By Brian Ives

Pitbull fans have waited patiently for his new album Climate Change, which was supposed to come out last year. It’s finally going to see the light of day this month; Pit tells Radio.com that he never too concerned about the delays.

“I’ve been in the game seventeen years, this is my tenth album,” he says. “I don’t worry about deadlines. I tell the team, I tell everybody: ‘There’s always a plan; it never pans out. Ironically it pans out better than the original plan.'”

Related: Pitbull Premieres ‘Can’t Have’ Featuring Steven A. Clark, Ape Drums

One cause for delay was the song “Hey Ma,” which will be on the soundtrack to the upcoming Fast and Furious film, The Fate of the Furious; the original version — as Radio.com first reported — was supposed to be a collaboration with Britney Spears, and instead became a collaboration with Camila Cabello.

“I ran into ‘Hey Ma,’ I didn’t know if it was going to end up on my album, or if it was going to end up on Fast and Furious, that’s kind of what held it up a little bit, and also we have a song right now with Ty Dolla $ign that was one of the last records on the album, ‘Better on Me,’ which is going to be the next single after the one that we’re working right now.”

The current single is “Options,” featuring Stephen Marley. “It was a blessing and an honor to be able to work with Stephen Marley, and also to get down to Jamaica and shoot in Bob Marley’s studio, his house, his museum and just feel that energy. That’s a family that I have the utmost respect for, and I love the way they move and the way they carry their father’s name, and the way they carry everything that they believe in, and their country.”

Guests on the album also include Jennifer Lopez, R. Kelly and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, and lining up those schedules can take time. “It was delayed, and it had deadlines and we didn’t make it: guess what? It’s because it was meant to come out March 17!”

Check out all of Pitbull’s tour dates at Eventful.

A man who has been stalking Taylor Swift for three months has finally been arrested, reports Page Six. Twenty-nine year old Mohammed Jaffar had been loitering around the popstar’s apartment building in Tribeca since December 2016.

Related: Taylor Swift on Ed Sheeran: ‘He is the James Taylor to My Carole King’

Once, he requested to meet with Swift and was swiftly denied. But that didn’t stop him from showing up at least four more times.

In February, surveillance cameras showed that he actually made it inside of her building and hung around in the hallway by her door. During the same incident, he spent four hours on the roof.

Another time, he spent one hour ringing the buzzer, came back another day and rang for 45 minutes.

Jaffar was finally arrested March 6 on stalking and burglary charges, and is being held on $20,000 bond reports Page Six. He has been forbidden from seeking any further contact with Swift.

Rumors are swirling that Jennifer Lopez and former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez are an item—the entertainment sensation and sports legend are icons in their own right, but what do we really know about the pair?

“They started hanging out a couple of weeks ago,” a source told Us Weekly. “It’s been really secretive.”

Related: Jennifer Lopez Continues to Avoid Discussing Her Relationship with Drake

Two celebrities living in the public eye can’t have too many secrets, though, can they? Here’s how they match up based on publicly available facts:

Jenny from the Block, Alex from a different block nearby. J-Lo and A-Rod were born in 1969 and 1975 respectively. Lopez grew up in the Bronx neighborhood of Castle Heights while the Rodriguez’ urban homestead was located in Washington Heights. Though Alex spent some of his childhood in the Dominican Republic and Miami, he and J-Lo are New Yorkers through and through.

They are “Instagram official.” Eagle-eyed sleuths noticed that Lopez recently liked Rodriguez’ Instagram announcement about his new role at Fox Sports. When is the wedding?

90s explosions to superstardom. The 1990s were kind to both Jennifer and Alex: He was getting his start with the Seattle Mariners in 1995 while Jennifer starred with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in Money Train. She’d already made her mark on In Living Color but bigger things (music, movies, fragrances) were to come. There have been 26 fragrances to date.

It’s all about the abbrevs. Obviously, A-Rod and J-Lo have something in common.

They are both Leos! Jennifer’s birthday is July 24; Alex’s is July 27. They were both born under the lion sign: “When two Leos join together in a love match, they draw a great deal of attention. Others hold their breath and take notice. Two such stunning, creative, gregarious individuals seem to deserve one another,” says Astrology dot com. Fantastic.

Hopeless romantics? Jennifer has been married three times: To Cuban waiter Ojani Noa (1997-1998), backup dancer Cris Judd (2001-2003) and Latin superstar Marc Anthony (2004-2014). That’s excluding high-profile romances with Diddy, Ben Affleck and another backup dancer, Casper Smart. Lopez was recently (and briefly) linked to Drake. Rodriguez and his ex-wife Cynthia were wed for 6 years, and since then his rumored paramours include Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, and pro wrestler Torrie Wilson.

Brady Bunch potential. “They’re in the same place in their lives, they both have kids around the same age,” an “insider” told Us Weekly. Rodriguez’ kids are 8 and 12 while Jennifer’s twins are both 9. That mean age of their children is 9.5 years old.

Money in the bank. Celebrity Net Worth’s dubious tabulation estimates J-Lo is worth $340 million, while A-Rod has $300 million to his name. It’s none of our business but he’s in the ballpark!

Twitter is rooting for them:

A-Rod and J-LO. #perfect couple ❤💋

—
jacqueline (@jackie007) March 09, 2017

If J-Lo and A-Rod are really dating, it may be the most perfect match there ever was. #Celebrities #baseball #popmusic

—
Ellen Emerson White (@EEmersonWhite) March 09, 2017

J-Lo and A-rod just make sense

—
Clifford (@catsandnoodles) March 10, 2017

A-Rod. J-Lo. I think this is gonna last based upon the hyphenated nicknames alone.

—
Rami (@nnaimar) March 10, 2017

Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell is adding another tune to his growing list of movie songs. The rockstar has written for 12 Years a Slave, Great Expectations and the James Bond flick Casino Royale. And now he’s taken on Armenian Genocide-themed film The Promise.

Related: Rare Alice In Chains, Soundgarden Songs Featured on ‘Singles’ Reissue

“There are a couple of really amazing documentaries about the Armenian genocide, and one of them was about the phenomenon that people who had literally minutes to grab what they could from their homes would take photos before anything else – before jewelry even,” Cornell tells Rolling Stone. “I was really moved by that; the idea of what is most important to people in a crucial second.”

The song captures this idea of pictures (memories) of the past being the most important thing when forced to choose, and holding onto the legacy left behind.

Cornell explained why he chose an orchestral instrumentation for the title track. “I wasn’t trying to record a song that sounded like it was from 1915, but I didn’t want there to be obvious modern references because obviously at the time there was no such thing as the Beatles or Metallica or everything that is my reference for musical ideas,” he says. “So the orchestra works just because that did exist and it can be a little bit out of time, so I was swimming in those waters of ambiguity.”

The artist also discusses how he feels connected to the subject matter. “I married into a Greek family, and my wife’s grandparents were affected by the same genocide at the same time, since it was part of the same Ottoman Empire policy,” he says. “So I saw the nearness to it. And one of the producers is a good friend of mine, and he’s Armenian and we talked about it for a long time. It affected his generation and you can see it echoing through the generations. … I think we all have a responsibility to recognize the warning signs that lead to this.”

“This movie’s a great opportunity to tell a story that needs to be told, to help engage the healing of something that happened at a specific time and place, but it also remind us that it’s happening now and reminds us what to look for,” he adds. “You can see it now in Syria, where you have one regime that is trying to deny any [killing] is happening and you have ISIS on the other side who is targeting a different group and advertising it.”

Cornell is donating his proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee, a charity that responds to humanitarian crises by helping to restore health, education and economic wellbeing, among other things, to people stricken by conflict.

Just in case you can’t make it to a Metallica concert, or one of those almost-extinct record stores and if there’s not a Hot Topic at your local mall, don’t worry, you can still find Metallica merchandise without hitting the internet.

Related: Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Says We Don’t Need Donald Trump’s Wall

Retail outlet Urban Outfitters has partnered with the legendary metal band to sell a batch of Metalli-merch. Currently there are six t-shirt designs ($34-$44), two sweatshirt styles ($54), one orange beanie ($25) and four LPs available ($19.98-$24.98) for purchase.

Check out the merch line here.

Metallica will hit North America on the ‘WorldWired’ tour, playing stadiums across the continent. Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat and Gojira will each play select dates.

Pitbull’s contribution to The Fate of the Furious soundtrack is finally here and it’s the tropical banger you’d expect from Mr. Worldwide. Overnight, a Spanish-language “version” of the track (“Hey Ma”) dropped on streaming services and it features J. Balvin and former Fifth Harmony star Camila Cabello.

Related: Exclusive: Pitbull’s Camila Cabello Collaboration was Meant for Britney Spears

Last week, Radio.com got the exclusive scoop that “Hey Ma” was originally earmarked for Britney Spears, leading to some disappointment and confusion among her hive of fans. Nevertheless, the Cabello version is a fun and summery addition to a high-octane soundtrack featuring stars like Wiz Khalifa, G-Eazy, Migos and more. Cabello can add a new line to her resume following that shock departure from Fifth Harmony late last year.

The next song slated for release from the soundtrack is “Good Life” by G-Eazy featuring Kehlani—that drops next Friday.

Listen to “Hey Ma” here:

]]> http://radio.com/2017/03/10/pitbull-hey-ma-featuring-camila-cabello/feed/ 0 http://radio.com/2017/03/10/brooklyn-congressman-raps-notorious-b-i-g-s-juicy/ http://radio.com/2017/03/10/brooklyn-congressman-raps-notorious-b-i-g-s-juicy/#respond Fri, 10 Mar 2017 13:38:35 +0000 Radio.com http://radio.com/?p=240439 By Hayden Wright Yesterday Diddy, Usher, Faith Evans and more shared touching tributes to the Nototious B.I.G. on the 20th anniversary of his murder. The most unusual (and fanciest) tribute of all happened from the […]]]> By Hayden Wright

Yesterday Diddy, Usher, Faith Evans and more shared touching tributes to the Nototious B.I.G. on the 20th anniversary of his murder. The most unusual (and fanciest) tribute of all happened from the floor of the House of Representatives, where Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries rapped some lyrics from “Juicy” and shared an uplifting take on Biggie’s life story.

Related: Artists Remember The Notorious B.I.G. on 20th Anniversary of Death

“It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! magazine / Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine / Hangin’ pictures on my wall / Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl,” Jeffries rapped.

“Biggie Smalls, Frank White, the king of New York,” Jeffries continued, “He died 20 years ago today in a tragedy that occurred in Los Angeles. But his words live on forever.”

He concluded by saying Biggie’s success story is aspirational among his community.

“I got the privilege of representing the district where Biggie Smalls was raised. We know he went from negative to positive and emerged as one of the world most important hip hop stars. His rags-to-riches life story is the classic embodiment of the American dream. Biggie Smalls is gone but he will never be forgotten. Rest in piece Notorious B.I.G.. Where Brooklyn at?”

Watch Jeffries’ unorthodox address to the House floor:

Just paid tribute to late/great #BiggieSmalls on House flr. Gone but never forgotten. #WhereBrooklynAt… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…

—
Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) March 10, 2017

The word “drop” gets thrown around ad nauseam in the digital age: singles drop, albums drop, movies drop, videos drop, apps drop. Books might even drop, if that’s still your thing. The folks at Saturday Night Live riffed on that overabundance of “drops’ when Scarlett Johansson and Lorde teased their appearances with cast member Beck Bennett—famed for his Vladimir Putin impression.

Related: Lorde Releases Emotional New Track ‘Liability’

“So many exciting things are dropping, I love it when they drop,” he exclaimed.

Scarlett has a new movie (Ghost in the Shell) dropping soon and Lorde has a raft of new music on streaming services, and an album on the way. It’ll be fun to watch her drop (or let’s just say, debut) live renditions of “Green Light” and “Liability” on SNL.

Watch the funny promos here:

After dropping three new tracks, Nicki Minaj addressed her recent beef with Remy Ma.

One of the new songs she released was “No Frauds,” which is a diss song about their conflict. Then, the rapper posted a lengthy message on Instagram to add salt to the wound.

Related: Rick Ross Wants Nicki Minaj to Respond to Remy Ma

In the post, she wrote, “Great diss records are FACTS. But here @ Young Money, we don’t do diss records, we drop HIT RECORDS & diss u ON them.”

She also stated, “Queens don’t move on peasant time,” referring to the time she took to respond to Remy Ma.

In addition, Minaj discussed her own legendary chart status to highlight how she views herself in comparison to her competition.

The Weeknd has released a new music video for “I Feel It Coming” from his Starboy album and it features Daft Punk.

Related: Hear Demo of Drake’s ‘Crew Love’ Performed by The Weeknd

Directed by Warren Fu, the clip takes place in a setting that resembles a faraway planet from a vintage Star Wars movie, and depicts The Weeknd interacting with a beautiful woman before they both turn to stone.

At the end, Daft Punk show up in full Sith Lord regalia accompanied by an unidentified glowing object.

Check it out:

Two David Bowie albums that were never available at retail outlets will be released on vinyl April 22 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day.

Related: ‘Lazarus’ Star Michael C Hall Honors David Bowie at Brit Awards

The first, Cracked Actor (Live In Los Angeles 1974) is a previously unreleased triple-live album recorded on September 5, 1974 and the second, BOWPROMO1, is a 1971 promotional record featuring alternative versions of songs surfaced later on Hunky Dory.

It is believed that only  500 copies of  BOWPROMO1 were pressed and sent to journalists and radio programmers, reports NME.

Cracked Actor (Live In Los Angeles 1974) was recorded from show on the Philly Dogs tour. It includes Luther Vandross on backing vocals. The album was compiled from 16 multi-track tapes, which were reunited in one location last year. Longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti mixed the release in October and November, 2016.

‘Cracked Actor (Live In Los Angeles 1974)’ tracklisting:

Side 1:
‘Introduction’
‘1984
‘Rebel Rebel’
‘Moonage Daydream’
‘Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing’

Side 2:
‘Changes’
‘Suffragette City’
‘Aladdin Sane’
‘All The Young Dudes’
‘Cracked Actor’

Side 3:
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me’
‘Knock On Wood’
‘It’s Gonna Be Me’
‘Space Oddity’

Side 4:
‘Diamond Dogs’
‘Big Brother’
‘Time’

Side 5:
‘The Jean Genie’
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’
‘John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)’

Side 6:
David Bowie logo etching

‘BOWPROMO1’ tracklisting:

‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ (3.18)
‘Eight Line Poem’ (2.59)
‘Kooks’ (3.01)
‘It Aint Easy’ (3.04)
‘Queen Bitch’ (3.21)
‘Quicksand’ (5.09)
‘Bombers / Andy Warhol Intro’ (3.39)

311 have premiered “Too Much To Think,” the first single from their new album Mosiac, scheduled for release this summer.

It’s been three years since the band released their last full-length, Stereolithic. With 17 tracks, the lengthy Mosiac will best Stereolithic by a song. Why 17 tracks? Drummer Chad Sexton had this to say about the lengthy album.

“We know the trend these days is to release shorter albums or even just singles – but this album is dedicated to our longtime fans and we wanted to give them everything. The album is 17 songs that we’re really proud of – and that really capture the musical range of 311. When I was mixing the album there were several moments that really reminded me of Transistor. This new album definitely takes some steps forward into more modern territory – but there are distinct reminders of where we come from in the songs. Something about blending an older 311 style with a newer 311 style is really exciting to us – and I think it will be exciting for the fans too.”

Although venues have yet to be announced, the band has confirmed they’ll head out on tour beginning June 22.

P!nk, Sia and Norwegian production duo Stargate have joined forces for a new track titled “Waterfall.”

Related: Sia Gets Her Glamour Shots in ‘Move Your Body’ Lyric Video

Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel) have produced hit singles for a who’s who of popular music including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Fifth Harmony, and many more, so it’s no surprise the duo were able to recruit two a-list artists for their debut single.

Check out the dancehall-infused track below.

This week on Play.It’s Loveline with Amber Rose podcast, host Amber Rose took aim at VH1’s reality dating shows for their blatant misogyny and portrayal of women.

“I just did ’14 Days of Love’ for VH1 during Valentine’s Day and they played back all the Flavor of Love and Rock of Love [shows] and s— like that,” she began. “So obviously, when it first came out, I was like ‘Oh, this s— is f—ing amazing. I could watch this all day,’ but watching it now as a feminist and different person? I’m like, ‘Holy s—, this is disgusting, it’s horrible.'”

Amber’s co-host Dr. Chris Donaghue revealed that he was offered his own reality show years ago on Bravo, but declined because he didn’t want to sell himself out. The show would’ve followed his dating life and he was determined to ensure he didn’t promote any sort of anti-feminist ideas; Chris is rather critical about shows like Love & Hip Hop and The Bachelor.

“They’re selling each other out just to get the dude,” he said. “I don’t know, I couldn’t deal with it… I’m like, ‘This is what people are doing on camera? They’re confidently showing this part of themselves to the world? Yikes.'”

After revealing that she had a chance to be on the first season of Love & Hip-Hop, Amber said that she had no interest and never will have any interest in being on the show.

Amber and Chris also spoke about The Bachelor, as it’s been in the news lately since announcing the show’s first African-American bachelorette in 21 seasons of airing. Rachel Lindsay, a civil defense attorney from Dallas, Texas was chosen to be the new bachelorette and will have the opportunity to select from a plethora of men beginning this coming May. Amber discussed some of the controversies over this decision and her issues with those controversies.

“I think it’s so cool but she’s getting a lot of s— because the black community is like ‘Bitch, you better pick a black man,'” she said. “I think it’s unfair and I think it’s complete bulls—. I think she needs to follow her heart and be open to anyone and especially nowadays, who cares about that anymore?”

Related: Amber Rose, Tom Arnold Discuss Uncomfortable Sex Talk

The show is notorious for their lack of diversity and so this is a big stepping stone, but the next step is the casting of the male contestants. Dr. Chris asked, “How many black men will they [the network] even offer her? Are they going to give her what they normally do? I’ve watched that show before and I’m not sure how many people total, I think it’s like 16 dudes and there’s like two black ones out of the 16. They might do that again or if they do the opposite, is that f—ed up if they’re like ‘Here, we’re going to give you mostly black dudes because we’re assuming you like black dudes.'”

Regardless, he has no interest in the new season. “I haven’t been watching the show, it started to exhaust me,” he said. “It was so standardized and monotonous in the gender dating norms that they used, it’s kind of gross. All these women fighting over a man like that’s the biggest and most important thing in their lives. They gave up and walked away from their jobs to go find a man? Yawn.”

Listen to the full episode of Loveline with Amber Rose below.

Nicki Minaj dropped a bomb tonight with the release of three new tracks.  While “Changed It” finds Minaj trading verses with Lil Wayne, “No Frauds” is a reunion of Minaj’s Cash Money crew — both Wayne and Drake. In sharp contrast with the other two tracks, “Regret In Your Tears” sees a softer side of Minaj reflecting on her relationship with Meek Mill.

Related: Rick Ross Wants Nicki Minaj to Respond to Remy Ma

Minaj has worked with both Drake and Lil Wayne throughout her career, but her friendship with Drake cooled when she started dating Meek and the two began beefing. She maintained in late 2016 that she wasn’t getting involved in their drama, but she’s clearly choosing sides now that she’s done with her ex.

Listen to the explicit tracks below.

Eminem released his eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2, four years ago and has remained relatively quiet on the new-music-front since then, but will 2017 mark the year he returns with his ninth? According to his former collaborator Stat Quo, Em is hard at work on new music in Los Angeles (via HipHopDX).

Related: Eminem to Headline Reading and Leeds Festival

Besides putting out his own explosive tracks with no necessary features, Eminem has collaborated with several big names over the course of his career, like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Akon and more. Here are five artists he should consider for his next project.

50 Cent

Longtime friends, the two have collaborated together on several tracks, including “Crack a Bottle” (also featuring Dr. Dre) and “Psycho,” and they even went so far as to create superhero alter-egos called Gatman and Robbin’. They haven’t released a track together since 50 Cent featured Em and Adam Levine on “My Life” in 2012, and it’s about time they did.

Dr. Dre

As the producer who helped bring the relatively unknown Detroit rapper into the spotlight, it’d be fitting if they teamed up yet again for a new track. Both have grown in big ways since their 2015 collaboration “Medicine Man” off Dre’s album Compton, and it’s time to deliver up something big for the new year. They’ve unleashed their sharp tongues before and the present is ripe for skewering.

Imagine Dragons

Mixing rap with rock yields a potent product, and since Imagine Dragons have already collaborated with Kendrick Lamar (a rapper Eminem greatly admires), it seems fitting they could partner with Eminem on a track. Between the band’s rhythmic sensibilities, lead singer Dan Reynolds’ vocals and Em’s verses, this partnership would be unstoppable.

Vince Staples

Staples made a big name for himself between his 2015 and 2016 releases, Summertime ’06 and Prima Donna, and would be an ideal fit for Eminem’s new album. Eminem likes to put newer rappers through their paces to prove themselves, so it seems fairly certain he’d challenge Staples in some way before working with him, but if his track “Love Game” with Kendrick Lamar was any indication, he and Staples would be a surefire hit together.

Lana Del Rey

Besides working with other rappers, Eminem has teamed up with singers in the past–like Rihanna and Dido–for moody and powerful tracks that oscillate between rap’s spoken meter and pop/R&B’s soulful performance. With her woozy voice and devil-may-care attitude, Del Rey could make for an interesting pairing with the outspoken rapper. Both would hold their own against the other and create something memorable.

The Fast and the Furious‘ latest installment, The Fate of the Furious, released a new trailer today (March 9th), and the song soundtracking all the action is Kronic, Far East Movement and Savage’s collaboration “Push.”

Related: Imagine Dragons Score Nintendo Super Bowl Commercial

The song was originally released in late 2015, and features an electronica mix that hypes up all the road play taking place in the trailer. Cipher (Charlize Theron) uses self-driving technology to her benefit and runs amok with her vehicular fleet while the Fast and Furious crew race to stop her.

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains of the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family. The Fate of the Furious arrives in theaters April 14th.

After releasing “Green Light,” the first track off her forthcoming album Melodrama, Lorde followed up that single with a new track today (March 9th). “Liability” is a quieter song that finds the singer looking critically at herself.

Related: Lorde Grows Up on New Album ‘Melodrama’

At just under three minutes, “Liability” is a short but powerful statement. With only Lorde’s vocals and a piano forming the entire track, she lays it bare on the chorus. “So they pull back, make other plans/ I understand, I’m a liability/ Get you wild, make you leave/ I’m a little much for ev- / Everyone,” she sings, playing with the last word.

On the second verse, she knows that everything she does to attract romance or any kind of relationship ends poorly because she can’t keep the facade up for long. “The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy/ ‘Til all of the tricks don’t work anymore/ And then they are bored of me,” she sings.

Melodrama drops June 16th. Fan can pre-order the album here.

Rick Ross teased fans today (March 9th) with another new track off his forthcoming album Rather You Than Me. He shared his collaboration with Wale and Young Thug, “Trap Trap Trap.”

Related: Rick Ross Puked After Partying with Rob Gronkowski

The song sounds like a banger. “I took my roof off at the red light/ I took my roof off at the red light/ Trap trap trap trap trap trap,” Ross raps on the chorus.

He’s tapped several big names for his latest album, including Chris Rock, Future, Ty Dolla $ign and Nas. Then, of course, there’s his boy Meek Mill. Rather You Than Me drops March 17th.

Check out the tracklist and teaser of “Trap Trap Trap” below.

1. “Apple of My Eye” Feat. Raphael Saadiq
2. “Santorini Greece”
3. “Idols Become Rivals” Feat. Chris Rock
4. “Trap Trap Trap” Feat. Young Thug & Wale
5. “Dead Presidents” Feat. Future, Young Jeezy & Yo Gotti
6. “She on My Dick” Feat. Gucci Mane
7. “I Think She Like Me” Feat. Ty Dolla $ign
8. “Powers That Be” Feat. Nas
9. “Game Ain’t Based On Sympathy”
10. “Scientology”
11. “Lamborghini Doors” Feat. Meek Mill & Anthony Hamilton)
12. “Triple Platinum” Feat. Scrilla
13. “Maybach Music V” Feat. DeJ Loaf
14. “Summer Seventeen” Feat. Yo Gotti

]]> http://radio.com/2017/03/09/rick-ross-trap-trap-trap-wale-young-thug/feed/ 0 http://radio.com/2017/03/09/artists-remember-the-notorious-b-i-g-20th-anniversary-death/ http://radio.com/2017/03/09/artists-remember-the-notorious-b-i-g-20th-anniversary-death/#respond Thu, 09 Mar 2017 18:13:09 +0000 Radio.com http://radio.com/?p=240339 Diddy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes and more pay tribute. ]]> By Radio.com Staff

Christopher Wallace, the seminal Brooklyn rapper also know as Biggie Smalls and The Notorious B.I.G. died twenty years ago today when he was shot during a still unsolved drive-by in Los Angeles.

Related: Faith Evans Developing a Notorious B.I.G. Hologram

The hip hop communtiy took to social media today to rememeber Biggie. Tributes came from Wallace’s widow Faith Evans, close associate and friend Diddy, and even up and coming Brooklyn rapper Young M.A.

]]> http://radio.com/2017/03/09/artists-remember-the-notorious-b-i-g-20th-anniversary-death/feed/ 0 http://radio.com/2017/03/09/tom-delonge-says-door-not-closed-on-rejoining-blink-182/ http://radio.com/2017/03/09/tom-delonge-says-door-not-closed-on-rejoining-blink-182/#respond Thu, 09 Mar 2017 17:27:37 +0000 Radio.com http://radio.com/?p=240312 DeLonge says if he wanted to, he could be back in the band in a period of days. ]]> By Radio.com Staff

During an extensive interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Tom DeLonge tells his hometown paper that his relationship with Blink-182 is far from over. In fact, DeLonge hints that a reunion could actually happen.

“Blink is in my DNA,” he told reporter George Varga. “I talk to Travis quite a bit and we try and figure out how and when it’s going to make sense.

“It’s not like I [permanently] walked away. They have someone doing my job for me. It’s just that I’m so busy. If I wanted to, I could be back in a period of days.” DeLonge is referring to Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba who joined the Blink in 2015. The musician turned-UFO researcher is quick to point out that he still owns the band along with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker.

Related: Tom DeLonge Wins UFO Research Award

DeLonge is currently promoting all things To The Stars, his media company focusing on UFO-related stories, sci-fi, and occult adventures in the form of comics, novels, and upcoming big budget feature films. The latest book, Sekret Machines: Gods, hit stores yesterday (Mar. 8). For the past few years, DeLonge has dedicated a significant amount of his time meeting with government officials and authorities in the UFO research field. The information he’s gathered will result in an upcoming announcement. “I guarantee that, after you hear it, you’ll read between the lines and want to meet with me the very next day,” he tells the Union Tribune. “I think it’s that important. We’ll be announcing this in the next 60 to 90 days.”

Award shows: who doesn’t love them? The one-off performances, the emotional speeches, the impromptu moments, the red carpet fashion. And of course, in the weeks leading up to the event, there’s always the fun of predicting who will win, and who should win.

We decided to hit up our friends at Radio.com affiliate The Bull in Houston, and asked their morning team — “The Morning Bull,” aka George, Mo, and Cowboy Dave from Houston’s Morning Bull — to give their take on the big categories in this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards. Over the course of the next few weeks, they’ll give their opinions on the ACMs most important awards in a special 5 episode limited podcast. In the first episode, they discussed Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

Related: ACM Awards Announce 2017 Performers

“How does the Maren Morris/Miranda Lambert thing play out?” asked George. Not that there’s a “thing” between the two ladies, but they seem to be the dominant figures in this year’s list of nominees. Lambert is the beloved veteran with 23 career ACM wins — and she’s still at the peak of her career — and Morris is country music’s “rookie of the year.” And the ladies are up against each other in two of the three categories discussed in this week’s episode.

For Single of the Year, the nominees are Morris’ “My Church,” Lambert’s “Vice,” Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.” and Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind.”

“As a man, people look at your weird if you tell them you like Florida Georgia Line,” George admitted when discussing “H.O.L.Y.” “I really liked this song.” But Maren Morris, who recently won a GRAMMY for “My Church,” seems to have the momentum here, according to our experts. “How could you not love the story she told about being across the street at the bar [at last year’s ACMs] and this year she’s in the award show?” Well, voters do like a good narrative! But Lambert’s “Vice” — a pretty raw song about her life following her very public divorce is a strong contender as well.

The Songwriter of the Year nominees are Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey and Steven Lee Olsen for Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color”; Joe Spargur,  Sean Douglas and Thomas Rhett for Rhett’s own “Die a Happy Man”; Lori McKenna for Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind”; Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Luke Dick for Church’s “Kill a Word”; Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove for Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey”; and Josh Osborne, Miranda Lambert and Shane McAnally for Lambert’s “Vice.” In this category, the story behind Lambert’s “Vice” seemed to win over our team, although Church’s “Kill a Word” could also be in the running, as could Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man.” As for Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” a song originally released by George Jones in 1983? “I think the Stapleton run ends here,” George says.

Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of These Wings and Maren Morris’ Hero go up against each other in Album of the Year; the other nominees are Dierks Bentley’s Black, Florida Georgia Line’s Dig Your Roots and Keith Urban’s Ripchord. George felt that Dig Your Roots changed the way he saw FGL, and will allow them to have a long career, and he sees them as the dark horse. But again, Morris and Lambert seem to be the frontrunners.

There’s really no consensus in any of these categories, though: listen to the full podcast below. Next week, our panel will look at the new artist awards: Best New Male Vocalist, Best New Female Vocalist and Best New Duo or Group.

He’s the first to admit he didn’t follow the beef too closely, but Rick Ross still had some opinions on the Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj beef that started raging again late last week.

Related: Lil’ Kim Not Joining Nicki Minaj/Remy Ma Feud

The Remy Ma/ Nicki Minaj beef might have been put to rest after Remy followed up her pair of diss tracks “ShETHER” and “Another One” with an apparent call for peace. But if it were up to Rick Ross, Nicki would have handled things very differently on her end.

“After what [Remy] put out, Nicki should have been happy to go in there and handle this… I feel like that energy has been in there a long time,” he said. “Nicki, she should respond. Rozay would have. But you know I’ve always loved that. It’s a gladiator sport.”

Hear the full interview now on Hot 93.7

To celebrate the release of their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, U2 will be releasing an anniversary edition packed to the brim with extras.

Related: U2 Accused of Stealing Material for 1991 Album ‘Achtung Baby’

Besides including the original album, the 30th anniversary edition will also feature a live recording of the band’s Madison Square Garden concert in 1987, B-sides from the recording sessions, remixes (from Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite and Flood) and an 84-page hardback book featuring never before seen photography shot by The Edge during the original Mojave Desert photo session in 1986.

Fans will have several different formats to choose from, including deluxe and super deluxe options on CD and vinyl. For more information, visit U2’s website.

The 30th anniversary edition will be available June 2nd. In addition to sharing some of the behind-the-scenes features surrounding their album, U2 will also be hitting the road for their Joshua Tree Tour. That stint kicks off May 12th in Vancouver, BC.

Madonna took International Women’s Day very seriously and released a 12-minute short film full of images and ideas about femininity. Her Story was directed by Luigi & Iango, and features Madonna (shot in black and white) roaming the streets and observing various scenes of women. The avant-garde statement piece is short on direct political pronouncements (and perhaps that’s for the best) but the film wraps up with a quote from Hillary Clinton: “Women’s rights are human rights.”

Related: Madonna, Adele, Alicia Keys Support ‘A Day Without A Woman’ Protest

Her Story features a cameo by musician Libby Larkin who performs her song “Billy Goat,” romantic dance sequences and fighting hounds. Its eight chapters share brief vignettes connected to the themes of womanhood and resisting tyranny. It marks the latest installment in her “Revolution of Love” phase, which started with secretprojectrevolution in 2013 and informed much of her Rebel Heart Tour in 2015-16.

In the film’s most striking sequence, Madonna gazes over New York city wearing angel wings and a cut noose around her neck—a kind of guardian angel for cultural pluralism. Her Story gives the pop queen another chance to explore her love of Old Hollywood, and her noirish tribute to women came at just the right moment.

Watch Her Story here:

Diddy has revealed that his new documentary, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story, will premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival which takes place April 19-30.

The Live Nation Production, directed by Daniel Kaufman, gives viewers an insider’s look at Bad Boy Entertainment’s 20-year history, from the brand’s beginnings in Harlem and Brooklyn to its influence on pop culture, fashion, and music. It also covers the tragic murder of Biggie Smalls.

Related: Puff Daddy Honoring 20th Anniversary of Notorious B.I.G.’s Death

The film follows Sean Combs as he goes about reuniting the Bad Boy artists for their epic two-night anniversary show in 2015 at Barclays Center in honor of Notorious B.I.G.

“I am blessed to be introducing our film at the Tribeca Film Festival,” Diddy said in a statement (via Billboard). “Tribeca brings the biggest names in entertainment and culture together with visionaries from across industries to celebrate the power of storytelling. There is no better place to share the story behind the Bad Boy movement and this unprecedented musical event.”

Linkin Park have released the music video for their new single “Heavy,” which features Kiiara.

Related: Watch Linkin Park Fail James Corden’s ‘Bandmate Game’

Directed by Tim Mattia, who’s created visuals for The 1975 and Halsey, the new video features Chester Bennington attending a group therapy session that gets quite heated as he struggles with addiction. The singer eventually fights his doppelganger in a violent confrontation in a bathroom.

The track is the first single off Linkin Park’s seventh studio album One More Light, which will be released on May 19th.

Check out Linkin Park’s latest below.

Justin Timberlake spent some time corresponding with a fan on Twitter last night and revealed some insights into his taste and plans for 2017. One disgruntled fan said,” “while I’M AT IT, i’m gonna need an album soon because i’m getting tired of letting the 20/20 Experience play. I need some new JT!!”

Related: Justin Timberlake Blows Up on Twitter Following Oscars Performance

Justin replied that new music is “on the way.” JT also rose above the Beyoncé vs. Adele debate to crown his own favorite album of 2016.

“While I’m at it…” he wrote, “Frank Ocean had the REAL Album Of The Year with BLONDE.#NotFakeNews.”

There you have it: Expect a new Timberlake album sometime soon and until then, ditch The 20/20 Experience for Franke Ocean’s Blonde.

Thank you JT !! twitter.com/jtimberlake/st…

—
Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) March 09, 2017

While I'm at it... Frank Ocean had the REAL Album Of The Year with BLONDE. #NotFakeNews

—
Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) March 09, 2017

On the way... twitter.com/ferrisxwheel/s…

—
Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) March 09, 2017

A 42-year-old Australian man has been charged with 931 child sex offenses after he pretended to be Justin Bieber online in order to solicit explicit images from young children, reports the New Zealand Herald.

According to the Queensland Police, the man was charged with numerous offenses, including “possessing child exploitation material and using a carriage service to groom persons under 16.”

Related: Ed Sheeran Hit Justin Bieber in the Face With a Golf Club

With offenses as far back as 2007, the man is now being charged with rape, indecent treatment of children, making child exploitation material, using a carriage service to procure persons under 16, and using a carriage service for child pornography material.

The man’s computer was examined and illicit material was discovered. He allegedly used Facebook, Skype and other online platforms to dupe his victims.

“This investigation demonstrates both the vulnerability of children that are utilizing social media and communication applications and the global reach and skill that child sex offenders have to groom and seduce victims,” Detective Inspector Jon Rouse said in a statement.

“The fact that so many children could believe that they were communicating with this particular celebrity highlights the need for a serious rethink about the way that we as a society educate our children about online safety. The breadth of offenses committed in this instance are frankly horrendous and I want to recognize the efforts and commitment of the investigative team at Taskforce Argos to keeping children safe.”

Social media is Britney Spears’ favorite place to broadcast her fitness regime, from insane lunges to feats of grace and coordination. Yesterday, Britney shared a video of herself shooting a basketball with a friend, and her skills are impressive.

Related: Britney Spears Shouts Out Her Heroes on International Women’s Day

She captioned the video: “Perfect day to shoot some hoops,” and she’s right. Wherever she is, it looks gloriously warm and sunny wherever she is.

Basketball is a family affair for the Spears clan: Last month, her sister Jamie Lynn shared footage of daughter Maddie playing basketball after recovering from a serious ATV accident.

Watch Britney dominate the court here:

Perfect day to shoot some hoops 💪🏀 https://t.co/WBIrG0o1tV

—
Britney Spears (@britneyspears) March 08, 2017

Anderson .Paak is giving fans a glimpse into his creative process as he works on a new project in Hawaii.

In a short clip he posted on social media, viewers can see .Paak and a friend start to jam. The snippet is accompanied with the caption, “Working on the new album in Oahu for a week. (sorry no sxsw).”

Related: Watch Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge Perform on Fallon

In his Instagram post, .Paak shares, “Freedom means no fear. Being fearless and being able to express is freedom. When I’m on the drums that’s like freedom for me.”

He also talks about the spirituality of writing songs. “I feel I’m closer to God when I do music, so I feel like I can do extraordinary things.”

The multi-instrumentalist recently teamed up with Grammy winner Pharrell Williams to cover Thundercat’s “Them Changes” via Pharrell’s OTHERtone Radio Show.

The musician was also seen in the studio with Chance The Rapper.

In 2016, .Paak released Malibu and received his first Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album. He also dropped the NxWorries album Yes, Lawd! with producer Knxwledge.

There’s no official release date for the artist’s new album, but we’re glad to see there’s progress.

The rapper is performing Thursday (March 9) with his Free Nationals crew at Join The Republik in Honolulu.

Drake and Kanye West have a complicated relationship: On one hand, two of hip-hop’s most influential rappers keep trying to collaborate (remember the ill-fated “Pop Style?“). On the other, Kanye’s outbursts make it very hard. The pair serve as both peers and foils to one another: Drake’s focused, organized ascent to the top versus Kanye West’s peaks and valleys of creative, personal and public turmoil.

Related: Drake on Kanye’s Disses: ‘I Don’t Respect It At All’

Given the context, it’s sort of funny that Drake wore a fan-made Kanye mask during a recent show in Copenhagen, Denmark Tuesday night. The “Hotline Bling” rapper accepted the gift and made a quick joke about his new accessory.

“I got the Yeezy mask now,” Drake said in a fan video. “Ya’ll can’t f— with me tonight, now.”

Last night, Drake joined the Weeknd in London at the O2 Arena to perform some hits: “Fake Love,” “Energy” and “Jumpman.”

See the mask and watch some footage from the O2 Arena here:

Drake performing in a Kanye West mask 💀💀 https://t.co/06FYG9FtNU

—
DJ Akademiks (@IamAkademiks) March 08, 2017

Drake rocking a fan made Kanye West mask at his concert this evening in Copenhagen https://t.co/NFc6aDcl7C

—
The6Track (@the6Track) March 08, 2017

]]> http://radio.com/2017/03/09/drake-kanye-mask-copenhagen/feed/ 0 http://radio.com/2017/03/09/james-blunt-debunks-ed-sheeran-face-slashing-story/ http://radio.com/2017/03/09/james-blunt-debunks-ed-sheeran-face-slashing-story/#respond Thu, 09 Mar 2017 13:58:31 +0000 Radio.com http://radio.com/?p=240229 “Ed was drunk, messing around, and he cut himself,” he told ShortList. “We made a fancy story up; people fell for it. It was very embarrassing.”]]> By Hayden Wright

In January, The Sun published a far-fetched report that recalled an incident with Ed Sheeran, Princess Beatrice, a scar and a sword. Sheeran then confirmed to UK TV host Graham Norton that a botched “knighting” incident led to a cut on his face. Later on, Sheeran pinned the incident on his friend James Blunt, who has now set the record straight about what actually happened: The pair mischievously planted the royal story and it was really a night of drinking gone wrong.

Related: Was Ed Sheeran’s Face Accidentally Gashed by Princess Beatrice?

“Ed was drunk, messing around, and he cut himself,” he told ShortList. “We made a fancy story up; people fell for it. It was very embarrassing.”

Rough night, one way or another. As Sheeran makes the rounds promoting his new hit album Divide, maybe he should take it easy? He only has one face.

A Maine court has granted Patrisha McLean an order of protection against her ex-husband, “American Pie” singer Don McLean, that will last two years. The two-year order replaces a previous, temporary order.

Related: ‘American Pie’ Singer Don McLean Arrested

The order follows a domestic violence assault by McLean in January of 2016. At the time, McLean pled guilty and according to his attorney would be subject to a $3,000 fine if he could stay out of trouble for a year (via Billboard).

In a statement to the Associated Press by his attorneys, Don Mclean confirmed that he has no contact with his ex-wife and will obey the terms of an order of protection she received in court.

It’s been 20 years since Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher George Latore Wallace) was killed when a man driving a dark Chevrolet Impala SS pulled up alongside Biggie’s SUV, rolled down the window and fired a 9mm pistol at the rapper. Four bullets hit him and he was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save him.

Related: The Vehicle Notorious B.I.G. Died In Up for Auction

Notorious B.I.G.’s good friend Puff Daddy, who signed the rapper to his label Bad Boy, posted on social media about the loss and invited fans to participate in a new project to honor Biggie.

“Twenty years ago today we lost the greatest rapper of all time, The Notorious B.I.G. We’re celebrating his life through his music and through his legacy today,” Diddy says in a video posted on Instagram.

The rapper is asking friends, fans and family to contribute clips of themselves singing their favorite Biggie verse, and post it on social media with the hashtag #WeMissYouBIG.

The rap mogul says, “I’m going to chop it up, edit it up, and everything and we’re going to put out something special with all the fans and friends involved in Notorious B.I.G.’s life.”

2 Chainz has posted two new songs, “It’s a Vibe” and “Smartphone,” both of which will appear on his upcoming album Pretty Girls Like Trap Music.

“It’s a Vibe,” guest stars Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, and Jhené Aiko. The song was leaked yesterday (March 8) morning, but 2 Chainz had the songs removed from Soundcloud and tweeted a response to the leak.

“It’s a leak … bout to regroup…. 2 new records dropping tonite since somebody wanna be a #vibekiller leakin my sh–,” he wrote.

At midnight 2 Chainz posted “It’s a Vibe” and “Smartphone” on iTunes and Spotify

2 Chainz recently appeared in the video for his collaboration with Migos, “Deadz.” The rapper’s last album was his collaboration with Lil Wayne, ColleGrove, which came out March 4, 2016.

Listen to both new tracks below:

It's a leak ... bout to regroup.... 2 new records dropping tonite since somebody wanna be a #vibekiller leakin my shit

—
Tity Boi (2 Chainz) (@2chainz) March 08, 2017

A little over a month ago, the Band Perry informed their fans of their new direction, one that would take them far outside the confines of country music, the genre where they first made their mark. The group took to Facebook to share a few new photos and to announce their new album, My Bad Imagination. The images were surprising: this was a new and edgy look. Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry were all shot in stark black and white and were decked out in black leather. Kimberly looked barely recognizable, with her signature blond locks replaced by straight, jet-black hair.

Related: The Band Perry Announce Intimate Pop-Up Shows

The album, they said in their Facebook message, “led us to disrupt everything that was comfortable and familiar to us a short year ago.” “Disrupt” isn’t a word that is often associated with country music, but it was an appropriate usage. The message informed fans that My Bad Imagination wasn’t a country release; they referred to it as “our very first pop album.”

Today [March 8], the morning after playing the second of a series of club shows, they spoke with Radio.com about their new music, their new look, and their relationship with country music in 2017.

“It’s OK to be a little bit different,” Kimberly says, explaining that they haven’t always fit in with the country community. “We definitely have felt, over the past couple of years, in the environments that we’re in, that we’re in high school and it’s the first day, because nobody is talking to us for some reason.”

“It takes courage to be yourself,” Neil adds. “It’s not easy, but once you get to that point, it’s very freeing.”

“There’s a lot of magic in that,” Kimberly continues.

Country music has evolved a lot over the past few years, but My Bad Imagination still stretches far past the genre’s borders.

“Country music is a traditional format,” Kimberly notes. “And we love it. It’s very important to keep traditions in play. It’s just that we don’t always want to subscribe to tradition. I think that country fans are very protective if they feel [something] isn’t ‘country’ enough… and if you’re trying to force it on them, they don’t like it. But the moment you say, ‘You know what? We love you guys, but this is not a country song, you’re gonna hear this on pop radio,’ they respect that.”

Although she says she tries to avoid reading comments on their social media posts, she sometimes takes note of what the fans are saying. “It will say in the comments, ‘Don’t forget your roots.’ You know what? [We] never will. Country music has the best melodies and the best lyrics on planet earth and it cuts right to the heart. And to me, that’s the roots that we take from country music. That’s what we learned there: to be honest.”

Neil points out, “We just put it over 808s,” referring to beats created by the popular drum machine.

And they enjoy experimenting with their imagery as much as with their sound. “We love the musical side of what we do,” Neil says. “But just as important for us is pairing that with a really interesting visual.”

The Band Perry in New York City 3/7/2017 (Maria Ives for Radio.com)

One striking bit of interesting visual imagery that they’ve used lately is a drawing of two people, wearing full face masks, kissing. It’s impossible to tell the sexes of either of them. Is that a nod to their LGBT fanbase? Kimberly laughs, “That was probably the least thought-out part of this.”

“It was just a cool drawing,” Reid adds.

But if the LGBT community interprets it as a nod, that’s fine with Kimberly, Reid and Neil, and they’re grateful for all the segments of their fanbase. “Absolutely, we’re big believers that being yourself matters and loving yourself matters.”

“Being yourself” is a theme that comes up often in the Band Perry’s world these days, in their social media messaging, and also from the stage. Last night at their New York show, Kimberly frequently told the crowd, “Be who you want to be!”

Reid says, “It’s our life story, and this album is us putting that [concept] into actual, physical, form. It’s us, being ourselves, being who we want to be. It’s a simple thing that a lot of people get, but it’s hard to implement it into real life. It sounds pretty easy, but once you try and do it, it’s turns out to be a lot harder than you thought.”

The masked and somewhat androgynous theme continues in the lyric video for the first single, “Stay in the Dark.” And it might extend a bit further: Kimberly says, “For the music video — which we haven’t shot yet — Reid had this idea: ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if it was this makeout party in the dark, but everybody has to wear a mask?'”

She qualifies that, saying, “We don’t know if that’s where the video is going to go yet.”

While thier concepts for music videos are still up in the air, considerably more thought went into their first photo shoot debuting their new look.

“We’re big fans of fashion,” Kimberly states. “As we’re announcing that this is the first song of ours that is headed to pop radio first, we really wanted to freshen up the look. So, our very favorite fashion photographer in the whole world is a guy named Steven Klein.”

They reached out to Klein, and arranged a shoot with him and his team. Kimberly says that he really captured something that had eluded past photographers. “We treated it like an editorial shoot, and we said, ‘We’re like clay in your hands.’ [The shoot] was their concoction, but I felt like it was the first time our personalities, that were on the inside, were finally on the outside.”

“Plus,” she adds, “I love bangs. Half of the time they’re itchy; half of the time I love them. It’s been a really fun transformation.”

“We did show the photos to some of our family members first,” she notes. “Just to say, ‘Just so you know, this is what’s coming.’ Even those closest to us, who might have prefered the comfort zone of what we’ve always looked like, said, ‘I get it.'”

Reid, the quietest of the three siblings, adds, “And we’re not really scared of change. Whether it’s music or visuals, we like keeping it interesting for ourselves.” He’s the group’s bass player, but last night at their New York show, he spent a good amount of the night on a sampler (and ditto for Neil). And while some may dismiss the sampler as not a “real instrument,” Reid disagrees.

“It’s just like a keyboard,” he says. “It’s an instrument, it takes talent to play it, just like anything else.”

Kimberly chimes in: “These days, it’s all about how to make electronics sound human. How do you give it warmth and humanity? I’m really proud that we’ve struck that balance.”

But she admits that she has heard the inevitable grumblings that they are “selling out” by releasing a pop album. “You know what I think a real sell-out is? Doing something for a business-only purpose. The most comfortable thing we probably could have done would have been to remain very steady in the career trajectory that we had. But it was more important to us that we’re honest with our fans and with our music. And that’s the biggest risk that we possibly could have taken: exactly what we’re doing right now. We’re aware of it; we just know that in the past, it’s been the biggest statements and the biggest risks for us — starting with ‘If I Die Young’ — that have been the most important. I’m really proud.”

“If I Die Young,” of course, was the band’s huge breakthrough 2010 classic. But that song marked another huge change in artistic direction for them.

“A lot of people don’t know this about us: our first iteration as a band was as a power trio, playing rock,” Kimberly explains. “I played electric guitar, Neil played drums, we had actually cut an independent rock album before we signed our deal in Nashville. In that session, the last song that we wrote, on the last night, ‘If I Die Young’ was written. It was like, ‘Whoa: this is totally different from anything else that we’ve ever written before.’ ‘If I Die Young’ was really a happy accident that led to a change of direction.” That’s how the one-time rock band became a country group.

And even if this album is aimed at top 40, there are still echoes of country music in the mix, as Kimberly says: “Are there banjos on the new record? Yeah. Are there 808s on the new record? Yeah. It’s probably the romantic thinker in me… there’s so many things that divide us as people, music should be the last thing on the list that divides us. We just think of it as music. The next few years are really going to be fun.”

In the near future, though, they’ll be gearing up for the release of My Bad Imagination, which doesn’t have a date yet. Kimberly revealed some of their collaborators: “Jon Bellion did a song called ‘Best One Yet.’ We worked with Jeff Bhasker, one of our favorite collaborators. And in an eleventh-hour play, I’m hoping for Francis, from Francis and the Lights.”

Is that to say that the album isn’t completely finished yet?

“Oh no, man,” Kimberly laughs. “We’re almost mixed. The songs are chosen. But until they say, ‘This is due on my desk tomorrow morning,’ we’ll be tweaking it.” In the meantime, fans can catch their rare club shows this month. See all of their upcoming dates at Eventful.

Beyoncé, Coldplay and Madonna are just a few of the artists who have signed an open letter from Global Citizen and Chime for Change in honor of International Women’s Day.

Related: Adele, Alicia Keys Support ‘A Day Without A Woman’ Protest

“We have reached a critical moment in history,” the statement begins. “Recent legislation and rhetoric have put decades of progress for girls and women at risk.”

“All over the world, women are on the frontlines fighting for our future. Yet millions of girls and women are still denied basic equal rights,” the statement continues.  “And recent policies and appointments in the United States jeopardize its position as a global leader and positive role model on human rights.”

“We stand together to say, in a voice louder than ever, that fighting for gender equality is the emergency and the opportunity of our time.”

Global Citizen’s site provides a list of actions users can perform on behalf of women’s rights around the world.

Young M.A has released a new track titled “Hot Sauce.”

Related: Lil Yachty Gets His Own Rap Snacks Flavors

While some female MCs have been busy with diss tracks, M.A doesn’t have the time.

“While they making disses, I’m just making hits,” the Brooklyn rapper spits. “Cause if it don’t make dollars it don’t make no sense. This is chess, not checkers, learn the game dude. But I just can’t relate, cause that’s what lames do.”

The track, which was produced by Showtyme On The Beat, will be featured on the forthcoming EP Herstory.

Check out the latest from Young M.A below.

]]> http://radio.com/2017/03/08/young-m-a-drops-new-track-hot-sauce/feed/ 0 http://radio.com/2017/03/08/louis-tomlinson-accused-of-punching-a-woman-in-the-face/ http://radio.com/2017/03/08/louis-tomlinson-accused-of-punching-a-woman-in-the-face/#respond Wed, 08 Mar 2017 21:54:31 +0000 Radio.com http://radio.com/?p=240190 The alleged incident occurred during Tomlinson's altercation with paparazzi at LAX earlier this month.]]> By Radio.com Staff

Louis Tomlinson was involved in an altercation with paparazzi at LAX earlier this month, and a witness has come forward claiming Tomlinson punched her in the face.

Related: Louis Tomlinson Arrested After Paparazzi Scuffle

In a new video obtained by TMZ Ana Becerra says she began filming the incident in question with her phone, which Tomlinson’s girlfriend attempted to take from her. Becerra refused to surrender the phone and Louis came between the two, punching her in the face.

Becerra claims she went to the hospital following the attack where she was diagnosed with a concussion. She plans to pursue legal action against the former One Direction singer.

Becerra says Tomlinson’s fans have harassed her on social media including making death threats and sending abusive messages to members of her family.

The incident Ana describes can be seen in video below, though it is difficult to tell from the angle if a punch was thrown.

Watch the full interview with Ms. Becerra here.