Music

Jimmie Allen has a new creative project in the works. The singer will serve as executive music producer for an upcoming Netflix series, Titletown High, a sports reality show that follows the ups and downs of a high school football team.

The theme song for the show is Jimmie’s unreleased “Big in a Small Town,” a track that he says speaks to his own roots and teenage memories. 

“I grew up in a small town. Whether it’s football or a dream you have, everything you do in a small town is a big thing,” Jimmie explains in a teaser clip he posted to social media this week. 

“Everybody can relate to going to school. Being in a relationship. Playing football. Everything is the end of the world or the start of the world,” Jimmie goes on to reflect. “So I think people connect to the realness of it.”

Titletown High will debut on Netflix on August 27.

 

 

 

 

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Despite frustrating fans by not revealing a new release date for his upcoming album Donda, Kanye West has announced plans to host his third stadium listening event for the new project, this one in his hometown of Chicago.

In only his third Instagram post ever for his 7.2 million follows, Kanye simply wrote on Wednesday, “Donda Soldier Field 8/26/21. Show starts 9 p.m. CST. [Tickets] on sale August 20 noon CST.” No additional ticket information was revealed.

Yeezy’s two previous listening events were held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 23 and August 5. Named after his late mother, Donda West, Donda will be his 11th studio album, and his latest following 2019’s Jesus Is King.

Donda was originally scheduled to drop in July, then its release was moved back to August 6 before being delayed again. The new release features Jay-Z, The Weeknd, The LOX, Jay Electronica, the late Pop Smoke and more, according to Pitchfork.

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Lifelong New York Knicks fan Fat Joe led the NBA team’s welcoming committee Tuesday as they introduced their new free agent acquisitions: former Boston Celtics players Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier.

The Terror Squad founder wore Kemba’s number eight Knicks jersey as he appeared with them at Madison Square Garden. Native New Yorker Joe grew up loving the Knicks, and is often courtside at home games, sitting near the ultimate Knicks fans, Spike Lee. In March, he performed at halftime of a game against Drake’s favorite team, the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks made the playoffs for the first time in eight years this season, and the “Lean Back “rapper has high expectations for next season.

“The DNA of the Knicks, with Julius [Randle], RJ [Barrett] and D. Rose [Derrick Rose] is gonna be exciting,” Joe said in a team video.

“We got Fournier to knock down some shots,” he added. “I mean, we ready.”

Joe has always felt playing for the Knicks was special.

“You can come here, to the greatest city on Earth, under the brightest lights, in the greatest arena on Earth, and kick some butt and be the man,” he told the New York Times in 2012. “It’s like Frank Sinatra sang: If you make it here, you make it anywhere, baby. If you’re the king of this team right here, you’re the biggest person on Earth; I don’t care what anyone says.”

Fat Joe on Knicks fans:

“Win one game in the playoffs and you see what we do out here, don’t let us win a series man” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/kPKt9gG71P

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) August 17, 2021

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Bastille has released a new song called “Thelma + Louise.”

As its title suggests, “Thelma + Louise” was inspired by the iconic 1991 film starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. It’s even accompanied by a video that begins with frontman Dan Smith sitting in the front seat of a Ford Thurderbird convertible, the same car that — spoiler alert for a 30 year-old movie — Thelma and Louise famously drive off the rim of the Grand Canyon.

You can watch the “Thelma + Louise” video streaming now on YouTube.

“Thelma + Louise” is the third new Bastille song of 2021, following “Distorted Light Beam” and “Give Me the Future.”

Meanwhile, you can catch Bastille perform on the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series, airing August 23 on ABC.

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Missy Elliott remembered her idol Prince this week with purple hair as she listened to one of her favorite songs by the legendary Minneapolis artist.

The two icons shared the same favorite color, purple, so Missy wore purple tresses in a short Instagram video to the opening line of Prince’s sultry ballad, “Adore.”

“Until the end of time I’ll be there for you” we hear Prince sing as Missy enjoys the track from his 1987 double album, Sign o’ the Times.

“Saaaang Prince,” Missy captioned the clip with a raised-hands emoji. “Purple always been my favorite color.”

One month after Prince passed away on April 21, 2016, Missy revealed that after meeting her in Los Angeles, he planned a duet.

“He had sent me some stuff, music of his, and I moved and I could never find that music,” she said on CBC Music’s The Strombo Show, as reported by The Guardian.

The “Work it” rapper added that it is essential to honor great performers before they die.

“We really have to start appreciating these artists while they are still here, and not wait until these moments [after they’ve died] to recognize their genius and the greatness of what they’ve done for music,” said Missy.

When Prince passed in 2016, Missy posted a custom-made portrait of him with the comment, “This is heartbreaking. I had this Prince pic drawn on my wall years ago because his music inspired so many. R.I.P.”

 

 

 

 

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MTV has announced the first round of performers for the 2021 Video Music Awards.

Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Lorde, Camila Cabello and Machine Gun Kelly will all be taking the stage during the ceremony next month.

Olivia will be performing “good 4 u,” marking her VMA debut. Camila is set to perform her new song “Don’t Go Yet,” while Lorde will be performing an “explosive world premiere” off her album Solar Power and MGK will play his new single “papercuts.” According to MTV, Lil Nas X will “bring yet another genre-defying hit to the VMAs stage,”” though it hasn’’t been confirmed what song.

The 2021 MTV VMAs will air live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on September 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT across all of MTV’s digital platforms, as well as CMT, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, MTV2, Pop, TV Land, VH1, Logo and The CW. Justin Bieber is this year’s top nominee with seven nods.

🚨 #VMA PERFORMER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

🎤 @Camila_Cabello
🎤 @LilNasX
🎤 @lorde
🎤 @machinegunkelly
🎤 @Olivia_Rodrigo

I wouldn’t miss it if I were you… the 2021 @vmas are Sunday, September 12 at 8p on MTV! pic.twitter.com/soQuCLFZaG

— MTV (@MTV) August 18, 2021

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Asante Blackk says fans “will not be disappointed” when his hit NBC series This Is Us officially comes to an end after next season. Ahead of tonight’s season five finale, Black, who plays Deja’s charismatic boyfriend Malik Hodges, promises that the conclusion of This Is Us will be “perfect.”

“It’s the perfect ending,” Blackk tells ABC Audio. “And I hope that… when we actually do get there, that people will feel the same.”

“All good things must come to an end at some point,” the actor continues. “As much as you don’t want to see your favorite shows end, [the ending] will leave a lot for people to really grasp onto.”

While Blackk isn’t offering many details about tonight’s finale — which is likely to leave viewers with plenty of unanswered questions — the When They See Us star does tease that next season will offer “the perfect sense of closure.” 

“Yeah, it is sad, because, we had these amazing characters for six seasons and you fall in love with them and all of these different things,” Blackk shares. “But, I just can’t wait for people to see how we wrap this up, because it’s definitely going to be a good one.”

The season five finale of This Is Us, also starring Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley, airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

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Slipknot is bringing Knotfest back to South American in 2022.

Knotfest Chile will take place December 11 in Santiago, while Knotfest Brazil will be held December 18 in São Paulo. The Knot themselves will headline both lineups, which will also include Bring Me the Horizon, Mr. Bungle and Trivium, among others.

For more info, visit Knotfest.com.

Slipknot is also headlining two U.S. editions of Knotfest this fall, taking place September 25 in the band’s home state of Iowa, and November 5 in Los Angeles. Additionally, you can catch the masked metallers on their Knotfest Roadshow U.S. tour, kicking off in September.

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