entertainment blog
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Condemns Kanye West’s “Awful” Antisemtic Comments, Says He Has No Authority to Remove His Music
Spotify’s Daniel Ek has spoken out against recent antisemitic comments from Kanye West. In an interview with Reuters, the co-founder and CEO called West’s remarks “just awful comments,” while noting that Spotify won’t be removing the rapper’s music from the platform. Ek went on to say that, because West’s statements were not made in songs or podcasts hosted on Spotify, they do not violate the company’s hate speech policy. “It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,” he explained. “It’s up to his label, if they want to take action or not.” Ek’s comments follow a series of other actions taken by Spotify to reduce hate speech on the platform. In May 2018, the company introduced its hate content and hateful conduct policy. Under the policy, Spotify temporarily remove...
Racist North Carolina Sheriff Resigns During Removal Hearing
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Sara D. Davis / Getty A Columbus County, North Carolina, sheriff—who was caught on tape saying he’s “sick of these Black bastards,” in reference to Black law enforcement officials (among a slew of other blatantly racist statements)—resigned from his job during a hearing that would have decided whether he was going to get the boot anyway. According to WECT, now-former Columbus County Sheriff Jody Greene—the racist cop who ironically has one of the Blackest names ever—submitted his resignation in a county courtroom during the hearing, right before the first witness was set to be called. It’s almost as if the KKKop decided to take his spare noose and go home before people started taking the stand to testify about how he generally said he hated all his Black ...
Peep The Trailer To ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Marvel / Youtube We’re a ways away from seeing what James Gunn has in store for Marvel fans in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, but to hold those fans over until that film drops, Gunn is releasing a holiday special featuring your favorite galaxy-hopping heroes and… Kevin Bacon?! He’s still around? In the new trailer for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Six Degrees Of Bacon does indeed join the Marvel Cinematic Universe fold and we ain’t mad one bit. In the trailer we find that Starlord (Chris Pratt) is still sad and somber about his green boo, Gamora having gone M.I.A. after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so his Guardian pals decide to give him a Christmas present he’ll never forget, Kevin Bacon. Coming to Earth to find the Footloose ac...
HHW Gaming: Latest Apple OS Update Allows Support For Nintendo’s Classic Game Controllers
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Nintendo / Nintendo Switch Online NES Controllers Apple rolled another update for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV and snuck in the ability to use the classic NES Controllers Nintendo dropped for use with its Nintendo Switch Online service. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared a video of himself using SNES Classic Controller, and MacStories also confirmed the news. Per The Verge, Nintendo’s modern N64 controller also works with Apple devices using macOS 13, iOS 16, and tvOS 16. It’s unclear if the Sega Genesis controller works with Apple devices following the update, but it would be a safe bet to assume t they do. In a release, Apple notes, “many additional Bluetooth and USB game controllers are supported by the Game Controller framework on macOS 13,...
She’s Coming! Rihanna Has Recorded New Music For ‘Wakanda Forever’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Savage X Fenty / Savage x Fenty It’s been six years since Rihanna has blessed us with a new album. ANTI is widely-considered the singer’s best work with its soulful melodies and impeccable production. In fact, when it was snubbed and not nominated in the Album of the Year category at the 2017 Grammy Awards—fans and critics alike cried foul. And many have blamed the snub on Rihanna’s absence from the music industry. Well… that, and the fact that in the meantime she built a billion-dollar fashion and beauty business and became a mom—having her first child with boyfriend, A$AP Rocky. But fans can now rejoice. The highly anticipated Marvel Studios film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will feature music from the leader of the Rihanna Navy. Marvel Studios ...
Anahi Teases Comeback With New Juan Gabriel Collaboration, ‘Dejame Vivir’: Listen
Anahí is making her official comeback to music with a new collaboration alongside Juan Gabriel. The single—released posthumously, six years after Juanga’s passing—is a new version of his Rocío Dúrcal-assisted “Déjame Vivir” that launched in 1984. Almost 40 years later, the Mexican pop star gives it a modern EDM twist. “Who’s excited to listen to it?” the singer asked her fans on Instagram on Tuesday (Oct. 25), sharing a 15-second preview of the video that features both stars. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Déjame Vivir,” which marks Anahí’s first official release since “Latidos” in 2020, follows El Divo de Juarez’s “Mía Un Año” released last month in collaboration with Eslabon Armado. The collaborative track wi...
Adele Pours Out the Rose in Cheeky ‘I Drink Wine’ Music Video: Watch
It’s time to bust out the Whispering Angel, because Adele unveiled the music video for her latest single “I Drink Wine” on Wednesday (Oct. 26). In the amusing clip, directed by Joe Talbot, the songstress wears a sparkling gold gown as she floats along a river on an inner tube with a glass of wine in hand. “Why am I obsessing/ About the things I can’t control?/ Why am I seeking approval/ From people I don’t even know/ In these crazy times I hope to find/ Something I can cling on to/ ‘Cause I need some substance in my life/ Something real, something that feels true,” she sings as she encounters a team of synchronized swimmers, a handsome fisherman and a shadowy troupe of chic back-up singers along her journey down the river. The merlot-soaked ballad peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 ...
Ariana Grande Debuts Blonde Hair Ahead of Playing Glinda in ‘Wicked’ Movie: See the Photo
Ariana Grande is becoming even more “Popular” thanks to her wicked new look. In a Wednesday (Oct. 26) Instagram post, the 29-year-old musician unveiled her newly blonde hair — dyed to match the golden tresses of Wicked character Glinda, whom Grande is set to play in an upcoming film adaptation of the musical — and her friends and fans alike are freaking out about it. In her latest IG photo, Grande poses with her eyes closed, head turned to the side to show off her brand new, soft yellow ponytail. Her eyebrows appear to be dyed to match the shade of her hair, mimicking the Good Witch of the North’s naturally blonde look. In spite of her gravity-defyingly big reveal, however, the “Positions” singer played coy in her caption. “New earrings,” she simply wrote. Nevertheless, people in the comme...
BLACKPINK Debuts Second Casetify Collaboration: Shop the Limited Collection
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. BLINKS, get ready! The latest BLACKPINK x Casetify collaboration is now live. The limited collection dropped on Tuesday (Oct. 25) and invites fans to “become besties with their favorite K-pop girl group.” The BLACKPINK x Casetify collection features six different designs, which includes a mirror case inspired by the group’s hit single “Pink Venom” and memo cases with pre-printed autographs from Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa. Fans can also customize the memo cases with their own unique message. The collection retails for $28-$122 and features an assortment of ...
Spotify Reaches 195 Million Paid Subscribers, Surpassing Q3 Expectations
Spotify reported 195 million paid subscribers in the third quarter of 2022, marking an increase of 7 million since last quarter and beating expectations by 1 million net additions. The company forecasts that it will pass the 200 million mark by the end of this year. Additionally, Spotify hit 456 million monthly active users, surpassing its forecast of 450 million. Last quarter, the streaming giant reported 433 million monthly active users, an improvement from 422 million in the first quarter of this year. The platform’s podcast count continues to rise, too. At the end of Q3, Spotify reached 4.7 million podcasts, up from 4.4 million in the second quarter. Though podcasting is not particularly lucrative for Spotify at this time, the company reported that it achieved double-digit growth in re...
Steve Lacy Responds After Smashing a Disposable Camera Onstage: ‘I Don’t Believe I Owe Anyone an Apology’
Steve Lacy has a bad habit, and it’s not destroying other people’s property. The rising star had a moment on stage Monday night (Oct. 24) in New Orleans when, during a performance of his breakout hit “Bad Habit,” he demolished a spectator’s disposable camera. In fan-filmed footage doing the rounds on social media, Lacy is hit by a camera, tossed by someone near the front of stage. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news A moment later, an outreached hand passes Lacy a disposable camera — it’s unclear if it’s the same object that hit the singer — which he promptly smashes. Soon after, Lacy reportedly wrapped his show early at Orpheum Theater. Social media users have weighed in, some in support of the 24-year-old singer and his dramatic departure...
Inaugural Black Music Summit Headed to Ibiza in Summer 2023
The inaugural Black Music Summit (BMS) is coming to the island of Ibiza in summer 2023. Founded by WME agent Jordan Hallpike and Kenny Eshinlokun, founder of creative agency Taboo, the event is described as a “social enterprise invested in the global development and celebration of Black music talent” on both the creative and executive fronts. In a release announcing the forthcoming event, Eshinlokun further explains that the summit’s goal is “to give the next generation a chance to have more opportunities and a better experience in the music industry than many Black people have had to date. The BMS will offer Black musicians, creators and music industry professionals the opportunity to be seen and heard and, hopefully, reduce the amount of future discriminative challenges many Black people...
