By now, everyone is so bored from months of self-quarantining that nothing should come as a surprise anymore. And yet, it’s fair to say nobody expected Food Network’s newest event: a live nacho-building competition between Bill Murray, Guy Fieri, and their sons. The event will raise money for Fieri’s Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, which assists out-of-work restaurant employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The contest, dubbed “The Nacho Average Showdown”, takes place this Friday, May 15th at 5:00 p.m. ET on the Food Network’s Facebook page. Fieri and Murray will hype up their sons, Hunter Fieri and Homer Murray, while they craft towers of nachos live over the internet. Shaquille O’Neal and Terry Crews will serve as guest judges, and Carla Hall will host. The whole thing is presented b...
A month into the pandemic, Steven Adelman and Jacob Worek of the Event Safety Alliance were on the phone, talking about how to reopen the concert business — eventually. “As I looked around the empty streets outside my condo, it became apparent that the small event spaces that were going to get to open first would not have the foggiest idea how to do that safely,” says Adelman, a Scottsdale, Ariz., lawyer who is the ESA’s vice president. So Adelman and Worek, the operations director, spent the past month crowd-sourcing more than 400 tour promoters, managers, Ticketmaster employees, caterers and Irish-fair organizers and released a 29-page guide on Monday. Given contradictory, confusing and evolving state stay-at-home restrictions — bars in Kansas are allowed to...
Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots curated an “At Home With” playlist for Apple Music today (May 11) and dissected his picks with Zane Lowe while discussing what’s cued up next for him. Before the Ohio-based duo hit No. 1 again on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs airplay chart (dated May 9) with “Level of Concern,” Joseph disclosed there was a do-or-die pressure to put it out. “We really tasked everyone, all of our partners and everyone that helped us release this with, ‘Hey this needs to come out right now or it’s not coming out,'” he told Lowe in the interview. “I can’t tell you how many emails I got just from the Atlantic office that were saying, ‘Thank you for this because this is a reason for...
Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, among others, gave the imprint its most successful singles. As both fans and leading industry figures mourn Andre Harrell, best known for founding the Uptown Records imprint, Billboard reveals and ranks the biggest hits from the label’s roster. Many of the tunes, from acts such as Mary J. Blige, Guy and Jodeci, bridged the gap between R&B and hip-hop as the genres surged in popularity in the 1990s. Harrell died at age 59 of an apparent cardiac arrest episode. The mogul founded Uptown in 1986, and it quickly became a home for some of the hottest emerging R&B and hip-hop artists. In addition to Blige, Guy and Jodeci, Uptown counted Heavy D & The Boyz, Soul For Real and Monifah as key players in its heyday. The organization kept its eye on industry talent...
The Barbz celebrated the end of Minaj’s 10-year odyssey to reach the top after giving Doja’s groovy disco-tinged hit more liftoff than TikTok (which first sparked the song’s popularity) with her signature bars that bow down to her status as a hip-hop icon. Check out the lyrics and pretty-in-pink dance visual below. Yeah, you know itMhm, this the remixDoja, rrr Day to night to morning, keep with me in the momentI’d let you had I known it, why don’t you say so?Didn’t even notice, no punches left to roll withYou got to keep me focused, you want it? Say so (uh) Every time I take a break, the game be so boringPretty like Naomi, Cassie, plus LaurenSpittin’ like Weezy, Foxy, plus LaurynBall like the ram, see, now that’s GordonThey don’t unders...
Illenium just announced that his third album, Ascend, has been given the remix treatment in the form of a package that will be released at the end of the week. While the complete tracklist hasn’t been revealed, several artists have taken to Twitter to announce their part in the compilation. Leading the charge on Illenium’s powerhouse collaboration with Jon Bellion, “Good Things Fall Apart,” is the emphatic bass duo SLANDER. In the announcement post for the remix album, a clip of the lead single’s remix was shared. In addition to the upcoming SLANDER rework, William Black has also taken on the challenge of remixing “Good Things Fall Apart,” arguably one of 2019’s biggest electronic hits. Blunts & Bl...
The impact of COVID-19 effectively harpooned the live music industry, but perhaps even more devastating was its crippling effect on the education sector. College seniors, who were forced to make the difficult transition to fully online courses, sadly found themselves worrying not about whether or not their gown fits, but whether or not they’ll be able to wear it at all. As graduations across the world continue to tragically bite the dust, robbing seniors of a moment they worked tirelessly for over the course of their entire lives, many are trying to fill the void with virtual events. Such is the case with a group of lionhearted students and alumni from UC Berkeley, who recently announced Blockeley Music Festival, a major in-game Minecraft music festival jointly hosted ...
Ahead of the release of his upcoming EP, Palomino, Swardy was kind enough to share the title track with us one day early. During a time of artistic uncertainty, he packed his bags and moved to Colombia for a half-year adventure. While he had a very successful career with his previous group, The M Machine, Swardy was unsure if a musical project was the next step for him. Luckily for fans of his solo work, the gorgeous tropical environment allowed him to shake off any doubt and harness his impressive songwriting abilities. While in the zone, he developed some of his most stunning work to date, including Palomino. On the title track, Swardy transports listeners to the idyllic world that inspired it, producing a steady beat and some truly funky bass before introducing twink...
Source: RapCaviar / Spotify Spotify has become the top-ranked music streaming service on the back of its expertly crafted playlists and exclusive programming. RapCaviar, which has become one of the most influential playlists for Hip-Hop acts, turns five years old today and the streamer also shares some data highlights as well. RapCaviar got its start under the guidance of Tuma Basa who has since left the company, but the playlist remains a vital cog in the high-stakes world of Hip-Hop listenership. Placement on the playlist has become a notable achievement of young and seasoned acts alike and the innovative hub also splices in videos, interviews, and featurettes in the midst of the mix. “We are so proud to celebrate five incredible years of RapCaviar,” Carl Chery, Spotify’s Creative Direct...
Source: Ubisoft / Ubisoft Forward With multiple gaming shows around the world being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, gaming studios and console makers have to take matters into their own hands. Sony and Microsoft both held events to stay ahead of leaks and bring gamers up to speed on their next-generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Both events were not well received due to not living up to the expectations both companies put on them. Fresh off its reveal of their forthcoming game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft has announced it will be holding a live stream event called Ubisoft Forward in July. In a press release, it is being described as an E3-style showcase with exclusive game news, exciting reveals, and plenty more. Besides being told to “save to the date,” there is ...
Lil Dicky’s surreal comedy series Dave has been renewed for a second season. A fictionalized story based on Lil Dicky’s own life, the first season of Dave proved a hit for FX, as it surpassed Atlanta as the network’s most-watched comedy series with a per episode average of 5.32 million viewers. No doubt bolstering Dave’s viewership was the slew of guest starts who appeared throughout the first season, including Justin Bieber, Young Thug, Gunna, YG, Marshmello, Macklemore, MadeinTYO, O.T. Genasis, Ninja, and Charlamagne tha God. That’s not to discount Lil Dicky, a star in his own right, whose comedy-rap videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The show’s season one cast also included “Pillow Talk” co-star Taylor Misiak, GaTa, Andrew Santino, Travis “Taco” Benn...
Jerry Stiller stole the screen. That’s not exactly a hot take, so much as it’s a known fact, but it’s worth saying on the day of his death. At 92 years old, the legendary comic lived a lifetime of on-screen vitriol, the likes of which felt limitless and ageless. So, if there’s anything more to say, it’s that we didn’t just lose a person, we lost an energy. Because really, nobody could dust up a storm like Stiller. It’s why most of his famous lines all end with quotations, be it “Serenity now!” or “A Festivus for the rest of us!” or “That’s what I’m talking about!” Hell, he couldn’t even reference colleagues without making a banner statement, which is why we’ll always scream names like “Sid Farkus.” Now, it’s almost impossible to distill a legacy into one clip, but if there was a proper In ...