Kid Cudi has upset fans by announcing via Twitter that the 16-city ‘Especial’ tour will not be going ahead. This news comes less than a month after the tour’s announcement, with Cudi citing production troubles and personal issues as the reasoning behind its cancellation.
“By now I’m sure all of you have heard but for those who haven’t I’ve decided to cancel my tour,” he wrote. “Things weren’t together production wise and I need a bit to make some changes.”
“I got a lot I’m dealing with at this time in my personal life too and in order for the shows to be the best experience possible as well as keeping my sanity intact, I need to regroup”.
Cudi also thanked the fans that had attended his Denver show on November 30th. The show was held at the Fillmore Auditorium, being the first, and now only stop of the tour. Despite this bad news, the artist made promises to reschedule the tour for ‘the top of the year’, all tickets will be honoured for next years shows.
Making up for the sudden cancellation, Cudi also dropped his newest track Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, on SoundCloud. Produced by himself along with Plain Pat, the guitar-driven track signals a possible change in direction for Cudi’s music. It’s sound is not so exciting as it is ominous, but there are some strong ideas here.
Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven is the titular track for the upcoming two-disc album which is scheduled for release tomorrow. The album will be the follow-up from Satellite Flight: The Journey To Mother Moon, which was released early last year.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/235692846″ params=”color=ff5500″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Jarryd James‘ break-out (and now, ARIA Award-winning) hit Do You Remember is easily going to be remembered as one of the biggest Australian songs of 2015. The track immediately shot James to fame, and he achieved massive widespread radio play, a sell-out tour despite having released only one track, a collab with Julia Stone, a stellar debut album and even more sell-out tours. year.
The track blends haunting electronica with soul-tinged pop pop. It shot James straight into the national spotlight, and we imagine it’s only a matter of time before the Brisbane-born artist becomes an international juggernaut. Earlier this month, UK producer Melé released a gorgeous remix of the ARIA-nominated track.
While the original song is as motivational as it is haunting, Melé brings some funk to the mix- funk you didn’t even realise was necessary. It retains the depth of the original, while reworking it into a dance track suitable for any local bar/club. It’s fun, to put it bluntly.
To see this pair partnered together is odd, in a way. Melé’s former remix credits include Disclosure, Wretch 32 and Gucci Mane. To see him remixing an alternative artist like Jarryd James is as surprising as it is delightful.
Have a listen to the track below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNpJIpXRQcA&w=560&h=315]
James’ album, Thirty One was released to Australian audiences last September. You can purchase it here.
Jarryd James is also set to embark on a joint three-date tour with Meg Mac next week, with Kita Alexander on support. Details below:
Friday, 4th December
Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Lic/All Ages
Tickets
Lil Boosie has shared some devastating news with fans on Instagram. Alongside a photo of himself at a restaurant, came a caption reportedly revealing that he has been diagnosed with cancer. “I need all my fans to pray for me,” he wrote. “Doctor just told me I have cancer on my kidneys. Prayer is power that’s why I’m letting the world know prayfaboosie.”
The caption was removed soon after. Reports by TMZ stated that the artist’s team were caught off guard by the reveal, and the rapper removed the caption from the image. His profile is now private on Instagram, but you can see the image below.
This shocking news follows after a rough couple of years for the rapper. The 33-year-old was in prison from 2009 up until last year for marijuana possession and probation violence, and has also been suffering from diabetes. Boosie also made headlines in 2012 when he went on trial for the murder of Terry Boyd, though he was later found not guilty. The rapper will be on parole until 2018.
So far, members of the rap community have reached out to the rapper, with rappers Jim Jones and Juelz Santana voicing their support through social media.
An official release by Atlantic Records has yet to be released, here’s hoping that things pick up for Boosie.
If you’re anything like me and love a good ol’ ugly christmas sweater, you are in for a treat. 2 Chainz has just dropped a new line of ridiculously sweet jumpers that even your grandma might like. The Atlanta rapper keeps it real by putting his own twist on the range. Most of the sweaters feature literal two chain details, dangling over a charming pattern of marijuana leaves. Others feature an amazingly weird knit image of Santa Claus ‘dabbing‘, the latest dance craze to come out of Atlanta.
The jumpers are pretty affordable, retailing at $30 – $34.99 USD depending on design, heres hoping Kanye takes a note for his next Yeezy line. 2 Chainz also shared a few photos of himself modelling the jumpers on Instagram, with each photo racking up about 14k likes, I’d recommend you get in fast before they sell out.
2 Chainz joins a long list of artists that have created their own ugly jumpers. Including but not limited to, Queens of the Stone Age, Motorhead, Wu-Tang Clan, Metallica and Blink 182. I guess everyone just really loves getting into the christmas spirit.
You can purchase the jumpers on his online store.
2 Chainz has also just dropped his video for BFF, featuring Jeezy. Watch below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5TTr8lnJS0&w=560&h=315]
It’s the gift that just keeps giving, whether you’d like it to or not. Adam Sandler has shared the latest version of his hit seasonal jam, Chanukah Song. The original track aired on Saturday Night Live way back in 1994, instantly becoming a novelty classic and one of few seasonal songs that Jewish people could call their own.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5Z-HpHH9g&w=560&h=315]
Parts 2 and 3 of the song were released in 1999 and 2002 respectively, with the fourth uploaded yesterday onto Sandler’s Youtube channel.“I did a show with some friends in San Diego last week and recorded a new one for you,” Sandler wrote. “Have a great holiday season.” The video shows him playing to a packed out theatre (when you take into consideration the nature of the song, it kind of gives off some Blink 182 vibes?) a far cry from the songs original debut on SNL.
While each part of the song is essentially the same, Sandler’s list of name-drops is switched up accordingly to fit with the times. You could almost call part 4 too fitting with our current era, the inclusion of Jared Fogle would sit uncomfortably for some. “But guess who’s Jewish and could fix him?” Sandler cries, “Love Lines, Dr. Drew”.
Honourable mentions in the revamped list include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, “the two guys that founded Google”, Scarlett Johansson (“talk about a kosher crush”), Seth Rogen, Drake and David Beckham who is apparently, quarter Jewish.
To hear who else made it onto the star-studded list, watch below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YSOZP_M6eM&w=560&h=315]
One of the key players in the streaming game Pandora, has recently announced that they are purchasing ‘key assets’ from the remains of on-demand stream service Rdio, for an astounding $75 million. However, unlike most company buy-outs, this one was made possible due to Rdio being forced into bankruptcy, owing approximately $220 million to creditors. Once a popular service, over the last few years it has been repeatedly forced to step down a few rungs as its competitors leap ahead.
In order to compete against giants like Spotify, you’re gonna have to spend the big bucks. Which is exactly what Rdio did. Most of their debt is owed to Pulser Media, who financed the majority of company spends since its conception, but there’s many other significant creditors involved. Rdio owed money to Sony Music ($2.4 million), Shazam ($1 million), Facebook ($500,000) and Warner Music Group ($613,000) among others.
The company confirmed their shutdown, stating that “We are proud to have created an innovative and critically acclaimed global music streaming service. Given the state of the streaming marketplace, we have reached an agreement with Pandora – a leader in music streaming that shares our passion for delivering the best possible music experience to music fans everywhere – to purchase key assets from Rdio’s business, including intellectual property and technology.”
This is probably terrible news for Rdio’s long term users, but it means big things are coming for Pandora, who currently only operate in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. While Pandora uses algorithms to generate radio stations based on its users tastes, it lacks the ability to select specific tracks that streaming services like Spotify provide. Rdio allowed users to select any song or album they’d like from a vast catalog, so should this technology be integrated into Pandora’s, it could potentially give them a huge leg up on their competition.
Pandora has stated that they expect to offer an ‘expanded listening experience’ by the end of 2016, which will likely include Rdio’s old features.
He’s made his mark on the hip-hop industry, and now Chance The Rapper has been named Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine, accordingly. The rapper’s work in, and concern for, his local community was cited as one of the reasons that the magazine granted him with this title, as well as his family life and impressive ascent in the music industry.
Chicago Magazine’s accompanying feature details the work he’s done to help his local community. One such way is a talent show he hosts in honour of the late Mike Hawkins, a poet who mentored Chicago youth including Chance.
“Since we first started doing the ‘Open Mikes,’ I’ve tried to make the point not to have me or the other staff members perform,” Chance stated to his crowd. “We didn’t want it to feel like there was a time for you to perform and then a time for us to perform. I know how hard it is to come up onstage and say a poem that only you know or do a dance that only you’ve seen before. So I want to show you that I’m just as vulnerable as you guys.”
The emcee also spoke about how fatherhood has effected his outlook on life, claiming that when you have one of your own it gives you a “new understanding on life and on love”. His child is the motivation behind his current ‘Family Matters’ tour, with Chance hoping to raise money for a family home.
Chance receiving this title would come as no surprise to most. The rappers work in his hometown, as well as the popularity of his music which he usually releases for free (his free LP Acid Rap has been downloaded over a million times) has allowed him to become a figurehead for the Chicago rap game. There’s no one more deserving.
You can check out Chicago Magazine’s feature here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCI2cK7AeEg&w=560&h=315]
Bill Murray is definitely getting into the Christmas spirit this year. In the wake of the trailer for his Sofia Coppola-directed Netflix special, A Very Murray Christmas (which looks amazing by the way), it looks like he will also be releasing a holiday single with Phoenix.
As Modern Vinyl pointed out, pre-orders for the 7″ vinyl were up on Amazon momentarily, before being pulled down. The A-Side will see Murray perform the track, entitled Alone On Christmas Day with Phoenix, Jason Schwartzman, former Letterman musical director Paul Shaffer, and David Johansen under his Buster Poindexter pseudonym. The B-Side will feature an instrumental version of the track.
Coinciding with the release of his Christmas special, the single is slated for release on December 4th. Phoenix are one of the all-star cast who will be starring in the special. The hour long show also features Jenny Lewis, George Clooney, Amy Poehler, Michael Cera, Miley Cyrus, Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman and Maya Rudolph, with an ensemble like this it’s hard to go wrong.
Murray and Miley Cyrus have also been working together outside of filming, having recorded a cover of Let It Snow for the special. Murray came out in defence of Cyrus recently in an interview at Comic-Con, stating “I’m gonna say this officially: Miley Cyrus is good. Miley Cyrus is really fuckin’ good. She can really sing.”
It’s not long now until we get to hear the singles, but until then we have this trailer:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJP3db3R014&w=560&h=315]
It feels like ever since Robin Thicke‘s disgusting hit track Blurred Lines, barely a week goes by without a lawsuit filed relating to one artist ripping off another. Last week, it was Drake ripping off D.R.A.M’s Cha Cha, and now it’s Taylor Swift stealing 92% of Shake It Off from a rapper named Jesse Braham. Apparently.
Braham, recently attempted to sue T-Swift for an absolutely reasonable sum of $42 million, because of the similarities between her banger, and his own song Haters Gonna Hate. Obviously, all of Brahams’ loved ones neglected to tell him that there is quite literally, nothing similar about these tracks (except for their defence against haters, of course) before he walked into the court of law and subsequently got slammed by the judge… using Taylor Swift’s lyrics.
Braham claimed that his song Haters Gonna Hate which he apparently copyrighted in 2013, had the same 22-word phrase that Swift used in her song. United States District Court judge and probable T-Swift mega fan, Gail Standish dismissed the case, citing that “at present, the Court is not saying that Braham can never, ever, ever get his case back in court. But, for now, we have got problems, and the Court is not sure Braham can solve them”.
The fun didn’t stop there however, as Standish went on to write, “As currently drafted, the Complaint has a blank space – one that requires Braham to do more than write his name. And, upon consideration of the Court’s explanation … Braham may discover that mere pleading BandAids will not fix the bullet holes in his case. At least for the moment, Defendants have shaken off this lawsuit.”
Braham filed the suit in federal court without an attorney, and also requested that the court waive various filing fees as his last job was in 2006. It was ruled that he did not provide enough factual evidence in this case, however, he would be given the opportunity to file a new complaint if his lawsuit deficiencies were corrected. Here’s hoping that he gets the same judge next time.
It’s been a week since Grimes dropped follow up LP Art Angels, and fan hysteria is yet to cease even slightly- I challenge you to scroll down your news feed without finding something pertaining to Grimes’ new release. Understandable, considering the three year gap between it and it’s predecessor, the much loved Visions. Somewhere in the midst of all this frenzy, Grimes kicked off her Rhinestone Cowgirls tour, which will see her tour the U.S and Europe until finally making a stop down under for Laneway Festival. Last night, she blessed Atlanta with some fresh material straight from Art Angels, as well as including a very special guest, Janelle Monáe.
The tracklist for Art Angels only names two guests, one of them being Monáe, who worked with Grimes on track Venus Fly. While Grimes may not be a fan of utilising mass amounts of guest artists in her work, the move to include Monáe was a clever one. Besides from their talent, both women are similar in their breaking of any pre-conceived notions their audiences might have about what goes into creating a ‘good’ pop song. While sonically, they may sound vastly different, when working in conjunction with one another it creates something incredible.
Given that both women are also intensely superb performers, it’s no wonder that the video below is truly a sight to behold. If you’re like me, and have neglected to purchase a ticket to Laneway- I’d start saving now, and fast.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFkIF5rY0Q&w=560&h=315]
You can purchase tickets to Laneway here, and listen to Art Angels here.