As music listeners, we've grown so accustomed to the convenience of streaming platforms that those of us who use them run the risk of forgetting the songs that didn't make the transition. That's not to say the songs themselves go unappreciated, but they fall by the wayside all too often. For J. Cole, one of the songs that got away was "Be Free," a song Cole wrote following the death of Michael Brown in 2014. 

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At the time of its SoundCloud release, Cole shared a message about the song: "Rest in Peace to Michael Brown and to every young black man murdered in America, whether by the hands of white or black. I pray that one day the world will be filled with peace and rid of injustice. Only then will we all Be Free." Given everything that is currently going on six years removed from Brown's killing, many listeners have taken to revisiting "Be Free."

Seeing as the track has yet to hit streaming platforms, many have taken to asking Dreamville's Ibrahim H with direct requests. As he explains, the pieces are already in place for the transition to happen. "I’ve def seen a bunch of y’all tweets and got a bunch of texts asking for “Be Free” on streaming services," he writes. "I spoke to Cole today though had to let him know about that and he with so let me work on getting up this week."

Yung Lean may hail from Sweden, but the young rapper has built up an impressive hip-hop career complete with albums like Stranger and Starz. And while he may be an unconventional figure in the greater hip-hop landscape, Lean has proved himself to be a musically adventurous and quietly influential artist in his own right. Today, he also proved he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is, stepping up for the ongoing fight against police brutality and racism in a major way. 

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“As a kid growing up in Sweden, all my heroes were black American musicians,” he writes. “I have met people all over the world and I learnt that we’re all similar, until I got older and realized we’re not all treated similar. The United States Of America is a fucked up country and it’s built on blood, there is no way around it.”

Lean implores his fans to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter, voicing his disgust with anyone who thinks otherwise. “I know my privilege and anyone who has privilege should use it to help others who don’t, because fuck the system and it’s time to break it.” Maintaining that change will require active effort, Lean pledges to donate the entirety of his streaming and merch royalties to Black Lives Matter and bail funds, for an indefinite period at that. You can check out his full statement below, and we can only hope that others take his example in stepping up for the cause.

PARTYNEXTDOOR just dropped his new album PARTYMOBILE, which marked his official return to the game. He never really dropped off in popularity though. For years, the Toronto native has been one of the most prominent figures in R&B. 

When DJ Akademiks took a look into the latest streaming numbers for R&B artists, he was surprised to make a few discoveries. For one, Ak didn't know just how impactful 6LACK has become. Although he didn't make any observations about PARTYNEXTDOOR's placement as sixth on the list, the recording artist caught wind of the numbers and decided to voice his frustration.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Re-posting the numbers with a cap emoji, it looks PND wants a recount. If the statistics are accurate, that would mean that Frank Ocean remains the most popular R&B artist on streaming platforms, despite his musical inactivity in recent years. He is followed directly by 6LACK, Daniel Caesar, Bryson Tiller, and the self-proclaimed king of the genre Jacquees. 

PARTYNEXTDOOR clocked in 937 million streams, which is nothing to scoff at. In fact, that's more than most artists will ever see in their lifetime. However, he's not trusting of the source, calling out whoever put the list together and determining it false news.

Do you think PND's numbers are actually higher?

Though the streaming era has made countless albums available at the drop of a hat, there remain many classics and gems that have yet to make the transition. For the longest time, El-P‘s solo catalog has been inaccessible in that regard, including his debut album Fantastic Damage. Hailed as a classic by those familiar with underground hip-hop, the project marked El’s first release following the breakup of his former group Company Flow. Arriving eighteen years ago to this date, Fantastic Damage was an instant showcase of El’s immense talents, earning itself instant critical acclaim in the process. 

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And while there are many who have kept entertained through El’s Run The Jewels rebrand, there remain those who cover the good old days when he was running the underground scene. Now, after a lengthy waiting period, Fantastic Damage has officially made the transition to streaming services. Should you be interested in revisiting the science fiction inspired project, which spawned tracks like “Stepfather Factory” and “Deep Space 9mm,” be sure to check it out on your streaming service of choice.

In other El-P related news, he recently confirmed that Run The Jewels 4 will be dropping on June 5th, featuring guest appearances from DJ Premier, Pharrell Williams, Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, 2 Chainz, and more. It’s a good time to be a fan of El Producto.

Hulu is updating its catalog with a huge selection of new movies and TV shows throughout the month of May.  

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Just in time to get you through stay-at-home orders, classics such as Goodfellas, The Dark Knight, and The Graduate were all added to the streaming service on May 1st. There’s also a handful of addicting cooking shows and binge-worthy drama shows to be devoured.

Additionally, more content will be added throughout the month, concluding with season two of the critically acclaimed Ramy. 

Check out the full list of content available to stream on Hulu below, courtesy of Vulture.

Available May 1

MOVIES
Aeon Flux 
Assassination Tango
Batman Begins 
Billy the Kid 
Brick Mansions 
The Conjuring
Crooked Hearts 
The Dark Knight
Demolition Man 
Escape From Alcatraz 
Friday the 13th Part III 
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter 
Gloria 
Goodfellas 
The Graduate
The Green Mile 
Harry Benson: Shoot First 
House of D 
A Life Less Ordinary
Megamind 
Men With Brooms 
Molly 
Monster House 
Mutant Species 
Pathology 
The Patriot
Planet 51 
Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown 
Sands of Iwo Jima 
Slums of Beverly Hills 
Some Kind of Hero 
Soul Food 
Sprung 
Strategic Air Command 
Tamara 
Tank Girl
Treasure Hounds 
Universal Soldier
Walking Tall 
The Whistleblower 

TV
Bloom: Complete: Season 2

Available May 5

MOVIES
The Lodge

Available May 8

MOVIES
Spaceship Earth

TV
Into the Dark: Delivered: New Episode Premiere (Hulu Original)
Solar Opposites: Series Premiere (Hulu Original)

Available May 12

TV
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall: Special (ABC)

Available May 15

MOVIES
It’s a Disaster 

TV
Andy Explores: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Beat Bobby Flay: Complete Seasons 8, 9 (Food Network)
Caribbean Life: Complete Season 15 (HGTV)
Chopped: Complete Seasons 37-39 (Food Network)
Community en Español: Complete Series (NBC)
Drag Me: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Epic Conversations: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Fast N’ Loud: Complete Season 15 (Discovery Channel)
From the Test Kitchen: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Gold Rush: Complete Season 8 (Discovery Channel)
The Great: Series Premiere (Hulu Original)
The Great Food Truck Race: Complete Seasons 8, 9 (Food Network)
Handcrafted: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Iconic Characters: Complete Season 2 (Conde Nast)
It’s Alive With Brad: Complete Season 2 (Conde Nast)
The Little Couple: Complete Seasons 13, 14 (TLC)
Molly Tries: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Murder in the Heartland: Complete Season 2 (ID)
Open Door: Complete Season 2 (Conde Nast)
On the Market: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
Property Brothers: Complete Seasons 12, 13 (HGTV)
Reverse Engineering: Complete Season 1 (Conde Nast)
73 Questions: Complete Season 2 (Conde Nast)
Street Outlaws: Complete Seasons 8, 9 (Discovery Channel)
Worst Cooks in America: Complete Season 14 (Food Network)

Available May 19

MOVIES
Like Crazy
Trial by Fire

TV
Story of the Soaps: Special (ABC)

Available May 20

TV
Ultimate Tag: Series Premiere (Fox)

Available May 22

MOVIES
Painter and the Thief
Premature
Rocketman
Top End Wedding

TV
Holey Moley: Season 2 Premiere (ABC)
To Tell the Truth: Season 5 Premiere (ABC)

Available May 25

MOVIES
The Tracker

Available May 26

MOVIES
I Still Believe

Available May 28

TV
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 7 Premiere (ABC)

Available May 29

MOVIES
Disappearance at Clifton Hill

TV
Ramy: Season 2 Premiere (Hulu Original)

[Via]

Mac Miller‘s breakout mixtape, K.I.D.S., has finally made it to streaming services, almost a decade after its initial release in 2010. It appears to be a growing trend in recent weeks for artists to be putting some of their earliest (and most beloved) projects on streaming services, as fans find themselves with a lot more free time on their hands to listen to some old favourites. However, in this case, this plan was not a last minute decision as a result of the current circumstances. While Mac, is, of course, tragically not with us anymore, Rostrum Records founder Benjy Grinberg announced back in August that K.I.D.S., which is widely regarded as the body of work that put Mac on the map and launched his career, would be made available for streaming soon.

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

Initially, Benjy promised that the mixtape would be available for streaming by the end of 2019, but it seems there were some delays that prevented that from happening. Still, it’s better late than never, and now all but two songs—”Traffic in the Sky” and “La La La”—are streamable on Spotify and Apple Music. “After Macadelic came out, Mac asked if we could clear this one next,” Benjy wrote in an Instagram post on August 13th, 2019, the ninth anniversary of the tape’s release. “It has been challenging but we are getting through it. We miss Mac every day and we see our job as making sure his music lives on. We love you, Mac.”

Along with the K.I.D.S. news, his team has also put the music video for one of the tape’s tracks, “Don’t Mind If I Do” (which famously samples Owl City’s “Fireflies”), on Youtube. The visuals begin with an excerpt from Larry Clark’s 1995 film, Kids, which played a part in inspiring the mixtape. Stream K.I.D.S on Spotify and Apple Music and watch “Don’t Mind If I Do” on Youtube below.

In case you somehow missed it, DaBaby came through and delivered his brand new album Blame It On Baby, featuring guest appearances from Future, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Roddy Ricch, and more. And while we did know the album was coming, Baby only gave us a few days of notice, making the initial announcement at the beginning of the week before landing with a bang last midnight. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

And from the sound of it, the excitement surrounding the album’s release was palpable. Before long, an absolute throng of excited fans were flooding Spotify by the millions, all but guaranteeing the North Carolina rapper a stop atop next week’s Billboard charts. “Bitch had 25 million streams on @spotify first in the first 30 minutes,” boasts DaBaby, clearly riding the high of his big day. As to how those numbers translate to “album-equivalent units,” we’ll have to wait and see next week. 

Of course, with such a massive buzz comes an increase in haters — unfortunately, that dubious category tends to be more vocal than the average fan. It didn’t take long for the boo-birds to flood social media with negative takes on Baby’s project, leaving us wondering whether they had already made up their mind long before hearing the album to begin with. Looking to our own comment section — what do you make of the album? Were you one of the 25, 823, 504 users enjoying that Spotify stream in the first half-hour?

Though streaming platforms offer many conveniences in the listening experience, every so often fans are faced with an irritating conundrum. For years now, Dr. Dre‘s beloved debut The Chronic, released in 1992 as a flagship drop on Death Row Records, has been exclusively available to Apple Music. Those who prefer to use Spotify or Tidal have been forced to go without one of hip-hop’s greatest albums of all time, a cruel fate indeed.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Now, however, it would appear that Dre and his team have decided to spread the love. As of 4/20, The Chronic will be officially appearing across all streaming services, all the more reason to celebrate the weed-fueled holiday. Expect many playlists to be adjusted accordingly, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some younger fans moved to discover the project for the first time.

Songs like “Nuthin But A G Thang,” “Dre Dre,” and of course the oft-memed “Deeez Nuuuts” have been long ingrained within the culture, and it stands to reason that this digital expansion will help highlight some of the album’s deeper cuts. The transition also falls on the heels of The Chronic’s induction into the Library Of Congress, a testament to its significance in hip-hop history. Come 4/20, check back to your chosen DSP and take a trip down memory lane with everybody’s favorite Doctor. 

There are a handful of new movies and TV shows being added to Amazon Prime for the month of April that will help you overcome your quarantine.

James Bond fans will be excited to see a number of the series’ most famous classics such as Goldeneye, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love,  and more are all ready to stream right now. No Time To Die is still many months off, but these iconic 007 films are a great way to get ready.

Larry Ellis / Getty Images

As for modern films, 2019’s The Lighthouse, starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson features some of the best acting from last year. The two star as lighthouse keepers who try to maintain their sanity while isolated from the world– a perfect social distancing film.

Other highlights include I Am Legend, Rambo: Last Blood, and even more James Bond movies.

Check out the full schedule of April’s Amazon Prime releases below.

[Via]

April 1

A View to a Kill (4K UHD) (1985)
Bangkok Dangerous (2010)
Bird Of Paradise (1932)
Blind Husbands (1919)
Broken Blossoms (1919)
Daniel Boone (1936)
Diamonds Are Forever (4K UHD) (1971)
Diary Of A Hitman (1991)
Die Another Day (4K UHD) (2002)
Dishonored Lady (1947)
Dollface (1945)
Dr. No (4K UHD) (1962)
Dr. T & The Women (2000)
Drums In The Deep South (1951)
For Your Eyes Only (4K UHD) (1981)
From Russia with Love (4K UHD) (1964)
Gator (1976)
Gods And Monsters (1999)
Goldeneye (4K UHD) (1995)
Goldfinger (4K UHD) (1964)
Gorky Park (1983)
Hotel Artemis (2018)
I Am Legend (2007)
Licence to Kill (4K UHD) (1989)
Live and Let Die (4K UHD) (1973)
Mark Of Zorro (1920)
Moonraker (4K UHD) (1979)
Mutiny (1952)
Never Say Never Again (4K UHD) (1983)
Octopussy (4K UHD) (1983)
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (4K UHD) (1969)
Repentance (2014)
Shirley Valentine (1989)
Son Of Monte Cristo (1940)
Tarzan The Fearless (1933)
The Bodyguard (1992)
The Boost (1988)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
The Chumscrubber (2005)
The Hoodlum (1951)
The Living Daylights (4K UHD) (1987)
The Lost World (1925)
The Man with the Golden Gun (4K UHD) (1974)
The New Adventures Of Tarzan (1935)
The Sender (1982)
The Spy Who Loved Me (4K UHD) (1977)
The World is Not Enough (4K UHD) (1999)
Thunderball (4K UHD) (1965)
Tomorrow Never Dies (4K UHD) (1997)
You Only Live Twice (4K UHD) (1967)

April 3

Invisible Life – Amazon Original movie (2019)
Tales from the Loop – Amazon Original series: Season 1

April 10

Les Misérables – Amazon Original movie (2019)
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

April 14

Vault (2019)

April 16

The Lighthouse (2019)

April 17

Bosch – Amazon Original series: Season 6
Dino Dana – Amazon Original series: Season 3B
Selah and the Spades – Amazon Original movie (2019)

April 20

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

April 29

Footloose (2011)

Netflix has quickly become an “essential service” for most of us. The platform has seen an increase in streaming numbers, unsurprisingly, since people have nowhere to go and nothing to do. While most of the world’s businesses are experiencing a drastic slow-down right now, Netflix isn’t stopping their monthly scheduled roll outs of new programming, on top of their original content. This particular round-up of Netflix shows is a mixed bag of recent additions and older series that may have gone overlooked, but are worthy of your eyes. From the viral success of Tiger King to the comedic stylings of Tom Segura, these are all great picks to take your mind off things.

Let us know what you’ve got on your Netflix watch list right now.

Tiger King

If you haven’t heard of this documentary series by now, actually, what are you doing? Are you okay? I mean, surely you’re at home, phone in hand. And if that’s true, then simple math tells us that you’ve scrolled past a Tiger King news article/meme/celebrity response to the stranger-than-fiction docu-series that thrust a trio of unlikely figures into the mainstream consciousness– at the forefront of course, is Joe Exotic.

Tom Segura: Ball Hog

Tom Segura is a comedian and host of Your Mom’s House podcast. The podcast host has an insanely aggressive fanbase, and while he subtly catered to those fans in his new stand-up routine, Ball Hog he also makes the jokes accessible for all. We can all laugh collectively at Tom making fun of his wife, fellow comedian Christina Pastizky, in his opening monologue, as well, the comedian addresses the fall-out from his last special, Disgraceful.

Bert Kreisher: Hey Big Boy

Another comedy special for this list, because we could all use more laughs right now, Bert Kreisher’s Hey Big Boy is among Netflix’s recent additions, so chances are, you haven’t seen it yet. The comedian, who runs in the same circles as Tom Segura (and thus, by extension, Joe Rogan), delivers an hour-long routine that’s mostly about his daughter’s first period. So yeah. There’s that.

Ozark 

Ozark is the crime thriller starring unlikely actor Jason Bateman. I say that, in the sense that, before Bateman started playing Marty Byrd, the general “we” of the public wouldn’t have necessarily thought to cast him in that role — which is perhaps why “we” (all of us) are not casting agents. Nonetheless, Bateman was cast as the head of the Byrd household, and continues to get the whole family into turmoil and trouble thanks to alliances with local criminals, as well as the cartel. Now, the Byrds are back with 10 new episodes to binge-watch, so if you haven’t already been watching the series, it’s the perfect time to dive in.

Self-Made

Self-Made is a limited series that documents the story of Madame C.J. Walker, the first self-made female billionaire in America, who made her fortune off black hair care products. The show, which not only counts Tiffany Haddish as an executive producer but includes her in the roll of Walker’s daughter, is based on A’Lelia Bundles’– the great granddaughter of the real C.J. Walker– biography On Her Own Ground. The T.V. series condenses Madame C.J. Waker’s empire-building pursuits into four succinct episodes, and stars Octa Spenser as Walker.

Dare Me

If you need something soap-y, thrill-y and girl-y, well this is it. The Netflix original is based on the book of the same name byMegan Abbott. The TV series is set in a small town in the midwest, and explores the tenuous relationship between two best friends, when their high school who receives a new cheer squad coach. On the surface, that may sound like a rather light and fluffy premise, but things get dark, fast.

All American

All American is a CW show, so you know there will be soap. There are also two seasons available for you to get your binge-watch on on Netflix right now, with a third season on the way. The teen drama centers around a high school football player, Spencer James, who switches high schools from his native Crenshaw, to play for Beverly Hills High. As you can imagine when teenagers are involved, the drama takes off almost immediately, with plenty of twists and turns along the way to fuel you right into the next episode.

Locke & Key

Locke & Key was just renewed for a second season, so now is the perfect time to binge watch the first season. It’s also on Netflix, which makes it easy to binge watch, so really, no excuses. Locke & Key veers into sci-fi, magical territory— so if that’s not your cup of tea, then this show likely won’t do anything for you. If it is, though, this show is for you. The Locke family, sans patriarch after the father’s untimely passing, return home and move back into the family’s inherited, historic mansion. The creepy old house, and the town, are filled with secrets, though. And the Locke children are the ones leading the discovery. 

Cheer

Maybe you want less of a soap opera that’s peripherally about cheerleading (Dare Me), and you want some full-on real-life cheerleaders? Cheer is a Netflix docu-series that explores the insane sport that is Cheerleading— and like many Netflix docs, they know how to keep you engaged and interested even if it’s a topic that wouldn’t typically interest you, at least not on paper. 

Mind Hunter

Mind Hunter is another dose of escapism, if you should need it, as we get to follow FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench in their pursuit of criminals– not just any ol’ criminal, but serial killers, as they attempt to understand and analyze exactly how these killers think. The crime thriller has two seasons stacked on Netflix, with the first season set in the ‘70s and the second in the ‘80s– it’s definitely far-away enough from our current times that you’ll get a much-need distraction from reality.

American Crime Story

Another true crime thriller series to keep in rotation while we’re in isolation mode. This anthology series kicked off season one in a highly-publicized manner, as the show documented the story of O.J. Simpson. The critically-acclaimed first season, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, starred Cuba Gooding Jr. as OJ, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro and David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. The series returned in season two with The Assisination of Gianni Versace, earning the FX show even more accolades, and exploring the murder of the famed fashion designer. 

The Sinner

The best TV series you probably haven’t seen. The Sinner’s first season stars Jessica Biel (who knew!) as a mother who blacks out during a family trip to the beach, leaving Detective Harry Ambrose, played by Bill Pullman to figure out why exactly. The mystery and crime unravels, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire way. The Sinner follows Detective Ambrose as he explores more cases of crime in season two and three, with the third season having just wrapped up airing at the end of March– you can catch the first two seasons on Netflix though.