NEWS
Black Activist Sasha Johnson Shot In Head In South London
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Guy Smallman / Getty Sasha Johnson, a notable Black activist in London, suffered a gunshot wound to the head according to reports that are still circulating here in the states. Johnson has endured death threats in the past and details are still in development regarding the incident as she recovers. On Sunday (May 23), the Taking The Initiative Party (TTIP), a group based in London, shared details of the shooting and has kept Johnson’s supporters informed with frequent updates regarding her condition. From Taking The Initiative Party’s Facebook page: It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has sustained a gunshot wound to her head. She is currently hospitalised and in a critical condition. The incident happened in the early h...
LeBron James Partners with Designer Mimi Plange for Nike LeBron 18 Low
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Nike / Nike Basketball LeBron James’ signature sneakers have become a go-to canvas for artists to bless with their own palette and personal touch. Renowned designer Mimi Plange linked with King James to hook up her own version of the Nike LeBron 18 Low. Source: Nike / Nike Basketball The Ghanaian designer rolled with an African aesthetic of “art, rituals and architecture” to inspire her collab. The first shoe in the line takes cues from the classic letterman’s jacket that’s become a staple in style, from preppies to the hood. Upon closer inspection, the shoe features mustard, burgundy, pink and crimson colors as well as a chenille Swoosh and a lion mascot. “My interests are in people,” says Plange, who moved from Ghana to Southern California when she was ...
Andrew Yang’s Claim To Be A Hip-Hop Fan Seems To Fall Flat After Jay-Z Question
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bloomberg / Getty The race for New York’s mayoral seat is on and while candidate Andrew Yang describes himself as a true-blue New Yorker, the former Presidential candidate doesn’t seem to be all that familiar with the musical catalog of perennial King of New York contender Jay-Z. During a recent interview with Ziwe Fumudoh for her most recent episode of Ziwe, Yang was asked if he listened to rap music to which he answered, “I listened to a lot of Hip-Hop during like the ‘90s and 2000s” while referencing Nas and Jay-Z as artists he rocked with. Okay, that’s cool and sounds about right. But things got a little awkward when he was asked to name his favorite Jigga track. Seemingly caught in a “trap,” Yang said “What is my favorite Jay-Z song?” ...
Bryshere Gray Pleads Guilty To Domestic Violence, Gets Skid Bid
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: FOX / Getty It’s been almost a year since Empire star, Bryshere Gray was booked and charged for domestic violence following a standoff with a SWAT team outside his home in Phoenix, Arizona. Now TMZ is reporting that Gray has entered a guilty plea and will have to serve some prison time as part of the plea. As part of his guilty plea to felony aggravated assault, “Hakeem Lyon” will have to serve 10 days in county jail followed by three years of probation. While on probation Gray will have to refrain from consuming any kind of illegal drugs and have to submit to drug and alcohol testing. He’s also been ordered to pay restitution and enroll in a domestic violence offender treatment program. He also can’t possess any kinds of firearms including stun guns...
Eddie Van Halen, Lady Gaga, Kurt Cobain, Prince and Bob Dylan Memorabilia Up For Auction
A guitar played by Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex’s drumkit, and memorabilia from Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more are up for grabs at the Music Icons auction by Julien’s Auctions, held June 11-13 2021. In total, more than 1,000 items will be auctioned off, with items from Prince, Elton John, Little Richard, Whitney Houston and more joining the sale’s lineup. “This kit from the 1980 Van Halen Invasion World Tour spent 5 years on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,” said Alex Van Halen in a statement. “It’s the only one like it in the world and I’m happy that 100% of the selling price will be going to charity via the Frangioni Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus.” The drum has a conservative estimate o...
Kacey Musgraves Lists Daft Punk, Magic Mushrooms as Influences of Upcoming Album
In a recent interview, six-time Grammy Award-winning artist Kacey Musgraves spilled the tea on the influences behind her forthcoming feature-length album, due later this year. In the mix for the country queen was a guided magic mushroom trip at the beginning of 2021. Her takeaway? “Less time for bullshit,” Musgraves told ELLE. “I am so repelled by the artificial, the chatter, the pressures of society. It doesn’t matter. We’re not here for very long.” In addition to psilocybin, the Texas native revealed an eclectic group of musical influences for the project, including legendary electronic music duo Daft Punk. “I feel like I don’t belong to country in any way on one hand, but on the other hand, I’m deeply rooted in that genre. So I’m not owned by ...
Hollywood Bowl to Prioritize Fully Vaccinated Attendees Under New 67% Capacity Cap
Nearly 40% of adults in the United States have now been fully vaccinated, paving the way to a promising future of live events in 2021. And, with the CDC’s recent announcement that these individuals no longer need to wear masks outdoors, venues are adjusting their COVID-19 safety measures to match. Leading the way is the Hollywood Bowl after releasing an updated Safety Information breakdown on May 20th. According to these new protocols, fully vaccinated event attendees will be given priority access to seating at the venue, which will operate at 67% of its usual capacity. To be considered “fully vaccinated,” patrons must be two weeks past their final dose of the vaccine and be able to present either physical or digital documentation, the Bowl’s website stat...
Megadeth Fires Bassist David Ellefson After Sexual Misconduct Accusations Surface
A few weeks after sexual misconduct accusations involving bassist David Ellefson and an allegedly underage girl surfaced, Megadeth announced on Monday that they’ve fired the band co-founder. “We are informing our fans that David Ellefson is no longer playing with Megadeth and that we are officially parting ways with him. We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward. We look forward to seeing our fans on the road this summer, and we cannot wait to share our brand new music with the world. It is almost complete,” the band wrote in a lengthy statement posted on Twitter. The accusations surrounding Ellefson initially...
Fierce All-Girl Teen Punk Band The Linda Lindas Fight Hate on Viral ‘Racist, Sexist Boy’
With their ebullient mix of Sleater-Kinney/Bikini Kill power and an obvious homage to punk gods the Ramones in their stage names, the mighty quartet have already made significant waves at a young age, opening for Best Coast and Bikini Kill since forming in 2018. Their Bandcamp page describes them as “half Asian / half Latinx. Two sisters, a cousin, and their close friend. The Linda Lindas channel the spirit of original punk, power pop, and new wave through today’s ears, eyes, and minds.” The two singles and EP for sale on the band’s page were produced and mixed by by Grammy-winning producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, Bad Religion), who also happens to be Mila’s dad. Together for three years, in an interview during the library set, they cited Paramore, ...
New Edition of ‘No Direction Home’ Celebrates Legacy of Bob Dylan – And Robert Shelton: Excerpt
For a few heady years in the Village, Shelton and Dylan were buddies; hanging out, often with their respective girlfriends—Suze Rotolo and Baez in Dylan’s case. The friendship did not prevent Shelton from being critical, in person and in print, sometimes to Dylan’s annoyance. But he was fairminded and he understood from the moment he first heard him perform at a Gerde’s hootenanny in June 1961 that Dylan mattered, that his was a talent like no other. His review led to a contract with Columbia Records. The biography he proposed over dinner on New Year’s Eve 1965 was never intended as a potboiler—but neither was it intended that it would take twenty years to write. Shelton talked to everyone—childhood friends from Hibbing, including Echo Helstrom and Bonnie Beecher, the real “Girl from the N...
Nick Jonas Thanks Wife Priyanka Chopra For Helping Him ‘Feel My Best’ For 2021 Billboard Music Awards Hosting Gig
Nick said Priyanka helped him carry on after a “brutal” tumble off his bike. Nick Jonas thanked his wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, for helping him “feel my best” for Sunday’s 2021 Billboard Music Awards after a bike accident left him injured last week. “I started this last week by taking a brutal tumble on a bike fracturing my rib and ended it hosting the @bbmas with my incredible wife by my side who helped me every step of the way to recover and feel my best. I love you @priyankachopra,” Jonas tweeted early Monday morning (May 24) alongside a photo of him hugging his wife. The actress posted the same pic, with a supportive message for her husband, who not only capably hosted the COVID-safe show from Los Angeles, but also performed a medley with the ...
Modest Mouse Share ‘Leave A Light On’ off Upcoming The Golden Casket LP
“Leave A Light On,” from Modest Mouse’s upcoming album, The Golden Casket, has landed. It is the second single from Modest Mouse’s anticipated seventh studio album. It follows a new wave tune “We Are Between,” which came out earlier this month. “The song finds [singer Issac] Brock navigating the existential threat of losing our humanity — and the interconnectedness that come with it – amidst a constant societal barrage of physical and digital materialism.” Additionally, you can see the song live, as the band has plotted an extensive 2021 U.S. summer tour, joined by special guests Future Islands for a handful of dates. Using similar synth sounds and psychedelic beats as “We Are Between” paired with an earworm of a hook, “Leave A Light On” sets high expectations for the rest o...
