NEWS
Why Rod Wave Might Be Writing Movie Scripts One Day
Before the age of 21, Rod Wave has become hip-hop’s quintessential rags to riches story. Since his Interscope debut with 2019’s Ghetto Gospel, the St. Petersburg, Florida native has buried the competition with his icy street bangers and frosty melodies. With two Billboard 200 top ten albums within a five-month span, including last April’s No. 2 debut Pray 4 Love, Wave’s climb to rap’s summit has been a sight to see. With a dozen Hot 100 records in his arsenal, most notably his latest hit “Rags2Riches,” Wave’s candor and shrewd ability to tug at listeners’ heartstrings makes him a top candidate for rap’s rookie of the year in 2020 — although he’s lucky to still be here. Wave, born Rodarius Marcell Green, nearly had his life curtailed after being involved in a near-fatal ca...
Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and More Demand Clearance for Campaign Songs
Pearl Jam, R.E.M. Sia, Lorde and more have joined forces with the Artists Rights Alliance to demand that the political parties “establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek the consent of featured recording artists, songwriters, and copyright owners before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting,” the Artist Rights Alliance announce in a statement. The letter also points out “the fundamental right of music creators to decide who can use their music and on what terms.” And if they do not comply, the political parties risk legal action. The ARA furthered their point in the following statement: “We’ve seen so many artists and estates dragged into politics against their will and forced to take aggressive action to prohibit the use of their music – usually songs th...
Korn and Yelawolf Cover ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’
Raise your hand if you expected Korn and Yelawolf to collaborate. Now, raise your hand if you ever thought you’d see the two join forces to cover a Charlie Daniels song. Yep, not many — if any — thought that would happen. But it did. The Jonathan Davis-led band enlisted the rapper to tackle the recently departed Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The metal version of the song, released Tuesday, is available on Bandcamp. All of the proceeds will go to Awakening Youth, a charity that helps young people who have lost a parent realize positive change in their lives. “We’re very excited to bring you our cover of the late, great Charlie Daniels’ infamous track, ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia,’” reads a statement on Korn’s Bandcamp. “Charlie left a musical legacy that goe...
Lollapalooza Announces Free 4-Day YouTube Streaming Event Featuring Lorde, Chance the Rapper, ZHU, More
Summer just isn’t the same without Lollapalooza. Since the 2020 in-person event can no longer take place thanks to COVID-19, organizers are taking the beloved Chicago music festival virtual. The 2020 iteration of Lollapalooza will take place on YouTube via a free 4-day streaming event from July 30th to August 2nd beginning at 6PM ET (3PM PDT). Staying true to the festival’s proclivity to feature world-class lineups, the virtual extravaganza flaunts both new performances and memorable sets of yesteryear. According to Lollapalooza’s website, artists providing new “original live performances” include Vic Mensa, Yungblud, H.E.R., Kaskade, Louis the Child, and The Neighbourhood, among others, in addition to special performances from Common,...
The Old Ram 1500 “Classic” Beats the Reaper Again, Lives for 2021
Going on two years since Ram introduced its latest 1500 pickup, the truckmaker will continue to offer the old 1500 to customers alongside the more modern one, according to Cars Direct. The Ram 1500 Classic will live to see the 2021 model year, when it will once again serve as the Ram’s low-cost model and erstwhile competitor (at least in terms of price) to the midsize pickups sold by Chevy, Ford, and Toyota. The previous-generation 1500 Classic does more than just fill in for the midsize truck Ram doesn’t sell, however. It’s the only current Ram pickup variant offered with a regular cab—the new 1500 is only available in four-door Quad and larger Crew Cab arrangements—and therefore also doubles as the 1500 family’s low-cost, commercial-grade option in base Tradesman ...
20 Questions With MK: The Producer Defends Vocal House, ‘All We’re Trying to Do Is Make Something Great’
Mark Kinchen has been under the spell of house music since the late ’80s, when the producer followed his interest in music to the burgeoning electronic scene then happening in his hometown of Detroit. It was this function of being in the right place at the right time, with the right taste, that he witnessed dance world pioneers like Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson forging the electronic genre and where he picked up a love of house music that would fuel his career for the following three decades. MK’s latest release is “2am,” a piano-heavy house heater featuring vocals by Carla Monroe, who also delivered the lyrics on the producer’s still soaring 2018 single “17.” The new single is out on Ultra and MK’s own AREA10 imprint. Since ...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Set For Big Opening Sales Week In U.K.
TayTay is blowing away her rivals in the U.K. chart race. Taylor Swift’s surprise album release Folklore (EMI) has raced to the lead of the midweek chart, and is outperforming the rest of the Top 5 combined, the Official Charts Company reports. Swift’s eighth and latest album was the most downloaded and streamed LP over the weekend, according to the OCC, and is on track to become the pop star’s fifth U.K. No. 1 following Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019). As previously reported, three songs from the new set are tracking for Top 10 debuts on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, led by “Cardigan” at No. 4 (“Exile” with Bon Iver is at No. 7 on the Official Chart Update and “The 1” starts at No. 9). Folklore should enjoy another chart punch in months to come when it’...
A 79-Year-Old Doing Hip-Hop? ‘The Simpsons’ Is Where Free Speech Battles Age Bias Claims
As the old saying goes, no business is like show business. For one thing, show business is speech business. But what acts by an entertainment producer are legitimately free speech, and what acts are plain ol’ discrimination? That’s not always clear. Just look at the ongoing case of Alf Clausen, the 79-year-old who was fired as Simpsons composer after 27 years of celebrated work on the animated classic. As his lawsuit heads toward an important hearing next week, Clausen looks to undercut Fox’s positioning that this dispute relates to an important First Amendment issue. Clausen is suing Disney and its Fox divisions with the claim that his termination was due to age and disability discrimination. The musician says he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and he o...
Lana Del Rey’s ‘Violet’ Poetry Audiobook Has Arrived
After months of delays, Lana Del Rey’s Violet is blooming. The alternative pop singer released her audiobook of Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass, which features 14 poems read by Del Rey, with music performed by her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff (Bleachers, Fun). Violet was announced last December ahead of a scheduled January release. However, it was pushed back after the singer’s family was robbed. And then, the pandemic. Hardcover and ebook editions will include over 30 original Del Rey poems and should drop Sept. 29 via Simon & Schuster, with CDs, vinyl, picture discs and bundles landing soon after, on Oct. 2. Matching the album cover art, the book cover features a painting of a lush tree decorated with four citrus fruit. As previously reported, half the proceeds of the col...
Prince Harry Used deadmau5-Inspired Secret Instagram Account While Dating Meghan Markle
A recently released biography may have revealed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex‘s affinity for dance music. Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand discovered that after his first date with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex—then Meghan Markle—he followed her on Instagram using a secret account. Interestingly enough, his username was inspired by iconic Canadian EDM producer deadmau5. In Finding Freedom, Scobie and Durand write that the couple dated in secret, but after their first encounter, she followed a user by the name of “SpikeyMau5.” The page was a private account that donned a profile picture of deadmau5’s iconic mau5head. They then go on to explain why Prince Harry chose that name and how it was inspired by one of his favorite artists and a...
The Chainsmokers Headlined a Hamptons Drive-In Show That Devolved Into Concert Devoid of Social Distancing
Update: Following the publishing of this article, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state’s Department of Health will conduct an investigation into the “Safe & Sound Hamptons” concert. The Chainsmokers‘ recent performance in the Hamptons appeared to defy social distancing guidelines largely instated by medical experts in light of COVID-19. Announced earlier in the month, the event was the first leg of a charity concert series in support of a number of organizations and featured additional performances from Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who performs under the moniker DJ D-Sol, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman‘s band, and Matt White. At the time of writing, the ticketing page for the concert is sti...
Kanye West Paid People To Sign Petition In Order Secure Illinois Ballot
Source: The Washington Post / Getty Kanye West’s political run continues to get weirder and weirder. He apparently gave people from his hometown cold hard cash to get him right. As spotted on The Blast, the polarizing creative is doing whatever he can to ensure he has a chance at the presidential seat; even payola. According to a report by The Celebrity Insider, he hired an organization called Let The Voters Decide to assist in getting his name on the Illinois ballot. State guidelines mandated that he secure 2,500 signatures from locals by 5PM on Monday. Sources close to the third party say citizens were offered $10-$12 dollars to sign the petition. Kenny Minster says he was worked on the program and detailed the experience. Due to the tight deadline, he had to make move quick includi...
