Entertainment News
Taylor Swift Calls for Permanent Removal of “Racist” Confederate Statues
The Black Lives Matter protests spurred by George Floyd’s murder aren’t stopping anytime soon — unless, of course, racial equity magically appears overnight. While marching for racial justice and calling for the police to be defunded, protestors have begun taking it upon themselves to dismantle, if not destroy, statues honoring white supremacists from history like Robert E. Lee and John B. Castleman. As it turns out, they have a huge celebrity supporting that cause: Taylor Swift. On Friday, the Grammy-winning pop star released a statement calling for the permanent removal of all Confederate statues in Tennessee. “As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things,” Swift wrote on Twitter. “Edward Car...
Petition Launched to Replace KKK Leader’s Statue in Tennessee Capitol with Dolly Parton
Back in December, Tennessee state senator Jeremy Faison proposed replacing a bust of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest currently on display in the state’s capitol building with one of an actual Tennessee hero: Dolly Parton. Now, amid racial unrest across the country spurred on by a rash of unarmed Black people being killed by police, the idea is picking up steam. This week, a petition was launched calling on local officials to replace problematic statues of Forrest and other Confederate leaders with ones of Parton. “History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise,” the petition reads. “Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton.” The petition goes on to note Parton’s many accomplishments beyond music, such ...
Christine and the Queens Performs “I Disappear in Your Arms” on Fallon: Watch
Christine and the Queens stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night to play “I Disappear in Your Arms”, a bonus track off this year’s La Vita Nuova EP. Héloïse Letissier, the artist behind the moniker, used the opportunity to turn the song into an emotionally moving performance in the middle of an empty venue — a stark reminder of all the concerts the coronavirus pandemic has canceled. In the live performance, Letissier belts out the lyrics to “I Disappear in Your Arms” while the booming synth percussion from the Christine and the Queens track echoes behind her. She finds herself standing in a shadow-laded venue, completely alone, while dolled up in a frilly white blouse. That’s when she begins pacing around the empty room, locking eyes with the camera, before she co...
John Cleese Calls Removal of Fawlty Towers Episode That Uses N-Word “Stupid”
As a wave of media companies are pulling content that could be deemed offensively racist, the BBC-owned UKTV has removed a classic episode of the sitcom Fawlty Towers for its use of racial slurs. The show’s star and writer John Cleese has spoken out against the removal, saying executives trying “to hang onto their jobs” are “too stupid to see that” the episode was mocking the derogatory language, not supporting it. In the episode, entitled “The Germans”, Cleese’s Basil Fawlty has a conversation with Ballard Berkeley’s Major Gowen. The Major recalls a time he took a woman to a cricket game played by an Indian team, during which he uses racial epithets when referring to Indians (“w*gs”) and West Indians (“n*ggers”). While the episode is remembered fondly for its repetition of the phrase “don...
Rage Against the Machine Re-enter Charts as Protests Rage On
Rage Against the Machine are experiencing a chart surge as protests continue across the United States and throughout the world. Not only is the band’s debut album back on the Billboard 200 chart, all three of their LPs of original material are making a big splash on the Apple Music chart. Amid ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody, the politically charged band’s music is as relevant as ever. As Forbes reports, Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 self-titled debut is back at No. 174 on the Billboard 200 chart. The debut LP features the classic “Killing in the Name”, which was written in the wake of Rodney King’s beating at the hands of the LAPD and the subsequent riots that followed. The song includes the timely lyric, “Some of those that work forces are the sa...
RMR Drops Debut EP Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art: Stream
The mysterious masked hip-hop vocalist RMR is looking to build off the hype of his smash debut single, “Rascal”, with the release of an eight-track EP called Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Due out today via Warner Records, the EP kicks off with a Westside Gunn collaboration called “Welfare”. Other guest contributors include Future and Lil Baby, who appear on a remix of RMR’s sophomore single, “Rascal”, which interpolates Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road”, closes out the EP. Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art EP Artwork: <img data-attachment-id="1044516" data-permalink="https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/06/rmr-drops-debut-ep-drug-dealing-is-a-lost-art-stream/rmr-drug-deal-is-a-lost-art-ep/" data-orig-file="https://consequen...
Buddy Calls Out Privilege on New Single “Black 2”: Stream
Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and Denzel Curry have released their own protest song in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, as has Lil Baby. Rising Compton rapper Buddy is joining the conversation today with his own single, but his message is slightly different. On “Black 2”, the rising rapper calls out those who like to appropriate and profit from Black culture. He specifically addresses people who have the privilege of never having to actually deal with the stigma of being Black and those who remain silent about racism in America. “Everybody tryna get dreads and shit, but they ain’t African/ All the light girls gettin’ the tan so they can darken they skin,” raps Buddy. During the chorus, the former Vince Staples tour mate makes his missive even clearer: “Grew up in the w...
Grey Daze (Chester Bennington Band) Debut New Song “B12” Featuring Korn Guitarists: Stream
Grey Daze, the band in which Chester Bennington was a member before joining Linkin Park, has debuted a video for the new song “B12” featuring Korn guitarists Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Shaffer. The song is the latest single from Grey Daze’s upcoming album, Amends, which arrives on June 26th after being delayed due to the pandemic. Prior to his death in 2017, Bennington had approached his old bandmates about re-recording their old songs. While the singer died before they started the project, Grey Daze soldiered on by incorporating Bennington’s original vocal tracks with newly recorded music The video for “B12” debuted today as part of the virtual Download TV Festival. The clip pays tribute to Bennington, showing footage of his days performing with Grey Daze in the ’90s. ...
Toots and the Maytals Announce Got to Be Tough, Share Title Track: Stream
Reggae pioneers Toots and the Maytals have announced their first album of original music in ten years, Got to Be Tough. In anticipation of the August 28th release date, the legendary group has also shared the title track. Frederick “Toots” Hibbert formed the first iteration of the Maytals in 1962. A mainstay of Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady scenes, Toots expanded the world’s musical vocabulary with his first global hit, 1968’s “Do the Reggay”. Over the course of the band’s nearly six-decade career, the Maytals have gone through a number of lineups and explored a wide variety of genres, with the one constant being Toot’s smoky, expressive vocals. The new single “Got to Be Tough” has all of the classic reggae benchmarks, including offbeat rhythms and urgent, staccato chords. It also cont...
Hannibal Buress to Stream New Comedy Special, Miami Nights, for Free
It might feel like there won’t be a lot worth celebrating this Independence Day, but Hannibal Buress will at least be here to make us laugh. The comedian has announced a new special called Miami Nights, which will stream for free on YouTube on July 3rd. The special will touch on Buress’ 2017 arrest for disorderly intoxication in Miami after he tried to ask a police officer to call him an Uber. Bodycam footage of the incident shows Buress insulting the officer in a joking manner, only to find himself in handcuffs with no explanations of charges and no Miranda warnings. The comedian was able to get the charges dropped under the First Amendment a few months later. Buress has often joked about the arrest on stage, and given the current climate of the country, there’s probably no better ti...
Avatar Release Chugging New Song “God of Sick Dreams”: Stream
Swedish metallers Avatar have released a new song, “God of Sick Dreams”, from the band’s upcoming studio album, Hunter Gatherer, out August 7th. “God of Sick Dreams” features heavy, chugging riffs and a catchy, almost punk-inspired chorus. The song is the second track to arrive off Hunter Gatherer. The album’s first single, “Silence in the Age of Apes”, has amassed more than 1 million YouTube views since its release in May. Hunter Gatherer promises to be “an unflinchingly ruthless study of a clueless humankind’s ever-increasing velocity into an uncertain future, furthering the reach of the band’s always expanding dark roots,” according to a statement. “The forthcoming album,” the statement continues, “is the darkest, most sinister version of the band yet, with deep studies of cruelty, tech...
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet Gets Delayed Two Weeks
For months now, Hollywood has setting its sights on the July 17th release of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet as the day movie theaters across the country begin opening back up. While Nolan remains determined to screen his latest epic in theaters, the release has now been pushed back two weeks, to July 31st, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A majority of North American theaters have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim to re-open in mid-July in time for Nolan’s blockbuster. Earlier this week, AMC reiterated those plans, confirming that 97% of its theaters should be operational by then. Warner Bros. gave no explanation for why it’s pushing Nolan’s Tenet by two weeks. However, as an amends to theaters that will be re-open by July 17th, the studio will be makin...
