music blog
Conviction Remix: R. Kelly Found Guilty On 6 Counts Of Sexual Exploitation of Minors
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty R. Kelly’s legal losses continue to pile up in 2022 as the R&B pariah once again was found guilty of some of his many alleged crimes related to his sexual perversion. NBC News reports the “Trapped In the Closet” singer was convicted on six counts of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor on Wednesday (September 14). The case was brought on by women who claimed that the disgraced R&B singer lured them into performing sex acts while they were underaged and “accusations that he conspired to intimidate and bribe witnesses. ” Related Stories The decision by a federal jury came on the second day of deliberations and came one year after Kelly was convicted in New York on charges of federal racketeering and sex trafficking. ...
HHW Gaming: ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ Multiplayer & ‘Warzone 2.0’ Featured During ‘Call of Duty’: Next
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Activision / Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II September is turning out to be a massive month for the world of video games. We got two presentations from Nintendo and PlayStation, plus the Tokyo Games Show is currently happening. Call of Duty also got in on the action and dropped trailers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s multiplayer, Warzone 2.0, and Call of Duty Mobile during its COD Next live stream event. Beginning October 28, a new era begins for Activision’s insanely popular first-person shooter. During the Call of Duty: Next, a live stream event, COD fans saw a brand new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s multiplayer. Per the game’s publisher, Modern Warfare II’s multiplayer will be “the deepest, most innovative, MP experience yet.” Re...
HHW Gaming: 4 Original Fighters Are Back In ‘Street Fighter 6’ & Other Details Announced By Capcom
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Capcom / Street Fighter 6 It’s Tokyo Games Show time, and Capcom came out the gate with some more details about its highly-anticipated fighter Street Fighter 6. Fresh off both Nintendo and PlayStation live stream events, Capcom was first up with some announcements at TGS. Since the significant reveal back in June, Capcom has been steadily dropping details about Street Fighter 6. With each report, we learn what fighters we will be handing out virtual fades with and more about the new modes coming to the game, today’s announcement keeps that energy. Related Stories First, this should come as a surprise, but Ken, Blanka, E. Honda, and Dhalsim will be returning in Street Fighter 6. Here is a breakdown of each character via PlayStation’s blog. Ken Masters &...
Kanye West and Gap Ending Partnership
Kanye West has told Gap that he is severing his partnership with the company, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Report report. The rapper’s lawyers sent a letter to Gap notifying the company that Yeezy LLC would be terminating its agreement. In the letter, viewed by the Journal and the AP, the lawyers claim that the Gap failed to meet the terms of its contract. Gap sent a letter to its employees, viewed by Pitchfork, confirming that the partnership is coming to an end. “While we share a vision of bringing high-quality, trend-forward, utilitarian design to all people through unique omni experiences with Yeezy Gap, how we work together to deliver this vision is not aligned,” Gap president and CEO Mark Breitbard wrote. “And we are deciding to wind down the partnership.” According to ...
New Sublime Biopic in the Works
There is going to be a new movie about Sublime. The biopic will be directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Chris Mundy. Sublime’s Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson are serving as executive producers, as are Bradley Nowell’s widow Troy and his son Jakob Nowell on behalf of the late singer’s estate. Additional executive producers on the forthcoming film are Surfdog/DKM’s Scott Seine and About:Blank’s Cameron MacConomy. Producers include Peter Chernin, Jenno Toping, and David Ready from Chernin Entertainment; Francis Lawrence from About:Blank; Dave Kaplan of Surfdog/DKM; and Peter Paterno of KHPS. In a statement, Gaugh, Wilson, and the Nowells said: Wow—we can’t believe this is finally happening and we couldn’t be more honored and excited to have the great Francis Lawrence and Chris Mundy telling...
Ryuichi Sakamoto Shares Songs for New Netflix Anime Series Exception
Ryuichi Sakamoto has shared two new songs that he made for the new Netflix anime series Exception. Take a listen to “Opening for ‘Exception’” and “Oxygen” (an extended reprisal of the opening theme) below. “I wanted to make the main theme a symphonic piece—the kind that has become a staple in science fiction since Star Wars,” Sakamoto said in a press statement. “As for the soundtrack as a whole, I worked towards keeping it darkly ambient, wanting it to feel like one piece of music rather than separated by scene. That said, I did include a degree of harsh sounds in the fighting scenes. Overall, I was able to make a soundtrack I like very much.” Exception (Soundtrack From the Netflix Anime Series) is out October 14 via Milan Records. The show, written by Hirotaka Adachi (aka Otsuichi) and di...
Topshelf Records Launches Kickstarter After Distribution Partner Abruptly Shutters
Independent label Topshelf Records has started a Kickstarter campaign after the mail order fulfillment company with which it partnered, Awesome Distro, abruptly entered bankruptcy. In a lengthy statement posted to the website, Topshelf co-founder Kevin Duquette said Awesome Distro shuttered without notifying Topshelf and the label’s entire inventory (including vinyl, CDs, tapes, and merchandise) is now being withheld by the warehouse’s landlord. “[Awesome Distro] have abruptly shut down, owing us tens of thousands of dollars in revenue and forcing us to relocate 17 years worth of inventory immediately with no advance notice,” reads the statement. “The property management company they leased from is withholding access to our inventory, treating it as collateral, and citing that their agreem...
Manuel Turizo Scores First No. 1 on Billboard Argentina Hot 100 With ‘La Bachata’
Manuel Turizo banks his first No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “La Bachata” rises from No. 3 to lead the Sept. 10-dated ranking. The track trades places with Bizarrap and Quevedo’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” which dips 1-2 after its eight-week coronation. The current chart week boasts slight movement within the top 10, starting with Rosalia’s “Despechá,” which drops 2-3. Meanwhile, Rei and Callejero Fino’s “Tu Turrito” holds strong at No. 4 for a fifth week after its No. 3 high (Aug. 13-dated survey). Plus, Duki’s “Givenchy” remains steady at No. 5 for a fourth week, while Shakira and Rauw Alejandro’s “Te Felicito” re-enters the upper region with an 11-10 jump. Callejero Fino places a second entry thanks to his team-up with Alan Gómez in “Mission 10,” the ...
Def Jam Names Mike Hamilton SVP of Streaming & Commerce
Def Jam has named Mike Hamilton as its new senior vp of streaming and commerce, the label announced Thursday (Sept. 15). The music executive, who was named a 2021 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Player, has helped guide the streaming success of artists like Giveon, Future, DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, 21 Savage and Cardi B. “Mike boasts some of the best relationships in the industry, and brings a deep, nuanced understanding of the streaming ecosystem and a keen eye for strategy,” said Tunji Balogun, Def Jam chairman and CEO. “Our company and our artists will immediately benefit from Mike’s experience and expertise, and I’m beyond excited to finally work alongside him in breaking new artists together under the Def Jam banner.” Prior to his new role, Hamilton served for three years as senio...
Marcus Mumford Didn’t Want to ‘Terrorize People’ With Addressing of His Traumatic Past on Solo Debut
Marcus Mumford felt he was covering such potentially triggering terrain on his solo debut, (self-titled), out tomorrow on Capitol Records, that the Mumford & Sons frontman ran every line by a trauma specialist. “I said, ‘Look, I don’t want to terrorize people, I don’t want to activate people for the sake of it. But this feels true to me in every sense,’” he tells Billboard. Mumford confronts his demons from the very first line of the album’s very first song. “Cannibal” calls out the person who sexually abused Mumford when he was six: “I can still taste you and I hate it/ That wasn’t a choice in the mind of a child and you knew it,” he sings calmly, before the song bursts into an explosion of energy as he shifts the narrative to learning to forgive and begin ...
Cinq Sues Create Music Group for ‘Falsely Claiming’ Copyright Infringement
Record label and distributor Cinq Music Group sued Create Music Group on Monday, accusing the company of preventing it from monetizing Swell’s 2016 song “I’m Sorry” on YouTube. Cinq’s complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, asks for “no less than $200,000” in damages, claiming intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic relations, and negligent interference with prospective economic relations. Billboard previously reported that more than 10 sources — including artist managers, lawyers and executives at other royalty collection companies — said they know of times when Create has claimed YouTube publishing royalties it has no right to receive. Create vehemently denied the allegations. Cinq’s lawsuit, in contrast, invol...
Listen to GRiZ’s Sun-Kissed House Track, “On a High”
The next entry in GRiZ‘s long-running mixtape series, Chasing The Golden Hour, showcases the beauty of those golden hours when the sun hits just right and everything glows. Seven years ago, GRiZ picked up his instruments and drove right towards the sun with the release of the first chapter of Chasing The Golden Hour. Now, he’s returned with the second single off the upcoming fourth installment of the series. Like last week’s “Your Light,” “On a High” slows things down to help listeners bask in the warm energy that inspires the record’s title. Sultry vocals layered atop a disco-inspired, synth-laden bassline create a groove that’s best enjoyed on a chilly fall hike in the forest or a lakeside bike ride. A relaxing counterpart to his...
