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It seems Irv Gotti does not have the green light to produce a documentary on DMX. The rapper’s family has denied working with the mogul on any upcoming content.
As reported by Hypebeast, the late great MC’s estate has made it clear that they are not in business with the Murder Inc. Records founder to create a project based on Darkman X. His ex-wife Tashera Simmons took to Instagram to make a formal statement on the matter. “In light of the recent speculation, we want to clarify that we are not currently working with Irv Gotti, nor have we agreed to partner with him on any content related to Earl Simmons, including a biopic,” she wrote.
She went on to add that they will be very thoughtful and intentional on how they bring his story to life. “Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, is an iconic figure in the music industry whose life and story hold significant importance. As we move forward with any potential projects related to his legacy, we are committed to ensuring that they are handled with the utmost respect and integrity,” she added.
“We appreciate the support and interest from fans and the public regarding Earl Simmons’ story. Any official announcements regarding future projects will be communicated through our official channels.”
Last week, Irv Gotti confirmed that he had a “minor” stroke back in February. “Irv has been struggling with diabetes for years, which caused him to have a minor stroke over six months ago,” his representative said in an exclusive statement to the Shade Room. “He has since changed his diet to eating more healthy. He’s been successful in making a full recovery. Irv is not in a rehab facility. He is at home with his family, enjoying life.” In that same report the celebrity news site reported that Gotti revealed he was working on the DMX biopic. He has yet to formally respond to Tashera Simmons’ statement.
Telling her story in a documentary was not difficult for Mon Laferte. On the contrary, the Chilean-Mexican singer-songwriter tells Billboard Español, narrating part of her past in front of a camera provoked “a certain nostalgia,” mainly when remembering her pregnancy and the birth of her son.
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“I think how crazy I was, going singing when I was three months pregnant, with my belly all over the place — and then with my baby, three months after birth, and I was on stage!” the artist explains from Mexico City, with a chuckle.
Mon Laferte, Te Amo, which arrived on Netflix on Thursday (August 1), is an intimate portrait in which the singer of “El Beso” and “Tu Falta de Querer” reveals details of her professional and personal life, from her crude childhood and her start as a singer in her native Viña del Mar, to her arrival in Mexico in 2007, and how she managed to become a Latin music star. But it is, above all, “a story of strength, of resilience,” she says.
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Directed by Camila Grandi and Joanna Reposi Garibaldi, the documentary finds Laferte in the middle of an international tour, just weeks away from becoming a mother. In the back and forth between stages, dressing rooms and her home, Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte (her real name) recalls a complex childhood, marked by the abandonment of her father and economic struggles, as well as the differences that distanced her from her mother at a young age.
Then, a painful event caused an even greater estrangement with her mother, who was involved in a relationship with an alcoholic man who used domestic violence and abused Laferte sexually, the artist narrates in her biographical chronicle.
“Talking about my mother in a documentary was very healing,” she says. “I’ve had a difficult relationship with her, at times of much love, and at times of friction, of disagreements with her since I was a child. But over the years, I understand her much more, and today there is greater empathy.”
Motherhood is undoubtedly the common thread in Mon Laferte, Te Amo — where the figures of her grandmother, her mother and herself as a new mom are the protagonists.
The artist compares her experience to that of Beyoncé, whose documentary Homecoming (2019) records the days leading up to her highly anticipated performance at the 2018 Coachella Festival and the emotional path the American superstar and also mother went through, from creative concept to the concert’s moment.
“I remember in the documentary, she was rehearsing all day, she was with her baby, and in my ignorance I thought, ‘She should go home to rest, and then come back,’” Laferte says. “But when I became a mom, I understood her a lot because there is something about needing to feel again like yourself before pregnancy and giving birth.”
Other passages in Mon Laferte, Te Amo talk about her life after leaving school, her beginnings as a singer in local bars in Chile and her relationship with a man 21 years older than her who soon became her first manager, and she the victim of emotional and economic abuse.
It also tells of her time on Rojo, the Chilean National Television show that made her known, and her arrival in Mexico, where she had to start over again years later to conquer the most important music market in the Hispanic world.
“Many women can see themselves reflected in this documentary, we go through the same things,” says the four-time Latin Grammy winner. “Not all of them are singers, but it is like the daily life of a woman — facing the challenges that society demands of us, and that we demand of ourselves.
“I demand a lot from myself to be a great artist, but also to be the best mother in the world,” she adds with a smile.
Mon Laferte’s documentary arrives as the Chilean star — and naturalized Mexican, as of November 2022 — continues her Autopoiética Tour in support of her 2023 album of the same name.
Mon Laferte was also just confirmed to participate at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week, which will be held Oct. 14-18 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason in Miami Beach, Florida.
Ayra Starr always envisioned herself as the “Black Hannah Montana.” But in her new Amazon Music documentary Dare to Dream, which Billboard can exclusively reveal premieres Thursday (Aug. 1), fans will be able to take a closer look at Ayra the global Afrobeats star and Oyinkansola the Beninese-Nigerian girl.
Directed and produced by HOMECOMING, the 23-minute short film explores how Starr made her dreams come true. Dare to Dream captures her international journey, traveling between her birthplace of Cotonou, where she eventually returns to a swarm of eager fans; her homebase of Lagos, where her musical career started after signing to Don Jazzy‘s iconic Mavin label; London, where she’s sold out shows; and Los Angeles, where she attends the 2024 Grammy Awards after scoring her first nomination for best African music performance with her 2022 hit single “Rush.”
“I’ve always wanted to do this to inspire African girls all over [the world], Black girls, girls in general to keep going and do what they believe they were born to do. I’m just a regular African girl, you understand. And I’ve come this far, and I want them to feel like, ‘Oh, I can relate to that,’” she told Billboard following her documentary premiere, adding that she started filming Dare to Dream almost one year ago. While watching the full doc for the first time on Tuesday evening (July 30) at The Culver Theater in California for the official premiere, she kept thinking to herself, “Hmm, I like that angle. I should’ve shot more like that.”
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Starr hopes Dare to Dream isn’t the last time you’ll see her on the silver screen. When asked to choose what her first movie role would be during the doc’s Q&A portion, she responded, “I want to be in a high school movie, like the ones we grew up watching, like a Euphoria type. I feel like I would play that so well — the main mean girl.” The audience erupted in laughter before she continued: “That’s what I want to do. I would eat that role up! It would come so easy for me…. I’m not a mean girl at all, but I grew up watching Sharpay [Evans in High School Musical] and Maddy [Perez in Euphoria], just like the mean girl that’s never that mean. They’re just real. You know when women know what they want… I want to be that woman.”
Dare To Dream is currently streaming on Amazon Music’s YouTube channel and app. It will be available to stream on Prime Video in the coming weeks.
Starr is also the first Afrobeats artist to be named Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist, an emerging artist program that champions new talent early on in their careers through enhanced playlist support, social media campaigns, an Amazon Music Original song, marketing opportunities and bespoke editorial content. The Breakthrough Program has previously featured rapidly rising stars like Chappell Roan and Benson Boone.
“Ayra Starr was an obvious choice for our latest Breakthrough artist. A one-of-a-kind talent leading the exhilarating world of Afrobeats, her early successes have already been thrilling,” said Alexis Cueva, artist relations for Amazon Music, in a press statement. “With Ayra joining the Breakthrough family, we’re excited to support her as she continues to garner worldwide acclaim and represent Nigeria’s music scene on the global stage.”
Watch Dare to Dream below.
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It’s been almost 20 years since the Hip-Hop world mourned the sudden passing of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan member, Ol’ Dirty Bastard. And though many of today’s generation of Hip-Hoppers probably aren’t familiar with the man’s musical genius, A&E will be putting many on to game as they have a documentary centered around the “Brooklyn Zoo” artist on the way.
Recently, A&E announced that after years in development, they will be premiering Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys on August 25, and the documentary will feature never-before-seen footage of Dirt McGirt courtesy of his wife, Icelene Jones. Delving into the life of Russell Tyrone Jones, the man, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the entertainer, A Tale of Two Dirtys will showcase sides of the Wu-Tang Clan legend that many of us weren’t familiar with before he passed away in 2004.
With interviews from his fellow clansmen such as Ghostface Killah, GZA, RZA, and other music heavyweights like Mariah Carey and Damon Dash, the documentary is sure to shed light on the man that Big Baby Jesus (ODB) was whenever he wasn’t one of his many alter egos in the entertainment industry.
In a press release for the upcoming project, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s wife, Icelene Jones, explained how elated she feels to finally get this documentary out to the public.
Said ODB’s wife, Icelene Jones, administrator of the estate of ODB, “I am absolutely thrilled to have brought this project highlighting my husband’s life to the screen with my partners at Four Screens. They brought this dream to reality and I am forever grateful. ODB was and is an inspiration to my family, children and fans across the world. Like all of hip-hop, I have missed him dearly. And this project has solidified my belief that he is alive and well in all of our hearts.”
Yeah, heads still bump “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” like it was still 1995 ’round the streets of New York. We love that man.
Directed by Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Black Art: In the Absence of Light), and his son Jason Pollard, Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys is sure to have day one Wu-Tang Clan fans glued to their TVs and might even garner him some new followers come August 25.
Check out the teaser trailer for the documentary below, and hit up the comments section to let us know if you’ll be tuning in come next month.
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After delighting fans with her flashy new Michael and Janet Jackson-nodding “Alright” music video, Victoria Monét is keeping the Black Music Month celebrations going with an appearance in Amazon Music‘s new Save The Music: Inspiring Music’s Next Generation documentary (June 18) alongside frequent collaborator D’Mile.
The latest in a string of programming in honor of Black Music Month, Save the Music follows Monét and D’Mile as they visit public school students at Brooklyn’s Transit Tech High School, gifting them valuable insight on the music industry and providing them musical equipment and a D’Mile production masterclass.
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The Transit Tech students are undoubtedly learning from the best. D’Mile’s work with R&B stars such as H.E.R. and Lucky Daye have earned him several Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song, while Monét picked up her first three Grammys earlier this year thank to her acclaimed Jaguar II album. D’Mile produced every track on Jaguar II — save the Kaytranada-helmed “Alright” — earning him and Monét a shared victory for best R&B album.
The journey back to the classroom was also a trip down memory lane for D’Mile, who recently re-teamed with Monét for “Power of Two,” a new original song for Disney+’s The Acolyte. “I used to cut class just to stay in band class or my school gospel choir almost all day,” he muses. “I met my now wife at jazz choir class. My favorite memories are the friends I made there, they were all like-minded and talented. I’m still great friends with and still playing or working with [them] professionally in some way. It’s a bond you can’t replace.”
Firmly rooted in R&B, Jaguar II finds the two musicians exploring the vast expanse of Black music, dabbling in reggae, house, hip-hop and soul. Save the Music: Inspiring Music’s Next Generation grants both D’Mile and Monét the space to reflect on the importance of Black Music Month and take part in the sacred traditions of educating younger generations on their cultural history.
“So many genres stemmed from Black artists and musicians: rock and roll, country, disco, house, R&B, soul, techno, rap … the list goes on,” notes Monét. “I love that there’s a month dedicated to educating others on and celebrating Black music, but my hope is that in general, music by Black artists is celebrated in all genres one day. Motown was a breeding ground for so many incredible Black musicians and icons (from The Jacksons to Diana Ross to Stevie Wonder to Smokey Robinson) who truly made quality, POPular music.”
Fittingly, Monét and D’Mile chose to record a new version of “Hollywood,” the penultimate Jaguar II track, for Save the Music. Earning a Grammy nod for best traditional R&B performance, “Hollywood” is a prime showcase of the cross-generational appeal of Black music. The track features the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as Monét’s adorable two-year-old daughter Hazel Monét Gaines. The new acoustic version of “Hollywood” strips away the grandiosity of the original’s cinematic drum-heavy arrangement, making for a much more intimate and introspective affair.
“I knew I wanted to keep in all the organic elements from the original,” reveals D’Mile. “Which was interesting because about 90% of the song already was organic. But sometimes when you do something as simple as just taking drums out, you start hearing things that you want to be heard more. You get to focus more on some of the string work or even background vocals on the song. It was as simple as taking the groove out and just holding down the chords and letting everything else shine.”
Just as she does on “Hollywood,” Monét’s music is both a love letter to Black music history and a way for her to expose her fans to styles and influences from decades past. The music video for her breakout hit “On My Mama” exalts ’00s Southern Black culture, while Jaguar II standout “How Does It Make You Feel” recalls the classic soul of The Isley Brothers. “Some of my first memories are of the music my mom would play around the house and that helped shape me as I grew older,” she says. “‘My Girl’ by The Temptations is already my daughter Hazel’s favorite song – I’ve played it since I was pregnant with her. Great music really can stand the test of time.”
The reimagined version of “Hollywood,” whose creation is documented in Save the Music, can be streamed in full exclusively on Amazon Music, where the mini-documentary can also be viewed starting Tuesday (June 18).