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South Korea’s Kakao Entertainment, Monsta X Label Owner, Raises $966M Led by Sovereign Wealth Funds

South Korea-based media company Kakao Entertainment, which owns Monsta X‘s K-pop record label Starship Entertainment, said on Thursday (Jan. 12) it raised 1.2 trillion won ($966 million USD) from a group of investors led by sovereign wealth funds.

The move signals strong investor interest in Korean music and media. Kakao Entertainment owns three other record labels in addition to Starship: Antenna, Edam Entertainment and IST Entertainment, the latter of which lists The Boyz on its roster. Kakao Entertainment also owns the leading South Korean music streaming app Melon, the North America-based webtoon company Tapas Entertainment and several media production companies and is a subsidiary of the tech conglomerate Kakao Corp.

The company plans to use the investment to “spearhead growth in K-culture worldwide,” including expanding its record labels’ reach through distribution partners and its artists’ fanbases through touring, according to a company statement.

“It’s significant that we were able to secure funds of this scale at a time when both the Korean and global markets face a lot of uncertainty and investment sentiment is weaker,” said Kakao Corp.’s chief investment officer and executive vp Bae Jae-hyun in the statement. “This is [a] testament to the global competitiveness and future growth potential of Kakao Entertainment’s unique IP value chain, which spans multiple categories in the entertainment industry.”

Singapore’s GIC and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) each invested 600 billion won ($484 million USD) as part of the deal, the Korea Economic Daily reported earlier on Thursday. GIC and PIF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kakao Entertainment will issue new shares through a third-party allotment, it said.

Saweetie ‘Hella Excited’ to Guest-Star on ‘Bel-Air’ Season 2

Saweetie is continuing to develop her acting chops.

On Thursday (Jan. 12), Variety announced that the “Icy” rapper is stepping back onto the small screen with a guest starring role on Peacock’s Bel-Air, the streaming platform’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air spin-off.

According to Variety, Saweetie will star on the show as herself. Further details about her cameo have not been revealed as of press time, though the rapper did take to her Instagram Story on Thursday to post a video of her interacting with the Bel-Air cast during her guest spot.

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“It’s an honor to be here. Shout-out to the cast, they’re really dope. Good vibes,” she said in the brief clip, which she captioned, “Hella excited to be a part of @belairpeacock @peacocktv season 2 dropping 2/23.”

Bel-Air isn’t Saweetie’s first television role: The 29-year-old previously appeared in several episodes of Freeform’s Black-ish spinoff show Grown-ish, as rapper Indigo. “The first time on set, it was just a little nerve-racking because I want it to be perfect for them,” she told Complex about acting on the show. “But I found when I was just in my vibe, in my moment with Yara [Shahidi], that’s when the best scenes would come.”

As for Saweetie’s music, she most recently released her six-track EP The Single Life in November.

See Saweetie’s Instagram Story regarding her Bel-Air cameo before it disappears here.

Dierks Bentley Announces 10th Album ‘Gravel & Gold’

Dierks Bentley is offering fans an early glimpse into his upcoming 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold, which drops Feb. 24.

With the album, Bentley also celebrates two decades of steadily building his music career, going from playing tiny clubs to arenas. Bentley released his eponymous debut album in 2003, as well as his debut single “What Was I Thinkin’.” Since then, he’s earned 14 Grammy nominations and notched 18 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. He’s collaborated with artists including Miranda Lambert, Elle King, Brothers Osborne, Vince Gill, BRELAND, Hardy, Maren Morris, Holly Williams and Luke Bryan.

In a recent video he posted to social media, the singer-songwriter shared, “My love for country music, that’s what’s always kept me going, town to town, show to show…I worked hard, I took chances, went for things.”

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Bentley says that his passion for quality heading into Gravel & Gold led him to create and then scrap his work — twice.

“I wrote, I recorded, it wasn’t good enough,” he says in the video. “I threw it out and started over, twice. I had to get it right, for the fans, for me. It had to be the best country music I ever made. Everyone showed up, my heroes and my friends. We did it together.”

Bentley recently released the track “High Note,” featuring bluegrass artist Billy Strings, as well as Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Bryan Sutton), which followed his first single release for the upcoming album, with “Gold.” The video clip also shows Bentley in the studio with singer-songwriter-musicians including Vince Gill and Jedd Hughes.

‘Zoey 101’ Film Sequel Picked Up By Paramount+

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A Zoey 101 original sequel movie is in the works, according to Variety.

Nickelodeon has started production for the film, tentatively titled Zoey 102, which will feature Jamie Lynn Spears as her original role of Zoey Brooks. Original cast members Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, Abby Wilde and Jack Salvatore are also slated to be on the cast.

Zoey 102 will see the beloved characters returning to Pacific Coast Academy as alumni, reuniting for a wedding in the present day. The premiere is slated for later this year on Paramount+.

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The film comes a few years after an unofficial Zoey 101 reunion, where Butcher, Flynn, Massey, Wilde, Underwood and Victoria Justice all hung out together. Spears — who was filming in Atlanta for her role in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias at the time — missed the reunion but shared a video that the cast sent her to Instagram.

In 2020, Spears unveiled an updated take on the Zoey 101 theme song, “Follow Me,” produced by DJ Chantel Jeffries and Josh Cumbee. Britney Spears originally co-wrote “Follow Me (Zoey 101)” for the Emmy-nominated children’s show that was on the air from 2005 to 2008.

Sign up for Paramount+ here. Paramount+ starts at just $4.99 a month, plus you’ll get the first week free. Subscribers have the option of streaming Paramount+ from Prime Video and ExpressVPN allows you to stream from outside of the U.S.

Lorde’s Sister Indy Gets Into the Family Business With ‘Hometown’ Single

Indy, the younger sister of Lorde, announced her upcoming debut EP Threads on Thursday (Jan. 12) with the release of the new single “Hometown.”

The five-track project from the newcomer, born Indy Yelich O’Connor, will arrive Feb. 17 via TMWRK Records featuring the new single as well as previously released tracks “Killer” and “Threads.”

“Hometown” certainly owes a debt to her famous sister’s signature style on tracks like “Royals” and “Team,” what with its suburban setting and wistful production as Indy sings, “Nineteen and we haunted streets that we knew so well/ I cut my feet on the love and the lust I felt/ Stuck in the quiet of my hometown/ You’re wonderin’ if we’ll go back to bein’ friends/ I just stay quiet so you know now/ That if I could, you know I’d do it all again/ I gave you all of my midnights/ But baby, now that it’s daytime/ You are stuck in the quiet of my hometown/ I have to go now” with a familiar deep, throaty voice.

“‘Hometown’ is about the memories from my teen years in suburbia that I’ll never forget,” the pop upstart said in a statement. “This song is very nostalgic for me, as it makes me think of driving through the suburbs, taking the long way to go past an ex’s house, returning from the big city and staying at your parents’. Everybody has somebody from their past they hold close. Knowing you’ve outgrown this person, the first inklings of real love, innocence, the sadness of having to let them go.”

Lorde, meanwhile, spent the majority of 2022 on the road in support of her third studio album Solar Power. In a November newsletter to fans, she detailed the challenges of touring in a post-pandemic industry, writing, “Basically, for artists, promoters and crews, things are at an almost unprecedented level of difficulty. Let’s start with three years’ worth of shows happening in one. Add global economic downturn, and then add the totally understandable wariness for concertgoers around health risks.”

Stream Indy’s “Hometown” below.

What Shakira Is Really Saying in Her New Song With Bizarrap

Shakira’s new “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53” alongside Argentine DJ and producer Bizarrap, is the equivalent of a sonic bomb. The 45-year-old Colombian star went to town, pulling no punches in a track that aims squarely at her ex, soccer player Gerard Piqué, who split with her for a far younger woman.

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This isn’t the first time an artist lets it all out next to Bizarrap. Last year, Puerto Rican rapper Residente made major waves with his “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 49,” on which he lambasted the industry as a whole and J Balvin in particular.

And this isn’t the first time Shakira has taken aim at her ex either. Prior to the Bizarrap session, she released the more poignant “Monotonía” alongside Ozuna, lamenting the loss of love to “monotony.” But in the past few weeks, Shakira’s equanimity seems to have evaporated, as evidenced by a series of Instagram posts, including one that said: “There are more good than indecent people.”

Clearly, some disses at Piqué were to be expected, but there’s a lot to digest in this track, written by Shakira along with Bizarrap, Colombian songwriter Keityn and Santiago Alvarado. In line after line, Shakira spits bullets against Piqué that make one almost feel sorry for the guy. And though it’s hard to imagine Shakira being any more direct (as Spanish singer Aitana wrote on Twitter: “I’ve seen all these TikTok videos ‘analyzing’ the hints…what hints?”), there are some lines here that merit a closer view.

1. “Tanto que te las das de campeón, y cuando te necesitaba diste tu peor versión” (You go around saying you’re a champion, and when I needed you, You gave your worst version): Piqué, a former Manchester United and Barcelona soccer player, is widely considered one of the best defenders in the game’s history. He announced his retirement from soccer on Nov. 5, in the midst of his separation from Shakira.

2. “Una loba como yo no está pa’ tipos como tú, A ti te quedé grande y por eso estás con una igualita que tú (A she-wolf like me is not for guys like you; I’m too much for you and that’s why you’re with one just like you): The “Loba” reference harks back to Shakira’s 2009 mega-hit “She-Wolf” (loba in Spanish). The song is an ode to Shakira’s inner-she-wolf, who goes out hunting at night for real men because the one she has at home isn’t living up to expectations.

3. “Entendí que no es culpa mía quе te critiquen, Yo solo hago música, perdón que te sal-pique. Me dejaste de vecina a la suegra, Con la prensa en la puerta y la deuda en Hacienda” (I understood that it’s not my fault that they criticize you; I only make music, sorry that it splashed you. You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbor, media outlets at my door and in debt with the government): Let’s just say no translation can do justice to these lines. The word salpique, which translates to “splash” (as in, I’m sorry it splashed you) is used here as a play on Piqués name: “Sal Pique,” written as two different words, means “Get out, Piqué.” And then, of course, Shakira gets even more pointed: “You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbor, media outlets at my door and in debt with the government,” she laments, referencing her ongoing legal issues with Spain’s treasury department, for which she’s scheduled to go to trial this year.

4. “Las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan” (You thought you hurt me but you made me stronger; women don’t cry anymore, they cash in): Ooh. You can expect this one to become a rallying cry for spurned women everywhere for years to come.

5. “Tiene nombre de persona buena, Claramente no es como suena” (She has the name of a good person; it’s clearly not what it sounds like): Another tough translation. Piqué’s girlfriend’s name is Clara, which literally translates to “clear” — as in “clearly it’s not what it sounds like.”

6. “Yo valgo por dos de 22, Cambiaste un Ferrari por un Twingo; Cambiaste un Rolex por un Casio” (I’m worth two 22-year-olds, you traded a Ferrari for a Twingo; you traded a Rolex for a Casio): And no, Shakira definitely didn’t spare Piqué’s girlfriend Clara Chía Marti from her tirade. Shakira, 45, says she’s “worth two 22 year-olds,” but she doesn’t stop there. “You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo,” she adds, referring to the tiny, low-budget Renault model. The Rolex vs. Casio, though, we take a bit of exception to; not just because there are expensive Casios out there, but because we’re fond of the sturdy watches, which still have an element of hip.

7. “Ah, mucho gimnasio, Pero trabaja el cerebro un poquito también” (Lots of time at the gym, but your brain needs a little work too): Wait… is Shakira calling Piqué a dumb jock?

Harlem Teen Beaten Unconscious, Air Jordans Stolen Off His Feet

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Sneaker Thieves

Source: NYPD / NYD

It’s wintertime in New York City and the wolves are out. A Harlem team was beaten unconscious and to add insult to injury, was robbed of his Air Jordans.

The incident went down outside of a McDonald’s located on the corner of 145th Street and Broadway in New York City. According to the New York Daily News, on Saturday (Jan. 7), a 16-year-old was standing outside when several assailants ran up and assaulted him. Per NYPD, the teen was knocked unconscious, and his sneakers were stolen off his person before the attackers ran off.

The NYPD released surveillance footage of the goons, who will likely be caught sooner than later considering their mugs have been made public.

No word on which specific model of Air Jordan 1’s were stolen. While a pair of Nike and Jordan Brand signature sneaker currently retails for $180; vintage, exclusive or rare pairs of can go for thousands of dollars on the resale market.

The NYPD is seeking information on the attack—it’s not snitching if you’re a civilian—and are asking any witnesses to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. A reward of $3500 is being offered for any intel that pans out.

If you choose to wear pricey kicks, keep your head on a swivel, it’s getting too real out here.

Images of Samsung’s New Flagship Smartphone The Galaxy S23 Have Leaked

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SKOREA-ECONOMY-SAMSUNG

Source: JUNG YEON-JE / Getty / Samsung

No surprise, images of the Samsung Galaxy S23 have leaked.

Ahead of Samsung’s upcoming in-person Unpacked event on February 1, images of the Galaxy S23 are now on the web. The renders of Samsung’s next flagship smartphone came courtesy of WinFuture and reveals the smartphone’s new design and color options.

The photos are official and are not fan-made renders based on previous Galaxy smartphone models, according to WinFuture’s Roland Quandt.

According to the images, the Galaxy S23 will ditch the raised camera notch found on the S22, and the phone’s triple camera system protrudes out of the device’s casing. The S23’s casing will keep the metal frame over glass combination Galaxy users have come to expect and will be available in four colors: black, white, green, and pinkish-lilac.

The exact specifications of the Galaxy S23 are still unknown. Still, according to rumors, Galaxy fans can look forward to a brighter OLED display, a higher resolution camera sensor, and better low-light performance.

The devices will be powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

We won’t be posting the leaked images out of respect for Samsung, but if you’re eager to see what Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 looks like, you can head here. 

The Galaxy S23 comes after Samsung’s latest offerings in its foldable flagship options, the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4, the Galaxy Buds2, Galaxy Watch5, and Watch5 Pro.

Photo: JUNG YEON-JE / Getty

Damar Hamlin Released From Hospital To Parents’ Home, Continues Recovery

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Miami Dolphins v Buffalo Bills

Source: Kevin Sabitus / Getty

It’s been roughly a week and a half since Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collided with Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and collapsed during the first quarter of the game. The collision, resulting in Hamlin being rushed to the hospital where he remained in critical condition earlier this month. Since the terrifying event occurred, Hamlin has made “substantial improvement” in recovering from his severe injury, and now, he has been released from the hospital.

“We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar [Hamlin] can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills,” a medical care team at the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute said in a statement published Wednesday.

According to BuzzFeed News, Hamlin, who had suffered cardiac arrest due to his injury, was admitted to the Buffalo hospital on Monday after being released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he began his recovery.

Who knows when or if the 24-year-old will return to the NFL now that he appears to be on the mend—and, really, who cares? It’s just really great to see Hamlin well on the road to recovery after football fans everywhere watched his horrific collapse on national television. 

“We’re grateful, first and foremost, that he’s home with his parents and his brother, which is great,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said at a press conference Wednesday. “His health is first and foremost on our mind as far as his situation goes. And then when he feels ready, we’ll welcome him back.”

Yeah, take your time, Damar Hamlin. We all just want you alive and well!