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The upcoming Balloonerism record from late rapper Mac Miller is set to release alongside a short film of the same name, a new announcement says.
Miller’s Balloonerism – the second posthumous album released since his 2018 passing – is scheduled for release on Friday (Jan. 17), though fans can ease themselves into the experience with its accompanying new film.
Based on the lyrics and music of Miller, and directed by Samuel Jerome Mason, the animated Balloonerism “follows a group of school friends who are transfigured by the music of a chord organ and launched into a shadow world”, a synopsis of the film reads. “Swallowed by the turtle of time, they must plod through the underbelly of adulthood.”
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The film is scheduled for a Wednesday (Jan. 15) release throughout the U.S., with international fans receiving it one day later. A series of “One Night Only” advance theater screenings are scheduled around the world, including in New York City and Miller’s native Pittsburgh. Other screenings are planned for Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, and the U.K.
In keeping with the theme of the new record, tickets are priced at $5 (or the “approximate equivalent in ex-US markets”) in line with the album’s lead single, “5 Dollar Pony Rides”.
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Miller’s Balloonerism album has been the subject of fan speculation for over a decade now, with the rapper having recorded it around the time of his 2013 album Watching Movies with the Sound Off and follow-up mixtapes, Delusional Thomas and Faces. Following the circulation of leaked songs amongst fan communities, the record’s official release was teased with a trailer at November’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival.
“We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist,” they added. “Given that unofficial versions of the album have been circulating online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
Last week, “5 Dollar Pony Rides” was shared ahead of the album’s arrival and features Miller’s close friend and collaborator Thundercat helping out on the production side of things.
Travis Kelce may have accidentally dropped a Taylor Swift Easter egg. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday (Jan. 13), where he was asked about being around his Grammy-winning girlfriend while she’s finding musical inspiration. “Let’s just say you’re hanging and out and having a little dinner and […]
Amazon is committing $10 million to L.A. wildlife relief efforts, the company announced on Monday (Jan. 13). The donation comes from Amazon’s entertainment division (Amazon Music, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios), along with Ring and Whole Foods Market.
According to a blog post on the Amazon website, the money “will go directly to national and local disaster and response organizations including the American Red Cross of Southern California, FireAid, MusiCares Fire Relief Effort, World Central Kitchen, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Habitat for Los Angeles Wildfire Fund, and Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Small Business Relief/Recovery Fund, among others, as well as in-kind advertising opportunities on Prime Video for nonprofits supporting LA fire relief efforts.”
Amazon has already donated more than 145,000 essential items to 17 local organizations working on the wildfire response, including fire stations, community fire brigades, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Dream Center and multiple YMCA chapters. This includes 30,000 items to the Los Angeles County Salvation Army, 5,000 shelter items, more than 300 wildfire response items, gift cards to LAUSD to support teachers who lost their classrooms in the fires and 1,000 items to support fire stations, among many others.
The company says it’s also “deploying” its AWS cloud technology, including drone support, “to help emergency responders better understand and react to the evolving wildfire situation.” Additionally, it says it’s “curating opportunities” for its Southern California employees to volunteer with organizations including the LA Regional Food Bank and LAUSD.
Amazon’s announcement follows similar commitments made by companies including Sony Group Corporation, which on Monday said it would donate $5 million to wildfire relief efforts, as well as the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund, which pledged $1 million.
While “Lunch” was the lead single from Billie Eilish‘s most recent album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, the project’s second single “Birds of a Feather” has left a even bigger impression.
The melancholy midtempo hit — which has so far peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — got its biggest look when Eilish performed it at the closing ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, playing the song from Long Beach in August to signal the Games’ handover from Paris to Los Angeles is 2028. The track closed 2024 as Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year and is nominated for three Grammys at the Feb. 2 awards show, including in two of the Big Four categories: record and song of the year.
Below, find the full lyrics of “Birds of a Feather,” written by Eilish with her brother and longtime collaborator Finneas.
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(I want you to stay)
I want you to stay‘Til I’m in the grave‘Til I rot away, dead and buried‘Til I’m in the casket you carryIf you go, I’m goin’ too, uh‘Cause it was always you (alright)And if I’m turnin’ blue, please don’t save meNothin’ left to lose without my baby
Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I knowI said I’d never think I wasn’t better aloneCan’t change the weather, might not be foreverBut if it’s forever, it’s even better
And I don’t know what I’m cryin’ forI don’t think I could love you moreIt might not be long, but baby, I
I’ll love you ’til the day that I die‘Til the day that I die‘Til the light leaves my eyes‘Til the day that I die
I want you to see, hmmHow you look to me, hmmYou wouldn’t believe if I told yaYou would keep the compliments I throw yaBut you’re so full of shit, uhTell me it’s a bit, ohSay you don’t see it, your mind’s pollutedSay you wanna quit, don’t be stupid
And I don’t know what I’m cryin’ forI don’t think I could love you moreMight not be long, but baby, IDon’t wanna say goodbye
Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know (’til the day that I die)I said I’d never think I wasn’t better alone (’til the light leaves my eyes)Can’t change the weather, might not be forever (’til the day that I die)But if it’s forever, it’s even better
I knew you in another lifeYou had that same look in your eyesI love you, don’t act so surprised
Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFindWRITERSBillie EIlish O’Connell, Finneas O’ConnellPUBLISHERSLyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Sony Group Corporation has pledged $5 million to support relief efforts related to the Los Angeles-area wildfires. The sum will be allocated to organizations supporting first responders, community relief and rebuilding efforts, as well as employee assistance programs. “Los Angeles has been the home of our entertainment business for more than 35 years. Through our […]
Soulja Boy went on a fiery Twitter rant — now X — over the weekend and even managed to sneak in a shot at Drake while tweeting about the devastating fires torching Los Angeles County. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Time to disappear,” Big Draco wrote to […]
Streamer, rapper, producer, and engineer Plaqueboymax made news last week when he asked rappers Fivio Foreign and Lil Tjay to stop smoking weed during a livestream, which then led to the NYC rappers leaving early and a back-and-forth online. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Over the […]
Village People have joined the presidential inaugural activities for Donald Trump.
The group took to Facebook on Monday (Jan. 13) to announce that they have “accepted an invitation from President Elect Trump’s campaign to participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President Elect Trump.”
They continued, “We know this wont make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics. Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”
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The statement concluded, “Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.”
See the post here.
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According to The Hill, the group will perform at Trump’s “victory rally” at Capital One Arena in Washington, and at the Liberty Inaugural Ball.
“Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” were popular song choices at Trump campaign rallies during his 2020 and 2024 campaign rallies.
In December, Village People’s Victor Willis doubled down on why he chose to let the president-elect play “Y.M.C.A.” at rallies and events, saying he “didn’t have the heart” to block the usage — despite originally asking Trump to stop in 2020 — upon realizing that the politician seemed to “genuinely like” and was “having a lot of fun” with “Y.M.C.A.” Plus, as Willis noted, the dance tune has only “benefited greatly” in terms of chart placements and sales since the twice-impeached former POTUS incorporated it into his campaign.
Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Carrie Underwood will be performing at the presidential inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.. The eight-time Grammy winner will perform “America the Beautiful,” accompanied by The Armed Forces Chorus and the The United States Naval Academy Glee Club.
She shared to Billboard via a statement, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
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Source: Cindy Ord / Getty
2024 was a helluva year for the Hip-Hop culture as we all witnessed the downfalls of The Diddler, the King of The North, Drake, and surprise breakup of Remy Ma and Papoose.
Naturally all of these things ended up juicy material for Uncle Murda’s visuals to his “Rap Up 2024” in which he used footage of everything that went down last year while spitting his bars about the eventful year that was 2024 which will more than likely all kinds of ripple effects for years to come.
Keeping the vibe in Brooklyn, Hip-Hop OG’s Smif-N-Wessun are still repping Buck Town down to their Timbs and in their clip for “Infinity,” we’re treated to pics and footage of the Boot Camp Click representatives showing their growth and ascension throughout the decades.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Bay Swag featuring 42 Dugg, El Snappo, and more.
UNCLE MURDA – “RAP UP 2024”
SMIF-N-WESSUN – “INFINITY”
BAY SWAG FT. 42 DUGG – “DRANK”
EL SNAPPO – “MO PROBLEMS”
DAX – “FROM A MAN’S PERSPECTIVE”
BIG OPP – “I DON’T GOT TIME”
CARTIER & PEEZY – “BAG ON ME”
VULTURE MAN – “DOGGY”
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Source: ADAM GRAY / Getty / Steve Bannon
There is some MAGA infighting going on. Steve Bannon, one of Donald Trump’s most loyal allies, is letting it be known he is no fan of Trump’s new homie, Elon Musk.
Spotted on The Hill, two shirt-wearing former adviser to President-Elect Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, vows to “take down” Tesla chief Elon Musk, and, in a classic pot calling the kettle black moment, describing Trump’s pick to run DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) as “truly evil.”
Per Mediaite, Bannon expressed his disdain for Musk in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Musk’s support of H-1B visas is fueling this MAGA feud.
Per The Hill:
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
With Trump set to take office for the second time shortly, Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear.
Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.
Steve Bannon Calls Elon Musk A Racist
What’s even more hilarious is that Bannon, who has been accused of being a racist, slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.
“He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon continued. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
Bannon didn’t stop there, adding that Musk has the maturity of a “little boy” and is only trying to add to his ridiculous wealth.
We don’t agree with Bannon on anything, but he’s not lying there.