Day in Pop Report for 08/05/2014
A 25-year-old man named Roberto Alcaraz-Garnica was arrested in suspicion of sexual battery and mayhem, which is legally defined as "disabling or disfiguring a part of a victim's body." According to police, the alleged attack occurred after Alcaraz-Garnica groped a woman in her 20s and the woman's boyfriend confronted him leading to a fight between the two men. "During the altercation, the suspect bit the victim, causing serious injury to his finger," the police said. "He lost the tip of one of his fingers." more on this story
According to CBS Connecticut, Hartford police said that a motorcycle officer was hit by the very car he was trying to stop after the Aldean concert at Xfinity Theater. Deputy Chief Brian J. Foley of the Hartford Police Department reported (via Twitter) that officer received only "minor injuries" and has since been treated and released from an area hospital. The vehicle operator was identified by Hartford Police as 51-year-old David Mascuto of Fairfield, Conn. Mascuto has since been charged with driving under the influence, evading responsibility and failure to obey an officer's signal. Bond for Mascuto has been set for $25,000. Police say that Mascuto was driving erratically and initially came close to hitting a police officer on traffic detail outside the theater. When the motorcycle officer tried to stop him, he then hit that officer with his vehicle. That wasn't the only arrest at the show.
It would be no big deal, except for the fact that this particular account belongs to Taylor Swift. There's an accompanying message, too, which simply reads: "So, here's your first clue..." Clue to what? A title or release date for Swift's next album? A new single? The date of an upcoming awards show performance? She presses the button five times� no, wait, six. How does that factor into the clue? Let the games begin. Swift's fans have, as you can imagine, been going nuts on her Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts, attempting to figure out what it all means. "18 songs on the new album? The 18th of a month is the release date? 18 days from now? She's clicking it when she's already on the 18th floor� WHAT COULD THIS MEAN," writes Instagram user ghallooosh. "Don't tell me that your song will be called " Broken elevator"," writes another. More.
But on the new one for the 2015 Toyota Sienna, Busta Rhymes shows up halfway through the video and spits a verse about the car, as the family dances around the vehicle: ""Y'all know who be the waviest / But when it comes to this cul de sac, this family is the craziest." Somehow after Busta's short cameo, the video continues on for another minute, following the parents on a night out to the club and then involving their entire neighborhood in Soulja Boy's "Crank That" dance. The video, which hit YouTube two days ago, is already causing controversy. It's drawn criticism for its portrayal of hip-hop and black stereotypes and been called racist. Watch it here.
And he took himself out of it almost completely. Instead, we're taken on a tour of the classes by a dancing man, perhaps in the vein of Sia's "Chandelier." Director Emil Nava (Calvin Harris, Jessie J) trains the camera on a hip-hop dancer and follows him through the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, from shack to mansion. As he breaks into house after house he acquires new clothing more suitable to his environments. It's a quick lesson in economics, done in under five minutes. Check it out here.
Brown announced the news on his Instagram page with what may or may not be the album's cover, featuring a black and white photo of Brown exhaling smoke with a large red x over the picture. The album will mark Brown's first LP since his release from jail in spring. Due to its already long history, multiple singles have already been released from X, including "Fine China," "Love More," "Loyal" and "New Flame." More.
A minute later, Paisley tweeted another message in honor of the doctor, dedicating his new song "Me and Jesus" off his upcoming album, Moonshine in the Trunk, to him, writing, "I'm moved by the Christian Dr. Fighting Ebola who gave the serum to his friend. So Here's a bonus track. For him." Dr. Kent Brantly from Fort Worth, Tex. is one of two Americans who were infected with Ebola while helping sick patients in western Africa. Brantly arrived in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday to receive care from the hospital at Emory University, where he is being treated in a glass-protected room in an isolated wing of the hospital. He is the first patient infected with the virus to be treated in the United States. More details and the song snippet here.
Still, that's not quite enough excitement for the gang. "It's about time to turn this up a notch," Gilbert says. And right on cue, the music cranks up and the real 'throwdown' begins. "Small Town Throwdown" is pretty much just what the title implies: a rowdy party song. "It's time to Tall Boy up, let them tailgates down," the guys sing on the chorus. "It's on tonight right into morning light," so "crank that country up loud." In the video, Gilbert calls a female friend, who calls her friends, and soon enough a string of trucks and cars are heading down a Southern dirt road on their way to a good time. Gilbert, Moore and Rhett are on stage belting out the song, while the rest of the crowd is drinking and dancing in what the guys so eloquently describe as "a field full of Daisy Dukes" ("Round here we know how to grow 'em"). Watch the video here.
According to the L.A. Weekly, an unidentified 19-year-old female died early Monday morning (August 4) at Greater El Monte Community Hospital, per the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Fred Corral. While toxicology reports are still pending, Corral said that signs point to a lethal combination involving methamphetamine and ecstasy as the culprit in her death. There were also a slew of arrests at this year's event, with Sheriff's Deputy Johnie K. Jones reporting that there 140 arrests made over the two days, 22 of which were alleged felonies. More including the spokesperson's statement here.
The Jim Jonsin-produced track opens with some singing and moves into him spitting out this first verse: "Smokin' one and rollin' one / I come and break you down for fun / You love when I get up in it and / Kiss your body when I'm finished." A few months ago, Khalifa talked to RapUp about his third studio album, saying, "Blacc Hollywood in general is gon' be sonically something that people kinda expect, but it's like they want it, so it's gonna be a good thing for me to deliver." Check out the new song here.
On Monday (Aug. 4), Mike WiLL gave listeners the first taste of new music when "Take a Picture," featuring Young Thug, hit the Internet. "Take a Picture" includes dense, dramatic production from the in-demand producer, with a somewhat demented piano line creeping throughout the song. Meanwhile, Young Thug throws down lines about an assortment of people and things, from Miley Cyrus to Milky Ways. "N***a take a picture," he commands over WiLL's swelling production. Listen to the new track here.
But all that changes with Worlds, Robinson's debut LP, out next week (Aug. 12). The album is now available in full to stream via NPR's First Listen program. The 12-track Worlds features a slew of already-released songs, including "Sad Machine," Lionhearted" and most recently "Flicker," which came out last week. more on this story
In between verses and sips of ros� on the beach, Ross takes us on a tour of sorts of his home base in a Lamborghini. All the while, he's accompanied by Meek Mill, his Maybach Music Group signee who's currently incarcerated. Meek doesn't appear on the track, even though he makes a cameo in the video. Meanwhile Keith Sweat, who sings the Scott Storch-produced song's hook, didn't make it into the video. Mastermind, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, also features guest spots from Kanye West and Big Sean, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, the Weeknd, French Montana, Jeezy, Scarface and Z-Ro, and Meek Mill. Watch the video here.
Tyler Viscardi, 20, reportedly died of a drug overdose after being rushed from the festival. He was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. Police are unsure what drugs Viscardi took to cause the fatal overdose. Later, another death was reported, though the name of the victim, a male, has been withheld because he was 17 years old. He was reportedly from Woodbridge, Va. Diplo, who helped create the Mad Decent Block Party, took to his Twitter Saturday afternoon (Aug. 2) to express his condolences. He tweeted, "our hearts go out to everyone impacted by yesterday's event. we are truly devastated." more on this story
"As an entertainer, when you go out to headline a tour or just play on tour, it's your responsibility to make sure the crowd had a good time," Owen told Radio.com. "That's my main focus as far as entertainment aspect of it. I feel comfortable walking on a stage that feels comfortable. My first tour out where I had the ability to actually design a tour set, I just wanted it to be different as well." For the Days of Gold Tour, Owen mirrored the set to where he started performing at The Riverside Cafe in Florida, complete with palm trees and Tiki bars. "There's a lot of people out there that didn't live a life like I did growing up. I realized that's what separates me for other people," he explained. "You have to embrace the things that make you different but also embrace the things that make you unique to who you truly are. That's why I was really adamant of making our show on the road look and feel like you're back home in Florida with me when you come see my show. A show should be something that takes you somewhere in a place." His next single is "What We Ain't Got," a song written by Travis Meadows and Travis Jerome Goff. Owen explained that when he picks an outside song it has to do something to him. "It has to live in my ear and continually tickle it. What I mean by that is continually make me want to listen to it again. Or, it has to have some sort of deep meaning on it and it's easier for me to sing songs like that," he said. More.
Of the record, Ware said in a press release, "I can't keep going round going, 'oh my god, this is happening.' I feel more confident and I think that shows on the record, even the way I deliver the vocals is more upfront. Being a singer is a f***ing wicked job, but it's definitely my job now." Tough Love features 11 tracks in total, with one called "Share It All" as a co-write between Ware and The xx's Remy Croft. "Champagne Kisses," which was premiered live last week, is also included. Check out the full tracklist and album art here.
In it, Nicki and other ladies with a bit of junk in the trunk shake what their mama gave them in barely there outfits. From the looks of this little 30-second snippet it's questionable whether Nicki's latest will be safe for your workplace. But Nicki made those type of concerns clear in a tweet, writing "I really doubt I'll be able to edit this video for TV. LMFAO. it's�.. Its a lot." Watch the clip here.
In the clip, a Kansas farmer, who Fast Company notes goes by the name of Derek Klingenberg, plops down in the middle of a field, trombone in hand. From there, Klingenberg blares a popular tune on his horn - that of "Royals," the No. 1 smash of 2013 by Lorde. As Klingenberg gets on with the tune, suddenly a few black cows appear over the horizon, heading in the direction of the excess-shaming song. Soon, he has a whole crowd hanging at his every whim. Yes, cows apparently identify with "Royals." But perhaps only when it's played on trombone. Band geeks, your hour is upon us. This isn't Klingenberg's first foray into popular culture using his farm. He released a parody of Ylvis' "The Fox" last year, titled "What Does the Farmer Say?" It's about as glorious as you'd expect. There is more. Watch the clip here.
Minaj sat down with Carson Daly to discuss the new track - as well as new album The Pink Print, which she revealed is coming sometime in the "fourth quarter" of this year. "I just have to say that I'm at such a different place as a human being," the rapper told AMP. "I know artists say that all the time but now I understand why. Nothing really surprises me anymore. I handle things more maturely. Just writing-wise I can put my thoughts together better I feel. "So sonically I think the album sounds so amazing. And there are so many surprises on the album. I had Drake come by the studio the other day and he was like "Omg, you're talking about new stuff, I'm so proud of you." And that's what I'm most excited about. I'm speaking about new things on this album. I'm excited I'm not allowing anyone else to define what the album is going to be. I'm comfortable, its not going to be rushed, I'm taking my time. But overall the music just sounds really, really great. There's no substitute for that." She also talked working with Beyonc�, whose "Flawless" remix, released last weekend, features Minaj. Read about that here.
I had just gotten out of a six month relationship that had went on for about 5 months too long because I was determined to make it work. You're often told that relationships are hard work. When the relationship had finally ended, I was writing a lot as a way of coping with how sad I was. As the months went on, things became much more clear, and I was able to reflect on how unhappy I had been. "Strange Heartbeat" came out in about one sitting with a friend and an acoustic guitar, and was a reflection on trying to convince yourself that something is better than it actually is. I started remembering how I had convinced myself that he was trying and it was going to get better: "you bought me a rose, I guess that counts for something." But then there were the countless let downs; "we were gonna spend the morning surfing, but then you got stoned with your friends and slept too long." And ultimately, your body will physically tell you in your gut or with a "strange heartbeat" when something is wrong, if you allow yourself to listen to it. When it came time to produce the song and add drums, a friend had pointed me to Zach Nicita of NICITA and MSMR on Youtube. I loved his remixes and overall creativity and feel, so I reached out to him on Facebook and shared a rough recording of the song. He agreed to program drums for it in his spare time while I sat at home tinkering with different synth sounds that I liked. I was very drawn to the eerie sounding one that you hear in the intro to reflect the uneasiness that you feel when you're trying to convince yourself that something is right when it's wrong. Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
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