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New York, New York – 6/24/25 – (L-r) Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ilya Naishuller (Director), Carla Gugino, Sarah Niles, John Cena, Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Richard Coyle attends the Amazon MGM Studios World Premiere of “Heads of State”

– Pictured: (L-r) Idris Elba, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ilya Naishuller (Director), Carla Gugino, Sarah Niles, John Cena, Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Richard Coyle

– Photo by: Marion Curtis / StarPix for Amazon MGM Studios

– Location: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center

On Tuesday, June 24, Amazon MGM Studios hosted the Red Carpet World Premiere of the new action-comedy Heads Of State at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Guests were treated to a screening of the film followed by an afterparty at Twin Tails.

Set to release on July 2nd, the action-comedy Heads of State, is the story of the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) who have a not-so-friendly and very...

“I am British, I am Jamaican, I am American. I am what I am,” says Slick Rick on “I Did That,” a track from Victory, his first album in twenty-six years. Born in Mitcham, London yet long considered a pioneer of ostentatious New York style and panache due to seminal golden-era recordings like “LA-di-Da-Di” with Doug E. Fresh and 1988’s The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, the man famed for wearing massive gold chains and one eyepatch embraces his British-Caribbean heritage here with newfound vigor. The album is accompanied by...

Welcome to this week’s review of Nxt, right here on Nerdly. Let’s get straight into it and see what went down on this week’s show!

Match #1: Nxt North American Championship – Ethan Page def. Sean Legacy The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

WWE Evolve’s Sean Legacy put up an incredible fight, but the North American Title remains with Ethan Page. The Nxt Universe was firmly behind Legacy and he had the champion in trouble with his high-flying moves and his swift kicks. Unfortunately for him, All Ego is a seasoned veteran and promptly countered a 450 splash into a Twisted Grin to retain his title. After the match, Ricky Saints appeared out of nowhere and brawled with Page around the arena.

My Score: 3 out of 5 Match #2: The Culling def. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Culling is down to...

Welcome to the results and review of this past weekend’s Nxt: Battleground pay-per-view, which continues the “Battleground” branding handed down from the main roster, where the PPV started Ten years ago! Let’s see what happened on this much-anticipated show…

Match #1: Sol Ruca def. Kelani Jordan The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Sol Ruca dazzled once again as Nxt Women’s North American Champion and defeated her rival Kelani Jordan in another incredible match. With Zaria watching at ringside backing up Ruca, the two Superstars traded remarkably athletic moves and shared a moment of respect before locking up again. The new attitude of Jordan paid off as she grounded the high-flying Ruca and targeted the champion’s knee, increasing the concern of Zaria on the outside. Both Superstars looked for the winning blow, as Ruca hit an Avalanche X-Factor but Jordan’s attempt at an Avalanche Poison-...

The 2025 Tribeca Festival has announced more programming for this year’s event, including premieres of two more visual albums, joining the debut of Miley Cyrus’ Something Beautiful visual album, and the New York premieres of Sundance award winners Twinless and Come See Me in the Good Light.

The festival will host the international premiere of Slick Rick’s Victory visual album, directed by Meji Alabi, with appearances by Idris Elba, Nas and Giggs. Slick Rick will participate in a live conversation after the premiere. And Tribeca will world premiere a visual album from Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile, followed by a conversation with the band. The 50-minute Turnstile: Never Enough was directed by frontman Brendan Yates and guitarist Pat McCrory.

Additionally the festival will host the world premiere of Dead Language, a full-length feature adaptation of the Oscar-nominated short film Aya from Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun, starring Sarah Adler and Ulrich Thomsen.

Purposely sloppy but brutally direct in his approach, Ken Carson pushes rage music to its most sonically extreme form. The 22 songs on the rapper’s fourth studio album, More Chaos, aren’t about anything in the traditional sense. They’re just hedonistic flexes of varying length, with Carson riding glitchy, glossy, and often poorly mixed beats packed with deafening, distorted bass. He mutters his signature snicker, delivers a half-slurred, half-mumbled flow, and stumbles across a few quotables along the way.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before, with 2023’s A Great Chaos, to be exact. As its title suggests, More Chaos is more of an extension of that project’s sound rather than a full-fledged sequel, setting itself up to be considered minor—and in many ways, it is.

If you were to quantify the growth between these two albums as a line, it would be nearly horizontal.

Say what you will about Lil Durk, but understand upfront that he’s all about a vibe: Whether bucking lyrical shots or crooning a love song, the drill innovator makes moody, hypnotic songs that relate like one relentless, sinuous trance. Almost always, we’re game for being seduced by Durk’s melodic turnups. But when the languid-to-somber ratios on his albums began to predominate, listening sometimes felt like a chore, despite the self-care sentiments the Chiraq champ has been mainlining since 2023’s trauma-centered Almost Healed. Deep Thoughts, his Jack Handey-evoking new project — 17 lucid,...

A bunch of celebs stepped out for the Louis Vuitton menswear fashion show during Paris Fashion Week!

Bradley Cooper, Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, and Adrien Brody were among the stars who attended the fashion event on Tuesday afternoon (January 21) in Paris, France.

Callum Turner, Travis Scott, Shaboozey, and Squid Game‘s Gong Yoo were among some of the other celebs who attended the event.

Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams presented his new collection, which was a collaboration with Kenzo designer Nigo.

“I never dreamt when I first met Nigo that this is what we would be doing together,” said Pharrell told Wwd. “I wake up every day and I know that I got a brother, and I know that I got somebody that’s just taught me so much and continues to just be there for me, and we’re there for each other.”

Nigo said, “This...

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“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” rang in 2025 with an impressive audience, landing the top spot among New Year’s Eve primetime and late-night programming.

The annual ABC special brought in 18 million total viewers and peaked at 21.5 million total viewers at midnight, according to fast national live-plus-same-day viewing figures from Nielsen. The special did not surpass last year’s record viewership of the show, which got to 22.2 million at midnight to ring in 2024, though numbers are likely to increase when full night viewership is counted.

Carrie Underwood headlined the long-running special, and performed a medley of her songs from Times Square just before midnight. Additional performers for the night included Alanis Morissette, Blake Shelton, Reneé Rapp, Dasha, Fat Joe, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh,...

Sophie Ellis-Bextor rang in 2025 on the dancefloor, hosting her New Year’s Eve Disco special on the BBC, which featured duets with Jessie Ware and Jake Shears.

A handful of clips from the special have been uploaded to YouTube, including Ellis-Bextor’s rendition of her own classic, “Murder on the Dancefloor.” She also linked up with Ware for a cover of “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie,” the 1977 disco gem from Spanish duo Baccara.

And later, Shears joined Ellis-Bextor for a performance of the Scissor Sisters’ 2005 track, “Filthy/Gorgeous” (an apt selection,...

Carrie Underwood’s out with the old, in with the new attitude only applied to the year. As the headlining performer for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2025, the country star bid 2024 farewell with a medley performance of hits spanning her two-decade-long career.

From Times Square, the artist performed “Before He Cheats” from her 2005 debut album Some Hearts, 2016’s “Church Bells” from Storyteller, and “Pink Champagne” from 2022’s Denim & Rhinestones. Underwood also revealed her upcoming Reflection concert special coming to Hulu in January.

“I have...

Another year has come and gone, and programming options to ring in the quarter century range from the classic Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest and CNN’s routine New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

Keith Urban, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll will headline and co-host CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash alongside Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith. Several other networks will welcome 2025 with various festivities and coverage of celebrations across the globe.

Check out New Year’s Eve 2025 television programming and multiple ways to tune into the Times Square Ball Drop below:

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” 2025, which starts at 8:00 p.m. Est on December 31 on ABC. It will be streaming on Hulu the next day. This...

Updated: The Jonas Brothers have joined the star-studded lineup for Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. The trio will take the Times Square stage in New York for a special performance to ring in the new year as the clock strikes midnight. This is a return appearance for the Jonas Brothers, who have performed three times as a group and five times across their solo projects over the years..

The trio most recently wrapped up their The World Tour in support of their sixth studio album, The Album. They join previously announced headliner Carrie Underwood, Megan Moroney, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, TLC, Lenny Kravitz, Tinasha and more.

The 54th edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest will air Tuesday, Dec. 31, live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Est and stream next day on Hulu.

Previous, Dec. 10: ABC and Dick Clark Productions have added...

As the new year looms right around the corner, it’s inevitable to acknowledge that very few events capture the electrifying spirit of New Year’s Eve quite like Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest. As the clock ticks closer to midnight, the epic broadcast quite literally transforms living rooms across the country into vibrant hues and hubs of celebration.

With a legacy stretching back to 1972, the musical show has easily established itself synonymously with ringing in the New Year, delivering a dazzling mix of star-studded performances, heartfelt reflections, and unmatchable energy. The same is expected to continue as the world progresses into 2025 as well, with the tradition expected to lead stronger than ever before.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest. | Credits: www.newyearsrockineve.com

While Ryan Seacrest is returning as the charismatic host who effortlessly bridges generations, joining him...

A Cobra Kai alum is headed to space: Barrett Carnahan, who plays young Kreese on the aforementioned Netflix series, has joined For All Mankind Season 5, our sister site Deadline reports.

The actor will recur on the Apple TV+ alt-history drama as Marcus, a recent high school graduate living on Mars.

More from TVLineHarley Quinn and Ivy Take on Metropolis, Brainiac in Season 5 Trailer - Plus, Get Premiere DateAhead of Xl Yellowstone Finale, Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser Close Deals for Spinoff (Report)W.A.G.s to Riches Reality Series to Follow Wives, Girlfriends of Famous Celebrities - Get Netflix Release Date, Cast...

“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest for 20 years now, will count down to 2025 on ABC on Dec. 31, starting at 8:00pm Eastern, but he and Times Square co-host Rita Ora won’t be the only ones on hand. They will be joined by a number of musical guests, and that guest list is growing.

Rocker Alanis Morissette will perform multiple times as she rings in the 30th anniversary of her landmark 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill”; that will include a special performance of “You Oughta Know” with special guest Reneé Rapp. And speaking of 30th anniversaries, TLC will perform in celebration of their 1994 hit album “CrazySexyCool.”

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Out in Las Vegas, chart-topping country star Blake Shelton will perform a collection of his hits as well as “Texas,” his first solo song in two years. Fellow country...

Alanis Morissette to perform on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025’ (Photo Courtesy of ABC)

Alanis Morissette and Blake Shelton have joined the lineup of artists set to ring in the new year on the incredibly cumbersomely-titled Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025. Reneé Rapp, Dasha, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! starring Ja Rule, Luis Fonsi, TLC, Fat Joe, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh, Ernest, Hardy, Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield, and T-Pain will also bid farewell to 2024 during this year’s holiday special.

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will air live on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 8pm Et on ABC. Dick Clark Productions and iHeartMedia are partnering again this year to stream the end-of-the-year special on 150 iHeartRadio stations nationwide. Ryan Seacrest returns as host for the 20th year, with Rita Ora joining him in Times Square and Dayanara Torres co-hosting in Puerto Rico.

Alanis Morissette, Reneé Rapp, Blake Shelton, Luis Fonsi, and TLC have joined the lineup for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Fonsi will perform from his home country Puerto Rico, Shelton will take the stage in Las Vegas, and TLC will perform in New York as part of the broadcast, ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced Tuesday.

Morrissette and Rapp will join the West Coast party, alongside the likes of Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Ja Rule, Ernest, Hardy, Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain, and DJ Cassidy. DJ...

ABC’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration just got a little bit bigger. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025” added several additional performers to its lineup, including Alanis Morissette, Reneé Rapp and Blake Shelton.

The West Coast Party will feature a performance by Morissette. That leg of the celebration will also feature guest starring performances from Reneé Rapp, Dasha, Fat Joe, Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh, Ernest, Hardy, Kesha, Laufey, Natasha Bedingfield and T-Pain. DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live! starring Ja Rule will also be part of the party. Based on DJ Cassidy’sTV show of the same name, the program involves the legendary DJ handing over the microphone to iconic stars in the world of rap and R&b.

It won’t just be the West Coast celebrating this year. Blake Shelton will perform from Las Vegas, Luis Fonsi from his native Puerto Rico,...

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” with Ryan Seacrest has added another round of performers to its lineup, including a duet from Alanis Morissette and Reneé Rapp on the West Coast, Blake Shelton live from Las Vegas and TLC in Times Square.

Morissette is kicking off the 30th anniversary celebration of her seminal album “Jagged Little Pill” and will take the stage multiple times throughout the night, with Rapp joining her to sing “You Oughta Know.” Meanwhile, Shelton will be performing his latest single “Texas” and some of his biggest hits from Las Vegas. Also on the lineup is TLC, who will take the Times Square stage in New York City to sing songs from their album “Crazysexycool,” which is also marking its 30th anniversary.

Other additions to the West Coast party include DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic Live!” featuring Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Slick Rick and...

Welcome to this review of Nxt: Deadline, the latest pay-per-view/premium live event from the WWE’s third brand and a show that features the culmination of the “Iron Survivor Challenge” tournament that has taken place over the past few weeks. Let’s see what went down on the show!

Match #1: Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge – Winner: Oba Femi The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Eddy Thorpe was unable to compete due to not being medically cleared, and it opened the door for The Ruler of Nxt to walk out of Minneapolis as the Iron Survivor. Wes Lee and Je’Von Evans kicked off the bout, and it resulted in The Cardiac Kid putting his foot on the ropes to steal a fall just before Nathan Frazer entered the fray. Ethan Page joined the match but immediately got rolled up and pinned by Frazer, resulting in a furious Page...

Carrie Underwood’s powerful vocals are about to sing us into a whole new calendar year.

The eight-time Grammy winner — who will soon return to her American Idol roots as judge — will headline Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest, closing out 2024 with a live medley of hits from Times Square. This marks Underwood’s second time headlining the annual ABC telecast, having previously done so during the countdown to 2016. (She also performed on the December 2007 broadcast.)

More from TVLineThe Bachelor Trailer: Grant Raps and Sings His Way Into the Ladies' Hearts (But There's Drama, Too,...

Welcome to this review of the latest Nxt premium live event, Halloween Havoc, right here on Nerdly. Last year was two weeks of special Nxt epsiodes but we’ve switch back to a Ple/PPV format for this one, so let’s get straight into it and see what went down…

Match #1: Nxt North American Championship Tables, Ladders and Scares Match – Tony D’Angelo def. Oba Femi The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The North American Championship remains with Tony D’Angelo after a remarkable show of courage and unity from The D’Angelo Family. The Don was a man possessed to begin Halloween Havoc as he attacked The Ruler before the bell, knocking him to the outside before crushing him through the barricade with a rib-cracking Spear. A determined Femi powered through the pain and unleashed a hellacious attack on D’Angelo using steel chairs and ladders to crush...

DJ Clark Kent, a hip-hop superproducer who worked with the likes of Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and The Notorious B.I.G., has died at 58, his family announced on social media.

Per the statement, Kent (née Rodolfo Franklin) had been battling colon cancer for the past three years and died surrounded by his loved ones Thursday evening.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of the beloved Rodolfo A. Franklin, known to the world as DJ Clark Kent,” the Instagram post read. “Clark passed away Thursday evening surrounded by his devoted wife Kesha, daughter Kabriah and son Antonio. Clark quietly and valiantly fought a three year battle with Colon Cancer, while continuing to share his gifts with the world. The family is grateful for everyone’s love, support and prayers during this time and ask for privacy as they process this immense loss.”

Kent began his career in...

Ditching the formula was essential for Doechii while she was in the studio cooking up her latest mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. She knows the appeal of a big commercial hit, something palatable and only barely creative — something almost anyone could do. But her musical interests are more deeply connected to delivering unique stories that find humor in dark situations. On the latest episode of Rolling Stone‘s The Breakdown, the Florida rapper explains how moving away from any preset expectations and carving out her own path led her to “Denial Is a River.

Fatman Scoop, the New York rapper who had a worldwide hit with “Be Faithful” and featured on singles by Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey, and Skrillex, has died at the age of 56.

The artist born Isaac Freeman III was transported to a hospital after suffering a medical emergency while onstage during an August 30 concert in Hamden, Connecticut. On Saturday morning, Freeman’s tour manager Bryan “DJ Pure Cold” Michael announced on social media that the rapper had died. No cause of death was provided.

“I am honestly lost for words,” Michael wrote.

Fatman Scoop suffered a medical emergency while performing in Hamden, Connecticut, on Friday night.

Hamden mayor Lauren Garrett confirmed the news on social media, writing that while the rapper, whose real name is Isaac Freeman, was on stage at Hamden Town Center Park, he had a “medical emergency” and was “transported by ambulance to the hospital.” The mayor added, “We will provide updates when they are available. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.”

Videos posted to X appear to show Scoop collapsing from behind the DJ booth as...

Veteran radio personality Angie Martinez is set to make her directorial debut with a feature-length documentary on seminal hip-hop figure DJ Clark Kent.

God’s Favorite DJ: The Story of DJ Clark Kent will be produced in partnership with Green Leaf Productions and Mark Sparks Productions, and it will include appearances by popular acts like Jay-Z, Questlove, DJ Khaled and more.

“DJ Clark Kent is a rare gem whose influence is seen in nearly every era of Hip-Hop’s history books. With our 50-year-old culture susceptible to outside perspective and agenda, it’s important that we spotlight the heroes who push the art form with purity and authenticity. I am honored to help share Clark’s many truths with the world,” Martinez tells The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.

DJ Clark Kent

Clark Kent’s production credits include Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn’s Finest,” the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Sky’s the Limit,...

The Library of Congress has announced this year’s selection of 25 “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” pieces of recorded music to archive into the National Recording Registry, led by albums from Green Day, The Notorious B.I.G., and Blondie.

In addition to Green Day’s seminal Dookie, The Notorious B.I.G.’s classic debut Ready to Die, and Blondie’s commercial breakthrough Parallel Lines, other albums preserved among “the defining sounds of history” include Abba’s Arrival and The Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces. Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow and The Cars’ self-titled debut also made the list.

Songs include Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s “LA-di-Da-Di,” Perry Como’s “Catch a Falling Star,” Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and Gene Autry’s “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” See the full list below and take a look at the Library of Congress’ full registry here.

Works from Perry Como to The Cars were added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, which designates recordings worthy of preservation “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Among the 25 selected this year are Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” Blondie’s “Parallel Lines,” The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die,” Green Day’s “Dookie” and The Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces.” Also on the list are Lily Tomlin’s comedy recordings, and much older titles like Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” Johnny Mathis’ “Chances Are” and Como’s “Catch a Falling Star” / “Magic Moments.” The Cars’ debut album is on the list as well as Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Some of the titles added date to 1919, with the entry of the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe.

Members...

Other than making records, what do Green Day, the Notorious B.I.G., classic crooners Perry Como and Johnny Mathis, Latin music giant Héctor Lavoe, and the late Bill Withers have in common? Not much, until today: Works by all those musicians, and over a dozen more, were announced as the latest additions to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

Signed off on by then-president Bill Clinton in 2000, the Registry has aimed to collect recordings —musical performances, speeches, and other audio — deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically important.” The first...

Amy Winehouse’s music endures because of her voice, obviously — that sultry Billie Holiday-esque sound that could lend timelessness to lyrics that referenced Slick Rick. Her regular producers, such as Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, imbued her classical jazz training with a pop sound that borrowed from ’60s and ’70s soul as well as contemporary garage rock and hip hop. Her image was a knowing collage of vintage looks, but while you can’t talk about Winehouse’s hair without referencing Ronnie Spector, that amalgamation of “bad girl” styles became entirely her own. She had the unique ability to cultivate originality from a self-conscious fusion of different musical designs; any traces of influences disappeared under the weight of sampling and swagger.

The gap between Winehouse’s music and her troubled personal life was never as dichotomous as people insisted; her personal demons fueled her music, and she nurtured a refreshingly rebellious persona.

SXSW 2024 kicked off its first full day of music on March 12 with a smattering of must-see shows around town, plus some tension in the air thanks to the festival’s relationship with the U.S. Army. (When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott chimed in on social media, it was the kind of noise that no one needs.) While a number of acts cancelled their official showcases, many of them continued to play unofficial shows for the audiences that SXSW brought to town, and several spoke out in support of the Palestinian people and against war.

Soulful jazz great Les McCann, whose work was sampled by hundreds of hip-hop artists including Notorious B.I.G. and Dr. Dre, died Friday in the Los Angeles area. He was 88.

The musician, who released more than 60 albums over the course of his career, had been admitted to a hospital from the nursing care facility he’d lived in for the past four years and was diagnosed with pneumonia, his manager Alan Abrahams told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a prolific career, he was arguably best known for his 1969 Montreaux Jazz Festival performance of the protest song “Compared to What.”

McCann joined forces with saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey. The three hadn’t played together before, and there wasn’t time for rehearsal, according to The New York Times.

The outlet cites the liner notes for a reissue of the concert album, the Grammy-nominated Swiss Movement, in which McCann writes: “Just before we went onstage,...

Les McCann, a trailblazing pianist and singer known for fusing strains of jazz, funk, and R&b and pioneering soul jazz, died on Friday at the age of 88.

The cause of death has not been disclosed, but his manager Alan Abrahams told NBC News that the musician had died at a Los Angeles hospital after developing pneumonia a week ago.

The singer had lived for the last four years at a skilled nursing facility in L.A, according to The New York Times.

McCann, who is best remembered for his 1967 protest song “Compared to What,...

Plot: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, part of a professional wrestling dynasty in the early 1980s, as they endure tragedy and triumph under the shadow of their domineering father and coach.

Review: The Iron Claw is a film that a lot of people in the movie and professional wrestling communities have been looking forward to. Especially after the episode of Dark Side of the Ring on the Von Erich “curse”, fascination with the subject has soared like a Kevin Von Erich flying crossbody. For me, too, having loved professional wrestling since I was a child, and having seen a lot of the Von Erich tragedy play out, I wondered how in the world Sean Durkin could turn this into a story that audiences could enjoy.

I’m not sure he accomplished that last bit. Don’t get me wrong; The Iron Claw is an incredible film; a harrowing,...

Snoop Dogg is, for lack of a better term, a pretty bizarre figure in pop culture, one whose longevity and chameleon-like skills are something of an anomaly in hip-hop. Rappers turned actors like LL Cool J and Ice-t have been able to effectively sand down the more bellicose elements of their personas for mass consumption, but the former never made as hard of a family-friendly pivot as Snoop, and you’re unlikely to find Ice-t chillin’ with Justin Bieber.

Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., Snoop Dogg—formerly Snoop Doggy Dogg, and, for a brief moment when he was exploring Rastafarianism, Snoop Lion—is a man for every season, or, more accurately, an entertainer for any occasion. Between all of his acting credits, Twitch livestreams, and cooking-show antics with Bff Martha Stewart, one could easily forget that he’s a music artist who’s dabbled in just about every genre, from gangsta rap to gospel.

Jharrel Jerome isn't hiding behind self-doubt anymore. It might be hard to believe the 26-year-old - the youngest to ever win an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie - is anything less than confident, given the praise he's earned for his buzzy onscreen performances, which include the Oscar-winning "Moonlight" and critically acclaimed "When They See Us" miniseries. But the Bronx native has been admittedly hesitant to introduce his other talent: rapping. But now, he tells Popsugar, "I'm ready to move with confidence."

"I think it was definitely me telling myself as loud as I can that I really do enjoy this and that I want this at a young, young age."

Up until 2020, Jerome largely kept his rap ambitions under wraps, though he's been quietly sharing music on SoundCloud since 2016. The "I'm a Virgo" star built his Hollywood reputation with compelling TV and movie roles,...

City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, honored Lyor Cohen, global head of Music at YouTube and Google, last week at its Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (Mfei) fundraising group’s Spirit of Life Gala.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and LL Cool J perform onstage during City of Hope's 2023 Music, Film & Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Gala

Credit/Copyright: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for City of Hope

The annual event featured a special performance from LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff, plus a curated “DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live!” segment with – in order of appearance – Slick Rick, Kurtis Blow, Big Daddy Kane, Mc Serch, Nice ’N Smooth, Epmd, Redman, Onyx, Warren G, Domino, Musiq Soulchild, Dru Hill, Ja Rule, T.I., Swizz Beatz and Public Enemy.

This year’s Spirit of Life campaign culminated at the sold-out gala held...

Members of the entertainment industry came together to celebrate 50 years of City of Hope, 50 years of hip-hop and the 40-year career of music executive Lyor Cohen at the annual Spirit of Life Gala at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles Wednesday night. Sixteen artists took to the stage during a special DJ Cassidy Pass the Mic Live! segment at the sold-out event, which counted Jay Z, Diddy, Jermaine Dupri and other A-listers among its 900 guests.

City of Hope’s Music, Film and Entertainment Industry (Mfei) fundraising group raised more than $4.3 million to address racial and socioeconomic inequities in cancer treatment and prevention at the event, adding to the more than $150 million Mfei has raised over City of Hope’s 50-year history. The focus on improving cancer outcomes for communities of color is what moved Cohen, who started out managing artists at Def Jam Records before co-founding his own independent label,...

At last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift announced her Midnights album. And this year, the album helped her dominate the night with multiple wins, including her fourth for video of the year.

Swift is the only artist to win the top prize four times — this year it was for her No. 1 hit “Anti-Hero.” During the win that closed out the four-hour show Tuesday night, she shared the stage with those who worked on the music video: director of photography Rina Yang and editor Chancler Haynes.

Swift opened and closed the show with honors: She fangirled, like most of the audience, when she accepted the first award of the night from ‘N Sync, who earned a standing ovation from the crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“I am not doing well pivoting from this to this. I had your dolls. Are you doing something? What’s going to happen now?...

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Doug E. Fresh, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, and Darryl “Dmc” McDaniels joined VMAs 2023 emcee Nicki Minaj for a closing performance paying tribute to this year’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five opened the performance with their groundbreaking hit, “The Message,” before Slick Rick came out with Doug E. Fresh to play “The Show.” Then, Nicki did her mixtape classic “Itty Bitty Piggy,” which she followed with her recent hit, “Red Ruby Da Sleeze.”

Lil Wayne stepped on stage next, with an energetic performance of “A Milli” (one of the best hip-hop songs of all time) before LL Cool J threw it back to the ’80s with “I’m Bad” and “Mama Said Knock You Out.” Finally, Dmc was joined by the other performers for a medley of Run-dmc songs including “Walk This Way.”

The performance marked Dmc’s...

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over a star-studded event celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the VP’s official residence in Washington, DC on Saturday including performances from Lil Wayne, Common, and Mc Lyte.

The historic “50 Years of Hip-Hop” occasion, co-sponsored by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban, was acknowledged as the “first-ever hip-hop house party at the Office of the Vice President of the United States” by Harris, who delivered opening remarks before ceding Mc duties to comedian Deon Cole.

“Hip-hop is the ultimate American art form,” the Vice President proclaimed in her welcome speech. “Hip-hop now shapes nearly every aspect of America’s popular culture, and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people. It combines rhythms from the continent of Africa, from the Caribbean, from Latin America, with the sounds of soul and gospel and R&b and...

Kamala Harris invited some of rap’s top artists, from Lil Wayne to Slick Rick, to perform on Saturday at her home in Washington, D.C., for what she called “the first-ever hip-hop house party at the Office of the Vice President of the United States.”

Harris celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop from a stage built on her lawn with a guest list of rap luminaries, including Common, Doug E. Fresh, Mc Lyte and Fat Joe.

“Hip-hop is the ultimate American art form,” Harris told the audience. “Hip-hop now shapes nearly every aspect of America’s popular culture, and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people. It combines rhythms from the continent of Africa, from the Caribbean, from Latin America, with the sounds of soul and gospel and R&b and funk to create something entirely new.”

“And to be clear, hip-hop culture is America’s culture,...

Tupac Shakur (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty), Allen Hughes (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty), Menace II Society (Warner Bros.)Graphic: Karl Gustafson

Menace II Society, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of its theatrical release in May, was not the first urban drama to capture the nation’s attention in the late 1980s and 1990s,...

There was a cipher going on outside the Hip-Hop 50 Live show at Yankee Stadium. One woman took the mic, intently closing her eyes while focusing on her next bar. As I walked away, she rhymed an improvisational derivative of recuperate, before spitting “that’s not even a word, I just be sayin’ shit.” The line set an apropos tone for the day. Hip-hop was bore out of rule-shirking and boundless imagination — and it made its way to “the house that Ruth built” to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

While Queens’ Rock...

Returning to hip-hop’s birthplace, classic rappers who pioneered the sound — as well as those who have proudly carried the rap torch — joined forces to honor the genre’s 50th birthday and celebrate its historic and global impact on pop culture.

It was only fitting that a venue as iconic as Bronx’s Yankee Stadium became the home for the eight-hour celebration, which included three dozen performers and nearly 50,000 audience members.

The universal love for rap was at the center of the night, and rappers like Nas and Snoop Dogg owned the night while also honoring those who came before them.

During his set, Nas brought out hip-hop founding father DJ Kool Herc and told the crowd: “This is our love. This is our bloodline.” Herc, 68, earned a standing ovation and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Kool G Rap also appeared onstage alongside Nas,...

Award-winning producers Mimi Valdés and Nina Yang Bongiovi are teaming up for a new venture, Fly Green Socks, a multicultural media company focused on producing hip-hop narratives in film.

“Hip-hop is a culture defining superpower, influencing fashion, technology and even politics. But it’s severely underrepresented in Hollywood as its own film genre,” Valdés and Yang Bongiovi said in a statement announcing their partnership. “Our goal with Fly Green Socks is to create a new lane of films dedicated to uplifting the hip-hop ecosystem.”

According to an Ifpi survey, over 1.85 billion people worldwide listen to hip-hop.

The co-founders added: “With hip-hop celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there’s a goldmine of untapped stories for us to champion with innovative filmmakers. We look forward to using our combined experience and deep relationships in music and film to deliver high-quality storytelling that impacts culture.”

Valdés and Yang Bongiovi first met while producing “Dope,...

During the New York City stop on his world tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album, 50 Cent surprised the audience with guests including A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Moneybagg Yo, Jadakiss and J. Cole, the latter who called 2003’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ “the best album of all time.”

Cole performed “No Role Modelz” at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Wednesday alongside 50 Cent as fans cheered loudly. He was the last surprise performer and spoke highly of 50 Cent and his first album after the performance.

“Can I say this before I walk off this stage? If y’all don’t make some noise for one of the greatest n***as to ever do this shit — 50 motherfucking Cent, Curtis Jackson,” Cole said.

“Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is the best album of all-time. … It’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ at No. 1 and it’s Thriller at No.

Hip-hop turns 50 on Aug. 11, and it seems that the whole world is celebrating. From concerts organized by Amazon and Mass Appeal to block parties put on by New York City, the festivities are plentiful. There is also a wide range of exhibits and galleries curated by artists of the hip-hop generation. It would be impossible to reference every single event happening for rap’s birthday, but here’s a list of notable Hip-Hop 50-related events happening this August.

Concerts and Events

Amazon Music: 50 & Forever: New York (through Aug. 10)

Rotation,...