music
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Magical’ Year Continues With Best New Artist VMA Win
By Deepa Lakshmin “This has been the most magical year of my life,” Olivia Rodrigo said in her first-ever Video Music Awards acceptance speech Sunday night (September 12) at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, dedicating the award to “all of the girls who write songs on their bedroom floor.” She was taking home the Moonperson for Song of the Year for her record-breaking smash hit “Drivers License,” but little did she know she’d be back on stage soon after as the 2021 Best New Artist. The Sour singer-songwriter and VMA performer has, indeed, had a banner year with numerous chart-topping singles and a debut album that showcases her talent and skill as an artist. Though the LP is packed with coming-of-age stories and teenage memories, the raw authenticity and emotion behind every chorus an...
Busta Rhymes’s Commanding VMAs Performance Is One Brooklyn Won’t Ever Forget
With the VMAs‘ triumphant live return to Brooklyn, MTV brought out one of the borough’s best, legend himself, Busta Rhymes. The iconic rapper — along with his hype man Spliff Star — took to the Barclays Center stage on Sunday night to perform a medley of his biggest hits, including “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” “Look at Me Now,” and “Pass the Courvoisier,” all jams that were amplified by extremely memorable music videos. Rhymes had the audience jumping throughout his medley, before ending his fast-rap attack by telling the audience, “Brooklyn, don’t ever forget that!” John Shearer/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS Rhymes is no stranger to the VMAs. He has been nominated for 16 Moonperson awards over th...
Chinko Ekun – Give Thanks ft Medikal
Here is a brand new tune titled “Give Thanks” coming from Chinko Ekun and it features Medikal. Popular Nigerian rapper Chinko Ekun is back with some new piece of music “Give Thanks” with Ghanaian rapper Medikal. It is an energetic song from the start as Chinko Ekun gives thanks to the Almighty as he counts his many blessings. He makes a list of all that he is grateful for in a smooth flow of rap. This follows his last track “Jafafa” with Mohbad. This tune was produced by Phantom. Listen, enjoy Chinko Ekun – “Give Thanks” ft Medikal below. [embedded content] You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards b...
Kim Petras Goes Bubblegum for “Future Starts Now” at the 2021 MTV VMAs Pre-Show: Watch
Kim Petras took to the stage at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show to perform her new single “Future Starts Now.” Watch it below. Flanked by a bevy of backup dancers wearing raspberry berets, opera gloves, and baby pink harnesses, the trans icon in the making lived out her full pop star fantasy belting out the house music-inspired bop in a dress and boots designed to look like sticky, melting bubblegum. “One day, everyone will notice/ The world is yours and you should know it/ So don’t let love get out of focus/ Don’t give up, the future starts now/ I know you can take the pressure/ Turn it into something better/ So take the pain and make it pleasure/ Don’t give up, the future starts now,” she sang while nailing her choreography, before revealing a second, skimpier bubblegum-inspired...
Busta Rhymes Will Perform At The 2021 VMAs
Did you hear? The 2021 MTV VMAs are happening tonight, and if you thought the lineup of nominees, presenters, and performers was so stacked that there couldn’t possibly be room for one more, you’d be mistaken. When it comes to Busta Rhymes, there’s always room. The legendary New York rapper will make his return to the VMAs stage at tonight’s show, his latest stop in a career full of Moonperson nominations. The first of Rhymes’s 16 noms dates back all the way to 1996, when his Hype Williams-helmed visual for “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check” earned a nod for Breakthrough Video. This year, Rhymes is in great company. As a late addition to an already impressive and star-studded performer roster, he joins the previously announced crop of artists, includ...
Lana Del Rey Deactivating All Social Media Accounts, Which is For the Best
Lana Del Rey says she is signing off social media. In a video posted to Instagram on Saturday night, Del Rey announced that all of her accounts will be deactivated effective Sunday. “That is simply because I have so many interests, and other jobs I’m doing that require privacy and transparency,” she explained of the decision. Del Rey assured fans she will continue to making music and poetry, adding, “I’m still very present and love what I do.” Advertisement Related Video The timing of Del Rey’s decision is certainly odd, considering she has a new album coming out next month. But it’s also probably for the best, as the singer has stirred up plenty of controversy with some of her past social media postings. Last year, she criticized female musicians of color, only to later say her comments c...
Pop Smoke’s Brooklyn Gravesite Vandalized
The gravesite of Pop Smoke was vandalized over the weekend, and there’s evidence to suggest the vandals attempted to remove the late rapper’s casket. TMZ reports that the crypt at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York was smashed open sometime between Friday evening and Saturday morning. Drag marks were also seen on the ground outside of the crypt, suggesting that the vandals attempted to remove the rapper’s grave. It was not immediately clear if they were successful. Pop Smoke (whose real name Bashar Barakah Jackson) was shot and killed during a home invasion in Los Angeles on February 19th, 2020. Advertisement Related Video Share this: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. ...
My Morning Jacket Return Rock to Forest Hills Stadium: Concert Review
In August of 2019, My Morning Jacket performed at Queen’s Forest Hills Stadium, part of a special four-show stretch after a nearly two-year hiatus. The gigs were also billed as their last for a potentially longer period (and that was even without the unexpected virus that shelved all live music for over a year). Thankfully, the threat of another break — or full-on retirement — was staved off by the shows themselves, inspiring the band to get back in the studio and continue on. Two years and one month later, MMJ returned to Forest Hills on Friday, September 10th for the first concert of a two-night stint. A new self-titled record — their first freshly recorded material in six years — is on the horizon; pandemic lockdowns are in the rearview (for now); and the Jacket’s brand of jammy, psyche...
Bruce Springsteen Performs at 9/11 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony: Watch
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the September 11th 20th anniversary remembrance ceremony in Lower Manhattan on Saturday. Following a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attack, Springsteen took the stage to perform “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” a song from his latest album, Letter to You. Watch footage below. “May god bless our fallen brothers and sisters, their families, their friends and their loved ones,” said Springsteen prior to his performance. Springsteen famously addressed the September 11th attacks on his 2002 album, The Rising, which went on to win Grammy of the Year for Best Rock Album. Advertisement Related Video [embedded content] Share this: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating shoul...
Stone Temple Pilots and Bush Cancel US Tour Due to “COVID-Related Circumstances”
Stone Temple Pilots and Bush have scrapped their upcoming co-headlining US tour, with Bush citing “unfortunate and unavoidable COVID-related circumstances” as the reason for the cancellation. However, STP are still moving forward with their own headlining shows later in the fall. The two bands recently announced the joint trek, which was set to kick off on September 30th and run through October 16th. In separate statements from the bands, it was made clear that it was Bush’s decision to cancel the tour. Bush’s full statement reads as follows: “Due to unfortunate and unavoidable COVID-related circumstances, we will be unable to move forward with our planned Fall tour dates — including our festival appearances and our tour with Stone Temple Pilots. We cannot stress enough how heartbreaking i...
Metallica Perform Two Songs, Read 1-Star Reviews of “The Black Album” on Kimmel: Watch
Metallica appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday night (September 10th) to promote the releases of The Metallica Blacklist covers compilation and the deluxe 30th anniversary box set edition of “The Black Album.” The band performed two songs, sat down with the late-night host for an interview, and participated in a funny skit in which they read 1-star Amazon reviews of the classic 1991 album. Much like Kimmel’s “Mean Tweets” segment, Metallica were subjected to some scathing commentary as the band members each took turns reading the 1-star Amazon reviews. Lars Ulrich began with one that read, “The Black Album? I call it ‘The Shitty Album!’ This is by far one of the most loathsome crimes every committed against music.” James Hetfield read one that insisted, “This album sucks, sad but true! ...
The 165 Songs Banned from American Radio Following 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, close to 200 songs were shadow banned from American radio stations by Clear Channel Communications, known today as iHeartMedia. There were little to no consequences for DJs who broke the embargo, though as The Daily Beast, Kerrang, and others have noted, it had a chilling effect on radio play for the targeted songs. Today, the list stands as a curious relic of a time where unfathomable tragedy led to one of the most sweeping censorship movements in recent history. Clear Channel announced the “suggestions” in a memorandum sent out to its over 1,100 radio stations on September 14th. Many songs were cited as “lyrically questionable,” which meant that the words could be triggering, as in James Taylor’s...
