Doja Cat isn’t letting scandal squash her ambition.
As widely reported, the rising rapper found herself at the center of quite the storm when it was revealed she participated in chat room sessions with questionable groups and had made a series of problematic tweets.
Looking to power past the drama, Doja has teamed with the likes of The Weeknd and the City Girls for fresh collaborations.
And while it remains to be seen whether she’s been commercially impacted by the melee, she’s clapped back at her critics saying: “I’m here to stay!”
With the world at large in deep debate about racial injustice, so too is the entertainment industry.
Recent weeks have seen a number of Black artists step forward and bravely share their experiences of racism. And, in the UK, one of the most notable has come courtesy of singer Misha B.
The songbird soared into public favour as a contestant on the 2011 edition of The X Factor UK. Yet, she was prevented from scaling to higher heights when she was branded a bully on live television by judge Tulisa Contostavlos over an unsubstantiated backstage situation. She was also blemished with accusations of being “feisty” and having an “attitude” that ought to be tamed. Again, without substantiation.
In an emotional video, Misha went on to unpack more of the behind the scenes happenings that she says were drenched in racial bias and left her feeling suicidal.
Upon Misha’s tearful account hitting headlines, Tulisa issued a fiery response that seemed unsure as to whether it sympathised or blamed the Manchester talent.
Branded tone-deaf, it didn’t seem to take into consideration the long-established stereotypes attached to Black women nor the pain it continues to cause.
Now, the N-Dubz front-woman is changing her tone. For, in a new written statement, she acknowledges and apologises for her role in the melee.
Just three months after raising $128 million for the fight against COVID-19 with the Lady Gaga-curated ‘One World: Together at Home’ special (click here to read more), Global Citizen is looking for a redo by assembling even more of music’s biggest names to come together for the cause.
This time placing focus on communities that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic (namely people of color, people facing discrimination, and the less fortunate), the event – titled ‘Global Goal: Unite for Our Future – the Concert’ – comes as a partnership with the European Commission and will be globally televised and digitally streamed.
Set to air June 27, look inside to check out some of the big names you can expect to see at the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-hosted affair:
Good things come to those who wait; just ask Chloe x Halle.
7 years after unveiling their debut EP, ‘Uncovered,’ the superstar sister set’s discovered their name’s finally been printed inside the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to ‘Do It’ – the lead single from their sophomore album, ‘Ungodly Hour.’
With his 27-track new album due Friday (June 26), August Alsina continues to give fans tastes of what they can expect from the unexpected project.
Having already whet appetites with album cuts ‘NOLA’ and ‘Rounds’ (click here to listen), he returns with the emotional ‘Work to Do.’
“When you come from the bottom, faced with the problems / Tryin’ to solve ’em, on your own,” he croons. “Makes lovin’ me not so easy / Missin’ some pieces, thought you complete me / This love is possible but girl we got some work to do.”
‘Break My Heart’ hitmaker Dua Lipa was a week away from breaking a seemingly untouchable record on the Hot 100.
The aggressive push around her sophomore album, ‘Future Nostalgia,’ may have calmed in the last three months after its surprisingly soft opening (as we reported here), but – much like the set’s buoyancy on the Billboard 200’s top 25 – its singles ‘Heart’ and ‘Don’t Start Now’ have been mainstays in the Hot 100’s upper rankings.
The latter hopped into the tally’s top 10 the second week of February and remained there for a whopping 20 weeks. Tying fellow Brit beautyAdele’s ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Rolling In The Deep’ (both songs spent 20 weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10 each), Lipa’s ‘Start’ was one week shy of snatching the title of “longest-running top 10 by a British female act.”
The refreshed chart, unveiled Tuesday (June 23), revealed the song had slipped out of the top 10 – thereby leaving the record unbroken. Landing at #14 after the impressive run, look inside to see who joins her in the top 25 on the new ‘TGJ Chart Check: Hot 100.’
JoJo isn’t letting the pandemic put a pause on the campaign for new album ‘Good To Know.’
For, moments ago, the songbird hatched the video for ‘Small Things.’
A fan-favorite from the LP, the track was initially set to serve as its lead single. But the decision was made to press on with the equally well-received ‘Man’ – which is making steady strides on radio.
Unpacking the reason to release the visual, Jo explained:
“I’ve been trying to wait for the right moment to share this video with you. With everything going on in the world and in our own backyard, I didn’t want anyone to misconstrue its release as some kind of indication that I’ve moved on from the revolution at hand, here in America.
I want to say it clear as day: Black people made me who I am. Not only my longest standing friendships, but also the record executives, mentors, teachers, romantic partners, and loyal fans who believed in me and took a chance on me – they have all shaped me. Without their support in every way, and without the artists who inspire me to make music, I would not exist. My support for Black lives/art/love/safety/freedom is not a phase nor does it have an expiration date. I’m honored to be a part of R&B culture and I never take my warm reception for granted. Here’s a piece of art that we made to express how painful it can be to hold in your feelings. To act like you’re okay, when- in all honesty- you’re not. I wanted to video to feel like catharsis.”
After watching her latest single, ‘Anything for You,’ rocket up the R&B chart rankings, 12-time GRAMMY nominee Ledisi lifts the lid on news surrounding its parent album, ‘The Wild Card.’
Love or loathe him, what can’t be denied is John Legend‘s hustle knows few rivals.
From radio to television, print, and beyond, the EGOT winner’s been on fire for the last two months in promotion of his long-awaited seventh studio effort ‘Bigger Love.’ Branded his sexiest album yet, Legend’s also described the set as a timely, ‘uplifting’ affair given the state of the world.
Yet, despite the onslaught of press allotted the LP’s leading songs – ‘Actions,’ ‘Conversations in the Dark,’ and its title track – he’s certainly seen bigger buzz.
Taking the June 19-released opus to chart battle even though most of its singles missed the Hot 100 all together, look inside to see just how many units ‘Bigger’ is expected move its first week:
August Alsina‘s gone from zero to a hundred in a matter of days.
Though pretty quiet over the last few years, the crooner sprang a surprise on his dedicated fans last week by announcing his massive forthcoming effort, ‘The Product III,’ is hitting shelves June 26 (as we reported here).
Dropping a taste of its content via the well-received ‘NOLA,’ now the 27-year-old is venturing west with its follow-up by offering an homage to Houston via the new song, ‘Rounds.’
“Throw that NO up / H-Town down / That’s for my homies / That’s for my rounds / All that herb is really trippy / Clout by the pound /Keep that candy pain’t drippin’ / Chop, chop, grew it up the South,” he wails.
Look inside to hear his tribute to the ‘Space City.’
