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Cyndi Lauper’s Son Dex Is A Whole Rapper

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Dex, the son of pop star Cyndi Lauper, has announced an upcoming album with features from fellow rappers G-Eazy and Trippie Redd.

In an interview over the past weekend, the 25-year-old rapper spoke about the project while leaving Los Angeles International Airport for a promotional tour for the “F*** You Gumbo” cannabis brand that he’s involved with. He was asked about being perceived as a “nepo baby”, given that the pop legend Cyndi Lauper is his mother.

“If you know me personally, I grew up in Harlem bro. Me and my mom were split up when I was a kid. But we reconnected through music, which was kind of beautiful,” Dex responded casually. He continued: “I don’t complain about my story man. Everything is a blessing.” He was then asked if he’d ever do a track with the “Time After Time” singer. “I’ve got three or four records with my mom,” but demurred when asked if she’d be on his album. He did confirm that Trippie Redd and G-Eazy would be on his new project.

Dex revealed that his mom took him seriously as an artist when her label had worked to sign him onto the label without her having advance notice based on his previous appearances on G-Eazy’s Scary Nights album and being on tour with Sean Kingston. “From seeing that, she just went, ‘okay, he’s ready’”, he said. He’s also been highly protective of their relationship, exemplified in a post he made on his Instagram stories after appearing with her at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards with the caption: “Say what you want about me but keep my mother’s name out of your mouth. I couldn’t have asked god for a better mother.”

The rapper, also known as Declyn Lauper, had previously been in the news after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct last October in New York City. He was caught by police in a stolen Mercedes-Benz after leaving a memorial for a friend in Harlem in July. The dictates of the plea deal instructed him to complete five days of private community service and to remain out of trouble for a one-year period.

Allegedly Self-Made Kylie Jenner Clarifies How To Pronounce Son’s Name 

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Billionaire entrepreneur Kylie Jenner recently shared the first photo of her now 11-month-old son, Aire whom she shares with rapper Travis Scott

In an Instagram post, Kylie Jenner wrote that the baby’s name is Aire. Fans commented on the adorable infant and asked Jenner to clarify the pronunciation of his name. Several fans asked if the name is pronounced “air” or “airy,” and per Page Six, she set the record straight. “Air,” the reality star, 25, replied, alongside a red heart emoji.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnsVre4SqSS/

The post racked up more than 20 million “likes” and comments from fans and Jenner’s family members. Proud grandmother, Kris Jenner, wrote, “I love you Aire Webster,” while Khloé Kardashian called her nephew a “young king.”

The baby boy’s name was initially Wolf. His mom and his dad, Jenner’s on-and-off boyfriend—rap star Travis Scott, gave him the name. According to Page Six, the couple chose to change the baby’s name in March 2022. 

“We just haven’t fully legally changed it or anything, so I don’t want to announce a new name and change it again,” Jenner explained to Extra in April 2022. 

The famous couple is reportedly no longer together, but are collaborating and being co-parents. “We’re like best friends,” Jenner said of her relationship with Scott in February 2020. “We stay connected and coordinated.”

Jenner and Scott started dating in 2017 and welcomed a daughter, Stormi Webster in 2018. Aire was born in 2022. 

Drake Teases New Music & Tour During Historic Performance At The Apollo Theater

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Over the weekend, the King of The North, Drake, galloped down to the city of dreams and had social media buzzing after putting on two historic shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

It all began Saturday night (Jan. 21) when Drake performed at the historic theater. Drizzy performed classic hit after classic hit such as “Best I Ever Had,” “Say Something” and “Marvin’s Room” much to the delight of the crowd. Looking to wow the crowd, Drizzy treated fans and celebrities in attendance to some surprise performances. He brought out special guests such as Dip Set and 21 Savage to join him on stage.

Decked out in baggy clothes, chunky ice and pink attire, you would’ve thought Drake was a part of the 2000’s Diplomats forreal forreal. They could’ve used a singer/rapper back then too. Aside from performing the music catalogue that helped propel him to superstardom, The Grio is reporting that new music is on the way just months after dropping his latest project with 21 Savage, Her Loss. Drake even revealed he’d be hitting the road for a new tour this year.

“I thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time, none of those things are stopping making music for you,” Drake told the doting crowd. “I hope I can strike up some more emotions for you, maybe this year — I might get bored and make another one.”

Noting this was his first show in about five years and later stating “I’ll be out and about on the road a lot this year,” Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the U.S. last year told his captivated audience the show was about gratefulness.

“I wanted to make this a show about gratitude,” Drake said. “This is a little story we put together: my deep love for my family, for my dear friends and each and every one of you that have been supporting me for a long time.”

With the way Drake had the internet talking with his weekend performances at The Apollo, you know Drizzy bout to clean up with that tour money in 2023.

Were you able to catch any of Drake’s shows at The Apollo Theater over the weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Ruben Gallego Announces Run For Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate Seat

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Congressman Ruben Gallego has officially announced that he will run for Senator in Arizona, challenging current Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

On Monday (Jan. 23rd), the Democratic member of the House of Representatives announced that he intends to run for Senator in the state of Arizona in 2024. Gallego released a video of himself addressing a group of veterans in the town of Guadalupe, saying: “You’re the first group of people that are hearing this besides my family. I will be challenging Kyrsten Sinema for the United States Senate, and I need all of your support.”

Gallego, who is of Colombian and Mexican descent, released an announcement video in English and Spanish afterward. “As a Marine, I never back down from a fight and in the Senate, I’ll fight to make sure every Arizonan has the same chance that I had at the American Dream,” he said. He was first elected to the House from his Phoenix-area district in 2014 and has been a fierce critic of Sinema over the past few months which led many to anticipate his announcement.

The announcement adds more drama to a Senate race that is gaining national attention due to Sinema’s surprising exit from the Democratic Party in December, declaring herself as an independent. Gallego and others have criticized her for her centrist approach which led her to support Republicans on issues concerning voting and blocking legislation last year. Sinema has been tied to Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia.  “The problem isn’t that Senator Sinema abandoned the Democratic Party — it’s that she’s abandoned Arizona. She’s repeatedly broken her promises and fought for the interests of big pharma and Wall Street at our expense,” Gallego said in his statement.

While there is some uncertainty if other Arizona Democrats will join Gallego in challenging Sinema for her seat, former GOP gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson has stated that she’s considering a run. Blake Masters, who lost his Senate challenge to Mark Kelly last November and was an election denier in support of former President Donald Trump, has also expressed interest in running. The most prominent & controversial GOP candidate, Kari Lake, reportedly is “very invested in the legal battle” she has against Katie Hobbs, who defeated her for governor in the midterms. Lake, a serial election denier, has refused to concede her loss.

Sneaker Reseller Schmidty Kicks Files For Bankruptcy

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Almost a year after now infamous sneaker reseller Zadeh Kicks shut down his operation and ended up getting investigated by the FBI, another sneaker reseller is following suit under somewhat similar suspect circumstances.

According to Nice Kicks, Schmidty Kicks, known for reselling sneakers at higher than retail prices, filed for bankruptcy over the weekend. Apparently it owed creditors $18,473,066.33 while only having $808.49 in assets. They must’ve had four pairs of The Air Jordan 1 “Brotherhood’s” left in stock or something. Those aren’t going anywhere on the secondary market either. Just sayin.’

Altogether Schmidty Kicks owes 661 creditors debts ranging from as little as $212 to as much as $6 million to the payment processor Stripe. Like many resellers over the past few months, Schmidty Kicks done learned that the reselling game isn’t what it used to be. Highly anticipated sneakers are hard to come by (thanks bots and backdoors) and more kicks are considered bricks than grails by the everyday sneaker aficionado.

Schmidty Kicks declared that it owes more than $350,000 to other family members of the president Brett Schmidt and $1,738,600 to Schmidty Kicks Fund – an entity that lists Brett Schmidt as a principal in an SEC filing dated in February 10, 2022.

In the bankruptcy filing, Schmidty Kicks’ President Brett Schmidt declares that potential assets the failed business has include money owed from Zadeh Kicks, its founder Michael Malekzadeh, and CFO Bethany Mockerman.

It’s not looking good out here for bulk sneaker resellers.

Zadeh Kicks founder Michael Malekzadeh and his fiancee Bethany Mockerman meanwhile are currently facing multiple fraud charges for “selling” sneakers he never actually had. Zadeh Kicks was the talk of the sneaker town after he abruptly shut down his sneaker reselling operation and blew town with millions in unfulfilled orders.

After the sneaker community exploded in anger and astonishment at the sudden shuttering of Zadeh Kicks, the FBI got involved. They not only hit Malekzadeh and his ride-or-die with fraud charges, but also confiscated his personal sneaker stash and whatever he had in storage and resold them on eBay at the end of 2021.

Naturally Malekzadeh and Mockerman pleaded not guilty to all charges but, well, it’s not looking good for them right now.

What do y’all think of Schmidty Kicks being the latest sneaker reseller to go down in flames? Do y’all even trust sneaker reselling websites anymore? We know we don’t. Let us know in the comments section below.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ & ‘Elvis’ Lead 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Nominations: Full List

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Elvis lead the 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards nominations with three nods each – best music supervision for film budgeted over $25 million, best song written and/or recorded for a film, and best music supervision in a trailer – film.

Ten songs were nominated for best song written and/or recorded for a film. Four of them were shortlisted for Academy Awards in December. (Oscar nods will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 24, including closely watched songs by megastars Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Those songs are, respectively, “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick; and “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing. The fourth GMS nominee shortlisted for an Oscar is “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The six songs that failed to make the Oscar shortlist but were recognized here are “Paper Airplanes” from A Jazzman’s Blues, “Honey to the Bee” from Catherine Called Birdy; “Vegas” from Elvis; “Turn Up the Sunshine” from Minions: The Rise of Gru; “Ready as I’ll Never Be” from The Return of Tanya Tucker; and “A Song in My Heart” from The Valet.

For the first time this year, video game composers are nominated alongside music supervisors in a new category– best music supervision in a video game (original). Four other new categories have been added – best music supervision for a non-theatrically released film; best music supervision for a trailer – series; best music supervision for a trailer – video game & interactive; and best music supervision in advertising: $500K total production & post-production budget.

GMS winners will be revealed in a ceremony at The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 5. This will be their first in-person awards event since the 2020 show, which was also at the Wiltern. The event will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.

The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in the craft of music supervision in film, television, video games, documentaries, advertising, and trailers.  Tickets are available only to members of GMS and their Friends of the Guild subscription.

“We’re so excited to be back and able to host the awards ceremony in-person at the Wiltern again!” GMS president Joel C. High and vice president Madonna Wade-Reed said in a statement.  “We’ve got a great show lined up for this year which will include live performances, special tributes, and more. We’ll also be live-streaming for those unable to join us in person so they can tune in virtually. The Guild is looking forward to celebrating even more music supervisors, artists, and performers with the addition of our new categories and increase in nominees.” 

Still to be announced are the GMS Icon Award and the Legacy Award bestowing recognition to an artist and a music supervisor whose role in the industry reaches excellence. 

For more information on the ceremony, visit GMSAwards.com. For more information on the organization, visit GuildofMusicSupervisors.com.

 Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 13th Annual Guild of Music Supervisor Awards.

FILM

Best song written and/or recorded for a film

“Paper Airplanes” from A Jazzman’s Blues; Songwriters: Ruth Berhe, Terence Blanchard; Performer: Ruth B; Music Supervisor: Joel C. High

“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Songwriters: Robyn Fenty PKA Rihanna, Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler, Temilade Openiyi PKA Tems; Performer: Rihanna; Music Supervisor: Dave Jordan

“Honey to the Bee” from Catherine Called Birdy; Songwriters: James Marr, Wendy Page; Performer: Misty Miller; Music Supervisors: Jen Malone, Nicole Weisberg

“Vegas” from Elvis; Songwriters: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Amala Dlamini, David Sprecher, Rogét Chahayed; Performer: Doja Cat; Music Supervisor: Anton Monsted

“This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once; Songwriters: Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski Miyawaki; Performers: David Byrne, Mitski, Son Lux; Music Supervisors: Lauren Marie Mikus, Bruce Gilbert

“Turn Up the Sunshine” from Minions: The Rise of Gru; Songwriters: Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew, Patrik Berger, Kevin Parker; Performers: Diana Ross, Tame Impala; Music Supervisors: Mike Knobloch, Rachel Levy

“Ready As I’ll Never Be” from The Return of Tanya Tucker; Songwriters: Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile; Performers: Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile; Music Supervisors: Jill Meyers, Drew Bayers

“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick; Songwriters: Lady Gaga, BloodPop; Performer: Lady Gaga; Music Supervisor: Randy Spendlove

“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing; Songwriter: Taylor Swift; Performer: Taylor Swift; Music Supervisor: Spring Aspers

“A Song in My Heart” from The Valet; Songwriters: Gaby Moreno, Heitor Pereira; Performer: Gaby Moreno; Music Supervisor: Howard Paar

Best music supervision for film budgeted over $25 million

Joel C. High – A Jazzman’s Blues

Dave Jordan – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Anton Monsted – Elvis

Julie Glaze Houlihan – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Tom Wolfe, Manish Raval – The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Maureen Crowe, Becky Bentham – I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Rachel Levy, Mike Knobloch – Minions: The Rise of Gru

Mike Knobloch, Natalie Hayden, Lucy Bright – TÁR

Tom MacDougall – Turning Red

Best music supervision for film budgeted $25 million and under

Joe Rudge – Armageddon Time

Robin Urdang – Bones and All

Lauren Marie Mikus, Bruce Gilbert – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Dushiyan Piruthivirajah – Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Natalie Hayden, Garrett McElver – Spoiler Alert

Best music supervision for film budgeted $10 million and under

Jonathan McHugh – Butter

Willa Yudell – Call Jane

Rob Lowry – Cha Cha Real Smooth

Guillaume Baurez – Corsage

Rupert Hollier – Living

Rob Lowry – On the Count of Three

Leah Harrison, Season Kent – Press Play

Graham Kurzner, Orian Williams – sam & kate

Joe Rudge – X

Best music supervision for a non-theatrically released film

Jane Abernethy, Jessica Berndt – Along for the Ride

Joel C. High, Sami Posner – Blue’s Big City Adventure

Rob Lowry – Do Revenge

Gabe Hilfer, Henry van Roden – Fresh

Raven Davenport, Shannon Murphy – Love in the Villa

Becky Bentham – Matilda (Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical)

Lauren Denemark, Julian Drucker, Andrew Weaver – Purple Beatz

Linda Cohen – Spirited

Rob Lowry – Wendell and Wild

Howard Paar – The Valet

TELEVISION

Best song written and/or recorded for television

“Walking On Sunshine” from Acapulco – Season 1 Ep. 10 – “You Should Hear How She Talks About You”; Songwriter: Kimberley Rew; Performers: Rodrigo Urquidi, Rossana de León; Music Supervisors: Javier Nuño, Joe Rodriguez

“Maybe Monica” from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Season 4 Ep. 5 – “How to Chew Quietly and Influence People”; Songwriters: Tom Mizer, Curtis Moore; Performer: Josh A. Dawson; Music Supervisor: Robin Urdang

“Perfect Day” from Better Call Saul – Season 6 Ep. 9 – “Fun and Games”; Songwriter: Harry Nilsson; Performers: Dresage, Slow Shiver; Music Supervisor: Thomas Golubić

“Two Shots” from The Afterparty – Season 1 Ep. 3 – “Yasper”; Songwriters: Jack Dolgen, Jonathan Lajoie; Performers: Ben Schwartz, Sam Richardson, Jamie Demetriou; Music Supervisor: Kier Lehman

“Trouble” from MOOD – Season 1 Ep. 6 – “F*** the Fake Sh**”; Songwriters: Nicôle Lecky, Camille Angelina Purcell ‘Kamille’, Kwame Kwei-Armah Jr ‘KZ’; Performer: Lecky; Music Supervisors: Ed Bailie, Abi Leland

“Let’s Live for Today” from Pachinko – Season 1 Ep. 8 – “Chapter Eight”; Songwriters: Michael Julien, Guilio Rapetti Mogol, Norman David Shapiro; Performer: Leenalchi; Music Supervisor: Michael Hill

“Seduce & Scheme” from Rap Sh!t – Season 1 Ep. 3 – “Something for the Hood”, Ep. 4 – “Something for the Clubs”, Ep. 5 – “Something for the Weekend”, Ep. 6 – “Something for the Gram”, Ep. 7 – “Something for the DJ”, Ep. 8 – “Something for the Road”; Songwriters: Larry Dwayne Batiste, Isaac Earl Bynum, Khia Chambers, Brittany Dickinson, Aida Goitom, Floyd Nathaniel Hills, Clayton Richardson, Seandrea Sledge, Bill Summers. Kevin Toney, Michael J. Williams; Performers: Shawna & Mia; Music Supervisors: Sarah Bromberg, Stephanie Diaz-Matos, Philippe Pierre

“Get It on the Floor” from P-Valley – Season 2 Ep. 6 – “Savage,” Ep. 9 – “Snow”; Songwriters: Julian Mason, Antwon D. Moore, Megan Pete, Kelton Lanier Scott II; Performers: J. Alphonse Nicholson, Megan Thee Stallion; Music Supervisors: Sarah Bromberg, Stephanie Diaz-Matos, Katori Hall

Best music supervision – television comedy or musical

Kier Lehman – The Afterparty Season 1

Kier Lehman – Insecure Season 5

Nora Felder, Janine Scalise – Better Things Season 5

Ed Bailie, Abi Leland – MOOD Season 1

Adam Anders, Amanda Krieg Thomas – Monarch Season 1

Robin Urdang – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4

Thomas Patterson – The Resort Season 1

Amanda Krieg Thomas – Pam & Tommy Season 1

Best music supervision – television drama

Ciara Elwis – Bad Sisters Season 1

Thomas Golubić – Better Call Saul Season 6

Justin Kamps – Bridgerton Season 2

Jen Malone, Adam Leber – Euphoria Season 2

Ollie White – Industry Season 2

Dave Jordan, Shannon Murphy – Ms. Marvel Season 1

Stephanie Diaz-Matos, Sarah Bromberg, Katori Hall – P-Valley Season 2

Nora Felder – Stranger Things Season 4

Best music supervision – reality television

Peter Davis – The Challenge: All Stars Season 3

Sarah Bromberg, Gary Lubansky, Eric Medina – Sweet Life: Los Angeles Season 2

Brandon Boucher – The Real World Homecoming Season 3

Greg Danylyshyn, Ben Hochstein – The Kardashians Season 1

Jon Ernst – Siesta Key Season 4

Adam Brodsky, Rivka Rose – The Come Up Season 1

DOCUMENTARIES

Best music supervision for a documentary

Dawn Sutter Madell – All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Justin Feldman – Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues

Jonathan Zalben – Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes

Allison Wood – Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off

Best music supervision in a docuseries

Amanda Krieg Thomas – The Andy Warhol Diaries

Ross Sellwood – My Life as a Rolling Stone

Dan Wilcox – Street Food USA

Barry Cole – They Call Me Magic

Andrea von Foerster – Welcome to Wrexham

VIDEO GAMES

Best music supervision in a video game (synch)

Ryan Tomlin, Brandon Young – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

Alex Hackford, Duncan Smith – Gran Turismo 7

Raphaella Lima, Cybele Pettus, Steve Schnur – Need for Speed Unbound

Dylan Bostick, Josh Kessler – Saint’s Row V

Best music supervision in a video game (original)

Simon Landry, Rossen Yankov – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök; Composer: Stephanie Economou

Steve Schnur – Battlefield 2042 DLC – Season 1 – Zero Hour | Season 2 – Master of Arms | Season 3 – Escalation; Composers: Hildur Guðnadóttir, Sam Slater

Brandon Young – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II; Composer: Sarah Schachner

Richard Beddow – Total War: Warhammer III; Composers: Jamie Christopherson, Jim Fowler, Ian Livingstone, Simon Ravn, Tim Wynn

TRAILERS

Best music supervision in a trailer – film

Evelin Garcia – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Teaser “Leaders”

Deric Berberabe, Jordan Silverberg – Elvis (trailer 2)

Anny Colvin – Avatar: The Way of the Water

Gregory Sweeney – Men Official Trailer

Matthew Bailey, Shawn Stevens – Empire of Light, Trailer “Home”

Sanaz Lavaedian, Marina Polites – Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Scenery Samundra, Gregory Sweeney – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Official Teaser Trailer

Bobby Gumm – Three Thousand Years of Longing

Maggie Baron – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Cynthia Blondelle, Heather Kreamer – Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 Official Trailer

Best music supervision in a trailer – series

Will Quiney – Atlanta Season 3 ‘Visitors’

Bobby Gumm – Stranger Things 4

Scenery Sumandra, Gregory Sweeney – The Idol – Official Teaser #3

Brian Sotelo – Black Bird

Deric Berberabe, Jordan Silverberg – The White Lotus – Season 2

Dylan Bostick, Chris Restivo – Atlanta “Shillin’”

Deric Berberabe, Jordan Silverberg – The Boys Season 3 (full trailer)

Kelsey Mitchell – Perry Mason Season 2 Teaser (HBO)

Evelin Garcia – Andor – Teaser “Reckoning”

Emma Allaway, Eduardo Fontes Williams – The Crown Season 5

Best music supervision in a trailer – video game & interactive

Glenn Herweijer, Simon Landry, Ben Sumner, Jack Thompson – Assassins Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök – Cinematic World Premiere

Naaman Snell – Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – Launch Trailer

Raphaella Lima, Michael Sherwood – Wild Hearts Reveal Trailer

Ryan Tomlin, Brandon Young – Warzone 2.0 Launch Trailer | Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0

Ryan Tomlin; Brandon Young – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II – World Gameplay Reveal Trailer

ADVERTISING

Best music supervision in advertising (synch)

Buzzy Cohen, Quinn Donnell – Airbnb – Strangers

Mike Ladman, Brad Nayman, Brandy Ricker – New York Times – Independent Journalism | The New York Times | Jordan

Abbey Hendrix, Jonathan Wellbelove – Apple – The Greatest

Josh Marcy, Nicole Palko – Apple – iPad – Election

Anton Trailer – Johnnie Walker – Anthem

Jessie Kalikow, Scott McDaniel, Nargis Sheerazie – Apple – Chocolate

Daciay Quenah – Zillow – Nightswimming

Frederic Schindler – Amazon Fashion – Amazon Fashion Holiday 2022

Best music supervision in advertising (original music)

Josh Marcy, Nicole Palko – Apple – Start Up – Apple October Opener

Sunny Kapoor, Mike Ladman, Brad Nayman, Brandy Ricker – Meta – Good Ideas Deserve to be Found: A (Slightly) Life-Changing Story

Aron Helfet, Josh Marcy, Nicole Palko – Apple – Apple September Event Opener

Mike Ladman, Brad Nayman, Brandy Ricker – Hennessy – HENNESSY X NBA: GAME NEVER STOPS

Will Eichler, Chip Herter – Taco Bell – The Grande Escape

Brooks & Dunn Extend Reboot Arena Tour Into 2023: Here Are the New Dates

Brooks & Dunn are extending their Reboot tour with the addition of 17 tour dates in 2023. The new slate of shows will launch on May 4 in Kansas City, Mo.

“Last year, you all reminded us just how much fun it is to walk out on that stage and share the night with ya! We love what we do, but we’re just surfing your wave …can’t wait!!” said Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks via a statement.

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“The Brooks and Dunn posse rides again,” added Ronnie Dunn. “More excited to hit the big stage as we ever have been! Unbelievable band of friends.…annnnnd YOU! Together, let’s rock the house!!”

Heading out on the road with B&D is Scotty McCreery, known for his chart toppers including “This Is It” and “Five More Minutes.”

“Having been a huge fan of their music all my life, going out on the road with Kix and Ronnie is a dream come true for me,” said McCreery. “I can’t wait for this tour to begin!”

The tour takes its name from Brooks & Dunn’s 2019 album Reboot, which found the duo collaborating with younger country artists including Kacey Musgraves, Midland and Luke Combs on several of Brooks & Dunn’s biggest hits. Though McCreery did not appear on that project, he did recently earn another Billboard Country Airplay chart topper with “Damn Strait,” a sly nod to another ’90s country artist, George Strait.

“My first country music concert was George Strait, and along with my love for Elvis [Presley], he inspired me to become a country music singer myself,” McCreery previously told Billboard. “When I did American Idol, George called me and requested I sing his [1995] hit ‘Check Yes or No,’ and I still sing it from time to time in concert. Now, having my fifth straight No. 1 on a song that pays tribute to George, while at the same time being a classic country heartbreaker such as he might have sung, is such a full-circle moment that means the world to me. Trent Tomlinson and Jim Collins wrote a clever song that reaches beyond name-dropping Strait hits to tell a meaningful story.”

Last year, Brooks & Dunn revived the CMT franchise CMT Storytellers, and rang in 2023 as part of Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Bash.

Tickets for the new tour dates go on sale Friday, Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. local time at brooks-dunn.com and livenation.com.

See the full list of Reboot 2023 tour dates below:

  • Thu May 04 – Kansas City, MO – T- Mobile Center
  • Fri May 05 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
  • Sat May 06 – Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
  • Thu May 11 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
  • Fri May 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
  • Sat May 13 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
  • Thu May 18 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at The BJCC
  • Fri May 19 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
  • Sat May 20 – Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
  • Thu Jun 01 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
  • Fri Jun 02 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
  • Sat Jun 03 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
  • Thu Jun 08 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena+
  • Sat Jun 10 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
  • Thu June 15 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort*
  • Fri Jun 16 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
  • Sat Jun 17 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum

*Not a Live Nation Date

+On Sale Friday, Feb. 3

Meet Steezy, the Dance App Giving Choreographers Credit — and a Paycheck

At a time when TikTok challenges have been helping drive songs up the charts, one app is angling for another way to capitalize on the viral dance trend. And unlike that other social media service, this one’s focused on paying choreographers, whose role in spawning those dance crazes tends to go unacknowledged. Steezy, an instructional dance app that offers virtual classes in 13 different disciplines, hires professional choreographers to instruct users in hip-hop, jazz, ballet and more, set to the music of some of today’s biggest artists.

To date, the app has been downloaded over 1 million times by users in more than 100 countries and built up a library of 1,800 classes — all filmed at Steezy studios located at the company’s Downtown Los Angeles headquarters — for which subscribers pay a flat rate of $20 monthly or $100 yearly (roughly three new classes are added each week). The app has licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group and last May began partnering with Def Jam, Warner Records and others on integrations around their latest releases. Several artists have since appeared in-studio for the popular Steezy YouTube series 3 Choreographers, 1 Song — in which a trio of dancers improvise routines to artists’ latest tracks — including J.I.D., Babyface, Chinese superstar Jackson Wang and Roc Nation signee Kalan.FrFr.

The platform also partnered with Prime Video last year on a series of videos around the release of Lizzo’s reality competition series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, including a dance class with choreographer/influencer Aliya Janell — who taught a routine to Lizzo and Cardi B’s 2021 collaboration “Rumors” — and hosted a dance challenge tied to the series. Steezy additionally helped facilitate a dance challenge tied to the release of Michael Bublé’s latest single “Higher” by creating a free class featuring choreographer Brian Puspos (BTS, Justin Bieber) and his wife Aja Dang, who taught their own choreographed routine to the song to inspire more people to enter. Lim notes it was the most-taken class on the platform for three weeks.

Steezy launched in 2014, initially as a blog offering advice and resources to aspiring professional dancers. But a comment from a friend and future colleague soon started founders Connor Lim and Evan Zhou, who met when both were members of the competitive dance team GRZ, down a more ambitious path. Clay Boonthanakit, who now works as Steezy’s main on-camera personality, came to Lim and Zhou with a simple pitch: “’It’d be really cool if there were videos, because I don’t really like reading,’” Lim recalls with a laugh.

With Boonthanakit coming aboard, Lim and Zhou soon introduced vlogs and — noting a dearth of quality instructional dance videos online — eventually began prototyping video classes, the first of which launched online in 2015, followed by the launch of the Steezy iOS and Android apps in 2018. Since introducing classes, the company has raised $20 million from investors including Elysian Park Ventures, Freestyle Capital, Aglaé Ventures and angel investor Jason Calicanas.

Similar to other subscription-based online platforms like Peloton, Steezy saw a steep rise in subscriptions once the pandemic shuttered dance studios in early 2020. With the professional dance community out of work due to the touring shutdown, it also helped keep some in that community afloat during a desperate time. “All their tours got canceled. All their in-person classes got canceled,” says Zhou. “It felt really good that we could pay our dancers, they could come in and teach and actually keep doing what they do.”

In addition to a standard teaching fee, each dancer is paid from a “bonus pool,” which is doled out on a pro-rata basis (based on the percentage of revenue that can be attributed to classes they taught). “[It’s] a model that’s never existed for dancers before,” says Zhou. “It existed for musicians, where they create a piece of music and it gets monetized on all these different platforms and they get a cut — but dancers have never really had this.”

Like TikTok, which facilitates deeper engagement with music through dance challenges and repetition, Lim and Zhou say Steezy inspires a heightened level of engagement that can make tracks stickier for users. “As you learn [a dance] on our platform, you have to listen to the song like 10, 20 times in order to get it into your muscle memory, so you just have this deeper relationship with the song,” says Zhou. To make routines easier to learn, Steezy allows users to toggle between both front and back views of the instructors as they teach, “mirror” themselves with their webcams to see themselves dance in real time, slow down the tempo and loop sections of videos to nail a specific movement.

In addition to offering an additional revenue stream for dancers, Zhou and Lim feel a broader responsibility to highlight the way choreographers — who often aren’t properly credited for their work — contribute to the success of music at a time when some dancers are pushing for better compensation and even copyrighting their dances (U.S. copyright law allows choreography to be protected, so long as works are fixed in a tangible medium of expression from which the work can be performed). In 2018, rapper 2 Milly sued Epic Games for copyright infringement for using his “Milly Rock” routine in Fortnite, though the suit was dismissed with prejudice (meaning it can be refiled) the following year after the Supreme Court that individuals cannot sue for copyright infringement until the U.S. Copyright Office has either granted or refused their application. In 2020, longtime Beyoncé choreographer JaQuel Knight successfully registered his choreography from the superstar’s iconic “Single Ladies” video, making him the first commercial choreographer in pop music to successfully do so.

For its part, Steezy has been providing a historical timeline of some iconic routines with the original series Viral Dance Moves, in which the company spotlights choreographers who originated dance crazes like the Kangsta Wok (Zaya Sosho), The Dougie (Lil’ Wil) and The Smeeze (Chonkie).

“In the music industry, dancers are…always kind of behind the scenes,” says Lim. It’s really important for us to showcase dancers at the forefront, especially because they drive huge streams for songs, and we know that.”