Perhaps one of the best concerts of 2022, the recent news from JYP Entertainment and Stray Kids comes as no surprise.
Following a very successful US tour, the pioneering fourth-generation K-pop act is set to take their MANIAC tour a step further with a US stadium show. Officially announced earlier this morning (November 8), Stray Kids will hold their MANIAC Encore shows in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and Los Angeles. Compared to a one-night stadium show at the Banc of California, the octet will hold two-night shows at Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena and Osaka’s Kyocera Dome.
The new announcement makes Stray Kids the second K-pop boy group to perform at a North American stadium with more than 20,000 seats after BTS. This will also mark the group’s first dome tour across Japan.
Before the announcement, it was revealed the group will also make its way to Southeast Asia, Australia, and the United States during the first half of the year. Stray Kids just wrapped up the Seoul dates last September as well as the promotion for their latest EP MAXIDENT!, which surpassed 2 million pre-orders and topped the Billboard 200 chart.
Tickets to Stray Kids’ MANIAC Encore go on sale Friday, November 11 at 3 p.m. PST on Ticketmaster.
Drake and 21 Savage aren’t the only ones facing a lawsuit over their recent work. Drake’s former frenemy Kanye West has also been sued for copyright infringement, according to Rolling Stone, by Boogie Down Productions, the Bronx-based pioneer rap group fronted by KRS-One.
KRS filed suit over the Donda song “Life Of The Party,” which samples BDP’s 1987 song “South Bronx,” the lead single from the group’s debut studio album Criminal Minded. The lawsuit claims that after submitting a licensing request for the song July 15, 2021, he retracted the request on November 16, 2021 — after using the sampel on the final release, which dropped on August 29. Both Kanye West and Kano Computing Limited, the makers of Kanye’s Stem Player are named in the lawsuit, as well as G.O.O.D. Music, Def Jam Recordings, and Universal Music Group Recordings. Donda was Kanye’s final album under Def Jam.
The complaint says, “By illegally incorporating South Bronx into the Infringing Track and authorizing the distribution of the Infringing Track through the Stemplayer and its associated website, all Defendants have allowed for the widespread distribution of the Infringing Track and have direct financial interest in the same.” Meanwhile, a Stem spokesperson told Rolling Stone, “The KANO and STEM team were assured by Kanye and Yeezy that they would provide music with ‘all intellectual property rights, licenses and consents. This was important to us, because STEM is built from the ground up to be a more fair and immersive medium than the current music business. On STEM, creators own and control their own work, pricing, rights, and distribution in full. We just heard about this claim, and we are investigating it now.”
Kanye has been the target of numerous similar lawsuits over the years, especially for Donda. Earlier this year, a Texas minister sued Kanye for sampling one of his sermons on “Come To Life,” and the publisher for Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body” sued Kanye for an uncleared sample on “Flowers” from Donda 2. West is also facing a lawsuit over the King Crimson sample on his 2010 hit “Power” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The first reviews for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever are roaring in, and the consensus is clear: Writer/director Ryan Coogler pulled off an impressive feat by not only delivering a sequel without the presence of Chadwick Boseman, but by making one with an epic scale that lives up to the impressive standard set by the first film.
According to the critics, Wakanda Forever makes Boseman’s loss (both in the real world and the Marvel Cinematic Universe) feel palpable, as the kingdom of Wakanda is faced with its greatest foe yet: Tenoch Huerta’s Namor. The leader of the underwater realm of Taloka is on a collision course with the seemingly unprotected African nation, and his verbal and physical clashes with Letitia Wright’s Shuri are frequently highlighted in the first round of reviews.
You can read what the critics are saying about Wakanda Forever below:
The whole idea of carrying the story forward without its key driving on screen force of King T’Challa would be a tall order for anyone. Fortunately for us it is one that has been largely met with dignity, grief over unthinkable loss, and a determination to do the right thing by director Ryan Coogler.
Teaming up again with co-screenwriter Joe Robert Cole, the filmmaker has woven the demise of his leading man into the very firmament of his story. As the characters, led by Letitia Wright’s Shuri, the princess of Wakanda who is T’Challa’s younger sister, proceed to mourn T’Challa’s death, they tap deeply into our collective feelings about Boseman. That sounds like a standard thing for a movie in this predicament to do, except that where Coogler goes further is in building his entire drama — the drive, power and passion of it — around the wounding hole in Wakanda left by T’Challa’s death.
Wakanda Forever somehow feels even more intimately woven into the tapestry of its own moment, which is both extraordinary and fitting. With T’Challa’s death (and Boseman’s) at its crux, Wakanda Forever is an altogether darker, more complicated film than its predecessor. Coogler’s script, co-credited to Joe Robert Cole, focuses on the ways grief can morph into something awful and hateful under duress, and if left unresolved for too long. In their respective mourning, Shuri and Namor are foils, accentuating by example the self-destructive ways in which denying grief only serves to prolong it.
Even if the length feels overextended, Coogler and his editors deserve credit for allowing breathing space between the action scenes for character and relationship development, with Ludwig Göransson’s African-inflected score enhancing both those quieter moments and the big smackdowns. It’s impossible for Wakanda Forever to match the breakthrough impact of its predecessor, but in terms of continuing the saga while paving the way for future installments, it’s amply satisfying.
Wakanda Forever doubles down beautifully on the first film’s celebration and showcase of marginalized cultures, first by expanding its depiction of the late T’Challa’s eponymous country, and then by adding Namor’s native Talokan in all of its magic and beauty. The new film delivers on action that’s as intense — if perhaps not quite as cleanly executed — as before, and offers a humanistic spotlight for the motivations, and stakes, of everyone involved.
Huerta brings a raw magnetism to his performance as a Namor who’s always just as ready to charm as he is to murder while sizing up other monarchs he deems worthy of his recognition and presence. In particular, scenes between Namor and Shuri stand out not for their visually dazzling qualities but because of the crackling intensity of the current running between them — two conflicted figureheads of state trying to be strategic about how they interact.
Coogler’s subthread of the MCU continues to operate at a significantly higher strata of thought, artistry, and feeling than the rest of Marvel’s assembly line. Every major character in Wakanda is left to determine whether T’Challa’s memory will be a blessing or a torment, and the movie around them is so wracked by the same tension that even its most formulaic moments are heavy with a human weight that blockbusters seldom have the strength to carry.
This is why I keep calling Black Panther: Wakanda Forever a miracle. Honestly, after all everyone went through, it’s a miracle if they made a movie that’s even remotely watchable. Let alone good. Let alone great. It feels like a Doctor Strange type situation of going through each and every scenario until the found the one that wouldn’t end in failure. Well, they did it. They found the one true path.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.
The Church of England, also known as the Anglican Communion, forbids its ministers from performing or blessing same-sex marriages. In 1998, the church reaffirmed its commitment to Biblical teachings rejecting “homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture” and upheld “faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union.”
The church holds this opinion because the Bible harshly condemns homosexuality although it says nothing about same-sex marriage.
“Church of England ministers can not carry out or bless same-sex marriages, but your local church is still there for you,” the Anglican church says on its website. “At any time you are welcome to come and pray with us, or ask us to pray for you.”
The Right Reverend Dr. Steven Croft, Anglican bishop of Oxford, made a bold push against Anglican orthodoxy on November 3 when he published a 52-page essay “Together in Love and Faith.” In the essay, he says that clergy should marry same-sex couples if they wish and apologized on behalf of himself and the church for denying LGBTQ people the right to marry.
Bishop Croft is the most senior clergy in the church to come out in support of same-sex marriage. It’s illegal for any Church of England minister to bless or marry same-sex couples.
“I need to acknowledge the acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church,” Bishop Croft wrote. “I am sorry that, corporately, we have been so slow as a Church to reach better decisions and practice on these matters. I am sorry that my own views were slow to change and that my actions, and lack of action, have caused genuine hurt, disagreement and pain.”
He added that the highest value the church should promote should be love.
“Any settlement must be founded on love and respect: love and respect for LGBTQ+ people and their families within and beyond the Church, love and respect for those who take different views,” he wrote.
u201cSame-sex marriage: should the Church of England affirm culture, or confront it?nhttps://t.co/D5dHcSp78Du201d
The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) quickly rebuked Bishop Croft’s essay.
“CEEC continues to believe that the Church of England’s current position on human sexuality is built on the teaching of scripture and is therefore good for individuals and society as a whole,” a CEEC spokesperson said according to Christianity Today.
“We are therefore committed to praying and working for the outcome of the Living in Love and Faith process to be one of joyful reaffirmation of this position,” the statement continued.
Even though Bishop Croft’s essay was rebuked by the Church of England, he should be commended for taking a bold stance against discrimination in favor of promoting a higher principle, love.
Throughout history, Christians have jettisoned ideas in the Bible because they fell out of fashion, including slavery, condemning those who eat pork and sport certain haircuts, and silencing women in the church.
But in the face of changing attitudes toward LGBTQ people, many churches are standing their ground. Studies show that one of the biggest factors driving young people away from Christianity is the church’s attitudes toward LGBTQ people. Isn’t it time the church changes with the times once again before its pews become empty?
Jason Momoa knows how to enjoy his itty-bitty loincloth downtime, but he also knows how to get back to work. At present, he’s gearing up for the release of Netflix’s Slumberland, which sees him sprouting horns to play an over-enthused, Willy Wonka-evoking character who spreads exuberance and chaos throughout the dream world. It’s a very different kind of The Sandman than we recently saw on Netflix. As well, Momoa’s looking towards the future of the DCEU, which has recently experienced a bit of a bloodbath with the Warner Bros. Discovery rollout.
Yep, I’m talking about the shelving of Batgirl, which ripped a Brendan Fraser movie away from audiences. That’s tragic, and many other Warner Bros. movies and TV shows still hang in the balance. Momoa, however, sees some positives to the situation because that’s how he rolls. There ain’t no enthusiasm like Momoa enthusiasm, and while speaking to ET Canada, Momoa revealed that the new WBD DCEU powers that be are doing something very cool from his perspective:
“I think with Peter Safran and Mr. Gunn at the helm now at DC, I’m very excited about that. There are a lot of cool things that are going to be coming up and one of my dreams come true will be happening under their watch, so stay tuned.”
Hmm, what could this “dream” be.. Aquaman literally talking to fish? Or as James Gunn’s mind went in The Peacemaker finale, to a joke-turned-reality regarding Aquaman doing sex things with fish? Well, The Deep already cornered that market on The Boys, so I’m guessing this is simply about another Justice League feature film, or maybe The Rock has actually agreed to let someone kick his butt onscreen for a Black Adam appearance. Or not! Watch Momoa do his thing below.
In The Lost City, Daniel Radcliffe plays the billionaire Abigail Fairfax. When his men bring him Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) against her will to a large warehouse with long tables covered in charcuterie, he says, “oh, no, did this feel creepy? I told you guys, ‘don’t make it creepy.’” Fairfax is a terrible person, the exact kind of person entitled rich people are believed to be, but Radcliffe plays him as if the character genuinely believes he’s a good person, and that all of his illegal activities are just a means to a great goal. It’s one of the best performances of his career and captures the actor he’s become since his role as Harry Potter ended in 2011.
Radcliffe has grown into The Millennial Character, like a younger Richard Jenkins or Walton Goggins (Radcliffe could do Uncle Baby Billy and Goggins could do Harry Potter). Radcliffe’s charming quality and big personality in a tiny body also allow him to carry projects as the lead. Everything he’s done post-Potter has led him to the role of Weird Al in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which debuted on Roku over the weekend. Radcliffe’s casting as Yankovic seemed weird at first, but given his idiosyncratic post-Potter filmography, it was inevitable.
Radcliffe was never terrible as Harry Potter, but he wasn’t great either. He adjusted to being a movie star well, but even Radcliffe admits that his acting chops did not really develop until around the fifth Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In an interview with GQ, Radcliffe credits director David Yates for helping him understand what acting really is. Although Radcliffe’s performance improved with every Potter film, something always felt strained. The emotional beats felt askew, and it never really looked like Radcliffe was having fun, especially when compared to the work he does now like the TBS anthology series Miracle Workers in which Radcliffe gleefully acts opposite Steve Buscemi.
In the same interview with GQ, Radcliffe gushes about the actors he worked with on Potter who had the uncanny ability to turn their characters on and off. One second, they’d be laughing with the cast and crew, and the next, they’re performing their most emotional scene. Radcliffe specifically mentions Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, and David Thewlis. Over the years, Radcliffe has carefully curated a career that’s separated himself from the role that the world (fairly) assumed would define him for his entire life, and has built a career inspired by the actors that inspired him on the Potter set. Now, the Radcliffe who played Potter feels like a different person, a doppelgänger or an impostor.
Radcliffe’s path to eccentric actor who is always having a good time solidified with his role as the corpse Manny opposite Paul Dano in 2016’s Swiss Army Man. In the 2010s, Radcliffe differentiated himself from Harry Potter by picking weird, small projects that were all incredibly different from one another, besides being weird, of course. In the 2013 dark comedy Horns, Radcliffe played a man whose newly developed horns help him solve the murder of his girlfriend, of which he has been falsely accused. He played a young Allen Ginsberg in 2013’s Kill Your Darlings, and in 2019, he played a man with guns for hands in Guns Akimbo. Radcliffe has also made guest appearances on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Simpsons, and Bojack Horseman.
Radcliffe hasn’t hesitated to burn any bridges with the Wizarding World while actively separating himself from it creatively. The actor fought against Potter author J.K. Rowling’s transphobia with an open letter in 2020. Earlier this week, Radcliffe explained his response to IndieWire, saying, “The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing ‘Potter,’ I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that. And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
Daniel Radcliffe has worked tirelessly to move on from playing the most famous character in the world, although he makes it seem effortless. In doing so, he has built a reputation as that guy who will pretty much do anything, and he will have the best time, too, so long as he doesn’t have to, say, spend forty-one hours and thirty-eight minutes underwater for an action sequence.
Later this week, Wizkid plans to return to music after 2020’s Made In Lagos, with his fifth studio album, More Love, Less Ego, set to debut on Friday, November 11.
The Nigerian singer has plans to perform the upcoming project during his Apple Music Live show that will be appearing later this month. The 13-track album is set to include features from Arya Starr, Shenseea, Skepta, Don Toliver, and more.
This past September, Big Wiz dropped his first solo single of the year, “Bad To Me,” which is expected to be featured on the album. The singer finally released the long-anticipated tracklist for the upcoming project on Monday evening via Instagram.
The “Essence” singer has been going nonstop prepping for the release of his forthcoming album, from headlining at festivals such as Rolling Loud Toronto and the Lost In Riddim Afrobeats Music Festival with Burna Boy, to performing at The Roots Picnic this past summer and headlining at Madison Square Garden later this month.
Check out the tracklist below.
1. “Money And Love”
2. “Balance”
3. “Bad To Me”
4. “Sugar” Feat. Ayra Starr
5. “Everyday”
6. “Slip And Slide” Feat. SkilliBeng and Shenseea
7. “Deep”
8. “Flower Pads”
9. “Wow” Feat. Skepta and Naira Marley
10. “Pressure”
11. “Plenty Loving”
12. “Special” Feat. Don Toliver
13. “Frames (Who’s Gonna Know)”
More Love, Less Ego is out 11/11 via StarboyEntertainment/Sony Music International/RCA Records. Pre-save it here.
With collaborations alongside Alicia Keys, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Tjay, and 6lack already under her belt, Dallas native Kaash Paige is the budding new face of hip-hop and R&B. Fresh off the release of her new single, “Doubted Me,” Kaash is laying down the groundwork for a strong 2023. The singer will not only release a full-length project, S2ML (Soundtrack 2 My Life), in the coming weeks. Kaash will also be hitting the road hard for her first headlining tour, Me Vs Myself.
Her forthcoming project, previously titled The Fall Off (as reported by Essence’s Girls United), is her first solo body of work in two years. When asked about the long break between projects, Kaash replied, “I fell off the face of the Earth to create a unique sound,” and the Childish Major-produced single “Doubted Me” is the proof.
Although the singer will venture out sonically from her signature sound, she ensures the album will hit the same as some will be able to relate to its messaging. “This album needs to be relatable to the people that sometimes feel lost but never give up,” Kaash said before adding, “There’s nothing wrong with being a real human being because life’s not perfect, and I as once you enter a new realm of growth, you finally see that this is normal.”
To support the album, Kaash will hit the road for a 9-city North American tour beginning in January. The tour feature opener Amari Noelle as well as additional guest acts along each stop.
We back outside! I’m finally able to play music from my past albums and new album that’s OTW !! Also accompanied by a special guest @amarinoelle & a few others !!
01/27/2023 — Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
01/28/2023 — West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy
02/01/2023 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues (Cambridge Room)
02/02/2023 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock)
02/04/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell Stage)
02/06/2023 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage
02/07/2023 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made
02/09/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
02/10/2023 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
S2ML (Soundtrack 2 My Life) is out 11/18 via Def Jam. Pre-save it here.
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.
Soft Kill — Canary Yellow
Soft Kill are known for haunting, atmospheric songs that are layered with synths and deep vocals. Their new album Canary Yellow watches them completely change directions; they’ve picked up an acoustic guitar and are trading darkness for color. It suits them well — especially when their lyrics are as poignant as they are, and now they can be heard with clarity.
Turnover — Myself In The Way
Speaking of changing directions — Virginia’s Turnover notoriously do that with every record they put out. Myself In The Way goes deep into their groovy instincts. Unlike Soft Kill, they’re turning toward synths as something new to experiment with, and it works. They also took a more collaborative route as well, inviting Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and Temple of Angels’ Bre Morell onto some songs.
Special Interest — Endure
Off the bat, Special Interest’s new album Endure abides by no rules: “Enigmatic super psycho / I can be whoever you want / Just for the night though / Yeah, what’s your damage?” The energy is unrelenting and inspiring throughout the 11 tracks, as the songs get even weirder and more enticing.
Phoenix — Alpha Zulu
It’s the perfect time for a new Phoenix album. Alpha Zulu provides the end-of-the-year groove that everyone needs right now; from the ebullient texture of the title track to the pulsating feeling of “Season 2,” the record is packed with moments that make the listener want to dance.
Cheekface — Don’t Ask (b-sides)
Cheekface’s Too Much To Ask was one of the most compelling records of the year. Even if you’re a skeptical listener, there will come a line that will almost immediately sell you (for me it was: “I’m at the Jamba Juice / I’m at the therapist / I’m at the combination Jamba Juice and therapist,” on “I Feel So Weird!). The B-sides from that album, fitting collected under the name Don’t Ask, retain that same irresistible charm off the bat: “I need an empath, is that too much to ask? / I’m still holding my breath, can I stop holding my breath now?”
Squint — “Pig Pen”
At fewer than two minutes, “Pig Pen” by Squint shreds with hypnotizing abandon. The screamed vocals are against a prominent bassline and catchy, sharp riffs make for the perfect punk anthem. The Missouri-based supergroup doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as hardcore or post-hardcore — and they shouldn’t, because this song could resonate with any music lover.
Dumb — “Civic Duty”
Another band with infectious riffs: Dumb, especially on this buoyant new track, “Civic Duty.” The mumbled vocals and perky instrumentation lend a surfy texture to the two-and-a-half-minute song, and it’s a great, brief respite.
Yves Tumor — “God Is A Circle”
Yves Tumor’s new song “God Is A Circle” is nothing short of atmospheric. The pulsating rhythm is haunting underneath Sean Bowie’s sly vocals as he gets existential: “Sometimes It feels like there’s places in my mind that I can’t go / There’s people in my life I still don’t know, yeah / Wander ’round I just feel like a ghost in a well.”
Steady Holiday — “Can’t Find A Way”
Steady Holiday just announced her forthcoming album Newfound Oxygen, and “Can’t Find A Way” is a beautiful, heartbreaking taste. While the verses are speckled with sharp details and imagery, the chorus finds her repeating the same simple line: “Can’t find a way to fall in love with you / You worship everything I do / But I know I can’t find a way to fall in love.”
Samia, Papa MBye — “Mad At Me”
Samia’s 2020 album The Baby was a pleasant gift for the indie world, and she’s set to release her sophomore record Honey next year. About “Mad At Me,” she explained, “The lyrics for ‘Mad At Me’ came from a poem I’d written about imagining what it’d be like to stop caring about what anyone was thinking.” That carefree feeling is palpable and contagious; it makes the listener feel liberated and excited.
The 1975 are currently continuing the North American leg of their At Their Very Best tour, in support of the band’s recent album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language. Between onstage antics from lead singer Matty Healy sparking online conversation, many fans are suddenly even more intrigued to attend one of the tour dates. For those who might not be as well-versed in The 1975’s complete discography, here’s a glimpse of what to expect in the setlist.
Last night, for The 1975’s concert at Madison Square Garden, they seemed to stick relatively to the same songs — as it ties into the staging and production of the show. In total, they played a grand total of 26 songs in a two-hour time span. During the first half, the songs consisted of their new music. The second half is made up of their past hits. Last night, The 1975 swapped “Be My Mistake” from past shows for “Consumption” instead — otherwise known as Healy’s meat scene.
Other changes across the tour so far include The 1975 swapping songs like “Medicine” and “A Change Of Heart” for cities they’re playing two nights in — which has been Boston so far.
Continue scrolling to view The 1975’s most recent tour setlist.
1. “The 1975 (Being Funny In A Foreign Language)”
2. “Looking For Somebody (To Love)”
3. “Happiness”
4. “Part Of The Band”
5. “Oh Caroline”
6. “I’m In Love With You”
7. “All I Need To Hear”
8. “Roadkill”
9. “Fallingforyou”
10. “I Like America & America Likes Me”
11. “About You”
12. “When We Are Together”
13. “Consumption”
14. “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
15. “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME”
16. “Me & You Together Song”
17. “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”
18. “Paris”
19. “An Encounter”
20. “Robbers”
21. “Somebody Else”
22. “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”
23. “Love It If We Made It”
24. “The Sound”
25. “Sex”
26. “Give Yourself A Try”
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Also accompanied by a special guest 
(@KAASHMYCHECKS) 
