a major record deal.

Groovevolt.com Contributing Editor Justin Holmes had the opportunity to hear the true story behind her debut album Pain Medicine as only K. Michelle could tell it.

“I’m not gonna waste my platform with something that is not me…. I wanted Pain Medicine to be about my pain, Because my pain is someone else’s pain.”

Groovevolt: Who is K. Michelle, and what defines the woman and the artist?
K. Michelle: I think growing up in Memphis alone is defining. It’s a great city: but there’s a lot of heartache and hardships. I’ve always been a singer. I went to a performing arts school and had a voice teacher, his name is Scott Westbrooke. He also trained Justin Timberlake… I love country music, especially The Judds… Mr. Westbrook taught me how to yodel, and when it was time to get into college I yodeled my way into a music scholarship at Florida A&M University.

GV: What was the thought process behind getting into the music business, and what actions did you take to break into the music business?
K.M: After college it was difficult for me cause I looked around and thought, “this could not be life; I fought so hard to get through college just to sit around and work at FedEx?”. I came home crying to my mom one day and she looked at me and said: “Child, people go to work!”  I just couldn’t do it. I ended up getting an opportunity to go China for a couple months to sing with the Chinese orchestra, when I got back I knew music is what I wanted to do… I put my music on MySpace… And my attorney helped me put together a demo tape. On my birthday I took my music and went to Jive Records. The people I went with at the time wanted me to do pop, but I’m so far from that, it wasn’t me, and Jive saw that. They told me no, on my birthday, it hurt. A year or two later I went back, as myself; I found who I was and was happy with it, plus by that time I was broke and had nothing to lose, this time it worked… I exemplify the benefits of being true to yourself.

GV: What were some of the difficulties you’ve faced while trying to get into the music industry? How were you able to draw from, and overcome your struggles?
K.M: Throughout my whole process, I struggled. I had to figure out how to deal with my baby’s father and the fact that he was about to marry one of my friends; seeing my peers go on to have great careers; and me a single mother, even with a degree, not able to find a good job because I’m out here on this dream. There were so many people looking down on me, like “what is she doing, she’s wasting her life, dreams don’t come true. Now even being signed, I’m not rich, it’s still a struggle. Following your dreams is always a struggle.

GV: Why was it so important that this album be an accurate representation of who K. Michelle is?
K.M: I just believe you can’t fool people. I want people to know the real me. I want fans to be with me forever. I may not sell millions of records upfront, but I want a long and steady career. I really want to teach people through my music… People listen to me. Women listen to me, men listen to what I have to say. I think this is a special voice god gave me, so I am not going to waste my platform with something that’s not me. This is my once-in-a-lifetime to speak to the masses. That’s why I wanted Pain Medicine to be about my pain, because my pain is someone else’s pain.

GV: What does your song “Shoulda Killed Me” mean to you? What message does it have for the general public?
K.M: That song means everything to me! When you are in a relationship with someone and the person you love puts their hands on you in a violent manner to hurt you, it can really break you. I felt like, who can I turn to? Who can I trust?” “Shoulda Killed Me” is an inspirational song. It’s a message to people who have tried to break my heart, body, or spirit in the past, and saying they should have killed me because I am going to raise up even stronger than before, and they are gonna have to watch me be more successful, and I know that’s gonna kill then inside. I’m a fighter. It means a lot to the fans too; I got a letter from one girl who had to face her [rapist] in court, she said this song gave her the courage to face him. Making this song helped me through a lot of things, and I hope it does help people in tough situations in the same way.

GV: What advice do you have for people who are in violent or abusive relationships?
K.M: I say it’s not even worth it… You have to look out for your own well-being. Being hurt and broken is not what God would want for you. We experience situations to learn and grow. You have to look in the mirror and realize you deserve more. You may love that person but I promise you in a few months you will see that you can love someone else too, but the main person you need to love is yourself.

GV: you draw from personal experiences to write your songs. Is that the case with “Faking It”? Do you ever worry about offending friends, family, or lovers with your songs or lyrics?
K.M: No… I use music as a weapon, and a safe haven for me. If somebody does something to me; I’m going through a bad relationship, or I’m in love, I’m speak on how I feel about it… So before you come and try to talk to me, you better listen to my music.

GV: What direction do you want to take your music?
K.M: I want to be phenomenal like my idols. I grew up listening to two people I looked up to: Whitney Houston, and Robert Kelly, and now I’m actually at the Chocolate Factory; in Robert’s house, working. It’s phenomenal To be called his protégée and I’m learning from my idol is just… It’s amazing! He is really the king of R&B, and he is teaching me. One thing I’ve learned is to write life and not music, and you’ll always have a direction, always have a job…

GV: What do you say to comparisons of you to Keisha Cole or Mary J. Blige? And what sets you apart from them?
K.M: It’s not a bad comparison. Listening to her music and you can see what she’s been through and look at what she’s become. Phenomenal. I have been compared to Keisha… Mary… Rob.. As long as they are great it’s okay to compare me to them. What sets me apart is that my music is gonna be like a box of chocolates. In Pain Medicine, you are going to get all types of different emotions. You will feel my pain and heartbreak, but I also want you to be able to laugh and giggle and get my comedy in my music. I want pain medicine to be a dose of every emotion.

Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Sting, and Keith Urban are among the artists who will perform on Friday night’s (January 22) Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon, which will be televised, started at 8:00 p.m. EST.

The two-hour event will be televised on all of the major networks as well as on MTV, VH1, BET, CNN, CMT, PBS, Bravo, and a number of other networks. The telethon will also be streamed live online.

Haitian native Wyclef Jean will host the show from New York City; George Clooney will host from Los Angeles, California; and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper will report from Haiti.

Jay-Z will perform from London, England, where he will be joined by Bono, The Edge, and Rihanna in a joint performance. Coldplay will also perform from London.

New York’s lineup includes Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Sting, Shakira, Blige, and Jean. Swift, Urban, Kid Rock,  Dave Matthews, Timberlake, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Crow will perform in Los Angeles, where Rock and Crow will sing together.

Starting Saturday (January 23), the night’s performances will be available for purchase via iTunes for 99 cents each. All proceeds will go to Haiti relief.

The upcoming Disney remake of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, which will be directed by Robert Zemeckis, is in negotiations with British actors Cary Elwes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Adam Campbell to portray the members of the band. Kelly will portray John Lennon and Serafinowicz has been tapped to play Paul McCartney. Elwes will portray George Harrison and Campbell will play Ringo Starr…

Mary J. Blige has been confirmed as the first headliner and official spokesperson for the 16th annual Essence Music Festival, which will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 2, 3, and 4. This year’s fest will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Essence magazine. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks…

Portland, Oregon’s Hockey will spend much of first quarter of 2010 on the road in support of their 2009 debut, Mind Chaos. The band, who has toured non-stop since January 2009, have four more shows in the United States in the coming week, before they head to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, from January 25 through February 28. The band returns to North America March 11, for a performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and remains on the road through an April 10 show in their hometown of Portland…

Sweden’s Shout Out Louds have announced the they will tour North America in May in support of the February 23 release of its new album, Work. While the tour officially begins May 2 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, the band has already sold out their first show in the United States in support of the new album. That show will take place March 1, at Brooklyn, New York’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. The band’s full tour will run through a May 21 performance at Los Angeles, California’s El Rey Theatre…

Phoenix has announced that it will embark on a brief tour of the Western part of North America, starting with a January 22 show in Vancouver, British Columbia, and continuing through a February 5 performance in Mexico City, Mexico…

Japan’s Polysics will tour the United States, starting with a January 28 performance in San Francisco, California, and wrapping February 16, at The Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC. The band is touring in support of its new CD, Absolute Polysics…

Fort Worth, Texas’ Green River Ordinance have announced a brief tour of the Northeast this February. The tour will kick off in Vienna, Virginia, February 10, and conclude February 20, in Columbus, Ohio…

Alec Ounsworth has announced his first headlining tour dates in support of his new albums  Mo Beauty and Flashy Python’s Skin and Bones. Prior to the headlining tour, Ounsworth will perform five shows later this month, where he will open for Cold War Kids. He will then kick off his headlining tour in Birmingham, Alabama, February 2, and will remain on tour through a February 25 show in Chicago, Illinois…

Susan Boyle continued her remarkable run atop the Billboard 200 album chart this week, leading the tally for a sixth consecutive week, for a total of more than 3.1 million records sold in the U.S. since its release.

Lady Gaga’s The Fame jumped from No. 6 to No. 2 on sales of 82,000 units. She was followed by Alicia Keys‘ The Element of Freedom, which rose from No. 4 to No. 3. Mary J. Blige’s Stronger With Each Tear drops from No. 2 to No. 4. Rounding out the top five is Taylor Swift’s Fearless.

Bruce Springsteen, U2, Stevie Wonder, and Beyonce top a long list of performers who will perform at the inauguration celebration for President-elect Barack Obama Sunday (January 17), which will take place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Beyonce will sing for Barack and Michelle Obama’s first dance on inauguration night. The Presidential Inaugural Committee isn’t saying what song she willl sing, “It is our hope that we can keep the song secret until the moment,” said spokeswoman Linda Douglass.

The theme for the show, We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, is one of national unification. According to event organizers, the musicians will not necessarily performing their greatest hits; rather, they will sing songs that the event organizers believe appropriate to the celebration. For example, Springsteen will perform “The Rising,” while an as-yet-unnamed performed will sing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Other musicians on the bill include Rihanna, John Mellencamp, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Shakira, James Taylor, John Legend, Heather Headley, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, and Josh Groban.

The president-elect and his family are expected to attend, and Obama is due to speak at the event. Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Martin Luther King III,  and Denzel Washington are among those expected to read historical passages at the event, which will be televised by HBO at 7:00 p.m. EST. The network has offered an open feed to its cable and satellite distributors. Accordingly, the network will distribute the program free to any operator that wishes to show it to their customers.