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23 Oct 2024

2025 Grammys Predictions: Best R&B Song & Performance Nominees

There are five categories devoted to R&B nestled in the R&B, rap and spoken poetry field at the 67th annual Grammy Awards. Here, we preview three of them — best R&B performance, best R&B song and best traditional R&B performance. We’ll preview the other two — best R&B album and best progressive R&B album — later this week.

Best R&B Performance

Though a version of the category has existed since the very first Grammy ceremony in 1959, best R&B performance boasts a particularly tumultuous history. The awarded was given out annually until 1968, when additional categories divided by gender were introduced. Women and men would compete in separate R&B performance categories until a major overhaul ahead of the 2012 ceremony that combined the existing categories of best female R&B vocal performance, best male R&B vocal performance, best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal and best urban/alternative performance.

Since the best R&B performance was streamlined and reintroduced in 2012, just three artists have won twice: Beyoncé (2015 and 2021), Bruno Mars (2018 and 2022) and Anderson .Paak (2020 and 2022). This year six artists have a chance to join that club, including defending champ Coco Jones, Muni Long, Usher, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lalah Hathway and H.E.R.

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Earlier this year, Jones triumphed with her Billboard chart-topping “ICU,” which spent four weeks atop Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (chart dated May 27, 2023). For the current Grammy cycle, she’s in contention with a pair of tracks: her featured turn on BJ the Chicago Kid‘s “Spend the Night” and her own “Here We Go (Uh Oh).” According to the 2025 Grammys rulebook, an artist can only receive one nomination in best R&B performance, so Jones won’t be able to pull double duty here. Either way, her chances are strong; BJ is a seven-time nominee, while “Here We Go” became her second song to reach the top 10 on Adult R&B Airplay (No. 8).

Usher is another artist who will suffer from the “one nomination per artist” rule. A previous winner for “Climax” back in 2013, he’s back in contention with three songs: his guest appearance on Victoria Monét‘s “SOS (Sex On Sight),” his Color Purple H.E.R. duet “Risk It All,” and his own Pheelz-assisted “Ruin.” Given Monét’s three-Grammy haul at the 2023 ceremony and the chart-topping airplay run of “Risk It All,” either of those two tracks are the A-Town icon’s strongest shots. Similarly, H.E.R. could pull off a nod with either “Risk It All” or Lila Iké’s “He Loves Us Both,” but the former is her best bet.

Corinne Bailey Rae (2012) and Lalah Hathaway (2014) were the first two women to win this category since the 2012 restructuring. Bailey Rae could reap a bid for “Fly Away” (with Eric Benét), while Hathaway could earn a nod for “So in Love.” And then there was Muni Long. The 2023 winner of this category — for her breakout hit “Hrs & Hrs” — is in contention with a live version of one of the year’s biggest R&B crossover hits, “Made for Me,” which reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Several artists could earn their first nods in this category this year, including Tems (“Burning”), Leon Thomas (“Mutt”), Tinashe (“Nasty”), Ravyn Lenae (“One Wish”), Blxst (“Dancing With the Devil”), October London (“She Keeps Calling”), Partynextdoor (“No Chill”) and Normani (“All Yours”).

Some previous Grammy winners and nominees to keep an eye on: SZA (“Saturn”), NxWorries and Thundercat (“Keep Her”), Mary J. Blige and Fabolous (“Breathing”), Childish Gambino (“In the Night”), Chris Brown (“Residuals”), Chlöe and Halle (“Want Me”), Ledisi (“Good Life”), Lucky Daye (“HERicane”), PJ Morton (“Please Be Good”), Terrace Martin, Alex Isley and Robert Glasper (“I Left My Heart In Ladera”), Bryson Tiller (“Persuasion”), Marsha Ambrosius (“One Night Stand”) and Jeymes Samuel, D’Angelo and Jay-Z (“I Want You Forever”).

Our Fearless Forecast

There’s a chance the entire 2024 lineup could repeat, but we’re predicting: “Residuals” (Chris Brown), “SOS (Sex On Sight)” (Victoria Monét & Usher), “Saturn” (SZA), “Made for Me — Live on BET” (Muni Long) and “Keep Her” (NxWorries & Thundercat).

Best R&B Song

For the last five Grammy ceremonies, the nominees for best R&B song and best R&B performance haven’t overlapped much. In fact, the 2022 ceremony is the only instance this decade where three or more songs earned nods in both categories. As a reminder, best R&B song is awarded to the songwriter, while best R&B performance goes to the recording artist.

In addition to the aforementioned tracks, here are a few more songs to look out for. Halle pulled off a surprise nod with “Angel” last year and she could do it again with “Because I Love You,” which was co-written by RAYE. SZA triumphed here with “Snooze” last year, and both she (“Saturn”) and co-writer Leon Thomas (“Mutt”) are in contention this year. Beyoncé is the most-awarded songwriter (five) in this category, and she could earn her 10th nod here with her Dolly Parton-assisted “Tyrant.” Notably, as Parton is not a credited songwriter on “Tyrant,” she would not receive a nomination should the song make the final five. Bruno Mars has won here twice before (2018 and 2022), and he could earn a third nomination in this category thanks to Lucky Daye’s chart-topping “That’s You,” which he co-wrote with Daye and six-time Grammy winner D’Mile.

Since live versions are only eligible in performance categories, Muni Long is contention here with “Ruined Me,” the latest single from her Revenge album. That song has already become her fifth consecutive top 10 hit on Adult R&B Airplay and is gaining traction across social media. Like Long, Tinashe had a crossover R&B hit this year with “Nasty,” which could earn her the first Grammy nod of her career.

Some other names to look out for: Mavis Staples (“Worthy”), Brittany Howard (“I Don’t), Meshell Ndegeocello (“Love”), Sampha (“Only”) and Gary Clark Jr. & Stevie Wonder (“What About The Children”).

Our Fearless Forecast

We’re predicting: “Saturn” (SZA), “Because I Love You” (Halle), “That’s You” (Lucky Daye), “Nasty” (Tinashe) and “Tyrant” (Beyoncé & Dolly Parton).

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Since best traditional R&B performance — a category honoring recordings that adhere to classic R&B/soul sonic signifiers as opposed to more contemporary approaches to the genre — was first awarded in 1999, two artists have emerged as the all-time winners.

Beyoncé and Lalah Hathaway each have three wins to their name in this category. While Queen Bey does not have a song contending here this year, Hathaway could snag her fourth win if her Michael McDonald-assisted “No Lie” scores a nod. There are a number of high-profile duets to keep an eye on here, including Eric Benét and Tamar Braxton (“Something We Can Make Love To”), Chlöe and Ty Dolla $ign (“Might As Well”), Clark Jr. & Wonder (“What About the Children”), Keyon Harrold and PJ Morton (“Beautiful Day”), Kamasi Washington and BJ The Chicago Kid (“Together”) and Louis York and Tamia (“Three Little Words”). The Benét-Braxton team-up received a lot of love in R&B circles, and the Chlöe-Ty link-up highlights the perseverance of traditional R&B amongst the newest generation of crooners.

Muni Long’s name is sure to pop up across the R&B field this cycle, and “Make Me Forget,” which became her first Adult R&B Airplay chart-topper in August, is her entry in this category. Last year’s winners — PJ Morton and Susan Carol (“Good Morning”) — could return with solo songs of their own. Morton is contending with “I Found You,” while Carol entered “Karma.”

Some other names to look out for: Brittany Howard (“I Don’t”), Marsha Ambrosius (“Wet”), Jacob Collier, John Legend and Tori Kelly (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”), Kenyon Dixon (“Can I Have This Groove”), Meshell Ndegeocello (“Love”), Lucky Daye (“That’s You”), NxWorries, Snoop Dogg & October London (“FromHere”) and Usher (“Please U”).

Our Fearless Forecast

Here goes nothing: “That’s You” (Lucky Daye), “FromHere” (NxWorries, Snoop Dogg & October London), “Make Me Forget” (Muni Long), “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Jacob Collier, John Legend & Tori Kelly) and “No Lie” (Lalah Hathaway & Michael McDonald)

23 Oct 2024

‘Blade’ Removed From MCU Release Slate, Sparking Spirited Discussion On X

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2019 Comic-Con International - Marvel Studios Panel

Blade, the long-promised reboot of the popular film series with Mahershala Ali in the titular role, has seen several setbacks but was highly anticipated by fans of the franchise. Collectively, those same fans are decrying Marvel’s decision to remove Blade from its 2025 release slate and sparking a spirited discussion on X.

As reported by Deadline, Blade, which has seen a shuffle of names for directors, was reported for a November 2025 release. Instead, Predator: Badlands has the date slot. As the outlet adds, the reboot of the beloved Wesley Snipes vehicle was announced in 2019 at the San Diego Comic-Con, and the announcement of Mahershala Ali as the Daywalker was met with approval.

However, production on the film was halted after its first director, Bassam Tariq, vacated the project. Yann Demange was then brought in to helm the film but the French film director decided to move on earlier this year. Adding to all of this, production on Blade was beset with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of strikes in the film industry.

Given that Snipes appeared in the well-received Deadpool & Wolverine film in a reprise of the vampire hunter character, it appeared that it was still full speed ahead for the film to come to fruition.

Some MCU fans online, still reeling from the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa aka Black Panther, were hoping to have another Black character to rally around and show that Black moviegoers are eager to throw their support behind characters that look like them.

There is also a wider discussion happening on the X platform about scrapping the project altogether and reviving the King T’Challa character despite Marvel boss Kevin Feige saying he doesn’t intend to do so.

Check out the replies below.

23 Oct 2024

Rudy Giuliani Ordered To Surrender NYC Pad & Goods To Election Workers He Defamed, Xitter Rejoices

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Rudy Giuliani - Trump Co-defendants mugshots

Source: Fulton County Jail / Fulton County Jail Sheriff’s Office

Rudy Giuliani was ordered by a court to surrender his New York City apartment to two Georgia poll workers he defamed, and social media erupted with joy over it.

On Tuesday (October 22), Rudy Giuliani was ordered to surrender his Manhattan luxury penthouse to Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, the two Black Georgia poll workers he attacked and defamed while trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman directed that the two women also receive the apartment, valued at $5 million, along with the lawyer’s interest in $2 million, which he claims is that Trump’s presidential campaign owed him for his services in seven days. The court order also allows Freeman and Moss to sell the apartment and other items to “ensure that the liquidation of the transferred assets is accomplished quickly.”

The federal order is the latest development after Freeman and Moss won their defamation lawsuit against Giuliani, securing a judgment of $148 million. The former New York City mayor had attempted to stay the order by declaring bankruptcy. The other items listed in the order include a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 previously owned by famed movie actress Lauren Bacall; a shirt and picture signed, respectively, by Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio and Reggie Jackson; a signed picture of Yankee Stadium; jewelry including items bestowed upon him by European dignitaries after 9/11; 26 watches including a Rolex, five Shinolas, two Bulovas, and one from Tiffany & Co. According to the Associated Press, Giuliani had requested to keep one of the watches because it was a family heirloom but Judge Liman denied it, stating that he could’ve filed an exemption to prove if it was under $1,000 but failed to do so.

Judge Liman did exclude Giuliani’s three New York Yankees World Series rings and his Florida condominium, noting that they were tied up in other litigation. In a statement, Giuliani’s lawyers Kenneth Caruso and David Labkowski said, “Stay tuned. When the judgment is reversed in the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., these Plaintiffs will be required to return all this property to Mr. Giuliani. We repeat, stay tuned.” The news was greeted with joy for Freeman and Moss’ win and also filled with jokes over the predicament of Giuliani. “That’s what you get when you love up on Trump. Elon next!,” wrote user Joseph Balogun in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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7. Tim Williams

8. TrivWorks

23 Oct 2024

Amazon Looking To Open A “Low-Cost” Storefont To Rival Temu: Report

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Amazon's new logistics center

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Word on the e-streets is that Amazon is looking to open a low-cost storefront to rival Temu. We just hope that if this is true, the products will be of good quality.

Website The Information (yes, that is the actual name) has seen internal information sent to Amazon merchants detailing the price caps of some of the products for the new low-cost storefront.

According to the website, prices are $8 for jewelry, $9 for bedding, $13 for guitars, and $20 for sofas. Everything under this new “Low-Cost Store” ships from its fulfillment center in Guangdong, China.

While you will be getting items for the low-low, don’t expect them to come at the breakneck delivery speeds you have grown accustomed to from Amazon. The Information reports that the new storefront will have slower shipping timelines of nine to 11 days, but sellers will be charged lower fulfillment fees.

Per Engadget:

A seller would be charged between $1.77 and $2.05 to ship a 4-8 ounce item through the Low-Cost Store, compared with a $2.67 to $4.16 charge for an item of that weight shipped under Fulfillment by Amazon from a domestic warehouse, according to The Information.

Amazon has not set price limits on its eponymous online storefront, so this new platform will be a markedly different strategy from its usual approach. It’s more in line with the pricing policy followed by Temu, which launched in 2022.

In its two years of existence, Temu has earned a reputation for selling items of poor quality; Amazon can swoop in and take control of another market if it delivers the same goods but with better quality.

We shall see what happens.

23 Oct 2024

SEVENTEEN Kicks Off U.S. Tour in Chicago: See the Photos From Opening Night

SEVENTEEN has touched down in the United States. The superstar K-pop group kicked off the U.S. leg of their [RIGHT HERE] world tour at the Allstate Arena in Chicago on Tuesday night (Oct. 22), marking their first time onstage in the nation in more than two years.

The three-hour show was jam-packed with 22 songs across their discography, including their most recent album, Spill the Feels, which arrived earlier this month. U.S. fans were treated to their first onstage performance of the DJ Khaled-assisted single, “LOVE, MONEY, FAME.”

SEVENTEEN also treated fans to a mini-musical inspired by their YouTube series, Going Seventeen.

“Thank you so much for showing us endless love and support even if we’re not able to see each other often. We’ll definitely be back here soon so just wait for that. We love you,” Joshua told the crowd full of CARATs at one point, before S.COUPS added, “Until the thirteen of us are together again, let’s stay together and protect each other while enjoying ourselves.” 

The group is set to perform once again in Chicago on Wednesday night (Oct. 23), before the group continues their tour across the U.S., making stops in New York (Oct. 25 and 27), San Antonio (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1), Oakland (Nov. 5 and 6), and Los Angeles (Nov. 9 and 10). See the full list of tour dates and ticket information here.

To celebrate SEVENTEEN’s U.S. tour kickoff, we’ve compiled some of the best photos from the high-energy show. Check them out in our gallery below.

23 Oct 2024

Octavio Cuadras Reveals He’s an Anime Fan & More Things You Don’t Know About Him | Billboard News

Octavio Cuadras shares five things you didn’t know about him, including his love for anime, the food he doesn’t like and more.

Octavio Cuadras:
Hello, how are you? I’m Octavio Cuadras, and these are five things you don’t know about me.

No. 1: I really like animated series, but anime in general. I really like Dragon Ball, Captain Tsubasa, The 7 Deadly Sins, Naruto — all that stuff. I really like all of that, and it’s something I haven’t shared on my social media, but I’m a big fan.

The second fact is that I don’t like eating fish — it’s true, you got it right. I don’t like fish, I can eat anything, I like all food, all types of food, from everywhere, except fish. I can’t stand it — I can’t eat it. And my mother tells me that I grew up eating fish as a child, then I kind of grew to hate it.

Three: My dream is to go to Japan someday, go to Osaka to go and see all of Tokyo. I think that would be one of my biggest dreams. I would also like to go to Italy.

I’m a big fan of shopping for shoes. Octavio Cuadras spends his money on sneakers. So when the check comes in, I’m like, “Let’s go get some shoes,” you know? I don’t know, it’s something I can’t control it, since I was a little kid I have this thing. I always wanted sneakers. I always wanted shoes, you know? There was no money then, and now there is some money, so I buy my sneakers. 

Keep watching for more!

23 Oct 2024

Charli XCX, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Natanael Cano & More to Headline 2025 Axe Ceremonia Festival

Massive Attack, Tyler, the Creator, Charli XCX, Natanael Cano, Nathy Peluso, Parcels, Gesaffelstein, Fka Twigs, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Meme del Real (Café Tacvba’s keyboard player) are set to headline the 2025 edition of the Axe Ceremonia festival, which will take place April 5-6 at Parque Bicentenario in Mexico City, Mexico.

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The Marías, Hanumankind, A.G. Cook, NSQK, The Dare, Simpson Ahuevo and Brutalism 300 are other acts announced as part of the lineup for this festival, which has established itself as a cultural celebration featuring the best and most representative bands and soloists of the local and international scene.

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Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster in a presale for CITIBANAMEX cardholders Wednesday (Oct. 23), with the general sale beginning a day later, announced promoter Eco Live, which produces the event in collaboration with the Mexican promoter Ocesa.

The Axe Ceremonia, which will be celebrating its 12th edition, has become an interesting option within the circuit of major music festivals in Mexico, providing a space for diverse voices and multi-generational sounds, offering the freshest from the global scene on its lineup.

In the words of its promoters: “AXE Ceremonia is a platform that drives creative communities, cutting-edge talent and social activists so that their projects and ideas can reach a broader audience.”

Past editions have included global music stars such as Björk, Rosalía, Kendrick Lamar, LCD Soundsystem, Travis Scott, James Blake, Wu-Tang Clan, A$AP Rocky, Aphex Twin, Snoop Dogg, Animal Collective, Underworld, Nicolas Jaar and Fuerza Regida.

23 Oct 2024

Inside Spirit of Life’s Star-Studded Gala Honoring AEG’s Jay Marciano with Elton John and Celine Dion

Tuesday night’s (Oct. 22) Spirit of Life annual dinner may have been the first to feature a drone light show during cocktail hour, but that was far from the only surprise at the 2024 edition that honored AEG Presents chairman and CEO Jay Marciano.

Though it had already been announced that Elton John would play to help fete Marciano, no one was expecting Celine Dion. Looking luminescent in a gorgeous black gown, the Canadian legend wowed the crowd as she introduced Marciano, whom she has known and worked with for more than 25 years.

“I know that your career has been marked by great accomplishments and has survived its share of great challenges, but it has been marked, above all, by a consistent expression of empathy, she said of Marciano. “In your leadership roles, you have shown such a generosity of spirit, a kindness and understanding of humanity that your legacy seems to be writing itself.”

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Marciano accepted his award in front of an audience of more than 1,200 attendees at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium that included a number of past Spirit of Life honorees, including Irving Azoff, Lucian Grainge, Rob Light, Sylvia Rhone, Don Passman, Jon Platt, Neil Portnow and John Sykes.

From left: John Sykes, President, Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia, Inc., Jon Platt, Sylvia Rhone, CEO, Epic Records, honoree Jay Marciano, Chairman & CEO, AEG Presents, Evan Lamberg, President, MFEI & President, North America, Universal Music Publishing, Alissa Pollack, EVP, Global Music Marketing, iHeartMedia and Rob Light attend MFEI Spirit Of Life honoring Jay Marciano at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Oct. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

From left: John Sykes, President, Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia, Inc., Jon Platt, Sylvia Rhone, CEO, Epic Records, honoree Jay Marciano, Chairman & CEO, AEG Presents, Evan Lamberg, President, MFEI & President, North America, Universal Music Publishing, Alissa Pollack, EVP, Global Music Marketing, iHeartMedia and Rob Light attend MFEI Spirit Of Life honoring Jay Marciano at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Oct. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

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Before Dion and Marciano (and John) took the stage, there was the matter of some fundraising and some fun to be had.

Following the cocktail hour, the evening opened with a mockumentary expressing deep skepticism about presenting the Spirit of Life Award to a concert promoter for the first time given how low promoters are on the music food chain, according to many of the film’s participants. The humorous fake doc, which featured Jody Gerson, Azoff, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, and many more artists and executives, also gave Marciano’s pretend origin story as an accordion player who started in the ‘70s playing with Herbie Hancock and tried to join a pre-Tears for Fears Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in an outfit called George & The Rockets. Both Tears for Fears members were in on the joke and played their parts in the doc to Spinal Tap perfection.

The evening was hosted by comedian/Saturday Night Life alum Fred Armisen, who moved the night quickly along. He introduced David Blaine, who explained his connection to cancer was a personal one: the illusionist’s mother was diagnosed with cancer when he was 16 and died when he was 20. As he told the story beside a set of his initials that he had set ablaze, he added that “City of Hope is about putting out fires,” and then proceeded to put out the fire by spewing voluminous amounts of water from his mouth as if he had swallowed a fire hose. He also wondered into the audience for two slight-of-hand tricks that left the audience shaking its head in disbelief.

As dinner was being served, a live  auction that included such items as Super Bowl tickets and a meeting with New Orleans native son Jon Batiste, a golden pass to AEG’s tentpole festivals, Coachella, Stagecoach and Jazzfest; and a Wes Lang original work of art, raised several hundred thousand dollars, greatly aided by Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge and former Hipgnosis’ chairman Merck Mercuriadis, each of whom paid $100,000 for custom Rolexes that were originally gifted to Elton John and his band by AEG. Bernie Taupin was on hand to describe the auction items and help up the ante. It was all more money in the coffers of City of Hope, which the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (MFEI) division has raised more the $160 million for since the partnership started in 1973, said Universal Music Publishing Group North American president Evan Lamberg, who is chairman of the MFEI board. He took on the new role after five years as president of the board, a position now held by iHeart’s executive vp of global music marketing Alissa Pollack, who also spoke about the Duarte, Calif.-based center, whose mission is to cure and prevent cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life threatening diseases.

Elton John performs onstage during MFEI Spirit Of Life honoring Jay Marciano at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Oct. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Elton John performs onstage during MFEI Spirit Of Life honoring Jay Marciano at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on Oct. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

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In his acceptance speech, Marciano joked, “I may be Elton John’s worst opening act ever. As soon as you can get me off the stage tonight, the Spirit of Life will intersect with the Circle of Life.” He then got serious about the music industry’s relationship with City of Hope, which first came to Marciano’s attention when he worked at Universal with Zach Horowitz, whose parents helped build City of Hope. “As a concert promoter, I’ve been on a lot of tours, but when I took the tour of the City of Hope campus in Duarte earlier this year to witness firsthand the comprehensive, compassionate care, it was a deeply moving and powerful experience. I’m reminded that what counts in this life: In this moment when our world is so terribly divided on too many fronts, City of Hope remains the kind of common ground we can all stand on together… Our industry is often maligned for our excesses. We’re loud, we’re narcissistic, we’re showy, but we are also very generous. When the world is facing a crisis, it’s often our industry and the people in this room that step up first to lend a helping hand.”

Marciano introduced John, who called Marciano one of the “four diamonds” in his career, and credited Marciano with his deal to for his 2004 residency at  Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace, which changed the face of how Las Vegas was,”  and also coordinating his farewell tour. “We went out in the sunshine; I didn’t want to go out in the twilight.”

John closed the evening with a loving version of “Your Song,” a tender take on “Tiny Dancer” and an extremely robust, extended performance of “Rocket Man,” that had the crowd on its feet long before the song ended.

23 Oct 2024

Dave Chappelle & Killer Mike Announce Co-Headlining 2024 Still Talkin That S–t Tour

Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike are hitting the road together. Blending the worlds of comedy and rap, the duo announced the Talkin That S–t Tour on Wednesday (Oct. 23).

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The comedic legend and Grammy-winning rapper along with the Mighty Midnight Revival will run through the U.S. in November as part of a seven-city trek, which kicks off in Detroit on Nov. 15.

Following Detroit, Dave and Mike are slated to make stops in Atlanta, Boston, NYC and Oakland before wrapping up in Long Beach, Calif., with a show on Nov. 24 at the Long Beach Terrace Theater.

Tickets will be going on sale to the general public starting on Friday (Oct. 25) at 12 p.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

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Killer Mike revealed a trip with Chappelle to the Blue Flame Lounge in Atlanta inspired the idea for a tour. “Took my N—a @davechappelle to the @blueflamelounge , after the good times he hugs me and says ‘We should go on tour!’ BOOM ! ‘Still Talkin That Shit’ the tour,” Mike tweeted Wednesday. “Thanks to our teams for getting this together!”

He went on to promise: “This gonna be historic. S/O The Mighty Midnight Revival, we back at it like some addicts!!!! Tickets are on sale this Friday at 12pm local!”

For fans looking to attend, note that this will be a “phone-free experience,” meaning no photography or videography allowed. Attendees will have to secure their devices in Yondr pouches until the end of the show, which is a typical practice for Chappelle’s comedy shows.

Find all of the dates to the Still Talkin That S–t Tour below in Killer Mike’s tweet.

23 Oct 2024

Achille Lauro: Italy’s Chameleonic Artist With a Hundred Lives

Achille Lauro has had many different lives: that of a “street boy” in the Roman crew Quarto Blocco, then as protagonist of the Sanremo Festival and Eurovision Song Contest, a performer in sold-out arenas, entrepreneur and now a judge on The X Factor Italy. He is a person with solid, sincere and passionate convictions, who put their idea of an artist at the center of attention, capable of overlooking everything but never their own abilities and determination. Meeting Achille Lauro for this interview on a nice afternoon in Milan — after the release of his latest single “Amore Disperato,” with the delicate sound of a piano lesson in the background — was just the confirmation of all this.

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As an artist, but not only, you reinvented yourself several times. You are like a cat: you have nine lives.

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I hope, so I still have some to spend! For me, life is always full of opportunities for change. I don’t think I’m the only one. There are people who live just like this, changing their skin and their lives, chasing an idea, aiming for an increasingly distant goal. My curse, but also my blessing, is all of this. I often feel so projected toward the future that I can’t live well in the present. However, this is also my strength: being beyond the contemporary. The worst thing they wrote about me was that I always tried to amaze people, but instead I just tried to surpass myself, often ending up in territories I didn’t know. I don’t want my job to turn into an assembly line.

After all, you are artistically omnivorous and have nothing to defend other than your talent.

I like “omnivorous,” but I believe that talent is ultimately not enough. Dedication toward what you love and extreme commitment count. In the end, all this leads to great results, as well as always seeking innovation. It’s true, I’ve never been afraid of losing anything. Each of my albums is always different from the previous one, because I am looking for a new universe to immerse myself in. I think it was harder initially for a listener to understand my direction. But I’m not reassuring, I don’t want to bring you into a comfort zone by always doing the same thing.

You’ve been on the scene for 10 years, and in this decade, everything has happened musically in Italy: a real generational revolution in the charts, but also the renewal of Sanremo – and you have been the protagonist of the festival several times.

They have been 10 intense years because there has been a great evolution of our music scene, especially thanks to younger artists. Many of them have understood that the more unique and particular they make themselves, the more they strike the chords of the public’s feelings. I’m not even completely convinced that Auto-Tune was the stylistic hallmark of this era. Already in the ’70s funk bands used the Vocoder, then there were Daft Punk in the ’90s…. When I started, it was the era of street rap, in which you had to say certain things and maybe you were ashamed to show your feelings, your weaknesses. Today, however, there is room for emotions, which is very important for me. However, there has been a great evolution in the trap and urban scene. We went from a very dark production to something lighter. Above all, those kids who come from the suburbs didn’t ape the Americans but chose their own narrative path, going much higher in quality. They tell of miserable realities that are in contrast with the luxury that glitters 15 minutes away from them. Milan is the place par excellence to describe this discrepancy. For them, as for me, music is a path to redemption and redemption. Then it’s nice that pop is no longer considered synonymous with poor music, and this allows many young artists to try their hand at this genre without fear.

Achille Lauro

Achille Lauro

Marcello Junior Dino/Billboard Italy

What do you think about the fact that electronic dance music is connecting more and more with pop? It is a process that began many years ago but continues at a mainstream level in Italy, too.

True. I would like to open the top 50 and hear globally competitive productions and also an acceleration toward the contamination between dance and what really characterizes one’s culture, one’s country. Look at what is happening in Spain with Rosalía or C. Tangana, who take their tradition and mix it with something new.

What are you finding as a judge of The X Factor?

I’m trying to find something strong in identity in my team. My final three choices are slightly unconventional talents. I’m delighted to be able to try to do something different for the program. In the end, in Italy, only The X Factor and Sanremo are left to give great motivation to kids, to new talents…. Only in these contexts does something different and important really happen.

And you know a lot about Sanremo.

Let’s say that I was part of a change for the better. The festival was more permeable to the innovations seen in our music scene. It approached very distant worlds that never paid attention to before. Standing on stage with 10 million people watching you is an opportunity that I have always taken advantage of, even when I made mistakes.

Now, after four times at the festival, would you like to do Sanremo more as a guest or as a competitor?

If I have the right song I would go as a contestant. I love what I do and I want to take it to the top, but not in a grimly economic sense. I’ve always found my way, now I’m also an entrepreneur, I’ve opened a real estate company, so I’m not thinking about Sanremo for an economic question. But I’m ambitious: Sanremo is like the Champions League for a footballer. If you go there, you do it not only to participate but to win.

In your movie Ragazzi Madre: L’Iliade there is a passage where you reveal your great love for ballads, and the new single “Amore Disperato” is an intimate song, with acoustic sounds and a melancholic flavor.

I love ballads because they allow me to talk about my personal stories, to tell my experience, without inventing details to embellish them or make them more authentic. It’s all in that song. I want to maintain a certain simplicity, which for me goes hand in hand with authenticity. “Amore Disperato” is about a true story, so it was very easy for me to make it.

You recently went to the United States and talked about a future collaboration with Arturo Fratini, aka Lester Nowhere. We know he worked with Kanye West after giving him a CD with his phone number.

We did some things together during my work trip to Los Angeles, which was a very interesting and profitable period for me. Lester Nowhere is a very interesting artist and another demonstration that between obsession and attraction something incredible can happen. As in his case: meeting and then working with a great artist like Kanye West.

Achille Lauro

Achille Lauro

Marcello Junior Dino/Billboard Italy