For years, Bob Dylan’sX (formerly Twitter) account has been used only occasionally; You don’t have to scroll back too far on his profile to reach posts from 2021. The majority of these posts are promotions for whatever endeavors Dylan was up to at the time. But, things have changed recently.
On September 25, Dylantweeted, “Happy Birthday Mary Jo! See you in Frankfort.” About once or twice a week since then, Dylan has continued to tweet, seemingly just random things passing through his legendary mind at the moment. On October 9, for instance, Dylan wrote, “I ran into one of the Buffalo Sabres in the elevator at the Prague hotel. They were in town to play the New Jersey Devils. He invited me to the game but I was performing that night.”
Dylan’s recent flurry of X activity has drawn some attention and was seemingly parodied in this awesome Saturday Night Live promo from a few days ago. The situation appears to amuse Dylan’s son — Jakob Dylan, most notably of The Wallflowers — as well.
Jakob sat down recently for an interview with The Boston Globe. In response to a comment Jakob made about not using social media much, the interviewer noted, “Your dad tweets more than you do these days.” Jakob responded, “Yeah, like most people, I can’t tell you what’s going on with those. I’ve seen those. I can’t [laughs] can’t tell you what that’s about. I’m not sure. But you’re right: Whatever it is, it’s more than I do.”
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.
Beyoncé continued her decade-long battle to trademark her daughter Blue Ivu’s name after giving a speech with Kelly Rowland at a Kamala Harris rally. Mariah The Scientist proudly celebrated her boyfriend Young Thug’s release from prison while Ari Lennox requested that she be released from her Dreamville and Interscope record label contracts and accused both of neglecting her. Elsewhere, Halle Bailey shined in her costumes for Halloween.
Kiana Ledé — Cut Ties
Kiana Ledé dives into a new era of independence with the release of her third album Cut Ties. It arrives with just 11 songs, a smaller output compared to her first two albums Kiki and Grudges. “The album is about the death of a relationship and how hurt people hurt people,” Kiana explained in a press release. “You see why I turned into this person who’s okay with being detached and getting what I want, even if it hurts others.”
British girl group FLO are just a couple of weeks away from the release of their debut album Access All Areas. Ahead of its release, the trio drops the album title track, which samples Teena Marie’s 1980s single “Portuguese Love” for a track that invites a partner to embark on a journey of intimacy with them. Through it, the girls aimed to capture “the glamour of the Motown divas.”
Ella Mai — 3
Ella Mai celebrated her 30th birthday with a new EP 3, her first project in two years. The three-track EP is a strong offering from the British singer thanks to the flirtatious and proud “Hearts On Deck,” the playful and joyous “One Of These,” and the introspective and sweet “Little Things.”
Highlights: “One Of These” & “Little Things”
Cleo Sol — “Fear When You Fly”
British singer Cleo Sol returns with her new single “Fear When You Fly,” her first official release since her 2023 singles Gold and Heaven. The record is an enchanting and uplifting records that begs listeners to embrace their fears to overcome them, rather than running away from them.
Jacquees — Baby Making
Jacquees returns with more sensual R&B through his fourth album Baby Making. The 10-track project is the singer’s first full-length project since 2022’s Sincerely For You and one that’s unapologetically seductive as he proudly takes on the role of Cupid for himself and others.
Highlights: “Sex Like This,” “Baby Making,” & “The Graduation”
Col3trane — “Crocodile Tears” Feat. Chase Shakur
London singer Col3trane teams up with Atlanta native Chase Shakur for their new collaboration “Crocodile Tears.” It’s a sleek record backed by hazy harmonies and Col3trane’s bright vocals accompanied Chase Shakur equally-smooth croons. “’Crocodile Tears’ is about doing too much for someone and not getting enough in return,” Col3trane said in a press release. “I feel like a lot of people can relate to feeling like nothing you do is ever enough, but this song definitely feels to me like it’s more about being over it than anything else.”
Jordan Hawkins — “Love So Good”
The ever-so-talented Jordan Hawkins is back with his music, his first offering since his 2023 EP Do It To Me. Hawkins’ new record “Love So Good” is a roaring release backed by searing guitar riffs and Hawkins’ vocals that aim for the clouds as he sings of a perfect love.
Gemaine — Something To Sing About
Compton singer Gemaine checks back into the game with his new EP Something To Sing About, his first project since 2023’s Just Gemaine. With Something To Sing About, Gemaine steps through with six songs and a few features from MadeinTYO, Lekan, Ye Ali, and Ray Vaughn.
Nippa — “Pride”
British singer Nippa is letting summer’s end change the sound of his music. His latest drop “Pride” indulges in a summery afrobeats-inspired sound as Nippa ponders over a friction in his relationship and over he and his partner can overcome it, an outcome that will certain call for some vulnerability.
kwn — “Worst Behaviour”
London singer kwn has a big 2024 thanks to scoring a hit with “Eyes Wide Open” as well as landing a collaboration with Kehlani on her While We Wait 2 project. Kwn’s run continues with her new single “Worst Behaviour,” a dark and invite record that dares a lover to challenge the boundaries of intimacy with them.
Khalil — “Change Of Plans”
Sacramento singer Khalil mourns the end of a relationship on his song “Change Of Plans.” The honest and vulnerable record is one Khalil uses to accept the circumstances and move on, rather than bashing his ex on his way out of the door.
The Grammy Awards ceremony itself is just part of the Grammy story, as there are usually a handful of events surrounding the big day. One such event just got a noteworthy change, one that’ll cost nominees a few extra bucks: The Recording Academy is no longer providing nominees with free tickets to the officially Grammy afterparty.
In an email sent to Academy members and seen by Billboard, the Recording Academy wrote:
“With the evolution of the event, we unfortunately will no longer be able to provide complimentary tickets for nominees to the afterparty, nor will we be able to accommodate as many guests as we have in the past. However, we will still have a limited number of tickets available for purchase, while supplies last. Be on the lookout for more information on ticket sales in November. Rest assured that, while the event itself will be smaller, the experience promises not to be, and impact on the next generation of music people will be greater.”
Speaking of changes, it was announced last week that the Grammys will have a new broadcast home in the near future: Starting in 2027, after decades on CBS, the Grammys will simulcast on ABC, Hulu, and Disney+.
Scavengers Reign is one of the best animated shows in recent years, with a perfect 100 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, the Emmy-winning series, which follows the survivors of a spaceship that lands on a bizarre alien planet, has not been picked up for season 2.
“As of right now, Scavengers Reign is not being renewed for a second season,” co-creator Joe Bennett wrote on Instagram. “I wanted to let everyone know directly because I really love our fanbase, they’ve been such champions for the show, and I don’t want to leave everyone hanging.”
Scavengers Reign premiered on Max before Netflix acquired the streaming rights in the hopes of finding a bigger audience.
Bennett continued, “We’ve had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way to get this show made, starting all the way back in 2016 with the Scavengers short film to the release of the first season last year. It’s a case study for believing in something and persevering through a million and one hurdles. But, it got made, thanks especially to so many people who supported it along the way, in big and small ways.”
After thanking the show’s animators, among others, Bennett vowed that “this is not the end. There is more story to be told, we are ready to make another season, and we produced in-house at Green Street a teaser for what was going to come in the second season.” You can see that here. Also, watch Scavengers Reign! It’s very good.
Beyoncé went all out for Halloween this year, taking to social media to show off multiple costumes. One post saw her modeling a Betty Davis look, and another saw her as topless Prince. Now, a few days into November, Beyoncé has finally concluded her Halloween decorations.
She just shared a slew of Pamela Anderson-inspired looks in a new video titled “Beywatch.” Sure enough, it sees Beyoncé modeling the classic Baywatch swimsuit, as well as her Barb Wire character and her look from the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The video is set to the Cowboy Carter song “Bodyguard.”
In a follow-up post, Beyoncé wrote, “BEYLLOWEEN FIN,” indicating that Bey has finished her run of 2024 costumes.
This comes after Beyoncé explained why she didn’t release any music videos for Renaissance or Cowboy Carter, saying, “I thought it was important that during a time where all we see is visuals, that the world can focus on the voice. The music is so rich in history and instrumentation. It takes months to digest, research, and understand. The music needed space to breathe on its own. […] Sometimes a visual can be a distraction from the quality of the voice and the music. The years of hard work and detail put into an album that takes over four years! The music is enough. The fans from all over the world became the visual. We all got the visual on tour. We then got more visuals from my film.”
So, this may ultimately be the closest thing we get to a Cowboy Carter video.
Gucci Mane has been credited as a musical influence by several rising hip-hop acts. However, the “Now It’s Real” rapper has been accused of dipping into another person’s creative fountain without properly crediting them.
Yesterday (November 4), Gucci Mane’s ex-girlfriend, former collaborator, and fellow rapper Mac Bre-Z took to her official Instagram with a host of damning allegations including theft, domestic violence, and failure to pay or credit her past creative contributions.
In a series of post, Mac Bre-Z claimed to have been Gucci Mane’s first ever signed recording artist (seemingly to 1017 Records).
“You loved collaborating with me on your albums & mixtapes,” she wrote. “But I would love to get paid for my writing credits. They say you changed for the better. So Why haven’t you done the right thing & just compensate me for everything I’m entitled to? Everybody eating off these records but me.”
Buried in the post, Mac Bre-Z accused Gucci Mane of domestic violence. “I never did a tell all & exposed any stories about your personal life over the 6 years we were together,” she wrote. “When you punched me in the face I could’ve snitched & had you arrested while you were on bond for the murder case of Jeezy artist. I never bad-mouthed you in the media or tried to assassinate your character.”
She went on to hint at potentially taking legal action, writing: “Enough is Enough. Times Up. I’m coming for what’s rightfully mine. Respectfully .”
She is credited as a featured artist on Gucci Mane’s song “Go Head,” which appears on his debut album Trap House. However, Mac Bre-Z claims that she’s made several contributions to other tracks but did not specify which ones.
In a separate upload, Mac Bre-Z alleged that her creatives concepts were hijacked before she could flesh it out for herself. “Gucci [has] been stealing my ideas & running off with them,” she wrote. “Zaytoven was recording me at his mama house when Radric walked into my studio session while I was recording my song ‘Da Kandi Lady’ from my DJ Scream mixtape. He straight stole my idea. Put Brick Squad on it and shot a music video to it. Y’all don’t know the half of what I went through in this industry. I’m telling my story.”
Mac Bre-Z closed by threatening to outline it all in a documentary titled, Life After So Icy.
Gucci Mane has not publicly addressed Mac Bre-Z’s accusation yet.
Lil Uzi Vert has gone to get length to secure guest verse from huge acts like Nicki Minaj. But not everyone sees the “Chill Bae” rapper’s unique charm.
With Lil Uzi Vert’s latest project, Eternal Atake 2, on streaming platforms listeners noticed something off about its guest appearances. On Lil Uzi Vert’s track “The Rush,” singer Carlos PenaVega isn’t present despite being labeled as a Big Time Rush feature.
On November 1, Carlos PenaVega’s wife and fellow entertainer, Alexa PenaVega explained his notable absence in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Today a song was released that featured the BTR boys minus Carlos because it did not align with his values,” she wrote. “While thankful for the opportunity Carlos kindly passed. Unfortunately it was not credited properly and is currently being represented as a BTR feature. Not a Kendall, Logan and James feature.”
Just what “values” Alexa is referring is unclear. But that hasn’t stopped her vague statement from causing an uproar online. Many are in support of Carlos’ alleged reasoning. While others slammed the singer for what and who he’s seemingly supported in the past.
Read Alexa PenaVega’s full statement below.
Hey friends. Wanted to hop on here to address something. We work super hard to protect our values and the things we believe in especially when it comes to creating content that is mostly family-friendly or what one would consider “safe”.
Today a song was released that featured the BTR boys minus Carlos because it did not align with his values. While thankful for the opportunity Carlos kindly passed. Unfortunately it was not credited properly and is currently being represented as a BTR feature. Not a Kendall, Logan and James feature.
As a wife who has watched Carlos navigate his values alone in an industry not set up for “family” I have been at times both incredibly proud and totally heartbroken for him. This is not putting anyone down. We just respectfully would like to make the people who follow us aware of the mishap and address that this was something he was not a part of.
With Ja Morant missing almost all of last season due to suspension and injury (playing just 9 games), he found himself a bit outside the conversation for top point guards in the NBA coming into the 2024-25 season. It was a lost season for both Morant and the Grizzlies last year, and both player and team are looking to remind the NBA of their talents early this season.
While it’s been an up-and-down start to the year, Morant has offered reminders of his unique brilliance with highlight reel plays that only he produces right now in the NBA. On Monday night in Brooklyn he offered up a pair of outrageous finishes as he was strong on the B-button with two 360 layups against the Nets. The first came on a drive against Nic Claxton, where Morant jumped in the air and spun all the way across the lane for a silky finish with his left. The second was even more spontaneous, as Morant went up thinking about a poster dunk on Cam Johnson before changing his mind for another spinning lefty layup, changing hands in mid-air.
It’s a pair of plays that perfectly encapsulate Morant’s singular ability as a high-flying guard. The first is so smooth as he just glides effortlessly through the air, while the second started with him thinking power but he had the time and ability to change his plan (and hands) mid-flight for the finish.
If Jeopardy contestants know who you are, you have (sort of) officially made it. Between that, his Beyoncé co-sign and sheer chart dominance, Shaboozey is an undeniable country music force.
Since its release, Shaboozey’s single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” has been a consistent fixture on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. Today (November 4), the outlet confirmed that the single set another record. As of the chart’s last update, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is now tied with three other smashes to hold the coveted No. 1 spot for at least 16 weeks, which includes Morgan Wallen’s 2023 hit “Last Night.”
The other two hits include 16, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s 2017 banger “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s 1995 collaboration “One Sweet Day.” However, Lil Nas X’s 2019 breakthrough track “Old Town Road” (the version that features Billy Ray Cyrus) still maintains the overall record.
Back then, Lil Nas X’s country hybrid record held tight to the No. 1 spot for 19 weeks. For now, Shaboozey can brag about “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” having “the longest reign of the 2020s” as the outlet pointed out.
Only time will tell if Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” cross the 19 weeks at No. 1 mark. But fans surely are rooting for his pursuit of the career milestone.
The Golden State Warriors traveled to Washington to take on the Wizards on Monday night, which meant that the Warriors crossed paths with an old friend, Jordan Poole. An important part of the team’s last title, Poole was traded to the Wizards last season in the aftermath of a tumultuous year with the Dubs.
During Monday night’s game, the player responsibility for all that turmoil crossed paths with Poole once again, as the high-scoring guard had a run-in with Draymond Green. Poole knocked down a triple in the waning moments of the second quarter as Green attempted to contest his shot, and after it went in, he pointed right at Green. On the ensuing Warriors possession before the half, Steph Curry knocked down a three — Poole tried to contest it, he was unsuccessful, and Green immediately pointed right at him.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
.”
