Music News

12 May 2025

T-Pain Shares Rare Footage of First Time He Rhymed ‘Mansion’ With ‘Wisconsin’

T-Pain has unearthed some super-rare footage on par with digging up the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant.

The Florida singer found video of the exact moment in 2008 when he decided to rhyme “mansion” with “Wisconsin” while he was in the booth recording his hit song “Can’t Believe It” featuring Lil Wayne, which peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100.

He posted the special moment on X and in the video he can be heard asking his engineer if that’s how Wisconsin natives pronounce the name of their home state as he tries to mimic the kind of broad, nasally midwestern accent that one would hear on a TV show like Fargo.

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“I can put you in a log cabin, somewhere in Aspen/ Girl, it ain’t nothin’ to the Pain/ I got what you askin’ for/ Put you in a mansion, somewhere in Wiscansin,” he sings into the microphone before stopping to ask if he’s pronouncing Wisconsin right. “That’s how they say it, ain’t it? Wiscansin? Do they say Wiscansin? I think Wisconsin people say Wiscansin.”

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In 2023, the rapper/singer spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and talked about the birth of that immortal couplet. “I could have done a lot of different things,” he told the paper. “But man, ‘Wiscansin’ just felt right. It felt better. It felt like I was taking a risk. Not a lot of people give Wisconsin a lot of love, so I felt like I was breathing air into something.”

That specific bar has since become somewhat of a trademark for T-Pain and he’s capitalized on it. He’s released merch based around the phrase and even has an annual “Wiscansin Fest” in Milwaukee. This year, the festival kicks off on June 14.

Check out the found footage of Pain’s “Wiscansin” moment below.

12 May 2025

Kid Cudi Announces Release Date for ‘Cudi the Memoir’; ‘You’ll All Understand Me a Lot More After This’

Kid Cudi has a story to tell. While fans await the follow-up to 2024’s Insano (Nitro Mega) album, Cudder announced on Sunday (May 11) that he’s prepping his autobiography, Cudi the Memoir, which is due out on August 5.

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“I cannot wait for u guys to read it. Its filled w so much about my journey from my first memory to turning 40. Life lessons, the rager period of my life, and fighting my demons,” he wrote on Instagram alongside the apparent cover of the volume, which features a painting of a cartoon face with a wide-open mouth.

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“All the way to the present, where happiness has found me. I hope this book does what my music does for u and gives u guidance and hope that u will make it through those difficult times. AND, this is my debut of my artwork!” he added. “I hope u guys like the vibes. There will be more pictures of my paintings in the book, as well as pictures from childhood all the way to my years in the business and all the things I’ve accomplished. Get ready, you’ll all understand me a lot more after this. LOVE YALL MAN!!”

Publisher Simon & Schuster calls the book “raw” and “fearless,” saying, “Cudi: The Memoir is Scott Mescudi’s most personal work yet. Across a trailblazing career, he’s turned pain into poetry with anthems like ‘Day ’N’ Nite,’ ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ and ‘Mr. Rager,’” in a description. “His music gave voice to the unheard and hope to the unseen. But while he was ascending to cultural dominance, he was quietly unraveling. Written during a time of deep self-discovery, Cudi is a story of survival—through depression, addiction, isolation, and doubt. In his own words, Scott charts the journey back to himself, offering hard-earned lessons on vulnerability, reinvention, and the courage to keep going.”

Because he always has a ton of irons in the fire, Cudi shared a cryptic teaser last week for his upcoming “Neverland” single, which is out now. After earlier claiming that the original 2024 Insano album would be his last, he also noted over the weekend that the song will appear on his upcoming FREE album.

In addition to the single and memoir, Cudi wrote that he’s directing and starring in his first feature film in 2026 based on a story he came up with himself. He described When the Light Dies as a “horror/romance film. Ive been wanting to direct movies ever since I was a kid, and im finally stepping into this new chapter,” he wrote.

The post teased his directing Instagram page, where he promised to bring fans “on the journey. Ive been doing test shoots, trying diff lighting techniques and trying diff lenses, and I wanna give u guys access to my mind. Who’s joining the journey?” At press time the link to the directing Insta was not active, with Cudi noting in comments that he was working on getting it “restored” on Monday (May 12) after the service reportedly thought it was hosted by “someone tryna be me.”

Check out the memoir announcement below.

12 May 2025

Go Clubbing In the Clouds at This Summer DJ Skydeck Overlooking New York City at 1,100 Feet

This summer, a number of DJs will be taking the phrase “raise the roof” literally. As announced Monday (May 12), Tao Group Hospitality is partnering with the Edge at Hudson Yards — aka the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere — to install a pop-up nightclub 1,100 feet in the air, setting up shop in Manhattan for a limited time only.

Opening May 31, the Marquee Skydeck will feature a lineup of events taking place Friday and Saturday nights through September, corresponding with the closure of the original Marquee New York for renovations this summer. Namely, attendees can expect a number of high-energy sets from various DJs — who hopefully aren’t afraid of heights — throughout the temporary venue’s run, starting with a sneak peek performance by Carlita on May 16.

The kickoff show on May 31 will be headlined by Maceo Plex.

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“With Marquee Skydeck, we’re merging nightlife and spectacle,” says Tao Group Co-CEO Noah Tepperberg in a statement. “There’s nowhere else in the world where you can party at this altitude, with this view, and with the Marquee energy our guests love.”

More details on programming will be announced soon. Ticket information for the pop-up is available on Marquee’s website.

Opening its doors in 2020, the Edge at Hudson Yards has quickly become one of NYC’s most thrilling attractions. The angular terrace is surrounded by clear panoramic glass, giving visitors the feeling of floating freely in the sky while looking out across city’s buildings and streets.

The exact height of the deck is 1,131 feet, branching out 65 feet from the 100th floor of Hudson Yards.

“As one of the most recognizable features of the New York City skyline, Edge is proud to partner with Tao Group to bring an entirely new after-hours experience to the city that never sleeps,” adds Andrew Lustgarten, executive chairman at Hudson Yards Experience. “Marquee Skydeck at Edge is for the most discerning New Yorkers—you haven’t seen it all until you’ve seen how Edge does nightlife.”

12 May 2025

Disturbed’s David Draiman Is Down With the Slickness After Totally Surprising His Girlfriend With On-Stage Proposal

Disturbed singer David Draiman is down with the nuptials. The 52-year-old hard rock singer popped the question to girlfriend model Sarah Uli during a surprise moment at his band’s Disturbed: The Sickness 25th anniversary concert in Sacramento, CA on Friday night (May 9).

During the show at the Golden 1 Center honoring the band’s landmark 2000 album, Draiman paused things for a few minutes after the group’s beloved Simon & Garfunkel “The Sound of Silence” cover for a bit of personal business. “At this time, I would like to call miss Sarah Uli to the stage please,” Draiman is heard saying in a video of the moment.

Dressed in his traditional black pants and sleeveless black t-shirt, Draiman invited his beloved to join him center stage as she looks around seemingly confused while he takes her hand. “Everyone say hello to my lovely lady Sarah,” he continued. “She’s looking at me and she’s wondering, ‘What the f–k is he doing?’ Sarah, my love. You have made my life so much better,” Draiman said, pulling Uli close and staring deeply into her eyes.

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“You are the light in the darkness for me. I love you more than anything I have ever loved in this world, and it would be the absolute pinnacle of my life and my existence,” he added, while pulling a ring box out of his pocket and getting down on one knee as Uli covered her face. “Sarah Uli, will you marry me?”

The crowd went wild when the two shared a passionate kiss afterwards, with Draiman assuring them, “In case you didn’t hear, she said yes.” Uli posted pics of the moment with the caption, “the happiest moment ever with the love of my life.” The marriage will mark the second for Draiman, who was previously married to model/actress Lena Yada from 2011-2023; the couple share a 12-year-old son.

Watch Draiman and Uli’s engagement below.

12 May 2025

Morgan Wallen Finally Addressed His Hasty ‘SNL’ Exit: ‘I’d Been There All Week’

It was the quick exit heard ’round the world. Back on March 29 when he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, Morgan Wallen famously beat what some saw as a hasty retreat from the stage during the traditional end-of-show credit segment where the week’s guest and the cast hang out trading hugs and goodbyes.

After performing two songs on the Mikey Madison-hosted episode, Wallen briefly joined the cast on stage at the end of the episode, then abruptly walked off, sharing a photo on his Instagram Stories a short time later from his private plane with the caption, “Get me to God’s country” over the image of a runway; he later capitalized on the controversy by selling “Get Me to God’s Country” merch.

A week later, the show had some fun with the incident in a cold-open bit in which James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump took a shot at Wallen while discussing the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. “I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans. It’s called Heard and McDonald Island,” Johnson’s Trump said, holding a poster featuring a hula skirt-wearing hamburger. “I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Get me to God’s country, right? Remember that?”

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On Sunday (May 11), Wallen appeared on comedian Caleb Pressley’s podcast and the host, in a bid to show how normal the country star is noted that Wallen still cuts his own grass and takes out his trash. “Not true,” Wallen smiled. Teasing out the joke, Pressley asked if former landscaper Wallen is good around the house fixing stuff.

“Could you fix a TV, if it was on SNL?,” Pressley asked. Wallen laughed and said, “I could change it for sure.”

“Seriously, SNL, did they make you mad?” Pressley pressed, as the camera zoomed in faux dramatically. “No, no, I was just ready to go home. I been there all week.”

While Wallen seems to have had his fill, SNL wasn’t done with the jokes. During that same April 5 episode, Weekend Update’s Colin Jost poked fun at the singer in a bit about the economy. “This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020. But you have to remember — back then, the president was also Trump,” Jost said. “Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.”

Long-time cast member Kenan Thompson also had thoughts about it, saying the Wallen quickstep was unusual at best. “We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson said, noting that Prince had pulled a similar move during his appearance on the show years ago.

“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish,” Thompson said. “It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.”

Wallen’s upcoming 37-track album, I’m the Problem, is due out on Friday (May 16).

Watch Wallen on Sundae Conversation with Caleb Pressley below.

12 May 2025

Reba McEntire Returning to ‘The Voice’ for Season 28

She’s back, y’all! NBC announced Monday morning (May 12) that Reba McEntire will make her way back to the spinning red chairs of The Voice as a coach for season 28.

Set to premiere this fall, the upcoming season marks the superstar’s fourth go-round on the popular reality singing competition after joining the fun as a first-time coach for season 24 alongside Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend back in 2023.

The following season, McEntire took home her first win when Asher HaVon beat out fellow Team Reba member Josh Sanders; Bryan Olesen and Nathan Chester of Team Legend; and Karen Waldrup, who was representing freshman coaches Dan+ Shay, in the season 25 finale.

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This fall, the “I Can’t” singer will be joined by fellow returning coach Snoop Dogg, whom she last competed against during season 26. Meanwhile, she’ll also pull double-duty as the star and executive producer of her NBC sitcom Happy’s Place, which already earned a season 2 renewal back in February.

During her brief hiatus from The Voice since season 26 ended, McEntire has certainly kept busy, collaborating with Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert on the new single “Trailblazer” and hosting the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards — her 18th time hosting or co-hosting the annual awards show since 1985.

As for the current iteration of The Voice, season 27 — which saw OG coach Adam Levine make his own highly anticipated return to the show for the first time in 11 seasons — will kick off its live semifinals on Monday night, with each team already whittled down to just two singers ahead of the finals.

12 May 2025

Pearl Jam Release Compilation Inspired by HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

Pearl Jam have released a new four-track collection of songs connected to The Last of Us franchise, tying together their long-running relationship with the acclaimed video game series and its HBO adaptation.

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The EP includes studio cuts, a live performance, and a reworked fan favorite, and arrives with an exclusive vinyl edition available only to Ten Club members.

The tracklist features the original studio version of “Future Days” from 2013’s Lightning Bolt, as well as “All or None” from Riot Act (2002). On the flip side of the vinyl pressing, fans will find a new live version of “Future Days,” recorded at the 2024 Ohana Festival, and a reimagined take on No Code’s “Present Tense,” titled “Present Tense (Redux).”

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“Future Days” has become deeply embedded in the lore of The Last of Us. In The Last of Us Part II, Joel plays the song for Ellie in one of the game’s most emotional scenes, and it reappears throughout the storyline as a symbol of connection and loss.

That moment was first brought to life outside the game in 2020, when Eddie Vedder performed “Future Days” live at The Game Awards as a tribute to the game’s impact.

In season two of HBO’s The Last of Us, the song makes a quiet return. In episode five, Ellie picks up a guitar inside a Seattle theater and softly sings the first line of “Future Days,” the moment mirroring a pivotal scene from the video game The Last of Us Part II, where Joel plays the full song for Ellie in a flashback.

The compilation is available now on all major streaming platforms. A limited edition 12-inch vinyl version has also been released through Pearl Jam’s official site, but is exclusive to registered members of The Ten Club.

This release lands in the middle of Pearl Jam’s 2025 global tour in support of their twelfth studio album Dark Matter, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The band’s current run includes appearances across North America and Europe, and has already featured standout moments, including a performance of “Black” in Nashville with Peter Frampton.

12 May 2025

Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ Performance at Virginia Tech Registers Seismic Activity

When Metallica hit the stage at Lane Stadium on May 7, it wasn’t just another stadium show, it became a scientifically confirmed minor seismic event.

As the opening chords of “Enter Sandman” rang out at the show, more than 60,000 fans jumped together, creating enough force to register ground movement. The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory, located a mile away, detected tremors during the set and later confirmed that the crowd had, quite literally, shaken the earth.

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“Metallica saved ‘Enter Sandman’ for the final song of the night. It did not disappoint, shaking Lane Stadium so hard it registered on the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory’s helicorder. Nothing compares to experiencing it live, but this multi-camera video shared by the band comes pretty close,” Virginia Tech’s website reported.

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While the tremors posed no danger to the public, the moment quickly earned the nickname “Metallica Quake” across social media. According to the FOX Forecast Center, the seismic activity was too minor to be rated on the Richter scale.

“The magnitude would have been less than 1.0,” said Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory research associate Martin Chapman. “Too small to be felt even a mile away.”

For locals, the track holds deeper meaning. “Enter Sandman” has soundtracked Virginia Tech Hokies football team entrances for years, blasting through the stadium speakers to fire up the crowd.

Virginia Tech Athletics shared the moment online, saying, “Thanks for jumping with us, Metallica! Come back anytime.”

The concert was part of Metallica’s M72 World Tour, which supports their eleventh studio album 72 Seasons. The tour features two-night stops in each city, with no repeated songs across either set. Support acts on this leg include Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills.

72 Seasons debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 following its release in April 2023. The set debuted with 146,000 units earned, achieving the largest week by units for any rock or hard rock album in over three-and-a-half years. It also marked the band’s 12th top 10 charting album, of which nine have reached the top two. 72 Seasons also marked the band’s first original album in seven years.

Last month, Metallica also dropped the first trailer for their upcoming fan-focused documentary, Metallica Saved My Life, directed by the band’s longtime collaborator, Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund, which will be screened in select cities on the band’s ongoing M72 world tour.

In a statement on April 8, the group wrote, “As a few of you may know, we’ve been working behind the scenes the last couple of years on a new film that will be released later this year starring you guys! Metallica Saved My Life explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials and triumphs for over four decades. And yeah, we’re in it a little bit too.”

12 May 2025

The Murder Capital See German Shows Cancelled for Displaying Palestinian Flag

As Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap face controversy for their overt support of Palestine, so too has Irish post-punk group The Murder Capital, who have seen two German shows cancelled due to their display of the Palestinian flag onstage.

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The group were scheduled to perform at Berlin venue Gretchen on Saturday (May 10), though the event was reportedly cancelled after discussions with the band about their habit of flying the Palestinian flag onstage during their live performances.

In response to the cancellation, The Murder Capital offered a spoken statement from outside the venue while holding the Palestinian flag. “We pulled into Berlin this morning. We had no idea that we weren’t allowed to fly this flag here today,” they explained.

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“We discussed it for an hour at length, what we should do. We came to the decision that we were not going to take the flag off the stage,” they continued. “That was a decision pretty easily made, but we discussed possible outcomes; ‘What if they decide to cancel the show?’”

According to the band, after deciding to go ahead with displaying the flag onstage, they were told they could not do so, nor could they replace the flag with a banner that read “Free Palestine.”

“It’s not just about national flags. It’s about political statements,” they continued. “And to us this isn’t just a political statement, it’s a humanitarian statement. We’ve been saying that in interviews for the whole time that we’ve been speaking about it as people. It’s not all about politics, it’s about people who are dying and being slaughtered every day, and that’s happening right now. 

“So, for us as a band, Who’s had this flag on their stage for countless shows now. It would be the wrong thing for us to do to take it off the stage just so that the venue is kept happy. We don’t agree with that. We don’t agree. We spoke earlier today about this, about how we wish live music and art and theater could be free of political discussion and things like that, but as the world as it is, unfortunately it just cannot be. 

“That’s the way it is, so we’ll be back to you as soon as we can,” they concluded. “We appreciate all your support deeply. But most importantly, free Palestine.”

Germany upholds strict laws in regard to antisemitism, with The Hollywood Reporter having noted that last year’s edition of the Berlin Film Festival urged attendees to wear clothes or symbols showing solidarity with Palestine, but urged caution in regard to the usage of certain language for fear that it may fall into the category of language considered prohibited hate speech.

In response to the cancellation of their show, The Murder Capital instead performed an acoustic set outside of Berlin venue Obentrautstraße 19. 

The band had intended to again fly the Palestinian flag at their subsequent show in Cologne on Sunday (May 11), though they later confirmed the gig at Gebäude 9 was similarly cancelled, with an acoustic performance at Rheinpark taking place instead.

“We arrived into Cologne this morning hoping that what happened in Berlin yesterday would be an isolated incident, but tonight’s venue Gebäude 9 has also told us that we cannot have the Palestinian flag on our stage,” the band explained in a video shared to social media.

“The Palestinian flag itself needs to be on our stage and needs to be as visible everywhere in the world as possible,” they added. “These people are being eradicated, being starved, being bombed, and these war crimes and this genocide is being committed by the Israeli state and funded and supported by governments around the world. 

“Us having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement. It is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation. But this is not history, it is happening right now today.”

The Murder Capital’s cancelled German performances aren’t an isolated incident. In April, fresh from the controversy surrounding the pro-Palestine and anti-Israel sentiments projected during their Coachella set, Kneecap were removed from the lineup of the Hurricane and Southside festivals in June, with their headline dates in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg for September soon being axed as well.

11 May 2025

Usher Avoids ‘Emergency’ After Trying to Feed a Cherry to an Allergic Fan

Usher‘s mid-concert antics narrowly avoided a health concern while in London, with the singer attempting to feed cherries to an audience member with an allergy to the fruit.

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Fans of Usher and his live shows have undoubtedly found themselves more than aware of his penchant for feeding cherries to his audience in recent years. Beginning as part of his 2022-23 Las Vegas residency concerts, it’s since become a staple of his gigs, and one that frequently goes viral in the process. 

“It started with strawberries in Vegas,” he explained on The Jennifer Hudson Show in February. “So, you know, I just figured we try all the fruits until we figured out which one works the best. But cherries were something that I felt was fun and just kind of active. It was a bit erotic.”

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During a recent tour stop in London last week, Usher’s cherry-feeding attempts took a slightly comedic turn when an audience member politely turned down the offer of the fruit, seemingly confusing the singer as she appeared to explain that she was in fact allergic to cherries.

In a video of the moment shared on social media, Usher can be seen seemingly confirming this with the audience member before appearing to try once more, only for her to once again mention the allergy as he understands the severity of the situation. 

“Oh s–t, you’re allergic to cherries, damn! Anybody got an epipen in this b–h?” he says before apologizing, hugging her and continuing the show. “We almost had an emergency in here.”

Usher’s cherry routine made headlines just a week ago following a viral photo from the 2025 Met Gala that showed the R&B star feeding Sabrina Carpenter a cherry during his performance.

The reaction from Carpenter’s father served as a moment of comic relief when the “Espresso” singer shared an Instagram post that included a screenshot of a text conversation with “Dadda” – as he was listed in her phone – that showed him reacting by simply writing “? Weird.” 

To his credit, Usher was quick to step in, taking to the Instagram post to comment “Apologies Mr Carpenter.”