Made in the USA, the one-of-a-kind acoustic guitar was handcrafted in the famous Gibson Acoustic factory in Bozeman, Montana, by Gibson’s expert acoustic luthiers.
In a statement to the press, Chris shares, “Epiphone has done an incredible job of getting every detail as it should be on this instrument, and I can tell you firsthand it’s stage worthy and will get the job done at any venue you want to play in. It’s a work of art that does the work.”
“It’s an honor to have Chris join our family as a signature artist to represent and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Epiphone,” adds Beth Heidt, VP of cultural influence at Gibson Brands-Global. “He continues to inspire and push boundaries through his incredible artistry.”
The exclusive Chris Stapleton Frontier from Epiphone can be purchased worldwide at authorized Epiphone dealers and on Epiphone’s website.
Lil Uzi Vert took a different approach when recording their upcoming album, The Pink Tape: they did it sober. The rapper talked to TMZ about the process and Don Cannon‘s revelation that they recorded nearly 700 songs.
Uzi said it was initially challenging to create music during their sobriety journey, but notes they got used to it after a month.
“I thought that my creative process wasn’t going to be the same because I wasn’t on drugs no more,” they said. “It was the same. Even better. Because I could think more clear and I could actually, like, instead of my words slurring, which is kinda of cool, everything made sense. I didn’t just make random music … I didn’t play off the beat. I actually made song[s] with topics this time.”
Uzi’s now encouraging fellow artists to stop taking drugs: “It’s the best thing to do.”
“It will change your life. And you’ll look better,” they add.
Lil Uzi Vert’s attempted sobriety several times, most recently claiming to be drug free in August. “I’m a sober man, OK. Kids, it’s real good to be sober and it’s real good to live your life — not over the influence, but under the influence,” they said in a clip captured by No Jumper.
Laughter at the end of the video led some to believe Uzi was joking, but Don confirmed their sobriety when he revealed the level of creativity Uzi’s substance-free life has unlocked.
“It’s different because we’re getting all kinds of songs out of him. Might get a rock song, a real rap song, because he really rap,” Cannon said on Math Hoffa‘s podcast. “Might get the melodic s*** that he do. That’s a fun thing.”
Lil Nas X got intergalactic with his new campaign for luxury brand Coach.
The rapper launched his first campaign with the company in October and is back for the “In My Tabby” advertisements, which promote their new Tabby bag.
The clutch-sized shoulder bag salutes the trendy style that took off in the 1970s, but the style has been reworked to complement the modern times. That type of bag has recently gained popularity on TikTok, which is why the style was brought back.
The new campaign is all about “what we carry,” and Lil Nas X says he uses his bag to “carry my plans for the future.”
His commercial takes a futuristic tone as he floats out in space and teases, “And what I’ll do next? Everyone will see.”
Fans can purchase bags as seen in Lil Nas X’s campaign on the Coach website.
It was announced in October that the singer would serve as the brand’s newest global ambassador to roll out its former campaign “Courage to Be Real,” which promoted “courageous self-expression.”
Deftones is working with an unexpected model for the band’s new Marc Jacobs Heaven clothing collection: M3GAN.
The title villain from the recently released hit horror movie models the line’s God Help Me hoodie in a new Heaven Instagram post. The hoodie’s design is inspired by the cover artwork off Deftones’ 2003 self-tilted album, as well as the lyrics from the song “Bloody Cape.”
Deftones announced the Marc Jacobs collaboration in February and celebrated the news with a secret show in New York City. The line consists of various articles of clothing and accessories featuring archival and original Deftones artwork.
In other Deftones and horror movie-related news, Scream VI star Jenna Ortega name-dropped one of the band’s songs during an interview with MTV.
When asked what she would pick as the “best song for getting chased by Ghostface,” Ortega chose Deftones’ Around the Fur single “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).”
“I feel like they’re just trying to get away,” Ortega said. “I feel like that could be an interesting one.”
While Scream VI doesn’t feature Deftones, it does include a new Mike Shinoda solo song, “In My Head,” as well as a track the Linkin Park member co-wrote and produced with Demi Lovato, “Still Alive.”
Longtime Roc-A-Fella producer Just Blaze discovered an unreleased Michael Jackson and Jay-Zcollaboration during quarantine, and now he’s sharing the news with his fans. In an interview with Idea Generation, he confirmed that the two worked together on the remix to Jay’s “Girls, Girls, Girls.”
“So Michael Jackson is on the ‘Girls, Girls, Girls remix’ — the A version. And I never knew that,” Just says. “I don’t know if I didn’t go to the studio that day? I thought it was an urban legend or something that Jay said, like, in jest one day or just was some kind of a myth.”
He continues, “So one day I was looking for something on the server and I find this straight folder that says ‘MJ vocals.'”
Just says he initially rejected the thought that it was Michael’s song, believing it could instead be takes from MJ and Hov’s session recording of “You Rock My World (Remix).” He then took a listen to see what it was.
“I realize as I’m listening to it it’s him singing on ‘Girls, Girls, Girls,'” Just says of the King of Pop. “And I’m like … ‘It’s true.’ The last 20 years, I just found it during quarantine. So all these years, I’ve never known it was a real thing. And turns out the files had been sitting downstairs this entire time.”
Blaze’s full interview with Idea Generation is available on YouTube.
Little Richard is the subject of a new documentary, and now we’re getting a first look at the film.
A trailer has just been released for Little Richard: I Am Everything, which was directed by Lisa Cortés. The trailer features archival footage of the music icon, along with interview snippets from the likes of Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Billy Porter and director John Waters.
Not only does the film delve into Little Richard’s music history, the trailer makes it clear that it also touches upon Richard’s struggle to embrace his queerness, with the film interviewing several black and queer scholars. As the description notes, the film “tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman” aka Little Richard.
Little Richard: I Am Everything, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, opens April 21.
On Wednesday, Drew Barrymore — with the help of M3GAN, Cocaine Bear and Ghostface from the Scream movies — announced she’ll be hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Well, sure, M3GAN was just Drew dressed up — reprising her getup from her odd daytime interview with the movie’s star Allison Williams — and it wasn’t the REAL Cocaine Bear, or Ghostface, but nonetheless, Drew’s excited.
“I am so honored to be chosen, especially this year, when the show is all about fans. I’m a fan!”
She promised “an epic night: big moments, huge movie stars,” and to prove it, she asked, “Cocaine Bear, are you free on May 7?”
The show will take place live from Los Angeles’ Barker Hangar on Sunday, May 7, at 8 p.m. ET.
(NEW YORK) — A Colorado man was indicted on hate crime charges Wednesday for allegedly defacing public spaces in New York City — including the iconic Charging Bull statue — with Nazi symbols and racial slurs in 2021.
James Ryan, 40, was indicted on three felony counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime, as well as three felony counts of aggravated harassment in the first degree, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced.
Ryan allegedly drew a swastika and an anti-Black slur on a pillar at the entrance to City Hall on Dec. 13, 2021, Manhattan prosecutors said.
The next day he allegedly spray-painted the same things outside a CVS pharmacy in the Financial District and a “large swastika” on the Charging Bull statue near Wall Street, prosecutors said.
At the time, the New York City Police Department released surveillance footage and photos of an unknown suspect wearing a poncho and backpack who was captured defacing the entrance to City Hall and the Charging Bull statue.
“Hate has no place in New York City and these offensive and damaging actions will not be tolerated,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement announcing the indictment.
Attorney information for Ryan was not immediately available.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it has 20 open cases related to antisemitic hate crimes.
(NEW YORK) — The aftereffects of the winter that wasn’t in the Northeast are continuing to reveal themselves, as another recreational activity opens early due to mild weather conditions.
The Niagara City Cruises, the famed boat tours that take tourists to the falls, is opening for the season on Thursday, the company announced.
The “historic” opening marks the earliest point in the year that the Niagara City Cruises has even begun operations, the company said, citing the mild winter weather.
The annual spring opening is largely dependent on the buildup of ice on Lake Erie over the winter, which has been “minimal” this year, with as little as 1% of the lake’s surface currently covered in ice and water temperatures above freezing by the end of February, according to City Cruises.
On Feb. 13, near the peak of the ice season for the Great Lakes, the combined ice cover across the Great Lakes was a record low of 7.3% for that date, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario both saw very little ice all winter.
“While there have been some snowstorms and frigid stretches during this year’s winter, overall, conditions have been favorable,” City Cruises said.
The ice boom that is installed where Lake Erie empties into the Niagara River has been removed early as a result, according to the tourism company. The boom reduces the risk of ice jams that can damage property and reduce the strong waterflow used to generate hydroelectricity.
The removal of the boom is a “key event” for the opening of the boat tours. Last year, the boom was removed on March 29 but the New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation began removing the boom on March 2 this year.
Long-term trends show an average 22% decline in the annual maximum ice cover across all the Great Lakes since 1973 despite year-to-year variability, according to NOAA.
More guests will be able to take advantage of recreational activities in the region due to the favorable conditions, City Cruises said.
“2023 is our comeback year, and we are excited to be able to welcome both locals and tourists alike to the iconic destination, and this year, be part of families March spring break to enjoy during their time here in the Niagara region,” Mory DiMaurizi, chief operating officer of City Cruises in Canada, said in a statement.
It was a wet and mild winter for much of the U.S. during the 2022-2023 season. The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. this winter was 34.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 2.7 degrees above average, the NOAA reported.
Buffalo, New York, tied for its 5th-warmest winter on record.
Other parts of the East Coast, including New York City, have had one of their least snowy seasons to date due to unseasonably warm temperatures throughout the region. Massachusetts had its warmest winter on record, while Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky had their second warmest winters.
The falls are not the only recreational activity to open early in the East. The iconic cherry blossoms that line the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are expected to reach full bloom status between March 22 and March 25 as a result of the city’s third-warmest winter on record, according to the National Parks Service. The cherry blossoms typically reach full bloom in late March through early April.
After nearly 30 years of acting, Meagan Good finally thinks “people are starting to get who I am.” In her first solo cover for ESSENCE, she says, “I had to get to a place where I stopped caring in order for me to walk into the place where people now are like, ‘No, I actually get her.'”
Meagan’s been proving herself since she was 4 years old, when she had to convince her first manager that she was ready for acting. When she auditioned for Deliver Us from Eva at 19, the directors thought she was too young. But she impressed Gabrielle Union, who vouched for her to get the role.
Meagan also fought to read for her starring role in Harlem and made sure she was physically fit to audition for a role in the DC Comics film Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which she eventually landed.
“I take it as a challenge,” Good says of being underestimated. “I can still change people’s minds about me, and I don’t look at that as a bad thing. I look at that as a purpose thing.”
Socially, Meagan faced criticism by the Christian community when she was married to Devon Franklin. She was also accused of bleaching her skin in 2020. The actress had no rebuttal for the latter experience, but she says it led to her now-carefree attitude.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but my concern with what other people thought about me was such a thing that I had to go through something like that where I literally had no other option,” she says. “I had to be put in that place in order for me to get as free as I am now.”
