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SZA Brings Up Little Richard When Responding To Critics Who Tell Her To Enunciate
As her “I Hate U” visual sizzles with a guest appearance from Lakeith Stanfield, SZA is clapping back at fans who have complained about her vocal stylings. The Top Dawg Entertainment hitmaker has been a fan favorite in the industry for years, and after she released her stellar debut Ctrl, SZA has been a leading force in R&B. Fans continue to await her sophomore effort, but in the meantime, SZA has been delivering hit after hit with her standalone singles.
Although people have been soaking up her music, there are those within and outside of her fanbase who often have a few things to say about how she sings.
Craig Barritt / Stringer / Getty Images
Throughout the history of music, singers have capitalized on their own signature styles. In today’s music culture, it’s not difficult to notice that many popular R&B singers, and rappers, commonly use a more slurred or mumbled delivery. Often, these artists are criticized, but in the end, it’s a form that hasn’t stopped them from amassing success.
SZA took note of the complaints and tweeted, “I jus wanna know why lil Richard said ‘wapbabaloobop balapbam boom tootie fruity on rootie’ and nobody complained but I gotta ‘ANNUNCIATE’ [eye roll emoji].” Many people agreed with her, while others noted that Little Richard made up words and enunciated them, making her argument a completely different criticism.
Check out her tweet below.
Dolphins Owner Shoots Down Rumored Interest In Hiring Jim Harbaugh
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who is a University of Michigan alumnus, says he doesn’t plan to hire the school’s current football head coach, Jim Harbaugh. The Dolphins let go of Brian Flores on Monday in a decision that shocked the football world.
“I have no coach in mind at this point. We’re going to do a thorough review and interview process,” Ross said according to ESPN. “And Jim Harbaugh, I love Jim Harbaugh. He had the opportunity once before to come to the Miami Dolphins. But he’s at the University of Michigan. … That is my school I graduated from, and I’m very involved in it.”
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He added: “And I’m not going to be the person to take Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He’s a great coach.”
Harbaugh is sure to be a popular name to fill head coaching vacancies in the NFL, this offseason, as he’s reportedly begun telling recruits that he may not be at Michigan for long.
Harbaugh previously coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, leading them to three straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.
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Bob Saget’s Autopsy Reveals New Details Into Actor’s Unexpected Death
Orange and Osceola Counties’ chief medical examiner Joshua Stephany has completed an autopsy on late comedian Bob Saget, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. While a cause of death is still considered to be weeks away, the report has revealed new details regarding his death.
Saget’s body was found lying face-up on his hotel room bed, with his left arm across his chest. His family was attempting to get a hold of him to no avail when they asked a Ritz-Carlton Hotel security staffer to go check on him.
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“I checked the immediate area for signs of foul play. It should be noted none were found. The room itself was orderly with items owned by Mr. Saget on the nightstand, television stand, closet and bathroom,” a report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reads. “No signs of trauma were seen.”
Stephany explained that it will take quite some time before a cause of death will be released: “The cause and manner of death are pending further studies and investigation which may take up to 10-12 weeks to complete,” Stephany says. “Our condolences go out to Mr. Saget’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
Saget is survived by three daughters and his wife, Kelly Rizzo.
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Lil Wayne To Drop His 10 Year Old Mixtape “Sorry 4 The Wait” On Streaming Platforms For The First Time
It’s been a decade since Lil Wayne dropped his infamous “Sorry 4 The Wait” mixtape but fans are eager for the project to be available on streaming platforms. Originally, Sorry 4 the Wait came was released as a digital download on July 13th, 2011. It was released by Wayne to the continued delay of his […]
Jason Isbell Criticized Morgan Wallen’s Surprise Appearance On The Grand Ole Opry
Morgan Wallen had a strange 2021. He was very commercially successful as his second album Dangerous: The Double Album was the most popular album of the year. However, he was also caught on camera using the N word, a moment that evoked tons of backlash from mainstream critics. In one of his first interviews since the incident, Wallen called his use of the slur “playful,” but has also said a number of times that it was wrong for him to say it and apologized. Since Dangerous is the first album to stay at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks in over a decade, it’s clear that Wallen still has plenty of listeners despite the misstep.
Surprise! @MorganWallen joins @ernest615 to perform their new duet “Flower Shops”
pic.twitter.com/3UzRyC5gHd
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) January 9, 2022
But others aren’t so quick to forgive him. When Wallen made a surprise appearance on the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, when an artist he’s collaborated and written with, Ernest, was performing. Ernest is a co-writer on Wallen’s “More Than My Hometown” hit, and the pair recently released the collaboration “Flower Shops,” so naturally, Ernest invited Wallen to perform that tune with him on the Opry stage. While the Opry itself seemed to welcome the surprise, others artists criticized the institution for tacitly co-signing Wallen. Jason Isbell, in particular, has spoken out about the situation. Early on, Wallen covered Isbell’s incredible song, “Cover Me Up,” so naturally Jason feels the need to speak out, and he even donated all the proceeds from Wallen’s version to the NAACP.
“Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his ‘team,’ or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists,” Isbell wrote. “You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad. The thing that really upsets me is bigger than one person’s words. It’s the idea of a young Black artist walking into that venue and wondering if ANYBODY is on their side. What a lot of us consider to be a grand ole honor can be terrifying for some. Doesn’t have to be that way.”
Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his “team,” or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists. You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad.
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) January 9, 2022
The thing that really upsets me is bigger than one person’s words. It’s the idea of a young Black artist walking into that venue and wondering if ANYBODY is on their side. What a lot of us consider to be a grand ole honor can be terrifying for some. Doesn’t have to be that way. https://t.co/pxtSQjimoG
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) January 9, 2022
Other artists like Joy Oladokun and Alison Russell, who performs as Outside Child, also shared their frustration and sadness over Wallen’s appearance:
morgan wallen’s thoughtless redemption tour is the nail in the coffin of me realizing these systems, and this town is really not for us.
imma keep making my lil music in my attic, y’all can listen if you want. i don’t know that i’ll do this work forever.
— Joy Oladokun (@joyoladokun) January 9, 2022
So grateful for you and your advocacy,Holly.I feel heartbroken. I was so proud to debut @opry last May & overjoyed that @amythystkiah & @TheValerieJune also debuted in 2021 — it felt like a long overdue shift toward greater inclusivity-beyond tokenism…this is such a backslide
— Allison Russell (@outsidechild13) January 10, 2022
the rot of bigotry permeating mainstream country is rough. But take
as #bellhooks said “Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power-not because they don’t see it, but because they see it & they don’t want it to exist.” #allamericana
— Allison Russell (@outsidechild13) January 9, 2022
A group called the Black Opry, founded by Holly G and described as “a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music” also issued an open letter to the Opry about the incident. You can check that out in full below.
In the interest of transparency I would like you all to know that this letter was shared with the Opry this morning, via email. We may not get the answers we want, but we will be heard. https://t.co/nZY9lTYHtp
— The Black Opry (@BlackOpry) January 9, 2022
Wild “Euphoria” Season 2 Premiere Prompts Zendaya To Give Fans A Trigger Warning
HBO’s Euphoria has made a glorious return to our screens, but even the show’s stars are cautioning their fans that the series may not be for everyone. Following the premiere of season two on Sunday, January 9th, Zendaya – who plays Rue – has taken to her Instagram page to issue a trigger warning.
“I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences,” the 25-year-old advised readers yesterday. She then went on to explain that if you were impacted by the last season, then this one will only be more intense.
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“This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch if you feel comfortable.”
As the New York Post mentions, season two of the Drake-produced hit series kicked off with “raw scenes of drug abuse, heroin addiction, a near-overdose and child abuse, among other mature topics.”
Zendaya herself plays a recovering teenage drug addict, while other stars like Jacob Elordi (Nate) portray a “psychotic” jock with major anger issues and Barbie Ferreria (Kat) plays a girl who struggles with body image issues and eventually turns to sex work in the form of cam girling.
The show isn’t easy to watch, but the rawness is exactly what draws audiences in.
New episodes of Euphoria air on HBO Max every Sunday at 9 PM. Check out the season two trailer in the clip below.
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Roddy Ricch Discusses Astroworld & Why He Donated His Earnings
Roddy Ricch recently appeared on BigBoyTV and discussed the fatal crowd crush at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival and why he decided to donate his earnings to victims of the incident. 10 concertgoers died as a result of injuries sustained at the event and hundreds more were injured.
Ricch explains that he considers Scott to be a genuine friend of his, mentioning that he’d let their children hang out together.
“I really wanted to call out all the artists that got booked by him,” Ricch added. “Because at the end of the day it’s like, we got booked by Trav. Everybody know Trav gave us the money. So at the end of the day, if we see our brother or our friend going through something and he just booked all of us, I felt like I wanted to make an effort for everybody to have to give it back to him so he could take care of his situation.”
Roger Kisby / Getty Images
He continued: “I know it couldn’t fix the lives and the different traumatic incidents that happened, but I felt like as artists we should’ve stuck by him and stood firm behind him.”
As for how the incident will affect his conduct at festivals going forward, Ricch explained that he’ll do everything that he can but at the end of the day, he can’t change much.
Check out Ricch’s explanation below.
NBA Youngboy Drops New Song “Foolish Figure”
Since getting home from jail, NBA Youngboy has been on a roll. The Baton Rouge rapper has released song after song and video after video. His reign continues with his new song “Foolish Figure.” The song has already garnered over 1 million views on Youtube. NBA Youngboy is rumored to be dropping a mixtape later […]
The Weeknd Hints That We’re “Experiencing A New Trilogy” Following “Dawn FM” Release
The Weeknd isn’t coming to play in 2022. On Friday, January 7th, the 31-year-old “Die For You” singer shared his long-awaited album Dawn FM, which has already been receiving immense praise from famous friends and fans alike, and just days later, he’s teasing future releases on Twitter.
“I wonder… Did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” the Toronto-born star wrote on Monday afternoon, sharing a blue-hued photo of him in costume as the older man on the cover of his most recent work, holding both of his hands up to the sky while leaning back.
As Complex reports, Trilogy happens to be the name of the vocalist’s 2012 compilation album, which saw his three 2011 mixtapes – House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence – join together as one remastered package.
Following his announcement, some have been speculating that Abel’s unannounced next album will be the third and final piece of this new series, which would’ve begun with 2020’s After Hours.
At last year’s Billboard Music Awards, The Weeknd tied the aforementioned release and his latest drop-off together with the line, “I just want to say the After Hours are done and the dawn is coming.”
The Starboy hitmaker’s new record is said to have achieved an impressive 60 million Spotify streams in its first 24 hours, and has been projected to earn “somewhere between 150,000 and 170,000 equivalent album units in its first week.”
What do you think The Weeknd has in store for the finale to his ongoing trilogy? Let us know in the comments.
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