Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SHEIN Together Fest 2021
Here’s a roundup of new music from today’s hottest R&B and hip-hop artists.
Tinashe dropped off another single, “Bouncin’,” from her upcoming album, 333. The futuristic dance song flirts with both pop and R&B sounds, while Tinashe sings about sending dirty pics to her lover and sweating out her edges at the club.
“Watch it bouncin’ on the ground/ Got my edges sweating out/ Turn it up extra loud (Uh, oh ohhh)/ Yeah tonight we stepping out/ Been a minute since/ I found someone who could hold it down,” she sings.
“Bouncin'” follows Tinashe’s June release, “Pasadena” featuring Buddy.
Meanwhile, New Orleans singer Lucky Daye has lent vocals to “Sinner,” the new single from Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold. The romantic song tells the story of two lovers and takes inspiration from the biblical story of King David and Bathsheba.
Rappers Kid Ink and RMR Chanel dropped their summer-ready single “Party,” which includes a reworked version of the chorus of Jagged Edge‘s 2001 hit “Where the Party At,” featuring Nelly.
Last but not least, rising singer Mariah the Scientist shares her new album, Ry Ry World. Mariah uses her R&B vocal stylings to sing relatable songs about love, heartbreak and seeking “Revenge” on an ex from her past. Ry Ry World also features appearances from rappers Lil Baby and Young Thug. Earlier this week, Mariah the Scientist dropped a music video for her single “Aura.”
And, in case you missed it, the soundtrack for the upcoming film Space Jam: A New Legacy is out now. It features Saweetie, Cordae, Salt-N-Pepa, Kash Doll, Joyner Lucas and more, including Lil Babyand KirkFranklin on the new single “We Win.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on July 16.
Ice Nine Kills has announced a new album titled The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.
The follow-up to 2018’s The Silver Scream is due out October 15. Its lead single, “Hip to Be Scared,” which features Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix, is available now for digital download.
“Hip to Be Scared” is accompanied by a video, which, in keeping with INK’s horror-metal theme, is basically a note-for-note parody of the 2000 film American Psycho, specifically the scene where Christian Bale‘s Patrick Bateman murders Jared Leto‘s character with an axe after sharing his thoughts on the Huey Lewis hit “Hip to Be Square.”
You can watch the “Hip to Be Scared” video streaming now on YouTube.
The first Silver Scream album features the singles “A Grave Mistake” and “Savages.”
One of Alessia Cara‘s idols is Amy Winehouse, so she was thrilled when, for one of the two singles she’s releasing next week, she got to work with Amy’s producer, Salaam Remi. But as Alessia tells Billboard, the connection went even deeper than that.
Speaking about her single “Shapeshifter,” Alessia says, “I got to write it in the room and house where [Amy] wrote all of Back to Black, which was so crazy for me. It was just one of those full-circle, beautiful, magical moments. Working with Salaam was amazing because they were so close.”
Back to Black was Amy’s final album before her tragic death in 2011 at age 27. It won her five Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album.
The other single Alessia’s putting out next week is called “Sweet Dream,” which Alessia says is about her insomnia. “I’ve always struggled with falling asleep my whole life, and being in quarantine, being alone, I didn’t have a lot going on in my life, so I was like, ‘I need to write about this,'” she tells Billboard.
Asked what advice she’d give Olivia Rodrigo, who’s experiencing stardom at the same age at which the now 24-year-old Alessia first did, the Canadian Grammy-winner says, “It seems like she’s got it down, but I just guess … stay firm in your beliefs and in who you are.”
“My manager always tells me that the things that you say no to are often more important than the things you say yes to,” she adds. “So I would say that. Stand your ground and don’t be afraid to say no. And ‘no’ is a full sentence.”
Deftones‘ North American tour has been postponed to 2022.
The outing, which also includes Gojira on the bill, had previously been delayed to this summer from its original 2020 itinerary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’ll now launch in April of next year.
“This is not an easy decision, but one we felt necessary,” Deftones writes in a statement. “Giving this tour a little more breathing room will give space to, and help ensure we can make every date with confidence.”
Previously purchased tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dates, and refunds are available for those who can no longer attend. Additionally, new shows have been added in Las Vegas, Nashville and Cincinnati.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Deftones.com.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Emily Weisband enlists Little Big Town band mate Karen Fairchild for her newest song, “butterfly.”
“From the moment I heard this song I couldn’t stop listening and harassing Emily about it!” Karen explains. “It’s so relatable — the stages of love and how they change. Emily’s voice and writing has a vulnerability that is gut-wrenching. I’m so happy that she asked me to be a part of it.”
Emily got the idea for the song as she reflected on how the passage of time affects a relationship. “As fun as the butterflies are when you’re first falling in love, they do fly away and that’s when love becomes a choice,” she says.
“I wanted to write a song about staying even when the feelings fade, and I’m so honored that Karen wanted to sing this song with me,” Emily adds. “We felt like telling this story from both the perspective of a woman in a new relationship and a woman who’s been married for years was a really powerful way to share it.”
The new track follows Emily’s most recent EP, I Call It Being Human. In her work as a songwriter, she’s teamed up with country A-Listers like Dan + Shay and Keith Urban, as well as pop stars like BTS, Halsey and Camila Cabello.
With a pic on Instagram from star and co-executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker, it’s official: production has begun on the new Sex and the City sequel, Just Like That…
The photo shows Carrie Bradshaw herself with her co-producer co-stars Cynthia Nixon, who;s back as Miranda Hobbes, and Kristin Davis, reprising her role as Charlotte York Goldenblatt, all looking fierce in New York City.
Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones in the beloved HBO series and its two subsequent feature films, will not return for this new chapter.
The 10-episode series will focus on Bradshaw, Hobbes and York Goldenblatt as they “navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s,” according to a summary of the show.
And Just Like That… will also feature Sara Ramírez, as well as returning SATC stars Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson and Evan Handler.
A premiere date for the series, which will stream on HBO Max, has not yet been announced.
(NEW YORK) — Sir Richard Branson is set to briefly leave earth’s atmosphere on Sunday, risking it all to usher in a new era of space tourism that has been propelled by a billionaire-backed commercial space industry.
“We’ve spent 17 years trying to get to this stage,” Branson said in an interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America” last week. “I’m just expecting the most extraordinary trip of my lifetime and by pioneering it myself, an extraordinary trip of a lifetime for other people in the future.”
If all goes well, Branson will beat fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos — who revealed he was launching via his own rocket on July 20 — into space by just over a week. While Branson said he doesn’t see it as a “race,” his own spaceflight announcement came just hours after Bezos’ revealed he was bringing along a female pilot whose dreams of being an astronaut in the ’60s were deferred.
The two launches within ten days of each other leave some to speculate whether these billionaires are “democratizing space” as they claim, or seeking bragging rights here on Earth. Still, as with all spaceflights, swaths of viewers from across the globe are expected to tune in — and there are no guarantees of safety as the ultra-rich use themselves as guinea pigs for their space-travel firms.
Here is what to know about Branson’s trip to the edge of space, scheduled to take off Sunday morning.
What is happening and how to watch
Branson, 70, will take-off aboard the first fully crewed flight from his private space-faring firm Virgin Galactic. The spaceflight will be streamed live on Virgin Galactic’s website as well as its Twitter, YouTube and Facebook pages. ABC News will also carry live coverage of the event.
The launch will take place from New Mexico’s Spaceport America, and live coverage will commence at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Branson will serve as a mission specialist on what is being dubbed the Unity 22 mission, the company’s fourth crewed spaceflight on its VSS Unity spacecraft. Branson will be accompanied into space by fellow Virgin Galactic staff: Beth Moses (chief astronaut instructor), Colin Bennet (lead operations engineer), and Sirisha Bandla (vice president of government affairs and research operations).
Pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci will fly the spaceship, with C.J. Sturckow and Kelly Latimer flying the aircraft from which the spaceship will dispatch.
Branson’s role is to evaluate the private astronaut experience to prepare for future customers, which Virgin Galactic expects to do beginning in 2022.
R&B singer Khalid tweeted Friday that he will be at the launch, and debuting a new song.
Flight details
The VSS Unity spacecraft launches from a custom-built “mothership” aircraft, the VMS Eve, that takes off from a conventional runway. At an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet, the spaceship will be released from the aircraft and enter its glide to the edges of space where those aboard can experience just a few minutes of microgravity, as well as novel views of earth and space. Previous test flights for the spaceship reached an altitude of 55.5 miles.
As gravity pulls the spaceship back toward Earth’s upper atmosphere, the astronauts will buckle back into their seats for reentry. Eventually, the spaceship will glide back to Spaceport America for a runway landing. Branson has said in previous interviews that the flight will take about 1 1/2 hours total.
Virgin Galactic has taken heat from critics, including the twitter account of Bezos’ firm Blue Origin, for stretching the definition of “space” as its flights do not go above the Karman line (62 miles above earth) that is defined by many — but not all — as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space.
Neither Blue Origin nor Virgin Galactic’s flights will reach Earth’s orbit, however, the way Elon Musk’s SpaceX missions have. Musk on Twitter has called out this “big difference.”
The billionaires’ race to space
The modern commercial space race has been undeniably dominated by the ultra-rich. Blue Origin founder Bezos is the richest man in the world, according to Forbes data, and SpaceX CEO Musk is the third-richest. Branson’s net worth, meanwhile, is some $6 billion.
While this has led some to see space as a new frontier for billionaire daredevils, others have argued that the rise of private sector involvement in space travel has accelerated technological advancements, saved NASA money, and carries the longterm potential to open up space tourism to all who have been curious about the cosmos.
“I truly believe that space belongs to all of us,” Branson said in a statement earlier this month announcing his spaceflight. “After 17 years of research, engineering and innovation, the new commercial space industry is poised to open the universe to humankind and change the world for good.”
Virgin Galactic has stated its mission is “democratizing space” and increasing accessibility. Its initial price of tickets, however, cost $250,000. Bezos, meanwhile, auctioned a seat on his upcoming Blue Origin flight for a whopping $28 million.
As the pandemic spotlighted the nation’s wealth inequality and deepened the divide between the haves and have-nots, not everyone is rooting for the billionaires the way Americans got behind astronauts in the Apollo era. A Change.org petition calling for Bezos to stay in space has garnered headlines and more than 150,000 signatures.
Animosity was exacerbated by recent reports on how Bezos and Musk have avoided paying income taxes.
Earlier this year, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., responded to one of Musk’s tweets about a “multiplanetary” future, calling for him to “focus on Earth.”
“Space travel is an exciting idea, but right now we need to focus on Earth and create a progressive tax system so that children don’t go hungry, people are not homeless and all Americans have healthcare,” Sanders wrote. “The level of inequality in America is obscene and a threat to our democracy.”
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assigned two federal “surge team” members to Missouri this week to help fight the state’s COVID-19 surge.
Missouri is among a growing list of states that have seen rising infections, with new cases increasing 46% over the last two weeks, from June 23 to July 7, with an average of 1,111 per week, up from 759 two weeks prior, according data from the Department of Health and Human Services. Over the past five weeks, infections have risen 180%.
Missouri and neighboring Arkansas now lead the nation with the highest weekly case rates per capita, which translates into more than 100 per 100,000 residents. New COVID-19 hospital admissions also rose 30% over the same two-week span, and front-line workers say patients are becoming sicker more quickly.
The CDC surge team assigned to Missouri is an epidemiologist, deployed to do on-the-ground genetic sequencing and data analysis, and an adviser who’s working with local officials on how to address vaccine hesitancy.
Missouri’s vaccination rate trails the national average. As of Friday, 46% of residents had received at least one dose, and 40% were fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, compared with 55% of all Americans who’ve gotten at least one shot and 48% who are fully vaccinated.
State health officials said they hope more help is on the way.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with them and learning more about how the Delta variant is impacting Missouri, specifically southwest Missouri initially,” the Missouri health department said of the CDC, in a statement. “More team members will be added in the coming weeks, both remotely and in person, to assist with data and research, vaccine uptake strategies and outreach.”
Low vaccination rates are having a profound impact on hospitals, particularly in the southwestern part of the state. At Mercy Hospital in Springfield, more patients are currently hospitalized than at any point during the pandemic. More than 88% of patients in the ICU are on ventilators, and the hospital had to request additional machines from other hospitals in its network when it ran out earlier this week.
“This is the absolute worst that I’ve ever seen it,” Emily McMichael, a nurse at the hospital, told ABC News. “These patients are a lot sicker, and a lot younger, than what we saw the last go around, so it’s just really sad to see. And a lot of the population is unvaccinated.”
It’s not just Mercy. At Lake Regional Hospital, in the Lake of the Ozarks area, the health system prepared for a surge this week.
“We are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 deaths in our community,” Dane Henry, CEO of the Lake Regional Health System, wrote in a letter to the community Thursday. According to Henry, six COVID patients died in the hospital during the first week of July, compared with six deaths during all of June and only one COVID death in May.
“At Lake Regional, we are already stretched to the limit. Our hospital is very near capacity, and we are seeing exceptionally high numbers of Emergency Department patients daily,” he wrote. “I’m also very worried about the decisions we will face if COVID cases surge, as expected. Hospitals all around us are filling up, too. That means none of us have a safety valve.”
Top health officials have been warning for weeks that unvaccinated people have a high risk of contracting the delta variant of the virus, which was first identified in India and has since spread to more than 100 countries, including all 50 U.S. states. The variant is now dominant in the U.S. and is more transmissible than the original form of the virus, according to the CDC.
In Missouri, the delta variant makes up 73% of sequenced new cases, according to the CDC.
“We’re seeing the real-world impact of what’s happening across southwest Missouri and in our communities of the delta variant spreading rapidly through a largely unvaccinated population,” Dr. William Sistrunk, an infectious disease specialist at Mercy, said a Wednesday press conference. “This variant is hitting and impacting our community very hard, and bringing down younger, healthier people.”
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, pointed to the deep divide in hospitalization risk between vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans. “There are large swaths of the country where there are substantial numbers of communities that are under-vaccinated,” he said. If the delta variant gets into one of those communities it “has the potential, because it is so very contagious, to spread and to cause infection.”
While fully vaccinated people are fairly protected from severe disease and hospitalization from the delta variant, that’s not true for the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
“It’s very unusual for a fully vaccinated person to be admitted to the hospital,” Schaffner said. “Virtually every one of those hospitalizations could have been prevented.”
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Dua Lipa is the latest artist to be sued for posting a paparazzi photo of herself on her Instagram feed.
Billboard reports that Dua is being sued for copyright infringement for allegedly posting the picture, which is owned by Integral Images, on Insta on February of 2019, without permission. The picture in question shows Dua at an airport while wearing a big hat.
Why is this a big deal? Because, as the company notes, Dua uses her Instagram account to “accumulate followers who are directed to, via link and/or advertisement, consume and purchase [her] content,” which means that “[Dua] profits from these activities.” That’s why Integral Images is seeking $150,000 in damages, or actual damages based on money Dua due to the posting, whichever is a bigger number.
Integral also wants legal and attorney’s fees, as well as an order preventing Dua from “further acts of infringement.”
Other stars who’ve been sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on social media include Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez.
(WASHINGTON) — In a nearly one-hour call, President Joe Biden discussed ransomware attacks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying afterward he was “optimistic” about communications between the two countries going forward.
The discussion, their first since meeting in Switzerland last month for a major summit, comes days after another massive ransomware attack affected as many as 1,500 businesses around the world, according to the software vendor that was impacted.
“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his — even though it’s not, not sponsored by the state — we expect him to act if we give him enough information to act on who that is,” Biden told reporters afterward.
He added that there will still be U.S. consequences for such attacks, without providing details.
But weeks after their Geneva summit, the president expressed optimism that the two countries, whose relations have hit a low point in recent years over a mountain of different issues, at least now had clear lines of communication.
“We have set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate to one another when each of us thinks something is happening in the other country that affects the home country — and so, it went well,” Biden said of the call.
The Kremlin said in its own readout that the two presidents “stressed the need for substantive and constructive cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and the continuation of relevant contacts.”
The White House has said there’s no indication the Russian government is responsible for this latest ransomware attack, in which hackers from the cyber criminal group REvil infiltrated IT management companies and their corporate clients through the software vendor Kaseya. The firm said 50 of its customers were directly compromised, but as many as 1,500 businesses that rely on those 50 customers for IT security could be compromised.
REvil is believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe and was responsible for the hack of JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, that took facilities offline and affected meat supplies, including in the U.S. The group demanded a $70 million bitcoin payment from its victims of the Kaseya attack.
While the Russian government may not be involved, it has consistently denied responsibility for its own cyberattacks, from its interference in the 2016 U.S. elections to the massive SolarWinds hack that affected dozens of government ministries, private companies and other entities around the world, including nearly a dozen U.S. agencies.
“Despite the readiness of the Russian side to jointly suppress criminal manifestations in the information space, no appeals on these issues have been received by the competent US agencies over the past month,” the Kremlin said Friday.
That language indicated a continued lack of cooperation from the Russian government on the issue. The White House declined to say whether Biden received any new assurances from Putin, referring ABC News’s questions to the Kremlin.
