Author: djfrosty
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Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — is returning to womenswear. The rapper teased early samples of his YZY women’s clothing line with an explosive post to his Instagram Story on Tuesday (Jan. 21). Yeezy teased the first black bodysuit, which is quite revealing. West’s wife Bianca Censori was actually spotted rocking the YZY […]
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In a recent street interview, Pusha T’s brother, No Malice, was asked about his favorite song, and his answer caught many by surprise: Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The irony here is that “Not Like Us” is widely believed to be a diss track aimed at Drake, a long-time rival of Pusha T. Given the intense beef between Pusha and Drake, it’s interesting to see that No Malice, who has stayed mostly out of the spotlight in recent years, seems to “vibe” with a track that’s part of the ongoing drama.
The rivalry between Pusha and Drake reached its peak with Pusha’s brutal “The Story of Adidon,” where he revealed that Drake had a son, whom he hadn’t publicly acknowledged at the time. The revelation sent shockwaves through the hip-hop community. Since then, Drake has become much more open about his son, Adonis, proudly sharing moments of their relationship, including being a hands-on basketball dad at his son’s games.
Drake responded to Pusha’s diss with a line from his album Views, humorously saying, “I wasn’t hiding my son from the world, I was hiding the world from my son.” But the final blow came when Drake appeared on LeBron James’ show, The Shop, and expressed frustration with battle rap “rules,” claiming he didn’t want to participate anymore after Pusha crossed a line by revealing his son’s existence and the health struggles of his close friend and producer, 40. The drama between Pusha and Drake may have settled, but the story is still part of hip-hop lore.
It’s well known that SZA and Drake dated way back when — but is the Certified Lover Boy a good kisser? That’s what Keke Palmer set out to uncover on First We Feast’s latest episode of Hot Ones Versus posted Tuesday (Jan. 21). While taking on the spicy-wing challenge alongside Issa Rae, the Nope actress […]
Attendees at this weeks’ Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2025 runway show got an unexpected treat when LV men’s creative director Pharrell Williams debuted his new collaboration with K-pop superstars SEVENTEEN during Tuesday’s (Jan. 21) show. The mid-tempo track with a low-pitched, bassy bottom, “Bad Influence,” features group members S. Coups, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The8, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino singing about having a good time while worrying about the consequences.
On the woozy chorus, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Coups and DK cronning: “Bad influence, you had to do it/ Oh every time yeah, enough of you/ Bad influence you had to do it/ You wanna have a good good night.”
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“We are happy and honored to collaborate with Pharrell Williams, whom we have deeply admired for a long time,” said the members of the 13-person group who worked on the track in a statement; members Mingyu, Joshua, Jun and Woozi are not listed as participants on the song. “We truly enjoyed the creative process which showcases a new side of ourselves. We hope to connect with more listeners worldwide through this collaboration.”
The track was written and composed by Williams for the Paris LV show — which also featured bits of Don Toliver and BTS member J-Hope’s new single, “LV Bag,” and Playboi Carti’s “Timeless” — and represents the group’s latest team-up with an A-list collaborator. It follows on the heels of their collabs with Charli XCX (“Beg For You”), Pink Sweat$ (“17”), New Kids on the Block (“Dirty Dancing”), DJ Khaled (“Love, Money, Fame”), Marshmello (“SOS”) and Anne-Marie (“World”), among others.
SEVENTEEN released their 21-track greatest hits collection, 17 Is Right Here, in 2024, spotlighting such beloved hits as “Maestro,” “Rock With You,” “HOT” and “Super.” They wound-down the year with the Spill the Feels EP, which included the Khaled track, which they performed at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.
Watch video from the song’s premiere below.
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It’s no secret that numbers and popularity mean everything to Donald Trump, so when he decided to hold his presidential inauguration indoors because of “cold weather,” many knew it was really because the small size of his MAGA crowd in attendance would be horrible optics and further damage his already ridiculously inflated ego.
With that being said, the number of viewers who tuned in to watch Donald Trump be sworn in to be the president of the United States (without ever putting his hand on the Bible we might add), turned out to be as struggle as expected. Less than half of the 77 million people who voted for him watched the ceremony.
According to Deadline, the numbers are in and a grand total of 24.59 million viewers cut on Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony this past Monday (Jan. 20) across the 15 networks that were covering the event. With millions of people vowing to ignore the swearing in of a potential dictator, everyone expected the inauguration to have paltry viewing numbers, but we couldn’t have guessed it would’ve been this low.
Naturally, Fox News got the lions share of views as far-right Americans naturally gravitate towards the Trump- loving “news” network with 10.67 million viewers. It was followed by ABC News with 4.85 million, NBC News with 4.58 million, CBS News with 4.35 million, CNN with 1.80 million and MSNBC with 880,000. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News drew 2.09 million, followed by NBC News with 1.22 million, ABC News with 1.12 million, CBS News with 966,000, CNN with 563,000 and MSNBC with 106,000.
We’re low-key surprised MSNBC had that many viewers tune in. Just sayin’.
While the news networks covered the event throughout the day, most of the ratings came during the moment that Cheeto Jesus once again assumed power.
Per Deadline:
Viewership peaked in the 12:15 quarter hour, as Trump was giving his inaugural address.
According to Nielsen, 17.4 million viewers were aged 55 and above, 4.67 million were 35-54 and 1.43 million were 18-34.
During the Trump swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address, about 27.12 million viewers tuned in during the noon-12:45 p.m. ET time frame across the three major cable news networks and the three major broadcast networks, according to early data.
Nearly 40 million watched Biden’s swearing in and inaugural address four years ago on those six networks. In 2017, about 38.3 million watched Trump’s first inauguration.
It might be only a matter of time before Trump calls these fake numbers and declares it the most viewed inauguration of the last 100 years or something. Y’all know it’s coming.
While this may be a nice little thing to troll Trump about going forward, it’s not going to stop all the damage the man is poised to inflict on American society and its principals. The executive orders he’s signed in his first few days that take a hatchet to any program designed to help or assist Black and Brown people is evidence that these next four years (and beyond) are going to hurt Americans for generations to come.
But hey! At least eggs and gas will be cheaper, right? Oh wait…
The South by Southwest Music Festival has announced the third round of Showcasing Artists invited to perform at the 39th annual event, March 10-15, 2025, in Austin.
The third announcement includes several powerhouse SXSW alumni like Sunflower Bean, Holy Fuck, and Jack’s Mannequin. The diverse lineup includes from chart-topping alt-reggaeton act NSQK from Mexico and energetic J-Pop boy band PSYCHIC FEVER. Everything from Latin favorites like Sofía Reyes, Amantes Del Futuro, La Cendejas and st. Pedro to acclaimed Taiwanese artists including Andr, TRASH, Amazing Show, and Enno Cheng.
Other highlights include rising hip-hop star Samara Cyn, ethereal songstress Quiet Light, award-winning musician-activist Madame Gandhi, rebel psych-rock band Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and the new project from Núria Graham and Aoife Nessa Frances called Red Stamp. Also on the lineup are multi-sensory experimental artist BLACK FONDU, ambient Thai collaborators NISATIWA X NOTEP, funk-soul seven piece brass band SNACKTIME, and Muri, a magnetic force redefining Filipino music. Japanese artists include neo-soul, city pop ensemble Luv, high energy punk-rock band ENTH, and metal band with heavy sound and light lyrics, GOKUMON (UchikubiGokumonDoukoukai).
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“The momentum continues to build with our third reveal,” said James Minor, VP of Music Festival. “Each act lends a unique and dynamic voice to the lineup, with both new and established artists from around the world creating a real sense of anticipation for the March event.”
Many of SXSW’s showcases are curated by SXSW programmers in collaboration with record labels, booking agencies, export offices, music publishers, media outlets, lifestyle brands and more. These showcases give attendees the opportunity to experience sets in exclusive, small-stage performances. A sortable airtable that contains information on each artist’s genre, publicist contact information, and social media pages can be found here.
Starting January 30th, SXSW staff will be sharing weekly artist round-ups on the official SXSW Spotify and YouTube Music Video playlists. Yesterday, SXSW announced Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Award-winning lead singer for Creedence Clearwater Revival John Fogerty and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber as Keynote Speakers, in addition to the third round of Featured Speakers.
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Activist Kevin Powell slammed Snoop Dogg for his appearance at an inauguration concert for President Donald Trump, citing his “lack of values.”
The presence of Snoop Dogg at a concert during President Donald Trump’s inauguration weekend infuriated many, including activist and journalist Kevin Powell. Powell expressed his disappointment in a recent interview, citing Snoop Dogg’s lengthy career. The “Drop It Like Its Hot” rapper performed at the Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., last Friday (Jan. 17) along with Rick Ross,and Soulja Boy. “I interviewed Snoop for Quincy Jones’ [VIBE] magazine, and he has a long history in relationship to community,” Powell began before noting that his performance meant he would abandon that relationship “for a bag of money.”
“I never thought I would see Snoop Dogg, forget the other rappers because others have talked about them, but Snoop Dogg in particular,” Powell added. “This is someone who is an iconic figure just like Carrie Underwood is, and when folks like that are siding with someone who’s spreading those kinds of messages, it’s a stab in the back to all of us who have bought their music and supported them through their careers.” Snoop Dogg famously criticized Trump heavily as he began his first presidential term in 2017.
“I’m waiting. I’m gonna roast the f— outta you,” he said in a video post at the time, calling anyone looking to perform during that inauguration weekend “Uncle Toms.” The video has gone viral again, as Snoop Dogg hasn’t responded to any requests for comment about his performance. When asked by TMZ’s Harvey Levin if it was a reflection of a growing trend in the Hip-Hop community, Powell replied, “I think there’s a sea change of a lack of values across America, period.”
Nelly, who performed at the Liberty Ball Monday (Jan. 20), defended his appearance in an interview with podcast host and Hip-Hop veteran Willie D. “I’m here to perform for the office,” he said, before remarking that he hadn’t seen anything suggesting that Trump was a white supremacist. Soulja Boy, best known for his 2007 hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” released a video response to those critical of his presence. “They paid me a bag,” he said before adding, “Obama ain’t never put no money in my f—g pockets, n—a. Kamala ain’t never put no money in my f—g pockets, n—a. Trump put money in my pockets, n—a.”
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Good news OG Hip-Hoppers as The Roots are set to open up a residency in New York City for the 30th anniversary of their classic sophomore album Do You Want More?!!!??!.
Taking to Instagram to make the exciting announcement, Black Thought and Questlove informed fans that they would be doing a three-night residency at The Blue Note in New York City beginning March 13 and ending on March 15. Though Questlove specifically stated that they will not be doing the entire album during their residency (damn!), y’all can bet they’ll be pulling out some of the album’s standout cuts while “having fun” with the music fans have come to know and love over their illustrious career.
Man, if they could get Erykah Badu and Eve to perform on “You Got Me” that would be amazing.
Check out Black Thought and Questlove’s announcement, and let us know if you’ll be attending their residency come March in the comments section below.
Barbra Streisand’s My Name Is Barbra is in the running for audiobook of the year at the 2025 Audie Awards. Winners across 28 competitive categories will be revealed on March 4 in New York. The Audie Awards will be hosted by actress, comedian and author Amy Sedaris, who was a 2008 Audies finalist.
Streisand’s audiobook is also nominated in the autobiography/memoir category, where it is squaring off against a work by another certified music legend, Elton John. Unlike Streisand, John didn’t narrate his own memoir (Farewell Yellow Brick Road). It was instead narrated by Richard Armitage, Vikas Adam, Daniel Henning, Ray Porter, Jesse Einstein, Fred Berman, Edoardo Ballerini, Mark Boyett, Kevin T. Collins, Peter Ganim, Mike Cooper, John Lee and Oliver Wyman.
John became an EGOT last year. Streisand is not an official EGOT because she has yet to win a Tony in competition (though she did receive a special Tony Award as star of the decade in 1970). Despite that one lapse, Streisand has one of the most impressive awards resumes of any performer.
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Streisand’s audiobook, published by Penguin Random House Audio, is also a current Grammy nominee for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The award is expected to go to Jimmy Carter’s Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. The former president died at age 100 on Dec. 29, near the end of the Grammy voting period. The Grammys will be presented on Feb. 2.
Common is nominated at the Audie Awards in the business/personal development category for And Then We Rise, which he both wrote and narrated.
Willow Smith is nominated in the fantasy category for Black Shield Maiden, which she co-wrote (with Jess Hendel) and narrated.
Riley Keough is nominated for multi-voiced performance for From Here to the Great Unknown, which she cowrote with her late mother Lisa Marie Presley and co-narrated with Oscar winner Julia Roberts.
The Audie Awards, now in their 30th year, are presented by Audio Publishers Association. “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Audie Awards, we’re reflecting on three decades of honoring the incredible talent and innovation within the audiobook industry,” Sean McManus, the association’s president, said in a statement. “This year’s finalists represent the very best in storytelling, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate their achievements.”
Here are the nominees in selected categories for the 2025 Audie Awards.
Audiobook of the Year
George Orwell’s 1984; By George Orwell, adapted by Joe White; Performed by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, and Katie Leung; Published by Audible Originals
My Name Is Barbra; Written and narrated by Barbra Streisand; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Playground: A Novel; By Richard Powers; Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Robin Siegerman, Eunice Wong, Pun Bandhu, Krys Janae, and Kevin R Free; Published by Spotify Audiobooks
Poor Deer; By Claire Oshetsky; Narrated by Sophie Amoss; Published by HarperAudio
The Sing Sing Files; Written and narrated by Dan Slepian; Published by Macmillan Audio
Autobiography/Memoir
Farewell Yellow Brick Road; By Elton John, foreword by David Furnish; Narrated by Richard Armitage, Vikas Adam, Daniel Henning, Ray Porter, Jesse Einstein, Fred Berman, Edoardo Ballerini, Mark Boyett, Kevin T. Collins, Peter Ganim, Mike Cooper, John Lee, and Oliver Wyman; Published by Audible Studios
In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife; Written and narrated by Sebastian Junger; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Knife; Written and narrated by Salman Rushdie; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
My Name Is Barbra; Written and narrated by Barbra Streisand; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir; Written and narrated by Kelly Bishop; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Audio Drama
Brokedown Prophets; By S.A. Cosby, Kevin Hart, Charlamagne Tha God, and SBH Productions;Performed by Jonathan Majors, Brian Tyree Henry, Dasha Polanco, Jeremy Jordan and a full castPublished by Audible Originals and SBH Productions
The Coldest Case: The Past Has a Long Memory; By James Patterson, Aaron Tracy, and Ryan Silbert; Performed by Aaron Paul, Krysten Ritter, Beau Bridges, Greta Lee, Kevin Pollak, Jordan Bridges, Terrence Terrell, Patton Oswalt, and a full cast; Published by Audible Originals
George Orwell’s 1984; By George Orwell, adapted by Joe White; Performed by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, and Katie Leung; Published by Audible Originals
Journey’s End; By R.C. Sherriff; Performed by James Callis, Josh Cole, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Tobias Echeverria, Adam Godley, Ian Ogilvy, Darren Richardson, Simon Templeman, and Matthew Wolf; Published by L.A. Theatre Works
Wild with Happy; By Colman Domingo; Performed by Colman Domingo, Alex Newell, Sharon Washington, Tyler James Williams, and Oprah Winfrey; Published by Audible Originals
Business/Personal Development
And Then We Rise; Written and narrated by Common; Published by HarperAudio
Come Together; Written and narrated by Emily Nagoski, PhD; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters; Written and narrated by Brian Klaas; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Humans Who Teach: A Guide for Centering Love, Justice, and Liberation in Schools; Written and narrated by Shamari Reid; Published by Heinemann
Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality; Written and narrated by Josie Cox; Published by Recorded Books, Inc., a division of RBmedia
Fantasy
Black Shield Maiden; By Willow Smith and Jess Hendel; Narrated by Willow Smith; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Bookshops & Bonedust; Written and narrated by Travis Baldree; Published by Macmillan Audio
The Bright Sword; By Lev Grossman; Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith and Lev Grossman; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Goddess of the River; By Vaishnavi Patel; Narrated by Sneha Mathan; Published by Hachette Audio
Someone You Can Build a Nest In; By John Wiswell; Narrated by Carmen Rose; Published by Tantor Audio, a division of RBMedia
Humor
Erasure: A Novel; By Percival Everett; Narrated by Sean Crisden; Published by Tantor Audio, a division of RBMedia
Glory Days; By Simon Rich; Narrated by John Mulaney; Published by Hachette Audio
Joyful Recollections of Trauma; Written and narrated by Paul Scheer; Published by HarperAudio
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science; By Kate McKinnonl; Narrated by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne; Published by Hachette Audio
Wilder Widows Walk on the Wilder Side; By Katherine Hastings; Narrated Pamela Dillman; Published by Flyte Publishing
Multi-Voiced Performance
Anita de Monte Laughs Last; By Xochitl Gonzalez; Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, Jonathan Gregg, and Jessica Pimentel; Published by Macmillan Audio
Butcher; By Joyce Carol Oates; Narrated by Amy Shiels, Edoardo Ballerini, Cassandra Campbell, Robert Fass, Tavia Gilbert, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Danny Campbell, and Max Meyers; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Five Broken Blades; By Mai Corland; Narrated by Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye, and Sophie Oda; Published by Recorded Books, Inc., a division of RBmedia
From Here to the Great Unknown; By Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough; Narrated by Julia Roberts and Riley Keough; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Snake Oil; By Kelsey Rae Dimberg; Narrated by Kristen Sieh, Andi Arndt, and Renata Friedman; Published by HarperAudio
When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day; By Garrett M. Graff; Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and Garrett M. Graff, with a full cast; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Narration by the Author(s)
The 23rd Hero; Written and narrated by Rebecca Anne Nguyen; Published by Castle Bridge Media
Bits and Pieces; Written and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg; Published by Blackstone Publishing
Bookshops & Bonedust; Written and narrated by Travis Baldree; Published by Macmillan Audio
Knife; Written and narrated by Salman Rushdie; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Sorry for the Inconvenience; Written and narrated by Farah Naz Rishi; Published by Brilliance Publishing
Original Work
The Boar’s Nest; By Rachel Bonds, Holly Gleason and Dub Cornett; Narrated by Mandy Moore, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, W. Earl Brown, Stephen Louis Grush, John Hoogenakker, TJ Osborne, and a full cast; Published by Audible Originals
Casanova LLC; By Julia Whelan; Performed by Sebastian York, Julia Whelan, Edoardo Ballerini, and Johnathan McClain; Published by Audiobrary
Earthlight; By J. Michael Straczynski; Narrated by Erik Braa, Pete Bradbury, Jonathan Davis, William DeMeritt, Robert Fass, Jeff Gurner, Ryan Haugen, David Lee Huynh, Mars Lipowski, Saskia Maarleveld, Kathleen McInerney, Brandon McInnis, Sean Kenin Elias Reyes, Stefan Rudnicki, Salli Saffioti, Kristen Sieh, Christopher Smith, Marc Thompson, and Will Watt; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan [Dramatized Adaptation]; By Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski; Performed by Tim Carlin, Rob McFadyen, Nora Achrati, Scott McCormick, Eric Messner, Lydia Kraniotis, Ken Yatta Rogers, Michael John Casey, Amanda Forstrom, Marni Penning, Steven Carpenter, and a full cast; Published by GraphicAudio, a division of RBmedia
Two Can Play; By Ali Hazelwood; Narrated by Kelsey Navarro Foster; Published by Spotify Audiobooks
Short Stories/Collections
Glory Days; By Simon Rich; Narrated by John Mulaney; Published by Hachette Audio
The History of Sound; By Ben Shattuck; Narrated by Ben Shattuck, Zachary Chastain, Paul Mescal, Dion Graham, Ellen Adair, Steven Jay Cohen, Jim Seybert, Dawn Harvey, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Lowman, Jenny Slate, Ed Helms, and Nick Offerman; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
Letters from Klara; By Tove Jansson and Thomas Teal – Übersetzer; Narrated by Indira Varma; Published by Saga Egmont
What If We Get It Right?; Written and narrated by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; Published by Penguin Random House Audio
You Like It Darker: Stories; By Stephen King; Narrated by Will Patton with Stephen King; Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
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A$AP Rocky has elected to reject a plea deal in his ongoing assault case in Los Angeles which would have seen him serve 180 days behind bars for accepting one of the felony counts. Now, a jury selection process is underway and A$AP Rocky could face up to 24 years in prison.
The Associated Press reports that A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, declined to take the plea deal after initially pleading not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm back in 2022. Rocky, 36, is accused of opening fire on childhood friend Terell “A$AP Relli” Ephron in Hollywood back in 2021.
The terms of the deal were for Rocky to plead guilty to one of the aforementioned felony counts, with Los Angeles County prosecutors suggesting a seven-year suspended sentence, three-year probation, and a six-month jail sentence.
According to Rocky’s attorney, the defense will call on witnesses to take the stand in the trial and deliver testimony that the gun Rocky fired was a starter pistol used as a security measure and not a full-on semiautomatic weapon as the charges state.
Rocky is the husband of singer and fashion powerhouse Rihanna and the pair are parents to two toddler boys. Rocky was also preparing the release of his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, via his ASAP Worldwide imprint alongside Polo Grounds/RCA.
The courts surveyed over 100 potential jurors in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom and as of Wednesday (Jan. 22), the full measure of 12 jurors have not been selected. Opening statements will be televised once the trial officially begins.
If found guilty, A$AP Rocky could face up to 24 years behind bars.
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