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Joey Purp returned earlier this month with a new single called “March 12th”, as well as a promise that even more material would soon be on the way. Today, he’s come through on his word, announcing a new project called Quarterthing. The forthcoming effort is due out September 7th. It marks his first major solo release since 2016’s iiidrops mixtape. According to a press release, the project was executive produced by Nate Fox, Nico Segal, and Peter Cottontale, members of the Chance the Rapper-affiliated group The Social Experiment. As a teaser, Chicago’s Young Purple has let loose another fresh track in “Bag Talk” and its corresponding music video. In the clip, Purp raps and serves up looks from his car, his emphatic flow a nice complement to Nez & Rio’s piano loop-filled production. Check it out below. In the time since dropping iiidrops, the Savemoney rapper has guested on tracks alongside Vic Mensa, Isaiah Rashad, Knox Fortune, and KAMI. Other Savemoney associates have also made the news recently: Vic Mensa announced a 10,000 sneaker charity giveaway today, and Chance the Rapper unleashed a new song titled “What’s the Hook?” last week. “Bag Talk” Artwork: Source

The Decemberists dropped their latest album, I’ll Be Your Girl, back in March. Over the weekend, the Portland indie outfit promoted the release with an appearance on CBS This Morning. (Read: Ranking: Every Decemberists Album From Worst to Best) Following an introduction from Anthony Mason (“An already inventive band reinvents itself”), The Decemberists performed their latest single, “Suckers Prayer” in front of a colorful, digital hillside backdrop. Instead of the poignant aesthetic and tall-guy dance moves of the song’s video, the scene stayed up as they went into “Once in My Life”. Off air, the group also played the I’ll Be Your Girl title track, which featured bassist Chris Funk standing awkwardly still beside frontman Colin Meloy until he had to tap out a short melody on his little synth controller. Check out videos of each song below. After wrapping up their latest tour leg with their Travelers’ Rest Festival in Montana earlier this month, The Decemberists are taking a slight break from the road. They’ll be back out playing shows again come fall, and you can check their full schedule at their website. Below, revisit the band’s recent interview on Kyle Meredith with… Source

Origins is a recurring new music feature that provides an artist the chance to dive deep into the inspirations behind their latest song. Former Kyuss drummer Brant Bjork is set to release his 13th solo album, Mankind Woman, on September 14th via Heavy Psych Sounds Records. The multi-instrumentalist previously shared the lead single “Chocolatize”, and now he’s back with a second helping of the record, “Swagger & Sway”. Strutting in on classic desert rock riffs from Bubba Dupree (Void, Hater), “Swagger & Sway” features a swinging, deep-pocketed grove from Bjork on drums. It all sounds like an effortlessly cool slice of psychedelic rock, but it didn’t come together so easily. As Bjork tells it to Consequence of Sound, even with “a good guitar, a solid groove and a cool melody and hook,” the track still wasn’t feeling right. He and Dupree ended up shelving it for some time, despite knowing they’d had the start of something good. Explaining how it finally all came together, Bjork continues, “It was arguably the last day we would have to make our final attempt to ‘find’ this song and in a moment of heated frustration, I seem to have an instant moment of rock ‘n’ roll clarity and suggested a entirely different melody and hook along with a totally different lyric, verse and chorus. All of which you hear now. My idea was to awake from the intoxicating guitar hook and counter the psychedelia with a more R&B approach. More Gutsy. More ‘in your face’. The balancing vibes were instantly perfect. The song that we had on the shelf of frustration for 2 weeks was completed in about 20 minutes.” Check it out below. For more on how “Swagger & Sway” found its, well, swagger, Bjork has broken down the song’s Origins. From drinking gin martinis to listening to James Brown and The Doors, find out what impacted the song below. Pre-orders for Mankind Woman are available via All That is Heavy and Amazon. Gin Martinis and Marijuana: My favorite cocktail is the classic gin martini, straight up, desert dry and with one olive (without the skewer). It’s an inspiring elixir that helped me find the heart of this song in my soul. Gin martinis don’t taste of rock-n-roll. The flavor and feel of a martini leads to jazz and blues. That why I love ’em. The only thing better than a gin martini is a gin martini and a joint of some savory sativa. This combo burrito is beyond words. When you want to swing from pocket to pocket, this is your vine. “Swagger & Sway” couldn’t taste quite so good without this duo. James Brown: What do you think of when you hear the term American outlaw? I think of James Brown. He was black, proud, had soul and was super bad. James Brown is now a ghost floating around all music that has funk. When I first heard Bubba Dupree’s guitar part for “Swagger & Sway”, I got on my knees and prayed to the Godfather. The Doors and Venice Beach: “The west is the best/ Get here and we’ll do the rest.” Those are Jim Morrison’s words and I’d bet you a bottle of Cutty Sark that he is referring to Venice Beach. Venice Beach is my home. It was Jim’s home and it is where “Swagger & Sway” became a song. The smell of the turbulent 60’s still lingers here in Venice. There is no sunset on good ‘ole planet Earth like a Venice Beach sunset. I remember one particular sun that set while I was tracking my last chorus here at my house in my kids’ bedroom. The sun that evening wouldn’t fully set until my last word was sung. Cream: Cream’s Disraeli Gears is my second favorite record of all time next to Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix. “Swagger & Sway” is named after all the mojo spells these two records conjured over the last 50 years. If these records were never created in that sweet and salty year of 1967, it’s likely I wouldn’t even exist. Sex is what makes humans try to turn the world around. It’s the be all and end all of high vibration. A reminder that the term “Sex, Drugs and Rock-n-Roll” always starts first with sex. If it don’t make you feel a little funny in the pants, then it ain’t Real Rock music. “Swagger & Sway” is what you do when you don’t give a fuck but you’ll take one. Source

I know that Mondays have a tendency to be quite the drag, so in your best interest, I wanted to premiere this new remix from Formal One bright and early to start your day. Taking crack at Blue Stahli’s “Not Over Til We Say So,” Formal One transformed this metalcore headbanger bonanza into more of a double-time dubstep banger. Vocals from Blue Stahli (with some help from Emma Anzai) still shine through clear as day with inflections and prosody keeping us grounded to the original, but the new production gives it a bright new coat that makes it seem like an entirely different vehicle (mostly because it is). The final drop reprises the same intensity as the first with crazy vocal chops and dastardly synths. Check out the official remix below now!  This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Your EDM Premiere: Blue Stahli – Not Over Til We Say So (Formal One Remix) Source

I know that Mondays have a tendency to be quite the drag, so in your best interest, I wanted to premiere this new remix from Formal One bright and early to start your day. Taking crack at Blue Stahli’s “Not Over Til We Say So,” Formal One transformed this metalcore headbanger bonanza into more of a double-time dubstep banger. Vocals from Blue Stahli (with some help from Emma Anzai) still shine through clear as day with inflections and prosody keeping us grounded to the original, but the new production gives it a bright new coat that makes it seem like an entirely different vehicle (mostly because it is). The final drop reprises the same intensity as the first with crazy vocal chops and dastardly synths. Check out the official remix below now!  This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Your EDM Premiere: Blue Stahli – Not Over Til We Say So (Formal One Remix) Source

Lzzy Hale sings with a passion, range and grit that rivals any vocalist in the rock world, and her voice rings as powerful as ever on Halestorm‘s new album, Vicious. A major theme that runs throughout Vicious is one of empowerment, and when we had the chance to speak with Lzzy about the new album, we wondered if and how the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements affected the songwriting for the disc. In addition, Halestorm are in the middle of the second of three legs on a tour with In This Moment and New Years Day. In a hard-rock universe that’s been historically dominated by males, the fact that three female-fronted bands have embarked on a highly successful tour speaks volumes about the recent rise of women in the scene, and Lzzy had a lot of poignant things to say about that, as well. We also wanted to get Lzzy’s take on the state of rock music today, and what she sees as the present and future of the scene. Read part one of Heavy Consequence‘s interview with Lzzy Hale below, as she tackles the aforementioned topics, and stay tuned for part two, in which she delves more into the music on Vicious. On whether the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements impacted the theme of empowerment on Vicious Traditionally, we stay away from religion and politics. That’s just not something we necessarily write about. But, especially now, it’s not just about politics — it’s the state of the world we live in. So all of those things do leach in, and so for me, the way that I handle most things is through music — not to sound like a total hippie — but in a lot of ways me processing what was going on in the world, whether that means me representing who I am as a female, or whether I was going to come from a position of power with my sex [themed] songs, as well, all of these things kind of factored themselves in. And so, yeah, I think it was kind of unavoidable, that even if we didn’t want to have some of those things creep in, I think there was really no choice. On why the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have affected Hollywood more than the music industry I just think that the movement starts where people are brave enough to speak up. I think that it will continue to be a ripple effect. I’m proud of the people who are unafraid to step up and say, “Hey look, here’s the problems that are happening and here’s where we need to fix things.” Because, honestly, if there isn’t any communication and we don’t talk about what’s going on, nothing ever changes.” As far my position on that, I mean I am a part of the rock world, and I talk about sex, and sex, drugs and rock n’ roll is very much alive in our world. Thankfully, we’ve never been in any situations where we can get called out on anything like that. But, it’s interesting, I don’t think it’s that the rock industry hasn’t been affected by it. I just think it’s gonna take a second for all of that to start coming out. The craziest thing right now that I’m seeing at our live shows, actually, has been, because of this newfound empowerment with women and all of these things going on, a tremendous shift in ticket sales, particularly at our shows, where traditionally it’s been 60-40 males to females, and now more females than males are buying tickets to see the rock shows — and so what we’re seeing firsthand, right in front of our eyes, that this heavy music is genderless. It’s really neat to see that live and in person right now. On the success of Halestorm’s tour with In This Moment and New Years Day, featuring three female frontwomen It’s amazing, and I’ve discussed this with [In This Moment’s] Maria Brink and [New Years Day’s] Ash Costello, ‘cause we’ve all been friends for years. We put together the first leg of this tour, more or less, because this when we all had some time to actually tour together — and we’d been threatening to tour together forever. But we didn’t realize just how important this tour was not just for us but for all of these girls. The fact that it’s successful — what an amazing thing to be a part of. We talk a lot about the evolution of our journeys that we’ve gone through in the industry. For instance, with me, in the beginning, my childhood naïveté to this business almost was a very important tool. I was raised in a household where we didn’t even discuss the fact that once you get in the real world, people are gonna tell you can’t do something because you’re a girl. Nobody even discussed that with me. So, we’d be touring or playing a gig, and i would be stringing my guitar, and somebody would always come up and be like, “Oh, my girlfriend never does that for me” or “The merch table is over there” or “Who are you dating in the band?” It wasn’t assumed that I was even involved in the band. So, you end up using that as a weapon later on, as in, OK, you’re not expecting me to be a part of the band, so I’m going to bring it.” Then you get to this middle stage, where you’re shopping to labels and trying to get your songs played on the radio, and I would get this over and over again from industry people, where they would say, “Look we love what you do, we think you’re talented but we don’t know what to do with you.” And of course I would inquire why, and they would say, “Well, you know, girls in rock — that’s a hard sell.” And even if you do get your song on a radio station, if the program director already has another girl on his playlist, they’ve already filled that novelty spot, which is what they were calling it at the time. So, then you have this act of defiance, in like, “Well that’s ridiculous, I’m just gonna keep doing it anyway.” When I was discussing this with Maria Brink, she said to me, “Isn’t it neat to be on the other side of this right now, and be these women who are able to stand on the stage and sell out these small amphitheaters and arenas, and look these girls in the eye and be like, “Look, regardless of what anybody told us on our way up, we’re here now and everything we’ve carved out and we’ve built, we’ve done on our own, and you can totally do that, too.” So that’s been the beautiful thing is to be an example to a lot of these young girls who are struggling with that right now. On the state of rock music, with hip-hop and pop dominating the overall charts these days I think that’s one of the beautiful things about this genre is that everyone who’s in it isn’t in it to make a million bucks and be popular, because that’s not always our M.O. Really, I think the last time that rock was truly in the mainstream was probably a point in time in the ‘90s when there was a lot of alternative that was on the pop charts. So, it’s just one of those things where it always comes back around. It never goes away, though, which I’m proud to say. It never really follows the trends. We’re always chasing after what gets us excited, and we’re just trying to move the needle within our own club. It is a reason why I’m so proud of this genre, and it is a reason why I never attempted to do anything crazy like, “Let’s go for a pop deal” or do something like that. I think it’s important to represent who you are, and rock n’ roll is a huge part of who I am. And it’s just fun. To be completely honest, that’s the bottom line. It’s the most fun genre of music to perform and to write. Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk these last couple of years because of Gene Simmons saying something about rock being dead. For heaven’s sake, we’re still touring. If it was dead, we’d be over. I think there’s this primal need to go to a show when you’re a rock fan. And it’s about that camaraderie and about that intangible feeling that we all get. The reason that you pick up an instrument or that you play that music — you don’t even really have an explanation when you’re a kid. It’s not like I have this philosophical answer as to why I love rock. It just feels good, and you feel like a badass. Rock n’ roll music is like that high school delinquent that gave you your first cigarette in the bathroom. No respect from the authorities and no respect from the teachers, but they are the coolest motherf—kers. You wanna be just like them. It’s funny, I’ve seen a lot of the rock attitude come into play in the rap world, where it’s like they’re angry or there’s this defiance going on and there’s a lot of danger, and it’s actually really encouraging, they’re opening the door for us to kind of move on in again. Maybe we’ll sit at the big kids table soon enough. Our thanks to Lzzy Hale for taking the time to speak with us. Pick up Halestorm’s new album, Vicious, at this location, and see the band’s upcoming tour dates here. Stay tuned for Part 2 of out interview, coming soon. Source

Israel’s inaugural Meteor Festival is set to debut next month, and the announcement that Lana Del Rey has joined the lineup has brought the singer no shortage of backlash. Yesterday, Del Rey took to Twitter to defend her booking, asserting that her decision to play the country “is not a political statement or a commitment to the politics.” Of late, a number of artists have boycotted the Israel over the country’s ongoing conflict with Palestine. “What I can tell you is I believe music is universal and should be used to bring us together,” Del Rey wrote. “We signed on to the show w the intention that it would be performed for the kids there and my plan was for it to be done w a loving energy w a thematic emphasis on peace. If you don’t agree with it I get it. I see both sides.” Later, Del Rey said that playing a show in California doesn’t mean she supports the actions of President Donald Trump, though was quick to add that she’s not “likening the gravity of certain travesties that have occurred in Israel to the current hardships we’re facing here.” pic.twitter.com/kQZRLnIMWO — Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) August 19, 2018 pic.twitter.com/EqkSb3wn1Q — Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) August 19, 2018 Several critics of Del Rey’s response have asserted that, in situations such as these, a person of her influence has an obligation to take a political stance. Similarly, the PACBI—the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel—issued a statement in response to Del Ray’s tweets. “We urge you to reconsider,” they wrote. “We doubt that you would have played in apartheid South Africa; likewise, artists refuse to play in apartheid Israel. Please respect our nonviolent picket line, and cancel your Meteor performance.” Del Rey, meanwhile, has reasserted that she doesn’t “have a political opinion” but that that’s “not going to stop me from sharing my political/personal passion for peace wherever I go.” I don’t not have a political opinion That’s what I’m stating. But it’s not going to stop me from sharing my political/personal passion for peace wherever I go. Im not a travel agent promoting tourism for each country I go to. I’m sharing my thoughtful genre of music wherever I go — Lana Del Rey (@LanaDelRey) August 19, 2018 Meteor Festival is set to unfold in in Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan, Israel on September 6th through 8th. Other artists set to perform include Pusha-T, Flying Lotus, Soulwax, Kamasi Washington, of Montreal, and Ariel Pink, among others. Supporters of the BDS Movement to boycott Israel include musicians Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Thurston Moore, and Kathleen Hanna, actors Mark Ruffalo and John Cusack, and writers Angela Davis and David Edgar. Last year, Lorde bowed to pressure and canceled a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv, while Nick Cave went through with his gig to “make a principled stand against anyone who wants to censor and silence musicians.” Radiohead, too, resisted calls to cancel their show in Tel Aviv last summer. Source

Cardi B is thoroughly enjoying motherhood, but would still like you to give her a call. That’s the gist of her stylish and futuristic new music video for “Ring”. The clip, which also stars collaborator Kehlani, finds Cardi literally tied up in cords and confusion after her beau suddenly decides to stop blowing up her phone. Both she and her R&B partner in crime are also seen hanging out in phone booths (remember what those are?) that float above the ocean. (Read: The Top 25 Albums of 2018… So Far) Watch it for yourself below. “Ring” follows similarly entertaining videos for smash hit “I Like It” and her “Girls” collaboration with Rita Ora, Charli XCX, and Bebe Rexha. Cardi recently pulled out of her massive tour with Bruno Mars, citing her health and newborn daughter Kulture as reasons for wanting to stay home. She is still hard at work on new material though, as she shared a snippet of new music the other week. The Invasion of Privacy rapper was just remixed by St. Vincent and is rumored to be releasing a new project in the coming months. She’s also set to perform at tonight’s Video Music Awards. Update: According to TMZ, Cardi B will not be performing as part of her appearance at the VMAs. Source

As previously reported, Korn singer Jonathan Davis’ wife Deven died at the age of 39 on Friday. The couple were apparently estranged, with TMZ reporting that Jonathan filed a restraining order against Deven that very same day. In court documents, according to TMZ, Jonathan had claimed that Deven was abusing drugs, stating that she was “constantly under the influence of the nitrous oxide, cocaine and Norco”, and alleging that he had found her passed out near drug paraphernalia on one occasion. While Deven’s cause of death has not been revealed, Korn’s former manager Jeff Kwatinetz suggested that she died as a result of an overdose in a tweet he sent out on Sunday: My thoughts and prayers go out to one of my closest friends and a truly great human who I love, Jonathan davis, on the death of his wife from an OD. I pray for his kids and family. I knew Deven and no one deserves to struggle w addiction and die. Too often, too much! — Jeff Kwatinetz (@JeffKwatinetz) August 19, 2018 Meanwhile, Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer expressed his condolences in an Instagram post, stating, “Our prayers are with The Davis family at this difficult time. Jonathan, your wife will no longer suffer all of the demons. She is now with God. May she Rest In Peace & may you trust that me, your band, our families are here for you & will together help you and your boys to heal. We love you so much. -The Shaffer Family.” Fellow Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch offered his sympathies via Instagram with a simple shattered heart graphic. It recently appeared that Korn were in the studio working on their 13th studio album. The band also has three California dates scheduled for September in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their 1998 multiplatinum album Follow the Leader. Source

Shortly after his passing in 2009, Michael Jackson’s Thriller surpassed The Eagles’ anthology, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), to become the best-selling album of all time in the US. Now, though, the Recording Industry Association of America has retabulated the numbers, and it turns out The Eagles have taken back the best-seller crown — and they’ve done it decisively. According to the RIAA, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), the first album ever to go platinum, has now done so 38 times, meaning it’s sold more than 38,000,000 copies. Thriller, meanwhile, sits at 33x platinum since last being counted in 2017. Those numbers, of course, include streaming, which the RIAA began counting in 2013. (1,500 streams of an album equal one sale, while 10 song downloads also equal a complete album sale.) Thriller still holds the top spot in worldwide sales, however, with 47 million copies sold. (If we want to get picky, it also still holds the record for best-selling studio album, since Their Greatest Hits is a compilation.) (Read: The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time) Further proving the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ immense popularity, The Eagles’ other 1976 release, Hotel California, sits at No. 3 all-time at 26x platinum. Eagles frontman Don Henley released a statement acknowledging the new record, saying, “We are grateful for our families, our management, our crew, the people at radio, and, most of all, the loyal fans who have stuck with us through the ups and downs of 46 years. It’s been quite a ride.” Tour Update: Fleetwood Mac Announces Extensive North American Tour Shania Twain Tour Sizzle Smashing Pumpkins House Party Lady Gaga - A Star is Born Trailer Paul McCartney's Top 5 Non Beatles Songs Tour Update: Florence + The Machine Announces North American Tour & New Album, 'High As Hope' Source

Earlier this month, police paraded a “bait truck” full of free Nike sneakers around Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood in hopes of luring out would-be thieves. The controversial sting operation has since drawn backlash from the ACLU and community leaders who say the resources could’ve been put to better use — especially in an area plagued by gun violence. “Police in Chicago must focus on building trust and better relationships within the communities they serve, not engage in stunts like bait trucks,” Karen Sheley, director of the ACLU of Illinois’ police practices project, told the press. “The Chicago Police Department admits that it can’t solve murders and violent crimes because communities of color don’t trust the Chicago police. These stunts won’t help.” Now, local rapper and activist Vic Mensa is taking matters into his own hands. At the same site where the original sting happened, Mensa will host an “anti-bait truck” to give away thousands of free shoes to those in need, as the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “Chicago Police escorted a ‘bait-truck’ full of shoes through the South Side of Chicago to lure poor people with FREE NIKES. So we’re filling a truck with shoes to give away to those who need it,” Mensa wrote on Twitter. “We wanted to do something in response, but have a positive response,” added Laundi Keepseagle, the executive director of Mensa’s SaveMoneySaveLife foundation, which is putting together the huge back-to-school charity event. Anyone can donate a pair of shoes via this Amazon Wishlist. Over 3,000 have already been collected, but the foundation is hoping to amass 10,000 pairs by the time of the giveaway. Last week Chicago Police escorted a “bait-truck” full of shoes through the South Side of Chicago to lure poor people with FREE NIKES. So we’re filling a truck with shoes to give away to those who need it. Buy a pair and donate here:https://t.co/8xkLTHTEhX pic.twitter.com/Tp6X8iZ4Ch — vino valentino (@VicMensa) August 17, 2018 Last week the Chicago Police set up a bait trap by putting a truck full of tennis shoes in the hood then arresting any kids who took a pair. So – let's buy THOUSANDS of shoes for every kid in Chicago who needs a pair. ORDER TONIGHT @ https://t.co/aNWxI4MijJ pic.twitter.com/GUWp7WvOTq — Shaun King (@shaunking) August 16, 2018 Over the years, Mensa has used his platform as a musician to shine a light on controversial police practices in his hometown of Chicago. In 2015, he joined a protest against the white police officers involved in the racially-charged shooting of unarmed black teen Laquan McDonald. Mensa continued to take a hard stance against police brutality in his powerful music video for “16 Shots”, released the following year. In July, Mensa returned with a new single called “Metaphysical”. His last album, The Autobiography, was one of the best of 2017. Source

Lovett or Leave It is a weekly podcast hosted by former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett in which he and a panel of guests dissect the week’s headlines with a humorous and snarky slant. If you’re still looking for something fill the void created when Jon Stewart departed The Daily Show, it’s a pretty great option. Understandably, Omarosa Manigault Newman’s new book was a major topic on the latest episode of Lovett or Leave It, and none other than CHVRCHES singer Lauren Mayberry was brought in to narrate a passage. “I’m not from here so my accent won’t fit with the reading — but I’ll try,” the Scottish-born Mayberry said before reading an excerpt in which Omarosa exaggeratedly recounts her firing from the White House. Hilariously, Mayberry pointed out several grammatical issues found within the book as she read through it. You can listen to the episode here (Mayberry enters at the 15:40 mark). During a recent appearance on Kyle Meredith With…, Mayberry shared her perspective on American politics as an outsider and why she feels a need to use the band’s platform to give voices to people who aren’t being heard. Listen below. Source

Many are hailing Spike Lee’s latest film, BlacKkKlansman, as the auteur writer/director’s best work in years. However, not everyone is onboard with those positive opinions. Boots Riley, the Coup member who just made his writing and directorial debut with Sorry to Bother You, has issued a scathing three-page “political critique” of the movie, pointing out the numerous creative licenses Lee took with the “true” story. Riley opens his note by saying he holds Lee “in highest respect as a filmmaker,” clarifying that the ensuing comments aren’t “an aesthetic critique of the masterful craftwork of this film…” However, he then digs into how “BlacKkKlansman is not a true story… It’s a made up story in which the false parts of it to try to make a cop the protagonist in the fight against racist oppression. It’s being put while Black Lives Matter is a discussion, and this is not coincidental.” [sic] He then goes into what appears to be a carefully researched explanation of the real-life story of Ron Stallworth, the police office at the center of Lee’s film (played by John David Washington). He digs into how the real-life Stallworth was a member of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program (Cointelpro), which would infiltrate “Black radical organizations” in order to sabotage them. When these same undercover agents infiltrated White Supremacist groups, “They weren’t disrupted,” Riley writes. “It was to use them to threaten and/or physically attack radical organizations.” Riley also points out that Stallworth’s partner who actually infiltrated the KKK was not Jewish, as Adam Driver’s character Flip Zimmerman is in the movie. “This was a made up thing to raise the stakes and make it seem like the cops were sacrificing more than they were,” Riley contends. All of this, Riley suggests, was to make the police characters appear more like heroes. “For Spike to come out with a movie where a story points are fabricated in order to make Black cop and his counterparts look like allies in the fight against racism is really disappointing, to put it very mildly,” Riley writes. He then references his own 2016 essay about Chi-raq, saying that alongside BlacKkKlansman, “the two films say together: ‘Black folks need to stop worrying about police violence and worry about what they’re doing to each other – plus the police are against racism anyway.'” To conclude, Riley makes one final suggestion: “By now, many folks know that Spike Lee was paid over $200k to help in a pro-police ad campaign that was ‘aimed at improving relations with minority communities.’ Whether it actually is or not, Blackkklansman feels like an extension of that ad campaign.” Read the full letter below. Ok. Here's are some thoughts on #Blackkklansman. Contains spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't seen it and you don't wanna spoil it. pic.twitter.com/PKfnePrFGy — Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) August 17, 2018 Source

The Lowdown: It says something about the successes of Ariana Grande that it feels as if she’s been around forever, even though her music career only began in 2013. Well, half a decade is a long time in pop music, where careers could be measured in dog years. But despite the fact that Sweetener is Grande’s fourth album, she’s only 25, and, like many people in their mid-twenties, she’s still growing. On Sweetener, her often delightful and sometimes maddening new record, she displays a newfound maturity and a refreshing taste in off-kilter beats. The Good: Sweetener opens with a run of infectiously fun Pharrell productions. Standouts include “Blazed”, which is somehow not about smoking weed, and “The Light Is Coming”, which is sonically linked to Pharrell’s song “Lemon” since both sample angry voices at a 2009 Pennsylvania town hall meeting. The beginning of the album is pure fire, a dose of sonic joy. The first single, and the first song she released in the aftermath of a terrorist attack at her 2017 concert in Manchester, England, is “No Tears Left to Cry”. Instantly, it became one of Grande’s signature songs, and it seems increasingly likely that she’ll still be belting it out in arenas years from now. The Bad: “God Is a Woman” is a bit of plain, unremarkable sex, as forgettable as a one-night stand. While radio will love “Breathin”, it offers what might be the year’s least helpful advice for managing anxiety: “Just keep breathin’ and breathin’ and breathin’,” she repeats, over and over again, as if we were all in danger of doing the opposite. “Borderline” features Missy Elliott with one of the year’s laziest guest verses. And on the too-cute “Goodnight and Go”, when Grande sings, “Just say goodnight and go,” it’s tempting to take her advice before the song puts you to sleep. The Verdict: It’s rare for an album with so many stunning moments to suddenly become so aggressively mediocre. Still, the highs of Sweetener outweigh the lows. But with such lofty highs, it’s hard to be content with the album that is and not think about what the album might have been. Essential Tracks: “No Tears Left to Cry”, “Blazed”, and “The Light Is Coming” Source

You may remember that last week, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America? followed an ex-con who tried to make it in the DJ world by making tracks full of jail sounds. What was created was a beautiful mix of beats and real life samples resulting in one of the most intense builds we’ve ever experienced in our lives. Well we’ve now been given the tune in full and it’s been made available for free download! Check out the whole tune below (produced by Hudson Mohawke) and tell us if it’s as good as you remember! While you’re at it go give ex prisoner, Rick Sherman’s (DJ 5olitary) twitter page a follow and watch him as he tries to come up in the scene! Source

Vancouver based EDM lord Ekali has taken to Twitter to blast homophobia and “hateful gay rehetoric” being left on his content. His first tweet about the situation simply said, “If you’re homophobic my music isn’t for you. Kindly fuck off.” He then followed this up with another tweet wherein he came out as bisexual and mentioned how sick he was of homophobic comments on his music and posts. “Yes I’m bisexual. Stop leaving hateful gay rhetoric on my content. Thank you.” This has once again brought up the problem of bro-culture and homophobia in EDM and we’re keen to hear what you think! Check out the tweets below listen to some of his sweet beats and head over to Ekali’s twitter to send him your love. Yes I’m bisexual. Stop leaving hateful gay rhetoric on my content. Thank you. — EKALI (@EkaliMusic) August 19, 2018 Source

The day was Wednesday September 14, 2016, the time was 10:37 P.M., and the location was Papa John’s Pizza in Tallahassee, Florida. A slow night indeed, for many people in Tally were getting ready for Getter’s show instead of ordering pizza. I sadly twiddled my thumbs near the pizza oven, knowing the co-producer of a song I had recently become obsessed with, “Blood” was a 5-minute bike ride down the street about to perform, and that I, a college student, legitimately could not afford the $20 ticket. Listen to the song and you may understand why I proceeded to do what I did on this currently daunting but potentially epic night. With no calls to answer, no pizzas to make, and no money in my pocket, I decided to do what I do best, scheme. Scheme hard. I realized that money isn’t the only form of currency, and that I, a pizza maker, was standing next to a 10-minute old form of glorious dough- no pun intended. I had recently added a topping to a pizza that the orderer did not want, and when we messed up pizzas at our Papa John’s, there was not much to do but put it to the side and eat it when we got off work. This was it- my ticket to Getter would be in the form of pizza, and the clock ticked loudly as I looked up and saw that I was finally off work. I asked my manager if he wanted any of the mistake pizza and miraculously he said no. I swiftly grabbed the pie, threw it in a bag, and hung the bag from the handle bar of my bike. Covered in flour, without a care in the world, I somehow managed to ride my bike to the venue with a large pizza pie dangerously hanging from my rickety handlebars. I walked up, in full uniform, to the venue security, and stated that I had an order for Tanner Petulla. They immediately got someone to take me back to his tour bus so I could deliver him a pizza that he did not order. On the way back, in full performance mode, I asked the guy “so what is this, one of those techno shows?” He looked at me in shock, like I was the dumbest human being he’d ever met, and of course, my basshead friend who happened to be working security that night yells “GIRL WHY AREN’T YOU HERE? YOU LOVE DUBSTEP!!!” I cannot make this up. I go “shhhhhh” and proceed on with my plan. This was it, the moment I had been planning for all night. I was going to pay for my Getter ticket with Getter’s money. I knocked on his tour bus door and there he was. “An order for Tanner”. He seemed a bit flustered, I mean he was literally about to go on stage, and here I am, a sweaty, flour coated idiot holding my hand out for payment. He takes the pizza, hands me $20, says to keep the change, and closes the tour bus door. You would not believe the feeling of success that washed over me. Not only did he buy the pizza, but he gave me the exact amount that I needed to purchase a ticket. I pranced over to the counter and reveled in sweet victory as I skipped into the venue in my Papa John’s uniform with the glorious, high pitched noises of “Blood” pumping in the background. The post The Time I Delivered a Pizza to a Dubstep DJ appeared first on EDM Maniac. Source

Asia Argento paid off a former child actor who she allegedly assualted when he was 17 years old, according to The New York Times. The Italian actress, who was one of the first to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, is alleged to have had sexual intercourse with her former co-star Jimmy Bennett. Argento and Bennett appeared together in the 2004 film, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. The two remained close in the proceeding years, often referring to each other as “mother” and “son” in social media postings. In May of 2013, they met at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, California in 2013. It was then that Argento allegedly gave Bennett alcohol and had sexual intercourse with him. At the time, Bennett was only two months past his 17th birthday, while Argento was 37. The age of consent in California is 18. Later that day Argento posted a photo of the pair together on Instagram with the caption, “Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox.” In November 2017, a month after Argento came forward with her own accusations of assault against Weinstein, Bennett sent Argento a notice of intent to sue. In the notice, Bennett explained that seeing Argento “present herself as a victim of sexual assault was too much to bear… and called up memories of their hotel reunion,” according to The Times. Bennett asked for $3.5 million in damages for “the intentional infliction of emotional distress, lost wages, assault and battery.” Argento and Bennett subsequently settled out of court, with Argento agreeing to pay $380,000 over the course of a year and a half, starting with an initial payment of $200,000 that was made in April. Under terms of the deal, Bennett relinquish the copyright of an intimate photo he took with Argento in bed. Neither Argento nor her lawyers responded to The Times’ requests for comment. Earlier this year, Argento’s boyfriend, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, died by suicide. Source

This is not a drill folks, Spotify has listed a job for an Editor | Music Programmer. It’s time to put all those hours of playlist making in bed until 3am to good use! The job sounds like the stuff of dreams, involving curating content and playlists with a focus on domestic artists and genres. While it sounds pretty cruisey there’s no doubt that a lot would be expected of you, and it asks for 5 years of music industry experience and asks you to be able to “lean on a good reputation and a strong network within the Australian and New Zealand music industry”. The job’s based in Sydney, but sounds like a pretty cool opportunity for the right people! Is this something you could see yourself doing? You can check the full job listing here. Source

Subscribe via iTunes | Google Play | Stitcher | Podchaser | RSS “Michael!” Welcome back Huskers to another episode of Halloweenies, a limited series on the Consequence Podcast Network. If you recall, McKenzie Gerber, Dan Caffrey, Justin Gerber, and Michael Roffman are carving out one Halloween movie at a time leading up to the October 19th release of David Gordon Green’s highly anticipated sequel. This month, the four Halloweenies head out to California for a little off-campus lunch with the one and only Laurie Strode in 1998’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Directed by Steve Miner, this blockbuster sequel saw the return of Jamie Lee Curtis take on the Shape in what ideally would have been the final entry in the fractured franchise. So, comb your hair and listen above. Chapters include: — Introductions — Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Tweet (16:15) — Smith’s Grove Archives (27:30) — WKNB (58:15) — Michael Myers Was 21 (1:12:45) — September Girls (1:30:00) — Buds and Bobs (2:12:00) — And One of Them Was Annie! (2:40:15) — One Good Scare (2:47:15) — Getoutnow! (2:51:15) — The Mark of Thorn (2:54:25) — Overall Thoughts (2:57:00) — Outro (3:07:00) Source

There’s an episode of The Office where Dwight tricks Angela into marrying him by staging a wedding demonstration with a real priest. That’s essentially what Winona Ryder thinks happened with Keanu Reeves 25 years ago on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stroker’s Dracula — and she believes the two might still be actually married. In one of the films many memorable scenes, Ryder and Reeves’ characters wed while a jealous Dracula transforms their friend into a vampire. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly during promotion of the actors’ new film, Destination Wedding, Ryder jokingly said she thinks the priest in the scene was legit, and that she and Reeves are still husband and wife. “We actually got married in Dracula,” she said “No, I swear to god I think we’re married in real life. In that scene, Francis [Ford Coppola] used a real Romanian priest. We shot the master and he did the whole thing. So I think we’re married.” Reeves apparently didn’t have as clear a recollection of the moment as Ryder did, though. “Don’t you remember that?” she asked her co-star. Eventually it clicked, and he replied in typical Reevesian fashion, “Oh my gosh, we’re married.” Now, you might think this is all a bunch of quirky humor from the Stranger Things star aimed at The One. But if Wikipedia is to be believed, the pair will truly never part, Scott Mackinlay Hahn be damned: Revisit the eternal bonding of the happily — if accidentally — wedded couple below. Source

A man was found dead on I-80 in Salt Lake City outside of Das Energi festival, which took place over this weekend at The Great Saltair. Now, troopers are hoping his wardrobe and tattoos will help to identify his body. According to KSL, emergency dispatchers received reports of a body lying in the westbound lanes of I-80 at the state Route 202 overpass around 3:35 a.m. When troopers arrived, they found a deceased man on the road and he appeared to have been struck by several vehicles. It’s unclear whether this person was a festival goer or not. Utah Highway Patrol says the victim was “wearing faded gray jeans, a white T-shirt with a floral pattern, and white Nike high-top sneakers.” Description of tattoos: A tattoo on his right forearm with the words “live free” A large tattoo on his torso with the word “Freedom” A tattoo of the Statue of Liberty on his left forearm A tattoo of brass knuckles with wings and the word “Restless” on his chest A tattoo on his left arm with the words “Die Fighting” Anyone with information about the incident or the man’s identity is encouraged to call the Utah Highway Patrol dispatch center at 801-887-3800. Source: KSL This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Troopers Ask For Help Identifying Man Found Dead Near Music Festival Source

Perth festival, ORIGIN Fields has just dropped an enormous lineup for their 2018 iteration. The festival is taking place from December 30-31 at Langley Park on Perth’s Foreshore and boasts a ridiculous lineup so far. It brings a huge amount of diversity, with headlines from The Kooks to Cardi B, Migos and more, but these names mean less to us than a lot of the killer dance lineup. The festival is hosting some of our faves, including Bonobo Pendulum [live], Mr Carmack, Pnau and Hayden James. Then there’s a bunch more names up our alley including those of Duke Dumont, Keys N Krates, SAFIA, Tchami x Malaa and honestly there’s so much more you really need to scope for yourself! Scan the full first announce below tell us what you think, will you be heading along? You can grab tix here if it’s tickling your fancy! AJ TRACEY BONOBO [DJ SET] CARDI B (One of two Australian performances) DUKE DUMONT FLAVA D HABSTRAKT HAYDEN JAMES HYPE & HAZARD KEYS N KRATES KHALID (AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE) THE KOOKS MIGOS (One of two Australian performances) MIJA MR CARMACK PENDULUM [LIVE] (AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE) PNAU ROLLING BLACKOUTS COSTAL FEVER SAFIA SAMPA THE GREAT SASASAS SIGMA [DJ SET] SUPERDUPERKYLE SPACE LACES TASH SULTANA TCHAMI X MALAA [NO REDEMPTION] VIRTUAL RIOT WHETHAN WINSTON SURFSHIRT Source

EMPIRE’s George drops another infectious hit single Hot off of the release of his hit remix featuring Yo Gotti, Gorgeous George The Pimp God is back with his new single “Bagg.” The track was just released via Ghazi Shami’s record label and distribution company EMPIRE. Gorgeous George (A.K.A. Mr. So Drippy) doesn’t do anything on a small scale including making sure that he always secures the “Bagg” for every single thing that he does. With millions of views on WorldStarHipHop and opening/headlining shows with the likes of 2Chainz, Plies, Lil Boosie, Young Jeezy, K Camp, Meek Mill, Kevin Gates and etc., to the now infamous F**K RICH GANG show in Jackson, MS with Lil Wayne, a NuMoney Inc. event. Gorgeous George has truly come full circle. He recently finished up yet another national tour with Scarface. Word has it that GGPG is currently in negotiations with several major labels. It really looks as if 2018 is destined to be “GORGEOUS”. Listen above. The post Gorgeous George is After the “Bagg” : Listen appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

When Aretha Franklin passed away last week, tributes promptly poured in from fans of all kinds, famous, presidential, and otherwise. Now, everyone will have the chance to pay their respects to the late Queen of Soul when her body is laid in repose later this month. An open casket viewing for the iconic singer will be held in her hometown of Detroit on August 28th and 29th. From 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day, admirers can visit Franklin at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, one of her favorite spots to visit in Motown. A private funeral, limited to friends and family, will take place on August 31st. Below, revisit Ariana Grande’s tribute performance of “Natural Woman” on The Tonight Show. Source