Day in Pop Report for 10/22/2014
Sister Cristina released her own cover of Madonna's "Like a Virgin," making it the most literal version of the 1984 song that you will ever hear. (preview and order here) The 26-year-old singing nun told the Italian Catholic paper, Avenire (via the BBC) she released the track "without any intention to provoke or shock," but is prepared for the backlash that may come her way. "It's a song about the ability of love to make people new," she said. "To redeem them from their past. And that's how I wanted to interpret it." Read more here.
Keef's relationship with Interscope started back in 2012, when he released Finally Rich, his successful debut album. Two years later, and he hasn't dropped anything besides a few free mixtapes and other loosies. Allhiphop.com quotes an internal source at the label, who claims that the rapper's legal woes contributed to the label's decision to release him. "Keef and his people tried to keep the label accountable (once Keef moved to Los Angeles) but Interscope didn't seem interested in dropping a new album. Keef's team tried to have formal meetings but nothing moved," the source told the website. Read more here.
Then came the accompanying Bonnaroo controversy. Several years later, Trey Stone and Matt Parker took more swings at their favorite punching bag, spoofing him in a song called "My B***h Ain't No Hobbit" that parodies Yeezus closer "Bound 2," and features Yeezy alongside a "hobbit" version of Kim Kardashian. While the episode originally aired last year, the song will be released on 7-inch vinyl for the Black Friday version of Record Store Day next month, Consequence of Sound reports. Read more here.
"I didn't specifically criticize Beyonc�," she said. "I was being asked about Beyonc� in the context of feminism, and I was thinking at the time about very impactful feminists that have dedicated their lives to the movement of liberating women and supporting women at the grass roots, and I was saying, 'well, that's one end of the spectrum, and then you have the other end of the spectrum.'" But while she noted that she didn't exactly have anything against the R&B singer, she does have some thoughts another aspect of modern music - more specifically, one of its dance crazes. "Twerking is not feminism," Lennox continued. "That's what I'm referring to. It's not - it's not liberating, it's not empowering. It's a sexual thing that you're doing on a stage; it doesn't empower you. That's my feeling about it." Read more here.
Raylor was scheduled to perform at the event on May 2 and was wired a $35,000 deposit, but Jones allegedly canceled the day of the performance after his demands that the rapper would headline weren't met. "Following multiple discussions defendant, Cash Jones made an eleventh-hour determination that the Game would not travel to Louisville and would not perform at the event," the plaintiff, Dream Team Entertainment LLC, said in its seven-page complaint. After backing out last minute, The Game reportedly never repaid his deposit or the $30,000 cancellation fee. Read more here.
Additional tracks include "12 Days of Christmas," which features vocals from two of her daughters Olivia (12) and Audrey (10). The title track "At Christmas" is an original song that was penned by Shane Stevens and Toby Lightman. The album was produced by Mark Bright. At Christmas is available for pre-order exclusively through Walmart. The album will be available on Nov. 17. More including the cover art, tracklisting and other news here.
What makes this experimental and interactive is the viewer's choose their own adventure. Different paths through the night are offered up, giving them the chance to take the path that most interests them. Want to see more wedding shenanigans? Done. Prefer to see Teigen scale a wall? It's an option. It's an interesting concept, made more so by using Director X (Iggy Azalea "Fancy," Drake "Started From the Bottom"), who is known for his story-focused videos. This platform is a challenge for a director of his type, but also a chance to stretch his storytelling legs - if only because the story got longer. Check out the video here.
After he introduced himself, the typically friendly Swift wasn't impressed by Oliver's nickname, the Naked Chef. "I'm not doing this if you're going to do this naked. I don't want you to be naked ever," she told him. "Just get your head in the game." Oliver then picked up his baking utensils to sing an appropriate rendition of her single called "Bake It Off." While he danced around the kitchen to the clever song with lyrics like, "I'm a baking king/ Baking is my thing/ So come into my ring," Swift is busy actually baking. Clearly displeased with his spoof on her song, she is seen rolling her eyes and covering her ears. "Pop stars can't bake, bake, bake, bake, bake/ My cake's gonna taste great, great, great, great," he sings. Eventually, Oliver even manages to get Swift dancing in the kitchen. Watch it here.
He posted a video of Drake's failed shot, a clip of the rapper's "0 to 100/The Catch Up" playing in the background (Drake raps in the song that he's "Steph Curry with the shot," referring to Stephen Curry, a point guard for the Golden State Warriors). After his miss, a brief clip of Hart's standup commands him to "sit the f**k down." "That moment when you forget your profession and try and live in the moment!" he added in the caption, followed by a staggering amount of hashtags, including #CanadaHatesThatHeDidThis and #DrakeMakesBadDecisions. Of course, Drake was quick to respond on his own Instagram page. With a picture of Hart looking contemplatively at the camera, he posted a response: "I was watching @kevinhart4real air ball video and reading the hashtags on the plane with this face�" He added his own glut of hashtags. Read more here.
Fans already know the album will feature the Chemical Brothers and Miguel on a song called "This Is Not a Game," but those guys will be joined by Chvrches, Tove Lo, Tinash�, Charli XCX with Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, Bat For Lashes, Grace Jones and Stromae on a track that features Pusha T, Haim, Q-Tip and Lorde. Lorde released her own song from the soundtrack, "Yellow Flicker Beat," which is currently helping Katniss Everdeen get the courage to visit District 12 in the movie's latest trailer. But it seems the song got a little reworking by none other than Kanye West. And as if she wasn't busy enough, Lorde lent another song to the soundtrack called "Ladder Song." "Curating the soundtrack for such a hotly-anticipated film was a challenge, but I jumped at the chance," Lorde said in a statement. "The cast and story are an inspiration for all musicians participating and, as someone with cinematic leanings, being privy to a different creative process has been a unique experience. I think the soundtrack is definitely going to surprise people." Check out the tracklist here.
Today he released the video for "King," off his new Paperwork LP. The clip finds him returning to visiting old crime associate, with vengeance on his mind. He's playing some version of himself: "I only see you on the TV now," the gruff mobster tells him over the phone. They meet in a dimly lit bar, where the mobster tries to blackmail him. Not to give away the ending, but T.I. has certainly learned some tricks from the classic "gun in the toilet" scene in The Godfather. Things don't end well for his adversaries. Watch the video here.
The rapper has since gotten sober and had his genitals re-attached - and as part of his recovery, he's addressing the whole incident in doing stand-up comedy. At the Ha Ha Cafe comedy club in North Hollywood, he debuted his new routine where he pokes fun at his questionable decision. TMZ obtained footage that shows the rapper joking about it. "One time I heard voices, the voices told me, 'Cut your d**k off,'" he told the audience. "I said, 'What?!' 'You heard me, cut your d**k off.' So I did. Folks, I don't care how high you get, once you chop off your penis you sober right the f**k up quick! "So I just jumped out the window. I woke up, the paramedics were trying to find a pulse. I said, 'F**k the pulse! Find my d**k!' You can't be black, broke and [with] no d**k. That's like being white with bad credit, right?" Read more and watch more here.
More recently, he's gotten into the fashion game via a "#peacerocks" t-shirt that he collaborated on with John Varvatos that benefited the Ringo Starr Peace & Love Fund for the David Lynch Foundation, and also modeled for Varvatos in an ad campaign earlier this year. Now, he's moving into footwear, as he's going to be the face of Skechers shoes. Starr is set to appear in the footwear company's global marketing campaign for its "Relaxed Fit" line, which seems to make sense for a chill guy like the former Beatle. The campaign will kick off next spring via a series of funny ads that has so far featured mostly big names from the sports world including football legends Joe Montana and Joe Namath, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and baseball legend Pete Rose. Another baseball star, Mariano Rivera, will also in ads coming early next year. Read more here.
"It was like a two-night high," Kimberly Schlapman explains to Radio.com of their invitation and then induction into the Grand Ole Opry. "The first night when were were invited, Reba McEntire came out while we were singing 'Pontoon' and she started ad-libbing at the end and was saying, 'Motorboatin', motorboatin'.' Phillip Sweet tells how the band heard McEntire singing first in their ears and then she came out on stage at the end of the song: "She lights up the room. It was incredible." "She invited us and of course we blubbered. Two weeks later we were inducted by Vince Gill and Little Jimmy Dickens," Schlapman adds. "It was so special. Our families were there." This past Friday (Oct. 17), the group was officially inducted into the Opry. In an interview with Radio.com promoting their new album Pain Killer (out today), the band recalls the years leading up to that very "surreal" experience. Read more here.
The rapper-turned-actor proved his ability to transform a script when Jimmy Kimmel asked him to read off the most innocuous lines you could think of in Ice Cube's signature angry voice. "You must have some anger that you can reach down deep and claim for us," Kimmel said, re-introducing the concept, which the pair first did together back in June. "Oh yeah," Cube responded. As for the lines Kimmel asked Ice Cube to recite? They included, "Yes, I would like to add baby spinach to my breakfast smoothie," "Rainbows are majestic visions that remind us how beautiful life truly is," "Thank you for the Crate & Barrel gift card. You always know what to get me" and much more. Watch it here.
Makonnen dropped the clip for his song "Tuesday" on none other than a Tuesday to maybe inspire us to get out there. Though, from the looks of it, the club is pretty spare on a Tuesday. That is until Drake gets there, then things go down. We're talking other people watching a tipsy Drake dance and talk about partying on a Tuesday. But, the video also features some normies doing some totally mundane things like cooking eggs and folding laundry. We all know they'd rather be having another drink with Drake in the club. Who wouldn't? Watch "Tuesday" here.
This snippet, featuring Fabolous, is from her forthcoming and much anticipated album VII. "I want people to relate to my music and be like, 'Yes, yes! I go through that'," Taylor told Radio.com. "I have a lot of love records on my album. I want people to be able to feel like real love exists. All of the lyrics come from the heart. Everything is genuine." VII is out Nov. 4. Check out the preview video here.
Eight years later, the world is a very different place, but Gwen is ready to do it again. She just released the video for a song called "Baby Don't Lie," the first track off an upcoming new album that'll be produced by Pharrell. The production retains the booming, schoolyard-chant quality of her earlier work, tacked on to sky-scraping synths. "And you love me good, don't lie. But there's something behind those eys, that you can't disguise," croons Stefani as she strides across a fantastic landscape of shifting colors and geometric shapes. The whole thing feels like like "Hollaback Girl" by way of Coldplay. There's no word yet what her forthcoming LP will be called, or when it will hit shelves. The Sweet Escape - and its predecessor, Love Angel Music Baby - were both smash hits, hitting the top five on the Billboard 200 and selling millions of copies each. Watch the video here.
This song is definitely my personal favorite on this record, though it's definitely a little melancholic and came from a pretty dark place. It was inspired by endings. That period where you know something that you poured your heart and soul into just isn't going to go on forever like you'd foolishly hoped. The point where you see that an end is in sight. The point where you finally start to see the cracks... the ones that you refused to notice until it became impossible not to. The point where you realize everyone already knew they were there. The moment of denial before acceptance. Space and I weren't really getting along that well at the time (which isn't the best for any band, but especially not a duo), a romantic relationship I was in wasn't working out very well either, so I was in a pretty vulnerable state. The two places I went to for any sort of stability were shaky, and I was floundering and reaching for any little thing I could. That's what birthed this song. It was a cry to those around, asking if we could just pretend that nothing was wrong. The lyrics for this one just poured out of me, like my subconscious was trying to get me to see what was really going on. Anyway, I'm a sucker for a sad song to sing and cry along to when I'm feeling it. I admit to throwing on some of those epic ballads and caterwauling 'I can't make you love me if you won't', with tears streaming down my face... it's cathartic. This is one contribution to that collection of songs for those moments. As for the sonic element of it, though Space and I don't always see eye to eye on a lot of things, we do find common ground when it comes to dreamy synths, dark tones, and unexpected optimism through a major lift or two. We hope you like the record. Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!
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