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23 Jan 2023

Randy Rainbow Blasts ‘Barely Elected’ Speaker Kevin McCarthy With ‘Les Miz’ Parody

It’s been over two weeks since Kevin McCarthy was (finally) elected speaker of the house after the longest contest to a speaker election in more than 150 years — and Internet sensation Randy Rainbow isn’t quite ready to move on from that bit of news.

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On Monday (Jan. 23), Rainbow posted his latest parody video “Speaker of the House,” in which the star lampoons the embattled GOP leader for his repeated failures to get elected — and the concessions he had to make to finally get the job done.

Starting off as many of Rainbow’s parodies do, the video opens with Rainbow conducting a fake interview with the leader, introducing him as “barely elected Speaker of the House, Kevin McF—head.” As the comedian begins to simultaneously question and roast McCarthy (including drinking from a mug with a piece of paper reading “you’re a dumba–” taped to it), the music begins to kick in, leading us to another song from the viral star.

Performing to the tune of “Master of the House” from the seminal Broadway musical Les Miserables, Rainbow holds nothing back when referring to McCarthy as a “slimy, climby man-boy” and a “power-hungry whore,” while making sure to rub the politician’s nose in his recent pyrrhic victory. “Speaker of the house/ Cunning little chap/ Covetous, conservative and full of crap,” he sings. “Thirsty as a fish/ Quick to compromise/ Only took the motherf—er 15 tries.”

But Rainbow’s barbs are not only reserved for McCarthy — the singer also takes time to go after some of McCarthy’s opponents, his allies and other much-discussed members of the GOP. “[Lauren] Boebert doesn’t even know what state she’s from/ Marjorie [Taylor Green]’s a mess/ Matt [Gaetz]’s a ticking bomb/ [George] Santos says he’s Ariana Grande’s mom,” he sings.

Finally bringing the song to its exacerbated conclusion, Rainbow delivers a final “toast” to McCarthy: “Girl, I give you one more week/ Everybody lift a cheek to the speaker of the house.”

The video comes just ahead of the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, where Rainbow’s debut studio album A Little Brains, A Little Talent is nominated for best comedy album against huge competitors like Dave Chappelle, Patton Oswalt, Jim Gaffigan and Louis C.K.

Check out Randy Rainbow’s full video for “Speaker of the House” above.

23 Jan 2023

Fans React to Selena Gomez Holding Hands With Drew Taggart After Saying She’s Single: ‘I’m Shocked’

Selena Gomez was spotted holding hands with Drew Taggart over the weekend, and fans flocked to social media to express their collective dismay — particularly considering the pop star had shot down rumors just days earlier that she was dating one-half of The Chainsmokers.

“She said I’m single, I’m shocked” one follower commented on the news using a distressed face emoji, while another tweeted, “Whaaaat friends ?? They holding hands.” A third had a theory about the viral paparazzi pic, writing, “Is she doing this to get people talking because she’s about to drop music?”

Some aren’t convinced the two are actually dating. “They are FRIENDS,” on Twitter user insisted.

Either way, many Selenators didn’t seem all that pleased with the prospective pairing. One fan tweeted, “Girl nobody knew him that well until this photo … “

Whether or not Gomez and Taggart are officially an item, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer reportedly squashed speculation via a briefly posted Instagram Story last week. “I LIKE BEING ALONE TOO MUCH #iamsingle,” she wrote before quickly deleting the statement.

Selena and the DJ first made headlines earlier this month when the duo went bowling together at The Gutter in New York City. The outing just so happened to come fresh on the heels of Taggart and his bandmate Alex Pall revealing they’ve had multiple threesomes together with fans during a TMI-filled appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

Check out more reactions to Gomez hand-in-hand with Taggart below.

She said I’m single , I’m shocked ?

— h (@david67413773) January 22, 2023

Whaaaat friends ?? They holding hands pic.twitter.com/Sm4SSVPw31

— Puuuuunit? (@Punitlakra2000) January 22, 2023

Is she doing this to get people talking because she’s about to drop music??

— Tyler is seeing Taylor✨ (@hisxreputation) January 22, 2023

Girl nobody knew him that well until this photo, congrats you let one more fboy use you for fame, she’ll never learn

— Lisa May (@LisaMayOfficial) January 22, 2023

They are FRIENDS.

— Selena Land (@Selena__Land) January 22, 2023

23 Jan 2023

Lady Gaga Sends Sweet Note to Madonna Following Tour Success | Billboard News

23 Jan 2023

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is No. 1 on Billboard 200 for Sixth Week | Billboard News

23 Jan 2023

HARDY Talks Showing His Expansive Rock-Country Range on New Album: ‘Even My Rock Stuff Is a Spin on Country Music’

Over the past five years, Michael Hardy (who records under his last name, HARDY) has swiftly become one of country music’s most in-demand writer-artists, crafting hit country songs with and for artists including Morgan Wallen (“Sand in My Boots,” “More Than My Hometown”), Blake Shelton (“God’s Country”), and notching his own No. 1 Country Airplay hit with “One Beer.”

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But even as he released his debut 2020 album A Rock and was making a sharp impact on country music’s charts, HARDY was already hinting at his hard-rock proclivities on the track “Boots,” and laying the groundwork for his new album, the half-country, half-hard rock project The Mockingbird & The Crow, which Big Loud/Big Loud Rock released Jan. 20.

Early on during his live performances of “Boots,” his rendering steadily evolved into the sung-screamed vocal delivery that fans have come to know.

“There’s a trick to it. It’s not as loud or as harsh on your throat as you would think,” he tells Billboard, seated at Big Loud’s Nashville office. “I kept trying to get better at it, and I had a bit of a conversation with Caleb Shomo from Beartooth about it, and then Hunter Madison from Hunt the Dinosaur. When I wrote ‘Sold Out,’ I had just gotten off the road and was exhausted. My voice was nearly gone, and I thought, ‘I could do the scream really good. It’s better when your voice is raspy. I did, and it’s been a thing ever since.”

In the explosive aggro-rock of “Sold Out,” HARDY asserts that though his last name is “a whole lot bigger than I thought it’d be,” and gold plaques line his walls, he’s “still the same old redneck f–k, don’t give a d—n.” The song launches the rock half of The Mockingbird & The Crow and became HARDY’s first song to crown Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart in 2022. He’s followed that with a pair of top 5 hits on the chart: “Jack” and the album’s title track.

“The Mockingbird & The Crow,” a five-minute song that evolves from country to grunge, bridges the two halves of the album.

“For a second, [the album title] was just going to be my full name, Michael Hardy. ‘Michael’ was going to be the country side and ‘Hardy’ the rock side, but I was never married to that idea,” HARDY says. “Then I was on a jon boat on the Cumberland River and I saw a crow flying into the sky with a mockingbird, just fighting each other. I thought that would be a cool song idea.”

The half-country, half-rock album represents both an outside-the-box moment for country music, but also comes at a time when several artists are incorporating a rock sensibility into their sound.

Jelly Roll is in the top 5 on the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart with “Son of a Sinner,” a song that recently topped the Country Airplay chart. Zach Bryan’s genre-fluid “Something in the Orange” has been a mainstay on both the country and rock charts. Even country legend Dolly Parton is currently working on a rock album with such artists as John Fogerty and Stevie Nicks, following her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But HARDY embodies the full country-to-rock range over the course of the album’s 17 songs.

The first half is chock-full of the kind of red-hot, redneck songs HARDY has become known for. “Screen” espouses trading phone screens for front porch screens. “Red,” his collaboration with Wallen, is no nod to Republican-state politics, but rather themed around the various ways the color is splashed across small towns — including courthouse bricks, rusted and dusted pickups, barn doors, worn Bibles and sports jerseys. He also adds to country music’s canon of murder ballads with his current top 15 Country Airplay hit, “wait in the truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson.

But this Mississippi native also grew up hearing his father play Pearl Jam and Lynyrd Skynyrd. By his early teens, he had added Nelly, Eminem and Kid Rock to the rotation.

“Every song from Eminem has some sort of twist or hook to it. But you can totally listen to those songs and think, ‘That could be a country hook.’ He’s so good at twisting words, his phrasing, and he’s a lyrical genius,” HARDY says. “Huge respect for him.”

HARDY made his first foray into the rock genre with his 2021 cover of Puddle of Mudd’s ’00s metal crossover hit “Blurry,” but also considered covering Stone Temple Pilots’ ’90s alternative staple “Big Empty.”

“‘Blurry’ just fit my brand more. We were testing the waters of rock radio to see if they would bite,” he says. “I’m thankful because rock is really intentional. You intentionally have to go there for it to be accepted and I’m thankful they have let me in that world a bit.”

Wry humor, self-awareness and a distorted vocal permeate “Radio Song,” featuring Jeremy McKinnon of A Day to Remember, which finds the pair playfully jeering country music tropes from moonlight kisses, trucks and conventionally attractive females, as the song itself twists from pop-country verse to an intense crescendo of a chorus.

“I was a huge Day to Remember fan, especially in high school,” HARDY recalls. “Their first three records, I listened to all the time. Jeremy and I started talking on Instagram. After ‘Sold Out’ came out, I started getting some attention from some of the rock guys. I’ve reached out to people, saying, ‘I’m a huge fan.’ I have no shame in telling people I grew up listening to that I’m a huge fan. Chris Fronzak in Atilla, he and I chat quite a bit. Even on the hip-hop side, Arizona Zervas who had the ‘Roxanne’ song, Yung Gravy, just all kinds of people.”

On its surface, “Jack” sounds like another party soundtrack, but one listen reveals a deeper purpose.

“My mom dealt with alcoholism — not herself, but people in her family growing up,” HARDY says. “I’ve always been conscious of that, and making sure that it’s never become a problem. It’s always been present, the grip that alcohol can have on you. I wanted to write a song about how it can tear people away from people. It’s paying homage to my mom and others that have had to put up with alcoholics and stuff like that.”

Though “Here Lies Country Music” is a song he calls “the funeral for country music on this record — if you don’t like the other stuff, start the record over from there,” his lyrics celebrating rural living and small-town pride reverberate throughout the whole of the album.

“I have to write a country lyric. It’s the only thing I know how to do,” he says. “Yes, it’s a half country, half-rock record, but the rock stuff is still my take on how I would like to experiment with country music. When you dig into the lyrics on the rock half of the album, I would argue that some of them are more country than the country side. On ‘Kill Shit ‘Til I Die,’ it’s talking about learning to hunt and clean your own deer that you killed. Even my rock stuff is a spin on country music.”

Looking ahead, the reigning ACM Awards songwriter of the year anticipates returning his focus to writing songs for other artists. “I love when a project is done and my brain switches back over [to writing for others]. I will always love getting cuts with other people, so I’m excited to get back in the room and do that. I was writing with Bailey Zimmerman the other day and I was like, ‘Man you just got your first No. 1′ — and I made that joke about BMI and mailbox money, and he said he didn’t write the song. I was like, ‘Dang, really?’ I think that’s cool that some of these younger kids are cutting outside songs. That’s, like, old-school Nashville stuff.”

HARDY also hopes to someday add writing credits for rock artists to his resume.

“I haven’t pitched any songs yet, but I’ve talked about it with a lot of people,” he says. “It would be cool to write rock songs for other people. I would add that to my list of things I want to do.”

23 Jan 2023

Kiely Williams of 3LW Claims She Hooked Up With ¾ B2K At Once | Billboard News

23 Jan 2023

Ed Reed Out As Bethune-Cookman University Coach After Video Rant

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Ed Reed made quite the splash when it was announced that he would be taking over head coaching duties at famed HBCU, Bethine-Cookman University. However, the 44-year-old Hall of Famer is out as coach after the university discovered a video that painted the institution as unfavorable.

Ed Reed and his hire by Bethune-Cookman was celebrated widely and looked to signal a potential rise of relevancy in the college football ranks as it relates to HBCUs. As it stands, Reed and the university entered into preliminary talks to sign a contract and it all looked to be in the books but there seemed to be some issues within the athletic department and beyond.

Similarly to Deion Sanders, Reed’s legendary stature as it relates to his prowess on the football field was assumed to transform the fortunes of student-athletes at the school just as Sanders did in his tenure at Jackson State University. However, Reed was critical of the school’s conditions and didn’t mince words in a video rant he since apologized for. However, Reed’s passion upset those in the hiring position and they decided to sidestep the hire which sparked protests at the school.

In his own words, Reed says that he did not withdraw his name from consideration and instead Bethune-Cookman officials made the decision. In a posted video ripe with emotion, which we’ll share below, Reed blasted the school for their decision and hammered down on the point that he wanted to be there in service of the students. In that same video, Reed goes on to say that “Deion was right,” no doubt referencing Sanders’ time at Jackson State and some of the hurdles he faced in transforming its football program.

As noted in the referenced video, Ed Reed apparently ruffled feathers to the point that it was no longer amenable for both sides to move forward.

The video can be viewed below.

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Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty

23 Jan 2023

Sotheby’s To Auction 23 Pairs Of Notorious B.I.G. Air Jordan 13’s For Jordan Year 2023 Campaign

Written By Alvin aqua Blanco
, Director of Content

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@aqua174

Alvin aqua Blanco is the Director of Content in the Men’s Division for iOne Digital, steering Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. Representing the Bronx, he was nurtured by a steady diet of Hip-Hop culture and music. He graduated from the University of Virginia, with a B.A. in African American Studies and Psychology. His prior work has appeared in XXL, The Source, Vibe, The Village Voice, and other notable print and online publications. Other stops in his over 15-year journalism career include BET, MTV News, and AllHipHop.com. Alvin joined iOne in 2017 and continues to always make sure the culture—be it music, business, fashion, sports, sneakers, and everything in between—is thoroughly and accurately documented. @aqua174

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Source: Courtesy Sotheby’s / Courtesy Sotheby’s

The Notorious B.I.G. is connecting with Jordan Brand. To kick off its Jordan Year 2023 campaign, the House that Michael Jordan built and Sotheby’s will be exclusively auctioning 23 pairs of Christopher Wallace Air Jordan 13’s.

On Monday (Jan. 23), Jordan Brand announced it is collaborating with the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation to auction 23 exclusive pairs of The Christopher Wallace Air Jordan 13. The model was originally crafted in 2017 in honor f the late, great Brooklyn rapper’s 45th birthday. However, they went unreleased, until now.

With 2023 representing a year that denotes Air Jordan’s jersey number and the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, we know have the Jordan Year 2023 Campaign. The Notorious B.I.G.’s influence on culture speaks for itself, as does the Air Jordan sneaker. As for the particular Air Jordan 13, it features Biggie’s silhouette on the tongue (where the Jumpman logo usually appears) and key phrases that pay homage to the “determination” of the “Juicy” rapper are found throughout the shoe. The sock liner features a red and black plaid “lumberjack” flannel pattern while “It was all a dream” and “If you don’t know, now you know” can be found on the tongue tag. The shoelaces are inscribed with the word “dream,” too.

“This Air Jordan 13 has been reinterpreted to celebrate the legacy of The NOTORIOUS B.I.G., someone who reached for the stars, had the boldest of dreams, with the work ethic to back it up,” says Reggie Saunders, VP of Entertainment Marketing for Jordan Brand in a statement.

The Sotheby’s auction of The Christopher Wallace Air Jordan 13 marks the launch of the Jordan Brand’s #JordanYear 2023 campaign. Sneaker fiends will no doubt be looking forward to what’s in the lineup

“We are thrilled that the Jordan Brand and the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation have entrusted Sotheby’s with these exclusive pairs of sneakers honoring the legacy of The NOTORIOUS B.I.G. as part of the Jordan Year 2023 celebration,” says Brahm Wachter, Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables at Sotheby’s. “The auction marks the only opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts alike to acquire these special limited-edition sneakers that bring together the legacies of the greatest athlete of all time with the greatest rapper ever.”

The 23 pairs are available via a dedicated online auction that starts January 23rd and runs through February 3rd. Make sure your bank account is up to par, as they are estimated to be going for $2,300 – $5,200, although opening bids start at $1 (yeah, good luck with that). Proceeds from the auction go to the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation.

“We are excited about this collaboration of excellence and look forward to further empowering youth in our inner-city communities with educational tools and opportunities from the proceeds of the auction,” says Wayne Barrow, Co-Chair of The Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, in a statement.

Check out detailed photos of the Christopher Wallace Air Jordan 13 in the gallery. If you want to see the kicks for yourself, they will be on display at Sotheby’s New York galleries from Monday, January 23rd through February 3rd. You can get more info at Sotheby’s.

And good luck trying to secure a pair.