Melanie Fiona on top with It Kills Me

Toronto born Melanie Fiona, whose parents are from Guyana, takes the top prize on Billboard’s R&B Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart this week. Her single, It Kills Me, has become the second chart-topping song for a native of Canada. Earlier this year Toronto-born rapper Drake occupied the number one spot with Best I Ever Had.

Fiona’s reggae track, Somebody Come Get Me, recently scaled the Billboard chart, where it peaked at number 58. The song can be found on VP Records’ Reggae Gold 2008 compilation series. The chart-topping, It Kills Me as well as Fiona’s other charting singles Give it to Me Right and Monday Morning can be found on her latest album The Bridge.

Trey Songz scores first chart topper with I Invented Sex

Rhythm and blues singer, Trey Songz, earned a career best recently, as his latest single, I Invented Sex, featuring rapper of the moment, Drake, scaled the number one spot on Billboard’s R&B Hip Hop Singles chart.

This is the third top ten R&B charting single for Songz, and his first number one single. To date, he has littered the R&B singles chart with 10 titles, including Gotta Make it Right, LOL, Gotta Go, Wonder Woman, Can’t Help But Wait, Last Time, I Need a Girl, Successful and Say Aah.

Songz is also featured on Toni Braxton’s current Top 50 R&B charting single Yesterday. Another single, Neighbours Know My Name, recently debuted at number 59 on the R&B chart this week.

The 25-year-old Songz, whose real name is Tremayne Neverson, made his debut as a songwriter in 2004, when he wrote three songs, namely, Call Me, Ya Kiss and Dance With Me for soca artiste Kevin Lyttle’s self-titled major label debut album.

He recently released his third album, Ready, for Atlantic Records.

Sade back on active chart duty with Soldier of Love

Between 1984 and 2001, female singer Sade racked up some 14 titles on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart. Her sole chart topper came in 1988 with Paradise which spent one week in the penthouse. Fast forward to 2009, and Sade, who is now 50-years-old, is gearing up to release her sixth studio album Soldier of Love.

The CD has a street date of February 2010, but while fans await the release of the singer’s first offering in nine years, the title track which was sent to US radio for airplay consideration, has bolted onto Billboard’s R&B Hip Hop Singles chart.

Soldier of Love has given Sade her first entry in eight years, since the number 41 peak of By Your Side in 2001.

At last check, Soldier of Love peaked at number 15 on the R&B chart.

The winner of the Grammy for Best New Artiste in 1985, Sade has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

Beenie Man featured on rapper Hurricane Chris’ new album

Rapper Hurricane Chris released his new album, Unleashed, on December 21, and dancehall artiste Beenie Man is one of the collaborators on the ten track disc. He is featured on the track No Worries, which was produced by Don Vito.

Hurricane Chris has also enlisted the likes of Superstarr, R&B singer Mario, rapper Plies, Bobby Valentino and girl group Cherish for his sophomore offering.

The rapper, who hit the charts in a major way in 2007 with the top ten R&B single, A Bay Bay, is signed to Polo Grounds Music which has distribution through J Records. His other hits include the gold-selling single Hand Clap and 2009’s number seven R&B charting single, Halle Berry (She’s Fine).

Caribbean Entertainment Bits

Trinidadian recording artiste Ricardo Drue recently teamed up with soca artiste Patrice Roberts for the single Nah Leaving. The song is number one on the soca charts in Trinidad and Tobago. But just who is Ricardo Drue?

Well after making a dent in the music scene as one of the lead singers of the dance and vocal quartet Crossovah, Ricardo decided to pursue a solo career. Although Soca music is an influential part of his career, Drue hopes to break the cultural barriers like so many artists have done in the past.

* Soca artiste, Skinny Fabulous, recently completed the video shoot for his latest single De Beast Leggo, which recently topped several charts across the Caribbean. The video was directed by Jay Will.

And still on Skinny, the St Vincent-born soca artiste recently collaborated with Machel Montano on the song Fetting on.

* Over in St Lucia, 23-year-old Mac 11 has been making a name for himself in the entertainment circles. He recently won the Guinness original song competition, which he said was a proud moment in his career.

The artiste said his winning Dancehall song, My Money Nah Buy Gal Phone Card, was based on a true story. The young performer said he listened to lots of music by Mad Cobra and Vybz Kartel, which helped shape his own writing. Next year Mac 11 intends to jump back into the soca arena and says he would like to make a name for himself, first regionally, and then internationally.

BITS AND PIECES

* Ziggy Marley’s album, Family Time, has been nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Musical Album for children category. Marley is up against sets from Milkshake, Greg and Steve, and Buck Howdy.

* Mariah Carey’s contemporary yuletide classic, All I Want For Christmas Is You, already the best-selling holiday ringtone of all time, has now become the first seasonal ringtone to cross the RIAA double platinum mark in recognition of sales of more than two million units.

DID YOU KNOW

* Mariah Carey recorded a cover of Brenda K Starr’s 1988 hit, I Still Believe in 1999 for her album #1s. But did you know that Carey was once a backup singer for Brenda? It was Brenda who took a demo of Mariah to Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola, who signed Carey to her first recording contract.

* And did you know that I Still Believe (a #13 hit for Brenda in 1988) was sampled in Beenie Man’s 2000 hit Crazy Notion? It was produced by Louis ‘Flabba’ Malcolm and featured on the Headache rhythm.