Suki Benjamin

Snoop Dogg wants to make Death Row Records “an NFT label”

Snoop Dogg wants to turn legendary hip-hop record label Death Row Records, which he recently acquired, into “an NFT label”. READ MORE: The biggest moments from the Super Bowl Halftime Show 2022 The rapper revealed his plans to move further into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) via a Clubhouse chatroom on Monday (February 14), which was later recorded and uploaded onto YouTube. During the session, Snoop said that Death Row “will be putting our artists through the metaverse and through a whole other chain of music”. He continued: “Just like how we broke the industry when we was the first independent to be major, I want to be the first major in the metaverse so Death Row will be an NFT label”. Advertisement Snoop was named the official owner of Death Row Records earlier this month. He famously released his first two albums ‘Doggystyle’ and ‘Tha Doggfather’ via the label, founded by Suge Knight, Dr. Dre and Michael “Harry O” Harris in 1991. “It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members. This is an extremely meaningful moment for me,” he said… Read More →

16FEBNews

Listen to Death Cab For Cutie’s cover of Yoko Ono’s ‘Waiting For The Sunrise’

Death Cab For Cutie have shared a cover of Yoko Ono‘s ‘Waiting For The Sunrise’ – check it out below. The track appears on new album ‘Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono’, a tribute album to the musician that’s been curated by Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard. READ MORE: Various Artists – ‘Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono’ review: a fittingly unique tribute ‘Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono’ will be released on February 18 via Canvasback Music / Atlantic. Curated by Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, it features 14 new versions of Ono’s tracks performed by a range of artists. Advertisement David Byrne and Yo La Tengo, for example, took on a collaborative cover of ‘Who Has Seen The Wind?’, shared earlier this month as the record’s lead single. Listen to Death Cab’s cover of 1973’s ‘Waiting For The Sunrise’ below. Elsewhere on the album are covers by Deerhoof and The Flaming Lips, who have both previously collaborated with Ono, plus contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Jay Som, US Girls and more. The album will also be accompanied by a podcast hosted by Gibbard and music journalist Jenny Eliscu, which features in-depth discussions of Ono’s music and legacy. Pre-orders for ‘Ocean Child’ are available now, and a portion of… Read More →

15FEBNews

Foo Fighters go thrash metal on new song ‘March Of The Insane’

Foo Fighters have shared an unexpected new song, ‘March Of The Insane’, which takes the band into unfamiliar territory – thrash metal. The track was quietly released earlier today (February 15) under the alias Dream Widow and features frontman Dave Grohl growling his way through the lyrics. READ MORE: Foo Fighters: “Our connection is beyond music” “Sing in a villainous choir / Join in a chorus of pain,” Grohl sings on the track. “Rise in a ruinous army / Dance to the march of the insane”. Advertisement In the YouTube description box, the track is said to be from Dream Widow’s “never released self-titled album”. Listen to it below now. ‘March Of The Insane’ arrives 10 days before the release of Foo Fighters’ upcoming movie, Studio 666. Earlier today, the band launched a new merch line to celebrate the film – a “horror-comedy” that will follow Dave Grohl and his bandmates as they move into a mansion in Encino, California that is “steeped in grisly rock and roll history” to record a new album. The merchandise collection includes a selection of t-shirts and accessories – a mug, blanket and pins all featuring signature artwork from the film. This weekend, Foo Fighters streamed… Read More →

15FEBNews

Foo Fighters launch new merch to celebrate release of ‘Studio 666’ film

Foo Fighters have announced the launch of a new merch line to celebrate the forthcoming release of their new film, Studio 666. READ MORE: Foo Fighters: “Our connection is beyond music” Directed by BJ McDonnell, the upcoming “horror-comedy” will follow Dave Grohl and co. as they move into a mansion in Encino, California that is “steeped in grisly rock and roll history” to record a new album. Once they arrive, however, frontman Grohl “finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the lives of the band”. Advertisement To coincide with its release, the Foos have announced an exclusive merch collection that includes a selection of t-shirts and accessories – a mug, blanket and pins all featuring signature artwork from the film. You can see some shots of the collection below: Advertisement Fans can purchase pieces from the Studio 666 collection at Shop.FooFighters.com Studio 666 will be released exclusively in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on February 25 via Sony Pictures UK. Meanwhile, Foo Fighters have expanded their upcoming North American tour with 10 new shows, set to take place this September and October. The tour, in support of the band’s 2021 album… Read More →

15FEBNews

BTS member V tests positive for COVID-19

BTS member V has tested positive for COVID-19, according to his agency Big Hit Music. READ MORE: Epik High’s Tablo talks ‘Epik High Is Here 下, Part 2’: “I’m still exactly where I started” Today (February 15), Big Hit Music confirmed that the South Korean musician was diagnosed with COVID-19 after taking a PCR test, following a sore throat. The label noted that the singer has been vaccinated against the coronavirus and is only experiencing minor symptoms. “V completed two rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations and is not presenting any extraordinary symptoms other than a mild fever and sore throat,” Big Hit Music said in its statement, per Soompi. “He is currently undergoing treatment at home while waiting for further guidelines from the health care authorities.” Advertisement The entertainment agency also noted that while V met with the other members of BTS on February 12, they had been wearing face masks were not in “close contact”. Additionally, none of his fellow groupmates are presenting any symptoms and have also “received negative results from the preemptive self-tests”. “The company places the artists’ health as our top priority and we will do everything we can to aid V in his speedy recovery. We… Read More →

15FEBNews

TXT and ENHYPEN star in new behind-the-scenes documentary

HYBE boybands Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and ENHYPEN have released their new behind-the-scenes documentary. READ MORE: Tomorrow X Together: “We tell stories of our generation, a generation at the crux of growth” Todau (February 15), the agency – which owns Big Hit Music and Belift Lab, which TXT and ENHYPEN are signed to, respectively – released ‘BACKSTAGE: TXT x EN-‘, which documents the boybands’ preparation for their joint performance at last December’s 2021 KBS Song Festival. The documentary features never-before-seen backstage footage of the two boybands interacting with one another while rehearsing for their joint performance, alongside interviews with the individual members about their thoughts on the collaboration. Advertisement “There’s 12 of us, right? 12 members in total. I’ve never performed with so many people before,” says TXT’s Yeonjun during the documentary. “I think it’s the first since my trainee years.” Prior to ‘BACKSTAGE: TXT x EN-‘, the two groups had previously teamed up for a Lunar New Year two-episode variety special in 2021 titled ‘TXT x EN- Playground’, which was also released on YouTube. Last month, ENHYPEN made a comeback with ‘Dimension : Answer’, the repackaged version of their October 2021 album ‘Dimension : Dilemma’. The new re-release saw the… Read More →

14FEBNews

Rihanna: “You’re still going to get music from me”

Rihanna has promised fans that new music is still on the way, after she announced recently that she is pregnant with her first child. READ MORE: Rihanna: every album ranked and rated The pop star’s last album was 2016’s ‘Anti’. She’s been teasing its “completely different” follow-up for years – and told paparazzi last December that it’s coming “soon soon soon”. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly the Barbadian singer addressed her pregnancy as well as rumours about new music. Advertisement “It’s all an exciting journey so far. I’m just taking it as it comes every week. There’s always something new and I’m just taking it and I’m enjoying it,” Rihanna said of her pregnancy. She then joked that she’s been loving “donuts, so far” in terms of food cravings. Rihanna. Credit: Taylor Hill/WireImage While she added that she is focused on “one thing at a time,” Rihanna clarified that music will still land at some point. “Yes, you’re still going to get music from me,” she said. But when the journalist suggested that the mum-to-be could include lullabies on her new album, she replied: “My fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby.” Rihanna is… Read More →

14FEBNews

Bring Me The Horizon and Ed Sheeran to release their collaborative version of ‘Bad Habits’

Bring Me The Horizon and Ed Sheeran look set to release a studio version of their recent BRITs collaboration. READ MORE: Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ is an on-trend bop from one of the savviest men in pop On Tuesday (February 8), Sheeran teamed up with the metal group for a reworked version of his 2021 track ‘Bad Habits’ to open the BRIT Awards 2022. Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes has now shared a FaceTime call that he had with Sheeran in which the pair discuss their live performance and an upcoming release of the song. Advertisement Sheeran said “that show was nuts,” while Sykes added: “I’ve never had so much adrenaline pumping through me.” Sykes continued: “There are so many people asking for like a studio version,” to which Sheeran replied: “We have to get one out.” Sheeran added: “We’ll get Jordan and the lads on it and I’ll get the vocals in. Make sure it goes proper death growl at the end!” You can check out the clip here: sHaLL wE Dr0p thIS tHen @eDsHEeRAn?PrE-SaVE https://t.co/S6sojneIVU pic.twitter.com/qGyPQI975f — Bring Me The Horizon (@bmthofficial) February 14, 2022 Last week (February 10), Sheeran revealed that he was soon heading into the studio… Read More →

14FEBNews

Listen to White Lies’ soaring new single, ‘Blue Drift’

White Lies have shared a soaring new single called ‘Blue Drift’ – listen to it below. READ MORE: White Lies open up on new album ‘Five’ and tease ‘To Lose My Life’ 10th anniversary shows It’s the latest offering from the trio’s upcoming sixth album, ‘As I Try Not To Fall Apart’ which arrives on February 18 – you can pre-order it here. Speaking about the new song, the band’s Charles Cave said: “Dare I say it this is another tip-toe into a more progressive-rock realm. Advertisement “The song feels very much a nighttime drive to me, winding empty roads, foreign air creeping in through the window. It’s a song about being humbled by the mind’s ability to lift us up and bring us down. “It’s grand, full of longing and bombast, but there is an uneasiness to it too. It never quite resolves. This is going to be HUGE when we play it live!” Listen to it here: The latest offering comes after previously released singles including the album’s title track, ‘I Don’t Want To Go To Mars‘ and ‘Am I Really Going To Die.’ The band are also due to hit the road for a UK and European tour next year…. Read More →

14FEBNews

Snail Mail celebrates Valentine’s Day with ‘Adore You’ demo of ‘Valentine’ title track

Snail Mail has shared a new demo of her ‘Valentine’ title track to celebrate Valentine’s Day – listen to ‘Adore You’ below. READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Snail Mail: “It’s awesome seeing lots of women and queer people in music” Lindsey Jordan released her second album last year via Matador, and will head out on a rescheduled UK and European tour later this year. The new demo version of ‘Valentine’, titled ‘Adore You’, sees a more lo-fi, scratchy initial version of the song, which eventually ended up as a widescreen rock anthem. Advertisement Check it out below. The US singer-songwriter was forced to delay the run of shows in support of her latest album album after undergoing vocal cord surgery. “I’ve been struggling with my vocal health more and more each year. I lose my voice after a couple [of] days of singing,” she said at the time, adding that a doctor subsequently discovered “massive polyps”. The musician will touch down in the UK on June 23 for a performance at The Ritz in Manchester before making stop-offs in Glasgow (June 24), Bristol (28), London (29) and Brighton (30). An additional European concert in Lyon, France is scheduled for July 5 before… Read More →

13FEBNews

Watch Logic’s one-take video for nippy new track ‘Breath Control’

Logic has dropped off a brand new track called ‘Breath Control’ – you can watch the song’s one-take video below. READ MORE: Logic – ‘No Pressure’ review: positive rapper bids farewell with an elegiac and heartfelt swan song It’s the latest preview of the Maryland rapper and producer’s upcoming new album, ‘Vinyl Days’. He first announced the project last month, sharing a clip of himself in his home studio working on a beat for it. “This is JAY-Z‘s microphone,” he says at the beginning of the clip, as he takes a mic out of a zip case. “No I.D. gave it to me.” He then proceeds to record sound effects with his mouth before adding them to the beat as it plays. Advertisement In the video for ‘Breath Control’, Logic can be seen spitting the rapid, uninterrupted track whilst sat down at his home studio, laid down in a single take. At one point he shouts out Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa: “2010 I remember whеn I was living in my godmother’s in G-Burg, that’s my word/ Bumping Mac Miller K.I.D.S, Kush and OJ Wiz/ Look in the mirror, I’m hoping it’s his day/ Givе a fuck what the kids say.” You can watch… Read More →

13FEBNews

Kanye West announces ‘DONDA 2’ listening party in Miami on release day

Kanye West has announced details of a new listening party in Miami for his forthcoming new album ‘DONDA 2’ on the album’s prospective release date. READ MORE: Divorce, Drake disses and problematic features: 10 talking points from Kanye West’s ‘DONDA’ Earlier this week (February 9), it was reported that West, who is now legally known as Ye, had held a private listening party for the ‘DONDA’ sequel in Los Angeles. The likes of Drake, Travis Scott and Yung Lean were also said to have been in attendance on the night, with Ye sharing an image overnight taken by Samuel Alemayhu which showed him with the three aforementioned artists and Baby Keem. Taking to Instagram last night (February 12), West shared a photo of a house on stilts wreathed in flames, seemingly related to the structure resembling the house he grew up in that he built inside Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium ahead of his planned ‘DONDA’ listening party last summer, while he also set himself ablaze in a recent music video. Advertisement According to the post, the ‘DONDA 2’ listening party will take place at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida on February 22 (2/2/22), the prospective release date for the new album. Tickets are on sale at midday tomorrow (February 14)…. Read More →

13FEBNews

Robert Fripp and Toyah Willcox share cover of The Dead Kennedys’ ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, singer Toyah Willcox, have shared a cover of ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’ by The Dead Kennedys – watch it below. READ MORE: Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp’s 10 best lockdown covers – ranked! The special Valentine’s Day cover – which they’ve renamed ‘Too Drunk To Funk’ – is a part of the pair’s ‘Sunday Lunch’ video series which returned last month after a brief break for the holidays. Launched in 2020, the series has so far seen the couple share renditions of songs by Ramones, Nirvana, David Bowie, Metallica, Billy Idol, The Rolling Stones, Judas Priest, The Prodigy, Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper and many more through Willcox’s YouTube channel. Advertisement Last week’s cover saw the pair perform Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’. Filmed in their kitchen, Fripp, wearing his usual waistcoat-and-tie get-up, played guitar as Willcox, sporting a black lace body suit and vale, sung and danced around the kitchen. For their reworking of ‘Too Drunk To Fuck’, the controversial 1981 single that appeared on The Dead Kennedys’ rarities album ‘Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death’ (1987), the pair once again rock out in the kitchen, with Fripp wearing a gold waistcoat and black eye makeup, and Willcox… Read More →

13FEBNews

Neck Deep appeal for information after gear stolen in London

Neck Deep have appealed for information after their tour van was broken into in London earlier this week. READ MORE: Inside the alarming rise of tour van thefts: “Why should new bands be more at threat of a robbery?” As they revealed on Twitter, the band’s van was broken into in Acton, West London overnight on Wednesday night (February 9). “Last night we had a bunch of gear stolen out of our Bath ITT Truck whilst it was parked overnight at Park Royal near Acton in London,” they wrote. Advertisement “We are fortunate enough to be able to find replacements for our upcoming tour but many of these guitars have great sentimental value.” See the list of equipment stolen and how to get in touch with information below: Please share. Last night we had a bunch of gear stolen out of our Bath ITT Truck whilst it was parked overnight at Park Royal near Acton in London. We are fortunate enough to be able to find replacements for our upcoming tour but many of these guitars have great sentimental value pic.twitter.com/s67DfIs8bH — Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) February 10, 2022 NME recently published a new investigation into the alarming rise of tour van thefts,… Read More →

13FEBNews

Kanye West to Kid Cudi: “I just wanted my friend to have my back”

Kanye West has shared another message directed at Kid Cudi over the rapper’s friendship with Kim Kardashian’s new boyfriend Pete Davidson. READ MORE: First look: jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy review – the awakening of Mr West Over the weekend, West, who is now legally known as Ye, posted a since-deleted letter saying that Cudi will not appear on new album ‘DONDA 2’ over his friendship with the SNL comedian. In the handwritten note shared to Instagram yesterday (February 12), he told fans: “Just so everyone knows Cudi will not be on Donda because he’s friends with you know who.” “You know who” appears to refer to Davidson, who is in a relationship with West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. Advertisement In a further Instagram post, West has re-shared a photo of himself, Cudi, Davidson and actor Timothée Chalamet at a 2019 dinner party, but Davidson’s face is crossed out. In the caption, he wrote: “I JUST WANTED MY FRIEND TO HAVE MY BACK THE KNIFE JUST GOES IN DEEPER.” See the post below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by ye (@kanyewest) Overnight, West has shared a number of other posts on Instagram, including a mock movie poster for Marvel Civil War, with the… Read More →

12FEBNews

Eddie Vedder tells Bruce Springsteen about ‘Earthling’’s “secret tribute” to Tom Petty

Eddie Vedder has told Bruce Springsteen about the “secret tribute” to Tom Petty on his new solo album, ‘Earthling’. The two rock stars sat down together to talk about politics, musical influences and some of the songs on the Pearl Jam frontman’s new album for Amazon Music. READ MORE: Eddie Vedder – ‘Earthling’ review: formerly angsty Pearl Jam frontman goes full circle Speaking about the track ‘Long Way’, Springsteen commented that he could hear “the ghost of Tom” in the song. “Somebody acquired for me a Guild four-string tenor [bass] – it almost looks like a Hofner in a way,” Vedder replied. “So I started playing some little things and had my guy record it and then I put drums on it and put some vocals on it and it all happened in an afternoon. But I didn’t know what the chords were because I’m playing a Tenor – I’m just making shapes and sounds and all that.” Advertisement He continued to explain that when he gave the track to producer Andrew Watt, he realised the chords were standard ones, like G, C and D. “I thought I was coming up with some really interesting ones that’d never been played before,”… Read More →

12FEBNews

New Haim video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson to play before ‘Licorice Pizza’ screenings

A new Haim video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson is set to play before screenings of Licorice Pizza, starting tonight (February 12). READ MORE: Alana Haim on ‘Licorice Pizza’: “Working with Tom Waits was like being in the presence of a god” Anderson’s new film stars Alana Haim in her acting debut and is a coming-of-age drama set in the 1970s in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, focusing on Haim’s character Alana Kane and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman). As revealed on Alana’s Instagram story and the official Licorice Pizza Twitter account, a new Anderson-directed Haim video, seemingly for an unreleased track called ‘Lost Track’ – though that could be a placeholder for an untitled song recently unearthed – will debut before every screening of the new film. New @HAIMtheband music video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson will play in theaters everywhere before #LicoricePizza starting tonight! pic.twitter.com/4sHpfCHAbC — Licorice Pizza (@licoricepizza) February 11, 2022 Advertisement Haim have worked with Paul Thomas Anderson extensively in the past few years, with the Phantom Thread director helming the videos for their tracks ‘Night So Long’, ‘Right Now’ and ‘Little of Your Love’. Anderson was also behind their ‘Valentine’ short film, which came out in 2018, and created the… Read More →

11FEBNews

Watch Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama turn cult leaders in ‘Beg For You’ video

Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama have shared a video for their new collaboration, ‘Beg For You’ – you can watch it below. READ MORE: Charli XCX live in London: isolation anthems finally get their special airing Released last month, the pair’s new track – which samples September’s 2006 dance-floor filler ‘Cry For You’ – is the latest preview from Charli’s upcoming studio album ‘CRASH’, due out March 18. According to a press release, the accompany video “encapsulates cult theology within popular culture; worship of an image, obsession of a higher power, ritualistic and superstitious practices and the sacrifice for perfection”. Advertisement In the Nick Harwood-directed clip, Charli and Sawayama lead a cult through the lonely plains of Lancaster, California, accompanied by two characters depicting Jesus and Satan. Towards the end of the video, the two pop stars perform a joint ritual on a raised platform as the cult dances around them in a circle. Charli then cuts her hand and squeezes the blood into a pool, which Jesus drinks from using a ladle. The cult then pass out leaving just Charli, Sawayama, Jesus and Satan. You can watch the video below: Charli has previously shared two other singles from ‘CRASH’: ‘Good… Read More →

11FEBNews

Listen to Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby’s new collaboration ‘Bussin’

Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby have shared another new collaborative single – listen to ‘Bussin’ below. READ MORE: Nicki Minaj: every album ranked and rated It comes after the rappers teamed up earlier this month on ‘Do We Have A Problem?’, which marked Minaj’s first music release of 2022. Earlier this week, it was announced that a second track with Lil Baby would arrive today (February 11). “I call Baby, ‘Yo, where that stick at?’” Minaj asks in one verse, with Lil Baby replying: “Tell them boys come get his shit back.” Advertisement “If they act up, we gon’ fix that/ My new n**** ain’t with that chit chat,” Minaj continues. Lil Baby fires back: “You know, you ain’t gettin’ your bitch back.” Tune in here: The official ‘Bussin’ cover art shows Minaj with her hands on her hand, standing in the middle of a red-lit corridor that was previously seen in the video for ‘Do We Have A Problem?’. Nicki Minaj’s new Lil Baby collaborations are the former’s first new material since her 2021 mixtape, ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’. Earlier this month (February 4) Minaj explained that she would continue to make music for as long as she wants, with… Read More →

11FEBHit Singles

Big Mama Thornton – Sassy Mama: Live At The Rising Sun Celebrity Jazz Club

When Big Mama Thornton took the stage in 1977, she was struggling. Despite pioneering rock, blues and R&B in the 1950s, she’d been largely forgotten except as someone whose songs were covered and whose style was copped by Elvis and Janis Joplin, among others. Influence, however, doesn’t pay the bills. She toured continuously to survive, despite being so physically weak that she had to be helped onstage. Alcoholism hastened her decline and ravaged her voice, so that it was barely a squeak compared with the hurricane it had once been. ORDER NOW: Johnny Marr is on the cover in the latest issue of Uncut And yet, she gives one hell of a performance. What she lacked in physical power she more than made up for in sheer charisma, as though she’d learnt a whole new bag of tricks in order to sell these old songs to a new audience. Holding court in a folding chair and fronting a five-piece band, she pares down her once-blustery songs so that they’re quieter, weirder, spookier even. There’s a lot of space and silence in these numbers. Her band occasionally bows out for several measures, leaving Thornton to holler and howl in the void:… Read More →

10FEBNews

Miles Kane on The Last Shadow Puppets: “It would be rude not to do a trilogy”

Miles Kane has hinted that The Last Shadow Puppets could return in the future. READ MORE: Miles Kane – ‘Change The Show’ review: indie king plays it safe Kane formed the group with Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner in 2008. They released two albums, 2008’s ‘The Age Of The Understatement’ and 2016’s ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect.’ Speaking to Music Week, Kane said they while had no plans to reunite soon, he hasn’t ruled out another album for the group. Advertisement He said: “We won’t be doing anything in the near future, but I think it’d be rude not to do a trilogy. “The trilogy would be the icing, wouldn’t it?” Previously, Miles said in 2018 that he would “never say never” when it came to the group returning on day. “The Last Shadow Puppets was good, I had great fun with that. Bring them back? Who knows, yeah! Never say never.” Credit: Lauren Luxenberg Last month, Kane has revealed that he and Lana Del Rey have an album’s worth of unreleased material that they recorded together. Speaking in a new interview, Kane – who released his fourth solo album, ‘Change The Show’ on January 21 – discussed his creative partnership with… Read More →