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B-Sides Report for 02/05/2016



Earth, Wind & Fire Icon Maurice White Dead At 74

(Radio.com) Maurice White, founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, has died. He was 74 years old. White served as the iconic band's primary songwriter and co-lead singer. He was the older brother of current Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White, and former member Fred White.

The group was famous for their many hits including "Shining Star", "That's the Way of the World," "Devotion," "Reasons," "Sing a Song," "Can't Hide Love," and "September."

White was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the early '90s, and stopped touring with the band in 1994. Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and are set to be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the GRAMMY Awards. Read more here.

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Asher Roth/Nottz/Travis Barker Collaboration EP Streaming Online

(Radio.com) Rapper Asher Roth and producer Nottz have come together for their second collaboration as Rawth, and this time they've got Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker on board.

The trio have a new EP out, Rawther. Part of the EP seem very influenced by White Stripes-era Jack White, and even sounds like they borrow a bit of "The Hardest Button to Button" in the first track, "Intro."

The last song, "Blow Yr Head," on the other hand, sounds like Public Enemy's 1987 classic "Public Enemy No. 1." The EP's "Temptation" features a guest appearance by Eminem collaborator Royce da 5'9″. Listen to the Rawther EP here.

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Adele Releases New Single 'When We Were Young'

(BT) Adele has released her brand new single "When We Were Young" at digitally music retailers and on streaming services worldwide today, Friday February 5th.

"When We Were Young" is the latest single to be released from Adele's blockbuster third album, '25,' and was co-written with Tobias Jesso Jr. & produced by Ariel Rechtshaid.

The new single comes ahead of Adele launching her sold-out tour of the UK and Europe, which will be kicking off on Monday February 29th in Belfast. Her sold out tour will continue in the North America later in year.

Adele is also set to perform at the 58th annual Grammy Awards which will be taking place in Los Angeles on February 15th to be broadcast live on CBS and in her native UK she will be performing live at the 2016 BRIT Awards in London on February 24th live on ITV1.

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Nicki Minaj Takes Aim At Miley Cyrus and Beyonce New Remix

(Radio.com) As promised, Nicki Minaj has released a remix of Yo Gotti's track "Down in the DM." Nicki comes in at the 1:20 mark and contributes two verses to the remix.

With a calm almost cool tone, Nicki's aggression comes across in the emotion she doesn't display. With every line, though, she tells it like she sees it: "F- your little memes/ Even Queen Bee had to tell them I'm the queen."

The track also contains a diss aimed at Miley Cyrus. The two beefed back in October at the 2015 VMAs, when Nicki took issue with Miley's appropriation of black culture. "If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us," she said in an interview about her problem with the singer.

In "Down in the DM" Nicki raps, 'I said, 'Miley, what's good?' / I said, 'Could you pay my bills like O'Reilly? Wuss good?' / I just sit back and observe / All these n-- that I done curved." Listen here.

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Rihanna Addresses Drake Dating Rumors

(Radio.com) Rihanna sat down with Ellen on Thursday (Feb. 4), where she opened up about her relationship with Drake. The two recently collaborated on the first single, "Work," from Rihanna's new album Anti, which naturally sparked rumors that they were dating once again.

Unfortunately, Rihanna squashed everyone's hope when she told Ellen she was single. "I'm single right now and it's not that I'm like, 'Oh, pro-single, yes, I hate men!'" she explained. "I just think I have so much on my plate that I can't even find the time to entertain a steady relationship or anything serious. Or even a text."

She has, however, texted nude photos in the past. Rihanna played a game of "Never Have I Ever" with George Clooney on the show, and she revealed-thanks to her paddle board labeled "I Have"-that she'd sent a nude selfie. Clooney, on the other hand, had not. Read more here.

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Merle Haggard Cancels More Tour Dates Over Illness

(Radio.com) Merle Haggard is taking more time off before returning to the road. The country music icon announced that he is still recovering from the pneumonia that landed him in the hospital last month, forcing him to cancel his shows this month.

'He is still feeling weak from his recent struggle with double pneumonia and has decided to seek further treatment for it," Haggard's publicist said in a statement, referring to the count December hospitalization.

"Merle is hopeful he will be back on the road later in the spring." 'A couple weeks ago I came in the hospital here, and I guess I was nearly dead," Haggard told Sirius XM in mid-December. Read more here.

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Kanye West Has Not Yet Settled On New Album Title

(Radio.com) Is Kanye West's new album following in Prince's career footsteps? It seems likely that one day it will be called "The album formerly known as�" First it was Swish then it was Waves and now it sounds like Kanye is still trying to determine the album's name.

His wife Kim Kardashian tried to help by polling Twitter with three options: "Swish," "Waves" and "So Help Me God." It turns out, Kanye was behind the poll.

Speaking with Big Boy on his radio show Thursday (Feb. 4), Kanye said he still hadn't figured out what the album would be called, which is why he and Kim put up the poll (via Complex). Read more here.

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Taylor Swift Launching Mobile Game

(Radio.com) Mobile games have become hot property among celebrity entrepreneurs from Kim Kardashian to Demi Lovato. On Wednesday, Taylor Swift announced that she'll be the latest to join the gaming game when she collaborates with Glu Media with her own creation.

Glu gained attention for creating Katy Perry Pop, a venture that gained lackluster commercial and critical recognition when it debuted in 2015. The storied rivalry between Swift and Perry now has a new platform to play out before our eyes.

"We realize that Taylor and her global fan base expect a new and highly differentiated mobile gaming experience," explained a press release about the app. Read more here.

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The Game Goes Online Rant About Sexual Assault Lawsuit

(Radio.com) The Game has took to social media with a scathing message regarding a current legal proceeding. On Wednesday, Hot New Hip-Hop reported that a judge had ruled against The Game in a sexual assault lawsuit because the rapper failed to respond.

Wearing Louis Vuitton boxing gloves in a picture he posted to Instagram, The Game captioned it with a long angry message: "Let's get one thing very CLEAR: that thirsty Gatorade mascot of a transvestite WILL NEVER see $10,000,000 or anything close 2 a penny of my money."

Claiming that the story has been blown out of proportion, he promised, "Soon as I'm home, me & my lawyers will EAT THIS CASE like a box of Minion Twinkies on sale at Walmart !" The Game is currently touring in Europe. Read more here.

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Loretta Lynn Streams First Single From New Album

(Gibson) If you were 83 years old and had released close to sixty studio albums over a fifty-year career, you'd think it might be time to call it a day. That's not the case for country music icon and long-time Epiphone fan Loretta Lynn, who's set to release her first new album since 2004's Jack White-produced Van Lear Rose this March.

The new album, titled Full Circle, features a mix of reworked Lynn classics like 'Fist City' and 'Whispering Sea' as well as new songs written specifically for the album, produced by Lynn's daughter Pasty Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash. Full Circle releases on March 4. Listen to the track 'Who's Gonna Miss Me' here.

Recorded in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Full Circle "takes listeners on a journey through Loretta's musical story, from the Appalachian folk songs and gospel music she learned as a child, to new interpretations of her classic hits and country standards". Full Circle also features duets with Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello. Read more here.

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Charles Kelley Answers Question: 'Who the F is Charles Kelley?'

(Radio.com) "Who the f is Charles Kelley?" That's the response Lady Antebellum member turned solo artist Charles Kelley may be facing in the lead-up to his solo debut album's release.

Kelley showed off his sense of humor with a new video that attempts to answer that very question. Kelley posted the video to his YouTube account on Feb. 2. It begins with a news anchor reporting on Kelley, who's gone missing.

Once the news segment has ended, the anchor turns to his right, removes his ear piece and asks, "Who the f- is Charles Kelley?" From there a curious detective begins putting the pieces of Kelley's disappearance together. Karen Fairchild and Darius Rucker both make cameos being questioned police. Read more here.

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ASAP Ferg Shares Previously Unreleased Track 'Spice Girls'

(Radio.com) In the late 90s, the Spice Girls were the biggest thing happening in music. They were everywhere and their fame was unmatched. Rapper A$AP Ferg fondly remembers the height of Spice Girls mania and wants that for himself.

The previously unreleased song from 2011 is named after the British girl group. Ferg's catchy track talks about how he wants to achieve a level of fame very few ever do. He even shouts out a couple members of the group including Victoria Beckham and Mel B.

A$AP Ferg is currently putting the finishing touches on his second album Always Strive and Prosper which is the follow up to his 2013 debut Trap Lord. Check out "Spice Girls" here.

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Elton John Does Surprise Performance At Train Station

(Radio.com) Legendary pop star Elton John has a new album coming out on February 5. He's taking the promotion of the album, Wonderful Crazy Night, to the streets. He recently surprised people in London's St. Pancras train station with a piano medley of some of his biggest hits.

Elton breezed into the roped off area and immediately got down to business. He thrilled the crowd as he ran through instrumentals of hits including "Benny and the Jets," "Tiny Dancer," and "Rocket Man."

The performance didn't last long. It was over in a little under four minutes. After the piano performance, he signed an autograph or two and was gone as fast as he entered. Check it out here.

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Ellie Goulding And Martin Shkreli In Online Tweet War

(Radio.com) Following the release of his Ghostface Killah diss video, disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli made a new enemy: Ellie Goulding.

"This guy needs to eff off or I will hunt him down," the singer tweeted at the end of January. Yesterday, the businessman (who currently faces securities fraud charges) returned fire, tweeting "chill bae."

Shkreli drew global attention and ire for his manipulation of life-saving drug costs, but his infamy has frequently intersected with the music industry. He paid $2 million for the latest Wu-Tang Clan album and has leveraged his love of rap into a bizarre social media presence.

After his first engagement with Goulding, Shkreli wrote "yeah listening to this garbage now @elliegoulding one hit wonder." Read more here.

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Celine Dion's Moving Tribute to Late Husband Goes Online

(Radio.com) Celine Dion's return to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas marked a kind of poignant homecoming following the death of her husband and manager, Rene Angelil.

She was joined by producer David Foster for the Vegas memorial, before a crowd of 4,000 fans who came to support her. During the memorial, Dion took the stage to deliver a heartfelt tribute to her late partner in life and music.

"I feel his love in this room. I feel his strength and his warmth being reflected in all of you," she said. "Rene always surrounded me with the best people who believed in us and always worked so hard on our behalf." Watch it here.

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Janelle Monae Featured In Pepsi Super Bowl Ad

(Radio.com) Pepsi and Janelle Monae have taken their advertising collaboration to the next level with a time-hopping Super Bowl spot. Monae says the ad is meant to pay homage to the successful "Joy of Cola" campaign, launched in 1999 with Hallie Eisenberg, who became the famous "Pepsi girl."

Later, Britney Spears interpreted the song for a 2001 campaign which also featured jumps through the decades. "One of the things I love is that I had major input in the creative," Monae told Billboard.

"I consider myself a time traveler, so I was excited when they told me we'd be time traveling. It's about the joy of dance and has some nostalgic moments." Read more here.

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