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Jay Park had a busy day after delivering his new singles and twerking skills for Kehlani.
On the evening of Feb. 13 local time in South Korea, the rapper-singer-CEO dropped two new songs, “Yesterday” and “Love Is Ugly” featuring Hwa Sa of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO. While Park is most known for his rap skills, the two new tracks see the Korean-American star embracing his R&B sensibilities and showcasing a tender vocal approach.
“Yesterday” is an English acoustic track that comes with a stripped-down music video where Park sings heartfelt lyrics (“Your smile is all I need, without you these lungs can’t breathe/ I’d fall from the sky for you, want to do better and thrive for you”) in a white T-shirt and jeans. Soon enough, the love interest Jay’s singing to joins him, played by actress Lee You-mi who’s best known as the Emmy Award–winning Squid Game actress who was the first Korean named Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
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Park’s second new song, “Love Is Ugly,” stays in a similarly laid-back, R&B sound with Jay and Hwa Sa trading off expressive, emotive verses. The two performed the track live for Hwa Sa’s cable television show on Korean TV station tVn (below), with the latest episode also including a cover of Park’s excellent pop-R&B single “Ganadara” and Hwa Sa covering “Stay” by 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner Rihanna.
After dropping the new music, Jay Park made his way to Seoul’s YES 24 Live Hall where Kehlani was performing as part of the Asia leg of her Blue Water Road Trip tour that night. Not only was Jay spotted watching the show, but he eventually joined Kehlani on stage for what appeared to be an impromptu dance lesson of how to twerk to Park’s 2015 single “MOMMAE.” Fans in attendance shared footage throughout the night, including the moment when Jay pulled his shirt off prompting a hyped-up reaction from the crowd and Kehlani herself.
“Yesterday” and “Love Is Ugly” are the latest releases from Jay Park under his newly created More Vision record label that launched nearly a year ago. Like these two new tracks, More Vision has seen Park serving more in the pop and R&B lane with singles like “Ganadara” and “Need to Know.” The former track earned Park his first Top 10 entry on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart since 2016, perhaps indicating that U.S. fans are especially loving his latest venture.
Watch Jay Park’s “Yesterday” video with Lee You-mi and “Love Is Ugly” live performance with Hwa Sa below:
“You will never be able to break my family.”
Universal Pictures unveiled the new trailer for Fast X during Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (Feb. 12), and in the clip, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and their crew face off against a new enemy in Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes — the son of Fast Five baddie Hernan Reyes who’s now out for revenge.
“Dominic Torretto, you’re about to learn all about fear,” he warns in a voice-over, as an ominous remix of 1997’s “Notorious Thugs” by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony plays. “You built such a beautiful life, filled with love and family. I never got that chance. You stole that from me: my future, my family. And now I’m gonna break yours piece by piece.”
Diesel’s character later adds: “When it used to be about winning, we raced for respect. Today I race to stop the bloodbath.” But Momoa still, apparently, holds the upper hand, responding, “That’s the problem with having such a big family. How do you choose the ones you save?”
The 10th installment of the Fast & Furious franchise also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sun Kang, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno and the late Paul Walker via flashbacks. The movie will hit theaters nationwide on May 19.
During the Super Bowl, Ludacris — who’s starred in the action franchise since 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious — also appeared in a new DraftKings commercial opposite Tony Hawk, Kevin Hart, The Undertaker, David Ortiz, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Leslie and Julius Erving.
Watch the trailer for Fast X below.
Damon Albarn is mourning his friend by doing what he does best: making music. To honor De La Soul‘s Trugoy The Dove, who passed away this week, the Gorillaz musician shared a piano tribute on Instagram.
Posted Monday morning (Feb. 13) — one day after it was announced that Trugoy, born David Jude Jolicoeur, had died at age 54 — Albarn’s video was filmed from the inside of his acoustic piano. As the Blur frontman taps out a sweet instrumental melody, you can see the wooden hammers for each key striking the notes internally.
“A loop for Dave,” Albarn captioned the video. “I love you 🕊 ⚓️ ❤️”
Jolicoeur’s cause of death was not revealed when his reps confirmed his passing to All Hip Hop on Sunday, but he was known to have struggled with health issues related to congestive heart failure. He formed De La Soul in 1988 with Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo), and the hip-hop trio released several albums together over the course of three decades together, the most recent of which was 2016’s And the Anonymous Nobody…
In 2005, the Gorillaz and De La Soul collaborated on “Feel Good Inc.,” which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned best pop collaboration at the 2006 Grammys.
The sad news about Jolicoeur comes just a couple months after Albarn lost another one of his friends, The Specials frontman Terry Hall. He posted a video of him playing Hall’s “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” on Twitter at the time in honor of the legendary second wave ska singer, writing, “Terry, you meant the world to me. I love you.”
Watch Damon Albarn’s sweet tribute to De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove below:
The inaugural Evolution Festival in St. Louis, Missouri will bring rock, hip-hop, blues and country sounds to town on August 26-27 with headliners Brandi Carlile, the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, Brittany Howard and Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals. The festival from producers Contemporary Presentations and the Just Listen Company — along with co-executive producers Steven Schankman and Joe Litvag — will feature more than a dozen performers taking the stage in Forest Park under the banner: “This is our town. This is our time. This is our EVOLUTION!”
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Among the other acts on the bill are: Ice Cube, Morgan Wade, Cautious Clay, Michigander, Modern English, Nikki Lane, The Sugarhill Gang, The Nude Party, Smidley, Carriers, The Knuckles, Yard Eagle and Punk Lady Apple. The festival will take place in Forest Park at Langenberg Field and the Boathouse, located between the Muny (St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre) and the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
“St. Louis is home. My partner Joe and I are both born and raised here, and we’ve both always worked hard to create unforgettable live entertainment experiences here for our hometown community,” said co-exec producer Schankman. “We both agreed that there is something missing here, an event that will welcome everyone from our great city to come together to celebrate our diversity, inclusion, and to offer a renewed focus on our musical culture and the arts. Evolution Festival does just that, and this event will not only create long-lasting memories, but it will be a strong economic driver for the city, the region, and the state for years to come, as well.”
The fest will also focus on bourbon and BBQ, with pit masters “Phil the Grill” Johnson and James “Boatright’s BBQ” on hand for the weekend that will also feature award-winning BBQ from a number of national, regional and local chefs. A portion of proceeds will benefit Forest Park Forever, a non-profit conservancy helping to maintain and sustain Forest Park; the festival will also work with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital through Music Gives to raise money and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Tickets for Evolution will go on sale on Friday (Feb. 17) at 10 a.m. CST here.
See the full concert poster below.
Courtesy Photo
At long last, Rihanna made grand return to the stage — the world’s biggest one, by the way — and her fans couldn’t have been more excited. And because she’s Rihanna, her fanbase happens to include some of the biggest names in music, from Karol G to SZA, both of whom shared their post-Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show praise on social media on Sunday night (Feb. 12).
“The HITS RIH HAS…,” tweeted “Kill Bill” musician SZA. “Low key endless . So inspiring !”
Karol G, meanwhile, was lucky enough to be in the house at Glendale Arizona’s State Farm Stadium — where the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 — to congratulate the Fenty Beauty founder in person. “As a Fan, I have to say that this was the HIGHLIGHT of my entire life!!!” wrote the Latin music star in Spanish on Instagram, sharing photos of her and Rih posing adorably together.
“I hope when you guys meet your idols, they’re as awesome as she was with me. I LOVE YOU.”
Many more artists, including Christina Aguilera, Diplo, Dionne Warwick and Fifth Harmony’s Dinah Jane, also shared congratulations following Rihanna’s extravagant medley of Super Bowl-curated hits, a performance that marked the pop star’s first live show in nearly six years.
Strutting down a light-up runway and soaring above the crowd on a floating platform, Rih belted out beloved hits including “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” “Umbrella” and “Diamonds” while debuting her brand new baby bump; reps later confirmed that she and partner A$AP Rocky are in fact expecting Baby No. 2.
Check out SZA, Karol G, and more musicians’ reactions to Rihanna’s epic Super Bowl Halftime set below:
I was rooting for the Raiders even though they weren’t there… and Rihanna. Goodnight.— Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) February 13, 2023
And if anyone thinks I’m somehow making fun of the QUEEN Rihanna with this, you’re reaching. I’m a huge fan and thought she did great.— The Smashing Pumpkins (@SmashingPumpkin) February 13, 2023
WOW! #RIHANNA WHAT BALLS!! That was fantastic!! Thank you to ever who made that spectacular 1/2 Time Show JUST FANTASTIC! How did they do that??— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) February 13, 2023
As Billboard / VIBE’s 50 Greatest Rappers of All-Time list continues to spark debate amongst fans and rappers on social media, Missy Elliott expressed her gratitude about making it into the top 20 with during a chat with Billboard.
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“Oh man, being on a list like that with the names I saw, sometimes you still have to pinch yourself,” says Missy, who entered the tally at No. 19. “Sometimes, even if you think you’re great, you still look around and see so many icons and legends in this list, and you’re just humbled to be a part of that list. And to be in the top 20 when talking about that many people. I am blessed. I am thankful, and yeah, it feels good. It most definitely feels good, especially when you work hard. I was thinking of something Lil Wayne said the other night along the lines of just being acknowledged. That is everything to an artist.”
Missy also just participated in the GRAMMY’s HipHop50 performance, which included a sea of heralded icons including Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, Ice-T, Nelly, Run-D.M.C., GloRilla and many more. From a fan perspective, it was a one-of-a-kind experience for Missy, who relished watching some of her favorites perform as much as she loved sharing the stage with them.
“It was such nostalgia because I remember sitting in my living room and watching Public Enemy and Eric B. and Rakim and De La Soul and [Queen] Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa and once again, just like that [Billboard] list I am a part of this 50-year hip-hop tribute. And I tell you — this is no lie — no matter how many awards or accolades I have collected, I still pinch myself when I’m in those spaces because those people are so legendary to me,” she said.
On Sunday night (Feb. 12), Missy starred alongside Jack Harlow in a Doritos Super Bowl commercial that left the “First Class” MC similarly starstruck. “[She’s] completely down to Earth and an open book,” raved Harlow about Elliott. “She left me inspired.”
You can watch the full commercial here.
Cardi B and Offset headlined the Hall of Fame pre-Super Bowl party early Sunday morning (Feb. 12), and when the rap princess was feeling a little thirsty, the Migos performer played the role of prince charming.
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“Can I get a little liquorrrrr?” Cardi B asked. “There’s no liquor for me, huh? Damn. I don’t like that.”
The duo performed their Grammy-nominated hit “Clout” and kissed onstage. But then Offset returned with a small gift for his wife.
“Thank you, baby,” Cardi B said. “Let’s take a shot. Put your drink up, b—-. One, two, three — bottoms up, b—-!”
She then performed her fiery verse on “Tomorrow 2,” her collaboration with breakthrough rapper GloRilla. Cardi B — in a shiny, mini green dress — kicked off the show at Gila River Resorts & Casinos in Arizona with “Money” and also performed upbeat hits like “WAP” and her debut smash single, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves).”
“You wanna go corporate on them? Let’s go corporate on them,” the DJ said before Cardi B rapped her verse on the remix to Bruno Mars’ “Finesse.”
Before performing the Latin hit “I Like It,” which features her with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, she scoped out the audience. “Do we have out-of-towners in here? Or are you guys from Arizona?”
“Where you from?” she asked a man in the crowd. “Los Angeles? He likes avocado toast.”
Serena Williams danced and jammed onstage behind Cardi B throughout her performance, and the Grammy winner embraced and exchanged words with the iconic athlete after her set.
Other celebrity attendees include Tiffany Haddish, Kelis, Chuck Liddell, Marshall Faulk, Joe Haden and Deandre Ayton.
Cardi B took her shoes off during the performance and gyrated onstage, even walking into the middle of the packed room to dance more closely with her fans, who filmed the majority of the show with their cell phones. At one point when she was onstage her security guard had to smack a fan’s arm who held on to Cardi’s hand too long.
“A lot of bad b—-es in the building,” Cardi B said when the lights turned on. “I see some chains — a lot of [men] in the building, ladies! Spread them cheeks!”
“Thank you everybody,” she said after her performance. “You can keep on partying all night. Meet me in the casino and let’s spend some motherf—ing money.”
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
De La Soul‘s Trugoy the Dove, who also went by the name Dave, has died, a representative for the legendary New York hip-hop trio confirms to Billboard. His death was first reported on Sunday (Feb. 12).
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The death of Trugoy the Dove, born David Jolicoeur, comes just weeks before De La Soul’s classic catalog is set to finally arrive on streaming and digital platforms on March 3, following a 2021 deal with Reservoir Media.
Dave’s cause of death had not been made known as of press time.
“This one hurts,” Erick Sermon, former EPMD member and renowned producer, wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in Hiphop #Delasoul #plug2 Dave has passed away you will be missed… RIP.”
With a career spanning more than three decades, De La Soul is known as one of hip-hop’s most innovative and eclectic groups. Formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, Dave (Trugoy the Dove) and members Posdnuos and Maseo met in high school and went on to impress local producer Prince Paul, who circulated their demo tape. They landed a deal with Tommy Boy Records.
Their 1989 debut — the album 3 Feet High and Rising, peaking at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 24 on the Billboard 200 — featured the breakthrough single “Me Myself and I,” which topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reached No. 34 on the Hot 100 and was nominated for a best rap performance Grammy. 3 Feet High and Rising is often cited as the start of what’s referred to as “alternative hip-hop.”
But music industry red tape and sample clearances prevented their back catalog from becoming available on digital marketplaces and streaming services, until the rights to Tommy Boy were acquired by the music rights firm Reservoir Media in 2021.
De La Soul secured a deal to retrieve their masters, allowing their first six albums to become available via their label AOI, distributed by Chrysalis Records. The trio’s first six albums are scheduled to arrive in full on streaming on March 3.
In an interview with Billboard published in January, Dave reflected on De La Soul’s debut. “I think 3 Feet High and Rising, as much as people might claim it to be a hip-hop masterpiece – it’s a hip-hop masterpiece for the era in which it was released,” he said.
“I think the element of that time of what was taking place in music, hip-hop, and our culture, I think it welcomed that and opened up minds and spirits to see and try new different things,” Dave noted in the conversation with Billboard. “I think releasing 3 Feet High and Rising right now, even to maybe the age group that was listening back then, I think hip-hop as a whole just wouldn’t get it. I think hip-hop would possibly look at it as obnoxious, soft, that kind of thing. But I think it’s also because where we’re at in hip-hop right now, hip-hop is about what you got on, who you’re impressing, what can you do, how much you got, how much you’re spending, and how much is in that bag that you got around you? I don’t think the impact of what 3 Feet High and Rising and what it meant back then would mean anything now. I feel like there are people who will get it, but I don’t know if there’s that acclaim to it in this day and age if it was something we’d never heard before.”
Dave added, “I think the innocence that we had back then was brave, but we were in a time where innocence was so cool. Not sampling James Brown, but sampling Liberace; I think it was shocking [when] we came out [that] we sampled Liberace. I don’t know if it’d impact the same way [now].”
“But the magic happens with us three on the phone, in the same conversation, in the room together, in the studio, and hanging out on the tour bus,” said Dave. “That’s where the magic happens, so that’s why we’re still here. We don’t want to interrupt that magic.”
Roseanne Barr joked that she’s “shooting my shot” with A$AP Rocky.
The day before Rihanna graces TV screens everywhere as the star of the highly-anticipated Super Bowl halftime show, Roseanne apparently slid into A$AP Rocky’s DMs and simply wrote, “Call me when you get tired of Rihanna.”
Roseanne shared screenshots of her private message to the rapper on Instagram on Saturday (Feb. 11).
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The unexpected crush seemed to amuse her followers, who left comments like “Doesn’t hurt to try,” “I feel this, Roseanne” and “Reminds me when I shot my shot with my local weather man.”
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, who turned their friendship to romance in 2020, welcomed their first child together in May 2022. Neither have publicly responded to Roseanne on social media.
Roseanne is launching a stand-up special, Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!, on Fox Nation this week.
“I’m so happy that this is the most offensive in my stand-up that I’ve ever had the balls to be,” she said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, in which she suggested she’s been held to a cancel culture double standard and slammed ABC for firing her in 2018 from her sitcom Roseanne (then rebranded The Conners), after a late-night racist tweet that had her comparing White House advisor Valerie Jarrett to the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes movies. At the time, she apologized and said she didn’t realize Jarrett was Black, and that she was on Ambien when she tweeted.
See her DM to A$AP Rocky below.
Even stars get starstuck, especially when talking about Rihanna. Missy Elliott and Jack Harlow weighed in on what they hope to hear and see from RihRih on Sunday (Dec. 12) when she takes the stage for the halftime show at Super Bowl LVII. And, as you might expect, they’re anticipating nothing but the best.
“I expect nothing less than the best from Rihanna,” Elliott tells Billboard. “When Rihanna steps out she will most definitely give 200%. I know she’s working hard and I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s going to be incredible.”
Elliott and Harlow — who co-star in a Doritos commercial along with Elton John that will air during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — say they will be on the couch awaiting the big moment just like everyone else.
“Sheesh. I mean, what an icon,” says Harlow about Rihanna’s step into the halftime performer pantheon. “I can’t wait to see what she’s got planned. I know it’s going to be show-stopping. It’s amazing to have someone that’s such a legend still fully relevant and completely important to what’s going on at the moment. I think Rihanna’s incredible.”
As for what songs he wants to hear? Harlow isn’t picky. “The whole catalog,” he says. “Everything.”
Elliott — who performed with Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz during halftime at the 2015 Super Bowl — says game day is a huge event in her house, which is why she’s excited for Rihanna to join the exclusive halftime veterans club.
“My cousins are all Super Bowl fanatics,” Elliott ays of her family’s reaction when the rapper/songwriter/producer got the call for Perry to huddle up for that year’s extravaganza. “I knew it was big, but not to the magnitude that my cousins was like, ‘Oh my God, do you understand what is about to happen?’”
They were so hyped, in fact, that even industry veteran Elliott says she got a bit scared. That said, Elliott thinks it’s only fitting that a huge star like Rihanna is taking the biggest stage during the year’s most tuned-into event. “Doing the Super Bowl is amazing because I don’t think there’s a bigger platform of people that are watching you,” Elliott says. “I was on a high.”
Super Bowl LVII will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
