Music

Rihanna is getting ready to welcome her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky and apparently isn’t letting his recent legal troubles bother her much. 

People reports Rihanna and Rocky enjoyed a low-key date night over the weekend with a small group of friends. 

“It was a happy and relaxed group. Rihanna looked great. She sat next to A$AP and they were affectionate,” a supposed insider spilled. “They dined for a couple of hours. The focus was very much on Rihanna and the baby.”

As previously reported, A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, was identified as a suspect in a November 6, 2021 shooting in Hollywood and was taken into custody Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport. He was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and was later released on $550,000 bail.

LAPD previously said the shooting was the result of an argument that “escalated,” saying in a statement that “The victim sustained a minor injury from the incident and later sought his medical treatment. Following the shooting, the suspect and two additional males fled the area on foot.”

The case will be “presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration,” according to the LAPD. 

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Kenny Chesney launched his long-awaited 2022 Here and Now Tour over the weekend, marking the return of one of country music’s most high-energy, physical live shows.

Putting on a show like that requires Kenny to be in top physical form, and he puts a lot of effort into his diet and exercise habits. “My brain, my soul, my heart, cardiovascular-wise — I have to prepare all of me to do what I do,” the singer tells USA Today.

With a two-year, pandemic-induced break from touring, Kenny took a more relaxed approach to what is typically an intense pre-tour fitness regimen that he starts at the beginning of each year.

“I wasn’t in my traditional routine of getting off tour in August or September and going to the islands to be the other person and drink and eat what I want through Christmas,” he continues. “The second week of January I’d start preparing for the other six months, so I started a little earlier this year.”

That prep entails a comprehensive diet and exercise plan with the help of a trainer, Kenny says.

“I measure my food; it’s a pretty intense diet. And my trainer mixes it up,” he explains. “It’s a lot of cardio, a lot of interval training to get my heart rate up.”

The 2022 Here and Now Tour extends through this summer, wrapping with two Foxborough, Massachusetts stops on August 26 and 27.

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Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda says that the band doesn’t currently have any new music or live performance plans.

In a recent Twitch stream captured by the Linkin Park Live fan account, Shinoda said, “The only Linkin Park news I have for you is that we talk every few weeks, I talk to the guys or some of the guys.”

“There’s no tours, there’s no music, there’s no albums in the pipeline,” he added. “Let me just tell you that. Just keep in your minds that that is not happening…I’m just gonna say that much, for not.”

That future of Linkin Park has been up in the air since the death of vocalist Chester Bennington in July 2017. The band members reunited for a guest-filled memorial concert in October 2017, but haven’t done anything together since, aside from releasing a 20th anniversary Hybrid Theory reissue.

In explaining his new comments, Shinoda says, “Anytime the band says anything or does anything, everyone tries to start up the hype train. And we’re like, ‘No, no, no, no. Don’t start the hype train. You’re gonna disappoint yourself.'”

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Hayley Williams made her Coachella debut in a big way over the weekend during Billie Eilish‘s set.

The “bad guy” artist invited the Paramore frontwoman onstage during her set during Coachella’s second weekend this past Saturday.

“It’s my first Coachella, whoa!” Williams said. “Thanks for sharing this with me, this is sick!”

Williams joined Eilish for an acoustic performance of the Paramore classic “Misery Business,” as well as a rendition of Eilish’s “Higher Power.”

Notably, the “Misery Business” performance marks the first time Williams has sang the song publicly since she declared in 2018 that Paramore wouldn’t be playing it for a “really long time.” For the Coachella performance, Eilish handled the controversial line “Once a whore you’re nothing more/I’m sorry, that’ll never change,” though she didn’t sing the word “whore.”

Williams’ surprise appearance follows Eilish inviting Damon Albarn onstage for her weekend-one Coachella set to perform the Gorillaz song “Feel Good Inc.” Albarn himself returned to Coachella for weekend two to guest during electronic artist Flume‘s set. They performed a new song together called “Palaces,” which has since been officially released.

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With the vinyl release of his eighth studio album, Call Me if You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator has found himself back on top of the charts. 

According to Billboard, the 16-track project, which won Best Rap Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards, jumped from number 120 to number one on the Billboard 200 this past weekend, marking the album’s second nonconsecutive week at the top spot.

The vinyl, which was announced and released on April 6 via Tyler, the Creator’s Twitter, sold 49,500 copies, making it the largest sales week for a hip-hop album on vinyl or for a solo male album on vinyl, according to data resource organization Luminate, as reported by Billboard. 

The 31-year-old megastar also gained another record-breaking title recently, when his CMIYGL tour sold a total 389,000 tickets, earning him $32.6 million. The tour, which sold out 32 North American arenas, surpassed both J. Cole‘s The Off-Season tour and The Millennium Tour 2021, making it the highest-grossing hip-hop tour, post-pandemic.

After his final tour stop in Washington earlier this month, Tyler posted a thank-you message on Twitter, saying, “happy you enjoyed the tour. was fun. thank you.” 

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Jake Owen has a busy summer ahead of him: he’s embarking on a 34-city headlining tour that will take him to cities across the country May through October.

The trek begins on May 5 in Ohio at Hobart Arena, followed by a pre-Kentucky Derby performance at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville on May 6. 

Along the way, he’ll make stops at the famous Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth and several festivals, including Country Stampede on July 15, Faster Horses on July 22, Watershed Festival on July 31 and more. The tour wraps on October 1 in Georgia with a performance at City of Buford Fall Concert. Visit his official website for a full list of dates.  

“Looking forward to getting back out there, bringing smiles and happiness and some new tunes. The world needs more of that,” Jake shares. 

While his current single, “Best Thing Since Backroads,” is climbing the charts, the Florida native has also been sharing new music on socials, and is set to drop another new track, “1×1,” on Friday.

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Post Malone‘s new album, twelve carat toothache, doesn’t have an official release date yet, but when it drops, it’ll be pretty star-studded.

In addition to the lead single “One Right Now,” featuring The Weeknd, Posty revealed in an Instagram Story over the weekend that other guests on the album include Doja Cat, The Kid LAROI, Roddy Ricch and Robin Pecknold of the indie band Fleet Foxes.

As Billboard reports, in the Instagram Story, which was captured by fans, Post said the song with Doja is called “Happy,” and described the “Say So” singer as “the most incredible and beautiful and most talented,” adding, “I’m so blessed and so honored to be able to have worked with her.”

The song with LAROI is called “Wasting Angels,” and Post called the Australian rapper “the most beautiful man,” adding, “I’m so grateful that he was a part of this record.

Posty also shared the Roddy Ricch collab, “Cooped Up,” as well as “Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol,” the track with Robin Pecknold, whom Posty called “The most beautiful…vocalist, the most epic…guy.”

twelve carat toothache, the follow-up to the 2019 number-one album Hollywood’s Bleeding, is due in May, according to one of Post Malone’s managers.

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