"It's gonna be funny fo' sho. I can't really wonder what people think, as long as I do my thing. I enjoyed it. I think people are going to love it." says Da Brat. She is currently working on a new album which is untitled as of yet. No word on the album's release date.

Signed And Sealed *

Production duo the TrakStarz, who gained national attention after writing and producing Chingy's multi-platinum Capitol debut, "Jackpot," have formed a joint venture with Blackground Records, whose roster includes JoJo, Toni Braxton, Tank and the late Aaliyah.

Under the terms of the three-year deal, St. Louis-based Alonzo "Zo" Lee, 26, and Shamar "Sham" Daugherty, 29, will sign and develop talent through their TrakStarz Records label, as well as release their own album. Aside from the Blackground association, the TrakStarz will maintain existing song deals with Interscope and Capitol Records.

The TrakStarz have worked with Houston ("I Like That"), Ludacris ("Splash Waterfalls" remix) and  "Gold Digger" from the Shark Tale soundtrack).

Just When You Thought It Was All Good...

Trina reportedly is in danger of losing her Pembroke Pines, Fla., home. According to court documents, the rap vixen missed more than three consecutive payments on her home, and her bank is now in the process of foreclosure. Trina has owned the lavish pad, which was once featured on MTV's show Cribs, since October 1999. The value of the house is estimated at $300,000.

Round 2***

Fans of The Surreal Life on VH1 this season know that Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav made a splash together in and out of thats wimming pool in the back of that mansion.  VH1 is reuniting the ghetto-flash and Euro-trash pair to see if their love is true.  Flavor visits Brigitte in Milan to meet her elite royal friends and mother, brother and son. Brigitte then travels to Flavor's hometown of the Bronx to meet his children and go to church with his mother and sisters.  The two then go to Vegas where viewers will have to see if they get hitched or one of them gets ditched. The show will premiere on January 9th at 10 p.m.

Let It Burn***

Usher will burn up the stage with the concert event of the year from San Juan's Coliseo de Puerto Rico live on ShowTime( Saturday, March 5 at 9pm ET/ PT) . Usher, who recently swept the Billboard Music Awards with 11 wins and received eight Grammy(R) nominations including Album of the Year, will perform a 90-minute live show titled One Night , One Star, Usher Live , featuring chart- topping hits from his latest multi-platinum selling album Confessions."The concert marks the first and only time the star will perform a full-length live show on television in 2005.

"Usher is, without question, the biggest thing in the music business right now, and we're thrilled he wanted to do his live concert with us," said Showtime's  President of Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt.  "Every network bandies the word 'event' around -- well, this is the real deal."

Beginning production in early 2005, Usher will also star in a new movie for MTV Films which he will executive produce. Most recently, Usher has signed on to star in and executive produce Lions Gate's drama Dying for Dolly.

Out Of Court***

Aaliyah's record company cannot sue the video producer that arranged the 2001 airplane flight from the Bahamas in which the singer was killed, an appeals court has ruled. The Manhattan court dismissed the lawsuit brought by Blackground Records, saying only the singer's parents had a right to sue for her wrongful death. The court said the parents did so and were compensated.

Blackground's appellate lawyer, Frank Penski, said Thursday he had not seen the decision and did not know whether his client planned to pursue the case. Aaliyah had just finished a music video when she and eight others were killed in the crash of a twin-engine Cessna as it left the Bahamas en route to Florida in August 2001. She was 22.

An investigation showed the aircraft was overloaded by 700 pounds. An autopsy found cocaine and alcohol in the pilot's body, according to a coroner's testimony. In 2003, Aaliyah's parents, Michael and Diana Haughton, filed papers in Los Angeles court saying they had reached an undisclosed settlement with the plane's operator, owners and flight broker.

Credits: BillBoard*/ MTV**/ Press Release***