Brandy to Sign With Def Jam?

The rumor mill is spinning with reports that R&B-mainstay Brandy is in the process of inking a deal with Def Jam. If true, the news would put Brandy head-to-head with other pop sensations on the historic hip-hop label such as Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Ne-Yo and Kanye West.

The speculation stems from a radio interview with The-Dream that took place last week. There, the 'Love King' singer, who is also an executive at Def Jam, cited that Brandy was a new signing and that he expects great things from her on the label.

The move would make sense for Brandy as well. She parted ways with Epic Records, her longtime home, after 2008's poorly selling 'Human.' Although she has received a new generation of fans and some fresh looks from a VH1 reality show entitled 'A Family Business,' Brandy knew after the release of 'Human' that her music release situation had to change.

"At this stage in my career, I want to go all around the world and share my music with everybody but I can't do that without the right team," Brandy told the LA Times last week. "I think at this point, where the music industry is, you get afraid to spend more money (on promotion) ... I just feel like for me, I just really wanted to win. I still want to win, but that's just not the way the universe works sometimes."