entertainment blog
Ice Cube Confirms He Lost $9 Million Due to Not Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine: ‘F— That Jab’
Ice Cube has confirmed reports that he lost an opportunity to make $9 million because he wouldn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine. In the newest episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast this week, Ice Cube revealed that his refusal to get vaccinated forced him to turn down an acting gig. “I turned down a movie because I didn’t wanna get the motherf—ing jab,” he shared, adding, “I turned down $9 million because I didn’t want to get the jab. F— that jab and f— y’all for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feel about me right now.” He then clarified, “I didn’t turn [$9 million] down. Them motherf—ers wouldn’t give it to me because I wouldn’t get the shot. I didn’t turn it down. They just didn’t give it to me.” Back in October, it was reported t...
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Needs $2 Billi At The Box Office To Break Even
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: 20th Century Studios / 20th Century Studios After more than a decade of waiting, Avatar: The Way of Water is set to hit theaters later next month, and with it comes extremely high expectations as far as box office receipts go. According to Variety, the highly anticipated James Cameron film needs to break box office records just for the budget to break even as apparently the film cost a whopping $2 billion just to get made. That’s right, Avatar 2 needs to become the third of fourth highest-grossing film just to match it’s production budget, and chances are that won’t be happening for a while. Cameron apparently told Disney and 20th Century Studios executives that his sequel budget was so high it represented “the worst business case in movie history.” Accor...
FAMU Student To Finally Receive Degree After Viral “Nude” Photo Controversy
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Don Juan Moore / Getty A young woman who took a photo after graduating from Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee will finally be conferred her master’s degree. Terica Williams graduated this spring, but when her creative graduation photos went viral—the university withheld her degree. The photo which showed Terica Williams appearing to be nude next to FAMU’s statue of its mascot, a rattlesnake, was supposed to represent her shedding her skin and moving into a new phase of her life. “What was unique about that photo was that I appeared to be nude and I had snakes coming out of my head,” Williams told NBC 6. However, shortly after the photo attracted extensive attention online—the university held her MS in Counselor Education diploma...
Family of i_o Announces Posthumous Full-Length Album
Two years after the tragic death of i_o, the family of the late electronic music producer has announced a posthumous album. The album, Warehouse Summer, will release tomorrow, November 23rd. Sources tell EDM.com the LP spans 14 tracks and each one features vocals from alt-pop star Lights, a frequent collaborator of the renowned DJ, whose real name was Garrett Lockhart. “This is a body of work that I’m immensely proud of and am very emotionally connected to,” Lights said in a statement. “Garrett was endlessly talented and he inspired me to give my all and be my best. It’s safe to say making this album with him was life-changing. I hope you immerse yourself in it, there is a lot to feel in Warehouse Summer.” Lockhart died on November 23rd, 2020. His death was con...
This Custom Sneaker Artist Turns Ordinary Vans Into EDM Art Pieces
There’s a new line of custom kicks stomping through the rave generation. Maddison Brady of UFOCUSTOMRAVE turns plain, ordinary Vans shoes into vibrant canvases inspired by electronic dance music, with each pair of sneakers rooted in the imagery of the world’s top DJs and producers. Prior designs have featured everything from the shimmering T-Rex and firebird pairing featured on Excision and ILLENIUM’s cover art for “Gold” to the crazy-eyed cyclops prominently featured by Subtronics. According to the brand’s website, the custom orders are created using acrylic paint and then sealed for protection. Shuffle at a festival, wear them on a night out or simply take a walk knowing there’s a layer of preservation to keep the origina...
Rezz Reveals Plans for First-Ever B2B With deadmau5 In 2023
Most of 2023’s music festival lineups are a mystery at this time, but we already know next year’s most-anticipated DJ set. After attending one of deadmau5‘s recent shows, Rezz casually revealed plans for a performance next year that sent her fans into a frenzy. She took to Twitter to announce that sometime in 2023, she’ll take the stage alongside deadmau5 at an undisclosed festival for a special headlining B2B set. As you might imagine, her dedicated fanbase lost its collective mind. deadmau5 is a close friend and mentor to Rezz, who has released many records on his venerated mau5trap imprint. Back in 2021, they finally joined forces for the first time for “Hypnocurrency,” a midtempo collaboration that brought the best of both of their unique s...
World’s First Car-Powered DJ Set to Be Fueled Entirely From Electric Vehicle Battery
Luxury automaker Genesis Motor is jumpstarting the DJ booth for a night powered completely by the battery of their electric SUV, the GV60. Genesis is pulling up to power the global livestream set, which will be free to all viewers. The Korean automaker is teaming up with Grammy-nominated DJ and dance music producer Jayda G to soundtrack the night. She’ll be supported by Korean artist Didi Han. While the idea to create a full-fledged nightlife experience powered entirely by a car battery would ordinarily seem unlikely to succeed, Genesis’ GV60 is well-equipped for the effort. The vehicle’s proprietary vehicle-to-load technology allows the car to channel its energy towards powering outside devices. The car will be doing some heavy lifting, but for perspectiv...
Babyface Ray Announces Second Album of 2022, ‘MOB’
Detroit rapper Babyface Ray has shared that he’ll be putting out a new album, entitled MOB, next week. As his second project of 2022, MOB will follow January’s FACE, which featured the likes of Wiz Khalifa, G Herbo, 42 Dugg and more. The forthcoming album is billed as being “about keeping the blinders on to avoid all distractions while staying focused.” After ascending the ranks of the Detroit music scene over the past decade, FACE marked Ray’s national rise, landing with a greater mainstream audience. MOB will contain the previously-released tracks “Nice Guy” and Ray’s collaboration with Blxst and Nija, “Spend It.” On the latter single, Ray raps out spoiling his girl to no limit. “Let’s go spend some time in Chanel / Get your hair done and go paint all your nails,” he raps in one verse. “...
Babyface Ray Announces Second Album of 2022, ‘MOB’
Detroit rapper Babyface Ray has shared that he’ll be putting out a new album, entitled MOB, next week. As his second project of 2022, MOB will follow January’s FACE, which featured the likes of Wiz Khalifa, G Herbo, 42 Dugg and more. The forthcoming album is billed as being “about keeping the blinders on to avoid all distractions while staying focused.” After ascending the ranks of the Detroit music scene over the past decade, FACE marked Ray’s national rise, landing with a greater mainstream audience. MOB will contain the previously-released tracks “Nice Guy” and Ray’s collaboration with Blxst and Nija, “Spend It.” On the latter single, Ray raps out spoiling his girl to no limit. “Let’s go spend some time in Chanel / Get your hair done and go paint all your nails,” he raps in one verse. “...
Christine and the Queens to Curate London’s Meltdown Festival 2023
Christine and the Queens will curate the 2023 edition of Meltdown Festival on London’s South Bank. He picks up the mantle from Grace Jones, who helmed this year’s edition, and follows curators including David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Scott Walker. A mix of ticketed shows and free outdoor concerts, the festival will run from June 9-18. The first acts will be announced in the spring. In a press release, Christine and the Queens, also known as Redcar, said, “I will actually pick musicians that have some gut-wrenching quality, and I wish for all of us to stroll around in those ten days being rejuvenated by artistic gestures. Discoveries. The time Meltdown takes is quite exquisite, the abundance feels appropriately generous too. We need this for ourselves, art in the city, art for the citizen, c...
Bob Dylan’s Publisher Admits $600 Books Had Replica Autographs
Simon & Schuster has admitted that its supposedly hand-signed copies of Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy of Modern Song contained replica autographs. The publisher issued authenticity certificates with the limited-edition run but acknowledged on Sunday (November 20) that Dylan had not signed the $599 books. Since the books began arriving last week, online sleuths have identified what they believe to be 17 variations of Dylan’s autograph, recreated using an automated signing machine, or autopen, as Variety notes. After initially refusing refunds, the publisher now says buyers will be refunded and can keep their copies at no cost. “To those who purchased the ‘Philosophy of Modern Song’ limited edition, we want to apologize,” Simon & Schuster tweeted. “As it turns out, the limited edition b...
Fifth Person Details Arcade Fire Frontman Win Butler’s Allegedly “Manipulative, Toxic” Behavior
Earlier this month, the Recording Academy announced that Arcade Fire’s WE was nominated for the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album. The band is also billed as a headliner for a summer 2023 music festival in Spain, alongside Florence and the Machine and the Strokes. The new allegations, like the ones before them, have surfaced in the context of a post-MeToo articulation of consent, rooted in factors like power imbalance and emotional manipulation. Sabina is unequivocal in her characterization of the alleged interactions. “It was an ongoing abusive relationship,” she said. “Emotionally abusive, manipulative, toxic, and using his power dynamic to exploit my body at times that were convenient for him. He met me when I was so vulnerable.” Sabina met Butler in the s...
