Music

Pitbull has this message to the younger generation — never take anything in life for granted.

The “Fireball” singer spoke at the University of Miami recently and shared photos of the event Wednesday, writing, “What an honor from a kid who used to park cars at the Orange Bowl, to speaking to the students at the @UnivMiami!” 

According to the university, Pitbull, born Armando Christian Perez, was the latest speaker in the ongoing What Matters To U series and explained to the 2,000 students in attendance they need to “live for the moment.”

He spoke about being raised by Cuban immigrants and said it taught him, “Freedom isn’t free, but it’s priceless.”

“My family would always tell me, ‘You were already born in the United States of America. I gave you the best gift I could ever give you,'” he recalled. “I needed to take full advantage of it.”

Pitbull said he struggled with staying in school as he tried breaking into the music scene and credits his theater teacher, Hope Martinez, for inspiring him to keep trying.

“When you’re 17, you think you know it all. You don’t,” the Grammy winner said. “All it took was Hope believing in me, believing in my talent more than I did. That shows how powerful it is to have one person believe in you.”

All those life lessons helped him shape his career.  “I realized that I need to be making music that speaks to you whether you know the language or not,” said Pitbull. “I had to find music that was global, that was timeless.”

He imparted this message to the students, which was, “Appreciate the fact that you are able to do something with your life that others weren’t able to do… The more you give, the more you receive.”

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Miley Cyrus is gearing up for the release of her live album on Friday and revealed it contains two mashups of several very familiar throwback songs.  To hype fans, she announced Wednesday, “My medleys of We Can’t Stop X Where Is My Mind & Wrecking Ball x Nothing Compares to You are up on my YouTube now.”  ATTENTION: MILEY LIVE drops April 1.

Giveon, who collaborated with Justin Bieber on his “Peaches” track, is gearing up for his debut album.  He tells Rolling Stone that Frank Sinatra gave him “confidence and comfort” with his unique “baritone” voice because, “I hadn’t heard anyone that sounded like me.”  Giveon learned to appreciate his “tone” and came to terms that he didn’t have to be “a powerhouse vocalist.”

Justin’s other collaborator, Tyler, The Creator, made headlines for telling fans to stop throwing stuff on stage during his shows.  “I dont want it,” he tweeted and shared a video of him telling the audience it causes a “safety” issue, adding, “Every show, someone throws something up here and I don’t understand the logic.”

It took over a decade to get there, but the music video for Adele‘s smash breakout hit “Rolling in the Deep” has eclipsed two billion views on YouTube. This is now her second song to cross that threshold, joining her 2015 smash, “Hello.” 

BTS teased their upcoming PERMISSION TO DANCE IN THE CITY – LAS VEGAS concert series in an animated short.  The colorful clip shows people running around Sin City — from eating a fancy meal to shopping because, as they say, “We don’t need permission to enjoy ourselves.”

Is a NSYNC reunion on the horizon? The band issued a cryptic tweet that simply read, “Something is coming…” along with a poster that teased, “Vol. 7 Coming Soon.”  NSYNC hasn’t released new music since going on hiatus in 2002.

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Chris Brown may have new music on the way!

The R&B singer teased the new track, called “Warm Embrace,” with a 27-second audio clip posted on Instagram, saying, “Is this the BREEZY you’ve been waiting for?”

He also claims that the new single will drop on April 1. While he says it’s “no joke,” let’s wait to see if the Grammy winner actually delivers.

In the latest in the Will Smith–Chris Rock Oscars slapping incident, Chris’ brother Tony Rock says he does not approve of Smith’s apology. 

On Tuesday, Tony answered a series of questions from fans on Twitter, one of which asked, “Do you approve of the apology.” Tony simply responded, “No.”

The All of Us actor continued on tweeting, answering questions related to the altercation. Tony said, “It’s on,” in response to the query, “fighting fire with fire or going the professional route[?]” 

And when asked if he thought Smith’s Oscar should be revoked, he responded, “Not my call.”

Many stars and celebrities have continued to speak out about the incident, including Oscars co-host Wanda Sykes, who says she is “still a little traumatized” by the event. 

In what seems to be his first public appearance since Sunday, Chris Rock was spotted in Boston, where he’s giving multiple performances on his Ego Death world comedy tour.  

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It took over a decade to get there, but the music video for Adele‘s smash breakout hit “Rolling in the Deep” has eclipsed two billion views on YouTube.  This is now her second song to cross that threshold, joining her 2015 smash, “Hello.”  Adele recorded her 2010 hit for her sophomore album 21 and its music video won the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video.

Is a NSYNC reunion on the horizon?  The band issued a cryptic tweet that simply read, “Something is coming…” along with a poster that has fans buzzing.  The colorful picture teases “Vol. 7 Coming Soon” as well as an obscured peek of a woman wearing a sweatshirt that fans think references their 2001 hit “Pop,” because of how closely it references the song’s lyrics.  NSYNC hasn’t released new music since going on hiatus in 2002.

Paula Abdul is team Jim Carrey, who found himself in hot water for condemning Will Smith‘s actions at the Academy Awards. The “Straight Up” singer appeared on The Talk and quipped, “What’s wrong with us if we’re going to give a standing ovation to a man that just got violent with someone over a joke? I stand with Jim Carrey on that.”

Norah Jones is ready for this Sunday’s Grammy Awards and could take home the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Til We Meet Again (Live) — which comes almost 20 years after she swept the Grammys with her debut album.  She told Billboard, “The Grammys changed my life.”  Coincidentally, she is coming out with a 20th anniversary edition of Come Away With Me, which makes this more of a full-circle moment for her because it feels like “time traveling” because it “shows the evolution of where I was, where I was going, where I ended up.”

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Machine Gun Kelly says he had a moment with the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, just days before before his untimely passing.

Kelly told Howard Stern he was with 20 friends when he ran into the band just two days before Hawkins died. “Taylor… went up to every single one of us and gave us each our moment,” said Kelly, adding that Hawkins didn’t miss a single person, not even Kelly’s assistant.

“We were tripping out,” Kelly said.

“He’s such a beautiful soul… he was so bright,” MGK added and also shared that the two bonded over his portrayal of Tommy Lee in the Mötley Crüe movie, The Dirt. Hawkins said he was “at the premiere” and praised Kelly for nailing “Tommy’s mannerisms.”

MGK also said the two talked about family, adding, “He was so proud of his kids… And I just want to say to his kids: ‘Your father, when we left there, the kids in us came out,'” because “it was the greatest night of our life.”

“The last thing he had said was, ‘I’m just so bummed I didn’t get to see you guys play,'” MGK added. “I really want to thank him and let his kids know he made us feel — in a time where the outside world… is coming in hard on us — so confident in ourselves and loved. Your father is a great, great man and we were all lucky to know him.”

Hawkins, 50, was found dead in his hotel room Friday night in Bogota, Colombia, where the band was scheduled to perform at a festival. An official cause of death hasn’t been announced.

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It appears we might get not only a new song from Harry Styles this week — we might get a brand-new music video, too!

The Grammy winner shared a dizzying clip of his upcoming single, “As It Was,” on Wednesday, which shows him wearing the same sparkling red bodysuit seen when he first began teasing his new music earlier this week.  In the new clip, Harry sits on the floor as he spins as if on an invisible record player, then looks directly at the camera before the screen cuts to black.

The nine-second clip doesn’t tease any lyrics, but it does reveal the tempo and a bit of the song’s apparently upbeat melody.  The snippet also includes a few keyboard notes reminiscent of 80s pop music.  

“As It Was,” which comes out April 1, is the first single from the singer’s forthcoming album, Harry’s House. The album, which is the followup to 2019’s Fine Line, is now available for pre-save and will hit stores on May 20.

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Happy birthday, MC Hammer!

Known for his signature Grammy-winning 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This,” the rapper born Stanley Kirk Burrell quickly made a name – and a dance – for himself that would cement him as one of the most unforgettable musical artists of the 90s.

In honor of the rapper’s 60th birthday on Wednesday, many of his fellow celebrity friends sent well wishes and kind words, and some even took Hammer on a trip down memory lane. 

Legendary singer Anita Baker sent birthday wishes on Twitter, saying, “YES That Attitude of Gratitude/Energy, radiates from you, my friend. Happy Born Day.”

The iconic Rick James reached out on Twitter, reminiscing about “U Can’t Touch This” and the fact that Hammer sampled James’ “Super Freak” in the hit song. 

“I remain the #1 Rick James Fan !!!! Salute Thank You,” Hammer replied. 

The custom card art account Millburg cards shared an image of a then-six-year-old Hammer, to which he replied with a personal anecdote about his younger years. “My 83 year old mother reminded me that I had a job in 1968 … 6 years old working with the ice cream truck man … A few years later your Honorary Oakland A’S Vice President. Working all my life,” he said.

In the early morning hours Wednesday, Hammer posted a celebratory video, thanking those who wished him a happy birthday. “I’m blessed, I got no complaints…I’m grateful,” he said. 

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The sentimental way Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd stay connected while on the road will make your heart melt. 

Seeing as the “Chasing After You” singers are both touring artists, their hectic schedules often keep them apart. When they’re on tour in separate cities, the country couple has a unique, yet romantic way they keep each other close at heart.

“When he’s touring and I’m touring, we’re usually in different cities every night. So I always make him leave me one of his T-shirts. It smells like his cologne and skin and I can sleep in it when I’m on my bus,” Maren describes to Mo Heart on The Walk In of her husband’s sweet gesture. 

As for how long the scent lasts, the country superstar says the shirt will usually get her through a week of touring. “Then it’s laundry day and he can just give me another one,” she jokes.

Maren and Ryan married in a Nashville ceremony in 2018 and welcomed their first child, son Hayes Andrew, in March 2020.  

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