music blog
Khan Jamal, Jazz Vibraphonist, Dies at 75
The influential jazz vibraphonist Khan Jamal died in Philadelphia on Monday (January 10), WBGO reports. He was 75. Khan played with Sunny Murray in the ’70s, in Ronald Shannon Jackson’s Decoding Society in the early ’80s, did time with the Sun Ra Arkestra and later formed Cosmic Forces with some of its former members. An avant garde experimentalist, he helped bridge the gap between free jazz and fusion. Jamal was born Warren Robert Cheeseboro on July 23, 1946, in Jacksonville, Florida, but grew up in Philadelphia, where he started playing the vibraphone as a teenager in the ’60s. He studied at the Granoff School of Music and the Combs College of Music, and took private lessons with Bill Lewis, with whom he would later make an album of vibraphone-marimba duets. He founded Sounds of Liberati...
Ronnie Spector, 1960s Icon and Ronettes Leader, Dies at 78
Ronnie Spector, the inimitable vocalist who rose to fame as the leader of 1960s girl group the Ronettes, has died. Spector’s family announced the news in a post on the singer’s official website earlier today (January 12). “Our beloved earth angel, Ronnie, peacefully left this world today after a brief battle with cancer,” the family wrote in the statement. “Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude.” Find the full statement here. Ronnie Spector was born Veronica Bennett in Spanish Harlem in New York City. She was just a teenager when the Ronettes—her pop group with older sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley—began releasing music in the early 1960s, first on Colp...
Nicki Minaj Dropped From Harassment Lawsuit by Husband’s Attempted Rape Victim
The woman who sued Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty for harassment has dropped Minaj from the lawsuit, as TMZ reports and Pitchfork can confirm. On Wednesday (January 12), Jennifer Hough, the woman whom Petty assaulted in 1994 when they were both teenagers, and her lawyers voluntarily dismissed their claims against Minaj “without prejudice,” according to court documents. Petty is still named in the lawsuit, which alleges sexual assault and battery. Hough filed her complaint in a New York federal court in August 2021. The lawsuit alleged a pattern of harassment by both Minaj and Petty, including reaching out to Hough directly, offering her large sums of money via proxies, and sending people to her house unannounced, which eventually led her to move out of her home in August 2020. I...
Roddy Ricch Replaced by Bleachers on SNL Due to COVID-19 Exposure
Roddy Ricch has dropped out of his scheduled appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend due to COVID-19 exposure on his team, reports Variety. Jack Antonoff’s project Bleachers will fill in for the rapper. The episode is scheduled to air live on January 15 with actress Ariana DeBose serving as the host. Antonoff released Saturday Night, his third solo album under the Bleachers moniker, last summer as well as a collaborative single with Lana Del Rey called “Secret Life.” Antonoff was recently named the 2021-2022 academic year artist-in-residence at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music as well. Revist Pitchfork’s interview “Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff Is Your Favorite Pop Star’s Secret Weapon.”
SOUNDGARDEN Pays Tribute To BUDGIE’s BURKE SHELLEY
The surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN have paid tribute to vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley of legendary Welsh rockers BUDGIE who died on Monday, January 10 at the age of 71. SOUNDGARDEN was one of several high-profile groups who covered BUDGIE classics over the years: The Chris Cornell-fronted outfit’s take on “Homicidal Suicidal” was released in 1992 as the B-side of the “Outshined” single and was included on the 2014 compilation album “Echo Of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path”. Earlier today (Wednesday, January 12), Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd took to Instagram to write: “We are so sad to learn of the passing of Burke Shelley, the founding vocalist, bassist, keyboardist and songwriter for the influential and heavy UK rock...
Watch DAVE MUSTAINE Perform MEGADETH Classics At This Month’s ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’
Video footage of Dave Mustaine performing the MEGADETH classics “À Tout Le Monde” and “Symphony Of Destruction” with several campers at this month’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp in Deerfield Beach, Florida can be seen below. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp was created 26 years ago to provide real people the once-in-a-lifetime experience of connecting and jamming with their musical heroes. The Camp has provided unforgettable memories, advice and feedback for attendees worldwide. Camp events span over four jam packed days where campers join a band mentored by today’s top touring musicians, and work up to final performances with the headliner rock stars at legendary venues from Abbey Road Studios in London, to Hollywood’s Whisky A Go ...
SLAYER’s KERRY KING Buys New York City Condo For $3.65 Million
According to the New York Post, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and his wife, Ayesha, recently purchased a condo in Tribeca, a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, for $3.65 million. The renovated 3,522-square-foot home was on the market for 45 days. It comes with $4,572 monthly common charges. Check out pictures of the property at this location. Ayesha King broke the news of the couple’s move in an Instagram post last November. She wrote: “I suppose it’s time to tell you all that the King and I have moved to NYC ( back home for me, excited to be near my family again ). I figured I’d beat some acquaintance’s friend buddy who it heard it from a guy to announce it and think he’s cool. I served my time on the west coast for 18 years. Time to be bac...
SEBASTIAN BACH: ‘I Have Lost Around 35 Pounds Since August 2021’
Sebastian Bach says that he has lost 35 pounds in the last five months. The former SKID ROW singer shared the news of his weight loss in an Instagram post earlier day. He posted a shirtless mirror selfie and included the following message: “In the spirit of Ms @britneyspears , here is a picture of me just waking up today looking in the mirror. “Why am I posting this? For one simple reason: I have lost around 35 pounds since August 2021. Am I exactly where I want to be? Not yet. Am I heading in the right direction? You better believe it. “Rock n’ roll does a body good! So does completely changing your diet and exercising as much as possible. #Yoga running and always remember that abs are made in the kitchen! “I will be 54 years old in April. If I can do it, so ...
Dr. Fauci Slams Rand Paul For False Claims Inspiring Threats Against Him
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Pool / Gettyfauic The top infectious disease specialist in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, slammed Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) once again for making inflammatory statements about him during a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. During the Senate Health, Education, Pensions and Labor Committee hearing discussing the present COVID-19 variants held on Tuesday (January 10th), Republican Senator Rand Paul accused Dr. Fauci of using his government position to defame three conservative academic professionals who didn’t share his viewpoints and opposed lockdowns in 2020. It was found that Fauci merely sent an email to colleagues containing a link to an article debunking “herd immunity” claims. “In usual fashion, Senator, you are distorting everything about me,” F...
Reebok & Bape To Drop Some New Colorways Of Instapump Fury & Classic Club C 85
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Reebok / Reebok Collaborating clothing brands are all the craze these days as hypebeasts and fashionado’s go gaga over two hot brands dropping exclusive capsule collections and the latest collaborative drop will be coming courtesy of Reebok and A Bathing Ape. Source: Reebok / Reebok A few weeks ago the two teased the upcoming collaboration but now we got a look at what they have in store and it’s going to be a problem. For their highly anticipated drop, Bape will be giving the colorful camouflage treatment to Reebok’s Instapump Fury while keeping it casually clean with the Classic Club C 85. Giving their signature camo imprint on the Instapump Fury’s, Bape decided to get extra colorful with the silhouette instead of going the traditional green camouf...
D-O-Double-Glizzy: Snoop Dogg Planning Potential Snoop Doggs Hot Dog Line?
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty Snoop Dogg has managed to find opportunities in entertainment outside of his musical career with a high level of success. The Doggfather’s latest business venture might see the Triple OG moving into the glizzy gang with a potential line of hot dogs. According to Billboard, Snoop Dogg filed a trademark order for a brand known as “Snoop Doggs,” keeping things on brand per usual. Related Stories A look at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office report for the 41 trademark applications that Uncle Snoop filed over the years shows that Snoop Doggs was the latest filing, happening in December 2021. There is also a “Snoop Dogg’s” trademark from 2020. As of now, it isn’t known what Snoop Doggs will materialize into but the speculation is heavy. At ...
HHW Gaming: Xbox Owners Are BIG Mad About Forced Crossplay With PC Gamers
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Bungie / Halo Infinite Multiplayer The honeymoon phase for crossplay between Xbox and PC gamers seems to be over. Per The Verge, Xbox gamers are making it very clear they are tired of being forced into crossplay with PC players. Before it became an issue, crossplay was a big request from Xbox and PC gamers, with Microsoft being firmly behind the feature. Now, as cheating becomes more rampant in free-to-play online shooters, Halo Infinite and Call of Duty: Warzone, Xbox gamers are now demanding that Microsoft introduce some sort of opt-out feature. Both titles listed above force Xbox players to face off against PC gamers in featured playlists in the games. Forced crossplay is a scam by Microsoft,” one post on Microsoft’s Halo Waypoint forums said. “F...
