Ne-Yo said he’s working on Rihanna’s new album. Watch the interview below (2:42 min mark):

During a recent interview about EXTREME’s new live album, Take Us Alive, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt discussed being a part of pop star Rihanna’s live band on her current world tour. An excerpt is available below:

“That was one of those unexpected little things that happens. A friend of mine, Tony Bruno, called me up when Extreme was off the road and he told me that if I wasn’t doing anything, Rihanna was looking for a guitarist. He told me that before I said no – and I guess he figured I would because there isn’t really a lot of guitar in her songs – the idea was that she wanted to make the live show a bit heavier because she’s into bands like Linkin Park and stuff like that. She wanted somebody to make things rock a little bit, which meant that I would basically get to do what I do if I took the job. I thought it was really interesting to be able to play my style of guitar over her stuff, I thought it would be fun, so I went for it. It’s cool. I wouldn’t have been interested if I wasn’t able to be myself, and it’s a challenge because the set is 24 or 25 songs that requires a different sort of guitar playing to pull it off. At one point I’m playing pop stuff and making it a bit heavier, there’s some funk and R & B, some ballads, some piano stuff, even some Hispanic flamenco, so it keeps things interesting. It certainly feels more at home than I thought it would.”

Source: BraveWord.com | Thanks, Giamma!

FYI, 2 of Nuno’s band songs reached #1 and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1991. Click here to read more about him.

Usher has told Capital FM that he’s penciled in a number of high-profile collaborations. Among those set to appear on some of his tracks are Jay Z, Rihanna and Pitbull.

“Me and Rihanna have been speaking about doing something together. There’s definitely something to wait for.”

Thanks, Faiz!

Eminem visited Skyrock FM in Paris on Tuesday for a rather unrevealing talk about his new album Recovery, that drops on June 22nd.

On his track with Rihanna (called Love The Way You Lie):

“It’s one of those tracks that I felt like only she could pull it off.”

Visit Rap-Up for the full audio.

Katy Perry is set to wed actor Russell Brand in India later this year, but first Rihanna will throw her a girls’ night out. “I have to come up with something cool ’cause she’s getting married in India. I’m like, ‘Now what do I do to match that for a bachelorette party?’” RiRi asked Ryan Seacrest in April. Perry has the answer.

“I hope she’s the one stripping at my bachelorette [party] ’cause she’s hot,” she confessed to AMP Radio’s McCabe.

Rihanna has taken on the responsibility of planning Katy Perry’s bachelorette party. But she can save money on hiring strippers because her BFF would rather see her shed her clothes.

Rihanna’s boyfriend Matt Kemp surprised her at her 22nd birthday party by hiring a porn star midget to give her a lap dance.

“[Rihanna] has a lot to live up to,” added Perry.

Source: Rap-Up.com

In other news, more pictures of Rihanna out and about in Dublin yesterday have been added to the gallery.

MTV.com: Rihanna can always be counted on to deliver killer hooks and sexy looks in the eye-popping videos that accompany her chart-owning singles. The just-premiered clip for “Rockstar 101,” off her smash ’09 album, Rated R, is no exception. The visual casts Rihanna as the frontwoman for a rock band whose members include Blink-182 drummer (and friend-of-everyone) Travis Barker.

Perhaps the most striking image comes during the song’s breakdown, when Rihanna appears dressed as none other than iconic guitarist Slash. And it’s a fitting homage, as the former Guns N’ Roses axman provided the track’s signature riffage. But the original concept didn’t have Rihanna putting on a gender-bending performance.

“I was supposed to actually be in that video,” Slash told MTV News. “I played on the song, and they called me up to ask me to play in the video, but my record was just coming out, and I was sort of worn thin,” he explained. “She was really sweet. She sent me this pleading text to come do the video, but I couldn’t make it work. I told her that me not being in the video wasn’t going to make or break it.” So what does Slash think of Rihanna’s pantomime-like depiction of him in the clip? “The video is way better with her being me than with me being me,” he said. “All things considered, it brings an element of sexuality to it that I probably wouldn’t have been capable of. I think it’s hot, and I sent her a text this morning telling her it was definitely hotter with her doing it than with me doing it. Everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”

Slash admitted that he hadn’t heard back from her yet, but their easy relationship is one of mutual admiration: Rihanna is a huge fan of Guns N’ Roses, the singer told him, and Slash was way into “Umbrella.”

“I don’t come from that side of the fence, but I particularly liked [Good Girl Gone Bad],” he said.

Although he couldn’t make the clip’s shoot, Slash told us he feels pretty good about the outcome.

“I’m way more flattered that she played me in the video than her asking me to be in it,” he said. “All things considered, she’s pretty cool.”

Melina Matsoukas, who recently directed Rihanna’s “Hard”, “Rude Boy” and “Rockstar 101” music videos, has been interviewed and asked about Rihanna:

“Speaking of working with people, you’ve worked with Rihanna, Solo. You’ve done a whole bunch of videos with Beyonce. What’s it like working with those three? Do you brace yourselves for attitudes or is that not even the case?”

“…With Rihanna, she’s definitely really smart with her ideas and creative and she gets it. I think that’s the thing with all of those three. I have very similar taste, so we’re able to collaborate on ideas. And it’s not like a competition or we’re battling each other, and that makes it fun.”

“Mama Do” singer Pixie Lott has revealed she couldn’t wait to see Rihanna perform in Glasgow last night – after bouncers stopped her from watching the superstar’s London show…  even though she was the support act.

Pixie has been thrilled to support Rihanna on her Last Girl on Earth tour and even received a bunch of flowers from the star to welcome her at the start of the tour.

But she has told how she missed out on seeing the Barbadian star in action at the 02 – despite being on the bill earlier in the night.

Pixie explained: “We did a few shows in London and I spoke to her then. She was really beautiful and lovely and friendly but it’s the only time I’ve seen her so far.”

(Read more… )

TOI: How was it working with Rihanna for her song ‘Rockstar 101’ and how did that collaboration come into being?
Slash: Well, I met Rihanna at a Black Eyed Peas Charity Benefit and she asked me if I would be interested in doing a song with her. But we never really worked in the studio together, it was very new school type of recording session. She sent me her files and I put in my guitar stuff and that’s it.

Credit: RihannasGuitar/Times of India

Jim Beanz, the producer behind Britney Spears’ “Blackout” album, was asked by MTV:  “How are the Rihanna sessions for the new album going?”

“They are going amazingly. Her new album is going to be crazy. It could be one of the best things I have ever worked on. I always try to out do myself every time, I never try to go backwards. I will say though the tracks I have worked on with Timbaland for Rihanna have been amazing, Timbaland has always been the one to re-invent himself and at the moment he is really on some fast-forward sh*t, he is really going to kill the game with the stuff he is working on now.”