News

‘Watson’ Screening At Monte Carlo TV Festival

CBS’s Morris Chestnut sleuth series Watson will get its French premiere at the Monte Carlo Television Festival on Friday, June 13, at the Grimaldo Forum Monaco. The “medical series with an investigative spine” is set six months after the death of the titular Dr John Watson’s friend, Sherlock Holmes, at the hands of Moriarty. He resumes life as a head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders, though Moriarty isn’t done with him yet. CBS Studios is making the show, with Paramount Global Content Distribution shopping it globally. Elsewhere at the Monte Carlo TV Festival, American actress Jaz Sinclair will receive the Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent. Sinclair currently stars in Prime Video superhero drama The Boys and is known for roles in Netflix’s supernatural series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and films such as Paper Towns and When the Bough Breaks,...

Rap legend Nas’ Mass Appeal Records continues to cater to traditionalists and oldheads with the announcement of its “Legend Has It…” series, featuring seven new albums from New York hip-hop pioneers.

New records from Nas & DJ Premier, De La Soul, and Mobb Deep are among the upcoming releases slated to drop before the end of 2025, along with Ghostface Killah’s long-rumored Supreme Clientele 2, his Wu-Tang Clan cohort Raekwon the Chef’s Emperor’s New Clothes, and a posthumous Big L project, as well as “the epic return of a surprise guest of honor.”

Notably, De La Soul and Mobb Deep will each be releasing their first albums since the passing of respective members Trugoy the Dove and Prodigy.

Many of these upcoming projects have been teased in some capacity. Nas and DJ Premier officially announced their collaborative project almost exactly one year ago, while De La Soul’s Maseo told...

Coachella — and its satellite pool parties — is back this weekend. Tickets are still available for for the three-day music and arts festival, which takes place April 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif.

Related: The Best Music Festivals of 2025

Also returning to the desert are star-frequented soirées and VIP lounges surrounding the music festival, including Neon Carnival (Paris Hilton, Kesha, Simu Liu and Kyle Richards attended last year’s event), Revolve.com‘s influencer-powered Revolve Festival (Hailey Bieber, Megan Fox, Lili Reinhart and Nina Dobrev were among guests in 2024) Kendall Jenner’s 818 Outpost, Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s Camp Poosh, Tao Group’s Zenyara Desert Nights and more.

Related: The Best Music Festival Must-Haves for Last-Minute Coachella Packing

Below, The Hollywood Reporter has rounded up the best official Coachella parties and festival-adjacent events during weekends one and two. See the list below — including how to RSVP for...

With the loss of multi-talented instrumentalist Roy Ayers, who died on Wednesday at the age of 84, the hip-hop world is honoring one of its greatest inspirations and sample sources. Hip-hop production stalwarts such as J. Dilla, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, Madlib, and others have sampled from his six-decade-spanning catalog of jazz and funk-laced compositions. The user-based platform WhoSampled tabulated that Roy Ayers has been sampled 964 times, with 85 covers and 54 remixes.

He’s been regarded as “The Godfather of Neo-Soul” for songs like “Everybody Loves The Sunshine,” one...

DJ Premier and Roc Marciano joined forces for their first collaborative track, “Armani Section,” while also announcing an upcoming joint EP in the works. The joint venture will be released later this year but a date has yet to be announced.

According to a press release, the song is “a declaration that true luxury and authenticity in music never goes out of style, is never dated; and you can never have enough of it.”

In the opening verse, Roc drops, “Bagged the cashier wearing cashmere/That’s 20 racks for a...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Lady Gaga goes back in time with a dance-ready throwback that could’ve been a The Fame Monster B-side, Lisa joins forces with Doja Cat and Raye, and Doechii takes a victory lap after her Grammy win for Best Rap Album. Plus, new music from Rema, GloRilla, Latto, Elton John, and Brandi Carlile.

Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra” (YouTube)

Lisa feat. Doja Cat and Raye, “Born Again” (YouTube)

Doechii,...

Gang Starr has released a new single, “Finishem.” The song incorporates vocal lines recorded by Mc Guru, one half of the duo alongside DJ Premier, before his death in 2010.

The song arrives on the fifth anniversary of Gang Starr’s LP, One of the Best Yet, which marked the group’s first new music in 16 years when it dropped in 2019.

“As One of the Best Yet was approaching the five-year anniversary mark, that milestone moved me to create a new track to match the occasion,” DJ Premier said in a statement.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Starting 5.

Netflix's new NBA docuseries Starting 5 features an extensive soundtrack full of popular tracks. Directed by Peter J. Scalettar (Supreme Team) and produced by Peyton Manning (Quarterback) and Barack and Michelle Obama (Leave the World Behind), Starting 5 takes a behind-the-scenes look at the off-the-court lives of five of the NBA's biggest stars and most talented players. Starting 5 follows Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 10-part series released in full on October 9, 2024.

Starting 5 also includes never-before-seen footage of these five NBA talents during the regular season and playoffs, including previously unreleased audio and in-game commentary between players, coaches, and other NBA personnel. The series thoughtfully pieces together some of the common themes between these five NBA superstars,...

Slipknot’s Sid Wilson is currently in the hospital after he was caught in a bonfire “explosion.” He is being treated for serious burns on his face and arms. The musician took to Instagram to update his fans on his condition. Here is what he had to say, plus his girlfriend Kelly Osbourne‘s reaction to his injuries.

Sid Wilson Says He’ll Be ‘Ok’

Sid Wilson was on his farm in Iowa enjoying a bonfire when the incident occurred. He updated fans on his condition from a hospital bed, assuring everyone that he’d be “Ok.”

In the video he shared on Instagram, medical staff could be seen treating burn wounds on his face and arms. The Slipknot turntablist addressed fans, “Hi everybody, I had an explosion in my face. I’m Ok, I’m going to be Ok. But I did have some serious burns to my face and my arms.

Rakim is regarded by generations of rap fans as The God Mc. But we may need to start referring to him as The God Mc / Producer. Sitting in his studio on a sunny July afternoon, he tells Rolling Stone that he produced “a lot” of the seminal Eric B and Rakim albums, which were in part created from a stash of loops that he would keep in tow to rap along to at park jams.

Even in the hyperbolic sphere of hip-hop, Rakim’s microphone supremacy can’t be overstated...

Nas has announced he will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his classic debut, Illmatic, with a slate of orchestra shows in Las Vegas during Labor Day weekend.

The Queensbridge rapper will be accompanied by the Las Vegas Philharmonic on August 29th, August 31st, and September 1st at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Each symphony show will pull from his lengthy discography.

Get Nas Tickets Here

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 24th at 10:00 a.m. Pdt via Ticketmaster.

Look for deals and sold-out tickets for all of Nas’ upcoming shows at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

This summer, Nas will make appearances at Roots Picnic and Tribeca Festival (where he will moderate a 50th anniversary screening of...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, two exceedingly intense highlights from Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, a new beef-sizzling new track from Drake, and a mystical Hozier B-side. Plus, new music from Pearl Jam, James Arthur, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone, “Fortnight” (YouTube)

Taylor Swift, “The Albatross” (YouTube)

Drake, “Push Ups” (YouTube)

Hozier, “Why Would You Be Loved?” (YouTube)

Pearl Jam, “Scared of Fear” (YouTube)

James Arthur feat.

Nas is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album Illmatic in a big way. Today, he released “Define My Name,” a new single produced by DJ Premier (who worked on the original Illmatic), and the duo announced a long-awaited collaborative album, due sometime later this year.

Built over a DJ Premier-produced beat, Nas’ verses on “Define My Name” see the rapper address his name and his legacy. “At 20, I said I’d better quit by 30,” he raps. “Then by 30, I thought by 40 rapping is corny/ How wrong was I?/ Never would have thought at 50, new songs by Nas would be hard and live.”

Get Nas Tickets Here

The verses build up to the chorus refrain “What defines my name” with a sample from Biz Markie saying “Nas.” On the outro, DJ Premier jumps in to say “30 years later, Illmatic was dropped,” and then closes the song by saying “Premier album is still gonna happen.

Three decades ago, Nas and DJ Premier teamed up for a run of songs on the rapper’s acclaimed debut album Illimatic. In the time since, both have become hip-hop legends in their own right. But later this year, Nas and DJ Premier will go all-in on their first full-length collaborative album. The title and release date for the record have not yet been revealed, but its newly-released first single, “Define My Name,” offers a preview of what they have coming.

“At twenty, I said I’d better quit by thirty / Then by thirty,...

Mister Cee, the legendary hip-hop DJ and beloved host of “The Set It Off Show” on LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells Radio, passed away. He was 57.

Join Rock the Bells Radio in honoring Mister Cee throughout the day, including during Torae’s live tribute show tonight (April 10) at 9pm Et. Rock the Bells Radio is available on the SiriusXM app and radios with a subscription or free three-month trial.

From working with Big Daddy Kane to discovering Biggie

Born Calvin LeBrun in Brooklyn in 1966, Mister Cee met soon-to-be hip-hop phenom Big Daddy Kane in high school, before being the DJ on Kane’s 1988 debut album, “Long Live the Kane.”

Mister Cee worked with several other hip-hop icons as well – including the Notorious B.I.G, when Mister Cee created the demo tape that led Biggie to sign with Bad Boy Records and co-produced the groundbreaking “Ready to Die album” (1994).

Over the years,...

Snoop Dogg and DJ Premier have reunited for a new single, “Can U Dig That?”

The track is a potent, laid-back ode to all things West Coast, centered around a classic Preemo scratch sample — “Welcome to California… life is a bitch out here.” Over a beat that blends classic boom-bap with hazy, droning synths and sultry keys reminiscent of the G-funk heyday, Snoop delivers a characteristically cool verse that name-checks a bunch of his fellow Golden State hip-hop pioneers.

“Can U Dig That?” was released via DJ Premier’s new independent label,...

Feid fans, it’s that time of year: Every December, the Colombian star has been known to drop a surprise EP or project for his day ones. Tonight, he’s done it again: Ferxxo has a holiday gift in store with Ferxxocalipsis, a 10-track project that dives into the deliciously dark side of reggaeton.

The EP starts with the moody “Alakran,” where Feid calls the “chimbitas” to attention before breaking into full-throttle perreo. Elsewhere, he keeps the party going with tracks like “50 Palos” and “Desquite.” The Ferxxocalipsis ends with “Classy...

Feid closed out the 2023 Latin Grammys with an energetic performance that featured hiphop legend DJ Premier. The Colombian artist opened his set with an acoustic version of his song “Prohibidox” about forbidden love. Then, DJ Premier dropped the beat for their collaboration “Le Pido a Dios.” The hip-hop producer showed love for Feid’s country by shouting out, “¡Qué chimba, Colombia!” The stage glowed in the Feid’s signature color of green.

As he spit the bars in his swaggering song, his rumored girlfriend Karol G was shown singing and dancing along from her seat.

Latin music was celebrated November 16 the 24th annual Latin Grammys in Seville, Spain.

This is the first international show in Latin Grammy history, with stars hitting the red carpet including Rosalía, Karol G, Shakira, Anitta, David Guetta, Mon Laferte, Jocelyn Trochez, Kany García and many more.

Sebastián Yatra, Roselyn Sánchez, Danna Paola and Paz Vega hosted the ceremony with performances by Shakira, Rosalía, Maluma, Sebastián Yatra, Milo J, Peso Pluma, Juanes, Rauw Alejandro, Ozuna, Camilo, Christian Nodal, Alejandro Sanz and more.

Related: Gustavo Santaolalla To Receive Lifetime Achievement Trustees Award From Latin Grammys

Andrea Bocelli, a previous Latin Grammy nominee, and DJ Premier were part of the star-studded lineup, and Guetta joined Ozuna for a special performance.

Scroll through the gallery for the best red carpet looks and hottest performances.

Rolling Stone witnessed all of the action at this year’s 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Spain.

This year’s ceremony moved overseas to Seville for the first time ever, and our Senior Music Editor Julyssa Lopez and Video Producer and Host Ilana Woldenberg caught up with some of the acts who walked the red carpet before the awards show.

We got to chat with Peso Pluma and Nicki Nicole (who made their red carpet debut as a couple), Juanes, Gale, Maria Becerra, Ana Del Castillo, and more. Watch their interviews,...

Paul Wall and Termanology are back where they first met, at Brooklyn’s Hub Studios. Before our hourlong conversation starts, various people in their circle shuffle by Termanology’s studio room to greet Wall, the amiable Texan who’s visiting the city to promote the deluxe edition of Start Finish Repeat, their second collaborative project.

Wall is clad in all-black attire, including a Houston Texans hoodie. Lounging on a couch before the interview starts, his demeanor is as chill as his beaming platinum grill looks. Lawrence, Massachusetts, native Termanology is similarly showing hometown pride,...

The Latin Grammys are a week away, and the Latin Recording Academy is getting people excited with a roster of stars who will perform at the awards show on November 16. The Academy has announced another round of performers, among them Shakira, Maluma, Rosalía, Andrea Bocelli, Sebastian Yatra, Milo J, DJ Premier and more. Peso Pluma, Eslabón Armado, Ozuna, Camilo, Juanes, Edgar Barrera are also on a lineup that already includes Maria Becerra, Bizarrap, Feid, Kany García, Carin León, Christian Nodal, Rauw Alejandro, and Alejandro Sanz.

Pablo Alborán, Manuel Carrasco, and...

DJ Mark The 45 King, best known as the producer of classic hits by Eminem, Jay-Z, and Queen Latifah, has died at 62 years old.

The news was first shared on Thursday, October 19th by DJ Premier, who posted a statement on Instagram that the Bronx native had died in the morning — just days after celebrating his birthday. No cause of death has been revealed, but Premier mentioned that The 45 King had recently been in the hospital.

Born Mark Howard James, The 45 King helped form Flavor Unit — a group of rappers and DJs from New York City and Northern New Jersey which counted Queen Latifah, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, and Apache among its members — in the late 1980s. Latifah signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1989, and featured his production heavily on her debut album, All Hail the Queen, including her breakout hit, “Ladies First.”

After battling drug addiction in the early 1990s,...

As Grammy-winning Queensbridge rap icon Nasir Jones, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones turned 50, rapper Divine wished his mentor and thanked him for what he’s done for hip-hop. Wishing his mentor, Divine said: “Wish you many more blessings, Escobar. You continue to push boundaries and leave an unprecedented impact on rap even after 30 years. Thank you for being a rock-solid mentor; and thank you for what you’ve done for hip-hop.”

“Happy born day to my all-time favourite and one of the most influential lyricists in hip-hop history. Grateful to be inspired by you and to know you in real life!”

Sharing videos and pictures from the party on his social media, Divine was notably the only artist of South Asian descent present at Escobar’s glittering do. Divine’s historic appearance at the birthday festivity arrives amid his ongoing ‘Baazigar World Tour’ featuring Riar Saab, across Australia, the US,...

As Grammy-winning Queensbridge rap icon Nasir Jones, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones turned 50, rapper Divine wished his mentor and thanked him for what he’s done for hip-hop. Wishing his mentor, Divine said: “Wish you many more blessings, Escobar. You continue to push boundaries and leave an unprecedented impact on rap even after 30 years. Thank you for being a rock-solid mentor; and thank you for what you’ve done for hip-hop.”

“Happy born day to my all-time favourite and one of the most influential lyricists in hip-hop history. Grateful to be inspired by you and to know you in real life!”

Sharing videos and pictures from the party on his social media, Divine was notably the only artist of South Asian descent present at Escobar’s glittering do. Divine’s historic appearance at the birthday festivity arrives amid his ongoing ‘Baazigar World Tour’ featuring Riar Saab, across Australia, the US,...

A few years ago, producer Michael Cash had an idea he thought could be big. Cash is based in New York’s Hudson Valley, a region rich in Bob Dylan history. Early in the pandemic, he got to thinking about a relatively obscure Dylan-related project from the mid-2010s: Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, in which artists like Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Rhiannon Giddens recorded songs based on newly uncovered Dylan lyrics.

Cash, whose background is largely in hip-hop, was friendly with the album’s producer,...

Swizz Beatz links up with Lil Durk and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie in the new music video for “Say Less,” their collaboration from the producer/rapper’s recent project, Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2.

The chrome-plated, black-and-white clip finds the three artists performing the menacing, braggadocious song primarily in front of an absolutely humongous monster truck. The music video for “Say Less” was directed by TajvsTaj.

Swizz Beatz’s Hip Hop 50: Vol. 2 arrived back in April; the EP is one of 10 that Mass Appeal is releasing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Swizz Beatz has released Hip Hop 50 Vol. 2, the second of 10 EPs released by Mass Appeal to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify.

The six-track project was entirely produced by Swizz Beatz and features Nas, Lil Wayne, Jay Electronica, Benny the Butcher, Jadakiss, Lil Durk, Fivio Foreign, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and more.

The first installment in the series, Hip Hop 50 Vol. 1, was released in July 2022 and curated by DJ Premier. Nas and Lil Wayne also appeared on that EP alongside Run the Jewels, Joey Bada$$, Remy Ma, Rapsody, and Slick Rick.

Catch Nas on his joint “NY State of Mind Tour” with Wu-Tang Clan and opener De La Soul beginning in May. Tickets are available now via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.

A portion of proceeds from the Hip Hop 50 series will be donated to...

Ahmad Jamal, the influential jazz pianist whose style influenced generations of musicians for seven decades, died on Sunday, The Washington Post reports. He was 92. His wife, Laura Hess-Hey, confirmed the news to the newspaper. No further details were disclosed.

Jamal began his professional career while still in high school in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and continued to create and influence multiple music genres through his seven-decade career. Originally performing under the name Fritz Jones, he was among the first African American artists who publicly adopted the Muslim faith and...

Two years after Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats released “Survivor” on their album The Future, they are revisiting the track with help from rappers Jim Jones and Conway The Machine and producer Mike Cash. Check out a video for the new version of “Survivor” right here.

The collaboration between Rateliff and Cash goes back to 2019, when the producer began a multi-artist project called A Covenant with the aim of fusing together diverse styles of music. With help from mentor T-Bone Burnett, Cash brought together the Roots, Elvis Costello, Rateliff, Cassandra Wilson,...

If you're looking to pinpoint the greatest year in hip-hop, it's going to start with a one, followed by a nine, another nine, and end with a number no higher than five. The genre that grew out of Bronx house parties thrown by sonic pioneers like DJ Kool Herc, and survived the faddish exploitation of the early and mid-1980s had finally come of age. Obviously, there were groundbreaking LPs released prior to the '90s, but it wasn't until we entered the final decade of the millennium that explorers like Hank Shocklee, Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, and Prince Paul refined their sounds to bring hard-hitting East Coast beats and blunted West Coast G-funk grooves to the ears of audiophiles across the country.

Hollywood was listening. They weren't necessarily getting it, but they were listening. Mid-'80s films like "Breakin'," "Beat Street" and "Krush Groove" captured the excitement of the...

Macklemore is opening up about his 2020 relapse. In an interview for The Kelly Clarkson Show, the rapper opened up about the “intense time,” and how it became a “catalyst for art” in his upcoming album, Ben.

“I’m used to a certain schedule of touring, of being gone, of being home, of recovery and being able to go to a physical 12-step meeting. That stopped during Covid. Eventually, I’m on Instagram while being on Zoom and I’m just not really paying attention to the meetings,” he said. “Eventually,...

Hip-hop has had a contentious relationship with the Grammys, but tonight’s 50th anniversary performance was a much-deserved celebration of the genre. The loaded showcase achieved performance co-curator Questlove’s previously stated goal to span the breadth of hip-hop’s 50 years. The Recording Academy has been criticized in the past for controversial award selections in the rap categories, but this performance was a decision that few hip-hop heads could complain about.

Trailblazing artists from the genre’s past five decades performed, including Big Boi, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star,...

John Morrison was 10 years old when he started making beats on his Casio Rz-1, the same drum machine sampler that Prince Paul used to produce for De La Soul’s landmark 3 Feet High and Rising. Three years later, in 1993, Morrison heard Digable Planets’ debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) — and it changed the way he viewed music forever.

“When Digable Planets came out with Reachin’, it was magic,” says the beatmaker-turned-writer-slash-dj, who went on to interview the Brooklyn trio for the now-defunct local newspaper The Philly Word,...

Macklemore pays tribute to his less-than-savory childhood idols on his new song, “Heroes,” featuring DJ Premier.

The track boasts throwback boom-bap production from Budo, with Premier crafting a hook out of his signature scratching and chopped-up samples. Over his two verses, Macklemore puffs his chest as he recounts his childhood fascination with gangsters, rappers, and petty crooks of all kinds. The most self-aware part comes when he nods to his present-day status as a dad, comparing viewings of Frozen with his kids to his childhood viewings of Menace II Society:...

Following the unexpected death of Takeoff, one-third of the prolific rap trio Migos, figures throughout hip-hop, and the entertainment industry at large, have taken to social media to memorialize the late musician. The rapper, born Kirsnik Khari Ball, was shot and killed in Houston early Tuesday morning at age 28, Rolling Stone confirmed.

Gucci Mane, who recently collaborated with Takeoff and his uncle and bandmate Quavo on the song “Us vs. Them,” shared a photo of the rapper on Instagram, saying he was heartbroken over the news.

“This broke my heart Rest In Peace @yrntakeoff,...

Run the Jewels appeared on The Late Show to showcase their track “A Few Words for the Firing Squad.” The duo, El-p and Killer Mike, offered a hard-hitting rendition of the 2020 song, which sees the pair reflecting on their value as artists.

“A Few Words for the Firing Squad” comes off the rap group’s most recent LP, RTJ4. The album featured collaborations with Greg Nice, DJ Premier, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Zack de la Rocha, and Josh Homme, who also co-produced his track “Pulling the Pin.”

Earlier this month,...

DJ Premier’s studio has the look of old Hollywood despite being in Astoria, Queens. The building, at Kaufman Astoria Studios, has arches and an archaic look that feels plucked out of the Fifties thriller Sunset Boulevard. The rap elder’s surroundings are at least fitting in their sense of history. DJ Premier, or “Preemo,” as he is called by Hip-Hop fans and rappers, is both an icon and a reverent student of the unlimited artistry contained within the genre’s past and present. He described himself to Rolling Stone...

Nas delivered an overview of his career with a medley of turn-of-the-millennium hits and a recent single during the 2022 Grammy Awards in Las Vegas.

Returning to the awards show the year after winning Best Rap Album for King’s Disease, the Queensbridge emcee opened his set by honoring the 20th anniversary of his 2002 album God’s Son, performing the singles “I Can” and “Made You Look.” Nas followed that up with “One Mic” — off 2001’s Stillmatic but released as a single in 2002 — before concluding his medley with “Rare,” off of...

Nas is dropping a new project called Magic on Thursday at midnight via Mass Appeal. Executive produced by Nas and Hit-Boy, the nine-song set includes “Wave Gods” featuring A$AP Rocky and DJ Premier, and it will be available to stream and download.

Magic follows his Grammy nominated album King’s Disease II, which arrived in August. The sequel to 2020’s King’s Disease includes “Nobody” featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill. It also features collaborations from Charlie Wilson, Eminem, Epmd, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Yg, and more artists.

Earlier on Thursday,...

When Juice Wrld passed away in 2019 at 21, it seemed like the entire music industry was shaken up. Everyone from Hot 97 host Peter Rosenberg to Vince Staples to Drake shared their fond memories and condolences. Chance the Rapper posted on his Instagram, shortly after the Chicago native’s death, “This is ridiculous. Millions of people, not just in Chicago but around the world are hurting because of this and don’t know what to make of it.”

But most devastated were his legions of young fans, who flooded social media with...

One of the standout films from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival was All the Streets Are Silent, a documentary about the intersection between skateboarding and hip-hop in New York in the 1980s and Nineties. On paper, 1990s East Coast hip-hop has been dissected ad infinitum in countless books, TV shows and films — for a certain age, the culture defined their teenage years more than anything else.

But director Jeremy Elkin, a veteran of skate films who grew up (and continues to be) obsessed with hip-hop, finds fresh material in...

Mark Ronson takes center stage in “Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson,” premiering July 30 on Apple TV Plus.

In the six-part series, the Oscar winning multi-hyphenate sits down with creators and musicians to look at innovations in the realm of sound, from synths to distortion to autotune and beyond.

T-Pain, Charli Xcx, Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney are just a few of the names who appear on this musical exploration.

Episode 3, titled “Reverb,” looks at Ronson’s collaboration with the late Amy Winehouse, who died 10 years ago this month. In an interview with Variety, Ronson shares memories of Winehouse and expounds on the inspiration for “Watch the Sound.”

It’s been 10 years since Amy Winehouse’s passing, do you have a favorite memory of her?

We only worked together for six days or seven days, tops. I wish there was more because there’d be more memories. She was the...

Can Apple TV Plus start earning its keep?

This month, the free ride is over for millions of Apple customers who have been getting Apple TV Plus — regularly priced at $4.99 per month — at no charge. Some haven’t been paying for Apple TV Plus since the streaming video service debuted in November 2019. The tech giant in recent weeks has been sending email notifications to customers whose free-access promos have finally expired that they’ll start getting billed in July.

In a bid to jump-start Apple TV Plus — and boost device sales — Apple has offered one year free to buyers of new iPhones, iPads, Apple TV set-tops and Macs. The company extended the free-streaming offer several times, but as of this month it expects Apple TV Plus users to start paying.

And starting July 1, new buyers of products like iPhone or Apple TV 4K will qualify to get only three months free of Apple TV Plus.

Questlove was skeptical. In early 2019, the Roots’ drummer was approached by two Hollywood producers who claimed to have 45 hours of footage from a long-forgotten music festival in Harlem that had included performances from Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, and more. Questlove, who’s renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of music history, had never heard of the event. He had, however, become used to fellow crate-digging obsessives trying to one-up him with dubious historical tidbits.

“That’s really what I thought it was,...

Gang Starr have dropped the video for the “Founders Remix” of their track “Glowing Mics,” which previously appeared on the instrumental version of the legendary rap group’s 2020 LP One of the Best Yet.

That album — Gang Starr’s first since 2003’s The Ownerz — served as DJ Premier’s tribute to his late duo partner Guru, who died in 2010. For the “Founders Remix,” Premier reenlisted rapper Big Shug, one of the MCs who frequently collaborated with the duo as part of their Gang Starr Foundation.

“Simply hearing Guru doing the ‘Mr.

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, rapper and founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56. The group’s Grand Master Dee confirmed Fletcher’s death to Variety. No cause of death was provided.

News of Fletcher’s death was first revealed by the Roots’ Questlove, with many others in the rap community also mourning the death of the Whodini rapper. “One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini,” Questlove wrote on social media. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop.

Eminem has issued a new companion album to his 11th studio album, Music to be Murdered By.

The new album, titled Music to be Murdered By — Side B, arrived on Thursday at midnight. The album was produced by Eminem and longtime collaborator Dr. Dre, with appearances by DJ Premier, Ty Dolla $ign and Sly Pyper.

Drawing the most attention on the new album’s 16 songs was a track tilted Zeus. In its lyrics, Eminem offers a direct apology to fellow artist Rihanna over a lyric about Chris Brown that leaked in 2019. Eminem had written that he “sided” with Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault on Rhianna in 2009. The new lyrics read: “But, me, long as I re-promise to be honest / And wholeheartedly, apologies, Rihanna,” he raps. “For that song that leaked, I’m sorry, Ri / It wasn’t meant to cause you grief. Regardless, it was wrong of me.

Los Angeles, Dec 18 (Ians) Rapper Eminem has surprised fans with a new album, Music To Be Murdered By – Side B. The album has 13 full songs with three skits. It includes lots of references to the ongoing pandemic.

This comes 11 months after Eminem had surprise-released the album titled Music To Get Murdered By. The new album features collaborators like Dr. Dre (rapping on "Guns Blazing" and co-producing "Discombobulated"), Ty Dolla $ign, DJ Premier, and Skylar Gray, reports variety.com.

In 2018, he had similarly surprise-released Kamikaze. His performance at the Oscars in February was also kept a secret for long.

---Ians

nn/vnc...

Eminem has dropped a surprise companion LP to his 11th studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, which was released in January. The Detroit rapper was mum about the new album, Music to Be Murdered By ­– Side B, prior to its Thursday at midnight arrival, despite social media speculation of its existence.

Executive produced by Eminem and Dr. Dre, the deluxe edition of the album features Skylar Grey, DJ Premier, Ty Dolla $ign, Dr. Dre, Sly Pyper, Maj and White Gold.

Clues that a new Eminem album was coming began circulating throughout the week.