As reported, the renown R&B group have dissolved differences and are making a beeline for a number of stages – including the BET Awards and Essence Music Festival.
The quad are also shooting a Bravoreality show produced by Mona Scott Young.
Folk will have to wait to until November for the series to hit screens, but in the interim Kandi Burruss and co are giving folk a preview of how they’re sounding.
And it’s superb!
Check out their rehearsal of ‘Who Can I Run To’ below…
After weeks of speculation, it’s finally official – Jay Z is releasing a new album and, as widely expected, it’s titled ‘4:44.’
Previously confirmed for a June 30th release, there was no confirmation that the mysterious project was indeed an album.
Until now.
The following press statement was jointly issued by Roc Nation, TIDAL and the streaming service’s new co-owners Sprint:
On the heels of announcing a first-of-its-kind partnership and offer, global music and entertainment platform TIDAL and Sprint (NYSE: S) are excited to share JAY-Z’s new album, 4:44 – the first in a series of exclusives offered to the 45 million postpaid and prepaid Sprint customers and existing TIDAL members.
Who: JAY-Z
What: New Album – 4:44
When: 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, June 30
How: New and existing Sprint customers can take advantage of the complimentary six-month trial of TIDAL HiFi at Sprint.TIDAL.com or by visiting a Sprint store.1 New Boost Mobile customers can subscribe during the activation process in-store or online at boostmobile.com. Existing customers can add the monthly subscription online via My Account (web and smartphone), in store, or by phone. New TIDAL members worldwide can visit TIDAL.com/Try-now.
Speaking on the release, Sprint president and CEO Marcelo Claure said:
“Today is an exciting day to be a Sprint customer. JAY-Z is a global icon and we’re giving customers an incredible opportunity to be among the first to experience his new album 4:44. Our loyal, existing customers, and customers who switch to Sprint, can experience the album exclusively, plus access a complimentary six-month trial of TIDAL HiFi, giving them access to content they can’t get anywhere else.”
The announcement was paired with an extended version of the ‘4:44’ trailer, which featured a brief lyrical preview:
‘4:44’ is Jigga’s first body of work since 2013’s ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ – which opened atop of the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 528,000. The LP has since been certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
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As authentic music titans go, few can rival Jay Z. Hence, we’re all sorts of amped for what will easily be one of 2017’s landmark releases.
The roller-coaster that has been the TIDAL story is well-documented. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the service factors in to the commercial performance of ‘4:44.’
Waves of negative criticism has done little to stop ‘All Eyez On Me’, the Tupac biopic, from faring well at the box office.
Slammed by the rapper’s friend Jada Pinkett-Smith, the project has been mocked online thanks to appearances of iPhones and contemporary dance routines…invented years after the rapper’s death.
The long-awaited Tupac biopic ‘All Eyez On Me’ finally landed in theaters today after battling years of hurdles – including the departure of not one but two directors.
However, the drama shows no signs of letting up.
Following questionable reviews and box office forecasts , actress Jada Pinkett Smith has hit out at the Benny Boom / LT Hutton production. She’s taken specific issue with the portrayal of her relationship with ‘Pac – someone she was close friends with.
Writing on Twitter moments ago, Smith said:
Forgive me… my relationship to Pac is too precious to me for the scenes in All Eyez On Me to stand as truth.
TNT’s newest dramedy centers around Niecy Nash (“Desna Simms”) as the leader of a fiesty and (at times) catty group of Floridian manicurists who are using their nail salon to assist as a money laundering front for a neighboring clinic.
The series, which also stars Emmy winner Karrueche Tran, won rave reviews from critics in pre-screens. Yet, when it made its debut on June 11th, viewership figures didn’t exactly match that fanfare.
‘Claws’ Series Premiere Ratings = 1.18 million
The numbers, though far from blockbuster, are fair given a number of circumstances:
It’s in line with a number of other TNT original programming premiere figures from the past year
It had to contend with major rating draws like ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ and ‘NHL Playoffs’
The show’s already given viewers a “sneak preview” during a previously aired NBA game
With all things considered, the show is off to a solid start. Next week’s ratings will be a good determinant of how well it was or wasn’t able to sustain viewers.
HBO‘s ‘Insecure’ returns for its second season next month!
The critically-acclaimed comedy chronicles the friendship of Issa and Molly (played Yvonne Orji) as they attempt to make sense of their professional, personal, and love lives in Los Angeles.
Its sophomore run premieres on July 23rd and promises many a twist and turn, as well as the return of favorites such as Lawrence (Jay Ellis) and Frieda (Lisa Joyce).
With buzz already at a loud volume, HBO have cranked it up a notch with the preview teaser.
What are you waiting for? Get all the way into it below…
Keen to ensure that its system stands strong against the threat of errors and fraudulent voting, the powers-that-be have announced major changes today.
For the very first time, voting members will be allowed to vote online to create flexibility for touring acts and pull the heat out of any attempts to cheat the system by way of fraudulent voting.
Nominations Review Committees will be created for the Rap, Contemporary Instrumental and New Age fields. The nominations review process was established in 1989 as an additional round of checks and balances to eliminate the potential for a popularity bias that puts emerging artists, independent music, and late-year releases at a disadvantage.
There’s good news for songwriters too.
As of next year, they will be added to the Album of the Year category alongside producers, engineers, mixers, mastering engineers, featured artists who are credited with at least 33% of publishing on the winning release!
Bill Freimuth, Senior Vice President of Awards for the Recording Academy shared:
As an Academy, it’s imperative that we continue to meet the needs of music creators everywhere, and this year’s transition to online voting is an enormous step forward in the evolution of our voting process. We work diligently to ensure we’re keeping up with our ever-changing industry and team up with music people year round, across all genres and disciplines, to make sure we are doing everything we can to support the creative community.
After a number of setbacks, pushbacks, and reschedules Halle Berry‘s serially delayed thriller, ‘Kidnap,’ finally has an official release date (we hope).
The film, originally set for release in late 2015 then moved to mid-2016 before being rescheduled for late 2016, can finally boast the release of promotional materials that specifically list August 4th as the date of its theatrical open in U.S. theaters.
An action thriller that sees Berry portray a mother go to dangerous lengths to rescue her son from kidnappers, ‘Kidnap’ has reportedly won favorable reviews by “test” audiences. Now, after nearly two years of waiting, we’ve finally arrived to time to see if that reaction is shared by the general public.
Music’s reigning Queen Bey proves that her bank balance is losing none of its shine, even as she readies the arrival of twins.
Forbes have released their 2017 list of Highest Celebrity Earners – and Mrs Carter is sitting pretty at #2 with an annual estimated earning of $105 million.
In occupying said spot, the 36-year-old is the top placed female and is overall only bested by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (whose savvy business moves earned him $122 million).
So what’s beefing up Bey’s pockets?
Per the report, coins are raining in from last year’s colossal ‘Formation World Tour’ and sales of the star’s premium-priced ‘Lemonade’ visual album are contributing too. Unsurprising given that the LP is nearing double platinum status.
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Beyonce remains at the forefront of what it means to truly achieve the American Dream. Indeed, few others in the Pop cultural sphere are as exemplary of the reality of working hard and yielding the rewards.
Ever about upping her own levels, it’ll be both intriguing and exciting to see her approach to dominating the musical and cultural landscape upon the birth of her babies.
Because, if one thing is a given about Bey, it’s that she won’t be letting her reign let up anytime soon.
For, without further adieu, ‘Witness’ – the long-awaited new album from Katy Perry – has finally arrived on shelves. Kicked off by the politically-tinged tune ‘Chained to the Rhythm,’ the set’s celebrated two follow-up charting singles – ‘Bon Appetit’ & ‘Swish Swish’ – in the four month promo campaign it’s been afforded leading up to its release this morning.
As mixed critical reviews continue to flood in, ‘Witness’ has admittedly not seen the buzz and excitement its predecessors have been greeted with. In fact, the album comes as Perry’s first to be released without a #1 single to precede it.
Will all this spell trouble for its short-term and long-term sales? Or, will hearing the project in full help persuade those on the fence about purchasing it? Time will tell.
Until then, listen to what the ‘Bon Appetit’ singer is serving up and tell us: are you buying?
Click your fave streaming service below to listen:
Fans were also thrilled to find all 15 of the album’s tracks on Youtube. Click here to listen.
