Nas has dug into his massive catalog to bring new life to some of his classic records from the 1990s. The rap veteran tapped Freddie Gibbs, Cordae, and his Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy to finish his track “Life Is Like a Dice Game.”
Nas recorded the original version as a freestyle during sessions for his classic 1994 debut album, Illmatic. He says industry vet Carl Chery convinced him to finish the record for the RapCaviar x Spotify Singles collaboration series.
“Spotify pulled out a leak from the ’90s that I did ago and asked if I could resurrect it,” Nas tells Complex. “I can’t remember where I recorded it or who produced it — maybe Easy Mo Bee, he was killin’ the game at the time. Carl Chery from Spotify suggested we connect with Freddie Gibbs and Cordae to bring the song new life, and I loved it.”
Projecting it to be a hit, Nas concluded “Life Is Like a Dice Game” with the declaration, “When I finish this s***, it’s gonna be a hit.”
Nas also released an expanded edition of his sophomore album, It Was Written, to celebrate its 25th anniversary today. The upgrade features the cassette-only bonus track “Silent Murder,” and a bonus verse on “Street Dreams.”
The installment begins by noting that although Deacon didn’t write as many songs as his three band mates, some of his compositions were among Queen’s biggest hits.
The narrator first points out that it was John’s bass part that helped drive the band’s classic 1981 collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.”
The episode then looks at one of the first tunes John contributed to the group, “You’re My Best Friend,” which appeared on Queen’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the U.K. singles chart.
Next up is “Spread Your Wings,” from 1977’s News of the World. Cited as a “fan favorite” by the narrator, the song also broke into the top 40 of the U.K. singles chart.
The third song profiled is none other than “Another One Bites the Dust,” which sold over seven million copies worldwide, making it Queen’s best-selling single. The funky tune, from the band’s number-one album The Game, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.
The fourth Deacon-penned track that the episode looks at is “I Want to Break Free,” from 1984’s The Works. The single, whose memorable music video featured the band members in drag, just missed the top 40 in the U.S., but reached number three in the U.K.
The final song showcased in the episode is 1986’s “Friends Will Be Friends,” which John co-wrote with Freddie Mercury. It hit #14 in the U.K.
(LOS ANGELES) — Wildfire scientists and fire officials are pleading with people to forego fireworks this Fourth of July, as unprecedented heat waves and drought conditions have elevated fire risk in the western United States.
In an open letter published this week in The Conversation, an online publication for academics and researchers, more than 150 scientists said they are “gravely concerned about the potential for humans to accidentally start fires” in the West, as extreme heat, record-setting drought and dry vegetation are “setting the stage for widespread fire activity.”
“We urge people to skip the fireworks this July 4th and to avoid other activities that could start an unintentional wildfire,” the letter stated. “This will be critical for a safe Independence Day holiday, good practice for the rest of the fire season, and one way we can adapt to more safely live in increasingly flammable landscapes.”
The number of wildfires caused by humans spikes on the Fourth of July, particularly in the West, according to a 2020 study published in the journal MDPI.
Nationwide, nearly 30% of all fires started by fireworks from 2014 to 2018 were reported on the Fourth of July, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Half of reported fires on the holiday during that time were started by fireworks.
But fireworks aren’t the only cause for concern this fire season.
“With this year’s tinder-dry grasslands and parched forests, sparks from anything — a cigarette, a campfire, a power line, even a mower blade hitting a rock — could ignite a wildfire, with deadly consequences,” the scientists wrote in The Conversation.
Over 90% of the West is currently considered to be in a drought, with record-breaking heat in the Northwest leading to “worsening drought conditions across the region,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
A day after declaring a statewide drought emergency, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte asked residents to “please use caution outdoors” ahead of the holiday weekend.
“Montana’s facing critical fire weather conditions, and it’s going to take all hands on deck to reduce the risk of wildfires,” the governor said in a video statement Friday.
Several communities in Colorado have canceled Fourth of July fireworks displays amid elevated fire risk, according to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH-TV. Many Arizona cities are doing the same, ABC Phoenix affiliate KNXV-TV reported.
In Utah, several cities have already banned fireworks due to the drought, ABC Salt Lake City affiliate KTVX-TV reported. Officials in Ada County, Idaho, have also restricted fireworks, according to ABC Boise affiliate KIVI-TV.
“Those aerial fireworks can land anywhere, and they can travel great distances,” Idaho Department of Lands Fire Management Bureau Chief Josh Harvey said during a press briefing Thursday in which state officials urged people not to set off fireworks amid the extreme conditions. “Please do not use aerial fireworks anywhere in the state.”
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Elsa, the first of the Atlantic season, could take many paths when it reaches the United States, from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast to Florida — including Surfside, where rescue operations are ongoing following last week’s condo collapse.
The good news is the latest guidance on Friday evening shows the forecast track shifting west and avoiding a direct hit on Miami. Any potential impacts from Elsa are much lower than 24 hours ago, but the chance for heavy rain, gusty winds and scattered thunderstorms remain.
Elsa continues to race across the eastern Caribbean Sea as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Friday evening it was moving very quickly to the west at 30 mph.
Elsa crossed over St. Lucia Friday morning after blowing through Barbados, where it brought wind gusts of 86 mph.
A hurricane warning is now in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane watch has been issued for eastern Cuba.
By late Saturday morning, conditions will begin deteriorating across parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti as Elsa closes in.
The latest forecast still has Elsa weakening to a tropical storm after hitting Cuba and then turning northward over the southeast Gulf of Mexico into Monday and potentially bringing notable impacts to Florida’s Gulf Coast later Monday into Tuesday.
Elsa could potentially impact the ongoing rescue efforts in Miami-Dade County following last week’s deadly condo collapse
As of Friday at least 20 people have been confirmed dead and 128 others remain unaccounted for.
The first rain bands in South Florida, including Miami, are expected Monday morning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said crews are securing equipment, preparing for the possible impact.
But Florida may be spared from a major hit. With several days still to go, Elsa could take other paths, either hitting New Orleans and the Gulf Coast states or staying east of Florida and impacting the Carolinas.
Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide, the reality competition series that made headlines last month when an intestinal bug washed out the wet and wild show’s production, won’t be premiering on NBC after the Olympics.
Deadline reports that the series, which stars Saturday Night Live vet Bobby Moynahan and comedian Ron Funches, had been expected to benefit from the eyeballs tuning into the Closing Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics because it originally was scheduled to premiere immediately after the event– on Sunday, August 8, at 10:30 p.m. ET. Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide also was to have aired the following night at 8 p.m.
However, the trade notes that the production is still on hold after an outbreak of giardia, which causes stomach cramps, excessive gas and, for many, explosive diarrhea — not the best mix for any show, let alone one centering on water-slide obstacles.
Taylor: Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images; Ryan & Blake: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
Taylor Swift is promoting “Renegade,” her new collaboration with Big Red Machine, by posting a collage on her Instagram, but fans are focused on who contributed one of the images in that collage.
The collage features a lyric from the song along with images of roses, a photo of Big Red Machine’s Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon, and a picture of Taylor holding up what looks like a piece of fabric. In the caption, Taylor gives credit for the collage to a photographer named Graham Tolbert, but specifically indicates that the photo of her was taken by James Reynolds.
So why is this a big deal? Because James Reynolds is the name of the daughter of Taylor’s very good friends Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. Taylor used James’ name — and the names of the couple’s other two kids, Inez and Betty — for characters in her Grammy-winning album folklore.
Oh, also, James is only six years old.
“JAMES REYNOLDS IS 6 YRS OLD AND HAS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED MORE IN HER LIFE THAN I CAN EVER INSPIRE (sic) TO,” tweeted one fan.
Another fan, quoting a lyric in “Renegade,” wrote “James is out here shooting professional cover art as a child. I really do need to get my s*** together!”
Yet another fan wondered, “how is a 6 year old more talented than me[?]”
James is quite the prodigy: She made her recording debut in 2017 on the song “Gorgeous,” on Taylor’s album Reputation.
ABC Audio has confirmed that the James Reynolds who Taylor credited is, indeed, THAT James Reynolds.
Snowfall actor Kevin Carroll has joined the upcoming Showtime drama pilot Let the Right One In.
According to Variety, Carroll will play Zeke Dawes, the successful restaurant owner and friend of father-daughter duo Mark and Eleanor, played by Demián Bichir and Madison Taylor Baez. Foreman will play Eleanor’s quiet friend, Isaiah, who has no clue about her vampire powers.
Variety has also learned that the upcoming Nickelodeon series That Girl Lay Lay premieres later this year, with co-stars Gabrielle Neveah Greem, Peyton Perrine III, Tiffany Daniels, Thomas Hobson, and Caleb Brown.
The series, from executive producers including Will Packer, will follow social media sensation and hip-hop kid star Lay Lay, described as the “perfect hype girl and best friend that anyone could ever want from their personal affirmation app.” In addition to the series, Nickelodeon plans to support Lay Lay’s music career with merchandising contracts and exclusive consumer products.
And in case you missed it, fans can expect a few surprise cameo appearances in the upcoming film Space Jam: A New Legacy. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, co-starsDon Cheadle andCedric Joe shared that Michael B. Jordan will appear in the film, which hits theatrs and HBO Max on July 16th.
In 2002, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II marked 50 years on the throne with a Golden Jubilee celebration featuring big pop stars. In 2012, she marked her Diamond Jubilee, 60 years on the throne, with another big bash with another bunch of pop stars. Now stars are being lined up for next year’s Platinum Jubilee, during which Her Majesty will celebrate 70 years on the throne.
The British tabloid The Sun reports that the BBC is already booking huge stars to perform at its June 2022 Party at the Palace TV special, and the organizers have reached out to Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder to ask them if they’d take part, since they performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In addition, they’re trying to work something out with Elton John.
Apparently, Elton has a scheduling conflict with his farewell tour around that time, but a source says, “Whether it is something pre-recorded, like he did for…the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, or if he’ll be able to appear via a live stream, they want him on board.”
“Given the events of the past year and everything that has happened in the pandemic, the organizers want the Party at the Palace to be the biggest celebration of not only Her Majesty but of everything that is great about the UK,” the source adds, noting that viewers can expect “the best of the best when it comes to the line-up.”
Stars who played at the BBC’s Golden Jubilee special included Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Annie Lennox, Queen, Elton, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood and Paul McCartney.
In addition to Ed and Stevie, The Diamond Jubilee featured Elton, Paul, Tom Jones and Annie again, as well as Jessie J, Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue and others.
Chance the Rapper has partnered with Starbucks for their new “Made-Ready” campaign to promote their ready-made coffee drinks as outrageous orders keep overwhelming baristas in stores.
Chance says their partnership coincided with his new-found interest in cinema, which he says is reflected in the campaign’s commercial.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but I’ve kind of just been self-educating myself in cinema and film and behind-the-camera work. And kind of going through this educational journey on Instagram,” he tells ABC Audio. “I guess somebody from Starbucks or from the creative agency, I don’t really know, saw that and was like, ‘Hey, we’d love to do a commercial in your spot about how the coffee is ready-made or made ready.”
Chance encourages others to be self-sufficient in the Starbucks “Made-Ready” campaign video, filmed at his House of Kicks production space in Chicago.
“They’re like, we can make a video or an ad and kind of symbolizing the overlap between those two things, which is just that they’re both about having to get somewhere and being self-sufficient and relying on yourself, and it ended up being pretty cool,” Chance says. “I like the way the commercial came out a lot, actually. It was recorded at my office.”
This weekend, Chance is stepping away from his creative space to enjoy the Fourth of July with his wife, Kirsten, and their two daughters, five-year-old Kensli and one-year-old Marli.
“We’re going to go to a friend of the family’s BBQ in Chicago and kick it, get some food off the grill. [I] got some illegal fireworks, so it’s going up,” he says.
Ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has released the first single from his forthcoming studio album, Surrender of Silence, which is due out on September 10.
The track, “Wingbeats,” combines African rhythms and musical elements with melodic pop and prog-rock influences. The song is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a companion music video has premiered on YouTube.
Hackett shares vocals on “Wingbeats” with his sister-in-law, Amanda Lehmann, as well as with Pink Floyd session and touring singer Durga McBroom and her sister, Lorelei.
The video includes footage of indigenous African people, wildlife, and beautiful scenic landscapes from the continent.
As previously reported, Surrender of Silence is an 11-track collection offering an eclectic mix of World Music genres, including Russian classical music as well as sounds of the Far East, Africa and more. The album is scheduled to arrive less than eight months after Hackett’s previous studio effort, the classical-inspired acoustic instrumental project Under a Mediterranean Sky, which was released in January.
Surrender of Silence can be pre-ordered now, and will be available in various formats and configurations. Visit HackettSongs.com for more details.
