Music

20 Feb 2024

Lil Wayne, André 3000, Nas, Jill Scott to Headline 2024 Roots Picnic

Nas, Jill Scott and Lil Wayne will headline the 2024 Roots Picnic. The June 1-2 annual throw down in The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia will feature Weezy celebrating the music of his hometown of New Orleans with Trombone Shorty and PJ Morton, as well as other superstar collaborations, including the Roots’ Black Thought jamming with Method Man and Redman on a J. Period live mixtape, the Adam Blackstone legacy experience with Fantasia and Muni Long and the Go-Go Backyard Band with Scarface and Amerie.

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Other acts slated to hit the stage include: Sexyy Red, Babyface, Wallo & Gillie, Wale, Robert Glasper and Yebba, Tyla, Cam’ron, Smino, Tasha Cobbs Leonard , Marsha Ambrosius, October London, Funk Flex, Leon Thomas, Kenya Vaun, Julian King, BLK Odyssy and André 3000 performing selections from his rap-free solo flute album New Blue Sun.

This year’s event will also feature the Parkside Stage (previously known as the Podcast Stage) hosting curated experiential media, live podcasts and DJ sets from Million Dollaz Worth of Game, R&B Only & U+ME+RNB to Tonight’s Conversation, Juan Epstein Podcast, World Series of Spades and They Have the Range.

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Tickets for this year’s event will go on presale beginning Tuesday (Feb. 20) at 10 a.m. ET here — with access code ALUMN124 — followed by a general onsale kicking off on Friday (Feb. 23) at 10 a.m. ET here.

Last year’s Picnic included sets from Usher & the Roots, Ms. Lauryn Hill — with a surprise Fugees reunion — as well as comedian Dave Chappelle, Lil Uzi Vert and more.

See the full lineup below.

20 Feb 2024

Royel Otis Soak up the Reception to Debut LP ‘Pratts & Pain’: ‘We Are Over the Moon’

Royel Otis is one on those runs where you best get on-board, or move clear out the way.

The psychedelic indie act from Sydney has been, in the Australian vernacular, smashing it of late.

It’s been a ride. A debut headline tour of the U.K. and Europe, a national tour with DMA’S, and now a headline trek of their own; a nomination for the 2023 ARIA Awards in the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist category; and a viral cover of Sophie-Ellis Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor,” for triple j’s Like a Version spot which entered the ARIA top 40; and a slew of cosmic-chill tunes were elements of the set-up for Pratts & Pain, Royel Otis’ debut album release.



Pratts & Pain takes its name from the pub in Streatham, south London, the local for Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Fontaines DC), who produced the new album at his home studio.

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Dropping last Friday, Feb. 16 through Andrew Klippel’s Ourness, Pratts & Pain has caught the attention of tastemakers around the globe, including the NME, which celebrates the current cover stars as “Australia’s next breakout indie heroes.”

Their special “blend of propulsive rhythms and laid-back cool” has the Grammys lauding the Aussies as one of 25 Artists To Watch In 2024.

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“Royel Otis is a testament to the art of songwriting and being unique shining through,” explains Klippel, who discovered, signed and guided the career of multiple award-winning Aussie funkster Genesis Owusu. “We’re thrilled to see the global engagement.”

Royel Otis is led by childhood friends Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic. Forming in 2019, the group immediately located its sound; a dreamy tug of nostalgia, catchy choruses, wrapped in jangly guitar and up-front harmonies that remind of peak MGMT — minus the synths.

The lads quickly hit their strides, releasing Campus in 2021, Bar & Grill in 2022 and Sofa Kings in 2023 – that’s three EPs is as many years. Along the way, Going Kokomo single “Kool Aid,” “Oysters In My Pocket” and others enjoyed support from BBC Radio 6 Music, triple j and the national youth broadcaster’s army of listeners.

Triple j’s listeners spoke, and voted, as Pratts & Pain single “Sofa King” landed at No. 76 on the Hottest 100 countdown last month, and made its way into a Billboard chart, debuting at No. 36 on Alternative Airplay. Album track “Velvet” has enjoyed U.K. spots with BBC R1 (Jack Saunders), BBC 6 Music (New Music Fix Daily), Apple Music 1 Matt Wilkinson + Playlist, and Radio X (John Kennedy).

In support of the album, Royel Otis is currently playing metro and regional Australian cities, for a tour presented by Frontier Touring and triple j.

“We are over the moon to have our first album out and further more beside ourselves from all the love we’ve received around the world on the release,” reads a message from the group to Billboard. “Bless ya all and thank ya even more.”

Then, from April, an extensive tour of North America, Europe and the U.K., including festival spots and recently added shows in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City.

Stream Pratts & Pain below.

20 Feb 2024

Idles’ ‘Tangk’ Rolls to No. 1 on Midweek U.K. Chart

Idles leads an all-new top three on the midweek U.K. chart with Tangk (Partisan), the British rock outfit’s fifth studio album.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Tangk is predicted to snag the crown, and give the Bristol, England five-piece a fourth U.K. top 10, including the 2020 chart topper, Ultra Mono. Idles scored two nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards (best rock album for Crawler and best rock performance for “Crawl!”).

Chart victory is not assured.

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Paloma Faith has a chance of scoring the title with her sixth album The Glorification of Sadness, new at No. 2 on the chart update. The Glorification of Sadness (RCA) should give the British pop singer a sixth consecutive U.K. top 10, a tally that includes her first No. 1 in 2017 with The Architect.

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Completing the podium on the Official Chart Update is Liverpool rock act Crawlers, with The Mess We Seem To Make (Polydor), their debut album. It’s new at No. 3, for what should give the four-piece its first U.K. top 10 appearance.

After one week at the chart summit, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (Republic Records) looks likely to tumble, down 1-4. Kahan nabbed his first chart double last week, when Stick Season and its title track led the respective Official Charts.

Meanwhile, Derby, England pair Pet Needs (brothers Johnny and George Marriott) eye a top 10 berth with their third collection Intermittent Fast Living (Xtra Mile). It’s set to debut at No. 7, for their first impression on the chart.

Finally, veteran indie-rock act Cast is on track for a first top 10 spot in 25 years, and fourth overall with Love is the Call (Cast Recordings), new at No. 8 on the chart blast, while former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett could bag his first top 10 album in 44 years with his latest solo effort The Circus and the Nightwhale (Inside Out), new at No. 9 on the chart update. Hackett last cracked the top 10 back in 1980 with Defector.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Feb. 23.

19 Feb 2024

Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ Leads Midweek U.K. Chart

Beyoncé strides ahead in the U.K. chart race with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the first cut from her forthcoming project Renaissance Act II (via Columbia/Parkwood Ent).

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Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Texas Hold ‘Em” has an advantage of fewer than 1,500 combined sales over the second-ranked single, Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” (Warner Records).

If “Texas Hold ‘Em” plays its cards right, Bey will bag a sixth U.K. No. 1 single.

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Teased during a Verizon Super Bowl LVIII advertisement, “Texas Hold ‘Em” opened at No. 9 on the Official Chart last week, for the top debut of the cycle and Bey’s 22nd solo U.K. top 10 hit.

The Houston, TX-raised artist chalked up another 12 top 10 singles as a member of Destiny’s Child, including two leaders (“Independent Women, Pt. 1” from 2000 and “Survivor” from 2001).

As Bey bounces up the midweek tally, Dua Lipa’s “Training Ground” gives good fight. It’s at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update, and should earn Lipa her 15th U.K. top 10 single. One of those is “Houdini,” which peaked at No. 2 and is currently sat at No. 12.

As it stands, Washington-born singer and songwriter Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records) appears likely to hold at No. 3, its peak position.

Noah Kahan‘s reign with “Stick Season” (Republic Records) appears set to come to an end. Following a seven-week stay at No. 1, the folky hit is predicted to dip to No. 5.

After “Training Ground,” the next best new entry should belong to “Lovers In A Past Life” (Columbia), the latest collaborative track by Scottish EDM hitmaker Calvin Harris and deep-voiced English singer Rag’n’Bone Man. It’s new at No. 19 on the chart update. Rag’n’Bone Man has a perfect two-from-two No. 1 albums in the U.K., and five top 40 singles. Harris has also notched two chart-leading albums, and a whopping 42 solo U.K. top 40 singles. The pair teamed up on 2019’s “Giant,” which peaked at No. 2.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday, Feb. 23.

19 Feb 2024

Beyoncé Reveals Chopping Off Her Hair for a Pixie Cut in 2013 Was an Act of Rebellion

Beyoncé was ready for her renaissance back in 2013 when she chopped off her long locks for a stylish pixie cut, and now, she’s explaining why she made the major hair transformation at the time.

“I remember the day I decided to just cut all my hair off. I didn’t have a particular style in mind. It wasn’t an aesthetic choice, but it was a very big emotional transformation and metamorphosis that I was going through,” she told Essence magazine in an interview promoting her new hair-care line Cécred, which launches Tuesday (Feb. 20) on Cecred.com. “So much of my identity as a performer has been connected to flowing hair. Cutting my hair off was me rebelling against being this woman that society thinks I’m supposed to be.”

“Something about the liberation of becoming a mother made me want to just shed all of that,” continued the star, who welcomed her and Jay-Z’s first child, daughter Blue Ivy, in January 2012. “It was a physical representation of me shedding the expectations put upon me. I just wanted it off.”

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The superstar went on to say that at the time, her hair was luscious and long, and that her longtime friend and hairstylist wasn’t exactly excited about her decision. So naturally, she took matters — and her hair — into her own hands. “I just got the scissors and chopped it off. It was very intentional. And it was what I needed to do,” Bey revealed. “And after that, I became super brave. It was the first step to many more audacious decisions I made in my life and my career that have led to who I am now.”

That was one of several hair memories that the 32-time Grammy winner, who has more gramophones than than any artist ever, shared with the magazine. The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer revealed that she also struggles with psoriasis on her scalp.  “The relationship we have with our hair is such a deeply personal journey,” she said. “From spending my childhood in my mother’s salon to my father applying oil on my scalp to treat my psoriasis — these moments have been sacred to me.”

She later added in the interview: “Hair is our lineage — it’s our family story.”

See Beyoncé’s Essence cover below:

19 Feb 2024

Usher Reflects on Slapping Nicki Minaj’s Butt at 2014 MTV VMAs: ‘I Shouldn’t Have Smacked Her’

Usher may have taken some heat from spectators for getting cozy with Alicia Keys during his 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 11, but while he has no apologies for that moment, he does want to walk back something else he did on stage a decade earlier.

While chatting with Charlamagne Tha God and Jess Hilarious on a previously recorded interview that aired during The Breakfast Club on Monday (Feb. 19), the eight-time Grammy winner reflected on a moment from his 2014 MTV Video Music Awards performance alongside Nicki Minaj, during which he got a little handsy at one point. “Have you seen some of your old moments, like when you were on stage with Nicki Minaj and you were headbuttin’ her a–? Why was you so unhinged?” host Charlamagne asked him of the performance, which also included Usher slapping the “Super Freaky Girl” rapper’s bottom.

At first, the “Burn” crooner tried to explain and laugh it off a little. “Absolutely! That was Jamaican culture! So you gotta go to Jamaica. That was just a moment that was fun,” Usher — who just released his ninth studio album, Coming Home, days before the Super Bowl — said of the island nation’s dance culture. “By the way, it was me playing my bass, so I probably would’ve bumped my shoulder or my hand, but I had my bass in my hand and I was playing, so I kind of bopped off her body a little bit. If you go back and look at the video, you’ll understand because I did it there for the first time.”

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During the pair’s performance of their 2014 collab “She Came to Give It to You,” the crooner is down on one knee playing his guitar as he bumps his shoulder and his head against Minaj’s backside to the beat before getting up and spanking her behind.

“Oh no it was on beat and everything!” Charlamagne marveled as he reflected on the performance. “It was on beat, and I was like, ‘D–n!’”

“I think I was reaching a bit when I smacked her, though,” Usher admitted. “I shouldn’t have smacked her. I shouldn’t have did that.”

Jess then chimed in, throwing it back to how Usher had earlier in the interview talked about supporting fellow Black artists, “See, you gotta lift her up!”

Replied the crooner, “I was lifting!”

Watch Usher discuss his 2014 VMAs performance on The Breakfast Club below:

19 Feb 2024

Vanessa Williams to Play Miranda Priestly in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Musical Scored by Elton John

Don’t fall down and smack your head on the pavement at this news, but there’s a new Miranda Priestly in town. Vanessa Williams is set to portray Runway‘s intimidating editor in chief in the West End musical of The Devil Wears Prada, the production announced on Monday (Feb. 19).

In a video shared to Instagram, the singer-actress struts through an office in orangey-red strappy stiletto heels, the book in her hands, before throwing her jacket over a desk as only Miranda Priestly could, then sitting down and swiveling around in her chair to remove her sunglasses. “Don’t just sit there,” Williams-as-Miranda says icily to the camera. “Go buy tickets … or something!”

The show — based on the bestselling novel and hit 2006 movie starring Meryl Streep as Miranda and Anne Hathaway as her less-than-fashion-forward assistant — is set to launch in October at London’s Dominion Theatre, and will feature an original score by five-time Grammy winner Elton John, with lyrics Shaina Taub, as well as choreography by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, who previously worked on Kinky Boots, Hairspray and more.

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Streep’s iconic portrayal of the powerful editor in chief earned her a 2007 Oscar nomination for best actress. But Williams isn’t coming into the role without her own experience. The singer — whose hit “Save the Best for Last” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 — has played a powerful editor herself. She portrayed MODE boss Wilhelmina Slater in the hit ABC dramedy Ugly Betty — which also starred America Ferrera — from 2006 to 2010, during which she earned three Primetime Emmy nominations for best supporting actress in a comedy.

Watch the announcement that Vanessa Williams is the next to play Miranda Priestly below:

19 Feb 2024

Madonna Laughs Off Onstage Fall After Dancer Trips & Drops Her

Forget like a virgin — more like a queen! Madonna not only lived to tell, she lived to laugh it off and recover like the pro that she is after taking a tumble on stage during her Sunday (Feb. 18) show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

In multiple fan-captured videos shared online, the Queen of Pop is performing her 1987 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Open Your Heart” during her second night of the Celebration Tour in the Emerald City when her show hit a brief snag. While the seven-time Grammy winner sitting on a chair and singing to a camera, a male dancer in stiletto heels begins to tilt her seat back and pulls her along the stage while running. He suddenly slips and falls, taking Madonna down with him.

Ever the consummate professional, the superstar continues on, rolling over to keep singing her hit before smiling and audibly laughing off the fall.

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The pop icon first announced her Celebration Tour in January 2023. The global trek celebrates her four decades of music, and was initially set to kick off in July that year. However, Madonna was hospitalized due to a “serious bacterial infection” over the summer, and was forced to postpone the tour. The delayed trek ultimately began with a series of sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena, and is set to wrap in late April with five shows in Mexico City.

The Material Girl addressed her health scare during her Oct. 21 show in Belgium. “Less than four months ago, I was in a hospital and I was unconscious, and people were thinking, predicting that I might not make it,” she told fans at the concert. “It’s a f–king miracle that I’m here right now. My mother, god bless her, she must be watching over me. She said, ‘Girl, it’s not your time to go.’”

Watch Madonna recover from her onstage fall like a pro below:

19 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift Mural Pops Up in Sydney Ahead of Eras Tour Shows — But Not Everyone’s a Fan

A colorful new mural of Taylor Swift has popped up in Sydney, Australia, ahead of her four Eras Tour concerts at Accor Stadium later this week, but it seems like some fans would prefer a blank space on the wall instead.

The image — located on Crown Street in Surry Hills — features Swift in a red spaghetti-strapped top, her wavy blonde locks falling over her left shoulder as her blue eyes gaze out at the viewer. Around her neck is a sparkling “87” necklace, a nod to boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end whose jersey number is 87. The bottom left of the mural is tagged by artist Scottie Marsh, who also shared a photo of the star’s likeness on his Instagram account, simply captioning it, “Tay Tay fever.”

While Swifties may be excited for the upcoming sold-out shows, they don’t seem to be exactly enchanted by the tribute to the 14-time Grammy winner. In the comments section of local Instagram account sydney_explained, which first shared a photo of the mural on Sunday (Feb. 18), viewers didn’t hold back on their thoughts about how well the new art did — or didn’t resemble her.

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“It’s really unflattering,” opined one person.

“Oh dear it looks like a #mafsau wife,” wrote another, joking about Australia’s version of reality show Married At First Sight.

“It looks like my cat ate a rainbow lorikeet and then threw up on the wall,” added one commenter, while someone else wrote, “Nice attempt but seriously missed the mark.”

Over on Marsh’s account, one IG user noted, “Not one of your better works.. looks a bit off.” Others who agreed it wasn’t a great representation of the globally beloved singer-songwriter said they thought the mural resembled Donald Trump and Napoleon Dynamite a bit.

But there were supporters of the new wall art, too. “Look y’all, tay tay brings so many peeps joy!” one fan commented. “Even though I love scotties more political art I think it’s nice to have murals of peeps who bring joy. As they say, let people have fun!” One even took a page from Swift’s songbook to support the artist, simply quoting the pop star’s hit “Shake It Off”: “Haters gonna hate.”

Swift is set to kick off her four-shows at Accor Stadium on Friday, Feb. 23, with Sabrina Carpenter performing as the opening act. The superstar just wrapped three sold-out shows at Melbourne’s Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“What do I even say to you after over 288,000 of you came and danced with us in the last 3 nights ??!” Swift said in a Feb. 18 Instagram message to fans who attended her Melbourne shows. “That was unforgettable. You were on another LEVEL. Thank you for the memories. I’ll revisit the ones from this weekend often.”

19 Feb 2024

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ & Taylor Swift Led Cassette Album Sales in 2023

The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack franchise and Taylor Swift unspooled big numbers on cassette tape in 2023, as the combined sales of the two accounted for 29% of all cassette albums sold in the U.S. last year, according to data tracking firm Luminate. Further, the top five-selling cassette albums of 2023, as well as six of the top 10, were all Swift and Guardians titles (see list, below).

2023’s top-selling cassette album in the U.S. was the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack, released in 2014, with 18,000 sold. Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version), released last October, was the No. 2-seller, with 17,500 sold.

TOP 10-SELLING CASSETTE ALBUMS OF 2023 IN U.S.

  1. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (18,000)
  2. Taylor Swift, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (17,500)
  3. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 (16,000)
  4. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (13,000)
  5. Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (11,500)
  6. Nirvana, Bleach (8,000)
  7. Metallica, 72 Seasons (7,500)
  8. Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix, Vol. 1 (6,000)
  9. Soundtrack, Barbie: The Album (5,500)
  10. Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (5,500)

Source: Luminate, for the tracking period Dec. 30, 2022, through Dec. 28, 2023.

In total, 436,400 cassette albums were sold in the U.S. in 2023, down just 0.75% as compared the configuration’s volume in 2022 (439,700).

Cassettes accounted for a mere 0.41% of the total 105.32 million albums sold in the U.S. across all configurations combined – cassette, vinyl, CD, digital download, etc. Cassettes were once the leading configuration for all album purchases in the U.S. – from the early 1980s until the early ‘90s. In 1994, for example, 40% of all albums sold were on cassette – with 246 million cassettes sold that year of an overall 615 million albums. Though the configuration now accounts for a tiny slice of total album sales, cassettes have staged a mini-comeback in the last decade. The once nearly dead cassette went from just 50,000 copies sold in the U.S. in 2014 to over 400,000 in each of the last two years. Once widely available at retail stores, cassette tapes are now frequently sold exclusively on an artist’s webstore and in collectible editions.

‘Guardians’ & Swift Sizzle on Tape

In 2023, the four Guardians soundtracks available on cassette (three film soundtracks and one TV soundtrack) sold 52,500 copies. As literal mixtapes factor into the story of Guardians of the Galaxy films, it’s not surprising that Guardians’ soundtracks on cassette sell well.

As for Swift, her catalog of albums available on cassette sold 74,500 in 2023.

Combined, the cassette sales of the Guardians albums and Swift’s albums totaled 127,000 in 2023 – accounting for just over 29% of all cassette album sales last year (127,000 of 436,400).

The Guardians albums have been consistent sellers on cassette tape since the first Guardians album, Awesome Mix Vol. 1, was released in 2014. Overall, the four Guardians albums have sold 295,000 copies on cassette, through Feb. 15, 2024.