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B-Sides Report for 12/07/2015



Nicki Minaj's Brother Charged With Rape Of 12-Year-Old Girl

Jalani Maraj, the older brother of Nicki Minaj, has been charged with the first-degree rape of a 12-year-old girl, according to ABC News, who confirmed the story which originated with a tabloid report.

The 37-year-old brother of the entertainer has been accused of raping the child on New York's Long Island, according to the report and he was arraigned last Thursday (Dec 3) in Nassau County.

Maraj was reportedly freed on $100,000 bond. Very few confirmable details about the allegations were available at press time, with only the original tabloid report citing unnamed sources, and the ABC News report simply confirming that Minaj's brother had been charged with the crime. Read the ABC report here.

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Country Legend Merle Haggard Hospitalized

Country music legend Merle Haggard announced on Friday that he has entered a hospital for treatment for pneumonia, which has forced him to postpone several tour dates.

Haggard's camp made the following announcement via his Facebook page, "Due to pneumonia, Merle Haggard has checked into a CA hospital, forcing him to postpone his December tour dates. Dates will be rescheduled for late January through February 2016."

He had several live dates lined up this week including two shows in Las Vegas tonight (Dec 7th) and tomorrow, as well as a concert in Beverly Hills on Wed and a stop in Livermore, Ca on Thursday. See the dates here.

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U2 Joined By Patti Smith In Paris, Not Eagles Of Death Metal

U2 were joined on stage by Patti Smith at their Paris concert at the AccorHotels Arena on Sunday night (Dec 6), according to Billboard and the Irish band paid tribute to the victims of recent terrorist attacks.

The band was originally scheduled to play in Paris last month but their shows were postponed after the November 13th terrorist attacks. They paid tributes to the victims of the attacks as well as last week's attack in San Bernardino, Ca during the rescheduled concert on Sunday night.

During the concert, U2 displayed the names of the victims of the Friday the 13th attacks on a large screen on the stage. The display included the colors the French flag (blue, white and red).

Bono reportedly told the crowd, "We stand together with the families who lost their loved ones in Paris," according to the Irish Independent. He then addressed the attack in the U.S. this past week and elsewhere, "We stand together with families in San Bernardino. We stand together with families in Beirut and Istanbul. We stand together before those with false ideologies of the god they serve."

There was a rumor that U2 would be joined by the Eagles Of Death Metal at the show. The rock band's Paris concert was the site of one of the Nov. 13th attacks but U2 issued a statement before Sunday night's show informing fans that they would not be performing with the rock group.

U2 said, "We're back in Paris and it's great to be here. Some people have been saying that Eagles of Death Metal will appear on stage with U2 tonight. This is not the case. We have another surprise guest planned for tonight's show.‎"

Billboard reports that they were told by an unnamed source that U2 would be joined by the Eagles Of Death Metal at one of the Paris shows. They are scheduled to perform at the same venue tonight (Dec. 7th).

Read the report and check out fan filmed videos from the show here.

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Adele's 25 Remains At The Top Of Billboard 200 Album Chart

(popmusiclife) Adele's "25" tops the US Billboard 200 album chart for a second straight week. Neilsen Music confirms via Billboard that the project sold 1.16 million equivalent album units, including 1.11 million in pure album sales.

"25" sets yet another record as it become the first album to sell a million copies in two different weeks since Nielsen began tracking point-of-sale purchases in 1991.

In its first two weeks, "25" has sold 4.49 million copies - equivalent to 30 percent of all albums sold in the US over that period. Produced by Greg Kurstin, Adele's third album was launched with the lead single, "Hello", which became an instant worldwide smash. Read more and watch the "Hello" video here.

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Keith Urban's Father Enters Hospice Care

(Radio.com) As Keith Urban was celebrating the opening of his temporary exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, he was also processing the fact that his father, Robert Urban, has entered hospice care, The Tennessean reports.

"He's probably only got a few weeks, if that," Urban told the daily. 'I've just been dealing with that the last couple of days. This has all come at a very strange time where it's typical of a career that has extreme highs and extreme lows, all often at the exact same time. So (the exhibit) is bittersweet a little bit because (my dad) is the catalyst for all of this. My dad is the catalyst for me living in America."

The senior Urban fostered his son's love for country music. Urban recalled a time that his father took him to purchase a new album by Don Williams, without having heard anything from the project. Read more here.

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Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Welcome Second Child

(Radio.com) Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcomed their second child on Saturday, December 5th, according to announcement that was posted on Kardashian's official website.

At press time, the reality television star had yet to post any photos to her Instagram account. The child is a boy but the celebrity couple haven't revealed the name yet.

According to CBS News, Kardashian West initially had a due date of Christmas day (Dec. 25th), but health complications forced her to move it up. Read more here.

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Erykah Badu Pokes More Fun At Iggy Azlea

(Radio.com) After Erykah Badu made a joke about Iggy Azalea's rap credentials at the Soul Train Awards, the Australian rapper naturally had a response, one she shared on Twitter and now Badu took to the social media site to make another joke..

Azalea posted the following tweet after Badu's remarks at the awards show, "We are days from 2016, but I came online today and saw its still cool to try and discredit my 2014 accomplishments. LOL, f-ing hell".

Badu has since gone on Twitter to respond, continuing the joke she started at the awards show. "'Well that'll be the LAST time I send an uber for you! I can guaran DAMN tee you THAT," she wrote to Azalea.

At the Soul Train Awards, Badu began her performance with a bit about banning all rap from the show, but made an exception for Azlea, stating that what the artist does isn't rap. Badu even offered to send her an Uber to get to the show on time. Read more here.

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Kristian Bush Reveals New Song 'Thinking About Drinking For Christmas'

(Radio.com) Kristian Bush has released a new Christmas song that puts a humorous spin on the challenges of spending the holidays with your family. He co-wrote "Thinking About Drinking for Christmas" over Thanksgiving weekend of 2013 with Chris Young and songwriter Brett James.

"I guess I'm obsessed with writing Christmas songs," Bush tells Rolling Stone Country. "Writing Christmas music feels like you're writing for a movie, except you're writing for everyone's movie. The cool thing about Christmas is that it has a soundtrack. There's a day when you go into the Gap � You get into the car and turn on the radio, and the only thing they're playing is Christmas music. It's like the entire world suddenly flips on that soundtrack, and I want to be a part of that."

While many will be able to see their own relatives in the lyrics, Bush used his own Aunt Alice for inspiration in the second verse. "She was the kind of aunt that always hugged you too hard and wouldn't stop talking, you know?" he laughs. "There's something about your family that can stress you out sometimes, but you still love them. You're just not around them all year, and you don't have the skill set to navigate them. Sometimes, you can start thinking about what's gonna help you deal with all of that." Listen here here.

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Cage the Elephant Streaming New Single 'Too Late To Say Goodbye'

(Radio.com) Rock band Cage the Elephant released the song, "Too Late To Say Goodbye," which features a slow-building eerie feel thanks to gritty guitar riffs and vocalist Matthew Shultz reaching towards falsetto on the chorus.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach produced Tell Me I'm Pretty, and "Too Late To Say Goodbye" picks up the almost woozy sound that defines the latest album from Lana Del Rey, another artist Auerbach produced.

Cage the Elephant will open CBS's The Night Before concert, held at AT&T Park in San Francisco one day prior to the Super Bowl. Metallica headline the concert. Stream the song here.

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T.I. Added To Cast For 'Roots' Miniseries Remake

(Radio.com) T.I. has been added to the cast of the A&E update of 1970s the Roots miniseries, which chronicles the lives and times of a family of slaves in America.

The rap star is set to play a character named Cyrus, a headstrong slave who joined the Union Army against Confederate Forces in order to fight against slavery, reports Variety.

The latest incarnation of the Roots series will be simulcast across the A&E channels such as History and Lifetime. LeVar Burton, the actor who played as Kunta Kinte in the original series, is co-executive producer while Questlove will serve as the exec music producer. Read more here.

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Sports Host Goes On Rant About Coldplay Playing Super Bowl Halftime

(Radio.com) Coldplay seem to be a rather safe choice for the Super Bowl halftime show: they have huge hit singles, they headline arenas, and are generally not an offensive band. But, there are those who aren't happy that they're playing in the middle of the biggest football game of the year. And at least one of those people has a big microphone to broadcast that opinion with.

Craig Carton, co-host of the Boomer and Carton Show, which is nationally televised on the CBS Sports Network, had a few thoughts about the choice of Coldplay.

"I don't understand for the life of me, how the NFL, with all the resources that they have, with all the alleged creative people that they have working for them, with all the great performers in the world, how they can try to perpetrate Coldplay as the signature act of the half time show of the Super Bowl!" he ranted.

"I don't get it! We can't do better than Coldplay?" Insinuating that the band is boring, they played the band's early hit "Yellow" as Carton pretended to snore, and then he mocked the lyrics to "The Scientist." Read more here.

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Flo Rida Streams New Track 'Dirty Mind'

(Radio.com) New music this week from Flo Rida, who released the track "Dirty Mind" featuring Sam Martin. The song is exactly what it sounds like: A journey into Flo Rida's dirty mind and all the ways he likes to have fun. "Oops I got up inside of your dirty, dirty mind," he and Martin sing on the hook.

With electronic and computer elements built into the chorus, it's a slight deviation from the pop/rap he's put out in the past, but "Dirty Mind" is sure to be a club pleaser.

Playing off the song's title and subject matter, the image Flo Rida uses for the YouTube audio includes an optical illusion. Is it a lamp or legs? Check it out here.

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Phoenix Stream 'Alone on Christmas Day' Featuring Bill Murray

(Radio.com) Phoenix have released their first-ever Christmas single, a cover of the Beach Boys song "Alone on Christmas Day." The track features Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, former David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer, New York Dolls' David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) and will appear in the Netflix holiday special A Very Murray Christmas.

"Alone on Christmas Day" is a holiday track the Beach Boys recorded in 1979 that was never formally released. A Very Murray Christmas was directed by Sofia Coppola and also stars George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Rashida Jones, Michael Cera and Chris Rock in addition to French rockers Phoenix.

The song is available for download now at iTunes and Amazon. A limited edition 7″ of the song is on sale here and will be available at all independent music retailers nationwide. Stream the song here.

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Dierks Bentley Receives Birthday Present From Fan Club

(Radio.com) Dierks Bentley fans celebrated the star's 40th's birthday by finding him the ideal gift: boots. "These are good boots!" Bentley says in a video of him opening the gift from his fan club, DB Congress.

"I'm actually totally shocked because I've been online looking for some new boots. [laughs] I'm shocked." Bentley celebrated the milestone birthday on Nov. 20, but was excited to receive this late present.

"It's like a really perfect fit," he says while trying on the boots. "Such a nice gift, thank you so much. It's a great boot." Watch the video of Dierks opening the gift here.

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