Month: October 2021

It’s been six long years since Adele has dropped new music, but early this morning, the British singer made an exciting announcement via Instagram. In a brief clip, the 33-year-old shared the news that her new single, “Easy On Me” will be released on October 15th.

The video sees Adele sitting in a car, inserting a tape into the player, checking out her always perfect winged liner in the rear view mirror before turning up the volume. As the piano track begins, the mother of one takes off driving down a country lane, with her hand sitting outside the window, waving through the breeze.

Although the sneak peak doesn’t offer up any samples of Adele’s vocals, the tune feels on-brand and familiar when compared to her past work.

According to Variety, there’s been speculation that the “Rolling in the Deep” hitmaker is set to drop an album soon since billboards simply reading, “30” began appearing around the world.

In the past, Adele has named her albums after the age she was when she began working on them (19, 21, and 25). Seeing as she’s 33 now, it would make sense for her to have started her latest project three years ago, at the age of 30.

Adele and her team have yet to officially confirm that a new album is on the way, but the “Easy On Me” announcement straight from the source means that fans of the London native could be feasting on at least another single, if not an entire project before the year is up.

Watch the new clip below.

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Though Game Of Thrones was ultimately plagued by an unsatisfactory ending in the eyes of fans, there are many who still hold the epic fantasy series dear to heart. So much so that HBO decided to double down with a return trip to Westeros, with the upcoming prequel series House Of The Dragon.

Centered around the Targaryen dynasty 200 years before the events of Thrones, House Of The Dragon stars a stacked lineup of Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, and Fabien Frankel, among many others. Director Miguel Sapochnik, who delivered fan-favorite episodes like Hardhome and Battle Of The Bastards, is set to return as the co-showrunner. 

Today, HBO has delivered the first official trailer for House Of The Dragon, and while it doesn’t exactly provide the most substantial glimpse at the major plotline, there are plenty of intriguing moments and captivating visuals throughout. Many of the focal characters are present and accounted for, though for now, any Dragon sighting is purely proverbial. It’s likely that HBO is holding that particular card close to the chest, at least for now.

Still, expect plenty of intrigue, action, and betrayal throughout — who knows, perhaps House Of The Dragon will help rectify some of the wrongs put forth by the final Game Of Thrones season. Look for the Targaryen dynasty to bring fire and blood to the small-screen at some point next year, as the first season of House Of The Dragon hits HBO.

WATCH: House Of The Dragon official teaser trailer

Elron John has been building a close (and unlikely) friendship with Young Thug in recent years, taking a liking to the Atlanta rapper and collaborating on songs like “High.” Thugger is also featured on “Always Love You” with Nicki Minaj, a song that will be featured on Elton’s upcoming thirty-second studio album. 

During a recent interview with Billboard, the legendary musician spoke about his relationship with Young Thug, including some of the advice that he’s given the rapper. He also touched on Thug’s strong freestyle skills, comparing him to a celebrated rap icon.

 
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“He wanted to meet me…and we shot the breeze for 40 minutes,” said John about Young Thug. “He said, ‘What do you think? What advice would you give me?’ I said, ‘Did you sing in the choir?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, of course I sang in the choir. Gospel choir.’ I said, ‘Sing more. Don’t just rap, sing more, because the mixture of rap and musicianship and melody is what really makes rap take off.’ And he’s doing that now.”

John also spoke about Thug’s freestyle verse for “Always Love You,” recalling that he was “blown away.” “I mean, I’ve seen Marshall [Mathers] do it in Detroit, but I’ve never seen someone like Thug come in and do that,” he said.  “In the end, I had to leave because I think he felt a bit intimidated that I was there and I just wanted him to relax. But it’s just an amazing moment in my musical life… I have no understanding of how rap records are put together and it’s fascinating to watch.”

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What do you think of the advice that Elton gave Thug, and do you think Thug and Eminem have comparable freestyle skills?

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Brian Laundrie’s sister, Cassie, is speaking out amid her brother’s disappearance, sending a message to Gabby Petito’s father and claiming that she has absolutely no clue where her brother or her parents are.

Protestors have been outside of Cassie’s home ever since her brother became a suspect in the murder of Gabby Petito, his fiancée, whose body was found after a month-long investigation. Brian Laundrie is the main suspect in the death of Gabby Petito, and the public is convinced that he’s guilty — especially after he’s seemingly gone into hiding with the help of his parents. Dog The Bounty Hunter is presently looking for Laundrie, and somebody else claimed they spotted the man driving a pickup truck on the Appalachian Trail. 

Brian’s sister spoke outside her home with protestors, and she claimed that she knows nothing about her brother’s whereabouts, alleging that she has not contacted him, or their parents, in the last few weeks.

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“We have been cooperative with the police since September 11 when they called, I did not say that I saw my brother, I said I haven’t been able to speak to him in reference to the time when I was called by the police,” she said. “Since that point, I haven’t been able to speak to my brother.”

Cassie confirmed that Brian came to her house on September 1 with their parents, but they were in their Mustang, and not the van, as it was previously reported. 

“I did not know that he took that van back,” said Cassie. “I found out the next day like everyone else. We are just as upset, frustrated, and heartbroken as everybody else. And I am losing my parents and my brother and my children’s aunt and my future sister-in-law.”

She was pressed when she said she was losing her parents, explaining, “Because they’re not talking to us either. If I knew [why], I would say. I don’t know. I don’t know [if they’re involved.]”

Brian’s sister went on to send a message to Gabby Petito’s father, saying, “Not to upset Mr. Petito any further, but I did not get any phone calls from him in the days prior to September 11. I checked my phone records, I don’t see any, he may have had the wrong number.”

Check out what she had to say below.

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Meek Mill recently dropped off his new album Expensive Pain, his first release since Championships in 2018. Featuring guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Giggs, A$AP Ferg, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Kehlani, and more, the project is already projected to score between eighty-five and ninety-five thousand album-equivalent units.

Shortly after releasing the project, Meek took a moment to sit down with Gillie Da Kid and Wallo on A Million Dollaz Worth Of Game to discuss a variety of topics. Those familiar with Meek Mill and his story already understand that authenticity is part of his character, and it’s remained true to this day. It’s part of why many still view Meek as a “people’s champ” of sorts, relating to the Philadelphia rapper more so than many of his hip-hop peers.

John Shearer/Getty Images 

Throughout the two-hour-plus appearance, Meek covers topics like social media and its impact on relationships, the ongoing dangers of drug abuse, and more. One of the most interesting moments arises when Meek takes a firm stance against Percocet usage, a conversation that takes place around the twenty-five-minute mark. 

“If you take percs right now, you an asshole,” he states, drawing a line in the sand. “You could die off of just trying to get high, kill half your brain cells in your mind just by trying to get high. Nine times out of 10, when you get a Percocet off the street it’s probably gonna be a hit-up perc. They got tests on the Instagram, ain’t trying to do all that to get high, man.” 

There’s plenty more from Meek Mill to unpack throughout, and fans of the Expensive Pain rapper would be wise to check out his entire appearance on Gillie and Wallo’s Million Dollaz Worth Of Game below. 

WATCH: Meek Mill sits down on A Million Dollaz Worth Of Game

A number of high-profile NBA players have come out against the COVID-19 vaccine, fighting tooth and nail to remain unvaccinated before the start of next season. However, with so many cities, states, and businesses implementing vaccination guidelines on the public, asking them to be doubly-vaxxed before attending indoor sporting events and more, some people feel as though they have no choice but to get the jab if they want to continue living a “normal” life. Golden State Warriors player Andrew Wiggins spoke out during a recent press conference, telling reporters about his decision to get the vaccine after weeks of back-and-forth with the NBA about potentially getting a religious exemption (for which he was denied) and other workarounds.

On Monday, Wiggins provided some commentary on his decision to get vaccinated.

“The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA,” said the Canadian ballplayer. “It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I’m still healthy.”

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The former #1 draft pick asserted that he never intended on being vaccinated, but that he felt no choice.

“It’s not something I wanted to do, but I was kind of forced to,” he said. “I guess to do certain stuff — to work and all that — I guess you don’t own your body. That’s what it comes down to. You want to work in society today, then I guess they make the rules on what goes in your body and what you do.”

Wiggins ended the press conference with a message to other anti-vaxxers, saying that he wishes that other people don’t feel as much pressure as he did to get the jab.

Watch his comments about the vaccine below.

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50 Cent may be decently removed from the rap game, having shifted his sights to building a television empire, but the former Shady/Aftermath emcee has never strayed entirely from his roots. And while he’s spending the majority of his time and energy occupied on the ongoing Starz series BMF, Fif took a moment to celebrate one of his notable musical influences.

Taking to Instagram to pay homage, Fif shared a clip from the legendary Rakim’s Tiny Desk Concert, offering up a few words in celebration of his legacy. “If you don’t know who this is please don’t talk to me in life, please and thank you,” captions Fif, as Ra fires off rapid-fire bars from his classic Eric B collaboration “Know The Ledge.” 

 Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Given 50’s extensive history of trolling his fellow artists, it’s always nice to see him show love to some of the game’s legends. It’s also worth noting that Rakim, like 50, spent time signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records — though Ra’s tenure alongside the Doc was ultimately cut short over creative differences. Alas, we never got the chance to see 50 and Rakim connect as collaborators, with their shared placement on the 8 Mile soundtrack as close as we might come.

Check out 50’s kind words dedicated to one of the most influential rappers of all time below, and should you like what you hear, do yourself a favor and check out Rakim’s entire Tiny Desk Concert below. Do you think we’ll hear some of his music incorporated into 50’s television universe moving forward?

WATCH: Rakim’s Tiny Desk Concert

Yesterday, we were all granted a social media-free day, with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger all experiencing outages for much of Monday. Twitter was the go-to outlet for anybody wishing to communicate with their online friends, but even the Jack Dorsey-led platform was having some minor issues yesterday. It took hours for Facebook and Instagram to be restored, finally popping back up in the evening, but the damage had already been done and, unsurprisingly, a massive chunk was left missing from Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth as a result. 

According to Bloomberg, Zuck’s net worth dwindled by over $6 billion in a single day as the outages affected over a billion people worldwide. He’s still the fifth-richest person on the planet though, with a reported $121.6 billion to his name. Forbes is reporting that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, also saw a massive dip in her net worth, which was reduced to $1.9 billion.

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In addition to the user access issues, Facebook has been having a terrible week in the press as a whistleblower came out and spoke to 60 Minutes, making plenty of accusations against the company and revealing multiple internal practices. 

Many hip-hop stars have been commenting on the Facebook and Instagram outage, including Boosie Badazz, Offset, Wale, Busta Rhymes, Chika, Soulja Boy, Snoop Dogg, and others, who all kept Twitter alive with their takes on the shutdown.

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What did you do while Facebook and Instagram were down, causing Mark Zuckerberg to have $6 billion less than yesterday?

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