The 54th Grammys are on tomorrow night and is hosted by none-other than hip-hop legend LL Cool J – and if you can’t be there, might as well stalk those who are via Twitter.

We pulled together a little list of musicians, music critics, comedians and other accounts that are essential to give an inside look at music’s biggest night. Check them out below:

THE MUSICIANS:
@AdamLevine: Maroon 5′s frontman and The Voice judge is performing with the freakin’ Beach Boys and Foster The People.
@BlobTower: Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon – a Twitterholic and up for two major awards.
@BrunoMars: He’d catch a grenade for you and he snagged a few nods.
@CoryMonteith: That Canadian dude from Glee tweets as much as sings.
@Deadmau5: Toronto’s DJ with a nod and a performance this weekend.
@Drake: Stay tuned for lonely thoughts at the after parties.
@JustinBieber: An up-and-coming tween sensation that has some potential.
@KanyeWest: He’s up for seven awards and he likes to talk. A lot.
@KatyPerry: She’s performing, up for a few awards – and she’s Katy Perry.
@LadyGaga: Mother Monster is performing, up for a few awards.
@LLCoolJ: Host for the evening; stay tuned for a snapshot or two from behind the scenes.
@TheLonelyIsland: Everyone’s favourite SNL-group headed by Andy Samberg.
@LupeFiasco: Nominated for Best Rap Performance.
@MileyCyrus: She will be in attendance.
@NickiMinaj: She’ll be performing, nods for her collab with Drake and Best New Artist.
@Questlove: The Roots’ drummer that is “your favourite twitterer’s music critic.”
@Rihanna: She likes to Tweet That Tweet – let’s see what she has to say about Chris Brown’s performance.
@Skrillex: 24-year-old producer is up for Best New Artist.
@TaylorSwift13: No doubt this nominee will be Instagraming all night long.
@WizardCud: Kid Cudi might not be as philosophical since quitting weed, but remains vocal.
@ZooeyDeschenel: Fresh from her SNL-hosting gig Saturday, she’ll be all adorkable at the award show.

THE MUSIC CRITICS:
@AlanCross: Canadian music-history icon will keep us confirmed.
@GerrickKennedy: Music writer for the Los Angeles Times likes to tweeter.
@JianGhomeshi: Canadian radio personality loves his music.
@RobSheff: Rolling Stone’s resident music critic – knows a thing or two about the industry.
@RyanSeacrest: This guy is so addicted to hosting things that he’ll likely tweet as if he is hosting the damn show.

THE COMEDIANS:
@JimmyFallon: The Late Night host that’s a fan of everything – especially music.
@NealBrennan: New York comedian that is worth following year-round.
@RobDelaney: He tweets like breathing – why aren’t you following him already?

THE OTHERS:
@TheGrammys: Pretty self-explanatory
@Fave: One of the official Grammy bloggers.
@KickKickSnare: An official blogger for the Grammys – been snapping a lot of candid pics of the parties thus far.
@RedCarpet: E! Channel’s official red carpet twitter account with photos and commentary for every major red carpet event.

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As Twitter buzzes about faux ‘RIP Drake’ rumours – he must’ve overdosed on confidence – the rapper has some business to take care of himself.

Yesterday, word spread that Drake was being sued by Ericka Lee, his alleged ex-girlfriend and business partner who appeared on the infamous voicemail message in the Take Care single ‘Marvin’s Room’ – now Drake’s party has responded and released the following statement:

“This claim is entirely without merit and our client has not engaged in any wrongful conduct. Ericka Lee consented to the use of her voice in the song “Marvin’s Room” prior to its release. Lee asked only for the credit she received as ‘Syren Lyric Muse,’ and she did not ask for any compensation. It was only after she retained a lawyer that there was a demand for payment. Drake tried for months to resolve the matter amicably, and he now looks forward to being vindicated in court.”

Lee had claimed that she deserves credit as co-writer and should received royalties for her contribution to the song.

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Once, again Drake is making headlines – no pun intended.

The Hollywood Reporter says Drake’s ex, Erika Lee, is suing the Canadian rapper for excluding her from sharing co-writer royalties on “Marvin’s Room”.

Erika filed the lawsuit this week in California, citing the two wrote the song together in 2010 and she even has proof of it. Erika has kept text messages from Drizzy, including one that reads “you basically made that song.”

Erika says their love went sour after the song was released. Go figure. Drake hasn’t made a comment on this report yet but I can imagine he’ll be protecting his name and royalties. Who does everybody believe: a respectable rhyme-maker or a jealous ex-girlfriend?

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He’s starred in t.v. series, he’s rapped with just about everyone, he’s made a graphic novel and now he wants to play the president in a biopic.

Although he is not American like Barack Obama, he does look a lot like him. When he was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, Drake told reporters he’s eager to play the presidential role.

“I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him,” he said.

“That’s the goal. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions.”

Do you think Drake would make for a good Obama?

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Even since repeatedly pestering that poor DJ to  turn the record up in 2005, Robyn Rihanna Fenty has been a chart-topping powerhouse representative of Def Jam Records. With her collaborations dominating the charts as of late, it seems that the recipe to Billboard success is a Rihanna hook. After all, she has the most digital number-one hits with eleven and counting.

That’s more number-one’s than Stevie Wonder or Janet Jackson. That’s two away from Michael Jackson and nine away from the untouchable Beatles. Are we talking quantity, not quality? It’s up for debate. How does she compare to the Gaga’s, Perry’s and Beyonce’s?

Turn on the radio. Open a music magazine. And if they’re on a break from their teen-preganancy programming, watch MTV. From Maroon 5 to Eminem to Coldplay to Lonely Island, there is that familiar sultry croon of the official ambassador of youth and culture for Barbados. She is considerably the most-featured female singer of this millennium. She’s no Fitzgerald, or Goulding for that matter, but it’s either she has a remarkable talent or impeccable timing. OK, maybe Jay-Z has a little something to do with it.

Going back to 2008, she was featured on two of the biggest songs of the year: Maroon5′s  “If I Ever See Your Face Again” and T.I.’s redemption-song  “Live Your Life.” Two opposing ends of the musical spectrum that equally delivered as hits in their respective genres.

Recently, her collaborations haven’t slowed down, they’ve been unescapable on the pop-charts. She duels with Nicki Minaj, harmonizes on Kanye’s  “All of the Lights”and even trades verses with Chris Martin in Coldplay’s  “Princess of China” In response to his appearance on  “What’s My Name?”, Rihanna flourishes in the role of a wounded-love on the  title track of Drake’s upcoming Take Care EP.

Her solo success should not be ignored. In Billboard’s 53-year-history, Rihanna is in a third-place tie with the legendary Whitney Houston for most chart-toppers, behind Mariah Carey and Madonna. That’s a fine line between jaw-dropping and head-scratching. She was also named Digital Song Artist of the Decade in 2009, passing Mr. West, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.

In a recent study, the most popular videos on YouTube are unsurprisingly, music videos that occupy an incredible 86% of the top 60 most-viewed. What’s even more mind-boggling is that a trifecta of pop-artists total a 25% of those 60 videos: Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Bieber impregnates the rest of the pack with 1.664 billion views. Mother Monster rolls in with 842 million views and Rihanna clocks in with 715 million views.

With her new album Talk That Talk on the horizon (due out November 21), critical pop-singles are expected to stampede the airwaves. She took to Twitter on Tuesday to confirm that her mentor would appear on the title track: “Yes sir! Jigga man is on the title track #TTT.” What a clubhouse that must be, with Kanye and Jay meeting their female counterparts of Beyonce and Rihanna for an afternoon picnic.

Hova and Ri-Ri previously collaborated on her mega-hit “Umbrella” and he featured her on that Blueprint 3 power-house single, “Run This Town.”

She’s definitely beating Chris Brown’s success to death.

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Drake has unveiled a $5,000 winter jacket. Why is it 5 grand? Well it is made with only the finest materials for winter wear.

Exclaim reports the jacket includes: buffalo leather, goose down, a silk-lined interior, a removable fox fur trim and 24-karat gold plated hardware. Yes, we said gold! The jacket was made in partnership with Canada Goose.

$5,000 for a winter jacket is insane. And really, do you want a gold plated jacket when you are walking around in the slush?

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Drake made a fan’s lucky day when he joined her on stage to sing karaoke to one of his songs. The fan uploaded the video to YouTube of her singing “What’s My Name?” with Drake. It all went down at the Saddle Ranch.

“Excuse my voice but I was kinda nervous. Lol,” YouTube user Dee wrote below the video.

How do you think she did? And whose that assh*le yelling in the background?

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Apparently the Uggs phenomenon is nowhere near over – and it’s just entering its next phase of the life cycle. Assuming Lil Wayne has anything to do with it.

In Drake’s newest video for “The Motto,” Lil Wayne shows off his newest footwear. His choice is the DayGlo green ugg-style boots.

So what do you think. Are they cool or tacky?

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Canadian homeboy Drake loves the west coast so much he had shoot his latest video for “The Motto” in the Bay area of California.

Along for the ride were Lil Wayne, Tyga E-40 and Mistah F.A.B. as they all show up in his new video for the bonus track off his new album, “Take Care”.

Drake revealed in an interview the video was made entirely on real film, something most performers rarely do in this digital age.

While the cars in the video are nice to look at, their outfits…not so much. When you have to pay thousands of dollars for such fancy car rentals, there may not be room left in the budget for styling. Drake is seen wearing a cheetah print winter coat and Lil Wayne tried to rock bright green winter boots. I wonder what Anna Wintour of Vogue has to say about this.

The video wasn’t without it’s good moments. For instance, the beginning opens with the mother of the late rapper Mac Dre sending out a heartfelt message to her slain son.

Check out “The Motto” below.

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Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, has at long last revealed the third and final instalment to his 2011 trilogy.

The 21-year-old Toronto soul-revivalist has gone from a nobody to a household name, with thanks to his two releases and his collaborations with Aubrey Graham – a.k.a. Drake. His first two albums, House of Balloons and Thursday have received a variety of critical acclaim from a Polaris Prize nomination to a variety of best of 2011 lists, including our own. His site crashed for a few minutes due to high-traffic – so good ol’ Abel tweeted out a HulkShare link. You find the track listing and listen to the entire mixtape below.

This is pure baby-making music right here.

The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence by Flausenkopf

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The City of Toronto is pissed off at one of their own. Drake used a billboard in the city to promote his album “Take Care.” However, the city argues there is a trademark infringement over the word “Toronto,” which is spelt in a font distinctively used by the city.

The sign has been up for a couple of months, but only recently has it been brought to the attention of Toronto officials. The city believes it looks like an official “Welcome” sign.

“We would suggest that the treatment of the word Toronto used on the billboard is very similar to the wordmark that forms part of the Toronto logo,” city spokesperson Francine Antonio-Forte told the Toronto Star. “The similarity of the wordmarks, in conjunction with other creative elements used for the billboard, may cause some confusion about the source of the information.” There’s been no word as to whether Toronto officials will take legal action against their pride and joy. “While the city is proud of its local and international talent, we have a general practice of reviewing and addressing reported or known cases related to the possible misuse of the Toronto logo,” Antonio-Forte added.

If the city was smart, they would leave Drake alone. The rapper has put Toronto and Canadian hip-hop on the map, and the rapper proudly represents the city. Hopefully they just give him a warning.

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Just in case this woman ever gets amnesia and forgets who her favourite artist is, she’ll have no trouble being reminded with this new tattoo on her forehead.

Vice Magazine got a hold of the tattoo artist who made it all possible. Kevin Campbell of Will Rise Parlour in L.A. wasn’t aware of who the ‘Drake’ tat was referencing.

“I figured it was her hood or some shit, not some goofnugget R&B dude,” he says.

Kevin also told Vice he believed the woman – who is never named – was planning this design for a while.

“I’m not really sure how much extended coherent thought could actually go into getting such a stupid tattoo on your forehead,” he said.

Sure, a tattoo of the word ‘Drake’ on your wrist or shoulder isn’t a big deal. but when it’s a giant word in capital letters on your forehead, try explaining that one to your boss!

Kevin explains the woman will be coming back to have the tattoo finished. She only had enough money for the outline. He believes once she comes for her second appointment she’ll be able to explain exactly what caused her to do this. My money’s on a big drug binge.

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Internationally known rapper Drake tries to one-up Ryan Gosling in the Tumblr world with his own page called Foodie Drake. It was created by an avid fan, because they believe “Take Care” was about binge eating.

Foodie Drake takes Drake’s lyrics and incorporates food into it. For example:

It’s hilarious to believe these lyrics could actually be true. If they were, he’d be the size of Rick Ross already. This Tumblr page was just created a few days ago and more photos will be posted over time. Drake has what I assume to be an insatiable appetite, so Foodie Drake has the longevity it needs in cyber space.

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Canada’s not only a leader in premium maple syrup and the most tender, crispiest back bacon, we’re masters of the Billboard music scene.

According to the Billboard Hot 200 Charts, four of the top five positions on the Billboard Chart are held by Canadians. Not too shabby for a country that repeatedly gets made fun of for “being too nice”. It’s a-boot time Americans paid more attention to our fine exports.

Michael Buble’s “Christmas” album reigns in the top spot. Justin Bieber’s “Under the Mistletoe” is in third place. Drake’s “Take Care” is holding steady at four while Nickelback rounds out the top 5 with “Here and Now”.

Ah, if it weren’t for Adele maybe we could have finally had all top 5 positions to a Canuck. She’s interrupting the Canadian flow by being in second place with “21″.

Such achievement has never been made by Canadians. Canadian broadcaster Alan Cross commented on this phenomenon, saying, “earlier this year I think there were three in the top ten, but never four in the top five. Canadians continue to punch above their weight.”

Let’s hope this Canadian momentum will last enough to take us in to the new year.

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Today on #freshpresslive, we talk about this year’s smashup, Britney Spears’ 30th Birthday, Britney Spears top moments, and a hilarious Drake spoof.

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Drake has become a big enough celebrity to accumulate a couple of spoof videos. Drake’s the one rapper everyone wants to work with on their next album, so why wouldn’t people want to be impersonating him?

Actor Affion Crockett is the latest star to make a spoof video on the Canadian rapper. Affion’s been in C list movies like Dance Flick and Miss Congeniality 2 but with this new role of his, he gets an A!

He tackles on the artist’s eye moustaches (eyebrows) to the beat of the hit song “Headlines”.

“Comb through it, please comb through it….That’s the way that they grow. They grow, they grow, they grow,” Affion sings the chorus.

It’s a really hilarious song that obviously took the actor a lot of time to recreate. He also touches upon Drake’s race.

“My mom and daddy only wanted really light skinned children. That’s why my eyebrows grow faster than Lil Wayne had children. They can’t tell if Im black, white or a F-ing alien,” he sings.

We’re listening and laughing our butts off at this spoof. This dude almost gives Wierd Al Yankovic a run for his money.

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With his new album “Take Care” debuting at number one on the Billboard charts, some of Drake’s managers won’t be getting a penny from it.

The New York Post reports the 25-year-old Toronto rapper fired four of his Hip Hop Since 1978 managers, who also work for Kanye West and Nicki Minaj.

Drake also told his agency, International Creative Management, to “take care” as he’s moving on with agent Brent Smith of William Morris Endeavor.

This decisions, sources say, was due to the fact that the rapper “felt like there were too many hands in his pockets.”

Judging by how hot this guy is right now, I don’t think managers are going to take it very well. This one is definitely “far from over”.

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Florence Welch seems to really love our homeboy, Drake.

The Toronto rapper and the flame-haired English songstress was flirted with a collaboration in the past but nothing came of of it – yet! Both have released highly-anticipated albums in the last few weeks and I smell a duet in the near distance.

During a performance on BBC Radio 1, Florence + the Machine created a divine rendition of Drake’s song “Take Care”. When Florence sings, angels get their wings. The cover stripped most of the hip-hop elements and traded it in for beautiful string arrangements.

It’s a moving performance from Florence Welch. Check out the video below.

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Hundreds of fans stopped by HMV in downtown Toronto to score their seven seconds in heaven with Drake on Monday – some having been there since as early as 8 p.m. the night before! Talk about dedicated fans.

In an interview with MuchMusic’s T-Rexxx, who hosts Rap City, Drake admitted that once he heard the stories of people coming from all over the country just to meet him, there was no way he could leave without making sure he met every single fan. Drake even stopped to take pictures with some of the lucky fans, after it had been made clear in the ads that it would strictly be an autograph session only.

Drake ended up staying for around three hours more than scheduled in his effort to make sure all his fans got the attention they deserved.

I never thought it would be possible to respect Drake any more than I already do, but after hearing this, he has shot up to the top of my list. It’s nice to find out that fame and fortune hasn’t gotten to everyone, and that Drake will always remember being Aubrey Graham from Toronto. I’m so proud of you, Drake! Make sure to pick up your copy of Drake’s latest album, “Take Care”, which is in stores now.

Check out more pictures from the signing here.

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Today Rihanna released the first single from her upcoming album Talk Talk Talk. The track is called “You Da One,” and it’s an upbeat power-pop love song with some heavy bass synths that almost sound like they were borrowed from dub step.

In honour of Rihanna’s flirtation with the genre, we hand selected some new singles that have been remixed by dub step artists.

Normally this sort of stuff isn’t really our style but these inturpretations were so enticing we had to post them. Check out our playlist below, featuring Mac Miller, Drake, Cher Lloyd and Mike Posiner. If nothing else, these tracks should help carry you into the weekend and they would make an excellent addition to a pre-party playlist.

Mac Miller – Smile Back / Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

Drake Ft. Nicki Minaj – Make Me Proud (DJ Frankenstein Remix)

Cher Lloyd feat Mike Posner – With Ur Love (Shirobon Remix)

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