music blog
Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” Has Earned Its First RIAA Diamond Certification
It has almost been 15 years since Young Money rapper Lil Wayne released his first No. 1 single, “Lollipop”. The track has officially earned its first Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) diamond certification. “Lollipop” was first released in March 2008 as the lead single from Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album, Tha Carter III and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks. “Lollipop” later went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. Now almost 15 years later, the track has received a second life and resurgence on TikTok, becoming the No. 1 song on the platform’s U.S. Top Tracks. Lil Wayne posted to Instagram the unboxing moment of his Diamond plaque and can be heard saying, “Lollipop, my first Diamond record. 10 million singles sold; not streams. 10 milli...
Watch the New Trailer for Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter
Lifetime has shared the trailer for Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter, which follows Surviving R. Kelly and Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning. The conclusion of Dream Hampton’s docuseries will air in two parts, on January 2 and 3. The first night will, in part, document the abuse, intimidation, and eventual courtroom testimony of Azriel Clary. The second episode focuses on a survivor identified as Jane Doe #1, as well as the victim impact statements of other survivors. Each episode airs at 8 p.m. Eastern or Pacific, depending on location. In June, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on a federal sex crimes case. He has since been found guilty on three separate counts of child pornography and three counts of enticement of a minor. Creating “Surviving R. Kelly”: Why drea...
Angel Deradoorian and Kate NV Share Song From New Band Decisive Pink: Listen
Angel Deradoorian and Kate NV have announced a new project called Decisive Pink. The duo recently wrote an album together during a stint in Cologne, Germany, and has signed with Fire Records. Check out the band’s debut single, “Haffmilch Holiday,” below. Both Deradoorian and NV sing and play “a bunch” of modular synthesizers in their new project, as they wrote in press materials. Decisive Pink penned “Haffmilch Holiday” as an ode to a daily ritual: venturing to a local cafe to order oat milk cappuccinos. The routine “inspired the desire to to be free from the daily grind of societal pressures and to take in the little joys that all humans appreciate,” Decisive Pink write in the song’s liner notes. Kate NV recently announced her next solo album. Wow is out March 3 (via Rvng Intl.). It marks...
Gunna Released From Jail After Pleading Guilty in YSL RICO Case
Gunna pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News reports and Pitchfork can confirm. The rapper took an Alford plea, meaning that he pleaded guilty to the one charge while maintaining his innocence on that same charge as a form of self-preservation. Gunna was sentenced to five years in prison, but it was commuted to time served; the remaining balance of the sentence has been suspended, too, meaning that he is likely to be released from custody in due time. As part of the deal, the rapper will serve 500 hours of community service. In a statement shared with Pitchfork by Gunna’s lawyer Steve Sadow, the musician said: When I became affiliated with YSL in 2016, I did not consider it a ...
Justin Timberlake Shares ‘Heartbreaking’ Tribute to Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss: ‘He Always Lit Everything Up’
Justin Timberlake is the latest to share condolences following the tragic death of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, former DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, who died by suicide at age 40 on Wednesday (Dec. 14). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It’s heartbreaking to hear that someone who brought so much joy to a room, was hurting so much behind closed doors,” the “Can’t Stop the Feeling” singer wrote in a series of tweets. “I’ve known Twitch for over 20 years through the dance community – he always lit everything up. You just never know what someone is really going through.” He also shared a sweet photo of tWitch holding up Timberlake’s wife, Jessica Biel, Dirty Dancing-style during an Ellen appearance. “Take care...
Eddie Murphy to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2023 Golden Globes
Eddie Murphy is going to the Golden Globes. The legendary comedian, 61, has been confirmed to receive one of the night’s highest honors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given as a way to honor “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” per the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The selection is made by the HFPA’s board of directors. Murphy, a six-time Golden Globe nominee, picked up one trophy in 2007 for his critically acclaimed turn in the movie musical Dreamgirls. He snagged noms for 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, The Nutty Professor and, more recently, for Dolemite Is My Name. The award is among two of the night’s highest honors, with the other being the Carol Burnett Award. News on that recipient is expected this ...
Here’s Everything Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn Have Said About Their Relationship
Taylor Swift has been dating Joe Alwyn since 2016, and while they’ve been together for six years, the couple has remained private about everything surrounding their relationship. While the couple’s relationship is strictly off-limits when it comes to the press, Swift and Alwyn have briefly mentioned each other in interviews throughout the years, showing the respect and love they still have for each other after all this time. They’ve even written songs together. Alwyn contributed to both 2020’s Folklore and its sister album Evermore under his literary-leaning pen name — co-writing the Bon Iver duet “Exile” and producing six other songs on the former, as well as penning “Champagne Problems,” The National-assisted “Coney Island” and second Justin V...
BYeDolf: Nearly 90K Sign Petition To Take Ye’s Music Off Streaming Sites
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: YouTube / Youtube An online petition is calling for the removal of Ye’s music from digital streaming platforms – and has gotten a steep amount of signatures. According to reports, a petition on Change.org was created to have the DONDA rapper’s music pulled from all of the currently established digital streaming platforms which include Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music. “Kanye West has recently made statements praising Hitler and denying the Holocaust, after over a month of making harmful antisemitic statements,” wrote Nathan Goergen, who created the petition. At the moment, the petition currently has close to 90,000 signatures en route to a goal of 150,000 which will make it one of the most prominent on the website. The goal will also make it more vie...
Allen Becker, Who Built PACE Concerts Into a Live Promotion Powerhouse, Dies at 90
In the 1970s, Louis Messina visited the Houston Astrodome to check out the events his new business partner, Allen J. Becker, was putting on. “He’s doing boat shows and having Evel Knievel jump over 150 cars and thrill shows and demolition derbies,” Messina recalls. “I went, ‘Holy crap, there are 60,000 people here!’ A guy jumped from the top of the Astrodome into the air bag.” Becker, 90, who died Monday (Dec. 12) at his Houston home, first approached Messina, then a New Orleans rock promoter, in 1975 to form a concert-promotion partnership. Their company, PACE Concerts, went on to dominate Texas and much of the South for more than 20 years, booking stars from The Who to Bruce Springsteen to Rush. “Allen had an old saying: ‘I’d rather lose money with you than you make a dime without me’ — ...
Diddy Proclaims His Shawty Wop, Yung Miami, Is No Side Chick After Birth Of His New Baby Girl
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Diddy Diddy, aka Love, is spreading a lot of L O V E lately. The mogul/rapper has come to the defense of Yung Miami after she was labeled as one of his “side chicks.” The saga that is Diddy’s midlife crisis, also known as his love life, continues. After confirming the birth of his new child, Diddy returned to social media to defend his Shawty Wop, Yung Miami. In a tweet claiming he doesn’t discuss things on the internet while literally discussing things on the internet, Diddy made it clear he has the City Girl’s back. “@yungmiami305 is not my side chick,” the o. “Never has been, never will be. She’s very important and special to me, and I don’t play about my Shawty Wop. I don’t discuss things on the internet and I will not start ...
Young Thug Hit With 4 New Charges Ahead Of YSL Trial
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty Young Thug and several of his Young Stoner Life cohorts are currently awaiting trial in the massive RICO case built against the musical artist and alleged gang member. The Atlanta rapper was hit with four additional charges in connection to an incident that took place on a local highway in 2021. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that Young Thung, real name Jeffrey Williams, was hit with four counts as he remains jailed as head of the RICO trial in January. The charges are street racing, reckless driving, and speeding, and the outlet noted that they were all listed as misdemeanors. According to the report, authorities pinned an incident on I-85 in the Atlanta Metro region where Young Thug was reportedly driving 120 miles per house and not weari...
Gunna Will Be Released After Pleading Guilty To RICO Charge
Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 2 hours ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor for Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. D.L. covers a variety of topics including breaking news, politics, Hip-Hop music and culture, fashion, and Black history. He currently heads the SPIRIT.ED column for Cassius Life, which focuses on adult beverages and their history. D.L. has worked in the past for MTV News, Billboard, and several other publications. His first big break in journalism came with the now-defunct Politically Black in 1999, the nation’s first ...
