R&B
Final Chapters of ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Claim Singer Forced Aaliyah’s Family to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreement Following Annulment
The final two installments of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries series ended with a pair of bombshell revelations about the imprisoned singer’s controversial marriage to a then-underage Aaliyah. The two episodes that debuted on Monday and Tuesday, focused in on Kelly’s 2022 federal trial, which included allegations that the singer and his team allegedly forced Aaliyah’s family to sign a non-disclosure agreement in the wake of the annulment of the performers’ brief marriage. Kelly and Aaliyah were married in secret in August 1994 when the “Rock the Boat” singer was just 15, even though their marriage certificate listed her age as 18; the marriage was reportedly annulled by Aaliyah’s parents in Feb. 1995. Interviews with some of Kelly’s and Aaliyah’s entourages revealed some of the de...
Fred White, Drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, Dies at 67
Fred White, the former drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67. The percussionist’s brother and bandmate Verdine White shared the sad news through social media on Sunday (Jan. 1). Neither the date nor the cause of White’s death had been disclosed at press time. “Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member. Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” Verdine White wrote on Instagram alongside photos of his brother. “He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels!” he added. “He was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light-hearted.” Fred White was born on Jan. 13, 195...
Anita Pointer, The Pointer Sisters Founding Member, Dead at 74
Anita Pointer, co-founding member of The Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 74. “She fought a very heroic battle with cancer,” Pointer’s representative told The Hollywood Reporter. “She was surrounded by family at the time of her death.” The Pointer Sisters’ origins date back to 1969 when Bonnie and June Pointer began performing in night clubs under the name Pointers, a Pair. They soon rebranded themselves as The Pointer Sisters and expanded from a duo to a quartet with the addition of their other sisters Anita and Ruth. Following a short stint with Atlantic Records, the group found their stride after signing to Blue Thumb Records in 1972. The Pointer Sisters’ self-titled debut album was released the following year, and featured their first top 20 hit single in “Yes We Can Can”, which...
SZA Earns First No. 1 Album with SOS
With her sophomore album SOS, SZA has earned her first No. 1 album, and the fifth biggest debut in all of 2022. SOS moved 318,000 equivalent units in its first week of release. That makes for the fifth-biggest debut of the year, following Taylor Swift’s Midnights (1.578 million), Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (521,000), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (404,000) and, Beyoncé’s Renaissance (332,000). A majority of SOS’s sales came from on-demand streams — 404.58 million, to be exact — which marks the second-largest streaming week for an album by a female artist in history (behind only Swift’s Midnights). Advertisement Related Video SZA detailed the making of SOS in Consequence’s latest digital cover story. The 23-track LP features contributions from Phoebe Bridgers, the...
The Weeknd Shares New Song “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” From Avatar Soundtrack: Stream
The long-awaited Avatar sequel The Way of Water hits theaters December 16th, and ahead of its release, The Weeknd has shared “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” the song he contributed to the film’s soundtrack. “You give me strength,” The Weeknd sings over an epic choral backing track. “I’m with you either way/ If I die, If I stay, give me strength/ I’m with you either way/ Nothing’s lost, no more pain/ You give me strength.” Listen to the single below. “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” follows The Weeknd’s January album Dawn FM. Next year, the artist will take his “After Hours Til Dawn” tour to the UK, Europe, Mexico, and South America, and tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video He’s also gearing up t...
How to Get Tickets to Janet Jackson’s 2023 Tour
Janet Jackson has set the dates for her 2023 “Together Again” tour, and tickets will lift The Velvet Rope for fans to her first tour in four years. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Janet Jackson’s Next Tour? The “Together Again” tour will launch in Hollywood, Florida on April 14th. Jackson will hit Orlando; Savannah, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama in the first week, then performs in Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta; and Memphis in the second. She closes April in St. Louis, then opens the next month in Kansas City, Missouri. Advertisement Related Video Jackson will play Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on May 4th and Bristow, Virginia’s Jiffy Lube Live on May 6th before headlining New York City’s Madison Square Garden on May 9th. She’ll c...
Patti LaBelle Evacuated from Christmas Concert After Apparent Bomb Threat
Patti LaBelle was forced to end her concert at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theatre early on Saturday, December 10th due to an alleged bomb threat. All attendees were able to evacuate without injury. The incident occurred three songs into the Godmother of Soul’s last scheduled performance of 2022. Fan-captured footage posted to Twitter shows LaBelle engaging with the audience and holding a bouquet of flowers before being approached suddenly by three members of her team. Labelle admirably resisted at first by shouting, “Hold Up! Wait!” into the microphone until one of her escorts appeared to whisper in her ear and the group promptly rushed off-stage along with her backing band. Watch the tense moment below. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Milwaukee Police Department confirmed...
Song of the Week: SZA Goes Grunge on “F2F”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, SZA turns up the volume for her standout S.O.S cut “F2F.” “SZA goes grunge” was not a sentence I was ever expecting to write, but when the mastermind singer-songwriter teased her new album S.O.S a couple weeks ago, she mentioned she’d be drawing upon “surf rock and grunge” alongside her usual contemplative R&B sound. With “F2F,” an unexpected highlight on an otherwise immaculate collection of songs, we see what she meant: “F2F” is a pop punk jam through and through, and it’s a satisfying comb...
SZA Reveals New Album S.O.S: Stream
SZA has finally returned with her sophomore album, S.O.S. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Arriving more than five years after the TDE singer’s breakout debut, Ctrl, the 23-track project includes features from Phoebe Bridgers (“Ghost in the Machine”), the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard (“Forgiveless”), and Travis Scott (“Open Arms”). S.O.S also boasts the previously released singles “Good Days,” “I Hate U,” and “Shirt.” The artwork for S.O.S takes inspiration from a photo of Princess Diana, as the pride of Maplewood, New Jersey recently explained. “Originally I was supposed to be on top of a shipping barge, but in the references that I pulled for that, I pulled the Diana reference,” SZA told Hot 97. “I just loved how isolated she felt and that’s what I wanted to convey the mos...
How to Get Tickets to Jill Scott’s 2023 Tour
Jill Scott is heading out on the road for a rescheduled anniversary tour to celebrate her debut album, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, and tickets are going up for sale after a nearly three year wait. “My band and I were so excited three years ago, but that damn COVID shut us down,” Scott shared in a statement announcing the now-23rd anniversary tour. “Now, we outside! Come see me. Come feel again. Relive your favorite moments. Ya’ll ready to settle down and get with this?!? It’s a lot of love here.” Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Jill Scott’s Next Tour? Advertisement Related Video The 23rd anniversary tour for Who Is Jill Scott? will launch in Augusta, Georgia on February 28th. Following stops in Macon, Georgia; Columbia, ...
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Help Is Coming, SZA Details New Album S.O.S [UPDATED]
SZA has shed light on S.O.S, the long-awaited follow-up to her 2017 debut Ctrl, in an interview via Billboard. Ahead of a December release, the TDE singer has admitted to feeling “currently stressed” about the impending deadline and the “red tape” that comes with it. Update – December 5th: SZA has revealed the album’s 23-song tracklist, which includes collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers (!), the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard (!!), Travis Scott, and Don Toliver. The tracklist contains lead single “Shirt” and “Blind,” which she debuted during an appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. During her SNL performance SZA also confirmed the album’s release date: December 9th. The New Jersey native went in-depth on the various delays that have plagued her sophomore LP’s release, including deat...
SZA Previews New Album S.O.S on Saturday Night Live: Watch
SZA previewed her highly-anticipated sophomore album, S.O.S, while serving as musical guest on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. She also revealed that the album would be released in less than a week — on Friday, December 9th. The pride and joy of Maplewood, New Jersey, SZA performed the album’s lead single, “Shirt,” and debuted a second song called “Blind.” Additionally, SZA appeared in a sketch opposite host Keke Palmer paying tribute to “Big Boys.” Watch it all below. Advertisement Related Video S.O.S serves as the follow-awaited follow-up to SZA’s debut album, Ctrl, which was released in 2017. Elsewhere on last night’s SNL, Kenan and Kel reunited to parody their beloved Nickelodeon show. [embedded content] [embedded content] [embedded content] [flexi-common-toolbar] [flexi-for...
