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Day in Pop Report for 06/23/2015



Sean 'Diddy' Combs Arrested For Assault With Deadly Weapon

(Radio.com) Hip-hop impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested on Monday (June 22) on the UCLA campus for assault with a deadly weapon, allegedly attacking a coach for the school's football team.

According to the L.A. Times, Combs was arrested around 12:30 p.m. at the Acosta Athletic Training Complex for reportedly assaulting the unnamed coach with a kettlebell.

The rap mogul is expected to be transported to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Inmate Reception Center for processing at some point this evening.

Combs' son Justin Combs is a member of the UCLA football team, and rumors spreading that the assault occurred when Diddy confronted a coach about issues involving his son. Read more here.

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Janet Jackson Releases New Song 'No Sleeep'

(Radio.com) Janet Jackson is the sexy, self-proclaimed "queen of insomnia" on her new single "No Sleeep." Jackson's single was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, her longtime production partners and the guys responsible for the definitive Janet Jackson sound since 1986's Control.

Jackson tweeted out a link to the song Monday morning (June 22), saying, "I dedicate this to My Love." The song isn't a marked departure from her usual standards, but it's welcome nonetheless: it's the first new single from Jackson since 2009's Make Me, off her Number Ones compilation.

"No Sleeep" is the lead single from her forthcoming album, expected in the fall of 2015 and the first since 2008's Discipline. Her Unbreakable World Tour, slated to promote the album, launches in August. Check out the new track here.

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Disney and Deadmau5 Settle Dispute

(Radio.com) The cold war between Disney and Deadmau5 appears to have ended. Originally, Disney objected to the DJ's attempt to trademark his giant mouse head (because, you know, Micky), and Deadmau5 responded with a cease-and-desist for using music of his without permission.

But as of Monday, the behind-the-scenes struggle for power of all things mouse are ending, with both reaching a deal that will pave the way for the two to mutually exist in peace.

"Disney and Deadmau5 have amicably resolved their dispute," said an attorney for Deadmau5. (via Billboard) The actual terms of the deal won't be clear for sometime, until Deadmau5 completes his request to trademark his giant mouse head. Read more here.

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New Duran Duran Song With Janelle Monae & Nile Rodgers Now Online

(Radio.com) One of the biggest reasons to look forward to Duran Duran's next album Paper Gods is all of the surprising collaborations, from Lindsay Lohan and Mark Ronson to Kiesza and Janelle Monae.

The song featuring the latter, "Pressure Off," also featuring Chic's Nile Rodgers, has now surfaced. The futuristic dance track finds Rodgers dialing up his signature guitar funk and Monae joining in on the chorus.

If it doesn't sound far off from Duran Duran's 1986 album Notorious, that's probably because it was produced by Rodgers. When the band set out on recording Paper Gods, meanwhile, their goal was to 'capture the duality and sense of conflict at the heart of Duran Duran's music," per a press release. According to bassist John Taylor, 'It really goes back to that strange early Duran mix: the hard-edged pop, coexisting with this dark, weird, experimental side." Listen to the song here.

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Elton John And Janelle Monae May Duet On Next Chic Album

(Radio.com) Nile Rodgers has a very "one world" view of music. Genre and generational borders clearly mean little to him. Besides being one of the members of disco behemoth Chic, Rodgers is one of the most successful producer/guitarists of the past few decades, having worked with Sister Sledge, David Bowie, INXS, Madonna, Duran Duran, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the B-52s, Adam Lambert, Avicii, Disclosure, Sam Smith and Daft Punk, to name just a few.

The guy likes to bring people together: and on one song he's been working on, he's combining the vocal talents of Elton John and Janelle Monae. "The song is the story of a woman's life [in] four stages," Rodgers tells Radio.com. "It's beautiful, it's a tear-jerker."

While the recording is new, the song itself is something Rodgers has been working for three decades, and its original inspiration was someone else entirely: Diana Ross.

"Years ago, I went with Diana Ross to Radio City Music Hall to see Julio Iglesias," Rodgers explains. "And she says to me, 'Nile, whatever you do, make sure this guy doesn't get me up on stage.' I said, 'Hey, D, it's cool, no problem! I'll hold your hand, and when he introduces you, you can just stand and wave and stay with me.'

"I didn't really know his songs, except 'To All The Girls I've Loved Before,' but he's got a very strong accent. So, right in the middle of his show, he stops the show and says [feigns Iglesias's accent], 'Ladies and gentlemen, my quin.' And I'm thinking [he's saying the title of the Bob Dylan song] 'The Mighty Quinn.' And I'm like, "The Mighty Quinn?' Julio Iglesias is hipper than I thought!' He was actually saying 'my queen,' referring to Diana. So, Diana stands up, and I'm getting ready to grab her hand, and all of the sudden, she's running up on stage [laughs]. I'm like, 'Whatever happened to that plan?'"

This event, however, set Rodgers' mind in motion. "I've always thought of Diana Ross as rock and roll royalty. So, after that, I went home and wrote this song called 'Queen.' I didn't write it about Diana Ross, I wrote it because of Diana Ross. And because of Julio Iglesias. Had he not said that, I would never have thought of the song. I wrote it in the style of Thom Bell and the Stylistics, I even used that choral electric sitar that they used. I wanted her to sing it, years and years and years ago. It's really old."

"I know Diana very, very, very well. She's been a friend since we did [1980's diana]. But sometimes, I think, she gets a negative rap. Like, they call her 'diva.' And in her world, she thinks that it's a bad term. And I'm like, 'No you are a diva, it's cool.' But I think that for her to sing a song called 'Queen,' felt a little bit over the top."

While its inception is decades old, the song idea resurfaced again very recently, Rodgers says. "Two months ago, we went out to lunch in Los Angeles, and I begged [Ross to sing it]. I got her son on the phone, and I said, 'Evan, tell your mom: this is the joint!' She just wouldn't do it.

"I'd spoken with Elton John, and he wanted to do it with her. The song is the story of a woman's life. It's four stages of her life. As a girl, her daddy calls her 'Queen,' but he deserts her. As a teenager, she has a boyfriend who calls her 'Queen,' but he just gets her drunk and doesn't treat her well. Then she gets married, but her husband divorces her for a younger woman. But then, as she looks in the mirror, she calls herself 'Queen.' It's beautiful, it's a tear-jerker. Read more here.

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Nate Ruess Announces North American Solo Tour

(Radio.com) Nate Ruess is taking his solo show on the road this fall, starting in September. The fun. frontman has announced a string of tour dates in support of new album Grand Romantic, which hit stores last week.

The tour follows multiple dates throughout the summer at various festivals and one-offs, as well as already-announced sets in the fall at Austin City Limits, Boston Calling and more.

Ruess' solo tour portion kicks off Sept. 23 in Indianapolis, Ind., while the small jaunt is set to wrap up Nov. 21 in Buffalo, N.Y.--10 dates in total. A general on-sale for tickets begins this Friday, June 26, at noon ET.

Ruess' Grand Romantic is the fun. frontman's first solo album. The lead single, "Nothing without Love," has peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Check out the tour dates here.

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Miguel Streaming New Album 'Wildheart' Online

(Radio.com) Drop everything, because Miguel's new album Wildheart is streaming now at NPR. The boundary-busting R&B singer hasn't released a new full-length since Kaleidoscope Dream back in 2013, the album climbing to the top of the charts on the strength of singles like "Adorn."

Wildheart doesn't go for the same pop immediacy, but its murky depths are no less entrancing. The album starts off with "a beautiful exit," a heady blend of TV clips, new age-y lyrics, chugging guitars and sky-high harmonies.

Meanwhile, on songs like "DEAL" and "coffee," Miguel deals in thick funk, dripping in distortion and guitar echo. "Before I show you the money let me slide you a pill," he croons on the latter.

The album only features two guest appearances, but they're both big: legendary L.A. rapper Kurupt appears on "N.W.A," and guitar icon Lenny Kravitz shows up to strum a few riffs on album closer "Face The Sun." Read more and grab the streaming link here.

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Kendrick Lamar Remixes Jidenna's 'Classic Man'

(Radio.com) Jidenna's "Classic Man", which has been climbing on the Hot 100 chart, has received a rework courtesy of Kendrick Lamar. Considering the track is an anti-gangster plea of sorts where Jidenna proclaims he's an "elegant old-fashioned man,"

Lamar is perhaps the best rapper to take on the remix. Not only did was his recent album To Pimp A Butterfly--which he shouts out on the track--a conceptual masterpiece that defied the boundaries of rap with Lamar drawing from jazz and funk, the Compton MC also doesn't have patience for any of rap's "foolishness."

"I ain't got no jewelry on me, b--, I got the jewelry in me," he states on the track, by the time he's knocked down all of his contemporaries. As usual. Read more here.

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Chris Janson Releases 'Buy Me a Boat' Video

(Radio.com) Rising country star Chris Janson is fully in a summer state of mind in his new video. The splashy Buy Me a Boat video, which marks the first time CMT has funded and produced a visual for an artist, per Rolling Stone, shows Janson on a typical summer day: hanging around with his friends and family by the water. Except something is missing.

As he sings the aspirational song, about wanting to rise up to another class, Janson is confronted by all of the things he desires: a pickup truck and, as the title says, a boat.

"We wanted to write a lifestyle piece that not only us but other people can identify with," Janson told Rolling Stone about the song. "We tried to write it to America and people who live normal lifestyles. I am that guy."

The video was directed by P.R. Brown, most famously known for helming Carrie Underwood's "Two Black Cadillacs" video and shot in Joelton, Tenn. Watch the video here.

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Tove Lo Releases Romantic 'Timebomb' Video

(Radio.com) If history is any indicator, Tove Lo's third proper single from her debut album, Queen of the Clouds, is destined for success. Both of her previous radio offerings, "Habits (Stay High)," and "Talking Body," performed very well on the charts, peaking at number 3 and 12 on the Hot 100 respectively.

Her third offering, "Timebomb," now has a video to go with it. The clip, directed by Emil Nava, sets a stage up on the beach for a bathing suit-donning Tove Lo to perform her song.

Juxtaposed with clips of the singer are couples also interacting on the stage. The couples, though, veer away from just the typical man-woman romance that music videos often depict. Instead, we get a pair of same-sex couples, an interracial romance, and even an elderly couple portraying the hot and cold lyrics of the song.

Tove Lo's debut album, Queen of the Clouds, is available now on Island Records. Watch the new video here.

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Grouplove Share New Song 'No Drama Queen'

(Radio.com) The Paper Towns soundtrack will feature a number of notable artists delivering new music, including new tracks from Vance Joy, Santigold, and Grouplove. In addition to these new songs, beloved tracks from Twin Shadow, The War on Drugs, HAIM, and many others will also be included in the July 10 release.

In anticipation, Grouplove's contribution to the soundtrack has now been shared, titled "No Drama Queen." Grouplove have been off the radar for a bit, with two years removed since their sophomore LP was released, Spreading Rumors. That release, though, did chart at 21 on the Billboard 200, cementing the Los Angeles band's status as a rising artist to watch.

The film Paper Towns will be released on July 24, starring Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne and directed by Jake Schreier. Check out a tracklist for the soundtrack here.

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One Direction's Harry Styles Calls Out Friend For Stealing His Girl

(Radio.com) At this point in the career of One Direction, it is hard to imagine Harry Styles losing a girlfriend to anyone. But Styles wasn't always the rich, famous, talented heartthrob he is now, and he reminded the audience at a stadium gig in Oslo, Norway, last weekend of that fact--and also proved revenge to be sweet.

During a break in the music, Styles called attention to a friend in the audience named Jack Robinson. And while Robinson seemed enthusiastic that Styles caused the entire stadium to look his way, things quickly turned when Styles confessed that Robinson stole the 1Der's high school girlfriend back when they were 14.

Styles put Robinson even more on the spot, saying, "So if he is still there at the end of the show, feel free, little kicks, little digs on the way out." Read more here.

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Mumford & Sons Drink Out Of The Stanley Cup

(Radio.com) Mumford & Sons got sporty during a concert stop in Chicago over the weekend by inviting members of the recently crowned NHL Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks onstage at Cricket Hill at Montrose Beach on last Friday night (June 19).

To make the most of the moment, the Blackhawk players excited the hometown crowd by bringing the actual Stanley Cup onstage, with members of Mumford & Sons taking drinks and getting doused with a beverage of some sort from the oversized chalice.

"It would be a huge honor for us if they would take just a little sip from the Cup if that's OK with you," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said, with the band members lining up for a turn.

The moment was in part facilitated by the Mumford & Sons' show being postponed from earlier in the week due to the outdoor venue being hit with severe rainstorms. Watch it here.

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Stanley Kubrick Script 'The Downslope' Will Be New Film Trilogy

(Radio.com) A script first penned by Stanley Kubrick in the 1950s is now headed for the big screen. According to Deadline, Kubrick's 1956 screenplay The Downslope will now become a film trilogy, and at least the first installment will be produced and directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monsters Ball, World War Z).

The Downslope is a Civil War drama that Kubrick wrote based on a true story by Civil War historian Shelby Foote. Described as an anti-war film, the story centers on the attempts of Confederate Army Colonel John S. Mosby to settle the score with General Custer, who captured and hanged some of his men. The project has also been referred to as Mosby's Rangers, about a "Southern guerilla force in the American Civil War."

According to The Wrap, Lauren Selig, Barry Levine and Renee Wolfe are the key producers, and the Kubrick family is supporting the project as well. Read more here.

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Future Releases New Track 'News or Somthn'

(Radio.com) Future released a surprise new track yesterday from the ethereal Atlanta mountain plateau where he resides, another for his #MonsterMonday Twitter series.

"News Or Somthn" is produced by Nard & B, who feel no obligation to fit in with the icy, futuristic sounds that have characterized much of Future's recent Beast Mode, Monster and 56 Nights mixtapes. The duo deal in emotive, warm keys and chunky percussion that wouldn't sound out of place on a late-career Tupac album.

Future isn't slowing down, though--he tells a story of paranoia and triumph in the intertwined dope and rap games. One line sticks out for its sheer startling Future-ian beauty: "There's a full moon in the middle of the day, got them wolves out rocking a little Cartier." It's a jewel of a line that only Future could have come up with.

When he finishes his verse a thick guitar line falls into place, sounding like the coda to a vintage episode of Miami Vice--another timeless drug dealer narrative coming to a close. Check out the song here.

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Tori Kelly Releases 'Should've Been Us' Video

(Radio.com) Tori Kelly is revving up with a new single called "Should've Been Us," and the video is the HGTV home redecoration reality show equivalent of a music video.

But it proves a point: you can do a lot with very little, if you're just crafty about it. The visuals here add up to not much more than a camera following Kelly around while she's on tour: some off stage moments in whatever nondescript urban area and shots of her on the stage with the audience behind her. Literally, that is all.

But if it sounds boring, it's actually not. The whole thing is rife with camera tricks from the jump. Really, do you know how they did the thing in the parking garage where she's in the shot every time? That's creative editing, friends.

More than that, the perspective is a video for the selfie age. The camera isn't always on a steady and creating beauty shots, it literally follows her. The whole video looks like an Instagram account come to life, from the fashion shots that show us her clothes are cooler than ours to the adoring audience shots that show us she's got more fans than us.

What makes this video compelling and not vapid is the moroseness of the song. Kelly plays it up, lamenting a relationship gone sour despite her stunning, impressive, sometimes bleak surroundings. That is what turns this production up a notch. Watch it here.

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