If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, then you may recognize Nathalie Emmanuel. She played Missandei, The Mother of Dragons right hand lady for much of the series until her unceremonious end. Now Emmanuel has see a ton of success since GoT and her newest project is alongside Omar Sy (Lupin) and Sam Worthington (Avatar) in ‘The Killer’ from legendary action director John Woo.
Get this “The Killer’ is actually a remake of Woo’s 1989 thriller from Hong Kong, with the same title no less.
‘The Killer’ also includes Diana Silvers, Eric Cantona, Saϊd Taghmaoui Tchéky Karyo and Grégory Montel. Angeles Woo and Aurélia Agel in the ensemble cast.
From the official synopsis:
The kinetic action thriller stars Emmy nominee Emmanuel as Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler (Worthington), Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman (Silvers) in a Paris nightclub, the decision will disintegrate Zee’s alliances, attract the attention of a savvy police investigator (Sy), and plunge her into a sinister criminal conspiracy that will set her on a collision course with her own past.
‘The Killer’ is produced by Academy Award winner Charles Roven, Alex Gartner, John Woo, and Lori Tilkin deFelice. The screenplay is penned by Brian Helgel and the duoJosh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. Executive producer are Terence Chang, Mark Gordon, Matt Jackson, and Robin Mulcahy Fisichella.
Numbers don’t lie. Same goes for Beyoncé’s country album, “Cowboy Carter,” which has experienced a huge uptick on the Billboard charts since its release in late March.
Now we all know, initially, the album debuted at No. 1 across various rankings but then began to slip and slide, and let’s be real – that happens.
Forbes reports that just this week, “Cowboy Carter” has shot up like nobody’s business, on the American charts, regaining significant popularity.
Get this, according to Billboard, the album sold (combined all streaming and comparable metrics) an additional 24,000 copies in the past tracking week, with an eye popping 23,000 of those being vinyl sales. So if you’re not good at math, this represents a 3,550% increase in vinyl sales from the previous week. Diving into the album’s sales across all formats, including CDs and digital downloads, it grew by 1,673%.
Why? Well, perhaps the surge in sales is attributed to the release of the deluxe edition on vinyl, which spurred a wave of purchases. A ha, that’s all you have to do, huh? Take note up and coming artists with massive marketing machines. Once these records shipped, they were counted towards the Billboard totals, showing a strong interest in the extended version of the album. And boom, there you have it.
So this all resulted in “Cowboy Carter” take back control of the No. 1 spot on the Vinyl Albums chart, marking its seventh week at the top and its second non-consecutive turn in that position.
Guess country is winning, well at least when Beyoncé does it her way like the Queen she is.
Nick Cannon and Bre Tiesi went in, in to celebrate their son, Legendary Love, who just turned two.
PEOPLE reported the event. And if you’re into themes, the couple hosted a Baby Shark-themed birthday bash, as shown in photos shared on Instagram throughout the week.
Here’s the post:
“LEGENDARY LOVE CANNON IS OFFICIALLY TWO! THE BABY SHARK THEME WAS A HIT ,” wrote Tiesi, 33, in her caption.
If you want kid party ideas, the event featured bubbles, sprinkler games, desserts, face painting, and a mobile aquarium, allowing some underwater friends to join in on the fun. Sharing videos from the special day on Instagram, Tiesi added, “We will celebrate you today and every day little baby shark! we love you leggy Thank you so everyone who made celebrating that much better .”
I know ya’ll know but in addition to Legendary, Cannon is the father of 11 other children: 13-year-old twins Morocco and Monroe, whom he shares with ex Mariah Carey; sons Golden Sagon, 7, and Rise Messiah, 21 months, as well as daughter Powerful Queen, 3½, whom he shares with Brittany Bell.
Whew.
Cannon, 43, also shares twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, 3, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, 20 months, with Abby De La Rosa; daughter Onyx Ice Cole, 19 months, with LaNisha Cole, and daughter Halo Marie, also 19 months, with Alyssa Scott. He and Scott also shared son Zen, who died at 5 months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Earlier this year, the Wild N’ Out host told PEOPLE about the most rewarding part of being a dad to this many kids: “Just hearing your kids say, ‘I love you, Daddy.’ You know what I mean?” Cannon shared.
And there you have it. The second birthday bash of all birthday parties.
R&B icon Usher received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards on Sunday night, held at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.
The “You Got it Bad” singer, who has had a standout year, was celebrated with a tribute medley from an all-star ensemble featuring performances by Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Summer Walker, Teyana Taylor, Childish Gambino, Victoria Monét, Marsha Ambrosius, Chlöe Bailey, and Latto.
Here’s when his big moment took a turn. When Usher took the stage to accept his award, viewers at home noticed that his speech was heavily censored. Like weird muting all over the place.
On Monday, BET clarified that the muting was due to a technical issue. Oh, that part.
“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor. Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted,” BET declared in a statement.
“We extend our sincere apologies to USHER as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in Culture’s Biggest Night. Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET.”
During the parts that we could hear during the speech, Usher reflected on his 30-year career, expressing gratitude to those who supported him along the way. As expected. He also got relatable, delving into personal matters, discussing his journey to forgive his absent father and his efforts to co-parent with his ex-wife, Tameka Foster.
“We gotta be willing to forgive. We gotta be willing to be open. I’m telling you — you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up, ever, and look at what I made with it,” he said onstage. “Look at what I was able to usher in. That’s what’s real and that’s what makes us human.” Get this, Usher made those remarks while standing onstage alongside fellow industry icons Babyface, L.A. Reid, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Jermaine Dupri.
ICYMI, in addition to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Usher snagged the award for Best R&B Male Artist.
Usher, stay winning. CLAPPING EMOJI CLAPPING EMOJI, TROPHY EMOJI. Spelling that out was on purpose, ya’ll – ha!
The BET Awards are today (June 30) and the stars are set to hit the stage. Donald Glover, known musically as Childish Gambino, is poised to perform at the BET Awards this Sunday. The actor, writer producer and occasional musician/rapper will be sharing the stage with newly announced artists Chlöe, Coco Jones, Keke Palmer, Marsha Ambrosius, and Summer Walker.
Get this, Childish Gambino’s return to the stage comes amid rumors of a new album titled “Lithonia”, which Glover clarified on Instagram Live is actually a single. He attributed the leak to Audiomack and revealed that his new project is a soundtrack album titled “Bando Stone & the New World”, though details about the accompanying film remain scarce. Glover explained, “I’m trying to have fun. Because I feel like there’s just people not having enough fun… Even this year, the most fun we had was from a fight…which I enjoyed every minute of. But still kind of negative in a certain light, I guess.”
What’s cool is the Hollywood tie-in to the BET Awards which will also feature presenters such as Andra Day, Colman Domingo, DC Young Fly, Devale Ellis, Jay Ellis, Ms. Pat, Niecy Nash-Betts and her wife Jessica Betts, and Saucy Santana.
ICYMI, previously announced participants include host Taraji P. Henson, lifetime achievement honoree Usher, and performers like GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Tyla, Victoria Monét, and YG Marley. Will Smith is also slated to perform his new song, “You Can Make It,” featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir. The motivational track follows Smith’s return to the spotlight with the film “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”.
What’s probably just as exciting is the carpet. BET detailed their red carpet live show, produced by Matasa Williams, with host Terrence J and performances by Too $hort, Lil’ Mo, Blxst & Bino Rideaux, Connie Diiamond, 4batz, Hunxho, Kalan.FrFr, Mariah The Scientist, October London, Remy Ma, Tee Grizzley, 310babii, and DJ Quik. Pretty Vee will serve as a correspondent, Tank will host a style stage, Mouse Jones will host a live stream, and Jae Murphy will be the resident DJ.
If you want to check it all out, BET Awards will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theater, with Drake leading the nominations with seven nods. Oh, and that part. Period.
Lil Wayne has entered the chat and the timing feels right now that the beef, feud or what you ever you want to call the rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has simmered down. Since the Pop Out concert ended, or maybe even before, there’s been more chatter than ever about where Drizzy or K. Dot stand in the grand scheme of greatest rappers ever.
But Tunechi has thoughts from his perspective. The “A Milli” rapper recently shared his top five rappers in an interview with Cam Heyward for his podcast “Not Just Football.” Check out the clip below.
Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., and Drake.
He notably left out Kendrick. Are we surprised? Was he way off? On point or just expressing his subjective opinion?
We all know Wayne and Drake are not only friends but Weezy paved the way for the 6 God from Young Money and beyond. So makes sense after all Drake has accomplished, that he include him on his list.
Most fans have been interested in Lil Wayne’s position on the whole beef thing, especially after Kendrick name dropped him in his hit record “Not Like Us.”
ICYMI Dot, referred to allegations about Drake and Lil Wayne’s girlfriend during Lil Wayne’s time in prison, along with his tattoo tribute to Wayne. Lil Wayne indirectly acknowledged the incident in an interview but seemed unfazed by the controversy. So how hard did that bar really hit?
Curiosity turned up after a clip from a recent Lil Wayne concert showed Kendrick’s track playing, leading some to wonder about Lil Wayne’s stance on the whole beef. But before you gasp, it was later clarified that this was simply a DJ’s introduction. Okay, exhale.
Anyway I think Weezy dropping his list, naming Drake and leaving out Dot, says a lot. What do ya’ll think?
The Drake, Kendrick drama continues, this time in the form of big tech, music labels, lawsuits and artificial intelligence. A group of major record labels, represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), is suing two AI startups, Suno and Uncharted Labs (developer of Udio), for allegedly using copyrighted music without permission to train their AI systems.
The RIAA, acting on behalf of labels such as Sony Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, and Warner Records, has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Suno and Uncharted Labs. The lawsuits claim that these companies used unlicensed sound recordings to train their AI models.
So what exactly is Udio? Founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, Udio, is known for creating “BBL Drizzy,” an AI-generated song that went viral during a dispute between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Udio aims to make it “easy for anyone to create emotionally resonant music in an instant” and raised $10 million in funding in April. Suno, which enables users to create songs with simple prompts and relies on OpenAI’s ChatGPT for lyrics, raised $125 million last month.
Get this, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier stated that the lawsuits are “necessary to reinforce the most basic rules of the road for the responsible, ethical, and lawful development of generative AI systems and to bring Suno’s and Udio’s blatant infringement to an end.” He emphasized that while the music community is collaborating with responsible developers, unlicensed services exploit artists’ work without consent or compensation.
Back in April, over 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, and Jon Bon Jovi, signed an open letter organized by the Artist Rights Alliance, urging AI developers to stop using AI to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.
For all you legal eagle junkies, the lawsuit against Udio notes that “if developed with the permission and participation of copyright owners, generative AI tools will be able to assist humans in creating and producing new and innovative music.” However, it warns that irresponsible development without respect for copyright protections could harm artists, labels, and the music industry, reducing the quality of new music and diminishing cultural value.
The lawsuit against Suno claims that the platform has over 10 million users generating music files, resulting in about 2 million streams. These files compete with copyrighted recordings without giving credit or compensation to the original artists.
Udio and Suno have not yet responded to requests for comment from media outlets that reported this story.
Spotify has introduced a new subscription plan, Basic, priced at $10.99 per month, offering a $1 discount for users who don’t need audiobook access. Take that, inflation!
Check this out, this single-user plan provides ad-free access to millions of songs and podcast episodes but excludes the audiobook feature available in the regular Premium Individual plan, which costs $11.99 per month.
Spotify explained this one who dollar drop in price stating, “Enjoy the music streaming benefits of your Premium plan without the monthly audiobook listening time,” when announcing the Basic tier. In contrast, the higher-priced premium plans include 15 hours of audiobook listening time monthly from a catalog of over 250,000 titles.
Get this, the basic plan’s launch follows recent price increases for most of Spotify’s existing plans. The Individual plan rose by $1 to $11.99 per month, the Family plan went up by $3 to $19.99 per month, and the Premium Duo plan increased by $2 to $16.99 per month.
Oh but wait, additionally, Spotify offers an audiobooks-only plan for $9.99 per month, providing 15 hours of audiobook listening time.
The new Audiobooks Access tier, introduced on March 1, allows Spotify to pay lower music-licensing rates for bundled plans. This follows a 2022 settlement between the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and streaming services, which includes a carveout for bundles like Amazon Prime and Apple Music + Apple News.
Don’t get too excited because last week, the NMPA filed a complaint with the FTC against Spotify, arguing that these music-and-audiobook bundles will reduce mechanical royalty payments to songwriters and artists by $150 million annually. Spotify acknowledges that the bundles allow for lower royalty rates but maintains that overall earnings for creators will continue to rise.
The world has come to stand and acknowledge the 50-year mark of the assassination of a man who is defined as being the most influential civil rights leader in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Dr. King was fatally struck with a bullet by James Earl Ray, an unlawful racist. The striking assassination of Dr. King follows a sturdy 14-year reign serving as a dominant figure in the civil rights movement fighting for the security of legal rights for African Americans. It was a fight drilled with nonviolence and civil disobedience, being burgeoned by the vile acts of racial segregation, disenfranchisement, and exploitation of all hanging from the centerfold of racism.
The powerfully symphonic voice of Dr. King in his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech delivered at the 1963 March on Washington sets the tone for emotional empowerment. It is currently the most sampled Dr. King audio recording in hip-hop history. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his sound legacy. Here are nine hip-hop songs sampled by the legendary leader’s voice.
1. Sadat X “Return of the Bang Bang” (2010)
Reigning from the silver-tongued posse who is bound to their divine blackness is Sadat X of Brand Nubian on the solo tip with “Return of the Bang Bang.” The unorthodox emcee takes to the mic to drop insight about his daily journey as a seasoned vet returning to the game. In his signature abstract style, Sadat uses Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” passage to serve rightful diction in his tunnel of bars. “Return of the Bang Bang” is featured on Sadat’s 2010 sequel gem Wild Cowboys II.
2. Heavy D & the Boyz “A Better Land” (1989)
One of the golden era’s finest, the late Heavy D is pouring his soul out in rhyme in “A Better Land” with his boyz about improving the meager conditions of impoverished communities. The telling track starts with a sample of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech that ends with one of his most acquainted quotes, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men, are created equal.”
3. Edo G feat. Masta Ace “Wishing” (2004)
Donald Trump is not the first President of the United States to be highly scorned by most of his country. Back in 2004, George W. Bush was in office, turning America’s dream into a nightmare with his jest-like measures. Edo G and Masta Ace took to the mic to release their wishes while demanding intrinsic change in the American way. After Masta Ace crops the title of a dreamer, Dr. King’s infamous line about his dream for freedom and justice in Mississippi hoards the track.
4. Cyhi Da Prynce “Ring Bellz” (2010)
Cyhi Da Prynce is honoring his cultural edge through the barrels of black history in “Ring Bellz” a song from his 2010 mixtape Royal Flush. While mixing his braggadocios persona with black excellence, the G.O.O.D. music wordplayer takes it from Fredrick Douglass to Stokely Carmichael, with the profound words from Dr. King’s beloved speech leading the track.
5. Common feat. will.i.am “A Dream” (2006)
Chicago’s renowned poet in rhyme Common teamed up with will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas for a true hip-hop measure that reflects on the progression and condition of blacks in a known racist America, the way Dr. King stood sturdy for titled “A Dream.” Owning the same desire for nation zenith, just as King, it was sensible for the abstract collab to start with King’s pacifying “We gonna work it out” saying.
6. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five “The King” (1988)
With Melle Mel being heralded as one of hip-hop’s earliest conscious rappers, the lingering legacy of Dr. King has certainly played a role during hip-hop’s infancy. The hip-hop pioneer rocks the mic with delight honoring the deeds of Dr. King by recognizing the Civil rights icon’s brightest accomplishments while calling for the bells of freedom. “He brought hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak.”
7. Wu-Tang Clan “Never Let Go” (2014)
Known for their supremely motivational rap hymns, the Wu-Tang Clan hit the masses with a dream driven tune in signature fashion. Docking off of their sixth studio album A Better Tomorrow is “Never Let Go” an ode to survival during challenging times. Before Masta Killa leads and after U-God anchors the track, a courteous potent chunk of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is heard where the beloved leader makes one of his most bracing points, “For many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.”
8. Boogie Down Productions “Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love)” (1990)
Emphasis is something KRS-One has mastered as a lyricist. Amid the prime of Boogie Down Productions‘ fourth studio album Edutainment comes its top single “Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love),” a song that serves as a warning about the detrimental lust that comes with chasing after material things. To throw emphasis on “movin’ on,” the voice of Dr. King chanting the phrase from his final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.”
9. Immortal Technique feat. Chuck D, Brother Ali, and Killer Mike “Civil War” (2011)
Budding off of the musically factious Immortal Technique‘s 2011 compilation album The Martyr is “Civil War” featuring Chuck D, Brother Ali, and Killer Mike, an unapologetic effort to audibly express “trying to survive cultural assassination,” the great PE lead makes it clear in the chorus. The track samples a selection of King’s final speech, where the iconic leader encourages the destruction of fear in exchange for glory.
Dr. King’s call for sound justice fused into a faithful dream for African Americans has thrived its way into hip-hop culture out of the purpose of nature. The infancy of hip-hop culture is a result of movements that brewed during Dr. King’s time. Movements that were centered in the fight for justice and art of freedom such as the Black Panther Party and Black Arts Movement, who all commonly owned a desire to climb the path of racial justice. The youth of hip-hop’s beginnings dreamed of topnotch mobility out of the hood, reversing the culture of police brutality, and several cases of discrimination ceased. Now, since the culture has grown into a universal phenomenon, Dr. King’s dreamy element of justice is emblematic in hip-hop whenever he is sampled on a track.
Eminem rolled out a new chapter this week, but it wasn’t an album or even an autobiography. Instead, the rapper became the latest major artist to hold a virtual concert in Fortnite, this time in conjunction with the game’s upoming Chapter 5 release (which is slated for December 3).
The event, which was called the “Big Bang Event,” lasted around 10 minutes on Saturday and combined Em’s musical performance with teasers for the game’s upcoming release. Before the event, Epic teased some upcoming features of Chapter 5 including a new island, a new train, revamped movement mechanics, new weapon mods and attachments, even more cross-overs, and the ability to heal andmove at the same time.
The “Big Bang Event” started on Fortnite OG island, where viewers caught a quick highlight reel from the game’s past including a rocket launch and meteor crash before everything was sucked into a black hole, which transported players to a variety of themed portals including an island with Lego characters, a car race, and finally a stadium in which Eminem appeared to perform “Lose Yourself” as the screen showed players hitting notes in time to the music (a la Guitar Hero). A giant hand crushed the set and a larger-than-life Eminem appeared to perform “Godzilla,” all while showing the new graphics capabilities that Epic has rolled out for Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 is expected to demonstrate how Epic hopes to take Fortnite from a battle royale game to one that is more creator-focused similar to Roblox. Epic has also added more partnerships including one with Lego (Lego Fortnite is expected to debut December 7th), Rocket Racing (developed by Rocket League creator Psyonix and expected to debut December 8th), and Fortnite Festival (developed by Rock Band studio Harmonix and expected to launch on December 9th).
Eminem’s virtual concert marks the fourth major in-game musical experience, coming on the heels of performances by Marshmello, Travis Scott, and Ariana Grande.
,” wrote Tiesi, 33, in her caption.
Thank you so everyone who made celebrating that much better 
.”
