After Kanye West‘s long-awaited album Donda hit streaming services on Sunday, the rapper took to social media to let fans know that the decision to make it available wasn’t his.
Sharing a text graphic, the Yeezy founder called out his label, writing, “UNIVERSAL PUT MY ALBUM OUT WITHOUT MY APPROVAL.”
“AND THEY BLOCKED JAIL 2 FROM BEING ON THE ALBUM,” he shared, referencing a second version of the track “Jail” that featured fellow rapper DaBaby. The original features a verse from JAY-Z.
Earlier in the day, Ye shared screenshots of a text conversation revealing that DaBaby hadn’t signed the appropriate paperwork to clear his verse. The post has since been deleted, but it appears things worked themselves out because, by the afternoon, the song was available to stream.
Donda, which is Ye’s 10th studio effort,hit streaming platforms early Sunday morning after multiple delays. After a year-long delay, it was first scheduled for release on July 23, then August 6, both following packed listening events held at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. A third listening event was held at Chicago’s Soldier field Thursday night, August 26.
Since the release, artists like Chris Brown and Soulja Boy have taken issue with West after their verses on “New Again” and “Remote Control,” respectively, didn’t make it on the album.
In a now-deleted Instagram Story, Brown, wrote, “Kanye a whole h**,” followed by “Nah he tweakin’.”
Meanwhile, Soulja posted purported screenshots of his conversation with Ye about collaborating on music and fashion. And, answering a fan who asked what he thought about Donda, he responded, “Idk how to feel, Kanye sent me that song “remote control” and I don’t hear my verse on it… hmm f*** that [man].”
The music world is mourning one of its greats. Lee “Scratch” Perry, hailed for breaking boundaries for reggae and dub music during the ’60s and ’70s, has died at age 85.
The Jamaica Observerconfirmed Perry’s passing, saying he died of an unspecified illness at Noel Holmes Hospital in his native Jamaica.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, mourned the legend on Twitter, writing, “My deep condolences to the family, friends, and fans of legendary record producer and singer, Rainford Hugh Perry OD, affectionately known as ‘Lee Scratch’ Perry.”
Perry, whose influential and innovative music style went beyond reggae and dub, is noted for altering a variety of music genres, such as hip hop and rock. The singer also worked as a record producer and collaborated with acts such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, Beastie Boys, The Clash and many others. His Black Ark studio also gained legendary status.
Perry was mourned by many in the music world, with Mike D of Beastie Boys writing, “We send the most love and respect we can to Lee Perry who passed today, to his family and loved ones and the many he influenced with his pioneering spirit and work. We are truly grateful to have been inspired by and collaborated with this true legend.”
Roots drummer Questlove also honored the late legend, writing, “Pure Innovation. Pure Imagination. This Man Was Plug Ins long before you studio cats today can simply press one button and instantly created sound chaos. Way before The Bomb Squad. The God Of Black Ark. the true Sound Journey. One of the most awe inspiring producer/engineers/visionaries.”
Living Colour tweeted Sunday, “We send love, light, respect, our condolences to the LEGENDARY Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and his family and fans worldwide! May his soul Rest In Peace!”
After spending the past few weeks hovering in the top five, Olivia Rodrigo‘s debut album SOUR has once again claimed the top spot on the Billboard200 chart.
The singer’s debut album was boosted by its August 20 vinyl LP release: SOUR sold an additional 133,000 units, with 76,000 consisting of vinyl sales alone. Billboard says that marks the second-highest sales week for any LP since it began tracking vinyl sales data in 1991. Taylor Swift‘s evermore holds the title, with an impressive 102,000 copies of the vinyl version of the LP flying off the shelves in the first week of June.
SOUR was also streamed 69.82 million times in the past week.
SOUR, which debuted May 21, has been assisted on the chart by Olivia’s trilogy of hits: “Drivers License,” “Deja Vu” and “good 4 u.” But most of the album’s other tracks are also charting on the Hot 100 as well.
Currently, “good 4 u” leads the pack in the number-three spot. “Deja Vu” also clings to the top 10 for another week, currently resting at number nine. “Traitor” and “Favorite Crime” are also charting in the top 100.
Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of Chadwick Boseman‘s death from colon cancer at age 43. Lupita Nyong’o, Viola Davis and many other celebrities honored the Black Panther star’s memory on the anniversary of his unexpected passing.
Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan, who starred alongside Boseman the Marvel film, offered heartfelt memories of the late actor.
“I did not know that I could miss both his laughter and his silence in equal measure. I do. I do… One year after his passing, the memory of @chadwickboseman remains this alive in me,” wrote Nyong’o on Twitter, alongside a photo of the two sharing a hearty laugh.
Jordan shared a snap the two at a formal event and captioned it, “Not a day goes by bro… Love and miss you but I know you still with us.”
Marvel Studios also commemorated Boseman, and wrote on Twitter, “Honoring our friend, our inspiration and our King, Chadwick Boseman.”
Davis paid homage to her Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom co-star and shared a still from the two-time Oscar-winning movie, and expressed, “This day last year you left this earth and us. Man you are missed!!!”
Many others paid tribute to Boseman, with Josh Gad sharing one of the last text messages he received from the late actor. “Not a day goes by one year later, where it doesn’t still hurt. But in the darkness, he always reminds us of the light. He was an angel on this planet and is now a Saint on high. Love you and miss you more than ever… forever,” he tweeted.
Kerry Washington also honored Boseman, writing, “One year without Chadwick Boseman. Thank you for watching over us. We miss you King.”
Justin Bieber has further cemented his status as the prince of pop — a title given to him by Lizzo on Sunday — by being crowned Spotify’s most listened-to artist.
The music streaming service confirmed that the “Peaches” singer has amassed over 83.3 million monthly listeners, a new all-time record, reports Chart Data. The milestone isn’t all too surprising, considering “Stay,” Justin’s collab with The Kid LAROI, has dominated the BillboardHot 100 for three consecutive weeks.
Justin leads the Spotify pack by a wide margin, with The Weeknd earning second place with 74.5 million monthly listeners. Ed Sheeran rounds out the top three with 72.4 million listeners per month.
(NEW YORK) — Tennis star Sloane Stephens is opening up about mental health ahead of the 2021 U.S. Open.
Mental health for athletes at the top of their game has been brought to the forefront in 2021, largely due to athletes like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles opening up on their own struggles.
“It’s important because no one says that it’s OK to say how you feel. And I think now it’s becoming a big deal,” Stephens, 28, told “Good Morning America” at a Mercedes event in Manhattan.
Osaka pulled out of the French Open in May after she announced she would not be speaking to the press at mandatory post-match press conferences due to mental health concerns. Osaka, the world’s No. 2 player, was fined $15,000 for each missed press conference before dropping out of the tournament.
“I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one,” Osaka wrote on Twitter on May 26.
In wake of Osaka’s call to action for tournaments to prioritize players’ mental health, the U.S. Open announced measures to support players and their mental health including plans to have licensed mental health providers and consultants on site for the tournament. But they will not be changing their mandatory press conference rule.
Stephens, who won the U.S. Open in 2017 and has been playing professional tennis for over a decade, is now one of the many athletes who is speaking out about mental health and sharing her experiences with others.
“Why would you keep [your mental health struggles] to yourself, for what?” Stephens asked. “If you’re struggling why would you just like sit and wallow? Maybe there’s someone else that can help you. Maybe there’s someone that you can talk to. Maybe there’s someone that has gone through the same thing and can offer you advice and support.”
“I feel like a lot of people try to fight it alone and end up in a deeper rut than they were in before because they didn’t ask for help, or they didn’t tell anyone or they didn’t even say it out loud.” Stephens said. “I wouldn’t wish that. I’ve been in a place where it’s been dark. And it’s been deep, and it’s been sad. And I’m like, I need to get out of that place.”
Making mental health about you
Ahead of what Stephens calls “biggest events” in tennis, the tennis star says her mental health is just as much of a priority as her physical health.
“I think that a lot of people from the outside, especially as an individual athlete who feels a lot of pressure and has a lot of anxiety and things like that when it comes to their sport… make decisions based on like, ‘Oh, they’re going to say this about me,’” Stephens shared.
“Kind of getting out of that space and being like I know it’s about me,” Stephens continued. “Realizing that my life, my choices, and my decisions really shouldn’t be based on other people.”
Mental health and the pandemic
Stephens, like many professional athletes, has had to undergo strict COVID-19 protocols for the past year in order to play at an elite level. Playing in international tournaments often means quarantining in hotel rooms for weeks at a time and having to make adjustments to your usual workout and preparation schedule.
“When we were playing in bubbles and all that stuff, it was super restricting,” she said.
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased, Stephens says she makes sure to take time for herself and appreciate the things she wasn’t able to do a year ago.
“I’ve made sure now that I’m going to enjoy my food, I’m going to go for walks, and I’m going to make sure that I’m taking care of myself,” Stephens said. “You always have to have something to keep yourself sane and I think for me finding small things has been very helpful.”
Advice for younger athletes
Over the course of her career, Stephens said she has learned how to prioritize her mental health and offered mental health advice for younger athletes.
“Younger athletes are not told that it’s OK to be sad, it’s OK to be happy, it’s OK to show your emotion. They tend to end up in a space or position where you just don’t feel good,” Stephens said. “And [if] you don’t feel good mentally, and you don’t feel good physically and then you can’t perform.”
“I believe at the end of the day there’s so many more people who have been where you’ve been or been through what you’ve been through, what you’re going through,” she added.
It was sweet victory for Jordan Peele‘s Candyman, crushing the box office with a $22.4 million opening weekend. Considering the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, paired with the arrival of Hurricane Ida in the Gulf Coast, the movie performed above expectations for a horror flick and enjoyed the third-best opening numbers for a final weekend in August.
The R-rated thriller, considered the spiritual successor of the classic 1992 film, nearly made back its entire $25 million production budget in its debut weekend in the U.S.
Candyman — which stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo — made a much smaller splash overseas, raking in an additional $5.23 million for a global haul of $27.6 million.
Ryan Reynolds‘ Free Guy dropped to second place over the weekend, earning an additional $13.55 million in its third week of release and pushing its overall domestic box office earnings to $79.3 million.
Free Guy, showing exclusively in theaters, is from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company, Disney.
Coming in third was Paramount’s Paw Patrol, which dug up an additional $6.6 million in its second week. The movie, which stars the voices of Tyler Perry, Kim Kardashian, Dax Shepard and Jimmy Kimmel, earned $24 million to date.
Dropping to fourth in its fifth week of release is Disney’s Jungle Cruise, earning an estimated $5 million. That brings the movie’s domestic box-office total to $100.1 million. Jungle Cruise is also available to Disney+ subscribers for a $30 surcharge.
Rounding out the top five Don’t Breathe 2, now in its third week of release, with an estimated $2.8 million. Overall, the movie has earned $24.6 million during its box office run.
(New York) — School board meetings have become emotional battlegrounds for parents and local officials who disagree over mask and vaccine mandates as children return to brick-and-mortar learning.
At least nine states — Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah — have laws or executive orders prohibiting mask mandates in classrooms.
Those rules have triggered legal challenges and public fury as many children returned to classrooms earlier this month, at a time when COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise due to the delta variant, but children under the age of 12 remain ineligible for the vaccine.
Mask opponents say masks inhibit kids from socializing and restrict breathing.
Advocates cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s August guidance recommending universal indoor masking by students and staff at K-12 schools — regardless of vaccination status — due to the threat of delta.
Here’s a snapshot of the debate in four states:
Arizona
In Arizona, the Republican-led state that never imposed a mask mandate throughout the pandemic, Gov. Doug Ducey banned mask mandates in schools and required a return to in-person learning in July.
This month he announced that all school districts and charter schools in the state “following all state laws and remaining open for in-person learning” would be eligible for grant funding through the American Rescue Plan, and offered up to $1,800 per student.
Talitha Baker, a community activist in Arizona, called Ducey’s financial incentive a “bribe” that’s forced some schools to sacrifice face masks for money.
Earlier this month, the Chandler Unified School District voted against requiring face masks in the district of about 49,000 students and staff. Board member Joel Wirth stated, “I don’t think it’s worth losing $50-60 million dollars in funding that we can use to sanitize the facility and provide staff,” radio station KJZZ reported.
“My dad came to the [CUSD] board meeting Wednesday night to speak and he was moved to tears. He just couldn’t believe the way kids were being used as pawns,” Baker said.
“This is personal for us,” she said, noting that her nieces, ages 5 and 8, who attended school in nearby Queen Creek, “did catch COVID in their unmasked school, although they were masked, the week after school started.”
School Board member Lindsey Love was one of two board members who voted against keeping the current optional mask measure in place in Chandler.
She said that school board meetings have turned into a “circus” where people from out of the area have taken over. Love said a majority of parents in the district are in favor of masks.
“In our last meeting, it wasn’t a lot of Chandler parents, It was a lot of parents from some of the surrounding cities. We have a group that’s been going around to all the school board meetings to take over and push out the board,” Love told ABC News. “We’ve had board members receiving death threats. I’ve received death threats throughout this and harassment.”
Initially, people rallied at these meetings to open schools, then for and against masks, and now some people are against even quarantining kids who test positive for COVID-19, Love said.
“These meetings have become a bit of a circus. It’s not just masks that they don’t want. They read from this list, ‘We don’t want you to muzzle our kids, or indoctrinate our kids with your critical race theory agenda,'” she said. “It’s just a really odd cobbling of issues.”
Florida
Meanwhile in Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis gave parents the final say over whether children can wear masks or not.
But the first week of school led to chaos with thousands of kids isolated or quarantined due to COVID-19 cases and exposure across the state.
At the Hillsborough County Public School District in Florida, over 10,000 students and staff were isolated or quarantined due to COVID one week into the school year.
In a heated school board meeting last week one mother of a student yelled, “Have any children died?” as a result of the virus. Some people in the audience shouted back that children have. One high school student told the anti-maskers, “This tiny piece of cloth is not taking away your freedom. … Grow up.”
The district ended up voting to institute a mask mandate for at least 30 days, but parents would still have the option to opt their kids out with a medical note.
So far at least 10 Florida school districts have implemented requirements for masks in the classroom with no parental opt-out, according to The Associated Press.
But Florida’s State Board of Education threatened financial penalties to some districts if they didn’t get rid of the mandates.
On Friday, a Florida judge ruled DeSantis’ executive order on banning mask mandates in schools as unconstitutional. DeSantis said he’d appeal that decision.
Texas
In the Lone Star state, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a ban on mask mandates in schools, triggering the Paris Independent School District in east Texas to add face coverings as a part of its dress code to get around the ban.
About 70 school districts have instituted mask mandates of some kind according to a list compiled by Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton.
Houston Independent School District, mandated masks on Aug. 11, a move praised by teachers in the city.
“Gov. Abbott is on the wrong side of science, health and safety,” Jackie Anderson, the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers said in a statement at the time.
One exasperated Texas father stripped down to his swim trunks as he advocated in favor of mask mandates during a meeting Monday for the Dripping Springs Independent School District, near Austin, where masks are currently optional for staff and students in the district.
James Akers, a father of three who has a child currently in high school, said during public comments at the meeting that he hated the jacket, shirt and tie he’s required to wear for work, and proceeded to take off all three.
His bold statement, he said, was to demonstrate that “we follow certain rules for a very good reason.”
On Wednesday, a Dallas judge issued a temporary injunction against Abbott’s ban, allowing mask mandates issued by local leaders and school districts to remain in place for the time being.
Louisiana
At the same time, states that have enacted mask mandates for schools, such as Louisiana, have seen fierce opposition.
Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s meeting earlier this month ended in chaos when a raucous crowd of angry parents packed into a hearing room and refused to wear face coverings, shouting “no more masks.”
One person screamed, “Don’t infringe on our rights!”
At the time, Louisiana had the nation’s highest rate of new COVID-19 cases per capita.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, defended the mask mandate for schools, saying on his monthly radio show, “It is the only way that we have a reasonable shot to keep schools open and kids safe.”
“There is no reasoning with some people,” Edwards said on mask opposers. “The vast majority of the people in Louisiana do take this seriously.”
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Officials said the terror group ISIS-K carried out what the Pentagon called a “complex attack” outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 13 American service members and wounding 20, among scores of Afghan casualties.
When President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan, he warned of the threat of attacks on the ground.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 7:23 am
Americans are not being turned away at Kabul airport, ambassador says
The evacuation effort in Kabul remains a “high-risk operation,” according to Ross Wilson, the acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. But he denied that Americans are being turned away by U.S. forces or embassy personnel at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“This is a high-risk operation,” Wilson wrote on Twitter early Monday. “Claims that American citizens have been turned away or denied access to HKIA by Embassy staff or US Forces are false.”
Several Republican lawmakers and other critics have accused the Biden administration of refusing to admit U.S. citizens at the airport in Kabul and leaving them behind.
The U.S. Department of State said Sunday that 250 Americans were still seeking to get out of Afghanistan. They have been given specific instructions on when or how to enter Hamid Karzai International Airport, although that journey is still fraught and dangerous. All airport gates are closed and the security threat there remains high.
Aug 30, 1:16 am
US anti-missile system fired to intercept rockets at Kabul airport
There are no signs of casualties Sunday night after five rockets were fired toward Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The official said the U.S. military’s anti-projectile C-RAM fired to intercept the incoming rockets, though it is not yet clear how many it took out, if any.
The airport remains operational and flights are continuing, the official added.
Aug 30, 1:16 am
Multiple rockets fired in attack on Kabul airport
As many as five rockets were fired toward Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Sunday evening, a U.S. official confirms to ABC News.
ABC News is still trying to assess whether there were any casualties inside the airport, whether the airport’s defensive counter rocket, artillery, and mortar system was used, and if there were any U.S. counter strikes against suspected launch positions.
Aug 29, 8:55 pm
Former acting FEMA administrator to lead Afghan refugee resettlement
Bob Fenton, the former acting Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, is set to lead the efforts to resettle Afghans who are coming to the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas chose Fenton after President Joe Biden tasked the agency to lead the federal coordinating efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the resettling group will report directly to Mayorkas and will include a plethora of services from immigration processing to COVID-19 testing.
“The Department of Homeland Security is prepared to serve as the lead federal agency coordinating efforts across the federal government to welcome vulnerable Afghans to our Nation in a way that is consistent with our laws and our values,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
The “Unified Coordination Group” will work with Homeland Security’s partners in state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Milwaukee 6, Minnesota 2
Chicago White Sox 13, Chicago Cubs 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 2, Detroit 1
Tampa Bay 12, Baltimore 8
Cleveland 7, Boston 5
Texas 13, Houston 2
Seattle 4, Kansas City 3
Oakland 3, N.Y. Yankees 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 2, Cincinnati 1
Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 3
Philadelphia 7, Arizona 4
Atlanta 9, San Francisco 0
N.Y. Mets 9, Washington 4
Colorado 5, L.A. Dodgers 0
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Jacksonville 34, Dallas 14
Miami 29, Cincinnati 26
San Francisco 34, Las Vegas 10
New England 22, N-Y Giants 20
Cleveland 19, Atlanta 10
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 107, Seattle 75
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
FC Dallas 5, Austin FC 3
Vancouver 4, Real Salt Lake 1
Portland 2, Seattle 0
