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Clarence Avant, The ‘Black Godfather’ Of The Music Industry, Has Died At 92

Clarence Avant, a music industry impresario with fingerprints all over the past 50 years of pop culture, has died at the age of 92. His death was announced via a statement from his family to The Hollywood Reporter, which read:

Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.

The subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather, Avant has acted as a record executive, a manager, a promoter, an advisor, and a behind-the-scenes titan of the music industry. In addition to founding Sussex Records and leading Motown Records beginning in 1993, he’s credited with discovering Bill Withers, managing Sarah Vaughn and silently working deals with the likes of LA Reid, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, and more.

Even former President Barack Obama praised Avant’s power to pull strings, crediting him with helping Obama land a primetime appearance at the 2004 Democratic convention, which boosted him politically and put him in position for his successful run in 2008.

Sadly, Avant’s death comes just under two years after the death of his wife of 54 years, Jacqueline Avant, who was shot and killed at the age of 81 during a home invasion in December 2021.

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Foo Fighters Put A Hilarious, Full-Circle Twist On Their Michael Bublé Joke During Their Outside Lands Set

During Foo Fighters‘ performance at Outside Lands over the weekend, Dave Grohl continued with a bit that he had been doing on tour, where he asks if anyone in the audience knows Michael Bublé’s 2009 song, “Haven’t Met You Yet.”

The joke is based around the band’s new drummer, Josh Freese, who played drums on the original studio version of the song. He also previously performed live with Bublé.

“The last couple shows, I always look out [into the crowd]. Someone’s like, ‘I know the Bublé song,’ ‘I’ll come up and sing,’ ‘I know the f*cking Bublé song,’” Grohl told the Outside Lands crowd. “And every time someone f*cking says they know the song, they don’t know the f*cking song. Do you know the f*cking song? Who knows the f*cking song?”

After spotting someone in the audience with an “I Love Bublé” sign, Grohl invited the person to join the challenge.

“This motherf*cker better know the song! Do you know the song? Because people say they know it but they don’t!” he added.

However, there was a hilarious twist. The sign’s holder was none other than Bublé himself, who went on to flawlessly perform the words with the Foo Fighters.

“Oh my God, it’s Michael Bublé!” Grohl joked. “This bad-ass motherf*cker, and I’m not even kidding, flew in today from Argentina to f*cking sing that song to you guys.”

Check out the clip of Foo Fighters playing with Bublé above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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All The Best New Music From This Week That You Need To Hear

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Olivia Rodrigo confidently continue living her own version of pop stardom and Noname make waves with her new album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Olivia Rodrigo — “Bad Idea Right?”

Rodrigo already has three No. 1 singles in her young career and she’s shooting for a fourth with “Bad Idea Right?.” It’s a classic shot of rocking personality from Rodrigo, who wonders if she should reconvene with an ex before concluding, “F*ck it, it’s fine.”

DJ Khaled — “Supposed To Be Loved”

If there’s one thing DJ Khaled can do, it’s bring music’s biggest names together. There’s plenty more of that on the way with his newly announced album, Til Next Time, as evidenced by last week’s “Supposed To Be Loved.” Lil Baby, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert all appear on the TM88-produced track, a warm, upbeat number that made it just in time for summer.

Noname — “Namesake”

Think of a major artist and Noname probably dissed them on “Namesake.” The fiery track comes from her new album Sundial, which is her first in half a decade, meaning she’s had plenty of time to deliberate on nuanced conversation topics for the thoughtful LP.

Miguel — “Number 9” Feat. Lil Yachty

It’s been a minute since Miguel’s latest album, 2017’s War & Leisure. It finally appears that a new one is on the way as he dropped “Number 9” last week. He recruited Lil Yachty to hop on the track, a trippy number with some Fleet Foxes-like vocals.

Rauw Alejandro — “Hayami Hana”

Rauw just went through a major life change: He and Rosalía called off their engagement and broke up. He seemingly addresses that on the sad new song “Hayami Hana,” rapping (translated to English) about rumors of infidelity, “I am a lot of things, but not a cheater / She always had my phone’s password.”

That Chick Angel — “One Margarita (Ladies Remix)” Feat. FendiDa Rappa, Flo Milli, and Sexyy Red

“One Margarita” wasn’t meant to be a major hit, starting its life as an off-the-cuff freestyle on Angel Laketa Moore’s Here’s The Thing podcast. More than ever these days, though, success can come from the most unexpected places, and “One Margarita” took off. Angel even just recruited some of hip-hop’s most exciting female rappers to hop on a raunchy new remix.

Karol G — “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”

Mañana Será Bonito was only just released in February, but Karol is already back with Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season). She celebrated the release last week with a video for “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” a smooth, reggae-inspired tune.

Petey — “Did I Mention I’m Sorry”

Fresh of signing with Capitol Records, TikTok favorite Petey has a new album, USA, on the way. The latest taste of it is last week’s “Did I Mention I’m Sorry,” a dynamic and rocking anthem about the wear of apologies.

Fred Again.. — “Adore U” Feat. Obongjayar

Fred’s outstanding year has so far been highlighted by star-making performances at Madison Square Garden and Coachella. Now he and Obongjayar are keeping the good vibes rolling with “Adore U,” of which Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes, “Fred crafts a luminescent, hypnotic instrumental, while Obongjayar delivers on soft, crooning vocals. ”

Turnstile and BADBADNOTGOOD — “Alien Love Call” Feat. Blood Orange

Turnstile teamed up with BADBADNOTGOOD for an interesting project last week: New Heart Designs, which presents new takes on songs from Turnstile’s 2021 album Glow On. It’s the latest example of the hardcore group demonstrating an excitement about experimentation, and it works to great effect here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Clarence Avant, The ‘Black Godfather’ Of The Music Industry, Has Died At 92

Clarence Avant, a music industry impresario with fingerprints all over the past 50 years of pop culture, has died at the age of 92. His death was announced via a statement from his family to The Hollywood Reporter, which read:

Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come. The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.

The subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather, Avant has acted as a record executive, a manager, a promoter, an advisor, and a behind-the-scenes titan of the music industry. In addition to founding Sussex Records and leading Motown Records beginning in 1993, he’s credited with discovering Bill Withers, managing Sarah Vaughn and silently working deals with the likes of LA Reid, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, and more.

Even former President Barack Obama praised Avant’s power to pull strings, crediting him with helping Obama land a primetime appearance at the 2004 Democratic convention, which boosted him politically and put him in position for his successful run in 2008.

Sadly, Avant’s death comes just under two years after the death of his wife of 54 years, Jacqueline Avant, who was shot and killed at the age of 81 during a home invasion in December 2021.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

ESPN Officially Announced Their 2023-24 Broadcast Teams And ‘NBA Countdown’ Crew

Ever since Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose were let go as part of ESPN’s wide-ranging layoffs this summer, we have known that a considerable change is coming to the network’s NBA coverage this fall.

On Monday morning, ESPN confirmed reports that Mike Breen would now be joined by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers in the lead broadcast booth, after Mark Jackson was likewise let go alongside Van Gundy. They also confirmed Malika Andrews will now host all of their NBA studio coverage, from NBA Today to each edition of NBA Countdown, stepping into that seat for Mike Greenberg who will focus on his various other duties. Andrews will be joined on ABC by Countdown returners Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, and Adrian Wojnarowski, while former Warriors GM Bob Myers officially has been added to that group — and will also do some game broadcasts as an analyst during the season. The midweek Countdown shows on ESPN will have Richard Jefferson, Chiney Ogwumike, and Kendrick Perkins as analysts.

The only news in ESPN’s Monday release that hadn’t been previously reported is that ESPN is making Ryan Ruocco, J.J. Redick, and Richard Jefferson — the latter of whom has signed a multi-year extension with the network — the full-time No. 2 team for ABC games on Sundays and in the playoffs. The network also announced Mark Jones and Dave Pasch will also be back doing play-by-play, while Hubie Brown will continue calling games for his 50th season as an NBA analyst.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

All The Best New Music From This Week That You Need To Hear

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Olivia Rodrigo confidently continue living her own version of pop stardom and Noname make waves with her new album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Olivia Rodrigo — “Bad Idea Right?”

Rodrigo already has three No. 1 singles in her young career and she’s shooting for a fourth with “Bad Idea Right?.” It’s a classic shot of rocking personality from Rodrigo, who wonders if she should reconvene with an ex before concluding, “F*ck it, it’s fine.”

DJ Khaled — “Supposed To Be Loved”

If there’s one thing DJ Khaled can do, it’s bring music’s biggest names together. There’s plenty more of that on the way with his newly announced album, Til Next Time, as evidenced by last week’s “Supposed To Be Loved.” Lil Baby, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert all appear on the TM88-produced track, a warm, upbeat number that made it just in time for summer.

Noname — “Namesake”

Think of a major artist and Noname probably dissed them on “Namesake.” The fiery track comes from her new album Sundial, which is her first in half a decade, meaning she’s had plenty of time to deliberate on nuanced conversation topics for the thoughtful LP.

Miguel — “Number 9” Feat. Lil Yachty

It’s been a minute since Miguel’s latest album, 2017’s War & Leisure. It finally appears that a new one is on the way as he dropped “Number 9” last week. He recruited Lil Yachty to hop on the track, a trippy number with some Fleet Foxes-like vocals.

Rauw Alejandro — “Hayami Hana”

Rauw just went through a major life change: He and Rosalía called off their engagement and broke up. He seemingly addresses that on the sad new song “Hayami Hana,” rapping (translated to English) about rumors of infidelity, “I am a lot of things, but not a cheater / She always had my phone’s password.”

That Chick Angel — “One Margarita (Ladies Remix)” Feat. FendiDa Rappa, Flo Milli, and Sexyy Red

“One Margarita” wasn’t meant to be a major hit, starting its life as an off-the-cuff freestyle on Angel Laketa Moore’s Here’s The Thing podcast. More than ever these days, though, success can come from the most unexpected places, and “One Margarita” took off. Angel even just recruited some of hip-hop’s most exciting female rappers to hop on a raunchy new remix.

Karol G — “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”

Mañana Será Bonito was only just released in February, but Karol is already back with Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season). She celebrated the release last week with a video for “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” a smooth, reggae-inspired tune.

Petey — “Did I Mention I’m Sorry”

Fresh of signing with Capitol Records, TikTok favorite Petey has a new album, USA, on the way. The latest taste of it is last week’s “Did I Mention I’m Sorry,” a dynamic and rocking anthem about the wear of apologies.

Fred Again.. — “Adore U” Feat. Obongjayar

Fred’s outstanding year has so far been highlighted by star-making performances at Madison Square Garden and Coachella. Now he and Obongjayar are keeping the good vibes rolling with “Adore U,” of which Uproxx’s Alex Gonzalez notes, “Fred crafts a luminescent, hypnotic instrumental, while Obongjayar delivers on soft, crooning vocals. ”

Turnstile and BADBADNOTGOOD — “Alien Love Call” Feat. Blood Orange

Turnstile teamed up with BADBADNOTGOOD for an interesting project last week: New Heart Designs, which presents new takes on songs from Turnstile’s 2021 album Glow On. It’s the latest example of the hardcore group demonstrating an excitement about experimentation, and it works to great effect here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Up Jumps Da Boogie’ Rapper Magoo Has Died At The Age Of 50

Melvin Barcliff, better known as Magoo of Virginia rap duo Timbaland & Magoo, has died at the age of 50 years old. Magoo’s death was reported by Digital Black of the R&B group Playa, who appeared on the 1997 Timbaland & Magoo hit “Luv 2 Luv U,” in a post on Instagram. “Man can’t believe this RIH Magoo damn big bro wasnt ready for this at all,” he wrote. Since then, more of Magoo’s closest associates have also expressed their disbelief at his passing, including Ginuwine, whose early albums were produced by Timbaland.

Ginuwine wrote, “I don’t even know how to say anything at this point , I have lost 3 friends now within a month to LIFE and it’s due date… I will mis you maganooo that’s what we called him ….. totally one of the best ever in my eyes always pressing forward I know we didn’t talk alot but the love was and will be always there my brotha , I will see you soon bro we all have our date and I’m expecting the bro hug when I get there.”

Timbaland & Magoo was formed when the two Virginia artists were still in their teens (after another short-lived attempt at a Native Tongues-influenced group with fellow VA rapper/producers Pharrell, Surrounded By Idiots) and released three albums as a unit. They garnered their biggest hit in 1997 with debut single “Up Jumps Da Boogie” from their first album, Welcome To Our World. Magoo was often a fixture on projects from the Blackground imprint, which included Playa, Missy Elliott, and Aaliyah.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

ESPN Officially Announced Their 2023-24 Broadcast Teams And ‘NBA Countdown’ Crew

Ever since Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose were let go as part of ESPN’s wide-ranging layoffs this summer, we have known that a considerable change is coming to the network’s NBA coverage this fall.

On Monday morning, ESPN confirmed reports that Mike Breen would now be joined by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers in the lead broadcast booth, after Mark Jackson was likewise let go alongside Van Gundy. They also confirmed Malika Andrews will now host all of their NBA studio coverage, from NBA Today to each edition of NBA Countdown, stepping into that seat for Mike Greenberg who will focus on his various other duties. Andrews will be joined on ABC by Countdown returners Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, and Adrian Wojnarowski, while former Warriors GM Bob Myers officially has been added to that group — and will also do some game broadcasts as an analyst during the season. The midweek Countdown shows on ESPN will have Richard Jefferson, Chiney Ogwumike, and Kendrick Perkins as analysts.

The only news in ESPN’s Monday release that hadn’t been previously reported is that ESPN is making Ryan Ruocco, J.J. Redick, and Richard Jefferson — the latter of whom has signed a multi-year extension with the network — the full-time No. 2 team for ABC games on Sundays and in the playoffs. The network also announced Mark Jones and Dave Pasch will also be back doing play-by-play, while Hubie Brown will continue calling games for his 50th season as an NBA analyst.

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Of Course Meghan McCain Piled On With The Right-Wing Freakout Over The New ‘Snow White’ Movie

The conservative outrage mob came for Snow White again. This time around, right-wingers are freaking out over resurfaced remarks from Rachel Zegler, who plays the title role in the latest live action remake from Disney.

In a clip posted by anti-transgender activist Matt Walsh, Zegler is seen speaking to Extra at the 2022 D23 Expo, where she explained how her version of Snow White will be more geared toward modern audiences, which has been the case for every one of the Disney remakes.

Via The Wrap:

“I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her.” She then laughed and added, “Weird! Weird. We didn’t do that this time.”

Zegler also clarified, “We have a different approach to what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie, Andrew Burnap, great dude. It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.”

Despite being a year-old clip where Zegler simply confirms that Snow White will, again, put a modern twist on the animated class, conservatives were quick to question why Zegler was even cast. The pile-up became so huge that former The View co-host Meghan McCain couldn’t resist weighing in.

“I don’t understand why she took the role if she seems so grossed out by the story,” McCain said while quote-tweeting Walsh.

However, McCain’s involvement had the opposite effect of fanning the conservative flames. Instead, people flocked to McCain’s replies and roasted her for not being able to understand Zegler’s innocuous remarks.

You can see some of the reactions below:

And, finally, one user went for the mic drop: “Same reason someone might take a job in a talk show where they hate the co-hosts.”

(Via The Wrap, Meghan McCain on Twitter)

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‘Up Jumps Da Boogie’ Rapper Magoo Has Died At The Age Of 50

Melvin Barcliff, better known as Magoo of Virginia rap duo Timbaland & Magoo, has died at the age of 50 years old. Magoo’s death was reported by Digital Black of the R&B group Playa, who appeared on the 1997 Timbaland & Magoo hit “Luv 2 Luv U,” in a post on Instagram. “Man can’t believe this RIH Magoo damn big bro wasnt ready for this at all,” he wrote. Since then, more of Magoo’s closest associates have also expressed their disbelief at his passing, including Ginuwine, whose early albums were produced by Timbaland.

Ginuwine wrote, “I don’t even know how to say anything at this point , I have lost 3 friends now within a month to LIFE and it’s due date… I will mis you maganooo that’s what we called him ….. totally one of the best ever in my eyes always pressing forward I know we didn’t talk alot but the love was and will be always there my brotha , I will see you soon bro we all have our date and I’m expecting the bro hug when I get there.”

Timbaland & Magoo was formed when the two Virginia artists were still in their teens (after another short-lived attempt at a Native Tongues-influenced group with fellow VA rapper/producers Pharrell, Surrounded By Idiots) and released three albums as a unit. They garnered their biggest hit in 1997 with debut single “Up Jumps Da Boogie” from their first album, Welcome To Our World. Magoo was often a fixture on projects from the Blackground imprint, which included Playa, Missy Elliott, and Aaliyah.