Music

Darius Rucker is fulfilling a lifelong dream with his new partnership with the NFL. 

The country star has launched a merchandise line with the NFL and Fanatics, dubbed the NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics, that combines his passion for music, sports and fashion. The line features various clothing items ranging from sweat pants to fleece sweatshirts that boast the logos of all the NFL teams, with the looks inspired by Darius’ own style. 

“I’ve been a huge NFL fan my entire life, so it’s a dream come true to see my logo right next to the NFL logo on these items,” Darius says in a statement. “It has been a blast working with two great partners, Fanatics and the NFL, to make this project a reality. I’m so proud of the products we’ve created, and I can’t wait to see fans enjoying this collection throughout the rest of the season and for years to come.”

The NFL x Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics is available now.

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Great news for those who’ve been “Supalonely” since COVID-19 derailed Benee‘s tour — she just unveiled plans to hit the road again next year.

The 21-year-old singer announced that she will headline her first post-pandemic tour starting in 2022, which kicks off in Russia on April 28, 2022.  Benee will certainly be busy, as she also revealed a flurry of North American dates, with the first pit stop taking place on May 31 in Montreal, Canada.

Aside from two other Canadian dates — Toronto and Vancouver — Benee’s trek will take her across America with performances set for Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston and several others big cities.

“I am beyond excited to announce that my WORLD TOUR KICKS OFF next year!!!!!!,” Benee said in a written statement, “It’s been such a long time coming & we’ve lived through a lot in these weird times but shows starting up again has rly got everyone sosososodo happyyy!!!! I can’t wait to get back out there & meet all of u and play a bunch of new musiiiiiicccc!!”

Benne adds that she is “so ready to tour,” because “Doing shows with my band is the best thing and I have missed it so badly this year. Waiting, rescheduling, waiting again has been incredibly difficult.”

Visit Benee’s official website to see her complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

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A decade ago, Andy Grammer first caught lightning a bottle with his eponymous debut album, which featured the hit singles “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine by Me.”  A few years later, three million copies of his 2014 feel-good anthem “Honey I’m Good” flew off the shelves.

Grammer has released several top-charting singles since, including 2016’s “Fresh Eyes” and 2019’s “Don’t Give Up on Me,” and he credits his success to the lessons he learned busking on the streets of Santa Monica, California.

Talking to the Sprout podcast recently, the 37-year-old opened up about the impact those formative years had on his career.

“The whole game is can you get over putting yourself out there and having no one care,” posed Grammer, stressing that success comes after one masters the art of “putting yourself out there, failing, and getting back up.”

While Grammer no longer has to sing for his supper, he isn’t opposed to the idea of busking on the city streets and going completely unrecognized.  In fact, he has a playlist ready to go, starting with “85,” a song he released in 2017.

He said he also would play “Don’t Give Up on Me,” because it “seems to have this effect where it makes people not want to give up on themselves, and I really love that.”

Lastly, he’d play “Damn It Feels Good to Be Me,” since it goes back to his earlier point about self reliance.

“Life gets better when you are genuinely able to stop caring how you’re perceived. We waste so much time worrying about how others are perceiving us,” Grammer remarked, noting that once he accepted his own “quirks and my uniqueness,” it took him “down a very certain path that is probably made for me.”

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Chris Janson is “Halfway to Crazy” on his upcoming 2022 tour. 

The “Buy Me a Boat” singer has locked in three months of headlining that sees him performing in theaters around the country, including a stop at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. 

The tour launches on February 10 at the Five Flags Arena in Dubuque, Iowa and visits several towns including Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Canton, Ohio, Johnson City, Tennessee and more. The tour is currently scheduled through April 16, with more dates to be announced. 

Opening for Janson will be Shane Profitt, and hit songwriter Ray Fulcher, who’s co-penned several chart-topping singles with Luke Combs, including “Even Though I’m Leaving” and “Does to Me.”

Chris teases that he will be sharing new music on the road, as he’s expected to release a new album in 2022. It’s lead single, “Bye Mom,” is currently climbing the charts. 

“I’m super excited to hit the road in early 2022. It’s been incredible to be back in front of an audience again this year, with crowds more hungry and grateful for live music than ever before,” Chris shares in a statement. “Whether you’re a fan or an artist, there’s nothing like a seeing a live show. I can’t wait to see everyone on the ‘Halfway to Crazy’ Tour and to maybe play y’all some new music that I’ve got coming real soon…”

Tickets go on sale to the public on November 19 at 10 a.m. local time.

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Lil Nas X offered his honest thoughts about embattled rapper DaBaby, who’s repeatedly apologized for the seemingly homophobic comments he made about HIV/AIDS at Miami’s Rolling Loud festival earlier this year.

DaBaby’s remarks nearly derailed his career. Numerous festivals — including Lollapalooza and New York’s Governors Ball — gave him the boot, and he was lambasted by fellow artists such as Megan Thee Stallion and his “Levitating”collaborator, Dua Lipa.

Lil Nas X, who is openly gay, spoke to GQ about the controversy and said he’s more focused on why DaBaby said what he said. While the remarks may have been upsetting, the “Montero” rapper feels the controversy exposes a problem within his industry.

“I’m not going to lie, I feel bad for DaBaby. I hope he grows from it. I hope he’s able to,” said LNX. “I try to remember: Sometimes we’re raised in ways that really shape how we see people. I’m always trying to be forgiving of people and understand that they treat people a certain way because they think they’re doing the right thing.”

The Grammy winner also offered his assessment of hip-hop, remarking that “the whole landscape is very hypermasculine.”

However, he doesn’t see this being the status quo for much longer, telling GQ, “It’s so great and so amazing that all these female rappers are breaking through. And, in a way, female rappers are the biggest rappers right now.”

He continued, “I do feel like this newer generation of rappers who are coming in, and the ones who are here, are going to have to reshape their thoughts. Because change is happening.”

That change, he says, will open the door to more trans and gay rappers — and, he predicts, “Ten years from now, everything that I’m doing won’t even seem like it was shocking.”

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Måneskin is releasing a new vinyl single featuring their latest song, “MAMMAMIA.”

The disc is due out this Friday, November 19, and also features a previously unreleased track called “Touch Me,” which the Italian rockers say they “can’t wait for you to hear.”

“MAMMAMIA” premiered this past October. It followed Måneskin’s breakout singles “Beggin'” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave.”

Måneskin just performed “MAMMAMIA” over the weekend on the MTV Europe Music Awards, at which they won the Best Rock award, as well. They also played it during their debut U.S. late-night TV appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show last month.

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Snoop Dogg is bringing the heavy hitters on his new compilation album, The Algorithm, which he is dropping on Friday.

Mary J. Blige, Usher, Wiz Khalifa, Redman & Method Man, Eric Bellinger, Fabolous and Dave East are among the many stars featured on the project, which will be The Doggfather’s first release on Def Jam.

Snoop’s supergroup, Mount Westmore, which includes himself, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too Short, previously dropped the first single from the compilation, “Big Subwoofer,” followed by “Murder Music” recorded by Benny the Butcher, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Snoop.

In other news, the 50-year-old hop hop icon, who loves sports, including hockey, will DJ for the third time at a Los Angeles Kings home game, on December 9.

“I’m excited to kick off my third night in three years with the LA Kings celebrating the release of my new album Algorithm,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement. “I can guarantee 12.9.21 is gonna be filled with non-stop entertainment and good old fashioned hockey. Kings are on a roll right now and I’m looking to bring another win to tha table that night. Don’t meet me there, beat me there.”

Meanwhile, Snoop loves interacting with his fans, and last week, he surprised customers at a Raising Cane’s fast food restaurant in Fayetteville, Arkansas, by serving from the drive-by window.

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Christmas just got a little more country with the announcement of the lineup for the 2021 CMA Country Christmas special, which airs November 29 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. 

Carrie Underwood, Jimmie Allen and Lady A are part of the star-filled bill for the annual holiday special filmed in Nashville.

Brett Eldredge and Pistol Annies, both of whom dropped new Christmas albums this year with Mr. Christmas and Hell of a Holiday, respectively, will also perform, along with Breland and “Things a Man Oughta Know” singer Lainey Wilson.

Newly crowned CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Carly Pearce and “I Hope” hit-maker Gabby Barrett are set to co-host for the first time, as well as perform holiday classics. A promo clip for the special shows the two singing “Sleigh Ride.” 

Jimmie will unite with Louis York, as well as with the duo of Grammy-nominated songwriters Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly, who made their Grand Ole Opry debut in 2020, and The Shindellas, the trio of Kasi Jones, Stacy Johnson and Tamara Chauniece who performed with Lady A at the 2021 CMT Music Awards. Jimmie teamed up with the two acts on a reimagination of York’s “What Does Christmas Mean” last year.  

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Turnstile has announced a headlining tour for 2022.

The outing, dubbed the Turnstile Love Connection tour, is set to kick off February 23 in San Francisco, and will wrap up May 26 in Washington, D.C.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 19, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit TurnstileHardcore.com.

Turnstile will be touring in support of their new album, Glow On, which dropped this past August. It includes the single “Blackout.”

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