Month: August 2022

This year is shaping up to be a big year for Tampa native rapper Doechii, who has just dropped her first EP with Top Dawg Entertainment. Containing hits like the self-confidence anthem “B*tch I’m Nice,” and the SZA-assisted remix to “Persuasive,” Doechii’s new EP, She/Her/Black B*tch, contains five songs that feature her embracing her Blackness, queerness, and every intersection of herself.

“Many times I’ve been referred to as a “bitch” as a way to gaslight me out of certain spaces, something I think many people can relate to in one way or another,” said Doechii in a statement accompanying the EP’s release. “Lots of people will call you various names for doing something differently.“ So I decided to take ownership of the ‘black bitch’ and title my EP She/Her/Black B*tch and reclaim that motherf*cking power. So if you’ve ever been put down for being yourself, just remember you’re powerful and unapologetic- these songs are for you.”

On the EP, Doechii delivers next-level bars, riding each beat with ease, channeling the multiple characters she has created within her musical universe.

She / Her / Black B*tch is out now via Capitol and Top Dawg Entertainment. Stream it here.

A little over a year after the release of her rock-influenced album Lately I Feel Everything, Willow is launching a new era. Earlier today, she took to Instagram to tease her upcoming album, Copingmechanism, which is set for release this fall. Now, she has dropped a new single from the album called “Hover Like A Goddess.”

On “Hover Like A Goddess,” Willow continues with the rock sounds of Lately I Feel Everything, with a darker edge, all while admiring the feminine mystique of a new person of her affections.

“You’re like the ocean, comin’ and goin’ / I wanna surf your words through the shore / And find what lies through deep inside I’ll be the moon to your high tide / You’re addictive, so indicative of my inhibitions / So clear, you couldn’t miss them,” she sings over an electrifying guitar track.

“Every woman deserves to be worshiped,” said Willow in a statement. “This song is an ode to the divine goddess within us all.”

The song was produced by Willow and Chris Greatti and was one of the new songs Willow previewed at Lollapalooza this past weekend.

Check out “Hover Like A Goddess” above.

<COPINGMECHANISM> is out 9/23 via MSFTS. Pre-save it here.

Welcome to the NBA offseason, which consistently gives us a few forms of content. There are, obviously, trades and free agent moves and all the rumors that come from those things — in some corners of the internet, that last thing is referred to as “slop.” But there’s also far more good stuff out there every summer, and my favorite running bit is NBA players going to basketball camps where children are in attendance and devastatingly blocking their shots.

We got our latest one of these videos on Thursday, when Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum returned to his hometown of St. Louis for a two-day camp at his old high school, Chaminade College Preparatory School. At one point, Tatum and his son, Deuce, were on the floor, and Deuce attempted to drive by his old man to score a layup.

But Tatum, because he is an adult and a basketball player, decided he was going to keep his son from scoring and had some fun with it. Deuce got to the rim and prepared to try a layup while the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP stood there with his arms out and very obviously planned on spiking this like it’s a volleyball. Deuce eventually put up a shot, and then [extreme John Madden voice] BOOM.

I am willing to wager that this is not the first time this exact thing has happened when the pair have been on a basketball court, and I will also wager that Tatum really enjoys doing it.

Well, cowa-freaking-bunga. Seth Rogen just teased his new TMNT movie with four turtle emojis, a radical poster, and some creepy ooze draining into the sewer. The CGI-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is set to be in theaters August 4, 2023.

Obviously that’s exactly a year until the premiere date, but it’s also only a day away from the release of the Netflix-bound Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. Put that together with the release of the fantastic Shredder’s Revenge video game in June, and it’s shaping up to be a heck of a Hot Turtle Summer.

That’s not even mentioning the potentially-some-day live-action movie that Paramount and Michael Bay are still dedicated to making a reality.

Mutant Mayhem is being directed by animation veteran Jeff Rowe (Mitchells vs The Machines), but there are no other details about it at this point, including plot, casting, or the vibe they’re going for. Our only real clue for what the project might be like comes from its screenwriters: Lindsey Beer (Chaos Walking and the upcoming Pet Sematary adaptation), who wrote the original draft, and Brendan O’Brien, the current scribe who wrote Neighbors, The House, and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. In other words: irreverent and silly with opportunities for Zac Efron to take his shirt off.

But which turtle will Rogen voice? I hope it’s all of them.

After perfectly capturing the zeitgeist when he said, “I hate people individually, but I love mankind,” Larry David closed out the last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm by falling into a pool and pissing off national hero Alexander Vindman. It turns out that Larry wasn’t meant to leave the season alive.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Jeff Schaffer revealed that he thought the 11th season would be their last, and they planned the final shot accordingly.

“So Larry kept falling into that pool without the fence and banging his head [for the scene],” Schaffer said. “We actually have a shot after he’d fallen in, of the still pool with just the envelope floating in the middle, and maybe adding one bubble. . . We shot as if it was going to be the last one ever. I had to at least prepare for it.”

Fortunately, David, who jokes that he’s completely out of ideas by the end of every season, has some thoughts about a 12th and told Schaffer that he’s not ready to die. It also doesn’t mean that the series won’t end with Larry’s death, as Schaffer rejected the idea of always having a new death scene in the bag just in case.

What is in the bag for next season? More Young Larry! Rejoice. And maybe if we’re lucky, a reenactment of Larry screaming at “disgusting” lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Martha’s Vineyard.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

YouTube is in some hot water after a lawsuit was filed by Pirate Monitor. Composer Maria Schneider claims the platform plays favorites when it comes to permitting powerful copyright owners to block or monetize unauthorized uses of their content, but the same does not apply to “ordinary owners.” YouTube claimed the lawsuit was inaccurate and inadequate evidence was provided, in the hopes the case would be thrown out. Sadly, Judge James Donato did not oblige.

Donato describes YouTube’s arguments as “unavailing” and “not well taken.” Thus, the case goes on. On a larger scale, this affects far more than just Pirate Monitor and Schneider. The composer says the application forces songwriters and rights holders of similar stature to endure an arduous process in order to monitor infringement. As a result, some offenders slip through the cracks.

YouTube believes they have done nothing wrong, citing over $100 million spent on developing “industry-leading tools” to hinder piracy and even countersued Pirate Monitor last year for deceptive behavior used to gain access to Content ID. While that is a whole other case in itself, with a rejected motion to dismiss in the initial case, this process will go on with major ramifications for all YouTube creators, composers, etc.

There is currently no comment from YouTube’s parent company Alphabet.

A Lollapalooza security guard who reportedly gave her supervisor a false threat of a mass shooting because she “wanted to leave work early” is now being prosecuted in Chicago.

Janya Williams reportedly sent a text message to her supervisor via a smartphone app called TextNow, reading “Mass shooting at 4pm location Lollapalooza. We have 150 targets,” according to court documents obtained by Billboard.

The documents also noted that Williams, 18, allegedly fabricated a Facebook post, reading, “Massive shooting at Lollapalooza Grant Park 6:00 p.m.,” which she screenshotted and forwarded to her supervisor.

The posts and texts were reported to FBI investigators, who quickly traced them back to Williams. When interogated by FBI investigators, Williams admitted that she “sent the message and created the fake post because she wanted to leave work early.” She was arrested Sunday (July 31) and is currently facing a charge for making a false terrorsitic threat. On the same day, a hearing took place, in which a judge set a bail of $50,000. At the time of Billboard‘s reporting, it was unknown whether Williams posted bail or remained in custody.

During Lollapalooza, no delays or cancellations due to terroristic threats were put in place. Over 100,000 attendees were present at the festival at each of its four days.

Earlier today (August 4) Lady Gaga confirmed the rumors that had been swirling since June, revealing that she will appear in Joker: Folie à Deux. In a tweet, the “Poker Face” artist shared a teaser video alluding to Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and then Gaga’s silhouette. The video closed with the release date, October 4 2024, and with a significant wait until that day comes, the fans have been in a frenzy wondering who she will play.

Some people are confident she will take on the big shoes of Harley Quinn’s role, last played by Margot Robbie. Others immediately dug in their media libraries to find the funniest videos to match hilarious captions about Gaga’s first day on set or having to jump into chemicals. One fan simply marvelled at how Gaga will go from a tour to filming the movie, and what it says about her career.

Lady Gaga joins an elite list of musicians starring in major films, and the pressure is on for such a popular series as Joker. Fortunately, she’s got some previous acting experience having appeared in A Star Is Born, House Of Gucci, and two iteratitons of American Horror Story.

Check out fans reacting to Lady Gaga’s announcement above.

Rappers Mase and Cam’ron have appeared to settled their beef — one that has lasted for over two decades. In an Instagram video shared by Mase’s sister, Stason, Mase is seen calling Cam’ron on the phone.

“Killa, what’s good?” says Mase. He later jokingly asks “Where’s Mr. Petty at these days?,” referring to Cam’ron’s 2017 diss track “Dinner Time,” targeted toward Mase, on which he says, “You done opened up a door, I’m petty, ready for war.”

Stason captured the video, saying, “Ok now @rsvpmase and @mr_camron I DEFINITELY DID NOT SEE THIS COMING but I’m here for it!!!! Smh y’all gotta stop with this nonsense or I’m swinging on both of y’all!!!”

Their beef began back in 1999, when Mase relocated from New York City to ATL, which was rumored to be due to an ongoing beef with a Harlem street figure named Baby Maine. Around that time is when he retired from rap to become a pastor. He returned to hip-hop in 2004, with a single called “Welcome Back.” During an appearance on Hot 97 in July 2004, Mase explained why he left hip-hop, and Jim Jones and Cam’ron called into the radio station, questioning the legitimacy of his story and calling him a fraud.

Now, the beef seems to be over for good, as Stason’s video was hashtagged with the tags, “#The2KingsOfPetty, #WhenMenGrowUp, #ILoveIt, #Mase and #Cam.”

The 2022 campaign has been unkind to the Los Angeles Angels. After an encouraging 27-17 season that brought real optimism to the fan base, the Angels utterly cratered, prompting the team to sell key pieces at the trade deadline. On Thursday, the Angels suffered another loss and, in keeping with a recent meme including the club’s wild statistical performances in defeat, Los Angeles lost by an 8-7 margin despite hitting seven home runs against Oakland Athletics.

Headlining the group was, as often, Shohei Ohtani and his two home runs on the evening.

Ohtani and the currently injured Mike Trout are two of the best players in baseball but, simply put, the Angels have not provided that dynamic pairing with enough support to produce real success. That point was driven home yet again on Thursday with real history being made by Los Angeles, including the Angels becoming the first team in history to hit seven solo home runs and provide nothing else on the scoreboard.

In addition, this is only the sixth time in the very lengthy history of Major League Baseball that a club blasted seven home runs and lost.

Overall, the 61st loss of the season for the Angels won’t have tremendous impact, especially since it came against another struggling club in the A’s. However, the wild stat lines just keep coming for Los Angeles, and it is wild to see.