The hip-hop world suffered some devastating losses in 2022, the most high profile of which was the death of Migos rapper Takeoff.
Takeoff, born Kirshnik Khari Ball, was fatally shot at 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston on November 1. He was 28.
Fans and fellow artists, including his bandmates Quavo and Offset, and Offset’s wife, Cardi B,were left reeling from the loss and paid tribute to him on social media. Thousands gathered at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, to pay their respects at a public memorial on November 11.
In December, a suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.
Here are some of the other artists we mourned this year:
Coolio – The Grammy-winning rapper, record producer and actor best known for his 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise” died September 28 at the age of 59. A cause of death for the artist, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., has not yet been revealed.
PnB Rock – The up-and-coming rapper, born Rakim Hasheem Allen, was fatally shot on September 12 during a robbery at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles. He was 30 years old.
B. Smyth – The R&B singer died November 17 of “respiratory failure after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis,” according to his brother. Born Brandon Smith, he was known for his 2014 song “Twerkaholic” and his 2012 collab with 2 Chainz, “Leggo.”
JayDaYoungan – The Louisiana rapper, born Javorius Scott, was shot and killed in July in his hometown of Bogalusa, police confirmed in a Facebook post. He was 24.
Trouble – The Atlanta rapper was shot and killed in a domestic situation in June. The artist, born Mariel Semonte Orr, was 34.
Jesse Powell – The R&B singer and Grammy nominee passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home in September. He was 51. His cause of death was not revealed.
DJ Kay Slay – The legendary New York DJ, born Keith Grayson, died in April after a monthslong battle with COVID-19. He was 55.
Since she became a global superstar, Adele has rarely put a foot wrong. But in 2022 she experienced backlash after abruptly canceling her Las Vegas residency — something she called “the worst moment in my career, by far.”
–The saga started in November 2021 when, shortly after telling Rolling Stone that she wasn’t going to do a Las Vegas residency because there were no venues available for her, Adele announced Weekends with Adele. The production was planned to run on weekends from January through April 2022 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
–Prices soared for the shows, Adele’s first in the U.S. since 2016, with at least one last-minute website offering seats for as much as $49,000 each for the opening night.
–But it all came crashing down on Thursday, January 20 — one day before the residency was to launch. In an emotional video message that day, Adele called the whole thing off, telling fans, “I’m so sorry, but my show ain’t ready.” She blamed COVID and delivery delays, adding, “I’m so upset and I’m really embarrassed and I’m so sorry to everyone that traveled in.”
–Fans who’d spent thousands on hotel and airfare to fly in for the opening weekend were furious and also frustrated Adele offered no further explanation. Rumors swirled as to the “real” reason the show was called off; there was speculation that she’d have to switch venues if she ever did make it to Vegas.
–In February, Adele appeared on The Graham Norton Show and insisted that the residency was “absolutely 100 percent happening this year.”
–In early July, Adele told BBC 4’s Desert Island Discs that she was “a shell of a person for a few months” after canceling the show, adding, “I definitely felt everyone’s disappointment … it was brutal.” She also explained her lack of communication by saying, “I’m not gonna update you if I ain’t got nothing to update you with, because that just leads to more disappointment.”
–Finally, in late July, the word came: Weekends with Adelehad been rescheduled for November 18, 2022, through March 25, 2023, and eight new shows had been added. In August, she told ELLE magazine that canceling the residency was “the worst moment in my career, by far,” but insisted she had to because the show had “no soul in it” and “lacked intimacy.”
–But all’s well that ends well: When it finally premiered, the show, which features her performing with a string section amid video panels, a rain curtain, fire and clouds of confetti, got rave reviews.
Adele has since added two New Year’s Eve weekend shows to the run, and she told an audience in December that, rather than returning to arenas or stadiums, she might simply continue doing intimate shows like Weekends with Adele “for the rest of my life.”
Following their breakout in 2021, Måneskin‘s meteoric rise didn’t slow down in 2022.
The Italian rockers first popped on the world’s radar when they won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest. They soon made a name for themselves stateside with their viral cover of The Four Seasons‘ “Beggin'” and the single “I Wanna Be Your Slave.”
Picking up where they left off, Måneskin kicked off 2022 with their debut performance on Saturday Night Live, which would foreshadow a year of firsts for the band, including playing big festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza for the first time. In the fall, they launched their first North American headlining tour, much of which was sold out.
In between all their time on the road, Måneskin continued to release new music with the singles “Supermodel” and “The Loneliest,” as well as a cover of “If I Can Dream” for the Elvis biopic. “Supermodel” would hit #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.
Måneskin also picked up a number of award nominations throughout the year, winning an MTV Video Music Award and an American Music Award. They performed on the VMAs, as well, though their performance was largely censored during the TV broadcast due to wardrobe issues.
The Måneskin train doesn’t appear to be losing any steam as we head into 2023. The group’s new album, Rush!, is set to drop January 20, and they’re nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammys, taking place February 5.
It was quite a year for Bruce Springsteen fans, who saw The Boss announce a new tour, but then anger them with ticket prices. He also released a new album, made several surprise concert appearances and more.
Here are some of the Bruce Springsteen happenings in 2022:
–Bruce and the E Street Band announced that their first tour in six years would hit Europe and the U.S., first revealing European dates that kick off in April in Barcelona.
–During Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour stop at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Bruce hopped onstage to join them for performances of his “Working on a Dream” and “Dancing in the Dark.”
–Also at MetLife Stadium, Bruce helped Paul McCartney wrap up his Got Back Tour in the U.S., joining Sir Paul to perform his “Glory Days” and the early Beatles track “I Wanna Be Your Man.”
–Less than two weeks later, Bruce showed up for McCartney once again, joining him for his historic headlining set at the Glastonbury Music Festival in England. The pair played the same two songs they performed in Jersey.
–Bruce and the E Street Band finally announced North American dates for their 2023 tour, which will kick off February 1 in Tampa, Florida. While fans were excited, that changed when tickets actually went on sale. Many were unable to get them, and those who got through to Ticketmaster found ticket prices as high as $5,000 thanks to the site’s dynamic pricing, which raises prices based on demand.
–Bruce responded to the backlash later in the year, telling Rolling Stone that while in the past he has always priced his tickets “under market value,” this time, at 73, he told his team, “I want to do what everybody else is doing, my peers.” He did insist most of his tickets were “affordable.” He also noted that artists “have to own the decisions you made,” adding, “I think if folks come to the show, they’re going to have a good time.”
–Bruce and wife Patti Scialfa became grandparents for their first time when their youngest son, Sam, welcomed daughter Lily Harper Springsteen.
–The Boss turned up at Bleachers’ Radio City Music Hall show in New York, joining Jack Antonoff to perform their collaborative tune “Chinatown.”
–September 30 marked the 40th anniversary of Bruce’s acclaimed solo album “Nebraska.”
–Bruce made a surprise appearance at The Killers’ show at Madison Square Garden, where he joined Brandon Flowers to perform his “Badlands” and “Born to Run,” as well as The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” and “A Dustland Fairytale.”
–He made his annual appearance at the Stand Up For Heroes benefit in New York, where he played a four-song set and told his traditional dirty jokes.
–Bruce dropped the new album Only The Strong Survive, made up of covers of classic soul songs like “Don’t Play That Song” and “Night Shift.” The album debuted at eight on the Billboard 200 album chart, his 22nd top 10 record, landing him at eight for the most top 10 albums and at six for the most among solo artists.
–During a week of appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Bruce confirmed that the often-debated line in “Thunder Road” is “Mary’s dress sways,” although he read what was written on the Born to Run jacket. Despite saying he was “insane about every little detail” about the album, it does, in fact, read “Mary’s dress waves.” Bruce insisted “this is wrong.”
(WASHINGTON) — A congressional investigation into the Food and Drug Administration’s review process for an Alzheimer’s treatment found that the agency “deviated” from its standard procedures to approve the Aduhelm drug with inconsistent data.
Aduhelm is notable for being the first drug in recent years approved to treat the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s, a disease with no known cure that is characterized by progressive dementia that affects more than six million Americans, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The joint 18-month investigation between the House’s Oversight and Reform Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee, released on Thursday, criticizes the FDA for “atypical collaboration and interactions” with Biogen, the drug’s manufacturer.
In statements, Biogen and the FDA both said their interactions prior to Aduhelm’s green light were appropriate in the context of the approval process.
“One of my top priorities as Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform is ensuring that the American people have access to effective and affordable medications,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in a statement.
The FDA “remains committed to the integrity of our drug approval process, which includes ensuring that safe and effective new treatment options are available to the millions of people with Alzheimer’s disease living in the U.S.,” the agency said in a statement to ABC News.
“The FDA’s decision to approve Aduhelm was based on our scientific evaluation of the data contained in the application, which is described in the approval materials. … That said, the agency has already started implementing changes consistent with the Committee’s recommendations,” the statement said, in part.
The report also blasts Biogen for “an unjustifiably high price for Aduhelm” that it says was meant “to make history.” One year of the Aduhelm treatment originally cost $56,000 for a person of average weight, the report says.
“Biogen stands by the integrity of the actions we have taken,” the company said in a statement to ABC News. “As stated in the congressional report, an FDA review concluded that, ‘There is no evidence that these interactions with the sponsor in advance of filing were anything but appropriate in this situation.'”
“Alzheimer’s is a highly complex disease and we have learned from the development and launch of Aduhelm. That process is continuing to inform our work as Biogen introduces new innovative treatments to the market,” the statement read, in part.
Aduhelm was considered for FDA approval under the agency’s traditional pathway before the agency switched to consider the drug under its Accelerated Approval Program, according to the report.
The change in course — which the congressional investigation says occurred “abruptly” — came after the FDA internally found Aduhelm lacked “demonstrated clinical benefit necessary for traditional approval,” House investigators found.
Under the accelerated program, the FDA can approve some drugs that meet both “an unmet medical need” and “treat serious conditions,” according to the agency’s website. Aduhelm is not the only drug to be approved under this pathway, which the FDA carved out specifically to give more options to patients with diseases for which virtually no treatments exist. Accelerated approval is typically contingent upon the pharmaceutical company completing larger, longer-term studies.
During the monthslong approval process, the FDA and Biogen collaborated closely. FDA and Biogen officials met, spoke or otherwise had substantial email exchanges at least 115 times, according to the congressional investigation.
Although it is typical for drug companies to work closely with the FDA during the approval process, such collaboration between Biogen and its federal regulators “exceeded the norm in some respects,” according to the FDA’s own internal review, the report says.
The cooperation came after an independent review of Aduhelm’s effects on people with Alzheimer’s cast doubt on its ability “to effectively slow cognitive and functional impairment” in patients.
And when the FDA initially approved the drug for all Alzheimer’s patients, the congressional investigation found that the move concerned some Biogen advisers who were wary of such broad approval. The advisers did not communicate such reservations to regulators, the report says.
The FDA later walked back its broad approval of the drug, eventually recommending the drug’s use in only a narrower subset of patients with early-stage disease, which more closely mirrored the group included in Aduhelm’s clinical trials.
Following the FDA’s accelerated approval of Aduhelm, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services established that Medicare would only pay for the drug under limited circumstances in which patients are part of approved studies.
That move severely limits the availability and practical implications of Aduhelm, essentially making it available only to people who can pay out of pocket for treatment.
And as part of the stipulations associated with accelerated approval, Biogen has more than six years to complete the final trial, per the report. Aduhelm remains available in the meantime.
Thursday’s report comes as the FDA evaluates two additional Alzheimer’s-related drugs, with a green light from the agency possible in the coming months. Biogen helped develop one of those drugs.
“FDA must take swift action to ensure that its processes for reviewing future Alzheimer’s disease treatments do not lead to the same doubts about the integrity of FDA’s review,” the congressional report says.
(NEW YORK) — Southwest Airlines said it plans to return to “normal operations with minimal disruptions” Friday, after days of chaos that saw the company cancel thousands of its flights, leaving many passengers stranded and seeking alternative transportation.
The airline said in a news release that it’s “encouraged by the progress we’ve made to realign crew, their schedules and our fleet.”
Southwest said its operating one-third of its schedule as of Thursday. According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the airline canceled more than 2,300, or 58%, of its flights on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the company canceled over 2,500 flights, which amounted to 62% of the day’s total, FlightAware said.
“We know even our deepest apologies — to our customers, to our employees, and to all affected through this disruption — only go so far,” the company said in a press release.
A huge storm that brought snow, heavy winds and below-freezing temperatures over the busy holiday travel season slowed down air travel, resulting in the cancellation and delay of tens of thousands of flights.
While the snowstorm grounded flights in and out of key airports in Southwest’s network, the historic scale of cancellations stemmed from the company’s uniquely complex flight coordination model and its outdated internal scheduling systems, according to flight experts, Southwest Airlines officials and union leaders.
The airline’s CEO, Bob Jordan, said he was “truly sorry” to customers and staff in a nearly three-minute video statement on Tuesday.
“Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go,” Jordan said.
He added, “after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up.”
(WASHINGTON) — One of the nation’s largest wholesale distributors of prescription drugs failed hundreds of thousands of times over the last decade to report suspicious orders of opioids, fueling the country’s opioids epidemic by putting profits over safety, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
AmerisourceBergen and two of its subsidiaries were sued, accused of ignoring red flags that suggested several pharmacies were diverting opioids to illicit markets. The complaint alleged AmerisourceBergen reported few suspicious orders and continued to supply the pharmacies for years.
“For years, AmerisourceBergen put its profits from opioid sales over the safety of Americans,” said Philip Sellinger, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. “According to the complaint, this was part of a brazen, blatant, and systemic failure by one of the largest companies in America to comply with its obligations to report suspicious opioid orders, contributing to the epidemic of opioid abuse throughout this country.”
The complaint included several examples of the alleged illegal distribution, including at two pharmacies, one in Florida and one in West Virginia. AmerisourceBergen allegedly continued to do business with the West Virginia pharmacy despite learning the drugs it distributed were likely being sold in parking lots for cash after it was reported by the company’s Corporate Security and Regulatory Affairs Department (CSRA).
A New Jersey pharmacy has pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling controlled substances, the complaint says. At another New Jersey pharmacy, the pharmacist-in-charge has been indicted for drug diversion.
Prosecutors also pointed to a pharmacy that AmerisourceBergen allegedly knew was its largest purchaser of oxycodone 30mg tablets in all of Colorado. A CSRA employee looking into the pharmacy specifically identified eleven patients at this pharmacy as potential “drug addicts” whose prescriptions likely were illegitimate, the complaint alleges. Two of those patients subsequently died of overdoses, according to the complaint. CSRA never stopped sales to or took action against the pharmacy, the complaint says.
“When drug distributors like AmerisourceBergen fail to alert the DEA of suspicious orders of prescription drugs by pharmacies, they shirk a key obligation in dealing with addictive drugs that can end lives,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado.
The complaint alleges that AmerisourceBergen not only ignored red flags of diversion, it also relied on internal systems to monitor and identify suspicious orders that were deeply inadequate, both in design and implementation. These systems allegedly flagged only a tiny fraction of suspicious orders, thereby enabling diversion and AmerisourceBergen’s failure to report orders it was legally obligated to identify to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, according to prosecutors.
“AmerisourceBergen, one of the largest wholesale distributors of opioids in the world, had a legal obligation to report suspicious orders to the Drug Enforcement Administration and our complaint alleges that the company’s repeated and systemic failure to fulfill this simple obligation helped ignite an opioid epidemic that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past decade,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
AmerisourceBergen said in a statement Thursday that the federal complaint “cherry picked” five pharmacies out of the tens of thousands that use the company as a wholesale distributor, while “ignoring the absence of action” from former administrators at the DEA.
The statement added, “Even in these five hand selected examples presented by the DOJ, AmerisourceBergen verified DEA registration and State Board of Pharmacy licenses before filling any orders, conducted extensive due diligence into these customers, reported every sale of every controlled substances to the DEA, and reported suspicious orders of controlled substances to the DEA for every one of these pharmacies – hundreds of suspicious orders in total.”
The company said it terminated its relationship with four of the five pharmacies mentioned in the complaint before the DEA took any enforcement action against them, and two of the five pharmacies currently maintain their DEA-controlled substance registration.
If AmerisourceBergen is found liable, it could potentially be required to pay billions of dollars in penalties, the Justice Department said.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden Thursday signed the omnibus spending bill into law while on vacation, extending funding for the government into next year.
Biden, on vacation in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, signed the $1.7 trillion into law to avoid a government shutdown and provide funding for the federal government through September.
The legislation, which provides $773 billion for non-defense discretionary spending and $858 billion for defense spending, marks victories for both parties.
“Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress,” Biden tweeted. “It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, VAWA funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine. Looking forward to more in 2023.”
Democrats were able to move the bill over the finish line despite near universal opposition by House Republicans, who are set to retake the chamber next month. And Republicans can tout the fact that defense outweighs non-defense spending after Democrats had pushed for parity.
“In eleven days this all changes. We are going to reclaim this body’s integrity and service to the American people. After this institution covers itself in disgrace, disgrace one last time under Democrat one-party rule. A new direction is coming. In eleven days, Republicans will deliver,” House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who is seeking to become speaker in the next Congress, said just before the House considered the spending bill.
“This bill is further proof that Republicans and Democrats can come together to deliver for the American people, and I’m looking forward to continued bipartisan progress in the year ahead,” Biden said in his own statement after the House passed the bill in a 225-201 vote last week.
Democratic and Republican appropriators faced a rocky process to craft the omnibus in the final days before the winter holiday recess, and Congress was forced to pass multiple stopgap spending bills to prevent a government shutdown.
Disagreements over several issues, including immigration, funding to Ukraine and even the location of the FBI’s new headquarters, snarled the negotiations, but ultimately the two parties came to the $1.7 trillion compromise.
Included within the bill are $40 billion in funding to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, $38 billion in emergency disaster assistance, a ban on TikTok on federal government phones and the Electoral Count Reform Act, which makes it more difficult for members of Congress to challenge the results of a presidential election.
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Water pressure has been restored to much of Jackson, Mississippi, but a precautionary boil water notice is still in effect as crews continue to look for leaks and make repairs on the city’s troubled water system, local and state officials said.
“The far reaches of the system are still not seeing full pressure recovery. We’ve identified approximately 20 to 25 active leaks all over the city,” Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at a press conference Wednesday.
Officials hope to have the boil water advisory lifted by Saturday, though Lumumba noted that was “an ambitious goal.”
The city issued a precautionary boil water notice on Christmas Day after severe winter weather caused unidentifiable breaks in its distribution system. Lumumba issued a local state of emergency, calling the situation a “worst case scenario.”
Environmental Protection Agency rules require the city to issue a boil water notice when water pressure at the city’s main treatment facilities drops below a certain threshold, Lumumba said.
“Loss of system pressure endangers public health because of the high potential for the introduction of contaminants,” according to the EPA.
The recovery in water pressure is from people turning off dripping faucets, Lumumba said.
Water distribution continued Wednesday at various locations throughout the city. Non-potable water will be given out to residents at the Mississippi state fairgrounds so they can flush their toilets. The mayor urged residents to conserve water and report leaks and open fire hydrants.
Water issues have long-plagued the city of Jackson. Historic flooding in August damaged a major pump at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant, which left around 150,000 of the city’s mostly Black residents without drinkable water.
This week, freezing temperatures also caused water pressure issues in Atlanta, Georgia, leading to boil water notices in the city’s metro-area counties, including Clayton, Butts, Forsyth and parts of Dekalb, Haralson and Monroe.
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Buffalo residents helped free 16 birds stuck in ice along the waterfront of LaSalle Park after a deadly blizzard swept through the region over the weekend.
Seamus Gallivan and Alex McArthur said the rescue mission was borne out of wanting to help somehow, while the city remained paralyzed by the historic winter storm. The couple says they spent 56 hours without power as a record 51 inches of snow fell.
“When we finally got power back on and kind of got out of survival mode, I was walking around the neighborhood with a shovel just looking for anyone who needed help. Things seemed pretty stable, so I walked into the park and came upon a guy who was sort of standing over something,” Gallivan told ABC News.
That something was a gull stuck in a thick layer of ice encasing the park where the Niagra River meets Lake Eerie.
“He called for help, and I really had no idea what I was walking into,” Gallivan said.
They freed a couple of the gulls with a hammer, then Gallivan and McArthur returned with chisels and screwdrivers to rescue more birds.
“The ice was pretty thick. It was not just something you could easily break with your hands or something,” McArthur told ABC News.
Chipping away the ice became a bit easier as temperatures rose on Wednesday and Thursday, Gallivan said. Some of the gulls were stuck to the ice by their feet, wings or tails. Eventually, they brought out a spray bottle filled warm salt water to help free the birds.
One of the birds appeared to be in bad shape with ice stuck to it, so the couple took it home in a box to warm up by their fireplace, based on advice Gallivan received after posting about the situation in a local birding Facebook group, he said. After a few hours in the warmth, the bird looked more alert, so they took the bird outside and it flew away. That inspired them to keep looking for more birds to save.
“You may have heard Buffalo is called the city of good neighbors. I think the origin of that is how we come together and meet each other, because we have to check on each other when stuff like this happens. You know, when your neighbor is buried in snow and they can’t get out, whether it’s a seagull or an old lady, someone’s gotta check on them,” Gallivan said.
