Tech
HHW Gaming: Soulja Boy Claps Back At Atari After Company Says He Is Not The CEO
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Greg Doherty / Getty No, Soulja Boy is not the first rapper to own a video game company. Iconic video company Atari hit the pause button on the boastful rapper’s claims that he was the owner of the electronic gaming company. Soulja Boy first announced to his 6.5 million followers on Instagram that he was running the show, leading to Atari hopping on Twitter to say the rapper was straight capping. “We know that CEO of Atari is a dream job, but that honor belongs to Wade Rosen,” Atari hilariously wrote on their Twitter account. The tall tales-telling rapper initially claimed that Atari was interested in his latest Soulja Boy Game console that they allegedly signed over the company to him. Big Draco even claimed that he planned on selling the company for $14...
HHW Gaming: 2K Delays ‘WWE 2K22’ Till March, Promises The Game “Will Hit Different”
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: 2K / WWE 2K22 2K is known for its very solid video game franchises like NBA 2K, but since acquiring the WWE license, it hasn’t been money in the bank, but the company hopes that will change with WWE 2K22. WWE 2K22 is coming, but you’re going to have to wait longer than usual for this installment in the franchise. 2K announced WWE 2K22’s new March 2022 launch date, a departure from the game’s October release date. The announcement came during WWE’s Summerslam PPV, the unofficial farewell to the summer. 2K shared a trailer showing footage featuring WWE superstars, Roman Reigns, Goldberg, Bayley, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rhea Ripley, Finn Bálor, Ricochet, and Kane. Along with the trailer, 2K dropped off two stills of...
Facebook Scrubbing Lizzo’s Posts of Hateful Messages After Being Bullied Following Song Release
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Trolling Lizzo on Facebook will no longer fly. Spotted on the Huffington Post, Facebook is actively deleting all hateful comments spotted on Lizzo’s social media accounts. The social media company’s decision to take such action comes after Lizzo tearfully shared in an emotional video she was receiving hateful comments about her weight, race, and more following the release of her new single “Rumors” featuring Cardi B. In the video, while shedding tears, Lizzo said, “People who have something mean to say about you — and for the most part, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I don’t care. I just think when I’m working this hard, my tolerance gets lower. My patience is lower. I’m more sensitive, and it gets to me.” Lizzo, who is very active...
HHW Gaming: ‘Call of Duty’ Takes It Back To World War II In ‘Vanguard’ Reveal Trailer
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Sledgehammer Games / Call of Duty: Vanguard Activision let the cat out of the bag earlier this week when it finally revealed Call of Duty: Vanguard, the next installment in the iconic first-person shooter franchise. Now we get to see even more about the upcoming title. Thursday (Aug.19), Warzone players got the first opportunity to feast their eyes on the Sledgehammer Studios produced game during the “Battle of Verdansk” event in the free-to-play online component of the game. Eventually, the trailer made its way online, showing the World War II action gamers can look forward to when the game arrives later this year. Source: Sledgehammer Games / Call of Duty: Vanguard Call of Duty: Vanguard will feature a “historically inspired” single-player campaign that...
Can Holly+ Solve the Problem of Deepfake Vocals?
Though there is evidence to suggest “publicity” or “personality” rights may provide some pathway to legal recourse for the commercial use of a public figure’s voice (like Tom Waits v. Frito Lay, a 1992 lawsuit in which the singer sued Frito Lay for the unauthorized impersonation his voice for a commercial and won), these rights vary from state-to-state and still have yet to address a case specific to the new frontier of AI-rendered vocals. But for experimental electronic musician Holly Herndon, who has been working at the intersection of music and artificial intelligence for years, including a doctoral stint at Stanford University, she sees this space as a brave new world for musicians. Instead of fighting to destroy the inevitable behemoth of AI, Herndon is showing others how to control i...
Music Companies Delay Return to Office, Mandating Vaccines
Moore adds that the highly-global nature of the Spotify workforce — the company boasts 50 offices across 25 countries — made instituting a blanket vaccine mandate even more challenging. “In some countries, in some regions, it would actually be illegal to do so,” says Moore, “and so we’re just sort of taking the stance that people will make good decisions.” Notably, local ordinances in major urban centers could force companies’ hands. Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a proof of vaccination will be required to enter indoor restaurants, gyms and performance venues in the city starting on Aug. 16 — though the order does not yet apply to offices. Last Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to look...
Executive Turntable: Dick Clark Productions Taps New VP; PULSE Promotes Creative Director
Annie Aberle has been elevated to the role of senior creative director at PULSE Music Group, where she previously served as director of A&R. She’ll work with the publishing company’s A&R team and its roster of songwriters and producers. Aberle brings a packed resume to her new role, having worked with clients like Tyler Johnson, who most recently co-wrote & produced Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” and co-wrote “Adore You,” ALDAE, who co-wrote five songs on Justin Bieber’s album Justice and SG Lewis, who has collaborated with artists like Dua Lipa, Nile Rodgers, Khalid, Robyn, Clairo and Lucky Daye. “I’m eternally thankful to Ashley, Scott and Josh for the opportunity they have given me, and for everything they’ve done to help me grow and be successful since I joined PULS...
HHW Gaming: Xbox Teaming Up With The Special Olympics For First Inclusion Esports Tournament
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Microsoft / Xbox Microsoft and the Special Olympics formed a unique bond in 2014 with the goal to help empower Special Olympics athletes and programs through technology. Seven years later, that partnership continues with a new Esports tournament. The Special Olympics Games and Xbox Gaming began working together back in 2018 with an Xbox Gaming Tournament, a first in the world of competitive gaming. In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, Xbox partnered with the Special Olympics USA Games “to find innovative ways to support Special Olympics athletes” while stay-at-home orders were being implemented with the 2020 Special Olympics Xbox Virtual Gaming Event. Now, Xbox and the Special Olympics are going global with their latest effort with the inaugural esp...
Samsung Unfolds Its Newest Smartphones, The Galaxy Z Fold3 & Galaxy Z Flip3
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz83 We previously reported that Samsung is comfortably ahead of the curve thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G and Galaxy Z Flip. The Korean tech giant is now looking to lap the competition with its newest foldable devices. Wednesday (Aug.11), Samsung literally unfolded its new foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, during its latest virtual Unpacked event. These new flagship models take what made the previous models stand out and add enhancements like IPX84 water resistance, new Armor Aluminum—the strongest aluminum ever used on a Galaxy smartphone— and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus that Samsung promises will protect against scratches and accidental drops. Both devices include a new protective fil...
Ariana Grande Is Taking Over ‘Fortnite’ This Weekend: Inside The Rift Tour
Over the past several years, the music industry has opened its eyes to gaming as a new way to connect with fans and drive revenue. In-game performances offer multiple revenue streams to artists, from up-front payments to virtual goods and a streaming spike for the artist’s music that tends to follow an in-game show. Compared to “Astronomical,” Grande’s performance is less visually chaotic, with fewer scene changes, and has an expanded focus on the player experience. In Grande’s world — which looks like if the Lisa Frank brand were an entire planet — players aren’t just watching the show, but actively participating in it, a key element that will be part of future experiences, according to Phil Rampulla, head of brand at Epic Games, Fortnite‘s parent company. “You’ll ...
HHW Gaming: ‘NBA 2K22’ Will Allow Players To Record Music In The Game Through A Beats Pack
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: 2K / NBA 2K22 Next to the player ratings and actual gameplay footage, the soundtrack you will be vibing to while you browse the game’s menus and enjoy while warming up during MyCareer and timeouts in NBA 2K is equally important. Wednesday (Aug.4), 2K Sports announced it is taking a new approach to NBA 2K22’s soundtrack. For this year’s installment, 2K will establish new connections with Soundcloud and record labels like Def Jam, Warner Music, and Columbia to deliver new experiences and opportunities to players to discover new artists highlighted by 2K throughout NBA 2K’s ever-changing season structure. NBA 2K22 will introduce “First Fridays,” a new feature that will allow players to discover new music throughout the year. 2K says it will be adding new son...
HHW Gaming: DaBaby ‘Fortnite’ Tie-In Discovered In Update By Data Miners, Epic Games Stays Silent
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jason Koerner / Getty Epic Games is definitely not reading the room following this discovery. As spotted on The Verge, data miners made an interesting find while digging deep into Fortnite’s v17.30 update released on Tuesday (Aug.3) morning. A file containing audio for a new emote from The Migos latest track, “AM to PM,” which features currently embattled Hip-Hop star DaBaby, was discovered. If you have no clue what is going on with the North Carolina Hip-Hop star, he has been embroiled in controversy following his headass homophobic comments toward people with HIV and AIDS he blurted out during his Rolling Loud Miami performance. Instead of apologizing, DaBaby doubled down on his comments leading to “DaBookings” and “DaBags” being fumbled. DaBaby has sai...
