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17 Dec 2024

New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club to Open Hollywood Location

New York’s famed Blue Note Jazz Club is coming to the Sunset Strip.

On Tuesday (Dec. 17), officials with Blue Note Entertainment Group announced plans to open a Hollywood location modeled after the company’s New York flagship, which is known for its intimate atmosphere, performance roster of icons and rising stars, and propensity for regularly staging world-class jazz shows.

The new L.A. club, which is set to open its doors in March 2025, will mark Blue Note’s ninth location outside of New York with venues in Hawaii; Napa, Calif.; Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Milan; Beijing; and Shanghai.

“We are excited to bring the Blue Note experience to Los Angeles, offering the same intimate atmosphere and world-class performances that have defined our New York club,” says Tsion Bensusan, COO of Blue Note Entertainment Group, in a statement.

As part of the expansion, Blue Note officials announced that they have inked a partnership with the LA Philharmonic to rebrand the long-running Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival as the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Presented by the LA Phil, the 2025 edition of the festival kicks off on June 14 with a full lineup scheduled to be announced in February.

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“This collaboration represents a union of two iconic institutions dedicated to celebrating jazz and its profound impact on music and culture,” said Steven Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group. LA Phil president/CEO Kim Noltemy added, “This partnership represents a shared dedication to celebrating jazz and its extraordinary artists while continuing the legacy of world-class music at the Bowl.”

The Blue Note in both New York and Los Angeles will be curated by artist, composer, producer and frequent collaborator Robert Glasper. In 2018, Glasper and Blue Note launched Glasper’s annual residency ROBTOBER. That partnership has since expanded to include events like the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa, Blue Note at Sea and The Black Radio Experience, also in Napa.

“I’m honored to partner up with Blue Note once again for what will be a significant cultural intersection for the Los Angeles community,” said Glasper in a statement. “Los Angeles has always been a second home to me and I can’t wait to bring LA culture to the Blue Note.”

17 Dec 2024

Sexyy Red & GloRilla Believe Critics Who Say Female Rap Is ‘Too Sexual’ Are ‘Haters’

Sexyy Red and GloRilla have some interesting things to say about the conversations surrounding today’s female rappers.

As part of XXL‘s new cover story, Glo and Sexyy asked each other questions, including about the subject matter of their music. “So, a lot of people give female rappers a hard time, saying we’re too sexual or over the top with lyrics and video content. What do you think when you hear that?” the Memphis rapper asked.

“I think y’all some haters,” Sexxy quickly answered. “And I think y’all don’t want y’all bi— to shine because y’all insecure. It ain’t a problem when y’all got your chest out and y’all little tiny di– print showing and all that with your drawls sagging and your stanky ass out, doo-doo stains. It’s not a problem when y’all do it, but when we do it … Y’all stealing our style. It’s better when we do it.”

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GloRilla agreed and recited the first lines from the Finesse2Tymes song “Back End”, saying, It’s cool when they do it/ It’s a problem when I do it, f— ’em,” before having herself a nice laugh.

Earlier in the interview, the two considered what a joint project from them would sound like. “Ratchet as f—,” Glo answered after the St. Louis rapper asked the question. “It’s gonna be some stupid, ratchet sh–. The n—as gonna hate us.” However, Sexyy disagreed a little bit, saying she believed the guys will “love it” because the two of them are “trench certified.”

You can watch the full conversation below.

17 Dec 2024

Demi Lovato & Fiancé Jutes Celebrate One Year of Engagement: ‘Can’t Wait to Marry U’

Demi Lovato and Jordan “Jutes” Lutes just celebrated a major milestone: one year of being engaged.

To celebrate, the couple marked the occasion with lovey-dovey posts Monday (Dec. 16) on Instagram Stories. Sharing a photo of him nuzzling noses with the “Sorry Not Sorry” singer, Jutes wrote, “1 year of being engaged to my favorite person. I’m so lucky and can’t wait to marry u baby.”

Re-sharing the post on her own Story, Lovato lovingly called Jutes, “My sweet angel.”

“I love you infinitely and cannot wait to call you my husband!!!” Lovato added. “Happy 1 year of being engaged baby!!”

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The couple first made their relationship Instagram official in August 2022, and the next year, Jutes popped the question, on Dec. 16, 2023. The following day, Lovato showed off her engagement ring on Instagram and wrote, “I’m still speechless … My love, I’m beyond excited to marry you.. every day I’ve spent with you has been a dream come true and I can’t wait to love and cherish you forever. Here’s to the rest of our lives. I love you baby.”

“yesterday i asked my best friend to marry me and she said yes,” Jutes added in a post of his own. “i can’t imagine my life without you and thank god now i’ll never have to. feeling like the luckiest man alive right now. i’m so in love with you.”

In addition to being life partners, they’re also musical collaborators. Jutes helped Lovato write multiple songs on their most recent album, Holy Fvck, including second single “Substance,” “Happy Ending” and “City of Angels”; the LP reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

The musicians are also dog parents to a tiny canine named Pickle.

Lovato hasn’t released a proper album since Holy Fvck in 2022, but they did drop Revamped, a collection of old songs from their discography re-recorded with a punk-rock edge, in 2023. She kept busy in 2024 with the release of documentary Child Star, which surveyed the effects of celebrity on kids and featured Drew Barrymore, Raven Symone and more.

17 Dec 2024

Billboard Asks Locals to Pick the Best Get Up Anthems of LA | Billboard x Tres Generaciones Tequila

Billboard and Tres Generaciones Tequila are partnering to find out the Get Up Anthems of select cities, and the last stop is Los Angeles, California. Ahead of the curated list, in this ‘Man on the Street,’ we tapped LA locals to help share some of their favorite hometown hits that have inspired and energized their city, including artists like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and so many more! Be sure to check out the official Get Up Anthems for Chicago presented by Tres Generaciones Tequila.

Tetris Kelly:

Billboard and Tres Generaciones Tequila teamed up to find the best Get Up Anthems in each city. Today, we’re in Los Angeles, the home of sun, Hollywood and West Coast hip-hop. What song energizes this city? We talk to locals to find out. All right, I’m hanging out trying to find the biggest Get Up Anthem in LA, so what song do you feel like reps this city? 

Guest 1:

Off the back, they “Not Like Us,” bro. 

Tetris Kelly:

I mean, that just came out. It’s already a classic? 

Guest 1:

Yeah, it is, bro. I mean, they got people playing it everywhere. 

Tetris Kelly:

What song do you feel like charges the city? 

Guest 2:

I’mma say Montell [Jordan]’s “This Is How We Do It.”

Tetris Kelly:

Hey, the party’s here on the west side. What’s the song that represents Los Angeles? 

Guest 3:

“It Was a Good Day.” Ice Cube. 

Tetris Kelly:

Nice! Okay, what you know about Ice Cube, man? 

Guest 3:

When I hit the switch, I can make that drop.

Tetris Kelly:

So tell me, what do you like about living in LA? 

Guest 4:

The sunshine, 75-degree weather, the beaches. 

Tetris Kelly:

But you gotta tell me what song represents the city the most?

Guest 4:

Anything I say from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg. Them two together, anything, that’s just chef’s kiss. 

Tetris Kelly:

Which is like “Gin and Juice”? 

Guest 4:

Of course, “Gin and Juice.” 

Tetris Kelly:

What’s the best part about living in LA?

Guest 5:

South Central, you know what I mean? The girls, the cars, the money, the hustle, the culture, the environment. 

Keep watching for more!

17 Dec 2024

Infamous Drug Kingpin Rayful Edmond Reportedly Dead, Account Not Confirmed

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Rayful Edmond, a notorious drug kingpin whose operation terrorized the Washington, D.C. streets at the height of the so-called “Crack Era” is reportedly dead according to unconfirmed accounts. Rayful Edmond was released from prison this past summer after serving well over three decades behind bars and was transferred to a reentry facility in Tennessee.

On X, formerly Twitter, social media accounts are claiming that the brother of Edmond confirmed that his sibling has died although we have yet to see an official report. Edmond, 59, ran a lucrative drug operation that not only ravaged the Nation’s Capital, but also ignited turf wars, and bloody shootouts, and placed the wider region under siege.

We’ve reached out to sources looking for a confirmation but nothing has yet to materialize. We also reached out to the Residential Reentry Management (RRM) office in Nashville where Edmond was reportedly sent to after his prison release to no avail.

As we gather more information, we’ll be back to update this post.

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Photo: Screencap

17 Dec 2024

Justin Bieber Gets Cozy With Hailey Bieber During Gorgeous Costa Rica Vacation

Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber are enjoying a wedding in Costa Rica, and have been sharing snaps of their tropical trip on Instagram.

The “Love Yourself” singer took to Instagram on Monday (Dec. 16) to post a series of caption-less photos of from the vacation and wedding, including a number of selfies with Hailey, in which he’s seen snuggling her and kissing her on the cheek. The photos were soundtracked by Dijon’s “The Dress,” a clear reference to the Rhode founder’s gorgeous red gown.

See the post here.

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It’s been an exciting year for the Biebers, who welcomed their first child, a son named Jack Blues Bieber, in August.

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Justin is also reportedly working on new music, per a The New York Times interview with Mk.gee, who revealed he’s in the studio with the star. “He’s searching,” he said. “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

He’s been on the mend in regards to his health over the past years. After launching a world tour in February 2022 in support of his last project, 2021’s Justice, and his 2020 Changes album, Bieber revealed in June of that year that he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which had resulted in “full paralysis” on one side of his face, leading to the postponement of some dates.

17 Dec 2024

Sexyy Red Says Every Time She Sees Tyler, The Creator, ‘He’s Twerking’

Sexyy Red and Tyler, the Creator connected in October for their first collaboration, when Tyler recruited Big Sexyy, Lil Wayne and GloRilla for the Chromakopia standout “Sticky.”

XXL enlisted GloRilla and Sexyy for their latest cover story, which arrived on Tuesday (Dec. 17) and found the pair of female rap stars in conversation about an array of topics.

“Everybody love it. They love it,” Sexyy said of the public’s approval of the collaboration. “We on another song together, and I don’t know, I think they f— with that. We all on that song.”

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Glo brought up how they were twerking onstage together, and Sexyy revealed that they’re actually twerking together any time they link up. “We always twerk together,” she added. “Every time we see him, we always twerk. He funny.”

Sexyy Red and Tyler originally linked up in August 2023 backstage at Drake’s It’s All a Blur Tour in Los Angeles. The St. Louis rapper posted a photo alongside Tyler hitting her signature pose. “My dreams came true,” he said. “My dreams came tru Mood to da haters.”

“Sticky” found Tyler blending the worlds of Lil Wayne, GloRilla and Sexyy Red on his Chromakopia album. The rambunctious tune reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the first top 10 hit of Tyler’s career — and came in at No. 12 on our 100 Best Songs of 2024 list.

“I wanted something for the drill team at the f—ing pep rallies,” Tyler told Billboard about his vision for the track. “Something for the band to play at halftime.”

Sexyy Red delivered a solid sophomore campaign in 2024 as she notched hits like “Get It Sexyy” and the Drake-assisted “U My Everything” from her In Sexyy We Trust project, which was released in May.

17 Dec 2024

J. Cole Hints That His ‘The Fall Off’ Album May Arrive Before Dreamville Fest

J. Cole‘s seventh studio album may be coming sooner than fans think.

At the end of his 2014 Forest Hills Drive 10th-anniversary show Monday night (Dec. 16) at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the North Carolina rapper told the crowd he may have new music for them just in time for his festival next year. “I’ll see y’all at Dreamville Festival,” he told the crowd. “Hopefully I’ll have something new to perform for y’all.”

Cole recently announced that next year’s Dreamville Fest will be its last. “What a ride it’s been… We can’t thank y’all enough for all the memories we’ve shared,” Cole wrote on the Dreamville IG feed. “From the very beginning, the idea behind the fest was creating a place where our fans, the Dreamville community, could spend time together, a place where they could see themselves reflected, a place to share in experiences. Let’s run it back one more time in April!”

His manager and right-hand man Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad also thanked fans for supporting the North Carolina festival over the years. “Thank You North Carolina. Thank you to everyone who’s travelled from all over the last 4 years to enjoy our little family reunion,” he wrote on Instagram. “This festival is something a lot of people have been working very hard to bring you and it’s honestly been a dream come true seeing the impact.”

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The 2014 Forest Hills Drive 10th-anniversary show was a one-night-only affair, as he called back to his Dollar and a Dream Tour where tickets were only a dollar on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, this time around, only 2,014 tickets were made available at that price point.

The Carolina MC has been in a reminiscing mood, as he also has a podcast series where he and Ib go into detail about how they made it to this point in his career.

17 Dec 2024

Cash Cobain’s Thoughts on J. Cole’s ‘Rich N***az’ & More | Rolling Loud Miami 2024

Cash Cobain shares his favorite trends in hip-hop history, who he would switch bodies with for a day and more!

Kyle Denis:

First question for you. I need you to rank every New York City borough by how slizzy each person in the borough can get.

Cash Cobain:

Okay. Bronx is No. 1, Queens is No. 2, Brooklyn No. 3, Manhattan No. 4, Staten Island No. 5. 

Brooklyn as No. 3 is kind of crazy, just being from Brooklyn. I thought it would be higher than that, but okay. 

I’m from the Bronx, but I moved to Queens. So you know, by default, I know even though Bronx and Brooklyn got like some type of beef going on, Brooklyn always show love to Cash Cobain. I love Brooklyn.

All right, if you had to live in any hip-hop music video from the past, which one would it be? 

Living it? Yeah, uh, hey, oh, “Hip Hop Hooray,” oh! That’s Brooklyn right there.

If you could erase one trend from hip-hop forever, what would you want? 

One what?

One trend.

I wouldn’t erase nothing. Everything happens for a reason. We here now because of… You know what I’m saying, though? I wouldn’t erase nothing.

On the flip side, what’s your favorite trend in hip-hop history? 

It’s just one era. N—as was rapping fast. A’ight so you know the song to what? To who? A little something like that? Um, what else. J. Cole got a song like that with that flow. It’s called “Rich N***az” with that flow. 

What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done to get your attention?

Keep watching for more!

17 Dec 2024

Tyga Says a New Album & Tour Are Coming Soon | Rolling Loud Miami 2024

Tyga shares that he has a new album and tour on the way, reminisces about the start of his career with “Coconut Juice” and “Bedrock,” and more!

Catrise Johnson:

You have 16 years of a song. 

Tyga:

16 years? 

Of a song. “Coconut Juice.”

Where the f— did y’all get that. Get the f— out of here. 

That’s how the game is, that’s an amazing song. Let’s not play. Let’s not play. That was an amazing song. 

Sure. I mean, sh–, it’s platinum, but you know. 

Sixteen years of “Coconut Juice,” that kind of was your start. And you now have, I know, but now you have such longevity. 

Actually, my start was “Young On Probation.” That was the first mixtape that I ever did, and I was 15. That was my start, which got me signed. And then it was that record, and then from after that, I signed to Young Money after that, and then “Bedrock.” For me, I feel like “Bedrock” was my reintroduction. That was my first introduction, and then “Bedrock” was like my reintroduction. You know what I mean? 

100%, I agree with that. All right, what’s next for you? 

Um, sh–, new album, new album. I’m mixing it right now. So, album, tour. 

Can you tease anything on the album?

Sh–, I don’t know. We just got to see, you know? Working on a few features.