Music

Lil Nas X burst into the scene in 2019 with his smash-hit “Old Town Road,” which spent a historic 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for three Grammy Awards.

That June, the rapper further made headlines by revealing he was gay.  Speaking to XXL, the 22-year-old explained why he decided to come out during such a pivotal moment in his career.

“I honestly felt like it was kind of my duty… Especially if I wanted to move forward,” he said, admitting that he once thought he’d never come out. “And what I was doing, because authenticity is very real, and I feel like people can see right through that. And that’s a part of me.”

Lil Nas X said that he also worried how people would judge him after he came out, adding, “For me, I felt like [my insecurity with my sexuality] was my fear of people judging me for how I would act post-coming out.”

Noting how the hip hop community has treated him since revealing his sexuality, he admitted, “Honestly, I don’t feel as respected in hip-hop or many music places in general.”

“But these are communities that I am a part of, whether people would like it or not,” he continued. “This is something that I wanted to do because, not that my entire album is rap, but there are rap tracks on my album. I am a rapper. I am a pop star. I am a gay artist, I belong in these places, you know?”

Dolly Parton agrees. On Wednesday, she shouted out the rapper for recently covering her hit song, “Jolene.” Saying she was “honored and flattered” by his “really, really good” cover,” she added, “Of course, I love him anyway.”

 

 

 

 

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Lady A‘s uptempo hit, “Like a Lady,” has been one of country music’s stand-out, feel-good songs of the summer. 

It’s the first release from the trio’s seven-track What a Song Can Do (Chapter One) collection, which came out in June. But when Lady A’s full-length eighth album arrives next month, we’ll get a better look at what Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood have been feeling, amid both the COVID-19 pandemic and the controversy over their name change.

“The songwriting, the songs that we wrote and recorded, were our way of really, I think, trying to just cope with really uncertain months,” Hillary explains. “And it was our way to really have a creative outlet.”

“I think it was therapeutic for all of us,” she reflects. “I think we wrote a lot about just how we were feeling about a lot of things.”

Hillary adds: “I think the whole album, when it comes out in October, you’ll get to hear some of the outliers of where we kind of explored and took some risks from a song standpoint and production.”

More than anything, the three friends are thankful for the way music has transformed their lives.

“Ultimately, I think it’s just so present for us, and we are just so grateful,” Hillary says of the record. “The reason why we named the album What a Song Can Do is because these songs and the songs of our career have gotten us through such hard times.”

“And then they’ve also allowed for us the greatest times, you know, in the live show, and all of the years of being a band,” she points out.

What a Song Can Do doubles in size, growing to fourteen cuts when the full record arrives October 22.

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Bebe Rexha makes her acting debut in Queenpins, a new comedy that arrives today on the Paramount Plus streaming platform. Bebe plays a computer hacker who helps launder money for two housewives who are running a multi-million-dollar coupon scam.  Bebe says the movie’s star, Kristen Bell, gave her the secret to improving her performance: sugar.

“She just told me to relax and then also, like, 10 minutes before going on camera, I was like, ‘I need energy,’ because after a while…I kinda felt like my energy was getting low,” Bebe tells ABC Audio. “So she was like, ‘Go get like an M&M or whatever…just eat some sugar,’ and that actually really helped!”

She laughs, “Thanks Kristen, that was a good tip!”

In fact, the “Jealous” singer admits she was “eating the whole time” she wasn’t on camera, because the food on set was so “magnificent.”  And while she says she also got “some advice on some girl stuff” from her female cast members, she didn’t seek out any acting advice prior to taking the role from other pop stars-turned-actors, like Lady Gaga.

“I haven’t gotten any acting advice from anybody famous, to be quite honest with you,” she admits. “I just got the script and I was like, ‘I like this. I’m going to do it, why not?'”

However, Bebe says she doesn’t plan to pursue acting as a career — because, she says, it’s difficult.

“Acting is honestly…it’s not just something you can pick up and do,” she tells ABC Audio. “It’s actually quite hard…you have to be really focused on your intentions and where your mind’s at and how you want to say something.”

Guess Bebe will just have to stick to her day job as a global pop star.

(Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)

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Jethro Tull will belatedly mark the 50th anniversary of their third studio album, 1970’s Benefit, by releasing an expanded, four-CD/two-DVD version of the record on November 5.

The Benefit (The 50th Anniversary Enhanced Edition) collection’s CDs feature stereo mixes of the original album and associated tracks done in 2013 by acclaimed studio whiz Steven Wilson; mono and stereo mixes of various single A-sides and B-sides, radio spots and more; a previously unreleased Wilson remix of a 1970 Jethro Tull performance at Massachusetts’ Tanglewood venue; and a newly remastered mono recording of a previously unreleased 1970 Tull show at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom.

The DVDs feature high-res versions of Wilson’s 2013 remix of Benefit and associated tracks, a video of the 1970 Tanglewood concert, and more.

The reissue also comes packaged with a 100-page book, featuring a new essay about Benefit; commentary about each of the album’s tracks from frontman Ian Anderson and former Tull members Martin Barre, Glenn Cornick and Clive Bunker; and interviews with Benefit studio engineer Robin Black, executive producer Terry Ellis, and others.

Released in April 1970, Benefit peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the U.K. album chart. The record included one hit U.K. single, “Witch’s Promise,” which reached #4 on the chart. The album’s best-known song in the U.S. likely is “Teacher,” which went on to become a classic rock radio staple.

Benefit has gone on to be RIAA-certified Gold in the U.S. for sales of over 500,000 copies.

You can pre-order the deluxe reissue and check out the full track list at BurningShed.com.

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Britney Spears is finally free…of her father.

Judge Brenda Penny — whose main role at today’s hearing in L.A. was determining what is in Britney’s best interests — said that the “toxic environment” between Jamie Spears and his daughter required that he be suspended as her conservator, effective immediately. 

“I believe suspension is in the best interest of Britney Spears,” said Penny.  As per the request of Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart, a CPA named John Zabel has been appointed temporary conservator of Britney’s estate. 

Zabel will now take over control of Britney’s finances, until a decision about terminating the conservatorship is made.  Jodi Montgomery, who is Britney’s conservator of the person — meaning she’s in charge of her medical decisions — will remain in her position.

Rosengart has accused Mr. Spears of “reaping millions of dollars from his daughter’s estate”; Jamie has denied all wrongdoing.  In his latest filing, Rosengart said that Mr. Spears had “crossed unfathomable lines,” if recent reports that he’d hired a security firm to monitor his daughter’s communications were, in fact, true.

Mr. Spears had petitioned for the immediate termination of the conservatorship, which would have rendered moot the question of his suspension. Rosengart said Spears’ petition was just a “desperate effort” to deflect attention from Spears’ “egregious incompetence” [and] “gross misconduct.”  

Earlier this year, Britney told Penny that her father “ought to be in jail.”

As for when the 13-year conservatorship will end, Rosengart suggested a hearing within the next 45 days to determine that.

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Boosie Badazz is in trouble for asking for help from Drake.

The “Wipe Me Down” rapper says his Instagram account was suspended because he requested that Drizzy assist him in promoting his new biopic, titled My Struggle.

“IG was taken for nothing,” Boosie complained on Twitter. “They saw me reach out to Drake for help.” 

“Please continue to buy my film despite this move to stop the success of my struggle,” he added. “Yall all I got against these powerful people. Buy it twice to boost my first week numbers.”

Boosie dropped a trailer for My Struggle three weeks ago, featuring YFN Lucci, Mo3 and Quando Rondo. The movie, released through his Bazzazz Film Company, tells his story of growing up poor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, launching his music career in 2000, going on trial for first-degree murder, and serving prison time for drug possession.

As he promotes his film, which was released on September 24, Boosie will perform on the Legendz of the Streetz tour, which kicks off September 30 in Augusta, GA. He’ll be joined by Rick Ross, Jeezy, Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz, with special guests Fabolous, Lil Kim and Trina.

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When Fat Joe and Ja Rule battled on Verzuz two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden in New York City, many people were shocked to see Nelly walk across the stage to hug his former girlfriend, Ashanti. The two stars ended their eleven-year relationship in 2014.

“It was so weird because we haven’t seen or spoken to each other in over six years,” the “Rain on Me” singer said Tuesday on The Tamron Hall Show. “I really didn’t expect it. I didn’t know he was going to be there honestly, so when I saw him coming across the stage, I was like, ‘Oh.’ It’s been so long, I didn’t know how to feel or what I was going to feel when i actually did see him.”

Though they had a bitter breakup, now Ashanti says, “The anger is long gone.”

Tamron opened their interview discussing how SZA told Ashanti at the MTV VMAS earlier this month that as a young woman, she waited ten hours for Ashanti’s autograph.

“I’m a fan of hers and she actually posted the picture of herself and me when she was at the signing,” Ashanti said. “I was so touched and stunned and I felt the love. I didn’t want to stop hugging her.”

Next year, the 40-year-old singer will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her self-titled, RIAA-certified triple Platinum debut album, which was released in 2002. The album sold 503,000 copies during its first week, the most of any debut by a female artist at that time.

During the Tamron Hall Show appearance, the Grammy winner also announced that she’s obtained legal rights to the album masters, and will re-record the album on her own independent label.

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Nick Jonas is currently on tour with the Jonas Brothers, but apparently, he still has time to dabble in theater. He and his wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, have just joined the producing team of a new Broadway show called Chicken & Biscuits, which is currently in previews at New York City’s Circle in the Square Theater. 

Chicken & Biscuits was written by Douglas Lyons and is directed by  Zhailon Levingston, who at 27 is the youngest Black director in Broadway history. It follows the Jenkins family, who deal with family infighting and secrets while planning their father’s funeral.

Nick has a major background in Broadway, having appeared in productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Les Misérables.  In a statement, he says, “Broadway has always had a special place in my heart, it helped launch my career. And after the last year and a half, Broadway is exactly what we need in this world.”

“This play highlights the importance of love, laughter, and family,” adds Nick, who visited the cast and creative team this past weekend. “It’s got energy, it’s got style, and it’s got heart. The kind of vibe that is so unique to live theater.”

Priyanka notes that this is her first foray into Broadway, but adds, “It’s time we see some more diversity on the stage, and this cast and production team is making history on that front.”

Broadway, of course, is a small world: Nick worked with another Chicken & Biscuits producer, E. Clayton Cornelious, and one of the show’s co-stars, Michael Urie, on the upcoming new movie version of the musical Jersey Boys.  Nick also appeared with Urie in How to Succeed.

Chicken & Biscuits officially opens October 10 for a limited engagement that runs through January 2.

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In a very welcome bit of good news, Mark Hoppus is now “cancer free.”

The Blink-182 bassist/vocalist shared the announcement in an Instagram post Wednesday.

“Just saw my oncologist and I’m cancer free!!” Hoppus wrote. “Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love.”

Hoppus added that he still needs to “get scanned every six months” and that it will take him “until the end of the year to get back to normal.”

“But today is an amazing day and I feel so blessed,” he wrote. “Can I get a W in the chat?”

Hoppus revealed he’d been diagnosed with cancer back in June. He’d been documenting his journey through chemotherapy over the last few months with the sincerity and humor he’s known for. He even changed his Twitter bio to describe himself as a “cancer haver,” which has now been triumphantly changed to “cancer destroyer.”

 

 

 

 

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