Music

Lil Wayne has a lot to celebrate today. Not only does the rapper turn the big 4-0, but he also just scored 22 new RIAA Platinum certifications.

The career-spanning certifications include songs “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “Love Me,” which are now seven-times Platinum, and “How To Love” and “A Milli,” which are now six-times Platinum. His albums I Am Not a Human Being and Tha Carter V achieved double Platinum status, while Tha Carter III was certified eight-times Platinum.

Over the weekend, Weezy had a huge birthday party at The Nice Guy in Los Angeles, with guests including YG, Yella Beezy, Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless and Marcus Wiley. The night included a performance by Keith Sweat and a set by DJ Meel.

Some of Wayne’s famous friends who were unable to make the bash filmed a video message wishing the rapper a happy birthday. The video features Drake, Nicki Minaj, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Barry Bonds, Snoop Dogg, Floyd Mayweather, Chris Brown and more.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kelsea Ballerini will perform on The Late Late Show With James Corden Tuesday. It airs on CBS at 12:37 a.m. ET/11:37 p.m. CT. 

LeAnn Rimes has released the video for “spaceship,” a track off her new album, god’s work. 

Craig Morgan will be signing copies of his new book, God, Family, Country, at Half Price Books in Dallas Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Zac Brown Band has revealed the final collaboration on the deluxe edition of The Comeback. 

The Grammy-winning group will once again team up with Jimmy Buffett for a new rendition of their chart-topping hit “Same Boat.” ZBB and Buffett famously collaborated on the 2011 single “Knee Deep,” which hit #1 on country radio and reached the top 20 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. 

“Same Boat” was originally released in 2021 as the lead single off The Comeback and became their first #1 song since “Beautiful Drug” in 2016. 

In addition to Buffett, ZBB has a handful of other multigenre collaborations lined up for the deluxe edition, including the previously released duet with Cody Johnson on “Wild Palomino” and a reimagining of their current top 15 single, “Out in the Middle,” featuring Blake Shelton.

Ingrid Andress appears on “Any Day Now,” legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor lends his voice to “Love and Sunsets,” and Jamey Johnson and Marcus King join the band for “Stubborn Pride.”

The Comeback Deluxe drops on Friday.  

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dan Reynolds, frontman of Imagine Dragons, has a new place to call home.

Dirt reports the “Enemy” singer snatched up a mansion in Los Feliz, a hillside neighborhood of LA, for $5.8 million. This becomes his third home in the LA area, joining his $11 million beach house in Malibu, as well as a house in the Eagle Rock neighborhood.

Reynolds recently separated from his wife of 11 years, Aja Volkman, which may be why the singer has expanded his real estate portfolio.  

Taking a peek at Reynolds’ new digs, the outlet reports the house was first built in the 1950s and has been heavily renovated in the years since. The abode offers five bathrooms, four bedrooms and over 6,000 feet of living space.

In addition, it offers a designer kitchen with marble trim and top-of-the-line appliances. Other prime perks include a balcony off the main suite, a screening room, a steam shower, a saltwater pool, a temperature-controlled wine room, a separate guest house and a breathtaking view of the city.

The listing also hints that Reynolds can walk outside and enjoy the shade of some palm trees as he grabs a snack off one of the fruit trees planted on the property. 

The house was originally listed for $8 million when it went up for sale in January. If you want to see more of the home, a video tour was shared to YouTube in December.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Goo Goo Dolls have released the “You Are The Answer” music video, which fans hail as the standout track off their new album, Chaos in Bloom.

The music video hits close to home for the band, as it highlights the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation, a nonprofit they’ve partnered with. The organization is focused on ending the cycle of domestic violence by assisting children in their safety and well-being, and in securing a better future.

The music video shares an unflinching look at domestic violence, starting with a woman using makeup to hide her multiple bruises. It’s then revealed the woman grew up in an unstable household, where her violent father would abuse both her and her mother.

Her mother was too afraid to flee the relationship, which causes the woman to reflect on why she continues to stay with her abusive partner. 

The music video ends with the woman consoling her younger self before escaping her home to seek closure by visiting her elderly father at a hospital. She then gives birth to her child and is seen peacefully feeding her baby without her abusive partner.

Frontman John Rzeznik then shares a PSA about supporting the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation and encouraging victims of domestic violence to reach out for help.

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John has released the hotly anticipated music video for his and Britney Spears‘ “Hold Me Closer.”  

Neither Sir Elton nor Britney appear in the colorful music video, but it does borrow some elements attributed to the legendary singers — mainly their ability to make others want to dance.

The song features a variety of dancers of all ages and ethnicities as they perform across Mexico City. The performers wear different colors, which seemingly represent the mood of their unique dances.

While some routines are jubilant, others reflect elements of pain and passion. The music video closes with some dancers ending on a protective embrace while others hold their partner either on their shoulders, back or in their arms.

Ukrainian music director Tanu Muino helmed the work and she said of the moving piece, “Going into this video, I knew there would be a lot of emotional expectations the audience and fans would have. With this responsibility, I had to do something different and unexpected. The visuals had to be different. The dance had to be forward-thinking to raise eyebrows and make Elton and Britney proud.”

Muino revealed her career was inspired by watching Britney’s past music videos and added, “This was an emotional one for me as I grew up with Britney.”

Elton lauded the music video on Twitter, calling it “stunning.” He added in his glowing review, “The award-winning director Tanu Muino beautifully captur[ed] an immeasurable feeling of intimacy so missing from the world through the turmoil and chaos of recent times.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root says he “didn’t have a ton of creative input” on the band’s upcoming new album, The End, So Far.

“We did not do pre-production,” Root says tells Music Radar. “We essentially built this record in the studio, and a lot of that was due to COVID, and us being separated, and the circumstances led us to do the record the way it was done.”

That process made Root feel “rushed trying to come up with ideas for this or that arrangement.”

“We weren’t rehearsed as a band,” he says. “We did not come in knowing the songs top to bottom, and that affected the record.”

Root feels that between the time of Slipknot finishing the album and putting it out, the band could’ve “taken our…time with pre-production, and, in my mind, put out a better product.”

“That’s not to say that we’re disappointed with what we are putting out; it’s where we are at,” he says. “It’s what we were able to do, given the circumstances, and the things that we had to work with.”

Root also admits he thought Slipknot should’ve “abandon[ed]” the album and “move[ed] on from it.”

“[Percussionist] Clown was like, ‘It’s not a record! It’s not a Slipknot record! We are still touring on We Are Not Your Kind, on that tour, and by the way here are some songs…'” Root says. “Well, you can say that, but we are putting a f****** record out and to the fans this is a f****** Slipknot record. No matter what you say, that’s what it is.”

The End, So Far arrives this Friday. Slipknot is continuing to tease songs off the record, most recently with a clip of the song “Hive Mind.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Will.i.am had a good feeling after listening to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” earlier this year. In fact, he says that he came up with the idea to release several dance remixes to the song.

The Black Eyed Peas founder says he was inspired by the single and had different ideas for its beat. He told Metro that he immediately called one of his collaborators to work remotely on a freelance remix of the song, which helped inspire the remix EP that Beyoncé then released.

“They weren’t thinking about remixes until I sent it,” will.i.am said. “They put out a remix EP and my song’s the first one on it – and I inspired it! I can’t find the word for it – it’s like Santa Claus is real, man!”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.