Music
Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande Reunite for Sexy Mermaid-Themed "Bed" Video. Reunited! Nicki Minaj teams up again with Ariana Grande, this time for her smoldering new music video "Bed." In the clip, released on Friday, the rapper writhes on the beach as a topless mermaid and showcases a skimpy swimsuit in a private swimming pool and sexy lingerie on a bed, while the singer dances seductively in white fuzzy lingerie on a grassy hill by the sea. The two then unite together on rocks by the ocean, waring bikinis and short cover-ups and join two men, played by Odell Beckham Jr. and Brad Wing, on daybeds. The single "Bed" was released in June. Nicki and Ariana have collaborated several times on music in the past, such as on the 2014 single "Band Bang" With Jessie J on Ariana's 2016 track "Side to Side" and the song "The Light Is Coming," which was also released last month. (Eonline)
Halsey broke down -- sort of -- during a performance Friday night, and given the song it has all the markings of an emotional toll taken by her breakup with G-Eazy. Halsey performed at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Michigan, and during the song "Sorry" she became noticeably teary-eyed. G-Eazy and Halsey were inseparable and super affectionate for the year they dated. There were clear signs of trouble a week before their breakup at a Post Malone concert. When you watched there was clearly something different. She was spotted last week with Machine Gun Kelly. It was never confirmed but it seemed the 2 had dated in the past. Whether she's seeing Machine gun Kelly or anyone else, judging from the concert it seems she has feelings for G-Eazy. (TMZ)
Sir Ringo Starr Announces Details for 10th Annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration. Sir Ringo Starr has a birthday coming up, and to celebrate he wants us all to spread a little Peace and Love. Everyone's favorite knight of the realm will observe turning 78 on July 7 by inviting the world to come together in a moment of peace, love and unity. Starr himself will be in Nice, France at the Hard Rock Cafe -- a fitting location considering he started the tradition 10 years ago at the Chicago branch of the franchise. But don't worry if you can't make the trip. All he asks is for everyone -- everywhere -- to think, say, or post "#PeaceandLove" at noon their local time, thus creating a wave of positivity that will travel across the globe. The annual celebration began in 2008, when an interviewer casually asked Starr what he wanted for his birthday. The answer, of course, was "Peace and Love." Since then, the idea has flourished into an international event, earning sponsors including Hard Rock and The David Lynch Foundation, an organization that teaches meditation to at-risk individuals. "I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday, or a better gift I could ask for, than Peace and Love," he says in a statement. "I was blown away last year with how far this idea keeps spreading -- we started in New Zealand, had people sending Peace and Love from Antarctica, Japan, Costa Rica, India, Russia, Brazil, Europe, London, Liverpool and Hawaii. It was so far out. So here we are 10 years later and it keeps growing." Kicking off the festive mood, Starr has released a new music video for "Give More Love," the title track to his 2017 album. "There are a lot of people hurting out there, and if we give nothing else we have to give love," he told PEOPLE of the song's message in September. "I try and do that to the best of my ability. We have to remember we are not saints -- sometimes there's the other attitude, the reactive. I try not to get too much of that. But we're doing the best we can." This fall, the rock legend will spread Peace and Love in person as he heads out on the road with his All-Starr Band. (People)
Nielsen Music's Mid-Year 2018 Charts: U.S. Vinyl Album Sales Grow 19%, Led by Jack White. In the first half of 2018, vinyl album sales grew 19.2 percent in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music -- as compared to the first six months of 2017. In total, for the tracking period of Dec. 29, 2017 through June 28, 2018, there were 7.6 million vinyl albums sold; up from 6.4 million in the comparable frame a year ago (Dec. 30, 2016 through June 29, 2017). Notably, the vinyl format's 7.6 million albums sold in 2018, so far, represent 11.2 percent of all albums sold (68 million) and 18.7 percent of all physical albums sold (CD, vinyl, cassette, etc.; 40.6 million). In the full year of 2017, vinyl album sales hit another Nielsen Music-era record high, as the format sold 14.32 million copies (up 9 percent compared to 2016's then-record haul of 13.1 million). 2017 marked the 12th straight year of growth for vinyl album sales. (Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.) The top selling vinyl album for the first half of 2018 is Jack White's latest studio effort, Boarding House Reach, which has sold 37,000 copies on vinyl. Vinyl sales in 2018 have also been aided by the usual surge of sales generated by the annual Record Store Day festivities. The 11th annual indie music store holiday, staged on April 21, helped yield a whopping 733,000 vinyl albums sold in the week ending April 26 -- a record for Record Store Day week, and the third-largest weekly sum for vinyl albums since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. (Billboard)
2018's Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums {* Jack White, Boarding House Reach (37,000) * Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (30,000) * Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (28,000) * Michael Jackson, Thriller (28,000) * Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (28,000) * Panic! at the Disco, Pray for the Wicked (26,000) * Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods (26,000) * Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (Soundtrack) (25,000) * Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (25,000) }* The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (23,000)
Elvis Costello Battling "Very Aggressive" Cancer at Age 63. Elvis Costello, the legendary singer-songwriter, announced via Facebook Friday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. As a result, Costello had to cancel the remaining dates of his tour. "Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, 'You should start playing the Lotto.' He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery," the 63-year-old musician (born Declan Patrick MacManus) said. "I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead. Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel." Costello had been scheduled to perform in Austria, Croatia, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. "It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis," he wrote. By the time he reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, "I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed," he said. "I have to thank our friends attending last night's show in Amsterdam and those in Antwerp, Glynde and at Newcastle City Hall for bearing me up. The spirit has been more than willing but I have to now accept that it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength. Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour." Though he would have loved to perform for his fans through July 16, Costello added, "I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk." The British artist thanked The Imposters' Davey Faragher, Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas "for all their deep friendship, love and support during this upsetting time." He also thanked Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee, "whose beautiful voices have spurred me on to do the singing that I've managed, whatever the cost. It goes without saying that there are many others who have worked to get us to the stage and from town to town to whom I am also deeply grateful." Wanting to leave fans with "some more optimistic news," Costello said he and The Imposters have "made a magnificent new record," set for release in October. "We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favorite songs that still make sense to us all." Costello ended his statement by reminding fans to "take very good care of your loved ones." He also advised men to talk to their friends. "You'll find you are not alone -- seek your doctor's advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters," the Grammy winner added. "It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette." For a full list of affected European tour dates, visit Costello's Facebook page. (Eonline)
The B-52s aren't sure when their 40th anniversary is. The B-52s are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. But they also may celebrate it next year. That is, if they haven't already hit the milestone. There's no fuzzy math here -- it's a just matter of which date adequately represents the origin of the band, which began in Athens, Georgia. Vocalist Fred Schneider considers 2018 as their ruby anniversary. "This is 40 years since our first single came out," Schneider said. That was the year they released the song, "Rock Lobster." The band's other vocalist, Kate Pierson, interprets their anniversary a bit more liberally. "We started in 1976 jamming and we played our first show on Valentine's Day 1977, so we can mark 40 from there or we can mark 40 from 1979 when we did our first record," Pierson said, referring to their eponymous album. Then she added: "It's flexible. We're milking the 40 anniversary because it's flexible." While the actual date may be a "Cosmic Thing" -- just as the title of their fifth album and hit song -- there's no discrepancy that their reputation as "the world's greatest party band" has thrived since the late 1970s. Yet, while their sound remained upbeat, the band had some dark days, most notably the death of founding member Ricky Wilson, who succumbed to AIDS in 1985. He is the older brother of vocalist Cindy Wilson. "There's always ups and downs in 40 years. And Ricky's death in 1985 was definitely a point where we thought we wouldn't go on. People always ask, 'Did you envision that you would have gone on for 40 years?' You know, that seemed like the end," Pierson said. Instead, they rebounded with "Cosmic Thing," and scored their most successful album, and biggest hit single, "Love Shack," in 1989. Pierson attributes their longevity to friendship above all else. "We all maintained our connections and our friendships, which we've maintained over all these years. We still like each other, love each other, and we realize that this was a way to heal and a way to really bring Ricky back into the mix. I think a lot of the songs recalled that time in Athens with Ricky," Pierson said. She jokes about what would happen if the band were to try to make it today. "We would go on 'The Voice,' and we'd get kicked off of the first episode, probably," Pierson said. As for the tour, the band said fans can expect more obscure stuff, like "Wig," as well as the hits. "We're not going to say, 'Hey, tonight I'm sorry. I hope you understand. We're not doing 'Rock Lobster' or 'Love Shack' or 'Roam,"" said Pierson. "No, we're going to do those." (PageSix)
Donald Glover's record label says he's screwing them over and now they want justice in a court of law. Glassnote Entertainment Group has filed a lawsuit against Childish Gambino claiming he's aced them out of the loot he's collected for streaming royalties. As for those royalties ... they're a lot. The suit claims Donald has raked in more than $700k in streaming money and hasn't anted up a cent to Glassnote. What really galls Glassnote is its claim that it has paid Donald nearly $8 MILLION and expects to pay him another $2 mil in royalties in the next 3 months. The label also claims Donald made a $1.5 million demand from them to resolve streaming royalty disputes. Glassnote says it's done 3 albums with Donald -- including his commercial breakthrough, "Awaken, My Love!" -- as well as several mixtapes. The album featured his top ten hit, "Redbone." (TMZ)
The Beach Boys Join Forces With John Stamos & Jimmy Buffett For Epic 4th of July Performance. As if The Beach Boys performing at this year's A Capitol Fourth on PBS wasn't enough of a treat itself, the band decided to collaborate with special guests Jimmy Buffett and John Stamos for a medley of hits Wednesday night (July 4). The stars had clear chemistry on stage together, not missing a beat. The former Full House star rocked out on a red, white, and blue electric guitar, while Buffett looked relaxed as ever while strumming an acoustic guitar on the last two tracks. The surf-rock legends performed a trio of songs; "I Get Around," "Kokomo, and "Fun, Fun, Fun," and everyone, young or old, couldn't have looked happier to be apart of the celebration. (Billboard)
The release of Future's new mixtape isn't a jab at baby mama Ciara ... in fact, it's a courtesy move to fellow rapper Drake. Future dropped his surprise project, "BEASTMODE2," Friday, which also happens to be the same day as Ciara and Russell Wilson's second wedding anniversary. Fans were quick to make a connection between the two events ... and pondered if Future picked the date on purpose. Sources close to the rapper tell us there was no ill will or planned attack in the mixtape's release. In fact -- it was originally supposed to drop on July 4 -- but Future felt that date was too close to Drake's release of "Scorpion" so he didn't want to compete or mess with Drake's numbers. The two have a long history together -- they've been on tour together and collaborated on an album. As for Ciara and Russell ... we're told Future's never kept up with their relationship and didn't connect the dots to the special date. (TMZ)
Charlie Sheen stars in Lil Pump's 'Drug Addicts' music video. "I've been smoking since I was eleven / I've been popping pills since I was seven." Those are just two of the many drug references that pepper the lyrics to Lil Pump's latest, "Drug Addicts." The rapper dropped the track and a video co-starring Charlie Sheen late on Thursday night. In the clip, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the 17-year-old plays alongside "Dr. Sheen." The two are seen wheeling a drug cart through a psychedelic hospital ward where patients are gleefully smoking, drinking, dropping ecstasy and popping pills. Scantily-clad nurses join in on the shenanigans, riding alongside Pump in a golf cart and gathering for a dance party in an empty pool. The Miami rapper broke out in 2017 with the hit "Gucci Gang," which has logged more than 2 billion audio and video streams, and over 1 million equivalent album sales for Lil Pump's self-titled debut released in October of that year. The song also inspired a hilarious send-up on "Saturday Night Live" starring Pete Davidson and Sam Rockwell paying homage to Stanley Tucci. Signed to Tha Lights Global/Warner Bros. Records, Pump's contract with the label came under scrutiny because it was signed when he was a minor and thus left him open to competing offers, a source close to the situation confirmed to Variety in March. Those offers were said to be as high as $8 million to $12 million and possibly higher, according to reports. Pump (real name: Gazzy Garcia) is represented by attorney John Branca of Ziffren Brittenham. He turns 18 in August. Sheen tweeted a photo of himself with Pump on the set of "Drug Addicts." (PageSix)
G-Eazy Makes First TV Appearance Since Halsey Split. Just days after Halsey announced their split, G-Eazy took the stage as part of Good Morning America's 2018 Summer Concert Series. The rapper performed a number of his hits, including "No Limit" and "Me, Myself & I." He even closed out the show with a solo performance of "Him & I" -- his collaboration with his now-ex. It certainly has been a busy time for G-Eazy. The rapper has been promoting his album The Beautiful & Damned, which he said was inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. "I was reading the book when I was making the album," G-Eazy said. "I'm a fan of his writing." Even though the album features 20 tracks, G-Eazy said he actually recorded more than 100. "They're somewhere," he said. "They may come out one day. We'll see." In fact, the rapper said he's been so busy getting ready for the next leg of his tour that his "head is kind of spinning." Halsey announced the breakup via Instagram Stories on Tuesday. "I normally keep this kind of thing private but provided our public nature I feel I need to inform my fans," she wrote. "G-Eazy and I are taking some apart. I'm eager to continue the upcoming passage of time dedicating myself to my art and career, and the duration of my tour. I wish him the best. Thanks for respecting our privacy at this time." However, fans had speculated the two had called it quits after the "Bad at Love" singer posted a photo of her with her dog and wrote " "kiss my dog on the forehead and then kiss ur ass goodbye." The caption appeared to be a reference to Drake's new "8 out of 10" song, which features the lyric, "Kiss my son on the forehead then kiss your ass goodbye." The split came after about a year of dating. The two first sparked romance rumors in 2017. "He was just really persistent," Halsey told E! News' Jason Kennedy at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. "He really wanted to hang out and really wanted me to like him a lot. It took me a while to be like, 'Fine. Okay I like you back.' I'm glad I did. I got bamboozled though a little bit, I think I got tricked into it." During the course of their relationship, G-Eazy had spoken highly of his now-ex. At the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, the artist told E! News' Sibley Scoles Halsey was "a queen" and that he thinks "the world of her." Just days before announcing the split, Halsey was photographed hanging out with Machine Gun Kelly. While it's unclear if the two are just friends or something more, they certainly have a history. "Machine Gun Kelly has always been into Halsey but was not looking for a committed relationship which is why she moved on with G Eazy," an insider told E! News. "G-Eazy is well aware of Machine Gun Kelly and Halsey's history." (Eonline)
Cardi B wants $15M from ex-manager for 'attempting to control' her. Red-hot rapper Cardi B is suing her former manager for $15 million, claiming he exploited her and tried to "maintain complete control over her .?.?. even attempting to control her personal life, telling her who she should and should not see romantically." Klenord Raphael, aka Shaft, filed suit against Cardi back in April, claiming he'd built up her career only to be left out in the cold once she hit the big time. But on Thursday, Cardi hit back, countersuing Shaft and alleging he gained her trust, cut her off from other friends and advisers, and then signed her on to contracts that were variously described in the suit as "grossly unfair," "highly one-sided" and "highly favorable to himself." The suit, filed in New York's Southern District by attorney Paul LiCalsi of Robins Kaplan, claims that Shaft used money that belonged to Cardi -- whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar -- for "personal travel, entertainment and expenses," and that employees of Shaft's company, KSR, "[helped] themselves to the 'Bank of Almanzar,'" taking "loans" of up to $15,000 without Cardi's knowledge. In the court papers, Cardi's team claims that Shaft took a 20 percent fee as her manager -- but then set up two companies, WorldStar and KSR, through which they claim he convinced Cardi to put more money in his pocket, with one of the deals taking 50 percent of the royalties from her work with Atlantic Records. Cardi's suit claims that when the artist "questioned whether it was proper for her to receive only 50 percent," Shaft "deceitfully told her that this was an absolutely standard percentage for a recording artist to receive." The suit calls the conduct of Shaft and his companies "an egregious and reprehensible breach of all trust and confidence placed in them" by Cardi. Now she seeks $15 million from him. It also accuses Shaft of "self-dealing" and breaching his fiduciary duty. Shaft's rep didn't comment. (PageSix)
Halsey broke down -- sort of -- during a performance Friday night, and given the song it has all the markings of an emotional toll taken by her breakup with G-Eazy. Halsey performed at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Michigan, and during the song "Sorry" she became noticeably teary-eyed. G-Eazy and Halsey were inseparable and super affectionate for the year they dated. There were clear signs of trouble a week before their breakup at a Post Malone concert. When you watched there was clearly something different. She was spotted last week with Machine Gun Kelly. It was never confirmed but it seemed the 2 had dated in the past. Whether she's seeing Machine gun Kelly or anyone else, judging from the concert it seems she has feelings for G-Eazy. (TMZ)
Sir Ringo Starr Announces Details for 10th Annual Peace & Love Birthday Celebration. Sir Ringo Starr has a birthday coming up, and to celebrate he wants us all to spread a little Peace and Love. Everyone's favorite knight of the realm will observe turning 78 on July 7 by inviting the world to come together in a moment of peace, love and unity. Starr himself will be in Nice, France at the Hard Rock Cafe -- a fitting location considering he started the tradition 10 years ago at the Chicago branch of the franchise. But don't worry if you can't make the trip. All he asks is for everyone -- everywhere -- to think, say, or post "#PeaceandLove" at noon their local time, thus creating a wave of positivity that will travel across the globe. The annual celebration began in 2008, when an interviewer casually asked Starr what he wanted for his birthday. The answer, of course, was "Peace and Love." Since then, the idea has flourished into an international event, earning sponsors including Hard Rock and The David Lynch Foundation, an organization that teaches meditation to at-risk individuals. "I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday, or a better gift I could ask for, than Peace and Love," he says in a statement. "I was blown away last year with how far this idea keeps spreading -- we started in New Zealand, had people sending Peace and Love from Antarctica, Japan, Costa Rica, India, Russia, Brazil, Europe, London, Liverpool and Hawaii. It was so far out. So here we are 10 years later and it keeps growing." Kicking off the festive mood, Starr has released a new music video for "Give More Love," the title track to his 2017 album. "There are a lot of people hurting out there, and if we give nothing else we have to give love," he told PEOPLE of the song's message in September. "I try and do that to the best of my ability. We have to remember we are not saints -- sometimes there's the other attitude, the reactive. I try not to get too much of that. But we're doing the best we can." This fall, the rock legend will spread Peace and Love in person as he heads out on the road with his All-Starr Band. (People)
Nielsen Music's Mid-Year 2018 Charts: U.S. Vinyl Album Sales Grow 19%, Led by Jack White. In the first half of 2018, vinyl album sales grew 19.2 percent in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music -- as compared to the first six months of 2017. In total, for the tracking period of Dec. 29, 2017 through June 28, 2018, there were 7.6 million vinyl albums sold; up from 6.4 million in the comparable frame a year ago (Dec. 30, 2016 through June 29, 2017). Notably, the vinyl format's 7.6 million albums sold in 2018, so far, represent 11.2 percent of all albums sold (68 million) and 18.7 percent of all physical albums sold (CD, vinyl, cassette, etc.; 40.6 million). In the full year of 2017, vinyl album sales hit another Nielsen Music-era record high, as the format sold 14.32 million copies (up 9 percent compared to 2016's then-record haul of 13.1 million). 2017 marked the 12th straight year of growth for vinyl album sales. (Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.) The top selling vinyl album for the first half of 2018 is Jack White's latest studio effort, Boarding House Reach, which has sold 37,000 copies on vinyl. Vinyl sales in 2018 have also been aided by the usual surge of sales generated by the annual Record Store Day festivities. The 11th annual indie music store holiday, staged on April 21, helped yield a whopping 733,000 vinyl albums sold in the week ending April 26 -- a record for Record Store Day week, and the third-largest weekly sum for vinyl albums since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. (Billboard)
2018's Mid-Year Top 10 Selling Vinyl Albums {* Jack White, Boarding House Reach (37,000) * Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (30,000) * Soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (28,000) * Michael Jackson, Thriller (28,000) * Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (28,000) * Panic! at the Disco, Pray for the Wicked (26,000) * Justin Timberlake, Man of the Woods (26,000) * Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (Soundtrack) (25,000) * Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (25,000) }* The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (23,000)
Elvis Costello Battling "Very Aggressive" Cancer at Age 63. Elvis Costello, the legendary singer-songwriter, announced via Facebook Friday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. As a result, Costello had to cancel the remaining dates of his tour. "Six weeks ago my specialist called me and said, 'You should start playing the Lotto.' He had rarely, if ever, seen such a small but very aggressive cancerous malignancy that could be defeated by a single surgery," the 63-year-old musician (born Declan Patrick MacManus) said. "I was elated and relieved that our European summer tour could go ahead. Post-surgical guidelines for such surgery, recommend three weeks to four weeks recovery depending on whether you are returning to a desk job or an occupation that involves physical work or travel." Costello had been scheduled to perform in Austria, Croatia, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. "It was impossible to judge how this advisory would line up with the demands on a traveling musician, playing 90-minute to 2-hour plus performances on a nightly basis," he wrote. By the time he reached the Edinburgh Playhouse, "I was almost fooled into thinking that normal service had been resumed," he said. "I have to thank our friends attending last night's show in Amsterdam and those in Antwerp, Glynde and at Newcastle City Hall for bearing me up. The spirit has been more than willing but I have to now accept that it is going to take longer than I would have wished for me to recover my full strength. Therefore, I must reluctantly cancel all the remaining engagements of this tour." Though he would have loved to perform for his fans through July 16, Costello added, "I would rather disappoint our friends there by not appearing than in pressing on with a show that is compromised and eventually puts my health at risk." The British artist thanked The Imposters' Davey Faragher, Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas "for all their deep friendship, love and support during this upsetting time." He also thanked Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee, "whose beautiful voices have spurred me on to do the singing that I've managed, whatever the cost. It goes without saying that there are many others who have worked to get us to the stage and from town to town to whom I am also deeply grateful." Wanting to leave fans with "some more optimistic news," Costello said he and The Imposters have "made a magnificent new record," set for release in October. "We will return at the soonest opportunity to play that music and your favorite songs that still make sense to us all." Costello ended his statement by reminding fans to "take very good care of your loved ones." He also advised men to talk to their friends. "You'll find you are not alone -- seek your doctor's advice if you are in doubt or when it is timely and act as swiftly as you may in these matters," the Grammy winner added. "It may save your life. Believe me, it is better than playing roulette." For a full list of affected European tour dates, visit Costello's Facebook page. (Eonline)
The B-52s aren't sure when their 40th anniversary is. The B-52s are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. But they also may celebrate it next year. That is, if they haven't already hit the milestone. There's no fuzzy math here -- it's a just matter of which date adequately represents the origin of the band, which began in Athens, Georgia. Vocalist Fred Schneider considers 2018 as their ruby anniversary. "This is 40 years since our first single came out," Schneider said. That was the year they released the song, "Rock Lobster." The band's other vocalist, Kate Pierson, interprets their anniversary a bit more liberally. "We started in 1976 jamming and we played our first show on Valentine's Day 1977, so we can mark 40 from there or we can mark 40 from 1979 when we did our first record," Pierson said, referring to their eponymous album. Then she added: "It's flexible. We're milking the 40 anniversary because it's flexible." While the actual date may be a "Cosmic Thing" -- just as the title of their fifth album and hit song -- there's no discrepancy that their reputation as "the world's greatest party band" has thrived since the late 1970s. Yet, while their sound remained upbeat, the band had some dark days, most notably the death of founding member Ricky Wilson, who succumbed to AIDS in 1985. He is the older brother of vocalist Cindy Wilson. "There's always ups and downs in 40 years. And Ricky's death in 1985 was definitely a point where we thought we wouldn't go on. People always ask, 'Did you envision that you would have gone on for 40 years?' You know, that seemed like the end," Pierson said. Instead, they rebounded with "Cosmic Thing," and scored their most successful album, and biggest hit single, "Love Shack," in 1989. Pierson attributes their longevity to friendship above all else. "We all maintained our connections and our friendships, which we've maintained over all these years. We still like each other, love each other, and we realize that this was a way to heal and a way to really bring Ricky back into the mix. I think a lot of the songs recalled that time in Athens with Ricky," Pierson said. She jokes about what would happen if the band were to try to make it today. "We would go on 'The Voice,' and we'd get kicked off of the first episode, probably," Pierson said. As for the tour, the band said fans can expect more obscure stuff, like "Wig," as well as the hits. "We're not going to say, 'Hey, tonight I'm sorry. I hope you understand. We're not doing 'Rock Lobster' or 'Love Shack' or 'Roam,"" said Pierson. "No, we're going to do those." (PageSix)
Donald Glover's record label says he's screwing them over and now they want justice in a court of law. Glassnote Entertainment Group has filed a lawsuit against Childish Gambino claiming he's aced them out of the loot he's collected for streaming royalties. As for those royalties ... they're a lot. The suit claims Donald has raked in more than $700k in streaming money and hasn't anted up a cent to Glassnote. What really galls Glassnote is its claim that it has paid Donald nearly $8 MILLION and expects to pay him another $2 mil in royalties in the next 3 months. The label also claims Donald made a $1.5 million demand from them to resolve streaming royalty disputes. Glassnote says it's done 3 albums with Donald -- including his commercial breakthrough, "Awaken, My Love!" -- as well as several mixtapes. The album featured his top ten hit, "Redbone." (TMZ)
The Beach Boys Join Forces With John Stamos & Jimmy Buffett For Epic 4th of July Performance. As if The Beach Boys performing at this year's A Capitol Fourth on PBS wasn't enough of a treat itself, the band decided to collaborate with special guests Jimmy Buffett and John Stamos for a medley of hits Wednesday night (July 4). The stars had clear chemistry on stage together, not missing a beat. The former Full House star rocked out on a red, white, and blue electric guitar, while Buffett looked relaxed as ever while strumming an acoustic guitar on the last two tracks. The surf-rock legends performed a trio of songs; "I Get Around," "Kokomo, and "Fun, Fun, Fun," and everyone, young or old, couldn't have looked happier to be apart of the celebration. (Billboard)
The release of Future's new mixtape isn't a jab at baby mama Ciara ... in fact, it's a courtesy move to fellow rapper Drake. Future dropped his surprise project, "BEASTMODE2," Friday, which also happens to be the same day as Ciara and Russell Wilson's second wedding anniversary. Fans were quick to make a connection between the two events ... and pondered if Future picked the date on purpose. Sources close to the rapper tell us there was no ill will or planned attack in the mixtape's release. In fact -- it was originally supposed to drop on July 4 -- but Future felt that date was too close to Drake's release of "Scorpion" so he didn't want to compete or mess with Drake's numbers. The two have a long history together -- they've been on tour together and collaborated on an album. As for Ciara and Russell ... we're told Future's never kept up with their relationship and didn't connect the dots to the special date. (TMZ)
Charlie Sheen stars in Lil Pump's 'Drug Addicts' music video. "I've been smoking since I was eleven / I've been popping pills since I was seven." Those are just two of the many drug references that pepper the lyrics to Lil Pump's latest, "Drug Addicts." The rapper dropped the track and a video co-starring Charlie Sheen late on Thursday night. In the clip, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the 17-year-old plays alongside "Dr. Sheen." The two are seen wheeling a drug cart through a psychedelic hospital ward where patients are gleefully smoking, drinking, dropping ecstasy and popping pills. Scantily-clad nurses join in on the shenanigans, riding alongside Pump in a golf cart and gathering for a dance party in an empty pool. The Miami rapper broke out in 2017 with the hit "Gucci Gang," which has logged more than 2 billion audio and video streams, and over 1 million equivalent album sales for Lil Pump's self-titled debut released in October of that year. The song also inspired a hilarious send-up on "Saturday Night Live" starring Pete Davidson and Sam Rockwell paying homage to Stanley Tucci. Signed to Tha Lights Global/Warner Bros. Records, Pump's contract with the label came under scrutiny because it was signed when he was a minor and thus left him open to competing offers, a source close to the situation confirmed to Variety in March. Those offers were said to be as high as $8 million to $12 million and possibly higher, according to reports. Pump (real name: Gazzy Garcia) is represented by attorney John Branca of Ziffren Brittenham. He turns 18 in August. Sheen tweeted a photo of himself with Pump on the set of "Drug Addicts." (PageSix)
G-Eazy Makes First TV Appearance Since Halsey Split. Just days after Halsey announced their split, G-Eazy took the stage as part of Good Morning America's 2018 Summer Concert Series. The rapper performed a number of his hits, including "No Limit" and "Me, Myself & I." He even closed out the show with a solo performance of "Him & I" -- his collaboration with his now-ex. It certainly has been a busy time for G-Eazy. The rapper has been promoting his album The Beautiful & Damned, which he said was inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. "I was reading the book when I was making the album," G-Eazy said. "I'm a fan of his writing." Even though the album features 20 tracks, G-Eazy said he actually recorded more than 100. "They're somewhere," he said. "They may come out one day. We'll see." In fact, the rapper said he's been so busy getting ready for the next leg of his tour that his "head is kind of spinning." Halsey announced the breakup via Instagram Stories on Tuesday. "I normally keep this kind of thing private but provided our public nature I feel I need to inform my fans," she wrote. "G-Eazy and I are taking some apart. I'm eager to continue the upcoming passage of time dedicating myself to my art and career, and the duration of my tour. I wish him the best. Thanks for respecting our privacy at this time." However, fans had speculated the two had called it quits after the "Bad at Love" singer posted a photo of her with her dog and wrote " "kiss my dog on the forehead and then kiss ur ass goodbye." The caption appeared to be a reference to Drake's new "8 out of 10" song, which features the lyric, "Kiss my son on the forehead then kiss your ass goodbye." The split came after about a year of dating. The two first sparked romance rumors in 2017. "He was just really persistent," Halsey told E! News' Jason Kennedy at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards. "He really wanted to hang out and really wanted me to like him a lot. It took me a while to be like, 'Fine. Okay I like you back.' I'm glad I did. I got bamboozled though a little bit, I think I got tricked into it." During the course of their relationship, G-Eazy had spoken highly of his now-ex. At the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards, the artist told E! News' Sibley Scoles Halsey was "a queen" and that he thinks "the world of her." Just days before announcing the split, Halsey was photographed hanging out with Machine Gun Kelly. While it's unclear if the two are just friends or something more, they certainly have a history. "Machine Gun Kelly has always been into Halsey but was not looking for a committed relationship which is why she moved on with G Eazy," an insider told E! News. "G-Eazy is well aware of Machine Gun Kelly and Halsey's history." (Eonline)
Cardi B wants $15M from ex-manager for 'attempting to control' her. Red-hot rapper Cardi B is suing her former manager for $15 million, claiming he exploited her and tried to "maintain complete control over her .?.?. even attempting to control her personal life, telling her who she should and should not see romantically." Klenord Raphael, aka Shaft, filed suit against Cardi back in April, claiming he'd built up her career only to be left out in the cold once she hit the big time. But on Thursday, Cardi hit back, countersuing Shaft and alleging he gained her trust, cut her off from other friends and advisers, and then signed her on to contracts that were variously described in the suit as "grossly unfair," "highly one-sided" and "highly favorable to himself." The suit, filed in New York's Southern District by attorney Paul LiCalsi of Robins Kaplan, claims that Shaft used money that belonged to Cardi -- whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar -- for "personal travel, entertainment and expenses," and that employees of Shaft's company, KSR, "[helped] themselves to the 'Bank of Almanzar,'" taking "loans" of up to $15,000 without Cardi's knowledge. In the court papers, Cardi's team claims that Shaft took a 20 percent fee as her manager -- but then set up two companies, WorldStar and KSR, through which they claim he convinced Cardi to put more money in his pocket, with one of the deals taking 50 percent of the royalties from her work with Atlantic Records. Cardi's suit claims that when the artist "questioned whether it was proper for her to receive only 50 percent," Shaft "deceitfully told her that this was an absolutely standard percentage for a recording artist to receive." The suit calls the conduct of Shaft and his companies "an egregious and reprehensible breach of all trust and confidence placed in them" by Cardi. Now she seeks $15 million from him. It also accuses Shaft of "self-dealing" and breaching his fiduciary duty. Shaft's rep didn't comment. (PageSix)
Comments
Post a Comment