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Day in Pop Report for 01/19/2015


A$AP Mob Founder A$AP Yams Dead At 26
(Radio.com) A$AP Yams, the founder of the A$AP Mob that includes, among others, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg, has died. He was 26. The cause of death is currently unknown.

The news broke via multiple social media accounts on Sunday morning (Jan. 18), many of them A$AP-affiliated accounts. "R.I.P. YAMS, I LOVE YOU BROTHER," Rocky wrote on his Instagram, Ferg adding in his own Instagram post: "R.i.P Bro see you in paradise #asapferg #asapmob #cozyboy #yamborgini #yamz."

Yams last posted to his Twitter account Saturday with the words "Bodeine Brazy," leading some believe the cause of death was codeine-related, but nothing has been confirmed just yet. Read more here.

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Chris Brown's Probation Revoked Following Nightclub Shooting
(Radio.com) Last week Chris Brown was performing in a nightclub when an altercation broke out and five people were shot, non-fatally. The singer himself was not involved, but Rolling Stone reports that he technically violated his probation by performing at the Fiesta venue in San Jose, California--there is a provision in his probation that prohibits Brown from leaving Los Angeles County.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Brown still needs to complete 200 hours of community service. The judge did not send Brown into custody--rather, he scheduled a hearing to keep further tabs on Brown's progress on March 20.

Just to make sure Brown wasn't involved in the club shooting, the judge ordered the police to look further into the Fiesta shooting to confirm that wasn't involved. Read more here.

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The Grateful Dead Reuniting For Final Tour
(Radio.com) This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, and the four original surviving members will be going out in style. The band announced a string of anniversary shows at Chicago's Soldier Field July 3-5, which come 20 years to the day after the band's last performance at the same venue. Two sets will be performed each night for a total of six.

It'll also mark the Dead's final shows together, according to a press release. The shows will see the reunion of Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann.

They'll be joined by Bruce Hornsby on piano, Trey Anastasio on guitar and Jeff Chimenti on keyboards. 'I have a feeling this will come out just right," Hart noted in a press release. 'Can't wait to find out�HERE WE GO!"

Hart added: 'It is with respect and gratitude that we reconvene the Dead one last time to celebrate--not merely the band's legacy, but also the community that we've been playing to, and with, for fifty years. Wave that flag, wave it wide and high�" Read more here.

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Lady Gaga Reuniting With Producer RedOne
(Radio.com) Lady Gaga is returning to her old Mother Monster ways. After taking a jazzy detour with Tony Bennett, Gaga is heading back into the studio with her producer RedOne.

Gaga let fans know she was back to work with her pop righthand man by posting a photo to her Instagram showing her and RedOne, who's holding an acoustic guitar, sitting by the boards looking cozy.

This pairing should have Gaga fans well, going gaga. RedOne is the producer behind some of her biggest songs including "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" off her 2008 debut, The Fame, along with Born This Way tracks like "Judas."

RedOne was noticeably absent on her most recent album, 2013's ARTPOP, which last year Gaga said was not a "flop" that cost her label $25 million and caused layoffs in a letter slamming her ex-manager.

Check out the photo of Gaga and RedOne here.

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Run the Jewels Get Their Own Marvel Comic Book Covers
(Radio.com) Run the Jewels have been a lot of things lately: Successful rappers. Conan show music guests. Pitchfork album of the year winners. Steven Seagal fan fiction authors. We even honored them.

And, their latest accomplishment might be their most unexpected yet: comic book inspirations. Marvel is paying homage to Killer Mike and El-P with two comic book covers for their already established titles: Deadpool and Howard the Duck.

On the Deadpool cover, the signature gun and fist hands are displayed, but as those of Big Marvel Bad Guy Thanos and Deadpool. The art is by Skottie Young and appears on issue number 45.

For Howard the Duck issue number 2 (it's a reboot), the artwork of Mahmud Asrar depicts the titular duck with Guardians of the Galaxy's Rocket Raccoon, with both making the same fun and fist gestures. Read more here.

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Ronnie Milsap Country Music Hall of Fame Exhibit Coming
(Radio.com) Recently inducted Country Music Hall of Fame member Ronnie Milsap will be honored this year with his own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

The exhibit, titled Ronnie Milsap: A Legend in My Time, will open on Feb. 6 and highlight the country singer's long career. In celebration with Milsap's exhibit opening, on Feb. 7 museum writer-editor Peter Cooper will host the event Conversation with Ronnie Milsap.

The conversation will be held at the museum's CMA Theater where Milsap will discuss his early inspirations, rise to success, difficult childhood, blindness and career. Read more here.

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Train Announce Bulletproof Picasso Tour Dates
(Radio.com) Train has announced that they'll be hitting the road behind their latest album Bulletproof Picasso for a North American tour that kicks off May 21 in Marysville, Calif. The tour will also feature opening acts The Fray and Matt Nathanson.

Train wanted to try and keep things fresh this time around, which is no easy feat for a band that's been doing this for 20 years. "The last few tours we've always done something different, whether it was dance routines, bringing a cellist out, having costume changes, videos and lighting," frontman Pat Monahan told Radio.com. "There's a lot to say about simplicity, but we're still trying to figure out some things we haven't done yet. And we're also trying to figure out how to incorporate The Fray and Matt Nathanson--creating a community on stage is always a big part of what Train fans love about our summer tours."

To keep things exciting this year, the guys will end their two-month long Picasso At The Wheel Summer Tour at The Gorge in Washington for the band's first ever Picasso Music, Food and Wine Festival.

Fans who get to the show's early will also be able to partake in the Patcast Tailgate tent located in each venue's parking lot. There they'll be treated to a classic rock DJ, be able to give shout-outs to friends on frontman Monahan's weekly podcast, the Patcast and sign-up for the Mermaid Costume contest for a chance to be brought up on stage. A fan might even get to meet Monahan himself.

"I'll go out there and we will record segments for the show with fans and maybe do a few fan podcasts," he said. "It just sounds like a lot of fun to me to get a chance to interact with the fans and have some fun episodes."

But, don't expect the guys to show up to the venue in a cadillac in honor of their song "Cadillac, Cadillac."

"You know, I think that would be fun on some level if it was just desert shows like in southern California, but nothing beats a big, beautiful, comfortable tour bus," Monahan said. "Maybe they make Cadillac tour buses. Or if they don't, they should start." Read more including the tour dates here.

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Sia Performs On Saturday Night Live
(Radio.com) Sia is a pop star known to shy from the spotlight; the promotion of her album 1000 Forms of Fear, which sometimes didn't include her at all in its videos' case and featured the singer either hidden or turned away from the audience during live performances.

But on Saturday Night Live this weekedn (Jan. 17), she took more of a turn in the spotlight, though don't think that means she didn't have some accompaniment onstage, particularly from Maddie Ziegler, the child actor featured prominently in both Sia's viral videos for "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart." Not that she needed more of a presence; after all, Kevin Hart was the host, bringing his bigger-than-life persona to the stage.

Any wonders about whether or not Sia would face away from the audience to perform, as she has done multiple times on TV appearances since the release of her album, were quelled fairly immediately, though it wasn't a face-forward rendition of "Elastic Heart" either. Instead, Sia faced stage right, her face again covered in a veil from the nose up. Honorary Sia, Maddie Ziegler appeared again, as she does in "Chandelier" and the just-released "Elastic Heart" video, to redo the dance from the video, though the other part was played by Tonya Brewer this time, not Shia LaBeouf.

The second performance, as expected by most, was "Chandelier," but it wasn't like you've seen it. She forewent the usual Ziegler choreography, joined instead by a mime who went through the entire rendition in sign language. It was a far more stripped-down performance, too, Sia ditching the bombastic production for piano and strings.

Additionally, SNL lampooned the Justin Bieber Calvin Klein ad. Read more and watch here.

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DJ Mustard Remixes Beyonce's '7/11'
(Radio.com) DJ Mustard has shared his rework of Beyonce's recent track "7/11." He's turned the song on its head, sampling snippets of her voice and filling the space with what can only be described as a flagrant display of EDM.

It's not recognizable as one of Mustard's usual bouncy, low-slung radio hits. Instead, cascading synths lead up to a thunderous drop, followed by stuttering firework synths and drums built for festival stages.

Think Coachella, main stage. This is among the first major releases by Mustard since his 10 Summers release in August. We'll have to wait and see if it is the start of a new direction for the producer's sound. Listen to the remix here.

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D'Angelo Announces Apollo Theater Headlining Show
(Radio.com) After releasing Black Messiah right near the end of 2014, and winning the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll for best album of the year, D'Angelo will be celebrating in style, with his first ever headlining performance at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City.

The concert, scheduled for Feb. 7, comes some 24 years after D'Angelo appeared at the venue's amateur night in 1991. This will be the first live performance for D'Angelo since the release of Black Messiah, and will feature the backing of his band, the Vanguard.

The show marks the beginning of what is likely to be a long touring cycle for D'Angelo, as the Black Messiah tour kicks off on Feb. 11 in Switzerland, and continues with a full European run. Read more here.

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Weezer's Rivers Cuomo Receiving Fan Mail Meant For Incubus
(Radio.com) Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo has a problem that many other rock stars wish they had--too much fan mail. The problem is that a lot of the fan mail he's receiving isn't meant for him.

Rather, it's intended for an entirely different artist: Brandon Boyd, frontman of long-running hard rock band Incubus. "I get these elaborate fan packages, only they're not for me, they're for the singer of Incubus, Brandon Boyd," he explained during an appearance on Larry King.

Neither he nor Boyd have an explanation for why this has been happening. He makes clear to Larry King that he has never once been a member of Incubus in any capacity. Read more here.

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EDM Producer Goes On Killing Spree in New Film
(Radio.com) In a new film called Enter the Dangerous Mind, an EDM producer has difficulty quieting the voices in his head. It just so happens that EDM music is the only thing that can help this troubled man, but not for long.

Enter the Dangerous Mind is directed by Youssef Delara and Victor Teran and stars Jake Hoffman as the troubled musician/producer. Nikki Reed plays his love interest, a social worker who tries her best to save him, while Scott Bakula is his father.

In the film's first trailer posted earlier this week, Thomas Dekker is shown as the producer's friend, egging him on in the worst ways possible. The trailer shows the suspense develop as the main character unleashes havoc on those closest to him. Watch the trailer and read more here.

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The Divergent Series: 'Insurgent' Behind-The-Scenes Sneak Peek
(Radio.com) Summit Films has released a behind-the-scene extended trailer for the latest chapter in The Divergent Series. Insurgent continues with the same cast and takes up where the first film left off.

Insurgent "raises the stakes for Tris (Shailene Woodley) as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris and boyfriend Four (Theo James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite.

Racing against time, they must find out what Tris's family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

Insurgent opens in theaters March 20 with Allegiant, a new two-part chapter, following March 2016 and 2017. Check out the video here.

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Florida Georgia Line Talk Football
(Radio.com) In a seemingly inevitable moment of cross-promotional synergy, country duo Florida Georgia Line were tapped last Halloween to headline a kickoff concert for the annual (and quite massive) Florida vs. Georgia football game weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, unofficially dubbed "the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."

In addition to the day-long concert that also featured Cole Swindell, the Cadillac Three and more, Florida Georgia Line were also recruited to take part in the game itself, participating in the opening coin toss. Well, sort of.

"We didn't do anything," admits one half of the band, Tyler Hubbard, during a recent Radio.com interview regarding the group's coin toss duties. "We just walked out there and waved and walked back."

"It felt a little awkward," continues partner Brian Kelley. "We were trying not to be in the way of anybody, you know. We don't want to mess the coin toss up. It's starts the day off right. You can't screw that up."

The two bandmembers consider themselves genuine football fans, proclaiming the Tennessee Titans as their favorite NFL squad, and the one they'd most like to see utilize a Florida Georgia Line track as an anthem.

"I'd say if the Titans used 'This is How We Roll,' that would be pretty cool," enthuses Kelley. "It's a nice anthem, right? Maybe I'm biased."

"Either that or 'Every Night,'" adds Hubbard, referencing the last song on the group's second studio full-length, Anything Goes, released last year. Read more here.

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