NEWS
Electronic Music Artists React to Tragic Death of DMX: “His Music Will Live On”
Legendary rapper DMX has died at the age of 50 following an apparent drug overdose and heart attack. With his distinctive raspy voice, which was caused in part by bronchial asthma, DMX released a number of seminal hip-hop songs throughout his storied career, such as 2000’s “Party Up (Up in Here),” which is considered a generational anthem. Many of DMX’s songs, like the iconic singles “Where The Hood At” and “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” are emblematic of transcendental music from an artist who endured a tumultuous childhood in New York, only to break through the global rap scene. Pitchfork reports that DMX’s family issued a press statement mourning the death of the hip-hop icon. We are deeply saddened to announce today that our...
Killer Mike, Missy Elliott, Juicy J, Ice T, Vince Staples Remember DMX: ‘Dude Was THE Champ’
DMX died on Friday morning after a week in the hospital following a heart attack. The rapper was one of the greatest of his time and his gruff voice that served as a counterbalance to his emotional lyrics influenced many. In 1998, DMX became the first musician ever to top the Billboard charts with his first two albums, which were released in the same year. The rapper’s family shared the news of his death in a statement on Friday, saying his music “inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever.” As you can imagine, tributes poured in from across the music world. DMX’s label, Def Jam, remembered him in a statement: Def Jam Recordings and the extended Def Jam family of artists, executives and employees are deeply and profoundly saddened by the loss o...
DMX, Legendary New York Rapper, Dies at 50
DMX, the legendary Yonkers rapper known for hits like “Party Up,” “X Gon’ Give It to Ya,” “Get at Me Dog,” “Ruff Ryders Anthem” and “What’s My Name,” has died at the age of 50, his family confirmed in a statement. See the statement below. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days. Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respec...
Phoebe Bridgers’ Smashed ‘Saturday Night Live’ Guitar Is Up For Auction
Phoebe Bridgers’ bucket-list act that upset guitarists around the world, specifically David Crosby, can now be yours to memorialize. That’s right, you could own her Danelectro Dano ’56 baritone (a large piece of it, that is). The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organized the auction to coincide with their 32nd annual Media Awards. Bidding is open until April 11, 11:59 a.m. EDT at increments of $500. Currently, the offer stands at $6500 but the listed value of the guitar is “priceless,” so why stop there? Check out the auction and make your bid here. It’s still up for debate why members of the music community are so upset by Bridgers’ enthusiastic ending to her performance of “I Know The End.” Some say she shouldn’t have smashed her guitar in the first place while...
Oversteer Explorer: Ford’s 3-Row SUV Adds RWD Enthusiast ST and Platinum Trims
The gatekeepers at the Ford Motor Company have graciously decided to lower the barrier of entry to performance-oriented 2021 Explorer ST with a new model. Dubbed the Ford Explorer Enthusiast ST, the trim delivers the same underhood goods as the regular ST in a cheaper, rear-drive package. (The regular ST has AWD standard.) It sounds like a win to us, even if Ford’s decision to forgo the EnthusiaST name is an SUV-sized missed opportunity. Punny naming schemes aside, the Explorer Enthusiast ST is a solid value, at least on paper. The standard Explorer ST starts at $54,075, and the Enthusiast ST knocks more than $4,000 off that number, with a starting sum of $49,995. That price includes the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 from the regular Explorer ST, which continues to p...
Motörhead Share Live Version of ‘Rock It’ From Upcoming 2012 Concert LP
Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister may have died over five years ago, but his legacy and music continue to live on. Now, a new live single, “Rock It,” from the upcoming Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin set captures the irrepressible Kilmister and the band at a 2012 show in Berlin. The song is off the band’s sixth studio album, 1983’s Another Perfect Day. Live in Berlin, featuring 15 songs including staples like “Overkill” and “Ace of Spades.” It is out April 23 on Silver Lining Music. Other tracks include “I Know How to Die,” “Going to Brazil” and “You Better Run.” The “Rock It” live footage was shot by filmmaker Herwig Meyszner, with longtime producer Cameron Webb doing a 5.1 mix of the DVD. Check out Motörhead’s live performance of “Rock It” below. [emb...
Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival to Take Place in May
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T03:21:01+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:21pm ET Electric Daisy Carnival will be the first major US festival to take place since the beginning of the pandemic when it descends on Las Vegas, Nevada from May 21st and 23rd. “We are moving forward as planned & will be working closely with local & state officials to make the show as safe as possible,” said Pasquale Rotella, founder of EDC’s Insomniac Events, in a statement released Thursday. “You can expect the full EDC experience with no details spared, from the festival grounds to the music, stages, art, performers, artists & fireworks!” Tickets to the festival can be purchased here. Rotella did not provide any specific det...
AFI Unveil New Songs “Dulcería” (Co-Written by Billy Corgan) and “Far Too Near”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T13:30:52+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 9:30am ET AFI continue to roll out two songs at a time from their upcoming album, Bodies. The latest singles are “Dulcería”, which was co-written by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, and “Far Too Near”. Fans already received a big sample of Bodies ahead of its June 11th release via Rise Records. In January, AFI released the songs “Twisted Tongues” and “Escape from Los Angeles”, and then followed in February by unleashing “Looking Tragic” and “Begging for Trouble”. Speaking on the collaboration with Corgan on “Dulcería”, AFI guitarist Jade Puget commented, “Billy and I have a great creative connection when we’re writing together. It was in...
New DMX Track “X Moves” Features Bootsy Collins, Steve Howe, and Ian Paice: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T13:54:28+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 9:54am ET As of Thursday evening, DMX is still on life support and in a vegetative state after suffering a heart attack last Friday. In a curious move, Cleopatra Records thought now was the optimal time to release a new track from the rapper called “X Moves”. The track is a rap-rock banger that happens to feature three legendary performers: Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins, Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, and Yes/Asia guitarist Steve Howe. All three of those rock icons contribute to the track’s psychedelic bounce and Collins even hops on the beat for a few bars. It’s messy in a fun way, and it’s yet another reminder of the b...
Taylor Swift Drops ‘Breathe (Taylor’s Version)’ Lyric Video Featuring Colbie Caillat
To celebrate the release of the highly anticipated Fearless (Taylor’s Version) album on Friday (April 9), Taylor Swift dropped a meditative lyric video for her Colbie Caillat-assisted re-take of “Breathe.” The seventh track on the album — an acoustic reverie about life, love and rolling with the changes — gets an appropriately contemplative visual treatment in the lyric clip, with the words fading in and out over images of bubbles in the water rising and fading into the surface, with brief glimpses of the sunny skies above. The song, on which the two singers seamlessly meld their voices over the string-laden arrangement, reaches a crescendo around the 2:30 mark, as the camera breaks through the surf and rises into the stratosphere. “It’s 2 a.m./ Fe...
Executive Turntable: Kardinal Offishall to Helm A&R at Universal Music Canada
In his new role, Kardinal will continue to discover, sign and develop artists, forge new creative partnerships and provide strategic direction to drive the international success and cultural prominence of UMC’s artist roster. He will work closely with UMC’s urban marketing team while continuing his roles as chair of UMC’s B.L.A.C.K. Coalition (BLC) and Canada’s representative on UMG’s Task Force for Meaningful Change. Republic Records promoted Xiarra-Diamond Nimrod to vp of marketing strategy. In her new role, she will continue to oversee marketing, rollout and release strategy for multiplatinum chart-topping rap artists such as Pop Smoke, Metro Boomin and Jacquees. “We’ve been lucky to have a front row seat to Xiarra’s evolution into a world-class marketing executive,” said Republic’...
Garth Brooks to Kick Off 125th Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days: See Full Lineup
Other acts slated to perform as part of the 2021 Frontier Nights lineup — which runs through Aug. 1 at Frontier park in Cheyenne, Wyoming — include: Ned Ledoux, Kaen Brown, Cody Johnson, Rhett Atkins, Ashley McBryde and Restless Road. “We are so glad to be sharing this lineup for 2021 tonight,” Contract Acts chairman Randy Krafft said in a statement about the event, which is returning after its 2020 cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It has been a long year for all of us and we can’t wait to welcome our fans back to Frontier Park.” According to an announcement on Wednesday, the 19,000-capacity event is a, “go at full capacity, with no mask requirement”; there will, however, be stepped-up cleaning and sanitizing, touchless digital ticketing, cashle...
