Musical artists are constantly using different social networks to interact with fans, from Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and Tumblr. But some artists, such as Maino, are putting a different twist on the approach. The rapper teamed up with YuuZoo to launch his own social platform. He celebrated its launch last week inside Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club.

“It doesn’t take the place of Facebook, it actually works in accordance with it,” Maino explained. “You have all of this information in one [site], instead of having to log on and jump to different sites.”

In addition to fans of Maino’s finding the network as a “one stop shop” for all things pertaining to the artist, the emcee also benefits in having his own outlet to communicate with his supporters.

“Now I can promote directly; my tour dates, whatever project I’m working on, whatever single it is, anything I’m doing outside of music,” he said. “Everything will be updated. Everything is there for the fans to see.”

The Brooklyn-bred rhymer has a lot to talk about with his fans these days. His last album, Day After Tomorrow, dropped in February and spawned two Top 20 singles. Maino plans to release an EP, Still Unstoppable, this summer.

When people think of Justin Bieber, a number of different opinions may come to mind. Some may still see him as the teenager who packed malls across America past their fire codes. Others might immediately associate Bieber with his girlfriend, actress/singer Selena Gomez. But for Mike Posner, the teen star is simply a “really cool kid.”

“Justin is 18 now, so the kid that I went in to the studio with is like, buddies with Lil Wayne,” Posner explained during a sit-down interview with “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “He like, skateboards with Weezy.”

So how do you convey that image to the public, while not alienating the millions of teens who adore The Biebs? Posner feels they achieved just that with “Boyfriend.”

“My goal was to make something that me and my friends could put on in the car, smoke and drive to, and chill to,” he said. “But also, not abandon this amazing and gigantic fan base that he’s built thus far.”

So Posner co-wrote and co-produced the track, which serves as the lead single from Bieber’s forthcoming album, Believe.

“I’m just honored to be a part of the Bieber project,” Posner said. “He’s such a high profile artist that he really has the opportunity to change where music is and push it in a new direction, and I think that’s exactly what he’s doing with his new album.”

Speaking of different directions and new music, Posner himself is in the midst of writing and recording his sophomore LP, Sky High. The “Cooler Than Me” singer revealed that the album is about 75 percent complete.

“The sound of the record, and the emotion of the record, and the tone of the record; I’m not rapping, I’m singing, but it grows out of hip-hop,” he said of the project. “There’s a lot of soul in the record, and there’s not a lot of synths and techno-beats.”

The album’s first single, “Looks Like Sex,” will be about as “dance-y” as the new material gets. Posner did create a track in studio with David Guetta, however that will not make the LP. The Duke University grad did note that Pharrell Williams, Big Sean, and J. Cole will all contribute to the final piece, due out before the end of the year.

There was a time, not too awfully long ago, when Jesse Marco would lug crates of his music across the snowy campus of Syracuse University to DJ… well, anywhere. Bar gigs, sorority formals, college radio stations – the setting, location, and clientele didn’t matter to Marco – so long as he was able to do what he loved: mixing music.

“I love the act of dee-jaying so much,” Marco professed during a phone interview Wednesday on “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “At the end of the day, none of that stuff matters to me.”

The “stuff” Marco refers to is the celebrity that he has found and that has found him over the past few years, as his career has astronomically taken off. The native-New Yorker transferred out of Syracuse and in to the New York music scene. There, he linked up with the likes of the late DJ AM and Mark Ronson. Now, Marco regularly spins at the hottest night clubs in the world, and is hired by or performs for almost any A-list celebrity you can think of at the moment. And while it ultimately may not matter, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Marco is now one of the top club DJ’s in the game. After all, if he wasn’t at that club out west almost two years ago, he may not have landed his first blockbuster film.

“I was playing a show in LA, and one of the producers from ‘The Hangover’ was there,” Marco recalled. “He came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, we got this part in this movie and you’d be perfect for it.’ And I was like, ‘What? Okay, sure.’”

A month later, Marco was on the set of “Project X,” having the time of his life as he played a DJ to one of the biggest fictional parties ever thrown. Released earlier this month, the movie is one of the biggest and most talked about productions of 2012.

“I’m happy to bridge the gap a little bit now, and sort of move in to the more musical aspect of the business of dee-jaying,” Marco said. “At the end of the day, it’s awesome playing for certain people, and I want people to hear my music.”

Like many other DJ’s you currently hear on the radio, Marco is making the transition by exiting the clubs and entering the studio. Last month he released “Daddy Cool,” his first single on Big Beat/Atlantic Records.

“The [Electronic Dance Music] thing is really big right now, and it’s not slowing down,” Marco stated. “I can’t deny that it’s helping the DJ scene.”

But while “Daddy Cool” may be a foot-moving, fist-pumping friendly record, don’t write it off as just another dance track. Marco, who regularly fuses a plethora of genres in his live set, reworked the 1976 Boney M. disco hit of the same title.

“I was like, ‘Why is nobody sampling ‘Daddy Cool?’’” Marco asked himself after hearing a couple other DJ’s sample the disco band. “That is the quintessential, at least for me, Boney M. track.”
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On “Daddy Cool”:

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So, Marco took the original in to the studio and left with his own modern-day take on the record. He believes the new version is versatile, and mass appeal is not something the DJ is shying from.

“I feel like some people are on like some, ‘Oh don’t sell out. Screw the commercial stuff,’” Marco admits. “Like, I want people to hear my records.”

And if Marco’s career continues its rapid trajectory, they’ll be hearing his music, regardless of if they’re at a college campus or a club, sooner rather than later.

I honestly don’t know what is more compelling: the stories Cady Groves tells, or the manner in which she tells them. Regardless, the 22 year-old is quite the character.

Here’s one example: the Oklahoma-bred singer is currently supporting Hot Chelle Rae’s headlining tour. Groves and HCR guitarist Nash Overstreet are tight – and when I called Nash during my interview with Cady, I found out exactly how tight.

“Nash and I, we like to play this thumping game, where we thump each other’s genitalia,” Groves revealed in studio, thankfully with the delay button working. “I thump his peen, and he thumps my V.”

You can’t make these quotes up. But back to the original point, it isn’t just the stories that make you laugh, cringe, or in some cases both – but the fact that Groves will rattle this stuff off to semi-strangers the way you talk about walking your dog or shopping for groceries.

“We like to play games where [Nash] is hungover on his bus, and I go and talk to him,” Groves continued. “And he pretends it’s food poisoning.”

“She got the band member wrong,” Overstreet shot back – eliciting “oohs” and laughter from the studio. The guitarist had just returned with his group from Australia and New Zealand, opening up for Taylor Swift.

Now HCR will tour the States with Groves and her stories in tow. She has plenty of tales, and not all of them are about anal sex (“I talk about that all the time”) or her bra size (“I’ll end tweets with, ‘#BCup’). No, some are actually quite serious. Like the one when she fell in love with a producer, only to find out that he was living a double life.

“I told my label (RCA) like, ‘I wanna make my whole album with this guy,’” Groves recalled of the 35 year-old producer. The singer linked up with him when she was 21. “We started looking at apartments together, and I literally thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.”

Everything unraveled when the producer uncharacteristically showed up late to a recording session one day. While Groves was actually making apologies for the guy, the engineer unknowingly dropped a bomb on the singer, revealing that the producer lived out in Santa Monica… with his wife.

“My life literally came crumbling down,” she said. “He got there that day, I called his wife, she ended up being like 40 [years-old].”

The producer and artist parted ways, and Groves retreated in to a deep depression. Then, RCA Records came calling, wondering what was happening to their once promising pop starlet.

“My label was like, ‘Dude, get out of bed. Write an album about this guy,’” Groves said. “Everything kind of stemmed from that.”

That album is an EP – This Little Girl – and is available on iTunes now.

Amy Heidemann idolized Whitney Houston as a child. She can remember singing along to Houston’s hits, attempting to mimic those massive vocal runs. The Berklee graduate dreamt that one day she could become as famous as the icon.

Little did Heidemann know as a child growing up in Nebraska that a weird twist of fate would prevent her from ever meeting Houston. Yet, this same twist would position the superstar uniquely in her fan’s career and life.

Heidemann and fiancé Nick Noonan have gained fame as the duo Karmin. First, it was their cover of Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now.” The video went viral on YouTube to the tune of over 60 million views. An appearance on “Ellen” and a national media tour followed, and then Epic Records called. Now Karmin is touring the country to promote its single, “Brokenhearted,” which is off the group’s debut album, due out this spring.

The night of February 11, Karmin was preparing to perform “Brokenhearted” on “Saturday Night Live.” About two hours prior to show time in New York, news broke from Los Angeles that Houston had been found dead in her hotel room. Heidemann revealed on “The Ralphie Radio Show” that before the show, there was talk backstage about the duo paying tribute to the fallen star by covering one of her songs, as they had done with so many other artists on the band’s YouTube channel.

“[Houston’s] like covering Adele, or The Beatles; it’s really difficult to tackle something like that,” she explained. “We decided not to in the end of it.”

Heidemann clarified that when Karmin does attempt to perform a tough song, it usually comes with modifications.

“I mean, we did a couple of [Adele’s], but we changed them so much,” she said. “We weren’t like karaoke Adele; we changed the arrangement to fit our style.”

Karmin’s style is captivating fans worldwide. The group’s break out original single, “Brokenhearted,” is receiving airplay on radio stations across the country. It is an up-tempo track with a bittersweet plot.

“I was in the studio and I’m talking about taking Patron shots, alone, waiting for the phone to ring,” Heidemann recalled of the recording session for the single. “It’s tense, and all of the sudden, [the producers] were like, ‘Just improvise on this next take.’ And I was like, ‘Uh, cheerio!’”

Alas, a catchphrase which would be used throughout the entire song was born. Thankfully for Heidemann, the only thing she has to wait for in her personal life is to set a wedding date with Noonan. Perhaps not so thankfully for him, Noonan’s fiancée is actually quite the fan of tequila (“in responsible amounts” she insists). Cheerio.

So five people, all from different parts of the globe, meet randomly at an artist residency in Greece. None of the aforementioned artists are Greek, or from the country. They eventually form a bond, then a band, and create an album. The breakout song from that album is a happy sounding song on a LP called Never Trust a Happy Song.

In a nutshell, that is the unlikely story of Grouplove, an indie rock quintet that is gaining a steady following since the band’s debut album hit stores last fall. Grouplove performed on the “Late Show,” landed a song on the Madden NFL video game soundtrack, and scored Blair’s marriage scene on “Gossip Girl.”

“My sister and all of her friends were shrieking on my answering machine,” singer Hannah Hooper told me recently. The band is supporting Young the Giant on tour before its own headlining trek this summer. “Everyone was just freaking out.”

While I doubt he was “shrieking,” it was a similarly surreal experience hearing the song on the show for singer/bassist Sean Gadd.

“I had never seen ‘Gossip Girl’ before, but I could see that it was such a huge scene for the program,” Gadd admitted. “It made me listen to ‘Slow’ in such a different way… it was bizarre.”

But the song that is currently climbing up the Billboard chart is “Tongue Tied,” and that received a little outside help as well, in the form of an Apple iPod ad.

“[The commercial] was on all the time, literally,” Gadd said when he returned home to London for the holidays. “Every commercial break it seemed to come on!”

Despite the jovial melody of the track and spirit in the commercial, the song didn’t exactly emanate from the happiest of origins.

“It came from a dark place,” Hooper explained. “Christian [Zucconi] was doing a movie score for a really depressing film, and Sean and I were hanging out… but Christian was just messing around with different piano lines and a really happy one came out of it.”

Their instincts were already correct in knowing to travel to Greece, and form the band. Right then, the group knew they had its party song. It came from an unlikely source, but that was a scenario far from Greek to them.

On Friday when I chatted with One Direction’s Niall Horan, he told me the boy band had no plans to do a television series.

“We obviously did an episode of ‘iCarly’ for Nickelodeon,” he noted – the group’s cameo will air April 7. “That’s the only thing we’re doing at the moment. We’re not very good at acting, so I don’t think we’ll ever do acting.”

Horan did leave the door open, albeit slightly.

“The nearest thing we’d get to is a documentary,” he said, before reiterating, “There are no plans for a TV show at the moment.”

His comments came just two days after a Nickelodeon press release struck a different tone. The network announced that among its 2012 slate includes a development project for the UK pop band. The mention of One Direction came in the live action portion of the release – meaning whatever Nick has in store for 1D will not be animated.

Perhaps Horan misspoke, or spoke prematurely. Maybe he’s still learning the old American art of how musicians can answer a question without really answering it. Regardless, you could certainly understand why there might be just bit of confusion. The 18 year-old and his band mates are in the midst of an American whirlwind. The group’s U.S. television debut was last Monday, in front of 10,000 screaming fans at New York’s Rockefeller Center and millions more at home watching NBC’s “The Today Show.” One Direction’s album, Up All Night, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. The band beat out the likes of Adele and Bruce Springsteen, and became the first UK group to debut in the States atop the charts. The feat certainly isn’t lost on Horan.

“I’ve been listening to Bruce Springsteen for as long as I can remember,” Horan said. “To think he’s in the same chart as me is just incredible.”

But while the success has been both plentiful and swift, there is a small down side for Horan. It seemed St. Patrick’s Day was just another reminder for Irishman that there is no place like home.

“It’s funny, you grow up and spend your whole life wanting to get away and leave home,” he explained. “And then when you finally get away, you realize how much you miss home, and you can’t wait to get back.”

The band plans on heading back home soon – but don’t worry Directioners – Horan revealed that the group will return to the States this summer. A formal announcement is expected this week.

Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali… Flavor Flav? No, that isn’t a list of the world’s greatest emcees – but rather celebrity chefs with restaurants in Las Vegas. The hip-hop icon-turned-reality TV star threw his name on the list last week when Flavor Flav’s House of Flavor opened up a few miles from The Strip. The take-out spot’s specialty is the rapper’s personal recipe for fried chicken.

“I came up with this from experimenting in the kitchen for many years,” Flav told me at the grand opening ceremony last week. “My family owned a soul food restaurant, and then when I became a certified cook, I was the head cook at the Nassau County Courthouse.”

That’s correct: Flavor Flav isn’t simply another celebrity attempting to cash in solely with his name. The Long Island native actually has a culinary degree, meaning his move from music to food isn’t a stretch, and is more of a return to his roots.

The alcohol brand? Well, perhaps that is another story. Le Flav Spirits makes its debut this year on an alcohol-stocked shelf near you with vodka.

“Next month I’m coming out with grape and bubble gum [flavors],” Flav revealed as he showed off the bottle. “Also I’m coming out with a Le Flav cognac and Chateau Le Flav, that’s the bubbly.”

Sober Sally’s need not worry, as the hip-hop artist will also be releasing a non-alcoholic champagne in the line. As for Flav’s music fans – have no fear. He’s not just spending time with fried food and booze, but also laying down tracks with his old friend and collaborator.

“Me and Chuck D, we’re recording a Public Enemy album right now as we speak,” he said. “And also I’m coming out with another solo album.”

Flav predicts a single from the LP will be released in July. Somewhere between all of the distilling, dishing, and vocal cutting, he may even find a moment to take a break.

“Right now, these people are so important,” he said. “In order to get it done man, you gotta be awake to do it.”

Within the past seven months, Young the Giant has performed at the MTV “Video Music Awards” and had a song featured on the hit TV show, “Glee.” You could debate that the California-based indie rock band is becoming “mainstream.” It seems the band could care less what label others try to associate with its music, so long as people listen and enjoy it.

“We don’t intend on being mainstream, we don’t intend on being super indie, we’re just us,” lead singer Sameer Gadhia told me on “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “We don’t discriminate; we’re very open with the application of the music.”

With “Cough Syrup” covered during a scene on “Glee” where a character almost commits suicide, Young the Giant found out that there are issues far greater than “mainstream” that the band’s music can help address.

“We were a little bit confused at first that [‘Glee’] would choose one of our songs,” admitted drummer François Comtois. “Then we received the treatment and saw that it was dealing with a subject that, not necessarily like close to home, but something super important for us.”

Comtois noted that the band is big on education, and cited bullying as something that can take its toll on the psyche of kids trying to learn and develop.

“It made it a lot easier for us to say yes at that point,” he continued. “We saw [the treatment] and it was just kind of like, ‘Oh of course.’ There’s no hesitation in a situation like that.”

Despite the fact that the band is still gaining new fans off its self-titled debut, Comtois said the band is already working on new material. Young the Giant is debuting three new songs each night of its current tour, which runs through the end of April. The group began working on the tracks during a three-month break prior to this current stretch of dates, and has other songs besides the three that are in various stages of completion.

The fans of VH1’s “Mob Wives” take to Twitter every Sunday when a new episode airs. Many tweet not that they love Drita D’Avanzo, but that they f***ing love her. And when I brought this up to her during a recent interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” it’s safe to say she f***ing loves it.

“There’s an extra ‘oomph’ to it,” a laughing D’Avanzo said. The TV star sat down for a chat before meeting some of those loyal fans inside Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes Barre, PA. “Just loving someone is kind of weak.”

All kidding aside, the soon-to-be ex-wife of the incarcerated Lee D’Avanzo feels that people connect with her because on some level, they can relate.

“Everybody has that side of them,” she said, referring to the no-nonsense, in-your-face persona people witness on the show. “I just keep it real, and I’m myself, and they feel comfortable being their self.”

But D’Avanzo revealed that her closest friends, including one that has known her for over 30 years, see the TV star in a much different light.

“She always tells everyone, ‘I never had an argument with her. She’s the easiest person to get along with,’” D’Avanzo said. “What you do see on the show is me, because I could never not be me. But, there is editing.”

Despite the personal wishes of cast members or the “influence” that family members may have in other areas, the final cut of “Mob Wives” is at the discretion of VH1.

“I would be like, ‘Hello? Take the fight out!’” D’Avanzo said if she had a say in what footage aired on TV. “[The network] is going to get the moments that capture entertainment.”

Of course if you watch the show, you know that “entertainment” primarily refers to conflict and controversy. While that might not paint the most flattering picture of some cast members, it has given way to a number of new opportunities for the single mother.

“That’s exactly why I chose to do [the show], because I want to focus on taking care of my kids,” she stated. “I’m moving forward.”

D’Avanzo is moving to a plethora of projects, including a cameo in a French Montana music video, a modeling gig with a swimwear label, her own cosmetic line, and a new fitness video. Meanwhile, “Mob Wives” is two seasons strong and will debut a new city, ala “Real Housewives” this spring with “Mob Wives Chicago.”

And to think, initially, the men and the women in these families weren’t looking for any extra public exposure.

“When [VH1] came forward, it wasn’t like, ‘Yes! We’re going on TV. Yes! It’s a reality show,’” D’Avanzo admitted. “But, at the same time, all of our men are already in books. There’s really nothing about them that you can’t Google.”

In this age of the Internet and social media, D’Avanzo makes a valid point. Still, you’d have to think that if the men in the family wanted anyone to “Google” anything, it’d be the word “Omertà.”