Robert “Rocky” Ford Jr. has died. The hip-hop journalist and producer, who served as a mentor to a young Russell Simmons at the beginning of the music mogul’s career, passed away on May 19, according to an Instagram post from Simmons and The New York Times. “In a world where ripping off artists or overreaching
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Exclusive Kanye West‘s giving a huge assist to the families and legal teams fighting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd … and helping in other ways too. The rapper’s donated $2 million, so far, to the cause and set up a 529 college savings fund to fully cover tuition for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter,
Elvis Costello has shared a new song. It’s called “No Flag.” Give it a listen below. Costello recorded “No Flag” earlier this year in Helsinki’s Suomenlinnan Studio. When asked about the choice of recording location, Costello, explained: “I wanted to go somewhere nobody knew me. So, this is ‘The Helsinki Sound.’” Last year, Costello and
Play video content “You about to lose yo job, ’cause you are detaining me, for nothing!!!” That’s the hilarious freestyle one woman dropped off the dome while getting detained by a police officer … and the viral video is already getting the meme treatment and a super cool remix! The clip of a woman in
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe was featured on last night’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He did a solo rendition of Dear Science’s “Love Dog.” The segment was recorded in April. Yesterday, Adebimpe tweeted, “The song’s lyrics are about resilience in the face of despair and I hope you get something
Exclusive The band that provided the magic for Joe Exotic‘s unique set of songs on ‘Tiger King’ has good news for everyone itching for more of their good musical vibes. Vince Johnson of The Vince Johnson Band — who made up one half of the music duo who wrote and performed Joe’s tracks featured on
Detroit rapper Teejayx6 has released a protest song titled “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” The track is produced by TM88 and pays tribute to George Floyd, whose death by Minneapolis police last week has given rise to protests against police brutality nationwide. Listen to “BLACK LIVES MATTER” below. Teejayx6 joins many artists who have released protest songs
Exclusive Danielle Bregoli — otherwise known as Bhad Bhabie — is getting professional help for a couple very serious issues … she’s made the decision to enter rehab. Sources connected to the rapper tell us Danielle, who’s just 17 years old, recently checked herself into a facility at an undisclosed location, and has been held
YG has shared a new song called “FTP,” which stands for “Fuck the Police.” The track is released amid nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd. Listen to “FTP” below. YG has released politically charged songs in the past. In 2016, he and Nipsey Hussle released the anthem “FDT,” which featured the repeated chorus
Breaking News The Weeknd just stepped up BIG for Colin Kaepernick — shelling out $200,000 to the QB’s campaign to cover legal costs for people who get arrested while protesting for George Floyd. Just last week, Kaepernick’s ‘Know Your Rights Camp’ launched a “legal defense initiative” aiming to cover legal bills for the “freedom fighters”
Yesterday (May 31), rapper Chika posted a lengthy Instagram video detailing her experience at a Los Angeles protest over the weekend. In the clip, Chika discusses her and her manager’s calm behavior at an event protesting the killing of George Floyd. She then recounts being handcuffed (with zip ties) and detained for seven hours without
Madonna tried to honor George Floyd by sharing a video of her teenage son dancing to a Michael Jackson song, but social media is a merciless universe … especially for Madge, these days. Thursday, before a third night of protests over Floyd’s killing was beginning, Madonna released a 3 and a half-minute clip of her
Stand with Bandcamp to Support Racial Justice, Equality and Change The recent killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against black people in the US and around the world are horrific tragedies. We stand with those rightfully demanding justice, equality, and change, and people of
Play video content WSB-TV 2 Atlanta Killer Mike was true to form Friday night, using his powerful voice and eloquence to empathize with everyone who feels rage and anger over George Floyd‘s brutal killing, but at the same time … imploring Atlanta residents not to burn down their homes and their city. Mike spoke at
Faith Evans was arrested this week for felony domestic violence, TMZ reports. Law enforcement sources reportedly told TMZ that police were called to the home of Evans and producer Stevie J. Police claimed that when they arrived to the scene, Stevie J had “visible marks and scratches” on his face after a verbal confrontation turned
Exclusive Rick Ross needs to hustle over to a COVID-19 testing center if he wants to visit his kids … so claims his alleged baby mama. Briana Singleton filed legal docs in Fayette County, Georgia requesting an emergency hearing to have the rapper — real name William Leonard Roberts II — take a COVID-19 test.
CupcakKe has released another new song, her second this year. It’s called “Lemon Pepper,” and half the proceeds benefit the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Check it out below. In March, CupcakKe returned from a hiatus with the single “Lawd Jesus,” which she followed with a new video. She had said in September that she was quitting
Play video content Exclusive TMZ.com 3:59 PM PT — There are even more celebs than we initially thought out in L.A. protesting the death of George Floyd — including, but not limited to, Emily Ratajkowski and Halsey. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. Em posted some shots she took from the hectic
On August 21, Eminem’s publishing company Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit against Spotify, alleging that the streaming company had streamed his songs billions of songs without acquiring the proper licenses. The lawsuit also challenged the constitutionality of the Music Modernization Act passed by Congress in 2018, which makes it more difficult for artists to
Breaking News Stephen Jackson is at the forefront of the fight for justice in the killing of his friend George Floyd … saying he’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure the officers are convicted. The ex-NBA star revealed this week that he’s known Floyd for more than 20 years … saying they
Last night (May 29), rapper and activist Killer Mike gave a speech at the Atlanta Mayor’s Press Conference. Mike’s speech was in response to protests stemming from the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, who’s been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, used his knee to pin
Play video content Exclusive TMZ.com Music producer David Jassy says a magical thing happened while producing a mixtape inside San Quentin State Prison — rival gang members found common ground in their love for music. The award-winning producer, and ex-inmate at San Quentin, joined us Friday on “TMZ Live” to download us on his groundbreaking
With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes new albums and projects from Lady Gaga, Medhane, Deerhoof, Christian Lee Hutson, Hook, and Jaime Wyatt.
Exclusive Lady Gaga and Postmates are teaming up to celebrate her highly-anticipated new album … and the partnership could really benefit the World Central Kitchen. So, here’s the deal … Lady Gaga’s finally dropping “Chromatica” at midnight tonight. Yes, it was supposed to be out around 7 weeks ago but it got delayed due to
If Tom Tikka and the Missing Hubcaps prove nothing else, they conclusively show when you play something is even more important than what you play. Take the drumming for example – by any measure, the drumming featured throughout the three song EP Working Class Voodoo is the ideal of blue collar meat and potatoes drumming, nothing intricate,
The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing has released a list of “Safe Studio Considerations,” a list of recommendations aimed towards recording studio operators as they reopen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The list was developed with input and assistance from “numerous recording studio owners, engineers, and others around the country.” In addition
Flo Rida‘s teaming up with his personal doctor — and dropping his own cash — to get COVID-19 testing ramped up at Florida companies trying to reopen safely. The rapper — along with his doc and business partner, Dr. George Tabi — have launched a $1.5 million healthcare venture together called the Asktabs Mobile Wellness
Rosalía and Travis Scott have teamed up for a new song. It’s called “TKN,” and it’s out tomorrow. Tonight, Rosalía has shared a preview of the new song’s video. Watch it below. Rosalía teased the track in a tweet earlier this month. The singer’s last solo single “Dolerme” arrived in March, following January’s “Juro Que.”
Play video content Tik Tok Everyone wants to shake their booty when they hear Megan Thee Stallion … especially in the animal kingdom!!! Yes, even wild bears are classy, bougie and ratchet when they hear some MTS … and this pole dancing bear is a straight up SAVAGE!!! Check out this wild video straight outta
Bright Eyes have shared their latest new song. Following “Persona Non Grata” and “Forced Convalescence,” “One and Done” arrives today. Listen to it below. The song features Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea on bass. Nathaniel Walcott provided the song’s orchestral arrangement, and Miwi La Lupa sings backing vocals. The track is set to appear on