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Do relationships formed between artists and management or producers ever last?! Let’s take a stroll back and revisit former artist and manager/producer relationships.

1.) Mariah Carey tried love with manager Tommy Mottola in 1993 when she was with Sony and Tommy worked with Mariah on her successful album Music Box. Music Box has sold over 32 million album worldwide, such great success together! However, Tommy and Mariah eventually divorced in 1997.

2.) Nivea and The Dream, these two lovebirds worked together on two of her  albums Complicated and Animalistic. The latter was only released in Japan. The two fell in love and had three kids,  but were divorced in 2007.

3.) The Dream and Christina Milian started to develop content for her fourth album Elope in 2009 where Christina signed under Radio Killa Records. Unfortunately, Elope has never been released and we’re still waiting on that fourth album. Married in 2009 and divorced in 2010 they did not hit the two year mark at least! The Dream has a thing for singers, first Nivea and then it was Christina. Nivea may have gotten the better end of this deal because she actually had released album from The Dream– Christina has none. What singer can we guess will be next for The Dream? (Rihanna?)

4.) Andre Lyon (Dre of Cool & Dre) and Christina Milian were an item before Christina tied the knot with The Dream. Nick Cannon and Christina Milian had just broken up and Christina was working on her third studio album in 2006, So Amazing. Cool and Dre were able to produce 10 out of the 11 tracks which meant lots of personal time for Christina and Dre to fall in love. They were a photogenic couple that only lasted until February of 2009.

4.) Latoya Jackson (yes she does exist) married manager Jack Gordon in 1989 and the marriage wasn’t sweet.  He seemingly kidnapped her from her family and that ‘marriage’ finally ended sometime in 1997. Jack managed her poorly and is said to be the reason why her fame declined in the late 80s and early 90s. For example, Jack was the reason why she did those psychic reading commercials.

5.) Tina and Ike Turner had one bad time as a couple and we are always reminded of that in the film What’s Love Go to Do With It. Ike was physically abusive and took complete control of her career and life until Tina had her epiphany and said ‘no more.’

6.) Janet Jackson & Jermaine Dupri‘s relationship came as a surprise to many. Janet fell in love with J.D in 2000 or 2001 (no one knows exactly when they got together) and broke up in 2009 after a nine year relationship. J.D worked on a few of Janet’s albums producing and writing, but it was not enough to keep them together.

This was not the first time Janet mixed business and pleasure. Ms. Jackson had a secret marriage to Rene Elizondo back in 1991 but separated in 1999. Rene wrote songs for albums such as Rhythm Nation 1814 and Velvet Rope. Rene also directed the video for “That’s The Way Love Goes,” “Together Again” and “Again.”

7.) Puff Daddy (or Diddy, if you insist) and Jennifer Lopez had a romantic relationship starting in 1999 after working on a few of her albums. J-Lo and Puffy worked together on her album On The 6, J Lo and J Lo: The Remixes. While the two didn’t get married they had a high profile relationship that  ended in February 2001.

J-Lo then decided to marry her back-up dancer Chris Judd in 2001. Why date your back-up dancer when you were with Puff? This relationship was a downgrade that lasted a whole nine months.

8.) Swizz Beatz and Mashonda had a very long marriage until a certain singer came along (Alicia Keys). Swizz produced Mashonda’s debut album January Joy back in 2005 that was only released in Japan. Mashonda was also featured on a few of Swizz’s projects such as “Get No Better” and “Bellybutton” by Cassidy and “Love Is Blind” and “Gotta Man” for Eve.  Wedding bells rang in 2004 and officially stopped ringing in 2010.

Not that things will necessarily end poorly with Amerie and her new love Lenny Nicholson but it’s very much in the air. We can either get great work for the next album or a whole lot of nothing and babies. (I Love You A!) Good luck on this journey!

Sound off on who else you think should be on the list!

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Courtney, an aspiring actress, model and pop singer, was being managed by Hutchinson when the two became romantically involved. Her parents, Alex and Krista, welcomed Hutchinson, who is four years older than his new father-in-law.

“We all needed a good man in our lives,”  Krista told Foxnews.com. “After a while you don’t look at the age. You look at the love they started to have towards each other. He became more than a number to us.”

Predictably, the two are rumored to be in talks for a reality TV series about their marriage. Maybe they should call this “Strange Love Pt 2″.

What do you think? Is this fine to you or is this too much of an age gap? Were her parents right to give consent? Let us know in the comments!

READ MORE AT FOXNEWS.COM.

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Author Barry Fletcher Asks If Marriage Still Matters

Why Don’t A lot of Married Men Wear Their Rings?

Calling the book, “Sharp Advice For Women” Fletcher is placing his thirty years of experience doing hair for both men and women to give ladies unbiased advice on how to approach their relationships. TheUrbandaily.com spoke with Mr. Fletcher and asked him some frank questions about the challenges of relationships for this generation of couples.

TUD: Steve Harvey has been divorced and Karrine Steffans can’t keep a man but they are both writing books on how to get a man. What makes you qualified to write a relationship book?

Barry Fletcher: [laughs]I want people to realize there’s a difference between my views and Steve Harvey’s views. I think his book was written in a more repentant way because of all the bad he’s caused women all the years. So he does a nice, warm fuzzy rendition of a book that would make women happy to read. I try to save women from getting their heart broken. Trying to do someone’s hair when they’re heartbroken is not a good thing.

I think people sometimes don’t believe the power of a straight male hairdresser in the community when you’re dealing with women and men. I was a master barber first. I work with the most devious part of a woman’s personality. When you start to manipulate one’s vanity, ego and image women confide in me when I get it right. My relationships go back 30 years from which I’ve been doing hair. I started off as a barber and men would do the same thing, telling me all the woes of their relationships. They tell me the truth because they have nothing to gain by misleading me. I found myself advising both men and women. I think women and men should get advice on the opposite sex from the opposite sex. I consider myself a community psychologist because I take it all in and I try to offer some experience from trial and error. After 30 years of that I start to learn and understand a lot more, especially the subconscious thoughts of men. They’d rather tell their boys than give it straight to their women.

You’ve never been married and have no children. What are your thoughts on marriage?

I’m really wondering these days if marriage is really significant. I know it was if you go back two generations, but now if I had an 18 year old daughter I wouldn’t be encouraging her to find her Prince Charming, get married and have 2.3 kids. I think young ladies these days need to get out of a man’s ear and be more concerned with their careers. What usually happens is they end up having to take care of the same clueless young man they aspired to marry.

Ouch…

Commitment has different meanings for women and men. With women it means security, freedom, loyalty, permanent or forever. With men it means he has to expose his vulnerable side. It means he loses his freedom and his ability to make decisions for himself. I can help them out a little more in my book. I don’t try to be a philosopher too much but give them straight information.

Can you give me an example?

I talk about dating “potential.” A lot of women go after the same ten percent of men who are successful and good looking that have the house and cars. But they need to learn to date potential like Michelle Obama did. He drove a hooptie when they were in college. She could see what was going on with him and she learned his heart. One of the chapters is “How to learn a man’s heart.” Find out what’s dear to his heart. What are his pet projects? What does he spend his time on? If you really know the man you should know this. The best way to keep a man hooked on you is to help him with the things that are dear to his heart. You’ll cement a spot in his heart. The relationship isn’t all about you. It’s interdependent.

What are some things that drive men away from a woman?

A man wants a woman who is devoted to him enough to allow him his freedom. If you look at any marriage that has gone on 50 years or more, it’s the freedom factor involved. Sometimes women have a need for ownership in a relationship. They like to say “this is my man”. They don’t trust the man outside of their ability to monitor him. The other thing is understanding what sparks a flame in a man. They lose track of what keeps a man motivated. They have to work on this one word, Anticipation. Men want a surprise in life, especially when it comes to their woman. Sometimes the way a woman comes out of the bathroom to come to bed they look the same way. Anticipation is so important to men, that’s why we’re crazy about sports. We can’t wait to see what John Wall will do on the court. Women got to keep us fired up the same way. Anticipation is key to longevity in the relationship.

Barry Fletcher’s book Learn A Man, Earn A Man is available now on Amazon.com and other retailers.

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Why is that married men don’t wear their wedding rings? This occurs especially with men in high profile positions. Would you please explain?

-Delta

Ask The Black Man:

Hello Delta,

I feel you are making a really broad generalization here. So many married men wear their rings and wear them with pride. If there are some that don’t maybe there could be an understanding between he and his spouse as to why he doesn’t. There are probably some men who don’t for selfish reasons, but even in that case you can’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.

As far as high profile people married men not wearing their rings, the last time I looked the most high profile person in the United States, President Barack Obama, wears his wedding ring. Again, you can’t make a general judgment on all men.

I feel in society the “ring” has more of significance to a woman then a man. Women have aspirations of a beautiful ring and put a lot more thought than men do into the type of ring they want. Perhaps if there was a mutual feeling with this then it might be different. Also, some men don’t like rings in general.

Lastly, my question to you is this: Is it the ring that makes the marriage or is it the actual communion between the two people that make it?

That’s my 99 Cents Worth.

ATBM

More advice from Ask The Black Man!

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DJ Jazzy Jeff has announced his wedding on Saturday, which has been revealed on the heels of announcements from fellow Hip-Hoppers T.I. and Swizz Beatz.

RELATED: Swizz Beatz & Alicia Keys Celebrate Their Marriage In Italy

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“Having a quiet moment reflecting on my life so far…I’m blessed beyond words and thankful for God bringing me a incredible life partner,” he said earlier in the day on Twitter.

The details of the wedding were not immediately available, but it was on an island.

Read the whole article on AllHipHop.com!

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz celebrated their recent marriage on a yacht in Italy.

Wait…. recent marriage????

The couple had a private ceremony in the New York tri-state area before they headed off to celebrate in Costa Smerelda on the island of Sardinia.

The newlyweds held a wedding celebration aboard a 260-foot yacht and invited only close family and friends.

Shout out to Miss Info for being able to keep a secret!

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T.I. and Tiny finally tied the knot in a secret courthouse ceremony on Friday in Miami Beach, FL.

TMZ got the scoop and even posted up their marriage certificate

Congratulations to the newlyweds!

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NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony and former MTV VJ LaLa Vasquez got married in New York City on Saturday night with a host of A-listers looking on.

The Associated Press reports that around 300 guests — including Spike Lee, Kim Kardashian and fellow baller LeBron James — watched the couple swap vows at Manhattan’s Cipriani restaurant. The duo’s 3-year-old son, Kiyan, escorted them down the aisle.

According to People magazine, the bride wore a Vera Wang gown, and the wedding was officiated by Georgetown professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. DJ Clue spun at the wedding, which was filmed as part of an upcoming VH1 reality show, according to UsMagazine.com. Vasquez and Anthony got engaged in 2004.

Read more at MTV.com

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Why do we assume that rappers are after hoes, strippers, and gold diggers? Its obvious that some rappers have soft sides and appreciate the sanctity of marriage.

spotted @ gameface.com

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Dear Ask The Blackman,

I have been dating a woman for a year. We have amazing chemistry in all aspects of our relationship (conversations, sex, etc.) and so much in common.

We have been connected by the hip since we first met. We hang out and talk all of the time and have also traveled together. We have both expressed that it is scary how well we get along. Lately we have been having conversations about marriage, having kids, and spending the rest of our life together. Everything seemed to be great and then I did not hear from her as much and eventually did not hear from her for three weeks. I get a voice mail message at my job saying that she is okay and that I will hear from her soon. I have not heard from her since that message. She is the love of my life and I feel like I might have lost her. What should I do? Should I wait around or move on?

-Terry Howell

Hi Terry,

It sounds like she has developed a case of “cold feet.”  It seems like she has gotten scared over the thought of marriage and is taking the time to re-evaluating things.
In your conversations/interactions has she ever had any escapist type of behavior? At times people get into this mode because they really like the person but they have been really hurt in a past relationship. They get scared to invest all of their emotions in a situation in fear of getting their heart broken.

I suggest that you give her some more time and see if she re-engages with you. Perhaps give her a call to check in to let her know that she is in your thoughts. She may start to interact again when she is able to collect all of her feelings. However, set a timetable on how long you wait for her.  If she does not communicate with you at all it is not fair to you to be waiting around.

Don’t blame yourself for this circumstance because it is not about you nor is it your fault. A lot of people tend to blame themselves in these situations.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.

TBM

T-Pain tells Kendra G that “Reverse Cowgirl” was inspired by late nights at home with his wife.

It’s a nice sentiment and I’m sure they had lots of fun making their three children, but how did he end up getting sued for child support by rapper Ms Cherry if wifey was keeping him hemmed up at home? Umjusaskin…

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TPAIN from KendraG.Com on Vimeo.

This is not a defense of infidelity. Nor is it an examination into the reasons men and women cheat. This is an honest assessment of why women, for the most part, are rarely caught when they do cheat.

This is not about the mistress. We hear about the mistresses in the news all of the time, usually because they want to be known. At this moment I’m talking about the women in relationships, girlfriends or wives, who choose to creep but don’t get caught.

Why am I talking about this? In the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal one of my peers posed the question, “When was the last time we heard of a celebrity scandal involving a woman cheating?” You could hear crickets in the room. Yes, there was that Kelis rumor back in the spring and people speculated all day long about Faith Evans and Tupac but there was never any proof, and there damn sure weren’t any public confessionals. So why don’t women get caught? Here is what I think along with some personal insight from our good friend Phonte Coleman of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange.

Reason #1: Women are smarter than men.

This isn’t a patronizing statement to try and get the women on my side. The fact is when it comes to stepping out women just think about things that men don’t. Where a dude will call his boy after the fact to say “Yo, son, if anybody asks where I was last night, I was with you” a woman will have it planned out days in advance with an airtight alibi.

Reason #2: Men don’t want to know

Some of my peers mistake this for men being more “trusting” than women, a theory I don’t necessarily believe. I think it’s more a case of naivite than trust. Men are the hunters. It just doesn’t’ occur to us that our woman could possibly be cheating on us. So even if reason #1 doesn’t apply and your girl has a drunken, spontaneous fling with the DJ from the boat ride, it’s the last thing we want to comprehend. She was out with the girls and that’s all we need to know.

Reason #3 Men don’t want YOU to know

And when I say YOU, I mean the world. Even in the face of irrefutable evidence and a woman is somehow caught, a man is less likely to go public because of his pride and ego.

“When a man is unhappy he cries in the dark,” says Phonte. “When a woman is unhappy, she makes a concerted effort to ensure that EVERYBODY around her is miserable.”

Could you imagine Michael Jordan getting cheated on by Juanita then having to face Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas on the court? The trash talk would never end. If Kobe found out his wife had a threesome in Colorado do you think he’s leaking text messages to TMZ? Hell no.

“Men don’t get all RUNTELDAT when it comes to exposing their affairs,” Phonte expounds. “Take the Tiger Woods situation. Let’s flip the script and say it was a rich and powerful woman like Halle Berry or Oprah or some sh*t. Oprah been married for years.[Ed: Note, she never technically married Steadman, but we get what he means] one day she gets caught up f*ckin around with a side niggatoy. Do you think for one fucking second that ALL HER OTHER niggas are gonna come out on some, “well yeah, I was f*ckin Oprah too? ‘Made men don’t make statements’ (c) Hov If I was f*cking Oprah and her spot got blew up, a nigga like me is thinking of how to use that sh*t for leverage without puttin all our sh*t out there. So PERSONALLY..I’m hittin Oprah up from an undisclosed location on a blocked number like, “I’m so sorry for all the sh*t you’re going through. Just wanted to reassure you that you have nothing to worry about from me. I would never do you that way. If you need to talk, you know how to contact me.” MO MONEY! MO MONEY! MO MONEY! (c) damon wayans

Reason #4 Women Have More To Lose

Let’s face it: women are more forgiving than men. Men don’t even like the idea of their women sleeping with their friends BEFORE they’re together so God forbid they get stepped out on during the relationship. We’ll either leave or start cheating ourselves to justify it. Furthermore, if a woman steps out and becomes pregnant, far fewer men will stay with her and raise another man’s child, than the countless women who have remained in relationships with men after finding out they’ve gotten another woman pregnant. With consequences like this women typically take extra steps, precautions and are just more discerning overall with their sex partners.

Reason #5 The Average Man Doesn’t Want The Headache Of A Married Woman

“Granted, there are some niggas who don’t give a f*ck, but generally speaking? Nah.” declares Phonte. “Why? because he has no control over that situation. It’s one thing if *I’m* cheating. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what, come hell or high water, no matter how much I think I *love* this b*tch…..I’m not leaving home. A nigga will be on that good Ray Charles: “I’m not leaving my family.” And a man will do everything in his power to keep both lives separate.

Women on the other hand can be much more emotional and allow those emotions to cloud their judgment. If I’m f*cking a married woman, who’s to say that one day she won’t break down and decide to tell her husband everything? Or have a moment in church and she decides to “give her sins to the Lord” or some dumb sh*t?

And then you gotta deal with the potential of confrontation with her husband and I don’t know that nigga or what he might do. Ain’t nobody tryinna get shot over a piece of p*ssy.

Do you know a woman that got caught cheating? What happened? Men, have you ever caught your woman cheating? Ladies, have you ever been caught cheating? What did you do?  Speak on it!

I am a 21-year-old African American Christian woman who is saving herself for marriage. Quite frankly, I feel like I am one of the last of a dying breed of excellent women. It seems to be hard to find a good black man who appreciates me for who I am. What man wants to deal with a girl who won’t satisfy his sexual needs until after marriage?

CD

The Blackman:

Hi CD,

I think the way society is designed these days it is tough to find that match. It is not impossible though. Just like anything else, once you find something great you should cherish it.

Society has transformed a lot throughout the years where pre-marital sex is not looked at as taboo anymore. In some ways it has helped certain situations and in other cases it has not. For example it has stopped some people from getting married and realizing that lust was the premise of their relationship. On the flip side it has made someone overlook a person that they would otherwise be compatible with but since pre-marital sex was not in the equation, they looked past the person.

The age of when people get married has changed as well. Nowadays it is common for people to get married in their 30′s, unlike in the past where most people were married with children in their 20′s.

Sex has become a big emphasis in our society, rather than religion where premarital sex is forbidden. This factor makes it tougher for people to abstain until marriage. A majority of the things that you see in the multimedia platform of our society have a sexual innuendo to it.

It is also difficult in your case because the men in your age range are going through their sexual prime, so they may not be looking to settle at that point of their lives.

Look at yourself as a diamond in the ruff and be open to receiving a gem for a lifetime partner. There are men out there that will respect the fact you want to save yourself for marriage and will see your value beyond sex.
Since you are a Christian woman, a good place to look for man who will value that is at Church. That’s not saying that you can’t find men elsewhere that will honor that but they can relate to where you are coming from. Be patient and you will find someone that will appreciate you.

Good Luck,

TBM

Dear Blackman,

I am a married woman and I love my husband very much. He is a great man. He treats me like queen and he takes care of the family. The one element that has been missing as of late is the spark in our sex life. We don’t do it as much as we use to and when we do it’s pretty routine. It’s nothing special like it used to be. Can you suggest anything to change this?

-Steph Lover

The Blackman:

Hi Steph Lover,

This is common in some marriages. Between work and taking of the family. Your sex life can be reduce due to more responsibilities and/ or choosing to sleep instead of having sex. Having a family may slow down the spontaneous sex life.

A suggestion is to move it out of your own bedroom. Plan a weekend getaway or even a overnight stay somewhere. It can be good to get outside of your element which can help rekindle the spark. Let the grandparents or someone else take care of the family. Bring the sexy outfits that he likes and tell him to bring what you find to be sexy.

As far as in your own bedroom, it may sound weird but if you are both busy plan in your schedules times where the focal point is you and him. Another thing could be to once and while call him a work and let him know that you can’t wait for him to get home and let him know somethings that you would like to him and to be done to you (smile).

Last but most importantly, bring this up to him so it is clear that this is a concern to you. It may be something that he did not realize has changed, and could easily make amendments to make it better.

I hope it works out.

TBM

America’s Next Top Model winner Eva Marcille is engaged to her boyfriend, House of Payne star Lance Gross, following a proposal that took place in front of their families on Christmas Eve.      

Surrounded by family and friends, Gross got down on one knee and presented Marcille with a 3.36 1895 Pave Cartier ring, reports Essence.com.      

“I cried. It was totally unexpected. I’m still in shock,” Marcille told the Web site. “I could not even sleep because I was afraid that I might wake up from the most beautiful dream ever.”      

Gross described the exact moment that he showed her the ring. “Eva asked, ‘Baby, is this real? Baby, are you playing with me?’” he recounted. “Then she said, ‘Forever and always: Yes, Yes, Yes!’ and jumped up and hugged me crying and then she did her happy dance.”      

The two haven’t set a wedding date but are strongly considering a summer wedding in 2010.      

“I’m proud to call Lance mine because I was in love with him before we ever met.  He’s my dream guy,” says Marcille, who currently stars on the CBS soap “The Young and the Restless.”       

View photos of the couple at Essence.com.

The New York Post is reporting that Morgan Freeman’s divorce from wife Myrna Colley-Lee “will be both nasty and expensive for the Oscar winner.”

Page Six estimates that Freeman’s wife of 24 years could pocket more than $100 million in a potential settlement.

Original estimates put the actor’s net worth in the $75 million to $90 million range, but now it is being reported he may be worth as much as three to four times that amount.

Among assets contributing to the actor’s bounty are a very valuable gold coin collection, a rare stamp collection, a $7 million home in the Virgin Islands, real estate in Freeman’s native Mississippi worth nearly $30 million (including a $5 million personal home), a $10 million New York apartment and a $15 million Los Angeles estate.

Freeman’s marital problems made headlines in August after the 71-year-old actor was in a rollover car crash while driving a car registered to his passenger, Demaris Meyer, 48.

Only days later, Freeman confirmed rumors that he and his wife were divorcing, and that he and Colley-Lee, a costume designer, had been separated since December 2007.

Meyer has been employed as a Memphis-based executive assistant with Federal Express and reportedly is a longtime friend of both Freemans.

From PerezHilton.com:

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are getting heavy again, according to multiple sources.

The Chicago Sun Times cites numerous sightings of Whit and Bobby all romantical and shiz while dining at restaurants down in Georgia.

Insiders also report that their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, is eager for her parents to remarry.

“One day, maybe,” the singer – who wed rapper Jay-Z in a super-secret ceremony last April – tells Ellen DeGeneres during Tuesday’s show.

What’s holding her back? Watching her sister, Solange, give birth in 2004.

“I was there in the delivery room and it kind of traumatized me,” Beyoncé admits. “I said please don’t have me in the room. And she said, ‘You have to. I’m your sister. Stop being so silly.’ Well, I was right!”

Still, the Cadillac Records star says she definitely will have kids someday. “A couple, maybe.”

Married Life

Beyoncé has been notoriously tight-lipped about her marriage – refusing for months to even confirm the union. But she chatted happily with fellow newlywed DeGeneres – who gave the singer towels and a coffee maker as belated wedding gifts.

“It feels great,” Beyoncé says of married life. “Oh gosh, listen to me about to start yapping. We’ve been together a long time – it’s been about seven years.”

Why did they wait so long to tie the knot? “I’m only 27 so I was really young [when we started dating],” she explains. “And I feel like it’s important for woman and men to have their goals and their own life before they can complete someone else. So we took our time.”

Not that Jay-Z was putting on the pressure. “He’s a great guy,” she gushes. “He’s a cool guy. He’s patient.”

The hip-hop star knows when to give up on a lost cause, though – like Beyoncé learning to cook.

“He actually, after me cooking a couple of times, he said, ‘Just don’t do it,‘” she recalls. “It’s ok.”

Previously: ‘Usher’s Mother Accused Of Scamming Limo Driver,’ ‘Usher And Wife Having Second Baby’

Doctors told the couple that they’re having another boy, and he’s due to arrive on Dec. 15, just in time for the holidays.

Usher told Access Hollywood that their new bundle of joy will be “one of the best Christmas gifts there is to have.”

“There are a few names,” he told Access. “But if you guys have any unique one, please feel free to hit me up. Let me know.”

It was around this time last November when Usher and Tameka welcomed their first child together, Usher Raymond V. He turns one on Wednesday (Nov. 26).

Previously: ‘Brandy Says Car Crash Changed Life Forever’

Singer Brandy opens up for the first time to Us Weekly about her fake marriage and the “traumatic” car accident that left one person dead.

In 2002, Brandy Norwood announced she’d secretly wed music producer Robert Smith the year before – just four months before giving birth to their baby, Sy’rai, when just 22 years old. The pair even acted as husband and wife on MTV series Brandy: A Special Delivery, which documented their daughter’s birth.

Check out photos of the most controversial reality TV families.

But after calling it quits in 2003, Smith told a radio station the marriage never happened.

“I lied because of the fear of what people would think and the pressure to be a good role model,” Norwood, 29, reveals to Us Weekly in her first interview on the topic.

“Our relationship was very real, we just weren’t legally married,” she adds.

Look back on Hollywood’s ugliest splits.

Norwood also admits she kept her daughter in the dark about the 2006 multicar collision she was involved in that left a 38-year-old woman dead.

“It was a very tough time, and I still have never talked about it with Sy’rai,” she says. “I had to be a mother and stay strong for her. I’d cry when she’d go to sleep so she wouldn’t see me like that – I had a responsibility to her.”

Though Norwood wasn’t arrested (there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system) and was never charged, a $50 million lawsuit by the victim’s family looms.

But the singer (her next album, Human, hits stores Dec. 9) is moving forward from the past. Watch outtakes from the exclusive Us Weekly photo shoot below.

“I think this is my year because I’ve decided that I’m going to go with the flow in my life,” Norwood tells Us. “The purpose of my life is music. it’s my responsibility to give the fans something they’ve been waiting for, something they deserve.”

See photos of stylish moms on the go.

SOURCE: USWeekly.com