NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Opera is as much a part of New Orleans’ African-American heritage as jazz, said Givonna Joseph, whose troupe is bringing opera to the Kids Tent at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for the fourth year in a row. The troupe was among more than 60 acts on 10 stages … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Call it gilt by association: The 2016 presidential hopefuls have become serial name-droppers, hoping to boost their own appeal by borrowing the luster of others. They’re sprinkling their speeches, interviews and tweets with mentions of everyone from the old standby, Ronald Reagan, to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., rapper Nicki … Continue reading
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — All three members of the hip-hop group Migos face drug and weapon charges following their arrests after they left the stage at a weekend performance at Georgia Southern University, authorities said. The group and its associates arrived for the Saturday night concert on the Statesboro campus in two vans, Bulloch County … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — A daylong Earth Day concert had R&B star Usher dancing on crutches Saturday on the National Mall to rally thousands for political action to confront climate change and poverty. Usher, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, Common, Fall Out Boy and Train all performed during the free Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day rally … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Rising country star Sam Hunt may be finding success on the pop charts, but don’t fret — he won’t pull a Taylor Swift. “By no means do I want to try to leave country music,” Hunt said in a recent interview. “That’s absolutely where I want to stay.” Hunt has dominated … Continue reading
ATLANTA (AP) — Anthony Anderson can recall when he worried about scrounging up money to pay for the rest of his college tuition, food and housing while attending Howard University. Now the “Black-ish” star wants to help students avoid the same struggle. The actor-comedian and other celebrities, through their foundations, teamed up with the United … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Nelly and Florida Georgia Line. Ludacris and Jason Aldean. Darius Rucker and Jay Z? The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman-turned-country singer says he’s hoping to jump on a song with a rapper. “I don’t have much left on my bucket list. One of the things that I’m dying to do is … Continue reading
ATLANTA (AP) — Wale always wanted to feature Jerry Seinfeld in his music, but didn’t know how to reach the superstar actor-comedian, who initially knew nothing about the rapper. But then the Grammy-nominated performer met Seinfeld’s wife, a Wale fan and hip-hopenthusiast. “She’s a big hip-hop fan and of my music,” Wale said of Jessica … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was hospitalized again on Thursday after a judge ordered him to stand trial on murder and attempted murder charges filed after he ran over two men in a parking lot. Knight’s condition and the cause of his latest health problem were not immediately known, … Continue reading
ATLANTA (AP) — Paul Walker is not only being remembered onscreen, but in music too: The tribute song for him, “See You Again,” hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart Thursday. The song from rapper Wiz Khalifa and budding singer Charlie Puth is from the soundtrack for “Furious 7,” the latest installment in … Continue reading
The odds were stacked against Eleanora Fagan, who was born to unwed teenage parents in Philadelphia on April 7, 1915. But she would become perhaps the most influential jazz singer ever, Billie Holiday, whose centennial is being celebrated with new albums honoring her legacy. Unlike Ella Fitzgerald, Holiday lacked the vocal technique that would have … Continue reading
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” a desperate, soulful ode to the lengths a man will go to for the woman he loves, was his only big hit but it had staying power. When he stepped into a recording studio in 1966 he unleashed a haunting wail of loss … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna, Rihanna, Beyonce and Jay Z are among the A-List musicians who are co-owners of Tidal, a streaming service being billed as the first artist-owned platform for music and video. The membership-based service — similar to subscription service Spotify — will provide music and video content that users can stream on … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Music mogul Russell Simmons is producing a brand new stage musical that will celebrate three generations of hip-hop, from Run DMC to Kanye West. Simmons said Thursday that “The Scenario” will feature an original story written by author and hip-hop historian Dan Charnas, author of “The Big Payback: The History of … Continue reading
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A state trooper has been reprimanded for posing for a photo with Snoop Dogg at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, because the rapper has several convictions for drug possession. Billy Spears was working at the March event when Snoop Dogg asked to take a picture. The artist posted the … Continue reading
UNION, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Kean University has cancelled hip-hop artist Common as commencement speaker after police voiced concerns over a song about a woman convicted of killing a police officer who fled to Cuba. The school announced the Academy Award winner’s selection on Monday, but said on its social media sites on Tuesday … Continue reading
The iHeartRadio Music Awards should be called the iHeartTaylorSwift Awards. The pop singer cleaned house at the show Sunday, winning artist of the year and song of the year for “Shake It Off,” and even assisted Madonna by strumming her guitar onstage while the pop icon sang a new song. “More than anything in the … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Brown has finally put his 2009 attack on Rihanna behind him, at least legally. Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin ended Brown’s felony probation on Friday March 20, 2015, more than six years after the R&B singer brutally attacked his then-girlfriend hours before the Grammy Awards. The attack erased Brown’s … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — As the music industry debates the fallout from the “Blurred Lines” copyright verdict, Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri finds himself sympathetic to both Pharrell and Marvin Gaye’s family. Dupri, who helped Usher reach superstar status, aided in Mariah Carey’s ultra-successful comeback a decade ago and produced for the diva in 1990s, remembers … Continue reading
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — For decades, the sound of Jamaica has been reggae, the infectious, uniquely syncopated music that transformed the small Caribbean island into a cultural powerhouse. But the genre’s success has taken it far beyond its roots, and now many in Jamaica worry that reggae-lovers abroad are forgetting the motherland where it was … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Exercising regularly has been like a prayer answered for Madonna: The singer says thanks to staying active, she didn’t suffer much after falling during her performance at the Brit Awards. “If I wasn’t in good shape — tuck and roll,” the singer, laughing, said during an interview with The Associated Press … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams lied about how they crafted the 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” and should be financially punished for using music by Marvin Gaye, a lawyer for the late singer’s family told a jury Thursday. An attorney for Williams and Thicke, however, said his clients did nothing … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — The Tribeca Film Festival unveiled the second half of its slate of 97 movies, including films starring recent Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as documentaries on Rosanne Barr and R&B star Mary J. Blige. Two days after announcing the festival’s competition categories, Tribeca revealed the rest of its … Continue reading
