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17 Oct 2022

10 Cool Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week: Girl In Red, Mykki Blanco, Nessa Barrett & More

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

These 10 tracks from artists such as Nessa Barrett, Girl In Red, Mykki Blanco, Fujii Kaze and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10

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Jacob Latimore, “Selfish”

Actor Jacob Latimore (who stars in the upcoming remake of Kid ‘n Play’s classic 1990 comedy House Party) is blessed with an impressive set of pipes, which are on silky display with new single “Selfish,” a late-night missive about a fractured romance. If you’re a fan of Drake working with Majid Jordan, check this one out. – Joe Lynch

Mykki Blanco ft. ANOHNI and Kelsey Lu, “French Lessons”

Stay Close to Music is the title of Mykki Blanco’s latest album, but it’s also solid advice during these tumultuous times. On “French Lessons,” Blanco teams up with ANOHNI – an artist who knows how to make beautiful sounds in the face of painful realities – and singer/cellist Kelsey Lu for a gentle, synth-y meditation on new romance and that feeling of “drifting away” into bliss. – J. Lynch

Fujii Kaze, “Grace”

Japanese pop singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze’s “Grace” is a good-hearted, melodic single all about celebrating graces in life. Arriving after the March release of his second album, Love All Serve All, the rallying, piano-supported track proves Fujii Kaze is doubling down on his mission to deliver positive messages to the masses. — Lyndsey Havens

Nessa Barrett, “dear god”

Punky pop artist Nessa Barrett released her long-awaited debut album, young forever, last week. The project includes the hushed, introspective “dear god,” which at times sounds like a Billie Eilish-co-write as she sings of “angel wings sewed on to my back” and wanting to be a good daughter. Though brief, clocking in just over two minutes, the chilling song’s impact remains for much longer. — L. Havens

Girl In Red ,”October Passed Me By”

Sequel songs are dicey prospects — how often is the world of a tune effectively rebuilt in a proper follow-up? — but Girl In Red pulls it off on “October Passed Me By,” a new chapter in the story of her fan (and seasonal) favorite track “We Fell in Love in October.” While the previous song used a dream-pop lens on autumnal romance, the air in “October Passed Me By” is crisper, with Girl In Red echoing the lyrical motifs as she looks back on love with melancholy and hope. – Jason Lipshutz

Lolo Zouaï, “Crazy Sexy Dream Girl”

French-Algerian pop artist Lolo Zouaï spent time opening for Dua Lipa on her Future Nostalgia world tour, and you can hear similarly slick, uptempo pop craft on her new album, Playgirl. But standout track “Crazy Sexy Dream Girl” also contains the influence of FKA Twigs’ hyperpop-indebted strand of R&B, with soaring vocals collapsing into micro-hooks as part of an arresting, slightly sinister product. – J. Lipshutz

Skylar, “Double Denim”

Gotta love a cheeky pop song with a chorus built around a “saturated/cremated” rhyme, which Skylar drops on the fun, frothy new track “Double Denim.” In fact, every word is bursting with personality, from Skylar’s admission that she’s attracted to the wrong guys to the bridge that changes things on a dime with an all-too-familiar tune. – J. Lipshutz

Leah Kate, “Hot All The Time”

Get ready for Leah Kate’s ambitious new ballad “Hot All The Time” to soundtrack dozens of TikTok clips about feeling the strength to get over an ex. The L.A. singer-songwriter declares, “Feel so damn good in my own skin / So hot in the state I’m in, without you,” and by the time the guitar riff amps up, you’ll be headbanging your hurt away. – J. Lipshutz

Men I Trust, “Girl”

Whereas previous singles “Billie Toppy” and “Hard to Love” saw Canadian trio Men I Trust — which consists of members Emmanuelle Proulx, Jessy Caron and Dragos Chiriac — leaning into synth and occasionally R&B-tinged indie, new track “Girl” finds the outfit going for something slightly more classic. With all hands on deck for the vocals, the band creates a track that’s a perfect soundtrack a niche French film from the ’60s, with subtle acoustic guitar, twinkling piano keys and French lyrics delivered as delicately as a sigh. – Starr Bowenbank

Christine and the Queens Presents Redcar, “la chanson du chevalier”

Chris continues his work in the synth space leading up to release of forthcoming album Redcar les adorables étoiles, this time, returning with single “le chanson du chevalier.” The haunting — and admittedly Halloween-ready — track sees the French artist exploring an intense connection with someone who feels like a kindred spirit, only to be left by said connection to stew in both loneliness and the aftermath of their relationship. Chris delivers the lyrics as a lament, processing grief as the track unfolds. – S. Bowenbank

17 Oct 2022

Glass Animals’ ‘Heat Waves’ by the Numbers: All the Stats Behind Its Record-Breaking Hot 100 Run

After a staggering 91 weeks, Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” is now solely the longest-charting hit in the Billboard Hot 100‘s 64-year history.

On the latest Oct. 22, 2022-dated Hot 100, “Heat Waves” passes the 90-week run of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” (in 2019-21), which had held the record since August 2021.

“Wow, all I can say is wow,” Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley marveled to Billboard about the band’s feat. “Many of you know when I wrote this song I was writing about missing someone I loved very dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would lead to so much love and connection across the globe.”

As “Heat Waves” adds a new record to its repertoire, here is a breakdown of the song’s biggest stats, as of Billboard charts dated Oct. 22, 2022.

91: Record number of weeks that “Heat Waves” has spent on the Hot 100, dating to its debut on the chart dated Jan. 16, 2021.

37: Number of weeks “Heat Waves” spent in the top 10 of the Hot 100, the fifth-most all-time, after “Blinding Lights” (57 weeks in the region), The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (44), Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” (41) and Post Malone’s “Circles” (39).

57: Number of weeks “Heat Waves” logged in the top 20 of the Hot 100, tied for the fourth-most with “Stay,” after “Blinding Lights” (80 weeks in the tier), “Levitating” (62) and “Circles” (60).

76: Number of weeks “Heat Waves” has tallied in the top 40 of the Hot 100, the second-most after “Blinding Lights” (86).

59: The record number of weeks that “Heat Waves” took to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, as it began a five-week domination in March.

12: The number of U.S.-specific Billboard charts on which “Heat Waves” has hit No. 1. It topped the Hot 100, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, Hot Alternative Songs, Radio Songs, Alternative Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, Alternative Streaming Songs, Alternative Digital Song Sales, Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts.

37: Number of weeks that “Heat Waves” spent at No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts. Only Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” has spent more time atop Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs (65 weeks on both). “Heat Waves” holds the record on the Hot Alternative Songs, which launched in June 2020.

3.3 billion: Total cumulative audience for “Heat Waves” on U.S. radio, according to Luminate.

1.3 billion: Total on-demand official U.S. streams for “Heat Waves,” audio and video combined.

255,000: Total U.S. downloads sold for “Heat Waves.”

11: Number of countries in Billboard‘s international charts menu in which “Heat Waves” has hit No. 1: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic/Czechia, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Slovakia and Switzerland.

2: Weeks that “Heat Waves” has not appeared on the Hot 100, dating to its debut. The song entered at No. 100 on Jan. 16, 2021, and fell off the ranking for two weeks, before re-entering at No. 91 that Feb. 6. The song has, thus, appeared on the Hot 100 over a span of 93 weeks since its debut. (It was released in June 2020.)

28: Total number of songs that have topped the Hot 100 since “Heat Waves” debuted on Jan. 16, 2021 (excluding “Heat Waves”). In chronological order, the leaders are 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” featuring iann dior (which was in its eighth and final week at No. 1); Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” Drake’s “What’s Next”; Cardi B’s “Up”; Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”; Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open”; Polo G’s “Rapstar”; The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears”; Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U”; BTS’ “Butter” and “Permission To Dance”; The Kid LAROI and Bieber’s “Stay”; Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug; Coldplay and BTS’ “My Universe”; Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby”; Adele’s “Easy On Me”; Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”; Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”; Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and Encanto Cast’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”; Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (which dethroned “Heat Waves” upon its debut); Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems; Harlow’s “First Class”; Drake’s “Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage; Lizzo’s “About Damn Time”; Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul”; Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl”; and Steve Lacy’s current leader “Bad Habit.”

1,266: Total number of songs that have charted on the Hot 100 alongside “Heat Waves” since its debut.

4: Total number of No. 1 hits that Drake has earned on the Hot 100 since “Heat Waves” debuted on Jan. 16, 2021, the most among all acts in that span. BTS has earned three leaders in that window, while Bieber, Future, Harlow, Lil Nas X and Rodrigo have each earned two.

60: Total number of entries that Lil Durk has tallied on the Hot 100 since “Heat Waves” debuted, the most among all acts. Drake is next with 53, followed by Lil Baby (49), YoungBoy Never Broke Again (48) and Taylor Swift (41).

66: Total number of weeks that “Heat Waves” spent on the Hot 100 alongside The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” the most of any song over the former’s run on the chart. Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” follows with 64 shared weeks, then The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” (63).

12: Total number of songs to debut at No. 100 on the Hot 100 and hit No. 1. They are: Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City” (in 1959); Mark Dinning’s “Teen Angel” (1960); The Highwaymen’s “Michael” (1961); Steve Lawrence’s “Go Away Little Girl” (1963); Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves A Woman” (1966); Vicki Lawrence’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” (1973); UB40’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1993); Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss,” featuring T-Pain (2007); Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” featuring Charlie Puth (2015); “Heat Waves”; and, as of two weeks ago, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit.”

3: Total number of songs to chart in the Hot 100’s history with “heat wave” in their titles. Martha & The Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” was the first in 1963 (No. 4 peak), followed by Linda Ronstadt’s cover of that classic (No. 5, 1975) before Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves.”

134 degrees Fahrenheit: The hottest recorded heat wave in history. Furnace Creek Ranch in California’s Death Valley recorded a high temperature of 134.1°F (or 58°C) on July 10, 1913, the highest ambient air temperature recorded on earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

17 Oct 2022

A$AP Bari Hit With $30K Lawsuit From Miami Car Crash Victim

ASAP Bari has been hit with a massive lawsuit related to a car accident he was involved in back in July.

Bari had been driving his Mercedes-Benz “carelessly, recklessly, and negligently,” according to the suit, and collided with a car driven by Jorge Baez, who is now suing the A$AP Mob co-founder for $30,000.

While it’s unclear where the crash occurred, video obtained by TMZ shows Baez’ car completely crushed on the side. Kanye West, meanwhile, soon gifted Bari a new Maybach as a replacement.

“It was nice of Kanye West to buy A$AP Bari a new Maybach and enable him to move on like nothing happened, but something did happen and A$AP Bari must pay for his negligence,” Baez’s lawyer Jared Newman told TMZ.

The suit claims that the accident left Baez with serious injuries and that he has medical bills he needs to pay.

“This n-gga Ye bought me a few fucking Maybach yo!” Bari can be heard exclaiming in an Instagram video at the time. “I crashed my Maybach 2 days ago. If you know me, you know I crashed my car two days ago. This n-gga bought me a new Maybach truck yo, what the fuck is going on?”

The bad news comes a week after A$AP Bari was kicked out of his fashion label VLONE due to his behavior.

VLONE announced the news on Instagram on Oct. 7, saying Bari’s “behavior is contrary to our collective.”

“VLONE is the stamp for creatives who stand tall, thriving on individuality, caring less about conformity that has long governed the fashion style of society,” the label wrote. “Create your own stylish rules, set your own trend, embed your own morale in which you can express yourself creatively without limitations. In the new era of VLONE, our brand will embrace distinctive creatives, who defy the norm and inspire the willing.”

VLONE continued, “In closing, we will not partake in any irrational behavior associated or related with Jabari ‘Younglord’ Shelton. He has no authority to style himself as “Mr. Vlone,” use or license VLONE – this behavior is contrary to our collective.

Kanye West has remained a loyal friend to A$AP Bari in spite of his numerous controversies. After Bari was arrested in 2018 for sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel, which he pleaded guilty to, Kanye supported the disgraced designer on Twitter, despite his inner circle pleading with him to distance himself.

“Bari challenged me when no one else did and when he got in trouble I was scared to say he was my friend just like I did with [XXXTentacion] and that was some pussy shit on my part,” Ye wrote. “I let the perception and the robots control me. That’s the true sunken place.”

17 Oct 2022

SZA Reveals She Recorded ‘A Hundred’ Songs for Sophomore Album, Which She Says Is Coming ‘Any Day’

The wait for SZA‘s sophomore album has drawn on for half a decade now, but the singer dished on Monday (Oct. 17) that she’s spent all that time recording a whole lot of music.

At LAX airport, the Grammy winner was approached by TMZ for details about the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Ctrl, and she let slip that it’s set to arrive “any day” without giving a specific release date. “I’m hoping it goes well,” she added of the studio set.

As she made her way to the TSA Pre-Check line, the paparazzi following her asked, “How many total songs do you think you’ve recorded?” From beneath her white hoodie and black face mask, she replied, “Total? A hundred, maybe? Like, I don’t even know, actually… Five years worth of material.”

This summer, SZA issued a special deluxe re-release of her smash debut album to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Featuring seven previously unreleased tracks like “Tread Carefully, “2AM,” “Miles,” “Percolator,” “Awkward,” “Jodie” and an alternative version of “Love Galore,” the LP climbed back up Billboard‘s Top R&B Albums chart where it reclaimed the No. 1 spot for the first time since its initial release.

Ctrl was nominated at the 2018 Grammy Awards for best urban contemporary album and she was up for best new artist the same year.

The singer also joined Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Clipse, Q-Tip and more at the 2022 Something in the Water festival over Juneteenth weekend in Washington, D.C., and more recently took the stage for the 10th iteration of Global Citizen fest all the way from Accra, Ghana, in order to help mark the 65th anniversary of Ghanaian independence as well as the 20th anniversary of the African Union.

17 Oct 2022

Here’s What Tina Knowles Had to Say About Kelly Rowland’s ‘Bad Parenting Moment’

Kelly Rowland joined Jennifer Hudson on the American Idol alum’s brand new talk show this week, and the duo took part in a fun rapid fire game.

Amid showing off her Toni Braxton impression, and a story detailing how nervous she was to perform in front of Muhammad Ali, Rowland shared which member of Destiny’s Child she’d recruit to help her commit a crime.

After debating in her head for a minute, the “Motivation” singer replied, “I mean, we’ve seen Bey in a ski mask,” referring to Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z‘s promotional video for their On the Run tour. “I believe her with the ski mask on.”

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Later on in the interview, Rowland recalled what she called a “bad parenting moment” with her seven-year-old son Titan, when she took him to see The Curse of Bridge Hollow, a comedy horror film starring her and Marlon Wayans. “I thought since I’m sitting right there with them we’re fine,” she explained. “But there’s a scene in a movie where mommy looks like she’s about to go to the other side and basically Titan goes ‘Mommy!’ Like it was a whole release.”

Rowland said her son cried for a few minutes, as he believed it could be real. “I was like ‘Yo, I’m right here, I’m right here. I’m not going nowhere,’ and he was like, ‘No.’ It was a whole moment,” she said. The singer went on to call Bey’s mom, Tina Knowles, who gave her some tough motherly love about the situation. “She’s like, ‘Well, why the hell you do something like that?’ She didn’t understand why I even shot a movie,” she shared. “She’s like, ‘It’s Halloween, baby, you don’t do that no more.’”

Watch below.

17 Oct 2022

YK Osiris Worries Fans Following Cryptic Instagram Live Rant: ‘I Wanna Kill Myself’

YK Osiris has fans worrying about his health after he shared a cryptic video message on his social pages where he speaks about being unhappy and hating his life.

The Florida native shared his concerning message during a recent Instagram Live over the weekend where he was sitting in a car driving around Los Angeles. According to YK, he isn’t happy with his current spot in life and claimed Drake and Lil Baby aren’t his friends or even speaking to him. 

To make matters even more concerning, YK Osiris admitted he’s been dealing with suicidal urges while holding back tears. 

“Y’all keep using that Drake shit huh, Drake don’t fuck with me either,” Osiris said. “Me and Drake don’t talk. Me and Lil Baby don’t talk, nobody in the industry fucks with Osiris. Nobody, so don’t keep using that shit with me. You can’t keep using that like stop. We don’t talk. Lil Baby don’t fuck with me no more Drake don’t fuck with me no more fucking nobody fucks with Osiris so why the fuck do I keep living? Y’all not getting it.”   

YK was on the verge of tears coming out of his eyes as he added: “I wanna die. I wanna kill myself. I wanna just leave this Earth. But something telling me…I don’t know….I can’t even see my kids. People look at me as a clown. I’m a talented person. But that doesn’t matter because I don’t drop my music. I don’t do shit. I haven’t even performed in fucking two years, n-gga. I get why they don’t fuck with me. But, I don’t know.”

He continued: “If I killed myself right now, if I go right now, how would y’all feel? Nobody ain’t gon’ give a fuck… I’m a tell you what people gon’ say if I die right now…If I killed myself right now, they gon’ say, ‘Good, he don’t have to pay no more debts no more.’ They gone make gimmicks. ‘I don’t have to pay Drake anymore,’ they gon’ say that bullshit. ‘I don’t have to pay Lil Baby no more,’ they gon’ say that bullshit…They gon’ say the dumbest shit ever, the funniest shit ever.” 

YK then stopped his car to hand three children on the corner $500 a piece and gave away an additional $500 to a woman who saw his good deed and asked him for money as well. The Def Jam artist wanted nothing in return but prayer. 

“I just want to be happy. That’s all I wanna do is be happy,” he said after giving the money away. “My baby mama always tell me, ‘Osiris, nobody fuck with you.’ I always tell her, ‘Ah, I don’t believe you.’ And nobody really don’t fuck with me. She be telling me, ‘Osiris, nobody fuck with you. Stop doing music, bruh. Your shit wack.’ Now, I believe her. She’s definitely right.”

After fans were scrambling to figure out what was going on with him, YK Osiris posted another video explaining why he let his emotions run wild during his initial IG Live rant. According to YK, he did that so people can understand others feel that way too. 

“I just want to say this let’s not get this misconstrued that Osiris was being emotional, Osiris was crying because certain people don’t mess with him in the industry, that’s not true,” he said. “The reason I was crying, the reason that I was showing emotions is to let people know that other people are feeling like this too. I show so much love and so much happiness and joy to people that I really love, that I really mess with that I look up to but I don’t get the same results.” 

He continued: “That’s the way I was feeling and the devil trying to crush me. He trying to break me down, but I’m not going to let him do that. The devil is a liar, I’m a king, I am.”

YK’s troubling rants come after he got brand new tattoos of Drake and Usher’s respective logos — the letter “u” and the OVO owl. He hopped on his Instagram Story to show off the new ink he got on the side of his right leg and explained in another Story he has conversations with “legends” — presumably Drake and Usher — about “success.”

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YK Osiris Thinks Being ‘A True Artist’ Is More Important Than Selling Records

August 23, 2022

“When you get to seat at the same table with legends, and they talk to you about success, you will understand,” YK wrote. 

17 Oct 2022

Shania Twain Added to ABC’s Live ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Special

ABC is rounding out the cast of its live Beauty and the Beast special.

The Dec. 15 special, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film’s best picture nomination — the first animated feature to earn that honor — has added Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones and Leo Abelo Perry to its cast. They join an ensemble led by Grammy winner H.E.R. as Belle and Josh Groban as the Beast; Joshua Henry also stars, and Rita Moreno will narrate the special.

Only Murders in the Building star Short will play Lumiere. Tony winner Grier (A Solider’s Play, The Patient) will play Cogsworth, while Grammy winner and country music star Twain will play Mrs. Potts and Perry her son, Chip. The news of Twain’s casting comes less than a week after Angela Lansbury — who voiced Mrs. Potts in the 1991 animated film — died at age 96. Manji (Schitt’s Creek) plays Gaston’s (Henry) sidekick, LeFou, and Briones (Ratched) will play Belle’s father, Maurice.

“I am unbelievably honoured… and excited… and all of the emotions(!!) to announce that I will be joining the cast of #BeautyAndTheBeast30th to play the part of my favourite character – Mrs. Potts,” Twain wrote Monday (Oct. 17) on Instagram. “And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the iconic Angela Lansbury, I mean she IS Mrs. Potts and the reason why this character is so beloved. To follow in the foot steps of such an icon is a huge honour and I hope to do the part justice.”

The special, which ABC ordered in July, will feature a mix of live action and animation and new musical performances along with sets and costumes inspired by the movie. Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) is executive producing, and Grammys and Super Bowl halftime show helmer Hamish Hamilton will direct.

Done + Dusted is producing the special with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan also executive produce. H.E.R. serves as producer.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

17 Oct 2022

N.O.R.E. Admits ‘Regret’ Over Kanye West’s ‘Drink Champs’ Interview

N.O.R.E. has responded to the backlash over Kanye West’s latest Drink Champs interview, admitting “regret” over how the episode unfolded.

The Chicago rap icon made a number of controversial remarks during the three-and-a-half-hour conversation, which premiered on REVOLT over the weekend.

In addition to calling rap peers like Diddy and Meek Mill “fake hard n-ggas,” Kanye launched into another diatribe against “the Jewish people” and even suggested George Floyd was killed by fentanyl, not ex-cop Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Drink Champs co-host N.O.R.E. has faced criticism for how he moderated the interview, specifically for failing to push back against Ye’s offensive — and in some cases factually inaccurate — statements.

The rapper-turned-podcaster joined Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning on Monday (October 17) to discuss the fallout from the interview, which he called a “learning experience.”

N.O.R.E. apologized to “anybody that was hurt by Kanye’s words and actions” and to “anybody who felt like I let them down.” He also pointed out that he did “check” Ye numerous times during the interview, but admitted he didn’t control the conversation in a more “responsible” way.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I can sit there and say, ‘That’s only Kanye West, it’s only what he said.’ But I have a responsibility when I have an audience … When I watched myself, I was embarrassed. I was like, ‘Wait a minute? You just let him say that?!’ I’m irresponsible for letting it go.”

As for how he’d do things differently if he had the opportunity, N.O.R.E. said: “I would’ve been the better journalist that I am. I probably would’ve stayed sober the whole time and stayed on the subject.

“I still believe people have a right to speak, whether it’s something you agree with or not, but you have a right to also check them on — and check them immediately. That’s what I regret.”

As for why the episode was released in the first place, N.O.R.E. said he initially didn’t agree with the “powers that be” trying to take it down because he wanted to “defend freedom of speech” and has felt “blackballed” by the industry himself — but has since changed his mind.

“Now that I think about it, sometimes freedom of speech just ain’t free,” he reflected.

related news

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October 17, 2022

Despite the controversy surrounding the Yeezy billionaire, N.O.R.E. isn’t willing to give up on Kanye West and believes there’s still hope for him yet.

“By the way, I love Kanye West. I really think that we shouldn’t give up on Kanye West,” he said. “I just got off the phone with Talib Kweli and I said: ‘Talib, I think you should reach out to him. I think he needs a Mos Def conversation … a Dave Chappelle conversation.’ Because he’s not having these.”

Kanye West’s Drink Champs interview came on the heels of a recent firestorm of criticism stemming from his “White Lives Matter” Yeezy Season 9 shirt and ensuing anti-Semitic remarks, which resulted in his Twitter and Instagram accounts being restricted.

Ye was due to also appear on LeBron James’ YouTube series The Shop earlier this month, but the episode was pulled due to him spouting “more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes,” Maverick Carter announced.

17 Oct 2022

Cardi B Thanks Beyoncé For 30th Birthday Gift

Cardi B has thanked Beyoncé for a heartfelt birthday gift she got in celebration of her 30th birthday.

The “WAP” rapper celebrated her 30th on October 11 and took to Instagram on Sunday (October 16) to shout out Queen Bey for sending her a belated birthday gift: a thick bouquet of beautiful white roses.

“Oh yeah bitch cause motherfucking Beyoncé sent me some motherfucking flowers,” Cardi said in a post on her Instagram Story. “At this point, I’m about to pull up to her house with some vegan cupcakes or something. Thank you so much.”

Cardi celebrated her 30th birthday with a cabaret-theme party on Tuesday night (October 11) at Poppy in Los Angeles, California, deeming it “Cardi’s Dirty Thirty Cabaret.”

YG, Chance The Rapper, Chloe and Halle Bailey, DDG, Karrueche Tran and DaniLeigh were all in attendance, with the burlesque dress code followed by most.

She was also flooded with gifts this year, and on Friday (October 14) showcased another meaningful gift she had received from Memphis-bred rapper GloRilla. Cardi had previously shouted out GloRilla’s music, and she gave thanks by gifting her friend a slew of new jewelry for her 30th — including a Patek Phillipe watch.

“So I’m in the studio with GloRilla and she… I don’t even got no words to say,” Cardi said, appearing emotional. “She gave me some Van Cleef earrings … but she also gave me a fucking Patek, bro!”

“Like, what the fuck?! Nobody ever does something so beautiful like that but my man,” she continued, before joking: “Now you my woman. If that’s my man, you my woman. Fuck that.”

Cardi added in her Instagram caption: “Y’all look what @glorillapimp just gave me !!!!! I love her for fuvkin ever …I wanna cry but imma Gangsta!!!!”

Beyoncé and Cardi have formed quite a bond this past year. Earlier in 2022, the R&B legend joined TikTok with Cardi B’s help. Bey had posted a compilation video of fans dancing to her latest single “Break My Soul,” and Cardi B could be seen strutting along to the song.

Cardi also previously received an autographed copy of the singer’s latest album Renaissance on vinyl.

“To: Cardi B,” Bey wrote. “Hard working, beautiful and talented queen, thank you for always supporting me. Sending so much love to you and yours. Respect, Beyoncé.”

Cardi said she plans to display the vinyl in a glass case inside her home and joked about making sure the album got its own security unit.

“Look what Beyoncé sent me! Read it bitch,” Cardi said on IG. “It was so beautiful, so lovely. I’m gonna put it in a glass frame with laser beams on it and anybody that gets next to it is gonna get electrocuted on muthafuckin’ sight. I just wanna say thank you. I feel so special.”

Cardi B has also remained a formidable foe to Queen Bey, and over the years has decimated a few of her musical records. In 2018, Cardi became the first female artist to have five entries in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart at the same time. In addition, Cardi B became the only artist to achieve this with her first five chart entries.

Cardi B was previously tied with Beyoncé, who in May of 2016 had four songs rank within the chart’s Top 10 at the same time, according to Billboard.