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01 Sep 2023

Dr. Dre & Jimmy Iovine Partner With Atlanta Public Schools

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Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are teaming up once again to create a new program for high school students, this time in Atlanta.

On Tuesday (Aug. 28), the co-founder of Interscope Records introduced the “Iovine and Young Center” in a press conference held at Frederick Douglass High School in northwest Atlanta, according to Atlanta News First. The iconic producer wasn’t able to attend in person, so Iovine was joined by another legend and Atlanta native Dallas Austin. 

The new magnet program created in partnership with Atlanta Public Schools is designed to give students a more innovative learning model with a focus on technology and leadership, something that Iovine and Dr. Dre aka Andre Young hope will ignite the students’ “superpowers.”

“We believe we’re going to give these kids an advantage, a different type of education,” Iovine said at the press event. “So, you all can sell these kids, go out there and say you want these kids. Because the modern job needs these kids. That’s why.” Interested students in the 9th grade STEAM academy at Frederick Douglass can enroll in the program next year at the school, which has an esteemed alumni list including former mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Killer Mike, T.I., Kilo Ali, and Lil Jon. It will be offered to all grade levels by the 2027-2028 school year.

Current sophomore Caleb Mitchell is eager to take part. “I think it will help bring out [the] potential of students and help them engage more… I think this will provide more opportunities for us,” he said. “Integrating the Iovine and Young Center at Frederick Douglass High School supports our ability to teach students how to design their thinking, brings student ideas to life, and further prepares our students for competitive careers that may not even exist yet,” said Forrestella Taylor, Frederick Douglass’ principal.

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine created a similar magnet program in 2022 at Compton High School in Los Angeles, with The Chronic producer chipping in $10 million personally to aid the $200 million renovation of the campus. “Me and Dre think big,” Iovine would later add. “We think everybody in the world’s going to learn like this well, maybe! We never thought everybody in the world would wear our headphones, but they did.”

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01 Sep 2023

50 Cent Badly Injures Woman After Hurling Microphone On Stage

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Weeks after Cardi B threw a microphone at a fan after getting splashed with a drink, 50 Cent followed suit and hurled an iron mic at someone during a recent performance and left said attendee in pretty bad shape.

According to TMZ the incident happened Wednesday night (Aug. 30) at the Crypto.com Arena in LA while 50 was doing a show as part of his Final Lap tour. Though no one from the crowd tried to disrespect him while he was doing his thing, 50’s anger stemmed from his growing frustration that came with the fact that the microphones that were on hand just didn’t work.

TMZ reports:

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Check out the video … Fitty struts out onstage with a mic in hand to join YG, who is belting out a song. Suddenly, Fitty turns to one side of the stage and hurls the mic, striking a woman in the head.

Sources who were present tell TMZ … Fitty wasn’t targeting the woman, but still, he beaned her good. A source connected to 50 says the woman wasn’t supposed to be in the restricted area … but unlike the mic, that argument doesn’t fly.

Pictures of the injured woman hit the net and judging from the looks of it, it’s a memory that might literally leave her scarred for life.

This is the same man who couldn’t throw a baseball to save his life when he threw the first pitch for the Mets in 2014. All of a sudden he’s Dwight Gooden in ’84. Who would’ve thought?

No word on whether or not said victim will sue 50 for his transgression, but Cardi B was sued by the woman who she hit with the mic, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the woman in this incident pursues legal action. Whether or not the microphone used as a weapon during 50’s performance will be auctioned off like Cardi B’s is anyone’s guess.

Y’all know 50 Cent must be a little nervous he’s about to get served. Just sayin’.

What do y’all think? Should the victim sue 50 Cent for the gash he left on her forehead? Sound off in the comments section below.

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01 Sep 2023

Playboi Carti Reschedules U.S. Leg of Antagonist Tour For Early 2024

Playboi Carti has rescheduled the U.S. dates for his previously announced Antagonist Tour. The run of dates was originally slated to kick off on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena in Denver and criss-cross the nation through an Oct. 20 date at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The revamped routing will now see the tour launch on Jan. 14 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and hit Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle before winding down at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on Feb. 29.

At press time no explanation was given for the re-shuffle for the American dates that were originally announced on July 12, though tickets purchased for the original shows will be honored on the new ones. Carti will be joined by his Opium Records crew members on the dates, including Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang. The previously scheduled European leg of the tour will go on as planned, kicking off on Nov. 19 at the 3Arena in Dublin and winding down with a Dec. 4 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.

The Antagonist Tour is Carti’s first headlining run since his 2021 Narcissist Tour in support of his Billboard 200-topping album Whole Lotta Red. Carti was most recently featured on “Popular” alongside The Weeknd and Madonna, released in support of the The Weeknd’s one-season-and-done HBO series The Idol. “Popular” peaked at No. 14 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Check out the U.S. dates for Carti’s Antagonist Tour below.

Jan. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center

Jan. 15 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

Jan. 17 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

Jan. 18 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

Jan. 19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

Jan. 23 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center

Jan. 24 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena

Jan. 25 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center

Jan. 27 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

Jan. 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

Jan. 29 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena

Jan. 31 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Feb. 1 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena

Feb. 2 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Feb. 4 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Feb. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

Feb. 7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena

Feb. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Feb. 12 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Feb. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center

Feb. 14 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center

Feb. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena

Feb. 18 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Feb. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Feb. 22 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena

Feb. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

Feb. 25 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

Feb. 28 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Feb. 29 – Portland, OR @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum

01 Sep 2023

Devilish Doja Cat Terrifies Christina Ricci in Horror-Themed ‘Demons’ Video

Christina Ricci knows a thing or two about spooking people thanks to her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in a pair of Addams Family movies. But the actress has the tables turned on her in the video for Doja Cat‘s single “Demons,” which dropped on Friday (Sept. 1).

In the terrifying visual for the latest single from Doja’s Scarlet (Sept. 22) album, the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star plays a mild-mannered homeowner whose bedroom is haunted by a razor-clawed Doja Devil. The clip co-directed by Christian Breslauer and the rapper/singer, opens with an image of the “sold” sign in front of Ricci’s new house as the suburban mom tries to get some shut eye on a stormy night.

The only problem is the terrifying red-eyed, midnight black horned demon crawling (and rapping) on her ceiling, illuminated by a snowy TV screen in an homage to another freaky suburban nightmare classic, Poltergeist. “How my demons look (How your demons)/ Now that my pocket’s full?/ How my demons look/ Now that you b—hes shook? (B—h)/ Yeah, how my demons look/ Now that my pocket’s full?,” Doja raps as she crawls menacingly into bed with Ricci.

Cut to a bald, naked Doja in a bathtub overflowing with black water, sweetly rapping about blocking her enemies from her V.I.P. section as two black demon hands reach up out of the water, with one pulling her head back to reveal milky white eyes. The demon party really takes off at that point, with two more hellhounds joining Doja in the attic for a Beelzebub dance party.

Ricci reaches for an old-school on-the-shoulder video camera to capture footage of Doja typing out the song’s lyrics on a typewriter and wearing a “cash cow” t-shirt in another homage to The Shining, while, inexplicably, surrounded by baby goats. And, spoiler alert, it just gets worse from there.

“Demons” follows in the heels of previous Scarlet singles “Paint the Town Red” and “Attention.”

Watch the “Demons” video below.

01 Sep 2023

Jack Sonni, The ‘Other Guitar Player’ In Dire Straits, Dies at 68

Jack Sonni, the ex-guitar player with Dire Straits, whose contributions can be heard on the band’s 1985 release Brothers In Arms, one of the U.K.’s all-time best-selling albums, died Wednesday (March 30). He was 68.

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Born Dec. 9, 1954 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sonni’s passion for music began at a young age, when he learned various instruments, including piano, trumpet and the six-string, which he mastered.

Sonni furthered his career with a relocation to New York, and he’d make his mark in the history books as the “other guitar player in Dire Straits,” a reference he was happy to share on his official biography.

Dire Straits’ lead guitarist is, of course, frontman Mark Knopfler, widely recognized by his peers as one of the finest to ever play the instrument. The two axemen reportedly met in a guitar shop, after which Sonni was invited to record parts for the band’s fifth studio album.

The result was Brothers In Arms, which led the Official U.K. Albums Chart for 14 weeks, and reigned over the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. The album smashed records around the world, shifting an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, and won two Grammys (best music video, short form for the title track, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for the Billboard Hot 100 leader “Money For Nothing”).

When the rockers embarked on a major world tour in support, Sonni wore a distinctive red coat. That tour, too, was a record-setter. In Australia, fans bought more than 950,000 tickets, a record that stood for decades.

Sonni played guitar synthesizer on album cut “The Man’s Too Strong” and performed on stage with the band for the Wembley Stadium leg of the historic 1985 Live Aid concerts.

Following the birth of his daughters, Sonni calling time as on his career as a musician in 1988, instead pivoting to marketing. He went on serve as vice president of marketing for Guitar Center, a role that kept him connected with his beloved instrument.

Writing on his official site, Sonni described himself as “a writer, musician, nomadic raconteur, father and grandfather who has taken to heart the reality in the hard-learned lesson that life is short.” In life, he embraced the philosophy to “live well and live now” in pursuit of “creating memorable moments with friends and family”.

In recent years, he played alongside fellow alum on Dire Straits Legacy, ”born from our love and respect for the music of Dire Straits, and to bring the music to fans who have been starved of hearing it played live by the musicians who made it, for far too long,” DSL wrote in a 2018 statement.

Dire Straits leads tributes to the late artist. “Rest In Peace,” reads an official post. Another, from DSL, explains: “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul… we will miss you so much, you are forever with us.”

01 Sep 2023

Powderfinger’s ‘Vulture Street’ Swoops Down For Another No. 1 In Australia

Twenty years after its release, Powderfinger’s Vulture Street is perched at No. 1 on the national albums chart.

The Aussie rock favorites’ fifth studio album initially logged three weeks atop the ARIA Albums Chart in 2003, and went on to win album of the year at ARIA Awards, one of 18 total ARIAs collected in a glittering career.

Thanks to a reissue campaign, and a host of special fan events, including a Q&A and a screening of the long out-of-print These Days Live concert from 2004, the LP returns to the summit.

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With their latest feat, Powderfinger now holds the ARIA Chart record for the longest stretch of time for an Australian album to return to No. 1, according to Universal Music Australia.

The ‘Finger, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, has the distinction of ruling the national albums chart with five successive titles. The band went out on a high with 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of those leaders, and a major farewell tour which sold more than 200,000 tickets.

The five former bandmates remain good friends — and residents of their hometown, Brisbane — to this day. During the pandemic, Powderfinger briefly reunited for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue. Unreleased, the band’s compilation of studio tracks unearthed from sessions recorded between 1998 and 2010, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart in 2020.

Zach Bryan continues the hot streak for U.S. country artists in Australia as his self-titled fourth studio album arrives No. 2, a new career high. That’s well advanced on its predecessor, American Heartbreak (Warner), which reached No. 65. Meanwhile, the U.S. country star’s track “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, is new at No. 19 on the singles survey. That’s Musgraves’ first appearance on the Australian chart. Also, Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” holds at No. 12 on the chart, published Sept. 1, in its 59th week.

As the Weeknd’s forthcoming tour of Australia expands to seven stadium shows, the Canadian R&B star’s catalog enjoys spikes on the national chart. Career retrospective The Highlights holds at No. 3; former leaders Starboy lifts 18-4, After Hours is up 27-17, Dawn FM climbs 65-25 and Beauty Behind The Madness bounces 93-38 (all via Universal).

Several of his hits power on up the singles survey, including “Popular,” featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna, lifting 11-9. “Popular” becomes Madonna’s 41st top 10 single in the land Down Under, dating back to “Holiday” in 1983, and her first in 15 years; the Queen of Pop’s last top 10 appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart was 2008’s “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, which hit No. 1. Additionally, the Weeknd’s “Die For You” climbs 18-10.

At the top of the singles survey is Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony) which extends its reign into a second week.

Miley Cyrus scores the top debut with “Used To Be Young” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 13. It’s the fourth single from Endless Summer Vacation, which led the albums tally in March, and included the lead single, “Flowers,” a smash that logged 12 weeks at No. 1 earlier in the year.

Finally, Selena Gomez enjoys a top 40 debut with “Single Soon” (Interscope/Universal). It’s new at No. 26. The pop star has had six top 10 singles in Australia, with a best of No. 2 for 2019’s “Lose You To Love Me.”

31 Aug 2023

Timbaland Reunites With Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake for ‘Keep Going Up!’: Stream It Now

If you see them in the club, they’ll be acting real nice — because they just reunited for a new collaboration.

That’s right, 16 years after Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado unveiled their Billboard Hot 100 chart topper “Give It to Me” in 2007, the trio came together on Friday (Sept. 1) for their newest team-up, “Keep Going Up!”

Leading up to the release, Tim posted a teaser video for “Keep Going Up!,” which he captioned “WE BACK,” alongside peeking eyes and exploding head emojis. “Da king has returned!” The tease came a month after his Instagram post in which he and Timberlake hopped on a FaceTime call with Furtado while the pair worked on Tim’s upcoming sixth studio album.

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“[Timbaland and Timberlake] had thought it out quite a lot,” Furtado previously told Billboard of working with her longtime musical collaborators. “What’s great about them is they’re like, ‘We want you to do your thing. We want you to lead the ship in that direction.’ Then they had some great music and parts together. If the three of us are on a song, then we’re all equals, and that’s a really good feeling.”

All three artists have released new music so far this year, with Timbaland teaming up with BIA in March on “I’m That B—-,” Furtado dropping the Dom Dolla-assissted “Eat Your Man” in June and Timberlake guesting on a remix of Coco Jones’ “ICU” in July.

Listen to “Keep Going Up!” below.

31 Aug 2023

Nicki Minaj Returns With ‘Last Time I Saw You’: Stream It Now

The Queen is back! Nicki Minaj is giving fans the first taste of her Pink Friday sequel with her new single, “Last Time I Saw You,” released on Friday (Sept. 1).

“Beggin me to stay and then you walk away/ There’s something that you wanted to say/ I was in a rush and you say you were crushed/ But I said I’d be back, it’s OK,” the 40-year-old superstar sings over a breezy, R&B beat.

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Minaj first teased the track on Instagram Live earlier this month, and fans immediately gushed over the upcoming release.  “Glad you like the lyrics,” the rapper responded on X (formerly known as Twitter). The irony is that my fave part of the whole song is the very end… like the last 30 seconds. can’t wait for you guys to hear the whole thing.”

Minaj is also gearing up to release her fifth studio album Pink Friday 2 this November. The project will be Minaj’s first studio album since 2018’s Queen, which featured “Chun Li,” “Good Form” and “Barbie Dreams.” “Yesterday I worked on my current TOP 2 songs off [Pink Friday 2],” she tweeted last month. “The eargasms that y’all are about to have. Ooohhhh chiiiii huntyyyyy don’t make dat serveeeee.” 

Listen to “Last Time I Saw You” below.

31 Aug 2023

Doja Cat Casts Out ‘Demons’ On New Single: Stream It Now

As she continues to ride “Paint the Town Red” to global chart success, Doja Cat is turning her “Attention” to “Demons” on her latest Scarlet single.

On Friday (Sept. 1), the Grammy-winning star released the third pre-release single from her forthcoming Scarlet album. The D.A. Got That Dope-produced track finds Doja continuing the death-minded imagery of “Paint the Town Red.”

Doja first teased “Demons” on Aug. 22 with an Instagram post that captured her shadow striking a fierce pose. In the post, Doja’s shadow dons a pair of devil horns. A follow-up post on Aug. 29 unveiled the official single artwork for “Demons,” a scene straight out of supernatural suburbia. Doja, completely covered in black, hangs upside down in the corner of an unassuming living room with the song’s title spelled out in vacuum streaks on the carpet. The music video for “Demons,” which stars Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets actress Christina Ricci, premiered alongside the release of the track.

“Demons,” “Paint the Town Red,” and “Attention” are all set to appear on Scarlet. Doja’s new album is her first full-length project since 2021’s Planet Her. That album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, spawned Billboard Hot 100 top ten singles like “Woman,” and won the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for “Kiss Me More” (with SZA).

On Thursday (Aug. 31), Doja revealed the updated album cover for Scarlet. The original cover art featured a fittingly scarlet-colored spider, but Doja seemed to have deleted the post and changed the cover after fans noticed that German hardcore band Chaver also used the same spider on the artwork for their upcoming album cover.

Watch the official music video for “Demons” below.

31 Aug 2023

Refik Anadol Transforms Las Vegas’ Sphere Exterior With Immersive, ‘Unparalleled Canvas’

Refik Anadol unleashes his creative mind — with the help of AI — to render the exterior of the Sphere event space in Las Vegas for the very first time.

From Friday (Sept. 1), the Exosphere, the fully-programmable LED exterior of Sphere, is taken over by a so-called AI Digital Sculpture created by Anadol, the Istanbul, Turkey-born multi-media artist.

The immersive art project, “Machine Hallucinations: Sphere,” is a creative interpretation of humanity’s attempts to explore the depths of space, and will be visible on Sphere for four months.

It’s a two-chapter series, which, according to Sphere Entertainment Co., draws on more than 300 million publicly-available images of flora and fauna, which are presented as pigments, shapes, and patterns.

“I am extremely honored to be the first artist to utilize the exterior of Sphere,” Anadol comments in a statement. “It’s so exciting to be given such an architectural and engineering marvel as a canvas. This opportunity aligns perfectly with our studio’s long-term mission of embedding media arts into architecture to create living architectural pieces that are in constant interaction with their environments.”

Sphere is, according to its operators, a next-generation entertainment medium, covered with nearly 580,000 square feet of fully programmable LED paneling, for the largest screen of its type in the world.

Anadol’s project could be the first of many. Sphere Entertainment, the live entertainment and media company, anticipates its attraction could ”redefine the future of live entertainment,” and provide an “unparalleled canvas” for artists, partners and brands, including music companies, to showcase eye-catching content.

“Through the captivating power of the Exosphere and our unwavering commitment to showcase both art and brands on Sphere’s exterior,” comments Guy Barnett, senior vice president, brand strategy and creative development, Sphere Entertainment, “we will forever change the way artwork and commerce co-exist.”

Moving forward, the Nevada site will host original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies major artists; and premier marquee events. Those artists include U2, which kicks off a 25-date residency Sept. 29 at the new 20,000-capacity entertainment venue, located near the Las Vegas Strip next to The Venetian.

As previously reported, U2 and others will plug into the Sphere Immersive Sound system, created in tandem with Berlin-based audio company Holoplot.