entertainment blog
Elephant 6 Documentary Coming to U.S. Film Festivals, Streaming Online
In 2019, C.B. Stockfleth’s documentary A Future History Of: The Elephant 6 Recording Co. was made available exclusively on VHS, with fans required to “rent” copies of the film by mail. Roughly three years later, an updated version of documentary will receive widespread release; it’ll be shown at three U.S. film festivals and made available to stream online within the United States. Watch a trailer for the film below. Now simply titled The Elephant 6 Recording Co., the film will make its world premiere at the Doc NYC festival on November 10, followed by additional screenings at the Denver Film Festival and Sound Unseen festival in Minneapolis later that month. The updated 2022 version of the film includes additional footage from Lance Bangs, who was brought on as a producer for the film’s r...
Lana Del Rey Updates Fans, Says She Lost Music and Book Manuscript on Stolen Hard Drives
Lana Del Rey has said she was recently robbed. The singer-songwriter took to her @honeymoon Instagram account to post a series of videos in which she claimed that a laptop, three video cameras, and multiple hard drives were stolen from her car. Because of this, various unfinished songs have been leaked, and a 200-page manuscript for her upcoming book, which she said was not backed up, has been lost. “I had to remotely wipe the computer that had my 200-page book for Simon & Schuster, which I didn’t have backed up on a cloud,” she said. “And despite that, people are still able this week to remotely access my phone and leak our songs and personal photos.” She went on to ask fans not to look for the leaks: “Please don’t listen to the music if you hear it because it’s not coming out y...
TikTok to Launch Songwriting Platform for Creators With Simon Cowell, UMG & Samsung
TikTok creators will soon be handed a fresh set of tools to soundtrack their videos and potentially make hit songs when a new in-app platform created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment company, in partnership with Universal Music Group and Samsung, launches on the platform later this month. Called StemDrop, the initiative will provide TikTok’s more than 1 billion monthly users with access to music “stems” (the isolated components of a song, such as drum tracks or individual vocal parts) from an exclusive new track composed by hit songwriters Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami entitled “Red Lights,” which creators can then use to record and share their own versions. The project was conceived by British music mogul Cowell and entertainment executive Tim Van Rongen in pa...
Here’s What Megan Thee Stallion Has to Say About Pardison Fontaine Engagement Rumors
Megan Thee Stallion had a few things to say regarding rumors online that boyfriend Pardison Fontaine had popped the question amid their second anniversary. “Lol as nice as last night was we are not engaged,” she tweeted simply on Wednesday (Oct. 19), shutting down chatter among her loyal army of Hotties. However, the rapper didn’t hesitate to show off her anniversary date night with Pardi on her Instagram Stories. In the first video, Meg shared her glitzy aquamarine gown and glamorous updo from the back of a car before her rapper beau crashed the frame, joking, “What, you thought this was a solo? Whatchu doin’, whatchu doin’? Why they always tryin’ to show the plate but never the date? What’s wrong with them? They crazy!” Next she puts Pardi’s skills as a former teacher to the test as she ...
On the Radar Latin: Eduardo Galan, Nora Gonzalez & More Emerging Artists to Discover
Every month, Billboard Latin editors will feature a small group of new or relatively unknown artists whose music we love. Think “diamantes en bruto,” or “diamonds in the rough.” These are newcomers who have yet to impact the mainstream — but whose music excites us, and who we believe our readers should make a point to discover. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Our recommendations this month are emerging artists that we met during Billboard‘s 2022 Latin Music Week in Miami. Check them out below: Blondiak Country: Colombia Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Singer-songwriter Blondiak struck me as a relatable, humble musician who is eager to grow and keep honing his craft. The Latin urban artist from Colombia, who works indepe...
Musicians React to Kanye West’s Antisemitic Comments, ‘White Lives Matter’ Shirts
Kanye West has always had a knack for stirring the pot, but at the beginning of October, he’s taken his controversial statements to a new level. Though Ye has been vocal about his conservative, pro-Trump opinions for years, his latest controversies started Oct. 3 when photos from his Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show showing some of his models wearing shirts printed with the phrase “White Lives Matter” started circling online. West himself had also worn one of the shirts to the show, and even stopped to take a photo with conservative commentator Candace Owens, who was also sporting “WLM” attire. The situation was then exacerbated by West’s subsequent Instagram posts targeting fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who’d previously shared her horror at the shirts on her own account. These wer...
“Sixth Sense”: ESPER Is Harnessing Elements of the Paranormal to Rise Through EDM’s Ranks
Haunting, visceral, memorable—what can be said of ESPER’s music that can’t be said of the supernatural? The electronic music prodigy, whose real name is Max Margot, is experiencing quite a rise through the EDM scene. ESPER’s name derives from the concept of extrasensory perception, or ESP, more commonly known as “the sixth sense.” No, he does not see dead people. What he sees is a bright future. Thanks to the iconic 1999 film of the same name, “the sixth sense” is more commonly associated with the paranormal community. But for Margot, it’s rooted more in psychology. One of the core values at the bedrock of his brand, he says, is empathy, as in he hopes his music connects with fans so their subconscious feelings bubble to the surface. And...
Montell Fish Processes His Grief Through DIY R&B
Few singers can encapsulate grief quite like Montell Fish. This summer saw the release of his debut album JAMIE, a raw exploration of the self in the aftermath of a breakup. Across JAMIE’s 10 tracks, unedited vocals and poetic lyricism converge to carve out a harrowing musical narrative, opening with songs embodying the initial high of falling in love and closing with Fish grasping at things left unsaid as he mourns his relationship. JAMIE may constitute the end of one chapter, but it’s only the beginning of the 24-year-old Fish’ story. The singer, currently based in New York by way of Philadelphia, has two more records in the works: CHARLOTTE and MARSHALL, which will join JAMIE to form a trilogy of albums that chart the various stages of the grieving process. Before working on this monony...
Nicki Minaj Talks Motherhood and More For ‘Interview’ With Jada Pinkett Smith
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Arturo Holmes/MG22 / Getty Nicki Minaj is a legend and a superstar. She is also a mother and by some recent accounts a bully to the many female rappers who have come in her wake. She sat down with Red Table Talk host, Jada Pinkett Smith for Interview Magazine to talk about these issues and more. The “Super Freaky Girl” rapper shared that she had delayed returning to work after the birth of her son with husband Kenneth Petty. The baby was born in September 2020 and she said that she experienced “real bad separation anxiety.” Nicki Minaj notes that a lot of that anxiety derived from her own childhood when her mother left her with relatives in Trinidad to pursue job opportunities in the United States. “So I’m reliving all of those things now beca...
AriZona Iced Tea Founder Says Inflation Won’t Change $0.99 Price
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jeff Greenberg / Getty Good news my fellow iced tea loving brethren, though inflation is hitting us hard and causing food prices to raise something ridiculous, hood favorite AriZona Iced Tea will continue to stay at the reasonable price of $0.99. According To HypeBeast, AriZona Iced Tea chairman and founder Don Vultaggio said that the company has no plans on raising the price of their classic 23-ounce drink and would keep the can to $1 for “for as long as we can.” Whew! Crisis averted, am I right? With the price of milk, eggs, bread and everything else we consume on a daily basis continuing to rise due to inflation, the last thing we needed was for AriZona Iced Tea to begin selling for more than $0.99 cents. “I tell people every day I go to a gunfight wit...
Trump Defends MAGA Ye fka Kanye West Despite Antisemitism Backlash
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Kent Nishimura / Getty As Ye fka Kanye West is still being taken to task for his antisemitic rants, he’s got one person firmly in his corner – former president Donald Trump. In a recent interview, Donald Trump was asked about the rapper’s offensive remarks which targeted Jewish people including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. “He was really nice to me. Beyond anybody, he was,” he said to right-wing host Larry O’Connor. “I’ve always gotten along with him. He was really high on a guy named Donald Trump,” he continued. O’Connor, a commentator for Salem News, pressed Trump about West’s comments on Kushner. “He’s been saying some really offensive things lately about your own son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and about Jewish people. Jewish Americans writ large. Co...
Escobar Season Returns: Nas Unveils Album Cover To ‘King’s Disease 3’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / ATLPics.Net Hit-Boy and Nas are looking to extend their winning run. The duo has unveiled the artwork for King’s Disease 3. As per Hype Beast the pair have stepped back into the studio for what seems to be the third and final installment in the critically acclaimed series. On Tuesday, October 18 the Queens, New York legend took to social media to share the news. The cover displays three gold bars that are symbolic of the roman numeral 3. Each has “KD 3” engraved on them. Below the bars is the date which is also written in the same font as the previous installments and also as a nod to the forthcoming release date of Friday, November 11. Nas’ caption simply read “11•11”. King’s Disease 3 will mark their fourth collaborative project togeth...
