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When Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s multidisciplinary entertainment company pgLang was first announced in 2020, it was light on the details — both on what the company was meant to be about and how it would change Lamar’s career. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper had brought his energetic cousin Baby Keem with him, but pgLang could have been Kendrick making Tde 2.0, starting his own label, or it might have simply been his new toy. Kendrick Lamar has been many things — Black culture firebreather, divisively transgressive rapper, proletariat superstar — but usually, everything...

Drill rap music, which extolls violence in the pursuit of riches, is not something New York Mayor Eric Adams wants on social media.

Adams spoke out against the genre a day after he gave a speech about the death of 18-year-old drill rapper Jayquan McKenley, aka Chii Wvttz. He was shot and killed in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of New York City last Sunday.

Drill has moved from the underground into the mainstream in the last decade. Its rappers and producers include Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Fredo Santana and others, most of them building a strong following on the internet thanks to social media. The genre has spawned regional scenes throughout the US and Europe.

Adams said he became aware of drill music thanks to his son, Jordan Coleman, who works at Jay-Z’s Roc-Nation. “My son sent me videos. It was alarming,” he said.

Adams now plans to...

Halfway through the year, we’ve already lost a number of stars across Hollywood. Here’s a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who have passed away so far in 2018.

Jon Paul Steuer

Jon Paul Steuer, a former child actor who starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and most recently under the stage name Jonny Jewels for the rock band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., died on January 1. He was 33.

Mark Tenser

Mark Tenser, president and CEO of B-Movie studio Crown International Pictures, died on January 1. At his request, his age was not disclosed.

Frank Buxton

Frank Buxton, a writer and director best known for his work on “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days,” died on January 2. He was 87.

Donnelly Rhodes

Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian actor who played chief medical officer Dr. Sherman Cottle on the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot,...

In Childish Gambino’s music video for “Feels Like Summer” to the very socially poetic and aggressive “This Is America”, he gives us a fantasy neighborhood populated by some of today’s most popular rappers and prominent black figures in pop culture.

As Donald Glover’s rap alias, Childish Gambino’s new track, as the title suggests embodies pure summer vibes a la the Fresh Prince’s classic hit “Summertime.” Directed by the Atlanta creator and star as well as Ivan Dixon & Greg Sharp, the animated video is a game of spotting your favorite hip hop artists and icons.

One of the most-talked-about cameos is a crying Kanye West in a “Make America Great Again” hat being comforted by Michelle Obama. We also catch a glimpse of Beyonce donning a “Rip Fredo Santana” T shirt, honoring the young rapper that died earlier this year. The video also features Florida gubernatorial...

Just before summer comes to an end, Childish Gambino provides a playful, Easter Egg-filled animated overview of the hip-hop scene in his new “Feels Like Summer” video, featuring cameos by illustrated versions of many of Gambino’s rap counterparts.

As the animated Gambino walks down the street listening to music, he briefly encounters the rappers in his neighborhood, including 21 Savage, Chance the Rapper, Migos shooting hoops in a driveway, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott competitively playing with children’s blocks and Will Smith washing his car.

Drake then chases...

Rapper Fredo Santana died Friday night from a seizure ... family members tell TMZ. The Chicago rapper who is a cousin of Chief Keef was at his L.A. home Friday. We're told his girlfriend came over at around 11:30 Pm and found him dead on the floor. Santana had been hospitalized recently for liver and kidney problems he'd been battling for months.   The rapper had talked openly about his lean addiction ... as we've reported way too many times,...

Fredo Santana, the Chicago rapper who emerged with his cousin Chief Keef, has died at the age of 27, according to media reports. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but the rapper (born Derrick Coleman) posted on Instagram last October that he had been hospitalized with kidney and liver failure. “I’m getting back to normal sorry to all my fans turbo bandana will not be dropping tomorrow due to my health issues,” Santana wrote. “Thanks for everyone who prayed for a n— I wouldn’t wish this on my worse enemy.” Also Read: Allison Shearmur, Producer on 'Rogue One,' 'Hunger Games,'...