entertainment blog
For Love or Money: Bas & Rexx Life Raj on the Creative Battles Today’s Artists Face
Artists are constantly fighting the internal battle between carrying out their creative vision and sacrificing integrity for commercial success. Bas and Rexx Life Raj are a pair of respected rhymers who have dipped their toes into hip-hop’s mainstream, but have been reluctant to fully immerse themselves into that world. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Bas struggled with the aforementioned mental battle in February when he tweeted about having an 11-track album authentic to himself and the world he wanted to create with his next body of work — but was grappling with the idea of releasing another more palatable version to the mainstream, one that boasted A-list features and a streaming-friendly 17-song tracklist. “There’s certain algo...
Trending Up: Demi Lovato Strikes a Chord With ’29,’ Evanescence’s ’00s Classic Returns to ‘Life’ & More
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Demi Lovato’s “29” starts an TikTok trend revisiting past traumas, while an Evanescence discount inspires more nostalgic remembrances, and a New York Mets pitcher’s dramatic entrance routine makes a viral hit out of a late-’10s EDM banger. Demi Lovato’s “29” Inspires Fans to Look Back in Anger [embedded content] Demi Lovato has sparked a sobering but therapeutic conversation with their fans online this week, following the release of her song “29.” Many believ...
Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Scotty McCreery Blend Country Music & a Good Cause at ACM Party for a Cause
“You get country music and a good cause, what could be any better?” Scotty McCreery told the crowd gathered at Ascend Amphitheater in downtown Nashville on Tuesday evening (Aug. 23). The ACM Party for a Cause benefiting ACM Lifting Lives returned to Nashville for a second year, welcoming a stellar performer lineup of reigning ACM duo of the year Brothers Osborne, McCreery, Blanco Brown, Travis Denning, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack, Darius Rucker, Ingrid Andress, Hailey Whitters and Brad Paisley to downtown Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The balmy summer evening served as a perfect backdrop for a night of music to raise money for ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music. The organiz...
Moses Sumney Announces New Concert Film A Performance in V Acts, Shares Trailer
Moses Sumney has announced A Performance in V Acts. It’s a new concert film that’s out next Wednesday, August 31, in partnership with YouTube’s Black Voices Fund. He’s shared the film’s trailer and a clip, which features his cover of Björk’s “Come to Me” and “Doomed.” Find those below. “A Performance in V Acts marks the official end of the Græ album cycle,” Sumney said in a statement. “It’s a capsule of our headline show since we will not be touring the album after all. This film also ushers in a new period of creativity for me—one in which I take a continued break from making albums and touring music to focus on other disciplines.” Sumney is set to appear in the Weeknd’s HBO series The Idol. Earlier this year, he shared the Son Lux collaboration “Fence.” Content This content can also be v...
Joe Rainey Announces North American Tour Dates
Joe Rainey has announced a North American tour. The tour dates are in support of his recent debut album, Niineta, which was released earlier this year on Justin Vernon and the Dessner brothers’ 37d03d label. The Minneapolis-based pow wow singer will perform in venues across the United States and Canada, kicking off the tour in Milwaukee before performing at festivals including Pop Montreal, Iowa City’s Feast Festival, and more. Find Rainey’s itinerary below. Joe Rainey’s debut album was released in May, following collaborations with Chance the Rapper, Bon Iver, and Low, among others. The album was produced by Andrew Broder of Fog. Read Pitchfork’s feature “You’ve Never Heard Anything Quite Like Joe Rainey’s Avant-Garde Pow Wow Music.” Joe Rainey: 08-26 Milwaukee, MN – Turner Hall *09...
Creed Taylor, Jazz Producer Who Founded Impulse! Records, Dies at 93
Creed Taylor, the venerated jazz producer who founded Impulse! Records and CTI, has died. The Verve Label Group confirmed the news. He was 93. Taylor’s career spanned over five decades, during which he worked on over 300 albums, including recordings by Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann, Stan Getz and João Gilberto, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, and countless others. He frequently encouraged jazz musicians to work with artists and material outside their respective repertoires, thereby broadening their commercial appeal. Taylor was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1929. As a child, he became enamored of big band jazz and tuned his radio to live broadcasts from New York’s famed jazz club Birdland. In high school, Taylor took up trumpet and played in local jazz outfits. He kept at the instrument through...
Joni Mitchell Receives Honorary Doctorate From Berklee College of Music
Joni Mitchell has received an honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music. Berklee’s Office of the President and Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice presented Mitchell with the honor yesterday (August 23), at a private event in Santa Monica hosted by Linda and Russell Brown of MaddocksBrown Foundation. Mitchell accepted the accolade roughly one month after her triumphant return to performing at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. “Well, luckily I’m too old to get a swelled head,” Mitchell said during her acceptance speech at the ceremony. “It’s a beautiful event. Words can’t describe it. I’ve got my good friends here with me.” She continued: “I wish my parents were alive. My mother in particular would be really proud of this because she wanted me to go to college. I...
Popular Demand: Cam’ron Reveals How He And Jay-Z Squashed Their Beef
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Cam’ron rarely does interviews but when he does he doesn’t disappoint. In a new Q&A he reveals how he and Jay-Z squashed their beef. As per Complex the Harlem, New York native paid a visit to the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast. While Gillie Da Kid and Wallo got the “Get Em’ Girls” rapper to discuss several iconic moments in his career, it was his take on his back and forth with Hov that got the Hip-Hop Community talking. During the 56-minute mark he was asked how things got nasty between them and he pointed to his smash single “Oh Boy”. Related Stories Jigga surprised him with a remix verse but Killa wasn’t feeling it thus he erased it. “I was just so caught up… I’m very, very petty, man” he said. But looking ba...
NAACP Says Biden Student Loan Debt Relief Proposal Not Enough
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bill Clark / Getty As President Joe Biden is set to make a major announcement about reducing the amount of student loan debt for those struggling, the NAACP has firmly and publicly stated that it’s not enough to help Black borrowers. According to reports, President Biden is poised to announce a new plan to forgive up to $10,000 of student loan debt for those borrowers who earn below a certain level of income and to extend the current pause on repayments until January 2023. Some outlets have pointed to the White House making an official announcement on Wednesday (August 24th). The move would immediately impact 45 million Americans or one-third of all current borrowers. The news of this proposal, which sources say is still being finalized, was met with swif...
Dennis Rodman Was Headed To Russia To Help Brittney Griner, State Department Urged Otherwise
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Dennis Rodman is most certainly cemented in the annals of history as an NBA legend as evidenced by his championships and awards. The Worm is also something of a diplomat and originally stated he was heading to Russia to assist with the Brittney Griner case but is deciding against the move. ABC News shared in a new report that Dennis Rodman, who told NBC News over the weekend that he had “permission” to “help that girl” in WNBA star Brittney Griner, would not be heading to Russia after State Department officials intervened. State Department spokesperson Ned Price spoke at a press briefing on Monday (August 23), telling ABC News that Rodman would be operating solely on his own if he made the trip. “He would not be traveling on behalf o...
Sanga Ternt Instructor: T-Pain Stars As A Peloton Instructor In Funny Video Clip
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty T-Pain is easily one of the best personalities in the world of entertainment and isn’t afraid to insert himself into the joke. Tallahassee Pain once again showed off his penchant for humor in a hilarious clip that depicted him as a Peloton instructor. T-Pain doesn’t appear to be in a brand deal with Peloton, but he definitely played the part of an instructor well as he can considering that clearly isn’t his main gig. In typical T-Pain fashion, the hitmaking singer-songwriter belts out instructions peppered with a bit of blue language but all in the name of good-natured fun. Peloton apparently loved it as they shared the clip on their TikTok page. Considering that Pain collects plenty of bags simply by being himself, it wouldn’t be sho...
New Clip From Lil Baby Documentary ‘UNTRAPPED’ Touches on His Escape From a Harsh Upbringing
Prime Video has debuted a brand new clip from UNTRAPPED, the documentary film focusing on the life of Lil Baby. The two-minute video, which debuts exclusively on HYPEBEAST, touches on how the rapper, born Dominique Jones in West Atlanta, managed to escape a harsh upbringing that could have seen his life go the complete opposite. Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam also makes an appearance in the clip, calling Lil Baby a “survivor” of a system that never meant for him to succeed. “You can either become a result of that environment, or you can be the antithesis of what you’ve seen and experience,” she said. “Not only is [Lil Baby] a survivor, but he’s gone through hardships, learned lessons and grew from it.” Director Karam Gill told HYPEBEAST, “Lil Baby’s story speaks to so many larger ...
