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Busta Rhymes was recently involved in a physical altercation that has landed him in some legal trouble.

A statement from the New York Police Department shared with XXL reads:

“On Friday, January 10, 2025, at approximately 1016 hours, police responded to a 911 call of a past harassment in the vicinity of Jay Street and Front Street, within the confines of the 84 precinct.

Upon arrival, officers were informed by a 50-year old male victim that he engaged in a verbal dispute with an unidentified individual, which resulted in the unidentified individual punching the victim in the face numerous times.

The victim sustained swelling to the left side of the face. EMS transported the victim to NYC Health and Hospitals/Woodhull in stable condition. There are no arrests have been made at this time and the investigation remains ongoing.”

USA Today also reports Busta turned himself in on January 14, and that he was charged with third-degree assault and given a desk appearance ticket, “which requires him to make an appearance in criminal court for an arraignment.”

TMZ claims the victim was Busta’s assistant Dashiel Gables, and that the dispute was over Gables being on his phone during work hours. Busta reportedly left the scene before turning himself in.

Previously, SZA promised that updates to her album SOS Deluxe: Lana (known informally as just Lana) would arrive on January 6. Well, that didn’t come to pass, and now SZA is dealing with some fan backlash.

Today (January 17), she tweeted, “Punch was right .” Punch responded with the eyes emoji and SZA added, “U been told me stop sharing snippets and tea .. thought I was on to something . I’m clear now .”

Then, a fan called SZA “unprofessional” and wrote, “Wow it’s almost like you announced something and ignored it for 11 days.” SZA responded, “Cause sample clearances always happen within the preferred time frame lmao? I shoulda NEVER tried to give yall what u asked for . It wasn’t professional . It was KINDNESS AND A WILLINGNESS TO APPEASE u lunatics . .”

The same person replied, “You announced a date pls be serious for a second,” and SZA said, “Yea atp you gotta just go to hell . I don’t work for you baby . All I can do is my best . Take care .”

Somebody else worried, “Yall finna have SZA delete her twitter acc,” but SZA replied, “NEVER THAT . N****s not bullying me . I don’t work for anyone but myself and God . I give so much to my fans energetically in person and online . If n****s wanna act DISGUSTING that’s on them .”

Another fan said, “u should’ve never teased or said anything knowing nothing got cleared or is ready to be dropped ma u can’t blame them,” and SZA wrapped up by responding, “Apologies I’ve reached my maximum entertainment of complaints for the day . Pls try again during business hours tomorrow .”

Carmelo Anthony accomplished a lot during his 19 seasons in the NBA: 10-time all-star, six-time All-NBA Team member, 10th place on the all-time scoring list. He also became synonymous with the phrase “risk it all” for a picture taken in 2014 that shows him staring at Rihanna. This week, Anthony shared the backstory of the meme on the 7 PM In Brooklyn podcast.

“It was after the Met [Gala]. We already in there having a good time. Every time people come in there, celebrity comes in, the cameras go crazy,” he explained to co-hosts The Kid Mero, Rudy Gay, and Monica McNutt. “It’s small in that area, so you see all the flashes. It’s commotion when you walk in there. I finally walk in and get through the cameras and sit down — now I found my comfort zone.”

Anthony (who attended the gala with his then-wife, LaLa Anthony) was trying to keep a low profile, but then “Rih walks in, cameras go crazy. There’s only one area to go to, and I’m like, ‘Please don’t come over here.’ I put my head down and I look up, and she’s right there posing.”

You can listen to the 7 PM In Brooklyn podcast above (the Rihanna talk begins around the 1:28:50 mark).

Reports indicated the 2025 Grammys were “highly likely” to be postponed in light of the Los Angeles wildfires, but the Recording Academy quickly refuted those claims, announcing the show “will proceed as planned.”

That doesn’t mean everything Grammy-related is happening as normal, though: Spotify announced they have canceled their 2025 Grammy events.

In a post shared on Spotify’s website yesterday (January 16), Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music partnerships and audience, wrote:

“We’ve spent the last few days considering how to best show up for LA, the music industry, and the creative community. Ultimately, we’ve decided that the most impactful approach is canceling all our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party, and redirecting funds to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations. It’s also important to remember the effect this has on the production industry, so we are ensuring that our vendors are compensated despite this shift. While this year will look and feel different, our commitment to emerging artists is unwavering.”

Canceled events include the annual Best New Artist party and the 2025 Songwriter Of The Year party, the latter of which may have been sparsely attended anyway.

This comes days after Billboard also canceled its Grammy events.

Steven and Ian open with a discussion of the recent Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man, in which the British singer is portrayed by a CGI monkey. Shockingly, the movie didn’t catch on at the box office. They also do a quick Sportscast on the Eagles beating the Packers, and an even quicker Politics-cast on the upcoming inauguration. Then, finally, they get down to talking about music, touching on the new Lucy Dacus album announcement, the Rilo Kiley reunion, and the re-release of the classic rock documentary Dig!.

In Recommendation Corner, Ian talks about the “nu-blog rock” band Lots Of Hands and Steven stumps for the singer-songwriter Todd Snider.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 222 here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

New York underground rapper MIKE has been a fixture on the alt-indie hip-hop scene since his teens, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive that his next album, Showbiz!, will be the tenth of his career so far, following 2024’s Pinball. There are rappers twice his age (26) who have half that number, but on January 31st, he’ll reach rare air for any artist, let alone one still a presidential term from his 30th birthday.

Today, he released the tracklist for Showbiz!, along with a signature low-key video for its opening track, “Bear Trap.” As with most of his music to date, his dense, mumbly flow is paired with a murky, but pretty, soul loop. The video is shot at a laundromat, with super tight closeups of the coin-operated capsule toy machines. The track ends with a loving voice mail from his father, which highlights the down-to-earth vibes he’s espoused throughout his career.

Watch MIKE’s “Bear Trap” video above.

Showbiz! is out on 1/31 via 10k Projects. You can pre-save it here.

Showbiz! Tracklist

01. “Bear Trap”
02. “Clown of the Class (Work Harder)”
03. “Then We Could Be Free..”
04. “Watered Down”
05. “Man In The Mirror”
06. “Artist Of The Century”
07. “What U Bouta Do?/A Star Was Born” Feat. 454
08. “Belly 1”
09. “Da Roc”
10. “The Weight (2k20)”
11. “Lost Scribe”
12. “You’re The Only One Watching”
13. “Lucky”
14. “#82”
15. “Too Hot (Interlude)”
16. “Pieces Of A Dream”
17. “Strange Feeling”
18. “Zombie Pt. 2”
19. “Burning House”
20. “Showbiz! (Intro)”
21. “Spun Out”
22. “Miss U” Feat. Duendita
23. “When It Rains”
24. “Diamond Dancing (Broke)”

It’s been a while since we last heard from J. Cole-co-signed North Carolina rap crooner Morray. After taking a year-long hiatus, he returned today with the anxious, edgy video for “FTA (Failure To Appear),” his first new single since 2023’s “High Price” with Lil Tjay.

Picking up where he left off, the new song is in a similar lane to the ones he’s released in the past; a slippery delivery halfway between soulful crooning and country rapping, with lyrics about surviving the mean streets of Fayetteville.

In a statement about the new song, he said, “This song is me telling everybody that I’m no longer going to fail you to appear in my career, I’m going to continue to pop. I’m going to continue to bop. I’m going to continue to go. I’m going to continue to grow. All I’m doing from this point on is dropping and keep going crazy. This drop is saying I’m out the pot. They thought they had me cooked, I’m just better.”

It certainly sounds like the bluesy bar-slinger is preparing to finally drop an album. He previously admitted that J. Cole advised him to scrap much of his old music, because you only get one chance to make a first impression. Considering his consistency in the past, if the quality is finally up to his fellow Ville native’s standards, 2025 could be the year Morray makes good.

Watch Morray’s “FTA (Failure To Appear)” video above.

Mac Miller’s long-awaited album Balloonerism is finally out after months of speculation, and as it turns out, it won’t just be a musical experience, but a visual one, as well. In addition to the 14 songs, Mac Miller’s accounts shared a trailer for a short film based on the album, which looks like it’ll be a magical, animated adventure film. Part Stuart Little, part Toy Story, and part apocalyptic fantasy, the film looks like it’ll have a much more chaotic vibe than the mellow album, which grew from jam sessions prior to the completion of his mixtape Faces.

The film was screened in a variety of one-night-only showings around the world, including Auckland, New Zealand; Berlin, Germany; Dublin, Ireland; London, UK; Melbourne, Australia; New York City; Paris, France; Pittsburgh; Sydney, Australia; and Toronto. Details about its official release remain scarce, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Miller’s estate worked out a deal with one of the big streamers.

In a statement, the family wrote:

“Many of Malcolm’s fans are aware of Balloonerism, a full-length album that Malcolm created around the time of the release of Faces in 2014. It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm — to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.

We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world. With that in mind, we’re happy to announce that Balloonerism will be released on January 17th, 2025.”

Balloonerism is out now via Warner. You can listen to it here.

Central Cee has been raising his profile with a steady release of music, and in 2025, he’ll capitalize on his growing buzz with his debut album, Can’t Rush Greatness. The Londoner’s cross-continental appeal finds a solid complement in fellow Brit-turned-ATLien 21 Savage on the latest single from the album, “GBP.”

While his guest may call Georgia his home, Cee proudly flies his Union Jack in the song’s Cole Bennett-directed video while he shouts out some staples of UK streetwear. “Red carpet in my trackie and Air Max / They want a boy with a London style,” he raps. However, he says, “If it weren’t UK, would have had an AK, gang outside with a samurai sword,” maintaining that he’d be stuck to the streets no matter where he grew up. Of course, Bennett makes sure that ski-masked hood ninjas duel with the aforementioned blades in the imaginative visual. Meanwhile, 21 Savage pays similar homage to his birth country in his verse, particularly the national pastime: “Up on the opps, seven to nil, Premier League, I’m in the field,” he cracks.

21 isn’t the only Atlanta rapper Cench collaborated with in the run-up to Can’t Rush Greatness; last May, he teamed up with Lil Baby on “Band4Band,” showing that his rudeboy style travels well.

Can’t Rush Greatness is out on 1/24 via Columbia. You can pre-save it here.

Watch Central Cee “GBP” video with 21 Savage above.

Joel McHale has added another role that could further delay the upcoming Community movie, but that actually isn’t the controversial part of McHale’s horror-movie casting. Instead, the fuss has everything to do with Patrick Dempsey’s franchise role that now appears to have bitten the dust.

This is a confusing update, for sure. Dempsey had not simply been Internet rumored to be coming back for Scream 7. The Grey’s Anatomy and Dexter: Original Sin star addressed the subject by recently admitting to have had “a conversation” about returning as Mark Kincaid, who was assumed to have married Neve Campbell’s Sydney Prescott sometime after Scream 3. Neve had previously departed the franchise after a salary dispute, but the production came through to a degree that she climbed back onboard for Scream 7.

Now, Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that “Dempsey is not in the movie at all” after reaching out to both Spyglass and Paramount. That news arrived after Deadline reported that Sydney is indeed married to a “Mark,” but his name is Mark Evans, and he will be portrayed by McHale:

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has a husband, and it’s not Detective Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) of Scream 3, as has been speculated online. Set to play her spouse, Mark Evans, in Scream 7 is none other than Joel McHale, who’s currently in production on the film in Atlanta.

It’s strange stuff, indeed.

Scream 7 has been the source of upheaval for Spyglass Media Group and Paramount Pictures on not only director shufflings (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have been replaced by Kevin Williamson) but much casting upheaval. Melissa Barrera was fired over social media postings, and Jenna Ortega left for scheduling reasons. Some original cast members are onboard, and those include Courteney Cox as Gail Weathers and, of course, Neve Campbell. The movie will arrive in theaters February 27, 2026.