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Man, It’s a Hot One: Carlos Santana Launches His Own Coffee Company
Carlos Santana, ten-time Grammy-winning guitarist, global rock star, and… coffee connoisseur? It’s true: the legendary musician has officially launched his own coffee company, and man, it’s a hot one. Simply named The Carlos Santana Coffee Company, the new venture promises to offer “premium, fresh-roasted coffee produced from the finest quality beans around the world, hand-crafted to awaken both your heart and mind.” The products are made in collaboration with the Icon Global Coffee Company and “their 90-year-old fourth generation importer, roaster and packaging company.” All of the various coffee offerings are said to be inspired by Santana’s extensive discography, and many are even named after his recordings. There’s a dark roast blend called “Oye Como Va”, in honor of the Tito Puente cl...
Dave Grohl on How Last Month’s SNL Slot Came Together and Doing Mushrooms at His Mom’s Holiday Party
You probably saw Foo Fighters performing on that crazy episode of Saturday Night Live that premiered the day that Joe Biden won the election. In a conversation with Zane Lowe at Apple Music, Dave Grohl explained the backstory behind being asked to play that night—which was put together in just a few days. “…Usually with Saturday Night Live, they call you, you get the call months in advance, like weeks and weeks and weeks in advance,” Grohl said. And they pair you with a host and the managers and the publicists talk to the network and the show and blah, blah, blah. “This time they called us on Tuesday. And they were like, ‘Hey, do you want to play Saturday Night Live?’ And we were like, ‘Of course. When?’ They were like ‘Saturday.’ So we’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ It was such a rush just to pack...
Haim Share the Anguish of 2020 on Their Version of ‘Christmas Wrapping’
Hanukkah ends tonight and the Haim sisters decided to take the holiday out in style. The trio, with an assist by Thundercat on bass and some new lyrics from playwright Jeremy O. Harris (Slave Play), released their own version of Waitresses’ 1981 tune “Christmas Wrapping” with the appropriately titled “Christmas Wrapping 2020 (All I Want for Christmas Is a Vaccine),” as their first holiday song. The song sums up 2020 pretty succinctly, lamenting the lack of sex, their skin breaking out, subpar latkes, spending too much time on TikTok, drinking and the Cuisinart not working. However, it did try to be hopeful in a small way by cheering Trump’s removal from office, Tom Hanks being saved from COVID and Zendaya winning an Emmy. Watch the clip below. [embedded content] Earlier this year, Haim rel...
Marcus Haney on Photo Book Documenting Last Innocent Decade of Concerts
The cover of James Marcus Haney’s new photo book, Fantatics, doesn’t feature a massive arena crowd or rowdy mosh pit — any of the obvious concert imagery one might expect. Instead, it shows two people mid-kiss: eyes largely closed, mouths agape, seemingly transfixed amid a sea of strangers. Haney has “no idea” who they are. “I took one photograph of them, and I don’t think they even registered that a photograph was taken,” he tells SPIN with a laugh. “I hope they are together and married with kids or something. If they see themselves on a bookshelf somewhere, I hope that’s a good thing.” In this case, the image illuminated Haney’s purpose for the book: documenting the personal — and often intimate — side of the concert experience from 2010 through the early pandemic. “Right from the b...
WELP!: Sage Steele Replaced on ESPN By Woman She Tried To Get Fired
Source: Meg Oliphant / Getty Sage Steele may have thought she had a little more pull than Elle Duncan, but it appears after ESPN’s latest announcement she found out just how sick of her personality that everyone really is. On Monday (Dec 15), the network took to Twitter to alert fans of the change, making note that Sage Steele will no longer be anchoring the daily 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter, before noting that the coveted spot would be filled by none other than Elle Duncan. “ESPN announces SportsCenter anchor lineup for the new year,” the tweet read. “Steele will move to the noon ET edition of SportsCenter as co-anchor after the College Football Playoff and will add a new periodic ESPN+ interview program to her slate.” Duncan, who is currently on maternity leave, and will join Kevin Ne...
Come Back On Deck: Fetty Wap Explains Why He “Fell Off” To A Fan On IG
Source: Steven Ferdman / Getty In 2014, Fetty Wap‘s “Trap Queen” hit the airwaves like a tsunami out of left field and was heard everywhere from the club to the burbs. Alhough it looked like Fetty was well on his way to superstardom, nothing happened after that his single, for the most part. Sure the New Jersey artist appeared on a gang of features courtesy of mixtape rappers looking to use his clout to put themselves on, but in a couple of years the singer/rapper went from one of the hottest artists on the streets to as ice cold as that piece on his chest. The man even appeared on Love & Hip Hop and we all know once you’re a rapper who’s relegated to a check from VH1, it’s more than likely a wrap for your career—no shots. While most fans hesitate to ever ask a rapper the dreaded “what...
DJ Akademiks Goes In On Ebro & Peter Rosenberg After Being Called “Softest Man In The Game”
Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty DJ Akademiks is only a few weeks removed from being (officially?) fired from Complex’s Everyday Struggle but already one of the most criticized Hip-Hop personalities in the game is once again defending himself from his on-air peers. Recently Hot 97‘s Peter Rosenberg decided to take a nice sized crap on the former Everyday Struggle co-host, referring to him as a “talentless hack” on Ebro In The Morning before really going in on Tekashi 6ix9ine’s former best friend. “Let me tell you the level of tit mouse that dude was in that building and the way he walked in those hallways and the speed walk that dude does to avoid confrontation in real life. Akademiks, the level of bitch in that dude, OK? I am one of the softest dudes publicly in the history of Hip-Hop. I’m...
Online Marketplace StockX Valued At $2.8B After Receiving $275M Series E Funding
Source: Cody Glenn / Getty StockX’s stock just went up…literally, and you could possibly get a piece of it very soon. Online marketplace StockX where you can cop anything from classic Jordans, designer clothing, and PS5 consoles, just announced its $275 million Series E funding, which will now push the company’s value to about $2.8 billion. Hypebeast reports that the company intends to use its new funding to expand further its global reach and new “product development efforts.” But, there are whispers that StockX’s new financing is helping the company prepare to go public. StockX’s CEO, Scott Cutler, spoke on the company’s new partners adding in a statement: “The quality of investors joining us is a clear signal that the market recognizes that there is an incredible opportunity in e-commer...
How to Take Diva Collaborations to ‘Another Level of Badass’
Long-standing assumptions about female artists competing with one another have also dissolved, says Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, CEO/owner of management firm SALXCO, whose roster includes Doja Cat and Bebe Rexha. The idea that there’s room for only one chart-topping female at a time is “very unrealistic,” he says. “When artists come together and have healthy competition, everyone wins.” But executives aren’t suddenly having epiphanies dispelling sexist myths, notes Calhoun — audiences are voicing demand for female collaborations through their listening habits. “The fans are hungry for it and the fans are playing it, so there’s a business there,” she says. “Male artists have held the throne for a minute now, and I think women want to hear women artists.” Perhaps no fan spends more time thinking abo...
What Does ‘Alternative’ Mean in 2020?
Laura Ohls, senior editor, folk and AAA, Spotify: I’ve always thought of “alternative” as referring to any artist creating music that challenges what’s being popularized in the mainstream, across all genres. In the ’90s, rock music was still very much at the core of popular music culture, and as a result, “alternative” [was more] guitar-driven in sound. Fast forward to 2020, where hip-hop, pop and Latin are the titans of genre, and you’ll find that the class of artists defying what’s expected are doing so within these genre spaces. As a result, there is an amalgamation of genres that make up modern “alternative” sounds. We launched our Alternative Hub earlier this year in order to unite all of our alternative programming into one dedicated space. The idea was to have a destination that enc...
The Top 10 Country Songs of 2020: Staff Picks
10. Gabby Barrett, “I Hope” Barrett’s multi-format smash starts innocently enough, as she tenderly wishes her ex-boyfriend well with his new love. But just as soon as she’s lulled the listener into thinking she’s moved on, she delivers the stinging zinger: “I hope she’s wilder than your wildest dreams/ She’s everything you’re ever gonna need/ And then I hope she cheats,” she sings as the song twists from sweet to sinister. Barrett’s supple vocals wring every bit of nuance out of the tune that serves as a PG-rated revenge fantasy. 9. Kalie Shorr, “My Voice” Though only in her mid-20s, Shorr has been a force in Nashville for a few years, advocating for women and independent artists. On this twangy tune, she takes mainstream country radio to task for not playing more women —...
Taylor Hanson & Wife Natalie Welcome Their Seventh Baby: ‘7 Is a Beautiful Number’
The 37-year-old singer announced that he and Natalie, who have been married since 2002, were expecting their seventh baby in a sweet Instagram post back in September. “The best kind of unexpected. Number seven coming this December. #2020,” he wrote. He told Today’s Parent in 2017 about the lessons he’s learned of being part of a big family. “I think what’s really cool about bigger families is that everybody develops this innate ability to figure out how to compromise, work with others and realize that the entire world doesn’t revolve around you,” he said at the time. “It also encourages you to be an individual because you can clearly see your differences from a brother or sister. I see that with my kids: They’re very different, ...
