Bad Boys: Ride or Die Blows Away The Competition on VOD After Huge Run in Theaters

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If you have not seen “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” then it’s a lot easier now that the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence blockbuster is available on VOD, even as it continues to excel both in theaters and at home platforms. 

The critically acclaimed action-comedy sequel has seen impressive performance in its home video release, dominating the iTunes and Fandango charts since its VOD debut on July 23. Just saying, duh.

According to IndieWire, as expected, the film topped iTunes’ transaction rankings and Fandango’s revenue charts, boosting its already successful run. 

Get this, the film was released 47 days after its theatrical premiere, and the VOD version of “Ride or Die” includes an exclusive post-credits scene, enticing fans to purchase the digital copy. See that’s smart creative marketing. 

Despite its availability on VOD, the film remains a box office contender, currently within the top 10 and edging closer to the $400 million mark globally. So basically let that movie cook in theaters, because it is not done!

Check out these numbers, as of now, it has grossed $395.3 million worldwide, with $203.5 million from international markets and $191.8 million from North American theaters.

Oh but wait, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is on track to challenge the franchise record set by “Bad Boys for Life,” which earned $426 million in 2020. The franchise’s total earnings have recently surpassed $1.2 billion, largely due to the latest installment’s success.

Naturally, this film marks a significant milestone in Will Smith’s career, serving as a notable comeback. We all love a good comeback story. Smith’s return to the big screen has been met with enthusiasm, contributing to the film’s strong performance both in theaters and on VOD. The combination of star power, loyal fans, and strategic release timing has cemented “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” as a major hit in the action-comedy genre.

So check it out at home if you haven’t seen it yet in theaters and tell us about that end credits scene!

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HBCU Football Games Will Air on Fox-Owned Stations Through New Deal Via Allen Media Group

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If you’re into HBCU sports then get this. Allen Media Group has finalized an agreement with Fox-owned stations in Los Angeles and Chicago to broadcast its 2024 college football package under the HBCU Go banner. 

That’s just good to hear because there’s a lot of money in college football on TV and they should get a slice.

Let’s get to the deal. As reported in Variety, this partnership with KCOP-TV in Los Angeles and WPWR-TV in Chicago completes the syndication lineup for HBCU Go football, which will feature 26 games from August 31 to November 23. HBCU Go serves as the television partner for sports programs at the nation’s 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). With this deal, HBCU Go’s football schedule will be accessible to 95% of U.S. TV households. 

Diving in, HBCU Go has partnered with stations owned by Sinclair, Gray, Tegna, Hearst, Nexstar, and Scripps. 

Additionally, the games will be available on the Armed Forces Network and through Allen Media Group’s TheGrio.com, Local Now, and HBCU Go digital platforms. 

Seems like a big deal, no pun intended. 

Talking about the deal, Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group stated: “Allen Media Group is proud to be the number-one provider of live Black college sports,” 

He went on to say: “It is important for us to showcase these excellent athletes and amazing HBCUs — not just in their hometowns, but to sports fans worldwide.”

Check this out, the upcoming season marks the third year of Allen Media Group’s initiative to ensure wide national distribution of HBCU football. The featured conferences include the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

In terms of time frame, the season will begin with the HBCU Go Pre Show on August 24. The following week, play-by-play analyst Charlie Neal, color commentator Jon Kelly, and sideline reporter Lawrencia Moten will provide live game coverage. The season’s first game will feature Clark Atlanta University against Fort Valley State University.

Feels good all around, especially in the world of Black media. 

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SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields

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The first images just dropped for “The Fire Inside”, the upcoming biopic about boxer Claressa Shields, written by Barry Jenkins and starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry. This film, previously titled “Flint Strong”, marks the directorial debut of Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer recognized for her work on “Mudbound”, making her the first woman ever nominated for Best Cinematography. Morrison has also worked on notable films like Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” and “Fruitvale Station”. So this all sounds like a big deal. Here’s more …

THE FIRE INSIDE is the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

Get this, Claressa Shields herself is involved in the project as an executive producer. The film is set to premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and will hit theaters this Christmas.

“The Fire Inside” has been in development for several years, with Jenkins attached to the project since the awards campaign for “Moonlight”, before its Oscar wins. The biopic draws from the 2015 documentary “T-Rex”, which chronicles Shields’ journey. Directed by Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari, “T-Rex” was a tri-continental effort (North America, Europe, and Asia) that began production in 2012 and successfully raised $64,000 through crowdfunding, supplemented by major funding from Independent Lens.

Universal initially acquired the rights to Shields’ life story and the documentary in 2016 before the project moved to Amazon MGM. 

Check out the photos below all from Amazon MGM:

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The post SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields first appeared on The Source.

The post SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields appeared first on The Source.

SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields

TFI 07260 R scaled

The first images just dropped for “The Fire Inside”, the upcoming biopic about boxer Claressa Shields, written by Barry Jenkins and starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry. This film, previously titled “Flint Strong”, marks the directorial debut of Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer recognized for her work on “Mudbound”, making her the first woman ever nominated for Best Cinematography. Morrison has also worked on notable films like Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” and “Fruitvale Station”. So this all sounds like a big deal. Here’s more …

THE FIRE INSIDE is the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time. Claressa, a high school Junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield, pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

Get this, Claressa Shields herself is involved in the project as an executive producer. The film is set to premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and will hit theaters this Christmas.

“The Fire Inside” has been in development for several years, with Jenkins attached to the project since the awards campaign for “Moonlight”, before its Oscar wins. The biopic draws from the 2015 documentary “T-Rex”, which chronicles Shields’ journey. Directed by Drea Cooper and Zackary Canepari, “T-Rex” was a tri-continental effort (North America, Europe, and Asia) that began production in 2012 and successfully raised $64,000 through crowdfunding, supplemented by major funding from Independent Lens.

Universal initially acquired the rights to Shields’ life story and the documentary in 2016 before the project moved to Amazon MGM. 

Check out the photos below all from Amazon MGM:

TFI FP 00003 R 2048x858 1
TFI FP 00002 R 2048x858 1
TFI 12485 R 1568x2352 1
TFI 09347 R 2048x1365 1
TFI 09047 RC 2048x1365 1

The post SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields first appeared on The Source.

The post SEE IT: First Look at The Fire Inside Starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree in Biopic Based on Boxer Claressa Shields appeared first on The Source.

High Profile Launch of Doodles Records Includes Records From Lil Wayne, Coi Leray and Lil Yachty

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Doodles, are not just a popular crossbreed of dog, it’s also the name of a budding entertainment company that touts Pharrell Williams holding court as chief branding officer. And that company with the interesting choice in branding just announced the creation of Doodles Records is a collaboration with Sony’s Orchard. Kicking things off out the gate, the new label’s inaugural project is for the soundtrack for the upcoming short film “Dullsville and the Doodleverse.” Listen, goldendoodles, bernadoodles and even cavapoos, are all the rage these days, so they got something right with that name. Or maybe they mean when you’re doodling on a sketch board. Either way, pretty cool. 

Get this to celebrate its high profile launch, Doodles Records will release a three-song EP for “Dullsville and the Doodleverse.” And they ain’t playing, as reported in Variety, the EP features tracks from notable artists: Coi Leray and Pharrell’s “Not in the Store” is set to drop in early August, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, and Kyle Richh’s “Can’t Hold Me Down” will follow in late August, and Swae Lee, Lil Yachty, and Pharrell’s “Doodleverse (Draw Me Closer)” is slated for release in September. Pretty sick lineup in you ask us. 

“Music is and will continue to be a core pillar of Doodles, so we’re thrilled to announce the official formation of Doodles Records,” said Julian Holguin, CEO of Doodles. “Releasing music with some of the most legendary and relevant artists in the world on our first project is a dream come true and a massive source of pride. Moving forward, we will fuse music, animation, and technology to create groundbreaking content experiences that will empower artists and their communities.”

To keep the rollout refreshing, each release from Doodles Records will be accompanied by animated videos, creatively directed by Doodles founder Burnt Toast in collaboration with their in-house animation studio, Golden Wolf. The short film “Dullsville and the Doodleverse” will premiere in October. Music and animation promo to invigorate a short film release, is smart marketing if you ask us. 

They’re not done, alongside the hot new label announcement, Doodles introduced DoodlesTV, a direct-to-community platform, another trending tech avenue, that provides users, fans and anyone who’s curious with early access to music releases, video premieres, and more. Early adopting fans can purchase a DoodlesTV season one all-access media pass next week, giving them access to view “Dullsville and the Doodleverse” before its official release. Dope moves all around. 

The post High Profile Launch of Doodles Records Includes Records From Lil Wayne, Coi Leray and Lil Yachty first appeared on The Source.

The post High Profile Launch of Doodles Records Includes Records From Lil Wayne, Coi Leray and Lil Yachty appeared first on The Source.

High Profile Launch of Doodles Records Includes Records From Lil Wayne, Coi Leray and Lil Yachty

image

Doodles, are not just a popular crossbreed of dog, it’s also the name of a budding entertainment company that touts Pharrell Williams holding court as chief branding officer. And that company with the interesting choice in branding just announced the creation of Doodles Records is a collaboration with Sony’s Orchard. Kicking things off out the gate, the new label’s inaugural project is for the soundtrack for the upcoming short film “Dullsville and the Doodleverse.” Listen, goldendoodles, bernadoodles and even cavapoos, are all the rage these days, so they got something right with that name. Or maybe they mean when you’re doodling on a sketch board. Either way, pretty cool. 

Get this to celebrate its high profile launch, Doodles Records will release a three-song EP for “Dullsville and the Doodleverse.” And they ain’t playing, as reported in Variety, the EP features tracks from notable artists: Coi Leray and Pharrell’s “Not in the Store” is set to drop in early August, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, and Kyle Richh’s “Can’t Hold Me Down” will follow in late August, and Swae Lee, Lil Yachty, and Pharrell’s “Doodleverse (Draw Me Closer)” is slated for release in September. Pretty sick lineup in you ask us. 

“Music is and will continue to be a core pillar of Doodles, so we’re thrilled to announce the official formation of Doodles Records,” said Julian Holguin, CEO of Doodles. “Releasing music with some of the most legendary and relevant artists in the world on our first project is a dream come true and a massive source of pride. Moving forward, we will fuse music, animation, and technology to create groundbreaking content experiences that will empower artists and their communities.”

To keep the rollout refreshing, each release from Doodles Records will be accompanied by animated videos, creatively directed by Doodles founder Burnt Toast in collaboration with their in-house animation studio, Golden Wolf. The short film “Dullsville and the Doodleverse” will premiere in October. Music and animation promo to invigorate a short film release, is smart marketing if you ask us. 

They’re not done, alongside the hot new label announcement, Doodles introduced DoodlesTV, a direct-to-community platform, another trending tech avenue, that provides users, fans and anyone who’s curious with early access to music releases, video premieres, and more. Early adopting fans can purchase a DoodlesTV season one all-access media pass next week, giving them access to view “Dullsville and the Doodleverse” before its official release. Dope moves all around. 

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Watch: Ryan Leslie Honors Cassie in Performance on Tiny Desk

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Ryan Leslie paid tribute to Cassie Ventura during his Tiny Desk performance, which was released on Friday, July 26. 

During his set on the NPR showcase, Leslie honored Cassie by performing their 2006 single “Long Way 2 Go” followed by “Addiction” a hit song that features Cassie on the hook.

Let’s take ya’ll back … Leslie and Cassie’s professional relationship began in 2006 with the release of her debut single, “Me & U,” which Ryan wrote and produced along with most of her debut album. 

If you recall, Leslie released his self-titled debut album in 2009, solidifying his career with a series of chart-topping hits, innovative ventures in tech, and collaborations with top artists. His discography includes four albums, notably his acclaimed sophomore album, *Transition*.

What’s crazy is over the years, Leslie openly discussed Cassie leaving him for Diddy. There’s context to that assertion and it may not be that cut and dry but that’s what Leslie as alluded to. 

Thankfully for Cassie’s sake, she finally left Diddy and ended their relationship in 2018 after ten years. 

As you may know, in 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of sexual assault, sex trafficking, rape, and physical abuse, which was later settled.

Get this, following the lawsuit settlement, Leslie shared plans to collaborate with Cassie again and possibly plan a tour. Speaking to TMZ, he said, “I think that was much further past after our working relationship … The last conversation we had, she’s planning a tour.”

Check out Ryan Leslie’s Tiny Desk below, it’s pretty cool TBH.

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Action Bronson Talks To Apple Music About His “Beef” With David Schwimmer And Getting Covid From Mel Gibson

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Action Bronson sits down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to talk about his new album Johann Sebastian Bachlava The Doctor. In the wide-ranging interview, Action Bronson talks about recently getting arrested in France, how he got Covid from Mel Gibson, his “beef” with David Schwimmer, and his favorite Olympics moment.

He also shares lessons learned from fatherhood, his painting and where his artistic inspiration comes from, and what made him start to prioritize his health.

Action Bronson Tells Apple Music About Recently Getting Arrested In France…

Action Bronson: I went on vacation for 10 days. In Paris, I got locked up with my fucking driver. I was going to get pastries. My family were leaving. And I take him, we  go nine in the morning to my man Bertrand’s spot Tapestry. He had a box waiting for me. Fucking, we get caught at the light. There’s two cops over there. They’re talking to the driver. The driver’s wearing a suit and he has some sort of pin, and they questioned him about the pin. And apparently the pin is like, you work for the president. And they’re not having it because the Olympics are coming. So they pull them out, they question him. They arrested him for impersonating a police officer. They bring me in. They refuse to speak English, but they still leave me with the phone. I’m just like, “Yo, bro, I’m just trying to get to my family.”

Zane Lowe: I got my pastries.

Action Bronson: I didn’t get the pastries yet. So three hours. My man has to make the phone call. Somehow I text him, he calls them. He’s like, “Yo,” he calls the precinct. “He has the key to the city in Lyon, the mayor. This is going to cause a scandal, blah, blah, blah.” Somehow they fucking let me out. Three hours later I got the pastries, but my family had already left, so I was very angry. But there was no consolation except the pastry. I was just fucking pissed. I’m just saying, that’s how I started the tour.

Action Bronson Talks To Apple Music About What Changed To Make Him Start Prioritizing His Health…

It was actually shame. It was a shame that I had let myself get there, because I’ve always been an athlete. I was like, “What the fuck is going on? What is this?” Wearing fucking mumu shirts. I still like a good comfortable shirt, but my Lord, I was like, “What is this?” And having a brand new baby, you want to be around. I want to be around forever.

Action Bronson Tells Apple Music The Story About How Mel Gibson Gave Him Covid…

Zane Lowe: Mel Gibson did give you COVID.

Action Bronson: That’s a fact. I mean, I don’t like to tell this story, but I will. That bastard gave it to me for sure. It was at UFC, McConor Gregory. I mean, pah, McConor Gregory… Conor McGregor and fucking Dustin Poirier part three. This was the COVID days. He turned around, we were the only ones there at the prelims. There was no one there. It was just me and him. He turned, I was sat here. He sat in front. He turned around and kept saying shit to me in my face, like commenting on the punch and commenting on the kick. And then everyone got it. Me and four other guys got it.

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LISTEN: Kai Cenat Teases New Drake and Lil Yachty Song ‘Super Soak’ on Live Stream

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Streamers are breaking records now? Guess so and Kai Cenat is doing it again after recently teasing on the Twitch chat to debut an unreleased track by Drake and Lil Yachty. That’s kind of a big deal. 

Get this, the song is rumored to be titled “Super Soak,” and although Cenat didn’t confirm the name, he did play the entire track, which runs for about four minutes. 

The song features a sample from Mr. HotSpot’s “Goodness Gracious.” That original song is a vibe btw. 

Drake leads the hook with the bars: 

“I’m watching the moves, I’m playin’ it close / S.O.D., super soak / Rainy days, his and hers, matching coat / Jet is so big, it feel like a boat, staying afloat / I’m watching the moves, I’m playin’ it close.” 

Following Drake’s hook, Lil Yachty, also known as Boat, takes over for the final two verses and does his Yachty thing which doesn’t disappoint.

Summer vibe for sure.

Preview it here and let us know what you think:

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The post LISTEN: Kai Cenat Teases New Drake and Lil Yachty Song ‘Super Soak’ on Live Stream appeared first on The Source.

The Weeknd Teases Fans With New Project and Brazil Concert Promising “Never-Before-Seen Production.”

The Weeknd Releases "Sacrifices" Video from New Album 'Dawn FM'

The Weeknd is picking back up where he left off with new content and a surprise concert on the way. The Toronto pop star just announced a show in Brazil that promises a “never-before-seen production.” We know The Weeknd is different, so making a point to say this must be more than just hype. 

Get this, to add to his announcement, he dropped a video teaser or sorts giving insight into his upcoming project. So Variety reports that this will be the third and final chapter in his “After Hours” / “Dawn FM” trilogy. Okay, we see you!

Last year, the hint was made to media outlets that this, if it is in fact the final installment, might include a visual component, maybe even a film. The visual ends with a cryptic message: 

“There are three chapters in this tale.”

This upcoming project has come with the caveat of pushing the boundaries of The Weeknd’s creative vision where he blends music, visual art, and immersive storytelling in ways many artists today just don’t place the same amount of time and effort these days. 

Check out his teaser on The Weeknd’s IG and tell us what you think.

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The post The Weeknd Teases Fans With New Project and Brazil Concert Promising “Never-Before-Seen Production.” first appeared on The Source.

The post The Weeknd Teases Fans With New Project and Brazil Concert Promising “Never-Before-Seen Production.” appeared first on The Source.