NPG Records/Paisley Park Enterprises/Sony Music Entertainment
The 20th anniversary celebration of Prince’s 28th studio album, Musicology, continues with the digital release of “Magnificent,” which originally came out as a virtual B-side to the album’s title track.
This is the first time the song has ever been released to streaming services; it was sourced from master tapes discovered in Prince’s legendary vault.
It follows “United States of Division,” another virtual B-side, which was released to streaming services for the first time in early April.
Musicology was originally handed out to fans who attended Prince’s Musicology Tour, which ran from March to September 2004. It was released in retail outlets in April 2004.
If you're a fan of SZA's acting in the "Kill Bill" video, you'll see more of her skills pretty soon. Deadline reports the singer has secured her first feature acting gig, a role opposite Keke Palmer.
The pair will star in an untitled buddy comedy film that will be produced by Issa Rae and her Hoorae company, Sara Diya Rastogi, Poppy Hanks, Deniese Davis from ColorCreative, MACRO Film Studios’ CharlesD. King and James Lopez.
Rap Sh!t showrunner Syreeta Singleton wrote the screenplay and is co-producing the film; the Max show's Lawrence Lamont will serve as director. In addition, Keke and her mother, Sharon Palmer, are executive producing.
The film is a creation stemming from Sony Pictures' CoCre lab, a "previous pact between ColorCreative and Columbia Pictures to source and incubate emerging, diverse screenwriters to develop and write their first studio feature based on original ideas," per Deadline.
It will see SZA and Keke come together again, following the Saturday Night Live episode in December 2022 in which Palmer took on hosting duties and SZA performed as the musical guest.
Mary J. Blige has reteamed with Pepsi for a scholarship supporting organizations that empower underserved women from her hometown of Yonkers, New York. She launched the fund Thursday, April 25, at Westchester Community College on Pepsi x Strength of a Woman Community Day.
The Pepsi x Mary J. Blige Strength of a Woman Community Fund, created in partnership with United Way of Westchester and Putnam, will give out $100,000 worth of grants to local organizations, distributed via grants between $5,000 and $20,000 to qualifying Yonkers-based nonprofit organizations that address the needs of underserved, marginalized women who are living paycheck to paycheck. The deadline to submit applications through the website, uwwp.org/pepsi-soaw, is June 1.
“Pepsi has been an incredible partner for the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit since the start. Now, with their support, being able to come home to Yonkers to give back to and invest in the community I grew up in is all I’ve ever wanted," Mary says in a statement. "We hope to provide resources for local organizations striving to support and uplift women for even greater impact this year.”
To further help Blige's mission to elevate, educate and empower the next generation of women, PepsiCo Foundation also donated $50,000 to YWCA of Westchester and Westchester Community College.
From a lead single to the fourth iteration of an album series, check out this week's New Music Friday for the culture's latest and greatest in music.
Tems, "Love Me Jeje" -- Featuring an interpolation of Seyi Sodimu's song of the same name, the song's the lead single off Tems' debut album, Born In the Wild, due out in May. The song, which she wrote herself, pays tribute to her childhood and upbringing.
PartyNextDoor, PartyNextDoor 4 (P4)-- The singer wants the 14-track album to help fans with "whatever they are going through ... relationships, whatever it is - when they listen to this album, they can use my stories to learn from and relate to.” He's also released the video for “F o r C e r t a i n,” directed by Edgar Daniel.
Nardo Wick, Future, "Back to Back" -- Nardo Wick and Future unite for their second song following "Me Or Sum." It's accompanied by a music video that was shot in Miami and Los Angeles.
Busta Rhymes ft. Kodak Black, "Homage" -- The song for the Blockbusta cut has a video directed by Benny Boom. Busta refers to it is as "THE BIGGEST MOVIE INE THE WORLD."
Killer Mike ft. Offset, Blxst, "Exit 9" -- An updated version of the song that appeared on Mike's Grammy-winning album MICHAEL, the song sees Mike paying homage to late music producer Rico Wade. "It hurts like hell to say but rest in peace to Rico Wade," he raps. "He soundtracked the day when me and Slee were serving J.”
The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival is coming back for its sixth year, with a lineup filled with stars ready to hit the stage.
The three-day event is taking place June 14-16 at the Seatgeek Stadium in Chicago, with headliners Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Chief Keef. The performance will mark Chief's return to his hometown and the first time he's performed there in a decade.
“It’s going to be a historic moment in Chicago music history when Sosa returns home to perform at Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash," Berto Solorio, co-founder of the festival, tells the Chicago Sun-Timesof Chief Keef's return.
Travis will kick things off the first night, with some help from Big Sean, Flo Milli and other artists, who'll warm up for him. Playboi Carti will take the stage the second night following performances from Kodak Black, Bia and more.
Finally, Sosa will headline on the final night, wrapping things up. Also taking the stage that night are J.I.D., Lil Yachty, Waka Flocka Fame and YG Marley,to name a few.
Fantasia Barrino says she’d love to replace Katy Perry as a judge on American Idol.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight released Thursday, April 25, Fantasia said she wasn’t aware Katy was exiting the singing competition show at the end of this season, but she would be up to replace her on the panel.
“I'm gonna be honest, I would love to,” Fantasia, who won season 3 of the series 20 years ago, said. “I think that those kids, when they're coming into the game, I think that they need somebody to come in and not only show them how to sing a song, but how to handle the business because it's a lot.”
Fantasia continued by explaining how exactly she’d help the contestants strike that balance.
“Just having somebody to say, ‘Hey, make sure you have this, make sure you have that. OK, sing this song, sing that song.’ Getting to know them, their upbringing, what makes you want to sing, why do you love this, why do you want this? So, I would love to do it. I would be up for it,” Fantasia said.
During her appearance on The Jennifer Hudson ShowFriday, April 26, to promote her new movie Challengers, the actress/singer gave an update on whether she’d release a new song any time soon.
“I love music, and it’s something that’s been special to me,” she says. “I think being in the music industry, maybe it, it didn’t kill the joy of music, but it’s when you put music and business together. Sometimes it cannot feel so good.”
She adds that for the time being, she likes to keep music just for her, but she’s open to sharing some new things with the world in the future.
“You know, I think if the right timing and it came, because I like creating it for myself, but if there was a moment, maybe I would, you know, put out a little something,” she said. “Don’t get crazy! We’ll see, but maybe one day.”
Zendaya also opened up about overcoming stage fright to join Labrinth at Coachella last year. The two collaborated on 2019’s "All of Us" and 2022’s "I'm Tired" for Zendaya’s HBO show, Euphoria.
Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown took to Instagram Friday with his former This Is Us co-stars Chris Sullivan and Mandy Moore to announce they're launching a new podcast about their former NBC hit.
This Is Us aired from 2016 to 2022 on NBC and followed the Pearson family over the years. The show also starred Chrissy Metz and Milo Ventimiglia.
"We are so excited to be back with the That Was Us podcast," begins Sullivan, who played Toby on the tearjerking family drama. He explained every Tuesday, the trio will get together "to relive the show."
Brown, who played Randall, added, "Yes! We're gonna have guests, we're gonna have people, we're gonna have you guys giving us feedback about the things that you want to hear about, so that it's going to be a collective experience."
Mandy, who was nominated for an Emmy for playing show matriarch Rebecca Pearson, enthused, "I can't wait!"
In another video, Moore also explained fans can send emails to thatwasuspod@gmail.com, telling them, "We really want to hear from you!"
That Was Us podcast launches on Tuesday, May 14, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other platforms; videos of each installment will be available on YouTube.
The singer dropped the sultry track, featuring Gunna, as the first taste of her debut album, Dopamine, which comes out June 14.
"When I get you alone/boy what you gon' do with it?” she sings on the chorus. “Don't talk too much, just do this sh**/Boy, what you gon' do with it?"
In a new interview with ELLE, Normani says Dopamine is a “representation of my resilience.”
“Dopamine represents the highs and the lows I’ve endured,” she says. “It’s been such an emotional roller coaster … I really wanted to have a title that felt like it definitely encompassed everything that I feel I’ve been through in my journey to get to the point that I’m in right now.”
She also addressed the “false narrative” that because her album took so long to come out, that means she doesn’t care. “Nobody wants this project to come out more than me,” she says. “I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks.”
The rapper announced his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), Thursday night.
The announcement, which aired during the NFL Draft, featured a trailer for a fake true crime series, Detroit Murder Files, about the “cold case” murder of Slim Shady.
The host sets the scene calling Slim Shady the “blond antihero” who had "no shortage of enemies,” while 50 Cent tells the camera, "I thought we were friends. He’s not a friend. He’s a psychopath."
Then we see an interview with someone who has their identity hidden as they speculate on Slim’s killer. “Whoever did it, I’d like to shake their hand one day,” he says.
The album title then flashes across the screen with the words: “Summer 2024.” At the end of the clip, the anonymous participant is revealed to be Eminem himself.
The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) marks Eminem first album since 2020’s Music to be Murdered By.
When Tank released R&B Money in 2022, it was accompanied by the news that it'd be his final album. Fans dealing with that reality are now in for some good news: he's "all the way back."
"You know what? I was really gone. I really had my heart set on [retiring]," Tank tells ABC Audio — but then he kept getting gigs and decided to keep going. "It's like, how do you retire at the height of it, like, we're still ascending," he says. "I came to the realization that maybe it's just time management I need to be better at in order to get all of these other things in that I want to do and not necessarily walk away from this when so many people still need me to do it."
Tank returned with "Before We Get Started" featuring Fabolous, a song he thought would perfectly "kick off some new energy." He joked that "in Fab fashion," the rapper was "overseas somewhere getting money" when he called him for the song. But he got right to it when he returned, noting he also "showed love" by "showing up to the video and showing up to help promote."
With the song and video, Tank says he's "getting back to that good energy" that R&B is about. It's one of five new tracks on the R&B Money deluxe, titled R&B Money: The Vault, out April 26.
Tank's also celebrating the upcoming 100th episode of his R&B Money podcast, dropping April 27. He teased during his ABC Audio interview that one of his dream guests, later revealed to be Chris Brown, will appear on the episode; Jamie Foxx, who helped launch the pod, and Beyoncé are his other dream guests.
Chance the Rapper is out with a new video for "Buried Alive," which he directed himself.
The song, from his album Star Line Gallery, sees him discuss "themes of self-discovery, resilience and the relentless pursuit of freedom," reflected in the visual as Chance breaks free from a box he's trapped in. With his newfound freedom, he discovers the "vast expanse of space" and the "cosmic panorama before him," a defining moment in his "journey of self-actualization and defiance" — one that represents "freedom from the constraints of the past and a newfound sense of possibility," per a press release.
"Getting back to directing and shaping the cinematography for the 'Buried Alive' music video was really a rewarding return for me,” Chance says in a statement. “Film provides me a platform to translate my creative vision into a tangible, immersive experience, while also capturing the grandeur of the cosmos.”
“Throughout this project, I’ve been using film as a translator for some of the heavier or more fantastical themes in my lyrics," he continues, crediting Wes Anderson, Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino for influencing "my eye as a director" "while providing me a medium that allows these conversations of liberation and catharsis to speak loudly."
"Buried Alive" is now available on streaming services and YouTube.
H.E.R. is continuing her acting career with a role that unites her with her TheColor Purple producers.
The Hollywood Reporter reports she's teaming up with Oprah Winfrey and Scott Sanders for a majorettes-inspired film, set at a fictional historically Black college in Atlanta. The story's about an introverted ballet dancer from LA who goes against her parents' wishes and pauses her dance career to attend an HBCU, where she becomes part of its "struggling majorette team." While helping the team return to "its former glory," she conquers culture shock and begins to understand who she is as a person.
With an interest in majorette traditions — a mix of marching band, dance and gymnastic elements — H.E.R. came up with the idea for the film, pitched the idea, and got Oprah and Scott on board after working with them on TheColor Purple. She'll develop and star in the film, which she'll produce alongside Winfrey's Harpo Films, Sanders' Scott Sanders Productions, Carla Gardini and Mara Jacobs.
Lauren Ashley Smith will write the script, and Rashonda Joplin will oversee the film on behalf of 20th Century Studios.
Disney is the parent company of 20th Century Studios and ABC News.
Where there's a will, there's a way. That sums up the story of Usher's teenage son Naviyd Ely, who took extreme measures to ensure he met his favorite artist: PinkPantheress.
As Usher tells it on his Instagram Story, Naviyd stole his phone and DM'd the star, expressing his love for her and asking for a follow on social media.
“Hello this is Usher’s son Naviyd I’m you [sic] true biggest fan please follow me back @_naviyd_. I put him on to masterpieces," he wrote, to which PinkPantheress replied, “Hahahahahaa this is wild!”
The teen then wrote, “OMG I DIDNT THING [sic] U WERE GONNA SNWER [sic].Thank you for liking my posttt.”
Usher apparently got wind of the exchange and followed up, writing, "I'm so sorry ... my son is a super fan." His apology was met with PinkPantheress' offer to host him and Naviyd at her next show.
Usher said he acted like his son "wasn't allowed to go" "because he did the MOST just to connect" with PinkPantheress — but ultimately "decided to let him go" because "my son is such a fan of her artistry."
He informed PinkPantheress of his son's presence at her concert. She then linked with Naviyd backstage, and they posed for a few photos.
Usher's takeaway: "This was a great moment for Naviyd … this was him movin on something he was passionate about. Yes… he violated my trust in the process and for that I will never trust him around my phone, but I should have known better," he began.
He continued, “Nonetheless, I appreciate the hustle and him makin in happen. From a text, to a concert, to the artist. He masterminded this whole thing and made it happen. #HustleHard.”
The nonprofit Gold House, which celebrates Asian Pacific creatives, companies and communities, has assembled an A-List set of honorees for its third annual Gold Gala.
The event, which will take place on Saturday, May 11, at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, will honor its 2024 A100 List celebrating "the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year."
Among this year's honorees will be the cast of Netflix's Emmy-winning series Beef, receiving the Gold Icon award for its "groundbreaking representation of the Asian American experience."
Saweetie will perform and receive the first-ever Billboard Gold Music honor "recognizing boundary-pushing musical accomplishments that redefine cultural narratives," while her fellow Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo will be presented with the Gold Ally award "for her award-winning work to advance inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera."
Other honorees include Lifetime Achievement winners Lucy Liu and Padma Lakshmi — who is doing double-duty that evening as the Gold Gala Culinary Director, overseeing a three-course meal for the event's 600 invited guests.
Other honorees will include Maui's first responders following the devastating fires there in August. On a lighter note, the iconic character Hello Kitty will receive the Gold Generation award for her 50th anniversary.
