Jennifer Hudson is celebrating the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, with more than just a film based on her life.

On Friday, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Respect was released, featuring 17 uplifting songs sung by Hudson. Some of those soulful ballads include renditions of Aretha’s hits “Respect” and “Chain of Fools,” as well as the inspirational hymn “Amazing Grace.” Additionally, Hudson shared the music video for the original song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” — which she wrote along with four-time Grammy winner Carole King and Jamie Hartman. Respect, also starring Forest Whitaker and Marlon Wayans, is now in theaters. The soundtrack is available now on CD, vinyl and digital platforms.

In other music-related news, after squaring off during a Verzuz battle in June, rappers Bow Wow and Soulja Boy have reunited for a new music video aptly titled “Bow Wow vs. Soulja Boy.” The video, set at a mansion pool party, shows the two artists enjoying a lavish lifestyle that includes high-end cars, plenty of cash being thrown around, and — of course — a bevy of scantily clad women standing around and posing.

Finally, producer Swizz Beatz has unveiled his latest song from the forthcoming Godfather of Harlem Season 2 soundtrack. Titled “Brick by Brick,” the new track features rappers Westside Gunn and Fabolous talking about the harsh realities of life. Godfather of Harlem, starring Forest Whitaker, airs Sunday nights on Epix. New music from the soundtrack will be released weekly ahead of each episode.

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Back in February, Morgan Wallen’s promising arc towards country superstardom came screeching to a halt after doorcam video footage emerged that showed him shouting the n-word as he said goodbye to a car full of friends at the end of a night of partying. 

In this week’s installment of People’s People in the ‘90s podcast, Darius Rucker recalls his reaction to the incident, which led to Morgan’s being benched by his label and many country stations, and cost him his eligibility at multiple awards shows. Like many others, Darius says he was “shocked” by the singer’s behavior.

“I know Morgan and I like Morgan,” he explained. “It’s one of those things that where you know that all over the country, there’s a lot of people that use that word flippantly.”

But that doesn’t mitigate the seriousness of Morgan’s use of the word, Rucker continues. 

“Even if they say they don’t mean it in a derogatory way, you just don’t use it. You don’t say it,” Darius stresses.

“It’s shocking how prevalent it is. Racism still lives,” the singer continues. “It lives strong in some people and it’s sad. It should be getting better and it’s getting worse.”

One of country music’s few mainstream Black stars, Darius — who’s also the frontman of rock group Hootie & the Blowfish — debuted as a solo artist in the genre in 2008.

Last month, Morgan gave his first major interview since the scandal, sitting down with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan to talk about the incident and share what he’s been doing during his time away from the spotlight. 

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Back in May, Jimmie Allen and his wife, Alexis, gathered with family and friends for a gorgeous wedding celebration. But as it happens, that wasn’t their actual wedding.

In a new interview with People, the couple admits that that event was simply the first chance they had to celebrate their union with a group of people. In fact, they legally tied the knot almost a year beforehand — on June 18, 2020, which is also Jimmie’s birthday. 

“We’ve actually been married for a year,” Alexis says, but adds that taking their marital status public made this summer especially sweet. “Actually being publicly Mr. and Mrs. has been really exciting! I thought it was going to be the same, but I feel like it’s a new honeymoon stage for us. We get to wear our rings out in public.”

For his part, Jimmie says he was a little caught off guard by how much he enjoys being a married man. 

“I wanted to be a dad and do music,” the singer explains. “…The whole husband thing was not something I ever wanted to do. But Alexis changed that. Now I like it. It gives me some security — she can’t just be like, ‘I’m done.’ Divorce is a lot of paperwork!”

Speaking of family life, the couple is currently in the process of growing their family. Jimmie is dad to 7-year-old Aadyn, and he and Alexis are parents to 2-year-old Naomi. This summer, they announced they’re expecting a third child — another girl.

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Remember that story late last year that Lady Gaga was in talks to join Brad Pitt in a movie called Bullet Train?  Well, when the movie’s release date was announced not long ago, Gaga’s name wasn’t among the cast members listed. Now, we apparently know why.

The website Collider, which originally reported on Gaga’s Bullet Train casting, is now reporting that it was true at the time.  However, as COVID-19 wrecked shooting schedules across the industry, Collider reports that Gaga had to drop out of Bullet Train because she had to start preparing to shoot another movie, House of Gucci. Collider reports that the part Gaga was meant to play in Bullet Train has now been taken over by Sandra Bullock.

Bullet Train, which is due out April 8, 2022, is an action thriller that stars Pitt as one of a group of assassins who board a bullet train in Tokyo, with their individual missions are all connected in some way.  According to Collider, Bullock will play the role of Maria Beetle, Pitt’s handler.

As for Gaga’s House of Gucci, that film, co-starring Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons, will debut November 21 and is expected to be a major awards contender.  Before that, though, Gaga will release Love for Sale, her joint album with Tony Bennett, on October 1.  Earlier this week, she also teased a long-rumored Chromatica remix album.

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Artists from Australia, Germany, Norway and the Philippines have new music for you this Friday.

“Astronaut in the Ocean” rapper Masked Wolf, born Harry Michaels, has a new track out, “Bop.” In a statement, the Australian rapper says, “As simple as it is, I just wanted to make a song that had an uptempo feel, that typical hip hop style, and gave you a bit of an adrenaline rush. ‘Bop’ is just a great, feel-good song.”

Norwegian DJ/producer Kygo has teamed up with German singer/songwriter Zoe Wees for a new song called “Love Me Now.” Zoe, who scored a big hit last year with “Control,” says of Kygo, “His productions are so special…I’m so happy to be able to work with him.”

Kygo says, “I’ve been a fan of Zoe’s music for quite some time, she’s insanely talented. We’ve been working on this one for awhile and are really happy with how it turned out.”

TikTok superstar Bella Poarch, who scored a hit this year with “Build a B***h,” has dropped a new song called “Inferno” with producer/songwriter Sub Urban.  The video depicts Bella unleashing hell on two creepy guys who pick her up in a bar and drag her into an elevator, with plans to seemingly take advantage of her.

Bella posted a trigger warning on the video, and wrote, “As a victim of sexual assault, this song and video mean a lot to me. This is something I haven’t been ready to share with you just yet. It’s very hard for me to talk about. But I’m ready now.”

She added, “I decided to express myself by creating a song and video with Sub Urban based on how I wished my experience went. It’s a fantasy I wish was true.”

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Reba McEntire will shed new light on some of the biggest hits of her career this fall, dropping a three-part box set that spans her four-decade-plus career to date. 

Called Revived Remixed Revisited, the project divides its track list into three categories, and one selection from each disc is already out. Revived spotlights Reba’s touring band, applying new and live show-inspired arrangements to classics like “Is There Life Out There,” which is available to hear now. 

Remixed gives Reba’s older songs a modern twist: For example, her 2001 song “I’m a Survivor” — which recently found new life as a TikTok challenge — gets a makeover from musician and producer Lafemmebear. That song, also out now, previews the new remixed versions on the track list. 

Finally, Revisited finds Reba re-cutting stripped-back versions of some of the biggest hits of her catalogue, in collaboration with ace Nashville producer Dave Cobb. Reba will go toe-to-toe with another titan of the genre on that track list, enlisting Dolly Parton for a version of “Does He Love You.”

You’ll have to wait until release day for that duet, but you can hear “Consider Me Gone” off the Revisited collection right now. 

Revived Remixed Revisited drops in full on October 8.

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