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19 May 2023

Ja Morant Sneakers Scrubbed From Nike Site

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Ja Morant Hosts Sound Nightclub

Ja Morant, currently under heavy scrutiny after being caught a second time on camera brandishing a gun, recently released his first signature sneaker with Nike in the Ja 1. A new report reveals that the Ja 1 sneaker was scrubbed from Nike’s app and site, although a new colorway is said to be in existence.

According to a report from Commercial Appeal, a Memphis news publication, the signature Ja Morant sneakers were removed from the Nike website and app, along with no longer being available on sports apparel company Finish Line’s website or app.

The outlet added that the new colorway of the Ja 1 sneakers, titled Hunger, is still available via the SNKRS and Hibbett Sports by way of a raffle. It isn’t known if Nike is backing out of its partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies superstar and unlike the first gun-flashing incident on March 4, the company has yet to make a statement.

This past Sunday, Morant was seen on a friend’s Instagram Live feed listening to Hip-Hop music and then brazenly flashing a gun similar to what occurred in March. During the 2023 Draft Lottery this past Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed thoughts about  Morant’s recent troubles and thought that the electrifying playing was changing his ways.

Ja Morant issued a recent statement apologizing yet again for his actions. The Grizzlies suspended their star from all team activities as the league and team continue to investigate and handle the matter.

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Photo: Prince Williams / Getty

19 May 2023

Rick Ross Says His Car Show Will Happen Regardless Of Permitting Issues

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2023 Kelce Jam

Source: Barry Brecheisen / Getty

When Rick Ross says it is going down you can wait for it to fall from the sky. He says his car show is still happening even though the permit isn’t approved.

As spotted on TMZ Rozay is going hard until the wheels fall off; literally and figuratively. For weeks he has been promoting his second annual car show. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 3 at his massive home he refers to as “Promise Land Estates”. It seems last year’s festivities went without a hitch but the 2023 edition is already hit a snag.

Robb Report has acquired a letter dated May 16 from the Fayette County Department of Planning and Zoning denying Rick Ross’ application. Last year he and his team secured the permit and categorized as a “horse show/rodeo/carnival and/or community fair”. But officials say that the event doesn’t align with the descriptor saying “A plain reading of the phrase… does not anticipate a car and bike show”. They also call out that the expected attendance will poorly impact the surround community with traffic and poses safety concerns. “The emergency resources necessary to ensure proper function of an event of this scale are not anticipated in this district and therefore are not easily dispatched,” the response reads.

Well Ross is unbothered by the rejection and plans to host the car show anyway. He spoke to TMZ about it and explained his game plan which includes potentially reaching out to the mayor for special consideration. You can see discuss the matter below.



Photo: Revolt

19 May 2023

NBA Twitter Fries LeBron James & Anthony Davis After Nuggets Go 2-0 Over Lakers

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NBA: Lakers vs Nuggets

LeBron James is no stranger to criticism after a tough loss considering he remains as one of the most recognizable figures in the NBA. After the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, fans on Twitter are giving LeBron James and Anthony Davis the business.

Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is the top name for Denver but it was the exploits of Jamal Murray that lifted the team over James and company. Murray poured in 37 points in a fourth-quarter explosion where he scored 23 points after his team was down in the second half. Jokic, continuing his uncanny triple-double production, dropping 23 points on 9-21 shooting and hauling in 17 rebounds with 12 assists.

On the other side, James scored 22 points on 9-19 shooting and dropped 10 assists, and pulled down nine boards. Davis made just four of 15 shots to score 18 along with 14 rebounds. Austin Reaves, once again showing expert poise went eight for 16 from the field with 22 points and was joined by Rui Hachimura who dropped 21 points.

Nuggets head coach Mike Malone expressed some frustration on how his team has been covered in the press with all the attention going towards the Lakers. While Los Angeles remains to be a marquee team, few analysts predicted them to be squaring off with anyone this deep into the playoffs.

After Nikola Jokic’s monster game in the opener, his pick-and-roll partner Jamal Murray took the spotlight in the Western Conference finals Thursday night.

“You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers,” Malone said. “Let’s be honest, the national narrative was, ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’ No one talked about how Nikola just had [a] historic performance. He’s got 13 (playoff) triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he’s doing is just incredible.”

On Twitter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are getting blasted for their performance. We’ve got the tweets below.

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Photo: Getty

19 May 2023

Check Out Garth Brooks’ Full Setlist for ‘Garth Brooks/Plus ONE’ Opening Night in Las Vegas

There’s a reason that Garth Brooks won entertainer of the year a record-setting seven times from the CMA Awards. It’s because he simply has few peers when it comes to live performance.

Brooks proved that again Thursday night (May 18) at the opening night of his Garth Brooks/Plus ONE residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The 2 1/2-hour performance spanned 33 songs and combined the best of his previous one-man show at The Wynn — which ended in 2014 after running for five years — and the full-band, three-year stadium tour that he completed last year that drew more than three million people.

Brooks started off solo backing himself on acoustic guitar, under the guise of saying he needed to sound check how the room sounded full of people. He opened with Bob Seger‘s “Against the Wind,” which he sang partially a cappella. While it’s understandable to focus on his overall talents as an engaging entertainer and his almost supernatural ability to connect with his audience, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that his voice is a tremendously supple and powerful one, which he proved over-and-over throughout the night. He followed with “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” from Keith Whitley, one of his other musical heroes, and his own 1995 hit, “She’s Every Woman,” before bringing on his 11-piece band for a muscular, full-bodied “Rodeo.”

For the rest of the evening, he nimbly toggled back and forth between solo and band performances in what seemed to be a spontaneous set list. While his band was in fine form throughout, they especially shone on a particularly menacing “The Thunder Rolls.” His permanent Plus One, wife Trisha Yearwood, also joined him for four songs, showing off her peerless vocals throughout, but especially on “Shallow.”

Unlike the Wynn show where he narrated a version of his life from the perspective of his youth with a sense of awe of the musical marks his early influences had left on him, this time when he referenced George Strait, James Taylor and Seger, it was as often as a peer. That includes a moving segment where he recounted how stunning it was for him to hear his holy trio sing his own songs back to him when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It also proved a clever device to perform three of his biggest hits: “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” “The River” and “That Summer.”

Audience members had to lock up their phones upon entry, which meant no photos, no video, and, certainly, no recording. The simple move kept everyone in the moment, but also allowed Brooks to debut a stunning new song, a dark ballad about finding pleasure in the pain, without worrying it would show up online within minutes.

But the moments of darkness were few (and included a stripped-down, emotional version of “Wolves” from 1990’s No Fences) because, as Brooks has said for decades, there is no one having more fun at his shows than him. His exuberance at being back on stage, embraced by adoring fans who gave him a long standing ovation simply for walking out before he sang a note, was palpable at every turn. Brooks joked earlier in the day that tonight would be the worst of the 27 shows in his 2023 residency; on Friday morning (May 19), he added an additional 18 shows for 2024 that go on sale later this month. If that is the case, fans attending upcoming concerts have got plenty to look forward to as opening night will be hard to beat.

See below for the full setlist from the residency’s opening night.

19 May 2023

The Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Dies at 59

Andy Rourke, founding bass player with the Smiths, the iconic ’80s indie band whose reputation seems to grow with each passing year, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 59.

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Bandmate and guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed the sad news: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer,” he writes on social media.

“Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans.  We request privacy at this sad time.”

Rourke performed on all four of the Smiths’ studio albums, each of them classics: The Smiths (from 1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987).

Led by Morrissey and the talismanic Marr with his jangly guitar style, the Smiths are considered the benchmark for what an “indie” band could sound like. And with its bank of hits, including “There Is a Light That Will Never Go Out,” “This Charming Man,” “How Soon Is Now,” and many others, an argument could me made that the Smiths is the greatest in its genre.

More to come…

19 May 2023

Blur Ready Return With ‘The Ballad of Darren’

Britpop kings Blur are back.

Damon Albarn and Co. return this summer with a new LP, The Ballad of Darren, set for release July 21 through Parlophone.

But first, the four-piece unleash the first track from it, “The Narcissist.”

Blur’s first fresh cut in eight years is a jangly piece of indie goodness, on which Albarn tells the tale of someone who simple loves themself too much. He sings: “I’m going to shine a light in your eyes/ You’ll probably shine it back on me/ But I won’t fall this time/ With godspeed I’ll heed the signs.”

Produced by James Ford and recorded at Studio 13, London and Devon, The Ballad of Darren is Blur’s ninth studio album.

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Spanning 10 tracks, it’s accompanied with artwork featuring an image by British photographer Martin Parr.

“This is an aftershock record, reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now,” comments Albarn.

Guitarist Graham Coxon adds, “The older and madder we get, it becomes more essential that what we play is loaded with the right emotion and intention. Sometimes just a riff doesn’t do the job.”

The surprises don’t end there. Blur return to their old stomping ground, Colchester, Essex, for a performance at Colchester Arts Centre on Friday (May 19), followed by a handful of warmup performances in the U.K.

Once warmed up, things should get hot when the group performs old stuff and new across the U.K. and Europe over the coming months, including their first ever shows at Wembley Stadium, July 8 and 9.

With a slew of hits including “Song 2,” Parklife,” “Girls & Boys,” Coffee & TV,” “Beetlebum,” “Country House,” and many more, Blur was one of the most successful British bands to emerge in the 1990s. They were head of the Britpop class. But unlike many of their classmates, they stayed together, evolved musically and remain relevant.

In their homeland, Blur landed 26 songs in the top 40, including two No. 1s. Six Blur albums have led the albums chart, including their most recent LP, 2015’s The Magic Whip.

“For any long-term relationship to last with any meaning you have to be able to surprise each other somehow and somehow we all continue to do that,” comments bass player Alex James on the new album.

Drummer Dave Rowntree continues, “It always feels very natural to make music together. With every record we do, the process reveals something new and we develop as a band. We don’t take that for granted.”

Stream “The Narcissist” and check out the album tracklist below.

The Ballad of Darren tracklist.

  1. The Ballad
  2. St Charles Square
  3. Barbaric
  4. Russian Strings
  5. The Everglades (For Leonard)
  6. The Narcissist
  7. Goodbye Albert
  8. Far Away Island
  9. Avalon
  10. The Heights

19 May 2023

Ed Sheeran Retains Australian Chart Crown With ‘Subtract’

Ed Sheeran holds off The Amity Affliction on Australia’s albums survey, as Subtract (via Atlantic/Warner) starts a second week at No. 1.

With the British singer and songwriter’s latest chart feat, he racks-up 44 weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart across his full-length six albums, all of them best-sellers.

Heavy stuff is close behind. Homegrown metalcore group The Amity Affliction open at No. 2 with Not Without My Ghosts (Warner), their eighth studio effort.

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The hard rockers this year celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and now boast seven top 10 appearances, including four ARIA No. 1s: Chasing Ghosts (from 2012), Let The Ocean Take Me (2014), This Could Be Heartbreak (2016) and Misery (2018). In the decade from 2010, the Gympie, Queensland heavyweights amassed five ARIA Award nominations, though none culminated in a pointed trophy.

Completing the podium on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, published May 19, is Taylor Swift’s former leader Midnights (Universal), up 4-3.

Further down the list, veteran Australian artist Kate Ceberano debuts at No. 6 with My Life Is A Symphony (ABC/Orchard), a collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. It’s Ceberano’s 17th ARIA top 50 album, according to the trade body, and seventh top 10, including 1989’s Brave, which peaked at No. 2.

Legendary local rockers Midnight Oil cook up a 17th ARIA top 10 with Live at the Old Lion, Adelaide (MGM), new at No. 7. Peter Garrett and Co. have led the ARIA Chart with seven titles: Red Sails In the Sunset (1984), Species Deceases (1985), Diesel and Dust (1987), Blue Sky Mining (1990), 20,000 Watt R.S.L. (1997), The Makarrata Project (2020) and Resist (2022).

The Eurovision Song Contest is done for the year, though the music lives on. A collection from the 67th annual event, The Eurovision Song Contest Liverpool 2023 (Universal), debuts at No. 15 on the albums tally. The compilation includes Australia’s representative for the 2023 Eurovision, Voyager with “Promise.” The plucky pop-rock outfit from Perth finished ninth in the annual competition, held last Saturday (May 13) at Liverpool’s M&S Arena.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Morgan Wallen clocks up a sixth consecutive week at No. 1 with “Last Night” (via Republic/Universal). It’s now just one frame from matching the seven weeks Billy Ray Cyrus logged at No. 1 with “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992, a record for a single by a male American country singer here since the official ARIA Charts were launched in 1983.

“Last Night” leads an unchanged top three, closed out by Fifty Fifty’s “The Beginning: Cupid” (Warner) and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony), respectively.

The top debut belongs to New York City-based drill rapper Lil Mabu with “Mathematical Disrespect” (Independent) new at No. 21. Lil Durk‘s “All My Life” (Sony) featuring J. Cole isn’t far behind; it debuts at No. 23.

19 May 2023

Lana Del Rey Gives Belated Release to ‘Say Yes To Heaven’: Stream It Now

Written a decade ago, and circulated online for almost two years, Lana Del Rey finally gives fans that slice of heaven they were waiting for.

At the stroke of midnight, the U.S. alternative-pop princess gave a proper release to “Say Yes To Heaven,” a dreamy downbeat number, filled out with mellow guitar arpeggios and a touch of tambourine and kick.

Co-written in 2012 with Rick Nowels, “Say Yes To Heaven” leaked online back in October 2020 and took a journey of its own on TikTok.

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The track did not, however, appear on Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean, her ninth studio album, which dropped in March.

Tunnel was co-produced by Del Rey alongside Mike Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes, and Benji, includes assists from Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Judah Smith, Tommy Genesis, and SYML, and was an immediate international hit.

In the United States, the set went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, her ninth appearance in the top 10; it blasted to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, her sixth No. 1 there and eighth top 10; and No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, her fifth No. 1 in Australia and eighth top 10 overall.

With that embarrassment of musical riches in her arsenal, Del Rey will perform a bunch of outdoor shows in the months ahead, including dates at Brazil’s MITA music festival in Rio De Janeiro (June 27) and Sao Paulo (Aug. 3), and Festival D’Ete in Quebec, Canada.

Her itinerary includes major outdoor summer shows in the U.K., beginning with a date June 24 at Glastonbury Festival, then, on July 9, she’ll close the BST Hyde Park series in central London with a headline performance. According to reps from Polydor Records, she’ll be “accompanied by an array of special guests that are still to be announced.”

Festival appearances in the U.S. follow at Lallapalooza, Outside Lands and All Things Go.

Stream “Say Yes To Heaven” below.

18 May 2023

Kaytranada & Aminé Release ‘KAYTRAMINÉ’ Album: Stream It Now

Summer might technically begin on June 21, but Kaytranada and Aminé made it arrive earlier with the release of their joint album KAYTRAMINÉ Friday (May 19).

The Canadian DJ/producer and Ethiopian-American rapper gave fans a first taste of KAYTRAMINÉ last month with the Pharrell-assisted “4EVA” single. The 11-track project also features collaborations with Freddie Gibbs (“LETSTALKABOUTIT”), Big Sean (“MASTER P”), Amaarae (“SOSSAUP”) and Snoop Dogg (“EYE”).

The new KAYTRAMINÉ duo made its festival debut during Kaytranada’s weekend one Coachella set in April, but the two have been working together for nearly a decade on songs such as “La Danse,” “YeYe,” “Not At All” (Aminé’s remix of Kaytranada’s “At All” from his 2015 EP At All / Hilarity Duff) and “Egyptian Luvr” from Rejjie Snow‘s 2018 album Dear Annie (that features Aminé and Dana Williams and was produced by Kaytranada).

“I was broke as f–k working on music everyday in 2014 looking for a north star. i was kinda thinking about giving up cuz sh– wasnt really workin out for me then kay hit me back & sent me beats for free.. that put a extra battery in my back & really made me feel confident again,” Aminé tweeted earlier this week. “Who tf know where i’d be right now without that little push from kay that early in my career. the love you show people sometimes can really affect them in ways you couldn’t imagine. kaytraminé ain’t no industry play, this been 9 years in the making.”

He also shared a DM exchange between the two dating back to July 27, 2014, showing Aminé thanking Kaytranada for following him back on Twitter and expressing his interest in working together sometime.

Listen to their KAYTRAMINÉ album below.

18 May 2023

Summer Walker Releases ‘Clear 2: Soft Life’ EP: Stream It Now

Summer Walker dropped her highly anticipated Clear 2: Soft Life EP on Friday (May 19) via LVRN and Interscope Records.

Earlier this week, she partnered with Spotify’s RapCaviar to tease her new project in a sitcom-style promo video starring herself, Sukihana and Sexyy Redd, where the three women are just living their best lives and eating caviar, or as they like to call it, “cavinar.”

The nine-track project features collaborations with Childish Gambino (“New Type”) as well as Solange, Steve Lacy and John Kirby (“Agayu’s Revelation”).

Summer Walker

Summer Walker Announces New EP ‘Clear 2: Soft Life’ at Dreamville Festival

Clear 2: Soft Life serves as the follow-up to 2019’s Clear, which featured four songs: “Riot,” “Grave,” “Wasted” and “Settling.” Clear arrived months before her debut studio album, Over It, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. At the time, it earned the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album by a woman with 154.7 million on-demand audio streams for the LP’s songs, surpassing the debut week of Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which had 115.2 million.

In an interview with Billboard, who gave Walker our Chartbreaker Award during Women in Music 2022, she talked about being “hella excited for Clear 2. The last one was like four songs. This one — I want it to be a lot longer so I can really get that sound out. That’s my favorite type of sound,” she said at the time. “I make what I got to make for the radio, but I’m very excited for [Clear 2]. Hopefully, my budget will be permitted. [If not], we got to protest.”

Listen to her Clear 2: Soft Life EP below.