Entertainment News
YG Releases New Protest Song “FTP” (“Fuck the Police”): Stream
For the last four years, “FDT” has been something of a signature song for YG — and with good reason. Now he’s back with another acronymic protest song to match the current socio-political climate: “FTP”, or “Fuck the Police”. Bass heavy with piano notes creeping throughout, the track sees YG being direct about his feelings about the “Ku Klux Cops,” as he puts it. “I’m tired of being tired of being tired/ I’m tired of being shot at like a opp,” he raps. “Callin’ all the foodies from the tribe/ We on some fuck the police shit, it’s the vibe.” YG announced the song via an Instagram video in which he said he wouldn’t be attending a protest he’d promoted earlier. Standing in front of a framed photo of Nipsey Hussle (who joined him on “FDT”), YG said, “I was told today that my protest is not saf...
Spotify Adds 8-Minute, 46-Second Silent Track to Playlists for Blackout Tuesday
Like many others in the music industry, Spotify is partaking in Blackout Tuesday, a day intended for pause and reflection in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The streaming company has blacked out its flagship logos throughout the platform, but perhaps even more striking is the change its made to some of its playlists: Spotify has added an 8-minute, 46-second silent track in honor of George Floyd. The specific 8:46 length reflects the amount of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee down on the neck of an unresisting Floyd, even as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” Floyd died as a result of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure,” according to an independent autopsy report released recently. <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041504" data-att...
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Pledges $10 Million Donation to Anti-Racist Organizations
J.J. Abrams, photo by Heather Kaplan In solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, J.J. Abrams has pledged a whopping $10 million dollars to various organizations fighting racism in America. The donation will come through Abrams’ Bad Robot film and TV production company, as well as the Katie McGrath and JJ Abrams Family Foundation. The $10 million will be dispersed over the course of five years, with an initial $200,000 investment marked for each of the following groups: Black Lives Matter LA, Black Futures Lab, Community Coalition, Equal Justice Initiative, and Know Your Rights Camp. “Enough is enough,” reads a statement on Bad Robot’s Instagram page announcing the donation. “Enough police brutality. Enough outsized privilege. Enough polite conversation. Enough white comfort.” “The ...
Killer Mike Delivers a History Lesson and Assigns White America Homework on Colbert: Watch
After a Minneapolis police officer murdered George Floyd, America erupted. Police clashed with protestors, cities imposed curfews, largely peaceful demonstrations spilled over into vandalism, looting, and arson, and white nationalists impersonated legitimate activists to sow distrust and chaos. In the midst of generational turmoil, the rapper Killer Mike delivered a powerful speech that balanced historical awareness, community love, and a rage that threatened to become all-consuming. By speaking directly to his Atlanta neighbors, he gave voice to Americans everywhere. And now that his words have gone viral, the artist born Michael Render is using his heightened platform to push that message forward. On Monday, June 1st, Killer Mike called into the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert&nb...
Nigerian Reggae Music Icon, Majek Fashek Dies in New York at Age 71 | Rest in Peace Legend!
Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek is Dead! The Reggae musician, Majek Fashek born in 1949 has died at the age of 71 in New York, USA. In the late 80s and early 90s, Majek Fashek was a top reggae act both in Nigeria and Africa. He was also one of the earliest Nigerian music stars to get an international record deal and also make appearances on American TV shows where he performed. Majek’s 1988 album ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ and the single ‘Send Down the Rain’ became a major hit worldwide and garnered multiple awards, including Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria’s album of the year in 1989. It was followed by ‘So Long for Too Long’ in 1991, which incorporated haunting vocals with the artist’s captivating rhythm. The musician also known as The Rainmaker, has w...
Davido Confined to Crutches After Sustaining Leg Injury
Popular singer, Davido has been temporarily confined to crutches after he sustained a leg injury. For the father of three, the month of June started off on the wrong foot (Pun not intended) and his fans are praying for a speedy recovery. His lawyer, Bobo F. Ajudua shared these photos of him as he stepped out in crutches yesterday, June 1st. He wrote; “How some people chose to enter June. Nawa. At some point yesterday we were literally thanking God there are no shows right now 😅. Get well soon bro @davidoofficial 🙏🏾🙏🏾” We wish him a quick recovery 🙏 Recommended For You: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful peop...
Brandi Carlile and Members of Soundgarden Team Up for Record Store Day 7-Inch
For this year’s Record Store Day, Brandi Carlile has teamed up with remaining Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and Matt Cameron to record new versions of “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching with My Good Eye Closed”. This tribute to Soundgarden will be released as a 12-inch on September 26th, which is the second of three separate Record Store Drops this year. In addition to Thayil, Shepherd, and Cameron, Brandi Carlile worked with her frequent collaborators, twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth. The songs were recorded at Seattle’s London Bridge Studio, a legendary place that hosted both Soundgarden and Brandi Carlile early in their careers. As 2020’s official Record Store Ambassador, Carlile has kept up a steady stream of social media posts about the event and her own contribution. Appare...
Justin Chancellor Writing “Interesting” New Tool Riffs, Collaborating with Bauhaus’ Peter Murphy
Tool bassist Justin Chancellor has been keeping busy with multiple projects during the pandemic, one of which is writing “interesting riffs” for his main band. Among his other ventures is “bouncing some ideas around” with Bauhaus legend Peter Murphy. While checking in from lockdown with Bass Magazine, Chancellor offered up a glimpse of what his day-to-day life has been like since the COVID-19 pandemic forced Tool off the road. The bassist disclosed that he’s been cleaning up his house and gardening, as well as restoring a 15-foot Statue of Liberty head movie prop that he “purchased years ago on a tipsy impulse.” When asked about his current and upcoming projects, Chancellor responded, “I’m working on tracks for a second MTVoid album/EP with Peter Mohamed, who is in Poland. It looks like it...
Former Misfits Drummer Joey Image Reportedly Dies at 63
Joey Image, a drummer for The Misfits during the band’s formative years, has reportedly passed away at the age of 63. While no official cause of death was mentioned, the musician had been battling liver cancer since 2016. Image’s death was reported by the New York Hardcore Chronicles Facebook page, which simply stated, “Joey Image of The Misfits dead at 63. Rest in Peace.” The drummer was a member of the Misfits from 1978 to 1979, appearing on the band’s Horror Business EP, which contained the title track as well as “Teenagers from Mars” and “Children in Heat”. He also drummed on the “Night of the Living Dead” 7-inch single (also containing “Where Eagles Dare” and “Rat Fink”), plus the song “Who Killed Marilyn?” that was included on the 1985 compilation Legacy of Brutality. Image left...
Run the Jewels Reject Racists on New Song “A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)”: Stream
Run the Jewels have just dropped the perfect song to coincide with the Black Lives Matter protests raging across the country. Titled “A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Rotation)”, the poignant track sees Killer Mike and El-P condemning racism, while also being the voice of the marginalized. “This is for the never heard, never even get a motherfucking word,” El-P raps during one of his verses, his words punching just as hard as the track’s driving production. But it’s Killer Mike’s turn at the mic that provides the most graphic visual, as he references both lynching and slavery, “This is for the do-gooders that the no-gooders used and then abused/ For the truth tellers tied to the whipping post, left beaten, battered, bruised/ For the ones whose body hung from a tree like a piece of strange...
Krist Novoselic Praises Trump for “Strong and Direct” Law and Order Speech
On Monday afternoon, Donald Trump emerged from his underground bunker and made his first public comments on the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests filling city streets. Well, sort of. Trump only made a passing reference to Floyd’s death, and he failed to mention police brutality, institutional racism, and other societal issues that have allowed such tragedies to become commonplace in America. Instead, Trump threatened to illegally unleash the United States Military on American citizens. Then, after police gassed peaceful protestors, Trump walked to a nearby church for a bizarre photo shoot. The whole thing was one of the more disturbing moments in the three-and-a-half year history of Trump’s presidency, which is really saying something. But there’s at least one person w...
Bandcamp to Donate Profits to NAACP Legal Defense Fund Every Juneteenth
Bandcamp has been a beacon of charity in these tough times. Having previously waived their fees for 24 hours to support independent musicians, the music website has announced they will donate 100% of their share in sales on June 19th to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. And it’s not just this one date, but “every Juneteenth hereafter…” Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, a holiday celebrating June 19th, 1865. This was the day the Emancipation Proclamation finally went into effect in the former Confederate States of America, two years after it was signed and a little over a month following the end of the Civil War. What’s more, Bandcamp has additionally pledged to donate $30,000 a year to “organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.” Calling th...
