music blog
Jay-Z & Ye FKA Kanye West Named Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artists Of 2021
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty Among the wide range of Hip-Hop superstars both past and present, few command the attention garnered by Jay-Z and Ye, also known widely as Kanye West. A new report highlights the fact that the Watch The Throne collaborators were the highest paid Hip-Hop artists last year, joining a list of other familiar names. Former Forbes editor Zack O’Malley, best known for the “Hip Hop Cash Kings” tally at the finance outlet, now works on his own substack newsletter, Zogblog. VIBE published a report regarding O’Malley’s findings, which zeroes in on a total sum of the earnings hauled in by these recording artists, including their brand partnerships and other related business holdings. The top 10 highest paid Hip-Hop artists of 2021 are listed ...
Chandra “Deelishis” Davis And Central Park Five’s Raymond Santana Are Getting Divorced And Keeping The Drama Quiet
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: VALERIE MACON / Getty Love is, apparently, no longer in the air for model and former Flavor of Love contestant Chandra “Deelishis” Davis and exonerated Central Park Five victim Raymond Santana. Late in 2019, the couple announced their engagement and got married about six months later. Many of us saw it as a major glow-up for a Black man who, as a teenager, was left at the mercy of a racist justice system that treated him and four other Black youths like their lives weren’t worth the ink used to fingerprint them. But TMZ reports that, sadly, Santana has filed for divorce from the reality TV star and Davis is claiming he was unfaithful to her. Santana and Davis have reportedly been separated since November 1, of last year. Santana claimed in filing for...
Fortnite Creator Epic Games Acquires Bandcamp
Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, is reportedly acquiring popular music platform Bandcamp. The acquisition is the latest move in the gaming juggernaut’s foray into the music creator economy. This afternoon, Bandcamp shared a blog post penned by Ethan Diamond, its co-founder and CEO, announcing that the company is joining the Epic Games family. Neither Epic Games nor Bandcamp have disclosed financial details, but key infrastructure moves have come to light. Diamond will continue to serve as Bandcamp’s CEO and his team will “keep operating as a standalone marketplace and music community.” In his announcement, Diamond reassured users that the platform they know and love will remain intact after the acquisition while lauding Epic...
Photos: Relive the 2022 Wasteland Festival, a SoCal Hard Dance Utopia
There are few avenues left for Insomniac to influence in the electronic dance music landscape, but the team at Basscon is ensuring that hard dance is represented—and represented well. Last weekend, Basscon took over San Bernardino’s NOS Events Center for their annual Wasteland music festival, a celebration of all things hardstyle. Wasteland featured a massive lineup of global hard dance artists, such as Sub Zero Project, Da Tweekaz, Lady Faith and more. From its production to its logistics, Wasteland 2022 was a major success for Insomniac. This year, organizers debuted a revamped stage design with towering LED walls and lasers galore, among other stage elements that offered no shortage of visual stimulation. EDM.com was on the ground throughout the fest...
The Blessed Madonna, Róisín Murphy, More to Perform at Fundraising Rave for Ukraine
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, London-based music collective R3 Soundsystem are planning a fundraising rave to support humanitarian efforts. The event will take place on Friday, March 11th at the South London club Venue MOT and will run for nine hours, from 10PM to 7AM. Craig Richards, The Blessed Madonna, and Róisín Murphy will perform DJ sets, among others. “As part of the fundraiser, we will raise crucial funds destined for aid, refugee assistance and evacuations,” R3 Soundsystem said. “The money raised, the group added, will go to Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft (Alliance for Development Help), Fulcrum UA and All Out to provide humanitarian help on the ground, and support people in Ukraine and refugees in the neighbouring countries that they are f...
Skrillex Announced as Mainstage Closer at Sunset Music Festival 2022
Sunset Music Festival has officially announced Skrillex as a headlining closer in 2022, marking his fourth time performing at the Tampa, Florida-based event. Sunset organizers recently announced the 2022 lineup, which includes Duke Dumont, Dillon Francis, Borgore, Gorgon City, MiTiS, Blanke, and many more. Scheduled for May 27-29 at Raymond James Stadium, this year’s edition is slated to be the largest fest so far in celebration of Sunset’s 10th anniversary. Skrillex is the first of three closing headliners to be announced. Fans can purchase tickets to Sunset Music Festival 2022 here. Skrillex shared a heartfelt post on Instagram just over a month ago describing himself as “on the mend” and stressing the importance of self-love. The post teased new m...
Kanye West Buries Pete Davidson Alive in New “Eazy” Video: Watch
After threatening to “beat Pete Davidson’s ass” on his recent single “Eazy,” Kanye West has taken his grudge with his ex-wife’s boyfriend below the surface. In a new music video for The Game collaboration, Kanye kidnaps a claymation version of Davidson and buries him alive. Watch the clip via Instagram below. The black-and-white visual starts off with The Game performing his name-dropping opening verse while sitting atop a casket. Later on, the Compton rapper meets up with his late idol Eazy-E while in claymation form. Then, the claymation Kanye comes into the picture, riding an ATV on the way to snatch up Davidson, who’s just minding his own business. After placing a burlap sack over the SNL star’s head, Kanye ties Davidson to the back of the vehicle and rides off into the desert. There, ...
Barrie Shares New Song “Concrete”: Stream
Barrie has previewed her new album Barbara with a new single called “Concrete,” just in time for her upcoming world tour. Listen to the song and check out her forthcoming tour dates below. Warm with pulsating, reverb-heavy synths and Barrie Lindsey’s gentle voice, “Concrete” builds a shimmering soundscape while remaining relatively subdued. In a statement, the artist acknowledged this juxtaposition, touching on the awkward process of coming into your own. “[“Concrete”] is about taking the time and energy to figure out who you are. Learning to take up space and be yourself, unapologetically,” Barrie said. “This process can feel selfish and even sinister, depending on how you are conditioned socially… but the major modulation in the final chorus is about finding power and confidence in ...
Ben Shapiro Calls Joe Biden “the Kurt Cobain of Politics” As An Insult
Ben Shapiro, the cultural gadfly whose intellectual capabilities are dwarfed only by his diminutive height, called Joe Biden “the Kurt Cobain of politics,” and meant it as an insult. The former Never Trumper turned bootlicker extraordinaire made that utterance in response to Biden’s State of the Union Address. Shapiro was trying to spin out a metaphor, though the cognitive strain quickly defeated him. “Joe Biden is the Kurt Cobain of politics. He put a shotgun in the mouth of the American body politic and then pulled the trigger. And the brains are on the wall.” People who think words have meaning might point out that in this example, Biden is the author of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in one sentence and then all of the American government in the next. Is Shapiro calling the President a murd...
CHVRCHES and Robert Smith Perform “Just Like Heaven” at NME Awards: Watch
CHVRCHES and Robert Smith won an NME Award for their song “How Not to Drown” on Wednesday, and promptly hit the stage to perform live together for the first time. The synthpop band and The Cure frontman teamed up at the UK awards show to play “How Not to Drown” and fellow Screen Violence cut “Asking For A Friend,” as well as The Cure classic “Just Like Heaven.” Watch video of the on-stage super collaboration below. CHVRCHES and Smith made “How Not to Drown” via email correspondence, CHVRCHES singer Lauren Mayberry revealed in an interview before the award show, so the band didn’t actually meet Smith until they began rehearsing for the show. “Shit myself, to be honest,” she said of her first interaction with Smith. After performing the single, which took home the Best Song By A UK...
METALLICA’s KIRK HAMMETT And ROBERT TRUJILLO To Perform With THE WEDDING BAND In Napa, California
THE WEDDING BAND, the side project of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, along with Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE), Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL), Jon Theodore (THE MARS VOLTA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES, GOD FORBID), will perform on May 27 at Jam Cellars Ballroom at Margrit Mondavi Theatre in Napa, California. The show will be part of the “BottleRock Afterdark” performances that will take place in conjunction with this year’s METALLICA co-headlined edition of the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival, which is scheduled for May 27-29 at the Napa Valley Expo in Northern California. Back in 2019, Kirk told Cosmo Music about THE WEDDING BAND: “It’s just really fun jamming with these guys. It’s something diff...
JEFF PILSON Says FOREIGNER Is ‘Not Letting Politics Get In The Way’ Of Upcoming Tour With KID ROCK
Kid Rock will join forces with FOREIGNER and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD for a U.S. tour this spring and summer. JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING will appear on select dates, with a special appearance by Trey Lewis at all shows. The 24-city “Bad Reputation Tour” will kick off on April 6 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, making stops across the U.S. in Nashville, Boston, Chicago, and more before wrapping up with two shows in Detroit. Asked in a new interview with Rock Band Reviews what he would say to those FOREIGNER fans who are reluctant to come out to see the band because of Kid Rock‘s involvement with the tour, FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson said: “If they’re not coming because of Kid Rock, if it’s musically oriented, well, I would say listen...
