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Jordan Peele and Issa Rae Team Up for Universal’s Sinkhole
Jordan Peele is keeping things spooky. As Deadline reports, the Oscar-winning mastermind behind Get Out and Us is teaming up with Insecure star Issa Rae on a curious new genre film for Universal called Sinkhole. Based on Leyna Krow’s short story, the film surrounds a young family that moves into a dream home, only one of the amenities is a gaping sinkhole in the backyard. And said sinkhole tends to fix broken things — possibly people even. As with anything Peele touches, there’s an inherent social commentary within the story. As Deadline notes, the subplot of Sinkhole carries a “commentary on the human condition through the lens of female identity.” Universal nabbed the rights to the story for a seven figure deal, beating out more than 10 studio bidders, which makes this something a coup. ...
R.I.P. Malik B., The Roots Co-Founder Dies at 47
Mailk B. of The Roots Malik B., Philadelphia hip-hop legend and co-founding member of The Roots, has died at the age of 47. As EW points out, Malik B.’s cousin, Don Champion, first announced news of his passing on Twitter. A cause of death was not given. The Roots themselves subsequently confirmed the news on their Instagram, writing, “It is with heavy hearts and tearful eyes that we regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Baset.” “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, His loving brotherhood and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time,” the group’s statement added. Malik B. founded The Roots alongside Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter in 1987, and appeared on the group’s f...
Shudder’s Host Brilliantly Adds Paranormal Activity to Our Pandemic: Review
The Pitch: Tired of Zoom calls? Bored of the same ol’ small talk? How about a seance to spice up your quarantine? Such is the conceit of Rob Savage’s Host. This swift, 56-minute capsule of terror follows a group of friends who tap into some paranormal activity amidst our ensuing pandemic — and, yes, we do mean ours. The whole thing was shot entirely during lockdown, and the all-too-palpable reality of Covid-19 surrounds these unfortunate souls, only it’s the last thing they need to fear. No Upcoming Meetings Today: Like Dave Franco’s The Rental, the concept here alone demands a watch of Host. This is ingenuity at its finest, and its origin story is almost as exciting as the film’s brazen execution. What started out as a Zoom prank gone viral — Savage tweeted video of himself investigating ...
Jorja Smith Drops New Single “By Any Means”: Stream
Neo-soul singer Jorja Smith is back with a new standalone single called “By Any Means”. The song is taken from Reprise, an upcoming collaborative album organized by Roc Nation in response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. There’s no tracklist available yet for Reprise, but considering Roc Nation’s roster, it should turn out to be a star-studded affair. According to a press release, the goal of the album is to bring awareness to social justice issues and raise money for The Gathering For Justice, NACDL Foundation For Criminal Justice, Equal Justice Initiative Mission, and Cop Accountability Project — all organizations that support victims of police brutality, hate crimes, and other violations of civil rights. “The inspiration behind ‘By Any Means’ really came from going to th...
Tems Shares Studio Moment In New Documentary: “Finding Peace In The Noise”
Talented Nigerian singer Temitope Openiye “Tems” has released a mini documentary that gives us a sneak peek into her creative process. In just about two years of breaking out, and with just a handful of singles and features to her voice, Tems has proven herself to be a truly special talent. In addition to show-stopping features on Odunsi’s “Decided”, Khalid’s “Know Your Worth” and DRB’s “Trouble”, Tems’ only solo release this year has been the soothing “These Days”. While the spaced-out tempo of her musical releases is now characteristic for the singer, we’ve now come to learn that it’s in fact a by-product of her meticulous approach to making music exactly how she wants. Offering us a peek into her creative process, Tems has just shared “Finding Peace in the Noise”, a new mini-doc in part...
Logic Reflects on His Career in ‘Aquarius III’ Video
Logic delivered his final album, No Pressure, last week before shifting his focus to being a good father for his newborn baby boy. He did, however, put on his iconic red jumpsuit one last time for the newly released “Aquarius III” video, in which the rapper is seen walking down the street and reflecting on his life and career. “All I ever gave a f— about was my career / But all that s— out the window now that my son is here / F— sales and streams, none of that s— entails dreams / F— rap, f— press, f— feeling like I’m less / If it ain’t ’bout my happiness, than I could give a f— less,” he proclaims over a sample of The Roots’ 2010 instrumental “A Peace of Light.” Watch the vid...
Ashley Judd’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Harvey Weinstein Revived by Appeals Court
Harvey Weinstein will have to face a sexual harassment claim from Ashley Judd even though the actress was never actually employed by the disgraced movie mogul. On Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that California Civil Code § 51.9 encompassed their relationship sufficiently to provide Judd with the ability to sue him for sexual harassment. Judd alleges in her complaint that she became Weinstein’s victim when the movie mogul made demands on her in a hotel room about 20 years ago. Judd says that she only escaped after relenting to a deal where she would let him touch her if she won an Academy Award. Later, Judd says she was in serious discussions for a big role in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, but that opportunity was torpedoed after Weinstein or someone ...
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Grilled at Big Tech Hearing About Being Unfair to Streamers
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos might be the richest person in the world, but he’s also a rookie. Until Wednesday, he had never before been grilled by lawmakers on Capitol Hill. That changed today when top executives at the nation’s leading technology companies gathered — at least virtually — for testimony before a House of Representatives antitrust subcommittee. There, Bezos faced blistering questions about whether the e-commerce giant has abused its market power. “A lot of people want to know when the HBO Max app will be available on your Fire devices,” Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told Bezos. “I understand negotiations are ongoing but your company is not only asking for financial terms but also for content from Warner Media…. Is it fair to use your gatekeepe...
Alice Ivy Signs Global Publishing Deal With Concord, Native Tongue
Alice Ivy has struck a new worldwide publishing deal through a joint venture with Concord Music Publishing and Australian independent publisher Native Tongue. “Publishing is something I’ve taken my time with,” said Ivy of the new arrangement, which is effective immediately. “I wanted to hold off until I’d matured as a songwriter and a producer and wait for the right partners to come along. Between the team at Native Tongue, who’ve always looked out for me, and my new family at Concord, it feels like the best possible set-up for me at this exciting stage in my career. When it came down to it, they asked what I was looking for and I said, ‘I want to be jumping on planes and writing music every day’ and they said, ‘we can do that.'” The Melbourn...
Disclosure Unveil Gripping Video for New Single “Douha (Mali Mali)” from Forthcoming “Energy” LP
Disclosure have unveiled the latest cut from their highly anticipated third studio album Energy, the gripping deep house record “Douha (Mali Mali).” The single features Fatoumata Diawara, who teamed up with Disclosure back in 2018 for the Grammy Award-nominated single “Ultimatum.” In a potent vocal performance, the Malian singer-songwriter belts to the eclectic house flavors of the renowned English electronic duo, whose Energy LP is slated for an August 28th, 2020 release via Island Records. Disclosure also released a vibrant and breathtaking video, which was directed by Mahaneela, a London-born multidisciplinary artist with roots in Ghana, India, and Jamaica. “Right now, all over the world, we’re going t...
Music Marketplace Beatport Restores “Hard Techno” Genre Category
Music marketplace Beatport, which touts itself as the “world’s number one destination for electronic music,” has reinstated the platform’s “Hard Techno” category. The decision to restore the category was made after gathering feedback from the hard techno community as well as prominent labels, artists, and distributors. To flesh out the genre’s page on Beatport, it will be populated with music from the site’s current “Techno (Raw/Deep/Hypnotic)” and “Techno (Peak Time/Driving/Hard)” categories. The latter is set to be repurposed under the name “Techno (Peak Time/Driving).” Moreover, the newly minted “Hard Techno” section now features its own dedicated Top 100 chart. “Many labels and artists,...
Eric Prydz and Four Tet Will Debut First-Ever B2B Set at 2021 EXIT Festival
Just a few weeks ago, organizers of Serbia’s EXIT Festival announced the official cancellation of its 2020 event due to the impact of COVID-19. The news came not long after they unveiled an expansive lineup after the initial postponement was advised by Serbia’s Prime Minister. While this year’s festivities are a wash, 2021 is looking much brighter after the announcement of the first phase of the event’s lineup, which features a monumental B2B set. In the short lineup reveal video, two names paired together stood out like a sore thumb—Eric Prydz and Four Tet. The 20th anniversary of the award-winning festival will feature one of the most iconic finales when two of the world’s top DJs share the stage for the first time ever. If all goes according ...
