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Rap lyrics can't be used against artist charged with killing Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, judge rules
Read full article: Rap lyrics can't be used against artist charged with killing Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, judge rulesThe man accused of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay can’t have his rap lyrics used against him at trial.
Hit-Boy enters Grammys with producer nod while helping father navigate music industry after prison
Read full article: Hit-Boy enters Grammys with producer nod while helping father navigate music industry after prisonWhen Hit-Boy walks the Grammy red carpet, he expects to proudly strut into next year’s awards ceremony with his father beside him for the first time.
Q&A: Hit-Boy talks Grammy producer nod, rapper aspirations
Read full article: Q&A: Hit-Boy talks Grammy producer nod, rapper aspirationsHit-Boy won top Grammy rap honors with some of hip-hop’s biggest heavyweights, from Jay-Z, Kanye West, known as Ye, to Nas, and now he is ascending into a new musical weight class as a producer.
Legends come out for hip-hop museum groundbreaking
Read full article: Legends come out for hip-hop museum groundbreakingMusical luminaries including Nas, LL Cool J, and Fat Joe came out to the birthplace of hip-hop for a ground-breaking ceremony to launch the capital campaign for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum.
Grammys overhaul process for picking nominees for top awards
Read full article: Grammys overhaul process for picking nominees for top awardsThe Grammy Awards have changed its tune and voted to remove its nomination review committees — groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the coveted music show.
Recording Registry adds albums by Janet Jackson, Nas
Read full article: Recording Registry adds albums by Janet Jackson, NasJacksons socially conscious album Rhythm Nation 1814, Armstrongs jazzy When the Saints Go Marching In and Nas debut release Illmatic are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Janet Jackson’s socially conscious album “Rhythm Nation 1814,” Louis Armstrong’s jazzy “When the Saints Go Marching In” and Nas’ debut release “Illmatic” are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Labelle’s song “Lady Marmalade” and Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. “The National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years,” Hayden said in a statement. The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape.
Super Bowl ads aim to comfort and connect
Read full article: Super Bowl ads aim to comfort and connectNEW YORK – Super Bowl ads each year offer a snapshot of the American psyche. The chance to break into the psyche and (virtual) watercooler talk of an estimated 100 million viewers who will be watching the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday. This year’s Super Bowl will showcase more than 20 first-time advertisers — more than double the 8 from last year if you exclude campaign ads, according to a tally by research firm iSpot. It’s a bellwether when a brand can afford the estimated $5.5 million cost-of-entry for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. In stark contrast to last year's Super Bowl, which featured campaign ads from both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, politics is out of sight this year.
Dr. Dre back home after reported brain aneurysm treatment
Read full article: Dr. Dre back home after reported brain aneurysm treatmentPeter Paterno, an attorney for the rapper and producer, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)LOS ANGELES – Dr. Dre was back at home Saturday after being treated at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. Peter Paterno, an attorney for the music mogul, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. On Friday, actor and rapper Ice T posted that he had connected with Dre on FaceTime and that he had “just made it home. Dre founded Beats Electronics in 2008 with Jimmy Iovine, and six years later they launched a streaming subscription service, Beats Music.
Leslie West, guitarist of rock band Mountain, has died at 75
Read full article: Leslie West, guitarist of rock band Mountain, has died at 75West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several 70s rock anthems including Mississippi Queen with the popular band Mountain, died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in Palm Coast, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)LOS ANGELES – Leslie West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several '70s rock anthems including “Mississippi Queen” with the popular band Mountain, has died. His spokesman Steve Karas said West died Wednesday in Palm Coast, Florida. Karas said West died from cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital. West and Pappalardi ended up starting the hard rock band Mountain, which was named after West’s debut solo album.
12 Grammy facts: BTS and Dr. Luke in, The Weeknd out
Read full article: 12 Grammy facts: BTS and Dr. Luke in, The Weeknd outAnd it earned him his first Grammy nomination in six years. 3 spot on the pop charts — is up for best rap song and best rap performance. And Anderson .Paak's “Lockdown," about police brutality and racial injustice, is up for best melodic rap performance and best music video. JAY-Z, THE SONGWRITERS, SHINESHappy wife, happy life: Jay-Z has lent his songwriting hand to his wife Beyoncé and he's earned Grammy nominations for it. PAUL McCARTNEY, THE ART DIRECTORPaul McCartney scored his 79th Grammy nominations this year — as an art director.
New this week: 'Enola Holmes,' Public Enemy and Bonnaroo
Read full article: New this week: 'Enola Holmes,' Public Enemy and BonnarooHere’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES— “Enola Holmes”: It’s somewhat fitting that “Stranger Things” breakout Millie Bobby Brown gets her first starring role in a Netflix film, “Enola Holmes,” coming to the streamer Wednesday. — The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was supposed to take place in June in Tennessee but was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, though, the festival is launching Virtual ROO-ALITY, a three-night live broadcast featuring new performances as well as content from the Bonnaroo archive. The two-hour film will be available at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday at pbs.org/frontline and on YouTube at 9 p.m. EDT.
Country music reckons with racial stereotypes and its future
Read full article: Country music reckons with racial stereotypes and its futureThis combination of photos shows country singer Rissi Palmer, from left, Chuck Harmony, left, and Claude Kelly of Louis York and country rapper Breland. Black artists say the country music industry still needs to do the hard work of addressing the systematic racial barriers that have been entrenched in country music for decades. The genre has historically been marketed to white audiences and reinforced white male artist stereotypes. (Chris Charles via AP, left, Jeremy Ryan via AP, center and Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP)
Billie Eilish, a voice of the youth, tops the Grammy Awards
Read full article: Billie Eilish, a voice of the youth, tops the Grammy AwardsGary Clark Jr. poses in the press room with the awards for best rock song, best rock performance and best contemporary blues album for "This Land", at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. The 18-year-old made history at the Grammy Awards Sunday. also won best pop vocal album. Her brother Finneas O'Connell also won awards for engineering and producing the album. Tyler, the Creator said later that the rap album Grammy was a backhanded compliment.
Lil Nas X, Alicia Keys added key moments at the Grammys
Read full article: Lil Nas X, Alicia Keys added key moments at the GrammysDemi Lovato performs "Anyone" at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. Here are the top moments from the 2020 Grammy Awards:__A HARD GOODBYE:"It’s been a hell of a week,” Grammys host Alicia Keys acknowledged early on in the awards show. Nipsey Hussle was at the Grammys last year as a nominee before the rapper and activist was killed just months later. But the kicker of the performance was his namesake, rapper Nas, surprising everyone with one more collaboration. Now maybe this song, which won two Grammys, can finally be retired for a bit.
'Gully Boy' is India's official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards
Read full article: 'Gully Boy' is India's official entry to the 92nd Academy AwardsRanveer Singh gives an interview while attending the "Gully Boy" premiere during the 69th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Friedrichstadtpalast on February 09, 2019, in Berlin, Germany. Producer Farhan Akhtar announced on Twitter that the movie is India's official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards. "Gully Boy," which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February, focuses on the life of an aspiring rapper in Mumbai's Dharavi slum. US rapper Nas also served as an executive producer for "Gully Boy," which has grossed an estimated $37 million worldwide. "We are so thrilled that #GullyBoy has been selected as India's official entry to the 92nd Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film Category," Singh said on Twitter.