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10 Nov 2022

Paramount Uncouples VH1 and MTV in Latest Network Restructuring

BET president and CEO Scott Mills is adding to his portfolio at Paramount Global.

In the latest piece of reorganization at the conglomerate, VH1 will move under Mills’ BET Media Group. The cable outlet was previously part of the Chris McCarthy-led Paramount Media Networks, along with Paramount Network, MTV, Comedy Central, CMT and others.

Paramount CEO Bob Bakish wrote in a memo to staff Wednesday (see it in full here) that the move will allow for better alignment of priorities and make VH1 “best positioned for future success as a key part of the powerful BET ecosystem.” VH1 is the second most popular entertainment cable outlet among Black viewers, behind only BET.

It also lightens the load for McCarthy, a Bakish favorite who will add premium cabler Showtime to his purview following David Nevins’ departure at the end of the year. MTV Entertainment Studios, headed by McCarthy and Nina L. Diaz, will continue to produce a number of VH1 series, including the Love & Hip Hop franchise, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Black Ink Crew.

The VH1 move also separates it from MTV in Paramount’s structure, ending almost four decades of close association between the two networks. The cable network started in 1985 as a music-video channel targeting a somewhat older audience than the youth-driven MTV. It eventually branched into original programming with shows like Behind the Music, I Love the … and a host of “celebreality” shows like Rock of Love and The Surreal Life. And, like MTV, it has mostly left its music roots behind.

As has been the case across the cable universe, VH1’s on-air audience has declined in recent years as increasing numbers of TV consumers opt out of cable subscriptions. Within that smaller ecosystem, however, it still ranks in the upper third of cable networks in the key ad demographic of adults 18-49.

VH1 will join a BET Media Group that also includes the namesake cable channel, streaming platform BET+, BET Her, BET Studios and BET Digital. “Scott and his team continue to drive the evolution and growth of BET by building an interconnected set of leading platforms — linear, streaming, digital and studios — centered around the Black community, Black culture and content,” Bakish wrote.

Read Bakish’s full memo.

10 Nov 2022

Chinx Posthumous Album ‘Chinx Drugz 6’ On the Way

A new Chinx posthumous album titled Chinx Drugz 6 is on the way, his label announced Thursday (Nov. 10). The release, set for Dec. 2, will come two days ahead of the late rapper’s Dec. 4 birthday.

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“It’s been 7 years since we lost Lionel Pickens P.K.A Chinx Drugz,” Chinx’s former manager Doug Ellison said in a statement. “To the people that know and love him it still feels like yesterday! As his friend, manager, and executive producer, I had the pleasure of witnessing his evolution into the artist many grew to love. With the release of CR6, we decided to approach the project with the same intensity that we approached his albums while returning to the street roots, club chants, and anthems Chinx was known for.”

While the album’s official track list isn’t out yet, a variety of collaborators have been announced, including Benny the Butcher and Quavo & Offset of Migos. Chinx’s brother JFK WAXX will also appear on the record.

Chinx, also known as Chinx Drugz, rose to prominence as a contributor to French Montana’s Coke Boys, a collaborative project that started in September 2010. Chinx’s song  “I’m a Coke Boy” later rocketed him to budding stardom.

The rapper was murdered in May 2015 while in Jamaica, Queens. The culprits reportedly targeted Chinx based on a six-year-long grudge that developed while Chinx was serving time on Rikers Island.

Chinx’s death is also being revisited in WE tv’s Hip Hop Homicides series, which is being produced by rapper 50 Cent. Other murdered rappers being explored on the series include Pop Smoke, XXXTentacion, and King Von. Chinx’s episode will air Nov. 24 on WE tv.

“This project shows his diversity and lyrical ability is still unmatched. It has been a four year journey that includes some of his most candid recordings. Our goal has been to keep the integrity of each recording while punching through with the finished product!

Fans can pre-save the album here.

10 Nov 2022

Adidas to Sell Yeezy Products Under New Name Following Split From Kanye West

Following Adidas’ highly publicized split from Kanye “Ye” West last month after he espoused antisemitic sentiments on a multi-stop media tour, the sportswear company has plans to do what many predicted might happen: rebrand Yeezy products in order to continue selling them without Ye.

On a quarterly earnings call this morning (Nov. 9), according to Insider, Adidas shared that it intends to release more Yeezys without the artist, who began his business partnership with the company in 2013. Adidas CFO Harm Ohlmeyer confirmed what the company’s public statement, released in late October, said: “Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights registered to existing product. We intend to make use of these rights as early as 2023.”

Following Adidas’ highly publicized split from Kanye “Ye” West last month after he espoused antisemitic sentiments on a multi-stop media tour, the sportswear company has plans to do what many predicted might happen: rebrand Yeezy products in order to continue selling them without Ye.

On a quarterly earnings call this morning, according to Insider, Adidas shared that it intends to release more Yeezys without the artist, who began his business partnership with the company in 2013. Adidas CFO Harm Ohlmeyer confirmed what the company’s public statement, released in late October, said: “Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights registered to existing product. We intend to make use of these rights as early as 2023.”

In announcing their split from Ye last month, the company explained, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.

10 Nov 2022

Heavyweight Pair Unmasked on ‘The Masked Singer’

The Masked Singer pulled out the big hitters on Wednesday night (Nov. 9), when two legitimate heavyweights were sent packing.

On “Hall of Fame Night,” Fox’s quirky hit pulled no punches when former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman and funk legend George Clinton were knocked out of the competition.

After performing The Temptations’ “Get Ready,” the Venus Flytrap accumulated the least votes and was giving his marching orders. The mask came off, revealing Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle opponent.” Foreman, the two-time world heavyweight champion and grill king.

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He wasn’t the only champ to go home. Gopher got the chop, after facing off with The Bride in a battle royale, in which the contestants took turns singing Smashmouth’s “All-Star.”

Under the mask was the great George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic.

“Man it’s hot as hell in this, but I’m cool y’all,” explained Clinton, clearly relieved that the mask was off. And why did the funkster get the helmet on in this first place? “You’re always having too much fun on here,” he said. “I had to get some.”

They join the likes of Daymond John (Fortune Teller), the “Brady boys” Mike Lookinland, Barry Williams and Christopher Knight (Mummies), Montell Jordan (Panther), Jeff Dunham (Pi-Rat), Chris Kirkpatrick (Hummingbird), Eric Idle (Hedgehog) and William Shatner (Knight) as contestants revealed so far in the 2022 series.

TMS season 8 rings in the changes, with several big tweaks to its format.

For the first time, each episode features a completely new round of masked celebs with only one contestant moving forward by the end of the hour. Plus, the audience votes in-studio for their favorite performance of the night, and the singer with the lowest tally will then unmask in the middle of the show before taking his or her place in the new Masked Singer VIP section to watch the rest of the episode.

10 Nov 2022

Highlights From the CMA Awards: Luke Combs, Katy Perry, Loretta Lynn Tribute & More | Billboard News

Here are some of the biggest winners, best performances, most noteworthy highlights from the 2022 CMA Awards. Luke Combs won the Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year, Katy Perry praises Wynonna Judd and performs with Thomas Rhett, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood pays tribute to Loretta Lynn and Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Kelly Clarkson belt out ‘You’re Drunk, Go Home’.

10 Nov 2022

Watch Dermot Kennedy Talk ‘Sonder’ Album, Letting Go of Expectations & More

Dermot Kennedy is gearing up to release his new album, Sonder, on Nov. 18, and the artist sat down with Billboard News to discuss his musical journey so far.

“I found the word ‘sonder’ a few years ago, the meaning being just the awareness that everybody is living a life just as important and as complex as your own,” he says of his sophomore LP’s title. “At that point, I didn’t really have any part of my life or career to attach it to, so it was just a word that I appreciated and it meant something to me.”

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He adds that in the process of making his new album, he tried to “unlock the same honesty and power of a feeling” as his debut record. “You have to say something worth while and prove that you deserve to be around, and there’s added pressure in that sense,” he explains.

“These albums define the way I live, and I can already feel me putting pressure on myself in a healthy way,” he continues. “This album is about having empathy and being conscious of other people’s struggles and triumphs, so I can’t just say that and not live it.”

As for his writing technique, Kennedy says he captures a “time sample” of where he’s at in his life. “That’s quite a freeing, in a way, though,” he says, noting that it allows him to let go of the pressure to make an album that’s the best he’s ever created. “I should just trust what comes out of my brain, to some extent.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Kennedy above.