music
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch Sells for $22 Million
In literal, not-at-all metaphorical news, an exuberant ode to childhood imagination has been stripped down and sold to a billionaire collector. According to Wall Street Journal, Michael Jackson’s famed 2,700 acre Neverland Ranch has been bought by grocery store tycoon Ron Burkle for $22 million. The sprawling estate is located in Los Olivos, California, on the edge of Los Padres National Forest. Jackson was introduced to the property in 1983 by Paul McCartney, who stayed there during a music video shoot. Jackson made it his own in 1988, after which he transformed it into a carnivalesque fantasy land with amusement park rides, electric trains, and even a private zoo. Jackson wanted Neverland to be a time machine, allowing him to enjoy the childhood he felt he’d been denied. It also ho...
Alice Cooper Writes and Performs Song for the Late Harry Nilsson’s Ailing Son Zak: Watch
Alice Cooper has once again shown his inspirational side, writing and performing an original song for late singer Harry Nilsson’s ailing son, Zak Nilsson, who’s battling end-stage colon cancer. Cooper sang the touching song in a surprise appearance on an episode of YouTube program Coffee Talk With ADIKA Live when Zak was a guest on the show to discuss his experience with cancer, chemotherapy, and end-of-life care. During the conversation, Cooper appears in his signature suit and top hat, singing the song in a piano / show-tune style, much like Harry Nilsson’s classic pop hits. “Your dad would write a song about you that everyone could sing,” Cooper lets out during the song’s a cappella bridge. Zak recently entered hospice rather than continue treatment, so “Coffee Talk” hosts Stefan Adika ...
Steve Earle Shares New Justin Townes Earle Covers Album J.T.: Stream
Back in August, the world mourned the death of Americana songwriter Justin Townes Earle. Now, father and country legend Steve Earle has paid tribute to his late son with a new covers album called J.T., and it’s streaming below via Bandcamp. J.T. comes today (January 4th), on what would have been Justin’s 39th birthday. It consists of 11 covers, all pulled from throughout Justin’s discography. There are favorites such as “Harlem River Blues” (2010) “Champagne Corolla” (2017), and “The Saint of Lost Causes”, taken from Justin’s 2019 album of the same name, which proved to be his last. Other songs that appear on J.T. include “I Don’t Care”, “Turn Out My Lights”, and “Last Words”. In a statement, father Steve said the “record is called J.T. because Justin was never called anything else u...
Local Natives’ Taylor Rice on Struggling with the Useless Slog of the Pandemic
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Presented by Consequence of Sound and Sound Mind Live, Going There with Dr. Mike is a new interview podcast series in which clinical psychologist and life coach Dr. Mike Friedman talks with musicians about the crossroads where music and mental health meet. Local Natives singer-songwriter Taylor Rice joins the show this week to discuss his experience of coping with anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Many of us have lost loved ones, the opportunity for work, and the ability to see our friends and family amidst these times. Taylor wrestles with these feelings of loss, and how these stressors have impacted his overall emotional well-being. The Sour Lemon artist goes on to talk about ...
Rapper Jawara Headley sues Nicki Minaj for song ‘Rich Sex’
Nicki Minaj may have ushered in 2021 with adorable baby pictures of her son but the rapper has legal woes as she has been sued for $200 million. The lawsuit is over her song “Rich Sex” which Queens rapper and songwriter Jawara Headley says she stole from him after he played it for her. Jawara who goes by the name Brinx Billions is suing Nicki alongside Universal Music Group, Young Money, and Cash Money for damages. In court documents obtained by TMZ, Jawara who is already credited as a writer of “Rich Sex” according to the ASCAP database claims that he let Nicki listen to his version of “Rich Sex” in 2016. He also claims that he is the sole author/creator/composer/writer/producer of “Rich Sex” and Nicki told him it would be extremely marketable and become a global hit. The rapper and songw...
KISS’ Gene Simmons Still Thinks “Rock Is Dead,” Paul Stanley Disagrees
A few years ago, Gene Simmons caused a stir when he boldly declared that “rock is dead.” In a new interview, the KISS singer-bassist doubled down on that statement, even as his longtime bandmate Paul Stanley strongly disagreed. Back in 2014, in an interview with his son, Nick Simmons, for Esquire magazine, Gene exclaimed, “Rock is finally dead.” He explained at the time, “When I was coming up, it was not an insurmountable mountain. Once you had a record company on your side, they would fund you, and that also meant when you toured they would give you tour support. … There are still record companies, and it does apply to pop, rap, and country to an extent. But for performers who are also songwriters — the creators — for rock music, for soul, for the blues — it’s finally dead.” KISS just pla...
Madlib and Four Tet Unveil New Song “Hopprock”: Stream
Give Madlib his flowers now. The legendary producer broke through in 2004 with Madvillainy, a seminal collaboration with MF DOOM that provided a blueprint for a generation of witty, irreverent rap music. DOOM recently died, but Madlib continues to author some of the most vital hip-hop of the day. He recently announced the album Sound Ancestors, created in collaboration with Four Tet, and today he’s back with the new song “Hopprock”. “Hopprock” was released only under Madlib’s name, though the credits list Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, as both writer and composer. The instrumental track opens with a natural soundscape that includes meditative sounds of water and wooden percussion. But after one of Madlib’s trademark grimy samples stutters through an answering machine message (...
Metallica Tally More Than 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2020
As they enter their 40th year of existence, Metallica remain a metal powerhouse: the band tallied more than 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2020 alone. Metallica shared a graphic on their Instagram feed, which lists their 2020 Spotify statistics as 1.1 billion streams, 99.3 million hours, 53.3 million unique listeners, and 92 different countries. ‘We thought last year’s numbers were insane,” wrote the band. “You guys have outdone yourselves! 99.3M hours?! That’s like if someone started listening on October 27, 9318 B.C. and never stopped. Can anyone guess what this year’s most-played song was, clocking in at 128.6M streams?? You remain the most dedicated fans in the world – thank you for spending so much of your year with us!” The two most-played songs were likely “Nothing Else Matter...
Three Grammy Nominees For Best Children’s Album Withdraw Due to All-White Category
Three of the five acts contending for the 2021 Best Children’s Album Grammy Award have declined their nominations. As NPR reports, The Okee Dokee Brothers, Dog on Fleas, and Alastair Moock are protesting because the Recording Academy failed to consider any non-white artists. The three groups sent a joint letter to the Recording Academy asking that their names be removed from consideration. They wrote that they “couldn’t in good conscience benefit from a process that has historically overlooked women and artists of color.” “After this year, to have an all-white slate of nominees seemed really tone deaf,” said Moock. He was nominated for Be a Pain, an album about American heroes including Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk, and the Parkland shooting survivors. Moock added t...
Open Mike Eagle Pays Tribute to MF DOOM with New Freestyle: Stream
Open Mike Eagle has shared a new freestyle called “For DOOM”. It’s a tribute to the late MF DOOM, the legendary masked rapper whose death was made public last week. Stream it below. “For DOOM” is a heartfelt mix of nostalgia and earnest praise. Over a beat by Illingsworth, the Anime artist spends two minutes rapping about the impact of DOOM’s music, the moment he heard the news of his passing, and the ways in which he raised the lyrical bar for hip-hop. OME also credits DOOM for the lifelong impact his visual aesthetics will have. “Fool you about to sell more masks than Dr. Fauci,” he raps. “I’m copping one off Etsy to rock it proudly.” At one point in the freestyle, the Chicago-bred MC brings up how he idolized MF DOOM in both childhood and adulthood. That lifelong respect event...
Rockstar Made: Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red Hits No. 1
All the way back in May 2018, Playboi Carti dropped his beloved, star-studded debut album, Die Lit, which eventually hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Nearly three years without an album can be a long time in the streaming economy — especially with peers like Taylor Swift releasing two in the span of five months — and as Carti kept busy popping up on features with Solange, Tyler, the Creator, and Drake (and dealing with persistent leaks), his second LP became extremely anticipated. That likely explains the groundswell that’s caused Whole Lotta Red to hit No. 1 this week, knocking Swift’s Evermore from the top spot, as Billboard reports. It’s Carti’s first No. 1 and features guest appearances from Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future. The rattling and booming ...
Billy Corgan Compares Lil Peep to Kurt Cobain
Although his career was short-lived, Lil Peep made a lasting impression on a whole generation of young hip-hop fans. His brand of emo rap also apparently profoundly impacted… 53-year-old Billy Corgan. Since Lil Peep’s death in 2017, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman has compared him to some of the most iconic rock stars in music history. In 2018, Corgan likened the rapper’s music to that of early Metallica. Now, in a recent interview with Upset magazine, the Pumpkins leader has dubbed Lil Peep the Kurt Cobain of his generation. The incredible revelation came during a discussion about CYR, the Smashing Pumpkins’ newly released double album, and how they’ve managed to stay relevant more three decades into their career: “This album is the result of us trying to come into the modern world,” ...
