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Day in Pop Report for 05/05/2016


Today's Top Stories


Prince Death Investigation Expanded, He Planned Treatment

Two federal agencies have joined the investigation into Prince's death and it was also revealed that the legendary music star was scheduled to meet with an opioid addiction specialist the day after his death.

A U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson confirmed that they and the Drug Enforcement Agency have joined the Carver County Sheriff's investigation to help look into the "drug diversion" aspects of the case.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines "Drug Diversion" as "the diversion of licit drugs for illicit purposes. It involves the diversion of drugs from legal and medically necessary uses towards uses that are illegal and typically not medically authorized or necessary."

The U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson said, "The DEA and US Attorney's Office are able to augment this local investigation with federal resources and expertise about prescription drug diversion. While this remains an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment."

The news of the federal involvement comes as it was revealed that on the day prior to his death, Prince's representatives had contacted the addition specialist Dr. Howard Kornfield to seek confidential emergency addiction treatment, according to Radio.com.

According to the report, Kornfield's attorney William Mauzy (via the Star Tribune) says that the doctor, who is based in California, was scheduled to meet with Prince on April 22nd (the day after his death) to devise a treatment plan. "The doctor was planning on a lifesaving mission," says Mauzy. Read the report for more details, here.

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Drake Returning To SNL, Enters Forbes Hip-Hop Rich List

There are two big pieces of Drake news. It has been announced that the rapper will once again host and perform on Saturday Night Live, and he is also now among the top five on Forbes list of hip-hop's wealthiest artists.

SNL announced via a tweet that Drake will return to the show on May 14th. And like his previous appearance on the hit television show back in 2014, he will not only be performing, but will also be hosting the broadcast.

Saturday Night Live also revealed that the season finale on May 21st will be hosted by Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Late Night With Seth Meyers) and will feature musical guest Courtney Barnett, who will be making her first appearance on the show.

In other Drake news, the rapper replaced 50 Cent on the top 5 of Forbes annual list of the richest hip-hop stars with a reported net worth of $60 million.

Sean "Diddy" Combs topped the list with $750 million, followed by Dr. Dre at $710 million, Jay Z with $610 million and Birdman at $110 million.

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Janet Jackson Reportedly Pregnant, Releases 'DammnBaby' Video

The family planning mystery from Janet Jackson's tour cancelation announcement last month may have been solved with news that the 49-year-old music star is reportedly pregnant.

Back on April 6th, Jackson announced via a video clip posted to Twitter that she was postponing the dates for her Unbreakable Tour under medical orders after a "sudden change" and that she and her husband were 'planning' their family.

She said, "I'm gonna have to delay the tour. Please if you can try and understand that, it's important that I do this now. I have to rest up, doctor's orders."

Entertainment Tonight now reports that Jackson was being literal with her family planning comments, citing an unnamed source that told them that Jackson is pregnant with her first child.

Jackson, who premiered a new video on Wednesday, has not officially confirmed the report but retweeted a post about the video that read "On the same day news broke that she was expecting her first child, Miss Jackson premiered 'DammnBaby,' a throwback dance video that fans have been clamoring for." See the post and check out the video here.

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Dierks Bentley Continues Love Triangle Video Series With 'Pick Up'

(Radio.com) Dierks Bentley has released his new music video for the song "Pick Up" which is a track from his forthcoming "Black Album" and the clip is the third of a four-part love triangle video series.

The new video picks up the narrative of the series where the last clip left off. The first line, "I dialed seven digits, five times today just to hear you say you love or hate me, I'll take anything�" sums up the desperation of the troubled love story.

In the first video we were introduced to the cast in a love triangle. In the second video, we see the effects of drunk dialing. Then' things get darker and messier in the this most recent development.

"When you're in the throes of a relationship, it can be crazy and lustful, even obsessive and jealous," Bentley tells Rolling Stone Country. 'Pick Up' drops into the sequence as that point when you just have to be closer to your girl. For the storyline and plot of these videos, Wes [Edwards, director] definitely takes it there and puts a shocking spin on it."

"It's a romantic album, but it's not all happy," he says. "It's just about love ' the edgier and darker sides of it, too." Watch the video here.

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Justin Timberlake Announces New Song 'Can't Stop The Feeling'

It appears that Justin Timberlake fans do not have long to wait to hear new material from the music star. He took to Twitter on Wednesday (May 4th) and teased the release of the new song and revealed its title.

Timberlake first announced that the new song will be released on Friday by tweeting "2 more days" and then when pressed by fans via the social media site, he revealed the track will be called "Can't Stop The Feeling".

That is all that is known about the track but Billboard reports that Timberlake has recently been in the recording studio with country stars Little Big Town, as well as with Pharrell.

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Kenny Chesney Takes On 'Noise' In New Video

Kenny Chesney has released a new music video for the song "Noise" which is the first single from the country music star's forthcoming album "Some Town Somewhere" (out July 8th).

The clip features a montage of current images including technology, a Kardashian, as well as presidential candidate Donald Trump. Chesney explains the concept, "They have been the cultural and societal touchstone since I was a kid and that gives them the gravitas to reflect what Shaun and I were trying to capture in the song.

"This is not political, so much as social... if you want to get people to take it all in, to step back and really reflect, let's put the video at the heart of where people who sort those things are."

Chesney later wrote the following about the clip on Facebook, "This video really captures what was rolling around in my head, even in the initial conversation when we were writing the song. We're not preaching to anyone, we're just making a statement about the way we live.

"The message is to try to be mindful of it. If you love someone, tell them you love them. Don't text it to them. There's so much life to be lived outside the ‪#‎noise‬..." Check out the video here.

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Alicia Keys Delivers New Single 'In Common'

(Radio.com) Alicia Keys has returned with her first new music in four years, releasing the track "In Common" on Wednesday. The soulful R&B singer took to Snapchat to hint that other new songs that are on the way.

The first single, 'In Common" is anything but common and it's colored with angst; the latin-flavored tune ends with, 'If you could love somebody like me, you must be messed up, too."

She will share her new song from the new album on this weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live. The single was released to digital retailers and you can check out the promo clip here.

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Cyndi Lauper Taking TV Detour For Country Album

Cyndi Lauper has lined up a number of high profile television and media appearances to promote the release of her star-studded country music album "Detour," which will be released tomorrow (Friday, May 6th).

Lauper is set to appear on "CBS This Morning" on May 7, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" tonight, May 5, CMT's Hot Twenty Countdown May 7 and 8, and GAC May 10 and 19.

The new album is a collection of covers of classic country music songs from the 1940s, 50s and 60s and features guest duets with a who's who of country music including Emmylou Harris (on the title track), Willie Nelson ("Night Life," a song he wrote over 50 years ago), Vince Gill (Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty's "You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly") and Alison Krauss (Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas."

Jewel also appears on the album and shows off her yodeling skills on "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart," which was the first country song by a woman to sell one million copies.

Lauper will also be promoting the effort with the "Detour Tour", kicking off their first leg of the trek at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 9th. The 19-city tour leg will conclude on October 9th at The Joint in Las Vegas. See the album tracklisting and tour dates here.

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Phil Vassar, Montgomery Gentry Added To Country Cruising Lineup

Phil Vassar, Montgomery Gentry, Diamond Rio, and Halfway To Hazard have all been added to the upcoming Country Cruising which will set sail from January 14-19, 2017.

They will join the previously announced country stars Kelsea Ballerini, LOCASH, and Chris Young, as well as Nashville cast members Charles Esten and Clare Bowen.

Country Cruising will launch January 14, 2017 from Tampa, and will stop in Key West before making its' voyage to Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will arrive back in Tampa on January 19. Find more details here.

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The Weeknd Back In The Studio Working On New Project

(Radio.com) The Weeknd opened up to Vogue about his new music plans following his appearance at the Met Gala this week and revealed that it has something to do with the team behind his first mixtape House of Balloons.

The Weeknd aka Abel Tesfaye is back in the studio with that creative team working on what sounds like a project. He isn't clarifying what kind of project that might be, though. 'But it's a new thing," Tesfaye told the magazine. 'Always a new thing."

His recent bout of creativity might have been one of the reasons why he dropped out of Rihanna's Anti World Tour. He was set to open for Ri-Ri during the European leg, but backed out and canceled other commitments. 'Creatively, some magic is happening right now, and I don't want to lose it," he said.

He added, "'It could be an album or it could be something else, but whatever it is, music is being made." Read more here.

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Kehlani Releases First Song Since Suicide Attempt

(Radio.com) Kehlani has released her first new song since she attempted to take her own life in March. Titled "24/7" it's an honest look at the psychological troubles that led to her contemplate suicide.

The song has a mellow feel about it, but the rhythms grow more emphatic on the chorus. It's a brave, bold song that strips away the masks artists often hide behind and gets real about an important topic.

"It's ok to be not be ok/To dive in your pain/And it's alright to not be alright/To search for your light," Kehlani sings. The song details all the ways it's ok to stop pretending that everything is fine when inside it's not.

While it's clearly a personal message about Kehlani's struggles with depression, it's also an important message about mental health in general. Considering the known statistics surrounding mental health in the U.S., as well as the fact that it commonly goes untreated, Kehlani's song raises attention about an issue that benefits from that spotlight. Check it out here.

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Luke Skywalker Mashed Up With Celine Dion

(Radio.com) Star Wars returned to the forefront of our cultural consciousness last year when The Force Awakens stormed the box office. And although Mark Hamill's role as Luke Skywalker was limited to a glorified cameo, fans of the character now have a funny piece of the Internet to enjoy: a video of him singing Celine Dion's remake of Eric Carmen's 1975 hit "All By Myself" at the moment he's reunited with his lightsaber.

Just in time for Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you!") the creative folks at David Unger Music reimagined the climax as a backdrop for Celine's unforgettable 90s heartbreak ballad. Rey (Daisy Ridley) hands him the weapon, which has been transformed into a microphone. Cue the music and the belting.

Hamill described some hesitancy about returning to the franchise last year. "It's not about getting the band together and hitting the road again," he told Rolling Stone. "And that's mixed in with the fact that he told us flat-out, 'I've changed my mind. I'm not doing the last three. When Episode III is over, that's it. I'm not doing these things into my 70s.'" Watch the mashup here.

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Snoop Dogg Wants To Collaborate With Sam Hunt

(Radio.com) Sam Hunt surprised everyone when he brought Snoop Dogg, G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha out onstage during his performance at Stagecoach Festival over the weekend. And Snoop Dogg returned the favor by pitching the country star several songs.

Speaking with Rolling Stone Country, Hunt said, "He came on the bus and played me a few songs before we played the show. I was just flattered that he was interested enough to offer those opportunities and contribute. I love that, stereotypes aside, he loves music and genres don't matter."

Snoop's pitches come as Hunt preps to work on his sophomore album, the follow-up to his big hit Montevallo. "It's hard for me to balance those two worlds," Hunt admitted. "I'm just collecting as many ideas as I can, whether they're mine of someone else's, and just getting ready to go back and hole up in Nashville this fall and find out what works best for the future of our music." Read more here.

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Carrie Underwood Airs Her Laundry On Social Media

(Radio.com) In classic Carrie Underwood fashion, the country superstar lets her fans in on all the different sides of the rock star life. From the mugging to the mommin', she shares details along they way to let you in and keep you interested.

She fills the internet with captivating images from stages across the world, but just like a country song, she also comes home and gets real.This latest post is no exception, featuring Underwood folding some laundry.

"People often ask me what I do after shows�tonight, I fold laundry. #lame #mom #somebodysgottadoit #cleansocks," she captioned the post. Check out the post here.

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