Toni Braxton...

[From Groovevolt.com]

Toni Braxton Talks Mariah, Whitney & Playboy!

Returning to your roots seems to pay off; at least it did for Toni Braxton. Her latest album, Libra debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B charts while the debut single, "Please," has been an Urban AC smash since its official May release.

For Braxton, this is a welcome improvement from her last album. "Well, it [More Than A Woman] didn't do well. One of the reasons it didn't do so well was because I left the label when the first single came out. So we didn't have the opportunity to promote the album. That's like the flop of my career so I don't count that one," Braxton said in a recent interview with Rap-Up magazine.

The singer speaks out about Mariah Carey while clearing up any rumors of a diva feud. "We are cordial friends. In the 90s, everyone was so competitive. Everyone was trying to have their moment. Now we look at each other and we're like, 'We're still here.' We never really talked in the past. It's not that we didn't like each other, be we were artists trying to hold onto our moments. Now we have a different admiration for one another." She adds, "I saw her about a month ago when she was having a little dinner party and she said, 'Toni, you should come,' and I was like, 'I would love to, but I have to be up at six in the morning." She was like, 'I understand.' So we'll hook up again later. She was really a sweetheart.

The singer also spoke about Whitney Houston's turn on Being Bobby Brown. "That's quality television. I love it! I think people get to see the real Whitney. That's who she is. She's a no-nonsense girl. Some of the things I thought she got beat up for more than she should have. Because Whitney's really funny and that kind of chick, but sometimes people take it the wrong way. I get why she marries Bobby Brown. He was a huge star in the 80s and early 90s. He was charismatic. He was sexy. I get it. You can't be a star forever."

On that rumored Playboy feature? "They've asked. I haven't done it yet. I just can't do the bottom thing because that's really intimate and really personal. But boobies, what is it? A dime a dozen. You can buy some for $5000. Who cares? But the thing down there, you can't really buy that, or can you? Do you know if you can buy that? All jokes aside, I can't do the bottom thingy."

Toni Braxton's latest single, "Trippin," is picking up steam and the video will be released early next month. The full Rap-Up magazine is now available at Barnes & Noble.

NEWSFILE: 27 OCTOBER 2005