NEWS
Remixers and Bootleggers are Using a Spotify Loophole to Upload Unofficial Works to the Platform
Underground artists and producers have found somewhat of a loophole that allows them to post their unofficial works to Spotify. Rather than following the normal uploading process—which has many measures in place to detect copyright infringement and derivative works—users are now taking their bootlegs to Spotify’s Podcasts feature. While YouTube and SoundCloud are rife with bootleg remixes and mashups by bedroom producers, Spotify has always been strict about uploading unofficial content to the platform. Unofficial mashups, remixes and bootlegs have now started to slide under the radar via Spotify’s Podcast feature. With the Podcasts loophole—and some clever keyword nomenclature for the unofficial works, such as “chopped and screwed” or “slowed and r...
Legendary Hip-Hop Artist MF Doom Dead at 49
Legendary hip-hop artist MF Doom has died at the age of 49. His tragic passing was confirmed in a statement shared by his wife Jasmine via Instagram today, December 31st, 2020. “The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for,” the post reads. “Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught and given to me, our children and our family. Thank you for teaching me how to forgive beings and give another chance, not to be so quick to judge and write off. Thank you for showing how not to be afraid to love and be the best person I could ever be.” “My world will never be the same without you,” the statement continues. “Words will never express what you and Malachi mean to me, I love both and ador...
Noisia Shares Future of VISION Recordings and Provides Update on Postponed Farewell Tour
Many hearts were broken when legendary drum & bass triumvirate Noisia announced that the group would be disbanding at the end of 2020 to focus on their individual tours. With a massive farewell tour in the cards, the trio entered the year with a vision for how they’d close things out. That vision completely shifted after the tour was indefinitely postponed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Noisia has now come forward to announce their plans for the postponed tour and the future of VISION (Recordings), the group’s brainchild and record label. Noisia’s Patreon account will be renamed to VISION to better fit the label as a whole. Production tutorials, Noisia Radio (to be renamed as VISION Radio), and remix stems will all still be offered in t...
Kings of Leon Preview Four New Tunes Ahead of Upcoming LP
To jump-start the new year, Kings of Leon, who have been mostly quiet since 2016’s WALLS album, shared teasers of four new songs — “Must Catch the Bandit,” “Feel the Way You Do,” “Dancing In Your Head” and “Spin It Like We Can” — on Instagram. They dropped the hints in two batches; last week the band teased that “‘Must Catch The Bandit” and “Feel The Way You Do” would release on Jan. 7. Subsequently, they shared snippets for “Dancing In Your Head” and “Spin It Like We Can” without release dates. With the exception of the times-appropriate tune “Going Nowhere,” which dropped in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Kings of Leon have been quiet since the 2016 release of WALLS. Until now. Check out the old-school-sounding teasers, starting with “Must Catch the Bandit,”&nb...
BTS, IU, Zico & More: A look back at Billboard’s K-Pop 100 Chart In 2020 and All Its Big Players
For music fans, the music in 2020 was been like a family you can’t visit and a friend that’s dearly missed. According to a research by Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation, we saw a significant increase in the use of streaming service (33% in video and 32% in music) during the year, which tells us how much we rely on music. Billboard Korea looked back on the 52-week Billboard K-Pop 100 chart and picked out some of the music that provided us relief during this tough time. The popularity of “METEOR” by CHANGMO, which peaked at the end of 2019, continued in 2020. “Start Over”, a soundtrack of the popular TV series Itaewon Class, definitely helped many of us kick off the new year with an exciting start. In the spring, Zico’s “Any Song” amped up the fun of TikTok challenges while others foun...
Craig David Recognized In Queen’s New Year Honours List
The 39-year-old singer is one of Britain’s most successful male solo artists of the millennium, with 23 U.K. top 40 singles, including two No. 1s (“Fill Me In” and “7 Days”), and a pair of No. 1 albums. In the U.S., David has twice cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 and he has landed three songs on the Hot 100 chart, including a career-best No. 10 with “7 Days”. Among his career trophies are three Ivor Novello Awards and a brace of MTV Europe Music Awards. Meanwhile, Lester is made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), a British order of chivalry rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service. Based in London, the JEM Artists founder and CEO receives the ...
Former Children of Bodom Singer Alexi Laiho Dies at 41
The Children of Bodom site also posted a statement honoring Laiho, which read: “One of the most renowned guitarists in the world, Alexi Laiho, has passed away. The musician, most notably known as the front man of Children of Bodom, died in his home in Helsinki, Finland, last week. Laiho had suffered from long-term health issues during his last years. More than 25 years of friendship. We lost a brother. The world lost a phenomenal song writer and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Memories and Alexi’s music will live forever. Our thoughts are with Alexi’s family during this difficult time.” Laiho formed the death metal band Children of Bodom in 1993 with childhood friend drummer Jaska Raatikainen, taking their name from one of the most infamous unsolved murder case...
Bandooloo?: BAPE’s “New” COURT STA Silhouettes Look Mighty Familiar
Source: @supreme_leaks_news / Instagram Decades after A Bathing Ape (BAPE for short) blew up by blatantly biting Nike’s classic Air Force 1 silhouette, the OG Japanese street brand is looking to recapture that “lightning in a bottle” and is rumored to once again be copying another classic sneaker style. Pictures have leaked on the internet of BAPE’s upcoming Court Sta silhouettes and sneakerheads around the world were quick to point out that the “new ” joints closely resemble the grails known as the Air Jordan 1 High’s and some low top variants that also look familiar. Draped in the fan favorite “Shadow” colorway to the Air Jordan 1, the sneakers also feature BAPE’s signature star on the sides and it’s gorilla camouflage etched into the leather. How Nike doesn’t sue BAPE like they did Warr...
Azriel Clary Says Black Community Victim-Shamed Her After R. Kelly Split
Source: Fox Soul / Youtube At just 23 years of age, Azriel Clary has endured a lifetime of stress and strife but thankfully, she hasn’t let it dull her shine. However, in a new interview, Clary stated that members of the Black community turned their backs on her after she split with her alleged abuser, R. Kelly. Clary sat down with Fox Soul’s Out Loud with Claudia Jordan program for a video chat that was published on Wednesday (Dec. 30), detailing her life’s happenings since going public with her split from Kelly and sharing her survival story. While Clary has promised to deliver a tell-all in some form, she gave glimpses of her left after Kelly, highlighting that she was victim-shamed by the very people that should have protected her. “A majority of the backlash that I received was from t...
Kendrick Lamar To Headline Rokslide Festival In 2021
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz With the prospects that 2021 becomes the year that the world gets back to something normal, festivals like Rolling Loud and Astroworld have already begun planning their post-2020 comebacks and it seems like Rosklide is following suit. Joining the fray of returning music shows and Rosklide Festival took to Twitter to announce that they will be back on in the new year and to help them celebrate the comeback, Kendrick Lamar will be a headlining the festivities a year after they were forced to cancel their show due to the pandemic. We are on the threshold of a new year, and we think there is a need and reason to be hopeful. So, here’s a big one! We’re thrilled to announce that @kendricklamar will return to Roskilde Festival in 2021 (#rf50).ht...
Millionaire Meek Mill’s Reasoning For Giving Black Kids Only $20 Sounds Suspect
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz Meek Mill might want to log off from Twitter until sometime in 2021. The Philly rapper has been the subject of criticism following a late-night rant on Clubhouse after some people in the room didn’t agree with what he had to say. He also caught heat from Barbz when he decided to bring up the Shaderoom posting about his “beef” with Nicki Minaj and her husband and registered sex offender Kenneth Petty. Now the multimillionaire is under scrutiny once again after he defended giving a group of Black teens selling water only $20 to split amongst themselves. So what was Meek’s reasoning for being so stingy with the dough? Apparently, he didn’t want the teens copping gas, aka marijuana. During the Clubhouse debacle, he ridiculously stated: “I know what’s goi...
Watch David Guetta Shower the Louvre in Lights in Breathtaking NYE Charity Performance
On New Year’s Eve, David Guetta took to Paris’ historic Musée du Louvre for a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Part of his “United At Home” charity livestream series, Guetta made the year-ending third edition his biggest yet. Previous iterations of “United At Home” took place against jaw-dropping backdrops, including a breathtaking view of the New York skyline. However, Guetta readily cleared the already high bar with his latest setup, which saw the landmark home of priceless art showered in a sea of shimmering lights. Even the lights within the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid—towering behind Guetta—were synced with the producer’s massive set. The French superstar DJ took fans down memory lane, interweaving his timeless chart-t...
