music blog
Opening Statements in R. Kelly’s Chicago Federal Trial Begin
R. Kelly is currently on trial in Chicago for child pornography and obstruction charges. The trial’s opening statements began today (August 17), following 12 hours of jury selection on Tuesday, with the prosecution team delivering the first statement, WGNTV and the Chicago Tribune report. “The defendant, Robert Kelly, had sex with multiple children,” Assistant United States Attorney Jason Julien reportedly said in the prosecution’s opening statement. “He made videotapes of himself having sex with children. And these two co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, knew about it.” Prosecutors claim that Kelly and his former employees, McDavid and Brown, paid off victims and witnesses in the singer’s 2008 child pornography trial. The three men have pleaded not guilty to the allegations. T...
Inside Grass Lands, the Largest Cannabis Experience In a U.S. Music Festival to Date
Music producers, artists, and event organizers often talk about how they smoke the competition, but few pull it off quite like Outside Lands. Last weekend, Grass Lands celebrated its fourth year at the Bay Area fest. In that time, the experience has expanded with more partners and offerings, but the best part is festival-goers are able to purchase and enjoy their cannabis freely in a fully compliant zone for smoking. Alive Coverage Now in its 14th iteration, Outside Lands Festival is no stranger to pushing the envelope, but few can assemble the cavalcade of top-shelf cannabis partners who make Grass Lands such a potent festival experience. For instance, Traditional, who is known largely as the godfather of OG growers through most of California, was there with discounted buds in a variety o...
There’s a Brand New Halloween EDM Festival Coming to Chicago
The city of Chicago is creepin’ it real after the reveal of a brand new electronic dance music festival, Necropolis. Scheduled for October 29th and 30th, the Halloween-themed fest comes courtesy of Auris Presents, a leading Chicago promoter responsible for ARC and Heatwave, among other major EDM events in the Windy City. Alison Wonderland, Excision, Getter, Adventure Club and EDM.com Class of 2021 artists Blanke and Lucii have been confirmed for performances at the inaugural Necropolis, which organizers liken to a place “where heavy bass music and the dark fantasies of Halloween collide.” They are announcing a second wave of artists soon, according to a press release shared with EDM.com. Tickets will go on sale Friday, August 19th at 12pm CST. You can sign ...
Former Employees File Class Action Lawsuit Against Pollen Over Unpaid Wages
Amid the fallout of Pollen, the destination events company is now facing a class action lawsuit from former employees, Digital Music News reports. Pollen recently went into administration in the U.K. after receiving droves of complaints from consumers, many of whom allege the company failed to issue refunds for events that had been canceled. The company also drew the ire of a number of its partners, like Drumcode Malta, whose organizers said Pollen’s highly publicized struggles forced them to pull the plug on the festival. As the news circulated, Pollen released a statement attributing its pitfalls to a number of factors, including COVID-19 restrictions and a global economic downtick. The statement arrived days after Live Nation released its Q2 financials, reporting $4.43 billion in ...
Fan Chant: A Guide to KCON Los Angeles 2022
Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter! This weekend, the city of Los Angeles welcomes the return of KCON, an enormous celebration of music, culture, and community, anchored by performances from some of everyone’s favorite K-pop acts. For the new or uninitiated (like yours truly), it can be a bit overwhelming to prepare for an event featuring so many great artists and groups. This year’s lineup is truly exciting, so we’ve assembled a quick and easy guide to KCON 2022. What Is KCON? Launched a decade ago in 2012 with its flagship event...
Evanescence’s Amy Lee Joins Korn for “Freak on a Leash” at Joint Tour Kickoff: Video + Setlists
Korn and Evanescence kicked off their co-headlining US tour on Tuesday night (August 16th) in Denver. Among the highlights was Evanescence singer Amy Lee joining Korn onstage for their set-closing performance of “Freak on a Leash.” The month-long outing continues through a September 16th show in Ridgefield, Washington, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. After an opening set by Jeris Johnson, Evanescence took the stage next, playing a 15-song show that included six songs from their most recent album, 2021’s The Bitter Truth, alongside older favorites like “Going Under,” “Bring Me to Life,” and “My Immortal.” Advertisement Related Video Korn closed out the night with a 16-song set that only featured two songs from their latest album, 2022’s Requiem. In fact, the nu-metal pioneers sprea...
The Bear: How Episode 7’s Stunning 18-Minute Single Take Was Made
Over the past few years, single continuous takes have become a commonplace device in film and TV, an objectively impressive if somewhat overused gimmick that allows storytellers an opportunity to flex their ambitions and maximize the high-wire tension of an emotionally significant scene. “One-ers” can sometimes carry an effect of showboating the longer their runtime, but when executed with near-perfect precision, like in FX’s thrillingly chaotic cooking drama The Bear, the result can be a remarkable thing to watch, to see so many moving parts come together seamlessly. Created by Christopher Storer, The Bear is the perfect show to apply such a technique. The series focuses on the volatile and brilliant chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as he struggles to run his brother’s Ch...
Queens of the Stone Age’s Dean Fertita Announces Solo Album Tropical Gothclub
Dean Fertita is returning with a new solo album. The Queens of the Stone Age member will unveil Tropical Gothclub on November 4th via Third Man Records, and as a preview, he’s shared its lead single “Wheels Within Wheels” today. Known for his work in more garage rock-forward bands — QotSA, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather — Fertita has used Tropical Gothclub as his chance to branch out. After spending much of the pandemic recording demos with no clear goal or vision, the resulting final product exemplifies just how far his range spans. “Tropical Gothclub as a concept is futuristic nostalgia,” he says in a press release (are you there, Dua Lipa?). “Going through the seven stages of escapism, understanding the subliminal messages I’ve been sending and receiving to myself, ...
Adrien Broner Drops Out Of Fight Due To Mental Issues, Opponent Calls BIG Cap
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bill Tompkins / Getty It looks like the sports world will have to wait longer for one of boxing’s top talents to return to the ring. Adrien Broner has pulled out from a fight due to mental health issues. As per TMZ the Cincinnati, Ohio native will not be fighting on Saturday, August 20 as previously scheduled. He was contracted to square off against 32-year-old Omar Figueroa Jr. This would mark his first bout in almost 16 months since his last match with him winning over Jovanie Santiago. On Monday, August 15 he revealed he would be dropping out citing mental health issues. “Man, I’m going thru a lot at this moment in my life but I ain’t go give up I set some more goals and UI ain’t stopping until I finish what I started but sorry to say this but I’m...
#BRUHNews: Woman Arrested For Finessing $50K Out Of Man She Met At A Bar
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Ft. Lauderdale PD / WFLA Police have arrested a woman who was alleged to have drugged a Florida man and robbed him of $50,000 worth of jewelry and personal items after meeting him in a bar. According to reports, police in Henderson, Nevada arrested Close Reynicke on Monday (August 15th). The 23-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina resident was identified after she had been pulled over for driving with a suspended license. Law enforcement had been on the lookout for Reynicke at the behest of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, who had put out information on her online last month. Police reports note that the victim, Bobby Scali, apparently met Reynicke in a local bar on Las Olas Boulevard the night of June 10th. They engaged in conversation until 1:30 A.M...
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities’ On Netflix Gets Teaser Trailer
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Ken Woroner / Netflix Guillermo del Toro is probably one of the most underrated horror/fantasy minds of our time and though he’s been keeping a low profile for a hot minute already it seems like he’s ready to return with a big splash come Halloween. Source: Ken Woroner / Netflix We finally got our first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities and judging from the looks of it, we’re in for one helluva devilish time. According to HypeBeast the upcoming anthology will be comprised of eight gruesome tales (two of which will come from Del Toro himself) which promises to “showcase the realities existing outside of our normal world: the anomalies and curiosities.” Having handpicked the stories and directors for this new and exciting series, Guill...
Pay Up: Swizz Beatz & Timbaland Sues Triller For $28M Over VERZUZ Deal
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty VERZUZ was launched at the height of the pandemic by megastar producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, and they elevated the platform to a level that a deal with Triller commenced. However, it appears that the deal has turned sour and the pair launched a $28 million lawsuit in the direction of their business partners. According to a report from The Washington Post, the filing of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s VERZUZ lawsuit against Triller took place on Tuesday (August 16) and it appears that Triller has defaulted on paying the creators of the platform. “To date, Defendants have failed and refused to make any payment to [Swizz Beatz and Timbaland] of the past due sums due and owing,” reads a portion of the lawsuit. It claims that Triller ...
