“So…a week or so ago my son, Naviyd, stole my phone so he could dm his favorite artist @pinkpantheress,” Usher shared on his Instagram Story on Wednesday night, April 24.
The next post is a screenshot of Naviyd’s DM from April 9, reading, “Hello this is Usher’s son Naviyd I’m you true biggest fan please follow me back @_naviyd_ I put him on to masterpieces.” PinkPantheress graciously replied, “hahahahahaa this is wild!”
Next, Usher recounted what happened from his perspective, writing, “Now I just so happened to check my DMs earlier this past week and saw a message exchange from someone with a Powerpuff girl as their profile pic…so I’m like the hell is this.” (PinkPantheress’ Instagram icon is the Powerpuff girl Buttercup.)
Usher continued, “I open it and I’m like oh this boy done DMd this girl from my damn phone..” The following post is another screenshot — this time, showing Usher messaging an apology to PinkPantheress: “I’m so sorry … my son is a super fan.” Again, PinkPantheress was extremely gracious and replied, “don’t apologise! happy to have this interaction. I’d love to host y’all at the next show.”
Usher explained on his subsequent Instagram Story posts that he initially pretended that Naviyd “wasn’t allowed to go” to PinkPantheress’ Capable Of Love Tour “because he did the MOST just to connect with her on my account,” but he let him go to reward Naviyd’s super-fandom, which led to PinkPantheress taking a photo with Naviyd backstage and FaceTiming with Usher.
“PARENTAL TAKEAWAY,” Usher wrote, in conclusion. “This was a great moment for Naviyd … this was him movin on something he was passionate about. Yes… he violated my trust in the process and for that I will never trust him around my phone, but I should have known better. Nonetheless, I appreciate the hustle and him makin’ it happen. From a text, to a concert, to the artist. He masterminded this whole thing and made it happen.”
See all of the posts below.
@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram@usher on Instagram
Add Gucci Mane to the list. On Wednesday, April 24, the Atlanta-bred rapper dropped “TakeDat,” a four-minute song that ruthlessly mocks Diddy. The first line uttered is, “I’m just f*cking around, but no Diddy.” Throughout the song, more or less every bar is punctuated with “No Diddy,” such as, “I got a Yung Miami b*tch from the city / I’m spendin’ money like a trick (No Diddy),” and “But she can’t be underage (No Diddy).”
The accompanying video finds Gucci Mane in a jacuzzi, surrounded by women. If the scene looks familiar, that’s because Gucci Mane not-so-subtly recreated Diddy’s scene from The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 “Big Poppa” video. And just in case there’s any confusion as to whether this was absolutely, one-hundred percent intentional, Gucci Mane posted a side-by-side image on Instagram alongside the caption, “Hardest song of the summer #TAKEDAT.”
Elsewhere in the video, Gucci Mane rides a motorcycle while delivering perhaps the song’s biggest blow to Diddy (and, unfortunately, the Detroit Pistons caught a stray): “Why you ain’t ever seen Wop at the brunch? / ‘Cause they might spike the punch, man, that sh*t too risky / Rule No. 1, never be too friendly / These industry n***** have bad intentions / I don’t trust nobody, and I stay my distance / Plus, your whole team suck, like the Detroit Pistons.”
In an ironic twist, Drake has been issued a cease-and-desist letter by the estate of the late Tupac Shakur over using an AI-generated reproduction of the West Coast rap icon’s voice in a Kendrick Lamar diss track. According to Billboard, the estate sent the letter today demanding he pull the “Taylor Made Freestyle” from streaming services or face legal action.
The estate’s attorney Howard King wrote, “The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality. Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”
Tupac’s estate has hit Drake with a cease and desist for using his voice on “Taylor Made”. He has 24 hours to take it down.
“…a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.” pic.twitter.com/SrLBuqyvD2
The irony comes from the fact that Drake himself seemed to frown on the use of AI to duplicate his own voice as recently as last year, when a fake song using his and The Weeknd’s digitally reproduced voices was taken down by Universal Music Group copyright strikes. He also personally shaded an AI-generated version of Ice Spice’s “Munch” that used his voice. Incidentally, Kendrick Lamar also cobbled together a conversation between himself and Tupac on his 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly, but in that instance, he had the estate’s permission to re-use audio from an interview, which demonstrates the whole point around publicity rights.
Today, in a move sure to endear him to a younger generation of voters, President Joe Biden signed a bill that requires ByteDance to sell its US-based interests in TikTok or see the app banned from cell phone marketplaces. While it has been described as a bill banning TikTok outright, it’s actually pretty vaguely written and probably more or less unenforceable as is, the equivalent of “okay, Boomer” in legal form.
But that hasn’t stopped the offers from rolling in, including a (probably facetious) one from Soulja Boy, who asked on Twitter, “How much yall want for TikTok?” declaring, “I’ll buy it.”
How much yall want for TikTok? I’ll buy it. @tiktok_us
The “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” (say that five times fast) has otherwise been met with widespread criticism. From its oblique wording to its borderline hypocritical positioning — focusing on TikTok after Meta actively engaged in the promotion of phony news propaganda aimed at influencing the last election, for instance — TikTok’s user base has pointed out a number of flaws in the political strategy behind the bill. For instance, do you all remember those hilariously (terrifyingly) off-base hearings with ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo? By the way, here’s his response to all the kerfuffle:
During his performance at the second weekend of Coachella, Kid Cudi jumped off the stage but ended up getting injured on the landing. The artist later revealed that he broke a bone in his foot.
He later expressed optimism that he would be healed in time for the scheduled start of his Insano World Tour in late June. However, it turns out that won’t be the case, as Cudi just announced today (April 24) that he has to cancel the tour.
Cudi shared a written message on social media, saying, “Guys, so, I have a broken calcaneus. [facepalm emoji] I’m headed to surgery now and there’s gonna be a long recovery time. We have to cancel the tour so I can focus on getting better to be out there in top shape to rage with you all. Theres just no way I can bounce back in time to give 100%. The injury is much more serious than I thought.”
The calcaneus is a bone in the heel. According to the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, a calcaneus fracture takes about 3 or 4 months to heal. They also note, “Long-term issues after calcaneus fractures (with or without surgery) commonly include a limp and/or stiffness in the foot or ankle. The heel can also remain swollen compared to the uninjured side. Some patients have lingering pain with walking, especially on uneven ground. The swelling, pain, and stiffness typically improve over time but it may always look and/or feel different from your other side.”
Find Cudi’s full statement below.
“Guys, so, I have a broken calcaneus. [facepalm emoji] I’m headed to surgery now and there’s gonna be a long recovery time. We have to cancel the tour so I can focus on getting better to be out there in top shape to rage with you all. Theres just no way I can bounce back in time to give 100%. The injury is much more serious than I thought. Anyone who bought tickets will get a full refund, you’ll get an email soon. We will be back with new tour dates as soon as possible, and I can’t wait to get back out there with you guys and turn up how we do. I’m so sorry fam and I love you all so much, thanks for the endless love and support. Im really disappointed as im sure you guys are too, but I will be back. Thats a promise. Im ok, just a lil soreness, but im in good spirits.”
It took four long years, but we are finally just days away from a new PARTYNEXTDOOR album. The singer’s fourth album, aptly titled PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 (P4), will arrive on April 26 and serve as the long-awaited follow-up to his 2020 third album PARTYMOBILE. PND spent the better part of the last year teasing P4 as the album was first announced during a spring 2023 concert in his hometown of Toronto. The rollout for the project officially began four months prior when PND released “Her Old Friends,” a record that served as the lead single for P4.
This is the second time in PND’s career that he’s taken about four years to release a new album, a duration that can feel like centuries in today’s streaming era. PARTYMOBILE arrived about four years after his second album PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 (P3). Still, PND delivered songs to fans in that time span. There was 2017’s Colours 2 and Seven Days EPs, the former which spawned the fan-favorite “Freak In You.” Following PARTYMOBILE, things were a bit quieter. Fans received collaborations with Trippie Redd, Drake, OG Parker, and others as well as uploads of unreleased favorites to streaming services through 2020’s PARTYPACK and 2021’s COLOURS. In a recent interview with Billboard, PND explained his absence over the years.
“I get into relationships and then music becomes second,” he confessed to Billboard‘s Heran Mamo. “I think I’m going to take a break from relationships, a long break, and just get back to making music.”
We’ll see if PND sticks to this promise in the years after P4, but for now, we can enjoy the music we’re about to get. In celebration of P4, here are four wishes we’d love to see come true on the upcoming album.
Restore The Classic Feeling Of P1 and P2
PARTYNEXTDOOR is one of the pioneers of today’s contemporary R&B sound, a world that he, The Weeknd, and Bryson Tiller emerged from and heavily influenced in the early- to mid-2010s. PND’s first two project, PARTYNEXTDOOR (P1) and PARTYNEXTDOOR 2 (P2) helped cement him as one of the greats of modern-day R&B. Churning out hits like “Break From Toronto” and “Recognize,” PND proved that he was a name to respect. Furthermore, P1 and P2 went down as classic R&B releases from the 2010s. With four singles out — “Her Old Friends,” “Resentment,” “Real Woman,” and “Resentment — PND seems to be channeling the same energy from P1 and P2. It would be amazing if P4 was a return to those glory days. At just 14 songs, it appears that PND is focused on delivering a great album as opposed to the 20+ song streaming traps that we see from artists nowadays. Give us another classic Party, we’re begging you.
It’s (Almost) Summertime, Give Us A Dancehall Track!
Nearly a decade ago, PND wrote “Work” for Rihanna and sprinkled some dancehall flavor into his own music with “Only U” and “Not Nice.” The three songs joined “Controlla” and “One Dance” to make for a sizzling summer of 2016 as fans dance their way through the year’s hottest months. Eight years later, it’s only right that fans are treated to this experience once again and PND can certainly be a contributor to that. One or two (I won’t be greedy) dancehall-inspired songs on P4 will be perfect and prove to be a bright spot on the album, especially with it coming from someone who’s shown his ability to do so time and time again (see: Popcaan’s “Twist & Turn”).
It’s Time For Another Classic Drake Collaboration
Every PARTYNEXTDOOR album has featured a collaboration with OVO Sound boss Drake. “Over Here,” “Recognize,” “Come And See Me,” and “Loyal” are all highlights in PND’s discography, but the latter most record, which was housed on his 2020 album PartyMobile, was not up to par compared to their first three collaborations. With P4, it’s time for Drake and PND to get back to the old formula. Just last year, they proved they could do that with “Members Only,” the duo’s most recent collaboration from Drake’s album For All The Dogs. Now it’s time for PND to lead the way and add another gem to his and Drake’s run of strong collaborations.
A New Album Cover (Please!)
On April Fool’s Day, PARTYNEXTDOOR took to social media to reveal the album cover for PARTYNEXTDOOR 4, and it’s risqué, to say the least. The NSFW image is a first-person view of a woman face-down on a bed with her backside arched in the air. A “4” tattoo can be seen on her lower back, while four long braids are sprawled out in various directions on the bed. The artwork is a bit of a jump scare, warranting a side-eye from those who may catch the image sitting on your phone as you play the album (Flashback to Lloyd’s Tru album cover). This actually happened to me as my roommate saw the tweet of PND revealing the album cover open on my computer and asked, “What’s going on over there?!” There was certainly some explaining to do.
In all seriousness, the current cover for P4 is awkward and seemingly leans more into garnering a reaction than presenting the project in its true essence. This isn’t to say that PND has blown us away with album covers in his career, but another edition of the singer looking into the distance would’ve sufficed. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just edit the metadata and change the artwork myself to avoid any further questions from my roommate.
PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 (P4) is out 4/26 via OVO Sound/Santa Anna Label Group. Find out more information here.
III Points Festival is returning for the 11th year. Over the course of two days (October 18 and 19) this coming fall, music lovers can look forward to a diverse array of musicians delivering performances and DJ sets at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center in Miami.
Today (April 24), III Points has revealed the first phase of the 2024 festival lineup. Set to take the stage are Justice, Rick Ross, Yung Lean, Jamie xx, Toro Y Moi, Mochakk, Sara Landry, Jungle, Arca, Bad Gyal and more.
Solid Grooves mainstay PAWSA, industrial techno enchantress Sara Landry, and Hellbent Records label head Cloonee are also set to make appearances at III Points 2024. A press release teases that the lineup will draw from the realms of both live and electronic music, and there are at least 100 more acts that will be announced soon.
In the meantime, fans can begin planning their ticket purchases. Tickets will go on sale beginning this Friday (April 26) at 11:11 a.m. ET for the pre-sale and 1:11 p.m ET for general on-sale. Fans can register for the pre-sale and purchase tickets here. Fans can pay for tickets in full, or set up payment plans, with down payments beginning at $11.11.
You can see the full first-phase line-up for III Points Festival 2024 below.
Now that Coachella is in the rearview, Indio, California is bracing itself for the OTHER major festival that takes over the Empire Polo Club in the spring, Stagecoach. The country music festival has a wide-ranging lineup this year that not only includes country mainstays like Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen, and Willie Nelson but also has neophytes and unusual additions like Jelly Roll, Post Malone, and even Wiz Khalifa.
There’s one more star fans expect to see even though her name isn’t on the flyer: Beyoncé. But why?
Well, for one thing, last month, Beyoncé released her Great American Songbook-influenced album, Cowboy Carter, which spans genres from blues to hip-hop to yes, country music. While it was thought to be a country album by many fans ahead of its release, it takes influences from across the spectrum of American music; with that said, there’s enough Americana, folk, and country music on it that Beyoncé wouldn’t be out of place at Stagecoach (at least, not any more than Diplo and Nickelback, who are also on the bill somehow).
Meanwhile, plenty of the folks on the lineup directly contributed to Cowboy Carter, including Post Malone, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, and Willie Nelson. But mainly, people think one name, Backwoods Barbie, might be a secret reference to a surprise Beyoncé pop-in.
According to Billboard, the only info on this mysterious act is an equally mysterious Instagram profile, birthed the same day that Cowboy Carter hit DSPs — and incidentally, it’s a Stagecoach lineup for Diplo’s Saturday night Honky Tonk set. Most of the account’s post contain references to Cowboy Carter, either overt (album art, song quotes) or oblique (photos of contributors like Dolly Parton). Also, there’s a “disco ball crossed with country Western” theme that just SCREAMS “Renaissance Trilogy.” At the very least, it seems likely to be someone at least affiliated with Bey (my money, were I a betting man, would be on a surprise Solange set).
Obviously, if Backwoods Barbie is Beyoncé, she’s not going to say anything beforehand (the crowd crush would be insane, for one thing). I guess the only way to know for sure is to show up at the spot marked on the map at 7pm on Saturday, April 27 (or wait for the inevitable deluge of social posts if it is her).
It didn’t reach Brendan Fraser-in-The Whale“the only frame from the movie” status, but it feels like we’ve been seeing that image of Zendaya sitting on a bed with Mike Faist on one side of her and Josh O’Connor on the other for years. That’s only a slight hyperbole: Challengers was originally scheduled for August 2023, but it was pushed back to 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Thankfully, Luca Guadagnino’s sexy (and sex scene-free) tennis movie finally comes out this week, so we’ll be able to see the bed scene in context.
Speaking of that scene, Zendaya told Variety what was on her mind while taking such good care of her little white boys. “The only reason I really remember is because Beyoncé came out with ‘Break My Soul’ that day,” she said. “I was having a great day, like, ‘Y’all. Beyoncé’s single just dropped.’ That’s what I was focused on, to be honest.”
O’Connor joked, “We lost Zendaya for like a week. She was on set, normal, chatting with us. Then one day Beyoncé released something. They called ‘cut,’ and she immediately had headphones in. She was completely lost to the world.” Beyoncé: the only person who can make literally Zendaya lose her cool.
Here’s more on Challengers:
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.
Challengers opens in theaters on April 26. See it.
Early this month, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign canceled several listening events for their upcoming album Vultures 2 without warning or explanation. The canceled listening sessions were just part of an uneven rollout for the project, which they announced in January. After several setbacks, though, it appears that the album has a new tentative release date: May 3. Kanye revealed the release date during an appearance on influencer Justin LaBoy’s podcast.
Some skepticism about the release date is probably warranted. When Kanye and Ty first announced that Vultures would be released in three parts, they initially gave the second installment a March 8 release, with the third part billed for April 5. They’ve now blown past not only the second release date, but the release date for the third part as well. After missing the date for the first Vultures, they released the album in mid-February, only to run into problems with the distributor — namely, that FUGA, the company listed as distributor, had previously refused to work with Kanye over his antisemitic comments. The album was pulled from Apple Music, but still debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 because we crossed through the looking glass sometime in 2015.
Meanwhile, on March 8, Kanye delayedVultures 2, attributing the delay to an internal debate about adopting a direct-to-consumer distribution method.
with mad love 
