Grandmaster Flash’s upcoming book ‘Birth of a Culture’ (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Grandmaster Flash, widely known as a pioneer in hip-hop and of modern deejaying, is sharing his knowledge of both — as well as personal stories from his life and career — in a new book.
Titled Birth of a Culture, the book brings readers back to the early days of hip-hop, when the genre was rooted in the Bronx, dance, graffiti, original raps, beats and neighborhood block parties. It also features conversations with artists about DJ techniques, the science behind a turntable and more.
“This story has been on my mind for a very long time. It depicts the early history and many subjects that pertain to the culture called hip-hop,” Grandmaster Flash said in a statement. “I talk about not just my come-up, but the rise and participation of others who were responsible for giving hip-hop life. It entails joy, pain, fun, drama, math and science, real-life struggles and incredible achievements.”
The book arrives on Sept. 22 but is now available for preorder.
Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu, Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto in ‘The Bear’ season 5. (Courtesy FX)
Fans noticed about a month ago that Harry Styles was sporting a new tattoo on his arm reading “Let it rip.” Zoë Kravitz, to whom Harry is allegedly engaged, debuted a matching tattoo in British Vogue earlier in June.
While it’s not known what the phrase means to Harry or Zoë, some fans have a theory. They believe it was inspired by “Let it rip” being the catchphraseof the Emmy-winning showThe Bear, which dropped its final season on Hulu Friday. When informed of Harry’s tattoo by ABC Audio, the stars of The Bear were surprised, to say the least.
“I did not know that. I’m not up to date on Harry Styles’ tattoos,” said executive producer Matty Matheson, who also stars as Neil Fak on the show.
“No,” Ayo Edebiri, who plays Sydney on the show, said when asked if she knew about Harry’s tattoo.
“I did not know that,” added Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie.
“I’ll take that,” added Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmy.
When ABC Audio suggested that Harry’s tattoo might be one sign of the show’s impact and legacy, Matty laughed, “Hey, if people know that, we’re good. We did God’s work on that one!“
Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World perform at the 2022 When We Were Young festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on October 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Jimmy Eat World hasn’t put out an album since 2019’s Surviving. Speaking with ABC Audio, frontman Jim Adkins shares an update on potential new material from “The Middle” outfit.
“Always working on something, for sure,” Adkins says.
However, he cautions that doesn’t mean a new Jimmy Eat World record is imminent.
“I can’t really say that there’s an album ready or not, but there’s definitely beginnings,” Adkins says. “There’s definitely material, but I don’t think we’re ready to do an album, like, release anything.”
Since Surviving, Jimmy Eat World has put out several one-off singles, including 2022’s “Something Loud.”
While you wait for possible new Jimmy Eat World music, you can relive their biggest album on the 25th anniversary Bleed American tour. The U.S. leg resumes July 17 in Bend, Oregon.
Amanda Batula attends the ‘Summer House’ season 10 reunion. (Clifton Prescod/Bravo)
Amanda Batula is saying goodbye to Summer House.
The reality TV star is exiting the Bravo series and will not appear in its upcoming season 11 after nine seasons as a full-time cast member, according to Deadline.
ABC Audio has reached out to Bravo for confirmation.
The 10th season of Summer House captured the zeitgeist due to a scandal that has been given the colloquial name “Scamanda.”
After months of rumors, Batula and West Wilson confirmed they are in a relationship in posts made to Instagram on March 31. Batula is married to Summer House cast member Kyle Cooke, although they are divorcing. Wilson is fellow Summer House star Ciara Miller’s ex-boyfriend, and Batula was considered one of Miller’s close friends.
Wilson will also not return to Summer House for season 11, according to the outlet.
Although Batula is exiting Summer House, that doesn’t mean she’s fully out of the Bravo-verse quite yet. She currently stars in the Summer House spinoff series In the City. That show has yet to be picked up for a season 2.
Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance performs during the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall August 31, 2006 in New York City. (Scott Gries/Getty Images)
My Chemical Romance has something new for you to join in addition to the Black Parade.
The “Helena” rockers have announced the launch of the official MCRmy fan community, described as a “home for our fans to gather.”
“The MCRmy has been part of what we do from the beginning and we are very excited that there will be an official shared space for special updates, information, and media for all of you,” My Chem says. “We are humbled to be able to do this and that you all continue to show up.”
My Chemical Romance will launch a U.S. tour in August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 2006 album, The Black Parade. They’re also releasing a deluxe reissue of their 2010 album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, on July 10.
New artists Carter Faith and Wyatt Flores have teamed up on the new duet, “Nothin’ Better to Do,” which is out now. It’ll appear on Carter’s Cherry Valley Forever deluxe edition, which drops July 24.
The new five-track EP from Frank Ray, Good for the Soul, is out now. The “Country’d Look Good on You” hitmaker co-wrote the tracks “Lookin’ Out for Me” and “Hard to be a Hero,” while Tracy Lawrence joins him on the title cut.
You can check out Shania Twain’s duet with Tanya Tucker on “Little Miss Twain,” the title track of her new album that comes out on July 24.
When it comes to touring, BTS could stand for “Better than The Stones.” Billboard reports that in May, the K-pop superstars grossed just under $128 million and sold 641,000 tickets on their Arirang World Tour. That’s the biggest monthly gross by a group since Billboard started its Boxscore chart in 2019. The previous recordholder was The Rolling Stones, who took in $95 million in August 2019.
Two of Ariana Grande’s concerts in Boston have been rescheduled “to ensure the full production can be delivered safely and as intended,” reads an Instagram announcement by the venue, TD Garden arena. The July 22 show will take place on July 23, while the July 24 show will take place on July 26. The July 25 show will go ahead as planned. All tickets will be honored for the new dates.
After two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” has been replaced by Ella Langley’s former charttopper, “Choosin’ Texas.” The song has rebounded to spend an 11th week at #1. Taylor’s song has slid to #2, followed by Ella at #3 with “Be Her.” She also has a song at #9: “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” a duet with Morgan Wallen. Olivia Rodrigo also has two songs in the top 10: “stupid song” at #4 and “drop dead” at #5.
Bob Dylan performs as part of a double bill with Neil Young at Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for ABA)
Bob Dylan’s current tour seems to be going through a bit of a band shake-up, and now one of his guitarists is speaking out about his departure.
Guitarist Bob Britt is responding to reports in the press about his departure from the tour, which began to surface over the weekend. The reports were sparked by a since-deleted Facebook post by Britt, who wrote “Sayonara Bobby” next to a map with a travel route from Austin, where Dylan’s next show is happening, to Nashville.
Britt has since taken to Facebook to set the record straight, writing, “Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour.”
“I’d like to clear it up. I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private,” the post continued. “I will miss my band mates and crew.”
He then wrote that he was looking forward to other projects, including “getting back to doing sessions.” He added, “As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds.”
Britt’s departure comes not long after Dylan lost another guitarist in his band. As Rolling Stone points out, guitarist Doug Lancio, who’s played guitar with Dylan since 2019, was recently replaced by jazz guitarist Julian Lage.
Dylan’s next show is Monday in Austin. A complete list of his show dates can be found at BobDylan.com.
The healthcare.gov website on a laptop arranged in Norfolk, Virginia, Nov. 1, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Millions of Americans have dropped health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to new data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The report, which was published on Friday, showed that about 19.2 million people were enrolled under the ACA in the first two months of 2026, down by about 3 million people compared to the same time last year.
HHS attributed the lower number of enrollees to its efforts to crack down on fraud.
The report claimed the administration stopped “1.5 million enrollees from receiving subsidies they did not qualify for and ended or blocked another 1.4 million through February 2026, for a total of 2.9 million people who had previously been improperly receiving subsidies they did not qualify for.”
However, the decrease in enrollees comes amid rising costs and a pause of the enhanced premium tax credits.
The enhanced premium tax credits, also known as ACA subsidies, help lower or eliminate the out-of-pocket cost of monthly premiums for those who purchase insurance through the health insurance marketplace.
The subsidies were part of the original ACA passed during the Obama administration. The amount of financial assistance was increased along with eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsidies expired at the end of 2025.
Republicans said the expansions from the pandemic era went too far and tried to persuade Democrats to fund a temporary spending bill that didn’t address the expiring ACA subsidies, with promises of discussing ways to continue the subsidies later.
Meanwhile, Democrats insisted on extending the premium tax credits as part of a bill to end the shutdown, warning that their expiration could be detrimental for millions of American families.
In January, the House passed a three-year extension of the enhanced premium tax credits, but the measure is now stalled in the Senate.
Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office have suggested that gross benchmark premiums — the price of a standard plan before government subsidies are applied — could increase by 4.3% in 2026 and by 7.7% in 2027 without an extension.
An April report from the actuarial firm Wakely Consulting Group found more than one in 10 ACA enrollees did not pay their health insurance premiums at the beginning of the year. Data also showed “extensive buy downs,” with enrollees moving to lower-tier or cheaper plans.
The nonprofit KFF found that premium payments from enrollees increased by an average of 58% from $113 to $178 per month, including among those who did not receive the enhanced premium tax credits.
Emma Wager, senior policy analyst for the program on the ACA at KFF, said there is fraud in the ACA marketplace, but the scale described by the federal government may be exaggerated.
“I think when you look at what the federal government has said about this drop, they refer to it as being the result of a crackdown on fraud and fraudulent enrollment,” Wager told ABC News. “Given the data that we have, it’s really not possible to determine how much of the drop in enrollment is related to fraud versus people voluntarily dropping coverage.”
She noted that we know premiums rose “significantly” from last year to this one.
“So many people really couldn’t find coverage that was affordable for their families and they were faced with that difficult choice,” she continued. “People faced double-digit, triple-digit increases in their premiums between 2025 and 2026.”
Insurance companies previously told ABC News that plan rates are rising, even without the tax credits, due to “higher utilization and more complex care among ACA members — particularly in emergency room visits, behavioral health and specialty pharmacy. For instance, ACA members use the ER at nearly twice the rate of those with employer-sponsored coverage.”
Wager said those who choose to drop coverage, or those who are uninsured, are at risk of massive financial problems if they become sick, injured or need health care.
“That’s obviously something none of us can control,” she said. “So if you suddenly have a hospitalization or an illness that costs you thousands and thousands of dollars and you don’t have any form of coverage whatsoever, you can face bankruptcy, you can face the loss of your savings. It’s a very large financial risk.“
When Madonna put out her album Confessions on a Dance Floor in 2005, TikTok didn’t exist. But ahead of this week’s release of her new album, Confessions II, she’s going all in with the platform.
She’ll be streaming her release party live from London via TikTok on Thursday. In addition to previewing select songs ahead of the album’s official Friday release, Madonna will chat with her friend Bob the Drag Queen and be joined by daughter Lourdes “Lola” “Leon. Lola and Madonna co-wrote the song “The Test” on the album; you can hear a bit of it on YouTube.
During an interview with U.K. talk show host Graham Norton on the BBC, Madonna said of the collaboration with Lola, “She’s been very reticent to work with me. … Then she came to me and she said, ‘Let’s write a song together, I think it’ll be a very healing experience.’ I was like, ‘OK, you’re on. Let’s do it.'”
During Thursday’s livestream, fans can engage using TikTok features such as polls, custom “like” icons and Q&A.
On Thursday and Friday TikTok House of Confessions will be open in New York City and London. Each location will be selling curated merch, including a limited-edition TikTok vinyl variant, as well as album-inspired visuals and what’s described as “Confessions-themed content creation opportunities.”
