Category: News

The tributes to late Memphis rap icon Gangsta Boo continue to pour in after she was found dead at home this past Sunday (January 1) at the age of 43. The other surviving members of her group, Three 6 Mafia, posted tributes in the immediate wake of the announcement, while her “sister” within the group, La Chat, posted a tearful tribute earlier this week.

Today, a pair of her most recent collaborators shared their thoughts via Twitter. Run The Jewels, with whom Gangsta Boo collaborated on the 2015 track “Love Again (Akinyele Back)” and on their 2020 RTJ4 standout “Walking In The Snow,” wrote: “You were a force of nature, one of the illest ever, and we’re so grateful for the time we spent together.” Alongside a video of Boo performing alongside El-P and Killer Mike at various shows and festivals, they expressed gratitude, writing, “We love and miss you Lola! Thank you for everything. Rest Easy.”

In addition to her work with Run The Jewels, Gangsta Boo appeared to be at the outset of a career resurgence in recent years. In 2020, she dropped a new single, “I’m Fresh,” which she performed late last year for UPROXX Sessions, and she passed the rap torch to breakout star GloRilla and Atlanta mainstay Latto on their Three 6-sampling club anthem “FTCU.”

After months of teasing, Diddy and Yung Miami seemingly went Instagram official with their relationship, sharing photos of their New Year’s Eve yacht trip to start the year. Miami joined a group that included Diddy’s mother, eight kids, and his latest baby mama, Dana Tran, seemingly putting rumors that the two were on the outs to rest.

Diddy and Miami’s relationship has long been the subject of speculation online, ever since Miami — fondly referred to by her real first name, Caresha, by fans — first posted photos of herself holding the 53-year-old mogul’s hand at P Thomas’ birthday party in Atlanta in the summer of 2021. Since then, they’ve been at the center of an absolute whirlwind of rumors, mystery, and drama as they shared further videos getting cozy, popped up with shows of support for each other’s endeavors, and rallied through accusations that Yung Miami was simply a “side chick” when Diddy announced the birth of his daughter, Love. Let’s take a look at the timeline of their relationship so far.

June 2021 — The Soft Launch

The first inkling that the two had gotten romantic came at the birthday party for Quality Control Music CEO Pierre Thomas. Miami is signed to the label as a member of Miami rap duo City Girls, but her date to the event caught fans’ attention. The post caused a flurry of activity on Twitter that saw fans wondering what was going on, but it was a few more months until they confirmed anything.

August 2021 — Miami Continues To Tease Fans

As Diddy hinted at a new label venture, Caresha dropped a collection of videos on her Instagram Stories in which she and the older Diddy got cozy at what appeared to be a nightclub. Speculation intensified, but the couple remained coy about their status in interviews.

June 2022 — Caresha Please

Not only did Diddy’s media outlet, Revolt, host Yung Miami’s series when it debuted last summer, but Diddy himself appeared as the first guest, more or less confirming they were dating. “We go to exotic locations,” he said. “We have great times.”

June 2022 — Go Papi!

When Diddy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 BET Awards, he got one conspicuous supporter in the crowd. Fans were amused by the sight of Miami holding a sign reading “Go, Papi” Unfortunately, Diddy forgot to thank Miami in his acceptance speech, leading to a belated Instagram post calling the gesture “one of the sweetest things anyone’s ever done” for him.

September 2022 — Miami Clears Things Up

In an interview with XXL, Miami clarified that while the two were dating, they weren’t exclusive. “We are dating,” she said. “We single, but we’re dating. People don’t know what dating means. He’s single, I’m single, but we’re dating. That’s what I mean when I say we go together. When we’re together, we’re together. We’re having the time of our lives, but we’re still single.”

October 2022 — Diddy’s New Music Shows Miami Off

In October, Diddy shared a pair of new songs, the “Gotta Move On” remix and “Diddy Freestyle,” which showcased his “shawty wop” in different ways. While Miami contributes a verse to the former, she appears in the video for the latter, strolling the streets of New York City side-by-side.

December 2022 — Trouble In Paradise?

When Diddy announced the birth of his daughter Love, many fans were quick to indict Miami for sticking with him for so long while he obviously had other romances going. However, both Miami and Diddy himself shot down the “side chick” label with which she was being tagged and Miami said that the announcement came as no surprise to her. However, she did face some accusations of racism after getting into it with another rumored P. Diddy paramour, Gina Huynh, on Twitter, using language derogating Huynh’s ethnic background.

January 2023 — Smooth Sailing

Despite the furor of the past month, it doesn’t appear that there are any hard feelings between Miami, Diddy, and new mom Dana Tran. The photos from the yacht trip appear to suggest that they’re one, big happy family. Time will tell.

The world can be a grim place full of dangers that are uncontrollable by nature. Sometimes, the best way and the only way to cope with scary happenings is through dark humor. So when one of those bomb cyclone storms, named for rapid air-pressure drops, came for California, that was one thing, but when the forecasted weather pattern turned into a double whammy, that was quite another. A so-called “Pineapple Express” storm joined the dubious party, and this meant that all bets were off for an easy ride through the week. Thursday night could get uglier, and fingers are crossed for relief.

If you’ve never heard of that second type of potentially catastrophic storm (which will bring 100+ mph winds and heavy flooding) and why this is such a terrible combo, the Washington Post has you covered:

The powerful storm type gets its name from its origin in the tropical Pacific around Hawaii and the island state’s affinity for the sweet treat. Pineapple Express storms carry moisture northward from the tropics and dump it in high concentrations on the West Coast and Canada.

Given the location, this combo of storms could bring landslides, and this could happen fast. Via the National Weather Service in Seattle, here’s what that looks like from space:

All that West Coasters can do at this point (after the usual storm prep, including evacuation) is cross their fingers and grab their nearest stash of morbid jokes. Perhaps this is also a good time to rewatch Seth Rogen’s greatest film, Pineapple Express? It couldn’t hurt matters, and the weed references are flying, man.

Stay safe out there, everyone.

(Via Washington Post, CNN & National Weather Service)

Today is a great day for Miley Cyrus fans because the star just announced her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation. Following up the 2020 LP Plastic Hearts, the album has been teased for a while through a countdown clock and mysterious posters with messages like, “I can take myself dancing,” and, “I can love me better than you can.”

She shared an artistic trailer for the album, full of red lipstick, spoken-word poetry, and big California vibes. A press release says the album was recorded in Los Angeles with producers Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Tyler Johnson. It serves as the singer’s love letter to LA, and it very much appears to be so.

The first single, “Flowers,” is set to drop on January 13, which is, coincidentally or not, her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. The line “I can love me better than you can,” which appeared on the posters, will likely be the song’s hook. So maybe the date is not a coincidence.

Around a year ago, the “Wrecking Ball” singer posted photos on Instagram with her Bangerz collaborator, Mike Will Made It, and Rae Sremmurd, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Bibi Bourelly, which stirred up conversation about a new record.

Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy surprised comedy fans by announcing the two were teaming up for a new Netflix movie, You People, and the first awkwardly hilarious trailer has arrived. In the film directed and co-written by Kenya Barris, Hill’s character meets the girl of his dream (Lauren London). However, things turn south when he has to contend with her father (Murphy) and introduce him to his own equally awkward parents, which leads to a comedic clashing of several hot button topics.

Like its Netflix sibling, Glass Onion, the comedy is stacked with one hell of a cast. Just look at this list: Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Sam Jay, Elliott Gould, Travis Bennett, Molly Gordon, Rhea Perlman, Deon Cole, Andrea Savage, Mike Epps, Emily Arlook, Alani La La Anthony, Bryan Greenberg with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eddie Murphy.

Here’s the official synopsis:

When a rideshare mix-up in LA brings Ezra Cohen (Jonah Hill) and Amira Mohammed (Lauren London) together, the two find themselves connecting over a shared love of streetwear and music. As they fall in love, their relationship is tested by their respective families: Ezra’s progressive and semi-woke parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny) and Amira’s unyielding yet concerned parents (Eddie Murphy and Nia Long) who inject themselves into their lives mercilessly. Kenya Barris’ feature film directorial debut is a modern love story set amidst clashing cultures and interfaith relationships.

You People starts streaming January 27 on Netflix.

Sending cards and letters are one of the few ways to get your feelings and intentions across to someone. Fan letters to idols are no strangers as K-pop stars receive them almost every day whenever they may public appearances where fans can attend.

However, if you’re BTS’ Jin in the military, trying to serve active duty on behalf of your country, the influx of packages and letters coming in from all over the world can be quite overwhelming from fans who miss you.

Earlier today (January 5), BigHit Music released a statement sharing their concerns, asking fans to refrain from sending any more letters and packages to the military training center to where the “Astronaut” singer is based. In addition, the Korean music label also asked fans to not crowd or visit the military base as it may distract and disrupt the duties of other military personnel on site.

In an alternative solution to physically sending letters, the company suggested fans to send warm messages on the group’s message board on WeVerse using the hashtag #Dear_Jin_from_ARMY and reassured ARMY they would assist Jin in checking them all.

Check out the full statement from BigHit, translated by Soompi, below.

“Hello,

This is BIGHIT MUSIC.

Thank you to all the fans who always give their love to BTS. Thanks to your kind consideration and support, BTS member Jin has entered the military in December and is now performing his duties responsibly at the training camp.

Thank you for showing your interest and support on the day of his enlistment. We would like to share additional information for fans to keep note of throughout Jin’s military service period.

Jin is stationed at a training center designated specifically for military training together with regular military personnel. If a large number of letters and gifts from the fans arrive at the center all at once, it would be difficult to store them, and they could be easily lost. We ask that you please refrain from sending anything by mail. BIGHIT MUSIC will assist in making sure that Jin is able to check himself all the warm messages that fans leave on Weverse using the hashtag #Dear_Jin_from_ARMY.

Please refrain from sending letters and gifts even after he finishes his military recruit training and gets stationed at his military base.

We would also like to ask for your cooperation during Jin’s recruit training graduation ceremony. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.

We ask for your continued love and support for Jin until he finishes his military service and comes back in good health. Our company will also strive to provide all support he needs during this time.

Thank you.”

Jin enlisted into the military as an active-duty soldier on December 13 of last year. According to reports, he is part of the 5th Infantry Division recruit training center in Yeoncheon County of Gyeonggi Province.

Natasha Lyonne is very good at portraying characters who flirt with death. This was the case in a more morbid sense on Orange Is The New Black, but that penchant went Groundhog Day-esque in the treasure-filled Russian Doll, in which her character got stuck in an existential death loop. Now Lyonne is jumping from Netflix over to Peacock for even more death-defying business, only she’s solving some crimes. Mind you, she’s not an actual detective, but she can’t help but be a “death magnet” who has a knack for figuring dark sh*t out.

As well, Rian Johnson is hot off his latest murder-involved project, Glass Onion, to team up with Lyonne for an idea that they apparently conceived while enjoying not-French fries. And Johnson was thrilled to reveal this “case-of-the-week mystery show” (which is definitely not-Columbo) trailer on Twitter.

Natasha’s Charlie character will solve her crimes by way of a Plymouth Barracuda, so she’s even cooler than Lincoln Lawyer. As well, the trailer shows off Chloë Sevigny as a rock star, and Dascha Polanco will pop in because she and Natasha can’t quit each other. The show also features Tim Blake Nelson as a race car driver as well as Ron Perlman, Nick Nolte, Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Barkin, and Tim Meadows.

And yes, people will probably try to get Johnson to add Muppets to this project, too.

Peacock’s Poker Face debuts on January 26.

The 2023 Grammys continue to take shape. All nominees were revealed in mid-November, including a record-breaking nod for Bad Bunny, with Beyoncé leading the field. Last month, Trevor Noah confirmed to Billboard that he will host the ceremony.

This morning, January 5, the Recording Academy announced which musical icons will be honored with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as relayed by The Hollywood Reporter: Nirvana, Ma Rainey, Slick Rick, The Supremes, Nile Rodgers, Bobby McFerrin, and Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart.

The publication additionally pointed out that the awards will be given posthumously to Rainey, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, and The Supremes’ Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. Diana Ross was previously given the Lifetime Achievement Award as a solo artist in 2012. Ross is also nominated for the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for Thank You, released in November 2021 as her first solo release since I Love You in 2006 and first original material since 1999’s Every Day Is A New Day.

The Special Merit Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, February 4 at Los Angeles’ Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

The 2023 Grammys will air live on CBS (and stream live on Paramount+) from LA’s Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 5.

“A lot of what I would suggest is what I’ve heard [Recording Academy CEO] Harvey [Mason Jr.] talk about: trying to create a Grammys where the music reflects the awards show and the awards show reflects the music,” Noah told Billboard of what he would change about the Grammys. “Oftentimes [with] award shows, there may be a disconnect between the general public who are consuming music and the people who are voting on the music. It’s important for every award show [that] wishes to maintain its relevance to understand that difference. The audience isn’t wrong in having different tastes or a preference on whom they wish to see. I think in music as a whole, you have to acknowledge that, and the Grammys has, albeit slowly.”

After Jeremy Renner survived a terrifying freak accident that reportedly caused “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries” after his snow plow rolled over him, the Marvel star’s sense of humor appears to be on the mend. On Thursday morning, Renner shared a sweet, lighthearted video where his mother and sister can be seen caring for the actor who’s still in a hospital bed.

Calling it a “spa day,” the slowly recovering Renner can be seen thanking his mom and sister for the love. He even joked that it’s the first shower he’s had in a “week or so” as they help to clean some of the blood from his near-fatal accident.

You can see the touching video below:

The video received an outpouring of love from fans, which Renner has definitely appreciated on his road to recovery. The first update he gave from the hospital thanked everyone for the kind words after news of the accident broke. That post sparked a round of well wishes from his fellow Avengers. Via Variety:

“Speedy recovery buddy,” replied Chris Hemsworth, who is one of the six original Avengers actors along with Renner. “Sending love your way!”

Chris Evans, another original Avenger star, wrote, “Tough as nails. Love you buddy.”

“Continued prayers your way brutha,” Chris Pratt added. Pratt leads Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.

The incident has already been cleared of foul play and authorities say Renner was not impaired in what is being called a “freak tragic accident.” The snow plow was hauled from the scene and will be inspected for mechanical failures that could’ve caused it to roll forward after Renner exited the vehicle to talk to a family member who was trapped in the snow.

(Via Jeremy Renner on Twitter)

It’s honestly shocking that Nicolas Cage has gone this long into his career without playing Dracula. It just seems like one day, he would wake up and tell his pet crow, “I want to be Dracula.” A two-month shoot in Transylvania later, he would wrap another movie and have enough money to buy a dinosaur skull (well, another dinosaur skull).

Cage got halfway there with Vampire’s Kiss, but the Oscar winner will finally go full Count Dracula in Renfield, a horror-comedy starring Nicholas Hoult as Dracula’s servant Renfield and Cage as the most famous blood sucker of them all.

You can watch the campy trailer above.

Evil doesn’t span eternity without a little help. In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.

Renfield is directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War, The LEGO Batman Movie) from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley (Rick and Morty) and based on an original idea by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. It also stars Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz.

Renfield opens in theaters on April 14.