Category: News

At midnight (October 6), Drake will finally deliver his For All The Dogs album. (He’s supposed to, anyway.) He has already released “Slime You Out” featuring SZA, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and warned an ex-lover, “I’m slimin’ you for them kid choices you made.” But “8AM In Charlotte” might be taking more acute aim at someone.

The new song arrived early Thursday, October 5, exclusively on Drake’s Instagram page. Throughout, Drake name-drops the likes of 21 Savage (his It’s All A Blur Tour co-headliner), Central Cee, Shania Twain, T.D. Jakes, and Lauryn Hill, but it’s all in a playful light. In fact, there aren’t any explicit disses at all, but fans have a theory that the third verse is a veiled shot at Kanye West.

“Conspiracy theories start floatin’ ’round like the Kennedy guy,” Drake raps. “I’ll prolly hold a grudge against you guys ’til I’m seventy-five / Ayy, n****s lyin’ for a livin’, I couldn’t relate / We all gotta lay in the bed we make, but that couldn’t be Drake / You forced a lot of fake love when real ones stood in your face / That’s why you got deserted by your n****s like puddin’ and cake / I got you on camera bowin’ down, but the footage is safe / Thank God, another USB to put in the safe.”

On X (formerly known as Twitter), people have correlated these bars to a video of Drake bowing down to Ye after bringing him out as a guest during his Summer Sixteen Tour. There’s also the outside chance that the mention of “conspiracy theories” and “lyin’ for a livin’” is related to his beef with Pusha T and Ye that crescendoed in 2018 with the public reveal of Drake’s son, Adonis. (Is it a coincidence that the “8AM In Charlotte” video stars Adonis?)

At any rate, Lil Yachty teased that Drake “deals with some controversial things” across For All The Dogs, and “8AM In Charlotte” might fall under that umbrella.

For All The Dogs is out 10/6 via OVO Sound. Find more information here.

Ariana Grande made a lot of headlines earlier this year when she separated from her husband Dalton Gomez and reportedly began dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. It was quite the scoop considering Slater had a wife of ten years. There is now a new update on the supposed couple.

According to US Magazine, Grande and Slater are now living together. “Ethan informed his friends and soon-to-be ex-wife [Lilly Jay] that he’s living with Ariana full-time in New York,” an insider told the publication.

“They’re really happy and really good for each other,” the source added. “All of her friends love him.”

Grande reportedly filed for divorce from Gomez on September 18. Back in July, a source told TMZ about the problems between the two. “When Covid restrictions lifted, we’re told their differences became alarmingly apparent. Dalton, an LA realtor, was taken aback by Ariana’s celebrity. He had not dealt with her schedule, the paparazzi and the various opportunities that took her out of LA,” they said. “We’re told Dalton would sometimes question why they needed to go around town with security, something that was a must for Ariana. Their differences started to make the marriage unravel, and it was greatly exacerbated when she went to England last December to begin filming Wicked.”

Drake‘s highly anticipated new album For All The Dogs allegedly arrives tomorrow (October 6), though it’s fair to be skeptical after a couple delays. However, he unveiled the single and video “8AM In Charlotte” today, which is a good sign. Though Lil Yachty has some producing credits on the LP, another producer took on this song.

Who produced Drake’s “8AM In Charlotte?”

Conductor Williams produced “8AM In Charlotte.” Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, Denzel “Conductor” Williams has produced for plenty of beloved hip hop artists such as Mach-Hommy, Westside Gun, Tyler The Creator, and Remy Banks.

About For All The Dogs, Lil Yachty explained working on it with Drake. “I think some of the best Drake verses that I ever heard are on this album,” he said. He continued about the subject matter, “Some of the verses I’m just like, ‘Bruh, what’s wrong with you?’ You know what I’m saying?” he said. “People gonna have a lot to say about some of his topics on this album. And I don’t think he does it on purpose, I think it’s just him — he just has a real… I will say he deals with some controversial things.”

For All The Dogs is out 10/6 via OVO Sound.

Drake loves surprises. He surprised fans with “Slime You Out” featuring SZA last month. He surprised Halle Berry by using her image and likeness for the cover of “Slime You Out,” without her permission. And though it surprised absolutely nobody when “Slime You Out” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Drake couldn’t help but toss out another unexpected single on Thursday morning, October 5.

“8AM In Charlotte” arrived exclusively on Instagram alongside a video starring Adonis Graham, his nearly six-year-old son who drew the cover for Drake’s imminent For All The Dogs album cover. In it, an off-camera Drake asks Adonis to “tell me about your beautiful piece of artwork that you sold me.”

“So, it’s the same story,” Adonis said. “So, the goat was running away from the other monsters and the other animals, and a flower [was] blocking the way. So, the flower was on fire. The racing car was maybe helping the goat, and there was some stairs who’s like a jail stairs, and there was one person who was, like, on top, and he got killed by the track.”

And when Drake wanted to confirm whether what Adonis just said was “like a little story,” Adonis muttered “yes” in an exasperated tone that suggested, Duh, Dad, what else would it be? Drake then asked why Adonis drew the letters “SBW,” which led to an explanation that Adonis simply wanted to write those letters without any further meaning, but then we got to the good stuff.

“And Daddy’s name is next to the goat,” Drake said. “Does that mean that he’s the GOAT?” Adonis, again, confirms with a hushed “yes,” followed by an elaboration that the character is actually “Daddy GOAT,” but Adonis drew the line at disclosing how much he was compensated for his drawing (“Oh, please”).

Drake has yet to confirm the For All The Dogs tracklist, but considering the album is due out at midnight (October 6), we can probably assume that “8AM In Charlotte” will be on it. But then again, he does love surprises.

Watch the “8AM In Charlotte” video below.

No list of the best SNL cast members of all-time is complete without Phil Hartman. So it’s a real treat that almost 30 years after he departed Studio 8H, and 25 years after his tragic death, Dana Carvey has shared a never-before-seen short film — also starring Jon Lovitz! — from their time on the show.

“This is one of my favorite #SNL short films. The brilliant Robert Smigel (@TriumphICDHQ) wrote it – and recruited me to play #Chaplin,” Carvey wrote on X. “I thought its premise was inspired. And I never turn down an opportunity to play Chaplin. Unfortunately it never made it to air. It played at dress rehearsal to crickets, live crickets, and we still maintain that a human audience might have liked it. Here now, for the first time, watch ‘Chaplin’ and, for the trazillionth time, enjoy the magic of #PhilHartman, @realjonlovitz, and I.”

SNL, the show that gave us Schweddy Balls, “more cowbell,” and David S. Pumpkins, is rarely subtle, but “Chaplin” doesn’t go for big laughs. It’s charming in its simplicity, with Carvey’s Chaplin gradually turning into the Little Tramp by stealing another actor’s bit. Hartman plays the narrator, and now I’m sad all over again. His remarkable talent and voice, gone too soon. Treasure films like “Chaplin.” It might be the last “new” Hartman we ever get.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has made it known who she wants as the next Speaker of the House. But according to Jimmy Kimmel, that might not be the only way she wants Donald Trump.

On Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the late-night host discussed the clusterf*ck in the House since Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his position by Matt Gaetz. “The ins and outs of how it happened are complicated. Basically, Kevin McCarthy went through the political equivalent of getting pantsed in front of the whole school. And then having a squirrel bite you on the penis,” Kimmel joked. He then played a clip from “Klan mom” Taylor Greene suggesting that Trump should become the new Speaker.

“We want him back as president. So why not make him Speaker of the House, even if it’s an interim speaker, while we work to find another speaker?” Taylor Greene said in the video from Real America’s Voice. “Anyone who wants to run for Speaker, the only way to earn my vote is to beat President Trump.” Kimmel commented, “He’s never going to have sex with you, Marge. Stop it. He’s a married man.” As if that’s ever (allegedly) stopped him before.

You can watch Kimmel’s monologue above.

Throughout his career, Drake has occasionally released tracks that have collectively become known as “timestamp songs” because of their titles. The latest of them is “8AM In Charlotte,” which Drake unexpectedly dropped on social media a few hours ago. Given that Drake’s new album For All The Dogs is set to release at midnight on Friday (October 6), that begs the question:

Will Drake’s “8AM In Charlotte” be on For All The Dogs?

Drake hasn’t yet revealed a tracklist for the album, so at the moment, the answer to that question isn’t clear. Given that Drake released the song just hours before For All The Dogs, though, it would be natural to think that yes, it will be on the album.

However, there’s also some historical precedent to consider. As aforementioned, Drake has released a number of timestamp songs before and those have had a mixed record when it comes to making it onto an album. “7AM On Bridle Path” was included on Certified Lover Boy, but that’s actually the only timestamp song to make it into a proper album: “6PM In New York” was on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (a mixtape, not an album), “4PM In Calabasas” and “5AM In Toronto” appear on Care Package (a compilation of previously unreleased material, not an album), and “9AM In Dallas” was only included on some deluxe editions of Thank Me Later.

So, while the answer isn’t definitive as of this post, it will be soon (assuming Drake actually follows through with releasing For All The Dogs on Friday).

Drake’s new project, For All The Dogs, is scheduled to drop just hours from now, but Drake came through with a pre-album surprise late last night/early this morning (October 5): He released the video for “8am In Charlotte” exclusively on his Instagram page (OVO Sound posted it on X (formerly Twitter), too.)

The six-minute visual starts with Drake’s son Adonis explaining a drawing he made, which appears to be the same one from which the For All The Dogs cover art originated. Off-camera, Drake instructs, “Adonis, tell me about your beautiful piece of artwork that you sold me.” From there, Adonis tells a winding story about all the elements in the drawing, about a goat running away from monsters, a flower, a race car, some stairs, and more.

Drake then asks, “Do you want to talk about how much money you got for your beautiful drawing?” Adonis gives a dismissive, “Oh, please,” which got a laugh from Drake.

The visual then gets into the actual song, which features Drake rapping along to the track as he and Adonis dance and strike poses along to the song.

Watch the “8am In Charlotte” video above.

For All The Dogs is out 10/5 via OVO Sound.

This year, artists like Taylor Swift, SZA, and Morgan Wallen have been frequent occupiers of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart, but there’s always someone waiting to claim the honor for themselves. In September, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts debuted at No. 1, and Zach Bryan’s self-titled album dethroned Travis Scott’s Utopia. And for the last two weeks (and counting), Rod Wave has owned the top spot.

It has long been a built-in game for artists to gun for the Billboard 200 throne, and it’s just as much a weekly spectator sport for fans. The publication’s FAQ section explains, “Almost all weekly charts update each Tuesday morning (while, during weeks with Monday holidays, charts update on Wednesdays). If you don’t see a weekly chart updated by those times, please clear your browser cache and try again.”

Billboard also laid out its methodology for determining the country’s best album per week. “The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.”

Ally Brooke is keeping hope alive for faithful Fifth Harmony fans. Last November, Brooke engaged in the possibility of a reunion with a playful TikTok. More recently, this June, Brooke teased one during a visit with 1o3.5 KTU. Even more recently, Brooke tugged at Harmonizers’ heartstrings.

On Wednesday, October 4, video from Brooke’s recent appearance on E! News caught fire online. In the clip, Brooke was asked about the recent NSYNC reunion, which predictably led into prodding about whether there’s a future for Fifth Harmony.

“I do feel like, in the future, we’ll get all the girls together,” the host said. Brooke responded, “A hundred percent. We may be working on something.” When pressed on whether fans could get something new from Fifth Harmony “sooner than we think,” Brooke nodded and confirmed, “Yes.”

However, later Wednesday, Brooke threw a wet blanket on the reignited rumor mill.

“I’m thrilled to see there’s a lot of interest surrounding Fifth Harmony,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Reunion has many meanings and while there’s no official band reunion happening at the moment, some beautiful friendships and relationships are slowly reuniting in a healing and empowering way. XX Ally.”

As chronicled by Billboard, Fifth Harmony formed in early 2013 and quickly became a prominent pop force. The group was comprised of Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane, Normani, and Lauren Jauregui. Cabello suddenly departed in December 2016, and the remaining four members of Fifth Harmony announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2018.

There’s no way of knowing what Brooke was referencing in her post about healing, but it is worth mentioning that, in December 2019, past Tumblr posts in which Cabello used the N-word and other racially derogatory language resurfaced, (obviously) warranting a public apology from Cabello. In February 2020, Normani — the only Black woman in Fifth Harmony — reacted to Cabello’s past posts in a written response to Rolling Stone, which can be read in full below:

“I want to be very clear about what I’m going to say on this uncomfortable subject and figured it would be best to write out my thoughts to avoid being misconstrued, as I have been in the past. I struggled with talking about this because I didn’t want it to be a part of my narrative, but I am a Black woman, who is a part of an entire generation that has a similar story.

I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community. This represents a day in the life for us. I have been tolerating discrimination far before I could even comprehend what exactly was happening. Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the color of my skin. It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn’t hurt me. It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat. It took days for her to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced. Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans.

“I don’t want to say that this situation leaves me hopeless because I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for personal growth. I really hope that an important lesson was learned in this. I hope there is genuine understanding about why this was absolutely unacceptable. I have spoken what is in my heart and pray this is transparent enough that I never have to speak on it again. To my brown men and women, we are like no other. Our power lies within our culture. We are descendants of an endless line of strong and resilient kings and queens. We have been and will continue to win in all that we do simply because of who we are. We deserve to be celebrated, I deserve to be celebrated and I’m just getting started.”

In April 2022, Cabello hinted to Reuters that her relationship with her former bandmates was on the mend, saying, “We have been supportive of each other through, like, DMs and stuff. I’m, like, in a in a really good place with them.”