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Day in Pop Report for 02/04/2015


Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Kanye West to Perform at Grammys
(Radio.com) Paul McCartney, Kanye West and and Rihanna are about to take their collaboration, "FourFiveSeconds," to the stage: the trio will perform the song during the 57th annual GRAMMY Awards Sunday night.

The track, which has not been released on any album yet, is available for purchase on iTunes. Will it eventually end up on a full-length album? Maybe--but probably not on Kanye's next one, since Rihanna is the main artist listed on the track.

But Sir Paul and Yeezus have been spending quite a bit of time in the studio together; their Rihanna-free collab, "Only One," was released last month. The 57th annual GRAMMY Awards air live on Feb. 8 at 8 pm EST on CBS.

Read more here.

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Suge Knight Hospitalized After Court Appearance
(Radio.com) Suge Knight was hospitalized after pleading not guilty to murder, attempted murder attempted murder and two charges of hit-and-run on Tuesday (Feb. 3) in Los Angeles court, According to CBS Los Angeles.

Knight was arrested and charged after a hit-and-run incident during which he allegedly hit two men with his truck, killing one and injuring another, the latter with non-threatening injuries.

Terry Carter, 55, was the deceased man in the incident. Cle Sloan, 51, was not killed, but Knight's attempted murder charge stems from Sloan's involvement. Carter's death is being investigated as a homicide. Read more here.

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Madonna Suffers Deluxe Leak
(Radio.com) Way to kick a queen of pop when she's down. After demos for her new album, Rebel Heart, leaked onto the Internet in December, prompting a rushed EP release, the same thing has happened again to Madonna. The deluxe edition of Rebel Heart is now viral, and Madonna is not happy.

"'Current Mood! SMFH ! We live in a craZy world. With everything going on in the Universe we should all just be � �️#livingforlove," Madonna said via Instagram.

The photo included on the Instagram post is from her recent Versace photo shoot/ad campaign and captures Madonna's current mood pretty perfectly. On the brighter side, Madonna does still have a performance on this week's Grammy awards to look forward to, as well as a music video for "Living for Love."

Read more and see the post here.

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Chris Brown and Tyga Release 'Ayo' Video
(Radio.com) There's a lot going on in Tyga and Chris Brown's new video for "Ayo," released Tuesday (Feb. 3). Brown and Tyga's joint album Fan of a Fan: The Album is due out Feb. 10.

The opening shot features Tyga taking a selfie in front of a pool while a team of construction workers use a backhoe to dump money into it. He posts the pic on Instagram--caption: "money pool, b--"--then we're off to the inside of his mansion, where there are lions to play with and gold toilets to photograph.

Chris Brown joins him for a game of chess in front of a fire and a pair of fencers. Tyga's back outside, floating on a gold inflatable mattress while bills float around him. Then we're off to a parking lot, where Tyga and Brown rap and sing in front of a motor cade of luxury cars while motorcycles drift around them.

All of this, it turns out, is only an introduction to the video's real plot: while drag racing across a bridge, Chris Brown catches the attention of a bumbling cop, interrupted mid-coitus, who tries unsuccessfully to chase him down.

"Wasn't he supposed to be doing community service?" asks the cop. Watch the video here.

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Skylar Grey Premieres 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Track 'I Know You'
(Radio.com) While Fifty Shades of Grey fans are gearing up for the release of the film on Feb. 13, Skylar Grey is giving a music preview with her new song "I Know You," which will be featured as part of the film's soundtrack, out next week.

Grey's haunting vocals alongside soaring string accompaniment detail a woman who loves a man who puts up barriers on his heart. The soundtrack is due out Feb. 10, followed by the film's release right before Valentine's Day (Feb. 13).

It's the newest song from the Fifty Shades soundtrack that's been released, following singles "Love Me Like You Do" from Ellie Goulding and "Earned It" from the Weeknd, plus Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" remix from the trailer and Sia's "Salted Wound."

Listen to the song here.

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Taylor Swift's Lyric Trademark Receives Metal Parody
(Radio.com) Taylor Swift's trademark application for the lyric "This Sick Beat" has come under fire by Ben Norton, a composer and free speech advocate known as Peculate.

Last October Swift's attorneys filed trademark applications for lyrics found on her album 1989 such as 'Party Like it's 1989," 'Could Show You Incredible Things," 'Cause We Never Go Out of Style" and 'Nice to Meet You. Where You Been?"

But the one that irked Norton enough to compose a full song was "This Sick Beat." So, in response Norton wrote and released a song under the same title. And what do you suppose the lyrics are to this new song? Yes, "This Sick Beat," over and over and over. But in all fairness, the song is wildly entertaining. And to accompany the music, Norton created a lyric video.

Norton's notes explain his thoughts. In January 2015, Taylor Swift trademarked the phrase "This Sick Beat." Trademarks are a direct attack on one of the most fundamental and inalienable rights of all: our freedom of speech. Read more and listen to the track here.

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Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Drake & Lady Gaga Read Mean Tweets
(Radio.com) People are mean, but their meanness results in amazing tweets that when read by the person they're about are extremely funny. Case in point, this most recent edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s Mean Tweets segment which has pop stars like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Drake and Ed Sheeran reading the meanest of mean things written about them on the internet in anticipation of the Grammys. Kimmel clearly wants to bring them all down a notch.

Drake has a critic who thinks he looks like Voldemort with hair--though, we all know he's Drake-O Malfoy. Britney Spears gets compared to the weather in New York City. Well, a young Britney Spears does: "pretty hot, kinda gross."

Blake Shelton gets called a hick. Ed Sheeran gets called ugly. Wiz Khalifa gets called a homeless woman. And Pitbull has someone hoping his voice box is destroyed by a gorilla.

The worst may have to be the tweet about Josh Groban, which questions whether you'd prefer to listen to Groban's music or have diarrhea ladled into your ears. Watch it here.

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Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Kanye West Release 'FourFiveSeconds' Video
(Radio.com) It's all in the eye flip--at 18 seconds into the new video for Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Kanye West's "FourFive Seconds," Rihanna briefly flips her eyes skyward in a gesture which instantly captures the song's lightheared, devil-may-care attitude towards all of life's problems.

It's the perfect visual complement to lines like, "I say what's on my mind, I might do a little time." The video--directed by Inez & Vinoodh--features stark shots of the three starts against a white background. Denim is order of the day, with all three wearing head to toe Canadian tuxedos.

Where Rihanna is somewhat flirty and irreverent, Kanye is in turn stoic and rowdy. At some points he glares at the camera, embodying his recent claim that he doesn't smile because he wants to resemble 19th century portraiture. Other times, he goes wild, two-stepping and jumping around the frame. He crouches, he leaps. He pounds his chest and throws his hands back.

Watch it here.

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Kid Ink Releases 'Round Here' Video
(Radio.com) Kid Ink's new album Full Speed is out this week, with features from Usher, Tinashe, Dej Loaf, Trey Songz, Migos and more. To celebrate, the Los Angeles rapper has released the video for the album cut "Round Here."

The video starts off with a young Kid Ink doppelganger on a bike, wearing a fedora. Then we cut to a shot of Kid Ink stunting in front of a window backlit by police lights. The video will not leave this room: it's claustrophobic, minimal palette reflects the simple, effective combination of elements in the song.

Over a crawling, bass-heavy, horn-driven beat, Kid Ink explores the theme of his persona and influence in his hometown: "your b-- will get stole, n--/ that's your section, not no more, n--."

The shots of Kid Ink are interspersed with shots of a lady KLidfriend on top of the bike, biting her chain. For the most part, though, Ink is the star of his own show.

Watch the video here.

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Modest Mouse Delays Album Release and Reveals New Song
(Radio.com) Good news for people who love bad news: Modest Mouse have delayed their long-anticipated new album. But after waiting eight years since the Pacific Northwesterners last LP, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, a couple more weeks shouldn't be too much to bear.

As a bit of a peace offering, Modest Mouse have shared a third sampling from their upcoming sixth proper full-length. Titled "The Best Room," the track diverts from the recently shared ballad, "Coyotes," and goes back to the strutting rock swagger that the band is known for.

Strangers to Ourselves will feature The Shins' James Mercer on backup vocals on a number of songs. Check out "The Best Room" and view the full track list for the album here.

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Rihanna and Kanye West Teaming Up For Tour?
(Radio.com) Kanye West and Rihanna may tour together in 2015--at least, that's what an anonymous source thinks. Complex posted an image on Instagram which appears to be a flyer for a potential co-headlining tour.

According to Complex, the image was sent to them by "an anonymous, reliable source close to the camps." Coincidentally--or perhaps not--this comes shortly on the heels of Rihanna accidentally tweeting a link to an auction for a meet-and-greet package for a Kanye West tour that hadn't been announced yet. Perhaps that's a tour she's also part of.

At the very least, it would make a lot of sense for the two to tour together--just this morning they released the video for their "FourFive Seconds" duet and performed at a pre-Super Bowl concert.

See the photo here.

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Kim Gordon Slams Courtney Love, Billy Corgan In Memoir
(Radio.com) Kim Gordon's upcoming memoir, Girl in a Band, is one of the most anticipated music books in recent memory (maybe since the Morrissey memoir?), and with details now surfacing, it seems like our hopes were not misplaced.

Through a recent excerpt in Vogue, many notable tidbits have emerged, including in-depth details on her split with Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore, references to Courtney Love as "mentally ill," and her calling Billy Corgan a "crybaby."

On her split from Moore, Gordon tries to take the high-road, saying, "No one could understand how Thurston, who always had a good nose for the user, the groupie, the nutcase or the hanger-on, had let himself get pulled under by her. I did feel some compassion for Thurston � but that's a lot different to forgiveness." Read more here.

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Diplo and Booty Queen Fraules Release '6th Gear' Video
(Radio.com) DJ/producer Diplo was among the first proponents of the booty-quaking dance known as "twerking" via the song and subsequent hashtag, "Express Yourself."

For new track, "6th Gear," with Alvaro and featuring Kstylus, Diplo has turned up the twerking quotient to epic proportions, recruiting notorious Russian dance queen Elena "Fraules" Yatkina and her twerk team to heat up the clip.

"Nothing makes more sense for a Diplo video than twerking princesses from Siberia � #duhhhhhh," he said of the music video in an accompanying press release.

The clip features an energetic and impressively acrobatic display of tweaking--though it's not for the faint of heart, so proceed with caution as you watch it here.

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Nicki Minaj Sparks Speculation With Meek Mill Photo
(Radio.com) Nicki Minaj may be taking her friendship with Meek Mill to the next level. At least, that's what a recent Instagram photo--and other teases over the past few weeks--suggests.

Minaj posted a photo to her Instagram account Monday (Feb. 2) that shows the two looking very friendly together. While Minaj, dressed in jeans and an over-sized blue plush coat, gazes at the camera, Mill plants a kiss on her cheek with his arms tightly around her.

The "Anaconda" singer didn't caption the photo, leaving fans wondering if she and Mill are in fact an item. Both have beat around the bush in the past, though the definitive statement from Minaj has been that they're just friends. Still, given their knowledge of the public's interest in their relationship, whatever it is, the pic is certainly more than an innocent photo to one's Instagram.

See the photo here.

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Gwen Stefani Performs Medley On The Tonight Show
(Radio.com) Gwen Stefani is back again and showing off her hits with a special medley on The Tonight Show. With a little help from The Roots, Gwen, wearing a sparkly jacket and skirt/capri pants combo (by her own brand, L.A.M.B. we assume), performed a few of her biggest solo track including her latest single with Pharrell "Spark The Fire" before launching into "Rich Girl" and "What You Waiting For?" from 2004's Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

But it was the horn-filled "Sweet Escape" off her 2007 album of the same name that got the most cheers from the crowd. Flanked by dancers, Gwen took command, stomping her feet to show she's back.

After taking spot on The Voice, Gwen continues her solo comeback with her first solo show in six years this Saturday (Feb. 7) in Los Angeles--the night before the GRAMMYs. And yes, there is a solo album on the way this year, you just may have to be patient.

Watch her performance here.

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Katy Perry Receives Unusual Nickname
(Radio.com) Katy Perry's Super Bowl halftime show was filled with dancing sharks, fireworks, beach balls and The More You Know star, but it's another theme Perry previously used on stage that has inspired a very tasty nickname from her Chinese fans.

It was reported by CNN this morning (Feb. 3) that China refers to Perry as "shui guo jie" or "fruit sister," for all those yummy fruit costumes she used to wear, including watermelon bras, strawberry bodysuits and a Chiquita Banana onesie.

Though we get it, it's been a while since she rocked the fruit so maybe it's time for an upgrade China? Say, "Shark Tamer"? Whatever her nickname is in China though, for now she can just be cited as the performer whose Super Bow halftime show is the most watched with 118.5 million viewers. Read more here.

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