entertainment blog
From Slip-N-Slide to Miami NFT Week, Ted Lucas Talks Embracing Tech to Close the Black Wealth Gap
Back in 1994, Ted Lucas was an entrepreneur on a mission. That quest led to his founding Miami-based Slip-N-Slide Records, home to hip-hop pioneers such as Trick Daddy, Trina, Plies and Rick Ross. Now 28 years later, Lucas is embarking on another mission. This time he’s determined to close the Black and Brown wealth gap through technology and innovation programs. In addition to establishing the non-profit organization TechNolij (pronounced tech knowledge) to support women and minorities seeking to enter the field, Lucas co-founded the inaugural Miami NFT Week conference, which kicked off Friday (April 1) at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center. Wrapping April 3, the three-day event is part of the city’s Miami Tech Month campaign. Three days before the launch of Miami NFT Week, Billboard chat...
Miley Cyrus Says She Has COVID-19, ‘But It Was Definitely Worth It’
Miley Cyrus revealed Friday (April 1) on Twitter that she has COVID-19, but she has no regrets: “It was definitely worth it.” The pop star has been touring Latin America for the past week, with a concert in Bogota, Colombia, and a performance at Lollapalooza Brazil in Sao Paolo. “Traveling around the world, playin for 100,000 people a night & meeting hundreds of fans a day, the chances of getting Covid are pretty high,” Cyrus tweeted. “I have Covid now but it was definitely worth it.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Traveling around the world, playin for a 100,000 people a night & meeting hundreds of fans a day the chances of getting Covid are pretty high. I have Covid now but it was definitely worth it. — Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyr...
Will Smith Resigns From Academy After Chris Rock Oscars Slap
Will Smith, in the wake of slapping Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars, has decided to resign from the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he was heartbroken and would accept all consequences for his conduct. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in the statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for thei...
DJ Drama & Dreamville Drop Power-Packed ‘D-DAY: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape’
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Dreamville / Dreamville Records I normally don’t write posts on Hip-Hop Wired in my own voice because, well, who cares about what I have to say nine times out of 10, right? However, I want to be honest and say that I’m just eight songs on DJ Drama & Dreamville Presents D-DAY: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape and it’s definitely going to blow some minds due to its high quality and variety. The genius of J. Cole’s squad releasing this project on the eve of the revived Dreamville Festival this weekend can’t be understated and every member of the roster came to show the absolute best of their abilities. Without laboring through each track, we’ll just say that J.I.D., EarthGang, Ari Lennox, Lute, Cozz, Bas, Omen, and J. Cole show and prove across the 15 trac...
Will Packer Sheds More Light On The Oscars Slap, Reveals Police Were Ready To Arrest Will Smith
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Handout / Getty FINALLY, we are getting more clarity on The Oscars slap and hearing from people who directly know what happened after the now-infamous moment. Will Packer, who produced this year’s Oscars, spoke exclusively with Good Morning America on April 1 and shared what he experienced during and after the moment Will Smith decided to smack fire out of Chris Rock. In the interview with T.J. Holmes, Packer revealed that Rock was freestyling and “did not get to one joke” pre-written and displayed on the teleprompter. “He did not tell one of the planned jokes. He was immediately freestyling,” Packer said. Related Stories Like many of us who saw it all go down live, Packer didn’t think something serious was going to go down when Smith stepped on the stage...
Chris Rock Shuts Down Fan Who Yelled “F*ck Will Smith”
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Boston Globe / Getty Will Smith may not be Chris Rock’s favorite person these days due to obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean he wants anyone else to hate on the Hollywood heavyweight. According to People, a fan attempted to curse out Will Smith at Chris Rock’s live comedy show at The Wilbur in Boston yesterday after the comedian took the stage, but Rock continued to take the high road and shut down the Smith slander. During his set an audience member yelled out “F*ck Will Smith!” but Rock quickly killed that noise by saying “”No, no, no, no, no…” Real talk, a lesser man probably would’ve encouraged that kind of hate and anger at his show, but Chris Rock didn’t want to take it there regardless of how “mean spirited” some people may think he is. Related...
HHW Gaming: The Extremely Hard To Get Xbox Series X Is Readily Available… For Now
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @BeanzGotGamez Is this a sign that the world is beginning to heal? The once elusive Xbox Series X is now readily available. No, we’re not kidding. Since its launch, the Xbox Series X has been extremely hard to get, immediately selling out when stock hits websites like Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, or Amazon. That was until Friday (Apr.1). If you head over to Amazon or Walmart, you will be surprised to see the console is still IN STOCK, and yes, at its retail price of $499 (Amazon) and $646.25 (Walmart). Related Stories We have hit the refresh button many times to see if the “in stock” changes to “out of stock,” and much to our surprise, it has not yet changed. This is a huge development, being that the system has been very difficult ...
Universal Follows Sony and Warner in Waiving Unrecouped Advances for Some Legacy Artists
Universal Music Group has followed Sony Music and Warner in announcing a program for certain legacy artists to receive royalties without having recouped their advance payments, Billboard reports. Unveiling the plan in its environmental, social and governance report yesterday (March 31), Universal, the world’s largest music company, became the last of the big three label groups to propose such a scheme. Eligible artists will receive royalties backdated to the start of 2022, but Universal did not explain who would qualify or why. Beggars Group kickstarted the trend in 2020, aiming to correct old-fashioned label deals, particularly with Black artists, which locked signees into exploitative contracts with low royalty rates. Back in 2001, UMG launched a similar scheme on a smaller scale through...
Jai Paul Makes Cameo in New Episode of Atlanta
Jai Paul made a cameo last night (March 31) on Donald Glover’s FX show Atlanta in a scene with LaKeith Stanfield. In the third episode of the show’s third season (“The Old Man and the Tree”) the two discuss racism’s symbiotic relationship with capitalism, with Paul quipping “Anywhere you can buy a can of Coke, some type of racism is going down there.” Watch the clip on Reddit, or stream the episode on Hulu and FXNOW. In February, FX chairman John Landgraf announced that season four of Atlanta will be its last. Season three, which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered last month. Last April, Paul celebrated the 10th anniversary of his debut single “BTSTU” by recreating the Myspace page where he originally released his music, as well as sharing two new remixes and the rare...
Join Pitchfork’s Live Blog of the 2022 Grammys
The 2022 Grammys—previously scheduled to take place in January in L.A.—will finally proceed this Sunday night at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. And since practically anything can happen at awards shows these days, you’ll definitely want to join us right here, where Pitchfork staffers will provide minute-by-minute analysis of all the action on the red carpet and on stage, plus first-person updates from inside the building. Will Japanese Breakfast beat Finneas and Olivia Rodrigo for Best New Artist? Will the seven-times-nominated Rodrigo sweep the major categories? Will Taylor Swift become the first artist to win four Album of the Year Grammys? And if so, what will her fellow Album of the Year nominee Kanye West have to say about it? For the answers to all of these questions and more, me...
Jerrod Carmichael Shares Personal Coming-Out Story on HBO Special ‘Rothaniel’
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael publicly shares that he is gay in his new HBO special Rothaniel, premiering Friday night (April 1). In Rothaniel, the comedian, who is set to host Saturday Night Live this weekend, details coming out while sharing stories about his family history, including one that recalled the moment he caught his father cheating on his mother and the feelings that came with holding on to that secret. “I don’t know if I would’ve said anything if I had the courage because I only saw this secret as something that could’ve torn our family apart,” he says, adding that he later made his father tell his mother the truth. Reflecting on the event made Carmichael share the internal conflicts he was left to confront. “Once that was done, I was...
The 25 Best Songs About Family
All artists have muses, and who better to inspire a song than those closest to you? From songs spotlighting brothers (like BTS’ “Begin”), sisters (like Mickey Guyton’s “Sister”), mothers (like 2Pac’s “Dear Mama” and Taylor Swift’s “The Best Day [Taylor’s Version]”), fathers (like Avicii’s “The Nights”), sons (like Adele’s “My Little Love”), daughters (like Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” and John Mayer’s “Daughters”) and beyond, there are hundreds of tracks out there that pay tribute to the people you love. Even if it’s your friendships you cherish most, artists from Kanye West to Kenny Chesney have got you covered. Whether you need some tunes to bust out at your next family reunion or want to show a loved one just how much you care, Billboard has rounded up the top 25 tracks that lay o...
