entertainment blog
Donny Gerrard, ‘Wildflower’ Singer, Dies at 75
Donny Gerrard, who scored a hit with “Wildflower” as the lead vocalist for the group Skylark, has died. He was 75. Gerrard died Thursday (Feb. 3) and had been under hospice care amid a battle with cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Hollywood Reporter. “Our dear brother Donny passed away early this morning at home, peacefully, surrounded by family,” said Adam Ayers from Red Light Management in a statement released Thursday. Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 19, 1946, Gerrard was the singer for the early 1970s band Skylark, which counted producer David Foster as a keyboardist. Their 1972 breakout ballad “Wildflower” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later sampled on Jamie Foxx’s 2005 platinum-certified hit “Unpredictable.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news By...
Syl Johnson, Soul Singer Heavily Sampled in Hip-Hop, Dies at 85
Syl Johnson, the Chicago soul and blues singer who’s 1967 single “Different Strokes” has become one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop, has died. Johnson’s family confirmed the news in a statement to Pitchfork, but did not reveal the cause of death. “It is with extreme sadness that our family announces the passing of Soul & Blues Hall of Fame Legend, Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, MS),” the statement reads. “Dad, Brother, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Friend & Artist, he lived his life as a singer, musician, and entrepreneur who loved black music.” Johnson was 85 years old. His death occurred less than a month after his brother and fellow musician Jimmy Johnson died at the age of 93. Syl Johnson was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1936. He r...
HHW Gaming Review: ‘Sifu’ A Brilliant, But Extremely Challenging Quest For Revenge
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Sloclap / Sifu It’s a new year, and another brutal “roguelike” has arrived on PS4 and PS5 consoles. Instead of being stuck in an endless time-loop on an alien world like in Housemarques brilliant game Returnal, Slocap has us on a quest for revenge in its unique beat’em up adventure, Sifu. We break down if Sifu lives up to the hype that it has garnered since its announcement. In Sifu, you take control of a young student (male or female) who embarks on a quest to avenge the death of his/her father at the hands of Yang, whom you looked up to as a brother. The game opens with a prologue where you control Yang, also serving as a brief introduction to the game mechanics that will see you take down the Sifu’s (master) students before delivering the fatal bl...
Joe Rogan Responds to Viral Clip Showing Him Use N-Word, Calls It ‘Regretful and Shameful’
Joe Rogan has responded to resurfaced clips of him repeatedly using the N-word, stating in a lengthy video posted to his Instagram account on Saturday (Feb. 5) that he hopes this can be a “teachable moment.” “I’m making this video to talk about the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly,” he began. The podcast host, who has recently been the subject of a protest led by musician Neil Young following the spread of COVID-19 misinformation on his show the Joe Rogan Experience, said his clips were taken out of context from 12 years of conversations and “all smushed together and it looks f—ing horrible, even to me.” Rogan was referencing a video compilation that features him in various contexts using the racial slur. It also includes him compar...
Holy Wars Deconstruct the Draining Sensation of Success in New Video ‘Battery Life’
L.A. rock duo Holy Wars are partially charged and ready to power past the energy vampires with their new video “Battery Life,” dissecting how 24/7 social media and the pressure to keep followers impacts an artist’s own creative output and the way they see themselves. Lead singer Kat Leon has never shied away from drawing upon her own personal struggles for inspiration, and in “Battery Life,” fans see the ambitious singer as she sees both herself and her audience. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The high-energy anthem is the newest single to drop in advance of their debut album, Eat It Up, Spit It Out. Leon leads the group with co-founder and Holy Wars lead guitarist Nick Perez and fronts several side projects and works as an accomplished sync vocalist, composer and instrum...
Awkwafina Addresses Blaccent, AAVE and Cultural Appropriation Criticisms
Awkwafina returned to Twitter after a two-year absence on Saturday (Feb. 5) to address longstanding criticism over her use of a “blaccent” and appropriation of Black culture. In a statement that also indicated she would be “retiring from Twitter,” the Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings star denies that her use of AAVE, or African American Vernacular English, as well as her “blaccent” — a voice that stereotypically imitates forms of Black American dialect — were meant to mock Black people. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Early in her message, the actress acknowledged the sociopolitical and “historical context of the African American community” in the U.S. as one that has been “disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enf...
BTS’ Jimin Discharged From Hospital After Appendicitis Surgery and Has Recovered From COVID-19
BTS‘ Jimin has been discharged from the hospital, Big Hit Music confirmed in a notice released on fan community platform Weverse on Saturday (Feb. 5). Jimin (born Park Ji-min) had been hospitalized on Jan. 30 with abdominal pain and a mild sore throat, and on Jan. 31 he underwent surgery for acute appendicitis. At that time, it was revealed that he’d also tested positive for COVID-19. On Feb. 2, Jimin checked in with fans to tell them he was “recovering well.” Explore Explore BTS See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Big Hit’s latest statement released to the BTS ARMY gave another reassuring update on Jimin’s health. “Hello. This is BIGHIT MUSIC. We would like to inform you that BTS Member Jimin’s quarantine has concluded after his surgery for acute appendic...
Lizzo Shares New Song Clip While Posing in the Nude
Lizzo posted an empowering message on social media that was soundtracked by what seems to be a new song, along with a video clip of herself in the nude. “If you love me, you love all of me/ Or none of me at all,” Lizzo can be heard singing in an update shared on Instagram Saturday afternoon (Feb. 5). Explore Explore Lizzo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The accompanying sensual visual features Lizzo naked and giving the camera an intense stare, while strategically covering parts of her body with her arms to make the clip safe to upload to social media. In a caption for the short video, Lizzo wrote, “If you love me… you love all of me. You dont get to pick and choose. We should be unconditionally loving of one another, starting with being unconditionall...
Fans Spot Another Sign Taylor Swift Is Linked to Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Joker and the Queen’
Old pals Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift may be staying mum about the rumors, but fans have found a new clue that the pair might have reunited for another song together. On Saturday (Feb. 5), sleuths somehow noticed that the song credits listed on YouTube for Sheeran’s “The Joker and the Queen” official lyric video showed the words “feat. Taylor Swift.” (At the time of publication, this can be seen on the video’s YouTube page, and a screenshot was also captured in many fan tweets, like the one embedded below.) Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The original version of the ballad, a track on Sheeran’s = album, does not feature Swift. Sheeran had people talking about the prospects of Swift joining him for a remix of “The Joker and the Queen” last week, ...
GT_Ofice Teams Up With VASSY To Remind Listeners to Persevere When Times Are “TUFF”
Miami-based producer GT_Ofice has returned with his first track of 2022, teaming up with multi-Platinum singer-songwriter VASSY to deliver an anthemic tune with a powerful message. Out via CAINE Records, “TUFF” instills the importance to persevere in times of strife. “I think ‘TUFF’ speaks volumes for many people, especially a lot of folks that have been going through tough times lately with everything going on in the world,” GT_Ofice said in a press statement. “We hope this song inspires our fans.” Kicking things off with VASSY’s unmistakable vocals, “TUFF” is laced with inspirational lyricism exploring the strength to remain resilient and persevere in the face of adversity. VASSY doubles down on the certainty that individuals com...
EDM.com Reveals Class of 2022
EDM.com has revealed its official Class of 2022 list. The Class isn’t an index of promising SoundCloud beatmakers or a mundane “artists to watch” list. It’s a list of 10 musicians with transformative skill sets who are on the precipice of changing the fabric of electronic music as we know it. Through their workhorse-like mentalities and defiance of industry standards, these groundbreaking artists have already proven their volcanic potential in the electronic dance music scene—and now they’re ready to erupt. Over the course of 2022, we’ll be publishing a wide range of special content in partnership with the Class. This includes guest mixes, interviews, and Instagram takeovers with behind-the-scenes footage and sneak peeks at new music, among other exclusi...
Awkwafina Quits Twitter After Suspect Blaccent Non-Apology, Slander Continues
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Today (Feb. 5), Asian-American actress Awkwafina took to Twitter to reveal she would be quitting the social media app at the behest of her therapist. But before that, she offered up what’s widely considered a non-apology for her much-maligned use of a “blaccent,” before making her exit. Most everybody except her fiercest fans are calling her out for her far too late mea culpa and dramatic exit. Born Nora Lum, the Queens native copped pleas, years after the fact. After years of what many consider the mocking of Black culture via her liberal use of African-American vernacular English (AAVE), she offered up some quaint words of explanation, including her love of Hip-Hop and where she grew up. “As a non-Black POC, I stand by the...
