Music News

10 Jul 2024

Peter Frampton & Patty Smyth to Play City Parks Foundation Benefit Feting John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe

A month ahead of his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Peter Frampton will help honor an International Tennis Hall of Famer when the guitar god joins the party at the 2024 City Parks Foundation Dinner & Concert Benefit.

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At the SummerStage venue in Manhattan’s Central Park on Sept. 26, the City Parks Foundation (CPF) will jointly honor John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe with the City Parks Foundation Icon Award. Nadir Settles, the global head of real estate impact at Nuveen Real Estate, will be honored with the People & Parks Award.

During the course of the evening, Frampton – whose era-defining double-LP Frampton Comes Alive! topped the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks in 1976 – will perform a set (and he has six top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 to choose from), as will Patty Smyth, the singer-songwriter and former Scandal singer who scored a top 10 on the Hot 100 with “The Warrior” (alongside Scandal) in 1984 and another top 10 on that chart in 1992 with “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” a Don Henley duet. Smyth will perform with a house band led by Steve Jordan, a veteran musical director and the touring drummer for the Rolling Stones. The concert portion of the evening is produced by RWE Partners.

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Upon learning of his impending Rock Hall induction back in April, Frampton told Billboard he was “blown away,” adding, “It’s an honor people regard me in this way.”

Tickets for the concert and dinner benefit event are available on City Parks Foundation’s site. CPF presents free arts and cultural programs in NYC parks throughout the year and helps make the city’s green spaces accessible for all people.

10 Jul 2024

Ye & Jay-Z’s ‘No Church in the Wild’ Soundtracks ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer: See How Fans Are Reacting

The long-awaited Gladiator sequel is finally on the way, and the Ridley Scott-directed film released the first trailer for the Roman Empire blockbuster on Tuesday (July 9) featuring Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild.”

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Ye’s bars didn’t make the cut, but vocals from Jay and Frank Ocean’s soothing chorus are heard at various points of the bloodthirsty teaser. Some viewers were confused by the Watch the Throne reference, but a deeper look into the lyrics used make more sense as a fit for the film’s themes.

“Tears on the mausoleum floor/ Bloodstains the Colosseum doors,” Hov raps while seemingly referencing the varying reactions to deaths from opposite sectors of society. Colosseum battles are also part of the Gladiator lore. Ocean sings about the different levels of social hierarchy: “Human beings in a mob/ What’s a mob to a king/ What’s a king to a God.”

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Ye and Jay have sampled Gladiator with their music in the past. Vultures cut “Burn” finds West using the classic “Are you not entertained?” line. Hov sampled the same on The Black Album‘s “What More Can I Say.”

Still, there were mixed reactions from fans hearing the Frank Ocean-assisted Watch the Throne track used in the sequel’s trailer.

“This reminded me: 1. Gladiator is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen and we need more 2. Watch The Throne is one of the most important rap albums of all time and has real staying power 3. I really shouldn’t watch dope movie trailers this close to bed time,” one fan wrote to X.

On the other side of the fence, one person blasted the decision: “The marketing team slapping Jay-Z & Kanye West’s No Church In The Wild on the trailer are so f—ing out of their element or the movie really is gonna be just that bad.”

Gladiator II hits theaters Nov. 22. The sequel to the 2000 classic stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Connie Nielson and more.

“No Church in the Wild” served as a standout on the Billboard 200-topping Watch the Throne, which arrived in 2011. The platinum track reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Find more reactions to “No Church in the Wild” soundtracking the Gladiator II trailer below.

10 Jul 2024

DeMar DeRozan Speaks on ‘Not Like Us’ Cameo: Kendrick Lamar Is ‘D–n Near Family’

DeMar DeRozan addressed his controversial “Not Like Us” cameo. During an interview with Sacramento’s Fox affiliate Fox40’s Sean Cunningham, the new Sacramento Kings player talked about how he ended up in Kendrick Lamar‘s video and whether or not the Kings are still allowed to play Drake inside their home arena the Golden 1 Center.

“We love Drake, we always can play him,” the former Toronto Raptor said. “Kendrick been a friend of mine, family. D–n near family, for a long time, for a while. We’re from the same city, we grew up d–n near in the same neighborhood. … It’s always been there. It hasn’t always been publicized, but, you know, that’s basically family.”

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Kendrick name-dropped DeRozan in the second verse of his massive Drake diss song “Not Like Us,” rapping, “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” referencing the six-time All-Star getting traded from the Toronto Raptors to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard back in 2018.

Not only did DeMar make a cameo in the song’s video when he was mentioned, he was also in attendance at Kendrick’s Pop Out concert on June 19, and was one of the first people to hit the stage to dance to the song while K. Dot was performing it.

DeMar played his first nine seasons in the NBA with the league’s only Canadian team, and appeared on the June 2016 cover of Slam magazine alongside Drake and then teammate Kyle Lowry when he was a member of the Toronto Raptors.

Watch DeMar DeRozan’s interview with Fox40 below:

10 Jul 2024

Motion Picture Academy Renews Its Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday (July 10) announced the second year of the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative, a career development program for Black musicians interested in composing music for film. The program, launched in 2022, provides real-world experience, one-on-one mentorship and networking opportunities with an aim to foster broader representation in film music composition. 

The program is named in memory of the late South African jazz musician, composer and producer Jonas Gwangwa. Gwangwa, who died in January 2021 at age 83, received a pair of Oscar nominations for best original score and best original song for his collaboration, with George Fenton, on Cry Freedom (1987).

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Program partners are Universal Music Group’s (UMG) Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC), Mercury Studios, Universal Music Publishing Group Classics and Screen, Decca Records and UMG’s Globe.

The program is open to U.K.-based and U.S.-based Black artists and composers with at least three years of work experience as a musician.  Four participants, two in the U.K. and two in the U.S., will be selected through an application process. Participants will receive access to Academy members across various branches to gain an understanding of the filmmaking process; one-on-one mentorship with a member of the Academy’s Music Branch to learn about the practical aspects of composing for film; access to Academy events and screenings in London and Los Angeles; and introductions to leading practitioners from all areas of film music, among other mentorship programming.

Participants will be matched with a filmmaker who is in the process of making a short film and will be given the opportunity to compose music for the film.  Each participant will receive a grant to help support their film composition projects.

“After an incredibly successful first year, the Academy is excited for the second year of Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative,” Kendra Carter, academy senior vice president, impact and global talent development, said in a statement.  “Our goal for this program is to stimulate long-term career opportunities within the film industry for underrepresented musicians, and we thank our partners within Universal Music Group and our Academy members, whose passion, dedication and expertise enable this work.”

“The life and legacy of Jonas Gwangwa’s commitment as an artist-activist who used music as a tool for social change is undeniable and it’s an honor to celebrate him with this program,” said Menna Demessie, Ph.D., senior vice president, UMG and executive director, Task Force for Meaningful Change. “This initiative will continue to help create space for a more diverse cadre of film music composers and ultimately provide career opportunities that will advance the industry itself.”

Applications for the Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative are currently open. For more information, visit the Academy’s website.

10 Jul 2024

Katy Perry Announces Dance-Pop Album ‘143’: Here’s When It Arrives

After months of teasing her sixth studio album, Katy Perry has finally announced that her next project, titled 143, is on its way this fall.

On social media Wednesday (July 10), the 39-year-old pop star unveiled the LP’s cover art — a spacey photo of a nearly nude Perry seemingly levitating in the center of a blue and red cosmos. She also confirmed in the caption that the project will arrive Sept. 20, a full four years after her last album, Smile, arrived in 2020.

For those curious about the record’s wordless title, “143” is code for “I love you.” The usage dates back to the early 1900s, per Dictionary.com.

“I set out to create a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a throughline message,” Perry confirmed in a statement.

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143 will be led by the recently retired American Idol judge’s previously announced single, “Woman’s World,” which arrives July 11 and was produced by Dr. Luke, Vaughn Oliver, Aaron Joseph and Rocco Did It Again!. One day prior to the album news, she shared a teaser for the track’s music video, featuring high-energy vocals and sultry shots of Perry playing a modernized Rosie the Riveter in a red, white and blue string bikini.

According to a release, the track will match much of the songs on 143 — a “sexy, fearless return to form for the multifaceted musician.”

Fans can also expect “empowering and provocative pop anthems” with “a lot of heart – and a lot of BPM.”

See Perry’s 143 announcement below.

10 Jul 2024

Eminem Teases Slim Shady Revival in Frightening ‘The Death of Slim Shady’ Graveyard Trailer: Watch

Eminem making a “Hawk Tuah” joke probably wasn’t on many fans’ bingo cards for 2024, but here we are. The rapper’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) album is just a couple of days away, and Slim unleashed another trailer on Wednesday (July 10) teasing the LP centered around killing off his alter ego while tapping into the viral trend.

The ominous clip features Slim Shady’s tombstone on a rainy night. The gravestone is inscribed with “Beloved Antagonist Slim Shady 1997-2024 It Feels So Empty Without Him” in an homage to lyrics from his 2002 hit “Without Me.”

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A person walking by the tombstone hawks a loogie on the tombstone. Then seconds later, a battered and bruised arm emerges from the dirt, signaling a possible Slim Shady revival.

“It feels so empty without him” HAWK TUAH #TheDeathOfSlimShady 7/12,” Em captioned the graveyard trailer on social media.

Fans found it hilarious that the 51-year-old was plugged into the trending topic. “Eminem saying Hawk Tuah was not in my 2024 agenda,” one person tweeted. Another replied in shock, “EMINEM JUST SAID HAWK TUAH AINT NO WAY.”

For those unfamiliar, per The Cut, the now famous Hawk Tuah Girl is named Hailey Welch. She went viral in June when asked in a Nashville street0-side interview about moves that make guys “go crazy” in bed, and she replied with the sexual spitting noise. “You gotta give them that hawk tuah and spit on that thing,” Welch said. “Ya get me?”

Back to Eminem, the Detroit legend is gearing up to deliver his The Death of Slim Shady album on Friday (July 12). A tracklist popped up on Apple Music boasting 19 songs, including a sequel to 1999’s “Guilty Conscience” with Dr. Dre. However, the featured artists remain a secret.

Em heated up his 12th studio album’s rollout with a pair of singles, starting with “Houdini,” which gave him his highest charting Billboard Hot 100 entry of the decade at No. 2. “Tobey” featuring fellow Detroit natives Big Sean and BabyTron, followed as the second single.

Watch the new trailer for The Death of Slim Shady below.

10 Jul 2024

Rita Ora Gushes About Her ‘Pop Girls’ Reunion With Taylor Swift & Katy Perry at Sydney Eras Tour Show

Only one may have taken the stage, but three pop stars were present at Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour show in Sydney in February. And while appearing on the latest episode of The Tonight Show Tuesday (July 9), Rita Ora had nothing but kind things to say about the concert, which she watched from a VIP tent alongside Katy Perry.

“The pop girls have really come together on that one,” the “I Will Never Let You Down” singer told host Jimmy Fallon of the experience, calling Perry her “buddy.”

“We were in Australia and we were both doing separate jobs, and obviously everyone in the world has seen the Eras Tour,” continued Ora of the “Firework” singer. “So I went and I really wanted to just hang out. It was really cool because it was the first time I’ve seen her in ages and she’s putting out music, and you know, everyone’s just doing their thing.”

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After the show, the vocalist posted a backstage photo with the “Anti-Hero” singer, plus pictures of her cozying up to Perry at Accor Stadium. She also shared a snap with Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who flashed a big smile while posing with an arm around Ora’s shoulder.

“It’s fair to say Sydney ?? always delivers – Or shall we say our TayTay @taylorswift always delivers!” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “thank you for having us! Seeing my KP @katyperry made my heart ? to many queens to count!”

The Descendants: The Rise of Red star was also accompanied by husband Taika Waititi at the Eras show, and the director joined in on Ora’s photo with Swift. The couple tied the knot in August 2022, although they didn’t reveal their nuptials until their anniversary the next year.

On the Tonight Show, Ora shared that their intimate ceremony in Los Angeles was somewhat spontaneous. Even their Elvis impersonator was a total surprise, with the star saying she “didn’t ask” for him to be there.

“There was no plan,” she told Fallon. “I got married off the cuff and it was so fun … The first song [the impersonator] sang was, ‘I’m caught in a trap.’ I was like, ‘Is that how we want to start?’”

Watch Ora recount her Eras Tour experience above.

10 Jul 2024

Sexyy Red & André 3000 Bond Over Haters

Sexyy Red and André 3000 bonded over haters during a recent appearance on the Uninterrupted’s The Shop.

In a clip posted on The Shop‘s Instagram page, the St. Louis rapper was speaking about doubters when André stepped in to tell her to let the hate motivate her.

“They still don’t believe in me, so I just be like, ‘I’ma show you who I am,’” she said. “And like he said, they don’t understand like we really came from nothin’ and then we be makin’ big achievements. Like, that’s something for us. And then they just be like, ‘You ain’t doing nothin’.’ But for us, it’s like, ain’t nobody doin’ this.”

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Stacks interjected to give her some advice, saying, “Fuel. Use it for fuel. Hater fuel, man, it’s the best shit. It’s free energy.”

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Sexyy Red then replied, “I like it when they talk about me, I ain’t gonna lie,” to which André then said, “That s–t free energy, that make me go, that make me go in. I love when somebody doubts you.” She then responded in agreement, saying, “‘Cause now I’m finna show you somethin’.”

One fan took 3000’s “hater fuel” quote as a challenge, telling the rapper-turned-flautist to “stick to that lil’ flute,” which started a hilarious thread of replies of things such as he wouldn’t be able to handle a Madlib beat or that Sexyy Red could out rap him.

On Tuesday (July 9), The Shop posted a clip of André 3000 telling a story about the time Pimp C got mad at him for taking the beat off his verse when they were making the classic love song “Int’l Players Anthem.”

This particular episode will also include fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo, BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester and comedian-actress Jiaoying Summers, and premieres Thursday, July 11, at 12 p.m. ET.

10 Jul 2024

Sam Smith Re-Recorded ‘Stay With Me’ & Updated Its Lyrics: ‘Sometimes, We Can Change the Past’

A decade after they released it, pop singer Sam Smith is coming back to their breakout hit — and this time, they’re ready for something fresh.

In an emailed note to their fans, Smith shared that they recorded a brand new version of “Stay With Me” to honor of its 10th anniversary, and changed one of the song’s lyrics in the process. “This song is truly so special to me, so for the 10 year anniversary I re-recorded the track, which will be available on all platforms & physical,” they said in the message. “Including the updated lyric ‘but I still need love, baby understand’ which felt really important to me. It’s beautiful to know that sometimes, we can change the past.”

The song’s original lyric saw Smith saying that they “still need love, because I’m just a man.” In 2019, Smith publicly came out as non-binary, changing their pronouns to they/them. In subsequent live performances of the song since — including on their Gloria World Tour — the singer has often changed the lyric live.

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Smith also altered the lyrics of the song even further when performing at the White House to honor the Respect for Marriage Act’s passing back in 2022. To mark the occasion, Smith changed a lyric in the track’s chorus from “This ain’t love, it’s clear to see,” to “This is love, it’s clear to see.”

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Elsewhere in their statement, Smith reflected on the writing and recording process of “Stay With Me,” thanking their collaborators Jimmy Napes and Tourist for helping them express complicated feelings through music. “When me, Jimmy and Tourist wrote this song, none of us would’ve expected it to become what it has in the world,” they wrote. “I will never forget Will (Tourist) playing those three chords on the piano. I stopped everything I was doing and said ‘what is that’. Those chords and this song still stir me in the same way to this day. I’ve never once got sick of singing it.”

Upon its release in 2014, “Stay With Me” became an international hit for the then relatively unknown Smith. Debuting at No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after its release, “Stay With Me” steadily climbed the chart to reach its No. 2 peak in August, a career-high for the singer until their smash-hit “Unholy” reached No. 1 in October 2022.

Pre-orders for the 10th anniversary edition of Smith’s In the Lonely Hour — including their new version of “Stay With Me” — are available on the singer’s website. Listen to the original version of the track below:

10 Jul 2024

Bunnie XO Opens Up About Her Not-So-NSFW Sex Life With Jelly Roll: ‘My Husband Is So Vanilla’

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO might be on fire in their careers right now, but their sex life is a little less fiery than fans might think. 

On the latest episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast posted Tuesday (July 9), the 44-year-old entrepreneur opened up about her not-so-NSFW affairs with the “Son of a Sinner” singer. “My husband is so vanilla,” she put it plainly. “He doesn’t like any of that s–t. He is like, ‘Just ride me and get off.’” 

Even so, Bunnie said it’s rare that the couple ever has enough energy to get spicy. “We’re so busy,” she continued. “The last thing we ever think about is sex — I mean, I think about it all the time and I’m sure he does too — but we are just so busy and so tired. We love crawling into bed and just watching a TV show together. That’s like foreplay to us.” 

Bunnie also recently shared other news about their personal life, revealing that they’re trying to conceive a baby, but through in vitro fertilization.  “I’m in my baby mama gardening era,” she said on a previous episode of Dumb Blonde earlier this month. “Anyone who has struggled with infertility, all you really want is people rooting you on.” 

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On the latest episode of her podcast, Bunnie was also candid about her husband’s body image struggles. The country star has been open about his fitness journey in the past, and recently ran his first-ever 5K with his wife by his side.  

“He’s such a cute little squishy baby,” Bunnie said of Jelly. “I just feel like, because he is in front of such a huge audience critiquing him all the time, he always feels like he has to hide behind jackets and flannels. I’m like, ‘Baby, you don’t gotta do that. Just be the little squish that you are.’” 

Listen to Bunnie chat about her husband below.