Music

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Soulja Boy had some things to get off his chest regarding Megan Thee Stallion‘s 2020 shooting. Taking to Instagram Live, he called out the rap community for failing to stand by the “Body” rapper. 

“Yall n*****s out here shooting b****es and aint nobody gone say nothing? I’m the only n**** in the whole rap game that’s gonna say something? Ok, cool,” he said, per HipHopDx.

He then doubled down on his support for Meg, sending a message to Tory Lanez, who was found guilty of shooting Megan. 

“When you get from jail…,” he began, “you know where I’m at… Don’t never rap over none of my beats, don’t never freestyle over none of my beats….Your music trash. Your career trash. Your whole life trash.”

As previously reported, Tory faces up to 22 years in prison, as well as deportation to his native Canada, after being convicted of three felony assault charges.

Southern California-based legal reporter Meghann Cuniff tweeted that he’s reportedly expected to appear in court on January 10 with his new lawyer, David Kenner, whose clients include Suge Knight. George Mgdesyan was his previous lawyer.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It turns out “Memory Lane” goes a little farther than it first appeared. Last week, Old Dominion released their new single, titled “Memory Lane.” On Monday they revealed it’s actually the title track from a new, surprise EP.

“Why release one new song when you can release four?” the band posted on social media.

“Easier Said with Rum,” “Ain’t Got a Worry” and “Freedom Like You” are the three new cuts that round out the Memory Lane (Sampler) EP, which serves as a preview of the band’s upcoming fifth album. 

While we don’t know when the full record will arrive, we do know the CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year headed to Key West, Florida, to record part of the album, much like they traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, to make their CMA-nominated Time, Tequila & Therapy project.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Whispers are paying tribute to their founding member, Gordy Harmon, who passed away in his sleep on January 5 at the age of 79. 

“We are saddened by the passing of one of the founders and former member of the Whispers,” the band shared social media. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and his memory and his contributions will never be forgotten. Much love.”

Harmon, Marcus Hutson, Nicholas Caldwell, and brothers Wallace and Walter Scott founded the R&B group in 1963 in Watts, California. They had their breakthrough hit in 1970 with “Seems Like I Got to Do Wrong,” which was their first top 10 R&B single.

Harmon released three albums with the group, 1969’s Planets of Life, and 1973’s Life and Breath and The Whispers’ Love Story, before leaving the group in 1973 after injuring his larynx in a driving accident. He was replaced by Leaveil Degree. The band went on to have a string of hits, including two number ones, 1979’s “And The Beat Goes On” and 1987’s “Rock Steady.” 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Iggy Pop may have “Lust for Life,” but he never had lust for a Grammy.

Speaking with Classic Rock magazine, the Godfather of Punk shares that he initially had no interest in receiving the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, with which he was honored in 2020.

“The Grammys kept wanting to talk to me on the phone and I kept telling my manager, ‘I don’t want to talk to them. I hate those people. They want me to be an exhibit in their museum or something,'” Pop explains.

Eventually, however, Iggy softened his stance when he heard more about the meaning of the award.

“When I finally spoke to the lady from the Grammys a couple of months later she said, ‘We’re giving you the lifetime achievement. Without you there’s no Lil Nas X and there’s no Billie Eilish,'” Pop recalls. “According to her, ‘You’re a direct link to the artists that are at the top of our awards list this year.’ So that’s what one person had to say, and I’ll take that for what it’s worth.”

Pop was previously nominated for two Grammys, once in 1989 and again in 2017. He may add to his total next year with his new album, Every Loser, which just dropped last Friday.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

BTS‘ Jin has enlisted in the South Korean military, as mandated by the country, and shared a video message to fans promising he’ll “be back soon.”

The official BTS YouTube channel shared a video from the singer on Sunday, which was apparently recorded before he enlisted.

“I won’t be a civilian by the time [the video] is out. But I am here in front of the camera because I wanted to leave you something, even if it is just leaving a message,” he begins his 70-second video update, which was filmed when he was shooting the Korean variety show Running Man.

In the message, Jin shares that he expects his military service to last around 18 months and promises to post more video messages during that time. “Whenever I’m available, I wish to leave these videos and records once every few months,” he expressed, adding that he wants “to share with you as much as possible.”

“I’ll be back soon,” he vowed and teased that he’ll have more to say when he shares another video message. He did not reveal when he intends to post his next update.

Jin, who is 30, is BTS’ oldest member. He began his service last month. It is mandatory for all South Korean able-bodied men to serve in the military for at least a year and a half.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

French Montana fans are one step closer to viewing his autobiographical documentary, For Khadija. According to the rapper, the film, which was executive produced by Drake, is finally complete.

“It’s a real immigrant story, coming from Africa — I’m from Morocco — to the hip-hop culture in the Bronx and really just being in culture shock,” he said during his appearance on Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson. “Not knowing English when I was 13 when I came and just taking it from there.”

French’s documentary is named in honor of his mother. “You know, she came out here and sacrificed for us,” he explained. “My father had left and she stayed, and she helped me become who I became, so I dedicated it to her.”

There’s no word on when For Khadija will be released. In the meantime, fans can listen to his new Coke Boys 6 mixtape. 

As previously reported, last week gunfire erupted and injured 10 people outside The Licking restaurant in Miami, where a crowd, including French, had gathered.

Based off initial reports that French was shooting a music video, Miami Gardens police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt blamed the rapper for failing to obtain permits for his video shoot, per TMZ. In a statement released after the incident, French denied he was filming a video at the time of the shooting. He claimed he was “celebrating the release of my CB6 mixtape w/ friends at a local restaurant.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While maybe not a “Bad Romance,” news that Godsmack frontman Sully Erna apparently dated Lady Gaga is certainly surprising.

That revelation comes from drummer Shannon Larkin, who tells the 2020’d podcast that Erna and the pop superstar had a “brief thing.”

“That’s not, I don’t think, a secret, I don’t think Sully would bum out if people knew he dated Lady Gaga,” Larkin says. “I mean, she’s hot, and she’s mega talented.”

As for why the relationship wasn’t highly publicized, Larkin muses that Erna has a different type of personality than, say, Travis Barker or Tommy Lee, who “have public girlfriends that are super famous, too.”

“Sully’s an East Coast guy,” Larkin says. “[Los Angeles] bands and West Coast dudes, they’re flashier, maybe.”

Larkin adds that nobody really knew about Erna and Gaga dating except for his friends and bandmates.

“It was a brief thing,” Larkin says.

Erna, by the way, previously gave credit to Gaga for helping to inspire Godsmack’s 2018 song “Under Your Scars.”

“This song came to me shortly after I had spent some quality time with someone who I consider a dear friend, and have grown to admire and respect as one of the smartest and most talented artists today, Stefani Germanotta, who most of you may know as Lady Gaga,” Erna said at the time.

Erna also complimented Gaga’s 2017 Super Bowl halftime performance as “one of the best [Super Bowl] performances I’ve ever seen.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ghostface Killah is taking a page from Kanye West for his next album. The Supreme Clientele MC will be releasing the project through the Stem Player, which is expected to ship next month. The album will be available in a $240 cream version that includes five exclusive songs; fans also have the option of purchasing the black version, which retails for $360 and will feature 10 exclusive tracks. 

Speaking to Fast Company, Ghostface explained that the Stem Player allows him to “cut through” the oversaturated streaming services and get more revenue. It also connects him with fans in a more exclusive venue.

“This is music for these people who care about me,” he said in a statement. “I’m not saying people don’t care about me, but when you’ve got dedicated Ghostface or Wu-Tang [Clan] fans—these are hardcore fans for life.”

Those who don’t purchase a Stem Player can listen to the album by subscribing to Ghost’s feed on the Stem’s website. They’ll also have access to exclusive content, including Ask Me Anythings (AMAs), in-person meetups and new tracks he cuts over time.

Ghost plans to record exclusive videos on the Stem Projector and release them on a Ghostface channel. He also hopes to throw a Stem Festival.

“This is what I’m getting you. Every few months, take that!” he said. “It’s nothing for me to go in the studio and cook something up and just give it to [fans]. I don’t care about that. If you want it, you’re going to go get it.”

Ghostface’s new single “6 Minutes” is available to stream for free for the next 36 hours.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Now that the Billboard Hot 100 has finally calmed down from its annual Christmas music invasion, things are getting back to normal, with former number ones reclaiming the spot, various hits hitting new peaks and old songs hitting the top 10 thanks to TikTok.

First off, Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” has returned to the top of the Hot 100. That makes seven weeks on top in total for the Midnights single, tying Taylor’s previous longest-running chart-topper, “Blank Space,” which also ruled for seven weeks.

Next up, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha‘s “I’m Good (Blue),” which previously peaked at number seven, has now bounced back up to four. This gives Bebe her second top five hit, after 2018’s “Meant to Be,” and David his fourth. But what’s more impressive is that “I’m Good (Blue)” has now gone higher on the chart than the song it interpolates: Eiffel 65‘s “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” which hit number six in 2000.

Meanwhile, “Die for You,” a song that first appeared on The Weeknd‘s 2016 album Starboy, is suddenly in the top 10, thanks to its popularity on TikTok. That in turn has led to more airplay and streaming, bumping the song to number eight.

And finally, Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” has jumped from #38 to #10, giving Bey her 21st top 10 Hot 100 hit as a solo artist and her second top 10 from her album Renaissance. This is Beyonce’s first album to produce multiple top 10 hits since I Am…Sasha Fierce back in 2008 and 2009. That album gave us “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),”  “If I Were a Boy,” “Halo” and “Sweet Dreams.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.