Rihanna Cut From 'Thursday Night Football' Because of Ray Rice

So, why was Rihanna axed? It has a little something to do with the controversy over Baltimore Ravens' ex-running back Ray Rice. After Rice was let go from his team and suspended from the NFL indefinitely earlier this week for a February incident in which he knocked his then fiancee, now wife Janay Palmer out in an Atlantic City elevator, the network felt Rihanna didn't quite fit the "time or tone."

This is of course because Rihanna is a victim of domestic abuse herself. In 2009, Rihanna was beaten up by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown, who was later sentenced to five years' probation and community service.

Read more here.

Miley Cyrus Covers Led Zeppelin Classic

Written by Anne Bredon in the late 1950s, the tune was first recorded by Joan Baez in the early 1960s and, later, by others, eventually appearing on Led Zeppelin's 1969 self-titled debut album with a new arrangement credited to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Billed as "Baby, I'm Gonna Leave You", Cyrus tweeted a link to her Soundcloud posting of the song on Friday, writing, "Check dis sh*t out." You can check it out here.

Iggy Azalea Denies 'Disgusting' Adult Film Rumors

Last week, Vivid Entertainment - the adult company that released the Kim Kardashian sex tape - released a press release announcing that they have a blue film featuring the Australian rapper that they're trying to shop around. Even letting fans know that they've seen "teaser" images and "Iggy is definitely the hottest female rapper today."

Azalea took to Twitter on Thursday to shut down the rumor mill writing, "I dont have a sex tape but for the record..Anyone who releases or attempts to make profit off someone else's intimate moments against their will is a sex offender & it honestly makes me sick to see the media encourage any other attitude towards those sorts of people, we should want to protect our women."

She added, "and i really hope that america will follow Europe and their laws to better protect peoples privacy and fundamental rights." Read more here.

Kendrick Lamar, Ellie Goulding To Play Bermuda Triangle On Halloween

At least he won't be alone. Joining him will be dance singer Ellie Goulding and EDM figurehead Calvin Harris as part of the Bacardi Triangle. The three-day concert from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 begins with a kick-off party in a yet-to-be-named city in Puerto Rico, then moves over to Palomino Island, smack dab in the middle of the Triangle.

Because Bacardi feels for the people who might be a little nervous about heading into one of the most notorious locations in the world, they're sending 1,862 attendees. Read more here.

Chris Brown Sees Parallels With Ray Rice

In a new interview with MTV, Chris Brown drew parallels with his own struggles and those of Rice, who was released by the Baltimore Ravens last week. Brown, whose new album X is out this week, says he's "been down that road" - and you have to move on. "I've been down that road and I've made my mistakes too, but it's all about how you deal and push forward and control yourself," he told MTV.

If there's any musician who could perhaps equate his or her past to Rice, Brown's among them after his high profile incident in which he assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna.

"I still talk to my therapist twice a week." Read more here.

Grimes Scraps Album Because It 'Sucked'

But that is exactly what Grimes has revealed in a recent interview with the New York Times. After (apparently) a poor reaction to her Rihanna-rejected single "Go" (which wasn't poorly received enough to not make a video for), Grimes rethought her entire range of newly recorded songs.

"It upsets a lot of my fans, and I get why it upsets them," says Grimes, real name Claire Boucher, of "Go," "Everybody was like, 'Oh, Grimes is pandering to the radio.'"

In the interview, Grimes speaks of changing her approach which had previously been her pathway to success: "I'd been [recording] in Vancouver, very reclusive, not seeing anyone � kind of stewing by myself� That's always worked for me in the past."

Read more here.

Calvin Harris And John Newman Release 'Blame' Video

Harris and the track's vocalist, John Newman, play unavailable men in the midst of an existential crisis, each in their own perfectly appointed and urbane homes. What troubles them is unknown, although Newman is pictured in a room designed in the style of the Playboy mansion alongside a woman in black n�glig�e who happens to be unconscious, giving the viewer the idea that perhaps something wicked this way comes.

Midway through it becomes apparent the video will be more about the women - figures who at first were the window dressing to male angst take center stage. A twist is introduced when one central female figure in each of the vignettes takes a tumble down Alice's hole into Wonderland, in a spectacular, watery fashion. It's a subtle reminder from director Emil Nava that this is EDM, where the DJ is never as important to the show as the audience. here.

Lil Kim Releases 'Hard Core' Mixtape

As the title suggests - despite the relatively newer artists on it - Hard Core is a kind of homecoming for Lil Kim with her stylistically returning to her roots.

"I don't feel the need to change up my style or change the things that I used to rap about," Kim told REVOLT. "This tape I tried to give a mixture of everything because that's just who I am." Read more and grab the download link here.

Jake Owen Wasn't Readily Accepted In Nashville

"When I first moved to town, some people said, 'What do you know about country music? You're from a beach town and you played golf in college. What, do you just want to be country all of a sudden?'" Owen told the website. "In a way, it pissed me off. But it also made me try to cover up the fact that I was from Florida."

He added that this resistance forced him to sing songs that helped justify that he could sing country songs like early singles "Yee Haw" and "Eight Second Ride."

"Then I got to the point that I realized I wasn't being true to me or what I loved," he admitted. Read more here.

Josh Turner Premieres New Single Lay Low

Written by Ross Copperman, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler, "Lay Low" has Turner singing of escaping the predictable day-to-day life to slow things down, get out of town and just lay low. He told Rolling Stone Country that when he first heard the track he was transported to his cabin in South Carolina where he can do just that.

"[The song] painted a mental picture of our cabin and how secluded it is," he said. "It's where we go to get away from it all and reconnect with each other, to be reminded of what's most important. Laying low is something Jennifer and I love to do. We most always have to make the time to do it, because as you can imagine, we don't just have ample amounts of idle time."

Read more here.

Beastie Boys' Mike D Designed a Multi-Million Dollar Home

Mike Diamond, Consequence of Sound points out, recently partnered with architects John and Jill Bouratoglou to design the Brooklyn townhouse where he resides with wife Tamra Davis and their two children. And since that structure has not collapsed on its occupants, it makes sense that Diamond join forces with the same architect team to try it again.

The new single family home can be yours for a reasonable price of $4.98 million. If that seems like a lot, consider that it is in Brooklyn, where the rent continues to climb. We're willing to bet they'll knock that down some for a one-time cash payment.

What does nearly $5 million get you? Find out here.

Chris Brown and Trey Songz Pay Homage to R. Kelly

Almost all of the lyrics are shoutouts to Kellz. Brown and Songz use key phrases from "Bump N' Grind," "Ignition," "Half On A Baby," and several others, all employed as seductive metaphors. For example: "F***in' with an R&B thug / You gon' have the greatest sex / Do you mind if I show you off / Baby girl imagine that" lifts directly from Kelly's 2000 smash "R&B Thug."

It's very post-modern example of flirtation by historical reference. "Songs On 12 Play" comes off of Brown's upcoming X. In the last few weeks we've heard several cuts from it, including "Autumn Leaves" and "New Flame."

Listen here.

Audrey Williams Role Cast In Hank Williams Biopic

Known for her roles in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Godzilla, Olsen is the younger sister of twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. She will play across from Tom Hiddleson, who was tapped as the role of Hank Williams earlier this year.

I Saw The Light is directed by Marc Abraham. Abraham wrote the screenplay for the film, which is based off of Colin Escott's Hank Williams biography.

According to Saving Country Music, there is an open casting call for smaller roles and extras next week in Louisiana. It will be held on Sept. 14 between 11 - 4 p.m. in Shreveport, La. Read more here.

Lee Brice's New Album Inspired by Bruno Mars

"I had a lot of songs already planned" for the album, Brice told Radio.com. "But I didn't know exactly what the whole feeling was going to be until I wrote 'I Don't Dance.' I felt like it said, 'This is who I am right now for this album space.'"

The song "I Don't Dance" also represented some of the musical diversity that has always been a part of his life-and which is clearly exhibited on this album as well.

"I love all kinds of music, and most people do," Brice said. "I love R&B, I love rock, I love blues and bluegrass." So on his new album, "all of that stuff I wanted to show."

Brice mentions one album that was a particular inspiration, Bruno Mars' 2012 release Unorthodox Jukebox. "He took classic sounds and mixed them in with new, hip, innovative stuff. And I wanted to do that. I love an old-school steel guitar, 'cuz I'm a country man. But I also hear some stuff in my head that's not quite so classic country. So I wanted to be able to melt all that together."

Brice also admits that he's "kind of a dramatic person" and so likes that element in his music as well. Read more here.

Drake's Face Pasted On Wheelchair Signs Across His Hometown

The inherent absurdity of the Drake saga hasn't escaped journalist Lauren O'Neil, who has spent the last week placing photos of Drake's head on wheelchair signs all around the Northern metropolis.

"My boyfriend made the stickers last Wednesday and we've been 'Draking' the town ever since," she told Buzzfeed. "We just want to make people smile."

There's no word yet from Drake, but the famously self-deprecating Canadian rapper has made no secret about his television past - he's probably amused by the prank.

Check out a few examples of O'Neil's handiwork here.

Gucci Mane Releases New Track Mrs. Perfect

Still, if there's one thing Gucci loves to do, it's release music, and whatever is going on with the mixtape hasn't prevented him from sharing another leak, "Mrs. Perfect."

C-Note's stomping beat complements Gucci's guttural growl; he seems like he's having a lot of fun, if his deceptively complex rhyme schemes and subtle use of melody are any indication. His lyrical subjects are nothing new: big butts, cars, drugs, and jewels.

Here's an example: "She got slim waist and a pretty face, she perfect / Two bad b***hes, a double date, and they perfect / Why you broke n***as all in her face, she allergic / Big Guwop call me Mr. Perfect, well Mrs. Perfect."

Listen here.

Big Sean Releases Four New Songs As He Inks With Roc Nation

First there's"Paradise," produced by Mike WiLL Made It. The track features a double-time flow from Sean over catchy horn stabs. Then there's "I Don't F**k With You," which has serious single potential. E-40 supplies a typically high-octane guest verse, and flavor du jour DJ Mustard production (with some help from Sean's G.O.O.D music mentor Kanye West) could easily push the song into heavy rotation this fall.

"Jit/Juke," produced by Nate Fox, Da Internz and L & F, offers a fascinating take on Chicago juke and Detroit hit styles, courtesy of stuttering drum patterns. Sean is on the front lines of innovation for this one, elevating underground styles from his native Midwest to a national spotlight.

Finally, "4th Quarter" features Sean's most flexible lyrical approach. On Drake's "All Me" he displayed an impressive ability to utilize multiple flows within the same verse; he does the same here, maneuvering between staccato lyrical structures with ease.

Listen to the tracks here.

Tim McGraw Says Sundown Heaven Town Represents A Great Landscape

Even the title itself significant. "To me, [it's] all about that time where you stop doing what you have to do," he said in a recent press statement, "and start doing what you want to do."

The country superstar's 13th studio album, Sundown Heaven Town drops Sept. 16 in a standard 13-track version as well as an 18-track deluxe version. Like his previous release for new label Big Machine (2013's Two Lanes of Freedom), it was co-produced by McGraw and his longtime collaborator Byron Gallimore, with whom he's been working since he started his career in the early 1990s.

"This album is very encompassing of everything that I've done in my career," McGraw said in a press release when Sundown Heaven Town was officially announced. "You can certainly hear parts of my career throughout all of these songs, as well as the future and where my music is headed."

In a recent sit-down interview in Nashville, McGraw emphasized the new album's sonic diversity. "If I look at it in a visual sense, it represents a great landscape," McGraw told Radio.com. "There are so many different colors, and so many different textures to this record."

Some of those varied "colors" and "textures" can be heard on the radio singles from the album that he began releasing earlier this year. The first, "Looking for That Girl," employed apparently Auto-Tuned vocals (the video was a pretty trippy ride, too), while the followup, "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" (a duet with his wife Faith Hill that reached the Top 5) was the polar opposite-a homey, laid-back ballad with a more traditional arrangement.

"I knew just from the phrasing that I wanted to cut the song right away," McGraw explained to Radio.com, about his decision to include "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" on Sundown. "Because you sort of had an idea of the gravity of the song." He played it later that same day for Hill, and her response was also immediate. "When it got to the end, and it said 'me and you back at Mama's,' a flood of tears came down from her eyes. And I said, 'Not only am I going to cut, but you're going to sing it with me.'"

Read more here.

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