Twitter has taken the unprecedented step of flagging a tweet from Donald Trump, saying it violated the platform’s rules against glorifying violence. Early Friday morning, as protests boiled over in Minneapolis over the murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by police, Trump sent out an especially incendiary tweet threatening violence against protestors. “These thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted. Just spoke to [Minnesota] Governor Tim Waltz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the lotting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” Twitter subsequently added a warning label to Trump’s tweet, which prevented users from viewing it without first reading a brief ...
Blue Chips is a monthly rap column that doubles as a scouting report. Each month, SPIN selects a new starting five, a group of rappers who could be Rookie of the Year candidates turned Hall-of-Famers or forgettable flashes in the pan. Only the passing seasons (and the number of streams) will tell. To read previous columns, click here. Acito – “Clutchin & Mobbin” [embedded content] Stockton doesn’t have a history of nationally-recognized rappers, but local talent may have been forever diverted or cut down. As of 2019, the Northern California city had roughly 30 active gangs and a rising rate of gun-related homicides. The root causes are the same as they’ve always been in similarly afflicted cities: decades of poverty, cyclical violence, institutional neglect w/r/t education, childcare, ...
Lamb of God has shared the another song from their upcoming self-titled album. Accompanied by a video, “Routes” is another thunderbolt from the album. According to a release, the song was inspired by singer Randy Blythe’s time spent with native peoples at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota during the No DAPL movement. “I went to Standing Rock because I had heard reports of violence committed on the peaceful protestors there by both state law enforcement and private security contractors, and this violence was not reported in mainstream media for the most part,” Blythe said in a statement. “I went to bring supplies and support these people, who were trying to protect their water, and thereby protect everyone, as everything in the natural world is protected. I was there ...
Andrea Bocelli has revealed that he himself recently recovered from COVID-19. The 61-year-old opera singer said in a Facebook post that he was initially diagnosed in March, but chose to keep the news private because he “didn’t want to unnecessarily alarm my fans and also wished to protect my family’s privacy.” Fortunately, Bocelli had a “swift and full recovery by the end of March.” In fact, by Easter (April 12th) he was well enough to stage a special special solo performance from the famed Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy. Bocelli also went on to reveal that he has donated his blood in hopes that it’ll help find a curse for COVID-19. “A modest — but fundamental — gesture, through which I am playing my small part,” he commented. In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal...
Lady Gaga will drop Chromatica tonight at midnight, and yet the blockbuster star continues to rain singles on us. This morning, she’s unveiled her collaboration with BLACKPINK: “Sour Candy”. Stream it below via YouTube. The South Korean girl group truly takes over the track, allowing Gaga to slink her way in and out. Similar to lead single “Stupid Love” and her Ariana Grande collaboration “Rain on Me”, “Sour Candy” is another banger from the Oscar winner, proving Chromatica will bring the party to our pandemic. As the song suggests, take a bite, take a bite below. Editors’ Picks After a minor delay, Gaga’s fifth album Chromatica arrives tonight at midnight on May 29th. Sir Elton John is also expected to appear on the Joanne follow-up, which is said to be “a return” to Gaga’s dan...
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS It’s hard to underestimate Whitney Houston’s stardom. For better and for worse, the world knows so much more about the late diva than we do about most artists from her era. Houston’s meteoric rise would eventually place her own personal life under a microscope, and it’s the tragic details that all too often overshadow her unparalleled legacy and groundbreaking influence. Looking back, though, Whitney Houston wasn’t just a pop star. She wasn’t just an incredible voice. No, she was a trail blazer, the first of her kind, who opened the door for so many artists to follow. For its highly anticipated 10th season, The Opus plans to trace those footsteps, and put a spotlight on the star t...
Coachella was one of the early victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the festival was forced to postpone its annual April event. Organizers had initially hoped to staged Coachella in the fall, but with large-scale events seemingly prohibited for the foreseeable future, those plans have now shifted to 2021. According to Bloomberg, Coachella is in the process of rescheduling its 2020 festival for 2021. Festival organizers at Goldenvoice have already reached out to a number of artists scheduled to play this year’s Coachella to gauge their availability for next April, Bloomberg adds. It’s also worth noting that not every performer on the 2020 lineup has been asked to play next year. The original Coachella lineup featured Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean, and Travis Scott, in addition ...
Protomartyr were meant to release their new album, Ultimate Success Today, tomorrow. However, due to the coronavirus crisis, the band has now pushed the album’s release date to July 17th. To tide fans over until then, they’ve shared a new single in “Michigan Hammers”. For all its kineticism, “Michigan Hammers” feels extremely coalesced. Shots of staccato guitar are glued together with relentless but measured drums and the coaxing of horns. It’s like rubble being carefully reconstructed into art, which is fitting considering the track’s themes: “What’s been torn down can be rebuilt/ What has been rebuilt can be destroyed,” sings frontman Joe Casey. The song comes with a video made using only stock footage due to, as Casey puts it, the current “miasma.” “This video is a retelling of a well-k...
Lady Gaga is a living legend. Only a little over a decade since the release of her 2008 debut album, The Fame, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta has cemented her place among the best of the best — not only in music, but entertainment itself. Critical acclaim, a legion of fans, and a slew of awards (including tough Grammy and Oscar victories toward an eventual EGOT) are just the shallow end of Gaga’s dominion. Her versatility, her creativity, her skill, and her work ethic all make her a standout from her contemporaries — far more than any of her much-publicized outfits. More than anything, though, Gaga is an artist who’s not afraid to fail, and any past failures have only made her stronger. Looking back, they’ve become an extension of her idiosyncrasies, the likes of which she’s shared to ...
Madonna would be wise to skip Instagram once and awhile. On Thursday, the veteran pop icon shared a video of her 14-year-old son David Banda dancing to Michael Jackson’s oft-forgotten HIStory single “They Don’t Care About Us”. The clip was meant to serve as a tribute to George Floyd, who was tragically killed by Minnesota police officers on Monday evening. In a caption, Madonna wrote, “Brutal murder travels around the world my son David Dances to honor and pay tribute to George and His Family and all Acts of Racism and Discrimination that happen on a daily basis in America.” Not surprisingly, the message arrived with a deafening thud across the Internet as thousands mocked the Material Girl for the performative post. Below, we’ve gathered a number of reactions, all of which illuminate the ...
Lil Yachty is sailing into the weekend with his star-studded new album, Lil Boat 3. Stream it in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. The Atlanta MC’s fourth studio effort comes almost two years after Nuthin’ 2 Prove. It’s also the third and final installment in his Lil Boat series, following 2016’s debut project and Lil Boat 2 in 2018. For the 19-track project, Lil Yachty brought onboard a dream team of hip-hop’s most prominent artists, such as Drake, ASAP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, and Future. Also appearing on Lil Boat 3 are Tierra Whack, Mike Will Made-It, DaBaby, Young Thug, Lil Durk, and Lil Keed. Lil Yachty teased the LP with a handful of early singles, including “Oprah’s Bank Account”, which featured a video in which the rapper actually impersonated Oprah. Edi...