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06 Mar 2023

Melle Mel Faces Wrath Of Hip-Hop Twitter Over Recent Comments

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Melle Mel is a living legend of Hip-Hop and should be regarded as one of the culture’s foundational stars for his massive contributions. However, the Furious Five frontman is coming under fire on Twitter after recent comments he made about the genre recently surfaced.

Melle Mel, 61, was a recent guest on The Art of Dialogue and several clips from the chat have since gone viral.

One comment, in particular, was Mel stating that other rappers don’t want to rap like Kendrick Lamar despite several instances of some rappers taking some of K-Dot’s vocal formula over the past decade. Mel was speaking about the recent list of the best rappers in the game published by Billboard.


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Mel then launched into an assault on Eminem, stating that the Detroit lyricist is only lauded as much as he is due to him being a white rapper. Mel also concluded that Busta Rhymes is a better rapper overall than Jay-Z along with other quips.


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As a result of Mel’s comments, fans on Twitter are taking note of the fact that the founding member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five has been critical of Hip-Hop acts with one clip in particular where Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan expressed that Melle Mel seemingly mistreated him despite Meth showing respect.

Mel also took another shot at Jay-Z, saying that the late Tupac “2Pac” Shakur had a larger impact on Hip-Hop than the Brooklyn rapper. Each of these clips has garnered a flurry of responses as expected. And this isn’t the first time Melle Mel has taken aim at his predecessors.


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Keep scrolling to see some of the reactions to Melle Mel blasting Hip-Hop’s modern era below.

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Photo: Johnny Nunez / Getty

06 Mar 2023

Sam Hunt Announces Summer on the Outskirts Tour: Here Are the Dates

Sam Hunt will hit the road this summer on his headlining Summer on the Outskirts Tour with Brett Young and Lily Rose.

The 27-date, Live Nation-produced tour will launch July 6 in Hartford, Conn., and will include stops in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Detroit and New York City.

The tour takes its name from a new song Hunt will release on Friday, March 10, titled “Outskirts.” The track follows his previous release, “Walmart.”

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To date, Hunt has earned nine No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay chart hits, including “23,” “Take Your Time” and “Body Like a Back Road.” His current country radio single, “Water Under the Bridge,” is at No. 17.

Meanwhile, Young’s current single “You Didn’t” is at No. 13 on the Country Airplay chart. “Villain” hitmaker Rose was honored with the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards’ outstanding breakthrough artist accolade and launched 2023 with her own headlining tour. Later this year, she will join Shania Twain’s Queen of Me Tour for 11 tour stops.

Tickets for Hunt’s Summer on the Outskirts Tour will go on sale beginning with the Verizon presale on March 7 at 10 a.m. local time, ahead of the general on sale, which begins Friday, March 10, at 10 a.m. local time.

See the full list of Hunt’s Summer on the Outskirts tour below:

  • July 6 – Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre
  • July 7 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
  • July 8 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
  • July 14 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
  • July 15 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
  • July 16 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
  • July 20 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater
  • July 21 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater *
  • July 22 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
  • July 27 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
  • July 28 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
  • July 29 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
  • Aug. 3 – Carbondale, IL – Southern Illinois University-SIU Banterra Center**^
  • Aug. 4 – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheater ^
  • Aug. 5 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Zoo Amphitheatre ^
  • Aug. 11 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
  • Aug. 12 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
  • Aug. 13 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Harveys Outdoor Arena ^
  • Aug. 18 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman***
  • Aug. 19 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
  • Aug. 20 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
  • Aug. 24 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
  • Aug. 25 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
  • Aug. 26 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
  • Sept. 7 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
  • Sept. 8 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
  • Sept. 9 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

*On Sale March 17
** On Sale TBD
*** On Sale March 24
^ Not a Live Nation date

06 Mar 2023

Blackpink’s Jisoo Confirms Solo Debut Is Right Around the Corner

After teasing her long-awaited solo music project with a mysterious pastoral image over the weekend, BLACKPINK‘s Jisoo confirmed the release date for the collection on Monday (March 6). A three-part post from the singer featured the same image of a green, grass-filled expanse with the star’s name in small white letters, followed by another with a red piece of cloth crumpled in the foreground (and the words “Coming Soon” in red) and the March 31 release date for the project.

The third panel confirms the late March release date; at press time there was no additional information on the album title, track list, first single or any potential guest vocalists.

At the start of the year, reports surfaced that Jisoo’s much-anticipated solo debut was finally in the works, making her the fourth and final member of the group to branch out with her own music. Jennie‘s “SOLO” arrived in 2018, and both Rosé’s -R- and Lisa’s Lalisa dropped in 2021.

In late February, Korean entertainment label YG Entertainment confirmed that Jisoo was preparing to release solo music in 2023.

Jisoo touched on going solo during an interview in May 2022. “I’m not sure how much I want to go solo yet,” she told Rolling Stone at the time. “The music I listen to, the music I can do, and the music I want to do — what should I choose? I love songs with lots of instruments. I love different bands and rock music. What do people want from me? There’s a chaos of conflicting questions. So I’m still tilting my head in confusion. I’m not sure what will happen with my solo plans this year.”

BLACKPINK’s second full-length studio album, Born Pink, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in October 2022. The girl group previously debuted and peaked at No. 2 in October 2020 with its debut release, The Album.

YG Entertainment announced that the project will come in “red” and “black” versions in a special commemorative box featuring a photo book, lyric sheet, random Polaroid and random “selfie card,” with pre-order slated to begin today.

See Jisoo’s album announcement and images of the project’s packaging below.

06 Mar 2023

SiriusXM Cuts 8% of Workforce in ‘Critical’ Company-Wide Overhaul

SiriusXM told workers on Monday it is letting go of 475 employees, or roughly 8% of the company’s workforce, as it works to reduce expenses and invest in new technology, the company’s CEO said in a memo to staff.

“It is critical for us to take the right steps now to secure the long-term health and profitability of our business,” SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz wrote in an internal memo. “Investments we are making in the business this year, coupled with today’s uncertain economic environment, require us to think differently about how our organization is structured.”

The satellite radio company said it was exploring job cuts last November to deal with how a worsening economic outlook is impacting demand for ads and other areas of its business. The staff reductions announced Monday place SiriusXM alongside Apple, Microsoft, Spotify and Alphabet as companies that have announced layoffs in 2023.

More than 123,000 employees have been let go from technology industry jobs so far in 2023, with most job cuts reported in January, according to Layoffs.fyi, a website that track workforce reductions.

Last month, SiriusXM reported 2022 revenues grew by 4% to $9 billion, but Witz cautioned she expected a “a softer first half (of 2023) in terms of revenue … and subscriber growth” compared to last year.

The job cuts will hit nearly every department in the company, and employees who are being let go will start to receive notice today, Witz said, adding she is grateful for their work.

During Witz’s tenure as CEO, SiriusXM has hired about 1,500 new employees, bringing the company’s total headcount to just under 5,700, according to filings from 2022.

The company is in the process of updating the back-end technology and user-friendliness of its SiriusXM app, which Witz has said will enable the company to introduce new products to the app faster, a key part of the company’s growth strategy.

Sirius has also struggled in recent quarters with a slowdown in Pandora subscriber revenue and higher expenses from investments in podcasting and technology.

06 Mar 2023

Ja Morant Out Indefinitely For Memphis Grizzlies

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Ja Morant was thought to be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies after serving a widely reported two-game suspension after he was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram Live. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said that a timetable for Morant’s return has yet to be established as the team continues to address the needs of its superstar player.

As reported by ESPN, Coach Jenkins spoke to the media before the Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday (March 6). In the pre-game press conference, Jenkins said that the team is focused on getting Morant the help he needs to address his off-court issues while also pledging to keep him accountable for his actions.

“There’s not a definitive timeline, we have said that it would be at least two games,” Jenkins said to one reporter. “We’re taking it one day at a time, this is a healing process.”

He added, “He’s [Morant] understands that he’s made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he has to account for, that’s what you saw in the statement, it speaks for itself.”

Morant issued a public statement apologizing for his actions and adding that he’s seeking help with stress and other concerns.

“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” the statement said. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

Ja Morant remains the face of the Grizzles franchise and one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. At just 23 years of age, Jenkins and the Grizzlies’ front office appear committed to helping their player through his recent woes.

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Photo: Justin Ford / Getty

06 Mar 2023

The 2023 Latin American Music Awards Announce Date & Location

The 8th edition of the Latin American Music Awards will take place on Thursday, April 20 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, TelevisaUnivision announced Monday morning (March 6).

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For the first time since the awards debuted on October 8, 2015 on Telemundo and were hosted by Lucero, the ceremony will be broadcast live simultaneously on Univision, UNIMÁS, and Galavisión (starting at 7 p.m. ET), after TelevisaUnivision acquired the rights from dick clark productions last September. The 2022 Latin AMAs, when Karol G made history as the first woman to win the artist of the year award, were broadcast by Telemundo, also from Las Vegas.

The list of nominees will be announced at 6 p.m. on March 13 via a one-hour special that can be seen on UNIMÁS. In true fashion, the Latin AMAs winners will be selected by fan voting.

In addition, two other specials will precede the awards gala: “Latin AMAs: VIP Pass” hosted by Clarissa Molina, which will present behind-the-scenes material, interviews, and musical performances from recent tours by Camilo, Christian Nodal, Grupo Firme, Ozuna, and TINI, and “Latin AMAs: Legacy” co-hosted by Migbelis Castellanos, Jose Figueroa, and Arana Lemus featuring Julián Gil as a special guest, which “will celebrate some of the biggest icons in Latin music and excite fans with unique content and must-see musical performances,” TelevisaUnivision said in a statement, without providing further details. The former will air at 7 p.m. ET on March 7 and the latter on April 4 at the same time.

On the day of the awards ceremony, the “Noche de Estrellas” prelude program can also be seen on Univision, UNIMÁS, and Galavisión.

06 Mar 2023

UK’s Primary Talent International Announces Surprise Split With CAA

Primary Talent International has announced a surprise decoupling with Creative Artists Agency, less than a year after CAA acquired the UK booking agency through a blockbuster $750 million purchase of its parent ICM Presents in June.

ICM Presents bought the 30-year old booking agency in March 2020, just days before international concert touring was suspended for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That acquisition — in which Primary would retain its name and office — came just months after ICM Partners sold a minority stake in the agency to private equity firm Crestview Partners.

When ICM acquired Primary Talent, ICM CEO Chris Silbermann noted that the 32-year-old company, with clients including The 1975, The Cure, Lana Del Rey, Noel Gallagher, Jack Harlow,  alt-J, Dropkick Murphys and Patti Smith, “greatly enhances our ability to serve our clients on a global scale, through added resources, support and even greater opportunities,” noting the agency’s reputation for being “fiercely independent, which we love about them.”

Silbermann added: “We are honored that they believed we were the right partners to help take their clients and their agency to the next levels of success, while retaining their brand and management identity and philosophy.”

Primary Talent asked for a split from CAA in order to “re-establish Primary’s independent status,” one source tells Billboard. Shortly after closing the ICM deal last year, CAA laid off 105 ICM Presents employees from different parts of the company.

An agreement to terminate the coupling was finalized earlier this year in a deal led by Primary Talent managing partner and CEO Matt Bates along with former ICM founding partner and COO Rick Levy. Veteran agent Ben Winchester will continue to serve as a board member along with Bates and Levy.

As part of the new management configuration, the agency has promoted Primary agents Laetitia Descouens, Sally Dunstone, Martje Kremers and Ed Sellers to partner status. They will be joined by  veteran agent Simon Clarkson, who will be based in Los Angeles. The agency, which currently numbers 35 employees, expects to announce additional agents to their growing ranks in the coming weeks.

“The pandemic changed the landscape of the music touring business, and we felt it was beneficial to return to our roots as the UK’s largest independent music talent agency,” said Bates. “Adding to the strength and experience of the original Primary agent team, we are excited to bring aboard the next generation of talented agents to join as founding partners. In this new incarnation, Primary will be even better positioned to support the evolving careers of our artists and guide them wherever needed.”

06 Mar 2023

GLAAD & Sony Music Group Team for ‘ICONS’ Interview Series With Isaac Dunbar, Iniko & MK xyz

With queer representation on the rise in the music industry, GLAAD is ready to celebrate just how far we’ve come, with some help from Sony Music Group.

On Monday (March 6), GLAAD and Sony Music Group announced their partnership on “ICONS,” a new, three-part interview series that will explore the impact of the queer community on music. Each installment will focus on a different, modern LGBTQ performer, profiling Isaac Dunbar (March 10), Iniko (April 14) and MK xyz (May 12).

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According to a statement, each interview will hone in on the “deeply personal connection that exists between queerness and craft,” while also examining the ways in which the LGBTQ community has shaped pop culture at large, and how each artist broke through in the industry. The greater goal of the new series, both organizations say, is to “advance LGBTQ representation in music and within the industry at large.”

Tony Morrison, GLAAD’s senior director of communications, said in a statement that queer artists’ impact on the music industry is “undeniable,” which is what the series aims to explore. “It’s as important to honor the trailblazing legacies of LGBTQ icons in music, as it is equally imperative that we elevate new voices in music who have unique backgrounds and stories to tell,” he said. “‘ICONS’ establishes this path forward to increase the visibility of queer artists.”

Sony evp and chief diversity & inclusion officer Tiffany R. Warren agreed, highlighting the importance of using their “powerful platform” to uplift queer voices. “We believe that by exploring the impact that LGBTQ artists and songwriters have had on music, we can foster a deeper understanding of what it takes to break through as an LGBTQ artist,” she said. “This series is a testament to our commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion while breaking barriers in the music industry.”

The first episode of “ICONS,” featuring Isaac Dunbar, will premiere on GLAAD’s YouTube page Friday, March 10.

06 Mar 2023

Lenny Kravitz to Deliver In Memoriam Performance on 2023 Oscars

Lenny Kravitz will deliver the In Memoriam performance at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12. The announcement was made by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney.

The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show leading up to the ceremony. They have already announced performances of four of the five songs nominated for best original song. They have yet to announce Lady Gaga’s performance of “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.

Kravitz reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over” (1991) and “Again” (2001). He won four consecutive Grammy Awards for best male rock vocal performance from 1998-2001, for “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” “Again” and “Dig In.”  He also appeared in such films as Precious (2009), The Hunger Games (2012), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

A diverse array of performers have handled the In Memoriam performance in the past decade, including Barbra Streisand, who sang her own smash “The Way We Were” in tribute to its composer, Marvin Hamlisch; Bette Midler, who sang her own smash “Wind Beneath My Wings”; Jennifer Hudson, who sang “I Can’t Let Go” from Smash; Dave Grohl, who sang The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” Sara Bareilles, who sang Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”; Eddie Vedder, who sang Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top”; the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which  performed John Williams “Leaving Home” from Superman; and Billie Eilish & Finneas, who performed The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

Following the In Memoriam segment on the Oscars, more than 200 filmmakers, artists and executives will be memorialized in an extended photo gallery on A.frame, the Academy’s digital magazine.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday March 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.