Music
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Entertainment – Music
KiKi Layne Is Bringing Blackness To Blockbusters, And It Begins With The Old Guard
When KiKi Layne was cast as Tish Rivers, a lead character in Barry Jenkins’s quietly profound indie drama If Beale Street Could Talk, the choice may have been a mystery to some. Then a relatively little-known, 26-year-old actress who had spent her post-graduate years working the Chicago theater circuit, she beat out over 300 other hopeful performers for a part that, as the followup to Jenkins’s best picture-winning Moonlight, couldn’t have been more desirable. Yet there she was, with the opportunity of a lifetime, wowing audiences with her tender film debut in the lush adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel about race, family, and dreams, which went on to receive its own roster of accolades. But Layne is eager to surprise, and she has dedicated her rising career to, as she puts it, “breaking ...
A-Trak, TOKiMONSTA, More to Perform at “Rave the Vote” Livestream Events to Encourage Voter Registration
With November’s general election right around the corner, livestreaming platform Lost Resort TV has announced the debut of Rave The Vote, a digital multi-episode voter registration and fundraising event. Music fans can into Twitch on July 24th, August 14th, September 11th, and October 2nd for twelve hours worth of content from some of the most renowned figures in electronic music as well as educational segments and conversations with community leaders, industry professionals, and artists. The mission behind Rave the Vote is to get members of the EDM community to focus their efforts and attention towards the pillars of change and unity by encouraging them to register to vote. To do so, they’ve enlisted a lineup curated to represent our nation’s diverse and ...
![Get Into the Summer Groove With June’s New Releases [Playlist]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/get-into-the-summer-groove-with-junes-new-releases-playlist-1050x600.jpg)
![Get Into the Summer Groove With June’s New Releases [Playlist]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/get-into-the-summer-groove-with-junes-new-releases-playlist-80x80.jpg)
Get Into the Summer Groove With June’s New Releases [Playlist]
Still stuck in quarantine for the foreseeable future, DJs and producers are using the free time to churn out new releases. Last month Armin van Buuren had not one, but three new releases. That includes his most recent melodic house track, “Hollow,” and two festival-ready big room tracks, “Boom Boom” and “Tarzan” with Blasterjaxx. After releasing his London Sessions album in May, Tiësto is still dropping new music too. This time he went with a more bouncy house sound in “Tomorrow.” Nora En Pure also has been busy making new songs while she’s stuck at home. According to a press release for her first release of the year, “All I Need,” fans can expect “a steady stream of new music over the rest of the year.”&nbs...
DEE SNIDER Says ‘It’s Bulls**t’ When Bands Come Back After Announcing ‘Farewell’ Tours
In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was asked for his opinion on the ‘current trend” of bands who come out of retirement for a new tour, such as MÖTLEY CRÜE and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. “I think it’s bullshit,” he said. “When you say farewell… RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE breaks up — that’s not retirement. They broke up, and they reformed, and that’s great. But when you do a farewell tour, and you announce this, and you sell tickets, and you have a t-shirt that says ‘No More Tours’ — thank you very much, Ozzy [Osbourne], I bought one of those — and then you come back, that’s bullshit. So when you say, ‘We’re retiring,’ people now don’t take it seriously. So, ...
RAVEN Unveils ‘Metal City’ Album Artwork
British/American metal trio RAVEN will release its new album, “Metal City”, on September 18 via SPV/Steamhammer. The cover artwork for the disc is available below. According to the label, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s “ExtermiNation” contains “ten metallic masterpieces tapping heavily into that ‘Wiped Out’ vein of speed, power and insanity, while taking a quantum leap forward technically and creatively in order to make the defining album of their career. Raw, unhinged and uncompromising!” This past May, RAVEN bassist/vocalist John Gallagher told The Metal Voice about the group’s new LP: “We have had this pain-in-the-ass process of getting the new album. Just about every hurdle or impediments that you can invent got pu...
STITCHED UP HEART’s Concert In South Dakota Is Still On: ‘We’re A Little Nervous’
STITCHED UP HEART singer Alecia “Mixi” Demner spoke to the KLAQ radio station about her band’s upcoming August 13 appearance in Sturgis, South Dakota as part of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The rally is reportedly going ahead as scheduled, but with a few changes, including the elimination of the opening ceremony, contests, tower for photos and other large events. Asked how she and her bandmates will handle the social distancing part of playing a rock concert, Mixi said (see video below): “I have no idea. Obviously, it’s the only festival of the year. And I think we’re a little nervous. We have a couple of people that have health issues in our team, and we don’t want to put anyone in danger, even in our band. So it’s a little scary. We’...
DAVID LEE ROTH Doesn’t Know If EDDIE VAN HALEN Will Ever Tour Again
David Lee Roth says that he doesn’t know if Eddie Van Halen will ever tour again. There have been a lot of rumors regarding the VAN HALEN guitarist’s supposedly worsening health, including a fall 2019 report from TMZ stating he is battling throat cancer. According to the gossip site’s story, Van Halen has been traveling between the U.S. and Germany for treatment going on several years now. Asked in a new interview with The New York Times if he thinks VAN HALEN will ever tour again, Roth said: “I don’t know that Eddie is ever really going to rally for the rigors of the road again. I don’t even want to say I’ve waited — I’ve supported for five years. Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual — you can’t take five year...
Talib Kweli to Release New Album, Announces Patreon Campaign
Talib Kweli has announced that he’ll be releasing a new album titled Cultural Currency, but if you want to hear it, it’s not going to be available through traditional means. The rapper will be releasing the album (which has no release date) through a new Patreon campaign, where fans have three different options to contribute. Ranging from $5 per month to $25 per month, benefits include receiving a new track being released every month for 12 months and an unreleased track/video from hip hop legends curated by the rapper. For the top-line price, fans will receive a signed copy of the 2011 LP Gutter Rainbows and access to a monthly Q&A livestream with the rapper among other items. You can see all of the benefits here. “I am considered an underground rapper. My lyrics c...
The Lawrence Arms Headline This Week of SPIN’s Untitled Twitch Stream (July 13-19)
In case you missed it, SPIN’s Untitled Twitch Stream is coming off a stellar week featuring an entire afternoon with Iration and live performances with Cobi, Maddox Jones, and the National Parks. Plus, there was that secret little surprise interview with Louis the Child over the weekend. This week might be even better though, as we’re celebrating the release of Skeleton Coast by The Lawrence Arms with an exclusive performance by Brendan Kelly, plus hearing from Rich Aucoin alongside the release of his new single and a whole lot more. We may even drop an unannounced Ghost of Tsushima stream or two this weekend in honor of the game’s release, but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out. It’s sure to be a busy week, so keep yourself informed through Twitter an...
Nick Cave Releases Trailer for Idiot Prayer
Earlier this month, Nick Cave announced that he’ll be doing a special solo performance on July 23. And today (July 13), he dropped the trailer for Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace. In the video, Cave is seen penning some things in a notebook before walking into an empty Alexandra Palace where a piano is positioned in the center of the main hall. Along with the trailer, he talked about the creation of this show. “I loved playing deconstructed versions of my songs at these shows, distilling them to their essential forms – with an emphasis on the delivery of the words,” he wrote in a note to fans. “I felt I was rediscovering the songs all over again, and started to think about going into a studio and recording these reimagined versions at some stage – whenever I could find th...
Yo La Tengo Release New Song, Launch New Bandcamp Page
It’s been a few years since Yo La Tengo have released new music. But in quarantine, the indie vets decided to drop a new song titled “James and Ira demonstrate mysticism and some confusion holds (Monday)” that they recently recorded at their practice facility in New Jersey while in quarantine. The group shared the song on their new Bandcamp page. Ira Kaplan explained the origins of the song in a statement on the description on the newly-minted page: If you’ve spent any time hanging out with us at our rehearsal space in Hoboken—that pretty much covers none of you—you’ve heard us playing formlessly (he said, trying to sidestep the word “improvising”). Most of the songs we’ve written in the last 25 years have begun that way, but often we do it for no other reason than to push away the outside...
Juice WRLD Set for Big Splash on U.K. Singles Chart
A trio of tracks from Juice WRLD’s posthumous album release Legends Never Die (Polydor) are pushing for top 20 berths on the U.K. singles chart. Following the weekend’s sales and streaming activity, the hip-hop artist’s “Come & Go” with Marshmello flies in at No. 10 on the Official Chart: First Look. Also, “Life’s A Mess” vaults 66-12 on the sales blast, and “Conversations” is at No. 14, according to the Official Charts Company. The 21-year-old rapper (real name Jared Anthony Higgins) died last December following an accidental overdose of painkillers. Juice WRLD has a posthumous U.K. No. 1 to his name, for his contribution on Eminem’s “Godzilla.” His next highest appearance on the Official U.K. Singles Chart is a No. 10 peak for his signature tune from 2018, “Lucid Dreams.” Legen...
