music blog
Demi Lovato Talks Touring, Performs ‘Substance’ on ‘Tonight Show’ Takeover: Watch
Holy fvck, Demi Lovato has taken over The Tonight Show. On Tuesday (Aug. 16), the U.S. pop star kicked-off a three-night stand on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night NBC show, where they’ll slot in as special guest, co-host, musical performer and all-round good sport. To get the party started early for Lovato’s 30th birthday (the big day arrives Saturday), the “Confident” singer sat with Fallon for a chat, took part in a round of “Quicktionary,” and performed a new number. Lovato has some experience leading a TV show. Cracking jokes for a live audience, not so much. “I hosted the Teen Choice Awards one time, years ago,” they recounted. “I feel at home when I’m singing on stage, not when I’m talking.” Has Lovato ever tried standup, Fallon asked? “Hell no!,” was the immediate response. “I don’t want p...
Maddie Shines With ‘Higher Love’ Performance For ‘AGT’ Semifinals: Watch
Maddie wasn’t even born when Steve Winwood released “Higher Love,” a late ’80s solo hit for the former Spencer Davis Group. Not a biggie. The teenager won Howie’ Mandel’s golden buzzer during the auditions of America’s Got Talent, and on Tuesday (Aug. 16), turned to a golden oldie for her semifinals performance. Maddie, or Madison Taylor Baez to her friends and family, melted hearts during the auditions phase when, aged 11, she nailed “Amazing Grace.” When we heard her backstory, her dad’s fight with cancer, and how she trained her vocal talents by singing to him in hospital, it was Niagara Falls all over the country. On Tuesday (Aug. 16), Maddie stepped onto the big stage with all the regalia, pomp and confidence of an artist who’d earned a spot in the final stages of the talent quest. Ex...
Watch Grace Ives Perform “Lullaby” in TV Debut on Kimmel
Grace Ives made her television debut as the musical guest on last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. She performed “Lullaby” from her new album Janky Star. Watch it happen—introduced by the show’s guest host, Desus Nice—and find her upcoming tour dates below. Read about “Lullaby” in Pitchfork’s feature “What Will the 2022 Song of the Summer Be.” Content This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Grace Ives Tour Dates Grace Ives: 09-08 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere Zone One09-09 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s09-10 Washington, D.C. – DC909-12 Toronto, Ontario – Drake Undergro...
How Did Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis End Up on the Cover of The New Yorker?
This week’s issue of The New Yorker has an unexpected cover star: Sadie Dupuis, the poet and songwriter behind Sad13 and Speedy Ortiz. The piece, “Sun-Dappled” by Nicole Rifkin, is on the cover of the August 22 issue and it features Dupuis reading outside. How exactly did Dupuis come to appear on the cover of a magazine that doesn’t traditionally feature portraits of indie rock mainstays? “I was asked to develop this cover originally to be for The New Yorker’s fiction issue,” Rifkin told Pitchfork over email. “I thought that Sadie, who is a friend who also always has about 10 books on deck to read a week, would be the best person to ask to be in the drawing.” Dupuis and Rifkin have been friends for a few years, and, before that, the two admired each other’s work. “She’s very involved in an...
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland Sue Triller for $28 Million Over Verzuz Sale
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland sold their Verzuz series to Triller in 2021, and today, the duo have filed a lawsuit claiming the company still owes them $28 million, Billboard reports. In the complaint, the duo’s lawyers claim that Triller has failed to respond to demands for payment and have repeatedly defaulted in payment obligations. The lawsuit claims that the duo received cash payments in January and April 2021, but a subsequent payment due in January 2022 never arrived. Their lawyers claim in the lawsuit that a new payment plan was agreed upon, but promised payments in March of this year and all subsequent months thereafter have not gone through. Pitchfork has reached out to Triller, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland’s representatives for comment. When the news of the sale to Triller was a...
Rick Ross Fined for Labor Law Violations at Mississippi Wingstop Locations
Rick Ross—through his business entity Boss Wings Enterprises LLC—has been fined by the Department of Labor for labor law violations at five of the company’s Wingstop franchise locations in Mississippi. The company has been forced to pay $114,427 in back wages, liquidated damages, and civil penalties. Investigators found that Ross’ company illegally forced employees to pay for their own uniforms, training, and background checks, as well as cover cash register shortages, bringing the affected employee’s average wages below the federal minimum of $7.25. They also found that Boss Wings Enterprises allowed a 15-year-old employee to work past 10 p.m. on several occasions in violation of FLSA child labor work hours standards. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division District Director Audr...
HHW Gaming: Grammy Award-Winning Producer Hit-Boy Quarterbacking ‘Madden NFL 23’ Soundtrack
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: EA / Madden NFL 23 All of you smell that? It’s the smell of the NFL in the air. Training camps for all teams are open, meaning Madden NFL 23 is around the corner. When you boot up the game, a new soundtrack will have you nodding your head and tapping your feet. Tuesday (Aug.16), EA dropped Madden NFL 23’s official soundtrack on Spotify, and it’s Hip-Hop heavy. The soundtrack features 15 exclusive songs you can only hear first in Madden NFL 23, with appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, Erica Banks, Cordae, and more. Related Stories What truly makes this year’s soundtrack unique is that 3-time GRAMMY-winning writer/producer/rapper, Hit-Boy will be quarterback, lending his legendary producing and creating 33 exclusive beats for the game’s cin...
Desus Nice Guest Hosts ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Cindy Ord / Getty Desus Nice made his first appearance on television since his split with The Kid Mero, filling in for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and joking about being fired from Showtime in his monologue. Desus was tapped to be one of the many guest hosts that Kimmel usually has for his ABC late-night show during the summer months, marking his first appearance on TV since the highly public split between him and his comedic partner, The Kid Mero last month. The separation led to the dissolution of their Showtime late-night show, Desus & Mero. Related Stories While he didn’t touch upon that situation too much in his opening monologue, he did have one sequence that hinted that there was more to the situation with Showtime than previously reported. “L...
A$AP Rocky Charged With Two Counts of Assault For 2021 Hollywood Shooting
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paul CHARBIT / Getty After enjoying a delightful 2022 after welcoming his son with Rihanna just a few months ago, things are about to get dicey for A$AP Rocky going forward as he’s been charged for a shooting incident that took place in 2021. According to Billboard the face of Harlem’s A$AP Mob has just been hit with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón this past Monday (August 15). The aforementioned incident took place in Los Angeles on November 6 of 2021 when Rocky and an acquaintance got into an argument which led to A$AP pulling a semi-automatic handgun and shooting the victim. Luckily the man only sustained a minor injury as Rocky was booked and released on $550,000 bail. Related St...
Kendrick Lamar & Billionaire Ray Dalio Promote Financial Literacy In pgLang-Produced Video
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jason Koerner / Getty Kendrick Lamar is the latest rap star to link up with Cash App for the financial services company’s “That’s Money” campaign. In the pgLang-produced video, the rapper translates a money-centered conversation between billionaire investor Ray Dalio and comedian ExavierTV. “He saved up his money to get a local barbershop,” Kendrick tells the camera. “He then made a friendly business wager [with his friend] in hopes to secure more money for this business. But he eventually loses it all with one roll of the dice.” Related Stories In the video, both Dalio and Kendrick advise ExavierTV on investing in oneself. He captioned the video’s release on Twitter, “invest in yourself tho.” The video is circulating on social media and...
Coca-Cola Launches EDM-Inspired Flavor, AR Experiences In Partnership With Tomorrowland
Inspired by EDM, a new flavor of Coca-Cola wants to transport you to a dreamworld. The fourth and final Coca-Cola Creations drop of 2022, “Dreamworld” incorporates surrealist themes with technicolor imagery that recalls the sights and sounds of raves. According to a press release, the company aims to” evoke the boundless creativity of the human imagination to the unmistakable taste of Coca-Cola” by marketing to Gen Z. “Coca-Cola Dreamworld taps into Gen Z’s passion for the infinite potential of the mind by exploring what a dream tastes like,” said Alessandra Cascino, Creative & Shopper Program Director, Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit. “Like the Coca-Cola Creations that came before it, Dreamworld plays with the unexpected and will no dou...
GRiZ and The Sponges Finally Release Funky, Fan-Favorite House Track, “Volume”
GRiZ and The Sponges finally released one of their most sought-after IDs. They’ve surprise-released “Volume,” a staple of their live sets which fans had been clamoring for since the moment it was debuted live. With a running start, “Volume” opens up with a steady beat to get you warmed up. A flurry of soulful vocal samples and scratching then gives way to a rhythmic house beat with funky bass and—of course—plenty of saxophone. The final product is sure to make you tap your feet at your desk and lay it all out on the dancefloor when you hear it live. For those wondering why they can’t find “Volume” on major streaming platforms, GRiZ said the track will not be distributed to DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music due to the song’s large amount...
