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17 Apr 2023

E-40 Bet Joyner Lucas $50,000 That the Warriors Would Win the 2022 NBA Finals, and He’d Do It Again This Year

Have you ever bet on an NBA Finals series against a friend? If the answer is yes, then you have something in common with E-40 and Joyner Lucas — who put up $50,000 each last year when their hometown teams, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, squared off in the 2022 Finals, with the Warriors eventually winning the best-of-7 series in six games. 

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“The reason I was confident is because we’ve done this,” E-40, a longtime Warriors fan, tells Billboard. “We’ve got four rings, and these past 10 years, this decade has been ours.”

As confident as the Vallejo, California native was that his squad would emerge victorious from the 2022 championship, E-40 still tried to give Lucas multiple chances to call off the bet. The “Ramen & OJ” rapper admittedly made this wager with his heart and hometown in mind. 

“I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, to be honest with you,” Joyner tells Billboard. “I think I was just trying to show the hometown some love. I was confident about how it started off [with the Celtics going up 2-1], that we were going to take it.”

The Worcester, Massachusetts MC, who recently dropped “Blackout,” the latest offering off his forthcoming sophomore album, Not Now, I’m Busy, watched his money slip away right before his eyes as he performed at halftime during Game 6 of the Finals last year. The Warriors were crowned champions that evening, and if you ask E-40, he wouldn’t mind betting on his hometown team again. 

“I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner,” the West Coast legend tells Billboard. “I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.”

During Game 1 of the Western Conference Round 1 series between the Warriors and Sacramento Kings on Saturday night (Apr. 16), E-40 was involved in a verbal skirmish with security, resulting in his ejection from the arena. The incident stemmed from an earlier encounter with a heckling Kings fan, which prompted security to come and check on the matter. The West Coast veteran called out the Kings organization, citing “racial bias,” hoping those involved would be held accountable. The Kings responded with a statement and said that they are currently investigating the matter. A rep close to E-40 confirms to Billboard that he will not be attending Game 2 in Sacramento on Monday night (Apr. 17).

Prior to the incident over the weekend, Billboard caught up with E-40 and Lucas to discuss their friendly rivalry, the sources of their fandom, and their 2023 NBA playoff predictions. 

When did you become a fan of your team, and what really drew you to them?

E-40: I always liked sports. Baseball, basketball, football. And I always represented my soil. I love California, period. But I love Northern California more, you know what I’m saying? And so, me being a Warriors fan since I was young watching Rick Barry shoot free throws, underhanded. Watching that, I’ve been loving it.

I did a big thing in Vallejo, in my city at Dan Foley Park, where it was called the E-40 Fun Day. And I had all the kids out there, I’m talking about the whole Vallejo. Free barbecue, games. Had hella games out there, jumpers, everything you need. I even had the Warriors, RIP to the mascot that they had back then, but he came to the thing. He set up the whole Warriors thing.

The time I’m talking about was like 1998, somewhere around twenty-something years ago. I’ve always been a fan of the Warriors, but any team around here I would try to support. It’s always Warriors, 49ers, and the [San Francisco] Giants are my first priority.

Joyner Lucas: [For me], just growing up and watching the games and having a team where you’re from. Naturally, you want to support where you’re from. As you grow up, and you want to support your team, where you from, and you know there’s a lot of legendary players that have played on the Celtics. And these players that are on the team right now will be legendary as well. I just think that that’s really what it is.

Last year, you guys made a $50,000 bet on the NBA Finals. How did that come about? 

E-40: He wanted to bet me. He said, “Let’s bet.” I said, “Let’s bet a dollar, man. Let’s just do a little cool little gentleman’s bet, like $1. A dollar deal.” He wanted to big time me and just, “Nah, f–k that. Let’s bet $50,000.” He tried to punk me out, right? And he didn’t know I was trained to go, you feel me?

I say, “Okay, you sure?” Right? And he was like, “Hell yeah!” Even a day later, he posted it right away. He put it on Facebook and Instagram. I didn’t say anything. Maybe I re-posted what he put out or something, but he’s the one who started it. He wanted to talk Big Bronco. And I’m like, “Joyner.” A day later, I believe a day or two later, I say, “Man, it ain’t too late to back up out this bet.”

I’m throwing him a life vest and stuff like that, and he’s still talking Big Bronco. You know what the man said? That man said, “F–k that. I don’t want to hear no mother f—–g kumbaya.” You know what I’m saying? That’s what he said.

Joyner Lucas: I felt like Jayson Tatum and those guys really wanted it, but I didn’t really take into account how long the Warriors been really doing it, and how seasoned they are. And E-40 gave me a lot of chances to back out of the bet, even when the Warriors were leading, but I didn’t want to back out because I’m a man of my word.

In the end, I took a really bad loss, but I’m going to be real with you: I didn’t expect us to lose the night that I performed. I thought we were going to win that night. Thought it was a home game, I thought we were going to win. I thought it was going to be great, but they lost the night that I performed. It was crazy, because even during halftime, we were down. When I went out and performed, it was like nobody was trying to hear that s–t. Nobody was trying to see me perform, because nobody was really in a good mood that [because they] were down, so it was just all bad all the way around, man. It wasn’t really a good night.

E-40: He said, “Send me the wire information.” Right? And I was like, “Okay.” I sent it to him, and then he hits me … I think it was the weekend, but he hits me and say, “As promised.” And he showed me the wire info. Right? 

I called him and I said, “That kind of hurt, didn’t it?” He said, “Hell yeah!” I said, “I know that would’ve hurt me no matter how much money I got.” It’s just $50K. That’s just a lot of money. He asked me what I’m going to do. “OG, what you going to do with the money?” I said, “I’m going to redo my swimming pool.”

40, being a season ticket holder, is there any player on the Warriors that you have a really good relationship with?

E-40: One of the people that I’m close with is Draymond [Green]. That’s my guy. I’m close to [Stephen] Curry too, but I’m super close to Draymond. Draymond is a great guy. We’ve played dominoes together. Before he moved to San Francisco, closer to the arena, he stayed out here by me.

And I would go over there, and his mom would be there. He used to say, “Mom’s making tacos today.” That’s our folks too. And we’d go over there, we eat tacos, play dominoes. And it’d just be nothing but just love. And we talk s–t to each other, especially on days off. We’d get a few glasses of wine, you feel me? And it’s just genuine love. 

I was at his wedding. Everybody that was somebody was up in that thing. Even LeBron and all of them. He invited me and my wife to the wedding.

What are your thoughts on the overall playoffs this year? What are your predictions? 

E-40: It’s going to be tough. We don’t know. This one is very unpredictable overall, because there’s so many good teams. The West is so tough, and all of these players are playing at a high capacity. Basketball has evolved. The players have evolved. I don’t know if it’s their workout plans, or technology, or how they eat. I don’t know what it is. But they didn’t play like this back in the days, good brother. Everybody’s good. You hear me?

Do either of you think your team can make it back to the Finals?  And if they do, are you planning on putting another bet on it this time around?

Joyner Lucas: I’m never betting on a single basketball player or game in my entire life. Never again will I ever bet on another basketball game ever again in life, ever. That was it.

I would hope that they would be able to get back. I would like to see it go the other way this time, but at the same time, again, it’s the experience of the Warriors, man. They showed last year that they had that experience over the Celtics. I don’t know if one year is going to change that. I don’t know. Hopefully, if they get back, they can capitalize and they take it home. That would be amazing for the city, and I think everyone would love to see that. Jayson, he’s having a hell of a year, so I guess we’ll see.

E-40: Absolutely. I feel like we’re going to repeat, and once we win, I don’t know who’s going to step up and be like Joyner. I don’t know what rapper wants to do it. They can play with me if they want to. They can put a hundred up, they can put 200, whatever they want to do. I’m going with the Warriors.

17 Apr 2023

Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell Reach Resolution Over Unreleased Chris Cornell Recordings

The long-running legal dispute between grunge icons Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, the widow of late lead singer Chris Cornell, has been resolved. According to a statement posted on the social media account of the band and Cornell on Monday morning (April 17) the agreement will pave the way for the eventual release of Cornell’s final recorded vocals with the group.

“Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution,” read the statement. “The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden’s incredible legacy as well as Chris’s indelible mark on music history – as one of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of all time.

Two years after Cornell was found dead by suicide at age 52 in a Detroit hotel room on May 17, 2017, Vicky Cornell sued surviving band members guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd and the band’s longtime business manager. The suit claimed what she described as attempts to “strong-arm” her into turning over seven unreleased audio recordings made by the singer before his death by allegedly withholding royalties owed to the estate.

Two months later, the band sued Vicky Cornell claiming she had no right to withhold the tracks from what was expected to be the group’s final album. In March 2020 Soundgarden asked a judge to dismiss Cornell’s lawsuit on procedural grounds and then they countersued her in May of that year over the proceeds of a Jan. 2019 tribute concert; those claims were dropped in July 2020.

Cornell filed a second lawsuit in Feb. 2021 in which she claimed the living members undervalued her share of the group, which was filed by more back-and-forth over the band’s March 2021 demands that Vicky Cornell turn over the keys to the group’s social media accounts.

At press time no additional information was available on when the unheard music will be released.

See the joint statement below.

17 Apr 2023

Utopia Music Sheds 15% of Global Workforce in Latest Round of Layoffs

LONDON — Swiss-based tech company Utopia Music is undertaking a fresh round of job cuts, eliminating around 15% of its global workforce, co-founder and interim chief executive Mattias Hjelmstedt said in a memo to staff on Monday.  

Hjelmstedt said the cost-trimming measures follow a review of the organization’s business and form part of an ongoing “strategic shift” towards a focus on delivering financial services for labels, publishers and distributors. Billboard understands that around 100 jobs are being cut.   

In the staff memo, which has been seen by Billboard, Hjelmstedt says that Utopia’s distribution companies are not affected by the staff cuts. They include Proper Music Group, the United Kingdom’s leading independent physical music distributor, which provides distribution services for 1,000-plus indie labels and service companies, and Cinram Novum, which provides warehouse, fulfilment and distribution services to a range of labels, including UMG, Sony Music Entertainment and [PIAS]. 

Monday’s announcement is the second round of layoffs to take place at Utopia in the past six months. 

In November, the Zug, Switzerland-based tech company cut its workforce by around 20%, representing about 230 jobs. That was followed by a restructuring of Utopia’s business into two separate divisions: Music Services and Royalty Platform in December and the exit of former CEO Markku Mäkeläinen in January. Earlier this month, U.K.-based Roberto Neri announced that he too was leaving his position as CEO of Utopia’s Music Services division to join French music company Believe.  

The start of this year has also seen Utopia, whose motto is “Fair pay for every play,” divest two of the 15 companies it acquired over the past two years during a frenetic buying spree. On Feb. 7, Utopia announced that it had sold U.S.-based music database platform ROSTR — which has a directory of artists, managers, booking agents and record labels — back to ROSTR’s founders for an undisclosed sum.  

Last month, French music company Believe acquired U.K.-based publisher Sentric, which represents more than four million songs and over 400,000 songwriters in more than 200 territories, from Utopia in a deal worth €47 million ($51 million). Utopia owned Liverpool-based Sentric Music Group — which also has offices in London, Hamburg, New York and Los Angeles – for just over a year before selling it to Believe.  

“Today’s market requires that companies that embarked on a hiring spree during ‘hyper growth’ now restructure,” wrote Hjelmstedt. “We are a company that is not afraid to adjust when necessary. That means we take active decisions, however hard they may be, to ensure we can deliver our vision to serve the music industry.”  

Hjelmstedt went on to say that adjusting to these strategic changes “has been a big, but necessary undertaking” that has optimized the company’s client offering “and already seen an uplift in customers.”  

Referencing recent reports by Scandinavian news outlet Breakit that some Utopia employees had not been paid and the company’s Swedish arm, Utopia R&D Tech, owes 8 million SEK ($770,000) to the Swedish tax authorities, the CEO said “all outstanding tax debts have been cleared” and legacy issues regarding staff payments were “in the process of being cleaned up.”     

“We continue to actively work on this process to ensure that we never find ourselves in this position again,” said Hjelmstedt, adding that the company – which had a workforce of around 1,000 employees internationally prior to sale of Sentric – will soon share information on “commercial initiatives, deals, and sales strategies” that will drive future revenue growth. 

Read the memo in full here:  

Dear Utopians, 

Since taking on additional responsibilities as your Executive Chairman, I’ve been committed to sharing the steps we must take for Utopia to become a profitable and sustainable business. The new leadership team and I have had to make some important, and sometimes very tough, decisions as part of this ongoing process. Today I need to share news of that nature.  

Together, we’ve very carefully reviewed our organization against our refocused product and commercial roadmaps, and specific needs, and must share the unfortunate news that, as part of this strategic shift, we need to say goodbye to around 15% of our Utopian colleagues. Our distribution companies are not affected by this review.  

Thomas and I created Utopia by combining two of our great loves – music and technology – and we’ve built it together with you. That’s why this is the most difficult decision we’ve had to make so far, and I fully appreciate that after these past few months this will be hard to read. If you are one of the affected individuals: Please know that this is in no way based on your individual performance – we hired you because we value you and you are great at what you do – this is about doing what is necessary to secure the future of the company. We’re truly sorry to see you go and feel both humbled and grateful for all the amazing work you have done for Utopia. 

It’s been very hard to see how Utopia was treated last year and you already know how I feel about decisions taken that put us in a difficult situation. Additionally,  like the rest of the tech industry, we’re facing challenges brought on by changed market conditions. We’ve seen several waves of redundancies from companies large and small – Meta, for example, recently announced its “year of efficiency” to cater to its long-term vision. Today’s market requires that companies that embarked on a hiring spree during “hyper growth” now restructure. The likes of Spotify, Microsoft, and PayPal (and so many others) now need to adapt to the new reality of focused sustainable growth – just like we have to at Utopia. We are a company that is not afraid to adjust when necessary. That means we take active decisions, however hard they may be, to ensure we can deliver our vision to serve the music industry with technology for processing royalties, distributing music, and facilitating Fair Pay for Every Play while reducing complexity for our customers.

Adjusting to these changes has been a big, but necessary undertaking. We’ve sharpened our strategic focus these past three months through targeted sales (ROSTR and Sentric) – bringing in further capital as an additional benefit – and we  appointed a new, mature leadership team that’s equipped to move Utopia towards profitability. We have optimized our offering and already seen an uplift in customers – we have strong products on the market that we will continue to improve, a top-of-the-line platform, a world-class distribution arm that represents 98% of UK labels (including all majors), and a plan to first break even and then grow even further, sustainably. The legacy from last year is in the process of being cleaned up. All outstanding tax debts have been cleared, including our financial obligations in Sweden. We continue to actively work on this process to ensure that we never find ourselves in this position again. We’re humbled and grateful to all of you who stepped up to support this large, strategic shift, and have shown patience while we do so.  

Soon we will share more information on commercial initiatives, deals, and sales strategies that will drive Utopia’s revenue growth. But for now, let’s allow ourselves time to reflect and give the great people that will unfortunately have to leave us a proper goodbye. Some colleagues will receive difficult news and some will lose teammates and friends, so please be there for them.  

I want to express my sincere apologies to everyone affected. Utopia was built to be a high-impact company and we have attracted extremely talented people who we truly appreciate and respect. That’s why this decision is so hard to make. I know you will have a lot of questions, please know that more information on next steps will be provided by the P&C team shortly.  

Take care of yourselves and each other, 

Mattias 

17 Apr 2023

Adele Sings Along to Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ During Night Out in Miami Beach: Watch

Adele is living her teenage dream…with the help of some adult beverages. The 34-year-old superstar was spotted having the time of her life this weekend at a gay bar in Miami Beach, enjoying drinks, lighting up the dance floor and happily singing along to pop hits like Katy Perry‘s 2010 smash.

Long hair tossed over her shoulders, Adele was captured in one video belting to a remixed “Teenage Dream,” sped-up with an appropriately danceable electronic beat added underneath Perry’s iconic lyrics. “I can’t sleep, let’s run away and don’t ever look back,” the musician sang along, making up corresponding dance moves as she went.

Fan photos and videos of the “Easy On Me” singer’s night out pinned her to Twist nightclub in South Beach, with one partygoer tweeting: “adele singing with us at twist???? i LOVE to see it.” That same fan also shared a video of the 16-time Grammy winner hitting all the high notes to Sia and David Guetta’s 2011 blockbuster hit “Titanium,” encouraging the crowd around her to sing along, too.

Though it seems the star is currently enjoying some time down south, she’ll soon be headed back out west to resume her acclaimed Las Vegas residency. A few weeks ago, while closing out her initial run of Weekends With Adele shows at Caesars Palace, Adele announced that an additional 34 shows starting June 16 would be added to the lineup.

“Playing to 4,000 people for 34 nights is not enough, and I know that, so I am coming back,” she told fans at a recent show. “I’ll be back for a few weeks in June, and I’m going to film it and I’m going to release it to make sure that anyone who wants to see this show can see it.”

See clips of Adele enjoying her night out in Miami below:

17 Apr 2023

Ahmad Jamal, Influential Jazz Pianist Dies at 92

Influential jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal has died at age 92. The New York Times reported that Jamal died at his home in Ashley Falls, MA on Sunday April 16) due to prostate cancer.

A beloved piano player and composer, Jamal’s unique sound influenced fellow jazz greats Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner, as well as a generation of crate-digging hip-hop lyricists and producers who sampled his music, including J Dilla (who snagged Jamal’s 1974 tune “Swahililand” for De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High”), Nas (“The World is Yours”) and DJ Premiere (for Gang Starr’s “Soliloquy of Chaos”) among many others.

Renowned for a light touch that favored lyricism over a barrage of notes — in contrast to the heady, sometimes hectic sound of bebop that ruled when he began playing as a teen in the 1940s — Jamal sought to create more space with a style that has been credited as one of the most admired in the genre’s history.

After getting his start performing as Fritz Jones in the late 1940s, Jamal began to develop what the Times described as a “laid-back, accessible style, with its dense chords, its wide dynamic range and above all its judicious use of silence,” which led to some dismissive, negative reviews from the jazz press early on, including writer Martin Williams describing his sound as “chic and shallow.”

That criticism would not stick, however, as more and more jazz greats began to cite Jamal as an inspiration, including Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. Legendary trumpeter Davis — who became a friend and who later recorded Jamal’s songs — once said “all my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal,” the paper noted.

Jamal was born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh, PA on July 2, 1930 and began playing piano at an early age, going pro at 14 and hitting on the road in 1948 with George Hudson’s Orchestra after graduating from high school. A move to Chicago in 1950 brought more work, as well as a conversion to Islam that birthed Jones’ new stage name. His piano-guitar-bass trio, the Three Strings, caught the ear of legendary producer/talent scout John Hammond, who signed them to Okeh record label, which launched a long and fruitful recording career for more than a dozen labels.

Jamal first full-length album, Ahmad Jamal Plays, was released on the Parrot label in 1955 — and later rereleased on Chess Records under a different name — and featured the original track “New Rhumba” and covers of such jazz standards as George and Ira Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and Cole Porter’s “All of You.”

It was 1958’s live album, At the Pershing: But Not for Me, which was recorded at the famed Chicago nightclub, however, that introduced the world to Jamal’s sound. The record spent more than two years on the Billboard 200 album chart, a rare feat for a jazz album. The album collection featured the pianist’s best-known track, his energetic take on the standard “Poinciana.”

Over the course of his career Jamal would release more than 60 albums and earn a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master award, as well as lifetime achievement honor from the Grammy Awards and a Living Jazz Legend designation from the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

Jamal continued to perform and record well into his 80s, releasing his final album, the mostly solo piano collection Ballades, in 2019, which included a solo version of “Poinciana” that served as a poignant bookend to a prodigious, acclaimed career that also included the founding of several record labels and the short-lived Alhambra jazz club in Chicago. Two double-disc compilations of previously unreleased live recordings in Seattle, Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse (1963-1964) and the sequel, (1965-66), were released last year.

Listen to the Jamal Trio perform “But Not For Me” and “Poinciana” below.

17 Apr 2023

Aespa Unveils Third Mini Album Title & Release Date: Here’s When It Arrives

Get ready, MYs! aespa is gearing up to release its third mini album, and it’s arriving much sooner than you think. On Monday (April 17), the K-pop group — which consists of members Giselle, Karina, NingNing and Winter — announced the title of the forthcoming project and dates pertaining to its release.

“aespa to release 3rd mini album ‘MY WORLD’ on May 8th and warm up for the comeback with the pre-released single ‘Welcome To MY World’ on May 2nd! Pre-orders start today!” the quartet’s official Twitter account revealed, alongside a series of teaser images of the album title, MY WORLD, in balloon lettering.

The album announcement was released alongside the project’s introductory teaser, which featured Giselle, Karina, NingNing and Winter in white outfits surrounded by a rocky landscape and other arid locations. Guitar-based instrumentals fade in toward the end of the brief trailer, as NingNing delicately sings the title of the pre-release single, “Welcome To MY World.”

MY WORLD will mark aespa’s second album following the release of Girls in 2022. The set ranked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, and spent a total of three weeks on the chart. The K-pop stars most recently released single “Hold On Tight,” which appeared on the Tetris original film soundtrack.

The album news is likely a sigh of relief for MYs, as asepa debuted several new and unreleased tracks during its SYNK: HYPER LINE concert back in February.

See aespa’s album announcement and its intro teaser in the tweets below.

17 Apr 2023

Usher Announces Four Exclusive European Shows in Paris

After taking over Las Vegas with his sold-out residency in 2021, Usher looks to expand his dominance globally by announcing his new European mini-jaunt, Rendez-Vous Á Paris. 

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Kicking off Sept. 24 in Paris at La Seine Musicale, the four-date festivity will include Hot 100 chart-topping hits “Yeah,” “You Got It Bad,” and more from Usher’s decorated 30-year career. European fans can experience never-before-seen costumes, state-of-the-art lighting and special effects. Fan presale starts on Wednesday (Apr. 19) at 10 am, while Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and venue presales begin Thursday (Apr. 20) at 10 am. General tickets will be available to everyone on Friday (Apr. 21) at 10 am. You can purchase here.

Earlier this year, Usher announced 15 additional dates to his sold-out My Way residency. The new shows will take place in June and October.

“I like the idea of what I’ve found in Las Vegas,” said Usher in an interview with GQ earlier this year. “It gives me an opportunity to settle. I have children now. I got a life, so [I like] being able to have a few days in certain places and being able to celebrate those places and enjoy them. At this age, you try to hold on to the moments.”

Usher recently released his new single “GLU” and is coming off a headlining performance at J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival earlier this month. With a potential new album on the way, Usher hopes to give avid fans great music, as R&B supremacy isn’t on his mind anymore.

“No. 1 is always going to mean a lot to everybody. But it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, change your passion,” he told Billboard in 2021. It hasn’t changed mine, whether I put out a record that hit No. 1 instantly or took time to get there. I have a record company that’s willing to fight for it and get it heard, to connect with my audience and prospective new fans. I’ve tried a lot of stuff. There’s a way to play in R&B where you can be as creative as you want. Don’t cut yourself off — don’t feel you need to be tied so authentically to one thing.” 

Rendez-Vouz Á Paris at La Seine Musicale:
 
September 24
September 25
September 27
September 28

17 Apr 2023

Ahmad Jamal, Legendary Jazz Pianist, Has Died

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Ahmad Jamal, a legendary Jazz pianist who released a bevy of songs heavily sampled in the Hip-Hop sphere, has died after combating prostate cancer according to reports. Ahmad Jamal remained an active and curious musician well into his 80s, including a Kennedy Center set he expertly performed two years ago.

Ahmad Jamal (formerly Frederick Russell Jones) was born on July 2, 1930, in Pittsburgh, Pa. According to biographical accounts, Jamal began playing piano at the age of 3 and became a professional player at 14. Shortly after high school, Jamal’s touring career began and his travels led him to Islam, thus changing his name to Ahmad Jamal and keeping with the Muslim traditions of prayer.

In 1951, Jamal’s recording career would officially begin, culminating in his touring nationally and around the world behind the success of the At the Pershing: But Not for Me album. Jamal was also known as a prudent investor and used his fortunes to make investments across Africa. In 1962, Jamal stepped away from music for more than two years, returning to recording with the release of three albums in 1965, including the acclaimed Extensions album.

In 1973, Jamal released an instrumental version of the theme song for the 1970 film M*A*S*H*, a song originally known as “Suicide Is Painless” by The Mash and featured on the film’s original soundtrack.

The American Jazz Masters award, National Endowment for the Arts gave Jamal an American Jazz Masters award in 1994. In 2007, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts named Jamal a Living Jazz Legend. In 2017, Jamal was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Recording Academy.

Jamal’s music was famously sampled by Hip-Hop acts such as De La Soul, Pete Rock, Nas, 9th Wonder, Earl Sweatshirt, and countless others over the past two decades and more. Jamal’s last official recording was 2019’s Ballades album.

According to a report from the Washington Post, Jamal’s daughter, Sumayah Jamal, confirmed the passing of her father.

Ahmad Jamal was 92.

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Photo: MARTIN BUREAU / Getty

17 Apr 2023

Scam Vibes: Ja Rule Says He Knows “Nothing” About Billy McFarland’s New Fyre Festival

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“If at first you don’t succeed, try again” is generally a good motto to live by, but we’re not sure if the man behind the ill-fated Fyre Festival of 2017 should actually be taking heed to the age-old proverb.

Recently the co-founder of the original Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland confirmed that he’d be bringing back the real life “Hunger Games” that had social media talking back in 2017, but this time around his partner-in-crime, Ja Rule is distancing himself from what could be another struggle jamboree in the islands. Speaking to People about McFarland’s attempt to resurrect the controversial event that featured fancy government cheese sandwiches for its attendees, Ja had no qualms about not being a part of Billy’s brainchild.

“I don’t know nothing about it!” the 47-year-old rapper tells PEOPLE at TuneCore’s 50 Years of Hip Hop event in New York City Thursday night. “I don’t know nothing about it. I ain’t in it!”

Ja Rule’s finally doing shows again and y’all think he’s gonna risk the little bit of popularity he’s gotten back for another struggle debacle?! Not bloody likely!

Naturally McFarland caught wind of Ja Rule’s comments and took to Twitter to formally deny him entrance to the party that Ja didn’t even want to attend by writing “definitely not invited.”

The question is, who wants to be invited? Scamming dozens of investors and thousands of would-be festival-goers with promises of a music-infused weekend complete with big name music artists and luxury accommodations at the Bahamian island of Great Exuma, McFarland’s original Fyre Festival proved to be a disaster. The luxury accommodations were basically FEMA tents, the food provided was straight out of an episode of Survivor, and the only music guest actually involved was Ja Rule who didn’t even make the trip out to the island.

Eventually that same year McFarland and Rule were hit with a $100 million class-action lawsuit and the following year McFarland pleaded guilty to wire fraud and other fraud charges relating to a different ticket-selling scam that July. Billy was sentenced to six years behind bars and was released in 2022 after serving four.

Luckily for Ja, he ducked charges related to the festival and has since gone on to regain some of his music momentum as of late.

How Billy McFarland plans to make things right with another Fyre Festival is anyone’s guess but if you’re willing to give that man your money and fly out to a tropical setting knowing it could lead to the government rescuing you at some point, that’s on you.

Would y’all be willing to go to a Fyre Festival without Ja Rule’s blessing? Let us know in the comments section below.

17 Apr 2023

Bad Bunny Spotted Getting Cozy With Kendall Jenner at Coachella

Romance rumors about Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner definitely won’t be dying down any time soon. As the 29-year-old Latin music megastar took over Coachella this weekend as one of the festival’s headliners, the 27-year-old Kardashians reality star was spotted at his side numerous times.

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The pair were captured at several different moments throughout the weekend by onlooking fans. At one point, Benito — his mouth concealed by a checkered bandana — whispered something in Jenner’s ear. In a video taken after sunset, the “Me Porto Bonito” musician was filmed holding Jenner from behind as the couple swayed along to Frank Ocean’s Sunday night (April 16) set.

Two nights prior to that, Bad Bunny became Coachella’s first ever solo Latino musician to serve as a headliner, performing on the main stage Friday (April 14). Supporting him from the crowd during his history-making set was Jenner, filmed by fans dancing along to his biggest tracks.

Bad Bunny and the 818 Tequila founder have been stoking romance rumors since February, when they were seen at a restaurant with Justin and Hailey Bieber. Since then, they’ve been spotted spending time together, most recently trying out horseback riding during an outing in Hidden Hills, Calif.

It’s worth noting, though, that during his Weekend 1 performance, the Puerto Rican star took a moment to remind fans that what they see about his life on social media is only a fraction of the true story. “Humbly speaking, people think they know the lives of famous people, but they don’t,” he told his crowd.

“They don’t know what we feel, what we live through,” he continued. “They will never know what a heart can feel. Don’t believe everything you hear. You won’t get to know the real me through a video on Instagram, an interview or a TikTok.”

Read more about his headlining Coachella performance here.