NEWS
First Spin: The Week’s Best New Dance Tracks From Icona Pop, Machinedrum, SG Lewis & More
New Music Friday is intense. Hundreds of songs drop from artists around the world, and you’re supposed to somehow find the best ones. It’s fun work, but it’s time-consuming — so we at Billboard Dance want to give you a hand. Each week, we sift through the streams and dig in the digital crates to present the absolute must-hears from the wide breadth of jams. This week, we’ve gotten a very excellent surprise EP from Hudson Mohawke, a single from Joji and Diplo and the much-anticipated debut album from Bronson, the joint project by Odesza and Golden Features. All that goodness comes in addition to the five fresh dance tracks below. Let’s dig in. Icona Pop, “Feels In My Body” The Swedish duo extend the dance pop sound that’s been their sign...
Sopranos Actor Says James Gandolfini Loved Green Day’s Dookie
James Gandolfini was a big Green Day fan. Surprised? Don’t be. According to Michael Imperioli — who played Christopher Moltisanti opposite Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano on the HBO mob drama — detailed the late actor’s on-set listening habits in the comments of a recent Instagram post, as Stereogum reports. And Dookie, the band’s 1994 alt-punk classic, was apparently a staple for the venerated Emmy winner. The posted photo shows the two actors at a 2005 fundraiser, with Gandolfini signing an electric guitar. Fittingly, someone in the comments asked about the star’s music taste, and Imperioli replied, “Green Day,” adding, “he would play the vinyl of dookie in his trailer at work. Totally serious.” He added, “no joke. He loved Green Day....
Hear Tom Morello’s Previously Unreleased Nightwatchman Song ‘You Belong to Me’
Tom Morello released the folky “You Belong to Me,” a previously unissued song from his solo project The Nightwatchman. You can watch the accompanying video below or buy the tune via Bandcamp. The track, built around Morello’s fingerpicked nylon-string guitar and brooding vocals, mentions Nat Turner, who led a 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia. “Our present is tethered to our past,” Morello wrote in a statement of the song, which he played in a June spot on SiriusXM. “The overseer’s whip & noose of history are today echoed in the policeman’s baton & pistol. I had a very clear idea I wanted to express with the song & the video and that is: Sometimes, enough is enough.” The Rage Against the Machine guitarist referenced Turner in a 2012 Roll...
Cardi B Talks Music, Relationships, & Megan Thee Stallion on RADIO.COM
Source: Screenshot / Youtube Last night Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion had Twitter in a frenzy with the release of their highly anticipated collaboration “WAP” and now that she’s once again the darling of the Hip-Hop world, Cardi’s out there talkin’ that ish with the media and letting everyone into her world to learn more about how she gets down. Recently the Bronx bomber had a virtual interview with RADIO.COM‘s Julia in which she opened up about why she’s taken her time with her new album, including personal records on her new project, and why she dropped her Megan Thee Stallion record when she did. Though Cardi admits that she had the Megan record “for a hot minute” she’s been holding onto it and wouldn’t drop it until th...
Blank Stare: Donald Trump Issues Executive Order Banning TikTok & WeChat “Transactions” In 45 Days
Source: NurPhoto / Getty After seemingly agreeing to allow Microsoft to work out some sort of deal to purchase TikTok, Donald Trump has gone ahead anyway with his move to ban the app and WeChat putting more pressure on the tech company to get a deal done. This situation just keeps on getting more confusing by the day. El Trumpito’s hard-on to stick it to China for “ruining” you know what let’s be honest, exposing how inept of a leader he is decided to ban all transactions from both TikTok and WeChat in 45 days. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act, the EO (executive order) states: “The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China…con...
Going Nuts: Drake Cops New Ski Masked Cupid Piece And Diamond Chain
Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN Drake is balling out on another level. Champagne Papi just treated himself to more ice. As spotted on Hype Beast the Canadian MC has added some more custom jewelry to his already impressive collection. On Thursday, August 6 he posted new visuals of him sporting never seen before pieces. On his neck was a traditional flying cupid figure shooting his arrow of love but this one finds the mythological god of desire wearing a ski mask. The ornament is paired with a black and gold diamond pavé chain. On top of that was a separate chain that was shorter in length but just as heavy on the ice. View this post on Instagram Gotta get up and be somebody. A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Aug 5, 2020 at 7:01pm PDT Naturally the jeweler behind both designs qui...
Jurnee Smollett Speaks On Brother Jussie’s Scandal For First Time
Source: Brandon Caldwell / Radio One Houston Just when you think the world has moved on from the Jussie Smollett jig it rears it ugly head around. A family member is finally commenting on the peculiar ordeal. As spotted on Vulture the sister of the Empire actor is speaking up and giving her point of view on the events of January 29, 2019 where her brother was accused of staging a hate crime. In a recent interview with Hollywood Reporter regarding her role in HBO’s new drama series Lovecraft Country. She admitted the last year and a half have been far from easy for their inner circle. View this post on Instagram “…we’re no longer asking for a seat at the table, we're building our own motherf***ing table.!” LINK IN BIO @hollywoodreporter @martymoes, story by @laceyvrose A po...
St. Vincent Digs Up Backstage Cover of Tool’s ‘Forty Six & 2′
St. Vincent’s Annie Clark reminisced about a simpler era in a recent Instagram post, sharing an old video featuring a backstage solo cover of Tool’s “Forty Six & 2.” Watch below. The brief clip was captured prior to a gig promoting 2017’s MASSEDUCTION. It shows her pulling off an impressive double-duty: singing while plucking the knotty riff on acoustic guitar. “TOOL as preshow warm-up during MASSEDUCTION solo tour,” she wrote in a caption. “Pink bunnysuit hanging in background. Will always love this band. Miss you guys.” Clark is a noted Tool fan. During a BBC Radio 6 appearance in 2018, she played both “Forty Six & 2″ and Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell” when asked which riffs she wishes she’d ...
Live Nation Boss Expects a ‘Robust Outdoor Summer Season’ in 2021
It’s been doom and gloom for the concert (and basically, music) biz since the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. However, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino sees light at the end of the tunnel. Despite a cataclysmic drop in revenue by an unfathomable 98%, Rapino is confident that live music will return to a “robust” state as soon as as next summer. In a memo shared with Live Nation investors ahead of the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Rapino outlined why he’s optimistic: Importantly, we remain confident that fans will return to live events when it is safe to do so. Our strongest indicator of demand is that fans are holding on to their tickets, even when given the option of a refund. Through the end of the second quarter, 86% of concert fans are keepi...
Best Coast Revamp ‘Boyfriend’ to Raise Funds for the Trevor Project
Best Coast has shared a new 2020 version of their hit single, “Boyfriend.” As part of the Bandcamp Friday, Best Coast re-recorded and changed the pronouns on the 10-year-old track to make it more inclusive. “In the decade since writing this song,” Bethany Cosentino said about the song in a statement. “I have had a lot of time to reflect on not only that obsession, but the way in which I have at times, glorified obsessive and toxic romantic relationships in my songwriting. This song in particular started to feel problematic to me around the time I really started working on myself at age 30. I would listen back to my lyrics and think about how much I was neglecting myself and how I made this guy the protagonist of my own life and story.” She continued, ...
The Replacements Share ‘I Don’t Know’ Demo
The Replacements have an extensive box set chronicling the Pleased to Meet Me era that arrives in October. Ahead of its release, fans can hear a newly shared demo of “I Don’t Know.” As you can hear below on the self-mocking track, the lo-fi, garage-y, bare-bones 1986 version (which was recorded at Minneapolis’ Blackberry Way Studios) of the song, the band was in the zone before they hit Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer Jim Dickinson in April 1987. If you listen carefully where the song’s breakdown should be, you can hear someone yelling (or singing depending on your point of view) “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” The box set will feature 29 previously unreleased songs, including 15 demos recorded at Minneapolis’ Blackberry Way Studios in 1986....
Suzuki Jimny Black Bison Edition Is a Jeep, Bronco, and Land Rover Mashup
Along with the Ford Ranger Raptor, the Suzuki Jimny is one of the most desirable off-road vehicles we don’t get here in the U.S. And while the Jimny is typically known for its spartan rugged charm, the folks at Japanese outfitter Wald International have made the little 4×4 flashier with additional off-road design cues and a posh interior. Up front, the Suzuki Jimny Black Bison Edition features a new grille with headlight covers. The front bumper receives new LED lights, and additional lighting elements can be found on the roof. A special aero hood adds to the more aggressive look. In the rear, there is a new bumper panel and spoiler. It’s also hard to ignore the beefy overfenders and the off-road-ready tires. Inside the cabin, Wald is offering plenty of luxury. Along with quilted-patt...
