The cover artwork for Robin Thicke's upcoming album, "Something Else" was revealed by RAP-UP.COM. Anyone else see a little bit of the same idea used for his previous album with this one? Well I can't knock him for going with a winning formula this time around, I suppose?



Robin partnered up with Mary J Blige for a Fall national concert gig. First a tour spot with Beyonce and now MJB, Robin definitely knows how to pick his concert co-stars huh? Robin also worked with Mary on the remix of his current single, "Magic" - a collaboration that may appear on the album as a bonus track.



Robin explained what to expect from "Something Else" to MSNBC: He described “Something Else” as a cross between “classic Philly, Motown and ’70s black disco meets the creativity of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. It just felt to me that a lot of stuff out there sounds the same. It’s a time for change, for something else.”

However the quote from Robin that popped up all over the urban blogosphere was his thoughts on "VIBE" magazine who denied him the cover. His quote spilled into racism and such with "Billboard" magazine.

Billboard: What is it like trying to break the color line from the other side?

Thicke: When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, “Why can’t I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there’s one magazine that I’d want to be on the cover of, it’s Vibe.” Their response was they don’t have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they’ve had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that’s what it is, it is what it is. And I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman.

I won’t use the word “racism.” I will say it’s a tough — but rewarding — fight. I look at Mary J. Blige, somebody who has had only a few pop hits and yet has changed culture, generated new sounds and inspired leagues of artists. She’s now a worldwide phenomenon. And it’s because of what she stood for; she never gave up. She kept making great music, pouring her heart out to people.

You can’t always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did. His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can’t stop you.

WOW! "Something Else" will be in stores on September 30th.

Labels: MJB, Music Hoopla, New Music, Robin Thicke