NEWS
Dave Grohl, Jon Batiste, Jim James and More to Play Preservation Hall Benefit
Dave Grohl, Jon Batiste, Jim James and more musicians will be bringing their talents to ‘Round Midnight Preserves, a special show to help benefit the Preservation Hall Foundation. The livestream show will feature a set of musical collaborations and never-before-seen performances from past Midnight Preserves. There will also be commentary from Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe, director Danny Clinch and other special guests. Other performers include Elvis Costello, Irma Thomas, Dave Matthews, Beck, PJ Morton and Nathaniel Rateliff. Money raised from the show, as well as an online auction, will go towards the Preservation Hall Foundation and the 60 musicians who are part of the Preservation Hall Musical Collective. ‘Round Midnight Preserves will stream on YouTube, Facebook and Tw...
Rep. Cedric Richmond’s Smoothly Sidesteps Rep. Matt Gaetz’s MAGA Rage
Source: Pool / Getty Intense discussions between opposing elected officials isn’t a new thing but in the era of President Donald Trump, contentious disagreements are becoming the norm. An incident that occurred during a discussion between two congressmen, Rep. Cedric Richmond and Rep. Matt Gaetz, got especially testy but Richmond handled it quite smoothly. During a House Judiciary Committee session, Richmond, a Black Democrat representing Louisiana, took his turn to discuss the finer points of the pending Justice and Policing Act that the House of Representatives will soon vote on. Richmond expressed during his speaking time that the urgency for police reform as it relates to the effect it will have on saving Black lives was met with resistance as he yielded his time for an interjection. G...
Gilbert Arenas Apologizes To Lupita Nyong’o For Past “Coon Behaivor”
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty If you follow Gilbert Arenas, you know he lives up to IG handle “No. Chill. Gill.” Well, in a stunning move, Arenas seems to be atoning for his trolling ways. On Tuesday (Jun.16), Arenas hit Instagram and posted an apology for what he described as “coon behavior” and his colorist attacks on US actress Lupita Nyong’ o. Over a picture of Nyong’o he shared in his Instagram Stories, the 38-year-old former professional baller said: “We can’t come together as a race until the idiots of the race right their wrongs. My name is Gilbert, and I was an idiot for attacking one of our queens for no reason. @Lupita Nyong’ o, I am truly sorry for my coon behavior. #blacklivesmatterdeadandalive #blackexcellence.” Arena’s sudden change of heart when it comes to Nyong’ o is st...
Freedom Day: Hip-Hop Wired’s Juneteenth Playlist Courtesy Of The WK UP
Source: Cooper Neill / Getty Black people unite and let’s all get down. Those words were eloquently said on Ed O.G.’s 1991 classic single “I Got To Have It” but they especially have plenty of resonance at the moment. For Juneteenth, and frankly, for any occasion, we at Hip-Hop Wired have compiled a short collection of songs to accompany your celebrations. As an outlet, we place a strong emphasis on Hip-Hop music and culture, but it goes without saying that other forms of Black music are firmly on our radar. From Hip-Hop to Blues, to Jazz, to Funk and beyond, Black artistry has always found inspiration from times of deep struggle. And as we’re all aware of, the nation is currently under a cultural shift sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement and also the injustices Black women, men, and...
HHW Gaming: Insomniac Games Drops Even More Details On ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mile Morales’
Source: Insomniac Games / PlayStation There were many games shown during Sony’s big PS5 reveal event, but Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales stole the show. Now we are getting even more details about the highly anticipated game. We already know that when Miles Morales finally dons the infamous black and red Spider-Man costume and swings into action the PS5, it won’t be an add-on but his own stand-alone adventure. Today (Jun.18) on PlayStation’s blog, Brian Horton, Creative Director at Insomniac Games, dropped even more juicy tidbits about the studio’s upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive. In the post, Horton revealed the studio loved the character, Miles Morales, for a “very long time” and that Marvel’s Spider-Man creative director Bryan Intihar suggested years ago that Miles should be in the ...
Afrobeat Legend Tony Allen to be Honored with Posthumous AIM Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music
Nigerian Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, who tragically passed away in April 2020, will be posthumously honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Music award from the Association of Independent Music (AIM). The AIM Independent Music Awards, which is entering its 10th year, will announce its winners in a virtual ceremony on August 12th, 2020. Born in Lagos in 1940, Allen rose to prominence as the drummer and creative director of fellow Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti‘s band Africa 70, recording 30 albums with his Nigerian compatriot over the years. Allen, a self-taught musician who singlehandedly revolutionized the art of drumming, was once referred to as “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived” by iconic English musician Brian Eno. The impact that Allen&#...
New Version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Never Gonna Break My Faith’ Drops on Juneteenth: Stream It Now
A never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklin’s riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” has arrived on Juneteenth. Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song Friday, June 19, aligning with the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage. “Never Gonna Break My Faith” resonates today, featuring lyrics like: “You can lie to a child with a smiling face/Tell me that color ain’t about a race.” “The world is very different now. Change is everywhere and each of us, hopefully, is doing the best he or she can to move forward and make change as positive as possible,” Clive Davis, Sony Music’s chief creative officer a...
‘I Just Wanna Live’ Singer Keedron Bryant Signs with Warner Records, Releases Debut Single on Juneteenth: Stream It Now
Keedron Bryant recently drew national attention when his stirring acapella performance of “I Just Wanna Live” on Instagram went viral in the days following the May 25 murder of George Floyd. Now the 12-year-old is making news again, announcing both his signing to Warner Records and the Juneteenth release of the song as his official debut single. Warner Records is donating 100 percent of the net profits from “I Just Wanna Live” to the NAACP. In addition, Amazon Music will donate one dollar for each stream of the song to the NAACP through 9 p.m. PT tonight (June 19), up to $50,000. Of signing to Warner, Florida native Bryant told Billboard via email, “I really want to make an impact on this world, especially the young generation.” The young singer first gained notice on season four of t...
Shaq to Go 1-on-1 With Gronk For Virtual Live Party, Fundraiser
Shaq and Gronk are about to throw down with each other for a cause. The men with seven championship rings between them will compete against each other June 27 in Shaq’s Fun House Vs Gronk Beach, a virtual party combining fun and music as a benefit for social justice. “We’re all about bringing people together.,” O’Neal said. “We’re all about making people smile. As I look at Gronk, I see a version of myself. … I’m proud to say he’s a friend. I’m glad to say I probably couldn’t pull this off with anybody else besides Gronk.” The three-time Super Bowl champ had been retired when traded by New England to Tampa Bay in April. He currently has his own “Game On” show on ABC and recently appeared on The Masked Singer. Gronkowski noted he first competed against the Basketball Hall of Famer and...
Jason Mraz Drops ‘Look For The Good’ Album, Donates All Royalties: Stream It Now
Jason Mraz’s new album Look For The Good has a real feelgood feel about it. With Look For The Good dropping on Juneteenth, the sense of occasion wasn’t lost on Mraz. He’s decided to donate all profits from it to non-profit organizations. “On June 19th, a historic day in the advancement of equality, I am proud to stand in solidarity with and be of service to Black Lives by donating all of my earnings from sales and streams of my new LP recording, Look For The Good,” explains Mraz in a statement. The $250,000 Mraz received as an advance on royalties will go to six beneficiaries, Black Lives Matter, San Diego Young Artists Music Academy, RISE San Diego, Grassroots Law Project, Center on Policy Initiatives, Equal Justice Initiative. “My personal engagement with philanthr...
Tiana Major9 Shares Enchanting New Single ‘Lucky’
Tiana Major9’s magic touch isn’t a roll of the dice at all. London’s latest soul riser and the recent Motown signee proves on her latest single “Lucky,” which is out tonight, that the grooviness of her previous releases wasn’t luck… She hasn’t missed yet. The enchanting track, featuring Tiana dishing out melodies catchy enough to have a classroom of preschoolers singing along, channels the best of early ’00s R&B: crispy harmonies, a flex of percussion and a voice we’re glad made its way to the U.S. It will be on her forthcoming EP. “’Lucky’ is a song about feeling ‘lucky in love,’” Tiana says. “Things are very heavy right now for Black people everywhere — we’re grieving and experiencing trauma simultaneously. Although it was written before the double pandemic (COVID-19 and Lynchi...
Dave Grohl, Neil Young, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and More Send Letter to Congress in Support of Independent Venues
Dave Grohl, Neil Young, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga led a group of artists urging Congress to send aid and to answer the National Independent Venue Association’s request for government assistance. Overall, over 600 musicians and comedians signed the letter. These venues asking for support have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic. “Independent venues give artists their start, often as the first stage most of us have played on. These venues were the first to close and will be the last to reopen,” the letter began. “These venues were the first to close and will be the last to reopen. With zero revenue and the overwhelming overhead of rent, mortgage, utilities, taxes and insurance, 90% of independent venues report that if the shutdown lasts six months and there’s no federal ...
