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Last week, New Kids on the Block made their long-awaited return with Still Kids, their first full-length album in 11 years — and a project on which the long-running pop quintet sounds reinvigorated. During a sit-down with Billboard News, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood discussed how NKOTB’s first album in over a decade came together slowly but surely.
“Donnie kind of kicked it off,” McIntyre, who co-wrote roughly half of the songs on Still Kids, told Billboard, “and we’ve had success with singles, one-offs. The last song we had was [2022 single] ‘Bring Back the Time,’ great reaction there. And that sort of kicked off, ‘Maybe let’s do some more music.’ Donnie started writing, and Jordan started recording vocals. … It did take a lot! There was a lot of passion, and I heard a lot of passion. But there was a lot of give-and-take, and space to feel what this was gonna become when we all got involved.”
Instead of flying to one location and working on the album together, New Kids tinkered with Still Kids remotely — and instead of allowing that recording process to result in a disjointed project, the guys said that they pushed themselves to deliver their best material to the rest of the group.
“There’s a sense of not wanting to let each other down,” Wahlberg explained. “There’s an urgency that I think you can sometimes hear in the voices, of wanting to deliver the best of a performance. I think that’s present in this record, even in the writing.”
Next month, New Kids on the Block will kick off the Magic Summer 2024 tour, also featuring Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The latter was featured on the Still Kids highlight “Get Down.”
Ahead of the tour kick-off on June 14, watch the group discuss their relationship with boy bands who have come before and after them, playing their enduring smashes on the road, the changing landscape of the music industry and, of course, their beloved Boston Celtics.
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Kelly Rowland was the subject of Internet chatter after she was observed getting into it with an usher at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The singer and actress has since made a public statement after the incident, stating that she was standing her ground.
The image of Kelly Rowland pointing and having what appeared to be a loud discussion with the Cannes Film Festival usher went viral this week and even sparked some meme fodder. It wasn’t understood at the time what happened but Rowland, speaking with the Associated Press, explained her side of events and even alleged that women [i.e. not Black] who didn’t look like her were not treated the same.
“The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries and that is it,” Kelly Rowland said to the AP at the Cannes Film Festival. “And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed off or told to get off. I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”
From what was seen on video footage, Rowland was instructed twice by an usher to vacate the red carpet section at the Palais des Festivals and motioned her to take the stairs into the theater. Then a group of ushers swarmed her and essentially guided her to the stairs. At that moment, Rowland gave one of the ushers a piece of her mind.
Rowland observed a difference in treatment but stopped short of calling it race-related but the suggestion rings clear in her statment.
The video of Kelly Rowland’s comments can be viewed below.
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Black Thought is easily one of the best lyricists ever, so it would figure that many artists who’ve had chances to work with him know that their work is cut out for them. During a recent chat, the frontman for The Roots shared that he may have scared off J. Cole from working on a collaborative project.
Black Thought, 52, was a guest on the This Week in White Supremacy podcast with host Dr. Jasiri X and discussed the journey of the Philadelphia star as a rapper en route to becoming a New York Times bestselling author.
After sharing details of his book, The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are, the artist born Tariq Trotter shared how he connected with J. Cole about six years ago to attempt a joint project.
“I don’t know the brother well, but he and I had talked about doing music together at one point. At the beginning of 2018, he hit me like, ‘Yo, let’s do an album,’” Thought shared around the 29:00-minute mark. “I told him to send me some music. I told him I was with it. It wasn’t, ‘Send me some music to see if I want to do it,’ it was like, ‘Let me see what you’re thinking.’
Thought added that the beats Cole sent him initially were too close to the sound he achieved with The Roots and his solo projects are audibly different from those with his band. After requesting a new set of beats, Thought said the energy somewhat shifted.
“So I asked him to do a different batch, I gave him an explanation, and in my explanation I think I scared him off. Maybe some of the trigger words that I was using, like, ‘I want something hard. This beat ain’t aggressive enough.’
Black Thought offered his opinion on J. Cole apologizing to Kendrick Lamar after dropping and later deleting “7 Minute Drill” and more.
Check out the full interview below.
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Clay Gravesande, one of the stars of the hit Netflix show Love Is Blind, is back in the public eye after introducing a new romance. The reality television star and former track athlete made things public with Celina Powell and fans on social media have thoughts.
On Tuesday (May 14), Celina Powell made things Instagram official with Clay Gravesande by sharing a video of the pair in a loving embrace, confirming at the very least the pair are together in some form or fashion.
This came as a shock to some observers, considering Gravesande was a contestant on the most recent season of Love Is Blind and made it to the end only to leave Amber “AD” Smith heartbroken at the altar.
Powell, who some might remember claimed Offset got her pregnant and even claimed she slept with Snoop Dogg four years ago, a claim that the veteran rapper debunked with some requisite vulgarity.
Fans of Love Is Blind will also recall that Gravesande’s parents spoke to him earnestly about his father’s failures as a husband and how he mistreated his spouse as something of a cautionary warning. In all, it seemed like Gravesande led Smith along while talking a good game.
Further, some fans noticed that Gravesande was spotted in photos with adult performer Willow Ryde, but it isn’t clear what the timeline is nor has Ryder confirmed or denied linking with Gravesande. However, Ryder did share an X reply from a fan praising her, ahem, “game tape” alongside images of her with Gravesande that were sexually suggestive.
Gravesande’s mother also joined the chorus of those online who do not approve of his actions with a scathing Instagram Stories post we’ve shared in the gallery of replies below.
As it stands. Clay Gravesande is getting a classic Black Xitter dragging for popping out with Celina Powell. Check out the replies from X below.
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Photo: @celinapowell/Instagram
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Corey Williams, also known in the New York streetball ranks as “Homicide,” made his mark as a professional player overseas after fulfilling a promise to finish college ahead of his career. Williams, who had been battling colon cancer after a stage 4 diagnosis, passed away from the disease and several key figures on X are honoring the hoops legend.
Corey Williams was born August 3, 1977, and attended Rice High School in Harlem. While he didn’t receive any scholarship offers coming out of high school, Williams was invited to play at MCC–Penn Valley Community College, a junior college in Kansas City, Mo. Williams helped the team win the NJCAA Division II men’s basketball championship as a freshman and he made the JUCO first-team All-American as a sophomore.
Transferring to Alabama State University, a Division I school, Williams completed his criminal justice degree in 2000 as he promised to his mother. From there, Williams went undrafted and found growing fame in New York’s competitive streetball scene where he earned his Homicide nickname.
Through sheer will, Williams rose through the ranks of several basketball leagues such as the International Basketball Association and the United States Basketball League along with stints with the Harlem Globetrotters and playing briefly in the Dominican Republic. He also had stints in Brazil and Sweden
While Williams never made an official NBA roster, several teams added him to their summer and training camp rosters including the Denver Nuggets and the Toronto Raptors. He then joined the NBA Development League’s Dakota Wizards and helped the team win the 2006-07 D-League championship.
Much of Williams’ success came during his time playing in Australia’s National Basketball League and he was named the league MVP in 2010 while also making the All-NBL First Team. After his playing days were over, Williams worked as a commentator for the NBL then joined Fox Sports as a broadcaster in 2017.
According to reports, Williams was receiving colon cancer treatment as recently as two weeks before his passing. He is survived by two daughters, Bella and Gabi.
Currently on X, Williams’ nickname “Homicide” began trending. We’ve got reactions under the trending topic listed below.
Corey “Homicide” Williams was 46.
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Russell Simmons has not made many public statements after being accused of sexual assault and other crimes during his time as a record company executive. Now residing in Bali, Indonesia, the former Def Jam Recordings mogul took to social media to defend Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is also facing a bevy of sexual assault charges, and urged fans to “see the good in things.”
Taking to Instagram, Russell Simmons, 66, opened up his video by mentioning that there have always been issues in rap but likened the skirmishes to pro wrestling. However, Simmons notes that the way that Kendrick Lamar and Drake are going after each other, while exciting, could eventually lead to gunplay.
“When you tear someone down or you watch someone tear someone down, try not to get so excited. I know it’s fun to watch for some people,” Simmons says, warning that the cycle isn’t healthy over time.
He added, “If I had a nickel for every nasty meme sent to me by people whose lives were enhanced and built by Sean Combs, it’s like, it seems a bit hypocritical since the only reason you have a life is because you worked for him, or he gave you a job or lifted you up somehow.”
The overarching message from Simmons is that the current state of beef and the tearing down of Diddy has created a situation where fans are more invested in the downfall of entertainers than in bettering themselves.
“You may think it’s, you know, entertaining. Some of the memes are funny, right? But, we gotta look up, train our minds to see the good in things and not the negative,” Simmons shared.
On X, fans are naturally blasting Russell Simmons for defending Diddy and for speaking on the beef when he has a mountain of legal issues to face himself, all of which the mogul vehemently denies. Check out the reactions below.
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Jim Jones was recently involved in an airport brawl with two men in a wild scene that saw the men tumbling down an escalator before the authorities intervened. According to new reports, Jim Jones will not face charges as it was determined he was acting in self-defense.
As reported by TMZ, Jim Jones was traveling first class to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and upon landing attempted to retrieve his bags from an overhead compartment, which angered a fellow passenger. Jones sternly warned the man after he bumped him and reportedly grabbed his arm while another man began yelling at him.
Deputies were called to the plane but the men exited without moving forward with charges while heading to baggage claim. It was there when one of the men physically approached Jones with the other man from the plane incident joining in. Jones picked one man up and slammed him while another kept hitting Jones from behind. Officers quickly swarmed to the scene and broke the fight up with one of the men looking worse for wear.
Surveillance video of the brawl backed the claims Jones made that he didn’t start the brawl. The Harlem rapper and businessman told TMZ Hip Hop, “I was minding my business and defended myself. They got what they were looking for.”
They most certainly did.
Check out the fight footage below.
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Vince Staples has always presented himself as a principled individual and remains one of the greatest minds in Hip-Hop, even if his observations rankle some. The Long Beach, Calif. native recently spoke at an event in his hometown and was asked about the ongoing Drake and Kendrick Lamar but his answer was directly aimed on critiquing the music industry.
Vince Staples, 30, was a guest at the first annual Youth Day in the LBC event over the weekend which also featured a town hall with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richard alongside the rapper and actor. Fans in attendance were allowed to ask questions and the fan wanted Staples’ opinion regarding Hip-Hop’s hottest feud.
In his signature deadpan fashion, Staples harkened back to similar thoughts he shared on The Joe Budden Podcast where he tried to explain to the cast why the war between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole was largely pointless and the only ones to benefit are the labels. Staples’ point was largely dismissed as he refused to engage in zeroing in on the beef and instead sticking to his morals that the industry is in literal shambles.
“That record label just folded all of its independent labels and subsidiaries into each other,” Staples shared of his current record label, Universal Music Group, which he’s been signed to since he was 17. Staples explained that the label hasn’t paid him since 2018.
Staples then explained that the dissolving of the independent labels and subsidiaries also meant that Black folks who have been invested in growing the Hip-Hop and R&B sectors of their labels are either without a job or moved into positions outside their wheelhouse.
“None of them [labels] exist no more. They fired all the heads of the labels and if they didn’t, they turn them into glorified A&Rs. They cut off 50 percent of the people who work in all these departments, most of those people is us, people of color, that come from hip-hop and R&B and these other things, right?” Staples continued.
In a somewhat somber fashion, Staples essentially said that a Hip-Hop beef is the least of his concerns while the industry he’s been a part of as a teenager is crumbling before his eyes.
“So then we getting priced out of our contracts, we getting priced out of our imprints. There are no labels, basically, that are incentivized to sign Black music and it’s happening in front of our eyes,” Staples shared. “While Taylor Swift is fighting for people to be able to have streaming money, n*ggas is on the internet arguing with each other about some rap sh*t. So that’s how I feel about it, honestly.”
Much like his comments on the JBP, Staples’ comments found their way online and fans have reacted to portions of his answer. Some fans also took aim at Staples for, in their view, evoking respectability politics. Staples also caught wind of those who didn’t enjoy his commentary.
We’ve got comments from all sides below.
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Mo’Nique is once more aiming harsh barbs in the direction of two beloved figures within the culture in Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, adding fuel to longstanding fired lasting more than a dozen years. During a recent standup routine, Mo’Nique unloaded on Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry and urged the crowd to call them out their names.
Mo’Nique, 56, was an opening act during a recent stop Katt Williams’ Dark Matter tour stop in Nashville, Tenn. and took time to take shots at Winfrey and Perry, both of whom she’s claimed have frozen her out of opportunities in the industry.
At one point during the show, Mo’Nique led a chant of, “F*ck you, Oprah Winfrey! F*ck you, Tyler Perry! F*ck them c*on motherf*ckers! I said it, n*gga, say it with me!”
Doubling down, the Baltimore native added, “I love that Black raggedy b*tch. I love that Black simple-minded motherf*cker. I love Oprah Winfrey’s Black ass. And we just need to bring her back to Black.”
Other figures in Winfrey’s life caught shots, including longtime partner Stedman Graham and best friend Gayle King.
It’s been said that Mo’Nique’s rehashing of the beef is connected to an alleged scheme hatched by Winfrey to blackball her for not promoting the film Precious, which Winfrey and Perry served as executive producers.
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FROM made its debut in 2022, inviting viewers into the mysteries surrounding the Township and its trapped residents. The series was renewed for a third season last summer and now, the first teaser clip for FROM has emerged and reveals more chills and thrills to come.
FROM stars Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey Hannah Cheramy and more as it returns to the MGM+ platform after initially debuting on the Epix network. Perrineau plays the character of Boyd Stevens, the self-appointed sheriff and leader of the Township who devotes his life to protecting its inhabitants from the ghastly horrors of the night.
TV Line has more in its reporting on the teaser clip:
The series “unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter,” reads the official synopsis. “As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.”
We already know that the BLACK WATCH homies over at CASSIUS are hip to FROM and we expect the crew will be suggesting this series as well. Season 2 ended on an explosive cliffhanger and while we’re being vague, this show has to be absorbed from front to back to truly capture the moment. Yes, there are some bone-chilling scenes but the deeper story is worth the scares.
Check out the teaser clip below. The series will return this fall.
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