NEWS
Quavo Responds to Saweetie’s ‘Single’ Status: ‘You Are Not the Woman I Thought You Were’
The “Icy Girl” rapper had a simple response to his message: “Take care.” Fans first started whispering about a potential breakup after they noticed Saweetie and Quavo had unfollowed each other on Instagram, where Quavo first slid in her DMs in March 2018 with the now-infamous pickup line “u so icy Ima glacier boy.” Saweetie confirmed her relationship status as “single” via Twitter on Friday, saying she’s suffered “too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes” and that being publicly showered with presents, from a Birkin to a Bentley, can’t heal the pain. But she assured her followers that she’s walked away from the relationship “with a deep sense of peace and freedom.” “...
Every Song Ranked on Justin Bieber’s ‘Justice’: Critic’s Picks
Although Bieber’s latest features high-quality pop throughout, some of its 15 songs stand out immediately. Here is a humble, preliminary opinion on the best songs on Justice. 15. 2 Much Beginning the album with audio from a Martin Luther King Jr. speech (and previewing the interlude midway through the album), Bieber quickly segues into a muted piano ballad designed to show off his impeccable vocals. “2 Much” is relatively short and has room to spare sonically, but effectively introduces the romantic core of the album that follows. 14. Lonely with Benny Blanco Adding months-old singles to the end of a track list is standard practice in pop’s streaming era, a way to acknowledge recent-ish hits while not exactly turning them into the centerpieces of a new body of work. Yet ending Justice with...
Benny the Butcher and Harry Fraud Unveil New Album The Plugs I Met 2: Stream
Benny the Butcher has linked up with producer Harry Fraud for the new album The Plugs I Met 2. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The Butcher has been cutting new albums left and right, recently dropping the Hit-Boy collab Burden of Proof and the soundtrack to the Griselda Records film Conflicted. That doesn’t even count Trust the Sopranos, the upcoming compilation LP he’ll be using to show off his Black Soprano Family roster. During this run he’s joined forces with all sorts of producers, but few have fit his strengths as naturally as Harry Fraud. Mr. Fraud broke out in 2009 as French Montana’s secret weapon, and in the intervening years he’s built a reputation as someone who can turn obscure samples into straight-up bangers. Benny and Harry pre...
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Blues Music Award Nomination Rescinded Over Use of Confederate Flag
The Blues Foundation has rescinded Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s 2021 Blues Music Awards nomination for Best Blues Rock Artist over his use of the Confederate flag. “The decision to rescind the nomination was based upon continuing revelations of representations of the Confederate flag on Shepherd’s ‘General Lee’ car, guitars and elsewhere,” The Blues Foundation explained in a statement announcing the decision. The organization cited its Statement Against Racism recently released on March 15th, which reads, “The Blues Foundation unequivocally condemns all forms and expressions of racism, including all symbols associated with white supremacy and the degradation of people of color. We will hold ourselves as well as all blues musicians, fans, organizations, and members of the music industry acco...
Ministry Announce Fall 2021 US Tour with Helmet and Front Line Assembly
With the hope that touring will resume in earnest by the fall, Ministry have announced new dates for their “Industrial Strength Tour”, which will feature support from Helmet and Front Line Assembly. The twice-delayed outing commemorates the 30th anniversary of Ministry’s 1989 album, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. The month-long trek kicks off October 3rd in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The route veers east before looping back across the South and West Coast, hitting most major U.S. markets. The tour was originally set to launch in July 2020, with Front Line Assembly and KMFDM supporting. It was then moved to spring 2021 due to the pandemic. Now. with Helmet in place of KMFDM, the band is banking on finally embarking on the outing in the fall. KMFDM had to drop from the bill due to the ...
Warpaint Cover “Paralysed” for Gang of Four Tribute Album: Stream
As previously announced, Gang of Four co-founder Andy Gill was working on a retrospective of the band’s album Entertainment! before he tragically passed away last year. To carry on his work, Gill’s widow Catherine Mayer organized an impressive tribute album in his honor featuring cover songs by a wide range of artists. Today, she’s sharing one of her favorite cuts: “Paralysed” as played by Warpaint. For their contribution to The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, Warpaint use their trademark take on atmospheric pop to give “Paralysed” a haunting vocal performance, speckled guitar work, and one slinky bass line. Warpaint’s bassist, Jenny Lee, produced the track, which may explain why it has a similar feel to her solo album right on!. In a press release, L...
Pagani Huayra R First Look: R You Prepared to Tame This 850-HP Track Monster?
We can’t imagine you’ll often hear the word “no” echoing down the cool, polished hallways of Pagani’s HQ over in San Cesario sul Panaro, Italy. Well, you might get some sort of “no” if you ask the reps there if you can take one of their carbon fiber hypercars out for a spin, or if you could swap your rental Fiat parked out front as a deposit, but it’s not a word usually told to legitimate customers. See all 9 photos “No” is the killer of dreams and establishes boundaries—two things Pagani isn’t in the business to do. If you have a Scrooge McDuck bank balance and a fistful of neat ideas, we’re reasonably sure few requests are rejected. All this within the confines of the law, of course. Even Pagani can’t cheat eve...
Aether Apparel’s Safari-Style 1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6 Is Weirdly Perfect
Alfa Romeos—particularly those produced prior to the 2000s—are tools for the experiential. Enthusiasts who mainline spec sheets need not apply; each Alfa is a perfect example of cars that are far more than the sum of its parts—and occasionally the Motor Trend Car of the Year. To drive an Alfa is to relish the process, to recognize that the path up is usually just as important as the summit. See all 31 photos Or, maybe not. Aether Apparel’s new Safari-ized 1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6 is proof that—with clever engineering and a metric ton of creativity—even the finest Milanese metal can handle a two-track fire road. The clothier turned to the avant-garde Oil Stain Lab design collective to bring this creation to life. Never one to adhere to traditional automotive mores, Oil Stain has a tr...
‘The Sparks Brothers’ Documentary Gets a Release Date
The film, out June 18, chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the cult pop duo and features archival footage as well as interviews with fans. Focus Features is set to release Edgar Wright’s documentary directorial debut The Sparks Brothers on June 18, 2021. The dating follows Wright’s film about the cult pop duo Sparks debuting at Sundance and screening at SXSW in Austin on March 19. The documentary chronicles the decades-long career and influence of the Sparks and features archival footage as well as interviews with fans that include Beck, Flea, Neil Gaiman and Mike Myers. MRC Non-Fiction is behind the documentary, which Wright produced with Nira Park under their company Complete Fiction Pictures, along with Laura Richardson and George Hencken. You Deserve to ...
Recording Academy Decries Anti-Asian Hate in New Statement After Atlanta Shootings
Below, find the Recording Academy’s full statement in support of AAPI (Asian American/Pacific-Islander) communities following the Atlanta-area shootings: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a disturbing rise in discrimination against the Asian-American community. On Tuesday, March 16, a shooting in the Atlanta area left eight people dead. The Recording Academy is deeply saddened by this incident and denounces any and all hate crimes and asks the music community to stand together against these incidents. Every day, our work as creators demonstrates the power of diversity and the strength that comes when individuals from different backgrounds come together. Let’s continue to be a positive example for the rest of the world and work collectively to drive change. We encourage you to support ...
How to Watch Raekwon vs. Ghostface Killah ‘Verzuz’ Battle
Co-created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz as a form of socially distanced entertainment in the midst of COVID-19, Verzuz is now in its second season. In recent months, we’ve seen the aforementioned D’Angelo set, preceded by Ashanti vs. Keyshia Cole, Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane, and E-40 vs. Too Short. A Verzuz spokesperson confirmed to Billboard that co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland will be doing a battle of their own for the series’ one-year anniversary coming up. Speaking of Tim and Swizz, they made industry headlines earlier this month when news broke that Verzuz had been acquired by the Triller Network, parent company of the Triller app. While Saturday night’s Verzuz will still be watchable on Instagram Live — as every battle has b...
Haters Sent 80 Ridiculous Complaints About Megan Thee Stallion & Cardi B’s “WAP” Grammy Perfomance To The FCC
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Kevin Winter / Getty “Conservative” viewers of The Grammy Awards were BIG MAD seeing two women proudly celebrate their WAPs. Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s PG-13 performance of their hit single “WAP” has earned them a bunch of hilarious and utterly ridiculous complaints sent to the FCC. TMZ reports that “offended” viewers had plenty to say after watching the two rappers perform. In one review, an upset snowflake said it was “as if they were dancing in a strip club.” Well, that was the point, being that a strip pole was on the stage, and women were being showered with dollar bills. Other complaints focused on the artists’ wardrobe calling their stage attire, with one viewer from Idaho of all places calling it “absolutely disgusting.” A viewer from...
