Music News

03 Jan 2023

Meek Mill Says He’s Dropping an ‘Album Every Quarter’ of 2023

Meek Mill is planning to have an ambitious 2023 when it comes to his music. To ring in the new year, the “All Eyes on You” rapper took to Twitter and Instagram on Sunday (Jan. 1) to share what fans can expect of his creative endeavors this year.

“It’s not even albums nomore [sic] we really making full docuseries music!!!! Scientist!!!!” Mill tweeted, sharing a link to an Instagram post with video previews of several new tracks in a highly produced, cinematic format.

The 35-year-old captioned the video post, “‘Dream catching’ the movie … date soon come #2023 first quarter,” with a series of sparkle emojis. “Leave a comment! I been loading up for a reason let’s ball!”

But that’s not all. Mill told fans on Twitter Jan. 2 that music will be regularly arriving throughout the year, writing, “this year a [sic] album every quarter!!!!!!”

Mill’s fifth studio album, Expensive Pain, was released on Oct. 1, 2021. The set — which features singles “Flamerz Flow,” “Sharing Locations” and “Blue Notes 2,” and guest spots from Lil Baby, Kehlani, Young Thug and more — charted at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, where it would spent a total of 19 weeks on the chart.

More recently, Mill released the Flamers 5 mixtape on Nov. 22. At the time, he used the release to tease “My album coming in the next 8 weeks.”

Check out the teasers for Mill’s project below.

03 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus Is Dropping Her New Song on Liam Hemsworth’s Birthday … and Fans Have Thoughts

Miley Cyrus is releasing her first solo single in two years on ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. Coincidence? Fans don’t think so.

During her NBC New Year’s Eve special over the weekend, the 30-year-old pop star announced that she’d be kicking off her next era with the release of new single “Flowers” on Jan. 13, which is next Friday. It didn’t take long for some fans to figure out why that date in particular rang a bell: Hemsworth, who was married to Cyrus from 2018 to 2020, was born 33 years ago on that exact date.

“Miley releasing her new music on the same day as liam hemsworth’s birthday, january 13. karma is a b—h,” tweeted one delighted fan.

What’s even more eyebrow-raising are the lyrics from “Flowers” that Cyrus has already shared through teaser videos on her YouTube channel. “I can love me better than you can,” she sings on the track in one of the videos, the audio playing over a clip of her strutting through a yard sprinkler in a black bikini.

“NEW YEAR, NEW MILEY, NEW SINGLE,” reads a message at the end.

“Miley’s telling the world she can love herself better ON LIAM’S BIRTHDAY?!” wrote another fan before referencing one of Cyrus’ Hannah Montana era songs, “I Got Nerve.” “She definitely didn’t lie when she said she’s got nerve.”

The “Wrecking Ball” singer first started dating Hemsworth in 2009 while the two were co-starring in The Last Song. They were together on and off for several years, even getting engaged in 2012 before later splitting up. By 2016, the pair were seeing each other again, and at the end of 2018, they were married.

Eight months later, however, Cyrus and the Hunger Games actor had split once and for all. Hemsworth released a statement wishing his ex “health and happiness,” meanwhile Cyrus tweeted shortly after their divorce was finalized in 2020: “I love Liam and always will.”

Two years later, she would call her marriage to him a “f–king disaster” onstage at Lollapalooza Brazil.

See more fan reactions to Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” release date below:

03 Jan 2023

Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Kirk Franklin Offer Prayers For Bills Safety Damar Hamlin After Horrifying ‘MNF’ Injury

The sports world held its collective breath on Monday night (Jan. 2) after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin fell to the field and was carted off in an ambulance during the team’s anticipated Monday Night match-up with the Cincinnati Bengals. A game that was hyped as potentially being the greatest MNF showdown of all time lasted less than 10 minutes before Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering what the Bills said was cardiac arrest following a blow to the chest.

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The game was suspended and then indefinitely postposed as the nation watched the anguished faces of players on both sides huddled in prayer while awaiting word on Hamlin’s condition; the 24-year-old who joined the Bills in 2021 as a sixth round draft pick was given CPR on the field and then taken to a local Cincinnati hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.

“Praying for Hamlin. Jesus please let everything be ok,” tweeted Ciara along with heart and prayer hands emoji; the singer is married to Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson, who tweeted, “Wow. I am praying for you @HamlinIsland. Praying for health and safety.” The-Dream also weighed in, writing, “Sending Damar @HamlinIsland Our Thoughts & Prayers RN Let’s go #3!”

Gospel singer Kirk Franklin offered up his own prayer, writing, “Lord, please be with Damar Hamlin, his team, and his family… my heart hurts in this moment for him,” while Snoop Dogg posted an image of a pumped-up Hamlin along with fist bump and prayer hands emoji. In a testament to the seriousness of the incident and the unprecedented nature of such a grave injury resulting in the postponement of a pivotal game in the penultimate week of the season, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Bengals and Bills fans set their rivalry aside as they gathered for prayer vigils outside Hamlin’s hospital on Monday night.

Country singer Mickey Guyton also sent her well wishes, as did MC Hammer and distraught Bills QB Josh Allen, who wrote, “Please pray for our brother.” At press time the NFL had not announced when, or if, the game will be completed and there was no update on Hamlin’s treatment or condition.

See their tweets below.

03 Jan 2023

Fall Out Boy Tease 8th Album in Poetic New Year’s Fan Note: ‘We Spent the Last Year Jamming Ideas in a Tiny Room’

Fall Out Boy spent last year doing some serious woodshedding. We know this because in a poetic new year’s note to fans entitled “A Homeboy’s Life,” the Chicago-bred band promised that new music is coming in 2023.

“We spent the last year jamming ideas in a tiny room [and] can’t wait to share them with you,” they wrote in the new year’s day note to their email list signed by all four members, which ended with a teasing P.S. that read, “Thanks for always sticking around. Thanks for working the beat. Spoiler alert: we got more than a gold watch coming for you next year.”

The update was the follow-up to a nearly two-minute animated claymation video they dropped last week — A Claymation Fall Out Boy Celebration — starring a cute black dog, vomiting neon hands and a magical land of bizarre, shape-shifting creatures with what sounded like a brief snippet of new music. The video and note appear to be part of a long tease for the as-yet-untitled album, whose release date has not yet been announced.

The update for fans was also preceded by a website announcing “greetings from pink seashell beach,” with an image of a shell (inscribed with the hint “the answers are all inside of this”) that flips over when clicked to reveal a baseball on the other side and the message “the beach was never real. None of it is”; some fans also received cryptic postcards with the words “Pink Seashell Beach” on them and the message, “I saw you in a bright clear field. Hurricane heat in my head. The kind of pain you feel to get good in the end. Inscribed like stone and faded by the rain: ‘Give up what you love give up what you love before it does you in…’”

Before that, fans also posted images of a full-page ad FOB took out in their hometown Chicago Tribune in late November that read “FOB 8: If you build it, they will come.” At press time no additional information was available on follow to MANIA, which featured the singles “Young and Menace,” “Champion” and “The Last of the Real Ones.”

Check out a copy of the note below.

03 Jan 2023

Jennifer Lopez Shares 2022 Year-In-Review Photo Series Featuring Unseen Ben Affleck Wedding Shots

Jennifer Lopez had a massive 2022. In addition to marrying her former-and-current love actor Ben Affleck — not once, but twice — the 53-year-old singer/actress also announced her upcoming album (This is Me… Now), dropped a documentary about her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira and starred in a return-to-form big screen rom-com.

“2022 was one of the best years yet!!! I cannot wait for all that’s to come next year,” Lopez wrote on New Year’s Day alongside an Instagram post featuring a series of snaps from last year, including never-before-seen images from her engagement and wedding to Affleck. “#HappyNewYear #ImJustGettingStarted #WaitingForTonight #ThisIsMeNow,” she added.

Lopez and Affleck got married on July 16 at Las Vegas’ famed Little White Wedding Chapel. The couple then did it again during a second ceremony at Affleck’s Georgia mansion in August. The year in review video opens with images of Affleck and Lopez kissing and a brief glimpse of the poster for her Owen Wilson/Maluma wedding comedy Marry Me, as well as images of the couple chilling at home and on vacation.

There is copious kissing, as well as Lopez accepting the Generation Award at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, her flexing in a cut out pantsuit combo on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, a shot of that gigantic green ring Affleck put on her finger and footage of her wedding dress fittings and styling.

We get a few more looks at the first wedding in Vegas via some candids of the happy couple in their big day finest, as well as glam shots of Lopez posing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris while rocking a gigantic pearl necklace. And then there are more wedding dress sketches, some bathing suit snaps and a few pics of the singer’s 14-year-old twin children from her previous marriage to Marc Anthony, Max and Emme.

Check out Lopez’s year-in-review below.

02 Jan 2023

Fred White, Drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, Dies at 67

Fred White, the former drummer of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 67.

The percussionist’s brother and bandmate Verdine White shared the sad news through social media on Sunday (Jan. 1). Neither the date nor the cause of White’s death had been disclosed at press time.

“Our family is saddened today with the loss of an amazing and talented family member. Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White,” Verdine White wrote on Instagram alongside photos of his brother.

“He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte, and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels!” he added. “He was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light-hearted.”

Fred White was born on Jan. 13, 1955 in Chicago. He began drumming at the age of 9 and later performed with Linda Ronstadt and Donny Hathaway before joining Earth, Wind & Fire in 1974. He was the fourth of the White brothers to perform in the Grammy-winning R&B band.

White sat behind the kit for some of Earth, Wind & Fire’s most successful songs, including “Shining Star,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1975. He also scored top 10 hits with “Let’s Groove,” “September,” “Sing a Song,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Boogie Wonderland” and others.

White left Earth, Wind & Fire in the mid-1980s, but he returned for the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2000.

During his career, White also lent his drumming talents to recordings for Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, Deniece Williams, the Emotions, Ramsey Lewis, Jennifer Holliday, and Diana Ross. Most recently, he collaborated with Ross on her 2021 album, Thank You.

Verdine White’s tribute post drew a slew of responses from fellow musicians, including Questlove, Lenny Kravitz and Nile Rodgers.

“Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family,” Kravitz commented. “I was blessed to have been in his presence and blessed to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power.

See Verdine White’s tribute to his brother Fred on Instagram here.

02 Jan 2023

Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign & More Pay Tribute to Gangsta Boo

The hip-hop community is mourning the death of pioneering Southern female rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo, who has died at the age of 43.

Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign and Freddie Gibbs are among the many musicians remembering Boo, who was found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. The cause of her death had not been released at press time.

“Rest in heaven Gangsta Boo,” Drake captioned a throwback photo of the late pioneering rapper in his Instagram Story.

Elliott shared a similar sentiment, tweeting, “Rest Peacefully @GangstaBooQOM.”

Ty Dolla $ign also took to Twitter to remember the late artist. “Long live my home girl Gangsta Boo Queen of the M,” he wrote.

Gibbs, meanwhile, shared what appeared to be a recent photo of himself hanging out with Boo. “Damn we was just together,” the rapper tweeted. “RIP Queen.”

Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J posted tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

“Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.”

The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered comments from Ludacris, Bun B, Outkast’s Big Boi, Ty Dolla $ign, Jay Rock, Krayzie Bone, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and others.

On New Year’s Eve, Boo shared a video on Instagram about her accomplishments from the past year. “Some of the things that I did in 2022! So fun and productive, climbed out my shell alot!! 2023 go be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!” she captioned the clip.

Boo, whose real name was Lola Mitchell, was born in the Whitehaven section of Memphis on Aug. 7, 1979. She joined local hip-hop collective Three 6 Mafia — founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous — at the age of 15 in 1994. That same year, she recorded her first solo song with the group, “Cheefa Da Reefa.” The track would set the tone for the Memphis femcee, who later unveiled her most popular hit “Where Dem Dollas At?” from her 1998 debut album, Enquiring Minds.

She went gone through a number of transformations during her career, renaming herself Lady Boo in 2001 and releasing numerous solo albums. In 2013, she joined Da Mafia 6ix before the passing of band member Lord Infamous in December of that year. In 2014, she and Da Mafia 6ix’s other femcee La Chat, also recorded Witch together.

In recent months, Boo was featured on GloRilla and Latto’s collaboration “F— The Club Up,” a play off Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up.”

“This one hit different,” Latto tweeted after discovering her passing. “I’m just glad I got to feel your embrace & give u ur flowers before u left us BIG BOO 4L.”

See more musician reactions to Boo’s death below.

02 Jan 2023

Rapper Gangsta Boo, Former Member of Three 6 Mafia, Dies at 43

Gangsta Boo, a pioneering Southern female rapper and former member of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, has died, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. She was 43.

Boo, born Lola Mitchell, was reportedly found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at approximately 4 p.m. at a home in Memphis. The cause of her death had not been released at press time.

Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J shared tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

“Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.”

The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered comments from Ludacris, Bun B, Outkast’s Big Boi, Ty Dolla $ign, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Krayzie Bone, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, and others.

On New Year’s Eve, Boo shared a video on Instagram about her accomplishments from the past year. “Some of the things that I did in 2022! So fun and productive, climbed out my shell alot!! 2023 go be 23’n! #JORDAN #BOOPRINT #recap Happy New 2023 everyone!” she captioned the clip.

Boo was born in the Whitehaven section of Memphis, Tennessee, on Aug. 7, 1979. She joined local hip-hop collective Three 6 Mafia — founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous — at the age of 15 in 1994. That same year, she recorded her first solo song with the group, “Cheefa Da Reefa.” The track would set the tone for the Memphis femcee, who later unveiled her most popular hit “Where Dem Dollas At?” from her 1998 debut album, Enquiring Minds.

Boo went gone through a number of transformations during her career, renaming herself Lady Boo in 2001 and releasing numerous solo albums. In 2013, she joined Da Mafia 6ix before the passing of band member Lord Infamous in December of that year. In 2014, she and Da Mafia 6ix’s other femcee La Chat, also recorded Witch together.

In recent months, Boo was featured on GloRilla and Latto’s collaboration “F— The Club Up,” a play off Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up.”

Boo spoke with Billboard in December 2022, revealing that she was working on a new project called The BooPrint, which she hoped to release early this year. She also touched on her legacy as a rapper in the hip-hop scene.

“I would honestly say that I have to admit, respectfully and humbly, that I am the blueprint. I hear my cadence in a lot of men and female rappers,” Boo told Billboard. “My sound is a Memphis sound. It’s a Gangsta Boo sound, it’s a Three 6 Mafia sound. So, I am the blueprint and I wear that badge proudly as f—.”

02 Jan 2023

Sara Bareilles Says ‘Yes to Marrying’ Joe Tippett

Sara Bareilles is ringing in 2023 by announcing plans to marry longtime boyfriend Joe Tippett.

The musician and Girls5Eva star took to Instagram on New Year’s Day to reveal that she said “yes to marrying” the Mare of Easttown actor.

“You are exactly who I want,” Bareilles wrote of Tippett in an Instagram caption alongside a photo of the two of them looking into each other’s eyes, with Bareilles wearing a gold band on her left ring finger.

“The more I know you the more I know I love you…and you have introduced me to parts of myself I was afraid to love. And now I love ME more because of you,” she continued before joking. “So really this is all about me. Just kidding.”

Getting serious again, she wrote, “What a gift you are. Let the games begin. Onward into absolutely everything with you.”

In her Instagram Story, Bareilles wrote that her New Year’s resolution was to “marry this man,” posting a carousel of photos of the two of them in which they “tried to be normal.”

A few months ago, Bareilles celebrated the pair’s seven-year anniversary, writing on Instagram, “The world that is burning has somehow brought me someone like @joetipps who I am constantly in awe of and inspired by and challenged by and infuriated by and loved by in a way I can’t even describe except I know it is Truth with a capital T.”

And earlier this month, Tippett — whose credits include Spirited, Alaska Daily, The Morning Show and Rise — called Bareilles his “absolute favorite person” in a post marking her birthday.

“Happy Birthday to the sunshine in my eyes. The star at the center of my solar system. My lighthouse in a storm. The laugh that melts away my cynicism,” Tippett wrote on Instagram of the Grammy winner.

According to reports, the two met while working on the Broadway musical adaptation of the Adrienne Shelly film Waitress. Bareilles wrote the music and lyrics for the production while Tippett played Earl. Bareilles also spent time starring in the production as Jenna.

It was recently announced that after two seasons on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, Girls5Eva is moving to Netflix for its third season.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show earlier this year, Bareilles talked about how Tippett helped calm her nerves over acting in the comedy series executive produced by Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Meredith Scardino and Jeff Richmond.

“I was struggling with insecurities about being able to meet the challenge of it and I felt really out of my depth,” Bareilles said. “And he’s like, ‘If Tina Fey believes that you can do this, why don’t you just trust her? If you can’t find it in yourself, just trust that one of your heroes is not going to put you in a position to fail.’ And that was really good advice.”

The pair previously sparked engagement rumors when Bareilles commemorated their three-year anniversary on Instagram, writing, “Can’t wait for it to be forever.”

She later clarified that the pair were not engaged, sharing a photo of her ringless hand and writing, “Not engaged everyone but thank you for all the cute wishes and the reminder that my post may have [misled] you. Haha sorrryyyyyyy.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

01 Jan 2023

Nick Cannon Laughs Off Andy Cohen’s Vasectomy Question on New Year’s Eve: ‘My Body, My Choice!’

Nick Cannon has a message for those who question whether he should stop having kids: “My body, my choice!”

Just days after welcoming his 12th child, the Masked Singer host was questioned by Andy Cohen during CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live special on Saturday night (Dec. 31) about his growing family and whether he’d consider getting a vasectomy.

“Nick, I mean, you are singlehandedly repopulating the Earth. I give it up to you, man. What is your plan here? What is your endgame with the kids? You just want to keep going, or is there a number? Do you want to hit 20? Where are we going with this?” asked Cohen, who was co-hosting the broadcast alongside Anderson Cooper.

Cannon, dressed in all white, laughed off the comment, responding, “Andy, clearly I don’t have a plan. Honestly, man, it’s just so much joy and elation to have the family that I have. I embrace it, and I love it, but I don’t have a plan. That should’ve been clear from the jump.”

Cohen quickly hit back suggesting that perhaps Cannon should consider getting a vasectomy. “Is that what you want me to get?” Cannon said before flashing a smile and adding, “This is my body, my choice!”

The Masked Singer host closed out the segment by sharing his advice for new father’s in 2023. “Just operate out of love. Some people may say that’s what got us here in the first place, but that’s what I would always do, and always do it with a smile,” he said.

On Thursday (Dec. 29), Cannon announced the birth of his second child — a daughter named Halo Marie — with Alyssa Scott. He’s now father to five daughters and seven sons.

Cannon shares twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey, and twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa, who gave birth to her third baby with Cannon, Beautiful Zeppelin, less than two months prior to Halo’s birth.

He is also dad to Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen and Rise Messiah, whom he shares with Brittany Bell; Legendary Love, whose mom is Bre Tiesi; and Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole.

Watch the exchange below on CNN’s Twitter account.