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Drake Recorded Verses for Kanye West’s “Yikes,” Producer Says
One of the producers of Kanye West’s “Yikes,” Pi’erre Bourne, has said that Drake originally recorded verses for the song. In an interview with HipHopDx, Bourne discussed the two rappers’ recent reconciliation at the Larry Hoover Benefit Concert, saying that he was “so happy that they’re performing together.” “Those are my big brothers, so to see them together,” Bourne continued. “I never would’ve thought. But it’s amazing to see, makes me feel way better about everything. ‘Cause I’ve been in the middle!” Bourne went on to reveal that there was a chance that Drake would appear alongside West on the single “Yikes” off of 2018’s ye. “And honestly, not too many people know that Drake wrote that,” Bourne said to the publication. “He sung the hook. When I was there, they were on the s...
UFC Veteran Cub Swanson on How Music Influences His Fighting: “I Secretly Fantasize About How I Should Have Made Beats”
Among fighters who’ve never even competed for a championship belt, few (if any) have as many accolades as Cub Swanson. Going into his 20th UFC fight (with eight more in the elite promotion, WEC, from before the UFC added a featherweight division), the Palm Springs, California native has racked up 10 Fight of the Night bonuses, two more Knockout of the Night bonuses (including one over current UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira), and both a highlight reel and fan base that many champions only dream of achieving. His penchant for violence in the cage and humility outside of it has made Swanson a fan favorite among hardcore and casual viewers alike. Couple that with a decade and a half of going to war with the best of the best (including a who’s who of champions and challengers across ...
15 Minute Live Performances: Robert Finley
One of the great things about 2021 was discovering new artists in unexpected places. Not every new artist was created equally. Not every rising artist was created equally. Which brings us to Robert Finley. The 68-year-old bluesman was a revelation. Once we heard his story and unlikely rise, it was so captivating and compelling to us that we made Finley the subject of our June 2021 cover story. And deservedly so. As we traced in Liza Lentini’s terrific profile, Finley may have garnered attention on America’s Got Talent, but he showcased his true chops on his new album, Sharecropper’s Son. The Louisiana native inked a deal with Black Keys guitarist/frontman Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. From there, Finley’s album was produced by Auerbach and it remains one of the most underrated a...
Secretlab and CD PROJEKT RED Delivers Geralt-Inspired ‘The Witcher’ Chair
Secretlab teams up with CD PROJEKT RED once again since their explosive Cyberpunk 2077 Edition chair for the release of The Witcher Edition. In celebration of the Netflix premiere of the long-awaited The Witcher Season 2, the Secretlab The Witcher Edition chair pays tribute to the phenomenal world-building of the magical realm. From meticulous embroideries of twin steel and silver swords on the chair’s back to metal-studded details adorning its side wings — design elements are inspired by the legendary monster slayer Geralt of Rivia and the Grandmaster Legendary Wolven armor. Finishing the chair is the iconic medallion of the School of the Wolf on the backrest. “Our designers wanted to bring the same magic and detail to the world’s first official The Witcher seat…every aspect of the chair ...
Exit Interview: The War on Drugs’ Frontman Adam Granduciel on Their Latest Album, Playing Live Again and That Time He Met Danzig
It’s certainly safe to say that 2021 was an unusual year for pretty much everyone. The rhythms of our new “normal” amid the pandemic began to feel more familiar, while the world itself remained in a state of incredible turmoil. For The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel, 2021 felt especially unusual. After years and years of writing, recording, and refining, his group finally unveiled their long-anticipated fifth album I Don’t Live Here Anymore into a reality that little resembled the one that existed when they started the project. The record itself is vintage War On Drugs. Massive guitar hooks meld into tidal waves of electronic synth sounds, all the while Granduciel’s voice floats in and out to wax poetic about the myriad changes life brings, and how you end up wherever it is you end ...
Beyoncé Has Launched an Official TikTok Account
Beyoncé has officially joined TikTok. Fans first spotted the verified account on Thursday evening, before TIDAL shared a screenshot of the newly-created page on Twitter, alongside the caption “Beyoncé has entered the chat.” The screenshot showed that the account had a profile photo featuring the “Be Alive” singer and just over 19,000 followers. .@Beyonce has entered the chat. pic.twitter.com/36kfeGy1xQ — TIDAL (@TIDAL) December 17, 2021 At the time of writing, the account has accumulated more than 181,000 followers, though the profile picture has been removed. Additionally, the account has not posted any videos, and the page does not feature a bio. While fans are speculating that Beyoncé’s TikTok launch might be a signal that new music is on the way, the artist has not made an official ann...
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Robbie Grey of Modern English
Name Robbie Grey of Modern English Best known for “I Melt With You,” the song that launched a million bedroom romps. Current city London, UK Really want to be Playing midfield for Manchester United as they seem to be in real need of me. Or at my house in Thailand sitting by the ocean, listening to the music of the waves. Excited about 2022 touring over the year playing the whole of the After the Snow album live for the first time. Also, recording our new album which I am really excited about. Best creative period for a long time. During the first lockdown, I worked with a young composer named Alex Cook on a new project, Man a Monster, and there will be music to hear very soon. My current music collection has a lot of Film music. Air (The Virgin Suicides)...
How Fans Helped BTS, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears Score Major Victories This Year
When her decade-plus conservatorship was finally dissolved in November after a prolonged courtroom battle, Britney Spears thanked her entire support system — and first and foremost, her fans — for bringing her plight into the public eye. “The #FreeBritney movement: you guys rock,” Spears wrote on Instagram on Nov. 16, the day after a judge freed her from the conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for 13 years. “Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long… You guys saved my life.” The #FreeBritney movement was a yearslong coordinated effort by fans across continents that produced real change — something increasingly commonplace in pop music this year, as music lovers mobilized to encourage artistic freedom, amplify marketing choices and score chart victories. Clea...
From Vinyl Variants to NFTs, Inside 2021’s Collecting Craze
The spike in vinyl has been at a steady incline for over a decade, with sales growing year over year since the mid-2000s. But, during a pandemic in which concerts were canceled and music fans were kept inside, interest in vinyl exploded, dating back to July 2020 and continued with vinyl unit sales in the United States growing 81% as of October 2021, according to MRC Data (compared with 46.2% by the end of 2020). That growth now suggests an estimated year-end 2021 revenue of $1 billion. Interestingly, around the same time that a time-honored physical format started to soar, so too did the very intangible, very online non-fungible tokens in the music space. (An NFT is a one-of-a-kind digital token that exists on a blockchain, most often Ethereum, which is the second most popular cryptocurren...
Here are Music’s Major NFT Moments This Year
While non-fungible tokens have been around for years, buying and selling these blockchain-powered collectibles was relegated to cryptocurrency circles. But there was a noticeable shift in early 2021, when the market for music-related NFTs skyrocketed from $306,000 in sales during December 2020 to $26,756,243 in March 2021, according to tech newsletter Water & Music. The spike proved that what was once a niche, tech-savvy market became music’s next revolution — or at least a way for artists to make a quick buck as the pandemic stretched on. Illmind Sells Samples and Beats as NFTs Grammy-winning producer Illmind released the first-ever melody/sample loop pack as an NFT, opening a new practical use for the token in the music business. By purchasing this NFT, buyers could use the samples i...
Billboard Latin’s Top 10 Social Media Wins of 2021: Bad Bunny, El Alfa, Karol G & More
In 2021, fans continued to navigate social media to keep up with their favorite celebrities. As a result, our very own @BillboardLatin Instagram account (930K at the time of publishing) will soon reach its first 1 million followers. In true Billboard fashion, we celebrate music on a daily basis, sharing chart reviews, exclusive news, and new single or album releases, to name a few, with our followers. This year, we especially enjoyed the return of live music, having artists such as Carlos Vives do Instagram takeovers from their tours. We also noticed how candid red carpet moments became a fan favorite on our social media accounts. With 2021 coming to an end, check out Billboard Latin’s top social media wins of the year: Bad Bunny and His Girlfriend at Billboard Latin Music Awards: 111K+ Li...
The Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time (According to a Jew)
Let me first say that I didn’t grow up watching Christmas movies. The headline should have given that away. I did dabble in the viewing of Frosty the Snowman as a child and I knew all the Christmas songs because I went to a public school. But classic movies like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol were never viewed in the Stahl household. We were too busy enjoying our eight crazy nights of Hanukkah getting fried on latkes and gambling for chocolate coins in hotly contested games of dreidel. I still love movies, have seen plenty (quote too many), and many are about Christmas – and I consider some of them my favorite movies of all time, regardless of subject matter. Which brings us to my list: the greatest Christmas movies. In order to create such a list, I...
