29 Jul

Posted at 20:47h in Music, Throwback
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In December of 1997, Janet Jackson released “Together Again” as the second single from her fifth studio album, Velvet Rope. Written by Miss Jackson and frequent collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (along with her then-husband, René Elizondo Jr.), the song is a tribute to loved ones lost. Jackson was inspired to write the song when she learned that a friend had lost a battle with AIDS, and also by a letter from a fan who had lost his father.

Jackson is known for pop-infused R&B, but on “Together Again,” she gives us house-infused pop. The song was originally written as a ballad and the arrangement took 30 minutes to construct. Jackson drew inspo from Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” and Nuyorican Soul’s “Runaway” while writing the song. Two remixes were made for the song — one contemporary R&B remix and one neo soul ballad remix. The latter actually has a whole video for it.

It is common for people to dismiss Janet Jackson as a subpar vocalist, and whenever they pull that stunt, “Together Again” is one of the songs I cite as evidence of her chops — that and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” There are plenty of examples of her doing her thing, but I find these two songs to be the most undeniable demonstrations of Janet Jackson the vocalist.

“Together Again” became Janet Jackson’s eighth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over six million copies worldwide.

29 Jul

Posted at 13:49h in Movies
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Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the company’s decision to make the ‘Black Widow’ available for streaming on Disney+ the same day the movie was released in theaters. The actress is claiming that Disney breached their contract with her by not making the movie exclusive to theaters.

In a lawsuit filed earlier today, Johansson is claiming that box office sales were depressed by the concurrent release of the movie in theaters and on Disney+. Since her compensation is tied to box office performance — bonuses kick when sales hit certain milestones — her lawyers are arguing that “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.”

It’s not clear how much Johansson is seeking in damages, but Disney’s decision to release the movie in theaters and on Disney+ concurrently cost her $50 million in bonuses.

28 Jul

Posted at 06:54h in Music
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When you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite.

By appearing at Rolling Loud (where Megan Thee Stallion was present), Tory Lanez might have violated the restraining order placed against him.

After allegedly shooting Meg in the foot last summer, a judge ordered the Canadian rapper to stay 100 yards away from her. According to reports, she was backstage while he appeared onstage with DaBaby — she had performed less than an hour earlier.

24 Jul

Posted at 13:47h in Music
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Prosecutors want to include new evidence in R. Kelly’s upcoming trial in New York. The evidence in question is related to uncharged allegations of sexual abuse of women and girls dating back to 1991, sexual abuse of a 17-year-old boy, physical abuse, hush payments, and bribery.

The evidence was submitted in a filing made yesterday and includes 22 unnamed victims — 20 male, two female.

According to prosecutors, R. Kelly met the 17-year-old boy at a Chicago McDonald’s in 2006 and began a sexual relationship with him. He later directed the boy to have sex with other people. The boy later introduced R. Kelly to a second teenage boy (said to be 16 or 17 at the time) who would also have a sexual relationship with the singer years later. The second teenage boy was also made to have sex with other people, including an underaged girl, and was often recorded doing so by R. Kelly.

Prosecutors are also accusing R. Kelly of paying an Illinois state employee $500 in 1994 to create a fake ID for Aaliyah — who was 15 at the time — so he could marry her (which would have prevented her from having to testify against him in court).

Lock this man up already.

23 Jul

Posted at 17:50h in Music
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Lil Nas X dropped his highly anticipated video for “Industry Baby,” which features Jack Harlow. The video shows both performers playing inmates in Montero State Prison — LNX was sentenced to five years for his infamous Satan Shoes — where Colton Haynes is a prison guard.

As you can imagine, Lil Nas X made sure to include a little something for the homophobes. Nothing too crazy, just a lil jailhouse twerkin’ and a “nude,” all-male dance squad.

Because he is a thoughtful young king, Lil Nas X is using the “Industry Baby” video to raise money for The Bail Project, an organization that aims to end cash bail, which disproportionately impacts Black Americans. Check the video out below and read his fundraising statement here.

22 Jul

Posted at 20:52h in Music, Throwback
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Today is Keith Sweat’s 60th birthday, so it’s only right that we revisit his greatest contribution to popular music.

“Make It Last Forever” was the title track and third single from Sweat’s debut album. Released in the spring of ’88, the song was written and produced by Sweat and Teddy Riley, and performed as a duet with Jacci McGhee (who was SANGIN’ on the track).

If we look at the stats in isolation, “Make It Last Forever” is far from Keith Sweat’s biggest hit — it peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it can be argued that it has a bigger legacy than all of his major hits, and the best evidence for this is that it has been sampled and covered more times than Sweat’s four biggest hits combined. In fact, Mariah Carey loved the song so much she borrowed from it twice — first, for her 1991 hit, “Can’t Let Go”, and later in 1999 for the remix of “Thank God I Found You.”

“Make It Last Forever” is the quintessential R&B duet of its era and required listening for any true R&B fan (or anyone who claims to know popular music). If this post is your introduction to this song, shame on you. But also, you’re welcome.

22 Jul

Posted at 11:58h in Music
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How does that even happen? Who gets to claim ownership and authority to sell in the first place? How much did it cost? Beyond bragging rights, what good is owning a distant planet to a person on earth?

Too many questions, not enough answers.



In any case, this rumor was started by Grimes, Elon Musk’s girlfriend, who tweeted that Lil Uzi Vert owned a planet called WASP-127b and that documentation is “almost complete.” In one of the rapper’s responses, he hashtagged Neuralink, which is Musk’s neurotechnology company.



It looks like Elon Musk might be selling shit he doesn’t own. Watch this space. No pun intended.

22 Jul

Posted at 11:53h in Music
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According to Radar Online, Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay ex-wife Nicole Young $293,306 a month until the court reaches a final decision about the validity of their prenuptial agreement. Dr. Dre claims Nicole tore it up a few years into their marriage.

The hip-hop legend has also been ordered to continue paying for his ex-wife’s health insurance. Payments will reportedly begin on August 1 and will end if Nicole remarries or enters into a domestic partnership.

17 Jul

Posted at 12:44h in Music
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According to TMZ, Soulja Boy‘s former assistant has been granted a three-year restraining order against the rapper.

The woman — who has not been named — had accused Soulja Boy of rape back in January. She also accuses him of physical and verbal abuse, including an instance where he pushed her out of a car and made her walk five miles.

The lawsuit also details an incident where he raped her and then “showed remorse” by paying her $1000.

Soulja Boy has denied all allegations.