Day in Pop Report for 10/28/2014
At one of his shows over the weekend in South Carolina, the crowd got so unruly water bottles started flying and one woman reportedly got hit. The performance coincided with Clemson University's Homecoming, which might explain why the crowd became so volatile. Organizers acted quickly and had police escort the rapper off stage before he was impact by any of the thrown water bottles or worse. They also killed the lights even after Chiddy Bang's hype man tried to keep up the momentum. TMZ procured footage of the whole incident. Watch it here.
Drake shows three different sides on the songs. The first, "6 God," is the most hard-hitting. Drake takes down an unidentified opponent where putting women before his friends. "I'll admit, I'll admit it/ You too worried about the b***hes/ I got one girl, and she my girl/ And nobody else can hit it," Drake spits over the Boi-1da and Syk Sense-produced beat. "And just like every other single thing in my life/ You can have it when I'm finished." He's a lot more soft-spoken however on "Heat of the Moment," produced by 40. The YOLO-minded love song has Drake crooning, "Who am I gonna be when it's all over?/ When it's all over?/ I don't wanna think about that right now/ Heat of the moment." "How Bout Now" is middle ground between the two. Drake rap-sings over a Jodeci sample, taunting the girl he was once with. It's a high school reunion kind of moment where Drake sings, "Yeah, you ain't really f**k with me way back then/ But how 'bout now?/ Cause I'm up right now, and you suck right now." Check out the songs here.
The stadiums shows will kick off on May 2nd, 2015 at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, CA and will include concerts in Dallas, Green Bay, Seattle, Minneapolis, Pasadena, Kansas City (Mo), Denver, E. Rutherford and the final show will take place in Boston on August 28th. The joint shows are in addition to the country stars' own North American treks, Aldean's The Burn It Down Tour and Chesney's The Big Revival Tour. They will be revealing the special guests for the stadium shows in the near future. Chesney had this to say about the shows, "We've played so many of these stadiums so many summers, I know just how hard the fans coming out can rock. "There aren't a lot of guys out there who can hit it the way Jason does, so I'm glad we're able to bring both of our tours together for 10 nights this summer. I know what me and the guys are bringing in terms of music, and I know Jason can hang with us!" Aldean adds, "Kenny is the guy everybody in country music looks up to when they think about workin' hard, building your career out on the road and getting to eventually play stadiums. "When we first started dipping our toe into that business a few years ago, he's the guy I would call or text for advice. We have a real friendship. Don't get me wrong�that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy to follow me every night�he's gonna have to work for it harder than he ever has before!" Check out the dates here.
Clarkson also questioned her "church" version of the song, calling it perhaps, "blasphemous," but she feels okay about it. "I might be going to hell, but it ain't for that," she told the crowd. Swift was quite flattered with Clarkson's version, even tweeting, "Watching Kelly Clarkson SLAY "Shake It Off" is an excellent way to celebrate 26 HOURS TIL 1989!!!!!!" Watch Clarkson's performance here.
"I Bet My Life," the first single from Imagine Dragons' second album, was released late Sunday night (Oct. 26) to Vevo and YouTube. The song is full of the bombastic, pounding percussion that typified the four-piece's biggest hits over the past year or so, from "Radioactive" to "It's Time." Couple that with a group chorus meant to be shouted at the top of one's lungs - likely by fans whenever the band embarks on another tour around the new album's release. "I know I took the path that you would never want for me / I gave you hell through all the years," frontman Dan Reynolds sings over a cacophony of guitar, drums and background shouting prior to exploding into the big chorus, which finds the band members repeating, "I'd bet my life on you." "This song is about the relationship I've had with my parents throughout the years," Reynolds said in a press statement about the album. "At times it's been strained and difficult, but in the end, 'I Bet My Life' celebrates the bond that we still hold on to." "I Bet My Life" is the first single from the band's unnamed second record and the followup to Night Visions. Check out the new song here.
Early in the song, instead of singing "at the twilight's last gleaming" he sang "were so gallantly streaming." He repeated the "were so gallantly streaming" line moments later and seemed not to notice his mistake, although some of the players seem to have caught it, if the TV broadcast was any indication. Lewis soon took to his official website to apologize for the error. "All I can say is I'm sorry and ask for the Nation's forgiveness," he wrote. "My nerves got the best of me and I am completely torn up about what happened. America is the greatest country in the world. The Star-Spangled Banner means so much to so many, including myself. I hope everyone can understand the intensity of the situation and my true intent of this performance. I hope that the Nation, Major League Baseball and the many fans of our national pastime can forgive me." Ironically, Lewis has publicly criticized at least one other artist's rendition of the anthem in the past. Read about that here.
The benefit, held in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 1, will be hosted by the Chili Peppers frontman and bassist. Flea is the founder of the Los Angeles-based conservatory, which is a non-profit providing music education to an enrollment currently totaling 700. "This is our time, this is our children's time," Flea said in a press statement. "Come celebrate with us and help build great music education for all children in Los Angeles. The Silverlake Conservatory of Music is for all of us." As part of the benefit, which will help the conservatory expand by moving into a new facility that will double enrollment, Bruno Mars will perform, as will Rufus Wainwright. Read more here.
Ryan Seacrest took over hosting the annual New Year's Eve celebration 9 years ago, taking over for longtime host and television music icon Dick Clark. This year's broadcast is set to feature over 38 performances and will last for 5 and half hours. "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015" will air on Wednesday, December 31 beginning at 8:00 pm ET/PT. Seacrest had this to say, "Each year New Year's Rockin' Eve continues its iconic legacy by delivering incredible performances from the year's hottest artists, and this year is no exception. "We already have secured an unprecedented number of music acts, culminating with a Times Square performance by Taylor, the biggest superstar in music today."
When Prince takes the SNL stage for his first appearance since February 4, 2006 he will be performing an 8 minute jam during the middle of the broadcast. During the show's 40 year history almost all musical guests have had two short performances during the broadcast; one in the middle of the show and one near the closing, but Prince will be the first artist in history to have an extended performance during the middle of the show. Prince is set to perform with his all-female band 3rdeyegirl (guitarist Donna Grantis, bassist Ida Nielsen, and drummer Hannah Ford Welton) and they will be promoting his two recent album releases Art Official Age (solo) and Plectrumelectrum (with 3rdeyegirl). Prince won't be the only one returning to the show after a long absence as the episode will be hosted by Chris Rock who specifically requested that Prince be the musical guest.
His latest verse on "Wide Open", a collaboration with EDM emperor Calvin Harris, finds him working the same fertile ground. "Looking at your last text, damn did you even really mean it?" he raps. "Did you look through it, did you even mean it?" Sean has been around the block with this sort of thing: "I been breaking up with girls since I was 15, it's the only thing that hasn't got easier," he explains. Sometimes the best thing after a breakup is go out for a wild night, and Harris' trance-y synth build is a perfect excuse to do just that. Check out the new song here.
"You ain't got to say too much," he sings; after all, he's doing plenty already. Directed by Daren Craig, the video takes place in a futuristic club, with all three stars demonstrating their talents against a backdrop of bright lights and scantily clad dancers. The song is modern R&B at its most frictionless - produced by Stargate and Cashmere Cat, the song glides along on smooth rails of marimba plinks. The perfectly manicured basslinecontains elements of DJ Mustard's ratchet sound, with a hint of the more exotic bass patterns Cashmere Cat is known for. No sound is out of place: every element serves a purpose. Usher's falsetto croon fits into the spaces left by Tinashe's sultry melodies. Watch the video here.
This time around though, the guys opt out of using treadmills and optical illusion for personal transport devices - they're called UNI-CUBs - on which they showcase their synchronized dance moves while riding around. While the video transforms from just the four bandmates to a crowd of over 2,000, OK Go prove once again that they're the leaders of the one-shot video. The video was shot with a unique multi-copter camera and was backed by Honda. It was shot in Japan in August. The UNI-CUB is a personal driving device currently in its developmental stage. Following previous one-shot video for "The Writing's on the Wall," current single "I Won't Let You Down" brings colorful umbrellas into the shot, complete with hand clapped rhythms, electronic beats and a catchy chorus. Watch it here.
The follow-up to 2012's Tomorrowland, Bingham said he's more optimistic on his fifth studio release. "On this album I find myself back in a more hopeful place and the songs are more stripped down musically," he told WSJ. "Each album seems to be about whatever I have gone through in my life previous to recording it." On the 12-song album, Bingham tapped a new band and worked with Jim Scott (Wilco, Tom Petty) for production. He also revealed a new song, "Broken Heart Tattoos," which you can stream here.
Now an old unreleased Earl Sweatshirt song has surfaced, "Rats," dating back to sessions he did in 2010. Produced by Tyler, the Creator, the song embodies the early days of Odd Future, before the TV shows, the VMAs and the music festivals. It's nothing more than an unsettling synth line looped over shuffling drums and piano, over which Earl releases bars full of threatening, memorable imagery. "F**k naw, they can't handle the fact/That I'm not yet a man, and manhandlin' track," he raps. "Tell these f**ks that the lip chap champion's back/With wolf cock up the a** of the tabbiest cat." Check it out here.
"I think it's great for her," Rucker tells Radio.com after Swift announced her first fully pop record 1989. "She was already in the pop world anyway. I'm happy for her. I think she's an amazing person first of all. She's a great musician and an incredible songwriter. One of the true great songwriters of this time. She writes great songs, great melodies, great hooks. Unforgettable words. More power to her." While Rucker didn't have any advice to give Swift, he did suggest she enjoy every second of her pop transformation. "Enjoy it, have fun, kill it," he says. "Be the biggest thing in the world, you already are. Just go ahead and get a little bigger. I'm really happy for Taylor. You don't sell the number of records you do without doing what she's doing." Read more here.
The begrudgingly titled "Make It Work" is the followup to Tyga's Kanye West-produced "40 Mill," where Tyga sends a whole bunch of subtexts. "N***a never was my homie/All these b***hes know you corny," he raps atop a piano and drum machine-driven beat produced by Sap. "Why these n***as wanna test me on the low though/ Got no muf**kin' patience so I'm patient with the scope though," he ponders. Drake has yet to directly respond to Tyga, though he too just recently released an aggro track called "6 God." As for the title of the song, it could be that Tyga is telling himself to figure out how he's going to remain on a label with two people he's openly spoke out against: Drake and Nicki Minaj. Read about that and listen to the song here.
Less than a month after Campbell released his final recording of "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," the country singer will be recognized for his contribution to the music industry. According to Billboard, Campbell is considered the first country artist to cross over to the pop charts. In addition to his own career, he is featured playing guitar on the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night. Read more here.
Featuring a minimal trap-inspired beat, AlunaGeorge vocalist Aluna Francis handles the track's hook, while Rae Sremmurd hold down the verses. Francis steps up to handle the song's final verse. "One Touch" is the first single from Baauer's upcoming EP, which has the user-unfriendly title of �. It's set for release on Nov. 4. Baauer is also set to be featured in a new Red Bull documentary, Baauer: Searching for Sound. Read more about that and check out the new song here.
"Beg For It" also comes from Azalea's upcoming reboot of her debut album, re-dubbed Reclassified, as its debut single. On the song, she sticks to the "Fancy" formula that brought her all the way to the top of the charts, this time recruiting another pop import, the Diplo-mentored Danish singer M�. The pair trades verses - with M� singing the hook - over a percolating beat produced by The Invisible Men, with Azalea dropping these particularly headstrong lines: "That everybody wanna put their hands on me/ See I be on this money why your man on me/ And I need another hand with all these bandz on me." Read more and check out the song here.
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