13 years after his death, Michael Jackson’s legacy continues to be disputed, debated, and discussed by fans both old and new. Recently, a new twist was thrown into the discourse as Sony Music, which manages the rights to Jackson’s music, has removed three of his songs from streaming services. The three songs, “Breaking News,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and “Monster” featuring 50 Cent, all appear on the 2010 posthumous album Michael and have been subject to controversy for years.
The controversy stems from some fans’ belief that the songs do not feature Jackson’s vocals. Instead, they think that the songs were completed by a session singer, undermining the claim that the album consists of “previously unreleased vocal tracks performed by Michael Jackson.” In fact, one fan even sued Sony and Jackson’s estate over the contentious tracks, claiming they violated consumer laws and amounted to fraud. Vera Serova’s 2014 class-action lawsuit calls the three songs an “elaborate artistic fraud masterminded by co-defendants Eddie Cascio and James Porte.”
Some members of Jackson’s family have even weighed in on both sides. His mom Katherine and sister LaToya both maintained that the songs were either faked or didn’t sound like him, but a court eventually ruled that there was no case because of lack of evidence. It has since been appealed.
However, according to American Songwriter via Stereogum, the three tracks weren’t removed because of their doubted veracity, but because “the continuing conversation about the tracks is distracting the fan community and casual Michael Jackson listeners from focusing their attention where it should be: on Michael’s legendary and deep music catalog,” according to a statement from the estate.
Summer music festival season is in full swing. Bonnaroo just went down in Tennessee in mid-June, Glastonbury just lit the world ablaze with a slew of memorable performances from the UK last weekend, and Wireless Festival wrapped up the first of three hip-hop superfests in London. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, the largest music festival in Scandinavia, happened last week with Post Malone and Dua Lipa headlining two of the fests closing nights. But when the proverbial lights were down, Posty was holding court on the ping pong… err… beer pong table backstage and Dua Lipa was his partner.
In a TikTok clip shared by Posty, he and Dua Lipa are playing a neck and neck match-up against members of Turnstile. It’s down to one cup on each side and the Twelve Carat Toothache star stepped up to the table with the game on the line. Dua Lipa rubs her hands with tense anticipation as Posty shakes any residual liquid from the ping pong ball (for optimal grip, duh, bro!). He flanks his cigarette hand off to the side (for balance) calculates the shot and lets it go. BOOM! Direct hit! Post Malone and Dua Lipa win the game and everyone erupts.
Of course Posty hit the winning shot. Who did you expect? The experience was clearly a formative one for Dua Lipa, who posted a photo of it along with a video of a “strategy” session with her victorious teammate.
And don’t feel too bad for Turnstile, they just announced the continuation of the Turnstile Love Connection Tour with Snail Mail and Jpegmafia. Hopefully they learned a thing or two about beer pong from the headliners.
Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
A good movie soundtrack should not only make you think about the scenes in the movie when you hear the songs after the fact, but the movie soundtrack should also create an artistic canvas that can live on its own, independent of the film. These picks represent the best movie soundtracks of all-time, whether it’s focused primarily on a singular artist like Eminem, Whitney Houston, Kendrick Lamar and Prince, or whether it’s comprised of a collection of songs that captured a moment in time or a period in a genres history. Whether it’s the ’80s, gangsta rap, Britpop, disco, indie, the ’70s, or grunge, they’re featured here on our list of the best movie soundtracks of all-time.
20. 8 Mile (2002)
For all the shine that Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” got as the movie’s most iconic number (and one of the biggest rap singles of all time), the 8 Mile soundtrack was also a stellar showcase for Shady Records, the sound of Detroit rap as a whole, and the legends that helped shape Em’s world-sweeping sound. You can’t talk about the Shady Records’ beginnings without mentioning 50 Cent, and “Wanksta” was the second single off of the soundtrack that helped propel 50’s illustrious career. Gang Starr, Jay-Z, Xzibit (“Spitshine” is perennially slept on and vintage X), Rakim, and Detroit’s Obie Trice all feature prominently alongside Eminem and D12.
19. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim’s indie band Sex Bob-Omb performed throughout the flick and these were much more than just scene-filling songs. Co-written by Beck, their tunes totally rock, and Michael Cera and company shred through the slacker swing of “Garbage Truck” and the technicolor rock-a-billy explosiveness of “We Are Sex Bomb-Omb.” Metric’s “Black Sheep” as performed by Brie Larson’s Envy Adams is a bonafide banger that now appears on 2021’s Expanded version of the soundtrack, “We Hate You Please Die” is another bop from one of the film’s fictional bands (Crash And The Boys) and there’s even a little Broken Social Scene on the album for good measure. As if you needed another stamp of approval, the whole soundtrack was executive produced by Nigel Godrich.
18. Trainspotting (1996)
The soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s ’90s cult-classic film cemented Britpop standards from Blur, Elastica, and Pulp, alongside UK club hits from Underworld and Iggy Pop’s timeless proto-punk. From the moment that Trainspotting begins with Ewan McGregor’s Renton running from the cops to the tune of Pop’s “Lust For Life,” the music is inextricably tied to every scene of the film. Heck, that song is forever synonymous with the flick. Underworld’s “Born Slippy” heightens the emotion’s in the movie’s closing moments as McGregor delivers his memorable soliloquy, illustrating how Boyle and company harnessed the power of these songs to make a great movie even better.
17. The Wedding Singer (1998)
It’s like The Wedding Singer took everything that was great about unforgettable ’80s movies soundtracks (Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, etc..) and supercharged it. I suppose it’s easier for a movie that came out in 1998 to look back on an entire decade’s worth of music and totally nail where to drop it all into a movie about peak ’80s nostalgia. There are ’80s staples by New Order, The Smiths, and even “Pass The Dutchie” by Musical Youth. And in a highlight moment, Drew Barrymore and Christine Taylor sing Billy Idol’s “China Girl” in a scene, before Idol emerges as a major character in the movie’s big ending. Ultimately, The Wedding Singer is an ode to the decade’s fun musical history that takes full advantage of its hindsight.
16. Juno (2007)
Yes, another entry from a movie with Michael Cera (we clearly stan). Apparently, director Jason Reitman asked Elliott Page what they thought the movie’s title character listened to, and Kimya Dawson and her bands The Moldy Peaches and Antsy Pants came up. The very twee selections makes for perfect accompaniments to a quaint and sweet film about teenage pregnancy. Belle and Sebastian and Cat Power (“Sea Of Love”!) round out the classic indie collection, with Juno’s crowning moment of Page and twee king Cera singing The Moldy Peaches’ “Anyone Else” in the heartwarming finale.
15. Friday (1995)
If you’re gonna make a movie about a dog day afternoon in South Central LA, it better be set to gangsta rap and g-funk joints through and through. Surprisingly, there is only one Ice Cube cut, in the album-opening title-track slap. But it is surrounded by unshakeable tracks like Dr. Dre’s “Keep Their Heads Ringin’,” 2 Live Crew’s “Hoochie Mama,” and Mack 10’s stoner anthem “Take A Hit.” Speaking of weed, Rick James’ “Mary Jane” soundtracks the classic scene of Cube’s Craig and Chris Tucker’s Smokey getting high on the porch, setting the stage for more moments like this in the Friday franchise.
14. Good Will Hunting (1997)
It’s funny how Good Will Hunting seems to be remembered for lines like “How do you like dem apples?” delivered in a silly Boston accent, more so than for breaking out a then-emerging Portland singer-songwriter named Elliott Smith. Director Gus Van Sant, who also lived in Portland at the time, tabbed Smith’s music to be stitched throughout the film, and then Smith offered an original, “Miss Misery,” which went on to receive an Oscar nomination. There’s something so humble, sublime, and painful about Smith, a tortured soul who would commit suicide (allegedly) six years after the film’s release in 2003, soundtracking the story about another brilliant mind with a troubled past. Smith’s genius is immortal on this one.
13. Dazed & Confused (1993)
Dazed & Confused is beloved as one of the greatest coming of age movies set in the ’70s, paired with the best rock and roll from the era. Every song fits its purpose masterfully. Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” is a vibey beginning credits choice, setting the mood for the laid-back Austin summer. Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” plays on the last day of school, War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends” soundtracks incoming freshman girls getting hazed by the seniors, and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” is the backdrop for an epic kegger coming to a close. Then, as Randall “Pink” Floyd, Wooderson, Slater, and Simone get on the highway to go buy Aerosmith tickets in Houston (“top priority of the summer!”), “Slow Ride” by Foghat takes viewers into the sun.
12. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The 2002 Grammy Album Of The Year is about much more than just George Clooney’s Everett and the Soggy Bottom Boys singing “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow.” The T Bone Burnett-produced album is a portrait of Southern Americana styles that harken back to the film’s Depression-era setting and have held strong to the present day. It shined a light on amazing talents like Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss on “I’ll Fly Away” and “Go To Sleep You Little Baby” (the latter of which also features the great Emmylou Harris.) But the soundtrack also tipped a cap to early folk numbers like Harry McClintock’s Mississippi scene-setting “Big Rock Candy Mountains.”
11. Singles (1992)
Great grunge rock soundtrack, or greatest grunge soundtrack? We’ll take the Pepsi challenge on Singles being the end-all-be-all soundtrack for ’90s grunge, especially considering Cameron Crowe’s film centers on Seattle coffee shop culture and the city’s famed grunge scene. And it really checks all of the boxes in the process: Pearl Jam contribute two songs to the soundtrack, (“Breath” and “State Of Love And Trust”) and members of Pearl Jam even appear in the movie as Matt Dillon’s bandmates. Chris Cornell is included, Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You” is featured, Paul Westerberg’s “Dyslexic Heart” is the film’s punchy theme song of sorts, and Alice In Chains’ “Would?” actually debuted as the soundtrack’s lone single before it appeared on their seminal album, Dirt.
10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Before O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Bodyguard took home Grammys for Album Of The Year, Saturday Night Fever was the first soundtrack that could lay stake to the claim. The Bee Gees-heavy tracklist includes a veritable checklist of disco-era anthems. “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than A Woman,” and “Night Fever”? Check. Even the balladry of “How Deep Is Your Love?” is not only featured on the album, but was also written specifically for the movie.
9. Hackers (1995)
You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Matthew Lillard, and friends hacking the planet while blasting The Prodigy’s “Voodoo People.” The hilariously bad, but quite frankly also awesome visual depictions of what the internet “looks like” felt like a trippy Winamp visualizer for ’90s electronic thumps like Orbital’s “Halcyon & On & On,” The Prodigy’s “One Love,” and Underworld’s “Cowgirl.” This was the early cyberspace culture phenomena at its finest and even features a David Gilmour easter egg track at the end that was only released 25 years later.
8. Save The Last Dance (2000)
The quintessential soundtrack for the marriage of hip-hop and R&B. Yes, Save The Last Dance often gets pigeonholed as a campy dance-centric romcom, but its accompanying music was undeniable. For starters, it has the version of “Only You” by 112 that features Mase and The Notorious B.I.G. Both K-Ci & Jojo’s “Crazy” and “You” by Lucy Pearl, Snoop Dogg, and Q-Tip were original singles to the film. Montell Jordan’s “Get It On Tonight” and Q-Tip’s classic “Breathe & Stop” add to this legit hip-hop dance club collection, while Fredro Starr and Jill Scott’s “Shining Through” shows that in the end, even the toughest rappers have a sensitive side.
7. Batman Forever (1995)
I could tell you that Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose” topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart as part of the Batman Forever soundtrack and call it a day. But this incredible movie soundtrack album is about so much more than just your drunken friend’s favorite karaoke jam. U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” is one of the group’s most underrated songs (that never appeared on a U2 album, just this soundtrack.) The album also features multiple other singles, like Method Man’s thematic “The Riddler” and The Offspring’s raucous cover of The Damned’s “Smash It Up.” But it’s the superfan cuts like The Flaming Lips’ “Bad Days,” playing in the film as Jim Carrey’s downtrodden Edward Nygma becomes The Riddler, and Nick Cave’s sinister “There Is A Light,” that round this out as one of the best, and most diverse, soundtracks of all time.
6. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Like with Dazed & Confused, the Pulp Fiction soundtrack is one that found the perfect song for every scene, but Quentin Tarantino’s approach was far less literal. Dusty Springfield’s “Son Of A Preacher Man” plays as John Travolta’s Vincent Vega awaits his boss’s wife, Mia Wallace played by Uma Thurman, before a very awkward non-date. Then, as Mia overdoses at the end of the night, it’s to Urge Overkill’s Neil Diamond cover, “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon.” The Pulp Fiction soundtrack also found a uniquely artistic way to re-introduce surf rock into mainstream consciousness, with Dick Dale & His Del-Tones’ “Misirlou” as the movie’s ubiquitous opening song, and then somehow making shooting up heroin look more glamorous than disgusting, through The Centurians’ “Bullwinkle, Pt II..”
5. Forrest Gump (1994)
How do you tell the story of the major events in modern American history through the eyes of a peculiar protagonist without including the music that was literally playing when it all happened? Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” plays as Forrest gets to the Vietnam War and meets Lieutenant Dan, Jenny sings “Blowin’ In The Wind” on stage at a seedy bar, and a young Forrest is forever changed when he sees Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on a TV behind a department store window. There are so many hits from the late ’50s to the late ’70s on the double-disc soundtrack, that it’s scary to think of how many checks must have been written to license all the music. It was worth it.
4. Garden State (2004)
The Garden State soundtrack marked the beginning of indie music’s ascent into the new millennium and indie fans still hold the collection dear as if it was made by a cult-ish band. The Shins had not one, but two songs featured on the album that led to a considerable spike in their notoriety. I mean, you try to resist the thought of Natalie Portman putting headphones over your ears saying, “You gotta hear this one song, it’ll change your life I swear.” Elsewhere, Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic” reminds listeners of a time before Coldplay went pop, Thievery Corporation’s “Lebanese Blonde” blew up from its inclusion, and many were introduced to Zero 7’s stunning “In The Waiting Line” that players while Zach Braff trips on ecstasy. But it wasn’t just new music that made the Garden State soundtrack stand out, as it also revived Nick Drake’s “One Of These Things First” and found the stars shouting into a rainy endless abyss as Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Only Living Boy In New York” plays?
3. Black Panther (2018)
It can’t be understated how monumental of a release Black Panther: The Album was. With Kendrick Lamar coordinating the project as the executive producer, he rounded up what felt like every of-the-moment name in hip-hop to create all original music for the first Marvel movie centered around a Black superhero. And these weren’t just great songs, these were straight-up world-beaters. On the strength of hits like Kendrick and SZA’s “All The Stars,” The Weeknd and Kendrick’s “Pray For Me,” and Jay Rock, Kendrick, Future, and James Blake’s “King’s Dead,” the album immediately topped the Billboard 200 chart upon its release. And when Kendrick was peaking on the heels of DAMN., Black Panther was just icing on the creative crest of his career.
2. Purple Rain (1984)
It’s wild to think that Prince’s sixth album, among the best in his deep catalog (if not the best) was the soundtrack to the titular film that he starred in as well. Say what you will about the movie’s merits, Purple Rain the soundtrack ushered Prince into a new era of super stardom, where he revolutionized the intersection between pop and rock with his unabashed flamboyance and unapologetic style. “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Purple Rain,” “I Would Die 4 U,” and “When Doves Cry” were all written for the film and are all vying for spots on any Top 10 Prince songs list worth a damn. The way the crowd in the movie is jaw-droppingly stunned at the performance of the title track is pretty much how every new and existing Prince fan felt when this album came out. A masterpiece in every way.
1. The Bodyguard (1992)
Much like Purple Rain is far more memorable for the soundtrack than the film, The Bodyguard achieves the same effect in spades. Where Prince pushed the envelope of his sound, Whitney Houston is absolutely breathtaking across The Bodyguard soundtrack. You’re gripped the moment she begins to sing “I Will Always Love You” a capella. “I Have Nothing” is the definition of a tour de force, ditto to the elegant “Run To You.” Whitney shows her range on the anthemic “I’m Every Woman” and the early-’90s dance class revue on “Queen Of The Night.” Kenny G and Aaron Neville deliver a glorious adult contemporary jam with “Even If My Heart Would Break” and there are forgettable songs by Joe Cocker and Lisa Stansfield that are a brilliant contrast to how impeccable Whitney is on the album’s first half. This was the most incredible she had sounded since her 1987 debut and when we look back on the legacy of Whitney Houston, it’s The Bodyguard soundtrack that we’ll turn to forever as her finest work.
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As a result of being one of music’s biggest stars, Drake has been able to do a lot of random and interesting things in his life. He created the Sanctuary Basketball League (SBL) that runs games in his mansion, and so far, he’s a 2-time champion. He threw a dinner party on the 50-yard line at SoFi Stadium after he won artist of the decade. In his latest act, Drake took to a concert stage in his hometown of Toronto to perform with a legendary pop band: Backstreet Boys.
Drake accompanied the band for a performance of “I Want It That Way” at a recent concert in Toronto. However, before they began the song, Drake shared how impactful “I Want It That Way” was for him. “I really wanted to come out here tonight — I saw my brother at a restaurant the other night, and I was telling him that when I was in high school — I wasn’t even in high school yet, it was junior high and I was 13 years old,” Drake said. “I was an awkward kid. I was in love with this girl at the time…and she paid me no mind. But at 13 years old, I had a thing called a bar mitzvah…and at my bar mitzvah, for the first time in my life, this girl who I was in love with came up to me while one of the greatest songs of all time played.”
He continued, “She asked me if I would dance with her to the song. It was the first time I ever felt acknowledged — like I had a shot at being cool. The song that she wanted to dance with me to was one of the greatest songs of all time — it’s one of the greatest songs ever made.”
You can watch clips from Drake and Backstreet Boys’ performance together in the posts above.
Doja Cat has had a massively successful last few years, racking up victories and nominations across a variety of prominent award shows, putting on stellar live sets, and regularly being called upon by stars of today and yesteryear to add her versatile spice to their records. Today (July 1), she has earned a whopping 22 new RIAA certifications, which has helped put her in rare air: She now has 14 total Platinum singles, which is tied with Nicki Minaj for the second-most ever for a female rapper. The Planet Herand Queen artists now only stand behind Cardi B within these specific rankings, with the Invasion Of Privacy artist holding firm at 17 Platinum singles.
The RIAA has certified the 26-year-old’s singles “Juicy,” “Need To Know,” “Ain’t Sh*t,” “Streets,” “Rules,” “Get Into It (Yuh),” “Woman,” “Cyber Sex,” “Candy,” “You Right” featuring The Weeknd,” “Like That” featuring Gucci Mane, “Tia Tamera” featuring Rico Nasty as Platinum, with “Say So” and “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA now five-times and four-times Platinum, respectively. Additionally, “Freak,” “Bottom B*tch,” “So High,” “Mooo!,” and “I Don’t Do Drugs” featuring Ariana Grande are officially Gold-certified. Lastly, Doja Cat’s 2019 LP Hot Pink and 2021 LP Planet Her are officially Platinum, with 2018’s Amala reaching Gold status.
Though the multi-talent unfortunately has to miss some major upcoming shows due to tonsil surgery, surely some good news like this will comfort her in the recovery process before she is back to doing what she does best. It may just be a matter of time before she reaches No. 1.
Check out the full list of Doja Cat’s RIAA certifications here.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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 July. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, July 1
Alex Crispin — Alex Crispin (Cobblers)
Carlos Truly — Not Mine (Bayonet Records)
Chief State — Waiting For Your Colours (Mutant League Record)
The Deer Hunter — Antimai (Triple Crown Records)
Fresh — Raise Hell (Get Better Records)
GoGo Penguin — Between Two Waves EP (XXIM Records)
Guided By Voices — Tremblers And Goggles By Rank (Rockathon Records)
Towards the end of 2019, Mandy Moore announced that she would hit the road for her first tour in over a decade. The string of performances would follow the release of her sixth album Silver Landings, which arrived in 2020 as her first project since 2009. Unfortunately, thanks to the COVID pandemic, Moore was forced to cancel that 2020 tour. Fast-forward to this year, and Moore is just a little over a month removed from dropping her seventh album In Real Life. Just like Silver Landings, that project was set to be followed by a North American tour, and while it got underway earlier this month, Moore was once again forced to cancel a collection of dates.
Moore announced that the rest of her 2022 tour dates, which is 14 dates in total, were canceled and it’s for a good reason. She recently announced that she is expecting her second son with Dawes lead vocalist Taylor Goldsmith, and it’s this pregnancy that’s made it very difficult to continue touring, as she explained in a new statement. “Friends, It is with a heavy heart and much consideration that I have to let you all know that I am cancelling my remaining show dates in 2022,” she wrote on Instagram. “It has been an honor and an absolute dream to return to the stage again this past month, performing for all of you.”
She continued, “When we booked these shows, I wasn’t pregnant and although I truly thought I could power through, the way we are traveling (long hours on the bus and not getting proper rest) has caught up, taken its toll, and made it feel too challenging to proceed. I know that I have to put my family and my health (and the health of my baby) first and the best place for me to be right now is at home.”
Moore ended her message by thanking fans for their support and noted that “all tickets will be refunded at place of purchase.”
You can read Moore’s full message about the tour cancellation above.
@Dua Lipa
