Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White has died at 67. Verdine White, his brother and bandmate, shared the news on Instagram on Sunday, January 1. A cause of death has not been publicly revealed at the time of this writing. The band’s official Instagram account also confirmed the news.
Our family is saddened today
With the loss of an amazing and talented family member,
Our beloved brother Frederick Eugene ‘Freddie’ White.
He joins our brothers Maurice, Monte and Ronald in heaven and is now drumming with the angels! Child protégé, member of the EWF ORIGINAL 9, with gold records at the young age of 16 years old! He was brother number 4 in the family lineup.
But more than that at home and beyond he was the wonderful bro that was always entertaining and delightfully mischievous! And we could always count on him to make a seemingly bad situation more light hearted!
He will live in our hearts forever, rest in power beloved Freddie!! We thank you all for your love, blessings and support at this time. Soar high baby bro, we love you to the shining [stars] and back!”There was an outpouring of support in the comments section. Lenny Kravitz wrote, “Sending my love and deepest condolences to you and the family. I was blessed to have been in his presence and blessed to have been influenced by him. A true king. Rest in power.” Questlove, Jimmy Jam, Dule Hill, and Loni Love were among others sending their love.
Brothers Verdine and Maurice White, the latter of whom died in 2016, founded Earth, Wind & Fire in 1970. Fred joined the band in 1974 (as noted by Entertainment Weekly), after having proven his drumming chops outside of the family with the likes of Donny Hathaway. Before leaving the group in the ’80s, White contributed to enduring Earth, Wind & Fire hits “September” and “Shining Star.”
The group was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In December 2019, Earth, Wind & Fire were recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors. Ahead of the ceremony, Verdine, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson reflected on their iconic journey to that point with CBS Mornings. Watch the interview below.
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in January. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, January 6
Anti-Flag — Lies They Tell Out Children (Spinefarm Records)
Iggy Pop — Every Loser (Gold Tooth Records)
Kathleen — Live From Highland Park EP (Warner Records)
Friday, January 13
Banners — I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not EP (Nettwerk)
Billy Nomates — CACTI (Invada Records)
Circa Waves — Never Going Under (Lower Third/[PIAS])
Crooks & Nannies — No Fun EP (Grand Jury Music)
feeble little horse — Hayday (Julia’s War Recordings)
James Yorkston, Nina Persson, And The Second Hand Orchestra – The Great White Sea Eagle (Domino)
Joesef — Permanent Damage (AWAL)
Joshua Radin — though the world will tell me so, volume one EP (Nettwerk)
Juni Habel — Carvings (Ba Da Bing)
Leila Moss — Internal Working Model (Bella Union)
Margo Price — Strays (Loma Vista Recordings)
MOLLY — Picturesque (Sonic Cathedral)
Rozi Plain — PRIZE (Memphis Industries)
The Subways — Uncertain Joys (Alcopop! Records)
Velvet Negroni — Bulli (4AD)
Ville Vale — Neon Noir (MG/Spinefarm)
Friday, January 20
abracadabra — shapes & colors (Melodic)
The Bad Ends — The Power And The Glory (New West Records)
Beauty Pill — Blue Period (Ernest Jenning Record Co)
Brainiac — Predator Nominate EP (Touch & Go Records)
The C.I.A.– Surgery Channel (In The Red)
Celestial Wizard — Winds Of The Cosmos (Scarlet Records)
Dave Rowntree — Radio Songs (Cooking Vinyl)
Fran — Leaving (Fire Talk Records)
Glyders — Maria’s Hunt (Redeye)
Guided By Voices — La La Land (GBV Inc Records)
Half Life — Like A Jungle (Club Inferno)
J.T. IV — The Future (Drag City)
Jadu Heart — Derealised (VLF Records)
John Cale — Mercy (Double Six Records)
Kali Malone — Does Spring Hide Its Joy (Ideologic Organ)
Ladytron — City Of Angels (Cooking Vinyl)
Lukas Graham — 4 (The Pink Album) (Warner Records)
Måneskin — Rush! (Epic Records)
The MOSS — Insomnia EP (S-Curve/Hollywood Records)
The Murder Capital — Gigi’s Recovery (Human Season Records)
New Found Glory — Make The Most Of It (Revelation Records)
Oddisee — To What End (Outer Note Label)
Siv Jakobsen — Gardening (The Nordic Mellow)
Spice World — There’s No I In Spice World (Virgin)
We Are Scientists — Lobes (Masterswan Recordings)
Friday, January 27
The Arcs — Electrophonic Chronic (Easy Eye Sound)
Ava Max — Diamonds & Dancefloors (Atlantic Records)
Dhafer Youssef — Streets Of Minarets (Back Beat Edition)
Electric Mob — 2 Make U Cry & Dance (Frontiers Music S.r.l)
Elle King — Come Get Your Wife (Sony Music Nashville)
Fucked Up — One Day (Merge)
H.C. McEntire — Every Acre (Merge)
Half Gringa — Ancestral Home EP (self-released)
Heavy Blanket — Moon Is (Redeye)
Joe Henry — All The Eye Can See (Earmusic)
Jonah Yano — Portrait Of A Dog (Innovative Leisure)
The top ranks of Spotify’s most-streamed songs of all time don’t change too often. The last time we got a new song at No. 1 was in September 2017, when Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” passed Drake’s “One Dance” to become the new champion. Sheeran’s hit had about 1.3 billion plays at the time and since then, it became the first song to pass 2 and 3 billion streams on the platform.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd released “Blinding Lights” in November 2019 and it has been making its way up the list since then. Now, it has found the very top: On the evening of December 31, 2022, Chart Data noted that “Blinding Lights” had passed “Shape Of You” to become the most-streamed song in Spotify history. As of this morning (January 2), “Blinding Lights” has 3,332,163,962 streams and “Shape Of You” has 3,332,016,196.
.@theweeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” is now the #1 most streamed song in Spotify history, surpassing @edsheeran‘s “Shape of You” (3.332 billion).
As for other songs that perhaps have a shot at someday taking over No. 1, Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” is the most-played 2020 song with about 2.2 billion streams, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” is the top 2021 hit with 2.3 billion, and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is currently the only 2022 song in the all-time top 100, with 1.7 billion.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out the best vinyl releases of December below.
It’s been over 50 years since Crosby, Stills & Nash released their beloved self-titled debut album and now it’s lovingly been given a deluxe vinyl reissue. This edition was mastered from the original tapes and the packaging is similarly detailed, featuring special foil-stamped jackets and other intricacies that make this UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP collector’s edition the version of this album to own.
Speaking of the CSNY squad, Neil Young’sHarvest turned 50 this year. So, he’s given the iconic album a big box set that comes with, along with the beloved original album, three studio outtakes and a previously unreleased 1971 BBC solo performance, as well as a hardbound book and fold-out poster.
Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs), consisting of tunes from his Inside comedy special, was an unexpected hit, as it became his first top-10 album in 2021. Now there’s a new limited edition box set, a 3-LP release that includes everything from Inside as well as the later supplementary release, The Inside Outtakes. Target and Urban Outfitters have their own exclusive versions, too, pressed on opaque white and crystal clear vinyl, respectively.
Paul McCartney die-hards: this one’s for you. Earlier this month, Macca dropped The 7″ Singles Box, which features a whopping 80 7-inch singles. In total, there are 163 tracks making up over ten hours of music and a 148-page book (that features writing from McCartney and Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield), all housed in a wooden crate. Only 3,000 copies have been produced, too, so if you’re interested, it’s one to scoop up quickly while it’s still available.
Idles — Five Years Of Brutalism (Anniversary Reissue)
Partisan
For Idles, it all started with 2017’s Brutalism. Half a decade later, the band has given the LP a fresh coat of paint with Five Years Of Brutalism. This anniversary rerelease is pressed on cherry red vinyl, comes with alternative artwork designed by the band’s Joe Talbot, and is limited to just 10,000 copies worldwide.
Alabama Shakes — Boys & Girls (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
ATO
It’s been ten years since Brittany Howard established herself as one of music’s most powerful vocalists with the release of Alabama Shakes’ debut album, 2012’s Boys & Girls. To mark the occasion, there’s a new reissue that is packaged in a foil-board gatefold jacket and comes with a bonus 12-track KCRW radio session from January 2012.
Karma is an enduring classic from 1969 and if the Pharoah Sanders album isn’t in your library yet, here’s a terrific opportunity to add it. This reissue was mastered from the original analog tapes and was pressed on 180-gram vinyl, which is housed in a high-quality tip-on deluxe gatefold jacket. The release comes after the jazz icon’s death, which came in September at 81 years old.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Catch Bull At Four (50th Anniversary Edition)
A&M/UMe
If you own Catch Bull At Four on vinyl, it was pressed when the LP was originally released back in 1972. Now, though, the Yusuf/Cat Stevens album has been reissued in vinyl for the first time since then. It’s also been newly remastered and is available in both 180-gram black vinyl and limited edition 180-gram orange vinyl editions.
Queens Of The Stone Age — Like Clockwork and Villains (Reissues)
Matador Records
Queens Of The Stone Age have kept their output relatively minimal over the past decade, as their two most recent albums are 2013’s Like Clockwork and 2017’s Villains. If you need to get caught up, though, the band has given those two LPs new reissues. Like Clockwork was recut from the original master tapes and comes with alternate artwork, while Villains comes pressed on limited edition leaf-green transparent vinyl and with a new poster.
Wu-Tang Clan has spawned a number of beloved solo albums, including Inspectah Deck’s 1999 debut Uncontrolled Substance. This new Vinyl Me, Please reissue is actually the first time the project has ever been re-released and this 2-LP edition comes pressed on understated but lovely “cop car blue” vinyl.
Back in 2019, Janelle Monáe and Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) were both Coachella headliners. This fact was brought up during a recent lie detector test video from Vanity Fair, in which Monáe measured herself favorably against Glover.
In the video, Monáe was hooked up to the machine while Glass Onion co-star Kate Hudson asked questions. Hudson showed a photo of Glover, mentioned Coachella, and asked if Monáe has a problem with sharing the spotlight, to which Monáe said she doesn’t. Hudson then pointed out that Monáe and Glover are both multi-talented triple threats before asking Monáe if she thinks she’s the better “actress/singer/dancer” of the two. Monáe sighed and answered, “You know what, Childish? I love you, but I think yes. I mean, should I lie?”
Elsewhere during the interrogation, Hudson asked Monáe if she’s more “extra” than some celebrities. One of them was Lady Gaga and Monáe said, “I love her. I think… I actually don’t know. I actually don’t know, because I feel like when we started in the industry, kind of like close together, I was doing my version of extra and she was doing her version of extra. And I haven’t given up on my extra and I don’t think she’s given up on hers.”
So, it’s only right that Lizzo celebrate 2022 and ring in 2023 on SiriusXM. Today, December 30, the company announced Lizzo Radio, taking over Channel 14 for a three-day limited-engagement run beginning on New Year’s Eve.
“Starting New Year’s Eve, turn up Lizzo Radio on SiriusXM for music and personal messages that will have you feeling good as hell. You’ll hear Lizzo’s biggest songs and exclusive performances from her unforgettable SiriusXM ‘Small Stage Series’ concert from last October,” the announcement reads. “The special channel will also include her hand-picked favorites by Beyoncé, Prince, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, 21 Savage, Cardi B, SZA and many more.”
It’s ‘About Damn Time’ to ring in 2023! Head into the new year feeling ‘Good as Hell’ with SiriusXM @lizzo Radio!
First, SZA posted an Instagram carousel featuring a series of selfies, a Wolf Of Wall Street screengrab, Billboard‘s article announcing SOS‘s second consecutive week, plus aggregate sites relaying that the album is “the first album by a Black female artist to spend its first two weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 since Beyoncé” and that SZA joined Taylor Swift as the sole female artists to ever chart at least 20 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
“Lol instagram randomly deleted my post last week .. but APPARENTLY ITS STILL TRUE THIS WEEK,” SZA captioned the post. “number 1 two weeks in a row .. God is incredible. I won’t repeat it all ,but thank you everybody for supporting me and speaking power n love into me. It’s 9:43 in Hawaii . I couldn’t ask for anything more . Life is beautiful and what it should be.”
Then, last night (December 28), SZA doubled down on her gratitude on Twitter.
“I just wanna say the way y’all been riding for me and genuinely wanna see me win / get my first number one means SO much …community is everything and I couldn’t do any of this w out YALL,” she tweeted alongside heart, salute and “SOS emojis with the #KillBill hashtag. “THANK YOU I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU.”
I jus wanna say the way y’all been riding for me and genuinely wanna see me win / get my first number one means SO much …community is everything and I couldn’t do any of this w out YALL THANK YOU I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU #Killbill
Bad Bunny is giving back to his local community. On Tuesday (December 27), the Latin superstar hosted the Bonita Tradición event to give away over 25,000 gifts to kids in Puerto Rico.
Through his non-profit organization, the Good Bunny Foundation, Bad Bunny launched the Bonita Tradición, or “Beautiful Tradition,” gift drive. The event took place at the iconic El Coliseo in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he has performed multiple sold-out concerts. The gifts that were given out to children included instruments, sports equipment, and art supplies.
“We want to close the year in the best way, bringing a bit of joy, hope, and love to the children with an event that reflects the best of this time with a very special emphasis on the traditions of our island,” said José “Che Juan” Torres, director of the Good Bunny Foundation, in a press release.
Bad Bunny showed up to the event to handout gifts with the volunteers and take pictures with the children. Puerto Rican food and drinks were available as well as live music and entertainment for the guests. Professional boxer Xander Zayas and up-and-coming Puerto Rican singer Jotaerre also showed up that the event.
Later that day, Bad Bunny returned to his hometown of Vega Baja with Dominican-American rapper Arcángel. The duo were spotted recording the music video for their collaboration “La Jumpa” from Arcángel’s Sr. Santos album. Last week, Bad Bunny teamed up with Ñengo Flow for their song “Gato De Noche.”
Bad Bunny played a free concert last night on the rooftop of a gas station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The show was seemingly unplanned, as crowds in the videos taken gathered around in the street. He even had the makeshift stage decked out in lights, giving it the energy of a real concert.
Bad Bunny gave an impromptu free concert on the rooftop of a gas station in Loíza, Puerto Rico. https://t.co/ZmRT7vHJrg
The videos of Bunny’s performance have since gone viral online, and fans appear to love the Puerto Rican singer even more. “When you make half a billi on concerts for the year but still take time to do this>>>,” one fan wrote.
“this man is amazing, he REALLY loves his fans,” another pointed out.
Bunny’s show comes weeks after a President of another country wanted him to play a free show. Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked the singer to return to Mexico City for a performance following the fake ticket scams that fans faced at his sold-out concert on December 9.
“I would tell him how deeply we were touched to see young people sad because they couldn’t get in, because they had duplicated tickets, because they were victims of fraud,” López Obrador said. He also noted that the country would pay for the costs of lighting, sound, and a zipline in the plaza.
According to NPR, Bunny’s reps didn’t respond to the President’s comments.
Continue scrolling for some additional fan reactions to Bad Bunny’s impromptu gas station concert in Puerto Rico.
everyday i find more reasons as to why i should be back on my island full-time.
One thing about Bad Bunny: he’ll always give back to his people and advocate for them. It’s something I respect about him as he’s risen. https://t.co/y9b5iAEAyt
Head into the new year feeling ‘Good as Hell’ with SiriusXM 
THANK YOU I LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU 
(@JofXav078)